~The Rose~

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:36 am

Chapter 22
*Making Escape Plans*

Simon could see how upset Tatiana was when she came thru the door, he was just about to stand and greet her, when he notices someone watching her from outside. He greets her with kisses on each cheek, and then they sit and order some coffee.

Tatiana tells Simon what has happen, why she has to quit and get away from everyone. He understands and can see how much she cares about Sebastien. He is concerned about the man standing at the edge of the block, with a view of her in the restaurant. He sits thinking for a bit, then tells her to head off to the ladies room for a few minutes, he will come and get her after he makes a call.

Simon is thinking, when Antwan comes to join him at the table, they have known each other for many years. Simon tells him of the man that is following his lawyer, he has Antwan call it in to the police station, reporting that one of his customers is being stalked. The Police arrive shortly to find the man outside the restaurant watching for Tia.

They take him in at the insistence of Antwan, this will give Simon time for his plan to go into action. As soon as the man and the police are gone, Simon finds Tatiana in the back room waiting. He gets her keys to her home and car. He leaves them with Antwan and tells him to wait for one of his Detectives to arrive and she will take it from there.

Antwan wishes them both a good afternoon, they leave thru the back way, to the Limo waiting for Simon. They are heading to the office, and then off to a private plane, for her first part of her journey, away from Franco and unfortunately Sebastien.

When they get to the office, Simon heads to his and contacts Taylor, she will have everything ready. The double for Tatiana is waiting for them. Simon gives them all the information to get the lady to Tatiana’s place, for her to replace his lawyer.

Taylor leaves and takes the woman to Antwan’s, to pick up the car and keys before staying overnight with her at Tatiana’s place. Simon has some last minute papers that need to go to Paris, so he is sending Tatiana to Seb’s mother. When Taylor arrives in two days, they will head off on Simon’s jet to one of his unknown homes on another Continent.

Here Tatiana will stay till Simon can deal with Franco, and make sure Sebastien is still safe. Tatiana after hearing all the plans Simon has made and put into place, is glad she went to her boss.

At least Sebastien is going to be safe, bonus is that she will not have to marry that low down creep. She has some fear about meeting Sebastien’s mother, but feels she will just have to deal with that when the time comes. By late evening Tatiana is winging her way to Paris, France. Simon had made arrangements for clothes and transportation to Marlena’s home.

Meanwhile back in London Sebastien’s arriving at Simon’s estate, he had gone to pick up Tia for their date, only to find Taylor and another woman house sitting for Tia. Neither lady could give him any information on where Tia was. All they said was to see Simon.

Simon didn’t want to hurt Sebastien, but he had to make sure Seb didn’t know the truth about Tia, till they had their hands on Franco, and then he would help fix things between them.

“Simon, sorry to intrude on your evening, but I went to pick up Tia for our date, and was told by Taylor I needed to talk to you. Why are those ladies at Tia’s house?”

“Yes I sent her out of town on a last minute job, it came up very fast and she needed to be in Las Vegas as soon as possible. She won’t be back for a while Seb. She is meeting a man named Franco Mandel there.”

“Who is this man?”

“He is an exboyfriend, he contacted her and has ask her to marry him. So I assume they will be getting married, while she is working in Las Vegas for the next few weeks.”

“Married? That can’t be Simon, she and I have been dating, we have even slept together.” This was not really any of Simon’s business, but Seb wanted him to know he was serious about Tia. He wanted her in his life. Now she had run off to marry another man. He was not only confused, but had she played him for a fool?

“Look Seb, when she gets back, If she comes back you can talk to her then, and find out what is going on. For now she is still working for me, so I expect her back in about 6 weeks or less.”

“I am sorry to have bothered you Simon, thanks for the information.” Seb stood up and walked out the door slamming it hard as he went.

Simon hated to lie to him, but for both his and Tia’s sake it was best for now.
Now he had to worry about keeping two of his Divo’s safe from Nut Cases.
He thought he needed a vacation and it couldn’t come too soon.

Seb didn’t know where to go, he couldn’t go talk to Urs, he had enough problems, and wanting to get some time with new bride. He wondered if David or Carlos were at home? He got into his car and sat for a few minutes, he couldn’t believe she had played him for a fool. Was that all she wanted to do, was bed a Divo?
He started up the car and headed to Carlos place, maybe David would be there too. He needed to talk to someone and find something to drink.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:15 am

Chapter 23
*Urs & Sydney*

After cleaning up they headed up stairs to their bedroom, Sydney looked at Urs, he was smiling at the thought of having her here close to him. Sydney walked to her side of the bed to turn on the lamp, hitting the wedding gift, knocking it to the floor, being crystal it shattered into thousands of pieces. She had for gotten about leaving it there, she was looking at Urs undressing when she hit it.

“I am sorry Urs, I think our wedding gift is ruined.” Sydney looked down on the floor seeing something small looking like a tiny camera.

“It is alright love, whoever sent it will just have to understand. Accidents do happen.” Urs walked to her side of the bed and was looking at the floor as Sydney bent down to pick up something.

“Urs I think we have a problem here.” She raised her finger to her lips showing him to not speak. She gripped the cam in her fingers and then moved to the bathroom. Urs followed trying to figure out what she was doing.

Sydney took the tiny cam and put it in a towel and then motion for them to leave the room. They headed downstairs and as Urs got the broom and dustpan for the glass, Sydney picked up her cell and phoned Simon. Urs still had no idea what it was she had found, but he headed up stairs and began cleaning up the broken gift.

Sydney waited till Simon had arrived, before telling them both that the gift had to have come from Misty after breaking it, and finding a high tech Mini Cam inside the swan. They took Simon up stairs to the bathroom, where Sydney had left the Mini Cam in the towel, Simon open up the towel and could see it was a Mini Cam, with a high tech microphone attached to it. He picked up the towel, moving his mouth to say thank you, without making a sound.
While they had been downstairs they had told Simon the gift arrived with the postmark of London, so she had to be in the City somewhere.

He would contact Taylor, and get her working on this as well as Seb’s problem. Soon after he left, they headed back upstairs, Urs needed a shower so Sydney started to change.

She could hear the shower running, she so wanted to go to him and join him. Finally she told herself that if she wanted a real marriage with this wonderful man that she needed to get her fear of Misty under control, to just enjoy the life they would make together. Misty would wait, and when she did show her face they would be a couple, working against her. Slowly she removed the rest of her clothes, opening the bathroom door she walk to the shower, she opened it stepping in behind the man that would be her husband for eternity.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:37 pm

Chapter 24
*Did Someone Say Shower?*

Sydney touched his shoulders, they were strong and tight, she wanted him to know she was there. He slowly turned to look at his beautiful wife. Her body was so sensual, perfect, he couldn’t stop running his eyes all over her.

“Urs, do you want me to go?” She asked when he didn’t say anything.

“Nein, don’t you dare!” He reached over and pulled her to his body, she could feel his excitement pushing at her thighs.

“I love you Urs!” Sydney reached up and kissed his lips, softly at first. But then he took over and deepened their kiss.
She had been with very few men in her life, but she wanted to give herself and her love to this one man forever.

She pulled back and ran her hands and eyes over his gorgeous body. She had never seen perfection before, but it was standing there in front of her.

“Love me Urs, make me your wife.”

“I love you too Sydney, come here and let me show you.” He pulled her against him again. This time he lifted her up, as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

It didn’t take him long to join them as one, then proceeded to take her on a journey to ecstasy. After they made love in the shower they washed each other.

Then Urs helped her out of the shower, proceeding to dry her off, touching every inch of her body lighting a fire inside them both. He dropped the towel, then picking her up, carrying her to their bed, where they would begin their life as man and wife.

Throughout the night, they showed each other just how much they loved each other. Later they drifted off to sleep with Sydney lying across his chest.

That is how Misty found them, when she snuck into the room. Misty had conned a key from the maid for Urs’s room, claiming to be the new Mrs. Buhler.

She was angry when she had watched them making love in the shower, but then they had spent a good part of the evening, making love over and over again. All she could think was it should have been her, in his heart and in his bed.
Now she was watching them sleep, entangled in each other’s arms. What could she do, he had made Sydney his wife, now she had no chance of being his, unless Sydney were DEAD!

*Over at David’s Place*

Seb arrived at David’s, to find him and Carlos having lunch. After getting settled, the guys all sat and talked about what had been happening.

Seb proceeded to tell them what had happen with him and Tia, and how he had thought her to be his soul mate, his *The One*. Both guys were shocked that Seb had become involved with Tia, but were even more shocked to find that she had ran out on him, for another man.

Seb proceeded to drink till he couldn’t stand, so they took him to the spare room and put him to bed. They felt bad for their brother, they could see how much, of what she had done to him had taken its toll. He was their brother and the one in the group that was the gentle one, they knew he had not given his heart easily, they hoped after a bit he would be over this and move on.

As Carlos walked to the living room, something kept inching in to his head, he didn’t think the story of what happen was all of it. He didn’t think Seb lied, maybe Seb just had been lied too. This was something he would have to talk to Simon and Taylor about.

Tia arrived at Marielle Izambard’s home the next morning, Marielle was expecting her. Simon had filled her in on what was happening, and ask her to help keep Tia there, till he could move her some place safer.

Simon made it clear to Marielle, that this was the woman Seb was in love with. What she wanted to know was Tia in love with her son?

Marielle Izambard was a strong force when it came to her son, she wanted him happy, but she had met some of the other ‘Bimbo’s’ Seb had been with before. She was not impressed with them. This Tia was not like those women; just from the moment Tia came in, she could tell this was a woman with honor and pride.

She was happy Seb had found such a woman, she understood why Tia was in hiding, but she wondered if this would put Seb in danger from this man?

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:38 pm

Chapter 25
*Trapped*

Urs had turned to pull Sydney to his side, he covered them up with the bedspread, when from the corner of his eye he notice something move. He barely open his eyes to see Misty, standing near the bed looking at him and Sydney. He couldn’t help but wonder how she had gotten in. But that thought went to the way side, when he realized Sydney didn’t have a clue, that her sister had been watching them making love. He needed to protect Sydney, he hoped that the guards in the control room could see the cam angle, and see where she was hiding.

They had installed a cam setup to monitor the bedroom, the doorway to the hall and bathroom, they had been careful not in involve Urs’s side of the room, where he slept. They did not want to intrude on his private life.

Simon had ordered round the clock surveillance, so when Misty was seen standing at the foot of the bed after coming out of the closet, the guards were on the phone to Simon and Taylor toot sweet.

Urs knew they were watching the room, so he just held Sydney tight and pretended to go back to sleep, so as to not give away any hint to Misty, that he knew she was there. He knew she would go after Sydney, should either or both wake and find her there.

Taylor was the first to arrive, she had the spare keys so she let herself in the front door. Quietly she crept up the stairs. Sydney was still sleeping, Urs could see when Taylor was coming thru the hallway. She got his attention and without moving anything but his eyes, he glanced in the direction of the closet for Taylor to know where she was still hiding.

In a few minutes Urs turned Sydney over and kissed her lips, he wanted to wake her and let her think they were going to make love, or go down for a late night snack.

Taylor was still in the hall, waiting for her team to be in place, after they got Urs and Sydney out of the room. Urs reached over and got Sydney’s robe, wrapping it around her. He gathered his jeans and zipped them up, then took her hand as they headed downstairs. Misty watched them thinking well they would be back soon. Urs turned out the bedroom light as they left the room so Misty could not see, anything or anyone that came in to the room.

Taylor’s guy across the yard on the next roof, had a heat sensor rifle he was able to get a shot of her in the closet, due to the registering of her body heat source. They didn’t plan to kill her, but use a tranquillizer bullet to knock her out.
Sydney was confused to find all the people in the house, she looked to Urs as he took her to the office, he sat her in his lap and told her that Misty had been up stairs, watching them making love. He told her that he had opened his eyes enough to see her, standing at the edge of the bed staring at them.

Sydney was stunned but in all honesty not surprised, after all she had put them thru. She was just glad they had people here to handle it, so that Urs would not be hurt again.

They heard a shot and then a lot of screaming, then a loud thump. Urs held Sydney close, they stayed where they were. They didn’t want to see her, but if only to know she was going away, to never bother them again. But they would wait for Taylor to give them the all clear.

Sydney was thinking how wonderful it would be for them to have their married life ahead of them, without worrying about her crazy sister hunting them like wild animals.

While they were waiting, Sydney decided to ask Urs a question that had been on her mind for a few days. She hoped his answer would be the one she wanted to hear.

“Urs, can I ask you something?”

“Sure love what is it?”

“I was just wondering, we hadn’t had a chance to talk about our future yet. Do you want children?”

“With you love maybe a dozen or more.” Urs smiled at her shocked look.
“Wow a dozen, or more? Well how about a couple to start ok?”

“Anything you want my love. I want children with you more than anything. When do you want to start on our family?”

“Is it possible after this is over for us to get away, on a honeymoon?”

“Where would you like to go love?”

“I would like to go to Switzerland if that is ok? Maybe for a week or two. I would first like to meet your family, then maybe rent a Swiss Chalet in the Alps please.”

“That sounds wonderful, I know the perfect place to go. I will make the arrangements in the morning if you’re sure?”

“I am sure Urs; I love you and thank you for understanding.” Sydney reached up and kissed his soft lips. They both held back knowing someone could come in any minute.

They stayed cuddled in each other’s arms for a while.

Upstairs Taylor and her team had Misty in handcuffs, they had found her spare key to the apartment. After the ambulance arrived from the private security company they used, they were ready to take her out. Taylor brought Sydney and Urs to see that they had caught her, that they would make sure she never bothered them again.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:15 pm

Chapter 26
*Tia and Sebastien Reunite*

2 weeks have passed since Misty was caught and put behind bars. She would be moved to a Security Mental hospital, till all the tests came back and then she would stand trial, for two counts of attempted murder and one count of kidnapping, along with minor infractions such as stalking.

Tia has been at Seb’s mother’s house for the past two weeks, but today she was on a plane headed for Simon’s secret hideaway. Only Simon knew of the place, so he felt that would be the best plan, till he could put his plan into action concerning Franco.

Sebastien was sent on a trip to destination unknown to the others. This was for Simon and they had no choice but to take Simon’s word, that he would be fine and return in a couple of weeks. Sebastien arrived last night and made himself comfortable in the main bedroom, he had no idea why he was here, only that Simon had insisted he needed to get away, after what had happen with Tia. Finally he broke down giving in and headed of for parts unknown.

He walked around checking out the place, it was hidden in the deep part of the property, the only other home was a guest house close to the gates. He went out the sliding glass doors to find a private white sand beach. No one was anywhere to be seen. If this had been something he had wanted to enjoy, it would have been better with Tia he thought.

He still had no idea where she was or, why she had ran out on him. He didn’t believe the story Simon had told him about another man, but he had no reason to doubt him. He wondered would he ever get over the feelings of betrayal, and move on to find a woman that truly loved him. He had been searching most of his adult life, and thought he had found that soul mate in Tia. How could he have gotten it so wrong?

Well he hoped he wouldn’t have to see her again anytime soon, he was not sure he wouldn’t tell her off. He couldn’t believe she would run off, to marry another man in Vegas when she had slept with him.

He made himself some dinner from the well-stocked kitchen, and then headed up for a shower; he was tired from the plane trip, so he decided to get some sleep so after cleaning up, he headed up to what he knew would be a soft comfortable bed.

He dropped the robe on the floor, and climbed into the bed au naturel. After thinking of Tia, for a few more minutes he finally drifted off to a deep sleep. He would wake suddenly later to the shock of his life.

Tia had been dropped off at the front door by Simon’s driver, the trip over from Paris had been long and tiring, and on top of that she was hungry. The driver placed the luggage at the door, as she thanked him he drove back out the long gated drive.

She used the key that Marielle had given her from Simon; she picked up her luggage, carrying it in to the main hall and closing the door, and locking it before turning around, to take in the elegant splendor of the home. This was a different side of Simon, it was warm and cozy and very large she thought.

She decided to have a snack, before taking her luggage up to the bedroom and taking a shower. She found her way around the house, and to the kitchen where she settled on a small salad. She poured herself some red wine, she found sitting on the counter. She made the salad and sat down, knocking her purse off the counter and to the floor; she bent down to pick up her belongings, as a noise was heard at the doorway.

She slowly rose and looked the intruder up and down, he was wearing a robe, and it was hanging open, nothing under it but skin. He must have been dreaming, since he was in an aroused state.

“Are you planning on using that to scare off intruders?” She said in a choked voice, she couldn’t believe he was standing there in front of her.

Sebastien looked at her face, following her eyes to his aroused state, he pulled the robe closed and tied it up. He was not sure he wasn’t still dreaming, how could she be here? What was Simon up too now?

“Non, where is your husband Tatiana?” Sebastien said in a very hateful tone. The look on his face told her he believed Simon’s lie, and now she would have so much to tell him if he would even listen to her; she had noticed he had called her by her full name, for her that didn’t bode well. From the looks of it, this was going to be a long night.

Subject: Written By Sebslady (Tina) Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:00 pm

Chapter 27
*Answers*

Tia knew she had to tell him the truth, no matter the consequences. She knew that Séb might never forgive her for running out on him and she had to accept that. Maybe what she did was wrong but she didn’t feel like she had any choice.

“I will tell you everything but maybe you should sit down first. This might take some time to explain” Tia said to him as she sat down. Séb pulled out a chair and sat down without saying a word. He just stared at her with nothing but hate in his eyes and it made her feel uncomfortable.

“I will start by answering your question. I am not married” Tia told Séb. He was shocked and he knew that Simon had been lying to him.

“Simon told me you were in Las Vegas, getting married to some guy” Séb said. She could sense the anger in his voice and she wondered how he would react to the rest of her story.

“I haven’t been in Las Vegas. Simon told you that to stop you from going after me” Tia explained.

“If you haven’t been in Las Vegas and you didn’t marry the guy, then where have you been?” Séb asked her.

“I have been staying with your mom for the past two weeks. Simon believed it would be the best place for me to hide” Tia said. She was nervous about his reaction to this information. His own mom had been a part of this.

“You have been staying with my mom? I don’t believe this” he said as he got up and walked around. Tia was thinking that maybe she shouldn’t have told him but she didn’t want to lie to him. There had been enough of that already.

“I am sorry but Simon felt it was for the best. He wanted us to be safe” Tia told him as she played with her wine glass.

“Be safe from what? What is going on, Tatiana?” Seb said as he returned to the chair.

“Some time ago I was working in the States and I met a man there. His name was Franco and he seemed like a nice guy. But it soon turned out that he wasn’t a nice guy. If people didn’t do as he asked, he would do bad things to them. I have witnessed some of his punishments and I have experienced some on my own body as well. I ran away from Franco and I returned to London, hoping that he would never find me. But he did find me. He had been following me and he saw you leave my place after our night together. He came to see me after you had left that morning and I asked him what he wanted. He told me that he wanted me and wanted me to marry him. I told him that I had to speak to Simon first and Franco told me that he would be back two days later for my answer” Tia said with tears forming in her eyes.

“And because you didn’t know what to tell him, you decided to run away. Do you have any idea how I felt when I heard that you were gone? You slept with me and the next day you disappear without a word. How could you do that to me? I thought we had something special. I thought you were my soul mate. Guess I was wrong” Seb said to her. She could tell by his voice that he was still angry and she could feel the tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

“No, that’s not why I ran away and we did have something special” she said.

“If what we had was so special, then why did you leave like that?” Seb almost shouted at her.

“I had no other choice. Please, believe me” Tia begged.

“Believe you? You expect me to believe you after this? Sorry, but I can’t. Everything has been a lie, maybe even your feelings for me” Séb shouted.

“No, my feelings for you are real, Séb. I love you and I’m sorry for leaving like that but I had to. Like I said, I had no other choice” Tia said in a low voice.

“You always have a choice, Tatiana. I’m off to bed” Séb said as he turned around. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard Tia’s voice.

“Franco told me that he would hurt you if I didn’t marry him. I was trying to protect you” Tia shouted at him before leaving the kitchen with tears flowing down her face.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:39 pm

Chapter 28
*Are we at war?*

As Séb walked towards his room, he thought of what Tia had told him. Although he wanted to believe her, he couldn’t. He needed someone to verify Tia’s story and that person was Simon. As Séb dialed his number, he thought of what Simon would tell him. Would he tell him the truth this time? And if Simon told him that Tia was telling the truth, how could he be sure that it was the truth?

“Hello Sébastien. Are you having a good time?” Simon said in a cheerful voice.

“No, Simon. Tatiana is here but you know that already. I need a favor from you and this time I want you to tell me the truth. No more lies. Did you send Tatiana to Paris because her ex had made threats about hurting me?” Séb asked.

“I guess she told you. Tatiana was upset when she called me that morning. She told me about Franco and she didn’t know what to do. I got her on a plane to Paris and I told you about Las Vegas to stop you from going after her. So the answer is yes” Simon told him.

“Did it ever occur to you that I might have understood if you had told me the truth? Right now I don’t trust you or her. I am not sure that I will ever be able to forgive her and I am no longer sure how I feel about her. And being stuck here with her is not my idea of a good time” Séb said with anger in his voice.

“We could have told you and maybe we didn’t do the right thing but remember, she put her life on the line to keep you safe. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. But you’re not leaving until I figure out what to do about Franco, so deal with it! Work things out with Tatiana or you may not be coming back! Goodnight!!” Simon said before hanging up.

Séb couldn’t believe that Simon had hung up on him like that but Simon was right. No matter how he felt about Tatiana, they had to make things work since they seemed to be stuck with each other for a while. He left his bedroom and walked over to Tia’s room. Without knocking he walked into her room.

“We need to” he paused when he saw what she was wearing.

*~The Rose~* - Page 2 Tia

“Didn’t your mom ever tell you to knock before you enter a room?” Tia asks him, glaring at him.

“I…….I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just walk in like that. And what is that you’re wearing?” Séb managed to say as he kept staring at her outfit.

“It’s a pj and get your eyes back in your head and wipe the drool off your chin it is not very becoming Sebastien!” Tia told him as she reached for a robe to cover herself up with.

“ I think I need to sit down, if you don't mind?” Séb asks as his mind keeps going back to that outfit she has on. Get a grip Seb and stop letting your lust for her, get your mind off the reason you wanted to talk.

"No I don't mind, please sit!" Tia motions for him to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Tatiana, please we need to talk." Seb says as he gets his mind back on the topic.

“What do you want to talk about, Sébastien?” Tia asked. He had been calling her Tatiana since they arrived, and two could play that game.

“I called Simon after you told me the story. I needed him to confirm your story.” Séb said as he looked at her.

“Confirm my story? I can’t believe that you didn’t trust me! How dare you!” Tia told him. She could feel her blood boiling as she stared at him.

“Well, you haven’t given me a reason to trust you. And you didn’t trust me either, did you?” Séb told her. Tia wasn’t sure what he meant.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I am talking about this whole thing with Franco. If you trusted me, you would have told me about him and your problems with him. I would have understood but oh no, you just ran off without a word!” Séb said, raising his voice. Tia didn’t say anything. Séb was right. Maybe all of this could have been avoided, if she had told him about Franco and the threat.

“You’re right. I probably should have told you but I didn’t want you to get involved. That man is a monster and I didn’t want you to get hurt. I really was trying to protect you.” Tia told him, trying to defend herself.

“Well, you didn’t do a good job, did you? I might not have gotten hurt by Franco but I got hurt by you. The woman I was in love with.” Séb said as he got up and walked to the door.

“Guess there is no reason for me to stay here. I will talk to Simon tomorrow and tell him that I am leaving!” Tia said.

“You’re doing what you are best at…..running away. Well, you can talk to Simon but he won’t let you leave. He told me that we’re not leaving until your Dear Franco is no longer a threat to us. You are stuck here with me, as I am stuck here with you. Whether we like it or not!” Séb told her.

“Franco is not my dear anything. I hate him for what he did to me" Tia said.

"Tia please, I didn't know he hurt you that bad ,why don't you make me understand?" Seb asked as he approaches her wanting to comfort her.

"My name is Tatiana REMEMBER, NOW GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"” Tia said as she tried to hold back her tears.

“Goodnight Tatiana” Séb said as he closed the door. As he walked to his own room, he knew that he had said some things that he shouldn’t have. But he had his pride and he wouldn’t give in to his feelings for Tia. Not yet!

Tia was also thinking about what had been said. She hoped that someday Séb would be able to forgive her for what she had done. As she climbed into bed, she wondered if he still had any feelings for her. She had to find out and she knew just the way to do it. With a smile on her face, she drifted off to sleep.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:56 am

Chapter 29 (Sebslady)
*Playing Games*

The next two days were filled with emotions. Simon had called because he had a strange feeling about Tia and Séb not getting along, but he was in for a big surprise. Since they would be stuck at Simon’s place for a while, they had made an agreement.

No arguments were allowed, no mentioning of Franco or Tia leaving, and finally they had to eat all meals together. Although Simon was happy to hear about this, deep down he feared that when Franco was no longer a threat, nothing would have changed between Tia and Séb.

This agreement was made out of necessity not love, and he knew that they were still deeply in love with each other. But they were both very stubborn, they wouldn’t admit their feelings, at least not without a little help. Simon smiled as he picked up the phone and called an old friend.

At the mansion, Tia and Séb were driving each other crazy with their behavior. Tia would walk around in revealing bathing suits, and short dresses while Séb would walk around in his trunks or boxers, showing off his chest.

When Séb was in the pool, Tia would watch him but whenever Séb looked at her, she would pretend to be reading. Séb did the same thing when Tia was in the pool. Séb would splash water on Tia when she was relaxing by the pool. Tia would accidently drop something when Séb was around, hoping he would pick it up. Both were playing these games, but they were not ready to give in to their feelings.

When Séb arrived at Simon’s place, he was angry at Tia and he was disappointed that she didn’t trust him enough to tell him about Franco, he had been trying to convince himself that he didn’t love Tia but it was useless.

Being this close to her again, inhaling her perfume and watch her walk around in her outfits, made him realize that he was still very much in love with her. She was the woman he wanted to be with, but he didn’t want her to know his feelings yet. There was one thing he needed to know first, but it would mean that he had to break the agreement, he was afraid of Tia’s reaction if he asked the question. But until he knew the truth, he couldn’t tell Tia how he felt about her.

Tia was struggling too, she had been trying so hard to get some kind of reaction from Séb, but her hard work had been without result. Séb hadn’t even tried to make a move, and Tia knew she had to forget about him. She hoped that Simon would have some good news about Franco soon, so Tia could get away from this place.

As they were having dinner, Séb thought of how to ask Tia what he wanted to know, without her being upset.

“What are you thinking of, Sébastien?” Tia asked him. She could tell that something was on his mind.

“Well, I wanted to ask you something but I would have to break our agreement. I am afraid that if I ask you this, you will get mad at me” Séb told her.

“I won’t get mad at you and I think I know what you want to ask. You want to know what happened with Franco, and why I hate him so much” Tia surprised him by saying.

“Yes, that’s right but if you don’t want to tell me, it’s ok” Séb said..

“No, I will tell you. I guess I owe you that much. Simon sent me off to America to take care of some stuff there. While I was there, my friend asked me to help her on a case. She was defending a man, who had been accused of hurting a woman to get her money. That man was Franco.

My friend believed he was innocent and I thought so too at first, he seemed to be such a nice guy, and it was hard to believe that he would ever do something like that. Due to lack of evidence, the case was dismissed and Franco was a free man. He asked me out to dinner and stupid as I was, I said yes. We had a great time and we started dating. He could make me laugh, and I thought that I was lucky to be with him. But that all changed” Tia told him.

Séb could see that this was hard for her to tell him, and he felt bad about asking her about Franco, but he needed to know.

“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to” Séb told her but Tia shook her head no.

“I want you to know what happened. Franco gave me jewelry, shoes, clothes etc. and some of it was not cheap. Something weird was going on, and I had to find out what it was. I told my friend about it and she gave me the name of a private investigator. I called him and a few days later, I met with him and he gave me some shocking information about Franco. Turned out that Franco had been using women most of his adult life, and when they had discovered the truth, he had beaten them up and stolen whatever money he could. When I returned to his apartment, I made a mistake. I told him what I had found out, and Franco got mad at me and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed two days later. The doctor told me that I was lucky. I had a black eye, a few broken ribs and lots of bruises. I called Simon to tell him that I was coming home, but needed a few more days off” Tia told him.

“Thanks for telling me but, I am still sorry for asking” Séb said, hoping she wouldn’t get mad at him.

“Don’t be sorry, Sébastien. I’m glad you know. But let’s stick to our agreement from now on” Tia told him.

“Good idea. Want some dessert?” Séb asked her.

“Always” she smiled at him. Séb handed her a bowl of ice cream, before he walked outside to enjoy the evening.

Tia joined him by the pool, as they sat there just eating ice cream, they watched the sun set in the sea. Maybe there was hope for them after all. Only time would tell.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:58 am

Chapter 30 (Sebslady)
*Surprises*

Séb and Tia were having breakfast when Simon called. Tia hoped that Franco was now out of her life for good but that was not what Simon had to say.

“Good morning. I have a surprise for you. Since you’ve been locked up in the house for a few days, I was thinking that you might enjoy a day at sea. My yacht will be ready in 20 minutes to take you on a cruise. There will be lunch, dinner and drinks on board, and a chance for you two to take a swim if you feel like it. So, what do you say?” Simon asked. Tia and Séb looked at each other.

“We will do it” they both said. It sounded better than being locked up in the house. And they needed to get out and see something else. After Simon said goodbye, Tia and Séb went upstairs to their rooms to get ready for the cruise. Tia put on a white summer dress and Séb put on a pair of black pants and a white shirt. Both of them made sure they had everything they needed before going down to the private pier.

The yacht was already at the pier when they got there and they noticed the captain waiting for them. He was an elderly man with grey hair and grey beard and Tia liked him right away.

“I am Clive Mills and I will be your captain for the day. On board you will find everything you need, so let’s go” he said to them. Tia and Séb went on board and got comfortable with some snacks and some water. As the yacht left the pier, Tia wanted to check out everything while Séb wanted to enjoy being on sea.

When Tia returned, she noticed that Séb had taken off his shirt and was enjoying the sun. She noticed the sweat on his chest and his chest hair was glistening in the sun. “That is not fair, Sébastien” Tia thought as she stared at him. It was hard enough to know that he didn’t love her anymore. Tia sighed as she turned and went upstairs to talk to Clive.

“Hello, miss Hager. Are you enjoying yourself?” Clive asked.

“Please, call me Tatiana or Tia. Yes, I am. I would like to go swimming” Tia told him.

“Ok, Tia. I know a great place for swimming and we will be there in about 10 minutes” Clive told her. Tia smiled at him before walking downstairs.

“There you are. I thought you had drowned or something” Séb told her

“Sorry to disappoint you. I told Clive that I wanted to go swimming and he knows a great spot. We will be there in about 10 minutes” Tia told him as she went downstairs to change into her bathing suit. Séb could use a swim too so he took off his pants and waited until Clive had stopped the yacht.

While Tia and Séb were swimming, Clive was making lunch for them. He opened a bottle of champagne and poured two glasses. As soon as everything was ready, he called them and told them that lunch was ready. Séb helped Tia get back on the yacht as Clive went upstairs to get the yacht moving again. Tia and Séb were enjoying their lunch and they seemed to have a great time. Maybe it was the champagne but it was easy to see that there was a spark when they looked at each other.

After lunch, Tia wanted to relax and enjoy the sun. She took out her book and her sun lotion.

“Do you need any help with that?” Séb asked as he pointed at the sun lotion. It had been two weeks since he had seen her and touched her. This would be an excuse for him to touch her again and the need to feel her skin under his fingers was so strong.

“If you don’t mind” Tia told him. Séb got up and walked over to her. He took the sun lotion and started rubbing it on her body. Tia closed her eyes as she felt Séb’s hands on her back. His touch was so gentle and she felt shivers running down her spine.

“Ok, you’re done” he said as he got up and walked upstairs to join Clive. He had to get away or he would not the able to control his feelings for Tia. His feelings for her were getting stronger by the minute and it would only be a matter of time before he had to give in to them.

After Séb left, Tia tried to keep her focus on the book but all she could think of was Séb. “Did he still have feelings for her or was he just being nice because they had to be here together?” Tia didn’t know what to think but she knew that she had hurt him badly by leaving. She was still very much in love with Séb but she didn’t want to make a move because she was afraid that he would reject her. That is one thing she couldn’t deal with. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, wishing she could just get away from this place.

Tia woke up when she heard Séb's voice.

“Clive told me that dinner will be ready in 20 minutes if you want to freshen up” Séb told her as he came downstairs.

“Great” Tia said as she got up and walked to the bottom deck. She took a shower and got dressed. Tia looked at herself in the mirror. “Why are you doing this to yourself? He doesn’t love you anymore. It’s over, Tia” she thought to herself.

“Dinner is ready, Tatiana” Séb suddenly said. Tia turned around and looked at him. He was dressed in his black pants and the white shirt and he looked gorgeous as always.

“I am ready” Tia said to him. She looked so beautiful in her white dress and he knew that tonight would be the night where he told her how he felt. He just had to wait for the right moment.

They went upstairs to the top deck and they couldn’t believe their eyes. A small, round table with white cloth, red napkins, red candles and champagne chilling next to it. As they sat down, Clive brought their dinner.

“Enjoy your dinner. I will be downstairs if you need anything” Clive said before leaving.

Séb and Tia looked at each other, wondering what was going on. They didn’t say anything but both of them knew who was behind this. To Séb it was perfect but Tia didn’t feel the same way as Séb. It was unfair of Simon to do this when Séb didn’t love her anymore. She would tell him that the next time he called but for now, she would enjoy the dinner.

As they finished their dinner, Séb was thinking of how he could get Franco to leave them alone. He would do anything to keep Tia away from Franco and suddenly he had an idea. This was the right time to tell Tia how he felt about her. The sun was setting, they had champagne and fruit, music playing and they were together. Séb excused himself and walked downstairs.

Tia got up and walked over to the gunwale. The sunset was a beautiful sight and it took her breath away.

“Beautiful sight” Séb said when he saw her standing there, but he wasn’t talking about the sunset. When Tia didn’t respond, Séb wondered if something was wrong.

“Have I done something to upset you, Tia?” Séb asked. Tia turned around and looked at him, wondering why he would ask a question like that.

“No, you haven’t. It’s not you. It’s me. If I had known how much I would lose by leaving, then I wouldn’t have left” Tia said as she turned back to looking at the sunset.

“I don’t understand. What did you lose?” Séb asked as he joined her by the gunwale.

“It doesn’t matter. Just forget it” Tia told him.

“No! Tell me. I want to know what is going on” Séb said.

“I lost you” Tia said in a low voice. She didn’t look at him because she couldn’t.

“You didn’t lose me, Tia. I am still here” Séb said as he put his hand under her chin and turned her head to face him. Before Tia had a chance to say anything, Séb’s lips touched hers. Tia wanted to pull back but she couldn’t. She had missed his kisses and being in his arms again was everything she had ever wanted.

When they broke from the kiss, Séb took her hand and led her over to the table. They sat down and Séb looked at her with a smile on his face.

“Why are you smiling?” Tia asked him.

“The woman I love is back in my arms and I’ve been thinking about something” Séb said as his hand was playing with something in his pocket.

“And are you going to tell me?” Tia asked him.

“Well, Franco wants you to marry him. You don’t want to do that and if you were already married, then you couldn’t marry him. This may sound stupid and maybe it is but will you marry me?” Séb asked as he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.

“I don’t know what to say” Tia told him. She was shocked and she wondered if he did it because he really wanted to marry her or if he was trying to keep her safe from Franco.

“What do you mean? Don’t you want to marry me?” Séb asked her. He was stunned by her response.

“I do want to marry you but I need to make sure that you’re doing it out of love” Tia told him.

“I am doing it out of love. I love you and I want to marry you. If you say yes, I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you. Marry me, Tia” Séb said. Tia looked into his eyes and all she saw was love.

“I will marry you” she said as she bend down and kissed him. Séb put the ring on her finger before he got up and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her softly before calling for Clive to join them.

“Yes?” Clive asked as he made his appearance.

“We want you to join us in a toast. We are celebrating our engagement” Séb said with a big smile on his face.

“Congratulations to both of you. When will the wedding take place?” Clive asked as he poured a glass of champagne for himself.

“Before we go back, so as soon as possible” Séb said as he held Tia tight. He didn’t want to let her go at all.

“Well, I can marry you right now if you want. I have authorization to do so” Clive said. Séb and Tia looked at each other.

“It would be the perfect setting. The sea, the stars twinkling and being outside” Tia said.

“Let’s do it” Séb said. Clive excused himself for a minute. He returned and performed the ceremony. He took out his camera and took a picture of the happy couple.

“Think it is time for us to say goodnight. Thank you for everything, Clive” Séb said before kissing Tia.

“You’re welcome. Goodnight and sleep well” Clive said as he winked. He knew they wouldn’t get much sleep. As soon as Tia and Séb had disappeared, Clive picked up the phone and called Simon.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:01 am

Chapter 31 (Sebslady)
*Building Dreams*

When Tia woke up the next morning, she found herself alone in the room. She got out of bed and walked to the window. Tia recalled everything that had happened the day before, and she couldn’t really believe that they had gotten married. It had been the perfect wedding and Tia knew that they had done the right thing. As she stood by the window, recalling the wedding night, she suddenly heard Séb singing outside the door. Shortly after, the door opened and Séb walked into the room, holding a tray with breakfast in his hands. When he saw Tia by the window, he put down the tray and walked over to her.

“Good morning, Mrs. Izambard” he whispered in her ear, as he put his arms around her waist. Tia loved feeling his arms around her and the whisper sent shivers down her spine.

“Good morning” she said as she turned to face him. Séb kissed her softly on her lips before he intensified the kiss. When he broke the kiss, Tia held on to him because if she let go, she would fall.

“Breakfast is ready” he said as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

“Did you make this?” Tia asked him. There was coffee, orange juice, heart shaped pancakes, eggs, bacon and fruit.

“Of course I did. I wanted to make breakfast for my wife” Séb told her with a smile as he poured coffee for both of them. As Tia looked at him, she felt like the luckiest woman on earth. When she left Franco, she had decided never to fall in love again. Her fears were the reason why she had doubts about dating Séb. If she had chosen not to say yes when Séb had asked her out, she wouldn’t be here with him now. And she wouldn’t be married to the most wonderful man in the world.

“What are you thinking of?” Séb asked her, noticing that she was miles away.

“I was just thinking of what would have happened, if I hadn’t gone out on a date with you” Tia told him truthfully.

“We would still be here. I would have asked you until you said yes because we are made for each other. You know it and so do I” Séb told her as he removed the tray from the bed. Without saying a word, Séb pulled Tia into his arms and began kissing her passionately.

After a passionate love making, they took a shower and got ready to leave the yacht. They said goodbye to Clive and thanked him for everything before going back to the house. Once there, Séb pulled Tia into his arms and kissed her. He couldn’t believe that just a few days ago, he had hoped that he would never see her again. Now that she was here in his arms as his wife, he couldn’t ask for more.

Tia and Séb had decided not tell anyone about the marriage. They wanted to keep it to themselves for a while, and just enjoy their honeymoon and each other. Simon’s place was the perfect place to spend the honeymoon.

After a day of enjoying their honeymoon, Tia and Séb were getting ready for a romantic dinner. If it had been up to Séb, he would have stayed in bed all day but Tia had told him that she wanted to prepare a nice dinner for him. He couldn’t say no to that, so he accepted her offer.

After getting ready, Séb walked downstairs. He couldn’t wait to spend another romantic dinner with his wife.

“Dinner is ready” Tia smiled at him as he entered the kitchen. Séb smiled back as he took her hand. They walked outside and sat down. Séb and Tia were talking, laughing and having a good time during dinner and as soon as they had finished, they decided to take a walk.

As they were about to leave the house, there was a knock on the door. They stared at each other without saying a word. The only person who knew they would be at the house was Simon but why would Simon show up? Thoughts were running through their heads as there was another knock on the door. Séb held Tia’s hand as he slowly opened the door.

“Sorry for interrupting but I have a package for you from Mr. Simon Cowell” the guy on the other side of the door said. Séb looked at the young man, holding the package.

“Thank you” Séb said as he signed for the package. The guy said goodbye and left. Séb wanted to take a look at the package but it would have to wait until they returned from their walk.

As they walked, Séb held Tia close. She was shaking and Séb knew that the knocking on the door had scared her. There was no need to ask her why and Séb didn’t want to ask. He couldn’t wait until Franco was out of their lives for good.

When they returned to the house, Séb picked up the package before walking into the living room. As he opened the package, a smile appeared on his face as he read the note:

Congratulations on the wedding.
I’ve had these for two weeks and I think you need them more than me. Sorry for not returning the rings as you asked me to but I had a feeling that you would need them.
Enjoy your honeymoon

Simon

“What is it, Séb?” Tia asked him. Séb looked at her as he pulled out a small box.

“This is our wedding rings” Séb told her as he opened the box.

“Did you say wedding rings? Are you telling me that you had planned to marry me before I left?” Tia asked him with tears in her eyes. She was stunned to say the least.

“Remember the day we went shopping for wedding rings for Urs? I couldn’t help wondering if you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. After our first date, I had no doubts that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and I went back to the jewelry store and bought the rings. When I found out that you had left, I gave the rings to Simon and asked him to return them to the store. Turns out he didn’t do as I requested” Séb told her as he took out the rings.

“I don’t know what to say” Tia told him as the tears started to fall. Séb took her hand and kissed it before he put the ring on her finger.

“You don’t have to say anything” Séb said as he wiped her tears away. There was no need to talk about it anymore. They were married now and nothing would ever break them up.

“I love you, Séb” Tia said as she caressed his face.

“I love you too, Tia” Séb said before kissing her softly. He pulled away when his phone started ringing. At first he didn’t want to answer it but the caller ID said Simon and he hoped for good news.

“Hello Simon” Séb said.

“Good evening. Did you get the package?” Simon asked.

“Yes, I got it. So, what’s on your mind?” Séb asked him.

“I am sorry for interrupting your honeymoon but I need both of you back here now. I will send a car to pick you up tomorrow morning” Simon told him. Séb could tell that something was up and he turned to Tia.

“Go upstairs. I will be up in a few minutes” he told her. As soon as Tia was out of sight, Séb walked into the kitchen.

“What is going on, Simon?” Séb asked him. He wanted to know why Simon would call them back when he had done so much to keep them safe.

“I won’t tell you over the phone. Just come back and everything will be explained” Simon said, knowing Séb would not the happy with that explanation.

“That is not good enough, Simon. I am not bringing Tia back when Franco is still around. I am not going to lose her to him” Séb told him with anger in his voice.

“You won’t lose her. I promise you that I won’t let anything happen to her. She will be protected” Simon told him.

“If anything happens to her, I won’t forgive you. I don’t agree with you on this but if we come back, I need you to do something for me” Séb told him.

“What is it?” Simon asked. He didn’t like it when the guys were making demands but he had to do what Séb asked of him.

“Since Franco is still around, I don’t want Tia to stay at her own place. You have to make sure that all of her things are at my place when we return because she is moving in with me. Let me know when you’ve taken care of it. Goodbye Simon” Séb said before hanging up.

He sighed before walking upstairs. Tia was waiting for him when he entered the room. She could tell that something was upsetting him.

“What’s wrong?” Tia asked him as he took her hands into his.

“It was Simon on the phone. He wants us to leave in the morning” Séb told her.

“Why? Did they get Franco?” Tia asked, hoping that maybe she didn’t have to worry about Franco for the rest of her life.

“I don’t know. Simon didn’t want to tell me what is going on. We won’t know until tomorrow but I swear that I will not let anything happen to you.” Séb said as he pulled her into his arms. Tia didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to think about Franco. All she wanted to do was spend the night in Séb’s arms.

Slowly they undressed each other, taking their time to explore the others bodies. Seb pulled her close then picked her up laying her on the bed, where he then joined her. He pulled her into a kiss that seems to go on forever; he never wanted to let her go. Tia could feel his desperation, but she couldn't help him, she understood he was fearful for her, and that made their love making even stronger. Seb wasn't as gentle as he had been before; he brought them to an erotic explosion, something they had never reached before. As they calm their breathing they didn't speak, only stared into each other’s eyes, as their hearts calm they slowly drifted off to sleep, not knowing what tomorrow would bring.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:02 am

Chapter 32 (Sebslady)
*Everlasting Love*

It was still dark outside when Tia woke up. Her entire body was shaking and her heart was beating fast. She gently removed Séb’s hand from her waist before getting out of bed. After putting on her robe, she went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea.

As she was waiting for the tea to get ready, she thought of her dream. It had been so realistic and Tia wondered if it was a premonition of what would happen when they returned home the next day. She was so deep into her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Séb standing in the doorway.

“Is everything ok, Cherie?” Séb asked her. Tia looked at him. She didn’t want to lie to him but she knew of his fears of losing her.

“I had a dream about Franco. He was waiting for me at my place and when he saw us together, he got angry. He pulled out a knife and tried to grab me but you got between us and Franco stabbed you in the chest” Tia told him in a low voice. Séb walked over to her and took her hands in his. Tia was shaking and Séb had to calm her down somehow.

“It was just a dream. Nothing will happen to us when we get back” Séb told her.

“You don’t know Franco. I do and I know what he is capable of. We won’t be safe from him until he is in jail or dead. How can you be so sure that nothing will happen?” Tia asked.

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise but maybe it will calm you down if you know. When I spoke to Simon earlier, I asked him to do me a favor. I asked him to make sure that all of your things have been moved to my place when we get back. So you don’t have to go back to your place anymore. I promised you that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you and Simon promised me that you would be safe” Séb told her.

Tia knew both Simon and Séb would do anything to keep her safe from Franco but she also knew that Franco had a lot of friends in London. And if he wanted to find her, it would be easy for him.

“I can’t wait to move into your place. Now let’s go back to bed and get some sleep” Tia told him. She didn’t want to tell him about Franco. He was worried about losing her and she didn’t want to make it worse. Maybe she wasn’t being honest with him but for now, it was for the best.

As they walked back upstairs, Séb knew that Tia was hiding something from him but he didn’t want to ask. She would tell him in her own time and he didn’t want to push her into telling him. He felt a strong need to show her that he would do whatever he could to keep her safe.

When they returned to the bedroom, Séb pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply as his hands undressed her. He lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the bed before joining her. They made love slowly until sleep finally caught up with them. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they drifted off to sleep.

Séb was the first one to awake in the morning. He looked at Tia sleeping and he really hoped that he could keep his promise to her. Tia woke up and looked at him. She wondered what he was thinking as he looked at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

“Nothing is wrong. I just love to look at you” he smiled as he bent down to kiss her. Just as his lips was about to make contact with hers, his phone started ringing. He mumbled in French as he looked at the caller ID. Tia giggled when she noticed the look on his face. It was priceless.

“I will start breakfast” Tia whispered to him before getting out of bed.

“Good morning Simon” Séb said as he answered the phone. He hoped that Simon had some good news to share.

“Good morning. I just wanted to inform you that Tia’s things have been moved to your place, so you can just go there when you get back. The car will pick you up in 3 hours. I will talk to you when you get back. Tell your wife I said hi” Simon said before hanging up. Séb put down the phone and walked downstairs.

“Was that Simon on the phone?” Tia asked as Séb entered the kitchen.

“Yes. He told me that your things have been brought to my place and that the car will be here in 3 hours to pick us up” Séb replied as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“3 hours? He doesn’t give us much time but lucky for us we don’t have a lot of baggage” Tia said as she took the plates and walked over to Séb.

“You’re right. It shouldn’t take us long to get ready. That means we have time for other things” Séb said with a smile on his face.

“I am beginning to think that you only married me for that, Mr. Izambard” Tia laughed. Séb had never heard her laugh like that before and it made him smile.

“You got me. I am busted. That was the reason” Séb told her. Tia stared at him before she picked up a piece of bacon and threw it at him.

“Bacon looks good on you” she told him before bursting out in laughter again.

“I will get you for this, Mrs. Izambard” Séb said as he got off his chair and walked over to her. Tia ran out of the kitchen with Séb following her. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door, thinking she was safe.

“You forgot to lock the other door” Séb suddenly said. Tia turned around and saw him standing there, still with bacon in his hair.

“Yes, I did” she said with a smile. Séb walked over to the shower and turned on the water. He needed a shower and started to undress himself.

“Care you join me?” he asked as he reached out his hand to her. Tia removed her robe and got into the shower. Séb joined her and they took an exploring shower together.

After the shower and cleaning up the house, it was time for them to pack their bags. As they waited for the car to arrive, Tia stood by the window looking out into the garden. She couldn’t stop thinking about her dream and it scared her. Just as Séb was about to join her, a car pulled up in front of the house.

“The car is here” Séb said to her. Tia turned around and smiled at him. Even though he didn’t show it, Tia knew that he was just as concerned about going back as she was.

“I’m ready” Tia said as she picked up her bag. They left the house and got into the car. As the car rolled out of the driveway, Séb took Tia’s hand and held it tight. In return she rested her head on his shoulder. Both of them were wondering why Simon had called them back. What could be so important that they had to interrupt their honeymoon? Only time would tell.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:03 am

Chapter 33
*Party Time*
(Part 1)

Sebastien and Tia arrived a few hours later at his home; no make that their home he thought. He was so very happy to have married her, he felt their lives were going to be so filled with love and excitement.

After Seb had brought in the entire luggage, he took Tia for a tour of her new home. They had not spent any time here so she was quite surprised by how big a home he had. Last room on the tour was their bedroom; he showed her all of her things, and where she could place the rest of her stuff.

After they both had finished unpacking and putting away the luggage; they settled down in the living room for a drink. While they were talking about what they would make for dinner, there was a knock on the door. Seb rose to look at the monitor before opening the door. He was surprise to find Simon standing on the step. He opens the door and ushered him to the living room.

“Simon I was not expecting you today, what are you doing here? And why did you bring us back? Have you gotten rid of Franco yet?” Sebastien was firing off questions, before Simon even had a chance to sit down.

“Slow down Seb, I will explain as soon as you sit. I wanted to bring you back; since things have calmed down and now that you’re married, the threat to Tia is not going to be a problem. Franco has not shown his face around the house or bothered anyone. I am hoping once he hears she is married that he will just leave town. But if he wants things to go rougher, we can and will handle him. You have to trust me!” Simon knew Seb was still worried about Tia being in danger from Franco; but he hoped they could beat him to the punch.

*MEANWHILE AT THE JAIL*

Franco had received a message that someone was looking for a hit to be done; the client wanted revenge against a Divo’s wife. This peaked his interest, since Tatiana was involved with one of those Divo’s.

He thought that if this fit with his plans, he would be very happy to handle this job himself, anything to hurt and extract revenge against Tatiana; would make him very happy.

He waited in the visitor’s room, for the lady who had made the request for the hit. Her name he was told was Misty Patterson, and she had a problem she needed solved.

‘This could get very interesting’, he thought as he waited for her to get settled in the chair, with handcuffs and ankle chains. Misty was someone he could get a lot of use out of, but for the time being; he would have to just dream of what he wanted to do with her. It didn’t look like she had much chance getting her sentence reduced, or any parole in her future.

But it never hurt to have friends, inside the prison system. It was a you scratch my back, I will scratch yours, situation.

“Ok tell me what you want done, and if possible do you have a picture of the lady to be eliminated?” Franco looked in to her eyes; he could see all the hate, he too carried around when it came to Tatiana.

Who knew maybe he would kill two birds with one stone, he could get rid of this Sydney Buhler, and maybe take out a few Divo’s and Tatiana at the same time.

This was going to be a worthwhile trip after all, up till now it was a waiting game; and he was growing bored with the waiting.

Misty gave him all the information she had plus more, then he would need to work his magic, after all had been said, she slipped the picture of Sydney and Urs to him. She had manage to get it pass the guards in her bra.

“Ok, now to payment of services rendered, how do you plan on paying me?” Franco didn’t do anything for free, a few favors that would be returned in a jam. But mostly all his services were done in cash.

“Go to my lawyer’s office, he has the payment in a sealed yellow envelope. Nothing traceable either, so feel free to enjoy the night life; after you have finished the job and have a few for me.” Misty was feeling great, if Urs was not hers, then she would finally find a way to rid herself and him, of her sister once and for all. It was going to be a great night. She just wished she could have been there to see it.

Visiting hours came to an end; and Misty was taken back to her cell, while Franco headed over to see if Tatiana had returned. Instead of finding Tatiana, he ran into Carlos first.

“Can I help you?” Came Carlos voice when he open the door, he knew who it was but, he wanted him to introduce himself before he called Taylor to the door.

“Yes I am looking for my girlfriend Tatiana; she lived here till a couple of weeks ago.” Franco looked at the Spanish Baritone, he had done some research on the men, after meeting Tatiana again. He knew this one was from Spain.

“I’m sorry but the Izambard’s do not live here!’ Carlos informed him and smiled as he watch the man’s face turn white as a sheet.

“What do you mean the Izambard’s, I was under the impression that Mr. Izambard was single?” Franco squeaked out with lots of anger.

“He was till a week ago, and then he and Tia got married on vacation. I heard it was a beautiful service, and that they married in International Waters.” Carlos took great pleasure of telling this information to Franco, watching him getting angrier with every word he spoke.

“Taylor!” Carlos called out..

Taylor walked to the door, and joined Carlos as he introduced Franco to her. She knew this was the man that had been trying to blackmail Tia into marrying him.

“Yes Carlos what can I do for you, and Mr. Ummmm sorry didn’t catch your last name?” Taylor knew but wanted him to squirm some more.

“Franco is fine, I was looking for my girlfriend Tatiana, but this gentleman here says she recently married one of the guys, from that group she works for?” Franco was fluming by now and standing here talking, he watched how much Carlos was enjoying upsetting him. This was something he did not take to. Most men would bow to his whim at any sign of anger in him. This man was mocking him; and he wouldn’t allow it much longer. Good thing he didn’t have a problem removing all of the Divo’s.

Then it would Tatiana’s turn to pay with her lousy life.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Sun Jan 01, 2012 6:50 pm

Chapter 34
*Party at Simon’s*
(Part 2)

Simon had arranged for a dinner party at his home that night, to celebrate the wedding of Tatiana to Sebastien. Everyone was home getting ready to head over to Simon’s house, the food and the caters were in his kitchen getting the final touches prepared; then they would change and become the servers for the night.

Sebastien was dressing when Tia came out with her dress on, it was a hot pink knee length, and she looked stunning and took Sebastien’s breath away.

All the ladies were dressing up for the night, Sydney was dressed in a beautiful mostly see thru dress. Urs saw her walk thru the doorway; he thought maybe they should just stay here and enjoy themselves. But he knew Simon and Sebastien would be disappointed, if they did not show up.

Rosalia was wearing a black dress that showed her beautiful figure off to the fullest. She was to be David’s date for the night.

Taylor was to be the dinner date for Carlos; she was wearing a teal colored halter top style dress. She knew once Carlos saw her in this dress he would never be able to forget her. Once they all arrived at the house, the bar maid took drink orders, and then they began to congratulate Tia and Sebastien.

Simon joined them a few minutes later, as the servers called them to the elegant dining room. Simon and all of Sebastien’s, brothers made toasts to the happy couple, then they all enjoyed a very special dinner.

Lots of talking and getting the details of the wedding, no one even thought of the world outside at that moment in time. After dinner was finished, they all headed to the sitting room for coffee and cake. Simon wanted them to have a real wedding cake; but there was no time to get something that big, so they had a small more intimate cake.

After a couple hours talking about the weddings so far, and the future of Il Divo they all thanked Simon and headed out to their cars. Carlos was taking Taylor home and David would escort Rosalia back to her place.

Sydney and Urs were cuddled close to each other, as a shot rang out and Sydney slumped over into Urs’s arms.

“SYDNEY!!” Urs screamed and that got the attention of the others. When Carlos looked up he notice a different car leaving the scene, and ran after the car.

When the driver saw he was being followed he slammed on the brakes, as Carlos was close enough he flew across the trunk of the car; and then the driver put the car in reverse and drove over Carlos, just to make sure he was dead.

Taylor saw it all and headed at full steam to Carlos’s side. She screamed for someone to get help. Holding him in her arms she cried, as she could feel him slipping away. His breathing was shallow and she could hear Urs calling to Sydney to wake up.

Simon was stunned into the spot he had been standing at on the porch, but after the car speed off he joined the others, trying to make sense of who could have done such a thing.

Down the road Franco thought he was being followed, so he sped up and missed the red light, as he ran thru the intersection a Semi truck was heading right at his driver’s side door. He didn’t have a seat belt on and the crash threw him through the window; he landed on the road with a broken neck.

The ambulances arrive for Sydney and Carlos; Sydney had been hit in the back with a single bullet. She had not woken up as they transported her to the hospital.

Carlos had 2 broken legs and lots of bruising in his back and couldn’t move at all, he too was unresponsive. Everyone else got into their cars, and followed them to the hospital.
After waiting an hour, the Doctor’s came to give them the news of their loved ones. Sydney was in a coma and the bullet had missed her spinal cord. She had surgery to repair a few bleeders inside, but she had been very lucky and would make a full recovery with help and time.

Carlos was also in a coma, and the Doctor’s had set his legs and both were in casts. He would not be moving around much, even if he had been awake. They had checked him out in surgery and found that no major organs had been damaged, but they were not sure why he had not woken yet?

Taylor ask to be able to sit with Carlos, and Urs went to Sydney’s room as the others sat with Simon, still trying to figure out exactly who had done such horrible things to their family.

None of them would be prepared for the answers to come.

Subject: Re: *~The Rose~* Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:35 pm

Chapter 35
*Revelations*
(Part 3)

3 weeks had gone by; the police were still working on the shooting at Simon’s home. Sebastien and Tia both were still in shock that it had been Franco, which had done all the damage. Neither could understand why he had gone after Carlos and Sydney, when it was Tia he had wanted all along?

Something about the night didn’t make sense to anyone, including the police. They had found his hotel and been going thru all of his things, trying to find a clue as to the reason behind the shooting.

Meanwhile at the hospital; Urs had not left Sydney’s side and he was feeling like a caged animal, David came to sit with her while he left, and took a shower and cleaned up. He needed some descent food as well, that stuff at the hospital was just like tour food, always the same and no taste.

Taylor had station herself beside Carlos’s bed, after the Latin had taken a turn for the worse; and had to be put on life support. He was having trouble breathing on his own, so she refused to work the case and would not leave his side.

She knew when he came out of this, that it would be a long recovery to get back to his singing, he would have to have help; and she planned on being there for him.

During her time that she watched over him, she had plenty of time to reflect on the Latin, and she found she had a great deal of respect, for the man and his voice. He was different from the men she had known before, he always was putting everything and everyone before himself, and that was the reason he was in this situation now. She also realized she was beginning to have feelings, and they were very deep ones, and it would destroy her if he didn’t make it.

She wanted a chance to tell him how she felt about him, and hoped he had feelings for her too. But that would come soon enough; when both he and Sydney were out of danger and ready to go home.

It looked like Sydney would be going home, in another week if her progress held up. Urs and she had been thru so much in the short time they had known each other, but their love for each other would carry them thru, Taylor thought.

Today Tia and Sebastien had went to see Carlos first, then they would check in on Sydney, as Tia walked down the hall her head started to spin, and the hallway began to close in on her. Just as they reached Sydney’s room she whispered Seb’s name, as he turned to look at her, he saw she was beginning to fall. He caught her in his arms and called for a nurse.

They took her to an empty exam room, too check her over and as she woke up they had drawn blood for tests, to see if she had been having any problems.

Sebastien sat with her as she tried to work out what could be wrong. What they got back in the results was not something they were prepared for.

“Mrs. Izambard, we got your results back and we now know why you fainted. You’re going to have a baby in less than 8 months. Congratulations. You will need to check with your regular OB/GYN and get started on Vitamins, maybe have an ultrasound. But so far all the results look great. I see nothing to worry about.” The Dr. explained then turned and left them alone; to take in the information he had just given them.

“A baby, oh Seb I didn’t think we would be expecting this soon, I am sorry we never spoke about children, and we just got married. How do you feel about having a baby so soon?” Tia wasn’t sure if she was ready for motherhood, but the plans they had just changed.

“A baby so soon, as you said we had not spoken of having children yet. Do you think we are ready to be parents Tia?” Seb looked at her almost afraid of what her comment would be. Was he ready to be a father; that was something he had to decide since the baby was already conceived; he couldn’t let Tia and their child down. He loved Tia and he would love this child as much. Their child they had created from their love. He just hoped Tia felt the same, and would decide to have their child and not get rid of it. He was sure that at some point in their life they would want children to raise and love; but would Tia agree to go ahead with the pregnancy?