An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

A place for redwinter101's G to PG-13 stories
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Title: An Unexpected Gift
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters
Note: Written for the two-hour challenge.

***************************************************************************************************************


--- An Unexpected Gift ---

It started to spread, belly, muscle, throat, spine, thawing, bringing back to life. Back from the dead, that was how it felt to Mick. So cold for so long, he had forgotten the simple power of warmth to make him feel human again. He tucked his hands under his armpits and curled his feet as close underneath him as he could manage. He winced at the scratchy uniform chafing his thigh; finally he had thawed out enough to feel it.

He pulled the hay closer, tighter, smothering a sneeze. He glanced over to Jack, checking he hadn't disturbed his first decent sleep in weeks. A shaft of moonlight cut across his chubby, not-quite-formed features, picking out an almost-dried tear track. The kid was tough, but everyone had their limits and it was this brief respite from their frozen drudge that had proved his breaking point.

Shorty snored. Loudly. That man had the rare gift of being able to sleep anywhere. Mick smiled, something else he hadn't done for so long it seemed like a lifetime ago. They had stumbled across the barn on their way back from another futile recce for food. If they had managed to find anything of use they would have pressed on to get back to the squad but they knew as soon as they saw it that they couldn't pass up the chance of a warm, comfortable night. The animals were long-since slaughtered but their stalls remained, an unlikely sanctuary. Even the smell was comforting, earthy, real, vibrant, alien to a big-city boy.

Mick shivered as the chill seeped further from his bones, working its way out, making way for heat and life. The stirrings of hunger, old pain, the ache of loneliness, he welcomed them like past lovers, sense memory working its powerful magic. An image, stark and clear, a laughing French girl whose name he remembered only as a string of lilting sounds. Her welcoming body, creamy skin against the rough serge of her mannish pants, callused hands moving against his chest as she spread for him, full of laughter, full of life. A tightening in guts and groin as he ran his hands over his belly, conjuring her whisper, "Viens, mon chéri." Cold, hunger, the relentless whump of shells, all had gathered to render him sexless, lifeless. The joy of desire flowed as he fought with buckles and straps, fumbling, reaching, stroking. He buried his face in the soft hay, stifling his groan as he came. The wave of release flowed through him, reaching from core to tip and he knew that tonight he would dream of a nameless beauty and a warm bed.

He mumbled in protest as Jack shook his shoulder, his whisper an urgent hiss, "Mick! Wake up! Mick."

Mick moaned. His eyes snapped open as he felt the hand clamp over his mouth. "Shhhh!! There's someone coming."

Too-brief sleep cast aside, he tensed, reaching for his rifle, slowly, carefully. He clambered from his nest, inching toward the edge of the stall, Jack a half-step behind. He caught Shorty's eye across the other side of the barn and they stepped forward in unison, a practised drill, expecting the worst. They thought they were far from the nearest German patrol, but they'd been wrong before. They reached the end of the line of stalls and Mick held up his hand; they froze, senses craning. A quiet rustle from just outside the barn door drew their attention and Shorty crossed to Mick's flank. With a nod of understanding they crept forward, weapons gripped in sweaty palms.

The door rattled open, just a foot or so, then closed again and silence fell once more. Forward, step by careful step, peering through the early morning light. The sight by the door stopped them dead. No Germans. No threat. Just a girl, no more than eight, with braids in her hair and summer in her cheeks, placing a basket on the floor of the barn. Startled like a young deer, she jumped up and turned to run. Mick held up his hands, palms out; he knew she wouldn't understand him but he spoke anyway, "It's okay, sweetheart. We're not gonna hurt you."

And then she smiled. A breathtaking, brilliant smile that caught three young soldiers' hearts and imprinted her forever in their memories. She opened the door, turned, waved, and skipped back to the farmhouse, her mission of mercy accomplished. As their fear evaporated, they grabbed the basket, casting aside the red and white checked cloth that had kept its contents safe. Fresh bread, warm from the oven, cheese, an apple and a flask of fresh, aromatic coffee. Giggling like kids at Christmas, they feasted and forgot horrors past, present and future. Sated, they tucked the flask back into the basket, checked their kit and prepared to move out. Mick picked up the cloth to replace it over the basket; as he shook it a scrap of paper fell at his feet. Holding it out to catch the daylight peeking through the door, he saw the girl's face smiling back at him. The photo was at least a couple of years old but it was definitely her. Mick stowed it in his breast pocket, over his heart, safe. A gift given freely, unexpected, welcome, cherished. As they headed out, hugging the treeline, Mick glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing at an upstairs window, waving furiously at the three departing strangers. He returned her wave, with a wistful smile. The nameless Belgian farmgirl who had reminded them all of the kindness of strangers and the power of innocence.

Mick would hold her memory in the dark days to come.
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
User avatar
librarian_7
Forever Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23481
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:21 pm
Location: wherever Josef is
Contact:

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

Beautiful, Red. So evocative of the setting, so moving. Wow.

Lucky
User avatar
JosefsRose
Freelance freshie
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:04 pm
Location: Where ever Josef takes me.

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by JosefsRose »

Even in war there is kindness, and this just sums it up. It was a hard time, and Mick suffered through it. Such a small gesture, but all the more meaningful, given the situation.

Jenny
What Josef want's. Josef gets!

Image
User avatar
RangerCM
Rogue vampire
Posts: 1159
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:25 am
Location: Seattle area

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by RangerCM »

Very, very nice. All the little things in life that make us who we are....this one helping to form and shape Mick. <sigh>
Image
banner by Cprav
User avatar
PNWgal
Moonlightaholic Mod
Posts: 14732
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:40 pm
Location: Stuck in the middle between Mick and Josef

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by PNWgal »

My grandfather used to tell stories of being in Holland during the War and how little they had. This reminded me so much of those tales.

Amazing how a simple gift of kindness can mean so much and make such an indelible impression.

Just wonderful. :hug:
Image

Banner by the talented GuardianAngel


"It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." - George Eliot

"The dogs may bark, but the caravan passes on." - old Arab proverb

"Do the best you can do. Love many. Trust few." - Jack Ingram
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Thanks, guys. This was fun to write (and note, no heartbreak. Yay me!!!).

Red
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
User avatar
cassysj
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 12740
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 5:58 am

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by cassysj »

It really captured the setting. This was such a surprising story and a truly generous and unexpected gift.
Image
User avatar
jenstc2003
Rogue vampire
Posts: 1622
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:31 am
Location: Just this side of insanity, sitting on Mick's lap
Contact:

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by jenstc2003 »

Absolutely PERFECT Red! I can so see this happening- and there would be nothing any kinder than that under those circumstances. I loved it!
Jen

Image

Mick's Synful One
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Carol, Jen, thank you both. :heart:
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
User avatar
allegrita
Moonlightaholic Admin
Posts: 45960
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:22 am
Location: Snuggled under the brown afghan, watching the fire

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by allegrita »

Whaddaya mean, no heartbreak?! :hankie: :hankie: You sure know how to tug on my heartstrings hard enough to break my heart... but oh, you do it so beautifully.

This is a lovely glimpse into Mick's past, another little piece of the puzzle that is our reluctant vampire hero of today. What a true gift indeed--warmth, a tiny island of relative safety, and the generosity of strangers. And all summed up in the sunny, open face of a little girl who doesn't even speak his language.

Truly, some gifts are far beyond price.
Image
User avatar
GuardianAngel
Courtesan
Posts: 2455
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:50 pm
Location: Right here. I think.

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by GuardianAngel »

Funny, I've been thinking lately of Mick's time fighting in the Ardennes. This was lovely, Red. A reminder that there is beauty, even in the middle of battle.
And then she smiled. A breathtaking, brilliant smile that caught three young soldiers' hearts and imprinted her forever in their memories.
I bet! Sweet innocence amidst death and battle.
Image
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

alle, I swear to God, no tears were intended. But it seems I can't help it - even when totally unintentional. There is something about innocence in war that is so out of place - yet somehow so apt.

GA, thank you, sweetie. :hearts:

Red
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
User avatar
Fleur de Lisa
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 15867
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:42 pm
Location: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the gorgeous man on the right>

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

How lovely was this? First of all, to see a glimpse of the young man before his life was altered.
Secondly, because of the beautiful way it was written and gorgeous phrasing, for example:
"with braids in her hair and sunshine in her cheeks"
(it made me nostalgic for Garrison Keillor who describes his young daughter as the 'freckled, sandy-haired girl')

And last, but certainly not least, no one died!!! Yay!!!
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Trust me to need a war story in order to have no-one die. I was always a contrary soul.

*loves Lisa*

Red :heart:
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
User avatar
MickLifeCrisis
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 7947
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:59 am

Re: An Unexpected Gift (Mick, PG-13)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Maybe no heartbreak, but it still made me teary-eyed at the end! Your writing just has that effect on me, Red! This was so sweet. Thanks!
MickLifeCrisis
Image
Many thanks to Twilightdew for my banner and avi.
Post Reply

Return to “redwinter101's Office”