Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:14:13 -0600
From: Michael Yost <myost@charter.net>
Subject: Real World Chapter 11

"God has her.  Heaven has her," the ghost wailed, "I, I want her back."

"Then go into the light," Christov said indifferently, "Listen bitch you're
not going to take these children away unless you feel they'll make up for
what you lost by losing her."

"No," she said, her voice was cold, "I want her. Arabella can teach me how
to love her. I do love her. She can teach me how to get her back. How to"
Tears feel down her face, "How to get what I loved in life back. How to
understand all of this better."  Disappearing into soft glow of light she
left the room in silence.

"Josh, Pete," Christov said sheepishly.

"It's all right Christov. The next time you see a ghost," Josh said.

"I'll ignore said ghost," Christov assured them.

"Your impending marriage made her furious," David said quietly, "When she
heard about you two from her conversations with Christov she prayed you
would break up."


"Why pick in me!" Christov said, embarrassed, "I was hardly the type of
person you'd think she would want to talk to!"

"Your deep belief in spirits made it easier for her to talk you.  Besides,
I think a part of her wanted to understand what she feared the most in her
mortal life.  A gay man.  She wanted to understand why her husband was the
way he was.  Pete, I'm sorry. The misguided so called goodness in her was
powerful.  Arabella will teach her how to be the loving mother she once was
before she sunk into madness and used her Christianity as a monstrosity of
fear and hate.  Really she drowned her daughter out of fear of losing her
to her husband's so-called sordid life style."

"Hopefully she'll learn how to trust," Josh said sadly, "Arabella's father
was a good man wasn't he?"

"A very good man who never harmed his daughter and never would have," David
said firmly, "All of her fears of her husband molesting Arabella were
unfounded."

"Speaking of a good man," Josh said putting his arm around Pete.

Shakily pulling up Tabby's shirt, Pete removed the dead rat he stabbed into
"I could never have hurt Tabby," Pete said his eyes wide.

"What we said worked. Arabella and her mom will be at peace soon I hope,"
Josh said kissing his cheek.

"Josh are you sure you want to be involved in our night walker's world?
Look at what we have to offer.  Murderous ghosts," Christov said, "Insane
ancients.  Meddling in-laws, Josh I'm sorry, This is so my stupid fault. I
didn't know she was a malevolent ghost. I was a flattered ass hole by what
I thought was attention from Marie Glapion."

"We put the kids through so much because we are a family. It's isn't fair
to them," Pete said choking on tears.

"No problem," Josh said shakily "I'm in my real world.  I'll take the bad
with the good.  The good is going to out last the bad. I know it will
Pete. Not everyone out there is a whacked out bigot or religious fanatic."

"It's going to be a happily ever after world," Pete promised kissing Josh
back.

Months later Henri recorded in his journal: Ah my dear journal, I know
yours and mine is an illicit arrangement.  Maharet, Michael, and Mekare
would be furious with me if they saw me here writing in you.  Someday I
will perhaps will become a forgetful ancient. I know I will probably live
for centuries after this night, and I want to be able to read how I felt on
this date. So Merkare, Michael, and Maharet be damned!  Today Josh and Pete
were married. It was a beautiful ceremony. Christov and I gave Pete
away. Louis and Daniel gave Josh away. Sadly, Lestat couldn't make the
ceremony.  Presently poor Lestat is in a coma at Saint Elizabeth's.

Brent walked down the aisle holding Tabby's hand. Everyone wore white
tuxes.  Brent caught Tabby's bouquet and the Josh's garter belt.  I hope
Brent can find a nice man to settle down with. Fingers crossed.  Tabby was
adorable tossing fist fulls of rose petals.  Ace was the ring bearer. He
was such a proud, solemn, little man,

The ceremony was held in the church's garden in the courtyard so the inside
of the church would not be sullied.  Through why the church would be
sullied by true love I do not know.

Because of the controversy of their marriage a sun walker marrying a night
walker, we all agreed the guest list should be kept to immediate family and
a few friends only.

Louis is back with Daniel.  Daniel was holding hands with Louis throughout
the ceremony.  Poor Louis.  He tried to hide his concern and worry over his
son's marriage, but he could not.  I hope the guilt and the subtle madness
in his personality will not destroy any chance Louis has for true and
lasting love with someone. I'm afraid my good friend Louis will become
cynical and heartless if he is not careful.

Trisha, Josh's sister and ex-wife, she and her lover Jesus did not show up.
Trisha missed a wonderful sight, her daughter in her white gown with her
pink slash, and wide brimmed straw hat, and her son Ace in his three piece
suit,.  Not everyone was meant to be a parent I guess.

Alex brought no one to the wedding. I do believe he didn't want to give any
of his lady friends any ideas.  Through the ceremony was touching.  It was
very ritualistic.  The same words were used which couples have used for
centuries to get married with.  There was no novelty to any of the words.
Pete and Josh read no poems, no sonnets to each other.  I have to admit for
the most part there wasn't a dry eye in the courtyard when they both said
their, I do's.

They were both so very handsome, Josh with his serious face.  I swear his
eyes were moist with happiness.  And Pete with his hair tied back, his face
so attentive while he listened to the priest's words.  They both looked so
devoted to each other. Father Jim waited for a moment to pronounce them as
partners after they said their, 'I do's.' The look of shy happiness on
their solemn faces had to be savored.

The kiss Pete and Josh exchanged was very chaste to my surprise. More
tender than passionate. As if they were overwhelmed by the ceremony and
were comforting each other.  After they left the courtyard, Josh
embarrassed Pete by lifting a laughing and very thrilled Pete off his feet,
and yelling, "Hooray!  I'm a married man!'  The kiss that followed this
enthusiastic display was very passionate indeed.

Even Christov was discretely enhanced by the moment.  He muttered an
occasional 'Mincemeats.'  There was no real malicious or scorn in him.  .
I know he wishes them both well. And a certain part of his is very proud of
Pete for sticking to his convictions to love a boy who everyone felt was
impossible for him to love.

I worry for the both of them.  They both have their insecurities. They're
both so young.  Eighteen and nineteen is so young to get married, much less
raise two children.  Pete especially gets taunted by some night wake
circles for the choice he made.  And Josh, Josh can be so impetuous and
impatient.  He's almost as bad as his stepfather Lestat through of the two
he's the much more stable personality.  I attribute this to Louis' and
Daniel's parenting. Neither one if them are perfect. That doesn't matter to
them.  It would be impossible for either one of them to love someone else.
Nights before the ceremony, Pete asked me if the love between him and Josh
justified the rejection and the harassment Tabby and Ace may have to face
in school and in vampire society.  I think it does.  I know it does.  Their
love does justify their being a family.  Things cannot change for the
better until change begins.  Not even Josh's great, great uncle Paul who
with my help faked his own death to abandon his family, and live and die a
mortal in Canada with his life long partner, Jamie, a mortal colored man,
not even Paul who was a brave man, could have envisioned himself and Jamie
raising children together. Such a thing would be unheard of in Paul's
opinion. I pray Louis never finds out I helped Paul escape the south. I
doubt if Louis would forgive me if he knew the death he grieved for never
happened at Pointe de Lac.  Paul and Jamie hid their relationship from
their neighbors who all thought Paul and Jamie were nothing more but two
conformed.  gentle and kind bachelors living together. The love Josh and
Pete have for their family will hopefully make it easier for children with
gay parents to be accepted by society in the future.  In our dark world it
will make the unions of sun walker and night walker more acceptable.
Change is often resisted by some, sometimes even violently resisted. But I
believe in the goodness of mortals, yes, even the goodness in vampires.
People will accept real love in all of its guises.  Give them enough time
and they will.

Despite everyone's happiness there was the taint of sadness to the event
which subdued our joy.  Armand's suicide Poor Louis.  The guilt Louis feels
that he could not prevent the hurt Dora caused all of us is immeasurable. I
guess Armand let himself be seduced by Dora's Christ, though why he would
feel Christ would desire his death his beyond me.  There always was such a
sadness in Armand to want to belong to someone completely.  I guess the
monk in Armand drove Armand into the light, and the light, the horrible
light of the sun was not kind, nor loving.  The light ate away at his body,
his face, as he stood there screaming, hoping that once the pain was over
he would be finally loved, not by his cynical master, Marius, or Daniel who
he rejected once too often, or any other cynical man who would only love
him for his boyish beauty.  He was hoping to be loved for who he was Armand
with all his virtues and faults by his childhood God.  The same God who
would of had Armand bury himself up to his neck with dirt when he was a boy
at the Monastery of Caves till he died a wretched, starving martyr Poor
Armand no one taught him that God loved him enough to want him to live, no
one ever gave Armand permission to be simply a happy child.  Armand seemed
fated to be locked in dark places .  I feel Louis could have really fallen
completely in love with Armand if not for the unfortunate circumstance of
Claudia's death.  None of that business was Armand's fault. According to
the law he had to kill Claudia.

Through Louis could have fallen in love with Armand with or without
Clauda's death, I doubt if Armand's cold heart would have allowed their
relationship to last long.  Armand needed a miracle, alas a miracle did not
occur soon enough to save his life. Let's hope the miracle he was looking
for in death occurred for him, and Armand is in a better place. Loved at
last.  Louis will have to realize we often times choose what and who makes
us unhappy.  I fear for Louis' life also.  I pray he doesn't harm
himself. Lasting love is so rare anymore.  Its so painful when love falls
apart between two people I do believe people for all their obsession with
romance, love stories, love songs and poetry, falling in love, and being in
love, are actually terrified of love.  The trick about love is it takes
work, hard work, you have to make it work for love to last.  You have to
realize love isn't about white horses and princes.  Love has flaws, bad
tempers, mistakes, secrets, love doesn't always behave well.  What keeps
people in love is loving the adorable toad you married once you found out
he isn't a twenty-four hour prince.  And remember you're kind of a toad
yourself.  Long as no one gets hurt, a black eye, or emotionally hurt so
badly they can't forgive anymore, then it can't work.  Besides a person
capable of hurting you with a black eye or by constantly cheating on you
couldn't possibly love you.  Cowards do such things and cowards can't love.
They cannot love even themselves much less anyone else. It takes moral
courage to love someone through richer, and poorer, sickness and health,
and moral courage to leave someone who can't live up to their vows.

As for Pete and Josh.  Pete gentles down Josh's brash personality.  Josh
brings out Pete's mature side.  It will be rough for them.  Many will not
accept their marriage.  Pete and Josh are hard workers and they both have
learned how to be brave.  I have a feeling they are going to make their
world work, and make our world a better place for it.



The end.