Title: Throw Your Soul Through Every Open Door
Rating: 13 (nothing bad, one swear)
Pairings: Annie/Mitchell, George/Nina
Summery: It's time for Mitchell to leave his friends in Wales.
Authors Note: Don't own anything but this fic. My version of how S3 may end, I have this horrible feeling this is the last we'll see of Mitchell, let's hope I'm wrong!
The train station is more or less empty. The air is static and quiet, anticipating the late afternoon rush of workers and students eager to reach home.
Home. Mitchell wasn’t to sure where home was anymore. He’d lived in so many houses, flats, beds over the years. But truly his home had once been a pink house in Bristol and for a short stint, a converted B&B in Wales. His home was with George and Annie.
This day was always going to come though. Trouble and guilt clung to his existence. It was time to leave. Herrick was on his back, having tracked him down, teasing for his return to old vampiric ways like a bag of free money. Not just the vampires, the werewolves too, angry and seeking revenge for years of horrific traditions. No rest for the wicked.
Mitchell dropped his rucksack to the ground as a teary eyed George pulled him into a bear hug. At his lowest point, George had dragged Mitchell back from the brink of darkness and blood lust, a spiral of anger and loss. His best friend reminded Mitchell what it meant to be human.
“This is your chance now George, don’t fuck it up” said Mitchell, releasing from George’s grip. George could finally begin his attempt to have a normal life. No more worries, for the time being anyway.
“I won’t, I won’t” sniffed George, removing his glasses and scrunching his fingers to his eyes.
With a pat on George’s arm, Mitchell sighed and turned to Nina, who to his surprise hugged him without a prompt. Nina is good for George, he knew for certain.
“Take care Mitchell” ordered Nina, with a nurse’s authority.
“Don’t worry about me, just look after the lil’ one” replied Mitchell, noticing a motherly glow light up Nina’s face. George and Nina were going to have a family, a healthy baby boy without the werewolf gene.
“Take care of them Nina, ok” whispered Mitchell hoarsely, stealing a glance to his two best friends.
Nina nodded stiffly and stood back to a red-eyed George, wrapping a supporting arm around his waist.
Finally, Mitchell meet the gaze of Annie, smiling sadly, arms wrapped and twisted in her grey cardigan. She looked so different now, beautiful, empowered and Mitchell marvelled at her transformation from the moment he saved her from purgatory. Annie was no longer the ghost isolated in fear of the unknown, trapped within a screaming eternity. Annie was now a woman who had survived the worst thing that could have happened and cared for the most important people in her life.
Mitchell stepped closer to Annie as she closed her eyes and rolled her head down to the side, spiralled curls of hair bouncing with the movement.
“Annie…” whispered Mitchell, voice betraying his collected stance, brushing a gloved hand across her cheek.
Annie pressed her body against his and Mitchell found himself again caught in a moment of elapsed time as he rested his head in the crook of her neck, imprinting the shape of her body to memory.
“I understand why you’re doing this…I just wish I could make you stay”, Annie’s voice was almost inaudible, smothered against his jacket, but he could hear her voice clearly, vibrating against the material.
Mitchell could not think of anything to say, mind completely blank, lips pressing against her cool cheek.
Annie twisted her head watching his face as she ushered a final “Thank you” before Mitchell pressed his lips against hers, longing for Annie to understand why he must leave. It took every inch of his being to pull back and unravel from their familiar embrace. He had to go, now, or else he’d never be able to leave.
Ruffling his unkempt hair Mitchell picked up his discarded bag, swallowed hard and with a final nod, turned and walked towards the awaiting train. He didn’t look back, he couldn’t. He could not see Annie cry into George’s embrace while George held himself together somewhat.
This is what he had to do.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
George jangled the keys into the lock of their rather odd house, deflated, sneaking a worried glance towards Annie, lost in her own thoughts. They had only been in the house for five minutes when Annie snapped out of her dream-like trance.
“George, I have to go, I know it sounds insane, but I know, I know this is what I need to do….I love him” gushed Annie, words spilling rapidly, arms flying about to emphasise her point.
George grabbed her above both elbows in attempt to avoid a swotting and called her name twice before she stopped talking.
“Go. It’s ok, go” interrupted George undeterred by the quizzical looks from both Annie and Nina.
“I don’t want to leave you two though….” stammered Annie, battling her tears once again.
“Mitchell needs you Annie. And we’ll be fine!” replied George nodding his head vigorously.
“You can pop back anytime to baby sit or, I don’t know, come to our wedding?” suggested Nina, squeezing Georges arm supportively.
“Wedding?!” squealed George in his customary manner, gaining a quiet laugh from Annie.
“I guess congratulations are in order then. And you’ll be ok?” asked Annie.
“Yes! Now come here you big lump” sighed an exhausted George, pulling Annie into a tight hug. He had his Nina and he wanted his friends to be happy.
“Well, I’ll be off then. Love you both, I’ll send you a postcard” sniffed Annie beaming a soppy smile that made George’s heart melt, “Bye”. And with a soft ‘pop’ she was gone, leaving a slight essence.
“Bye” whispered George, staring at the spot last occupied by his ghost friend. Nina kissed him lovingly and George was overcome with the sense that everything was going to be just fine.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mitchell cradled a cold cup of coffee, watching the countryside fly past the train carriage window. A blur. He felt empty, hoping to God he had made the right decision. His lips tingled still from the kiss and Mitchell banged his head against the wall in frustration.
Caught up in his own self pity, Mitchell nearly missed the slight essencey fragrance invading the compartment, the dull popping noise.
“So the thing about me is, I’m kind of for life…well afterlife” sang Annie sitting in the facing chair, smiling nervously and never removing her gaze from Mitchell’s shocked eyes.
“What are you doing here Annie? You’re not supposed to be here” said Mitchell, in what should have been a stern tone however his Cheshire grin slightly ruined the preferred effect.
“Maybe I think I deserve a holiday after everything, I’ve only been to France you know” retorted Annie slouching back onto the passenger seat.
“How, in this day and age, have you only been to France?” asked Mitchell in disbelief, receiving a casual shrug from Annie.
Mitchell pulled himself together quickly, “No seriously you can’t be here. You need to go back to George and Nina” he murmured.
“Nope” Annie disagreed, popping the ‘p’, smirking with ever growing confidence, leaning forward on the table.
“I don’t have a say on this do I?” questioned Mitchell carefully watching Annie shake her head slowly ‘no’.
With the squeeze of her hand on his arm and a swift ‘Shut up Mitchell’, he kissed her, stopping only to switch seats closer to the most important person in his life. His lips quickly found her own once again, fingers tangled in loose curls and grey fabric.
A coy smile played on his features as Mitchell asked “Really though, how have you only been to France?”.
The end :)