More Than a Purpose

Sabella listened quietly to Nathan's tale and by the end there were tears in her eyes. How could he have endured it? She remembered how she had felt after Westley had died, but to lose your wife and your child? The pain he must have felt...and must still feel was too much for her to imagine. His story broke her heart.

When he spoke of his presence endangering everyone at the estate she looked at him. "If you leave Nathan I'm leaving with you. I will go where you go...even to the ends of the earth."

ooc: Gawd, my post was god aweful...I just reread it.

“But...I can’t go, The Oracle..” He began and when he started he noticed that her lips parted slightly and her eyes had an eager, expectant look to them. He sighed and looked away from her. “I know it's dangerous if I stay but...but I can’t leave...yet,” he said. He was not lying...exactly but not being completely truthful either. He turned back to face her.

“Sabella...what’s happening between us...how I feel about you...it doesn’t make anything easier. I hope you know that,” he said as he looked deeply into her eyes. “I didn’t plan on any of this happening. You, this place...the Oracle…” he said and wanted so much to say more. If nothing more than to release his burdens upon her but he knew she’d end up working against him to stop what was going to happen. The Oracle told him that she would if he told her so he instead shifted so he was half way atop her and she shifted over so she was more centered on the bed. He turned his head to look down the length of her naked body then up again to her face. “Besides, I think I’d like to focus on something else right now,” he said trying to change the subject but he saw her face and he knew they were far from done talking seriously.

When Nathan mentioned The Oracle, Sabella looked at him, hoping he would say more. Clearly her father had told him things about the future and Sabella could only imagine that they involved her if neither one of them would tell her as well. However, before he said anything more he stopped himself. He moved so he was more atop her and she shifted slightly on the bed. When she did so, the sheet that had been around her was pulled free, exposing her body to him. She felt his eyes gaze upon her and she let him, though her mind remained plagued. She wanted to say more...to ask him more questions but she knew it would be pointless at this time. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her...

When she pulled him down relief came over him. Relief that she wouldn’t press him and the wonderful sensations her body sent to his body. He kissed her over and over as he felt her legs slide open and around his hips and pulled him into her. He gasped and felt her lips curl into a smile as he began to move…

Eventually he had to leave though he really didn’t want to. Morning was not far off and sleep wouldn't come when he was in her bed. All he wanted to do is make love to her over and over. He slept, a little before he had to get up and begin the day. Coffee was all that he wanted and in abundance. Today marked the last day he’d have to run this beginning session. He was more than tired of seeing people fall over one another like village idiots. And his lack of sleep made him short of temper.

It was not a surprise that Sabella would visit. The Oracle had been expecting her...ofcourse. “Good morning Sabella...you look tired, is...everything alright?” He asked. As far as father/daughter relationships went, hers and Sabella’s wasn’t typical. He was like a mother and father to her, willing to talk to her about anything and everything and provide guidance when she asked for it. With Sloan coming to call upon them quite a few people had needed his advise and two have since left the estate. He had foreseen their departure but it couldn’t be helped and as it stood...was necessary. “Tea, my dear?” he asked knowing she was exhausted...from what he decided not to think about right then. “Come sit and make an old man happy by talking with him a while,” he said as he poured the hot water into two cups he had already prepared.

Several hours later Sabella rose to find that Nathan had already left. She bathed and dressed and left her hair down. She found she could not stop thinking about Nathan and the night before...but she also felt an extreme amount of guilt suddenly as she thought about Westley. Was she betraying his memory? Inwardly, she told herself that he would want her to be happy, but she could not help this gnawing feeling in her stomach. She decided that she needed to speak to her father about a number of things and she left her room and walked down the hallway to his chambers. He immediately greeted her and let her in and, as always, appeared to have been expecting her. She took a seat and nodded when he asked her if she would like some tea.

"Yes, tea would be nice, thank you."

She was quiet for a moment as the tea was poured. She accepted her cup but left it sitting in her lap, untouched.

"Father...I'm falling in love with Nathan."

He set her tea down wordlessly in front of her but he had a small grin on his face. “Yes he is difficult ‘not’ to like that one, flaws and all. So hard upon himself and so quick to anger…” he said thoughtfully as he sat down slowly then sighed. His knee jerk reaction was to explode at her and demand she never see him again but that was just not possible. They needed to work together if any of them were to survive what was coming and so this development...he decided to call it was pause for the course he supposed.

“You know I would never tell you how to live your life but...but there is much you do not know. I know that keeps coming up over and over but with my particular abilities we don’t really have a choice. You falling in love with him was not certain but I knew it would happen eventually,” he told her as he took a sip of his tea. It was spiced with orange and mint as he liked it. “He will try to keep you at a distance but you must not let him. He needs you Sabella...more than either of you can possibly imagine,” he said letting her know what she needed to know.

Sabella was quiet for a long moment as she let her father's words sink in. She knew that not only would Nathan need her, but she needed him...greatly.

"I cannot help this guilt that I feel though Father. Am I betraying Westley's memory? Is this too soon? I don't know if I can control what I feel for Nathan, but I never want to forget Westley."

“No one can tell you how to feel Sabella. You loved Westley and you're in love with Nathan. Denial of either of these connections would be a lie. But Wesley is truly gone my dear. He loved you and that love will always be apart of you. Don’t sully that with guilt...and turn it into something bad. Life is too sho..rt” he said though he hadn’t really wanted to. He tried to play it off as if his throat was scratchy but he didn’t think it was convincing. “What are your intentions with Nathan?” he asked quickly in hopes to shift her away from his misspoken words. “Will you marry him, have his children? You are a healthy woman, if you get pregnant…” he began but then stopped. Neither of them had such sensibilities to hold loving someone until marriage.

Sabella knew the moment her father asked her that she would marry Nathan if he asked her. She knew that she loved him...that she was connected to him. Each of them had loved and lost before and knew what that pain was like. They understood each other in ways no one else ever would.

"If Nathan ever asks me, yes...I would marry him Father. I know it may sound strange since we haven't known each other for very long, but I feel...connected to him in a way that I didn't even feel with Westley."

The Oracle could do nothing but shake his head. Ah what it must be like to be young, he thought. “You must do what your heart tells you, ofcourse. Decidedly he left out the three other ladies that live there that have asked about Nathan. Sabella had had her admirers for sure but once her and Wesley were known to be together that died off rather quickly. It had started up again though now that he was dead but she had spurned their advances. In comes Nathan and she falls right into him. He had to change the subject.

“How are your powers coming along? I hear Nathan has all but demanded your help into doing what he needs of you,” he said. “You’re not being overworked i hope?” He added. “No...No! Don’t flail around, try to remember where they are!” Nathan barked. His voice was muffled from inside but he was already angry. With some of those here, it didn’t take much. He grinned over at Sabella. “Well, if you can work on his temper I think we’d all be happier for it!” he joked.

Sabella picked up her cup of tea and took a small sip. The warmth felt good in her throat and helped her to relax. "I am getting stronger everyday," she told him when he asked about her powers. "Nathan has been working with me and he pushes me." She paused and couldn't help but smile when she heard him outside barking out orders. She laughed and smiled when her father suggested that she work on Nathan's temper. "I will try."

She then became quiet for a moment before she thought about Sloan again.

"Should we be worried that Sloan will come back? I did not mean to expose us, but he left me little choice."

The oracle shook his head. “Ive put Amy to detecting him, should he dain to come back. He unwittingly shared his emotional pattern with her and as you know, once that is done she could tell you apart from anyone else, even without her eyes,” he reminded her. Amy was actually quite a remarkable young woman. Her powers were extremely powerful but she barely knew how to really use them. She knew how to do that though. If he as so much entered into the grounds she’d know it.

“You are being careful aren't you?,” he said. “A pregnancy now might not be the best time,” he warned. If they were having sex, accidents did happen though it never happened with Wesley. And he was thankful for that. For her and Nathan though...there were...possibilities but it was not so clear to him right then. He hoped his warning was enough for her to use some discretion at least. With that it was drawing near the time that Nathan normally asked for her help.  

In the hall as she passed by she overheard Ilene and Gorgina talking. “You think Nathan will even notice?” Well I hope so...He’s not blind. Helen actually fell into him with her blindfold on. You should have seen her face...as red as a pomegranate because he accidentally touched her breasts to stop her from falling,” Irene chuckled. “I thought her and Taylor were together?” Gorgina asked but Irene shook her head. “Nathan’s got all us hens scratchin at his fe…” She continued but stopped abruptly when they saw Sabella. “Oh, uh, Hi Sabella,” Irene said. Her face flushed as they snickered at one another. No one knew about Sabella and Nathan yet, which was for the good. Amy was still really head over heels for him despite what Sabella had said and if she heard about them from someone else...It would not go well.

Sabella was glad to know that Amy was going to be able to detect Sloan should he come back and she expected that he might based on what Nathan had told her the night before. When the Oracle asked her if they were being careful she felt her face turn red with embarrassment. They had not been careful last night...passion had gotten the better of them. She could only hope that nothing would come of it.

She quickly realized what time it was and used it as an excuse to not answer the question. She wanted to see Nathan again. She had not seen him since last night. She gave her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek before departing his chambers. Out in the hall she spotted Ilene and Georgina walking towards her, though they had not spotted her yet. She heard them talking about Nathan and immediately she began to listen in to their conversation. It was becoming quickly evident that many women in the estate had their eyes on him and she knew they needed to talk about whether or not they were going to keep their relationship a secret.

"Hi Ilene...Hi Georgina," she said to them. "I would stay to talk, but Nathan is waiting for me..."

She would not be able to see the indignant looks the two women shot at her back as she stepped away from them. Outside there was laughing and a very angry Nathan who looked as if he were about to start clobbering people at any moment. Before he did though he saw her. He smirked at her approach which was as good as a beaming smile from anyone else. “Ok people, blindfolds off, it's time for the second lesson!” He barked. "Just give me a moment to direct our lovely assistant Sabella here,” he said and gave her a wink. A couple girls quite nearly swooned when he did that. That dark, brooding handsomeness had that effect on several of the women that were close enough though and clearly some didn’t really know why. It was a side effect of his ability that was doing it. Something completely out of his control nor awareness. The fact that he was in love seemingly increased this effect, the shadows seemed to created a barely visible halo of dark light around him that made him look almost pristine in a dark, primal sort of way and Sabella would know his lovemaking was no less so in its intensity.

“Oh thank goodness you made it...this group makes the last one seem like a pack of angels.” Sabella noticed several of the people here and it wasn’t the most intelligent bunch to be sure. “You up for today? You feeling alright?” he asked nonchalantly and hadn't acted as if he had seen or noticed her expression at all until he passed close to her ear. "Oh I want to make love to you over and over, right now," he whispered then turned to begin the selection process of who was going to go first.

Sabella walked quickly outside knowing that Nathan would not be happy if she kept him waiting, particularly if he was having a difficult time with people. She could immediately tell that that was the case as she approached him. What she had not quite been expecting was the smirk he gave her. Before last night it had always been more of a frown and she felt quite happy at the change. To her it really meant something. And then to get a wink from him! She knew in that instant that he loved her and it made her so happy she felt as if she might start floating from it. Then, as he approached her she felt her heart start to beat a little harder in her chest and as he whispered in her ear she closed her eyes and breathed in his musky scent. However, his words caused her face to suddenly flush with desire. He would be able to see the heat in her eyes as she caught his gaze before he went over to begin the selection. Sabella had to take a moment to refocus, as her attention was suddenly very much elsewhere. Finally, she gave the indication that she was ready.

However this time there were three people that stepped forward. “Try to do the same for all three at the same time Sabella,” He asked and took a hold of her shoulders. “If it turns out to be too much for you I’ll stop you from dropping,” he said in a calm, soothing voice and several in the crowd murmured nervously, obviously afraid for her. “Don’t be afraid Sabella, I know you can do this...I know it,” he repeated again and rubbed her shoulders with his strong fingers and thumb.

The look of surprise was evident on Sabella's face when Nathan pulled forward three people instead of just one. She had never tried to connect with more than one mind at a time. She wasn't even sure she could do what he was asking. However, she trusted him with her life. He had made her stronger than she ever had been before. She felt his fingers rub her shoulders and just his presence made her feel even stronger. She nodded and knew that she would need to connect her mind to each of theirs one at a time. She closed her eyes and focused, channeling her strength and energy. She was able to connect to the first mind almost immediately, but it took her a moment to figure out how to connect to the next without losing the connection she had with the first. Slowly, she worked at it until she was connected to all three minds. It was rather disorienting for her at first and it made her feel sick to her stomach, but she breathed in and out deeply and refocused her mind. With her eyes now open she looked to the barrel which was about twenty feet away and to the utter amazement of the crowd all three turned and slowly began to walk towards the barrel. For a brief moment Sabella felt as if she might black out, but she felt Nathan's hand upon her and it renewed her strength. She focused hard and kept her focus true and slowly all three walked over to the barrel completely blindfolded.

Nathan was so proud when all three began to move toward the barrel. However before they all even reached it he felt her shift. “Ok, Sabella, release them...now please,” he urged before she collapsed completely. Thankfully it only took him having to steady her but he picked her up anyway to save her the embarrassment of fumbling around as if she was heavily intoxicated. ‘Is she alright!?” Rory asked. “She’s alright Rory...you all did great, class is over til tomorrow,” he said as he lifted her up. She wasn’t light but she really wasn’t a burden either. He began to walk with her back toward the house. Rory and two other boys rushed forward and opened the door for him. “Thank you son,” he said as he carried her inside. Several people watched as they lounged or read or got up to head to class. He took her straight to her room and asked if someone could bring her some tea right away. Several of the young men that heard him clamoured toward the kitchen practically falling over one another to be the one to bring it to her. Carefully Nathan laid her down on her bed.

Sabella heard Nathan urge her to release them before they reached the barrel, but she didn't exactly listen to him. She kept her mind connected to theirs until they actually touched the barrel and then she released them immediately. She felt Nathan's hands on her shoulders to steady her, but then he slipped his arms under her legs and picked her up. She rested her head against his chest as he carried her inside. As he laid her down upon her bed she looked up at him. No one was around so she reached up and cupped her hands around his cheeks and pulled him down towards her and kissed him gently.

Nathan did kiss her back but very gently akin to how she kissed him. “You were amazing my dear,” he whispered as he moved to roll down her blanket. “I think you should rest now,” he said though her eyes appeared to want to tell him something. “I'll be right across the hall, I promise,” he said.

Sabella lightly grabbed Nathan's hand before he could leave. She knew that if she did not say this now, but she might not have the courage to do so again. She looked up and into his eyes.

"I love you Nathan."

The look in her eyes, the way she said those words….he knew that she did. In his own heart, that feeling rose in him, that flutter of feeling that made his palms sweat and his stomach churn when he thought she might not want him or that he may yet lose her. The fear of loss that was so deep and familiar to him and yet he could not say those words. They did not come and he looked at her unsure of what to really say. He knelt down once more to kiss her hand but then turned and walked out without saying another word.

That evening he had tried to read but always his thoughts were of her and of Myrna and of what his child may of looked like. Food was brought to Sabella, her body always needed sustenance after she used her powers to their limits. Last time Nathan had joined her but today, today he stayed in his own room and though several people knocked on his door, most of them women, he said nothing and so they only walked away. He didn’t know really what he was doing here nor why he allowed Sabella to get so close to him. He was going to die and it would be her who wept and felt apart of herself dying. He’d be the father of that for her and it didn’t have to be that way. He knew she didn’t have to love him for them to do what they had to do to save this place. Silently he filled his room with darkness, a complete black that blocked out all memory of light as he closed his eyes and remembered the pain of his former life.

The next day he decided he would begin the work of getting people used to the estate without the use of their eyes. He wasn’t there at breakfast when Sabella came down to sit with him. And he wasn’t in his room nor anywhere on the grounds. It was Big ben that told her that they saw him ride out early that morning without speaking to anybody.

Sabella could see the struggle in Nathan's eyes. She could see that he wanted to say those words back to her, and that he truly felt the same as she did, but something was holding him back. She watched as he knelt down to kiss her hand and then rose without a word and left her room.

Sabella attempted to rest, but her mind remained on Nathan. She could hear her father's words in her head telling her that he would try to push her away, but not to allow him. She knew that he needed her...just as much as she needed him. She didn't care what the future held...she wanted to live in the moment without fearing what might be.

The following morning she rose and dressed and went down for breakfast, but discovered Nathan wasn't there. She searched the estate for him, wanting to talk to him, but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally, Big Ben informed her that Nathan had gone out for a ride that morning alone. Sabella thanked him and then went and changed into her riding clothes. She went down to the stables and saddled up Galleon herself. Within a few minutes she was riding out, determined to find Nathan and talk to him.

ooc-new thread