A Moment of Respite (Brennan)

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan laughed at the hunter and gave her an affectionate squeeze.

“You can do all kinds of things with it,” the witch admitted, raising an eyebrow suggestively. She shook her head and grinned. “And how did I know your mind would go straight to that?”

“You better be careful, though,” she warned, a sly smile dawning slowly across her face. “Once you get a taste of that, you’ll never wanna get rid of me.

Grinning impishly, the witch returned Lily’s lingering kiss, letting her forehead rest against the hunter’s.

Brennan was relieved beyond words that Lily had accepted her magic so well. She hadn’t really expected a problem, but you never knew how someone would react until it happened. People could get funny when they realized that a witch could do pretty much whatever they wanted without a person’s knowledge or consent. Of course, enemies aside, a white witch never forced their magic on someone without good reason, and they always accepted responsibility for their actions afterward. But that didn’t always matter. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had freaked out after experiencing it; or the first time she’d lost someone over it, either.

But that didn’t matter now.

Brennan relaxed into Lily’s embrace for a moment longer, never tiring of how right it felt to be in her arms, before reluctantly drawing away. Smiling warmly, she gave the hunter a quick kiss and gently took her by the hand, leading her back toward the door.

“Alright, on to the Grand Tour, then,” she said, emerging into the hallway.

Brennan gradually took Lily through all the major rooms of the spacious apartment, pausing briefly in each. They made the circuit of the living room, the kitchen, and the guest bedroom, and Brennan pointed out the bathrooms and the master suite as they passed. Their course eventually ended before a pair of elegant wooden doors, and Brennan turned to Lily, her smile bright.

“And this is my favorite,” she said, reaching behind her to lay a hand on the doorknob. “I saved the best for last.”

Turning, Brennan pushed open the doors and walked into the airy room that served as both library and music room. Bookshelves stretched away on either side of the door, wrapping around three of the four walls. Tall bay windows dominated the fourth wall, framing a magnificent view of the park, which gradually gave way to stately Lake Michigan. A fireplace crackled cheerily off to the right, bordered by a trio of overstuffed easy chairs, and an aged but well-cared-for baby grand piano held the place of honor before the great windows.

Brennan couldn’t hide her giddy smile as she walked in and ran her hand lovingly over a violin case on a stand in the corner. Turning, she raised her eyebrows and held her arms out away from her.

“Well, this is the last of it, besides the shop and the safe house,” she said, glancing lovingly around. “Welcome to one of my favorite places in the world.”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily remained silent throughout most of the tour, smiling at Brennan's obvious excitement over being home.

Home. It was an idea that Lily had pretty much completely forgotten about, really. Ever since her parents had been killed, and she'd been ripped away from her normal life, Lily had never really had a home. In fact, she'd never even stayed in any one place for longer than a few days, until recently. Staying with Madison and Sastre, it was the closest thing that she'd had to a home in more than ten years. And as she followed Brennan along she hoped that, maybe, someday this would start to feel like home too...

When the pair stepped into the library, Lily couldn't help but share Brennan's obvious excitement. She could instantly understand why Brennan loved this place so much; hell, Lily knew that even she could lose herself for hours among the shelves of books, or lounging in one of the chairs enjoying the fire, or the view.

Or even playing the piano...

Lily walked over to it and ran her fingers lightly along the finish. Moving on to the keys, she smiled a bit and let her hands rest on them before quickly pulling away and turning her attention to the window, taking in the view. From the time she was six years old, her parents had paid for her to have piano lessons, and she'd kept up playing right up until the day everything had gone to hell. They'd even bought a piano for her, one that was very similar to this one. Even as a child, Lily knew that it must have cost them a fortune, but they told her they didn't care, that they only wanted her to be happy.

Turning her attention back to the piano, Lily felt conflicting emotions within her. Part of her wanted to sit down and play, for she remembered everything, though she was probably out of practice. She even sat down, resting her trembling fingers on the keys, before changing her mind and standing again, wandering toward the bookshelves. She couldn't do it. She couldn't actually sit down and play... It was a part of that old life of hers, the one that she'd lost and tried so hard to forget.

Finally, after several moments of looking around, Lily went and leaned back against the piano, smiling at Brennan as she spoke.

"This place is... amazing, Brennan," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know how you can ever manage to pull yourself away from it. God, if I had a place like this..." She sighed, leaving the thought unfinished.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan leaned back against the door frame and watched, somewhat nervously, as Lily explored.

From a detached point of view, she was amused at her own reaction, but there was no other place on earth that held so much of her as this one, and she was a little apprehensive of what the hunter would make of it. Brennan knew that she wasn’t like most other hunter’s, whose traumatic pasts had pushed them irrevocably into the job. She lacked the same drive and single-mindedness of those who had a score to settle or a loved one to avenge.

Overall, her childhood had been a happy one, or at least, not as tragic as it could have been, given the events that tended to surround a safe house. She simply hunted because there was a call for it, and she wanted to help people. She’d grown up knowing about the supernatural world and had learned a great deal from the people passing through. It seemed selfish not to use that knowledge and ability rather than let some unsuspecting civilian be driven to this life. She liked to think that she was a fairly good hunter, even if she didn’t throw herself into it, body and soul, 24 hours a day.

Like Lily did.

Despite the hunter’s assurances to the contrary, Brennan was still terribly afraid that one day Lily would decide that the witch was holding her back and move on for good. It was times like these that drove home how different their lifestyles really were, and this room was just one of those glaring reminders. But as Brennan watched the hunter, she was relieved to see Lily’s eyes light up in appreciation as she moved about, taking it all in. She even perched briefly on the bench before the grand piano and let her fingers rest on the keys in a way that suggested she knew what she was doing. Brennan’s eyebrows shot up, both at the act, and at the pained expression that flickered across the hunter’s features, almost too quickly to notice. The woman never ceased to surprise her.

Maybe they weren’t as far apart as she’d thought…

Her suspicions were further supported when Lily spoke, her eyes sparkling with obvious admiration. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to enjoy coming back to this place as she had feared. Hell, maybe it might even prove to be a good thing for Lily too. The witch certainly knew that having a place where she knew she would always be safe and welcome was one of the main reasons she was able to stay so balanced and calm. It was her solid ground, her safe haven. Her fears alleviated for the time being, Brennan relaxed and smiled warmly back, crossing to drape her arms around her lover’s waist and leaning in for a tender kiss.

“You do have a place like this,” she told her smiling softly. “This will never feel the same for me unless you’re with me. It’s yours now too, as much as it is mine. If you want it,” she amended, dropping her eyes.

“Share it with me,” she invited quietly, drawing back and earnestly meeting Lily’s gaze.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily slipped her arms around Brennan's neck and pulled her in gently for a kiss.

"I still can't believe that you'd ever want anything to do with me," she told Brennan softly, lowering her eyes. "With all the bad that's happened, I just never expect anything good I guess. It's like... It's like you're a reward for me or something, you know?" She chuckled lightly, shaking her head and trying to find the right words. "Do you know what I mean? It's like, after everything I've been through, I'm finally getting something good... Something I want."

Lily shrugged and kissed Brennan again, resting her forehead against the other woman's and sighing in contentment. This was perfect. This was everything she could have ever hoped for, and she was still having a little bit of trouble believing it was all real sometimes. Giving Brennan's forehead a quick kiss, Lily pulled back and let her eyes wander the room again.

"I don't know how I'm ever gonna be able to leave, honestly," Lily said with a smile. "I mean... It's almost enough to make me drop hunting altogether and settle down." She grinned, only half-joking really. "What're you tryin' to do to me, anyway?" Shaking her head and pulling away, Lily went back to run her fingers absently over the keys of the piano before winking at the witch. "Trying to make me all respectable and stuff, I'll bet..."

Sighing a bit, Lily cast one last, longing glance at the piano before moving over to the nearest of the bookshelves, her eyes scanning through the titles. It was amazing, really, how diverse a collection they had here, and Lily knew that they must have been working on it for years, at least. There had been a time when Lily had been quite the reader, back when she was a kid. Even now, busy as she was, she still tried to grab a good book whenever she could manage.

"Why would you ever leave a place like this?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head and wandering to the windows, crossing her arms over her chest and taking in the view of the lake. "I mean... If I didn't have to hunt, if I'd always had a place like this, I never would leave."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan wandered over to the window seat, quietly considering Lily’s question as she sat and drew her knees up under her chin. She stared out at the sparkling water in the distance for a moment, then smiled and pulled the hunter down with her, drawing her back to rest comfortably within the circle of her arms.

“I had another place like this, once,” she murmured, resting her chin on Lily’s shoulder. “When I was little, we lived in Boston, had a shop there. It wasn’t as big or as well-supplied as this one, but we sold charms as a front, and we still ran a safe house out of it. It was nice.”

The witch paused, her face darkening.

“When I was about nineteen, something found out about what we were doing and burned it to the ground.” Brennan shrugged, still unable to comprehend such thoughtless destruction. “Just like that. Everything gone overnight.”

Brennan took a deep breath and held onto Lily a little tighter, struggling with the words.

“There were, uh… people inside, when it happened,” she managed, squeezing her eyes closed. “A couple of hunters and this woman they’d rescued. One of them had taken a hit to the leg, and he couldn’t walk very well. We tried to get to them, but they wouldn’t leave him, and the stairs collapsed before we could get them out.”

The witch paused, lost in the memories, and shook her head, her body shaking with pent-up rage.

“I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing anymore. I had the knowledge, I had the training. I couldn’t hide in some nice, normal life and watch them get away with that.” Brennan shrugged, glancing away and forcing herself to relax. “So, I quit college and we moved. Covered our tracks in Boston and started over here. Built this place from the ground up.”

The witch looked around, her gaze unfocused as if looking past the walls immediately surrounding the room.

“You wouldn’t believe all the bells and whistles we put into it,” she said, smiling wryly. “Salt mixed into the mortar. Devil’s traps hidden all over the place. The whole safe house is underground, and we put at least a couple alternate exits outta this one. Won’t make the same mistakes again.”

Brennan shrugged, expelling her breath in a rush and shaking off the remnants of the past.

“Anyway. I don’t want to hunt forever, but I figure, I grew up knowing about all this. I’d rather use that knowledge and do what I can than have some poor civilian getting dragged into it instead.”

Brennan looked around again, this time considering the room itself and everything it signified.

“It’ll be here when the time comes,” she said, smiling wistfully and leaning forward to gently kiss Lily’s shoulder. “For both of us.”

Brennan shrugged again.

“Until then, I’ll do what I have to.”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily relaxed against Brennan as the witch spoke.

Once again, she was struck by wow incredible Brennan really was. She didn't hunt because she had to, but rather because she had the means and the skill, and just wanted to help people. Lily almost couldn't understand it, knowing full well that if her happy life had never been disturbed, there was nothing in the world that could have drawn her into this life. But Brennan did it just because it was the right thing to do, and not out of some twisted desire for revenge.

It just made Lily wonder again what she had that could possibly attract someone like Brennan. Lily didn't hunt because she wanted to, she did it because she had nothing left, because it was the only thing she knew how to do well. Lily did it because she was still searching for whatever it was that had murdered her adopted parents, and she knew that she'd never stop until whatever it was was dead and gone.

And after that? Well, she didn't really know. She supposed that she'd stay with Brennan, if the witch still wanted her at that point.

Sighing, Lily tried to mentally calm herself down, knowing that her fears of inadequacy were foolish. Hadn't the two of them just hammered all of this out? Why couldn't she just accept the fact that Brennan loved her for who she was, and that she always would? It was just such an alien idea to Lily that she knew it would take a long, long time to really wrap her head around it. If she ever truly did...

"You are so amazing," she said softly, snuggling in closer and sighing again. "You make me feel very lucky, you know that? I really don't know what I'd do without you any more..." Shifting positions to sit upward in Brennan's lap, Lily gently kissed her, then nuzzled her neck, murmuring, "And I hope I never have to find out."

With that she fell silent again, content to just let Brennan hold her, knowing that she was really, truly safe for the first time in a long time.

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan chuckled ruefully at Lily’s comment, leaning in for a quick kiss.

“I’m not amazing,” she said quietly, dropping her eyes. “I just got tired of watching people die. I had to do something.”

Brennan’s expression darkened a little, and she glanced away out the window.

“A family like mine won’t ever be safe, Lil. I just figured if they were going to come after us anyway, I could at least take a few of them with me.”

Brennan sighed and shrugged, relaxing into Lily’s embrace.

It was hard to believe sometimes that a spirited, independent woman like Lily would ever settle for one person. The witch had come out of their first night together fully expecting to be considered nothing more than a one night stand, a little fun diversion when no one else was available. She had never expected the young hunter to prove such a perfect match. It was incredibly refreshing to be able to relax and enjoy a relationship without needing to be afraid. Not that she didn’t worry about Lily whenever a hunt suddenly came up and she disappeared for a day or two, but that was inevitable. But to not have to worry about how she would react to the fact that Brennan was a witch, or that she would find out what she really did for a living…

“I never thought I’d find someone,” she murmured quietly, leaning down to bury her face against Lily’s hair. “Being on the move all the time, never knowing where I’d end up on any given night. And if I did find someone decent, who was willing to put up with the lifestyle, they’d either get scared off by the whole witch thing, or the job.”

The witch fell silent for a moment, reliving the past, then took a deep breath and continued on, her voice low.

“The last person I was with…” Brennan murmured, swallowing hard, “It… didn’t end well. She was an empath, a travelling musician that I met on a hunt in Boston. I thought we were perfect for each other. I didn’t have to worry about not being around all the time, and she already knew about the supernatural, more or less. She wasn’t terribly happy about me coming home torn up half the time, but we made it work.”

Brennan swallowed again, her hands clenching involuntarily. Forcing herself to relax, she spoke again after a moment.

“We were together for three years before I almost got her killed,” she said with difficulty around the lump in her throat. “There’d been a rash of ritual killings. Turned out to be an evil coven using demon magic, making sacrifices in return for the power. They ended up being easy enough to take care of, but I never did get my hands on the demon they’d pledged themselves to. After a few months, I just forgot about it.”

Brennan paused again, finding it increasingly more difficult to continue on.

“I should have seen it coming,” she managed, making no effort to wipe away the tears starting to silently fall. “She was renting a little place at the time, and I’d gone off on some hunt somewhere. It’d snagged some cute little redhead’s body, and she just walked up, knocked on the door, and talked her way into the house. By the time I got there…”

Brennan’s grip tightened, and her body shook as she tried to hold in a sob.

“God, there was so much blood, Lil,” she said, giving in and letting the tears come. Taking what comfort she could from Lily’s presence, she squeezed her eyes closed against the grisly loop playing over and over again in her head. “I honestly don’t know how she was still alive. I didn’t think she was gonna make it for a long time,” she admitted. “She never held it against me, but she wasn’t the same around me after that. In the end, we both decided it was better if we didn’t see each other anymore. She was really sweet about it, but after that…”

Brennan shrugged and glanced away with a bitter smile.

“It was just safer if I wasn’t with anyone,” she finished. Wiping at her eyes, the witch slowly regained control of herself, managing another smile, more wry than bitter this time. “But you managed to change everything.”

Brennan sighed deeply and snuggled up against her lover, resting her head on her shoulder.

“Anyway, I’m not amazing. I’ve screwed up, I’ve hurt people, I’ve let things get away. I’m just a person, sweetie, like everyone else. And you’re not the only one that thought they were always gonna be alone.”

Letting her eyes fall closed, Brennan finally fell silent, simply taking comfort in Lily’s nearness.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily remained silent as Brennan spoke.

The truth was, she wasn't particularly good at this, at comforting people. It just wasn't a skill she'd ever developed. Still, she did what she could, wrapping her arms tightly about Brennan and doing her best to soothe her. Lightly kissing the top of her lover's head, Lily ran her hands slowly up and down Brennan's arms, trying to be as comforting as possible. It was all she could do, all she knew how to do, and she hoped it would be enough. She owed Brennan that much, at least.

"Well," she said finally, after several moments of silence, "I'm glad we were both wrong. I'm glad neither of us has to be alone any more, Brennan." Leaning in, she kissed Brennan's cheek lightly, letting her lips linger for a moment. "And I still think you're the most perfect, amazing woman in the world," she said softly, offering a smile. "No matter what mighta happened in the past."

Giving her another quick kiss, Lily pulled gently away from Brennan, looking around the room a bit more. Wandering about for a few minutes, she invariably came back to the piano again, stopping to let her eyes move along the keys, biting her lip a bit. Walking around it, she wondered what it might be like to sit down and begin playing, like she used to. She wondered how she'd be, after so long without playing. But it was like riding a bike, wasn't it? Wouldn't it all just come back to her once she started? Truthfully, she still remembered it all, how to play. It was still very fresh in her mind, despite the fact that some ten years or so had passed since she'd last played.

Tearing herself away from it, she meandered her way back toward Brennan, slipping an arm around her waist and leaning in for another kiss. She'd never get used to how right it felt, being with Brennan, feeling their lips press together like that... A shiver passed through her, and she pulled away grinning. Wrapping her arms around the witch, Lily rested her chin on her shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I love you, witch. And I'm glad you're happy now. That's all I ever want, ya know? For you to be happy."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Wrapped in Lily’s warm embrace, comforted by the knowledge that she and the hunter were in this together from here on out, and that neither of them would ever have to face this life alone again, Brennan finally relaxed. Her eyes fell closed again, and she let the slow, soothing motion of Lily’s hands on her arms lull her into a peaceful state of contentment. She knew that the world was still a dangerous place, and that odds were good that if the pair continued on as they were, they would probably never live to see retirement. But now… things just seemed a little better, a little safer. With Lily, Brennan dared to believe that everything might be okay. And if it wasn’t, she knew that the hunter would be there to help her make it through the bad times so they could find the good again.

Brennan smiled warmly after the hunter and pushed herself up to lean against the edge of the bay window as Lily moved off to explore the room again. Crossing her arms across her middle she watched her circle the piano again, frowning at the torn expression that marred her features as her eyes traveled slowly over the keys. She could imagine a little of what the hunter was going through. The thing she missed the most about this life, aside from leaving her family and friends behind, was her music. It was true that she took her guitar with her wherever she went, but her piano was forever bound to this room, and her violin…

Brennan’s throat tightened at the thought. Her violin was small enough to travel with her too, but there was no way she would ever risk losing it. Her violin was one of the few items that had survived the destruction of their last home, and it was the only item she had that she knew had belonged to her father, whoever he might be. There were so many ways that an instrument like that could get lost or damaged during a hunt that she refused to take it with her, as much as it might hurt her to leave it. And as difficult as it was for her, she imagined it was ten times worse for Lily. At least Brennan could come home whenever she wanted to and know that it would be here, waiting for her. Lily no longer had that luxury, and Brennan could well imagine how this one single act could embody all that she’d lost and left behind.

The witch longed to say something, to wrap her arms around Lily and make everything all better, but she knew she had done everything she could for the moment. This was something Brennan couldn’t fix, though she longed to try. Lily would heal in her own time, and Brennan suspected that trying to force her would only make things worse. Eventually, the hurt and loss would fade enough to let the hunter live again, to resume some of the things that she had enjoyed back when she was young and innocent. Until that time came, Brennan would be right here, ready to offer love and support in any way necessary.

Smiling as Lily returned to her once more, Brennan kissed her tenderly back and slid her arms around her, holding her close.

“I am happy,” she murmured, burying her face in Lily’s neck. “More happy than I ever would have expected. And I’ll do everything I can to make you happy too. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”

Simply relaxing into Lily’s embrace for several moments, Brennan finally sighed and drew back a little, smiling down at the hunter.

“Well, I suppose we’d better head down soon before they come looking for us," she said, heaving a reluctant sigh. “You ready?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Before she could stop herself, Lily frowned a bit.

After the way she'd acted earlier, she was worried about what Lillian would think of her. It wasn't the all-consuming, gut-wrenching worry that she'd been experiencing earlier, but it was still enough to make her fidget uncomfortably as Brennan pulled away. Lily had never really card about what other people thought about her, but then again, she'd never really been in a situation like this before either.

She'd never been in love with anyone before...

Forcing a light smile, Lily nodded at Brennan's words and took just a moment to look around the room again. She couldn't wait until she could come back here again and explore, to wander between the shelves of books and find something new to read. She silently prayed that someday she'd be able to finally get her revenge, so that she could leave this life behind her once and for all.

Someday, she thought, readying herself to once again face Lillian. Someday I'll be done with this, but not now. Not yet...

There were days when it felt like she'd never find the creature that had murdered her adopted parents, the Faradays. Today certainly felt like one of them, and Lily had to fight off a sudden bout of hopelessness that threatened to seize her. For ten years she'd been pursuing leads, doing research, and hunting down and killing anything that even remotely fit the M.O. of whatever had slaughtered her mom and dad. And, after ten years, she still wasn't any closer to knowing exactly what it was. And, to make things worse, reports from her contacts around the country had been few and far between lately, which led her to think that, someday soon, the information would stop coming altogether. Lily was beginning to realize that she may have to face a difficult truth:

She might never avenger her parents.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she told Brennan, forcing such dark thoughts aside and slipping an arm around her waist, feeling a bit more relieved just from that contact. "I guess I probably owe her an apology, huh?" Lily shook her head, still embarrassed about how she'd acted upon first arriving. "I didn't exactly make a good impression, did I?"