The Prodigal Hunter Returns (Florian)

[madison]

Do your kisses feel the same?
Do you still have the same touch?
And will you whisper softly
'Coz you've missed me so much?
Have you heard all my prayers
When I lay down at night?
And did you feel my body
When I held your pillow tight?

The last year had been a lonely one. Sastre was gone, Lily was dead. Brennan had found Allison – Lily’s daughter – and while that was helping with the depression, the other woman had been scarce as well. Madison’s entire world had fallen apart between Darian and her ex-husband who had become a vampire. Everyone she cared about was gone, and while she knew Sastre was doing what he must to find a replacement, she desperately wished for him to return home.

There was no way for Madison to tell him that though. Since receiving the letter of Lily’s death there had been no other word. Even if she could, Madison wouldn’t put that heavy burden on him. She knew that Sastre was a hunter and that there were certain things he had to do. Madison couldn’t ask him to stop, not after everything he’d done for her.

Her heart ached for him, and Madison had thrown herself into work at the clinic. It wasn’t quite as intense as the hospital, but it also left her available to help those who would rather remain anonymous. Other hunters like Sastre. She had even made up the spare room from time to time as word seemed to have gotten out that her door was always open to a hunter in need. Not only would she treat them at the clinic, but at her own home. In return they were happy to make sure that the house was still protected. They were generally always thankful for a soft bed and warm meal.

Madison was thankful for the company and the distractions. Even if it was always fleeting. Whenever she went to sleep her bed was cold, and Sastre’s missing presence weighed on her. She hoped he was safe, closed her eyes and dreamt of him when she wasn’t plagued with nightmares, or she wasn’t hearing the voices that seemed to be making their way into her mind.

If anything Madison had PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It wasn’t uncommon with victims from traumatic situations. The situation had been traumatic and in the end, the walls came tumbling down. The way the last year had gone, Madison wondered if they’d ever be able to rebuild the life they’d had for such a short period of time – or would it be more like Humpty Dumpty where no matter how hard they tried, they’d never be able to.

Tonight the house was quiet. There were no hunters passing through. It was late and the voices that Madison was trying so hard to ignore were persistent in whispering in her mind. Doing her best to ignore them she was wrapped in a soft blanket in the corner of the couch, the TV on, though she wasn’t really paying attention. She was more willing the voices away than anything. It wasn’t as if she could go to a psychiatrist. Even though her story was true it was not likely they’d believe her.

Madison supposed she could have talked to Brennan about it, but she didn’t want to burden her friend. Not when she was going through such a rough time as it was. No, Madison would find a way to deal with this on her own.

Hopefully. It seemed hope was all she had to cling to these days. Hope that Sastre would come home. Hope that Brennan would be all right. Hope that Madison herself wasn’t going insane. It was all she had left, and there was no way Madison was giving that up.

With that thought in mind she let her eyes flutter shut, hoping for a few hours of peaceful sleep.

[Florian Raniari]

So here I am, it's in my hands
And I'll savor every moment of this
So here I am, alive at last
And I'll savor every moment of this

Florian stood on the porch, staring at the door, a wave of uncertainty passing through him as the night lay heavy around him.

He looked back over his shoulder toward the end of the driveway, where Sastre sat waiting in her black hummer, the engine still running. She was prepared to either drive off when Florian was welcomed into the home, or to drive him elsewhere if things fell through. It was a precaution that he fervently hoped wouldn't be needed, but the truth was he had been gone for the past year, much longer than he'd anticipated. And, in all that time, he'd had very little contact with Madison, mostly due to the fact that there were no computers and no cellular reception in the harsh, unforgiving desert where he and Sastre had spent most of their last several months. He'd sent a letter or two, but had never received a response, and that worried him.

That Madison had at least received the letter containing the news of Lily's "death" was known, for during a quick jaunt up to Michigan to visit the graves of Lily's adopted parents--the Faradays--he and Sastre had found a headstone for Lily herself. It was the silence after that letter that concerned him most, and he had a feeling that something terrible had happened, though he couldn't tell exactly what it was.

Taking a moment to compose himself, he finally raised his hand and rang the door bell. Florian wondered, not for the first time, if Madison would even recognize ahim. A year of grueling training and little food had left him lean and hard, and he was undoubtedly in the best shape of his life. He'd decided to grow his hair out long again--as he had in his youth--and to go clean-shaven from now on, all a part of the transition from "Sastre Quicksilver" back to Florian Raniari. Add to all of these changes the dark tan he'd received after so much time beneath the unforgiving desert sun, and he knew he resembled his old self very little, if at all.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a shuffling on the other side of the door. The porch light flicked on, as did a light inside in the entryway, and Florian cast a quick, uncertain glance back to Sastre in her hummer, who simply looked on impassively, keeping the vehicle running and the headlights burning just in case. Returning his attention to the door before him, Florian swallowed a sudden and unexpected surge of doubt, using one of his tried and true mental calming exercises to get a grip on his emotions.

Just then, door opened...

[madison]

Do your kisses feel the same?
Do you still have the same touch?
And will you whisper softly
'Coz you've missed me so much?
Have you heard all my prayers
When I lay down at night?
And did you feel my body
When I held your pillow tight?

The doorbell pulled Madison from her light slumber. She frowned slightly as she wasn’t expecting anyone at this late hour. That probably meant it was a hunter and Madison was going to have some patching up to do. She didn’t mind really. It was a good distraction as she said before, and she was always eager to help people. Especially now after everything she’d learned.

Madison slipped on her robe and wandered to the door, looking through the peep hole.

Her heart seemingly stopped. It couldn’t be. Rubbing her eyes she looked through the peep hole again. The features were the same, though he was clean shaven, and his hair was longer. The same heart that a moment ago had ceased to beat was suddenly racing in her chest.

With shaking hands she unlocked the door as quickly as she could. Her hand slid around the knob and jerked the door open. As soon as it was out of the way, Madison threw herself into Sastre’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, her lips going to his.

Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to do with an overly paranoid hunter who was always on the defensive, but Sastre would never hurt her and with him standing there so close, well Madison couldn’t contain herself. There was no waiting, or shocked hello’s. She hadn’t even called his name before she leapt into his arms.

The kiss was deep, and warm, and everything was in it. All her heartache of missing him and the relief that he was finally home. Every ounce of love she held for Sastre Quicksilver was in that kiss and she was reluctant to let it end.

After a few, long, relieving moments, Madison pulled back to look up into those bright blue eyes that she only had the memory of for so long. They sparkled, just the way she remembered.

“You came back.” Madison smiled up at him lovingly, her fingers stroking his cheek softly. “You came back to me.”

[Florian Raniari]

So here I am, it's in my hands
And I'll savor every moment of this
So here I am, alive at last
And I'll savor every moment of this

Florian's heart skipped a beat when Madison kissed him.

Instantly, any worries or doubts or concerns he'd had vanished, and he wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her close and not bothering to hide the tears of relief and joy that coursed down his cheeks. She had waited for him, and now they could finally be together. This realization made him feel lighter, more at ease, and as Madison broke the kiss and looked lovingly up at him, he wondered how he'd ever managed to go so long without her.

Giving her one more quick kiss, he turned and looked over his shoulder toward the hummer, giving Sastre a single nod and a wave. With a nod in return, she backed the hummer down the driveway, turned onto the road, and drove off into the night. Florian watched until the hummer was out of sight, wondering if he'd ever see her again, for he knew her plan was to get as far away from Florian and Madison as possible before Darian caught wind of the fact that there was a new Sastre Quicksilver. Sighing and pushing his worry for his daughter aside, knowing she was the best and most capable hunter he'd ever known, Florian returned his attention to Madison.

"God, I've missed you so much," he said, burying his face in her hair and holding her close, as if afraid to let her go. "I'll never leave you again, Madison. I promise. And I'm sorry I was gone so long..."

The truth was, Florian had intended on returning months ago, but right at the last minute, something had come up and he and Sastre had been forced to change their plans. What should have been a simple hunt had--by no fault of theirs--fallen to pieces, and while they'd ended up coming out of it alive, both of the hunters had suffered some fairly serious injuries. Sastre in particular had taken the brunt of it, having been determined to protect Florian with her life, and it had taken more time than he would have liked for them to recover.

But he was here now, finally, with Madison. And there would be no more hunts to keep them apart, no more secrets or antiquated traditions to come between them. All of that was behind him now, and all he wanted was to get on with his life, with Madison.

Slipping inside with his duffel bag and closing the door behind him, Florian reveled in the fact that he was actually here, at home, and that Madison had waited for him, and that he was finally done with the life of a hunter after so many dark, nightmarish years of throwing himself at monster after monster after monster. He chuckled, feeling a bit giddy, one arm still encircling Madison's waist as he held her close to him.

"I've missed this. I've missed you..."

[madison]

Do your kisses feel the same?
Do you still have the same touch?
And will you whisper softly
'Coz you've missed me so much?
Have you heard all my prayers
When I lay down at night?
And did you feel my body
When I held your pillow tight?

Tears of joy slipped down Madison's cheeks as she looked into his soft blue eyes. She couldn't tear her gaze away from him, afraid if she did that he would just be a figment of her imagination. Just something else to chalk up to the ever growing list that made Madison think she was going insane.

At his revelation that he'd never leave her again, Madison couldn't help but press her lips to his once more. He was here to stay. She clung to him, keeping him close. Maybe it was fate that Sastre had come back to her now, while Madison was in such a dark place. Somehow, he always seemed to be the one to save her. Somehow, he always knew just what to do.

Still, Madison didn't want to tell him of her predicament tonight. Not when he'd only just returned. With everything that had happened, with Lily being gone, Madison didn't think it was fair to drop yet another burden on his shoulders.

"I've missed you too." She pulled back, wiping away the tears, before taking his hand. "Come inside. It's still your home."

Madison lead him inside, through the hallway and to the living room. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" She was rambling, nervous, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Even as she asked, she wouldn't let go of him. The feel of his skin touching hers elated her, made butterflies move about in her stomach. For the first time in months, Madison felt a sense of real joy.

Then she felt guilty, remembering what all of this had cost Sastre. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him. "Sastre..." Her voice was soft. "I'm so sorry about Lily."

[Florian Raniari]

So here I am, it's in my hands
And I'll savor every moment of this
So here I am, alive at last
And I'll savor every moment of this

Florian buried his face in her hair when she hugged him, breathing in her scent and letting out a long, shaky sigh.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, the feeling of her body against his bringing tears to his eyes. For so long he'd clung to the memory of this, and it'd been the only thing that kept him going at times. At first, the hunt for Lily had been all consuming, and after he'd found her his worries for her health had taken the place of that... But once he knew that his daughter was going to be alright--relatively speaking--then his mind had turned to Madison, and he missed her more than anything.

But he knew he had to pass the torch before he could really, truly return to her, and devote himself to her fully. It was what she deserved, and what he wanted more than anything else.

Easily scooping her up, Florian made his way to the couch and settled down, holding Madison in his lap, afraid to let her go. The idea that he had her now, for good, hadn't really set in yet, and there was this deeply buried fear that something was going to happen that would tear him away from her again. So he held her, silently, simply reveling in her closeness, and her very presence.

Her words about Lily broke through his daze, though, and furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

What had she meant, when she'd said she was sorry about Lily? Was she sorry that the younger woman had been taken, or sorry about the horrible things she'd been put through? Maybe she was sorry that Lily had taken on the Quicksilver name, and had devoted her life to being a hunter, and nothing else... The sorrow that filled Madison's apology seemed to be on a different level than any of those things, though.

Frowning a bit, Florian kissed the top of her head, holding her closer.

"She'll be alright, Madison," he told her softly. "She's the best hunter I've ever met, and she'll be an extraordinary Sastre Quicksilver. Yes, she's had her heart broken, but she's strong." Kissing her forehead lightly, he added, "I'm just sorry things didn't work out between her and Brennan..."