Christmas 2012: Eddie

[Chaos]

It seemed like forever had passed while Eddie Brock sat in his cheap little plane seat on the 1230 hours flight to London, Heatrhow.

Time seemed to have no meaning the whole trip back, to occupy himself, Eddie had opted to watch an in-flight movie. He poked at his...what had they called this dish of reheated tofu? It didn't matter, it served its purpose as a meagrely amusing waste of time while he listened to the droning dialogue of Marley & Me...

Christ, he hated Jennifer Aniston...

A poke at his arm alerted his attention, the Air-Hostess was offering drinks. In an almost robotic motion Eddie handed her $10 and pointed at a bottle of Corona, plastic, of course, the contents were his main attention – he hadn't had a drink in a week, and God knew he needed one.

-

As Eddie partook in his drink he mulled over the reason for his flight to England; his father's attempted suicide and subsequent prolonged holiday to London. Was life at home that bad? When he'd received the text he'd sworn it was some kind of sick joke, but there was nobody (even back home) who'd say such a thing. More to the point his Father had confessed to it over Skype. For all his luxuries and comforts, Eddie couldn't help but feel that life had dealt him a shit hand sometimes; it felt like a game of Pontoon where he always drew two Eights to begin, and then was unsure whether to draw again or fold – then, when he did draw, he lost. Or he folded, and lost anyway.

But it was nobody's fault. Eddie spurred on that thought: he had to remember that. His mother's absence was her own fault, she left them.

She'd left him.

-

[Chaos]

With a sigh, Eddie lifted his bag out of the conveyor and proceeded up the winding corridors of London Heathrow to the terminal, he left his headphones plugged into his phone to avoid the noise of hundreds of people shuffling about, inevitably complaining and talking much too loudly. For some reason, the 'shuffle' option for his songs had only so far played things that made him feel even more down about the prospect of being home; 'Puddle of Mudd' – 'Blury', 'Hurt – Rapture (Acoustic)'...it was like someone was trying to turn his life into some kind of depressing B-Movie. Reaching into his pocket he clicked the button on the screen of his HTC Legend to toggle to the next track; 'Judas Preist – Breaking the Law'.

Irritated by this, Eddie had removed his cheap 'iPod-look-alike' headphones by the time he'd reached the terminal, deciding to make up for his epic fail of an in-flight dinner by treating himself to something from Heathrow's KFC. Since it was quite late (about 8:42pm, by Eddie's guess), the queue wasn't very long. And then, one sight he could never have guessed would greet his eyes broke that trail of good luck...

Louise Morton. 20 years of age. Eddie's ex-girlfriend.

The two once-lovers caught eye contact for a few moments. A mixture of fear and...and anticipation intoxicated Eddie's heart like a burst of ink in a body of water. He gulped slowly, half wanting to run from her, half wanting to run to her. She waved a little reluctantly and gestured to the seat beside the one she was about to take, Eddie took a moment to study her dress; a grey coat and blue scarf, matching fingerless gloves (which Eddie recognised as a gift from himself a few years ago) covered her hands, one resting on her seat. With some reluctance in his mind, but a seemingly autonomic response from his body, Eddie approached the table and sat across from her.

-

Eddie and Louise sat for a moment, watching each other fidget shyly. Louise broke the ice, half whispering her greetings;

“Hey...”, she said with a rather pithy attempt at a half-grin. Eddie replied with the same less than half-hearted facial expression. “You look....good.”

“Where's your boyfriend? He taking you to somewhere nice for Christmas?”, Eddie asked, his question sounding more like a challenge. Louise looked away, seemingly seeking an answer from her Pepsi.

“We broke up, actually...”, she laughed dryly, finding the reslove to look at Eddie again. “Ironically he cheated on me for a French girl...”

'Karmic retribution at work...', Eddie thought slyly to himself, though he couldn't help but feel bad. For a moment, the two resumed their silent war. Eddie let his hand wonder over to hers on the table, just about touching her nail with his fingers. “...sorry to hear it.”, he said, looking up at her slowly. With a tiny smile, Louise looked up at him as he continued; “...don't suppose you'd let me nick some drink?”

-

“It was partly your fault you know. Inadvertently.”, Louise explained, carefully picking out the parts of her Zinger Tower wrap she didn't want. “After he called the police I tried to make them stop hunting for you.”

Eddie helped himself to another handful of chips, cutting his eye at the packet; he never got the salt right on those. “Why? I mean I didn't mean to attack you, I had no idea w-...”

“I know.”, Louise said, looking at him again. “I mean, I guessed you wouldn't have just attacked me for no reason, and I wasn't hurt I was just scared.”

Eddie paused, “...uh, thanks. I mean, for understanding...you know.”, Louise nodded with a small smirk. “...so what are you doing now?”

“Visiting my Dad in Turkey, you know how he works abroad and all that.”, she answered with a shy giggle. Eddie's expression softened at her almost whimsical rapour, “Where have you been all this time, anyway?”

“If I said I was a super-hero, would you believe me?”

Loiuse laughed a little, “What, like your comic thingy? What did you call it, 'Venom' or something?”

Eddie smiled a little shyly, “Y-yeah, can't believe you remembered actually...”, he blushed as Louise reached across the table and pushed his hair out of his eyes with her cool, slim fingers.

“It made you happy, of course I remembered.”, Louise said, inclining her head a little, “I always liked your enthusiasm.”

The two seemed to stop in time as their eyes met again. After a few moments, Eddie cleared his breath, seemingly bringing real-time back to their moment. The two finished their meals mostly in silence afterwards, leaving the fast food vendor together, as they approached the escalators Eddie's walk slowed.

“You have to go then?”, he asked, adjusting his bag slightly. Louise nodded and approached him.

“Uh...I guess I'll see you around then? Though maybe not...”, she said solemnly.

Eddie shrugged in reply, “Never say never, eh? Who knows? Maybe I am a super-hero and you'll need rescuing someday?”, he half joked, unsure himself of which part he was joking about.

“Maybe, yeah.”, Louise smiled, moving in to hug him. Eddie let his arms relax around his ex, closing his eyes and breathing in her usual fragrance – Red Jean, he bought her that a month before they broke up.
The embrace lasted longer than they both thought it should have, they moved so they attained eye contact again, still holding each other. A familiar sinking feeling rose up in Eddie's chest as he looked on Louise, as if he could almost want her again, his heart beat slightly faster as her lips closed in on his murderously slowly...

...but he couldn't.

Eddie pushed her away gently, shaking his head and sighing. “Not again. I'm sorry but...”

“But what?”, Louise sighed frustratedly, blushing and looking a little upset. “I still love you, Eddie, I mean, seriously, we bumped into each other in an airport? What are the chances?”

“And what, you think it's fate?”, Eddie asked, looking back at her, “Your life is not a soap, Lou! I...I mean, I suppose I still like you, too, but....no.”, Eddie turned away, frowning. “Just...not again.”

The awkward silence between them rose again. Louise sighed again. “Y...you're right. It was stupid, I'm just....”

“Lonely?”, Eddie asked. “Hurt? Betrayed?”, Louise's expression cracked a little, “I know the feeling...but you can't let it rule you.”, he approached her and kissed her forehead, holding her chin and raising her face to see his. “Keep well, sweetheart.”

“Goodbye, Eddie.”, Louise said to him. Eddie left before they could say anything else to each other, Louise watched him walk away into the amassing crowd, wanting to cry out his name and call him back again.

But she'd lost him a long time ago. She knew that.

-

[Chaos]

On the taxi towards the city, Eddie hadn't thought this was the situation he'd find himself in.

He was sat opposite his father, eyes locked on a cup of tea he'd been made, in a flat he'd rented for his prolonged stay off work. His father looked grey as the room they occupied, hollow as the noise of the rain pitter-pattering on the windows outside. It was hard to look at his face, and harder still to think of what to say.

“So, how's things been since that funeral?”, Eddie's father asked. Eddie's eyes ran along the table up to Jonathan.

“...why, Dad?”, was his reply. The deathly silence prevailed once again. “And I spoke to your doctor myself, he said it wasn't the first time since I was born, so I think I'm entitled to an answer.”

Jonathan sighed, eyebrows scrunching into a frown as he seemingly hid behind a sip of his tea. He took a deep breath after swallowing. “I...there's a lot I haven't said.”

“You think I haven't deduced that? Fuck me, Jonathan...”, Eddie spat.

“Hey, I maintain a degree of respect as your 'father', Eddie!”, Jonathan scolded in retort.

“Then start acting like one!”, Eddie snapped, slamming his mug on the table so hard the handle shattered. “I want the truth! Why?!”

“If you shut up, I'll tell you!”, Jonathan yelled, looking more hurt than fierce. “I...it's about your mother...”

Eddie stopped. “What about her?”

“She's dead.”, Jonathan half whispered.

Eddie felt himself tremble in a cocktail of fear and despair. He'd never met her and now she w-...

“She's been dead for almost twenty years.”

-

“Your mother was a mutant, like you.”, Jonathan explained. “Because of that, in our old neighbourhood, they wouldn't offer her medical care due to 'risk of complications'. It was horrible of them, but such was the procedure. Since I was a doctor, your mother asked if I could deliver you...”

Eddie sank back into his seat, feeling less and less comfortable. “W-what next?”

“Well, there were some complications with the delivery...”, Jonathan continued, “and I needed to get her to a hospital. I broke into the A&E where I was working and tried to deliver you there...only I was discovered during the procedure by some members of staff who...well...”

“'Well' what, Dad?”

“They had security arrest me for practising mutant medical assistance.”, he explained. “The next thing I knew was hearing that your mother had had to have a cystectomy, and that you were a boy.”

Eddie remained silent for a moment as his father finished talking. “And how did she die?”

“Infection.”, Jonathan said, his voice cracking a little, “They wouldn't treat her for it because she was a mutant and I tried to steal the drugs to help her, only they stopped me again. I lost my job, and then my wife. All I had was you.”

Jonathan finally broke down in tears. “I never, ever forgave myself for that. If only I...if only I was a better doctor I could have saved her! And you'd have a mother and..” Eddie rushed to his father's side and held him. “I couldn't tell you, I just couldn't!”

“I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so, so sorry...”, he muttered into his father's hair as he held the broken man close. “I didn't know...I...”, tears filled Eddie's eyes, too. All these years it must've been eating away at his heart like a cancer. “I didn't think....I...”

The rain grew harder outside as father and son cradled each other in tears. In memory of a wife and a mother.

-

[Chaos]

The wind picked up as Jonathan and Eddie approached the lone headstone in a grass field. The two had driven out in the early morning from London city and now it was noon. The field was owned by a farmer who was one of Jonathan's childhood friends, when he'd heard about Elaine's (Eddie's mother's) death, he'd offered for her to have a meadow of her own to seek her final rest in.

Eddie broke into a run as the farmer and Jonathan led him to the meadow. Falling to his knees, Eddie read the inscription on the headstone;

ELAINE BROCK
-
1955-1991

“A beautiful wife, taken too soon from her child”

Unable to contain his welling self-hatred and agony, Eddie cried out louder than he was sure he'd ever done, tears followed as he thought about all the years, all the horrible things he'd thought his mother had done – she died so he could live.

“She died because of me...”, Eddie muttered, sobbing against the cold headstone. His father wiped away tears of his own as his friend left them to mourn.

“No, Eddie.”, said Jonathan, resting beside his grieving son. “She died for you.”

-

[puppygirl]

Awwwwww :'( poor Eddie and his dad.

Nice work here Chaos <3

[Scumfish]

Awwww *snuggles Eddie*

Really, really well written, dude. Really well done.

[Chaos]

Yeah. I'm back, bitches. (y) xx

It'll get better; we haven't seen Angelo yet! xx

[Chaos]

“Mom? ...hey, Mom.

Can I sit? It's kinda cold, but I bought a coat so....yeah.

It's be stupid to ask you how you are, huh? Ha....mmn. I'm ok. I just...I've spent the last few hours asking myself a few questions. You have any idea how much I've thought about you? If heaven's a reality, and you are watching, I guess you do...and I understand if it ain't what you wanted to hear.

Forgive my Father, Mom. For a moment I hated him, but I understand why he did what he did. He loved you more than I've loved anything and it shows. I can just tell. He didn't mean to do what he did, but for him, it was the only way. I know you're forgiving because...well, that leads me to the other thing I wanted to ask of you...

Forgive me, Mom. I had no idea the horrific wrong I was doing. And I know you can say it's the typical 'Nazi' thing to say, but I really had no idea. I'm so, so sorry. For all the things I've said about you, for the thoughts and....I...

...I'm just so sorry...

I d-....don't mean to get so teary, Mom. I just never thought I'd....I...

...s-sorry. Uhm...I just want you to know that I love you. And I....everyone knows I haven't ever seemed like it but I do. I did. And I th-....I thought you didn't love me.

Thank you, Elaine Howard Brock. I promise you, Mom, until the day I die, I'll live a Hero. For you, I'll be the best I can be. Your death will not be in vain; because I will do everything in my power to be the best.

This is the gift I give to you, Mom. As you gave me my life, I will give you the pride to look at God himself and say: 'That's my son. A Hero.'

-

“So, are you gonna stay for New Years, son?”, Jonathan asked, sitting up and watching over the hills as the sun descended. Eddie watched it, too, looking at his father.

“There's something I have to do, first.”, Eddie said to him. “There's still one more thing I have to do.”

“Mayhem de Noir?”, Jonathan asked. Eddie nodded in reply. “Ah. Are you worried?”

“'Worried'? Well....no, but I'm....”, Eddie sighed. “Yes. Worried.”

“Well, from what you described, he's no animal – no pun intended, of course.”

Eddie scoffed, looking back to the sunset. “Thank you, Dad.”

Jonathan looked at his son. “For what?”, he asked, staying as fun and cynical as ever.

“The truth.”, Eddie replied, frankly. “It's the best gift I could ask for.”, without looking, Eddie could feel his father's mood fall – didn't take 'Spider-Sense' to work that out. “Don't feel down. I understand completely.”

“How, Eddie?”, came the voice of his father, feeling sick at the thought of his actions all these years. “I betrayed her memory because I was scared...”

“'Scared'? Nah...”, Eddie smirked, looking back at him. “You felt guilty. And believe me, I know how guilt makes you do some dumb shit. Point is, you overcame it, and it meant the world to me.”
Jonathan looked up at Eddie, pondering his meaning. “Dad, I had a mother! And she loved me! I thought she'd left because she hated me or something but she didn't!”

Jonathan's face softened as his eyes watered a little, his grin blossomed into a large smile at his son's words.

“Dad, I swear I'm never gonna even consider giving up again.”, Eddie grinned. “My mother loved me. That thought of her watching over me is gonna drive my resolve forever.”

-

“I will make you so proud. I swear on the life you gave me. Watch over me, Mother. See how much I love you.”

Eddie kissed the tombstone of his mother and left the rose he was carrying with him. With a renewed soul and a heart feeling lighter than it ever had, he walked away from his mother's grave.

“Goodbye for now, Mom.”