A/N- Woohoo, I finally finished that chapter--I mean (coughs) poor Gabe and Liz. -.-; . Ahem. Well, I'll try to add in a cheesy reunion in a few chapters or so…hopeless though I am, I love those! They make me laugh. In a good way!

"Well? Have you gotten to work yet?" Jessica snapped, glaring at Jason with her golden eyes over her glass of water.

Jason yawned and looked at her haughtily. "Give me a break. You know I've been busy."

"Oh, doing what? Ruining some innocents' lives?"

"Excuse-moi, Jessica, I forgot; you're on the good side."

"There are no sides, you idiotic little sorcerer." She set the glass of water down, anger reddening her cheeks. She had unblemished, smooth skin, tanned from long hours of flying in the sun, but her right arm was marred by four diagonal scars, identical to the ones on Jason's stomach. Other than that, she was rather attractive; that is, if you didn't notice the steely, cold glint that always lingered in her golden eyes, or the stiff posture of a long-trained soldier.

Jason wondered about her. She could either be a deadly enemy or a strong ally, or be neutrally in between. She wasn't one he would want to anger foolishly.

I wonder what it is that made her so ruthless, he thought, then smiled. You can't be calling the kettle black, Jason.

"Are you smirking at me?" she accused, eyes narrowing to icy slits.

"No, milady. Just thinking."

"Then keep your thoughts on the task that you agreed to do! Unless it slipped your memory, the plan must be executed in three day's time."

"It didn't slip my mind," he assured her tiredly. "I promise that I'll have done whatever I'm capable of by the third day."

"Good. I will return on the said date." Jessica pushed back her chair and stalked to the door, golden-brown hair glinting as it caught the light of a stray candle. The glass she had set down on the table was jarred as she slammed the door behind her, a few drops of water spilling out.

Jason sighed and took a drink from his own glass, which happened to contain rum.

His own plan had been executed perfectly, in his opinion. Enchanting a demon's corpse so it would become the exact replica of Gabriel was simple, and no-one had noticed him transport the real Gabriel away, in the confusion of the battle.

Getting Elizabeth's locket was also easy; it had snapped off, and all he had o do was summon it. He doubted if she would notice its absence for a while.

Too over-whelmed with her pet's "death", I suppose. Well, you won't have to worry about that for much longer, Elizabeth. Soon you won't have to worry about anything.

After he had finished with Elizabeth, he had finally decided that he would just turn Gabriel loose. After Jason had reported the news of Elizabeth's "death", he had fallen into what Jason suspected was complete and utter despair. He hadn't even spoken since then, which was yesterday, when Jason had looked in on him, except for a few feral growls.

My, my, such a pity. Oh well. It's certainly not my problem if Gabriel's taking the news badly. Now he knows how it feels.

A clock chimed noon somewhere, and he summoned the clear glass orb.

Time to check up on Elizabeth and her friends.

"Has she come out of her room yet?" Pierre whispered.

Jocelyn shook her head unhappily. "No, she hasn't even spoken since Kal brought her home yesterday. Poor Liz…" she sighed. Jocelyn put the last of the food on the small wooden tray. "I'm going to see if she's up for lunch."

"Alright. Yu take care of her; I'll put Caroline to sleep."

"Thank you." She kissed him quickly on the cheek before leaving the kitchen, going down the hallway till she reached Elizabeth's room. Balancing one end of the tray on her hip, she knocked gently on the door. "Liz, may I come in?"

There was no reply. Jocelyn turned the knob and looked in. Elizabeth was lying stomach-down on top of the blanket, head buried in the pillow. Her hair lay in a tangled blonde mass down her back, and she hadn't even changed out of her clothes.

Jocelyn quietly closed the door behind her and set the tray down on the night table, sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn't want to wake her up, but Liz had to eat something. Jocelyn put one hand on her shoulder. "Lizzy, it's noon."

Elizabeth croaked something into the pillow, and Jocelyn almost didn't hear it. After a second, she realized that Elizabeth had said "Gabriel?"

"Sorry, Lizzy, it's Jocelyn."

Elizabeth turned over onto her back and sat up. "Hey, 'Lyn."

Jocelyn winced at the sight of her face: Liz's eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and under them were dark bags. "Feeling any better?"

Elizabeth shook her head morosely. "No. I don't think I ever will." Her eyes filled up, and she wiped at them with the hell of her palm.

Jocelyn felt her heart ache for her best friend and almost-sister. "Can I get you anything?"

Elizabeth looked up, smiling crookedly in a very un-Lizzy like way. "Yes. Gabriel." That's when she broke down again.

"Liz.." Jocelyn leaned forward and hugged her friend. "God Liz, I'm so sorry."

She sniffed. "You know, he promised me that nothing would happen to him. I know it's stupid, but I keep thinking that he broke his promise."

Jocelyn nodded. What her friend needed was to talk, and to have someone listen to her.

Elizabeth sat back, and her hands clenched into fists. "I know that you're going to say that this isn't true, but I keep thinking that it's my fault."

Jocelyn's eyes widened. "And you're right! How can you even think that?"

"If I hadn't gotten into his life in the first place, he might still be alive, at home."

"Don't go blaming yourself for what happened! It was an accident, and you did nothing to aid or cause it!"

Elizabeth looked down at the bed. "I suppose you're right."

"Liz, you look like there's something that's really weighing you down. Care to talk about it? It might make you feel better."

"Yes. It might." She exhaled. "Gabriel…he was always so kind and giving to me…so was always happy when he was in my company. After you left, I was so lonely, and then there was that whole thing with Giles…so he was the only friend I had back home. Even though he was a little shy, he would try everything to make me happy. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jocelyn nodded. "Go on."

"A while after Christmas, couldn't find him, so I went to his room. I felt guilty about I, at the time, but I was curious. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back," she recited, the ghost of smile on her lips. "Anyways, I saw the corner of something sticking out from behind his dresser. I went over and tugged it out." she waited a beat then continued. "It was a painting. Of me. Gabriel is…was… an artist. He did the most wonderful oil paintings….This one showed me in the middle of a ballroom, wearing a formal dress. Only, he added angel's wings on my back. That's what he used to call me; 'angel'.

"I had always suspected that he liked me more than a friend, but it never really hit me until then. It was always right in front of me, but I never noticed it. All the cut-off sentences…he loved me."

"Oh…"

She smiled crookedly again. "And it took me until now to admit that I loved him back. And now I won't ever be able to tell him." She sighed. "I'd do anything if I could just tell him."

"Liz…"

"No, it's alright; well, maybe it's not, but I don't need you to apologize." She swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I think I'll go for a walk. I need to clear my head."

"Alright, if that's what you want." Jocelyn also stood up. "Remember, if you need anything at all…"

"I'll ask. And, apart from bringing back the dead, there is one thing."

"Yes?"

"I don't think that I can face going back home, now that he won't be there. Could I…?"

"You Don't even have to ask! Stay with us as long as you want! After all, you are my sister."

Elizabeth smiled faintly. "Thank you." She hugged Jocelyn before leaving the room, not even bothering to change.

Jocelyn picked up the tray again and followed suit.

Poor Liz…she finally finds someone to love, and then he dies! Something nudged her bare ankle, and she almost shrieked, thinking it was a rat.

Orange fur proved her wrong; Rose meowed from the floor and looked up at her.

It looks like Elizabeth is not the only girl mourning Gabriel, she thought. "Hey, little girl, are you hungry?"

Rose looked at her with eerie intelligence and meowed as if saying "yes."

Jocelyn set a small dish of milk and some fish scraps on the floor for Rose. The cat devoured the fish immediately, then lapped up the milk. When she finished, she looked up at Jocelyn with drops of the stuff clinging to her whiskers. Then, in a prissy fashion, began to groom herself when she saw no other food or drink coming.

She bent down and absently began to stroke Rose's back, who seemed to appreciate the attention.

I hope that Liz'll be ok, Jocelyn thought as Rose purred. Orange hairs clung to Jocelyn's palm, but she barely noticed. She was too busy seeing the look on Liz's face when she said she loved Gabriel imprinted in her mind.

That's the look of a person who'd do anything to have the dead back.

Gabriel sat against the stone wall, hands hanging limply above him. One held on to the delicate golden chain of Elizabeth's locket. Every time he moved, the chains would clank irritably. His legs were drawn up in front of him defensively. Gabriel's eyes were closed, the eyeballs flitting restlessly around under their lids.

Although it was the afternoon, he still slept. Sleep was an escape from reality, and he gladly accepted it.

In his dream, he and Elizabeth were back in the ballroom, dancing. Only this time, there was music; an entire orchestra, by the sound of it. There were other people dancing, but neither Gabriel or Elizabeth noticed them. They were lost in the music and the dancing, twirling around, and around, and around. Elizabeth's dress was made of gauzy blue material, and it swirled at the slightest movement she made. There was some sort of shimmery powder across her face, and her eyes stood out boldly, outlined by black makeup.

He was thinking that she didn't need any makeup in the first place, when the sound of a door opening jolted him awake.

An unfamiliar person set a bowl of water and food on the ground, as he would for a dog. Feeling Gabriel's eyes on him, he looked up and smiled. He was missing three teeth in the front, replaced by fake gold ones. The others were grey. The man wore baggy pants and a vibrantly colored vest, embroidered with green thread.

"You've woken, have ye?" he asked.

Gabriel growled at him in response. He wanted nothing to do with this odd man; he didn't want nothing to do with anyone. His angel was dead; nothing in life mattered anymore.

"Ah, a feisty monster, ye are! All the better," the man laughed. He had dirty grey hair, pulled back with a leather thong.

Gabriel's eyes flashed half-heartedly. He wasn't a monster. Elizabeth had said he wasn't… He opened his mouth to form words, but none would come. He closed it after a second.

"Well? Ain't ye gonna say anything? That man said ye could talk."

Gabriel shook his head. No, he wasn't going to talk. Not to him, not to Jason, nor anyone else.

"Dassn't matter, I suppose; ye'll bring in good money anyways."

Gabriel stared at the man coldly. What did he mean?

The man must've seen the question in Gabriel's eyes. "Oh, ye weren't told, eh? Well, you're joinin' the circus now, with the rest of us. A fine little addition you'll make to the rest of the freaks."

Gabriel regarded the man for a moment, then looked away. Fine. He didn't care. Let them kill him, for all he minded.

Before he knew what was happening, the man walked forward and tugged at the chain in Gabriel's hand. "What's this now? A pretty little trinket you stole from a lady?"

Gabriel tightened his hand around the necklace. He wouldn't let Elizabeth's necklace be stolen by some filthy stranger.

"Ah, fond of it, are ye? Well, no harm in letting ye keep it. Nothing wrong in dreaming, eh? After all, nobody's care for a thing like ye."

Gabriel stared at the man's back as he left the room.

He's right, Gabriel, that voice he hated so much whispered. Elizabeth is dead, and she didn't love you. Maybe she liked you, as a friend, but that's it. Now that she's dead, you're by yourself again.

Gabriel blinked his eyes furiously. No, he would not cry any more. He could make it alone; after all, he had done so thirteen years before he'd met Elizabeth.

Yes, I can bear it, he thought, but his heart disagreed. Usually, he would go on the instinct of his heart, as well as his mind, but now he didn't think he'd be able to. He'd have to rely only on his mind.

His heart, it seemed, was broken.

Elizabeth walked down the streets, half-awake, half in a daze. Everything seemed so unreal: the people, the shops, the street itself…it was like walking in a dream.

Without realizing it, her feet carried her to the Garnier. She could hear faint strains of music filtering out of the building.

Why not? She thought, and walked up the steps and into L'Opera Garnier.

It took her a moment to find her way (her mind and thoughts were slow), but eventually she found her way to the seats and the stage. Taking a seat in the middle, she watched the performers practice. The dancers, like Jocelyn had said, were excellent, and only made one or two mistakes that she could see. She watched them attentively, taking in the colors of their outfits.

After a while, someone she knew walked into the canter of the stage and began a solo. It was Alison, with her hair gleaming under the light. She sang beautifully, but Elizabeth wasn't sure of the words; they all jumbled inside her head, and after a while she gave up and just listened to the tune. Her gaze drifted from Alison and she noticed Kal leaning slightly offstage, watching her sing. Then, she saw him twitch and he locked eyes with her.

-what are you doing here?-

Elizabeth shrugged, having no idea how to answer. Maybe you just thought at the person…

Can you hear me? she thought, looking at Kal.

-obviously. I can read thoughts-

Oh.

-so why're you here?-

I just…was walking around.

-I see-

There was a brief moment of silence, then Kal looked back at Alison. -I can't feel pity, but if I could, I'd give you my sympathy, girl-

Oh…thanks… To her dismay, Elizabeth felt her eyes welling up again. How much longer was she going to cry? Was there a limit on how many tears she could shed? If she continued, would she just shrivel up and dry out? Crying certainly didn't make her feel better…it made her feel worse. Like red-hot needles pricking her eyes.

Soon, she thought, forgetting that Kal could hear her, the tears will choke my throat and heart, and I'll suffocate in them.

-you'll live. I used to know what it feels like-

You heard that didn't you? She thought unhappilythen "used" to?

-before my true nature came out. My entire village, which was my entire race, was slaughtered by humans. I was four-

That didn't make her feel any better, nor did it console her any. …oh…

-and then I killed my foster mother when I was six- Kal said (thought?) conversationally. -a week after that, I lost certain emotions, such as grief, but until then, I felt…like you are feeling, I think-

It feels horrible. She normally would have felt odd spilling out her emotions to a mass-murderer, but she wasn't normal anymore. Normal people had a heart beating in their chest: she had a red-hot ember that just sat there, burning her from the inside-out.

-I don't mean to sound cold, though I am, but it'll stop after a while. You, too, will forget that horrible feeling. Maybe not in a year, maybe not after a decade-

Maybe not ever, she sighed, then stood up, still unnoticed by everyone else. Thanks for listening to me.

-the Princess says being "kind" to people will help repay the bad karma I have- Kal said honestly. -I think she's a bit loose in the upper works, but I hope you feel better, eventually-

She smiled, almost happily. Almost. Thanks anyways. With that as a end to the conversation, she left the building.

Outside, the sun seemed unnaturally bright. She stumbled a moment as she went down the steps, staring at the odd patterns the clouds made against the sky.

"Are you alright, Mademoiselle?" a voice asked, and she looked at the source of it. It was the gypsy-man who had given her directions…was it just the other day? The bells on his scarf gleamed brightly, almost too bright to look at.

"Not really, but maybe eventually," she replied, walking away from the Garnier and leaving the gypsy to puzzle over her odd answer.

A/N- I know, a little overly-angsty, but I'll try to make things more cheerful next chapter!