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"Come now, you can't tell me there's nothing you want to say to me. A few choice insults you wish to call me, yell at me about how I've made you feel, the injustice of what I've done to you." Candace said gently, taking the high road of civility. Turning this into a fight would get nothing done. Stay calm, stay strong. She could do that easily. Just let him be the angry one..he deserved it.

His words actually got a visibly reaction out of her. They stung. She winced and frowned, gripping the edge of the bed and biting down on her bottom lip a moment. She deserved that. "..I suppose." Candace murmured, standing up. She looked ready to leave...until she picked up the tray, placed it carefully upon Jerry's lap, and sat down on the bed beside him. "How convenient. A bed for me to run to~." She sounded cheerful as she said this, making herself comfortably by sitting indian style on the bed, her hands holding her shins. "And I dare say it's occupied by someone very wonderful at that. Someone I most certainly never deserved even slightly, though I was always well aware of that." Candace leaned back a little, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. "And I still don't deserve him...I hurt him. I didn't want to hurt him, and what I did is quite frankly unforgivable. The fact that I did it at all is actually something I wonder about considering I swore a long time ago I'd never put someone through that pain...strangely enough though, I still want him." She didn't look at him as she plucked a piece of cut up melon out of the small bowl on the tray with her fingers, munching on it for a moment as she considered her words. "Even if he did throw me into a wall like I weighed nothing. Again, I deserved that~." How much clearer could she make it that she totally agreed with him?

Candace had been about to continue on when Jerry suddenly apologized. "Sorry? Why? You have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong." Her words were sincere, she really didn't see anything for him to apologize for.

Oh...he meant that. Okay, no. No, Jerry. Just. No. Don't even ******** apologize. Candace frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Don't apologize if it's in regards to me hurting you. Don't apologize if it's in regards to what you did to me in the golem during the mission. Don't apologize, Jerry. I don't deserve it." She sighed and watched him try to move the tray, reaching out to take it and do it for him instead. See, Jerry? She still cared.

"I didn't want to run away." Candace began, offering him the glass of water that she had brought with the tray in silent offering. "I just..I don't..." She shifted, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her head atop of them. "You were bad in bed. That was the only thing. I can put up with a lot of things. I like to think myself a tolerant person. The thing with H it...it started as just..words. That's all it was. It was me verbally playing with a man who was promising me very delightful things. Things that, while I tried very hard to get from you, you just weren't...giving me." He should know what she meant.

Candace closed her eyes. "But I became the kind of person I hated growing up. A woman who has this amazing man by her side willing to do anything to make her happy, yet had a man on the side anyway." She frowned and opened her eyes again, looking Jerry's way.

"You scared me. You told me you loved me and all these alarms went off in my head. To me love's always been...a poison. This emotion that just complicates everything and brings nothing but unhappiness to two otherwise happy people. It's all I knew. So to hear someone say they loved me scared me. I couldn't even say I loved you back, not because I didn't but because..until recently the very implication of being in love just...I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't breathe, I could barely function until I found something that stopped me from thinking about it...and H was that thing. He doesn't love me, and that was perfect. He holds no sentimental feeling toward me as far as I know, and I'm in no way emotionally attached to him further than curiosity on an intellectual level. Pick at his brain, you know?" She shrugged. "But I don't love H. I love you, Jerry."

He apologized again and Candace tried not to groan. "Jerry, stop apologizing to me. I don't deserve it." She set aside the water he was refusing with a small sigh, turning back to Jerry.

"Look, Jerry...I.." How to put this.. "I don't expect, nor do I...actually want you to forgive me for this. I mean it, Jerry. If there's absolutely anything you want to say to me, to call me, to do to me..anything at all? Just say it. I won't get mad and I won't fault you. I deserve it. But I want you back. I'm being honest, though I guess I don't expect you to believe me. I want to be with you, I really do. I'll do whatever it takes to get you to take me back..." She reached down for his hand at first but then made herself stop. He would just jerk it away she was sure of it.

A valid point, you know~. How can anyone possibly trust a woman who can't be faithful to a person or a weapon? Hmmm? Candace sighed. She deserved that.

Candace was quiet for a long time as she thought on his question. How could he trust her? It was a very valid concern for him. She didn't want to give him reason not to trust her but...she wouldn't blame him if he just trusted nothing from her anymore.

"That's a very good question. I'm assuming even if I promise not to lie to you or keep secrets from you you still wouldn't be entirely trustful of if I'm telling the truth?" She wasn't stupid. "We could start over." Candace offered, reaching out to gently rub circles against his back. She lost the battle of No Touching Jerry. "No sex, we'll take it slow how you wanted, we'll do things your way. Starting from scratch, you know? Get to know each other the old fashioned way~. Talking things out." There was a pause as she moved her hand away from him to just rest it on her knee. "If you'll give me that chance, I mean. One last chance."

It was up to Jerry now.

"I know.." Candace replied quietly, her vision blurring slightly with tears as he made it clear she didn't want her touching him even a little. Her chest felt tight and her stomach churned unhappily after seeing that. It hurt. Why did it have to hurt so ******** much? "Iknowit'snot." She managed to choke out, trying to keep the shake out of her voice as she breathed in a deep, slow sigh and let that same breath out as quietly and steadily as she could. Don't cry. Don't cry. "I'm well aware this isn't a video game, Jerry." Her voice was breathless as she tried desperately not to cry.

Crying won't help your case, Candace. Stop that right this instant. "But I can't...not try. I mean, there's so much about me you still don't know. And there's so much about you I don't know but I really wish I could. I want you Jerry. Please, give me one last chance." If she ******** up again...she'd leave him alone. But she just wanted one last chance to do things right again. He'd already given her a second chance. Third time's the charm? Three strikes she's out? She had too much pride to beg and grovel or get down on her knees or pull out the dramatics, but she would damn well ask and ask and ask until he gave her that chance.

His shoulders shook and she heard him sniff.

...W..was he...was he crying? ********, she didn't want to make him cry again! As he set his glasses on his pillow she picked them up and put them on the table beside his bed; having them where he was sleeping was just a disaster waiting to happen. "I can imagine..." But she didn't want to leave. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him, to curl up with Jerry in a warm embrace until he fell asleep, but she doubted he'd give her that.

But a girl could wish.

"...I could sing for you if you'd like." Candace said with gentle cheerfulness, sounding hopeful he'd accept her offer and let her stay that much longer.

The snort and laughter broke her heart. She was giving an honest offer that was hard for her to do without feeling extreme embarrassment and...and he was laughing. There was only so much 'I deserve that' she could tell herself before it began to be too much. Each and every little dig was getting more and more painful. She sniffed, wiping at her eyes and forcing a smile.

"A-alright." She reluctantly began to climb off the bed, pausing a moment to look back at Jerry. She didn't want to leave him. Why did she have to leave? She didn't want to leave...

Candace rubbed her lips together a moment before shifting on the bed, moving to sit on her hands and knees as she leaned over Jerry. She brushed her lips against his cheek and closed her eyes, keeping her lips pressed against his temple for a few seconds before getting very daring. Candace lifted a hand to try and coax him to turn his head, catching his lips for a feather light kiss. "I love you, Jerry." She whispered against his lips, stealing one more kiss before she climbed off the man and his bed. She grabbed her coat as she stood, putting it back on.

"Rest well, Jerry. Get better soon, okay?" Candace said with as cheerful of a smile as she could. She stopped at the door and flicked on the lights despite it still being daylight out. "For when it gets dark." She told him before she finally opened the door, leaving the room and closing the door behind her without another word.

That's it? Atropos was shocked. That's all? You're going to leave it at that? You're not going to push it more? Don't you want him back? Candace sighed and nodded her head. Then you should go back in there and-- No, Atropos. Just...no. Forcing him would have adverse effects.

It took all Candace had to not punch something in frustration as she turned and left the infirmary and the Life labs. She had a lot of training to do to get her mind of just...everything.