Beyond Time (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Again, the electric tingle that made its way across her skin was amazing. She let out a sigh as Ashien pressed his lips to her cheek, telling her that he cared about what happened to her in her life. She didn't know how he could have possibly cared so much, but it was nice to hear from a man that she found herself caring so much about.

"I suppose I will have a talk with him. Although, I don't want to break his heart." Dylan admitted as she looked up at Ashien.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Perhaps a broken heart now will be better than an unhappy one in the future, and he will know, perhaps not immediately, that you have the best intentions, just as I suggest all of this to you with my own."

It was nearly midnight when Ashien escorted her to the piano, intending to play a song for her before she went. He brought her to sit down in a comfortable chair next to the piano, and he sat down at the bench. His fingers moved smoothly over the keys as he began playing a song that Dylan knew, but couldn't name.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan leaned against the polished surface of the piano, her hand propping up her chin as she listened to Ashien play. He was beautiful with his music. He was beautiful in person. She couldn't help the strange pull that was in her belly when she thought about him.

"Your music is lovely, Ashien." She said softly, not wanting to disturb him as he played.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Thank you, dear Dylandra," he answered softly. "You know... your grandfather brought me many songbooks, and I gave him several of my own. This is one he taught me himself." Just as he said this, it became clear where Dylandra had heard it before: she knew it from her childhood, when her grandfather would play for her to get her to sleep. He'd composed this song just for her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan felt tears coming to her eyes as she heard the song that her grandfather had made for her so long ago. Carefully she pulled herself back upright and stared at Ashien as he played, stunned that he could know that very special song.

"That's my lullaby." She said softly, her voice nearly a whisper as she listened to Ashien play the song so beautifully.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ashien looked up to see the tears in her eyes, but he finished the lullaby and let the last note sustain before he rose to bring her into the adoring circle of his arms to offer her comfort. "It's time for you to go back, Miss Dylandra..." he whispered softly before he met her eyes again and gave in to the need to kiss her once more. The contact of their lips was just so comforting... but the feeling faded until she found herself in the little library in her own time, alone beside the piano as it still sustained the last note of her lullaby.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan didn't want to go back home. She was sure that the needy emotion showed in her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her one more time. She sighed, her eyes closing as he gave her what she wanted most in the world. She wanted to stay with him, to be with him, to never let him go. That much she knew was certain.

Soon enough though, she was left alone in the cold darkness of the small library, the piano echoing a last note. She let out a long sigh, her eyes slowly opening to look around the room that didn't hold any of the homeyness that she'd seen in Ashien's Darkwood Manor. This place just felt...empty without him.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Welcome home, Miss," came the voice of Van, who was sitting in a chair behind her next to the open window, smoking a pipe as he and Lord Jennings did whenever they were simply relaxing. He had been there for some time, it seemed. He was halfway through a Lovecraft book and he seemed quite comfortable.

"You know... Lord Ashien plays his piano almost every evening around six o'clock... and it rings through time. The piano here will play as well...." he rose and shrugged. "Just thought you might like to know that."

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan didn't say anything to Van as she continued to stare at the piano. It made her feel strange to hear him say that she could still hear Ashien through the piano. She didn't just want to feel him. She wanted to BE with him. It made her heart ache terribly to know that it would be a month before she was with the handsome man yet again. It made her belly ache to know that she had to have a difficult discussion with the love of her life as well.

 

[KieranSoares]

Van rose after putting out the pipe, and he came to lay a hand upon her shoulder, "Goodnight, Miss Dylan." And he left her side to go to his own small home and retire to bed. But before long, a final song began to play, a beautiful little sonata that was slow and very lulling. It was as if Ashien was encouraging her to go to bed and rest.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan let out a long sigh as the song began and she knew that she couldn't stay there for an entire month sulking. She had a life that she had to get back to. Gently, she pressed her hand against the piano before she turned and made her way to bed, curling up in the giant, empty bed as her mind continued to race. It was a few hours later when she let sleep take her finally, lulling her with the soft strains of the piano in the small library.

 

[KieranSoares]

As Van had said, the piano played every night at the same time. Luckily John never noticed when he came home. It was a week later that John came home from another day of backbreaking work at the job he hated when Dylan found herself sitting in silence at dinner with him. He was so stressed and had hardly spent any time with her lately. They hadn't spoken more than three words to each other that day.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan had never seen John so stressed, tired and sullen. She knew that he hated his job, but he had always strove to look on the bright side even with the worst of his jobs. As they ate that evening, she kept glancing at him, finally sighing and reaching out to take his hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

"Tell me what's wrong, John." She said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

He sighed and paused, unwilling to look up at her. "What isn't wrong...? I'm in an awful job that's gonna destroy my body, I have no energy to do anything outside of work, I have no time or money to have any fun, and to top it all off, I've got no time or energy for my fiancée..." he finally looked up. "I feel like I hit rock-bottom, babe... but I'm not getting away from it. I'm flat lining..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then quit." It was her simple solution that wasn't really a solution to anything. He needed a job to support them both. "If you're unhappy then do what you need to do to be happy again."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can't, love..." he sighed and shook his head. "Honestly... if it wasn't for the house, I'd pack us up and move us away to a better place for a good job..." his thumb stroked over her knuckles, but she didn't find the same warmth in his touch any more.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan sucked in a deep breath as he held her hand, stroking it as he spoke about moving away for a better job. She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly before she looked him in the eye.

"John, I love you. You are the best friend that I have ever had and I really hate to see you like this." She said softly. "Maybe you should move. I want you happy and with a new job, you would be."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Wait..." he looked up. "You talk like... you're not coming." John's brows furrowed in concern and a bit of hurt. "What're you saying, Dyl...?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"John..." Dylan said as she saw the hurt in his eyes. "Babe, this is my home. It's always been my home. I love Darkwood...and I love you too much to watch you kill yourself when you have so much more out there for you."

"I just..." She had tears in her eyes then, true sadness showing through. "I've been thinking about us a lot and...I don't know if we're right for each other. I mean, we're so different but we love each other so much. You're my best friend and you make me smile all the time but don't you ever think that there might be something more out there?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"... You have no idea how much I've been thinking about that lately..." John admitted quietly. "I started thinking about it a week ago... You're probably right, but... I just feel so out of place, y'know...? Like I don't belong anywhere... so I don't know where I'd go. And without someone to come home to, I just... I don't know how I'm gonna make it."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You always have a place here, John." She said softly, gripping his hand a little tighter as she heard the worry in his voice. "No matter what happens with us, you're still my best friend and I want to be there to take care of you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"So... I guess the wedding's pretty up in the air, huh...?" John asked with a bitter smile. But it would also be a relief on the heavy strain of having to scrape together the money for the wedding. Running his free hand back through his hair, he shook his head. "I hate to say it... but I'm feeling better..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I guess so." Dylan said softly, an ache growing in her belly as he said that he was feeling better after their decision. "I'm so sorry, John. Please forgive me."

She could help the tears that grew in her eyes, clinging to her lashes before they fell down her cheeks. She didn't want to hurt him. She'd never wanted to hurt him and thinking of a life without him there was nearly too much to bear.

 

[KieranSoares]

"C'mere, baby," he whispered as he rose to come around the table and kneel at her side. He hugged her in tight and kissed her cheek. "Don't be sorry, sweetheart... I want you to be happy way more than I want you stuck with me in a relationship that might not end up how we want... You do what you need to be happy, okay? That's all I want."

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan hugged John tightly, pressing her cheek against his as she struggled to contain her tears. She knew that he was right. She wanted him happy no matter what and this was what was best for both of them.

"I''m serious, John. Quit your job. Stay here in Darkwood with me until something better comes along." She murmured, needing him there more than she cared to admit.