A/N:Hello everyone. I began writing this story three months ago, and finally, I have finished it. I wrote this story because I love Lulu and Veigar, and, I wanted to make a more serious and heavy story rather than a cute and fluffy one. And now, it has come to a close. I wanted to take this time before the story to thank all of you, every reader who had the patience to read this all the way through, all those who followed and favorited this story, and all of you who left me reviews. I just want to say, it means a lot and has motivated me to finish this project of mine for all of you. Thank you to all those who have stuck with me, and to my friends who were excited and supported me. I hope you all enjoy Falling Apart, The Final Chapter.

Falling Apart

Chapter Nine

The Final Chapter

The handle turned slowly, and the door creaked ajar.

From within, she could hear groans of pain, but without any light, she could not see. Veigar's eyes would glow within the dark, an eerie yellow that showed his presence, but she could not find them. Just hear him within, gasping for air, moaning in pain and cursing at everything and anything.

"…Veigar?" Her voice came out in a tentative squeak.

And then the shadows shifted. Veigar turned, his eyes blazing from within the black room. His eyes were yellow flame, fueled by pain and anger. His eyes, so wild and vicious, were all that she could see of him, yet she knew that he could see her as clear as day. The realization sent a shiver down her spine.

"You…" His voice was hoarse with an edge as sharp as a dagger, hostile. She felt afraid, the fear within making her hands tremble ever more. Her eyes were wide, her steps hesitant, but slowly, she made her way into the room, approaching the only indication of Veigar that she had, the eyes of a mad beast.

She nodded. Her voice was heavy as she spoke soothingly, but, whether it was meant for him or for her own self, she did know. "Yes, me…I'm here Veigar…"

The yellow fires within flared intensely. "You…you are like them…you want me dead…" His voice was as cold as steel, and the words cut just as deep as shown on Lulu's face.

"What? No, Veigar, I'm here to help you…"

"YOU LIAR! YOU ARE LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!" Veigar collapsed to his hands and knees, coughing up blood. Lulu rushed forward, to his side. His eyes, the fire, his very life seemed to be flickering. Between coughs, he spoke again, though without the same intensity and volume to his voice, his whispered accusations were cold and his voice came out in a savage snarl. "Do it…finish me off…like all the others…all want to kill me…kill the monster…"

Lulu was aghast. She looked to Veigar, tried to reach out, but her hand would not go. He was a broken man, she knew. Why? Why could she not help him? He was right there, right in front of her, why could she not reach him? Was he truly so far gone? Tears welled behind her eyes. She could reach for the handle, able to open that door, that heavy and monstrous door that repelled her weak approaches and left that heavy feeling within her chest. She was able to overcome that, she has been getting stronger with each passing day, but she still could not reach out to him, to Veigar who was before her, finally, after so long.

Her heart beat frantically. This was different, she felt. There was no heavy feeling within, there was a lack of feeling, as if she was weightless, and all that was left within was emptiness. What can she do? She didn't feel weak, she didn't feel the weight. What she felt was worse than that. She felt useless, she felt that there was nothing she could do. Even with her hand outstretched, she could not touch him.

"Veigar…I don't want to hurt you…I want to help…I want to be your friend…"

"My…friend…" Veigar coughed more and more. She could not see him shake uncontrollably. She could not have known what she had done to him. She could not see his downcast eyes, burning the brightest they have ever been. Friend? You have no friends. Your friends abandoned you. Your friends left you for dead.

And then he felt it. A hand upon his cheek, small and soft. He snapped.

His hand flew across Lulu's face with great force, sending the yordle collapsing back against the hard floor. His hands trembled greatly, the cold steal of his gauntlets making his arms to heavy to lift, and so, he sat upon his knees, tears streaming down his face, but he could not feel them. His cheeks were hot, his eyes hotter, and his whole body felt heavy, but within, he felt numb and broken, what little of Veigar that had remained was at its end.

He knew no friends. They all want him dead. He needs no one but himself. He will bring them all down. He will destroy everything.

A crack was heard. Lulu felt as though her heart had shattered and slowly, all the pieces were falling. She lay on the ground, her cheek throbbing with great pain. She lost it. She let it all go, doing little to stop the tears from falling, and doing less to hush her sobbing. She pushed herself up, her head pounding painfully, making her dizzy and nauseous, and her crying did little to help that as well.

She could not see Veigar's eyes. The room was dark once more, but, she could hear him struggle to his feet. On her hands and knees, she crawled slowly, her hand soon finding Veigar's robes. She clenched at them tightly, but, he took no notice. He was facing away from her, staring off to some place that wasn't here, somewhere else. He wasn't here, she knew. Through tears and heavy sobs, she pulled herself up, struggling to her feet, her head spinning wildly.

He was gone. He could feel nothing. It was as if he had accepted his fate. There was once a time where he trusted others, and while he was not the ideal yordle, there was light to him. But then it all changed and his light was soon snuffed, and as the darkness surrounded him, he embraced it, allowing his heart to turn cold, allowing the madness to seep within his mind. Now he felt that he was at the end. It was silent. Where was the voice now? The voice that had once given him strength, gave him a reason to live, the drive to move forward.

Where was that voice now? The voice within?

His body felt warm. Her hands were wrapped around him from behind, and it was then that he heard a voice.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, Veigar…"

Lulu pressed her face into his back, weeping into his robes, unable to hold back. Her arms tightened around him as she kept repeating the same words to him. His arms stopped trembling, stopped shaking, and fell limp to his sides as he stared off into space. He felt nothing but her embrace. There was no pain, no memories, no hate, just nothing but her voice, once so sweet, now stuttering. He was no longer trembling, but he could feel her small body behind him shuddering.

"I don't care who you are…what you are…I don't care if everyone sees you as a monster or a demon, if they see you as evil or insane…we aren't meant to be alone, Veigar…we aren't…I…I want to be with you…I am weak…I am a nuisance…I'll probably just get in your way, but…I want to be by your side…and if not…please…don't be alone…don't ever…we aren't meant to be alone…"

Veigar did not respond, but even still, Lulu kept with her embrace. He did nothing to stop her, and so, she continued to cry.

He could feel tears trailing down his own face, though, he did not know why. He was hurt, he hurt her, and yet, she was here. He hadn't felt this way in a long time, not since the day that his old self perished and was replaced by the person that he was now. But, was he really the same now, or did he change once more?

Lulu's head pounded more and more, her eyes were red, unable to shed anymore tears. Her arms felt heavy. No, her entire body felt heavy. Her arms slowly drifted down to Veigar's waist as she laid her head against him.

After a moment of silence, Lulu broke the peace of the darkness, speaking softly in her sweet and tentative voice. "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm," he replied.

Her hands went to his, carefully removing his gauntlets and letting them fall to the floor. She took his hands into her own, entwining their fingers together. She brought one of his hands to her lips, kissing it softly, her lips felt soft and gentle being pressed against his mangled and ugly hand. "Come on," she said, in a voice so quiet, it sounded almost like a prayer.

She led him to the bed, dragging him beneath the covers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling her face close to his. The two closed their eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but, he felt that it was a lot. His body ached, and he groaned his pain. But then he turned to the figure lying beside him. Some of her purple hair had fallen before her childish face. His hand went to her, moving the hair from her face, and then, he saw what he had done. Her cheek was dark and swollen. He could see her, despite the room being so black, he could see the troubled expression on her face, the way she squirmed slightly in bed as she turned to and fro. His hand went to her bruise, caressing her cheek as gently as he could.

But Veigar did not know gentle, having never been treated in such a way. She whimpered at his lightest touch, at which point, he quickly withdrew his hand. He looked at her with interest and fascination, with new eyes. And then, hers opened, staring into his.

There was pain within those eyes. Trails of tears long dried remained upon her cheek. She held his hand gingerly, and slowly, placed it lightly upon her cheek, the same one that he had struck. She winced slightly, but she held his hand in place, and when she let go, he did not move away, but rather, resumed caressing her face. His hands were ugly and disfigured compared to her own, so small and soft and flawless. But she laid her own lips upon these hands of his, and, she made no attempt at pushing them away. The same hands that struck her, he knew. He looked at them, so gnarled and different. He was not a yordle, but rather, a monster.

She saw this in his eyes eerie light that once threw ferocious fire within this dark room was now dim. She placed her hand upon his cheek as well. She could not see him in the dark, but, she could feel him, feel his face, feel the scars that ran amok upon his features as she traced them with just her fingertips. He did not mind that she felt his scars, not if that is what she wanted to do.

He finally decided to break the silence, speaking in a weak voice rough with pain. "I'm sorry…" was all he said.

She shook her head, speaking in her sweet voice soothingly."Don't be. You don't ever have to apologize to me, Veigar." She winced once more as his fingers stroked her cheek, a soft whimper escaping her lips. But she smiled at him. Her voice was quiet, softer than a whisper, but little more than a prayer. "I want to be there for you…I want to be by your side when you rule the world, when you accomplish your dream…I want to be useful…but all I am is weak…so…if there is anything I could do…anything…I want you to use me however you can…however you want…"

Her smile was one of pain and longing, one that was genuine and humble, one that warmed his heart, one that seemed to lighten this dark room. He groaned from the pain trying to move, but, he made himself move all the same. He could not say I'm sorry. Not anymore. Not to her. He did too much already to her, and no amount of sorries would ever fix that. And yet, she still wanted to be by his side. Why?

We are not supposed to be alone.

Her words echoed within him. He could not say I'm sorry to her anymore, he knew. She deserved better than mere words.

He pressed his lips lightly upon hers.

As they parted, she looked into his yellowed eyes, and he could see her lips open ever slightly, as if she was longing for more. She saw only him.

"Let's leave…its dangerous here…" He honestly did not know where they would go. Anywhere but here, he thought, anywhere. He has enemies here, enemies within the Institute that would have him killed. He knew that even if they left, his enemies would follow, but, he couldn't stay here, not with her. "Please," he whispered, "let's go…"

She nodded, drawing closer to him. She nestled her head into his neck. They had to go, they had to leave, but, he was weak, and, she saw this in his eyes. He didn't know how she could tell, but, he was tired, his eyelids were closing and his entire body was heavy. Sleep washed over him once more, but, not before he wrapped one of his arms around Lulu's shoulder.

He wasn't alone. Not anymore. It was time to begin picking up the pieces.