Julian kept struggling and screaming, attracting the attention of everyone else in the house because both the door to the room and the balcony's window-door were now open.

His parents rushed in in time to witness the heartbreaking scene.

The truth finally dawned on the poor nanny who gasped. "You were trying to hang yourself?" she murmured, and Julian's mother gasped too and ran to her son's side. Her husband joined her and there were now three people holding him down.

Julian couldn't move anymore and his sobs became even more desperate.

"Please let me die, I can't live without Romeo, please, I know he's dead, I want to go to him please."

He kept crying his heart out and his mother hugged him crying with him. Mr Capulet said, "Don't speak like this, son, don't waste your life for a troublemaker like that Romeo, he wouldn't have died if he didn't fight."

Julian pushed him away. "You don't know him!" he yelled. "He died to save my life, don't you ever speak of him!"

His mother's heart ached, did Romeo save her son's life? She had been told that he got stabbed in a fight, she didn't know about this.

"If that's true, then why are you wasting his sacrifice? Do you think he'd be happy to know that you threw away the life he died saving?" she told him, and these words hit him hard, he stopped struggling but he kept crying.

Now Laurence could loosen his hold and breath again; everyone fell silent but for Julian loud cries, and the old nanny stepped forward.

"He isn't dead yet," she said, and her words echoed in the room.

"What?" Julian murmured, and stopped crying while a new hope entered his heart.

"It's true," Laurence said now that he was able to speak. "He hasn't woken up yet but he's still alive."

"I have to see him," Julian stated, and they let him get up. "I need to see him."

Mrs Capulet took her son's hand.
"Let's go visit him then," she said uncaring of her husband's concerned look.

"Wait, are you sure..."

She interrupted him harshly. "If he saved our son's life, shouldn't we be there thanking him?"

Julian clang to her arm in hope, and the two women led him out, one on each side of him. Laurence followed right behind, and after a moment of hesitation his father joined them.

At the Montague's house, Romeo was still unconscious. The doctors had patched him up saying that he now needed to rest and wake up on his own, the only thing they could do now was wait.

His parents stayed by his side and were holding his hands when Mercutio came in with the sad news.

Mr Montague stood up. "What is it Mercutio?"

"I just heard, the Capulet son died too."

Mrs Capulet cried at those words and her husband erupted, "My son is not dead yet! Watch your words Mercutio!"

But at those words Romeo's body shook and the machine attached to him gave out a loud constant sound that terrified them.

She held his hand calling his name in fear, while her husband yelled for the doctors. The nurse assigned to him rushed forward and worked hard to get Romeo's heart to beat again.

When the doctor arrived, he had managed to get a weak heartbeat back, but it was so feeble that their hopes weren't high.

"He's too weak," the doctor said. "He needs to fight back, maybe you should talk to him, remind him of the reasons why he should wake up, tell him that those who love him are waiting for him here."

"Come back Romeo, we love you, wake up," his mother said, holding his hand tightly. His father frowned, looking at them.

It wasn't long before they heard a commotion coming from the main door, the door to Romeo's room was open and five people came in followed by the servants who had tried to stop them.

Romeo's mother jumped on her feet. "What is he doing here? Stay away from my son, haven't you caused enough troubles?"

Julian didn't even acknowledge her presence, he could only see Romeo's sleeping figure and he rushed to the bed. "Romeo I'm here, come back to me please, don't leave me."

Julian's mother stepped in front of the Montagues bowing her head. "Your son saved my son's life, I'm forever grateful to him and I regret trying to separate them now."

Her husband slowly bowed his head as well. "I wished a different life for my son, but I never wished to lose him," he said but his speech was cut short by Mrs Montague's fury.

She ignored him and slapped her face hard. "How dare you show up here, haven't you done enough to ruin my Romeo?"

Amidst all the chaos nobody was looking at the boys anymore. Julian was still there, having eyes only for his Romeo, holding and kissing his hand while chanting, "Wake up please, come back, I love you, Romeo, please don't leave me."

No-one, not even him, noticed the moment Romeo's eyes started to open. His eyelids blinked a few times before his eyes slowly began to open. He saw his parents and Julian's parents, why were they together? He saw his own mother's anger, heard her hateful words and closed his eyes again, his heart ached so much, what was happening? He just had the most horrible dream, Julian was dead, lost forever, and now their parents were still fighting, the reality wasn't better than his nightmares, he wanted to sleep again and dream of Julian alive and with him.

He felt someone squeezing his hand and he opened his eyes again. He looked to his right and saw Julian's figure on his knees, his head on the bed, his hand holding his own.

The machine monitoring his heartbeat beeped faster, calling everyone's attention on him. He didn't notice, and murmured a soft "Julian..."

Julian's head shot up. "Romeo, you're back..." Tears were flowing out of his eyes.

"I dreamed that you were dead, I hadn't saved you, I wanted to die with you." Romeo's voice was barely a whisper, but in the absolute silence of the room everyone heard him.

"You silly, don't ever talk about throwing your life away like that," Julian whispered back, his eyes firmly locked into Romeo's.

Mrs Montague called for the doctor to check on him, then turned her cold face towards Julian. "Leave! Now! This is a family matter, we'll take care of our own."

The nurse approached the bed and Julian reluctantly took a step back, they wouldn't take him away for long but for now Romeo needed a doctor more than him.

He couldn't go far though, Romeo's hand refused to let him go. "Stay with me," he breathed out and Julian paused in doubt.

Mrs Montague opened her mouth to say something, but the nurse intervened.
"The patient needs quiet, do not distress him, you all should leave." He then turned towards Julian. "The patient reacted to you, so you should stay and keep him calm."

All the parents were stunned, Laurence nodded silently and the nanny gave a sigh of relief before she quietly said, "We should leave him in your care then," and walked out. Everyone followed her under the nurse's determined stare.

Once they were alone, he brought a chair for Julian to sit on next to Romeo's bed and quietly checked on him. The doctor arrived soon.

Romeo's condition improved constantly, his heartbeat was more normal and he gained his strength back.

During all this time Julian was the only one allowed in the room. The doctor's only concern was for the patient's health, and after the nurse's report got confirmed by the monitoring machine - Romeo's heartbeat would become irregular every time his mother showed up at the door, but turned normal whenever Julian held his hand - he banned their presence. Nobody was to enter that room until Romeo gained his health back, nobody but Julian, doctor's orders.

When Romeo felt strong enough to leave the bed, he kept it secret until he was alone with Julian, then he said, "I'm fine now, let's go away, let's run away  together or they'll try again to keep us apart."

Julian was concerned over his health but Romeo reassured him many times that he was ok now, so he helped him wear his clothes and get up from the bed. Romeo could now walk on his own, although he probably wouldn't have been able to run very far, so they quietly sneaked out of the house unseen.

They reached the gate and out of sight, but their escape was stopped by a sudden figure stepping in front of them.

"Did you really think I wouldn't guess your intentions? I've been young too you know. Where do you think you're going?"

Julian blushed at being caught by his nanny like that. "We have no other choice, what else can we do to stay together?"

"Come home." She surprised him with her words. "Your foolish stunt affected your mother a lot, she won't accept to let you out of her sight but she will accept to look at both of you now."

"What foolish stunt?" Romeo asked not knowing anything of Julian's attempt at suicide, but he got no response.

"Are you sure? You're not trying to trick me into coming back?"

The old woman looked severely at him. "I raised you better than that, you don't trust me?"

Julian blushed again in shame and followed her home, strongly holding Romeo's hand. Together they reached his house and knocked on the door.

As they walked in, Mrs Capulet came running to hug him to her breast like a child, but he struggled out of her arms to take again his place at Romeo's side.

"I won't leave him," he stated again, and she sighed. "Come in, both of you. I wanted to gain a daughter but if this is what it takes then I suppose than having two sons is better than having none."

Romeo didn't truly understand her words, but Julian did and lead him inside.

"Romeo, do you... want something to drink?" she asked. She was feeling rather awkward but she was trying, so Julian smiled and accepted for both of them.

They drank tea and ate bread and jam, and Julian started to relax. A few hours went by then a knock that should have been expected startled them.

The nanny looked from a window and came in to say, "It's the Montagues, Madam. They must have noticed Romeo's absence. What should we do?"

"You two stay there!" Mrs Capulet told her son and his now boyfriend. "Don't you leave this house! I'll handle them."

"Call my husband," she told the nanny, then she walked to the door and put the chain in its place before opening a crack.

"He's here," she said as soon as she caught sight of them. "And he's staying here with my son."

Mrs Montague opened her mouth but wasn't allowed to speak. "It's not negotiable, you're not the only one who almost lost a son these days, and I intend to keep them here, alive and well."

Mr Montague raised his hands, elbows bent, and said, "We come in peace, please let us see that our son is okay."

Suddenly the door closed on their faces, but was immediately reopened by Mr Capulet. "Come in."

When they reached the living room they were confronted with two arguing boys.

"Stop avoiding my question, what is all this talking about foolish stunts, having no son, almost lost you, what did you do?" Romeo had had enough and wanted an answer now.

Julian finally lowered his eyes. "I thought you were dead," he murmured as explanation, and Romeo got angry.

"Are you crazy? You think I got stabbed so you could die on your own?"

Mrs Capulet cleared her throat announcing their presence. "Romeo, your parents came to see you.
"
He didn't join them, but stood in front of Julian. "I'm okay, you can go now."

Mr Capulet spoke. "We've all been through a lot, I think we can all agree that despite our... personal views on such matters, there is no doubt that our sons' lives are what's most important."

After a look of dislike in Julian's direction, Mrs Montague agreed as her husband did.

Mrs Capulet invited them to sit down for a talk, but they promised to stay more next time, for today it was enough knowing that their son was alright.

Before they parted, the faithful nanny came forward taking both men's hands and joining them, suggesting they shook on the obtained truce, adding the words:

"Masters Capulet, Masters Montague, ponder now on what scourge almost killed your joys, their love was stronger than your hate, the sun will shine again upon your houses, let all be pardoned and only punish yourselves, 'cause there never was a story of such love as this of Julian and his Romeo."