Oni stayed silent for a long moment, just staring at Decarabia. She then began to giggle. The giggles soon turned to wild laughter. She continued to laugh, looking at Decarabia. When she saw his dire look not fading, her laughter trailed off. She shook her head. "No... You must tell me this is in jest. Crawford is not..." She shook her head firmer. "No! Stop telling falsities!"

The tears began to slide down her cheeks. She stalked up to Decarabia. "You will tell me the truth in this matter! How may I assist in helping Crawford recover?"

Decarabia shook his head. "I know of you by reputation, Miss Kato. While I think you are quite impressive, there is not much that can be done other than making Crawford comfortable."

Oni bit her lip. "While my studies focus on the anthropological nature of demons, I am well versed in physiology. May I see his test results?" She wrung her hands. "I would like to make sure."

Decarabia sighed deeply. "Miss Kato, you will receive no comfort from it."

Oni bit her lip. "I am not looking for comfort or hope. I am searching for answers."

Decarabia went to a desk piled with files. He shifted through them. "I have a file on Crawford." He sighed. "Unfortunately, my receptionist quit last week and I am useless with filing."

Oni fidgeted nervously as he dug through the files, finally come up with one. "Here it is." He opened it up, holding it out to Oni. "You can see it here."

Oni sank down to the floor as she read over the file. "His powers... His scarring... That is all symptoms of his illness?"

"It is theoretical," Decarabia replied. "The powers stemming from his illness, however it is not unprecedented." He knelt down beside Oni. "What I am sure of is that the demonic cells are killing the human ones... It is causing failure in his vital organs."

"Why is it coming up so quickly?" Oni asked. "He was mutated nearly five years ago."

Decarabia shook his head. "From my examinations of him, I believe this has been occurring since his mutation. He was aware something was gravely wrong with him long before he came to see me for treatment."

Oni flipped through the files. "You began to see Crawford as a patient over a year ago."

Decarabia nodded. "About the same time as I moved to Palo Alto."

Oni snapped the files shut. "When did you diagnose him as terminal?"

Decarabia sighed. "It was last year."

Oni's knuckles whitened as she gripped the fight tighter. "Your prognosis... How long did you give him?"

"I gave him a year, Miss Kato," Decarabia replied. "I believe this latest incident... I think the disease is reaching its final stages."

Oni swallowed hard. "Which means you think he's..."

"He's been dying for a very long time," Decarabia replied. "And now he is succumbing. I am very sorry, Miss Kato."

"No!" Oni shook her head. "It is not possible! I have seen Crawford recover from horrible injuries. He has tried to commit suicide and been unsuccessful. He was shot in the chest with a laser gun and managed to recover. He has an increased healing factor, nearly to the point of invulnerability. He cannot die!"

"Those were external sources," Decarabia explained. "This is his own body shutting down. If he were able to repair the damage, it would have occurred a long time ago, Miss Kato." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss--"

She pulled away, lip curling in disgust. "What do you know about demon physiology? Many demon physicians are shady and untrustworthy..."

Decarabia sighed deeply. "Miss, I worked for Wolfram and Hart for fifteen years..."

"In my book, that makes you non-trustworthy," Oni replied angrily. "Wolfram and Hart is evil."

"And I do not work for them any longer," Decarabia replied. "And they may not be trustworthy, but they only hire the best. I know what I am speaking about." He touched Oni's shoulder. "Crawford speaks of you often. He cares about you a great deal. I think he would like you to be with him now."

Oni nodded slowly. "I believe I have some things I need to say to him." She looked up finally, meeting Decarabia's eyes. "I know a physician well versed in demons. I would like you to converse with her." She wrote down a number. "Her name is Macayle Stewart. I would greatly appreciate if you would share your findings with her."

Finally, Oni turned, looking at the room Crawford was in. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and walked into Crawford's room.

****

Andrew went into the kitchen, frowning when he saw Connor tearing through the cupboards. He paused and cocked his head. "What are you doing?"

"Salome's not feeling well," Connor replied. "Back when she was sick last year because of the Hellmouth, I know Meerna had us go get some funky root thing..."

"I threw that away months ago," Andrew admitted. "It had gone moldy." He hopped up onto the table. "I can ask Matty if he has some at the shop. He said he had to take over soon. He doesn't like his mom working at night."

Connor closed the cupboards. "How is Crawford doing?"

Andrew sighed deeply. "It's... It's bad. I don't know exactly what, but... It's just bad. Matty said this has been happening for a while. As long as he's known him."

Connor sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is there anything I can do?"

Andrew shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't even know if Oni can do anything." He sighed. "I guess we just have to wait."

"You're a good friend, being there for her," Connor commented. "If there's something really wrong, she needs us."

"There's something really wrong." Andrew wrung his hands. "So... I've been thinking... How life is short. And it seems like everything bad that could happen tends to happen. And you've really got to... Do everything you can to make yourself happy."

Connor furrowed his brow deeply as he eyed Andrew. "So what are you getting at?"

Andrew looked down at his hands. "So I'm dating Matty."

Connor blinked and looked at Andrew for a long moment. He then blinked again and continued to stare. "You're dating Matty."

Andrew nodded. "Yeah."

"So..." Connor shifted uncomfortably. "Does that mean that you're..."

"It means that I'm dating Matty," Andrew repeated.

Connor slowly moved towards Andrew. He sat down next to him. "So... Do you want to talk about it?"

Andrew shrugged once again. "I said everything I really wanted to say. I'm dating Matty. I'm happy. He's happy."

Connor nodded. "This is part of the whole living life to the fullest thing?"

"I don't want this to get all After School Special," Andrew admitted. "It's just the way it is."

Connor looked up finally. "Does this mean Salome and Lorne were right when they said you had a crush on me?"

Andrew turned a deep crimson and jumped up. "I should go call Oni and make sure she's all right." He ran towards the door. "Then I'll ask Matty about the roots."

Connor smiled. "Andrew, I'm happy for you." He took a deep breath. "And I won't get all After School Special on you... Just..." He looked down. "I'm going to do my best to make sure life isn't so short. I'm going to stop the fissures."

Andrew smiled back broadly. "Never doubted that."

****

Oni stepped into Crawford's room, closing the door tightly behind her. She leaned against it, looking at Crawford as he sat up in the bed.

"So..." Crawford looked her over. His shoulders slumped slightly. "Doctor Decarabia told you, didn't he?"

Oni gripped the doorknob tightly in her hand, to stop it from shaking. She bit her lower lip so hard, it began to bleed. "Is it true?" She asked. "What he told me? Are you...'

"So much for Doctor-Patient Confidentiality," Crawford muttered.

She took a step forward. "What about Boyfriend-Girlfriend Confidentiality?" She shook slightly. "We have been in a relationship for very nearly four months.   That is one-third of a year. That is enough time to become close enough to be told things such as the fact you have a fatal illness, one that will be claiming you very shortly!"

Crawford sat up in bed. "I haven't told anyone about this. There are some people who know I'm sick, but they don't know how bad it is."

"But I didn't know!" Oni shouted. "You allowed me to fall in love with you even though you knew you would be leaving me!" She began to sob. "You liar. You horrible liar. You promised me you would not leave me. You said nothing could tear us apart. But your own lifespan is doing so."

Crawford nodded slowly. "So I'm terminal, huh?"

"You have been terminal since you were struck by the energies from Quortoth!" Oni shrieked. "And you knew it!" She shook her head. "Yet you felt no need to inform me about it."

A trembling hand wipes the tears from her reddened cheek. "Was it a game to you, Crawford? To see how much I could fall for you? To see how much my heart would break when I discovered the truth?"

Crawford looked down. "I didn't want to hurt you, Oni. I swear, I didn't. That's why I didn't tell you." He looked up. "I've never felt more alive than I have in the past four months. Even before this happened. You mean more to me than anyone I have ever known. Being a part of your life... I never thought I could be so happy."

He reached out to take her hand, but Oni flinched away. Crawford fell to his knees in front of her. He seemed to use all of his energy in the effort. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to be with you. I didn't think you would allow yourself to fall in love with me if you knew. And then... I couldn't bear to have you worry. To know that soon, I wouldn't be here."

"You thought this would be better?" Oni stepped back, shaking her head. "How did you think this would be better?"

"Look at the world you live in," Crawford replied. "You are surrounded by death. Senseless, brutal, sudden death. I thought you would be better off if you didn't know until I..."

"I would have been better off if I never met you!" Oni snapped angrily. "You lied to me. You played with my emotions. Treated me as if I were..."

"I treated you as if I loved you," Crawford pleaded. "And I do, Oni. I love you."

"Not enough to let me know you, who you really were." Oni's hands clenched into fists. "I never want to see you again."

Crawford laughed bitterly. With great strain, he pulled himself back into bed. "Well, then... I suppose it's a good thing I'll be dead in a couple of days."

The tears continued to stream down Oni's cheek. "Go to hell."

With that, she turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Crawford stayed perfectly still for a moment. He then curled up and began to cry.

****

Salome padded from the bathroom, wiping her mouth and grimacing. She was wearing Connor's hockey jersey and little else.

Andrew bounded up the stairs and paused when he saw her. "Hey. Still not feeling a hundred percent?"

Salome nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. I know you wanted the Triple Threat out tonight, but my only real defense would be throwing up on vamps."

Andrew wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, I don't think that'd be as effective as holy water." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Just worry about getting better fast. The Watcher in me demands all hands on deck."

"You know me," Salome smiled. "Never like to be left out a good fight." She eyed Andrew. "So... You and Matty."

Andrew blushed. "Connor told you huh?"

"It's so about time," Salome replied. "And man, is he pretty. I--"

There was a crash and both turned in alarm. "What was that?" Andrew asked, panicked.

"That was from Oni's room." Salome was already off running. She burst into Oni's room. She held her hand out, about to call up her sword.

She pulled back when she saw it was Oni. She had pulled a picture off of her desk, throwing it to the ground and shattering the glass. She now held her costume from the convention they had attended, trying to tear the fabric.

"Oni!" Salome made her way across the floor, trying to avoid stepping in the glass in her bare feet. "Oni! Stop it!" She grabbed Oni by the shoulders. "Oni, what are you doing?"

"He lied to me!" Oni screamed, sobbing. She dropped the costume and picked up a book-- Hamlet-- and began to tear at the cover. "He lied to me for months! He never... He never..."

"Crawford," Salome managed to figure out as she pulled Oni to her. "Sweetie, you're going to have to give me more. You took him to the doctor. How did he lie to you?"

Jamie had come up the stairs. He had the phone in his hand. "What's going on?" He asked Andrew.

Andrew shook his head. "I don't know. Oni's destroying her stuff." He turned to Jamie. "Did you hear her come in? I thought she was still with Crawford."

Jamie looked down for a moment, studying the phone in his hand. He then held it out to Andrew. "It's Macayle. She said Crawford's doctor called her."

Andrew took the phone. "Mac, what's going on? Oni is--" His eyes widened. He dropped the phone from his hand and looked to Oni.

Oni just kept crying, not answering Salome's questions. Salome held Oni tightly, trying to calm her.

"Crawford's dying, isn't he, Oni?" Andrew asked.

Salome pulled back. "Oni..." She took a sharp intake of breath. "How come you didn't tell us?"

"He lied," Oni whispered. "He never... I didn't... He let me believe." She grabbed another picture from the desk and threw it.

Andrew finally entered the room and picked up the picture that had been thrown to the ground. It was Oni and Crawford at Christmas. "Oni..."

"Guys--" Salome turned briefly to Jamie and Andrew. "Can you leave Oni and me alone? I think we need to have a talk."

Andrew nodded. "All right. Call if you need anything."

Salome led Oni to the bed, forcing her to sit down. Oni was shaking, the tears still sliding down her cheeks. "What's happening to him?" Salome asked softly.

"Quortoth," Oni replied, wiping her damp cheeks. Her voice was quiet, shaking. "When he was changed by its energies, it... Infected him. It is killing him. His body is attacking the demonic energies, but it is losing. It is shutting him down."

"Holy Moses..." Salome murmured. "How long..."

"Since he was changed," Oni replied. "He's known for years. And yet he never mentioned it to me. Until it was too late. Until there was nothing that could be done." She looked down. "Doctor Decarabia thinks he will be dead within days."

"Babe..." Salome pulled Oni to her, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry. I..." She sighed. "I don't know what to say."

"You do not need to say anything," Oni replied. "I do not need to worry about this situation because I have extricated myself from it. I have ceased my relationship with Crawford."

"What?" Salome cried, nearly jumping up.

Oni looked up at Salome, blinking away the last of her tears. "Crawford lied to me. I entered my relationship with him under false pretenses. I will not continue in a relationship that was based on a ruse."

Salome shook her head fractionally. "Oni, it wasn't based on... You love him."

Oni shrugged. "And now, I do not wish to love him. So I will not." She got up off the bed and began to pick up the things she had been throwing around the room. "I apologize for my unseemly outburst. I should behave better."

"Oni..." Salome shook her head again. "Loving someone isn't something you choose to do. You can't help it."

"What difference does it make?" Oni asked, placing the broken frames on the desk. "Crawford will be deceased in a matter of days. Whether or not I am in a relationship with him at the time will not change the outcome."

"It might," Salome replied. "Maybe he'll be with the woman he loves when he dies, instead of miserable and alone."

"He will still be dead," Oni hissed.

"And what about you?" Salome asked. "You want to go the rest of your life knowing that the man you loved died without you by his side? Can you live with that pain? Not saying goodbye to him?"

Salome stood up. "Maybe I'm not all brainy, but I know a thing or two. And I know you think it's going to hurt a lot less if you break up with him now, not watch him die." Salome put a hand on Oni's shoulder. "You'll regret it. You'll regret not spending every second with him that you could."

"I broke up with him because he lied to me," Oni murmured.

"Would it have stopped you?" Salome asked. "You're saying you wouldn't have been with him?"

Tears began to fall down Oni's cheeks again. "I do not wish to feel anymore pain than I already do."

"Pain is a part of being human," Salome replied.

"I never wanted to be human!" Oni spat angrily. "I was raised by demons!" She threw one of the pictures at Salome. "I shouldn't have to feel this way just because my biology is not the same as my upbringing!"

"I'm a demon," Salome replied, catching the picture. "And I don't know when I'm going to die. I don't know when Connor's going to die. It'll probably be early... Brutal and unexpected. It could well be tomorrow. That's why I always let him know I love him. Why I spend all of the time I can being with him." Salome strode to Oni and cupped her face. "It'll hurt. But you'll never forgive yourself if you're not there for him. You love him."

"I'm afraid," Oni whispered. "I am going to lose him."

"You'll lose him if you're not with him," Salome reminded her. "Go to him. Be with him. And we'll try to figure out something... Something the doctors haven't thought of. This is a mystical illness. We'll find a mystical cure."

Oni took a deep breath. "You really think so?"

"Go be with your guy." Salome gave Oni a hug. "You shouldn't let him be alone. Let him know you love him. We'll do what we can here."

Oni sniffled. "I..."

"Just go," Salome insisted. "Don't think."

Oni pulled away from Salome and ran off.

****

Oni was closing in on Doctor Carabia's office when she saw a figure ahead. She slowed down, warily edging closer.

"Hey." Magnimus smiled, standing up straight. She strode to Oni. "Got a second?"

ACT THREE