It was an unhealthy comment section in the last chapter(╥╯﹏╰╥)ง please make this chapter a healthy one. Thanks in advance. PS (I sacrificed my sleep to make this update. It's way past midnight now, show me some author love) ❤

Ivy

The moment I stepped into the room, I saw him trying to get up; wincing in pain when he moved his shoulder the wrong way. At this, my brows came down in confusion, as I rushed towards him. "Hey, easy... Why aren't you healing?"

He managed to sit up, not bothering to respond, but shot me a question of his own. "Where's Glory?"

"Downstairs, why?" I asked, trying to decipher his mood. But his face gave nothing away, he just had that look, that look of his that always scared the heck out of me.

He got to his feet, holding his shoulder and getting his gun from the table where it laid.

His eyes never met mine once. "Let's go." He said, already walking ahead of me.

What happened?

He didn't even ask about Roman, although it was quite obvious everything had went well, but still. Why was I recieveing the cold shoulder vibe from him?

When we got downstairs, Glory was no longer in the spot I left her.

Ethan didn't even bother to look over that direction, he just walked ahead of me, out the direction we'd both come in from.

The cold night air kissed my skin, coaxing the goosebumps out of their hiding place. I opened all the doors to my car, with the key in my hand.

"Do you need any help?" I asked noticing he was still holding on to his shoulder, which I was sure ought to have healed.

He shook his head, managing to open the car door and getting in.

Due to his bad shoulder, he didn't even complain or say anything about me driving.

Didn't even look in my direction as I moved the car out of the parking lot and unto the road, down back to the Rebels sector.

Out of caution, and the look on his face, I couldn't ask him what was wrong. He didn't exactly look like someone who wanted to have any sort of discussion, and I respected that.

Half an hour later, I was pulling up in front of his house, turning off the engine.

He didn't move, and neither did I.

I turned to look at him. His eyes were casted downwards, looking like he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite bring himself to say it.

In a strange way, I could tell there was a serious battle going on in his head, and I knew since we got on the road, he had been figuring out ways to say whatever he wanted to say to me.

Inwardly, I wondered, wondered what was so hard for him to let out.

Was it to apologize for lying about how Roman was found? His meeting with Dean?

If that was it, I couldn't even bring myself to be angry about it. He probably didn't say anything because he was confused about it himself. After everything he had said to Glory, I really did understand this side to him, I knew he was hurting, and I knew it would take a lot to help him.

But I didn't plan on backing out. Not now, not ever.

I took in a deep breath. "Eth-"

"We should end this." He blurted out, shutting me up.

Those four words didn't just shut me up from what I was about to say, but stopped my thoughts, my heart and every working vein in my body.

Unable to believe what my ear heard, I asked, barely even recognizing my voice. "What?"

He took in a sharp breath, letting out a shaky one, as he raised his head, his eyes looking absent, lost, defeated, unfamiliar. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I thought I could do this, ignore reality, and just be happy. But I can't, not when it involves you undoubtedly getting hurt at some point."

Confused, mind blanked, I watched him, refusing to give my heart the opportunity to break. There was no reason for that, for the pain he was trying to sign into both our lives.

"I think it's best you just-- we just- separate. That way, you'll be safe, Roman too. That way, Dean wouldn't have to go through anyone I care about to get to me. That way, history won't repeat itself."

My heart gave a harsh thump after registering what he was really saying to me... What he had been thinking of since we left the Facility. He had been thinking of ways to break up with me.

He gulped. "Being- being apart is for the best. Then you'll be safe from every demon chasing after me. Then I'll know you'll be safe." He said, almost like he was reasurring himself.

The disbelief I felt was sure to reflect on my face. "Are you that dumb, Ethan? Or is it that you suddenly lost all your common sense? What makes you think Dean still wouldn't come after us? You think a break means the world would suddenly start to rotate like it should? You think what? That if you- if you hurt us both, it'll somehow make everything better?"

He sighed, looking genuinely frustrated. "Don't you see it Ivy? You're not safe with me. Do you want to die? Do you want to be next in line to be kidnapped? Can't you see that me being in your life is just utter destruction? I see it, and I don't want that for you. I love you too much to curse you with me being in your life, okay? I don't care about my feelings, and I'm sorry this is happening, but I need you alive and breathing, even if you hate me, that's fine. All I care about is you, you not getting hurt, and caught up in this whole mess."

It took everything in me to force back the tears already building in my eyes. Crying would only make it seem too real, even if it was indeed real.

"I'm sorry I let this drag on, I should have known this would happen. Dean threatened me with your life. You can't expect me to ignore that, knowing what he's capable of."

Too real.

"The last time I ignored these threats, you ended up coming here, that's on me. Roman got dragged into all of this, kidnapped and drugged, now a part of this whole craziness. That's also on me, Ivy. I can't let Dean hurt you too. I- I just can't-- I'm sorry, I can't- I can't be what you want me to be without putting you in serious danger."

I could feel myself dying... Bits by bit inside, I was dying. Even as I tried to stop the painful growing thumps of my heart, I could feel it breaking.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized, looking so broken. His eyes, red with withheld tears, I was sure would have mirrored mine if I didn't already feel the warm liquid rolling down my cheek.

He looked away, almost like it pained him to see me cry.

"So- this-- this is your way of protecting me, Ethan?" He didn't reply, his head casted downwards, so I continued, tears now streaming down my face, my heart squeezing against my chest. "Every of the mistakes we've made starts from these odd ways of protection. First it was lies from both our parts, and then the betrayals-"

He raised his head slightly. "Ivy--"

"If hurting ourselves is the only way to protect each other, then I don't want that kind of protection."

His mouth clamped shut as he swallowed, looking back down immediately, and letting out a shaky breath, his hand raising to brush the corner of his eye, a sniff escaping him.

I don't ever recall a time when I'd witnessed Ethan cry. It was odd, associating him with that word. This was probably hurting him as much as it hurt me, maybe even more.

"Ethan," I reached across, intertwining my hand with his. "When are you ever going to realize we're stronger together than apart? It doesn't have to result to us sacrificing our happiness for people like Dean or Glory. They don't own us or our decisions."

He just stared down at our hands together, unable to bring his gaze to meet mine.

I felt his tears drop unto my knuckles.

He sniffed again, reaching to wipe his eyes as he raised his head, his gaze still not meeting mine, as he winced when dropping his hand back down.

I sighed, feeling utterly exhausted as I wiped my own tears with my free hand. "Let's head in, I'll fix you up something for the pain, and check it out."

I was glad that he didn't stop me.

When we got out of my car and into the house, I had him take off his shirt. The bandage Glory and I had fixed him up with, was already stained with his blood again.

I got out his first aid kit. Unwrapping the already stained bandage from him.

Neither of us spoke as I prepared to clean up his already healing wound, noticing how slow the process was taking, but I very sure by tomorrow, it would have healed up totally.

I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, but I refused to look at him, afraid of what I was going to see in his eyes.

When I finished, I made him drink some pills to numb and ease the pain. With an additional one to knock him out, and hopefully, back to his senses.

I knew it would be a while for the drugs to take effects on him.

I returned to him shortly after I had dropped the first aid kit back to its position.

Then I let my gaze meet his, seeing guilt dancing in his emerald green pools.

I looked away, gulping down. "I should head back to my base." I said, my voice small.

Fear flashed through his eyes as he watched me. "You're leaving?" His voice, filled with fear, regret and hurt, had my heart squeezing once more.

I nodded. "Yeah, will you be okay on your own?"

He got to his feet, making his way over to me, the thumping of my heart couldn't be described as anything else.

"No." He answered, stopping right in front of me. "I-- I'm sorry-"

"Ethan-"

"No please hear me out. I-I'm sorry about what I said in the car. I wasn't thinking. I was just so confused and didn't know what else to do. I just didn't want you to get hurt. Running- running from my problems have always been the go to solution to them. I thought breaking things off was for the best, and-- now I know I was wrong, and you were right. We don't have to hurt each other to protect each other. I'm so sorry I hurt you Ivy; like you said, I was dumb and I lost all my common sense. I don't want to be away from you." His wavering voice had me melting. All I wanted to do was pull him in for a hug. "I really don't want to be alone right now. Please don't leave." He didn't only plead with his words, but with his eyes too.

I also didn't want to be alone, I just wasn't sure if he wanted me to stay. I let out a breath of relief, closing the little distance between us by wrapping my arms around him, his warmth calming me. "It's okay Ethan, I'll stay."

He hugged me back, whispering a thank you.

We defeated this. The hope flaring through me, reassured me we were going to defeat every obstacle waiting for us. We were going to defeat Glory and Dean, and we were going to be free.

I just knew it.

____

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Thanks for reading!

Next chapter is Riona, Ivan and Ramel together! I think we all need a slight relieve.

But I have to warn you, there's a storm brewing. Ethan's about to take on more hits. I'm not sure how many he can take but... Let's see how it goes.

(PS: I'm not mean ;-))

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