LOVE CONQUERS ALL
AUTHOR'S NOTES: If you're wondering why you're reading this story, let me just say I wasn't satisfied with the ending of "Under The Cherry Moon". I felt that the characters deserved a happier ending, so as you can see, this is what came out.
All "Under The Cherry Moon" characters belong to Warner Bros. Fortuna is mine.
Enjoy the story!
"We had fun, didn't we?" Christopher Tracy asked weakly as he stared into the eyes of his beloved girlfriend. Mary Sharon tried to hold back her tears as her lover fell limp in his arms. Then she saw her father standing on the rocks by the grotto, a smoking gun in his hand. Mary's sorrow gave way to rage, as she went over to Isaac, & slapped his face as she screamed in anguish, "Father, how could you do this to me?"
"I had to do it, Mary," was Isaac's indifferent reply. "I wanted to protect you from that spineless, immoral bastard."
"He's not a bastard!" Mary shrieked, her eyes rimmed with tears. "He was the only man I ever loved! And you took him away from me!" Once she had kicked her father in the shin, Mary broke down & began sobbing, beating the ground with her clenched fists.
Tricky took the motionless body of his friend, & embraced him gingerly, trying not to cry as he patted Christopher's bullet-punctured back & choked out, "Don't worry, Chris...you're gonna be all right."
It had taken a while for the doctors to retrieve the bullet, but it was well worth the time. Also, Isaac had not hit any vital organs, so Christopher would indeed be all right, as Tricky had promised. But only time would tell when he would finally awaken from his slumber.
"He seems so peaceful," Mary said softly as she caressed her lover's hair, standing by his hospital bed. "You can hardly tell he's gone through surgery, much less been...been..." Though confronted with the thought of her father trying to kill Christopher, Mary immediately dried her eyes, then went over to Tricky, & sat down by him. Katy, Tricky's girlfriend, was in a nearby chair, sewing.
"So, Mary, what are you going to do when Chris wakes up?" asked Tricky, as he leafed through a copy of the morning paper.
Mary sighed. "Well, we certainly won't be moving back home, that's for sure...after all the hell I've gone through. I think we'll move to America with you, then get married...Then maybe we might even raise a few children..."
"How many?" asked Tricky with a coy smile.
"Oh, I suppose one would do for now," Mary replied, smiling back. "And what are you going to do when we get to Miami?"
Tricky shifted his weight a little, then came up with his answer: "Well, Mary, I've been thinking things over, ever since you came along, & I decided that the life of a gigolo isn't fulfilling enough, you know what I mean? I think Chris & I will go work somewhere decent & get our money the old-fashioned way."
"I'd like that." Upon hearing Christopher suddenly speak, Tricky yelped & nearly fell out of his chair, before laughing merrily & going over to the hospital bed where he lay. "Hey, Chris, how you feelin'?" he asked, tousling his friend's short black hair.
"I'm feeling a lot better," Christopher replied, smiling. "So when do we go back home?"
"Oh, no, darling," Mary admonished, "you need your rest."
"I'd much rather rest with you, if you know what I mean," Christopher said coyly, boasting a devilish smirk. Mary laughed, then playfully boxed him on the nose, leading to an Eskimo kiss & a smooch on the lips. In between kisses, she asked, "Save it for the wedding night, won't you, dear?"
"I can go with that," was Christopher's reply.
Nine months had passed, but the events of yore were still fresh in Isaac's mind as he gazed at the newest edition of the Nice Gazette. On the front page, there was a large photo of Mary & the gigolo she loved, dressed in the height of wedding fashion as they shared a passionate kiss at the altar. The headlines read, "Gigolo Marries The Girl Of His Dreams! Debutante Becomes Mrs. Christopher Tracy!"
Isaac was beside himself with rage. "How dare he?" he snarled, crumpling the newspaper in his hands. "How dare that...that gigolo..." Isaac stopped; he was at a loss for words. All he could do was seethe & huff to himself, unaware that his wife had stepped into the dining hall where he was lounging. "Isaac?" Mrs. Sharon asked, looking concerned. "Whatever is the matter, darling?"
"That bastard!" Isaac finally screeched, ripping the newspaper into tiny shreds. "That lowly little maggot thinks he can marry her & get away with it!"
"Isaac, you musn't be so upset over it," Mrs. Sharon advised. "Remember, we want our daughter to be happy..."
"She's not our daughter anymore, Madeleine!" Isaac growled. "A cheap whore like her doesn't deserve to be part of the Sharon family!" Mrs. Sharon, enraged & hurt at the same time, watched on in terror, as her husband took a photo of Mary, & hurled it to the ground, where it shattered in pieces.
Though their surroundings were literally in shades of black & white, the sun shone brilliantly in the sky as Christopher, Mary, & their two friends made their way to their new Miami mansion, where they would live out the rest of their days in comfort.
"But this is the last of the high life for us," Tricky warned, as he steered the car into the driveway. "After this, we're going to work hard & make our own way. After all, this is America; you don't work, your life goes straight down the flusher."
As she exited the car & helped Christopher on his feet, Mary stared at the opulent three-story estate. It was grandiose indeed, with newly-painted white walls, great windows with plush curtains, & a gabled roof. The inside, however, was much more opulent; overcrowded with chaise lounges, canopy beds, looking glasses, chandeliers, & other fancy furniture, it had all the things Mary would own back in France, but what Christopher & Tricky had always dreamed of having!
Needless to say, they were stunned. Only Katy could speak, as she asked cheerfully, "So, shall we get settled in?"
Of course, Christopher & Mary were now a married couple, so they would be sharing the same room. Their own chamber was a nice one, if not the best in the whole mansion. Next to a large window overlooking the garden, there was a lush canopy bed with two marble nightstands on either side, as well as potted plants, opulent gilded mirrors, & a grand piano in the farthest corner. Fancy portraits hung upon the windows, & a phonograph sat on a writing desk, which rested near a bookcase lined with the latest novels. Next to the desk, there was a door that led to an empty room.
Mary & her husband looked around the room in awe. What the former debutante said, however, barely disguised her true feelings: "It's quite nice, wouldn't you say, Christopher, dear?" Suddenly, Mary let out a startled cry, followed by merry laughter as Christopher pushed her onto the bed & began to wrestle with her. When they had finished fillying around, Christopher pinned Mary down, & gazed deeply into her bright green eyes. With a passionate smile on his face, the former playboy bent down to kiss his wife.
As their lips touched & her eyes fluttered closed, Mary could feel the sensations her husband brought upon her body, stroking & caressing her in places that hadn't been touched in a long time. The feelings Christopher gave her brought sheer delight to her soul, & not just the physical kind. For the first time in her life, she felt complete. She was married to the man she truly loved, & now the two were about to consummate their marriage...
Mary wanted to cry out as her lover slid his hand under her dress, parted her, & began to stroke her most precious possession. A blissful feeling shot up, coursing through her body like a wildfire. Though not a virgin (after certain liaisons with Christopher during their post-nuptial affair), Mary had never felt this much ecstasy in her lifetime. She wanted it. She wanted more. She wanted him.
Mary opened her eyes to undress her husband, & after her own clothes had fallen to the floor, they crawled into the bed together, necking & touching each other ravenously under the smooth, silk sheets. After a long while of caressing, Mary straddled Christopher, & then they began.
With each penetration, every touch, Mary let out a soft moan, followed by screams of passion from both of them. Even though they had touched before, it was like reliving their first time all over again. Like rich chocolate that melted in the mouth, neither of them could seem to get their fill of one another. The magic between them seemed to go on forever. Mary wanted this wonderful feeling to last; for as long as she & Christopher were together, her heart was full of an ecstasy not even lovemaking could give her.
Finally, it ended all too soon. Mary kissed Christopher one last time on the lips, muffling her satisfied moans & his final cries of bliss as both reached their peak. Now completely exhausted, the two lovers flopped onto the bed, cuddling each other. As Mary closed her eyes once more & rested her head on Christopher's chest, her darling husband kissed her forehead, then gingerly stroked her short red hair & cupped her hand in his, vowing to love her until the end of time...
The sound of the phone ringing woke Mary up from her wonderful dream-filled slumber. Yawning & stretching her arms, she leaned over to pick up the phone & put it to her ear. Imagine her surprise when she heard her mother ask on the other line, "Mary, my sweet baby, is that you?"
"Yes, Mother, I'm here."
"Oh, Mary, it's so horrible! Your father took you out of the will & he's disowned you! And he's planning to—" Mrs. Sharon abruptly stopped talking, & a masculine voice yelled, "Get off the phone, Madeline! I forbid you to speak to that immoral little bitch again!"
Mary's eyes went up in shock. "Father, you can't disown me just because I followed my heart! This is—" Immediately the line went dead. When Mary asked in vain for either of her parents, she hung up the phone, & began to cry, drying her eyes with a corner of the blanket. Upon hearing his wife sobbing, Christopher stirred. "Mary," he asked sleepily, "what is it?"
Mary sniffled, then replied tearfully, "Mother called. She said Father cut me out of the will...& I'm not even his daughter anymore!" Upon hearing his wife's words, Christopher's heart sank. Crawling over to his wife & taking her hand, he said gently, "Mary, my love, you musn't be upset. We're together, & that's all that matters."
"But he has to understand!" Mary cried in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He has to realize that I have the right to follow my own heart without being disowned or called an immoral bitch!" Mary took a moment to regain her composure, then got out of bed, put on some clothes, packed two suitcases, & headed for the door. When her husband asked where she was going, Mary replied, "I'm going back to France! And I'm going to give Father a piece of my mind, whether he likes it or not!"
"Then I'm coming with you," Christopher said as he got dressed.
"Christopher," Mary said dismally as she stopped at the door, "don't even bother. It's best you stay here, &..."
"Mary," the former gigolo said, lifting his wife's face till her eyes met his, "you & I love each other, & we're going to face this together. No one's gonna stop us, not your dad or his stupid goons. And we will win this fight, Mary. I'm sure of it."
Mary thought a bit, then sighed. Heading back for the door, she said, "Go get Tricky & Katy. We'll definitely need their help."
The swelling in Mary's belly was even more noticeable than before on that afternoon, as they rode their plane to Nice. The former debutante was getting nauseated, & it wasn't just turbulence that was making her sick. As she vomited into a bag, Tricky winced with disgust. "You know, if you hadn't eaten so much lunch," he said, "you wouldn't be barfing every few seconds!"
Mary wiped the stomach content off her chin, then glared at Tricky. Daintily closing her bag & throwing it away, she said as calmly as she could, "I don't need your input, Tricky, as much as I appreciate your concern for me. I assure you, I'm quite fine."
"Is that why you've been patting your belly & going 'googly-ga-ga-goo' all the time?" Tricky retorted. "'Cause unless I suddenly fell on my head & became a dumb-ass, I'm pretty sure you're pregnant." The gentlemen & ladies on the plane gasped, then glared at Tricky; they were not accustomed to hearing such an improper word at this time (it was 1923, after all). Mortified, Tricky grinned nervously as he patted Mary's stomach & said, "I mean, isn't it marvelous that Mary is 'heavy with child'?" When the nobles were satisfied that Tricky had minded his manners, they turned around & went back to their business. Tricky then gave a warning glance at Mary & snarled under his breath, "Don't make me do that again."
"Oh, & it's suddenly my fault I'm about to have a baby?" Mary shot back, pointing to herself.
"Well, if you think about it..." The glower on Mary's face was a good enough signal for him to shut up. Not saying another word, Tricky went back to his magazine, grumbling all the while.
It wasn't long before the plane finally reached Nice, & the Tracys, Katy, & Tricky were taking a cab to Sharon Estate. When they got out of the car, Mary gasped as she was swept into her mother's arms. "Oh, Mary, thank God you've come!" Mrs. Sharon wept. "Your father is starting to act like a bloody tyrant! I simply can't stand him now! He fired the cook Marie because she wore a camisole on the hottest day of the year! He's gone insane, I tell you!" She burst into sobs.
"Don't worry, Mother," Mary reassured, patting her mom's shoulder. "Father will get what's coming to him one way or another." After commanding the others to follow her into her former home, the group went inside.
The interior of Sharon Estate was even more opulent than that of the mansion in Miami. Of course, Christopher & the others had been there before without any bad associations, but Mary was having a hard time coping with the memories of the living hell she went through in this house during her whole life. To make matters worse, the four could hear Isaac in his study, muttering insanely & throwing darts at the wedding picture he had spotted in the newspaper.
Mary shuddered inwardly. Mother's right! Father has gone mad! But she decided not to show any fear. Quietly stepping inside, she cleared her throat & said as politely as she could, "Hello, Father, how's it going?"
Isaac turned to look at the visitor, then upon seeing it was his daughter, gave an obscene gesture & spat on her picture. Mary, though very hurt, was not going to cry; this was no time to lose her cool just because her father absolutely abhorred her. (Well, under most circumstances, it would be, but then again...) Nonetheless, Mary silently left the room, shutting the door behind her. When she had reached her husband & friends, Mary lamented, "He won't listen to me!"
"What did you expect?" Tricky retorted. "Your dad's got rocks in his head!"
"Well, it's time someone crushed those proverbial rocks into powder!" Mary said defiantly, stomping her high-heeled foot. "Father is going to listen to me about everything, & if he doesn't, he can—" Before she could finish her threat, however, Mary suddenly dropped to the floor, clutching herself & groaning in agony. Tricky & Katy, worried, rushed to Mrs. Sharon & alerted her of the situation. Christopher held his wife tenderly & kissed her, vowing that everything would be all right.
Mary, however, was too absorbed in her pain to hear his words. Her piercing screams seemed to penetrate every door in the mansion; they were so loud that Isaac came out, fire blazing in his cold eyes as he asked angrily, "What is it now, you little bitch? Are you going to talk to me or are you just going to fiddle around like the cheap slut you are?"
Christopher, still holding Mary, glared at Isaac. "She's not a slut," he growled, "she's my wife! And you have no right to—"
"You dare to order me around, you maggot?" Isaac shrieked, shaking Christopher violently. "I am one of the most prestigious men in the world! I have the power to do whatever I please! If I want to call that bitch a whore, then so I shall! You have no right to interfere with me! I almost killed you once, & I can always try again, you worthless, disgusting piece of—"
Suddenly, Isaac turned around to look at his daughter, who was now crying, her sobs mixing with her moans of agony. The sight struck a nerve in the businessman. Somehow, seeing his daughter in such pain made him change his feelings for her. To this day, not even Isaac knows why he did it, but he can tell you that he called 911 faster than you could say "vini, vidi, vici".
The ambulance had arrived rather quickly, & now Mary, Christopher, Isaac & his wife, & Tricky & Katy were at the hospital. Mary was dressed in a gown, her legs spread apart & placed in stirrups.
"Now," said the nurse as she kneeled in front of Mary, "push!"
Mary strained as she struggled to exert enough force. All the while, she did her breathing, as Isaac & Christopher coached her. After only 5 minutes, Mary collapsed, breathing deeply, as her new baby was cleaned up. It wasn't long before she got enough energy to gingerly take her newborn girl & cradle her in her arms. The baby was a vision, indeed, with eyes of green & a wisp of red hair just like her mother's. Upon seeing the beautiful infant, Mary started to cry again, this time, with tears of joy, as she gently held her baby & kissed her on the forehead.
"I can't believe it, Isaac," Mrs. Sharon said, dabbing her also-moist eyes with a lace handkerchief. "We have someone to carry on the family name!"
"What are you gonna name her?" asked Tricky, smiling at Christopher. The former gigolo replied with a proud grin, "Fortuna, because I'm a lucky man, indeed."
Over a month had passed, & things had changed even more for the better. Isaac had forgiven Mary & welcomed her back into the family, much to her delight. He had also retired, cut off his long-time love affair with his neighbor Mrs. Wellington, remarried his wife, sold his property in France, & moved in with Mrs. Sharon to Miami, where they planned to live out the rest of their golden years. Fortuna was now four weeks old, & living a wonderful life with her parents, grandparents, & their two friends, who decided to set up a private business that ran mainly on charities & globetrotting.
But whatever else happened to the Tracy family didn't matter; for as long as they were together, life was good enough.