~Chapter Thirteen~
Rosa panted, she was tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of it all. She stopped to rest her hands on her knees, gasping for air as she did. Though she could hear the footsteps behind her she couldn't move. Time seemed to stop and an unsettling chill fell over her. The crunch of leaves underfoot were slow and methodical. She could hear the harsh breaths of the creature behind her, reminding her of a lion closing in on its prey.
It's only a matter of time, Merilwen...I will find you.
The words shook her and she was finally able to move again but it was too late. She saw the darkened form dart around her until he stood before her. His claw curled around her throat, pressing hard against her windpipe.
Rosa screamed as she woke, tears trailing down her unwashed face. She turned over searching for Boromir. She looked at his stiff body with sadness.
It's all your fault. Again.
She covered her face with her hands and waited for the tears and shaking to stop. This couldn't be happening.
You killed him... You killed them both.
She pulled her hands away from her face, they were wet with blood. Gasping she scrambled towards the river and dipped her hands into the cold water, watching as the blood washed away. Rosa sat back on her heels drawing her cold hands in as she wrapped her arms around herself. Slowly she rocked herself back and forth.
Rosa jumped when she felt warm arms encircle her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Johnathan's smiling face. She turned in his arms clutching his chest as she buried her face in his shirt. His warm hands rubbed her back as he shushed her small whimpers.
"It's all right."
Rosa sobbed harder and he pulled her in closer, lifting her body as he shifted them so they were laying down.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He looked down at her, "Rosa," she shook her head against his chest, "Rosa, look at me." He lifted her chin until her tear rimmed blue eyes could be seen.
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
She shook her head again, tears falling on her cheeks, "You're wrong. I-
He pressed his lips against hers and she tried to pull away but he pulled her closer. One hand on either side of her face, wiping the tears away. He pulled back just far enough so that their noses were barely touching.
"Its okay, Rosa. It wasn't your fault, I know that. I promise, Baby, it wasn't your fault."
This time when he kissed her, she returned it, pressing herself closer to him. Her hands moved up his chest and into his hair as his hands gripped her hips. With a small movement she was in his lap, and pulling at his shirt. When they finally pulled away she gasped, it wasn't Johnathan in front of her but Boromir.
Rosa woke with a gasp, "Holy hell!" she rolled onto her stomach with a groan. Her dreams had always been strange but that had never happened before. Not that her thoughts weren't increasingly becoming about Boromir. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed him before, he was extremely handsome. The sort of handsome that made you question whether or not you were dreaming. He was tall, broad, and masculine, not the sort of man who could go unnoticed. His hair was longer than she was used to seeing but it suited him, matching well with his intriguing hazel eyes. His hands were large and calloused but had been surprisingly gentle against her when they kissed, despite the passion she felt from his lips. Rosa shook herself, what was she doing? She couldn't sit around day dreaming about Boromir.
Sitting up, she looked around her, recalling the events of the night before. Though she had managed to come through remarkably unscathed, excepting a rather nasty bruise and scrape or two, Boromir had not. Her skills as a doctor, finally proved useful but Aragorn pacing about her only made her hands more nervous until she finally shouted at him and then put him to work as her nurse. She chuckled, now that things weren't so dire it was an amusing thought.
Morning still had not come, which was no surprise to Rosa. She had never been able to sleep well when she had a patient in critical care. Stretching her body she stood and walked over to where Boromir was laying. She had removed the arrows and stopped the bleeding but she was still concerned, more about infection than anything else. The wounds were stitched and his heart beat was steady but she was hesitant to leave him unwatched because he still hadn't woken up.
Sighing Rosa looked around. They were laying in that same camp that they had made on the shore of the river. It felt so empty. So cold. She groaned, Would it be all right to leave him in search of firewood? Would it even be safe? She glanced back at him then at the ashes of the fire that had long since died out.
I'll only be gone a minute, she told herself. A minute is all it takes, the little voice said. Rosa stopped and looked back at Boromir. Then shivered.
Damn it.
When Boromir's eyes opened he felt warm...and heavy? Why does my chest feel heavy? He looked down to see Rosa curled against his side, both their cloaks and blankets on top of them. He could tell by the cold wind on his face that she was only there to keep them warm and the thought was disheartening. He wasn't sure what he wanted her reasons to be but wondered why she didn't just start a fire. When he looked around more he realized it was just them. Worried, he sat up abruptly only to collapse back down with a groan of pain.
Rosa shot up beside him, sleep quickly fading from her eyes, "Wha- Boromir? Are you okay? What is it?" Her hands searched his body as her words poured out. She pulled at his shirt, lifting it until she had clear sight of the wounds. His muscles clenched against her cold fingers and he watched her as her fingers darted around, loosening the bandages. Rosa never noticed his breath quickening. Despite the pain his body reacted to her touch, much as it had when she kissed him. He shifted again, if he let his thought continue this way...no.
She grumbled as he started shifting, it was much easier to work before when he was unconscious.
"Stop squirming!"
"I'm not squirming! Your hands are cold." He nearly laughed at his own words, if only that were the reason. He was having difficulty reigning in his body's reactions.
Rosa shot him daggers, "Well my cold hands saved your life! So stop. Moving."
Boromir sighed as he gave in. Laying his head back down on the ground, "Where are the others?" After a few moments of silence he lifted his head so he could see her. She had finished cleaning the wounds and replacing the bandages and was now sitting on her heels, chewing the inside of her cheek. She was trying to find a delicate way of telling him.
"They've gone after the Uruk-hai..."
His eyebrow raised, she looked suspicious, "Why?"
Her eyes met his briefly before they fell to the ground, "To save Merry and Pip. They were taken." She pressed her hands against the uninjured parts of his chest, "Don't get up. You need to rest."
"I'm fine. Just move." He tried to brush her hands away and sit up.
"Can it, Mr. Tough Guy! You're not fine so stop moving!"
"I don't need you to coddle me, I've survived worse!" he shouted back.
"You should have died! I saved you and now I'm telling you to fucking lay down and rest! I'll be damned if I sit by and watch you die too!" She shouted. His eyes silently watched as her temper abated...too? And for the first time since the infuriating and beautiful woman had come into his life, Boromir wondered about her past.
Rosa huffed angrily and stormed away from him, muttering something about 'cold hands' and 'getting firewood'. Boromir watched her retreating figure and smiled to himself. She certainly wasn't like other women.
Unable to rest he found himself awaiting her return. He wished to apologize, his temper had gotten the better of him and he certainly shouldn't have shouted. He hated to admit but a part of him reveled in angering her. The way her blue eyes flared with passion, the purse of her full lips. How soft and warm they had been. He wanted them again, to taste them, her. He wanted her. It wasn't until two hours later that she finally returned and he was unreasonably glad for it. Taking a few seconds to judge her mood he opened his mouth to speak.
"No."
"I didn't even say anything," he said indignantly. Apologizing might be harder than he thought.
"I don't care. I'm not speaking to you!" she declared, dropping the firewood beside the settled ashes. She didn't want to fight with him again, she just wished for silence. And to be warm.
"Aren't you speaking to me right now?"
Rosa glared at him. Oh, if looks could kill. Boromir raised his hands in submission, "Alright fine, but can you at least tell me what Aragorn expected us to do? Surely he didn't expect we should just sit here whilst they save the world," he said, finishing his sentence with satisfaction, he would make her speak to him.
She eyed him but his expression gave nothing. He was all masculine innocence...if there was such a thing.
"No, of course not. But we couldn't exactly go running off with them, you're injured! He said we're to meet him in Rohan...not that he took the time to ask if I even knew where that was!"
Boromir watched her frustration with amusement, her blue eyes reflection her emotions quite well as she went on speaking.
"...and we don't have a map even if he did. I was thinking we could continue down the river...hopefully that will get us close enough to...I don't know, ask for directions?" Her tongue darted out to wet her lips before she continued speaking. Not that Boromir was listening. No. His thoughts were very much focused on her lips. Then her neck. And, how he hadn't noticed earlier was beyond him, her dark hair falling in soft curls. His fingers ached to touch it again, to fell the soft tresses beneath his calloused hands. She was strong, he had no doubt of that but her body was every bit as soft and wonderful as he had imagined. The feel of her pressed against him was a warm and pleasing memory.
"...Are you even listening to me?" Rosa snapped sharply. His eyes darted back up to hers.
"Yes, of course. We're going to Rohan."
Rosa sighed, "Anyway, we won't be able to travel for a while longer. I don't want to risk you tearing a stitch open."
Now his attention was finally on her words, "What?! We can't just sit here until I'm fully healed."
"Well you can't be walking around."
"You said we would travel down the river. I don't have to be fully healed to sit in a boat."
"So you were listening."
Boromir smiled, "Partially."
Rosa rolled her eyes and continued stoking the fire, then moved to set down beside him, "You hungry?" His eyes swept up her figure one last time. Yes, yes he was.
"I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea."
"It's a little late to be saying that, isn't it? We've been on this river for days, why now?"
Boromir pointed ahead of them and Rosa turned her neck to look behind her. A waterfall. And they were headed right for it. It didn't take long for panic to take over and by the time Boromir had calmed her they could hear the rushing water ahead.
"What are we going to do?"
"Put your bag on."
"You're not about to tell me to jump out are you?"
Boromir wanted to laugh at her, "No, woman, I wouldn't be able to fight the current at this point. And I'm certainly not leaving you alone to try." He pulled his bag over his shoulders before shifting himself lower, "Now lay down."
"What?! You want me to lay down. There isn't enough room and...And-
"Lay. Down."
Rosa groaned and leaned forward and laid against Boromir's chest. She watched as he gritted his teeth, "I'm hurting you."
"The pain will pass," his eye locked with hers, "and if we don't survive this fall then it won't matter either way."
She nodded and clung tightly to Boromir, oddly enough she found this waterfall more terrifying than the Uruk-hai. Rosa shivered and heard Boromir murmur, "It'll be all right," just before the feeling of falling overtook her. The spray of ice cold water was all she felt before the boat landed again and wobbled, threating to dump them in the river.
When the boat finally calmed and resumed its calm path down the river Rosa and Boromir sat up, "Let's never do that again."
She heard Boromir chuckle, "Agreed." When she looked up at him, he was staring at her intensely, a strong desire present in his eyes. Only then did she realize she was straddling him. She knew that she should move but her body refused. It was warm and felt right.
"Rosa..." his voice was husky and strained, he was fighting his overwhelming desire to kiss her. His hand reached up and caressed her cheek. His fingers softly traced her lips and her eyes fluttered closed. Her hands were now bracing themselves on his shoulders. As he leaned forward her hands slid down his chest. His chest, oh god what am I doing?! He's badly injured and here I am trying to jump his bones and suddenly her eyes snapped open.
"No."
The word came out softly, more of a whisper than anything else but Boromir had heard it. He stopped moving, he was about to ask why when she scrambled out of his lap and to the other side of the boat, barely managing to not fall out in the process. Rosa looked out at the shore for something, anything, to focus on. When she saw the horses she wasn't sure what to feel. Her eyes lingered, they were beautiful creatures...at a distance. Rosa noticed that these horses were larger than the ones she had seen in Rivendell. Further on the coast she could see warriors, clad in intricate armor. There were hundreds of them, she wondered what they were doing as each of them was clearly prepared for battle.
"Boromir?"
"I see them," She watched his expression change to a wary one, until recognition lit his face, "the Rohirrim."
"The what now?"
"The riders of Rohan, they should be able to help us."
Rosa raised an eyebrow, "Should?"
A/N: Well it's short but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! As always pleeeeeeaaaaase Review! Thoughts? Criticisms? Glaring spelling errors? Boromir is super awesome? Rosa is super awesome? Both? Telllll meeee! :)
