Players:
Summary: Lucas uses Rashmi to open an aspirin bottle while she tries to convince him that evil is dumb.
Date: Jan. 18, 2010
Back Together
Rating: PG
Westchester - Titicus Reservoir
Surrounded by trees and plenty of green, Titicus Reservoir is a peaceful spot. There is a fence surround the water to keep people out of the watershed. Sorry but there is no swimming in the drinking water. Before the fence is a small park with picnic tables, grills, and a large grassy area for recreational activity. The park is well maintained by the state of New York so it seems clean almost all the time.
Mid-afternoon, and between the long shadows of the park, a small, pale-blue glow can be seen to form, resembling a dim police siren. It's not log after when Rashmi emerges from between the trees, force-spheres revolving around her in shifting, ever-changing orbits. Glancing nervously in all directions, she creeps toward the water, every line of her body betraying her nervous tension.
Lucas makes her wait about five minutes, before he finally emerges from the trees several hundred feet away. He's wearing a pair of security guard pants that are clearly too large for him, tied around his waist with a belt. He's shirtless, but the right side of his chest and his back are covered with deep black and blue bruises. He is wearing his gloves, and has one across his chest, holding it like he's in some pain. He stands there, watching her. Waiting.
Rashmi turns quickly to face Lucas, staring at him for a long few minutes. Her conflicted emotions can be clearly read on her face, concern, wariness, sadness at his appearance, and beneath it all, the deep, abiding faith that she's always held in him. So it's with a hesitant step, but a trembling smile, that she approaches the blond, reaching slowly into her bag and pulling out a full bottle of Excedrin. "I've worried about you, Lucas…"
Lucas doesn't really react to seeing her. He glances away for a moment, and then begins to move towards her as well. His walk is much more labored, and there's a small limp to it. He doesn't speak. Once he reaches her, he stops, a full step away, making her close the distance if she chooses. His face is dirty, and he avoids directly making eye contact.
Rashmi pauses that full step away as well, her spheres whirling rapidly over and around her, throwing their pale light on her face in restless pools of light and shadow. She's silent a moment longer, then extends her hand across the gulf, the bottle of aspirin clenched in her shaking palm. "…Are you ready…?"
Lucas glances at the balls of light moving around them, then back at her chin. This close, she can hear his breathing has a rasp to it. He furrows his brow, looking at the bottle. "You know Ah can't open that with my gloves…" he says, softly. "It's why Ah needed your help…" He swallows, "Ready for what…?"
"To come back, Lucas." Rashmi's voice is gentle, insistent. "To let go of all of this… And come back to me. To the school. To people who can help you. I…" She looks down at the aspirin bottle, flushing. "…I need to know, so I know what to do next." Her hands are shaking badly enough that opening the bottle is a chore for her as well, but with a pop and a loud rattle of pills, she manages it.
Lucas shakes his head. "Ah told you, Rash. Ah have to do this," he says. "What to do next?" He furrows his brow. "Babe…" He pauses, breathing, a little wince crosses his face, and he continues. "What ya'll do next… Is you give me the aspirin… And then you go…" He shakes his head, "Ah don't take you, you don't take me… No one gets hurt…"
"Nathaniel is back," Rashmi says quietly, voice trembling. "They… they healed him. Took the demon out. They could do the same for you. If you would just…" Her voice trails off with a hitch, tears falling down her face, and amazingly, she stomps the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, spheres jerking sharply as one in response. "If you would just *ask for help* for once in your *life,* Lucas! I know you don't like to talk about anything, and I've accepted that… but *by God* I think I deserve *some* answers now!"
Lucas looks down at her feet. "Fine…" He swallows, and winces as he does. He looks at the aspirin in her hand. "Can Ah have the aspirin first an' then…" He sighs, "Then Ah'll answer whatever you want… But… Ah ain't goin' back to that mansion…"
Rashmi hands over the opened bottle. "Why not," is her first question, voice flat. "Right now it's all I'm asking of life in general. I'm short one friend, another is going to be healing for a lot longer than he needs to… I need to know why I can't at least have my boyfriend back with me anymore."
Lucas takes the bottle, and removes his hand from his chest. When he does, it reveals the bruises around his chest and a grotesque misshapen lump just below his pec that is obviously a broken rib bent and pressed against his blackened, bruised skin. He hastily dumps some of the aspirin straight into his mouth, swallowing with a wince. He looks at Rashmi. "Ah told you… If you wanna be with me, you can… Ah just can't be here with you."
Rashmi frowns slightly. "That's not an answer, Lucas sweetie, and you know it…" Her eyes travel down to the wounds, a sharp intake of breath heard. "Oh God, Lucas… you *need* to come back and get fixed, this is just going to *kill* you!"
Lucas follows her gaze to his chest, and sighs, "That fucker… Jordan… He hit me hard… Ah think Ah broke two or three ribs…" He shrugs, "It's okay. Ah'll be okay." He forces a little smile across his face, "Don't worry about me, Rash. I'm fine."
Rashmi's eyes narrow, lips pressing together. "Yes… see, that's when I need to worry most. You remember the *last* time you said that to me?"
Lucas smiles a little larger, "Yeah… Heh… Ah do…" He nods.
Rashmi nods quietly. "And I was right then, wasn't I…?" Shaking her head, she turns to look to one side. "Okay… so… Where are you going, after this…? Back to the Park…?"
Lucas sighs, looking out at the water. "Yeah… Prolly…" He looks back at her. "You should go soon…" He takes a half step back, laying his hand back over the side of his chest. "It's late. Ah wouldn't want you to get jumped by James…"
Rashmi's spheres swing back, rotating vertically behind her head. Taking a couple steps forward, she grabs tight hold of Lucas' glove, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. "I'm not giving up on you, Lucas… You just come back whenever you're ready, okay…?"
When Rashmi presses into him with the kiss, Lucas wavers, she almost knocks him over in his hurt state. Once their lips touch, he leans back forward, wrapping his other hand around her back and pulling her into him. He kisses her deep, flicking his tongue into her mouth and dancing his lips over hers. As he does, Rashmi can feel both of his gloves growing hotter, the air around them also suddenly a few degrees warmer. When he pulls his mouth from hers, he remains against her, his nose inches from hers, his feline eyes finally meeting hers. "You should go."
Rashmi lifts a hand, resting it against Lucas' cheek. "You can fight this, Lucas… I have faith in you. Come back to me, okay…? I'll be by the pool." One last tear falls down her cheek, as she takes a couple quick steps back, trying and failing rather miserably to give Lucas a smile. With a half-choked sob, she turns, fleeing into the growing night, the glow from her spheres marking her path for a long, long time, before becoming lost to view entirely.
Lucas watches her go, before quietly turning and heading back for the road.
