RP Set In The Past - for voiceofthewoods

[on_holy_ground]

Paris, France. Spring, 2005


Darius was still uncertain how it was that he had returned from what was supposed to have been his final death. In truth, he was not even certain what had happened from the time that the sword had fallen to the time that he had found himself on the floor of the chapel. He knew that more than a decade had passed thanks to a young lady he had asked who had been passing by, but for him it was as if no time had passed at all.

He was slowly starting to get back into the rhythm of life again though. Enough time had passed so that there were few, if any, in the hierarchy of the church who remembered him. This made it simple enough for him to get new papers and assume the duties as head of St. Julien’s once again. After all, he had managed to keep his position there for a very long time, so it was really only a matter of degrees.

Now, he was in the courtyard behind the church working on his garden, hoping that he would be able to get the majority planted before dusk fell. Something tickled the back of his mind though, and he slowly straightened as he felt the approach of another Immortal. He was not expecting company, as there were few that were aware of his return, but he wasn’t really concerned either. Immortals knew better than to fight one of their own on holy ground after all.

After a moment, he dusted his hands off on his robes and then made his way around to the front of the church in order to greet his guest.

Comments

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

Cassandra hadn't been back to Paris since she'd left with Duncan after the 'incident' in Bordeaux. Despite having finally reconciled herself with the events, and she thought, finally able to move forward in her life, she still felt no small sense of trepidation as she walked the streets of the French capital that first night. It was still too recent in her life, and the battle inside her head over her feelings about Methos were still filtering into her dreams from time to time, that night's sleep being plagued with them once again. She'd woken, bathed in sweat and shaking, fingers clutching at the pillow she was holding to her chest and unable to go to sleep again. The early morning had been filled with business breakfast meetings and followed by appointments that had allowed her to immerse herself in things that would distract her.

But by the time she'd closed her suite door after sending her personal assistant off with instructions to intercept all calls and callers for the next hour and a half, the distractions were no longer keeping the other things at bay in her mind. Pacing the suite she knew she had to get outside, out of any confinement, just the walls around her started to feel like they were closing in and she was trapped. Grabbing her coat and phone she almost ran from the suite, determined to get outdoors as quickly as possible. The wait for the elevator was interminable and her finger stabbed at the button for the ground floor more than a few times trying to hurry the doors up once she was inside. Even in the elevator she paced, three steps then stop, turn and again, three paces. When the doors opened the waiting group of people were quickly parted as she strode out, eyes set on the front doors of the five star hotel, the doorman seeing her coming and holding the door open for her.

Once outside she inhaled deeply, the simple sense of there being no ceiling over her head, no roof to keep her trapped, seemed to help, but she still strode along the pavement, oblivious as to her direction and not caring much. It was almost dusk, the sun just setting, people everywhere and her hotel only a cab ride away. Right now all she wanted to do was move, feel the unfiltered air of the outside world on her face, see the sky above her and escape the confines that threatened to crush her.

She had no idea how long she walked, nor where her feet were even taking her, until she finally turned a corner and slowed a little, the surroundings starting to filter into her awareness. There was something familiar about the little street. A row of black bollards along the footpath... she looked across the road and stopped, just as the awareness prickled down from her skull and into her neck. Another immortal. Centuries of practice had taught her how to continue without looking around to reveal her own identity, instead she crossed toward the small stone church, hoping beyond hope that the presence she felt wasn't coming from outside its confines, but within.

Even if it wasn't Darius himself...

She pushed the old iron gate open and stepped onto holy ground, a small wave of relief running through her when she turned to close the gate and used the action to peruse the street. There was no-one to be seen and she turned to look up at the old church.

"Oh Darius, if only you were here now," she said quietly to the high stone walls.

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Although Darius had no reason to be concerned with his guest, that didn't mean that he wasn't quiet and somewhat cautious as he came around the corner of the church. After all, he had been killed on these very grounds, even if it had been done my mortals. As much as he hated to admit to it, that act had made him somewhat wary since his return. He hoped that such feelings would become less of an issue as time went on. Time after all, did have a way of soothing over such things.

When he caught sight of the woman standing before the church, he frowned for just a moment, not recognizing her at first from where he was standing. It was only when she shifted a bit that he realized that it was Cassandra. Smiling softly, he moved closer, although he did so without worrying about whether she could hear him or not this time.

He doesn't stop to consider that his appearance might be something of a shock.

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

She caught the movement from the corner of her eye but couldn't believe what she saw when she turned to face the man who'd appeared. All colour drained from her face as she stared, her jaw dropping.

"No!"

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Inwardly he started to scold himself for not thinking about how she might react to seeing him. Sometimes he neglected to remember that he was still dead to most everyone who had known him, and he made a mental note that he really did need to contact people so that they did not have this same kind of reaction if they came to the church.

He stopped moving, and held up one hand in what he hoped was a calming gesture. "My sincerest apologies. I did not mean to frighten you. I'm still not quite used to this myself."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

"It's really you??" She managed to draw breath, her hands still gripping her purse in front of her. Still unsure she looked him over, eyes quickly returning to his face as she studied him more closely. "Darius? Please, tell me it's you..."

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Smiling softly, and still looking more than a little bit apologetic for causing her such a shock, Darius nodded. "It is me. Hello, Cassandra. It...has been a long time."

He knew it had been far longer for her than it had for him in many ways.

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

She inhaled shakily, drawing her composure back around her as she finally blinked and swallowed. "Yes, it has," she agreed, taking a few steps closer and looking at him carefully. "Darius, what happened? Duncan said... " She stopped, shook her head as she recalled the bitter sadness in Duncan's voice when he'd told her what had happened to his dear friend.

"And wasn't it here?"

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

The soft smile turns sad as he thinks about how difficult it must have been for those that knew him to deal with his passing. He just wishes he knew more about how he had come to return, and more importantly, why.

"Yes, it was there in the chapel." He gestures with one hand towards the door without turning his attention away from his guest. "I cannot say really what happened after my death. I have no memory between the time the sword fell and the time when I awoke again just this past winter."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

She'd reached him by the time he'd finished speaking, her hand reaching out and resting on his wrist. "You .. woke?" Her eyes searched his face, his eyes, taking in all she could see of him. "I've never seen the likes of it before, but I'll be thanking the gods for your return! It has to be because of this place, and the intent behind the attack!"

It was a strange feeling, standing there in the old church's forecourt, talking with Darius who she'd believed lost to them forever. But there was no doubting his existance, and the great wave of relief that suddenly welled up inside her. Her hadn tightened on his wrist. "It's so good to see you, Darius!" she told him, her voice quiet and tight.

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

""I had never heard of such a thing before either, but I cannot help but to think there must be some purpose for my return. That there is some reason why I was sheltered here until now, and that one day that purpose will be made clear."

He smiles as he reaches out with one hand to gently cover hers in a gesture of friendship. "It is good to see you as well."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

Her smile was a little weak as she felt a pang deep inside at the sound of his words. "If only that day were clear to all of us at some point," she murmured, her visions having proven in most cases to have been more a burden than a blessing through her life.

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

He pats her hand gently with his, his eyes warm and soft, if somewhat sad at the sound of her voice. "All things will be revealed in their own time, just as they have always been."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

"And of course time is something we appear to have in abundance!" she huffed softly, head tilting a little as she looked at him for a long moment. "Even more than we might even have first suspected." She felt a small chill run up her spine and she turned to look quickly along the street. "Do you mind if we move inside, Darius. I'm just feeling like I need something more substantial than the fence between me and whatever lays beyond it right at this moment."

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Darius studied her face for just a moment, wondering what it was that she had seen or felt that had caused her to come here in the first place. Now was not the time to ask though, as she was obviously ill at ease. He did think of course that it might just be his reappearance, but the way she looked at the street told him there was more to it than just his unexpected presence.

After a moment, he simply nodded and then started to walk towards the front door of the church. "Of course. I can start a pot of tea if you like as well."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

The suggestion made her cough a soft laugh, eyes darting across apologetically as they approached the old doors. "Now I know for certain it's you. You and your tea, the timeless cure-all for all that ails a person. Even a soul," she said, pausing as he opened the door then stepping inside as he held it open for her.

She paused inside the door allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light that made its way at this time of the late afternoon through the stained glass window high above them.

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

He pauses as she takes the time to adjust to the dimmer light, the smile evident in his voice even if she can't see it on his face at the moment. "The calming effect of tea is a truly amazing thing. Something about the ritual behind it more than anything else, I believe. I am quite sure that is why they have so much ceremony behind it in Japan, at least partially."

After a moment, he closes the door and lets the peace and warmth that he has always felt in St. Julien's wash over him. "Of course, it helps to have something else to fall back on besides just the tea."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

The last part of his statement caught her attention as they made their way through the quiet of the church. "What would that be, Darius? What do you fall back on when tea doesn't quite deliver?" The reason she'd set out that afternoon, the feeling of being trapped, of there being no escape other than believing it wasn't her time yet, was still lingering in the back of her mind and she wondered how Darius now felt, having been betrayed on the very ground he'd held guardianship over for so long.

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Darius looked at her and he smiled softly, although he is somewhat surprised by the question. Given who he was and all that he had done, he would have thought the answer was somewhat obvious. "Faith."

Nothing had changed for him in that regard.

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

The serene nature of the ancient church was slowly wrapping around her as the single word settled in her mind. Again a small laugh rose, followed by a slow audible sigh as her arms folded and her hands rubbed up and down them.

"And how silly am I not to have thought of that," she admitted slowly to him. "It's something I'm still not used to," she continued a they slowly made their way through the building. "Despite finally, after so many thousands of years, finally being at rest with what drove me for so long, wearing anything else is still not comfortable for me yet." She looked at him for a moment, her steps pausing.

"Do you think we can begin to believe without question, even after all we've been through?"

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Darius smiled softly as he walked with her, the serenity of the church wrapping around him like a well loved sweater. He was glad to hear that she had finally started to overcome the past that had haunted her or so long.

When she paused, he did so as well, his hands sliding up into the sleeves of his robe as he spoke to her. "I think that it's always going to be difficult, especially when we have seen and experienced so much in our lives as compared to mortals. However I still think that it's possible if we truly wish for it to be so within our own hearts."

[voiceofthewoods.livejournal.com]

She mulled over the words, her desire to feel that peace at last still just out of her reach, but the resolve there, just a spark awaiting kindling. Duncan's plea for her to still the sword, to leave Methos with his head had been the beginning of that spark, had ignited the hope that perhaps, if she did, if she spared the man who'd betrayed her so succinctly all that time ago, she could finally find redemption, peace.

A shiver ran through her, her hand rubbing at her upper arms as if cold and she turned and glanced back at the doors they'd entered through, the silence still around them and the doors remaining as they were.

"I hope you're right." She looked at him, giving him a weak smile. "I really do."

[on-holy-ground.livejournal.com]

Darius cocked his head slightly, wondering what it was she was thinking about as she stood before him. He missed so much while he was gone, that he sometimes felt as though he would never catch up with it all.

"Something happened?"