Author's Note:

Thank you to Whisperwings for loyally betaing!

Rebecca stepped out into the gardens, looking around in the darkness for John. A pathway led through the ornate gardens, bordered by waist-high box hedges and lit by small cast-iron lanterns on stakes. The overall effect was magical. The moon of Emery shimmered at its zenith in the deep indigo sky.

The young woman followed the twisting pathway until she was deeper in the secluded gardens. The box hedges gave way to pure white trees that were twisted into intricate columns. The small lanterns were hung from the spiralling branches of the trees, their candlelight giving off a gentle glow.

The pathway widened until Rebecca faced an elegant fountain in the centre of a clearing with the twisted white trees rising up over it. Rebecca gazed upon the breathtaking architecture, speechless from the beautiful sight. The thought of meeting up with John vanished from Rebecca's mind as the silvery water dancing down the curves of the marble fountain enchanted her. That is, until someone came up beside her.

"'Ad teh get away as well, Rebecca?" John asked rhetorically.

Rebecca looked up at John. "John…" She tried to find the appropriate words but failed to speak them, chewing on her bottom lip. "I-" She sighed, at a loss for words. The young woman's cheeks flushed up as she stumbled over her words.

John raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was that Rebecca wanted to say. He had never seen the young woman at such a loss for words. She had always been opinionated and ready to outline her point of view of everything, but now she was having trouble getting anything out.

Rebecca cleared her throat. "Would you… care to dance, John?" She enquired.

John smiled good-heartedly, "quite the dance floor choice, lass."

Rebecca smiled weakly at John's words. Rather than getting into the appropriate waltz formation, Rebecca wrapped her arms around John's neck, stepping closer to the young man. John was surprised of Rebecca's forwardness, but didn't remark upon it as he set his hands down at her waist.

The couple slowly stepped from side to side, admiring the close proximity of their bodies and drinking in the beautiful atmosphere of the High Duchess's gardens. Rebecca set her head down on John's chest as she exhaled, feeling the beating of his heart beneath her cheek. John wrapped his arms around Rebecca, holding him to her as he felt something stir at the bottom of his heart. It was a feeling of belonging and that everything was as it was meant to be.

"Rebecca…" John began. Rebecca looked up at the young man, her head still against his chest. John smiled down at the young woman. "Happy birthday."

Rebecca smiled softly. "Giles told you?"

"That he'd did..." John smirked, "so what, are yeh seventeen… eighteen years old now?"

Rebecca repressed a laugh, rolled her eyes. "Twenty-one, John. Twenty-one."

John simply smiled, swaying gently from side to side with Rebecca in his arms. "Should probably get yeh somethin'."

"That's not necessary," Rebecca stated, "after all, I didn't get you anything for your birthday, John."

"I don't need anything from yeh, Rebecca…" John stated, "I just need teh be with yeh."

Rebecca's eyes widened as she looked up into John's eyes. He looked away, realizing what he had let slip and fumbled with an apology.

"I- We should…" He slipped out of Rebecca's arms, "get back, teh the party." John quickly escaped the clearing, running back towards the High Duchess's mansion.

"John!" Rebecca called after the young man. But it was too late, he was gone.

Rebecca let a sigh escape her lips as she sat down at the edge of the fountain. The pale moonlight shining from the full moon began to disappear as the sky clouded over.

John stopped outside of the gardens. 'Why in the Etherium did I blab what I did?' He pulled of his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. 'She's high society... an' she'd never go for someone like me.' John looked down at his polished boots.

'What 'bout what she wrote in her journal 'bout yeh?' Another voice in his head asked.

'That doesn't mean anythin'!' John argued with his self.

'Oh yes, it does…' the voice retorted.

"I must be a madman, I'm arguing with meself!" John sighed.

He looked up at the High Duchess's mansion in all of its grandeur. 'I'll never be right for a life o' luxury…' He stated to his self as a raindrop fell from the heavens and hit his face.

Ignoring the protesting voice in his head, John tossed the hat that he had purchased for his admiral alias to the ground and began to make his way back to the port.

'Everything had been perfect… why couldn't I just tell him when I met up with him?'

A single tear slipped down Rebecca's face and hit the ground. A raindrop followed the tear soon after and Rebecca looked up at the cloudy sky. The moon was shrouded in thick, dark clouds as were the stars.

'Don't sit here and wallow in your own self misery!' a commanding voice rung through her head, shockingly similar to that of her headmistress. 'Find him and tell him exactly how you feel about him!'

Rebecca stood from the fountain and hurried from the clearing. The rain began to fall harder and her raven-black hair fell from its orderly up-do as she ran. The young woman paused only to pull off her shoes and run barefooted through the gardens.

She finally made it out to the High Duchess's mansion, wondering if she should enter the ballroom. The rain and running had made her appearance less than presentable, but she needed to find John.

The young woman sighed, stepping towards the mansion when she felt something under her foot. She looked down and spotted John's admiral hat. Rebecca picked up the tri-cornered hat and looked it over.

Her instincts told her that something was wrong. 'John wasn't likely one to drop his hat by accident.' Her pale green eyes widened as her mind quickly jumped to conclusions.

'Perhaps he's been discovered! He'd be thrown off the High Duchess's grounds if he were found out to be a commoner, or possibly thrown into jail!'

Rebecca hurried towards the main area, where the carriages had been escorted, and looked for the one that John had hired.

She found the dark-haired tri-tail stallions and called out to the driver. The driver didn't respond so Rebecca hurried to the carriage's side.

"Driver, has the Admiral been by?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know about the admiral, love." A dark voice answered from the driver's seat, obviously not belonging to the chipper youth that John had hired. "But I know that you're going somewhere."

Rebecca gasped as she felt three darkly-cloaked beings come at her from all sides and force her into the carriage.

John made his way down the lengthy pathway leading from the High Duchess's mansion through the torrential rain. The wind began to pick up, making visibility difficult. The young man stuffed his hands into his jacket's outer pockets and strained to see through the ill weather.

"Help!" A muffled scream came from behind John, one that he instantly recognized.

"Rebecca?" John turned around. He suddenly heard the click-clacking of a carriage coming up fast.

John leapt out of the way in order to not get hit and noticed that the carriage was the one he had hired for the night. There was a flash of a pale face at the back window of the carriage and the muffled screams intensified.

"Rebecca!" John called after his stolen carriage, hurrying after it.

But it was no use, John soon lost the carriage through the rain and his heart sank at the thought of Rebecca's well-being.

Author's Note:

So yeah, this story is definitely going to have a lot more chapters than "You Need to Find Yourself a Girl Mate"… and unfortunately I'm going to have to work on it over the summer, but stay tuned!

MG#6