Best Writer of a Candy Fic
Title: Sins of the Father
Author: RoswellChic4Ever
Category: M/M (Cause we all know I don't write anything else) with CC, but most of them only make brief appearances. It’s mainly M/M with a central focus on Maria.
Rating: Adult
Summary: AU no aliens. When tragedy strikes Maria’s family, Maria becomes haunted and learns some life altering things about her past.
Disclaimer: It’s not mine, although I do as I please with them anyhow.
Round Five - Runner Up
<img src="http://images2.fotki.com/v21/photos/5/5 ... 1050379652">
Best Candy Fanfiction
Part 1
Pear. The scent always throws me a little but I’m not sure why. Every time I smell that fragrance, my mind takes me somewhere else and I feel like it’s connected to a memory. A missing memory. I’ve tried for years to figure out what that memory was, or even if there is a memory. Sometimes I think I’m crazy. It’s just a smell, one that you can capture in a bottle or a candle. But it’s more than that to me. It means something; I can feel it.
I have no real memories of my life before I was six. For a long time I just assumed it was because my brain wasn’t fully developed at that time. A lot of people don’t remember things from when they were young. But most of my friends can remember back to five and even four. Not me, I have no memories. I don’t remember when my baby sister was born or holding her. I don’t remember my first day of kindergarten or the time I broke my arm. I’ve seen pictures, but they are only snapshots of life to me. They hold no meaning.
I feel like something’s missing, something in my life. I keep digging into the back of my mind for what it is, but I can’t remember. It’s just this nagging feeling that’s been always present, but lately it’s more dominant. I’ve never told anyone about this, I’ve always kept it to myself. However, lately I’ve wanted to ask my mom. Maybe she knows something; maybe she can help me.
I’m afraid that my parents have been hiding something from me, and that when I find out, it’ll change my whole life. There are things I wish I could change, fix, but I know that you have to take life as it comes. I know that you have to just move on and forget about your emotions. I’m good at ignoring things, at becoming numb. Sometimes, you just can’t feel.
* * *
The Valenti Estate was without a doubt, the largest house in the small town of Roswell, New Mexico. It was the house everyone envied with its four stories, wrap around porch, balconies off some of the bedrooms, and beautiful cream-colored stucco exterior. The cedar red roof completed the house, giving it a true Southwestern feeling.
She followed the long driveway as it curved around, leading her behind the house. She parked her Jetta in her spot. The garage was almost as elaborate as the house: it could hold six cars easily. She walked slowly up the cobblestone sidewalk to the kitchen door. The cobblestone was cracking in some places, but she assumed it would be fixed when there was time. Now was not the time to be fixing the cobblestone. Her hand touched the smooth silver of the doorknob as she turned it, opening the door that led into the kitchen.
There sat her mother at the kitchen table, a box of Kleenex in front of her. Her face was tear stained and her hair was a mess, going everywhere. She had never seen her mother so un-kempt. She wore gray sweatpants and white socks, with a black hooded sweatshirt with the letters LCU on it. "Hi, Mom," she said quietly from the door.
"Oh, Maria!" Amy Valenti jumped up from the table and hugged her. Maria put her arms around her mother and held her as she cried.
"I just don’t know what to do. This is so horrible."
Maria ran her hand up and down her mother’s back, trying to calm her. "I know Mom, it’s ok." Maria led her Mother back to the table and they sat down. "Can I get you something?" Maria asked.
"Why do people keep asking me that? If they really wanted to help they’d find my little girl!"
"Mom, I am sure that Dad will find her," Maria said, trying to reassure her Mother. "They are probably on their way home right now." Maria didn’t actually believe that, but she had to calm her mother down.
"I hope so Maria, I really hope so," Amy said sniffling, and then blowing her nose into a Kleenex.
"Rosa!" Maria called, from the table.
A short, older woman, with dark hair pulled into a bun walked into the room. She wore a simple white dress with a blue apron tied around her waist. "Miss Maria, so good to see you," Rosa said with a smile.
Maria smiled back. "Nice to see you, too. Do you think you could draw my mother a bath, please? Use some chamomile bubble bath please," Maria told her. "It’s calming."
"Right away, Miss." Rosa rushed out of the room and Maria heard her small feet hit the steps as she hurried up them.
"You’ll feel better after you take a bath, Mom," Maria told her, handing her another Kleenex.
"I’ll feel better when Carly is found," Amy said, wiping her eyes. Maria squeezed her hand and Amy left the table to go upstairs to her bathroom.
When Amy was gone, Maria let out a long sigh. The Valenti house was in a state of turmoil over Maria’s missing sister. Carly Valenti hadn’t come home from school Friday afternoon. Carly had a tendency to run off without telling anyone; she had been doing it since she was a kid. However, it was now Monday and Carly still hadn’t shown up. Her boyfriend said that she had planned on going home Friday, and studying for finals. He was the last person to see her and the chief suspect in her disappearance. Maria knew him personally, and knew he wouldn’t be capable of hurting her. But something strange had happened to Carly Valenti, and Maria prayed that they would find her soon.
Maria got up from the table and picked up her mother’s used tissues. She threw them in the garbage and looked around for something else she could do. She wanted desperately to keep her mind off her missing sister. If she didn’t, she’d go insane with worry like her mother had. Maria saw dishes sitting in the sink, so she ran some hot water, found a dishrag, and began to wash them. As she slowly scrubbed a glass plate, she looked out the window. Staring into the backyard, she saw herself as a young girl playing with her big brother and baby sister.
"Maria, I want to jump!" Carly whined. Her dark brown hair flew out behind her as the wind blew through the backyard.
"Kyle and I are jumping now! Besides you can’t jump unless Mom or Dad are watching."
Carly stuck out her tongue at Maria, and Kyle laughed. "Go play in the sandbox Carly," Kyle told her.
Maria watched as Carly pouted, but walked over to the sandbox. She sat down in the sand and played with her shovel.
Maria was mesmerized by the memories playing out before her. Carly, who was only four at the time, played in the sandbox. She threw sand in a bucket and then would dump it out. Maria stared at the little girl; she couldn’t take her eyes off her. Maria was in a trance. It was almost as if she was real. Little Carly turned her head and stared straight into Maria’s eyes. Maria felt her heart jump as she stared back at the memory. "Help me, Maria!" little Carly cried.
The plate fell from Maria’s grasp as she jumped back. She heard the glass shatter as it hit the ground and she almost fell down, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, catching her before she hit the ground. "Maria, are you ok?" the man asked, his voice sounding scared for her.
Maria blinked and the scene that had been happening in her backyard was gone. "I’m… I’m fine," she said breathlessly, turning to see who was holding her steady. "Michael," she said, pushing her way out of his arms.
"Whoa, what‘s wrong?"
"Nothing. I’m umm… sorry, stressed out," she explained.
He nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard about Carly. I came to see if your mom needed anything. Or if your dad needed help looking," he told her.
"Yeah, I just got home. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I sent my mom upstairs to rest."
"Are you sure you’re ok?" Michael asked. His dark brown eyes looked concerned and Maria couldn’t help but feel gratitude towards him.
She forced a small smile. "I’m fine. Really."
"Do you want me to get you something?" he asked.
"No. I’m just trying to do the dishes to help out." They both looked down at the broken plate on the ground.
"Looks like you weren’t taught how to properly do dishes," Michael told her with a grin, as he bent down to start picking up the glass. She knelt to help him and glared a little.
"What’s that supposed to mean Mr. Guerin?" she asked.
"Just that, you never were very good at the housework stuff."
She couldn’t be offended by what he was saying, because it was true. She never had to do anything on her own. There was always Rosa or some other maid to do it for her. "Well, I’m working on it," she told him, picking up the rest of the glass.
They threw it in the trash and sat down at the kitchen table. "So how have you been?" he asked. "You know, aside from the fact that your sister is missing."
"I’ve been good. I’m so glad that I’m done with school. I never thought graduation would come," Maria told him.
"Yeah, when is your graduation?" Michael asked.
"Tomorrow is the ceremony. I won’t be able to be there unless Carly shows up today. Oh well, I already went through a high school one. I suspect the college one is just longer and more boring."
"So are you going to stay in Las Cruces or come back here?"
"I don’t know," Maria told him.
"Well, I’m sure there’s room for a dietician at Roswell Memorial," he said with a smile.
"So tell me about USC," Maria insisted. "I’m sure Courtney is thrilled to be engaged to an architect," Maria added the last part bitterly.
"Jealous?" he asked. "How’s Billy?" he snapped.
"I don’t know. I broke up with him Wednesday," she told him.
"Why?" he asked.
She glared at him. "None of your business."
He held his hands up in defense. "Ok, sorry."
"Anyway, your graduation was last week right?" she asked.
He nodded his head. "Yup, I’ve got this piece of paper that says I’m good at designing houses. We’ll see if I get anywhere with it," he said, smiling.
Maria forgot about her animosity towards him and smiled back. "Well good luck with that. When I need a house, I’ll have you design it."
"And when Courtney becomes anorexic I’ll send her to you for diet advice," he added.
"I’d let the bitch die," Maria snickered.
Michael looked at her warningly. "I’m marrying her, Maria."
"Yeah, good luck. She’s a slut." Maria was all of a sudden in a bad mood again. Thinking about Courtney and Michael usually did that to her.
"Maria, don’t you think you could get over this? It’s been four years."
"Whatever." Maria stood up and sighed. "I should call my dad and brother, and see if they’ve found anything yet."
"Ok." Michael stood up and held his arms out to her. She hesitated at first, but then fell into them, resting her head on his chest. "It’ll be fine," he told her, running one hand through her long blonde hair and the other one resting on her back. She felt butterflies in her stomach flutter as he held her.
"I just have to be strong for my mom, ya know? She’s a mess. I can’t let myself feel," she mumbled.
Michael let her go and cupped her face in his hands. "You can feel. Don’t be numb to this Maria."
She nodded. "Ok," she whispered. She just wanted to bury herself in his arms again and never let him go, but she knew she couldn’t. That was in the past.
"If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me," he told her.
She nodded again, trying not to cry. "Thank you," she said, a bittersweet smile on her face.
He pulled her into a quick hug again and then let her go. "I can see my way out," he told her.
He walked out of the kitchen, towards the front door, and Maria collapsed onto a chair at the kitchen table. She tried to keep herself calm. She was feeling things, things she shouldn’t feel, but they weren’t about her sister. They were about Michael
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