Requiem II: Soul's Honor Lost
by Alisa Joaquin
Part 10
Peter and Matthew arrived on the plane, but where Mary Margaret's experience was a nightmare, their's was filled with peace and light. When Peter and Matthew arrived, Caine was nowhere to be found. They searched, but they feared that Caine's darker side may have already done something to him. Then Peter remembered their age-old tradition.
"I think I know where he might be," he said to his grandfather.
Peter led Matthew down through an embankment and across a grassy noll. A lake could be seen in the distance and a figure was sitting on the ground, his head bent. Peter quickened his pace. When he reached the figure, he first halted behind him a few paces and indicated to his grandfather to stay where he stood, at least for a few moments.
"Give me a few minutes with him."
Matthew nodded. He would allow his grandson to take the lead, even though he ached to hold his suffering son and comfort him.
Peter came closer and stood beside his father. "Am I invited?" he asked, even though his father was usually the one to ask the question, this time the roles were reversed. The figure looked up toward him and Peter was once again caught up in what he saw. The eyes of the man sitting on the ground were haunted and red. Streams of tears fell from them in small rivulets. "Dad," Peter whispered then crouched down to gather the stricken priest in his arms.
As Peter felt his father's arms wrap around him, he noticed that something else was also wrong. It was as if his father had no strength to speak of. He had become frail and for the first time, old.
"Dad, what's happened?"
"I am torn, my son. I cannot go on. My shame is too great. Leave me. Forgive me."
"Dad, you're not making any sense." Peter stated.
"I have committed a heinous crime. Honor has been lost. I must pay for that crime so honor may be restored. Please, bring me the ceremonial knife."
"Pop, no. I won't allow you to take your own life."
"It is already decided, my son. You cannot change it. I must before the dark becomes stronger."
"You did not commit any crime, my son," Matthew spoke. "The blood was your own."
"Father? I do not understand," Caine said turning toward the eldest Caine.
"The man was not murdered by you," Matthew stated.
"That's right," Peter interjected. "Remember Lo Si? Remember the pretense?"
Caine looked at his son, puzzled at first. Then his eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed as he thought about what Peter had said. "If that is true, then I have nearly made a grave mistake. We must find the dark and become one."
At that moment, Peter realized that someone else should have been with them. "Where's Mary Margaret?"
"What?" Caine asked. "She is here?"
"She was supposed to be here. I can't understand why she's not."
"We must find her. She could be in grave danger."
Suddenly, a scream ripped through the landscape and on the edge of the plane they were in, storm clouds could be seen.
"No, he has her. Quickly, we must go to her." Caine rose, but Peter could see that he was very unsteady on his feet. Caine reached for his son to support him and felt his father support him on his other side. With Caine secure between them, they headed across the plane to the horizon.
"NOOO!" Mary Margaret struggled to be free of the dark Caine's grasp. She could not understand why her training as a cop seemed to have deserted her. For the first time, she felt helpless. Her breath quickened as she felt his breath on her skin. She felt nothing but revulsion as he stroked her hair and tried to work through the rest of her clothing. Focusing her thoughts, she tried to reason with him. "Stop, please stop. This is not like you, Caine," she pleaded with him. "You'd never use force."
"Never is a relative term. Never does not exist. You want this just as much as I. It is time for us, Mary Margaret."
'No, not like this," Mary Margaret said.
"You cannot stop me," the dark Caine stated. "I will have you . . ." He then reached up, stroked her hair one more time, then suddenly struck Mary Margaret across the face, nearly knocking her unconscious," . . . one way or another."
"Enough!"
The dark Caine looked up to see a blinding light.
Continues with Part 11