Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

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GuardianAngel
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Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by GuardianAngel »

As always, my thanks to Pgal for being my sounding board and for just being there. :heart:

This is in answer to The Road Not Taken Challenge


Tethered


He stepped into the lifeless room; still and quiet except for the soft hiss of the respirator, the regulated thug of the patient’s heart and the slow, doleful beat of the visitor’s in the bedside chair.

Turned away from the door, head resting on a propped hand and staring out the window, she did not hear his approach. He studied her inert form, the soft golden tendrils that escaped a crudely formed bun curling at her nape, the the stiffness of a spine that must be aching from exhaustion.

The vampire nearly turned to go, reluctant to intrude when her eyes focused on his reflection in the glass and she spun around to face him. “Mick!”

“Hey.”

Beth rose from her chair slowly, her body stiff from immobility and lack of sleep but the smile was soft and quick to her lips. “Hey.”

He stepped into the hospital room with a short, forced smile. “How’s Josh doing?”

“They had to remove his leg and his heart suffered severe trauma.” The words rang in the room and she darted an apologetic look at the prostrate man draped in white. Lowering her voice Beth walked toward the end of the bed, skimming her fingers along the edge. “But the doctors say he’s lucky. If not for you he he would have died.”

Mick’s eyes followed her hand, noting that even when she stopped it did not lose its connection from the mattress, as if she were tethered to it.

“I talked him into pursuing Tejada. He was trying to protect me. Now he needs me.” The words had the ring of rote.

Beth’s face raised to his, her tired eyes red-rimmed but intent. “Josh...,” she cleared her throat, “Josh is going to need extensive rehabilitation and has to learn to walk with a prosthesis. It will be slow. His heart is so weak.” Her voice faded and she looked down at her hand, now fisted in the bedding exactly where Josh’s missing foot should have been. When there was no response, Beth peeked up at the vampire but he was staring at her hand. The fist tightened. “He needs me.”

Mick realized Beth wasn’t tethered. She was holding on, afraid to let go. Afraid that he’d make her want to.

When his eyes finally met hers, Beth caught her breath at his expression. Shattered. Mick looked shattered.

“Then you should be there for him.”

There was relief; it was what she expected him to say. There was pain; it was not what she wanted him to say. Her eyes burned as she watched the corners of his mouth pull downward and his jaw harden.

She wanted to touch that face. Her arm raised. Stalled. And landed at his chest, just above his heart. Without thought, her head followed until it too rested there. “I can’t....we can’t...”

Was it only yesterday morning that he had entertained the thought of telling Beth how he felt? His admission to himself had opened a door - one that he could neither walk through nor close. He’d missed his chance. Now he had to walk away.

The dark head nodded, eyes raised, unfocused, towards the ceiling. “No. I know.”

He tried to keep his arms down but, although they felt as if they each weighed a ton, they refused to stay at his side. It was Mick’s last chance to touch her, hold her warm body against his and imbibe in all that was Beth. Leadened fingers threaded through her hair and splayed across her back, memorizing how she felt. It would have to last an eternity. Mick’s head fell forward, his nose rested below her ear. Closing his eyes he inhaled and let her essence permeate his body.

“I’ve got to go.”

Beth could only nod against his shoulder.

Mick backed away but was stopped by her fingers twisted in his shirt. She never made a sound. Just stood rooted to the floor, the bed. And him.

“Beth.” A whispered, tattered plea.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Beth pretended for just a moment that he was asking her to choose him. She pretended that she could walk away. That she was free. But that’s all it would be. Pretend. There was no choice.

Without looking up, she nodded and by slow degrees released him.
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r1015bill
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by r1015bill »

That would have had to have been the alternative to Josh's death - a very long recovery in which both Beth and Mick would have done what was expected despite their own feelings.

Interesting how Mick saw her tethered to Josh but Beth really saw herself tethered to Mick.
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

GA, this is just shattering. I've got to say, I was hoping all through it that Josh would...well, expire. Poor guy.

With this, now there are three souls in pain.

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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by LadyAilith »

Oh, how sad. Beth tied to Josh when she loves someone else and poor Mick - desperately in love with Beth. Both doing the "right thing" and shattering their hearts...

Beautifully written GA.
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by maggatha3 »

Wonderful ,Guardian Anger...throughout the scene in the episode ,I was praying for Josh to live and now reading this story I was praying for him to die, much for his own good and for Beth and Mick. Losing eachother and withdrawing from real love out of obligation..so much like both of them.

Thank you for a beautiful story!! :rose:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by NightAir »

What a sad possibility. :sadface:

Beth made the choice to let Mick go. Under the circumstances, what else could she do? But will she ever really not be tethered to Mick and he to her?
Eventually perhaps, Josh will realize her heart is with someone else and will break it off himself. After all, Mick does have time to wait for her. :fingerscrossed:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by allegrita »

Oh, man, GA... you've got me blubbering, woman!! This is a beautiful, terrible alternate storyline to the end of LLF. Desperate and devastating... and just so very sad for all three of them. Siiiiiigh... :Mickangel:

But Mick won't let her go completely. I know he'll stay in the shadows, watching over them. Because that's what he does so very well. Poor Mick. :bmoon:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by francis »

OH MY GOD! This is freaking me out, in a good way. What if...
Beth torn between two men was bad enough, now she is tethered to both, wanting Mick to pull her away but knowing it can never be. How awfully sad!
Mick realized Beth wasn’t tethered. She was holding on, afraid to let go. Afraid that he’d make her want to.
And then Mick rips his heart out of her grasp and goes away. I'm sure he will still stay close, but it will kill him inside to see her unhappy with another man she feels obligated to care for.
I tend to think that at one point Josh will realize that she's not happy, and set her free. He's perspective like that. But until then, this is a nightmare for all three.

Wonderfully written!!!
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by wpgrace »

Oh man life is complicated sometimes!
And sad.

There is real beauty here tho. Two people in love, self sacrificing to do the right thing.
Or what they both perceive to be the right thing.
Life really is complicated sometimes... :sigh:

Well done. Very very well done.
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Well, I sure am experiencing a range of emotions today. First, I read PGal's hot BC shower fic and am all kinds of 'heated up' , then I read this dark beauty, and want to bawl my eyes out.

This is so heartbreakingly gorgeous. It shows the depth of 2 people's love for one another in their sacrifice of that love for another person's well-being. Although I wanted to scream NO at the page, it wouldn't have been true to Mick and Beth to do anything other than what you have written.

Stellar, my dear. Simply stellar.
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by loveyoumick »

Oh my God !!!! :hankie: This is heartbreaking, and absolutely full of that special beauty that you can find only in the sadness. Like poetry. Oh God, I hope I'm making any sense, here, but... :hankie:
This can't be the end, this is so beautiful it deserves another shot.... :gasp: :hankie: :hankie: :hankie:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by jen »

Shattering.

For Mick, it is Ray and Lilah all over again.

Except Mick and Josh never were close.

This is heartbreaking. I can totally see them doing this. If Josh survives, and at this stage it is still an 'if' (If I read this correctly), Josh will not allow Beth to sacrifice herself in this way. Beth loves Mick, but just like Lilah, she is staying with Josh at this point from duty.

Thank you!!!

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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by darkstarrising »

O dear god!! This is heartbreaking....

While wishing death on no one, had Josh lived, this scenario is likely one that would have played out...

and this
Mick realized Beth wasn’t tethered. She was holding on, afraid to let go. Afraid that he’d make her want to.
You know that he wanted to, and she wanted him to, but in the end, she had to let Mick go. :hankie:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by cassysj »

This is so tragic. Poor Josh/Beth/Mick. She has to stay with Josh but it will turn out badly for all of them. :hankie:
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Re: Tethered (Champagne Challenge #129) PG-13

Post by redwinter101 »

This is beautiful, delicate, truthful - and totally heart-breaking. There's no hand-wringing, no cries of torment, just three people trapped in circumstance, duty, love and loss.

I could feel every beat of hopeless desperation, from the first word to the last and with this:
GuardianAngel wrote:“Beth.” A whispered, tattered plea.
you really did break my heart.

There really aren't enough superlatives - so I'll just say that this is perfectly true to everything I love about Moonlight.

:flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers:

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