Teresa could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked down the sidewalk the next day. Brown, blue, green, and hazel pierced her skin like razors and only reminded her of the horrific nightmare that had caused the twenty-degree weather. She hated being the center of attention, and it showed throughout the day, as during her shift, she must have went off on at least a half-dozen people until Granny suggested that she take the day off. Knowing that Granny was right, that she needed one day where she didn't have to wait tables or babysit Neal, she went on a hunt, as that always seemed to clear her troubled mind.

She glided through the woods with ease, quiet as the wind as her footsteps barely made a sound against the autumn leaves and fallen branches, holding a notched arrow loosely in between her fingers, ready to fire, her quiver of arrows secured around her torso. Platinum-blonde strands moved gracefully with the wind as she walked, the sky above her turning a nasty shade of gray as large storm clouds rolled in. She completely forgot about the weather forecast she watched with Snow and David that morning. The girl knew that her friend would be mad at her for hunting in the rain, but Teresa also knew that she needed this hunt more than anything right now.

Spotting a rabbit, the girl came to an abrupt stop and raised her bow. Teresa drew back the bowstring and took aim, breathing steady as her cerulean-blue eyes watched the hare's every movement. Its fur was brown and damp, most likely from its watching hole, and its nose twitched as it sniffed at the ground. It looked smaller than the usual rabbits she caught, but Granny would love it no matter what. As long the elderly woman could make her rabbit stew, Granny didn't really care what size rabbit the archer got for her.

Just as she was preparing to fire the arrow, she heard a rustle. On instinct, her head snapped toward the left and as ears zoned in on the sound, she could identify it as footsteps. One pair, by the sounds of it.

The platinum-blonde's nose twitched as she watched the rabbit take off at the sound of a twig snapping beneath a shoe. She threw her back against the base of a tree and waited for the person to come her way. Usually, the teenager wasn't one to panic easily, but right now her palms were sweating so much that her knuckles had turned white just so she could keep her bow in her hand and her breathing was uneven, classic signs of a coming panic attack. All she could think about was Hyde and if, by some chance, these were his footsteps, what he would do to her. Flashes of her nightmare began to invade her vison, only making her feel worse. If she wasn't wearing her mother's crystal pendent, it would start snowing.

The footsteps grew closer, the sound of snapping twigs torturing her as she waited to see who it was, and when the person made themselves visible, her instincts kicked in. She threw her elbow up into the person's face before swiping out their feet. In a flash, she was hovering over them, a knife pressed against their throat and eyes blazing. Her knuckles turned white around the handle of her skinning knife and her jaw set as she glared down at them, but her eyes soon softened as they met a pair of soft brown orbs that were staring up at her in shock.

Henry Mills's nose was bleeding as he laid as still as the dead beneath her, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared up at her wearily.

Teresa's expression mirrored his own as she fell back into the dirt and shakily dropped her knife. "Henry, what ─ what are you doing here?" She was breathless. The girl averted her eyes as she clenched her trembling hands into fists to calm herself down. It's not Hyde. It's only Henry. It's only Henry.

Henry let out a groan as he sat up, bringing a hand up to stretch his jaw and wipe away the blood that fell from his nostrils. "God, Teresa, you have a hard elbow. Remind me to never sneak up on you again." He was trying to lighten the mood a little by letting out a small laugh afterward, but her expression remained the same, causing him to worriedly sigh.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Teresa lied as she stood up and grabbed her bow, brushing off the dirt from her jeans.

Henry rose to join her, scoffing as he used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away more blood. "Why do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Avoid emotion!" Henry exclaimed. "You're human, Teresa, you're allowed to feel. But you have this facade where you always have to be strong, but you don't have to be. It's okay to be sad or scared or angry."

Teresa refused to meet his gaze as she asked, "What makes you think there's something wrong with me?"

Henry lifted a brow. "You've been avoiding people all day as if there's a plague going around, you're hunting when a storm is coming through, and you just attacked me ─ yeah, I'd say you're just fine."

"I am," the platinum-blonde stubbornly insisted. "So why don't you just go home, Henry because I really don't have time for this. You've chased away my rabbit." She walked away but Henry followed her, causing her to sigh. "Henry, I'm serious. Go. Home."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what had you scared enough to jump me just now."

Teresa stopped walking and closed her eyes. "I can't tell you," she whispered, almost inaudibly, but loud enough for him to hear.

She wished more than anything that she could tell him about her nightmare, but she made a promise to herself and to Regina. Besides, if she told him then he would freak out and Hyde's secret plan to destroy both of them would eventually spread like wildfire. Emma would freak out. Killian would freak out. Snow would freak out. The whole town ─ expect a loyal few ─ would no doubt throw her and Henry to Hyde on a silver platter just to save their own skin out of fear for what the man would do to them.

"Why not?" Henry demanded. His heart burned as his face twisted. He stared at the back of her head, hurt by her silence. "Do you ─ do you not trust me?"

Teresa felt her eyes widen at the sound of the hurt in his voice. She quickly turned around, her face softening as she finally met his brown eyes. Her eyes flicked down to the line of blood flowing from his nostrils for a moment and she frowned, feeling guilty for hitting the one person she has ever felt this way toward before. "You know I trust you, Henry."

"Then why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"It's... complicated. But Henry, I'm fine, okay? Please don't worry about me."

"It's hard not to worry when you act like this. Can't you just ─ "

She cut him off. "I had a nightmare, Henry, and it just freaked me out is all. Now can we drop it please so I can find another rabbit for Granny? She gave me the day off to clear my head and I'll feel bad if I don't catch her something."

"Fine," Henry sighed. "But I'm coming with you."

Teresa hesitated. She stared at him for several moments before giving in, the guilt for making him bleed making it difficult to deny his company, even if she came out to the woods to be alone.

"Fine." Henry grinned at her answer, seeing it as a win. "But you have to keep quiet. You walk louder than a giant, Mills."

"I do not!"

"Tell that to the rabbit that got away."

Henry smirked. "Well, maybe you're just getting rusty. I mean, your spidey senses have to be malfunctioning if you didn't realize it was me before."

Teresa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "My ─ what?"

Henry laughed. "It's a superhero thing. You know, like Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man?"

"Yeah, the superhero who can shoot webs from his wrist and fights crime," Henry stated as though it was obvious. Then he shrugged. "I guess we haven't watched those movies together yet."

Teresa smiled over her shoulder at him. "I think I would remember a guy who shoots spider webs from his hands." She started walking backward, her eyes meeting his own as a smile crawled onto both their faces. "And I'll have you know that my, um, spidey senses, or whatever you called it, are perfectly intact. I'm not rusty, just a little caught of guard with my thoughts is all."

Henry smirked. "Sure you aren't."

She playfully slapped his chest, just as her back came in contact with the base of a tree, further proving his point.

"Spider-Man would have seen that tree coming," he stated while stepping forward, trapping her in-between himself and the tree. A smile was on his face and she couldn't help but smile back, the sight of her own making his stomach flop.

"Shut up."

Despite herself, Teresa had laughed, and Henry laughed with her until he leaned forward to close the space between them with a gentle kiss. Butterflies fluttered in both their stomachs as Henry lifted a hand and gently brushed her cheek while keeping the other up against the rough bark of the tree.

He left her breathless at the unexpected action. Teresa bit her lip as Henry pulled away, his cheeks a little flushed, as he even seemed to surprise himself. A moment of silence passed between them before the platinum-blonde cleared her throat. "We, um, we should find that rabbit before it rains."

Henry smiled, his warm breath fanning her skin and making her heart nervously slam against her ribcage. "As you wish," he whispered while taking a short step back, which allowed her to push away from the bark of the tree and start walking.

It didn't take long for them to find another rabbit, though, by the time they had, it began to rain. Thunder cracked and lightning brightened the dark sky, forcing the pair to run back to town for some hot cocoa at Granny's. And as they ran while holding hands and trying not to slip on the wet ground with smiles on their faces, Teresa didn't think about Hyde again. Maybe it was a good thing Henry had snuck away from Emma and Killian.

｡｡｡

A/N: Wow I can't believe how long it's been!!! I promise I'll get back in the grove of writing this book more often. After all, I have finished planning Henry and Teresa's full journey, which will take place over 9 BOOKS. Oh! And if you guys already didn't know this, I've published that au book where Teresa becomes the Dark One instead of Emma if you guys want to check that out