Okay, this really shor ending is Bartimaeus'. Ends with a kiss, jsut like the last one...review please!

I felt like kicking myself, but something like that just doesn't work when your essence is being transported to the Other Place. On the other hand, I was willing to bet mostly everyone would believe me to be dead as well, which meant I was in for a long, peaceful sojourn.

The doors opened for me; I drifted in sadly. And I couldn't believe why I was sad.

Then I felt the pull on my essence again. What now? Could Nathaniel have possibly survived? I doubted it. Maybe some random American magician had discovered my name.

As I materialized in the pentacle, I actually considered taking Nathaniel's form; it was just like Ptolemy, really, and I thought maybe he needed me to be remembered. My form elongated into his.

Then I saw that it was Kitty in the pentacle opposite.

By the look in her eyes as she saw me, I thought that maybe it was a bad idea to remind her of Nathaniel. I shifted into Ptolemy's form sadly. We stared at each other for a while.

"Nathaniel says hello," I said quietly.

Her eyes widened and her lower lip quivered until she bit it.

"Thank-you," she said. "I-I summoned you because…I had to know. How did you survive?"

I wouldn't have told anyone else, but perhaps she deserved to know.

"He dismissed me," I said. "About two seconds before…you know…"

She did know. Not that I was afraid to say it, but I had a feeling that Kitty didn't need to be hurt any more than she already had been.

Her eyes filled suddenly, and I was forcibly reminded of our conversation three years ago, when she told me that Honorius had murdered all her friends…

She stepped from her pentacle into mine quite suddenly. I had expected this, because she trusted me now as she hadn't before going to the Other Place.

"Did he – did you – is Nouda gone? I only saw the roof crash down…"

I didn't really know, but I could guess.

"Yes, he's gone," I said. "Nathaniel did it…"

She suddenly threw her arms around my form, just like she had in the Other Place…that much was unexpected. Would Ptolemy have done that? I wondered.

"I'm just glad that one of you is alive," she whispered.

Then her barrier broke and she was sobbing onto Ptolemy's shoulder; I must say, he was a bit short for this kind of thing. I took Nathaniel's rather taller form, and this time it seemed to rather comfort her. Hesitantly, I placed my arms around her, too.

"Kitty…did you love him?"

I knew there was something between them that spurred each other on, but I had only felt Nathaniel's side of it. She stopped crying and looked at me.

"Both of you," she said. "I loved both of you."

Gently, carefully, she leaned towards me and placed her lips on mine, her aura glowing stronger than I had ever seen it. This was something Ptolemy had never done…

Thus Bartimaeus of Uruk shared a kiss with a commoner girl. And you thought Swans of Araby could never happen.

Okay, I PROMISE Nathaniel won't die in the next one! More coming soon!