After what felt like a million bad dates, Lana finally considered, that perhaps she was the problem. No one was enough, no one was quite what she was looking for. Lana tucked her feet under her, mindlessly eyeing the TV, not really taking in any information.

"The Devil has never looked so pretty,"

Lana's attention was rapt then, watching the gorgeous man on screen with large wings. She frowned, standing, numbly walking to the TV, touching it, the static making her smile.

"Meir?" She whispered breathlessly.

But the TV just droned on, and Lana couldn't exactly remember where she'd even heard that name. Her stomach lurched violently. A photo laid face down on the couch, one she never turned over. She picked up. It was blurred. Two blurred smudges she couldn't make out. And for a moment she thought she was going blind. But deep in her mind, she knew, that if she could place those faces, cut through the fog, and see them--it would feel better than fresh warm food in her belly.

She wiped it once more, but the smudge didn't budge. As the years progressed that smudge got a little clearer. Dreams would come to her, the visage of a man obscured in white, somehow so mournful. Lana could never shake the feeling she had once had a great love, though she could not remember, could not grasp it.

She stared at the tv quietly, her old age finally catching up to her. She glanced at the photo once more, before closing her eyes.

She opened them, staring at a familiar face. He smiled softly, cupping her face.

"Oh god...it's you," she whispered finding her voice different. She looked down at herself, young again.

Meir smiled. "It's me, Lana."

Lana smiled shakily looking up at him. "It's always been you, why did you leave me why?"

Meir stood, his dark wings stretching. He held out his hands. "Shall we?"

Lana paused and took his hand. Meir walked next to her, taking her out of her house. She glanced back finding the person she remembered, an old lady with nothing and no one, peacefully asleep in her chair, facing that photo.

She closed her eyes, and ducked her head, leaving her home. The world was not as she left it. It was crumbling around her, crumbling to ash.

"What's happening?" Lana asked.

Meir covered her with his wing, squeezing her hand. "We're finally...going to be together. You, me and Lily. It's finally over, Lana. We can be happy. I can be happy."

He smiled. Lana lifted her hands to his face. "I can't see you." She whispered.

He shook his head, mournfully pressing his hand against her face. "It'll all be over soon, my love."

Lana looked around. "But...but the world?"

"I'm looking at her." He smiled.

Lana sniffled, wiping her eyes. And there he was. Gorgeous. Delicate features and those eyes. His face crumpled in pain despite his smile.

"Nothing else needs to exist, Lana. Just us three."

Terrified screams drowned out his words as she looked around at the world, collapsing in on itself.

Lana sighed. "Then...is this your doing, Meir?"

He smiled at the sound of his name. "It was the only way, Lana. The only way we could be together, forever. That's the conditions of this world. That I...I can't be happy. I can't have you."

Lana looked away. Well...that made sense. Why she could never remember him. "You took my memory again huh?"

Meir nodded. "Just until I could come get you. Until I could set us free. It was hell, Lana. Agony. But this is it. Our happy ending. So let's go. Everything on sale after all," he mused.

They began walking down the street.

Families cried over their lost love ones. Chaos ensued as the governments frantically tried to find out what was going on.

"I was god of a painful world, Lana. All this pain? This is mine. It's what I had feel. Every second I existed to keep this wretched world alive."

He looked away, ushering her to a nearby store. "Look. Diamonds, free. No one's tending it," he grabbed a ring, taking her finger.

"What all is going to disappear Meir," she asked quietly.

Meir shook, sliding the ring on her finger. "What does it matter? You're here now."

Lana looked away.

He scoffed, falling to his knees. Meir buried his face in her belly. "Please...not you too. You can't demand this of me, Lana. Not you. Look how much it hurts," his eyes welled up. "It hurts. I can't do anymore. I just can't."

Lana touched his head. "I see. It's okay, Meir. I won't ask you to do that. But...I don't think it's much of world. Just us three and nothing else. Do you?"

Meir shook his head desperately. "Doesn't matter. It's all I need! I want to be happy! I must be!"

Lana smiled sadly. "Okay, Meir. Let's just enjoy it."

And so they did. Meir and Lana enjoyed their day, even as it crumbled around them. And when the sky finally began falling, Lana sighed.

"There's one more thing I've always wanted to try," Lana mused, pointing to a gun range.

Meir smiled and nodded, taking her hand. Lana put mufflers on her ears.

"Hey Meir," she asked as she aimed at the target.

"Hm?" He asked.

Lana smiled. "Are you happy?"

"So happy Lana."

She turned to him, pulling the trigger. He looked down at his chest and frowned.

"Lana..."

"I think you've done enough, Meir. You've suffered enough. Given enough. I think...I'll take my turn."

Meir frowned looking down at his chest. Suddenly, all at once it began bleeding pain seeping into flesh. His wings fell, decaying to ash.

"Lana! Lana what have you done!"

Wings sprouted from her back. She smiled softly. "I really do...love you, Meir. Take care of Lily."

"Don't you fucking dare," he growled, pulling at her weakly.

Lana held her hand to his chest. "It's okay. I'll make another me. You'll never know I was gone. I'll help you, Meir. Like someone should've so long ago," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"You've done so well. Suffering this long. I'm sorry that...in the time you need someone, no one took you in their arms and told you you would be alright. But I'll help you now."

The laws of the world began rewriting, as she began turning to ash.

"No, no," he swore. "Not again. Lana I love you. I need you."

"And you'll have me. Be happy, Meir. You deserve it."

And in a brilliant flash she disappeared and Meir laid next to Lana. Who opened her eyes, and smiled. She cupped his face.

"Good morning, Meir."

Meir looked around looking for something.

"Daddy!" Lily jumped onto the bed startling him.

"Did I...forget something?" He asked.

Lana grinned. "Yeah. You forgot to smile. It's a beautiful day."

And so Meir did. And Lana, who had closed herself in the same cage Meir had writhed in for an eternity smiled as well.