Allow me to pull the red velvet tarp off of my very first AU fic: Relapse. If it doesn't suite your tastes, I totally understand, because when the idea first came to me I retched a little. But never fear; it will be action packed and violent and angsty, and at the gooey chocolaty center you will find awkward romance and family bonding.
… Somewhere, at least. Maybe not the center.
Anyway, I digress. Here's what you need to know:
Mariah and Rei are married, and probably in their… early thirties? Lee is about the same age as them. Kevin is their son, and he is fourteen going on fifteen now. I've taken a few younger characters and made them kids like Kevin, and taken the others and made them adults. It will make sense as the story goes develops.
There will be swearing and violence and abduction and, possibly, rape. If any of this irks you, then again, the back button has been conveniently placed on the upper corner of your screen.
… I'll give more info in later chapters if I can think of it.
Also, first chapter is just info. Sorry bros, you'll have to wait for the action.
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Mariah glanced over her shoulder, watching as the ancient bridge into the village grew farther and farther away. Her hand squeezed Rei's tighter, the two of them sitting in painful silence as the wagon drew up the road around a bend. She felt a few tears swell up to the surface, but only one was successful in escaping as she turned her head back around and rested it against the shoulder beside her. The long silence followed them for four slow, tedious miles before Rei glanced down at her.
She had never left home before. He had, and at that point was eager to do so again. But Mariah... she wasn't. The farther they along they were, the more emotional strings seemed to strain and snap into two strands; one connected to the village, the other half trailing behind them. Mariah remained sober for a good while, only occasionally glancing over her shoulder.
"Are you sure about this?" Rei asked softly as another string seemed to break. Mariah wiped the tear from her face and looked across the rice patties that stretched out to distant hills. The gray sky reflected off the water like a mirror, and baby shoots poked out to watch them pass.
"I've never been so certain about anything... I just..."
"It's hard." He muttered, giving her a bit of a squeeze with the arm he had around her waist. "I cried the first time I left."
Mariah looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. "You make it sound like you're some emotionless stone."
A toothy grin spread across Rei's face as he reached up and brushed a tear off of her cheek with his thumb. "Only when I need to be."
Mariah pushed off of him calmly and smiled, adjusting herself. Ahead of them, the old man who had agreed to take them out to the road stared ahead, deaf as a post. He looked back at them and smiled toothlessly before turning around. Returning the smile briefly, Mariah tucked her arms inward and pushed both hands against her stomach softly.
"And when do you need to be?" She asked, looked up at Rei with her head tilted a bit. His smile softened just a little and he made direct eye contact with her.
"When you need me to be." He said simply, as though it were the only logical answer. Her eyes seemed to melt some, and she sniffled, wiping away another tear.
"Well, I need you to be, right now." She said softly, eyes dropping to his chest for a moment, lingering. He looked at her curiously.
"Why is that?"
Her eyes lifted up toward him slowly, and she smiled with more happiness then he had ever seen. "I'm pregnant."
-x-x-x-
Fifteen years later.
"It's raining again."
"Mn."
"You could do your homework."
"It's done."
Mariah set the pan down on the towel beside the sink and picked up another, running it under the warm water.
"Well how about you help your mother do the dishes?"
"I'm allergic."
"You're allergic to the dishes."
"Yeah. I'll need an EpiPen if I get too close."
The French doors into the kitchen swayed open as another entered. "Don't try that attitude with your mother."
"Hey, look mom, dad is here. He loves doing the dishes."
"Don't try it with me either, Kevin." Rei warned, waving an extended finger at his son. He crossed the dining area where Kevin was seated at the table, slumped forward over it's mahogany surface with his arms sprawled in front of him. Curiously, Rei watched his fourteen-year-old play a game of chess with the salt and pepper shakers while staring dully out at the rain.
"Why don't you make of list of the things you want for your birthday?" He offered, swerving around the island counter and accosting his wife from behind. Mariah smiled to herself but refused to look up from her work, even as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him.
"Done that."
Rei rested his chin on Mariah's shoulder and watched her work for a moment before reaching around her and taking the pot from her hands. He started to wash it as she leaned against him, her cheek brushing his.
"Well if you don't think of something to do, young man, I'll put you to work."
"Hollow threat." Came the dull response, as Kevin moved on to fiddle with the cloth napkins. Mariah rolled her eyes, but both she and Rei couldn't help but smile.
"Why don't you invite Ian over?" Rei offered. "And while you're at it, Oliver."
"Ah, dad, Oliver? He's so annoying!" Kevin whined. He stood from the table and glanced over at his parents, sticking out his tongue.
"He's just having trouble getting used to public schools. You should be nice to him." Rei replied, finishing the pot and looking back for his son. He blinked, noting that Kevin wasn't in the dining room, and jumped as the mop of green hair suddenly appeared beside him.
"I'll hang out with Ian, I guess. But I'm not calling Oliver."
"Way to disregard my last statement." Rei said a little dryly. He glanced down at his son from the corner of his eye, while Mariah turned her full attention to him. She reached out her arm, planting her hand on top of his head gently.
"Why don't you go see a movie with Ian, then?" She offered. Kevin rolled his eyes and leaned up against the counter.
"Why, so you two can have some 'alone time'?" He asked, using air-quotes for emphasis. Mariah retracted her hand and blinked at him, while Rei used his free hand to swat at his son's shoulder.
"Kevin!" He warned, soap suds flying everywhere. Kevin laughed and ducked out of the way. "Fine, fine! I'm going, cut it out!"
His laughter continued as Rei playfully splashed bubbles and water at him, chasing his son out of the room. Finally stopping, and with Kevin gone, Rei turned around with a triumphant smile on his face. Mariah rolled her eyes.
"You're cleaning this all up."
-x-x-x-
Kevin tossed his side back over his shoulder and turned down the front hall, snagging up a mint from the glass candy dish on the table beside the door.
"I'll be back around five!" he called. His parents were still in the kitchen, talking animatedly about something or other. As he pulled the large front door open, he discovered the rain was heavier then he had thought, and pulled up his hood.
"Okay honey! Be safe, alright? Call if you need a ride!" His mother called from the kitchen. "Okay," he called back, stepping onto their front porch reluctantly. The smell of rain and freshly cut grass was heavy, as his father had just mowed the lawn the day before. When he closed the door, the smell of scented candles and the warmth of his home seemed cut off from him, and he darted across the porch unwillingly.
"This movie had better be good," he muttered, sliding over the damp pavement with every intention of getting his bike from the garage and getting to the theater quickly. In minutes he was pushing off down the driveway, coasting on the decline before he swerved onto the empty street. They lived on top of a hill, and the houses were surrounded by tall fir trees that blocked the view of the town around them. As he swerved down the road farther, the wind blowing his bangs from his face, the trees vanished and gave way to blocks of houses, all leading up to a large blue expanse of water. Even on such a dreary day, the ocean was startlingly spectacular.
Distracted with the view, Kevin didn't notice the black car parked along side of the road. It stood out in the upscale neighborhood, its scuffed paint like nothing you would find among the nice houses. Kevin coasted right passed it, never thinking that someone was in it, staring back up the street at his home.
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And we're off. Suspicious foreboding plot device, anyone?