Destined Meetings

Cain sighed lightly, he had been through a lot the past couple of weeks and he was far from happy with his lot, his faith in predicting the stars had been shaken as of course everything else had. Cain was as unsure of everything now as he had been when he had first left the heard.

Sitting down, for now he could sit, his horses body having vanished with one trip to St Mungo's Cain stared up into the nights sky and smiled a little with what he read amongst the stars. If he was right, someone was coming, someone he very much wanted to talk to.

He had a very hard time trying to forget his fellow Professor, trying to forget Atheleah and her kindness she had showed him.

"Professor Valerian?" Maria whispered.

Leah didn't know why she was outside in the middle of night. All she knew was that she couldn't sleep and that she needed to be out here. Her dreams were plagued by a man she hadn't seen in a while: Cain.

Finally, she reached a beautiful lake that shone like a crystal in the moonlight. It was a breathtaking sight, but what really caught her attention was the person that was sitting next to it. He looked just like Cain, except he wasn't a centaur.

She stepped closer, and realized that it was Cain. She couldn't believe her eyes. "C-cain?" She asked, stepping closer to him.

With a light smirk on his face Cain tilted his head upwards and saw the person he had been hoping and expecting would be there. He immediately got up from his place on the grass and bowed low, he supposed it would look odd coming from a man not a centaur it would just take a while for him to stop being so formal.

"Miss DeLuna! It is...such a pleasure to see you again."

Cain's eyes sparkled in the light reflected from the glittering water and he extended his hand towards Atheleah, so that she might take it and sit down with him.

"You are looking a little...bewildered?"

Leah looked at Cain in utter shock. She couldn't believe it. "Cain, how...what? I'm really confused right now," she said, taking his hand. "What happened? the last time I spoke to you you were a centuar, and now you're--wow." she breathed.

She took a seat next to the lake with him and just stared at him in complete wonder. "I don't think I've ever heard of a centaur becoming a man before. Wait, why did you become a man? Were you not happy as a centaur?"

Cain gently raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, letting go of it and turning to face the lake, her question brought back several answers but only one of them was the main reason he chose to become a man not a centaur, there was no-one else in the world that Cain would choose to tell this to but Atheleah.

"I was not happy no."

Taking a deep breath Cain quickly took up both of her hands in his own looking deep into her eyes.

"I was attacked, while in the forest by some anti-halfbreed activists and I was taken to St Mungos, my entire bottom half had been savaged so badly they couldn't rightly tell if I was a man or a centaur so they healed me as a man. I gave them my permission."

Softly his lips brushed against Atheleah's skin once more, as he gazed up into her eyes, his emotions dancing wildly on his face.

"I wanted to be human, I felt so alone, I couldn't do the things I wanted to do...I couldn't be with the person I desired more than anything to be with."

Tears gathered in Leah's eyes and threatened to fall. She couldn't believe that someone could attack such a sweet man like Cain. She pulled one of her hands out of Cain's grasp and brought it up to his cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered, one of the tears leaking down her face.

"I'm sorry that you were attacked. I'm sorry that you weren't happy. And, I'm sorry that you had to go through any of that pain," she whispered. She smiled a sad smile and pulled him into a hug.

"Nobody deserves to go through that. Especially you." She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. "I'm glad you can be with the one you want now."

Cain's face contorted with shock, he hurriedly held Atheleah close, he wrapped his arms around her and entwined his fingers in her hair, he couldn't believe that she was crying, crying because of him and what had happened to him. Cain gently shushed her and tried to stop her from crying any more.

"Please...do not cry because of what happened to me...do not be sorry for something that could not be helped, because of that hour of pain I can enjoy a lifetime of happiness."

Trying to make Atheleah feel better Cain smiled gently at her and let his hands slip from her arms, he was a little embarrassed at himself for launching himself at her like that...it simply wasn't like him. Perhaps it showed just how much he cared for her...

"I can, if she will accept me, and I doubt a lady as kind and as wonderful as her would do...for a man like me."

Leah smiled. She loved the feeling of his arms around her and was a little upset when he let go. "I'm sure that any girl would be happy to have you. She'd be stupid not to want to be with you." She bit her lip. She knew that she liked Cain as more than a friend. And, it hurt to think that he might like somebody else, but she cared about him and his happiness.

"Tell me about her," she whispered. "Please?"

She tilted her head to the side a little and looked up at him. He was beautiful. The moonlight made him look like a fallen angel. She bit her lip and looked out across the frozen lake, trying to push away the urge to kiss him.

Cain smiled gently at Atheleah and closed his eyes for a moment letting everything he felt for her wash over him so that he might describe her in the best way he could. Unable to find the words to express just how he felt or how he perceived Atheleah Cain sighed gently.

"She...is simply indescribable. She was kind to me, at a time when I was lonely and confused, and for that I fell in love with her, her sense of humour, her openess, her intelligence and wit."

Turning his head from gazing out across the lake back to Atheleah Cain smiled softly at her, he knew that she would never love him back, he was lucky that he was even friends with her. Cain didn't want to loose her by trying to become more than that.

"But she deserves so much more than me, I'm not powerful, I am only just learning basic spells, I'm not strong or tall any more to protect her...I am altogether useless."

With an angry sigh Cain placed his head in his hands.

Leah looked over at Cain in shock. How could he think he was useless? How could he think that anybody was better than him? She pulled Cain's head out of his hands and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Don't say that," she whispered. "You're amazing, Cain. You are strong. You gave up your nature to be happy; that takes a lot of strength. And, power means nothing. By the way you describe her, she sounds like she can take care of herself. You can't cut yourself out of the running for her heart without even trying. Love is worth fighting for, isn't it?"

She studied his eyes for a second, so beautiful, so deep. She couldn't stop herself from looking down at his lips before looking back at his eyes.

Cain's eyes looked at Atheleah confused, what was she doing touching him like this? Could it be possible that she actually liked him in return? He shook his head and moved it out of her grasp trying to stop some of the tears in his eyes from falling to the ground. Didn't she know how much she was taunting him? Didn't she know how much he wanted to kiss her?

"Atheleah..."

He breathed, closing his eyes gently, feeling the soft whipping of the breeze against his skin. Shuddering gently Cain got up from his seat on the grass and stood by one of the trees leaning against it, his eyes filled with an indescribable pain.

"But do I want her to be with me? Do I want her to live with me when she could be happier, better off with another man? Do I even know how to be a man...?" Cain's voice was soft and quiet full of power as he spoke

Leah grew angry. Why does he treat himself like that? Why can't he believe that someone would want to be with him? She got stood up and looked at him. There was so much pain in his eyes. She walked over to him slowly. She didn't like seeing anybody in pain, especially not him.

When she reached him, she reached out and gently touched his cheek. "Why? Why must you do this to yourself?" she asked, slowly getting angrier. "Why must you be so ignorant that you can't see!" She threw her hands up in frustration and sat down near the lake's edge. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"Why can't you just see?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Cain stared at Atheleah, his heart began to hope, hope that there might be a chance she liked him, as she walked away back over to the lake Cain reached out his hand and caught hers softly in his. Gently he pulled her back over to him wrapping his arms around her, bringing his head down to her ear so his voice could whisper;

"Because I don't want to hurt you, Atheleah. My angel."

Cain's heart thudded in his chest, he had put himself out there, practically told her his feelings for her and now was the time when he had to wait nervously to find out if she felt the same way he did.

"I don't want to loose you...I couldn't bare it. Atheleah...I love you and I want to ask permission to kiss you..."

Atheleah couldn't believe her ears. She looked up at Cain and grinned. She leaned up to his ear and whispered, "You don't need permission to kiss me, Cain."

She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. She nearly got lost in them as she leaned in slightly, her lips slightly brushing his."I love you, too, Cain."

She pulled back just far enough to see his face. She rubbed his cheek with her thumb as she looked at his lips. Her eyes flicked back up to his. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you were talking about me earlier, right?" She smirked and kissed his cheek. She really wanted to kiss him on his lips, but she wanted to wait for him to do it first.

Cain's heart started to beat again, he smiled happily hardly daring to believe what his ears were telling him, she loved him back, was this possible? Cain didn't care any more, unable to stop himself he placed his hands on either side of Atheleah's face and kissed her lips softly with his own. Tiny bolts of electricity wound their way through him.

"Yes, it was about you, everything was."

His smile turning sad, Cain placed a small kiss on her cheek before unwrapping himself from around her, the memories of that day of the attack coming back to him tinged the moment but he shoved them from his mind. Cain had more pressing things to deal with.

"Atheleah...I know I'm not much, I do not have much to offer but if you would like to, I would like to court you. I would like to court you very much." Cain's voice instead of being quiet was now husky and strong

Still slightly dazed by the kiss, it took Leah a moment to realize what Cain was saying. "Well, who am I to deny you that, then?" she grinned. She took his hand in hers, and absentmindedly played with his fingers. "I would love that," she said, kissing each of his knuckles.

"Come sit with me," she said, tugging lightly on his arm. She sat down near the lake's edge, waiting for him to join her. She shivered slightly as the night air brushed her skin. She had forgotten to get a jacket earlier, and now she was freezing.

Cain grinned and moved over to the lakeside to sit next to Atheleah, he noticed that she was getting rather cold so like any good gentleman would he took off his blazer jacket and wrapped it around her to keep her warm. Softly Cain held Atheleah's hand in his own tracing patterns with his thumb on her smooth skin.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that my darling."

He lay back onto the grass and stared up into the sky once more, his heart lighter and his mind thinking of only one thing. Atheleah and making her happy. Cain leant forwards again and captured her lips once more in another kiss his hand winding through her hair whilst the other rested on her hip.

"I'm guessing you said those things about me because you like me...it's funny...our first meeting you stole my nose, then you stole my heart."

Leah couldn't help but laugh. "You still remember that?" She asked, blushing. "I was really hoping you wouldn't," she grinned. She lied down in the grass next to him, placing her head on his chest and listening to his heart beat.

"you know, I'm really glad that I played truth or dare with the students now. If I hadn't, I don't think I would ever have fallen for you." She looked up at him and smiled. "You're gonna get cold soon," she whispered, cuddling closer to him.

She kissed his chest, and shut her eyes, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Cain smiled and kept his hand running through Leah's hair, he found the motion oddly relaxing and soothing for himself, hoping she would find it the same he continued to do so every so often kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Of course I still remember that, I remember everything where you're involved."

Shrugging lightly Cain held Atheleah closer to him, he was a little cold but then again, with her body heat starting to warm him up he wouldn't be for long. Sighing happily Cain looked deep into her eyes and felt his heart pull, she was so beautiful and he was so lucky.

"Why did you fall for me...? I was a centaur..."

He asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Leah took a moment to answer his question. She was a little dazed from the feel of his fingers in her hair. "I didn't care that you were a centaur. I saw you for you, love." She smiled, rubbing his cheek, then his lips, and she gave him a soft peck. "You were a sweet, smart, and, believe it or not, I found you funny. And, you were extremely honest. How could I not fall in love with you?"

With each word that came out of her mouth, Leah kissed Cain on his jaw, his forehead, his nose, and, finally, his mouth. "Now, why did you fall for me? I mean, really? I stole your nose!"

Cain shivered lightly when Atheleah kissed his jaw, each little kiss sending a spark of electricity through him, when she kissed him on the lips Cain placed his hands on her back pulling her closer to him and deepened the kiss leaning his head to one side and softly squeezing her closer.

"Why did I fall for you?"

Thinking carefully Cain took a moment to compose an answer before he spoke it aloud, it really was quiet simple for him, he had just fallen head over heels, but a reason why? That was much harder.

"It is for that very reason, at that moment I was feeling more alone than ever then you came in, you shocked me I'll give you that but you gave me a purpose, to find you and talk to you. When I started conversing with you, I realised just how special you are, your kindness, your ability to want to try new things and the fact I thought I could trust you instantly. All of those things, made me fall for you."

After Cain's speech he fell silent and idlely traced circles on Atheleah's back with his thumb.

Leah's mind was reeling. He had no idea of the effect he had on her, did he? The circles he was drawing on her back was making her mind go fuzzy, and she kept having to fight to form a simple thought.

"So, you fell for me because i stole your nose at the right time?" She grinned, as she ran her hand through his hair. "Wow. You know, you make me sound so amazing, but in reality I'm not." Leah rolled her eyes and her grin grew larger.

"So, besides divination, what do you like to do? What's your favorite color, your favorite season, favorite food?" She was practically bouncing up and down as she asked each question. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Cain.

Cain growled lightly and placed a short kiss on Atheleah's lips, he wouldn't have her bad talking herself, to him she was perfection, she was beauty at it's best and he couldn't handle her not thinking herself as such. Bending his head down to her ear he whispered softly;

"Do not ever think of yourself as less than perfect, because to me, that is what you are. You are perfect Atheleah."

Chuckling softly at all of her questions Cain thought for a minute before answering each one.

"My favourite colour is purple, my favourite season is winter, my favourite food is a Muggle Cereal called Coco Pops,"

He blushed a little after he said that and continued with a small cough.

"I like to compose poems..." Cain flushed once more, not a very manly thing he had to admit.

A soft smile appeared on her lips when he told her he thought she was perfect. "Okay, I won't think of myself like that." She kissed him lightly on his cheek and listened as he answered her questions.

"Don't be embarrassed, Cain," she whispered. "I love Coco Puffs!" She said, trying to make him feel better. "And, I adore poetry." She leaned in closer to him, he head resting in the crook of his neck. "Recite some for me. Please?"