Here it is! Thanks to all my fans who read and reviewed! I'm going to take a break for awhile after this because I really need to focus on school! But I promise the next story I'm going to publish will be amazing! So for right now, enjoy!

FINDtheHufflepuffs: I got your message! Consider this as a late birthday present!


Chapter Twenty-Four

He stood in the doorway-frozen. His mind was fuzzy, the dried tears hard against his cheeks. Eli stared at her-his wife. His life. His beauty. His ivory-skinned princess. He saw her lying peacefully in the tomb as though she were asleep. In his mind, he waited for her to wake up; to open her eyes, see him, and leap into his arms. Too bad it was impossible.

Slowly, he began to follow the red carpet that led him down the aisle. The pews were full of brightly lit candles and wilting roses. The candles shone brightly like small stars, and in the middle stood the center of the universe. His everything.

He went to the coffin slowly, and used one hand to gently rub her pale cheek. "Clare." He whispered. She looked like a statue to him- emotionless, stiff, no color in her cheeks. But her skin was still soft.

"Me again." He chuckled lightly. "The last time I saw you, I made you a promise that…we'd see each other again. Quite frankly, I didn't think it would be like this." He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Clare." He broke into heart-wrenching sobs, his hot tears staining Clare's cheeks. "This is all my fault. None of this would've happened if I hadn't killed Fitz. I hate myself for it. I'm so sorry, Clare!" His head nuzzled her neck. Eli felt empty and hollow, and he knew that no amount of apologies would bring her back to him. He figured he had to tell her in person; or rather in spirit.

He kissed her temple and ran his fingers through her soft hair. "I'm going to keep my promise, Clare." His hands shook as he pulled out the pills from his pocket. As looked down at her, he noticed something that wasn't there before. Her pale cheeks were a faint pink, her lips the same. He shook off the site as his mind playing cruel tricks on him.

"I love you," he whispered to her. All at once, he put the pills in his mouth, his throat heavy and his stomach churning with nerves. In his mind, he wished the pills worked fast, because the emotional pain he felt was overwhelming. He lay left to her on her deathbed, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

Suddenly, he felt movement. He saw as well her chest begin to move gently up and down. His eyes widened in pure disbelief as Clare's eyes slowly began to open, revealing the blue orbs that hid underneath.

She was alive.

"Clare!" he stuttered. She stirred. The sleepy beauty awaking from her deep slumber. Eli put her face in his hands and looked her deep in the eyes. He'd had to be dreaming.

"Eli?" Clare met his eyes weakly. She smiled as she reached out to him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"You're alive?" he whimpered. The tears came once more. This time, of relief rather than sorrow.

"Of course." She replied in a whisper. Her smile quickly faded when she realized he had no idea of what was happening. Of why they both were here.

"Eli, it's me. The real me." She took his face in her hands and gently begun to rub his cheeks.

"No, no, no. Fiona told me-"

"It's not true! None of it was true! It was a ploy! A way so we could be together!" She cried.

At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. She was alive. His wife, his everything. Eli's lips met hers, overwhelming her with passion and desperation. Clare's cold hands held onto his neck as the kiss deepened. They pulled away, foreheads touching.

"You're here." He whispered to her. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Sweet air could not get through to his lungs, and his vision became blurry. His entire body shook, and a ripping pain spread through like a river.

"Eli," Clare grew worried. "Eli, what's wrong?" She watched as her Romeo fell on his back, his eyes wide and empty. "Eli, look at me! Please." His eyes wouldn't meet hers. No matter how loud she called to him, no matter how tightly she held his hand, Eli seemed frozen. His hands were getting cold, his face pale.

"I-I though you w-were d-dead." He stuttered. Tears fell from Clare and onto his cheek. At that very moment, she knew. She realized that he had kept his promise to her: that they would be together. Even in death.

"No! Eli, please!" Sobs replaced her sonorous screams. She felt as the life slowly left him, leaving her behind. "Don't leave me here!"

"I love you." Eli told her as he took his last breath. And just like that, he was gone. Clare stood over his lifeless body, paralyzed. He was gone. She gently kissed his cheek. It shouldn't have ended like this, she thought. In the end, her and Eli should be living a happily ever after. Instead they had to go to extremes in order to be together.

In the glow of the candlelight, something caught her eye. In his pocket lied a silver gun. It felt cold against Clare's hands as she carefully took it from its comforter. Eli had kept his promise, and now it was time for her to do the same.

"Oh, happy dagger," she pressed the tip of the gun roughly into the center of her aching heart. "This is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die."

Her eyes shut tightly as she pulled the trigger.


"We're here at the churchyard in downtown Toronto, where the bodies of Eli Goldsworthy- son of record producer, Bullfrog- and Clare Edwards- daughter of another producer, Randall Edwards- were found." The reporter looked back at the stretchers that carried the two dead teenagers. "So far, police officials have distinguished their deaths as double suicides, and so far have refused to release any more information on the matter. This is Monica Shelter for News Channel 5; back to you Tom."

Officer Prince watched as the Goldsworthy's and Edwards' wept for their children. The very sight disgusted him at the least. There they were, heated enemies overwhelmed with grief, wondering why the incident happened.

"This is your entire son's fault!" he heard Helen scream at the Goldsworthy's.

"Excuse me? If you didn't happen to notice, it's my son lying next to your daughter in the morgue!" she sobbed into Bullfrog's shoulder. This is enough, Prince thought as he moved quickly to them, afraid that they would soon get themselves into even more trouble.

"That's enough," he called to them. "Please hold back any remarks until we can clear up the questions. Trust me; we are trying everything to know what happened. In the meantime, please be patient. Now do any of you know have relations with anybody- friends, family, neighbors- who could know about your kids? Any suspicions?"

"I do." Father Laurence stepped forward. "Me."

"Tell me what you know about this affair."

"They were in love." He stated simply. "They wanted to be together, but after Fitz's murder, the idea seemed near to impossible. So I helped them. I married them; I helped Elijah escape to Mantua; and I helped Clare do the same."

"Helped her? What do you mean?"

"I gave her a drug. It shut down certain body functions, and only made her appear dead. Eli was supposed to arrive later after she was put in the church. He was supposed to get a letter informing him of the plan, but he never got it."

"You bastard!" Mrs. Edwards leapt for him, but was held back by Randall.

"So you admit to this? Do you have the letter?"

"Yes, sir." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin piece of paper. Offer Prince read over it carefully, skimming over the details of the poison, the church, their love.

"It confirms your account." He closed the letter and returned it to the pastor. "This is how it ends, because of your hate!" he told the parents. "You see what happens because of this rivalry between your families? Goldsworthy, Edwards, you have been fighting for years and the gangs you sponsor have terrorized the streets of Toronto! And at what cost? The lives of your children, that's what!" He proceeded to the squad car, his words having an impact for the very first time.

"He's right." Bullfrog was the first to speak. "Our kids are dead. Maybe it's a sign that we've done this long enough."

"I agree." Randall replied. He held out his hand. Hesitant at first, Bullfrog took it in his own and shook it. "This time, we'll settle it right."

Right then, both knew it was the start of something new. Something fresh. For Clare and Eli's sake, they would change.

"Hopefully, a dark peace has been settled this morning." Officer Prince said as he watched the long-acquainted enemies shake hands. "There has never been a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."