Chapter 11:
[A/N: Layla tends to like to say bloody a lot when she's angry, so that's why it's used so much here.]
My eyes snapped open and I jumped up from the sofa, my lightsaber in my hand and ignited in an instant. I stood there, on the defensive, as I let my gaze wander around the room, my sleepy light brown eyes seeming to take in nothing and everything at the same time.
"Relax, young one. I am not a threat to any of you," came a quiet voice from somewhere behind me.
I whirled around quickly and saw a tall, ghostly figure hovering there, behind the couch. He wore a dark blue cloak, the hood pulled up. He reached up and lowered it in a slightly dramatic gesture, revealing his short dark hair and mysterious emerald green eyes. He seemed almost familiar, somehow, but I couldn't quite place it.
Slowly I lowered my lightsaber, but did not deactivate it. I was only vaguely aware of my friend's voice breaking the unnerving silence that had suddenly and inexplicably fallen down in the air between us.
"Who are you?" Casey asked.
I barely registered the fact that she had even spoken, instead continuing to stare at the stranger until he finally offered an answer.
"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I have come here to offer you both a choice," he said kindly.
Suddenly the realization dawned on me. "Wait! You're the one who brought us here, aren't you?" I blurted out before I could even stop myself.
He chuckled, the sound of it seeming almost comforting in a way. He seemed somewhat grandfatherly to me in the moment, despite his young appearance.
"Yes, I brought you here," he replied.
"Not that either of us are complaining here, but why?" Casey asked.
He hesitated for just a moment too long before he finally said, vaguely, "I heard your wish to prevent certain events from happening." He glanced over at Qui-Gon, who kept his expression carefully neutral, then looked back at me.
"That was nearly three years ago. Why wait so long? Why bring us here now?" Casey remarked.
He turned to face her then, an expression of something almost like regret etched into his sharp features.
"I had to wait until just the right moment came along," he responded, his voice barely more than a whisper.
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What do you mean, until just the right moment?" I asked cautiously, suddenly afraid of hearing the answer.
A quiet sigh escaped him. "Had I brought you here too soon, it would have been nothing short of a complete disaster. And..." his voice trailed off.
"And what?" I prompted him almost impatiently.
He sighed again and bowed his head. I felt my chest tighten painfully and a sinking feeling of dread suddenly seeped its way into the deepest depths of my soul. I had the feeling I knew what he was about to say, and I tensed.
"And...though I am loathe to admit it, I...foresaw what was done to you. I knew that your family was planning to betray and abandon you on your eighteenth birthday," he confessed.
I stood there in stunned silence, completely frozen, unable to even speak, much less move. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Finally I managed to regain my voice. "You knew? YOU BLOODY KNEW?!" I shrieked, my voice becoming so shrill that it grated on even my own nerves.
"Yes, I did," he answered sadly.
I tried to hold my anger in, I really did, but it was becoming increasingly difficult by the moment. "Unbelievable! Un-friggin'-believable! If you knew, why in blazes didn't you come to me before?! Do you have any idea what I've bloody gone through the last bloody eighteen years?! No, I'd suppose you bloody wouldn't!" I ranted, only becoming even angrier by the moment. I tried to calm myself, but it was all in vain.
He didn't even flinch, which only made it that much more infuriating. "It was not my place to interfere, young Layla," he said, as if this explained everything. "Besides, would you have believed me?" he added as an afterthought.
That was when I just lost it all together and very nearly literally exploded. As it was, I only exploded metaphorically, giving him an unamused laugh. "Oh, it wasn't your place to interfere. I see. Well, then tell me something, oh powerful whoever or whatever you are. Just what the bloody hell gave you the 'right to interfere' now, you stupid son of a bitch?! GET OUT!" I shouted furiously, starting to tremble.
He nodded just ever so slightly, but the gesture seemed to me to be more of a mocking bow. I growled angrily low in my throat, but said nothing more for a minute.
"Very well. But before I leave, let me tell you my proposition," he replied.
I made a derisive noise in the back of my throat. "I'm not really interested in hearing anything more that you have to say to me," I said miserably.
I sat back down on the couch next to Qui-Gon, unshed tears coming to my eyes unbidden. I stared at the floor for a long time, suddenly finding the carpet extremely interesting, and welcoming the strong arms that encircled me and pulled me closer, holding me almost protectively it seemed.
"I need to know what you have decided. Do you wish to stay here, or return to your home? If you choose to stay, I will alter things so that those who knew you before will have absolutely no memories of your existences," the stranger said, continuing as though he hadn't even heard my last comment.
I looked up at Qui-Gon, then over at the intruder, my gaze like ice. "There's nothing left there for me now. My place is here. I choose to stay," I answered quietly, my voice becoming very cold.
He nodded again. "Very well," he said, then turned his attention to Casey. "And your decision, young one?"
Casey hesitated, and for a moment I was afraid she was going to say that she wanted to leave. It was bad enough that I would end up losing my best friend who had always been like a sister to me once everything was said and done. I didn't want to lose Casey, too.
"I'll stay, but on one condition," she said as she stood up.
"What condition?" he asked. She whispered something in his ear that I didn't catch, and he nodded. "Done."
He muttered something in a language that I had never heard before, then offered a quiet, "Farewell, young ones. May you find the happiness you seek." Then he simply faded away as though he'd never even been there.
TBC...still! MWA HA HA!! It's almost finished, I swear! I know, I keep saying this, but I keep getting plot bunnies for it. But I will have the ending up as soon as I can, I promise.
Oh, btw, I had you all going there for a while on the last chapter, didn't I? You thought they were going to be zapped back, didn't you? But nope, I'm afraid the guys and the rest of the galaxy are going to have to put up with these two loonies a lot longer. ::Force help them:: LOL!! ::Grins:: Sorry this took so long. Oh, and the Video Series is working again, so go check out that one and my others too, ok? KUDOS!!!
~*Celestia Vitaria*~
[A/N: Layla tends to like to say bloody a lot when she's angry, so that's why it's used so much here.]
My eyes snapped open and I jumped up from the sofa, my lightsaber in my hand and ignited in an instant. I stood there, on the defensive, as I let my gaze wander around the room, my sleepy light brown eyes seeming to take in nothing and everything at the same time.
"Relax, young one. I am not a threat to any of you," came a quiet voice from somewhere behind me.
I whirled around quickly and saw a tall, ghostly figure hovering there, behind the couch. He wore a dark blue cloak, the hood pulled up. He reached up and lowered it in a slightly dramatic gesture, revealing his short dark hair and mysterious emerald green eyes. He seemed almost familiar, somehow, but I couldn't quite place it.
Slowly I lowered my lightsaber, but did not deactivate it. I was only vaguely aware of my friend's voice breaking the unnerving silence that had suddenly and inexplicably fallen down in the air between us.
"Who are you?" Casey asked.
I barely registered the fact that she had even spoken, instead continuing to stare at the stranger until he finally offered an answer.
"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I have come here to offer you both a choice," he said kindly.
Suddenly the realization dawned on me. "Wait! You're the one who brought us here, aren't you?" I blurted out before I could even stop myself.
He chuckled, the sound of it seeming almost comforting in a way. He seemed somewhat grandfatherly to me in the moment, despite his young appearance.
"Yes, I brought you here," he replied.
"Not that either of us are complaining here, but why?" Casey asked.
He hesitated for just a moment too long before he finally said, vaguely, "I heard your wish to prevent certain events from happening." He glanced over at Qui-Gon, who kept his expression carefully neutral, then looked back at me.
"That was nearly three years ago. Why wait so long? Why bring us here now?" Casey remarked.
He turned to face her then, an expression of something almost like regret etched into his sharp features.
"I had to wait until just the right moment came along," he responded, his voice barely more than a whisper.
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What do you mean, until just the right moment?" I asked cautiously, suddenly afraid of hearing the answer.
A quiet sigh escaped him. "Had I brought you here too soon, it would have been nothing short of a complete disaster. And..." his voice trailed off.
"And what?" I prompted him almost impatiently.
He sighed again and bowed his head. I felt my chest tighten painfully and a sinking feeling of dread suddenly seeped its way into the deepest depths of my soul. I had the feeling I knew what he was about to say, and I tensed.
"And...though I am loathe to admit it, I...foresaw what was done to you. I knew that your family was planning to betray and abandon you on your eighteenth birthday," he confessed.
I stood there in stunned silence, completely frozen, unable to even speak, much less move. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Finally I managed to regain my voice. "You knew? YOU BLOODY KNEW?!" I shrieked, my voice becoming so shrill that it grated on even my own nerves.
"Yes, I did," he answered sadly.
I tried to hold my anger in, I really did, but it was becoming increasingly difficult by the moment. "Unbelievable! Un-friggin'-believable! If you knew, why in blazes didn't you come to me before?! Do you have any idea what I've bloody gone through the last bloody eighteen years?! No, I'd suppose you bloody wouldn't!" I ranted, only becoming even angrier by the moment. I tried to calm myself, but it was all in vain.
He didn't even flinch, which only made it that much more infuriating. "It was not my place to interfere, young Layla," he said, as if this explained everything. "Besides, would you have believed me?" he added as an afterthought.
That was when I just lost it all together and very nearly literally exploded. As it was, I only exploded metaphorically, giving him an unamused laugh. "Oh, it wasn't your place to interfere. I see. Well, then tell me something, oh powerful whoever or whatever you are. Just what the bloody hell gave you the 'right to interfere' now, you stupid son of a bitch?! GET OUT!" I shouted furiously, starting to tremble.
He nodded just ever so slightly, but the gesture seemed to me to be more of a mocking bow. I growled angrily low in my throat, but said nothing more for a minute.
"Very well. But before I leave, let me tell you my proposition," he replied.
I made a derisive noise in the back of my throat. "I'm not really interested in hearing anything more that you have to say to me," I said miserably.
I sat back down on the couch next to Qui-Gon, unshed tears coming to my eyes unbidden. I stared at the floor for a long time, suddenly finding the carpet extremely interesting, and welcoming the strong arms that encircled me and pulled me closer, holding me almost protectively it seemed.
"I need to know what you have decided. Do you wish to stay here, or return to your home? If you choose to stay, I will alter things so that those who knew you before will have absolutely no memories of your existences," the stranger said, continuing as though he hadn't even heard my last comment.
I looked up at Qui-Gon, then over at the intruder, my gaze like ice. "There's nothing left there for me now. My place is here. I choose to stay," I answered quietly, my voice becoming very cold.
He nodded again. "Very well," he said, then turned his attention to Casey. "And your decision, young one?"
Casey hesitated, and for a moment I was afraid she was going to say that she wanted to leave. It was bad enough that I would end up losing my best friend who had always been like a sister to me once everything was said and done. I didn't want to lose Casey, too.
"I'll stay, but on one condition," she said as she stood up.
"What condition?" he asked. She whispered something in his ear that I didn't catch, and he nodded. "Done."
He muttered something in a language that I had never heard before, then offered a quiet, "Farewell, young ones. May you find the happiness you seek." Then he simply faded away as though he'd never even been there.
TBC...still! MWA HA HA!! It's almost finished, I swear! I know, I keep saying this, but I keep getting plot bunnies for it. But I will have the ending up as soon as I can, I promise.
Oh, btw, I had you all going there for a while on the last chapter, didn't I? You thought they were going to be zapped back, didn't you? But nope, I'm afraid the guys and the rest of the galaxy are going to have to put up with these two loonies a lot longer. ::Force help them:: LOL!! ::Grins:: Sorry this took so long. Oh, and the Video Series is working again, so go check out that one and my others too, ok? KUDOS!!!
~*Celestia Vitaria*~