Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

A place for choccyterri's G to PG-13 stories
Post Reply
User avatar
choccyterri
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 738
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:17 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by choccyterri »

A late entrant to the April Spring Forward challenge! Many apologies for my lateness. Hopefully, I can now explain that a little. Thanks so much to Alle for being a wonderful beta and collaborator, and for the wonderful spark of inspiration which left us with the quandary of having two stories to work with.

I'm posting my original piece today. The story as it first came to me... whilst acting as beta, Alle began to hear Josef's voice telling the story also, and so, as well as this, there is a version that has been told from Josef's point of view. Which I would love to post, with Alle's kind permission if anyone has an interest in hearing Josef tell the story. :hearts:

So here we are! I very much hope that my lovely MLA family enjoy my first bit of inspiration in a long while. I loved writing it. I can only apologise it took so long to get here. :hearts:

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.



Those He Left Behind.





Beth steps into the pool of light, and closes her eyes. She doesn't know why, but it still seems to help her focus... even now. Even years later, when her senses have become so heightened. She’s sure she doesn’t need to do it... perhaps it’s a last little bit of what she was...

Her hair glows in the glaring white of the streetlamp. And as Josef watches her from the nearby rooftop, his mouth quirks at the corner. She’s always been a fighter. From the days when her biggest worry was getting her story, through the times when she had to save her vamp. From the sun, from his crazy ex’s family. Man, she took it all on the chin. And that one time Mick did something reckless. Went off after said crazy ex. That was the one time Josef had to take care of her. And he failed. Mick told him he’d failed. And then he left.

It seems so long ago now. Beth balked at the idea at staying at Josef’s house. When Mick said he was going out of town and she needed to stay with Josef for a while, she shook her head and gave that little roll of her eyes. ‘Well, that’s just not going to happen,’ she declared.

Mick held her by the shoulders. ‘That’s the way it needs to be, Beth. I need to know you’re safe while I’m gone. And I need to make sure Coraline’s okay. No… not because I love her, but because at one time, I did love her…. She gave up her freedom for me. This one last time, I need to make sure she’s okay.’

Beth gave a little sigh of resentment, and a trace of a pout crossed her lips. But she acquiesced… at least to Mick leaving town. She knew what this meant to him… he still saw what had happened to Coraline as his fault. How many times had he told her he could see the fear in Coraline’s eyes when Lance took her?? Well whatever Mick felt… one thing Beth knew was that she really didn’t want to spend her days lazing around a pool with Josef’s next snack while he was gone.

And so, every chance she got, she would find a reason to head into the city, or into the office, but then of course she ended up going back to her own apartment, and Josef would get a call from the very discreet fellow he had following her.

An hour or so later he would show up, and they’d have the same conversation. This one started like all the others.

‘Beth… do you know how things would be if something happened to you? This isn’t a game. The Duvalls are a powerful family… their reach is long. If something happens over there that doesn’t please them… there’s no doubt they’ll seek retaliation over here. I need to be able to protect you.’

Again with the eye roll. ‘Well, surely if your little ‘friend’ is keeping a watch, I’ll be fine, Josef... I mean, what’s the worst…?’ Her voice trailed off… she knew the worst thing that could happen. She also knew she was sounding a little like a spoiled five year old at that moment. And then she wondered if this was how it would always be if Mick wasn’t around… for whatever reason.

She let out a sigh… and ran an exasperated hand through her hair. ‘Okay. Let me just grab a couple more things…’ and she headed towards the bedroom. She called back into the kitchen where Josef stood, his gaze following her. ‘So have you heard from him today…? He still hasn’t called. It’s kind of been every morning since he left…’

A tiny flash of something crossed Josef’s gaze. How had he let that slip?? Not realised their morning call hadn’t happened?? He’d positioned Beth in a room on the other side of the house… simply so that their lives didn’t have to intertwine too much. Josef knew there were things that Beth didn’t particularly approve of about his lifestyle, and he had tried to be considerate of that. But having Vampire hearing comes in handy when there’s a new person in your home. You pick up on things… tones of voice, the quickening of a breath. And he’d heard Beth’s voice every morning in their call. Worry, mixed with love, mixed with hope. She wanted Mick back in LA as much as Josef did. The sooner he was away from that family the better. How had he missed it that morning??

No matter how many feelers Josef had put out in the time approaching Mick’s trip to Europe, information about Coraline’s whereabouts had been sketchy. He was heading into the Duvalls’ territory almost blind. And alone. But he’d left over a week ago. This should not be taking Mick as long as it was.

Josef shook off Beth’s mood invisibly that day. Tried to ease her uncertainty. ‘He said he was heading out last night, didn’t he? Meeting with a local historian. So that would have been before his usual time to call you. Maybe he just got tied up with his research. I hear they’ve got some great brandy in the area.’ Because, of course, a wisecrack would make it all okay.

‘Hmm… maybe… I still wish he’d call.’ Dropping the rest of her things into her overnighter, Beth joined Josef back in the living room. ‘I’ll try him later maybe….’ She paused at the couch and glanced around the apartment. Her thoughts broken, then, by Josef’s voice.

‘Let me… I’ll see if there are any rocks that need turning over at this end–and by rocks, I mean helpful idiots who helped Cora while she was here–although I was sure we took care of all of them.’ While he was speaking, Josef gently rested a hand at Beth’s elbow, and steered her from the apartment. Leaving the building with an imperceptible nod to his guy, he helped Beth into the back of his waiting car.

He can still remember now… the length of the journey back into the hills. It was a hot one, and Josef closed his eyes in the back seat, breathing slowly, while Beth watched her daylight world pass by the tinted window of the car. He can still remember the way her pulse sounded as their journey took them from the noise of car horns, police sirens, to the quiet hum of wheels on asphalt as they moved up into the hills. The hiss of the Santa Ana winds in the dry grass at the side of the road.

And then he was pulled from his reverie by the sound of his driver’s voice. ‘My apologies, Mr. Kostan… it looks like there’s some road work up ahead… I’ll find another route.’

Immediately, Josef was on alert. ‘It’ll mean a U-turn up here, Mike. You’re telling me the city didn’t let us know? What do we pay that guy at City Hall for?’ Josef scanned the work site stretching across the road ahead of them, straining to hear the conversations of the workmen as his driver manoeuvred the car smoothly over the shoulder of the road to go back the way they had come. No… this wasn’t right. He’d never seen a set of city workers with such clean hands… shaven… barely perspiring.

‘Beth!’ As the word left his lips he heard the sound of the first bullet leaving the chamber, and leapt across the car to cover her. Yes, the car was bulletproof, but he wasn’t taking any chances while Mike got them out of there. The sound of a revving engine followed them down the hill at speed. Jesus, he thought, he could run faster than this on his own two feet. But for now, making his body into a shelter for Beth was his main priority. Bullets were still raining over the car, and Mike knew what he was doing. The guy had gotten him out of more than one jam before… he’d do it again. But all the while the following vehicle, now joined by another, was getting closer to their tail lights. The second SUV edged alongside on the wrong side of the road and tapped the rear fender, and Mike had to fight for control of the car. Another tap, and another—each speeding nudge edging them closer to the verge. Another hit… Josef grabbed Beth’s seatbelt and pulled it tight, gripping her against the leather seat. And she looked up at him as he covered her. Man, he’d seen that look before. All questions and blue eyes. And courage. That time Mick had been taking off her blindfold. He’d saved her from that asshole who wanted her blood. They had saved her. But this time Mick wasn’t here. He was lost in France… and it had looked as if he’d done something that had gotten them all into trouble.

The next powerful nudge… the screaming sound of the car engine as it revved over the edge, and that second of weightlessness…

‘I will not leave you.’ Josef watched Beth set her jaw… and, after staring at him hard, she closed those blue eyes tight, the little furrows appearing in her brow, and wrapped her arms around him… until the car hit the ground. Rolling, grinding, roaring its way down the mountainside. He couldn’t recall the exact moment that he let go of the seatbelt. When the buckle burst. When Beth’s already unconscious bodyweight, and the shriek of shredding metal as the roof was torn open, threw them both out into the raging heat of the day… and crashing onto the rocks below.

________________________________

‘They’re here! He’s here!’

Josef awoke, blinded by the afternoon sun. He dragged himself up… how long had he been out there? He listened for the nearest heartbeat, only to feel the searing pain of the bullet as it knocked him back down, and hear the laughter of two approaching men. One of them walked up and kicked Josef in the kidneys, but his associate intervened.

‘Hey… Mr. Duvall said to leave Kostan alive.’

‘I was just making sure he gets the point.’

‘Heh. Maybe this’ll teach St. John a lesson. Keep his P.I. face out of other people’s business.’

The two voices gradually got quieter as they left the scene. Josef listened all the while, memorising every nuance of their voices until he could no longer hear them. Jesus, so Mick had pissed off the Duvalls. Great. Another mess to clean up. But right now, and most importantly, he could hear a heartbeat… and it was female. Thank God. But it was weak…

Josef inched out of his jacket. Covering his head to give himself some protection from the sun, he rose again and picked his way through the debris of his former vehicle… moving towards that ever-weakening sound. He passed Mike’s crumpled body… no heartbeat, but Josef caught sight of Mike’s broken cell, and was reminded to check for his own. To his relief, it was still in his breast pocket, unbroken. He speed dialled the Cleaner. This was not something they’d want a human to come across.

When he reached Beth, Josef remembered what it was like to feel sick. Sick to his stomach. She was lying face down, her blonde hair splayed out in the sunshine, and it was bad. A broken, pale body laid out over the pale stones. And the smell. All he could smell was Beth’s blood. There was so much of it…

_______________________________

As he waited for the Cleaners, Josef carefully turned Beth over to check on her injuries… releasing all new scents of that delicious blood of hers. No wonder that guy had gone nuts over her before. It was all Josef could do to keep his self-control, just keep protecting her from the sun. Let her know he hadn’t left, that he was still there. And that was how the two of them stayed until the Cleaners turned up.

It wasn’t easy, getting the two of them off that hillside and into the converted ice truck the Cleaners used for daylight removals. But they managed it with their customary efficiency. They really did have a plan for everything. The Cleaner had arranged Beth on a gurney in the back of the truck. And it took her only a moment’s assessment to tell Josef what he already knew.

‘Josef, we don’t run an ambulance service. We can either let her bleed out here, or get her to the hospital. That would need to be fast. And you know how many questions that will bring. It’s not our mode of operation.’

Josef’s face was grim. His usually decisive mind had been reduced to a burning mass of what ifs. What if she died? What if Mick never came back? What if the hospital asked too many questions? But over-riding them all…. There was no time.

The Cleaner had given him a glass of warmed B positive, and he watched the blood caress the sides of it as the truck moved through the Los Angeles streets. ‘Those aren’t our only options,’ he murmured.

He heard a catch in the Cleaner’s throat. ‘You’d do that…? Turn Mick’s girlfriend…? What will he ..?’

‘He’s not here to say anything.’ Josef looked up at his companion, interrupting… before rising and moving with renewed strength to the side of the gurney. ‘But I know that we can’t let her die. He’d never forgive me.’

__________________________


Half an hour later, the ice truck was sitting outside Josef’s house in the Hollywood hills, its only inhabitants Josef Kostan, and a newly turned Elizabeth Turner. Former Buzzwire reporter, and now the newest member of the Los Angeles Vampire community. The Cleaners had departed, leaving Josef to take the only form of action that would keep their community safe–without, to all outside appearances, the loss of Beth’s life.

Josef had never thought of Beth as beautiful. A looker, maybe, and she definitely had spunk. But now… as the two of them sat face to face under the harsh interior lights of the truck, her skin glowed. Otherworldly. Her hair almost radiated beneath the light… and her eyes. Well, there was a lot to be said for silver blue.

He passed her another bag of pre-packaged blood, with a tube attached for added ease, and watched as she gulped it down… replacing all she’d lost, and healing her many injuries. All she wanted, all she needed. And they talked as she drank her fill. She had always had a curious mind, and it seemed to him that her need for answers, from the beginning, curbed her need to run mad. She wasn’t quite like any other new turn he’d seen. But then again, she didn’t have just any Sire.

___________________________

For days, Beth stayed solely in Josef’s care. He conducted business from the house. Video meetings with his team at Kostan industries. Phone calls. And after a few days, people coming and going, each one a test of Beth’s will. No one was to be touched, by the express order of her Sire… and she was a model fledgling, smart and careful.

It had been almost a week when Beth scented the air, recognising the man she loved. She knew it was him before he even made it through the gates. Josef watched the panic in Beth’s eyes as the realisation dawned on her. Mick was back. Home. And he must already know what she was. Who she now was… who she would now always be. Josef wished at the time that Beth’s emotions didn’t all cross her face. He saw the next newfound thought enter her head–that she’d be able to spend the rest of her existence with the man she loved. Her doubt and fear turned into a joyous light that glowed from her eyes. And she rushed to the door to welcome him in.

She realised immediately that it was the wrong move.

Mick had practically flown through the door, bursting past her, his forearm catching Josef across the throat… pinning him against the far wall of the hallway. Beth’s retaliation was that of a new fledgling defending her Sire. Swift, unthinking, and somewhat sloppy, but at least she tried. So strong, these new-borns… and it was enough to give Josef’s security team time to get control of Mick. At least while Josef explained what had happened. And then Mick told them about his time in a French oubliette. A prisoner of Lance Duvall… contemplating the possibility of forever in a black hole… a Vampire’s living death. Not sure if he would ever see the world outside again. But a few days later, Duvall had let him out, cleaned him up, and put him on a plane, hissing a warning in his ear. To never come looking for Coraline again. If he did, what had happened in LA would seem like child’s play. Mick was dumbfounded. What had happened in LA?? Lance’s staff played dumb, so he was completely in the dark. All he knew was that he needed to get back to his city. To see his friend. To see his Beth. Through the endless hours of that flight back to LA, a feeling of dread was rising in his stomach… and on landing, his first instinct was to get to Josef’s place. As the cab had climbed into the hills, he’d wondered if he was doing the right thing. And then, when he arrived at Josef’s, he could smell what Josef had done.

_______________________

Mick did his best to calm down some. Take in the situation, deal with his anger and his guilt… and talk with Josef and Beth, together and separately. But all the time Mick spent with Beth in the house… he seemed to look at her differently after her turning. He couldn’t look her in the eye, and he never touched her.

Mick’s first instinct had always been to protect Beth. In one of their conversations, he said, ‘What am I to her, now that she doesn’t need me to do that, Josef…?’

Josef tried to comfort him, but he struggled with so many things, especially guilt over the fact that he was the reason Duvall’s people had caused the crash. But it was more than that. He had loved Beth for her humanity, and that was lost. And no matter how Beth tried to make Mick see that she was still the woman who loved him… he couldn’t see past what she had become. What Josef had made her into. His anger with Josef was all too evident.

‘So what should I have done, Mick?’ Josef asked. ‘Let her die? Let your precious Beth end?’

Mick’s eyes flashed with an anger Josef hadn’t seen in a very long time. ‘She’s not my Beth anymore, Josef. I trusted my Beth to my best friend… I asked him to take care of her. And he failed. She’s his Beth now.’

_______________________

Mick left that night. He explained to Beth how he felt, and try as Josef might, he couldn’t help but listen to what they were saying. Beth was pissed, and rightly so… but her fledgling passions meant that she wasn’t good at curbing her tongue, and things quickly escalated into a game of guilt and barbs. That final argument ended with a sullen Mick shrugging into his black overcoat and walking out. After everything they’d been through together to get to that point. Everything.

‘I’ll see you.’ Those were his last words to a friend of over sixty years, and then he disappeared out into the night. Josef and Beth let him go. They didn’t have a choice.

______________________

And now here Josef is… two years later. Beth is now a fully integrated member of Los Angeles Vampire society. Under her Sire’s tutelage, she quickly found a place at Kostan Industries. Investigating potential clients–an outlet for her curiosity, which has proven very useful, and suits them both. It also gives Beth time to search for Mick… whose ability to go off the grid has both frustrated, and amazed them. And while they know he hasn’t re-located, no one in LA is talking. They know that people questioned Josef’s choices that day. But whether or not they would admit it to Josef’s face is another matter. It doesn’t mean they’ll help with enquiries, though. And so tonight is like so many others… the two of them out in the city. Searching for the slightest scent of the Vampire they both love. Just to find out if he can ever forgive them. Come back to them…

The light above Beth flickers… and she glances up, before turning around. Her Vampire eyes gaze steadily into the darkness. She suspects who it is in the corner of that alley… although the last time they met, Beth was human. Unaware of the scent a 300-year-old woman could, or should have. But there it is… cunningly disguised in a living person. Or perhaps a person who has, yet again, taken her family’s cure. Beth glances up again… this time towards Josef… holding his gaze for a moment, before speaking into the dark...

‘Hello Coraline….’

‘Hi Beth.’

_________________________
Image

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
― Marcus Aurelius.
User avatar
Lilly
Moonlightaholic Mod
Posts: 25373
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:24 pm

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by Lilly »

Terri!! Holy cr@p!!! :gasp: This. Is. Amazing! :yahoo:

I'm a bit at a loss for words right now, but I truly LOVE this. What a fabulous response to the challenge prompt. :notworthy: Our beloved characters here are so true to form. Perfectly imperfect - each one of them. I love that you've given Josef so much heart in this. :heart: From his giving Beth some distance/space in his home out of respect for her feelings to his agonizing over his impossible decision. (And YES, I would absolutely love to hear this story from his point of view. :hearts: )

Mick's reaction was heartbreaking :hankie: , but completely believable. He's lost what he believed was his connection to humanity, and was overwhelmed with guilt and grief. Of course, he lashed out.

And that ending... :confused2:

Thank you so much for this. It could easily have been an episode (or 2) of our beloved show. Hell, it could have been a dynamite season 2 opener. And the next few episodes could have dealt with the aftermath and the hunt for Mick. Awww, a girl can dream.... :cloud9:
Lilly

My Fanfic Index
Avatar from "Matasaburo of the Wind" © 2009 Alex Gross, used with the permission of the artist
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: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by allegrita »

Dear Terri, of course you have my blessing to post the Josef POV! :hearts: Your story captured my imagination--in the best possible way--and I am very grateful to you for letting me play with it a bit. The Josef POV version is still very much your story, though, as your readers will see. :heart: But it was incredibly generous of you to share it with me. I am truly honored. :hug:

I loved your reaction to this Challenge, partly because it's so very different from what I thought of when I proposed the theme. I agree completely with Lilly in that this story captures the true spirit and character of Josef, Beth, and Mick. One of my biggest takeaways from your story in terms of the Challenge prompt (Spring Forward) was that Josef and Beth are both very good at looking forward and "springing" into whatever challenge life gives them, while Mick is much more of a looker backward. He yearns for what he has lost rather than being excited about what is coming his way. And he doesn't really like change. (Well, aside from GPS and Finder Spyder. :winky: ) When he sees what Beth has become, he can't celebrate her awesome ability to roll with the punches and embrace her new "self." Rather, he rails against fate, and Josef, for taking away "his Beth." :Mickangel: And in leaving Josef and Beth, he has rejected the wonderful opportunity to have both a staunch friend and a loving partner, who will walk by his side and have his back for a very long time...maybe for eternity. I found myself wanting to slap some sense into the guy. :slappy: I hope that he'll eventually come to his senses :fingerscrossed: ...but I am not holding my breath. :sigh:


I was blown away at your ending. What does it mean!? So many questions are swirling through my head--and if you are ever inspired to continue this story, I would love to see where it takes our "Fab Four." :rose: But the story stands very well as a one-shot. It drew me in, kept me enthralled, made me cry, and left me breathless at the end. I don't think you can ask for much more than that. :notworthy:
Image
User avatar
MickLifeCrisis
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 7947
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:59 am

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

:gasp: Wow. Just, wow. Amazing, and not what I was expecting at all. Mick has stayed away for two years?? :slaphead: I never thought I'd say this about him, but he's pouting and acting like a child. And as Alle said, "He yearns for what he has lost rather than being excited about what is coming his way. And he doesn't really like change." He needs a kick in the pants and some sense knocked into him. Josef did the only thing he could do. I hope that deep down, Mick realizes that.

Mick's going to come back, right? You're going to write more to this?? :fingerscrossed:

Thanks for posting, choccyterri!
:thanks:
MickLifeCrisis
Image
Many thanks to Twilightdew for my banner and avi.
User avatar
choccyterri
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 738
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:17 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by choccyterri »

Awww, thank you so much friends for your lovely words!! I have been blushing furiously for a day!! :heart:

"Hell, it could have been a dynamite season 2 opener. And the next few episodes could have dealt with the aftermath and the hunt for Mick. Awww, a girl can dream.... :cloud9:"

Lilly, that is such a mindblowing comment. I am truly honoured, especially from you lovely.

Aww, and Alle, I am truly grateful for your help with my tenses, which, I will never be able to sort out on my own. And your questions and queries that only served to make the story better. Thank you so much again for your help, and the wonderful way you heard Josef telling the story ( in the other version) too!!

"Mick has stayed away for two years?? :slaphead: I never thought I'd say this about him, but he's pouting and acting like a child. "

And MLC, isn't he though!? I mean even I was infuriated with him!!?? I am truly hoping that one day I get slapped by the inspiration fairy and come back to this... I don't deliberately do the cliffie thing. But this one really called out to me. :devil: :angel: :giggle:

Thanks again for your lovely comments ladies. When the muse grabs us, we just have to go with it, yes??

Lots of love!! :heart: :hug:
Image

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
― Marcus Aurelius.
Ella713
Courtesan
Posts: 2308
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:34 pm
Location: Des Moines, WA

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by Ella713 »

Holy smokes!!! Followed by a Wow!! Poor Mick. I totally see his point. He was her protector for so long, but poor Josef as well. He couldn't let the woman his best friend loved die!! Oh this story is so tragic and sad!! :hankie:
User avatar
Lilly
Moonlightaholic Mod
Posts: 25373
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:24 pm

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by Lilly »

choccyterri wrote: When the muse grabs us, we just have to go with it, yes??
Yes!! A thousand times - yes. :heart: :hug: :flowers:
Lilly

My Fanfic Index
Avatar from "Matasaburo of the Wind" © 2009 Alex Gross, used with the permission of the artist
Moonlightsonata
Rogue vampire
Posts: 1760
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:43 am
Location: Outside Philadelphia Pa.

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by Moonlightsonata »

Thank you so much for posting this story. It is sad to see Mick staying away for so long when the two people that were the most important to him are doing the best they can. I would love to see a continuation.
Image
Thank you Coco for the lovely banner.
User avatar
Shadow
Courtesan
Posts: 2636
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:09 am

Re: Those He Left Behind. Champagne Challenge #177. Rated PG

Post by Shadow »

This is such a beautiful story .... and such a horrifying one. I've read it a couple more times now, trying to pick out parts to comment about, but the story just pulls me in every time, and I forget to be analytical. Mick does not come off very well here, and I don't want to believe he would do such a thing (even though I just made a video about how human he still is!) but what happens here totally fits with his character, and it is all too believable that he would be "only human" in such a way. Alle's so right about the way Mick looks backward instead of forward, while Josef and Beth do the opposite. And here it's been two years ... such a long time! .... but considering that all parties are now vampires, perhaps it is not such a long time after all, just a blink in a vampire's life? I was very startled at the ending, as I was certainly not expecting Coraline to show up. This would indeed have made a most interesting episode! So intriguing; I hope it will be continued sometime. I'm having trouble imagining what insights were not already included in this story, there is so much here, but I'll definitely plan to also read the story from Josef's POV.
Really this is an amazing story! :flowers:
Post Reply

Return to “choccyterri's Office”