I know I should be updating House of Castles, but I had writer's block and then I saw the HoA fandom had 999 fics in it and my OCD kicked in… So here. :)

I couldn't believe it. Here I was, standing in the middle of a warehouse…

Rufus was dead.

Nina was bound and gagged in ropes and everything, thrashing against an opposite wall.

The thing that scared me most? I was the one who killed him. With a gun.

A gun that was still clutched in my hand.

Why did I do this? I asked myself.

The answer was right in front of me: Mara.

Mara was my life. I loved her more than my life itself. I loved her so much it hurt.

Well, Mum. Dad. I thought. This is what your wonderful parenting has done: You've turned me into a murderer.

I lied. Their parenting was the worst. They wouldn't care if I walked through the front door with bloody gashes all over myself, limping, with only a few seconds left to live.

I stared defiantly at Mara. She opened her mouth to say something, then quickly shut it and stared, face stoic, at the gun in my hand.

I clicked the safety switch to on, then dropped it to the floor.

The reason as to why I killed Rufus - had to kill him, more like - was because he'd threatened Mara. He'd almost killed Mara. He had a knife to her throat and everything.

When he fell, the knife slipped out of his grasp and landed on the floor, clattering. That was the only sound following the gunshot.

Everyone stared at me, then to Zeno. Then it turned to chaos.

Fabian was over to Nina in the blink of an eye, untying the ropes that restricted her and saying things to her over and over again as to soothe the frantic frenzy of fright she was already in. Mick and Alfie were dragging Rufus' body out of the warehouse, out of sight, so none of us would have to look at it again.

Patricia, Amber and Joy just stood there. Shell-shocked.

I couldn't say I blamed them.

"Jerome?" Mara choked out. I nodded in response. "Did… Is he…"

"He's dead, Mara," I confirmed her unasked question. "I killed him."

"But… why?"

"Because I love you."

"You what?"

Oh, yeah. She's with that meathead Mick. Shit, Clarke. Why do you always dig yourself into deeper and deeper holes? "I love you," I repeated.

"I… Jerome, I don't know what to say-" she was cut off.

I cut her off.

I kissed her.

I kissed her. Mara. Mara Jaffray. I was kissing Mara Jaffray.

Then Mick showed up and ruined everything.

Oh, he was mad. The funny part?

He was even madder when he noticed Mara was kissing me back.

Oh, the irony, I mused. Well, Campbell, can't get everything now can you?

Once Mara and I broke apart, the room went quiet again.

Off in a corner, Nina was sobbing into Fabian's chest, saying something about seeing her life flash before her eyes.

Everyone else just looked at us with their mouths agape.

Except for Alfie. He was holding Mick back from trying to kill me while Fabian was occupied with Nina.

"Well, that was unexpected," Mara whispered, flashing the slightest smile. "Jerome… I love you."

I felt like my world had just stopped. Like I was floating in the clouds above the earth, looking down on everyone with a stupid lovey grin on my face. Like I was in Heaven.

"Well, Mara is an angel…"

"Huh?"

Did I just say that out loud? Oh, no. No, no, no. No. Wait… Yes. She's smiling. Yes, yes, yes!

"I said… Mara, you're an angel."

She leaned in, and we kissed a second time.

Not even Mick's eternal rage against me could ruin this moment. Nothing could ruin this moment.

It was perfect.

Mara was perfect.

Mara is perfect.