I do not own Jane and the Dragon at all what so ever.

This is my first attempt at coming back, and although I'm not yet sure where this will lead or if I'll continue it at all, I have high hopes.

Reviews are always welcome to motivate me :3

If you recognize the plot, I applaud our similar tastes.

She was not the one he wanted, she was never the one he wanted; despite her beauty and the countless nights they've spent together in the past two months, the bitter taste in his mouth never changed when he saw her. Unrequited love, towards the best friend of the dark-haired woman who grasped his hand as she followed, kept him from feeling anything but contempt towards Pepper.

Do not think about it, he tells himself as he pulls her into his house, void of other bodies for his father was lands away for the month. But you always do, do you not? He catches her looking at him, slight traces of worry on her pale face illuminated in the candle light, realizing that he must be visually scowling. He tries to clear his appearence of anything negative, wanting to push away the unstoppable thoughts of a red-headed -

"Just thinking," he answers lowly to her unspoken question.

"Would you like to talk about it?" she asks him as they reach his private quarters. Her voice had become far more confident in the time they've spent together, he noticed.

"No," he replies, shortly.

"Well," fingers intertwined between his - her hand looking impossibly small by comparison, tender and soft - "Don't you always have something to say?"

Oh, God, he thinks. She's even starting to sound like her. The thought bothers him, but it doesn't stop him from doing as he has before.

"We're not here to talk," he practically growls.

She smiles slightly, gazing down and hiding the look her brown eyes gave him, taking the hint. Her slim fingers pulled at the white back string, normally hidden behind her dark braid, that kept her attire together. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the delicate and curvy figure she revealed when her maroon gown pooled on the wooden floor, no matter how many times he saw it. The pale skin she exposes, he knows to be so soft the touch -

- and desperate to touch he is, urgent; he rids himself of all of his clothing quickly, wanting to join his tanned body against her white skin and feel the heat that surged between them. He kisses her, a bit too sudden for her liking, her hands against his toned chest, fingers spread out and cold. Gunther pulls her closer to him, rubbing against her, the wish to rid his mind of her motivating him. The things he would do to her, to press his lips against her pink ones, to pull at the strands of unruly hair as he so often teased, to - his mind had wandered off again.

I would do anything, he thinks, to cure this foolish want, anything to put out the fires Jane had unknowingly lit inside of me.

No, don't dare think about her. You have Pepper here, more of a woman than that mess of a girl, you have her melting under your touch. Pretend Jane doesn't exist, pretend, pretend, pretend!

She looks up at him from where he had suddenly pushed her into his bed among the white sheets, and mounted her like a lion. Her eyes had taken a hint of exasperation that replaced her waxing lust. "You're thinking again," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "It distracts you."

He glares at her before burying his face into her shoulder, hand on her large breast.

"I rather," he starts, slightly annoyed at her intrusion, "You keep your mouth shut tonight." His hand reaches around to grab hold of her braid, pulling at it harder than intended - exposing her neck. He bit at her pale throat, earning a gasp then a moan from the castle cook, which only made him want to be inside her more.

"Tonight like every night, with her on your mind," she murmurs, so quietly as to where he could ignore it. It occurs to him to wonder, as he parts her legs to ease his entrance, if she knows about his affections for her closest friend. Never before has he brought a girl up in a conversation, but Pepper knows how to put two and two together.

Suddenly, it doesn't matter anymore, his mind now only focused on sliding into her tight heat. A delicious vice that did it's job every time - clearing his thoughts of anything but the act of sex, the reason he always came back to her. His scorching skin pressed against her cooler body, their tongues dancing in each others mouths, his thrusts synchronized with hers. The actions they did every night were so mindless, that being a mindless reproducing animal brought a sweet escape from the world outside. She's sweet when I'm arrogant. She's calm as I storm. She's quiet as I boast, and caring towards the people I loathe completely. We are two halves to a perfect whole; why can Jane and I not be like this?

"I wonder," she says between her moans as she runs her fingers through his strands of black hair, her legs hooked around him to pull him deeper in, "Who she is.." She looks at him innocently, genuine curiosity visible, a small caring smile on her lips.

But it only serves to anger him to the point where he could slap her - he doesn't dare admit that to himself. Just as he doesn't dare admit it's Jane he wishes to see beneath him, panting and covered in sweat - like today during their short duel. He growls a soft warning she pays no mind to, not wanting anyone but himself to know his dark secret.

"Could it be that it's -"

Gunther digs his fingers into her shoulder, grinding into her punishingly hard, wanting to replace his anger with pleasure.

"Shut up," he warns roughly once more. There's only one other person he's wanted to silence more than Pepper, and it didn't help him to think of her now.

"I think know now," she said, voice darkening. "It's Jane isn't it?" She gasps as he thrusts into her savagely now, not wanting to hear, not wanting to acknowledge what they both already know. "You've thought about her this entire time, haven't you?" She tries to push him off to no avail, as he comes inside of her, "Out of everyone in this kingdom, it had to be my closest friend?"

Gunther let himself stay inside of her, riding out his orgasm, trying to block the sound of her torn voice. After minutes of her pounding her hands against her chest in anger, he grabbed Peppers hands and held them firmy against the bed. Despite how much she wanted to escape him and hurt him, he pulled out of her, limp now, and nuzzled against her neck. His sweat mingled with hers, and he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Her attempts to leave that very moment slowed to a stop, and she soon layed underneath her lover, staring up at the dark ceiling in complete silence.

Gently, he released his grip on her wrists.

"I'm sorry," he breathed in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

She said nothing.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated. "I'm sorry, I hurt you, I shouldn't have done that, I didn't know what else to do, I just felt so lost, so broken that I - I.." his choked sobs echoed the room as he finally showed how he really felt inside. Pepper wrapped her arms around him, pulling him even closer, letting him drown everything out before he put his walls up once more to hide what tormented him.

His love for another had driven him mad with guilt.

He was damaged. He was hurt. He was nearly gone.