The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

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choccyterri
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The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by choccyterri »

Inspired by a germ of an idea I had a little while ago, which finally came to fruition through this fabulous challenge! Many thanks to our lovely Allegrita for tidying me ( and it) up. A girl could be almost unpresentable otherwise... :brow:

I'm hoping you enjoy it lovelies! :ghug:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.



The Indiscretion.




Coraline traced the film of water with delicate fingers... allowing it to drip from the very tips as they stretched above the surface. She still loved the feel of the icy liquid as it danced over her skin... lulling her into a spell of relaxation. Rinsing away the last grains of dirt from last evening in the city... and she smiled a little to herself as she remembered finding him, once again, in that little haunt downtown he liked so much. Mick had been spending a little too much time with Charles just recently… and that glance of contempt that Charles had given her when he first saw her that evening…? Oh, he would learn not to do that soon enough.

And later, when she and Mick had returned home, she’d made him forget all about Charles and his… distractions… the two of them finally falling into the freezer together, exhausted, long after dawn.

Coraline smiled a little at the thought of Mick’s ardor... watching the ripples of the water as she drew her knees up... resting her chin against the cooled skin, lost in thought until Mick entered the bathroom.

‘Are you almost ready, Coraline? I thought we could go to the Ivory Room together tonight. I wanted to show you off for New Year’s.’

‘Of course, love… just give me a little while to dress for the evening...’ And she rose from the chill of the water… delighting inside as Mick’s pupils dilated rapidly... ready to begin her night-time ritual. Men truly had no idea what was involved in a woman’s routine, did they…? And who knew what was to come... she couldn’t help wonder if he was as comfortable as he seemed with his new existence. It had taken all of her skill to have him embrace it. It was still, she believed, a very precarious balance.

An hour later, Mick reluctantly handed the keys to his Christmas gift to the valet outside the Ivory Room. ‘Take care of my baby, okay?’

Coraline heard the boy’s heart rush with worry, until Mick flashed that award-winning smile of his, setting him at ease once more.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her, Mr. St. John.’ He doffed an imaginary cap, and practically skipped to the driver’s seat.

Such a way with people Coraline’s new young husband had… who’d have thought that having such a ‘human’ vampire as a partner could make them so very approachable? His open charm and easy smile--the one which had returned just recently, after so much cajoling--brought so many to his side. Freshies, business contacts, friends. Coraline was certain he was going to be a wonderful investment of her time… the fact that she’d had to work so hard to help him initially, only made her more proud of the vampire he was becoming. She hoped that he had progressed as much as he seemed to have done.

Taking Mick’s proffered arm, Cora felt a flush of success… and straightened to her full, beautiful height. Her porcelain skin seemed to glow as she and Mick moved through the sheer cream corridors of the bar… opening into the expansive ivory and gold of the main club room. The slightest gesture from Mick as they took their favoured seats brought a waiter to their table… bestowing on them all the simpering that was available… the kind of service that was only given to the very best tippers.

Mick’s broad smile grew even more welcoming when they were joined by several friends as the evening wore on. Bringing in the New Year, Coraline couldn’t help chuckle to herself… another year past, not quite so inconsequential as those before… but still, only a taste of things to come for her. With Mick at her side, she would be even more of a force to be reckoned with.

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

A little before two, Coraline watched as Mick walked the room… her eyes narrowing slightly as he lingered at one particular table, conversing with an elderly couple and their ward. Such a pretty little thing… with tired, beautiful eyes. Mmmm… past her bedtime no doubt. Mick glanced to his wife, almost imperceptibly, as he took the young woman’s gloved hand and invited her to dance. And how those pretty eyes gazed up at him as they moved about the floor. His hands gentle, her smile shy… Coraline saddened a little… her mind cast back to so long ago… when all she would have wanted was someone with strong arms to sweep her up… she would never know this side of her husband. Not now… but as she came back to herself, she realised that the smallest taste of this delicious young thing would leave her knowing exactly how she felt. The innocence of those doting eyes… how this handsome stranger’s attentions caused her blood to rush with new and unexpected feelings… and she rose from her chair, painting on her smile as she approached the dance floor.

Mick sensed Coraline’s motion, and he expertly turned his partner so that he could watch her move through the crowd toward them. All the more, now, he could see how very alluring his wife was. How her path across a room could stop grown men in their tracks. Have them begging for her acknowledgement. Damn, of course. He had known it himself, when they first met. The thought of her had driven him almost crazy. But now that he was… what he was, he could almost feel the vibrations from her. That, coupled with the sensation of warm skin against him at that moment--well, it was a big test of his newfound will. He gently inhaled… separating from his partner and looping her arm over his. He patted her hand gently as he led her from the floor, guiding her toward his wife.

‘Miss Ingram, may I present my wife, Coraline St. John? Cora, this delightful young lady is Alice Ingram. The granddaughter of Gloria and Arthur Ingram. They send their regards.’ Mick turned slightly and nodded to the couple, still sitting comfortably at their table… the gentleman raising a glass to the younger couple currently escorting his granddaughter.

Coraline dazzled with an answering smile. ‘Oh, of course, darling…’ taking the young woman’s arm and placing it over her own. ‘You must be so tired, my dear… let’s get you a drink… I trust your grandparents haven’t been plying you with champagne..?’ She gave her new charge a conspiratorial wink, and the girl’s eyes lit from within.

A knowing smile curved her soft pink lips… ‘Oh, I’ve been allowed some this evening… as it’s a special occasion…’

Coraline paused, as if acknowledging her new friend’s maturity. ‘Well, in that case, another glass won’t hurt, surely…?’

The young woman’s heartbeat quickened slightly at the thought of more forbidden things. ‘Oh, of course not… we drink it at home all the time,’ she said gaily, hoping that her embellishment would help to convince these new and beautiful people of her ability to fit into their world. Little did she know how very easy she would find it…

Another hour passed by… the bell-like laughter of an enthusiastic Coraline caressing the ears of those near them. She had all the charms a hostess could wish to possess. And at this moment, they were being very carefully bestowed upon her very rapt charge… even the new husband taking an attentive back seat. On the approach of the Ingrams, however, Mrs. St. John’s smile faded a little.

Alice pouted. ‘Oh is it so late already? Grandfather, Mrs. St. John has promised me a ride in her husband’s new sports car… could I?’

A hopeful look from his granddaughter, a warm smile from Coraline… and it was arranged. The St. John’s were to drive Miss Ingram home, perhaps they’d take the long way, over Mulholland, showing young Alice the spectacular view of the city lights…? And would Grandfather and Grandmother care to join them…?

The Ingrams demurred, claiming they were getting too old for such sport. But they promised to notify the staff, who would be sure to welcome Alice home, and see to her needs upon the St. Johns’ departure. Bidding their granddaughter and her new friends a final good night, they left the Ivory Room.

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

Peals of girlish laughter rang from the back seat of Mick St. John’s car as it careened along Mulholland Drive, his rakish driving drawing exactly the reaction that both he and his beautiful wife required from their young charge. She had no idea that behind their shared laughter, she was driving the couple slowly mad. The swift beating of her heart… the blood coursing through her veins as they rushed, as Mick had put it in a mock-hollow voice, towards certain doom. He was everything that a dangerous, yet handsome hero should be… and there was no denying that the flush warming young Alice’s cheeks was caused mainly by her enthusiasm for him. Yet as they drew to a spinning halt at the edge of the outlook, Alice realised how far out of the city they had actually come… stepping from the car, supported by Mick’s guiding hand, and then by his strong arms as the fresh night air, coupled with more champagne, took their full effect on her system.

Mick steadied the girl against the car, raising her hand and laying her bare arm along its roof... her head drooped as the world’s spinning motion subsided. And she still felt so very safe… Coraline’s soft fingers resting against the small of her back, massaging a rhythm… Alice listened as the soothing tones washed over her… ‘It’s alright, Cherie… it happens to us all… we’ll make sure all is well before you return home….’ Alice smiled and raised her head towards her beautiful new friend… marvelling at the way the light seemed to make her skin almost translucent… its pallour milky beneath the night sky. Eyes that shone, the clearest blue…

Alice paused… wait… weren’t they...

Before she could take another breath, all air rushed from her lungs. What was happening? Had she stumbled again? A small voice left lips that were suddenly dry. ‘Mrs…?’ Cora’s slender finger was suddenly resting over her lips. Alice, until that moment, hadn’t realised that the crushing she felt was the force of Coraline’s arm across her breast, holding her against the side of the car… as her darling husband took hold of the arm resting there…. and she began to struggle, abeit weakly.

Until, once again, she heard Coraline’s voice, a mere whisper against her ear. ‘Don’t fight, little one… watch… do you see how he adores you…? Can you imagine the feel of his lips, little Alice…?’

Alice’s movements stilled as she turned to the man at her side. Mick had allowed his eyes to silver, and they now held Miss Ingram’s startled gaze… but he saw it. The desire of one so young… so innocent. And he was about to change that in every way she could imagine. He lifted her hand until it was a breath away from his face, his nose delicately grazing the skin of her forearm. Her pulse crying out beneath the surface… crying out to be his. And he heard her whisper… ‘Yes…’

And she belonged to them… the snakelike softness of his tongue caressed the beating beneath. Come to me… Come… before he finally allowed his aching fangs to grow. Watching that moment’s panic flash in her eyes before biting down into that scented, soft flesh.

Mmmm… Alice closed her eyes, giving in to the ecstasy of that moment… all the while hearing Coraline’s voice. ‘Enjoy him, mon Cherie… he is a baby… much like you… he will do you no harm….’ Alice’s only answer was a sighing whimper into his wife’s shoulder. There was no need for her to be held now… she was merely resting in Cora’s arms… lost in the whispers, the sweetest promises… half spoken to Alice, half to Mick, and then after a few moments, there was quiet.

Mick hadn’t noticed sweet Alice turn her head, allowing Coraline all that she needed. His wife’s seductions were always so quiet… the merest glance could make men, and women, fall to her wishes. And Alice was the latest in line. He heard her sighs grow louder… felt the blood slow in her veins. But it was too late for him to stop what was about to happen. When he looked up, all that he could see was the silken mahogany of Coraline’s hair as it fell about Alice’s dress. Loose from its clasp now, it clung to the tiniest rivulet of blood that escaped, and drew a single line to the edge of Alice’s breasts. Halting at the fabric of her gown… tingeing it with a stain that would never leave. As she drew her last breath he was screaming inside. First silently, then it escaped him with a rage he had thought long disappeared. He pushed Coraline away, and Alice’s body fell on its face in the dirt at the side of the road.

Mick looked up into Coraline’s smiling face. ‘What’s wrong, lover…? Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it…?’

And there it was… a burning, boiling pool of hatred. What had he done? What had they done? ‘We’ve killed her. This wasn’t supposed to happen! How could we kill her!?’

Coraline crouched low over Alice’s body. ‘Hmmm… I suppose we have… careless… but wasn’t she just divine?’ Her finger caressed Alice’s cheek, the skin cooling now beneath her touch.

Turning to him as she stood, Coraline’s eyes were shining, elated. There was so much happiness in her at that moment, he almost retched.

‘How you can be smiling, Coraline? She didn’t do anything. She was someone we knew! Her grandparents are people we know!’

Coraline hesitated. Aged and clever as she was, she knew that she had created a situation for herself… perhaps getting a little carried away. Whether or not she would ever admit to that was a completely different matter….

‘Mick. Accidents happen. There are people who will take care of our little Miss. And… well, I’ll go and give the grandparents the news of the accident myself… I know that this is something that, as your Sire, I have to deal with. Take responsibility for. Please…don’t worry.’

Coraline’s only real worry was her husband’s reaction to this moment. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as ready for his existence as she had hoped. She had put too much faith in him. Damn him, that he was not yet the vampire she had believed him to be. She needed to think.

After a few moments she lowered her head… coming to him with it bowed… resting slender fingers at his sides. She could almost feel his frustration, the anger vibrating through his tensed body. She knew that placating him would be the only way at this moment to stop him from going to Charles and telling him all that had happened. And he did not need to know. ‘Trust me, lover… I will take care of this…’

But Mick pushed her away. ‘Cora… you’re not understanding me. We shouldn’t have to take care of anything. I can’t do this. I can’t.’ And he backed away from the car… from the body… from her--before turning away into the darkness and running. Away from everything he had seen, and done. How could he have let this happen? He was a monster. A vampire and a monster.

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

Coraline arrived home that night not knowing what she would find. After removing as much evidence as she could from the outlook, she had taken the body, and Mick’s car (which she was more than a little irked that he could leave behind so easily) to the people that she knew could help her. And that was exactly what they had done. No trace of Miss Alice Ingram would ever be found on its leather seating, or shining chrome-work. After a late night call to Mr. Charles Fitzgerald, it had been established that he had not spoken with Mick since their meeting the previous evening at the club. And perhaps Coraline should keep his leash a little tighter if she was going to lose him quite so often. Such an insufferable ass.

And so the silent early morning visit to the Ingrams’ wasn’t quite so worrying as it might have been. She had entered through an open bedroom window… and distasteful as she found it, had managed to dispatch them both quietly as they slept. Coraline had always hated the taste of old blood. All of life’s excesses and worries so firmly imbued in its depths. But needs must. And when the Ingrams were discovered the next morning, no clear cause for their passing would be found. That, along with the note from the wilful Miss Alice Ingram, claiming that she could no longer live with such a hateful pair? For a short while it would keep people’s queries manageable. There would just be too much confusion for the glare of suspicion to fall in Coraline’s direction. The staff would of course be adamant that the young lady had not returned home… but surely the lovely Mrs. St. John would not be lying when she said that they had delivered her safely to her doorstep just before dawn? She would be simply too upset at anything happening to her dear new friend…. as long as Mick upheld the story, everything would be alright.

As she turned the key in the lock, Coraline scented her husband on the early morning air. He had come back to her. And relief washed through her as she entered the kitchen, calling out into the welcoming cool of their darkened home. ‘Everything’s taken care of, lover… I told you I’d make sure that things were alright…’ She moved through the house, her sense of unease growing. Mick had not responded… and the smell of him was older now, not the new scent that meant he was here, where he should be. As she entered the bedroom, she realised that things were simply not right. Seeing her notebook open on the bed, she already knew what it would say. But still she forced herself to take even breaths, cross the room, and pick it up. Morning sunlight fell across the open page.


Coraline,

When you said that you had given me a gift, I tried to do it. To be the man you wanted me to be. But no matter how I try, I can’t live this life that you want for us. Part of me hates myself, and hates you, for the things we’re doing. And if I can’t find a way to be what I am without harming others, then I will find a way not to be.

Mick


There was no sentiment of love… no wishing to see her again… just sadness, and anger. Coraline felt the breath leave her body as she sat heavily on the bed. It was hard to admit, but she knew that the mistake was all her own… she loved this man and wanted him so much that she had changed what he was. It had been a grave mistake. She had tried with all of her skill, and all of her heart, to make Mick into the husband, the vampire, he could be… and here, at this moment, she was alone.

Coraline rose from the bed, her chin lifting a bit as she moved silently to close the bedroom door. Her beautiful face seemed almost made of stone. This could not happen. The outside world would never see that Mrs. Coraline St. John had lost her husband. She would find a way to bring him back to her. Perhaps not right away. For now, all that was needed was for him to stay in the world. To exist. But one day soon, she’d find a way to make him come back to her. They could be husband and wife again. In love… happy. She would find a way to bring him home.
Last edited by choccyterri on Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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francis
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Re: The Indescretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by francis »

This is a great piece of writing. So much emotion, so much atmosphere is evoked in the language, the sentences. I feel so much pity for the Ingrams, for Alice and for Mick especially. And Coraline just doesn't understand, but she's not painted as a monster despite the despicable things that happen. The story holds the equilibrum right between the world of vampire and of men, and we go along with Mick here.
Terri, this is excellent!
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Re: The Indescretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by darkstarrising »

This is truly a wonderful piece, terri :rose:

From beginning to end, every bit of this story is told so sensuously...the opening paragraph in particular left me feeling as though I could see and feel what Coraline did as she luxuriated in her bath. Still, she wondered about her new husband and whether he had finally embraced the 'life' she'd gifted him.
she couldn’t help wonder if he was as comfortable as he seemed with his new existence. It had taken all of her skill to have him embrace it. It was still, she believed, a very precarious balance.
As the rest of the story unfolds, it would appear Mick had, indeed embraced his new existence. But when he and Coraline kill the innocent Alice and he sees the joy in his wife's eyes, something inside him rebels and he breaks from his new wife.

Loved how you describe Coraline's 'fixing' things, especially her reaction to the blood of her victims, Alice's grandparents.
Coraline had always hated the taste of old blood. All of life’s excesses and worries so firmly imbued in its depths. But needs must. And when the Ingrams were discovered the next morning, no clear cause for their passing would be found.


The undercurrent running through this story is Coraline's relationship with Charles Fitzgerald. Did she earn his contempt because she turned Mick, someone that perhaps Charles realized was would never accept his new condition? Or was there some other reason? Why did she fear Charles finding out about the Ingrams?

Great answer to the challenge, terri :hug:
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choccyterri
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Re: The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by choccyterri »

:flowers: Ladies, thank you so very much for your comments! I have to say I'm a little bit overwhelmed at your lovely words. But am really happy to have finally got this story out into the world... :heart:

I loved Coraline in this story. So poised and beautiful, yet so close to losing everything. We all know the length she eventually went to, in order to try to have Mick back in her life... I like to think that this was the beginning of that journey.

Thank you again for reading, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! xx
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Re: The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by coco »

Saw your post on FB and had to come read. :).

This was just lovely, Terri. I love the atmosphere you created with this and the feeling of desperation you get from Coralline - what she has now and what she's afraid of losing. As you say, we all know the lengths she eventually went to so this was a fabulous insight into the beginnings of that. :twothumbs:
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Re: The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by cassysj »

This is such a vivid piece. I can see Mick trying to embrace his life and then being repulsed. Your Coraline is perfect in every way including dispatching the family.
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Re: The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by allegrita »

This story is really something really special, Terri, and it was my great pleasure to beta it for you. :hearts: You have a wonderful way of making the reader feel what the characters feel. Each one is sympathetic, and that in itself is a huge feat. You've put us inside the heads of Coraline, Mick, and poor, doomed Alice, and let us experience what they are doing and feeling from the inside. And each character feels things very differently. I love the way your language changes, depending on whose head we're in at the moment. One of my favorite parts of the story is Coraline's appreciation of the way Mick's "human" attributes make it easier for them to move in human society. She would see it from the perspective of an old vampire, while Mick just acted like the mensch he was, poor guy. :comfort2: Vampire or not, I'm sure Mick tended to identify more with the "food" than the "farmer."

The scenario in your story feels very true to me. I believe this is exactly the sort of thing that happened in the early years of Mick's and Coraline's marriage-- despite the way their marriage began, I think Mick would have tried his best to make a go of the relationship, because he was an honorable guy and he took his vows very seriously. And I can see him trying hard to be the man (and vampire) she wanted him to be, and doing things that made him feel that he truly was a monster, as he said to Beth. Coraline obviously adored him, and even Mick admitted that she was a good sire, teaching him what he needed to know to survive. It's just that he couldn't embrace her cavalier attitude about humans, and she couldn't understand why not.

We know from what Josef said that Mick broke it off with Coraline many times, but kept going back. This first break really makes sense to me, and it sows the seeds of Coraline's increasingly desperate attempts to keep her husband over the years, until the fateful decision to give Mick a "family". :sigh:

Great story, and great response to the Challenge! :clapping:
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Re: The Indiscretion. Champagne Challenge #162 . Rated PG-13

Post by choccyterri »

:ghug: Ladies, thank you so much. I had wanted to write about Mick and Coraline's marriage a little. How the thing began with such heat and passion, after their wedding night, went so very wrong.
To me it seemed that they both would have tried. And we know how the first part of their relationship ended... But their journey...? Well, in my mind, this fitted the sequence of events between them... and I'm so glad for the assistance of Allegrita to tidy it up. :)
It's made it something very special to me too. Thank you for reading... :hearts:
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