The Unexpected

[Zetti]

Story Title: The Unexpected

Type of story: one-shot

Main Characters: Aden, Belle, Larry, Justin and William

BTTB rating: Teen/Adult

Genre: Sorrow

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: Violence and Death, Language.

Summary: My entry for the fan fiction contest; improved with the constructive critiscm from the voters

Authors Note: Use of one bad word in this oneshot

The Unexpected

This wasn't where he wanted to be. Mustiness crept into the darkish room and infected every corner. He could smell the crap of animals all over the floor. He was pretty sure that he had stepped into one of the deposits but he didn’t want to find out.

He had spent nearly 4 months in this hellhole, breathing in the mustiness and the awkwardness of the people around him.

He was stuck in this room but the strangest thing occurred to him, he wasn’t alone, the physical presence of 5 other people made sure of that but he still felt like he was isolated and eradicated away from the other people in this small and yet open plan place.

‘Man’ he muttered to himself

‘Lady’ another murmured

‘Human’

‘Dog’

‘Crap’

‘Life’

The voices continued until for the first time in what felt like a long time, silence fell. These people as he called them always spoke but it was so far from normal, but then he didn’t even know what was normal.

‘Come here’ a voice ordered. Was it reality or his mind?

‘Come here’ the voice said again with urgency

‘Come here!’ the voice said shaking him out of his dream or illusion, he was so out of it he didn’t even realise that not everything was as it seems.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked as he opened his eyes, it had been yet another dream. It felt so vivid and real.

‘Yep, sorry I fell asleep. I said I would help you and that’s what I should have done’

He frowned ‘Relax Aden, its not the biggest deal in the world. Anyway your father is here;’

Aden stood up ‘I don’t want to talk to him’

‘Just listen to him’ he said as he opened the door and let his father in.

‘Aden’

He didn’t reply, he was so indifferent to the point where he honestly didn’t give a damn what he thought anymore.

‘Talk to him’ he said in the distance before he closed the door and left him alone with his father.

‘I know you are angry but it’s for the best’ Larry said after a few moments of silence.

Aden was still very bitter at the past and didn’t say anything to him. Instead he concentrated on the shadow on the floor left by the table and the chairs, every few seconds; the shadow shuddered slowly as an effect of the wind from the open window.

‘I am sorry that you think my actions were wrong or misguided but I had to do what was best for you.

‘Best for me?’ he said as he was unable to keep his emotions in check

‘I know its hard being here but it’s the best place for you’

‘It’s a hellhole, I hate it here’

‘I know but your behaviour warrants it.’

‘I have done nothing but try my hardest to move on’

‘But you’re still holding onto the past, you can never truly move forward whilst you are holding onto something that doesn’t exist. Not anymore’ he said with a hint of sadness penetrating his thoughts.

Aden thought about that ‘I miss my life; I wish it could go back to the way it used to be’

‘If you embrace this and use it to help you move forward, then you will be fine’

He was at a loss, ‘how?’

‘I can’t answer that son, you have to’

**

Life goes on, everything changes. These were the philosophy of people’s life when their current existence ceases to be.

Spending days and money as well as everything else in order to get his life back to where it was to where he wanted it to be. He realised that he couldn’t, it had finally hit him that his life had changed massively and he couldn’t get back to where he wanted to be.

Walking across the beach later on that morning made him feel a bit emotional and depressed; he didn’t know how to get back to where he was.

‘Aden?’

He spun around and saw Justin in front of him ‘What do you want?’ he spat out in disgust.

‘Don’t do this, you are ruining your own life like this’

‘Do I even have a life!’ he said in exasperation!

Justin tried to reassure Aden that despite everything, life is the same with a few changes. He could see that Aden was tired and needed to move on but he wasn’t sure how to make him understand.

**

Aden saw Justin yet again a few hours later; he was walking towards the end of the beach and turned up onto Stewarts Point.

He didn’t know why he was here, he felt like someone was pushing him here and a sudden gust of wind smashed past his face.

‘Stop ignoring the facts’

‘I don’t want to’

‘Grow up and remember, everything happens for a reason’

Aden remembered the moment when he died.

**

Summer Bay; May 2010

He lay on the hospital bed, it was his own fault that he was lying there. If he hadnt decided to be a hero and try to save the life of everyone else then he would be there

A few days earlier

Aden smiled as he watched his gorgeous bride walk down the aisle, he had his brother stood next to him and the love of his life was walking down the aisle.

At that blissful moment in time, he had everything that he had ever wanted and more, he was so looking forward to the rest of his life with his gorgeous bride.

His heart was beating so fast that Justin whispered into his ear ‘Nervous’

‘Hell yeah, but this is my dream come true’

‘She really is stunning you know’

‘I know, you lucky beggar

‘Luck has nothing to do with it, it was fate’

Justin scoffed ‘Fate!’ but he quietened down because Belle was only a few metres away.

He took her hands as Irene handed it over to him ‘Take care of her sonny’

‘I promise’ he said, not moving his eyes from Belle’s.

**

A few moments later…

‘I, Isabella Taylor, take Aden Jefferies to be my lawful wedded husband’ the priest said

Belle repeated it locking her eyes onto Aden’s

‘To have and to hold’

Belle carried on

‘From this day forward’

Belle repeated the words until it was Aden’s turn.

The priest then announced after the vows had been exchanged ‘You may kiss the bride’

Aden leant in and took Belle’s lips to his, she felt so soft against him. However the kiss was cut short by a gunshot.

Aden was rooted to the ground but looked in the direction of the gunshot and recoiled. It was his grandfather William.

He wanted to speak but the words never came. The guests had at that point started to panic and duck down in case he aimed the gun at them.

‘Justin, come here’

Aden stiffened and pushed Justin out of the way. He had only just got him back, there was no way in hell, he was going to let him go now.

‘Its either him or her’ he drawled cocking his gun as an indication that he meant every word that he said.

‘No one is going anywhere’

‘You betrayed me’

‘You…’ Aden couldn’t say and Belle clutched his hands. He drew her in and held her protectively; he didn’t know that it was the last time he would be with her, the last time they would ever hold each other.

‘You choose’ he repeated as Justin came back next to Aden ‘You cant give her to him, you cant, it has to be me’

‘No, I just got you back, he ruined our childhood, why should he ruin my adulthood, I love my life too much to let him ruin’ he said in hushed whispers trying not to scare Belle.

‘You have 3 minutes, otherwise, I will start picking out your guests and killing them one by one’ he chuckled. It was just some game to him. He didn’t actually really care about them at all. He just wanted revenge by taking someone Aden really cared out, hurting him so much in the same way that he had hurt him.

‘Why?’ Belle asked ‘why?’

‘Why what?’ he asked?

‘Why are you punishing Aden?’

William eyes widened. ‘You never told her’

‘Shut the **** up!’ he screamed at him

‘She deserves the truth, she needs to know exactly what she has married.

Aden whispered loud enough so that he could hear it ‘I see it everyday, I hate myself more than anything but I have done my time!’

William spat out ‘No, you haven’t, you took the one thing that I cared about!’

Belle looked at him and said ‘Who?’

‘My wife, he killed my wife’

Belle visibly gasped and moved away from him repulsed

Aden looked at her face and saw hatred etched into her face, she was normally so peaceful and he could see the horror in her face.

William raised his gun and aimed it, before Belle moved towards Aden. She placed her hands on his cheeks ‘Why?’

Aden looked at his grandfather ‘You will never know how much I hate myself, I can never forget, when I sleep I can see what I did, I hate myself’ he reiterated

‘You left me to live so many years without my sweetheart, I hope you never rest in peace, I hope even when you die, you never get the peace you want’

Aden knew what was going to happen so he kissed Belle and said ‘I will always love you and our unborn baby’ as he put his hands on her stomach ‘Tell it how much I love it, please’

Tears fell out of her eyes as she realised what he was going to do.

‘You want to punish me, punish me, not living without my wife and baby is going to be hell, so you might as well do it, I have nothing to live for if you shoot her, and I will shoot myself if you do so just do it’

William didn’t need any persuading as Belle closed her eyes, she heard the shot, it resounded in her ears and she knew that for as long as she lived, she would never forget that sound, the sound of her love slipping away.

As soon as that gunshot happened, she heard another one and she opened her eyes to see Justin falling down.

‘Two gone, one to go’ he muttered.

Belle’s hands flew to her stomach as she thought that the gunshot was for her but to her utter shock, William placed the gun to his temple and with a parting remark of ‘You have no one, just like me’ he pulled the trigger and ended his life.

**

Justin stopped a few metres away and looked at the sign on the wall. Aden wanted to run faraway from the situation but again he couldn’t, he felt like he was being pulled to it.

Aden looked at it and then looked as he saw Belle crouching over it. She was holding his baby son.

In Memoriam of Aden Jefferies:

Loving husband, father, son and brother.

Rest in Peace

Belle whispered to him ‘This is your father, he made mistakes, but he never stopped loving me or you’

She kissed her newborn baby’s head and said to the breeze ‘I love you, watch over us and remember you are my hero’ she smiled forlornly and stood up. With one last glance, then she walked away knowing that whatever happened, she had her baby, a part of her and Aden but 100% uniquely himself.

‘She doesn’t blame you, no one does, what happened is in the past, you need move on.

Aden heard her words and started to move towards the light, he knew that she was going to be okay and that he would be as well.

**

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