#and ...

　　　search deeper than that.

"What do you think you're doing?" He sighs, knowing he can't make up an excuse. "What does it look like? I'm getting out of your way." "I never said I wanted you to go." "Maybe not to my face, princess, but we both know you would like it better if I found other accommodations." "I told you to stop calling me that." Only she's not sure if she actually had. Lucas was the only one who had ever called her 'princess'. The moniker was technically hers, but she had never felt like it fit. She had never even seen the inside walls of the Queen castle. She had believed herself a commoner a lot longer than she had known the truth. He met her gaze then nodded. "As you wish. But still I should go." "Don't be stupid, you can barely more your arm," she gestured to him as he tried to move his duffle from the bed. "You could make that worse if you leave." "And if I stay, I'm gonna hurt you worse. And I can't be the reason you're in anymore pain," he shook his head and she can see the tears he's fighting back. "So I'll find something else, somewhere else." "You think leaving is going to cause me less pain?" "Vin--" She moved to him, taking the bag and tossing it to the side. "No. If you leave, and something bad happens to you, what do you think that's gonna do to Dallas, to me?" "I thought you wanted me gone?" "I never said that." "You sure as hell have acted like it." He winced, and she didn't know if it was out of pain or the reality of his words. So Vin did the one thing she could think to do get him to stay. She reached across the space, a couple of inches that felt like lightyears, and took his hand. "I wanted you to be able to go back. I wanted you not to be working for Merlyn, to stop yourself from turning in Thea. I wanted you to be able to erase the things that drove us apart." "If I could--" "Let me finish, please," Vin took her other hand so she could turn his face to hers. "I know we can't go back. I know the things you did, they'll always be there. And I wish I could tell you that they won't keep me at arms length, but I can't. What I do know is, even if I didn't want to admit it, when you were shot I was terrified that I would never see you again." "I'm right here," he said, squeezing her fingers. "You weren't though," she shook her head. "For an hour I thought, I thought you weren't going to make it. I thought, this is it? This is one of my only tethers to home, just cut. No valiant roar, no fighting tooth and nail to stay, just you, gone. And it felt like losing my parents all over again, but so much worse." "You and Dallas are my only connections to home," she continued with a sad smile. "And if you die, I don't think I could handle that for real." "Princess..." "So stay," she pressed. "Maybe it's selfish, but stay anyway. Because if you leave, I'm going to imagine the worst. You promised me once that you would never leave my side, and you'd always protect me. And if you leave--"

yeah... i mean ...

But, I got life.. Trying to keep on.. .. .