Notes : an anonymous reviewer pointed out that there was no indication that this fic would include romance. Good observation, whoever you are! I had forgotten to tag it as "romance", sorry about that. Now it is done! :)

Though, this one chapter focus less on romance and more on certain events of my previous fic A Light For the Lost. Actually, it takes place during and right after A Light For the Lost so you might want to read it first in order to understand what's going on and avoid spoilers.

Tough Decision

"She didn't recognise us… or her own name…" Clover whispered, still in shock as the teenager formerly known as Aileen was walking away. Her very soul had been tainted : was it too late?

"When we first met her she said she didn't want to hurt anyone", Beatrice remembered. "And now she's become the Beast! She has forgotten more than her name. You said it yourself : Aileen is lost. Forever."

The brunette let go of her girlfriend's hand.

"Do you think we can still bring her back?" she asked.

"Somehow, I doubt it. I told you before we shouldn't have let her leave my house alone! Who knows how many people she's killed over the past few months just to keep herself alive! We have to stop her. All we have to do is take the lantern from her and -"

"You want to kill her", Clover interrupted.

"Aileen's already dead", the redhead stated. "It's the Beast we have to stop. Just like your father did before us."

The Woodsman's daughter fell silent. Was there no other way? Maybe she should talk to her father about – wait, no, he felt guilty enough for not hiding the Dark Lantern ; it was best he didn't know about the new Beast.

In the distance, Beatrice and Clover could hear her singing a song neither of the two residents of the Unknown knew. They followed the voice quietly, careful to stop moving whenever the monster took a breath so she didn't hear them.

It sure was a tough decision to make but it had to be done.

They had done it. They had beaten the new Beast. She was still standing in the same pose but her eyes were no longer glowing ; they just looked dead and empty. The dead creature didn't seem to turn into a tree like her predecessor just yet. It would probably take some time.

Clover ran to her cabin, retrieved her father's shovel while he was busy somewhere else then got back to her girlfriend.

"We should bury her somewhere before she takes roots", she said. "But… not right here, Father could see us."

Neither she nor Beatrice dared to look at the body more than a few seconds at a time while transporting it : even with those two short branches coming out of its head it still looked just like Aileen.

Once the two teenagers decided they were far enough from the Woodsman's cabin, they laid their burden on the ground and took turns digging and trying to figure out a way to destroy the Dark Lantern.

Smashing it with a big rock or against a tree didn't do any good. They therefore decided to go bury it in a different place as soon as the monster was underground and covered in leaves.

The sun was setting when they approached the cabin again.

"You know, Bea… I think Father will never really forgive himself for what he did" Clover explained while they put the shovel back in place with the other tools. "And he hasn't forgiven himself for not hiding the lantern properly either. It's best if he never knows about… this."

"I guess you're right" Beatrice replied as they entered the next room. "It's best not to say anything."

"About what?" asked the Woodsman who, as it turned out, was waiting for them inside.

"Oh, cheese and crackers…" the redhead whispered.

"And where were you?" Clover's father continued. "I was just about to go look for you in the woods!"

"Sorry Father, we were just… we didn't notice it was getting this late…"

His face softened.

"Time flies when you are with someone you love."

He then left the room without any other comments ; the two teenagers blinked a few times in confusion.

"Wait, he knows about us?" Beatrice asked.

"I didn't tell him anything…" her girlfriend said.

They would have to deal with this later, as they found out another guest was in the cabin. Indeed, a young man lost in the forest had asked the Woodsman for shelter while the girls were outside. Maybe he was the one who unknowingly lead the Beast here? They would most likely never know.