Disclaimer: I disclaim.

~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER SEVEN:

ABOVEGROUND:

Immediately after, Cameron brought himself to Bree's side. The girl lay in the hospital bed, drenched in her own sweat, unconscious.

He sat in the chair next to the bed. "Brigid." He picked up her limp hand and raised it to his lips. "I.. I want you to know that I'm sorry. I. I took care of everything, though. You might mot approve but I." he trailed off, and raised his other hand to smooth back her hair.

"But it doesn't matter, does it? Nothing matters to You." Cameron set her hand back down and turned to find himself face to face with Sarah.

"Cameron." Sarah nodded in greeting.

He looked down at his feet, ashamed. "I've got to go." He muttered, shouldering past Sarah.

"Cameron. Wait."

He stopped and turned slowly to face Sarah. "What?" he sighed.

"You were the one who found her."

"Yeah, so?"

"She's my daughter and because of you, she's still alive."

"Yeah, well, if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have tried to kill herslef."

"If you hadn't come," Sarah said, eyes boring into Cameron's, "She very well might have succeeded."

Cameron was quiet and Sarah sighed. "You're welcome in our house anytime, Cameron."

Cameron sighed, and looked uncomfortably around the room. He lifted his hand slowly and produced another orb. "When she wakes up, will you make sure she gets this?"

"Of course."

UNDERGROUND:

"You killed your mother." Jareth mumbled, dumbfounded.

Cameron lounged on his bed, and at that he rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, Father, you never really liked her anyway."

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "You feel no remorse?"

"None." Cameron growled, his black eyes meeting his father's mismatched ones.

"Get out." Jareth said slowly, his words dripping poison.

Cameron sat up quickly. "What?"

"Leave the Underground." Jareth said angrily. "You're a disgrace to your family."

"I don't care if I'm a disgrace to the family." Cameron snapped, growing angry in turn. By Fae laws, he had to defend Brigid- kill for her- because he had promised himself to her. And he was to be punished?

"I will not leave. The throne is mine, Father, and as long as I live, it will be turned over to me in less then twelve months."

"Then, Cameron," The Goblin King smirked," I will see you in twelve months."

THREE MONTHS LATER:

Cameron sat in the rain, staring up at Bree's window. The light shining within showed her passing back and forth in front of the window. He swallowed, gathered up his courage, and moved to bring himself to her side. He swore when nothing happened- it had been three months since his magic had been bound and he had bee cast out into the Aboveground, and she still hadn't gotten used to it.

He stood and trudged through the mud, ducking under a low tree branch, to the front door and knocked loudly.

"I'll get it!" a voice rang out from inside, and the door swung open.

"Brigid." Cameron whispered, his voice barely audible even to his own ears.

She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Bree stood in the doorway, glaring at him furiously.

"Ah, Cameron. Come in. Get out of the rain." Sarah walked out of a doorway into the small foyer and stood behind Bree, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"No." Bree snapped.

"He'll catch a cold."

"Let him catch a cold. Let him die of pneumonia. Let him spontaneously combust and leave little pieces of Cameron all over our doorway!" And with that Bree pushed her mother away and ran up the stairs, slamming the door when she reached the hollowed safety of her bedroom.

Cameron turned to Sarah with his eyebrows up. "I can't catch a cold."

Sarah sighed. "Go after her. Just don't spontaneously combust. It might ruin the carpet."

Cameron rolled his eyes as he trudged up the stairs. At Bree's door he paused and, gathering his courage once more, he turned the doorknob. It refused to turn and for the first time, Cameron was locked out.

"Bree? Open up." She didn't answer.

Cameron sighed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bree sat on the floor, packing boxes. Too late she heard the lock click on her door. She turned as the door sung open. Cameron was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and he held a pick in his hand.

"What do you want?" she scoffed, turning away.

"Why won't you let me explain?"

"Because I don't want to talk to you!"

"You're talking to me right now."

"I couldn't help it." She snapped. "You were in my room."

"You could have ignored me."

There was silence for a while.

"Why are you packing?"

She groaned, and threw a shirt into the box. "Turns out that my formerly non-existant grandparetns heard about my A.S and fought for custody of me- and won."

"What..A.S?'

"Attempted Suicide. It's nuthouse talk." She added, non-chalantly.

"You were in a nuthouse?"

"You didn't know?" She said with an air of faux curiosity in her voice.

"I couldn't have known."

She laughed. "Cameron, Cameron, Cameron. You were doing so well at keeping away. Why must you ruin that now?"

"The fact tat I stayed away wasn't in my control."

"Why not?"

His brow furrowed. Haven't you bee able to tell, Brigid?"

She was tempted to turn at look at him once more, but restraine herself. "Tell what?"

"That I don't have my magic."

Bree's head snapped up to look at him. His long hair was duller than it usually was. His tan skin looked taunt, and his once sparkling black eyes were washed out.

"Cameron.what.why?" She stammered, her voice lacking its harsh edge for a moment.

"I can't tell you."

"Why the hell not?" she snapped, her voice angry again.

"You wouldn't like it."

"I-"

"Did you really want to die, Brigid?"

"What?" She was shocked, but she regained her composure. "Yes. Of course I did."

There was silence for a short while then Bree whispered, "Why did you have to help me?"

"What?" Cameron asked, shocked in his turn.

"I didn't want to live. I still don't."

"I. I wanted you to live. I intended for you to be happy."

"Yea, well, Cameron, the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Bree scoffed.

"Why must you be so cruel?"

"Because, Cameron, you hurt me when you promised you wouldn't. Yo decieved me. Used me and you LIED to me. And I told you then we met, I hate liars."

"Why do you despise them so much?"

"That's my business, and it will stay my business. I don't trust you."

"I told you not to trust me, Brigid."

He brought up his hand to her face, and she slapped his arm away. Her eyes widened at his gasp of pain. The cut she had given him on his forearm had reopened.

Bree gawked at the blood gathering on his forearm..

"I didn't feel like it." Cameron shrugged. "And by the time I did, it was too late.

"You should have bound it, then."

"I did, but I unbound it when it began to heal. I'm no idiot, Brigid."

"I should have healed a long time ago, though." Her frown deepened.

"It was a deep cut, and a metal knife. Metal caused wounds- especially lead- take a long time to heal for Faes."

She sighed at this information wand walked to her desk. Opening the drawer, she pulled out a roll of gauze.

"Give me your arm" she barked.

"No." Cameron pulled his arm away from her.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because you hate me and you'll just hurt me some more."

She snorted in disgust. "Quit being a baby. Give me your damn arm."

Reluctantly, Cameron allowed Bree to take his arm in her hands and wrap it tightly in the white gauze. She raised her eyes from his arm when she felt him staring at her, and looked at him.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

She went back to wrapping his arm. "No."

He looked taken aback. "Why not?"

"Because you not nearly as pretty without you magic." She said sarcastically, tired of this question.

"What?" Cameron snapped, missing the sarcasm. "You-"

"Don't you dare get fresh with me, Fairy Boy." Bree growled.

"Well, I'm sorry." Cameron said curtly. "I never realized you were so shallow."

"Yeah, well, if we're apologizing then I'm sorry you a liar." Bree sneered.

"And I'm sorry you're gullible!"

"I'm sorry you're selfish!"

"I'm sorry you're scum!"

"I'm sorry that you're self-absorbed and that you have no consideration for anyone!"

"I'm sorry that you're a pig-headed brat, that you don't care about anything and that I ever fell in love with you!

"Well, Fairy Boy, I agree completely!"

There was silence at their words sank in compeltely.

"You-"

"No." Bree cussed herself out in her head. "It came out wrong. I'm sorry you ever fell in love with me."

"That's not what you meant."

"Yes it was."

"You meant that you ware in love with me."

Bree snorted once more. "You think highly of yourself, don't you?"

Cameron sighed, and took the opportunity he had. "Brigid, you were in love with me. I was in love with you. You cannot deny that. We belong together."

"You're a fool." She sneered.

"I offered myself to you for life, Brigid, and you-"

She cut him off harshly. "Don't give me shit about loving me, Cameron. I don't care about things easily. I don't trust people easily. You took my care, and you took my trust, and you threw it in my face. Nothing you can do or say will fix that, and nothing you can do will earn any of it back."

Cameron opened his mouth to speak, but Bree continued, almost spitting in anger.

"I was fine being by myself before you, and I will be fine after you."

"If you're fine after me, why did you try to kill yourseld?"

She was silent for a second. "Well, the all-knowing therapists say it's your fault.

"You told therapists about me?" he gawked.

"Oh, yeah. I moseyed right into in and proclaimed to the entire nuthouse that a fairy-man appeared in my room offering me a shiny orb and himself and wee goofed around and had load of teenage-hormonal fun!"

"You're being sarcastic."

"Very good." She said, faking an approving tone.

There was another silence as girl and Fae stared each other down.

"I loved you, Brigid, and I always will."

"And you lost my love, Cameron, and you may never get it back." She said her voice nearly cracking.

"May?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Will." She corrected herself.

"You said may."

"Leave, Cameron. I need to finish packing. Tomorrow I'm gone."

He moved to leave, then turned back. "Where can I find you?"

"You can't."