Atlanta - The Dangers of the Job

[Florian Raniari]

The night passed, and dawn came early.

Sastre awoke with the rising sun, as was his habit, regardless of the fact that he'd only gotten two or three hours of actual sleep. The rest of the night had been spent tossing and turning, then cursing himself for tossing and turning as his broken body protested at such treatment. His mind had been going a mile a minute, and his heart had ached enough to almost drown out the stabbing pains of his body.

Now, not surprisingly, he felt drained, both emotionally and physically. He and Madison had spent hours deep in conversation, each revealing a little bit about their secretive pasts as they grew more comfortable with one another, until finally their dams had broke and they'd both let it all out. The exchange of secrets had been good for them both, he thought, though the process had been painful. Memories had been dredged up that Sastre had spent years burying, and he knew it would be years again before he could sleep at night without being awakened by nightmares.

And he had revealed more to Madison about his past than he ever had to anyone else who was still alive. He hadn't told her everything, of course, for there were some secrets that he'd sworn an oath to keep. Those particular secrets would go with him to the grave, assuming he didn't find a suitable candidate to pass them on to...

Pushing such concerns from his mind, Sastre slowly stood up, and very nearly fell right back into the bed again. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as pain tore through him, and he lay there unmoving for several minutes before slowly, slowly sitting up again. Still, even this small amount of movement was agonizing, and he had to force himself to breath steadily. Whatever medication he'd been on in the hospital--not to mention whatever concoction Remy had given him--must have worn off by now, for he hadn't felt even half this bad last night...

"Alright, Quicksilver, nice and easy," he whispered to himself through clenched teeth. He was sure he'd been hurt this bad before, at some point, but he sure couldn't remember it right now. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, the old hunter once again stood up, pushing aside the pain that followed, for he'd been expecting it that time. A few hesitant, unstable steps later and he was at the door...

He opened it, leaning heavily upon the frame as he looked down the long hallway toward the kitchen. He was determined to have breakfast ready for Madison before she awoke, if at all possible, injuries or no injuries. It was, after all, the least he could do.

Still, it was going to be a long damn trip...

Sighing and doing his best to block out the pain once more, Sastre made his way slowly toward the kitchen, using the wall as a support as he hobbled onward.

[madison]

I can hear the devil call my name
Hopeless, I’m falling down
Filthy, I can’t wake up
I cannot hold on, I will not let go
Worthless, it’s over now
Guilty, there’s no way out


The night had been a long one and Madison was exhausted, but every time she closed her eyes those horrible memories came flooding back to her. It was as if by telling Sastre the truth the damn had busted and the consequences were pressing down on her. Madison tossed and turned in her sheets, cursing herself every time she began to cry again. She wanted to be a stronger person, but she’d been scared for so long she didn’t know how to do that.

Madison threw back the blankets revealing her light green, checkered flannel pajama bottoms, and a light green long sleeve shirt. Wandering over to the window she looked out into her backyard and sighed wistfully. Her gut was clenched with worry. Had she done the right thing? Could she trust Sastre not to go after Steven? She had sworn not to tell anyone, but Sastre was easy to talk to and when she started she couldn’t stop. It had been the same with Justin, and now he was in jail.

Placing a hand over her heart, Madison picked the brightest star in the sky, closing her eyes to make a wish. There were only a few left as dawn was approaching, but she figured if there was still a star, well then she could still hope.

“Star light, star bright,” She whispered remembering how her father had taught her. “First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.” Opening her eyes she looked back up at the star. “Please, don’t let anyone else get hurt because of me. Especially not Sastre. He’s been hurt enough.”

She sent all her hope into that wish before looking back at the bed. Madison didn’t want to try and sleep again. The sun was coming up and Sastre would wake soon. He would probably be hungry and now that she knew he was a vegetarian she could make him a proper breakfast as opposed to trying to cook bacon for him the night before. If he was going to heal up he was going to need nourishment. In fact earlier in the night she had slipped out of her room, when another nightmare had left its imprint in her mind and began making something she hoped Sastre would enjoy. She hadn’t made it in a long time, but it was something her mother had taught her.

Madison padded barefoot into the hall, stopping for a moment when she saw Sastre in the kitchen. He was flushed, sweat lightly glistening on his face and for a moment she wondered what he was doing. Then she realized that he was hungry and hadn’t wanted to wake her. A small smile played on her lips. He was so stubborn. He was proud man, not wanting to be helpless and always wanting to stand on his own two feet. Madison wished she had only a portion of his strength. Then maybe she wouldn’t be in the predicament she was in now.

“Good morning,” She said wandering over to him. Having already scolded him enough about his injuries, she was trying to be nice. “Why don’t you sit down hmm?” She put a hand on his good shoulder. She didn’t want him to over exert himself. “I already made most of breakfast.” She offered him a smile and attempted to lead him over to the table so he could sit down and relax.

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre flashed her a wry smile, though his features were pale and drawn.

"And here I thought I'd get up early and surprise you with breakfast," he said softly, sounding a bit out of breath. Nodding at her suggestion to have a seat, the battered old hunter lowered himself gingerly into a chair at the table without even an argument.

He prayed that Madison wouldn't notice the shaking of his legs, and the way that every one of his movements was done with deliberate care, to cause as little pain as possible. Not that it was helping, really. His entire body felt like one massive, throbbing, fiery ache, and he wondered if he actually had ever been hurt this bad before...

Closing his eyes, Sastre performed a simple mental exercise that he'd learned years before to distance himself from the pain. It worked, as much as it really could anyway, and he felt an almost immediate relief. The pain was still there, of course, but it was subdued now, a constant nag at the back of his mind rather than the full-on, near-agony that he'd been feeling before.

Watching Madison as she prepared breakfast, Sastre noticed her trying to conceal her own pain and fatigue. He shook his head, amazed at her simple strength, and not for the first time. She was an amazing woman, lacking only the confidence to take control of her life. She thought she was weak, and she thought that she was a bad person, but Sastre knew better. Like him, she was simply world-weary and heart broken...

But that she hadn't slept well last night either was plainly evident, and the hunter wondered if their exchange of secrets the night before had really been a good thing. He prayed that dredging up the past wouldn't be too much for her to handle, and he wondered if the same could be said of him as well. In the end, though, he knew that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he still would.

It had pained him like nothing else to relive the horrific events that he'd revealed to Madison, but it was worth it to let her unload a bit of her own pain and sadness upon him. Now he knew what was going on, and now he could help her.

And I will, he vowed silently to himself, clenching his good fist and once again utilizing the pain-blocking exercise as it crept past his mental barriers to assail him once again. The pain of going through Solphi's death again after all this time was worth it.

Worth it for her...

[madison]

I can hear the devil call my name
Hopeless, I’m falling down
Filthy, I can’t wake up
I cannot hold on, I will not let go
Worthless, it’s over now
Guilty, there’s no way out

Once Sastre was seated at the breakfast table, Madison went to work on breakfast. She had noticed the exertion Sastre had used to walk such a short distance. She could also tell he was trying to hide it. Still she let him do it on his own, knowing that if she tried to help right now it wouldn’t only make things worse. His body had a lot of healing to do, but nitpicking at every little thing he did, would only make Sastre try to do more on his own. No, Madison was smart enough to pick her battles, especially when it came to stubborn patients. Besides she could ask how he felt after breakfast.

“I guess I beat you to it.” She glanced over her shoulder, sending a small smile his way before reaching into the cupboard, pulling out two slightly dipped plates and grabbing some spoons from the drawer. She set them over on the table before returning to the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee and going to make some fresh oatmeal.

Madison wondered if their talk last night had been the reason Sastre was up so early. His body desperately needed rest, but she had no doubt he was in pain either. They were both exhausted, physically and mentally. Neither of them though, seemed to want to sleep, for whatever reasons.

She hoped Sastre was comfortable here. It had been a long time since she’d shared her home with anyone, always too scared that Steven would call or randomly show up in the middle of the night. Those were both still very real possibilities, but Sastre knew the truth and he promised he wouldn’t go after Steven. If he showed up at Madison’s door though, well she’d have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

Besides she couldn’t stand the thought of Sastre staying on the streets or in a motel when he was injured. He deserved better than that. Not that he would admit it. Sastre seemed determined to punish himself though. At least she had been able to offer him the small comfort of her home, for as long as she could get him to stay anyways. Madison knew he’d leave as soon as he could. It was his way.

When the oatmeal was done she poured into a larger bowl and set it in the middle of the table before returning back to the kitchen. Reaching into the fridge she pulled out a watermelon that she’d carved and hollowed out and was now filled with a medley of fruit. It was the way her mother taught her to make a fruit salad when she was a young girl.



Madison couldn’t remember the last time she’d made one, but was only too happy to do it for Sastre. She placed it on the table next to the bowl of oatmeal. Returning to the kitchen once more, Madison poured them both a glass of orange juice and grabbed the cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Madison snapped her fingers and then smiled at Sastre.

“Almost forgot.” She wandered back into the kitchen one more time, pouring them both a cup of coffee before bringing the creamer and sugar back over to the table. Taking her seat Madison smiled across the table at him. “I hope you like it.”

[Florian Raniari]

His lips quirked into a slight smile when he saw what she'd prepared.

"This is..." He shook his head in disbelief, chuckling. "You didn't have to do all of this, Madison. I could've gotten by with something simpler. God knows I've had to before..." Smiling a bit at her, he said, "Thank you, though."

He wasted no time digging in, for he was ravenous. He didn't know the last time that he'd eaten, but it had probably been a couple of days, at least. And even then, it hadn't been anything nearly as good as the fruit and oatmeal. God, oatmeal... He hadn't had a hot breakfast in... Well, it'd been a long, long damn time, that much he did know. After a few moments he slowed down, knowing that he shouldn't eat too much without knowing the effects that the medication he'd been on, along with whatever it was that Remy had given him, would be.

His eyes flicked to the orange juice, and to the coffee.

"Ah," he started, uncomfortably. "Could I just have some water, please?" he asked. "I really don't drink anything else, honestly. Or at least I haven't in a lot of years. The orange juice is probably okay, but I'd rather not get used to it... The coffee, though... The caffeine. I can't drink it." He smiled a bit sheepishly. "Sorry to be any trouble, Madison..."

[madison]

I can hear the devil call my name
Hopeless, I’m falling down
Filthy, I can’t wake up
I cannot hold on, I will not let go
Worthless, it’s over now
Guilty, there’s no way out


When Sastre started digging in, Madison could only smile. Maybe he had to get by with less before, but she didn’t want him to have to while Sastre was staying with her. Why should he have to do without? Hadn’t he done without enough already? Hadn’t he suffered enough? Madison knew that when he left, Sastre would be back on the same path he’d been on for years. She didn’t want that for him, but once he was fully healed, she couldn’t ask him to stay. It wasn’t fair to him.

“Oh,” I’m sorry,” She gave him a sheepish smile of her own and went to get him a bottle of water out of the fridge and quickly brought it back over. “There you are.”

Madison made herself a small bowl of oatmeal adding some of the fruit on top, and began nibbling at her food. After a few bites, her stomach tightened up on her again, and she pushed the bowl away having had enough. She looked up at Sastre.

“You know while you’re staying with me, you’re welcome to anything you need. If I don’t have it I can get it.” Her look was hopeful. Madison knew it was almost like she was bribing him to stay, but she didn’t want him to go anywhere, at least not until he was healed. “It’s going to be a bit before you’re back to a hundred percent, and I want you to be comfortable while you’re here.”

[Florian Raniari]

Reminding himself to slow down a bit, Sastre nodded at Madison's words.

"And the same goes for me," he told her. "If you need anything done while I'm here, just say so. I can clean, and cook, and do pretty much anything you need. I know you want me to take it easy, and I will, but don't hesitate to ask for help with anything that you feel isn't too strenuous for me, alright?" He gave her a smile and a wink, though both acts caused the burns and bruises on his face to protest, and he winced a bit in pain.

After taking a long drink of water, he added, "You know, Madison, if you keep treating me this well, I may not want to leave at all." He chuckled, secretly only half-joking. He wanted this, and he had for a long time, though he'd told no one. A normal life, with normal chores and normal everyday problems... It sounded like heaven to him, and he vowed to enjoy it as long as he had it.

Still, though, Darian was out there, and as long as that sadistic vampire was around, Sastre knew he would find no peace. With an inward sigh, the hunter knew that he'd have to be gone as soon as possible, to save Madison from the torments that Darian would be sure to visit upon her.

Falling silent as his dark thoughts came to the forefront of his mind, Sastre continued to eat, wishing that he could leave the life of a hunter behind him in favor of this, the safe, normal life that he'd lost so long ago.

((Finished.))