Fic: Tabula Rasa - Part 2 of 2 (Kahlan/Cara)
Title: Tabula Rasa
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG
A/N: This is a modern AU.
part 1
That night she didn't sleep too well. Different thoughts were plaguing her, keeping her awake. She cringed inwardly when she remembered Leo's words. It was so easy to forget that she didn't belong at Seeker's Run, that she was merely a guest. But she didn't want to leave. She had come to care deeply for everyone on the farm and she couldn't even begin putting her feelings for Cara into words.
The next morning came sooner than she had anticipated, forcing her to climb out of bed.
She went through her morning routine earlier than usual and, grabbing her bag, snuck out of her room.
Cara was already in the kitchen, looking out of the window while sipping her coffee.
“Morning” Skye greeted her quietly.
“Ready?” the blonde asked without turning around. “Sure” Skye replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
She was wondering what had caused Cara to be in such a somber mood. Maybe Leo had talked to her and the blonde had decided to distance herself from Skye.
It hurt, terribly so, but the brunette didn't dare bring it up.
They both ate a small breakfast in silence before climbing into Cara's pick-up truck and driving off.
They had a few hours on the road ahead of them until they would reach the nearest big city, Aydindril.
After about thirty minutes Skye couldn't stand the icy silence any longer. She was about to blurt something out but Cara beat her to it.
“It's okay, you know” she said quietly.
“What?” Skye choked. She had forcefully shoved her words back down her throat and needed to catch her breath.
“I saw you and Leo yesterday, and I just want you to know that I'm okay with it.”
“What?” the brunette repeated dumbfounded.
Cara raised her eyebrows and shot her a look before turning her attention back to the road.
“Wait. You think that Leo and I...? Oh no. No no no no no! Cara, there is absolutely nothing between Leo and me. We were just talking yesterday, that's it” Skye quickly defended herself. Maybe a little bit too quickly.
“Oh alright. I was just thinking... but never mind then” Cara swiftly dismissed the topic.
Skye didn't know what to say. If Cara thought it was 'okay' when she decided to date Leo, did that mean that the blonde didn't care? But why had she been in such a bad mood then?
This was not the way she had wanted this trip to begin.
They sat there in silence for a while until Skye simply relaxed into the seat and closed her eyes. She dozed off eventually and found herself caught in an unsettling dream. Unfamiliar faces were haunting her, people who she didn't know were taking her away from Seeker's Run to lock her up in an empty cold house far away from everything she loved.
She only stirred when a calming voice reached her ears. She blinked her eyes open and was immediately aware of Cara's hand on her shoulder. They had stopped at a gas station and were now standing in the parking lot.
Cara's eyes were clouded with worry as she gazed at her. “Skye, it was just a dream.”
“I certainly hope so” the brunette murmured. She was trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep as she sat up and rubbed a hand across her eyes.
“Where are we?”
“Almost there” Cara said, finally taking her hand away and Skye immediately missed the contact.
“I need to fill up on gas, do you need anything?”
Skye shook her head no and watched Cara leave the car.
The brunette got a bottle of water from a cooler behind her seat and took a healthy swig. She was almost burning up and it sure wasn’t due to the weather outside. Cold sweat was clinging to her skin and she took a few deep breaths to calm the erratic beating of her heart.
By the time Cara returned, the brunette had managed to get rid of the bad feeling the dream had evoked.
“So what's this business deal about?” she asked after Cara had turned the pick-up back onto the road.
“I'm selling some of the horses and quite a lot of cattle and I've gotten a really good offer from a guy somewhere on the east coast. He wanted to meet personally to seal the deal. I'm going to get together with him this afternoon. You could go shopping while I'm busy and then we could enjoy ourselves tonight.”
Cara flashed a smile at Skye and the brunette's heart immediately picked up pace again.
Whatever had been in the air before seemed to be gone and they chatted good-naturedly for the rest of the time on the road.
Skye wasn’t sure if she’d seen Aydindril before, but Cara had told her to look out for anything that might seem familiar.
The brunette was quite excited for the big buildings and bustling streets. She somehow knew that she was used to living in a larger city. Maybe her memory was slowly returning after all.
They were stuck in traffic when they reached Aydindril and arrived at the hotel an hour late.
Cara had to hurry to make it to her business meeting in time. The blonde decided to forgo any great changes in attire and simply stuck to her jeans, top and leather jacket. She gave Skye her credit card, some cash and then dashed out of their small apartment.
To the brunette’s endless dismay there were two separate rooms with beds in them. “So no bunking together tonight” she sighed.
She quickly took a shower, changed into fresh clothes and stuffed the money Cara had given her into the pocket of her jacket.
Outside she hailed a taxi and the cab driver took her to the nearest mall. She found that she enjoyed shopping immensely but due to the fact that she wasn’t spending her own money she restrained herself and bought reasonably priced clothing.
More than once she got hit on by men, sometimes very subtly and sometimes not so much. She didn’t really care though. The last thing she wanted was attention, except when it came from a certain blond farm owner.
After about three hours she had gotten new underwear, pants, shoes, tops, shirts and a beautiful knee-length black dress she just hadn’t been able to pass by.
She returned to the hotel and found the small apartment empty. She hurried into the room, she had decided was hers, and put the black dress on. Upon looking at herself in the full-length mirror she nodded, a smug smile playing on her lips. The dress fit her perfectly, showing off her legs and contrasting nicely with her pale skin.
Even though she’d managed to survive several sunburns she still hadn’t gotten any more suntan. Cara on the other hand only needed to walk past a light bulb to acquire a nice tan.
She smoothed some invisible wrinkles out of the fabric over her thighs as noises from the main room stopped her self-admiration.
“Skye?” Cara called.
“I’m here” the brunette replied without thinking. Before she could tell Cara to wait for a minute so she could change, the blonde had already stepped into the room.
A long silence stretched between them as Cara stood there, mouth agape, staring at Skye.
“Uhm…you like?” she asked suddenly self-conscious. “I guess I shouldn’t have bought that. I won’t be able to wear it on the farm anyway…”
“What? No! Oh no. You keep that. I insist” Cara replied. She was obviously having a hard time tearing her eyes away from Skye. The brunette blushed and made a mental happy dance. It had been the right decision to buy this dress after all.
“You know what? I was going to take you out tonight anyway, now we only need to go to a classier restaurant” Cara joked.
Skye realized that she was indeed quite hungry for she hadn’t stopped to eat since this morning.
“I’ll change and then we should be good to go” Cara said before leaving.
Skye quickly freshened up and waited for the blonde in the main room. The apartment was part of a large hotel complex building. It had one bigger main room with two doors leading to two smaller bedrooms. It was nice enough and the beds were comfortable. They were only staying for one night anyway.
When Cara re-emerged from her room it was Skye’s turn to stare. The blonde was wearing a dark blouse and black slacks. The clothes were hugging her shapely body in a breathtaking way.
“You look great” Skye complimented as she rose from the couch where she’d been sitting.
“Thank you” Cara beamed. They exchanged a smile and left the apartment.
Instead of taking Cara’s truck they decided to hail a cab. The city was quite beautiful after the sunset, with all its lights and dressed up people.
“How did the deal go?” Skye asked as she turned away from the car window to look at Cara.
“Great. I think I actually made a fair deal. Jeff and I hit it off immediately. Jeff is a farmer from the east coast, and he seems like a decent guy.”
Skye nodded. “That’s fantastic” she said, faking enthusiasm. She didn’t like that Cara and Jeff had ‘hit it off’. The only one allowed to hit on Cara should be her.
Quite thrown off track by her own possessive thoughts Skye quickly changed the subject. They chatted while the taxi brought them to the other end of town where they went to a cozy little restaurant. It was classy and exclusive, just like the blonde had promised. The food was excellent and so was the company. Skye had a great time just getting to know Cara even better than she already had. The conversation was rather one-sided since the brunette had no recollection of her life before Seeker’s Run but Cara seemed just as intent on listening to her babbling about how much she enjoyed working and living on the farm.
After they had ordered dessert Skye was reluctant to end the evening already. This felt so much like a real date that she more than once lost herself in the dream her mind had made up.
How would she have loved to go out with Cara, share dessert with her and maybe kiss her as well?
Just as she was about to suggest that they go to a bar or something, a woman stopped at their table.
“Cara! I haven’t seen you in ages! How are you? What brings you back to the city? Did you finally get tired of your lonely country life?”
Cara seemed quite perplexed as she answered. “Tina, good to see you and no life on the farm is still great. I had some business in town…”
Tina’s attention shifted to Skye as if she’d just realized that the brunette was also there. “Oh this is what business looks like these days?”
“Well, this is a friend of mine. Skye this is Tina, Tina Skye” she introduced them. Tina was a tall dark woman with chiselled features and calm brown eyes. The dress she was wearing fit her lean body perfectly while her dark mane of thick hair cascaded down her bare back.
Skye tried her best to keep the smile on her face. She was not amused about the interruption, not a single bit.
“I’m glad you found someone Cara” Tina replied cryptically as she smiled at Skye. “How about the two of you join the girls and me later tonight at the club?” the tall dark woman suggested.
“I don’t know…” Cara said hesitantly. She seemed not really comfortable with the entire situation but Skye decided to handle this on her own.
“Sure. We’ll be there” she said with a bright smile.
“Alright! See ya later” Tina answered and walked to another corner of the restaurant.
“That was interesting” Skye mumbled.
“We really don’t have to go if you don’t want to” Cara quickly amended.
“No. I want to go, really. Tina seemed nice, where do you know her from?”
“I think I’ve known her ever since I was a teenager. I too had that rebellious phase where every teen does exactly the opposite of what your parents want you to do. So instead of working on the farm I went into town every weekend and partied as if there was no tomorrow. Tina was the sophisticated city girl who took me everywhere and showed me a world away from horses and cattle. That was until I grew up and decided to take responsibility.” Cara sighed deeply as she remembered her past for a few moments longer.
“Then it must be nice for you to see her again” Skye added thoughtfully.
“I guess it is. Well then we’re out for a night at the club…uhm…” Cara suddenly turned pale as she stared at Skye with wide eyes.
“What?” the brunette asked a little shocked. She looked over her shoulder to see if anything was happening behind her, but other than a waiter walking by nothing was out of place.
Cara quickly schooled her features back into place, a small smile gracing her lips.
“Nothing, really.”
Skye simply decided to not inquire any further and they returned to an easy conversation.
The evening went on without anything unexpected happening until it was time for them to go to the club. Cara seemed unusually fidgety and nervous but Skye again chose to ignore it.
Answers would come eventually, of that she was sure.
‘The Masque’ was written in bright neon letters atop the large building. There was a sea of cars and seemingly hundreds of people outside. A long line at the front door made Skye doubt that they would even get in, but instead of having to wait for hours the female bouncer took one look at them and simply ushered them inside.
“Did you know her?” Skye whispered to Cara as they made their way deeper inside the club. The blonde simply shook her head no, half-shrugging at the same time.
Skye couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen that many people in one place but since she couldn’t remember anything before two weeks ago that was no surprise.
The club seemed to be divided into several areas and dance floors. She could at least spot five full-fledged bars with three or four bartenders behind them.
The tight black pants the male bartenders were wearing bordered almost on scandalization, but no one seemed to mind.
Skye had to stay closely behind Cara as they kept on moving through the crowd until they reached an area where the music was more like a low beat instead of a deafening noise. “What do you want to drink?” Cara asked, leaning close to Skye. The brunette shivered as the hot breath touched the skin of her neck.
“A beer is fine” she replied. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to do so she simply stood close to the wall while Cara made her way to the bar. She wasn’t blocking anyone and used the moment to catch her breath. As her blue eyes gazed across the crowd it suddenly hit her. This was a gay club! Women were dancing together as far as the eye could see.
Just when her mind starting wrapping around the fact what exactly that meant for Cara, a woman appeared before her.
She had very short hair and a sleeveless vest was showing off her muscled arms. She smiled charmingly as she stepped closer. “Care to dance?”
“Oh, I’m sorry I’m waiting for someone” she replied politely. “Lucky someone” the woman said chuckling. “If you change your mind, come find me.”
The woman cast a last longing glance at Skye and then disappeared into the crowd. Mere moments later Cara was at her side, handing her a cold beer. “What did she want?”
“She asked me to dance. And I think she was flirting with me” Skye grinned. “Is that why you were acting so strangely earlier tonight? Because this is a gay club?” she then asked.
Cara scratched the back of her head while nodding. “I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with it… you know?”
“I’m fine Cara, don’t worry” she said with a warm smile. A silent understanding passed between them and they clinked their bottles together before taking a swig.
It wasn’t long before Tina and her girls found them and dragged them to the dance floor. Cara and Tina seemed to be having a great time dancing and simply catching up with each others lives. Meanwhile Skye was content to simply sit and watch Cara dance.
As the evening progressed she noticed that Tina was shooting her curious looks every now and then but they talked about nothing in particular when they had the chance. Tina’s friends on the other hand were not shy when it came to expressing who they found attractive and who they thought was a bitch. Skye was quite sure that she belonged to the former category but she wasn’t going to ask either way.
The brunette wasn’t planning on dancing that night but changed her mind when Graham, a rather quiet woman from the group, asked her if she wanted to give it a try. She really liked Graham and her almost shy attitude.
They danced for three or four songs and then returned to the table the group had managed to secure on the upper level. “Thank you” Graham whispered and kissed Skye’s cheek before blushing profusely. “No need, it was fun” Skye replied brightly.
It probably would’ve been even more enjoyable had it been Cara’s body moving across from her, she thought sighing.
While it seemed like Tina and her girls were able to go on without a break Skye found it increasingly difficult to stay focused.
Cara was also having a hard time keeping her eyes open so the two of them said their goodbyes and after a round of hugs and kisses they parted ways. Not without promising to return to the city soon for another night out.
“Did you have fun?” Cara asked as they waited for their cab.
“Absolutely” Skye replied, enjoying the cold night air after the heated atmosphere of the club.
“I don’t think I’ve seen Graham ask a girl for a dance before, she must really like you” Cara said, quietly chuckling. Both of them had emptied quite a few beers and it seemed only natural to talk about whatever came to mind.
“I think she’s cute and has a quick mind. I’m pretty sure she’ll find a woman who can appreciate that.”
Cara nodded thoughtfully. “I agree.”
The cab came and Skye almost fell asleep in the backseat. The alcohol was really catching up with her and she had to steady herself a few times on their way back to the apartment. Both of them were too tired to do anything but drag themselves to bed and fall asleep immediately.
A persistent knocking that could have been inside or outside her skull woke Skye a few seconds after she’d closed her eyes, or at least so it seemed to her. In truth several hours had passed, but it was still early morning. Decidedly too early to get up either way.
When she heard voices from outside her room she got out of bed and hurried to the door to open it so she could peer out.
A woman with light brown hair was standing in the hall, hands firmly planted on her hips. She was staring at Cara, whose back was to Skye. Why had the blonde opened the door for a stranger?
“You are in town and some chicks at the club have to tell me that? You could’ve at least called you know.”
“What do you want Cassy?” Cara asked, she was obviously tired and unwilling to have this conversation.
“I want you to apologize for behaving like an idiot. If you had called me we could have gotten together to have a good time. Back then you weren’t too good for me.”
“What is this about?” Cara groaned. “Do I have to remind you that you dumped me for this girl…whatever her name was.”
“I’ve realized my mistake, but you simply fled back to your hillbilly farm” Cassy huffed.
Skye’s heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Cara had been in a relationship with a woman!
Her mind was spinning, possibilities over possibilities tripping in her head, making it hurt even worse.
She couldn’t quite think with the headache that was taking residence in the back of her head, but she knew that she wanted this Cassy person to be gone. She hurried over to her bag and quickly dug out a large checkered long-sleeved shirt. She put it on and buttoned it up, only leaving the top five buttons open. The shirt barely covered the top of her thighs and even though she was wearing panties it looked more like there was nothing underneath. The open buttons revealed quite a bit of cleavage and raking both hands through her hair she decided that she appeared like she’d just gotten laid. Exactly the look she was going for.
She opened her door and stumbled outside. “What’s going on?” she asked, causing two pairs of eyes to settle on her.
She leaned against the door frame and stretched her arms above her head. She knew that Cassy and Cara were staring at her exposed legs and both of them had a glazed over look in their eyes.
The other woman was the first to snap out of her reverie. “What the fuck is going on?” she screeched.
Cara didn’t answer because she was still busy gaping at Skye, half turned away from Cassy. Skye pushed herself away from the doorframe and sauntered over to wrap her arms around Cara’s waist. “I was sleeping quite blissfully until your knocking woke us up, that is what’s going on” Skye replied before pressing her lips to Cara’s neck. The contact sent a jolt through her entire body - she hadn’t expected that it would affect her this way.
Holding Cara that close was making her legs weak and the blonde’s scent clouded her senses.
Cassy opened her mouth but closed it again without uttering a sound. Several different emotions were flittering across her face until she realized that her ex-girlfriend was obviously fucking the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. “I want you to send her away so we can talk” she demanded but Cara wasn’t even listening. She had her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side to give Skye more access to her neck.
The brunette wasn’t quite hearing Cassy’s words either because she was finally getting what she’d wanted ever since she’d laid eyes on the blonde the day she woke up without memories.
Her blue gaze focused on the unwelcome intruder as she lifted her head. Both of her hands were resting on Cara’s stomach, her thumbs stroking back and forth.
“Oh… you’re still here?” Skye asked lazily. A vein was bulging on the other woman’s forehead as she balled her hands into fists.
“That´s it! Fuck you Cara and fuck this! Don’t even think about calling me ever again!”
She cast a last hate-filled glance at them before storming out of the apartment.
Skye watched the retreating woman and couldn’t help but chuckle. It served her right after all.
Suddenly Cara’s warm body was gone and she blinked a few times before realizing that the blonde had stepped out of her arms.
They stared at each other. Blue eyes meeting green ones.
“You know that she’s now going to tell anybody who wants to listen that you and I are…” Cara began quietly.
“I know” the brunette replied calmly. For her, everything seemed to fall into place. She wanted Cara, in every way possible and she would do whatever she could to get her.
She wanted Cara’s body but she also wanted to live on Seeker’s Run and wake up every morning next to the blonde.
Determination settled in her heart as they stood there in the hall, early in the morning, only in their sleeping attire.
“Thank you Skye, I know why you did what you did. But you shouldn’t have…”
Skye shook her head. “It’s alright. In fact it’s perfectly fine.” She smiled brightly, causing Cara to raise her eyebrows in question.
The brunette wasn’t about to throw herself into Cara’s arms - she was going to take it slow when they were back at Seeker’s Run and she would make her feelings known.
“We should really get some sleep before heading back” she suggested. Even though her body was tingling in all the right places she was still horribly tired and exhausted.
Cara nodded slowly. “Sure. I’ll see you in a couple of hours…”
The blonde seemed torn between returning to her bed and staying. She might’ve wanted to say something but kept quiet instead and walked back to her room. She glanced over her shoulder at Skye and a small smile played around her lips.
…
They slept until noon and enjoyed a very nice breakfast before packing up their belongings and getting into Cara’s truck.
Not a word about the previous night passed between them but Skye felt liberated nonetheless.
Hetty was ecstatic about their return and they were welcomed with hugs and kisses. The boys had thrown together an impromptu barbecue with lots of beer and laughter. Cara talked about her successful business deal while Skye kept on gushing about how exciting and beautiful the city was.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time and they stayed up until late into the night, making it difficult to get up in the morning.
Skye was indeed having a serious case of sleep deprivation as she dragged herself out of bed the next day.
Not even coffee was able to wake her up completely. Everyone was already gone, the boys were out on the fields and Hetty was busying herself in her vegetable garden.
Surprisingly she found Cara on the back porch, sipping some iced tea. “Whatcha doing here?” Skye asked, joining the blonde.
Cara looked up grinning. “I wasn’t really up for the hard work today. You know what’s best about being the boss? You can actually take a day off.”
Skye laughed quietly and nodded.
The day continued to be quite uneventful until the two of them decided to take a walk along the stream that led them to a small valley. Some cows were grazing at a field nearby and Skye watched them for a while until she moved closer to the stream. She wanted to get some cold water onto her overheated skin, because the day was just ridiculously hot. Her black cowboy hat was protecting her face from the sun but her bare arms were already starting to look a little red.
She was about to take another step when the muddy soil caved in beneath her feet and her arms flailed helplessly in the air. She was trying to regain her balance but couldn’t quite stop herself from falling forward. She would’ve landed in the mud hadn’t Cara wrapped her arms around her from behind to break the fall.
They both staggered backwards and Skye turned in Cara’s embrace. They were so close that she could feel the blonde’s breath on her lips.
Steeling her resolve she leaned in and pressed her lips against the softest mouth she’d ever been allowed to feel.
Her hands moved on their own accord and settled on Cara’s hips. The blonde stepped closer and wrapped both arms around Skye to hold her in a tender embrace.
Skye’s heart was beating erratically and her entire body seemed to be electrified. When they ended the kiss she simply let her lips linger a little until she leaned back and looked into Cara’s eyes. Uncertainty was evident in them.
“This is what I want” she whispered.
“Are you sure?” Cara asked quietly.
Skye nodded and instead of answering dove in for another kiss. When Cara’s tongue traced her lower lip, a spark ignited in her heart and settled in her lower belly, causing all sorts of desires to run riot.
She didn’t notice that she was standing ankle-deep in mud until the wet substance seeped into her shoes. Had she worn boots that day they probably would’ve stood there much longer, but Skye yelped at the sudden moist feel. Cara quickly let go of her and stepped back. She was smirking as she watched Skye lift her feet like a stork.
The brunette grumbled as she joined Cara on the dry land. This had been a most unwelcome interruption. She was just about to turn to Cara to snuggle back into her arms when Chase came riding down the little hill. He stopped his horse in front of them and tipped his hat back.
“ There’s something going on at the main house” he announced and both Cara and Skye acknowledged that with a grim nod.
Still quietly cursing the brunette made her way back to the house alongside Cara. Chase had already returned to do his work at the stables, only leaving behind a cloud of dust.
Before they were halfway there Skye had moved closer to Cara to join their hands while walking. The blonde’s thumb was stroking the back of her hand and Skye was sure that Cara didn’t even realize what she was doing. It was soothing nonetheless and her heart swelled at the possibilities that were now lying before her. The kiss they’d shared had almost made her go weak in the knees, and she wondered what else was in store for her. She wanted nothing more than to touch Cara, to experience her and learn everything there was. She wanted to know every little spot that made Cara moan or cry out.
She was biting the inside of her cheek to not grin like a fool. Cara would instantly know what she was thinking about should she now blush.
As they neared the little road that divided the main house and the stables Skye noticed a large black car standing in the middle of it. It was all dusty and obviously not made for such terrain.
“You got any business?” Skye asked but Cara shook her head no. The blonde had a strange look on her face as they kept on walking.
A young man with blonde hair and handsome features came running out of the main house. He was wearing some kind of business suit, but had donned the jacket and now looked completely out of place with his shining white dress shirt.
His polished black shoes were, just like the car, covered with dust. He looked around and paused for a moment when he saw them approaching.
Cara suddenly jerked her hand away and Skye looked at her confused.
“Kahlan!” he yelled and rushed toward them in a break-neck speed.
He wrapped his arms around her without a second thought and Skye’s involuntarily inhaled the penetrating scent of his cologne.
“Oh my god Kahlan, I’m so glad I’ve finally found you” he exclaimed but Skye extracted herself from his embrace and stepped back, closer to Cara.
“I’m sorry, but who the hell are you?”
A sense of panic suddenly washed over her. This man knew her! He knew who she was and he had come to take her away.
“The old lady in the house already told me that you had an accident and that you’re now suffering from amnesia, but don’t you recognize your own fiancé?”
“My…my…what?” she sputtered.
“Don’t worry dear, everything will be alright” he said, smiling. “I’m sure you’ll remember me. I’m Phillip. Your parents are worried about you. We’ve been trying to reach you ever since you left the party.”
Skye was still too perplexed to really grasp the situation. Her mind was spinning, memories were pushing forward into her consciousness and she had to focus all her attention on keeping her legs from failing. Cara was silent, her face an unreadable mask.
“What party?” Skye asked, trying to steer her thoughts in the right direction.
“We were here at the country house of a friend when something had gotten you upset. You simply took your car and drove off. We thought that you only needed some time to calm down, but when we tried to get a hold of you, there was no sign of where you might’ve disappeared to. We found parts of your car in several different states, so we thought that you might’ve been kidnapped or something like that. It was horrible!” Phillip answered
He was trying to embrace her again but she simply held out a hand to stop him.
“Who am I?”
“You’re Kahlan Amnell, my fiancé!” he exclaimed gleefully. “You have a loving family, a well-paying job and we were going to buy a house together.”
“Kahlan?” she mumbled, rolling the name around in her head.
While she was still lost in thought Phillip turned to Cara. “You must be Miss Mason. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of my fiancé. Without your help horrible things might’ve happened to her.” He offered his hand to Cara and the blonde took it.
“It was my pleasure” she said without a trace of emotion. “I’m sure you want to take your fiancé home now, I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.” And with that Cara simply walked past them and into the house.
Phillip put a hand on Kahlan’s shoulder and lifter her chin with his fingertips. “You hear that? We’re going home. Your parents are going to be so relieved.”
“We what?” she asked. She had just realized that Cara was no longer with them. “Give me a minute” she blurted out as she hurried after the blond farm owner.
She found Cara in the kitchen leaning against the sink. “Hetty is getting your things.”
“Cara? What are you saying? I’m not going with him! Don’t be ridiculous…”
“No!” Cara interrupted. “You shouldn’t be ridiculous. Your fiancé just showed up to take you back to your life. You have to go Sk… Kahlan.”
The brunette’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces as Cara stopped herself from saying the name she’d given her. A few moments ago she’d had everything and now her dreams were running through her fingers like fine sand.
“Don’t send me away. Please, I don’t want to go. I want to stay here, at Seeker’s Run, with you and the boys and Hetty” Kahlan pleaded.
“Seeker’s Run is not where you belong. You heard him - you have a job and parents who are worrying about you.”
“But…”
Cara silenced her with a steely gaze. “I am sending you away, you were offered hospitality at Seeker’s Run until you were recovered and now you ought to go home.”
Tears were welling up in her blue eyes. She couldn’t quite believe that Cara was actually saying those things. Hadn’t they just kissed? Had it not meant anything to the blonde?
It was as if everything she had ever needed to be happy was now unreachable.
Hetty returned to the kitchen with a bag in her hands and she looked like someone had just died. She took one look at Cara and wordlessly handed the bag to Kahlan. She pulled the brunette into a hug and kissed her cheek.
Kahlan couldn’t help but look at Cara once again. There was no emotion on the blonde’s face whatsoever. She wanted to say something, get down on her knees and beg so that Cara would allow her to stay. But before she could completely make a fool out of herself Cara walked out of the kitchen, leaving a devastated brunette behind.
Whatever happened after that was just a blur. She felt completely empty as she sat next to Phillip in the car. The leather of the seats smelled alien to her, as well as the quiet sound of the engine seemed unnatural.
Not even the happy faces of her parents could lift the heaviness from her heart and soul. She recognized them, but still couldn’t remember anything about her life.
The house they lived in, on the outskirts of Aydindril, was big - larger than anything on Seeker’s Run. But Kahlan did not feel at home. She talked little with her parents and was downright mean to Phillip whenever he dared to say anything.
So he soon took his leave to give her some time and space. He really seemed to be a sweet guy but he was not what she wanted.
She excused herself to go to bed early that night, leaving her parents as they shared worried glances.
Everything in this house was different, the furniture, she smells, and especially the sounds. Even though she hadn’t been long on Seeker’s Run she’d gotten used to all of it pretty quickly.
She could not sleep a wink as she lay in bed and soon got up to start pacing around the room.
There was still a certain emptiness in heart but the more she thought about what had happened the angrier she became. How dared Cara to just send her away? Wasn’t it also her decision?
A timid knock on the door brought her out of her musings and she went to open it. Her mother was standing in the hall, looking rather concerned. “Kahlan sweetheart, may I come in? I think we should talk about what happened.”
…
Later that night Kahlan was as determined as never before in her life. She was driving all the way back to Seeker’s Run in her father’s car. She’d had to promise her parents several times that she would be careful and not have another accident.
The road was black as she accelerated, the gray car almost invisible on the darkened street. Her headlights parted the night as she drove along the small road right up to the main house. Dust whirled up around her car as she got out and hurried over to the door to knock. She waited several minutes until a very sleepy looking Hetty opened it.
“I knew you’d come back, but you’re much earlier than I expected.” The older woman yawned and stepped aside. “Cara’s in your room.”
“What? In my room?”
Hetty only nodded and motioned for her to go on.
Kahlan hastened up the stairs as quietly as she could. She walked to the end of the hall to her room and slowly opened the door.
She saw that Cara was indeed curled up on the wooden bed. It was as if the previous hours had never happened. She realized that Cara had only sent her away to give her a choice. And now she had decided - as if there could be any doubt to where her heart belonged.
Kahlan smiled and tiptoed into the room until she stood at the foot of the bed. She watched Cara’s sleeping form for several minutes before she lowered herself onto the mattress and snuggled up behind the blonde.
Cara stirred and sighed happily. “Am I dreaming?”
“No you’re not” Kahlan whispered and placed a kiss onto the blonde’s neck. “I’m here and I will not leave, you hear me?”
“Promise?”
“With all my heart.”
The End
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG
A/N: This is a modern AU.
part 1
That night she didn't sleep too well. Different thoughts were plaguing her, keeping her awake. She cringed inwardly when she remembered Leo's words. It was so easy to forget that she didn't belong at Seeker's Run, that she was merely a guest. But she didn't want to leave. She had come to care deeply for everyone on the farm and she couldn't even begin putting her feelings for Cara into words.
The next morning came sooner than she had anticipated, forcing her to climb out of bed.
She went through her morning routine earlier than usual and, grabbing her bag, snuck out of her room.
Cara was already in the kitchen, looking out of the window while sipping her coffee.
“Morning” Skye greeted her quietly.
“Ready?” the blonde asked without turning around. “Sure” Skye replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
She was wondering what had caused Cara to be in such a somber mood. Maybe Leo had talked to her and the blonde had decided to distance herself from Skye.
It hurt, terribly so, but the brunette didn't dare bring it up.
They both ate a small breakfast in silence before climbing into Cara's pick-up truck and driving off.
They had a few hours on the road ahead of them until they would reach the nearest big city, Aydindril.
After about thirty minutes Skye couldn't stand the icy silence any longer. She was about to blurt something out but Cara beat her to it.
“It's okay, you know” she said quietly.
“What?” Skye choked. She had forcefully shoved her words back down her throat and needed to catch her breath.
“I saw you and Leo yesterday, and I just want you to know that I'm okay with it.”
“What?” the brunette repeated dumbfounded.
Cara raised her eyebrows and shot her a look before turning her attention back to the road.
“Wait. You think that Leo and I...? Oh no. No no no no no! Cara, there is absolutely nothing between Leo and me. We were just talking yesterday, that's it” Skye quickly defended herself. Maybe a little bit too quickly.
“Oh alright. I was just thinking... but never mind then” Cara swiftly dismissed the topic.
Skye didn't know what to say. If Cara thought it was 'okay' when she decided to date Leo, did that mean that the blonde didn't care? But why had she been in such a bad mood then?
This was not the way she had wanted this trip to begin.
They sat there in silence for a while until Skye simply relaxed into the seat and closed her eyes. She dozed off eventually and found herself caught in an unsettling dream. Unfamiliar faces were haunting her, people who she didn't know were taking her away from Seeker's Run to lock her up in an empty cold house far away from everything she loved.
She only stirred when a calming voice reached her ears. She blinked her eyes open and was immediately aware of Cara's hand on her shoulder. They had stopped at a gas station and were now standing in the parking lot.
Cara's eyes were clouded with worry as she gazed at her. “Skye, it was just a dream.”
“I certainly hope so” the brunette murmured. She was trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep as she sat up and rubbed a hand across her eyes.
“Where are we?”
“Almost there” Cara said, finally taking her hand away and Skye immediately missed the contact.
“I need to fill up on gas, do you need anything?”
Skye shook her head no and watched Cara leave the car.
The brunette got a bottle of water from a cooler behind her seat and took a healthy swig. She was almost burning up and it sure wasn’t due to the weather outside. Cold sweat was clinging to her skin and she took a few deep breaths to calm the erratic beating of her heart.
By the time Cara returned, the brunette had managed to get rid of the bad feeling the dream had evoked.
“So what's this business deal about?” she asked after Cara had turned the pick-up back onto the road.
“I'm selling some of the horses and quite a lot of cattle and I've gotten a really good offer from a guy somewhere on the east coast. He wanted to meet personally to seal the deal. I'm going to get together with him this afternoon. You could go shopping while I'm busy and then we could enjoy ourselves tonight.”
Cara flashed a smile at Skye and the brunette's heart immediately picked up pace again.
Whatever had been in the air before seemed to be gone and they chatted good-naturedly for the rest of the time on the road.
Skye wasn’t sure if she’d seen Aydindril before, but Cara had told her to look out for anything that might seem familiar.
The brunette was quite excited for the big buildings and bustling streets. She somehow knew that she was used to living in a larger city. Maybe her memory was slowly returning after all.
They were stuck in traffic when they reached Aydindril and arrived at the hotel an hour late.
Cara had to hurry to make it to her business meeting in time. The blonde decided to forgo any great changes in attire and simply stuck to her jeans, top and leather jacket. She gave Skye her credit card, some cash and then dashed out of their small apartment.
To the brunette’s endless dismay there were two separate rooms with beds in them. “So no bunking together tonight” she sighed.
She quickly took a shower, changed into fresh clothes and stuffed the money Cara had given her into the pocket of her jacket.
Outside she hailed a taxi and the cab driver took her to the nearest mall. She found that she enjoyed shopping immensely but due to the fact that she wasn’t spending her own money she restrained herself and bought reasonably priced clothing.
More than once she got hit on by men, sometimes very subtly and sometimes not so much. She didn’t really care though. The last thing she wanted was attention, except when it came from a certain blond farm owner.
After about three hours she had gotten new underwear, pants, shoes, tops, shirts and a beautiful knee-length black dress she just hadn’t been able to pass by.
She returned to the hotel and found the small apartment empty. She hurried into the room, she had decided was hers, and put the black dress on. Upon looking at herself in the full-length mirror she nodded, a smug smile playing on her lips. The dress fit her perfectly, showing off her legs and contrasting nicely with her pale skin.
Even though she’d managed to survive several sunburns she still hadn’t gotten any more suntan. Cara on the other hand only needed to walk past a light bulb to acquire a nice tan.
She smoothed some invisible wrinkles out of the fabric over her thighs as noises from the main room stopped her self-admiration.
“Skye?” Cara called.
“I’m here” the brunette replied without thinking. Before she could tell Cara to wait for a minute so she could change, the blonde had already stepped into the room.
A long silence stretched between them as Cara stood there, mouth agape, staring at Skye.
“Uhm…you like?” she asked suddenly self-conscious. “I guess I shouldn’t have bought that. I won’t be able to wear it on the farm anyway…”
“What? No! Oh no. You keep that. I insist” Cara replied. She was obviously having a hard time tearing her eyes away from Skye. The brunette blushed and made a mental happy dance. It had been the right decision to buy this dress after all.
“You know what? I was going to take you out tonight anyway, now we only need to go to a classier restaurant” Cara joked.
Skye realized that she was indeed quite hungry for she hadn’t stopped to eat since this morning.
“I’ll change and then we should be good to go” Cara said before leaving.
Skye quickly freshened up and waited for the blonde in the main room. The apartment was part of a large hotel complex building. It had one bigger main room with two doors leading to two smaller bedrooms. It was nice enough and the beds were comfortable. They were only staying for one night anyway.
When Cara re-emerged from her room it was Skye’s turn to stare. The blonde was wearing a dark blouse and black slacks. The clothes were hugging her shapely body in a breathtaking way.
“You look great” Skye complimented as she rose from the couch where she’d been sitting.
“Thank you” Cara beamed. They exchanged a smile and left the apartment.
Instead of taking Cara’s truck they decided to hail a cab. The city was quite beautiful after the sunset, with all its lights and dressed up people.
“How did the deal go?” Skye asked as she turned away from the car window to look at Cara.
“Great. I think I actually made a fair deal. Jeff and I hit it off immediately. Jeff is a farmer from the east coast, and he seems like a decent guy.”
Skye nodded. “That’s fantastic” she said, faking enthusiasm. She didn’t like that Cara and Jeff had ‘hit it off’. The only one allowed to hit on Cara should be her.
Quite thrown off track by her own possessive thoughts Skye quickly changed the subject. They chatted while the taxi brought them to the other end of town where they went to a cozy little restaurant. It was classy and exclusive, just like the blonde had promised. The food was excellent and so was the company. Skye had a great time just getting to know Cara even better than she already had. The conversation was rather one-sided since the brunette had no recollection of her life before Seeker’s Run but Cara seemed just as intent on listening to her babbling about how much she enjoyed working and living on the farm.
After they had ordered dessert Skye was reluctant to end the evening already. This felt so much like a real date that she more than once lost herself in the dream her mind had made up.
How would she have loved to go out with Cara, share dessert with her and maybe kiss her as well?
Just as she was about to suggest that they go to a bar or something, a woman stopped at their table.
“Cara! I haven’t seen you in ages! How are you? What brings you back to the city? Did you finally get tired of your lonely country life?”
Cara seemed quite perplexed as she answered. “Tina, good to see you and no life on the farm is still great. I had some business in town…”
Tina’s attention shifted to Skye as if she’d just realized that the brunette was also there. “Oh this is what business looks like these days?”
“Well, this is a friend of mine. Skye this is Tina, Tina Skye” she introduced them. Tina was a tall dark woman with chiselled features and calm brown eyes. The dress she was wearing fit her lean body perfectly while her dark mane of thick hair cascaded down her bare back.
Skye tried her best to keep the smile on her face. She was not amused about the interruption, not a single bit.
“I’m glad you found someone Cara” Tina replied cryptically as she smiled at Skye. “How about the two of you join the girls and me later tonight at the club?” the tall dark woman suggested.
“I don’t know…” Cara said hesitantly. She seemed not really comfortable with the entire situation but Skye decided to handle this on her own.
“Sure. We’ll be there” she said with a bright smile.
“Alright! See ya later” Tina answered and walked to another corner of the restaurant.
“That was interesting” Skye mumbled.
“We really don’t have to go if you don’t want to” Cara quickly amended.
“No. I want to go, really. Tina seemed nice, where do you know her from?”
“I think I’ve known her ever since I was a teenager. I too had that rebellious phase where every teen does exactly the opposite of what your parents want you to do. So instead of working on the farm I went into town every weekend and partied as if there was no tomorrow. Tina was the sophisticated city girl who took me everywhere and showed me a world away from horses and cattle. That was until I grew up and decided to take responsibility.” Cara sighed deeply as she remembered her past for a few moments longer.
“Then it must be nice for you to see her again” Skye added thoughtfully.
“I guess it is. Well then we’re out for a night at the club…uhm…” Cara suddenly turned pale as she stared at Skye with wide eyes.
“What?” the brunette asked a little shocked. She looked over her shoulder to see if anything was happening behind her, but other than a waiter walking by nothing was out of place.
Cara quickly schooled her features back into place, a small smile gracing her lips.
“Nothing, really.”
Skye simply decided to not inquire any further and they returned to an easy conversation.
The evening went on without anything unexpected happening until it was time for them to go to the club. Cara seemed unusually fidgety and nervous but Skye again chose to ignore it.
Answers would come eventually, of that she was sure.
‘The Masque’ was written in bright neon letters atop the large building. There was a sea of cars and seemingly hundreds of people outside. A long line at the front door made Skye doubt that they would even get in, but instead of having to wait for hours the female bouncer took one look at them and simply ushered them inside.
“Did you know her?” Skye whispered to Cara as they made their way deeper inside the club. The blonde simply shook her head no, half-shrugging at the same time.
Skye couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen that many people in one place but since she couldn’t remember anything before two weeks ago that was no surprise.
The club seemed to be divided into several areas and dance floors. She could at least spot five full-fledged bars with three or four bartenders behind them.
The tight black pants the male bartenders were wearing bordered almost on scandalization, but no one seemed to mind.
Skye had to stay closely behind Cara as they kept on moving through the crowd until they reached an area where the music was more like a low beat instead of a deafening noise. “What do you want to drink?” Cara asked, leaning close to Skye. The brunette shivered as the hot breath touched the skin of her neck.
“A beer is fine” she replied. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to do so she simply stood close to the wall while Cara made her way to the bar. She wasn’t blocking anyone and used the moment to catch her breath. As her blue eyes gazed across the crowd it suddenly hit her. This was a gay club! Women were dancing together as far as the eye could see.
Just when her mind starting wrapping around the fact what exactly that meant for Cara, a woman appeared before her.
She had very short hair and a sleeveless vest was showing off her muscled arms. She smiled charmingly as she stepped closer. “Care to dance?”
“Oh, I’m sorry I’m waiting for someone” she replied politely. “Lucky someone” the woman said chuckling. “If you change your mind, come find me.”
The woman cast a last longing glance at Skye and then disappeared into the crowd. Mere moments later Cara was at her side, handing her a cold beer. “What did she want?”
“She asked me to dance. And I think she was flirting with me” Skye grinned. “Is that why you were acting so strangely earlier tonight? Because this is a gay club?” she then asked.
Cara scratched the back of her head while nodding. “I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with it… you know?”
“I’m fine Cara, don’t worry” she said with a warm smile. A silent understanding passed between them and they clinked their bottles together before taking a swig.
It wasn’t long before Tina and her girls found them and dragged them to the dance floor. Cara and Tina seemed to be having a great time dancing and simply catching up with each others lives. Meanwhile Skye was content to simply sit and watch Cara dance.
As the evening progressed she noticed that Tina was shooting her curious looks every now and then but they talked about nothing in particular when they had the chance. Tina’s friends on the other hand were not shy when it came to expressing who they found attractive and who they thought was a bitch. Skye was quite sure that she belonged to the former category but she wasn’t going to ask either way.
The brunette wasn’t planning on dancing that night but changed her mind when Graham, a rather quiet woman from the group, asked her if she wanted to give it a try. She really liked Graham and her almost shy attitude.
They danced for three or four songs and then returned to the table the group had managed to secure on the upper level. “Thank you” Graham whispered and kissed Skye’s cheek before blushing profusely. “No need, it was fun” Skye replied brightly.
It probably would’ve been even more enjoyable had it been Cara’s body moving across from her, she thought sighing.
While it seemed like Tina and her girls were able to go on without a break Skye found it increasingly difficult to stay focused.
Cara was also having a hard time keeping her eyes open so the two of them said their goodbyes and after a round of hugs and kisses they parted ways. Not without promising to return to the city soon for another night out.
“Did you have fun?” Cara asked as they waited for their cab.
“Absolutely” Skye replied, enjoying the cold night air after the heated atmosphere of the club.
“I don’t think I’ve seen Graham ask a girl for a dance before, she must really like you” Cara said, quietly chuckling. Both of them had emptied quite a few beers and it seemed only natural to talk about whatever came to mind.
“I think she’s cute and has a quick mind. I’m pretty sure she’ll find a woman who can appreciate that.”
Cara nodded thoughtfully. “I agree.”
The cab came and Skye almost fell asleep in the backseat. The alcohol was really catching up with her and she had to steady herself a few times on their way back to the apartment. Both of them were too tired to do anything but drag themselves to bed and fall asleep immediately.
A persistent knocking that could have been inside or outside her skull woke Skye a few seconds after she’d closed her eyes, or at least so it seemed to her. In truth several hours had passed, but it was still early morning. Decidedly too early to get up either way.
When she heard voices from outside her room she got out of bed and hurried to the door to open it so she could peer out.
A woman with light brown hair was standing in the hall, hands firmly planted on her hips. She was staring at Cara, whose back was to Skye. Why had the blonde opened the door for a stranger?
“You are in town and some chicks at the club have to tell me that? You could’ve at least called you know.”
“What do you want Cassy?” Cara asked, she was obviously tired and unwilling to have this conversation.
“I want you to apologize for behaving like an idiot. If you had called me we could have gotten together to have a good time. Back then you weren’t too good for me.”
“What is this about?” Cara groaned. “Do I have to remind you that you dumped me for this girl…whatever her name was.”
“I’ve realized my mistake, but you simply fled back to your hillbilly farm” Cassy huffed.
Skye’s heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Cara had been in a relationship with a woman!
Her mind was spinning, possibilities over possibilities tripping in her head, making it hurt even worse.
She couldn’t quite think with the headache that was taking residence in the back of her head, but she knew that she wanted this Cassy person to be gone. She hurried over to her bag and quickly dug out a large checkered long-sleeved shirt. She put it on and buttoned it up, only leaving the top five buttons open. The shirt barely covered the top of her thighs and even though she was wearing panties it looked more like there was nothing underneath. The open buttons revealed quite a bit of cleavage and raking both hands through her hair she decided that she appeared like she’d just gotten laid. Exactly the look she was going for.
She opened her door and stumbled outside. “What’s going on?” she asked, causing two pairs of eyes to settle on her.
She leaned against the door frame and stretched her arms above her head. She knew that Cassy and Cara were staring at her exposed legs and both of them had a glazed over look in their eyes.
The other woman was the first to snap out of her reverie. “What the fuck is going on?” she screeched.
Cara didn’t answer because she was still busy gaping at Skye, half turned away from Cassy. Skye pushed herself away from the doorframe and sauntered over to wrap her arms around Cara’s waist. “I was sleeping quite blissfully until your knocking woke us up, that is what’s going on” Skye replied before pressing her lips to Cara’s neck. The contact sent a jolt through her entire body - she hadn’t expected that it would affect her this way.
Holding Cara that close was making her legs weak and the blonde’s scent clouded her senses.
Cassy opened her mouth but closed it again without uttering a sound. Several different emotions were flittering across her face until she realized that her ex-girlfriend was obviously fucking the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. “I want you to send her away so we can talk” she demanded but Cara wasn’t even listening. She had her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side to give Skye more access to her neck.
The brunette wasn’t quite hearing Cassy’s words either because she was finally getting what she’d wanted ever since she’d laid eyes on the blonde the day she woke up without memories.
Her blue gaze focused on the unwelcome intruder as she lifted her head. Both of her hands were resting on Cara’s stomach, her thumbs stroking back and forth.
“Oh… you’re still here?” Skye asked lazily. A vein was bulging on the other woman’s forehead as she balled her hands into fists.
“That´s it! Fuck you Cara and fuck this! Don’t even think about calling me ever again!”
She cast a last hate-filled glance at them before storming out of the apartment.
Skye watched the retreating woman and couldn’t help but chuckle. It served her right after all.
Suddenly Cara’s warm body was gone and she blinked a few times before realizing that the blonde had stepped out of her arms.
They stared at each other. Blue eyes meeting green ones.
“You know that she’s now going to tell anybody who wants to listen that you and I are…” Cara began quietly.
“I know” the brunette replied calmly. For her, everything seemed to fall into place. She wanted Cara, in every way possible and she would do whatever she could to get her.
She wanted Cara’s body but she also wanted to live on Seeker’s Run and wake up every morning next to the blonde.
Determination settled in her heart as they stood there in the hall, early in the morning, only in their sleeping attire.
“Thank you Skye, I know why you did what you did. But you shouldn’t have…”
Skye shook her head. “It’s alright. In fact it’s perfectly fine.” She smiled brightly, causing Cara to raise her eyebrows in question.
The brunette wasn’t about to throw herself into Cara’s arms - she was going to take it slow when they were back at Seeker’s Run and she would make her feelings known.
“We should really get some sleep before heading back” she suggested. Even though her body was tingling in all the right places she was still horribly tired and exhausted.
Cara nodded slowly. “Sure. I’ll see you in a couple of hours…”
The blonde seemed torn between returning to her bed and staying. She might’ve wanted to say something but kept quiet instead and walked back to her room. She glanced over her shoulder at Skye and a small smile played around her lips.
…
They slept until noon and enjoyed a very nice breakfast before packing up their belongings and getting into Cara’s truck.
Not a word about the previous night passed between them but Skye felt liberated nonetheless.
Hetty was ecstatic about their return and they were welcomed with hugs and kisses. The boys had thrown together an impromptu barbecue with lots of beer and laughter. Cara talked about her successful business deal while Skye kept on gushing about how exciting and beautiful the city was.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time and they stayed up until late into the night, making it difficult to get up in the morning.
Skye was indeed having a serious case of sleep deprivation as she dragged herself out of bed the next day.
Not even coffee was able to wake her up completely. Everyone was already gone, the boys were out on the fields and Hetty was busying herself in her vegetable garden.
Surprisingly she found Cara on the back porch, sipping some iced tea. “Whatcha doing here?” Skye asked, joining the blonde.
Cara looked up grinning. “I wasn’t really up for the hard work today. You know what’s best about being the boss? You can actually take a day off.”
Skye laughed quietly and nodded.
The day continued to be quite uneventful until the two of them decided to take a walk along the stream that led them to a small valley. Some cows were grazing at a field nearby and Skye watched them for a while until she moved closer to the stream. She wanted to get some cold water onto her overheated skin, because the day was just ridiculously hot. Her black cowboy hat was protecting her face from the sun but her bare arms were already starting to look a little red.
She was about to take another step when the muddy soil caved in beneath her feet and her arms flailed helplessly in the air. She was trying to regain her balance but couldn’t quite stop herself from falling forward. She would’ve landed in the mud hadn’t Cara wrapped her arms around her from behind to break the fall.
They both staggered backwards and Skye turned in Cara’s embrace. They were so close that she could feel the blonde’s breath on her lips.
Steeling her resolve she leaned in and pressed her lips against the softest mouth she’d ever been allowed to feel.
Her hands moved on their own accord and settled on Cara’s hips. The blonde stepped closer and wrapped both arms around Skye to hold her in a tender embrace.
Skye’s heart was beating erratically and her entire body seemed to be electrified. When they ended the kiss she simply let her lips linger a little until she leaned back and looked into Cara’s eyes. Uncertainty was evident in them.
“This is what I want” she whispered.
“Are you sure?” Cara asked quietly.
Skye nodded and instead of answering dove in for another kiss. When Cara’s tongue traced her lower lip, a spark ignited in her heart and settled in her lower belly, causing all sorts of desires to run riot.
She didn’t notice that she was standing ankle-deep in mud until the wet substance seeped into her shoes. Had she worn boots that day they probably would’ve stood there much longer, but Skye yelped at the sudden moist feel. Cara quickly let go of her and stepped back. She was smirking as she watched Skye lift her feet like a stork.
The brunette grumbled as she joined Cara on the dry land. This had been a most unwelcome interruption. She was just about to turn to Cara to snuggle back into her arms when Chase came riding down the little hill. He stopped his horse in front of them and tipped his hat back.
“ There’s something going on at the main house” he announced and both Cara and Skye acknowledged that with a grim nod.
Still quietly cursing the brunette made her way back to the house alongside Cara. Chase had already returned to do his work at the stables, only leaving behind a cloud of dust.
Before they were halfway there Skye had moved closer to Cara to join their hands while walking. The blonde’s thumb was stroking the back of her hand and Skye was sure that Cara didn’t even realize what she was doing. It was soothing nonetheless and her heart swelled at the possibilities that were now lying before her. The kiss they’d shared had almost made her go weak in the knees, and she wondered what else was in store for her. She wanted nothing more than to touch Cara, to experience her and learn everything there was. She wanted to know every little spot that made Cara moan or cry out.
She was biting the inside of her cheek to not grin like a fool. Cara would instantly know what she was thinking about should she now blush.
As they neared the little road that divided the main house and the stables Skye noticed a large black car standing in the middle of it. It was all dusty and obviously not made for such terrain.
“You got any business?” Skye asked but Cara shook her head no. The blonde had a strange look on her face as they kept on walking.
A young man with blonde hair and handsome features came running out of the main house. He was wearing some kind of business suit, but had donned the jacket and now looked completely out of place with his shining white dress shirt.
His polished black shoes were, just like the car, covered with dust. He looked around and paused for a moment when he saw them approaching.
Cara suddenly jerked her hand away and Skye looked at her confused.
“Kahlan!” he yelled and rushed toward them in a break-neck speed.
He wrapped his arms around her without a second thought and Skye’s involuntarily inhaled the penetrating scent of his cologne.
“Oh my god Kahlan, I’m so glad I’ve finally found you” he exclaimed but Skye extracted herself from his embrace and stepped back, closer to Cara.
“I’m sorry, but who the hell are you?”
A sense of panic suddenly washed over her. This man knew her! He knew who she was and he had come to take her away.
“The old lady in the house already told me that you had an accident and that you’re now suffering from amnesia, but don’t you recognize your own fiancé?”
“My…my…what?” she sputtered.
“Don’t worry dear, everything will be alright” he said, smiling. “I’m sure you’ll remember me. I’m Phillip. Your parents are worried about you. We’ve been trying to reach you ever since you left the party.”
Skye was still too perplexed to really grasp the situation. Her mind was spinning, memories were pushing forward into her consciousness and she had to focus all her attention on keeping her legs from failing. Cara was silent, her face an unreadable mask.
“What party?” Skye asked, trying to steer her thoughts in the right direction.
“We were here at the country house of a friend when something had gotten you upset. You simply took your car and drove off. We thought that you only needed some time to calm down, but when we tried to get a hold of you, there was no sign of where you might’ve disappeared to. We found parts of your car in several different states, so we thought that you might’ve been kidnapped or something like that. It was horrible!” Phillip answered
He was trying to embrace her again but she simply held out a hand to stop him.
“Who am I?”
“You’re Kahlan Amnell, my fiancé!” he exclaimed gleefully. “You have a loving family, a well-paying job and we were going to buy a house together.”
“Kahlan?” she mumbled, rolling the name around in her head.
While she was still lost in thought Phillip turned to Cara. “You must be Miss Mason. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of my fiancé. Without your help horrible things might’ve happened to her.” He offered his hand to Cara and the blonde took it.
“It was my pleasure” she said without a trace of emotion. “I’m sure you want to take your fiancé home now, I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.” And with that Cara simply walked past them and into the house.
Phillip put a hand on Kahlan’s shoulder and lifter her chin with his fingertips. “You hear that? We’re going home. Your parents are going to be so relieved.”
“We what?” she asked. She had just realized that Cara was no longer with them. “Give me a minute” she blurted out as she hurried after the blond farm owner.
She found Cara in the kitchen leaning against the sink. “Hetty is getting your things.”
“Cara? What are you saying? I’m not going with him! Don’t be ridiculous…”
“No!” Cara interrupted. “You shouldn’t be ridiculous. Your fiancé just showed up to take you back to your life. You have to go Sk… Kahlan.”
The brunette’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces as Cara stopped herself from saying the name she’d given her. A few moments ago she’d had everything and now her dreams were running through her fingers like fine sand.
“Don’t send me away. Please, I don’t want to go. I want to stay here, at Seeker’s Run, with you and the boys and Hetty” Kahlan pleaded.
“Seeker’s Run is not where you belong. You heard him - you have a job and parents who are worrying about you.”
“But…”
Cara silenced her with a steely gaze. “I am sending you away, you were offered hospitality at Seeker’s Run until you were recovered and now you ought to go home.”
Tears were welling up in her blue eyes. She couldn’t quite believe that Cara was actually saying those things. Hadn’t they just kissed? Had it not meant anything to the blonde?
It was as if everything she had ever needed to be happy was now unreachable.
Hetty returned to the kitchen with a bag in her hands and she looked like someone had just died. She took one look at Cara and wordlessly handed the bag to Kahlan. She pulled the brunette into a hug and kissed her cheek.
Kahlan couldn’t help but look at Cara once again. There was no emotion on the blonde’s face whatsoever. She wanted to say something, get down on her knees and beg so that Cara would allow her to stay. But before she could completely make a fool out of herself Cara walked out of the kitchen, leaving a devastated brunette behind.
Whatever happened after that was just a blur. She felt completely empty as she sat next to Phillip in the car. The leather of the seats smelled alien to her, as well as the quiet sound of the engine seemed unnatural.
Not even the happy faces of her parents could lift the heaviness from her heart and soul. She recognized them, but still couldn’t remember anything about her life.
The house they lived in, on the outskirts of Aydindril, was big - larger than anything on Seeker’s Run. But Kahlan did not feel at home. She talked little with her parents and was downright mean to Phillip whenever he dared to say anything.
So he soon took his leave to give her some time and space. He really seemed to be a sweet guy but he was not what she wanted.
She excused herself to go to bed early that night, leaving her parents as they shared worried glances.
Everything in this house was different, the furniture, she smells, and especially the sounds. Even though she hadn’t been long on Seeker’s Run she’d gotten used to all of it pretty quickly.
She could not sleep a wink as she lay in bed and soon got up to start pacing around the room.
There was still a certain emptiness in heart but the more she thought about what had happened the angrier she became. How dared Cara to just send her away? Wasn’t it also her decision?
A timid knock on the door brought her out of her musings and she went to open it. Her mother was standing in the hall, looking rather concerned. “Kahlan sweetheart, may I come in? I think we should talk about what happened.”
…
Later that night Kahlan was as determined as never before in her life. She was driving all the way back to Seeker’s Run in her father’s car. She’d had to promise her parents several times that she would be careful and not have another accident.
The road was black as she accelerated, the gray car almost invisible on the darkened street. Her headlights parted the night as she drove along the small road right up to the main house. Dust whirled up around her car as she got out and hurried over to the door to knock. She waited several minutes until a very sleepy looking Hetty opened it.
“I knew you’d come back, but you’re much earlier than I expected.” The older woman yawned and stepped aside. “Cara’s in your room.”
“What? In my room?”
Hetty only nodded and motioned for her to go on.
Kahlan hastened up the stairs as quietly as she could. She walked to the end of the hall to her room and slowly opened the door.
She saw that Cara was indeed curled up on the wooden bed. It was as if the previous hours had never happened. She realized that Cara had only sent her away to give her a choice. And now she had decided - as if there could be any doubt to where her heart belonged.
Kahlan smiled and tiptoed into the room until she stood at the foot of the bed. She watched Cara’s sleeping form for several minutes before she lowered herself onto the mattress and snuggled up behind the blonde.
Cara stirred and sighed happily. “Am I dreaming?”
“No you’re not” Kahlan whispered and placed a kiss onto the blonde’s neck. “I’m here and I will not leave, you hear me?”
“Promise?”
“With all my heart.”
The End