Chapter 20: At the Corner of Park and Kitchen
Week 4, day 3
She took a deep breath as she stood outside the gates of the park, trying to get her courage up. She didn't want to do this, as she really didn't know what her reception would be. She hadn't talked to him since their fight five days ago and hadn't seen him since the meeting two days ago. With all she now knew, it was still a mystery of where their relationship currently stood. It was that uncertainty that she didn't know how to handle.
The only reason she agreed to meet Mamoru in the park was because the senshi practically ordered that they get together and work out where their relationship stood. Ordinarily, she probably would have fought them on this issue, but, in their numerous discussions they had had over the last few days, Pluto reminded her that ChibiUsa wouldn't exist unless she rebuilt her relationship with the man she still loved. Usagi felt compelled to risk more heartache for the sake of her future daughter.
As she sighed and entered the park, Usagi realized that she wasn't really sure what she wanted. She knew she loved Mamoru Chiba, and not just because it appeared that Serenity loved Endymion during the Silver Millennium. Even with all the pain and confusion she felt when the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium were revealed to her, watching the truth did do one good thing. It showed her very clearly that Endymion and Mamoru (and Serenity and herself) were different people, and while their Silver Millennium counterparts may or may not have loved each other, she still loved Mamoru. She loved him for who he was, faults and all. She loved being able to make him smile, to comfort him, and to give him hope. With everything that had happened to them over the years, she never doubted that she loved him. She just wasn't sure anymore whether he loved her. And, considering that it appeared that Endymion didn't love Serenity either, Usagi was feeling rather hopeless about where that left her and Mamoru.
As she neared the place where they had agreed to meet, she saw him standing by their bench, looking off in the distance, appearing rather tense and closed off. At that point, she almost turned around to go back home, unsure of how much more pain her heart could stand. But, as she continued to look at him, she noticed how worn and alone he looked. She decided that she had to talk to him, to try to help him because she loved him, whether he returned the feeling or not. She just wasn't sure exactly how to start.
"Mamoru?" she asked in a quiet voice, figuring that the best way to start was to actually get his attention.
If she hadn't been paying close attention, she probably would have missed the fact that he flinched at the fact that she addressed him by his name and not by the affectionate "Mamo-chan" she would have used a week ago. As he turned to face her, he seemed to struggle with something himself, but he finally acknowledged her, "Usagi."
She may have flinched when he called her by her name. She really wasn't sure how she reacted externally. Internally she was...hurt that he didn't call her "Usako", in part because it gave her even more doubts about their relationship, but she really couldn't blame him. He was probably as lost about what to do next as she was.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, until Mamoru offered his arm and asked, "Shall we?" Usagi nodded as she moved forward to take his arm.
They walked for a while in silence, each wrestling with their own thoughts. While unsure about what her partner was thinking, Usagi clearly recognized all of the uncertainties, fears, worries, and other unpleasant emotions that were running through her mind. It especially bothered her that Mamoru had not said anything or asked her any questions. Knowing that he had a family of some sort nearby after all this time of being alone, Usagi thought at he would at least want to talk about that. Even if he didn't love her, she had also been his friend when they were together. Sure, she didn't understand all the stuff he was learning at the university, as school had never been her strong point, but she did understand love and loss. She listened when he told her about losing his family, about Fiore, and she understood. Regardless of his feelings for her know, he had to know that she would still listen to him now.
Realizing, as the silence stretched on, that Mamoru was not going to bring up the subject himself, she found herself asking, "How are they? Have you talked to them yet?"
Mamoru stopped suddenly and looked down at Usagi, confusion obvious on his face, "How are who?"
Usagi sighed, "Your family...the one from the Silver Millennium, I mean. They are here, you said so yourself at the meeting. After everything we know now, I figured that you must have been to see them." Seeing the shuttered look in Mamoru's eyes, she tried to smile at him, to communicate that he didn't have to hide things from her. "It's okay. You can tell me about them. I know how much it means to you to have family again."
At that, Mamoru dropped her arm and walked a few feet away from her. At a few beats he said, "I haven't seen them and I'm not going to."
As that was the last thing that Usagi expected to hear, it was easy to understand why she shouted "What?!" as loud as she did. After taking a moment to get her confusion in order, she walked over to Mamoru and stood in front of him, trying to look him in the eye. "But why?"
Mamoru looked away as he ran a hand through his hair. "I promised Pluto that I would remain an ally in return for the truth of what happened in the past. She gave me that truth, so I'm upholding my end of the bargain."
Now Usagi was the one to be confused. "But what does staying our ally have to do with not seeing your family?"
Mamoru shook his head in amazement. "You really have no idea, do you?" he asked. Taking what must have been an obvious look on confusion on her face as his answer, he tried to explain. "May and Pluto seem to see this whole thing as a war, with me as the prize. Both sides are so sure that they are completely right and the other is completely wrong." Mamoru ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I talked to May before I confronted Pluto;" he expounded, "I've listened to everything Pluto has said about this since day one. To both of them, this is about choosing sides. To get the truth from Pluto, I chose her side. To talk to anyone for the other side, be it my mother or one of my brothers would be seen as treason." He turned to look at her. "I promised loyalty for the truth, knowing what I was giving up. Besides," he added, "if I had gone to see Reika after that senshi meeting, wouldn't that had been seen as betrayal to you?"
At that question, Usagi let her hand fall off his arm. She was quiet for a moment, merely taking one deep breath after another as a lot of conflicting emotions went through her head. She didn't know what to say, so she uttered the truth. "Yes," she agreed quietly, "it would have felt like a betrayal."
After her agreement, there was silence as Usagi wrestled with herself eternally, trying to find the word for what she was saying. All she could clearly think was what she didn't want. She didn't want to be second place, not in this. She didn't want to be chosen because someone felt trapped. She didn't want to be the unwanted price when someone demanded what they deserved. Taking a deep breath, she looked up from the ground and tried to express all of what she felt. "Mamoru, I don't want you to stay and obviously suffer just because you wanted to know the truth." She sighed. "Mamoru, these people are your family. Family is important, whether it be from this life of the last. Seeing and talking with Queen Serenity was important to me every time it happened; it would still be important to me knowing what I know now. Having Mom, Dad, and Shingo in my life is important to me, even when Shingo is being a brat. How much more important to you is your Silver Millennium family as you have been here years without the family you had in this life?
"Mamoru, I know what this must mean to you," Usagi continued. "You have to talk to them; you would never forgive yourself if you let them go and never really talked to them. And" her voice caught for a second, but she pressed on, feeling compelled to share one more truth, "And, all I really want is for you to be happy."
Mamoru looked off into the sky, obviously in thought. After a few moments, he replied with, "Thank you, Usagi. Thank you for trying to understand, but...I'm not sure that going to see them is the best idea. Yes, part of me really does want to see them, but" he stopped as if realizing something on his own. After a moment he continued, "But making peace with my past is only part of what I'd have to do to be happy. I'd have to bring my present and future in line as well, and going to deal with the past alone won't do that."
"What if I come with you?" Usagi asked before she thought about it. Seeing the shock on his face, she quickly added, "Only if you think it is a good idea, of course. I don't want to be any trouble and I promise not to get in the way-"
Mamoru cut her off with a shocked, "You would do that for me? You would come with me?"
"Yes," Usagi replied.
"Why?" Mamoru asked, confusion, hope, and fear all heard in his question.
Usagi looked at him and felt silence. There were a lot of answers to that question. She wanted to come with him because she still cared about him; because she was afraid of losing him; because she was curious about his family. There were even reasons that she couldn't seem to put into words. But the only reason that felt safe enough to share was the one that eventually came out of her mouth, "Because I'm your friend and you may need someone with you."
The love of her life looked down at her in shock for a few minutes, "Thank you," he said quietly. Then he turned and just looked at her for a few moments. The unwavering attention made Usagi a little nervous, so much so that she almost missed his question,"How did I get lucky enough to have you in my life this time around?"
Usagi looked up in surprise, "You think it's lucky?"
"Yes."
"But why?" Usagi asked again, "During the Silver Millenium-"
Mamoru cut her off. "That doesn't matter, at least not in this." Mamoru sighed and took a few steps away from her. Then he turned around, "Look, in the last few days I've found out a lot about my past life that I didn't know. And it has wrecked havoc on my present. In all of this, I haven't...well, I haven't been the nicest or most supportive person." He blinked a few times as if trying to hide tears, but before Usagi could really marvel at that, he continued. "I managed to unintentionally wound a lot of people in this. You, May, Reika, Motoki. May left the conversation we had looking battered and blind-sided. Reika left in worse shape, and she was a mess when she landed on my doorstep," Mamoru added under his breath. He looked away for a moment and his voice almost seemed to break when uttered, "Motoki has decided that he no longer wants anything to do with me. But you," he turned around and pointed at Usagi, "you still someone manage to be my friend and attempt to be there for me in this. Even though I've hurt you. So Silver Millennium or not, future be damned, I'm lucky that you are in my life right now. Whatever your reasons."
"What are you saying?" Usagi asked, while reflecting on what he hadn't said.
"What I'm saying," Mamoru clarified, "is that I don't want to factor in whatever our relationship was in the past. I am just grateful that you are still offering to be my friend. That is what you are offering, right?"
Usagi nodded hesitantly and then asked, "So...is that all we are now? Friends?"
Mamoru raked his hand through his hair again. "I don't know. I really don't," he answered honestly after a few minutes. "But," he asked, "can't we start there for now?"
Usagi walked over to Mamoru and grabbed his hand. As she began to speak, she started to cry softly. "Yes, we can start there. If," she qualified, "you recognize that I've been hurt too. After all the stuff we've been through and with all the stuff that has happened in the last few days...I can't just forget it all. I can't. I can still see-" Usagi's voice broke off a little, but she shook her head to banish the picture from her head and started again,"I honestly don't know where we are anymore. Or where we should be. I do know I only what to be together for the right reasons, whatever those are." She sighed. "Regardless of what happens," she said honeslty, "all I've wanted in this is for you to be happy, for everyone to be happy. And I don't want anyone feeling obligated and miserable. I...still care about you, Mamoru. I always will. And your need to connect with your family is just as important to me as it is to you."
Mamoru smiled down at the blonde who held his hand, "Usagi," he said quietly as he squeezed her hand. "Thank you for offering to come with me to see my mother and brothers. I would be honored to have you by my side then. I think I want them to meet you, to really meet you."
And, as time slowly crept by, as if it didn't want to disturb the fragile reconcilation between the couple either, a former prince and princess began to sofly talk about meeting a part of the past.
*******
It was later in the evening and former royals of earth were occupied in various activities in the mansion. Yusuke and Reika were playing a video game that May had managed to unearth and hook up, although she didn't explain how she did it. All she would say was "Pac-Man is addictive. You'll love it," leaving Yusuke and Reika to the diversion. Terry was in the kitchen with May, helping with dinner. Reika said that she thought Terry was in the kitchen playing dutiful son. Yusuke said that it was because the "future boy" refused to play any video game he considered primitive. May secretly thought Terry was in the kitchen to make sure that dinner was edible.
"Careful that you don't burn that," Terry said to May, practically proving her point.
"Terry, I do know what I'm doing," May said as she shifted the contents of the frying pan in front of her. "Why is it that all of you think that I'm incompetent in the kitchen?"
"Well, the apple pie was good."
"And why do y'all always respond with that?!" May asked in exasperation. "I did manage to survive and thrive for 6 years on my own cooking. And I didn't die from food poisoning, so I think y'all could be a little nicer to me," she finished in a pout.
Terry was silent for a moment as he digested (for the umpteenth time) that May was actually dead, even though she stood next to him. Refusing to get too bogged down in emotion and miss this time with her, he turned to her and said, "But even you have to admit that dish you tried to make before was a little overcooked."
"So I'm not used to cooking on gas. So sue me."
Terry would have said something else, but at about that time, Yusuke's voice could be heard shouting from another room, "Where the hell did that come from?!" which was followed by feminine laughter.
"The twip's obviously having fun," Terry said.
"So is Reika," May said. "I'm glad. I've been a little worried about her lately. Just when she seems to come to terns with the situation, we dump something else on her lap." May sighed, "She never asked for any of this."
Terry was about to ask whether any of them had asked for what happened to them, when he took a good look at May's profile. 'This is more than just pity,' Terry thought to himself, 'May actually looks like she's feeling guilty.' "You don't think this is your fault, do you?" Terry asked her after a pause.
"Isn't it?" May asked quietly. "If I had just said no or not followed her into that store or just done everything differently, she'd be happily married by now."
"Well, she'd be married by now, probably. But happily? Not necessarily." Terry took a deep breath, "Look. May, we all know that you meant no harm to anyone. So things didn't turn out quite the way you planned; it doesn't mean that you failed. Hey, you brought us together and you showed us the truth. And the truth can hurt...but I think we are all happy that we know what happened back then."
There was a moment of silence. "Thank you, Terry," May said quietly. "I think I needed to hear that."
The two smiled at each other and May when back to stirring the food in the frying pan in front of her. She was just about say something else to Terry when the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Reika could be heard asking...over Yusuke's annoyed, "Oh come on! This thing has to be rigged!"
"All right," May said in an annoyed voice, as the doorbell rang again, "whoever ordered pizza because they were worried about how my cooking would turn out can damn well get the door and pay for it yourself."
Over various denials (and what sounded like laughter from Reika), the doorbell rang for a third time. "Is someone going to answer the door?" May asked.
"I'll go," Terry said as he began to leave the kitchen. "Just be careful that you don't burn that."
"I swear I'm never cooking for you ungrateful people again," May's voice, sounding both annoyed and amused followed Terry as he walked to the door.
Opening the door, Terry began to ask, "Can I help you?" but he didn't get past the help when he saw who was standing on the outside.
-to be continued-
Okay, here is a cry for help. While editor is amazing and I love her dearly (and she has been an amazing help), I am in desperate need of a beta-reader. I've been suffering from nasty writer's block with this story and the next three chapters (yes, I'm ending this in three chapters) are going to be amazingly difficult to write. I had even thought of giving up this story, but I really do want to finish it, if for nothing else than to say it's done. But I need someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to tell me when people are heinously OOC, and when the ending is just too "pat". So, help me please! If you are interested, email me at cemberl@yahoo.com.
For anyone who is still reading this story, thank you. I am trying to have this story finished by the end of November (here's hoping), but we'll see. Please, read and review and email me. I really appreciate it.
~December
Week 4, day 3
She took a deep breath as she stood outside the gates of the park, trying to get her courage up. She didn't want to do this, as she really didn't know what her reception would be. She hadn't talked to him since their fight five days ago and hadn't seen him since the meeting two days ago. With all she now knew, it was still a mystery of where their relationship currently stood. It was that uncertainty that she didn't know how to handle.
The only reason she agreed to meet Mamoru in the park was because the senshi practically ordered that they get together and work out where their relationship stood. Ordinarily, she probably would have fought them on this issue, but, in their numerous discussions they had had over the last few days, Pluto reminded her that ChibiUsa wouldn't exist unless she rebuilt her relationship with the man she still loved. Usagi felt compelled to risk more heartache for the sake of her future daughter.
As she sighed and entered the park, Usagi realized that she wasn't really sure what she wanted. She knew she loved Mamoru Chiba, and not just because it appeared that Serenity loved Endymion during the Silver Millennium. Even with all the pain and confusion she felt when the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium were revealed to her, watching the truth did do one good thing. It showed her very clearly that Endymion and Mamoru (and Serenity and herself) were different people, and while their Silver Millennium counterparts may or may not have loved each other, she still loved Mamoru. She loved him for who he was, faults and all. She loved being able to make him smile, to comfort him, and to give him hope. With everything that had happened to them over the years, she never doubted that she loved him. She just wasn't sure anymore whether he loved her. And, considering that it appeared that Endymion didn't love Serenity either, Usagi was feeling rather hopeless about where that left her and Mamoru.
As she neared the place where they had agreed to meet, she saw him standing by their bench, looking off in the distance, appearing rather tense and closed off. At that point, she almost turned around to go back home, unsure of how much more pain her heart could stand. But, as she continued to look at him, she noticed how worn and alone he looked. She decided that she had to talk to him, to try to help him because she loved him, whether he returned the feeling or not. She just wasn't sure exactly how to start.
"Mamoru?" she asked in a quiet voice, figuring that the best way to start was to actually get his attention.
If she hadn't been paying close attention, she probably would have missed the fact that he flinched at the fact that she addressed him by his name and not by the affectionate "Mamo-chan" she would have used a week ago. As he turned to face her, he seemed to struggle with something himself, but he finally acknowledged her, "Usagi."
She may have flinched when he called her by her name. She really wasn't sure how she reacted externally. Internally she was...hurt that he didn't call her "Usako", in part because it gave her even more doubts about their relationship, but she really couldn't blame him. He was probably as lost about what to do next as she was.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, until Mamoru offered his arm and asked, "Shall we?" Usagi nodded as she moved forward to take his arm.
They walked for a while in silence, each wrestling with their own thoughts. While unsure about what her partner was thinking, Usagi clearly recognized all of the uncertainties, fears, worries, and other unpleasant emotions that were running through her mind. It especially bothered her that Mamoru had not said anything or asked her any questions. Knowing that he had a family of some sort nearby after all this time of being alone, Usagi thought at he would at least want to talk about that. Even if he didn't love her, she had also been his friend when they were together. Sure, she didn't understand all the stuff he was learning at the university, as school had never been her strong point, but she did understand love and loss. She listened when he told her about losing his family, about Fiore, and she understood. Regardless of his feelings for her know, he had to know that she would still listen to him now.
Realizing, as the silence stretched on, that Mamoru was not going to bring up the subject himself, she found herself asking, "How are they? Have you talked to them yet?"
Mamoru stopped suddenly and looked down at Usagi, confusion obvious on his face, "How are who?"
Usagi sighed, "Your family...the one from the Silver Millennium, I mean. They are here, you said so yourself at the meeting. After everything we know now, I figured that you must have been to see them." Seeing the shuttered look in Mamoru's eyes, she tried to smile at him, to communicate that he didn't have to hide things from her. "It's okay. You can tell me about them. I know how much it means to you to have family again."
At that, Mamoru dropped her arm and walked a few feet away from her. At a few beats he said, "I haven't seen them and I'm not going to."
As that was the last thing that Usagi expected to hear, it was easy to understand why she shouted "What?!" as loud as she did. After taking a moment to get her confusion in order, she walked over to Mamoru and stood in front of him, trying to look him in the eye. "But why?"
Mamoru looked away as he ran a hand through his hair. "I promised Pluto that I would remain an ally in return for the truth of what happened in the past. She gave me that truth, so I'm upholding my end of the bargain."
Now Usagi was the one to be confused. "But what does staying our ally have to do with not seeing your family?"
Mamoru shook his head in amazement. "You really have no idea, do you?" he asked. Taking what must have been an obvious look on confusion on her face as his answer, he tried to explain. "May and Pluto seem to see this whole thing as a war, with me as the prize. Both sides are so sure that they are completely right and the other is completely wrong." Mamoru ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I talked to May before I confronted Pluto;" he expounded, "I've listened to everything Pluto has said about this since day one. To both of them, this is about choosing sides. To get the truth from Pluto, I chose her side. To talk to anyone for the other side, be it my mother or one of my brothers would be seen as treason." He turned to look at her. "I promised loyalty for the truth, knowing what I was giving up. Besides," he added, "if I had gone to see Reika after that senshi meeting, wouldn't that had been seen as betrayal to you?"
At that question, Usagi let her hand fall off his arm. She was quiet for a moment, merely taking one deep breath after another as a lot of conflicting emotions went through her head. She didn't know what to say, so she uttered the truth. "Yes," she agreed quietly, "it would have felt like a betrayal."
After her agreement, there was silence as Usagi wrestled with herself eternally, trying to find the word for what she was saying. All she could clearly think was what she didn't want. She didn't want to be second place, not in this. She didn't want to be chosen because someone felt trapped. She didn't want to be the unwanted price when someone demanded what they deserved. Taking a deep breath, she looked up from the ground and tried to express all of what she felt. "Mamoru, I don't want you to stay and obviously suffer just because you wanted to know the truth." She sighed. "Mamoru, these people are your family. Family is important, whether it be from this life of the last. Seeing and talking with Queen Serenity was important to me every time it happened; it would still be important to me knowing what I know now. Having Mom, Dad, and Shingo in my life is important to me, even when Shingo is being a brat. How much more important to you is your Silver Millennium family as you have been here years without the family you had in this life?
"Mamoru, I know what this must mean to you," Usagi continued. "You have to talk to them; you would never forgive yourself if you let them go and never really talked to them. And" her voice caught for a second, but she pressed on, feeling compelled to share one more truth, "And, all I really want is for you to be happy."
Mamoru looked off into the sky, obviously in thought. After a few moments, he replied with, "Thank you, Usagi. Thank you for trying to understand, but...I'm not sure that going to see them is the best idea. Yes, part of me really does want to see them, but" he stopped as if realizing something on his own. After a moment he continued, "But making peace with my past is only part of what I'd have to do to be happy. I'd have to bring my present and future in line as well, and going to deal with the past alone won't do that."
"What if I come with you?" Usagi asked before she thought about it. Seeing the shock on his face, she quickly added, "Only if you think it is a good idea, of course. I don't want to be any trouble and I promise not to get in the way-"
Mamoru cut her off with a shocked, "You would do that for me? You would come with me?"
"Yes," Usagi replied.
"Why?" Mamoru asked, confusion, hope, and fear all heard in his question.
Usagi looked at him and felt silence. There were a lot of answers to that question. She wanted to come with him because she still cared about him; because she was afraid of losing him; because she was curious about his family. There were even reasons that she couldn't seem to put into words. But the only reason that felt safe enough to share was the one that eventually came out of her mouth, "Because I'm your friend and you may need someone with you."
The love of her life looked down at her in shock for a few minutes, "Thank you," he said quietly. Then he turned and just looked at her for a few moments. The unwavering attention made Usagi a little nervous, so much so that she almost missed his question,"How did I get lucky enough to have you in my life this time around?"
Usagi looked up in surprise, "You think it's lucky?"
"Yes."
"But why?" Usagi asked again, "During the Silver Millenium-"
Mamoru cut her off. "That doesn't matter, at least not in this." Mamoru sighed and took a few steps away from her. Then he turned around, "Look, in the last few days I've found out a lot about my past life that I didn't know. And it has wrecked havoc on my present. In all of this, I haven't...well, I haven't been the nicest or most supportive person." He blinked a few times as if trying to hide tears, but before Usagi could really marvel at that, he continued. "I managed to unintentionally wound a lot of people in this. You, May, Reika, Motoki. May left the conversation we had looking battered and blind-sided. Reika left in worse shape, and she was a mess when she landed on my doorstep," Mamoru added under his breath. He looked away for a moment and his voice almost seemed to break when uttered, "Motoki has decided that he no longer wants anything to do with me. But you," he turned around and pointed at Usagi, "you still someone manage to be my friend and attempt to be there for me in this. Even though I've hurt you. So Silver Millennium or not, future be damned, I'm lucky that you are in my life right now. Whatever your reasons."
"What are you saying?" Usagi asked, while reflecting on what he hadn't said.
"What I'm saying," Mamoru clarified, "is that I don't want to factor in whatever our relationship was in the past. I am just grateful that you are still offering to be my friend. That is what you are offering, right?"
Usagi nodded hesitantly and then asked, "So...is that all we are now? Friends?"
Mamoru raked his hand through his hair again. "I don't know. I really don't," he answered honestly after a few minutes. "But," he asked, "can't we start there for now?"
Usagi walked over to Mamoru and grabbed his hand. As she began to speak, she started to cry softly. "Yes, we can start there. If," she qualified, "you recognize that I've been hurt too. After all the stuff we've been through and with all the stuff that has happened in the last few days...I can't just forget it all. I can't. I can still see-" Usagi's voice broke off a little, but she shook her head to banish the picture from her head and started again,"I honestly don't know where we are anymore. Or where we should be. I do know I only what to be together for the right reasons, whatever those are." She sighed. "Regardless of what happens," she said honeslty, "all I've wanted in this is for you to be happy, for everyone to be happy. And I don't want anyone feeling obligated and miserable. I...still care about you, Mamoru. I always will. And your need to connect with your family is just as important to me as it is to you."
Mamoru smiled down at the blonde who held his hand, "Usagi," he said quietly as he squeezed her hand. "Thank you for offering to come with me to see my mother and brothers. I would be honored to have you by my side then. I think I want them to meet you, to really meet you."
And, as time slowly crept by, as if it didn't want to disturb the fragile reconcilation between the couple either, a former prince and princess began to sofly talk about meeting a part of the past.
*******
It was later in the evening and former royals of earth were occupied in various activities in the mansion. Yusuke and Reika were playing a video game that May had managed to unearth and hook up, although she didn't explain how she did it. All she would say was "Pac-Man is addictive. You'll love it," leaving Yusuke and Reika to the diversion. Terry was in the kitchen with May, helping with dinner. Reika said that she thought Terry was in the kitchen playing dutiful son. Yusuke said that it was because the "future boy" refused to play any video game he considered primitive. May secretly thought Terry was in the kitchen to make sure that dinner was edible.
"Careful that you don't burn that," Terry said to May, practically proving her point.
"Terry, I do know what I'm doing," May said as she shifted the contents of the frying pan in front of her. "Why is it that all of you think that I'm incompetent in the kitchen?"
"Well, the apple pie was good."
"And why do y'all always respond with that?!" May asked in exasperation. "I did manage to survive and thrive for 6 years on my own cooking. And I didn't die from food poisoning, so I think y'all could be a little nicer to me," she finished in a pout.
Terry was silent for a moment as he digested (for the umpteenth time) that May was actually dead, even though she stood next to him. Refusing to get too bogged down in emotion and miss this time with her, he turned to her and said, "But even you have to admit that dish you tried to make before was a little overcooked."
"So I'm not used to cooking on gas. So sue me."
Terry would have said something else, but at about that time, Yusuke's voice could be heard shouting from another room, "Where the hell did that come from?!" which was followed by feminine laughter.
"The twip's obviously having fun," Terry said.
"So is Reika," May said. "I'm glad. I've been a little worried about her lately. Just when she seems to come to terns with the situation, we dump something else on her lap." May sighed, "She never asked for any of this."
Terry was about to ask whether any of them had asked for what happened to them, when he took a good look at May's profile. 'This is more than just pity,' Terry thought to himself, 'May actually looks like she's feeling guilty.' "You don't think this is your fault, do you?" Terry asked her after a pause.
"Isn't it?" May asked quietly. "If I had just said no or not followed her into that store or just done everything differently, she'd be happily married by now."
"Well, she'd be married by now, probably. But happily? Not necessarily." Terry took a deep breath, "Look. May, we all know that you meant no harm to anyone. So things didn't turn out quite the way you planned; it doesn't mean that you failed. Hey, you brought us together and you showed us the truth. And the truth can hurt...but I think we are all happy that we know what happened back then."
There was a moment of silence. "Thank you, Terry," May said quietly. "I think I needed to hear that."
The two smiled at each other and May when back to stirring the food in the frying pan in front of her. She was just about say something else to Terry when the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Reika could be heard asking...over Yusuke's annoyed, "Oh come on! This thing has to be rigged!"
"All right," May said in an annoyed voice, as the doorbell rang again, "whoever ordered pizza because they were worried about how my cooking would turn out can damn well get the door and pay for it yourself."
Over various denials (and what sounded like laughter from Reika), the doorbell rang for a third time. "Is someone going to answer the door?" May asked.
"I'll go," Terry said as he began to leave the kitchen. "Just be careful that you don't burn that."
"I swear I'm never cooking for you ungrateful people again," May's voice, sounding both annoyed and amused followed Terry as he walked to the door.
Opening the door, Terry began to ask, "Can I help you?" but he didn't get past the help when he saw who was standing on the outside.
-to be continued-
Okay, here is a cry for help. While editor is amazing and I love her dearly (and she has been an amazing help), I am in desperate need of a beta-reader. I've been suffering from nasty writer's block with this story and the next three chapters (yes, I'm ending this in three chapters) are going to be amazingly difficult to write. I had even thought of giving up this story, but I really do want to finish it, if for nothing else than to say it's done. But I need someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to tell me when people are heinously OOC, and when the ending is just too "pat". So, help me please! If you are interested, email me at cemberl@yahoo.com.
For anyone who is still reading this story, thank you. I am trying to have this story finished by the end of November (here's hoping), but we'll see. Please, read and review and email me. I really appreciate it.
~December