This is a challenge for SparkClan!

Disclaimer - I don't own Inkheart. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this, because a) why would I write a FanFic of my own work, and b) Maggie and Farid would never have broken up.

Her words struck him like a blow.

"Does Silvertongue know how you look at him?"

"Who?"

"Who!" He pressed his finger over his forehead, as if tracing Doria's scar. "Listen," he said, stroking her hair back, "Why don't you come with me? We could go from village to village together.

The way we did when we and Dustfinger were following your mother and father.

Do you remember that?"

She turned her head away, looking at the boy behind her.

"I'm sorry, Farid," she said gently, removing his hand from her shoulder, "But I don't want to leave."

He stared at the place where she was just moments ago, and his fingers reaching to the side of his face where her lips had brushed. Why had she left him? What had he done?

He stumbled away, his head bowed and his black hair falling in front of his eyes.

. . .

Farid curled up next to Dustfinger. He lay there, staring at the sky. Why did she leave me?

Opening out his hand, he blew on it, and a small ball of flame danced on his fingertips.

He stared at the flame for a couple of seconds, his gaze softening. The fire leapt almost as high for him as it did for Dustfinger now.

A splash of water fell onto his outstretched palm, and the spark died down in heartbeats. He could hear more droplets of rain falling down beside him, and he could feel a single tear run down his check.

Not even the fire stayed with him.

. . .

Rain. It feel down around Farid, drenching his clothes, his hair, his skin. Hot tears streamed from his eyes only to be swept away by the cold, wet rain drops.

Walking in the rain, so no one could see him crying.

Crying for the girl that had left him all those years ago. For the love he could never find, no matter how hard he tried.

He thought for a moment about the girl he had fallen in love with after her father read him out of his world. Meggie. Her sky-blue eyes, dancing and leaping with joy, and her long, beautiful dark hair, framing her face delicately.

His mind wondered to the girl he had fallen for just months ago. Pretty, but not as beautiful as Meggie. He had never loved her, and her kisses never made his body tremble with excitement like Meggie's had. Yet he still cried when she had wondered away from him, enchanted by the other mans voice.

Once more he thought of Maggie. She looked like the girl he could see now, sitting with her head in her hands.

With a start he jerked his head back. That sad girl was Meggie. Her hair was still like her mothers, and her back was still held proudly, but her entire body was hunched over with sadness.

It was Meggie, but a different girl to the one he had fallen so in love with all those many, many years ago.

He walked over to her, his footsteps as quiet as a doe's. He stopped next to her, extending a finger to brush a lock of hair off her face,

She jerked her head upwards, fear and sadness in her eyes, before softening as she recognized the figure beside her. "Farid," she murmured, a questioning look in her eyes.

He ignored her looks of bewilderment, and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" The rain only seemed to make her look more beautiful, running down her face, and dampening her hair.

"It's Doria," she whispered. Her voice was strong for a heartbeat, before it cracked. With a sob, she fell onto him. "H-he left me... he wandered away, lured by a younger, more beautiful girl!"

He could hear true sadness in her words, which made him burn with jealousy and anger. How dare that boy break her heart, after all she had done for him?

He pushed down his jealousy, and gently kissed the top of her forehead. "I would never have left you," he murmured, stroking her hair.

She twisted around to look back up at him, her eyes meeting his for a moment before dropping back down humbly.

Humbly. The Meggie he knew wasn't humble, she was proud and strong willed. "What has he done to you?" He whispered, sadly.

They fell silent for a moment, watching the rain fall around them. "He was kind for the first couple of years, but then he grew cold and distant. He would demanded I tell him stories of my old world, and grew angry if I disobeyed him. He fell for the other woman as she was prettier then me, and would never disobey his word.

Another wave of hot anger flew over him, but once more he pushed it down. Calm, for Meggie's sake.

She sobbed once more, and buried her head in his arms. "I loved him," she cried.

"I would never have left you like that," he whispered once more, and he could feel her stiffen in his arms.

"I know you wouldn't have. But... you were never there for me. You were always going on about Dustfinger, you cared about him more then you cared about me! I went weeks without seeing you, all because you were working for Orpheus. And why? To get Dustfinger back!"

He flinched backwards at her words, "I used to care about Dustfinger, and I still do. But he wants nothing to do with me now that Roxanne has fallen pregnant again. It's all about her, and he never has any time for me."

Her eyes softened as he ranted on, before she extended a finger to caress his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I loved you, but it seemed that you were never there for me. You always held yourself so strongly, I didn't think you could ever be hurt.

I loved you when you asked me to run away with you, but I thought you would return to your old ways, of caring about Dustfinger but not me. Doria loved me, at first, and I was enchanted by the things his hands crafted. I cared for him, and loved him, but not as a husband, but as a brother. I only realized that after you left. I grew to love him more and more as a husband, but I never loved him like I loved you."

Reaching forward, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, caressing her forehead. "I never stopped loving you for a moment, Meggie."

She smiled, and reached forward to kiss his lips. He could feel his heart pound in his chest as her lips touched his, and his hands stroked her hair.

They drew apart, and Farid smiled down at her. "We could run away," he whispered softly, "Moving from village to village like we did with Dustfinger."

She grinned back at him, "Why would I say no?" She chuckled.

How did you think? Please tell me what you thought of it in a review!

-Rain