Hey guys... I am so sorry it took me so long to update! After this chapter I'll do at least one more of the forest scene and then the part of the very end of Fairest. Hopefully it will be faster than last time.

And if you have any ideas for my other one-shot stories, leave a comment and I'll try! I have to admit, most of them are going to be from Jared, but I'm going to try to get other characters' POV's, too. I have a whole list of ones I plan to do so stay tuned! Thanks so much!

Jared stayed awake for most of the night. He dozed off until Mina rolled over closer to him. He looked at her in surprise. She was still shivering slightly, so he held her until the sun had been up for a couple hours. Jared gently put her down and climbed out of the cave. He caught two fish and started cooking them when Mina woke up. She looked adorable, with her brown hair slightly knotted and messy from sleeping. Her eyes were squinted against the sun and filled with sleep. He smiled when he saw that she still had his shirt on, and it looked good on her.

"How did you catch that?" she pointed to the fish.

"I was a Boy Scout," Jared held up three fingers, hoping he did it right.

"I highly doubt that. For one reason, I don't think you would have the patience to sit through all of those club meetings. Besides, if you were a boy scout we would already be out of here."

"You're right, I'm not," he admitted. "I was too much of a troublemaker to be a Boy Scout. Let's just say I'm a bit of an Ogre achiever and my good looks helped get you breakfast."

She kneeled down across from him. "Hey I'm not going to question food as long as it ends up in my belly." She took the fish he handed her on a piece of bark. When they had both eaten and drank enough river water, he kicked out the rest of the fire.

They made some distance up the river bank until Mina broke the silence. "So tell me about the quests. You said that you knew one was coming, how is that?"

"Well, because I'm Fae-" no use trying to deny it now. "-and I can feel the build-up of power, and you should be able to as well. It's like a tidal wave that pulls back and builds. All you get is a glimpse of small waves starting to form, followed by silence and then the storm." What she didn't know was they were about to enter the silence part.

She nodded, "I've felt it and I think I've always been able to feel it. For me it starts out as a tingling sensation throughout my body, or like being covered in static cling. It's been happening ever since my dad died. There was always this feeling of someone watching me."

Jared kicked a rock angrily. That was because the Story had kept a closer-than-normal eye on her. Mina had potential, he knew that now. But that also made her dangerous to his own safety. "Well, yes. That probably would've been the Story you were feeling. The Fae aren't without some pity. It was probably waiting, checking up on you and biding its time until all of the perfect elements were in place. It has learned to wait until the Grimms have gotten older before unleashing a quest on them. The young ones aren't any fun." He probably shouldn't have added that part…

She stopped and turned to face him. "Do you mean that you've made children try to solve the quests? That's horrible! I almost didn't survive it!"

"Wait not me!" he put his hands up in surrender. "I didn't make children do anything. Like I said, this was long ago and is one of the reasons the Story decided to wait before assigning another quest." Mina still looked furious, as if he had done something. "Many of the Grimm children did overcome the quests, but most didn't. A lot of the Fae didn't like that the Story started on the Grimms at such a young age. Remember there are quite a few factions in our world that are pro-human. So the Story started waiting until the next Grimm came of age." Jared tried to get her to calm down; he didn't feel like having her be mad at him today.

"And what is the right age?" she sounded mad.

"Sixteen."

"But I was fifteen when all of this started! It was my sixteenth birthday when I beat the Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood tales!" she ran slightly to catch up to him.

Jared didn't know exactly why Teague had started Mina's turn earlier. He had a few theories, though none of them made total sense. "What can I say; you're kind of a remarkable girl. You happened to catch the Story's attention a little early," he shrugged nonchalantly and put his hands in his jeans pockets. He turned his face slightly, trying to hide the slight blush that had appeared out of nowhere. Stop it! he screamed at himself.

When Mina stopped to sit on a boulder, he saw she was blushing too. He leaned against a tree as she pulled her still damp sneaker off. He felt slight raindrops splatter every couple seconds. He decided to fill the silence with a story. "Did you know that the first Hansel and Gretel were actually Fae, and it was the old woman who was the Grimm?"

"What are you talking about? That doesn't sound right," she replaced her shoe and pulled her knees to her chest, leaning her chin on her arms which, she had wrapped around herself. Jared kept his eyes closed, because when she looked at him like that, he couldn't help the overwhelming emotions in his chest.

"This is where it can get a little confusing and quite funny. In the very first quest, Hansel and Gretel were thieves and murderers, like, um-" What were their names? Oh, "-Bonnie and Clyde. But because Hansel and Gretel were Kitskin, child-like Fae that never grow old in appearance, no one ever suspected them. Your namesakes figured it out. The Kitskin never robbed the same house twice, and it was usually only the elderly they robbed. It was Wilhelm who thought of a plan to catch them. He had Jacob dress like an old woman and lure the Fae to his front door with the offer of sweets." He almost laughed at the memory of seeing the quest. Mina, however, laughed out loud. He opened one eye and pretended to be annoyed at her interruption.

She stopped laughing and he continued the story. "Hansel and Gretel looked inside and were tempted by all the jewelry and money the Grimms happened to have laid out on the table. Later that night, Hansel and Gretel snuck back into the house to kill them and make off with the loot, but instead they were trapped by the Brothers in a magical cage and oven, thanks to the Grimoire." He couldn't help sounding smug, it really was a brilliant trap. The Grimms had never known he was the one who had built it, of course. They all thought the book did it all.

"It sounds so easy when you tell it that way. Way easier than my own Hansel and Gretel encounter." Jared gave her another annoyed look and she shrugged, covering her mouth. He absentmindedly picked up a branch off of the floor.

"Yes, they do sound pretty easy, but remember not every quest can be completed. They aren't all deadly quests, and you do get a chance to retry them." Mina's hand shot into the air like a school student. He waited a few seconds before answering her. "Okay, now you can ask a question." He pointed the branch at her.

"So what about Claire?"

That was an odd question, but he answered it anyway. "Claire was becoming a loose end and dangerous. Unfortunately because this is the human world, the Fae don't have to answer to anyone." Except I have to. "So the Story will try to push these particular Fae into your path, hoping you will eliminate them for the Fates." Jared knew the Fates were behind this, not Teague. He just wanted power, he didn't care how he got it. The king and queen were behind the eliminating scheme.

"So I'm like the Ghostbuster for the bad Fae that your King and Queen can't control anymore. They purposefully send them my way and hope I will trap them in the Grimoire."

"Yeah, it's kind of a win-win. The Grimms need adversaries and the Fae need a few less… um, bad guys. There has to be an equal balance. That's why so many of them want the Grimoire, because with it, they too can trap their enemies within its pages. There are also a few other perks or rumors about the Grimoire that make them want it… but none of them are true," he said the last part a little too quickly, not wanting Mina to realize his secret. If anyone ever got the Grimoire, not only could they get their enemies, but they could control him. He had no choice but to listen and he couldn't even defend himself. Some might think they could blackmail the Fates with his life, but they didn't care. And Mina would die because he couldn't protect her.

Mina raised her hand- again. He nodded at her. "So what's to keep me from ignoring the quests and running away and living to a ripe old age? I mean, if I don't complete the quests, then the gate will never be shut and the Fae will be free to roam both worlds. It's a win-win for me, right? Life and life."

He stared at the stick for a few moments. That was easier said than done. Teague wanted power, and he would do anything for it. The Grimms made a deal, it must be fulfilled. He threw the stick fragments into the bushes and turned to her, trying to get his temper under control. "That's where the Story comes in. A promise is a promise and if a Grimm doesn't complete the quests in a timely matter then the Story begins to set up the quests and to force to Grimms into it. This time without giving them a choice in which quest or how it plays out." As if they had much of a choice to begin with. "Remember when I told you the Story is alive with power? Well, it's more than that. It thinks, it breaths and manipulates you like a pawn on a chessboard. But even a pawn is strong enough to take out a queen. So think about that, will you, before you try to run from your destiny." He had to remind himself to not yell at her. None of this was Mina's fault. But she had to end this, she couldn't run.

Mina climbed off the boulder and they started their hike again. She wouldn't let them stop to find food so they kept on. So did the rain, unfortunately. Thankfully the riverbank leveled out. She looked around in dismay, "Now what? I don't think I can do this anymore." She turned to him, as if for help. He was about to make a snarky comment but before he could, Mina's clumsiness got the best of her and she slipped. Jared reached out to help her but she wound up pulling him down with her. They were falling down the hard embankment they had just climbed. Jared wrapped his arms around her and twisted them, so he was now sliding down the mud and rocks.

They came to a stop. Ow… he tried to catch his breath before the realization hit him. Mina was laying on top of him, and he had his arms around her firmly. They were extremely close, closer than last night and he could feel her heartbeat. It was racing, and he realized his was, too. She still smelled faintly of strawberries and vanilla and he loved the smell on her. She still hadn't said anything or tried to pull away and Jared savored this moment.

He sensed her watching him. Jared opened his eyes, and nearly drowned in what he saw. Mina was looking at him, with such a caring expression, and she was absolutely beautiful. True her hair was a mess, but he didn't care. He couldn't form a solid thought. After weeks of being confused about his emotions with Mina, he finally knew exactly what it was that he felt without a doubt in his mind. He was in love with Mina Grimm.

And in that moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her. He had to, couldn't resist. He wanted to be with Mina for the rest of eternity. Screw fate, his mind was set. She was looking at him and he gathered the nerve to lean forward and press his lips to hers. She gasped, and he froze. It wasn't rejection, right? It didn't sound like it. But that one little sound reminded him of who she was and who he was. This couldn't happen, no matter how much he -and hopefully she- wanted it. She looked hurt, as if she had wanted him to kiss her. He vaguely wondered if he had the same expression.

Jared desperately tried to think of something to say. Mina couldn't know how he felt, no one could. It was too dangerous. He realized that was why he always had an attitude towards her. It was an automatic barrier, to not let anyone in. They would just get hurt. He unwrapped his arms from her and immediately regretted it.

He pulled some twigs out of her hair, trying to not stroke the soft waves. "Next time, try not to take the whole forest with you when you fall," he gave her a fake smile. "For your Christmas tree next year." It was a lame attempt. Mina climbed off of him and he felt saddened by her absence in his arms. Get a grip! Because his emotions were so out of control, he forgot to block Mina out and her emotion slipped through his mind. She felt lonely, without him holding her. It wasn't rejection, it was anticipation. Jared didn't know which one was worse, rejection or anticipation. She sat on the ground, a couple inches away.

He sat up, not making eye contact with her. Mina had to know what he had done, why he had tricked her. She wasn't going to like it. He couldn't hide it anymore, she was going to be mad enough and he didn't want her to completely shut him out. Jared looked at her, opening his mouth to speak.

But then the bear came, and she screamed.