Clary's eyelids slowly peeled open, but her vision was still blurry. Blinking a few times, it quickly cleared and she saw she was still in the master bedroom. But was he still with her? Slowly, Clary turned her head and breathed out in relief when she saw Sebastian still asleep next to her. So it hadn't been a dream, or a cruel joke. He was lying on his front, with his arms curled underneath the pillow. Clary could clearly see the horizontal welts across his back, branded deep into his otherwise perfect skin. How could someone do this to him?

She turned around fully to face him, watching him sleep. She found it kind of creepy, but she wanted to absorb all his details before she made her final descision today. She still hadn't decided whether she would stay here with him or leave and rejoin the world. Eternity was a long time, even longer considering she would never be able to leave the manor again. Could she really spend it here with him? Clary moved closer to him, her face inches away from his. He was so beautiful. Feeling perfectly relaxed, she closed her eyes and took comfort in Sebastian's prescence.

That was when she felt a hand lovingly stroke her cheek, and she opened her eyes to find Sebastian awake, softly smiling at her. She smiled back and leant into his touch, unsure if today would be the last day she ever saw him.

"Good morning," he murmured, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Clary's ear.

"Good morning," Clary replied, yawning slightly. Sebastian laughed slightly at her, then leant in closer to her face. His lips were inches away from hers, but he looked into her eyes first, asking if he was allowed. Clary closed the gap herself, their lips touching softly, with Sebastian drawing at her bottom lip gently. Clary sighed blissfully, reaching up her hand to touch Sebastian's hair, soft white locks falling through her fingers. The kiss ended, and Sebastian looked down at Clary with a smile on his face, but sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm gonna go get breakfast. Care to join me?" He asked, sitting up to pull on his boxers. Clary nodded, and sat up too so she could put her clothes on. Despite what she and Sebastian had done last night, she still felt embarrased to be naked in his presence. She dared to sneek a peek back at Sebastian, and was shocked when she saw that he was already fully dressed, in mere seconds. He saw her looking at him, and gently smiled.

"It's a simple trick. You'll be able to do things like this and more when you...I mean, if you decide to stay," Sebastian said. Clary could hear the sadness in his voice when he corrected himself, as neither of them knew if Clary would stay with him yet. Feeling awkward at her uncertainty, Clary looked down, feeling slightly bad for Sebastian. He seemed like he really wanted her to stay with him, but could Clary really spend the rest of her eternal life in this derilect mansion with a guy who basically kidnapped her and held her against her will for 10 years? She couldn't say.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen. I'm gonna get dressed," Clary replied, not looking at Sebastian out of awkwardness and guilt. How screwed up was she? Feeling sorry for leaving her kidnapper? Clary had read about Stockholm Syndrome in the library. Could she be experiencing that? It certainly seemed like it. She heard Sebastian sigh mournfully.

"I'll meet you downstairs, Clary," Sebastian said, walking over to Clary and leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. Clary leant into his touch, savouring the feeling of his lips against her skin. Sebastian reluctantly pulled away, his gaze one of vulnerability. Clary looked away from him, the look of sadness in his dark eyes almost too much to bear. Sebastian stepped away from her and walked out the door, without looking back at her.

Clary threw herself back down onto the bed, fighting back tears. She had wanted her freedom for so long, so why was she so reluctant to take it? Sebastian wasn't at all what she had imagined him to be. In her mind, she had pictured him cruel, sadistic and not at all willing to let her leave. But in reality, he was kind, comforting and would let her leave if she truly wanted to. How did he end up in the mansion? How long had he been here? How did he get those scars on his back?

Clary knew she could not continue to delay her answer. She needed to make her decision as quickly as possible, to avoid hurting herself and Sebastian any longer than necessary. She was tearing herself apart trying to decide, and she couldn't keep giving Sebastian false hope. But she had not reached her conclusion yet, so she finished getting ready and went downstairs to meet Sebastian. She found him in the kitchen, a full fried breakfast on two plates at the table where he was sat. He was sat at the table with his head in his hands, too deep in thought to notice Clary had appeared in the doorway. He eventually pulled himself out of his trance and shot out of his seat to pull out Clary's seat for her. She smiled gratefully at him and sat down, followed by Sebastian. The two of them dug into their breakfast.

"So tell me about yourself Sebastian, seeing as you know so much about me and I know practically nothing about you." Clary enquired, noticing when Sebastian tensed up at her request. She worried she had crossed the line in asking him about his personal life, but was relieved when he answered.

"There's really not much to tell, Clarissa. I enjoy writing, I'm not picky with food, and my favourite colour is black," Sebastian answered, cutting into a strip of bacon.

"No, I mean about your life. What you were like before the mansion. How you got trapped here...how you got those scars on your back," Clary finished uncertaintly, her curiosity getting the best of her once again. Sebastian's head shot up, his eyes filled with pain and anger. He abruptly stood up from his chair.

"That is something I am not willing to share with you, Clarissa. You have no right to ask me." Sebastian choked out, sounding like he was regretting his harsh tone but was powerless to stop it. Clary sunk back into her chair, fearing Sebastian's sudden transformation from calm to cruel. He took a deep breath before continuing. "The front door is open. You are free to leave." And with that he made to leave from the kitchen, but Clary called out for him.

"Sebastian wait! Will you miss me?" Clary asked, nervous of the answer she might recieve. Sebastian paused in the doorway.

"Yes." He said simply, before disappearing round the corner. Clary felt her heart sink as she watched Sebastian walk away from her. Part of her hoped he'd convince her to stay. Part of her wanted to stay. But now it seemed like Sebastian wanted her to go, after prying too far into his personal life when she had no right to ask. Fighting back tears, Clary stood up from the table and walked out of the kitchen, wanting to take one last look at her room before she left.

Reaching the attic, Clary looked around the dark, musty room that she had called her home for 10 years. The broken furniture, the cracked floorboards were all the material possessions she had had for so long. What would she have after she left? Questions about her disappearance, endless interviews and demands from her parents and the public, and going the rest of her life without ever seeing Sebastian again. Her heart was battling against herself still. Did she leave and never look back, or stay with Sebastian for all eternity? But it seemed like Sebastian had made up his mind about her, so she had to do as she wished. Sighing forlornly, Clary shut her bedroom door, saying goodbye to a part of her life that she would never be able to forget.

Walking down the stairs, Clary kept her eyes and ears out for Sebastian, desperately wanting to say goodbye to him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he just wanted her gone, deciding there was no point in a bittersweet farewell. And with the mansion constantly changing its layout, there was no way she would find him. So she walked towards the entrance, her breath caught in her throat when she saw that the front door was wide open, a sight she hadn't seen in 10 years. She could see the world outside; the lush green trees, bright blue sky, the calm breeze and she could hear the birds singing their morning song. The sensation was overwhelming, seeing the outside world once again after so long. Clary walked towards the door, pausing to take in the sunlight. The mansion had been a part of her life for so long, and she would so dearly miss it. She prepared to take her first steps into a new life.

"I had a sister." A voice said softly, startling Clary out of her trance. She turned around to find Sebastian stood in the middle of the room, staring at her. Clary felt her heart lift in joy, but she was confused.

"What?" She asked, uncertain with what Sebastian had just said.

"Earlier, you asked me about my life, and I responded harshly. You didnt deserve that. I was born into quite a neglectful family. My mother abandoned me and my sister when were young for the affections of another man. As a result, our father grew bitter and cold. I hated him, but I loved my little sister. I always tried to protect her from our father's abuse, which meant I got the worse of it. The scars on my back are the consequences of self defense." Sebastian told Clary, whose expression was shock and pain. What sort of father could hurt his own children? Sebastian continued.

"We suffered his abuse for many years, until I was 18. My little sister had developed a pure hatred for our father by this point, and screamed at him for what he did to us. Blinded by rage, he threw her down the stairs, and she broke her neck. She died...and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I loved her so much, and in the blink of an eye I had lost her. I ran from home and straight towards this mansion, and I've been here ever since, for so many years. Now you know the truth, Clary." Sebastian finished, tears slowly falling down his face as he recalled the events that brought him to the mansion. Clary was silent as she took in the details of Sebastian's morbid life. He had been through so much pain, but had remained strong all through it.

"Sebastian, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how much pain you must've gone through. No one deserves that. I'm so sorry about your sister," Clary whispered, before throwing herself at Sebastian and wrapping her arms tightly around him. Sebastian wasted no time in hugging her back, burying his face in her curls and breathing deeply, the feeling of having her in his arms the biggest comfort he could ever recieve. He never wanted to let her go. But he knew he had no right to keep her here any longer than he already had. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip on her and stepped back, but kept a hand on her hair, stroking gently.

"I will truly miss you, Clary. But I have to let you lead your own life, without me. I wish you the best of luck," Sebastian murmured softly, leaning down to brush his lips against Clary's. He gently sucked at her bottom lip, and Clary eagerly moved into his touch, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his silky white locks. Sebastian broke the kiss, and Clary whimpered at the loss of her lips against his. "Goodbye Clary," Sebastian whispered, before turning around and walking away.

Clary felt her heart break at the sight of Sebastian walking away from her, and knew she could not go on if she chose to leave him forever. She wanted to stay with him. The world outside the mansion was different to the one she had lived in before, she didn't know how she would survive in it. But with Sebastian, she had familiarity. She had comfort and security. She had love. She realizes that she would miss Sebastian a whole lot more if she left, than she had missed her parents when she was first taken. Eternity was a long time, but there was no one she would rather spend it with than Sebastian. Making her final descision, she ran after Sebastian.

"Sebastian! Sebastian wait!" She exclaimed, excited to see that Sebastian drew to a halt ahead of her. He turned around with a look of surprise on his face.

"Clary, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned for the redhead. She just smiled at him.

"I want to stay here. With you. You're all I've known for so long, I can't go back to who I used to be. I don't even know who that is! What I do know is that I want to stay with you for the rest of my life, Sebastian. And I don't care if you don't want me here, I'm staying."Clary rushed out her words, excited to get them out. Sebastian stared at her.

"Clary, are you sure this is what you want?" He asked, putting his hands on her waist.

Clary nodded. "There isn't anything else I want more." She said before crashing her lips to Sebastians. He hungrily responded, picking Clary up and wrapping her legs around his waist. The two of them moaned into each other's mouths as Sebastian carried Clary upstairs to his room, where they remained for several hours.

Forever is a long, long time. But as long as Sebastian and Clary had each other, eternity was absolutely worth it.

Holy shit, I am so sorry it took me this long to update. School kept getting in the way, and I am just a lazy person. But after all this time, Haunted has finally come to an end. Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favourited this story, I couldn't have done it without you! I really hope you all enjoyed this short story, keep an eye out for any more stories I may write in the future, I have a couple of ideas! Until next time!-ImaginaryMoonlight