TWO BIRDS OF A FEATHER

A force to be reckoned with...

Love in the most basic definition could be defined as a coming together of two individuals with their similarities and differences, likes and disliked, and past victories and failures. It is in those most precious differences that love finds its path to days that have not come yet. It is in the fight to save it that love finds it strength to hold on, with the hope that the steps that are taken make it stronger instead of crushing it down...

Can watched with silent fury as Sanem left his holding cell with tears in her eyes and sorrow in her soul. He was mad. He was furious. He was livid. Every ounce of his being screamed inside of him with a deafening "I TOLD YOU SO!" He hated Fabri from the very moment they met. There was something unsettling in the way he carried himself and how he treated everyone. In how he treated Sanem. Especially, in how he treated Sanem. It was his own fault for agreeing to partner with Fabri, Can knew that all too well now. That was the underlying irritated thought that ran through his mind. He should not have listened to Deren. He should have declined Fabri's offer. But... that all lied in the past. Just as his fist running into Fabri's mouth did. There was no other way to put it. He hit Fabri, on Fabri's grounds. And that was a mistake he realized he would have to face reprecautions for. He was provoked - true. Fabri insulted him exactly where he knew it would hurt - true again. But he lost his temper. And that was far better of an ammunition Fabri now had in his corner than even Fabri anticipated.

When he was finally called to provide a statement, Can was restless in his cell. He was glad to finally be let out of the cage that Fabri was ever so anxious to put him in. He wanted to get the formalities out of the way and leave. But as he spoke with the Police Officer, and his lawyer, it became apparent that Fabri was eager to make him suffer and make him pay. He began to provide an explanation as to what happened. But the feelings of how he felt in the morning when he saw Fabri returned to him. He may not have possessed Sanem's gift of photographic memory, but he sure had an uncanny abity of remembering how people made him feel. And what he felt toward Fabri made him sick. And that made it hard for him to control his temper. He explained to the Police Officer that he was provoked. He went to Fabri to reason with him, not because he was looking for a fight. It was Fabri himself who was looking for one. And yet, either way he presented his statement, he was in the loosing position. Not only that, but since Fabri conveniently delayed giving his statement, it was becoming obvious that he would now be forced to spend the night locked up like a guilty man. And that just added another layer of insult Fabri had directed at him.

Back at the agency, Sanem was beside herself. They returned to the agency with Leyla and Emre. She was not looking for a shoulder to cry on nor for a warm word of comfort. No. But she did not expect for her colleagues to point to her as the reason for Can's current situation or the agency's uncertain future. She was hurt, and could no longer hide her tears. She hid in the archive room, thinking it would ease her pain. It only magnified it. Everywhere she looked, everywhere she turned, her photographic memories rushed back at her with images of Can, her and Can, and their happier days. Though they were far from carefree, they were happier.

While she sat alone with her tears, she received a call from her mother. Though at first she tried to deny everything, Mevkibe gave her another crushing blow. The news of Can's arrest got out into the public. Sanem did not have the time nor strength to deny it, but she did downplay the severity of the situation. And Mevkibe may have believed her, but Ceycey did not. He knew better. He heard his dear friend spin the circumstances of Can's situation to Mevkibe, but he knew the truth. He also realized how Sanem felt - Sanem was always an energetic ball of happiness and positivity, and she very rarely cried. Which meant that if she did, the reason for her sorrow was serious, very serious.

Whatever others may have thought of Ceycey, he really was the kind of friend one needed in the gravest of hours. He was loud, he was definitely unpredictible in his ways, but he was also supportive to his very core. And he always supported Can and Sanem. He knew them, and he understood their love better than anyone else. Sometimes even more than they did themselves, because he had a way of looking at their love without any alterior motives or any selfish gains. He valued them and their friendship. It hurt him to hear Sanem lie to her mother about how serious the charges against Can were. But it hurt him more to see Sanem suffer so much. They spoke about Can's situation and Fabri's vile intentions. Ceycey asked if all of it could be connected to Sanem's scent? Sanem did not deny it, and Ceycey quickly pointed out that Fabri wasn't just a conceided man, he was obsessed.

After Sanem did not reply when he asked her if she considered giving Fabri her scent, Ceycey grew pale. He advised her that she could not do that. He requested she didn't. He begged her not to. They all saw what Can did to prevent Sanem from giving the scent to Fabri. He signed a check for a sum the likes of which Ceycey never even imaginged ever seeing with his own life. Can did that. He did that for her! For them! She could not possibly consider surrendering the scent to Fabri after all of that. But Sanem had a hard time acknowledging his words. How many more people would suffer because of her? How much would Can suffer? Nevermind their love, if he ended up in jail because of her she never would have forgiven herself...

As the night went on, both Sanem and Can ached, both suffered from guilt of of the recent past. But as Sanem fought a battle within herself between what happened because of her and what she needed to do, Can chose to calm himself with the memories he had of the two of them. He chose to process through his temper to release it instead of keeping it inside. And that he attributed to the calming effect Sanem had on him. He was a complex man, but she found a way to soothe his torturous spirit. She eased his restlessness. He could not sleep. He sat in his cell for hours. Any other man would have demanded better treatment. Especially a man of his status. But he? He sat in silence. He chose it. He willed himself into solitude. He looked down on his hands. The Police took away his rings, his bracelets, his pendants, his glasses. And still, he felt like nothing was missing. Nothing, because he had Sanem and their memories that kept him content.

Rather than concentrating on Fabri, he concentrated on Sanem. And their love. He thought of the night she found him in the forest. He thought of the night and morning he woke up to find her still in his arms in Agva as they fell asleep on the hammock by the beach. He thought of the evening they came back to each other after the Compass presentation, and of the day he kissed her at his home. Though Sanem may have been the writer and poet between the two of them, there was so much love woven through his memories that he would have easily written an epic tale of their love himself.

As the morning came, he had not slept one bit. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He may have acted on his temper, but his love for Sanem gave him enough of determination that made him realize that he should not give up. Whatever had to happen to get him out of jail, would happen. He was ready to face the law and his punishment for his actions. But one thing was for certain. Fabri would not get close to Sanem, not on his watch. Because if there was one thing certain about Can Divit, it was that he was a force to be reckoned with. And that was for sure..