No, Don't

By rese

Summary: (Jabba1's challenge) Teddy holds his tongue.

Disclaimer: Get away from me! I didn't bloody steal her stuff! L.M.A. owns Little Women and the characters involved.

A/N: Well this has been an industrious Monday! Yay for getting off school early.

Anyway, the challenge from Jabba1 (it was the first I got and quite frankly the easier sounding one i.e. one I could achieve at my poor writers block rate) is as follows:

How things could have turned out, if Teddy never asked Jo to marry him when he did. What if he held off and thus he would of stuck around and ultimately would be there to help Jo deal with Beth's death.

I seriously can't see how this would not end up with them together. And then she whips out the angst and suspicious thoughts….

…

Something in his resolute tone made Jo look up quickly, to find him looking down at her with an expression that assured her the dreaded moment had come and made her put out her hand with an imploring, –

"No, Teddy, - please don't!"

(Louisa May Alcott's Little Women)

…

Laurie pushed away the bubble of excitement that had settled in his chest, clamping his mouth shut at Jo's exclamation. She wasn't ready, he realized and if he breathed a real word about any of the feelings she had obviously anticipated him to have, Jo would unlikely answer the way he hoped.

He cleared his throat, turning around to clear himself of the flushed frenzy he had worked himself into. "Oh, uh, don't what, Jo?"

She looked down for a moment, so very, very thankful that he had obviously dropped the silly notion she feared him to have. Swiftly she started to walk again, calling over her shoulder, "Don't go and have too long a holiday. We'd miss you dreadfully."

Jo was careful to use 'we' despite the rescue from his confession but Laurie had taken her real meaning to heart. Jo would go and say such things, leading him to think she did care and then turn on him, demanding only talk within the context of friendship.

"I know one person who won't miss me a smidgen."

A smile crept across Jo's face as she felt the shadow of unwanted emotion pass them by as they began to leave the grove. "I can honestly say I don't know a soul who would. But then you know so many more people than I and that confounded smile of yours has been known to turn many young hearts."

Laurie watched as she walked ahead on the thin path through the thickest part of the bush, wondering if she intentionally turned his own heart so. First she begged him not to talk of love and it was all she was saying! But Jo was pointing to her mouth, attempting to mimic the grin she secretly found captivating and he couldn't help smile back. She had him wrapped around that finger.

"Well, I don't know about that, but - watch it Jo!" Laurie moved quickly as Jo began to slip off the edge of the small rise. He caught her arm in a fierce grip and hauled her back up by his side, bending immediately when he saw the black, brown and red marks that produced an exclamation of pain from his friend.

"The one – ow, ow, - slight height on this blasted path and – ow! Just don't – ouch - touch it!" Jo swatted Laurie on the head, confused by his gentle hands and the throbbing pain in her legs. "I had to fall." She finished her sentence finally, looking away when Laurie caught the disappointment in her voice.

"I don't think you broke anything," he informed her as he stood, catching her irritated look.

"I'm standing, aren't I?"

Laurie smiled, that sounded more like her. "No need to be snappish, Miss! I was only trying to help." He put his hand on her shoulder and Jo shrugged it off, preparing to take an unaided step forward.

"Oh HE-avans!" Jo stopped herself from swearing, clutching at the arm Laurie provided. She looked down to see if her legs were still attached for it certainly didn't feel like it, but the great skirt of her dress covered them. It was then, when she realized Laurie must've held it up to inspect her injury that her face went as red as the scratches he'd seen. "I must've caught them on the roots."

"And stones!" he added; for trees certainly couldn't make the bruises she sported.

"Yes, and stones. Like that giant boulder that juts out so." Jo tightened her hand around his wrist, "I don't think I can walk." She looked slowly up into his patient face.

"I can carry you." She immediately dismissed the suggestion, even though she knew fully well it was the only way she'd be able to get back home. And from the feel of Laurie's shirt against her hand, she knew had to get there fast.

"I'm not a little girl Laurie."

"You also can't walk."

"I refuse to be carried!"

"Well I don't think you have much choice!"

The tranquility of the grove was well and broken by now with their raised voices and as the two gripped each other's arms fiercely, the boy considered giving into temptation and kissing her angry red lips, whilst the girl wondered if she were too heavy.

"Alright." Jo conceded and frowned as Laurie seemed to take his time pulling away, only to take a few steps, running his hand through his hair wildly, fighting for the control he'd displayed earlier.

He sighed heavily before returning to her side, bending slightly and lifting her. "I'm sorry Jo, but I'll try to make it worth your time."

"Whatever are you talking of?" she asked, red-faced with her arms about his neck.

"Well just think, you can ask me anything and there's no way I could run off."

"Oh. In that case, were you the one who stole Meg's lovely pie?"

"Or, I could just drop you."