A/N- thanks again for all the reviews! and as for Dark Ninja, I will continue writing, though, after this, you'll have to wait until next Sunday. Please don't hunt me down sad puppy eyes And sorry about the somewhat cliff-hanger ending…I hate those as much as the next person.

Elizabeth winced as the brush snagged on a knot. Well, what do you expect after neglecting your hair for four days? She grumbled at herself. She viciously yanked it through the snarl, her mood worsening at the sight of the blonde strands of hair in her brush. After being so used to his mostly-calm and gentle temperament, Gabriel's unexpected breakdown had dampened her already-low spirits. After he rushed away (to seclude himself in the music room, no doubt) she ha stood at the door in a stunned stupor. He'd never snapped at her before.

She set the brush down and left the vanity table, dragging her feet over to her bed and sitting down. The tiny yellow diamonds on her wall sparkled from the candle she had lit.

He was more than angry…he was…upset. Sad, even. What was it about breaking the curse that made him snap like that? I grew up around lots of men in the village his age…well, that seemed his age, anyways, but none of the were so…well, emotional.

None of them are Gabriel either, she reminded herself. And he'd given up the chance to break his curse…whatever the way to break it was. For her.

No, not for you, Elizabeth, her sensible inner voice corrected her. For the both of you. He said it was the only choice the demon gave you to get out of there, remember?

But it had to be something else…the both of them could have found a way out eventually… She closed her eyes and strained to remember what had happened after her blackout. There had to be something, anything, she might have heard…as she concentrated, she remembered the faint conversation of two voices.

"Maybe I could give your 'angel' back to you…for a price."

"Done. What is it?"

…"Your humanity. If you wish for me to let her go, for her to return to the castle with you, then you will never be able to become human again. On the other hand, I will release my curse from you, and you would appear as you used to. But…You will never be able to see her again. She will remain with me, as my bride. A replacement for my fiancé."

"If I give up my humanity, if I choose the first option…you will let Elizabeth go?"

"You have my word on it."

"Then I'll do it."

She opened her eyes.

"…what the.." Gabriel had a choice! He could have become human again! He sacrificed that for her!

"And I acted like a complete idiot!" she hissed. She jumped off the bed and ran out of her room and down the hall, her hair flowing out behind her.

I have to go find him and apologize!

Gabriel sighed angrily and tossed another crumpled page of music over his shoulder, where it joined a considerably large pile that was growing on the floor.

I can't just get it right! He dropped his quill onto the floor and began to bang his head off of the piano, which resulted in disharmonized, horrorific clanging noises. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

He lifted his head up, a welt now forming under his fur. You haven't been very smart, recently, have you Gabriel? First you yell at Elizabeth--the girl who you just gave up your human life for!--and now you cant even finish a simple concerto! Why don't you just sever your head…it doesn't seem to be much use to you!

His eyes drifted numbly to his ink well, which had clattered to the floor, black ink pooling around the shattered glass.

An appropriate symbol for my life--ruined. I was so ignorant to think I had even the slightest hope of breaking this--!

Oh, be quiet! He scolded himself. You should be grateful that Elizabeth is safe and alive! If you had left her there…well, you wouldn't have left her there. You couldn't have! You love her, for goodness sakes! Pull your pitiful self together, jackass! How can you even complain about your situation! Be grateful that you have Elizabeth, and that she's alive!

And you yelled at her! For just giving a damn about what happened to you!

He quickly stood up, banging his leg against the piano as he did so. Cursing ( he had picked up on some of his mothers colorful language as a child) he rushed ot of the music room, slamming the door behind him.

I have to go find her and apologize!

Elizabeth had just skidded into the center of the entrance hall when she ran into Gabriel. Literally. They ran into each other, Elizabeth coming from the East Wing, Gabriel from the music room. She hit him almost full-on and would have fallen onto the floor, had Gabriel not snatched her arm at the last second and steadied her. She regained her balance, her face flushing a deep red.

"Oh, I'm sorry-"

"I didn't see you-"

Her blush (and embarrassment) deepened as they spoke a the same time. "Uh, were you, um, going somewhere?"

"Actually, I was going to go looking for you-"

"I was looking for you!" she interrupted.

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Is there something you wanted to say? Because I just wanted to tell you-"

"-that I apologize," they both finished. Gabriel stared at her for a moment the burst out laughing. Elizabeth soon joined in.

"Was the weird, or what?" she giggled. Her face was still red, but now from laughing so hard.

Gabriel shook his head slowly. "I haven't laughed like that for decades." He looked down a her and said on in a more solemn tone "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize! It was my fault for bugging you about it…after you…you know."

"All the same, I apologize. I was just…tense. I promise I won't ever do it again," he said, bowing.

"Hey, what's all that about? You didn't even really yell at me." She put a hand on his shoulder. "And you've already saved my life more than once. You don't have to promise me anything."

He blinked. "Okay, ange. Whatever you want." He brightened up a bit. "You know, we didn't really read that much of that book…would you like to go back to it? Unless you're tired, because that be fine-"

She cut him off, smiling. In some ways, he reminded her of an awkward teenager. "It's a date."

Miles away from where Elizabeth and Gabriel were curled up in the library together, reading, Jason paced furiously. A plan, he'd have to think up another plan!

Everything he'd done, in the past thirteen years and up until now, had been about exacting revenge. It had failed horribly, though.

While Gabriel looked like a monster, he obviously wasn't one in the eyes of the wretched blonde trollop. How could she ever feel affectionate toward him? It was a flaw, a flaw in the curse he had cast. He should have erased Gabriel's' mind along with his humanity.

And the ransom he'd demanded, in return for the girl, Gabriel had paid almost without any hesitation.

He must truly care for her, to give that up.

But the girl, Elizabeth… She had already proved she could use magic. Despite what Gabriel had said about the leftover magic that lingered in the maze, Elizabeth had banished the faeries herself.

She must be a very powerful mage, if she could do that without meaning to. Probably there was a Wiccan or a mage in her family.

But, no matter how powerful, she could never match the strength of a demon's curse. When placed, it could last forever.

And it will.

Pausing in front of the fireplace, he brushed a few strands of silver hair out of his face. He was old, older than most would guess. And he had lived a great deal of his years alone…until, of course, Marie showed up.

And then the Noirmorts took her away!

He clenched his fists, sharp nails biting into his palms. How was it that Gabriel, who was cursed to appear a monster until he died, could be happy, and he, one of the most powerful demon-sorcerers alive, could not? If only he could bring Marie back from the afterlife…

…but I can't. Necromancy is forbidden. And no-one has ever survived an attempt to bring back the dead.

Resuming his restless pacing, back and forth, and idea struck him. He stopped before his armchair and knelt down, taking a clear orb out from under it. Made of blown glass, it was entirely transparent, and delicate.

But, when using the right incantation…

He murmured the words of scrying in the ancient tongue of demons, and dense black fog appeared in the orb. Jason said another few words and the fog began to clear, until the orb contained a perfectly clear image.

Of the Noirmort castle. In the library, to be precise. Staring intently at it, he watched and listened to Gabriel and Elizabeth, who were seated on the couch reading a book. Sitting very close to one another.

How touching. It makes me want to throw up.

"Gabriel?" she looked up from the book.

"Hmmm?"

"About the curse…what was it that would've broken it? I'm just curious…"

Gabriel sighed, keeping his gaze on the book.

The demon squinted at the title, and saw it was Romeo and Juliet.

A tale about two lovers who could never be together, and died together as well…how fitting.

"As I've said, there was no way it would be broken, even before I made the deal…the way it could be lifted was impossible."

How true, Gabriel, how true.

"Tell me."

"Elizabeth…maybe one day I will. But right now…I'd rather not. Is that alright with you, mon ange?"

"Of course." She smiled. "But I really don't think whatever it was is impossible. You have away of exaggerating certain things…" she poked one of his arms, "like your appearance, for example. When Giles--and you, for that matter--kept telling me how horrible you looked, I was beginning to think you were like some terrifying creature, brought back from the grave after being dead for a few months."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you think this," he indicated his face, "is better?"

"Definitely. Like I've said, I think the fur is cute."

The demon frowned. The girl was obviously mentally ill.

"Anyways, my point here is that whatever you say is impossible, is probably the most simple thing in the world."

He smiled wryly. "And should I be flattered of offended by this?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Whatever you want." With that, they both dropped the conversation and went back to the book.

Jason placed the orb back under the chair. He was glad that he had made the curse permanent…because he could see that the girl loved Gabriel. Maybe it was just the love she would show to a friend, maybe it wasn't. She clearly didn't even know it yet.

But he was sure she did, all the same.

Turning his thoughts away from that particular subject, he reflected on what he'd told Gabriel: A life for a life a death for a death.

Maybe doing necromancy with just the traditional spells wouldn't work…

…but given a sacrifice, a girl the same age Marie had been…

…it just might work.

Jason tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.

A life for a life…

A death for a death…

Elizabeth for Marie…

Yes.

It might just work.