Warning: Major Character Death

In retrospect the fact that Ms. Janeth kept talking about plot twists might have been foreshadowing. But the thing about good foreshadowing is one never notices it until it's too late. And that was the case for Jim.

Bular was defeated and the bridge was soon to be safely in Trollmarket. Jim was far more relaxed than he had been in a long time, if a bit sore. With Claire acting across from him, the part of Romeo, of young love born in bad circumstances, was easy to portray.

"I will kiss thy lips," Claire said in a soft wavering voice.

Despite his best efforts a smile formed on Jim's lips as Claire gently pressed hers to them. For once everything was right.

"Thy lips are warm! Then, I'll be brief." There was a soft rasp of metal as Claire drew out the prop dagger. "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath."

Claire let out a gasp and collapsed carefully against him.

"There rust and let me die…"

Above them the stage lights gave way with a mighty shriek of metal. The audience screamed. Reflexes honed by months of fighting, Jim was on his feet in a second and trying to shove Claire to safety.

Unfortunately sometimes a second was too long.

Jim coughed weakly and struggled to open his eyes. His vision flickered. He was aware of heat and pain. Sluggishly he struggled to sit up but couldn't, something was holding him down. He craned his neck to see what it was.

The blackened metal of the light fixture was holding him down. Distantly he realized that one of the struts was actually going through him. Blood was leaking quickly from the injury and staining the white lilies that lay scattered across the smoldering wreckage of the stage.

Jim's head was starting to droop down, strength leaving him, when he saw her. Claire lay just to his right. She wasn't pinned like he was but she wasn't moving either. The flames where flickering closer and closer to her still form.

*No!*

The word didn't make it past his lips. He coughed up blood instead. Still he wouldn't let her die. His hand crept toward the amulet. Slowly, weakly, his fingers closed around it.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Mr. Lake."

The amulet was jerked out of his hand. Shock pulsing through him, Jim gathered the last of his strength and looked up.

Ms. Janeth stood above him silhouetted by the flames. Her eyes glowed red and yellow as she spared a glance at the amulet in her hand before her gaze returned to him.

"Don't you know?" She said gently. "Romeo dies in this."

Jim tried to speak. Tried to give voice to his betrayal but he had no words left. He sagged limply to the ground light fading from his eyes.

Lenora Janeth watched from the hill above Arcadia as the firefighters finally managed to put out the blaze that had engulfed the school. The amulet was safely stored in a box calling out for a bearer it would never reach. The bridge was in Trollmarket but with Queen Usurna's help that would be of little importance. Let the fools have their last days of rest.

With a flash of silver she cast aside her human guise and smiled, all sharp teeth and long held hunger. Oh how she loved a good ending!

Lenora held a hand out toward rising sun and recited:

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings.

Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.

For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Author Note: This was a random idea I had: What if Ms. Janeth was a changeling? I suspect it was spawned by gravesand episode.

I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought.