Thanks to all of you for your really nice reviews! As a thanks... I will continue with a VERY BAD chapter! Wow, I hate this chapter :) But maybe you guys will like it? Hopefully?

No further processing of the situation was needed. Jenny shut the door in Julian's face and took off towards the back door. She knew it was not likely, but if she could hop the fence in the backyard and get to the street, she might have a chance.

Jenny cursed herself for even having thought that it might be nice to see the white haired shadow man again - much less voiced such a fantasy by writing so many essays about him and his kind. Sure, maybe he'd come to repent and become a good guy (she had asked him to just show up on her doorstep to show his love, after all), but it was more likely that he was here to play another game with her and her friends and she couldn't put herself through that, much less her friends. Not again.

Had she somehow summoned him? She had written his name in runes as an example in some of her papers and maybe-

Julian was waiting for her when she opened the back door. Jenny nearly barreled into him face first, but in an amazing show of reflexes, managed to fall backwards with a startled gasp. The tumble caused her to fall hard on her elbows and butt, and (at least temporarily) she was paralyzed by throbbing pain.

Julian did nothing about this, though. Jenny was surprised when he made no move toward her - but at the same time, it scared her. What if that meant she was in for an even worse fate than she had expected? His eyes stayed stone cold and dead set on her as he very slowly brought his arms up to cross them over his beautifully muscular chest (Lord, she had forgotten just how perfect this guy was).

"I was hoping for at least some sort of greeting before you started running, seeing as I saved you and your friends' lives." He finally grunted, "I see that I'm not going to get as much. Too bad."

His slow step forward was belated enough that Jenny had enough time to shake off her paralysis so that she could quickly scramble back several feet. Julian stopped to watch her with curious eyes for whatever she would do next. She took this chance to carefully get on her feet. Every muscle in her body was tense and ready for her to make a break for it the instant Julian made a move.

Still, even with the fact that the strange situation she had suddenly found herself in was very real, Jenny couldn't believe any of it. This couldn't be possible. The older shadow men couldn't have already decided to bring him back, could they?

Jenny couldn't imagine this being a dream, it was far too real. How was it that Julian was here, standing at her back door? She was hopelessly torn between throwing herself into his embrace and beating him senseless for all that he had put her through, and that scared her even more. She could physically feel herself reverting back to her helpless past self. She felt stupid and slow - she felt like no matter what she ended up doing next, she would somehow still lose to the beautiful man standing before her - how could he be real?

Jenny almost brought a hand up to touch him - just to see if her was really there - but caught herself. Julian noticed the faint movement, though, and his eyes briefly locked onto her hand before flickering back up to her face, "I-I can't believe… Is- Is it really you? You're back? H… Wha- How?" She finally managed. Jesus, she could even speak under his heavy gaze!

"I must admit, the way I was brought back was rather… surprising," Julian replied cryptically, "But I am very much alive and back. Did you miss me, Jenny?" As he spoke, a slow smile spread across his lips, and his eyelids drooped.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest - yes, she had missed him, but she was never going to admit that.

Instead, Jenny chose to ignore the question in favor of returning to her own terrified thoughts, "Stay away from my friends, they did nothing to you. You have to business with them."

"Alright." I won't do anything to them," He shrugged before growing very serious, "I fully agree that my business is not with them. It's with you." Noting Jenny's silence at this, her continued, "I feel like this is a second chance for me. You know, to win you over - and I will take it. I am fully willing to play a game with you - any game you like - but keep I mind that I will win and you will be mine. I have really tired of all of this, Jenny, but I am willing to play one last time if that will make you feel better. So now you may choose to go with me quietly, or you can prolong this with a game."

Yes, Jenny had expected this the very second she had seen the blue eyed monster on the other side of her front door, but she still couldn't believe any of this. None of this was possible. Julian was back with the full wrath of a true shadow man, and it seemed like he had no more of the humanity she remembered to spare. To make it worse, she was back to her stupid weak ways - not that it would matter, it seemed like her fate was sealed. He was definitely not going to play fair.

There was no hope for her.

Wait. Jenny couldn't think like that - that was exactly how Julian would want her to think. It would make this whole thing much easier for him if she thought there was absolutely no way out. There had to be something - Jenny refused to believe that her fate was sealed just yet. Call it stupidity, but she would be damned if she was just going to submit to him. She was past that. She had grown up and over that.

"I will never let you win, Julian." She spat. He was shocked - enough that it took him a moment to recover when she suddenly disappeared off into another room.

He stood there for a long moment, then sighed heavily, "I guess it's a game, then." Calmly, the white haired boy stepped into the house, and the door behind him immediately slammed shut and locked - as did every other exit to the house. It would do Julian no good if Jenny escaped.

"Is this a game of hide and seek, dear?" Julian called. He could feel she was close by, in the living room or perhaps the bathroom. Either way, she hadn't made a break for the stairs quite yet. That would make it easy for him, even if it was already painfully easy, being that she was trapped in here with him. "I'm fine with that if that is the game you really are choosing to play - but just remember that I'm taking you when I find you. I'm leaving no more room for trickery and cheating on your part."

Jenny cringed from her hiding place in the laundry room cabinet - Julian was sounding really threatening. She remembered his playful lilt from the games, even missed it, now that he sounded to serious (and furious). The first chance she got, she needed to get to an exit. If she could just make it out of the house, she could find someone to help her… Who was she kidding? Julian would probably get rid of them. She had a feeling he had no problem with 'ridding the playing field of obstacles'. But even so, if she could get out, maybe she could find a way to get him out of here and away from her.

Julian's call came again, this time, much too close for comfort, "I don't know why you're acting like this, Jenny. I did exactly what you asked for - I came to your door. Why are you so unhappy?" 'This isn't what I meant when I said that' she thought.

Jenny held her breath when she heard footsteps pass the laundry room, and fade away as he headed for the living room. This was her chance! While he checked the living room, she could sneak in the bathroom just across the hall and out the window!

As quietly as she could, she cracked the cabinet open, just the make sure the coast was clear, then crawled out of the tight space. She wasted no time in dusting off any of the cobwebs she had caught herself in, instead choosing to make a quiet dash for the bathroom (if that was possible). If she could get there fast enough, she could lock the door, which would hopefully get her more time.

The only problem with this plan, though, was that she found the window locked. "Locked?" She squeaked. Locked? They never kept their windows locked?

The only warning she had for what happened next was the quiet click of the locked door behind her coming open.

Jenny shrieked as she was hefted off of the floor and carried into the living room. Julian let her stand on her own at the point, but kept the tight grip on her to keep her from getting away, "Locked. You didn't honestly think I would let you escape, did you? What did I just tell you? I would let you play, but I was going to win no matter what." He sneered viciously, "And now that time has come. Take one last look around, for this will be the last you'll ever see of your precious world."

"You're a-" Before Jenny could add any profanity into that sentence, the door bell rang. Oh god! She had completely forgotten her friends were going to show up! Jenny's frightened gaze shot first to the door, and then back to Julian. He was staring at the door like he might set it on fire at any moment.

Finally, he managed to tear his gaze away from it, though, "We're going now… Before they decide to interrupt."

No! Jenny panicked, and in a moment of sheer irrationality, screamed. Everything quieted for a painfully long time, then there was violent pounding at the door and people yelling her name.

Julian glared down at her with icy fury in his eyes, "Stupid girl! What do you think you're doing? If they get in here and catch us, I'll be forced to bring them into all of this, even if we agreed to leave your friends out. Do you want that?!"

Jenny's breath caught in her throat, but she managed a panicked "No!"

Even if it meant sacrificing herself and the life ahead of her, she would protect her friends from the monster before her. She couldn't put them through any of that ever again. Sure, it had had its positive effects, but they were all scarred from it, and she wasn't sure many of the others could make it through something like that ever again. When it really came down to it, Jenny was left with only one choice. She had to go with Julian now, no matter how she felt. And she had to do it before her friends managed to break down the door (which was exactly what they were trying to do at the moment).

"F-fine! I'll go with you! Just hurry up, before they get in!"

Julian gave her a suspicious look, "You'll go with me willingly?"

"For my friends, yes." She replied shakily.

"And this isn't a trick?"

"No." Jenny glanced at the door. Why was he suddenly stalling? She could see the door straining at the hinges. A few more good kicks and it would be all over for her friends, "Come on, Julian! What are you waiting for?"

"I need some sort of proof that this isn't a trick." He suddenly said, the playful lilt she missed so terribly making its return.

"My friends are at stake! Isn't that good enough for you! Julian!" Jenny almost yelled.

"Proof." He demanded again.

Jenny snatched his face up, and without trying to think about it, kissed him. It was hard and fast at first, and she would have quickly pulled away if Julian hadn't slid his hands around her waist and slowed it down to make it more passionate. She suddenly found it too irresistible pull away - oh how she had missed this.

Everything around her seemed to fade away as they continued to kiss, even the fact that her friends were still trying to break down the door, even the situation she was in. Her mind was transporting her through every other time they had kissed - how incredible every single one of them was. Maybe she could go with him… Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…

"Jenny! What the hell are you doing?! What the hell is going on?! …Who the hell is that?!" Jenny snatched herself away from Julian and back to reality. She looked up at her friends, who were now standing on her broken down door looking at the scene in horror.

Hot shame welled up in her, and spread all across her cheeks. What had she just been doing? Had she really forgotten everything that was going on simply because of a kiss? She had thought herself stronger than that… Better than the horrible, weak thoughts that she had just been having.

"Jenny!" Dee cried again, "What is going on?!"

I didn't proof read this, so I'm crossing my fingers that I didn't make any major mistakes :P

Uh oh! What will her friends think of Julian and Jenny kissing?! Is Tom there? Will I continue to write horrible cliffhangers?