Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

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Kelly
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Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

Post by Kelly »

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters, sets, etc.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone, OC
Warning: Thank God this is the last one...if you made it all the way through this contrived story, I applaud you. :lol:




Shadows of the Past




Several minutes passed and Mick was growing increasingly anxious. It was taking longer than it should have. His hands were caressing the sides of her face, and his eyes were pleading. “Come on…come back,” his voice was beginning to choke. He buried his face in her hair and clung to her. Suddenly, however, he could feel a slight movement. He pulled away and gazed intently at the girl in his arms. Her eyelids began to flutter slightly and then opened cautiously. She was overwhelmed by the strange sensations running through her body. All her pain had disappeared, and images, clearer than ever before, formed before her eyes, which could again view the world. All of her senses were heightened, and all of her strength and then some had returned. However, she was all too aware of the strange urges, urges that she couldn’t understand, that were rushing over her. She looked up into Mick’s face, which was filled with affection and relief. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head, but she pulled away.

“What happened, Mick?!” she demanded, “I don’t understand!” Her voice sounded panicked. Mick hated the idea of admitting to her what he had done, but it was impossible to avoid. He grabbed her hands and spoke gently so as to calm the frightened girl.


Mick stood nervously outside the door to Beth’s apartment, trying to get up the courage to knock. How could he ever explain to her what he had done? A week had passed since he had turned Lauren, and, since then, he had been watching out for her and teaching her. Her initial shock had worn off, and she had been able to accept what had happened. Mick was actually quite surprised by how quickly she had adapted to her new life, and was relieved that she didn’t despise him as he had feared. In fact, she seemed grateful. Against Mick’s warnings, however, she refused to give up Ben. She spent most of her time with Mick, but returned occasionally to her home. Mick didn’t know what Lauren told Ben, or how she explained her recovery, but he didn’t ask. It was her business whether she decided to tell him the truth.

Mick, finally having mustered up some courage, knocked hesitantly on Beth’s door. She didn’t answer, so he began to walk away. Just then, however, the door opened slowly. Beth stood before him, staring at him curiously. She looked even more beautiful to him than ever after not seeing her for so long. She didn’t say anything, just continued to look at him expectantly.
“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Why?” was her cold reply.

“I need to talk to you.” Beth couldn’t help noticing the pleading tone he used. She opened the door a little wider and motioned for him to enter.
“So, what is this about?” she asked him abruptly.

“I needed to see you…to apologize,” he explained, “I hurt you, and I’m so sorry. You must believe me that the last thing I ever wanted was to do that. I love you, Beth.”

His words struck a part of her…a part of her that needed him—desperately. She urged herself to repress the emotions surging through her. The sight of him, after so long, was enough to drive her mad. She could feel in her heart, despite everything, that she loved him back. She had always loved him, and she knew she always would. Still, she couldn’t shake the feelings of anger she felt that Mick, her “guardian angel,” had betrayed her. He was the last person in the world she thought could be capable of it. Against her better judgment, she let him continue.
“Beth, in the weeks that we’ve been apart, I’ve realized just how much I love you. You saved me, Beth. You saved me from myself. I wanted to be better, to change, all because of you. Before we met, I was a monster, but I’ve slowly been able to forgive myself, to forget my past. Without you, I’m no better than I was.”

“And Lauren?” Beth asked, “What about her?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, unsure of what she wanted to hear.

“I asked you the last time I saw you whether you cared for her. You never answered me.”

“Yes, Beth. I do care for her. I care for her very much, but not in the way that you think. Not in the way that I care for you.” This was not what Beth wanted to hear. He had said as much before, and she hadn’t believed him.

“I want to believe that, Mick…but I can’t. Why would you spend so much time with her, and remove yourself so entirely from me? You never even called…you never tried to patch this up.”
“I told you how sorry I am. What else can I do?!” he begged, “I wish you could understand.”

“How can I understand, when you won’t tell me anything?” she replied angrily.

“It’s just…Beth….she was dying,” he explained desperately.

Beth stared at him incredulously. She couldn’t believe her ears, “What do you mean was?” Mick didn’t reply, but the look in his face spoke for him. “Mick… you turned her didn’t you?” her voice was more sad than angry, “and what about Josh? You refused to turn him. And me? You told me that you could never turn me. How could you do it to this girl you barely know.”
Mick couldn’t speak. How could he explain this to her…this part of himself that he had kept hidden for so long, even from himself? Beth noticed a look in his eyes, a look she had never seen before, a look that frightened her. “What is it, Mick,” she spoke more calmly, almost soothing, “What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s just….I couldn’t lose her…not again,” Beth had never seen Mick look so vulnerable. His eyes filled with tears, which he did his best to hold back, and he was quivering.
“I don’t understand, Mick. How could you lose her again? You had only just met her.”

“There are things about me, things from my past, which I never told you, Beth. I’ve spent years trying to forget, trying to forgive myself for what I did, and when I met Lauren, it all came rushing back.”

“What is it, Mick? Please, just talk to me.”

“It’s about my old life, my life before I became a vampire.” Beth realized how very little she actually knew about the subject. She knew about Coraline, and that Mick was in the service, but not much more. He was not exactly the most open person. “You see, I had a normal life once. I had a family and friends. I had my parents…and I had Anna.”
“Anna?” Beth asked inquisitively.

“My sister,” Mick explained hesitantly, “She was much younger than I was, and, for some reason, she adored me. She followed me around everywhere. I would pretend to get annoyed with her, but I loved her terribly. It never mattered what I did, what kind of trouble I got into, she loved me anyway.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the photograph he had taken from Lauren’s house, and handed it to Beth. “This is her,” he explained.

Beth took the picture he offered her and stared at the image of the young girl. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen in the picture. She was very beautiful, and she reminded Beth very much of Mick. She had the same wavy, dark hair and the same twinkle in her eyes. However, Beth noticed something: a resemblance to someone else. She looked up suddenly at Mick, “Mick?...Lauren?...is she…?” She didn’t finish.

Mick stared back at her, nodded, and answered her question, “Anna’s granddaughter.”

“But, I don’t understand, Mick. Why couldn’t you tell me this?” she finally understood Mick’s affection for the girl, and any anger she still felt drained away.

“Because, I needed to settle this, to make things right. You see, when I was turned, things got…complicated. I had to leave my family. It killed me, but I couldn’t stay. I thought I was a danger to them. Turns out, it didn’t matter. My parents were killed in a car crash less than a year later.”

“I’m so sorry, Mick,” Beth tried to comfort him, but he didn’t want to be comforted. He needed to get this out.

“Anna was only seventeen and she was all alone,” Mick continued, “We had no family nearby that she could stay with, so she sought me out. I don’t know how she found me. I was living in a small apartment across the city.”

“You didn’t live with Coraline?” Beth interrupted.

“No, I couldn’t forgive her for what she had done, so, soon after I was turned, I left her. I lived alone, until Anna found me. It was then that I learned about our parents. Anna wanted to move in with me, but I couldn’t admit to her what I was. I was afraid that she’d hate me, but, it turns out that she already knew. She didn’t care what I was. In her eyes, I was no different. To this day, I don’t understand how she figured it out, but I was glad she knew…I was glad that I didn’t have to be alone. We were so happy together, just the two of us. It wasn’t until weeks later that she revealed to me that she was pregnant. Turns out, one of my old friends had taken a fancy to her. I knew about it before I left them, and I warned her. She promised me that it was over, but she didn’t keep that promise.”

“So what happened?” Beth asked gently.

“She had the baby: a little girl. She was going to take care of her…We were going to raise her together, but Anna…she got sick…just a few months later. She contracted rheumatic fever. There was nothing any of the doctors could do. All I could do was sit by her, day after day, watching her grow weaker and weaker. She was suffering, and I couldn’t do anything to help her. And then, one day, she begged me to turn her. She was terrified of death… but I refused. I hated what I was too much to inflict the same thing onto her.” At this point, Mick could no longer maintain his outward strength. He did his best to choke back his sobs, “She died that night. It was over fifty years ago, and I can still hear her pleas.” Beth’s heart went out to him, and she reached out and embraced him. He had always been there when she needed him, and, right now, it was him that needed her.

When Mick regained his composure, Beth asked him, “So what happened to the baby?”

“I had promised Anna that I would take care of her child, but I was a vampire. How could I raise an infant? In my mind, I had no choice. I dropped her off at an orphanage. With her, I left that picture of Anna and a gold locket, a gift I had given Anna when she was a little girl. It took me a long time to escape what I had done. Then when I met Lauren, it all came back. I didn’t know right away who she was, not until I saw her wearing the locket, but from the moment I met her, I knew there was something between us. She reminded me so much of Anna.”
“I know,” Beth replied, “I can see the resemblance.”

“It was more than that…her laugh, her smile, her love of life. Seeing Lauren is like seeing Anna all over again, and when she lay there, weak and defenseless, slowly withering away, I realized just how much I regret my decision about Anna. Lauren and her brother are all that’s left of her. I couldn’t…I couldn’t let her die too,” Mick’s voice broke again.
“I understand, Mick,” Beth said soothingly, “why you did what you did, and I’m so sorry for not being there for you. I should have trusted you.”

“It’s okay,” Mick replied, “I can see how you misunderstood. I’m so sorry that it had to lead to this, Beth.”

“I’m not,” Beth admitted, “I think you needed this. You’ve been hiding from your past for far too long. It’s time you faced it. And Mick…I’m glad… that you found her. So…have you told her who you are?”

“Not yet,” Mick replied, “It’s not the right time, but I will…soon. I just don’t think she’s ready to hear it yet.” Beth understood perfectly. Lauren had a lot of adjusting to do, and it was best to take things one at a time. They stood, quietly for a few moments, content just to be in each other’s presence.

“Mick,” Beth broke the silence, “I’ve missed you terribly, and, about what you said earlier…I love you too. My heart has never truly belonged to anyone else, but I’ve been yours, even before I knew you.” She reached up and kissed him passionately. All their troubles vanished in that instant. Nothing else existed—not Lauren, not Anna—just them. It was finally clear to Mick, then, that it didn’t matter what happened in the years to come. Whether or not he would ever turn Beth, he didn’t know, but if he didn’t, and she someday slipped away from him, he felt quite certain that her love would remain with him forever. But there was no way of knowing, not yet anyway, what the future would hold. Whatever it was, he was ready to face it, as long as Beth was at his side.
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draco
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Re: Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

Post by draco »

Very sad and beautiful story :hankie:
Can#t wait till you continue this.
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francis
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Re: Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Very nice. This is the end of the story, isn't it? Or is there more?
Mick's explanation makes sense of everything, but I really wished he had told Beth earlier. But that's just the way Mick was in the show, closed-up and evasive, going through things with himself, not confiding in Beth. But she still loves him, and everything's well.
Lauren is very well adapted for a fledgling.

May I say, as this is your first story, that your writing has greatly improved? It's not bad how you wrote this, but your new stories, especially the oneshots, are much better in composition and storytelling. :clapping:
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coco
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Re: Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

Post by coco »

Great ending Kelly :clapping:

I agree with francis - your writing has come on so far since this piece. I enjoyed this story in its own right but your more recent stuff shows such growth. :D
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jen
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Re: Shadows of the Past:Chapter 11 (PG-13)

Post by jen »

Oh, lovely. Thank you, Kelly. I hope there will be more to come. How will Lauren take to vampire life? How will Ben take to the new developments. Mick is now Lauren's sire, and he is still quite oung as a vampire himself.

Wonderful job, kelly!

Thanks!

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