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| Always and Forever | |||
| Ardreju (Michelle Becker) | |||
| Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |
| Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 |
| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | |
| Heh heh... what kind of name is Ardreju? Nah, just kidding.
It's a cool fic by a cool girl. ^_^ A little innuendo and language, but nothing bad. Deal with it. <g> BTW... one of the best fanfics I have ever read. |
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| Chapter 4 | |
| "Gonna be a cold night," Strago remarked grimly. Relm said nothing. Strago watched her, helping himself to a heap of potatoes. "You should check those tulips of yours in the garden outside. Cold can be devastating to them." Relm remained quiet, pushing her food around on her plate. "Not feeling well?" Strago asked his granddaughter, concerned. "Tell me, " she demanded softly. He sighed. "Relm, we have been through this before…" She stood up, angry. "I have a right! And you owe it to me!" Strago shook his head, trying to deny everything. Not only from her, but himself. "Dear, it wouldn't help things." Relm trembled. "I don't care if he doesn't want me in his life! I don't care if he's dead!" "Then what do you care for?" Strago inquired softly. He never raised his voice at his granddaughter. Relm quieted. She searched an unknown place for a moment with her eyes, as if Strago and nothing else had ever existed. As if her whole life was hanging above her, waiting to be plucked but still out of reach. "I want to know what kind of man made me," she answered. "I want a piece of my life." Strago said nothing, caught in a very hard conflict between fear and pity. Relm rested her eyes on him. "If you will not tell me, Strago, then let me find out for myself." Strago met her eyes. She had never referred to him as anything else except "granddad" or "gramps" or whatever other grandfatherly names. Those eyes were far different than the eyes he looked into years ago. She was a woman now, perhaps not in body, but in heart and mind. Her mentality was that of any intelligent adult being. She had grown up, too fast indeed, but she was grown nevertheless. She was responsible. She was brave. And above all, she could take of herself. He nodded, not wanting to let go of his little girl, but knowing she was already gone. ********* Since when did she start to sew? It took her mind off of him, so that was why she did it. "Woke to the sound that keeps me alive…" she began singing. Him. When love was inconceivable, she had chose him. "Sleep to the sound that brings me warmth..." And he had chosen her, and thus they grew weak. "Tears could never take the flood away…" She pricked her finger with the needle, and stared at it with curiosity. Such a small wound, and yet…. Oh, how she missed him. She got up and crawled into her bed again, where she had crawled the past two weeks, crying herself to sleep. She doubted he would return. If he knew how he was killing her inside… When she had hoped, he came to her. He fulfilled all the dreams and never lowered her expectations. But she had been a blind fool. Long ago she had given up on love. No man, complete with his desires, could have loved her. So she actually found Locke's departure no surprise. She laughed to herself. To think he would actually care for her! Who had she been kidding? Herself. She should have known that after all her years being human that no man could truly love her. At first it had been because of her strength. But Locke knew her weakness now. And he did not care. If he only knew how he was killing her inside… ********* "What are you doing up?" Setzer asked. Terra looked up from her coffee and met her friend's dark, concerned eyes. It was near midnight, and she was still hanging around with her friend on the airship. Setzer had no objections. There was something about being in the sky and the sense of freedom that bounded her. Despite the occasional gambling parties Setzer had with friends she was really enjoying herself. She felt safe and unbounded up here. She didn't have to worry about anyone but herself. And for once, it made her happy. "I could not sleep," she answered simply. "Is that why you're drinking coffee?" Setzer asked bemused. She smiled. "It has an adverse affect on me." "Whatever," Setzer replied, pretending to sound nonchalant. "I suppose boredom amuses you then too." "Hush," Terra warned, smiling as Setzer chuckled. Setzer leaned back on the rail, face up towards the cold night air. "You like it here, huh?" he asked. Terra nodded. "There's something about this ship that takes my worries away." Setzer nodded. "That's what I love about this ship. I can do whatever I want. I don't need anything else." "Nothing?" He shrugged. "Well, I am happy I have friends," he answered solemnly. "But my ship has been here always. In the beginning, it helped me get away. It is my sanctuary." "Get way from what?" Terra asked. He turned to her, and Terra never remember seeing such a look in eyes before. Nor would she forget it. "I have only told Locke this," he said gravely. "Not a breath out of my lips," she promised. Setzer sat down against the rail, motioning for her to follow. "I didn't have an easy childhood Terra," he started off quietly. "I was an only child, and I was nowhere near wealthy. Kinda stuck between lower and middle-class." Terra nodded, awed by the change that was overcoming her friend's voice. Setzer continued. "My mother worked as a maid. My father was fired and he turned to drinking. He was horrible when he got drunk. He locked me in the cellar closet one time." He heard no reaction from her, but saw one in her eyes. "It is no surprise that he started messing up my mother. Beating her up and shit. Well, one day…" He paused, and made a very slight choking noise. Terra reached out for him, but he waved away her hand. He sighed. A very soft sigh, as if he were a baby. "I was about thirteen. I was upstairs, and I heard my father beating my mother up. Countless times before I tried to defend her, but I was a scrappy kid and my father could have easily…well, you know." Terra nodded, her heart thumping painfully. Setzer took another breath. "I heard this…unbelievable scream. Never again will I heard a sound like that, and I pray every night no one ever will. I went downstairs…" Terra put a trembling hand over her mouth. Her heart beat faster. For a moment it looked as though Setzer had stabbed himself, for a look of such pain crossed his face. "She was on the ground, and there was quite a lot of blood. I rushed to her, held her. And she turned her eyes on me…" She shook her head, trying not to believe. Setzer's voice was softer now, and distraught. "She told me to run. He had stabbed her, and she begged me to run. I wasn't going to leave her, not like that, but then…" He had tears on his face, and was looking at the sky again. This time without hesitation Terra grabbed his hand, with both of hers, and held it to her heart. He turned to her, and in his eyes was a hurt that seemed depthless, unending. "She died right there," he choked. She gave out a small cry, as if she had been bit or pricked, and tears warmed her cheeks. Setzer took yet another deep breath, this time it sounded painful. "I turned around and saw him, and I went berserk. I jumped on him, pounding him and beating and screaming at him. I called him a monster, I yelled that he killed mother-that sort of thing." He paused, looking her straight in the eyes. "Terra, take a very good look at me." She did, holding his eyes with hers. Setzer wore make-up, not because he was a transsexual or anything, but as he had once joked, because 'it's almost as fun as concealing cards in a good game of poker'. He was an attractive man, and he almost had as many admirers as Edgar did. But despite the make-up he had a beautiful, finely boned face-she had always thought he was beautiful. He has such dark blue eyes they could have been mistaken for black. And then he had the scars, which he had once told her earlier was another reason why he wore the pale make-up. He had several of them, and they weren't ugly at all, but they were still quite vivid and pink. Then, without warning, she knew. Her mouth opened, and she shook her head. She tried to speak, but he knew she had understood. "How?" she asked, barely with a breath. "He took a knife, and he went for my face. I blacked out." She shuddered, released his hand, and buried her head in hers. For heart-wrenching moments she cried, and then she felt her friend's hand on her hair, stroking it lightly. After a while the tears subsided, and she looked up to his face. He cleared his throat. "When I came to, I was in an alley. For about two weeks I was homeless, scavenging from trash and stuff, that sort of thing. One day I was caught stealing from a guy's backyard garden, but instead of kicking the shit out of me he took me in. He was a gambler, and one of the best people I have ever met. He introduced me into gambling and all that stuff, which I guess isn't right to do with a kid that age, but he took great care of me." "What happened to him?" Terra asked. Setzer smiled. "Oh, he's still around. I visit him often. You'll meet him sometime." Terra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You miss her a lot?" "Yes." "I miss my mother too, even though…" He brushed the hair away from her face, watching her. She blinked away another tear. "She doesn't exist anymore." "Nonsense. In history she doesn't, but in our minds she did. And in your heart. Lands can die or be diminished, Terra, but not your heart." She smiled. "That was beautiful." "Well, I've been known to write a few good lines of poetry…" She laughed, smacking him on the arm. |
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