AN: Hi, me again! I just want to thank those of you who have stuck with the story up until now.

I feel like I need to explain some things. Firstly, I should have mentioned that I'm not rewriting the game exactly. I'm writing a lot of my own scenes and the game will kind of be taking place in the background, but the more important parts will be included.

Secondly, Annabelle might come off as a bit inconsistent from here on, but she is in a very special headspace at this time. On the one hand Ben is driving her crazy, but another part of her secretly wants to jump his bones, though she won't admit it to herself. As you've probably guessed, she's just a tad stubborn (Sarcasm hand raised) and won't admit that Ben might not be as bad as she believes. On top of this, she still loves Elliot, so she's not very sane at the moment.

This chapter is a bit of a filler and sets the scene for Ben and Annabelle's trip to Silverpines, so it's a bit short. Please, tell me what you think!

Chapter 6

Ben sat lounging on one of the barstool in the Riveter's Rest, nursing a pint of ale and eagerly waited for Walter and Annabelle to come back. Who was he kidding? He was waiting eagerly for Annabelle to return. Despite all she's said and the way she's acted in the short time he's known her, he was still attracted to her and very much so. What could he do? He's always been attracted to strong-willed women.

He took another sip from his tankard as he mulled over his thoughts. Annabelle was certainly different than any other woman he had ever met. On the one hand she was so removed and distant, but other times, like when he found her in that alcove and when she was concerned about the man that Reaver shot, she was vulnerable, compassionate and human. He wanted to get to know the other side of her, the one that she tried to keep hidden all the time and, attraction aside, he really wanted to be friends with her.

Finally, he saw Walter and Annabelle enter the tavern, looking very upset. "What happened. Wally?" he asked when Walter sat down next to him. The man let out a sigh and took a deep drink from the ale the waitress had just brought him.

"It seems all the things Annabelle's done thus far isn't enough to convince Page that she's truly a Hero or has the peoples' best interests at heart," he said wearily. Ben noticed that Walter was looking, well, old. It seemed that the stress was really taking its toll on the man. "She wants more proof before she'll help us."

Ben shot a glance at Annabelle who was sitting on her own, looking out on the street. She's looking for Elliot, he realized. "She wants to go to Silverpines to deliver a message of all things," Walter continued.

"Silverpines? The place is crawling with balverines!" Ben exclaimed.

"I know, but try telling her that. There's no way I'm letting her go alone, so tomorrow, since she insists on doing a few things in town, we're heading to balverine country."

Ben thought for a moment. Walter was clearly exhausted and he would be of no help in his state. He, on the other hand…

"I'll go with her," Ben volunteered. "Wally, I know you'd prefer to stay here, help the resistance and, let's admit it, get trashed with Swiftie."

Walter looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, you are younger and I'm really not in the mood to go fighting balverines…But if anything happens to her, I'll shoot you."

Ben laughed. "All right, I get it. Don't get the princess killed. Do you want to tell her? If I tell her, she won't believe me."

Walter downed the last of his ale and the two went over to where the princess was sitting.

"Annabelle," Walter said and she looked up. Ben noticed her eyes were filled with a glint of despair. "Ben has offered to accompany you in my place tomorrow."

The despair quickly changed to anger. "There is no way I'm going to Silverpines with him," she spat. "Why can't you come, Walter?"

"Because I'm not young enough to do these things anymore. Ben is a crack shot and I trust him to protect you better than I can in a fight. Besides, I warned him against trying anything funny, so don't worry about that."

"I don't need protection! Least of all from Captain Finn."

Ben raised his eyebrow. "Come on, Princess. No offence to Wally, but do you really believe he's more capable with a rifle than I am? Besides, I'm eager to show you that I'm not the scoundrel you think I am."

She gave a loud sigh. "Fine, whatever! Be ready to leave at noon and don't be late, Captain" she spat and shot out of her seat. Ben thought he imagined a small smile on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

As he watched her storm down the street, clearly fuming, he couldn't help but wonder if he should be thanking or cursing his stupid impulses.

oOoOoOo

"Who decided that Heroes had to fix everyone's damn problems?" Annabelle groaned, falling backward onto the bed in her rented room. It didn't exactly matter that Knight was the only other living being on the room, but she really needed to vent.

The dog hopped onto the bed and rested its muzzle on her leg, whining quietly. "Oh, boy…except for Walter, you are the only one I have left," she whispered, running her fingers through his soft fur. "I can't believe that today I got sucked into some weird game and that I had to fight cardboard cut-outs." A huge grin split over her face. "And I had to go fetch a book from a cemetery and bring it to two ghosts. But why am I telling you this? You were there." Knight gave a happy yip and snuggled closer to her. "You are the only one that's ever around". She'd never felt so alone before in her life. She missed her father terribly. He would know what to do in this situation.

"Do you think he would approve of what I'm doing, boy?" she asked, still stroking his head. "Do you think he would have done the same thing?"

The dog gave her what seemed to be an appraising look and she had to let out a laugh at the dog's seemingly human behaviour. "And I'm talking to my dog. I really need to get some friends." A low growl was the reply to her words and she gave another laugh. "I'm just kidding, Knight!"

A loud knock sounded at the door and Annabelle sprang to her feet. "Who is it?"

"It's Walter," she heard her mentor's gruff reply. She opened the door to see the old knight looking more tired than usual. This revolution is really taking its toll on him.

"What's wrong, Walter?"

"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?" he replied, clearly concerned. "The question, actually, is if something wrong with you? Why did you get so upset before when I asked Ben to go with you to Silverpines?

She motioned for him to come inside. "I…I don't like Captain Finn, Walter. I can't stand him. He's infuriating, frustrating, unprofessional, immature, arrogant and cocky," she ranted, not looking him in the eye.

"You do realize that you only used synonyms," Walter remarked, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly is the problem?"

"I don't know! He just…irritates…me," she seethed, sitting down on the bed. "Why do I need to go with him?"

He sat down next to her with a sigh. "It's like I said before. I'm not sure I can protect you like I should, Annabelle. He's younger than me." His eyes became downcast. "I'm afraid something will happen to you if I come with you."

"I'm a Hero, Walter. I can take care of myself. And you," she insisted, taking his hand. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Annabelle, let's be serious. You'll be safer with Ben."

"I don't want to be safer with Ben!" She dropped her head into her hands. "I don't want to be anything with Ben!"

She heard the loud chuckle rumble through his chest. "Oh, Annabelle…what is really the issue?"

"I guess I'm just feeling a tad inadequate and Captain Finn is not making anything easier with his little jibes and cocky remarks," she groaned.

Walter laughed again. "Oh, Anna, I can't believe Ben is upsetting you. Don't pay attention to him!"

"I'm just missing my dad. Ben is just someone I can direct my anger at." she admitted.

Walter gripped her hand tightly and forced her to look him in the eye. "He would be so proud of you, Anna. Don't ever doubt it."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you so much, Walter. I appreciate you being here."

"I wouldn't want to be doing this for any other princess, Anna. You know I think of you as my daughter." Walter straightened up and started towards the door. "Now get some sleep. You're going to need the energy if you're not going to kill Ben tomorrow."

"I can't promise that even if I slept for ten hours. But thank you, Walter. Goodnight," she said with a smile.

"Night, Anna."

oOoOoO

The next day, she walked to the square, her heart heavy in her chest, secretly hoping that Ben would be late. To her dismay, Ben was waiting at the clock tower at noon exactly, annoying smirk plastered on his face. He wasn't wearing his soldier uniform for once, instead trading it for a white shirt, black pants and a pair of boots. The clothes left less to the imagination and she had to chastise herself when she caught herself appreciating his admittedly impressive physique.

Sighing inwardly, she marched over to where he was standing.

"Hello, Princess! Wonderful day, isn't it?" he said when she reached him.

"Good morning, Captain," she said stiffly with a curt nod.

"So are we ready to go? That message is not going to deliver itself," he said in a sing-song voice and started towards the Bowerstone gates.

As they headed toward Millfields, she couldn't help but wish that the day was already over.