A/N: Hello, here I am again! Sorry it took so long, I was a bit stressed and that was why some things between me and my Beta-Reader Donnamour1969 went wrong. Nothing bad from Donna, though, I love her with a passion.

Anyways, here's the next chapter! Getting a bit excited, aren't you? :P

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, sadly. If I did though, I would change it so much that only my parents are watching. So no, I don't own it.

"Did you know that forests are divided into three different layers: the forest floor, the understory and the canopy? The forest floor is comprised of soil, dead plants and animals, and small plants such as grasses and wildflowers. The understory contains small trees or bushes and is also called the shrub layer. The canopy is made up of the leaves and branches of the trees that dominate the forest."

Thomas was throwing around random facts about forests as the three walked through the woods.

Grace couldn't concentrate one bit at it, though deep down, she wanted to know. She just couldn't keep her gaze off of Wayne. Whenever Thomas wasn't looking, they would smile at each other, even occasionally winking, and they chuckled without sound.

What made it even funnier was that Thomas didn't notice. They could very well kiss behind him and he would still ramble on about how trees are fighting a battle over who gets the most oxygen. Sure, that was interesting.

They reached a large lake, and they sighed.

"I think it's useless; we won't find her," Wayne said, and Grace nodded.

"I agree with him. Let's just get back to the castle, and see if somebody there knows something about them," Grace said. Thomas hesitated, before sighing and giving in.

"Very well, you win. But stop flirting behind my back, will you?" he asked, and the two smiled.

"How did you-?"

"I know, Bonnie, believe me," Thomas said, and continued walking. He hoped he knew where they would be heading, because he was always bad with directions. Thank God he had Sir Wayne, but Thomas doubted if said man was alert at the moment.

-YulianaHenderson-

Sir Kimball was sitting in front of the cell he'd thrown Red John in.

The man was now looking at Kimball, his eyes cold and icy, as was his soul. A normal man – or woman, for that matter – wouldn't be able to bear this sort of gaze, would've fainted or fled the moment the man laid eyes on them.

But Sir Kimball was bold, courageous, and brave. He couldn't be tricked that easily; people would die if they tried that.

So, looking at this man, this monster, who took pleasure in hurting or taking the life of innocent people, was no ordeal for Kimball. He had experienced far too much in his life up until now, so this was nothing.

When he was younger, he was forced into robbing rich people to gain more money for his family. With six mouths to feed, his parents had a difficult job just staying alive. Kimball and his brothers and sisters would just wander the streets, looking out for golden rings or other expensive things they could sell-anything to get a decent meal.

When he was thirteen, he was kicked out of the house, not because his parents didn't love him, but because they simply didn't have the money for him anymore. Having looked up at the castle for his entire life, wishing that some day he would be able to tell his parents that he lived there, he decided to take a chance and go to the castle. He asked if he could become a knight, and because he had been training for that all his life, the King gave in and Kimball became a squire. Not a knight yet, but he worked hard to become a great one. That is where he met Wayne.

He kept saying to himself that he did it for his parents, to make them feel proud, but he found he didn't care one bit about them anymore. He once had, but when they kicked him out, an intense hate grew inside him, but it wasn't until he became a knight that he realized it.

Whereas most everybody loved their parents, he didn't want more than to see them dead.

Red John shifted a bit, but he never took his eyes off Kimball.

"You know, Kimball, I admire your courage. I can see that you're a smart man. I could use a man like you," he said.

"What makes you think I want to join you?"

Red John shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me."

"No."

"Fine then," Red John said, and turned around, looking at the wall. Kimball quietly sighed. What a madman. Did he seriously think that Kimball could be tricked that easily? He was about to stand up, when Red John started talking again.

"I could give you a good life, you know. You're lonely, aren't you?"

Kimball turned around.

"I know a lot of pretty girls who fancy a knight in their beds. How would that be?" Red John asked, turning around again and walking over to the barred wall.

Kimball did the same, but on the other end of it.

"You are a sick man, sir, and don't you dare think that Sir Wayne or I, or any other person in this castle will join you. You'd be more likely to rot in hell than be given a chance at seeing daylight again," Kimball stated, clearly angry, and Red John smiled.

"Good job, Kimball," he said, at which Kimball left the room.

"I'll be waiting for you here, Kimball! You know where to find me!"

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa had slept for the last six hours, in addition to the ten hours before that. Hence, when she finally awoke, she felt a lot better. She had been wearing an expensive dress when she was kidnapped, with a lot of layers of strong fabric. It had been a mystery to Patrick how Red John had cut it open so easily. He hung one layer to dry, and he tore the rest in pieces and used them as bandages for her wounds.

"We're very bad at saying goodbye, aren't we?" Teresa asked, and Patrick smiled.

"I believe we are, yes. But that's only a good thing, because I found I couldn't live without you."

She smiled.

She sat up straight, ignoring the ache in her lower body. The infection had somewhat subsided, but her muscles hurt from laying in the same position for a while on the hard surface of the floor, along with the infection that had quickly spread throughout her body.

He helped her up, and soon, she was standing on her feet again. The sunlight now revealed her actual state, and Patrick gasped. When he'd found her at the lake, he hadn't noticed her lips were cut, and she had a slash on her cheek. The wounds were drying already, but it made her look helpless and pitiful, and he knew she didn't want to look like that.

He approached her quickly, and linked their lips together.

She swung her arms around his neck, even if it was only because she felt her legs were still a nice representation of jelly. She felt so weak from her injuries and lack of food. He noticed, and gently put her down again on the floor, covering her body with his.

She smiled against his mouth, and he pulled away.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Butterflies. They're tickling me."

He smiled.

"How adorable. Saint Teresa is in love for the first time."

She hit his arm.

"Not everybody is blessed with a great dose of arrogance that can make every woman, or man, go mad for them," she teased. He sat up, and acted as if he were hurt.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me," she said, and turned on her side, facing him with her back.

He gently hit her bottom before leaving the spot on the ground and checking their clothes.

Then, something occurred to him. He recognized this place. The shapes of the trees. Of course! How could he be so stupid? He looked over at Teresa, and saw she was peacefully sleeping again, so he left the cave.

-YulianaHenderson-

"And then he took me under his wing. Everything I have is thanks to him," Grace explained, and Wayne nodded, clearly impressed.

"You're very brave," Wayne said, and Grace smiled. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and then looked outside.

The sun was hiding between the mountains again. Symbolically, it represented their chances of finding Patrick and Teresa. The whole castle was beginning to grieve. It had been two days now; the chance they would still be alive was very small.

Grace still had hope, though. She thought that if Teresa were dead, surely she would feel it. She turned to Wayne again.

"Do you believe that they are still alive?" she asked. She saw the smile on his face disappearing, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, sweet, but I believe the chance of finding them is really small. I'm sorry," he said, and she closed her eyes.

"It's all right," she whispered. She felt his hand on her face, cupping her cheek, and soon, Wayne joined their lips. She returned his kisses, but stayed in one place, which only made Wayne move so they could be closer. Grace began chuckling, pulling away from him.

"I'm not running away, you don't have to be that close to me the entire day," she laughed, and Wayne smiled a faint smile.

Grace ran her hands through his short hair, disheveling it, before placing a small kiss on his forehead and leaving the room.

And she left Sir Wayne alone to feel like an idiot. An idiot in love.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick arrived at a familiar spot. From there, he estimated the walk to be around two miles. He wasn't sure Teresa could walk that much, but that was why God had given him arms. He would carry her most of the distance.

Thirty minutes later, he arrived back at the cave, and as always since they began occupying the cave, he let out a sigh of relief when he found Teresa still there, now lying on her back, her ribcage rising and falling with every breath she took. He sat down beside her and stroked some stands of hair out of her face. She woke up.

"I remember this place, Teresa. I know how we can get to one of the nearby villages," he whispered, and she smiled.

He helped her to slowly sit up straight.

"How far?"

"About three miles."

She sighed, and felt the cuts on her abdomen with her fingers. They were still slightly burning.

"Don't worry, I can carry you," Patrick quickly added.

"Let you carry me?" she huffed. "I'm still perfectly capable of walking," she reassured him, and tried to stand up. When she stood straight, she smiled at herself. So far, so good.

But when she tried to walk, she felt what had been haunting her for a few hours. She had just enough strength in her legs to stand upright, but walking hurt because of the cuts on her inner thighs and lower leg, and she also hadn't eaten that much and couldn't possibly have the strength to walk for over three miles.

She sighed out of frustration and sat down between Patrick's legs again.

"What did I tell you?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Just get me dressed, King of the Gods, so I can sleep in my own bed again," she said, and he laughed.

"I'm afraid you won't ever see your own bed again, my butterfly."

"And why is that?"

"Because you'll be spending every night for the rest of your life in my bed," he said, and she chuckled.

"Now that is something I could get used to."

Patrick smiled, and stood up to gather their clothes.

After a long while – it took more time because Teresa was acting stubborn – they were both fully dressed again, only Patrick's shirt was on Teresa again because her dress was cut open. Patrick lifted Teresa and they left the cave.

Teresa squeezed her eyes shut against the bright daylight. She took comfort in the facts that Patrick was carrying her, that it wasn't raining, that she wasn't dead yet and that Patrick knew which way to go.

She softly touched his upper arms, feeling how his strong muscles tensed all the time. She looked up, and saw how the sun made his beautiful hair look man was a living god, even though he was scarred. But she would help him recover from the Red John debacle.

He was hers. For now, at least.

-YulianaHenderson-

"It has been two days, Your Highness. Two days."

Summer had been pacing up and down for the past three hours, while King Bertram was sitting on his throne. Kimball, Wayne and Grace had joined them, but they didn't interrupt.

"I know, Summer."

"But can't you do anything about it?"

"What can I do? I'm not a wizard. Besides, my knights have been looking for them already. Summer, believe me, I've done everything I can."

"But it's not enough!" Summer exclaimed, but immediately covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she breathed, and left the Throne Hall.

King Bertram sighed, and the group saw great frustration in his eyes.

"Sir Kimball?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

Bertram motioned for Kimball to come closer, and he did.

"Are you sure our men have searched everywhere?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Kimball said seriously. Bertram closed his eyes.

"Very well, thank you."

King Bertram stood up, and coughed.

"I can do nothing else but to declare my son Prince Patrick and Princess Teresa... dead," he said, his voice breaking at the last word, and left the Throne Hall. The other three looked at each other.

"Really?" Grace asked, and the other two looked at her.

"I'm afraid so, Grace," Kimball said, and followed Summer and the king outside of the Throne Hall.

Grace was staring into nowhere. Rigsby went to her side.

All of a sudden, she flung her arms around his neck, and started crying.

Rigsby didn't know how to console her, so he just stroked her back and whispered soothing words in her ear.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick was panting heavily. Teresa looked up, and saw by Patrick's face how hard carrying her was for a good mile. She tapped his arm, and he immediately looked down because he thought something was wrong.

"We can rest for a while," Teresa whispered, and Patrick shrugged.

But when he saw her serious expression, he put her down and just took the time to look at her.

"You know, despite all the cuts, you're still beautiful."

"Stop with the flirting, you don't have to steal my heart anymore."

"Oh, I know, my precious diamond. I just like to say it a lot because it's the truth."

She smiled.

"How are the cuts?" Patrick asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't want to look."

"Let me look, then. You don't have to see it," Patrick said. He leaned closer and lifted the shirt she was wearing, then slightly pushed away the cuts were more or less starting to heal, but because of the lack of attention given they were most certainly going to be big scars.

He sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought you didn't want to know?"

She hit his arm.

"Well, since you want to know; there are going to be scars, unfortunately."

Teresa closed her eyes.

"Well, luckily I have dresses with three thousand layers, so nobody will see them," she deadpanned. He laughed.

"Hey," he whispered, placing his fingers under her chin and lifting it so she looked him in the eyes, "I'll see it. And you're still beautiful."

She smiled, straightened her back and linked their lips.

And he pulled her against him. It made her wince a bit, because of the scraping of the fabric against the cuts, but she didn't pull back. Her arms were now around his neck, and his at her lower back.

He didn't want to take advantage of her, or to hurt her in any way, but he wanted this so badly, wanted her even more than his next breath.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Bonnie, we should go back to father," Thomas began, walking into her room, but when he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Her eyes were deep red, her hair massively disheveled. His heart broke.

He rushed to her side, and took her in his arms.

"I already miss her so much, Tom, and it's been only two days. I won't survive without her; she's my everything. I can't live without her, Tom, I really can't," Grace whimpered, and Thomas nodded. He had to fight back tears of his own, but he was used to being the stronger one, especially for Grace.

He stroked her back.

"I know, Grace, but you have to be strong. It may sound mean, but Tessie isn't coming back, no matter how many tears you shed. I'm so sorry, but that's the truth."

"Why does the truth hurt so much?" Grace whispered.

Thomas kissed the top of her head.

"Because the truth is often what we dread to hear. But Tessie wouldn't want us to cry over her death. What would she say in a situation like this?"

Grace shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe something like there are hundred princesses in this world. I'm just one of them, why would people grieve over me? It's not like I'm that important."

Thomas laughed.

"Well that's not very positive, is it?"

Grace pulled back, her eyebrow raised.

"Was Teresa positive, then?" Thomas laughed again.

"All right, you won, Bonnie," he said, and took her in his arms again.

It was time to make Grace officially his sister. He would be empty without a sister.

-YulianaHenderson-

Why was she still tired? She'd slept for hours, days even. How was it possible that she was even tired to begin with? Now she was sleeping again in his arms.

These three miles were a lot more with a wounded woman in his arms. The muscles in his arms were hurting. She didn't weigh that much, but it was still tiring.

He pushed her up, and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"I'll watch over you, Teresa, always. And if I catch the bastard who did this to you, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands," Patrick whispered, stopping to lean against a tree for a second. He sat down against it, Teresa resting her head against his chest. He tucked some strands of hair behind her ears.

She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. She wasn't stubborn then.

"Red John will never get you again, Teresa..."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Patrick."

A/N: Pam pam paaaam! Cliffhanger! Who could that person be? It's not Teresa, she's asleep. It's not Red John either, he's in the dungeons. Let me know who you think it is :D.
Put that in a REVIEW, thank you very much, and see you at the next and almost last chapter!