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ladyofavalon77) wrote2006-12-25 06:22 pm
I Would Like To Wish Everyone A Merry Christmas!!
So since the movie lasted till 2:30 AM, I didn't get up until 12 PM. Everyone gathered in the living room and we exchanged gifts in a round robin fashion. Dad was most happy with his bunny ears antenna for the TV *giggles* My brother liked his video games and my mother liked her jewelry. I was VERY happy with my matching collectable bears, my small voice activated Aflac duck in a Santa suit and the most comfortable pj's and slippers in the world. I don't need much to make me happy. Only thing missing was the 24 board game but that will be corrected tomorrow. So once we were finished there, my brother decided to load his computer game and I had to think of something to do. Mom had to cook so I popped in a movie to watch while I helped her.
Dinner consisted of pot roast (yuck! Though ok with ketchup, I hate too much meat), cornbread with pieces of corn, green bean casserole, and the best mashed potatoes in the world. I added honey and butter for just the right touch :) Then Mom surprised David with a chocolate cheesecake. His eyes really lit up and he didn't want to share at first hehe. No worries here...I'm not a big cheesecake fan. Rest of the night was spent on the computer and making Christmas cupcakes with a mint chocolate drizzle my Mom came up. Since she is a professional chef, we WOULD have gourmet cupcakes. *giggles*
Well, enough of that...I've gone on for far too long...someone slap me! It's Monday and it's time to unveil another piece of fan fiction...the last one shot I have in my files before I start posting chapters of "If I Should Lose You" which will run for 24 posts (once I'm finished!). The following story is called "When Everything Is Meant To Be Broken..." because it deals with the loss of a loved one. Starting with the idea that Aaron is killed in an attack to capture Martha because Graham wants to have some leverage against Charles, I start the scene with Martha screaming at Charles while she blames him for Aaron's death though he didn't directly kill him...he was just one of many casualties that day. I liked this story alot because they both get to tell each other what they're really thinking since the events of Day Five without reconciling but you can tell the connection between them is still strong. I was also able to describe Martha's love for Aaron really well because he was dead. Isn't that ironic? So without giving more than this away, here is the actual story.
"You KILLED him. You just stood there and let him DIE!!!" Martha Logan screamed as her husband entered the room where she was being held, accosting him with her fists as she was overcome by tears and despair. Her weak blows fell on his chest unnoticed as he allowed her to vent her frustration, knowing that anything he could say would not make the pain go away.
"There was nothing I could do, Marty. I didn't know this would happen," he apologized quietly, wrapping his arms slowly around her as her anger subsided and her grief began.
"I would have prevented his death if I could....I know how much he meant to you."
"You lie," she whispered fiercely, pulling away from his embrace as she confronted him with pain filled eyes. "You never forgave me for leaving you and choosing him. This was your chance to finally get rid of the one man standing in your way...and you lost no time in taking advantage of the opportunity."
"Marty..."
"No, Charles! I don't want to hear your excuses...I don't want to hear your lies. You've taken the one person who mattered most in my life and I will never forgive you," she told him, crossing her arms as she turned away from her former husband so he wouldn't see the fresh tears that had appeared on her cheeks. "Just stay away, Charles...just stay away."
Taking a few steps closer, he raised his hand to place it on her shoulder but stopped short of doing so as he realized how such a gesture would make her react. She had lost the man she loved...just as he had lost her so many years ago. There would be nothing he could say or do to make that pain go away. She was right...the best thing he could do was walk away.
A few hours later he decided to bring her some food and water. Who knew how long she would have to stay here before they could release her...IF they could release her. Graham had been very vague of what his plans for Martha were but he understood that the fastest way to lose his associate's loyalty would be to harm his ex-wife...no matter the state of their relationship the man knew that Charles still loved her. And that was why he kept her alive...in order to ensure his cooperation.
Opening the door as quietly as possible, he carefully stepped into the room to find her fast asleep. Her head leaning back against the wall as she sat on the floor with her right arm across her chest to support her left arm. His brow furrowed at the sight of the awkward position as it began to dawn on him that she might have been injured during the attack. Being careful not to wake her, Charles slowly bent down to examine the potential injury as he gently pried her fingers away from her forearm. It didn't take long for him to see the blood that had seeped through the thick material of her outer jacket and realize she had been shot during the morning attack. Somehow she had managed to hide it from him all this time and he could not imagine the pain she was feeling right now as adrenaline wore off and post traumatic shock began to kick in.
"I told you to stay away," she murmured groggily, attempting to pull away from him as her eyes remained closed and she fought the waves of pain from the gunshot wound.
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt," he asked her softly, ignoring her attempts to get him to leave. "I would have gotten you some medical attention."
"Where, Charles? The local hospital? I don't think your boss would allow you to take me there considering it would blow your whole operation wide open," she replied icily, trying to find a more comfortable position on the stone floor. "Just leave me alone. My well being is no longer your concern."
"No matter what you think of me or what I've done, I'm not going to let you bleed to death, Martha. Let me see your arm."
"No! If you want to treat my injury, you'll get someone else...I refuse to accept help from the person who murdered my husband."
Her words had the intended effect as he visibly flinched at the mention of Aaron Pierce as her husband...a title he had held until a few months ago. However, keeping her alive was all that mattered to him and he would not allow a few verbal jabs to deter him from his primary objective. Without a word, he left the room and returned moments later with a bowl of soapy water and some ace bandages. It was the best he could manage under the circumstances and he would not allow her stubbornness to get in the way of saving her life.
Reaching for her arm, Charles made sure he had a secure grip on her wrist before taking some scissors in one hand and cutting away the sleeve of her jacket so he could get to the wound underneath. At first she tried to fight him but soon found she lacked the strength and the willpower do so as she found the pain from her injury overwhelming her once more. Biting her lip to keep from screaming out, Martha turned her head away and allowed the man she hated most to dress her wound...a job someone else should have been doing...someone she had only married a few months ago.
"You'll never replace him, Charles. It doesn't matter what you say or do...he'll always be the one I'm thinking of."
"I don't want to replace him, Martha," he told her, gently cleaning the wound after seeing that the bullet had passed through without incident. "After that day at the airfield, I resigned myself to never see you again. I knew you hated me and you had every reason to. I didn't want to cause you anymore pain than I already had."
"And yet here I am in middle of the mess YOU created, Charles. Obviously you weren't trying too hard to keep me out of it. OBVIOUSLY, some part of you hasn't moved on because here we are again...in almost the same situation we were in two years ago. Tell me how you're not responsible for this, Charles. Tell me how it's not your fault again. I must not have heard you right the first time."
"All right, Martha, ALL RIGHT!!" he finally exploded, allowing his own frustrations to finally show through as he finished wrapping her arm in the ace bandages before stepping back. "Maybe I didn't completely let you go after the divorce and maybe I did wish for another chance to be with you. However, I never NEVER wanted to destroy the relationship you formed with Aaron Pierce. Have I envied the man? Yes. Have I wanted to say a few choice words about him moving in on MY wife while I was President? Hell yes. But would I seriously plan to have him killed when I knew that it would break your heart and forever alienate you from me? No I would not. Believe whatever you want Martha but the truth is...I've never stopped loving you and I would NEVER do anything to hurt you...not after learning how much it cost me three years ago."
"But how can I believe you when you've never told me the truth until now? How can you expect me to trust you when our marriage was built on a foundation of lies and deceit? You can't decide to tell the truth now and think that I will immediately accept what you say without questioning and examining the facts first. You just can't, Charles," she told him softly as she watched his shoulders collapse in despair as he realized she was right. He was moving too fast. Turning back around slowly, the former president knelt down beside her once more as he reached for her hand and looked straight into her skeptical eyes.
"I know I'm asking a lot...and I know I don't deserve it...but Martha please understand that if I could I would bring Aaron back right now...even if it meant my own life. I know how much he made you happy. I could see it by the way your face would light up when he entered a room or the way you talked to him on the phone. I know he fulfilled the role of a husband better than I ever could and I took comfort in the fact that you had found someone who could truly make you happy. Aaron was a wonderful man and he was lucky enough to have your love...very lucky indeed."
"I was the lucky one. After our divorce, I didn't think I could handle another relationship. I wanted to enjoy my freedom and discover who I was outside of our marriage. I don't mean to hurt you, Charles, but your career and your goals had become my own and I no longer knew who I was. These last two years have been crucial in finding out who I am as a person and how I want to spend the rest of my life. Aaron knew how important that was to me and never pressed about taking our relationship further or spending more time together. However, the heart is a funny thing and before I knew it I was falling in love again...and it was completely different from the love we shared, Charles. I can't really describe it except to say that it was deep and it was passionate...the kind of love that lasts...or would have lasted...a lifetime."
"I'm sorry, Martha. I should have-" he began but was stopped by her fingers on his lips as she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"It's too late, Charles," she whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Too late for apologies. Too late for regrets. I've lost the one man I really loved and now I have to live with that. Don't ruin his memory with any more words...please."
Understanding that she needed to be alone with her grief, Charles simply nodded before rising and reaching over to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Smiling despite her grief at the small gesture of comfort, Martha touched his hand with her own and let him know that she appreciated the effort he was making at this time, despite his own conflicting feelings. Once again she found her temper cooling and her anger subsiding as she finally took control of her emotions and listened to her mind rather than her heart.
One of the things she had learned after her separation from Charles was that he was right when he had called her emotionally unstable. There were times when she wanted to scream and destroy anything within sight while other times she found herself crying for no reason at all. Her volatile nature was something she had to fight with every day but somehow...somehow Aaron's presence had always helped her stay calm and levelheaded. Emotional outbursts were less, common sense ruled the day more than not, and she found herself falling into a regular routine that kept her stable and rational. Just by being there for her, Aaron had done what dozens of psychologists and doctors could not...he had made her a confident, self assured woman with a will of her own. She was finally free to live her own life...a life she had promised to share with him...but would now have to go on without him...
And Christopher? Can you pick up Chinese takeout while you're driving around?
The Secret Service took away my dinner before I could eat it.
