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Re: A story I'm writing Fri 28 Jan 2011, 21:18
kronik_khaos
Believer
Chapter Four
"You were married?" Jem tried to keep the tremor out of her voice, but didn't succeed. Who was she to upset over his moving on when it was her who left him, and not the other way around?
Kynan nodded, noting the way her usually clam voice shook. Why did he still care? She left him, broke his heart and didn't give him a chance to know why, didn't give him a chance to say goodbye.
"Yeah. For five years. Then that bastard killed her. I swore to make him pay. He will not get away with taking her from me. Lorin was my world, my everything, and her death will not be meaningless. I will avenge her even if it takes my own life as well. That filthy animal will suffer a death far worse that what Lorin suffered and so much more for what he did."
Jem blinked. There was once a time when he would have done the same for her. Until she ruined everything. She had to tell him. Tell him why she left, why she couldn't say yes to him. She had been scared. Scared of getting hurt, scared of being left all alone again. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened in the past. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if she'd said yes to him, and he had been killed. She would've been devastated.
"It wasn't your fault Kynan. I'm sure Lorin was only trying to keep you from getting killed."
Kynan shook his head.
'I promised her on the day I said I do, that I would keep her safe. I failed her."
Jem looked into his warm brown eyes and placed a tiny hand on his muscled arm.
"It's Micah who's at fault Kynan. Not you. Micah pulled the trigger, you tried to save her. You did everything you could."
"Not everything. I didn't take the bullet for her. I didn't shoot Micah before he got the chance to kill her. I stood there, dumbly watching my wife's death in slow motion. I wasn't able to think or move. I could only sit there and watch."
She sighed.
"Kynan, listen to me. It was not your fault. Do you hear me? Micah will pay for what he did. He deserves to be punished for hurting you."
Kynan looked down into the blue depths of eyes that were so much like Lorin's.
"Did you pay? Were you punished for hurting me?"
Jem looked away, but Kynan grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes.
"Answer me Jem. I want to know if you suffered anything."
"Yes. I suffered so much. My son died because of it."
Her words stopped Kynan cold. Her son?
"Your son?" His voice shook slightly.
Jem nodded.
"Our son. Lief Collin Strider."
The words hit him like a jackhammer to the gut. He'd had a son. She'd never told him. Was that why?
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
"Because Kynan. You were an agent. He could've been used against you. We could've been used against you."
"So you left? Just left with no explanations, no goodbyes?"
She nodded, tears filling her blue eyes.
Kynan ran his fingers through his wind tousled hair.
"Damn it Jem. Why the hell would you do that to me? Leave with nothing and then ten years later, come back into my life and tell me I had a son? Tell me Jem, how did our son die?"
"Stillborn. He died before he was born."
"You were married?" Jem tried to keep the tremor out of her voice, but didn't succeed. Who was she to upset over his moving on when it was her who left him, and not the other way around?
Kynan nodded, noting the way her usually clam voice shook. Why did he still care? She left him, broke his heart and didn't give him a chance to know why, didn't give him a chance to say goodbye.
"Yeah. For five years. Then that bastard killed her. I swore to make him pay. He will not get away with taking her from me. Lorin was my world, my everything, and her death will not be meaningless. I will avenge her even if it takes my own life as well. That filthy animal will suffer a death far worse that what Lorin suffered and so much more for what he did."
Jem blinked. There was once a time when he would have done the same for her. Until she ruined everything. She had to tell him. Tell him why she left, why she couldn't say yes to him. She had been scared. Scared of getting hurt, scared of being left all alone again. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened in the past. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if she'd said yes to him, and he had been killed. She would've been devastated.
"It wasn't your fault Kynan. I'm sure Lorin was only trying to keep you from getting killed."
Kynan shook his head.
'I promised her on the day I said I do, that I would keep her safe. I failed her."
Jem looked into his warm brown eyes and placed a tiny hand on his muscled arm.
"It's Micah who's at fault Kynan. Not you. Micah pulled the trigger, you tried to save her. You did everything you could."
"Not everything. I didn't take the bullet for her. I didn't shoot Micah before he got the chance to kill her. I stood there, dumbly watching my wife's death in slow motion. I wasn't able to think or move. I could only sit there and watch."
She sighed.
"Kynan, listen to me. It was not your fault. Do you hear me? Micah will pay for what he did. He deserves to be punished for hurting you."
Kynan looked down into the blue depths of eyes that were so much like Lorin's.
"Did you pay? Were you punished for hurting me?"
Jem looked away, but Kynan grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes.
"Answer me Jem. I want to know if you suffered anything."
"Yes. I suffered so much. My son died because of it."
Her words stopped Kynan cold. Her son?
"Your son?" His voice shook slightly.
Jem nodded.
"Our son. Lief Collin Strider."
The words hit him like a jackhammer to the gut. He'd had a son. She'd never told him. Was that why?
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
"Because Kynan. You were an agent. He could've been used against you. We could've been used against you."
"So you left? Just left with no explanations, no goodbyes?"
She nodded, tears filling her blue eyes.
Kynan ran his fingers through his wind tousled hair.
"Damn it Jem. Why the hell would you do that to me? Leave with nothing and then ten years later, come back into my life and tell me I had a son? Tell me Jem, how did our son die?"
"Stillborn. He died before he was born."
