The Ancient Runes to His Slavic Heart

Judgment Beyond Redemption

The Next Chapter is here!

Alexandre stood in court, clearly nervous because of what Maria was going to present. He tried to mock her evidence saying she had provoked him, and she could not believe his gall, here he was still trying to defend his position, how petty could he possibly be? This man was either incredibly stupid or stubborn. Of course, after the judge examined the evidence, he was more than convinced that this man held a vendetta against Maria.

The problem was proving that Jack was guilty of the deaths of the others without unreasonable doubt. Even though the two surviving girls had confessed, there was still no hard evidence. Alexandre had moved all of his contacts and influence to ensure that his son had the best defense and ensured that everyone noted that Maria had signed her guilt unequivocally under the document that Jack so pompously presented.

What no one counted on, however, was that one of the girls had, while she still had the battery on her cell recorded Jack as he had begun to attack a victim, she had thought the video had been lost as her battery had died. She had lost her cell only to find it later once they got out near the entrance, but she had waited for this moment. Jack's face was priceless as the audio was apparent, and though it had to be cross-examined, it was enough to press charges on top of the testimonies given by the girls to confine him in jail for life.

The families would have it no other way, and though Alexandre pleaded that his son was insane, the judge could sense that at this point, he was grasping at straws. On top of that, the video of Alexandre stalking and attacking Maria was all the judge needed to press charges and lock him up as well, at least for a while until his past criminal history was revealed. Maria was sure they would find more, she was so hurt to think she had been in love with that man for so long, that she was blinded by him, thinking he was a saint, ha! She had been a fool, and now even if it was not her fault and her license had been given back to her, it would take some time for her to want to work again. She felt as if she should have been more careful.

Of course, she knew that her friends would not let her get down, and Ville, Oh precious Ville, he was there the whole time, and he promised to cheer her up as much as she could. Alexi and Angel made her swear she would attend Angel's first official race, and Maria, despite the pain despite the bitterness in her heart, could not wait for that day. The days ahead were hard for Maria. She had to attend funerals for her interns and spend time with her supervisors; it was all gritty paperwork, but it had to be done. She went about in a daze, not wanting contact with anyone, she wanted to meditate on what had happened, and it was driving Ville, Alexi, and Angel crazy, but they wanted her to have her space. She also dreaded hiring a new helper, since dear Emilia had been lost with the others, not hearing her voice was painful as she tried to make sense of it all.

Ville worried he knew she needed time off, but she was doing it again, drowning herself in her work, and he was going crazy. Angel tried to cheer her up, and Maria was pumped to see her at the race; at least that was something. Still, even Alexi could tell that Maria's eyes looked empty. She still felt guilty over what had happened, and it was draining her. He decided to call Ville.

"You mean," Ville said as Alexi sat at a coffee shop nearby Alexi's house. "I mean we'll get her away from here for a while, she needs time with you to process all of this, but also something to reignite her passion for history the way I am working with Angel to help her get back into racing, remember what your song says "The Circle of Fear" you can't be there to support her morally, you need time alone with her to reconnect and help her get back on her feet man," Alexi said hoping he was not overstepping his boundaries. 

"I suppose, but I don't want to upset her....what if I make things worse? She has not been accepting my invitations lately. After the funerals, it got worse and worse she won't take time even to rest a bit, it's eating her up," Ville said, sorrow in his green eyes. "Is there something special you can think of doing for her? Just you and her, no one else," Alexi said. Ville's eyes lit up " Well, I could take her to my tower, I had promised to show her we could spend some time alone there, talk, you know," Ville said. "It may not sound like much to many, but I am sure it would mean the world to her; maybe it will get those little gears of her historic heart beating again," Alexi said, grinning, and Ville smiled perhaps he was right.

Days later, Ville had managed to convince Allie to help him convince Maria to come with him."I know something that will cheer you up," Ville said, noticing that she had lost a lot of weight these past days, "What is it....listen...I," Maria said, looking crestfallen "No excuses. I asked your supervisor, and we have a couple of weeks off for you now, so I am taking you as my prisoner," Ville said, grinning. Maria could not help but smile at his cute disposition, "As you wish, Mr. Valo, but you better not be plotting to lock me up somewhere," Maria said, "I would if I could," Ville said, making her blush.

On the other side of Finland, Angel was happily talking with Alexi. "I think that is the best Idea. We have to make sure my dear friend is happy in time for our race, those two need to be happy," Angel said, "They will be baby, I know it," Alexi said, holding his girl close. Just like Maria, Angel had hesitated at times to practice, but little by little, he had inspired her to rediscover the love of the wind on her face and the dirt on her cheeks even as they raced down the track together on a motorcycle. At times Angel had panic attacks, but it was Alexi that brought her down, reassuring her that she was stronger than she thought and that this was her passion even if she tried to deny it.

Thanks if you are here

Thanks for lending me Angel WildChildMary