Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick
Drip… drip… drip… drip
Every second that went by, the life blood drained from his wicked, evil body.
Those hands that had beaten her, harmed her, stolen her dignity…
Those eyes that had been so cruel, hard, menacing…
That mouth with which he had uttered so many lies, the mouth that had twisted into an evil twisted smile, when she was sure that her beloved lay dying…
He was dying now, the life blood dripping from his body from both his back and his chest, ribs cracked, lungs broken, the blade of the pirate saber stabbing his cruel heart that it beat no longer…
It wasn't her husband's body that she looked on so with terror and fear, for with his death she felt freedom!
No, it was the identity of his killer…
The first man she had ever loved, the man who'd born her with the woman he loved and had been taken from him.
Her Knight in shining armor…
Her father
Thomas Abel Marsberg
He was doomed...
He would die…
Unless…
A sword
A pillow sheet
A rope
The three tools of death in their succession…
Thou shalt not murder
Greater love has no more than this than one lay his life down for his friends…
Did that not include children?
Which of these then, was the greater commandment?
Her father had saved her life!
In return, she had saved his….
The courtroom
The judge
He places a black cap upon his wig
Judgement
Felicity Vivian Marsberg Montague, from here forth you will be taken to the place from which you came- a place of execution where you will be hung by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul…
The rope stretched… the door opened… her neck feeling tighter and tighter until she couldn't scream…
Felicity woke up with a start, sweat steaming from her as she lay upon silken sheets, the open window letting forth a breeze that did noting to aid her in cooling down…
The clock rung three.
Felicity groaned and rolled over, praying desperately for sleep…
FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB
Alice felt she were in a dream.
From beginning to end, through her whole hellish experience in the asylum, she felt she were in a nightmare.
She had her father to blame…
But then, there was also herself, she had the gun, she had been trained to use it properly…
The gun… it was that blasted, damned gun! Her gun… she would destroy it! Destroy the very thing that had taken her mother from her…
After that, Alice didn't care any more. She tried to hear and listen to what Father Brown said, but like everything else, it went in one ear and out the other…
So it was easy.
It was easy to blame her father.
It was easy to give herself to Aaron- she'd always planned to- all of those discussions about chastity given by Mummy ceased to matter, now…
But then, Daddy wouldn't talk to her. He wouldn't listen… he kept telling her to leave…
Why? When they needed each other most at this time? All she wanted…
All she'd wanted…
What did she want, now?
She wanted it to stop, to end… she didn't want the pain anymore…
Her loved ones were lost to her, it was her fault… if she could just get the pain to end…
They had found her, Sid and Father Brown, the elderly priest begging her not to die- the Lord was there with her…
She felt Him, holding her, warm and safe despite shaking from cold…
As things became clear in her mind, what actually happened, Alice noticed something in Father Browns eyes, as if he was seeing someone else… someone like Alice…
For a moment, Alice wondered whom it could be, noticing for a brief moment until a Nurse in uniform called for "Nathan!" at the top of her lungs which sent him running faster than a priest could run in a robe…
FB-LF-FB-LF-FB-LF
Nathan couldn't help but taunt the overprivileged tyrant as they dueled to the death for Felicity's hand.
Pant pant pant
He glared at his enemy, this monster who wanted nothing more from Felicity than her virtue.
How dare he? How dare he assume that Nathan would stand aside and allow the monstrous excuse of a man take this precious flower, Nathan's Edelweiss, and crush her under his boot as if she were a speck of dust!
Thou shalt not murder, Beloved…
Lord?
Vengeance is Mine, My son… take heed and flee
But Lord, I…
GO!
Nathan felt anger surge in his heart. He would not leave Felicity alone to suffer by this brute's hands…
"Rather tempting isn't she?" Montague sneered.
''Tis a pity you'll be dead- incapable of stopping me as I taste every… delicious…mmmm morsel…"
It wasn't the words he used. It was the way he wickedly licked his lips as he grinned, a vile, debased look toward Felicity as if…
Nathan growled as she shuddered. She hated him. Nathan knew that, and right now he was determined to put an end to that smirk, immediately…
"Oh ho ho… I know that look, boy…" he spat, "you think that you'll kill me with your saber and win her hand… How pathetic!"
Nathan grinned darkly.
"Of course I will my lord, because, unlike you, she has been promised to me! It is I who will marry her, love her, and care for her to the end of her days! It is also I whom will give her children and fill her heart with gladness to the best of my ability!"
"LIES!" the snide, entitled snob roared as he rushed at Nathan and parried…
"Get behind me, Felicity!" Nathan roared, "At the first chance that comes, you run!"
Felicity was frozen in terror… she couldn't leave Nathan alone to die! Especially with a madman threatening him harm!
"Yes my dear, stay where you are! Watch as I rid the world of this good for nothing priest!"
Xander turned his venomous dark gaze on Nathan.
"'Tis a pity you won't be able to give in to your base desires with her before the wedding…I'll be sure she's extra tamed, won't I love?"
Nathan roared, swinging for the man's head. Xander shoved him, pushing him to his back.
He saw Felicity shuddering and smirked. Angry she hadn't fled when he'd ordered her to, he decided to take his anger out on Montague while he taunted the Count.
"I would take my pleasure in pleasing her, not that you would ever be able to do so!"
As Montague's glare got angrier, Nathan's evil grin grew wider and wider…
"Look now, m'lord, as she trembles in your presence! She does not seek pleasure from you, but refuge! Considering the fact you are old enough to be her father, I don't blame her!"
Those words brought to light a freakish yell, bombarding Nathan with strike after strike, pushing him back and swinging for him, close enough to catch the air on his back…
Nathan was soon shoved to the ground and tried to get up, soon feeling a searing pain pierce through the underside of his right thigh…
"NATHAN!!!"
"-than… Nathan!"
"Huh? Wha-?" the priest had been startled awake to find himself in a hospital room in a chair beside the bed.
He yawned, confused as he heard a chuckle.
Gathering his wits, Nathan realized that Felicity was smiling at him, and Michael Sherwin was beside him, taking Felicity's pulse.
"Any deeper Father and I would have had to take drastic measures" Michael winked.
"Are you alright dear?" both Nathan and Felicity said at the same time.
Nathan chuckled as Felicity giggled.
"I'm alright dearest" Felicity smiled. "Not sure what came over me…"
Nathan and Michael both frowned at her; she shrugged, dozing off again.
Michael sighed, taking off his stethoscope, looping it again around his neck on the collar of his white laboratory coat, and motioned Nathan out into the hall.
"She most certainly is not fine" Sherwin intoned.
"She's been working far too hard… and if you ask me, I believe there is something weighing rather heavily on her mind. I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about my employees, but they do need to be in tip top shape for the work that we complete."
Nathan nodded. "What do you suggest I do?" he asked.
"Try talking to her. See if you can get her to open up about anything in her past. I knew her husband back in school days. He was an absolute pompous pisspot, so perhaps not pushing about him, but maybe if something else is bothering her, such as that employer of yours?" he growled.
Nathan nodded somberly. He too had never been told the full story of how Tolbot first came in contact with Felicity, and what had occurred during their encounter to disrupt her so badly…
"I will certainly do what I can." Nathan promised.
Sherwin lay his hand on the priest's shoulder. "That is all I ask… by the by, I understand that the both of you are not wed yet, but how well is she to do with an extended, paid leave of absence?"
Nathan raised an eyebrow, casting a fearful glance back at the surgery.
"Eh, worth a shot…still… I don't want her back here for the next two weeks, starting forthwith…"
Grinning cheekily, Sherwin made his way back into the surgery, leaving Nathan alone with his thoughts.
"Dr. Sherwin…" the priest murmured softly. "are you out of your blooming MIND??!!"
And that's a wrap until next time!!!
Let me know what you think! Please!
Till then,
cq