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Post by Amy81 on Oct 4, 2006 11:46:42 GMT -6
"What did the two of you talk about then? Oh yes, your pending wedding. I'm sure he was very much excited about you recovering, and was eager to have you agree to be his bride."
"Not exactly" Amy said. "He was happy I was awake, but..."
"He didn't want to talk about his proposal, did he. Even after you told him about the baby. Oh, he finally agreed, after you badgered him a bit, correct?" The demon did not pause for a response this time. "Over a barrel, that was Charybdis's thought as you pressed him on it. You know, how he'd asked you to take the seal before you left, and now that you'd returned you had an answer for him."
"Over a barrel?" Amy asked, anger and shock creeping into her voice.
The demon nodded. "Seems you had him on a technicality, and he had to agree. But why in the universe would he hesitate? I wonder why that was?" Suddenly the scene changed, and Amy found herself in a corridor. Down the hall, she could see Charybdis and another woman, holding each other close, sharing a kiss. "Her name is..."
"I know her name" Amy said coldly, her blood boiling.
"He arranged for private quarters for her. She was quite appreciative. Well, I guess you can't blame the old boy for wanting to explore all his options now that his long lost love had returned. Imagine the life that would lead to, juggling the affections of two young women..."
"Shut up" Amy snapped.
"I just..." the demon said innocently. It was one of his favorite tones of voice, and he loved the opportunity to use it.
"I have eyes" Amy said. "I can see. And I've seen enough of this. Of everything."
"There is one more thing you do not know" the demon said gently, willing to drop the subject and move on to the grand finale....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 6, 2006 12:15:18 GMT -6
And what could that possibly be?" Amy asked irritably.
"The one person in all of your life that never betrayed you, who cares for you deeply, and would never dream of hurting you." The demon paused, letting the idea of it sink in. This was the best part, he thought to himself. This was all so much like a brilliant symphony, or a recipe for a fine meal prepared to the highest...
"Who?" Amy asked softly.
"Sure he's a bit of a scoundrel" the demon went on, "but it's just that he hasn't settled down yet. You could change that..."
"Who?" Amy asked again, her voice a little louder. She wanted to know, needed to know badly. In a life filled with betrayal, did a person like the demon mentioned truly exist?
The demon paused a few beats more. This truly was the best part. And in true demonic fashion. For if it all went according to plan, really went according to plan, when the other shoe dropped on this one particular point the results would be beyond compare in all his experience. He said the name softly, as reverently as the name could be said. "Artus."
Tears appeared as Amy remembered Artus, and remembered things she couldn't possibly recall ever happening. The demon cringed as memories of the ship of lights flooded Amy's mind, but Amy was too enraptured to notice his reaction. These were normally images the demon could not use, but he had been there himself, his help needed by the bumbling light beings in order to return Amy to life after she'd accidently spaced herself.
The demon considered this point. Was someone who could accidently space herself looking for a turboflush actually be of some use? Of course she could be. Any convert is important. And soon Amy would be one. He was sure of it....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 7, 2006 8:00:18 GMT -6
The more Amy thought about it, the more it all made sense. What she had been shown of her time with Artus on the ship of lights, the sacrifices he had made there, and her own memories of their time together on the Callisto made her realize for the first time the depth of his feelings for her. How could she not have realized?
As she thought back on everything that had been revealed to her, suddenly her desire for life was irresistable.
"I want to live" Amy said firmly. "I want to go back."
"Sure, sure" the demon said, smiling. It was time to close the deal. "And the baby? What of her? I could save her if you wish."
"Her..." Amy thought. It gave her pause for a fraction of a micron, then it passed.
"I don't want it" Amy said. "Her" she corrected herself, "I don't want her." The coldness of her voice nearly made the demon jealous. She was staring at Charybdis as she spoke, still down the hall sharing a tender moment with that, that person. "I don't want anything to do with it" she continued. "It wouldn't be fair, and I'm not about to repeat what Brie did to me."
"Okay, okay, strike one baby."
"There is so much I need to straighten out in my life" Amy said excitedly, "and now that I know..."
"Hold on, hold on sweetheart" the demon interrupted. "You can't take what you know back with you. Not without there being something in it for me." The demon raised a hand, and suddenly they were back in the meadow filled with flowers....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 10, 2006 10:11:52 GMT -6
The sudden change of scenery was jarring to Amy, just as the demon hoped it would be.
Amy nearly panicked at the thought of being back in the meadow, back to being clueless to nearly everything that was really going on in her life. She could not conceive of returning to her life without this newfound knowledge. To continue to be oblivious while everyone around her used her and deceived her simply just wasn't an option. Couldn't be an option.
Amy looked the demon. "I guess the strings had to appear eventually" Amy said. "What do you want?" Where earlier she'd been filled with distrust, she was now ready to consider anything he might say.
"Only that you follow me" the demon said, in his best, most reasonable tone. He had to trust his skills, have faith in his ability. He'd laid it all out for her, brought her in a little at a time, and he had to now trust that it had worked. The anticipation was nearly too much for him as he waited for her response....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 11, 2006 11:07:17 GMT -6
"I will follow you" Amy said.
"What was that?" the demon asked. "I didn't quite hear that."
"I will follow you" Amy repeated, her voice louder and stronger this time.
"Then take my hand, child" the demon said, extending his hand out toward her.
Amy reached out and took it. There was a small something, like a shudder that ran through her body in that instant of contact, and then...
She lurched up, sucking in a huge breath as the doctor immediately pushed her back down again.
"She's responding doctor" a nurse shouted with relief. A micron ago they were just about to call it, and now...
Amy sucked in breath in short gasps. A nurse on the other side tried to calm her. "You're okay, you're okay..." she repeated to Amy, a hand reassuringly stroking her head. Amy opened her eyes, and the nurse took a step backward.
Amy's eyes were solid black...
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 12, 2006 8:01:30 GMT -6
The head surgeon noticed the nurse's reaction and asked her what was wrong.
"Her eyes" was all the nurse would say. The surgeon leaned in closer to Amy, flicked on a penlight and was satisfied with the way the patient's eyes responded. He flicked the light back off, slightly annoyed with the nurse.
"Keep your head in the game" he snapped. "Her eyes look fine. I know it's been a long haul here but we're at the end of it. Just a few millicentons longer." His voice gradually softened as he spoke, for he knew nerves were pretty frayed all around after this operation.
The nurse nodded, nervously taking another look into the patient's eyes. They looked normal now, the clearest blue she'd ever seen. "I'm sorry doctor" she said, not quite convinced that she'd been seeing things. "Must be fatigue...."
The doctor nodded as he finished up. The patient was breathing fine now, and was in fine shape considering all she had been through. He allowed himself to feel the fatigue himself then as he stepped back from the operating table.
"Recovery room five" he said, and the orderlies stepped in to wheel the patient away....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 12, 2006 12:35:11 GMT -6
Recovery room five was just that, nothing more than a cubicle roughed out for patients in between the journey from the operating room to a regular room, with hopefully back to their lives the final destination. Amy was conscious and coherent by the time she was wheeled into number five.
The nurse that followed her there looked up from her chart, surprised to see Amy alert and looking at her. "My, you gave me a start" she said, the chart slipping slightly in her hands before she squeezed it again. She approached the bed. "You're going to feel a little sore for a bit, but this drip will help with the pain." She indicated the IV she intended to hook into Amy.
Amy just looked at the nurse, watching as the IV was hooked into her arm.
"There" said the nurse, feeling a need to break the silence. She smiled, but it faded when Amy did not return the same. "Uh, I have something for you" she went on. "Seems somebody couldn't wait for you to get out of surgery." She went out into the hall, and returned with a box. She offered it to Amy, but instead set it on the bed within reach when Amy made no move to take it.
"Well" the nurse said, "press the button if you need anything. You'll be in a regular room in no time." Again she smiled, then turned away and left the room. She felt unsettled but understood, for the poor patient had just lost her baby and nearly her life. She couldn't begin to know what was going through that poor girl's head....
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 14, 2006 12:50:39 GMT -6
Amy sat there for the longest time after the nurse left, just staring at the box. She couldn't imagine what might be in it, or who could have sent it. The best she could come up with was maybe it was something from Charybdis. That engagement necklace perhaps, unless he'd given it to that person instead, or maybe a violon. She couldn't really blame him if he was confused about the mixed messages she'd sent him, but he had proposed again before she'd left on the mission, and she had told him that the answer had to wait for her to get back.
But 'over a barrel'? Nice way to enter into a lifetime commitment.
She picked up the box, felt how heavy it was, and then opened it. Shoes? Nice shoes. With a heel higher than she'd ever worn before. A bit much for her normally, but maybe that too was going to have to change. It might be nice, actually. She looked them over closely. Very well made. Maybe dated back to before the colonies were devastated.
She reached in and took out the note:
Amy,
Don’t ask how I ended up with these, but I thought you’d like them. Something for when you’re “on your feet” again, so to speak. Just don’t tell your mom that they’re from me because I’m sure she’ll hate them.
I’ll stop by as soon as I’m allowed. I miss you, my friend.
Brie
Amy set the note down, then picked it up to read it again. Her eyes grew watery as she set it back down again. Did Brie enjoy these little inside references? Don't tell your mom. Had it just become that easy to lie to her? I miss you, my friend. My friend. There's a laugh, mom.
She set the shoes back into the box, slowly wrinkling up the note before tossing it in as well. Just don’t tell your mom that they’re from me because I’m sure she’ll hate them. Well, that's really nice. If you hated them that much, why'd you send them to me in the first place, mom?
A knock at the door surprised her. She wiped at her eyes. "Come in" she said loudly, her voice wavering a little.
The door swung open. "Hi baby" Abby said as she walked in, a big smile on her face.
Another phony, Amy thought. This just gets better and better...
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 14, 2006 15:41:34 GMT -6
"Hey" Amy said, smiling without feeling. She took the shoes back out of the box. "You're just in time. The note said my mom wouldn't like these, but I was wondering... what do you think of them?"
Abby's smile wavered a little. "Well, I think they're a little much, but to be honest it's so good to see you, you could wander around naked and I'd be perfectly happy!"
Amy gave out a half laugh. "Funny, that's something I'd figured Ange might say."
Abby's expression fell. "Ange? From Agro security?"
"Yup" Amy replied. "The only Ange I know of."
Abby didn't know what to say. Amy'd been through so much, she must be a wreck inside. That must be it. She picked up and held Amy's hand. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry about the baby..."
Amy paused a moment, then pulled her hand away. "It's fine. Really. I didn't want it, and if you don't want a baby you shouldn't have one. Especially if the father is someone you don't want anything to do with."
Abby was again at a loss for words. "I don't understand..." she began.
"I mean" Amy explained, "if it was me, I couldn't have a baby and not keep it. I couldn't, oh, give it away. And if I did, I wouldn't be able to stay away and keep it in the dark. It'd be a heck of a way for a child to grow up, you know? I'd know how I'd feel if the child was me. So it's better this way. Fate knew what it was doing."
Abby searched Amy's face for clues as to what was going on with her. "How are you feeling, baby?"
"Please" Amy said, "don't call me baby. I'm not your baby."
Abby was stopped cold by this. Then she thought, Amy's just trying to be brave, to sort things through, and no wonder she doesn't want to hear the word baby at a time like this. "I understand" she said.
"Do you? Really?" Amy asked, looking at Abby closely.
Abby got up, feeling the need for space. She half walked to the door, then turned around. "The doctor said you are doing fine. You'll be out of here in a couple of days. Give any thought as to what your plans are?"
"Believe me" Amy said, "that's all I've been thinking about...."
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 16, 2006 12:34:33 GMT -6
"About taking the seal, perhaps?" Abby asked, smiling, trying to turn the conversation around.
"Haven't you been listening?" Amy asked. "There isn't going to be any sealing."
"But why? Charybdis is a great catch. And you've been chasing each other around for a long time now."
"He's no catch. He's everything Elmer thought he was."
"Oh come now Amy..." Abby began. It took her a moment to notice that Amy had said Elmer and not dad.
"Prove me wrong" Amy challenged. "Did Charybdis talk to you at all while I was in a coma, about me, or about Elmer?"
"About your father?" Abby asked, trying to correct Amy in a subtle way.
"Just answer. Did he? I'm guessing he didn't."
"No, he didn't" Abby replied, thinking back. "But he's a very busy man, Amy. You should know that."
"He's also a friend of the family, and as you say, considering the length of time I've known him, a few consoling words to the mother of his girlfriend about her or the death of her father would have been nice. It would have really meant a lot, you know?"
"True, but like I said..." Abby began again.
"Excuses" Amy said, cutting her off. "So, do you know the circumstances of Elmer's death?"
Abby took a moment to find the words. "No, no one has told me anything. Not even Urdea... I mean Captain Urdea."
"Elmer was found dead in Charybdis's quarters" Amy said bluntly. "Charybdis was a prime suspect in a possible murder investigation. Yet he never found time to tell you, before you heard it somewhere else first."
"No..."
"Don't feel bad. He didn't tell me either. All the time he was relenting to my pressure for him to take the seal with me he never said a word."
"Pressuring him?" Abby asked in a shocked tone. "I thought you two wanted to take the seal."
Amy shook her head. "He only agreed cause I had him on a technicality. He really wanted to play the field with his long lost love." She thought back to the memory of Charybdis kissing that woman in the hallway.
"Amy" Abby said, picking up Amy's hands in hers. "How can you know this? That any of this is true?"
"Believe it. It's all true."
"But murder?" Abby asked. Amy let the question hang in the air, neither confirming nor denying it. Silence stretched out between them before Abby again found her voice...
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