He lost track of Thomas somewhere within the woods, but continued to wander along nevertheless. He eventually found himself at the clearing with the river bank hidden behind masses of trees. His feet slipped along the sloping ground until he came to stand before the water, and looked around. He was hit by a wave of nostalgia. Twice now he had found himself standing by this river in the short space of a week, it had so many memories surrounding it, it had always been their special place. He remembered Thomas taking him here for the first time, their first kiss, the sight of the river alone brought countless events back to his mind. It all seemed so distant, like it was a life time ago.

He brought his hand up to look at the pocket watch he still held. He felt the gentle rhythmic turning of the cogs and hands vibrate ever so softly against the skin on his palm.

He really didn't want to think about all the time he had left in his life without Thomas. He knew that he meant well, he knew he wanted to give him something which was special to him…but it just made things feel worse.

I can't wait a life time to see Thomas again!

Jimmy looked up, and saw the man in speaking sitting on the floor at the other side of the lake, sitting on the ground with his legs raised to his chest, staring lazily at his feet.

Why must he just sit there and never say anything?

The footman took a few steps forward, bending down in the process to pick up a small handful of rocks off the floor with his empty hand. Jimmy catapulted his hand towards the other man in hope to get his attention.

It worked.

Thomas looked up, surprised and startled as the stones passed through his body, landing behind him.

"Thomas!" Jimmy called hysterically waving his hands above his head, his forehead burning at the feeling of tears building up. As he lifted a hand to rest above his brow, it seemed every emotion he had felt thus far was coming to his body all at once and colliding in his brain. He was so fed up, and sad, and angry, and annoyed, and lonely, and guilty, he thought he might just burst from the tension of it all trying to break out of his head.

Thomas continued to sit and stare at him in a state of shock, before struggling to his feet clumsily.

"Jimmy? Can you hear me?" came the reply.

"Of course I can hear you, you fool!"

Thomas' eyebrows knitted together as he attempted to comprehend the statement just made.

"But, I thought you couldn't hear me! I wasn't even sure if you could see me, let alone hear me. Why didn't you say something?"

Jimmy folded his arms grumpily and scowled across the lake.

"Why didn't you say something?" The footman demanded. This whole situation felt unreal and he didn't think he could bear it much longer. What if he was only an illusion of his imagination? No, I'm certain he's there. He was beyond glad to see Thomas, even if he was only a ghost, but he couldn't help feeling frustrated that they were separated by life and death. Why did it have to be like this?

"I did try to call you! You didn't respond, so I thought you couldn't hear me! I watched you as well-"

"-yes. I know that!"

"Then why didn't you let me know Jimmy?"

This was all too much to bear. He didn't want to bear it. He just wanted it to end; he wanted this entire situation to end. He wanted Thomas to be alive and with him, he wanted him to be fully there, not just partially. But maybe this was their cruel fate? What other choice did he have than to put up with it?

Unless I can go be with him?

Seeing Thomas, speaking to Thomas, made him even more sure that he didn't want to spend the rest of his lifetime living alone. He wanted to be with Thomas. He wanted them to be together again.

"I don't want the hours of life I have left. I don't want the time you say is mine!" Jimmy yelled hurling the pocket watch into the water.

"Jimmy!"

His mind went foggy with ideas and possibilities and that strange out-of-body feeling grew more intense. Maybe he was going mad? It certainly felt like he was, although he didn't really care. He let himself relinquish all sanity and clear thinking, and he let his last ounce of self control slip away, as he wobbled hazily towards the lake.

"I'm going to join you" he said, but now his own voice sounded distant, as if it were not his own, as he took his first steps into the lake. The water was freezing, despite it being summer, as it pooled around his ankles.

He heard Thomas scream, the other man's voice becoming clear, getting closer, closer, closer…it already felt like an eternity since he last heard someone normally.

"Jimmy! No don't!" the under-butler pleaded. Not only was his voice getting closer, but Jimmy himself felt like he was getting closer to Thomas as well.

Closer, closer, closer, as he descended deeper into the lake. Thomas was crying now. His foot slipped as the surface underneath the water dipped, sending him sinking. Fully submerged, he felt the murky water go into his mouth and fill up his lungs. He chocked as he struggled to breathe, more out of natural instinct, rather than actually wanting to. This was what he wanted. He opened his eyes, but all he could see was the blackness of the water. Thomas voice was muffled as he spoke, his voice slowly going from begging to woeful acceptance that there was now no turning back.

"Jimmy! Please!"

"Jimmy, don't do this."

"Jimmy, this isn't what I wanted for you"

"Jimmy, don't go"

"no!"

Thomas' voice got grew quieter and quieter until it wasn't there at all. Jimmy felt his body float up towards the surface of the water, and his soul drift away, somewhere else, he wasn't sure where; it was like two halves of him were being pulled apart, until he was only one of them, looking down at the person who he was once apart of, his dead body now laying face down in the lake.

He saw what he once was, and waited to see what he would become.