Hi there! Here I am again. I hope you all stayed with me for this one, because this is where the fun begins(or...? whatever). Enjoy reading it, I sure enjoyed writing it!

One thing: I figured out some face claims, so that you guys have an idea of how I picture two of my own characters. Elijah: Daniel Gillies, Sahila: Liv Tyler

XVIII

She can feel it, tugging on her heart, waking her from her peaceful slumber. Two warm, strong arms are wrapped around her, a muscled chest pressed against her back. She opens her eyes to the new light of day, and memories of last night float back in. Warm lips on hers, safe arms around her. He is back. And he will not go anywhere. Years and years has she waited for him, fighting the urge to find him herself, and now he is back with her, not leaving her. Holding her.

But what is that thing tugging on her heart? Why does she feel so light?

Two soft lips press against her temple. "Good morning, my love." he whispers softly in her ear, and she shivers. Oh, has she missed this. "What is wrong?"

Sahila smiles. Of course he knows. He always knows. "I do not know. There is a tugging on my heart. I – I cannot place it. It is unfamiliar to me."

Elijah sits up, a shocked look on his face. "Tugging on your heart? Does that not mean that someone is trying to reach out for you?" She looks at him, confused at how he would know such a fact, and at how she could have forgotten it. "You told me, long ago, that when I would be thinking about you, whether I was near you or not, you would feel a tugging at your heart. As if I was calling out to it." He places his hand over her heart. "But I'm not calling out to it now. I know, because I managed to control my call."

"Then who?"

They look at each other for a second and then speak in unison, "Snow." They are beside the bed the next moment, running towards the room where the three are still vast asleep.

"It is the only possibility." murmurs Elijah.

"She is the only one how possesses this kind of power." Sahila adds, smiling at him softly. They are still very well tuned.

Elijah takes her hand. "That means they are ready to return."

Sahila quickly checks for a pulse on all three, and is surprised to find that they all have one. "This is good. Nobody is dead yet."

"You can bring them back." Elijah says, pushing his pony out of his eyes. "Eric cannot bring both of them back! He is the only one who is able to return home, but he is not magical enough to bring Snow and William back. You can grab hold of that pull, and reverse it, pull on it yourself."

"That explains how Snow is going to get back. I cannot pull on Eric or William."

"She is tied to them, Sahila. Can you not see?" He takes her hand and motions for her to close her eyes. Immediately lights explode behind her eyelids and she sees Snow's lifeline as clear as day. A blue string running through a sea of light blue water, surrounded by other lines, other lives that Snow was once bound to. "See? Snow is bound to both Eric and William." Indeed, two lines connect directly to Snow's lifeline, at the core of it all. William and Eric's. He then pulls her back to the real world, and her head suddenly feels light. He catches her without any problem. "Hey, careful. I got you, I will not let you go, I promise."

"How did you do that?" Sahila says in awe, looking up at the face of the man she so desperately loves.

"A long time to practice. It has something to do with making contact with the universe – look, that does not matter." He kisses her forehead lightly. "Pull on Snow, and you pull on Eric and William. Trust me, if you take her back, she will take them back."

Sahila nods, making up her mind. "Alright. But I need more strength. I cannot do this on my own."

Elijah smiles softly, and takes her hand. "I am right here with you. Take my power."

She takes his hand and closes her eyes, finding the tie to her heart and feeling Snow's radiant power. Drawing her power from her source and Elijah's, she takes a firm hold on it and starts pulling. She feels the young Queen startle, but keeps pulling. Soon enough, the girl understands and gives in, consequently giving Sahila two more ties to pull. Eric's and William's. She feels her power waver, and pulls more from Elijah. She can do this. But even both their powers are not enough to hold on to three lifelines. Both sources are weakening. No, this cannot happen! Not now!

And then there is a sudden burst of power, strong enough to fuel both hers and Elijah's power, strong enough to make her gasp. Then she hears Elijah laugh.

"Brilliant! She is giving us her power!" he says, and Sahila smiles gratefully. Thank you, Snow.

Just bring us back safely.

"That girl is too powerful and clever for her own good." Elijah says chuckling, and Sahila has to agree, this girl is pretty good.

"Yes, but can you be quiet now. I am desperately trying to hold on to three lifelines here."

"Sorry." She feels his lips on her forehead, which made her smile and then there was nothing but silence, and the three glowing lifelines in front of her. Slowly but surely, she pulls on them, bringing them closer to the real world. The closer they come, the better she can feel them and the easier it becomes. And then she sees it. Three shadows at the end of the lines. They are almost home. Just hold on. she whispers to Snow, although she has no idea if she can her hear.

I am, trust me.

"Sahila, a big one, now!" Elijah suddenly shouts, and she feels it too. The power is weakening quickly. Her heart starts racing as she pulls with all her power, Elijah's and Snow's. The shadows are engulfing her then, drowning her, making it impossible for her to breathe. It was too fast. She knows it should not have happened so fast, and now she is paying the price. The three of them are now inside her, trying desperately to fit, but since her own life is already in her body, then cannot. It is suffocating her. "I am here, Sahila, hold on! I am taking you to their bodies, you must transfer them into their own bodies!" She feels herself being lifted from the ground as her head pounds, full of the thoughts of four separate people. She groans. "I know, I know, we are almost there!" he sounds desperate. He deposits her and she feels three heartbeats, to which the other thoughts are drawn immediately. Go, take your bodies back. she says weakly. The three entities leave suddenly, and she collapses. All energy has been drained from her and the sudden return of normal sight overwhelms her. Strong arms catch her, and hold her close. "Sahila, please, do not leave me. Not when I have just found you again."

She reaches up for his face and strokes it gently. "I love you, Elijah. Remember that." Ironic. She always knew someone would die at the end. She just never imagined it to be her. But somehow, it is alright. She has lived her life to the fullest and now it is time for her next adventure. "It is alright. I have lived my life, my love."

"No," he murmurs.

She shivers and her eyelids feel heavy. "I feel cold."

He catches a choky breath. "No, you do not! Please, Sahila!" She could feel his pain reverberating through her chest, but she could not do anything about it. "I love you. You cannot leave me. I am nothing without you."

"I am sorry, my love. I will be waiting for you." She feels the last bit of energy drain from her and she drifts off, nothingness overcoming her, feeling more at peace than ever before.

Snow White POV

Gasping for sweet, normal air, she opens her eyes and smiles. They did it. They are back! She tries to sit up, but her body feels so weak that she is barely able to move it. The euphoria quickly dissipates as the pain rushes through her system. Ever movement hurts, every thought burns and every breath is torture.

Next to her, she hears to other bodies coming back to life, much in the same way as hers did. She rolls her head sideways, groaning in pain and the first thing she sees is Eric's face, contorted in pain and concentration. "Eric." she whispers, and painfully lifts a hand to his face. He looks sideways, another flash of pain crossing his face as he does and his eyes brighten.

"Snow." he murmurs, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "We made it."

She pushes herself closer to him, and hisses in pain as she does. "We are home."

Sobs of hurt, anger and sadness interrupt them. "No, Sahila, do not leave me! Please, come back!" Eric shoots up, completely forgetting the pain, and pulling Snow with him. On the floor, next to the bed, is Elijah, cradling a limp black-haired woman in his arms. Snow's eyes water with tears. Not Sahila. Not the kind witch who saved their lives. This is not fair.

"No! Mother!" Eric jumps from the bed and lands next to Elijah. "Mother, please. You cannot leave, you are not supposed to leave us!"

William has his head buried in his hands, and his shoulders are shaking. Snow crawls over to the side of the bed and looks down at the heartbreaking sight. "Snow." William whispers, and she hugs him, and he hugs her back and they sit there for a moment. "I am so sorry, Huntsman." He says as they break apart.

Eric is rocking back and forth, crying for what seems like the very first time since Snow died. She gets off the bed and wraps her arms around him, comforting him. "Snow, you have to do something! You have magic, you can safe her!"

"She cannot." They all turn and see Muir standing in the doorway.

"Where have you been?" asks Elijah, accusingly.

"Been reporting to the other dwarves. I am glad to see you awake, my Queen."

Snow nods at him, but her attention is not there. "What do you mean, I cannot?"

"I mean what I say. I have felt your magic, my Queen . And you used it all. You cannot use anymore until you are recharged, so to say."

Snow's heart clenches, and more tears stream down her cheeks. "No! I have to do something! Sahila, I have to save her!" Eric's arms wrap around her body as she screams and cries, and she feels him shock behind her.

"Snow, please. You cannot save her, it is too late!" he says in her ear, rocking her. "Please, Snow, stop!"

Her body goes limp in his arms and she buries her face in his chest, sobbing heartbreakingly, one hand on Sahila's motionless belly. "Oh God, oh God, please, God, no!"

Two pair of arms wrap around the couple and Snow, Eric, William and Elijah sit together for a long time, Snow sobbing violently, Eric shaking quietly, Elijah rocking with grief and William stroking Snow's hair.

Muir begins muttering softly from a corner, "Almighty Father, source of forgiveness and salvation, grant that our friend who has passed from this life may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints, come to share your Eternal happiness through Christ our Lord. Amen. Eternal Rest, grant to her, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. May the Lord bless us, may he keep us from evil and bring us to life everlasting. Amen." He pressed his fingers to Sahila's forehead and closed his eyes. "I am sorry, Sahila. This fate was never for you. It has all changed now. Ravenna has all changed it."

Snow looks up. "We have to safe her!" she sobs.

"My dear Snow, you cannot." Eric whispers in her ear, while his sobs are still evident in his voice. "She is gone. She passed saving all of our lives."

"But it is not fair!" she yells, new tears streaming down her face. "After all I have been through, after all I have done, can I not, for once, receive one thing in return?! Just one thing!" She buries her face in his chest as he rocks her trembling body.

"I am so sorry, my love." he whispers.

"You are sorry? I should be sorry! She was your aunt! I. Killed. Her!" she screams at him, pounding his chest hard. He holds her through it all, never complaining, until she completely collapses in his arms, doing nothing but crying.

"You did not kill her, my dear Snow. She chose this. She saved you, out of her own free will." His hand runs through her hair, soothing her while she cries. Her body feels broken, but her heart and her mind are worse off. It feels like she is breaking apart from the inside, that tiny bit of her that was still intact. Now it is broken. She is broken. Useless. She's killed the only woman who never deserved to die.

It was me. I was supposed to be the one who died. she thinks, her face buried deep in Eric's chest. A sudden knock on the door startled them all. "Oh, sorry, that will be the dwarves." murmurs Muir, disappearing quickly.

Snow sobs silently, and it is all she can do with Eric's strong arms holding her in place. "I just...I want...I cannot..."

"Shh..." he whispers in her ear, rocking her. "Shh, my love."

William's hand is suddenly on her back. "Snow, my oldest, best friend. The pain you are going through is completely normal. I know it hurts. I know you think it is unbearable, but it will get better."

"I do not want it to get better! I want to feel guilty forever, because I KILLED HER! it is all my fault!"

"We cannot help her at this point." she hears Eric murmur to William. Eric's arms refuse to let her go as she struggles to remove herself from his grasp. "She needs to grief, but I fear she will hurt herself if I let her go."

"Then do not let her go." says William. "Her safety is more important."

"First Duir, now Sahila, all because of me. I am a killer." Snow murmurs lifelessly.

"Do not think like that!" shouts Eric suddenly, startling her half to death. She looks up at him and her heart clenches at the fire she sees in there. "You are not a killer. You are Life itself, you are not a killer! I will not have you think like that! I love you, Snow, and I know what kind of a woman you are, and it is not a killer."

"But Sahila..."

"I know you do not believe this at this point, but I am going to tell you: Sahila died because you were worth saving. She knew the risks."

"She did. She was willing to do everything to get the three of you back safely." Says Elijah suddenly, placing his hand on her arm, making her look up to him. It is horrible, looking the man in the eyes that used to be the lover of the woman Snow had killed. But there is no contempt or hatred. Only sorrow and understanding. "She sacrificed everything for you, and she was okay with that. She died, knowing that she brought you back safely."

"But she was so young."

Elijah suddenly smiles, shaking his head. "See, that is where you are wrong. She only looked young. But she was extremely old."

Silence in the room. All three of the resurrected look at him blankly, not understanding a word he is saying now. "You are not making any sense."

Elijah sighs and shakes his head. "She never wanted anyone to find out. Especially not you, Eric. But I think you deserve to know." He looks down at Sahila's body and smiles again, lovingly. "Sahila was never your aunt, Eric. She was, in fact, your great-great-great-grandmother." Another dramatic silence. Snow looks at Eric, whose expression changes from incomprehensive to skeptical. Snow sighs. Thank God she is not the only one who does not believe this.

Eric laughs. "Good one, Elijah, you almost had me."

But Elijah does not laugh. Nor does William. He looks at Elijah in awe. "You are one of the Wanderers. Blessed with unnatural long life. Cursed to roam the earth for the rest of eternity."

Elijah bows his head. "I was. Until I found a compound for true Immortality. I was ignorant back then. And madly in love. I had just met Sahila, we were supposed to become husband and wife. She knew what I was and was devastated by it. She wanted to spend all of eternity with me." He takes Sahila's hand in his and strokes her skin softly. "She was so young, so innocent. I should never have taken advantage of her like that."

"I do not understand. Eternal life is...impossible." says Eric.

"No. It is not." murmurs Snow suddenly. Eric looks down at her, still incomprehensive. "Ravenna. She stayed young forever by feeding on young girls' youth." They did not...! "Please tell me you did not feed on other's youth!" she yells at Elijah, who cringes but laughs.

"Trust me, there are far better ways to stay young forever. Ravenna never looked hard enough. I did. I found it. In a library, buried in a desert. On one of my many wanderings, I literally stumbled upon the library. I slipped in through a window." His eyes shine as he remembers it. "The amount of books was amazing. The information stored there was a century's worth of reading. I was there for about five years. Time flew by. And in the end, I found the composition for True Immortality. After that, I met Sahila in London, England." At their confused expressions, he laughs and shakes his head. "Never mind that, it is part of a kingdom far away from here. Non-hostile, Sir William." he says to William, and Snow laughs shakily. Of course William would fear a hostile coup like all those years ago. Eric kisses her forehead, and she can feel how glad he is to hear her laugh, even though it is just a shaky one. "We fell in love so quickly it was frightening. And she wanted to spend all of eternity with me." He snorted. "Me! A Wanderer! I loved her so much, just as she loved me. She took the compound. She made herself immortal for me. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me." He smiled ruefully. "We lived and traveled together for...well, decades. Never aging. Never stopping with loving each other. But I should have known it would not last. Sahila was not a Wanderer. Eventually, she had enough. She left me. And I could not even blame her."

Snow looks wide-eyed from Elijah to William to Eric. Eric looks baffled and stunned and scared, and it hurts her heart to see him so lost. She wraps her arms around him and frowns. How could she have been so selfish? He just lost the one woman who cared for him his entire life. How could she have thought only of herself? Eric buries his face in her hair and inhales deeply. "I do not understand." he whispers. "She was...immortal?"

"Exactly."

"Why did she never tell me?"

"Immortality is not something that is accepted in this kingdom. Or any, for that matter. She wanted to avoid you accidentally ratting her out when you were a kid."

"Great-great-great-grandmother?" Snow turns her attention to Eric's face, and she sees his confusion and hurt. His arms tighten around her, as if he is afraid she will disappear if he lets go. "I...I cannot take this." He suddenly rises. "I need air."

Snow jumps to her feet. "Let me come with you." She quickly wipes her tears away. "Eric, please. Let me come with you."

He nods and then stalks off. Snow turns to William and Elijah. "I am sorry, I need to..."

William stands up and takes her hands. "Go. He needs you."

She smiles gratefully and runs after her Huntsman, finding the door open and the cold air breezing in, along with some splatters of rain. It feels so good to feel the rain on her skin again. She stops herself and forces herself to get some perspective here. "Eric?" He is standing with his back towards her, his head bowed as the rain poured down on him. She approaches him and wraps her arms around his waist, intending to comfort him. He turns swiftly, and before she knows it, she is with her back against the wall, his lips crashing down on hers passionately, and her blood is on fire. Everything ignites inside her, and she wraps her arms around his neck, kissing back as good as she gets. When air becomes a problem for the both of them, they break away panting. She stares down at him and he stares back up, his troubled, dark eyes boring directly into her soul. "What has gotten into you?" she asks softly. "Not that I am complaining."

He chuckles lowly and leans his forehead against hers. "I am sorry. I just – wanted to know if you were real. If any of this was real."

"I am. It is. Trust me, what I just felt was real." she says, laughing breathlessly. They cannot care less at this moment about the rain pouring down on their heads, soaking them from head to toe.

He strokes her hair, and she loves the attention he is giving her. In the pit of her stomach, she feels something burning. A longing for more of what she just experienced. She has never been kissed like that. "I need to know. I need to know now."

"Need to know what?" He looks so lost, so afraid. So broken. Poor Eric. She wraps her hands around his neck and forces him to look at her. "Eric, talk to me, you are scaring me."

He closes his eyes, obviously in great pain, and it hurts her to see him like that. "I need to know if you are going to stay. I need to know if you will not leave me like everyone else in my life." He presses his forehead against hers again, she wraps her arms around his broad shoulders and feels him tremble underneath her. He is so afraid. "Please, Snow."

She leans in and kisses his forehead, his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, his jaw and finally his lips. She can taste salt on his cheeks, mixed with the rain. He has been crying. "I will never leave you, Eric. Never. I promise. I will be here for you." She kisses him again and again, while he cries silently. Her poor, broken Huntsman. She wishes she could do something to help him ease his pain, but she knows she cannot. He has just lost the most important person in his life.

"Snow." he whispers. "Snow, Snow, Snow." He is chanting her name now, like a spell. "I love you, Snow. I always have, I always will."

"I know." she whispers back.

"What do I do now? Where can I go? I have nothing left." he whispers.

"Come with me." she says, and she hears the plea in her voice. "Come with me, live with me. You will be the Royal Huntsman or something. And one day, I hope, even King."

He suddenly bursts into laughter. "Me? A King?" He kisses her. "I do not know if I can live up to that expectation."

"There is no expectation. I love you, Eric. I want to be with you, but I am Queen. Which would eventually make you King." She sighs and presses his head in her shoulder, comforting him. "I really want to say forever, but after the story we've just heard...I do not know if it is appropriate."

He laughs again and to Snow, it is the most wonderful sound in all the world. "Maybe not."

"Come home with me." she whispers.

He kisses her, giving her his consent. "Home." he whispers. "Our home."

She kisses him, while the water is still pouring down their faces. "Our home."

DO NOT KILL ME PLEASE! I know you're probably pissed or something(maybe even happy, how can I know?;D) But it just happened, okay? I was typing and then, BAM, she was dead. It actually fit rather nicely. Can give 'em something to grieve about now that the other shit is behind them.

A special shout-out to: lwolf, HEIDI, beauty0102, sulou, Irishbrneyes, LenaLove95, Lefty11, gothbutterfly69 and bjarrell for reviewing on my last chapter! You guys are the best!