Those Were the Days... [Mary, open?]

[Gabrielle Dubois]

Wandering the halls of the 'old' museum was always an emotional experience for Gabbi. So many of the exhibits classified as 'ancient history' were things she herself had lived through. Some of the artifacts, things she herself had held in her hands. And now, here they were, on display, a remembrance of times long past. And of people long gone. Like this one, she noted, as she browsed the section dedicated to American history. Amelia Earhart...she'd been such a lovely young woman...wonderful conversationalist. Wonderful at other things too... A sad smile spread across her features as she read the caption detailing her flights, and subsequent disappearance. Ah, but even had she not vanished, it was likely that her friend would still be dead and buried by now. What a wonderful gift immortality could be.

Sighing, she traced the name with her fingertips, before moving on. She was feeling nostalgic for home -- the entire reason she had decided to venture out to this beautiful, wretched place. The section on French History was, sadly, quite lacking. Especially in information and artifacts from the time period she had grown up in... But perhaps it was better that way. Finding herself face to face with familiar items, and names, and sights...who knows. It may have proven to be too much for her to handle. Instead, she enjoyed wandering through the exhibits of some of her earlier days. Saint Louis -- just Louis IX when she had known him, however -- had been quite the interesting child. She had served as advisor to his mother, when she had been ruling in his stead.

And in time, he had grown to be a wise, just, and fair ruler. He was still far from perfect, but he had helped the country grow and develop immensely, and she had been so proud. Another sigh escaped her, and keeping her eyes fixed on the beautiful portraits of the boy in his youth, she backed up, moving between exhibits. The pictures of the Notre Dame were always her favorite. She and her brother would sometimes explore the island before the construction of the Chapel had even begun... She bit her lip, laughing aloud as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Damn," the word coming out a harsh whisper. "And I said I wouldn't cry..."

Tagged: Mary
Words: 394
Notes: <3

[Mary Mae]

Mary strolled down the hallway of the museum, taking slight glances at the artwork before her. She wasn't sure what had exactly drawn her to this place, but when she was taking her walk and saw the building - a place that she had passed many times before - she couldn't help but stop there and go inside. It was as if some magnetic force was pulling her into the building, and she was unable to stop it.

So she went even further down the hallway, taking one of the turns into an exhibit room. It was old Medieval artifacts. Mary smiled softly. She could vaguely remember that time. It was a long time ago, she couldn't remember much of it at all. But she got bits and pieces of it. Just foggy memories, like looking through a dirty window, but the were certainly there. Her attention was turned to a rusted sword that was mounted on the wall, it was almost as if she could hear a voice coming from it, calling her towards it. She drifted over to it. She could see the sign that said "Do not touch", but for some reason she couldn't help herself. She placed her fingers on it's rusted edges.

Then, suddenly, she saw before her a beautiful, blonde young woman with shimmering, emerald eyes, and wearing a Medieval dress. She was wielding what Mary suspected to be the same sword on the wall. The blonde woman was raising the sword high above her head, and there was a man that looked about her age below her, looking frightened, yet defiant.

"Leaveth this place. By mark of the Fairy Godmothers and Fathers, thou art hearby banished."

Mary's fingers came off the sword suddenly, the sword now blazing under her touch. She looked down at her fingers, which seemed to have not received any wounds. She gasped. This must be what it's like; having a flashback from the past. I suppose I was drawn here for a reason; to find a part of my past.

Mary wandered even more, touching things every so often, but none gave her flashes like that of the sword. She was still picturing it in her mind, seeing the face of the woman that was once her. It was overwhelming, that feeling that you get when you realize you're an ancient. She sighed deeply, not knowing how to cope with this, or why it was happening now.

She moved over to a room that was for the French artifacts. She had barely gotten through the entryway before the flashes started. A redhead sitting in a chapel, holding the Holy Bible, and looking as though she were in deep thought. But what was this? She wasn't alone in the room. No, beside her was a lovely blonde woman. A woman that even this reincarnation of Mary knew. The flash was gone.

Mary shook her head. The room was back to normal, and she was the current incarnation of Mary again. She looked around the area, searching, trying to find something to trigger another flash. It wasn't good. She was getting addicted to seeing her past life. She had been warned of this.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman crying. She was blonde. It couldn't be. She thought to herself. But it was unmistakable. This was the same girl from her flash. It was Gabbi, the girl she'd met at the Poison Apple not too long ago. Mary bit her lip softly, wondering whether or not she should disturb her. She looked like she was deep in thought, or even a memory.

She stood there watching for a moment before finally deciding to walk over to her. Mary tapped Gabbi on the shoulder, and could barely finish the gesture before going into another small, nanosecond of a flash. It was the red headed girl and Gabbi, strolling through the streets and laughing. That was all she saw.

"Excuse me? Gabbi?" Mary said, still looking like she was halfway in another world.

Tagged:Gabbi!
Words: 695
Notes: Luff and inspiration.

[Gabrielle Dubois]

Swiping a hand across her eyes to wipe away any tears that had spilled, she continued, rounding the exhibit, and coming to one of her favorite parts -- a breathtaking replica of the of the stained glass portraits from the chapel. And of course, this brought back memories of its own, from a much later point in her personal history. Memories of hiding away in the chapel, splayed in the colored light, of laughing too loud, and having to hide from the priests, and even of siting patiently in the silence, waiting, and perhaps on the odd occasion, watching as her friend would read passages from the Holy Bible. Something she had never personally been a believer in, but the lazy hours spent in amiable silence were well worth it. For the first time since the death of her family, she had felt truly alive again.

The ghost of a smile flickered across her features as she allowed herself to be swept away by the onslaught of memories. Scenes from the past that normally remained buried were re-surfacing, if only briefly, and dragging her through the full spectrum of emotions. Ducking through crowded streets, visiting the wonderful outdoor markets, walking along the banks of the Temps...for a time, she had rarely been alone, and it had been brilliant.

Unlike the majority of the other exhibits in the museum, the glass had actual barriers separating it from the wandering patrons, longing to reach out and touch it. Evidently the curators had decided that the simple 'Do Not Touch' signs that sufficed for the rest of the artifacts would not work in this case. But what were barriers to one like her? Reaching out, directly through the plastic shield, she skimmed her fingers along the cool glass, the sensation sending a small shiver down her spine, and sparking a memory of the last time she had made such an endeavor... The look on the Father's face when he had caught her hovering several feet off the ground for the sole purpose of touching the beautiful work of art had been more than worth being thrown from the chapel.

The sound of soft footsteps alerted her to the fact that someone else had entered the wing, and she stepped back hastily, retracting her hand from the exhibit as she did so. No need to go about attracting unnecessary attention, was there? Catching her lower lip between her teeth, Gabbi -- Gabrielle Rose Dubois, her mind supplied, a bit of French pride having been stirred within her from all this reminiscing -- meandered farther towards the back of the room, not particularly wanting to be disturbed at the moment.

Tears sprung to her eyes anew as she caught sight of the block of text detailing the Hundred Years War, and she shook her head violently. Those memories were ones she preferred to keep buried, lest they tear her apart... They came forth unbidden, however, and before long, she was weeping silently, mourning for all the lives that had been lost by her hand, tears cutting a path down pale cheeks. How pathetic, she chided herself, forcing her uncooperative legs to carry her away from the display.

The aftermath of the war had left her devastated...but in an odd way, through the immense guilt, she didn't regret it happening. After all, had it not, she would have never met that girl. She had lied the other night, when she had told Mary that she had never met 'anyone like her' before. In fact, she had been quite close with a Fairy Godmother in the early Sixteenth Century, when she had returned to Paris after her self imposed exile.

She hadn't forgotten the woman, the striking red-head from earlier musings, but sometimes it was easier to not remember. Everything has it's time, and everything dies...and so had their time together, both women having been pulled their separate ways, having to do their duties to the world. Mary, the name flickered to the forefront of her mind, her name had been Mary, too.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to her the sound of approaching footstep, and the voice calling her name took her entirely by surprise. A small gasp escaped her, in her moment of surprised, and she moved to quickly brush away any lingering evidence of her tears. It took her a moment, but she eventually managed to drag her thoughts back into the present, slowly recognizing the woman standing before her. "Mary," she answered, offering the other woman a small smile. 'Speak of the devil...' The brunette seemed to be deep in thoughts of her own, (memories as well, perhaps?) and Gabbi was almost reluctant to draw her away from them, but she had been the one to approach, after all. "How are you?" she questioned, features shifting into a more genuine smile. Despite her reluctance to be disturbed, she really could use the company at present.

Tagged: Mary <3
Words: 847
Notes: Woooow, that's ramble-y. xP

[Mary Mae]

Mary stood, waiting for Gabbi to react, or recognize Mary in front of her. After a moment or two, Gabbi finally came to, calling her by name, and asking her how she was. A smile came across Mary's face. Seeing Gabbi's face now, she could feel deep in the depths of her heart that they had once been close; the redheaded Mary and Gabbi. It seemed as if the very force of the world itself had been pulling Mary to this very museum, to this very place in time, just so she could remember this person, this friend, this time But why that was the case, Mary wasn't sure.

Mary felt the urge to reach out and touch Gabbi's shoulder once more. She wanted to see more glimpses of the past that was now so foggy. She wanted to see her and her friend having fun back in the old times. But she wouldn't. Not yet at least. Even just looking at Gabbi, and being in the environment, it was sparking flashes of all sorts.

Mary walking down the street arm and arm with Gabbi. Mary going through a marketplace with Gabbi, laughing so loudly that every street vendor they passed were shushing them; nothing was stopping their laughter, though. It seemed that every flash she was getting from this life had Gabbi present in them. Obviously they had been great friends at the time.

A pang came to Mary's chest, and she found herself wishing for the past that she barely remembered until just now. No loneliness, no pain. Just happiness and laughter seemed to be emanating from the flashes of memories. They seemed so close to her. Like she could reach out, and there she would be - Right within the midst of them. They seemed so real. But they were real She had to remind herself. These times had happened, and she was a part of it.

There was a flash of light. It was another memory. It was a dark and rainy day, Mary was alone in the memory for the first time since she'd started having them. She could feel sadness coming from the memory, a disheartened girl roaming the streets of Paris alone in the middle of a storm. But what had happened to her? Why was she sad? Most importantly, why was she walking outside during the rain? It was cold, Mary was freezing. Every place closed, home so far away. If she could only make it to Gabbi's. Mary felt like her insides were freezing, so she wrapped her coat tighter around her. She was so tired from fighting against the rain and gale, so she sat down. She wasn't getting up though, and her eyes were slowly lolling shut.

She heard a voice calling her name, still within the memory. It was Gabbi. She was searching for Mary, and she was frantic. Mary hadn't been home, and she was worried about her. Mary's eyes were slowly opening, she tried to call out Gabbi's name, but her voice, it was so hoarse and there was no noise coming out. She could see Gabbi finally rounding the corner, letting out a terrified gasp. Gabbi ran to her, kneeling down beside her. It was freezing outside, but Mary was burning up. A fever had settled upon her. She could hear through a garbled veil that Gabbi was running to get help, and that Mary should hold on.

Mary remembered feeling a slow, rocking sensation. She was being carried through the streets. She was only seeing flashes and glimpses, so Current Mary assumed that Past Mary had been in and out of conscience. She was in a bed, feeling oh-so hot. It was winter, but she felt like she was in the pits of hell. Gabbi was beside her bed, holding her hand. Then, black. Flash over.

Mary pulled back into the present, a tear rolling down her cheek. It was something to see a flash of your own death. Especially when you had a friend right by your side as you died. She let out a dry sob. It was almost too much for her to see. She tried to regain her composure, wiping the tear away with the back of her hand.

Mary looked back up to Gabbi. Tears filling her eyes again, threatening to spill over at the smallest bit of remembrance. "Gabbi." She said once more, softly. "I-I remember it. Everything that happened. W-we were friends." She told her, her voice breaking at the end of the sentence. She couldn't handle all of this emotion at once. It was too much. Even for a Fairy Godmother.

Tagged: Gabbi =D
Words:800
Notes: Woo, that was emotional to write. xD

[Gabrielle Dubois]

As she waited for a response, her smile slowly faded. The other woman seemed to have lapsed into thought, her eyes staring into the distance, her features taking on a far away look. Living as long as she had, Gabbi had become very patient...but in this case, she was worried. Despite some recent...lapses in judgment...she was still good by nature, and even more, she found herself scared for this woman she had only just met. And yet, something was keeping her from interrupting. She just watched in silence as the brunette remained motionless, as if in a trance. Her teeth latched onto her lower lip once more, and she shifted her weight, uncomfortable, still just waiting.

And the, as soon as it had come on, it seemed to be over -- she could see it in Mary's eyes, the girl was back in the moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Gabbi found herself fighting to swallow over a lump that had formed in her throat. She was tempted to reach out, and brush the tear away, but refrained, feeling as though that would be overstepping her bounds. The woman was, after all, virtually a complete stranger. The harsh sob that escaped the brunette almost broke her restraint, but she seemed to compose herself soon after, and Gabbi cocked her head, about to speak, ask what had happened, if she could help, when she was cut off by her own name.

"I-I remember it. Everything that happened. W-we were friends."

She froze, the implications of those words hanging heavy in the air.

For a few moments, she was completely incapable of response, verbal or otherwise, assaulted by memories of her own. "No..." she choked out, voice thick with emotion. "No. You...I..." the words sticking in her throat, not cooperating, not wanting to be said. And she didn't want to say them. But, "you died. I was there..." And dammit, as soon as she had spoken, it was like she really was there, living it all over again. The worry when Mary hadn't been in her home, the panic when the weather had taken such a violent turn...the sheer despair as minutes passed, and turned to hours, and she still couldn't find her...

She could remember running -- sprinting -- through the winding Parisian streets, her lungs burning, her skin feeling like fire, the rain, and wind, and god was that hail?! whipping against her, rubbing her raw. And none of it mattered, because it was a Sunday night, and Mary wasn't home, and everything was closed, and DAMMIT where WAS she?! Gabbi had almost missed her, the way she was so slumped over, curled up against the rain and the cold, and seeing her like that absolutely terrified her. It was almost worse than not knowing. Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach, and she swore she had never run so fast as she did from the mouth of that alleyway to her friend.And then she was talking, babbling, murmuring reassuring words that didn't mean a damned thing, and Mary was burning up, and she was trying, god she tried everything she could! But none of it was good enough, nothing was WORKING, and so she had to leave, and run off, sprinting again, desperately, frantically, searching for anyone that could help, because she wasn't strong enough to save her friend herself.

With a shaky breath, she was back in reality, staring at this woman, tears now in both of their eyes, who claimed to be Mary -- her Mary -- from all those years ago. But it couldn't be...

By the time she had gotten back with help what seemed like a lifetime later -- eight minutes can become a lifetime, especially when faced with losing the most important person in your life -- it was too late. Mary was drifting in and out of consciousness, and...she was staying out of it more often than not, and Gabbi was completely helpless, sitting at her friend's bedside, watching her slowly slip away, holding her hand as she died...

Her head and her emotions were a complete bloody mess, but as soon as she chanced to look back up at Mary, this new Mary whom she had met at a bar of all places, she knew it was true. Choking back a sob of her own, she reached out, giving in to her earlier temptation, and brushing the pad of her thumb across the other woman's cheek, erasing the trail her tears had taken from existence, before pulling her into a tight hug. Forget what she said -- it didn't matter how impossible it was, right now, she was just overjoyed to see her friend again, somehow alive and well. "God, I missed you."


Tagged: Mary <3
Words: 833
Notes: Gah. Emotional's right. Sorry if it seems kind of choppy. >.> She was panicked. <3

[Mary Mae]

Mary wasn't shocked when Gabbi seemed that she couldn't believe it. Why would she believe it? Mary was sure that she hadn't told Gabbi about how Fairy Godmothers regenerate when they die, and Gabbi had seen her die. Mary was so overcome with emotion, she could barely speak, let alone explain to Gabbi how things with Fairy Godmothers work. She could clearly see that Gabbi was seeing, remembering that night, just as Mary had only moments earlier.

Mary wouldn't disturb her. She could practically see the memories going through her eyes like a movie playing on a screen. She was seeing every emotion that Gabbi felt while she was searching for her, every single one.

She could feel another memory coming on. She was on something hard and cold. It was dark and it smelt horrible. She looked around the room she was in. She could only see via the lit torches on the wall. She was holding her head. Man, it hurt. But what had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was walking along a cold and windy street. She was going somewhere.... But where was she going?

The next thing she knew, someone was in front of her, appearing in a bright light. She could feel the fear rolling off herself. It was odd, this was the first memory she'd seen in first person. The man looked at her, a knowing in his eyes.

"Mary Mae. Fairy Godmother. You have regenerated, my young one. You are but a new soul in this world. But take heed, my girl. You must leave this place and return not but till four hundred years have passed."

"But sir, I have friends here, what am I to tell them? How are they supposed to know what happened to me? I--."

"My dear, they think you but dead. To them, you will be forever encased in this tomb, with nothing but the corpses and worms to keep you company. It's best if you leave." The man nodded solemnly, like he felt sorry for her.

Mary felt a tear roll down her cheek. What about Gabbi? That was all that was running through her mind. She felt such hurting. Gabbi thought her dead? She was so sorry that Gabbi had to go through that. Why had Mary never told her that should she die, she would regenerate into a new person? Why?

She got off of the stone that was supposed to be her place of everlasting rest, feeling a bit stiff. How long had she been laying there? As she moved along towards the entrance of the tomb, she passed a shield. She walked to it, looking at her reflection. She had blonde hair with piercing blue eyes. She was beautiful. But her beauty was so bittersweet, merely because it took her away from her best friend.

That was it, the end of the memory. She could see that even now Gabbi was coming out of her memory. It seemed as if the girl before her was coming to a realization. The realization of who Mary was. Mary smiled through her tears that Gabbi were now wiping from her face. She was pulled into a hug, and Mary immediately returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Gabbi so tightly that she couldn't get out of the hug if she wished to.

"I missed you too. Even if I didn't realize it. I feel as if now I'm complete in a way." Another dry sob escaped her throat. "I have my best friend back." Then, she decided, the moment was too beautiful, too emotional, to wonderful for words to mar the situation. So she closed her lips, and enjoyed being back in the presence of her once best friend.

Tagged:Gabbi =D
Words: 647
Notes: Sorry this took a bit D:

[Gabrielle Dubois]

A small gasp escaped her as she was pulled into a tight hug, the air nearly being knocked from her lungs, followed immediately by a soft laugh. Tightening her own grip on the slender brunette in turn, Gabbi buried her face in the crook of her neck, a small smile sliding into place across her features. "I may be immortal," she began, mischievously, "but I do still need to breathe." The sentence was punctuated by an almost gleeful laugh, and she grinned, her tongue just barely poking out between rows of white teeth.

Her grin slowly faded, the her mood sobering significantly as Mary spoke. "Ma chere, mon amie," she whispered, kissing her friend on the cheek. Not an unfamiliar action by any means, but a first for this new form Mary seemed to have adopted, an entirely new body. A new voice, new hair, and skin, and teeth, and eyes...and it was a bit terrifying, trying to reconcile her memories of the past, of the familiar red hair, and bright green eyes, and the way that Mary had been at the exact perfect height to hug. It was strange now, that she was the shorter one. So many little differences...it was absolutely surreal. And yet, the look behind the new eyes was familiar...the inflection in the new voice, nearly the same.

And to be perfectly honest, none of it really mattered. "J'espère que vous comprenez à quel point que vous devez me donner une explication," she murmured, voice soft, but stern. As much as she wanted -- needed -- to know what had happened, there would be time for that later.

It stung a bit, to know she had been forgotten, but on some level, hadn't she done the same? She would admit, though she was still ashamed of the fact, that she had for the most part, buried all of her memories of the time she and Mary had spent in Paris away. For years, they had tormented her, watching her best friend slowly slip away time and time again, whenever she would close her eyes. Perhaps the reason she had overlooked the similarities between the Mary she had met in the bar to 'her' Mary was because she had just been too afraid to hope.

Finding herself once more fighting to swallow down a lump in her throat, she sighed softly, before speaking. "So how are you? What have you been doing all these years?" The 'why didn't you find me?' going unspoken, and hopefully un-inferred as well. She had nearly been crushed by the grief after losing Mary, and even if for whatever reason they had been pulled their separate ways...just the knowledge that her friend was all right, alive, would have been a huge relief. Thankfully, though, small rush of bitterness was more than drowned out by her relief and happiness.

Tagged: Mary
Words: 494
Notes: Ugh. I'm sorry. I've had absolutely no inspiration lately. =/