Authors note; Hey guys. The good news is; Fire struck is a hit, not many reviews but quite a few followers and favourites. The bad news is; my updates are late, and might continue to be late for some time. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, favourited etc. my story. You guys are the best. I'm just trying to get my reviews up. Anyway, enough talking from me. Enjoy!

I don't own Hansel and Gretel.

Chapter ten

Dream

I found myself following someone with my eyes. A woman. She was the only one on the roads and wore a black cloak over her head. I couldn't see her face in the shadows that the hood provided, but when she came into view, she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Her hair was pure white – it looked a very light pink in the dark – and long. Her eyes were the most, light, beautiful green I had ever seen. The green was misty, and a little bit grey. Her skin was a light tan and she was tall. Her lips were full, her cheeks were a light pink and her eyelashes were long and dark while her eyebrows were light and thin. I couldn't see everything. As soon as our eyes met …

"Rose?" A musical voice sounded. My scene had changed. I was no longer in my room at the hotel; instead I was in the middle of a battered road. The street wasn't lit by anything. The full moon stood high in the sky but clouds blocked the light from shining upon me and the lane. I looked around in confusion but also in alarm as the voice charmed again.

"Rose?" It sounded taunting and playful in a very creepy way. I looked around for the enchanting voice, for the face that could fit the tone. The street seemed somewhat familiar, but something I couldn't really pin point.

"Rose!" It sounded again, however, this time it was different, instead of a musical voice, it was croaked and evil. This made panic surge through me and a touch of fear. The scene changed once again, and this time I was in a forest. The many trees had the familiarity that the street provided, but again, I couldn't get an exact read on it. It scared me to be here, the feel, the dark, cold atmosphere. It gave off a bad vibe. I looked around for the same voice and for a face. I found myself looking up, searching for signs of the moon. I couldn't help but jump in fright at the sudden body that stood next to me.

I reached for my knife, but was dismayed to find that it was not there. I turned to the figure and put my fists up, ready to fight. It was the same white haired woman that I had seen outside the hotel. She just stood there, looking up at the moon that had decided to show itself. She had no expression on her face and seemed to be nothing but a beautiful lifeless rock. After awhile – still standing in my position – she turned her head to look at me.

"Rose." It had been her voice that had called my name. At first she seemed sad, but a lash of anger crossed over her face and left within a second.

"No need to be so tense. I have not come to fight, but to talk." She said calmly. I didn't trust her, so I didn't lower my hands. The anger flashed and disappeared again.

"Your friends, they're gone. I know where they are. I can tell you, but for a price." I listened to what she had to say with care, but with caution.

"Trade yourself, for them." The bluntness of her words seemed almost insulting.

"I don't make deals with strangers." I stated as plainly as she did.

"Ah but you see, Elisabeth Rose, I am no stranger." The same fear and panic surged through me as I heard my full name.

"Forget it. Take your deal, price, trade and offer it to someone who cares." I said. The anger surfaced again, but this time brought an ugliness with it. Instead of the beautiful tan, perfect skin, misty green eyes, full lips, perfect eyebrows and eyelashes and hair, there appeared dilapidated red skin, with yellow snake-like eyes, a dying orange for hair and thin, fang bearing lips. It disgusted me to my core. She was a witch. It was an evil witch.

"Punishment!" She screeched in an unappealing way. The sound sent chills down my spine and forcibly grinded my bones. She came charging at me with venom stained fangs and crazy yellow eyes.

I woke up with a sharp, painful gasp and found myself coughing. Hansel shot up from his sleep and looked around in alert to find me sitting up straight with blood running from my nose. He got up and came to me as I put my hand to my nose where the blood came running from. He offered my white material at which I took from his hand and placed it at the hole.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I looked up at him without expression. At my silence he knew the answer and wasn't going to question. Once my nose had finished bleeding, I went out to the stream I had found a few days ago. We had stayed in the cave for about three days as I cared for Hansel. We couldn't continue searching for the others if he was sick. His sickness had almost passed though and we were going to started moving the next day.

I washed up and brought water back to the cave where I gave it to Hansel as well as his breakfast. I could see in his face and in his body that he had grown stronger and that his health was improving, however I still had the worry that the sickness was going to return because of stress of not finding the kid and his sister. I knew that he worried, but I couldn't take care of him all the time, every time he got sick. I wasn't a doctor, I was a witch hunter.

"You don't have to do all of this for me Rose." He said to me. I looked down at him and where he was sitting.

"You need to rest. You can't be doing this for yourself. It would take longer for you to heal." I stated. He sighed, but didn't object or question. It had been this way since we spoke that night the storm had started. The day went by and I didn't speak of my dream. We hardly spoke that day, or any of the previous days. I didn't speak because I felt guilt, I didn't have to and because I didn't want to have the possibility that I might mention something about my past. I knew that what I had said before, about not having friends or family for 12 or so years, I knew that was my decision, but I didn't want it to happen again.

I knew that sooner or later I would have to talk about everything that had happened to me. I had never spoken of them before; I hadn't even mentioned them to myself. I didn't want to and I didn't like to think about it and I tried to avoid it as regularly as I could. I knew that I had to talk about it, but I'd been fine so far and I was going to continue to avoid it until I had no choice.

Not talking was my thing after all.

Authors note; I know it's a bit short, or a lot short, but yeah. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient for the romance so far. I promise that it will come. Please review. Enjoy!