Hi!

Joe: Haha, glad it worked out! Thanks for reviewing!

:Concpetion, this is yours, for some reason, it keeps deleting your name. DXI'm glad you liked it! It was fun to write. 8D Thanks for the review!

Shadowfire: Haha, I love the city! Well, it's not much of a city, but there's shops and malls and restaurants everywhere! There's so much to do. I'm a senior, but trust me, boys are always idiots. XD But, we love them anyway. I totally agree with you on the anorexic things, it's ridiculous. We learned about it in my Psychology class, and even though I'm not stick-skinny, I'm SO glad I'm not anorexic. And yes, I just saw the new member to B/K! I'll have to check out his story, and tell him to turn anonymous reviews on for you! XD Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Bartimaeus Trilogy or the title

Rated T for violence, language, torture, and general darkness

CH. 8

Kitty looked at Bartimaeus across her one-room apartment. He was standing, looking out the window, in a patch of sunlight. It made his brown skin gold.

She smiled when he looked back at her. He was so . . .beautiful. So lively and entertaining and self-assured. She couldn't think of words good enough to describe him. He seemed to have a wider range of vocabulary than her. She'd heard him describe people as frenetic and quixotic before. She had no idea what those meant.

"Hey, Kitty," he said, and the sound of his voice saying her name sent her heart racing, "maybe we should drop them money from up here."

She knew he was talking about the street band, and she laughed.

Suddenly she was in the park, but she didn't notice the change. She looked at the silver water running below the bridge she was on.

Bartimaeus was then beside her, looking at her affectionately.

He said softly, "Kitty, you've always listened to me."

She knew that soft tone only came when he was talking to her. It made her feel special, like she was of great importance. She wondered how she could be so lucky to end up with him. Kitty, who never cared about boys, ended up with the best one, and he was djinni. She was blown away at that. He'd be with her-

Her thoughts stopped short. He'd be with her. But he wasn't, was he? He was who knew where with a sadistic magician. She was dreaming.

She bit her lip. "Bartimaeus, I'm coming to get you."

"You remind me so much of Ptolemy."

She looked down. "I'm trying so hard."

He laughed. "This isn't easy for me, either."

She sighed. These were all things he'd said to her before, that night they admitted they loved each other.

"I will find you," she promised.

He paused. "I think I'm in love with you."

She covered her face.

"Kitty," another voice said. "Kitty."

Suddenly she opened her eyes to Algus leaning over her, once again as a man.

They were in a small, cold hotel room. She sat up, sore all over.

Algus shook his head. "You still look terrible. Do you need more sleep?"

"No. But I am hungry."

"Then let's find food."

They checked out and went to a small restaurant, eating in a corner booth. Outside, they city of Madrid was starting to get crowded.

"Any news?" Kitty asked.

"None. But it shouldn't be long until something else is attacked."

They sat in silence for awhile, Kitty eating.

Algus cleared his throat. "You need to take better care of yourself. From your trip to the Other Place your body is older. It can't take what you're trying to give."

Flames sprung up in Kitty's eyes. "It will. It has to. He's more important than me."

Algus leaned forward. "Kitty . . .the man who is doing this is dangerous. He's a real threat. You need to be prepared for whatever he does. And if you won't get enough sleep and eat regularly . . .I'll make you."

She smiled then, knowing he was just concerned. "Fine, you win."

"So," he said conversationally, "what will you do when you get Bartimaeus back?"

"Never dismiss him again."

He laughed. "Well, they say love hurts."

She laughed, too. Then she said softly, "I really miss him."

"He was right about you. You're special."

Kitty stared hard into her drink, thinking. "I wish I could think of a way for us to . . .be together forever. You know?"

Algus nodded. "I know what you're talking about."

She continued to stare down her drink. "I mean, what'll he do when I'm old and wrinkly? Be a grandpa Ptolemy? And what will he do when I die? I want him to be happy forever."

Algus thought before he answered. "Don't worry about it. There's a lot of magic in this world."

She looked up hopefully.

He winked. "And you two are inventive. I'm sure you'll think of something."

Relief washed over her face. She was going to thank him, when he glanced at a group talking and frowned.

"What?" she asked.

He stood up. "We're going to France."

Have a happy Halloween! Sorry this is shorter, the next is longer so I wanted to cut this off. Please review!