Chapter Twelve

-Rose-

The battle had not lasted long on The Rose before Ted grabbed me and held a knife to my throat. He demanded five times what I took from him for a start. That had made me smile slightly even in the face of the situation. T.B. said some really terrible things to Ted about me but I didn't believe he meant it. The terrible fierceness in his eyes showed nothing but concentrated calm. T.B. unleashed a knife from nowhere. Ted was quicker with his knife and sliced my neck. Dizzy but remarkably not dead I scrambled to find Lila and had her help me with my wound. Some time after that I waited in my room for T.B. I hoped he wasn't dead but the pain made it hard to do anything without becoming dizzy.

Eventually he did come looking more exhausted than he had in all his life. "Rose," he whispered hoarsely. He quickly came to my side. "Are you going to be okay?" He managed to say.

"Yes," I replied, "I believe so."

He sighed with relief. He looked so tired, so stressed.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Now that I know you are," He assured

I needed to know. I would not be able to heal properly unless I knew. "T.B., Is that what you really think of me? Just some girl? Do you really love me?"

T.B. started spluttering incoherently. I thought he was trying to find the right words to express his anger. I was going to say that if he would like I would leave as soon as I was healed, T.B. however abandoned the use of words and kissed me. Just as he suspected that was enough of an answer. After rejoicing in his kiss I asked, "So is that a yes then?"

"Of course I love you Rose, I love you more than words could ever express."

I smiled knowingly and we kissed again. I kissed him like I had never kissed anyone else. Like I never wanted to kiss anyone else. I realized that I cared for him like I had never cared for anyone before. His touch felt so comforting and warm. He too had kissed me like no one else had kissed me. I never wanted anyone to kiss me like he kissed me. There was so much love and passion. I wanted to stay like this forever, but he was so stressed and tired I had to let him go and sleep. I broke away.

"You're tired, I'm tired, you'll have more work tomorrow than me and you look like you're on the verge of collapsing so go on and sleep." I said

"Thank you, I love you. You understand. I love you." He said sleepily. He kissed me once more and then left.

-T.B.-

"Are you going to be okay?" I managed to say.

"Yes," She replied, "I believe so."

I sighed with relief. I was exhausted.

"You okay?" Rose asked.

"Now that I know you are," I assured

"T.B., Is that what you really think of me? Just some girl? Do you really love me?"

I spluttered and stammered. I couldn't find the words to describe what I felt. How much I loved her. So I just kissed her hoping that would be answer enough. It was. She kissed me back. I was over joyed. I kissed her and I never wanted to kiss anyone else again. I loved her so much. She broke away.

"You're tired, I'm tired, You'll have more work tomorrow than me and you look like your on the verge of collapsing so go on and sleep."

At that moment I loved her more than anything. She understood my stress and exhaustion.

"Thank you, I love you. You understand. I love you." I said sleepily. I kissed her once more and then left.

-T.B.-

"You'll have that scar for life," I informed her a week later. The wound had only been open to fresh air for only a day. I looked at the scar. It made me incredibly guilty that she got it from my mistake. "At least it doesn't disfigure you in anyway," I. said smiling.

Rose made a face. "Maybe I'll give you one to match,"

"Listen, I don't know if you would want to, but would you want to work on The Secret? We could spend more time together."

I really wanted to ask her about the diary entry and ask her about what who was planning. I knew whatever it was it could not be good. I had no time to talk with her. At midday I had to make sure everything was going well and then immediately after I would have to go to Thief to see if things were progressing well there too. Not to mention I just wanted her to work on The Secret to spend more time with her as well. But the reality was, even though the Thief was under control and so were its rowdy crew but with the extra ship there was more work than ever. There was also a lot more of the provisions disappearing with each day. They had more people to feed. I did not starve my prisoners. It was not my way. Having her there would make my work easier somehow.

"Sure if that's what 'The Boss' wants," She replied jolting me out of my thoughts.

"You've never called me 'The Boss' before," I said astounded.

"Not once in all this time I've known you have you given me anything else to call you," Rose replied coolly, but she looked slightly agitated.

I sighed rubbing my eyes. Why did she have to ask me that now? Why bring all the pain of my past back to me in such an unexpected way? Especially when I had been so happy. "Because it brings me back to hard times, reminds me of my father and who I . . . but that doesn't matter now," I said.

"I'm sorry T.B. I won't make you tell me I just hoped you would have by now."

"I will tell you," I assured wearily, "But not until I am ready and have rested well from this demanding work."

"Why don't you take a day or two off?" Rose asked.

"Rose, the men need me now with another ship to take care of, dangerous people to be guarded, and not to mention do a million other duties," I replied.

I would take a day off if I could but I couldn't. Even though I was exhausted, even though I hated to see the red light of dawn and sank gratefully into my bed at the end of dusk, I had to put my job first in this. Failing to do all the work that was necessary? That could mean more trouble than all the work already was. I got up from the table very unwillingly. I was so tired.

"I'll expect to see you here at first light tomorrow. Grab anything you really want I'll have a room set up for you. We'll move all your things the next time we stop in a city. Good night Rose," I kissed her and walked to my room. I fell on the bed too tired to even care whether I had covers on or not. I fell asleep instantly without another thought.

-Rose-

It was my first day on The Secret and I was ecstatic. I was walking on the deck when I slipped in a recently mopped spot. I knocked over the boy who was doing the mopping. "Ow!" Said the boy rubbing the place where he rapped his head roughly.

"Sorry," I said. I held out my hand to him. He took it, his eyes still closed with pain. Suddenly they opened and glared at me distastefully. I let go of his hand out of reflex. The boy stumbled and fell again. I couldn't help myself however, his eyes, his mismatched, cold eyes were almost exactly like T.B.'s. The boy's eyes showed his hatred and his anger. T.B.'s eyes always remained cold and fierce, until he told me that he loved me. Only then did I see a difference.

"Are you going to help me up or not?" He cried indignantly.

"Yes," I said, shaking my head to make myself move. When he had finally gotten to his feet, I looked him over. He had short tangled blond hair. He had a pointed nose, tan skin, he was almost unhealthily thin, and he was cut and bruised everywhere. "Are you all right?" I asked finally.

"Yes, being knocked over repetitively is a well-known hobby for me," The boy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What's your name?"I asked.

"It's-" He began, but his eyes suddenly filled with horror. "Come, hurry," he said urgently springing into a sprint. I followed barely able to keep up. He was fast. He also kept shouting

half-finished sentences at me. "If he catches us-, we'll be so-" "trouble-hurry!" He finally sped into a small room that I almost didn't see the door for. He had just barely whipped around the corner after ascending the stairs to the lower parts of the ship.

"Whom were we running from?" I panted.

"My fears are my own to keep Miss. You only need to know that if he saw us talking you would not like how angry he will be and I personally would take all the punishment. I've grown rather found of only aching when I wake up every so often."

"What is your name?" I asked again. I really wanted to know maybe I could do something about the way he was treated.

"Samuel," He said dully.

"Samuel!" Barked a voice.

"I must go Miss!" He exclaimed paling very slightly. I let him go up the stairs before I followed. When I got on deck, he had disappeared. I saw that one crew member had taken up the mopping. I couldn't believe what I had seen. He must have been related to T.B. somehow there were no eyes like his. Until I had seen him there had been no other eyes that could send shivers into my spine. Samuel's did only because I was looking at another secret T.B. kept from me.

"What did she say to you?" Sam demanded banging me against the hard wall.

"Why do you care?" I asked. I knew this would happen, but how did he find out I had talked to Rose?

Sam slammed me against the wall again. "It could ruin my whole plan!"

"I didn't tell her anything!" I gasped. "Except my name," I said.

"You'd better not!" He said, banging me between each word. He let me drop to the floor. "Luckily for you this works to our advantage. She has seen you now and there can be no mistake that she will see that you somehow look like him." "From now on spy on them," He said an evil grin spreading on his face, "We strike when Rose asks him if you are related to him. Now go!"

I went. I sped down to my room and tried not to cry. I had been hurt worse than this before. The pain of what Sam was forcing him to do was unbearable. I was not only expected to help hurt T.B. who despite what he did in the past, was always kind to me. Now I was expected to hurt an innocent woman too. I promised myself that I would someday be able to fight Sam and that day I would take his life for making me help plan the treachery that would soon destroy everything.

A/N: End of Betrayed by Secrets...Look out for Betrayed by Lovers!