Title: Patchwork

Chapter Nine: Cut Strings

Started: 09/12/10 04:46:11 PM

Story Quote: There was only one question. What now?

Author's Note: This is the chapter I've been waiting to write about! Be excited, be very excited! The 100 reviews goal thing worked out really well. Since this was my favorite chapter, I wrote it fast enough that, as a tribute to how awesome you all are, I get to post it immediately (well, within a day or two) after making my goal.

A little side note for the story. For anyone who has heard the Coraline soundtrack (my favorite) you probably know the song 'Dreaming'. That is my favorite song. Anyways, the male singer in there, I've always pictured him as the Other Father. It just clicks for me. So that's where the scene comes from. And anyone who paid close enough attention to the end of the song will hear Teri Hatcher (Other Mother) humming at the end. I did not make that up! :D If you guys don't know the song, you might want to look it up on YouTube or something. It will probably help you understand a little more.

Shout Outs Go To: Shahrezad1. I already sent you an epic reply (which I'm not actually sure if it sent or not), but I wanted to put here how much your reviews have been meaining to me. :) I hope you like this chapter! Just so everyone knows, I didn't originally plan on really explaining how Mel and Charlie got captured, for I really didn't have any ideas, but reviews can do wonders for me and my muse's inspirations. :D And I give a round of applause to LizziGolden! Thank you for being my 100th reviewer! :D You guys are so nice to me. Be careful, or you might give me a big head!

And I keep forgetting to mention this: thanks to BlueItem for editing for me. Even though they may only be quick run-throughs, they really do help.

Sorry for long author's note, but at least I have a long chapter to make up for it!

Onto the Story!

Coraline had finally figured it out.

Other Father looked blankly at the door leading to his study. He was running out of time; he could feel it inside of him, just flowing out in invisible rivers. Seeping from his seams. Spilling from his parted lips.

His life was bleeding out of him.

Mother was losing her strength to maintain this world. It was even becoming too much of a task to maintain him. Even without the strain of Bobinsky and the actresses and with the help of the ghost's eyes. This house was losing its appeal. Paint was peeling at the edges of the door frame, and he could see the rust around the handles. Little hairline fissures split old wood. Barely visible, but inevitably there.

He pushed open the door and looked inside.

In the center of the room was that damned baby piano. His most beloved and hated thing of all. He loathed the way that he could never play for Coraline the way he wanted to. The way that only he could. It was like playing the piano was an integral part of who he was. He could play symphonies on there, had he been given the chance. And they would have been wonderful. They would have been passionate. They would have been moving.

They would be something that wasn't hers.

Perhaps Mother didn't know that he could play, or perhaps she did, and that was why she decided to put those godforsaken gloves in there. She doesn't like it when her creations have a will of their own. So she uses those gloves to keep him in place. To make sure that everything thing goes as planned. And maybe everything would have gone her way.

Had it not been for Wybie.

Had he the strength to smile, even slightly, he would have. Instead he sat himself at the piano's bench. A single finger tapped a key, and the toe of his shoe brushed the pedals. The hands remained immobile, lying in wait for something. He didn't know for what. Perhaps they too had lost their energy? Maybe this could be his one chance. Just this once...

Other Father's fingers shakily depressed the keys beneath. Quiet gestures. Soft and magical. A patchwork melody was piecing itself together in his mind. Yes, he could hear the strings thrumming, gradually growing in strength alongside him. Light, nonsensical voices echoed in his mind, singing in hushed tones into his ears. Almost like they were trying to talk to him, and only him. This was his moment.

And he thought of Mother.

He wished that she was the woman that he saw in his dreams. The quirky woman, caring for him, and for their family with Coraline. He wished that somewhere inside of Mother, this dream version of her resided. Other Father had tried to be kind to her, to coax the hidden feeling out, but there was nothing. Just bitterness, cruelty, and greed. He wished for the Mel that gave him warmth and comfort. Anything but the fear.

Fingers too weak to continuously play the song, he instead began to sing.

"Dreaming...dreaming...dream la lo lo loooaa..." Little metallic noises spiked between the weak chords of the piano and his voice. Little needle pinpricks, was the distant thought. He didn't dwell on it. "Dreaming...dreaming..." The hushed voices sang again, louder, demanding his attention. Listen to us, don't listen to anything else. Just keep dreaming...

The quiver of his voice soon became too much, and he allowed the song to continue on its own, fading out of his mind with each halfhearted keystroke. The metallic sounds grew louder still, continuing on after the rest had dropped out. And then a faint, melodic humming started behind him.

"La la la la la la la la..."

Mother placed an icy hand on his shoulder. Her humming drove the melody from his mind, shadowing it. His fingers continued on without his conscious thought, finishing what would soon no longer be possible. He knew that he was running out of time. That there was only so much more strength he could give. Mother placed a hand on his to stop his hands.

The piano fell silent, but the metallic clicks went on forevermore. His melody was overtaken by her's.

The idea had been disturbing him for some time now.

He jumped from the railing to the roof, paws catching quick to the rough shingles. The window that looked in on the rat man's room was dark. It had been for a long time. Ever since his purpose was filled. The cat treaded silently to the glass, wary of any wandering eyes that might see his silhouette, and looked in. At first he didn't see anything, just the rows of cotton candy cannons and the little pitched tent in the corner. A flash of movement caught his eye.

It was just as he feared.

The Other Bobinsky jerked and spasmed, his limbs convulsing awkwardly as his uniform made its way across the room. Despite the shadows that concealed him, the cat knew that there was no longer any physical body within the suit. Just a hollow shell with the insides of vermin.

"Coraline!" shouted Other Bobinsky's disembodied voice. "J'ou must come to play vis us! We want you to stay~" His hands flopped up into the air, waving like ribbons. His voice wavered considerably, creating an echo of itself. Like another side of him breaching the surface. "She von't let us die here," he moaned. "We vere made for her. She must stay..."

The rats rippled beneath the cloth, forcing the rat man to the floor. He began sobbing.

Unable to watch any longer, the cat turned away. It was terrifying, the way the Beldam just let her creations suffer like this. But he couldn't allow himself to feel sympathy for it. The only thing he was worried about was this: with all the harm done to this side's Bobinsky, what had become of the real one? He was not foolish enough to believe the link only existed between the boys.

His thoughts were interrupted by a door slamming shut, and the girl racing off into the distance. Fool. Where did she think she could go? She would run around this world endlessly, looking for a way out. It wasn't possible. Unlike him, the only was she was getting out of here was through that door.

He had better go set her straight before she did something stupid.

"This is freaking me out." Mel said, holding the doll up to her face. She turned it over and over again, examining both sides.

Charlie looked over her shoulder. "Where did you find it?" he asked. He felt apprehensive. There were some seriously bad vibes coming off of it. The buttons stared at him, empty and cold. They were telling him something. He should listen. Listen to me. Listen only to the sound of my voice...

Mel was talking. "What is this all about?" The pitch of her voice was rising with distress. "I'm sick of games, Charlie. I just want to know what the hell is going on!" She stopped the anxious movements with the doll and instead slammed it down on the ground. A left foot shot out, giving the thing a very hard kick and shooting it under the bed.

The corners of his lips quipped up when the doll vanished from sight. He was grateful to not have to see those plastic eyes. Before he had a chance to say anything, his wife was already stalking out of the door and down the steps. "Where are you going?" What was she doing? Hopefully not something she would regret later. He sighed. Why was all of this happening today? It should have been a great day, with the success of the catalog and everything. Tenderly, he ran a finger over the gash in his forehead as he made his way down the steps.

Ouch, that was definitely going to scar.

He wiped the blood on his finger on the back of his hand. "Mel? Honey?" he called, scoping the various empty rooms. "Where are you?"

Soft mumbles were coming from the parlor room. Tentative and gentle. "Mel?" He entered the room. "Wha-"

Mel was whispering something to the boy on the floor. Wybie? What was he doing down here? Shouldn't he be dead asleep in the spare room upstairs? Charlie, as quietly as he could, walked over to them and kneeled. Mel only gave him a sidelong glace before returning her attention to the boy.

His eyes were only partially open, and his mouth was spewing out unintelligible words. Her hand was brushing over his curly hair in a soothing way. It seemed to help.

"It's alright. Calm down, now. You need to calm down..."

The boy's hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides. "Dwn...wnn...a...hrrztss...wey..." Wybie groaned in pain and brought his hand up to his face, running his hand over his cheek, rubbing the corners of his mouth. A little trickle of blood ran from the corner and was smudged to the side by his hand. He must have bitten his lip when he fell to the floor, Charlie thought.

When Wybie's hand fell, that was when Charlie noticed the bright red stain on his gauze. "He tore open his shoulder," he pointed out. They really needed to get him back to the bed. Mel nodded and ever so carefully supported Wybie's shoulders so he would sit upright.

"Wybourne? I need you to listen to me. You have to get back upstairs and lay down. Do you think you can get up?"

Hazel eyes were revealed slowly by lifting eyelids. It looked like he was managing to come to.

"Mizz Joness?" he slurred. His tongue flicked over the corner of his mouth again, swiping at the blood, and he cringed slightly at the taste. Mel pushed at his shoulders once more, and he realized what she was trying to do. He began to protest.

"No," he groaned. "-have ta go...needs me..."

But his feeble protests were no match for Mel when she had a goal. She ignored him, lifting him to his feet. Once she was sure he could stand without falling over, she began ushering him out of the room.

"Y'don' understand," Wybie continued. "He's callin' me...gotta help...hurzz..."

Charlie watched the two of them leave. Something really traumatizing must have happened to that boy. It was sad, really. All he could think about when he saw the hurt way the child held himself was of Coraline. What if whatever had happened to Wybie had happened to her? He couldn't even fathom it. These are the sorts of things you never expect to hit so close to home. It was more than a little disconcerting. Speaking of Coraline...where was she? Mel hadn't taken her shopping. She was probably sulking over not getting her way back at the clothes store. She'd come around eventually. Though he should probably go check on her, just to be sure.

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie spied a crack in the door.

Had the door been open when he first came in? Shifting on his knees, he brought himself closer so that he could pull it wider. What he saw when he did so he couldn't even manage to describe. An expansive tunnel stretched long, with wonderful shades of purples and blues melting into the soft walls. What was going on here? Was he dreaming? He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his trembling hand. Unfortunately, when he opened them, his hallucination didn't go away.

"Dear, come back to me..."

What?

Now he knew he must be dreaming. The voice that was but wasn't Mel's so sickly sweet cooed at him from the other end of the passage. What should he do? No matter how many times he blinked his eyes, or how tight he closed his fists, the dream wouldn't lift. Was it a dream? Everything was much too clear. He didn't know what happening. What now? The customary fear was gradually catching up with him.

The Other Mel began humming from the shadows, something light and beautiful. Had Mel ever sang before? He wondered idly if this is what she'd sound like.

"Dreaming...dreaming..." The tune sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before? "Dream la, la, la, la, laooa..." The lyrics she sang were strangely eerie. She didn't quite say the word, leaving it fantastically vague and enchanting. He unknowingly placed a hand forward.

Back in the house, Mel heard the squeak of the door opening.

"Wybie, stay here. I'll be right back." He looked up at her, eyes glazed but slowly clearing. He nodded his head and watched her leave. She rushed back into the parlor, eyes taking in everything at once and then narrowing on the lone foot still visible past the little door.

"Charlie!" she yelled, sliding along the floor to grab his ankle. The man yelped, turning his head back to look at her. A silent connection sparked between their frightened stares. Mel released his ankle. "This has to happen, doesn't it? Before it will end?" Her lip quivered.

Her husband clasped her hand in his. "This ends tonight," was all he said before turning back to the tunnel. They began to go through together. Mel tried not to let her body shake, even though it was begging her to grab Charlie and haul him back through the door.

The door that had just closed behind them.

There was no turning back now. Up ahead, the opposite door opened. Light, dull white in color, shone in on them. It was getting colder the closer they got to it. By the time they reached their goal, Mel could see her breath freeze in the air. Charlie crawled through the last threshold and she followed. All there was too see was a frozen wasteland.

The door closed behind them and disappeared.

His fingers brushed the sensitive corners of his mouth where the tread was embedded deep. The pain that came from the tender touch made him abruptly recoil. There was no way that he was going to be able to remove the threads. They were too fresh. What was he going to do now? He'd heard every word that had passed between the Beldam and Coraline from his vantage point bellow the window. He'd never been so proud of someone before.

How did she find the courage to stand up to the Beldam like that?

But when he heard her scream, he knew exactly where she would be taken. The mirror was the Beldam's own personal prison. Only from one side could it be accessed; the problem was when you were trapped in. It was all too easy for someone to get past the barrier to pull someone else out, and the Beldam was not going to risk, for a single second, that her three little inmates—now four—would be let loose.

He knew what he had to do now.

Other Wybie would wait, hiding in the brush until he heard the witch climb the stairs to her room. She needed to rest, now. There would be no second chances on this, so he needed to take every precaution. He would wait until there were no sounds of movement, and then he would sneak in and steal Coraline out of the mirror. Oh, but she would surely be horrified by his appearance now. The smile was stretched unbearably wide, nearly from ear to ear. What if she was too frightened to follow him? After all, how could she trust him? Hadn't he had all this time to warn her...before things ever got this far...

Guilt washed over him, slithering around in his insides. But this was no time for him to feel sorry for himself.

All he needed to do was grab something to cover his face. That wouldn't be too hard. But what if he got caught before he managed to get her safely into the tunnel? Of course, there was a very simple solution. He needed Wybie. In the event that he should fail, there had to be a scapegoat. Wybie would ensure that Coraline got out. He had to.

Now, the time is now. She must be saved!

Wybie watched as the door swished closed behind her with a quiet bump. It was then that his mind began to come back to him. They had just gone through the door. The door!

Ignoring the pain in his body, but being careful to gauge his own weakness, he crossed the room to the little opening. He was expecting, when he pried to wood open, for him to see the retreating forms of Mel and Charlie. But there wasn't. There was only the long expanse of tunnel. It looked dead; lifeless gray with growing cobwebs. Small objects littered the inside. What were those? Toys? A shoe? A mitten? All children's belongings.

Where were Mel and Charlie?

Now, the time is now. She must be saved!

He crawled, on hands and knees, forward. He was scared and hurt, and was seriously beginning to appraise his own shortcomings. How could he be of any help to them? If the event should arise and he was needed, how would he be able to do so? But he had no choice. Even if he could only be of a little help, he had to be there. He would not give up without trying.

At the end of the tunnel he came to a stop. His shoulder and back rocketed with pain from being forced on his hands and knees, but he stayed put. Somehow he knew that he was supposed to wait here. Out of sight, but close enough. Now all he had to do was wait. It shouldn't be too much longer...

Oh man, he was getting dizzy.

Why couldn't she just take the opening for what it was?

Other Wybie grabbed her from behind, hauling her out of the mirror kicking and screaming. She bucked back, slamming him against the wall and disorienting him and then throwing him to the floor. He didn't have the chance to right himself before she approached, ripping the flattened oven mitt he had on his face clear off. No! He didn't want her to see him like this. He couldn't bear the look he was sure she was giving him when he tried to hide his face.

"Wybie?" she asked, confused. Shaky hands pulled his up and away, baring himself to her.

Her look was...sad.

"Did she do this to you?" Soft hands dropped to his face and tugged at the ties. Oh god, that hurt! Still, once the initial pain was gone, being able to relax his mouth was well worth it. "I hope that feels-"

He shushed her, the gust of air from within him feeling foreign and hoarse. They couldn't waste anymore time; this little episode had been much too loud. They needed to move.

Tugging her hard behind him, Other Wybie ran towards the door. That stupid bug chest guarded it with its bulky body. Between his and Coraline's combined strength, though, they managed to topple it over.

"Coraline? Is that you?"

She's awake!

The door suddenly flew open and Wybie reached out, grabbing Coraline's wrist and yanking her inside. The unexpected pull sent her sprawling, and she looked over her shoulder in utter disbelief.

"Wybie?"

"Go! Get out of here!" was all the boy could say. Whether it be the sudden adrenaline coursing in his system or the fear, he was otherwise unaffected by the pain he was in earlier. He just had to get her moving. They had to get her moving.

Other Wybie watched as she tumbled out the opposite door. Finally, she was safe. It was over.

But Wybie had different plans.

"You too!" the original yelled, pulling on the sleeve of the black coat. No, he couldn't! Without the Beldam, he was going to fall apart. Following them would serve no purpose. He reached for the glove on his injured right hand; the one that the Beldam had purposely left unfinished. There was no use saving one that was already damned.

"Oh no, you're not quitting on me now!" Wybie slapped his hand away, instead grabbing his collar and pulling him through. Heels clicked loudly down the stairs. Move! Seconds, just mere seconds and she would be there. The copy gritted his teeth, and pulled the door shut. Fine, this was his decision. Even if this path led to his demise, at least it wouldn't be at her hands.

Like madmen they clamored through, bumping into all the miscellaneous possessions along the way until they too fell through the opposite door. Coraline slammed it closed behind them and locked it.

Panting, the two boys lay on the floor, just staring at the ceiling. Neither said anything, nor had anything to say. There was only one question.

What now?

A/N: Okay, a few things now. If anyone cares, I did a few versions of my own fan art and posted links for them on my profile. :) Check them out, and try not to bash. My writing and my drawing skills do not always compare so nicely. Also, this is where the story line begins to shift pretty hard. :D Yay, now I can write freely without having to check the script a thousand times! Thanks again to my lovely, lovely reviewers. I do truly appreciate the continued support.

And guys, keep pointing out little things. I completely forgot about something until one of you reviewers mentioned it. *facepalm* So that really helps, too!

No ending song this time. :( You can consider 'Dreaming' from the beginning it, though.

(Throws out tattered hat to readers)

Who knows, if I set a goal in my head for reviews, maybe once it is reached I will do what I did this time and update within the first two days. :D Think about it.