DARKENING DOWN
~by Koneko no Miko~
CHAPTER 3: the promise
"Are you taping again? Come on," Mary sighed, waving a hand at James.
"I just want to capture your beauty, dear," he said, not taking his eye from the video camera's viewfinder.
"Nice cover," she laughed, coming over and placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I know you really just want to fool around with your new toy."
"No, what I'd really like to fool around with is you..." he said slyly, setting the video camera down.
"Oh...?" Mary asked, a faint blush tinging her cheeks. Even after years of marriage, Mary still became slightly embarrassed by anything related to sex.
James walked over to her and entwined his fingers in her hair. "Is that all you can say, 'oh'?" he teased, kissing the tip of her nose.
She smiled up at him, and he unbuttoned her sweater and gently pushed her down on the bed. He trailed kisses down her neck, and hooked his fingers under her bra straps, pushing them down. She flung an arm across her eyes.
"I wish you would look at me, Mary," James murmured. "Can't you look at me?"
She moved her arm and raised her head from the pillow. "I'm sorry…" The glint of light against the lens of the video camera caught her eye and she sat up suddenly. "That thing is OFF, right?"
"No, why? Don't you want an extra-special souvenir?"
"James, that's not funny. Go put the lens cap on."
Grumbling, he stood up and strode to the table, jamming the lens cap so hard he almost cracked it. "There. Satisfied?"
"Not yet," she purred, and startled, he turned to look at her. She'd removed her panties and was dangling them from one finger.
"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" James asked, only half- joking.
"Well, you're right…we've been married for almost two years now and I think I need to loosen up a little." Mary slid her hands down her thighs and, gripping her knees, she spread her legs apart. "Maybe you can help me with this resolution?"
James pounced upon her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the mattress. He knew he was being rougher than usual, but he was so excited by her unusual behavior that he couldn't help himself. She cried out when he entered her, and her nails gripped his shoulders painfully.
"Oh…James…stop."
He nuzzled her neck, continuing to thrust inside of her.
"JAMES!" she screamed, pushing him away. "STOP!"
"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed to see tears welling up in her eyes.
"My chest…it hurts…" she moaned, turning her head and coughing violently.
"Sweetheart," he whispered, lightly trailing his fingers over her heart. "I'm so sorry. Do you need me to call the front desk, see if they have a doctor here?"
"No…no…I'll be okay. Just…just shift your weight a little…"
James rested on his elbows and continued, but his mind was elsewhere. He was worried about Mary, and his shoulders hurt where she had clawed him, and he wasn't sure he could even finish. He thought of a bachelor party he'd recently been to for one of his coworkers. The stripper wore nothing but a choker, boots, and a smile, and she'd seemed to take a special fancy to James. Thinking of her, he managed to finish, and he rolled off Mary.
She turned and smiled faintly at him, pushing sweaty tendrils of hair out of her eyes. "I love you, James."
"I love you too, Mary," he said, cupping her chin in his hand and giving her a small kiss.
She stood up and he reached for her, to pull her back in bed with him, but she had already started dressing again.
"Mary?"
Mary stepped into her floral skirt and went to the window, flinging open the drapes. The sun was shimmering on Toluca Lake, and she sighed happily. "Ah, I don't know why, but I just love it here. It's so peaceful." She rested her chin on her hand for a moment. "Know what I heard? This whole area used to be a sacred place."
"Yeah, I thought I saw that in one of the brochures."
"I think I can see why." She dreamily regarded the pink-streaked sky, then turned to James. "It's too bad we have to leave. Please promise you'll take me again, James."
"Wouldn't you rather go to Paris? Or Bermuda? Or somewhere a little more exotic?"
Mary looked hurt. "I thought you were having a good time here."
"I am, sweetheart," James said quickly. "But Silent Hill isn't exactly the most...*exciting* place."
"It was pretty exciting when you almost lost your lunch on that roller coaster!"
"God, don't remind me...I'm turning green just remembering that," James groaned.
Mary laughed and turned her face back towards the window. "Maybe we can try Paris next year...but I want you to promise you'll bring me back here someday. It's really important to me. I don't know why, I just feel like I'm meant to be here."
James looked at Mary, silhouetted against the setting sun, and his heart felt as though it would overflow with his love for her. Although there hadn't been much to entertain him in Silent Hill, he'd enjoyed watching Mary have such a good time. She'd wanted to go on every ride at the amusement park, and begged him to win her an enormous stuffed elephant, which she'd promptly given to a crying little girl who'd dropped her ice cream cone. She squealed with delight when she accidentally set off the ornate fairy tale music box in the hotel lobby, and she'd drunk too much wine with dinner one night, so he'd been forced to carry her upstairs. She'd wrapped her arms sleepily around his neck, and murmured "I love you," and when they reached the room he tucked her into bed. Sometimes he felt more like her father than her husband, because she could act like a grown- up kid at times, but he couldn't imagine things any other way, and there was little he could refuse her.
"If antiquing and amusement parks are what the lady desires, then that is what the lady will have," James said, bowing gallantly.
"M-my hero," Mary said, breaking into a coughing fit.
"Are you okay, honey? I'm starting to get a little worried about that cough of yours."
"I'll be fine. Let's go down to the Venus Tears; maybe a glass of wine will help soothe this tickle in my throat."
"Seriously, Mary, I want you to promise that you'll see Dr. Lerner when we get home." Mary narrowed her eyes at him, and James said, "Please humor a nervous husband, okay?"
"Okay, I promise," she said, picking up her purse. "NOW can we go get that glass of wine?"
~by Koneko no Miko~
CHAPTER 3: the promise
"Are you taping again? Come on," Mary sighed, waving a hand at James.
"I just want to capture your beauty, dear," he said, not taking his eye from the video camera's viewfinder.
"Nice cover," she laughed, coming over and placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I know you really just want to fool around with your new toy."
"No, what I'd really like to fool around with is you..." he said slyly, setting the video camera down.
"Oh...?" Mary asked, a faint blush tinging her cheeks. Even after years of marriage, Mary still became slightly embarrassed by anything related to sex.
James walked over to her and entwined his fingers in her hair. "Is that all you can say, 'oh'?" he teased, kissing the tip of her nose.
She smiled up at him, and he unbuttoned her sweater and gently pushed her down on the bed. He trailed kisses down her neck, and hooked his fingers under her bra straps, pushing them down. She flung an arm across her eyes.
"I wish you would look at me, Mary," James murmured. "Can't you look at me?"
She moved her arm and raised her head from the pillow. "I'm sorry…" The glint of light against the lens of the video camera caught her eye and she sat up suddenly. "That thing is OFF, right?"
"No, why? Don't you want an extra-special souvenir?"
"James, that's not funny. Go put the lens cap on."
Grumbling, he stood up and strode to the table, jamming the lens cap so hard he almost cracked it. "There. Satisfied?"
"Not yet," she purred, and startled, he turned to look at her. She'd removed her panties and was dangling them from one finger.
"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" James asked, only half- joking.
"Well, you're right…we've been married for almost two years now and I think I need to loosen up a little." Mary slid her hands down her thighs and, gripping her knees, she spread her legs apart. "Maybe you can help me with this resolution?"
James pounced upon her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the mattress. He knew he was being rougher than usual, but he was so excited by her unusual behavior that he couldn't help himself. She cried out when he entered her, and her nails gripped his shoulders painfully.
"Oh…James…stop."
He nuzzled her neck, continuing to thrust inside of her.
"JAMES!" she screamed, pushing him away. "STOP!"
"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed to see tears welling up in her eyes.
"My chest…it hurts…" she moaned, turning her head and coughing violently.
"Sweetheart," he whispered, lightly trailing his fingers over her heart. "I'm so sorry. Do you need me to call the front desk, see if they have a doctor here?"
"No…no…I'll be okay. Just…just shift your weight a little…"
James rested on his elbows and continued, but his mind was elsewhere. He was worried about Mary, and his shoulders hurt where she had clawed him, and he wasn't sure he could even finish. He thought of a bachelor party he'd recently been to for one of his coworkers. The stripper wore nothing but a choker, boots, and a smile, and she'd seemed to take a special fancy to James. Thinking of her, he managed to finish, and he rolled off Mary.
She turned and smiled faintly at him, pushing sweaty tendrils of hair out of her eyes. "I love you, James."
"I love you too, Mary," he said, cupping her chin in his hand and giving her a small kiss.
She stood up and he reached for her, to pull her back in bed with him, but she had already started dressing again.
"Mary?"
Mary stepped into her floral skirt and went to the window, flinging open the drapes. The sun was shimmering on Toluca Lake, and she sighed happily. "Ah, I don't know why, but I just love it here. It's so peaceful." She rested her chin on her hand for a moment. "Know what I heard? This whole area used to be a sacred place."
"Yeah, I thought I saw that in one of the brochures."
"I think I can see why." She dreamily regarded the pink-streaked sky, then turned to James. "It's too bad we have to leave. Please promise you'll take me again, James."
"Wouldn't you rather go to Paris? Or Bermuda? Or somewhere a little more exotic?"
Mary looked hurt. "I thought you were having a good time here."
"I am, sweetheart," James said quickly. "But Silent Hill isn't exactly the most...*exciting* place."
"It was pretty exciting when you almost lost your lunch on that roller coaster!"
"God, don't remind me...I'm turning green just remembering that," James groaned.
Mary laughed and turned her face back towards the window. "Maybe we can try Paris next year...but I want you to promise you'll bring me back here someday. It's really important to me. I don't know why, I just feel like I'm meant to be here."
James looked at Mary, silhouetted against the setting sun, and his heart felt as though it would overflow with his love for her. Although there hadn't been much to entertain him in Silent Hill, he'd enjoyed watching Mary have such a good time. She'd wanted to go on every ride at the amusement park, and begged him to win her an enormous stuffed elephant, which she'd promptly given to a crying little girl who'd dropped her ice cream cone. She squealed with delight when she accidentally set off the ornate fairy tale music box in the hotel lobby, and she'd drunk too much wine with dinner one night, so he'd been forced to carry her upstairs. She'd wrapped her arms sleepily around his neck, and murmured "I love you," and when they reached the room he tucked her into bed. Sometimes he felt more like her father than her husband, because she could act like a grown- up kid at times, but he couldn't imagine things any other way, and there was little he could refuse her.
"If antiquing and amusement parks are what the lady desires, then that is what the lady will have," James said, bowing gallantly.
"M-my hero," Mary said, breaking into a coughing fit.
"Are you okay, honey? I'm starting to get a little worried about that cough of yours."
"I'll be fine. Let's go down to the Venus Tears; maybe a glass of wine will help soothe this tickle in my throat."
"Seriously, Mary, I want you to promise that you'll see Dr. Lerner when we get home." Mary narrowed her eyes at him, and James said, "Please humor a nervous husband, okay?"
"Okay, I promise," she said, picking up her purse. "NOW can we go get that glass of wine?"
