Aaron's eyes slowly slid open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his flat. A dim beam of sunlight entered the room through his window, casting an orange glow on the dull furnishings of his apartment. He turned to his side, only to bump into his surprise visitor snuggled up against him.

He brushed his hand through Nika's hair, her long blonde strands as soft as a kitten's fur. She lay there peacefully, quietly sighing with every breath. She was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before, as if she was a symbol of the serenity the world felt before the Deadmen took over.

"Morning, love," he whispered, still brushing his hand through her hair. He moved closer and kissed her forehead.

A smile formed across her face as she pulled herself closer to Aaron, pressing her head against his chest, her eyes still closed. "Good morning," she sighed.

"I don't recall any plans for a slumber party." Aaron wrapped both of his arms around her. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I honestly didn't plan this either," Nika replied. "But after last night, I think it's obvious not all plans go well."

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"Your fainting is not gonna become a regular thing, is it?"

Aaron chuckled. "I hope not." His smile disappeared immediately. I seriously hope not, he thought to himself.

"Well after you collapsed, Kat had to fight off that Lavinia lady since she was being kind of grabby. Jonah finally calmed down and helped me carry you here to make up for his outburst. We kept an eye on you since you hit your head pretty hard. Eventually Jonah left and I stayed here to look after you."

"Did he use the secret key I hid underneath the welcome mat?"

"You don't have a secret key or a welcome mat."

"I know. I thought it'd be funny. But where'd he go?"

"Back to his flat. I have no doubt he was still upset about what went down earlier."

"I'm very sorry about what happened last night. I never wanted to replace your sister. I was just hoping we'd all get along. You know I care about you too much to hurt you or anyone we care about. If I'd ever hurt you, I would just—"

Nika kissed him on the cheek, immediately shutting him up. It was his favorite way of being told to shut up. "I'm fine, Aaron. You haven't done a single thing wrong." She scooted up in the bed so her head was on his shoulder. "You've only ever been a good person. Plus, it's refreshing to see that you've been taking everything so well."

I'm most certainly not taking everything well, Aaron thought to himself.

"What happened afterwards?" he asked hesitantly.

Nika remained quiet. Aaron suffered as he spent those next few seconds wondering if it was a good idea asking more questions.

"Nika?" he asked again.

"Shaw and Kat escorted Natalya to her cell," Nika replied, choking back tears. "They said she wouldn't see the rest of Matheson for a long time. And if they find out she's infected, they'll kill her."

Aaron's heart shattered like glass. He didn't mean to sound selfish, but he quickly realized he'd meet the same fate once they'd find out about him. And given his new reputation, they would just kill him on the spot. Usually they'd let infected citizens decide whether or not they wanted to be released into the Dead Zone or be executed, but criminals, even the wrong accused, were always executed.

The floodgates opened. Tears made their way down Nika's cheeks. "They said Lavinia Dyer had permission to do things to her!"

Aaron jerked up from his bed angrily while Nika buried her head into the pillow, sobbing hopelessly. Aaron couldn't decide whether to take out his anger on the DZI or join Nika in her little breakdown.

He did neither and instead did everything he could to comfort her. He pulled her closer and let her rest her head against his chest, tears still pouring down her cheeks. Her cries were soft, yet the pain she felt on the inside couldn't have been more evident. Aaron felt like he was watching the world's hope die out in front of him. Since he used to kill things for a living, Nika was the only person in his life that made him still feel human, even before he was infected. The only thing he feared more than losing his life was losing her.

"Aaron."

Nika's melancholy whisper burned into Aaron's heart. "Yes, love?" he croaked.

"Do you think you can make this better?"

If just saying his name hurt, then those words were like bullets tearing through his chest. The only person he knew who could walk through Hell with a smile was breaking. After seeing the rest of the Dead Zone, he no longer believed in hope, but he thought it was beautiful that there were still people like Nika who did their best to give it to those who needed it.

Aaron wrapped his arms around Nika once more and squeezed her tighter than ever. Loneliness was his number one worst fear. Not Deadmen. Not Cutthroats. Not even clowns or spiders.

Being alone in the world felt like the worst thing that could ever happen to him.

"I'll fix this," Aaron replied, on the verge of crying. "I swear, Nika, as long as I'm still alive, I will fix this! And I will never, ever let anything happen to you."

The two of them stayed in their somber positions for several minutes. Nika's cries grew quieter and Aaron kept her close to him as he rested his head on top of hers. He kept his arms around her even if he'd have to hold her for the rest of his life. Even if all he had was a few more days.

They remained silent a little longer until Nika lifted her head up and stared into Aaron's eyes. She moved closer and kissed him, taking his hands. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Aaron replied. He barely got the last word out before Nika pulled him in for another kiss, this time longer than the last.

He stroked her hair as they continued kissing, neither of them wanting the moment to end. Out of the many years they've known each other, they felt closer than ever today, and Aaron only wanted to get closer. He smoothed his hand down Nika's hair until he reached the hem of her dress. Once he had a firm grip, he slowly lifted it up, his heart only seconds away from bursting out of his chest.

"Wait," Nika chirped sheepishly, pulling away from him. She grabbed his hand and moved it away from her dress, holding it in place between them. "Aaron, I...I honestly wouldn't mind undressing, but..."

He let go of her dress. "I'm sorry," he replied quietly. "I should've asked if you were comfortable with it."

Nika let out a small chuckle, wiping a tear out of her eye. "Remember what Mr. Hecox said back at the children's home?" she asked, her voice still weak.

Aaron sighed with disappointment. "'Only after marriage can you two go past those boundaries.' Can't we just undress and not go any further?"

"He also said you should avoid the temptation." Nika pressed her forehead against Aaron's, a small smile forming on her face. She wiped another tear out of her eye as she slowly recovered for the moment, and Aaron couldn't have been more relieved. "Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he groaned in a jokingly disappointed manner.

Nika giggled before kissing Aaron once again. "I didn't think you'd remember."

"I tried not to." Aaron brushed his hand through her hair, refusing to look away from her beautiful blue eyes. "You have any idea how hard it is to resist loving you? Why'd you have to be so adorable?"

Nika laughed again before pulling him in for another kiss, the two of them plopping back into the bed. And they stayed that way a little while longer, not bothering to go any further.

Especially because Aaron realized that, one way or another, going any further would've ended horribly for both of them.