Father Of The Bride

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“Did you really think I didn’t care at all? That the moment I heard about your death all I could think about was that I was finally free? I wouldn’t have postponed my wedding three times because I was dealing with your deaths well.” There was very little relief after the earthquake, not only were her parents dead, but she had inherited the town, which meant taking on the load of all the new trouble too. Thunder Mesa was in disarray and Mèlanie wouldn’t just leave it that way, she needed to help.

“I guess we both made assumptions about each other…”

[henry-ravenswood]

“I….I didn’t deserve to have you grieve for me. I’m so, so sorry. I….I’ve hurt you in the worst ways possible and…”

He shook his head, stopping himself. He may have had reasons why he did what he did, things that made him the way he was, but that shouldn’t have given him the right to hurt Melanie. He didn’t need to tell her why….the why didn’t matter, did it? It was already done.

[maidensdeath]

“I-It didn’t matter at the time, I was so upset and clouded by grief. All I could think o-of was that I never got to say g-goodbye…” Mèlanie started full on crying, again, now looking directly at her father instead of at the wall.

“I wanted to work things out between us, I-I wanted you to be a part of my life, a part of my children’s life if only y-you didn’t keep acting like this. But we never got the chance, for any of that.” What she hoped for was to make things right with her parents and to visit them when she could if only her father apologized and didn’t try to keep her under control.

[henry-ravenswood]

“I would’ve liked that,” Henry frowned, speaking softly. “I would have liked to mend things and to have been a part of your life. Your children’s too one day. It would have been nice to have been close again. I’m sorry I never had the chance to rekindle our relationship.”

Seeing her crying made him hurt, wanting to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that probably wasn’t what she wanted.

[maidensdeath]

That made Mèlanie cry even harder, knowing that if fate had been a little kinder, her and Henry could’ve fixed their relationship, and they would’ve been close again. She would have come by every now and then to visit with her son and daughter, and they would both always love visiting. Maybe, just maybe, she would move back one day. But this was all just a fantasy that Mèlanie needed to snap out of, thinking of it only broke her heart more.

“F-Father I have t-to tell you s-something… Something I never t-told anyone, n-not even Jake…” With blurry eyes and a broken voice, the young woman looked back over to her father. She suddenly felt like being 100% truthful to him now, although as she spoke it felt less and less like a good idea and realized that this was just being said in her emotional state, too late now though. “Right A-After when my w-wedding was meant t-to happen, I-I… I found out I-I was going t-to have a child…”

She braced herself to be yelled at, despite this being over a hundred years ago, and obviously no longer true as she was a ghost now and had been far before the child was born, Henry was still her extremely overprotective father who would get mad at her for being so irresponsible, but hopefully his anger would be more directed at Jake even though he was no longer here.

[henry-ravenswood]

Before Henry could even process what he was doing, he leapt out of his chair, wrapping his arms around Melanie. He didn’t even stop to think that she may not want him near, his thoughts were swimming with confusion and hurt for his daughter.

She’d been pregnant, and Jake hadn’t even known. It made him want to strangle the already dead man again if he could, knowing that had they been married after all, Jake would have left Melanie alone with the baby and no money. His hatred of the cowboy grew but he swallowed those feelings, focusing on his daughter.

Henry definitely wasn’t sorry that he’d killed Jake, in fact, after what Melanie had just told him, he was even more firm in his belief that killing Jake was the right thing to do. He did, however, regret not telling Melanie about Jake’s intentions sooner. If had had…..maybe this could have all been avoided. Or perhaps she wouldn’t have listened, but he could have at least warned her.

They hadn’t been in a good place but this….this made his heart sink. She’d have been in so much trouble, alone with a child and no money. The thought of it confirmed every single one of Henry’s worst fears for Melanie. If only he’d shown her the contract before, when they were both still alive.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“Did you really think I didn’t care at all? That the moment I heard about your death all I could think about was that I was finally free? I wouldn’t have postponed my wedding three times because I was dealing with your deaths well.” There was very little relief after the earthquake, not only were her parents dead, but she had inherited the town, which meant taking on the load of all the new trouble too. Thunder Mesa was in disarray and Mèlanie wouldn’t just leave it that way, she needed to help.

“I guess we both made assumptions about each other…”

[henry-ravenswood]

“I….I didn’t deserve to have you grieve for me. I’m so, so sorry. I….I’ve hurt you in the worst ways possible and…”

He shook his head, stopping himself. He may have had reasons why he did what he did, things that made him the way he was, but that shouldn’t have given him the right to hurt Melanie. He didn’t need to tell her why….the why didn’t matter, did it? It was already done.

[maidensdeath]

“I-It didn’t matter at the time, I was so upset and clouded by grief. All I could think o-of was that I never got to say g-goodbye…” Mèlanie started full on crying, again, now looking directly at her father instead of at the wall.

“I wanted to work things out between us, I-I wanted you to be a part of my life, a part of my children’s life if only y-you didn’t keep acting like this. But we never got the chance, for any of that.” What she hoped for was to make things right with her parents and to visit them when she could if only her father apologized and didn’t try to keep her under control.

[henry-ravenswood]

“I would’ve liked that,” Henry frowned, speaking softly. “I would have liked to mend things and to have been a part of your life. Your children’s too one day. It would have been nice to have been close again. I’m sorry I never had the chance to rekindle our relationship.”

Seeing her crying made him hurt, wanting to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that probably wasn’t what she wanted.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“Did you really think I didn’t care at all? That the moment I heard about your death all I could think about was that I was finally free? I wouldn’t have postponed my wedding three times because I was dealing with your deaths well.” There was very little relief after the earthquake, not only were her parents dead, but she had inherited the town, which meant taking on the load of all the new trouble too. Thunder Mesa was in disarray and Mèlanie wouldn’t just leave it that way, she needed to help.

“I guess we both made assumptions about each other…”

[henry-ravenswood]

“I….I didn’t deserve to have you grieve for me. I’m so, so sorry. I….I’ve hurt you in the worst ways possible and…”

He shook his head, stopping himself. He may have had reasons why he did what he did, things that made him the way he was, but that shouldn’t have given him the right to hurt Melanie. He didn’t need to tell her why….the why didn’t matter, did it? It was already done.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

“I was so excited when you came home though, I remember you would always pick me up and swing me around, then tell me all kinds of stories before bed,” Mèlanie smiled weakly, tears shining in her eyes once again. “Y-You meant everything to me back then.”

That all changed once she was older though, around ten or eleven, she started realizing how messed up everything was. How she didn’t just not go to his work, but almost never even went into town. Mèlanie had no friends, besides Jasper and Anna, but that didn’t exactly count if they were servants. She started rebelling a little more and tried to sneak out sometimes, but was always caught doing so. It started feeling less like a manor and more like a prison.

“I don’t know if jealous w-was the word, more like worried.” She muttered under her breath.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Worried.”

Henry mulled that over for a moment. Perhaps that had been true. After all, Henry’s loving overprotectiveness morphed into obsession. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, but especially for Melanie.

“You were 12,” he started carefully, unsure if this would upset her or not. “Twelve years old I think when I first began to grow much more….obsessive than overprotective. You were always our precious treasure Melanie, Martha and I had longed for a child for so long. It only seemed right to try and protect you as much as I could, but….” He trailed off, looking down at his hands.

“I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. What you needed protection from…..was me.”

He grew silent again, turning in his chair to face slightly away from her. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hand. He wished he’d listened to Martha when she had told him they had to let Melanie ‘fly the nest’. He hasn’t listened and now he’d ruined things for her beyond compare.

[maidensdeath]

Once Mèlanie was older she had wondered why she had no siblings, then why her parents had her later than most parents had the first child. She knew how much she meant to them, and how they always doted on her, making sure she had a good education, the best toys and books available and always indulged in her hobbies, like when she wanted to take singing lessons. But this all seemed like an act now, they gave her all she wanted, so that she would never even want to leave.

“Did you ever really love me? O-Or had I always been property to you?” Surely, since the day she was born, Mèlanie thought that’s all Henry saw her as. Even if he didn’t realize at first.

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry blinked, eyes widening in surprise at his daughter’s comment.

“Melanie,” he spoke softly, a stern tone coloring the words. “Of course we loved you. Property?!”

He scoffed, looking down at her wearily. “You weren’t property. Property is worth something, but you are priceless. You were a long awaited gift. We didn’t even think it was possible to have you. But then you came. It was a miracle. You were our miracle. I understand that things changed, and I know that’s my fault, but don’t ever think that we didn’t love you. I loved you.”

[maidensdeath]

“But you treated me like it! When I started to realize how messed my life actually was you kept me under lock and key at all times, always having someone watch me like I was a baby who couldn’t make her own decisions.” She knew her parents loved her, at least she usually knew, but it was hard to think so sometimes when because of Henry her life had been ruined.

“It doesn’t matter if I was your miracle, you still treated me like a child my entire life, it was like you never saw me past that little girl who wanted to go to work with her father. What you wanted wasn’t a daughter, you wanted someone to control who would listen without question.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“That’s not true…” Henry protested, growing a little irritated. “I was overprotective and yes, I will admit that it became much worse when you grew older. But I wasn’t trying to control you. We just wanted to keep you safe. I knew you could make decisions for yourself but bad things happen and I didn’t want them to happen to you. You wouldn’t understand what that’s like, the crippling fear that this child that you’ve know since they were small could hurt themself beyond repair at any moment. It doesn’t matter if you would have been careful, the world is still a rough place. Things happen and you can’t save everyone. But I wanted to save you.”

Henry glowered at his daughter, crossing his arms. “I should have let you go….but I couldn’t. And I know that’s selfish but…..you mattered more to me than anything else in the world. I couldn’t lose you.”

[maidensdeath]

“You’re right, I don’t understand and I never will, but as a teen, all I saw was that you wanted control over me. Even if that’s not what you wanted or what you were trying to do, all I could understand was that I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes or do anything for myself because I was stopped before doing so.” If Mèlanie had married Jake, it would’ve been a mistake and she knew that now, but she never even had the chance. The world was going to hurt her like it hurt everyone, but again, she never got the chance. Thunder Mesa and the Manor were the only world she knew, and both had hurt her beyond repair.

“Yes well, Great plan, kept me from getting hurt by the world so I could be hurt by you instead.” She replied, scowling at her father. Why did they even try to make up? It was obviously hopeless, even their happy memories turned to an argument. “And you were dead by the time I tried to get married, there is no ‘losing me’ at that point.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“Ah yes, I’m sure you were just ecstatic that I was out of the way so you could marry that damn cowboy,” Henry snapped. “I’m sorry you felt trapped. I’m sorry it was me that did that to you. It wasn’t my intention and I realize how just how overboard I had gone.”

He’d had good reason to feel overprotective in the first place, but it was quite clear to him now that what he thought was helping, was hurting Melanie beyond repair. He couldn’t help the waves of guilt flooding through him, the sorrow of knowing that all his good intentions had only been cruel obsessions. It was his fault that she hated him.

[maidensdeath]

“Ecstatic? I was heartbroken, I-I couldn’t stop crying all night, I could barely get out of bed or eat for the next week. Despite everything you did you were still my father, And I loved you and mama.” The next few weeks after their death were hard on Mèlanie, she didn’t want her father interfering with her relationship or life anymore, but that didn’t mean she wanted her parents dead.

“I grieved you both for longer than you realized, every week I’d place new flowers on your graves, I’d look at our old letters from when you were away on business. Up until after my wedding I was sure my life couldn’t get any worse after you both died.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“I…..” Henry was stunned, falling silent at Melanie’s admission. She’d mourned him? It was something that’s truly hadn’t occurred to him. They’d been hitting heads for so long that Henry was sure his death might have been somewhat of a relief to her. But to hear that not only did she miss him, but she’d felt her life fell apart after the tragic earthquake…Henry wasn’t sure what else to say.

It made him feel all the more guilty, because he was starting to wonder if there was anything he could even do at all to help Melanie move on, or if his actions had damned her just as much as he’d damned himself.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

“I was so excited when you came home though, I remember you would always pick me up and swing me around, then tell me all kinds of stories before bed,” Mèlanie smiled weakly, tears shining in her eyes once again. “Y-You meant everything to me back then.”

That all changed once she was older though, around ten or eleven, she started realizing how messed up everything was. How she didn’t just not go to his work, but almost never even went into town. Mèlanie had no friends, besides Jasper and Anna, but that didn’t exactly count if they were servants. She started rebelling a little more and tried to sneak out sometimes, but was always caught doing so. It started feeling less like a manor and more like a prison.

“I don’t know if jealous w-was the word, more like worried.” She muttered under her breath.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Worried.”

Henry mulled that over for a moment. Perhaps that had been true. After all, Henry’s loving overprotectiveness morphed into obsession. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, but especially for Melanie.

“You were 12,” he started carefully, unsure if this would upset her or not. “Twelve years old I think when I first began to grow much more….obsessive than overprotective. You were always our precious treasure Melanie, Martha and I had longed for a child for so long. It only seemed right to try and protect you as much as I could, but….” He trailed off, looking down at his hands.

“I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. What you needed protection from…..was me.”

He grew silent again, turning in his chair to face slightly away from her. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hand. He wished he’d listened to Martha when she had told him they had to let Melanie ‘fly the nest’. He hasn’t listened and now he’d ruined things for her beyond compare.

[maidensdeath]

Once Mèlanie was older she had wondered why she had no siblings, then why her parents had her later than most parents had the first child. She knew how much she meant to them, and how they always doted on her, making sure she had a good education, the best toys and books available and always indulged in her hobbies, like when she wanted to take singing lessons. But this all seemed like an act now, they gave her all she wanted, so that she would never even want to leave.

“Did you ever really love me? O-Or had I always been property to you?” Surely, since the day she was born, Mèlanie thought that’s all Henry saw her as. Even if he didn’t realize at first.

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry blinked, eyes widening in surprise at his daughter’s comment.

“Melanie,” he spoke softly, a stern tone coloring the words. “Of course we loved you. Property?!”

He scoffed, looking down at her wearily. “You weren’t property. Property is worth something, but you are priceless. You were a long awaited gift. We didn’t even think it was possible to have you. But then you came. It was a miracle. You were our miracle. I understand that things changed, and I know that’s my fault, but don’t ever think that we didn’t love you. I loved you.”

[maidensdeath]

“But you treated me like it! When I started to realize how messed my life actually was you kept me under lock and key at all times, always having someone watch me like I was a baby who couldn’t make her own decisions.” She knew her parents loved her, at least she usually knew, but it was hard to think so sometimes when because of Henry her life had been ruined.

“It doesn’t matter if I was your miracle, you still treated me like a child my entire life, it was like you never saw me past that little girl who wanted to go to work with her father. What you wanted wasn’t a daughter, you wanted someone to control who would listen without question.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“That’s not true…” Henry protested, growing a little irritated. “I was overprotective and yes, I will admit that it became much worse when you grew older. But I wasn’t trying to control you. We just wanted to keep you safe. I knew you could make decisions for yourself but bad things happen and I didn’t want them to happen to you. You wouldn’t understand what that’s like, the crippling fear that this child that you’ve know since they were small could hurt themself beyond repair at any moment. It doesn’t matter if you would have been careful, the world is still a rough place. Things happen and you can’t save everyone. But I wanted to save you.”

Henry glowered at his daughter, crossing his arms. “I should have let you go….but I couldn’t. And I know that’s selfish but…..you mattered more to me than anything else in the world. I couldn’t lose you.”

[maidensdeath]

“You’re right, I don’t understand and I never will, but as a teen, all I saw was that you wanted control over me. Even if that’s not what you wanted or what you were trying to do, all I could understand was that I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes or do anything for myself because I was stopped before doing so.” If Mèlanie had married Jake, it would’ve been a mistake and she knew that now, but she never even had the chance. The world was going to hurt her like it hurt everyone, but again, she never got the chance. Thunder Mesa and the Manor were the only world she knew, and both had hurt her beyond repair.

“Yes well, Great plan, kept me from getting hurt by the world so I could be hurt by you instead.” She replied, scowling at her father. Why did they even try to make up? It was obviously hopeless, even their happy memories turned to an argument. “And you were dead by the time I tried to get married, there is no ‘losing me’ at that point.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“Ah yes, I’m sure you were just ecstatic that I was out of the way so you could marry that damn cowboy,” Henry snapped. “I’m sorry you felt trapped. I’m sorry it was me that did that to you. It wasn’t my intention and I realize how just how overboard I had gone.”

He’d had good reason to feel overprotective in the first place, but it was quite clear to him now that what he thought was helping, was hurting Melanie beyond repair. He couldn’t help the waves of guilt flooding through him, the sorrow of knowing that all his good intentions had only been cruel obsessions. It was his fault that she hated him.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

“I was so excited when you came home though, I remember you would always pick me up and swing me around, then tell me all kinds of stories before bed,” Mèlanie smiled weakly, tears shining in her eyes once again. “Y-You meant everything to me back then.”

That all changed once she was older though, around ten or eleven, she started realizing how messed up everything was. How she didn’t just not go to his work, but almost never even went into town. Mèlanie had no friends, besides Jasper and Anna, but that didn’t exactly count if they were servants. She started rebelling a little more and tried to sneak out sometimes, but was always caught doing so. It started feeling less like a manor and more like a prison.

“I don’t know if jealous w-was the word, more like worried.” She muttered under her breath.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Worried.”

Henry mulled that over for a moment. Perhaps that had been true. After all, Henry’s loving overprotectiveness morphed into obsession. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, but especially for Melanie.

“You were 12,” he started carefully, unsure if this would upset her or not. “Twelve years old I think when I first began to grow much more….obsessive than overprotective. You were always our precious treasure Melanie, Martha and I had longed for a child for so long. It only seemed right to try and protect you as much as I could, but….” He trailed off, looking down at his hands.

“I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. What you needed protection from…..was me.”

He grew silent again, turning in his chair to face slightly away from her. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hand. He wished he’d listened to Martha when she had told him they had to let Melanie ‘fly the nest’. He hasn’t listened and now he’d ruined things for her beyond compare.

[maidensdeath]

Once Mèlanie was older she had wondered why she had no siblings, then why her parents had her later than most parents had the first child. She knew how much she meant to them, and how they always doted on her, making sure she had a good education, the best toys and books available and always indulged in her hobbies, like when she wanted to take singing lessons. But this all seemed like an act now, they gave her all she wanted, so that she would never even want to leave.

“Did you ever really love me? O-Or had I always been property to you?” Surely, since the day she was born, Mèlanie thought that’s all Henry saw her as. Even if he didn’t realize at first.

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry blinked, eyes widening in surprise at his daughter’s comment.

“Melanie,” he spoke softly, a stern tone coloring the words. “Of course we loved you. Property?!”

He scoffed, looking down at her wearily. “You weren’t property. Property is worth something, but you are priceless. You were a long awaited gift. We didn’t even think it was possible to have you. But then you came. It was a miracle. You were our miracle. I understand that things changed, and I know that’s my fault, but don’t ever think that we didn’t love you. I loved you.”

[maidensdeath]

“But you treated me like it! When I started to realize how messed my life actually was you kept me under lock and key at all times, always having someone watch me like I was a baby who couldn’t make her own decisions.” She knew her parents loved her, at least she usually knew, but it was hard to think so sometimes when because of Henry her life had been ruined.

“It doesn’t matter if I was your miracle, you still treated me like a child my entire life, it was like you never saw me past that little girl who wanted to go to work with her father. What you wanted wasn’t a daughter, you wanted someone to control who would listen without question.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“That’s not true…” Henry protested, growing a little irritated. “I was overprotective and yes, I will admit that it became much worse when you grew older. But I wasn’t trying to control you. We just wanted to keep you safe. I knew you could make decisions for yourself but bad things happen and I didn’t want them to happen to you. You wouldn’t understand what that’s like, the crippling fear that this child that you’ve know since they were small could hurt themself beyond repair at any moment. It doesn’t matter if you would have been careful, the world is still a rough place. Things happen and you can’t save everyone. But I wanted to save you.”

Henry glowered at his daughter, crossing his arms. “I should have let you go….but I couldn’t. And I know that’s selfish but…..you mattered more to me than anything else in the world. I couldn’t lose you.”

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

“I was so excited when you came home though, I remember you would always pick me up and swing me around, then tell me all kinds of stories before bed,” Mèlanie smiled weakly, tears shining in her eyes once again. “Y-You meant everything to me back then.”

That all changed once she was older though, around ten or eleven, she started realizing how messed up everything was. How she didn’t just not go to his work, but almost never even went into town. Mèlanie had no friends, besides Jasper and Anna, but that didn’t exactly count if they were servants. She started rebelling a little more and tried to sneak out sometimes, but was always caught doing so. It started feeling less like a manor and more like a prison.

“I don’t know if jealous w-was the word, more like worried.” She muttered under her breath.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Worried.”

Henry mulled that over for a moment. Perhaps that had been true. After all, Henry’s loving overprotectiveness morphed into obsession. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, but especially for Melanie.

“You were 12,” he started carefully, unsure if this would upset her or not. “Twelve years old I think when I first began to grow much more….obsessive than overprotective. You were always our precious treasure Melanie, Martha and I had longed for a child for so long. It only seemed right to try and protect you as much as I could, but….” He trailed off, looking down at his hands.

“I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. What you needed protection from…..was me.”

He grew silent again, turning in his chair to face slightly away from her. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hand. He wished he’d listened to Martha when she had told him they had to let Melanie ‘fly the nest’. He hasn’t listened and now he’d ruined things for her beyond compare.

[maidensdeath]

Once Mèlanie was older she had wondered why she had no siblings, then why her parents had her later than most parents had the first child. She knew how much she meant to them, and how they always doted on her, making sure she had a good education, the best toys and books available and always indulged in her hobbies, like when she wanted to take singing lessons. But this all seemed like an act now, they gave her all she wanted, so that she would never even want to leave.

“Did you ever really love me? O-Or had I always been property to you?” Surely, since the day she was born, Mèlanie thought that’s all Henry saw her as. Even if he didn’t realize at first.

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry blinked, eyes widening in surprise at his daughter’s comment.

“Melanie,” he spoke softly, a stern tone coloring the words. “Of course we loved you. Property?!”

He scoffed, looking down at her wearily. “You weren’t property. Property is worth something, but you are priceless. You were a long awaited gift. We didn’t even think it was possible to have you. But then you came. It was a miracle. You were our miracle. I understand that things changed, and I know that’s my fault, but don’t ever think that we didn’t love you. I loved you.”

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

“I was so excited when you came home though, I remember you would always pick me up and swing me around, then tell me all kinds of stories before bed,” Mèlanie smiled weakly, tears shining in her eyes once again. “Y-You meant everything to me back then.”

That all changed once she was older though, around ten or eleven, she started realizing how messed up everything was. How she didn’t just not go to his work, but almost never even went into town. Mèlanie had no friends, besides Jasper and Anna, but that didn’t exactly count if they were servants. She started rebelling a little more and tried to sneak out sometimes, but was always caught doing so. It started feeling less like a manor and more like a prison.

“I don’t know if jealous w-was the word, more like worried.” She muttered under her breath.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Worried.”

Henry mulled that over for a moment. Perhaps that had been true. After all, Henry’s loving overprotectiveness morphed into obsession. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, but especially for Melanie.

“You were 12,” he started carefully, unsure if this would upset her or not. “Twelve years old I think when I first began to grow much more….obsessive than overprotective. You were always our precious treasure Melanie, Martha and I had longed for a child for so long. It only seemed right to try and protect you as much as I could, but….” He trailed off, looking down at his hands.

“I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. What you needed protection from…..was me.”

He grew silent again, turning in his chair to face slightly away from her. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hand. He wished he’d listened to Martha when she had told him they had to let Melanie ‘fly the nest’. He hasn’t listened and now he’d ruined things for her beyond compare.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

“Since I was a little girl, I think.” When she was little, Mèlanie had been very close to her father and cared for him deeply. She didn’t really care about not being able to go on play dates or having any friends at first, because she grew up caring about one thing and one thing only. It wasn’t until tweenhood that she started to realize how messed up this all was.

“I-I remember always begging to follow you to work in the mines. Then mama would have to comfort me when you said no, because it was too dangerous. B-But I didn’t care… I wanted to be just like you.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry smiled wistfully at that. “You were always so sad when I had to leave for work. Clinging to my legs and begging to come too. Do you know how many times I wanted to say ‘forget it’ and stay home with you?” 

Chuckling softly at the memory, he glanced over at the dusty desk nearby. “If I only had to do paperwork I made a big show of coming to the office and letting you ‘help.’ I think your momma was a little jealous sometimes at how much you followed around after me.”

He glanced up at Melanie, his eyes hardening  as the memory faded. It was so hard to believe that the sweet little curly-haired girl in his memories had become the hardened, stoic young woman in front of him. Despite knowing it was his own doing, he couldn’t help but feel saddened knowing that his little girl was long gone and wouldn’t be coming back. He hardly knew this Melanie sitting in front of him.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[maidensdeath]

“You don’t have to move on if you don’t want to, but I need this.” Moving on meant you wanted it, and if he didn’t want it, Henry wouldn’t have to move on. He could stay in this miserable place for eternity if he wanted to, Mèlanie wouldn’t make him do anything.

With their agreement, they went into the worn down and dusty drawing room to talk. She knew the progress wouldn’t be made right away, but talking would be a good first step for now. Although neither knew where to start.

[henry-ravenswood]

“So…..” Henry eyed Melanie warily, taking a seat. “What exactly do you think we should do to help you move on?”

He swept his hand across the arm of the chair, brushing dust onto the floor. He blew the remaining dust off of his hand and cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t exactly know how to go about this. We haven’t been close since…”

He closed his mouth, making a small noise of displeasure. Surely it had to have been when she was still just a small little thing. It had been truly a long time since they’d been close at all.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

“B-But what if that’s a dead end t-too? What if I’m looking for her and it’s j-just all for nothing again. I can’t take more of that.” Positivity and wishful thinking seemed useless now. Mèlanie wanted to see her mother again terribly, but knew trying to search for someone else could just be another waste.

“I no longer h-have hopes or aspirations l-like that anymore, it’s too much. I-I want to see mama again so bad, b-but what if looking for her is just another hundred years like before?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry shrugged, “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Or it’s just another way to occupy 100 years in the never ending abyss we have ahead of us that is the afterlife. Personally, I’d rather be busy with something than sit around and think about things that make me unhappy.”

Henry sighed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. “Melanie. Forgive me for putting this rather bluntly, but we are dead. And we are stuck here for whatever reason. Find something to occupy yourself before you go insane with the boredom. I myself am having to find new hobbies now that I’m not keeping you stuck here. But believe me, you want to figure out something, or you’ll lose your mind.”

[maidensdeath]

“Or, it’s a waste and I-I don’t want to do that anymore. You say you don’t want be to lose my mind? Do you really think searching for s-someone I love again for years and years to no avail will help that? That crying and reading old letters with tear stains already all over them will be any better for m-me than just quitting? I-I have been on the brink of insanity for the past fifty years and you think doing this all over again will help.” It was an awful feeling knowing that everything she had done was for absolutely nothing. And Mèlanie wasn’t going to keep doing it because she ‘needed a hobby’.

“There is nothing for me here, n-nothing for me anywhere I don’t understand why I’m still here… Maybe,” Mèlanie sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. “M-Maybe I should move on, go into the light whatever it is when ghosts are finished with their business on earth…”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “Ah yes! You should do that! Move on! I’m sure you’ll be happy if you do that!”

And if she could do that, move into the light or whatever it was, then he knew she’d be alright. Then surely she’d have some sort of peace. It was certainly well-deserved at this point, and all he could think of to help atone for his actions. If you could get her to move on, then he would have at least done something good for her.

[maidensdeath]

If Mèlanie was honest, she didn’t exactly want that, but maybe it would be for the best. What she said was true, there was nothing for her here so what was the point of wasting eternity having no purpose or will to be here. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure how to do this. And if she was still here, that meant there was unfinished business that needed resolving before then.

If Jake wasn’t that unfinished business, and neither was seeing her mother again, Mèlanie realized what it might be. Although it definitely wasn’t something she wanted to do. She would have to mend her relationship with Henry, that seemed to be the only thing now that was standing in her way, there wasn’t anything else as far as she knew.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Well….”Henry trailed off at her silence, “What do you think? Moving on sounds….nice right? I’m sure it could be good for you.”

He frowned slightly, looking back down at his wedding ring. He wondered if that’s truly what had happened with Martha. Had she simply had no unfinished business? He supposed it was nicer to believe that than to think she was around and simply didn’t want to see him. Which would have been a fair point, considering everything that he’d done to Jake and Melanie, but the thought of his wife possibly avoiding him still stung.

[maidensdeath]

“I-I think I want to, I just don’t exactly know how to do it.” That wasn’t totally a lie, what did she have to do? If it was mending things with Henry, how much mending did they have to do? Was it for him to apologize more or something, for them to get along decently enough? Mèlanie wasn’t sure.

“Actually I think… I think the only u-unfinished business I have now, is with you. I don’t have Jake or Mama to look for anymore, s-so you’re probably the only way.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry frowned at that. She believed that her unfinished business was the conflict with him? Surely that couldn’t be it? How would that even work, she’d hated him for over a century!

“How would it be me? What are we supposed to do, get along? I highly doubt that would happen anytime soon.”

And an even worse thought started to take root in his mind. Was it possible that their unfinished business was connected? That they’d both have to resolve things with each other? Henry didn’t want that. He didn’t want to move on.

[maidensdeath]

“I can’t think of anything else, if Jake isn’t here, and neither is mother, then what else? M-My life goal may have been to get away, but what good will that do me now? The only thing I can think of is to resolve our issues… B-But I don’t know if that’s possible either.” Mèlanie did not want to forgive or forget what he’d done, but there would likely need to be some peace between them if she wanted to move on.

“We have eternity don’t we?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry sighed heavily, “We do. But the thing of it is, I don’t want to move on. So how do I know that helping you find peace isn’t going to make the same thing happen to me?”

He truly wasn’t sure. He felt somewhat obligated to help her, given everything he’d done to her, but he wasn’t sure about how much effort he could put in. He knew that moving on for him wouldn’t be the same as it would for her, and therefore he would rather face an eternity alone in the manor. But perhaps he could find a way to make peace with her, without making peace with himself? Help her move on but remain in the house himself. He supposed it was worth trying.

“I can try to help….but I don’t want to come to terms with anything myself.”

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

“B-But what if that’s a dead end t-too? What if I’m looking for her and it’s j-just all for nothing again. I can’t take more of that.” Positivity and wishful thinking seemed useless now. Mèlanie wanted to see her mother again terribly, but knew trying to search for someone else could just be another waste.

“I no longer h-have hopes or aspirations l-like that anymore, it’s too much. I-I want to see mama again so bad, b-but what if looking for her is just another hundred years like before?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry shrugged, “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Or it’s just another way to occupy 100 years in the never ending abyss we have ahead of us that is the afterlife. Personally, I’d rather be busy with something than sit around and think about things that make me unhappy.”

Henry sighed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. “Melanie. Forgive me for putting this rather bluntly, but we are dead. And we are stuck here for whatever reason. Find something to occupy yourself before you go insane with the boredom. I myself am having to find new hobbies now that I’m not keeping you stuck here. But believe me, you want to figure out something, or you’ll lose your mind.”

[maidensdeath]

“Or, it’s a waste and I-I don’t want to do that anymore. You say you don’t want be to lose my mind? Do you really think searching for s-someone I love again for years and years to no avail will help that? That crying and reading old letters with tear stains already all over them will be any better for m-me than just quitting? I-I have been on the brink of insanity for the past fifty years and you think doing this all over again will help.” It was an awful feeling knowing that everything she had done was for absolutely nothing. And Mèlanie wasn’t going to keep doing it because she ‘needed a hobby’.

“There is nothing for me here, n-nothing for me anywhere I don’t understand why I’m still here… Maybe,” Mèlanie sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. “M-Maybe I should move on, go into the light whatever it is when ghosts are finished with their business on earth…”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “Ah yes! You should do that! Move on! I’m sure you’ll be happy if you do that!”

And if she could do that, move into the light or whatever it was, then he knew she’d be alright. Then surely she’d have some sort of peace. It was certainly well-deserved at this point, and all he could think of to help atone for his actions. If you could get her to move on, then he would have at least done something good for her.

[maidensdeath]

If Mèlanie was honest, she didn’t exactly want that, but maybe it would be for the best. What she said was true, there was nothing for her here so what was the point of wasting eternity having no purpose or will to be here. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure how to do this. And if she was still here, that meant there was unfinished business that needed resolving before then.

If Jake wasn’t that unfinished business, and neither was seeing her mother again, Mèlanie realized what it might be. Although it definitely wasn’t something she wanted to do. She would have to mend her relationship with Henry, that seemed to be the only thing now that was standing in her way, there wasn’t anything else as far as she knew.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Well….”Henry trailed off at her silence, “What do you think? Moving on sounds….nice right? I’m sure it could be good for you.”

He frowned slightly, looking back down at his wedding ring. He wondered if that’s truly what had happened with Martha. Had she simply had no unfinished business? He supposed it was nicer to believe that than to think she was around and simply didn’t want to see him. Which would have been a fair point, considering everything that he’d done to Jake and Melanie, but the thought of his wife possibly avoiding him still stung.

[maidensdeath]

“I-I think I want to, I just don’t exactly know how to do it.” That wasn’t totally a lie, what did she have to do? If it was mending things with Henry, how much mending did they have to do? Was it for him to apologize more or something, for them to get along decently enough? Mèlanie wasn’t sure.

“Actually I think… I think the only u-unfinished business I have now, is with you. I don’t have Jake or Mama to look for anymore, s-so you’re probably the only way.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry frowned at that. She believed that her unfinished business was the conflict with him? Surely that couldn’t be it? How would that even work, she’d hated him for over a century!

“How would it be me? What are we supposed to do, get along? I highly doubt that would happen anytime soon.”

And an even worse thought started to take root in his mind. Was it possible that their unfinished business was connected? That they’d both have to resolve things with each other? Henry didn’t want that. He didn’t want to move on.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

“B-But what if that’s a dead end t-too? What if I’m looking for her and it’s j-just all for nothing again. I can’t take more of that.” Positivity and wishful thinking seemed useless now. Mèlanie wanted to see her mother again terribly, but knew trying to search for someone else could just be another waste.

“I no longer h-have hopes or aspirations l-like that anymore, it’s too much. I-I want to see mama again so bad, b-but what if looking for her is just another hundred years like before?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry shrugged, “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Or it’s just another way to occupy 100 years in the never ending abyss we have ahead of us that is the afterlife. Personally, I’d rather be busy with something than sit around and think about things that make me unhappy.”

Henry sighed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. “Melanie. Forgive me for putting this rather bluntly, but we are dead. And we are stuck here for whatever reason. Find something to occupy yourself before you go insane with the boredom. I myself am having to find new hobbies now that I’m not keeping you stuck here. But believe me, you want to figure out something, or you’ll lose your mind.”

[maidensdeath]

“Or, it’s a waste and I-I don’t want to do that anymore. You say you don’t want be to lose my mind? Do you really think searching for s-someone I love again for years and years to no avail will help that? That crying and reading old letters with tear stains already all over them will be any better for m-me than just quitting? I-I have been on the brink of insanity for the past fifty years and you think doing this all over again will help.” It was an awful feeling knowing that everything she had done was for absolutely nothing. And Mèlanie wasn’t going to keep doing it because she ‘needed a hobby’.

“There is nothing for me here, n-nothing for me anywhere I don’t understand why I’m still here… Maybe,” Mèlanie sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. “M-Maybe I should move on, go into the light whatever it is when ghosts are finished with their business on earth…”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “Ah yes! You should do that! Move on! I’m sure you’ll be happy if you do that!”

And if she could do that, move into the light or whatever it was, then he knew she’d be alright. Then surely she’d have some sort of peace. It was certainly well-deserved at this point, and all he could think of to help atone for his actions. If you could get her to move on, then he would have at least done something good for her.

[maidensdeath]

If Mèlanie was honest, she didn’t exactly want that, but maybe it would be for the best. What she said was true, there was nothing for her here so what was the point of wasting eternity having no purpose or will to be here. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure how to do this. And if she was still here, that meant there was unfinished business that needed resolving before then.

If Jake wasn’t that unfinished business, and neither was seeing her mother again, Mèlanie realized what it might be. Although it definitely wasn’t something she wanted to do. She would have to mend her relationship with Henry, that seemed to be the only thing now that was standing in her way, there wasn’t anything else as far as she knew.

[henry-ravenswood]

“Well….”Henry trailed off at her silence, “What do you think? Moving on sounds….nice right? I’m sure it could be good for you.”

He frowned slightly, looking back down at his wedding ring. He wondered if that’s truly what had happened with Martha. Had she simply had no unfinished business? He supposed it was nicer to believe that than to think she was around and simply didn’t want to see him. Which would have been a fair point, considering everything that he’d done to Jake and Melanie, but the thought of his wife possibly avoiding him still stung.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

“B-But what if that’s a dead end t-too? What if I’m looking for her and it’s j-just all for nothing again. I can’t take more of that.” Positivity and wishful thinking seemed useless now. Mèlanie wanted to see her mother again terribly, but knew trying to search for someone else could just be another waste.

“I no longer h-have hopes or aspirations l-like that anymore, it’s too much. I-I want to see mama again so bad, b-but what if looking for her is just another hundred years like before?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry shrugged, “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Or it’s just another way to occupy 100 years in the never ending abyss we have ahead of us that is the afterlife. Personally, I’d rather be busy with something than sit around and think about things that make me unhappy.”

Henry sighed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. “Melanie. Forgive me for putting this rather bluntly, but we are dead. And we are stuck here for whatever reason. Find something to occupy yourself before you go insane with the boredom. I myself am having to find new hobbies now that I’m not keeping you stuck here. But believe me, you want to figure out something, or you’ll lose your mind.”

[maidensdeath]

“Or, it’s a waste and I-I don’t want to do that anymore. You say you don’t want be to lose my mind? Do you really think searching for s-someone I love again for years and years to no avail will help that? That crying and reading old letters with tear stains already all over them will be any better for m-me than just quitting? I-I have been on the brink of insanity for the past fifty years and you think doing this all over again will help.” It was an awful feeling knowing that everything she had done was for absolutely nothing. And Mèlanie wasn’t going to keep doing it because she ‘needed a hobby’.

“There is nothing for me here, n-nothing for me anywhere I don’t understand why I’m still here… Maybe,” Mèlanie sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. “M-Maybe I should move on, go into the light whatever it is when ghosts are finished with their business on earth…”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “Ah yes! You should do that! Move on! I’m sure you’ll be happy if you do that!”

And if she could do that, move into the light or whatever it was, then he knew she’d be alright. Then surely she’d have some sort of peace. It was certainly well-deserved at this point, and all he could think of to help atone for his actions. If you could get her to move on, then he would have at least done something good for her.

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

“B-But what if that’s a dead end t-too? What if I’m looking for her and it’s j-just all for nothing again. I can’t take more of that.” Positivity and wishful thinking seemed useless now. Mèlanie wanted to see her mother again terribly, but knew trying to search for someone else could just be another waste.

“I no longer h-have hopes or aspirations l-like that anymore, it’s too much. I-I want to see mama again so bad, b-but what if looking for her is just another hundred years like before?”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry shrugged, “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Or it’s just another way to occupy 100 years in the never ending abyss we have ahead of us that is the afterlife. Personally, I’d rather be busy with something than sit around and think about things that make me unhappy.”

Henry sighed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. “Melanie. Forgive me for putting this rather bluntly, but we are dead. And we are stuck here for whatever reason. Find something to occupy yourself before you go insane with the boredom. I myself am having to find new hobbies now that I’m not keeping you stuck here. But believe me, you want to figure out something, or you’ll lose your mind.”

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.

[maidensdeath]

“B-But if you hadn’t, I would’ve spent a-another hundred years or more looking and waiting for him… I would be miserable either w-way but now I-I know…” Mèlanie honestly didn’t care anymore if it was true or a lie, she hated waiting, crying and begging for her Fiancé to come back. Every night since that date she had cried herself to sleep, sometimes clutching onto her locket and letters that she held so dear. Now, Mèlanie felt like burning them all.

Her only wish was that he told her sooner, it was unlikely she would’ve believed him, but maybe after a while she would’ve realized he was right, and that this was all for nothing. That despite being a horrible man and going about pretty much everything the wrong way, even this, Henry did try to protect her from someone who would’ve just broken her heart. Any way these situations turned out, Mèlanie would’ve been miserable. It was just how her life, and afterlife were meant to be she supposed.

“Even if he was h-here, what’s the point? I am sick of waiting and holding onto hope when there’s truly nothing I have anymore. You… Y-you are all I have, unfortunately. Neither of u-us have anyone else. You may deserve it, but I don’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

“So….what then? You stay here, hating me and I just do what exactly? Do you want me to stay away from you? It can be done, believe me, but we’re bound to run into each other at some point. I highly doubt you’d wanting some ‘father/daughter’ bonding. I’m not sure what it is you want from me here.”

Henry crossed his arms, eyeing the bride warily. He could understand what she meant, having nowhere and nothing else, but surely staying here wouldn’t be pleasant either.

“And who knows….maybe if you looked for her, you’d find your mother. Maybe the reason I haven’t found her is because she doesn’t want me to. Then you’d have someone you love so you wouldn’t be alone.”

[maidensdeath]

X

@henry-ravenswood

“W-Wait,” Mèlanie rarely listened to her father, so why start now? There was no life for her here, nor was there one outside. Yes, she had wanted to be free since she was a young girl, it had been an aspiration for longer than she could remember. But what life could she have as a ghost? What could she do alone, dead and still mournful of the life she’d never have.

“Please, wait… I-I don’t know what t-to do anymore… I thought when I was free I’d have J-Jake but I don’t and e-even though I’d wanted this before him, I c-can’t do anything now. I’m going to be alone and no matter where I go I will never feel the way I want to.” The voids left in her heart would never truly be filled, and Mèlanie knew that.

“I can’t leave o-only to feel like this for all of eternity, I don’t want to feel so alone anymore, father please I don’t-“ Mèlanie started tearing up again, the words that she was already stuttering becoming even more incoherent. “I d-dont want t-to be alone, I-I just can’t.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. “Surely you don’t think that I could offer you any company? You’ve loathed me since you were alive and I highly doubt that a few pretty words have changed that now. I am truly aghast; to think that the very child that told me she hated me would be begging to stay? What sort of bizarre trick is this? What is your aim here? I’ve already told you everything I know. You can still look for him, I won’t stop you, even if I believe it’s a moot point.”

Henry’s hand was shaking now, though from what he was unsure. His own daughter had despised him for over a century. He was letting her be free? Isn’t that all she’d wanted? What more could he give her? There was nothing else in his power to give.

“Why are you making this harder,” he spoke lowly, voice barely above a whisper. “I have realized I made a mistake and I know I will suffer for it for all eternity, but I don’t know what more I could do? I cannot undo what I’ve already done. I can’t change….”

[maidensdeath]

“I don’t know, I-I don’t understand either,” Mèlanie desperately tried wiping her tears again only to find it no use. Old habits died hard and crying had certainly been one of her habits over the past century. “You c-can’t do anything but neither can I… I-I believe you a-about Jake… that he only w-wanted me for my money, th-that’s all I was ever wanted for.”

All those proposals beforehand sounded like propositions and business instead of love, but Jake had been able to find a way past appearing like that it seemed.

“What am I-I supposed to do if I leave? W-wander around the world, knowing I just wasted over a hundred years looking for someone who never loved me, alone. I-I can’t go on like that.”

[henry-ravenswood]

Henry turned to face his daughter, heart cracking at her confusion and sadness. This was his fault. He’d hurt her so many times, and all he’d ever wanted was to keep her safe and close. But he supposed that need to protect become an obsession.

“I shouldn’t have told you…” Henry shook his head, hand slightly reaching toward her before he loved it back to his side. She didn’t want comfort, not from him.

“I thought it would help, knowing the truth, but it only hurt more. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Henry cursed himself. Another protective gesture tainted by the fact that nothing good could ever come from Henry Ravenswood. He seemed to only bring misery everywhere he went.

“I shouldn’t have confused you,” he spoke so softly, unsure if he’d even said the words aloud at all. Perhaps he should lie. Would that make it better? To lie to her? Tell her this was all a cruel trick? That he did in fact have Jake captive? That he’d fabricated the documents? Would it make it better for her to have a goal again rather than feel as if she’d wasted all those years on nothing?

He contemplated it, not sure which would be the lesser evil. Clearly no matter what, Melanie wouldn’t be happy. He was sure of that. But he supposed that if he lied to her about Jake, told her he’d fabricated everything, then maybe she’d have hope again? And hope was certainly better than the bitter resignation she seemed to be stuck in now.