To Never Let Go

Becka was chasing the Shadow Snake. It was nearly twelve feet long, the shadows making its color indistinguishable. Her breathing was ragged as she followed it down an alleyway, then came out on the street leading to Goodwin's house just in time to see it go inside. The road was littered with dead pigeons. She ran desperately after it, letting out a sob when she saw the still bodies of Goodwin and her husband.

This pattern continued, with Tunstall, Sabine, Lord Provost, her siblings, her gran, Ahuda, Ersken, Phelan, and finally Beka chased the snake all the way to her own lodgings. Anger and terror warred in her breast, as she found the bodies of Aniki and Kora. When she finally caught up to the snake, it was in Rosto's room. He was already dead, his face forever frozen in an expression of terror.

Beka made her way forward slowly, knowing that there was no way that the snake could escape. In the unfathomable way of dreams, it made perfect sense to her to bring out the red and blue tacks from her map, and stick them viciously into the snake until it bled to death. She then turned to Rosto's body. She had remained strong while chasing the snake, silent through the deaths of everyone she held dear. But now it all came crashing down on her, and it was too much.

"Rosto! NO!" Beka sat up in bed, covered in sweat. She didn't stop to think, to wonder if it was plausible for an twelve-foot snake to be slithering around Corus killing her loved ones, she just got up an ran to Rosto's rooms, not even changing out of her nightdress.

As she burst through his door, there was suddenly a knife at her throat. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to knock?" (AN: Is there something familiar about this scene???) came Rosto's quiet voice. Then he saw her face in the moonlight streaming in through the window. "Beka! What are you doing here?"

The moment he pulled the knife away from her neck, she turned and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly, making sure he was real. She realized that there were tears on her cheeks.

Rosto hesitantly returned her embrace, although he wondered what had brought on this sudden display of affection. He noticed with astonishment a slight dampness against his shirt. "Beka are you crying? What's wrong?" he asked.

She nodded against his chest in reply, then pulled away. "I'm sorry. It's nothing, just a bad dream. Forget it happened.

Rosto wasn't buying it. "Just 'nothing,' doesn't make you cry. I don't think I've ever seen you cry. What was the dream about?" As he spoke, he led her over to sit on the bed. Taking advantage of her temporary vulnerability, he put his arm around her and pulled her close, and for once she didn't resist.

Beka let out a long sigh. "You died. When I woke up, I was still a few coins short of a full Happy Bag. I had to make sure you were okay. That's all."

That's all? was Rosto's thought. My dream-death causes her to rush in here in a panic and almost smother me, and she says 'that's all?' He took a deep breath, and said what he had been thinking for months, since the day he had broken it off with Aniki.

"I love you Beka. I know you've said 'never a rusher,' but after this snake case, I'm hoping you'll realize how blurry the line between Dog and Rusher really is. Regardless, I'll always be here, waiting for you. I won't change my mind and leave you. If I had you, I wouldn't need other mots. I love you." Well that came out a lot less coordinated than I had planned, he thought.

At the mention of the Shadow Snake, Beka flinched as she remembered how it had felt to look down at Rosto's body, and know that he was gone forever. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved him.

Maybe that dream had been Ganiel's way of sending her a message; that with Rosto she had something precious and rare, something to grab onto and never let go, like the terrier they named her. And if he felt the same way, then she would be a fool not to take him, Rogue or not. Beka Cooper was not a fool.

"I love you too Rosto," she murmured. He smiled, and kissed her slowly, gently. The kiss of lovers that have all of time.

THE END

AN: It didn't even have any humor. (sighs mournfully.) I stole the kiss line from Trickster's Queen, because I hate writing smooch scenes. Anywho, review, flame, whatev.