Here We'll Stay |Gnomeo and Juliet Short Story|

Part VIII: So Close, But So Far

(A/N: taking a moment to appreciate my lovely readers. You're amazing and I love you and I hope you're having an amazing day

And now it's time for angst hehehe)

Even as the gate closed and her lover was no longer in sight, Juliet continued to squirm and wriggle in the grasp of her captors, attempting to flail her arms or kick her legs at any of them so they would accidentally let her go. But in reality, she was exhausting herself by using so much energy and failing to succeed. She could hear Nanette trying to tell everyone to stop what they were doing, especially now that they were back in the Red Garden and that there was no need to keep holding her hostage. None of them listened, sadly.

But no matter what, Juliet refused to give up. She was not about to let the Reds take away everything she cared about. It wasn't too late. She could still somehow get back to Gnomeo, and they could run away somewhere else, somewhere farther away where no one would ever find them. It wasn't an ideal plan, but she would fight for it the best she could.

If the Reds were going to handle this with brute force, then so was she. Using all her strength, she swiftly raised her arm and elbowed one of them in the face, which sent them stumbling backwards. She then kicked another one in the shin, just to make sure one less person would stop her. Everyone else had instinctively let go of her to avoid being hit, and she seized her chance to make a run for it.

"Stop her!" Lord Redbrick commanded, "Don't let her leave this garden!"

The others started to chase her, but Juliet was fast and she was able to keep a good distance from them. She darted towards the gate, calling out Gnomeo's name in hopes he could hear her from the other side. She wasn't sure if the Blues had taken him back to their garden or if they were still in the alley, but she intended to go to him regardless.

Just as she was about to reach her only way out, she was abruptly stopped when Fawn and the little Red gnomes jumped in her way.

"You're not going anywhere, traitor!" Fawn hissed.

"Out of my way, Fawn!" She was about to run around him, only to find that Tybalt was right next to him.

"You're not seriously running back to him?" Her cousin asked, revolted by what she was trying to do. Even after witnessing everything in the alley, he still didn't believe their love was real. Not that this was a surprise. Tybalt had never felt love a day in his life.

"I am, and I'll be dammed if you do anything to stop me." She said sternly.

Her response earned her a harsh slap across the face, which took everyone by surprise. But Juliet didn't even know what to think of it. She knew Tybalt could be aggressive, but she never expected him to hit her. She stood completely frozen for a moment as she held her cheek, feeling the aftermath of the impact.

"You stupid girl." He spat bitterly, "You honestly think he loves you? He's a Blue, goddamnit! He's not capable of feeling anything! And you're just going to run back to him all so you can live out some fairytale? The fuck is wrong with you?! Your mum would despise you for this."

Juliet's eyes went wide at the mention of her mother. Now Tybalt had crossed a line. Actually, he crossed it long ago in the alley when he accused her of not actually loving Gnomeo. But now he deserved payback.

With no hesitation, she backhanded a slap across his face, earning a few gasps from the other Reds—especially Fawn and the little gnomes.

"Don't you dare bring my mother into this!" She shouted, "And don't ever doubt our love for each other! You don't know anything about Gnomeo so don't pretend like you do!"