She was walking in an open temple. It was beautiful, the white marble columns surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest and giving a view out over the cliffs of the crystal clear ocean. She walked up some stairs that led to a short tower. The tower was some white columns placed in a circle and the roof made of sliver and glass as is was almost merged with the vegetation. The vibrant colours of the flowers reflecting in the building. It was breath taking. She smiled as she looked down at a village. There where creatures which like she had never seen before, living peacefully. Some she identified as nagas and other as pixies. She looked up at the ceiling and saw her own reflection. She was wearing a beautiful long silver dress. The fabric so smooth it almost looked like liquid hanging a little loose on her body. The top of the dress had a V-shaped neckline and a high waist line. She smiled as she noticed her long hair hanging lose, but with pearls beaded into it. She then noticed the symbol on the floor. Omkara.
"It refers to dreaming." A small voice said. Louise turned around and saw the most adorable little pixie looking at her. It had vibrant wings that seemed to be every colour at once, big lilac coloured eyes, a small pink catlike nose, black hair that shined deep blue in the sunlight and the skin light lilac. She could have been no more than thirty centimetres.
"Hello... Yes, as well as the contrast between sleeping and being awake." Louise smiled. The pixie chuckled.
"We do not need to sleep in order to dream. Nor does awake necessarily mean awareness, little Serpent Charmer... Let me look at you." The pixie smiled and flew closer, its little hand touching her chin turning her head slightly upward.
"A true dreamer. You interpret and seek the dreams of others. You guide them with wisdom and give so much of yourself to give them peace, my little Serpent Charmer." The pixie smiled.
"Why do you call me Serpent Charmer?" She asked.
"Only one with a soul so pure, a mind so wise and a heart so peaceful, can charm a creature forsaken by the Gods and in return give it the courage to dream... to hope." The pixie explained maintaining its kind smile.
"But I am only human." Louise replied.
"No, you are the human who decided to represent what is best in your kind. Aaaahhh... but here is your child now." The pixie answered and Louise turned to see a white snake with a silver pattern sliding across the railing. Louise could see it was a constrictor and a very small one. She turned back to look at the pixie, but it was gone. Louise went to the snake and put her hand in front of it.
"Hello beautiful... wouldn't you rather be in a tree?" She cooed and let the snake slide up her arm. She lifted her other arm towards a branch hanging nearby. As it slithered along her arms it felt as if it was almost caressing her and she smiled as it reached the branch. It turned its head as if almost looking at her with hesitation.
"Go on love." She urged it on with a smile and it slithered along the branch.
"Normally people are afraid of snakes, dear." She heard a voice behind her and instantly smiled before turning around.
"Abraham!" She smiled and in three quick steps she was in his arms, kissing him. She could feel the comfort coming from his body heat and his hands calmingly caressing her body. He pulled away resting his forehead against hers, caressing her cheek with one hand as the other was still wrapped around her waist.
"I love you." He whispered. Louise looked at him with doubt, astonishment and adoration. Her heart was beating so hard it left her breathless and she had no air that she could use in order to respond. He stroked her hair, looking at her still so lovingly without her having to respond.
"Abraham!" A voice called in a sweet and melodic way, as it was carried by the soft current of the breeze. In an instant Abe let go of Louise and turned around running down the stairs. Louise ran to the railing to see, where he was running to. She saw a beautiful pale woman with golden hair and a beautiful golden dress standing among the columns. Louise's heart shattered as she saw Abe running towards her and embracing her. He was twirling her around in his arms and Louise had never seen him that happy.
"Abraham... love..." She whispered desperately as silent tears fell from her eyes.
"So this is what you fear... You really have the oddest taste in men." A sinister voice said. Louise didn't have to turn around. She knew it was Darren, but she didn't care. Her spirit felt broken and she wanted nothing more than to look at Abe, even if it meant seeing him happy in someone else's arms. She felt Darren stand behind her, his hand on the front of her neck... a gesture that was both loving and threatening at the same time. She felt his other hand pulling up her dress, but it didn't matter. It wasn't until Darren's hand reached the inside of her thigh and clawed her with his sharpened pointed nails that she screamed. The clear blue sky turned toxic green, the marble became covered in dirt and muck and the beautiful vegetation withered. Only a small area around Abe and who she assumed was Princess Nuala, remained untainted. She hissed as the hand at her throat clawed the front of her. Maiming her neck and breast as it ripped the fabric of the dress.
"Abraham!" She screamed, but he didn't hear her. Darren pushed her forward against the railing, trapping her as he lifted up the rest of her dress. Again and again she called for Abe, but he did not hear her. Darren dug one of his hands into her shoulder and the other into her thigh, before thrusting into her. She refused to cry or show any weakness at all and she almost began growling at Abe, ordering him to come for her. But it did not matter. Then she began to beg. Not Darren, but Abe. Only for him would she beg. Darren's thrust became more violent and he leaned forward to growl in her ear.
"Happy birthday, Louise."
As she sat up with a gasp, she immediately found herself in Abe's arms. She wrapped her arms around him, burrowing her face in his shoulder, while sobbing violently.
"I'm sorry... so so sorry... I tried to wake you, but I couldn't." He whispered, his desperation and hurt clearly evident in his voice. She gave a cry into his shoulder as he cradled her. He started rocking her back and forth, whispering every word of comfort he could think of. They all seemed so empty right now. He could see her dream, which was still so clear in her mind. He was overwhelmed by his emotions. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, but most of all he wanted to kill Darren! Abe had never had a violent temperament. He only used weapons to defend himself and others, but in this moment he wanted to kill Darren... preferably by strangling him with his bare hands. He was torn from his thoughts as Louise began speaking, still shivering and rocking in his arms.
"Why is he so cruel? Why create such a beautiful illusion, only to torment me with it?" She said almost pleading for an answer. Abe knew why. It was to make her suffering even more excruciating. Louise knew this as well. Abe had no words to offer. Nothing that could comfort her and he felt useless. He gently touched her chin to make her look at him and she calmed down by his eyes just meeting hers. He kissed her deeply, showing her all the words that he did not have. She clung to him desperately, as returned the kiss with a need and desperation that was almost terrifying for them both. It took hours, but she finally collapsed back into sleep from exhaustion. It was only then Abe let his own tears fall, his heart shattering in such away, it almost surprised him that he didn't sob. He once thought that he could not cry... How he wished he was still had that illusion.
- OOO -
When she awoke Abe was still cradling her. Holding her protectively in his arms and she felt safe. She turned around and wrapped both her arms and legs around him, seeking any comfort he was willing to give. She knew he was awake, when he started kissing her hair. It was her birthday and Abe wanted nothing more than to tell her "happy birthday" and declare his love for her, but both had been tainted by Darren's cruelty. Abe had been working up his courage to tell Louise that he loved her today, ever since that night at her parent's house. But now it would sound like nothing, but a hollow promise from a nightmare. Instead he had to do his outmost to make this day bearable instead of happy one as he had wanted to.
"How are you feeling?" He said in a low concerned voice, unable to see her face. She looked up and began kissing him almost desperately.
"I don't know..." She replied pulling away.
They lay on the bed on their backs, her lying across the bed with her head resting on his chest. His one hand kept stroking her hair, while she held the other. She kept stroking his hand, letting her finger caress the webbed spaces between his. Neither of them noticed how long they laid like that in silence, but eventually Louise broke it.
"Your skin is beautiful." She murmured in such a low voice he barely heard her, while she was running her fingers over his arm following the pattern.
"You think so?" He asked looking down at her, but she didn't meet his gaze.
"Mmmm... I always thought so." She said in earnest still focusing on caressing his arm and hand. His heart swelled as he could sense the honesty from her. Her touch was so pleasant and comforting that he almost dosed off, not noticing the emotions she was feeling.
"She was beautiful too." Louise said barely louder than a whisper, but she might as well have shouted it as Abe's eyes flew open and his heart tightened awfully.
"Yes, she was." He replied hoping that the term "was" would be the one that Louise noticed. As she remained silent he continued.
"But so are you." He said in a low loving voice. She almost hissed in disbelief, before giving a resentful laugh.
"No, I'm not! I am pretty at best. The only thing special about me is the time and date of my birth! The rest is perfectly ordinary. Tell me, where you disappointed, when you found out that I am not remotely special in any way?" She sounded almost angry as she sat up with her back turned towards him. Abe sensed her anger, hurt and frustration, but all of it had been turned against herself. He sat up and tried to make her turn towards him, but she didn't.
"You are special to me. I never wanted you to be anyone but who you are and I do think you are beautiful. Not just because of the way you look, but your kind heart, your selflessness and your teasing. I don't see or feel this person that you hate so much." He explained, but the hatred she had turned towards herself, made it impossible for her to believe him. She stood up and wrapped her robe around herself as her body tensed in anger.
"Then perhaps you do not know me at all." She spat turning around looking at him with hurt and anger in her eyes. Abe's blood was boiling. Years of self inflicted deprivation, combined with the cruelty she had seen from her kind and Darren's torture of her, had made her believe herself completely unworthy of the affection, she secretly craved so desperately.
"Don't you realise that I love you?!" He blurted out in a way that was half anger and half pleading. She looked at him in a total state of shock and he began cursing himself. She wasn't ready for that, especially after what Darren did. His breathing was heavy, his gills moving and his heart waiting for the blow that would break his heart.
"I know you are not ready to hear it, but I can't let you go on like this, without you knowing how I feel. You have no idea how difficult it has been watching you from a distance. And how even harder it has been being this close to you without..."
"I love you." She whispered.
"telling you how much I... love you..." He paused as his brain finally registered what she had said. He looked at her, looking almost painfully vulnerable and terrified. Even from this distance he could see her trembling. He stood up walking towards her, his own heart beating so hard it felt impossible to breathe. He stood in front of her, lifting her head gently for her to look at him.
"Please tell me I didn't only imagine that." He looked at her calmly, knowing it was true, but needing to hear it from her lips once more.
"I kept convincing myself that I didn't, terrified of when you would discover me for who I was and turn away. People have always stayed with me because they needed me, but you never did. You had to stay for me alone and I could not allow myself to believe that you would. I have known you for such a short time, that my head tells me that I am being ridiculous, but I love you so very much." She explained still trembling. She gave a startled yelp, when Abe suddenly lifted her up twirling her around. He then started kissing every part of her that he could reach, while still holding her. Louise gave a nervous giggle and wrapped her legs and arms around him, before kissing him. Between his kisses, he kept declaring his love for her over and over, months of pent up emotions making him incapable of anything else. He finally stopped kissing her so desperately and looked up into her eyes still holding her.
"I love you so dearly." He declared once more, looking into her eyes and she was smiling brightly.
"I love you too." She smiled and kissed him again. When he put her down she looked at the time and it was past noon.
"Oh shit! I hope that they didn't hear us." She said mortified covering her mouth.
"Liz and Red left with the children this morning. They will be back a little later. I wanted to be alone with you on your birthday." He explained with a little sorrow in his voice as he found the day had not gone as planned. Louise on the other hand smiled sweetly at him.
"Thank you. I guess we better make the most of it." She smiled and kissed him. She then pulled away with that determined flare burning in her eyes.
"Do you hear that Darren, you worthless, mental bastard? I am going to enjoy today, while you can rot in that miserable hell you call your life!" She shouted loudly, knowing full well that he would never know she did, but it instantly released the anger she felt and the power he tried to hold over her seemed smaller. Abe couldn't help, but chuckle as he pulled her close for a hug.
"What are you laughing at? You just be thankful it wasn't directed at you." She teased.
"Believe me I am. What would you like to do today?" He smiled at her still holding her.
"Could we go for a walk? I think I need some fresh air."
"Anything you want, my love." He replied before kissing her temple.