Author's Note: Its taken me about five weeks or more to get this fanfic posted because something's wrong with my hard drive. I would save it and it would get erased or some error would occur and I had to re-write it about three times. But here it is finally, after lots of work and planning. This fanfic is kind of like "Heart of the Sun." It has the same mystery and legends behind it, but there somewhat different. Besides, I never like writing two stories that are exactly alike either. This story will be taking place in Scotland and the descriptions may be vague just because I've never been there, but its a place I've always wanted to visit. I hope you like this story and will find it interesting and magical enough to come back for more.
Once and Again
Chapter 1
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived in this world. She wasn't glamorous, she was simple, but extraordinarily beautiful in her simple life. She was special as not others are, she was gifted with the sight of seeing what had happened in the past, of what happened in the present, and of what had yet to happen in the future. With one touch to another, she saw into them.
Long was she burdened with this gift, long did it follow her and cause her pain and heartache. But as long as the gift had followed her, she had known pain and loneliness most of her life, known the ache of never finding peace in her lifetime.
Little did she know this was caused by a curse that had followed her most of her life, a curse that had been inside her, surrounding her, because of pain and suffering that had occured long ago. Never had she found peace, in all of her lifetimes.
But now the time had come for her to face this curse, to face him, and for the legend to begin again......
Seal Beach, California
Present Day
Rene Taischa Hallowell stood at her balcony, watching the sun shine down onto the beach, watched famalies laugh and play in the sparkling ocean water, watched couples stroll by or rollerblade by, always happy and smiling.
Adjusting the tang top she wore, she went downstairs and poured herself some of the coffee she had left brewing that morning, pouring herself a cup and downing it just as quickly. Sighing at the divine taste of the caffiene, she took up her sketching pad and charcoal, heading outside onto the patio to begin a sketch of the beaches shores.
Since the fierce wind kept pushing her hair into her face and it was getting on her nerves, she took a band and tied her hair back, satisfied enough to begin scanning the beach for something or someone to paint.
Spotting a toddler struggling across the sand under his mothers watchful eyes, she decided she liked the scene and would sketch it, then paint it. Getting her charcoal out, she began to work.
She was deep into her work when her phone rang, startling her and causing her to glare at the ringing device. Snatching it up, she snapped,"Hello."
"I'm not interrupting, am I?"the voice was deep and she recognized it to belong to Guy Sullivan, her agent and representative.
She would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't noticed a tall, handsome and well built group of men all eyeing her from some feet away."You always interrupt Guy."she gave them a quick smile, flattered when they all grinned back.
"Its one of my finer qualities. Anyway, Rene, I need to run something by you. We have someone who wants to fund you, but there's a catch."he drummed his fingers against his desk, sitting in his New York office overlooking most of the city."Interested?"
She stopped sketching, focused in on what he was saying."Go on."
"He's doing this anonymous. He doesn't want me to tell you who he is until you've agreed. I know its asking a lot, but I will tell you that you'll be going across the ocean, out of the states to Scotland. You'd be gone for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. I'm not sure how you'd feel about that, but if you agree, we'll strike a goldmine here. This guy's really impressed with your work, he owns one of them.....Eternity, I think."
She frowned and stood quickly, turning her back on the group of men and not seeing the way there faces all fell in disappointment. She remembered that painting well. It had been one of the only one's she hadn't wanted to sell, but had turned out to be the most popular of her works yet."The money doesn't matter to me, you know that."
"I know, more's the pity. All right, you think on it and get back to me when you decide."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Good. So.....what are you wearing?"
She rolled her eyes."None of your business."with that, she promptly hung up.
Shaking her head at the thought of him, she got back to work.
She worked for hours on end, continued even after the sun had set into the horizon and only the lights on her porche illuminated the painting she was almost finished with. With a few last strokes, she nodded to herself and took the easle inside, setting it into the other room and going to the kitchen, easing the tension out of her shoulders as she walked.
First she took a water bottle from her refridgerator, drank deeply, then went to check what mail had come for her. She flipped through bills, tossed them all, then checked her peephole and saw there was a package for her. Curious now, she opened the door and picked it up, closing the door behind her as she frowned down at it.
There was no return address and she wondered about this, but shrugging her shoulders, she opened it with a knife she had taken from the kitchen, pushing aside the box flaps and looking inside, moving aside paper that was wrapped securely around it.
Her eyes landed on a small broach inside, frowned at what was engraved on it; a woman standing near a river and a man watching her from a distance, with the sun setting behind them.
"Eternity......?"she whispered, reaching inside and picking the broach up without thinking, a sudden jolt shaking her as images filled her mind.
She saw a country filled with rolling hills and green pastures, with clear skies and whispers of magic, and a woman standing near the edge of a river, a man watching her in hiding, his eyes filled with love and desire. She watched and as she did, the woman turned and she saw something familiar in the way she moved her head, even from the great distance she saw something that there was something much to familiar.
Horrified, she threw the broach from her, backing away from it, tripping on the sofa in her living room and falling backward onto it. But even though she was no longer touching the broach, she could still see the images in her mind, could still see the woman by the river turning to look at her, see something there that she didn't want to accept.
Gripping her head in her hands, she tried concentrating on something else, tried forcing the images away as she always had been able to when they came to her before. If she thought to much on them, they would consume her and take over.
Minutes ticked by and they slowly faded into memory, slowly became less vivid. She rubbed her eyes hard, rubbed them until she was sure the images were gone and wouldn't return unless she willed them too.
Suddenly desperate, she stood and put on a pair of gloves she kept in a cubbard in the kitchen, went and picked up the broach to toss it back into the box. As long as she kept some barrier with the object, she would feel nothing from it. She put it away in her hallway closet, slammed the door and stepped back from it, hoping to never see or think of it again.
But in the days that followed, the visions haunted her not in her waking hours, but when she slept, when she was most vulnerable and unable to stop them.
It was a week after she had recieved that strange package that she was sitting out on her patio, watching the sun and wondering what she would do that day, when her doorbell rang, startling her for a moment. Standing, she stood and went to the answer it, somewhat annoyed when she saw it was Guy who stood there, looking fresh and gorgeous in casual attire.
Turning her back on him, she walked back into the kitchen."What do you want?"
Judging her mood, he walked in slowly and closed the door behind him."Am I interrupting your work?"
She pushed her hair back from her face, eyed him."No, your not interrupting my work, but your interrupting me either way."
"Rene, baby doll, is that anyway to treat your one and only?"he grinned at her when she glared.
"My one and only pain in the ass."she didn't see him wince."Guy, just tell me what this is about. I'm not in the mood for visitors."her eyes looked out at sea as she recalled the dream she had had the night before, waking up gasping with both fear and passion. She'd felt his hands on her, felt him touching her and whispering to her, but she hadn't been able to see his face. It was his name she had always woken up crying out.....his face was a mystery.
"I needed to know your answer to Scotland."
She looked back at him, suddenly fearful of what to do."Why does this man want me? Why doesn't he choose someone else to paint Scotland for him?"she began to pace.
He watched her with some surprise. Something was upsetting her and normally Rene was extremely relaxed."He specifically said he wanted you."
Because he was staring at her intently, she turned away, trying to decide without his knowing she was worried."I....well I....."she cursed herself and decided in a split moment,"I'll go."
He smiled."I'm glad to hear that. Now I can tell you who it is thats interested in you. His name might ring some bells. MacGregor Enterprises."he watched the words dawn on her."One of the richest men in the world."
She could only gape at him."MacGregor Enterprises? What would a man like that want with my paintings?"
"I really don't know and honestly, don't care. The man's rich and he could make us even more rich."the idea made him smile."Anyway, you'll be going to Edinburgh this weekend, I booked you a flight. His secretary will be taking care of the rest and I'll be meeting you there in another.....I'm thinking, two weeks."
"You? Why are you going?"she didn't bother to keep the contempt from her voice.
He kept the smile plastered on his face, not wanting her to see what effect her words had on him."I want too, thats why. It could be a nice little vacation, one I've put off long enough. And I'd like to spend some time with you."
She snorted in answer."Fine. Its your choice. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."she went to the front door, opened it wide and pointedly narrowed her eyes on him.
He walked to the door, then suddenly turned on her and trapped her against it, holding her there when she glared at him."Give me another chance Rene."he murmured.
That one touch of his hands on her arms had been enough. She could see his desire for her, his love and how he had paced the night before, trying to figure out whether or not to come over this day and tell her this."Been thinking of doing this for a while."she stated, amused with him.
"You know how I feel, even without me touching you, you know."
"I know and I still won't do anything. Now leave."pushing him away and out the door, she slammed it in his face.
She thought about it a moment and could feel a chill run up her spine. It was as if she could feel that this trip would change her life.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Even though Edinburgh was the capital city of Scotland, it was still not as modern and full of technology as New York or Los Angeles was. It was still somehow rustic, still seeming to be untouched by the problems of the world.
Rene sat in the passengers seat of a small car with the MacGregor's secretary, a woman by the name of Hotaru Blythe. She was a tall woman, with dark hair and eyes, white skin and a beautiful smile. She sat driving and waving to people she knew as they went, turning to smile warmly at Rene.
"This your first visit to Scotland then?"she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Yes, it is."she shifted in the seat, wrapped her thin jacket more securely around her. It was cold there and she was beginning to worry if she had brought enough warm clothes for this weather.
"Tis a cold country, Scotland is. Fine for us, but not for you Californians."
"Yea, I'm beginning to realize that."she sat quietly a moment, considered."Tell me, why does your boss seem so intent on having me depict Scotland for him?"
Hotary glanced at her, shocked."Have you never stepped back and seen what it is you paint? Tis beautiful work that comes from the heart."
Rene frowned."I paint what I see."
"Oh aye, the eyes see it, but the heart recognizes it. As for his wanting you to paint it, tis a mystery to me. The man does what he wants and no one can question him."she glanced at Rene again, still shocked with what she saw."There's a question I've been wanting to ask you. May I?"
Still frowning over what she had said, Rene nodded."Go ahead."
"There's a 'T' in your name? Your middle name. What would that be standing for?"
"Taischa."
Hotaru's brows shot up nearly to her hairline."Taischa? Well then, thats a name full of meaning you have there."
"Really? What does it mean?"
"It means 'second sight' in Gaelic. Its odd that you'd have such a middle name and Elios have one almost like it as well."
Rene sat up straight, turned wide eyed on her slowly."Elios? Did you just say Elios?"
"Aye, I did. Something wrong with that?"she watched her closely, amazed her eyes were swinging wildly, as if in memory. Could she actually remember something from those days?
It was the name she had always woken up crying out, the name that had always been on her lips. He was the man she had dreamt of so often, the man who had caused
her to rise with passion and tremble with fear.
"No, its nothing. Its nothing."she said more firmly.
"Elios took an interest in you and the idea couldn't be pushed from his head. Oh, I almost forgot. His own middle name is 'Taranis.' It means, 'the thunder and lightening King of the gods' in Gaelic."
They were now driving out in the open plains, out of the city where hills rolled high and the breeze blew through the grass."Elios Taranis MacGregor."Rene murmured to herself.
"And Rene Taischa Hallowell. I think this land has been waiting for the two of you to meet again for centuries."before Rene could question that, Hotaru swung into the drive of a small cottage that stood alone on a hill, simple yet pretty.
Rene forgot about her strange comment the moment she set eyes on the cottage, her eyes lighting up. She didn't realize in her joy that perhaps the familiarity she saw in the little cottage came because she had seen it in her dreams.
"Its so beautiful."she got out of the car and studied it, her artists eye already measuring how she would paint it."Like a picture perfect setting."
Hotaru climbed out of the car as well, leaned against the car and squinted her eyes at it while Rene approached it."Tis Elios'. He takes care of it as if it were his child, he does. Though tis beyond my knowing why he would care for such a dump."she smiled when Rene whirled on her, eyes wide.
"Its not a dump, its perfect! It-"she halted when Hotaru laughed, her eyes bright with her amusement."Haha, very funny."
"You've a temper to match your eyes, I see." she nodded, handed Rene the keys to the house and showed her which was for the front door."Elios will be by tomorrow to meet you, bright and early. And seeing as this is something I wouldn't miss, I'll be seeing you tomorrow as well. Till then, Rene Taischa."she turned and walked back to the car, climbed and and turned it on, driving away with a quick wave to her.
Picking up her cases, she turned back to the house and sighed heavily. It looked as if she had all the time to get work now, on her own.
It was late when he finally stopped to roll his shoulders, to stretch and glance about his office. He looked out the window, not surprised when he saw how dark it was outside, that the day had passed while he had been working his worry away.
The moment she had come into Scotland, he had felt it. It had been years since he had been able to feel her this way, near and alive, able to touch her and see her if he only closed his eyes. It made him tremble with the force of his desire, shake with how much he wanted to go to her and just look at her.
His musings were interrupted when the door to his office opened quietly, when Hotaru slid into the room, closing the doors behind her. His heart began to beat quickly, his eyes on hers and unblinking.
"She's here?"he whispered.
She walked to his desk, sat on it and looked at him, smiling slightly."Aye, she's here."
He blew out a breath, rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly at her."I didn't realize till now how much I'd needed to know that."
"The maiden and the King together once again."Hotaru grinned at his look, tapped her finger against her lips."Tis quite the thought."
He stood and walked to the window, looked out into the night and watched as lightening lit the sky, as thunder rumbled in the distance."Its been too long Hotaru. Much too long."
And she knew exactly how long it had been."Sure and its time to begin making up for that."
He nodded, narrowed his eyes when the thunder seemed to shake the earth."Yes, it is time."
She woke up early the next morning, brewing coffee in a modern coffee maker she was surprised the cottage had. It was equiped with several modern machines, something she was Mr. MacGregor had had put in for her own sake.
She took her sketch pad and charcoal, her cup of coffee, and went outside, sitting down on the cool grass where she had a good view of the small cottage. She was
dressed today in jeans and a thick turtle neck, with a coat over that and she was still a bit chilly. It was a cold country, she thought. Hotaru hadn't been kidding.
Taking a healthy swallow of the coffee, she began sketching in quick movements, stopping to capture a scene of the cottage, then continuing with her work. She liked the look of it. So small, so simple and pretty in this country that seemed so grand, so big and full of untold magic.
She was barely getting started when she heard the low sound of a car engine approaching. Turning to look over her shoulder, she watched Hotaru's car come down the bumpy road toward her, waited until it halted in her drive and switched off, Hotaru stepping out, looking slim and mysteriously dark today.
"Working already, Rene Taischa?"she called out as she made her way over to her.
"Just getting an early start."she waited until she was standing next to her, showed her the beginnings of the cottage."How does it look so far to you?"
"It looks grand to my eyes. But then, its seeming that anything you touch is grand in my eyes."Hotaru commented.
"Oh? And what other works of mine have you seen?"she began to sketch again.
"The one Elios bought, Eternity, you'd be calling it. A fine piece of work, that."
Rene faltered in her sketching for just a moment, then continued as if it didn't bother her, but inside she was thinking, considering."Oh thats right. I almost forgot he was the one who purchased that work."it was odd to her. Odd that he'd been the one to buy it. Elios. Why was it so many things seemed to want to click together here, but she could find no place where they would?
"Aye, keeps it hidden and near worships the thing."Hotaru tucked her tongue into her cheek, watched this news take its affect on Rene."I think he feels some sort of secret connection with the work."
"Buyers tend to grow emotionally attached to pieces of work they've purchased. They see themselves as participants in the work, in the atmosphere it represents."she spoke neatly and precisely, but inside her emotions were rioting with one another. Eternity.....the familiar name Elios, a name even last night she'd woken with on the tip of her tongue. What did it all mean?
Hotaru merely nodded."Aye, you sound as if you know what it is you speak of."she cocked her head when she heard the low roar of another car approaching."And it sounds as if Elios would be headed this way."
Suddenly flustered, Rene stopped her sketching, held tight to the sketch pad when her hands would have shook."Oh....ah, I had forgotten he would be coming this morning."she stood and handed the sketch pad to Hotaru when she held out her hand for it.
As Hotaru studied the drawing, Rene tried figuring out what to do with her hands, settled with shoving them in her pockets, which was a mistake because inside sat the broach someone had sent to her in the mail some weeks back. At the first touch, she saw the woman by the river again, and the man watching her from a distance.
When she stumbled, Hotaru turned to her with worried eyes."Rene Taischa, is something wrong?"she looked into her eyes and saw shadows, memories sliding over present."Where are you going?"
"I can't.....I can't...."she gripped her head, squeezed her eyes tight when the woman turned and she saw what she had seen before. Something much to familiar.
Just as the images began to clear, a truck came driving over the rise, coming to a screeching halt next to Hotaru's small car. Rene looked up to see a tall, broud shouldered man step down, the breeze ruffling through his hair, teasing the thick ends of it. He was built powerfully, and from this great distance she could see how gorgeous he was as well. Sharp features, an angular jaw, white hair. But it was his eyes that captured her attention, that caused the images to completely fade away. They were a brilliant blue, opaque and riveted solely on her. There was something in them that she recognized, something that jiggled at the edge's of her memory, a memory she hadn't known was even there.
"And here's Elios now, just on time."Hotaru waved to him when all he could seem to do was stand and stare."Are you just going to stand there all bloody day? Come meet Rene Taischa!"amused with how he shook himself and started forward, Hotaru squeezed her arm in reassurance."The man's spoiled, arrogant, and as stubborn as they come."her grin was quick and wicked."But also as handsome as the devil himself. You'll be liking him, as most women do."
"Do you?"she managed past dry lips, still staring at him as he stared right back.
"Me? No, never me. I see the man as a brother figure."the statement amused her.
When he was standing before her, when the two were looking into each other's eyes, she could swear she felt something move inside, as if it had been closed for a long time and was finally open once again. As there gazes locked and held, thunder rumbled in the distance, lightening cracked across the sky.
Hotaru slid him a look when she noticed the strange weather patterns."Calm yourself, Elios Taranis and meet Rene Taischa Hallowell, your painter."
He wasn't sure if he could move, could breathe. She looked just as utterly beautiful now as she had then, so long ago."Its a pleasure to finally meet you Rene."he held out his hand and took hers in his.
That touch shook her, held so much power and so many memories she had to snatch her hand away when they all came crashing into her mind in a jumbled bunch."Its good to meet you too, Mr. MacGregor."hating the fact that touching another would always cause this, she shoved her hands in her coat pockets to keep the contact from them.
He raised a brow."Is something wrong?"he'd noticed how she'd taken her hand back quickly, how her auburn eyes had flashed with something in them.
"No, nothings wrong."forcing a smile, she asked,"So what made you want to buy Eternity? Its a question I've been dying to ask you."
His smile was slow to come, spreading across his gorgeous face and causing her to nearly drool with lust."I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it."he whispered quietly.
Rene's own brows rose when she heard the unmistakeable seduction under his tone, the way his eyes darkened and the way his large body seemed to angle toward
hers."I'm glad to hear that. Hotaru says you worship it."
"Not precisely in those terms, but I do adore it."more at ease with her now, he let his eyes roam over her small, firm little body."Your different then what I imagened you to be, Rene."
"So are you, Mr. MacGregor."
"Elios. Call me Elios. We'll be spending a lot of time together now."the clouds that had been covering the sun moved aside suddenly, letting it shine down onto the earth.
"Hhhmmm, when I'm not working, of course. Don't forget you brought me out here for a reason."she wasn't sure if she liked the idea that this gorgeous and hauntingly familiar man was so obviously hitting on her.
"I'm not forgetting it."
When they continued watching each other, Hotaru cleared her throat."I'll be going back to work then."
Elios turned to her, raised a brow."I'd almost forgotten you were there. I left files on your desk, I need them sorted and faxed to my offices in New York. The rest of the work I left you is pretty self explanatory."
"It sounds as if I'll be tied up most of the day."eyeing him when he grinned at her, she smiled at Rene."I'll be seeing you Rene Taischa."with a sniff aimed at her boss, she handed Rene back her sketch pad, then turned and sauntered back to her car, getting in and speeding away.
Rene watched her disappear over the rise, then turned back to Elios, who stood watching her intently. She stared right back, wondering if this could perhaps be the man from her dreams, the man who's name she had always awakened crying out in passion, who had left her trembling with unnatural fear afterward.
"Well."snapping herself out of her thoughts, she gave him a polite smile."I should get back to work."she tapped her sketch pad against her hand for emphasis.
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to leave?"
She cocked her head, considered him."Why do I have the sneaky suspicion that we've met before?"
He lifted his hand to brush her hair back, but she jerked away."Maybe we have. In another life. I'm not going to hurt you."frowning at how stiff she'd gone, he took a step closer.
Laughing a bit, she put her hands behind her back and hoped he wouldn't reach for her again."I don't believe in other lives. Fact is, I don't believe in any of that supernatural bull."she stumbled as she backed away, was caught when his hands snaked out and gripped her arms.
It was quick, a slash in her mind, but she saw the river, the woman by it, and the man watching her. She saw him standing there, felt his desire and immense love, and just as he turned, she pulled back from Elios, took several steps away from him and what she had seen.
"Rene, are you all right?"he'd seen the shadow enter her eyes, seen as she seemed to fade away from him and into another time, another place. Could she trully have.....?
"I'm fine. I'm fine."hissing under her breath when the images wouldn't leave her, she whispered,"Goddamnit."
She'd been a proud woman back then, why wouldn't she be now?"Ok. Just breathe, focus on me and the dinner we'll be going to have together tonight."
That snapped her back to attention, had her narrowing her eyes on him."Dinner? I'm sorry, but I don't remember agreeing to any dinner with you."
Studying her eyes, he saw they were angry now and in present time."Course you did, you just forgot."
"I just met you no more then ten minutes ago and you-"she halted at the amused gleam in his eye, realizing then what he had done for her. The images were gone. Completely."How did you know?"she murmured.
"Know what?"
"You....I mean, you just.....never mind."feeling like an idiot, she shook her head."Never mind me. I'm a bit off, must be the jet lag."
"Why don't we go inside, have a cup of tea to calm you?"he suggested, already beginning to back toward the cottage, but never taking his eyes off hers.
"Why is it you don't have an accent and Hotaru does?"she questioned, following him.
"Because I've been everywhere. I've picked up speech here, ways of talking there."he shrugged, grinned."I'm a man of many talents. Maybe you'll let me show just what I can do."
"No, I don't think so. Look....Elios, I came here to do a job for you. So lets keep it strictly business."firm on that, she looked up in time to take the kiss he would give her straight on the lips.
It was quick, over before it even began, but it left her tingling and with a feeling of vague arousal."Pretty slick, aren't you?"
"It comes with the package, if your interested."he wiggled his brows at her as he opened the door to the cottage, stepped back to let her in.
She couldn't help the laugh that escaped."We'll see what I am."she went past him and inside.
Watching her, he felt lust stir as it hadn't for years, since her. Thunder rumbled outside when she bent to pick something off the floor, when he watched the jeans she wore hug her shapely behind.
"It begins."he murmured, stepping fully inside and shutting the door behind him.
Stay tuned for Chapter 2!!!~sailorperfect@yahoo.com
Once and Again
Chapter 1
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived in this world. She wasn't glamorous, she was simple, but extraordinarily beautiful in her simple life. She was special as not others are, she was gifted with the sight of seeing what had happened in the past, of what happened in the present, and of what had yet to happen in the future. With one touch to another, she saw into them.
Long was she burdened with this gift, long did it follow her and cause her pain and heartache. But as long as the gift had followed her, she had known pain and loneliness most of her life, known the ache of never finding peace in her lifetime.
Little did she know this was caused by a curse that had followed her most of her life, a curse that had been inside her, surrounding her, because of pain and suffering that had occured long ago. Never had she found peace, in all of her lifetimes.
But now the time had come for her to face this curse, to face him, and for the legend to begin again......
Seal Beach, California
Present Day
Rene Taischa Hallowell stood at her balcony, watching the sun shine down onto the beach, watched famalies laugh and play in the sparkling ocean water, watched couples stroll by or rollerblade by, always happy and smiling.
Adjusting the tang top she wore, she went downstairs and poured herself some of the coffee she had left brewing that morning, pouring herself a cup and downing it just as quickly. Sighing at the divine taste of the caffiene, she took up her sketching pad and charcoal, heading outside onto the patio to begin a sketch of the beaches shores.
Since the fierce wind kept pushing her hair into her face and it was getting on her nerves, she took a band and tied her hair back, satisfied enough to begin scanning the beach for something or someone to paint.
Spotting a toddler struggling across the sand under his mothers watchful eyes, she decided she liked the scene and would sketch it, then paint it. Getting her charcoal out, she began to work.
She was deep into her work when her phone rang, startling her and causing her to glare at the ringing device. Snatching it up, she snapped,"Hello."
"I'm not interrupting, am I?"the voice was deep and she recognized it to belong to Guy Sullivan, her agent and representative.
She would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't noticed a tall, handsome and well built group of men all eyeing her from some feet away."You always interrupt Guy."she gave them a quick smile, flattered when they all grinned back.
"Its one of my finer qualities. Anyway, Rene, I need to run something by you. We have someone who wants to fund you, but there's a catch."he drummed his fingers against his desk, sitting in his New York office overlooking most of the city."Interested?"
She stopped sketching, focused in on what he was saying."Go on."
"He's doing this anonymous. He doesn't want me to tell you who he is until you've agreed. I know its asking a lot, but I will tell you that you'll be going across the ocean, out of the states to Scotland. You'd be gone for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. I'm not sure how you'd feel about that, but if you agree, we'll strike a goldmine here. This guy's really impressed with your work, he owns one of them.....Eternity, I think."
She frowned and stood quickly, turning her back on the group of men and not seeing the way there faces all fell in disappointment. She remembered that painting well. It had been one of the only one's she hadn't wanted to sell, but had turned out to be the most popular of her works yet."The money doesn't matter to me, you know that."
"I know, more's the pity. All right, you think on it and get back to me when you decide."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Good. So.....what are you wearing?"
She rolled her eyes."None of your business."with that, she promptly hung up.
Shaking her head at the thought of him, she got back to work.
She worked for hours on end, continued even after the sun had set into the horizon and only the lights on her porche illuminated the painting she was almost finished with. With a few last strokes, she nodded to herself and took the easle inside, setting it into the other room and going to the kitchen, easing the tension out of her shoulders as she walked.
First she took a water bottle from her refridgerator, drank deeply, then went to check what mail had come for her. She flipped through bills, tossed them all, then checked her peephole and saw there was a package for her. Curious now, she opened the door and picked it up, closing the door behind her as she frowned down at it.
There was no return address and she wondered about this, but shrugging her shoulders, she opened it with a knife she had taken from the kitchen, pushing aside the box flaps and looking inside, moving aside paper that was wrapped securely around it.
Her eyes landed on a small broach inside, frowned at what was engraved on it; a woman standing near a river and a man watching her from a distance, with the sun setting behind them.
"Eternity......?"she whispered, reaching inside and picking the broach up without thinking, a sudden jolt shaking her as images filled her mind.
She saw a country filled with rolling hills and green pastures, with clear skies and whispers of magic, and a woman standing near the edge of a river, a man watching her in hiding, his eyes filled with love and desire. She watched and as she did, the woman turned and she saw something familiar in the way she moved her head, even from the great distance she saw something that there was something much to familiar.
Horrified, she threw the broach from her, backing away from it, tripping on the sofa in her living room and falling backward onto it. But even though she was no longer touching the broach, she could still see the images in her mind, could still see the woman by the river turning to look at her, see something there that she didn't want to accept.
Gripping her head in her hands, she tried concentrating on something else, tried forcing the images away as she always had been able to when they came to her before. If she thought to much on them, they would consume her and take over.
Minutes ticked by and they slowly faded into memory, slowly became less vivid. She rubbed her eyes hard, rubbed them until she was sure the images were gone and wouldn't return unless she willed them too.
Suddenly desperate, she stood and put on a pair of gloves she kept in a cubbard in the kitchen, went and picked up the broach to toss it back into the box. As long as she kept some barrier with the object, she would feel nothing from it. She put it away in her hallway closet, slammed the door and stepped back from it, hoping to never see or think of it again.
But in the days that followed, the visions haunted her not in her waking hours, but when she slept, when she was most vulnerable and unable to stop them.
It was a week after she had recieved that strange package that she was sitting out on her patio, watching the sun and wondering what she would do that day, when her doorbell rang, startling her for a moment. Standing, she stood and went to the answer it, somewhat annoyed when she saw it was Guy who stood there, looking fresh and gorgeous in casual attire.
Turning her back on him, she walked back into the kitchen."What do you want?"
Judging her mood, he walked in slowly and closed the door behind him."Am I interrupting your work?"
She pushed her hair back from her face, eyed him."No, your not interrupting my work, but your interrupting me either way."
"Rene, baby doll, is that anyway to treat your one and only?"he grinned at her when she glared.
"My one and only pain in the ass."she didn't see him wince."Guy, just tell me what this is about. I'm not in the mood for visitors."her eyes looked out at sea as she recalled the dream she had had the night before, waking up gasping with both fear and passion. She'd felt his hands on her, felt him touching her and whispering to her, but she hadn't been able to see his face. It was his name she had always woken up crying out.....his face was a mystery.
"I needed to know your answer to Scotland."
She looked back at him, suddenly fearful of what to do."Why does this man want me? Why doesn't he choose someone else to paint Scotland for him?"she began to pace.
He watched her with some surprise. Something was upsetting her and normally Rene was extremely relaxed."He specifically said he wanted you."
Because he was staring at her intently, she turned away, trying to decide without his knowing she was worried."I....well I....."she cursed herself and decided in a split moment,"I'll go."
He smiled."I'm glad to hear that. Now I can tell you who it is thats interested in you. His name might ring some bells. MacGregor Enterprises."he watched the words dawn on her."One of the richest men in the world."
She could only gape at him."MacGregor Enterprises? What would a man like that want with my paintings?"
"I really don't know and honestly, don't care. The man's rich and he could make us even more rich."the idea made him smile."Anyway, you'll be going to Edinburgh this weekend, I booked you a flight. His secretary will be taking care of the rest and I'll be meeting you there in another.....I'm thinking, two weeks."
"You? Why are you going?"she didn't bother to keep the contempt from her voice.
He kept the smile plastered on his face, not wanting her to see what effect her words had on him."I want too, thats why. It could be a nice little vacation, one I've put off long enough. And I'd like to spend some time with you."
She snorted in answer."Fine. Its your choice. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."she went to the front door, opened it wide and pointedly narrowed her eyes on him.
He walked to the door, then suddenly turned on her and trapped her against it, holding her there when she glared at him."Give me another chance Rene."he murmured.
That one touch of his hands on her arms had been enough. She could see his desire for her, his love and how he had paced the night before, trying to figure out whether or not to come over this day and tell her this."Been thinking of doing this for a while."she stated, amused with him.
"You know how I feel, even without me touching you, you know."
"I know and I still won't do anything. Now leave."pushing him away and out the door, she slammed it in his face.
She thought about it a moment and could feel a chill run up her spine. It was as if she could feel that this trip would change her life.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Even though Edinburgh was the capital city of Scotland, it was still not as modern and full of technology as New York or Los Angeles was. It was still somehow rustic, still seeming to be untouched by the problems of the world.
Rene sat in the passengers seat of a small car with the MacGregor's secretary, a woman by the name of Hotaru Blythe. She was a tall woman, with dark hair and eyes, white skin and a beautiful smile. She sat driving and waving to people she knew as they went, turning to smile warmly at Rene.
"This your first visit to Scotland then?"she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Yes, it is."she shifted in the seat, wrapped her thin jacket more securely around her. It was cold there and she was beginning to worry if she had brought enough warm clothes for this weather.
"Tis a cold country, Scotland is. Fine for us, but not for you Californians."
"Yea, I'm beginning to realize that."she sat quietly a moment, considered."Tell me, why does your boss seem so intent on having me depict Scotland for him?"
Hotary glanced at her, shocked."Have you never stepped back and seen what it is you paint? Tis beautiful work that comes from the heart."
Rene frowned."I paint what I see."
"Oh aye, the eyes see it, but the heart recognizes it. As for his wanting you to paint it, tis a mystery to me. The man does what he wants and no one can question him."she glanced at Rene again, still shocked with what she saw."There's a question I've been wanting to ask you. May I?"
Still frowning over what she had said, Rene nodded."Go ahead."
"There's a 'T' in your name? Your middle name. What would that be standing for?"
"Taischa."
Hotaru's brows shot up nearly to her hairline."Taischa? Well then, thats a name full of meaning you have there."
"Really? What does it mean?"
"It means 'second sight' in Gaelic. Its odd that you'd have such a middle name and Elios have one almost like it as well."
Rene sat up straight, turned wide eyed on her slowly."Elios? Did you just say Elios?"
"Aye, I did. Something wrong with that?"she watched her closely, amazed her eyes were swinging wildly, as if in memory. Could she actually remember something from those days?
It was the name she had always woken up crying out, the name that had always been on her lips. He was the man she had dreamt of so often, the man who had caused
her to rise with passion and tremble with fear.
"No, its nothing. Its nothing."she said more firmly.
"Elios took an interest in you and the idea couldn't be pushed from his head. Oh, I almost forgot. His own middle name is 'Taranis.' It means, 'the thunder and lightening King of the gods' in Gaelic."
They were now driving out in the open plains, out of the city where hills rolled high and the breeze blew through the grass."Elios Taranis MacGregor."Rene murmured to herself.
"And Rene Taischa Hallowell. I think this land has been waiting for the two of you to meet again for centuries."before Rene could question that, Hotaru swung into the drive of a small cottage that stood alone on a hill, simple yet pretty.
Rene forgot about her strange comment the moment she set eyes on the cottage, her eyes lighting up. She didn't realize in her joy that perhaps the familiarity she saw in the little cottage came because she had seen it in her dreams.
"Its so beautiful."she got out of the car and studied it, her artists eye already measuring how she would paint it."Like a picture perfect setting."
Hotaru climbed out of the car as well, leaned against the car and squinted her eyes at it while Rene approached it."Tis Elios'. He takes care of it as if it were his child, he does. Though tis beyond my knowing why he would care for such a dump."she smiled when Rene whirled on her, eyes wide.
"Its not a dump, its perfect! It-"she halted when Hotaru laughed, her eyes bright with her amusement."Haha, very funny."
"You've a temper to match your eyes, I see." she nodded, handed Rene the keys to the house and showed her which was for the front door."Elios will be by tomorrow to meet you, bright and early. And seeing as this is something I wouldn't miss, I'll be seeing you tomorrow as well. Till then, Rene Taischa."she turned and walked back to the car, climbed and and turned it on, driving away with a quick wave to her.
Picking up her cases, she turned back to the house and sighed heavily. It looked as if she had all the time to get work now, on her own.
It was late when he finally stopped to roll his shoulders, to stretch and glance about his office. He looked out the window, not surprised when he saw how dark it was outside, that the day had passed while he had been working his worry away.
The moment she had come into Scotland, he had felt it. It had been years since he had been able to feel her this way, near and alive, able to touch her and see her if he only closed his eyes. It made him tremble with the force of his desire, shake with how much he wanted to go to her and just look at her.
His musings were interrupted when the door to his office opened quietly, when Hotaru slid into the room, closing the doors behind her. His heart began to beat quickly, his eyes on hers and unblinking.
"She's here?"he whispered.
She walked to his desk, sat on it and looked at him, smiling slightly."Aye, she's here."
He blew out a breath, rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly at her."I didn't realize till now how much I'd needed to know that."
"The maiden and the King together once again."Hotaru grinned at his look, tapped her finger against her lips."Tis quite the thought."
He stood and walked to the window, looked out into the night and watched as lightening lit the sky, as thunder rumbled in the distance."Its been too long Hotaru. Much too long."
And she knew exactly how long it had been."Sure and its time to begin making up for that."
He nodded, narrowed his eyes when the thunder seemed to shake the earth."Yes, it is time."
She woke up early the next morning, brewing coffee in a modern coffee maker she was surprised the cottage had. It was equiped with several modern machines, something she was Mr. MacGregor had had put in for her own sake.
She took her sketch pad and charcoal, her cup of coffee, and went outside, sitting down on the cool grass where she had a good view of the small cottage. She was
dressed today in jeans and a thick turtle neck, with a coat over that and she was still a bit chilly. It was a cold country, she thought. Hotaru hadn't been kidding.
Taking a healthy swallow of the coffee, she began sketching in quick movements, stopping to capture a scene of the cottage, then continuing with her work. She liked the look of it. So small, so simple and pretty in this country that seemed so grand, so big and full of untold magic.
She was barely getting started when she heard the low sound of a car engine approaching. Turning to look over her shoulder, she watched Hotaru's car come down the bumpy road toward her, waited until it halted in her drive and switched off, Hotaru stepping out, looking slim and mysteriously dark today.
"Working already, Rene Taischa?"she called out as she made her way over to her.
"Just getting an early start."she waited until she was standing next to her, showed her the beginnings of the cottage."How does it look so far to you?"
"It looks grand to my eyes. But then, its seeming that anything you touch is grand in my eyes."Hotaru commented.
"Oh? And what other works of mine have you seen?"she began to sketch again.
"The one Elios bought, Eternity, you'd be calling it. A fine piece of work, that."
Rene faltered in her sketching for just a moment, then continued as if it didn't bother her, but inside she was thinking, considering."Oh thats right. I almost forgot he was the one who purchased that work."it was odd to her. Odd that he'd been the one to buy it. Elios. Why was it so many things seemed to want to click together here, but she could find no place where they would?
"Aye, keeps it hidden and near worships the thing."Hotaru tucked her tongue into her cheek, watched this news take its affect on Rene."I think he feels some sort of secret connection with the work."
"Buyers tend to grow emotionally attached to pieces of work they've purchased. They see themselves as participants in the work, in the atmosphere it represents."she spoke neatly and precisely, but inside her emotions were rioting with one another. Eternity.....the familiar name Elios, a name even last night she'd woken with on the tip of her tongue. What did it all mean?
Hotaru merely nodded."Aye, you sound as if you know what it is you speak of."she cocked her head when she heard the low roar of another car approaching."And it sounds as if Elios would be headed this way."
Suddenly flustered, Rene stopped her sketching, held tight to the sketch pad when her hands would have shook."Oh....ah, I had forgotten he would be coming this morning."she stood and handed the sketch pad to Hotaru when she held out her hand for it.
As Hotaru studied the drawing, Rene tried figuring out what to do with her hands, settled with shoving them in her pockets, which was a mistake because inside sat the broach someone had sent to her in the mail some weeks back. At the first touch, she saw the woman by the river again, and the man watching her from a distance.
When she stumbled, Hotaru turned to her with worried eyes."Rene Taischa, is something wrong?"she looked into her eyes and saw shadows, memories sliding over present."Where are you going?"
"I can't.....I can't...."she gripped her head, squeezed her eyes tight when the woman turned and she saw what she had seen before. Something much to familiar.
Just as the images began to clear, a truck came driving over the rise, coming to a screeching halt next to Hotaru's small car. Rene looked up to see a tall, broud shouldered man step down, the breeze ruffling through his hair, teasing the thick ends of it. He was built powerfully, and from this great distance she could see how gorgeous he was as well. Sharp features, an angular jaw, white hair. But it was his eyes that captured her attention, that caused the images to completely fade away. They were a brilliant blue, opaque and riveted solely on her. There was something in them that she recognized, something that jiggled at the edge's of her memory, a memory she hadn't known was even there.
"And here's Elios now, just on time."Hotaru waved to him when all he could seem to do was stand and stare."Are you just going to stand there all bloody day? Come meet Rene Taischa!"amused with how he shook himself and started forward, Hotaru squeezed her arm in reassurance."The man's spoiled, arrogant, and as stubborn as they come."her grin was quick and wicked."But also as handsome as the devil himself. You'll be liking him, as most women do."
"Do you?"she managed past dry lips, still staring at him as he stared right back.
"Me? No, never me. I see the man as a brother figure."the statement amused her.
When he was standing before her, when the two were looking into each other's eyes, she could swear she felt something move inside, as if it had been closed for a long time and was finally open once again. As there gazes locked and held, thunder rumbled in the distance, lightening cracked across the sky.
Hotaru slid him a look when she noticed the strange weather patterns."Calm yourself, Elios Taranis and meet Rene Taischa Hallowell, your painter."
He wasn't sure if he could move, could breathe. She looked just as utterly beautiful now as she had then, so long ago."Its a pleasure to finally meet you Rene."he held out his hand and took hers in his.
That touch shook her, held so much power and so many memories she had to snatch her hand away when they all came crashing into her mind in a jumbled bunch."Its good to meet you too, Mr. MacGregor."hating the fact that touching another would always cause this, she shoved her hands in her coat pockets to keep the contact from them.
He raised a brow."Is something wrong?"he'd noticed how she'd taken her hand back quickly, how her auburn eyes had flashed with something in them.
"No, nothings wrong."forcing a smile, she asked,"So what made you want to buy Eternity? Its a question I've been dying to ask you."
His smile was slow to come, spreading across his gorgeous face and causing her to nearly drool with lust."I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it."he whispered quietly.
Rene's own brows rose when she heard the unmistakeable seduction under his tone, the way his eyes darkened and the way his large body seemed to angle toward
hers."I'm glad to hear that. Hotaru says you worship it."
"Not precisely in those terms, but I do adore it."more at ease with her now, he let his eyes roam over her small, firm little body."Your different then what I imagened you to be, Rene."
"So are you, Mr. MacGregor."
"Elios. Call me Elios. We'll be spending a lot of time together now."the clouds that had been covering the sun moved aside suddenly, letting it shine down onto the earth.
"Hhhmmm, when I'm not working, of course. Don't forget you brought me out here for a reason."she wasn't sure if she liked the idea that this gorgeous and hauntingly familiar man was so obviously hitting on her.
"I'm not forgetting it."
When they continued watching each other, Hotaru cleared her throat."I'll be going back to work then."
Elios turned to her, raised a brow."I'd almost forgotten you were there. I left files on your desk, I need them sorted and faxed to my offices in New York. The rest of the work I left you is pretty self explanatory."
"It sounds as if I'll be tied up most of the day."eyeing him when he grinned at her, she smiled at Rene."I'll be seeing you Rene Taischa."with a sniff aimed at her boss, she handed Rene back her sketch pad, then turned and sauntered back to her car, getting in and speeding away.
Rene watched her disappear over the rise, then turned back to Elios, who stood watching her intently. She stared right back, wondering if this could perhaps be the man from her dreams, the man who's name she had always awakened crying out in passion, who had left her trembling with unnatural fear afterward.
"Well."snapping herself out of her thoughts, she gave him a polite smile."I should get back to work."she tapped her sketch pad against her hand for emphasis.
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to leave?"
She cocked her head, considered him."Why do I have the sneaky suspicion that we've met before?"
He lifted his hand to brush her hair back, but she jerked away."Maybe we have. In another life. I'm not going to hurt you."frowning at how stiff she'd gone, he took a step closer.
Laughing a bit, she put her hands behind her back and hoped he wouldn't reach for her again."I don't believe in other lives. Fact is, I don't believe in any of that supernatural bull."she stumbled as she backed away, was caught when his hands snaked out and gripped her arms.
It was quick, a slash in her mind, but she saw the river, the woman by it, and the man watching her. She saw him standing there, felt his desire and immense love, and just as he turned, she pulled back from Elios, took several steps away from him and what she had seen.
"Rene, are you all right?"he'd seen the shadow enter her eyes, seen as she seemed to fade away from him and into another time, another place. Could she trully have.....?
"I'm fine. I'm fine."hissing under her breath when the images wouldn't leave her, she whispered,"Goddamnit."
She'd been a proud woman back then, why wouldn't she be now?"Ok. Just breathe, focus on me and the dinner we'll be going to have together tonight."
That snapped her back to attention, had her narrowing her eyes on him."Dinner? I'm sorry, but I don't remember agreeing to any dinner with you."
Studying her eyes, he saw they were angry now and in present time."Course you did, you just forgot."
"I just met you no more then ten minutes ago and you-"she halted at the amused gleam in his eye, realizing then what he had done for her. The images were gone. Completely."How did you know?"she murmured.
"Know what?"
"You....I mean, you just.....never mind."feeling like an idiot, she shook her head."Never mind me. I'm a bit off, must be the jet lag."
"Why don't we go inside, have a cup of tea to calm you?"he suggested, already beginning to back toward the cottage, but never taking his eyes off hers.
"Why is it you don't have an accent and Hotaru does?"she questioned, following him.
"Because I've been everywhere. I've picked up speech here, ways of talking there."he shrugged, grinned."I'm a man of many talents. Maybe you'll let me show just what I can do."
"No, I don't think so. Look....Elios, I came here to do a job for you. So lets keep it strictly business."firm on that, she looked up in time to take the kiss he would give her straight on the lips.
It was quick, over before it even began, but it left her tingling and with a feeling of vague arousal."Pretty slick, aren't you?"
"It comes with the package, if your interested."he wiggled his brows at her as he opened the door to the cottage, stepped back to let her in.
She couldn't help the laugh that escaped."We'll see what I am."she went past him and inside.
Watching her, he felt lust stir as it hadn't for years, since her. Thunder rumbled outside when she bent to pick something off the floor, when he watched the jeans she wore hug her shapely behind.
"It begins."he murmured, stepping fully inside and shutting the door behind him.
Stay tuned for Chapter 2!!!~sailorperfect@yahoo.com
