| Fan Fiction |
by Shweta
“Joe.” The voice spoke again, but it was too dark to make out the person. Whoever it was, was standing only two feet away, and in the dark.
“Come in the light.” Joe commanded. Without hesitation two figures stepped into the light. It was Ariel! Ariel indeed. She was standing in front of him, her beautiful, fair skin. Her flushed cheeks. Her long silky hair tied securely in a ponytail. It was Ariel, in flesh and blood. She wasn’t dead?
“Ariel, it’s you! I thought you were...you were...” He couldn’t say it. He thought she was dead, but now here she was.
“I’m not dead Joe. I’m alive. Dean saved me.” Ariel said turning to face the other figure. Joe laid his eyes on him for the first time. A very tall, skinny man, with shoulder length hair was standing right next to Ariel. His face had an odd expression to it as he was looking at Joe. Joe wanted to know what was on his mind. The man called Dean gave him a smile, and turned his attention to Ariel.
Once again Joe’s eyes swept over Ariel’s and he soon forgot about the other man and Rainie. He kept looking at her taking in every detail. It really was her. She was alive. “But how?” Joe heard himself ask suddenly.
“We don’t have time for that.” Ariel replied sternly. She glanced in Rainie’s direction, her eyes resting on her for a second, before she turned her attention to Joe. “I need to show you something, tell you the truth about my...accident.”
“I thought you were gone forever...oh Ariel!” Joe said going closer to her, but before he could take her in his arms, Ariel stepped back. Once again her gaze flew to Rainie, and then she turned back to Joe.
“This can wait. First, I need you to come with me.”
“Where?” Joe asked as if in a daze. He was taken aback by Ariel’s firm attitude. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t interested in hugging him.
“To your mother’s house.”
“My mother’s...? Is everything alright?” Joe asked confused. A thought suddenly came to his mind. “Ariel, who shot you that day? Do you know the culprit? Do you think you could identify him? Does he know you’re alive?”
“Not yet, but she soon will.” Ariel replied. Before Joe could ask any more questions she grabbed his hand and led him in the direction of a car. “Dean will take us to the killer’s residence.”
“You know the address?” Joe’s eyes flew wide open. He vaguely registered the fact that Dean and Rainie were following Joe and Ariel.
“This is inspector Shin. He’ll be with us throughout the...meeting.”
“Ariel...what’s going on?” Joe asked getting a little annoyed. Not at Ariel, but at the situation. He wanted the killer to get arrested, he wanted to put him behind bars, heck he even wanted to throw a few punches at him. But first, he wanted to look at Ariel, really look at her. He wanted to take her into his arms, take in her scent, kiss her and never let her go.
“I’ll explain when we reach our destination.” Ariel replied and pushed him into the car. Rainie followed Joe into the car, as Ariel sat in the front seat next to Dean. As he got into the car, Ariel gave him a smile and a nod, and Dean started the engine returning Ariel’s smile. Joe felt jealousy and anger engulf him. He didn’t know who this man was, and why he was with Ariel. He was grateful Dean saved his wife’s life, but he was feeling angry at the intimacy they were sharing.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence, and no one dared speak. The tension in the air was getting deeper and deeper. Occasionally Ariel spoke to give Dean direction, and Joe’s anger kept rising whenever she spoke to Dean. It seemed as though she was completely ignoring Joe.
Joe wasn’t aware of anyone except Ariel and Dean. He didn’t even notice his surroundings and was surprised when, at last, Dean parked the car on the porch of Joe’s parents house.
“Why are we here?” Joe frowned.
“Joe, your mother shot me that day.” Ariel replied simply and looked at him through the rear view mirror.
Joe’s eyes widened. He stared back at Ariel’s reflection in the mirror and searched her face for signs of...something! Anything that would say she wasn’t serious.
“What?” He asked finally. “What are you talking about.”
“Joe, whatever happens today, I want you to know, that I’m telling the truth, and I want you to trust me and do what I tell you to.” Ariel replied as she got out of the car.
***
Lucy Tian poured herself a glass of whiskey and took a slow sip. She sighed as she gulped down the whiskey and felt her body grow warm. She finished the contents of the glass and looked into the mirror in front of her.
“Wrinkles.” She sighed. “I’m only fifty three. I’d go under the knife if I weren’t so afraid of needles and pain.”
“Then how did you find the courage to shoot yourself?” A voice asked from behind her.
Lucy gave a gasp and almost dropped the empty glass of whiskey to the floor. She froze at the sight of Ariel in the mirror. She quickly turned around to confirm that she wasn’t dreaming.
“Ariel...!”
“In the flesh.”
“But I thought you were dead...I shot you myself! I saw you falling off the cliff!”
“Unlucky for you, I’m survived.”
“But...but how?”
“Let’s just say it was in my destiny that I stop you. And thanks for admitting your attempted murder to me.”
Lucy was stunned, she couldn’t respond. One by one, Ariel’s words registered in her mind, and she felt her senses return to normal. She looked at her one last time, and then hurriedly turned around to find her gun.
“If you think, this is the end, you’re wrong. You have no proof! No proof at all that I killed you, and you are foolish to come to me alone, without witnesses. No one knows your alive, or that I killed you.”
“Actually, someone does.” Ariel replied instantly. Lucy stopped dead in her tracks. Someone knew? She turned around quickly and almost yelled in horror. Joe, Rainie, and two other men were standing next to Ariel now. Lucy’s hands shivered and she finally dropped the empty glass of whiskey to the floor, and heard it rattle.
“Joe...!”
“Mother? You...you shot Ariel?”
Lucy looked horrified at Joe. He heard everything. What would she do now? Denial! She thought. Denail was the solution to her problems. Joe loved her. She was his mother. Surely, surely he wouldn’t believe Ariel over her.
“No my son. She’s lying. I didn’t shoot her. This is...this is just some scheme. She wants to tear us apart. I’m not lying. Remember the first day I met her? She tried to hurt you through me and your father. She’s doing the same now.”
“But you...you admitted...”
“I...she twisted my words son. I didn’t admit to...the truth isn’t what your thinking. Believe me son. I raised you for twenty three years!”
“If you don’t believe me Joe, maybe you would believe this tape.” Ariel said pulling out a tiny record player from her pocket. “I taped everything you said on the cliff Lucy Tian.”
“I’m Lucy Yan! Not Lucy Tian. She’s lying Joe.”
“Listen to the tape, and then tell me who’s lying.” Ariel replied and pressed the play button. Immediately Lucy’s voice filled the room.
“Lucy Yan, was foolish. She believed everything I said. I took advantage of that... Lucy Yan thought I was her friend...She was weak so the doctor recommended some tablets...”
“No! This isn’t true.” Lucy protested, but the tape kept playing.
“It was slow poison. She was so weak when she gave birth to Joe that she died out of all the energy required to deliver a child... but that wretched boy!...He was perfect. In looks, in intelligence, in everything!... Gillian and Vikram? Heck I had Selina killed too! Joe’s fiancé. I wasn’t going to let some wide-eyed idiot take over my fortune. Same goes for you.” The room fell silent, and then again Lucy’s voice filled the room, followed by Ariel’s protests and two gun shots.
“This isn’t true!” Lucy pleaded running to Joe’s side. “She’s lying!”
“Get away from me Lucy Tian.” Joe said freeing himself from Lucy. “Inspector Shin, please take her away.”
“No! You can’t do this! Joe, I’m your mother.”
“You killed my mother!”
“No...it isn’t true. I didn’t.”
Inspector Shin led Lucy towards the exit of the house, ignoring her wild protests, where a police van stooding waiting for them. Joe was glad to see the back of Lucy Tian, and then turned his attention to Ariel. A lump was forming in his throat.
“Ariel...I’m so...I don’t know what to say...” Joe hesitated. He wanted to apologise to Ariel. He wanted to hug Ariel. He wanted to cry. He wanted to hold her, and make his pain go away. He reached out to her, but she took a step back. Confused, Joe looked at her, when she spoke.
“Joe I want a divorce.”
***
Ok, to get some things cleared. I've been getting comments saying that the story is too serious, or full of action, or a little boring and sad coz Ariel isn't there...I hope the last problem is solved, now on with the rest.
I always wanted to write a drama, and this is it. It's a drama. Although at first it was like a funny love story, now it's become complicated and there are lot of elements involved. This is a drama, I repeat, and it is going to be a bit sad and boring and serious.
About the action, I had fun writing them, but that is the end for action in the story now...
I hope all of you would be glad to hear that now the drama is going to be reduced and the only dilemma would be what will happen to Ariel and Joe =) I hope I get back the readers who stopped reading the story...and I promise I'd try my best to make it to your liking.
For all those who don't know, the man in the poster and the new man in Ariel's life is called Dean Fujioka. (He's gorgeous! *faints*)
I also updated my other stories so please check them out @shwetastories.webs.com
And please leave a comment =)