A/N

It is done… Mwhahahaha!

~*~H~*~

I couldn't see his face. The sun was shining directly behind him, and it glared in my eyes every time I tried to look at him.

"Hold still." He said softly.

"Okay." I said, half sarcastically, I wouldn't have been able to move anyway.

I felt his hands on my hair, I automatically flinched, but his slow movements made me feel calmer.

"How in the world…?" He mumbled, as he gently pulled on a strand of hair. I shrugged, unsure how I had done it myself.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of movement. And I realized that we weren't alone.

"There, all done." He announced and I felt myself fall free from the branch.

I turned to face my rescuer, "Thank you so much-" I stopped speaking when I saw his face, it was more beautiful than any I had ever seen. God had taken special care when he created this man. He had Rhenia hair and eyes, but it was his overall features mixed together that struck me dumb.

"It's no problem at all… I'm Jeremy." He said, reaching a hand out to shake.

I tore my stare away from his face long enough to see where his hand was so that I could shake it. Then something weird happened, a strange tingle went up my arm as our skin touched. It was more of a shock, like electricity was running between us. I glanced at his face, trying to see if he felt it too, but his expression was unreadable, I guess I was the only one that felt it.

When I forgot to offer my name, he said, "And this is Aaron, Jesse, Stephen, and Sarah." He gestured towards four children that stood a little ways away. They all had blond hair and blue eyes, Eldemarians.

I briefly wondered why four Eldemarian children were traveling through the forest with a grown Rhenian man.

The oldest boy, Aaron, I believe, smiled slightly as he looked back and forth between Jeremy and myself. "Hi." He finally said.

I smiled back at him, moving closer to the children, "Hello." I noticed that the only girl in the group shrunk back behind Aaron at my approach. Peeking out from behind him with her large blue eyes, I couldn't help but feel she was extremely afraid of me.

I smiled in what I hoped was a comforting way as I crouched down at her level, "I'm Brietta." When her response was a quivering lip, I retreated back to Jeremy.

He met me with a grin, "She doesn't particularly like strangers." He said in a low tone, so that only I could hear. I marveled at how a little grin could make me dizzy, a full on smile from this man would probably kill me. I just sighed in response to his words.

"I guess I'll just have to build up enough trust with her." I said, as I absentmindedly watched the little girl.

"That could take awhile." He said as he watched me with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I wonder…" I trailed off when I saw that one of the smaller boys had a rip in his shirt, the cloth around the rip was slightly bloody. I moved over to him, my doctor senses kicking in. I crouched down, and fingered the ripped part, "How did this happen?" I asked him gently.

He glanced at Jeremy, who was now by my side, studying the tear as well. Jeremy lifted an eyebrow, at the boy, "Well? How did it happen?" He asked.

Tears welled in the boy, Stephen's, eyes, "Please don't be angry with me Mr. Jeremy! It was an accident! Please don't leave me in the forest for the wolves to eat!" He suddenly, desperately, cried out.

Jeremy gently pulled Stephen into an embrace, "What makes you think I would do that?" He asked softly.

"Y- you've just been so nice to us, you have. And no one's really that nice, so I was sure you would be really angry at me for tearing my shirt and getting it bloody!" A big tear rolled down his cheek as he said all of this.

"Stephen, I would never leave any of you kids alone, I love you all too much. And even if I get angry with you for something, I will quickly forgive you, because I know that you love me, and would never do anything to purposefully hurt me. Okay? Now, show us this cut of yours." I watched, with tears in my own eyes as the loving man smoothed away all of the small boys fears.

Stephen turned in Jeremy's arms, to where we could both see the cut. I gritted my teeth at the long gash. I could see potential infection written all over it. "Do you have any water?" I asked, getting right down to work. "And I'll need a clean piece of cloth."

Jeremy sent the other two boys to get the things I had asked for. I mentally listed off all the plants native to this forest that prevented infections. It was a good thing my father made me learn everything about the forests surrounding Rhenia, because if he hadn't I would have had to get Stephen all the way back home before I could treat him.

"How did this happen, Stephen?" I asked in the cheerful doctor's voice I had picked up from all the doctors visits I had gone on with my father.

"I was getting sticks for the fire yesterday, and I tripped on a big log thing and it got cut on a bush." He said as he tried to see the cut.

"Do you remember what kind of bush you cut it on?" Jeremy asked.

He shook his little blond head, "I wasn't paying at-attention. But I think it was a poky plant."

My eyes widened, 'Oh, God please don't let it be the fire-plant!' I prayed urgently. "What did this plant look like?" I asked.

He screwed up his face in thought, "I think it was green… with red splotchy things on it! Yeah, the red spots were a little bit pink." He said as he wiggled his finger, indicating just how much pink was on it.

I could feel my face paling at his words, but I kept my voice steady. "Good job Stephen, I know exactly what plant you're talking about." I smiled at the end, trying to cover up my growing fear.

I glanced at Jeremy, he was watching me, the same fear showing in his eyes. "Can I speak to you?" I asked him.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you go see what's holding the boys up with that water." As Stephen walked away, I winced when he started scratching at the cut.

I looked back to Jeremy, the fear, and worry in his eyes told me just how much he loved that boy. "Well? What is it that made you go white earlier?" He asked.

I sighed, "I think Stephen may have come in contact with a commonly known bush called, the fire-plant. It isn't harmful… unless it gets into the bloodstream… some people used to use it as a torture device, but that was before it became illegal to use."

"So, you're saying what? Stephen will be in agony?" He asked.

I paused, "Yes." He buried his head in his hands, "I myself have gotten a rather large fire-plant thorn stuck in my hand before, if I'm telling the truth… It… It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. And since Stephen is so young…" I trailed off, "I suggest we get him to Rhenia as fast as possible."

He looked at me incredulously, "Rhenia? What do you mean Rhenia? If we take these children to Rhenia they will be eaten up by those prejudice fools!" He ran a hand through his hair, "Trust me, I know what they do to Eldemarians. We don't want to go there."

My temper began rising, "Sir, you cannot expect to be able to make it to any other town in time to save him! Rhenia is the closest. Look at me, I have Eldemari in my blood, and yet they have seemed to accept me ever since I was a baby. I think you're just speaking out of your own prejudice." I said angrily.

"I don't even know you, for all we know you could be lying about the fire-plant. I thought that you were an Eldemarian, and that… that you would understand, but I guess I was wrong." He said, the look on his face sent a stab of pain through my heart.

I sighed, "Look, you all can come to my house, if people know you are with me, they won't even think about how weird it is that so many blonds are living under one roof in Rhenia. I can tell anyone that asks that you are my cousins. Just let me help Stephen." I said pleadingly.

He studied me for a long moment, then he finally said, "I guess I can put aside my grudges if it means saving Stephen." I smiled, hoping for him to smile back, but I had no such luck.

~*~H~*~

Apparently, traveling through the forest with five other living beings is a lot slower than if I had been trying to get home by myself. We had been sitting for almost an hour on what Jeremy had called a lunch break. Jesse had taken his own sweet time in eating his sandwich. I watched with growing impatience, but I held my tongue, knowing that if I ever wanted to gain these kids trust I couldn't just lash out at them.

I had been sitting on a log, thinking about how if we had just kept moving we would be sitting in my house right now.

Jeremy stood up from his place across the fire, he had been staring at me for about half an hour, I had been trying to ignore him, but that's kind of hard when he has golden brown eyes that bore into your very soul.

He came over and eased himself down beside me on the small log, "I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier… I just want what's best for these kids. You have no idea how much they've been through." He said it all in a low tone, I turned my head to face him. The fire seemed to be reflecting its heat off of him, and I couldn't help but lean towards him as a particularly cold breeze blew by.

"I understand…" I suddenly thought about how he had seen me freaking out at God, "So… how much of my… rant did you hear?" I asked with a small smile, trying to take the seriousness out of the question.

"Ah, you mean the shouting that probably saved your life? We wouldn't have even been passing relatively near you if Aaron hadn't heard you yelling. And to answer your question, I heard enough to know you have the same questions I've been asking God for a long time. When I could actually hear what you were saying, I was shocked. You were repeating the exact same prayer I had prayed this morning." He said in a slightly grave voice.

I reached out a hand to his shoulder, "I'm glad you were there." I whispered.

He turned his face my way a bit more, "You know, its weird, I'm more comfortable around you than I am most people I have known for years. And I've known you for what? Four hours?" He had whispered it, and I began to wonder just why we were whispering, but I couldn't help it.

"Yeah, I've noticed. I'm more comfortable around you than I am my own brother." I admitted quietly.

There was a time lapse where nothing happened, we just watched each other, thinking about our own troubles as our eyes soaked up each others faces. I felt the need to break the stare, but I also knew I wouldn't be the first to look away.

We were suddenly jerked out of our strange moment by Jesse's exuberant voice, "I'm finished!" It was as if it was a very big victory for him to finish a small sandwich.

I slid my hand off of Jeremy's shoulder before he stood up and announced that we were leaving.

~*~H~*~

A/N

I'm so very sorry, I'm a terrible updater.

I hope ya'll like this chapter!

You may feel like its moving really quickly between Jeremy and Brie, but…

Yeah it is moving really quickly, and I have no excuse for that.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who Reviewed, Faved, and Subscribed!

I really am grateful to you all.

I would name all the names of my dedicated readers but…

I'm lazy.

I have no real excuse for not doing it.

I also have no excuse for not PMing every single one of you and thanking you…

but I'm not as organized as most writers on here, and I'm doing good just by updating.

Now I'm just blathering/rambling. I myself like the word blathering better.

I'll stop talking now.

I love you all.

Ilikemutemath, a classic criminal.