A/N: Chapter 9!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

Chapter Nine: Complications

May Belle's PoV

May Belle ran through the woods until she got to the small fortress Jess had helped her build a few years ago. Foster was inside, waiting.

"May Belle!" he said, smiling and waving to her. But after seeing the distressed look on her face, he rushed out to meet her. He had thick brown hair the color of wood bark. His eyes were the same color, as were most of his clothes. He was wearing a white cotton shirt, topped with a tree-bark-brown leather jerkin, and the same color loose cotton pants.

The fortress was like the treehouse, built in the same design, but out of branches and vines. It had windows, and even a door.

Foster grabbed her shoulders to stop her. "May Belle, what is wrong?"

She gasped, and, in a rush, told him everything that had happened, and what she'd overheard just a minute ago. Foster listened quietly. She could practically see the gears churning in his head.

"Well, first things first, we must see if the locket will work," he said. That was the thing with Foster. He never wasted time, and he always talked really precisely. May Belle crowded in close to be seen in the locket, and her friend popped open the clasp.

After a minute, Jess and Leslie's faces appeared a face on the piece of jewelry.

"Leslie!" May Belle cried in astonishment. "Oh my gosh, Leslie!"

Jess's PoV

"Well, I'm glad to know you care about me, too, May Belle," Jess said with mock bitterness. He knew the feeling his little sister must be having about then. That feeling of overwhelming happiness, and that everything is right in the world…

Jess smiled as Leslie punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Hey, May Belle!" she said, turning her attention back to the locket. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Long time, no see, from what your brother says. Man, you have grown!"

May Belle blushed. "Yeah," she said awkwardly. She turned to her brother, "Jess, I was right. After you disappeared, Nerida started ranting to herself. She's nuts! And she's plotting to kill you, me, all of us!"

Jess's eyes widened. So much for enjoying getting Leslie back. "Whoa, May Belle. Slow down. Now, start at the beginning."

His sister took a deep breath, and said, "Nerida is crazy. After you disappeared, she still hadn't noticed me, so I hid behind the trunk of the treehouse tree—"

"The treehouse is still there?" Leslie exclaimed. She was grinning from ear to ear in excitement at the thought that her and Jess's retreat would still be there in five years. She still was having trouble with her best friend's confession that she was supposed to die tomorrow, but she refused to think about that.

"Yeah, Les, and now there's a bridge, and—"

"Lord King, I hate to interrupt you, but this is of the utmost importance," Foster cut in. Jess and Leslie blushed, and shut their mouths.

"As I was saying," May Belle huffed, "I hid behind the tree trunk as she started talking to herself. She was saying that now the 'great king' was out of the way, and that she had already gotten rid of the queen years ago. And that now all she had to do was… get rid of… me."

Her voice went quiet at the end. Rage was rushing through Jess. That stupid faery! She was the one responsible for killing Leslie! He wanted to rip her apart.

"May Belle," Leslie said, breaking Jess out of his reverie. "You need to watch your back. And we need to figure out a way to get Jess back."

Foster looked thoughtful, and Jess asked him, "Foster? You know anything?"

"Well…" he said slowly, "I could use the same spell Nerida did to send you to that time period, Lord King, but for that to work you would need to drink nectar, like before."

"Is there anything else? Anything at all?"

"The queen of the faeries, Islanzadi, would be able to bring you back without the nectar. I shall talk to her," he said, rubbing his chin in thought. (A/N: I don't own the name of the queen of the faeries, either. That would belong to Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle. Love those books!)

"Thank you, Foster," Jess said. He glanced at Leslie, and continued, "I appreciate it. For now, I am going focus on the reason I came back in the first place."

May Belle grinned, opening her mouth to sing, but Foster put his hand over it. He, too, was smiling, but he knew better than to goad the king. "Alright, Lord King. I shall see what I can do in the way of getting you back."

Leslie, who had been quiet, spoke up now. "And, Foster, is it?" He nodded, and she said, "Watch out for May Belle. I don't trust this Nerida faery."

Foster nodded gravely. "I shall do that as well, Lady Queen."

"Alright, I have to get home," May Belle said, "Bye, Jess. Great to see you, Lelsie!"

May Belle shut the locket, and the golden liquid on the inside went blank. Jess shut his own locket.

Leslie, who was watching him, said, "Jess?"

"Yeah, Les?"

"Tell me about Terabithia. You know, five years from now," she said, then leaned against the treehouse like before, and gazed up at the sky.

Jess did the same. "Well, Leslie, it's pretty much the same. But there's touches of May Belle everywhere. And, you know, you're not there, which puts a damper on things."

Leslie grinned. She closed her eyes. She put her head against Jess's shoulder

"I hope this plan works, Jess," she murmured.

"Me, too, Leslie. Me, too," he said. He began stroking her hair and thinking about the events of the past few days.

A/N: And Fade out! Okay, I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in soooooooo long! I have another story that I have been focusing on, called Percy Jackson and the Pearls of Persephone! Check it out! If you haven't read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, then forget fanfiction, and go to a book store immediately! If you don't, a Kindly One will become your math teacher and attack you!

Anyway, I have recently started a blog (link on my profile) and I am using it to let people know the working status' of my stories, such as when I am planning on updating, what I'm working on, what I need advice on, etc. That way I don't have to use author's notes on here and make you think there is an update.

So, review! I do so love reviews!