Moonlightaholics

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The plot is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: This conversation was written in response to the Champagne Challenge #135, "Two Hundred Fifty Spoken Words." Rated PG-13. Thanks to Lilly for being an insta-beta.


Full-time Care

“Allo?”

“Cynthia. Are you alone?”

“Why do you ask? Who is this?”

“It’s Josef. Charles. Your mistress needs you. She is gravely injured.”

“Mon dieu! How?”

“She’s been badly burned.”

“Oh, no, no! It’s that husband of hers, isn’t it? What’s he done, the stinking pig?”

“They fought. He staked her and set the house on fire. I don’t know what happened, exactly, but she went too far this time, and he snapped.”

“The bastard!”

“No. This was her doing, not his. And she’s done enough damage to him. He thinks she’s dead, and it has to stay that way. It may already be too late for him.”

“He should rot in hell! If we never see that… man again, it will be too soon.”

“Yeah, well, tell Coraline that.”

“Ma petite pauvre. I must go to her.”

“Listen. This isn’t a little visit, it’s a relocation. She isn’t going to heal in a month. It’ll take years. She may never fully recover.”

“Ah, God. Is it that bad?”

“The worst I’ve seen. I don’t know how she stands the pain. And she has no self-control. You’ll have to watch her like a hawk.”

“I understand.”

“And Cynthia… look, I know about… it. She’s obviously had it before. She’d never have survived otherwise. Her brothers can’t know. If they learn that I’m aware she’s suffered such severe burns…”

“I’ll be discreet.”

“I know I can depend on you. All right, my secretary will make the arrangements. And… thanks.”

“De rien.”
<>

I love this!!!! I always figured Cynthia nursed her back to health but Josef being the one to call her is just incredible. Although I'm amazed Cynthia didn't try to kill Mick immediately.

Whoopie...I love these secret visions into the past!!!!!!

Verrrry interesting! This challenge has given me so many little scenarios I never considered before.

Well done!

So, alle, did you tap Josef's phone? If he finds out you're in deep tar pits.
This is fabulous. He knows about - it? The regenerative powers of the Duvalls? Or is it the cure that gives them this special power? He said she had it before. Interesting.

This is fantastic! Josef is completely devious and it totally makes sense that he would have been the one to assist Coraline after her up close and personal with that conflagration. After all, Mick would have told him pretty soon after, I figure. And yes, the Cure must have something to do with her ability to survive the fire. Love it.

Francis is so right! If Josef finds out about this phone tap, it's the tar pits for sure.

There is so much packed into this short conversation! It's so interesting, the idea that Josef made this call, that he made sure Coraline was cared for, and knew all along that she was alive. With Josef, it could sure be a possibility. And at the same time Josef was also so protective of Mick, making it clear to Cynthia that she wasn't to go after him.

And Josef's mention of it is so mysterious. So intriguing. The cure, perhaps, yet I couldn't say for sure . . . .

Very intriguing, Alle.
How heartwarming to know that as evil as Cora is, she has such a good friend in Cynthia? We all need friends, and i gotta think that Cora doesn't have too many of them, so good for her that she's got someone who has her back.

Thanks, everybody! I'm of two minds about this scenario. I can see it happening, but I also see the possibility that Josef really didn't know Coraline was alive. This conversation just floated into my head yesterday, so I'm glad I had a few minutes to write it down before it floated away again.

cassysj, I agree that taking her revenge on Mick was the second thing (taking care of Coraline was the first, of course) on Cynthia's mind. But knowing that Josef had Mick under his direct protection would be a strong deterrent. I can imagine her anger simmering over the years, as she watched Mick become successful under Josef's patronage. I also want to acknowledge your story "Cynthia Reviews the Last Four Years," viewtopic.php?f=622&t=8965 which gave me the idea that Cynthia would have been the one to nurse Coraline back to health after the fire. Thank you for the inspiration!

Lucy, that's high praise indeed. I'm glad it felt real to you.

MickLifeCrisis, I love the fact that this particular Challenge has inspired some new and very creative ideas!

francis, eek! Um... I mean, I have NO idea what you're talking about... Seriously, though, my theory is that the ability to burn and then heal (rather than turning to ash) is a residual side-effect of the Mortal Cure. Once a vampire has used it, he or she will burn and then heal, as we saw Lance do. Maybe that's just because I can't bear the thought of Mick's fingers crumbling to ash if he plays with that lighter too much.

Luxe de Luxe, thank you so much! You and I have had some wonderful conversations about what might have happened to Coraline right after the fire, and I'm sure this conversation is partly inspired by those conversations.

Shadow, once again, the very idea of tapping Mr. Kostan's phone is foreign to my very nature. I have my theories about why Coraline and Lance could both heal from the fire, but I don't claim to have the right answer. And I wanted to keep the concept open enough to keep the reader (and anyone foolhardy enough to be listening in on that particular phone conversation) guessing.

Fleur de Lisa, I agree--Coraline, for all the tumult and tragedy in her life, is a very lucky woman, to have a friend as courageous and loyal as Cynthia. We should all be so lucky! I love the character of Coraline. She does some horrendous things, but I find her to be a sympathetic character despite that. Like Mick and Beth, Coraline is a damaged soul. She's suffered terribly in her life, and that can't help but change a person. And who can blame her for being totally obsessed with Mick?

And who can blame her for being totally obsessed with Mick?

....uh, not me. Nor the rest of womankind!!

Alle

This is just all kinds of wonderful!

The placement of it is exquisite--at a pivotal place in the series when things shifted and Josef was there to direct events quietly.

Josef definitely plays both sides of the street here, clearly stating that Coraline was ultimately to blame for events spiralling out of control as badly as they did, he seeks to place Coraline into the hands of one who will care for her. While Cynthia clearly did not share that assessment, she was less immediately concerned with retribution as with Coraline's welfare.

I find it interesting that a this point, Josef was not sure Mick could be saved. Perhaps this entered into Cynthia's decision not to seek retribution at that time. We saw her silken voiced animosity when Mick visited her at the Hardwick. What was at the root of all that tension in right here, in exactly 250 words.

Fabulous!

Thank you!

I really liked this, and thought it was a definitely possible scenario. It reminds me a bit of the relationships in the original pilot...

Also, Alle, I have to mention, that this conversation planted a seed in my head, which resulted in *ahem* another challenge response. Thanks, hon!

Lucky

jen, thank you! I agree with your analysis here. Josef is not at all sure what the future will bring, and he is being very careful to make contingency plans. And Cynthia's prime concern is for Coraline... but she can't help but resent Mick (at the very least!) for causing her friend and mistress such grievous harm.

librarian_7, I'm so glad this rang true for you, Lucky. You and Lilly both have such an amazing feel for Josef, and I'm always a little scared that I'll fall short in your judgment. Thank you very much--and if my story inspired another one from you, I'm thrilled!

Oooooo Josef and Cynthia in cahoots over Coraline what a fantastic idea. It's always been a wonder of mine to how she got out and how she was looked after to recover as there must have been some burn damage. I wonder if we would ever have found that out though this so works for me. Love it

I love the word cahoots! Thanks, Sharon, it was fun to channel Josef and Cynthia for a little while.