Don't hate me...

Song: She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert
~~~
Champ's p.o.v.

"Ah god, it hurts!" I shout as he pricked my finger without mercy. He rolled his eyes at my dramaticness and sampled the blood, placing a small bandage on my stab wound when he was finished.

"It was a tiny prick, you're absolutely fine." He placed the sample on the desk and went to write more things on his clipboard. I watched with slight confusion as his pen twirled and spun while he wrote down information in the boxes.

"Well it hurt a little...why do you write down things when it's just me? I'm not a patient."

"I like to organize results and productivity," he answered without looking up from his clipboard. "It makes things a lot simpler."

"So am I getting better?" I hope so. I can't stand to lay in bed any longer, it's slowly killing me day by day.

"Your voice and appearance seem better, though the test really determines if you're actually well enough to leave your bed."

"Are you saying I've looked gross the last few days? Harsh." I straightened out the bandage on my finger, trying to get it smoothed out and straight. The way he wrapped it bothers me. I felt my anxiety grow when I looked at my right hand, bare and unbandaged, while the left was exactly the opposite. It's not even. It's not symmetrical. It's not the same.

"Do you want another bandage for that hand?" He asked, looking up form his clipboard with a worried expression. Am I that readable? Can he really see me freaking out inside my own head, is it that obvious to everyone what's wrong with me? Or maybe he's just that good at knowing how to read me.

"Yes please."

He laid his pen down and pulled out another bandage from his bag, and then he wrapped my other finger the exact same way he wrapped the other. I was very thankful for that. I'm thankful he knows how I like things to be.

"Thank you," I mumbled. He sent me a half smile and went back to focusing on his clipboard. It's little things like that that I absolutely love him for. He knows me enough to know when I'm upset or uncomfortable, and then he knows exactly what to do to fix that.

"See something you like?" I heard him muse softly, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, actually," I said smoothly. "I see something I very much like."

He chuckled at my attempt at flirting and rolled his eyes again. "Shush Ryley. I can't focus if you're trying to swoon me."

"I'm not trying to swoon you, I'm trying to flirt."

"They have the same meaning."

"Then why don't you say flirt?"

"Swoon is a much more meaningful word than flirt. Flirt is to compliment, swoon is to knock someone off their feet with a compliment."

"All I said was some cheesy pick up line, I didn't want to knock you off your feet. You're too stiff to be knocked down anyway with those old man joints of yours." I grinned teasingly at him, and I could see a smirk creeping up onto his lips because of my words.

"Old hm?" He asked slyly.

"Yup. "

"You seem to fancy older things Ryley."

"Oh? And what makes you think that?"

His eyes met mine, devious eyes and a smirked expression to go along with it. "Well you surely enjoyed my old things a few days ago under our sheets."

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. Did he just say that? Did he just make a perverted joke?

"Wh-...I don't even know how to respond to that."

"You could laugh. That's what I was purposely trying to get you to do anyway." He turned his attention back to the clipboard, but the smile was still there, still lingering on his soft pink lips.

"I love you Declan Jones," I laughed like he wanted. His smile grew ten sizes and then he had to laugh too. "You know, even if you are a million years old," I teased through our laughter. He grabbed the pen he'd been writing with and threw it at me, and it lightly hit my shoulder with a soft thud. I dont know what in gods name possessed me to do it, but before I even thought about it twice, I pounced on him. We both fell to the floor, myself toppling onto him when the chair failed to catch us. He was practically cackling now, his laughter enough to make me start giggling hysterically. His laugh is so strange and funny, not like you'd expect it to be with a voice as deep as his. When our laughter died down after several minutes, we never moved from the position we were in, myself laying on top of his body while his arms were wrapped around my waist. I caught myself staring into his beautiful eyes without even realizing it, but I didn't look away because he was staring into mine too. One of his hands reached up to pull my hood down and I let him, even though it made me feel just the tiniest bit anxious. He caressed my hair and cheek, before chuckling softly.

"I love you too Ryley Wan. May I steal a kiss?"

I answered his question by pressing my lips firmly to his and wrapping my arms around his neck.

The anxiety was no longer a problem after that.

I don't know how long we stayed on the inn room floor like that, but when a beeping sound began and we pulled away, I was completely out of breath and my hoodie had been thrown carelessly across the room. I guess we caught a little too caught up in that...

"Your test," Declan panted. "Let me check it."

"Forget the test...you know I'm not sick anymore."

"Ryley-"

"No." I stubbornly continued to lay on him with all of my weight. He tried to worm his way out from my body, but I clung to him like glue so he couldn't get up. I want to continue our romantic escapade on the carpet, not check the stupid blood tests. He's such a killer of moods.

"Ryley I have to. Please? It will only take a moment or two."

"You'll make me go back to bed..." I mumbled. "I don't wanna go back to bed."

"I won't send you to bed. Please?"

"No. I'll lay here all night if I have to, you aren't checking the test."

"I could easily remove you from my body."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

A shrill shriek escaped past my lips when a hand slapped me hard on the ass, like extremely hard, enough to where I was sure it left a huge handprint on one of my cheeks. The shock of the incident distracted me long enough for him to push me off of him, and instead of getting up to check the test, he pinned me down to the floor and straddled me like I did earlier.

"That hurt! My ass feels like it's on fire!" I whined loudly, squirming underneath his body.

"Think of it as punishment for holding me against my will. Doesn't feel too good being on the bottom, does it?" He teased with a smirk.

"I'm just shocked that you actually spanked me, I didn't know you were that kinky Decsie."

"I am very kinky when I want to be. Now let's see how your test turned out." He grabbed the test from the desk and checked it, his smile growing wide when he saw the result. "Negative," he muttered.

"Thank the gods. I guess now I don't have to be bed stead all the time, hm?"

"I suppose so. But I may have to give you a bit more medication just in case you-...do you hear that?" He asked suddenly, taking his eyes away from mine to stare at the door.

"Hear what?" My stomach churned. Is it him again? Did he possess someone else to come kill me because he failed the first time?

"Crying. Like an infant crying. It's coming from below us." We both stayed silent for a moment, and sure enough I heard a baby crying underneath us.

"Well Tiff and Lola are below us. Maybe it's Nicky?"

"Maybe," he answered unsurely. "I've never heard that child cry before in my entire life." He stared at the floor with a worried expression on his face. It's just a baby crying, eventually a baby has to cry sometime, right?

"Don't worry about it. So what are we going to do tonight since I'm better?" I smiled and took his hands in mine, and eventually he did look away from the floor.

"I was thinking we could possibly-..." The crying got louder, it was wailing and screaming at this point. He looked towards the floor again and frowned. "Let's go check on them."

"What? Why?"

"Because I've never heard that baby cry before and if it's crying then there has to be something wrong."

"They'll take care of it Decsie, it's their baby."

"Then why haven't they yet? It's been two minutes, a mother wouldn't leave her child crying for over two minutes without doing something to help it. Come on, let's take a quick look." He moved off of me to my disappointment and helped me up, and I slipped my hoodie on before we headed out of our inn room towards the stairs. He's making a big deal out of nothing, babies cry all the time and it's hard to get them to stop. They're probably doing all they can right now to stop it and we're going to make things worse by busting in on them and complaining about it. We stopped in front of their door and Declan knocked, while I leaned against the hallway with a pouting expression on my face. I have a right to pout, he left right in the middle of sexy time.

No one came to the door, but the crying got even louder. Huh. That's strange.

He knocked again, this time shouting through the door in case they couldn't hear him. "Tiff? Lola? Is everything okay?" He shouted at the wood. No answer still, just the screaming of their child echoing through the hallway.

"Something's wrong," he stated suddenly, looking over to me. "Help me pick the lock."

I did as he said and helped him pick the lock by holding the knob still as he worked to get it open with a bobby pin. After a good five minutes, the lock finally opened with a click, and we rushed inside. Nicky was in the middle of the room in a baby crib, screaming his lungs out and with small tears dripping down his cheeks. The room was trashed, there was garbage and broken glass everywhere, and almost all of the furniture was flipped over or ripped apart. Nicky's crib was the only thing in tact. He was right, something is wrong. Declan headed to the back room where I assumed was the bedroom and I tried to follow, but he stopped me before I could go in with him.

"Stay here with the child, try to calm him down, okay?"

"How? I'm not-"

"I know you're good with children. Go." He pointed at the screaming baby in his crib. I sighed and went back over to him while Declan went inside the back room. The poor thing was crying so hard his throat sounded raw. I picked him up from his crib and sat him on my waist, like I used to with Declan's niece, and began to bounce him up and down until he calmed a bit. I am really good with babies, but that doesn't mean I want ten of them when I'm older. Kids scare me. It means commitment and having responsibility over another human being. But I don't mind taking care of one for short periods of time. And Nicky seems really cool. In seconds, he stopped his crying and was now giggling like crazy. I wonder if he's hungry or he needs a diaper change. I have no idea where they keep their diapers and-

"Ryley," I heard Declan call. I looked back to the bedroom door to Declan, who looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack. "Call Tom and Jordan now and tell them were coming, we need to leave."

"What? What's-"

"Do it now, we can't stay here. Grab the child's stuff and I'll get our things, we need to leave as soon as possible." He practically ran across the room and he nearly left out the door before I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait, what happened-

"Don't go in the bedroom. Hurry, we need to leave fast." And then he ran out the door.

What's in the bedroom?

I stared at the door curiously, Nicky still attached to my hip. What's in the bedroom? Where are Tiff and Lola? Why is Declan acting so freaked out?

I placed Nicky back in his crib, and, despite Declan's obvious warning, I headed towards the bedroom. What could be so bad that he would be so freaked out? I have to look. I know he won't ever tell me if I don't see for myself.

I pushed the cracked door open a little wider and sucked in a breath, before peeking inside.

I didn't even see the full image, but I saw enough to know what happened. I saw a pair bloody feet tied up by rope sticking out in front of the door frame. No. Oh no.

"H-Help," a broken voice called from inside. One of them aren't dead. Oh god, what do I do? I obviously have to help them but...I don't know if I can do it. I hope Declan comes back. Maybe he can save the one who's alive.

I took a shaky step inside, avoiding the blood stains surrounding the door as I tried to get to the living person. I saw the first dead body without meaning to. Her black hair was matted to her skin with blood, and her eyes were the palest color I'd ever seen. Tiff.

I held back my tears and my nausea and kept looking. Lola was on the other side of the room, in the same shape her lover was. Blood coated her pale skin and she was gripping her stomach for dear life, where a stab wound was. He didn't touch her heart, it's the only reason she's still alive. Did he purposely keep her alive? I don't even want to think about it.
I rushed over and kneeled by her side, jerking off my hoodie and pressing it against her stomach in a lousy attempt to stop the flow of blood.

"Ch-Champwan? You're...Champwan?" She asked, her voice raw and raspy. I tried to brush away her hair from her face so I could see further damage, but I didn't want to hurt her so I stopped. I could see her neck though. There were purple and black bruises around her neck. He choked her.

"Y-Yes I am. You're gonna be okay, Declan's coming and he's gonna help you." I don't know what else to say. She's near death, in a few minutes she'll be gone. I don't think Declan can save her. She's lost so much blood already.

"Tiffs dead," she rasped, "Isn't she?"

I don't say anything, but I can't stop the tears from spilling over. They didn't deserve this. They were nice people, Jordan and Toms best friends. They had a family. They had a child. What monster could do this and still live with himself?

"Nicky too?" She asked, her sad blue eyes meeting mine.

"N-No he's okay. Nicky's okay." Her breath was slowing, I could hear it. I put more pressure on her stomach. I can buy her a few more minutes if I keep pressing.

"What's your...r-real name?" She's losing her voice, it's getting quieter and more scratchy.

"It's Ryley," I said with a tremor on my voice. Does she know she's about to die? Does she know I was lying to her?

"Ryley...take care of our baby. He likes to p-play pick a boo and...he likes bed time stories. He's a good baby." She smiles and her eyes gloss with tears. She wants me to take care of her baby. Her death wish is for me to take care of her baby.

"I will, I promise. I'll take care of him." I won't let that monster touch him. He's gonna grow up and know who his moms were and how good they were to him. He isn't going to die like this.

She nodded slowly, and her eyes began to fade. "M-Make sure they b-bury me beside of Tiff. I promised her...promised I would be with her forever."

"I'll make sure of it."

She was on the brink of death, her breath was shallow and slower than ever. "Do you think theres a heaven Ryley?" She asked. The question made me feel like sobbing, but I kept my emotions in. I know there's a heaven for those who believe in the gods, but she never worshipped any of them. They will take her to heaven. They have to.

"I know there's a heaven for you and for her."

She smiled one last time, before her eyes closed and her breathing stopped completely.

I didn't know what to do after that. I just sat there for the longest time with my hoodie still pressed against her stomach and my hand still holding hers.

"Ryley?" I heard Declan say. A hand touched my shoulder, a caring and pitying hand.

"She asked me to take care of her baby. She asked me if there was a heaven, and I told she would go. She will go to heaven, right?" I turned to look at him over my shoulder, where he stood with a worried look in his eyes.

"I will speak with Mianite about it later, but right now we have to go."

"She wants to be buried next to Tiff. I'm not leaving until that's done."

"Ryley-"

"It was her death wish Declan! I'm not leaving until she gets buried next to her lover!"

"Okay! I will contact the morgue and tell them, but right now we need to go. We have no idea where he is or if he's coming back, and I am not waiting around until he does. I've gotten our bags and the child's things, if we leave now we can get to the compound in-"

"I'm not leaving them with a morgue."

"We can't-"

"Look at them! Look at how they died! They wanted to be buried together, it's the least we can do for them after all they suffered through! If it had been us who died, would you want our bodies to be left in a morgue with people who don't even care about us?"

"...no. I suppose I wouldn't."

"Call Tom and Jordan and tell them we need a wizard to come help us get them down there. They need a funeral, an actual funeral so the people who love them can mourn. And they'll get a proper burial, like they should. They deserve that at least..." I wiped away the tears from my cheeks and let out a breath I'd been holding since I walked in.

"Okay. I will call them. I'm sorry I was being so selfish Ryley. You are the most selfless person I've ever known." He kissed my cheek, and then I listened as his footsteps faded away. I listened while he called Tom and Jordan, and I listened while he explained what had happened and why we need help.

And I cried when I heard Jordan's sobs of anguish through the call.

I want to go home.
~~~

IM SORRY. IT HAD TO BE DONE AND IM SORRY.

I will be holding support group in the comments. My condolences to you all. <3

~Tiff and Lola will always be alive in our hearts~

- Lee