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ficiness
first, beginning of a new fic
Disclaimer: Not mine. Inspired by the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and the song quoted below. AU
Title: Memory Lane
~Take a walk down memory lane with me, past a watermelon stand on the way. Thinking I had everything we'd need on Martha's Foolish Ginger...if those harbor lights had just been a half a mile inland who knows what I would I have done?~-Tori Amos 'Martha's Foolish Ginger'
Seven years.
Could it have really been seven years since she left and took his soul with her?
James sighed, resting his forehead against the dash. Could he do it? Seven years without talking and he'd suddenly decided he needed to make things right just because it was the tenth anniversery of the shooting?
He shook his head. He'd come too far to turn back now. He got out of the car and walked into the dingy club. He looked around a bit, heart breaking as he saw all the worn out souls and knew Mandy had to be just like them.
Then he saw her. Mandy. His beautiful sweet love. Lover. Friend. Partner. Wife. Mother of his children. Soulmate...
He walked over to the table, clearing his throat.
"Ah, hey...I know it's been awhile but..."
She looked up from her scotch, staring at him strangely.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"It's James, Mand. I know it's been awhile but-"
"I don't know a James. Sorry, must be mistaking me for some other Mandy."
"Mand, c'mon, stop playing games."
"Get away from me you freak."
James blinked and turned on his heel, biting his lip as he stormed out of the club.
"She acted like she didn't even remember me! For Chrissakes, she's the one who left! It's not like I did the heartbreaking!"
Emily sighed, exhaling a long whorl of smoke.
"She wasn't acting."
"What, are you in on this?"
"No. She really doesn't remember you."
"Did she get in an accident and lose her memory or-"
"She had you erased."
James stared at her then laughed sarcastically.
"What, she just....deleted me from her brain? A five year relationship burned out of her?"
Emily closed her eyes, leaning back.
"I shouldn't have said anything.." she opened her eyes and searched through a pile of papers, coming up with a small card.
James took it, arching an eyebrow as he read the words.
MANDY SLADE HAS HAD JAMES WORTHINGTON REMOVED FROM HER MEMORY. PLEASE DO NOT MENTION THEIR RELATIONSHIP.....
The words just slipped past him after that. He fell back, shaking his head.
"No...it's not possible..."
"I didn't believe it either. But last time I mentioned your name she just looked at me and said it didn't ring a bell."
"...Does she remember the kids?"
"Perfectly."
James sighed, leaning back in the chair. He held the card up, looking at it. Maybe...maybe it was time to really put all this behind him.
And then this
"What's the matter with these girls, James? They're all smart, pretty, well mannered. What more could you want?"
Meandy he thought, but instead gave his mother a slightly more acceptable answer.
"A real woman, not some ridigid statue."
"You mean some brash woman who'd try to rule your land instead of you?"
"What land Mother? We own only-"
"That could change if you marry."
James sighed.
"Please Mother, just...leave."
His mother shook her head and walked out.
James closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. His mother would never understand, he knew that. He knew he should try and forget Meandy, but something about her wouldn't let him.
The door to his chambers opened again and he sighed.
"Mother, plea-"
"Forgive me for the intrusion m'lord" the servant girl squeaked,
"I just brought you..."
James stood up, crossing over to the shy girl.
"Brought me what?"
"A message...from Lord B'rmighm..."
James raised an eyebrow and took the parchment from the girl, scanning it over.
"This isn't in his w-" he stopped as he actually read the words. It took a bit, since the writing was crude and shaking. Then he realized who's it was and smiled.
"Thank you. You are dismissed."
The girl curstseyed and left. James walked over to the window, looking out and barely restraining a joyfull holler as he glanced at the paper one more time to make sure the words were real.
Meet me. Garden. Tonight.
~*~*~
Meandy wiped her sweaty palms against her skirt, looking around nervously. Maybe he wasn't going to come. Maybe his mother had intercepted the message and had told Lord B'rmighm. Oh Heavenly Father, let-
"Greetings."
Meandy shrieked as James jumped down from the tree above her, grinning like a mischevious spirit.
"Sorry to frighten you. I was just watching you and couldn't keep quiet anymore."
"You were going to laugh?"
He raised an eyebrow, which made Meandy smile even through her self-consciousness.
"Why would I laugh?"
She gestured to the plain brown dress she was wearing.
"You see me the way I am. No man besides the Lord has before" she cast her eyes to the side.
"He laughs."
James frowned, taking her hands.
"I think you're even more beautiful then before."
She looked up, confused.
"What?"
"Those costumes your Lord puts you in are beautiful, but they try to outshine you. This dress lets your eyes call for attention."
"They're just-" he cut her off, putting a finger to her lips.
"Look at the sky" he twisted her around, pulling her back to his chest.
"The same colour as your eyes. The blue that lets the stars shine through."
Meandy blinked, swallowing. She hadn't heard words that beautiful in so long. The Lord didn't speak like that, and he thought books were kindling. She twisted to look at James, trying to think of something just a gorgeous to say. She ran her fingers through his inky black hair.
"Your eyes...they're like a dragons" she whispered.
"Do I scare you that much?"
"No!" she cried quickly.
"No...no like...like a dragon that would guard a little girl's bedroom. A safe dragon."
He laughed.
"I was right."
"About what?"
"You are smart" he put a hand to the side of her face.
"You're smart and sweet and beautiful. That pig doesn't deserve you" he kissed her forehead, smiling.
Meandy's skin paled. She stared at him and tore away.
James' face fell. He stepped towards her.
"What did I do?"
"This isn't right. What we're doing. It's wrong. We could both be killed for it."
James sighed and walked away. Meandy bit her finger, hoping she hadn't hurt him. When he came back, he was holding a white rose in his hand.
"Take this. If we can't be together like this, keep it so you'll know I lov-"
Even as he forced the rose into her fingers, she was backing away.
"Please, you're a kind man but please leave me be. If my Lord knew..." she shook her head.
"Just leave me be." and with that she was gone.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Inspired by the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and the song quoted below. AU
Title: Memory Lane
~Take a walk down memory lane with me, past a watermelon stand on the way. Thinking I had everything we'd need on Martha's Foolish Ginger...if those harbor lights had just been a half a mile inland who knows what I would I have done?~-Tori Amos 'Martha's Foolish Ginger'
Seven years.
Could it have really been seven years since she left and took his soul with her?
James sighed, resting his forehead against the dash. Could he do it? Seven years without talking and he'd suddenly decided he needed to make things right just because it was the tenth anniversery of the shooting?
He shook his head. He'd come too far to turn back now. He got out of the car and walked into the dingy club. He looked around a bit, heart breaking as he saw all the worn out souls and knew Mandy had to be just like them.
Then he saw her. Mandy. His beautiful sweet love. Lover. Friend. Partner. Wife. Mother of his children. Soulmate...
He walked over to the table, clearing his throat.
"Ah, hey...I know it's been awhile but..."
She looked up from her scotch, staring at him strangely.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"It's James, Mand. I know it's been awhile but-"
"I don't know a James. Sorry, must be mistaking me for some other Mandy."
"Mand, c'mon, stop playing games."
"Get away from me you freak."
James blinked and turned on his heel, biting his lip as he stormed out of the club.
"She acted like she didn't even remember me! For Chrissakes, she's the one who left! It's not like I did the heartbreaking!"
Emily sighed, exhaling a long whorl of smoke.
"She wasn't acting."
"What, are you in on this?"
"No. She really doesn't remember you."
"Did she get in an accident and lose her memory or-"
"She had you erased."
James stared at her then laughed sarcastically.
"What, she just....deleted me from her brain? A five year relationship burned out of her?"
Emily closed her eyes, leaning back.
"I shouldn't have said anything.." she opened her eyes and searched through a pile of papers, coming up with a small card.
James took it, arching an eyebrow as he read the words.
MANDY SLADE HAS HAD JAMES WORTHINGTON REMOVED FROM HER MEMORY. PLEASE DO NOT MENTION THEIR RELATIONSHIP.....
The words just slipped past him after that. He fell back, shaking his head.
"No...it's not possible..."
"I didn't believe it either. But last time I mentioned your name she just looked at me and said it didn't ring a bell."
"...Does she remember the kids?"
"Perfectly."
James sighed, leaning back in the chair. He held the card up, looking at it. Maybe...maybe it was time to really put all this behind him.
And then this
"What's the matter with these girls, James? They're all smart, pretty, well mannered. What more could you want?"
Meandy he thought, but instead gave his mother a slightly more acceptable answer.
"A real woman, not some ridigid statue."
"You mean some brash woman who'd try to rule your land instead of you?"
"What land Mother? We own only-"
"That could change if you marry."
James sighed.
"Please Mother, just...leave."
His mother shook her head and walked out.
James closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. His mother would never understand, he knew that. He knew he should try and forget Meandy, but something about her wouldn't let him.
The door to his chambers opened again and he sighed.
"Mother, plea-"
"Forgive me for the intrusion m'lord" the servant girl squeaked,
"I just brought you..."
James stood up, crossing over to the shy girl.
"Brought me what?"
"A message...from Lord B'rmighm..."
James raised an eyebrow and took the parchment from the girl, scanning it over.
"This isn't in his w-" he stopped as he actually read the words. It took a bit, since the writing was crude and shaking. Then he realized who's it was and smiled.
"Thank you. You are dismissed."
The girl curstseyed and left. James walked over to the window, looking out and barely restraining a joyfull holler as he glanced at the paper one more time to make sure the words were real.
Meet me. Garden. Tonight.
~*~*~
Meandy wiped her sweaty palms against her skirt, looking around nervously. Maybe he wasn't going to come. Maybe his mother had intercepted the message and had told Lord B'rmighm. Oh Heavenly Father, let-
"Greetings."
Meandy shrieked as James jumped down from the tree above her, grinning like a mischevious spirit.
"Sorry to frighten you. I was just watching you and couldn't keep quiet anymore."
"You were going to laugh?"
He raised an eyebrow, which made Meandy smile even through her self-consciousness.
"Why would I laugh?"
She gestured to the plain brown dress she was wearing.
"You see me the way I am. No man besides the Lord has before" she cast her eyes to the side.
"He laughs."
James frowned, taking her hands.
"I think you're even more beautiful then before."
She looked up, confused.
"What?"
"Those costumes your Lord puts you in are beautiful, but they try to outshine you. This dress lets your eyes call for attention."
"They're just-" he cut her off, putting a finger to her lips.
"Look at the sky" he twisted her around, pulling her back to his chest.
"The same colour as your eyes. The blue that lets the stars shine through."
Meandy blinked, swallowing. She hadn't heard words that beautiful in so long. The Lord didn't speak like that, and he thought books were kindling. She twisted to look at James, trying to think of something just a gorgeous to say. She ran her fingers through his inky black hair.
"Your eyes...they're like a dragons" she whispered.
"Do I scare you that much?"
"No!" she cried quickly.
"No...no like...like a dragon that would guard a little girl's bedroom. A safe dragon."
He laughed.
"I was right."
"About what?"
"You are smart" he put a hand to the side of her face.
"You're smart and sweet and beautiful. That pig doesn't deserve you" he kissed her forehead, smiling.
Meandy's skin paled. She stared at him and tore away.
James' face fell. He stepped towards her.
"What did I do?"
"This isn't right. What we're doing. It's wrong. We could both be killed for it."
James sighed and walked away. Meandy bit her finger, hoping she hadn't hurt him. When he came back, he was holding a white rose in his hand.
"Take this. If we can't be together like this, keep it so you'll know I lov-"
Even as he forced the rose into her fingers, she was backing away.
"Please, you're a kind man but please leave me be. If my Lord knew..." she shook her head.
"Just leave me be." and with that she was gone.
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