Chapter 1

She looked up and let the cold water run down her face. It was morning and this was her normal routine. Yes she took cold showers every day. It was not for the many reasons people did. She was never energy efficient. No Rosie "leave-the-tv-on-all-night" Martin was not concerned with energy. She took cold showers every morning to wake herself up. It was probably the only piece of advice she took from her dear old mother. Rosie was a classic dreamer. She could stay in her dream state long after she woke up. She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried herself and her hair and pated her face dry. The tear stains of late night were long gone. She had cried herself to sleep. Something she doesn't normally do. She wrapped the damp towel around herself and sat down on the toilet. She didn't want to leave the safe haven of the bathroom just yet. She enjoyed the warm summer breeze that flowed through the window. She couldn't think of the last time she cried so hard. Especially over a guy. She took a deep breath and reached for the door. She hoped Tanya wasn't up yet. She opened the door to the room her and her best friend shared. No such luck. Tanya was up and about. As soon as Rosie sat down on her bed, Tanya spoke.

"Hey. You ok?" she asked also sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah I'm fine." Rosie replied. She sighed. "Are you gonna go take a shower?" she asked. Tanya nodded and smiled. "See you in an hour!" Rosie joked. Tanya laughed and shut the door. Rosie got dressed and stepped out onto the balcony. The events of last night replayed in her mind.

~Flashback~

Rosie stared at nothing in particular. She shook her head as her bottom lip quivered. She got up from the table she was sitting at and walked in the main courtyard. The party was slowly coming to an end however people were still dancing. Donna and Sam were having their reception. She saw everyone smiling and having a good time, then she saw him. He was by the bar having a drink. That did it for her. She walked as fast as she could out of the courtyard, trying to hold back tears. Tanya saw her and followed her.

"Rosie?" she called out. Rosie then broke into a run. Tanya, worried for her friend, kicked off her heals and ran after her. Rosie bust into their room and jumped on her bed. Tanya showed up moments after, completely out of breath. She was about to make some smart remark about Rosie running, but held her tongue when she realized Rosie was crying. Instead she sat down on the bed to catch her breath. She put her arms around her friend. Rosie turned and sobbed into her shoulder. Tanya rubbed her back gently. "It's ok. It's alright." Tanya repeated over and over again. They stood like that for a couple of minutes. Rosie was still sobbing as Donna came in. She was smiling.

"Oh no Sam." she said. "I just forgot something in here." She turned to the pair. Her expression changed in an instant. "What happened?" she asked her eyes wide. Tanya shrugged her shoulders. Donna took her place on the other side of Rosie. She hugged her friend. The three sat there, rocking back and forth. Soon Tanya began to hum. Then Donna joined in. It was the tune of Chiquitita. When the song ended they both looked to Rosie. She finally spoke.

"It's Bill." she said looking up.

"What about him?" Tanya asked.

"If he did anything to you…" Donna began protectively.

"No he didn't do anything to me." Rosie said. "Just break my heart." she added with a sob.

"What do you mean?" Tanya asked again.

"Well," Rosie began "you know how we sang that song?"

"Yeah" Donna nodded.

"Well we started talking and he just said he couldn't do it." Rosie sobbed out.

"Do what?" Donna asked incredulously.

"That's the thing. I don't know. I didn't bombard him with questions. He seemed scared." Rosie told the two.

"What did you ask him?" Tanya asked.

"I asked him if he meant what he said and he said yes. Then we started talking. Then out of nowhere he said he was sorry and that he couldn't do it." Rosie took a breath. "Maybe he didn't mean what he said." Donna and Tanya looked at each other. They burst out laughing. "You guys!" Rosie exclaimed.

"We're sorry," Donna began "but it's so funny!"

"What is?" Rosie asked confused.

"He's crazy about you Rose! Any dysfunctional goat could see that! Besides would he have been playing tonsil hockey with you if he didn't" Tanya said finally.

"Oh I don't know. He ran away from me, literally!" Rosie said to Tanya.

"Well he just got intimidated." Tanya replied. She caught Rosie's confused look. "You're a whole lot of woman. He doesn't know if he can handle you."

"Well he's never gonna find out if he's scared." Rosie said lying back on the bed.

"That's why you have to teach him how to handle you." Tanya said raising an eyebrow. It took a minute to sink in. Then Rosie finally got it.

"No!" she said getting up from the bed. "I'm not going to do that. No"

"Why not?" Tanya asked following Rosie to the window.

"Because it wouldn't mean anything. If I'm going to have sex with him I want it to mean something." Rosie said.

"If I could say something," Donna started "coming from someone with experience with Bill, I found that he needs a little bit of a push in the right direction every now and then. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he loves you. You just need to show him that you're ready to…" Donna paused for a minute.

"Take a chance on him" Rosie finished. She laughed a bit. But then remembered what that song stood for. She was overcome with sadness again. She looked at her friends. "I'll think about it." They heard a knock at the door.

"Donna?" a voice said anxiously. It was Sam.

"I'll be right there Sam!"she looked to Rosie.

"Go Donna." she told her.

"I don't want to leave you." Donna said sympathetically.

"I'll be fine. Go spend the night with your new husband." Rosie said smiling. She wiped her face with a tissue Tanya handed her. Donna gave a big hug.

"I know you'll do the right thing." Donna whispered to her. With that she left. Rosie curled up in her bed.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Tanya said. Rosie barely heard her. Rosie curled up in her bed. She didn't even bother to change her clothes. She began to tear a little once Tanya was gone. She thought about what Tanya had said. She then drifted off to a deep sleep.

~End Flashback~

Rosie gathered her things for the beach. Donna was already down there. She had sent a letter to Rosie and Tanya earlier that morning to meet her down there. Rosie had to wait for Tanya, who took forever, to get ready. When she was, the two Dynamos headed down. When they got there Donna waved to them from underneath a cabana. Rosie and Tanya settled down in beach chairs. Tanya was, as always, the first one to speak.

"So, how was it?" she asked Donna.

"How was what?" Donna asked in turn.

"Last night. Duh" Tanya said taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh that! Incredible!" Donna said excitedly. "Is it bad that I can still feel it?" They all laughed. Rosie, who was desperately trying to put on a happy face for Donna, looked to the sand. Silence fell between the women. Donna broke the silence cautiously. "So Rosie, did you think about what Tanya said?" she asked.

"Yeah I did." Rosie said looking up.

"And?" Tanya probed further.

"And I think," Rosie took a deep breath "you guys are going to have to help me get ready for tonight." Tanya squealed. Donna smiled as she lay back in the chair she was sitting in. Rosie moved to the hammock. "Because God knows I don't remember anything about that." she put extra emphasis on the word that. This was going to be a long day.