Hey! Just a little one shot that came to mind…I'd like to thank MyGhela for the idea! Thanks!

"Please, just stop it." Alfie sighed. Mara placed a hand on his shoulder

"But I can, Alfie. I swear I can. He wants you to be happy. He said he wants you to keep pranking. He want-"

"Stop it!" Alfie jumped up from the stairs and ran his hands over his head, agitated "I get that he was your boyfriend Mara, and that you loved him. He was my best friend too! But he's gone! Please just accept it! The rest of us are trying to forget! Why can't you?"

"But I can see him!" Mara cried, standing too "I can see him, I swear!"

"Mara," Alfie stepped forward, sighing "It's just grief. We're all feeling it, I'm sorry I yelled." And he brought her forward for a hug. Mara hugged him back, frowning. He turned and walked away. Mara watched after him.

She sighed, going outside, she sat on the steps of Anubis, everyone was inside, mourning.

"They don't believe me," she sighed, head in her hands. And she knew he was there. She knew he was sitting beside her.

"Does it matter?" he asked "As long as you know I'm here?" and suddenly he was in front of her, tilting her chin up so that she could see right into his shimmering crystal blue eyes.

"Are you there?" Mara whispered, eyes watering.

"What do you think, Mara?" he whispered back. Mara reached towards him, and ran her hands through his hair. Then down his face, and she traced his thin pink lips.

"You feel so real," she said quietly, feeling the warmth radiating off of him.

"That's because I am real."

"But no one else can see you,"

"Mara, when I was alive. Only you saw me. Did you expect that to change just because I died? Nothing changes,"

Mara watched him for a moment, and he did seem real. His hair ruffled in his wind, he was wearing different clothes every time she saw him. He smelt just like he always did, and he made her laugh.

"They think I'm crazy," she admitted. Jerome watched her, and arched a light eye brow

"No they don't. They think you're grieving."

"You realise, I'm going to age, and you're not, right? Just like in all those cliché books? I'll be like 83, and you'll still be 18,"

"So?" Jerome laughed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear "You'll always be Mara Jaffrey,"

"I'll never be able to get married, have kids, spend real time with the person I love," she began to cry. And for once she wished she wasn't right, she wished she didn't know it was true. But she did, she would never marry anyone that wasn't Jerome. She would only want to have kids with Jerome. She wouldn't be able to spend time with him, because she'd been locked up, put into an asylum. The hot tears streamed down her face. Jerome wiped them away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry." Jerome looked down "I should have watched the tide-"

"No." Mara cut him off "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself."

Line Break

She was 29, and she sat in the cinema, right at the back, not watching the screen.

"You sent me away." He accused, appearing in the seat next to her. Mara turned to him, relieved.

"Sorry," she whispered "I needed time, I needed to revaluate myself."

"Miss me?" he asked. Mara nodded, and she leaned in to kiss him, and it felt just like old times. "I've missed you,"

"It's been three days, Jerome." She laughed.

"Feels like an eternity." And the statement was so true, Mara fell into silence.

Line Break

"Mara," Jerome chocked brokenly. Mara raised one hand to stop him where he was, and with the other hand, she held the pistol to her head. "Stop," he begged.

"When you die, you return to the age you were happiest," she smiled at him. Jerome just watched her. "I was happiest at 18, so if I died, I would become 18 again. And we would be together."

"Don't do this," Jerome was wearing a white shirt, and light beige jeans. His hair brushed forward, the streak of almond obvious in his dark hair. "I don't want you to do this."

"But I want to." Mara whispered "Please, let me."

"What about your friends? What about Chloe? You're Chloe's god mother, she needs you, do you think Amber picked you for no reason? It was because she knew she could trust you."

"Why don't you want me to be with you?" the woman asked puzzled. "I'm just living alone, I'm alone Jerome. Please, why won't you let me be happy?"

Jerome watched her, torn. He did want her to be happy. He loved her. But he couldn't watch her die.

"If you kill yourself, Mara…I won't be with you in this after life." Mara eyes widened at the statement. And it hurt Jerome to say it. But he needed her to live. He needed her to have a good long life.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You can't do that," she whispered brokenly "We love each other." Jerome shrugged, as if it were nothing.

Line Break

She was 18. She was 18 again. She knelt in front of her gravestone. She had lived to 87, married to Arthur, he had made her happy, but he was just a cheap imitation of Jerome. She didn't have kids, she refused.

Mara looked around, she didn't feel dead. She felt alive, more alive than she had felt in a long time. She hadn't seen Jerome since that fateful day 50 years ago. And she looked among her friends, who were all mourning for her. Looking for the face that mattered most.

And just a little way off, leaning against an old elm tree, stood Jerome, in all his handsome glory. Mara was unsure whether to approach him or not. But he looked up and met her eyes, and in less than a second, she was in front of him.

"Hey," she smiled at him.

"Mara Jaffray," he clicked his tongue "18? Didn't find a happier age than 18, then?"

She shook her head, hair swishing softly.

"Well that's something." He stated, watching her. "Are you okay?" she turned to see all her Anubis House mates crying. And she smiled sadly. They were all old and fragile, she was still surprised all of them were here.

"I lived a good life." She managed.

"I missed you."

"Oh come on," Mara teased "It's only been 50 years." Jerome laughed too. He leaned down and kissed her softly, she moved her arms up and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel his relief that she was finally there, and it matched with her own.

She may have been dead, but Mara Jaffrey, had never been more alive.

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