ok so orignall idea for this goes to painted-scales she dident finesh her one so im taking over the idea (dosent mean you cant do ur one Painted) cos i wanted to XDD

(this be Meilin and I edited this with permission XD)

It had been a good night. They were partying and dancing, but Shadow wished she could take back just one jump, just one bang, just one movement. If she hadn;t done just one more jump, it wouldn't have fallen and Worthy wouldn't have been crushed. 

She hadn't left her husband's side since the stone hit him. He hadn't woken up, but now he stirred. His eyelids flickered a little.

"Worthy?" Shadow leaned forward.

"Huh?"

"Shh, shh... Honey, its okay," She laid a hand on top of his chest. To her surprise, he pushed it away.

"'Honey?' Who are you? Get off me!" Worthy struggled to sit up. "Don't you know who I am?!"

"Worthy?"

"Worthy!? What do you mean!? I am Devin Trunswick! Future Earl of Trunswick! Get off me!!"

Shadow's blood ran cold. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you kidding me?"

"Who are you? Why would I be joking?" Worthy was dead serious... if he even was Worthy anymore.

"Worthy, I'm your wife!" Shadow insisted.

"Stranger, I'm not married!"

"Worthy." 

"Idiot." Worthy turned his face away from her.

Tears spilled out of her eyes and streamed down Shadow's face. He wasn't joking. She let go of his body and he stood up.

"Worthy," she said through tears. "Come back to me!"

"Guards! Guards?!" Worthy called. "This woman is delusional! Get her out of here!!"

"Worthy!" 

"Stop saying that!" he snapped.

Shadow couldn't believe her ears. "But- but it's your name." 

"My name is Devin Trunswick." 

Dawson came in. He had been worried about his brother.

"Worthy... What's going on?" His eyes flicked from Shadow to his brother.

"You too, Dawson!? Come on! Do you know her?"

"Of course I know her, she is my sister-in-law!" Dawson crossed the room and put one arm around Shadow, who was quivering from fear. She was glad of his comfort, but it wasn't the same. He wasn't the same as his brother.

"Daphne is married!?" Worthy looked at him like a stranger.

"No, Worthy, you are married!"

"Ha, ha, very funny. I get it, jokes on me, and I said stop with the Worthy thing already." Worthy glared at everyone in the room.

Dawson was crying too, now. Shadow could feel his tears landing on her hand.

"I'll deal with this," he said. "He doesn't remember you. It would be better to go see Tasha." Shadow nodded, then, sobbing, ran out of the room. As she ran, she bumped into Raisha.

"Woah! Shadow, what happened?" Raisha regained her balance and gripped Shadow's shoulderes. "Are you okay?"

"No!" she cried. "I'm not okay!"

"Come and sit down. Let's talk about it." Raisha's voice was soft, but it wasn't what Shadow wanted.

"I don't want to talk about it!" She pushed Raisha aside and continued to run. She heard Raisha following her. Shadow knew who she wanted to see. Someone who wouldn't care, someone who was too mad to realize the gravity of it, someone like Song. She burst into the Empress's room. "Song!" she demanded.

"Ya huh?" Song turned around. She had been sitting at the dresser.

Shadow drew herself up. "Worthy is gone."

"Oh." The brush she was holding dropped to the floor.

"He is Devin again!"

"Well... this should be interesting." Song's expression turned queer.

"He doesn't love me! He doesn't remember me!"

"Nice change." 

Shadow knew she should be upset by Song's responses, but they were just what she needed. Someone who wasn't going to calm her down and make her think. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to do anything except see her husband again. Her husband, who no longer loved her. Her husband, who didn't remember she existed.

"Shadow," Meilin said from the door. Raisha stood beside her.

"I went to get Meilin," Raisha said, meeting Shadow's sharp gaze without flinching. "Maybe she can help calm you down."

"I don't want to be calm!" She tried to run out of the room but Meilin caught her by the shoulders with a strong grip. Shadow looked into her dark eyes hesitantly.

"Listen Shadow," she said in a soft voice. "I know this must be hard. I know this must be really, really hard, but you are strong. You can get Worthy back. You just need to remind him who he really is."

"But that's the thing! Devin has forgotten everything that turned him into Worthy!" Shadow's eyes burned. "And Devin needs those exact circumstances to become him. "

"What did you do to me!" It was Worthy, scrambling around the corner and holding up an accusing finger. "Witch! Trickery! How did you do this!?"

"Do what?"

"Look at me!" he howled. "You are so dead!" 

The words stung like nothing Shadow had ever felt. In that moment, she knew she could go no longer. She let her body fall to the floor. She was still fully conscious, but she had just given up.

"Shadow!" Meilin picked her up under the arms. "Shadow, it's okay." 

Tasha came over. She saw Shadow lying there in Meilin's arms, limp and unmoving.

"Is she okay?" The Stetriolian girl ran over, worried.

"Keep away from Worthy," whispered Raisha. "I'll explain once Shadow is out of earshot. It will hurt her if I say it now." 

Tasha nodded.

"Shadow?" Meilin asked again, gently shaking her shoulders. The girl reminded unmoving. She refused to admit to Erdas that she existed.

"Shadow." Raisha seemed scared.

"What's going on?" Conor said, coming down the hall with his green cloak trailing behind him.

"Conor, no-" began Meilin, eyes wide, but it was too late.

"Conor! Where were you!?" said Devin, glaring at the boy in an expression Shadow had never seen on his face as Worthy before.

"Oh, I was just out in the garden playing fetch with Briggan," Conor replied, not having caught on.

"Briggan!?" Devin snapped.

Conor paused. "Yes, Worthy. My spirit animal."

"Oh, come on! That is low. That is very low. Do you want me to fire you?" Devin walked a step closer, voice cold and accusing. "Have your family's debt put into double?"

"I - Worthy, that was ages ago!" Conor went pale and took a step back. "I thought we were over that!"

"Ha, ha, very funny, Conor," Raisha hissed through her teeth. She grabbed his arm and mouthed something. With a glance at Shadow and Meilin, Conor nodded and walked off.

"Hey! I did not give you permission to leave!" Devin's footsteps sounded, and then were stopped by Raisha, who blocked his way. "What are you doing? Who are you?"

Shadow closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep.

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When Shadow awoke, she heard voices.

"So, normally, they have to have a strong reminder of their past, right?" came the unmistakable sound of Meilin's voice.

"Yes, but he is his past," Raisha's voice replied.

"Well, Dawson can't keep him in check forever," said Tasha. "We need to do something. I mean, look what it did to Shadow~"

"What?" said Shadow, opening her eyes.

"Shadow!" Meilin jumped up and ran over, helping her sit up. Raisha took her other arm.

"Are you okay?" 

"Worthy," she said simply. Tasha nodded.

"We know, and we are trying to get him back."

"You were saying about a reminder of his past, right? Well, what if he needs a reminder of Worthy?"

"What could be strong enough?" asked Raisha.

"The Wildcat's Claw?" suggested Tasha.

"No." Shadow shook her head. "He must have already seen it. Dawson was wearing it when he came in."

"What about Shadow?" said Tasha.

"Me!? You saw how he treated me..." Shadow hung her head.

"What if you kiss him?" suggested Meilin. "That seems like it's bound to get him back."

"But how do i get close to him?" 

"Go up to him in his sleep then wake him up with a kiss," said Raisha, eyes brightening.

"So we just need to wait for him to go to bed, then we have a plan to get him back." said Tasha. 

Shadow nodded.

"Shadow? You alright?" asked Meilin. "I thought you would have been more... excited."

"I - I just feel numb." she said. "Ever since I lost him, it feels empty."

"I know."

"No, but you don't!" 

Meilin hugged her. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It will be okay. We will get him back. I promise."

"And what if we don't? What if we cant!?" 

"Then at least you have the memories,"said Tasha hugging her, too. "The kiss will work. I know it will." 

She felt Raisha hand on her back.

"He will probably be going to bed soon," she said.

------------------------

Shadow crept into Worthy's room. She saw the boy sound asleep on his bed. She was extra careful to stay silent. She had no idea if he was still as deep a sleeper. She crept over to him and took his head in her hands, hands on his cheeks. That was when he woke up.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Help me!!" 

She didn't listen. She knew that if she did, she may lose him forever. She let her lips press against his. At first, he tried to pull away, but Shadow had him pinned to the bed. Then, she felt his arm round her and him kissing her back. She let the moment last. She held on to her husband. She knew he was in there. Then, when she was sure Worthy was back, she pulled away.

"Shadow?" 

"W- Worthy?"

"You look awful -  what happened, love?"

"Worthy," she said, hugging him.

"Woah! Okay, okay, it's alright, I'm here, I'm here." 

She held him tight. He was back; she had him back.

"You- you turned into Devin again." Shadow's voice shook.

"I - I did?" He sounded shocked. "Did - did I -"

"You told me you wanted me to die," she sobbed.

"Shadow!" he hugged her tighter. She could hardly breathe, but she had never felt better. Never been happier to have his arms around her. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't mean it." she said. "Just don't ever, ever, do that again."

"I won't. I promise you I won't." He moved up in his bed so she could slip under the cover and sit beside him. They sat there in silence for a long while, arms around each other. "You are perfect, Shadow," he said to her.

"Oh Worthy, nobody's perfect."

"Well, you are nobody then." 

She laughed. "I'm so glad to have you back."

"Why are you laughing?"

"Did you not realize what you said?"

"Oh- OH! Tellun! I'm SO sorry!"

"No, no don't be. Besides, I was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there is one perfect person. One exception to that rule."

"Who?" Shadow knew he already knew the answer.

"You."

the amout of times i cried wile wrighting this-