Rosalina moved from his arms and looked at him in horror. "What did you say?"

Gareth kept performing CPR. tears starting to flow from his eyes.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Calista came to question me on why I hurt Gareth years ago...and I guess I snapped at something I felt was none of her concern," Darius replied to Rosalina, still unable to look her in the eyes as she moved out of his arms. "In short I told her that she knew nothing of love because if she did, she wouldn't be here. I blamed her for everything that happened to you and then told her that if she remained here Gareth would die. I said that she only cared for herself and that we would all be better off without her. I didn't care that I was hurting her and when she tried to cover her ears to keep from listening to me, I grabbed her arms and forced her to listen," he added as he glanced down at the lifeless woman and noticed slight bruises forming where he had grabbed her. "When she asked me what she could do to fix it, I told her to return to her husband or better yet just remove herself from this world. I told her that we would all be better off if she joined her infant child in the grave and that this child was better off dead than having her for a mother...." he added before pausing slightly. "Then I suggested that she drown herself in a river..." he finished.

Calista still remained unresponsive to Gareth's attempts to save her.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina slapped Darius. "Get out of here." She told him, anger and hurt in her voice. "Go, get away from me."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gareth tried pushing on Calista's stomach, hoping it would push water out.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius took Rosalina's slap, his cheek stinging from her hit. "Ro, I'm sorry..." Darius whispered, tears of sorrow and remorse in his eyes. He couldn't lose her. Rosalina was his entire world, without her he would never be whole.

Calista began to choke as the water was forced from her lungs into her throat. As the liquid slowly dribbled from her slightly parted lips, the woman began to cough as breath started to enter her again even though she did not open her eyes.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Just go!" Rosalina said, trying not to scream and cry. "Just go."

"THats it." Gareth said as he wiped the water away. "Thats it."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Ro...please..." Darius begged her softly, tears of both sorrow and regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry..." he whispered.

Calista continued to cough hard as more water dribbled from her mouth as her eyelids slowly started to flicker.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"LEAVE!!!" Rosalina yelled, how could he.

Gareth took the woman into his arms. "Thats it. Thats it."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

As Rosalina shouted at him to leave, Darius slowly started to back away. "Ro..I'm sorry..." he tried pleading again.

Still coughing as Gareth took her into his arms, Calista gave a raspy moan as she slowly started to regain her senses. "Gareth...?" she whispered hoarsely, recognizing his voice despite the haziness surrounding her mind as her lashes started to flicker more rapidly.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Just go." Rosalina said and turned her back to him.

"yes lady love. its me." Gareth said, tears of joy that she lived.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Love..." Darius whispered, feeling tears sting his eyes as Rosalina turned her back to him.

After coughing again, Calista finally managed to open her eyes slightly, a wan smile tracing her lips as his blurred image slowly came into focus. "Gareth..." she whispered, uttering his name almost like a prayer. Yet seeing the tears in his eyes caused her to frown as a pang of regret hit. Did she cause those tears? "I'm...sorry..." she whispered weakly as she tried to raise a hand to caress his face but lacked the strength to do so.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Leave." Rosalina told him again, not looking.

Gareth swallowed, it was like he was holding his wife again. But Calista, she was different, and he loved her. "Don't be sorry, Don't."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Love...please..." Darius pleaded as he just stared at her, tears starting to flow from his eyes.

Sighing softly, Calista started to shiver in Gareth's arms. "I--I don't want to see you...hurt..." she mumbled. "Julius....would order your death...and my sister's...Darius right...can't...let that...happen...should...join my child..." she murmured as her words started slur together. Nor had she any idea of what she was saying, for if she did, she never would have revealed anything of what Darius said to Gareth.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina turned on him. "My sister would have died. All because of you." She said, venom in her voice. "I never want to see you again." She said, of course she didn't mean it, but at that moment she did.

Gareth froze. "Darius? What did he say?" Anger started to build.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Hurt glimmering in his eyes as a few tears slid down his cheeks, Darius slowly nodded as he took a few steps back and slowly started to walk away, his heart broken.

Conscious enough to realize that she blundered somehow though she had no idea what she said, Calista just shook her head as her shivering became worse. "Please...just forget it..." she mumbled, not wanting to cause any trouble for her sister and Darius.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina went to her sister and hugged her. crying.

Gareth made a promise, he wouldn't say anything now, but later he would face his friend.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Calista weakly tried to return her sister's hug although she could feel a heaviness settle in her limbs, her trembling not subsiding.

Making his way out of the wooded path with tears streaming down his face, Darius merely wondered what he was going to do now.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!