Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

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francis
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Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Here's the next chapter for you. Thank you for your patience.
Usual disclaimer still stands. Thanks to RNB for her beta work.

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link from chapter 25:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=6305
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“So, what now?” I asked as soon as the elevator pinged in the distance.

Mick left his chair and started pacing the room. “There are lots of questions still unanswered.”

I ticked them off: “Is Mattola still alive? I guess he laid the fire and killed the person whose remains you found in the ashes, but we have no proof yet. What’s Morgan’s connection to Mattola, to the fire and to the body? If he’s no longer alive, how did she manage to get his prints onto her door, and what happened to him? And most important of all: What’s her agenda with all of this? Is she really your ex trying to get back at you?”

Mick nodded. “I’m almost sure of that, and if she is, why this way? Why does she want to go to the cemetery with me tonight to check something we could check much easier during the day? It doesn’t really have any importance if his urn is there or isn’t, because you can fake an urn easily, or you can remove it afterwards.”

I pondered these questions, letting my head fall back onto the comfortable red couch. “She clearly was uneasy when it looked as if I would go with you. She wants you alone there.”

“This could be a trap. Maybe she wants to confront me with the truth, show me who she is. There’s a sure way to know that. Coraline had a tattoo on her shoulder. If Morgan has it, she’s Coraline.”

“I’m not sure if she has a tattoo, it was quite dark.” I lied. It was a Fleur-de-Lys. I had assumed it was a reminder of her fondness of Paris and France in general.

Mick whipped his head around. “If she’s really Coraline, how did she do it? She doesn’t smell…” he stopped.

He paced some more. “I need to talk to a friend about this, he knew her too when we were married. I’ll drive to the cemetery with her later and see what happens.”

“Maybe I should visit her before you and try to get it out of her”, I offered. “We didn’t part on the right foot the last time we met, but maybe she will open up.”

“What’s your relationship with her anyway?” Mick asked, staring at me.

I shuffled my feet, crossed my arms. “I’m not sure. It’s complicated.” He continued to watch me. “You know, she’s really beautiful, interesting, and passionate. I liked her when I first met her, I still do. She shouldn’t have to play these games. I want to get behind that, I really want her to close this part of her life and move on. As long as she’s hung up in taking revenge on you for whatever she thinks you did to her, she’s not free for me.”

“She’s dangerous.” Mick stated. “You might get hurt.”

“Well, you know, the first time in my life I don’t care about that.” I surprised myself, but I realized I really meant that.

He sighed. “Yeah, she tends to do that to men. She will get you to do things you don’t normally do, things you regret afterwards. She’ll try to change you, mold you to her will. She has a really cruel streak. Don’t fall into that trap, Josh. You’re a good man.”

He sat down in the chair opposite me and bent forward until our faces were almost touching. “What did she tell you about me, about the past? I really need to know.”

I struggled to find words. “She gave me a hint that she staged the theft of her cameras to get you into the case. I have no idea if she also has her hands in the arson, or if it was just a convenient means to get the story going. She told me that she changed her identity. That she was married to you, and you hurt her. She wants to get back at you, make you see where you went wrong.” I cleared my throat. “I don’t know any details, but she told me that you tried to kill her.”

He watched the wall intently. “I did. I thought I succeeded. I thought she was dead.”

I was taken aback. He told me, the A.D.A., about an attempted murder. Wasn’t that awfully risky?

He looked up. “You’re surprised I tell you that. Well, you don’t have any proof, she never called the police and she’s not dead after all, so there’s no case. Right?”

I nodded slowly. “I have enough riddles to solve without looking into that. Besides, I wouldn’t do that to you. You are a good man, too.”

Mick stood up. “It’s getting late. If you want to talk to her, do it now. I’ll call you tomorrow to tell you how it went, okay?”

I grasped my jacket from a chair and headed for the door. I hesitated. “Mick, if there’s anything else you want to disclose to me, I promise I will keep quiet about it. I just need to get behind this for my own sanity. And please try to keep Beth out of this.”

He smiled. “I’m trying, but she’s not really making it easy.”

“Yeah, I know.” I grinned and left.

On my way to the car I tried to find words to ask Morgan/Coraline what her plans were. I really hoped she didn’t plan on killing Mick. As she was human for now, I doubted she could take his life easily anyway. How did one kill a vampire? A wooden stake probably. I would watch out for those kinds of things when I was with her.

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I wasn’t sure if I should have called before I knocked at her door, but maybe it would be good to surprise her. I steeled myself for whatever she would haul at me - anger, insult, seduction. She had seen me work with Mick on the case, and probably felt betrayed. Her plan to confuse and hurt Mick didn’t work the way she wanted it, he was confused but still in control. What her plans were with me I had no idea, but with all that had happened it seemed to me that she just tagged me along to keep me from persecuting her. Was I falling out of love for her? Had I been in love before? I wasn’t sure. She sure as hell had me all confused.

I knocked and she opened. “Oh, Josh! What do you want?” She was polite and waved me in, but it seemed to me that she was uneasy and that my visit didn’t fit into her plans.

I followed her to the kitchen where I saw the remains of a dinner. She busied herself packing things away into the fridge.

“So you’re still not a vampire yet.” I casually remarked to get the conversation going.

“It’s none of your business,” she spat. “You probably told Mick everything about me, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t tell him that you’re a vampire. You don’t trust me at all, do you?”

“Should I trust you when you go to Mick and tell on me? What was your business getting into this case? Why are you two suddenly so cozy with each other?”

I sat down on the couch. “Cora, Morgan, calm down, please. I don’t want to hurt you. I just don’t understand why you’re doing this, all of this. Mick is close to a nervous breakdown, thinking you might be his ex-wife, thinking you might have risen from the dead. He didn’t tell me that you’re a vampire, but he came close to losing it.”

She stood at the window, deep in thought, playing with the curtain. She smiled. “So he still doesn’t know. Good.”

I stood up. “Coraline, this is madness. What good can come out of this? Why don’t you just disclose yourself now, tell him the truth and get on with life?”

She whipped around. “What life should I get on with? He thought he killed me and never even looked back. He was the one I loved, the one I married, the one I wanted to spend eternity with. He threw it all away because he didn’t want me. He wanted a human wife, kids, whatever. I wasn’t good enough for him the way I was. Can’t you understand? I want him to love me. If I need to be human for that to happen, so be it. I try to draw it out as long as I can until I revert again.”

I took her arms into my hands and looked into her eyes. Tears were brimming on her long black lashes. “Coraline, why? He found another life, he moved on. Why can’t you?”

“Because, he’s all that I have left.”

I wanted to embrace her, comfort her and show her that I would be there for her. She didn’t need to play this game. She hesitated and didn’t reciprocate, but let me hug her.

A horn honked outside, and immediately she wiggled out of my arms and fetched her purse from the vanity. Suddenly her whole demeanour changed, she was animated, the anger and sadness were gone. “It’s Mick. Wait for me here if you like, okay?”

She dabbed her eyes with a tissue in front of the mirror and straightened her dark dress, then she was out of the door.

I let myself fall back onto the couch; I felt like a train just rammed me. Maybe I should catch some sleep while she was away, but I was far too upset to get rest now. I fetched myself a glass of water and started pacing her apartment. Watching the pictures on her walls, the knick knacks, the book shelf, I made my way into her bedroom. I had been here before, but it was dark then and we were distracted. I tried to concentrate on picking up things about her from the things she surrounded herself with. It felt odd, like I was violating her space, on the other hand she had done very intimate things to me in this bed already. I stroked my finger along the books on her bedside table, along the elegant throw on her bed, along the mirror and the lamp. A small leather bound note book was lying on the bed. It looked like a diary, and it was open.

Should I? She didn’t trust me anyway, so why not act out on it? Maybe she left it for me. Maybe it would help me understand her better.

I sat down on her bed and turned it over to read it where it was open. It was written in delicate hand writing, in French. I turned the pages backwards and skimmed over the sides. What I found made my throat constrict and my skin crawl.

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link to chapter 27:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=6429&p=155188#p155188
Last edited by francis on Thu May 27, 2010 1:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
NocturneInCMoll
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Ugh--what is Josh thinking, still wanting to be involved with Coraline? On the other hand, given what he may have just discovered, maybe he'll change his mind. There's hope for him yet?
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francis
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Hmm, I tend to think it's hopeless with him. But maybe Coraline will change. No? We'll see. :snicker:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by mitzie »

I wish Josh would be completely honest with Mick about Coraline, but I think he can't let go of her even though he thinks he can!!! :sigh: I loved that last line!!! :devil: I love this story and can't wait to see what happens next... :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :hyper2: :hyper2: :Mickangel: :gasp: :eek2: :stir: :slappy: :getclue: :juggle: :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :notworthy: :heart: :flowers:


mitzie :mooncat:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by kpyle »

What is Josh thinking? Coroline has just addmitted to wanting Mick back, and he's still hanging around like a puppy? But...he did find her diary and has read something worth reading....I think.

So Mick and Coroline are off to the cemetary together, and we all know that didn't go well!

Thanks for the update, can't wait to see what Josh has read, and what he does with the information!

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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by wollstonecraft61 »

Duh, duh, duhhhhhh....What did Josh see? I am climbing the walls wanting to know!!!!!!!!! :gasp:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by Lucy »

what is it about men? whether they have street smarts or book smarts they get bamboozled by women who use their allure (and I am not always talking vamp allure)

She has hooked Josh and he is getting reeled in like a flounder!

More, more!
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

mitzie wrote:I wish Josh would be completely honest with Mick about Coraline, but I think he can't let go of her even though he thinks he can!!! :sigh: I loved that last line!!! :devil: I love this story and can't wait to see what happens next...


mitzie :mooncat:
Thank you, mitzie. Yes, Josh is completely under her spell and thinks he can make her change. :happysigh: He's such a romantic... :melts:

I had to cut out your smilies out of your post because it wouldn't let me add even one. Very impressive. :snicker:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

kpyle wrote:What is Josh thinking? Coroline has just addmitted to wanting Mick back, and he's still hanging around like a puppy? But...he did find her diary and has read something worth reading....I think.

So Mick and Coroline are off to the cemetary together, and we all know that didn't go well!

Thanks for the update, can't wait to see what Josh has read, and what he does with the information!

Kelly
Josh still thinks that Coraline has no chance to win Mick back and will see that some time. Now what will happen next? :flirt:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

wollstonecraft61 wrote:Duh, duh, duhhhhhh....What did Josh see? I am climbing the walls wanting to know!!!!!!!!! :gasp:
Don't hurt yourself, woll! Thank you for reading and getting into the story. Next chapter soon, pinkie promise! :hearts:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Lucy wrote:what is it about men? whether they have street smarts or book smarts they get bamboozled by women who use their allure (and I am not always talking vamp allure)

She has hooked Josh and he is getting reeled in like a flounder!

More, more!
Yep, he's hooked. It might just be that she's so complicated and he wants to understand her. Let's see how that turns out... :hug:
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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by VampFan5 »

Wow, I'll bet that diary is a page turner. I've said it once and I'll say it again. Run for you life Josh. :eek2: He's falling for this woman so hard and is changing just like Mick said but he doesn't realize it. I think Mick was warning him in a round about way but Josh is blind to her influence now. Since this is alternate universe will she still end up in the hospital after Beth stakes her? If so will Josh be the one to help her escape when the fangs show up? I love this wild ride Francis. :clapping:

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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by jen »

Josh, Josh, Josh.

He does not have any idea what he is dealing with. These folks play far rougher than he has the strength to survive. And we call Mick a 'delicate flower'

What did the Cleaner say about dead humans in vampire business, 'collatoral damage'?

At this rate, Josh may not live to be taken out by Tejada's men.

Great chapter!

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Re: Twists of Fate chapter 26 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

Thank you, jen, for reading and commenting.
The next chapter is up, to not keep you guessing for too long. :flowers:
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