Participants:
Scene Title | One Last Goodbye |
---|---|
Synopsis | While Cassidy is in New Orleans, Mortimer shows up to finally get some answers. In the end they decide on one last goodbye. |
Date | August 20, 2009 |
Some where in New Orleans
As soon has her plane had landed, Cassidy was ready to get back on and go home again. A week in silence didn't appeal to her, but that wasn't the only thing. Her mother had shown up at the airport with a man she'd rather not have seen again, Richard. And boy had they dropped a bomb on her.
It was enough that Cassidy needed to get out of the house. So calling out her mother that's she was going out a walk, Cassidy hurried out of the trailer she grew up in. Half hopping off the stairs, she glances back at the old double wide trailer with a frown.
Much cleaner cut than Cassidy is likely used to, Mortimer is in an open blue suit jacket, a buttoned up light-blue denim shirt, some neatly fitting blue jeans, and a pair of black boots. His gloved hands are holding a map with all sorts of markings on it, looking around. He eventually ends up standing right next to her, looking at the map. He knows someone is there, but isn't looking up as he concentrates on the directions. "Hey, you know someone named Cassidy O'Shea?"
She recognizes the voice right away. Turning toward him Cassidy can't hide the surprise as she gasps. "Mortimer?!" Glancing around them and then at the trailer, she grabs his arm and pulls him out of the view of her mother's house. "How did you…?" she trails of a bit and then frowns, brows dropping a bit. "Why are you here?"
"I just figured if you were going somewhere without that guy, I could just, I don't know, talk to you properly." Mortimer tries to say calmly, though his heart is racing with her right there in front of him. "If we're really saying good bye, I don't want it to be as sad as it was… I don't want it to be so rushed."
In truth it had hurt her deeply to push him away and a part of Cassidy was excited to see him there. Suddenly, she moves to hug him. "I'm sorry I had to push you away, I wanted to explain more, but Coren was on his way. Had you been there he would have arrested you.. or something." Even now a part of her expects to hear the protests of her partner, but its eerily silent. It bothers her and so she holds tighter to Mortimer. "You deserve a better explanation." She murmurs, her words muffled by his shoulder.
"It's really hard without you around." Mortimer admits, arms wrapped around her waist as he rests his chin briefly on to her head. "Sanity is really is hard, it, just, it really sucks. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing anymore, I don't know why I'm doing whatever I'm doing…"
"I don't think many people do understand why they are doing what they are doing." Cassidy says pulling back enough to look at him. "And life rarely works out how you plan it. Look at me for example." Pulling away and taking his hand, the detective tugs him along with her, towards a path that goes into the thick wooded area not far from her mother's home. "Think I planned to have my life turned upside down?" She gives him a small sad smile.
"Cassidy…" Mortimer lowly says, squeezing her hand just a little. "Would you have left me if you didn't have your ability? Would we have worked out?" He continues following, though he goes silent, his tone shaky as if dreading the answer.
Silent for a long moment, Cassidy isn't sure how to answer that. Finally, she settles on honesty. "I… don't know." In the woods, the dense foliage shades them as they walk, light patterns the path where it's able to make it through the leaves. "I don't know how much of my feelings are what I'm feeling from you." Her head turns towards him, light and shadow playing over her face as she walks. "But a part of me thinks, we would have worked something out if I wasn't tied to my partner. I just can't say for certain."
"So, this is really it?" Mortimer asks, moving to gently rest her against a tree, looking down into her eyes. "This is gonna be good bye? I could, I don't know, just, stay with you and follow any strict rules you have about your partner…"
Leaning back against the tree, Cassidy looks sad…. almost heart broken. "It's just not that easy, Mortimer. I wish it was." Hands reach up to rest against his cheeks. "You have to understand what's happening to me. Remember when I was staying with Coren? At his place and that hotel. This started happening. Now they all make sense, but back then I didn't think much about them.. Then this thing happen…." She trails off and lets her hands slide away. "He's so tied into my life now, Mortimer. He is always going to be there. In my head…. except for like now." Her eyes actually, start to glisten with tears. "But even without him in my head… I can't sleep. I feel so…. empty and lonely. I… I just want to go home to him." Her head tilts down and her eyes drop away, as she suddenly feel bad for feeling that way. "That Pastor's vision was right, I feel less of myself without Coren in my head." She whispers those words like she dreads saying them.
Mortimer turns his head away, not wanting her to see his face as his words are practically choked back. "C-Cassidy…" A deep swallow, then he turns to look at her with tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "Do you love him?"
The question throws her for a loop, Cassidy wasn't expecting that. "I… don't know if it's love, Mortimer. But there are feelings there. I can't escape them. But they may just be a product of this link. " She reaches up to wipe at the tears on his cheeks, her touch gentle "Just like you care for me… I know Coren does too… he just doesn't seem to share my feelings." They are connected, you'd think she'd know. "At least not like I feel them. Which is how I feel for you too." Her eyes seem to plead for understanding. "It's hard. I have feelings for two men. One I don't know if what I feel is true, or if I'm feeling his feelings. The other doesn't seem to share my feelings, but I'm tied to him in a way…" She stops herself from talking for a moment, eyes closing to block out the pain in his eyes and from his emotions.
"Look. I don't know what to feel. For either for you." Cassidy's eyes open again as she looks up at him. "But I know, in my heart, I can't be with you. And yes… because of my flawed ability." She reaches out to grab his arms, just in case he tries to move away. "My path has been set for me.. by someone much higher." She glances up at the sky and then back at Mortimer. "You have your life back. Free to do what you want… to be who you want. Don't waste this chance on me. I told you before, there are much better women out there that don't have another man mentally connected to them."
"Cassidy, I don't wanna leave you, but I love you too much to stick around and cause all this pain and confusion for you. Just…" Mortimer places his hands on both cheeks, moving in for a brief yet passionate kiss. "Let me have you one more time?"
"And I can make you live a life always waiting to see if I can be with you. Even if I'll always still have feeling for you. You deserve so much better," Cassidy manages to say before he kisses her. She's a bit dazed as he pulled away, swallowing as she tries to pull together her suddenly scattered thoughts. There is even a moment that she looks like she's going to reject him, but then she whispers, "Yes…." She can have this moment.. right? To finally say goodbye to a time in her life. One so short lived. And something to take away the loneliness.
"I don't care what I deserve or need, I just know what I want… and what I want is for you to be happy." Mortimer starts to quickly remove his jacket, then eagarly moves to lift her shirt, kissing whenever he can. He intends to just keep her against the tree, because, well, the ground is dirty, and trees aren't so bad. "I'm always gonna love you, you can always come to me, I don't want you to forget that, ever…"
"Mortimer… stop." Cassidy says suddenly, grabbing his hands as he tries to lift her shirt. There is a small smile on her face, so he's not in trouble. She leans in to kiss him again, a softer kiss. When her lips move from his, she whispers. "There is a motel not far from here, other side of these woods." She pulls back further, giving him a mischievous little smile. "I'd rather… take my time." The smile fades away some. "Especially, since this will be the last time."
"The first time we did it, we had to rush a bit… well, if you call four hours rushing." Mortimer pulls his jacket on, then takes her hand. "Lead the way, I wanna see if sanity's affected my performance." he says with a light laugh, trying to just… be happy on their last night together. "And, you know what? I do deserve you, I don't deserve anything less than you, don't forget that either."
Cassidy takes his hand to lead him through the woods, "Just know Mortimer… my feelings will always be there for you as well." There is truth in her words, she might not be totally certain if all she is feeling is all her, but it's there. "I… want to at least try to keep some sort of friendship." She smiles a bit watching him, "I… don't deserve you Mortimer. Come on… I don't want to go home for awhile anyhow."