A/N So I know that it's been forever since I updated this story but honestly I wasn't sure that I was going to finish… I guess I simply had writer's block. Hopefully I can finish this and never have such a hiatus again! Let me know what you think.

The Road Not Taken

Chapter Four: Precious Precipice

It's choice not chance that determines your destiny- Jean Nidetch

She stared at him and he stared back at her for moments on end. It was an odd feeling. This was probably the longest she had ever been silent in his presence. He almost wanted to laugh. If the situation at hand wasn't so serious he might have. Instead he settled for silence, waiting for her to respond. He wasn't sure if allowing her this time to think it over was a good or bad thing. Perhaps he should tell her all the reasons why marrying him in two weeks was the best thing for her… the best thing for the both of them. Perhaps he should point out all the ways this would make her happier than she ever dreamed… she just had to trust him, believe in him. He opened his mouth to say something and she looked up sharply catching his stare once again and he found that there were no words to be said. She knew how he felt… she knew what he was promising. She could see it in his eyes… the desperation to be with her, to make her happy, to simply do for her what no one else on this Earth ever could… to finally make her dreams come true.

She pushed herself away from the gate and came towards him. She stopped in front of him but she was looking past him into his house… right at her mother. Her eyes unblinking, she simply looked at her parents. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and she wondered for a moment if the man in front of her could hear it. Wind blowing over them, through them she felt a crooked smile come to her face. Why was it always this way? Why did her dreams always find a way to elude her? Why was she always forced to abandon the things that she wanted most in order to appease others? To follow her heart was never an option because it always meant crushing someone else's dreams. But why was it always her that had to walk away from the things that she desired most? Finally, she looked up into his eyes… dark brown orbs staring back at her as though his whole world rested upon her shoulders.

Her mother was right… she could destroy this… she could make a complete mess of one of the best things about her life. She could wreck it all by being selfish. Was it worth it? Was this whole thing worth losing their friendship? Could she truly bind herself to him for the rest of their lives knowing full well that she may never come to love him in that way? He could be giving up his future at true love to spend with her. Was that okay? Could she truly take that from him? So many questions… so many that were going unanswered and she felt them all weighing upon her slender shoulders. It had all seemed so simple three days ago. He had made her believe that together they were capable of making her dreams come true and now, three days later, here in this moment she found that this was so much more complicated than she ever could have imagined. "What if…" She began but he shook his head.

"Don't! Please Jo… don't." His voice was soft. "I know the risks… I'm not as naïve as all that." He saw her furrow her brow at his statement and before he could stop himself he reached out and took her fingers within his own hands. She looked down for a moment his hands so much bigger… so much stronger than she remembered. "I'm not that young boy just running around behind Jo March not able to see my hand in front of my face… I know what I'm doing. I may not be a man of the world yet but a man I am. I can make the decisions that will govern my life all on my own… and I can take care of you. I can take care of us."

She could hear the need in his voice; the need for her to believe in him and his words. The need for her to see the man that he had become instead of just the boy she had grown up with him. "Teddy…" She sighed.

"I know that your feelings may not change… but I will stand by you. Let me give this to you… let me do this." He replied softly. Reaching out he pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

She closed her eyes trying to fight her own tears; trying to come to terms with the decision that she was about to make. She felt like she was on the precipice of the greatest moment in her life, one wrong step and she would fall… she just wasn't sure if there would be anyone there to catch her. Any choice that she made was bound to cost her something and the very idea of what she would lose… it hurt so deeply. Deeper than anything she had ever known. "Do you think she will ever forgive me?" The words were soft and filled with a sadness he had never heard.

"For following your dreams; no forgiveness should be needed." He answered.

Bowing her head she let it rest on his chest feeling the tears slip onto her cheeks. Reaching around her he encircled her in his arms and allowed her to cry for the second time since they had ever met. His chin resting lightly atop her head he breathed in her scent. He hated this… he hated that it should be this way. This should be a time for celebration and joy. Instead it was another moment that Jo would look back upon with sadness and disappointment. It seemed that her entire life was becoming one long string of regretful events. No matter what it seemed her dreams and hopes always came at a price that was almost always too much to pay.

That stopped right here… right now. He would make her happy… whatever the price… he would make sure that Jo March got everything that she ever wanted no matter what it cost him. "I promise." He whispered into her hair not sure if she could hear him but meaning the words with everything that he had.

She gripped the lapels of his jacket as she moved closer to him needing to feel something solid beneath her. Her body felt so heavy… she felt as though she had taken that step… and now all that was left to do was fall and hoped that he was strong enough to catch her.

So she fell…