I know it is winter, and I know Jack is finally back from bringing snow to the world and is now lying in bed next to me, but honestly, I've felt cold for over a month now. I haven't talked to anyone much. I didn't want to. I just wanted to talk to Lucas... I wanted to say goodbye. I never got to. I just needed to be sure that he was okay. I... I just want my friend back. How could my fate cause his death?

I bit my tongue, and closed my eyes tight. I had been staring out my window for the last hour, watching streams of gold float by my window. I even saw Sandy off in the distance. He has stopped trying to get my attention, as each night since we had returned, I've turned my back to him. I felt awful doing so, but I wasn't in the mood— which honestly made me feel worse, because I love Sandy. How can you not? He was just adorable.

But I felt bitter. I felt resentful that I lived and Lucas had to be sent back to the Otherworld and Bribry died. How could I ruin two lives? It. Wasn't. Fair.

I didn't realise how tired I had been. Sleep found me in what felt like minutes.

There was a lake, shimmering the golden rays of the sun. It was all kind of hazy... But it was there. I could smell it in the gentle breeze. I could hear the lake water lapping the shore. The leaves waved in the breeze, and the grass tickled my bare feet. Bare feet? I looked down, shocked to see a plain, white, knee length dress on me. Noticing no hair hung around my shoulders, I felt for it, finding it in some sort of up do. It was certainly something I could never do myself.

At the edge of the lake sat a boy, barely younger than myself. I felt I knew him. There was some sort of connection, but who was he?

Knowing, somehow, the boy wouldn't hurt me, I decided to join him. He sensed my presence, and looked up at me, grinning, teeth and all.

I was almost awestruck by the boys beauty. He had windswept, blond hair, and mud brown eyes.; his skin was fair. And he looked so peaceful. He wore a white t-shirt, and boy jeans too. Like mine, his feet were bare.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to ever see you again, Sophie," he said.

That voice. I... I recognised it. I had longed for it over the last month. I opened my mouth, and closed it again, feeling a sob rising up in me. Instead, I threw my arms around the boy, feeling and enjoying the warmth of his body against mine.

"Lucas," I finally managed. I pulled away, keeping both hands on his cheeks. He was here. His face reddened at how close we stood, and how close our faces were, but I rolled my eyes. Even if this was a dream, I still love Jack and definitely had no intention of kissing Lucas. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. You shouldn't have given your passage to the mortal world for me. I didn't... You should have let me die."

"I couldn't do that, ever," he replied. "You're needed more than I am up there, anyway." He looked away. "Want to sit with me for a while?"

And we sat together by the edge of the lake. It was all so calm. The lake water washed in, inches from my feet, but never touched them. There was crickets... I looked to the sun which was lowering in the sky. What a beautiful time of day; Twilight. There was something beautiful and magical about it. Beautiful, magic. Just like life itself. Beautiful, tragic and magical.

"I've missed you, Lucas," I admitted. "I've missed talking to you... I miss even hearing you in my head."

He nudged me playfully with his shoulder, grinning at me. "Ditto, Soph." He and I laughed together. It was a stupid thing to laugh about, but I was just so happy he was here with me now. Even if it is a dream. I didn't care. "I've missed you all. Even Jack, who I know does not like me at all."

"I wonder why!" I said sarcastically, chuckling. "I dunno if this is too personal, or whatever, but... Um... I just wondered how you became a demon." His face grew dark. I bit my lip. "I mean, you're so nice... It just makes me wonder."

He sighed, a long deep exhale. "When I was a kid, I grew up alone. I was isolated. I was a street rat, in basic terms. Nobody wanted anything to do with me. I was a thief. I stole food from the noble people, from the cooks, from the markets on the streets." His eyes grew misty, and I wanted to change the subject, but he wasn't done. "It was hard times, you know?" I nodded. "That wasn't the worst of it, though. The guards caught me. They caught me running from a noble house with rolls in my hand." He looked mad. "It was such a stupid mistake!" He let out a deep breath, calming himself. "They had swords– bloody swords!– on me. And I had a dagger. I... I didn't mean to kill him, Soph. I only meant to hit his Shoulder. I just needed an escape. But I didn't hit his shoulder. Tip: aim for the right shoulder, not the left. I got him straight where his heart was. I murdered him. And I was hung for my crimes. I deserved it. I didn't mean to, Soph. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

I pretended not to notice him wipe a tear from his eye. I just pulled him in for another hug. He froze, and I guess I caught him off guard. Maybe he expected me to shun him, or something. But I just couldn't. He looked so hurt, and lost. He didn't deserve to be isolated anymore. No wonder he followed Balor so easily. He just wanted someone.

"So, how did you become immortal?"

I explained to him my story, of Evil and his undead minions. He seemed relieved of the distraction.

I frowned as we were cast further into darkness. Something told me I'd have to go soon. I could feel the world around me fading slowly.

"Lucas, I just needed to say goodbye. I hate not seeing– well, I hate not hearing your voice. And I never got to say goodbye. And..." I choked on a sob. "I hate saying goodbyes," I admitted, wiping away my tears.

"Me too," Lucas replied. "But we all have to say it sometime. Now is our time." He smiled at me. "I'm gonna miss you a lot, Sophie Bennett." He placed a hand on my cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "Goodbye. And I'll keep an eye on Bribry for you."

"Thank you," I said. "Goodbye."

And the world around me vanished into darkness. My eyes opened, and I was surprised to find it was morning. Jack was already awake, sitting on the edge of my bed. The sun– the first sun since winter came upon us— shone through my window, causing his eyes to sparkle. My hand went to my cheek. I could still feel the warmness of Lucas's lips pressed against it.

"Morning," Jack greeted me.

I smiled– the first time properly– since we arrived back. "Good morning." I smiled at him, finally knowing that things were definitely going to be okay from now on.

"You seem strangely happy," he noted.

"I am happy," I told him.

He grinned. "I'm glad," he replied. "I've missed happy Sophie." I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him on the lips. "Oh. And I've missed that too." He chuckled, and kissed me again. "Why are you so happy all of a sudden, can I ask?"

I shrugged. "I've just... Accepted the way things are." I averted my gaze. "I can't shut you all out because of what happened in Ireland. I don't want to be alone." The story that Lucas told me wandered through my mind. He was so alone. I was now very grateful for each person I had around me.

"We're all here for you, Sophie," Jack replied seriously.

"I know," I said. "And I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Jack ruffled my hair and I swatted his hand away. Jack scratched the back of his head. "Are you going to come out of bed today?"

I looked to my door. I eventually sighed, and then nodded. "Yeah. I am."

I threw my feet over the side of the bed, and forced myself to stand up. I gritted my teeth. I felt a little weak because I haven't been eating properly, and I haven't left the comfort of my bed much either. Jack took his hand in mine and I smiled. I didn't realise how much I missed just holding Jack's hand.

And Jamie.

Jamie has come over to the house a lot since I came back. He just sat in my room, talking. I never replied to him and he told me how Ben was getting on. I missed Ben.

The walk downstairs seemed to take much longer than normal. When I walked into the kitchen with a smile on my face, my mother hugged me and my father kissed my forehead. Had I really shut them out that much? I felt guilty. I shouldn't have done that to them. No one deserved to be shut out by me. They just wanted to take care of me and I pushed them away over the last month.

But no more. I was happy again. I finally got to say my goodbye, and even though that much hurt me, I was just glad I got to do it.

"I'm going to ring Jamie to tell him you're finally up!" My mother raced from the kitchen to call her son. My father told us he had work to do outside the back in the shed. He wandered off which left Jack and I alone.

"Jack," I began softly. His eyes looked up from the ground. "I've been thinking about... The kids thing." Blush rose up on his cheeks and I suppressed a smile. "I don't think right now is the time. I mean, not this year, anyway. How about..." I sighed. "I want a child so badly," I admitted. "But I don't know if I could handle that responsibility right now."

"I've waited over three hundred years– what's the harm in a couple more?" He managed a grin at me. "I don't mind waiting, honestly."

"I just want to be sure we're ready," I said seriously.

"Hey, let's not talk about it right now," he decided. "I can wait as long as I need to." He wrapped his arms around me. "Plus, I think your mum is eavesdropping," he whispered in my ear. He pulled away and signalled me to stay quiet. He walked quietly to the kitchen door, and quickly snatched it open.

My mother stood there, wide eyed and looking embarrassed. She had her phone in one hand.

"Hey, mrs Bennett," Jack said, smirking at her. He ruffled her hair like he ruffled mine, and she swatted his hand away like I did. I was surprised Jack wasn't gone red. My mum just heard us discussing children in the future! Ugh. My cheeks began to redden a little. "Is Jamie coming over?"

"Grand kids— I mean. Uh, yeah, he is. And he's bringing Ben too, and Pippa is joining them." My mother looked flustered. "Anything you two would like to discuss with me?"

"No!" we replied in unison. Jack grinned at me and I managed one in return.

"Alvern visited yesterday," said my mum. She furrowed her brow. "They're all worried about you, Sophie." The guilt in my stomach seemed to grow more and more. She sighed, and patted me on the shoulder. "No matter, now. I'm sure Alvern will be over sometime later."

"You know what you need, Sophie? A night out. With friends," Jack told me.

I frowned at him. "Where could I go? No one can see me. I won't be able to get in anywhere."

Jack slapped his forehead and shook his head. "Honestly, Soph. It's like you never even educated yourself– no offence," he added with a grin. "But you're invisible to about everyone but some kids here in Burgess. Did you ever consider just walking into the cinema or something? No. One. Can. See. You. You get a free movie!"

I could have slapped myself. "Duh," I decided to reply with.

"So, I've decided that you, Tooth and Scathach—"

"Scathach?"

"Oh. Yeah. She's sort of decided to come stay in America for a little while! Anyway, I finally found Seraphina in Russia. She was making up a massive storm there. Poor Russians. So, you, Scathach, Seraphina and Tooth are going to go to the cinema next Friday, all right? You need a break. You've been through a lot."

"So have you," I pointed out.

"Yeah. But I can handle it better."

"A girls night out, huh?" I shrugged. "Guess it couldn't hurt. But if I have to do that, I get to plan a guys night out for you!" Jack made a face and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Seriously, sometimes I forget you're eighteen," my mum sighed at me.

I frowned. "Mum. I've stopped ageing. I'm only seventeen," I reminded her. She sighed again, and left the room. I never thought about it, but maybe me being immortal and never growing up was a lot, maybe too much, for her to handle.

I shrugged my shoulders, deciding best not to keep reminding her that I wasn't really... In her care anymore. I'll always be her daughter, but things have changed. My life has changed. I wasn't just Sophie Bennett anymore, I was a spirit of autumn now. I had responsibilities. And even if I wasn't a guardian, I was still going to do all in my strength to protect children.

I smiled.

A girls night out, huh? How bad could that be?

I guess the main reason I wrote this chapter was for closure... And then I decided I wasn't quite done with this story. :3 But I'm gonna be editing the Beautiful, Tragic story quite a bit now. It seriously needs to be done. I cringe looking at it xD I'm seriously baffled as to how I got so many fans of it! :P

Anyway, review or whatever:)