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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 21, 2006 3:11:16 GMT -5
Everything was still hazy and Dee realized she was clutching her neck in the same spot Jenny had been bitten, and a sharp sting told her that her teeth still dug into her lip where she had bitten it to keep from screaming. She barely heard Dusty's apology, but when he kissed her she concentrated on focusing on him. She slid the hand that had clung to her neck into his hair. It was a little grimy from hair gel, cigarette smoke and the liquor that had flown during the bar fight, but it was still soft under her fingers.
When he apologized again, she just shook her head. "It wasn't your fault" she hated that her voice was still weak. When they lapsed into silence Dee let her mind drift freely. She had no idea how long she had been out of it when Dusty's voice cut through her thoughts.
"So... Did anything good happen while you were away?"
Bitter anger rose like bile in Dee's throat. She took a deep breath and forced the poison emotions away. Her aunt had ruined her life at every opportunity whenever she lived in California, but she would not ruin any aspect of it here. "No." She replied emotionlessly "My aunt was grudgingly grateful that i had saved Jenny, but she also reminded me at every opportunity that I was the cause of her near-death. Since Jenny doesn't know a thing, she never caught on to my aunt's very pointed comments." Exhaustion swept through her as the weight of the memories, refusing to rest while she looked after Jenny, and emotional strain of being reunited with family and Dusty finally caught up to her. Dee shifted on the couch as her mind started to crash, so that she could lay curled up, with her head in Dusty's lap. "I'm sorry Dusty love, I need to rest my eyes for a moment"
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Post by dusty on Aug 21, 2006 3:36:04 GMT -5
Dusty ran his hand through her hair and gave her an apologetic smile, still feeling awful in spite of her reassurance. A part of him was still angry at himself, while another one raged at Ben for doing this to her. Yet another part of him knew that if Ben knew about what Dee was going through... he would probably feel awful, too... Which in turn made him feel bad for his anger at the vampire... At least in part. There was still the simple fact that Ben had acted completely irrationally in attacking Jenny... And that, in itself, was unforgiveable.
At Dee's words about her aunt, Dusty frowned. "You weren't the cause, a ghrá mo chroí..." He told her matter-of-factly. "While we may have hurt Ben... And I do feel bad for it... Neither of us forced him to go out and hunt... He broke his own code of honor doing what he did. It was not your fault." He added, his tone making it very clear what he thought of that opinion. "And your aunt has always been a fool." He stated flatly. "She obviously overlooked the fact that it wouldn't have just been a near death if it weren't for you. You're the hero." He said with a note of finality.
As he held her, he could feel her exhaustion taking hold. When she apologized. "No apologies neccessary, my love." He said softly, running his fingers gently through her hair as she lay down. As she rested, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was. Every time he looked at her, she just seemed to radiate more and more. Even with as much strain as she had been under, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And they were finally together again. He felt a tear of happiness roll down his cheek at the thought. For the first time in a long time, he felt complete again. In that moment, he swore once again that he would never leave her again. Not for anyone or anything.
He leaned down carefull and kissed her temple gently, sending her waves of comfort and love. He couldn't help but feel that this was one of the most perfect moments he had ever been in, even with all of the stress and pain that were packed into its birthing. Grabbing her hand gently, he twined his fingers with hers and let himself relax. He hadn't realized quite how tired he was before, but now it was hitting him. With a sigh of contentment, he let his head fall back against the back of the couch and let his mind drift.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 21, 2006 4:26:58 GMT -5
One thing Dee had always loved about Dusty is that he always found the words to calm her hurting heart. Closing her eyes, she relished in Dusty's hands playing through her hair. She LOVED it when he did that. Did she ever tell him that? Dee couldn't remember, but made a sleepy mental note to do that the next time he did that.
Feeling cold, she opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark. She was looking for someone, and hadn't thought to bring a jacket. Who would have thought you would need one in New York at night? It was the middle of summer for Christ's sake. Taking a piece of gum out of her purse, she popped it into her mouth and absorbed the childish grape flavor as she looked around.
Shit. She was lost. She would NEVER find her cousin this way. Thinking she might have better luck is she followed the road closest to her. She hadn't gone far when she heard a car. She started waving her arms to get the driver's attention. Maybe he could give her a clue as to where she was. The driver paid no attention however and she swore he sped up as he passed by, hitting a puddle of water and splashing her with grimy street water. "ASSHOLE!" she called behind him.
She looked down at her ruined new blouse and jean skirt. The faint thought that this wasn't her normal attire faintly slipped through her brain and was gone. Giving in to a shiver, she started walking again. She thought she heard voices closer to the ally. Knowing she shouldn't, she crept closer to see if anyone was there to ask for directions. Seeing a figure heading her way pretty fast, she decided to see if she could stop him to help her. She started heading his direction and called out. "Hey! HEY! Can you help me a minute?"
The running figure said not a word but she swore to God she thought she heard a growl. Feeling kinda freaked she started to head back out of the alleyway. Staying close to the building she hoped the guy would just pass her as he ran....glancing back she knew she wouldn't be so lucky. Bright, fast fear coursed through her brain, and she started to run. She was too late. A small cry escaped from her throat as he grabbed her hair and pulled her against him. His eye glowed red, razor sharp fangs protruded from his lips. Her last coherent thought was that this was impossible. Then the pain. The white hot impossible pain tore through her body as his fangs slipped further in. She heard someone scream. It wasn't until she began to feel the life drain out of her, that she realized that she was the one screaming.
Dee woke herself up, still screaming.
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Post by dusty on Aug 21, 2006 4:44:03 GMT -5
Dusty fell into a dreamless doze. One that's peaceful haze was broken only by the vague feeling that something was wrong. As it was just a feeling at present he couldn't quite find the energy to pull himself out of his near-slumber. All he could think was that he was with Dee, what could possibly be wrong? Then Dee started screaming.
He came fully alert immediately, his body ready to fend off an attack as his mind realized that it wasn't that sort of wrongness that he was feeling. He forced himself to relax slightly and pulled Adelia into his arms, kissing her face and running his hands through her hair and down her back, attempting to give her comfort. He didn't even have to ask what it was that had caused her to wake up screaming; he could guess easily enough. "Hush, my love.... It's all right.... I've got you...." He whispered, holding her gently and rocking with her. It took all of his willpower to force the fear for her from creeping into his voice. All he could think of was that she shouldn't have to go through something like that, and he swore over and over again in his mind that he would never let anything bad happen to her again.
After a few minutes of holding her, he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "A ghrá mo chroí?" He asked, resting his hand on her cheek as he stared at her in concern. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked softly, his eyes clearly reflecting how much it hurt him to see her like this. He couldn't stand it. It took all of his willpower not to take her to Winny and then go hunt Ben down simply to tell him just what it is he'd done to his beloved. He knew Benjamyn well enough to know that that would be more vengeance than anything else he could do to him. The vampire truly had cared for Dee, in his own way. But Dusty knew that that wouldn't help anything save to assauge his own anger, and that wouldn't help his beloved.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 21, 2006 5:00:42 GMT -5
Panicking, Dee forced herself to stop screaming. She couldn't see, and was being held down, so she struggled for freedom. It wasn't until she heard Dusty's soothing tones that she stilled and burst into tears. She pressed her face against his chest and just let the tears flow. At times like this, she didn't think she could handle any more. Especially when she would wake up alone screaming. Having Dusty there...helped but she just wanted it to be OVER!
His hands in her hair, on her back...soothed the fears that lingered. The tears didn't some so quickly and she concentrated on just feeling him around her. She was shamed. She was a witch, a damn good one. She should be able to control...THIS. She'd tried spell after spell, meditation after meditation...nothing helped. When Dusty lifted her face to his, she had a hard time looking him in the eye. She was embarrassed. She HATED to cry. It made her feel weak and helpless.
"A ghrá mo chroí? Is there anything I can do?"
She placed her hand over the one he had put on her cheek using his skin to warm her chilled body.
"No my love. I'm..." her voice broke and she swore. "I'm sorry." She said carefully.
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Post by dusty on Aug 21, 2006 5:11:08 GMT -5
Dusty could tell that Adelia felt ashamed of herself, and shook his head sadly. "Stop it." He said gently, giving her a serious look. "You don't need to be embarrassed because of something like this... Especially not with me." He told her firmly, then leaned in and kissed her.
At her words, he felt his heart sink. He had known that would be her answer, but he had hoped that perhaps there might be something he could do to help her through all of this... But he supposed that simply being there for her and attempting to fill her life with as much joy and love as possible would have to be enough. He hoped it would be. He gave her a small smile as her voice broke. "Stop apologizing." He chided softly, running his thumb gently down her cheek.
As he gazed into her eyes, he couldn't help but think that even with the tears and the pain that she was so obviously in... She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. He felt a rush of love and warmth as he gazed at her. Suddenly, he felt something snap into place in his head, and he suddenly felt somewhat weak and giddy at the thought that passed through his mind. "Adelia..." He said softly, somewhat shyly. The word was barely more than a whisper, and he licked his lips nervously. "I know this probably isn't the most favourable time to be asking you this, but..." He took a deep breath, stealing himself against what he was about to ask. Though he knew that he loved her and she him, he couldn't help but feel nervous about what her answer might be. "Adelia... Will you marry me?" He asked quietly, staring imploringly into the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen. The eyes of the woman he didn't ever want to be apart from again.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 21, 2006 20:17:29 GMT -5
Her heartbeat, though still pounding in her head, was beinning to return to normal. The tears had stopped and she was beginning to catch her breath. Dee knew she would still be a mess if she didn't have Dusty with her.
Dusty. He was still looking at her and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the love of her life. Until he had left her the first time, he had always been there for her. When her family had deserted her, he and Winter had convinced their family to take her in and train her as one of their own. When she had convinced herself she wasn't stong enough to master a spell or couldn't fight as well, he had kicked her butt into gear and wouldn't let her give up.
He had been there to dry her tears. He had been her first kiss, he was her first love. Her only love. Her mind flashed to Benjamyn. Yes she had cared for him, but what she felt for him didn't hold a candle to what she felt for Dusty. Anger tore through her at the thought of what he did to her cousin. She wanted to hate him she TRIED to hate him. She had cursed him a thousand times while tending to Jenny...but she couldn't. Dee finally had to admit that it wasn't in her to hate. But that didn't mean she had to forgive him. And she didn't.
"Adelia...I know this probably isn't the most favourable time to be asking you this, but..."
He looked suddenly nervous and sounded almost shy. Did he know how cute he was? How hot he was? How he made her feel what no one else could? She had longed for him, lusted after him in more ways that one during their seperations. She needed him. She thanked all the Gods that he needed her too. Dee closed her eyes to just savor him.
"Adelia... Will you marry me?"
Did he know just how much...his words sunk in. She looked at him sharply.
"What did you just say?" Her heart was pounding again but this time it had nothing to do with her nightmares. Her head swam and echoed his words..."Will you marry me?"
She couldn't breath. He couldn't be serious...could he? She scaned his eyes trying to find...something. All she saw...was love and nervousness. "You can't be serious Dusty. It's just the shock of being with me again. Think about it. Tomorrow you'll feel differently and everything will be back to normal" She panicked. She expected them to get married one day, but couldn't bear the thought that he would regret asking her tomorrow.
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Post by dusty on Aug 21, 2006 20:45:58 GMT -5
Dusty bit his lip self-conciously as it took her a moment to react. "Of course I'm serious, Dee..." He said softly. With a sigh, he took her hands in his and gazed intently into her beautiful eyes. "A ghrá mo chroí... I've had to be without you too much the past couple of years... And it's put alot of things in perspective for me..." He looked down at thier hands thoughtfully. "And while there are still alot of things that make no sense to me, I do know that I never want to have to be without you again... And..." He smiled at her slightly. "To be perfectly honest, my love... I had been thinking about our future before my family ever asked me to come home..."
He frowned slightly as he returned his attention to thier hands. "I think... Actually, that's one of the reasons I panicked and didn't say goodbye... I knew what I wanted, but it..." He sighed again and shook his head. "It scared the hell out of me." He raised his eyes to hers. "And it still kind of does." He added, giving her a wry smile. "After all... Getting what one wants most can be a terrifying thing." He explained. "Adelia... I love you more than words can possibly say... And nothing could ever change the way I feel at this moment." He told her simply, squeezing her hands gently.
"So..." He began, then moved off of the couch to kneal in front of her. "Adelia Cunnane... Love of my life and soul of my soul... Will you marry me?" He asked again, gazing into her eyes imploringly.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 21, 2006 21:56:54 GMT -5
Dee sat speechless as Dusty sat there and tried to change her mind. Her head spun from all the newfound knowledge he was bestoying upon her.
He was thinking about before he went away the first time. Tears began to sting her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
"After all, getting what one wants can be a most terrifying thing"
Yes, yes it can, she thought. She was terrified. She wanted this more than she wanted to breath. Her eyes were large and still locked with his. She tried to speak but words wouldn't come.
He wouldn't regret this. She could tell from his words, from his eyes...he wouldnt' regret this. The tears began to fall as he knelt down on one knee in front of her, but she never broke eye contact with him.
"So...Adelia Cunnane... Love of my life and soul of my soul... Will you marry me?" Her heart was so happy it seemed to burst with love and joy. She had never been so happy as she was at this very moment. She closed her eyes and laid her head down to rest on their still joined hands and tried to catch her breath. Happy tears were still streaming down face. She took a deep breath and lifted her face to look at him. "Yes" her voice was strong and sure and in an instant she was in his arms kissing his face, his hair, his neck. "I love you, I love you so much Dusty." She pulled back and looked lovingly at him with tears still running down her cheeks. "I can't wait to be your wife!"
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Post by dusty on Aug 21, 2006 22:20:09 GMT -5
Dusty felt a foolish grin spread across her face at her answer. He felt so happy in that moment that he didn't even notice the tears of joy that were coursing down his face. He held her tightly and returned her kisses, feeling as if his heart were about to burst. "I love you, too, Dee... So, so much." He responded then let out a rather giddy laugh. "You have no idea how good that sounds." He told her, cupping her cheek in his hand and brushing away her tears with is thumb. After a moment, he pulled her close and gave her a long, loving kiss. Breaking away, he held her close, savoring the moment.
"So..." He said, smiling as he twined his fingers with hers. "Should we go and tell Winny now... Or just wait and go out to dinner to celebrate?" He asked her, giving her a loving squeeze.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 22, 2006 2:27:09 GMT -5
Happier than she had ever been in her entire life, Dee let out loud rich laughter. When he kissed her, all the love poured out of her heart and into the kiss. It was so beautiful, she thought her heart would break and reluctently ended the kiss when she felt him pull away.
She wrapped her arms around his neck when he pulled her close. Her future husband. She was holding her future husband. She giggled a most Un-Dee like giggle and kissed his neck.
"So..." He said, smiling as he twined his fingers with hers. "Should we go and tell Winny now... Or just wait and go out to dinner to celebrate?"
She kissed him quickly. "Are you out of your mind?" she grinned "If we don't tell Winter very, VERY soon, she'll never forgive us and probably turn us into toads" She smiled at the memory. When Dee and Dusty first got together they spent so much time being gooey all over each other Winny had threatened to turn them both into toads if they didn't knock it off. "Let's go find her love. I want her to be the first to know."
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Post by dusty on Aug 22, 2006 20:30:52 GMT -5
Dusty chuckled at the reminder. "Good point." He said, giving her another quick kiss. "I want her to be the first to know, too." He added, ruffling her hair affectionately. He closed his eyes and located his twin. Opening them, he smiled at Dee and transported them to his and Winny's couch.
Winter had been sitting curled up in her favorite chair, eating a yogurt and looking through a magazing, wondering vaguely how things were going with Dusty and Dee when they appeared in the livingroom. She blinked at them, mildly surprised to see them. She figured that they would still be off somewhere, being all lovey-dovey and sickeningly, gooey sweet. "What are you two doing here?" She asked curiously, noting the huge smiles on the faces of the two sitting on her couch. One thing was for sure; something was going on.
Dusty grinned brightly at his sister. "Well... We have something to tell you, actually..." He began, glancing at Dee and giving her a bright smile. "Winny, dear sister... How do you feel about the idea of helping Dee and I plan our wedding?" He asked, watching his sister for her reaction.
Winter stared blankly at her brother for a moment as what he just said sunk in. Without warning, she dove across the room and enveloped them both in a huge hug, kissing them both on the cheek. "It's about damn time!" She chided them, grinning broadly as she hugged them tightly. "Honestly, Dusty, what took you so long?" She demanded of her brother, sensing from a simple touch to his mind that he was the one that had proposed.
Releasing the two, she unceremoniously plopped down onto the coffee table in front of them, looking from one to the other with a pleased look on her face. "So... Where's her ring?" She teased, knowing that he hadn't had time to go shopping for one. After all... Until tonight he had been a man in the throes of depression. Now, she was happy to see that her brother was back to normal. It was amazing what wonders a short period of time with Dee could do for him.
Dusty smiled self-conciously, then looked to Dee. "I was thinking I could go shopping for one tomorrow... How does that sound?" He asked, giving his beloved a kiss. "Of course, I'll have to visit the family estate to get the money for it, but..." He smiled brightly. "We could always go together." He suggested. "And we could tell them the good news, what do you think?"
((Sorry... Wasn't the best, but there you go. ^_^ I'll get on as soon as I can to respond.))
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 24, 2006 20:25:23 GMT -5
Since it was so hard to do it, Dee always took great pride in catching Winter off guard. Winny ALWAYS seemed to know what was going on. She knew before Dee that Dee was in love with Dusty, she knew before Dusty that he had fallen in love with Dee, so it was NO SURPRISE to Winter when they finally hooked up. In fact, she had scolded them the same way for not doing it sooner! SO when Dee saw that she and Dusty had caught her COMPLETELY by surprise she burst into laughter again.
It was amazing how things had seemed so bleak so long ago. Just last week she was in Cali worrying over Jenny and trying not to let her Aunt get the best of her. She had been depressed and missing Dusty and Winny like crazy. She had wanted to go home...this was home. The thought struck her dumb. New York wasn't home, Dusty and Winny were home. She squeezed Dusty a little bit tighter and and just held him close to her, smiling.
"So... Where's her ring?" Dee laughed again, leaned down and kissed her ever practical Winny on the cheek.
"I was thinking I could go shopping for one tomorrow... How does that sound?" He asked, giving his beloved a kiss. "Of course, I'll have to visit the family estate to get the money for it, but..." He smiled brightly. "We could always go together." He suggested. "And we could tell them the good news, what do you think?"
Dee's smile froze on her face. His family had been happy when they announced they were in love. She was accepted into his family, but getting married might be something they disapproved of. They were still young after all. The twins were going to be 26 soon sure, but she was only going to be 24 come July. Dee tried to calm herself, but icy fear had taken hold in the pit of her stomach that their parents wouldn't approve. But she smiled big despite her fears and gave Dusty a big kiss. "That all sounds wonderful my love. But I want you to promise me something." she linked both her hands with his "If you buy me a ring, I want to buy you one as well. I want everyone to know that we're promised to each other." She kissed his cheek and looked at him hopefully.
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Post by dusty on Aug 28, 2006 18:01:58 GMT -5
Dusty and Winter both noticed the slight change in Dee's demeanor at the mention of telling thier family about the engagement. Sharing a knowing glance, they smiled slightly. "You know..." Winter said, apparently thoughtful. "I seem to recall Mother saying something when we were there before about this... Wasn't she asking you when you were finally going to get around to making Dee part of the family?" She asked her brother, making it sound like an off-handed question.
Dusty grinned slightly. "Yes, I do believe she did say something to that effect." He responded, giving his beloved a small smile. "After all... They do all love you even more than they love me." He informed her simply, kissing her lovingly.
A grin grew on his face at her request, and he leaned in and gave her a long kiss before answering. "I would like that, very much." He said softly, gazing lovingly into her eyes as he lifted her hand and gently kissed her knuckles.
Winter watched the gushiness with an amused expression. "Y'know... I bet I could either make millions if I videotaped this... Either in money, or by way of making millions throw up." She teased, smirking at them. "At any rate... I'd say this news calls for a celebration. Anyone hungry?" She asked, glancing down at her watch. "I'm willing to bet we can find somewhere on this gods-forsaken planet that serves food worthy of such an auspicious occasion." She said, grinning.
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Post by Adelia Cunnane on Aug 28, 2006 18:24:24 GMT -5
How did they do it? How the hell did they BOTH manage to say the right things at the right time? Dee felt the icy fear just melt away. She felt slightly embarrassed for 1) being afraid and 2) letting her fear show through. She was really going to have to start meditating more.
Dee smiled at her family. HER family. Even if it wasn't legal, they always had been. Which, when you really think about it...made you wonder if being in love with Dusty wasn't a form of incest....Hmmmm. Since they weren't blood related...guess not. Which is probably a GOOD thing since they are getting married and all, she thought.
Dusty's kiss brought her back. Damn she was zoning out a lot! Seriously...she was going to start meditating more. Starting tonight.
Dee was DELIGHTED when Dusty agreed to wear a ring as well. SHe had been nervous about that idea. She thought that a sapphire would suite him nicely. An icy blue to match his eyes. She smiled warmly at him.
She laughed at Winter's smart ass remarks even as chills still went down her spine from Dusty's lips kissing her hand.
"At any rate... I'd say this news calls for a celebration. Anyone hungry?" She asked, glancing down at her watch. "I'm willing to bet we can find somewhere on this gods-forsaken planet that serves food worthy of such an auspicious occasion."
"Honey, there is only ONE place I can think of that will do for this!" Grabbing Winny's hand and squeezing Dusty's, she disappeared them to the perfect place for a party. "Ta da!" she said standing proudly in front of the IHOP. "If you have any better ideas or speak now or forever hold your peace" she exclaimed laughing.
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