" Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. "

- Lao Tzu 

(DAVIE VILLAGE, WEST END, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 9:15 PM)

   The two spent escaping and in hiding from their detractors who attacked them earlier in Gastown. The Kree-Lizard hybrid and his girlfriend ended up in an abandoned district near the beach where they could temporarily settle for a while. The place was once a very vivid and lively neighborhood, but it turned out to be a ghost down. The couple looked at the broken glasses and cracked houses and buildings standing on the streets.

Nancy noticed her boyfriend had a hard time in walking, as his leg was limping and bleeding with blue blood. She carefully grabbed his arm and assisted him to walk. The boy was grimacing in pain and struggling.

" He's having a hard time to go on, " she thought. " I hope he can pull through. "

She recalled earlier that he was bleeding in blue blood which she got surprised and never expected to see it. Before encountering with her boyfriend, she was the only survivor from the Kree-Lizard intrusion in Seattle. Nancy witnessed the skirmish in her surroundings: deaths of her fellows patients and the medical staff. Then, a Kree soldier was about to attack her, but the cancer patient took a syringe and a scalpel from the operating room and stabbed the humanoid invader bleeding with the same blood color as her boyfriend. This time, Nancy was seeing the same thing.

" It can't be..." she realized and widened her eyes. " How come he's bleeding in blue?! If he claims to be a 682 clone, but why is he so entirely different from that monster?! Wait a minute...he's part Kree! That means he must be something else! "

" Nancy..." the hybrid boy called her attention as she turned to him. " I can't go any further..."

" Dude, we're gonna find a place to stay just hang-in there and calm down, " she assured and turned to the abandoned house. " There, we can stay there for a while. "

" Finally..."

Entering the house, the Kree-Lizard boy and his girlfriend found a living room. Nancy had let him lying down on the couch. She headed to the rooms and kept finding for a first aid kit, a basin of water, and a damp cloth to treat his leg wound and injury. The lady found them and started treating the boy's leg. He was growling in pain as his eyes watered down on his face.

" Come on, hold still, " Nancy calmly spoke. " You're gonna be alright. "

" P-Painful! Very painful! "

The Kree-Lizard boy remembered those days when he was in the MTF Containment Cell. He got himself injured and tortured to death by those test subjects aside from the dreadful 682. At that moment, he felt the same thing when he got shot by the blue and pink-skinned troopers and successfully saved his girlfriend from death.

Moments later, he remained sleepless and thought of many things as he got concerned with Nancy's safety. Nancy was still sitting on the other couch and leaning comfortably.

" I'm sorry, " the Kree-Lizard boy sadly spoke. " Our date was ruined. I could have..."

" Dude, no regrets..." she slightly smiled. " At least, we have saved each other's back. That's the most important thing. No more, no less. "

" Thanks..."

" You're welcome. "

The Kree-Lizard boy turned his head to her and curiously asked, " Where are we going afterwards? Will you able to survive and continue our journey together? "

" Well, " Nancy placed her hand on her chin and thought of her words to come out. " I was thinking to go farther away like going north, all the way to Alaska. "

" Alaska? "

" Yeah, you haven't heard of that place. It's where you can see the humpback whales, pine trees, polar bears, peaceful villages, and a view a way from Russia. Then, we could spend there like a married couple. "

" Interesting. I want to go there. "

" True, I want to spend my last days on Earth, there...with you. "

The Kree-Lizard hybrid smiled at her, but he sensed her hidden sadness and love from her words. Nancy had sincerely blurted her last wish to him which he never expected to hear from her.

" How long will you ever live? " he asked.

" I don't really know, " she sighed. " But I want to spend few more days going North. Once we get there, I could live my last days together with you. "

" So, your illness is taking over you, " he changed his tone into more sorrowful. " Nancy..."

" Hey, I already accepted my fate. It doesn't matter how long I would last here on this planet, " she stood up, knelt beside him, and touched his face. " I finally found someone to love on my last days. "

" Nancy...."

The young woman's terminal illness was like a ticking time bomb which her life was at stake. The Kree-Lizard hybrid sadly sighed and gently touched her face. He wanted her to stay longer with him despite of the terrible danger they were facing, but it was too late. For the past two months, he learned to love and respect someone who cared for him. It was Nancy who opened his eyes to the human world and helped him to understand it all. He wanted more time with her, but she admitted she couldn't live any longer.

" You know, I have a wishful thinking, " she replied.

" What is it? " he asked.

" If only I could see Captain Marvel or perhaps the mysterious Kree Eternal who could save me from this illness. "

" I saw her flying in the picture box. "

" Picture box, you mean television? "

" Yes...television... I'm so sorry about that, " he nervously smiled and continued. " She went flying on the skies before this has happened. "

" Oh yeah, I saw that one too. She was flying above New York and going to space for a world record. Too bad, I don't have a chance to see her. But if you have to meet her, Can you tell me I'm her number one fangirl? "

" Yes, I will tell her when I find her. "

" Thanks..."

" But what about the mysterious Kree Eternal? How did you know all about it? " the boy curiously asked.

" Well...I heard some Urban legends which some people have been telling and witnessing a long-lived extraterrestrial who had been on Earth for some centuries and did some wonders before, " Nancy answered.

" Maybe, we could have a chance to meet him along the way in our journey. Then, I could ask him to heal you. "

" Right, " Nancy nodded and yawned as she stretched her arms. " Aren't you gonna sleep, dude? "

" Sleep is very pointless to me..."

The young woman understood what he meant as she recalled those nights he was having tremendous nightmares from 682. At first, she was really annoyed and got frustrated at him. Several days had passed, Nancy learned to accept him and became more patient in helping him dealing with those nightmares.

" If that's the case, you might be right, " she replied and gently held his right hand. " Someday, you will learn to get over with that. I know you can. "

The Kree-Lizard hybrid slightly smiled and looked at the bright yellow star on the window. Nancy stood-up as she found another couch and took a blanket from the other room. She lied down and yawned.

" Goodnight..." she said.

" Goodnight, " he replied.

(THE NEXT DAY, 7:30 AM)

The smell of breakfast had enamored and lingered the Kree-Lizard hybrid's nose when his eyes slowly opened up. He gradually sat up from the couch which he saw food on the table and began to eat. Just in front of him, Nancy was sitting on her couch and finished eating.

" Good morning! " she happily greeted.

" Morning..." he replied while chewing his bread which he sounded very gibberish and mumbling.

" Hey, don't talk when your mouth is full! "

" Sorry! "

The Kree-Lizard hybrid got embarrassed when he kept eating. He never had some idea in dealing with table manners. Nancy laughed at him as she headed herself to the kitchen and placed the dishes.

" I wish I have more time to teach you some table manners! " she echoed.

Suddenly, the young woman passed out and fell herself on the floor. The Kree-Lizard boy widened his eyes in shock and paused eating. He managed himself to stand up and walk, but he was limping. Nancy was unconscious as her nose was bleeding.

The young woman opened her eyes and saw him. He gently touched her forehead as she felt hot. The boy knew what to do and took a basin of water and a damp cloth. He squeezed it and started rubbing her face and arms to cool-off her body.

" Thanks...." she weakingly said. " How did you know I'm having a fever? "

" My friend was very ill when he asked me to do this, " he answered. " You need a glass of water to drink. "

" That memory serves you to do so, " she chuckled. " Yeah, I really need a drink. Earlier, I just spent cooking breakfast and..."

"....You shouldn't get yourself tired, " he continued.

" Yeah, right. This is worse than my chemotherapy. "

The boy brought a glass of water for her to drink and watched her. He sat down and waited for her to speak. She finished gulping and placed the glass beside her on the table.

" Well, I guess our trip to Alaska will be temporarily postponed, " she wryly smiled. " I'm so sorry. "

" It's all right. It can wait, I wanted you to get rest and better. "

" Thanks...how thoughtful of you. "

" We can stay here and wait for a while. "

The Kree-Lizard boy kept cooling his girlfriend by rubbing her with a wet towel. While looking at her, he felt pity for her weakening condition. Nancy was smiling at him and touching at his rough scaly face. From her gesture, she wanted to feel for the last time. Loneliness had visited the entire house which the couple spent their moments together. Suddenly, the two heard a commotion from the outside. The boy and his girlfriend both got apprehended and exchanged glances as they heard an unearthly language. Then, a loud bang echoed the living room as Nancy was about to scream.

A tall brunette man with a metal face and a right bionic arm was responsible for intruding. He arrived along with the Kree and Lizard soldiers. The commander had lead them to attack the two. The boy was limping and struggling to run as he was about to carry his girlfriend into safety. The bionic man was pointing his arm to Nancy as she was screaming in fear. The boy was supposed to save her, but he got hindered by the reptilian and humanoid aliens. Nancy was ready to attack the strange man, but she got stabbed by her attacker using his metallic hands. The hybrid saw what happened to her as he easily broke free from his detractors.

" NANCY!! " he loudly screamed as his tears fell on his face.

The woman fell on the floor with a pool of blood which the bionic man was shooting him some lasers. The Kree-Lizard boy was dodging from his attacks, but his injured leg gave him a hard time to fight back and fell down. The other soldiers ordered the bionic man to move away as he nodded. Thus, it was too late for the hybrid to save his dying loved one from her distress. The attackers immediately left as the boy crawled and approached his girlfriend.

" Dude...I'm so sorry..." she panted and wept. " I...."

" Nancy, please don't go! Please don't leave me! " he bitterly wept.

" I can't be with you anymore...I wanted to know how much I love you until the end..."

" Nancy...I'll always love you! I need you to live! "

" It's too late...Please promise me to find who you really are..." she replied. " Someday...you will find someone to love just like you have done to me...It's not the end of the world for you..."

" NO! I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! "

" You can...someday...You will find her... Please do the same thing to her as I did to you...."

" Nancy, I love you...."

" I love you, Dude.....And I will always be...."

Nancy finally ended her life on Earth as she closed her eyes. The Kree-Lizard hybrid bitterly wept and mourned as he was carrying her lifeless and bleeding body. Again, he witnessed death visiting this place along with sadness and grief.

(Years Later: Rouen, France, 5:50 AM)

The Kree-Lizard hybrid silently wept after telling the story of him and Nancy which their blossoming relationship failed because of what had happened back in Canada. Carol hugged him and gently rubbed his back as she understood of his grief and longing to love. It took several minutes for him to cry as the elderly half-Kree woman comforted him.

" I'm sorry about what happened, " Carol calmly spoke and emphatized. " I knew how it felt to lose someone special to you. "

" Can you tell me about it? "

Carol heavily sighed as she was recalling that fateful day in New York fifty years ago. She refused to tell the tragic deaths and the abduction of some people by the Kree and the Lizards. The Kree-Lizard hybrid wanted to know the story from the elderly half-Kree.

" If you lost Nancy, " she broke her silence. " Then, I experienced the same thing when I saw Rhodey getting killed. "

" Who is Rhodey? "

" Colonel James Rhodes aka War Machine. During that attack, he was in the front lines fighting against those lizards and those blue-skinned beings. I was with him on the streets. On that fateful moment, he got impaled by one of those Lizards. I saw him lying on the ground and bleeding to death. I never had a chance to save him. Instead, I started that umbrage against them. "

" I understood now..."

" It's very hard to get over and move forward when someone you love got lost terribly. It left us a scar from that tragedy and mourning. "

" Nancy could have been with me..." he replied and rubbed his tears from his eyes. " Skoùro was indeed right. The outside world was very dangerous after all, because I failed to defend Nancy from them. I did nothing..."

" Kid, the world is very unfair at all times, but that doesn't mean you will wallow in deep depression and regret, " she sternly replied. " You need to fight back and keep doing what is right. "

" I did avenge her death afterwards, but I didn't know what to do at that time..."

" So, someone helped you along the way, " Carol replied.

" Yes. Perhaps, you already knew him before. "

Carol smiled and nodded. Suddenly, she turned to the window as the sun was coming up when the bright yellow skies and clouds were running.

" Good, I want to hear that story later on, " she said.

" Why? " he curiously asked. " You don't want to hear more of my journeys right now? "

" First of, it's already daytime. We need to prepare breakfast for ourselves and everyone as well. Second, we have to do a lot of chores within the mansion. Thirdly, your best friend may come anytime soon. He wants to see you so badly along with Allen and Karena. "

" Jared will come? " he asked.

" Yep. "

The Kree-Lizard hybrid boy thought of his bestfriend as the elderly half-Kree woman reminded. He looked at the window and saw the sunrise coming.

" I wonder what he's doing, " he said.

" He's busy defending and fighting against those freaks as usual. "

" I see. "

" There's something I want you to tell, Kid, " Carol seriously said as she placed her right hand on his left shoulder. " This is a covenant between the two of us. "

" What is a covenant? "

" Okay, for us, this is a bond or an agreement between a mother and son, " she replied. " This is something that will help you change your life little by little. Are you willing to do that? "

The Kree-Lizard hybrid got interested to what she asked as he remained silent and started composing his thoughts to answer her. Carol waited for him to speak-up and intently looked at him.

" Yes, " he determinedly answered. " I'm willing to do it. "

" Good. "

" But how? "

" You don't want to be that monster, right? From now on, I'm teaching you to become a man, a real man. "