Yes! The second story is finally up!

I hope you guys like this one. I had started several others, but they weren't coming out like I had hoped they would, and this was the only decent one.

This one takes place like months after the Throne of Fire and Anubis had asked Sadie to go to a "romantic" dinner with him.

Sorry that the beginning is kind of lame, but I promise you the ending is brilliant! (Hehehe, I can just picture Harry Potter saying that.)

Forever

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."- Mary Ann Radmacher

Her heart was racing, and not just because they were likely to die in a couple of days. No, definitely not because of that, Sadie decided. It was more because of the boy sitting across from her. Black hair . . . caramel eyes that melted her again and again . . . Sadie! Snap out of it right now.

Daydreams played with her mind: she and Anubis on a beach, she and Anubis on a romantic cruise to the Caribbean, Carter, Zia, Anubis and her double dating at one of the local malls . . . . Drinking lemonade and giggling like they still had a tomorrow to look forward too.

Any day now the world could end: people forced into darkness, people gone mad, people dead. Any day could be there last.

Across from her Anubis took another slip of his Coke. Would the world end for him too? Or would the Gods just go into hiding or something? What about the humans, they couldn't go into hiding . . . Could they? There were only so many places they could escape to on the Earth.

"So. . . "Anubis says, staring into her eyes. Sadie tried to push away the dark thoughts that clouded her mind and think of the present: all the lights around them, the soft music and the giggling from other tables. She wanted to think about the fancy restaurant they were in and the good food that was placed on the table in front of them. The boy sitting across from her.

"You going to drink that or not," Anubis said, pointing to her drink. She had been playing with the straw, a nervous habit that she was bound to break any day now.

She nodded. "I guess." To prove her point she took another sip of her drink. "See? I drank it."

The waiter appeared beside their table and asked if they knew what they were going to order. With his southern (was it southern?) accent, it was hard for Sadie to understand him. The word "ready" sounded more like "r-dy" and "give me your menus" turned into "give yee da hens too". But somehow Anubis was able to speak to him and the waiter left with their orders.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Sadie said, playing with her straw. "It's really nice."

"You are very welcome." When he smiled, Anubis had this lopsided grin where one side of the corners of his mouth went up farther than the other. "I take it that this is a good time to relax? You know in the old days, people would gather at the community bath to relax. And do other stuff," he added.

"Like what?" Sadie asked. "Poop?"

Anubis shook his head. "No, that's what the dug outs are for. It's a community bath, what do you think we do there?"

Sadie nearly choked on her glass of water. "Wait ― did you say we? You've bathed with like hundreds of other people in . . . "She trailed off when she saw his lopsided grin. "That's nasty." She thought of her and Carter together in their own bathtub. The water was murky already with just the two of them in it . . . who knows what some of the old men do in the bathtub.

Much to her relief Anubis replied: "I have never been in one of those, but I can tell you that Thoth has a passion for them."

"Bloody baboons, Thoth?" Sadie tried to picture that in her mind. Thoth in a bathtub . . . she had just scarred herself for life.

"I think that Bes also liked them. Especially when Bast was in it on the other side."

"Stop," she said, not wanting to picture any more of those horrible sights. Worse ― she didn't want to have to think about Bes and what he had done for them. Dwarf Pride . . . the words echoed in her mind. For a second the memory brought a smile to her lips.

"Dwarf Pride," she said before realizing what she had said.

Anubis looked confused. "What?"

"Nothing," she added quickly. So many people that she could lose, so many people she cared about.

The restaurant had filled quickly and the volume had risen like the sun. The couple behind them was praying for their food, a family in front of them arguing over the last bit of meat. She looked at them. The small boy turned into Carter and the slightly older girl turned into her. She could see each detail, Carters tan skill and her red highlights. The parents became her own and they were laughing and holding hands. The piece of meat had turned into the last bit of a birthday cake, what might have happened if it had not exploded.

She quickly turned her head away and while doing that met Anubis's eyes. He must have seen the hurt in them, it was hard not too.

He stretched his hand over the table. Sadie watched as it made her way to hand and squeezed.

"What's wrong Sadie?"

Oh nothing, she thought. Just that the fact that my family is dead and I may as well be too, considering dooms day is happening in the near future. She felt like Superman, protecting the world from harm. The only problem ― she didn't want to be Superman. She didn't want to be responsible for anything or anyone and she certainly didn't want to be the person people turn to when bad things happen. Yeah sure, call her selfish. She already proved that when she went to see her friends in London, and look where that got her.

But then you never would have gotten your first kiss with Anubis, something echoed in her mind.

"What do you think you would do if someone you loved was in danger?" She asked in a nice, un-Sadie like way. "What if you had a choice between the whole world and that one person? You could only choose one, and the one you don't would perish."

Anubis stared at her as if worms were coming out of her nose. "What do you mean?"

It's a really straight forward question, she thought. "Answer it."

He shook his head and released his grip on Sadie's hand. "I really don't know Sadie. I guess I haven't really been put to the test yet, and truthfully, I don't even want to have to make that choice."

The waiter with the southern accent returned with their food ― tuna fish for Sadie and steak for Anubis ― and placed it in front of them. "Anything else?" Then he noticed Sadie's empty glass. "Miss, would you like more drink?"

She shook her head. "It's ok."

The waiter, who felt as if he had fulfilled his duty at their table, moved onto the one with the family in front of them. Sadie watched him leave their table. What would it be like to not be burdened with this knowledge? She continued to watch as he strolled through the room and she watched as his eyes landed on a pretty girl a few tables a way.

Not a care in the world. The exact opposite of Sadie.

"I'm thinking to deeply," Sadie said, taking a bite out of her fish. "I might be going mental."

"Nothing wrong with thinking for once. Maybe it's a good thing. It might help you think before you act sometimes."

"Like you," she scoffed, "who seems to act like there's no tomorrow."

Anubis raised an eyebrow. "Really? I never noticed."

The food was good, Sadie had to admit. And to escape answering Anubis the took a huge bite out of her fish. No food, she decided, had ever tasted so good. When she finally looked up from her food she noticed that Anubis had been making faces at her.

Maybe something was on her nose. Oh no, she thought, what if their something stuck to my mouth? Sadie imagined chewed up fish stuck to her lip.

With a worried tone in her voice Sadie asked: "There's something on my nose, right? I mean, that's the only reason you would be making those ridiculous faces."

Anubis made another face. "You mean this one?"

"That face does not suit you. Maybe it did fifty years ago when hippies were at large, but not anymore."

"It's just that you're eating fish," Anubis said, pointing with his fork towards her meal. "Cats eat fish, dogs don't."

"So you're a dog now?"

"Always will be."Anubis remarked.

Sadie fidgeted in her chair. What should she say now? She felt as if she had been sucked out of words ―words actually― that would make Anubis laugh. No guy she had ever dated made her feel this way. It wasn't like she was uncomfortable around Anubis, maybe a little nervous, but never uncomfortable. In fact, when Anubis had announced their date she had nearly fainted with joy.

Nervously, Sadie reached for her glass to take a sip but then realized that it was empty. Great.

"You want to get that filled up?"

Anubis's voice startled her. "I think I'm good for now."

"I could go get a waiter for you."

"No, I'm good."

Anubis still looked unsure, which just made Sadie want to prove herself even more. "You can't do that cute habit you do with an empty glass."

"Yes I ― Wait, what did you say?" He had noticed? Shoot me now, she thought.

Anubis lightly tapped her leg with his. "You have all these nervous habits."

"No I don't." None that people noticed actually.

He smiled which made Sadie want to melt and then reform and then melt again. "When you're unsure of what to say you push your hair behind your ear."

"Everyone does that."

Anubis shrugged, unconvinced. "If you say so."

And then he laughed. It was more like a silent chuckle than a throw your head back and laugh, but it still was a laugh. Who was he laughing at? What did he know that she didn't? Should she be worried? Probably, she answered. Maybe this was all some kind of sick joke so he can steal information from her and give it to his father. No, Anubis wouldn't do that.

He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. With his thumb he lightly brushed the back of her hand, which glided like a feather on her smooth skin. For a while they just stared at their hands, unaware of the world around them.

"I hate this," Anubis said, still looking at their hands.

"What?"

"The whole I'm a God thing and you're a human and that . . ." He trailed off, which only made Sadie wonder what he was going to say.

"What?" She demanded.

Anubis shook his head and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Sets planning something. Has been for the last few months." Then as if finally making up his mind he added, "I'm worried for you ― And Carter and Zia and . . . Walt."

She knew Walt was a sore subject for him, but he didn't have to saw his name with so much hatred and anger . . . did he? Back on topic Sadie! Back on topic.

Yeah, she knew that Set was planning something, and she knew that it was going to be bad, but why did he have to bring it up right now? Right in their happy moment too."

"I don't care what he's doing. Let's just pretend that none of that matters and it's only you and me forever." She added the "forever" as a wish, a promise that she would kill to keep.

Anubis shook his head as if she were the one that didn't get it. "You don't get it!" He snapped. Then he leaned over the table and stroked her cheek, moving her hair behind her ear. "I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you, but what Set plans on doing . . . I can't let you get hurt."

She shook her head. "Don't talk about this now," she whispered.

But he wouldn't stop. "I won't let you get hurt, I won't, but I'm not powerful enough to stop it.

"You have to go into hiding." A tear trickled down her cheek and onto his hand. You have to go into hiding. His words echoed into her mind.

That's not fair! Her mind screamed. What about Carter, about Jaz and Walt and Khufu and the House of Life? What about all the people at the Brooklyn house that was counting on her to protect them? Then Sadie remembered she didn't want to be Superman. This is what she wanted, right?

"I-I found a place Sadie. Where you would be safe and Set and everyone else who wanted to harm you wouldn't be able to find you. You'll be safe . . . you'll live!"

You'll live. So he didn't think that she would live otherwise? She could take care of herself better than he could! She had magic, the power of Isis! In her rage she drew away from Anubis, from the warmth of his hands that still lingered on her skin. She stood up and took a step backwards, nearly bumping into someone.

"Sadie," Anubis whispered.

No. Block him out of your mind, one side of her said. But then the other, more selfish part of her told her to take him up on that deal. To be safe . . . while Carter and everyone else she loved died.

Without hesitation she stormed her way out of the restaurant, dodging waiters and maneuvering around tables. At first she thought that Anubis would follow her, but when she turned around she realized that she couldn't find him.

Maybe he doesn't care, she thought sadly.

But as she sat down on the steps outside of the restaurant and buried her head and tears in her hands, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Don't look up, she told herself. But that only made her cry harder.

Anubis sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. Without hesitation she buried her head in his chest and just cried.

Yeah sure, they might have gotten a few weird looks from the people passing buy them, and one especially rude person might have screamed "Get a room!" But other than that, Sadie couldn't remember a time when she had ever felt safer than in Anubis's arms.

"I care," He said as if reading her mind, "I care about you so much, they wouldn't be able to measure it."

Sadie hiccupped. "I care about you too, but . . . I'm not sure if I want to leave everyone." No one else besides Carter was strong enough to protect the trainees. It was her and Carter, or just Carter, and trust me, Carter alone was not going to last long. They needed her rashness and power to survive the upcoming battle. Yes, Sadie realized, they would survive, they would prevail.

"I can't. Remember how I asked you if you could choose between the one person you loved and the world . . . well, I think I have to choose that now. I can either be with you ― safe and out of harms way ― or I can fight for the world, for the trainees and for the regular people who don't believe in Gods."

Anubis's body stiffened. "I love you," she said, "but I think my job is to protect the world ― even if that means I have to give you up."

"I love you to Sadie," he whispered into her hair. "And I think I understand."

Suddenly the ground shook. Anubis and Sadie stood up and searched for the cause. Some people around them were whispering about an earthquake or a terrorist attack, but Sadie knew the truth. Her heart fell.

To the left, Sadie could see smoke rising from a building, the Brooklyn House. The War had started, and Brooklyn house was under attack.

"I-I have to go," she said, pulling away from Anubis. "They need me. Carter needs me."

"I need you," Anubis responded. "I love you Sadie, and I don't think I could take it if something happened to you."

The pain in his voice broke her heart. She shook her head, trying to prove to herself that she was not having second thoughts. The Brooklyn House, they needed her more than Anubis did. All those lives would be lost if she didn't get there ― soon.

"I love you too," she said, and then lightly pressed her lips against his. There was this jolt that went through them, and for a second she knew that he understood. "Forever," she whispered as she pulled away.

Sadie turned around and headed for the Brooklyn House when another blast broke the air. She started to run, knowing that she had to make it there on time or leaving Anubis would have been for nothing.

And as she ran through the smoke and fire towards her home, she realized that she had never said good-bye to Anubis.

A/N: I tried to make this kind of sad, and I'm not sure I actually did. I hoped you guys enjoyed reading it!
Read and Review!