Author's note: First of all, I want to apologize that it took me longer than usual to publish this chapter. But I started university and my life got so busy again it's difficult to find time to sit down and write. Plus, I had to figure out how to deal with season 4 and everything that's currently happening between Victoria and David... Eventually, I decided to stick to "the old version of David", which we know from the flashbacks in earlier seasons. However, you may find some indirect references to new episodes in the story, especially in terms of dialogue. But now I better stop explaining myself and just let you enjoy the new chapter.
„Let me just take a shower first!" Victoria shouted making her way up the stairs. She was almost floating over the ground, her new found inner peace making her feel light like a feather.
In the afternoon, she had enjoyed the time she had had for herself and the fresh air had really cleaned her mind.
Even though she had inevitably thought of Conrad and the threat he presented, she didn't become depressed or angry like she usually did. Instead, she just wiped the thought of him away and replaced it with images of her son and Amanda playing together while she and David sat under one of the old trees cuddled up on a blanket. Victoria had decided that her husband was not worth the risk of getting wrinkles at her age and when she finally arrived back at the farm, she made a crucial decision for her life: From now on, she would live in the moment and cherish every minute she could spend with her son, Amanda and David, the father of the new family member they would welcome into this world in about 6 months already.
All of her life, she had had a fixed goal and had wasted her time on planning the next steps to achieve that goal. But as of now, she had been given the opportunity to begin a new life and she wouldn't make the same mistake again. Especially, because she was well aware of the fact that the danger of losing that new life was still lurking behind every corner and grew with every second of its denial.
Lost in thought, Victoria began to free herself from the sweaty and dirty clothing on the way to the room which David had described to her. He had promised to give her a foot massage, so she was eager to be downstairs again as quickly as possible.
As she pulled open the door, ready to step out of the tight trousers, her eyes flew to the woman who had given her the possibility to enter this world so far from reality in the first place.
In an instant, Charlotte Clarke shot up from the chair she had been sitting on and turned her head away from the window.
In her blue eyes, Victoria was sure to detect fresh tears. "Charlotte, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry." She said fixing her clothes.
"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Charlotte snapped, unsuccessfully trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.
"I need to take a shower and David told me you stored your fresh towels in here. I didn't expect you to be here." Victoria chose her words carefully. Her decision also included trying to get along with Charlotte since she was being so generous to them.
"They're in the cupboard over there." The blonde woman mumbled pointing across the room.
"Thank you." Victoria grabbed two white towels and addressed David's aunt one more time before she wanted to escape from the awkward situation. "My time with Pumpkin this afternoon was very enjoyable. He's a great horse."
Only then did Victoria notice that Charlotte dug her fingers into the windowsill making her knuckles turn white and held a picture frame in her hand. "You." She suddenly whispered causing Victoria to freeze.
"I'm sorry. What do you mean?" She smiled, but was bewildered by the other woman's peculiar behavior.
"You remind me so much of her." Charlotte continued mysteriously.
"Of who?" Victoria curiously took a step into the room again.
"Of David's mother."
After that, Victoria's jaw dropped open in astonishment.
"From the moment I first saw you, I knew that there was something so familiar about you. When I saw you in her clothes and with that bright smile on your face today, I finally figured out why I felt that way." Charlotte explained soberly.
At first, Victoria was not quite sure how to react but soon she remembered the photo in Charlotte's hand. "Is that her? David's mother?" She approached the older woman, who immediately glanced at the picture frame.
"Yes." She handed Victoria the photo.
"But she's blonde, just like you and David and her eyes also look like they're blue." The brunette observed, not finding any resemblance between herself and the woman in the picture.
"You really are nothing but superficial, aren't you?" Charlotte remarked thoughtlessly, but before Victoria could defend herself, she added. "I didn't mean to offend you, excuse my bad habits. It's just that I see so much more behind a person's exterior."
Victoria accepted the apology and began analyzing the photo instead. David's mother was probably in her 30s, her blonde wavy hair covering her shoulders and the exact same outfit Victoria was wearing adjusted to her well-proportioned body flawlessly. Next to her stood a little boy with blonde locks, maybe about 3, holding the woman's hand.
"Is that David?" Victoria managed to ask.
"Yes, the photo was taken in one of the summers the Clarkes spent here at the farm together."
"I've never seen a photo of him as a child." Victoria couldn't stop staring at the picture. David's mother had truly been a beauty and seemed to be very happy in that moment with her child.
"He left all of his old photos here in his room. When he moved out, he chose not to be reminded of the tragedy every single day of his life."
Victoria's attention was caught. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"Oh, I see. He really hasn't told you anything, has he?" Charlotte sat down on the chair again taking the picture frame out of Victoria's hands.
"He only told me that his parents died when he was 9 and that he then came to live with you. I tried to ask for more details but he told me that he didn't like to talk about that, which I accepted." Although Victoria was naturally curious, she hadn't dug any deeper into David's personal history, because she had needed him in the present and not his demons from the past haunting him. But as time had passed things between them had changed and they were now having a serious relationship, so that Victoria felt the need to know everything about David including events in the past which affected his character.
"Well, what he told you is true, but there's much more to that story."
"And what exactly is that?"
"I'm sorry, honey, but you'll have to ask David yourself. I don't want to get involved into that."
Victoria didn't even realize that Charlotte had just called her "honey" again, because she was too focused on finding out about that story. "Come on! You know he won't say a word to me about that and he'll probably just become angry."
"I'm sure you won't have a problem to find a way to convince him."
"Charlotte, please. I don't want to upset him right now. We're so happy together and I don't want to ruin that by bringing up his past. I swear that if you tell me the story, I won't mention it to him. I'll pretend that I don't know." Victoria almost begged. Her curiosity took over her brain.
"Alright." Charlotte sighed and patted on the chair next to her. "But you might want to sit down for that one."
Victoria instantly regretted moving so quickly to sit down on the chair as the sickness, which had spared her the whole day, now came back. Instinctively, she covered her mouth with her hands and arched her back. Maybe the excitement of the afternoon had been too much for her after all.
"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked with serious concern in her voice. "We can shift this talk."
"No, no. I'm fine." Victoria relaxed a bit as she didn't feel the need to vomit anymore. However, her head was getting dizzy again and she wiped away the sweat which was covering her forehead.
"I'll get you some water. " 5 minutes later Charlotte came back and Victoria gladly accepted the cold refreshment she had brought from the kitchen. She leaned back in the chair and expectantly looked at David's aunt.
"Okay, let me begin at the beginning." Charlotte searched her mind for the best way possible to describe the Clarke family's history. "David's mother Elizabeth was the oldest one of us Clarke sisters. We were four: Lizzie as we called David's mom, me, Mary and Rebecca, who was the youngest of us. Our parents were very lucky to have us and all in all we got along pretty well. When our father's job didn't provide enough money for our big family anymore, our mother had to get herself a job and told Lizzie to take care of her little siblings while she was away. She was about 11 at that time and our little Rebecca was still a baby, so when we came home from school and our mother went to work, Lizzie took over the responsibility and cared for us. It was a lot of pressure for a girl her age, but she never complained. She was a smart girl and had excellent grades at school, but her family was most important to her. In a way she always kept us together and we admired her for her strength."
Victoria was already intrigued. She had never heard much about David's family or his roots. Charlotte's eyes seemed to drift off into another world, or better into the past, as her mouth turned into a nostalgic smile and she continued the story.
"By the time she turned 16, she met the love of her life. His name was Thomas and as her boyfriend he quickly became part of our family. Our parents approved of him and he supported Lizzie in every way he could. You would probably think her life couldn't get any more perfect, but after she finished High School, one of her biggest dreams came true when she could go to university to become a doctor. She was truly a natural when it came to taking care of people, she loved to help and her good grades allowed her to get a medical degree after many years at the university. Right after she had started her first job in a hospital near our hometown, Thomas, who had waited patiently for her to come back to him, proposed to her and of course she said yes. Their wedding was the most beautiful one I have ever seen. They had been a couple for so many years by then and it seemed that their love grew with every day they spent together. Thomas worked at a local bank and over the years they had saved enough money to buy a house. Everyone was so happy for them and although Lizzie loved her job, she also wanted to have a family of her own and everyone knew that she was destined to be a great mother. As for me, I had started working for an old and lonely lady at this farm and took care of the animals. After the lady, Ms. Greene, died, I unexpectedly inherited the whole property and so it came that every summer my parents and my sisters with her husbands or boyfriends spent their holidays here as a family. Those weeks were the happiest of my life." Charlotte smiled at Victoria obviously remembering memories of the past again.
"So David must have had a great childhood. I don't get what could've gone so wrong." Victoria motivated the older woman to continue the story.
"Well, you have to know that David's mother had to discover that it wouldn't be easy for her to have children. She and Thomas tried for many years, but Lizzie never became pregnant and she soon grew depressed and hopeless. She started to work longer shifts at the hospital to distract herself from the fact that she would probably never be so lucky to hold her own child in her arms."
At that point, Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her stomach instinctively. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to not being able to conceive. She had always taken it for granted and often even seen it as a disadvantage. But as Charlotte described Elizabeth's desperation, she realized how lucky she was to have Daniel and soon also David's child. The love she held for her children was something very special and she didn't like to think of how empty her life would be without that kind of love.
"As a result Thomas's and Lizzie's marriage suffered a lot." David's aunt continued. "I had never seen my sister in such a dark place and began to worry about her health as she lost weight and seemed to grow more exhausted every time I saw her. One day however, I received a phone call and between endless sobs my sister told me that she was finally pregnant. She was 32 at that time and from then on everything began to get better again. She instantly quit her job and focused on her pregnancy. Thomas also took good care of her and 9 months later my sister gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy. David was the light of her life and she was the best mother to him one could imagine. The whole Clarke family seemed to grow closer again and David was brought up in a very loving environment. But that happiness only lasted until one fatal night when everything fell apart again. When David was 9, Lizzie decided it was time for her to work at the hospital again. It was the third week of her new job, October 12 1970, to be exact. She had worked the night shift and was on her way home when some drunken teenager lost control over his car, so that she had to pull away and crashed into a tree. My sister was dead immediately. No one could have saved her. It's still impossible for me to understand how life can be so cruel. David lost his mother that day and Thomas his will to live. After his wife's funeral, he swallowed pain killers and a bottle of whiskey and that was the end of David's father."
"Oh my God." Victoria breathed in a state of shock. She was impressed by Charlotte's calmness. "Didn't he think of the orphan son he would leave behind, forever weeping for his parents' death?"
"Yes, Thomas thought about that. In fact, he wrote a note explaining his inner struggle whether to stay on this earth for his son or to be reunited with the love of his life in heaven again. As I told you, he chose the latter, leaving David in the hands of his godmother. After that our whole family fell apart, only proving that Lizzie really was the person who had always kept us together and her funeral was the last day we all spent together as a family. When David moved in with me and my fiancée everything changed. He didn't want to provide for a child that wasn't his, but I loved David like he was my own son and so we broke our engagement. I didn't even care as long as I could offer my beloved sister's child a home and guidance through the hardest time of his life. I can't tell you about how he had to suffer at such a young age, because he made me promise not to mention it to anyone. However, as you can see he was able to recover and start anew. I'm very proud of his strength and the fact that he never stopped believing in family values or the ability to love. That's why it is hard for me to see him giving away his love and trust to a person I hardly know."
"You mean a person like me." Victoria shuddered. Charlotte had been right. David's life had truly been a tragedy and she hadn't even had the slightest idea about any of those events.
"Yes, a person like you. You're a potential danger. You could hurt him." Charlotte intensively started at Victoria.
"But I won't hurt him. I love and respect him. In a way, he saved me from the destruction of the last good parts that are left of my soul."
"I really hope you mean that. But maybe my impression proves me right and you do have a big heart like David's mother. After all, you left that rich husband of yours to hide in the middle of nowhere."
"I did that because I love David, because I need him more than I need money or status. I've never needed anything or anyone more in my life than I need him and I know that it's selfish – but that's what I've always been and always will be: a selfish person. I want David to belong with me and I want to be the center of his world." Victoria was surprised about how honest she was. For once, speaking the truth had a positive effect on her life.
"That's a lot to ask for a woman who's still married." Charlotte remarked.
"Only on paper. My heart belongs to David. I'll get a divorce as soon as I can." Again, Victoria was astonished by the words that came out of her mouth.
"But it must be difficult for you to live with Amanda, knowing that, as a good father, she will always be the center of his world." Charlotte knew she had hit Victoria's weak spot as the brunette's eyes widened with insecurity.
"Charlotte, trust me, I know that." She swallowed. "I am a mother myself and there won't be any person in this world that will ever be more important to me than my children are. Of course, the same goes for David and Amanda and I don't want to come between them at all. Quite the opposite, I want to form a bond with Amanda, so that she can learn to accept me and maybe even understand why I am so important to her father."
"Well, that's something I like to hear." Charlotte patted Victoria's hands. "Keep thinking in that direction and you may have a chance at gaining my trust." The older woman winked at Victoria and rose from her chair. Victoria didn't know what to make of that sudden change of Charlotte's tone of voice but she considered it a good point to finish their open conversation without a fight. "Thank you for telling me all of this."
"Just stick to your promise and we'll be fine." Charlotte returned. "But now take that shower. It's clearly overdue." She teased and wrinkled her nose before she finally left the room.
Victoria let out a relived breath, she hadn't known she was still holding back, and began stepping out of her clothes.
All of that information was so much to take in. It would take her some time to figure out why David had never mentioned any of it to her. Especially, when she had poured out her heart to him since he was the only person she felt comfortable sharing memories of her past with.
It was then that Victoria realized that the feeling she hadn't been able to name yet was hurt. She was hurt that David obviously didn't trust her enough to be open about his personal background while she had told him everything about her childhood and had even been honest with him about the events that had followed after her mother had kicked her to the curb. She hadn't even told Conrad about that. Well, actually she had never told anyone about that.
But when she had finally opened up about it to David it had felt so good, that she couldn't imagine why David wouldn't want to feel the same by sharing his bad memories with her.
The moment she stepped into the shower, Victoria found that maybe it was her turn to approach that topic although it meant breaking her promise to Charlotte, that maybe David was not sure if she was ready to hear about his tragic life before he moved away and in the long run came to rescue her.
Therefore, she couldn't wait for when they would finally have some alone time together.
More than ever she felt the need to be with David and to say things she knew still needed to be said between them, so that their closeness could never be destroyed again by people using secrets from their past against them.
I hope you like my version of David's background story and the storytelling on Chalottes's side.
Please keep your lovely comments coming, they always inspire me! xx