|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 6, 2010 19:33:53 GMT -5
Henri was finally able to get Aurelia to agree to go back to her place. Goodness knew that Aurelia needed the sleep. He knew that she was going to be stubborn about the sleep, but he was going to remain there for as long as he needed to be. Henri thought that he could calm her down and at least get her to sleep for a few hours.
With his arms still around her, Henri apparated to her apartment and took her in. He wasn't sure exactly what he could do, but he would figure it out as they went.
"Let's sit on the couch, okay?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 8, 2010 16:10:44 GMT -5
Aurelia had reached the point of numbness, where she was hurting so badly that she didn’t even feel it anymore. She followed Henri passively. If she just concentrated on the little things, like breathing in and out, putting one foot in front of the other… well, it didn’t help, but at least she was still there.
This moment would have been a thousand times worse if not for Henri. She knew that deep down, but she couldn’t yet articulate the words. One day she would thank him for being here in the worst hours of her life, but for now she could only nod weakly as he led her over to the sofa and helped her sit down.
Evidence of Dani was everywhere. There were pictures on the wall, a bouquet of the daffodils that Dani loved so much, a jacket draped over the back of a chair, a pair of shoes on the floor… It ripped at Aurelia to see these things and she felt herself breaking all over again.
“Do you think…” she began, her voice hoarse and scratchy. “Do you think she’s scared?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 9, 2010 15:39:54 GMT -5
As they took their seat on the couch, Henri left his arms around Aurelia and held her close to him. "Elle est une petite fille très brave," he stated. Dani was really a brave little girl. Honestly, Henri thought that she might be frightened being taken away like that but he wasn't going to voice that to Aurelia. She didn't need to hear that. What she needed was reassurance that Dani was going to be found. Henri knew that he would do whatever he could to find her. He did wish that he was out with the others looking for Dani, but at the moment, Aurelia needed him. He couldn't very well leave her.
"I think she's going to be okay. Dani will be alright and she'll be found soon, I promise. She'll come back home and everything will be okay." Henri wasn't even sure the purpose of kidnapping Dani but they would figure it out soon, hopefully.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 11, 2010 23:07:53 GMT -5
It was a myth to say that she could run out of tears. Any time she thought she just couldn't possibly have any tears left, they would start building up again, and she'd be in tears again. How was Aurelia supposed to function until her baby was returned to her? Somehow, she would be expected to work, eat, sleep, breathe... but right now, all of these things seemed too hard. How could she play music when the music was gone from her life? How could she eat when her stomach was constantly queasy? How could she sleep when Dani was her every thought? And how could she breathe with the horrible block of ice in her lungs?
What if Dani was gone for weeks, or months, or years? Or... forever? Aurelia didn't know how she would survive.
"W-when she comes b-back... I'm n-never l-letting her out of my sight again..." she murmured through her tears.
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 12, 2010 12:04:54 GMT -5
If it was Pavel, Henri wanted to wrap his hands around the man's neck if he ever got the chance. The way that Aurelia said that she was treated and the kidnapping of Dani was more than enough for Henri to have a hatred for the man, especially if he was the reason as to why some of his memories were erased.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, he hugged her to him whispering 'shh' in her ear in attempt to calm her down. Henri pulled back a little and reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "When she comes back you will not have to worry about her disappearing again, I can promise you that." There was just a small hint of anger in his voice, but he tried to keep it as calm as possible.
"Do you want me to make you any tea or coffee?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 13, 2010 23:16:41 GMT -5
How could that help? A cup of tea and Dani would be back, safe and sound? She wanted to lash out, you yell and scream at him, but when she thought of it... it just sounded like too much work. She wasn't angry with him.. This wasn't his fault. It was her fault. She had failed Dani. It was her job to protect her daughter and keep her safe... and she failed.
She shook her head and sniffled. Really, a cup of tea probably would have done her some good, but at the moment, the mere idea of swallowing seemed completely impossible.
"Just stay with me."
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 14, 2010 16:42:30 GMT -5
He thought he would just offer something. Henri wasn't sure there was much he could do but if making tea or coffee was something she wanted, he could do that but right now she just wanted him to stay. He could do that too.
"I won't leave you," he said. He had already left her once. Although he didn't really have any control over that. Even though he didn't have control over that, Henri couldn't help but wonder what if. It was just natural to wonder.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 14, 2010 23:00:02 GMT -5
Aurelia huddled closer to him, trying to surround herself with his warmth and comfort, like a protective cocoon. It didn't exactly help her to feel better, but at the moment, it was all she had. This would have been a thousand times worse without him here. And yet... there was a sort of uncomfortably icky feeling... as if she was trading Dani for Henri.
What if she wasn't meant to be with Henri? What if there was some force in the universe preventing her from having everything she wanted--her daughter, the man she loved, freedom from Pavel. She had reunited with Henri and now Dani was gone... it seemed too coincidental to be just a coincidence.
"I can't lose her," she whispered. Hadn't she been through enough? Wasn't she allowed to be happy?
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 14, 2010 23:42:28 GMT -5
Whatever it was that was going on, Henri would fight for Aurelia and Dani. He wouldn't let them go very easily. Dani was going to be found, and if Pavel was behind it, Henri would attempt to make sure that Pavel would get what was coming to him. However, if it came down to it and he had no other choice then he would have to back away. Henri couldn't make Aurelia chose between him and Dani but that didn't mean he wasn't going to find some way to fight for them.
"You won't lose her," he promised. "She's going to be just fine and she's going to come back." Henri just held onto Aurelia. He didn't feel like he was making some empty promise. Some how Dani would come back. Aurelia needed to be happy. Too much had already happened and something had to change.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 15, 2010 22:06:01 GMT -5
Aurelia leaned closer to him and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and emotionally drained, and her eyes felt like someone had rubbed them with sandpaper. But despite all of this, she really didn't think she'd be able to sleep. She wouldn't be able to stop picturing Dani in danger... scared, hurt, not knowing where she was...
"Tell me she's OK," she murmured. "That she'll be back tomorrow and that we'll be a family. Make me believe it."
Maybe it was too soon to talk about being a family with him. They'd only just found each other, and he was still trying to get his memory back. But at that moment, Aurelia didn't care. She needed him too much.
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 15, 2010 22:30:34 GMT -5
Henri wanted to promise her a lot of things. He didn't know if Dani would be back tomorrow but he did know that she would be found soon. The word family made a feeling go through Henri that he didn't really know how to describe. It was a good feeling but it was different.
"Dani is okay, she will be back, and we will be a family." His words were confident, promising. Henri was willing to promise her that. He couldn't promise her that Dani would be back tomorrow because it would be a guilty feeling if Dani wasn't back tomorrow. "We'll be a family together," he repeated in a softer tone. Maybe the word family should have a different effect on him, but Henri liked that idea. It seemed comfortable to say that word and mean it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 16, 2010 12:57:33 GMT -5
Aurelia noticed that he didn’t say she’d be back tomorrow, and it made her heart break a little more. Every moment Dani was missing felt like a little piece of her heart was being chipped away. If she was gone for days, weeks, months… or longer… Aurelia wasn’t sure she could take it. She was strong because she had to be for Dani. But without her daughter, Aurelia felt like the fight was slowly ebbing away from her.
“How could anyone do this? She’s just a little girl… she’s innocent in this. If Pavel did this… why wouldn’t he just come after me? He never had any interest in her as a baby… He may not even be…”
She stopped abruptly, realizing what she had almost said. She had almost just told Henri that Pavel might not be Dani’s father. She wasn’t sure he was ready to hear that he might be Dani’s real father… It was too soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 16, 2010 13:11:55 GMT -5
"If it is Pavel, he could be using her." It was a possiblity. If Aurelia and Dani left Pavel, Henri knew the man would try to find them, after all, there was a lot of trouble gone through to make sure that Aurelia would end up with Pavel. "But, Dani will be back before too long."
Her abrupt stop wasn't just looked over. Henri's mind didn't register the possiblity of the real answer after her stop. The only thing he could think was that it could have been some sort of information to help find Dani. "Il ne peut pas être que," he found himself asking. He wanted to know what she was going to say.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 16, 2010 13:28:28 GMT -5
It was funny how easily she understood him when he slipped into French, even though it had been years since she’d practiced it. He didn’t do it that often, but when he did, she barely even noticed it. She just always understood him, like they spoke the language of love.
She pulled away and shook her head. “No… it doesn’t matter. It was just… I’m not really making a lot of sense right now. I’m just so tired and scared and worried… Maybe a cup of tea wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 16, 2010 13:40:49 GMT -5
He could read her face and her body language, after all it was part of his job to be able to read someone, and he could tell that she wasn't telling everything. Now wasn't the time to really press the matter, but he would make it a point to ask her about it soon.
Henri reached up and pushed some hair from her face. "Je peux vous faire une tasse de thé," he said. "Where do you usually keep your thé?" Saying the english word 'tea' had always been a little hard for him, so he always used the french word for it.
He wasn't going to make Aurelia get up. Maybe should would even lay down on the couch and take a short nap but he knew that she probably wasn't going to sleep.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 16, 2010 13:57:55 GMT -5
Aurelia coughed a little, realizing how dry her throat actually was. She had a feeling that this was going to come up again, but she hoped she could avoid it until she was sure he was ready to hear it. After all, maybe she was wrong. Maybe Dani really was Pavel's daughter. Aurelia loved her no matter who her father was... but she really hoped that Henri was her real father.
"The cabinet just above the stove, bottom shelf," she replied, answering her question about the tea. And... maybe you could get me a warm washcloth. I must look terrible..."
Not that she cared how she looked. She just needed him to leave the room for a few minutes, so she could clear her head a little. If that was possible.
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 16, 2010 19:44:39 GMT -5
"Non vous ne faites. Vous semblez toujours parfaits," he said with a serious yet quite tone. Maybe it was more familar feelings coming back that made him say it. He didn't think she looked terrible at all. She was still perfect to him.
Henri did know that Aurelia would make herself sick if she didn't do anything and he was glad she was willing to at least drink something. It was a simple move that he made by leaning up and kissing her forehead. He didn't know what sparked it but he just did it. "I can do that," he said as he slowly got up from the couch.
He gave her a small smile and then disappeared into the kitchen to put a pot of water on to make tea. Then he made his over to wet a washcloth for her as quick as he could. Folding it, he walked back into the living room area and handed it to her before disappearing again into the kitchen waiting on the water to boil.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 19, 2010 9:47:00 GMT -5
She did not look perfect, but it was sweet of him to say so. It was so like him to say just the right things. Or maybe he actually meant it and was blind to how terrible she looked. It didn't matter... either way, she loved him for it.
She cleaned up her face using the rag, then blew her nose with a tissue from the nearby coffee table. She still didn't feel much better, but she knew that she wasn't doing Dani any good like this.
By the time he got back, she looked a little bit better and was able to breathe through her nose, but that was all she could really say for herself.
|
|
|
|
Post by Henri Gillet on Apr 19, 2010 11:15:13 GMT -5
While waiting for the water to boil, Henri leaned against the counter and rubbed his eyes. This was going to seem like it was going to take forever to find Dani. They had no idea where she could have been taken but he wasn't going to lose hope. Somehow they would find out where she was. There was no way that Henri was going to let anyone give up on finding her.
Once the water boiled, he made tea and took it to Aurelia. Henri carefully sat down with a tea cup in his hand and handed it to her. "Here you go," he said softly. He wanted her mind to go off somewhere else for the moment. It was obvious what was happening to her and he thought maybe he could get her to focus on something other than the fact that Dani was missing.
"Why don't you tell me about some more of the things that we used to do." It was apparent what he was trying to do but he hoped that somehow it would help her relax.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aurelia Krizova on Apr 20, 2010 15:33:35 GMT -5
Aurelia knew perfectly well what he was doing. but how could she be distracted from thoughts of her daughter? Dani was her every thought and she would be until she was returned to her. How could she possibly think of anything else?
She sighed and held the tea cup clasped in both hands. "Most of the best times we were together were the ones where we weren't doing anything at all," she said. "We would just listen to music in each other's arms, or we would lie on the grass in front of the school and look up at the clouds."
|
|
