I huffed loudly as I fell back onto the carriage seat, stretching out till the tips of my Converse shoes touched the door. Jack smirked from his seat across from me.

"Remind me again why we're going on a stupid excursion to who knows where?" I whined, fingering the laces on the front of my dress absentmindedly.

"Because the Queen wanted us out of the palace so as not to disturb her. So we are going to visit someone." he replied, his gray eyes connecting to my chocolate-brown orbs.

It was so hard to take him seriously in that fancy outfit. He wore a red doublet, navy blue harem pants, and his normally messy sand-colored hair was fluffed-up on the top. I bit back a snicker before nodding as we bumped along the forest path to Jack's secret destination. Half an hour later, we arrive as promised. A squeal of joy emitted from my lips as I took in the building standing before me. It had been so long now, it seemed, since the last time we'd been here.

Jack grinned back at me as he grabbed my hand and led me into the shop, the tiny bells on the door tinkling as we did. The hiss and clank of the old store filled my ears and I smiled when my eyes landed on the hunched-over figure of a woman.

"Jane! 'Tis I, Jack of Ev!" Jack called out and she instantly looked up.

She hadn't changed at all - her brown hair was put up in a messy bun and her glasses were perched on the end of her nose.

"Well...you're certainly a prize," Jane smiled warmly, looking him up and down.

"Certainly something," I joked and Jack shot me a fake-glare to which I chuckled.

"We're living a life fit for Royalty. Courtesy of the Queen," he supplied.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she glanced my way briefly before looking back at Jack.

"You're with Langwidere?" she asked in confusion, "Well, what about Dawn?"

Jack shook his head, smiling and wrapped his flesh arm around my waist.

"No, no... Dawn and I are together," he said, gazing over at me.

I smiled back at him, strands of my mousy-brown hair falling in my face.

"You going on a trip?" Jack asked Jane suddenly as he took in the sight of her packing things up.

"Closing up shop," she answered him simply, her voice calm and soft as always, "My position here has been terminated,"

"What?! On whose authority?!" I asked, disbelieving.

"Her Highness. She asked me to make her weapons. I refused so...she fired me," Jane said, shrugging in response.

"Guns..." I said softly.

She nodded, "A line I refuse to cross,"

"Even so, she can't release you! I won't let it happen!" Jack told her vehemently.

"Oh...dear Jack," she cooed warmly.

She leaned close to him then.

"When we first met, you were afraid you'd lost your heart..." she told him softly, briefly glancing over at me, "It's not possible. There's so many things that say otherwise."

Jack's misty-gray eyes gazed over into mine and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it.