disclaimer: The charaters in this story are not mine, sadly. They are Tamora Pierce's. Sadly. I am not trying to make a profit here.

Rosto POV:

I ran out. I knew I would hear it from Kora later, but right now I really didn't care anymore. Not since she had walked in with him.

For the longest time now I have known, not that I would admit it to myself, that I love here.

Then she started seeing that cove. He was dashing personified. Courteous and had caught her eye from the very start. All the mots were falling for him. Even Kora was feeling the love bug! Erksen wasn't too happy about that but she didn't truly pay much attention to that conversation.

'Ever since he had come to Cours nothing had been the same.' I grumbled to myself. I had hoped to make Beka see how I felt but all thoughts of that were out the window when she brought him to breakfast.

In the middle of my muttering the side door of the Dove opened. Her footsteps came to greet me and I keep my eyes on the ground.

"What do you want?" I growled at her when she stopped in front of me. I heard a heavy sigh and she sat beside me.

"Rosto, why do you keep on making everyone's life miserable? I don't even live here and I can tell. Why in the world are you doing this?" Her questions truly surprised me. She had noticed my mood swings? Well of course. It's not like she paid special attention to me, she had noticed because she is a dog. Of course, the terrier and bloodhound no less it makes sense.

I sighed when she looked at me and raised an eyebrow to question the sigh. I dropped my head in my hands and began mumbling. "Beka I really like you and I don't like that you are going out with that cove. He really annoys me and doesn't deserve you." I said all of this without looking up at her. I heard her sigh and I could tell that she had heard it all.

When I finally got the courage to look up at her I saw her beaming down at me, "Rosto, you have absolutely no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I have missed our relationship, and the cove is truly just a distraction to keep me away from you. Oh, I have said too much," she said as she turned to walk away.

I just sat there stunned that she had reviled all of that to me. After all, the last time I kissed her she punched me. ME, ROSTO THE PIPER is LOVED, I thought as it all sank in. I ran in the direction that she left in.

When I walked into the main room of the Dove I saw the cove sitting with a harem of women sitting admiring him and his charisma. It really got under my skin, and then I saw her.

Now Beka doesn't like her cove having that much attention on other mots. Her last one learned that the hard way, at the end of her baton. You could see the thoughts flying across her face as she made her way to the table he sat at.

When he saw another mot approach his corner he didn't recognize who it was, so he called, "Sorry love! I can only handle so many before my woman gets home. I can help you on the marrow though." He said with a wink and a slight smirk.

When she didn't stop walking he began frowning, and then she walked into the light and he visibly swallowed. "Beka, my dear, this isn't what it seems…." He trailed off as he feebly as he tried to explain what his situation was.

"Oh it's not as it seems is it?" she asked sweetly and his face slowly turned into a smirk as he thought that he fooled her. "So when you do this every night before I get back from watch, it isn't what it looks like?" his smile slowly disappeared while she was talking.

She turned away and he pushed himself towards her using the admirers for support. "Love…." He started in a feeble attempt to get out of the deep hole that he had dug for himself. But the look on her face silenced him.

"Don't, just don't even try. I have watched you for the last 3 nights, Goodwin ordered me to stay at the Dove, and let me tell you. I do not like what I have seen, and for once it has nothing to do with rats. Don't try to sweet talk me out of this, this courtship is over. So don't ever come looking for my help again. Are we understood?"

The look in her eyes told everything that she was feeling. The cove just sat there nodding, not knowing what else to do.

I walked over to her, ignoring the warning looks of Kora and Aniki, and took her hand.

"Love, lets go somewhere private, you and I need to talk." I took her forearm and led her upstairs to my private quarters.

As soon as we walked into the room and shut the door she turned to face me, her face bright with rage. "Rosto I do not need your help! I can handle my feelings without your help. Besides," she added in a softer tone than the one she had been using, "you're a rusher, the Rouge, it wouldn't work, and I don't need my heart to be broken."

All of this amazed me this was the reason? I was the rouge, that's it? I thought there were more reasons than just that. Well we can change that, now can't we?

What I did next surprised her majorly.

note: it's my first fanfic. so pluz be nice and REVIEW! thank ya. ;)