Rose and Thorn - part 1 (PG-13)

[NocturneInCMoll]

All I can say is...Wow.

Loved this first part--the intensity, the emotions. I saw this over at Moonlightfans and decided to check other forums to see if you were around and had posted more elsewhere--and, to my great luck, you are here, and you did. I think I'll be reading those other parts now...

[Lucy]

turbulent, violent memories. No wonder Mick is who he is.

will seek out more of this....

Phoenix made a beautiful signature for you I'd like to add.

L

[Shadow]

Never thought anyone would be hunting in other forums for more of the story - that's really an honor Julie, thanks!

Glad you found it Lucy! This banner of Phoenix's has one of my favorite Mick pix ever

[Luxe de Luxe]

this is so beautifully written Shadow that you don't even notice the prose, you're just carried along by the story.

[wollstonecraft61]

Shadow, I just stumbled on this. This is a work of art. You have the gift of prose, my friend. This is beautiful. On to read more!

[Shadow]

this is so beautifully written Shadow that you don't even notice the prose, you're just carried along by the story.

I've been offline for a couple of weeks, and how great to come back to find your comment!
Invisible prose is one of those big goals for me, which makes it so very nice to hear that .....

[Shadow]

Shadow, I just stumbled on this. This is a work of art. You have the gift of prose, my friend. This is beautiful. On to read more!

I'm very glad you stumbled onto this story!
And wow, thank you for the amazing comment - it was really a delight to find this after being offline for a while.

[draco]

Wow this is a great first chapter.
So many emotions from Mick.... His past and the recent events with Beth and how much it is affecting him... so fabulously formulated that I can't even describe how much I like this chapter.
It's the first of your stories I was able to read just now and it already knocked me of my seat. Climbing in again now, so that I can read the next ones, too

[allegrita]

Shadow, I'm so glad this story rose to the top of the Active Topics list. It's one of the stories I've always wanted to read, but for which I hadn't found the time. I can't decide whether to be furious at myself for having missed out on this incredible story for so long, or to congratulate myself on saving such a treat for so long.

I'm floored. This story is simply amazing. Your writing style is seemingly effortless, but I know well how much you must have agonized over it to achieve this flow. Not even counting the subject of the story, your writing in itself is just a joy to read.
And then there's the story.

The "voiceover" intro immediately brought me into the Moonlight mood, and captured Mick's tortured self-analysis beautifully. And then you whirled us from the immediate aftermath of Josh's death, to the trench surgery, to the gas-filled hole in the Blitz, to the amazing experience of running through the night as a vampire and yet being unable to cope and trying to die--what a perfect way to capture a nightmare! And Mick wakes up, dizzy and off-balance, to discover that the whole world is off balance.

From this first section, you had me sucked in. Mick's longing for Beth is just palpable. He is drawn to her against his better judgment--he can't stop himself from going to her.

I love your Beth, too. I thought it was just a crime that the show didn't give us any insight into how she went from fury and despair right after Josh died, to that picnic on the beach. Beth is such a fabulously interesting character that she deserved so much more.

And who are Rosie and Esme?!

So in this short chapter, we see Beth coping by doing what she does best, Mick trying to cope with the huge physical and emotional (and spiritual) issues of being human again, and Mick's past coming back to haunt both of them in a major way.

And offering them a way to bridge the gulf between them.

I'm off to read the next chapter, and I am so happy to have begun this story at last!

[Shadow]

Thanks draco! It was such a treat to get your comment on this one (and on all the others as well!) Finding eight replies in the email at once definitely made my day. I'm glad I could knock you off your seat - and send you off to the next chapter!

Allegrita, do I ever know about the stories that one can't find the time to read .... my "must-read as soon as I have time" list is growing very long. I'm so glad you had this one on your list! Can't thank you enough for your amazing comments - or for mentioning those first four paragraphs (which did indeed get rewritten about a million times - agonizing is a pretty good word for it!) And it was quite stunning to know what you thought of the writing style. Thank you!!

[librarian_7]

Humbly admit that I hadn't found the time to visit your office before, and wow, what a stunner of a first chapter!

Many, many lines stood out, but I particularly loved:

...dreams in a freezer were faint things, cold and slow and hard to remember

I don't know why, but the topic of vampire dreams always gets to me.

Thanks for such a great story, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Lucky

[Shadow]

I loved that you picked out that line, Lucky.

I have a thing about vampire dreams as well; they do keep showing up in my stories.... (possibly to excess ...)

Thanks so much for coming by! It was delightful to get your comment on this.

[jen]

Saw this pop back to the top of Active Topics and I had to read this again.

What a wonderful look into the intriguing, complex history Mick had. Emotionally, he was wounded by the events of Josh's death and Beth's grief and anger over his refusal to Turn him.

Esme is a wonderfully plausible example of how the past always catches up with you.

There is so much history that went into making Mick who he now is.

Thank you!

Jenna

[Shadow]

What a wonderful look into the intriguing, complex history Mick had. Emotionally, he was wounded by the events of Josh's death and Beth's grief and anger over his refusal to Turn him.

Thanks sooo much for reading again Jenna, and for mentioning this especially . . . though the show did go into some of this, it seemed there would have to be so much more. Especially since we knew in LLF that Mick's wartime memories had been stirred by what he tried to do for Josh. So lovely for you to leave another comment, too!

[maggatha3]

I just came back for a re-read, this story is always on my mind..Mick's past as a human, his vampire past and his present condition are so beautifully presented and woven here, providing not only a glimpse to his soul and mind but also a way to understand what this man was made of and why he was actually such an attractive and interesting character...Did I say ''was''? Well, forgive me, ''is'' still an attractive and interesting character.
And the detail I mostly loved and still catches my eye in that first chapter is the way Mick and Beth slowly find eachother again , leaving behind them the awkwardness that was caused by Josh's death. The tenderness by which Beth is holding him and trying to make him share his traumatised soul is really melting my heart...