Secret Hearts parts 16-20
by Butterscotch
part 16 - Is Cliff Leaving Mineral Town?!
"You sure about this, Cliff?"
Zack and Cliff were standing on the dock near Zack's house. A soft misty rain was falling, slowly but surely dampening the clothes of the tow men. Zack wiped his face with the ever-present towel from around his neck and waited for Cliff's answer.
"I'm sure. I have to leave I can't stay in Mineral Town any longer," Cliff said, balling his hands into tight fists.
Zack sighed. "All right. I set sail in an hour."
Zack went off to finish his work, and Cliff remained at the dock. He watched the ocean. It was raining, a bit harder than before, and the wind was picking up. The white-capped waves broke further and further up the beach.
There was no place in Mineral Town for Cliff. Never had been. He was a stranger, an outsider...a scruffy hobo...and he always would be....
"You coward!"
Cliff spun around to see who was speaking. Doc was standing there, his unruly black hair now plastered down by the rain. His expression was cold...No, Cliff thought, that's his normal expression.
"You're running away, aren't you?" Doc asked. His voice was cold and hard.
"So what if I am?" Cliff replied.
"Then you're a coward!"
The two men faced one another. The rain was picking up, as was the wind. Somewhere off in the distance there was a faint rumble of thunder. At last Doc spoke up again.
"So, you got hurt, huh?" he said. "You think you're the only man who ever loved someone who didn't care for them?
"Look at Zack! He's loved Lillia for years...And yet he's still here! He hasn't run away.
"Look at Carter. He was in love with Karen. When she got engaged to Rick, did he run? No. Hell, he was going to perform the wedding ceremony!"
By the end of the longest speech Cliff had ever heard him make Doc was yelling, though whether it was from emotion or to make himself heard above the wind Cliff didn't know. Probably both.
"It's easy for you to say!" Cliff said. "What would a cold-hearted person like you know about love?"
"I didn't run," Doc said softly, "when Elli got engaged to Jack."
Cliff was shocked into silence. For several moments they just stood there. Finally Cliff spoke up.
"I had no idea..." he muttered.
Just then Gray came running up. He rushed past Doc and walked up to Cliff. Gray fished around in his pocket and found the note Cliff had discarded. He held it out to Cliff.
"Mary didn't write this,'' Gray said.
"What...?" Cliff asked.
"Don't know who did, but its not Mary's handwriting,"
Cliff took the note from Gray and stared at it. Then did this mean...Did Mary still care about him? He had to know. Cliff began to run to her house, then stopped and turned around.
"Please tell Zack I won't be leaving after all!" He called. Doc nodded, and Cliff ran off.
"Well," said Gray, "I'm gonna get home before I catch a cold.''
"Actually, that's an old wives's tale," Doc replied.
to be continued!
part 17 - The Inn
The storm increased its fury, and Gray and Doc turned up the collars of their jackets, lowered their heads and sought shelter. To Gray's surprise, Doc followed him to the Inn instead of returning to the Clinic. The Inn was warm and cozy and most of importantly, dry. Ann rushed up to them.
"What on Earth?" she exclaimed. "You two are soaked to the bone! What happened?"
"Cliff,'' Gray replied, shrugging out of his jacket.Doc was also pulling off his lab coat.
"So, you found him? What happened? What did you say? What did he say?" As she spoke, Ann was pushing the pair of men towards a table. They obediently sat down. Ann put her hands on her hips and continued,"Sit here. I'll get you some nice warm tea."
Most people would have made some sort of attempt at conversation, but Doc and Gray sat at the table together in near silence. The only sounds were of Ann bustling about in the kitchen, and of beads of water plopping off their damp clothes and onto the floor. Ann soon returned with a tray. Besides the tea, Ann had added some cookies and pastries. She set the tray down, and poured each of them some tea. To her own cup she added large quantities of milk and sugar. Gray remembered that Mary took her tea the same way and smiled.
"Well, what happened?" Ann asked.
Doc surveyed his mug of tea. He would've preferred coffee, but felt it would have been ungrateful to ask. "Cliff was leaving town, but I talked him out of it," he explained.
"Then I told him that it wasn't Mary who wrote that note, and he left," Gray added.
Ann stared at them, completely thrown off by their summary of teh events. It would figure that Mineral Town's most silent residents were the only ones privy to this event. Oh well. Surely Manna would squeeze it out of Cliff the next day.
to be continued!
Secret Hearts~ Part 18 At Mary's House
Cliff ran through the pouring rain. He thought even as he ran that he would slip on the wet pavement but he did not stop. In fact he pushed himself to go even faster. He arrived at Mary's door out of breath, heart pounding and not only from the exercise. He raised one hand down gently on the door. A polite knock. No answer. Suddenly, he began pounding the door with both hands, yelling Mary's name.
A few moments later, the door opened. It was Anna, not Mary, who stood there, and Cliff suddenlyy realized it was she who had forged the note.
"What do you want?" Anna asked coldly.
"I want to see Mary!"
"I'm afraid she doesn't want to se you," Anna replied. She smiled a tiny wicked smile.
"You liar!" Cliff exclaimed. If Anna had been a man, he would've let his fists do the talking, but as it was, he let them dangle uselessly at his sides.
"Who's at the door?" Basil piped up. He craned his neck over hos wife's shoulder. "Why Cliff! Come in, come in! Get out of the rain!"
"I don't want it in my house,"Anna snapped.
"Nonsense! Cliff is a fine young man!" Basil replied cheerfully. "Manna told me how much he likes to tend to the grapvines." In Basil's opinion, anyone who liked plants was a good guy.
"Basil," Cliff said,"I want to see Mary."
"Of course," Basil smiled. "MARY! COME DOWN HERE A MINUTE!" That was Basil for you.
Mary padded downstairs. She was already wearing her nightgown and her feet were bare. She froze when she saw Cliff.
"Why are you here?" she whispered.
"I need to talk to you" Cliff said as he walked to her.
"But...Mom told me that you didn't want to see me anymore," Mary replied, then gasped. She clapped one hand over her mouth as she realized the truth.
"Mom...why?"
Secret Hearts: part 19 Anna's Betrayal
Mary faced her mother. Tears began to stream down her face and she quickly buried her face in Cliff's chest. He gently stroked her hair. Basil looked from the couple to his wife. Finally he spoke up.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"Anna has been trying to keep Mary and me apart," Cliff replied grimly. "She's lied to both of us."
"Lied?" Basil echoed.
"She told me that Mary didn't want to see me anymore and then she told Mary that I didn't want to see her anymore,"
"Why Mom? I've always, always done what you told me to! So why?" Mary cried.
During all this, Anna had slowly been backing away. Now she was up against the kitchen table, where all the dinner plates and silverware remained out. She was trapped, but she knew she could fight her way out. There was still an option left.
"You see Cliff?"Anna hissed. "She doesn't care for you! She's just trying to rebel! I was only trying to spare you that heartbreak!"
Basil gasped and Mary began to weep again. Cliff jumped at Anna. He no longer cared if she was a woman. She deserved to be hurt. He punched her in the jaw. Anna twisted away, panting heavily.Her hand grasped one of the knives on the table. Shrieking, she lunged at Cliff. He dodged. Then everything happened very quickly. Anna fell, turning her body to attack Cliff. She landed on her knife. She screamed out, Cliff ran over.
Blood was rushing from her wound. Quickly Cliff pulled off his shirt and wadded it against her wound. "Go get the Doctor!" he screamed. Basil raced out the door. Mary knelt down next to her mother and took Anna's hand.
"Mom...hang on!" Mary whispered.
"Why...didn't you listen...to me?" Anna panted. Those were her last words. By the time Basil had returned with Doc, Anna was dead.
to be continued!
to melodramatic? maybe, but its better than what i originally wrote. ^_^;
Secret Hearts part 20
Mary's Grief
News of Anna's death spread quickly, due in no small part to Manna, in whom Cliff had confided everything. He had done this knowing that Manna would spread the word for him and thus sparing him and Mary the pain of retelling the story. While no one in Mineral Town was exactly happy to hear of her death, they certainly felt less sad than they otherwise might have felt. Anna had not been well liked.
Oddly enough, now that the biggest obstacle keeping them apart was gone, Cliff and Mary had drifted apart. Mary walked around in a daze, bursting into tears suddenly. She would stop what she was doing and just sob violently. Her tears would end as suddenly as they started, and then she would continue on in her stupor. Ann urged Cliff to talk to her.
"I tried...She won't say anything to me..." Cliff was near tears. "She just looks at me, and then she cries..."
*****
Finally, Carter went to see Mary. If anyone could get her to open up, it was him. People trusted him, and confided in him. And un-like dear Manna, bless her heart, he could keep his mouth shut.
He sat in the library with her for a long time, speaking to her in a soft calming voice. He held her hand as he spoke, but she did not squeeze back. She did not look at him, but after a while he realized that she had begun to cry.
"Mary...why are you crying?" Carter murmured.
"Its my fault," she whispered. Her voice was so soft that he barely heard her. He squeezed her hand gently.
"How is it your fault?"
"...If I hadn't disobeyed...I shouldn't have gone out with Cliff...then Mom would still be alive..." There was only the barest trace of emotion in her voice. Was she being cold? No, Carter could see that she was struggling to suppress her emotions. Her body was trembling with the effort.
"No...no, that's not true!" Carter's voice was still soft. "You can't blame yourself...Your mother had problems. No sane parent would want their daughter to be un-happy. And...she tried to kill Cliff...." Carter felt bad for speaking ill of the dead, but Mary's problems were more important.
"I know all that!" Mary exclaimed softly. "But...still...its my fault...That's how I feel!" Finally she broke down. She began to weep and Carter took her in his arms. He murmured soothing words, and gradually she calmed down.
"I know its hard on you, Mary," he said, "But you can't pull away from Cliff. He loves you, and you love him." Mary smiled shyly at that. "You two are there for each other, you support one another. He'll be there for you. "
"You're right. Thank you, Carter," Mary hugged him again.
To be continued!
um...i guess i was inspired by a certain other fanfic in which carter comforts mary...^_^;
i hope no one minds that
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