So…hope nobody's mad at me for killing Nathaniel. After all, he was already dead; there was no way around it, and a full resurrection wasn't really possible in the context of my story. Also, sorry for the delay last chapter; the document manager wasn't working. I wrote this chapter while I was waiting to post the other one, so it's all nice and quick!

As I said before, Kitty goes home in this chapter. She discovers what that paper in her pocket is and goes to meet someone special…a bit angsty, but I promise the epilogue will be relatively happy despite everything! Oh, some complaints about the prolific emotions of the last chapter…this chapter isn't like that as much, sorry if you didn't appreciate that style of writing.

Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, it probably doesn't belong to me.

Amendments

"If I could fall into the sky,

Do you think time would pass me by?

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you tonight…"

- A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton)

I may not have mentioned it to you before, but there are definitely times in life when it is best not to say anything; as you can imagine, this was one of those times. Why else would I be bringing it up?

So after all the melodrama and emotional revelations, which were proving to be a bit too much for my tastes (call it favouritism, but I prefer action to discussion, especially when it's not exactly appropriate for me to be the one talking), Nathaniel was gone and we were somehow transported back to the field. Crazy.

I'd honestly begun to feel sorry for the poor kid, despite everything he'd done to me over the years; the bruises on my essence weren't gone yet, even though he was. In the end, when we had been fighting Nouda, there had been a certain heroic collaboration between us; when he dismissed me I'd grudgingly accepted it, knowing that it might allow me a permanent stay in the Other Place.

Then Kitty and I had found him here, in bad shape, and…let's just say, my compassion was aroused. What made it worse was that the affection between the two of them was so blindingly obvious that I didn't know what we would do if anything happened. When everything was explained at last, I worried for the both of them; Kitty more than ever, because she was still attached to the mortal world (poor thing) and had no way of saving him.

Even though Kitty hadn't confirmed anything, I had an inkling that something supernatural was involved as well. Honestly, visions don't just come from nowhere; spirits don't even have them, let alone humans. The implications were a little frightening, even for me, so I decided to leave her well enough alone.

Now Nathaniel was truly gone, and the very dilemma I had feared earlier was now coming into play. What would Kitty's reaction be? Even though she had been the one who had encouraged him to make a spirit's choice, she had been crying earlier.

I had reckoned without her strength of character, however.

"Well," Kitty said quietly, "I guess we should be heading back."

That surprised me.

"You sure?" I said lightly. "Oughtn't we to hang around to make sure the – er – island of Hominis Mortuus doesn't throw him back here again?" I was proud of my skill with Latin translation.

"There isn't such a place," she said dully, "and besides, he's really gone…from all things. To die on Phasma Mortuus is to die on all places, remember?"

"So you won't even meet up in paradise (or whatever you humans call it) sometime soon?" Oops, maybe shouldn't have brought that up. Kitty looked at me with a blank expression.

"No, I guess not," she replied flatly. "Let's go home."

Like I said, there's times when it's best just not to speak up.

Bartimaeus flew them both back to the beach fairly quickly, which didn't give Kitty a lot of thinking time. God, she needed thinking time. What the hell was she supposed to do now? Everything from the moment Nathaniel had 'died' to the time her visions had led her to Phasma Mortuus again, everything had been based on getting him back. And now she had purposefully pushed him so far away that that was truly impossible.

But did she really want him back at home? Kitty had seen him suffer the way no human being should have to suffer, and if he hadn't made the choice to disappear and be mortal once more it would have been like that for a very long time. Would it have been worse going home with that in mind, or just the fact that he was dead?

Nathaniel…she wasn't sure just what she felt about him anymore. Despite his painful revelations, leading to the unveiling of the true power that had been behind her visions, he had kissed her and told Kitty he loved her. That was something no one had said to her, ever, except her parents; and they had betrayed her.

Then again, so had he. No love was perfect, Kitty knew; she had seen enough soap operas and read enough Shakespeare to understand that. The real trouble was having to believe it now.

She looked up, realizing Bartimaeus was watching her.

"You all right?" he asked. "You looked all funny for a second – not that that's abnormal," he added with a smirk.

"Shut up. Can you get us back?"

The djinni nodded and spoke a word. Sparkling white fire rose from Ptolemy's outstretched to envelop them both; Kitty closed her eyes.

Rebecca Piper sighed and placed a hand over her eyes. Already it had been a long day; the commoners had been driving her crazy, Mr Button was on vacation in Egypt, the new summoning laws were about to be dissolved without a high-level magician's consent…and now Kitty was missing.

When she had fainted in the middle of the Council meeting, Piper had been worried enough. Then her boyfriend Kevin had called last week, wondering if she had seen her at all. This was completely unlike Kitty; normally she was a very reliable person, not one to run off and elope, for instance. Although, Piper corrected herself, she would hardly have left her boyfriend behind if that were the case.

She wondered, perhaps, if Kitty didn't just need some time by herself; the shock of John Mandrake's – Nathaniel's – death seemed to have affected her particularly. Piper had her suspicions that there was more than simple heroism that had brought them together during the demon invasion. Perhaps she should just leave Kitty alone…

The phone rang.

"Hello? Oh, hello, Mr Greenstone. No, I've no word from that Hungarian magician and I don't have high hopes…yes, I know the new laws are in danger, but there's not a lot I can do. I think I'll give Kitty another call, see if she's home…yes, see you later."

Piper buried her head in her arms. The interim government was in danger of collapse; they needed the consent of a higher magician to do anything substantial other than withdrawing the troops and making a new police force. Action needed to be taken; political action, not the other kind.

She picked up the phone for the twelfth time that day, sighed, and dialled the number.

The phone rang as Kitty walked listlessly through the door. Who would be calling her at…wait, what time was it? Two o'clock in the afternoon…that was alright, then…how long had she been gone?

With a pang Kitty realized that three months had passed when Nathaniel was on Phasma Mortuus for only three days…what if the same thing had happened? Hoping fervently that nobody had filed a missing person's report – that would only get complicated – she ran to the phone and answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"Kitty? Oh, thank God…"

"Piper? How long was I gone?"

"Three weeks! How could you not tell?"

Kitty bit her lip. Three weeks wasn't as bad as it could have been…

"Oh, just lost track of the time…it only felt like a few days to me. How's the Council?"

"Where have you been? My phone's been ringing off the hook; everyone's been looking for you…"

"I was in…" Kitty paused. What sounded reasonable? "Paris."

"Paris? Why would you go there?" Piper sounded faintly hysterical.

"Calm down, Becca. I just needed to…get away, salvage some time alone. Get my health back."

"Oh, is that what you were doing?" Kitty winced; Piper's voice sounded at increasingly higher intervals. "Why couldn't you just – pop off to the spa or something? Kevin kept calling me in search of you…kept going on about some mysterious cousin he had seen at your house…Kitty, I thought you had been kidnapped!"

"I'm fine…doing much better, actually." She remembered that her hair and skin were back to normal after her trip to Phasma Mortuus. "Why don't you just tell me what's been going on?" Kitty twirled the phone cord between her fingers; she still needed to dismiss Bartimaeus, loathe as she was to do it, and she was getting tired.

"Well…the summoning laws are about to be dissolved for good…"

"What? Why?"

"I told you why! We can't find a single sixth-level magician in the whole Continent who wants to help us!"

"Unsurprising, really, considering what the Empire's done to most of them over the years."

"I know, but that's supposed to be changed now…I had contacted a magician in Hungary who seemed okay with signing the form, but I haven't heard back from him and -"

"Give me his number. Maybe he just needs more – forceful handling." Kitty gritted her teeth. The government needed to pass this law, or they would be in danger of collapse.

"Well, all right – do you have some paper?"

"One minute…" Kitty glanced around the desk, found a pen but no paper. She rummaged through her pockets desperately, and came up with a small slip. "Here we go…"

She turned it over, saw there was writing on it, and gasped.

"Kitty? Kitty, what's going on? Are you all right?"

Kitty read the words Nathaniel had written on the paper over and over in her head. How could he possibly have known?

"Piper…" she turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. "Forget the Hungarian magician. I think I've found someone else."

"What? Who?"

Kitty smiled. "You'll see."

Approximately three hours later, a young-looking dark-haired woman entered the refurbished government establishment of Richmond, carrying an unmarked manila folder and looking exceptionally pleased about something. Rebecca Piper, the Secretary of State, met her at the door, grinning.

"Come on, Kitty! You look great, by the way. Council's waiting…are you going to tell me?"

"Not yet, Piper."

They walked quickly to the large wooden door. An attendant opened it, inclined his head respectfully, and let them through.

It was just as Kitty remembered it from what seemed only a few days ago to her; the polished new table, the new Prime Minister and his elected representatives sitting around it. All of them looked rather excited at her appearance, and several of them whispered to their neighbours. Kitty had expected this; none of them had seen her actually appearing her age.

"Good day, Mr Greenstone," she said, taking an empty seat.

"Good day, Ms Jones. I believe you had something to show us?" Even the normally aloof Prime Minister seemed unduly agitated.

"Indeed I do." Kitty opened the folder and took out the slip of paper. On it were these words:

I, John Mandrake, registered magician ninth level, give permission to the newly established British government to conduct constitutional amendments in the interest of the people. In the name of the Empire, these amendments should be carried out by any qualified representative of our country from this day forth, regardless of birth, former social status, or former employment.

Sincerely,

John Mandrake

Below it was an elaborate signature that could only be Nathaniel's. Kitty passed it to the Prime Minister, who read it silently, smiling slightly. The ministers, most of them commoners, could take the suspense no longer; many of them rushed (in a dignified way) behind Arthur Greenstone's chair to see what it said. Many of them goggled at Kitty, including Piper.

"But…that's imposs -" she began.

"I suppose it would be to no great use if we were to ask you how you got this?" the Prime Minister asked politely.

"He wrote this before he died," Kitty said bluntly, not wishing to divulge the truth behind her discovery and knowing that Greenstone would understand. "I came upon it in – rather lucky circumstances."

"Which were…" one of the ministers looked curious. Piper glared at him.

"Thank-you very much, Ms Jones," said Greenstone. "This is exactly what we need."

"You're very welcome," she replied politely. "If you don't mind, however, I really must be going. I have – other engagements today."

The attendant bowed her out as she returned home.

"So, how'd it go?" I asked when Kitty walked back in the door.

"Well enough," she replied. "The commoners are allowed to pass the new summoning laws, now, which means that spirits can only be enslaved if it involves something the magician is incapable of doing themselves."

I whistled.

"That sure decreases the rate of summoning. And all thanks to Nat…who would've thought?"

"Yes." Her mouth was suddenly a grim line, and I regretted mentioning him again.

"So…what now?" She looked at me and smiled slightly.

"Would you like me to dismiss you?"

"Oh," I said, taken aback, "well, if you feel like it…"

"I might summon you now and again, just to chat."

I smirked.

"You'll be the only one…have you checked out your new copy of Trismegistus' records? They've labelled me as deceased!"

"Yes, I noticed…well, there are a couple pentacles in the next room…"

The dismissal went smoothly enough, although neither of us spoke much. To tell the truth, I was afraid of hurting her anymore than had already been done…still, plenty of time for talk in the future. I wasn't going anywhere.

Kitty sighed and ran a weary hand through her hair. With Bartimaeus gone, she didn't really know what to do anymore; the frequent mentions of Nathaniel since her return were causing too many bad thoughts that she needed to get out of her head.

At least she wasn't getting any more visions; apparently, 'Kathleen' had decided to leave her well enough alone, now that Nathaniel was gone for good. For this she was glad; despite the 'power's' claim that they had been a gift, she would do very well without them.

Only one thing remained to do, and she was rather afraid; there was always the chance that he wouldn't have her back anymore. But, if truth be told, she needed him more than anything just now.

Kitty walked all the way to Kevin's apartment; it was a long way, but it took her mind off things to see all the people in London again. Things were looking up; instead of the sullen faces she'd been used to during the war, many people were smiling and laughing again.

Everyone but her.

Promise me you'll move on. One of the last things Nathaniel had said to her, but she wasn't yet sure if she could take it to heart. How was she supposed to forget him, what they'd shared and what she'd now lost?

Was it love, then? The void inside her told her so, but she wasn't certain about anything anymore. Sure, they'd kissed; they'd exchanged fond words; but were they perhaps only caught up in the moment? It seemed hard to believe that, a little over three months ago, she had still considered him her enemy. Still considered him that pompous little John Mandrake that she should have left to die.

Funny how some things act like such catalysts in our lives; the slightest hint of danger to their world, and his other side had been brought out. Nathaniel…a hint of the boy he had been, with morals and softer emotions. Kitty would never truly understand the rather artistic way he had adopted his alternate personality; then again, he was a magician, and an unfathomable one at that. Still, perhaps she had understood him better than most in the end…

Without realizing it, she had walked all the way up the stairs to Kevin's apartment. Kitty blinked, staring at the plain black door and wandering just what she was going to say. Raising a fist tentatively, she knocked on the door.

The sound of feet hurrying, a young man breathing hard, the slight squeak of an old doorknob turning; then it was open, and Kevin was revealed to her.

For a moment neither of them said anything, staring into each other's eyes. Then Kitty burst into tears and collapsed into his arms.

"I did! I did love him…"

Ta-da! Basic ending for the story…hope you noticed the connection between that and an earlier chapter, when Piper asked her if she loved him. Anyways, epilogue coming up right away, hope you liked this chapter because I loved writing it!