Amy shook her head, her stubbornness, so like his own, rising to the surface. The initial shock was hardening into defiance. "I don't care," she repeated, her voice trembling but determined. "I won't give up. With time, I'll make you see. I promise I'll make you accept me."

Behind Adrian, Snow's pleasant mask finally cracked. A deep frown etched itself between her brows, her blue eyes turning icy. This human girl was not just a bystander, she was a challenger, openly declaring war on their claim.

' Doesn't she know when to take the hint!'

The doctor in the distance frowned, sensing that snow seemed more emotional than she should.

Seeing Snow's reaction, Adrian knew he had to shut this down completely, for everyone's sake. He focused on Amy. "I am not promising you anything, Amy. Not now, not ever."

" I don't want you wasting your time on me. I'm sure there's someone out there for you. But I'm afraid it's not me."

" My life now belongs to them." He gestured to the carriage, to the three silent, powerful women who were his responsibility.

Amy's shoulders slumped, but the fire in her eyes didn't die. She managed a wobbly, bittersweet smile. She glanced past him at Snow's stormy expression, and a spark of something like triumph lit her own gaze. "At least," she said, her voice gaining a thread of its usual cheekiness, " You're rejection this time isn't as hard as the first, which means I'm right. You really can't bear to reject me."

" I know you love me to, and I'm willing to prove it, no matter how long it takes." She said.

'...This.' Adrian was at a loss, she really was stubborn to no end.

It was at that moment that Ignatius materialized beside them, his expression looked a bit troubled, his impatience visible on his face.

" Ahem..." He cleared his throat. "Forgive me but, I must express some concern for the time." he said, his tone diplomatically neutral, though one could tell it truly wasn't if they looked close enough. " Need I remind you all that every moment of daylight is precious for our journey?"

Adrian chuckled warily. " Of course, you're right. Please forgive us for the delay." He turned back to the carriage, only to realise something else.

They had another problem.

the issue of where Amy would now ride suddenly paramount.

Melissa, who had been observing the entire drama with a calm, inscrutable expression, finally spoke. Her voice was warm and inviting, a new change from the frosty atmosphere. "Amy, dear, why don't you join us in here? There's plenty of room."

Snow and Emma both turned incredulous stares on Melissa.

Join them? Snow's expression screamed. She found it hard to believe that her own mother-in-law was so welcoming towards the enemy.

Melissa met Snow's gaze, her own eyes gentle but unwavering. She leaned forward slightly and asked not just her, but the other girls as well, her voice dropping to a tone only the girls could hear, "Would you rather she ride in the other carriage? With Adrian?"

The implication hung in the air. If Amy rode with Adrian and Leo, she would have hours of uninterrupted time to plead her case, to weave her way back into his thoughts. In here, she would be under their watchful eyes, contained.

Snow understood instantly. Her scowl deepened, but she let out a short, frustrated huff and looked away, her actions showed that she agreed with Melissa. It was the lesser of two evils.

Amy, who had been hoping to use the journey to wear Adrian down, pouted openly at Melissa. " Aunty...no fair." she grumbled, but there was no real heat in it.

" I'm sorry dear but perhaps another time." Melissa chuckled. The older woman had cleverly checkmated her scheme.

With a final, lingering look at Adrian, a look that promised this was not over, Amy climbed into the carriage, squeezing onto the bench between Melissa and a very rigid, very displeased Snow. Grey watched her with blank curiosity, never had she seen a human as persistent as she was, while Emma's green eyes held a glint of interest. Thinking to herself that this human was had some strong similarities to her mate.

" Thank God that ended better than I expected."

Adrian let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The immediate crisis was, if not averted, at least postponed. He gave his mother a grateful nod before closing the door for them.

He then turned and strided quickly to the lead carriage. He climbed in, settling onto the seat opposite Leo and next to the stoic Ignatius.

A moment later, Ignatius gave a sharp signal. The drivers clicked their tongues, the reins snapped, and with a jolt, the carriages began to roll forward. Mr Miller, the only one remaining, continued to watch as their figures began growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Adrian watched through the window as his home, his entire world, began to slip away, replaced by the uncertain road ahead and the tangled, impossible web of relationships he now carried with him.

******

With the passage of time, the group has left the village and we're now on the road.

The second carriage rattled along the forest track, its wooden wheels crunching over the snow laden path in a rhythm that did nothing to ease the suffocating silence inside.

The air was stiff inside the carriage, not with the cold, but with a potent mix of hostility and cheerfulness. Amy, wedged between the comforting solidity of Mrs. Melissa and the glacial presence of Snow, felt the tension bearing down on her yet she seemed completely unaffected.

Determined not to let the journey be a silent, miserable ordeal, she tried to lighten the mood, she understood that what she'd said back then was in a way, a slap to their faces but even then, she didn't want them to be at odds, after all, she believed that one day, they would all come together to take care of the same man.

She turned to Grey, who was sitting across from her, watching the passing trees with a blank look on her face.

" You've been staring outside for awhile now, care to tell me what it is you find so entertaining." Amy said with a light smile.

Grey's eyes flicked toward her for a moment before returning to the window. She gave no other response.

' Harsh...' Amy didn't know whether to smile or cry. The person she believed was the easiest to deal with of the three, had actually ignored her without much thought.

Undeterred, Amy shifted her attention to Snow, whose profile was like a statue carved from ice. " I heard from my father that the capital is a really wonderful place filled with lots of people. It'll be completely different from the village." She said. " Don't you think it'll be a bit troubling to wake up to something like that, everyday, from now on?"

Snow didn't even blink, nor react in anyway. She simply continued to stare straight ahead, her hands folded neatly in her lap, radiating disdain so potent it seemed to chill the air further.

Melissa, sitting serenely with her hands in her own lap, offered no help. She observed the dynamic with a quiet, saying not a single word even though she looked a tad unhappy with how the girls were treating Amy at the moment.

' Just what is there problem!'

Frustration began to prickle at Amy. She wasn't used to being ignored.

' Are you really going to ignore me forever?!'

' I don't understand this, I was the one who found him first, I should be the one who's angry here, not you three.' She gritted her teeth before her gaze finally landed on Emma, the petite girl with the unnervingly vivid green eyes.

' Maybe she'll be different from the others.' Amy reeled in her anger, slowly calming down.

" I know you all don't like me but." Amy tried, forcing a cheerful tone. " The least you could do is tell me your names at least, since we'll be living together from now on." She said, but Emma didn't react in anyway, which annoyed Amy.

" Fine then! Have it your way..." Amy glared at the three of them. " To think I even tried to be nice to you three. You can ignore me all you want but it won't change the fact that I like him."

" And I know the three of you know it too." Amy scoffed. " You know what, the only reason you're all behaving like this is not because you don't want to share him with me but." Amy paused, a teasing smile playing on her lips. " It's because you know I can steal him away from you isn't it?"

At this point, Grey, Snow and Emma all twitched, showing a reaction towards her words for the first time.

" Oh? Looks like I'm right?" Amy giggled. " Well I have been with him the longest, I basically know everything about him. And I'm sure you're worried because non of you can compete with that. All I need is a bit more time and he'll surely come running back to me."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.