A/N: Hello! Sorry for the long wait! I hope you forgive me and that this makes up for something?
I hurried up and decided to update today since my birthday is July 11! So its a birthday gift for me! lol
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own El Cazador De La Bruja and its characters, BEE TRAIN does. I do claim ownership for my original characters and story.
Confiar. Trust.
7
"Mami, I don't want this." Karyme whined as she tried jumping but Nadie held her and finished putting the shirt on her, "Stop moving around Karyme, you have to look really pretty okay?" Karyme tried squirming free again, and this time Nadie let her go. The young girl giggled and ran towards the door, but it swung open and Jody entered the cabin, taking Karyme inside along with her.
"Is Kary being a bad girl for mami?" Jody asked as she picked up her niece. "No, I'm being good." Karyme replied with a grin. Jody smiled and placed her down before going over to sit on the bed in front of Nadie who was checking herself on the mirror. "Nadie, you look gorgeous, stop stressing over it." Jody commented as she noticed her friend's worry showing on her facial expression as she almost glared at herself in the mirror.
"Thank you Jody, it's just that I'm really nervous." Nadie said as she looked herself over once more. She was wearing a black cocktail dress with black heels. "Don't be, everything will be alright." Jody affirmed Nadie along with a light squeeze onto her naked shoulder. Nadie smiled, "Thanks Blue-eyes."
Jody laughed, "At your service." A light knock on the door caught the women's attention as Nadie walked over to her door and opened it, "What's the matter officer?" She asked the young man who stood outside. "Your guests have arrived Captain. They are awaiting for you at your table." He informed before saluting Nadie and excusing himself.
Nadie turned and Karyme came running to her, "Rosa is here! Let's go see her!" Nadie glanced over to Jody before meeting her daughter's eyes that reminded her of Ellis every day, "Yes Kary, let's go."
Rosa's foot tapped the floor nervously as she looked around trying to spot Nadie but the entire hall was filled with other tables with people dressed in dresses and suits. Rosa noticed that they were not eating yet and seemed to be looking around as well, as if looking for someone.
"The nerve of this woman. Inviting us to dinner and not being here to welcome us." Carlos muttered as he also looked around. They had been directed towards a table that was on the far edge of the hall, and slightly elevated from the rest of the tables. An ice sculpture of a pair of swans sat on the middle of their large table, with similar smaller statues placed around the dining hall.
The voices in the hall died down suddenly when two officers moved to open the large double doors and Nadie walked in with Karyme walking alongside her, hand-in-hand, and Jody and Jayden following closely behind.
"Good evening." Nadie greeted Rosa and Carlos, although her gaze never left the blonde woman who smiled widely at her, "Good evening Nadie." Nadie quickly sat Karyme beside her own chair that was across from Rosa's. Jody sat on Nadie's left side that was unoccupied and Jayden followed suit beside her. The table was large and rectangular, which meant there was more than enough space left over.
'She…she called me Nadie…' Nadie struggled to give her legs enough strength to remain standing just a while longer as she looked over to the rest of the guests and smiled, "Please enjoy your dinner." The conversations quickly resumed as people began eating.
"I'm glad you could join us tonight." Nadie remarked as she took her seat and her gaze became locked with Rosa's own. "Thank you for inviting us." Rosa said shyly. Carlos threw her a side-ways glance upon hearing the uncharacteristic answer, Rosa never being one to be shy before.
"I don't think we got a chance to introduce ourselves earlier," Jody piped in when the silence became too extended for her liking, Nadie being unable to form coherent sentences at the moment. "My name is Jody Hayward," She began before turning towards Jayden, "And this is Jayden Hayward, my wife." Rosa broke her gaze away from Nadie and smiled, "Nice to meet you both."
Carlos swallowed hard. He could not believe that Rosa just took their introduction so casually. The woman had just called the other one her wife! What kind of people was he surrounded by? 'She acted as if it was the most normal thing to hear from a woman. What is wrong with Rosa? I knew from the beginning that this was a bad idea, and my mother spoke so carelessly about such a serious matter!'
"Nice to meet you too Rosa." Jayden responded, but she did not miss the expression of disgust that Carlos quickly tried to hide upon hearing Jody. She glanced at her wife and Jody recognized the "that-asshole-has-a-problem-with-us-dear" look. Jody returned the look with her own "I-got-it-sweetie" smile. Nadie remained silent throughout this, instead focusing on cutting up the pieces of food in Karyme's plate so that the young girl could grab them and eat them easily. Rosa was now focused on the interaction between them, watching in amazement as Karyme giggled and ate messily, trying to give her mother a hard time but Nadie took care of the situation easily and controlled her daughter by joining the girl with teases and tickling.
Jody realized that Nadie seemed to be trying to avoid the unavoidable, and knew she had to help her friend, "So Carlos, do you and Rosa have children?" Carlos' face lighted up in embarrassment and Rosa just let out a small laugh, "Oh no, Carlos and I aren't married." Disappointment was evident in Carlos but Jody decided to continue, "So are you guys just dating right now?"
By this time Nadie was paying attention to the conversation with her entire focus. "No, we're just friends." Rosa answered without hesitation before Karyme called her name, "Rosa Rosa, where is Simba?" A smile spread on Rosa's lips, "He's back at the house." Carlos took this chance to try to make himself feel and look better in front of the women, "Yea, the dog is at our house."
"You live together?" Jody asked, and Carlos nodded eagerly, "Yes we do." Before Rosa had time to explain their living arrangement, and how she practically was adopted by his parents, the screeching of the chair against the wooden platform interrupted her as Nadie stood from her seat, "Please excuse me. I will be right back."
Jody was about to follow after her friend but Jayden held her back by grabbing her hand before Jody was able to move, Jayden seeing the intentions of her wife rapidly. "Mami?" Karyme asked innocently as she watched her mother leave the hall quickly, and turned to her aunt Jody with tears in her eyes, "Mami? Where is she going? I want my mami." Karyme jumped out of her chair and began running towards the way Nadie left, but Rosa quickly picked her up and cradled her against her, "It's okay Kary, mami will be back." Jody and her wife watched in awe as the girl quickly calmed down in the blonde woman's arms and only pressed herself against Rosa who continued to talk softly to her.
Jayden and Jody had no doubt that blood definitely calls. The picture of Ellis holding her own daughter was a sight to behold, as they looked perfect together, and even those who didn't know the truth were able to see the similarities between the two fair-haired girls, almost exact images of each other, except the age difference and shade of blonde hair.
Carlos cleared his throat, "Since the captain is gone, perhaps it would be better for us to go." Rosa felt Karyme shake her head and say in a muffled voice, "No, Rosa stays with me please." Rosa turned to Carlos with a smile and shrugged, "You can leave if you want, but seems like Kary won't let me go." Carlos rolled his eyes in annoyance and crossed his arms across his chest.
Breathing heavily, Nadie looked up to her reflection on the bathroom mirror. She felt her head ready to explode and her heart felt as heavy as a whole fleet of ships. She wished she could go out there and beat Carlos into a pulp, slam his head into the wall and crush it with the ice sculpture…or perhaps what she really wanted was to scream at Ellis and asked her why she left and why she was acting like a stranger now.
She was unsure of how she felt, but the presence of Ellis was too intoxicating for her.
Nadie was sure that it was Ellis. Her Ellis.
A few minutes later, Nadie reappeared to join them at the table, her expression calm and not showing any kind of upsetting feelings that were actually going on inside her heart, "Please excuse my sudden leave, I just forgot to take care of something earlier."
"It's okay, I took care of Karyme while you were gone." Rosa replied as she sat Karyme once more beside Nadie. The Captain smiled as Karyme hugged her, remembering seeing Ellis holding Karyme softly against her as she walked back towards the group. It brought back so many of the raw feelings she had been trying to control mere seconds before.
"I am sorry if I offend you by asking this, but you really don't seem to be a native of the land here. Where are you really from?" Jayden asked once that everyone resumed their meals, trying to get as much information from Ellis as possible.
"Well…" Rosa shifted in her seat uncomfortably, unsure whether she should tell them the truth. She was about to lie, but one glance at Nadie, and she felt a surge of sadness upon seeing the pain in the Captain's eyes.
For some reason, she couldn't lie to her.
"I am not sure, a few years ago I had some kind of accident or something that caused me to lose my memory. I stumbled upon this town somehow, and his mother," she motioned to Carlos, "found me and took me in. She and her husband practically adopted me and took care of me. They taught me the language and their trade in ship repair, painting, and such."
Nadie's heart beat was so loud she felt embarrassed at the thought that they could probably hear her. But that was the least of her worries as she repeated Rosa's words in her mind.
Accident? Memory loss? Adopted?
"D-Do you have a family?" Nadie asked, for the first time the entire night.
A frown appeared on Rosa's lips, "I don't know. I don't remember anything at all from before I arrived here. I don't even remember how I got here clearly. I just remember waking up in a hospital and then I was walking in a dirt road. Somehow I ended up here."
Carlos cleared his throat loudly and made a show of checking his watch, "It is getting late, we better go now." Rosa's frown did not disappear but she nodded her head, "Yes, we better leave before Maria gets upset that we are out so late. She doesn't like it when we are out in the dark at this hours because she is scared we could get robbed or killed or something."
"Thank you for everything," Rosa said as she and Carlos both stood up, "I really enjoyed it." Jody turned to look at Nadie, waiting for a reaction but Nadie only nodded, "Have a good night."
Rosa seemed to hesitate as she could not take her eyes off of Nadie, feeling a strange pull towards the older woman, but Carlos called to her and she followed.
"Nadie, you can't let her leave like this." Jody began in a rushed voice, "We are leaving tomorrow and this might be your last chance at happiness."
"I can't do anything Jody!" Nadie nearly screamed, but luckily the dining hall was mostly empty and those that were left there quickly left. "She has a whole new life here. She has a family here and in case the obvious didn't register to you, that Carlos is after Ellis…no, not Ellis. My Ellis died a long time ago, this new person is Rosa, and I can't do anything about that."
Nadie turned to grab Karyme who had fallen asleep in the chair, but Jody stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder, "Nadie, that is your Ellis. Something happened years ago, something that tore you guys apart, but now you can fix it. You and Karyme are her real family and no matter what happened years ago, I am sure that if she knew the truth, she would come to you in a heartbeat without looking back because she loves you." Nadie was about to protest but Jody silenced her quickly, "She might've left the hospital that day, but everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance. Not only does she deserve a second chance at life, at happiness, but so do you." Nadie's eyes were now intently locked with Jody's, "Nadie, you know that the only happiness you will ever achieve is with her and this is your last chance. Do it for you and for Karyme as well. She deserves the happiness of both of her mothers. Not just one."
Glancing at her sleeping child, her heart skipped a beat at the thought of Ellis helping her raise Karyme. It had been her dream all this years. Perhaps four years had already passed, but there were more to come and Nadie knew that Jody spoke the truth. Ellis was the only person that Nadie wished to spend the rest of her life with.
"You're right. I will do whatever I can to bring her back." Nadie said before hugging Jody quickly and running away rapidly towards the direction where Ellis and Carlos left.
"You seem rather quiet tonight." Carlos began as they walked across the warm sand. The moon shined brightly overhead as the stars adorned the night sky. "Yea, I guess I'm just tired." Rosa lied easily. She wasn't tired. She was full of energy, full of emotions, and she had no idea where it had all come from. It seemed that the Captain of the ship had an unexpected effect on her, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. Every time her eyes met those of the Captain, she saw so many emotions, so much raw pain and hurt that it caused her own heart to hurt. But amidst those pools of wounds, Rosa could see Love. And she wasn't sure why she could recognize it.
There was just a feeling of longing and want that she could not forget seeing in Nadie's eyes.
"Rosa!"
Rosa and Carlos both turned to find the Captain they had said their goodbyes to minutes before coming towards them. Carlos frowned while Rosa's face lighted up like a sun in the midnight sky.
"Nadie." She breathed softly as the Captain reached them. Nadie heard her name coming from Ellis and knew this was the right thing to do. She promised herself once to do anything for her daughter, but this was beyond that. She was doing this for herself as much as for Karyme, if not more.
Carlos saw that the elegant Captain was barefooted on the sandy beach and her fancy heels she had sported for the night were nowhere in sight. Nadie spared a glance to the guy, trying hard not to glare, "Excuse me Carlos, could you please give me a few minutes with Rosa?"
Rosa turned to Carlos and smiled pleadingly. Carlos gritted his teeth and closed his fists but relented, "Fine. See you at the house Rosa. Don't take too long"
Once Carlos was gone, Nadie turned to Rosa. Their eyes met and neither could help from smiling. Nadie's throat became dry, suddenly this was harder than she had thought to begin with.
"Elli-I mean, Rosa," Nadie began, trying hard not to mess up any more, "I will be departing tomorrow to continue with the schedule of the cruise."
Rosa frowned, "I know, I guess this is goodbye…"
"No," Nadie said quickly, "I don't want it to be." Rosa waited for Nadie to continue. "I mean, I was wondering…you said that you knew stuff about ships right? How about…you…come work in my ship?"
Nadie held her breath unconsciously. She knew that was the stupidest idea she could've come up with, but her mind froze and that was the best she could do at the moment. She just had to get Ellis to stay with her, and she hoped that with enough time she could help her remember.
"In your cruise ship? But…I would love to…but I don't know that much about big ships like that. I usually work in small boats or fishing boats. I am not sure I would be of much help to you there." Rosa replied sadly. She had not realized it until now, but she too wanted to go with Nadie. The thought of being with her and Karyme for longer was just so exciting for her.
Although she didn't know why.
"Hmmm…well," Nadie tried to think of a fast solution, "I am sure my technicians can help prepare you and teach you. You can be their apprentice or something. If not, I can give you another job, as my assistant even!"
Rosa smiled and boldly took a step forward to grab Nadie's hand in her own, "Thank you Nadie. I would love to work as part of your crew."
Nadie's heart twirled around in joy and she felt like a giddy school girl, "Welcome aboard Rosa."
A/N: I hope you guys liked it! It took me forever to write but atleast now you know that Nadie and Ellis will have a chance at love once more! Please review pretty please :D
