Hey it's me... back again. Well my exams have started, and I compleatly failed my Spanish listening today. I'm going to have to work really hard in my writng and reading to boost my grade... and yet, I can still find time to update my fic...hmmm.
Anyway, enough about by personal life... replies

Miss Mary Lou Out of order exams: I compleatly agree with your penname. Well I hope this dungeony chapter (which in fact takes place in a park) lives up to your expectations... don't kill me if it doesn't.

Madam Opera Ghost: Next chapter... with another cliffe... I'm so mean

Nyren: Well it's nice to know you like something about Jeremy. Please forgive my dreaful spelling... fan fiction doesn't have a spell checker unlike Microsoft Word... grr. You'll be pleased to know that Jeremy isn't going to threaten to kill anyone... just damage them slightly- ah read the thing. It's true, Jenna is an idiot, but then, so is Carlotta. Jeremy draws everything about his life... that's why it was there. He just has a pretty dark life which is why he doesn't like people to see inside.

Lost Romantic: Well thanks for the review. I'm glad that you like it. If you need to sleep I recommend Music of the Night- ultimate in relaxation music. My complements to ALW and Micheal Crawford

LiTTleLoTTie1991: Yup, Jenna's a bitch... but would we have her any other way?

Kerrie-A: Well I'm mysterious, like Jeremy, always disappering and reappearing... well maybe not quite like Jeremy. Apologies for the huge gaps, I'm not as good as updating as I was before...

IndiaPyro: It was that book that Jenna was reading. They were all in the same book... I guess it just had lots of pages

Emma-J-Riddle: Ah... I'm mean. Cliffhangers are great for the author... makes me feel evil... ahem. Well this fic is nearly done. Others are on their way...

toomanycurlz: DVD... don't make me cry. My mother has done the most evil of evilest things. I'm not allowed to buy it until my exams are over... and if I do, she'll take it away... (starts frantically counting days until exams end)

Well, here we are... the Point of No Return. Please bear with my imagination... as a 17 year old boy, Jeremy would not a have a punjab lasso and threaten to kill his romantic interest's boyfriend... because this is 2005. It worked OK for Erik, but not for Jeremy. So please just work with what I have here. I'll grant you that it's not as dramatic as a punjab lasso. This is nearly at an end. Probably one chapter left... amybe two depending on how it goes... please review this one because it took me a while to work out exactly what was going to happen.

Maska (M.K)

I don't own phantom... I don't even own the DVD! (Sobs dramatically) Only a month to go until end of exams and I'm allowed to buy it. Curse my mother...

19. Point of No Return

Ali's heart was pounding as Jeremy dragged her across the path outside Jenna's house. He was running and it was hard for Ali to keep up with him. There was no knowing what would happen, Jeremy was in such a foul mood, he was capable of anything. Ali had to admit to herself that she was scared of what he might do. She had no idea where he was taking her and in his present state, there was no knowing if she would come back. Ali opened her mouth and let out a long, high pitched scream, forcing her exhausted soprano voice to work to it's best. Suddenly Ali found herself pressed against a tree with a hand over her mouth.

'Be quiet!' Jeremy hissed. 'Or I will gag you.'

Ali nodded and kept her lips together when Jeremy removed his hand from her mouth. She found herself next to a red car and the door was opened for her.

'Get in,' came Jeremy's blunt order.

Ali obliged and when Jeremy had walked to the other side she flung open the car door and leapt out, running away as fast as she could. She didn't even turn to see Jeremy's twisted look of anger and the boy jump out of the vehicle. Ali ran to the park, almost blind in the darkness. She stopped near the river and gasping for breath turned around to look behind her. Thankfully she seemed to have lost Jeremy. Where was she to go now? She could go home but would Jeremy come for her? She could try and get back to Jenna's house but she didn't know the way. She could go to Sam's but he wouldn't be in and Adam wouldn't welcome her. Ali staggered backwards a few paces, unsure of what to do. She turned around and walked straight into a figure. Looking up in horror, she saw Jeremy's snarl gazing back at her and before she could move, his hands had gripped her arms.

'Don't do that again,' he said.

'Let me go, please,' Ali whispered, half sobbing.

Jeremy looked away from her for a moment and loosened his grip on her. His expression softened.

'I can't control it Ali. I need you,' he said half to himself, half to her. 'Rejected by everyone, no-one ever looked on me kindly before. All I've ever known is taunting, teasing, violence.'

Jeremy's words trailed off as his expression hardened once again. He glared at Ali's face, which was filled with compassion.

'Pity comes too late,' he spat at her. 'Face your fate Ali. Look at me!' he shouted as Ali dropped her gaze. 'You will come away with me. You will stay with me forever!'

There was general panic at Jenna's house, but little about Ali, much to Sam's anger. Most of the attention was directed at Jenna who was acting like a drama queen and Billy who had not quite recovered from the punch.

'Ali!' Sam called above the noise looking around for her.

Debbie joined him in trying to find Ali and rushed outside after him. Sam raced around the corner and collided with Sophie, the girl who played Madame Giry. He apologised quickly, giving Debbie time to catch up with him.

'Did you see Jeremy?' Sam gasped. 'And Ali?'

Sophie shook her head and turned away.

'I didn't see anything,' she said.

'Sophie, please,' Debbie begged. 'Jeremy's taken Ali and he's in such a bad mood, I don't know what he'll do to her.'

Sophie looked reluctant.

'I noticed this little thing that you, Jeremy and Ali have going on. I don't want to get involved,' she said.

'Please!' Sam cried. 'I have to find her. She could be in danger.'

Sophie paused for a moment.

'I saw Ali running towards the park,' she said. 'Jeremy was following her. That's all I know.'

'Thank you,' Sam said.

As he ran away, Debbie tried to follow him. Sam paused and turned back to her.

'Debbie, stay here,' Sam said.

'I want to find her. Ali's my friend too,' Debbie retorted.

'It could be dangerous.'

'I don't care.'

'Debbie, please,' Sam begged. 'What if Ali came back? There has to be someone here that she can trust.'

Debbie reluctantly agreed and hung back with Sophie as Sam sprinted into the darkness.

'You know that I have nothing to do with your issues,' Ali half screamed at Jeremy as he dragged her onto the bridge that crossed the park river. 'It's not your dreams that distress you, it's your soul! How could I ever love you?'

Jeremy stopped at turned Ali towards him angrily.

'And why do you think that is Ali?' he snarled. 'No-one gave me a chance. I have known nothing my whole life except dismissal. I have been unimportant to everyone. But not you. I was important to you Ali. Why can't you see it?'

Suddenly Jeremy tensed. His grip on Ali tightened as he looked past her into the trees on the other side of the bridge. Ali gasped as she saw Sam stumble out of the darkness.

'My dear, we have a guest!' Jeremy said, poison running in his voice, glaring at Sam.

'Jeremy, please. We're not onstage any more,' Ali pleaded looking fearfully between Sam and Jeremy.

'Let her go!' Sam cried, taking a few paces towards Jeremy. 'Have you got any pity whatsoever?'

'No-one showed me any pity. Go away Jeremy. Who wants to be your friend? That was the love I ever got'

'Sam, it's useless,' Ali sobbed, unable to release herself from Jeremy's iron grasp.

'Can't we come to some kind of negotiation?' Sam suggested pathetically.

Jeremy smirk and took Ali to the opposite bank.

'Stay there,' he ordered before approaching Sam.

Sam stepped back a little as Jeremy approached him threateningly.

'Let's talk down here,' Jeremy suggested innocently gesturing under the bridge.

'This is my life!' Ali cried from the opposite bank. 'Surely I should make the decisions?'

'Stay there!' Jeremy bellowed.

Ali fell silent. Sam looked suspiciously at Jeremy and turned his back on him to walk under the bridge. As he approached the water's edge, Sam glanced up at Ali's worried expression. He smiled at her, trying to comfort her. He was alerted as Ali's expression turned to a look of horror and she let out a scream, turning just in time to see Jeremy' lunge at him and knock him to the ground. Slightly dazed, Sam provided little resistance against the rain of punches that Jeremy threw against him. Head pounding, Sam saw Ali rush across the bridge and run to Jeremy. However Jeremy was too quick for her. He turned his head and shot out his arm, grabbing her wrist, stopping the blow that she was about to deal him. Ali cried in pain as Jeremy snarled:

'I told you to stay over there!'

With those words, Jeremy threw her to the ground and dragged Sam to the waters edge. Turning to make sure Ali was watching, he forced Sam onto his knees and dunked his head in the water. Ali screamed and got to her feet to stop him.

'Come any closer and he's dunked again,' Jeremy said coldly, ignoring the writhing Sam that he was holding.

Ali froze. Jeremy let Sam's head up and he gasped for air, his breaths were short and sharp. Ali stared at Jeremy in disbelief.

'What are you doing?' she screamed. 'This isn't you! You're not a monster!'

'You see what love does to you?' Jeremy said, his lips turning into a sneer as he pushed Sam's head underwater once more. 'Do you understand how much I need you?'

Ali could say nothing as Sam was brought up from the river.

'You said that you should make the decision about your life Ali,' Jeremy continued. 'Well make it now. Him or me.'

'No, Jeremy, don't do this,' Ali gasped.

'The longer you delay, the wetter his head gets,' Jeremy said pushing Sam's head underwater and bringing it up again to prove a point. 'Choose me and he goes free, refuse and, well, we'll move onto physical pain,' Jeremy snarled, twisting Sam's arm behind him, causing him to cry out in pain.

'Ali, don't do it!' Sam cried. 'Don't sacrifice-'

Sam was cut off by Jeremy pushing his head underwater again.

'Choose Ali,' Jeremy cried victoriously. 'Do you come with me, or do you watch him go through agony for you?'

Ali's eyes filled with tears as she watched helplessly as Jeremy repeatedly dunked Sam's head underwater.

'You are a monster,' she sobbed.

Jeremy glared at her.

'You could stop all of this. I'm not like this. I don't have to be.'

Ali stared at Jeremy, hardly hearing Sam's cries for her to run. Could she really life a life with Jeremy? He was cruel and harsh and his current actions were monstrous. But then there was that voice, the way her touched her, the way he moved her. That power which she somehow enjoyed.

Jeremy was obviously growing tierd of waiting. He pulled sam's head out from under the water and looked directly at Ali.

'You try my patience. Make your choice.'

A/N- READ THIS
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and now I'm turning to you the reviewers to decide the end. Does she pick Jeremy or Sam? I simply can't decide. I know that Nyren will say Sam but let's put this to the reviewer vote.
Eternally grateful

Maska (M.K)