The Touch of Another - Mini Challenge 3 rated PG REPOST

[allegrita]

How fun--I found this story through PNWgal's new story, "Whatever It Takes," and I'm so glad she pointed her readers to it--because it's wonderful. I love the noir feel of it, the hard-boiled detective novel voice you use. I think that the 80's flashbacks of Mick on the show definitely had a kind of Raymond Chandler vibe, and this story does a great job of capturing that. I love the way you capture his attempts to maintain a fatalistic attitude about Coraline, too.

There's no denying the spark between Mick and Beth's mom in that flashback. I tend to believe Mick when he told Beth that he was never with a human after he was turned, so this scenario makes a lot of sense. Plus, I can see Mick denying himself that touch of another, feeling that he can't handle it/doesn't deserve it/etc.

I like how you dealt with many of the huge, unanswered questions about this case. I'd always wondered how Beth's mom found Mick, and it works that Coraline was involved in it...she wanted Mick to find her, after all. Mick's conversation with little Beth about forgetting what she saw is great (and I love his aside about saving for her therapy bills--so those nightmares really ARE his fault!). I can totally see her mom being willing to keep whatever secrets Mick asks her to keep.

I really liked this story. Very angsty and dark, and so full of yearning. Thanks for writing it--and thanks to Pgal for pointing me to it!

[Moonlighter]

Hey DSR!

PNWGal's story led me here, too! What another marvelous take on the connection between Mick and Beth's mother. And being such a fan of your Metamorphosis story, I kept hearing someone whisper the name Patrick in my ear! And disliking Corallne the way I do, I see she not only manipulated the situation so that Vicky would find Mick, but she also managed to (again) throw in his face the fact that he can never live the normal life he dreamed of even after meeting Vicky. Even after finding Beth and returning her to her mother, this is still so sad and stark and seemingly hopeless. But so well done!

[Marigold]

dsr ~ This was very well done!

If I had the chance, I’d change places with her sorry ex in a heartbeat. I’d give anything to come home at night to a loving wife like Vicky and a couple of kids. Maybe even a dog. But that’s never going to happen. I’ve had over thirty years to get used to that idea.

This whole situation must have been absolutely awful for Mick. A child was kidnapped, by Coraline, and to top it off, the child's father willingly gave up everything that Mick wanted, but could not have.

Pulling away, we each see what could have been, but can never be.

It seems as though both Mick and Vicky felt something, but knew, and accepted, that it could not materialize into anything more.

Thank you, dsr!

[darkstarrising]

dsr ~ This was very well done!

If I had the chance, I’d change places with her sorry ex in a heartbeat. I’d give anything to come home at night to a loving wife like Vicky and a couple of kids. Maybe even a dog. But that’s never going to happen. I’ve had over thirty years to get used to that idea.

This whole situation must have been absolutely awful for Mick. A child was kidnapped, by Coraline, and to top it off, the child's father willingly gave up everything that Mick wanted, but could not have.

Pulling away, we each see what could have been, but can never be.

It seems as though both Mick and Vicky felt something, but knew, and accepted, that it could not materialize into anything more.

Thank you, dsr!

thanks, Marigold You've hit on the key element of the story...a man Mick has never met had everything Mick ever wanted and threw it all away out of foolish vanity - wanting to stay forever young, something he can't have as a human. Mick will appear 'forever young', something he didn't want, but can never have the simple, human gifts of family. In a sense, they're both opposites and while Vicky had adapted to having her ex- out of her life, Coraline hasn't.