It was early Spring when it happened. I was helping Chloe plan out her wedding, which was only a few weeks away. We were waiting for Michael to return from the mission he was on. I still vividly remember how excited Chloe was. It was Michael's last mission before his retirement was to take effect. He was supposed to be back from it around 7 PM. We both sat and waited for him together. We wanted to kinda surprise him, maybe celebrate the end of his last mission... 7 PM came and went... Chloe started to become agitated...

"He's late! WHY is he late?!" she started saying.

I did my best to calm her down and reassure her. As the minutes ticked by though, I started to get a bad feeling...

"He's never been late before!" she said as she began to pace back and forth.

8 PM came and went, still no sign of Michael. Chloe was now sitting behind the door and staring at it, as though she were trying to will him to appear before it. As each minute passed, she grew more and more agitated.

Finally, at exactly 8:27, there was a knock on the door. Chloe instantly got up and yanked it open. Two of the agents that had been on Michael's team were standing outside. Michael wasn't with them.

"Chloe... I'm sorry to be the one telling you this... but Michael is dead. Some maniac came out of the ceiling with two Uzi's and sprayed the room we were in. Michael was hit multiple times." he said.

While the agent was talking, I saw Chloe's eyes widen. Her pupils slowly dilated, and her face took on a frozen, statue like look. Suddenly she turned and ran into the kitchen. We followed her, and I got there just as she stabbed herself in the chest with one of her largest butcher knives! As she fell to the floor, something inside my mind gave way...

The next thing I remember was being pinned to the floor by several agents. I was struggling and sobbing. I couldn't think. I couldn't even form any words. A doctor rushed in, and I soon felt a needle in my arm. Then it became harder to keep struggling, and much as I tried to fight it, sleep soon overcame me...

When I came to, everything was out of focus. There were a few people in front of me, but I couldn't make them out. My vision slowly cleared and I saw Dominic and a few doctors looking at me. I tried to get up and found myself strapped to the bed. Dominic walked over to me.

"Hey..." he said.

"Chloe! Is she... Is she..."

He solemnly nodded. "Yes. She's dead."

I began to sob. My body heaved and my screams filled the room. It wasn't fair! Chloe and Michael were meant to be together! Their wedding was supposed to happen in just a few weeks! They were supposed to spend the rest of their lives together, and die together of old age! Instead, Michael was killed on his last mission, and Chloe went crazy and killed herself! That wasn't supposed to happen, and it was unfair and awful! They deserved better damnit!!

"WHY THEM?!" I kept shouting over and over.

One of the doctors eventually produced a syringe and walked over to me. I tried to fight him, but the straps prevented me from doing much of anything. They held my arm down and inserted the needle. A little while after that happened, my sobbing began to subside... This strange, semi numbness overcame me. Once I quieted down, Dominic and the doctors began to talk to one another in low voices. I didn't hear much until Dominic said "Fuck your recommendations! I'm staying with her, and I want all the straps removed from her, now!"

"Fine, but she's not leaving this room for at least 24 hours, and we'll be monitoring you both. If she becomes violent again, we'll sedate her whether you like it or not." one of the doctors replied.

"Fine." Dominic replied.

I didn't react as they removed the straps. Whatever they injected into me, it made me not care too much about anything... They left the room, and Dominic climbed into bed with me. Time passed. Eventually things started to clear a bit inside my mind, and I started to cry again. He grabbed me and held my head against his chest. He must have held me for a long time, because when he finally made me sit up, his shirt was soaked with my tears.

"I'm gonna get you something to drink." he said.

He came back a moment later with a clear plastic cup. He offered it to me. I just stared at it.

"Carissa, you need to drink some water." he said.

My mouth was pretty dry, and I was actually quite thirsty. I just couldn't be bothered to do much of anything about it. He put the cup to my mouth and tipped it up a bit. I began to mechanically drink. He ended up having me drink several cups of water. After that, he went back to holding me again. I could hear his heartbeat now, and hearing that steady rhythm made me feel a little better.

"Do you think Chloe and Michael are together now?" I asked.

"You mean like, together in Heaven?"

"Yeah, I guess..." I replied.

"Yes. I'm sure they're together. I'm also sure that they're whole and at peace. Their scars are gone now, and they're free to spend an eternity together if they so desire. I'm sure if they were here now, they'd be saddened by the pain that their passing has caused."

I found myself picturing Chloe and Michael as angels, floating in the clouds with large, feathery wings. That image also made me feel better.

"Do you think they're watching us right now?"

"They probably want to make sure that we'll be all right." he replied.

"Do you think she remembers... back when we were slaves?"

"Most likely. I've heard that when you die, some veil is lifted, and you know and remember everything." he replied.

I got a nasty, sick feeling in my stomach. Back when we had been slaves, I had been forced to do some pretty nasty things to Chloe, things that I had never stopped feeling guilty about. If Chloe was in the afterlife, and she remembered... No that wasn't good... I started to cry again.

"One time wh-when I was forced to have sex with her, they ma-made me penetrate her with a large strap on dildo... Wh-When I used it on her, she started crying and bleeding... She bled from... there... for awhile, and she was sore for days..."

"I'm sure she doesn't hold that against you. Both of you were brainwashed. You couldn't help it. I'm sure she understands that now, and I'm sure she's forgiven you." he said.

I lowered my head and placed it against his chest again. A few moments later, I heard his stomach growl.

"I'm going to get some food. Do you want anything?"

"Dunno..." I replied.

"I'll bring you back something."

He got up and started to leave. I started to get another bad feeling.

"Please stay!!"

He turned around, and his eyes locked onto mine. "I will come back, Carissa. I'll be back as soon as possible." he said.

I nervously watched him as he ordered the doctors to open the door. There was no clock, so I didn't know how long he was gone. I sat on the bed and stared at the door. My bad feeling worsened. I tried to counteract it by quietly telling myself that he'd be back and that he was safe since we were in a big secure underground base. I also tried to think about something pleasant. It did little to alleviate my fear.

Just a few minutes after he had left, the door opened, and he came back into the room. He was carrying a couple of those styrofoam carry out containers. My fear drained away. He walked over to the bed and set the containers down.

"Here. I got you some roasted turkey." he said, handing one of the containers to me.

I poked at the sliced meat with my plastic fork. I didn't eat any of it though. Eventually I pushed the tray away.

"Carissa. Please, eat." he said.

He pushed the container back towards me. I stared at it for a few moments, then I pushed it away again.

"Fine. I won't force you to eat it." he said.

He took the container away and finished his meal. I was starting to feel tired and listless. Eventually I laid down and placed my head on the pillow. Dominic put a blanket over me, and I closed my eyes.