All the Things Unsaid
A missing scene to Twin Brothers
by Birgit Staebler
Mona steered the car quickly and deftly through the streets,
the rain pelting against the windshield, the wipers almost going on overload.
There were thankfully not many cars out, mainly because of the bad weather,
and she only once gnashed her teeth at a slow driver. She knew she was
breaking the speed limit, that she had barely missed a red light, but she
had to hurry. The rain had started about five minutes after she had come
to a screeching stop outside the police precinct, and it had taken her
almost too long to put the hardtop back on her convertible. By the time
she had, cursing and muttering, she had been soaked, as had been her passenger,
which was even worse.
A moan came from the other seat and she risked a quick
glance. Ace Cooper lay slumped against the window, his breathing uneven
and pained, his eyes closed. Wet hair hung into his face, his skin pale
and almost waxen. He was soaking wet and the seat was by now soaked as
well, but Mona didn't care. What she cared about was the man she knew was
the real Ace Cooper. Something had happened to him, something bad, and
the double was the perpetrator.
"Hang on," she whispered, weaving through the streets,
finally on the right road to her house.
Ace shivered violently and groaned, mumbling something
to himself. It wasn't the cold; it was something else. Mona bit her lower
lip. She had suspected that something had to be wrong, especially when
'Ace' had started to make more pronounced advances, stating clearly what
he wanted and expected of her. She remembered the phone calls, how he had
sounded harsh and angry when she had declined the invitation for a date;
she recalled the flowers with the unsigned card, the meetings they had
had, and how she had felt increasingly unwell close to him. She had never
felt unwell with Ace before and it should have been a first clue. His outright
jealousy should have been the next. Ace, the real Ace, had never displayed
jealousy before. He accepted if she declined an invitation and there had
never been an angry word. All those little clues had combined and she had
finally found the truth behind it all.
A doppelgaenger, a double of Ace, like a twin brother.
Ace would never have pushed her like this, Mona told herself, beating herself
up for not seeing it sooner. Ace was a gentleman, and though he loved her
and would always be there for her, he had never stepped over the line.
He had never forced her
to do something she didn't want to, he had never insisted
on going on a weekend date with her.
"Damn!" she whispered. "I've been so stupid!"
By the time she had found out just what was going on
it had been almost too late. Ace had nearly been arrested by Vega and he
had all but fallen into her car. He had tumbled down the stairs and when
she had seen his desperate eyes seeking help, she had known.
Pulling up the driveway she stopped the car and turned
off the engine. Ace had not really woken, his eyes half-lidded, shivering
even more, and she clenched her teeth. He was getting worse by the minute.
Getting him up into her apartment was no easy task. Ace
was taller and heavier than her, and barely able to walk. The stairs were
a nightmare and crossing the living room was no small problem. Ace stumbled,
his knees giving way, as she reached the bedroom, and Mona sank down with
him, cushioning their fall on the bed. His eyes fluttered open and he swallowed.
"Mona?" he whispered hoarsely. He sounded disoriented
and even afraid.
Mona smiled bravely, wincing at his weak, raspy voice.
Whenever they had met, Ace had been a self-confident person, totally in
control and sometimes too controlled. "I'm here, Ace. It's going to be
okay."
"Wasn't me...." he moaned. "Double.... Would never....
Mona, I....." Desperation tinged his voice and he struggled to concentrate.
She pushed a wet strand of hair out of his eyes. "Shhhh.....
I know."
"No! It wasn't me, believe me!"
"I know," she repeated, placing a finger on his cold
lips. "I know what happened. You are save here."
That was important right now. His safety. He had run
the whole time, running from people he had thought of as friends and who
now thought he was the double. Vega had even tried to put him behind bars.
Ace sighed wearily and his eyes slid shut. Mona inhaled
deeply and started to remove the soaking wet clothes. She dropped the heavy
cape onto the floor, uncaring of the water pooling on the carpet, then
did the same with his jacket and shoes. She had to get Ace out of the wet
clothes to prevent him from catching pneumonia, and right now she didn't
care if that meant stripping him naked and rubbing him down. His health
was important, nothing else. Finally she tugged him into the bed.
Mona sat on the bed, watching the sleeping man -- or
was he unconscious? --, noting all the fine lines of stress, how his pallor
had grown even more waxen, how weak he appeared despite his muscular build.
She combed her fingers through his hair, smiling as he moved slightly.
He was asleep; not unconscious.
"I'll get help," she promised.
Watching him for a bit longer, she finally decided to
make herself useful. She took the wet clothes and carried them into the
laundry room, then changed into something warm and dry herself. Afterwards
she searched for the phone number of a trusted doctor.
*
The visit of Dr. Carlisle was a nightmare and his diagnosis
had been devastating.
Poison.
Ace had been poisoned and there was no way to help him
until they found the poison to work with. The way this substance worked
was devious and evil, weakening its victim, making it unable to think straight,
to concentrate, and it slowly but surely destroyed everything, from body
to mind. Carlisle had administered a painkiller to help Ace through the
next few hours, but it wasn't the solution.
Mona heard a moan from upstairs and flinched. She hesitantly
walked up the stairs and carefully entered her bedroom. Ace lay propped
up against the pillows, dressed in a bathrobe, breathing heavily, painfully.
He was still pale and though the very thought of having Ace up in her bedroom
should have let Mona feel all kinds of things, right now all she really
felt was worry; deep worry. As Ace heard her steps his expressive, gray
eyes sought hers.
"Mona?"
She sank down on the bedside, smiling bravely. "How do
you feel?"
"I don't think I had worse days," he confessed with a
fleeting smile. "At least I fail to remember."
She took his hand, feeling him squeeze it weakly. "You'll
be all right again. We'll find an antidote."
Ace shook his head. "How?"
"From your double." A plan began to form in her head.
"He has the poison and if I can get it from him, Angel can produce an antidote,
right?"
"No! Don't meet with him!" Ace demanded hoarsely. "He
is dangerous!"
"And the only one who can cure you." Mona rose, a decisive
expression on her features.
"Mona, no!"
Mona stepped away from the bed, afraid she might chicken
out if she stayed too long. Ace tried to get up, but he was way too exhausted
and weak. He sank back into the pillows, face a mirror of his feelings,
his fear and pain, his pleading. She almost fled from the bedroom.
* * *
Everything had worked out as planned and Ace had been
cured. Even though he was still weak and needed recovery time, he was himself
again. The poison was out of his system. Mona watched him as he played
with the food on his plate. They were at a small restaurant, outside the
immediate show strip, the downtown area, and it was a nice, homely atmosphere.
No one bothered them and she believed that no one knew who they were anyway.
"Ace...."
"Mona, I...." Ace started simultaneously, then stopped,
smiling slightly.
Mona smiled as well, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry. What
did you want to say?"
He looked at the food again, then placed the fork beside
the plate. When Ace looked up, Mona saw a strangely serious expression
in his eyes, one he wore occasionally, but one that made her shiver right
now.
"I want to thank you for what you did. It was more than
I could have asked of you."
She shook her head. "I did what had to be done. You were
in danger...."
"And you put yourself in danger. Mona, I...."
"Ace, just leave it," Mona said softly, taking his hand.
"I did what had to be done."
He smiled slightly. "I can't. What you did was....."
"Necessary."
Their eyes met and she squeezed his hand.
"Care for a walk?" he asked softly.
She nodded and fifteen minutes later the couple strolled
through the silent night streets. They were both silent and when Ace took
her hand, Mona didn't protest. Finally they stopped on a bridge crossing
over one of the small inlets. The city lights reflected in the still waters
and except for the occasional car, nothing disturbed the silence. Ace stared
into the water and Mona stood by his side, wishing he would talk but also
afraid of what he might say. The latest events had shown her how much she
cared for Ace Cooper. On one side she blamed him for her father's accident,
but then again.... Mona and Ace had always been best friend, had grown
into more throughout the years, and then.....
She swallowed and gazed at the dark waters as well.
Did she return his feelings? Maybe.
Did she care about him? A lot!
Ace had given her so much in the past, not demanding
anything but her kindness in return, an occasional dinner date, but never
more.
But what else was there?
Mona didn't want to ponder it.
Whenever Ace was in a dangerous situation, she was afraid
that he might get hurt. And when he was injured, she hurt with him. But
there was always the evil little voice that reminded her of this fateful
day fifteen years ago. The events were burned into her mind forever and
try as she might, she could never forget them. Her father had been crippled
for life that day and she had watched him fall into the fire that had nearly
destroyed him. Blaming Ace had been so easy back then because he and her
dad had fought. But over the years she had started to doubt that version,
though it was so much easier to hang on to it. Whenever she was angry,
whenever she wanted to push Ace away because he had come too close, she
dug out those painful moments.
Mona wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold.
It was her defense, she couldn't give it up. Suddenly something was draped
over her shoulders and she looked up in surprise. Ace had taken off his
cloak, still all gentleman and caring, and had wrapped it around her.
"Thanks," she said softly, pulling the cloak around her
more tightly, the strangely soft but resistant material spreading immediate
warmth that seemed to reach deep into her.
"We should leave. It's cold," Ace told her.
Mona shook her head. "No, it's okay." But she didn't
resist when he moved closer. She actually leaned against him, seeking his
warmth, his reality.
Could she ever break the circle of love and hate she
felt for him at the same time? And if yes, could she do it alone?
They remained like this for a long time, silent and close
together, and neither wanted to break this almost magical silence. Finally
Mona turned and looked up. Ace's face was half in the shadows, his features
in stark contrast now, looking sharper, older, even more alien. His eyes
were dark pools, windows to his soul, and very thoughtful. He was still
a bit pale and she could distinguish the lines of recent stress from the
usual laugh lines. Now he met her gaze, smiling, trying to mask whatever
he had just thought about. Mona knew he had many secrets, that Ace Cooper
hid part of his past even from her, but she had never found the courage
to ask.
"I should get you home," he whispered.
Mona just nodded, even though part of her protested at
the thought, and let him guide her back to where the Magic Racer was parked.
He drove her home, the silence between them again. Electro City's sights
at night flashed by, but Mona didn't see them. Her thoughts were miles
away.
When they arrived at the modern house outside the downtown
area, Mona got out and regarded her dark garden. Finally she turned to
Ace and handed him the cloak. He smiled briefly and wrapped it around his
shoulders.
"Thank you for the wonderful evening," she said softly.
He gazed into her eyes. "Thank you for my life, Mona,"
he replied.
Mona didn't know what to say. She simply stepped away
from him, then turned and hurried back into her home.
Ace watched her go, sadness in his eyes, mixed with exhaustion
and a hard to define feeling. Finally he got into the car and drove back
to the Magic Express. His body was still recuperating and he needed sleep.
Maybe tomorrow he'd feel different.
He doubted it.
"Thank you, Mona," he whispered again. "I love you."