A/N: The beginning segment is a dream that Rachel is having, so please don't get TOO confused… ;0)
CH 1: The Plan
"But I don't want to play the prisoner today! How come you always get to play the pirate?"
Young Timothy Shaw grinned a broad, half toothless grin, his hands hitching up his breeches with authority as he returned, "'Cause I'm older than you, that's why! Besides, who ever heard of a girl being a pirate?"
"I'll bet there were plenty of girls!" tiny Rachel Drummond shot back, her lips drawing into a pout as she folded her arms. "Who else would all those boy pirates marry? They need wives!"
"Not if they're anything like you" Tim teased, a delighted grin splitting his lips upon noticing her outrage.
"Tim, I'm going to tell Reverend Trask on you!" Rachel whined. "You'll be sorry for treating me like a girl!"
"But you are a girl!" Tim insisted with a laugh. "Golly, Rachel, you've got cooties for brains!"
"I-I do not!"
"Do, too!"
"Do not!"
Grinning, Tim held his hands up in surrender before agreeing, "Alright, alright, you don't have cooties for brains…if you're not the last person to reach that tree!"
Without warning, Tim took off for the random destination, Rachel giving a squeal of protest as she went racing after him with the grace of an elephant on skates. Jumping over rocks and jutting tree roots, she nearly toppled over amidst her frantic pursuit of her long-legged friend, her voice breathy and desperate as she wheezed, "Tim…slow…down! I-I can't…keep up!"
"We've got to go, Rachel!" he called frantically over his shoulder.
"What?" Suddenly stopping, Rachel gave him a perplexed look before asking, "Why must we go, Tim? What are you talking about?"
Frustrated, Tim turned around before hissing, "Rachel, we've got to go, now!"
"Huh?"
"Rachel!"
With a gasp, the young beauty lurched up in bed, a strong hand coming over her mouth in order to prevent her from crying out.
"Shh" a voice gently whispered, "it's alright Rachel, it's just me…"
"Tim?" Gazing up at her friend in bewilderment, the governess demanded, "W-what are you doing here? It's not even dawn, yet!"
"We have to go" Tim revealed, his dark eyes softening as he fondly took her hand in his. "My friend Riggs got me a train ticket to Boston, but I told him I'd be damned if I left you behind. I couldn't do it, Rachel…I couldn't leave my best friend."
Feeling tears coming to her eyes, Rachel touched his cheek before demanding, "Why did you do that, Tim? I know every second under this school's roof is torture for you, so why did you wait?"
"Rachel, I told you why, I just…"
"But what's the real reason?" she pressed. "Why didn't you try taking one of the children with you, instead? I can't leave Nora and Jamison behind with these monsters!"
Frustrated, Tim broke away from her as if he'd been burned, his eyes closing as he insisted, "Rachel, you know I care about them as much as you do, but they at least have a way out – we do not. Trask has no hold over them and he isn't brandishing threats in their faces, so aside from the inevitable fear, I assure you that they'll be completely safe. I've arranged for their parents to stop by tomorrow evening for an evaluation, so after seeing how distraught Nora and Jamison are, I'm sure they'll be taken home immediately." Now turning back to face the governess, Tim got down on his knees before urging, "Come with me, Rachel…please. It may be our only chance to escape."
Biting her lip, Rachel finally nodded before agreeing, "Y-yes, alright, but what's going to happen from here? Were you able to get two tickets?"
Tim nodded. "Yes, yes I was… So we won't arouse any suspicion, I want you to leave first whenever we follow through with our morning routines. While I grade Nora and Jamison's papers, you grab your belongings and sneak out the back where Riggs will be waiting. The train doesn't leave until 9:30, so after about fifteen minutes I'll leave the kids and sneak out while the Trasks are having breakfast." Giving Rachel's hand a comforting squeeze, he added, "Do you understand?"
She nodded. "Yes, of course I do, Tim, but please just promise me one thing: I need for you to be careful. I don't want to lose you…"
His gaze softening, Tim took her by the arms before insisting, "I'm not going to die, Rachel – I promise that I'll be with you to the very end." Pressing a warm kiss against her forehead, he added, "Try to get some sleep, alright? You're going to need your strength."
"Yes, alright…goodnight, Tim." As Rachel watched her friend leave, she slowly reclined back amidst her covers and pulled them up to her chin. Being a natural-born worrier, she was well aware of the fact that sleep wasn't going to come easy…
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With her belongings in hand and a knit shawl about her shoulders, Rachel stood timidly beside Riggs on the train station platform. Noticing him checking his pocket watch for the umpteenth time, she took him by the arm before demanding, "What time is it, and why hasn't Tim made it here yet? The station's only half a mile away from Worthington Hall!"
Relinquishing himself of her grasp, Riggs ran his knuckles through his beard before grumbling, "Missus, jus' relax! Tim told me he'd be here, an' he ain't no liar…you jus' calm yerself down an' get a hold a' yerself!"
"B-but the conductor called for everyone to board five minutes ago!" Rachel frantically persisted. "If he doesn't get here shortly, he'll miss the train!"
Riggs shrugged. "He told me that if he was detained I was ta make sure ya got onboard. If he don't get here soon, you jus' march your pretty lil' self up ta that train, ya hear?"
"No!" Rachel stubbornly argued. "Tim said he wouldn't leave me behind, and I'm not going to leave him, either! If he doesn't get here in time, I'm not going to go to Boston!"
Sighing, Riggs reflected on how this was exactly why he wasn't married, his mouth opening in order to speak just as a familiar presence made itself known on the platform.
Backing away with a horrified gasp, Rachel turned her back on the abhorred reverend with the hopes of finding that it was all just a terrible dream. When she felt his cold and clammy hand on her shoulder, she realized that her hopes were not going to come true.
"Good morning, my dear Rachel" Trask greeted in his distinctively smug manner. "I see that you are intending to take a trip – may I ask where?"
Feeling tears streaming down her cheeks, Rachel shook her head before sobbing, "Oh, please do not torture me this way…I know you are angry, so I beg you to just punish me now!"
"All in good time, my dear" Trask acknowledged, "but it would seem that the good Lord has already taken the liberty of punishing you for me."
Rachel eyed him fearfully. "W-what do you mean by that?"
Reaching into his breast coat pocket in answer, Trask unearthed a soiled handkerchief and held it up for the governess' ever-curious gaze to see. "This, my dear, is your punishment" he revealed with a cruel smirk.
"A soiled hanky?" Rachel questioned, completely bewildered. "I-I'm afraid that I don't understand…"
"I figured that would be your foolish response" Trask admitted, "but I suppose you cannot be held responsible for your tremendous naiveté." Walking about her in a meditative circle, Trask held the handkerchief up at waist level before sustaining, "It is quite a pity that you cannot even recognize the insignia of your own dear friend…do the initials TCM honestly mean nothing to you?"
Feeling a chill seep amidst her blood stream, Rachel trembled before demanding, "W-what have you done to Tim?"
"Me? Why nothing, my dear child" Trask assured her with a chuckle. "It would appear that Tim tried escaping earlier this morning, but my hired help spotted him sneaking out on the veranda. Knowing how you two are never to leave, the good Lord blessed him with the strength and courage to retrieve his pistol, hunt Mr. Shaw down, and smite him like the dirty dog he was."
"No!" Rachel sobbed, "No, it's not true…you're lying!"
Trask couldn't help but laugh. "Am I, my dear? If you had taken a closer look, you would've realized that this hanky is soiled with blood, not grime, and that the blood is Mr. Shaw's. We attempted to staunch the flow just long enough to find your whereabouts, but the wicked soul refused to say anything up to his dying breath. Fortunately for me, I searched his body and found his train ticket, and now…" He smiled malevolently. "…and now I've found you."
A/N: Whew, fun stuff! I just finished making a Rachel/Tim music video, so I was able to get reacquainted with the characters of 1897. Let me just tell you that my love for Rachel/Tim has been completely rekindled, and I think Rachel's officially my favorite KLS character. I really wish that she hadn't left, because I honestly think she and Tim would've eventually become a couple. :( But anywhos, this isn't the last chapter – I know things might seem a little confusing right now, but I promise it'll all be explained in the next chapter! Er…hopefully! ;0P