A Wedding Song 16: Rain Medley
I know I promised no genuine song fic pieces but it's only one chapter and when you read it you won't want to spit, I swear. I have to go with inspiration or inspiration will go without me!
The songs "Like the Rain", "Rainin' on Sunday" and "A Little Fall of Rain" belong to Clint Black, Keith Urban and Andrew Lloyd Webber respectively. You may never know it gentlemen, but you saved my butt on this chapter. It sucked until your intensely beautiful music hit my ears and inspired me. If anyone knows any of the three personally (I know, big lol.) thank them for me.
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FOUR DAYS LATER --- SUNDAY AFTERNOON
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THE OFFICIAL: Reflections on Redemption
{It was sunny all through church this morning. Why does it have to do this the minute the service ends? Typical....}
As he stared out his living room window at the bleak, chill day his perfect Sunday had become, Charles Borden ruminated on the thought that rain was and always had been his least favorite weather pattern. Even in California, rain almost never made an appearance without a significant drop in temperature. His bones weren't ancient yet, but he had begun to feel the weight of the years in his neck and knees, neither of which particularly enjoyed the cold. He knew his own body weight had more than a little to do with his growing aches and pains, but, as he'd always done, he tended to blame his troubles on anything and everything outside himself before he turned to look inward. Inward was not a pleasant place for him. He saw his internal landscape much like the external one he currently gazed upon; cold, gray and harsh, barely fit for supporting life.
{I really wanted to walk the neighborhood today. Sunday's the only quiet day on the streets. I can't think in here. I have to get out into the fresh air. I need to get away from the phone and the T.V. and the fax and.... why did it have to rain?}
Into the midst of his dour, melancholy contemplations, Borden felt more than heard his wife enter the room. He did not turn or acknowledge her. It wasn't necessary. Sensing his depression, she had sought him out and come to console him, so she would do the approaching, she would be the one to speak first, taking his burden on herself as she coaxed his fears and worries from him. He called it her unique brand of magic. She called it love. Silently, Elizabeth Borden moved up behind her husband and laid her hands on his shoulders.
"What is it, honey? The rain?"
"Partly. I needed to get out... do some thinking. I told you that on the way home."
"And the rest?"
"I don't know. Everything at work.... it's a mess. I don't know anything anymore. I feel like.... I'm lost. I've *been* lost for a long, long time, but.... I can't see how to change direction... I don't know what to do...."
"Do you remember our third date?"
Used to her sudden changes of subject, Charles allowed his wife to lead, knowing the path of the conversation would be anything but aimless.
"How could I forget? The Halloween Hayride Horror."
"It wasn't so bad."
"It poured buckets. To this day the small of wet hay makes me gag..."
"That's not the part I'm talking about."
"Oh. You mean... the woods."
"The woods. Once the rain slowed down to a sprinkle, you draped your coat around my shoulders, led me out of the cabin where everyone was drying off and took me for a walk. The woods smelled so incredible that night... fresh and clean. The storm picked up again but that didn't stop you. You laughed and started to run, saying you wanted to show me something."
"That clearing... the moon was so bright..."
"I'll never forget... you dropped to your knees on a bed of wet pine needles.... I kept giggling and yelling that you were ruining your best pants and your mother was going to tan your hide something awful." Elizabeth chuckled.
"She did." Charles responded soberly. "Within an inch of my life."
The woman behind him tightened her grip on his shoulders in sympathy, understanding how difficult those memories were for her husband, but she continued the story anyway, hoping to keep his mood from darkening further.
"That was the first time you said you loved me. I was so shocked I almost ended up in the pine needles with you. You said you loved me and you knew you were going to marry me and, third date or not, you knew I already loved you too and nothing could ever stop us unless we let it. Your hair was plastered to your head... so was mine for that matter, but I didn't care. I pulled you up to your feet and hugged you until you couldn't breathe.... and I said you were right. I did love you and I would forever. I still do."
"God, Beth..."
"When we finally decided to head back to the shelter, it was so dark and our hair was in our faces.... we got lost. We were terrified we'd be stuck out there all night. Then suddenly the lights of the cabin were right there in front of us. You said it was a miracle.... proof we were meant to walk through life together, with all its problems, all its sadness. Proof that there was nothing we couldn't survive if we stayed together. There still isn't."
"Beth, please..."
"I want to take a walk." She asserted softly, tugging him toward the coat rack and the front door.
"It's raining. I hate rain, you know that..."
"No you don't. You hate what it makes you think of... the things it makes you feel. Feelings can change. You can change."
"Elizabeth..."
"We're going for a walk, Charles. In the rain."
Knowing he would never win, Borden gave in and reached for an umbrella, but she pulled it out of his hand and replaced it. Grinning faintly, he lifted his light summer jacket off the rack, placed it around her shoulders and let her cajole him out into the rain utterly unprotected.
Once outside, he was shocked to discover how warm it was and how pleasant the droplets felt as they covered his hands and dribbled down his forehead. Closing his eyes, he turned his face up slightly and felt the glacial ice surrounding his core begin to retreat a little. It took him a few minutes, however, to realize that the warm moisture on his cheeks was not entirely a product of the late summer storm.
### I never liked the rain 'till I walked through it with you.
Every thundercloud that came was one more I might not get through,
but on the darkest day there's always light, and now I see it too.
But I never liked the rain 'till I walked through it with you.
I hear it falling in the night, filling up my mind.
All the heaven's rivers come to life I see it all unwind.
I hear it talking in the trees and on the windowpane,
and when I hear it I just can't believe I never liked the rain.
Like the rain, I am fallin' for you, and I know just why you like the rain. Always callin' for you, I'm fallin for you now just like the rain.
When the cloud is rolling over, thunder striking me,
it's as bright as lightning and I wonder why I couldn't see,
that it's always good and when the flood is gone we still remain.
I guess I've always known I just belong here with you fallin' like the rain
Like the rain, I am fallin' for you, and I know just why you like the rain. Always callin' for you, I'm fallin for you now just like the rain...... ###
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DARIEN AND BOBBY: Redeeming Love
Seated in a rocking chair in front of his bedroom window, Darien held and fed his daughter while keeping the chair in gentle motion. For the most part his gaze remained solely on her, but occasionally he glanced out at the world, wondering if the dreary spitting rain would ever stop and allow the sun to return.
Though he had no love for rainy days, he normally got through them with little difficulty. Today seemed to be different. He could clearly read the joy and contentment in Bobbi's eyes as she sleepily gazed up at him, but, unlike so many other times, it didn't penetrate his heart. He couldn't seem to shake the residual fear, helplessness and fury the kidnapping had awakened in him. Their mutual bond told him Bobbi felt his distress, but had no doubt he'd find his way through it and be alright again.
Compared to the past three weeks, the previous two and a half days had been a stark contrast. Instead of begging Darien to pick the baby up, Bobby had been hard-pressed to get his partner to even put their daughter down long enough for her to complete a nap. Hobbes had been thrilled at first, sure that Darien holding Roberta was a good omen, a sign that the storms that had been raging around them were finally clearing. By that morning, however, Bobby had begun to realize that even Fawkes' delight at being able to hold his child again couldn't push the negative emotions far enough away for him to escape their powerful gravitational pull. Not without an extra pair of strong hands to help him get free.
"Darien?"
"I'm awake. C'mon in."
"How's she doin' ?"
"Good. The bottle's almost empty."
"An' she's almost asleep. Nasty day, ain't it?" Bobby commented after a brief glance out the window. " I was thinkin' about puttin' her in the car seat an' goin down to the beach.... but not when it's like this. It started out so nice today, too...."
"Rain screws everything up. You ever notice that? God must have a twisted sense of humor. The minute you even think of headin' to the pool or the beach.... clouds, darker clouds, sprinkles, downpour. Or when you're really lookin' forward to havin' a picnic..... BAM!. Monsoon. Never fails. An' it always rains on the day somebody dies. Like everybody isn't cryin' enough, the angels gotta throw their two cents in...."
Through the hand he'd laid on Darien's upper arm, Bobby felt him begin to tremble and knew instinctively that a potential emotional boil- over was brewing.
"Here. Lemme put her in her crib, okay?"
"No! No, don't take her..."
"It's okay. She's doin' really good. You said so yourself. Bobbi's fine. Talk to her, you'll see she's alright."
After a few seconds of silent communication, Darien chuckled brokenly and released Roberta to her dad. "What?"
"I just got the mental equivalent of "I'm not the only one who needs a nap. Chill out, mom."
Once he'd gotten Bobbi settled in her crib and coaxed a burp from her, Hobbes returned to the rocker.
"She's right ya know. We could both use extra sleep. When you're in the middle of the pressure an' the craziness, you don't see how much it's takin' outta you. You feel like crashin' for a while?"
"I don't think I could sleep."
"You don't have to. Just come lay down. Get under the blankets.... get warm. Nothin' better on a nasty day. I'll even read Goldilocks an' the Three Bears..."
"Hobbes...."
"Please, baby.... don't push me away again. Lemme hold you. It's all I can think to do...."
Abruptly, Darien rose from the chair, turned and threw himself into Bobby's waiting arms.
"I've missed you... God, you can't know how I missed you..." he sobbed into his fiancé's neck.
"Missed me.... where'd I go?" Bobby responded in confusion
"Not you... me. I'm the one who ran away. Ever since all this stuff with the kids started.... I've been so locked in my own head... an' so damn scared."
"Shhh. I know...."
"No... no way you could.... I hated myself for what I did to James. I thought if I gave it enough time, you'd end up hatin' me too... then you'd leave.... so I pulled away first. I figured it'd hurt less that way... I'm really sorry...."
"Hey... it's okay. Easy..."
Gradually, Bobby convinced Darien to move with him to the bed and lay down, shoes, socks and all. Pulling the covers over both of them, he slipped one arm around his partner's midsection and cradled Darien's head with the other. "Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me an' I'll get it, or I'll do it... anything."
"Make it stop rainin'.... please, Bobby. One thing after another, after another.... I can't catch my breath.... I just want it to stop...."
"Okay. If that's what you want, I'll give it my best shot. Close your eyes an' sleep for a while, okay? Just close your eyes.... when you wake up the rain'll be gone...."
### It ticks just like a Timex, it never lets up on you. Who said life was easy? The job is never through. It'll run us 'till we're ragged. It'll harden our hearts. and love could use a day of rest, before we both start fallin' apart.
Pray that it's raining on Sunday, stormin' like crazy.
We'll hide under the covers all afternoon.
Baby, whatever comes on Monday,
can take care of itself,
'cause we got better things that we can do,
when it's raining on Sunday....... ###
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EBERTS AND CLAIRE: Love Unexpected
Standing in the open door of Claire's room in the Agency infirmary, Eberts leaned on the frame and gazed at the scientist as she slept. He had been dithering for an hour or more whether it was proper that he actually go in and see her.
{At least I'm being indecisive *at* the Agency instead of everywhere but.} he berated himself. {That's a step forward. I should be ashamed that it's taken me until now to gather the courage to face her. I can't believe I allowed her to be hurt like this. The bruise on her jaw looked so awful at first... that's fading now, thank God. Small comfort when you look at that contraption on her leg. And yet she's still so beautiful.... }
Dejectedly, Eberts gazed down at the flowers he held. He'd had no idea of her favorite variety, so he'd picked something on impulse, but now it looked to him like a choice made for expediency's sake, based not on knowledge of her likes and dislikes but on an assumption of her heritage.
{English tea roses.... I'll look like a thoughtless clod. And they're dripping profusely all over the floor as well. The lovely wrapping job they did at the florists is ruined. Of course, I couldn't know it was going to rain. No. On second thought, I should have known. The way I'm feeling today, what else could it possibly do?}
Finally stepping into the room, Eberts laid his sodden bundle down on a small table by the door and turned to go. Only noticing what else lay on the table stopped him.
{Compact disks... and a small stereo. One of the others must have brought them for her. I wonder.... I couldn't be lucky enough to have these be from her personal collection, can I? Well, I can complain about not knowing her preferences or I can seize the opportunity when it presents itself....}
Quietly, Eberts lifted one CD, studied it, then placed it to the side and picked up the next.
{Bach, Mahler, Handel, David Bowie.... David Bowie? So I've learned one thing by this little foray. She has eclectic taste in music.}
Halfway through the stack, Eberts stopped, his heart suddenly beating much too fast. He stared at the CD cover for a few stunned seconds before coming to himself and opening the case. The disk was not there. With his free hand, he hit the button that would open the lid on the player. There, he found what he was seeking.
{Les Miserables..... it can't be. My God, I know every word in every song. If she.... Remarkable. Today of all days.... with Claire injured.... I don't believe in coincidence. But I don't believe in miracles either....}
Suddenly, Claire spoke up from the other side of the room, startling Eberts so badly he almost knocked both stacks of CD's to the floor.
"Hello."
"Claire... I'm so sorry. If I had known you weren't asleep I never would have..."
"Albert...."
"No... you need to rest. I should go...."
"Don't go, please. You know Les Miz?"
"Know it? I've memorized it. I only have a few of these at home... I'm not exactly one for being with the times, I'm afraid. This cast album... this holds a treasured place in my stereo and in my heart." he admitted, lightly running one finger over the image on the cover.
"Mine too."
Claire fell silent for a few moments, running the list of songs through her head. One in particular jumped out at her and she smiled softly.
"Play the song. You know which one."
"No. Not Marius and Eponine. Don't ask me to.... I've spent too many hours crying in the last few days. Hearing that song now...."
"I understand, but *I* need to hear it. Please? Cue up the song and come sit by me. Oh, and bring the flowers."
"If you insist."
"I do."
Shaking, Eberts powered up the CD player and automatically advanced the disk to the correct track. Retrieving his bedraggled little bouquet, he moved haltingly to Claire's bedside, sat in the only chair available and reluctantly held out the tea roses. When he dared to look up, he found tears in her eyes, but to his shock she was still smiling. As the opening notes of the song began to fill the room, Claire reached out and gently grasped his hand.
"The roses, they're wet... is it raining outside?"
"Off and on. Mostly on.... Claire.... I need to apologize. I have to..."
"No. Listen to the words, Albert. Just listen.... and stay here with me."
Eberts nodded. Soon, as he'd feared, the lyrics had him silently weeping, but in her eyes, he found no judgment or condemnation, so he let the tears flow.
### Epon--- Don't you fret M'sieur Marius.
I don't feel any pain.
A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now.
You're here, that's all I need to know.
And you will keep me safe,
and you will keep me close,
and rain will make the flowers grow.
Marius--- But you will live, Eponine, dear God above,
If I could close your wounds with words of love....
Epon.--- Just hold me now and let it be.
Shelter me, comfort me.
Marius--- You would live a hundred years,
if I could show you how.
I won't desert you now.
Epon.--- The rain can't hurt me now.
This rain will wash away what's past,
and you will keep me safe,
and you will keep me close.
I'll sleep in your embrace at last.
The rain that brings you here is heaven blessed.
The skies begin to clear and I'm at rest.....###
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TBC.... happy days are here again.... soon anyway. As the wedding planner, I have a million things to do, so the next chapter may be a while, but hang in there. The ceremony is just around the corner!
I know I promised no genuine song fic pieces but it's only one chapter and when you read it you won't want to spit, I swear. I have to go with inspiration or inspiration will go without me!
The songs "Like the Rain", "Rainin' on Sunday" and "A Little Fall of Rain" belong to Clint Black, Keith Urban and Andrew Lloyd Webber respectively. You may never know it gentlemen, but you saved my butt on this chapter. It sucked until your intensely beautiful music hit my ears and inspired me. If anyone knows any of the three personally (I know, big lol.) thank them for me.
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FOUR DAYS LATER --- SUNDAY AFTERNOON
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THE OFFICIAL: Reflections on Redemption
{It was sunny all through church this morning. Why does it have to do this the minute the service ends? Typical....}
As he stared out his living room window at the bleak, chill day his perfect Sunday had become, Charles Borden ruminated on the thought that rain was and always had been his least favorite weather pattern. Even in California, rain almost never made an appearance without a significant drop in temperature. His bones weren't ancient yet, but he had begun to feel the weight of the years in his neck and knees, neither of which particularly enjoyed the cold. He knew his own body weight had more than a little to do with his growing aches and pains, but, as he'd always done, he tended to blame his troubles on anything and everything outside himself before he turned to look inward. Inward was not a pleasant place for him. He saw his internal landscape much like the external one he currently gazed upon; cold, gray and harsh, barely fit for supporting life.
{I really wanted to walk the neighborhood today. Sunday's the only quiet day on the streets. I can't think in here. I have to get out into the fresh air. I need to get away from the phone and the T.V. and the fax and.... why did it have to rain?}
Into the midst of his dour, melancholy contemplations, Borden felt more than heard his wife enter the room. He did not turn or acknowledge her. It wasn't necessary. Sensing his depression, she had sought him out and come to console him, so she would do the approaching, she would be the one to speak first, taking his burden on herself as she coaxed his fears and worries from him. He called it her unique brand of magic. She called it love. Silently, Elizabeth Borden moved up behind her husband and laid her hands on his shoulders.
"What is it, honey? The rain?"
"Partly. I needed to get out... do some thinking. I told you that on the way home."
"And the rest?"
"I don't know. Everything at work.... it's a mess. I don't know anything anymore. I feel like.... I'm lost. I've *been* lost for a long, long time, but.... I can't see how to change direction... I don't know what to do...."
"Do you remember our third date?"
Used to her sudden changes of subject, Charles allowed his wife to lead, knowing the path of the conversation would be anything but aimless.
"How could I forget? The Halloween Hayride Horror."
"It wasn't so bad."
"It poured buckets. To this day the small of wet hay makes me gag..."
"That's not the part I'm talking about."
"Oh. You mean... the woods."
"The woods. Once the rain slowed down to a sprinkle, you draped your coat around my shoulders, led me out of the cabin where everyone was drying off and took me for a walk. The woods smelled so incredible that night... fresh and clean. The storm picked up again but that didn't stop you. You laughed and started to run, saying you wanted to show me something."
"That clearing... the moon was so bright..."
"I'll never forget... you dropped to your knees on a bed of wet pine needles.... I kept giggling and yelling that you were ruining your best pants and your mother was going to tan your hide something awful." Elizabeth chuckled.
"She did." Charles responded soberly. "Within an inch of my life."
The woman behind him tightened her grip on his shoulders in sympathy, understanding how difficult those memories were for her husband, but she continued the story anyway, hoping to keep his mood from darkening further.
"That was the first time you said you loved me. I was so shocked I almost ended up in the pine needles with you. You said you loved me and you knew you were going to marry me and, third date or not, you knew I already loved you too and nothing could ever stop us unless we let it. Your hair was plastered to your head... so was mine for that matter, but I didn't care. I pulled you up to your feet and hugged you until you couldn't breathe.... and I said you were right. I did love you and I would forever. I still do."
"God, Beth..."
"When we finally decided to head back to the shelter, it was so dark and our hair was in our faces.... we got lost. We were terrified we'd be stuck out there all night. Then suddenly the lights of the cabin were right there in front of us. You said it was a miracle.... proof we were meant to walk through life together, with all its problems, all its sadness. Proof that there was nothing we couldn't survive if we stayed together. There still isn't."
"Beth, please..."
"I want to take a walk." She asserted softly, tugging him toward the coat rack and the front door.
"It's raining. I hate rain, you know that..."
"No you don't. You hate what it makes you think of... the things it makes you feel. Feelings can change. You can change."
"Elizabeth..."
"We're going for a walk, Charles. In the rain."
Knowing he would never win, Borden gave in and reached for an umbrella, but she pulled it out of his hand and replaced it. Grinning faintly, he lifted his light summer jacket off the rack, placed it around her shoulders and let her cajole him out into the rain utterly unprotected.
Once outside, he was shocked to discover how warm it was and how pleasant the droplets felt as they covered his hands and dribbled down his forehead. Closing his eyes, he turned his face up slightly and felt the glacial ice surrounding his core begin to retreat a little. It took him a few minutes, however, to realize that the warm moisture on his cheeks was not entirely a product of the late summer storm.
### I never liked the rain 'till I walked through it with you.
Every thundercloud that came was one more I might not get through,
but on the darkest day there's always light, and now I see it too.
But I never liked the rain 'till I walked through it with you.
I hear it falling in the night, filling up my mind.
All the heaven's rivers come to life I see it all unwind.
I hear it talking in the trees and on the windowpane,
and when I hear it I just can't believe I never liked the rain.
Like the rain, I am fallin' for you, and I know just why you like the rain. Always callin' for you, I'm fallin for you now just like the rain.
When the cloud is rolling over, thunder striking me,
it's as bright as lightning and I wonder why I couldn't see,
that it's always good and when the flood is gone we still remain.
I guess I've always known I just belong here with you fallin' like the rain
Like the rain, I am fallin' for you, and I know just why you like the rain. Always callin' for you, I'm fallin for you now just like the rain...... ###
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DARIEN AND BOBBY: Redeeming Love
Seated in a rocking chair in front of his bedroom window, Darien held and fed his daughter while keeping the chair in gentle motion. For the most part his gaze remained solely on her, but occasionally he glanced out at the world, wondering if the dreary spitting rain would ever stop and allow the sun to return.
Though he had no love for rainy days, he normally got through them with little difficulty. Today seemed to be different. He could clearly read the joy and contentment in Bobbi's eyes as she sleepily gazed up at him, but, unlike so many other times, it didn't penetrate his heart. He couldn't seem to shake the residual fear, helplessness and fury the kidnapping had awakened in him. Their mutual bond told him Bobbi felt his distress, but had no doubt he'd find his way through it and be alright again.
Compared to the past three weeks, the previous two and a half days had been a stark contrast. Instead of begging Darien to pick the baby up, Bobby had been hard-pressed to get his partner to even put their daughter down long enough for her to complete a nap. Hobbes had been thrilled at first, sure that Darien holding Roberta was a good omen, a sign that the storms that had been raging around them were finally clearing. By that morning, however, Bobby had begun to realize that even Fawkes' delight at being able to hold his child again couldn't push the negative emotions far enough away for him to escape their powerful gravitational pull. Not without an extra pair of strong hands to help him get free.
"Darien?"
"I'm awake. C'mon in."
"How's she doin' ?"
"Good. The bottle's almost empty."
"An' she's almost asleep. Nasty day, ain't it?" Bobby commented after a brief glance out the window. " I was thinkin' about puttin' her in the car seat an' goin down to the beach.... but not when it's like this. It started out so nice today, too...."
"Rain screws everything up. You ever notice that? God must have a twisted sense of humor. The minute you even think of headin' to the pool or the beach.... clouds, darker clouds, sprinkles, downpour. Or when you're really lookin' forward to havin' a picnic..... BAM!. Monsoon. Never fails. An' it always rains on the day somebody dies. Like everybody isn't cryin' enough, the angels gotta throw their two cents in...."
Through the hand he'd laid on Darien's upper arm, Bobby felt him begin to tremble and knew instinctively that a potential emotional boil- over was brewing.
"Here. Lemme put her in her crib, okay?"
"No! No, don't take her..."
"It's okay. She's doin' really good. You said so yourself. Bobbi's fine. Talk to her, you'll see she's alright."
After a few seconds of silent communication, Darien chuckled brokenly and released Roberta to her dad. "What?"
"I just got the mental equivalent of "I'm not the only one who needs a nap. Chill out, mom."
Once he'd gotten Bobbi settled in her crib and coaxed a burp from her, Hobbes returned to the rocker.
"She's right ya know. We could both use extra sleep. When you're in the middle of the pressure an' the craziness, you don't see how much it's takin' outta you. You feel like crashin' for a while?"
"I don't think I could sleep."
"You don't have to. Just come lay down. Get under the blankets.... get warm. Nothin' better on a nasty day. I'll even read Goldilocks an' the Three Bears..."
"Hobbes...."
"Please, baby.... don't push me away again. Lemme hold you. It's all I can think to do...."
Abruptly, Darien rose from the chair, turned and threw himself into Bobby's waiting arms.
"I've missed you... God, you can't know how I missed you..." he sobbed into his fiancé's neck.
"Missed me.... where'd I go?" Bobby responded in confusion
"Not you... me. I'm the one who ran away. Ever since all this stuff with the kids started.... I've been so locked in my own head... an' so damn scared."
"Shhh. I know...."
"No... no way you could.... I hated myself for what I did to James. I thought if I gave it enough time, you'd end up hatin' me too... then you'd leave.... so I pulled away first. I figured it'd hurt less that way... I'm really sorry...."
"Hey... it's okay. Easy..."
Gradually, Bobby convinced Darien to move with him to the bed and lay down, shoes, socks and all. Pulling the covers over both of them, he slipped one arm around his partner's midsection and cradled Darien's head with the other. "Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me an' I'll get it, or I'll do it... anything."
"Make it stop rainin'.... please, Bobby. One thing after another, after another.... I can't catch my breath.... I just want it to stop...."
"Okay. If that's what you want, I'll give it my best shot. Close your eyes an' sleep for a while, okay? Just close your eyes.... when you wake up the rain'll be gone...."
### It ticks just like a Timex, it never lets up on you. Who said life was easy? The job is never through. It'll run us 'till we're ragged. It'll harden our hearts. and love could use a day of rest, before we both start fallin' apart.
Pray that it's raining on Sunday, stormin' like crazy.
We'll hide under the covers all afternoon.
Baby, whatever comes on Monday,
can take care of itself,
'cause we got better things that we can do,
when it's raining on Sunday....... ###
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EBERTS AND CLAIRE: Love Unexpected
Standing in the open door of Claire's room in the Agency infirmary, Eberts leaned on the frame and gazed at the scientist as she slept. He had been dithering for an hour or more whether it was proper that he actually go in and see her.
{At least I'm being indecisive *at* the Agency instead of everywhere but.} he berated himself. {That's a step forward. I should be ashamed that it's taken me until now to gather the courage to face her. I can't believe I allowed her to be hurt like this. The bruise on her jaw looked so awful at first... that's fading now, thank God. Small comfort when you look at that contraption on her leg. And yet she's still so beautiful.... }
Dejectedly, Eberts gazed down at the flowers he held. He'd had no idea of her favorite variety, so he'd picked something on impulse, but now it looked to him like a choice made for expediency's sake, based not on knowledge of her likes and dislikes but on an assumption of her heritage.
{English tea roses.... I'll look like a thoughtless clod. And they're dripping profusely all over the floor as well. The lovely wrapping job they did at the florists is ruined. Of course, I couldn't know it was going to rain. No. On second thought, I should have known. The way I'm feeling today, what else could it possibly do?}
Finally stepping into the room, Eberts laid his sodden bundle down on a small table by the door and turned to go. Only noticing what else lay on the table stopped him.
{Compact disks... and a small stereo. One of the others must have brought them for her. I wonder.... I couldn't be lucky enough to have these be from her personal collection, can I? Well, I can complain about not knowing her preferences or I can seize the opportunity when it presents itself....}
Quietly, Eberts lifted one CD, studied it, then placed it to the side and picked up the next.
{Bach, Mahler, Handel, David Bowie.... David Bowie? So I've learned one thing by this little foray. She has eclectic taste in music.}
Halfway through the stack, Eberts stopped, his heart suddenly beating much too fast. He stared at the CD cover for a few stunned seconds before coming to himself and opening the case. The disk was not there. With his free hand, he hit the button that would open the lid on the player. There, he found what he was seeking.
{Les Miserables..... it can't be. My God, I know every word in every song. If she.... Remarkable. Today of all days.... with Claire injured.... I don't believe in coincidence. But I don't believe in miracles either....}
Suddenly, Claire spoke up from the other side of the room, startling Eberts so badly he almost knocked both stacks of CD's to the floor.
"Hello."
"Claire... I'm so sorry. If I had known you weren't asleep I never would have..."
"Albert...."
"No... you need to rest. I should go...."
"Don't go, please. You know Les Miz?"
"Know it? I've memorized it. I only have a few of these at home... I'm not exactly one for being with the times, I'm afraid. This cast album... this holds a treasured place in my stereo and in my heart." he admitted, lightly running one finger over the image on the cover.
"Mine too."
Claire fell silent for a few moments, running the list of songs through her head. One in particular jumped out at her and she smiled softly.
"Play the song. You know which one."
"No. Not Marius and Eponine. Don't ask me to.... I've spent too many hours crying in the last few days. Hearing that song now...."
"I understand, but *I* need to hear it. Please? Cue up the song and come sit by me. Oh, and bring the flowers."
"If you insist."
"I do."
Shaking, Eberts powered up the CD player and automatically advanced the disk to the correct track. Retrieving his bedraggled little bouquet, he moved haltingly to Claire's bedside, sat in the only chair available and reluctantly held out the tea roses. When he dared to look up, he found tears in her eyes, but to his shock she was still smiling. As the opening notes of the song began to fill the room, Claire reached out and gently grasped his hand.
"The roses, they're wet... is it raining outside?"
"Off and on. Mostly on.... Claire.... I need to apologize. I have to..."
"No. Listen to the words, Albert. Just listen.... and stay here with me."
Eberts nodded. Soon, as he'd feared, the lyrics had him silently weeping, but in her eyes, he found no judgment or condemnation, so he let the tears flow.
### Epon--- Don't you fret M'sieur Marius.
I don't feel any pain.
A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now.
You're here, that's all I need to know.
And you will keep me safe,
and you will keep me close,
and rain will make the flowers grow.
Marius--- But you will live, Eponine, dear God above,
If I could close your wounds with words of love....
Epon.--- Just hold me now and let it be.
Shelter me, comfort me.
Marius--- You would live a hundred years,
if I could show you how.
I won't desert you now.
Epon.--- The rain can't hurt me now.
This rain will wash away what's past,
and you will keep me safe,
and you will keep me close.
I'll sleep in your embrace at last.
The rain that brings you here is heaven blessed.
The skies begin to clear and I'm at rest.....###
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TBC.... happy days are here again.... soon anyway. As the wedding planner, I have a million things to do, so the next chapter may be a while, but hang in there. The ceremony is just around the corner!