Kitty cautiously stepped into the pentacle. Smoke and steam hissed as she penetrated the delicate barrier. Nathaniel lay on the ground, limp on his side as though he had just fallen asleep, his brown hair carelessly strewn across his face. It sure looked like him, but doubts still lingered.

"Wait." Bartimaeus said, inching to the edge of the pentacle. "Even though it looks like him there is a teeny weeny little isty bitsy chance you could of summoned something dangerous." He said, holding up his hand. A controlled blue flame crawled up around his dark skin. "Would you be prepared to see him die...again?" He said, placing his other hand on her shoulder.

"No," She said weakly through cracked lips. "How can I be sure?"

"Well..." Thought the djinni. "You can't, just go with whatever gut feeling you had in the first place. After all, there must have been a good reason, going through all this complex summoning for this twat, frankly I'm surprised something a bit more malicious didn't crawl throw the gate you opened."

"Gate?" She asked, warily.

"Well how else would you summon something without essence?" He said, as if stating the obvious. "Our essence is what goes through the passages, but you have to have a special, and a whole lot more lax cerimony...kind of like just opening a door," He said.

"Like Ptolmeys gate?"

"Heavens no," He said. "The gate would be the front door, this would be like...busting down a wall."

"Great." She said. "Please be there..." She whispered to herself as she reached out to nudge him. She stopped. "Bartimaeus stop it."

"Stop what?"

"That hissing sound, like a deflating balloon, its really annoying." She said, turning to face him. "Can't you be serious?"

"Hissing?" He said, turning pale. "Kitty...that wasn't me..."

"You think...?"

"Hurry, check the room." He said, turning into a fierce looking minotaur, wielding a pair of axes. "Don't hesitate to use force. Remember the incantations?" She nodded, as they both turned to look around for whatever was making the noise. She checked around her bed and dresser, while he searched the corners, closet, and desk. Suddenly it stopped.

"I can't hear it anymore." She whispered to him across the room.

"That can't be a good sign." He said.

"No, it isn't now is it?" A rasping voice hissed. Kitty jumped to her guard to see a shadowy, slender, snake like figure forming in the middle of the room, as if gravitating shadows to form its shape. "Ahhh how good it is to feel the air of this miserable earth for a while." It whispered. "Do I scare you, dearie?" It asked. It had taken the form of some sort of giant python, very long and somewhat slender, reticulated and baring its teeth.

"Its a djinni." Bartimaeus said, holding up his blades. "High level, maybe some experience in Africa?"

"Clever..." It rasped. "How lucky of me to be summoned to such a foolish girl, not even bothering with a pentacle? How rude."

"It was not for you I summoned." She growled, drawing out a silver blade from her bedside table.

"Ahhh yesss." It hissed. "It was for that thing, that had invaded our perfect world."

"He's my friend!" She said. "You will not harm him, demon!"

"I have no interest in such disgusting things." It said, twirling its long tail. "Got dragged in when a big spirit went down...such magic..." The snake shivered. "Not demon and not even man anymore, this world has no place for it...a foolish girl, who would want of such an annoyan-Oooh ahh!!" It cried, at a thrown silver blade slicing throw its esscence with expert prescision.

"He is my friend, it was not his time to die." She said, seething with rage. "I'm not letting him go that easy." The snake hissed as its oozing essence began to heal.

"An unwise choice girl." It said, flaring up. "Now for my real reason for diving throw to this filthy place." It said, opening its jaws. "To feed on foolish magicians like you!" It lunged at her. Kitty dived to the ground, clutching to her silver knife. As the snakes head whirled around, Kitty sliced with the knife the end of its long tail. The snake cried out, and twisted, wrapping the end of its tail around her ankle, and pulling her feet out from under her, until she hit the ground with a hard thunk.

"Kitty!" Bartimaeus said, letting loose a string of detonations. Writhing its skinny body, the snakes head weaved in between each one, make a beeline for Kitty. She rolled futlily, as more and more of the snake wrapped around her. She raised her knife to stab it before a well places explosions from the snake sent it spiraling out of her hand. She held her hands to her face to shield her neck as a pair of hungry fangs came her way. With a small "whmp" the face of the snake hit a glistening Shield created by Bartimaeus.

"Kitty, you have to remember a spell!" Bartimaeus said, appearing next to her. "Come on! Shriveling fire! Contricting bonds! Anything girl! This thing is seriously strong!!" He said, as the Shield began to shimmer the more the snake hissed. "He's undoing my shield, come on!"

"I-I don't know!" She said, as the snake mercilessly squeezed her legs, tighter and tighter. "I'm not a magician!" She cried, truly afraid. "I need help!"

"Well put." A voice from across the room agreed. With that a small word was muttered, and the snake froze. A quick movement of the hand, and the demon burst into flames, releasing Kitty. Scrambling away from the screaming now pile of ashes, Kitty clutched at her clothes, shivering in fear. "Still as useless as ever, Kitty."

Her head whirled around. There, standing a few feet away, he was. He really was. Not a dream, not a specter, not an illusion. It was him, really. "Nathaniel," She breathed, struggling to her feet. She moved over to him slowly, her legs still aching.

"Hey Kitty," He said shyly. "How have you been?" He asked. He response was a swift slap across the cheek.

"Thats for lying to me and going off and getting yourself blown up to save London, you prick!" She said, her face red with anger. "I hate you!" She said, to a very anguished Nathaniel. Then, without another word, she launched herself into a sobbing hug.

"Women," Bartimaeus said dissaprovingly, at a very confused and somewhat dazed Nathaniel. "Good to see you anyways." The minotaur shrugged, before whirling back into the egyptian boy, who became very intent with his fingernails. "So...if I was to be going...?"

"Yes, yes. Go on already," Kitty mumbled, looking up at Nathaniel, her eyes big, and teared.

"Gladly." The boy made a gagging face. "Don't be stranger," He said, as he whirled away in a poof of smoke, not that either teenager noticed.

"It really is you..." Kitty said, letting her fingers guide themselves up to his face. Touching his hair, letting her fingers run over his face, breathing in every moment of him. How wonderful it was.

"Kitty, I'm sorry." He said, hugging her tightly. "I thought I could help you...I should of never bothered you. You were right, about the moving on, I mean, all this could of killed you...you shouldn't have-"

"But it didn't." She replied. "You saved me once again," She half laughed, half cried. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." He said, stroking her hair. They looked at each other for a long moment, and slowly, as if reverently, he drew her head closer to his, as skin met skin and lip met lip in a gentle kiss. Kitty's heart danced in delight as butterflies from her toes up filled every vein in her body. It was a delicate kiss, as if anything too rough might break her, like a china doll. Slowly, they broke apart.

"Your shaking," She said, smiling a bit.

"So are you," He replied. "Pardon me if I'm a bit nervous," He said.

"Me too," She whispered, as they kissed again.

"What are we going to do about Jakob?" He whispered.

"Geez Nathaniel!" She said, dropping her hands from their position around his neck. "Who think about another man while getting some from his own girlfriend?"

"Its kind of important if that other man is the girls fiancee," He said, expaserated. "I told you to say no, now its nothing but trouble! And who ever said you were my girlfriend?! How embarrassing!"

"So I'm not your girlfriend?!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. "You were planning on kissing then dumping me?!"

"I don't know," He smirked. "Farrar still asking about me?"

"Ooooh you!" She raged as Nathaniel laughed. "Nice to see you're just as infuriating in real life as in dreams!" She grumbled.

"You're just too cute when you're all worked up." He said. "But surely you must of had some plan now for the future, Kitty?"

"What? Mister dead-the-know-it-all leaves it up to me? Well..." She said, folding her arms saucily and sauntering up to him. "I was sort of thinking of taking a break from government, do a little travel...maybe to Egypt: Alexandria, Babylon...somewhere sunny and sandy to help aid in the research process...maybe if they had a nice beach there too..."

"But you're going to end this with Jakob?" He asked.

"Never would of pegged you for the jealous type," She said.

"I wouldn't call it jealousy." He said, a tad ruffled. "Precaution? You know I'm certainly not the type that likes to lose, especially with such a prize..." He said, pulling her closer.

"A prize am I?" She cooed. "I think Bartimaeus had a story like this, two lovers, one women, a cup of wine, a white steed, and four swords..."

"Now who's talking about other men?" He groaned.

"Don't be whiney, sweetheart." She said, kissing his cheek gently. "Now come on, we have to tell a lot of people that you decided to pop back into the land of the living, John Mandrake. Also, I'm taking you over to my Mom and Dad's for dinner next Saturday." She said, taking his hand. He sighed.

"Fair enough," He replied, letting her lead him along. "Kitty,"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Any time."

"Kitty?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, stupid magician."