Two pairings; OC characters!
Pairing: Anna Baronski x Ian O'Lannie.
Genre: Realism/Romance.
Set: Alpha
Status: Complete.
A/N: This is somewhat autobiographical. Elinore is Anna's sister. They're in a different order on purpose. And all characters © Elizabeth Marion Whittaker.
Summary: Love comes in many different forms, and only they know how to play to each other's drummer.
#32 - Confusion
Dating her was hard, Ian had said once--but to try to understand what Anna was thinking was even harder, even after he realised that she was not what most would call 'a normal girl to bring home to your parents'.
#08 - Happiness
While most women smiled at flowers, chocolate, and candy of all kinds--the first time Anna smiled was at some cheesy letter that he handed her, with a pink envelope and a gift card to a video game store, and realised it was hard to get that smile in the first place.
#16 - Weakness
Ian wondered one day how to sum up Anna's faults all into one word, but her sister summed it up in one sentence as she sipped her Coke, saying, "If you're wondering how to put it, just say it's a neurological disorder--Asperger's, to be exact."
#28 - Sickness
"Don't look at me as if it's a contagious disease, Ian; it's not, and there's not a cure in the world to make Anna love you the way you want her too--my sister doesn't love people like others do, and I never get that kind of love, either," Elinore said harshly as she stood up from her chair, pushed it in, and walked out of the room angrily.
#45 - Hell
The way home from the cafe felt like he was walking into a hot abyss, and not even the air conditioner cooling his skin comforted Ian--nor did the ringing of the telephone, the smell of Irish stew his mother was cooking, or the wave of his brother's hand and asking him how his day was--because it was something that he probably would never have; and Elinore just slapped him in the face with it, a little more then even she probably realised.
#22 - Jealousy
Anna was always jealous that Ian seemed to get along more comfortably with his friends then she did--after all, he could at least get hugs, and not feel trapped within them, and he was better with things that she longed to be--such as showing emotions and letting people know how they would feel.
#09 - Telephone
The other thing that she wanted to do was to be direct when there was something wrong, but it always seemed to be a pattern when she made the phone call--an hour of rattling off every stupid thing there was to say, followed by five minutes of thinking of how to say something, and then finally with him asking, "So, now that you've said everything that you could and sound a bit more relaxed, are you going to tell me why you called?"
#48 - Waves
The arguments the two were have were like highs and lows, but it took a lot to make them see on the same wavelength, and Ian wanted to pull his hair out after four hours, when she finally got the point of what he said in the first place . . . three and a half hours before, right when it actually had started.
#01 - Comfort
He comforted her with holding her and stroking her hair while quieting her apologies; she would say she was sorry and write emails and letters--but both knew the other would say it was okay, because that was just how they did it, in the years that they were together.
#07 - Chocolate
It was a ritual that Anna ate some form of chocolate, but Ian raised an eyebrow at the Snickers bar in her hand, at how she took a bite out of it, and realised that she only did that one week out of the month--wishing that she just had the chocolate ice cream with hot cocoa and milk instead, since that was easier to deal with.
#49 - Hair
Most saw their argument over hair as a petty thing; to them, it symbolised all the time that was put into what they had, since both of theirs was almost down to the middle of their back.
#15 - Touch
While Ian found he couldn't hold her, he found other boundaries, and he could live with caressing her face-- enjoying the blush that came across her cheeks and the way she held her hair between her fingers, brushing across her lips like a paintbrush.
#26 - Forever
While Anna knew that problems usually got better, she would always have Asperger's, and was thankful that she found someone that could cope, even if it confused her on why he did what he did most of the time.
#37 - Technology
Ian laughed as he glanced at the laptop that was lying on the kitchen table, seeing a familiar application open and saw a note typed in Microsoft Word, saying that she would be home later then expected, and to order something for dinner.
#33 - Fear
Every day was different, because Ian feared that Anna would push him away, because he could see that she tried to understand him and just did not get things that a normal person should have--such as why he always said she was worth it all the time.
#23 - Hands
Her emotions swirled inside her as she saw him, clasping at the necklace that was around her neck with both hands and closed her deep blue eyes, opening them as she took a deep breath and advanced toward him, her heart thumping fast as she took his hand and pulled him aside in a matter of a few seconds--away from his friends, and asserting herself in her confliction of emotions for a moment.
#03 - Soft
After all the courage it took Anna to pull Ian away from his friends, she watched his eyes stare at her, and her lips parted, whispering, "I wanted to tell you . . . I get afraid . . . but I love you."
#50 - Supernova
His shoulders dropped as if a heavy weight was lifted and his eyes closed as well, a smile parting his lips as he grabbed her and hugged her tightly, surprised that she just let him, and her own arms reciprocated the action back as his emotions poured out stronger then before.
#04 - Pain
As they walked home, he held her hand, and heard a groan of pain part from her small cherry lips, hating that her magic worked in mysterious ways, and at the worst times possible.
#13 - Death
Anna's body tensed and her eyes slammed shut as she felt a wave of pain in her head and tears in her eyes; then glanced to the sky as she felt someone steady her and said, "I hate this . . . knowing that someone passes to the other side is a blessing and a curse."
#29 - Melody
When the house was empty, and Anna was by herself, she would play the song that he made her for her birthday, letting the music wash over her and remembered that she was not alone as she took off her glasses and brushed her honey brown hair.
#36 - Market
"God," Ian muttered as he saw Anna coming through the door with two bags of groceries, taking one of the bags and looked at the liver in his bag with disgust; "I just bought food, and you insist that you needed more to cook dinner--whatever am I going to do with you, woman?"
#05 - Potatoes
She watched his face as he wrinkled his nose, seeing the mashed potatoes on her plate, covered with gravy and some butter, and chuckled as she put some on her fork and ate it, never understanding what it was about potatoes that Ian hated so much.
#30 - Star
Ian never thought that being a defense attorney was hard, until he watched her at work, and realised that all the spotlight was on her while she was defending her client, and saw the perspiration on her face at hiding her nervousness to the courtroom.
#20 - Freedom
Anna exhaled a breath as the judge read off the verdict, and at hearing "not guilty," she smiled and gathered her things, knowing that her job for that day was done; dealing with the press, however, would be another matter . . . but that left her as Elinore hugged her, and stiffened at that sudden touch.
#42 - Clouds
Her finger traced a puffy white outline in the dimming sky, and Ian noticed the orange that leaked around it, saying it was like a carrot; Anna shook her head and giggled, just leaning close as they sat on the park bench, watching them together.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
The storm came all too soon, and she walked in the rain, letting the droplets hit her glasses and her hair, the booming noises and the light that illuminated the sky all too comforting, in a creepy sort of way.
#06 - Rain
Ian glanced at the window, and saw the drops hit the windowpane, hating that he was kept awake while it stormed, but his girlfriend slumbered peacefully, as if its lullaby comforted her; he snuggled close, letting her breathing become his own song into slumber moments later.
#25 - Devotion
Anna was always submissive when it came to Ian's wishes, and no one understood why--some saw him as a dominant lover, but he knew that what he wanted came before her own wants; and in their eyes, it was how she showed her love for him, when the words were never said.
#17 - Tears
When Ian had disappeared for weeks, without a call, or no word to Anna, she did not cry--no tears could fall because she willed herself to block out the emotions; only when she saw a familiar head of waist long red hair did she let the tears fall, and embraced him from behind tightly, murmuring, "Even if you had to leave, never leave without telling me--I thought it was because I did something to make you leave."
#38 - Gift
A few weeks later, Ian watched as Anna fell asleep in her big computer chair and grabbed the necklace that he wore, slipping off his neck and put it around her own, hearing her stir as his hands touched her neck, and said, "Now you'll have something whenever you're upset, and alone--you can think of me."
#11 - Name
It took her three years to say it, but Ian remembered it as if it was the first time every time she said his name, so soft and hesitant, with a blush on her face.
#21 - Life
If someone had asked them where they would be five years from now, only Ian would probably have said that they would still be together--despite the many rocks that came up on their life's journey.
#39 - Smile
Her lips turned up as she laughed, brushing some hair out of her eyes, and Ian knew that it was worth it, every time--it only took him four years for her to do it constantly in his presence, and respected when she did not, and did not push her to do so unless she truly wished to.
#18 - Speed
It was of no consequence to them, because they knew there was no need to rush--after all, they had the rest of their lives ahead of them, and all the time in the world to get to truly know the other person.
#46 - Sun
When Anna went back to America, Ian had insisted that he go with her too, despite his fear of airplanes, and noticed that he could actually see the clouds from the window, and how the sunlight hit them better 32,000 feet in the air then if he was looking at them from the ground.
#44 - Heaven
To finally be able to show the places that Anna talked about with him, and to see her face light up in delight--it was something that Ian kept in his heart, knowing that if he died right then, he could at least keep her twinkling eyes and smile with him.
#43 - Sky
"See I told you," Anna whispered as she laid in his arms, pointing at the North Star that was twinkling brightly, "we see the same sky, even though it is four thousand miles away."
#27 - Blood
When he cut his finger, Ian winced at watching the coppery liquid form on the slender digit; he was even more surprised to watch a hand take the finger to her lips, and kiss the wound before grabbing the disinfectant and putting rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, pressing it gently on his skin.
#19 - Wind
Anna told him to not wear the huge coat on their outing to the store, since it was only five minutes away, and she chuckled as the sudden gush of hair tousled her hair around--Ian, however, immediately tied his hair back with a black rubber band, hating how his hair was now mussed, and missed the hood to keep his hair out of his face.
#47 - Moon
It captured her attention, as she gazed at it, seeing his sleeping form on her lap, and reflected how the white light shone on his face, bringing out those features as she kissed him softly, noting how his eyes sleepily opened and the light bounced off them as well.
#35 - Bonds
Sometimes he regretted the fact that he stayed with her so long, but she did not regret a thing, and at standing there, shyly holding a box in her hands and taking out the silver banded ring, he allowed her to slip it on his finger, knowing that he probably would not have taken anything back, either.
#12 - Sensual
He would have thrown her over his shoulder, but she was a rather large person by nature; so he waited until they got into the hotel room before he grabbed her, carried her to the bed, and then put her down, just drinking in the sight of his newly wed wife in the huge ballroom dress that was her wedding gown--and how her eyes glowed with adoration.
#02 - Kiss
Ian sat on the bed next to her, his hair hanging loosely over his shoulders as he took her in, but she had sat up and pulled the tie of the tuxedo, pulling him down and wrapping her arms around him, letting her lips press against his, and starting a dance of their own, with her being the lead.
#40 - Innocence
He always marvelled at how shy she could be, after that first kiss . . . when his hands suggested more then just subtle kisses and carresses, she would blush deeply, her eyes showing the conflicting emotion of if it was actually right or not.
#14 - Sex
Some could say that it was the same motions, because Anna was a submissive by nature--but despite who was dominant and submissive, the two knew that it was never the same level, by far--only when she truly gave herself, and told herself she loved him was when she realised just how intense true love could be.
#41 - Completion
When they joined she finally nodded, trusting herself to go through with the motion, they both felt their dance hit a cresendo, and they rode that wave together until it became a whisper, their bodies intertwined as they held each other close, knowing that they were one for as long as they were together.
#24 - Taste
She pulled something from out of the dresser drawer and stuck her finger in it, letting it linger for a moment, and pulled it out, dripping golden syrup along her index finger and shoving up into her husband's mouth; there were no objections, only gentle suckling as he licked it up, and murmured, "Now that's a hell of a good morning, ne?"
#10 - Ears
"Only you would thin---mmmr," the American said, quieting her answer as he stroked along her earlobe with a cold finger, whimpering as he laughed and cuddled her close, trying to steal any warmth the other had to offer.
#31 - Home
"Despite coming back to America and seeing everyone," Anna said as they got back on the plane to go back to England, "I can't really say that's where I'm from anymore--they thought I was too different . . . and I can truly say that being with you is where I belong."
And here is set two!
Pairing: Anna Baronski and Ian O'Lannie
Genre: Romance/Angst/Comedy
Rating: G to R for language.
Status: Complete.
Set: Beta
A/N: They're in a different order on purpose. All characters © Elizabeth Marion Whittaker.
Summary: In a war for love and justice, two hearts come together, despite their differences in culture and lives.
#01 - Walking
The moonlight shone on the two lovers strolling in the night-Anna huddled in her huge leather coat and Ian smiling at her as he had his arm around her shoulder and held her hand softly, wondering why the moonlight seemed to reflect off her glasses instead of her sapphire orbs.
#02 - Waltz
”You’ve got to be kidding me,” the American scoffed at her English boyfriend as he pulled her into his arms and waltzed to the 1812 overture-which turned off all too soon, in Ian’s opinion as one of her J-rock songs came on and her off key singing filled the room where orchestral chords sung a moment before.
#03 - Wishes
”So where would you be, if you-“ Anna started to ask, but was silenced with lips pressing against hers as the boy sat on her, straddled on her stomach and using his arms to balance himself overtop her.
#04 - Wonder
Ian was used to seeing Anna in denim jeans and a drab green sweater when she walked around Sheffield, but when he walked into the mansion and saw her in a dark blue dress and small black pumps- not to mention new silver rimmed glasses and a sapphire choker necklace, ring and earrings in both pierced holes-he just stared at the girl as their eyes met, unable to take them off the jewel of the room.
#05 - Worry
He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach as he approached the Lovington’s mansion and knocked on the door-but he kicked it open when he heard screaming and saw blood all over the main corridor; the boy reached for his phone and pressed the first number that came to mind, but Anna’s line immediately went to voicemail and Ian ran up the stairs to see if there were any survivors.
#06 - Whimsy
Reaching his intended destination, Ian saw a figure huddled by a doorway, and reached for the raven woman with blood coming from her shoulder-of course, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down as he screamed in surprise and found that Diorei was giving him a noogie to lighten the tension, whispering, “Gotta keep your spirits up somehow, rookie.”
#07 - Waste/Wasteland
Ian was remarking on how Sandal Castle was nothing more then ruins as they came to the bridge that would take her to it, with gusty winds-but Anna turned to him and replied, “If you think this is a wasteland, you should see Ground Zero-there’s nothing left of those two towers.”
#08 - Whiskey and Rum
Ian was thankful that they were alone in his room while Anna was drunk from the shots of rum and coke, because she ended up flirting with everyone around her-but he didn’t mind too much-at least he could let her lick the whiskey off his lips before he drank too much.
#09 - War
By day, the two went to school; by night, they fought in a drug infused hell that never seemed to spare anyone-including innocents and their own family and friends.
#10 - Weddings
Anna often wished of her own wedding, and told Ian that if they made it out of Palatizzo’s trap alive, that they would have a handfasting right after-no matter how much Ian objected.
#11 - Birthday
Ian told the others about Anna’s birthday and they agreed to celebrate it by setting up a surprise party for her at a bowling alley-Ian decided to never involve the Organization again at planning parties, because Marea bitched when her shoes broke on the walk to the bowling alley, Diorei tried to eat the birthday cake before Anna arrived, and Janice got out her gun and nearly shot at both of them for bitching so much.
#12 - Blessing
”Her good fortune is her ability to be able to know where the hell we, and all the enemies around us are,” Diorei told Ian one day as they sat in her car, waiting for the train to cross over the tracks.
#13 - Bias
Anna was watching the news coverage about 9/11 and gasped in horror as she saw the live footage of the Twin Towers going down in New York City and the wreckage of the Pentagon-while the other girls were in the room; of course, they told her to stop overreacting so much, but she couldn’t help but be mortified, because it was her country that was under attack, and not theirs.
#14 - Burning
Flames licked the candlewick lovingly as Anna watched it burn, her hands spread on the ground as she knelt there and prayed for Ian’s safe return, closing her eyes a moment later as her cell phone rang.
#15 - Breathing
Anna heard a shot, and then a thud against the floor, but no screams or gasp out of the black woman’s mouth as she tried to run to Janice and catch her before she fell; but to no avail-since the bullet was shot in the back of her head, and Janice was dead.
#16 - Breaking
Ian watched Janice’s death in horror as Anna tried many times to revive her, but it was Diorei who he felt sorry for, watching the woman she secretly admired falling in battle before her and tears running down her face-he heard her mumble softly as she covered her mouth to stop the tears, and all he heard was “I never told you I loved you-I didn’t think it would hurt so much.”
#17 - Belief
Ian never believed in magic before, because to him it simply did not exist, but hated that the American girl before him made him question them now with her telepathy.
#18 - Balloon
He suggested that they could ride in a hot air balloon one day when it stopped raining for a date, and was met with a wide-eyed stare of surprise and a hug a moment later.
#19 - Balcony
Anna admired the view from her balcony window as she spoke softly on the cell phone, gazing at the starry sky that night, and frowned when rain started to fall-for that would mean the stars would become covered.
#20 - Bane
Ian never really thought about it much before, but he realized that after watching her mother beat her, that anger and hatred were what molded her and kept her going-her anger that she could not help herself, and her hatred for others who did the same thing.
#21 - Quiet
Everyone knew that Anna never was quiet, so when she came downstairs and didn’t announce her presence, Marea and Diorei knew there was something wrong.
#22 - Quirks
”For god’s sake, you don’t put mayonnaise on a sandwich!” Ian yelled for the third time as Anna dipped the knife in the mayonnaise and used it to spread on her turkey and cheese sandwich.
#23 - Question
Anna turned to him as she heard him yell and retorted, ”Who says what I can and can’t do-I mean, after all, it is an American behavior, after all, right; so let me ask-what do you put on yours?”
#24 - Quarrel
Usually Diorei knew how the outcomes of these fights would be-Anna would scream for a while and throw Ian out of the room, and he would come outside and look defeated and try to get back in-however when she saw Anna coming out of the bedroom this time, she only got a stare and a “That bastard actually screamed at me” before she huffed off, and Diorei smiled because things were going back to normal.
#25 - Quitting
As he was hanging upside down and tied up on the tree branch, Ian was hopeless that someone would come for him before the tree branch broke-but he should have known better as he felt himself falling without added weight and a familiar pair of arms catching him, putting him on his feet and slashing through the ropes.
#26 - Jump
It all happened in a matter of seconds-the floor above them had an explosion and pieces of it were thrown all over the place, going through the ceiling and it was starting to smoke inside; the smoke hit the roof of where Anna was at and she did not think about it, but jumped from the three story building, wondering what the hell was going to stop her fall.
#27 - Jester
The whimsical argument between the two soon turned deadly; after all, the two were always competitive when it came to fighting games-but when Anna put in SoulCalibur II, Diorei groaned and yelled, “For fuck’s sake, I’m not missing movie night so you two can SCREAM in front of a fucking video game!!”
#28 - Jousting
”So there’s actually a jousting tournament,” Anna muttered as she read the flyer of events at the Renaissance festival online, secretly wishing for once she was back in America so she could go this year.
#29 - Jewels
The sapphire that was on their rings and Anna’s choker proved that they worked together in the Organization, not that they were together-because they didn’t need rings to prove they were together, since the look in their eyes spoke of their love-even if they did argue most of the time.
30 - Just
”That’s taking it a bit too far,” Marea told Ian as he watched the man hold his bleeding shoulder from the gunshot that he just made; but Ian shook his head and went to retrieve his prize-and as he did so, made another bullet shot to the man’s knee and made him scream.
#31 - Smirk
”Despite the fact that Ian’s shooting the hell out of him,” Diorei commented, “I think it’s a fitting punishment-after all,” she winked, letting the corners of her mouth curl in a sarcastic smile, “Anna would have just shot the bastard if Ian was taken, but then again, Ian’s not the same as the hardened American, ne?”
#32 - Sorrow
Janice’s funeral was something that shook all of them, yet Anna’s tears never shed in front of anyone except when she was alone, or in front of Midori when he finally confessed about her being his long lost daughter.
#33 - Stupidity
As Lisa lifted her hand and smashed it into the dirt ground, Ian sighed; it was not very smart to make a woman who could throw rocks and make spikes with hardened earth angry-even if you were trying to kidnap her-and he thought of one other thing that she did wrong-not telling him that she, in fact was a mage.
#34 - Serenade
The sound of a violin could be heard from the balcony as Lisa and Ian made their way to the Lovington mansion, and they saw Anna standing there, her bow moving fluidly over the strings and her eyes looking at the score for Toccata in front of her as she played gracefully.
#35 - Sarcasm
”The day you need that rookie to save you,” Marea grinned, “will be the day that Anna decides to go back to America-and call us, admitting she can bake an cake and make lamb liver for Ian -without burning the house down.”
#36 - Sordid
The whole affair was sordid-the fact that they had to sit through Janice’s service was one thing, but to watch that and then have to sit through all the eulogies was another-and Diorei was not prepared for that and looked to Anna silently before walking out of the room, with the American following her; for she could not take anymore, either.
#37 - Soliloquy
”There is no way you are getting me to do a long speech-I have to hear enough from Anna, and she speaks enough for the two of us,” Ian said sweetly as Marea hit him in the face with her purse, making him wish there was another man other then Jack to talk to when all these women ganged up on him and made him wished he was secretly gay.
#38 - Sojourn
”Give me a few more minutes-I want to watch the sun set before I have to part company,” Anna whispered as the sun was starting to set, her eyes reflecting the rays that the dying sun was giving.
#39 - Share
One thing Ian had learned about Anna was that she was a bitch, and bitches have one rule-they never fucking share.
#40 - Solitary
It wasn’t just Ian that watched as Anna was subjected to her mother’s beatings with the large metal frying pan, but all the girls who worked with them-at one point, he heard them gasp in horror as her mother pulled the dress down off her back-and they realized that in this sense, that Anna was the only one to take the beatings, and still walk away at the end of them with that indifferent expression on her face, thinking that somehow all of it was her fault from the beginning.
#41 - Nowhere
”For the last three years, we know she’s gotten somewhere-but Anna tells me that she hasn’t-and that’s staring to scare me,” Lisa muttered as she walked into the grocery store and got a shopping cart, throwing some bananas and oranges into it, while Ian threw in some apples and some apple cider for later that evening.
#42 - Neutral
”I’m not taking anyone’s side-I just got dragged into this, and I want the hell out-my boyfriend is not a fucking drug dealer, so STOP TRYING TO HURT HIM!” Lisa screamed at Anna as she shrugged and walked off, while the English girl trembled in rage.
#43 - Nuance
It took her a moment to lift her hand as she gazed at Greg who was standing in front of her-with his short brown hair and his chocolate eyes-and remembered that it was Greg who got Ian and Lisa involved with his drug busts, and it was he who worked for Platizzo and who shot Ian so coldly and without remorse, because he was in the way of his gun shooting at her-so, before she could hesitate, Anna pulled the trigger on the small pistol and watched it hit the boy’s chest and saw him crumple to the floor, knowing there was no other outcome to the situation.
#44 - Near
He felt his body going cold as he heard the gunshot and the sudden screaming and remembered what had happened; however, Ian could not rise and the bullet had punctured his lung-he tried to yell that he was near, but a gurgle came out instead as he started drowning in his own blood.
#45 - Natural
Anger was the expression that Anna often wore, but to see her face go into shock and then hearing her scream was another; and one that broke Midori’s heart as he heard on the other end of the phone, followed by Diorei saying, “Honestly-I don’t know how this is going to turn out, ‘dori, but I do know that her screaming means that something’s not going to turn out well.”
#46 - Horizon
Anna thought that irony was a cruel mistress, especially when she glanced at the window, and saw that the sunset was setting with a sky of orange and red light in the clouds-as if foreshadowing the bloody battle that was soon coming to an end as she turned her head and saw Ian gurgling for air.
#47 - Valiant
”Alright, you got your chance to be a hero-you got your chance to save the damsel in distress-so now live, damn it,” Anna whispered as he closed his eyes and struggled to breathe, laying his head on her lap as she choked on tears that were starting to fall as Marea was on the phone with the EMT unit.
#48 - Virtuous
”If he doesn’t make it, that boy’ll die a hero,” Diorei told Midori on the other line while she drove behind the ambulance, “because he did do one thing right-even if he doesn’t live, Anna didn’t get any bullets lodged into her this time.”
#49 - Victory
He was alive when they had gotten to the hospital and they told them they would not know anything until they had performed surgery to remove the blood in his lungs-however, at the same time, as they sent her home, Anna received a phone call from Lisa stating that she was right, and that Greg and Platizzo had been arrested and were awaiting trial for the murders they committed.
#50 - Defeat
Diorei watched the girl’s face go from hopeful to remorseful as she picked up the ringing cell phone the next day and fell on the bed, holding the phone in her ear as she nodded once and hung it up with tears in her eyes, choking out that Ian’s mother called to tell her he was dead.
Genre: Realism/Romance.
Set: Alpha
Status: Complete.
A/N: This is somewhat autobiographical. Elinore is Anna's sister. They're in a different order on purpose. And all characters © Elizabeth Marion Whittaker.
Summary: Love comes in many different forms, and only they know how to play to each other's drummer.
#32 - Confusion
Dating her was hard, Ian had said once--but to try to understand what Anna was thinking was even harder, even after he realised that she was not what most would call 'a normal girl to bring home to your parents'.
#08 - Happiness
While most women smiled at flowers, chocolate, and candy of all kinds--the first time Anna smiled was at some cheesy letter that he handed her, with a pink envelope and a gift card to a video game store, and realised it was hard to get that smile in the first place.
#16 - Weakness
Ian wondered one day how to sum up Anna's faults all into one word, but her sister summed it up in one sentence as she sipped her Coke, saying, "If you're wondering how to put it, just say it's a neurological disorder--Asperger's, to be exact."
#28 - Sickness
"Don't look at me as if it's a contagious disease, Ian; it's not, and there's not a cure in the world to make Anna love you the way you want her too--my sister doesn't love people like others do, and I never get that kind of love, either," Elinore said harshly as she stood up from her chair, pushed it in, and walked out of the room angrily.
#45 - Hell
The way home from the cafe felt like he was walking into a hot abyss, and not even the air conditioner cooling his skin comforted Ian--nor did the ringing of the telephone, the smell of Irish stew his mother was cooking, or the wave of his brother's hand and asking him how his day was--because it was something that he probably would never have; and Elinore just slapped him in the face with it, a little more then even she probably realised.
#22 - Jealousy
Anna was always jealous that Ian seemed to get along more comfortably with his friends then she did--after all, he could at least get hugs, and not feel trapped within them, and he was better with things that she longed to be--such as showing emotions and letting people know how they would feel.
#09 - Telephone
The other thing that she wanted to do was to be direct when there was something wrong, but it always seemed to be a pattern when she made the phone call--an hour of rattling off every stupid thing there was to say, followed by five minutes of thinking of how to say something, and then finally with him asking, "So, now that you've said everything that you could and sound a bit more relaxed, are you going to tell me why you called?"
#48 - Waves
The arguments the two were have were like highs and lows, but it took a lot to make them see on the same wavelength, and Ian wanted to pull his hair out after four hours, when she finally got the point of what he said in the first place . . . three and a half hours before, right when it actually had started.
#01 - Comfort
He comforted her with holding her and stroking her hair while quieting her apologies; she would say she was sorry and write emails and letters--but both knew the other would say it was okay, because that was just how they did it, in the years that they were together.
#07 - Chocolate
It was a ritual that Anna ate some form of chocolate, but Ian raised an eyebrow at the Snickers bar in her hand, at how she took a bite out of it, and realised that she only did that one week out of the month--wishing that she just had the chocolate ice cream with hot cocoa and milk instead, since that was easier to deal with.
#49 - Hair
Most saw their argument over hair as a petty thing; to them, it symbolised all the time that was put into what they had, since both of theirs was almost down to the middle of their back.
#15 - Touch
While Ian found he couldn't hold her, he found other boundaries, and he could live with caressing her face-- enjoying the blush that came across her cheeks and the way she held her hair between her fingers, brushing across her lips like a paintbrush.
#26 - Forever
While Anna knew that problems usually got better, she would always have Asperger's, and was thankful that she found someone that could cope, even if it confused her on why he did what he did most of the time.
#37 - Technology
Ian laughed as he glanced at the laptop that was lying on the kitchen table, seeing a familiar application open and saw a note typed in Microsoft Word, saying that she would be home later then expected, and to order something for dinner.
#33 - Fear
Every day was different, because Ian feared that Anna would push him away, because he could see that she tried to understand him and just did not get things that a normal person should have--such as why he always said she was worth it all the time.
#23 - Hands
Her emotions swirled inside her as she saw him, clasping at the necklace that was around her neck with both hands and closed her deep blue eyes, opening them as she took a deep breath and advanced toward him, her heart thumping fast as she took his hand and pulled him aside in a matter of a few seconds--away from his friends, and asserting herself in her confliction of emotions for a moment.
#03 - Soft
After all the courage it took Anna to pull Ian away from his friends, she watched his eyes stare at her, and her lips parted, whispering, "I wanted to tell you . . . I get afraid . . . but I love you."
#50 - Supernova
His shoulders dropped as if a heavy weight was lifted and his eyes closed as well, a smile parting his lips as he grabbed her and hugged her tightly, surprised that she just let him, and her own arms reciprocated the action back as his emotions poured out stronger then before.
#04 - Pain
As they walked home, he held her hand, and heard a groan of pain part from her small cherry lips, hating that her magic worked in mysterious ways, and at the worst times possible.
#13 - Death
Anna's body tensed and her eyes slammed shut as she felt a wave of pain in her head and tears in her eyes; then glanced to the sky as she felt someone steady her and said, "I hate this . . . knowing that someone passes to the other side is a blessing and a curse."
#29 - Melody
When the house was empty, and Anna was by herself, she would play the song that he made her for her birthday, letting the music wash over her and remembered that she was not alone as she took off her glasses and brushed her honey brown hair.
#36 - Market
"God," Ian muttered as he saw Anna coming through the door with two bags of groceries, taking one of the bags and looked at the liver in his bag with disgust; "I just bought food, and you insist that you needed more to cook dinner--whatever am I going to do with you, woman?"
#05 - Potatoes
She watched his face as he wrinkled his nose, seeing the mashed potatoes on her plate, covered with gravy and some butter, and chuckled as she put some on her fork and ate it, never understanding what it was about potatoes that Ian hated so much.
#30 - Star
Ian never thought that being a defense attorney was hard, until he watched her at work, and realised that all the spotlight was on her while she was defending her client, and saw the perspiration on her face at hiding her nervousness to the courtroom.
#20 - Freedom
Anna exhaled a breath as the judge read off the verdict, and at hearing "not guilty," she smiled and gathered her things, knowing that her job for that day was done; dealing with the press, however, would be another matter . . . but that left her as Elinore hugged her, and stiffened at that sudden touch.
#42 - Clouds
Her finger traced a puffy white outline in the dimming sky, and Ian noticed the orange that leaked around it, saying it was like a carrot; Anna shook her head and giggled, just leaning close as they sat on the park bench, watching them together.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
The storm came all too soon, and she walked in the rain, letting the droplets hit her glasses and her hair, the booming noises and the light that illuminated the sky all too comforting, in a creepy sort of way.
#06 - Rain
Ian glanced at the window, and saw the drops hit the windowpane, hating that he was kept awake while it stormed, but his girlfriend slumbered peacefully, as if its lullaby comforted her; he snuggled close, letting her breathing become his own song into slumber moments later.
#25 - Devotion
Anna was always submissive when it came to Ian's wishes, and no one understood why--some saw him as a dominant lover, but he knew that what he wanted came before her own wants; and in their eyes, it was how she showed her love for him, when the words were never said.
#17 - Tears
When Ian had disappeared for weeks, without a call, or no word to Anna, she did not cry--no tears could fall because she willed herself to block out the emotions; only when she saw a familiar head of waist long red hair did she let the tears fall, and embraced him from behind tightly, murmuring, "Even if you had to leave, never leave without telling me--I thought it was because I did something to make you leave."
#38 - Gift
A few weeks later, Ian watched as Anna fell asleep in her big computer chair and grabbed the necklace that he wore, slipping off his neck and put it around her own, hearing her stir as his hands touched her neck, and said, "Now you'll have something whenever you're upset, and alone--you can think of me."
#11 - Name
It took her three years to say it, but Ian remembered it as if it was the first time every time she said his name, so soft and hesitant, with a blush on her face.
#21 - Life
If someone had asked them where they would be five years from now, only Ian would probably have said that they would still be together--despite the many rocks that came up on their life's journey.
#39 - Smile
Her lips turned up as she laughed, brushing some hair out of her eyes, and Ian knew that it was worth it, every time--it only took him four years for her to do it constantly in his presence, and respected when she did not, and did not push her to do so unless she truly wished to.
#18 - Speed
It was of no consequence to them, because they knew there was no need to rush--after all, they had the rest of their lives ahead of them, and all the time in the world to get to truly know the other person.
#46 - Sun
When Anna went back to America, Ian had insisted that he go with her too, despite his fear of airplanes, and noticed that he could actually see the clouds from the window, and how the sunlight hit them better 32,000 feet in the air then if he was looking at them from the ground.
#44 - Heaven
To finally be able to show the places that Anna talked about with him, and to see her face light up in delight--it was something that Ian kept in his heart, knowing that if he died right then, he could at least keep her twinkling eyes and smile with him.
#43 - Sky
"See I told you," Anna whispered as she laid in his arms, pointing at the North Star that was twinkling brightly, "we see the same sky, even though it is four thousand miles away."
#27 - Blood
When he cut his finger, Ian winced at watching the coppery liquid form on the slender digit; he was even more surprised to watch a hand take the finger to her lips, and kiss the wound before grabbing the disinfectant and putting rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, pressing it gently on his skin.
#19 - Wind
Anna told him to not wear the huge coat on their outing to the store, since it was only five minutes away, and she chuckled as the sudden gush of hair tousled her hair around--Ian, however, immediately tied his hair back with a black rubber band, hating how his hair was now mussed, and missed the hood to keep his hair out of his face.
#47 - Moon
It captured her attention, as she gazed at it, seeing his sleeping form on her lap, and reflected how the white light shone on his face, bringing out those features as she kissed him softly, noting how his eyes sleepily opened and the light bounced off them as well.
#35 - Bonds
Sometimes he regretted the fact that he stayed with her so long, but she did not regret a thing, and at standing there, shyly holding a box in her hands and taking out the silver banded ring, he allowed her to slip it on his finger, knowing that he probably would not have taken anything back, either.
#12 - Sensual
He would have thrown her over his shoulder, but she was a rather large person by nature; so he waited until they got into the hotel room before he grabbed her, carried her to the bed, and then put her down, just drinking in the sight of his newly wed wife in the huge ballroom dress that was her wedding gown--and how her eyes glowed with adoration.
#02 - Kiss
Ian sat on the bed next to her, his hair hanging loosely over his shoulders as he took her in, but she had sat up and pulled the tie of the tuxedo, pulling him down and wrapping her arms around him, letting her lips press against his, and starting a dance of their own, with her being the lead.
#40 - Innocence
He always marvelled at how shy she could be, after that first kiss . . . when his hands suggested more then just subtle kisses and carresses, she would blush deeply, her eyes showing the conflicting emotion of if it was actually right or not.
#14 - Sex
Some could say that it was the same motions, because Anna was a submissive by nature--but despite who was dominant and submissive, the two knew that it was never the same level, by far--only when she truly gave herself, and told herself she loved him was when she realised just how intense true love could be.
#41 - Completion
When they joined she finally nodded, trusting herself to go through with the motion, they both felt their dance hit a cresendo, and they rode that wave together until it became a whisper, their bodies intertwined as they held each other close, knowing that they were one for as long as they were together.
#24 - Taste
She pulled something from out of the dresser drawer and stuck her finger in it, letting it linger for a moment, and pulled it out, dripping golden syrup along her index finger and shoving up into her husband's mouth; there were no objections, only gentle suckling as he licked it up, and murmured, "Now that's a hell of a good morning, ne?"
#10 - Ears
"Only you would thin---mmmr," the American said, quieting her answer as he stroked along her earlobe with a cold finger, whimpering as he laughed and cuddled her close, trying to steal any warmth the other had to offer.
#31 - Home
"Despite coming back to America and seeing everyone," Anna said as they got back on the plane to go back to England, "I can't really say that's where I'm from anymore--they thought I was too different . . . and I can truly say that being with you is where I belong."
And here is set two!
Pairing: Anna Baronski and Ian O'Lannie
Genre: Romance/Angst/Comedy
Rating: G to R for language.
Status: Complete.
Set: Beta
A/N: They're in a different order on purpose. All characters © Elizabeth Marion Whittaker.
Summary: In a war for love and justice, two hearts come together, despite their differences in culture and lives.
#01 - Walking
The moonlight shone on the two lovers strolling in the night-Anna huddled in her huge leather coat and Ian smiling at her as he had his arm around her shoulder and held her hand softly, wondering why the moonlight seemed to reflect off her glasses instead of her sapphire orbs.
#02 - Waltz
”You’ve got to be kidding me,” the American scoffed at her English boyfriend as he pulled her into his arms and waltzed to the 1812 overture-which turned off all too soon, in Ian’s opinion as one of her J-rock songs came on and her off key singing filled the room where orchestral chords sung a moment before.
#03 - Wishes
”So where would you be, if you-“ Anna started to ask, but was silenced with lips pressing against hers as the boy sat on her, straddled on her stomach and using his arms to balance himself overtop her.
#04 - Wonder
Ian was used to seeing Anna in denim jeans and a drab green sweater when she walked around Sheffield, but when he walked into the mansion and saw her in a dark blue dress and small black pumps- not to mention new silver rimmed glasses and a sapphire choker necklace, ring and earrings in both pierced holes-he just stared at the girl as their eyes met, unable to take them off the jewel of the room.
#05 - Worry
He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach as he approached the Lovington’s mansion and knocked on the door-but he kicked it open when he heard screaming and saw blood all over the main corridor; the boy reached for his phone and pressed the first number that came to mind, but Anna’s line immediately went to voicemail and Ian ran up the stairs to see if there were any survivors.
#06 - Whimsy
Reaching his intended destination, Ian saw a figure huddled by a doorway, and reached for the raven woman with blood coming from her shoulder-of course, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down as he screamed in surprise and found that Diorei was giving him a noogie to lighten the tension, whispering, “Gotta keep your spirits up somehow, rookie.”
#07 - Waste/Wasteland
Ian was remarking on how Sandal Castle was nothing more then ruins as they came to the bridge that would take her to it, with gusty winds-but Anna turned to him and replied, “If you think this is a wasteland, you should see Ground Zero-there’s nothing left of those two towers.”
#08 - Whiskey and Rum
Ian was thankful that they were alone in his room while Anna was drunk from the shots of rum and coke, because she ended up flirting with everyone around her-but he didn’t mind too much-at least he could let her lick the whiskey off his lips before he drank too much.
#09 - War
By day, the two went to school; by night, they fought in a drug infused hell that never seemed to spare anyone-including innocents and their own family and friends.
#10 - Weddings
Anna often wished of her own wedding, and told Ian that if they made it out of Palatizzo’s trap alive, that they would have a handfasting right after-no matter how much Ian objected.
#11 - Birthday
Ian told the others about Anna’s birthday and they agreed to celebrate it by setting up a surprise party for her at a bowling alley-Ian decided to never involve the Organization again at planning parties, because Marea bitched when her shoes broke on the walk to the bowling alley, Diorei tried to eat the birthday cake before Anna arrived, and Janice got out her gun and nearly shot at both of them for bitching so much.
#12 - Blessing
”Her good fortune is her ability to be able to know where the hell we, and all the enemies around us are,” Diorei told Ian one day as they sat in her car, waiting for the train to cross over the tracks.
#13 - Bias
Anna was watching the news coverage about 9/11 and gasped in horror as she saw the live footage of the Twin Towers going down in New York City and the wreckage of the Pentagon-while the other girls were in the room; of course, they told her to stop overreacting so much, but she couldn’t help but be mortified, because it was her country that was under attack, and not theirs.
#14 - Burning
Flames licked the candlewick lovingly as Anna watched it burn, her hands spread on the ground as she knelt there and prayed for Ian’s safe return, closing her eyes a moment later as her cell phone rang.
#15 - Breathing
Anna heard a shot, and then a thud against the floor, but no screams or gasp out of the black woman’s mouth as she tried to run to Janice and catch her before she fell; but to no avail-since the bullet was shot in the back of her head, and Janice was dead.
#16 - Breaking
Ian watched Janice’s death in horror as Anna tried many times to revive her, but it was Diorei who he felt sorry for, watching the woman she secretly admired falling in battle before her and tears running down her face-he heard her mumble softly as she covered her mouth to stop the tears, and all he heard was “I never told you I loved you-I didn’t think it would hurt so much.”
#17 - Belief
Ian never believed in magic before, because to him it simply did not exist, but hated that the American girl before him made him question them now with her telepathy.
#18 - Balloon
He suggested that they could ride in a hot air balloon one day when it stopped raining for a date, and was met with a wide-eyed stare of surprise and a hug a moment later.
#19 - Balcony
Anna admired the view from her balcony window as she spoke softly on the cell phone, gazing at the starry sky that night, and frowned when rain started to fall-for that would mean the stars would become covered.
#20 - Bane
Ian never really thought about it much before, but he realized that after watching her mother beat her, that anger and hatred were what molded her and kept her going-her anger that she could not help herself, and her hatred for others who did the same thing.
#21 - Quiet
Everyone knew that Anna never was quiet, so when she came downstairs and didn’t announce her presence, Marea and Diorei knew there was something wrong.
#22 - Quirks
”For god’s sake, you don’t put mayonnaise on a sandwich!” Ian yelled for the third time as Anna dipped the knife in the mayonnaise and used it to spread on her turkey and cheese sandwich.
#23 - Question
Anna turned to him as she heard him yell and retorted, ”Who says what I can and can’t do-I mean, after all, it is an American behavior, after all, right; so let me ask-what do you put on yours?”
#24 - Quarrel
Usually Diorei knew how the outcomes of these fights would be-Anna would scream for a while and throw Ian out of the room, and he would come outside and look defeated and try to get back in-however when she saw Anna coming out of the bedroom this time, she only got a stare and a “That bastard actually screamed at me” before she huffed off, and Diorei smiled because things were going back to normal.
#25 - Quitting
As he was hanging upside down and tied up on the tree branch, Ian was hopeless that someone would come for him before the tree branch broke-but he should have known better as he felt himself falling without added weight and a familiar pair of arms catching him, putting him on his feet and slashing through the ropes.
#26 - Jump
It all happened in a matter of seconds-the floor above them had an explosion and pieces of it were thrown all over the place, going through the ceiling and it was starting to smoke inside; the smoke hit the roof of where Anna was at and she did not think about it, but jumped from the three story building, wondering what the hell was going to stop her fall.
#27 - Jester
The whimsical argument between the two soon turned deadly; after all, the two were always competitive when it came to fighting games-but when Anna put in SoulCalibur II, Diorei groaned and yelled, “For fuck’s sake, I’m not missing movie night so you two can SCREAM in front of a fucking video game!!”
#28 - Jousting
”So there’s actually a jousting tournament,” Anna muttered as she read the flyer of events at the Renaissance festival online, secretly wishing for once she was back in America so she could go this year.
#29 - Jewels
The sapphire that was on their rings and Anna’s choker proved that they worked together in the Organization, not that they were together-because they didn’t need rings to prove they were together, since the look in their eyes spoke of their love-even if they did argue most of the time.
30 - Just
”That’s taking it a bit too far,” Marea told Ian as he watched the man hold his bleeding shoulder from the gunshot that he just made; but Ian shook his head and went to retrieve his prize-and as he did so, made another bullet shot to the man’s knee and made him scream.
#31 - Smirk
”Despite the fact that Ian’s shooting the hell out of him,” Diorei commented, “I think it’s a fitting punishment-after all,” she winked, letting the corners of her mouth curl in a sarcastic smile, “Anna would have just shot the bastard if Ian was taken, but then again, Ian’s not the same as the hardened American, ne?”
#32 - Sorrow
Janice’s funeral was something that shook all of them, yet Anna’s tears never shed in front of anyone except when she was alone, or in front of Midori when he finally confessed about her being his long lost daughter.
#33 - Stupidity
As Lisa lifted her hand and smashed it into the dirt ground, Ian sighed; it was not very smart to make a woman who could throw rocks and make spikes with hardened earth angry-even if you were trying to kidnap her-and he thought of one other thing that she did wrong-not telling him that she, in fact was a mage.
#34 - Serenade
The sound of a violin could be heard from the balcony as Lisa and Ian made their way to the Lovington mansion, and they saw Anna standing there, her bow moving fluidly over the strings and her eyes looking at the score for Toccata in front of her as she played gracefully.
#35 - Sarcasm
”The day you need that rookie to save you,” Marea grinned, “will be the day that Anna decides to go back to America-and call us, admitting she can bake an cake and make lamb liver for Ian -without burning the house down.”
#36 - Sordid
The whole affair was sordid-the fact that they had to sit through Janice’s service was one thing, but to watch that and then have to sit through all the eulogies was another-and Diorei was not prepared for that and looked to Anna silently before walking out of the room, with the American following her; for she could not take anymore, either.
#37 - Soliloquy
”There is no way you are getting me to do a long speech-I have to hear enough from Anna, and she speaks enough for the two of us,” Ian said sweetly as Marea hit him in the face with her purse, making him wish there was another man other then Jack to talk to when all these women ganged up on him and made him wished he was secretly gay.
#38 - Sojourn
”Give me a few more minutes-I want to watch the sun set before I have to part company,” Anna whispered as the sun was starting to set, her eyes reflecting the rays that the dying sun was giving.
#39 - Share
One thing Ian had learned about Anna was that she was a bitch, and bitches have one rule-they never fucking share.
#40 - Solitary
It wasn’t just Ian that watched as Anna was subjected to her mother’s beatings with the large metal frying pan, but all the girls who worked with them-at one point, he heard them gasp in horror as her mother pulled the dress down off her back-and they realized that in this sense, that Anna was the only one to take the beatings, and still walk away at the end of them with that indifferent expression on her face, thinking that somehow all of it was her fault from the beginning.
#41 - Nowhere
”For the last three years, we know she’s gotten somewhere-but Anna tells me that she hasn’t-and that’s staring to scare me,” Lisa muttered as she walked into the grocery store and got a shopping cart, throwing some bananas and oranges into it, while Ian threw in some apples and some apple cider for later that evening.
#42 - Neutral
”I’m not taking anyone’s side-I just got dragged into this, and I want the hell out-my boyfriend is not a fucking drug dealer, so STOP TRYING TO HURT HIM!” Lisa screamed at Anna as she shrugged and walked off, while the English girl trembled in rage.
#43 - Nuance
It took her a moment to lift her hand as she gazed at Greg who was standing in front of her-with his short brown hair and his chocolate eyes-and remembered that it was Greg who got Ian and Lisa involved with his drug busts, and it was he who worked for Platizzo and who shot Ian so coldly and without remorse, because he was in the way of his gun shooting at her-so, before she could hesitate, Anna pulled the trigger on the small pistol and watched it hit the boy’s chest and saw him crumple to the floor, knowing there was no other outcome to the situation.
#44 - Near
He felt his body going cold as he heard the gunshot and the sudden screaming and remembered what had happened; however, Ian could not rise and the bullet had punctured his lung-he tried to yell that he was near, but a gurgle came out instead as he started drowning in his own blood.
#45 - Natural
Anger was the expression that Anna often wore, but to see her face go into shock and then hearing her scream was another; and one that broke Midori’s heart as he heard on the other end of the phone, followed by Diorei saying, “Honestly-I don’t know how this is going to turn out, ‘dori, but I do know that her screaming means that something’s not going to turn out well.”
#46 - Horizon
Anna thought that irony was a cruel mistress, especially when she glanced at the window, and saw that the sunset was setting with a sky of orange and red light in the clouds-as if foreshadowing the bloody battle that was soon coming to an end as she turned her head and saw Ian gurgling for air.
#47 - Valiant
”Alright, you got your chance to be a hero-you got your chance to save the damsel in distress-so now live, damn it,” Anna whispered as he closed his eyes and struggled to breathe, laying his head on her lap as she choked on tears that were starting to fall as Marea was on the phone with the EMT unit.
#48 - Virtuous
”If he doesn’t make it, that boy’ll die a hero,” Diorei told Midori on the other line while she drove behind the ambulance, “because he did do one thing right-even if he doesn’t live, Anna didn’t get any bullets lodged into her this time.”
#49 - Victory
He was alive when they had gotten to the hospital and they told them they would not know anything until they had performed surgery to remove the blood in his lungs-however, at the same time, as they sent her home, Anna received a phone call from Lisa stating that she was right, and that Greg and Platizzo had been arrested and were awaiting trial for the murders they committed.
#50 - Defeat
Diorei watched the girl’s face go from hopeful to remorseful as she picked up the ringing cell phone the next day and fell on the bed, holding the phone in her ear as she nodded once and hung it up with tears in her eyes, choking out that Ian’s mother called to tell her he was dead.