A/N: Ahaha, this is getting funny :D. Sorry, I just finished the (presumably) last chapter of this story, it's the ninth chapter, and I realized how less you know and how much I know :D. I don't know, it's funny :D.

Okay, so a few people asked me if I was going to keep it like this, this whole love story between Patrick and Teresa, but sadly, my answer has to be a 'no'. After all, we still have Red John, haven't we?

Just read this chapter! It's an awful lot of hurt/comfort and maybe even a bit Angst (though not that present), so I felt bad myself when I re-read it, but please, try it :D. It may be a lot OOC, but come on, people change, don't they?

Thanks again to my lovely Beta-reader, Donnamour1969! Thanks to her, this story is this awesome, trust me :D.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

King Minelli watched as his sons talked. The only one missing was his daughter, and he hoped that she'd done what he thought she'd done, because he didn't want her to live a miserable life. She was his only daughter, and he loved her very much.

Sometimes, though, she reminded him of her mother, and he would feel sad for a moment. But whenever Teresa smiled his sadness would subside, and he would only think about the happy times.

Minelli knew that the forced marriage with Prince Patrick was something she really didn't want. He hoped Patrick would change her mind.

Since their kingdom, Tara, was in a crisis, faraway kingdoms were ready to come and destroy every living thing. Minelli had hoped that by letting his daughter marry the son of King Bertram, he could find peace with them.

Desmond was a strong and powerful kingdom; every other nation was afraid of it. It would be the perfect partner to form an alliance with. Teresa mustn't ruin this for them, although Minelli admitted that it wasn't entirely in her hands – the safety of their people was still at stake.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick and Teresa arrived back at the castle, their hands linked. They seemed very happy, laughing about unimportant things. The Three Musketeers – Thomas, Michael and James – saw, and ran over to them.

The two startled when they saw Teresa's brothers, and Patrick put Teresa down on her own feet again.

"Did you enjoy your little walk?" Thomas immediately asked, but Michael hit his arm.

"Tommy!" he hissed, and looked at Teresa and Patrick again.

"You look... pretty," James said, motioning to the flowers in her hair. She blushed and looked at Patrick.

"Wait, did you...," Michael started, but Patrick pulled her with him into the castle. She waved to her brothers.

The three were dumbfounded.

"What happened? What did we miss?" Michael asked, and the other two just shrugged.

"I don't know how, but they are obviously in love with each other," James said, simply, and the other two smiled.

"Great, means we'll get a wedding in no time. Food!" Thomas exclaimed.

James rolled his eyes.

"Food's the only thing you can think about, isn't it?" Michael asked. Thomas smiled.

"No...," he said, innocently, and they laughed.

"Speaking of which, dinner's about to begin," Thomas said, and ran inside.

"His wife is going to be a pig," Michael whispered to James, and they burst into laughter.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa walked into her room, and saw Summer already awaiting her.

"Wonderful! I have been waiting for you! Dinner is starting, and you can't attend in that dress," Summer shrieked, and Teresa laughed.

She ran over to Summer and hugged her. Summer looked surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"Patrick!" Teresa exclaimed, and danced around, before collapsing on her bed.

"What's about the Prince?" Summer asked, though of course she knew what was wrong.

"Summer, I believe I'm in love," Teresa said, and Summer gasped. She joined Teresa on the bed, folding her legs underneath her.

"Really? Oh, Your Highness, that's lovely!" Summer exclaimed, and Teresa smiled.

Summer looked down at Teresa, who was obviously lost in passionate fantasies that were now her reality. Of course Summer knew what she and the Prince had done. Teresa's hair was full of beautiful flowers from the woods – she knew because she had been there many times with Kimball – and she had grass all over her dress.

Teresa heard Summer laughing.

"What?"

Summer shook her head.

"Nothing; you're done for," Summer simply said, and walked over to the chair, motioning for Teresa to follow her. Teresa smiled sheepishly at her, and then sat down on the chair.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Father," Patrick said, while sitting down next to him at the table in the Great Hall. It was no invitation for a conversation, just a greeting. But of course his father took the opportunity to involve himself in a nice conversation with his only child. His father thought it was nice, but Patrick didn't really want to talk to him. There was only one person he wanted to talk with.

"Son, how are you doing?" his father asked teasingly, since he hadn't seen his son since yesterday evening.

Patrick just smiled at his father.

"I heard rumors you and Princess Teresa are getting along fine."

Patrick froze.

"What did you hear?" Patrick asked cautiously. He didn't exactly want his father to know about his love life.

"Just that you and the young lady entered the castle laughing, and she had flowers in her hair," his father said matter-of-factly.

Damn those brothers. He was going to get them for this.

"Yes, Teresa is... nice," Patrick said, and Bertram smiled faintly. He knew everything about him and Teresa, that was for certain.

Patrick had the ability to read people like books, and he never failed in reading his father. He was a book that had been laying open for years and could no longer close anymore.

"You do know that King Minelli and his children leave tonight?" Bertram suddenly asked, and Patrick nearly spit out the wine he was drinking.

"Excuse me?" Patrick all but exclaimed, and Bertram sighed.

"Well, I guess you didn't know."

"No, I didn't! Are they going to have dinner with us?" he asked, and his father nodded. Patrick sighed in frustration, drinking his last bit of wine.

If he'd known that at noon, he would've spent much more time with Teresa.

-YulianaHenderson-

Almost everyone was sitting at the table, but of course, Teresa. Patrick wasn't worried; why should he be?

He just wanted her to come quickly, because the earlier she came, the more time they had to say their goodbyes. Just before dinner started, Teresa entered the hall.

He involuntarily smiled. She was wearing a pink and red dress with gold everywhere. Her hair was tied into one big braid down her back, a flower from their trip to the woods tied within it.

She looked beautiful, though it wouldn't matter what she was wearing, because she was always was beautiful to him.

She didn't even look around for a place, but immediately sat in front of Patrick, and smiled. Would that feeling ever go away? That feeling of suffocation whenever she smiled or laughed?

They started dinner, and strangely, Patrick and Teresa were quiet, just looking at each other.

The rest of the company looked at them with joy, feeling butterflies in their own stomachs whenever Patrick and Teresa smiled at each other.

"Teresa?" Patrick asked when he'd just finished one plate.

"Yes?" she said, though he already had her fullest attention.

"Are you leaving tonight?"

"I am."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, putting down everything he was holding to focus on her. She did the same.

"Because I didn't want to spend that much time with you at first. And when I started to like you," she said, smiling at him, "I didn't want our time together to end."

That put a smile on his face, but he still hated that she was leaving.

"I'm coming back, I know it. I promise," Teresa said, and he smiled again. She seemed to have put a permanent smile upon his face.

He quickly slipped off one shoe, and started to trace her leg with his bare foot beneath the table. She chuckled.

They spent the rest of the dinner in silence again. He, for some reason, couldn't stop stroking her leg with his foot, and she, well, she just smiled at him, having a hard time to keep a straight face. For some reason, the movement of his foot was very exciting.

"Father, is there some entertainment tonight?" Teresa asked. Her father looked up from his meal.

"I have no idea, my dear, you should ask King Bertram," he said. She nodded, and turned to him, but he'd overheard the small conversation and already answered.

"Of course there is, young Lady. There will be dancing!"

-YulianaHenderson-

The music started. Because of the lack of women, Thomas and Michael were forced to dance together. It looked really awkward.

The two kings chose a chair on the outsides of the dance floor, deciding not to dance. They were so old they feared they might break a leg.

Of course, Patrick immediately walked over to Teresa, and she was happy to join him. He pulled her flush against his body, sharing his warmth, which she found she needed, despite all the layers of clothing she was wearing.

They began to dance, properly even though they wanted to just melt into each other.

Teresa felt she could just die there, out of sheer happiness. Tears of joy stung her eyes.

Since when had her life become so good?

When the music was over, Patrick grabbed her hand and pulled her with him outside the dance room, into the halls. He looked if there was anyone there that might be watching them, then bowed down and kissed her, and she opened her mouth for him. He started to play a teasing game with her tongue. He pulled away when they both became breathless.

He smiled.

"I love you, and I'm going to wait for you. I promise, I will count down the days until I will see you again," he whispered in her ear.

She swallowed, trying to let the big lump in her throat disappear.

"I love you too, and I will keep thinking about you, about what we've done. I will think about you when I'm going to sleep, and when I wake up," she replied.

Patrick wiped away the tears that were now streaming down her face.

"Don't cry. We will see each other again," he said, and instead of wiping away the tears, he kissed them away.

He pulled her against him again, letting her bury her face in the crook of his neck.

He heard the music stopped, and they were expected to go to their rooms, but they couldn't. It was as if they were fused together. It wasn't until James gently pulled Teresa away from Patrick that she left his arms.

James took her hand in his, feeling it trembling, and escorted her to her room. She was an emotional mess all of a sudden, and he couldn't blame her. He was still surprised though, because a mere few days before, she had despised Patrick, would kill him with her bare hands if she saw him. And now she couldn't let him go.

When they got to her room, Summer came running toward Teresa, and James left the two women alone.

Now there would be no living with Teresa when they got back.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick watched Teresa walking down the hall and felt his heart breaking when she went around the corner.

He ran his hands through his hair.

He knew he would see her again, but he didn't want to spend one more day alone anymore. Teresa was the one he had been searching for – well, not him, but his father. But now that he had come to know her, he knew she was the one.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"She's a great woman, son. I always told you so. She looks a lot like her mother," King Bertram said, and pointed at the chairs.

They sat down.

"How long is she going to stay away?" Patrick asked, sounding helpless.

"I'm not sure, Patrick, but trust me when I say she's coming back. Don't forget that you need to be together; you're supposed to marry," he said, and Patrick smiled at that.

"I know."

"Oh, that doesn't mean that you can't propose to her," Bertram said, in an attempt to sound subtle. Patrick's father was an idiot at some moments, and romantic skills were not his specialty.

Patrick laughed.

"No, I'm serious, Patrick. You should," Bertram said, his tone serious.

Patrick nodded.

"I will, believe me," Patrick assured him. Before tomorrow morning, she would officially be his fiance, and he would never have to live without her.

-YulianaHenderson-

Summer brushed Teresa's hair. For some reason, that always seemed to calm her.

"So, you're a crying fool?" Summer asked, and Teresa smiled through the tears in her eyes. She nodded.

"I don't know how I can live without him," Teresa said.

"I'm sure you'll bear it. You've lived without him for many years before this; you won't die from a few weeks more," Summer said.

Teresa knew she was right.

A knock came, and Summer opened the door. She already had the feeling she knew who it was, and when she opened the door, her suspicions were confirmed. She bowed, and left the two lovers alone.

When Teresa saw who it was, she flung her arms around Patrick's neck, though she feared she wouldn't be able to let him go again.

He kissed the top of her head.

"Teresa, you can...Let go...," he breathed, but she didn't. So he just lifted her up, and walked over to the balcony. In Patrick's opinion, Teresa had the room with the most beautiful view. He set her down on the bench there, sat down next to her, and pulled her in his arms again.

"Teresa, I..." he started, but he couldn't find the right words. The ring was burning in his pocket-a ring that had been in his family for ages. His father wanted him to it to propose, but he just couldn't find the courage.

So he stared at the forest where they'd shared so much passion, his insides clenching when he heard his father's voice inside his head.

He turned Teresa around in his arms and kissed her. He hoped all the words he couldn't say could be said with the amount of love and passion that vibrated through this kiss.

His hand unconsciously wandered down her body, and before they knew it, they were involved in a hot, passionate game again, she on top of him. When he came inside of her, they both began crying, realizing that would be the last time they'd be together for the next few weeks.

They didn't know if they could survive it.

-YulianaHenderson-

"So...This is it?" Patrick asked, as he and Teresa stood in front of the castle, Teresa ready to leave.

"I suppose," she whispered. They decided not to touch each other again since their night, for this time, really, they wouldn't be able to let go.

But despite their insides tearing to pieces, they smiled because that was all they had.

Patrick reached in his pocket, and gave her something. A dried flower from the day before. A tear escaped her eye.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice breaking. She touched his face for a moment, before she walked over to the carriage.

She sat within like she had done a few days ago, and Teresa looked out the window. She saw how Patrick was standing where she had left him, unable to move.

She waved at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He waved back, mouthing I love you, before the carriage disappeared around the corner and he couldn't see her anymore.

Teresa collapsed on the seat, into James' arms.

The departure from the castle of Tara had been much different than their arrival. Teresa had been chuckling then, enthusiastically waving at Grace, so full of joy.

Now, she felt close to dying. She moved in his arms, resting her head on top of his chest. James had never seen Teresa this sad, this vulnerable and emotional, not even when her most beloved horse had died.

He was on the urge of making the carriage stop and leaving her there, but he knew they couldn't, since this was only a trip to get to know each other. So he took Teresa tightly in his arms, wanting to make sure that he was there for her, that she wouldn't be alone in the weeks she had to wait to see Patrick again.

Besides, she would have Grace back in their castle, Grace would make her forget about Patrick.

"What's so special about him, anyway?" Michael asked, after a lot of long minutes, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

Teresa looked at him, and moved away from James' arms.

"I can't put it into words," she whispered.

"You must. Why is he more special than us?" Thomas asked, and Teresa rolled her eyes. The three smiled at it. She'd gotten a bit of her playfulness back.

" I can name a lot of ways in which he's greater than you," she said, and leaned against the window of the carriage.

"He's beautiful. Those blonde curls are something I've never seen before in my life. They're like gold, really. He has beautiful, clear green eyes; I can drown in them. Apart from his handsome looks, he has a wonderful personality, if you get to know him. He really cares about animals, and he's really very sweet," she explained. Thomas huffed.

"Yes, sure he is," he said, and she smiled.

"He's not really fond of you, that's why he's not sweet to you." She laughed, and the three brothers sighed.

After about an hour more, Teresa felt no sadness. While she still hated the fact she couldn't be with him, she now realized how in love she was, and that made all the bad thoughts and feelings go away. She focused on the feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

She watched as the trees and little villages passed by, and she remembered their moment in the woods, in the flower field, his beautiful body on top of hers, a big smile spread over his face. Summer was right: she was an infatuated fool.

All four were lost in their thoughts when suddenly a loud sound dragged them back into reality. The doors of the carriage opened, and two men entered it. Teresa got something pushed against her mouth. She tried to fight back, but the man was too strong.

That was when everything went black.

A/N: Pam pam PAM! *insert creepy music here*

I told you, this story is not over yet xD. Red John may be behind this, but I say MAY! (well, he is, let's be honest, but hey, I didn't really want to spoil the fun for you. But you decided to continue reading, so the fun's gone now for you :P)

Please let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you and until next chapter!