The Crucible (PG 13) - First Line Challenge 114 5/2/10

[Fleur de Lisa]

Wow.

My apologies on taking so long to get to this piece, but was it ever worth the wait. This is definitely one of your most intense pieces and it shines. Intricate, descriptive (truly could be an episode---it's not only that good, but so detailed, you can picture each setting, facial expression and sequence playing out) and introspective. Weighty and substantial. No stone left unturned.

I love the way this plays out. The beginning is a re-cap of Dean Douchebag's exploits and his disappearance. The narration of that time period is spot on. The middle is Beth's inner turmoil over her part in his death and how far she will or must go to protect the one she loves. The end? Well, we don't really know how she will come to grips with the decisions she has made, do we?

A man with a secret, who’d killed one he loved to save the innocent child she once was, only to capture the heart of the impetuous woman she’d become. Until recently, she hadn’t fully appreciated the pain of his sacrifice so long ago, but now she did. If only he knew …..

LOVED how you compared Beth's current predicament with Mick's past disposal of Cora in order to protect Beth. Something so simple, the parallels, that I never thought of before. Everyone ends up sacrificing something in the ML universe, don't they?

Josef sacrifices love when the love of his life's turning puts her into a coma, thereby irrevocably changing the man/vamp he is.

Mick sacrifices so much of his humanity because of and due to Cora and her evil manipulations. He sacrifices her life for that of a little girl's. At least at the time, he believes this to be true.

Cora, as much as I cannot stand the woman, sacrifices as well. She 'loves' human Mick, changes him against his will in order to keep him with her forever, and then tries to steal a child in the name of keeping her husband. Cora isn't stupid, and she knew that taking Beth was a crapshoot, but she knew that she was at the end of her rope as far as hanging on to Mick was concerned.

Beth is now put into the position of sacrificing. She probably feels that she already sacrificed one life due to her love for Mick: Josh's. Then, she feels remorse over the death of Dean F., the ultimate? Ben's death. How she moves on from this, I have no idea. Perhaps this is why she should be turned sooner rather than later. She has already sacrificed so much of her humanity in such a short period of time, that she is already halfway there, waiting any longer just heaps more guilt and sorrow onto her already heavy heart.

I could go on and on, which is testament to what this fic offers. So much to ponder. So much to wonder. So much sadness that we will never know how all of this would have ultimately played out in the television world of ML.

Bravo, my friend. Bravo.

[darkstarrising]

Wow.

My apologies on taking so long to get to this piece, but was it ever worth the wait. This is definitely one of your most intense pieces and it shines. Intricate, descriptive (truly could be an episode---it's not only that good, but so detailed, you can picture each setting, facial expression and sequence playing out) and introspective. Weighty and substantial. No stone left unturned.

I love the way this plays out. The beginning is a re-cap of Dean Douchebag's exploits and his disappearance. The narration of that time period is spot on. The middle is Beth's inner turmoil over her part in his death and how far she will or must go to protect the one she loves. The end? Well, we don't really know how she will come to grips with the decisions she has made, do we?

A man with a secret, who’d killed one he loved to save the innocent child she once was, only to capture the heart of the impetuous woman she’d become. Until recently, she hadn’t fully appreciated the pain of his sacrifice so long ago, but now she did. If only he knew …..

LOVED how you compared Beth's current predicament with Mick's past disposal of Cora in order to protect Beth. Something so simple, the parallels, that I never thought of before. Everyone ends up sacrificing something in the ML universe, don't they?

Josef sacrifices love when the love of his life's turning puts her into a coma, thereby irrevocably changing the man/vamp he is.

Mick sacrifices so much of his humanity because of and due to Cora and her evil manipulations. He sacrifices her life for that of a little girl's. At least at the time, he believes this to be true.

Cora, as much as I cannot stand the woman, sacrifices as well. She 'loves' human Mick, changes him against his will in order to keep him with her forever, and then tries to steal a child in the name of keeping her husband. Cora isn't stupid, and she knew that taking Beth was a crapshoot, but she knew that she was at the end of her rope as far as hanging on to Mick was concerned.

Beth is now put into the position of sacrificing. She probably feels that she already sacrificed one life due to her love for Mick: Josh's. Then, she feels remorse over the death of Dean F., the ultimate? Ben's death. How she moves on from this, I have no idea. Perhaps this is why she should be turned sooner rather than later. She has already sacrificed so much of her humanity in such a short period of time, that she is already halfway there, waiting any longer just heaps more guilt and sorrow onto her already heavy heart.

I could go on and on, which is testament to what this fic offers. So much to ponder. So much to wonder. So much sadness that we will never know how all of this would have ultimately played out in the television world of ML.

Bravo, my friend. Bravo.

Wow back at you!!

You've hit on a key theme here - sacrifice - but why did each of the characters you mentioned do so? From my perspective, it was all done in the name of love. In this piece, I've tried to show how Beth's willingness to protect Mick starts her on a path she'd never believe herself capable of travelling - murder. She knew what Josef would do when she asked for his help. Dean Foster's death would bother her for a while, but not for long. In her mind he was a parasite. He hurt people, made a living off of making their lives miserable, poking into their lives and threatening their secrets. When she miscontrued Ben's actions and words, perhaps she felt more remorse at considering how to deal with him, but when she finally understands that he was trying to help, not hurt, she is overwhelmed by her guilt.

Even so, she will continue. In her own words "I did what I had to do."

And so did Talbot, the unsung hero of the piece.

[Kara]

Locking eyes with Josef, she saw a kindred spirit, knowing he understood her pain and the reason for it. “I did what I had to, Josef, though God knows a good man died for no reason. I wonder if he’ll ever forgive me. I know I’ll never forgive myself.”

This to me was the saddest because I'm not sure that Mick will forgive her if he ever finds out.

That was a wonderful piece. Thank you so much.

[darkstarrising]

Locking eyes with Josef, she saw a kindred spirit, knowing he understood her pain and the reason for it. “I did what I had to, Josef, though God knows a good man died for no reason. I wonder if he’ll ever forgive me. I know I’ll never forgive myself.”

This to me was the saddest because I'm not sure that Mick will forgive her if he ever finds out.

That was a wonderful piece. Thank you so much.

Thanks, Kara, and you're so very welcome You may be right, and that would be another burden for Beth to bear.

[mitzie]

A very intense and powerful story. The place where you took this story to is more plausible to me than what happened on screen. Secrets, sacrifices, and more secrets. Would Beth be able to really move on from this? This is one of your best stories and I love it to pieces...


mitzie

[darkstarrising]

A very intense and powerful story. The place where you took this story to is more plausible to me than what happened on screen. Secrets, sacrifices, and more secrets. Would Beth be able to really move on from this? This is one of your best stories and I love it to pieces...


mitzie

thank you, sweetie Mick and Beth's love story was never an easy one as they fought to overcome the barriers between them. Sometimes, the price for dealing with those obstacles is high. For Beth, she's living with guilt and now with a secret, one shared with Josef. As Mick once said, though, 'We all have secrets.'

Will Beth be able to move on? I think so, with time. But I doubt she'll ever forget.

[jen]

Karen.

You have singlehandedly changed my mind about dark.

Intense, thoughtful and absorbing this does not trivialize the step Beth has taken here. She has stepped into darkness and she knows it. Her hands will never be entirely clean again. She has made a choice here to protect the secrets of those she loves and paid a terrible price for it. Does the fact that her action finally was proven to be unnecessary add to the burden she feels? I'm sure it does.

Josef is quite right when he says to Mick that she will get over it, but not today or tomorrow.

Beth was not turned, yet she became a vampire here.

Brava

Jenna

[darkstarrising]

Karen.

You have singlehandedly changed my mind about dark.

Intense, thoughtful and absorbing this does not trivialize the step Beth has taken here. She has stepped into darkness and she knows it. Her hands will never be entirely clean again. She has made a choice here to protect the secrets of those she loves and paid a terrible price for it. Does the fact that her action finally was proven to be unnecessary add to the turden she feels? I'm sure it does.

Josef is quite right when he says to Mick that she will get over it, but not today or tomorrow.

Beth was not turned, yet she became a vampire here.

Brava

Jenna

Thanks, jenna my turn to quote you

Beth was not turned, yet she became a vampire here.

Exactly. She did what she had to in order to protect Mick, and in so doing, the community. She became one with them by her actions.

[Moonlighter]

Wow, DSR, just....wow. This story really packed a powerful punch and brought to light what exactly all our favorite characters are willing to sacrifice to protect one another. I have to say that Ben's accidental death was quite a shocker for me, but the resulting discovery that he was trying to help rather than hurt Beth, Josef and Mick stunned me even more. I'm really sorry that Beth now has to deal with the guilt of it all in the aftermath of that tragedy.

However, I have to say that Beth's loyalty to the vampire community, as evidenced by her decision to go to Josef about the Dean Foster problem in the first place, was something that was well on its way to being fully developed before all this happened, in my opinion. The mere fact that her chosen profession was that of a crime reporter, and that she seemed to gravitate toward crimes the grislier the better, make me think she did not intend to live a life, or work in a field, designed for the faint-hearted. She was tough from the first time we met her, and although I don't think her intentions were ever to commit murder, she was more than familiar with the dark underbelly of life in LA. It seems it took her love for someone so dear to her just to make her see how far she personally would go into that world. Now that she has declared that she would never give Mick up, and is fiercely protective of the vampire community now, I think her path to becoming a vampire is set.

Your last lines here are so haunting, DSR. And in my ML world, I have to believe that even if Mick became aware of exactly what it was Beth had conspired with Josef to do to Foster, he would have eventually understood because he had done it himself. And honestly, I don't think he'd think there was anything to forgive.

Very, very compelling story, Karen!

[darkstarrising]

Wow, DSR, just....wow. This story really packed a powerful punch and brought to light what exactly all our favorite characters are willing to sacrifice to protect one another. I have to say that Ben's accidental death was quite a shocker for me, but the resulting discovery that he was trying to help rather than hurt Beth, Josef and Mick stunned me even more. I'm really sorry that Beth now has to deal with the guilt of it all in the aftermath of that tragedy.

However, I have to say that Beth's loyalty to the vampire community, as evidenced by her decision to go to Josef about the Dean Foster problem in the first place, was something that was well on its way to being fully developed before all this happened, in my opinion. The mere fact that her chosen profession was that of a crime reporter, and that she seemed to gravitate toward crimes the grislier the better, make me think she did not intend to live a life, or work in a field, designed for the faint-hearted. She was tough from the first time we met her, and although I don't think her intentions were ever to commit murder, she was more than familiar with the dark underbelly of life in LA. It seems it took her love for someone so dear to her just to make her see how far she personally would go into that world. Now that she has declared that she would never give Mick up, and is fiercely protective of the vampire community now, I think her path to becoming a vampire is set.

Your last lines here are so haunting, DSR. And in my ML world, I have to believe that even if Mick became aware of exactly what it was Beth had conspired with Josef to do to Foster, he would have eventually understood because he had done it himself. And honestly, I don't think he'd think there was anything to forgive.

Very, very compelling story, Karen!

thanks, Moonlighter The first time I saw 'Click', I didn't think too highly off it. Having seen it a few more times now , I actually like it. Beth seeking Josef's assistance and knowing his solution to Foster's threat, indicated she was on her way to joining the community. Yet the ending to the episode left me cold, with the two young vamps taking Foster out.....not something I thought Josef would do.

I tried to tie the Legion into this story as well and how Talbot might have dealt with the list. From what we saw at the end of the series, he had both Foster's photos and the list, and from his expression, he wasn't sure what to make of either of them. In this story, he's a pawn, meant by Foster and the unknowns behind the list, to investigate Mick and the vamp community. In the end, Talbot saw through the charade and he tried to protect a man he'd come to respect and a woman who might get caught in the crossfire. Beth's misunderstanding of Talbot's motives caused her to make a mistake, one that cost him his life and one she'll carry for all eternity.

[jen]

[jen]

[Moonlighter]

I just reread this wonderful fic and it still gets me in the gut reading what Beth's sacrifice was for the vampire community and the man she loves. It's just one more barrier she's had to break through on her journey to becoming a full-fledged vamp. Having Josef in her corner ain't a bad thing, either, and having the love of a man such as Mick, well....

I just love the ML world you take me to, DSR. Just. love. it.

[darkstarrising]

I just reread this wonderful fic and it still gets me in the gut reading what Beth's sacrifice was for the vampire community and the man she loves. It's just one more barrier she's had to break through on her journey to becoming a full-fledged vamp. Having Josef in her corner ain't a bad thing, either, and having the love of a man such as Mick, well....

I just love the ML world you take me to, DSR. Just. love. it.

thanks, Moonlighter Always appreciate a re-read. Beth doesn't really realize that her actions are really steps to joining Mick in his world, but I think Josef does. He feels her pain, but appreciates her sacrifice for the community ....as Jenna said above, 'Beth was not turned, yet she became a vampire here.'

[jen]

Karen

I just reread this intense, thoughtful look into the world of sacrifice and secrets.

Beth has made a choice to protect Mick and the vampire community, and stepped into darkness to do it. Josef understands the meaning of her actions better than Mick, and I only hope that Mick can appreciate that they were motivated by love and the desire to protect him.

Thank you!

Jenna