by*Keiran O’Sullivan and Zanh Liis
90301.23
-=/\=-
…continued from part one…
90301.23
-=/\=-
…continued from part one…
Keiran handed a few slips to the man at the desk; a donation to the historical society for the purpose of seeing the Signal Station was maintained for everyone to enjoy. The attendant directed Keiran and Liis into the next room, where the guide would meet them.
“Top of the mornin’! I’m Kathleen O’Sullivan, and I’ll be your guide today.”
“Really?” Liis whispered to Keiran with amusement. "Any relation?"
“Not that I know of, believe it or not." Keiran laughed. "But ya knew when you married me the name wasn’t exclusive. Especially here of all places.”
Keiran held Liis up, behind the others in the group. He was happy to hang back and let the rest go ahead, so he and Liis could hold hands and steal kisses without the eyes of everyone else on the tour upon them.
“What is that?” Liis blurted suddenly, as they entered the Mizen Hall. She released his hand and made her way to the front of the gathering to examine the clock more closely.
“That, I was about to explain,” Kathleen began, “is the Mizen Tide Clock. The story in the painting below it depicts a rescue at sea of a ship in distress.”
Kathleen went on to explain the rescue, but Liis tuned her out. She merely stared at the mural and listened to the clock tick. Of all things for the clock to be watching over, she could think of nothing more ironic and perfect than the rescue of a lost soul at sea.
“Now we’ll move on to the light station itself, if you’ll follow me.” Kathleen led the group out of the room, with Keiran and Liis again trailing behind.
“I can see why you had a leaning towards TI,” she said. “You didn’t tell me why this place is so important to you.”
Keiran nodded slowly. Indeed, he did owe her a story.
Part of him was amazed this place was so new to her; how could it be they had never toured here together? It must have just never been the time.
“Ya know I love my family, all of them, more than my own life.”
“Of course you do. That’s who you are.”
“Well, with that many brothers and sisters, everyone needs a quiet place to be alone with their thoughts, no matter how much they love their family. This place filled that need for me in my childhood. Throughout, well, most of my life actually.”
He ran a hand back through his hair and then brushed it over his bearded chin, lost in thought.
Liis simply kept pace at his side as he walked, waiting quietly until he was ready to speak again.
“I used to stand at the base of that tower. Right there,” Keiran indicated the light station they were approaching. “And think about bringin’ someone I loved here someday, to show ‘em this place.”
“You…never brought anyone else here?”
“Heavens, no.” Keiran quickly assured. He knew of course, whom she meant, and he needed her to understand. “This was…always a safe place for me. A part of me that I dared not ever-”
He looked away, then back up at Liis. For a moment she saw the ghost of that lost young boy, reflected in his eyes. “A part of me I couldn’t share with an’a’one. There wasn’t an’a’one I trusted enough.”
“Well, perhaps you’ll get the chance to do that someday,” Liis said, a rare streak of shyness only he would ever see shining through. “To fulfill that wish. To feel safe enough with someone to share that part of you, entirely.”
“Liis,” He stopped walking for a minute, grasping both of her hands. “After today I’ll never have to think about doin’ that again.”
Liis simply nodded, feeling too honored to speak.
She listened politely as the tour moved through the light station itself. Her mind was drifting, however.
All she could think about was a young, lonely Keiran walking these very steps and rooms, hoping to be here with someone he loved, someday.
They circled a light room, and as Kathleen led the group back outdoors, Liis quickly grabbed Keiran and pulled him aside, out of view. She held her finger up to silence him.
The fire in her eyes told him not to question whatever it was she was on about.
“I need to be sure, before you leave here today, that every memory you have of this place will have me in it.” She pressed him back against the wall, running her hands up and down his chest. “I want you to know just how loved you are.”
Liis brushed her lips softly against his before kissing him deeply. By the time she released him, the rest of the group had long since moved on; and in a perfect moment and without a word they shared every emotion that Keiran ever could’ve hoped for, all those years ago.
Whatever memories he had of being here alone and being lonely vanished in her warm embrace.
She took a step back from him at last and Keiran nodded, a satisfied expression on his face as he swept her hair back out of her eyes. “Rest assured, I will never think of this place the same way again.” His voice was barely a whisper. “Thank you, Liis.”
Liis straightened her collar and grinned, looking quite pleased with herself, Keiran noted. Her face was alive with color for the first time he could remember since the day of their wedding, and he was grateful to see the sight. “Ya have such a beautiful smile.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Liis’ began, but then she frowned. “I think we lost the group. Do you want to see if we can find them?”
“There’s really only one more place I wanted you to see, and I certainly know the way. If you…wouldn’t mind switchin’ tour guides…”
“You are my favorite O’Sullivan anyway.” Liis declared, getting the desired response as Keiran laughed. She placed her hand in his again, and earnestly looked up into his eyes. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”
Her changing tone set all joking aside, and told him that she truly meant the words.
Now Keiran was the one who was grinning. “Right, then. This way, if you please, Mrs. O'Sullivan.”
He brought her outside and over to a long, narrow set of stone stairs.
There was for the moment no one else in sight. Keiran led Liis halfway down the famous 99 Steps and then asked her, simply, to look up.
She watched the daylight bounce off of the breaking waves of the rolling ocean, and she was rendered utterly speechless by the beauty before her.
“This place…is a very important part of me, Liis. Not just this particular location, but, this land. This place, and not just because I was raised here.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist as he stood behind her, and held her fast. “But as beautiful as it is, in the years that I couldn’t share it with you, it meant nothin' to me. Nothin' at all.”
There were the tears again, filling her eyes as she rotated in his arms to face him.
“Because after the time that was, Ireland could never be home anymore. Not if you weren’t sharing that home, that life. When I lost you, I lost ev'ra’thing.”
“I’m found now,” she whispered, trying to reassure him, though she understood all too well the pain and fear that came from the feeling of being out there, alone. Lost, wandering aimlessly in a universe cold and devoid of any sort of beauty, because it was a universe without him in it.
“Ya are that, and so there’s only one thing I can ask of ya now,” he leaned closer, until his lips rested against her ear. “Wherever we go, wherever our life takes us between the times we can come home to Ireland, please.”
He looked downward, momentarily overwhelmed.
“Please...?” She placed her hands on either side of his face, raising it until their eyes met again.
“Please," he repeated slowly, "don’t ever let me go.”
----------------------
*Commander Keiran O’Sullivan
Security Liaison
The Alchemy Project
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-
NRPG: I thought, especially given the O'Sullivan family motto ("The Steady Hand to Victory"; often referred to/abbreviated as "SHTV" in our posts) that the song lyrics above were especially amazing...and perfect.~ZL
*Commander Keiran O’Sullivan
Security Liaison
The Alchemy Project
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-
NRPG: I thought, especially given the O'Sullivan family motto ("The Steady Hand to Victory"; often referred to/abbreviated as "SHTV" in our posts) that the song lyrics above were especially amazing...and perfect.~ZL