Hello dear readers! :)
This is my first Addams family story so I would be very thankful if you let me know what you think about it. Just leave a review at the end. :)
I kind of mixed the 90s movies with some elements from the 60s TV show, but I'd advise you to picture the Addams family from the movies because this takes place sometime after the second movie.
I hope you like it...
Chapter 1
Morticia Addams had it all. A loving, passionate husband, three wonderful, gloomy children, a majestic home and absolutely no worries about money. Her carnivorous plant was thriving and prospering; her thorns had come out nice and sharp this year. Her two older children, Wednesday and Pugsley, got good grades in school and were regularly asked to stay even longer for detention. Meanwhile, her youngest son, Pubert, was growing unbelievably fast.
It felt like just yesterday that Pubert was laying in his black crib, playing with his fire darts. And now he already manages to set traps for his older siblings, making them barricade themselves in their room for days to plan their strike back. Fester and Mama were good teachers for all three kids and she loved them for that.
And her husband Gomez… the most wonderful husband a woman could ask for. For the entire last week, he had kept her up at night, doing things that drove her crazy, scared her and brought her to ecstasy all at once. Oh, how she loved Gomez.
However, Morticia was feeling strange for quite some time now. She knew that she wasn't pregnant again, although she felt weary and exhausted. But Morticia was a master of disguise. Nobody could read her true feelings from her face. She was a perfect, pale, mysterious mask that swallowed every emotion. Gomez took it as a challenge to elicit an emotion from her anyway. A scream or a sly smile. Every night they fought for control. And they both loved every second of it.
One late evening, the sibling rivalry was at its peak again. Clattering glass from shattered windows could be heard the whole day. Lurch had to extinguish random, little combustions and the stomping of feet was present everywhere in the house when Wednesday, Pugsley and Pubert were on a hunt for each other.
Morticia retreated into her conservatory, trying to escape the madness she normally loved so much. Gomez had set a dinner with cousin Itt and Margaret tonight, because they hardly see the lovely couple anymore. They also had a baby recently and could understand the stress three children could cause. Since Morticia definitely didn't want to miss the dinner and disappoint Gomez, as well as Itt and Margaret, she indulged herself fully in the meditative task of rose petal trimming. Tonight she wanted to be at her best.
Who knew what Gomez had in store for them. She loved his spontaneity. Anything could happen. Tango, fire swallowing, knife throwing or a classic duel with cloak and sword. Maybe even a Mamushka dance. Morticia wanted to be prepared for anything. But her strength, her vigor left her slowly as she dressed up and the perfect mask began to slip.
"Cara mia, you seem absent today. Is everything alright?" Gomez asked while he was brushing her pitch black hair. Their gazes met in Morticia's cracked mirror. His dark eyes were prying and relentless.
"Oui, mon cher." She answered with a small, forced smile to calm him. "Just a bit tired. You, too, have heard the children today, haven't you?" Gomez rolled his eyes in affliction but grinned with the clearly visible pride of a father. He kissed her hair at the French pet name that drove him wild. Morticia continued, "I love each of our creations, but sometimes I long for the times when it was only you and me. That's all." she admitted.
"Don't torture yourself, querida." Gomez said. "Just wait a few hours and then I will take care that you can banish all your worries. I promise." Gomez' black eyes were glinting dangerously and Morticia's body reacted with a nice, warm shiver that ran up her spine.
"I can't wait." she whispered, trying to ignore the fact that she could hardly keep her eyes open.
"You don't have to worry. We can easily handle those three." Fester said confidently to Gomez and Morticia as they moved down the big, wide staircase together. "Plus, Dementia is coming over later with What. So we won't have a problem. You two just have fun."
"I know that I can always count on you, old man." Gomez grinned, pausing over the trap door where the left and right staircases met to turn to his brother, who eagerly followed the couple. "Just take care that Wednesday doesn't kill her brothers by accident and remind Mama that she shouldn't give cyanide cookies to the children after midnight. Those really drive them wild and they won't sleep at all. Especially Pubert!"
"No cyanide cookies. Check." Fester repeated.
"And don't let Pugsley near the hard explosives. You know how touchy the neighbors are about explosions during nighttime."
"Aye, aye, Gomez. Anything else?" Fester asked and saluted.
"Tish, can you think of something else?" Gomez addressed his wife but she didn't respond. She stood next to him, her gaze seeming empty, as if she was completely lost in her thoughts. "Morticia?"
She blinked, seeming to pull herself back to reality. "Oh, no, I think that covers it all."
Gomez frowned for a second, but the anticipation of the evening dispelled his worries. "Alright. If you have any questions, ask Thing. He knows best when it comes to child care, isn't that true, old friend?"
Thing slid down the handrail, showing his thumb up.
Gomez clapped his hands. "Then, we're ready." He turned to his wife and offered her his hand. "Come, my love. Time to go."
Morticia took his hand and let Gomez lead her down the staircase. Only a few steps separated them from the floor when suddenly, everything started to spin and Morticia's world turned black. She usually would have liked that, but at the same time she felt sick and her legs suddenly grew numb.
Gomez stopped when Morticia grabbed his hand tighter, moaning quietly. "Tish, are you okay? Morticia!" His beloved wife slumped down all of a sudden. Swiftly, he caught her around her small waist. Now they both knelt in the middle of the staircase.
"Morticia, Gomez, what's going on?" Fester exclaimed.
"Cara, please say something! Are you feeling sick? What do you need, my darling?" Gomez noticed that Morticia wanted to say something but instead of words, blood trickled out of her mouth. She coughed and gaged. "Fester, quick! Get some towels! Thing! Bring water!"
The two hurried away to fetch both things. Gomez pressed Morticia close to his body when she grew limper.
"Father, what is wrong with Mother?" Wednesday demanded as she appeared on the top of the staircase with her youngest brother in her arms and Pugsley and Mama by her side.
But Gomez didn't respond to her. "Mama! Take the children out of here! They shouldn't see their mother like this." Grandmama nodded, and even though she was clearly worried about her daughter, she ushered the children away and stayed with them.
"Here are the towels, Gomez." Fester said breathlessly as he knelt beside his brother and Morticia just as Thing reappeared with a glass of water on the back of his hand.
Gomez grabbed both items, wiping the crimson from the mouth of his beloved and splashing some water on her face. "Tish, I'm here with you. What is the matter?" He held her head. She was still blinking but Morticia's body was so limp by now that she could do nothing to steady herself. She just laid in his arms, motionless. Her ice-blue, cold eyes filled with rare tears as she stared, unseeing, at Gomez. And then her eyes closed and her head fell to the side.
"Morticia, darling? Querida mia?! Please wake up!" Gomez pleaded desperately, gently shaking her form. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. Never before he had experienced such great fear.
Mama reappeared, standing next to Fester. "Lurch locked the children in and is guarding the door. What happened?" she asked.
Fester watched the scene at his feet, where Gomez knelt with his love in his arms, shaking her, pleading and begging her that she must open her eyes. "I don't know it myself. She just fainted. Morticia is no fainter."
Mama paled slightly at Morticia's limp form. "Oh my, is she…"
"No!" Gomez exclaimed vehemently, cutting off Mama abruptly. He glared at her viciously. She must not dare to say it. He looked back at Morticia, bending his head to her and feeling her breath on his face. Very shallow, but steady. Almost as always. As if she was just sleeping. "She's not dead." He clarified again. "Not without me. I won't let that happen."
With that, Gomez held his wife tighter, lifting her like she weighed nothing. With his black bride in his arms, he effortlessly made his way up the staircase into their master bedroom and carefully laid her down on the bed. He draped some cushions around her. Not necessarily to make it more comfortable, but to steady her. Then he sat down beside her and stared blankly into her still face.
Fester, Mama and Thing followed him to the doorstep but didn't dare moving closer. Silently and worried they looked into the room.
"What happened to her? Everything was fine a few minutes ago." Gomez wondered aloud. His Castilian accent was more prominent now, like it always was when he was upset.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Mama inquired. "Did Morticia say something? Did she mention dizziness or fatigue?"
"She mentioned that she was tired, but this…" Gomez paused and looked down at Morticia, desperately clutching her hand and kissing it. "This she wouldn't have kept secret, right?" It was more of a question addressed to himself than a definite belief. Gomez stroked a black strand of hair from her white face. "To be honest, I've noticed that Morticia was acting different than usual. She seemed tired. Not as chipper. She retreated more often. And I never asked about it! I should have noticed! I should have helped her!" Gomez scolded himself.
"Gomez, this isn't your fault." Fester tried.
"Your brother is right." Grandmama said. "We can't change what happened. Let's find out how to wake Morticia instead."
"How, Mama?" Gomez whined. "That's not normal sleep, is it? She has never fainted just like that."
"I'm going to ask my books about it. If there is a cure, I'll find it. You should stay with her in the meantime and let her sleep." The old witch advised. "Maybe tomorrow morning she wakes up on her own."
"Thank you, Mama." Gomez sighed as she retreated into her kitchen. He looked at Fester, who still stood nervously at the door, flinching back and forth because he seemingly couldn't decide if he should stay or go. Thing sat on the door knob, also awaiting orders from his master. "Fester, it would be best if you'd call Cousin Itt and tell him that we won't make it to dinner. But don't tell him why. He shouldn't worry."
Fester seemed to pull himself together and stopped quivering. "Yes, right. I'll do that, Gomez." he said, obviously glad that he had a task.
Thing watched Fester as he hurried down the hallway, then he tapped something on the door knob, which sounded like Morse code. Gomez sighed and answered. "No, dear friend. There's nothing you can do right now. Please, leave us alone and close the door, would you?"
Thing showed him a thumb up and the door closed.
Gomez was alone with his love. Anxiously, he kissed her forehead. He didn't remove his evening attire when he laid down beside her, encircling her body with his. She was so cold. So much colder than him. Colder than ever. Or did he just imagine things? Gomez closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. Attentively, he listened to Morticia's breath and her slow heartbeat, praying that everything would be back to normal tomorrow.
Love it? Hate it? Please let me know and review! :)
