"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Blue, shining a flashlight among the trees.

Gansey didn't answer.

They had been searching this forest for 25 minutes (but it felt more like an hour) because Gansey had found a possible lead to Glendower's location and –despite Blue's protest that it was late, dark and they could check it out in the morning –had dragged her along with him. Nothing looked out of place in this forest, hued leaves spattered the ground, no words were etched on the stones and the trees only whispered when the wind jostled their branches. Blue looked over at Gansey. He knelt in the scattered leaves, brushing them aside to study the bare ground, before moving on to look at something else.

Blue tried in vain to ignore that he was wearing his glasses, but she couldn't seem to stop staring as he studied a small stone in his hand. He looked at it as though it held all the answers; where Glendower is; why Noah is re-enacting his death; if Adam is okay; what will Ronan take from his dream next? A thought flashed in her mind, that maybe the stone knew if she would be the one to cause Gansey's death, or was it just a coincidence that they'd met?

There are no coincidences.

Obviously the stone held no interest to Gansey at all, because after a moment, he placed it back on the ground and stood. He must have sensed that Blue was watching, because he turned to look at her, meeting her gaze. She turned dramatically and gestured wildly to the surrounding trees "What are we even looking..." she trailed off when something caught her eye.

"Jane?" Gansey asked "What do you see?" But she just she pushed through a couple of small bushes -a few thorns catching her bare arms on the way- to a tree that was easily twice the size of its comrades, ignoring Gansey's calls. But the size of the tree wasn't what caught her eye. No, what caught her eye was the carving in the trunk. It looked like a raven. She'd been around Chainsaw plenty of times to know what one looked like.

"Fascinating" Gansey came up behind her, his breath stirring her hair. Blue moved aside, giving him access to the tree. He reached up to trace the carved bark with his finger when thunder sounded and Blue heard the soft patter of rain on the higher leaves. The strength of the wind increased greatly; throwing eddies of leaves into the air. The rain came down harder, soaking straight through Blue's clothes and she felt a squelch in her shoe when she took a step back. All this had happened in a matter of seconds after Gansey had touched the trunk.

"Gansey" Blue tugged on the sleeve of his collared shirt "I don't like this, we should go. Gansey?" He remained staring at the tree in awe, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb. Thunder roared again, and lightning struck a tree 20 feet away. Blue shrieked and fell back into the damp leaves. Gansey finally fell out of his trance and spun towards her. He seemed to realise for the first time, the predicament they faced. Blue couldn't hear anything over the roar of the wind but she saw Gansey bend down in front of her and his mouth moving as he said something to her. The only word she managed to read from his lips was "Jane" and he pulled her up.

They ran.

Lightning lit up the forest all around them, casting sinister shadows of tree branches that stretched and tried to pull them back. Blue stumbled over a root and Gansey caught her, grabbing her hand and pulled her along. Mud speckled leaves swirled around their feet and rain ran into Blue's eyes, combined with the darkness that enclosed them, Blue could only see a few feet ahead of her. She tried to focus on Gansey's feet instead, following their step, trusting them to direct her.

Finally they burst out of the forest, the thunder and lightning ceased instantly, the wind calmed and the rain fell in a light drizzle. It was as if it had never happened. The only evidence that it had happened, was Blue's dripping hair and the burning soles of her feet. They stood at the edge of the forest for a moment, panting.

"Coincidence" Blue said. Gansey barked a laugh and turned to face her. A familiar feeling crept into her stomach when he looked at her, as if something were coiling into a tight ball. It was the same feeling she had when they had shared that pretend kiss, the one they'd agreed never to speak of again. And they hadn't.

His gaze dropped and his expression changed suddenly. Blue couldn't identify it until she looked down herself. It was longing. For his hand was still entwined with hers. She knew she should let go, but she didn't. His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist, over her pulse point and she shuddered. Looking back up to his face, she found his eyes already searching hers for any restraint. He didn't find any. However before Blue could even think about how dangerous this was, Gansey dropped her hand and walked over to the Camaro.

Blue glanced back at the forest. The weather was completely calm now, save for the occasional tree branch bending and swaying under the influence of the light wind. She sighed and walked over to the car, to find Gansey fussing with his phone. "So Jane, what do you want to do now?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the phone.

"Are you kidding?" Gansey looked at her then, surprised she didn't want to go off on another adventure "I want to go home."

He nodded and smiled, but not before Blue noticed the disappointment that lined his features "Do you mind driving? I have a few calls to make on the way back"

Blue was surprised he trusted her to drive his car, especially after what had happened with Ronan, but she agreed, climbing into the driver's side.

They'd made it two-thirds of the way back to 300 Fox Way when Gansey had finished making his call to Malory and explained everything that had happened that evening. From what Blue could tell Malory wasn't very helpful in response. In that time, Blue's hair and clothes mostly dried, though her shirt still clung to her skin. The Camaro sputtered a few times but thankfully kept moving. Gansey tried to call Adam too, but he didn't answer. Blue tried not to think too much about what that could mean. Clearly frustrated, Gansey tossed his phone on the dashboard and stared out into the night.

They sat in silence for a while, the silence only broken by the occasional patter of raindrops on the windshield. Blue realised suddenly, that tonight was the first time they'd been alone together since their pretend kiss. While the memory made her smile- a sad smile- it also gave her a headache if she thought about it for too long. She decided to focus on something else instead.

"What happened back there?" asked Blue, her voice coming out hoarser than she would have liked.

"Something -or someone- clearly doesn't want us to find Glendower" he paused "or maybe even your mother" he spoke the last part quietly, as though he was unsure whether he should say it. Blue wasn't sure where Maura was but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that she was now mixed up in all this. Blue only nodded and silence befell them again. She pulled the Camaro up to the kerb and wracked her brain for something to say.

"This is me" Blue stated dumbly, gesturing to her house. She didn't get out though. The atmosphere of the house was much different without Maura. The absence was obvious and while Blue knew her mother could handle herself, she couldn't help but worry. A determination to find her grew every day, but after tonight, Blue felt crestfallen and lost.

Gansey seemed to understand this and his words found her "You can come back to Monmouth Manufacturing with me if you'd like? There's plenty of room."

She shook her head "No, I'm alright" She regarded him. Gansey. That's all there is "I don't think it would be a good idea if I- we might..."

"Blue" he breathed, raising his finger to caress her face. His fingers felt warm on her cheek and Blue was startled at this delicate touch, as if he were handling something fragile. She startled once more when she realised he hadn't called her Jane. Gansey leaned across the gearshift towards her, his hand slipping down her neck. Distantly, Blue noticed that the collar of her t-shirt had shifted so her collarbone was exposed. When Gansey's fingers made contact with it, she shivered at the feeling of something pulsing through her. Pleasure?

He bent his head toward hers, his lips inches away. Blue was consumed by the smell of mint, the smell of him. She almost forgot how dangerous this was.

If you kiss your true love, he will die

"Gansey" She warned, her voice was unstable, faltering on the second syllable. Gansey drew back slightly and fixed her with a look; his iris only a thin ring around a dark pupil.

"I just want to pretend" Gansey said, his breath fanning Blue's flushed skin "I want to pretend I could." Blue felt her stomach plummet, the same feeling she would get when she was younger, swinging on a swing-set when Maura would push her forward. He leaned forward again and her eyes closed; a futile attempt to keep her grounded.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I kiss you" he continued "maybe it's only if you kiss me." With his right hand still pressed into her collarbone, Blue felt his other hand brush her hair from her face. She almost whimpered at the touch.

This is dangerous; a voice repeated in her head, but she tuned it out and leaned in, snaking goose bumped arms around his neck. Gansey's nose ran up the column of her neck, along her jaw and Blue let out a contented sigh "Gansey..."

She felt him smile against her cheek and he continued his path to her lips. Gansey's lips had only barely brushed hers when the sound of his phone ringing filled the car. Blue was jolted from her mint filled daze and jumped back from Gansey, alarmed at what they had almost done.

Gansey closed his eyes –disappointment cresting his face –leaned back in the passenger seat and picked up his phone from the dashboard. He answered.

"Adam" She heard a grainy voice –who she supposed was Adam –coming through the other end, though she couldn't identify what he was saying "yeah, I called to tell you about what" he hesitated "Jane and I had discovered..." Blue stopped listening after that, her mind whirring over what had just happened between them. How could she have let them go so far? She could have killed him. What if Adam hadn't called at that moment? One thought ran through her mind while sinking back into the seat.

There are no coincidences

A/N: I set the story as in-progress for now because I might carry on with it, but it's not a given yet. It'll depend on what people think of it.