The day goes on for some time undisturbed with only their thoughts to plague them. The hunting party returns before Trent does. Voices are cheerful, grateful for their find. Valery emerges from her tent watching the fire dance in silence as they start skinning the two white rabbits.

Does the whole camp know by now?

"Val," Matt murmurs, sitting down beside her.

"What?" she snaps irritably, eyeing him up. He has blood splotches on his hands from handling the rabbits, but a content look on his face.

"I never ask anything of you," he starts.

"And you want me to talk to him," Valery finishes.

"Out here, we have to be able to rely on each other. Think clearly. I'm worried what will happen to him if you let this go on."

She gives him a look."I know, I've already been set straight, ok? Relax. I know what I have to do."

"Please tell me you're not going to shatter his heart out here," he begs.

"No, I'm not," She snaps.

Matt nods and walks away, leaving Valery to her thoughts.

Trent returns, only a leg of a rabbit remaining. He takes it without a word, sitting off to the side to eat it. He doesn't look at her.

Stomachs full, one by one each Guardian heads to their tent for the night, resting up for the long day that looms ahead of them all. As the crickets grow louder by the hour, only Trent and Valery remain, staring into the fire's burning heart.

Valery takes a deep breath, rubbing away a chill that nips at her arms. Trent looks at her from across the fire, returning his gaze to it quickly. Acting as though he never saw her.

"Trent," Valery starts, drawing his name out with hesitation.

"No," He snaps, picking a twig off the ground. He pokes at a burning log with it.

"You're not going to let me talk now?" She whispers, voice cracking.

"You ignored me for days. Why should I talk to you now, just because you feel ready? What if I'm not ready now?" He demands, watching the twig burn. Anything to avoid looking at her.

"What happened to us?" She murmurs. "I miss you. I miss us, what we used to be."

"Funny how 'used to be' was only a few days ago, wasn't it?" He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"What's going on?" she sighs.

"Seriously? You should get used to missing me if you intend on leaving me to live as a hermit by the ocean." He snaps, digging his toe in the dirt, on the lookout for another twig.

"What?" Valery whispers, her face losing all color.

"That's right. I heard you," he comments, watching a second twig burn.

"You were eavesdropping on a private conversation then got mad for what you heard? There's a reason I was talking to her, not you!"

"It was hardly a private conversation! You were in a cloth tent!" He snaps, trying to keep his voice from rising despite the anger swelling within him, charring him like twigs. "I was circling the perimeter of the camp. Something anyone on guard duty does now and again. Don't make me out to be the bad guy here. I can't control what I hear while I'm walking, doing my job!" His last sentence grows louder with each word. He closes his eyes, blocking out the burning in front of him. Focusing on calming his anger.

"You didn't hear what you needed to hear," she whispers.

"It shouldn't be like this!" he snaps, jumping to his feet, moving his eyes to finally meet hers. "I shouldn't be questioning you right now!" He jabs a finger toward Angela's tent. "EVERYTHING you said to her, you should have said to me." He motions to his own heart, tears pricking at his eyes. "Why Val? Why are you doing this? Pulling away from me like this?"

She stands up, matching his watery glare with her own, head-on.

"Because I was confused and didn't want to hurt you."

"Too late for that," he tells her, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. He turns his back to her, letting his tears fall silent and unseen.

"Trent, I'm sorry," she murmurs, her voice breaking. Filled with pain and heartache.

"What were you so confused about that you felt as though you couldn't come to me?" He asks, stuffing his balled fists into the pocket of his jeans. His voice is cold, acid. She flinches at his tone.

"I've never had to think about choosing you. It was always yes." Valery starts slowly as the first of her tears slips past her control. "It came so naturally. Then I found the ring and realized I had a choice to make. The world tightened around me and I panicked. Look, I've never made a real choice in my life, ok? The only choice I ever made was to go against the rules. And you know where that got me." She pauses as her voice breaks, her tears stealing her voice. Trent turns sideways, taking in her broken posture. She clears her throat. "My whole life others have told me what to do, what not to do. Who I should be. You weren't factored into that. Now, I'm so close to my freedom and you were asking me to sign it away to you. I don't want to run away to be a hermit. I only want the option to do it. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Why do you feel as though you'd have to sign over that freedom?" he wonders softly, turning to fully face her. "I don't want it. You've always been a run-with-the-wild horses type of girl. And I love that about you. You understand family better than anyone yet play by your own rules. I don't want to take that from you."

"I know," she whispers with a nod, overcome by her tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so, SO, very sorry."

"Oh Val," he says softly. "This is a mess." He rounds the fire in quick strides. "I understand how you feel, I do. But, why couldn't you tell me all this?"

Valery looks into his eyes, trying to read the emotion behind them. His eyes are dry, still burning with anger. But not as deeply as before. "What did I do to break your trust in me?"

Another sob shakes its way through her.

"Every time I saw you, you pushed. You wanted an answer so bad," she responds, wiping at her face.

"All I wanted was honesty," he snaps.

"I know."

"I shouldn't have had to find out like this."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, taking a shuddering breath, trying to quell her tears.

"Look." Trent sighs as he settles himself onto the ground. "I still love you; nothing changes that." He pats the ground beside him. "I'm just mad over how this played out."

"I know," she whispers, sitting down beside him, hanging her head.

"It felt like a kick in the balls, hearing you talk to Kalina of all people over me. I know she's your friend and all, but she's not part of the team like you and I. Like you and Ang. Or her and Matt."

"She was just there," Valery explains. "And she sees things differently. Told me that in not making a choice, I was still making a choice. That's why I hung out here while everyone went to bed. I would have continued to hide if it wasn't for her."

"Huh," Trent grunts.

"I am sorry," Valery insists.

Trent takes a deep, calming breath, choosing to let go of the last of his anger. "I know babe. I get it. I do. But it leaves us with a problem."

"What?"

"Look at me, won't you?" He pleads, grabbing ahold of her hand. Waiting.

"What?" She whispers, raising her head to look at him.

He squirms to face her, wiping away her tears. His touch is tender, and full of love. She closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling.

"If you feel as though you can't talk to me, I did something to break your trust. I need to fix that," he answers honestly, his tone gentle. She opens her eyes to look at him.

"You did no such thing," she assures. "I told you. It was me. I panicked. I saw you as the source, so I hid from you. Angela was the one who helped ease that. That's why I was talking to her. Besides, you know just as well as I do, she knew before I opened my mouth. Think of all that I've gone through lately. I've been staying in Angela's room because I don't feel safe on my own. Because of a life that I didn't choose to be a part of. It was all just running together."

Trent nods.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed. I never intended on becoming the villain in your mind. I should have been able to see what you were going through."

"We've both screwed up lately," she sighs. "The important thing is that we forgive each other." She pulls out of his grasp, slipping the ring out of her pocket, holding it out to show him. "Can we start over?"

A smile creeps across his face.

"You have it?"

"I didn't feel right leaving it in my drawer. It belongs with me."

"May I see it?" He asks, holding his hand out. She nods, laying it in his empty palm. "It sparkles just as bright as you." He comments, looking at it. Valery smiles warmly. He clears his throat and crawls onto one knee, holding the ring out to her. "Valery Grace Mernik. I love you and all your quirks. If you want to run off and join the circus, I swear to be your ringleader. If you want to be a hermit, well, prepare yourself, 'cause I'm going to be a hermit with you. I don't intend on leaving your side, no matter which way your whims blow. I'll follow you wherever you feel you need to go to find yourself. Even if it means punching Satan in the face." Valery hiccup-laughs as a smile takes over her face. "Will you take this ring, not in marriage, but as a commitment to stand side by side?"

Valery nods as tears overwhelm her.

"That I can agree to," she sniffles.

"Oh Sweet Angels, thank you," Trent sighs as he slides the ring onto her finger. "I love you."

"And I love you."

The two embrace, sharing a kiss.

"Come, sit with me," He murmurs, nodding to his perch outside of camp.

"Still on guard duty? What about sleep?" She yawns.

"We have a lot to catch up on. I'm sure you have enough to talk about to keep me up all night," he smirks teasingly. "Come sunrise, I'll wake Matt. He'll switch with me. Stand guard as I sleep. Those who didn't go out hunting last night will go out scouting in the morning. They'll come back in the afternoon and we'll figure out how to move forward from there."

"So Kalina, Gavin, Savannah, Angela, and I," she comments, following him to his perch. Hidden in the shadows of the tree, anyone approaching wouldn't know he was there until it was too late.

"You're healer now," he says, sitting down at the base of the tree. "You're here to learn what that looks like. How you want to go about it. You don't apply to the system like the rest of us unless you choose to." He explains as Valery settles herself down beside him, laying her head against the crook of his shoulder. He wraps his arm around her waist. "Olivia joined us on plenty of trips outside of the city. But the only time she ever went scouting was if the herbs she needed to collect weren't close enough to camp. She always said she was too valuable to the team for her to put herself in danger."

"Now we know she was only like that because she didn't want to risk blowing her cover," Valery states, Trent nods.

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty, unfortunately."

"That's two traitors we've had. And both have connections to me. I'm going to have to prove to everyone that I'm nothing like that."

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone," Trent assures.

"As a healer. I do. There's more to healing than just making injuries disappear. There are emotional and mental aspects to it too. I can't help with that if no one trusts me with their internal thoughts and struggles. And they can't if part of them wonders if I'm going to turn traitor too," she explains. "To earn that trust, I can't follow in her footsteps. I need to make myself as much of an active Guardian as possible."

"Watch out Val," Trent teases. "Sounds like you just chose your own. A choice to stay and include yourself."

She taps his leg in a playful warning. "No one, even for a moment, thought that I was serious about leaving," she says.

He snuggles against her. "I believe in you. Whenever you find yourself in doubt, come to me. I'll be sure to remind you."

"I know," She murmurs.

Leaning against him, surrounded by the sound of nightlife, the day's emotions take their toll. She's fast asleep before she can update him about anything that he's missed.

Trent smiles, stroking her hair, enjoying the feel of having her in his arms again as her snoring adds to the music of the night.