SLOW MOTION.

For a few moments, Stella isn't sure why she feels like everything slows around her.

She isn't sure why Lucien's eyes seem to be widening in horror, or why the ground beneath her feet seems to be unsteady all of a sudden.

She isn't sure why her knees suddenly feel weak, or why her wings burn in agony as they tuck themselves into hiding on their own, or why her vision seems to be blurring as her mind begins to fill with haze.

But then, her eyes flicker down to the hilt of the bejeweled dagger that was sticking out of her flesh-

-And it all makes sense.

She lets out a shaky breath, pressing her lips together to prevent a sound from escaping- as her eyes sting in realization.

"Lucien," she whispers shakily- her voice cracking, "Lucien -what have you done?"

She's vaguely aware of someone screaming her name as she tries to step away from him, but it sounds muffled- like she was underwater, and she can't bring herself to turn around.

She can only tilt her chin upward to look at the angel in front of her, her eyes brimming with tears.

"S-Stella," he says, his voice trembling, the grip on her shoulder falling away, "No, no, no- I- I don't-"

"T-Take it out," her own words sound rushed and panicked, as her hands fumble to reach for the hilt, "G-Get it out of me-"

Her knees feel weak, as she tries to step away from him, but she only stumbles backward- half-expecting to fall, when a pair of strong arms wrap around her, breaking her fall.

"Hey, hey- I got you," a familiar deep voice murmurs, almost soothingly to her, supporting the brunt of her weight, as she continues to push herself away from Lucien, her shaking fingers trying to grip the hilt.

This time, when her eyes meet the gleaming crimson in his, as she continues to back herself into Axel's hold- she knows that he is truly desperate and vulnerable.

He reaches for her again- his face panicked and filled with guilt, genuine this time-

-but a ripple of energy bursts through the room, and a sudden force slams him back into the wall.

And Stella can finally feel the smallest sense of relief at the sight of a familiar figure, despite the burning that seemed to be filling her bones.

Lucien winces, but his eyes widen in recognition and fear when he sees who it is.

"You bastard," Rain snarls, his face contorted in rage- as his fingers wind around his throat tightly, "How dare you lay your filthy hands on my sister-"

She doesn't hear the rest of it.

Maybe it's because it sounds muffled to her ears, or maybe it's because her head seems to spin, but she finally lets herself completely relax into Axel's hold.

Multiple bursts of energy ripple through the room, as more angels, begin to pile out of light- following behind Rain, but Axel stays rooted in his spot, gently sinking to his knees with Stella still in his hold.

"Y-You'll be okay," she manages to say shakily, as his arms press her against him, "M-My brother will make sure of it-"

"It's not us I'm worried about," he tells her gently, his eyes full of worry as they survey her form, "It's you. You'll- You'll be alright, won't you?"

And to Stella, it hurts.

It hurts so terribly to see the worry, the concern, and the hope in his eyes as he presses a hand against her wound, cradling her gently in his arms.

Because it isn't the physical injury that's the most painful- 

-it's the heavy sinking realization in her chest of what was going to happen to her- and what she was going to have to break to him that hurts the most.

So, as her trembling hand reaches up to cup his jaw, she does the first thing that's bound to break his heart.

"Axel," she says softly, a tear trickling down her cheek, "I'm not going to make it."

His eyes widen.

For a few seconds, he only stares at her- looking between her eyes, almost as if he's waiting for her to deny it.

"W-What?" he mutters when she doesn't say anything, his own voice shaking, "No, Stella- don't-don't say that- you're an angel, right? You'll be okay-"

She only shakes her head in response.

"I'm sorry," her lips quiver as she holds back a sob, "I really am, Axel-"

"Wh-Stella," his voice goes up in the slightest as he tries to sound stern- one of his large hands gently cupping the back of her head, "Stop that- okay? You're-You're scaring me-"

"You-You need to listen to me," she says softly, her voice trembling from both the effort of talking and because of the weight of all emotions in her- but for the first time since she had known him- he doesn't listen to her.

There's a look in his eyes, determined almost as he turns around to Corban and Bea.

"Boss," he says, as they look at him, past the angels standing by them- checking them for injuries, "Boss, call the lockdown off- Stella's- she's hurt- we need to get help-"

"Axel," she pleads again, her voice weaker than the first time- but he only turns to her, when he hears what she says next.

"I- I don't have enough time. Please."

He pauses, his eyebrows furrowing in distress at the look on her face- as his eyes flicker to the knife in her flesh- before they look back into hers.

It occurs to her, that maybe he was trying to stay in denial of what she was trying to imply- because it was almost like he was refusing to acknowledge it.

But there wasn't time for it. He needed to see what was going to happen, right then.

While he had seen tears in her eyes, he's never once seen agony in them. Maybe, that's why he stops altogether to just look at her.

And slowly, the understanding seems to dawn in his eyes- as his eyes flicker to the hilt of the bejeweled knife.

"No," he says quietly, shaking his head as he cradles her closer, "No, no, no- don't please- Stella don't do this to me-"

Her fingers press a tiny bit harder against his cheek, making him stop for a moment- his eyes filling with torment as they gaze down at her, distraught.

"I'm-I'm sorry," she whispers again, as he leans into her hand, "I really am. I wish I could fight this, but I can't- and it hu-hurts-"

"Please," he whispers back- even though he isn't sure himself of what he's pleading for, "Don't Stella, p-please-"

"If I could," she continues, through a sob, "I'd give you all my t-time in the universe. I really would. You were never selfish to ask for it. I'm so, so sorry that- that I considered it too late."

He only shakes his head in response, pressing his trembling lips together as he stares down at her.

As she tilts her head to one side, past some of the haziness, she can see four angels holding Rain back- as he continues to snarl at Lucien while struggling in their hold.

Lucien might have been a powerful angel, but Rain was a force to be reckoned with. Even with the terrible injury that he had sustained, his strength and power exceeded them all so much that he could destroy planets if he wanted to.

She can see two others holding Lucien down on his knees as they bind his hands, legs, and neck with hot metal- but he didn't seem to be putting up a struggle, his eyes downcast and his body limp.

And at the exact moment that she looks back at her brother, his silvery eyes meet hers.

A second passes as she holds his gaze evenly.

The anger in his expression instantly melts away- leaving in its place his usual carefully blank, monotonous expression, as he stops struggling.

The angels restraining him seem confused by how he managed to look as emotionless as he usually does in a blink of an eye- but he doesn't pay them any heed.

"Let me go," he says quietly to them after a second, "My sister needs me."

They exchange cautious glances, before warily stepping away from him- as he shrugs out of their hold- taking long determined strides toward their figures, before kneeling beside them.

His eyes flicker to the dagger embedded in her flesh, and for another single instant, the blank expression on his face falters.

Stella reaches forward to weakly grip his hand, offering him a teary smile.

"You came," she whispers to him gratefully, "Thank you, Rain."

That's all it takes.

The calm, blank countenance that he had put up, shatters right before her- as tears fill his eyes.

And it breaks Stella's heart because she did this to him.

Rain never cried. In all her years of living, she had never once seen an expression of sadness on his face- but here he was, kneeling next to her, his silvery eyes wretched and brimming with tears.

"I told you," he murmurs to her, his voice thick, as he reaches out to stroke her hair, "I told you to be careful."

"I know," she can taste the salt on her lips from every tear she shed, but she tries to hold more tears back, "I'm sorry Rain-"

"Stop it," a deep voice murmurs hoarsely against her, making the vibrations crawl across her skin, "Stop- Stop saying things that-that make it sound like she's-"

His voice breaks as he looks down at her tear-stained face, before he looks back up at Rain- almost desperately.

"There-There has to be something, right?" he questions, his voice trembling, "You're- You're angels- you can heal her, can't you? Please, just do something-"

"We cannot, even if we want to," Rain chokes out, his hand shaking as he gently cups the back of her head, near Axel's hand, "There is poison in that dagger, with nothing that can reverse it."

"Nothing?" Axel echoes, his voice almost a whisper, "What do you mean nothing? You- You have to save her-Stella, c'mon- there has to be something, right?"

But when he looks back down at her, she wasn't even looking at him anymore.

She was looking at Rain.

"Can you do something for me?" she says softly, squeezing her brother's hand, her eyes tired.

Rain presses his lips together, his eyes distraught as he nods. "Anything."

"I'd like to stay here," she breathes, squeezing his hand once more- as a tiny spark momentarily brings her eyes to life, "I want to stay here, on Earth- with the trees, and the flowers, and the streams of water."

"And I want it to rain," she gives him a sad smile- her voice almost inaudible, "Will you make it rain?"

If possible, his face crumples even more in grief, and a tear trickles down his face.

"The Earth did not deserve you, Stella," he whispers, his eyes full of sorrow- as he gently strokes her hair with a shaking hand.

Stella only shakes her head at him, slipping her hand out of his grasp- to reach out and brush away his tear.

"Give Aspen my love, will you?" she tells him softly, "And tell him that I'm sorry I couldn't take him back a trinket."

Rain looks like he's going to cry. Instead, he only rises, pushing himself slightly away from them.

"Your eyes," he tells her gently through tears, "you should tell him. I will let you speak to the human."

"Your eyes?" Axel repeats, almost frantically, "What's-What's wrong with your eyes?"

And when she finally turns away from her brother, her eyes meeting his- he sucks in a sharp breath.

Because there isn't a single trace of green in them.

They're completely grey.

"What's wrong with them?" he questions shakily, as a hand cups her jaw gently, "Why-Stella, what's wrong with your eyes?"

She doesn't answer the question. Only, her hand reaches for his- as she squeezes it lightly.

"I have a lot to say," she says to him, as his calloused thumb brushes against her cheek, "Just please- listen, okay?"

Axel's lips part to respond- but no sound comes out, past the heavy lump in his throat that was getting bigger by the second.

She takes his silence as a sign to continue.

"Don't live your life with regrets," she squeezes his hand gently, grey eyes peering into his, "You have such... such wonderful years to come. Go back to your brother. She'll... She'll have my blessing in parting-"

"That's not important, Stella," his voice breaks again, as he tugs her closer to him, "What's important right now, is you- and the-the fact that you're-"

She only gently presses her finger against his lips, quietening him again.

"I made a promise to you," she says, as his hand trembles in her grip, "that I... I would never leave."

Her words were getting slower, and more tired- but still determined, like she was fighting it.

"And I-I won't," she squeezes his hand again, and Axel squeezes back, "because you will always have a part of me with you. You will... always, always have my heart."

"I'm not leaving," her voice drops to a whisper, "I'm only...going back to the stars. Ad Astra. You remember?"

"Of course, I remember," Axel mumbles, trying to ignore the painful stinging at the back of his eyes- as he looks down at her. The hands that were cradling her were beginning to shake- but he knew it wasn't because of the weight of her body.

She doesn't respond, for a moment- as she stares deep into his eyes, looking between both of them as if trying to commit them to memory.

Then, she squeezes his hand weakly again, saying something that brought another sinking realization to his wake.

"Have I ever told you," she frees her hand of his grip, lifting it to trace the skin underneath his eyes with a shaking finger, "that you've... you've got beautiful eyes?"

"Like... Like moons," she murmurs before he can say anything, "they've got the most... the most beautiful shades of silver and grey, swirling in them- and gleaming against the darkness."

And looking down at her- he notices that he sees the same in hers.

"Your eyes," he murmurs, his lips wobbling to hold the cries at bay, "That's- Oh my God, that's why they're-"

He can't even bring himself to finish the sentence.

She smiles again sadly, in response.

It saddens her deeply, this parting- because she had a universe's worth of messages, feelings, and words for him, but not more than a few seconds of the universe's time left with him.

"I'm terrified," she confesses quietly, her eyelids heavy, "so terrified of what comes next, but I know... it will be peace. The Earth will let... let me rest. The grass, and the trees, and the flowers will grow, to love me so."

Axel can only let out a shaky breath, as his eyes continue to burn and sting- and the lump in his throat continues to grow.

"When I said you were worth a heartbreak," he says, his voice quiet and pained, "this-this wasn't what I meant, Stella."

I know. I'm sorry. I owe you a universe's worth of apologies for it too.

She doesn't tell him that, however.

She only squeezes the hand in hers, relishing the brief warmth in her palm when he squeezes back- as she lets her eyes drift across his features.

"The stars," she says softly- forcing herself not to fumble over her words, as another solitary tear falls, "would be so proud, if they knew that their stardust created someone like you, Axel."

He squeezes her hand- as his eyes fill with tears even though he tries to hold them back.

"No," he whispers, distraught, "Stella please- don't-"

She could hear it now. Faint- but it was slowly getting louder.

The stars were singing to her. As was the universe.

She could hear the promise in their song. They'd take care of him, and they'd listen to him- even if she never did again. He'll be alright, they seemed to say, We will take care of him. Come, Stella- come back to us.

While the terror of what's to come lingers in her heart, calm begins to descend too. The Earth would take care of her as she stayed with it's streams and trees and rain- the grass and flowers would grow and bloom above her as the years come. 

She would be at peace. 

The stars were singing to her. They weren't crying to her of the darkness. They were only calling her home.

She knows that her next words are going to break Axel's heart all over again.

And even as her eyes begin to flutter shut, she says them to him anyway.

"I love you, Axel," she manages a weak smile, "Tell the stars about me, okay?"

Her hand slips from his.

His eyes widen, as her head gently droops in his palm- the grey in her eyes dull and no longer focused.

"No, no, no-" his hands shake worse than before, but it doesn't stop him from pulling her closer, "No, Stella- don't- don't please-"

His fingers fumble- trying to grip on to something- anything- that would spark some sense of life into her limp figure, but it was of little avail.

She doesn't move.

She doesn't even blink.

"Stella," her name seems to fall from his lips repeatedly like a frantic plea, "STELLA! STELLA PLEASE-"

Arms are wrapping around his frame- pulling him away from her, even as he screams and sobs at her, begging her to say something back- struggling in their hold, as he tries to reach for her, but it didn't seem to matter.

Because she doesn't respond.

She doesn't even breathe.

Only, the eyes that were once lush green, stare back into his- lifeless and grey.

I'm sorry.
I broke my own heart writing this.

just hang in there with me for a bit, okay? this isn't the end.