Thank you for all the constructive critisism guys! I have added the changes, and edited some bits so it's a lot better now- thanks :) I have been neglecting this terribly, but I've had the ending in my head for so long I will get round to writing it soon I promise. Please continue R & R!

I stumbled over the dead brown leaves, scattered across the path and over the rest of the forest floor. I hurried between the trees, my head bowed, and tears beginning to flow down my cheeks. It wasn't dark anymore; it was bright, sunlight illuminating the normally beautiful canopy of orange and red above me. But now it was almost clinical, false, and it only highlighted the death. The dead, useless, empty leaves...

"I don't know what else to do Gwen," Father sighed, hanging up his hat and throwing his coat onto the window seat. He walked to the mantelpiece, leant on it and stared into the fire. I sat down on the chair in the corner, despite the fact it was uncomfortable and in shadows, or maybe because of that. I wanted to sleep, but it was only 4 o'clock. There were so many more hours till I could reasonably retire, till I would actually feel able to sleep. I was just tired of everything that had happened, of everything that couldn't happen, and I just couldn't take it for much longer.

"Gwen, I know how hard it must be on you, and I don't want you to feel you're burdening me," he swallowed. "You're still very capable but... I know there's still something wrong and it's not getting any better."
He paused again, taking off his glasses and beginning to clean them.

"Well, I think it would be better if you went away. Took a long holiday, if you like."

I stared up at him, slightly amazed.

"Just until you feel better," he added hastily. "In fact..."

He turned to look at me, almost anxiously.

"...I think you could marry Frank within the next fortnight, or even the week, and then he could take you for a nice, month long honeymoon."

My eyes widened further, and to my dismay I realised I had a look of horror on my face. I tried to control myself; I bowed my head, rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming my thoughts. I was always going to marry Frank, always, and what was wrong with that? He loved me, I... I did love him, maybe, once. Maybe not anymore. But there was no way to get out of it- I couldn't break his heart so near the end of it, so close to what he had been dreaming of. But Frank was tough, so tough... could it be possible he would be able to handle it?
"Well Gwen, what are you going to do?"

Father was watching me expectantly, and I suddenly felt angry. I wanted to yell that I could do whatever I liked, that I didn't have to do what he thought was best, that I wouldn't do what he thought was best. But I couldn't. He didn't mean it that way, and he had always trusted me to do what I thought was right in the past.

"I'll think about it." I said shortly, and stood up.

"Gwen?"

"Yes Father?" I asked, trying to force a smile.

He frowned at me, then sighed and put his glasses back on.

"You should get some rest now."

I stopped in the doorway, and felt like telling him what was wrong. He would understand, wouldn't he? No, maybe not.

"OK Father."

I felt my eyes beginning to water, frustration and sadness building in me again. I quickly went upstairs, closing my eyes, running blindly down into my room and shutting the door behind me. I held onto the handle, sliding down the wall until I hit the floor, tears flowing down my cheeks for the second time in 24 hours. I hated it, I truly hated it, but I couldn't help it. It was like I was imprisoned in a cage, only my capturers didn't realise what they had done to me. And the only person who would free me had turned away from me, unaware that I was now struggling with all my might to break the bars and join him in the outside world, help him and help myself.

"Oh Larry, Larry, Larry..."

I leaned my head back onto the wall and opened my eyes. I was such a wreck of myself, I couldn't let it continue. I simply couldn't. But before I could do anything, there was a knock at my door.

"Gwen, telephone for you," came my father's muffled voice.

I rolled my eyes, pulled myself off the floor and heaved a heavy sigh. Just when I was beginning to think straight...

I wrenched open my door, slammed it slightly behind me, and trudged downstairs to the telephone.

"Eh, hello?"

"Gwen?"

Frank's voice startled me, and my stomach churned.

"Oh Frank, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, surprised, "I just wanted to talk to you. Why, is something wrong with you?"

Yes, I thought, there is.

"Oh... no, of course not. How are you?"

I tried to make the tone of my voice brighter.

"I'm fine, darling, just been setting lots of traps for this wolf."
"Oh?"

My voice shook a little.

"Yes, we've hidden them pretty well, should work pretty well. We'll have a proper hunt later on tonight."

"Uh-huh? Who else is helping?"
I tried to keep myself calm.

"Oh Colonel Montford, the other groundsmen... I thought Larry Talbot might help out but..."

"But what?" I asked quickly, my heart jumping a little.

"It's very strange..." Frank began. "There's something about the whole thing that affected him strangely. We were having a bit of a joke about werewolves, and he seemed to be almost... angry. Well he definitely went for Colonel Montford when he talked about having a werewolf head stuffed on the wall."

Something lurched in my stomach.
"That's strange..."
"Mmm, isn't it? When we- the Colonel and me- were putting down the traps, he mentioned the night at the fair..."

I remembered that night in a vivid flash, and nearly dropped the phone in shock. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place. Larry, unable to shoot the target of the wolf. Larry, giving me the pentagram. Larry...

"...well he noticed Talbot going into a gypsy tent and came out looking like he'd been given a death sentence." Frank continued. "Strange fellow. Still, I suppose he's friendly enough. You like him, don't you?"

"What?"

I was distracted, and then panicked by the question.

"Oh I suppose... Sorry Frank, I really must go," I mumbled. "Good luck for tonight."

"Thanks Gwen. Love you."

"You too," I replied weakly, and slowly put the phone down. I stood there a moment, unable to think, frozen by the idea that I had had a minute ago. I couldn't comprehend it. I wouldn't comprehend it. It was too ridiculous, too impossible. No, I thought firmly, Larry was just still feeling guilty about Jenny, about the wolf, and not getting there soon enough. That was all that bothered him. And I would help him get over that somehow.

I glanced at the clock in the hallway. It was half 5. Nearly time for dinner, except I wasn't hungry. I hadn't been for a while. But I would have to eat anyway, have to make conversation with my father, have to do whatever I had to do to pass myself off for a few minutes until I could properly go to bed. In the meantime, however, I would read, and try and get lost in some fantasy world that was so much better, yet no less impossible than my own.