I'm glad everyone's been enjoying this story so far :)

"You have to admit it," John said as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Victoria was laying against him, her head on his chest, her arm across his body, their legs tangled together. His hand was in her hair, his fingers tangling in the locks every so often before he smoothed them out.

"Admit what?" she asked as she kept drawing patterns on his stomach with her fingernail. John had sent a messenger to the Council meeting explain he'd fallen ill that morning and would be unable to attend the meeting scheduled for that day. In truth, he had every intention of spending all day with Victoria most likely in bed.

"It's easier now that Finn told her about us," John answered as he turned his head to look at her. "We're not pretending here anymore at least."

"I still hate pretending at all," she replied bitterly as she kept her gaze away from his. She pressed herself against him more fully, even though their bodies were already completely pressed together.

"Come on," John laughed as he touched her shoulder. "It's not like we were pretending that well anyway. It's no secret you've not attended one Council meeting since she got here."

"Yes, and I'm completely lost with everything going on," she told him, sounding every bit as disappointed as she looked. "I hate being stuck in here all day long."

"You're the one who insists on staying in here."

"I'm not leaving here and enduring all those little stares cause everyone knows she here to marry you, John."

"Tor," John groaned as he reached down to touch her chin and force her eyes upward. "I'm trying to make you feel better. You know better than anyone else that I have no intentions of marrying her."

"Doesn't mean I like her being here, John. Or in our room, because Finn has some stupid crush on her. I don't like thinking about her. Or seeing her."

John knew better than to laugh so he just pressed his lips to her forehead. She turned up to him again to meet his next kiss with her lips. Their progression from sweet reassuring kisses to passionate promising ones was actually fairly quick. They were already wearing minimal clothing, and it was simple for him to roll over and lay above her as their lips continued to move against each other's.

They broke apart only when they heard the sound of the door opening in the front room followed by the unmistakable smell of breakfast. She pulled on her robe while John slipped on a pair of shorts before they went out into the front room. The server was already gone, having left behind a cart full of breakfast foods along with a stack of plates and cups beside a pitcher of water on the table. Finn and Avery were already in the room and each grabbed a plate before they started to help themselves to the food. John and Victoria followed suit, but only Charlotte came out of her room for food while Chase stayed in his.

"This is unusually good," Charlotte commented as she ate, hardly taking the time to stop chewing before speaking. She was the only one talking since Victoria was too bitter around Avery to say anything and John had nothing to say unless someone spoke to him. Finn and Avery, however, seemed different to Charlotte. They still stole glances of each other every so often, but their glances weren't half hidden smiles like they were sharing some secret. Instead, they were more half afraid, but it was too early in the morning for her to put anything together.

"Do you want to go out to the forest today?" Finn asked suddenly as he turned to look at Avery, seated beside him. She met his gaze and blinked, then blinked again as though she was still processing his words.

"Yes," she finally answered with a nod and a smile. It looked like any of her other smiles to Charlotte, Victoria, and John, but Finn knew it was missing something behind it.

"What is even in the forest?" Victoria questioned and Finn turned to her. Victoria was aware the forest provided privacy for the two to disappear within, as everyone else knew as well, but she was letting her bitter resolve leak out.

"Plants and flowers and trees," Finn answered as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"The gardens have all those things, and are a lot closer," Victoria replied.

"Tor," John said warningly as he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged his arm off, however, as she held Finn's gaze. Finn didn't really understand why Victoria was suddenly so aggressive towards Avery considering it was well established that Avery had no interest in marrying John anymore and was at Court by virtue of her parents.

"We've already been through all the gardens," Finn answered strongly. "John, do you want to go with us in the forest and spend some quality time with your future wife?"

Victoria tossed her water at Finn, cup and all, for the comment then watched him as he restrained his tongue and reached for a towel. "Go to the forest and take her with you," Victoria said bitterly.

"What is your problem?" Finn snapped at her. After he wiped his face and patted the front of his shirt dry he tossed the towel at her but she swatted it out of the air. "She's leaving as soon as all these stupid negotiations are over. Which might not be very soon considering the two of you are sitting around here instead of doing your jobs!"

"What? My being there is going to convince her clueless father to get the hell out?" Victoria snapped.

"Enough," John said as he pulled on Victoria's arm and forced her attention to him. "Let it go, Victoria." She stared at him for a moment before she sat back on the couch and crossed her arms as Finn glared at her.

"I mean what are you really planning on doing, anyway?" Victoria questioned and John groaned. "She's leaving, Finn, just like you said, and yet here you are whisking her away to the forest. And for what? To make out in the bushes, and head back out there after she leaves and breaks your heart?"

"What is wrong with you?" Finn snapped as he stared at her. "You don't like her, obviously, but you don't have to be a bitch, Victoria."

"I'm just asking what everyone else is afraid to," Victoria replied, her voice still carrying a defensive edge in response to his aggressive one. "What are you going to do when she breaks your heart? Because we can all tell you're falling way too hard, Finn."

"And that's for you to decide?" Finn snapped as he stood up. His gaze faltered for a second when he felt Avery's fingers slide into his hand and squeeze. He turned to her briefly before he tried to turn back to Victoria, but something in her gaze forced him to keep his eyes on her. He swallowed as he squeezed her hand and sat back down, his eyes on hers.

"I think the forest sounds lovely," she said, as though the entire argument had not happened at all. She smiled at Finn and whatever was missing was replaced and he smiled back at her easily.

"Ok," he said as he nodded. "I just have to change."

"Just take one of my shirts," John said with a shrug and Finn nodded as he turned to him, his eyes glazing over Victoria easily.

"Alright, thanks," Finn said as he started to stand, but Victoria stood first.

"I'll get it," she said, her voice softer than it had been before. She didn't wait for Finn to respond before turning and walking towards John's room. "Do you want an undershirt too?" she called out.

"No!" John answered for him, his voice loud and desperate as he stood up and turned to the hallway leading to his room. His eyes were wide, as he stared at the empty hallway, Charlotte and Finn staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What is this?" Victoria asked, her voice soft and breathless as she stepped out of the hallway. Over her arm a shirt and undershirt were slung but in her hands she held a small jewelry box that'd she'd already opened to reveal a diamond ring. "This… This is a… An engagement ring," she finally said as she held John's gaze, her eyes as wide as his.

"I didn't want it to be like this," he said as he approached her and took the shirts off of her arm. He tossed them to the couch without looking and took the box from Victoria's shaking fingers. "I meant to ask you for real at… I don't know… dinner or something. I didn't really plan it out very well, and I apparently didn't hide it very well either. I'm rambling because you're staring at me and it's making me really nervous, Tor."

"It's for me?" she asked, her voice still barely louder than a whisper.

"Of course," John answered with a dry laugh. He looked down to pull the ring out of the box and he spun it around in his fingers for a few seconds before he looked up to meet her gaze once more. "Who else would it be for?"

Victoria remained speechless as she just stared at him, her mouth open as though she'd tried to say something but the words failed to come out. She let out a breath before she sucked one in once more. "Are you going to… to ask then?"

"Now?"

"Well, yeah," she said as she smiled at him. "You're going to make me wait longer?" she asked him, her voice starting to break as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

"No," he answered with a laugh as he bent down and kissed the corner of each eye to pull the tears away before they actually fell. She sucked in another shaky breath as she licked her lips then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Her entire body seemed to be shaking as she stared up at John, his gaze as lovingly as it had ever been before.

He looked down at the ring in his fingers again before he met her gaze once more. He drew in a deep breath as well, the only sign that he was as nervous as she. "Well, I had things that I wanted to say to you, and I can't remember what they are anymore except that I love you and… and something else."

"It doesn't matter," she said as she shook her head. More tears had gathered in her eyes and he reached out to wipe them away with his thumb as his smile grew. "Just skip it."

"Alright," he laughed as he nodded and bent down to press their foreheads together. "Tor, will you marry me?"

She didn't even answer before she pressed their lips together and threw her arms around his neck. She pulled on his neck so tightly that he was almost fearful for a bruise, but he ignored that as he kissed her back for as long as she kissed him. His arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand gingerly kept a grip on the ring between his fingers. "Yes," she finally breathed out as she pulled away from him before kissing him once more. The second kiss was shorter than the first and when she pulled away she retrieved her left hand from his neck and offered it to him. He slipped the ring onto her finger before he wrapped both his arm around her waist and held her so tightly that he lifted her feet off of the ground.

"I hope those are happy tears," he said as she let out a few more tears. She nodded furiously as she held his gaze and kept kissing him every few seconds, the pair of them oblivious to Charlotte, Finn, and Avery in the room still. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too," she breathed out as she tightened her arms around his neck and put her chin on his shoulder. She wrapped her left arm further around his neck so she could admire the new addition to her jewelry collection. As she lowered her hand, she met Charlotte's gaze and beamed at her. When John released her waist, Victoria hurried over to Charlotte and the two of them laughed and giggled over the ring as Charlotte hugged Victoria tightly. Finn smiled at John and even hugged him, though the two said nothing to each other.

Neither Finn nor Avery said anything about it until they'd already reached the tree line on horseback. Finn wanted to go deeper before exploring on foot, so Avery let him take the reins of her horse as well as he led guided their horses down the dirt path.

"They seemed happy," Avery said and Finn stilled for a moment before he took in a breath and nodded. "Is that why she doesn't like me? She was afraid I was going to take that from her?"

"I don't know," Finn answered with a shrug. "She's not exactly letting anyone know what her problem is. And if John knows, he's not sharing either."

"I never wanted to come between anybody."

"I know that. You haven't, Avery," Finn answered as they reached a small clearing and he slipped off of his horse's saddle. He secured the reins of his horse to a branch before doing the same with her reins. He came around to the side of her horse and held up his arms to steady her as she slipped down to the ground. Rather than retrieving his arms from her waist right away, he slipped his arms around her waist and stepped towards her, grateful when she put her arms around his neck and accepted his advance. She was smiling when he pressed their lips together.

"What's bothering you, Finn?" she asked him when he pulled away. Something had been different about their kiss and she'd been able to feel it. It was desperate compared to the others, and his eyes were conflicted as he stared down at her. She moved her fingers to his forehead to push away the strands of his hair that had fallen out of place, and he shut his eyes at the feel of her fingertips on his skin. "Please tell me. I hate to see you like this," she said, her voice barely a whisper even though they were completely alone without anyone to find them or overhear them. "You look like you're hurting, and that hurts me."

"I don't want you to hurt, Avery," he said softly as he pulled her to him again and pressed his lips to her temple. He swallowed as he felt her fingers on his neck.

"I love it when you say my name," she admitted, her voice catching slightly. He smiled at her as he pulled away to meet her gaze. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"There's a bush of these flowers over here I know you'll like," he said, purposely dodging her request without lying to her. He took her hand and squeezed her fingers more tightly than necessary as he led her down the path a little further before they stepped into the greenery. He took her to the bush that grew blue and purple flowers, but she'd only glanced at them for a moment before she looked up at him again. "What? I thought you'd like the color."

"Finn, please," she pleaded as she touched his cheek with her hand. He shut his eyes as he turned into her hand, amazed at how much he could feel when she just innocently touched him, and amazed at how not so innocent a reaction he could have to her.

"I-" Finn started as he opened his eyes finally and looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and worried, her face tense. He hated the way she looked when she was so worried, so he reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb running over all the lines of her face cause by her tension until they disappeared. "Come on," he said as he lead her back to the path and further up it. They walked for some time until he paused to look around at their surroundings for a moment.

"Are we lost?"

"So little faith," he replied as he lead her off of the path and through the shrubbery.

"I have faith in you," she told him, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "I was only asking because-" She stopped when they stepped out into the clearing where a small pond collected at the base of a waterfall off of a short cliff of rocks. The grass was impossibly green and the trees provided more than enough shade while all the flowers and vines gave the entire area more color other than the shades of green and blue.

"My parents showed this to me a long time ago, but I'd never come back until now," Finn said as he lead her further into the clearing before he sat on the grass. She sat beside him and turned towards him, her smile brighter than before, but her eyes still tinged with concern.

"It's beautiful."

"Good," Finn said. "I'm glad you like it."

"I won't enjoy myself even here until you tell me what's wrong."