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Title: Solace
Author: suicide_eagle_rath
Rating: Adult (some sexual overtones and supernatural items)
Pairings: UC/ A/T / /AU
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Melinda Metz, Jason Katims, WB and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement intended.
Summary: A dream two share, what will the outcome be? Never did one of these before but when I saw your challenge this came to mind.
<center> Solace
Part 1</center>
The day was crisp and clear; Tess Harding stepped down from her SUV and breathed in the mountain air. It had been a while since she was home, college and a career came first. She walked up the steps; the cabin had been in the family for years, a place for any of the kids or grandkids to hang out. Built by her grandparent back in the early 1930’s, the place had been modernized several times, as well as expanded. The large logs that comprise the cabin’s structure were from the old stock native pine trees that surround the estate. Exquisite in design, this cabin was rich in details done by master craftsmen. Inlayed oak floors graced with Persian rugs graced every room with style and warmth. The walls were covered in oak and walnut paneling, while chandeliers hung everywhere. This was truly not your everyday cabin in the woods.
The cabin, Solace, as it came to be known, was built into the side of a hill, a large wrap around balcony with fine sturdy rocking chairs were poised in place ready for guests. The scenery was breathtaking, the rich earth smelled of virility while the green vegetation filled the heart with joy and serenity. The place was magical, at least that is what her grandma always said, magical, where the spirits roamed befriending man.
Tess opened up the massive oak and glass doors and walked into the living area. The house was quiet, the servants had already cleaned and left for the day to let her have some peace and quiet. The cook transformed some simple ingredients into a delicious slow-cooking stew for her, as she inhaled the scent of fresh bread, still permeating through the house form the early morning baking spree. She walked through the kitchen and pulled open one of the large glass doors that flanked the south side of the cabin, and stepped onto the balcony. She could see the mist covered mountain tops in the distance, over the lake in front of the cabin. The lake set chills up her spine, it looked cold that day, the clouds covered the sky and winds were kicking up small white caps.
All around her, she could feel her grandma’s words, a mystical place, one where the realm of dreams met the realm of magic. Where good spirits walked with demons, where elves played and fairies danced. She smiled thinking about her grandma, she had been from the old country, grew up in the foothills of the mountains in Transylvania itself. She always had stories of ghosts, demons, and yes even vampires. She felt hungry as she turned back to the kitchen to get some stew and a piece of fresh bread. She went back and sat on the porch eating from a soup cup, watching the sun melt into the ground. From the distance, she could hear the chirping of crickets and the groaning of frogs as the night began to play its musical notes of life.
Not wanting the day to end, Tess could feel herself tired. The four hour drive was a stretch and she was emotionally and physically drained from recent setbacks at work and in her personal life. She needed this time at Solace, time to heal. Sighing Tess walked back inside and headed upstairs with her suitcase. She always chose the bedroom that looked over the valley to the side of the house. She loved the colors of the flowers in the early morning light, their vibrant hues urging one to get up, to exist another hour in this great place. In the city, she would scoff at such thoughts, but here it was almost natural to think of mystical creatures hiding in the fog or beneath a leaf.
Changing quickly she bounced into the feather bed, as she cuddle the comforters her Mom had bought on a trip to the Amish area. Finely made, they were a valuable asset to the long cold nights. Before she could say jack rabbit, Tess was fast asleep, dreaming again of that man, one she had never seen but he had haunted her dreams for months. She could feel his touch, smell is cologne, and yes even feel the stubble of his beard. But every time she reached out to him to hold him closer, he disappeared, a figment of her imagination. Yet she was sure she was not alone.
Her dreams were always vivid; she could feel his body heat, the smoothness of his skin. It was tangible; she could feel the energy that passed between them during the midnight hours, those hours when dream and reality mix. Those hours that brought a smile to her lips and sadness to her heart, in those hours her lived a thousand lives. But then, at the stroke of dawn, as soon as the first ray of light touched the earth where she laid, he vanished, a phantom.
Tess awoke with a start, it had to be real she though to herself, he had to be real. Is touch was real, his heart beat, she could feel the pulse. Her mind could not comprehend the possibility she was seeing the future, or a past of long ago. Was he real or not? No one person had ever invaded her life before, her dreams, her existence. It was as if he had always been there for her, waiting, lurking the shadows. But now he was making his presence strongly to be with her in this forest of life.
