Adan and Aura looked to each other, then back to Ilian. Again, she spoke first. “And you’re sure that injecting yourself with our DNA won’t like, harm you or anything?”

“Highly doubtful. I’ve been surrounded by human DNA this whole time. It’s even in your hair and skin cells” he pointed out.

“And, he did kiss you” Adan interjected, causing Aura to blush and Ilian to look down.

“It was hardly that... intimate... of a kiss” she defended weakly.

“But no” Ilian interrupted, “your DNA is very unlikely to have any adverse effects on me. It may produce small changes, but I can’t foresee any major problems with the DNA itself.”

“You foresee a problem with something else though?” Aura asked, catching his subtle wording.

“Just getting it into my system at all” he answered quietly.

“Well I mean, you’ll just have to get it from us though. Like our blood or something?” Adan stated.

“That would be the plan. Assuming I can make it work.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?” Aura asked.

“We’ll see” he said quietly.

They both gave him a curious look, but decided that he was the expert in the matter, so didn’t press just yet. Adan spoke then. “I guess you should take it from my blood then.”

“Why yours?” Aura asked.

“Well, I’m guessing it would be the most physically compatible with him. Considering, his current body, and all” Adan explained more quietly, still not quite fully comfortable with Ilian’s chosen appearance.

“That’s the only reason?” Aura asked warily.

“Why else?” Adan returned.

“Cause there’s something wrong with me, right? The way my brain works” Aura sniffled a bit.

“You know I wouldn’t ever say that about you. Come on, Aura” he assured her as he reached across the table to touch her hand. Though, she only looked down in response.

Ilian interrupted then, “we still have to see if it’ll work at all. No matter whose blood I try to use.”

“What aren’t you telling us?” Adan asked then.

Ilian let out a sigh. “We’ll see. But before we can do that, we need an intravenous needle. Which are likely with the medical supplies” and with that, he stood and headed off in search of the item.

It wasn’t much later that they had all finished eating and then began their experiment. Adan took a breath and allowed Ilian to go about preparing to take his blood. He winced slightly as the needle pierced his flesh, but it was over nearly as soon as it started.

“That’s all you need?” Adan asked as he held the cotton ball against the puncture in his arm.

“Just to see if it works at all. Then we’ll determine how much more I need, if I do” Ilian answered as he took a breath, and a seat, and looked down at the needle warily.

“You sure this won’t hurt you? You look a bit uneasy” Aura pointed out.

“Well if it doesn’t work” Adan interjected, “we’re all fucked. That’s a bit stressful, isn’t it?”

Ilian took a breath, then cautiously moved the needle toward his own arm. A moment later, it became clear to them why he was so unsure of this working at all, and why. As he attempted to puncture his own skin with the needle containing Adan’s blood, it came into contact with his skin, but did not pierce it at all.

Upon that realization, Ilian let out a defeated breath, while the two of them just looked on in confusion over what was even happening at that moment.

“What happened?” Aura asked worriedly after another moment.

“What I was afraid of happening” Ilian stated, all hope seeming gone from his voice then.

“Explain” Adan said as he moved to take a closer look at where Ilian still shakily held the needle against his still completely unmarred flesh.

“The needle can’t break my skin” Ilian made himself give the answer, hopeless as he now sounded.

“What?” they both asked in unison once again.

“I have no way of getting your blood into my own bloodstream. This can’t work after all” he made himself admit, sadly.

“Um...” Adan stated, at a loss himself then, suffering a bit of shared shock, and awe with Aura at that revelation as well. “There’s gotta be another way” Adan insisted.

“There’s the original plan” Ilian made himself say, though his voice was strained as he did.

“You mean the one where you die?” Aura exclaimed with disapproval.

“This was the only other thing that could have worked, Aura. Now...” he just looked down again.

“Can’t you just like drink it or something?” she asked as she came up with the first desperate straw she could grasp at.

“Did you just tell him to drink my blood?” Adan looked back at her.

“Works for vampires, right?” she shrugged hopelessly.

“I think you’re getting your genres mixed up” Adan shook his head back at her.

“But I mean, think about it” she continued, “it’s not that crazy. Wouldn’t that still get your DNA into his bloodstream?

“His digestive system, maybe” Adan replied.

“Isn’t that close enough?” she continued desperately.

“Let’s ask the scientist” Adan responded. “Is that ‘close enough’ to make you think you can withstand exposure to it, if you just... drink my blood?”

“It’s a long shot. A really long shot” Ilian answered after pondering it a moment. “If it works at all, and that’s not in any way guaranteed. It would only be temporary, at best. As soon as your blood passes out of my system, the spores and gases would be toxic to me again.”

“It’s a start though. Right?” Aura asked with what little bit of hope she was still managing to cling to.

That night, Ilian was suffering the same sort of insomnia that usually plagued Aura. But his failed attempts at sleep were soon interrupted when the door to his bedroom opened a crack sometime before one that night.

“Aura?” he asked warily as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, turning his eyes to the door as it opened.

“I was trying to sleep” she began, her voice tiny as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “I got an idea” she swallowed hard as she stepped further into the room.

He looked at her curiously and sat up the rest of the way. “I’m listening.”

She took a deep, broken breath as she moved closer to the bed in the semi-darkness of the room. “It’s an idea that I find just a bit terrifying. That’s why I’m having so much trouble explaining it, I guess. And well, other reasons” she added under her breath as she glanced at the wall between his bedroom and the one she shared with Adan.

“You’re worried Adan won’t approve of the idea?”

“You reading thoughts again?” she asked defensively.

“You know I don’t do that. I just read body language” he reminded.

“Whatever” she mumbled.

“So, is the idea dangerous for you? Is that why you’re afraid he won’t approve?”

“That’s one word for it” she managed, still speaking under her breath and moving her eyes around the room to avoid looking directly at Ilian right then.

“Well, if it endangers you, I doubt I’d find it very appealing either. I am trying to save you after all. That would defeat the purpose” he explained plainly.

She took a deep breath, using all of her willpower to speak her thoughts aloud. “There is one other way we can mix our DNA with yours. No needles necessary” she added as she looked down.

“I’m still listening” he stated with further curiosity, brushing hair from his face as he slid to the edge of the bed.

“About forty years ago, another virus started killing a lot of our people. Only it wasn’t spread by some evil alien race. No offense” she added.

“Go on” he said with a shake of his head.

“And the way this virus spread was by people sharing DNA, so to speak” she blushed slightly, which only caused him to crease his brow. “And that happened when one person was infected with it, then spread their... DNA... to another person. Then the virus would enter the other person’s bloodstream, and infect them too.” She took another deep breath, “the real point of the story though is that people were sharing DNA. It’s something our kind did every day. And they did it without needles, or drinking each other’s blood.”

“Mating?” he offered, his scientist’s mind easily following her through her explanation, circuitous as it was.

“Again, with that word” she blushed more deeply.

“So, if I were to... do that with you or Adan, then your DNA would mix with mine, enter my bloodstream?” he summarized, just to make sure he was fully understanding what she was speaking of.

“And now you know why this is so hard for me to even suggest.” She took another shaky breath. “But if it could actually save your life. Our lives? Then I guess it would be worth it in the end. Wouldn’t it?”