The Valley

A thick fog rolled in the next morning. While David didn't like the fact, Annie loved fog; people had a hard time seeing her face when it was foggy. After looking out the window, David muttered something Annie didn't quite catch and slung his bags over his shoulder.

"Ready?" he asked and looked at her. Annie gave a short nod and unfolded the map.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she let out a long sigh.

As the two made their way down the stairs and to the exit of the hotel, the man behind the desk looked up from his newspaper. He gave a small smile and a short nod of the head in their direction.

"You take care now, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews," he said. His long, slender finger carefully pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Annie turned her head slightly and called to Samuel over her shoulder, "Miss Silverblood." David laughed and threw an arm over her shoulders.

"Come now, dear," he tried as he lead her out the door, "I thought we made up last night?"

When the door was firmly shut behind them, the petite woman threw David's arm from her.

"Stop it," she demanded, a menacing look in her eyes. "We are not married, and we certainly never will be, and we obviously don't have to pretend to be anymore." All humor fell from David's features.

"Sorry," he whispered, casting a nervous glance to the door of the building. Annie folded her arms over her chest, her stabbing gaze rolling over his face, trying to see if there was anything to reveal that he wasn't serious.

"You better be sorry," she said and held the map out in front of herself again.

"I really am," David nodded, though Annie's attention was on the map and she didn't see the movement. David sighed and messed with the straps of the bags he was carrying. "I am."

The young lady glanced quickly at him before beginning to lead the way once more. David shifted uncomfortably, because even though her back was to him, it somehow still felt as if she was glaring at him.

They left the unnamed village shortly before entering one of the largest forests marked on the map.

"Are you sure we should be going this way?" David asked, eyeing the trees nervously.

"As sure as ever," Annie replied.

The rest of the walk was mostly silent, with the two stopping occasionally to drink water and eat. All sign of civilization was soon gone, and Annie and David were alone in the wilderness.

"We should find a place to set up camp," Annie suggested, noting that the sun was getting low in the sky.

"That might be the most you've said to me in hours," David commented. Annie's arm flew out and hit David in the chest. "Ow! But I agree with you."

"There's a clearing over there," Annie pointed to where there was indeed a clearing in the forest. They both stopped walking along the edge of the trees.

"Perfect," David sighed and rubbed his hands together. He judged that the clearing was just large enough for them to rest in for the night. "I'll go set up the tent."

Annie gave him a questioning look when he turned to her and held his hand out to her.

"Your bag," he explained, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, "the tent is in it."

"Oh, right," Annie pulled her bag off her shoulder. There was a dull thump as David dropped his own bags on the ground and took Annie's.

"You're a little silly sometimes, you know?" David chuckled and pulled the rough, green fabric from the bag.

"Shut up," Annie lightly hit his shoulder.

The younger man shook his head and set to work on setting up the tent. Annie watched him as he did this, then looking through the bags to find something suitable for their dinner.

A sigh escaped the young woman. She decided on a box of crackers and canned ham. At the same time, David finished with the tent; he admired his work and pride filled him.

"We now have a temporary 'roof' over our heads," he smiled and sat next to Annie, making air quotes when he said the word 'roof'. Her green eyes remained focused on the sad excuse for a meal in front of her, though she nodded to show her acknowledgement of his words.

A long breath passed David's lips and he took the can from her.

"Ah- hey!" Annie reached for the can. David's large hand closed around her smaller ones.

"Relax," he laughed, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle. "I'm hungry, too; I'm just taking a few pieces." She stopped trying to take the can from him and pulled her hands away, her eyes narrowing.

"Fine," she said, though she still thought that the act had been another one to get a rise out of her. It had occurred to her then that perhaps David enjoyed teasing her like he did, however much she disliked it.

The man shook his head again and took a few pieces of ham from the can. He handed it back to her while slipping the food into his mouth all at once.

"Ew!" Annie exclaimed, holding the can away from him as he chewed noisily.

"What?" David asked through a mouthful of food. The expression on the woman's face twisted into one of absolute horror.

"Oh, God, you're disgusting!" She stood up and headed toward the tent. David burst into laughter, and then into a fit of coughing. He pounded on his chest as he swallowed the ham.

"Annie, wait!" He chased after her as she slipped into the tent; he was still laughing and coughing. "I'm sorry, I just thought-"

The tent was zipped shut before he could climb inside after her. David let out yet another sigh and rested his hand against the tent flap.

"Come on, Annie; I just wanted to see your reaction," he chuckled a little.

She unzipped the tent just enough for her to see his face. "My reaction to what- you cramming your mouth, or you trying to talk with your mouth full of food?"

"The second one, obviously," was his reply.

Before Annie could zip the tent shut again, David had stuck his finger through the gap and began unzipping it the rest of the way. Annie groaned and made room for him.

He reached for the box of crackers, but Annie kept them away from him. She stuck her tongue out at him and he grabbed her wrist.

"What, I pull one gross stunt and suddenly I'm not allowed to eat anymore?" With his other hand he reached for the crackers again, but Annie had already pulled them away with her free hand.

"Not unless you show some manners," she nodded and smiled.

It might have been the first time David had seen her give a genuine smile. Even though there was that horrible scar on her face, her whole face was lit up by the smile, and David couldn't help thinking that she looked so beautiful. Her wrist fell from his grasp and he reached to pull her glasses off her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she leaned away from him. David seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in.

"I, uh, nothing," he muttered, dropping his hands and staring at the ground. Annie watched him curiously for a moment.

"Sorry," he mumbled again.

"Here," Annie held the box of crackers out to him. "Eat; we're going to need to keep our strength up."

David lifted his head, gazing at the box of crackers for a moment before looking at her. A small smile just barely tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Thank you," he said and took the box from her.

"Not a problem," she nodded. Standing up, she brushed her hands against her pants to get rid of any remaining crumbs. "I'm going to go get the sleeping bags."

"Alright." David watched her leave the tent, then reaching into the box to grab a handful of crackers.

He chuckled to himself, "Keep our strength up with crackers and canned ham... Ah, well, you eat what you can get."

When Annie stepped back through the tent with the cloth they'd be sleeping in, David had already scarfed down over half the box of crackers. Annie grimaced at the sight as she laid the bags on the ground.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were hungry," she commented and laid down in one of the sleeping bags. David remembered to swallow his food before speaking that time.

"Oh, you bet," he grinned. "If you remember, I barely at anything the other times."

Annie shrugged and turned away from him. The younger man watched her back for a short while before setting the box of crackers down and standing up.

"I'm going to bring the rest of our stuff in," he told her and exited the tent.

The air outside felt wonderful as it brushed against his skin. He closed his eyes tightly against the sensation, welcoming it and hoping that it would last. Did the air really feel that bad within the tent?

His eyes came back open and he looked back at the tent, his own eyebrows furrowing. He lifted the bags and brought them into the tent.

"Hey, Annie?" he asked as he set the bags down and sat on his own sleeping bag.

"Yeah?" came her muffled reply. He noted that her glasses were on the ground beside her.

Licking his lips David asked, "What happened to your father? Is he why you're so desperate for money?"

Annie seemed to tense up. Once again David had brushed a very sensitive topic.

"You don't have to tell me," he whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She seemed to tense up more before relaxing completely.

"It's just..." David trailed off, biting his lip. "You know me; always thirsting for answers."

"I know," Annie's voice sounded clearer, and she pushed his hand from her shoulder. "But some things are just better left alone, David."

David sat back and watched her; the expression on his face was softer. A sorrowful smile formed on his lips. Something had happened to her father, and it was the reason behind her need for money.

"Good night then, Annie," he said, a trace of defeat in his voice. He slipped slowly into his sleeping bag, facing her and continuing to watch her back. After a while he turned away from her and closed his eyes.

"He..." Annie's voice pulled David away from sleep. "He gambled a lot; for God knows how long. It put my mother in a coma, and this scar on my face.

"Then he... he got sick. That's when I found out. Now I have to clean up his mess, or I won't have a home to go back to."

"No relatives?" David rolled over to look at her again. Her back was still facing him.

"It wouldn't be home," Annie whispered.

"I see."

It stayed silent then. David had no way of telling whether or not she had fallen asleep, but eventually his own exhaustion pulled him under.