Merry Xmas ladies and gentlemen! Here we are again alive and kicking. Two hurricanes and 3 months of darkness are no match for this one :) Please enjoy and review! Remember, any shout outs through twitter are welcomed even if it's to give me a piece of your mind about the work. Last_Dragomir
Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in this story belong to their rightful creators while the situations and storyline are solely mines.
Reflections of You
Chapter 10: Map of the Problematique
I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing as Laurel hugged Acacia with a smile that held tenderness. This was her mom, or at least who raised her. I could see Acacia eyeing me stiffly and nodding at me in regard. I didn't know if she wanted to let it be known to the extent that we knew each other or not. Laurel as always never missed a beat but she bid her time doing so.
The blonde waited until the older woman was curing her wound now that we were inside her hide out. She had tensely explained she was hiding from a bounty hunter and that we were lucky she hadn't aimed to kill. I had stayed silent through the mother-daughter reunion trying to assess the situation.
"Momma, how do you know Bo?" Laurel asked as Acacia smiled.
"Well Svipul, she was friends of my apprentice I always told you about." Acacia confirmed and Laurel's neck snapped towards me.
"You knew Tamsin?" she asked surprised and I nodded.
"I doubt you came all the way here to ask me how Bo and I know each other child. I should be the one asking you such a question." Acacia mentioned giving me a tense look.
"Bo's my girlfriend, Ma." Laurel announced as Acacia scoffed and shook her head standing up throwing the bottle of alcohol towards me and a rag.
"Clean yourself and get out!" Acacia roared at me and I snarled as I got up.
"I'm not leaving without answers!" I demanded and she shook her head.
"It could've been anybody, my child! Out of anybody, you could've brought home..!" Acacia demanded and Laurel gasped.
"Ma why would you say these things?" Laurel asked mortified as Acacia's eyes landed on me with scorn.
"She broke Tamsin's heart and she'll do the same to yours Svipul, just cut your losses!" Acacia warned as I felt the guilt wash over me like a wave.
"Acacia, I… I was very young then… and this is different…" I tried but she shook her head.
"Whatever you came in search of will not be revealed now, my sweetheart. I cannot condone this and I will not support it either. When you called off the engagement I thought it was for someone decent!" Acacia demanded and Laurel growled.
"Momma please, this is very important, it's regarding my lives!" Laurel begged but Acacia stood firm.
"No, this is for your own good." The older woman expressed as I watched Laurel grit her teeth hard and walked off somewhere out of the house.
I almost walked to get the blonde but instead with three strides I closed the gap between Acacia and myself to where I was face to face with the older woman. She glared at me in a challenging way but I didn't back down. I needed to know what this Valkyrie knew and I needed it as soon as possible.
"I mean it Acacia! Tamsin was a regret in my life that I wish I could take back. I ruined a perfectly good friendship because of my selfishness when I was young. Maybe in another life, Tamsin and I could've been, but as long as Lauren was there I would have no other choice… You remember the Doctor don't you?" I challenged as her eyes met mine horrified.
"Bo, don't you think you've done enough? You said it yourself, you were selfish! You were selfish and you were reckless back then, especially with Lauren! I say you weren't worthy of her then and much less of who the woman would be now! Stay away from my daughter or I will rip her from your hands." Acacia threatened and I glared at her.
"I don't kill you where you stand over that threat because Laurel loves you." I growled and she laughed bitterly.
"You don't care about Laurel, you only care about who she looks like! Stop the act Bo, you're just an animal." She whispered curtly and Laurel came into the room.
"Bo, let's go. She's not going to talk and I'm not breaking up with you without a better reason than an ex-girlfriend from over a century ago. Bye Mother." Laurel bit her teeth, grabbing me by the elbow and all but dragged me from the house where Acacia had brought us into.
Laurel was fuming by the time we got to the Jeep and she demanded the keys so I gave them to her. We got in the car as Laurel sped off in frustration. She blew by the town and anybody that she knew in it, just putting distance between herself and who she'd been. As I sat there after haphazardly buckling in, my heart felt for her. I had been lost in the world for so many years, believing one thing, being another altogether. When the truth of myself came out, I remember having a breakdown that had torn the doubts right from the deepest and darkest hells of me. And yet, I had found a light at the end of the tunnel. Solace in the storm, a balm for my aching soul; Doctor Lewis.
I stretched over and held her hand securely in mine as she blazed towards the nearest highway. We had taken the scenic route before to not raise suspicion of where we were going but I guessed now Laurel had thrown all caution to the wind and discarded that plan. I didn't want to talk just yet. I knew she would when she was ready, so for now I just waited for the right time.
As we sped up I saw her hair as it flew around her face, and it reminded me so much of the Doctor that I was mesmerized. I felt guilty immediately as I remembered Acacia's words but she was wrong. I didn't just love the reflection of Lauren in Laurel. I could now look at her and see that somewhere between her shy meeting the first time, to the scorned bombshell in front of me somehow at some point Laurel had also captured my heart. As I looked at the blonde's hand come up and brush her hair to the side pinning it, her eyes squinted and her eyebrows hardened as her lips curled in a scorn. I'm sure such an expression had made men tremble at her feet but I was just mesmerized.
"I cannot believe the audacity of my Mother!" she finally roared as I squeezed her hand.
"Acacia is probably looking out for you, as misguided as her attempt may be." I tried as Laurel huffed beside me.
"No Bo, don't defend her. She knows better! If she was going to interfere with my awakening, she had to do it towards something concrete. Not just some sob story of a Valkyrie having an affair with you so many years ago!" Laurel fumed and I sighed hard.
"I was kind of a dick in the event she refers to, but everyone misses the key point of this: she was aware! Tamsin was aware I loved Lauren and that I wanted to get back with her… I'm not defending my actions… I just…" I ranted frustrated.
"I don't care, Bo, I mean it…" Laurel whispered as she took my hand and kissed the back of it, as Lauren had done so many times. "We all have a past, some like me, have an unknown past that remains a mystery to us. I won't hold your past against you now if I haven't done so already."
I felt my heart swell at the tone of care laced with her frustration. I knew she wanted to be angry and gruff and yet she wasn't. I honestly wanted to stop right here and kiss her senseless before taking her over and over. I knew it was savage of me, but the level of acceptance that this human being could bring me was incredible.
"Thank you, Laurel… I don't mean to pry but I have so many questions." I admitted and she nodded.
"I know Bo, I just… I can't talk about some things right now because I'm simply just not ready for it as selfish as that sounds." She admitted. "I will not talk about my awakening."
"Alright, what about Svipul? Is that your last name or first?" I asked trying to keep it light.
"It's my last name, I was baptized Laurel but my name was given to me at the ceremony of my Regeneration. It's when a Valkyrie gets their wings." She explained and I took a double look.
"You have wings?" I asked amazed.
"Yes, but I don't open them since I cannot Doubt. I hate to fly as well so I just don't." Laurel admitted and I nodded. "I am named after Destiny."
"How so?" I asked intrigued.
"Well, we are big in mythology in Valhalla. Apparently 'Svipul' appears as a gifted individual every so often. It's apparent that I am that individual." She shrugged and I felt my jaw drop again.
"Well damn Lau!" I cheered as she flashed me a huge smile.
"Will you go to the lake with me when we go back? I need to talk to you about a few things." She breathed with new resolution as she squeezed my hand.
"I'll follow you everywhere you go, baby." I admitted with a smile as I looked out my window.
That was all I remember before searing pain and confusion. I coughed twice but blood was in my mouth and the smoke around me was so dense I couldn't see much. My heart hammered and I was sure I was concussed but through the fog I remembered…
"LAUREL!" I screamed looking around hoping she was alright.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* I want to be free from desolation and despair _*_*_*_*_**_*_*_*_*
"Well are you Lauren Lewis or Katie Dennis?" Evony laughed and I waved her off.
"Well, I can't be sure of that to be completely honest. I seem to experience loss of memory with each cycle, not what I was expecting." I admitted as I stared at Evony sitting across from me with a concerned look.
"But you remember me right? I'm unforgettable!" I smiled at the woman's tone and laughed.
"Well it seems that you guessed correctly, you've done quite the impression on me because I remember you being the Morrigan and everything." I laughed.
"What I don't… don't really remember is why I left Bo behind." I admitted and Evony nodded.
"Because she was selfish?" she offered and I rolled my eyes.
"Be nice." I asked and she smiled. "I still remember how much I love Bo."
"No laughs? Fine, fine I won't tease. Frankly, my dear you were very sick and you were dying. Like a wounded animal you left to die." Evony admitted and I scoffed.
"But I'm here!" I admitted and she laughed.
"Yes, but your memory is kinda shady my girl. I think you did something to yourself to be here, Katie. You've always been pretty smart." Evony winked and I blushed.
"I do advise, however, think very hard before you come back into Bo's life. The woman is having a very hard time with how she lost you. I don't think she can lose you another time if this fix isn't permanent."
I nodded heavy-hearted at the news. I had to make studies, run tests and make sure I was going to stay alive before seeing Bo. If I ever saw Bo again Evony was right, I could not break her heart in such a way. Even if I didn't remember who I was completely I remembered who Bo was in my life.
~*~*~*~*~I can't let you go~*~*~*~*~**~
I woke up in a puddle of sweat as my chest heaved at the memory. I looked around me alarmed and noticed that I was in a motel room stark naked. Sharply, I sprung up covering my body with a sheet horrified to realize there was blood all over the walls of the room. I was confused from the memory enough that I couldn't place two and two together.
Before I could protest or react the door swung wide open and in came a bruised and battered Bo with a coffee. As soon as her eyes fell on me she looked overcome with relief.
"Oh fuck, thank Fae!" Bo exclaimed with almost tears in her eyes.
"What… what happened to you?!" I demanded as I looked her over.
"Me? Me? Look at yourself and tell me what the fuck happened to you, Lau!" Bo's voice trembled with not anger but fear. "One minute we were talking and the next the Jeep was flipping a few times in the air over and over and over again."
I tried to remember but all I had was that memory searing into my mind now, my own memory as far as I could tell… but I was Katie… and Katie seemed to be Lauren. There had only been one person to call me Katie before and if this was any indication, I needed to rush back to San Junipero.
"You… you just lost control and there was so much damn blood I was certain, just fucking certain I had lost you again." Bo's voice held back a choke as a sob threatened to escape her and Evony's voice echoed in my head. I don't think she can lose you another time.
I think her words couldn't be truer even now. Bo looked pale and dishevelled as she lugged the coffee and crumpled bag into the bloody room. I looked around as I tried hard to collect any thoughts of the past hour but I couldn't. My memory had gotten in the way and if it was that bad now that I couldn't drive I needed to find answers fast, before I potentially forgot what I was looking for. Or worse, who I was.
"I… I crashed?" I asked in disbelief trying to piece things together.
"Yes…" Bo admitted in shock. "Do you not remember?"
"I don't… I… I need to get to San Junipero…" I admitted and Bo nodded her head not questioning my declaration.
"We can leave as soon as you're ready. Anything you want." Bo nodded still in a daze.
"Bo… did we…" I let the question hang in the air not wanting to finish it.
"I… I was scared you were going to die. There was so much blood and I feel like a monster… but we're both Succubi in one way or another… and you're alive…" Bo stammered looking down looking utterly broken and it broke my heart to see her in such a state.
"I understand…" I whispered as I walked over and caressed her face with my palm.
"I won't touch you again until you give me a clear command to do so." Bo bit through her teeth, her jaw tight after it.
"It's ok, really." I breathed in a very soothing tone that made her eyes water.
"It's for my own sake." She explained and my eyes watered as well as I nodded my understanding.
I hated this. I hated how closed off I felt from Bo, how tense the atmosphere in the rental car was after we left the motel. She had flinched every time we touched and it hurt me. I didn't hold it against her, however it was hurting my soul as I slowly realized I had broken us. With my insecurity and my stubbornness I didn't take the time to listen to the people warning me, to my own self warnings. I knew better, I knew how to read the signs, but I didn't want to be a human. I didn't want to be a stand-in, I didn't want to be The Eternal Healer. I wasn't intimidated by the shoes to fill in any aspect but Bo's heart, but wasn't that what ultimately mattered? I loved her now, probably more than anything and I had broken us with my stubbornness.
The drive was tense and long, so long that when we arrived at my house I honestly didn't feel like Bo should drive to her house after everything. She obviously didn't let me drive and I wouldn't let myself either, but that meant she was exhausted. I sighed as I leaned over and took the keys off of the ignition while Bo gave me a confused look.
"You're not driving anymore Bo, please come inside." I offered with the most convincing voice I could.
"Laurel maybe it's best that-" she started but I shook my head in denial. I wasn't letting my stubbornness get in the way any longer.
"Baby please, come inside with me I don't care what you had to do to keep me alive. It would've been devastating to me to have to regenerate again. You have no idea the peace you gave my soul sweetie." I admitted letting myself go and be completely earnest with Bo.
I could see her resolve break as she sighed and closed her eyes. It was as if she was letting every word wash over her before a small smile tugged at the corners of her beautiful mouth. She was gorgeous even with the bruises and cuts, but I was angry I had put them there. I was angry that they probably were much, much, much worse if this is how much we could regenerate between two Succubi.
I watched as Bo got out of the car before closing the door and grabbing our duffle bags from the back before she met me by the passenger door. I wrapped my arm around her waist gingerly which she allowed. It was such an incredible relief I couldn't understand it at first when she leaned into my touch.
_*_*_*_*_* Fear and Panic in the Air_*_*_*_*_*_*
I was sure I was under some sort of Post-Traumatic shit from the accident because I felt like I had been in a whirlwind or a tornado since then. My feet felt like they were walking amongst clouds as I took every step. Laurel had convinced me to stay in her house tonight and as much as I loved her company, I felt like I needed the space alone to process what had happened on the way back. I couldn't deny the blonde though, she looked worried for me when we arrived and truthfully I was indeed tired and lethargic from the long drive. When Laurel had used both of the pet names Lauren used to I buckled under the pressure and agreed to stay put. They were common names on itself, however Lauren had this way of saying them that made me melt. This was no exception, it was as if Laurel knew my weaknesses in regards to the Doctor.
When we had gotten to the house my hands were shaking and I felt like after so much time sober I needed a real hard and stiff drink. Today's events had rattled me as much as seeing Lauren get hit by that bus so many years ago. I could still feel the heaviness in my heart as I had carried Laurel almost lifeless into the motel room. Now in the safety of Laurel's living room, I heard her rummaging through her room before she announced she was taking a shower and I could think of what had happened.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_* I feel like everything I've sowed is being ripped away_*_*_*_*_*_*
I rushed in a panic as I circled the fuming Jeep almost in tears. What had happened? Where was Laurel? I looked around after finding the driver's side empty. We had hit a concrete railing that stopped the momentum of the Jeep's flips but also had shoved Laurel out of the car. I almost wept at the pile of limbs and torn clothes in the ditch close by. I rushed to her as my heart hammered. I could tell some of my ribs were probably broken and my arm was definitely broken. I could feel the headache of a concussion or maybe it was the blood loss from the deep gash along my chest. I was moving by sheer will to get to the blonde. When I kneeled next to her, the golden locks were matted with dirt and leaves as her legs and right arm twisted in the most unpleasant way. She had so much blood covering her and pouring out of her neck and head I felt my stomach drop as my blood ran cold.
I panicked even more but rushed a steady stream of orange Chi into her to make sure she kept alive. We needed help, but inconspicuous help. I rushed up the ravine we had come down from without knowing where I had gotten the strength to. I threw on the leather jacket to cover the gore from whoever was driving by and rushed to wave them to a stop. Once they stopped I thanked my lucky stars it was a big guy like Bruce. I hurriedly got close to his driver's side, he looked weary but worried and right when I leaned I touched his hand and that's all I needed. Ten minutes later Pseudo-Bruce had helped me put Laurel into the car and we had sped off in his car leaving him asleep on the side of the road to forget our encounter and the car. I was sure someone would pick him up but I simply had no time for more complications with how bad Laurel was.
I sped as fast as the car would go to the nearest motel and took a room without much fuzz from the drunken attendant. I made sure to slip him an extra bill for his troubles and asked to be left alone. He smiled in agreement and nodded pocketing the extra cash. After that I had carried Laurel to the room, her body felt lifeless but her skin was still warm and I knew I had time but not long. I wasn't even sure what to do, but I thought of myself and how I fed and I realized that Lauren was totally obsessed with my genetics as she was with my anatomy. I took a gamble and peeled the clothes off the blonde with hope. I felt disgusting as the woman moved around limply in my arms while I undressed her. I wanted her to be conscious for this but it was probably for naught after such an accident.
The next few hours were the most excruciating of my life as I took turns feeding and being fed from Laurel's body. Her Succubus was like mine in the sense that it felt omnipresent at times, like it had a mind of its own. Laurel wasn't conscious but after feeding more orange Chi into her and trying to stimulate her breasts, her Succubus awoke behind vacant lids and a clumsy healing body. Self -preservation right?
_*_*_*_* I want to touch the other side _*_*_*_*
"Bo?" I heard Laurel's voice startle me from behind the couch I had been sitting.
I turned and saw her gentle eyes catch mine in such a vulnerable way it reminded me of Lauren. I had never seen Laurel put down all her walls and yet today this was the second time. Had she hit her head from the accident? Could she remember me? I shook my head at the notion of silly fairy tales and bad soap operas as I realized I hadn't answered.
"Yeah?" I breathed as I blushed from my silence.
"Come join me." She breathed into my ear after wrapping her arms around my neck from behind.
I shivered as arousal hit me with the breath of her lips but as soon as I closed my eyes all I could see was her limp body beneath mine. I gasped and stood up quickly as my heart raced. Laurel was taken aback by the reaction but not hurt.
"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" she asked in a whisper as I shook my head.
"I… I just can't get the image of after the accident out of my head." I gave her a half-truth as she grimaced.
"I understand. It's why I didn't want to be alone in there. I feel like I'm missing something here. Like we had this huge hurdle where you took the brunt of it, which scarred you, and I was left practically unscathed thanks to your efforts." She smartly admitted and I felt my heart race for another reason entirely.
"Something like that." I nodded as she clicked her tongue in a way that was too familiar.
"Then it would be plausible to deduct that the sense of need I'm experiencing right now to be in your company which is incredible, can be attributed to the muscle memory of my body pertaining the crash and huge trauma it has received." Laurel formed each word precise to a T and I struggled to not let my jaw drop.
"Have we met before?" I breathed and she laughed.
"I'm your girlfriend and Valkyrie warrior extraordinaire; Laurel Svipul." She joked with a cheeky smile tugging at my hand with hers. "Please babe? I'd love some company. I promise hands off. I can see that the unwilling physical contact we had before is hurting you beyond the comfort of my words."
"Did you know that I love the way you speak?" I breathed mesmerized. She sounded so much like Lauren, in the tone, the inflection, the knowledge, but somehow it was Laurel as well with the confidence and the wit.
"I love you, Bo." Laurel breathed sincerely holding my gaze. "I know you probably don't feel as deep for me and I respect that and the place your wife will always have in your heart. I just, I wanted you to know… knowing I was so close to my next life made me realize I had to let you know."
"In this life or the next, I'll love you as well." I said meaning it as her eyed watered "Laurel, Andrea, Svipul… any other name you throw at me I'll know who you are, always."
"I believe that Bo." Laurel whispered and with that she led me to the bathroom where I could lose myself in the warmth of the water and the scalding skin of the blonde I loved calling mine.
_*_*_*_* I want to touch the other side_*_*_*_*
I could see Bo sleeping soundly in the couch across from the bed fully dressed. She had kept her word after all and I couldn't understand how we both did after how hot and heavy last night was. We had ended up making out heavily until she gently pushed me away with one last gentle kiss. I didn't want her to go far and she insisted on the couch so I wouldn't tempt her during the night. The problem with me in regards to Bo was that I was selfish. I looked at her whispering my musings in her sleep knowing I was much to blame for her heartache as much as mine since I had no restraint.
"I can't get it right, get it right since I met you… All I want is for this loneliness to be over… When will this loneliness be over?" I asked into the ether in a whisper that didn't wake her.
I sighed as my head sank deeper into the pillow. I tried to push the accident off my mind as Bo had recounted it to me. It sounded horrible and I felt uselessly disconnected from it all. I decided to focus on things I did know, like how my mother had been unfair to me as much as Bo. I needed answers I suspected she knew what I needed but her stubbornness over Bo was making her irrational. I could see where I got my stubbornness from.
I would have to make due with the only other Intel I had. It wasn't much but I had only heard the name Katie Dennis once before and it had come out of Kelly's mouth before when I first came to town. Could it be another ghost from my past? With that thought in my head I decided that my answers seemed to be in the same household. I was going to visit Kelly and Yorkie. I knew it was too early for Bo to get up and I didn't want her following me around. The situation with my mother already had me on edge and I didn't know what to think. Not that I didn't trust Bo with my mother, but I knew there were things left being unsaid that I was missing out between them. Besides that, I knew she needed the rest after the stressful sequence of events we had.
I quietly put my boots on with the jeans I had discarded last night and pulled one of Bo's tanktops on with my black leather jacket. As I headed out I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was about to take a dangerous plunge. This feeling had been with me in other lives before something drastic and I didn't quite know how to interpret it. I was scared but at the same time I needed to know. I needed to know if my whole life had been a lie. I needed to know what my mother was hiding, if it had something to do with me being human in a past life.
I had left Bo a note that I had taken the rental to Yorkie and Kelly's. I knew she'd be upset at me driving but it was close by and I needed to go now rather than later. The moment I got into the driver's seat I realized this wasn't a rental and we would have to burn this car after using it if Bo hadn't compelled whoever the previous owner was. Bo had seemed pretty spooked last night and after her recount of the accident I couldn't imagine going through such a thing believing she was dead. I shook my head of such thoughts and took the last turn to the girls place.
Yorkie greeted me when she saw me, she was off to her morning jog and told me to pop inside as I saw fit. I felt bad to drop by unannounced like this, but the truth was that I wasn't planning on having an existential crisis at the moment either. When I came around to the living room Kelly was reading the morning paper with a cup of coffee and sitting in her robe. She gave me a big smile when she saw me which I returned and she patted the couch beside her to get me to sit next to her.
"Well, well, well… look what the Succubus dropped by! We've been missing you, stranger. Since there's a Bo there's no love for Yorkie and me." Kelly accused and I threw her an embarrassed smile as I sat beside her.
"I've been doing some traveling with Bo. Went looking for my mom.
"Oh! Speaking of your Momma, she looks great! Dropped by last night with something for you" Kelly mentioned as I held my breath thinking that perhaps she was wrong and I was mishearing. "That mom of yours is one tough cookie I tell ya! But yeah, she came by to hand me something for you when the time comes." Kelly admitted looking up from her newspaper.
"When will that be?" I asked and Kelly shrugged.
"I'll know I guess." She mentioned dismissively and I nodded.
"Well, what about what you know about Katie Dennis… can you answer that?" I asked as Kelly looked up straight at me unblinking.
"What… what do you want to know about her?" Kelly asked with fear.
"Did she look like me too? Just like Lauren?" I asked and she hesitated. "I need to know!"
"Yes." Kelly admitted nodding.
"That's why when we met you said her name?" I asked as she nodded confirming it.
"Well, that took less time than I expected." Kelly mentioned as Yorkie announced she was home and had forgotten her headphones.
I was about to ask Kelly what was that comment about when she stood abruptly from the couch and moved to the closet next to the living room.
"Acacia left you this for when you asked that question." Kelly mentioned as she struggled to pull a huge metal heavy trunk into the room.
I stared at it and realized it was decorated with the runes that marked my warrior status as it did on my neck. On top, however, I could read the Valkyrian Inscription that read 'The truth of your soul will always belong in Valhalla, our warrior.' My hands shook as I stood and whispered my ancient language reciting my mother's prayer as I felt my worst fears were possibly going to be confirmed with this box in front of me. The inscription read like a farewell, and that's how it felt in my heart, to be honest.
I felt the tears run down my face as I fell to my knees and my heart pumped faster than ever. I felt my hands shaking in a way that I couldn't quite control, and very deep inside of me I wanted to scream at myself to get a grip but I simply couldn't. Some warrior I was… Or was I simply just a human mutation? I shivered at the possibilities this discovery held and I cringed. I didn't know what was worse, to know or not know. I breathed in and out rapidly trying to calm my fried nerves and found that I simply could not. I could feel the fear, and panic in the air but I want to be free from desolation and despair so I hung my head in shame as I weighted my possibilities.
"Do… do you need help with that Laurel?" I heard Kelly ask tensely behind me as I shook my head negative.
"Get Bo." I uttered the only words I knew in my heart would make sense. "She's at my place, don't make her panic."
"I'll get Bo… Kelly will stay here, right Kelly?" I heard Yorkie offer as Kelly agreed and told her to hurry.
Hurry?
There was no hurry now.
Time stood still and moved in at a lightning pace at the same time for me.
There was no hurry for the truth was at my fingertips.