"This is your idea of a safe place?" Minseok asked staring up at the tall, familiar building.

Kyungsoo nodded, "I have an office on the top floor and a bunker in the basement. This is the safest spot I know of."

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"What?" Kyungsoo was annoyed, "Why would I joke about this? Trust me, this is a safe-"

"I work here."

"Excuse me?"

"I work here for Kim Junmyeon's publishing firm. How could you possible operate from this building too?"

Kyungsoo let out a groan of irritation, "You have got to be kidding me. That twerp, I bet he knows too."

"Sorry?"

"Kim Junmyeon is a relative of mine. He runs his firm during the day and I take care of my operations during the night. We share the space, but technically, I'm the one who owns it." Kyungsoo let out a sigh of discontent, "Of all places you could possibly be employed..." He mumbled to himself as he trudged into the building through the back entrance Minseok had always assumed was for the janitorial staff. Apparently he had been wrong.

Kyungsoo showed him to the large office, it was dimly lit and very clean, almost as if no one used it. The walls were a dark grey, the far wall was all glass window overlooking the city with heavy, black curtains pulled across it and the flooring was dark hardwood. Nothing about this room seemed inviting, it reflected its owner's personality almost too well.

After several minutes of agonizing silence, listening to only the ticking of the clock, Minseok let out a long sigh to signal his boredom. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and then slipped further into his chair, hoping that it would consume him so he could avoid conversation. He was too tired to be a good host this morning.

"Why do I have to hide from Kris?" Minseok asked as he rested back against the arm of the sofa in the far corner.

"Don't you know?"

Minseok shook his head, "Apparently there's a lot I don't know."

Kyungsoo sighed lowly debating with himself as to whether or not he should tell Minseok. They weren't exactly close, but he knew one thing for sure, he deserved to know the truth,. No matter how hard it would be for him to swallow.

"Every death you have suffered through for the last few hundred years is because of Baekhyun."

"What?" Minseok choked, "What does that mean exactly?"

"Kris wants to use Baekhyun and the only way to get to him is through the only thing in this World he really cares about." Kyungsoo glanced at Minseok who was now sitting on the edge of the couch, fingers digging into the cushions, "You."

"Kris was just using me as a pawn?" Minseok asked through his teeth, he was practically seething. His anger overflowing to a point that even made Kyungsoo uncomfortable.

"That's not entirely true," Kyungsoo said clearing his throat, "Do you ever wonder how Baekhyun became the vampire he is today?"

Minseok was curious, that was true. He didn't know much about how Baekhyun had been turned... He simply shook his head. Kyungsoo clucked his tongue and settled back into his chair.

"As far as I was told by Chanyeol, Baekhyun was at a point in his life where he longed for death. He had no purpose, no reason to live. I think Kris sensed that when he found him."

"Well, well, what have we here? Poor little babe." Kris smirked, a smug expression clear across his face as he swooped down to meet the boy's distant eyes, "What are you doing outside the walls of the city, little babe?"

The boy made no response. His robes were tattered and filthy from the sandy dust that constantly whipped across him. His skin was caked with dirt, lips cracked and blood smeared in random places. He looked like a corpse, he was so tiny and bony.

"I'm waiting." His voice came finally, scratchy and dry.

"Waiting for what?" Kris asked amused.

"Death."

Kris couldn't stop the grin adorning his face as he gently caressed the boy's face with a cold finger, "Death? What if I gave you something even better?"

"I have no one left. I'm alone," The boy coughed, "I don't wish to live in this world any longer."

"I can arrange that," the vampire chuckled darkly, "I can show you another world entirely. One untouched by humans. It's in between life and death. It's existing without really existing. It's a world for people lost like you. One for creatures like me." He hissed flashing his fangs at the boy.

The boy had no reaction, his eyes dull, "What are you mister?"

"I am the giver of death and life."

"You're a reaper?"

"Much worse," he grinned evilly, "Oh I am much, much worse."

Minseok shuddered, "So, Kris turned Baekhyun into a vampire..."

"Against his will, I might add. He may have been among the first infected, but it wasn't his choice. He wanted to die, but fate had other plans for him. Fate brought him to you. And as fate would have it, Kris and Baekhyun became connected on a deep level. Kris' ability is that connection, the power to get inside of his victims and drive them to madness. He can sense everything Baekhyun senses if he lets his guard down enough. Kris can get into his head, read his mind, see what he sees, hear what he hears, taste what he tastes, feel what he feels... In other words, Kris more than likely felt drawn to you because of Baekhyun's attraction for you. They are basically one in the same now. Baekhyun is constantly fighting Kris out of his mind, it must be hard even for a vampire."

"But can't Baekhyun stop him? Can't he control Kris!?"

"There are limitations, Minseok. It's not that easy. Yes, Baekhyun can control just about everything and anything that's alive. Vampires aren't so easy to control, because they are simply not alive nor are they dead. With enough concentration, he could easily manipulate a vampire, but Kris is different. Kris can manipulate Baekhyun's mind, ruin his concentration. He's impossible to control."

Minseok leaned back into the sofa letting all of this new information sink in. There was so much he wished to ask about, but he doubted if Kyungsoo would have all the answers. All he knew was what Chanyeol had told him. Minseok wanted to know more than that, he wanted to know everything. But he didn’t know who to ask.

***

“How was the date the other night?” Jongdae asked as Minseok entered the office space.

He had just stepped off the elevator from the top floor and was a complete mess. Well, he felt like one anyway. He slipped into his chair and sighed, turning on his computer. He still hadn't answered his best friend and so Jongdae clucked his tongue in slight annoyance.

“That great, huh?”

“What?”

“The date.”

“Oh,” Minseok rubbed his eyes, “The date was nice…”

“Nice?”

Minseok nodded, “Baekhyun and I - ah…”

Jongdae choked on his coffee, eyes widening at the name, “Baekhyun? As in Byun Baekhyun? The thousand year old vampire?!”

“SHUT UP.” Minseok hissed quietly, “You’re being too loud.”

“Oh my God,” Jongdae breathed out silently, “Baekhyun... downtown-at-the-club Baekhyun... He was your date? I thought you’d said you dated him before though.”

Minseok nodded, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you… But we dated in my past life.”

Jongdae snorted, “Oh, you’re playing with me. I see.” he chuckled, “So who was your date, really?”

Minseok sighed and rolled his eyes, “You’re hopeless.”

***

It’s been two days. Two whole excruciating days.

Kyungsoo has been trailing behind Minseok non-stop and when he’s too busy fighting off some of Kris’ little spies, he sends another man in his place. One that Minseok is yet to see, because he likes to keep his identity a secret. It’s been frustrating to say the least, since he can’t even go to the bathroom without getting the ‘OK’ from someone. It felt like highschool all over again.

Aside from this hindering alteration to his norm, the thing that made these last few days really hard was not hearing from Baekhyun. Minseok knew that he was probably busy with Kris and his ever growing army. In fact, just last night, there had been a riot in the southern end of town that required even Kyungsoo to calm down. It resulted in a spread on the front page of the newspaper and almost an hour of screen time on several news stations. It still didn’t explain why Baekhyun couldn’t have called to say that he was safe. Instead, Kyungsoo (mildly surprised that he hadn’t already heard) had told him that morning when Minseok asked.

It wasn’t until that afternoon when Minseok finally heard from him. He was sitting up in Kyungsoo’s office reading a book, mostly looking out the window, bored out of his mind, when the word came that there was a phone call for him on line two. He hastily picked up the sleek phone, nearly dropping in as he rushed to say hello.

“Minseok-ah,” Baekhyun sounded tired, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Minseok reassured, “How are you? You sound exhausted.”

There was a soft chuckle, “I’m okay. Kris’ followers aren’t something I can’t handle.”

“I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“You staying safe is the best thing you can do, baby. I don’t want you getting involved.”

“I know, but,” he took a deep breath, “I want to be with you. I miss you.”

Baekhyun didn’t respond right away, his breathing the only thing Minseok could hear until he said finally, “I miss you too.”

There was an uneasy feeling in Minseok’s chest, “Are you busy now? Can you come see me?”

“Ah,” he hesitated, “Why don’t we re-schedule for another time? Maybe at the end of the week?”

Minseok frowned, “What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Yeah, alright.”

“Don’t sound too excited.”

Baekhyun laughed into the receiver and Minseok smiled - he sounded like an angel, “I’ll see you soon.”

Tomorrow came, but Baekhyun never did.

***

“Chanyeol!” Minseok exclaimed as he watched the tall man enter Kyungsoo’s office.

“Hey there,” he chuckled, “Sure is dreary in here. I thought you might like some company.”

Minseok nodded excitedly, “Aside from my co-workers, I don’t get out of this building much anymore. I’m practically living here. Kyungsoo says it’s easier to watch me that way.” he rolled his eyes, “But honestly, I should be fine on my own. I haven’t even heard from Kris.”

Chanyeol tsked, “Can’t be too safe, you know.”

Minseok groaned, “What are you doing here anyway? Just to see me or are you looking for,” he lowered his voice, “Your lover?”

There was a deep laugh from Chanyeol as he sat next to Minseok on the sofa. He lifted the blinds gently and flicked his sunglasses from his head down to rest on the bridge of his nose. He squinted into the fading light as the sun set behind buildings. He smiled to himself and let the drapes fall from his grasp.

“I’m here because Baekhyun had some business to attend to.” Chanyeol grinned at Minseok, “He asked me to distract you.”

“What? Why?”

Chanyeol shook his head, “There’s some documents here,” he muttered taking out a few papers from his coat pocket, “Do you mind running them to Junmyeon’s office for me?”

“Okay, but… Why are you distracting me? From what exactly?”

“You’ll see.”

Minseok scrambled for the papers and fled the room almost instantly. The uneasiness was back in his chest, his heart constricting in a strange type of pain he could only describe as doubt. He moved quickly, running down the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator to arrive. There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind that said he might want to move faster if he wanted to see Baekhyun again.

***

“He said it was alright? Are you sure you want to do this?” Junmyeon’s voice was clear on the other side of the door to his office, he sounded surprised and confused.

“I can’t live with him, but I can’t live without him. This is something I have to do.” That was Baekhyun’s voice…

Minseok stood on the outside of the door, stuck in his spot as he reached for the doorknob. The files Chanyeol had given him to bring to Junmyeon were now scattered across the floor. He knew he shouldn’t be eavesdropping in on this private conversation, but… Something about the tone perturbed him. He couldn’t help himself when he pressed his ear up against the door, trying to hear everything.

“That’s going to be quite a task… That’s a lot of memories you want me take away… I don’t even know if it’s possible. I mean, yes of course it’s possible, but… I just…”

“You need to do this for me, Junmyeon. I don’t know what else to do. Minseok is-” he stopped mid-sentence at the sound of shuffling outside of the door and he knew then that Chanyeol had sent the boy down. He cleared his throat and his voice grew grave, “He’s just a thorn in my side. I’ve spent too many years tied to him and I need to cut it all off once and for all.”

That was enough for Minseok.

“What the Hell are you thinking!?” he yelled throwing open the door, “Cutting ties with me? What the Hell, Baekhyun!? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?!”

Baekhyun stayed silent, eyes unable to connect with Minseok’s. He knew the anger Minseok was feeling right now. He could understand that this was going to hurt him. But he couldn’t keep doing this to him. It wasn’t right. ‘He deserves better. So much better than this... Than me.’ The thoughts kept him anchored, this was the right thing to do. This was what he should have done so long ago.

“Answer me, Baekhyun!”

“I’m tired of this.” He broke finally, the words like poison to Minseok and himself. It stung deep inside, like an infection growing in his heart until it became consumed with the deception he was struggling so hard to believe in.

“Liar.” he spat back.

“No,” Baekhyun seethed, “I’m tired of this. I’m tired of you. It has to stop.”

“W-What?”

“You heard me.” Baekhyun muttered, “Don’t make me say it again, Minseok. This is how it’s got to be. I should’ve done this a long time ago. I need to forget you.”

“You liar! That’s not… That’s not true! You love me! You said it yourself! You love me, Byun Baekhyun. You’ve chased after me through fifty lives! Why would you waste all of this time? I’m here again, I’m here now. Can’t you see? We’re together and we’re happy… I thought we were happy…”

“You thought wrong.”

“Don’t say that!”

“Stop trying to convince me otherwise.”

“Those memories... They're my memories too! You can't just take them from me!"

"Stop it. You have your own. You already regained plenty, remember? I can do whatever I want with mine."

"Why are you trying to erase me from your life? Why now? What have I done?” Baekhyun remained quiet, “Can you really just… Let me go... Again?”

“It’s for the best.”

“Don’t act like it’s nothing!” Minseok exclaimed feeling his heart shatter from the lack of emotion in Baekhyun’s smooth voice, “Don’t pretend like this love was never real!”

“Was it ever real?”

“Baekhyun!” Minseok screeched, his voice cracking as he fell to his knees, the tears uncontrollable. He broke into heavy sobs, unable to breathe as he struggled to look up at Baekhyun through swollen eyes and large tears.

Baekhyun stiffened at the sight and turned away from the man who cried out his name over and over again. He at his dry lips and tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail. Tears glistened in his eyes, but he made no move to wipe at them. He couldn’t risk letting Minseok know that this was all fake.

“What kind of game is this, Baekhyun?!” Minseok screamed, “You said you couldn't live without me! How… How can I live without you?!”

“You did it before, you can do it again.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Junmyeon standing uncomfortably. The other vampire looked as if he wanted to intervene into the conversation. However, he didn’t and, for that, Baekhyun was grateful.

“Why do you keep doing this to me?!” his voice was broken and Baekhyun could feel it.

He looked back over his shoulder and sighed.

Because I love you.

He hadn't realized Minseok had stumbled off of the floor. He hadn't realized that Minseok wouldn't let this go so easily. Every past life, Minseok would just accept it, accept everything. He was different now... Minseok was just as tired of all of this as Baekhyun was. This time he would fight... Until the end.

"Byun Baekhyun!" Minseok yelled, reaching out and gripping the back of the vampire’s shirt, "This isn't right, you know it isn't it! "

Baekhyun was so surprised, but he wouldn't turn around, not now. "Minseok, no." anger clear in his voice.

"Look at me, Baekhyun, please just look at me."

"Stop it, Minseok, you're only hurting yourself."

"That's not true! You're lying. I know you, Baekhyun. This is hurting you just as much as it's hurting me. Please stop this. We can make it through together. You don't have to do it alone. That's why I'm here."

"I don't need you here. I don't want you here."

Minseok grabbed at Baekhyun's arm when he felt his body stop. He couldn't move any part of himself as if he was being held down by some force... As if he was being controlled.

"If you won't stop, I'll make you stop." Baekhyun muttered.

"Baekhyun, what are you do-" the words stopped coming from Minseok's mouth and he was forced into silence. He tried screaming, he tried yelling, but nothing worked.

Baekhyun turned to look at the mess of his lover standing there, frozen with tears streaming down his face and silent words coming from lips in what looked like screams by the straining of his neck. He looked away quickly and swallowed hard to rid himself of the lump in his throat. Locking himself into Junmyeon's office, he finally let go of the hold he had on Minseok.

"Baekhyun, Baekhyun, please!" Minseok was crying and pounding his fists weakly against the locked door of Junmyeon's office.

Baekhyun didn't even turn his eyes to the door. He laid back on the couch and looked up at Junmyeon, determination filling his eyes. Junmyeon couldn't meet his gaze, focusing instead on his own fidgeting hands.

“Are you sure you really want to do this?” Junmyeon asked quietly.

“I’ve made up my mind already.”

“But… What about…?” He shuddered at the muffled sounds of Minseok's sobbing.

“I want to forget. I want to forget everything about him.”

Junmyeon let out a long sigh and looked towards the door, he could still hear Minseok helplessly screaming out for Baekhyun, his voice growing tired, but he would not stop. He looked back at Baekhyun and frowned in disappointment, “I can erase your memories, Baekhyun, but I can’t erase what’s in your heart.”

"I don't care, Junmyeon. Make this happen."

Junmyeon gently laid a hand on Baekhyun's shoulder. He took a deep breath and began searching through his mind and pulling things out. Every memory causing a wave of absolutely overwhelming emotions in Junmyeon. There were so many memories, too many memories...

"I want you, I want all of you."
"Take me, I'm yours."

"Why did I even try to live without you?"
"You don't have to anymore."

"Do I know you?"
"No, but I know you."

"Save me! Baekhyun, please!"
"Xiumin, I'm coming!"

"You really ought to be more careful, Baozi."
"I can't help it!"

"What's that sound? It sounds like people..."
"Lay with me, Minseok... I'm sure it's nothing..."

"Maybe I'm your fate."
"Don't say stupid things like that."

Baekhyun stiffened, each memory causing him heartache as they slowly slipped from his mind. It felt like a part of him was dying, but he needed to get rid of them all. Needed to lose him entirely to protect him, to stop Kris from using him and toying with him. This was the only way...

I love you, Minseok...

His last memory faded away…

Why am I crying?

***

It was dark and he wasn’t sure why… He didn’t remember it being nighttime… Ah… His eyes were closed. He didn’t remember falling asleep either… He must have. Baekhyun blinked slowly and squinted into the light of the room, though he didn’t recognize it at first he quickly realized there was a presence next to him. He turned his eyes to Junmyeon who looked oddly upset for some reason and yet he couldn't figure out why. Why was he here in Junmyeon’s office?

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but the door to the small room creaked open, thrown hard against the wall. There was a man standing there, his appearance absolutely breathtaking, he looked like an angel. The man rushed to his side and grabbed his hand sending Baekhyun into more confusion. Junmyeon took a deep shaky breath and turned away at the sight of the man's eyes swollen, wet with tears.

"Do I know you?" Baekhyun asked, wrenching his hand away from the stranger's grip.

Minseok felt his stomach lurch, his hands dropped limply to his sides, "No," he said weakly, voice cracking from a sudden dryness, "But I know you."

Tasha: SURPRISE! Another update ^^ With my pal Silver back, our writing is going a lot smoother and it's coming together so fast ahhhh I'm so excited to bring this chapter to you guys! <3 I hope you liked it!!! Thanks for all of your support and sticking with us, it means so, SO much ~ you have no idea! xoxo

Silver: Hey guys! Quick update! We hope you enjoyed the chapter (and felt the overwhelming emotions that were emerging throughout it)! Thanks for all the love and support! You guys are awesome!