The Forbidden Forest

"What do you want me to do?!"  Sally says in a panic.

"You must stay with me... as a prisoner... and a wife..."

"No... I would never betray Jack like that..."

"Jack would no longer be a relevant factor..."

"You can't kill him so easily..."

"Maybe not him... but I really do fear for your offspring..."

Sally's eyes widen.  "No!! Don't kill my children!!"  Tears are in Sally's eyes.

"Agree to my terms and I won't..."

"You... You promise?  If I go with you... You won't even touch them?"

"I promise... just propose to me and I'll do it.."

Sally has tears streaking down her cheeks.  "Casimir...  Will you..."  I'm sorry, Jack... It's for our children...  "Will you... M-marry me?"

"Yes I will Sally..." He offered her his hand, "Please come with me.."

He hung out around the edge of the forest watching the children run about and enjoy their day.

'Death!' I ran up to him the second i saw him, launching myself into his arms and burying my head in his shouder. I could feel myslef shaking.

He held her to his chest and buried his head in her hair. "Hello, love."

'Dont call me tht. please.' I whisper, hoping he wouldnt hear it

"And why not?" he asked softly. "Why shouldn't I call you 'love'? Is there something else you'd wish I call you?"

'Im going to break your heart. and if not yours...then everyone elses. I cant win, death. i can do anything right...'

He gave a mental sigh and struggled to not get frustrated. "You aren't a screw up River. We all have times where it seems like everything we do is wrong, but that isn't the truth. You're better than that and I know this. You know this."

'Im going to hurt everyone.'

Jesus-fucking-Christ, can I hit her? Please let me hit your stupid wife. She's annoying me.


No, Ahriman.


"No, Ahriman," he mocked. You always say no to me. Why not yes?


"River, I love you. Please stop saying these things about yourself."

'I...' Something told me to look up, and as i raise my eyes, i saw the unmistakble shpe of a man falling from the tower. "No...' I whisper. 'Please...no..." I pull away from death and start running.

He looked up just in time to see a body hit the ground just beneath the Clock Tower.

What the hell?

I was stumbling, almost blindly, through the trees, wanting to just get away..I couldnt stay, couldnt see anything that would remind me of him. 
How could I choose? How could I leave either side of me, even for Death?
I slowed down, stopping and resting against a tree, my eyes burning as I try to stop myself from crying.

Amaya had been sulking in the forest for days, simply watching chaos unfold in front of her and feeling powerless to do anything about it. The noises in the forest made her curious, however. Who could be such an idiot and alert half the forest to their presence?

'Who's there?' She landed to her feet from her hiding position, adopting a crouching pose.  The sounds had stopped... what was going on?