Once upon a time, there was a fanfic writer named Musica Diabolos who delighted in writing horrible cliff-hangers for her reviewers. They banged her over a head with a large stick and she decided that there would be no more cliffies as bad as the one in the fourteenth chapter. Ah…Chapter 15 is finally here. Hope you guys didn't plot out my murder step by step…but I promise you this: I won't ever kill Nathaniel. At least not violently.

So…in this chapter…meh, not telling you again. You'll have to read it. Yes, meh is a word…it's my word. Be quiet. You would not believe how long I have waited to write this chapter…by the way, love the title. Yes, you…love it. Only six updates left!

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Meh.

Too Many Sorrows

"I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away..."

- Goodnight, My Angel (Billy Joel)

Previously...

"No!" she cried, as he stepped forward to meet it. Bartimaeus held her back with both of Ptolemy's arms. "Let me go! You don't understand!"

Her eyes widened in horror as the dragon opened its jaws wide. An immense ball of fire enveloped Nathaniel within seconds.

Kitty screamed.

Her cry shattered the air around her. No, it couldn't be true, it couldn't…Kitty was meant to stop it…it hadn't happened, it was just another nightmare…

Bartimaeus released his firm grip on her, and she fell to her knees, gasping. But no tears, none at all: the walls she'd built up long ago held firm.

"Why?" Kitty cried out at the top of her lungs, her voice breaking, "Why did you send me here if not to save him?"

There was no answer, although she wished there was. Anything to break the silence…even the dragons had flown off after Nathaniel was incinerated, leaving behind nothing but the receding smell of smoke. Flames, she remembered him saying only minutes before, brought down in flames…

It was all too true. She turned slowly to the djinni, who wore an impassive expression. Demons had no emotions, really…

"I want to go home," Kitty said quietly and grimly. She turned to the little girl beside them, who was staring at the place where Nathaniel had been destroyed. "I don't really know who you are, but maybe you should just come back to London."

The strange green eyes flicked to her briefly before turning back to the blackened field. Kitty lost her temper; she had had just about enough of this silent treatment.

"Come on!" she shouted suddenly. "You may not be able to talk to me, but we're sure as hell going to get out of here. I don't want to be on this bloody island anymore!"

The girl continued to stare at the same place, her hair preternaturally rigid in the breeze that had sprung up. Frustrated and breathing hard from her sudden rage, Kitty turned her head to the field as well, unwillingly forcing herself to see where…

Kitty's breath caught in her throat; her legs shook and she almost fell to her knees again.

A dark figure got to its feet in the centre of the burnt grass…

Nathaniel lost consciousness as the burst of heat hit his weakened body, propelling him to the ground. The pain was unbearable; he did not cry out, though, because he knew it would all be over soon…perhaps death, at least, would release him from his torment…

Then it was over; the flames were gone, the dragons gone off in search of other victims. He should have known this had happened; his body was invulnerable to anything that Nathaniel had not already received before dying. Apparently, death by fire was not his to keep.

Kitty…he coughed, the soot lodging uncomfortably in his throat. This would have broken her…after all she'd been through, the visions and nightmares about him…

Nathaniel felt no more pain. His staff had been burnt into ash, but it didn't matter. He turned and ran towards the figure with dark hair he could barely see in the distance. Nathaniel didn't stop running until he was in front of her…tears pricked his eyes as he saw the shock and painful relief stamped on her features. Too many sorrows…and now he would have to explain it all to her.

The other thing he saw was Kathleen, and a smile lit her face like the sun in the sky on Earth. Nathaniel had a strange feeling that she'd known it was all going to happen…that it would all, perhaps, be all right…

"Oh my God…" Kitty whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"It's all right," he said hastily, "I'm here, it's really me…"

"H – How?" she managed to squeak out.

"I should have told you before -"

"I saw you die..."

"No, you didn't, Kitty. You see, I – can't be killed here."

"I beg your pardon!" snorted Bartimaeus, speaking for the first time.

Kitty's knees wavered, but Nathaniel caught her arms instantly. They sat down at the edge of the clearing; she was still staring at him in awe, her eyes shining with emotion.

"Don't cry, Kitty," he said awkwardly.

"I'm not." The quiet, controlled response; not what he was used to.

"Well...that's how it is," he continued. "Only the wound I received on Earth can hurt me here, and perhaps worse than it should."

"That's why you were ill..." Kitty said faintly. Tentatively, she placed the back of her hand on his forehead. He knew that he was well again, though.

"You're not hot anymore..." she continued quietly. Bartimaeus guffawed behind her, and Kathleen voiced a rare, quiet laugh.

"I realized that," he replied, trying to bring a little humor back to the situation "I guess being burnt to death really gives a jump start to your bodily functions..."

Nathaniel stopped. Kitty had suddenly thrown her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Gently, carefully, he embraced her as well...

Just as suddenly, Kitty pulled herself out of his arms and slapped him across the face. Nathaniel reeled.

"What was that for?" he asked in barely controlled surprise and anguish.

"For lying to me again!" Kitty cried out, getting to her feet, her face full of unconcealed rage. "You never stop, do you? You lied about my freedom, you lied about getting out of the

Glass Palace without getting killed, you lied about...about this, when you had no reason to! Can't you just -" She stopped, staring at him with sudden remorse.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Kitty asked. Nathaniel rubbed the side of his face.

"No," he said finally, reassuring her. "Nothing here can hurt me, as I sa -"

Kitty slapped him again.

"Oh, bloody hell! I'm sorry," she said. "I just -"

"That's all right," Nathaniel said, wincing a little and feeling very confused. "I really kind of deserv -"

He was cut off as Kitty embraced him once again, harder than before. He returned the gesture, feeling a very different feeling rise within him.

Nathaniel heard her mumble something.

"What was that?" he asked, clutching her close to him. Never, ever, would he let her go again...

"I said, I wish we could get back what we had before..."

"When?"

"Here. Us...I wish we could have that back." Kitty's eyes were sad. Nathaniel regarded her carefully.

"Oh, get a room." Bartimaeus still stood behind them. "This kid's only about six..."

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows, his eyes widening. He took Kitty's hand and led her to a different patch of trees. Another moment spoiled by that djinni...

Kitty's heart beat fast as Nathaniel led her gently away from the others. Soon they were alone again...Nathaniel bent down and whispered in her ear. She could feel his breath against the

nape of her neck, and she repressed a shiver.

"What's stopping us?" he asked her. Something, they both knew...

Gently, he pressed both his lips to hers before standing away.

"Oh, for God's sake, Nathaniel," Kitty said breathlessly. "Learn to act more like a grown-up..."

"We're only teenagers, Ms. Jones," Nathaniel said, grinning suddenly. Then he placed both hands around her head and they shared a real kiss, hidden from the watching world.

It was only when they broke apart and he was stroking her hair when Kitty remembered something.

"Nathaniel..."

"Yes?"

"Why are you...I mean, how could you be...invulnerable to the fire? What caused all this? Was it Nouda? You implied that he did something to you..." Pain flashed across his eyes, and she regretted her question...

"No, Kitty," Nathaniel said, almost reassuringly. Why would she need reassurance? "I don't know any more than you do."

She wanted to believe him, but Kitty knew somehow that he had told another lie...

Too many sorrows. But in the midst of all, there was somehow a love rekindled...it was the sort of thing, Kitty told herself, that only appeared in tragic poetry.

Too many sorrows...

See? No cliffie...had to end this chapter a little earlier than I wanted to, because I have a lot of homework in the final seven days of school. Hope you liked the fluff and that it wasn't horrible...I'm way better at doing angst, I know. See you all soon, loving the reviews...still accepting theories on:

- Who/what Kathleen really is

- What Nathaniel isn't telling Kitty/what Nouda told them

- Why is Kitty having visions

Thanks for making me happy, I'm almost at one hundred reviews with only six chapters left! Sad, but true!