The Carnival Before The Storm {Sastre}

[madison]

I Still Hear Your Voice When You Sleep Next To Me
I Still Feel Your Touch In My Dreams
Forgive Me My Weaknesses
But I Don’t Know Why
Without You It’s Hard To Survive
Cause Every Time We Touch I Get This Feeling
And Every Time We Kiss I Swear I Could Fly
Can’t You Feel My Heart Beat Fast
I Want This To Last
I Need You By My Side

Madison had to cover her mouth to keep from out right laughing at the carnie. The look on his face went from shocked to angry in a matter of seconds. Sastre had blown his mind. Madison picked out a big fluffy stuffed dog.

Going on her tiptoes Madison couldn't help but smile as she kissed him. "You're amazing you know that?" She put her hand in his turning to move onto their next adventure when the carnie called to them.

"Bet you can't do that twice in row."

Madison looked over her shoulder at the man and shook her head. "Thanks for the game it was fun." She wouldn't care about him bating Sastre, but there was still so much for him to experience. For them to experience together.

"Come on," The carnie said, egging them on. He pulled out a twenty and slammed it down on the counter. "A twenty says you can't do it again. Or you gonna let your lady make your decision for you."

Madison blinked, seeing that the carnie apparently had a bruised ego and was trying really hard to bait Sastre, she looked at the hunter waiting to see what he say.

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre shook his head and chuckled at the carnie.

Slipping his arm around Madison's waist, the pair continued on, stopping periodically at this booth or that booth as she pointed various things out to him. Sastre had to admit, he was having a really good time, and he realized how easy it would be for him to get used to this. That realization was both comforting and startling, though.

On the one hand, it made him feel relieved that, once this was all over, he'd be able to move on from hunting and settle into a normal life. He'd been worried that he might not actually like a life without the excitement of hunting, and he feared that he might never be able to actually enjoy himself. It wasn't that he liked hunting necessarily, but it certainly kept things interesting. There was just never a dull moment.

The reason it worried him, though, was that he knew he couldn't get used to it just yet. As much as he wanted to be done with this life, it wasn't quite time yet, and he couldn't risk letting his guard down when there was still so much work to be done. If he relaxed too much, if he began to feel like he'd finally moved on from hunting, then he knew something bad would happen. Darian was still out there, plotting. Hell, the vampire might even be watching them right now...

Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, Sastre returned his attention to Madison, and to the carnival, and to the fact that he was legitimately having a good time. He smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and pulled her a little bit closer as they walked. Being with Madison made him feel so good, so alive. He meant it every time he told her that he didn't know what he'd do without her in his life...

"So," he said as the went along, "what now? Is there some other experience I have to have to be a seasoned carnival-goer?" He grinned as he spoke, and though his eyes sometimes darted about looking for trouble and he sometimes cast a quick glance back over his shoulder to see if they were being trailed, Sastre realized that he was actually able to relax a bit and just enjoy the day.

Of course, Madison's company probably didn't hurt things either.

[madison]

Madison just shook her head. How was it that she had been able to find such a wonderful man? Her track record with all the other men in her life was not remarkable. In fact it was down right horrible. She'd always seemed to care about the men who hurt her the most. Maybe it was because of what had happened when she was little. Something in her subconcious laced with guilt that made it seem to Madison that she never deserved to be happy.

With Sastre though, things were different. They had started out as friends. Sure neither one of them had expected for things to happen this way, but they had. Madison couldn't be happier. She had finally found a man who loved her. Who was more inclined to protect her from the evil and pain in the world rather than be a part of it.

Her hand stayed in twined with Sastre and the warmth from his skin flowed into her, seemingly finding its way to her core. That had never happened with anyone else before. Just being near him was something remarkable. Something that she never wanted to lose.

Grinning, she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm, let's see. We've done the ferris wheel, had you try some funnel cake and you played a game." She held onto the teddy bear that Sastre had won for her, her heart light, mind at ease. "Oh, I know." Tugging on his hand she lead him over to the line for the haunted house and looked over at him. "Think you can handle it?"

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre eyed the "house" warily.

He'd actually been through plenty of fairground haunted houses like this one, though each of those times he'd been actively hunting something. It never ceased to amaze him how so many of the nasties out there picked places like this to hole up. It made him nervous, actually, to be considering walking into the place like this. He realized, though, that it was broad daylight, and he was a hunter, and that even though he might not have brought along a lot of weapons or supplies, he'd been trained to use whatever was at his disposal.

In short, he was pretty certain that everything would be alright.

"Yeah, I think I'll manage," he finally answered Madison with a chuckle. "Might even be kind of fun to experience it without fear of having something actually jump out to try and kill me for a change." He winked at her, letting her know that he was only half serious. "Although," he added, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "I hope you can forgive me if I open fire on something out of sheer reflex..."

[madison]

Madison raised a brow at him. "You're joking right?" The thought of Sastre opening fire in a fake haunted house where there could be families and children did not sit well with the doctor. One look at his face, said that he wasn't and she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Sastre, nothing is going to jump out at you that isn't run on batteries."

She had a stubborn look on her face. "This is supposed to be fun and if you just start shooting at things, we're going to be kicked out at the very least, if not arrested. I really don't want to have to deal with the cops today." Or ever. Madison did not have much faith in the men in blue. Not after Steven.

If Madison knew how to use a gun she would have asked Sastre for his, but the fact is she didn't and she didn't want to hold onto something that dangerous and not even know how to use it. It would be more dangerous in her hands than his.

"Maybe we should do something else."

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre smiled reassuringly.

He reached and took her hand, raising it to his lips and lightly kissing her fingers. He still couldn't believe that they were together, even after so much time had passed. In fact, he wondered if he'd ever get used to it. After a bit of though, he decided that he never wanted to. He loved the elation he felt when he realized that he actually had her, and he hoped that feeling would never go away.

"I'll behave, I swear," he told her, kissing her hand again. "I'm not quite so bad off that I shoot at everything that moves, after all. It'll be fine." Slipping his arm around her waist, he led her toward the haunted house. "Besides, I want to have the full, total carnival experience, don't I?"

Chuckling, he pulled her close as the walked, giving her a quick kiss. He couldn't believe how light he felt, just being out with her, not having to worry about the job. Sure, he was certain there were things out there that needed his attention, but he also knew that Lily and Brennan were more than capable of handling just about anything, and so were Heath and Adams. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more Sastre realized that maybe--just maybe--he wasn't quite as necessary as he'd always believed. That thought filled him with hope, because it meant that maybe he'd be able to give all of this up sooner rather than later.

And if that meant that he'd be able to get on with his life with Madison, then all the better.

[madison]

I Still Hear Your Voice When You Sleep Next To Me
I Still Feel Your Touch In My Dreams
Forgive Me My Weaknesses
But I Don’t Know Why
Without You It’s Hard To Survive
Cause Every Time We Touch I Get This Feeling
And Every Time We Kiss I Swear I Could Fly
Can’t You Feel My Heart Beat Fast
I Want This To Last
I Need You By My Side

When Sastre took her fingers and kissed them, Madison relaxed, if just slightly. She was used to violence. Normally it was aimed at her. Madison knew that Sastre would never raise a hand towards her to hurt her. Every touch had been gentle, every word soft. Sometimes she was worried he thought she might break.

Maybe she would.

Madison wasn't sure what she would do if something happened to Sastre. He was the first man who loved her in such a way it literally left her breathless. Today was supposed to be light, but the fact that he had brought a gun made her worried. She understood, but she wished for once they didn't need it.

Then Madison realize they probably always would.

Seeing a smile on Sastre brought one to her own lips. "Just behave okay? I don't want you to have to disappear because you're now wanted in the state of Georgia." She chuckled lightly leaning against him.

"Let's save the haunted house for last. If you wind up shooting, it'll be there." She looked around and smiled once more. "What about a carousel? Have you ever been on one?"

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre chuckled as they walked.

"Truthfully," he said, a glimmer in his eye, "I may already be wanted for something here in Georgia. It's hard for me to keep all of my transgressions straight sometimes."

He made light of the situation, but it was true. The life of a hunter often meant a necessity to break the law in order to see a job through. No doubt he was wanted in several states for various small-time charges, as well as some possibly larger ones too. Sastre highly doubted that he had anything to worry about, though. For all intents and purposes, he didn't exist in this country. He didn't exist at all, for that matter. That Florian Raniari had been declared dead with his family all those years ago was a near certainty, after all. And here, in the states, he had no I.D., no social security number, and no finger prints on file.

It really was as if he didn't exist.

Factor in the drastic changes to his appearance, and Sastre felt secure in his freedom. After all, the man that would be wanted for any of those past crimes was a dirty, grimy, bedraggled homeless man, his hair matted and filthy, his clothing tattered and hopeless. Now, though, he looked like an entirely different man. There was no way anyone who might have known him in his former life as homeless, wandering vagabond would recognize him now.

"A carousel?" he asked, thinking. "No, I'm pretty sure I've never actually been on one, unless it was when I was very little." Smirking a bit, he added, "Are there any potentially startling things about a carousel that I should know about, or should it be okay?" He said the last with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.

[madison]

Madison couldn't help but laugh lightly. Sastre always had a way of making things better. He knew just what to do or say to ease the tension in her chest. Her hand wrapped in his, the light banter he was trying to create, it was all Madison needed to bring a smile to her face.

"Unless you're afraid of brightly colored ceramic horses, I think we'll be fine." She squeezed her hand in his before getting on her tiptoes and stealing a kiss.

Then, that quick kiss became a long one as she tasted his lips. Her arm slipped around his neck, hand massaging gently. Her heart fluttered in her chest. How had she been so lucky to find this man? This selfless, caring, wonderful man that she was head over heels for. To Madison she wasn't deserving, but she was damn sure glad she had him.

After a few moments she broke the kiss, feeling a flush creep into her cheeks. She cleared her throat and started walking, tugging his hand gently. "Carousel is this way."

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre was about to admit to his secret fear of brightly colored ceramic horses when Madison's lips met his.

He smiled into the kiss as his arms wrapped tightly about her waist. He was certain that people were staring at them, but he didn't really care. After having wanted this for so long, there was no way that he'd ever feel embarrassed at such a show of affection. Giving her a quick squeeze, he laughed breathlessly as she broke the kiss.

"...Horses," he managed to get out, the rest of the earlier thought completely having been lost during the kiss.

Shaking his head and smiling, he let the young woman lead him across the fairground toward the carousel, where a short line of parents and children stood waiting for their turn. Normally Sastre would have felt a bit strange waiting in a line with a bunch of kids to ride on a carousel, but Madison's obvious excitement was infectious, and he found himself actually looking forward to it.

This whole day had been something of a shock to him, as he'd found himself enjoying things that he never would have even thought to try before. And it was all because of Madison, and the way she seemed to be able to force all the darkness and brooding thoughts from his mind, replacing them with this strange, light happiness.

"I love you," he said softly, leaning in and kissing her cheek gently. "Even if you are making me face my paralyzing fear of brightly painted ceramic animals."