Mother's Secret

"So, we meet again," a man stated, "I've been waiting for this moment for years. Now, you will die for the anguish I have suffered." He didn't look like someone she'd met before, nor like a member of the Ark of Destiny. In fact, he couldn't be much older than she was, probably was also twenty-six years of age. The man had blond hair that went down to his chin, and green eyes. He had on a red shirt and black jeans. A pair of leather cowboy boots were on his feet, and he'd also put on a leather jacket and a ten-gallon hat with a red band. A pistol was in his hands, and a wicked smile on his face.

"I think you've been mistaken, I've never met you in my life. I am, however, Virginia M. Enduro. I take it you're here to go bounty hunting or something?" she inquired, her eyes never leaving him.

The man said, "Of course you wouldn't remember us meeting, that was many years ago. I don't remember it myself. But all I know is, it's your fault that I was left all alone, lying in a ditch outside of town as a little baby. I was darn lucky that my foster father found me and saved my life."

Now Virginia was confused. "How could I be responsible for something like that? You're my age, not older or younger. If you were a baby, then so was I. So how could I have hurt you like that?"


"You were born," he replied, "I was loved before your birth. But then you came along, and I was pushed away, unloved and unappreciated. Thrown away like some old rag, or a pet that you no longer want. Because of you I've endured so much suffering that you would never believe it."


"I don't understand, how could that hurt you? Why would my birth cause you to be unloved by anyone? Who are you anyway, and what are you to me?" she asked.

The man told her, "You are nothing to me, or rather, I wish you were nothing to me. But as for the other question, my birth name was Vincent Maxwell, and I am your twin brother."


Gallows looked shocked. "Hey Virginia, you never told us that you had a big brother. I mean, I always thought that you were an only child. Why didn't you say anything?"

Jet sighed. He was amazed at Gallows's stupidity. Virginia looked just as shocked as anyone to find out she had a brother. For years, she always had said that her mother gave birth to but one child, as it was hard to find time alone with her dad due to his responsibilities on the council.

"Liar!" she exclaimed, "I don't have a brother! I'm an only child, you can just ask my aunt and uncle. My dad was too busy to try to have another, and mom was content with things just as they are. And I know that I don't have a twin, mom only brought one child home with her."


"Mother, our uncaring mother. She who abandoned me out of her want for a little girl, and a family tradition of having but one child. Always appearing to be a saint in the meantime to the rest of her family, who went along with her choice. I take it she never told you of her little sin?" questioned Vincent.

Virginia yelled, "It's not true! Mother would never do something so horrible to anyone, let alone her own flesh and blood. What makes you think that she abandoned you?"


Vincent looked into her eyes, their father's eyes. "Do you want me to tell you, little brat? Fine, I'll reveal the truth about your mother. I don't even consider her mine anymore, not with what she did to me."

~ ~ ~ ~

"What should I do?" Ekatrina Maxwell mused, "I wanted to only have one kid. That's why I married someone who I knew wouldn't care much about things like that in the first place. But now I'm stuck with a second one. There's got to be some way to get around this."


"Ekatrina, be reasonable. These are your children, your flesh. Please, have mercy on their souls. These kids aren't at fault for whatever happened. Don't allow your family traditions and beliefs to get in the way of a happy future with them," begged a man with long black hair who was in the room.

She replied, "Leehalt, you know nothing of my family's traditions. If you were told to only have one child, and one child only, then what would you do with the second one? See, you can't answer that, you are unable to know how I feel. We've never dealt with this in the past. Werner, what should I do?"


Werner looked at his wife, and shrugged. "Whatever you want to do. You carried them for nine months, you went through the labor, and you have to raise them. I'm going to be really busy at the lab, so I can't help much on that front. So it'll be your decision as to how to handle this."

"I knew I couldn't count on you either," she muttered, "Neither of you can understand what I'm going through. I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands, as usual."

Just then, one of the babies grabbed onto its mother's necklace. When Ekatrina looked down, she found herself staring into her daughter's blue eyes. Her son, at that moment, began to scream and cry like a banshee. Everyone quickly covered their ears to drown out the sound.

"Well, that makes my decision a heck of a lot easier, Vincent shut up," she ordered.

Leehalt couldn't take it any more. Neither of them were listening to him, and the boy's screams were deafening. So he went back to the saloon, where he'd been staying. But late that night, he realized that he'd forgotten to pick up something. So he trudged out into the rain to go to the store. On the way home, he saw something lying in a ditch, and went to investigate. Upon opening the bundle, he saw the small baby boy, sleeping peacefully, but shivering due to the cold in the air.

~ ~ ~ ~

Virginia stated, "It can't be true. Mother would never do something so horrible to anyone. Why do you believe such an outrageous story like that. And from Leehalt's mouth at that. He and Father were enemies, he'd do anything to mess Daddy up in some way."


Vincent was angered. "How dare you insult Father?! He raised me when your parents didn't see me fit to live. I will get my vengeance for my suffering, as well as Father's death. He told me that my sister was fighting against him, so I take it that you're the one who killed him. You are going to die for all of the suffering that I've endured over the years, my dear sister."

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Well, I was thinking about westerns, and duels one day, and then I turned onto the topic of twins separated at birth and being on opposing sides while I was trying to find out ideas for Destined Daughter. You notice it's a little bit like Reina and Celia, but without an uncaring mother story. And yes, Leehalt did know about Virginia for a long time, he didn't know the girl he was fighting was Werner's daughter. Ten to one that Werner came into work the day he found out he was going to be a father, and told at least one of the others on the Council of Seven. And that someone probably insisted they celebrate or something, and you know Leehalt never not notices what is going on, heck he knew about Janus's rebellious plans, but allowed them to continue in order to gather the necessary energy to revive Siegfried.