So this is the third installment of It's Who She Is, my series of Will centered one shot fanfics of various type and origin. This one's called The Brink of Uncertainty, which is about where I'd place Will throughout the piece. This one is my most blatant romance piece, no hints about it. It's of course Will/Caleb, so if you don't fancy that pairing, you may not want to read this chapter.

Also since the asterisk didn't work in the last chapter title I'm going to try some other type of signal so that stories with any hint of the pairing are marked, so non-fans will recognize that.

As always, I do not own the series, just love and enjoy it.

- . - The Brink of Uncertainty - . -

Sometimes she wonders if he knows. She thinks he almost must. Honestly, at this point, how can he not? Her ability to conceal her emotions, to remain generally neutral and seemingly unconcerned, is about as efficient as her grace; which is to say almost always lacking. So really, is there any even vaguely likely hope that he hasn't read her like the magazine [for she has even surpassed books in her readability by now, she imagines she must be and discovered the truth; that she is in so terribly deep now, she can't even see the beginning.

In the course of her wonderings, at those times in which she is completely certain that he can't not know, she wonders at his silence. Why doesn't he say anything to her? She always imagines it's simply because he doesn't feel the same and is much too sweet to hurt her feels by saying so. After all, he is Caleb.

Stubborn, silly, sweet Caleb, her closest male friend in the world, and the only one who always trusts her, always believes in her. She always was the reluctant leader, a good one, maybe, but never quite ready for the role. She's grown into it now, more confident, more sure, but she's not perfect. She has those moments when she stumbles, makes mistakes. Cornelia always notices, is quick to point out, never meaning harm of course, but that's just Cornelia's way; blunt and honest to a fault. And the other girls have their little ways of taking note of her mistakes. She doesn't blame them, again, she never expected to be that kind of leader, but sometimes it gets frustrating when she's trying her best and the people she needs most have lost faith in her.

But Caleb never does. Even when she makes mistakes, he believes in her. Always trusts and knows she'll find their way in the end. But then again, Caleb is a leader too. He understands that even leaders make mistakes, more then others usually. Or at least more notably. And so he never faults her, just encourages her in his own quiet, gentle way. Surprising for a man who commands legions of loyal followers on attacks and raids against a militant, unjust, and undeserving ruler.

And in all honesty, sometimes she wonders why he doesn't fault her, doesn't criticize or judge or take over. He knows so much better, is so much better at this all. Yet he never does. He might help her along, guide her in that way of his, but he never gives up on her. She supposes it's part of that, part of that warmth and understanding that makes him gentle with her. Perhaps that's why, if he does know, he says nothing. He's just too Caleb.

But then of course, there's always that chance that he has no idea. That he doesn't see how she looks at him or how frustrated she gets when he's just sitting there, joking around, being all Caleb-y and wonderful and she's so close she can feel his breath or his arm or the heat from his body and it drives her insane.

How can he not notice? It frustrates her to no end. Even now, even still. Even though she has been living with these feelings, feelings that have gotten progressively worse for months now, even though she thought when it all started, a year ago nearly, that she'd just push it aside and go on with her life. Some days it's so annoying, so completely aggravating that she just wants to scream or cry or just ask him how he can be so stupid. She's lost so much of herself to this… attraction? Infatuation? Affection? Love? That she finds it impossible that he can't notice.

Maybe he really can't. Maybe he can. Maybe, she begins to think, grasping at the quickly slipping threads of her mental well being, maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it's all irrelevant. Maybe she doesn't even feel this way.

Maybe she's just caught a year long flu or something. Maybe she's going insane or she's delusional.

Probably not, she acquiesces with frustrated dejection. But maybe .There is always hope, after all.

- . - The End - . -

I hope you've enjoyed this installment, and until the next time, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, constructive criticism in the form of a review, as I don't check my email as often as I probably should.

Thanks,

AkaOkamiRyu