A/N: Well, I have returned after a little while. I think we all need to get our minds off of things and so please immerse yourself in this chapter if you'd like. I think it's good to take a break from the real world every once in a while.

Polydactyly Zodiac: Don't we all wish? *smirks heavily* This is going to be fun for you…

Shadowfang14: Well *laughs* okay, if you think so. Thanks, though! I didn't think it was the best, but I guess it carried itself well. More of a filler. This chapter's better in my opinion, but glad you liked the last one!

Cassandra White: Aw, thanks! Yeah….same honestly. They shouldn't have to leave.

Jon: I'm going to start off by acknowledging your comment on this being a good story, thank you for that. Also, the idea of Greg being the Beast….somebody needs to write that. I admit it's a clever idea that I certainly didn't think of….And…for the last mention. So I assume(d) you meant by 'tap' the fluidity of the paragraphs. On that last chapter, I must admit, my fluidity was really, really, really off, and that's why I wasn't the biggest fan…it was very "and this happened and then they did this" and I hate writing like that because if I do I'm bad at it, but that's what happened with that chapter. As for the rest, I tend to have a specific structure I follow for every fic I write. Each one gets their own sort of…paragraphing…style…if that makes any sense, it's a style and description type that I stick with throughout the story (if I can, that is the hope) so honestly this one does have a little bit of a weird way of placing itself, I do admit. I do like to take feedback, just I wasn't sure what you meant by the 'tap' which I assumed was fluidity but if I am wrong, feel free to correct me. So yeah. Basically that's why my structuring's a bit weird, it just sort of happens, I guess I play around with styles, I'm not really sure. And that last chapter was just really….really back to like… a year ago me. It wasn't so great. But that's due to a lot of things. Okay, I'll shut up now, but thanks for reviewing!

Also goodness knows what's going to happen next…I mean I have plans but … have fun reading it! Onwards!

Greg's POV:

Skipping down to the creek, he stopped and waited for the others to get here. They were walking so slowly! He clutched Jason close to him like he did with his stuffed animals. Everyone else seemed so sad, but Greg was grateful to be going back home. He had to go back home, they were needed there, and Wirt needed to come back as well. By the time the others arrived it seemed like hours later.

"Come on Wirt!" He announced gleefully, and yet stopped as Beatrice came up to him with open arms. "Oh alright you can have a hug."

Beatrice nearly lifted him off the ground and Greg patted her back gently. Jason Funderberker croaked between them, but he shushed the frog immediately. This was a moment. They were going to leave and Wirt was going to go back home and Beatrice…Beatrice wasn't going with them. Greg for some reason felt absolutely miserable about this, and yet didn't want to cry. He was the strong one here. He would show them. No tears were going to leak out of his eyes today.

Once the older girl was pulled back and then attacking Wirt with a hug, Greg looked away from them only to have a hand land on his shoulder. He turned to face Lorna, who had a kind smile on her face. It was like they would all cry today!-But he wasn't going to as he had promised himself. Jason Funderberker was once more squeezed in a terrible hug and let out a large croak only to be "shushed" at again. It was important that he stay solemn now, Greg couldn't believe the frog didn't understand that.

"Good luck."

Two words spoken by Beatrice, and that was all that was needed to convince them to move on and get into the water. Greg shuddered at how cool it was, but when he grabbed hands with Wirt, he felt more comforted. Wirt gave him a small, sad smile, but Greg didn't know why it was sad. They were going home! The joy of this was much better than the sadness of a real farewell. Jason croaked one last goodbye as Greg lay down, with Wirt's hand on his arm now, into the shallow creek.

Then it was peaceful floating-and a sudden explosive feeling as he was pushed into the pond. Then he floated to the surface silently, and opening his eyes, paddled back to shore with Jason Funderberker under his arm. It was the exact time he'd left-strange but not much, that had happened last time. Once he reached the shore, he expected to see Wirt standing there beside him, soaking wet and maybe smiling without sorrow now. That would be nice. Greg thought so.

But when he turned to look around for Wirt in the pond or anywhere in the vicinity, there was no sign of his brother. Not even in the water, floating or sinking, Greg checked and re-checked again. Wirt wasn't there. It only meant one thing, and Greg felt a sob, one of many he had forced down while saying goodbye because he refused to cry then, come up in his throat.

Wirt hadn't come back from the Unknown.

Wirt's POV:

There was nothing. He was sitting in the creek still, with the others staring at him. Staring with wide-eyes, even the Woodsman was staring, completely not expecting this. Glancing next to him, Wirt saw that Greg wasn't there. Greg was gone; Greg had gone back home and he hadn't. The first feeling was of utter despair and concern, wondering why he hadn't gone back, and what had happened to Greg-what would happen to Greg? Why wasn't he back?

It was better to scream in his head. Wirt had learned of this the first time he'd been held back. Screaming in one's head conquered the fears a little, tiny bit and made life more bearable until it was time to scream out-loud. All of this…all of this had been for nothing, nothing at all! He clenched his hands into fists. Perhaps the Beast was gone, but he hadn't gone anywhere. Maybe not having to endure so much pain, maybe staying as the Beast's vessel would have gone over better.

"This is what it came to. After all that time I spent hoping it wouldn't…" The Woodsman spoke for the first time since they'd come down to the creek. He had a face full of pain from what Wirt could see from his wet position. Beatrice had longing and horror etched all over her features. Wirt wanted to tell her it was fine, that this was a mistake, he would go back, but he knew now, he wasn't meant to.

"You're…Wirt, get out of the creek. You'll leak through all of those bandages." As if they weren't wet already. But Lorna still came forward and pulled him out, reaching for his hand while his arms refused to lift from his side. "Come and sit up, Wirt."

Painfully maneuvered into a sitting position, he now stared around at all of them, knowing he was very wide-eyed and probably scared looking. Beatrice came right up to him and put her coat around his shoulders, and then they all turned to look at the Woodsman, who stood right in front of Wirt.

"H-what did you mean?" Wirt didn't care if this sounded rude, he was shaken up by the man's statement.

"Having been inhabited by a creature from the Unknown…I calculated that this would happen because the Beast leaves its mark on you no matter who you are. And if you're a lost vessel…the Beast would not want you to leave the place of your suffering. You are tied to these woods, young man. Forever. And that means you cannot go anywhere else, ever. You are like us now, but not, for you may grow to be 20. But that is about the age I give you at stopping because it doesn't seem likely. I'm sure you will grow but…not for long. It is something in the air here, once you get here, you never grow for long. Not that we have grown from our ages before. But we mature. It is part of living in the woods."

"It's … mark…" Wirt could hardly speak, but he choked out these two words before shaking his head to clear it. "I just…"

"You're here now, Wirt. Come inside, let's switch those bandages and then we can talk more." Beatrice pulled him into standing, and he leaned heavily against her. The other two led the way to the house again.

Wirt was feeling utterly helpless. Greg was now without him forever. He was stuck here, in this place, this place of horror and sorrow and pain. It may yet remain such a place for him, too, for a long while. Even though he feels somewhat grateful for getting to stay with Beatrice, this made Wirt feel guilty because now Greg was without him. His parents were without him. Everyone whom he had ever known in his world had lost him. What would they think had become of him? Was he at home? Or was he still in that pond on the other side of the wall? For he remembered little but that, and for some reason he didn't think he was still in that pond. Did he have a body outside of this one? Was this even his body?

The multiple questions of such an existence made his head swim. It didn't seem fair at all. What had just happened was the opposite of fairness, in fact it was so bad that he didn't want to think about it. What was Greg going to do?

Greg's POV:

He called Wirt's name several times, just to make sure his brother hadn't gotten out of the water and already gone over the wall. Or maybe he was just waking up in the hospital! That was something Greg hadn't thought of! Taking Jason in the crook of his left elbow, he pulled them both up and over the wall and into the graveyard. Once they were dusted off and a little more able to stand up, Greg started running, still holding Jason. The frog croaked in anger at him, but he shushed the creature once more. They couldn't stop if they were going to find Wirt.

There was no one in the room when Greg arrived after explaining to the lady at the desk that he was in an very dangerous position and needed to see his brother. Jason hopped on into the room, but Greg almost didn't want to look in. His heart was full of fear. As he had run back to the hospital, he'd started thinking about what might happen if Wirt never came back. The world wouldn't go normally, things wouldn't work out, would they? They couldn't, because Wirt wasn't there.

The motionless body. And the sudden shouts coming from all directions. Greg didn't manage anything but to peek into the room and what he saw made him stand there absolutely dumbfounded.

The pulse was gone. The body was motionless. Wirt wasn't back. Wirt hadn't come back. Why hadn't he come back? The doctors were running around, trying to help him. A sob lifted in Greg's chest as a woman came out and shut the door immediately, paying no attention to him. Maybe they could bring Wirt back…but Greg knew better than to think that.

Wirt was still in the Unknown and what was left of him here-which admittedly made no sense to Greg as to how something could be left here-was left. Wirt was not coming back. They hadn't brought him back. He wasn't going to come back.

With a small sigh, Greg began the walk home after exiting the hospital. He was too scared to truly think. There was no way this had happened. Why was this happening? And while to some it may sound stupid, and Greg had no doubt it did, he wanted Wirt to come back and he half-believed Wirt was back-but not nearly enough. Because he knew as well as anyone that Wirt wasn't back, and Jason and him had been left to fend for themselves in the world.

A/N: Well….okay then. I'm not sure I enjoyed how that ended very much…I need to finish chapters better sometimes…But wait!-For it is not over! You might drag another chapter or two out of me *shudders*! But I'm being truthful, I originally planned only one more chapter, but I think it may become two. So I'll be getting to work on that as soon as I can…and in the meantime, thank you for reading! This was chapter 18, as you know. I hope you enjoyed, and please, review, review, review!