Requiem II: Soul's Honor Lost

by Alisa Joaquin

Part 12-Epilogue

Kwai Chang Caine stroked his forearms. The many cuts that obscured his brands were finally healed. No lasting damage had been done, at least to his physical being. It would be many months until his spirit would be truly whole once again. He had contacted Peter and he learned that Mary Margaret was dealing with her own pain. She should not have had to suffer as she did. She should not have been a part of what had taken place. The thought that his darker side had tried to force himself upon her a second time made him feel unworthy. He did not know if she would ever trust him, again. The time for them, it would seem, would never come and might very well be at an end before it even began.

Perhaps it was best that they remain apart for now. Caine needed this time, not only to search for the truth regarding Laura, but he needed to deal with the consequences his actions might have caused while his darker side had been in control. His father and his son understood that his need to continue to wander until the truth was revealed. Someday he would return to Chinatown, and hopefully, to Mary Margaret. And hopefully, she will forgive him for the harm that his darker side had nearly caused.

As Caine pondered these thoughts, a soft knock could be heard on the iron door of his room.

"Come." Caine turned to see the young woman who cared for him enter.

"I came to wish you a safe journey," Tanya stated. "I am pleased to see you are healing."

"I am forever in your debt for helping me."

"There is no need for debts. It was my duty to help a fellow Shaolin."

As Tanya expressed her own feelings, an aura of light flared around her. Caine was suddenly taken aback as he realized that aura felt familiar.

"May I take your hand?"

"Of course."

Caine took Tanya's right hand into his and sent his chi through the touch. The essence that he felt nearly caused his legs to go weak and buckle.

"Tanya, it is you. You carry her inside you."

"I do not understand," she asked.

Caine reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out an old, wrinkled photograph and handed it to Tanya.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"This is you, is it not?"

"It is a friend of mine. Her name is Marlene. It was taken just over twelve years ago in Paris. An old man asked if he could take her picture. I have not seen her since."

"I believe I know who that old man was," Caine smiled.

"But I still do not understand why you carry this picture and what you meant. Who am I supposed to be carrying inside me?"

"You are the very image of my wife, Laura Caine. I feel her essence in you. I was not aware of it until now. It is why you resemble her so much. I now know the truth. Laura has gone on. Her essence lives on and so I can go on. I can return home and tell my son the truth about his mother."

Tanya stared amazed at the priest. "She must have been a very special woman. You must have loved her deeply not to have married a second time. I think she would have not minded if you had. She sounds to me like she would not have wanted you to be alone for so long; and she would have been proud to know that her son lives and that you continue to care for him."

Caine was nearly taken aback by her last statement. It was as if Laura had spoken to him with those words. He felt as if she had given him absolution and released him from his vows, now freeing him to truly find love once more, but the woman for whom he would want to give that love to had fled from him. She was now afraid of him. Could there be any chance for him to rekindle that love and regain her trust; to help her see there was no need to fear? Doubt filled him as these questions rose in his mind.

"Do not be concerned," Tanya said, resting a hand on his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze, just as his wife Laura would have done. "I am certain she will come around. If you come to her humbly and in humility, with love and acceptance, asking for forgiveness in your heart, I am sure she will see that you would never harm her. You care too deeply. If you tell her what is in your heart, she will listen. But give her time as well. She is hurting now, but she will heal."

"Thank you, Tanya," Caine said. "Your words are her words. They give me much comfort. It is time that I return. You have helped me to give me back my honor. You have helped to give me back my soul. If you find you need assistance, come to Chinatown, ask for Caine, my son and I will help you."

Caine then gave Tanya a hug of farewell and stepped through the door for the journey home.

"Wait," Tanya said. "You never mentioned your wife's name."

"Her name was Laura," Kwai Chang answered.

"Come with me." Tanya led Caine through the temple and out to a garden that was lovingly maintained. She led Caine to a corner of that garden where there was a small headstone.

"A woman came to us, searching. She was badly wounded and soon succumbed to her injuries. She said her name was Laura C before she died. She mentioned that she wished she could have seen her husband, again, to see her son grow into a man. She wore this right." Tanya handed Caine a wedding ring with two cranes carved in its surface. The eyes were made of rubies.

'I gave this to my wife when we were married." Caine explained.

"I believe she may have been your wife."

Caine looked down at the headstone, its name was written there in Chinese calligraphy. "Yes." That was all Caine would say. "May I have some privacy."

"When you wish to leave, there is a side gate to the road."

"Thank you." Caine was left alone to ponder what he now knew to be the truth. His wife Laura was dead, and her essence moved on. He could now allow himself to mourn.

Peter returned home from France and from his grandfather's cottage. He put his things away and pulled out the bowl from the cupboard. At that moment, someone knocked on the doorframe, and he stepped into the hall to hear several children from the neighborhood shout, "Trick or Treat!"

Peter smiled as he handed out the treats. He watched as the costumed children made their way down the stairs to their waiting parents. He was grateful that at least for a little while these demons at his door only required candy to appease them, and he was more than happy to oblige. He was also grateful that for the time being, the demons within his father had also been appeased and that his father would soon be returning home with news about his mother. It wasn't long before more trick or treaters in all manner of costumes bounded up the stairs and they too were receiving their ritual offerings. Then no sooner had Peter turned his back, someone else was knocking on his door frame.

"Trick or Treat," the voice said.

"Scalany," Peter exclaimed. "I thought you were going to see your mother."

"I changed my mind. Can we talk? I think I need to exorcise some demons."

"Sure, you've come to the right place. My door is always open. Just step this way. I'll put on a pot of tea."

And with those last words, Peter and Mary Margaret headed for the back of the apartment and some quiet conversation.

Another walked down a lonely road, his journey still not at an end. Hope was fading. A city lay in the distance. He hoped it was this one. So many years had passed. One city after another, and still no word. He wasn't even certain of the one that he sought was even alive. Perhaps another might aid him in finding the one that he sought. It was worth a try. The man pulled out an old photograph. The image of a smiling woman sitting at a cafe in Paris stared out at him. Regret filled his being. If only things had been different. He put the photo back in his pocket and walked on.

Finish