Beatrice has dedicated her life to this cause. It's what she signed up for, and she has no regrets. How can she? The OCS gave her a home and a family and a purpose. It gave her a place where she could put her skills to good use. It gave her so much.
But it also gave her a place to hide, and meeting Ava has made that increasingly difficult. Even know, she's convinced she can still feel Ava's lips on her own, trembling and salty with tears. It was their first kiss, and Beatrice can only hope it won't be their last. Her heart won't survive their goodbye turning into a forever.
If she's not careful, she could just lean back and close her eyes, maybe drift off to a place where none of this is happening.
Maybe a lot of things.
With another sigh, she finally gets to her feet, swaying slightly. There's still so much they need to do now, to reestablish themselves; to make sure the OCS survives at all. But what are they without the Warrior Nun? What are they without Ava? What is she?
She turns now, her body angling towards the portal, hand automatically reaching out. It's still warm to the touch, which is odd to her, because everything about the Arc feels so very cold. It has to be, truly, because only something cold could bring this much destruction.
To her own life, and to the world.
Beatrice's hand is still on the Arc when she closes her eyes and thinks of Ava. She thinks of the time they met, both of them caught in torrents of emotions, suffering through losses and changes in an endless way. It felt endless, Beatrice trying to stay faithful to the OCS while tormenting herself with just how much she wanted to keep Ava close.
She thinks of learning about Ava and her past; of being able to touch her - of allowing herself to. She thinks of the battle at the Vatican; of the pride she felt in Ava, and of the fear she felt when they were outnumbered. She thinks of their escape, and then she thinks of their time in the Alps.
Her heart aches at all the missed opportunities. Being that close to her, Beatrice should have - would have -
She thinks of Ava, of her smile and her laugh and her little quirks. She thinks of her voice, yelling expletives, asking her to run away together. Beatrice wishes she'd said yes. Maybe they'd be somewhere safe, hidden away. But maybe the world would be burning to the ground right now, and Beatrice has discovered a new selfishness, yes, but she doesn't think she or Ava could live with that trade-off.
When Ava returns - and she will - they'll go somewhere. The two of them, they'll finally see the world together. Beatrice will take her anywhere she wants to go; she'll say yes to anything and everything. When Ava returns, Beatrice will -
She'll find a way to tell her, with no hesitation, exactly how she feels. Because this love in her heart, she doesn't want to contain it anymore. She doesn't think she can. She won't.
With another sigh, she adds a quiet addition to her initial prayer, whispers the word, "Amen," and then turns to leave. It's a long, solo trip back to the surface, and she knows she has to try to find the words to explain that -
It's a light breeze first, at her back, and Beatrice freezes. That's impossible. She starts to turn, not sure what to expect, and that's when it happens. She can't say exactly what, but she sees blue light, and then she's flying backwards, her back slamming into the wall behind her.
She might pass out, but she does know she's dazed, her eyesight blurry. There's a shadow that passes by her, and then it's in front of her, and Beatrice's instincts are to lash out and protect herself from what she can't see.
But then soft hands take hold of her own and a voice starts speaking, and -
Beatrice knows that voice.
She knows those hands.
Her eyes close tightly, and then she blinks several times, trying to clear her vision. It's a dream. It has to be. This can't be real. There's no -
The image becomes clearer, and Beatrice stares straight ahead, heart racing with disbelief and a fear that this truly is -
Oooo a cliff hanger 😳
Let me know what you think happens next!
