Godric Witt (shy_vamp) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2011-09-20 23:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | garret, godric, hope, ric |
Tuesday January 27th 2009
Who: Garret, Hope, and Godric later
What: Hope returns to Danvers
When: Hella early morning
Where: Starting at Logan Airport, then on to the BGH
Rating: PG 13
The trip back to Boston from Mexico was a complete and total pain in the ass. First, Hope had had to get a ride back into the US so she could catch a plane out of Texas because that was the only way she could get back in a timely fashion. She had decided to simply give her car to the people she had been staying with down there. They couldn't really do much with a Lotus, sure, but they could sell it and get enough money to really help out their impoverished community. After all they had done for her, they deserved it. But then, after getting to Texas and finding a flight that would work for her, she had been subject to delays because of the weather in the North East and she wasn't able to get to Logan International until roughly two hours before sunrise. That wouldn't leave much time for a prolonged hello but hopefully Garret would be okay with that.
She didn't have any checked bags to claim, only a carry on as she had tossed the rest of her stuff into a box and shipped it back to Godric's address. So when she finally made it down to meet with Garret, she was ready to go. The problem was that she was short and most of the crowd was tall and she had to pop up onto her tip toes to try to see where the taller man was standing. She finally managed to spot his handsome self and she smiled brightly as she called out his name, "Garret!" The one benefit to being small was she was able to weave her way through the crowd with relative ease, an "excuse me" muttered every now and then before she was finally near enough to fling her arms around him in a tight hug.
Garret had specifically requested a late night shift for Monday night so that he could be awake and ready to get Hope from the airport at an ungodly hour. He knew she was a vampire again, and she couldn't go into the sun, but did the sun have to rise so early? Hanging around the terminal, Garret yawned loudly as he stood near the gate for Hope's flight. He should have gotten some coffee or something.
But as soon as he saw that cute mess of frizzy hair, Garret broke into a huge grin, his energy suddenly renewed. He didn't realize how much he had missed Hope until he saw her coming toward her. Walking through the crowd (or really, letting them walk through him), Garret rushed over to Hope and swept her up in his arms, twirling her around and plenting a kiss on her sweet little lips.
---
How could Hope do anything but giggle when she was lifted off her feet and twirled around like some heroine in a romance novel? People were looking toward them with weary eyes and small smiles, probably assuming them to be lovers who had been parted for some time by a long distance. They'd be partially right, perhaps.
She returned the kiss fully before she was wiggling to be let down simply so she could pull back and look at him. "You're even more handsome than I remembered," she grinned, and then hugged him again. "It's so good to see you." And it was good to be so close to home. Danvers hadn't felt good for her for a long while before she left and now... It just seemed like her vigor for everything had been renewed by her recent experiences. She had experienced what could only be termed as a paradigm shift and it felt good. It felt right.
---
One of the things Garret had missed most about Hope was that she was a flatterer. He knew he looked pretty bad right now, tired and old and a bit rumpled, but the way she was looking at him was like he was a prince. It made him smile, pleased. "You're just saying that because it's true," he teased, returning the hug for a moment before pulling away. She looked perfect. His Hope, just like how he had remembered her. He had missed her. "Come on," he said finally, grabbing her bag in one hand and her hand in the other. "We've only got about two hours until sunrise and it's a little over an hour drive unless I speed. Well, more than I normally do, I mean."
---
Garret was a prince and he knew it. It didn't matter if he looked tired or rumpled or anything else, the fact that he was here, that he would drive all the way to Boston this time of the morning to retrieve her was enough to warrant his princely status. She giggled and then sighed into the hug, content to stand there for as long as he wanted though she could feel the sunrise approaching and she was anxious to get home.
It was his next words more than anything that made this man amazing. They had talked on the phone about getting a hotel room and while that would have been great if there had been time for it, she was more anxious to get home than anything else and the fact that he just knew that was wonderful. "I love you, Garret Foss," Hope remarked as she gave his hand a squeeze. She fell into step beside him to go track down his car, her thoughts jumping ahead to where she would be in just over an hour. "I'm so nervous," she admitted. "What if he's... not as happy about this as I want him to be?"
---
Garret knew one thing better than anything else, and that was people. He could read them inside out like they were books. And even though he knew Hope had missed him, and as appealing as they two of them tangling themselves up in bedsheets for an entire day sounded, he knew that he wasn't the main priority in Hope's life. She cared about him, but she cared about someone else more, someone else she needed to see. And even though Godric was handsome but too cold blooded to deserve someone as warm and lovely as Hope, he was her sire so she needed him more. "I love you more," he told her simply as he lead her along to the parking garage.
Of course, what she said earned her a look from him. "Don't be silly," he scolded. "He'll be thrilled to see you. Even if he gets that teacher-y look on his face, you know he'll he so happy to see you. Of course he will. He's your maker, and besides that you're as cute as a button. How could he not be?"
---
"I dunno about that," Hope said with a bit of a smirk. She was so grateful for him right now, and for his ability to just know things without asking. She had been prepared to bat her lashes and tell him what she needed and hope that he would understand it and be okay with it and she hadn't even had to. It was wonderful. He was wonderful. And she hoped that the men in his life were aware of just how lucky they were to have him.
"Hush you," Hope said softly, almost shyly. "I just.. I feel like I should have discussed it with him first, but then I wouldn't really be me if I had done that." She exhaled a small laugh. "I just.. I hope he's happy. That's all." She shrugged her small shoulders. "It's no secret that I complicate things but... The past is the past, right?" She offered him a smile, then focused on something else instead, "It's so good to see you again."
---
Oh there would be no changing of subject. Not until Hope felt confident that she should strut through those doors at the Big Gay House and her sire would fall at her feet, overcome with joy to see her. Because if Godric couldn't do at least that then clearly he had no soul.
Pausing in their stride and ignoring the dirty looks of the people who now had to walk around them, Garret turned to face Hope and took her face in his hands, making her look up at him. "Lives are emptier without you complicating them," he told her seriously. "You brighten a room simply by being in it. Vampires have to live without sunshine forever, and you are the closest one could get without burning themselves. He will be so glad to see you, one of you will cry. Or you both will. And everything will be just how you want it. So I will hear no more of this doubt, do you understand?"
---
"Garret, we're blocking traffic." Hope laughed somewhat uncomfortably as a lady scowled at her passing by. And then he had her face in his hands and she could do nothing but meet his gaze. His words brought the promise of tears to her eyes but she didn't cry, at least not yet, though she was sure he was right and it would happen before daybreak came.
"Okay," she resigned herself. "You're right. I'm... complicated and beautiful and amazing and he's lucky as hell to have me." She quirked a brow slightly an asked, "Better?" He was right though. He had to be right. And if he wasn't, well... That would be a bridge that she would need to cross if she ever got there. She'd run away to Garret if that were the case and Mal and Rorie would just have to learn to deal with it.
---
Wagging his head a bit, Garret considered a moment, then nodded his consent. "Better," he decided. "Now c'mon, baby. Let's strut." Taking her hand again, he lead her through the crowd again, his head high and his shoulders back and his hips swinging just enough to be noticeable. Women would think he was confident, men would think he was advertising. And they'd both be right.
Finally, they reached the Mustang, and Garret opened Hope's door for her and made sure she was settled before putting her bag in the back and climbing in himself. Reaching over her into the glove box, Garret looked up and gave Hope a face. "You tell no one about these," he warned her, as he proceeded to take a small case out of the box, and from that case a pair of simple brass wire-rimmed glasses. "I'm supposed to wear them when I drive," he said, slipping them on with obvious reluctance, "but... no. But my eyes are tired and I'd like you to get there in one pieces. But don't tell anyone or else."
---
His arrogance was astounding and it made Hope laugh. But she felt more confident just being with him and that was certainly something. Being around Garret always changed her even from the very first time they had ever spent any time together whatsoever. She adored him. And, well, while that was probably going to be upsetting to Lloyd, if they ever discussed him again, it would be something he would simply have to learn to either accept or they would need to part ways as friends. She couldn't give him up, not for anyone.
A brow quirked when he leaned toward the glovebox and gave her that oh so serious warning. And then she laughed, loudly, before moving a hand up to cover her mouth. She nodded solemnly and then moved her hand, allowing a soft purring growl to part her lips. "But lover, you look so sexy in glasses. So... debonair and refined and intelligent." She was seconds away from a giggle.
---
"I look old," he told Hope flatly, though it was obvious he was mulling over what she had said. Glasses were a sign of age, especially for someone who was practically perfect in every other physical aspect. But now he had glasses and a heart condition, and Garret was too vain to just accept either of them.
---
"Garret Foss," She wore her best scolding look and carried her best scolding tone. "You are not old. You do not look old, you don't act old, there is nothing old about you and I never, EVER wanna hear you say anything like that again." She shifted in the seat to where she was facing somewhat toward him as she added, "You're like a bottle of fine single-malt whiskey. You're only going to get better the older that you get."
---
Despite how fierce Hope often was, right now was not really one of those times. It wasn't for lack of trying, but mainly because Garret was almost twice her age. He knew old when he saw it, and he saw it in the mirror every day. "You whiskey has gray chest hairs," he pointed out. "I found one right before my last waxing appointment. Still... maybe you're right. A little." He was old. But maybe she was right in that he was getting better as he got older. Some men, like George Clooney, looked delicious with streaks of gray in their hair. Perhaps Garret would be just as lucky.
"At any rate, at least I drive like I'm still young." And with a wink and a smile, and the sexy roar of the V8 engine, Garret made his way through the parking lot and then took off into the night, speeding down the highway and literally racing the sunrise.
---
"My whiskey is smooth no matter what color his chest hairs are," Hope quirked a brow in challenge at that remark. "You're perfect, Garret," she concluded. "From tip to toe, and don't you forget it."
A bit of a squeal parted her lips once they hit the main road and he hit the gas peddle. She giggled after and focused her gaze out the window, crossing one leg over the other as a hand moved to rest upon Garret's thigh comfortably. She was anxious, and therefore not feeling entirely conversational but it was good to just be here in the moment with him. There was no one else she'd want with her right now, for sure.
"You better hope you're right," Hope remarked after a moment, going back to their previous conversation. "If you aren't, I'm coming to your house and Mal and Rorie are just going to have to learn to love me."
---
Garret wouldn't go as far to say that he was perfect. But he was pretty close to it. Smiling softly, he glanced over at Hope as she squealed, a swell of pride puffing out his chest. In his Mustang, gorgeous girl beside him, her hand on his thigh and her legs perfectly shaped... even despite the glasses, he felt primo.
"I'd love to have you at the houses," he said softly, more to himself than Hope. No one else would, but he would adore it. Well, Max might also love having her about, because she would play with him. Max wasn't very discriminatory. "But it won't be an issue. He'll be glad to see you. You know he will."
---
Hope glanced over at Garret when he spoke, and smiled softly. "You know, sometimes I just feel incredibly tempted to simply steal you away from everyone and keep you all to myself." Looking back out the window she gave his thigh a squeeze as she added, "But it'd ruin everything that's so beautiful about you if me or anyone else ever successfully managed to do that." She groaned slightly as she said, "You know, I wish I could just blink my eyes and be there right now so I could just get this over with and like.. not have to be so anxious anymore." She laughed and then added, "Good thing about it being so early is that there's no traffic at least." She looked back over at him and stated, "I sold the Lotus. Well, sort of. I gave it to the people of the village where I was staying. The man that drove me into Texas to catch a flight was going to sell it and get something more practical for the village to have and use the rest of the money to improve their plumbing and irrigation systems."
---
For a while, Garret stayed quiet, not sure what (if anything) he could say to Hope. There had been a time when he had been exactly like this, and he had only been with one person. There had only been one person he'd ever really wanted to be with. But there were always others he felt for, was attracted to, and it had just become clear to him that one person was not right for him. Maybe no one was. Maybe in a year, or seven, he would find that the two he had didn't work either. Thankfully Hope was moving on, changing topics, and he didn't have to debate on it any more.
Of course, what she did tell him made him groan, his shoulders sagging. "Not the Lotus!" he protested painfully. "Oh I loved that car, it was amazing! It suited you so well." Now he was pouty, even though what Hope had done for the family who had helped her was absolutely amazing. Still... the Lotus!
---
Hope laughed at his distress. "Well so did I. Once. But.. it would have been a pain to get it back up here and really..." She gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "It's just a car. And a car with a lot of memories at that so.. Time to move on." She looked at him with a smile. "At least now I have an excuse to go car shopping, right?" Glancing forward she smirked just a bit as she said, "Maybe I'll get a mustang. I like the way this one... handles." And just to tease him as she said it, her hand slid a bit further up his thigh and she giggled. "Of course I doubt I'd be as impressed if it lacked you as the driver."
---
"A Mustang wouldn't suit you," Garret said seriously, glancing over at her. "You need something... European. Something saucy, sexy, with a little mystery. You're a smooth driver, you need a smooth car. When you want the unadulterated manliness that is a Mustang... well you've got me, haven't you?" His leg shifted, encouraing Hope's hand up his leg. "I'll let you ride anytime you like, sweet thing." The entendre was heavy, and Garret was a little disappointed that they only had another forty minutes to drive until they got to Danvers. That was barely enough time to make up for all the flirty banter they had missed out on over the weeks. But he was sure as hell gonna give it his all to make up for it.
---
"Hmm.. You know so much, I'll take you shopping with me." Hope quirked a brow slightly as his leg shifted and then giggled. "Oh yeah? I'll definitely take you up on that offer." She dug her nails slightly into his skin as she added, "Soon." Of course it wouldn't be tonight. There were very important things that must be dealt with tonight and then later... Well they would have time later on for other things.
They would spend the rest of the drive back to Danvers and, subsequently, to the big gay house alternately flirting and discussing Hope's adventures in Mexico. The trip would be both too short and not short enough simultaneously. As they pulled up in front of the house, she had never seen it look so daunting and she could feel her stomach drop like she had just experienced a rapid change in altitude.
"So uhm.. I'll call you if I need you, yeah?" She smiled over at him, strained, and then unbuckled and leaned across to hug him tightly for a good couple of minutes before she let go. "Thank you." It was more than just the ride she was thanking him for, it was also for being the one to convince her this was the right thing to do because, since she had been back to herself again, she knew that it had been though that could all change right about now.
"I'll call you later." She gave Garret a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't get out," she requested before she slipped out of the car and around to grab her bag from the trunk, closing it after and giving him a wave as she walked by the front of the car once more and then began the slight trek up the snow-covered sidewalk, the first signs of dawn beginning to streak the sky in the distance.
Hope rang the doorbell and waited.
---
Pesky, constant, irritating niggling in Godric's chest, in his brain. It had started last week, a strange feeling of dread and then uncertainty, and then it had ebbed. Perhaps it had had something to do with Hope, but there was no way of knowing. He couldn't contact her. So he had tried distracting himself, putting it out of his mind, not worrying about it. But it hadn't gone away, and since last night this odd feeling had only gotten worse. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Almost like when he could feel his mother coming, but... backward. But it couldn't be what he had hoped it might be, so he left it alone until is started driving him mad, like a drumming noise that grew louder with each passing hour. The night crawled by as the rest of the house slept, and Godric occupied himself however he could. He even tried to sleep, though that did not happen. Something wasn't right. The last time something hadn't been right this way, his life had changed drastically. But it couldn't be the same, it couldn't be. Even if he wanted it to be.
In the very early morning, as Godric was finally getting ready to drive into work before the sun came up, he heard a car outside the house. Pausing at a window, he looked out, curious. A red mustang, one he recognized and did not care for. And a small shape in the dimness, a woman, a silhouette that made him freeze in his spot, made his chest tighten. He knew what it was now, the drumming, the niggling, the feeling that wouldn't fade. He could hardly believe it, but now he knew.
The notebooks in his hand fell to the carpet and he started running, down the stairs, over the carpet and across the living room, stopping just in front of the door and pulling it open mere seconds after the sound of the doorbell faded. For a moment he stood, just staring, taking her in. She was here, at his house, and she was herself once more. Older, more filled out, slightly taller, her eyes deeper and richer in color. Her skin pale and cool. She was... she just was.
After a moment Godric broke from his own spell, stepping onto the porch and wrapping both arms tightly around her, holding her dearly. He couldn't even pretend to contain how glad he was to see her, though he didn't say anything in his best attempt tp maintain emotional control.
---
The few seconds that passed between the time she rang the bell and the time that the door opened were the longest few seconds she could remember in recent history. It felt like an eternity passed before her tall, dark and handsome sire was staring at her with those stark blue eyes of his. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She had no idea what to say. So she closed her mouth and didn't try again only to be rewarded shortly after.
A small sound parted her lips as he stepped out and wrapped both arms around her. She felt a weight depart from her that couldn't quite be put into words. Her thin arms wrapped around him almost instantly in return and she held onto him equally as tight, burying her face against his shoulder as tears stung her eyes. Garret had been right.
"I missed you," Hope finally managed to get out, words barely audible though with his enhanced hearing he was certainly to hear them. And she struggled out of his grasp though only slightly, just enough to pull back and push up onto her tiptoes to kiss his jaw, his cheek and then his lips.
---
He couldn't speak, because if he spoke then he knew he would lose himself and just fall apart and he wasn't going to do that. Hope would already know how he felt, because she would feel it too. He didn't need to speak. Though as soon as he felt her lips on his, it felt like a part of him broke, simply snapped in half. Giving out a soft, strained whimper, Godric returned the kiss in full, lifting Hope off her feet to bring her inside. If she was outside the door she could still vanish, it could be a dream and he would wake up and discover that she wasn't here at all. He couldn't handle that. If she was in his house then he could control that, he knew for certain she was real, that she was back in Danvers with him.
Two tears slid down his face as he kissed her, setting her down again only when he could convince himself that she was there, she was real. "I've-" was all he managed to say before he stopped himself, emotion choking in his throat. He had expected that, if he ver saw her again, it would be an emotional moment, but he had not anticipated this.
---
She did feel it. She felt all of it. And now, in retrospect, she felt ridiculous for even doubting that he would be happy that she was here. Hope echoed the whimper as he returned the kiss and lifted her up off of the ground and carried her indoors. It felt nice to be home again, to feel those familiar walls around her once more, to feel warm and safe.
She clung to him for what felt like forever before he sat her down. A smile graced her lips as she reached a hand up to brush those tears from his cheeks. Hope exhaled a breath as he spoke and shook her head softly. "I thought you would be... I was so scared that you..." She closed her eyes and just hugged him again. "Are you happy?"
---
Was he happy? How could she even ask him that? "Mmm," he mumbled, nuzzling against her cheek, breathing in her scent. She was perfect in his arms. This was where she belonged.
It felt like forever before he could speak again without breaking down and sobbing. But finally, he swallowed, pulling back from Hope to look at her. "What made you change your mind?" he whispered.
---
That was definitely answer enough. She couldn't have possibly been happier than she was right now in this precise moment of time. This was exactly where she belonged and why it had taken a spell going awry and a trip to Mexico for her to figure that out, she would never know. But at least she knew it now.
That wasn't an easy question to answer. "Uhm... a few things, actually." She pursed her lips slightly in thought. "I.. started remembering things and.. there was this feeling of... like something was missing." She smiled and slid her hands down to take his as she added, "Someone." The next part he might not like but, he'd asked, and she was going to give him an honest and complete answer regardless. "So I talked to Garret about it and... He told me that he missed me and asked me to come back." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "It was what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it."
---
Of all the people that Godric would be happy to hear Hope had made a connection with, the one she named was at the very end of the list. He frowned, softly, clearly not pleased but remaining quiet. He was glad she was home, and it wasn't his place to tell her who she should befriend, or be... whatever it was she was with Garret, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "I see," he said quietly.
---
It would be difficult to miss the slight iciness that seemed to form the moment that Garret was mentioned. Hope frowned, quiet for a moment, and then she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Can't you just be happy? And grateful? I mean can't you just appreciate that he was there for me instead of being so..." She couldn't think of a word for it.
"I mean I'm here, aren't I? And he knew that this was where I wanted to be, where I should be, and stayed up all night so that he could come and get me and bring me back home." And with no ulterior motives, she might add. "So just be happy, please? Because he's not the horrible person that you seem convinced he is and, right now, we're both fortunate to know him."
---
Yes, he should have been happy. And he was happy, to an extent. It was just entirely frustrating that Garret Foss was groping every person in Godric's life.
"Why didn't you ask me?" he said, drawing away slightly. "I've been up all night thinking about you, and worrying about... about I don't even know what it was. I just had this feeling I couldn't explain. I would've come to get you... I would have wanted to." He sighed a little. "Why don't you ever ask me? It seems like I'm the last one to know anything you do."
---
And now they were getting to the root of the problem which was less Garret and more Godric feeling as though he didn't matter as much, perhaps. "You want an honest answer?" Hope asked, though she knew that was a stupid question. Of course he did. She was simply delaying the inevitable.
"I know how much I complicate your life, Godric. And I thought..." She paused, collecting her thoughts to put into words in the most delicate way she could. "After the way that I left things and the way that I behaved before all of this happened, I wasn't entirely sure that you'd be happy about this." She gave a slight shrug of her narrow shoulders. "So I asked Garret because I already knew that he would be."
---
Godric's expression softened, though he looked more puzzled than anything. He didn't really understand. "How could you think that?" he asked her after a moment, taking one of her hands in both of his. "Hope you... you have no idea how much you've... what I've..." After everything they had gone through, the complications she had mentioned before... "How could you think for even a second that I wouldn't be happy about this? About you coming back?" She had been tied to him through blood, a piece of his very essence. "I didn't want to stop you because, if you thought you could be happy I wanted you to try. But I didn't want you to leave."
---
"Because I was a complete and total brat?" Hope suggested. "I was petty and spiteful and..." Clearly she had underestimated him but... "I thought maybe you just let me go because you knew that you would be happier without me around, because things would be less complicated and you wouldn't have to... be tied to someone anymore." She glanced down at her hand in his and added, "I thought maybe that was the reason why you never said that you wanted me to stay."
---
Things had been a little less complicated without Hope, but only a little. It wasn't worth the emptiness and worry that Godric had felt. "I couldn't ask you to stay," he told her gently, tugging her closer a step. "You were so... unhappy. And you wanted to go, to forget your old life, and I thought... maybe if you could, you could move on. Be happier. I just wanted you to be happy."
---
"I know, I was and.. I did want to but..." How did she explain something that she didn't fully understand? "There just.. there came a point where... even though I didn't remember everything, I remembered enough that it made everything just feel... wrong." She pursed her lips slightly in thought. "And if I really think about it, then I can see that... I dunno, it felt wrong from the beginning but... I was scared. I've been scared for a long time and... Well now I'm just not anymore." She caught her lower lip between sharp teeth and then added, "I don't really know how to explain everything that I'm trying to.. to say."
---
Lifting a hand, Godric put to fingers to Hope's lips, quieting her. In a way, he understood. Everything should have been so much easier without her, without a childe to worry about, without one more person to make him feel put upon. He should have let himself move on and try living his own life, but... there would always be that emptiness. They had been tied together, and it couldn't just be undone.
"Then don't," he said softly. "You were right. It doesn't matter what was, what's passed. What matters is you're here, and you're safe. The rest doesn't really matter."
---
"Here and safe and exhausted," Hope said with a soft laugh, but she wasn't ready to be apart from him again so soon. Not yet. Not for a while. And she let this be known by closing the space between them again and wrapping arms around him once more, her head resting against his chest.
"I need two favors," she said after a moment, tilting her chin up to look at him. "One, stay home with me today? I don't wanna be away from you again right now. I have so much that I wanna tell you and... I want you close so..." That was the simple request.
As for the second one, "And number two is... I want you to be honest with me from now on. Tell me what you feel instead of just... going with what you think is best for me. I have a right to make my own decisions, you know, but.. I don't want to be left having to wonder where it is that you stand." Under normal circumstances, she could feel it, but that hadn't been the case when she'd left. And while that probably wouldn't happen again any time soon, there really was no telling how or when things could change.
---
He could stay with her today. It wasn't very responsible of him to call in on such a late notice, but they would understand. Hell, the students would be thrilled. But her second request gave him more pause. "You have the right to your own decisions," he said slowly, "but I do as well. You are asking me to always give you my honest feelings, but sometimes they don't matter. You're asking me to put myself out of my element to very possibly have it all be for nothing. When you left here, I was a stranger to you. One that you felt a connection toward, perhaps, but a stranger. If... if I had told you what I really thought, how I really felt, it wouldn't have mattered so much to you. You wouldn't have truly understood what they meant, and you might have decided to go regardless. I can't..." Swallowing, he kept her close, because he didn't want to meet her eyes, to have her be able to see his face. "I can't put myself out there unless I am sure of the outcome. And you move through your life so fast, I'm never really sure."
---
Hope knew what he meant and how he meant it but that didn't mean that she liked it. Still, there was something she needed to say, to make clear as it hadn't been clear before now. "There's one thing that you can always know for sure, though, Godric." Hope pulled away from him just a bit, turning her face up to look at his own in spite of how reluctant he was to meet her gaze. "No matter what, I will always come back to you." She knew this if for no other reason than the knowledge that she would never want to feel that type of emptiness again.
---
For Hope's sake, and only her sake, Godric met her gaze. He didn't want to, because he didn't want her to see how much she affected him. She knew, she had always known, but he still did all he could to keep himself contained around her. He didn't like how well she knew him, how exposed she forced him to be.
"Okay," he said quietly, nodding. There wasn't anything else he could manage to get out without breaking his control, so instead he pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped away, grabbing Hope's bag and shutting the front door.
---
Hope accepted that answer and the kiss and allowed him to step away, although somewhat reluctantly. "I brought you something, but it's not exactly here yet. I couldn't fit it into my carry on so it's being shipped." She could have not told him, let him be surprised, but perhaps she had given him enough surprises for a while. Speaking of which...
"I'm sorry I worried you." She smiled a bit mischievously as she added, "At least things are never dull with me around." She seized his free hand with her own, her pinky linking itself with his, and then asked in a soft and coy voice that sounded far from innocuous, "Can we go to bed now?"
---
Taking just a moment to himself, because that's all he could afford, Godric swallowed down the lump in his throat and turned to Hope, giving her a small smile and taking her hand in his. "Yes," he told her, "I will put you to bed." He knew what she was playing at, but he wanted to make things difficult for her like she did for him.
Letting her bag stay where it was, he led her upstairs, up to the third floor to his study. He didn't usually like people in his personal space, but he needed her there. He wanted her in his personal space, the two of them on the futon couch just laying together. Just being together. His girl was home again.
---
Hope gave him a playful scowl before she replied with a smile curling the edges of her lips, "Tease." Of course she was too tired to be anything other than moderately playful, especially now. The trip had been exhausting, yes, but the emotional roller coaster she had been riding since she had stepped foot in the airport had been even more tiring than that.
Trailing him up the stairs, she had to comment on his chosen destination. "Oooohhh. I get to spend the day with you in your study? Maybe I should run off more often." She giggled, giving his hand a soft squeeze to show that she was joking.
Hope was yawning by the time they made it all the way up to the third floor, noticing how quiet it was in the house. "Wesley must still be sleeping." Thank God. She didn't know if she could handle his exhuberence right about now. But it did make her wonder about everyone else. It seemed quieter here than when she'd left which made her wonder what the house makeup consisted of right now.
---
By the time they made it upstairs, Godric was tempted to just lift Hope up and carry her to bed. She looked exhausted, both physically and mentally. It must have been very hard on her, having to go through everything she had gone through, having to discover herself in her younger form, reversing the spell, the worry she must have felt on her long journey home. But she was here, now. Home.
"I should think so," he said, unlocking the study door and switching on the light. "He won't stumble out of bed for anotherfew hours, probably fifteen minutes before he needs to leave for work." Truth be told, he was a little reluctant for Hope to know who was living in the house right now. He was reluctant for her to learn about a few things actually. But that could wait. For now, he just led her inside, shutting the door and then working to pull out the futon couch into a bed, then getting a blanket from the bathroom.
---
"Sounds about right," Hope exhaled a laugh. "He's going to squeeze me until my head pops off. I just know it." Of course she didn't mind being missed. It was great, actually, coming back home to warm reception. All of her life she had felt like an outsider, probably because she was adopted and she'd had so many medical problems and then the whole empath thing kicked in and it had been one trial after another and she had never really felt at home anywhere but... That didn't have to be the case anymore. This wasn't any place she wasn't wanted, no matter how complicated she made things or how stubborn and impossible she could be. It was good to know that finally.
Hope made a quick visit to the restroom after he'd retrieved the blanket to make up the futon so that she could first and foremost wash her face and then strip down to her t-shirt and underwear to sleep in. She didn't think he'd find that too terribly offensive. She emerged looking sleepy but happy and perhaps even a bit self-conscious simply because this was the least clothed she'd ever been around Godric before but it was a long way back down the stairs to her bag to grab a pair of pajamas.
---
Waiting for Hope to emerge from the bathroom, Godric tidied things up even though they didn't need it. He felt nervous now, as though now that they had talked and she was back, there was something... else. It didn't help that when Hope came out she looked innocent and adorable and, well... sexy. He cleared his throat slightly, shrugging out of his jacket and laying it on the back of his desk chair. "There are pajama bottoms in the middle drawer, if you'd like them," he said, not an indication that she should, but if she wanted.
---
"Uhm.. That's okay," Hope gave a dismissive shrug. "They'd probably be way too big so... They'd get all tangled and that would be annoying and... So yeah." She crossed over to the futon to climb on the mattress, sliding back so there would be room for him to join her and climbing under the blanket, adjusting the pillow before laying down and falling quiet. She felt nervous too, or anxious perhaps, like... Well it was hard to really describe it. It was like there was something hanging in the air that wasn't yet acknowledged and it had her stomach tied in knots, similar to the ones she had felt on the way here but not the same in the least.
---
"Very well." Unbuttoning his shirt, that too was draped over the desk chair. Then the contents of his pockets were emptied, set in a tidy pile on the desktop. He considered removing his jeans, cimbing into that bed beside Hope in his underwear and white tee shirt, but just the thought of it made his heart practically jump. So his jeans stayed on. Grabbing his phone, he sent posted a message to the students (mostly to stall for time), then turned off the light and walked over to the bed, looking down at Hope in the dim light of the slowly rising sun. She looked perfect with her hair on his pillows, her small form beneath the sheets, her skin pale and almost glowing in the dim. "How did you like Mexico?" he asked, just to say something as he climbed in beside her, his arms open to hold her close because he knew as soon as he was settled, she would be beside him. At least, he really hoped so.
---
Hope tried not to think too much about the fact that he would soon be climbing into the bed beside her. It wasn't as if she had never slept in a bed with him in it before. There had been a few times before she'd left, before all of this had happened, but things were different then. Mexico, this experience, it had changed her, and maybe that was what they both felt right now.
"It was beautiful," she replied simply, though there could have been much more to say about it, but she couldn't seem to branch out into that conversation just yet, too distracted by that tense feeling that didn't really ebb once he was beside her, his arms an open invitation for her to move in close to him which she did. Hesitating for a moment, her hand finally moved up to rest upon his chest as her face was tucked in just above his shoulder at the crook of his neck, hair pushed back so it wouldn't get in his face.
"It changed me," she said after a moment. "I feel.. a lot different than I did before I left. Well, before the spell anyway." She paused and then added, "Everything feels different now." There was a moment's hesitation before she continued, "Even laying here with you like this."
---
Laying there with her, his hand stroking through her hair, Godric closed his eyes and let himself just feel her body against his. It was like she belonged here, in his arms, in his bed. In his life. "Perhaps it is because you are not wearing pants," he suggested, trying to play it off as a joke, though he blushed slightly regardless. "You have changed, I can feel it. You've grown, and matured. You're a different woman now. You have been through more in your short life than most people will ever experience, and it has altered you." Hugging her closer, he kissed the top of her head. "It is not a bad change, mind you."
---
Hope laughed softly and then nudged him a bit. "I'm being serious, Godric." There was a slight pout in her voice, though she didn't exactly seek to further the conversation. "I know it's not a bad change, it's just..." God, how did she word this? It was difficult which was saying something since she was normally so good with words. "I feel... more yours than I did before. And maybe that's just because I feel more centered in general and less... emotionally and mentally all over the place. I just feel... I mean THIS feels.... Like I belong here." She paused and then elaborated so there'd be no question how she meant it. "Precisely here."
---
Godric knew that he had to be careful in the way he answered Hope. Saying the wrong thing, even thinking the wrong thing, could give the wrong impression, could color his words in a way he did not mean. He also had to debate if he was fully understanding her meaning, though he had a feeling that he did. "You are mine," he said finally, shifting himself slightly beneath her. "You've been through a very trying ordeal, and you need... as you said, you need to feel centered. Reset yourself, in a manner of speaking. The simplest way to feel stabilized is to surround yourself with items and people that make you feel at ease. You came home, and you have sought out the one person you know will accept you and wish for your presence regardless of what you do. That's all it is."
---
Hope listened to what he had to say, and her momentary silence probably led him to believe that his logic had won but far from it. She was thinking it over, sure, but... "No," she said simply. Hope pulled back from him just enough so that she could tilt her head up to look at him. "That isn't all it is, Ric, and we both know it." She let those words hang there for a moment before she resigned herself to the situation at hand and curled back into him once more. "Let me know when you're ready to really talk about this."
---
This was one of those circumstances in which Godric could either keep his mouth shut, let Hope be annoyed with him but maintain peace, or he could tell her what he actually thought and possibly ruin things. It seemed to him that when he spoke what he actually felt, or thought, or wanted, it somehow came back at him in a very negative way. Hope had asked him to be honest with her. "Then what is it?" he finally said, cutting theough the silence. "I'll admit, I have missed you. I've thought about you. It's strange and a bit overwhelming to have you back again. I think my emotions are not very stable, partly because of our connection to one another, partly because of your empathic abilities, and partly because... I'm not entirely sure how I should feel about you. I haven't yet figured out the proper classification. But if you think you can explain this... sort of... tension, then please, by all means, tell me."
---
"I didn't say that I had the answers, Godric, only that I know that what you said isn't it." Hope was trying not to get frustrated, and she was doing a fairly good job at it. For once it seemed like he was the one who was having more of an issue with that. "It has nothing to do with my needing to be centered or needing to reset because I've already done that. And as I told you downstairs, I honestly didn't know if you would want me here or not before I came here so I didn't come here for that either." Shifting so she could see him again because it was difficult to carry on this conversation without seeing his face, she had a slight frown upon her lips. "I picked this. And I didn't have to. And maybe that's a big part of why things feel different now but beyond that, more importantly, I think the best thing for both of us to do right now would be to stop worrying about how we should feel and just... feel." She paused for a moment before she added, "But I don't know that that's something you're capable of doing yet."
---
Hope was probably right. Of all the things that Godric could do, indulging in his emotions wasn't one of them. He didn't trust them. Emotions made people act carelessly, it made them blind. It hurt people. "Maybe," he agreed, his voice quiet, barely above a whisper. Maybe he couldn't do it now. Maybe he never could. He didn't know what it was he wanted from Hope, what he needed right now. There was a slew of thoughts in his head telling him what he should do, what he couldn't do, what he thought he wanted, what his body wanted. None of it matched with what anything else wanted.
Drawing himself up on one elbow, Godric leaned over Hope's face, looking down at her, at her soft features. "Thank you," he said softly, looking her over. "For coming back to me. I felt like I was dying without you."
---
When Godric moved up to lean over her, Hope shifted a bit so that she was laying more flat, able to peer up at him. He was handsome. She couldn't help but smile looking up at him. It struck her just then how incredibly happy she was that she would get to spend eternity with this man in her life. The way in which he would be in it, the way in which they would be together, didn't matter all that much.
"I'm sorry I hurt you," Hope whispered in response to what he said, his words breaking her heart just a little. "I'm not sorry that I'm stronger because of it, that we're stronger." She could feel it. Choice was a powerful thing, after all. And a choice made from free will rather than desperation was much more powerful. She moved a hand up to cup Godric's cheek, fingers lightly stroking the stubble down along the line of his jaw. "So thank you for letting me go." Fingers ghosted across his full lips as she added, "And for wanting me back."
---
The way that she touched him, so sensual yet innocent, suggestive and tender, sent a small shiver throughout him. "You complicated, beautiful creature," he murmured against her fingertips. "You always ruin everything, don't you?" He said it with fondness, a kiss pressed to the pads of her fingers. He hoped that she would stick around to ruin things for him for the rest of his life. But there were things that needed to be said, things they had to talk about that Hope probably wouldn't like. And maybe this wasn't the right moment to talk about them, but they needed saying, and it would be better to get it out sooner rather than later. Hope had asked him to be honest with her.
"I've been seeing someone," he told her. "Very casually. I don't even know if you might qualify it as "seeing" someone, but... things have happened. And I wanted to tell you now, before... I just wanted to tell you that."
---
Hope exhaled a soft laugh and smiled, nodding her head simply. "Always." It seemed like she had been ruining everything for him ever since, well, since Blake. But you know what, Garret was right. She was complicated and amazing and Godric was lucky to have her. She would do her best to always remember that.
A brow quirked slightly at his news and then she nodded her head. "Okay." Hope wasn't sure what else she should say about that, what he expected her to say about it. Historically, she had been jealous and that wasn't to say that she wasn't jealous now too but... Well, he was a grown man with the same needs as any other grown man. She couldn't expect him not to act on those from time to time. It wasn't like she didn't. Of course it seemed to be there she should say something else so she opted for this; "So does that mean that I should behave myself?"
---
Obviously, this wasn't what Godric had expected to happen. The women in his life were like feral cats, and when a new female was introduced the others hissed and spat and cut her to pieces just for the principle of it. To have someone just to so accepting right off was... strange. He wasn't sure how to talk about it without needing to go on the defensive. "I would prefer it," he said after a moment, laying himself on his side so he could face her head on. "Especially since she is staying here for awhile. And no, my seeing her has nothing to do with her residence here, just to keep the record straight. She needs somewhere to recover from her recent separation."
---
Hope gave a small pout. "Damn. And here I was hoping to start some trouble." She exhaled a small laugh and then shifted onto her side when he lay beside her, folding her hands up beneath her cheek. "Separation?" She questioned. "You know that's... not really a good-" She stopped in her tracks, her mind having been running over the possibilities simultaneously while speaking until she'd landed on a possibility. "It isn't Ava, is it?"
---
He hadn't expected her to jump right on the correct answer, but then again he shouldn't have been surprised. Though he had thought she had enough of her own problems to even think about Ava's. "Yes," he said, though quickly added "It isn't anything serious. We're simply... occupying ourselves. She needs someone to confide in and seek comfort, and I won't expect anything of her. I know that normally, getting involved with someone who has just had their heart broken is inadviseable, but... this is different."
---
Hope had expected a yes but had hoped for a no just because, well, from all she knew about Ava, and with the thorn that she had been in her side from pretty much day one, she felt that he could do better. "You seem to be very insistent upon that which worries me a little." She frowned and then gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I guess I don't have much room to talk." Garret was engaged to be married to two men. Of course she wasn't actually doing anything with him at present but that didn't mean that the possibility didn't exist. "I don't like her," she added after a moment. "It has nothing to do with you though."
---
At the very least, Hope was being rational and mature about this, and Godric very much appreciated it. "Most people do not," he admitted with a slight sadness in his voice. "I understand it." It was a persona Ava presented for herself, and choices she made that many disagreed with. But Godric knew there was depth to her, and a striking similarity to himself. Which, much to his dismay, meant that surely there was some kind of depth to Garret as well that he just wasn't seeing. Which meant he had to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Damn.
---
"You care about her," Hope observed. And then she was quiet for a moment before she simply said, "I guess I can just understand that without understanding why." Everyone made bad decisions. She was no saint, after all. Still, understanding that didn't mean that she had to like her. She could still dislike her. It wouldn't be the end of the world. But she did have one word of warning, "Don't make a mess in my school." The fact that he and Ava taught together and she had been married to a former employee had the possibility of complicating things but so did half the choices that she made for herself. Of course she was going to attempt to make better ones from now on.
---
Frowning, Godric gave Hope a look. "Nothing will transpire between us at the school," he said flatly. "You should know me better than that." It was true, he did care for Ava. Perhaps not in the way that was necessary for a relationship to blossom, but she was a good friend to him.
"Let's not talk about this anymore," he said, dismissing the subject for the moment. "Tell me more about your trip. I want to know."
---
"That's not how I meant it, Godric," Hope said just as flatly. Ava had already caused issues at the school once, with Charlie's help of course, and she didn't care for a repeat. Of course it wouldn't be her mess to clean up this time really but that didn't matter exactly. She was all for dropping the conversation, however. She was mildly disappointed at the situation anyway so she'd rather just not think about it right now anyway.
"What do you wanna know?" Hope asked, settling moreso beneath the covers.
---
Messes were Godric's specialty, though he was determined to avoid them this year. He didn't need to be subject of more gossip, to have his personal life on display for others to discuss. He had no intention of getting seriously involved with anyone anymore.
"Anything. Everything. What did you like best? Will you miss it? I want you to talk until your tongue falls out."
---
Hope laughed and then asked, "Or until I fall asleep? Because that's probably a more likely possibility." She smiled. "Uhm... What I liked best was... the food and the sunshine," both things she was going to miss. "And yeah, of course I'll miss it. The culture was just.. so different. Like family there is way more meaningful that what I've ever seen and... I spent a lot of time with the children in the village, teaching them things. It was really sweet." She paused for a moment before she added, "I gave them the Lotus. Well, to sell. So now I have to go car shopping."
---
With any luck, Hope would fall asleep soon. She looked exhausted, her eyes soft and hazy, but content. She looked so beautiful right now. And hearing her speak, talking about the things she had done, the way she spoke as she remembered her days there, Godric could almost feel as though he were there as well.
"That was very sweet of you," he said, scooting closer to kiss her on the forehead. He didn't care much about cars, so her having given up one that was so spectacular didn't mean much to him. "I'm sure they are very grateful. You've probably fed them for years."
---
"Mmm," Hope shook her head softly, then she thought about it for a moment and decided, "Well, actually, sort of. They were going to get a vehicle that would be more practical for the community and then spend the rest working on their plumbing and irrigation systems there. It's pretty ridiculous the shape they were in." She paused for a moment and then asked, "How's your car coming along?" Meanwhile, as he answered, she was busying herself with tangling up in him once more, arms and legs finding a place in his space to keep her close and safe.
---
Accomodating for Hope invading his personal space, Godric wrapped himself around her tightly, breathing her in deeply. "She's got an engine," he told her, regarding the car. "No name yet, I think I will wait until she is finished. I installed the brake line last week, but I am not completely certain I did it correctly, so I'm going to check it again before I move on. But I think it is going well, since this is my first car." He could talk about the car all day. Hell, he could talk about anything all day, and listen to whatever she said, just so long as she could stay close, as long as he could hear her voice. Just so long as she was here.
---
"Hmmm," Hope replied, though it was more a sound than an actual response. She was so sleepy and laying here like this was so comfortable, relaxing even now that the initial tension she'd felt was gone, as was his apparently. Maybe this whole being honest thing would actually work for them. "I'm just glad she's not pink." A giggle parted her lips and faded into a smile. She then leaned in to press a kiss against his skin before muttering, "Love you." She thought she told him that she was going to sleep now, but she only thought about telling him just before she dozed off.