The Beauty of Inspiration (David)

[Maddison West]

Maddie was sitting in the leather chair in the living room. She was sitting sideways with her feet hanging over the armrest and her head resting on the other one. She had a sketch pad on her lap and a set of charcoles in her already paint covered hands working on a sketch of herself. She had a bit of paint on her face to, but she didn't see a point in washing it off untill she was finished working on the other painting. She had to stop because her hand had been cramping up. She had a mirror set up on the coffee table that was directed to her face so she could see it. Her black hair that was very often adorned with purple, red, and blue highlights was down and tumbled softly over her shoulders. Her violet eyes were looking at the sketch for a minute before she looked up at the tv. Her brother, Dalton, was on the couch and had obviously fallen asleep on the matching leather couch watching a poker game. "How could he not fall asleep?" She asked herself softly in her head as she quietly reached for the remote and changed the channel to VH1 to listen to some music videos.

She smiled with satisfaction when she looked over at Dalton to see him still sacked out like a baby on the comfy couch. She then turned back to her sketch and glanced up at the mirror to get a look at herself. She looked up to a painting that was hanging over the fire place that her mother had painted. Her father was at work for the day as well as her mother. She kind of wished she saw her dad a little more. She thought about the painting she had finished the other day. The one where she had gotten her inspiration from David Verich's secret spot. She had called him to ask him to stop by some time in the next few days to get a look at it. It had been several days since then and she was starting to think that he didn't really care about it. She just shrugged it off yesterday and started on another painting that had to do with David's spot.

The beauty of that place had helped with her muse to paint lately. She actually went back there a few times through the last few days to think. She had actually hoped to find David there several times, but after the third try she just decided to sit there and think for a while. The place didn't have as much of an enchanted look to it in the day like it did during the night. She had just closed her eyes and imagined it as she had seen it that night though. Her attention was brought back to the present when Dalton let out a snorting snore and suddenly woke to find that his poker game had been changed to music videos.

"Hey! Change it back, Munchkin." He said playfully looking up at her.

"There's the remote. Change it yourself, and stop calling me that. I'm not five anymore." She remarked as she went back to sketching putting on the finishing touches. She smiled when Dalton chuckled. Her and Dalton had always had a good relationship even though they were siblings and it was believed that siblings never got along, and on occassion they don't, but more often they get along great. She looked out the big floor to ceiling windows when she saw the glint of a vehicle pull into the drive way. She frowned gently a little disappointed that it was only her dad. She wouldn't have mind seing David again. He was a completely different guy from the one that everyone sees at school.

"Hey, Mads, come help me in the kitchen please." Called her mothers voice just as she put the finishing touches on the sketch. She sighed and set down the sketch pad on the coffee table. "Coming, Mama." She called as she pulled herself out of the chair and she grinned and playfully slapped her brother on the butt as she walked past him. She looked over her shoulder and stuck her tounge out at him when he grunted. She then wandered into the kitchen to help her mom. Her mom glanced at her and frowned. "Wash your hands first, young lady then help me finish fixing up some cookies." She said as she pulled a pan full of cranberry chicken out of the oven next to a pan of rice that had just finished cooking. She just nodded her head and did as her mom said then started mixing up the cookie batter that she usually made from scratch.

[David Verich]

David walked slowly out of his house, a large white dog at his heels as he went. He opened the door of his car and it jumped in, settling in the passenger seat of the red ragtop convertible. David sat down, pushing the key into the ignition and closing the door as it rumbled to life. He pressed a button and listened to the mechanical whir as the ragtop moved back, leaving him in a roofless car. The dog barked and David backed out of his driveway.

He felt horrible about not calling Maddie back. She had invited him over to her place to see some of her art and he hadn't had time to even explain to her what was up. He winced as he moved his arm to far to the right. To much was going on right now. He had finally gotten a break from it all.

He pulled into a driveway right behind another car and watched a man get out. He nodded and waved a greeting and opened the door once he had put the top back down. He put his hat in the back and checked his hair, leaving the dog in the car for now. He'd ask permission before letting him out.

He walked to the front door, and knocked.

[Maddison West]

Maddie watched as her dad walked into the house. "There's some boy outside. He parked his red ragtop behind me." He said gently before kissing her mom on the cheek. Maddie frowned when he said red ragtop. She glanced out the window and saw David coming up the walkway. She smiled and looked to her mom. "It's David." She said some what excitedly as she set down the almost finished cookie dough she had been working on and ran to answer the door. "Who's David?" Her dad asked confused looking to her mother. Maddie frowned when Dalton reached the door first.

"Can I help you?" Dalton asked looking at David to the car with the barking dog. Maddie came up behind him and pushed him away. "I invited him over to see something. You can go back to watching your boring poker game now." She said gently as she looked back to David. Dalton just shook his head and rolled his eyes behind her back and then walked off. "Hey, you."She said gently looking at him. Her attention was drawn to the dog in his car and she frowned some. She quickly wiped it away and looked back at him. "You weren't planning on leaving him in the car were you?" She asked gently nodding her head to the dog.

[David Verich]

David smiled as the door opened and he saw Maddie standing behind who he assumed was her brother. He chuckled a little as she pushed him away and his attention caught when the poker game was brought up. "Who's winning?" he asked quietly, directing a wink at Maddie before turning back to her.

He looked back at his dog and then to her again, "If you don't want him in the house he can stay there," he replied, "He's used to waiting." He leaned against the door jam watching her, gazing softly into her beautiful violet eyes before speaking again, "What does the lovely lady want to do with him?"

[Maddison West]

She looked at him and frowned. "Don't encourage him." She said playfully. Dalton chuckled and walked off to his bedroom. She watched him for a minute before her attention fell back to David. She looked to the dog pondering for a moment. "Well, I'm afraid Mama and Daddy would have a fit if he came in, but we could put him out back with our dogs. If they get to be trouble for him I can put them in their kennel." She said gently looking back at David.

She smiled gently at him and brushed back some of her long black hair. She stepped out of the doorway outside barefoot. She was in the usual jeans with paint smudges all over creation and she had on a vintage tee. She wouldn't exactly call the way she looked at the moment considering the paint that was smudged on her left cheek and her chin and nose and one right above her right eye eyebrow.

[David Verich]

David thought for a moment, "That'll be fine, he gets along well with other dogs so there shouldn't be much problem." He walked out to his car, straightening the leather collar on his neck. It was thick, almost like Steel's collar from the Balto movie. He hooked a nylon leash to it and lead him out of the car.

He walked back toward Maddie and stopped. The dog sat down. "This is Bandit. Bandit, Maddie." he said. The dog was a white German Shepherd with a black masklike patch over his eyes. His ears stood up alertly and he licked Maddie's feet.

[Maddison West]

She nodded gently and watched him walking across the walkway a little. He was a beautiful dog. She had never seen a white German shepherd before. She looked up at David then down at the dog. She wasn't much for dogs, but she tolerated them when she had to, which was pretty much every day. She knelt know a little and pet the dog gently and ruffled his fur some. She then stood up and walked past them. "This way." She said gently as she walked around the side of the house to the chain link fence where a blue merl Australian shepherd stood watching intently and not far off in the shade was another Australian Shepherd only she was red merl. On top of that she had puppies all bundled up sleeping next to her so she to was watching tentatively. "My mom breeds Australian Shepherds." She explained as they walked to the backyard.

"That's Ace." She said pointing at the blue merl who was now standing in front of the gate. "Sit." She ordered as her hand went to the dog proof latch. The dog obediently sat and watched as she swung open the gate to lead David and Bandit in. "And that's Marlie and her and Ace's puppies." She said gently gesturing to the dog and puppies under the shady tree. One puppy popped it's head up through the clutter and looked at them before laying it's head back ontop of one of it's brother's soft fur. She looked back to David smiling, but she heard a familiar bark and turned her head to see a black tri colored Australian Shepherd running towards them. She held up a hand in a fist and the dog imediately stopped and sat down wagging the stub of a tail she had. "And this little ragamuffin, is Trixie." She said gently. Trixie wasn't that old either. She looked to be maybe eight or nine months old really. "Bandit should be okay with them so long as he doesn't threaten the puppies in anyway. Trixie'll probably keep him company better than Ace would." She said gently looking back down at Ace who was still sitting, but had inched his way over to them. He was sniffing at Bandit to confirm that he was safe to admit into back yard. She looked back at David as Trixie ran off towards Marli and the puppies and Ace slowly followed.

[David Verich]

David watched the dogs intently. They seemed friendly enough, and Bandit was sniffing noses with the one called Trixie through the fence. He let go of the leash and the dog dashed in, pawing at the air just infront of Trixie's face. David smiled, "Looks like Bandit is going to be a real gentleman for her. He only acts that way around my other dog and they are going to be bred not long from now. I didn't bring her because she is in the kennel right now. She's a little sick."

He looked over at Maddie. "Thank you." he said.

[Maddison West]

She smiled as she watched the dogs then looked back up at David. "It's no problem, really." She said gently as she closed the gate to leave the dogs on their own. She turned and lead David back towards the front door. "I've been so excited ever since I finished the first painting. I wouldn't even let Mama see it before you, and she's normally always the first person to see my paintings." She said sweetly as they made their way to the front door. She brushed back some of her hair out of her face as she opened the front door and led him inside.

[David Verich]

David smiled at her and stepped inside, "So then," he said eagerly, "If you won't even let your family see it you must have really liked it. Maybe I'll take you back sometime so you can get enough inspiration to do a few more. If you enjoyed it that is." He smiled again and brushed a piece of hair she'd missed behind her ear, tucking it there securely. "Where is it?"

[Maddison West]

She smiled sweetly and nodded gently. "You showed me the inspiration I needed. I figured you should be the first to see it. I loved it. It was all so beautiful and amazing. It was like something out of a fairy tale." She said gently. She looked to his hand when it brushed the hair she had missed behind her ear then up at him. She felt the heat of a small blush creep up her neck. She took his hand and led him up a set of stairs and through the hall into the painting studio her and her mom shared. Her side of the studio had a giant murial of mythological creatures on the wall and there were paintings laying against the walls that her mother hadn't managed to sell yet. Some of them were hers and some of them her mother's.

She looked at him and smiled as she released his hand and walked over to an eisle that had a white cloth covering the canvas under it. "I hope you don't mind that I put you into it." She said gently before she pulled away the white cloth to reveal the painting. It captured the scean perfectly. She had painted from the veiw behind the thicket of bushes that they had walked through to get there. A set of hands were parting two bushes as David stood in the moonlight that had shown through the trees. She looked at it for a moment then back to him. "What do you think?" She asked gently looking at him. That wasn't the only painting that she had used is secret spot for. She had one other she wanted to show him.

[David Verich]

David gazed at the picture for a long time, taking in every brush stroke, every detail, every shadow. He looked at his eyes looking at him. He looked at the hands parting the brush and the moonlight streaming through the canopy above his body. Then he looked at Maddie, "You did this all after just one single trip there? And without seeing me?" He allowed his hand to raise to her neck and cradle it, "You're amazing, you know that?"

His eyes gazed into hers, lost suddenly in the depth of the violet. He blinked it away and smiled softly, "Amazing," he whispered.

[Maddison West]

She looked at him as he examined it a little nervouse. She looked at it for a moment then back at him smiling gently. "A lot of the time I paint what I first see. This was the first thing I remebered really seeing when you showed me. It just kind of stuck with me. I had to pull out my yearbook from last year to get a few details right on you though." She said gently looking at it for a moment then looked back at him. She looked down at their feet when she felt his hand cradleing her neck. She reached her hand up to his arm and rubbed it gently smiling. She looked back up at him and nodded gently. "It sounds even better when you say it instead of Mama." She said gently.

She felt herself get lost in the deep depths of his eyes. She sighed softly when he whispered the word amazing to her. She smiled and nodded gently. "I have another one to show you." She said gently as she pulled away from him and walked over to a bunch of the paintings. She picked up the one in the front and set it on the bench infront of the bay window. "This one is kind of what I imagined it to be like once I got over the initial awe of the place. The way it seemed to be out of a fairy tale." She said gently as she turned it around and propped it against the window stepping back to get out of his line of vision. It was the sceanery under the huge willow tree that covered a section of the creek that it sat next to. She had painted little bright fairies flying around and in the creek stood a magnificent white mare with an elven woman sitting on it's back. She looked back at him smiling gently as she walked back over to him.

[David Verich]

David's eyes softened and grew sad as she stepped away from him, but he pushed them back to their firm blankness as she turned back. He felt as if he would drop to his knees when he saw the painting and when he didn't he stepped forward. He could tell it was dry so he reached out, brushing his fingers over the coat of the mare and the branches of the will, ending in the water below it all. He scanned it, making sure he would always see it properly, then turned to her.

He stepped forward, placing his left hand in the curve of her waist and standing close to her. He lifted her chin up to look in his eyes, "You have a gift," he said and allowed his nose to touch hers, stopping and keeping his neck rigid so he would move no more unless she wished it of him, "A gift most could only dream of." He gestured to the picture with his eyes, "That is not just a picture of magic," he said softly, hand softening on her chin as it dropped to her neck.

"That, my love, is magic."

[Maddison West]

She watched him as he walked to it and brushed his hand over it. She looked to the painting then to him smiling gently. She looked down at his hand as he moved closer to him and rested his hand on the curve of her waist. She felt his hand move under her chin and lift it so that they locked eyes with each other. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath when she felt his nose touch hers. Her eyes fluttered open after she rested her forehead against his. She rested one hand on his shoulder and the other rested on his cheek as she brushed her thumb over it gently. "Do you realize how much that means to me to hear that coming from you? From you who helped to inspire both of those paintings." She said softly looking him in the eyes. "It means a great deal to me. If you hadn't shown me that spot then I never would have been able to come up with those. " She said gently as she looked into his eyes deeply.