*Updated 20-05-2018*

Chapter 70 - Are you man enough now?

Rosa was different.

3 weeks had passed since the incident and nobody knew what to do. She would sleep nearly all day and when she did wake up, she would make no effort with her appearance and simply sit outside on a chair in the sun, eating little fruit.

Vaas did not know what to do. Rosa had forbidden him from calling Hoyt to tell him what had happened; every time he had called Vaas said she was busy away at work. Jane and Raul couldn't bring her out of her slump either. Jane had tried to get closer to her but Rosa only shut her out. The situation was bad.

Vaas was becoming more unpredictable, killing people and taking out his frustration on others as Rosa hadn't even kissed him in the time from it happening to that present day. He only got as close to her cheek and they certainly hadn't had sex. He didn't want to push her; he loved and respected her too much to do that but he was dying inside.

Even the pirates had commented that it was like a light had gone out within her and that the compound felt emptier without her stomping around, commanding them do to things. Rosa just wasn't herself and even she was beginning to notice that it was like a ghost walking around the compound.

Morning broke and Rosa was surprisingly awake.

The bed was beginning to feel irritating so she got up to find herself alone as normal. Vaas was probably having something to eat or setting the pirates tasks for the day. Pulling on some clothes, she carefully walked out of the warehouse and snuck over to the hostage area, so quick that she was almost like a ninja.

They had an influx of new people in, due to it being the summer vacation season and she figured that she could find a little respite there. A pirate was stood guarding the hostages and stood to attention when she arrived.

"Leave." she simply stated.
The pirate scuttled off away from the cages without another word.

She walked up and down the line of people and stopped in front of a man who was fairly good looking considering his surroundings. He looked strong, wore a blue stripy shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some three quarter length shorts. His sneakers were covered in mud and he looked beaten to a pulp. She sat in front of the battered man and sighed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice actually kind.
He seemed different than the other hostages, not shouting or screaming or threatening to kill everyone. He actually seemed calm, which took her by surprise. She felt comfortable around him enough, more than she had done since the incident. This seemed to be a good sign to start talking.

"Quite a few things really." she replied, crumbling dirt in her hands.
She watched as it got into her fingernails and on the palm of her hands but she didn't care. She felt dirty anyway and no number of trips to the beach could seem to fix that.

"I've got all day, sunshine." the man replied with a smile.
She smiled back at him slightly and sighed again. Rosa thought back with deeper meaning. What was wrong? What was wrong with it all?

"Where do I even begin? You understand why we kill people right? We have to make money. I know that it's not always right but we have to survive."
"Exactly. It's like gambling."
She nodded.

"You're right. Take my Father for example. Every day of his life, my grandfather beat him. Every fucking day. He would beat him up and say "the day you fight me back is the day you'll be man enough. You're not man enough!". My Father would be beaten within an inch of his life but he never ever fought back. He just couldn't do it."
The man said nothing, letting Rosa talk.

"Until one day, my grandfather started saying some things, some really shitty things to Hoyt. He then started beating him like he did everyday, only this time was different. My grandfather was strong too, being a miner and all, but that day something inside Hoyt snapped. He was battered on the ground, being kicked in the stomach and caught a glimmer of a knife. His father was screaming at him "You're still not man enough!" so Hoyt got to his feet and fought him for the first time in his life. As his father twisted him around, Hoyt plunged the knife into his neck and as he did so he said "Am I man enough now?". I'll never forget when he told me that story. I think he said he was sixteen years old."

The man in the cage blinked and shuffled closer.
"Go on."
Rosa continued, running her hands through her hair.

"He then hears about this island. He is a week shy of his 18th birthday and he travels out here. He finds a man and his wife own this small slave trading business. It was weird to think about a woman being around in this place besides me, but stranger things has happened I suppose. Hoyt gets in with them and the guy trains him out to fight and shit like that; but to fight properly. My Father then started earning the respect of the men and little by little, they all started liking Hoyt more than the boss."

"I bet the big guy wasn't happy about that." the man said.
Rosa chuckled.
"No, he wasn't. Shall I continue?" she replied.
"Go on."

"Hoyt went to speak to the boss about perhaps co-owning the business but the guy gets real shitty with him, exactly how Hoyt's father used to speak to him. This guy knew everything about his past and started saying "Your Father was right; you'll never be man enough." Hoyt felt a similar snap go through him as he stormed over to the boss, put a knife through the back of his neck as he was looking out of the window and said "I'm man enough now." The business was then his."

Rosa looked up at the hot sun and sighed.

"Why are you telling me this?" the hostage asked.
Rosa shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you want me to finish?"
The man nodded.

"If you hadn't already gathered, Hoyt is not my biological Father. My mother gave birth to me and decided she was unfit to care for me, so put me on a crate in a shipping place and left me. She didn't know where it was going or if I was to survive. She came to me when I was near death and I forgave her for leaving me; she had her reasons and I know that she didn't have another choice if she wanted me to survive."
The man still stared intently at Rosa.

"I am thankful that she decided to to that though. The journey, I believe, took 2 days and when I arrived, Rich found me and passed me to Hoyt. The story of that day became legacy here. I was all Hoyt had ever wanted so he kept me. He raised me right and educated me himself; in good literature and music, basic arithmetic and encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do. He was never cruel or mean and always showered me with love. I was his English Rose."

"Then along comes the boy with the mohawk who now happens to be my husband; my soulmate. 17 years old we were when we met and we've been in love ever since. You'd never expect love here but Vaas and I, well ... we defied the odds. We had a few bumps in the road and lost a baby but we're always together, being badass. We're gonna have a house on a hill when we're 70, ruling over this place. We've stared death in the face many a time and we've always come out the other side. He is me and I am him."

Rosa sat and thought about what she had said and had the sudden urge to go, find Vaas and hug him to let him know that she was going to be alright. Be she didn't.

If she knew what was to come, she would have left then.

"And Hoyt?" the man asked, now sat directly in front of Rosa.
"Still alive and still kicking. He's still my Father and he still owns this multi million dollar industry he's got going on. He's still Hoyt."
"Funny, I thought he'd be different from last time I was here."
Rosa's ears perked up and she frowned at the hostage.

"Last time?" she repeated slowly.
"You don't remember me do you, sunshine?" he asked, showing off his pearly whites.
Rosa looked at him properly and gasped.
"My god." she whispered, realising. His hair, his eyes, his jaw, his shirt.

It was Keith.

The cocky stockbroker, who thought he could do what he wanted. What the hell was he doing back on Rook? She remembered tormenting him, the quick exchange of money over to Buck and that was it.

"What the fuck are you doing back here?" she hissed.
"Stockholm syndrome? My life fell apart back home. I needed Buck, as sick as it sounds. There was nothing for me in New York anymore."
"Liza said you were travelling around Asia."

Keith's hard exterior faltered at the mention of his friend.
"Liza was here?" he asked.
Rosa nodded.
"I let her go. She came back for revenge, with Buck."
"Yeah, I found out you fuckers killed him when I got here."

"Sorry about that. Actually, I'm not sorry, Buck was a cunt." she said, spitting to rid the word from her mouth.
Buck.
"I got caught and here I am."

Rosa moved closer to him and felt her heart pang with guilt. It was like Liza all over again.
"Did Liza make it back?"

"What the fuck did you just say, hermana?" Vaas said, standing behind her.
She got to her feet quickly and her face flushed red. Vaas didn't even acknowledge the fact that she was speaking and almost seemed like her normal self.

"Nothing, nothing."
"I thought you shot Snow in the head."
Everything after that sentence was a quick blur.

"I let her go. She was just trying to get justice for everything. I had to let her go."

Vaas erupted.
"SHE NEARLY FUCKING KILLED US, ROSA! DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT? ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID? WHAT IF SHE COMES BACK!"
He stomped around, cursing in Spanish.

"Get him out of the cage." he said, now deadly calm.
Two pirates pulled Keith out of the cage, who didn't put up a fight.

"Vaas, please. Let him go. He didn't ask for this. Please." Rosa begged.
"Hermana, come on, you can't be serious. I sound like Hoyt but it's what we do around here."
"Please. Can we do the right thing at least once?" she pleaded, eyes filling with tears.
Vaas looked at his wife and then to the freely standing hostage and sighed.

"Please." Rosa mouthed.
"Take him to a boat outside and get him home. We're getting a new shipment in so it doesn't matter of we lose one. I'm doing this shit for you, princesa, okay?" Vaas said turning away.
Rosa was about to thank him but didn't get a chance.

Cold metal pressed to her neck and she gulped.

"Vaas." she squeaked.
He turned to find Keith with a knife to his wife's throat, the two pirates now dead.
"Woah, easy hermano. Calm down. Don't hurt her."

"Why not? You hurt everyone that I loved. I came back her looking for Buck but now that he's dead, want revenge."
"You fuckers always wanted revenge everytime you come here. Just face it; we're untouchable." Vaas replied, smirking.
Keith tightened his grip on Rosa and she whimpered, now afraid.
"She's just a fucking woman. They're always just fucking women." Keith spat, a hint of his old personality coming through.

Rosa snapped, just like Hoyt must have done all those years ago. She was sick of people saying that she was just a women. Without a second thought, she quickly pulled away from Keith before he could realise - something that came to her quickly being an experienced fighter and Keith having none- and intercepted the knife and pushed it into his stomach.

"I'm always woman enough now." she hissed, pulling the knife from his body.

She stabbed him again and again in the gut, until blood poured from his mouth and he fell to the floor. A pirate started clapping and others joined in, looking at what she had done, gathering around the weeping hostages. Vaas rushed over to her and rubbed his hands on his shoulders, mumbling under his breath.

Rosa's breath was fast, like it always was after a kill; she felt on top of the world.

She felt like Rosa again.

She turned to see the pirates all laughing and cheering. Jane and Raul beamed with happiness and Vaas whooped.

"Rosa's back! Rosa's back! Rosa's back!" they started chanting and she laughed joyfully.

Vaas kissed her and she allowed him to for the first time in 3 weeks. Vaas was about to go further before remembering that they had an audience. He pulled away only for her to pull him back in for another kiss, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

She moved away, breathless and happy as the pirates stopped chanting so she could speak. She grinned from ear to ear and her voice boomed around the compound.

"The bitch is back in business."

Hello! I'm back as well as Rosa! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter; it was fun to give some backstory on Hoyt and the orgins of where it all began. I hope you all liked the little twist of Keith coming up in there, it was fun for me to write. Anyways, I'm sorry for the lack of updates but I am currently in exam season and as you can imagine, it's all revise, revise, revise. I was playing FC3 yesterday and this idea came with me and like Hoyt, I had to run with it. Please review, favourite and follow and I will speak to you next time. I love you all, my little cherubs :) x