Oh my gosh, thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews! I'm sorry if you think that Jenny and Julian won't end up together (which would be just heartbreaking) but don't give up on me yet. The next few chapters are a bit short, but I'm getting ready to wrap up the story here. Things are gonna get bad for this one (sorry!) and it seems like Jenny and Julian won't get their happy-ever-after. Only one person can save Julian and, well, you'll see. :)

This is my first fanfiction and I'm so happy you like it! I've only been on here for a little while, not even a year, I think. So I love that you like the story so much.

P.S. if any of you are Downton Abbey fans, I may be doing a fanfic on that next. ;)

For now, enjoy the story :)

I glared over my shoulder at him, the Shadow Man with his fiery gaze and sickening smile. "What are you talking about?" I demanded icily. "He survived. He made it through the Game."

The Shadow Man raised one claw. "Ah, but you see, it was not a Game where the winner simply gets out alive," he explained, as if to a five-year-old. "It was a Game where the winner gets out first. And, well..." he shared a glance with Tom. "Tom has won by only a few precious seconds."

Tom blinked, acting surprised, but I caught a glimmer of triumph in his face. It made me sick.

"No," I rasped. "It can't be true. We couldn't have gone through all that for nothing." The Shadow Men simply chuckled amongst themselves, clicking their fangs together. There would be no pity from them. I turned back to Julian, panicked now. "It can't happen like this, can it?" I pleaded. "You didn't change earlier, maybe you won't change now—"

"Jenny," he said, cutting me off. "You know I can't stop it. What happened in there...it won't happen again. I know that." His eyes were so blue and so sad. It broke my heart.

"You can still fight it," I whispered. "Right?"

He stared at me, into my eyes, and what I saw in his scared me. "I have to go now, Jenny," he said grimly. "I have to stay in the Shadow World and you...have to go with Tom."

"No." I shook my head. "I don't want to go back. Not without you."

He caught my face in his hands and tilted my head up so that I had to look him in the eye. "You have to," he said. "For me. I can't come with you anymore. I don't want you to be there when I lose myself for good. Tom will take care of you now. He won't let anything happen to you. Okay?"

My eyes burned. I clutched his shirt in my hands and struggled to hold back the tears. It wasn't supposed to end like this. "I don't want Tom," I choked out stubbornly. "I want you. I love you."

"And I love you," he said softly. "I've loved you my whole life. I never want to forget that. But I don't have a choice. It breaks my heart, Jenny, but I don't have a choice."

The tears came then, running down my cheeks. I was appalled; I never wanted to cry in front of the Shadow Men. I never wanted to cry in front of Julian. The storm snarled threateningly above us and there was a brief flash of lightning, turning the black bellies of the clouds silver.

"Please, Jenny," Julian murmured. He brushed the tears from my face. "Don't cry. You'll be okay. You'll be fine without me. Trust me."

I blinked up at him, my vision blurry with tears. "Don't go," I whispered hoarsely. "Please don't go."

He stared at me for a long moment. I could see his heart breaking in his eyes. I tried to memorize every shade of blue I could see in those eyes, so that I could bring back the memory once he was gone. Julian was leaving me. And this time, he would never come back. He must've seen the horrible realization in my face because he mumbled, "just c'mere." And he pulled me against him in front of all the Shadow Men and Tom. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes. I felt like I should've been crying, but I didn't any more strength left to cry. All I kept thinking was that this was last time I'd ever hold him.

We stayed like that for only a minute, holding each other as rain slowly started to patter the ground. Julian was the one that drew back first, just far enough to let his mouth touch mine, a small, heartbreaking kiss. "You'll be okay, sweetheart," he whispered, his lips still brushing mine. "But you have to let me go."

I swallowed hard and nodded. Then I took a step back. He was right. I had to let him go.