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Hey, guys! So, I was searching around my computer and found this. After I saw the Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters movie, I kind of had an obsession faze, and that's around the time I wrote it. For some reason, I loved the idea of Gretel and Ben together. I also figured I'd give Hansel a some-what romance, too. I thought it would be a good story to continue. I know its a bit boring right now but if you stick with me it'll get a LOT more interesting.

-ProWriter1996

Hansel's Pov.

I took a deep breath, staring into the dancing flames of the fire. The only time I could really get to myself was when everyone else was asleep. My gaze shifted to the three sleeping forms in the shadows. Of course, it found Gretel first. My sister was everything to me, and I was thankful that we had gotten through these last few months without major damage.

Well, at least she had.

Ever since the whole Augsburg fiasco, we had both been on edge. Never once in our job had we come so close to dying. But, at the same time, we had also aquired some-what friends.

Edward and Ben.

They created a spark in Gretel's eyes that I hadn't seen since we were young. If I dare say so myself, they seemed to make her...happy. I wasn't half as attached to them as she was, but seeing her care for them the way she did caused my friendliness with them to grow as the days went on. Dread and guilt washed through me as I thought back a few months when we had met them. Gretel hadn't been the only one to make friends during that period of time.

Mina.

Her name still brought tears to my eyes. I swollowed down a sob at the mere thought of her. This was another thing I got to do while the others were asleep, grieve. She had been such a big help to us all, especially me. She had proven to us that not all witches were bad. In fact, she had died to prove exactly that.

But, she had also proven that I could still love, despite everything I had gone through in my life. Of course, I knew I was still capable of it, due to my brotherly love towards Gretel, but, as time went on, I seemed to have created emotional barriers without even knowing it, blocking everyone else out. Mina had been the one to tare them down. I hadn't been in love with her, but I had been falling. I had let my walls fall down for her, and now I was paying the price.

I could have saved her. I know I could have saved her. In that mili-second that I had paused, I could have saved her and she would be alive. But I hadn't, and now I tormented myself every day for knowing that. And, while Gretel was fine, I was fighting the urge to rip my own head off for not saving Mina. Of course, I wouldn't let my sister know that. She was already keeping a close eye on me, probably able to see that something was off. I only kept my face expressionless, not wanting her to be more concerned than she already was.

There was a rustling to my side, and I snapped my head up to analyze whatever was making the movement. One of the sleeping figures had awoken and was now headed my way. I imediatly knew who it was due to the flickering light of the fire. Ben sighed as sat beside me on the log. He nodded to himself as if he was in deep thought.

"Why're you up?" I asked him, my voice seeming to shatter the silence surrounding us.

Ben jumped at the sudden loudness.

"I just couldn't sleep," he mumbled, shrugging afterward.

"Me either."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, and I inspected the young boy as he watched the flickering flames. I never asked him how old he was, but by his lean figure and somewhat awkward movements, I could guess he was a teenager. Ben's dirty blonde hair was more shriveled than usual and his hazel eyes seemed to be covered in a thin sheet of drowsiness, both a result of sleep. He seemed so innocent, and yet, I knew that wasn't the case. On more than one occasion, I had caught him looking my sister over. Usually, I'd think nothing of it, but it'd been happening more frequently in the last few days, and I couldn't help but think that he'd developed a small crush on her.

To make things even more confusing for me, I knew Gretel was aware of it, and yet, she hadn't said anything. Usually, if someone looked her over, they'd be unconscious within the next second, but that wasn't the case in this situation. In fact, Gretel seemed to like the attention. It caused my over-protective instincts to act up, but I always held them back. I knew that if Gretel didn't want Ben to admire her, she'd take care of it herself.

Now, though, with Gretel fast asleep, there was nothing holding me back from bringing it up to Ben. I had to fight the urge to blurt it out, knowing that Gretel could take care of herself. I also knew that if I did happen to bring it up and Gretel found out, she'd burn me alive with the next witch we'd kill.

"Hey, are you crying-" Ben started to speak, but I quickly cut him off.

"Stop oggling my sister, Ben," I snapped.

The boy beside me straightened at my sudden sternness. I closed my eyes and sighed. Great, just great, I had done exactly what my conscience told me not to. Well, there was no avoiding it now.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

I turned to look at him and narrowed my eyes.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I've caught you looking at her more than once."

He didn't reply at first, and I became amused to see his eyes widen in fear.

"I don't want to start anything, Hansel, really." I nodded, knowing that he was telling the truth. Ben may be young, but he wasn't stupid or dishonest. When I didn't speak, he continued. "I like her," he explained slowly.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You knew?"

"I had a theory."

"And you're okay with it?"

"No." I practically heard him gulp beside me. I quirked an eyebrow at him. "You thought I would be?"

Ben shrugged, looking down at the dirt, glistening from the fire.

"I honestly don't know what I expected. I never thought I'd be telling you."

We both paused for a moment, and curiousity got the best of me.

"How old are you, Ben?"

"Nineteen, why?"

Well, at least he was above eighteen.

"No reason."

"Oh, okay."

I raised my eyebrows at his tone. He seemed almost sad that I wouldn't tell him why. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You're too young for her, Ben," I enlightened him.

He looked up at me with a confused look in his eyes.

"How old is she?"

"That's not the point."

"I'd at least like to know her age."

I sighed once more.

"Gretel's twenty-five, I'm twenty-seven."

He nodded to himself again.

"And how old's Edward?"

At the mention of him, we both looked over at the sleeping troll.

"I don't think anyone knows that. The point is, Ben, you're too young for Gretel."

He rubbed the back of his neck in discomfert.

"I know, but it's not like it matters. She's not interested."

Wow, this kid had a LOT to learn about my sister.

"So, can we agree to not mention this to her?"

A look of relief shot across Ben's face.

"I'm all for that."

"Good, now you should get back to sleep. We have a few more hours before we have to move."

"When was the last time you slept?"

My frown deepened.

"Why?"

"You have really big bags under your eyes."

"Yeah, well, beauty sleep isn't really my thing."

"Maybe not, but you need enough to function correctly."

Like I said, not a stupid kid.

"Someone has to keep watch, Ben, now go back to sleep."

"I'll take watch."

I paused, turning to him in shock.

"You want to take watch?"

He shrugged.

"Sure, I've already gotten enough sleep and you need some. I'll make sure nothing comes our way."

I thought for a minute, my drowsiness beating out my stubborness for once.

"Okay, but if you hear ANYTHING, come and wake me up, got it?"

He nodded.

I got up and trudged over to the others. They both seemed to be caught up in their own dreams. I lied down next to my sister and closed my eyes. Sleep took me almost immediately.

Gretel's Pov.

I awoke from my sleep at the sound of voices. My eyes fluttered open to see two slightly blury figures by the still lit fire. They were talking intently. Edward was snoring a few feet away, causing me to have to strain my hearing to listen to them. My brother had obviously been the one to wake me, seeing as he didn't bother to lower his voice.

"So, can we agree to not mention this to her?" he questioned the other male figure.

"I'm all for that," Ben replied.

I forced myself not to jump. Of course it was Ben, Gretel, who else would it be? I had grown to know his voice fairly well over the short period of time I'd known him. Of course, him never being able to be quiet was mostly the reason why. Their agreement confused me, though. I was the only 'her' here, so they obviously didn't want me to know something, but what?

"Good, now you should get back to sleep. We have a few more hours before we have to move."

"When was the last time you slept?"

I frowned my brows as I listened to their conversation. How long had they both been up? Did they do this every night?

"Why?"

"You have really big bags under your eyes."

"Yeah, well, beauty sleep isn't really my thing."

"Maybe not, but you need enough to function correctly."

I took in a deep, silent breath. My guess was, my brother was used to being up late every night. I had a suspicion that something was bothering him, and now I was possitive something was. And, I was pretty sure that 'something' started with a capital M and ended with -ina.

"Someone has to keep watch, Ben, now go back to sleep."

"I'll take watch."

I forced myself to stay where I was and not shift. My brother knew I was like a rock when I slept. If I moved, he would know I wasn't asleep. Ben wanted to take watch? Hansel I understood, but Ben?

He was so...inexperience, yet wise. If something attacked, he wouldn't be able to keep it away on his own, he wasn't ready for that, not yet, anyway. But, he also seemed to know that Hansel wouldn't function correctly without sleep. Even an idiot could see that my brother was the best fighter of us four, me being the second. We couldn't afford to have him use half of his ability, and Ben seemed to catch onto that.

"You want to take watch?" my brother seemed to speak my thoughts.

There was no verbal answer, but by the slight shuffling of clothing, I suspected Ben had either shrugged or nodded.

"Sure, I've already gotten enough sleep and you need some. I'll make sure nothing comes our way."

I was so sure that my brother would turn down his offer. He was more stubborn than me, and that was hard to beat. So, when he did answer, I was shocked.

"Okay, but if you hear ANYTHING, come and wake me up, got it?"

Again, there was movement, and I imagined Ben doing the same as before, shrugging or nodding. I closed my eyes immediately when I saw one of the figures, probably my brother, stand up. In the next second, I felt a presence lay down next to me. Within another short moment, their breath had evened out in a way that assured me they were alseep. I opened my eyes once more to see my brother sound asleep beside me.

I knew my brother better than anyone else ever could. I knew how stubborn he was and how reluctant he could be to let someone overtake him. So, how easily he had let Ben take watch worried me. Ever since Augsburg, he had been acting odd. I knew it was Mina, and now that I had seen how much it had affected him, I knew it was time to talk to him about it.

I didn't want to do it around the others, though. Mina would probably be a sensitive subject for Hansel to mention. And when it came to sensitive subjects, my brother didn't always have the best way of handling his frustrations. He usually turned to violence if it was extremely painful for him to talk about. I remember the first time I had tried to talk to him about our parents.

We had been around fourteen years old at the time. Hansel had somehow managed to knock a tree down with his bare hands when I refused to let the subject drop. Of course, he had never hurt me when going through one of his tantrums. Still, I didn't want Endward and Ben to see my brother that way. The thought of Ben drew my gaze back to the young boy looking into the fire.

When you looked at him from the position I was in, Ben didn't look like a teenager at all. Instead, he looked like a young man. His posture was rough with his broad shoulders slugged foward, his elbows on his knees, and his hands clasped together. Ben's chin rested on his raised knuckles as he watched the bright light in front of him like he was in deep thought. When I thought about it, Ben seemed to have physically developed from when we had first met him a few months ago.

He was in better shape, taller, too, and his facial features had matured slightly. His jaw line, for example, was more angular than before and his eyes, under the longer hair that he'd developed, held a spark that seemed to erupt into flames when we were in danger, similar to the ones he was staring into now. It seemed to be one of viciousness, as if he was challenging the witches we disposed of. There was no reason for him not to, though. With the lessons I had given him around three months ago, he was clearly able to defend himself, and he had also seemed to pick up a few offence moves with the more witches we ran into.

Ben hadn't just matured physically, though. He had also managed to grow mentally and emotionally. Although he had always been bright, with the experience he's aquired since we started our journey around the world, Ben's started to be more logical and cautious in certain situations. And, while he had been starstruck by us for a good few weeks, it seemed to have worn off as he now treated us like normal people. And yet, with all of the bloodshed and darkness he had to witness while being with us, Ben still managed to keep most of his good qualities from before we had met him.

Somehow, he was still just as kind and sweet as he was those few days we saw him in Augsburg. He was still just as mannered, too. And, despite everything he'd gone through in his young life, Ben still managed to be happy most of the time. I hadn't known him for longer than a year, and yet, I cared for him in ways someone would a long-time friend. I suppose I even cared for him a bit TOO much.

It was hard to admit that I had feelings for someone, and it was even more confusing since I had met that person not long ago. In all truth, it was frightening. Staring at Ben from my spot on the ground raised feelings to the surface, feelings I had never felt before. Of course, I'd had a few intrests in the past, but none had made me feel the way I do with Ben, and all of them had involved more physical activity than anything else. The only time Ben's skin touched mine was when I had to pull him out of harms way or clean a wound.

It frightened me even more when he looked at me. It was almost like an electric shock running through my body whenever I caught him staring. Usually, if a man decides to look me over, he'd turn unconscious at the will of my fist, but it was the complete oposite with Ben. I rather...liked it when he looked at me. Although he was young, he was very well mannered and kind, and would never be thought of as a boy who looked at women often.

Knowing this gave me confidence in myself. It made me feel special to be looked at by Ben, all of which are feelings I was foreign to. And so, my fear level would spike whenever his beautiful hazel orbs stared through my very soul. My eyes flickered back over to my sleeping brother. What could they possibly want to hide from me? Had Hansel told Ben about Mina? Was that what everything was about?

I held back a sigh as the options wirled around my brain. I'd bring it up tomorrow when we started traveling again. Ben would probably be the better option. He seemed to give into me very easily, unlike my brother. The decision made, I wandered back of into my wonderful dreamland.

So, how'd you guys like it? Please review to tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!

-ProWriter1996