Afterglow, part eleven (M/B/J, PG-13)

[redwinter101]

lorig, that's so lovely, honey (and your post was spot on - no mistakes )

moonlightsonata, I think dread is probably appropriate. I'm not quite sure I understand this bit of your comment though:

Wondering what will need to be sacrificed so that Mick and Beth could be together again. But for how long?

By the end of this chapter it looks pretty unlikely Mick and Beth are going to be together.

Red

[Moonlightsonata]

Sorry - I wanted to read this story and post my comment before I went to bed but I guess the late hour caught up with me. Anyway, what I had wanted to say was that Mick and Beth were together after a year. But they are only together for a brief time. And their being back together for that brief time is obviously coming with a very high cost.

[GuardianAngel]

Just can't stop thinking about this. I just keep thinking this is not going to end the way I want it to. I realize that it can't. There will have to be a loser - maybe more than one. But however it ends and however much it breaks my heart I know it will end beautifully. Of that, Red, I have no doubt.

[MickLifeCrisis]

I saw this posted Red, and couldn't decide if I was brave enough to read it or not. I went away. I came back. I did that several times. In the end I knew I had to read it.

I cried, of course. For Beth and the letters. For Josef. For Mick. For Beth.

Did Beth know Josef was going to give Mick up to the Legion? I remember she suspected that Josef had made some kind of deal to get her and Mick back together. I was sort of thinking Josef's deal was to offer himself up. But this almost sounded like Beth was expecting that Josef would give up Mick. /MLC is very confused./

And that last line - I felt like *I* had been staked.

But I will be back. I haven't come this far, through all the heartbreak and tears, not to finish it.


ETA: Okay, I've reread it a few times, and PNW helped me see that I believe I had it backwards. Josef isn't giving Mick up, right? It's the other way around, and he only had Mick handcuffed to keep him from interfering. Beth realizes what's up, and is giving her love to Mick and going along quietly, to save Mick. Now I'm crying more.

[Lupine]

My first reaction to reading the evil cliffe was: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, .....

After my third reading I feel I'm finally stable enough to comment.

I'm not sure I can love a story that rips my heart out, but, nevertheless I do love this story.

The letters to Beth, perfection. Beth reading the letters, perfection. These two are now whole. Whatever Josef's deal, if it involves the death of one - it will mean the death of both, surely he knows this.

I anxiously await the conclusion. I don't know that I can trust you to give me a "happy" ending but I do trust you to give me an ending that is true to this story and these characters.

[Fleur de Lisa]

Wow. Like many others, I feel overcome with emotion. It's going to be difficult to write a coherent response, so forgive me for that.

The letters. A year long love letter--glorious phrase. Just glorious. His heart was in every word and when Mick wrote about "trying to forget the things I need to remember"---how I understood that so well. It's so much easier for him to try and forget all the wonderful things, because those are the very thoughts that cause him so much pain. Brilliant and heartbreaking.

Their love is so real in this, it's sensory. You can feel, see, hear and taste it. The depth of it is unbelievable.

And the ending. Yeah, we all knew it was leading up to something awful and heart wrenching, but it still hurt so damn bad.

I am going to continue living in the land of denial, it's safe and warm and pretty there. I am staying there until the last possible moment.

[janicevictoria]

Red, words escape me...That ending I have to hope that Josef has a Plan B (Please God1) He HAS TO have a Plan B, right?
Brilliant as always, even the scary bits!

[allegrita]

Oh, Red. My comments have been getting shorter and shorter because I just can't bear to dwell in this sadness. This beautiful, desperate sadness. But I'm in it for the long haul, and we're nearing the end of this hard and gorgeous journey together. I'm going to cry for a week when it's over.

I want all three of them to have a happily ever after, but that's definitely not in the cards. So I search for clues in your story, and I can't see the path. There are too many ways (all heartbreaking) it could turn out.

I wonder if the survivors will truly think the world well lost for love--or if they'll wish they'd gone out fighting.

[Luxe de Luxe]

woo hoo.... wonderfully dark and full of treachery, mwah ha ha ha! Am looking forward to the next installment.

[redwinter101]

moonlightsonata - thanks for clearing that up for me. Yes, a high price indeed.

GA, your faith in me is touching (and I'm not feeling the pressure at all).

MLC, aw, sweetie, I figured this might make you cry. Don't worry about the ending - it was pretty ambiguous, but yes, Beth was calm about giving up her own life, whereas Mick was horrified at the prospect of losing her - at Josef's hand.

Lupine, it was a really evil cliffie. Thank you for the lovely comment - especially about the letters.

Lisa, thanks so much. I hoped that sense of one-ness would come through. And as for the land of denial, I hear it's nice this time of year. I might just join you.

jv, does Josef have a plan B? I think we're already up to about H by now.

alle, I feel bad that his turned into quite such an ordeal, because you're right - a happy ending for all three is out of the question. There was always going to be a price to pay. The ending is not too far behind...

Luxe, you are dark, lady.

Red

[dreamcatcher]

Dear God, Red, you're ripping our hearts out here!

Ok, so I knew it would come to something like this but I had hoped there would be some kind of escape route. It seems however that Josef has used up all his options now and, as well as having to pledge his lifelong services to the legion, he’s had to choose to give up Beth. I know she’d already let him that know that if a choice had to be made that she should be the one, so she knew immediately what was happening, whereas Mick had no clue whatsoever. Their final kiss/goodbye was just agonizing to read. Now I’d like to know what was in the folder Josef gave Paul and what their conversation about loyalty was about.

I so hate this but I just love it too! Every line was beautifully crafted even the cliffie. I’ve got a lump in my throat and a sinking feeling in my gut now. Not many stories affect me that way.

So please, please, please don’t keep us hanging too long for the conclusion. I just couldn’t take it!!

[Liana]

Red, what have you done?!!
Darn, I'm out of tissues, I look pathetic... And the worst part is I know I will come to read the end. Am I a masochist?! I know the story will end badly, but I still want to read it.

Death would give them peace. If Beth dies Mick would follow her, no doubt. Josef can't loose them both. What end do I see?! I think Josef will send Beth away again, but this time she'll never come back. And Mick would be left searching for her...
I think there are few vamps who are better be taken care of, and then they could have turned Beth... the number of vamp community members wouldn't have changed anyway... But it's now about politics, and I hate it! And I hate Laszlo. He's the head of the Legion, one word and everything would be different. But he wouldn't go there, that would make him seem softie. Interesting, how different things make for different people life worth living. What was Laszlo living for all this time?! Power?

I was rejoicing when Josef took care of the Legion trooper. At least a little pleasure in this mess.

[jenstc2003]

OMG! That was absolutely stunning! Beautifully written. I can hardly wait for the next chapter- but why do I think I'm gonna be in tears by the end?

[redwinter101]

dreamcatcher, I promise you will find out about the folder AND the loyalty conversation. And you're spot on about Beth - she saw the writing on the wall a long time ago.

Liana,

Interesting, how different things make for different people life worth living.

Oh how right you are - and that's a wonderful way to sum up this story. *hands Liana more tissues*

jen, thank you, honey. And if you're not sobbing by the end of the final chapter, I will have failed...

Red

[CarolBee]

I had to torture myself and return to re-read this again this morning. Nope, still the same feeling of dread for MickBeth and Josef. Still a lump in my throat the size of Texas. Still a hair's breadth away from bawling my eyes out. Red, as evil as that cliffie was, as tormented as I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop, I have to say I love this story. For you to be able to elicit the range of emotions from your readers (as the comments have showed) says volumes about your writing. Count me in for the long haul, tissue box in hand.