A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter Five

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Romeo opened his eyes. He blinked, momentarily confused by his location. And then he felt Juliet beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, and he smiled, his heart swelling with joy. He reached out to nuzzle her gently, and she stirred with a faint moan. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him. "Good morning, my love," Romeo murmured.

Juliet smiled sweetly. "Good morning." She looked up at the gray sky and added, "Dawn."

"Yes," Romeo sighed. "Time for us to go and live apart for another day."

Juliet groaned and pressed her head back into his shoulder. "Oh, stay for a little while longer. We don't have to leave quite yet."

Romeo chuckled. "Your wish is my command," he said. "I will stay here for as long as you want."

Juliet smiled. "Forever," she whispered. "I never want to leave your side."

Her mate nuzzled her. "That sounds like paradise."

They were silent for a moment. Then Juliet groaned. "But if we don't go now, our parents will wake and find us missing. The last thing we need is them searching for us."

Romeo huffed, his heart sinking. "It's true," he agreed with a sad nod.

Juliet stood up and stretched her stiff muscles as Romeo too rose, shaking loose grass from his coat. "When will I see you again?" Juliet asked.

Romeo smiled. "Tonight. Same time and place."

Juliet nodded. "It feels like such a long time to wait," she remarked. "A lifetime."

Romeo caressed her with his muzzle. "An eternity."

Their noses met, and they stood motionless for a long while as the sky steadily changed color, going from gray to pale blue tinged with pink. "It's getting lighter," Juliet murmured.

Romeo glanced up. "The lighter it gets, the darker our sorrows become."

Juliet moaned and pulled back, breaking their contact reluctantly to turn toward the forest. She glanced back at him and smiled. "I'll see you tonight, my love."

"Tonight," Romeo repeated with a small sigh. "I look forward to it."

Juliet nodded and then trotted away, disappearing into the trees. A moment later, Romeo followed suit.

When he emerged into the clearing a few minutes later, he found that Benvolio was already awake. His face broke into a relieved smile upon seeing his friend. "Romeo!" he said, approaching. "I was beginning to wonder if I would have to go searching for you."

Romeo shook his head. "No need. I am here."

Benvolio nodded. Then he asked, "So…how was it?"

Romeo gazed at him. "How was what?"

Benvolio rolled his eyes. "The weather, Romeo. What else would I be asking about?! Your night with Juliet! How did everything go? How did she respond to your question about Paris?"

Romeo smiled. "They are not betrothed," he replied. "And Juliet feels no love for him." He blushed a little and looked at the ground as he added, "She said I am the only stallion that she loves."

"See?" Benvolio said with a relieved laugh. "I told you there was nothing to worry about!"

Romeo chuckled. "You were right," he conceded. Then he sighed and looked around toward the other end of the clearing. Even though he couldn't see her from this distance, he knew Juliet was there, and his heart ached with the knowledge that she was so near yet out of reach. "Oh Juliet," he moaned quietly. "I miss you already."

"Wow," Benvolio remarked. "You've got it bad, Romeo."

Romeo allowed himself a small laugh. "Yes…I guess I do…"

…

When Juliet reached her normal resting spot, she lowered herself to the ground and closed her eyes, but sleep did not return to her. Instead, her mind filled with images of Romeo, and her heart fluttered. Still, she feigned sleep until her father rose and came to wake her. "Good morning, Juliet," he said with a smile. "How are you this morning? Did you sleep well?"

Juliet smiled sweetly. "I slept very well, Father, thank you," she replied, standing up. "Better than I have in a long time, in fact."

Capulet's eyes widened slightly. "Indeed?" he asked. "Well, that's good to hear."

He did not question the reason behind Juliet's rest, and she didn't elaborate.

She was grazing contentedly when Rosaline approached her a few minutes later. "So how did it go last night?" she asked without preamble.

"Wow, not even a 'good morning'?" Juliet teased.

"Good morning," Rosaline said, and Juliet laughed.

"Last night…" Juliet pondered for a moment. Then her lips curved in a small smile, and she said, "Last night was magic. There is no other word to describe it. Romeo is such a sweet and kind stallion, and being with him is like being in the presence of a god."

"Whoa…" Rosaline said, shaking her head in wonder. "I mean, yeah, he's nice and good-looking and all that, but…a god…?"

Juliet laughed. "Oh, I can't find the right words to describe it," she said.

"To describe what?"

Juliet jumped and whirled around to see Paris standing close behind her. He was smiling, but his brow was furrowed in confusion.

"Paris!" Juliet sighed. "Please don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Forgive me," Paris said, bowing his head. "It was not my intent to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," Juliet insisted with a huff. "Just…just startled me, that's all."

Behind her back, Rosaline rolled her eyes. Paris tried to conceal a grin and replied, "I see. Still, forgive me."

Juliet nodded. "Yes, well…you're forgiven. Just don't do it again."

Paris straightened and said, "So…you haven't answered my question."

Juliet blinked and exchanged a confused glance with Rosaline. "What question?"

Paris grinned. "You couldn't find the right words to describe something," he reminded her. "I asked what you were trying to describe. Perhaps I can help."

Juliet's heart missed a beat. "Oh, um…I was telling Rosaline about a dream I had last night," she invented.

"A dream?" Paris repeated thoughtfully. "What kind of dream?"

"Well…that's just the problem," Juliet said, trying to mask her mounting irritation. "I can't find a way to talk about it."

"Ah, I see," Paris said, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, it might mean something important. I mean, dreams are difficult things to interpret, but you can usually glean a lot of information from nighttime visions. In fact I had one a few nights ago. I was standing here in the clearing, and while I could see the other horses I couldn't talk to them. I tried to speak but no one heard me, and when they talked amongst themselves I couldn't hear what they said. It confused me for a while but I've been thinking about it and I think that…"

And he was off on a tangent about his dream and what he thought it meant, something about being lonely with no one who understood him or something like that. Juliet had the distinct impression that he was trying to flirt with her, hinting that she alone could cure him of his solitude, but maybe she was reading too much into his speech. Then his rambling turned to dreams in general and potential interpretations. Juliet shifted her weight uncomfortably as he talked, glancing occasionally at Rosaline, who could merely give clueless looks in exchange. She didn't know how to escape the conversation without being rude, and her patience was starting to wear thin. She knew Paris meant well, and that he was only trying to help, but still…

She sighed and allowed her thoughts to stray. An image of Romeo filled her mind, and she instantly felt better. In her waking dream, the sun was shining on his blue roan coat, and his mane and tail were dancing in the breeze. He was smiling at her, and he said her name, told her that he wanted nothing more than to love her and protect her, promised that he would always be there for her. She smiled in return and thanked him, told him she loved him. They leaned closer, their muzzles almost touching…

"Juliet? Are you all right?"

Juliet gave a small start and returned to the present with an unpleasant jolt. Paris was staring at her, brow furrowed in concern.

"Oh, I…" She felt herself blush. "I'm fine, Paris. Just…just lost in thought…" She then remembered that Paris had been talking about dreams, and she added, "That all sounds…very interesting…"

Paris nodded, but she could tell from his eyes that he knew she hadn't caught a word.

I'm gonna have to be more careful in the future, she thought as Rosaline swooped in to save the moment, distracting Paris with a clump of flowers growing nearby.

…

Romeo and Juliet met again in the woods that night, and for many nights following. Each evening they stole away from their parents once they had fallen asleep, joining together in their little clearing, where they talked, laughed, and simply reveled in their love. They would sleep side-by-side, and before sunrise the following morning they would return to the herd, impatiently waiting for the moment they could meet again. They began to live for those few cherished hours together, and as the days passed, their love grew deeper and stronger.

Only their devotion to each other made it possible for them to make it through each day. Montague could hardly fail to notice that Romeo's behavior had changed, and he often inquired about his son's well-being. Only by remembering his mate's beautiful face was Romeo able to patiently deny any problems time and time again. Likewise, Juliet put up with Paris's undying affection by thinking of Romeo, though she never allowed her thoughts to stray too far again, and she managed to maintain a polite, even kind, relationship with the chestnut stallion. But she could sense that he wanted more from her, and she knew she would never grant his wish. It bothered her, but she never told anyone, not even Romeo. The last thing she wanted to do was give her mate the impression that he had a rival.

Benvolio and Rosaline were very understanding and helped their friends out in any way they could, often changing the subject when conversations drifted into dangerous waters. Whenever Montague became insistent in discovering the source of Romeo's change, Benvolio would distract the older stallion, allowing his friend to slip away. Similarly, Rosaline was always around to save Juliet from awkward moments with Paris, often preventing ordinary moments from becoming more intimate.

One night, about a week after their first evening together, Romeo told Juliet about his father. That afternoon, Montague had cornered his son and demanded to know why he was always standing off by himself, gazing at nothing, sometimes humming a tune under his breath. Romeo had dodged the questioning, aided by Benvolio, who asked Montague about a patch of weeds he had found growing on the north side of the nearby creek, but Romeo was becoming worried. Montague certainly knew that something was amiss. How much longer could he keep the truth hidden from him?

"Has your father noticed anything?" he asked his mate. It was late at night: the moon was directly overhead. They were usually asleep by now, but their conversation had stretched far longer than normal.

Juliet shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But I don't spend a lot of time with Father." She hesitated and considered telling him about Paris, but she decided against it. "Don't worry, darling. I'm sure everything will work out."

Romeo grinned. "I hope so, Juliet. I truly hope so." He yawned. "Goodness, it's late. We really ought to get some sleep."

Juliet nodded and sighed, resting her head comfortably on Romeo's shoulder. "Good night, darling," she said, closing her eyes. "I love you."

Romeo nuzzled her. "I love you too, Juliet. Good night."

He then lowered his head, closed his eyes, and drifted into an easy, dreamless sleep.

…

The first thing he heard when he woke the next morning was someone calling his name.

"Romeo? Romeo!"

He opened his eyes and looked up, blinking blearily. "Wha…?"

Beside him, Juliet was wide awake, looking around at him with wide, frightened eyes. Her expression banished all sleepiness from him. "What's going on?" he asked.

It wasn't Juliet who answered. "You've overslept! Now come on, you've gotta get back!"

Romeo looked up and felt his heart falter. Benvolio and Rosaline were standing over them, watching with anxious eyes, occasionally glancing back in the direction of the clearing.

"Benvolio?" Romeo asked, bewildered. "What on earth are you doing here? And Rosaline too? But…" Then he noticed that the sky was much lighter than it usually was: the bright blue color of midmorning.

"Your parents are looking all over for you!" Rosaline said urgently. "They are frantic with worry! Now come on, get up and come back! We'll have to give them some excuse…"

The lovers scrambled to their feet and looked at each other nervously. "We've blown it," Romeo moaned.

"Not necessarily," Benvolio said. "But we have to get back now! Romeo, you tell your father that you woke up early and went to the stream for a drink, but you got distracted by…I don't know, a bird or something, and lost track of time. Let's face it, as often as you get distracted, it could happen. Got it?"

Romeo nodded wordlessly.

"Obviously, you'll need a different story," Rosaline said to Juliet. "Tell your father that you went for a walk last night to clear your head or something, and that you fell asleep." She sighed and shrugged. "It's not the greatest excuse in the world, I know, but under the circumstances it's the best I can come up with right now."

"It will do," Juliet assured her. She turned to her mate. "Oh Romeo…I'm sorry."

They nuzzled while their friends watched impatiently. "I'm sorry too," Romeo said quietly. "I hope…I hope that…"

"Me too," Juliet said. She bumped her nose to his and added, "Go now! I'll see you again soon!"

Romeo nodded, and without another word, he followed Benvolio through the trees toward the herd. Juliet and Rosaline followed suit, emerging minutes later into a clearing filled with horses whispering worriedly to each other and searching for the two missing horses.

"Juliet's here!" Rosaline called out, catching the attention of Capulet, Lady, and Paris. "She's here! I've got her! She's safe!"

There was a general cry of relief as Juliet's parents and Paris cantered over to them, followed closely by Prince. "Where were you?" their leader demanded. "You had your parents worried half to death!"

"I'm sorry," Juliet said with complete sincerity. "I never meant to scare you. I…" She half-glanced at Rosaline. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I went for a walk. I guess I fell asleep in the woods because the next thing I remember is Rosaline waking me up and bringing me back here."

"Oh Juliet," Capulet sighed, nuzzling his daughter. "Don't ever do that to me again, sweetheart. You have to be more careful!"

"Indeed," Paris interjected. "You could have been met by that Romeo! He was also missing this morning." He looked over at Prince. "Has he been found?"

"Yes," Prince replied, nodding. "He and his father are discussing it now. He claims he went to the stream early this morning and lost track of time."

Capulet glanced at Prince, eyes flashing, and returned his gaze to Juliet. "Did you meet Romeo in the woods?" he demanded, voice filled with concern.

"No," Juliet said, fighting to keep her voice level. "No, I…I don't think so. Like I said, I woke up when Rosaline found me, and there was no one else around then."

"I'm sure that, even had Romeo found her as she slept, he would not have done any harm to her," Prince interjected, correctly reading the worry in Lady's eyes. "He is a respectable young stallion." He looked back at Juliet. "You're sure you're fine?"

Juliet nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Honestly, nothing happened! I just fell asleep in the woods, that's all!"

Prince, apparently satisfied, nodded and said, "Please be more careful in the future," before he turned and walked away. It took Juliet much longer to escape her parents, who sternly lectured her on the importance of being responsible for several minutes following Prince's departure. Even after she'd gotten away from Capulet and Lady, she couldn't shake Paris, who followed her as she tried to find a spot to graze.

"Paris, for the one hundredth time, I'm all right!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I know you were all worried and I'm sorry for putting you through that, but would you please stop badgering me about it?!"

"Juliet," Paris said, his eyes burning, "I cannot let it go so easily. I keep thinking about what might have happened if that Romeo had found you while you were asleep!"

Juliet, who was immensely grateful her parents had apparently missed the connection between her disappearance and Romeo's, sighed in irritation. "Even if he had, so what? You're making him out to be some kind of monster!"

Paris's eyes flashed in anger. "He is Montague's son! You cannot trust him!"

Juliet opened her mouth to snap back but stopped herself just in time. It would be too easy for her to give Paris a better description of Romeo's character from experience. She sighed and settled instead for, "I appreciate your concern. Now please leave me alone."

And Paris obeyed…mostly. He stopped interrogating her, but he stayed close by for the rest of the day, his eyes constantly fixed on her. "Honestly," Juliet grumbled in an undertone to Rosaline, "he's worse than my parents! I can't get him to go away!"

Rosaline glanced at Paris. "How is this going to affect your rendezvous with Romeo tonight?"

Juliet sighed. She'd been thinking about that and could think of only one answer, an answer that made her heart break. "I cannot see him tonight," she whispered. "Paris has the eyes of a hawk. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he watched over me throughout the night to make sure nothing happened to me." She glanced over toward Montague's side of the clearing. "But I don't know how to let him know. I can't just go over there and tell him myself…"

Rosaline considered for a moment and then said, "I'll go. I'll talk to Benvolio. Since he seems to know about you two, I'll ask him to pass the message along."

"Oh Rosaline, thank you!" Juliet said gratefully. "You are a true friend."

Rosaline smiled. "Don't mention it."

She did as promised, finding Benvolio and delivering Juliet's message. She asked if Romeo was well, for she knew Juliet would want to know. "He's fine," Benvolio replied. "Montague yelled at him a bit, but he's fine. It's probably for the best, not meeting tonight. He's watching Romeo so closely…"

Rosaline nodded. "I thought that would be the case. Well, let him know of Juliet's message, and thank you."

"I will. You're welcome," Benvolio replied, and with that, they parted.

Benvolio relayed Juliet's message to his friend only minutes later. Romeo sighed. He wasn't surprised. Even having denied to Prince that he had met Juliet on his morning stroll, their leader was not foolish. He couldn't risk putting either himself or Juliet in such a position again. Yes. It was best if they waited for a while to see each other again.

The knowledge did nothing to lift his spirits.

…

Juliet retired early that night, claiming to be tired. In reality, she wanted to be alone, and that was the only excuse she could come up with that would get Paris away from her. It worked: as she settled on the ground, the chestnut wished her a good night and walked away, glancing back once in concern. Once he was out of sight, Juliet allowed the tears she'd been holding back all day to finally fall. It was a long time before she actually managed to fall asleep.

Paris tried to graze but found that he was not hungry. He kept thinking about Juliet, about how worried he'd been, how frantic…she'd been gone and no one knew where. She could have been killed by a wildcat or wolves, or stolen away by another stallion…

He looked around toward Montague's end of the clearing. From his distance he couldn't see Romeo, but he knew the stallion was there, probably grazing without a care in the world, unknowing and uncaring that he, Paris, was sick with fear for the mare he loved. If Romeo had encountered Juliet in the woods…if they'd met…or if he'd come upon her as she slept…

…what? What could have happened?

He made up his mind in an instant. He turned and marched up to where Capulet and Lady were standing, deep in discussion. "Excuse me," he said, inclining his head respectfully. "There is something I need to discuss with you."

"Yes, Paris?" Capulet inquired. "What is it?"

Paris took a deep breath. "I would like your blessing to take Juliet as my mate."

Capulet's eyes widened, and he exchanged startled looks with his equally-surprised mate. "Paris, you know I would love nothing more than for you and Juliet to be mates," he said. "But isn't this a bit sudden? Have you discussed this with Juliet?"

"No," Paris admitted, "but sir, with all due respect, it is for Juliet's safety and wellbeing that I am asking."

Capulet frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"I keep thinking about what might have happened last night while Juliet was in the woods," Paris explained. "How easily something might have happened to her…"

"Yes," Capulet interjected, and there was a slightly stiff, cool note to his voice. "We've considered that as well."

"Well," Paris plunged on, "I was thinking that, if she had a mate, he would be able to protect her. He could keep her safe from harm, safe from the creatures of the forests and…" He hesitated for half a second. He almost said, "from rogues like Romeo," but he remembered Capulet's reaction to seeing the young stallion at the party and said instead, "…from other stallions that might try to steal her away." There was a pause as Capulet observed him thoughtfully. Paris added, with a hint of desperation in his voice now, "Sir, I love her. I love her with all my heart. I swear I would keep her safe. I would love her and protect her. I would lay down my very life for her."

Capulet looked to Lady, who gazed back, her face impassive. She flicked an ear, and he nodded, understanding. Paris held his breath.

"Very well, Paris. You have my blessing. We will talk to Prince about it in the morning."

Paris beamed, feeling as though his heart had swelled to twice its normal size. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much."

A/N: Things are about to get complicated…

Hope you're enjoying it! Please leave a review to tell me what you think! Next chapter will be up on Tuesday (provided of course I don't forget again…).