msmoon | LJ Idol, Season 3, Post 4

MM: Oooh k! LJ Idol time….What is this week's topic!...ehw …uh oh…The One I Love? Aughhh. I hate Valentine's Day! It affects peoples' brains.

Left Brain: Tell me about it.

Right Brain: Oh, you two are just being cynics. This could be fun!

MM: Um, Newsflash: I don't have a love.

Right Brain: That's not true! You have your parents! You love them very much! And your cousin!

Left Brain: I don't think they're referring to that type of love...Sounds more like a One true Love thingy.

Right Brain:...Did you just say 'thingy'?

Left Brain: …yes.

Right Brain: That's awesome.

MM: Ok! Can we focus here!

Left Brain: Sorry.

Right Brain: Right! So...love...but love is so many different things! You can take it to mean a bunch of things! You can use that.

MM: Eugh, I don't have the energy for this =_=

Left Brain: You really should've thought of that when you entered into this contest.

MM: You keep reminding me of that. And it's not helping the current situation. In fact it never helps any situation!

Left Brain: Indeed. Well, let's see what we can do with this. We've established that you don't want to do family members because even though you do love them, it might not be the type of love identified with this week's entry.

Right Brain: I still think it'd be cool to do your parents.

MM: Look, loving your parents is seen more as an obligation, and let's face it, my parents are much cooler than some others. I can't just say "I love my parents because they roxors my soxs!"

Right Brain:..You just did.

Left Brain: Can we focus here?

Right Brain: I love the word 'roxors'.

MM: It is fun to write and say, isn't it?

Left Brain: Helloooo? Love!

MM: I don't have a love. I mean, I love in ways, but I don't have a love.

Right Brain: Roxors!

Left Brain: Dammit, RB! Focus!

RB: Sorry…

Left Brain: It's ok. Now let's just think and get through this.

MM: …Right. Because that's worked so well before.

RB: >.>

Left Brain: I'm not sure I like your tone.

RB: I know! Let's listen to some music! That usually helps to inspire!

Left Brain: It does?

MM: Sometimes.

Left Brain: Well, anything's worth a try at this point.

RB: Yay!

****15 Minutes Later - Nickelback's streaming from the Speakers****

RB: *sings* And I'm paaaaacin' by the phone!

MM: *sings* 'Cause I haaaaate to be alone!

Left Brain: This is stupid.

RB: *sings* And you're out there with him somewhere, and just about to kiss! Lord, I wanna be the someone that you're with!

Left Brain: I just don't get it. It's not helping either.

MM: I suppose it isn't…but it is catchy. That you can't deny.

Left Brain: I would never try to.

RB: You're such a party pooper, Lefty.

Lefty: Indeed.

RB: Ok, so Nickleback isn't helping...maybe something else? Oh! I know! Rascal Flats! That always puts me in a whimsical mood!

Lefty: Just what we needed.

RB: Where do you suppose they got the name 'Nickelback' from?

Lefty: ...Who knows. It's better than 'Motivated Grass'.

MM: Hey! I liked that name!

Lefty: Only because you made it up...

MM: …well...

RB: What about listening to Skindred?

Lefty: Even I know that there is nothing loving about Skindred.

MM: Yeah…Skindred's great for writing fighting scenes though.

Lefty: That I will concede to.

RB: Hmmmm….Maybe…you should….ohhh! Your Twin's online! You could Warcraft!

MM: Yeah!

Lefty: …how does that help us? Besides…your twin is ALWAYS online.

RB: ..well, it'll relieve the stress of having to come up with something...

Lefty: Right, and she'll be MMORPGing till 11 then be way too exhausted to write. Great idea.

MM: Uh, guys?

RB: I guess…. You're such a meanie some times. It's affecting you too. You're way more wrinkly than I am.

Lefty: that's because I'm more mature than you are.

RB: *stomps foot* I am mature!

MM: Hello?

Lefty: The fact that you did that while stomping your foot is so great.

RB: Just because you're an obsessive perfectionist!

Lefty: This coming from the disjointed dreamer!

MM: I officially know what it feels like to be a prisoner of one's own mind...

RB: HA! You couldn't do a thing without me! I'm the one that's giving you ideas all the time!

Lefty: Oh please! All you can come up with is jumbled dreams. I put structure into them!

RB: Oh yeah!? Well, if you're so good at this, you do it! *stomps off*

Lefty: Fine! *stomps off*

MM: …I have a headache >.<

****20 minutes later****

RB:…..M'sorry.

Lefty: *sigh* me too...

MM: There's just nothing for it you two. Let's face it. I may love, but when it comes to having a love, I got nothing.

RB: That's not true! There's something else you could do for this week's entry!

Lefty: …dare I ask?

RB: Just write.

MM:…hmm.

Crystal smiled as she looked through the kitchen window. She'd only just noticed the sun as it began to set on the horizon. It had been a long day today...and she felt she needed one of her 'reports'.

"Calcie, honey?" she said over her shoulder as she dried her hands with a damp dish towel.

Her strawberry blond haired daughter looked up from restocking the pantry shelves. Her eldest was always quick to jump when it came to assisting. "Yes, Mamma?" she asked pushing her thick hair out of her face.

"Keep things under control in the kitchen for a while. I'm gonna go have a talk with your father."

Calcie smiled sadly her blue eyes glassing over before she nodded. "Yes, Mamma." Came the rusted reply.

Crystal took off her apron and left it on one of the nearby stools. Little Vincent and Bram ran through the hallway towards the back of the house, sweeping by her skirts as they did so.

"No running!" she reminded firmly. The seven year-old boys skidded to a halt before quickly walking, then skipping to the door, and breaking into a run as soon as they'd crossed the threshold. "Well...at least they're not running inside." She said with a grin. She passed Rhonda in the gardens. Her youngest daughter hefted little Lisa higher onto her hip.

"Where're you going, Mamma?" she asked curiously.

"Talk with your father." She said only stopping to tickle Lisa under her chin. Their newest of her babes smiled and cuddled against Rhonda in response. The toddler seemed more content to disappear into Rhonda's curtain of auburn red hair.

Rhonda nodded at her mother's words but didn't say anything, turning to walk back into the house. Crystal assumed she'd tell the others to keep things quite for a while...Running an orphanage was only a quiet business at the dead of night (if you were lucky), but her children knew that their mother only required a few minutes every few days or so to herself to 'talk to father'. Their reactions to this were varied from Calcie's sorrow to Rhonda's apathy, but at least they all understood it. Her sons were probably entertaining (or 'teaching' as Stan tried to put it) the boys. Rhonda would keep the girls entertained as well...She was the head of an orphanage, but she had really begun to think of her little orphanage as more of a family. The 'babes' as she put it, weren't just orphans...they were hers as well. It did help that her children were helping her to keep the orphanage running...each in their own way.

After a five minute walk through the wooded area that surrounded her home, Crystal finally reached the one place she could find peace. The old Alder tree stood out from the ring of Willows she had planted so long ago. It didn't seem like long, but she was reminded of the passing time every day.

"Hello, Beloved." She murmured, as she walked over and sat at the base of the Alder tree. "It feels like it's been a while, but I only just came a few days ago, didn't I?" She shook her head sighing. "Time just keeps going...I feel stuck here though." She leaned back against the trunk of the tree, relaxing. "I think I'd been trying to make time stop for a while...but I found out how fruitless that can be. You should've seen the look on my face when I walked in our Rhonda only to find she was developing breasts!" The wind swept up and the tree groaned as it swayed in the wind "I know you probably don't want to know when your baby girl's getting older, but, Love...she's more feminine than I am now, and there's no point in denying it..." she paused, looking over the sky. "The babes are doing fine. Kids are kids as usual. The only one I have to worry over is the newest one... Poor Lisa won't leave Rhonda's side. I think she's afraid of being abandoned again...It's good for Rhonda, though...She's become very detached lately…" She paused, and noticed the stillness of the woods. "She doesn't even seem to give you a second thought these days...I know she was only six when it all happened...but I'm thinking she's blocked it out so that she won't have to feel as though she's lost anything. Calcie's still a wreck about it, but all things considered, I'd say she's improving." She said with an ironic chuckle. "She just gets teary-eyed when we bring you up…no hysterics or fits of panic. The boys are good; they are your sons after all. Great pillars of strength to hold up us emotional wrecks when we need 'em to. And Py and Gypsum are the same as I told you last time. They've become too busy for me to worry about." The breeze rustled by again, straying a few strands of her hair. She smiled. "Well, maybe not. I worry...just never too sure what I should be worrying for. So, I just worry."

There was a long silence before she continued. "I miss you." She said to the darkening woods. "But, I keep going. It's what you wanted right?" The wind swept through the trees again. She nodded at the loud rustling of leaves that answered her. "You gave your life for me to live...I would dishonor you if I did not." She said almost in chorus. It was obvious she'd said that to herself often. "It would've been very easy to join you in the beginning, but now….now, I'm needed. I suppose I was needed before, what with the children being so young…but I was so swallowed up by the grief of loosing my best friend and mate..." She stopped realizing she was making unnecessary excuses. She nodded more firmly this time. She looked back to the horizon, only to find the sun long gone. "I suppose that's my all I'll allow for this time. If I stay here too long, I'll never want to leave. But you always had that affect on me." She said smiling as she rose. "Today may've been a good day to die…but tomorrow may be better. Goodnight, Beloved." She said, idly letting her hand trail across the trunk of the tree as she left. She smiled when another gust of wind caused the leaves to protest loudly. "I always could stir you up."

My love would be my characters; those that spoken to me when no one else bothered. Crystal is a veteran of my life, and I am a very big fan of hers. Her story of losing her love, and loving him still has always moved me to tears. I almost can't believe that she is mine.

I never do their stories justice when I write them out, but that doesn't diminish the passion I have for them. As it stands, this is the only love I am passionate enough about to claim.