A week later Sabriel was back on her feet and getting ready to go back home to Abhorson's house. Touchstone had made sure that there would be two paper wings to take them home. He had sent a message to Abhorson's house and told the sendings to make two. Where he would go, after he saw Sabriel safely home, he didn't know.

"Are you ready, love?" A voice interrupted his depressing thoughts. Quickly he looked up to find Sabriel's sweet, kind, pale face, looking at him with love. Her bony fingers brushed a stray lock of black hair out of her face. Uncomfortable under his stare Sabriel shifted the bandoleer that crossed her torso. "Touchstone, are you alright?" He blinked suddenly as if she had interrupted his thoughts. "Sorry, I didn't mean to break your concentration. I-"

"It's alright mila- I mean Sabriel." She smiled sweetly at her companion.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Aaa. Yes, yes I am."

"Do you know how to whistle?"

"Wha- Oh, whistle. I can but I'm not very good at it."

By now they were in the Old Kingdom and getting strapped in to the paperwings. Sabriel told him how to learn the charter marks to get the paperwing to work. Before they knew it they were off headed home. The wind felt really good on Sabriel's face. She felt like laughing, she didn't though. She needed to concentrate at the task at hand. Getting home. By nightfall they were sailing in sight of Abhorson's house. Sabriel suddenly felt sad. He father used to live there, now he's dead. Some one's words came floating in to her memory. "Every one had a time and a place to die. This is not you time" Tears threatened to leave her eyes. Stubbornly she brushed them away and landed her paperwing.

Sendings were there to greet them. Both Sabriel and Touchstone were extremely tired. The sendings helped them out of the paperwings. Once out, two sendings rushed them off to bathe a get ready for dinner. With in a few minutes Sabriel was in her old room. She was so tired that she didn't care that she was being stripped and hustled in to the bathtub. Soon Sabriel was being scrubbed very hard. She didn't fight it like she had before. Half and hour later she was clean, dressed in a midnight blue dress with bell sleeves, her bell bandoleer safely across her torso, and headed down to the dining room.

Moggot was at her heels, urging her to go faster so that they could eat sooner. Sabriel ignored him and walked at a comfortable pace. When she walked in to the dining room she found Touchstone staring out the west window watching the sun set. He too looked clean, he was dressed in a tunic of creamy white that laced mid chest up, his breaches were of deep forest green. Sabriel cleared her throat quietly, but it was loud enough for Touchstone to hear it, he spun around hand going to the hilt of his sword. As soon as he saw who it was, he quickly removed his hand and bowed to her and kissed her right un-gloved hand lightly.

Color burst in to her cheeks. She had formal classes at school, but she never actually had any of it done to her, nor had she had the chance to use any of it. When he came out of the bow she quickly looked away. Touchstone didn't notice the color in her cheeks. He offered his arm to her. Sabriel fell in to the stuff that she had learned in her formal classes. And took his arm politely, gently he led her to the head of the table, helped her sit down, and gently pushed her chair in for her. Once she was seated he sat to the right of her.

With in seconds the sendings where putting the first course on the table for them. Moggot dug in to it greedily, but Touchstone only stared at Sabriel with adoring eyes. Soon, Sabriel felt uncomfortable under his gaze and began to play with her food (Old habits die-hard). Before long they were done with the six-course meal. Touchstone was up in a flash to help Sabriel out of her chair. Moggot ran off as soon as he was done with the meal, not bothering to stay any longer than needed.

Nervously Touchstone cleared his throat. "Sabriel, would you do me the honor of walking through the garden with me?" Silently she nodded. He offered his arm again to her and together they walked out at a leisurely pace. The gardens where set in the middle of the house. It was more of a courtyard than a garden. After walking for half an hour Touchstone led Sabriel to a bench near the middle. They sat in an awkward silence for a while. They both had been looking away from the other, when they suddenly looked at each other and bumped foreheads. Laughter erupted from both Touchstone and Sabriel.

"Are you ok?" Sabriel asked smiling and rubbing her forehead.

"Yes" Again silence fell between them as they gazed in to the other's eyes. Slowly Touchstone leaned towards Sabriel. She also began to lean closer to his sweet face. Their eyes slowly closed and their lips met. Sabriel felt sparks run up and down her spine. She had suppressed a shudder that had threatened to over take her body. Her mind raced with controlled chaos. Touchstone leaned closer and put one arm around the back of her shoulders, and the other in the arch of her back. He held her close, and gasped when he felt her arms find their way to the back of his head and the middle of his back. They sat there kissing for what felt like an eternity, an eternity filled with bliss and free falling. Slowly they pulled away and looked in to the other's eyes.

Sabriel was fighting back tears of happiness, and Touchstone was fighting back a goofy grin. Suddenly Sabriel flung her arms around his neck and cried uncontrollably on to his chest. This action caught him off guard and unprepared. Instinctively he held her sobbing body against his, and cooed softly to her. Sabriel's tears flowed freely on to his soft warm tunic. His arms around her felt so comforting and loving. She could stay in his arms forever, but unfortunately she felt sharp claws in her legs. Suddenly she pulled away with a yelp of pain, and looked down Moggot sat there with his claws extended licking the blood off. Sabriel lifted her skirt to her knee and a five-inch slash was across her shin. Sabriel felt light headed and dizzy. She swayed and fell backwards. Her vision faded and swirled in front of her. Strong arms caught her falling body. She saw Touchstone's worried face fade before her. His eyes, his mouth, his cheeks faded to darkness. Soon every thing was black.