neornithes | anon;

[ Will's eyes immediately moved across the ground when he heard the thump of an object hitting the snow's surface. He stared at the crown for a very long time, the sight creating both anguish and the vaguest thread of hope within him. Was this her way of showing she no longer wanted to be the Queen? That she wanted to be herself again? Surely it was his own desperate wishful thinking that clouded his perspective. She would never give her wealth and power for someone as lowly and pathetic as he was.

At her words, he sharply inhaled. He could hear her moving closer, and it made his body tense with apprehension. In that moment, he could finally understand why she had hidden from him. Why she had lied and kept her identity from him. He understood because more than anything, he now wanted to hide from her. Just as she was different from how she had been in their past, so was he. And he hated who he had become. For now, he decided, he couldn't look Anastasia in the face. But maybe he could look at Marian. He raised his eyes to meet hers, an evident hesitation spread across his features. ]

What was the question?

[ What was the question? Anastasia was good at planning for all that she was, but she couldn't help but wonder just what the most important question here was. Would he take her back? Did he still love her? If he didn't, was there any chance that he ever could? Would he forgive her? ]

I wasn't lying when I told you that no one could stop caring about someone that easily, Will.

[ It was obvious that she was having trouble keeping herself together. Even her voice was shaking a little bit. It wasn't anything she could act her way through. She was scared more than anything that he would tell her no. ]

I spent every day after I left you wanting you back, then I ended up here and I thought I'd never see you again. I didn't have the chance to make it right before, but if you love me I'll give it up. Everything.

[ She knew that she sounded pathetic. Weak. For once she didn't care. Once those words had begun to spill out she just wanted him to understand. ]

I don't want it if it means you don't love me.

Bloody hell, Ana.

[ The words came out at a near whisper, his own voice weak and faltering. He held his hands to his head and glanced at the courtyard over her shoulder, searching for anything to look at but her. Seeing her so weak and vulnerable was a sight more than he could bear, yet despite himself he couldn't keep his eyes off her for more than a moment. She was pouring out her heart to him rather he liked it or not, and it completely and utterly commanded his attention.

For once, he had no scathing words to throw back at her. There was nothing he could come up with to chase her away, and for the first time in years he didn't want to. He didn't want to go another day of his life not seeing her beautiful face just as it was now, pure and untarnished by the bloodstains of red. This woman had to be same as that he had known and loved. How could she ever put on an act like this?

His eyes fell to the ground once more in an attempt to build enough courage to speak. What to even say? He wanted more than anything to trust her. He wanted it more than he wanted freedom from this place. As much as he wanted to believe, he couldn't stop the doubts beginning to creep into the back of his mind. His eyes ventured to the crown laying on the cold ground; he knew it was the only way he could truly know. He bent down and pulled it from the cold, dusting the white flakes off of it's shimmering jewels. He looked at her again, his hand offering the crown to her. ]

I need to know for sure, Anastasia. If all you say is true.

[ Anastasia's brow furrowed just a tiny bit in confusion as he picked the crown up. She should have known that just words would not be enough, but.. that was the first real ounce of hope she's had in a long time. A glimmer when she'd spoken to him as Marian, sure, but now..

He was giving her a choice. A real choice and he wasn't like her. She could trust that he would really give her a chance if she could do whatever it was he was asking. Probably to get rid of the crown for good. It was hardly the only thing she had, but it was the most symbolic. Anastasia stared at it for a moment, the tiniest bit conflicted. ]

I'll give it to Jefferson and tell him to get rid of it. I'll sell the clothes back if they let me, I'll talk to Second about the room... whatever you want.

[ Second was.. a whole other set of issues. The fact that she had to talk to him to get rid of the room was probably indicative of something but it didn't look like she wanted to say. ]

[ Will silently listened as she spoke, his heart pounding so fast he could barely hear her over the thumping in his ears. It felt like what he was experiencing wasn't real. Like it was a fairytale in a children's book. His life had never been one with happy endings -- how was it possible that he could have her back?

Slowly, he reached his hand forward and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. The crown again dropped to the ground, but this time by his hand as he moved to grasp hers. His vision began to grow clouded, but he didn't care. He couldn't stop looking at her lest he blink and she was just a dream. ]

All I've ever wanted was you, Ana. Just you.

[ This had gone even better than she could've imagined. There were a lot of things that were going to change for her from now on. A lot of them she wasn't sure what to do without anymore, but she knew for absolute certain now that as long as she had Will things really would be okay. She knew what it was like without him after all.

Ana stood still as he touched her. There were tears flowing down her face and she looked like she couldn't hold back a smile even as she was starting to cry. It didn't last for long though, as she launched herself forward, her arms around his shoulders now and her toes barely touching the icy, cold ground. ]

You're all I need, Will. [ She holds onto him a little tighter, like she's afraid to let go. ] I love you.

Edited 2014-02-12 08:13 (UTC)

[ Will couldn't begin to count how many nights he had looked at the night sky and wished upon stars that this moment would come true. When she fell into his arms, the sensation of her body against his felt more perfect than he had remembered it. He choked out a laugh amidst his own tears and pulled her into a tight embrace, his hands clenching at the fabric of her jumpsuit so to be sure she could never get away from him again. When she spoke those three simple words to him, he felt like every sorrow that had ever weighed him down had lifted from his shoulders. ]

And I love you, Anastasia. I never stopped.

Me neither, Will. I'm so sorry.

[ Even if he couldn't see her face because of how tightly she was hugging him, it was obvious by her movements behind his back that she was moving her hands to get the tears off of her cheeks. Her voice was cracking though, like she'd been holding this in for an eternity, so much that she'd practically been drowning in it. ]

I'm sorry. [ And yet, there was a little laugh coming through her voice just after a sniffle. She might not be able to stop crying, but it was obvious that she was the happiest she's sounded in years. ]

[ Will reluctantly pulled away and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, using the back of his other hand to wipe away the tears from her face. Even with the eyepatch and the trail of tears trickling down her cheek, he couldn't imagine a time when she looked more beautiful. He was so overcome with it that he didn't bother wiping the tears from his own face. He shook his head at her second apology as if to wave it away. ]

I forgive ya.

[ He had never thought those words could come so easily, yet they slipped from this tongue like they had been there all along, just waiting for the moment to be spoken. He grinned then, his features entirely encompassed by the first genuine smile that had met his face in longer than he could remember. ]

[ Anastasia almost wondered if perhaps he was lying to her. This was coming too easy, she thought. For all the pain and suffering she'd been through and caused to others, this certainly seemed too good to be true. She knew it wouldn't be easy even after this, but right now she didn't particularly care. Will was smiling, they were both crying, and he forgave her. Even though neither of them were particularly good people anymore, she couldn't help but recognize that he'd always had a bigger heart than she did.

Reaching up with both hands, Ana wiped the tears off of his eyes with a dainty touch. ]

Let's go inside before our feet freeze off. I want to talk to you.

[ Just talk. And talk. She missed him, so much, and even when he was here that was the one thing that he wouldn't let her do properly until now. ]

[ With the way she was looking at him, he couldn't have lied if he had wanted to. Their past would always hurt to a degree, but he couldn't ignore what was standing right in front of him. He would have been a fool to turn her away.

He closed his eyes at her touch, the feeling of her fingers on his skin bringing warmth to his heart despite how cold they were. When he opened his eyes again, they focused in on her eye patch. He wouldn't let himself feel it before, but that someone had hurt her in such a way made him sick. He quickly focused his attention back to her functioning eye, hoping she hadn't noticed him looking. It wasn't as if he thought it made her any less beautiful.

He took her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers, holding out his arm toward a nearby door. ]

After you.

[ He wasn't just saying that to be a gentleman. He had no idea where she wanted to go. ]

[ She had noticed, but it was hard to blame him when she was certain that everyone noticed. With Will somehow she felt a little more self-conscious, especially when he grabbed her hand, another part of her that hadn't gone unscathed. The other damage couldn't be seen, but she was sure that Will could feel the scars on her hand. She knew she should've gotten gloves.

There was an obvious discomfort in her eyes for a moment before she pulled her lips up into a smile again as he told her to go ahead. He hadn't said anything, maybe he didn't mind. She started walking inside, shoving the thoughts aside for now. ]

Do you mind if we go to my room? It's got heating.

[ It's all.. red and queeny so it might make him uncomfortable but her bed was probably bigger than his too if they wanted to sit. ]

[ It was as easy to feel the scarring on Ana's hand as it was to see the uncertainty in her eye, but none of it mattered to Will. He had made a mistake in looking at her eye patch once, but it was a mistake he didn't plan on repeating.

He continued walking beside her, though his thought process definitely stalled for a moment at the mention of her room. He had seen only a glimpse of it before and that alone told him it certainly didn't look like the most welcoming of places, but... ]

If that's where ya wanna go, that's where I wanna be.

[ It was obvious he didn't really want to go but.. Well, red and large or not it was actually pretty comfortable. It's not like Ana would've wanted it if it wasn't. ]

I can't really afford to have it redecorated. If you want me to get another room, I'll see if I can trade it in. If I get a less nice one Second might let me share it.

[ But her bed's like way more comfortable than his maybe he'll change his mind... ]

[ Will shook his head. ]

I'm not gonna make ya go to a shoddy cell because of me, Ana. You stayin' safe is the most important thing. What I've got goin' with Hatter ain't too bad.

[ Well, at least if it was Jefferson she didn't have to worry about Will getting into any trouble that neither of them could get out of. On the other hand, there was the possibility that he just didn't want to yet. Anastasia knew that even if he forgave her, the damage was done. He probably didn't want to be with her all the time anymore. A little bit is more than she had been prepared to get though. ]

Staying safe isn't an option here, but it's comfortable once you get used to it.

[ Ana reached up to push her hair out of her face. It was so strange, not having her hair back at least somewhat. She hadn't just let it free in a long time.

Either way, she's leading him to the F Block now. ]

I'd go back to our van if you wanted me to though. [ Just so they're clear. ]

[ She was right in some regard. Everything had happened so fast that he was still trying to figure out if it wasn't some kind of dream or hallucination. Maybe Hatter had put something in that scotch he'd given him. ]

Ya know what I meant.

[ Despite everything else, he really didn't want her to settle for his sake. He followed her in silence for a bit, his mind running blank on things to say. It seemed as though he had both everything and nothing to tell her all at once.

At the mention of their old van, a melancholy smile crept onto his face. ]

I fixed her up a while after she broke down, y'know. Never did have the heart to be rid of the old girl.

[ Despite how self-conscious she was about this, she laced her fingers with Will's as he started talking about the van. Her pace was leisurely compared to what it usually was when she was out and about. It usually had purpose, import, and determination. Right now, she was with her purpose. She didn't have anywhere she needed to be. She was where she wanted to be. ]

Don't think I could've put her down either. Wonder what happened to her now that we're both here.

[ Will almost looked down at their hands but stopped himself. Ana probably wouldn't appreciate it even if he hadn't intended to look for the reason she would have likely assumed. ]

I've got a friend lookin' after her. She'll be waitin' for us a long time I reckon.

Even if you get out I probably won't see it ever again. I haven't exactly been a model citizen lately.

[ Though Ana knows that he knows that much. It's important to admit it. ]

Even with more than one sentence reduction I'll be here longer than I'll live.

[ And that's assuming that they don't kill her off intentionally before then. It looks like they're almost there. ]

Me neither.

[ It was pointless to pretend he hadn't done bad things in his life as well. If he hadn't he wouldn't be there. ]

That makes two of us. Looks like you're stuck with me.

Don't make that sound like a bad thing.

[ Still, for the first time in a while Ana let out a little laugh and bumped her shoulder into his. It felt both familiar and strange to her, not having been this affectionate or relaxed with anyone in so long. ]

It could be. Might get sick of me around the fifty year mark.

[ The sound of her laughter made him smile again. He had never realized how much he'd missed that sound until it was gone. ]

I tried getting sick of you, it just made me miss you more.

[ She wasn't lying. For a while after she'd left him, she spent too much time trying to make herself forget about him. Trying to convince herself that she didn't need him, that this was what she wanted. In the end the only thing she could do was act like it was, nothing inside ever changed.

Ana gave him a little apologetic smile. ]

Don't think 50 years will change that.

[ Will looked downward for a moment, a bit unsure of what to say. ]

That never does work, does it?

[ He had tried it plenty of times himself. ]

Maybe fifty-one years will do the trick, eh?

[ It was a joke, of course. ]

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[quivers eyebrows]