#flaron

Tarja woke up late the next morning.  Floor was already up, singing while she made breakfast.  She greeted Tarja with a big smile and a,

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” as Tarja entered the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas.

“Hey,” Tarja said sleepily, hugging her friend.  “You're certainly cheerful this morning.”  Floor grinned.

“Oh, you know, a good night's sleep always helps.”

“I think you're just happy about your date last night.  How was it?” Tarja asked, taking the plate of eggs and toast that Floor held out. Floor grinned.

“Fantastic, thank you for asking!  Sharon is just so nice and sweet.  And she has the best taste in music!”

“You guys went to a concert?” Tarja asked, as she poured herself a mug of coffee.

“Yeah, some local band.  Pretty good,” Floor answered, sitting down at the table.  Tarja joined her.  “How about you and Alissa?”

“Just dinner and the movie,” Tarja said.  She decided not to mention the park, the shooting star, or the kiss.  Definitely not the kiss. Floor would tease and tease and tease if she heard about that.

“Is that it?” Floor asked, arching an eyebrow.

“It wasn't a romantic date,” Tarja said, taking a bite of her breakfast.  “Dang, these are good, Floor.”

“Thank you, glad you like them.  But tell me, if it wasn't a romantic date, then how come you didn't come home until almost 1:00?  You said you were going to the 21:00 showing.”

“Geez, Floor, we just lost track of time!” Tarja exclaimed, then realized that was definitely not the right thing to say.  Floor smirked.

“What were you doing that got you so distracted that you stayed out till almost one?”  Tarja blushed furiously.

“Nothing,” she mumbled.  “What is your deal?  Are you jealous or something?”

“What is there for me to be jealous of?” Floor asked teasingly.  “If you really weren't doing anything.”

“Your imagination!” Tarja snapped.  “That's what I meant.”  She scowled and ate a huge bite of egg, purposely looking away from Floor.

“Hey, I'm sorry, Tarja,” Floor said, gently touching her hand.  “I'm not being mean, really.  I'm just screwing around.  I don't care what you and Alissa were doing, or not doing.”  Tarja was still scowling, but she wasn't as angry now.

“It's okay,” she said.  “I know you didn't.”  And for some reason, she all of a sudden wanted to tell Floor everything, about the park and the shooting star and even the kiss.

“Although, I'm curious.  What were you doing?” Floor asked.  “Was there traffic or something?”

“Actually, we went to a park,” Tarja answered.

“Why?” Floor asked.

“Cause Alissa wanted to show it to me.  It was really cool, with a lake and a little hill and stuff.  We actually sat down and watched the stars for a little bit.  We even saw a shooting star.”

“Did you make a wish?” Floor asked.

“Yes, I did, and since it already came true, I'll tell you what it was.  I wished that Alissa would love me the way I love her, and that we could stay together forever.  And you know what?”  She couldn't finish, because Floor was squealing.

“I told you she liked you!” she exclaimed, hugging Tarja.  Tarja rolled her eyes, grinned, and hugged back.

“Yeah, you were totally right.  I'll admit it, you were actually right about something for once.”

“Hey!” Floor cried in mock annoyance, swatting her.  “Give me more credit than that!”

“Okay, okay,” Tarja laughed.  “You were right...again.  She does like me.  She...she actually kissed me.  It was...magical.  That's the only word I can use to describe it.  Just magical.”  Floor squealed again.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you guys!” she cried.  “Are you like, a couple now?”

“Thank you, and yes, we are,” Tarja said, nodding.  “And you and Sharon are too?”  Floor nodded.

“Yeah. We've got plans to go out again a couple weeks from now.”

The next several weeks passed in a happy blur for Tarja.  She and Alissa went out a couple more times, once on a double date with Floor and Sharon.  All four of them were blissfully content and very much in love.  Things could not have been more perfect.  In addition to girlfriends, they were all busy with their bands, especially Floor and Tarja, and so there wasn't much downtime.  Before either of them knew it, three whole months had passed since Tarja and Alissa became a couple.  They decided to go someplace really special to celebrate their anniversary.  Tarja suggested a fancy restaurant a few blocks from her apartment, and Alissa happily agreed.  The date was wonderful, and they stayed out until after 1:00.  Finally, Tarja went home and stumbled into her apartment, ready to crash on her bed.  She set down her purse and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash off her makeup.  But when she came into the bedroom, she heard a muffled, hiccuping sound coming from the direction of Floor's bed. Tarja frowned.  Surely Floor wasn't crying.  She stepped over to the bed.  In the bit of moonlight that came in through that window, she could make out a long, blanket-covered lump with a bit of a dark head visible up by the pillow.

“Floor?” she whispered, almost unable to believe it.  Floor was crying.  And not just weeping.  This was horrible, heart-wrenching sobbing, like her heart was breaking, or maybe it was already broken.

“Go away,” Floor mumbled.  Tarja gently stroked her dark hair, trying to soothe her, calm her down.

“What's wrong?” she asked.  “Please, Floor, tell me.”

“It's nothing, just leave me alone,” Floor said, hiding under the covers. Tarja pulled them back.

“No, I'm not going to leave you alone.  What's going on?  What happened?” She placed her hand on Floor's back and started to rub it, something that usually calmed Floor down immediately.  Floor's sobs soon changed to sniffles, and she sat up and let Tarja hug her.  Tarja held Floor in her arms, cradling her like a small child.  Floor hid her face in Tarja's shoulder and cried some more.  Tarja just sat there, holding her, stroking her tangled brunette locks.  Finally, Floor stopped crying enough to say,

“Sharon cheated on me,” before she burst into tears again.

“What?” Tarja gasped.  Floor nodded.

“She-She was kissing another girl.  I don't know why, but...oh, Tarja, I feel like she stabbed me in the chest with a knife and is twisting it.  It hurts so bad.  I just wanna die.  Just please let me die.”

“Floor, don't say things like that,” Tarja said, shaking her head.  She frowned.  “Your death would only cause more pain.  You have friends who love you, and a family, and bandmates, and fans.  And a bright future ahead of you.  Don't throw all that away for just one woman.”

“She wasn't just one woman,” Floor sniffled.  “She was the love of my life.  The woman I thought I was going to marry.  Until she went and cheated on me!”

“Oh, Floor...” Tarja sighed, kissing her friend's forehead.  “I'm so, so, so sorry.  I know how much this hurts.”

“How can you possibly know...everyone likes you!  No one would ever be stupid enough to cheat on you...but me...nobody likes me...and-”

“Floor! Stop it this instant!” Tarja cried.  “That is not true.  I have had someone cheat on me.  Marcelo, remember?  That's the whole reason we split up.  And yes, people do like you.  I like you.  Good grief, Floor, I love you like a sister!”

“But not like a girlfriend.  We tried that, remember?  And even you wouldn't stay with me,” Floor reminded her.

“Floor, you know perfectly well that was a mutual decision.  Kissing you felt like kissing my sister, because that's what you are to me.  And you told me you didn't like it and it made you uncomfortable.”  Tarja was getting a bit annoyed.  She felt sorry for Floor, and wanted her to feel better, but she didn't like the way Floor was acting.

“But still.  Can't you understand that I feel like no one wants me?  Like I'm worthless?  Like...Like I'm-”  She started to cry again, and Tarja instantly felt guilty.  She put her arms around Floor again.

“You're not worthless.  Sharon is a fool for cheating on you.  Floor, you're a lovely person, but people take advantage of you sometimes.  But you are not worthless.  And someday, you will find someone who really loves you, someone who would never hurt you like Sharon did.” Floor sniffled.

“Are you sure?”

Tarja sipped her drink, listening to what Floor was saying.  Suddenly, the brunette stopped talking and nudged her.

“What?” Tarja said, looking around.

“She's checking you out,” Floor murmured, nodding toward a girl with blue hair and a leather jacket.

“No way,” Tarja said, giving Floor a shove.  “She is not!”

“Yeah, she was,” Floor insisted. “She was watching you a moment ago.”  Tarja studied the blue-haired girl.  “Her name's Alissa.  I've met her several times. We get along pretty well.  Go say hi,” Floor said.

“No!” Tarja hissed.  “I can't!  I don't know her.”  Floor grabbed her arm and half-dragged her toward Alissa.

“Hey, Liss,” she said, tapping the other woman on the shoulder.  Alissa turned around.

“Floor, my partner in crime!” she exclaimed, hugging the brunette.  “What's up?”

“Oh, you know, we're just hanging out and stuff.  Tarja wanted to talk to you,” Floor said, glancing at Tarja.

“Hi, Tarja.  I'm Alissa,” Alissa said, nodding politely toward Tarja.

“Uh...hi,” Tarja said, discreetly stepping on Floor's toe with one of her high-heels.  Floor yelped and gave her a less-than-discreet shove.  Tarja stumbled and fell—right into Alissa's arms.  “Uh...” Tarja said, her face flaming. “I'm...I'm sorry, Alissa, I didn't mean to.  Somebody shoved me.”

“She did,” Alissa said, pointing at Floor.

“I know,” Tarja muttered.  Alissa grinned.

“What do you say, wanna dance?” she asked.  Tarja stared at her.

“Me, dance with you?” she asked.  Alissa nodded.

“Why not?”

“Well...okay,” Tarja said reluctantly, and followed Alissa over to where several other couples were dancing to the music.  Alissa started to dance on her own, and soon, Tarja couldn't help but join in.  They held hands, doing some kind of a jig, and Tarja realized that she was actually having fun.  And so was Alissa, judging from the smile on her face. Floor was watching them from a few meters away, where she was dancing with a dark-haired beauty.  She winked at Tarja.  Tarja rolled her eyes and turned to Alissa.  The bluenette took her other hand and pulled her closer.  Tarja's heart fluttered.  Alissa looked tough, but she was actually very pretty, with her hazel eyes and electric-blue hair.  The ring through her lip gave her smile an interesting touch.  Suddenly, Tarja wondered what it would be like to kiss Alissa and feel that metal ring against her own lips.

What in the world am I thinking? she wondered.  I'm not going to kiss her, just dance with her.  Sheesh! The next song was softer and slower, and Alissa actually slid her arm around Tarja's waist.  Tarja liked that; it felt nice.  Floor was watching them again, still dancing with the dark-haired girl, whom Tarja had realized was Sharon.  She arched an eyebrow at Tarja as if to say, What did I tell you?

“You want a drink?” Alissa asked as the song ended.  Tarja nodded.

“Yes, thank you, that would be lovely.”  Alissa went up to the bar and ordered two drinks.  Tarja tasted hers.  “Mmm, this is good.”

“Yeah, that's what I usually get,” Alissa said, sitting down on one of the bar stools.  Tarja hopped up onto the one next to her.  They continued chatting for a while, until Tarja was starting to feel sleepy.

“Hey, I'm gonna head on home, okay?” she said.  Alissa nodded.

“You live with Floor, right?  Mind if I walk you home?”

“Oh, no, that's fine,” Tarja said.  “Let me find Floor.”  She moved through the crowd, looking for her flatmate, until she found her chatting with Sharon over by the other end of the counter.  Sharon was quite close to Floor, her face only inches from the taller woman's, and Floor was holding her hand.

Okay, so I dance with Alissa, and Floor finds herself a girlfriend, Tarja thought.  Whatever. She tapped Floor on the shoulder.  “Hey, I'm gonna head home. Alissa's gonna walk me back.”

“Okay,” Floor said.  “I'll see you in a couple hours.”  Tarja went back to Alissa, and the two left the bar.  Once they were outside, they started walking down the street toward the apartment building where Tarja and Floor lived.

“So you're the famous Tarja Turunen,” Alissa said.  “Wow, I would never have thought I would get to dance with her.”  She laughed. “That's pretty awesome.”  Tarja blushed.

“I'm only human,” she said with a little laugh.  “But thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Alissa said, turning to look at her.  “Tonight was a lot of fun.  I'd like to do that again sometime.”

“So would I,” Tarja said.  Alissa gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

“Well, then, why don't we go out to a different place on Saturday?  I would say Friday, but I've got plans.  But Saturday would work.  Maybe a movie and dinner, or something?”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds like fun,” Tarja answered.  “Oh, here we are.”

“Okay, then, I'll see you Saturday evening, then.  Can I have your cell number?” Alissa said.  Tarja gave it to her.  “Alright, I'll text you sometime tomorrow.  See ya.”

“Wait, Alissa,” Tarja said.  “Um...can I...”  For some reason, she had the overwhelming urge to kiss Alissa, much stronger than it had been in the bar.  Most likely it was just the alcohol, but the idea of Alissa walking away without Tarja kissing her first made her sad.

“Can you what?” Alissa asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

“Can I kiss you?” Tarja blurted out.

“Yes,” Alissa said without even thinking.  Tarja put her hands on the other woman's shoulders and leaned in.  Their lips met, and Tarja's heart did a flip.  She'd kissed women before, but this was different. Alissa's lips weren't like anyone else's.  And that little ring through the lower one made the kiss even more wonderful.  She didn't want to pull away, but eventually she had to.

“Good...Goodbye, Alissa,” Tarja said breathlessly.

At 19:00 on Saturday, Tarja was in her bedroom, checking her outfit one last time.  Was it too fancy?  Too casual?  Should she have worn a dress and high-heels, instead of black jeans and a leather jacket and boots?  Should she wear a necklace?  Was the makeup too heavy, or too subtle?

“I think I'm going insane!” she moaned to Floor, who was standing next to her, checking her pink lip gloss in the mirror.  Floor turned. She was wearing a short, black skirt, a red tank top, and boots, and her makeup was perfect.

“Chill. Just take a deep breath,” she said, laying her hands on Tarja's shoulders.  “You look great.”

“Are you sure?  Is it too casual?  Too fancy?” Tarja asked worriedly, turning to look at herself in the mirror again.

“It's perfect.  You're not going anywhere really fancy, so your outfit is just right.  Casual, but with a little bit of elegance,” Floor said.

“I wish I could be that sure.  How come you're not stressing about how you look?” Tarja said.  “I mean, you look awesome, but how come you're not questioning every little thing like I am?”  Floor laughed.

“First of all, I don't care what anyone thinks of me except for maybe Sharon, and she's already seen me with my clothes off,” she answered.  “So I figure, she likes me no matter what I'm wearing.”

“Not helpful,” Tarja said.  Floor gave her a sideways hug.

“Trust me, you look great, as usual.  Now I gotta go.  Have fun!”  She hurried out the door, and soon, Tarja was alone.  Less than five minutes after she left, however, there was a knock on the apartment door.  Tarja grabbed her purse and ran to answer it.  Alissa stood outside, dressed in a motorcycle jacket and boots.

“Hey, Tarja.”

“Hey, Liss,” Tarja answered, trying to calm her pounding heart.

“Ready?” Alissa asked.  Tarja nodded.  “Alright, then let's do this!  I've been looking forward to tonight since Thursday.”  Tarja smiled shyly.

“So have I,” she answered, following Alissa down the hall to the stairs.  When they got outside, Alissa led Tarja over to a black motorcycle with electric-blue flame designs.

“Put this on,” Alissa said, handing her a helmet like the one she had just put on.

“A...motorcycle?” Tarja asked, bewildered.

“You let me choose, and given the choice, I will always pick this baby,” Alissa said, patting the seat of the motorcycle.  She threw one leg across it.  “Hop on.”

“So that's what you meant when you asked if I'd rather have something fancy, but wild, or comfortable, but shabby?” Tarja laughed as she sat down behind Alissa.

“Yeah, my car's kind of old, simply because I haven't bothered to put aside the cash for a new one.  I love this thing too much, I guess,” the bluenette answered, starting the engine.  “Hold on, this could get a bit wild.”  Tarja wrapped her arms around Alissa's waist, since there was nothing else to hold on to.  During the drive, it was too noisy for conversation, which helped Tarja quite a bit, since she didn't have to feel awkward because she couldn't think of anything to say.  When they got to the restaurant, Alissa pulled into a parking space and helped Tarja down from the motorcycle.

“Okay, so why do you have an extra helmet?” Tarja asked as they walked inside.

“This guy I knew was selling off all his motorcycle gear, and I decided to buy another helmet, just in case I ever wanted to take someone for a drive,” Alissa answered.  “You're the first person who's ever used it.”  For some reason, Tarja blushed at that.  A few minutes later, they were sitting down at a table.  The restaurant was classy, but comfortable, and Tarja started to relax.  Until she caught Alissa watching her above the edge of her menu, and ended up knocking her fork to the ground.  She mentally cursed.  Alissa giggled and looked away.

“Did you do that on purpose?” Tarja demanded.

“Who, me?” Alissa asked.

“Yes, you,” Tarja said.  “Who else?”

“I don't know,” Alissa answered.  Tarja couldn't help but grin.  Then she realized that Alissa was doing this on purpose to make her feel better, and her smile widened.  She hadn't even known Alissa for three full days, and yet, she already felt close to her.

After dinner, they headed to the movie theater.  They arrived early, so they walked around for a little while, looking at the ads for other movies.  Alissa posed by a cardboard display for a fantasy, action-adventure movie, holding her hands out in front of her like she was holding a sword like one of the characters on the display. Tarja laughed at the ridiculous expression on her face.

“Oh, it's time, come on,” she said, grabbing Alissa's arm.  They headed into the room where the movie would be shown and found their seats.

Tarja was a little sad when the movie was over, because she knew it meant that they would have to go home, and she wasn't ready to do that yet.  She enjoyed Alissa's company.  Even if they were just friends, tonight was perfect, and she didn't want it to end.

“You okay?” Alissa asked, gently touching her shoulder.

“Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine,” Tarja answered.  Alissa grinned.

“Hey, I got a place I want to show you.  That is, unless you'd rather go home.”

“Oh, no, that's fine,” Tarja said.  “Actually, I was just thinking about how nice this is.”  Alissa smiled and slid an arm around her waist.  Tarja's heart immediately started to flutter as they walked over to the motorcycle and Alissa helped her climb on.  When they had gotten their helmets on, Alissa started up the engine and, instead of turning right out of the parking lot, she turned left, taking them toward the edge of town.  They drove for about twenty minutes and finally stopped at a sort of park, with a hill, some paths, and a few trees.

“Come on,” Alissa said, getting off the motorcycle and helping Tarja down.  She took off her helmet and led Tarja to the top of the hill. A lake lay spread out before them, glistening in the light from the stars and moon.  Tarja gasped.

“This is beautiful, Alissa.”  Alissa smiled.

“Thought you'd like it.  It's one of my favorite spots.”  She lay down on the grass, and Tarja lay down next to her.  They looked up at the many stars.  Tarja pointed out some of the constellations she recognized.  Suddenly, Alissa gasped and pointed up at a bright, silvery streak shooting across the sky.  “A shooting star!  Quick, make a wish!”  Tarja watched the silver streak, her lips silently forming words.  She hoped with all her heart that her wish would come true.  After a moment, Alissa asked, “Did you wish?”

“Yes,” Tarja answered softly.  She turned her head and found herself looking into Alissa's hazel eyes.  Her heart beat even faster.  Alissa reached out and took her hand, her eyes not leaving Tarja's for a second.

“What did you wish for?” she whispered.

“I can't tell you, cause then it won't come true,” Tarja whispered back.

“On the contrary, maybe it will.  Maybe you have to tell me first,” Alissa said.  Tarja's heart did a flip.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Just try it,” Alissa whispered.  “You don't know unless you try.”

Last chapter, guys!  Thank you to all of you who read the whole thing.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Floor woke up early the next morning to shouts coming from the deck. She started to get out of bed, then realized that she was topless, and that Sharon was still sleeping.  She shook the other captain awake.

“Sharon, something's going on up on deck.  I'm going up there.  You stay here, okay?” she said.

“No, I'm coming with you,” Sharon answered.  “I'm captain of this ship, too.”

“But you're hurt.  I don't want you making your injuries worse.  Just stay down here and rest,” Floor said gently, then grabbed a shirt and yanked it on.  She buckled her belt on over it, pulled on her boots, and then hurried out of the room and up onto the deck.  The pirate ship had drawn up next to them, but instead of pirates, Ruud and Tarja stood on the upper deck.  At the sight of the Phoenix's captain, Floor felt a surge of anger.  She strode to the railing.

“Floor! It's alright.  This ship is ours,” Tarja called.  Floor didn't know what to say.  Tarja continued, “There's treasure aboard!  Lots of it.  Enough for both of us.”

“I need to speak with you, Captain Turunen,” Floor called.  In answer, Tarja grabbed a rope, tied it to the ratlines, and swung herself across.  She landed gracefully right in front of Floor.

“I believe you owe me a duel,” Tarja said.  At that, Floor completely lost it.

“You owe me an explanation first!” she yelled.  “Why did you knock me out and then leave me in the cell?”

“I left you something to help you escape,” Tarja said, a little reproachfully.  “It was all part of my plan.  I didn't want to hurt you, believe me.  You jumping over the side of the ship was not part of the plan.  I intended to distract the pirates and make them trust me, then Ruud and I easily overcame them.  There weren't many, and most of them were worn-out and nursing wounds, anyway.”

“But why knock me out?  I could have helped you,” Floor said.

“Simple. I had to make it convincing.  And you would have made it too hard to carry out my plan.  One person sneaking around was hard enough to hide, but two would have been impossible.  Besides, you would never have agreed to work with me.”

“You could have just told me what you were going to do, before you decided to hit me in the face.”

“You wouldn't have believed me,” Tarja answered.  “You never do.  And I will admit, you have good reason not to.  Now, you owe me a duel.” She drew her sword.  Floor did the same.  “First one who draws blood wins, right?”

“Right,” Floor said.  They circled each other for a moment, and then Tarja slashed at Floor.  Floor blocked, and stabbed at the other woman. Tarja parried.  This kind of thing went on for a while, neither woman able to get a hit on the other.  They were too evenly matched.  Floor had the height and length advantage, meaning she was able to lunge and reach farther, but Tarja was faster and more light on her feet. Back and forth across the deck they went, all eyes watching their movements.  Floor almost hit Tarja in the chest, but Tarja sidestepped and slashed at her.  Then Tarja almost got Floor in the hand, but Floor swatted her blade aside just in time.  On and on they fought, first one, then the other seeming to gain the upper hand. Then Floor stumbled slightly.  Tarja locked blades with her and gave a tiny thrust with her weapon, just enough to nick the back of Floor's hand, leaving a small cut from which the blood quickly started to flow.  Tarja whacked Floor's rapier out of her hand.  She tripped Floor and knocked her to the deck, the tip of her sword at Floor's throat.

“I win,” she said, smiling a little.  Floor held up her hands, the right one still bleeding, in a gesture of surrender.

“I give up,” she answered.  “You beat me, fair and square.”

“And you owe me,” Tarja said, eyes gleaming.  Floor's heart sank.  She had made a promise that would hurt Sharon if she kept it.  Still, she nodded.

“You're right.  I made a promise, and I will stick to it.”  Then Tarja moved the sword away from her neck, bent down, and helped Floor to her feet.

“Except I'm not going to make you,” she said, handing Floor's sword to her. “You don't deserve it, and neither does Sharon.”

“Tarja, I took an oath,” Floor began, but Tarja said,

“And if the person whom you made the oath to doesn't want you to fulfill it, then you shouldn't.  That's how our code works.”  She pushed the rapier into Floor's hands.  Floor took it, dazed and bewildered. What was going on?  Was she dreaming, or had Tarja just said she didn't have to stick to the promise she'd made?

“Did you just...?” she asked, but couldn't finish.  Tarja nodded.

“I told you, I'm sorry for tricking you.  And for all the trouble I caused.”  She stopped, staring at something behind Floor.  Floor turned, and saw Sharon standing at one side of the deck.  The other captain came over to them and put a hand on Floor's shoulder.  Tarja stared in shock at her.  “But...how?  You...you fell...I saw you.”

“I took an oath,” Sharon said.  She held up her left hand, the back of it turned toward Tarja so that Tarja could see the ring on the third finger.  “And I haven't fulfilled it yet.  I couldn't die.”

“Well, I'm glad you're alright,” Tarja said, and there was no masking the love in her voice or her eyes.

“And I am glad you are as well,” Sharon replied.  Then she turned to Floor.  “I think she needs to pay us back, for all the trouble she's caused.”  Floor nodded.

“I agree.  Tarja, you owe us 30,000, and a year's worth of service.”

“What kind of service?” Tarja asked.

“You will sail with us for a year,” Sharon said.  “After that, you may go back to your ship.”  Tarja looked first at Sharon, then at Floor, then back at Sharon again.

“Alright,” she said.  She suddenly seemed much more humble, like she had finally learned the error of her ways and wanted to make up for them.  She drew her sword and handed it to Floor.  “I pledge myself to you, for a year's worth of service.”

The next few days were spent getting both the Night Temptation and the Phoenix back in order.  Both crews were missing some people, but almost everyone was back to where they had been before.  Except for Tarja. She was now working on board the Night Temptation. Floor was starting to learn to trust her, though they had a long way to go.  Sharon was trying to help them both see a different side of each other.  Tarja still saw Floor as an enemy who wanted revenge on her for a lot of things, and she had trouble trusting that Floor wasn't going to stab her in the back or something, but Floor had just as much trouble believing that Tarja wouldn't do that to her, either. And every so often, Floor would say something to Tarja that implied that Tarja was still a backstabbing, cheating liar, and Sharon would have to remind her that Tarja was an ally and a friend.  But, little by little, they started making progress.  One thing that lifted Floor's spirits quite a bit was that they found Kai.  He had fallen off the pirate ship during the first fight and been swept away by a strong current, to wash up on a small island, where he lived for several days, eating the fruits and things that he was able to find. He was very glad to be back on the ship with his crewmates.  The two men from the Phoenix were rescued later as well, and soon, everything was pretty much back to normal.  Floor was once more Captain Jansen, although slightly less intimidating to her crew, now that they had all seen the real Floor.  But she could still freeze them with a look, and no one wanted to go up against her in a sword fight.  Once all the sailors had been restored to their ships, there was a big party on board the Night Temptation, with lots of eating and drinking and music and fun for everyone. Even Tarja and Floor behaved themselves, although Floor did catch Sharon and Tarja kissing behind some barrels and she got very angry with both of them, until Sharon threw her arms around Floor and kissed her right there, and Floor knew that the other two had just been fooling around and the kiss hadn't meant anything.

When Floor came to, she was still in her cell.  Her nose hurt, and her face was covered with something warm and sticky.  She touched her upper lip, and her fingers came away bloody.

How hard did she hit me? she wondered, slowly sitting up.  Both Ruud and Tarja were gone.  She was completely alone.  She tried the door, just to make sure, and found that there was something wedged between the door and the barred wall of the cell.  Curious, she pulled it out.  It was the smallest knife Floor had ever seen, no longer than her little finger.  She slid her hand through one of the gaps between the bars and poked the knife into the keyhole, wiggling it around.  There was a click, and the door creaked open.  Floor quickly grabbed a hold of it to keep it from making noise, then sneaked out of the cell and up the stairs to the hall.  She peeked around the corner, saw no one, and made a dash for the ladder leading to the hatch.  Quickly climbing it, she paused at the top for a moment, listening.  She heard voices, mostly men's, then Tarja's.  She was laughing, and, it sounded like, flirting with them.  Floor heard footsteps coming along the passage, and panicked. There was nowhere to hide.  In desperation, she threw the hatch open and climbed out.  The startled pirates ran after her, trying to stop her, but she climbed over the railing and threw herself into the sea. As she sank beneath the waves, she thought she saw another ship a few yards away, just past a huge rock spire that stuck out of the water, but it was dark and she assumed her eyes were playing tricks on her.  She let herself sink, succumbing to the ocean's cold embrace.

Sharon stood on the deck of the Night Temptation, watching the pirate ship.  She was still not fully healed, but Troy said she could get up, as long as she didn't do anything that would reopen her wounds.  The moon came out from behind a cloud, casting a bright silver light over everything.  She mentally cursed.  They had been using the cover of darkness to shield themselves from the pirates.  Then something on the other ship caught her eye.  Was it her imagination, or had someone just leaped over the ship's railing into the sea?  She watched the water for a moment, looking for anything that looked like a person.  There was nothing.

Must have been my imagination, she thought, turning her gaze back toward the pirate ship.  There was a commotion over there, the pirates all crowding toward the railing as if looking down at the water.  Sharon looked down again, and this time, she did see something.  A person was floating in the water, a dark blur in the rippling waves.  Sharon stared, wanting to see who it was, and then, all of a sudden, the moonlight fell across the person's face.

“Floor!” Sharon screamed.  She climbed up onto the railing of the ship, forgetting her injuries, and dove into the water.  She plunged beneath the surface and quickly swam back up, reaching Floor only seconds later.  She grabbed the other woman around the waist, struggling to keep them both afloat.  Floor wasn't moving, and Sharon couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.  Her face was covered in blood, too.  Someone on the Night Temptation flung a rope down.  It landed a couple of yards away, but Sharon swam over and grabbed it, pulling Floor with her.  She wrapped both arms around Floor's waist, holding onto the rope with both hands as she was pulled on deck.  The two women collapsed in a heap, and Sharon suddenly realized that she felt very tired.  But Floor lay still, her eyes closed.  Sharon sat up and leaned over her.  “Floor?  Floor, wake up!” she cried.  Floor's chest wasn't moving, and Sharon feared the worst.  She put her mouth up against Floor's and blew hard, trying to get air into the other woman's lungs.  She blew again and again, refusing to give up.  Suddenly, she heard Floor gasp and cough.  Sharon sat up, looking at her anxiously.  They stared at each other for a minute.

“Did you just kiss me in front of the whole crew?” Floor asked.  Sharon was so relieved, she could have cried.  She tackled Floor in a hug, right there on the deck, in front of everyone.

“Oh, Floor, oh, Floor!” she cried, unable to say anything else.

“Captain den Adel,” Floor began, looking very serious, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice.  “That was quite possibly the stupidest thing you've ever done.”  Troy cleared his throat.

“Captain, she saved your life.”

“I know, Troy,” Floor said.  “It was still a stupid thing to do.”

“What, saving you, or jumping into the sea?” Sharon asked.

“Both,” Floor answered.  She carefully got to her feet and helped Sharon up. The captains looked at each other.

“Don't I get a thank you?” Sharon whispered.  Then Floor kissed her, embracing her lovingly, and the whole crew cheered.

“I cannot thank you,” Floor whispered back.  “Words cannot describe how grateful I am to you, not just for saving me, but for forgiving me for hurting you like that.”

“Floor, I love you too much to stay mad at you,” Sharon said.  Floor smiled.

“Wait a minute, you're bleeding,” she said suddenly, looking concerned. Sharon looked down.  A red stain was spreading across her soaking wet shirt.  Until now, she hadn't even noticed it, she'd been so worried about Floor.  Floor took Sharon's arm and led her toward the door of the sick bay.  “Troy, come on,” she called over her shoulder. They went inside and Floor helped Sharon over to a berth.  Troy started cleaning up Sharon's wound.

“You two do beat all when it comes to close encounters with death,” he muttered.  He looked at Sharon.  “You should be dead.”  Then he turned to Floor.  “And you should be a prisoner on board that pirate ship, if not dead as well.”

“That's enough from you, Troy,” both captains answered in unison.  Then they looked at each other and smiled.

“Never mind about our encounters with death,” Sharon said.  “They weren't the first, and they won't be the last.”

Later that night, Sharon and Floor went to Floor's cabin to talk. Floor poured them each a glass of red wine.  She handed Sharon one glass and held the other up in the air.

“To new beginnings and love that triumphs over everything!” she said. Sharon laughed and clinked her glass to Floor's.  She sipped the wine.  Floor sat down on the berth next to her.  “So, tell me, what all happened while I was on the pirate ship?  How long were you out?”

“About a week, so I don't know everything, but Troy told me you surrendered to the pirates so they wouldn't hurt Merel,” Sharon said.  Floor nodded.  Sharon shook her head.  “Floor, you could have been killed.  Also, how did you get free?  And why was your face all bloody when I found you?”

“Tarja punched me, that's why my face was bloody, and I picked the lock on the cell door,” Floor answered.

“With what?” Sharon asked.

“This.” Floor held up the little knife she had found.

“That's Tarja's,” Sharon said.

“It is?  How do you know?” Floor asked.

“I've seen it.  She carries it in her sleeve,” Sharon replied.  “How did you get a hold of it?”

“It was wedged between the door and the wall of my cell,” Floor said. “How in the world did it get there?”

“I don't know.  Was she with you?” Sharon asked.  Floor nodded.

“Yeah, she was captured during the first fight.  We were in the same cell.”

“And she punched you?” Sharon asked.  Floor nodded again.

“Yeah. We got into an argument, cause I accused her of stabbing you.  I still think she did.”

“She didn't,” Sharon said.  “One of the pirates did.  And then Tarja killed him.  She wouldn't have stabbed me, Floor.”  Floor's jaw dropped.

“Tarja killed someone to avenge you?” she asked in disbelief.  Sharon nodded.

“She's not a bad person, Floor.  I know she seems like she is, but do you have any idea what her early life was like?  She went through hell.”

“Yeah, I do know,” Floor interjected.  “That doesn't mean she gets to get away with tricking me and causing so much trouble for us.”

“You do?” Sharon asked.  “How did you know that?”

“She told me,” Floor said, draining her glass.  She poured herself some more wine.

“Oh,” said Sharon, unable to think of anything else to say.  Floor sat down on the bed again.  “So what happened after you freed yourself?”

“I went up to the deck and leaped over the side.  I didn't see what was going on, but I heard Tarja's voice, and she was laughing!”  Floor frowned.  “I still don't trust her, even if she did leave the knife for me.  Why would she punch me, and then decide to help me?”

“Floor, Tarja's not stupid.  Whatever she does, there's a reason for it. Sometimes those reasons aren't good ones, and sometimes they mean bad things for other people, but she always has a reason for doing what she does,” Sharon said, laying a hand on Floor's bare arm.  Floor had decided not to put on a fresh shirt after her dip in the ocean, and her tattooed, muscular upper body was on full display for Sharon. Sharon set her glass on the table and wrapped her arms around Floor's neck.