The Reed Legacy
Chapter 6
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I undDisclaimer-If you know the name from the series or the
manga, it’s safe to say they aren’t mine.
Author Notes-Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, but
it’s the next past 2 chapters I haven’t been sure about.
I’m nervous that people aren’t enjoying or even reading this.
it, please just leave a note that says so.
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Matchmakers Marketplace
The
four-day trip to London turned into a week and a half.
frequent stops at inns. Clow scowled at
every copper he had to put down. It
wasn’t that he was a stingy man, far from it, but he disliked having to stay at
inns he wasn’t familiar with, and wasn’t able to protect Millicent in.
Yes, she
could take care of herself, and had for many years. There was no stopping Clow from thinking he could protect her
better though.
The first
few days she thought it was cute, but staring down any man that so much as
glanced her way was going over the top.
She asked him to stop, told him to stop, pleaded with him, even reduced
herself to begging, but he ignored it.
Saying he was keeping her safe.
It drove her crazy, to the point she wanted to wring his neck.
They were
both in a foul mood by the time they reached the outskirts of London.
sheets of rain in a sudden downpour as they ascended the stairs of the Reed
town house. Needless to say, wer were
soaked to the bone in mere seconds.
Millicent’s
tinkling laughter echoed through the foyer, Clow wasn’t happy.
“That’s
your problem. You fail to see the humor
in a lot of things.” Was heard from the
central staircase.
Looking up,
they were both greeted by an elderly man in mourning clothes.
“Grandfather.”
staircase, embracing the man heartily.
“Grandfather, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for everything.
“Well
that’s neither here nor there, now is it.”
The shorter man said, returning the embrace.
“Where’s
everyone else? The house seems
empty.” Millicent’s eyes scanning
around as she ascended the stairs to greet Damien Reed.
Greeting
the girl warmly, Damien informed them that the house had been empty since just
after the funerals.
“But you’ll
be here now to bring life back to this old house.”
“Actually,”
Clow began sheepishly, “I wasn’t planning on staying more than a few weeks.”
“Nonsense
my boy, the Season has begun. Everyone
in the ton will have heard of your arrival by tonight.
receiving box by morning chocolate.
You’re both stuck here until the Hunt Ball.” The balding man said as he led them to their rooms.
“The Hunt
Ball?” Clow bellowed.
His calmer
half placed a hand on his arm. “I’m
sure we can slip away sooner than that.
So we attend a few balls while we’re here, what harm can it do?”
“What
harm? Every matchmaking mother will be
eyeing me as the catch of the day. That’s
what’s wrong.”
“Really
Clow, do you think it will be that bad?
You make them sound like common fishmongers.” {1}
“Millie,
I’m rich, I’m single, and I’m not ugly.”
“Hm, good
point. They’ll be displaying their best
wares for you.”
“Millie!
children.”
“Well what
if I posed as your fiancé? No
matchmaking mothers, no gold diggers, and nobody else will bother you with
propositions.”
“You’re a
bloody genius Millicent Supinel. Why
didn’t I think of it before?” The
longhaired man exclaimed happily.
“Mind your
tongue Clow, and the reason you didn’t think of it is because you’re a
man. Beyond that, you’re a magician,
it’s a wonder you can think and breathe all at the same time.”
Millicent
sucked in a deep, shocked breath.
“Goodnight gentleman.”
Clow
watched her march defiantly down the hall to her room, a confused look
plastered on his face. “I have this
feeling I just said something I’m going to regret.”
“That you
did lad, that you did. She’s going to
make your life hell on earth for days to come.” His grandfather said, wisely staying out of the way.
“I also
have this feeling mother is frowning at me right now, you know the look.
Damien
nodded. “You know that’s exactly the
look she’d give you. What on earth
possessed you to say something like that?
You should feel honored that she would spend that long looking for your
sorry hide.”
“I never
said I wasn’t.” Clow said defensively.
“No, but
you insulted her, not only as a proud woman, but as a proud magician.
world to her. You, you pompous ass, just
told her flat out that you didn’t believe in her or her ability to do magic.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?
that you really don’t have the sense God or your parents, God rest their souls,
gave you. If it’s not an incantation,
spell, potion, or wand wave, you really don’t have a brain.
act together. I pray she doesn’t, but I
wouldn’ame ame her if she left you for good.
Think about your priorities, I expect you at breakfast with a suitable
apology, and a sizable gift.” With that
pronouncement, Damien Reed left Clow in the hallway to think about his words.
Later
that night, after much tossing and turning, Clow fell into a restless
sleep. Plagued by nightmares and
restless spirits it made for a long night.
Each nightmare pulled the magician deeper and deeper into sleeps
embrace, holding him captive while the final dream played out.
Clow,
several years older than present, sat next to the bedside of a large canopied
monstrosity. At the center lay a woman,
pale and weak looking, the rise and fall of her chest barely made the covers
move, the soft gasps that were her breaths were barely audible.
likely not live to see the morning light.
The tall
magician’s heart clenched in fear, even as his hand held the woman’s fragile
fingers, he dared not take his eyes off of her, lest he miss the final breaths.
“Clow.”
a coughing fit. Sweat broke out over
her forehead as she gasped for air.
n stn style='mso-tab-count:1'> The elegant
man carefully moved from the chair to the bed and scooped the frail body up
into his arms, cradling her chill body against his warm one, pillowing her head
on his muscular arm.
“Hush my love.
it’s time, then I’ll find you again, either in death or in another life.”
forehead, even as his free hand smoothed the dark locks of hair from her face.
“Please, I beg you, leave me.
danced in shower of petals with you, not like this. Not this wasted shell as I am now. Please Clow, it’s my final wish.” Silvery tears streaked down her cheeks. “I want to be vibrant and beautiful to your memory for all time,
not weak and lifeless. Do this for me
Clow. Let me go to my fate alone.”
Clow held her tightly to his chest,
and buried his face in her hair, not to hide the tears that flowed freely, but
to memorize the sent of her. Even sick
and near death, she still smelled like a new spring day.
always at his wife’s bedside. I
promised to love you in sickness and in health, and I will not abandon you no
matter how you plead with me.”
Pain filled eyes lifted and gazed
at the face she loved so well, “Clow? Where’s
my necklace? I know my time left is
very limited, and I need to do something first.”
“Which necklace did you need my
love?” Clow asked as he levitated the
jewelry box to the bedside table.
“The one you gave me on our wedding
night. The one with the three strands
of pearls.”
Work roughened fingers nimbly
sorted through the mass of jewelry in the box to find the right necklace, his
first gift to his new bride. The three
strands seemed to glow in their pale roundness. The strands of hand knotted matched pearls gathered together with
one golden clasp at the back. The
smallest strand held a star made of citrine.
The second largest strand held a sun of cat’s eye, and the largest held
a glowing moon of moonstone.
“I have it.”
“Give it to my son.”
“Daniel?” Clow thought of their four year old boy who slept just down the
hall.
“No, Yue.”
“Yue? Why do you want him to have this necklace?”
“Pearls.”
“Pearls? What do they have to do with it?”
A l sml smile graced her colorless
lips. “They’re called tears of the
moon. Yue is of the moon.
the only tears the moon should shed.
Tell them…tell all my sons…and my daughters I shall always love them.”
“I’ll make sure the children at the
shelters know.”
“Do not
abandon Daniel…swear it.” The woman
could feel herself getting weaker by the moment.
“I would
never abandon our child.” Clow stated
firmly.
“Swear it,
swear you won’t abandon Daniel!”
“Calm yourself,
please. I swear I will not abandon
Daniel.”
The woman
smiled sweetly and slowly reached up a hand to caress his cheek.
Clow smiled
back at her. “I love you too…”
The woman’s
hand slipped from his cheek with a last gentle expiration of breath.
“Millie!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clow awoke,
crying out just as he had in the dream.
Moments
later, Millicent threw open the door in panicked frenzy.
What’s wrong? Is everything
alright?”
Clow’s only
answer was to continue screaming.
Frightened
for her friend, Millicent raced to the bed and climbed up then pulled Clow’s
body towards her. The shaking man
collapsed against her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist sobbing.
Damien and Keroberos both looked
into the room, each worried about Clow in their own way.
only to be stopped by the elder Reed.
“Let me go,
the Master needs me.” He growled.
“No, he
needs Millie. He always has, even if it
was unconsciously.”
“I don’t
understand.”
“Come to
the study with me, and I’ll explain it to you.” Damien said as he slowly steered Kero away from the room, closing
the door softly.
“But the
Master…”
“Will be
fine. He’s just had a rude
awakening.” He replied, making sure the
familiar followed.
It took
nearly a half of an hour before Clow had calmed down enough to speak, and even
then it was ragged and difficult to understand. It was this way Clow explained his nightmare to Millicent.
“It hurt
Millie, like I was really there, like it was really happening.
do. You stopped breathing.
to do, and you stopped breathing.” Clow
rambled, clutching tightly to the skirt of her nightgown.
“Shhh, it’s
alight, it was just a dream. A scary
dream, but nonetheless just a dream.
I’m here now, I’m holding you, see?
I’m still breathing, I don’t feel sick at all.”
“You can’t
leave me like that Firefly, you can’t.
It was horrible.”
Millicent
couldn’t give him the reassurance she knew he was looking for.
day she had the same dream Clow had just described. That was the day she had childishly declared her intent to marry
Clow.
The dream
hadn’t replayed itself the next night, or a week later.
birthday. She hadn’t thought much of it
for the first 2 years, but as they years progressed and she continued to have
that exact dream, she realized it was not just a horrible childhood nightmare,
but a premonition of the future.
It was for
that reason she never told anyone of the dream. One, it was a rather unbelievable dream, two, it would have
pushed the Reed family into arranging Clow’s marriage to Millicent.
heart told him, not because his family forced him. In the end it would have made him hate and despise her, not love
and chh heh her.
Do you think it was a sign?”
“A
sign? What do you mean?”
Clow
snuggled a bit closer to her warmth, trying to dispel the chill the dream left
him with. “You know, of the future.
dream will come to be real, and I’ll lose you.”
Tugging the
covers up and around his shoulders, Millicent said, “I’ve never believed that
you can change the future, only the present.
Even then some things are written in the stars and are unchangeable.”
“Do you
think it’ll come true, the dream? I don’t
want it to. I want to change that.
“Clow,
before a month ago we’d been apart ten years.”
“I know,
but it wasn’t like I was never going to see you again.
“You had an
investigator follow me around so I would be safe, and the bloody idiot never
once mentioned I’d been searching for you?” s">
She near yelled in frustration.
Clow
blinked at her, it was the first cuss word she’d ever uttered.
purposes.
“Not once
did he mention it. I think I need a new
investigator. He obviously doesn’t know
what he’s doing.”
“Obviously.
taking your money couldn’t even tell you I was searching.
“Now now
Firefly, calm down. It’s late, we’ve
had a rough day, and I think we should sleep.”
“Speaking
of rough days, you owe me an apology.”
“I
know. I didn’t realize you were
joking. Not until Grandfather pointed
it out to me. I never would have said
anything that horrible if I had known.
I thought you were being mean. I
truly am, from the bottom of my heart, sorry.”
Millicent
mulled his apology over for a minute before mock glaring at him.
so I’ll just have to forgive you.”
“That’s my
Millie. Stay with me the rest of the
night?”
“Why not,
saves on me coming back if you have another dream.” She said as she burrowed into the covers.
Clow too
burrowed into the covers and snuggled the warm feminine body tightly against his
and buried his nose in her neck with a sigh.
“Goodness.”
“Much.”
Clow fell
asleep happily not long after that.
Millicent however lay wide-awake for some time, pondering why Clow had received
the dream. Her musings were cut short
however when a slightly inebriated familiar came stumbling through the door and
ungracefully plopped itself down on the foot of the bed, where it proceeded to
snore loudly the rest of the night.
The last of
the Supinel line was quite happy she was a magic user when she cast a minor
silence spell over the large cat.
Nodding the finality of it, she closed her eyes and fell right to sleep.
“I will not
have it! By the Gods that girl had best
be intact! How could you let this
happen Damien Reed? Out of my way man,
I’m putting an end to this stupidity.”
The door to
the bedroom slammed open revealing a short and rather portly red-faced man
shouting all manner of things.
Clow and
Millicent awoke immediately, momentarily disoriented.
“Get your
whoring self out of that bed! Useless,
brainless female! Do you have any idea
what you’ve done? You’re reputation is
ruined!” The man continued to shout as
he stormed into the room.
“Uncle
Sabastien?” Millicent asked, rather
confused. “What are you doing here?”
“Why?”
“Don’t
question me young lady, get yourself dressed decent, you have to go downstairs
and explain to your fiancé why you were in another man’s bed.”