WHO: Saint Columba and Saint Darerca WHAT: Mostly Naked Confessions WHEN: After this particular thread. WHERE: the Northern Ireland safe house WARNINGS: Mentions of sex, but not explicit
Annoyingly, when Darerca appeared in Columba's room clad only in her singlet and knickers, he didn't look surprised. He simply glanced up from his book and uttered a soft, "hello, Dee."
Darerca twisted her face at him, but she closed the door behind her and padded over to the bed. "I excepted something a little more...I don't know, impressed? A 'wow' or a 'goodness me' or even a 'yowza'!"
Columba chuckled and he sat up, holding his arms out to her. She stepped forward and smiled when he rested his hands on her hips. His fingers were always so rough, yet his touch tended to be gentle. She liked the dichotomy. "Do you want to go out and come in again? I wasn't aware I was being given a mark on my reaction."
She pushed at his shoulder and laughed. "Oh shut up, just admit it. You knew I was going to come in here eventually, because I'm old and predictable."
"Maybe old," Columba said, bowing his head to her, "but then we both are. You are never predictable. I thought you might end up in here, but beyond that I never know. You always keep me guessing."
"Good to know." She slid her fingers into his hair and smiled down at him. "I've missed you. It's been awhile."
Columba and Darerca's history together was almost as long as it was separately. As the younger saint, Columba had needed guidance when he finally cropped back up again from belief. Darerca had been all too willing to help. Columba had taken to following Saint Patrick around but as she was less busy, it had been Darerca who had really shown him what it meant to be immortal.
Over the centuries they came together and went their separate ways again and again. It was a comfortable and pleasant acquaintance they had. They had even had children and raised them together, coming back together to mourn their passing. If Darerca had any rock in this world, it was Columba, and he felt the same way for her.
"Thirty years?" he asked as he leaned forward to kiss her stomach.
"I think so. Oh, well- There was that one Christmas in the 90s." Darerca laughed and then she pulled her singlet over her head.
"I hardly remember that night at all. Were you dressed as an elf?"
"Shut up, I was making children happy. Take your pants off!"
"Now there is a disturbing pair of sentences," Columba noted, but he stood to comply. Even as he did so, he sobered a little when he said, "Dee, don't think I'm about to refuse you because believe me, I have no interest in doing so. But do you think you've come in here because there's someone you'd rather be with, but you're too afraid?"
It wasn't surprising to Darerca that Columba would have noticed her feelings for George. Of course he did, Columba knew her as well as anyone. That didn't mean she was thrilled he had pointed it out. "Oh, you bring this up while undressing? Yes. Yes, okay, yes, I have feelings for George. He's wonderful and kind and every time I see him look so lost and upset when he thinks no one is watching it breaks my heart a little," Darerca placed her hands over her chest and she shook her head. "It doesn't matter how I feel, it would never work."
"Dee, I am more than willing to volunteer to take your mind off of it," he said gently. He lifted his hand to caress her cheek. "I could take your mind off it twice! I just want you to be sure-" He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "why do you think it wouldn't work? If it's because of your past, I don't think that would matter to him any more."
"No," Darerca said, moving away to pace the room, clad only in her knickers. "No, that's not it. It's- He works for the government, Columba. And when he is well enough to be on his own, he'll go back to it. The English government. You know, the government responsible for keeping half the country from us? I- I don't blame him for any of that any more, and I understand he's separate from all of that, but if he were even in a place where he could be with someone, which I doubt he is, and we were ever together, things would come up! Big things. And we would fight and yell and I would blame him all over again and it would never, ever work. I would probably end up shooting him again and I can't-
"And who's to say he would keep trusting me anyway? Any time I looked at him funny he might decide I was going to slice his throat open. Or he might worry that I was only with him to get close to the parliament with plans to do something horrible. No. No, that-" Darerca waved her hands around and she stopped pacing so she could face him. "I can't go back to hating him, not now."
Columba moved to take her shoulders into his hands and he nodded slowly. "I understand, Dee."
"And it sucks," she added with a small pout.
"It must. What can I do to help?"
Darerca's lips curled into a small smile, more than willing to try to forget her confusing feelings for George and have a little fun. "We're going to have loud and slightly aggressive sex. And I am going to be on top."
"Oh, well. Sounds like a lot of work, but okay," Columba said with a cheeky grin.
"I love you, Colm," she said sweetly, and she truly did.
"I know you do. I love you too."
She stepped forward and shoved Columba back onto the mattress, finished now with speaking. Then she reached down to tug his trousers and boxers off before discarding her own knickers over her shoulder. As she climbed on top of him, Columba grinned devilishly and yelled, "yowza!"