A/N: Okay, so I decided to make this a Multi-chapter story, so if I get enough reviews and faves, I'll update my story. Have any prompts or suggestions? Feel free to drop a comment! Otherwise, enjoy!~
At 1 o'clock in the morning, a small girl, clad in a creamy white night gown, entered the bedroom of a poor farm boy.
" Jack!" she whispered . "Wake up!" She shook his shoulder roughly, to no avail. She leaned in until her face was mere inches from his. She was about to pinch his cheek when his eyes slowly opened. He sprang back in his bed.
" What are you doing in my room?" Jack yelped, only to have a soft white palm clamped over his mouth.
" Don't talk to loud. You wake the adults!" she snapped in a low voice.
She lowered her hand and he sighed.
" Seriously, why are you here?You should be asleep like everyone else is. Or in my case, was." She slid off his bed and looked at her feet.
"Fine, you want the truth? I had a nightmare. I wanted to wake one of the adults, but Miss Cinderella is too pretty to bother, and I like the Baker, so I didn't want to be obnoxious. I don't really care if you find me annoying, so here I am." She shrugged indifferently.
" Well its great to see you so concerned about others," he yawned, still grouchy from his sudden awakening.
" I dreamed that I was in the woods," she began, ignoring his sarcasm. " I was walking to Granny's house... Except when I got there, the house was gone. Granny was gone too. All that was left was a big footprint. I took off my red cloak and started crying. Then there was a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, and you were there, smiling like an idiot. The baker was there too, and his wife, and the baby, and miss Cinderella. Even the witch was there. You helped me up, and we all walked away. Then I heard a scream. Mrs. Baker was gone. I was confused but you all told me to keep walking. So I did. Then the witch was gone. Than Miss Cinderella was gone. Than the baker was gone, and so was the baby. You told me it was all right, that I would be safe as long as I held your hand. So I kept holding on, even though my nose itched. I finally saw the village in the distance, so I clapped my hands. Then, I reached back for your hand. But it was gone. You were gone. And I was all alone, in the woods." she let out a sniffle, and wiped her nose with her sleeve.
Jack cleared his throat. "Listen, Red, Every one has bad dreams. Even me, the mighty giant killer."
She let out a teary laugh. " So, what do you fear, oh brave One?"
His smile faded away. He looked down, and Red immediately regretted asking. " I fear losing a mother. That the only thing I have nightmares about. I watch my mother get pounded by the steward. I relive the day when I watched Miss Joanna die under the tree, knowing that even though I didn't really know her, the fact that Mr. Baker would lose her and their son would never know his mother. " He took a deep breath then looked up into her wet, innocent eyes.
" Sometimes, I see the Witch push you into the lady giant's arms, and I watch the hands that held me so tenderly crush your bones without a second thought. I gape in horror as she drops your limp body into my arms, and I scream as the others just walk away. That's the worst part. Holding you as though I could protect you, even though I failed. That's the way the giant truly hurts me. By hurting those I care about."
He whispered the last section quietly, and Red understood why. So she did what any mother would do. She pulled him into a tight hug.
" Now that we've poured out our hearts, can you go back to bed?" he groaned after they seperated. " I think I'm going to faint from exhaustion."
" Can I stay here?" she implored, her motherly aura gone, leaving only a lazy fourteen year old in it's place. "My room is all the way across the house."
" My house is small. You'll survive."
" Please? Your bed is so squishy and warm." She mumbled, wrapping herself in his blanket.
" No! It would be weird if you stayed here!" His arguing fell on deaf ears. The curly haired girl was already fast asleep. He rolled his eyes and laced his fingers into hers, and burying his face into her soft golden curls with a smile."Night, Red. Please don't sneak into my room any more."
A/N: Thanks for reading. I edited the crap out of this story. It was originally even more romance oriented and sappy. Now it can be taken as a friendship if wanted. Also, in my first version, I named Red Rosalind. 0-0
Well, doesn't matter now. Read and review!
Into the woods! Into the woods! Into the woods and out of the woods... And happy ever after!
* I wish!*