Life, Death, and Time - A Books Of Beginning Collection

Oneshot: A Battle Already Lost

Background: Takes place during the Fire Chronicle, right after Rafe saves Kate from those imps and she passes out.

Content: Angst, Kate x Rafe, some humor.

Rafe set her down as gently as possible. She had already almost been captured by the imps, and betrayed by that wicked witch, she didn't need to add bumps and bruises to her list of problems. The candles he had placed in the backroom for light cast shadows over her face, which was worried even in unconsciousness, as though the girl had a million responsibilities and couldn't afford to sleep.

Once she was safely on the ground, he stood staring at her for a few moments. Her face was exactly the same as the otherworldly girl he had seen in his dream. Beautiful, sad, with the expression of someone with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

She was shivering slightly, since she was dressed for summer beneath the thin coat she wore. Rafe searched the shelves of the room for any sort of covering, and to his satisfaction, found a heavy woolen blanket. He tossed it over the girl's legs, and her shaking began to subside.

Rafe let out a sigh, thinking about what a close call the girl had. It had been lucky Jake and Beetles had found him (and not rushed into danger themselves, because those boys, while enthusiastic, should not be taking on imps anytime soon). But for how long could he keep her safe? How could he protect her from the fate he had seen in his dreams?

She needed to get out of here, Rafe realized. He would need to find a way to get her to wherever she was from and far away from him. Otherwise, his dream would come true and she would die. He would damn her to death.

Rafe's hands clenched into fists, his heart tight. He didn't want this girl to die because of him. He didn't want anyone to die because of him, but least of all someone so young, who probably had people she cared for and ambitions she wanted to see fulfilled.

He had to prevent it. But could you fight destiny? His ma' had thought so. She had told him he would make a choice. What kind of choice, Rafe did not know. But maybe if he chose to stay away from this girl, to send her home without asking her the million questions swirling around his brain, she would live. And perhaps that would mean he would never find his destiny, because she would never show it to him like his dream had predicted, but he figured that was a fair trade. He would be content with never truly knowing what his fate was if it saved a life.

Of course, Rafe couldn't do anything yet, not until the girl woke up and she spoke with Miss B, who obviously had many questions. And it might take a bit of time to get her home, Rafe realized, what with the separation only days away. But he would pull it off. He would get her to safety before anything happened, no matter what it took.

Feeling a bit better about the odds of preventing his nightmares from becoming real, he decided to leave the girl to her rest and deal with the situation again when she woke up. In the meantime, he would tend to his tasks around the church. He turned to leave -

And for some reason, turned back, and found himself kneeling down to brush a lock of blonde hair from the girl's face.

Rafe pulled his hand back like he had been burned. Why had he just done that? He was supposed to stay away from her, for goodness sakes. He shouldn't be doing something so intimate. Rafe got to his feet, not sure what had come over him.

Shuddering, but not from the cold, he made his way into the hall of the church, planning to go about his duties, then check in with Henrietta and go to play the violin until the girl woke up. But before he could make it to the main room, where the savages were sorting the day's haul, he heard two voices speak in unison;

"Hey Rafe!"

"Jake, Beetles," he said in greeting, looking at the two young boys, who were both grinning at him, a teasing look in their eyes.