1. Vigil (midnight) - PG

[redwinter101]

OK - I'm back.

The way Coraline was discarded in the final four eps was my greatest regret (and there were a few in those 4), not only because it removed a huge element of the dramatic tension, but because the way it was done, so throw-away, tied up in a neat little bow, was so out of place. Mick and Coraline were always messy and emotional and passionate - never clean, tidy - never quite finished.

And of course, the biggest bugbear for me was the notion that Mick would just shrug his shoulders and move on. Nuh-uh.

The other thing that irked me was that we never got to see how their actions and experiences had really changed the way they behaved towards each other. We finally got to see Coraline doing something totally selfless - and then it was thrown away, never to be revisited. She had learnt; she had grown; she had realised that there were some things more important than her own desires and she was prepared to pay a terrible price. We saw that in her face as Lance carried her away - and so did Mick.

So I came up with the most terrible retribution I could think of - to make her endure a mortal death, knowing that would mean not just the end of all her possibilities, but that it would mean the end of her life with, and love for, Mick. There would be no more chances for them.

I also remember Josef's line about their relationship only being over with one of them dead (although I believe he had one's death at the other's hand in mind). The irony was that even when Mick thought Coraline was dead, it was far from over. For a true end to their story, I had to believe that everything they had been through had been somehow worth it - they had grown through their experience to the stage where, as you so beautifully put it, they can release the bitterness and find a moment of grace.

And yeah - Josef totally gets it.

A and a to you, alle.

seamus3333, thank you. FWIW, I've always felt sorry for Coraline - she had Mick, made a terrible mistake, and lost him. What could be more tragic than that?

Red

[AussieJo]

Red, what a wordsmith you are!
Even when you're 'xplainin'!
And I think you would have realised in my comments, that I concur with your thoughts!....
My appreciation of Josef has developed with the fanfiction.
I don't think appreciation is quite the right the right word for me regarding Coraline, but she certainly has more depth in the fanfic than in the show, that's for sure.
Thankyou

[redwinter101]

. Thank you, sweetie. I think you've hit on why we all found this show so remarkable. Everyone had different affinities for different characters, but here we still are, 2 years later, finding new things to ponder and be inspired by.

Red

[GuardianAngel]

I've been away from the board for a little bit (actually away from the internet) and PNWgal told me I had to come read this gem. Boy am I glad I listened.

There just so many things about this scene that worked for me.

For one, it was gut-wrenching! Poor, broken Coraline. Mick should have gone for her sooner. Damn him! I loved the irony - that she could not be turned and fated to die a mortal death which is abhorrent to her while it's what Mick wants so much.

I love that Josef was there, in the wing, giving whatever support he could.

Of course, I loved that Mick held off, waiting to give her the CHOICE. So very, very Mick.

A couple of my favorite lines:

"Mick? Is Mick here?" Her fear wasn't of death but of abandonment and it sang through her frail words.

Wrenched my gut.

Mick smiled, "That's pretty much still true. But time takes the edge off. Life takes the edge off."

I loved this line because it's so true. Nothing like living and time to realign priorities.

[Luxe de Luxe]

The yearning, the lost love, the regret -- they were all palpable in this. The complexity of emotion and the bare-faced honesty of it here is just breath-taking.

Here you have Mick do what we all know he would feel honour-bound to do, and of course he gives her a choice at the end. Perhaps the depth of his honour is something she never truly understood.

She didn't fear death, she feared abandonment. Awesome.

All he could hear was the wash of the retreating tide. Just beautiful.

This is a masterpiece.

[redwinter101]

Thanks, GA (and a big, smooshy for PNWgal for the recommendation). So happy to see you back - and delighted you liked this.

Luxe, :curtesy: when it comes down to the end, the real end, honesty seemed appropriate for a couple whose lives had been ruined by dishonesty (even when that was their own fault). Thank you.

Red

[kpyle]

I have been late in leaving a comment. I have no words that would do this justice. So many others have, so I second, third, and fourth what they have all said! This scene was very much needed for Mick to move forward with himself! Thanks for this!

Kelly

[redwinter101]

Thanks for reading and commenting, Kelly (and not late at all ).

Red

[wpgrace]

Oh my god! You are bound and determined to make me cry, aren't you? I went nearly a year after the cancellation of the damn show and didn't cry and now every frikkin fic you write makes me cry... and ... doing both at once...

This one is just heart-breaking! Heart. BREAKING!!! The visual imagery (which no one can paint with words like you can) of small, broken Coraline lying there... and he beside her bedside all that time no doubt with his heart just wrenched, waiting for that moment for her to make her choice... ready and willing to do the deed, which is a big thing for him... to forgive, which is also a big thing for him... to go on with life WITH her in it, somewhere, at least, connected by a turning once again, which is also also a big thing for him... and then to get the news he got. Oh. My. God!

And DAMN! Her people are evil! Yet, for all her crazy and self-centeredness and disrespect for human concerns (like life and all) and presumption, she never was evil. She just made the supreme mistake and presumed too much with Mick. She loved him, she won him, and she lost him. And she saved him nonetheless. And the ONE thing she feared was him abandoning her. Not death. Not losing him to Beth, or whoever, whatever, mortal may even come after Beth. But him not caring, leaving her to her fate, THAT"S what she feared. She is tough and strong, but hopelessly in love with, til death does part, her man.

And I so totally completely agree with your underlying premises here... he would NEVER have not found her and tried to rescue her. He would ALWAYS have some connection to her, always, even within a happy life with Beth. And she suffered from her family... but her worstest fate was to have loved and lost Mick... THAT was her greatest pain and the one he helped alleviate at her death.

Oh Coraline dead! Mortal and dead. Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear... What utterly sublime, SUBLIME, drama! This story IS a masterpiece. The concept, the words, the imagery, it is just perfect in every way. I cannot WAIT for the next of this series!

[redwinter101]

Grace, I want to bottle you and keep you for ever. Okay that sounds a little stalker-y crazy now that I've actually typed it, but you know what I mean. This:

Yet, for all her crazy and self-centeredness and disrespect for human concerns (like life and all) and presumption, she never was evil. She just made the supreme mistake and presumed too much with Mick. She loved him, she won him, and she lost him. And she saved him nonetheless. And the ONE thing she feared was him abandoning her. Not death. Not losing him to Beth, or whoever, whatever, mortal may even come after Beth. But him not caring, leaving her to her fate, THAT"S what she feared. She is tough and strong, but hopelessly in love with, til death does part, her man.

is as perfect a summation of Coraline as I've ever read and it is precisely what I was hoping to convey.

You've made me very, very happy (as always).

And I absolutely promise (and this is a promise I WILL keep) that at least the next two stories will NOT make you cry. After that there's a little vagueness but the next two are bankers.

Red

[francis]

What a masterpiece. Of course Mick would rescue Coraline if he could. And of course he would offer her what she needs, to return her. Maybe it would have worked even, but maybe he would still not be free from her. I doubt he is now.
Your words just flow and create ripples and patterns of emotion. Wonderful and worthy of rereading. Thanks!

[redwinter101]

Thanks, francis. FWIW, I think he is free, now - as is Coraline.

Red

[wpgrace]

I find your current banner ironic, and am guessing it is intentional...

And I agree... I got the sense, from your story ending but it rings true for me, that he IS free now. Didn't expect ever to be, maybe, and this particular end of things shocked and saddened him-- he will mourn her, but then Mick feels like mourning is sorta a "normal" thing to do-- but he satisfied his own moral code. He found her, he tried to save her, he gave her a choice, and he stuck with her til the utterly bitter end. For once, he can't torture or fault himself 10 ways to Sunday...

And that worked out for him MUCH better than what Josef might have suggested he do... to just walk away. To let her die without giving her a chance and a choice. Yet, in a weird way, it is also so odd to think of Mick at peace. Tho you also gave him that in Stealing Home. And while it's a new thing for Mick... I kinda like it.

Oh, and just thoroughly enjoyed my re-read finally.

[redwinter101]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure it will not be long before I come up with new tortures and travails. The peace will not hold.

The banner was meant to be reverential rather than ironic - no matter how it ended (in this story), they always were a beautiful couple.

Red

[wpgrace]

Then I shall see it as reverential Poor poor Cora.

And yes, I am sure you'll put Mick back thru his paces... but a few moments of respite will not do any harm to his angsty, perpetual-cool rep. I've enjoyed them.