Author's Note: This is related to my story, The Silver Ring. It takes place before that, however, so you do not have to read that one to understand this. If you like this story and you haven't read The Silver Ring, then I suggest that you give it a try because I believe that it is a good story as well. So... enjoy :D

There will be a few more chapters coming. This isn't a one shot like The Silver Ring because there is more to write if I am going to go back and write what comes before.

Falling in the Darkness

Chapter One: A Glance in the Eye

Laura Jackson's eyes were said to be as clear as a clear blue sky, and just as gentle. She had gotten this trait from her mother, her mother who was so overprotective that sometimes Laura wondered if she had ever grown up into a young lady or if in her mother's eyes she was still a child, and would always be a child. Laura assumed that it was just part of being a parent and that maybe one day she would feel the same way about a little baby that would grow up to be a young adult and who then would grow old just like everyone else. No matter how much she would love anyone who happened to come along Laura vowed that she would realize that time passed and that there was never anyway to stop it, it didn't matter if that was what she wanted.

Sighing and getting up from the desk where she had been busy writing a little to her best friend, Laura walked across the room and studied herself in the mirror, taking in her face and wondering what anyone ever could see in it. She didn't view herself as beautiful or even the slightest bit pretty. In fact Laura viewed herself as a little dull, and boring without a single trait that would be worth having. She wondered then what made Thomas Johnston look into her face and see a women that he hoped to spend the rest of his days with. She fingered the ring on her left finger and remembered the night when he had asked her the question that would change her life forever, "Will you marry me?"

She had said yes of course, it was the only way that she would ever get away from her mother who fussed over every little detail and who Laura had never really gotten along. You would have thought that after 21 years that she would have learned. "Laura," called a voice from downstairs, "Get downstairs and help your poor mother cook some breakfast."

Never in all her life had Laura ever seen her mother cook. It seemed like it was always her father at the stove or outside beside the grill but her father had died a year ago and since then Laura had been assigned to do the cooking, the cleaning and almost everything else that needed doing. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if her mother was helpless or if the older lady was just lazy like her father had used to tell her.

Hurrying down the stairs Laura moved to her mother's side and picked up a frying pan, creaking some eggs on the side and dropping them in, putting them over the stove so that they would cook. "Did you want to talk to me about something?" she asked softly, "Or did you bring me down here just so that I could get started on breakfast a little bit sooner."

"I wanted to talk to you about something," the older lady replied, "Because there is something very important that we have to talk about."

"And what is that very important thing?" Laura asked her mother.

"You are going to be moving out after the wedding," her mother said, "Leaving me helpless and alone in an empty house. I feel that it is your duty to the women who gave life to you that you take me with you to your house with Thomas. If you don't I will die out of the fact that no one will be watching over me."

"But mother," Laura protested, "Thomas and I need to have the house to ourselves without you hanging over us! Surely you can learn to take care of yourself so that you may live here and never have to worry about bothering me all day long. I need to have a life, I can't be fussing over you the whole time!"

Laura's eyes drifted over her mother's small figure, the dark blue eyes, the thin white hair and the skinny hands and fingers. Lastly her gaze lingered on one certain finger, the finger that held the silver ring which her mother wore night and day. Never, as far back as the young women could remember, had her mother taken off the ring. It was as much apart of her as anything and Laura was dying to know why the small piece of medal was so important to her mother. Every time she asked her mother would change the subject, maybe to talk about the weather or to go into a detailed account of her childhood or of other things that had happened long ago in the past.

Finishing the eggs, Laura realized that her mother still hadn't answered her. "Is everything alright?" Laura asked sitting down the plate in front of the frail looking lady.

"No," she whispered, "Everything is not alright. You don't care about me or about anything that I have done for you in my life! I've cared about you for so long and yet when I need you the most you don't want to help me, all you want to do is turn me out! Your father would never have done this to me if he was still alive."

"Listen mother," Laura said shortly, "When you were my age would you have wanted your mother following you everywhere? I don't think you would have liked it very much. I'm going to married and have the time of my life and I really want to have time to get out on my own. And I have to talk to Thomas but I don't think he will agree with me either!"

"Well you ask you," her mother said, "Call him right now, why don't you?"

Laura placed the eggs in front of her mother and left the room as she dialed up Thomas' number on her cell phone. He picked up on the first ring. "Hello?" he said softly making Laura smile like she always did when she heard his voice.

"Hi Tom," she replied, "How are you? I feel like I'm living in hell right now. My mother insists that I am a horrible person because I don't want her to live with us after we get married."

"WHAT!" Tom screamed making Laura almost drop the phone, "How can she even think that we would agree to that? Doesn't she realize that other people have lives, everything always has to revolve around her, always. You know what Laura, I'm going to save you from your horror story."

"And how do you think that you will do that," Laura said sharply on the phone, "There's no way to get rid of her. You've met her enough time to know that. She's always gotten her way and she isn't planning on ever letting that tradition go."

"There's aways a way my dear," Tom whispered, "Sometimes you just don't want to look there and see it for yourself because it seems so horrible but then you have to put your foot down and realize that there are worst things in the world that you will never be guilty for. I'm not scared of guilt, in fact, I would be pleased to save you from sure doom."

Laura could feel her face going white as she listened to him but she turned it off as just anger and laughed, "Oh stop it Tom! That's just crazy!"

"You won't think it's crazy after you are free forever," he replied, "Stay home, I'll be over in a few minutes."

Sighing Laura hung up and went to her room upstairs, closing the door and staring around a few times. She had heard him clearly and although she had laughed back at him the way he had spoke gave her goosebumps. Slowly Laura walked across her room and sat down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. There's aways a way my dear. Sometimes you just don't want to look there and see it for yourself because it seems so horrible.......