Parting Gift, a sky high fanfic

Parting Gift

Summary: Marianna "Sibyl" Poe muses about her late husband, the famous Josef Storm AKA the Storm Starter.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Parting Gift".

I opened my eyes

While you were kissing me once more than once

Josef Storm, the great Starter of Storms. He was so much more than that to me. He was my husband, the father of my children, my love, my sorrow, and my utter heartbreak. He was everything to me, he was my life! I loved him so dearly that I refused to regard the truth as nothing more than fiction.

And you looked as sincere as a dog

Just as sincere as a dog does,

When it's the food on your lips with which it's in love

I will forever remember that first time I met him. My best friend Katianna and I were out in a bar celebrating my 21st birthday. He was the bartender, but Katianna remembered him from Sky High. I remember vividly how handsome his smile was, how charismatic he was. But what I remember most were those eyes. They were that pure, perfect kind of blue that I drowned in. Katianna and I were both so smashed that night; I'm surprised I remember. We were even so smashed that he had to drive us home, because Katianna's older brother and he had been friends.

I bet you could never tell

That I knew you didn't know me that well

That was the night that he got Katianna's number, and they started to go out. I was so jealous of her, I really was. Josef was like a god in my eyes, seemingly untouchable. I thought that he could never be mine. I was wrong, however. One night Katianna and him came back to our apartment screaming at each other. I paid them no mind, I was too wrapped in my latest work. Until, that is, Katianna stormed into my room, crying.

"You bitch!" she screeched. "You can have him!"

It is my fault you see

You never learned that much from me

I stared after her with a look of incredulity. That was when Josef came in. I was about to ask him what the bloody fucking hell Katianna was screaming about when he sat closely beside me. He rested his hand at the base of my neck, urging me forward. In a daze, I complied. His lips met mine with ecstasy, and a dizzying array of feeling hit me.

Oh you silly stupid pastime of mine

You were always good for rhyme

After a month of dating, he proposed. I said yes, of course. What else could I say? We eloped with our two closest friends as witnesses, Katianna and Baron Battle. (Little did we know what would happen to Baron…)) Life with Josef was amazing, and I loved every minute of it. I can recall with clear accuracy his face when I told him I was pregnant. It was the world had lit up and was celebrating, but it was only his beautiful smile. He was right there next to me every step of the way, all the way down to when I was trying to scream at him and pop Brad out at the same time. After Brad, it was Drew. He was so happy to have two sons. I could tell he wanted a daughter. So when I told him about Senka, he was downright enthusiastic.

And from the first to the last time

The sign says stop

After Senka was born, everything seemed to be all right. After the first three years though, things in our relationship were starting to get tough. That was right around when Baron started having trouble, and I remember his and Katianna's worries. He would always come home late, and at first, I didn't say anything about it.

But we went on whole hearted it ended bad

But I love what we started it says stop

One night, he came home very late and accidentally woke up Senka. I went out to help him put her back to sleep, and there was lipstick on the collar of his shirt. I was furious, but I waited until the next day to confront him.

"Where were you really last night Joey?" I screamed. "Who were you really with? I know you weren't at the work!"

"Of course I was working." He said, faking puzzlement. "Where else would I be?"

"Besides with another woman?" I asked, staring into the very depths of those eyes, the eyes that were identical to my daughter's. "I'm not an imbecile, Joey!"

"Oh come on now Marnie! You know I hate to see you cry!" he exclaimed.

"Then why are you causing my so much pain?"

But we went on whole hearted it ended bad

But I love what we started

Josef admitted to the affair, and he said he stopped. He did, he didn't lie. That doesn't mean things got any better. I knew things weren't going so good between him and Baron, and it was causing him all too much strain. I was too afraid to ask him what was the matter, and so I asked Katianna. She said that Baron was starting to show what she called "villain tendencies." She told me that both her and Josef were trying so hard to get through to him, but… their efforts were showing no fruit.

I took off my glasses

While you were yelling at me once more than once

I was working on a project when he stomped into the house that night. He was angry, that much I could tell. There was so much emotion muddled behind his eyes that I couldn't make them all out. The look on his face though, it was so exhausted. I gave him a sympathetic look and stood up. He sighed and gathered me into his arms, holding me tight against him as if I were his only lifeline.

"What's the matter?" I asked quietly, my cheek against his chest.

"The world is on a manhunt for Baron." He replied, and I gasped.

So as not to see you see me react

Should've put 'em, should've put 'em on again

So I could see you see me sincerely yelling back

None of us could believe that the government wanted Baron. Apparently he had been torching important buildings or something. We were told that the Commander and Jetstream were after him, hunting him down. Josef was constantly on edge and praying that they would catch him and at the same time that they wouldn't. Then, I had the dream. Sometimes I wish I never had that dream, it was the true death of our relationship.

I bet your fortress face

Belied your fort of lace

In that fateful dream I saw Baron in a rotting building. Fire was everywhere and he was laughing maniacally. I could see Steve and Josie Stronghold on the other side of the flames. Josie flew Steve over the roaring circle of flames. A duel had begun, and it was a duel that would be Baron's last. As the dream faded, I saw the name of the building. I recognized it as a storage building on the edge of the pier. The next morning, I relayed the information to the Strongholds and the Police. When I told Josef, he gave me a look that told me he would never forgive me.

It is by the grace of me

You never learned what I could see

"How could you do that to Baron?" he yelled, his face was etched with anger in every feature.

"He's hurting people Joey!" I retorted. "I couldn't let him go and do that any longer!"

"He was my friend." Josef whispered, his voice hoarse and ragged.

"He was mind too, and you know it. But he was doing terrible things… Helen would have done the same thing!" I exclaimed, mentioning Baron's wife, Helen Battle.

"Betray her own husband, you mean?" he asked, vein in his forehead throbbing.

"She'd hunt him down herself if she wasn't crying her bloody eyes out!" I argued.

"So if you were in her position, would you betray me?" he shot back, and I stared at him with wide-eyes. My eyes began to tear at that point.

"If you were killing people I would have no choice!" I choked through tears. He sighed, seeing my tears, went into the bathroom. He slept on the couch that night.