Shadows of the Past: Chapter 7 (PG-13)
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:48 pm
Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters, sets, etc.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone, OC
Warning: First fic Alert! Terribly contrived...lol
Shadows of the Past
The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it. ~Wendell Berry
Mick was sitting at his desk one day, doing research when he heard a knock at his apartment door. When he answered it, he found Beth standing in the hallway. “Beth,” he said surprised, by her unexpected visit.
“Hey Mick,” Beth muttered, “Can we talk?”
“Of course,” Mick replied, “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know Mick. You tell me,” she answered.
“I don’t understand,” Mick responded innocently.
“It’s just that you seem to be avoiding me,” she explained, “I had thought that if we slept together, we’d become closer, but we’ve been drifting apart. You just seem so preoccupied. Is it..do you think it was a mistake? Do you regret what we did?”
“Beth, how could you think that?!” Mick became adopted a soft, reassuring tome, “You know you’re my world.”
“No, Mick, I don’t know that,” Beth replied, “If that were true, why would you be ignoring me?”
“I’m so sorry if I haven’t been paying you enough attention. It’s just that this case I’ve been working on has become so complicated,” Mick explained.
“Case?” Beth aksed, “What case?” Before Mick could answer, realization dawned on her, “This is about Lauren, isn’t it?” She took Mick’s silence as his answer. “You told me that case was on hold.”
“It is, but this poor girl just lost her mother. She needs people around her that she can trust,” he explained.
“I’m sure she has friends and family. Why would she need you?” Beth continued to pressure him. Just then, they heard a knock at the door. Mick opened it to find Lauren standing before him.
“Hey, Mick,” she greeted him like an old friend, “I’m sorry to bother you but I really needed to talk to you.” “Can I come in?” she added when Mick didn’t invite her in.
“Sure,” Mick’s reluctance was expressed clearly in voice.
“I could come back if it’s a bad time,” she offered politely.
“No, it’s fine,” he assured her and she stepped inside. When she saw Beth, however, she stopped.
“This is a bad time,” she said, “I shouldn’t have come.”
“No, I shouldn’t have come,” Beth interrupted, “I’ll just be leaving.” She pushed her way past Mick and Lauren and hastened down the hallway.
“Wait, Beth,” Mick yelled as he chased after her, but Beth had already entered the elevator, and the doors were closing. “Damn it,” he yelled and slammed the metal doors. When the elevator again ascended, he stepped inside and rode it to the ground level. When the doors opened he could see Beth leaving the building. “Wait, Beth!’ He repeated. She heard him this time, and turned to face him.
“Why?” she asked.
“Look, Beth. I know what this must seem like to you,” he began, “but you must believe that It’s you I love.”
“I want to, Mick. You can’t imagine how much I want to!” She didn’t seem quite as angry as she had in his apartment. She was more calm, but Mick could see the hurt in her eyes.
“What do you want me to do, Beth?” Mick begged, “how can I fix this?”
“Just tell me you don’t care for her,” Beth answered, “Tell me, and I’ll believe you.” He remained quiet, just stared at Beth, as if searching for an answer. “I knew it,” Beth said and turned again to leave.
“You don’t understand Beth!!” Mick called after her, “I care for her, I admit, but not in that way. There’s just something about her. It’s almost as if…” He stopped himself from speaking further.
“As if what?” Beth asked.
“It’s nothing…I can’t…” the expression on his face, frightened her. “You’ve just got to believe me. What I feel for her is completely innocent. Something inside me is telling me to protect her. Besides, how can you think I could be interested someone so young. She’s practically a child”
“She’s only a few years younger than I am, Mick.” At that Mick was struck speechless. She was, of course, correct, but how could he explain to her that he didn’t see her that way. “Goodbye, Mick,” Beth whispered, and the sadness in her voice, stabbed him like a knife. She walked away, but Mick didn’t try to stop her this time. However, he couldn’t watch her leave, either, so he turned and made his way as quickly as possible back to his apartment.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone, OC
Warning: First fic Alert! Terribly contrived...lol
Shadows of the Past
The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it. ~Wendell Berry
Mick was sitting at his desk one day, doing research when he heard a knock at his apartment door. When he answered it, he found Beth standing in the hallway. “Beth,” he said surprised, by her unexpected visit.
“Hey Mick,” Beth muttered, “Can we talk?”
“Of course,” Mick replied, “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know Mick. You tell me,” she answered.
“I don’t understand,” Mick responded innocently.
“It’s just that you seem to be avoiding me,” she explained, “I had thought that if we slept together, we’d become closer, but we’ve been drifting apart. You just seem so preoccupied. Is it..do you think it was a mistake? Do you regret what we did?”
“Beth, how could you think that?!” Mick became adopted a soft, reassuring tome, “You know you’re my world.”
“No, Mick, I don’t know that,” Beth replied, “If that were true, why would you be ignoring me?”
“I’m so sorry if I haven’t been paying you enough attention. It’s just that this case I’ve been working on has become so complicated,” Mick explained.
“Case?” Beth aksed, “What case?” Before Mick could answer, realization dawned on her, “This is about Lauren, isn’t it?” She took Mick’s silence as his answer. “You told me that case was on hold.”
“It is, but this poor girl just lost her mother. She needs people around her that she can trust,” he explained.
“I’m sure she has friends and family. Why would she need you?” Beth continued to pressure him. Just then, they heard a knock at the door. Mick opened it to find Lauren standing before him.
“Hey, Mick,” she greeted him like an old friend, “I’m sorry to bother you but I really needed to talk to you.” “Can I come in?” she added when Mick didn’t invite her in.
“Sure,” Mick’s reluctance was expressed clearly in voice.
“I could come back if it’s a bad time,” she offered politely.
“No, it’s fine,” he assured her and she stepped inside. When she saw Beth, however, she stopped.
“This is a bad time,” she said, “I shouldn’t have come.”
“No, I shouldn’t have come,” Beth interrupted, “I’ll just be leaving.” She pushed her way past Mick and Lauren and hastened down the hallway.
“Wait, Beth,” Mick yelled as he chased after her, but Beth had already entered the elevator, and the doors were closing. “Damn it,” he yelled and slammed the metal doors. When the elevator again ascended, he stepped inside and rode it to the ground level. When the doors opened he could see Beth leaving the building. “Wait, Beth!’ He repeated. She heard him this time, and turned to face him.
“Why?” she asked.
“Look, Beth. I know what this must seem like to you,” he began, “but you must believe that It’s you I love.”
“I want to, Mick. You can’t imagine how much I want to!” She didn’t seem quite as angry as she had in his apartment. She was more calm, but Mick could see the hurt in her eyes.
“What do you want me to do, Beth?” Mick begged, “how can I fix this?”
“Just tell me you don’t care for her,” Beth answered, “Tell me, and I’ll believe you.” He remained quiet, just stared at Beth, as if searching for an answer. “I knew it,” Beth said and turned again to leave.
“You don’t understand Beth!!” Mick called after her, “I care for her, I admit, but not in that way. There’s just something about her. It’s almost as if…” He stopped himself from speaking further.
“As if what?” Beth asked.
“It’s nothing…I can’t…” the expression on his face, frightened her. “You’ve just got to believe me. What I feel for her is completely innocent. Something inside me is telling me to protect her. Besides, how can you think I could be interested someone so young. She’s practically a child”
“She’s only a few years younger than I am, Mick.” At that Mick was struck speechless. She was, of course, correct, but how could he explain to her that he didn’t see her that way. “Goodbye, Mick,” Beth whispered, and the sadness in her voice, stabbed him like a knife. She walked away, but Mick didn’t try to stop her this time. However, he couldn’t watch her leave, either, so he turned and made his way as quickly as possible back to his apartment.
