A/N: Next chappie's gonna be the last folks, so enjoy Roux while you can!
Chapter Nine: Still Here?
"Are you still here?" shouts Bion to Roux the next morning.
"Yes," comes Roux's reply.
"Well you're free to this bank," says Bion, walking away. He unties the mooring on the boats of yours tied to the bank, letting the wind and current slowly pull you along. Roux immediately unties his mooring, and follows. Célina steps up on the last boat, looking towards Roux who is about three meters behind her.
"You just don't know when you've past your welcome do you? Not that you were welcome here anyway, why don't you just leave her alone?" she shouts back to him.
"I can't leave her alone, I love her. So I'll go wherever she is," replies Roux, throwing sticks into the river. You can hear the raised conversation in your boat. You decide to get up. Upon leaving the cabin of the boat you come across the scene. Roux calls to you but you ignore him, walking over to Bion. "If I can't come to you, come to me," he says.
"And what if I don't want to?" you ask bitterly.
"Please," he pleads with you. The boats are getting closer, and you feel you might as well jump over, and tell him to get lost once and for all. So you do jump, and almost fall in the river, but Roux catches you, you shrug your way out of his grasp quickly, and he takes you into his cabin.
"Why are you doin' this to me?" he asks.
"What kind of question is that? You did this to me!" you cry.
"So you're doin' this to me out of revenge, but you still love me?" he asks.
"I never loved you," you say, it's a lie, but maybe it will put him off.
"Yes you did, yes you do, I can see it in your eyes. You're not the only one who can read the future, we're meant to be together. Don't leave me out of spite, I'll never leave you." You sit down, and he sits beside you, taking your hand. "The day after I met you, you read my palm, and told me I was insecure. I am. Over-confident too, you know more about me than I do, just by readin' my palm. You did make me feel insecure, you made me feel like I knew nothin' about myself, and I know you were right, I am stubborn, I am independent, I am narrow-minded, I am romantic, I am all of those things. I don't think you can tell all of those things, just by a hand, I think you know me, I think we're meant to be together. I've missed you like I've ne'er missed anythin' before, and we've only been seperated for a week."
"Free tickets for the guilt trip Roux," you say, a little more calmly. "I've missed you too." You hug him, and he hugs back, softly crying into your shoulder, and vowing never to let you go again. "I hate to think what Bion will think about this. Roux, I don't forgive you, you've still got a lot of grovelling to do. And stay away from Bion and Célina, they can be vicious."
Roux didn't leave, he did stay with you, and when your boats moved on, so did his. A few days passed and it almost seemed like you were one family. Sometimes you slept by Roux in his cabin, sometimes you both slept under the stars on the banks, sometimes you were alone. But you did forgive him over time. But you weren't going to tell him that, you could have so much fun without him knowing. One night, you were both looking up at the stars.
"I knew you'd take me back y'know," he said.
"You're not taken back, you're still on probation, but what makes you think that?" you ask.
"That necklace I gave you, you ne'er took it off."
"Maybe I just like it." It was true, maybe, subconciously, you hadn't taken the necklace off because you wanted to be with Roux. Maybe it did have supernatural powers that would draw you together again.
"Maybe," he agrees, snuggling into your arms.
The next morning, you told Roux you'd forgiven him, and you'd asked Marella how she felt about having another party. You could have guessed what she'd say. No sooner had the words left your mouth was she organizing things. You could see that Célina and Bion were trying to make friends with the other gypsies, and not having much success, but you and Roux both thought it was funny. Night drew in, and a bonfire was lit, food was toasted, and it was the traditional gypsy party that you love.
Your father had told Roux that he was happy for him and his family to travel with you, if they wanted to, and they accepted the offer, so now you're are one big family. You know everyone was uncomfortable at first, not to say the least your father, but he knew that if he wanted you to stay with him, he'd have to accept Roux, which he did.
Between eating and dancing, you take Roux over to your cabin.
