Total Eclipse (Casey)

[kayla]

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart


So this is how it felt to have the world crash down around you, she thought idling between hiccuped sobs. Her lovely brown eyes were bloodshot and puffy, the tracks of her tears could be read like a page out of the book of sorrows as they streaked down her cheeks. Her nose was a little red as well, runny and causing her to sniffle and blow her nose into the Kleenex in her hand. A box of them sat beside her on the little coffee table by her couch, more than half empty. The wastebasket on the floor in front of her though was full from the discarded tissues she'd already used.

The birds chirped and sang happily outside, twittering on the tree outside her balcony and encouraging her to welcome the beautiful day but she couldn't see the sun or the blue of the sky or smell the fresh, light scent the magnolias blossoming brought on the gentle breeze. She stared out at the day and saw nothing but bleakness and the shimmers of her tears.

No she wasn't watching The Notebook again. This was far, far more serious.

She didn't make it down to the Cafe this morning before the roosters, she hadn't even made it down by lunchtime to see all her regulars as they stopped in for a bite to eat and friendly chat. Even as the dinner hour rolled by she hadn't even given the Cafe, the one thing she'd labored and toiled at, pouring her heart and soul into the place,...just didn't matter. Nothing mattered at this freeze-frame shot in life to her. Not her hair that was a mess or the terrible state of her wrinkled clothes that she'd worn since the night before. Not the Cafe. All of it was a blur to her in her numbness.

The one man she'd ever loved. The one person on this earth that ever made her feel special and wanted, was out of her life forever. It had been that love that had kept her holding onto the thin strand of her sanity through the madness that was happening to her. That determination to stay in control of the strange impulses that had been cropping up. And now there was nothing but an empty void that threatened to consume her.

She hadn't answered her phone through the many times it had rang. Not the cell either. After the first ten times of seeing it wasn't Ty she lost interest in talking to anyone. Pulling the homemade quilt around her tighter, despite the warmth of the day she laid her head on a pillow and curled up in a ball. For the moment, the world could turn without her. For the moment her world was over. She hadn't even locked the door after he'd left last night. Hadn't cared to. If something was going to come and get her now, she almost welcomed it.

[Casey Callahan]

Me heart beats a jig and me blood it flows green
I’ve been a rogue and a rambler from ocean to sea.
And I like a ‘bevy’, now and then, that I’ll never deny
But I only drink on the days of the week that end with a ‘Y’
I’m no saint, I’m no sinner, of that there’s no doubt.
I’ll tell ya the truth I am the one
That yer grandmother warned ye about!



The Irish man looked at the clock on the wall and then waved for the last costumer of the night as the guy strolled out of the door and he locked it. With a sigh, he picked the plate and the cup from the table and headed with them into the kitchen to place them into the sink. He didn’t like this at all. Boss lady seemed to bunk into her apartment and he didn’t see her come down for even a minute in the last few days. He knew that big fella of hers hadn’t stopped in as well and he was smart enough to piece two and two together.

Scratching the back of his neck, he then stretched his arms and shook his head. He missed Kayla’s smile, the way she’d brighten the room with her presence and her beauty. She had taken him in when he needed a job, took a chance with him, and he had found way more than just a job, he had found a friend. And, he would have no more of that happening to her.

Wiping his hands in the cloth by the sink, he turned around and climbed up the stairs, decided in not accepting no for an answer.

Casey was a little surprised when he was about to knock on the door but saw it open instead when he barely touched it. However it was the sight of Kayla all curled up in the corner with red teary eyes that stung his heart and made him freeze for a second. But his resolve then returned with a vengeance, so he walked towards her, knelling in front of her and took her hands into his, rubbing them gently.

“There will be no more of this bhean álainn,” he said softly and used his hand to softly wipe the tears off her cheeks before he continued. “Nothing is worth of ya crying yer beautiful eyes like that. Yer a lovely lady that any man would love to have by his side and I’m not letting ye sit here and mop around for that big fella. Yer’ going out with me for a night of fun, Callahan style. So go on and get yerself all dolled up so every men will be wondering how it is that a fella like me got so damned lucky to have a woman like this by his side. No off ya go get ready or ya going to be hearing a rambling crazy Irish man all night.”

And he wasn’t just saying that, she was indeed beautiful. He would have asked her out if she wasn’t dating the big guy, but now it seemed that what she seemed to need to lighten up and have some fun, and that was actually something he was very good at. A few drinks, laughs and dance seemed like exactly what she needed to warm her soul. Off course partying Callahan style also meant some bones would be broken before sunrise…but when Casey went out to party, he wouldn’t pass up a fun rumble.

[kayla]

She hadn't even looked up when Casey had entered the room, hadn't even blinked or even made eye contact as her cool hands were taken by his, resting limply within those warm palms. Everything inside her just felt...cold, detached. She idly thought that this is what being dead must feel like. As he spoke her bloodshot brown eyes slowly tracked towards the sound of his voice, seeing him but not really even registering him right away as she met his eyes and the words were sounded, her mind not even comprehending them at first.

She blinked a little as the tears were gently wiped from her cheeks, the touch cool on her salt stung skin and making her blink a little. She shook her head a little at the request, knowing she was not ready to face the outside world yet. In a word she was.....

Broken.

A hollowed out shell. Yet here was someone showing compassion, mercy even and she didn't quite know how to take it. Part of her Part of her grasped at it greedily, wanting to hold onto it and anchor her reality in it. But a darker, more sinister presence within her licked it's gluttonous chops and considered what a savory morsel the one before her would be. had all those things been memories? Or dreams? Was she simply losing her mind or was there something else at work within her. At times she felt so alien within her own skin.

When she moved it was not to stand or to attempt to do as he said. Instead it was simply to rest her head against his collarbone and gulp great breathes of air to keep from passing out on the spot. "Why do I feel like I'm dying inside Casey?" she whispered against his shirt as she trembled all over. "It's..it's like there's less and less of me and more darkness these days." she confessed, part of her knowing he had no idea what she'd meant by that. Her hands slipped from his and she reached for him, curling her small fists into his shirt as she clung to him like a lifeline in a storm tossed ocean.

[Casey Callahan]

The Irish man had a particular outlook at life that he had learned from his father, it was knowing that not always thing didn’t pan out the way it was expected or wanted, but regardless, always push forward and try to look onto the bright side of things. When life pushed you, you had to push right back, twice as strong, stand tall and had the fun of his life. No matter how grim things were for him, Casey knew that as long as there were whiskey, brawls and pretty women in the world, everything would be fine.

But right then at that moment, the Irish felt a heavy stinging pain in his heart as he saw Kayla in such poor shape. If he wasn’t so concerned, he might had been able to look deeper and notice something else was off, but right then he saw only a girl that was very dear to him and had her heart broken. He always had been more impulsive than anything anyways, and instinctively his arms came around her to hold the poor girl who was shaking like a leaf in the windstorm and try to offer some comfort.

“Maybe because ya haven’t been partying Callahan style? I promise ye that yer’ going to have a major headache tomorrow, but yer’ going to have the time of yer’ life today…just wipe those tears away and get yerself into a pretty little dress and let me take care of the rest…”

But she kept talking, about darkness, and Casey imagined she was talking figuratively. Pushing her back gently just enough so he could see her face and look into her eyes, he brought one hand to her chin and pushed her face so her eyes met his.

“Nay Kayla, there isn’t darkness, only light. I know ya and ye can’t fool me lady, I know yer’ the sweetest one I ever met, a beautiful woman with a smile that makes a room go brighter than the sun itself. Yer’ going to get through this, that I promise ya. Me daddy didn’t raise a liar for a son, and a Callahan always keep his promises, so ya better get into that pretty head that yer’ going to be alright.”

Leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Man, what he wouldn’t give to see her smile again. Being a Callahan, the supernatural world was really in his blood. Even if they never talked about it, mostly because he had never asked and figured she would tell him herself if she wanted or even knew about it, that from the first time he had seen her, he had notice an aura about her, something only he could see, but it was truly pretty to look at. And when she was happy, it did shine stronger, unlike it was now.

“I’d do anything to see ya shine again bhean deas.”




_{((Sorry for taking so long to reply Kayla, muse has been lacking. Hope this is any good *hugs*))}

[kayla]

The feel of those warm arms about her, the smell of his nearness and his..otherness..it stirred something deep within the confines of the beast's cage as it raised it's head and took notice, Kayla felt it too, a cold wash of dread that swamped her and made her entire frame shudder hard as he held her. She clutched her hands tighter in his shirt even as he leaned her back from him and tilted her head up by her chin, that finger crooked lightly under it and looked in her eyes.

He was so good. So pure. So, ....

...intoxicating.

If he only knew what dwelt within her, coiled tight around her very soul, sharing residence in her mind and heart he would retract those words. If he knew the horrors that she had committed in her sleep walking state.... No those were dreams, nothing more. Terrible, horrible nightmares. That's ALL!, she told herself with an almost hysterical determination.

How she wanted to believe his words! How she wanted them to be true! That this was all just a dark cloud of doubt and heart break and it would blow over, leaving those proverbial skies sunny once more. That she would forget in time the pain and heartache that losing Ty caused. That it was that pain that was causing this darkness and not some imaginary thing she felt within her. Could it be so simple? Could she just drink her cares away and feel nothing anymore?

The temptation of numbness was one that was appealing. Numb was far greater than the enormous hole she felt within her, that void that it seemed nothing could feel. Was love always this painful? That kiss to her forehead made her eyes slide closed tightly as she swallowed hard and tried to take a deep, slow breath that resulted in a harsh quivering of air instead as she nodded.

"I don't know about shine Casey but I think I might take you up on that offer of drinks. I think...I think I could use one....or twenty right now." she confessed as she rested her forehead against his, at war with herself as she remained so close to him and the thing within her watched, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Now was not the time. Not a leave a body in it's lair, drawing curious questions.

No...but soon.

"Help me up. I need to ...to clean up. I can't go anywhere like this." she said softly, knowing the way she must look, feeling the heat and puffiness of her face and eyes.

((No worries. It wasn't that long and it was great post silly. Like always.))