Ellie's fingertips brush along Cooper's chest, her head delicately resting on the pillow next to his. When her eyes land on a certain sparkly vampire's face on Cooper's t-shirt, a smile creeps onto her lips, her eyes travelling down to her own matching shirt.

Cooper reaches for her hand on his chest, bringing it up to his lips and placing a soft kiss to the back of it. She peers through her eyelashes, her gaze connecting with his. A tired smile tugs at his lips as he stares back at her and mumbles a quiet, "I'm sorry."

Her smile fades. "Don't be."

"I know you really wanted to go to Forks." He pauses, his tongue slipping out to wet his lips before he's reaching to his bedside table for his water.

"It was more of an ironic thing," she admits, looking down to his chest briefly before her eyes return to his face. He tilts his head back as he drinks from the glass. "I thought it'd be funny."

He smiles, his mouth still closed as he swallows its contents before letting out a deep chuckle. "It would have been. The matching t-shirts were a nice touch." He glances down to his shirt, pulling it up so he can get a better look at it. "Though I was more of a team Jacob."

She scoffs playfully, rolling her eyes. "Well then I'm glad I didn't go to Forks with you. Edward was clearly the better choice."

He laughs again, his hand squeezing the slightest bit around hers. "Do you really want to have this argument? Because we can have this argument."

"I'd rather not have a Twilight-themed argument with you." Her eyes crinkle with delight. "Maybe some other time."

He doesn't say anything for a while, just staring at her in silence with her hand in his. His eyes drift shut, the warmth of their bodies next to each other causing a sleepy haze to fall over him. When he realizes what's happening, he's quick to force his eyes back open. "I really am sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

"I just don't feel good today." He yawns, his heavy eyes falling shut once more. "I'm so tired."

Her eyes study the dark bags under his and a sudden sick feeling makes its way to her stomach. If he feels half as sick as he looks, she can't even begin to imagine how bad he's feeling. "I can leave if you want. You could get some rest and I can come back when you're feeling better."

"Absolutely not."

"Cooper. You really should rest."

"Then rest with me."

He doesn't give her a chance to answer as he makes his way out of the bed. She nearly protests, wanting to force him back into his bed, but no words come out. He weakly makes his way across the room, searching in one of his drawers before pulling out a DVD. Ellie squints, trying to get a read on what movie he's grabbed but having no luck. When he inserts it into the DVD player and the Twilight main menu pops up, a smile returns to her lips.

"You own Twilight?" She asks, a teasing tone to her words.

He grabs the remote off the dresser before making his way back to the bed, wearing a proud smile. "I live in Washington. Of course I own Twilight. It's the film of our state."

"I live in Washington and I don't own Twilight."

He laughs, lying face down on the bed and tossing the remote in Ellie's direction before wrapping a lazy arm around her. With his face buried into his pillow, he mumbles, "Well then you clearly lack pride for where you live."

She bites back a smile, pressing play on the remote to get the movie started. "Fifty Shades of Grey takes place in Seattle. Do you own that too?"

He lifts his head slightly, squinting his eyes at her. "That's because Fifty Shades is a Twilight fanfiction. No. I do not own it." He drops his head back onto the pillow, his eyes falling shut briefly before they're wide open again. With a suggestive smirk he adds, "Though I'll buy it if you'd like me to."

She shoves at his shoulder, holding back a laugh. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

He adjusts on the bed, a smile still on his lips as he gets comfortable. "I'm just saying."

Her hand finds its way to his arm, mindlessly rubbing up and down it as she focuses her attention on the television. After minutes of silence, she turns to Cooper to strike up a conversation, only to find him fast asleep. Her amused smile fades as she stares at his sleeping figure, a sudden sense of worry falling over her.

Placing a tender hand to his shoulder, she shakes him. "Cooper?"

His eyes flutter open before squinting in confusion. He looks to Ellie and then he's lifting his head from his pillow, glancing around the room. "Mm? What time is it?"

"I don't know." She shakes her head, guilt taking over. "Sorry. I should have let you sleep. You were only out for a few minutes. I just got worried."

His lips curl up as he pulls her closer to him. "That's all right. I sleep too much anyway."

She brings a hand up to his face, pushing his slightly damp hair back from his forehead. His eyes search hers, fighting to stay open. With a soft smile, she says, "I should really go. You need to rest."

His mouth stays shut as he has an internal debate with himself, until finally he's giving in and nodding his head. "Okay. You're right. I'll rest up today and then we can do something tomorrow." She begins shuffling, ready to make her way out of the bed, when Cooper's arm tightens around her. "Just give me a few more minutes with you. I want to have good dreams."

She forces the blush to stay off her cheeks, settling back in beside him. "What do you want to dream about?"

His smile brightens. "You. Me. A dog, maybe."

"That does sound like a pretty good dream."

"Do you think you'll be into gardening when you're older?" He asks, his hand slowly rubbing up and down her back. "Or baking? Or maybe you'll have a book club you meet up with on Wednesday nights."

She snorts. "Have you met me?"

A quiet laugh passes his lips. "You're right. You'll be busy with your I-hate-the-world club on Wednesday nights. How silly of me." He pauses, pressing his lips together for a moment before asking, "What do you think you'll be like when you're older?"

Her body tenses slightly at the unexpected question, unsure how to respond to it. When she looks back into his eyes, she relaxes once more. "I don't know. I guess I'll be the same but with more wrinkles."

"Do you think you'll have kids?"

She gulps, tearing her eyes away from his. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I think you'd be a good mom. If that's what you wanted, of course. You're a good person. Your kid would be lucky." The tiredness of his voice doesn't go unnoticed by Ellie as her concerned gaze makes its way back to his face.

"You think so?"

"Yeah." He yawns. "If you don't want kids then at least get a puppy. Something in this world needs to be raised by you. Do it for me."

"Deal." She goes silent before curious thoughts begin dancing around in her mind. With a nervous glance to Cooper, she asks, "What do you think you would've been like as an adult?"

He takes a second to think over the question before fixing her with a cocky grin. "I would've been that dad that all the PTA moms had a crush on."

"Humble."

"I'm a humble guy," he says with a wink, his grin fading slightly. "I don't know if I'd want the traditional white-picket fence lifestyle. I think I would've liked to travel more, maybe eventually settle down when I was older and felt like I'd seen the world."

"I've never liked white fences," Ellie says, pushing herself up from the bed despite Cooper's groan of disapproval. "Though maybe they aren't so bad with the right person."

He turns over onto his back, tossing an arm over his forehead as he stares at her. "I hope you find that right person."

"I already have."

The corners of his lips tug upwards, though his eyes remain tired. "I hope you find that right person and he doesn't have cancer."

She stands at the end of his bed, staring back at him with sad eyes. He says nothing either, and soon it feels like they're competing with one another in a staring contest. Ellie is first to break her gaze, dropping her head to the floor. "I should go."

"Wait," Cooper says, propping himself up on his elbows and nodding towards his dresser. "Grab the jar."

She reaches for the glass jar, noticing it's still filled with countless slips, slips she thought they'd have more time to complete. Without thinking about it too much further, she hands the jar to Cooper. He props the lid off and reaches his hand in, producing a piece of paper before turning to Ellie.

"Whatever is on this slip, we'll do it tomorrow. Even if I don't feel good," he says, holding the paper up. She nods in agreement and he unfolds it, his eyes scanning over the words as an excited grin takes over his face.

"What does it say?"

"You're going to hate this."

"Oh no." She reaches for the slip, easily pulling it from his fingertips before allowing her eyes to read over the words. A frown makes its way to her face as she fixes him with a blank stare. "Really? You put this in the jar?"

"I told you I wanted a private pageant," he says, biting his lip to hold back a smile.

She tosses the paper onto the bed, a groan leaving her along with it. "What does this even mean?"

"Interpret it however you'd like. Just know that I'm going to be pulling out a gold speedo for my performance. You're more than welcome to do the same."

With an eyebrow quirked, she asks, "You own a gold speedo?"

"That is neither here nor there. The point is, get ready for the sexiest performance of your life and prepare to try and top it, miss pageant queen."

"On that note, I'm leaving." She gives his leg a quick tap before taking off towards his door. "Rest up, Cooper. You're going to need it if you want to beat me tomorrow."

"Hey, El," he calls, stopping her in her tracks. She turns around to see his eyes trained on her, an adorable smile on his lips as he says, "I love you."

All words leave her in that moment as she makes her way back to the bed, sitting on the edge and leaning over Cooper to connect her lips to his. He grabs onto the ends of her hair, admiring the way they look between his fingertips before her hand is on his cheek, directing his gaze to hers. "I love you too. But don't think that means I'll take it easy on you tomorrow."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She leans down, planting one last soft peck to his lips before pulling back and standing from the bed. "Good. Now rest up. Drink lots of water. I need you in tip-top shape for tomorrow."

He flips back over onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow once more and allowing his eyes to fall shut. Ellie turns off the light, opening the door to leave when Cooper mumbles a quiet, "I'm on it."

Ellie admires the way she looks in the reflection of the mirror; hot pink tutu, sparkling gold leggings, and hair in pigtails. She was sure this wasn't what Cooper had in mind when he'd hinted at dressing sexy, but here she was anyway.

She gives herself one last look over before grabbing her bag and making her way down the stairs. When her mom spots her in the kitchen, her eyebrows shoot up. She tosses the dish towel over her shoulder, fixing her daughter with an amused stare. "And where are you off to?"

"Cooper's," she says before deciding she should probably explain her odd choice of attire. "I'm putting a pageant on for him."

"A pageant?" Her mother says, her face lighting up with excitement.

Ellie squirms uncomfortably. "It's a one-time thing."

Her mother's face dims. "Oh. Well... have fun."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you later tonight." Without waiting for a response, she grabs onto the door handle, eagerly making her way towards her car.

She gets in, turning the car on and backing out of the driveway, ready to begin her journey to Cooper's house. As she continues down the road, she notices the sun shining brightly in the sky, not unordinary for a crisp Spring day in Seattle. Turning up the radio, she welcomes the warmth that the sun provides, a smile gracing her lips.

Her smile fades slightly when she hears her phone's ringtone sound from her bag.

Frustrated with herself for forgetting to silence it, she turns back to the road, ignoring the call. Immediately after it ends, it starts up again. Still, she ignores it, set in her ways about not checking her phone while driving. When the phone rings for the fourth time, she groans, pulling over to the side of the road and reaching for her bag.

When she sees Cooper's contact picture, her eyebrows pull together in concern. She accepts the call, bringing it up to her ear and immediately saying, "Cooper. I'm driving."

"This is Richard. Cooper's dad."

She gulps, her entire body freezing at the sound of his intimidatingly deep voice. "Oh, um, hi. Is everything all right?"

He doesn't say anything for a moment, the line being filled by his deep breaths. Finally, he speaks, though his voice is shaky. "We thought we should call you. We're at the hospital—"

She doesn't hear anything after that, her phone slipping out of her hand as she pulls back onto the road, driving with much more intensity than before as she makes her way to the hospital. Tears begin forming in her eyes, blurring her vision and surely putting her in an un-safe position, but still her foot remains on the gas as she makes her way through the city streets.

She doesn't even have time to think as she drives, her mind completely void of all thoughts. She just drives, knowing that if she stops to think about what's happening too much, she'll surely lose it and end up in a wreck. Soon, the hospital comes into view and she pulls onto the side of the road, uncaring to whether or not she's legally allowed to park there.

She pulls her keys from the ignition, running towards the familiar entrance of the hospital and making her way through the doors. Once in, she freezes, unsure where to go next. She runs over to their seats next to the elevator, disappointment clouding her mind as she sees them empty.

"Miss, can I help you?" A nurse asks, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as if not to frighten her.

"Where would they take someone who's dying with cancer?" Ellie asks, surprised that she managed to even get the words out.

"Fourth floor. Would you like me to come with you?"

"No. Thank you." Ellie brushes the nurse's hand off her shoulder, running over to the elevator and tapping her foot impatiently as she waits for the doors to open. Staring at her reflection, she's suddenly aware of her ridiculous appearance, though she knows that once she sees Cooper he's sure to find it hilarious.

The doors open and she steps on quickly, nearly breaking the fourth floor button as she smashes it so hard. The elevator takes much too long to close, but eventually, it does. When she finally makes it to the desired floor, the doors open up into her own personal hell. The first thing she's greeted with is the sight of Cooper's dad consoling his sobbing wife.

She runs over to them quickly, tears falling from her eyes that she doesn't even bother to hold back. Cooper's dad looks over at her, taking a moment to observe her outfit before looking into her eyes. It's then that she can see that he's been crying. Out of breath, she frantically asks, "Where is he? What happened?"

His dad shakes his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "He's dead."

Her heart drops to her stomach as the words leave his mouth. Tears continue falling down her face but she can't feel them, her entire body going numb. She shakes her head, mouth parted in shock as she stares back at him. "He can't be dead. I just saw him yesterday."

"He's gone. He passed a few minutes ago," his dad's voice cracks.

"No." She shakes her head, her hands finding their way into her hair. "That's not how it works. He can't just be dead. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

His mom's sobs cease momentarily as she pulls back from her husband. "We should have called you sooner. I'm sorry." A heart-wrenching cry leaves her lips and she buries her head back into her husband's chest to conceal it. "Cooper would have wanted us to call you sooner."

"He's not dead. He probably put you up to this," Ellie says, laughing dryly through her tears. "It's not funny. It's really not funny."

His mom cries harder, tugging on her husband's shirt. "I need to get out of here, Richard."

He nods, sparing another glance in Ellie's direction. "I'm sorry we didn't call you sooner. We thought he might pull through. He's in room four zero three." He nods to a nurse behind the desk before returning his gaze to Ellie. "We're heading home but you're welcome to go say your goodbyes."

She watches as the couple trudges off towards the elevators, eventually disappearing behind one as they make their exit from the hospital. She doesn't move for a while, frozen in place, but eventually, her legs begin making their way to room four zero three.

A nurse is waiting by the room, wearing a look of sympathy as she opens the door for Ellie. Everything happens in slow motion, from the opening of the door to her eyes landing on Cooper's lifeless body. Once she sees him, she knows it's true. He's dead. She reaches out for his hand, eager to hold it one last time, but her hand never connects with his. Instead, she's falling to the ground unconscious.