sweetie
Refugee
Hi everyone! This is it 
The conclusion.
I'm so glad you liked it. This was a lot of fun! I already started working on the sequel, however its about Andrew and Creide. Although Gioia and Bono may make a cameo
Disclaimer - A work of fiction. Absolutely.
They embraced for a long time. Gioia would’ve liked nothing more than to stay cuddled in his arms forever. Bono ran his hands up and down her bared back. He kissed her neck under her ear and she shivered. She leaned back and looked at him. There were so many unanswered questions.
Bono kissed her on the nose. “Come with me.” He took her by the hand and pulled her toward the elevators.
“Where are we going?” Gioia looked back at the ballroom doors. “Aren’t you supposed to be in there? Won’t everyone be looking for you?”
Bono shook his head. He pressed the button for the top floor once they got into the elevator. “Why do you really think I’m here?”
Gioia smiled. “For me??” Before Rio she would’ve never hoped to think that someone would go to all this trouble for her.
“I will go back down and mingle with them for a bit. But only after I take care of a few things.” He pulled her to him and kissed her. Gioia went weak but before she could lean in for a deeper kiss, they reached their floor.
Bono winked at the security guard standing at the door to his suite. He and Gioia stepped into the room. She felt dazed. Everything was moving too fast.
They sat down on the sofa. Bono began to tell her everything that had happened. She was shocked to find out that Aine did indeed send the flames to him to finish him. For an instant he had felt the pain of the fire then it was gone and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground just feet from the trailer.
“I’ll never forget the terror I felt when I realized that it was really happening. That I was going to die. That I was never going to see you or my family ever again.” He quietly explained.
“What do you think happened?” She tried not to think about the horror he must’ve felt as it was happening. She closed her hand over his.
“Aisling intercepted.”
“Aisling?”
Bono nodded. “I remember seeing her face as my body was being engulfed in the flames.” Gioia shuddered. Bono leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. “And then I was found lying on the ground and a few days later I was back in Dublin. I didn’t know what to think. I had absolutely no proof that everything we had experienced had actually happened. I was in the same clothes from the concert. But the strangest thing was that I could not find any proof that you had been there with me.
The men who kidnapped us were never found but how would I have questioned them about you anyway? I had no idea what had happened to you. I didn’t know if you were still stuck there. I didn’t know if Aine had hurt you after she thought she got me.” He looked into her eyes. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I – I didn’t know if I had imagined the entire thing and you never existed.”
Gioia reached up and caressed his cheek. He turned his head to kiss her palm. “What took you so long to find out?” She teased.
He chuckled. “Could you picture me telling my staff that I had to search for a woman that may or may not exist? And then not be able to explain where I had met you?”
“Why didn’t you just look me up?”
Bono cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I –uh- had forgotten your last name.” Gioia melted into laughter and hugged him close.
“I checked the forums and message boards, hoping that you would’ve left me a sign. There were so many of them that even if you had, I wouldn’t have found it. By the way, did you know that there are some interesting messages on those things about me?”
Gioia laughingly nudged him to get back on track. “Then one night I dreamt of Aisling and in the dream she gave me the idea for this night. Something so simple that I needed a fairy to suggest it to me.” He shook his head.
Gioia thought back to when she saw Aisling in the ballroom. She was still helping them.
Bono was looking down at his hands quietly. “What do you think happened to Creide and Andrew?”
Gioia had thought about them often over the past few weeks. There was only one theory that she could live with.
“I don’t think they were ever real. They were part of a myth. Maybe they existed at one time or maybe they were just part of ancient folklore. I think that only Aisling was real, Bono.”
Bono nodded. He wasn’t sure if he believed it or not but it was all he had to go on. He stood up. “I better go downstairs and make an appearance to the fans. Are you going to come down with me or would you like to stay here?”
Gioia thought about it a moment. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here. I’m still trying to digest finding you again.” Bono nodded.
“Oh. Bono? What convinced you that I was real?”
Bono smiled as he opened the door. “I saw you walk out of the room. Crazy as it sounds, I could feel your hurt.” He walked out of the room.
She looked around the suite. “Now what?” She said out loud.
“Must you question everything that happens to you?” Gioia turned and saw Aisling curled up on the sofa.
Gioia didn’t even flinch. “Why couldn’t you tell me that I hadn’t imagined everything? It would’ve helped me a great deal.” Would've kept me from falling to pieces.
Aisling smiled. “Gioia . It’s very complicated and I don’t know if I can explain it all.”
“Try me.” Gioia sat down next to her.
“Very well. The goddess Ceridwen is not folklore nor is she mythology. She is not of any particular nation or culture. She is the goddess of imagination. Her power comes from helping people achieve their innermost dreams and to realize the potential of their imagination. She finds the ones that have the need within their hearts and then she uses others to help her carry out the dreams. For the Greeks, she uses the nine muses. For the Irish, she uses me.”
Gioia frowned. “But I’m not Irish.”
“But Bono is. Your dreams and fantasies are intertwined with his. You see. Many people’s dreams and wishes involve only themselves and their achievements. Yours was such a simple wish and at the same time, so difficult to pull off. You wanted love and you wanted Bono. We couldn’t just snap our fingers and let it happen. We had to set the scene and actually let Fate take over. Fate and Death are two forces that Ceridwen cannot control.”
Gioia slowly exhaled; surprised that she had been holding it. “So you’re saying that you and Ceridwen arranged for us to meet but you could not control what actually happened to us? Why?”
“As I explained. It’s a complicated situation. We could not make him fall in love with you or want to be with you, any more than we could make you stay in love with him after you met him.”
Gioia stood up and started pacing. So everything that they had shared and all the emotions that they had felt were real. Not like a love potion or a spell. Now for the loaded question.
“Aisling. Was everything that we had been through, actually physically real? Or real only in our memory and minds?”
“It was real. From the first kiss that you shared by the river after you had fallen in.” Aisling didn’t have the heart to tell Gioia that she was the reason the railing gave way. She had wanted to move the romance along a bit, but she hadn’t realized that Gioia could not swim! That’s when she had decided to just let their destiny take over and let it all happen naturally.
“To the love that you and Bono made that last night. It was all real.”
Gioia blushed but was unable to keep the smile from her face. That night had haunted her for these past weeks. She would wake up in the middle of the night feeling Bono’s hands on her body and his kisses upon her lips. Those nights she would cry her torment into her pillows, trying everything to free her mind from the memories.
“Why was it necessary to put us in that situation instead of just trying to pull us together here, in familiar surroundings? You must’ve known that it would’ve been dangerous for us.”
“There were many reasons. As unnatural as it seemed, it was the only way to bring the two of you together. He has many obligations here. He is famous. You would’ve never been able to get to know each other and give each other a chance here. Irish folklore is as much history as your current events. It lives in people’s minds and fills their hearts with the love of the land and their culture. The characters are like old friends to many. It was a perfect place for the two of you and the perfect place for Ceridwen and myself to work our magic. I’m just so sorry that the ending could not have been sweeter.”
Gioia swallowed. “What happened to Creide and Andrew?”
Aisling looked up at her but remained silent.
Gioia couldn’t stop the shudder of understanding. Bono never married Creide so her enchantment was never fully lifted. Aine had seen to that. But what had Aine done to Andrew? Gioia cupped her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes tightly. She had come to care for Andrew and it upset her to know that he may have been hurt.
“Was the amulet of Leanan Sidhe returned to Aine?” She asked hoarsely. Aisling nodded. “You and Ceridwen had the power to transport me and Bono, why did you use the amulet in the first place?”
Aisling shrugged. “There was a much bigger picture than just the obvious, Gioia. There were many people involved in your story.”
Gioia understood. Not only was Aisling bringing her and Bono together but she was also trying to help two others.
“What happened to Creide and Andrew, Aisling?” She repeated her question.
Aisling sighed. “I don’t know, Gioia . They are part of Irish folklore and Celtic mythology. There are many stories attached to them. Some have changed after each telling.” Aisling saw the sorrow on Gioia ’s face. “Please understand this. You cannot go back there. It’s best to leave them to your memory and create a satisfactory ending for them. No one will ever truly know what happened. It’s best this way.”
She stood up and looked toward the door. “Bono will be back soon. You two have a lot to talk about now that there is no more need for my interference.” She laughed her musical laugh.
“Aisling wait! What happens now?”
“You live your life. It’s up to the two of you now to strengthen what you have.”
Gioia pursed her lips in worry. “But. What if we don’t have anything to strengthen? What if the magic is gone?”
Aisling kissed her on the cheek. “Goodbye my dear.” A moment later she was gone.
Bono walked in a few minutes later. He smiled at her as he took off his suit jacket and flung it across a chair. “I don’t know why I thought that you weren’t going to be here when I returned.” He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I’m never letting you go.”
“How did it go down there?” Gioia felt stiff and awkward. Relax!
“Fantastic. Thankfully no one asked why I had felt the need to run off in a hurry. They probably thought I had to use the –“
“Ah ah!” Gioia covered his mouth with her hand. “Too much information.” Bono laughed against her hand. He looked deeply into her eyes.
“I’m so happy to see you. This past month has been hell.”
Gioia nodded. “We have to talk Bono. We need to talk about what happened to us in Rio. The reasons behind everything. I have a lot to tell you.”
Bono shook his head. “Not now.” He said huskily. He took her hand and walked her over to a closed door. It had to be the bedroom!
Gioia felt the keen flush of desire but also the bitter sting of disappointment. Was the magic truly gone? Of course, they were adults. He was a passionate man and after the night they had shared, there was no reason to feel coy with him and deny each other what they both wanted. But---
Bono opened the door widely. Gioia stepped forward into the room, her eyes widening in surprise. Bono stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“So? What do you think was the true reason for what happened to us back in Rio?” He asked softly.
Gioia looked around the room in amazement. The large room was softly lit with hundreds of votives and tapers. Each corner of the room was filled with vases of daisies, orchids, and purple irises. Music was playing ever so softly in the background. On the nightstands were large baskets filled with hotel-sized shampoos, shower gels, and every other travel sized toiletry imaginable. Gioia raised her hands to her mouth and laughed in delight. Her eyes moved to the bed.
Rose petals covered the comforter on the King sized canopy bed. And there, amidst the petals, lay a small square velvet box.
Gioia gasped. She turned in Bono’s arms to face him. He had a self-satisfied ear-to-ear grin. He was so adorable. Nothing had changed. Everything was the same. Tears were glistening in her eyes. She kissed him.
She looked back into the room. Magical.
“I think the true reason was to bring us together.” She whispered, completely believing it now.
Bono nodded. He kissed her, gently caressing her mouth with his lips and tongue. A moan escaped her.
Bono chuckled softly. “So? Is that a yes?”
THE END
THanks everyone!
The conclusion. I'm so glad you liked it. This was a lot of fun! I already started working on the sequel, however its about Andrew and Creide. Although Gioia and Bono may make a cameo
Disclaimer - A work of fiction. Absolutely.
They embraced for a long time. Gioia would’ve liked nothing more than to stay cuddled in his arms forever. Bono ran his hands up and down her bared back. He kissed her neck under her ear and she shivered. She leaned back and looked at him. There were so many unanswered questions.
Bono kissed her on the nose. “Come with me.” He took her by the hand and pulled her toward the elevators.
“Where are we going?” Gioia looked back at the ballroom doors. “Aren’t you supposed to be in there? Won’t everyone be looking for you?”
Bono shook his head. He pressed the button for the top floor once they got into the elevator. “Why do you really think I’m here?”
Gioia smiled. “For me??” Before Rio she would’ve never hoped to think that someone would go to all this trouble for her.
“I will go back down and mingle with them for a bit. But only after I take care of a few things.” He pulled her to him and kissed her. Gioia went weak but before she could lean in for a deeper kiss, they reached their floor.
Bono winked at the security guard standing at the door to his suite. He and Gioia stepped into the room. She felt dazed. Everything was moving too fast.
They sat down on the sofa. Bono began to tell her everything that had happened. She was shocked to find out that Aine did indeed send the flames to him to finish him. For an instant he had felt the pain of the fire then it was gone and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground just feet from the trailer.
“I’ll never forget the terror I felt when I realized that it was really happening. That I was going to die. That I was never going to see you or my family ever again.” He quietly explained.
“What do you think happened?” She tried not to think about the horror he must’ve felt as it was happening. She closed her hand over his.
“Aisling intercepted.”
“Aisling?”
Bono nodded. “I remember seeing her face as my body was being engulfed in the flames.” Gioia shuddered. Bono leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. “And then I was found lying on the ground and a few days later I was back in Dublin. I didn’t know what to think. I had absolutely no proof that everything we had experienced had actually happened. I was in the same clothes from the concert. But the strangest thing was that I could not find any proof that you had been there with me.
The men who kidnapped us were never found but how would I have questioned them about you anyway? I had no idea what had happened to you. I didn’t know if you were still stuck there. I didn’t know if Aine had hurt you after she thought she got me.” He looked into her eyes. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I – I didn’t know if I had imagined the entire thing and you never existed.”
Gioia reached up and caressed his cheek. He turned his head to kiss her palm. “What took you so long to find out?” She teased.
He chuckled. “Could you picture me telling my staff that I had to search for a woman that may or may not exist? And then not be able to explain where I had met you?”
“Why didn’t you just look me up?”
Bono cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I –uh- had forgotten your last name.” Gioia melted into laughter and hugged him close.
“I checked the forums and message boards, hoping that you would’ve left me a sign. There were so many of them that even if you had, I wouldn’t have found it. By the way, did you know that there are some interesting messages on those things about me?”
Gioia laughingly nudged him to get back on track. “Then one night I dreamt of Aisling and in the dream she gave me the idea for this night. Something so simple that I needed a fairy to suggest it to me.” He shook his head. Gioia thought back to when she saw Aisling in the ballroom. She was still helping them.
Bono was looking down at his hands quietly. “What do you think happened to Creide and Andrew?”
Gioia had thought about them often over the past few weeks. There was only one theory that she could live with.
“I don’t think they were ever real. They were part of a myth. Maybe they existed at one time or maybe they were just part of ancient folklore. I think that only Aisling was real, Bono.”
Bono nodded. He wasn’t sure if he believed it or not but it was all he had to go on. He stood up. “I better go downstairs and make an appearance to the fans. Are you going to come down with me or would you like to stay here?”
Gioia thought about it a moment. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here. I’m still trying to digest finding you again.” Bono nodded.
“Oh. Bono? What convinced you that I was real?”
Bono smiled as he opened the door. “I saw you walk out of the room. Crazy as it sounds, I could feel your hurt.” He walked out of the room.
She looked around the suite. “Now what?” She said out loud.
“Must you question everything that happens to you?” Gioia turned and saw Aisling curled up on the sofa.
Gioia didn’t even flinch. “Why couldn’t you tell me that I hadn’t imagined everything? It would’ve helped me a great deal.” Would've kept me from falling to pieces.
Aisling smiled. “Gioia . It’s very complicated and I don’t know if I can explain it all.”
“Try me.” Gioia sat down next to her.
“Very well. The goddess Ceridwen is not folklore nor is she mythology. She is not of any particular nation or culture. She is the goddess of imagination. Her power comes from helping people achieve their innermost dreams and to realize the potential of their imagination. She finds the ones that have the need within their hearts and then she uses others to help her carry out the dreams. For the Greeks, she uses the nine muses. For the Irish, she uses me.”
Gioia frowned. “But I’m not Irish.”
“But Bono is. Your dreams and fantasies are intertwined with his. You see. Many people’s dreams and wishes involve only themselves and their achievements. Yours was such a simple wish and at the same time, so difficult to pull off. You wanted love and you wanted Bono. We couldn’t just snap our fingers and let it happen. We had to set the scene and actually let Fate take over. Fate and Death are two forces that Ceridwen cannot control.”
Gioia slowly exhaled; surprised that she had been holding it. “So you’re saying that you and Ceridwen arranged for us to meet but you could not control what actually happened to us? Why?”
“As I explained. It’s a complicated situation. We could not make him fall in love with you or want to be with you, any more than we could make you stay in love with him after you met him.”
Gioia stood up and started pacing. So everything that they had shared and all the emotions that they had felt were real. Not like a love potion or a spell. Now for the loaded question.
“Aisling. Was everything that we had been through, actually physically real? Or real only in our memory and minds?”
“It was real. From the first kiss that you shared by the river after you had fallen in.” Aisling didn’t have the heart to tell Gioia that she was the reason the railing gave way. She had wanted to move the romance along a bit, but she hadn’t realized that Gioia could not swim! That’s when she had decided to just let their destiny take over and let it all happen naturally.
“To the love that you and Bono made that last night. It was all real.”
Gioia blushed but was unable to keep the smile from her face. That night had haunted her for these past weeks. She would wake up in the middle of the night feeling Bono’s hands on her body and his kisses upon her lips. Those nights she would cry her torment into her pillows, trying everything to free her mind from the memories.
“Why was it necessary to put us in that situation instead of just trying to pull us together here, in familiar surroundings? You must’ve known that it would’ve been dangerous for us.”
“There were many reasons. As unnatural as it seemed, it was the only way to bring the two of you together. He has many obligations here. He is famous. You would’ve never been able to get to know each other and give each other a chance here. Irish folklore is as much history as your current events. It lives in people’s minds and fills their hearts with the love of the land and their culture. The characters are like old friends to many. It was a perfect place for the two of you and the perfect place for Ceridwen and myself to work our magic. I’m just so sorry that the ending could not have been sweeter.”
Gioia swallowed. “What happened to Creide and Andrew?”
Aisling looked up at her but remained silent.
Gioia couldn’t stop the shudder of understanding. Bono never married Creide so her enchantment was never fully lifted. Aine had seen to that. But what had Aine done to Andrew? Gioia cupped her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes tightly. She had come to care for Andrew and it upset her to know that he may have been hurt.
“Was the amulet of Leanan Sidhe returned to Aine?” She asked hoarsely. Aisling nodded. “You and Ceridwen had the power to transport me and Bono, why did you use the amulet in the first place?”
Aisling shrugged. “There was a much bigger picture than just the obvious, Gioia. There were many people involved in your story.”
Gioia understood. Not only was Aisling bringing her and Bono together but she was also trying to help two others.
“What happened to Creide and Andrew, Aisling?” She repeated her question.
Aisling sighed. “I don’t know, Gioia . They are part of Irish folklore and Celtic mythology. There are many stories attached to them. Some have changed after each telling.” Aisling saw the sorrow on Gioia ’s face. “Please understand this. You cannot go back there. It’s best to leave them to your memory and create a satisfactory ending for them. No one will ever truly know what happened. It’s best this way.”
She stood up and looked toward the door. “Bono will be back soon. You two have a lot to talk about now that there is no more need for my interference.” She laughed her musical laugh.
“Aisling wait! What happens now?”
“You live your life. It’s up to the two of you now to strengthen what you have.”
Gioia pursed her lips in worry. “But. What if we don’t have anything to strengthen? What if the magic is gone?”
Aisling kissed her on the cheek. “Goodbye my dear.” A moment later she was gone.
Bono walked in a few minutes later. He smiled at her as he took off his suit jacket and flung it across a chair. “I don’t know why I thought that you weren’t going to be here when I returned.” He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I’m never letting you go.”
“How did it go down there?” Gioia felt stiff and awkward. Relax!
“Fantastic. Thankfully no one asked why I had felt the need to run off in a hurry. They probably thought I had to use the –“
“Ah ah!” Gioia covered his mouth with her hand. “Too much information.” Bono laughed against her hand. He looked deeply into her eyes.
“I’m so happy to see you. This past month has been hell.”
Gioia nodded. “We have to talk Bono. We need to talk about what happened to us in Rio. The reasons behind everything. I have a lot to tell you.”
Bono shook his head. “Not now.” He said huskily. He took her hand and walked her over to a closed door. It had to be the bedroom!
Gioia felt the keen flush of desire but also the bitter sting of disappointment. Was the magic truly gone? Of course, they were adults. He was a passionate man and after the night they had shared, there was no reason to feel coy with him and deny each other what they both wanted. But---
Bono opened the door widely. Gioia stepped forward into the room, her eyes widening in surprise. Bono stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“So? What do you think was the true reason for what happened to us back in Rio?” He asked softly.
Gioia looked around the room in amazement. The large room was softly lit with hundreds of votives and tapers. Each corner of the room was filled with vases of daisies, orchids, and purple irises. Music was playing ever so softly in the background. On the nightstands were large baskets filled with hotel-sized shampoos, shower gels, and every other travel sized toiletry imaginable. Gioia raised her hands to her mouth and laughed in delight. Her eyes moved to the bed.
Rose petals covered the comforter on the King sized canopy bed. And there, amidst the petals, lay a small square velvet box.
Gioia gasped. She turned in Bono’s arms to face him. He had a self-satisfied ear-to-ear grin. He was so adorable. Nothing had changed. Everything was the same. Tears were glistening in her eyes. She kissed him.
She looked back into the room. Magical.
“I think the true reason was to bring us together.” She whispered, completely believing it now.
Bono nodded. He kissed her, gently caressing her mouth with his lips and tongue. A moan escaped her.
Bono chuckled softly. “So? Is that a yes?”
THE END
THanks everyone!
Nice ending! Thank you for this great story 
You should somehow publish this story..
