First of all I know its been awhile, but unfortunately life got in the way and I lost inspiration for this story along with many others. I tried to fill that void with other shorter fanfictions and oneshots, but this story always stuck in the back of mind and I just couldn't finish it. Or forget about it. I'm human what can I say. So I rewrote it... kind of. I combined chapters, but I do advise rereading the story because I changed some minor details (its also been a really long time since I updated) but the overall story is still the same. Read, enjoy, and hope that I update a little more often. I can't promise anything and its likely that nothing will be regular until summer. Even then... who knows man I don't think god even knows a this point. Oh well life happens *shrugs shoulders*.

Tris watched the human walking through the deep woods with some amusement. He looked so nervous and out of place. I mean sure he was dressed in black and was holding his bow and arrow correctly, but his tense posture and wandering eyes showed how out of place he felt, in the deep woods at least. He was looking for something and she decided it would be a good idea to help him find it before he encountered something that wouldn't be killed by a measly bow and arrow, no matter how well he could aim.

She jumped down from the high branch where she had been sitting, landing silently on the ground a few feet away from the human. Tris was still unseen as he stopped and looked around more clearly than before, trying to get his bearings. She stepped out from behind the tree arms folded her wings out and splayed. "What are you doing here human? You look more than a little out of place. You should leave now. Don't you know the deep woods are dangerous?"

Four turns surprised aiming his bow and arrow at the figure, but soon realizes it isn't a dark elf, but a fairy. He swallows and lowers his weapon, but does not put it away. "I'm not going anywhere fairy. I have business here and I won't be leaving until I'm finished with it." She certainly was a daunting looking figure wearing just a black top that showed off her toned stomach and black shorts. She had on a belt with sharp silver throwing knives and a quiver of arrows. A crossbow hung on her hip as opposed to his short-bow. A sword was strapped across her back. Her arms were folded across her chest and her wings were open. And he realized there was a long dark purple scar that cut down diagonally on her left wing. It was curious and slightly disturbing sight, as he knew that no normal weapon could inflict such a wound on a fairy's wing, as they were one of the toughest materials known to man. He wondered what had.

She cocked her head to one side, "And what business do you have here exactly?"

"Why do you want to know?" He asked irritated and eaten up with worry for his sister. "I thought fairies wanted nothing to do with humans?"

Tris narrowed her eyes and said, "True most fairies want nothing to do with humans myself included, but in this case it looks as though the easiest way to get rid of you is to help you so…" She made an open gesture with her arms and bowed her head slightly, "Here I am to help you. The name is Tris by the way."

Four looked surprised; she was who he had been looking for. He straightened and said, "I've been looking for you. I'm Four."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise that was not what she had been expecting. I mean occasionally people would come looking for her to heal. She was the best healer, around here at least, but not many were willing to come this deep into the woods to look for her, so Four's problems must be serious. "What do you need?"

He swallows again, "It's my sister. She-she's been really sick and none of the human healers have managed to do anything. My mom told me to find you. We're-we're desperate." There was a pleading look on Four's face and she realized how bad the situation must be. He didn't seem like someone who showed emotion often.

"Alright what's wrong with her?" Tris asked as she stepped closer to Four.

As soon as she stepped closer Four felt a heat race through his body that he didn't recognize. It made him step back slightly and clear his throat. He brought his eyes up to meet hers and he said through the lump in his throat, "She has a high fever and hasn't woken up in three days, but other than that she looks fine."

Tris nods and says, "Take me to her."

Four nodded and turned walking away. Tris followed moving silently beside him. As they walked they did not talk. Tris was too wrapped up in thoughts of Four and the unusual heat that had not left her body after meeting him. Four would have been focused on similar matters if he were not so worried for his sister. Tris was their last hope and if she couldn't do anything well… well there was nothing else to do. He hoped, he really hoped that wouldn't happen. They were much closer than most siblings despite their ten-year age difference. He wasn't sure what he would do without her bright personality. How she put a smile on his face when he thought nothing else could.

Thankfully though they were getting much closer to his cabin when suddenly Tris's head shot up and she stopped dead. It felt like she had just run into a brick wall. Four looked at her confused and Tris muttered, "Don't let that be what I think it is." And took off running in the direction of the source of the disturbance she had felt. It was a horrible shuddering evil that she hadn't felt since, since six years ago. A time that she had spent years burying down deep inside her along with the feelings that went with it.

Four was surprised when Tris had stopped and shocked when she had taken off running. He knew fairies were fast, but the speed Tris had been going was absolutely ridiculous. He quickly took off after his fear fueling his speed. Oh god what had Tris hoped she hadn't felt?

He arrived at his door a few minutes after Tris, panting and completely out of breath. Tris was already inside hovering over Violet. His mother was off to the side sitting in the rocking chair staring into space like she was when he left. He walked over to her and bent down putting her hands in his, "Hey mom it's going to be okay. I found Tris and brought her here. She's going to help Violet and get her better okay."

All his mom managed was a weak nod, which also worried him. Maybe after Tris was finished treating Violet he would ask her for something for his mother's shock.

Tris, who had folded her wings on her back upon entering, was now completely occupied with the young girl laying on the couch in the front room. That was where Four had moved her before leaving to find Tris. "How old is she?" Tris asked.

Four answered while standing up and moving away from his mother, "She's fourteen and her name is Violet." He said it like it would solve everything.

Tris nodded and turned back to Violet. The girl's pulse was weak and unnatural, slowing down sometimes and speeding up others. She felt her forehead, which was hot, but her cheeks were pale. Tris furrowed her eyebrows in confusion she had seen symptoms like this separately, but never together like this.

Four looked over her shoulder shadowing her every move and hovering annoyingly. "Is she okay? What's wrong with her? Can you help her Tris?"

Tris growled irritated, "I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with her. And I can't do that Four if you don't give me some space."

He rolled his eyes, but backed up and started pacing his living room floor occasionally stopping and looking up at Tris, but then going back to pacing.

Tris rolled her eyes and ran her hands down the girl's arms. There was something wrong with Violet's aura. The energy surrounding her was all wrong and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Then suddenly the girl's heartbeat increased rapidly. Tris immediately put her hands on Violet's heart and concentrated her energy into her slowing it. If her heart continued like that for much longer a heart attack would kill her long before anything else did. The entire time though Violet hadn't moved a muscle, not even a twitch, which was very disturbing. Tris looked over the girl again and decided to look at her eyes. She gently lifted one of the girl's eyelids and what she saw there shocked her to the bone. Tris leaped backward in shock, slamming into Four. He caught her and Tris instantly jumped up, panic swirling in her normally calm blue-gray eyes.

"Wha-what's wrong Tris?" Four asked. What had made her react so violently and what did it mean for Violet?

Tris just shook her head and backed up trying to clear her thoughts. "I- I'll I don't," she stuttered, "I'll be back."

She ran out the door opened her wings and launched herself into the air. She sped off as fast as she could to her tree house home. Upon her arrival back home she grabbed one of her over the shoulder leather satchels and started to fill it with the necessary supplies. "What do I need? What do I need? Okay so thyme yes. Marigold no. Clover no. Mountain flower yes. Hibiscus yes. Mother wart no. Pinesap maybe. Catnip… no. Lastly feverfew, borage, and oh god what was it… raspenwood! Yes that was it! Okay and a bowl to mix in. As soon as she had gathered herbs she raced back to Four's home.

As soon as Tris left Four had gone into all out panic mode. He looked over at Violet and checked her over, but didn't see anything that unusual. And what happened if Tris didn't come back. I mean she said she would, but he was deeply untrusting of everyone and everything so… Thankfully a few minutes later Tris reappeared wearing a satchel slightly out of breath.

"What's wrong with Violet Tris? And you can fix it right?" The hopeful look on his face crushed Tris a little on the inside. She wasn't sure if she could. She wasn't sure if there was enough time to do anything. But she'd be damned (even though she probably already was) before she gave up. After all she knew better than anyone what Four would do to himself if she couldn't do anything. He would say it was his fault, if only he had gotten her faster. The guilt would eat him alive; she knew what that was like too. She was not going to let that happen anytime soon.

Tris cleared her throat and let nothing show on her face. "I know what's wrong with her and I'll explain as soon as I'm finished treating her. She's running out of time."

Four gulped at those words and said in a slightly higher voice than normal, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to leave. And take your mother with you. Neither of you will want to be in here while I do this."

Four nodded and turned to his mother. "Come on mom let's go outside and let Tris work." His mother let him slowly lead her outside.

Tris turned away from the closed door and set to work quickly. Violent was the victim of a curse: blood poisoning to be exact. Who would do something like that to a girl as innocent as Violet obviously was? The only reason she could think for it would be revenge on someone who cared a lot for her. So either Four or their mom, but such suspicions were not useful right now. She crushed the hibiscus and put in the girl's mouth along with a little pinesap. The changed happened instantly and it made Tris sick to the stomach, she was glad she had made Four leave. Dark symbols seemed to have been carved into her skin and her eyes opened revealing what she had seen earlier; dark black pits. They unseeingly looked around the room and after a moment settled on Tris's face and she shuttered. Her skin had an unnaturally pale color to it and Tris could see most of the young girl's veins which were black not blue. And now Tris could see that every time her heartbeat increased her body twitched violently. Tris again used her energy to calm Violet. It was a miracle the girl wasn't dead yet. She mixed the feverfew, borage, and mountain flower then spread it on the dark symbols using the raspenwood.

It took a moment, but the symbols faded and color returned to the girl's cheeks. Then her heartbeat returned to normal and Tris let out a sigh of relief. Now the only thing left was to check her eye color. Tris hesitantly opened Violet's right eyelid. Thank god they were now a soft brown, just like her mother's. Violet, however, continued to sleep. She would do so until her body finished healing completely. There was still the matter of explaining this to Four. Yeah that was going to be a walk in the park.

She called him back in and he did so quickly, his mother following slowly after. "Is she going to be okay?" Four asked hesitantly.

Tris nodded and Four sighed in relief. "I'll explain, but first boil some water. We can use that to make tea for your mom."

He nods and does just that while Tris tries to gather her thoughts. He comes back with the cup of boiling liquid with a rag wrapped around it and Tris put some thyme in it and handed it to Four's mother. She drank it appreciatively and slowly came out of her shock.

Four asked Tris if she wanted anything to drink and offered her a seat at the table. Tris declined the drink, but accepted the seat. "Okay so I know you are wondering what happened to Violet," Four nods. "Well she was suffering from blood poisoning..." Tris didn't get any farther before Four interrupted her.

"What?! Blood poisoning! How-where would she contract something like that?" He shouts.

Tris swallows and says, "It wasn't natural. As far as I can tell it was a revenge spell. The spell curses the blood and makes dark symbols appear on the skin. Normally it would kill the victim by causing a heart attack. They fight the poison placed in them and never realize that it's the fight that's killing them, by overworking their heart. But usual blood poisoning wouldn't hide the symptoms so… it was intentional. Someone was trying to kill Violet or…" She trailed off not knowing how to say what she wanted to. She was pretty damn sure she knew who or what had caused it to, which was definitely not a good thing.

Four sat there with a look of alarm on his face. Who would do something like that? Violet was kind and innocent; everyone in the village loved her, who would try and kill her? Then he realized that Tris had let her sentence trail off, so he prompted its finish, "So what exactly?"

Tris ran a hand through her hair and said, "Or someone was trying to get revenge on you by killing off the ones you love the most."

A dark look passed over Four's face and he spat out, "Marcus."

"Who?"

"Our father," Four replied just as darkly as before. "He was an abusive asshole we thankfully got away from. Or thought we did anyway."

Tris nods if anyone knew about dysfunctional family issues it was she. "And there's something else."

Four looked up, "What," he snapped, "What could you possibly add to the shitstorm that was just placed on me?"

Tris, who was undaunted by Four's harsh tone replied, "That spell was one commonly used by Dark Elves for revenge."

Four covered his face with his hand, "What are you saying Tris? You're joking right? This is all some kind of sick joke right?"

Tris shook her head, "No I wish I was joking. What I'm saying is that Marcus apparently wanted revenge on you so badly he enlisted the help of the Dark elves. And I'm completely willing to bet my life on the fact that he has allied himself with them." Tris was also pretty sure of this because of the dark energy that had hit here when she had first come close to the house.

A snarl appeared on Four's face and he banged the table with his fists. "And I thought my life couldn't possibly get any worse!" He then stormed out of the house angry with himself, at Marcus, and the fucking Dark Elves. I mean seriously he hadn't asked for this. He hadn't asked to be abused for most of his life. He didn't ask to become an adult at thirteen or to become the sole breadwinner of his family at sixteen. It was damned unfair and he was over it. He had no idea where he was going and in that moment he didn't care.

…

As soon as Four left and the door slammed behind him Tris sighed heavily. She knew how Four felt on some levels. What it felt like to be completely betrayed by your family. Then to have responsibility thrust upon your shoulders while everyone else 'dealt' with their pain, forgetting that you had it too. Yeah she knew what that was like and she also knew that he needed some time to himself.

So she walked over to his mother who thanked her. And asked what the price of her services was. Though it was mentioned causally Tris saw the worry in her eyes. Not just the worry for her daughter and son, but also the worry that they wouldn't be able to pay the price and would suffer the wrath of an angry fairy. Tris shook her head, "You have enough to worry about without me adding to it. My service is free. I'm glad I was able to help."

Four's mother smiled as tears pricked in her eyes she grabbed Tris in a tight hug, "Thank you so much."

Tris froze, unsure of how to react. It had been years since she had had contact with someone that hadn't been a punch or a kick. She hugged back cautiously.

Then she pulled away, "If you won't accept payment then I insist on you staying for dinner. You can call me Evelyn."

Tris chuckled a little at Evelyn's ignorance. "No thank you. Fairies don't eat like humans."

Evelyn frowned slightly, but nodded, "Then is there anything I can do for you Tris? It doesn't feel right not being able to pay you for saving my child's life."

The young fairy just shook her head. "Your hospitality is appreciated, but unnecessary. I must take my leave, but before I do…" Tris got up and gently picked Violet up off the couch, "I'll take her to her bedroom. Could you show me where it is?"

Evelyn nodded and took Tris to Violet's small bedroom. Tris laid her down on her bed and turned to Evelyn. "Give her some thyme tea like I gave you when she wakes up. She should by midday tomorrow. If not come find me. Goodbye Evelyn and I hope if we meet again it is under better circumstances."

Evelyn nodded, "We can never repay you Tris. Thank you. Goodbye."

Tris bowed her head and gave a small smile. And she left taking her leftover herbs with her. When she had exited and walked a few yards away, enough to disappear through the trees, she stopped. What was her next move she asked herself dryly? 'Find Four' a little voice in her head answered. She growled at it. When had that started? Oh yeah when she found out Four was her mate. Yeah that was great. Add that to the shit he was dealing with and they might as well start planning the wedding. Not. Fairies had mates and they knew who it was as soon as they meet them. Well Tris couldn't have thought of a better time to find her mate if she tried. Note the sarcasm. So Tris flew into the air and started towards her home only to turn back. 'I am completely crazy' she thought to herself as she flew to where Four was.

A thunderclap was heard echoing throughout the forest and the sky opened to let down a shower of rain. Four scowled up at the sky. And just when he thought his day couldn't get any worse. Now it was raining, he was lost, his sister was almost killed, Marcus was trying to get revenge, and he now had to deal with Dark Elves. Could his day possibly get any worse? He kicked a tree in frustration then punched it. The pain that instantly shot up his arm and leg were welcome distractions from his problems. So he punched it again and again.

"You know if you keep punching that tree you're going to break your knuckles," a voice said.

Four looked up at and saw Tris leaning calmly on a tree arms folded over her chest. So he kicked it instead.

Tris rolled her eyes and got off the tree and walked towards him. "Okay that was good. Nice to know that even after everything you can still manage to be sarcastic."

His lips drew back in a snarl and he said, "I don't see why you care fairy. You've done what we've asked and I assume my mother's paid you. So why are you here? Come to rub my face in the fact that I'm unable to help my family from the piece of shit human being I call father! Or just hover because you've got nothing better to do?"

Tris didn't even flinch. "Alright Four," she said quietly, "I know that you're going through some shit." Four scoffed. "But that does not give you any right to take that anger out on me or anyone else. And I don't care if you call me a Fairy because that's what I am. You will, however, not call me by what I am in a derogatory way. Got it?"

Four looked surprised at the steel in Tris's eyes, but nodded and blew out a breath, "Sorry you're right Tris."

Tris nodded, "Now why don't we get you back to your house and dried off." She turned without another word and Four followed.

He had to jog slightly to keep up with her quick strides. When he suddenly realized she wasn't wet and, although the rain had let up, it hadn't stopped. He stopped confused, "Why are you dry Tris?"

She stopped as well, an amused look on her face. "I'm a Fire Fairy Four the rain hits me and evaporates off." She gave a small smile, "It's quite helpful actually. I never get cold." Then she started walking again.

Four looked at the spot in between the trees where Tris had disappeared. What the actual fuck? He shook himself and jogged as quickly as he could to catch up with her. He didn't even know that there were still Elemental Fairies left. They were the most powerful kind and Four wondered why Tris didn't live in the fairy kingdom. I mean she would have been one of the most powerful there. She could have hypothetically taken any job there was to be had, save the queen herself he guessed. But what did he know about the way the fairy kingdom was set up? Or what did he know about Tris's personal life and grudges? Same answer for both: squat.

"Why don't you live in the kingdom then?" Four asked once he was walking next to Tris again. She had thankfully slowed her pace so their strides were matched.

Tris looked at him faintly surprised at his question. "Why do you ask Four?"

"Why shouldn't I Tris? I mean I didn't even know Elemental Fairies still existed so you've got to be one of the more powerful fairies. Why shouldn't you live in the kingdom? Surely you'd have a high position and live in comfort your entire life?" He wasn't even sure why he was asking. Or why he should care about her answers, but for some reason he wanted, no needed to get to know her better.

Tris sighed she knew they were about to get to his cabin so as it came in to view she said, "If only I knew you well enough to give you the answers to those questions. I'll see you around and I hope that if we meet again it is under better circumstances." With those words she left flying away before she lost the will to leave. Four stood for a few seconds afterward looking at the place between the trees where Tris had disappeared. He felt the sudden urge to follow her; he didn't want to be away from her he realized. He shook himself and turned back to walk into his house. Little did he know that soon he and she would be reunited again under much less favorable conditions.