Late that night Rose sat on her bed with her bag in hand. She pulled the piles out of the bag and laid them out on her bed. She wanted to leave some for the boys but she didn't know if that was the best course of action. If the man from Chicago found out they had it would he go after them? Or would he just follow her? She needed to leave to get a head start but she also needed him to know she was gone so he would follow her and leave the brothers alone.

After thinking on it she decided to try and leave a note for Anna. Once Anna learned she had left town, the entire town would know of it within the hour. If she left a note on Floyds booth addressed to Anna Floyd would make sure it got to her. She sat down at the vanity and wrote the first letter to Anna. The second, she intended to be her goodbye note for the boys. She stared at the blank sheet of paper for almost an hour before she scribbled out six words.

Thank you for everything. Love, Lorelei

It wasn't enough, but she didn't think a three page letter would ever be enough. How could she explain to them everything they had done for her. How could she explain how they had taught her to laugh again, trust again, how they had taken away her fear. They didn't know where she came from and what she had been there so for them this was simply who she was . How could she thank them for just accepting her as she was. Tears burned in her eyes as she signed her real name. Forrest would explain it to them, and maybe it would help them understand a little.

She pulled her clothes out of the dresser and shoved them and all but one of the piles back into her carpet bag. She left the single pile and her note on the vanity near the photo of Rosemary. She pulled on her traveling clothes and jacket but kept her shoes in her hand as she snuck out of her room into the hall.

She crept towards the stairs and froze. In the dark all she knew was that it wasn't Arthur. The shoulders were too broad to be Arthur. The man was sitting on the top step with his head in his hands. It could be Peter, but she knew it was Forrest. Down to the marrow of her bones she knew Forrest would have been the one waiting for her.

She shifted her weight, intending to return to her room until later but her foot hit a creaky board. She froze. She waited for a few moments. Just when she was sure he hadn't heard her, he spoke.

"It would break their hearts if you ran off without saying goodbye." Forrest hadn't moved, and he kept his voice hushed.

"I left a note," she countered in a loud whisper.

Forrest stood and took her arm, guiding him into his room before he continued. "You have to keep your voice down. Peter is a light sleeper."

She nodded, but didn't say anything. She looked around the room. It was completely bare. Just a bed and a dresser, no pictures on the wall, no photos on the dresser, and strangely it fit Forrest in a way that nothing else did. She stood in the doorway, her bag in hand. Forrest reached behind her and pushed his door closed.

Her heart rate picked up at his nearness and it wasn't from fear. She wondered at that. When had she stopped being afraid? Even a few weeks ago it would have terrified to be in a room alone with any man, but especially Forrest.

"So, you're leaving," his voice was rough and he sounded tired.

She mashed her lips together, uncertain what he wanted her to say. She looked down at her hands, at her bag and at her shoes. She looked anywhere but at his eyes. Feeling somehow that her will would falter if she did.

Forrest nodded, though he did not look like he was in anyway agreeing with her. "And you were not going to say goodbye. I meant what I said. You'll break their hearts."

Still looking at her shoes she indulged herself to ask the one question that had been burning through her for the past few weeks. "And what about you, Forrest? Would it break your heart?" She finally lifted her eyes to meet his and what she saw in them made her want to cry.

"I can't let it," his voice cracked. "My brothers, they are happy...they love you. I can't take that from them. I can't buy my happiness at the expense of theirs."

The tears pooled in her eyes and she sniffled. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying. She had no idea why this was hitting her now. She was leaving. Her choice. What did it matter if Forrest rejected her? Staring into his eyes she thought she saw everything she was giving up. And everything he was willing to give up and sacrifice for his brothers. He was a better man than anyone gave him credit for. Including himself.

She started crying.

Forrest came to her. He took her bag out of her hand and set it at their feet. He took her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as she started sobbing. He held her like that until she cried herself out. He pulled back and cradled her face in his hands. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Lorelei," he whispered pressing his forehead against hers. "Lorelei, please don't cry."

"I-" she started to say, but hiccupped as she started to cry again. "I'm sorry."

She froze when she felt his lips brush across her forehead. She looked up into his eyes. "Forrest..."she whispered his name. He was so close. His eyes were emerald pools, and reflected the moonlight. He hadn't shaved in a few days and she wanted to find out if the stubble was as rough as it looked. She reached for him, and he didn't pull away. She hesitated right before she touched his face, doubt creeping in. Did he want to be touched? Did he-

He covered her hand with his and guided it to touch his face. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her palm. He made a sound low in his throat. He turned his head and his lips brushed the center of her palm. Heat spiked through her body.

She had spent years wanting to be as far away from men as possible. But all she wanted was to pull Forrest closer to her. She breathed in his scent, wanting to memorize every second of this moment. She wanted this so badly, and yet had never been willing to admit it to herself.

She brought her other hand up, so she cradled his face in her hands. His stubble was scratchy against her palms. "Forrest," she said his name again, wanting him to look at her. When he opened his eyes they were only inches apart. Rose gasped a little at the intensity in his eyes. The need she saw in them matched her own and her breathing picked up as her heart started to race.

"Oh Lor," he whispered. His hands came up and rested on her waist. She could feel his heartbeat pick up to match her own. She knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Every nerve in her body sizzled as his fingers dug into her waist. For a second she was certain he was about to pull her against his chest and kiss her. But instead he pushed himself away from her, his breath coming out in ragged pants. He hit the bed and he let his legs buckle dumping him onto his butt.

Rose pulled back, shock and hurt making her stumble to get away from him as well. She felt lost and drift. She shivered as the chill from the room reached her over sensitive skin for the first time. She turned away from him, embarrassment burning through her. "I'm sorry," she said and she reached for her bag in an awkward motion that left her stumbling over her own feet in her haste to get to the door.

She was leaving and nothing would stop her. She couldn't stay now even if she wanted to. She couldn't face him in the light of the day, not having done what she had done and knowing what she had seen in his eyes.

"Lor," he said her name from across the room. He was still sitting on the bed, his head hung as though in shame. "Please don't leave," his voice cracked, but he pushed on his emotions coloring every word he spoke. "I can't- I can't be with you like that. I can't do it to Peter or Arthur. They-"

Turning back to him, Rose closed her eyes at the torrent of emotion that washed over her. He was trying to be honorable again. Trying to give her away to someone he felt deserved her more than him. Because she knew, knew, that Forrest would never believe he deserved happiness. Not after what happened to Rosemary. She set her bag back down and slowly approached the bed. She squatted down in front of him. Their knees were only inches apart and she shivered again.

"I don't want them," she spoke calmly and firmly, leaving no room for argument. "I want you Forrest. I choose you."

Forrest looked at her and her heart broke at the anguish in his eyes. And in that moment she realized he wasn't ready for this. Maybe he would never be ready. His self loathing ran too deep. She took his rough, calloused hand in hers and leaned forward and brushed her lips across his scared knuckles.

Unshed tears glittered in his eyes but he didn't say anything. She gave his hand one last squeeze before she stood. Understanding that once she told him what she had to tell him, he would never look at her the same way again.

"I have to leave Forrest."

"Why? Do you think we can't keep you safe?"

Rose turned and stretched her arms over her head. She was fighting the urge to pull on her hair. "Don't you understand Forrest? It isn't your job to keep me safe."

He looked confused and as though he wanted to argue with her. But she pushed on before he could speak. "I have something I need to tell you. I need you to just listen. At the end you will understand."

Forrest sat back on the bed, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Okay," he nodded, urging her to continue.

"This is my fault." She said simply, there was no reason to beat around the bush. "The man from Chicago, he's not here for you all, he is here for me."

Forrest looked confused for a moment, then as though he wanted to argue. But after a few seconds he glanced once very briefly at her wrists, then back to her face. She could see him trying to work out how that made sense, but he wasn't coming up with the right answer and she knew she was going to have to tell him. This would change everything about them, about their relationship and about how he saw her. But he would never fully understand until he heard the whole story. Only when he learned what she had been and what she had done would he believe her.

She inhaled deeply, preparing herself. When she spoke it was quickly, practically tripping over her words in her rush to get them out before she lost her nerve. "I am from Memphis. I grew up there and lived there. My brother lived in Memphis but worked for a man in Chicago. He ran business and paid a portion to that man. Some gambling but selling girls mostly.

"When my father died, I didn't have anyone else in the world. My brother and I inherited a fair amount of money but my brother wanted it all. So he kept me with him...he...took steps to make sure he had control of the inheritance."

She began pacing then, the walls felt too close, like they were closing in on her. Suddenly the plain plank walls reminded her of that place. She scrubbed at her eyes but continued to move to remind herself that she could. "He kept me under his control. He also..." her voice broke but she pushed on. "...he did things...he let people..."

Tears and snot were streaming down her face as she tripped over the words. Forrest leaned forward to touch her but she held up her hands to ward him off. "Please, I need to get this out. I will break down if you touch me." She wiped at her face. "I also...just let me finish."

Forrest nodded, though he was clenching his jaw hard enough she could hear his teeth grinding.

"Every couple of months my brother would have a big load of cash to deliver up north to Chicago. It was his tithe." She stopped beside the window and looked down at the moon soaked yard. The wind rustled the leaves in the night tossing shadows across the drive. Everything was so quiet and peaceful here. Her next words would destroy that.

"He sometimes kept me in his office," she reached down and rubbed at her wrists as she remembered the pain. "He kept me chained to the radiator when..." She wrapped her arms around herself. The cold was down to her bones now. Her voice was steadier as she moved on with her story. "I learned a lot about his business. What he did to me...he kept me for several years. No one knew." She sniffed.

"One day I escaped, only I didn't just run...I should have, but...I took the money. I took the money he was supposed to pay to Chicago. I took it knowing I was condemning my brother to death."

She closed her eyes, terrified of Forrest seeing the truth in her eyes. She was terrified of seeing his disappointment. He would never look at her the same way again. "As soon as the people in Chicago found out what happened...I knew they would kill him and I didn't care. What kind of a person does that?" she wondered aloud.

"You had no way-"

"No I did," she said quickly. "I absolutely knew. I knew when I got free that I couldn't kill him myself, but I wanted him dead for what he did to me."

She heard him make a noise behind her. But she couldn't bring herself to face him.

"How much money was it?" Forrest's voice was calm and steeling herself to face him. She turned. He was standing right behind her. His hands were clasped behind his back as he respected her request. "Lor," when he said her name she couldn't help but meet his gaze. She nearly sagged in relief when she saw no judgment in his gaze. Just calm Forrest. It was one of the things she loved about him. How he instantly zeroed in on the real problem. She knew the others had feelings for her, but Peter would have been shocked at her ability to leave her brother to die. While Arthur would have agreed he needed to die he would not have been okay with how easily Rose had left him. Arthur needed someone with goodness to balance the dark in him. Forrest had no such delusion about the way the world worked.

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "It was a little over $300,000," she confessed.

Forrest's eyes widened and he coughed but didn't say anything.

She waited for him to say something, but he didn't. "Please say something." She begged.

He nodded a few times as he processed everything Rose had told him. "No wonder your bag was so heavy."

Rose burst out in hysterical laughter. She slapped her hands over her mouth, as though she could contain it. She shook her head, amazed Forrest could make her laugh at a time like this. "So...you understand then? He's come for me, and I need to leave before he finds me."

"I understand," he walked up to her and took her hands in his. "But, I assure you this has nothing to do with you. Arthur ripped off a deal from the men from Chicago the last time he was in Chattanooga. It took them that long to figure out who we were and where we were located. They are coming here to punish us, teach us a lesson and at the end of it they will no doubt offer us a job."

"Will you take it?" she asked, still doubtful.

"No, we don't work for anyone but ourselves." He gave her hands a squeeze. "Tell me the truth. Is that why you're leaving? Cuz you were convinced this man was coming for you?"

Rose gently pulled her hands from his. It was just too hard to touch him now. "You and your brothers have been incredibly generous. You have...well I can't tell you everything that you have done for me. But I won't bring my trouble to your door. Even if this man has not come for me, one day someone will. I have stayed too long, it's time I moved on."

"To your family in Florida?" he asked disbelievingly.

She exhaled sharply. "Forrest, I don't have any family in Florida. The only family I had left after my father died was my brother. Florida was just the farthest I could get by train in the shortest amount of time."

"You don't need to leave Lorelei."

"Forrest, after tonight I really do need to leave."

"Why?" he asked.

She took several deep breaths before she could reply. "Because Forrest, I'm in love with you. And while I love your brothers, I am not in love with either of them. And now that you know what I did, and what was done to..." she couldn't finished. She licked her lips and tried again but she couldn't get the rest out. "I'm going to go. Please, don't try to stop me."

Forrest stepped towards her. "You did nothing wrong, and what was done to you..." his hands shook with the desire for action. With the desire to tear her brother apart piece by piece. "None of that is your fault. And none of it changes anything...But I won't keep you from leaving. I would never do that."

Rose sniffed and tried to stop herself from nodding too many times. She stooped and picked up her bag as she headed for the door. She opened the door.

"It will Lorelei."

She turned back to him, confused. "What?"

"Break my heart," his voice whispered from the dark.

Rose didn't leave that night. She returned to her room, tucked her things away and crawled into bed and waited for the sun to rise.