A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

On her lips, a bitter smile formed, and she shook her head. It was ... soothing to hear his words, but she couldn't believe them. He couldn't make that promise no matter how much he wanted to. Beforehand when she was dealing with him, she knew that he wouldn't kill her after a time; she knew that he upheld his deals and that she could live and protect her family. The other creature's promises meant little if not nothing. There were no deals with him, and her mother and sibling were in danger. Ether didn't have control over the situation; he was trying to gain the upper hand, but that attainment wasn't a hundred percent certain. Softly, the words slipped from her mouth. "You can't be certain of that."

Her (e/c) eyes stared down to her lap, and the smile remained. Ether went to argue, but she managed to cut him off that time. "It's true. I don't want to die. I even asked for you to get rid of these thoughts from my head by ending the other creature. I guess ..."

"You still doubt my success." She nodded to his statement, and he sighed, managing to calm himself down a little. "You know that the worst could happen." Once more, she nodded. Another sigh left him. "Well, we made it this far, and you were worried that we wouldn't make it because of my driving. But, we're here, and we're getting closer. It's nerve-wracking, but it also means that we're one step closer to ending all of this."

Ether leaned back on the seat a little bit, and he took the proper procedures to downshift for a turn. Neither of them spoke while he made the turn, and he shifted up again when the turn was over and the road became straight again. "And if both he and I die, then this nightmare really will end for you. You can make up some excuse for where you've been this whole time, or you could pursue what you wanted to and move somewhere else. There would be a lot of options."

"You don't seem mad about that possibility happening." She glanced over to him out of the corners of her eyes, and his expression was neutral. "Are you really fine with that?"

"No, I'm not, but it's better than me dying and him living. I'll take that option any day over the other one if it comes down to those two possibilities, and me living becomes impossible. I think that my only regret will be that it won't be you killing me."

"You already ..."

"I know that you can't kill me anymore, but the idea of him being the one to do it is ... unappealing. I'll accept it if I have to, if it means saving you." His left nails tapped against the steering wheel. "But, my concern is how you're acting." She didn't say a word. "Will you be able to do your part when we get to the factory? Will you be able to pretend to sleep while he makes threats to your mother and sibling? Will you be able to stand back until Nick and Deidre act?"

Silence was his immediate answer. Her hands tightened around each other, and she squeezed them. She wanted to nod in the affirmative, and she knew that her meeting those objectives were crucial to the plan. He sighed, and his head hung a little bit, but it wasn't out of disappointment. If anything, it was out of concern for her. "Then, think about keeping your mother and sibling safe. You'll be knocked out for awhile so that part won't be an issue, but when you awake, try to block out anything he says. I know that will be hard given what he's done to you," his nails stabbed into the wheel a little bit, "but you're going to have to try and remind yourself that you're no longer in that subway."

"But, that's part of the problem." She tried to block out memories of that other creature and his voice. "I haven't encountered him for about two months now. I don't know how I'll react to hearing and later seeing him again. I can't just forget what he did Ether."

"I know that, (f/n), but ..." He sighed again, not really knowing what to say. It took a long time for her to adjust to him, and that was with deals and truthful words. Callest was an entirely different picture, and he didn't blame her for shaking when she even thought about him. Right now, he noticed the slight trembling of her limbs. "All I can say is just try for a little bit."

"... I'll try, but you're assuming that he'll just be waiting for you to wake up me up and be quiet the whole time. He likes to make his point through his actions but also his words."

"Except this time, you've already admitted to missing me. There's nothing left for him to attack. We've been through it all and what happened in the tunnels. All of that. You've made your choices, and here you are. The same goes for me."

Almost, she bitterly laughed. "Yeah, but you only care about me. I care about others. That makes it harder." By a little bit, though, she smiled. "At least, my parents, Nick and his team don't seem to be judging me for missing you."

"Exactly. So, there was your best friend who I had killed. If she truly was your best friend, she would be the same as all of them. She wouldn't blame you after everything I've put you through."

That time, she did laugh, but it necessarily wasn't bitter. It just was odd for him to be giving her advice on such a thing. "So, you're the friendship expert now?"

"Not at all." His grip on the wheel relaxed by a bit. "I'm only making statements based on what I've observed after spending so much time with you. If you care about someone, you're willing to accept their faults, right?" Her lips upturned into a tiny smile before it disappeared from her countenance. "I mean I accepted yours," he added with a playful grin. It did come off as terrifying due to the slight gleam in his eyes, and she didn't want to know what thoughts were going through his mind exactly.

"And, what would those be?"She crossed her arms and raised a brow.

"That you might not ever love me. That you might never agree to have a child with me."

"Those are flaws?" She rolled her eyes. "Most would consider that common sense given what actions you've committed and given that having a child with you is almost certainly a death sentence."

"Well, I'm not most." He shrugged. "For me, those should be huge factors for me to accept our relationship given what I've told you and my desire for having a child of my blood. But, I've put them aside for you because I can't give you up. I accepted your flaws."

"Aren't you a grade A gentleman," she muttered, sighing at the whole conversation. Then again, it was distracting her mind from other thoughts, and she did appreciate that fact. Inwardly, she smiled.

"I believe I am." Almost, she choked on her own saliva before she stared over to him. His tone had been serious, but there was smirk on his lips. "I mean I'm willing to accept death in order to protect you. I've given up some of my desires in order to respect you and your wishes."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting how you tormented me in the tunnels, butchered my friend, threatened my family, my friends and me on multiple accounts, admitted that you're doing this just so that my feelings of missing you don't change and the list goes on."

"Ah, but you're forgetting something." She raised a brow again, and he smirked quite proudly. Almost, she was tempted to slap the expression off of his face, but she resisted the urge since he was driving and she didn't want to anger him. It might not piss him off. H*ll, he might even enjoy it, but she didn't want to have to deal with any of the situations that action might bring out. "You've accepted my flaws too. You've admitted that we're the only two who can accept the other one entirely."

"That doesn't make you a gentleman." She looked out the passenger window and leaned against it a little bit. "And, I've told you that I may accept your actions, but I don't necessarily forgive you for them."

"Maybe not, but the fact that you accept them is what's important to me. And, that's why I'm doing everything I can to make sure that you're alright before we get to the factory. I want to make sure that you're as ready as you can be so that you remain safe because," he smiled softly, and her eyes stared for a bit as she couldn't look away, "you're not replaceable. I'll never be able to find someone like you again."

Admittedly, the statement was sweet, but she wouldn't tell him that. Besides as kind as it may be, it didn't erase what he had done in the past and what he still was capable of doing. He even told her multiple times that he only cared about her. Without her, everyone was fair game again. That made the sweetness bitter and harder to swallow; however, she was grateful. Despite his reasons for helping her, he still was aiding her. Ether cared about her enough to put his own feelings aside so that he could ensure that her family had a higher chance of making it past the threat that was the other creature. Not only that but also he wasn't killing Nick or any of the others, which still remained a little shocking due to his hatred for Nick. There even was Vincent, who he had let go.

With all of that in mind, she quietly remarked, "Thank you." Ether didn't respond verbally, but he did smile genuinely and kindly. It was one of those rare smiles of his that almost made her forget what he had done; it reminded her of who he could've been had his grandfather not tortured him as a child. Eventually, she did break her gaze from him, and she did feel a little bit better about the factory. She would rely on him to get through the plan, and she would try her best to trust in her own ability as well.