KITTY:

Kathleen Jones sat absentmindedly at the council meeting, twirling a strand of her mottled hair. She didn't even know why she was here. With a sigh and a frown, she slouched lower into her chair, watching the clock. She was bored. Bored bored bored bored booored bored! She should be making plans: trips and travels, research and practice, but instead she was in some stuffy room with a bunch of boring ministers talking about boring reform to some boring problem. Yeah, she was really making a difference.

Was this really the change she had fought for all these years? The change she had sacrificed any resemblance of a normal life for? The kind of change Nathaniel and Bartimaeus had died for? Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe she was just running a way. Sure it sucked to wake up and see first thing out your window the wreckage and remaining magic that had killed her...what was the word? Friend? Archenemy? Scourge? Possible lov-

"Miss Jones?" A voice called out for her. She startled to Mr. Button leaning over her. It appeared the council was leaving.

"Oh, sorry." She said, trying not to yawn as she got out of her chair. "I must have been daydreaming..."

"So it appeared!" The old man chuckled. "What a dull lot then? I could barely contain my joy when they motioned to break for lunch, care to join me at that little cafe down by the park?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Button." She said, straitening out her jacket. "I have some...buisness to attend to this afternoon...possibly tomorrow?"

"Ah well, if we can survive another one of these ordeals," He said, shaking his cane at the departing ministers. "Than I do believe I shall take you up on that offer!" He said his face crinkling into a smile, which then faded. "If I may be so bold, is something troubling you?"

"Troubling me?"

"You have seemed so distressed these last few days, my dear." He said, patting her on the arm. "After the...incident, you know." Kitty ground her teeth, she hated people calling it that: an incident. Incidents were when you spilled your afternoon tea on the rug. Incidnets were when you forgot you left the dog out of its kennel when you went away. Incidents were not when a 4,000 year old demon lord murders the government and people you care about.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Button." She said, smiling a bit too brightly. "Just a bit tired, I suppose." Mr Button frowned.

"The boy...Mandrake...were you very close?" He asked. Kitty froze for a moment, her face losing all emotion. Mr. Button tried desperately to backtrack. "I mean, if there was something that...I didn't mean...if you need to talk..." He tried.

"Thats quite alright," She quipped, grabbing her things to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said, walking briskly out of the room. The truth was, she didn't know how to answer that question. Certainly their relationship had not been all flowers and roses, but...she couldn't help but feel close to him.

The time they had spent together before the end had felt so dear to her. No more hate, no more delusion, just them. Fighting together, laughing together, and it had felt so naturally, so right. So much so, she just knew she couldn't let him go yet. Which was exactly why she had to make sure. Which was exactly why, as she walked quickly to her dingy apartment, she was going to do what she needed to be done.

-*-

BARTIMAEUS:

Boy, this kid was having some real adjustment issues. After a couple (dozen) hours, he had managed to make himself look like he had on earth, even though I couldn't imagine why he would of wanted to do that. Regardless, he was a quick learner, and he would need to be, with all that raw power. Right now he was sitting/floating around in his classic white button shirt/black pants combo. You'd think after all he's been through he would get a bit better taste in fashion. As for myself, the classic Ptolmey lioncloth/kilt deal was pure classic.

"Soooo..." He said slowly. "What exactly do you do?" I nearly burst with irritation.

"You called yourself a magician?!" I said, rolling back onto my heels. "We follow whoever decides to conjour us ups will! Like all that stuff I did for you. Remember?!"

"Oh..." He sounded less than thrilled.

"Yeah," I snorted. "Not so great from out point of view, now is it Natty boy?" This was kind of hilarious for me, to see the master become the slave, but I did feel a tinge of sadness for him. Then it went away. He sulked. "Look on the bright side, at least you now have considerable power, as oppose to people to boss around with the power. Cuts out the middle man."

"Power?" He said glumly, leaning on his hands.

"Yes, you know, the thing you were a complete douche about for most of your life." I said, completely sick of explaining myself. "For centuries, you humans have been trying to emulate our perfect powers: spells, charms, and the like. But, it doesn't even come close to the real thing." The Egyptian boy raised his hand and a flame overcame it, not even marring the skin.

"Ah, like the Detonations and the like?" Nathaniel asked.

"Naturally." Oh, he was too cute. "Most spirits contain one or two elements, I myself am a most deadly combination of fire and air." I said, flaring out to a plume of smoke to accentuate my point. He seemed unimpressed.

"So what can I do? Which elements?" He asked. This was about the time I was ready just to admit how much more power than little brat had then me, which happened to be quite a bit.

"You think you get an element?" I sneered. "You'd be lucky if you could make a Shield." I said, rolling my big yellow, floating eyes. (A little lying never hurt anyone, right?)

"But you just said earlier-"

"Hold that thought." I said, pausing. I knew this feeling...could it be...?

"What is it?" The boy demanded, standing up. My essence quivered, from the very bottom of my feet up I could feel myself being tugged away.

"I'm being summoned..." I said dumbly. Who in their right mind would try to summon a dead djnni?

"But who...?"

"About to find out Nat," I said, as I began to dissolved. "See you later."

"Wait, Bartimaeus!" He cried, reaching out after me (Completely futile action by the way). But it was too late, I was on the fast track for earth.

-*-

The pentacle first filled with smoke. Then from the seemingly endless depths within, a hand reached out. Then another. From the circle, a beastly minotaur reared it head and bleated out a war cry as it pulled itself upwards, its teeth glowing in the candle light. Another successful entrance, bound to terrify the most steely of souls. Naturally.

"Bartimaeus?" A voice called. I whirled around. It was her.

"Kitty?" The blueish-grey minotaur gawked.

"You're alive..." She whispered from her pentacle, falling quite gracefully to her knees. (Almost cat-like, ironically enough.)

"Well...erm-yes..." The minotaur shuffled side to side awkwardly. What exactly would one say in this situation? Thanks, you too? Well, there wasn't much to say, as at that moment the girl was on the floor sobbing. It was around this point I noticed the giant hole in the pentacle, clearly smudged out for me. As kind as this was, it was either the pentacle or cry-y McSad woman. I chose pentacle.

"You can come out if you want," She said. "There are no-" She stopped to sob some more. "I couldn't restrict you..." She choked out.

"Oooh! I hadn't noticed! Isn't that nice?" I said, daintily putting a hoof outside the circle. "So...how have you been?" I prompted, nudging her gently.

"I've been better..." She said, wiping her tears and standing up. "I just had to make sure...what happened?" She said. "How did you...Nathaniel...and the palace...?"

"He dissmissed me before the thing blew." The minotaur said, morphing into the Egyptian boy. "Don't you just hate it when they go all noble on you?"

"So Nathaniel..." She said. "Was there any...?" She said, hope rising in her face.

"I'm sorry Kitty." The boy said. A look of hopelessness and despair overcame her expression.

"There's no chance...?" She said feebly. I bit my lip.

"No chance." I said finally. I lied. Of course I lied. He was a spirit now, she was a human. She would age, get old; he would never have to. She would remain on earth forever, while the Other Place was his home now. "Kitty-" I started.

"No," She said, wiping her nose. "I knew it all along, I just had to see..." She cleared her throat. "Thank you Bartimaeus." She said finally. That stabbed like no other. "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome." I stuttered. Her dark eyes were flooded with raw hurt. Usually I don't get weighed down with these silly little things like 'guilt', but this was horrible. "Do you want to go now?"

"Yes." I said a little too quickly. Awkward didn't even begin to describe this. Somewhere inbetween her pain and my conscience and this silly little crush I knew I had to do something. "Wait, Kitty." I said.

"Yes?" She said, not even bothering to look up.

"Nathaniel...he's....uhm..." I stamped my foot in frustration. "Oh hell! Get up and grab some chalk, you want your boy back or not!?"