/&Holy Water&\ [Ouvert]

[orls]

{Somewhere there's a stolen halo}
{I use to watch her wear it well}
{Everything would shine wherever she would go}
{But looking at her now you'd never tell}

The cool air surrounded her, soothing her frayed nerves. The soft crunching of gravel underfoot allowed her to forget where she was. For a moment, if she closed her eyes, she could almost allow herself to believe that she was back in Alberta, on the ranch. But, this was only a fantasy, and the cold aggravated the jagged scar along her neck and back, forcefully reminding her of the past.

With a shaky breath, Roxanne Devine opened her eyes. Soft strains of brown swum behind hot tears. All she wanted was to forget why she was here and go on with life. But, the pain was still very real, even four years later. It had taken most of those four years to learn to walk again. But, the hardest part was still hobbling with the aid of a cane to the grave.

{Someone ran away with her innocence}
{A memory she can't get out of her head}
{I can only imagine what she's feeling}
{When she's praying}
{Kneeling at the edge of her bed}

Her steps faltered as she continued to move down the park lane. She sought out a bench and wasn’t disappointed. Lowering herself slowly onto the chilly surface, Roxi lowered her head. It was a daily ritual. At least once a day, when she thought of the past, she would say a small prayer for the soul of the bravest horse she ever knew.

In less than a minute, her life had been inexorably changed. And those memories would haunt her forever. That’s why she hadn’t been able to go back to life on the ranch. She figured a big city where she could just blend into the background would do her good. She needed the anonymity and the mindless lifestyle, at least for a little bit.

{She wants someone to call her angel}
{Someone to put the light back in her eyes}
{She's looking through the faces}
{And unfamiliar places}
{She needs someone to hear her when she cries}

But, the anonymity didn’t help the way she had expected. With no one to talk to, no one she could call up when she as feeling particularly down, she felt entirely alone. That feeling only made her feeling that she didn’t belong anywhere anymore seem that much more real. It gave her too much time to reflect on the past when she had nothing to look for in the future, and nothing to see in the present.

So, here she was, sitting in the cold, alone once again with her thoughts. All she needed was one friend, one person she could confide in. She just needs someone who understands. But, in a city full to bursting with people in it only for themselves, was it possible to find someone willing to offer a healing hand and help her rise above?

{She just needs a little help}
{To wash away the pain she's felt}
{She wants to feel the healing hands}
{Of someone who understands}
{And she says take me away}
{And take me farther}
{Surround me now}
{And hold, hold, hold me}
{And she says take me away}
{And take me farther}
{Surround me now}
{And hold, hold, hold me like holy water}
{Holy water}

[Talan♠McInnis]

It was early morning and Talan was wearing his Nikes, black athletic pants and a white wife beater with a dark grey, pullover hoody over it. It was his standard jogging out fit that he wore each time he went jogging. Well, not true. He had other stuff as well since he refused to wear the same clothes to sweat in regularly. He never liked to wear it more than twice without washing it, and he couldn’t wash his clothes every other day. That would just be dumb and he didn’t have the time anyway.

Talan was a surprisingly, very clean person. He liked things to be clean. From his clothes, to his closet, to his drawers, and even just things in his cupboards or fridge. He liked things clean, neat, and organized. Don’t get him wrong, he wasn’t obsessive compulsive or anything. He just preferred that things be nicely kept. He could deal with dirt and clutter just fine, just don’t be surprised if he starts picking things up. You could say he is a bit of a neat freak. It came in handy for his job as well. He never lost any important documents, and the interior of the actual club was always nice as well, which was a plus for attracting customers, and celebrities alike.

At the moment though, he was his jogging time. A time for any and all worries of his to just fade away and it just be him and the road, or in this case since he was now in the park, the path he took. Every time he came to the park these days he thought of Destiny, the girls, and his unborn baby. All he needed now was to get a home for them, and marry her. Then he would have the wonderful family life, just like his had been before he had made all the stupid mistakes he had. Still, he hadn’t told Destiny about his past. He was just afraid. Afraid and ashamed.

The cool air felt good through his clothes. He didn’t always get to make time for his jogs nowadays, but when he did, he loved it. As much as loved the club life, and being there, and watching over things, he wanted to be there for every little step of the pregnancy. He still couldn’t get over it. He was going to be a Daddy and damn it, he was going to be a damn good one. Despite Talan’s past mistakes, his parents really had raised him very well. He had a wonderfully happy childhood with two great parents who loved each other and were just the best parents in the world.

That’s what he wanted. He wanted his children to grow up with parents like he’d had. He still wasn’t sure about marriage yet, but if all went well, which it should, he would propose to Destiny and they would get married. Of course, every couple had their problems, but they would work them out calmly, and talk things out. He would never raise his voice to her, or their children, and if she had a day when she was feeling down, he would take her in his arms and he would make everything ok. It would all be so perfect, even with any imperfections. It would be perfect, because it was all of them.

As he came upon somebody sitting on a bench, he could see even from a distance that she was upset. His protective instinct kicked in and he slowed down to a walk, strolling over to her, cautious not to startle her. That was Talan’s way. He was the type to walk the old lady across the street. Perhaps just as important, he was the type to see somebody else walk an old lady across the street and he would be the guy to go up to that person to tell them what a great deed they had done and how there should be more people like that in the world. It was the small things that made all the difference.

He spoke as he slid onto the bench next to her. “It’s rough ain’t it. Life, I mean,” he said gently, lacing his fingers together as he was leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees, observing his surrounding in deep thought before his gaze turned to her, “You look like you could use a friend. My name‘s Talan.” He unlaced his fingers and extended the arm opposite her, offering his hand for a friendly shake.

[orls]

Her brown eyes leapt to his face, searching it. An independant soul, she wasn't quite sure what to make of this sudden act of kindness. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced in her short time in this city.

The expression that crossed her face could only described as one that you would expect to see on the face of a cornered animal. Her eyes dropped to his outstretched hand, and she visibly hesitated. The prospect of friendship pulled at her, but her inborn mistrust of "city folk" held her back.

Then, she started thinking. Every now and then, you needed to just take a leap of faith, right? Just close your eyes, jump and pray to God you can fly. That's how life went. You took risks. Sometimes you flew high above the clouds, and other times you crashed and burned. When you did, you got up, dusted yourself off and tried again. Maybe it was time to try again.....

"Nice to meet you, Talan. I'm Roxanne,"
she said, taking his hand. Again, as usual, she was painfully aware of the slight accent she had compared to most of the people she'd met.