Alright... This is the part where things will start to get interesting... :)

It's really late in the night/ early in the morning now, so I'll have to cut the chatter.

This is the last chapter I'll write before school starts again for me (on monday)... So... From now on it might take longer for me to update...
Sorry... :(

Well... I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.

Chapter 11: Romeo and Juliet

After the crowning of the king and queen, the ball continued, but now the slow and more romantic songs took over.

Jake and Rose just kept dancing and dancing. Nothing would ruin that moment. They were enjoying it so much that they didn't realize how fast the time passed…

"I hope you all enjoyed this wonderful night! I wish you all a happy Homecoming!" Sun spoke into the microphone, ending the event.

Everyone started to clap their hands and cheer as the lights were turned on. Some started to leave and others were chatting. But something suddenly caught everyone's eyes…

Jake and Rose continued to dance, even though there was no music at all. It seemed like they didn't realize it was over or they just didn't want to stop.

"Jake? Rose?" Sun called them, but there was no answer. She simply smiled and turned to the DJ, who was just starting to turn off the equipment. "Do you think you can give them one last song?"

He started to mumble, but then looked at the two lovers and just couldn't help but do as she said. Sun turned off the lights again, leaving only the special colored spotlights.

Everyone watched as the two danced with their eyes closed. When the lyrics came up, they sent shivers down Rose's spine. That song was all about her… She silently started to sing along, even though she never heard it before: Every word seemed to magically pop into her head as she heard the beautiful melody. "Help me to repay the things I have done wrong… Help me find a way to get where I belong…" It was giving her goose bumps.

And when the song started to build up and reach the final part, Rose's body became tense. The melody suddenly turned into what sounded to her like cries of pain. "My pain…" she thought. She continued to dance until she heard the final chord. It was magic… It seemed to finish the song, but at the same time, gave her the feeling that there were more things to come. Then, her body simply stopped moving. She opened her eyes, looked into Jake's and hugged him.

"Thanks for the night, Jake… It was perfect"

All who were watching, including Sun and the DJ, started to clap their hands again.

Minutes later, outside…

"Rose… Come with me" Jake said as they left the building and started to walk away. They got into an alley and Jake turned into dragon. "Hop on" He said as he lowered himself.

"I… can't… What if someone sees us?"

"They won't. Please, trust me… I want to show you something"

She hesitated, but then slowly climbed on his back and gently put her arms around his neck.

"Hang tight" He said as he leaped into the air. At first, she shut her eyes and tightened her grip on Jake as she felt they were going higher and higher.

"Don't worry Rose, I'll not let you fall" Jake told her.

Then, she gradually started to open her eyes.

"Wow!" That was all she could say as she looked down. They were flying above the clouds and they could see all the length of New York, until it touched the ocean, that disappeared into the horizon. The moon was high in the sky and its reflex could be seen on the water.

"Beautiful, isn't it? When I feel too sad or stressed, I usually just dragon-up and fly as high as I can. It makes all my problems go away for a while" Jake said while smoothly flapping his wings. "It remembers me about how beautiful the world is… It makes me realize that things always could be worse then they are…"

Rose simply closed her eyes again as she enjoyed the wind blowing against her face and through her hair. "It feels amazing!"

"Yeah, it does" He said with a smile. "You know… Even though being the American Dragon sometimes can be really hard… It does have its advantages"

Rose smiled in response and rested her head on the back of his neck. They continued to fly for a while, until Jake spotted the Central Park. He looked for a safe and well hidden place to land and started to descend.

He landed between four huge trees, waited until Rose got off him and changed back to human.

"Don't worry. Nobody could see us at that height" Jake said, trying to comfort her.

"I'm not even worried about that anymore, to be honest" She said as they sat on a bench.

Jake cuddled her in his arms and they started to look into the sky.

Some minutes later, they saw a shooting star cross the sky. "Look! Close your eyes and make a wish" Jake said and did so. But then, he felt something was off. He looked at Rose and saw that tears were sliding down her face.

"Rose… What's wrong?"

"I wish I could have a normal life… That's all I ever wanted…"

"Rose…"

"I'm sick of this… I can't take it anymore… It's getting harder and harder for me to keep track of who I really am. I'm having troubles to keep my Huntsgirl persona… I just can't do it anymore… Everytime I use that mask to hide my face, I feel like a monster… like a coward. I'm faltering… I can't talk in that cold tone I used to… It scares me… Not only that… I'm sick of the Huntsclan. You don't know how it's like to be surrounded by people who don't care about you… To hear them talking everyday about how magical creatures are disgusting and how they hate them… To be surrounded by the enemy, always with the fear of being discovered… To do things that you know that are wrong because you have no other choice…" She paused and looked at the moon. "Jake… Some days ago we were stealing gold from leprechauns… I was praying for you to show up and stop us…. But you didn't… I had to keep acting… The Huntsman ordered me to steal everything… The look on the leprechaun's faces, Jake… They were begging me to don't do it… And I just couldn't… But he threatened me and I had to… It shattered my heart… After we took everything away from them… I tried to discreetly apologize… But… They didn't believe me… They… They called me a two-faced, cold-hearted witch… I begged them to stop… But they kept yelling it at my face… I just… Ran away and cried.

"They didn't know Rose… They didn't mean it"

"But it's true! They are right… I really am a two-faced witch! I steal all their gold and then try to apologize? I try to do good things as Rose but then I do bad things as Huntsgirl? Look what I'm turning into! What am I? A villain who is trying to be a hero? A coward who can't stand up for my own beliefs? I hate myself! I hate my life!"

"Rose… No… You are a good person… It wasn't your fault… The Huntsman made you do that…"

"I could have just said 'no' and not do it. But I was too afraid…"

"You still had to keep yourself undercover… You did what was necessary… Look… Now that we have all the skulls, I think it's time for you to leave the Huntsclan… For good"

"But… I don't have anywhere to go…" She paused. "I don't have anyone…"

"Rose… That's not true. You have me… You have Gramps… Trixie, Spud, Fu… We all care about you… You can stay with us… You said the Huntsman took you away from your parents… I will help you to find them. We all will"

"No! He will go after me… He will hurt all the people I care about! I can't put you or your friends and family into danger like that! Let alone my own family… They probably think I'm dead. It will best if I just go away and never see anyone ever again… You can't help me... I'm marked… This curse will follow me to my grave…" She closed her eyes. "Although death is really appealing to me right now…"

"Rose! Don't ever say that again! I'll always be there for you, no matter what! We will protect you! The Huntsman will not hurt anyone!"

"It's not just that Jake… I spent all my life doing things that were wrong. Even if I leave the Huntsclan, what I've done won't be erased. I'll always be remembered as Huntsgirl, the two-faced ninja she-witch… I don't want that! I only wanted to be Rose… Just Rose… Nothing else…"

"It doesn't matter anymore… You changed. Everything is on the past now… Please, stop thinking about that…"

"Yes, it matters! I need to redeem myself! I need to do something to repay the things I have done wrong! I thought helping you to retrieve the Aztec skulls would be enough… But it isn't! I'm still feeling guilty!"

"You don't need to prove yourself! You are getting sick because of it!"

"What are you talking about?"

Jake answered by pulling something from his pocket. It was an empty medicine bottle. "You are too young to take antidepressants, Rose! This is not the solution! It just makes everything worse! For how long have you being doing this?"

"Where did you find it?"

"Rose… Why you didn't tell me?"

She sighed. "I started to take them back on the academy… I had never felt so lonely in my whole life… I stopped for a while after you helped me to get out of there… But then… Things just kept getting worse… The Huntsman was always testing me… It was too much pressure and I had to start again or else I would go insane…" She paused. "It always makes me feel sick… The side effects are terrible… But it is the only thing that works… It eases my pain…" She said as she snatched the bottle from Jake. "Wait! This bottle was full!"

"I destroyed it all"

"WHAT? Jake, how could you?"

"You don't need this! You don't need meds to be happy… All you need is to trust me! Please Rose… We will find a way…"

"Jake! I tried to think about all the possible solutions! There's no way out! I'm doomed! I will not make it through!" Rose was desperate. "Even if I escape the Huntsman's wrath, I will have to face the Dragon Council!"

"Everything is going to be alright… They know you are on our side…"

"How can you be so stupid? Nothing is going to be alright! I'm trapped! The entire world is against me… Why did you have to show me the truth, Jake? Why didn't you just let me die on that avalanche? This is all your fault! I… I hate you!" She said as she slapped him on the face really hard.

Jake then looked back at her with a shocked expression. Rose then realized what she had just said and done. She widened her eyes and put a hand over her mouth. "Jake… No… I'm sorry… I… I… didn't mean to…" Rose was on the merge of tears. "Not again" She thought. She tried to hold them back. She didn't want to break down in front of Jake again.

But then, Jake simply hugged her and started to caress her hair, like he did last time. She couldn't hold back anymore. She was feeling miserable. The Huntsman never tolerated crying. He always told her it was a sign of weakness… "Stop crying right now or else I will give you real reasons to cry about!" His voice echoed in her mind.

"Don't hold anything back… Just let it all get out" Jake said softly and tightened his grip on her. "There's nothing wrong in crying. Just let everything go away"

Rose, in response, started to sob uncontrollably. Jake felt her hand grasp his shirt and he put his own over it, while still caressing her with the other. Jake had never seen her crying like that. He understood that all the bad things that happened to her, all her frustrations, her fears, her sadness… Everything that was building up inside her for her whole life, everything that was trapped inside her heart and tearing it apart was finally exploding out of her like a volcano.

"I want a family… I want a real life!" She screamed between her sobs. Years of lies, training and brainwashing had done that to her. The Huntsman had hardened her outside, but Jake knew that deep inside she was just a confused and scared girl trying to find a meaning for her life. The same brave and strong minded Rose who Jake always knew and loved was now in his arms crying for her life. Jake wanted to say something to comfort her, but he decided to wait until she calmed down.

She cried for almost 15 minutes until her sobs finally started to subside. The hand that was gripping Jake's shirt finally relaxed and her cry now was reduced to whimpers. After more one or two minutes, she finally calmed down.

She let go of him and looked down sheepishly. "I did it again, didn't I? I broke down in front of you again…"

"It's alright. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah…" Rose said with a nod and a little smile. "Sorry about… you know… I… I don't hate you… My mind was too confused. I didn't mean to do that…" She paused and looked into his eyes. "Thanks Jake… For everything… I… I…" She hesitated.

"Just tell me…"

"I love you" She finally said "From deep inside my heart… I love you"

Jake's soul brightened up in happiness. He wanted to hear her saying those three words for a long time. "She loves me" But then, he stopped dead in his tracks. Did he love her back? He wondered about it for some seconds… In the beginning it was just as a crush… but then it started to grow and grow… It wasn't just a crush anymore; he knew it was a lot more than that…

"I love you too" He said with the most pure and sincere tone.

"I know" she answered with a smile. "I know you do"

The couple cuddled together and started to stare at the sky again.

"Jake… I'm worried…"

"Why?"

"It's just that… The more I think of it… More I realize we are so much like Romeo and Juliet… I mean… two persons who are born to be enemies but end up falling in love… it scares me…"

"Well? Isn't that a good thing?"

"What? Jake, do you know how the play ends?" Rose said, looking at Jake with a confused expression.

"I mean… doesn't all the fairy tales end with 'And They Lived Happily Ever After'?"

Rose would laugh at the gaffe, if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation. "Jake! Romeo and Juliet is not a fairy tale! It's a tragedy! Juliet fakes her death, but Romeo really thinks she died. He kills himself with poison and when Juliet finds out, she stabs herself with his dagger!"

"WHAT? That's how it ends?"

Rose just nodded in response.

"Awww man! That's definitely the worst play ever!"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle a little. Then, Jake held her hands.

"It won't happen, Rose. I promise. Everything will end well"

Rose knew that he just couldn't keep that promise. It was beyond his or her hands. But the sincerity in his voice and the glint in his eyes comforted her. She smiled and they returned their attention to the stars. Maybe they could have their "happily ever after" in the end…

Rose felt something suddenly flow into her soul and lighten it up, scaring away all the fear and worry: Hope.

Poor Rose... she has no idea about what is about to happen...

Thanks for reading and for the reviews! You are awesome!

The song mentioned in this story is called "Get Where I Belong", by Free. :)

Cheers!