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This was written for the 'Original/AF Challenge 12/07: Poisoned Apple' Challenge, under these very simple following guidelines:
Write a story in which temptation leads to someone’s downfall – be it literal or metaphorical.
You can enter either a piece of original work, or a piece of fanfiction from A. fandom.
All entries must be a minimum of 1500 words.
I own these characters, they were first used in my fics 'To be in Her Thoughts' and 'Repaid, Now Normal' for yet other challenge. I really enjoy these characters.
If you're interested in doing challenges like these (and more) join FictionNET ( http / sycotic . org / fnet ) for it is a nifty (mostly based on Harry Potter) writing forum, say that Keladryie sent you and join the best writing forum on the net! It's seriously worth it.
“I seriously thought I was going to die.” She said simply. “I could feel myself get weaker and weaker, and after how I had treated you…I thought I deserved to die anyway. And I couldn’t tell you because I was too scared. Because telling you, using words, sounds, seeing or hearing your reaction would make it feel truer.” She pulled a face after realising her bad English. Before she had come down very sick she had been a stickler for proper English and grammar. “So…I ignored it.” She murmured, squeezing his hand and he found hers. “In a way…I guess…getting you to post it was my way of telling you, but I never thought you’d be bothered enough to read who it was too…and it turns out by the time you got home it was nearly too late anyway…”
He couldn’t believe with how calmly she spoke of all this. How they had both nearly died, and she just murmured it all, not whispering, not looking at him, just holding his hand as she spoke on it softly. She looked at him, and smiled, and it was such a soft, sweet, sad smile, he couldn’t help but fall in love with her again, even more deeply than he had just minutes before.
She had gone as far to make a will and it had been sent off. Her heart had actually stopped and yet she was still alive, and just as beautiful as ever to him, even after all the pain she had put him through after they had first moved in to live together, even after how she had treated him, and even after he had almost let her die…
“I thought you had died…” he murmured, squeezing her hand so tight he wondered why she wasn’t in pain.
“So I heard.” She answered wryly. “It was all you would hallucinate about for days. I feel quite special, to be the only one in your thoughts like that…you nearly died for me…”
He looked up at her, and managed to pull her down into a tight hug, so she wouldn’t see the tears escaping from the corners of his eyes.
“We’re getting married.” He demanded in a whispered murmur, his voice so rough and low it made her smile. “As soon as we’re both well enough to walk and not look crap in the photos. We’re getting married, and I’m not losing you.”
Their wedding had been...interesting, to say the least. At first they had wanted to run away and just be married off with no one else around to interrupt or be a bother, and then they had decided to have the full proper wedding.
Then the thought of so many people, acquaintances more than friends, who would have to be catered for and such and she threw that idea out the window again, it was back to the escaping off into some tropical sunset somewhere and being married in Hawaii, or something. But...eugh, it didn't feel right!
"As long as we get married, I don't care how we do it anymore." she muttered tiredly, kicking the magazines and booklets away from them and off the bed before she buried her pale face against his shoulder. Even though it had been months now since her illness she still looked like she had been through hell and back, her hair had lost its health as had her eyes. Her body was lanky and thin in parts and yet her thighs and stomach were cause for her embarrassment, she really wanted to loose some weight so she’d be slim again. She got sick often and the medication she was on treated her roughly, he had to look after her a lot as well as the house – really though she was just lucky she was able to keep her job, thankfully they were very understanding about it all and modified it so she could do a lot of her job at home…
None of that mattered to him though, he assured her. Hell, they could get married in jeans and a hoodie if that’s what she wanted, and then just restate their wedding vows in years to come and she could dress up to her hearts delight then…
It had probably been a mistake though, to rush the wedding as they had. After their scares of near death they had really rushed into it and now although they wore wedding rings on their fingers their photos and memories of the adventure hadn’t exactly been what they could call their dream wedding.
It had been a quiet affair, no family members or friends around them. He was dressed casually in dress pants and a nice green dinner shirt whereas she was dressed just as elegantly in a skirt and blouse, tummy slightly sticking out a little too much in some photos which she hated and ranted on about just a little too much for his patience. That’s what their first fight as a married couple had been about.
Their second had been over her driving, and then soon after that he was back in the nightmare. Back in the times of when they had just moved in together, god, years ago now, it had to be six or almost seven now, and although he had hope and proof that they could get out of the rut and then be happier than ever it wasn’t exactly helping him much right then.
She spent ages at work, and then ages on the computer, just like she had when she was 17. She was 23 now for crying out loud, and at his 25 he felt as he was – halfway to 50 and stuck in a depressing and angry house.
“Don’t touch me, you think I’m fat!” she snapped as he tried to hug her good morning.
“It doesn’t matter to me how you look,” he tried to console. “You look-”
“SO YOU DO THINK I’M FAT!” she shoved him away and stormed her way into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and leaving him with a headache already.
So really, their marriage consultant said many, many years after; it was no surprise that the moves of Rachael, a girl from work, had caught his eye. He had always heard of the saying ‘legs that never quit’, and now he understood it, something he never had.
At the beginning he had felt guilty, his wife so touchy on the subject of physical looks and hating how she looked and to be truthful, she didn’t look as desirable as she once had…and yet here was this young personal assistant with just a body that was…well. It got him a little hot under the collar. To put it very, very lightly.
And then she had enticed him in slowly, step by step, her true wants missed by him as they were blanketed by her beauty. She had offered to get him a coffee once, and then that slowly melted into a daily ritual. Then she had made morning tea and had given him the first slice, spending the rest of the break by his side chatting and laughing.
Then it had been a lunch out – strictly business of course…
And then before he knew it, dinner.
The months passed, his wife looked worse and worse each day and was always so sick and then snappy and bitchy towards him, it wasn’t hard for him to lie and say he had joined the company bowling team – the perfect excuse to be out most nights – and she didn’t suspect a thing!
But then before he knew it, just when his life had been a masterpiece, it was over.
Because you see, the sweet and spunky, cute little PA had the type of devious mind which enticed young men who made a nice amount of money to wine them and dine them, give them their bank details…plan to move out with them and elope…
What had been going on in his mind!?
One day he had returned home from work and the authorities had met him at the door. Apparently he had somehow signed over the house to the little tramp – maybe something had happened one drunk night when they had both been giggly and affectionate over a bottle of wine…but…either way he had returned one night only to be escorted off the premises. Apparently he was trespassing and stalking the young PA, apparently he wouldn’t leave her alone and he had attacked her and the only reason why he wasn’t being sent to jail for it was at her request – at least she wouldn’t go that far – but…he had been tricked.
And he had lost everything.
“Where is she?” he demanded as his arms were hold behind his back and he was directed off into the street.
“Who? Your little dirty secret?” one of the uniformed men had laughed in return. “We ain’t saying.”
“NO!” he snapped back, angry now. “My wife!”
“You bloody piece of filth,” was all they would respond with, until one young cadet met him by the side of the paddy wagon.
“She left this morning.” He informed him. “…We entered the house and said she had to vacate the premises. She asked why and we…told her everything, how the owner of the house, Rachael Blanchette was giving you both a court order to leave. She took it quite well – didn’t ask any questions - packed a few things and left. Asked me to give you this.”
A small, solid weight was placed in his hand and then the cadet left, leaving him with nothing but…well…nothing. He felt empty.
He gazed at the weight in his hand and then tightened his fingers around it, running his thumb over the love heart which had been carved into it only recently – he hadn’t seen that there before.
He had dealt with his wife acting that way before, why hadn’t he put in the time and effort this time? She had only been feeling ugly and unwell from the medication and what had he done to help? He’d been sick of it, become a workaholic…he’d cheated on his wife…his precious wife! He fished the wedding ring out from his wallet where he had kept it every time he’d seen that fucking bitch Rachael and slipped it over his plain finger which didn’t even have a mark of where he had worn it.
His wife did. Her skin was even paler where she wore it…a true mark of love. She hadn’t once taken it off…and yet he had just…forgotten about her so easily…
…Even though he loved her. …And he knew that he did…
And then he broke down and cried, alone now.
“I thought you were planning your own death…” he murmured.
To think, he had avoided seeing her. He had spent hours away from her side while she nearly died, when if he had taken just another half hour more she might have been gone forever.
“I thought you had died…” he murmured, squeezing her hand so tight he wondered why she wasn’t in pain.
“So I heard.” She answered wryly. “It was all you would hallucinate about for days. I feel quite special, to be the only one in your thoughts like that…you nearly died for me…”
How had things changed from that so easily? …He had been ready to give his life for her that day…not even three years ago!
And now…he had lost everything for them…
Their bank accounts…
Their cars…
Their house…
They had nothing, all because of him. And because of that, he didn’t even have her anymore and he had no clue where she even was…
Temptation had lead to his downfall, literally and metaphorically.
