QUOTE : Reaching up, he clasped her hand and pressed her palm to his lips. He closed his eyes as he kissed it, then just held it there. “I don’t want that to be who I am,” he murmured despondently.<br /><br />“That isn’t who you are.”<br /><br />Opening his eyes, he lowered their clasped hands to his thigh. “It’s just going to get worse, Emma. You know it is.”<br /><br />Leaning in close, she held his gaze. “If it does, we’ll face it together.”<br /><br />He shook his head. “This isn’t the life I want for you. Always waiting for the next outburst, the next psychotic break. Watching me lose every bit of myself that you fell in love with.”<br /><br />“That isn’t going to happen.”<br /><br />“Emma,” he said, his expression tortured, “you have to face the reality of my future. I’ve been with the network for almost four years. They were studying the virus and seeking a cure long before they found me. And they’ve made no progress since then beyond finding a sedative that can knock me out. The chances of us having a happy ending together are infinitesimally small.”<br /><br />She swallowed hard, everything within her rebelling against his forecast. “I’ll take those chances if it means I’ll have more time with you.” When he would’ve spoken—another protest no doubt—she again touched his lips. “If it were me, would you walk away?”<br /><br />He recoiled slightly as though appalled by the mere thought of it. “What?”<br /><br />“You heard me. If I was the one infected with the vampiric virus and I was the one in the surveillance video we just watched, would you walk away?”<br /><br />He stared at her helplessly. “No.”<br /><br />“Why?”<br /><br />He exhaled a sigh of defeat. “Because I would want every moment I could have with you.”<br /><br />“Then what would you do instead?”<br /><br />“Fight like hell to keep you sane.”<br /><br />“Exactly.” Moving over, she settled herself sideways on his lap and pulled his arms around her. “You’re strong, Cliff.” She held out an arm, flexed her biceps in an exaggerated show of muscle, and arched a brow. “I’m strong, too.”<br /><br />His expression lightened. “Yes, you are.”<br /><br />“Together, we can do anything. We can fight this. We can beat this. Even though you may think it’s futile, we have to give Melanie and the other doctors more time.” She pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “I know it’s hard, honey, and that things may get worse. But I’ll be here to help you through it. All of it.” She kissed him again. “I’m not going anywhere.”<br /><br />Those eyes of his brightened further as he dipped his head and claimed her lips in a longer, deeper kiss.