Remy's POV:

I considered giving up looking for Peter. I wanted to find Raybha and ask her about Eddie's theory. For some unknown reason it irked me terribly and I had that familiar niggling feeling in the back of my mind. Something seemed wrong, or maybe right. I couldn't decide.

After another ten minutes of trudging through grass and woodland I stopped, irritated. He was mad at me, that was obvious. If he could just let me explain…oh, explain what though? How there was nothing going on between me and A? I didn't even know that for certain. And if I did say that to him, he would think I loved him and wanted to be with him forever. I knew one thing for certain though.

I was trouble, and should really be far away from him right now to let him have his space.

But of course, I never listened to my mind's intelligence.

"Peter!" I yelled. "Please! Come out! I know you're angry, I know. I'm sorry, but if you don't cooperate then how are we supposed to find this damned sword? PETER!"

My heart was entwined with anger. Why didn't he answer? Was he even around here? I took in my surroundings, and realised something was familiar about them. Two walls of dirt and rock topped with grass, and at the end of the a rushing waterfall minding its own business. I reluctantly allowed a smile, trying to forget everything else. This was the place where I had met Curly, so long ago. In the circumstances it had hardly changed compared to the rest of this world. Stones peeked out from the tip top of the waterfall. I found myself being drawn towards it. It almost felt like a place of peace, and sanctuary. The only thing that had been untouched and hadn't been destroyed, and without authorizing it first I released a sad sigh. It wasn't my day at all. Then again, there were no days that belonged to me anymore. They were all claimed for this second mission, which only really had one difference from the last. In the last one, there was a chance I could die (which I did, but I came back, so does that count?). In this mission, there was a chance that the kindest people of the kind whom I loved could die.

No pressure then.

I let my mind wander as my eyes tried to catch up with different sections of the falling waters. I reassumed my position of worrying over how I was going to break the bonds. I decided that that night I would seek out Raybha and demand answers in a nice way, if that was possible. But until then I needed to find Peter, and it was probably a good idea that he came with me to Raybha's tent. So all there was left to do was –

"Remy!"

I spun round to face wouldn't you know. Peter. My heart boiled again.

"Where were you?" I interrogated. "I've been trying to find you for ages! Where you hiding from me? Why are you here now? Why – "

"Remy!" he exclaimed again, holding his hands up. "Stop!"

I held my tongue, my heart protesting at being denied its desire to shower Peter with insults. Folding my arms, my eyes narrowed. He wasn't hasty with speaking.

I couldn't hold it in.

"What then? Why did you walk? We don't have time for this Peter! We have to be looking for the sword!"

"And that's what you were doing today?"

"I – well – yes, obviously," I stammered, taken aback. "Of course I was. And what were you doing? Taking a chill pill under the sun?"

"I was looking!" he protested. "We had left well before you did, and decided to take a rest!"

Oops. I forgot about that. I searched every nook and cranny of my brain for something to say, and came up empty – minded.

So I just stood there instead, scowling constantly. I was looking directly at him, but he seemed to be avoiding my eye. I felt my anger falter.

"Look…say we forget about today, and call it quits? Work together, find the sword, do whatever we have to do to help your world. And your family. Deal?"

He forced himself to look at me, and I saw something flicker in his eyes. But it wasn't the perkiness I was feeling of hopefully ending the annoying feud.

"Remy…"

He trailed off. I waited patiently.

"You know…this isn't just mine anymore. This is both of ours. My family isn't just my family anymore, and neither is this world. It would be nothing without you."

"It seemed to be doing okay before I came onto the scene," I muttered.

"That was different!" he agonized. I instantly felt bad. "That was so different! Remy, don't you understand?"

I desperately wanted to understand. He saw my puzzled face before I could conceal it.

He let out a deep breath of air. I was anxiously waiting for an explanation so this torture could be over with.

"Remy, I would be nothing without you. You are part of my family now. I know I shouldn't be saying these things, especially not now. But I'm sick of lies, Remy! The truth is the only way of facing everything now, so why not out with it? Don't you see?"

I saw. I definitely saw.

I really didn't want to, but I did.

Suddenly I wasn't in such a hurry to understand anymore, but it was too late to backtrack.

"So…" he trailed off again, probably at the sight of my emotionally distressed face.

Please. Please don't. Please.

"Do you feel the same? And – and I want the truth, the total truth."

I was afraid to give him the truth, because it would break his heart. Shatter it. Possibly beyond repair.

But he wanted the truth. No more lies, I told myself sternly. God's honest truth is the only thing you have left.

"Peter," I said, my voice starting to wobble beyond my control with the nervousness. "I – I'm sorry. I – this isn't two years ago. Things have changed and I'm sorry. I had to move on. Look, when I left here I couldn't stop thinking about you for months and months, hoping that one day I might see you again. And when I didn't I realised that I was getting my hopes up again and again, only for them to be beat back down with disappointment. My high hopes nearly destroyed me. I had to let go, and I'm sorry. I couldn't carry on the way I was, not only for me, but for my ma. She hated seeing me so depressed, and the worst thing was that I had to tell her it was over Martina's death! Do you know how hard that was? She tried so hard to make me happy, and I refused it, because I couldn't stop thinking about you. But eventually I had to, because I was being selfish. And I can't go back there again, Peter. I can't."