Here is the continuation of the story that started with the challenge from Lulubellle09. This is for all of you who wanted more⦠I hope you like it!
Standard FF disclaimers.
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I Need You. By the Light of the Moon.
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The children stared wide-eyed at the old woman standing at the edge of the river. They were all gathered here in the dark of night to hear, once again, the legend of the Star Princess. In hushed tones, the old woman started to tell the tale. She spoke of the beautiful young amazon girl who wanted to be a heavenly star.
A gnarled hand, almost crippled with age and a lifetime of hard work, swept out over the water. The children all looked at the reflection of the moon dancing on the dark surface. "This young woman came every night to sit next to the river," she said in a steady voice, belying her age. The story was unfolding, exactly as it did every time it was told. "She would stare up into the sky. The moon spoke to her. She heard him tell her that he could come and get her and take her into the heavens."
Sadly, the story teller who everyone called Abuelita, shook her head. The children unconsciously followed the motion, shaking theirs as well as they listened. 'Poor girl', they all thought, 'she was so silly to believe that it could be true'. Each child knew this legend by heart, but that never detracted from their desire to hear it being told, over and over again.
Usually the special telling would take place on a night like this, when the moon was full and reflected big and bright in the smooth river waters by the shallow banks. "But she did believe it," said the woman, as if she had been reading their minds. "It filled her heart with joy and she ran home to her father and told him of the promise that the moon had made to her." A collective gasp was heard from the group. "He was the chief, her father," Abuelita said importantly, puffing out her chest and lowering her voice. "And he was supposed to know everything, so he told his daughter that the moon was an enchanted warrior god."
"Our beautiful princess immediately fell in love with the warrior in the moon. She was going to be a star, it was her deepest wish. And when she was, she would be with him up in the heavens. That was all she wanted. She would visit him every night, mourning when he became small, and rejoicing when the moon was big and round. "
Now the children were looking between the sky with the full moon hanging high above them, and its large reflection in the water. They loved this next part, and sat with bated breath. The abuelita looked them each in the eye, and bent forward as she finished the story.
"No one believed that her love was real," she whispered. "They were afraid for her, the passion she expressed was so powerful." "One night they tried to keep her from going to the river." In every little mind they screamed 'no!... they can't keep her from the moon!' But not one sound was heard from the children, they waited for what was coming next.
"The princess broke away from them. She ran to the river. The moon was waiting for her. She knelt by the water, staring at his shining reflection, but she could barely see it through the tears in her eyes." Pausing for maximum effect, the old woman closed her eyes. When she opened them, she spoke with a voice filled with wonder.
"Mesmerized by the glittering light, the little star princess leaned over the water, her hand stretched out to her warrior, her love. Her family saw her fall into the water and she disappeared." Abuelita's arms spread open wide as she continued. "The moon in the water then turned her into a beautiful flower." The old woman gently pulled a lily pad over to show the excited children. A large white flower bigger than her hand sat on top of the enormous leaf, nearly glowing in the moonlight. She lifted it out of the water, pulling it closer so that they could all see it.
"The flower only opens her petals at night," she said solemnly. "Looking for her love, the warrior in the moon." With the final words of the legend still echoing in their ears, she released the lily pad and it settled again on the surface of the water. The collective breath that they had all been holding was let go with a sigh. Without another word, the children allowed their favorite story teller to usher them all back to their homes. It was always with one last wistful look at the sky, that they entered their huts to fall asleep with dreams of the star princess and her warrior moon.
They would have to wait now for another full moon before the legend would be repeated. It would be worth it.
Matthias pulled Maria to him as they watched the group leave. From their hiding place in the massive mangrove tree that grew out over the river, they had heard the story again too. Maria turned her face to look up into his eyes. As usual there were tears in hers and Matthias gently wiped them away, kissing her softly.
"You are my princess," he whispered. "But don't ever leave me," he begged her.
"My warrior god," she called him. "You are my soul, I could never leave." They teased each other this way only when they were alone. Someday they would get married. And then they would be together forever.
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The raid had been a success. Ranger and his men had returned the scientists to the safe arms of the government agency that they worked for. And the businessmen from the pharmaceutical company had been rushed to their own headquarters where they would be watched after in their lab clinic. None of this was of any concern to Ranger's team. Not until Dr. Dutton awoke and had information about the identity of young woman that they had found.
Hal had been going through the items that he and Woody had gathered from the camp. It wasn't much, mostly personal items from the guards, and the prisoners that had been trapped there. But when he came to the book filled with papers, he became curious.
Not only had it been found hidden in the hut with the woman and her baby, he felt that it was something very important that they should look into. The book itself was really just the hard front and back of an old ledger. The pages had been torn out, leaving it a sturdy cover to put the letters in. Hal had thought that they were letters when he first saw them, but he did not read Spanish so he could not be sure. To find out, he took them to Ranger.
Nodding his head, Ranger confirmed that they were personal letters, or a journal of sorts. Hal watched Ranger's face as he read them. A furrow in his brow, and his lowered eyes were all that gave away the emotions that he was feeling as he read. Emotions that were very seldom seen in the man he had known for so long. It was enough to let him know that whatever was said in these letters, it was important and powerful.
Maria Consuela Sanchez de Ibarra had wanted her son to know who he was. She gave him all she could in the form of his family history and the personal notes written to him expressing how much she loved him. Pausing as he turned over another page, Ranger drew in a deep breath. His heart ached as he read her tender words. She had started writing these letters the day her husband was killed. The day that her village was destroyed. For months she wrote tender messages to her child. It was bittersweet to read the words of this heartbroken young woman.
Halfway through the letters, he realized that she knew. From almost the moment that she had been captured, she knew that she was going to die. It was not from any of the words that were laid down in her flowing penmanship. But more of an underlying feeling that he got from the tone of the notes. And when it came closer to the time her baby was to arrive, she was more certain than ever that she would not survive. But she somehow knew that her child would. At least that was her hope, her dream.
After reading the letters, Ranger left the room without a word. Hal watched him walk out. He had known Ranger for a long time, had been on many missions with him. He knew nearly every subtle look that Ranger had, all his masks. But he had never seen this one. And all he could think of, at the time, was that it spoke of a pain too deep to express. His eyes followed Ranger's retreating form. Hal never wanted to see that look again.
Ranger entered the darkened room. Approaching the basinet, he could hear the soft breathing of the baby. It immediately soothed his troubled mind. He carefully picked up the sleeping child. So tiny, he hardly weighed a thing. He tucked him in his large arm, cradling him like a football. He walked over to the window, looking out over a sleeping city. The moon hung high in the sky casting a bluish tint to the shadows in the room. He chuckled as he caught himself swaying back and forth to rock the baby. 'If Stephanie could see me now' he thought. Those familiar tingles teased his back, as if he had felt her coming near. It brought a level of serenity back into his heart. He gazed down at the angelic face peeking out of the blanket. So perfect, so vulnerable, he finally looked peaceful after having been cleaned up and fed. And loved.
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Shadows crossed the room in varying shades of darkened grey, overlapping and creating shapes that would never exist in the light of day. Stephanie was jolted from sleep, she sat up in the bed and peered into the darkness. She had been awakened, but she did not know how, or why. Her heart was pounding as adrenaline coursed through her body. Slowly she gained control over her breathing and slumped back down in the bed.
At first she wondered if it was the new surroundings that had caused her to wake up so suddenly. Just today she had moved the last of her things into the seventh floor apartment in the RangeMan building, and had left her old apartment behind. It was another one of the things that she had not actually talked to Ranger about, but that she was sure had been implied. He wanted her safe, she had agreed to do everything she could to comply with his wishes, and moving out of her unsecured apartment was on the top of that list.
Stephanie was still as she carefully listened, but no unusual noises could be heard, nothing that could have pulled her from her sleep. All she knew was that there would be no getting back to sleep now. Ranger's big T-shirt bunched up as she scooted herself over to the side of the bed. She pulled it down over her legs as she walked to the front room. Not wanting to disturb anything, she left the lights off, just feeling her way in the darkness. Once she opened the curtains, light from the moon outside softly outlined the shapes of furniture in the room. Stephanie stared out at the sky for a while, there was something almost mesmerizing about the way the stars glittered beyond the soft glow of the moon.
Leaning her head on the cool glass of the large picture window, she felt an unexpected peace. Images of Ranger came into her mind. Her arms were wrapped around her shoulders. And she couldn't help wondering if it was an attempt to comfort herself, now that she had started thinking about Ranger, or to ward off the chill from the glass she was so close to? With all her heart she wished that he could be here, with his arms around her. And suddenly all of her questions, her fears tumbled in her mind. Where was he? Was he safe? Had he been injured this time? When would he be home?... 'Stop it Steph," she chided herself. Sometimes you really can just think too much.
After taking several deep breaths, to calm her nerves, her view of the full moon was suddenly blurred by the fog her breath created on the window. But still she continued to stare out at the silvery glow. Unconsciously she started to hum a song from a children's movie she'd watched so long ago. In the back of her mind, the words came drifting through. 'It helps to think ,we might be wishing, on the same bright star.'
The moon and the stars high above her winked and shimmered. Some part of her understood now, she knew why she woke up unexpectedly. Ranger was safe right now. He was thinking of her, she felt it deep in her heart. She felt him, somehow, the familiar tingle whenever he was near. There was no explaining how, she just did and she knew that everything was going to be all right. A single tear escaped and trickled down her cheek, she missed him so much. But she was calm, in this moment she knew that he loved her. She did not need to know anything else!
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