#vic mcqueen × charlie manx

[peculiarparasol]

The Wraith's Choice Chapter 24

[allyvampirelass29]

"You're terrified of her, aren't you? Because she's stronger than you……. She's going to save your damn soul, and you don't want to be saved……"

-Vic McQueen

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[rosevanhelsing]

WHAT IF

Vic McQueen went to the garage and took his bike to go for a ride. She was disgusted, all the people who were upstairs in the room, pretending that they were sorry for the death of his grandfather when in reality they had always despised him, even Chris McQueen himself. Also, she was worried, she had recently gone over a wooden covered bridge, which was supposed to have been demolished a week ago, to find a bracelet that her mother had lost and she thought she was going crazy.

As she pedaled, she thought of that bridge and suddenly it appeared before her. Vic felt a sting in her left eye and thought:

- I want to find someone to explain this to me...

And she started to run across the bridge at full speed… practically shooting out onto a road, Vic braked, skidded and fell into the road… a huge black car slammed on the brakes and skidded to a horizontal position in front of Vic.

Two minutes before:

The Wraith's radio began to make some strong interference, Charlie knew that possibly some creative was using her powers, although the car had never made so much noise, also that she began to sound the horn

- What the hell…

Manx suddenly saw how a boy or girl was crossing the road on a bicycle just 5 meters ahead and slammed on the brakes, making the car skid and it was stopped just in time not to crush the boy.

For her part, Vic started to get up a little dazed from the fall and the shock of having almost been run over.

- Holy Virgin! But what were you doing crossing the road without looking, girl? You could have been run over.

Vic turned her head and looked at the man who had spoken to her. A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes, with a few grays at the temples. He was wearing pants and a dark coat, as well as gloves and a chauffeur's cap, even though it was almost June and hot. However, he seemed kind and attentive and had a look of genuine concern on his face, so she accepted his outstretched hand to help her up. Charlie turned and saw a huge covered bridge on the side of the road and he understood everything. The girl was a creative one, a very powerful one, but she surely didn't understand her powers and she was disoriented.

- Are you okay, little girl? Charlie said.

- Yes sir. Sorry for the scare I gave you.

- It's okay, pretty. And my name is Charlie Manx, dear

 Vic suddenly complained with an “ouch” due to a scraped knee.

- Poor thing, you're hurt... Come, lean on the car, I think I have a first-aid kit...

- No, you don't have to...

Charlie made Vic sit on the hood of the Rolls, pushing her gently but firmly and went to get a small box from the glove compartment of the car.

- Well, Vic McQueen, I suppose you want to know how it is that you can make a bridge appear from nowhere...

Vic's eyes widened in surprise and she said:

- How do you know my name?

- I know a lot of things… Like that your father calls you “Brat”, that you want to be a painter and that you also draw very well, right? …

- Illustrator… Vic corrected him. - I just want to know if I'm crazy.

- You're not crazy, little one. You are just very creative. That is why you must also have a knack for drawing. Charlie said as he reached down and gently placed an alcohol-soaked handkerchief on Vic's knee.

Vic stoically endured the sting of the alcohol and said:

- Because I?

- I don't know, daughter. We just had to be like this...

- Are you like me? - Vic said surprised - Can you also find things or people?

Charlie smiled to herself; the girl had told him her powers without realizing it.

-Not pretty. You see… With this very special car I can access a place called Christmasland. It is a place where I take children to keep them safe from their parents… It is an amusement park, full of rides, trinkets and gifts… Every day there is Christmas and every night Christmas Eve

-Well, what a pain to always celebrate the same thing... she escaped Vic

Charlie looked at her surprised and seemed even disgusted. Vic regretted having been so loud, apparently, she had hurt that man's feelings and she hadn't done him any good. Vic began to be afraid and she didn't know why. She wasn't sure if it was the black-as-night car she was leaning on and that she saw full of gifts in the back seats, suspiciously things that she had wanted to be given..., or Charlie that, despite his kindness, there was something sinister about him. like the pointed teeth and long fingernails… he looked a bit like a vampire and she didn't understand how someone like that went unnoticed.

- And how can we do that?  she said trying to divert the subject and learn more

-The fact that?

- I find things and you go to Christmasland.

- Ah, well, because we all use something that we really like to do that. Christmasland is in my head and when I have someone in my car, the Wraith, then I can access the San Nicolas highway, the road to Christmasland. Tell me, what do you want most in this world, and I mean an object, not a person or a pet...

Vic was hesitant to tell him, but thought it best to clear up her doubts and said,

- I think my bike.

-Good. And can you get over that bridge without your bike?

- No. But you don't understand. That bridge shouldn't exist. I mean, it used to exist, but they knocked it down, but I keep going...

- I know, dear, you have that bridge in your mind and when you take the bike it is as if you took it out of your head into the real world, you use it as a knife. It's complicated, believe me. It's like magic.

- Do they always have to be vehicles? I have my bike and you have a car.

- No. It can be anything, as long as you like it a lot.

Vic nodded, her head and left eye hurt terribly, and she said:

- I'd better go home. I feel a little sick.

- That must be from using the bridge. -Manx said, grabbing her gently by the shoulders and looking into her eyes- This gift gives you powers, but it takes something away from you. That's why there are so few of us, and some burn out before they reach their potential. And you, Victoria McQueen, have a lot, a lot of potential. It would be a shame if you lost it, but I can teach you how to avoid it… You need a teacher and I could be that teacher.

Vic hesitated, for a moment, it was so tempting the idea of ​​a place where she could do whatever she wanted, without being judged and now she could take advantage of her powers…perhaps helping Mr. Manx find other children with her bridge… Vic shook her head as if that way he could get rid of that idea and said:

- I prefer to tell my parents. They will know what to do and help me.

- You know perfectly well that they won't believe you, Vic...

Vic yanked free, quickly jumped on her bike and ran out of there. Charlie didn't follow her; he already knew where to find her. Without Vic realizing it he had given her one of his candy canes and he was sure that when she found out she wouldn't throw it away. However, the Wraith's engine roared with a frustrated growl, sounding like a dog being removed the bone.

- Calm down, my friend, Charlie said, stroking the long hood of the Wraith- Vic McQueen will end up in Christmasland.

[wraith-of-christmas-future]

Feeling a little under the weather the past couple of days, so my intention of popping out replies left and right has become stalled regrettably.  Not certain if it was food poisoning or a bug going around. Only that it lingered far longer than it should have.      

       On other notes .. this line in particular has me speculating on Charlie’s relationship dives. “ I'll admit Vic McQueen has stoked a fire I've long struggled to keep dormant. “ This love at first sight with the “ I must make her mine “ in tow. It’s adorable as it is sad.

I’m sure there may have been less of a denial with Jolene July, cause he was fresh off his own 1940s death bed. Considerably young with his developments under that periodic innocence. Remnants of his human life. Yet the fault remains the same in the end. What little love he had been shown with Cassandra , his first wife - especially in the beginning. Developed into a drug for him, so when she took it away , the relationship was no better than what he had with his own mother. Churning into resenting his very existence. Banishing him outside because she refused to give him proper affection.

Parallel to Cassandra banishing him to work himself to death to appease her needs. Their children were no different, often put to work too, where the line from Charlie’s youth resurfaced on the lips of his wife and attached itself to his darling daughter (s) with such ugly scorn. Robbing her of her youth.  He had become the burden of both mother and wife.        When Jolene takes that route upon refusing the ring, Charlie in his rejection associated it with his past rejections which often turned to violence. That it was the violence that accompanies which he was growing to crave. Germinating into a full fledged trauma at that point. He buries more trauma than he should and it eventually suffocates him without him fully comprehending in it doing so. That in the end it all narrows down to his inscape. That according to these rejections, he is nothing without it. Thus why it eventually becomes an attractive quirk as wealth would be for some. Which prompts him to show the next woman of interest his inscape before popping the question that would tie them. Though having gotten away from the point I was trying to make; his denial to keep such desire at bay is not because he shuns the affection or the qualified perversion in which it could conjure. Or the distraction it could merit, cause the man yearns for touch.  But deep down he fears the hurt that would be inevitable, a hurt that reopens a wound he had allowed to scab and scar for a time. A hurt he eventually can not differentiate. An emotional stain that is often taxed under the wall of rage.

Yet with Victoria McQueen it was becoming more like an expectancy , that maybe this was how it was suppose to be. With love comes pain. Conjuring such a thrill. With pleasure births violence. Allowing her to play hard to get with what the mundane would dub down right abusive. Yet Charles Talent Manx was never normal, not even when he had been human.

It’s a chase that he thirsts after in more ways than one, especially now that his more predatory traits have become a dominant role. His children needing a mother would ferry an excuse that was in fact true, but often not the triggering factor which would cause him to leap. Judging by some quotes of his in the book insinuating Charlie holding a very high libido. A man has needs and his has been denied for far too long that he has become touch starved.

[amazingdvils]

@wraith-of-christmas-future asked:

An obdurate air conceived the thought aloud, ".. abandon  thought  and  let  the  dream  descend . " Lips once taught with restraint now bloomed with smug accretion, tipping the prospect with razor teeth quite suggestive of their intended nature. Obsidian hues pinning to extract her utmost attention. [ I think you already know for who. Couldn't pass up the Phantom memes. No matter how hard I tried to resist. ]

The last seventy two hours had been fraught with one bad thing after another, leaving Vic McQueen beyond anxious and without any impending sign of sleep. She was at the point where she felt like clawing her own skin off while screaming angrily at the heavens just to free herself from it all. Although she chose to refrain from actually doing it, the thought was becoming more and more tempting with each passing hour. Her clothes felt like agony against her flesh and every sound felt magnified to an unbelievable degree. She supposed that her therapist would call this being ‘overstimulated,’ but she just preferred to call it her own living hell.

Charlie’s sudden voice pulled a groan from her lips, her fingers reflexively tightening around the handle of the knife that she’d been using to cut up the tomato for her lunch. Wayne had called a few moments previously to remind her to eat, something that had escaped her mind until he said something. “I really hope that you’re not referring to yourself as a dream, Manx. You’re a goddamn nightmare that I can’t fuckin’ escape.” Her voice was sharp, harsh to even her own ears. 

The tonality of it caused her to visibly grimace and she took a deep breath, carefully laying the knife down and putting both palms flat on the countertop. She hung her head, her limp curls forming a curtain around her slightly too pale face. “That was…Look, you’ve just…you’ve chosen a really, really bad time to show up. I haven’t slept in over forty eight hours, Lou’s in the hospital because of a pretty bad car crash, and most of my meds have run out. I have to run up to the pharmacy in Boulder to pick ‘em up and that’s impossible because Maggie’s out of town and Wayne’s staying with Lou. I’m just…I’m really on edge right now.” That was as close to an apology as she was willing or able to give at that moment.

The Brat lifted her hands to press the bridge of her nose and it was only then that she realized that she was trembling. She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair, pushing it out of her face and trying to hide how close to falling apart she was. “If you’ve just come here to fuck, you’ve chosen a horrible time. Sorry to disappoint.” The edge was gone from her voice, leaving behind something that sounded hollow and exhausted.

She hated it. She hated how vulnerable she felt and she hated how Manx had chosen right now to show up and be a menace. She hated showing him, of all people, how close she was to absolutely shattering. Vic was barely holding it together and he was the last person that she wanted to witness what would happen when her strength gave out.

[railroad-spike]

ɴᴏs4ᴀ2

[adadaveed]

[c-bylle-a]

i saw a naked mole rat today and my first thought was elderly charlie manx 🤧

[victoriafreakingmcqueen]

I realize there are like 10 of us in the whole NOS4A2 fandom, but at least we all support each other. 

[catsxhorrorxneverythingnbetween]

AMC was running a Nos4a2 marathon late at night this week and it only made me realize how much I miss it and Charlie Manx 😭😭😭

[peculiarparasol]

The Wraith's Choice : Chapter 23

A very belated Christmas gift as I get this story back on a roll!

[allyvampirelass29]

"Here begins the land of phantoms..........."

- Nosferatu (1922)

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

Epilogue

3 years later:

Vic slept peacefully in the hospital after giving birth to the daughter she had had with Lou. Vic had named her Margaret in honor of Maggie Leigh and had not given in, again, to Lou's claims to give the girl a geek name.

Just before midnight, a tall and dark shadow crept into Vic's room. Charlie Manx glanced briefly at Vic, then went to her crib. That baby was, for Manx, a new obstacle between him and Vic and he felt an evil and dark desire to kill the baby to cause Vic to separate from Lou. But when Charlie unwrapped the baby a little to choke her, the baby grabbed Charlie's finger, he became paralyzed and felt unable to hurt her, he had reminded him so much of Millie as a newborn when the nurse first put her in his arms ... and also when she had touched him he noticed something special about her.

Then Vic woke up suddenly because of the cold in the room and because the television in the room had suddenly turned on with static, then she saw the dark, tall and thin figure that was next to Maggie's crib. The shadow that loomed over the baby was terribly like Nosferatu's shadow. Vic jumped out of bed and moved as fast as she could to the crib, wincing from the cesarean section, scooped up her daughter and looked defiantly at Manx like a lioness protecting her cub from him.

- Don't you dare lay your hand on my daughter, Charlie, or I'll kill you!  I swear to God! - Vic threatened

- Don't use God's name in vain, Vic ... - Manx's soft voice said. - And do you think I am capable of hurting a baby? What kind of monster do you think I am?

Manx stared at her, now that Vic was the perfect mother to the children of Christmasland and everything he wanted in a woman… he couldn't have her for him.

-What are you doing here? - Vic said suspiciously and backing up to the bed where she sat with her daughter in her arms

- I wanted to make you a courtesy visit ... the truth is that, even if you don't like it, you and I still have a certain mental bond and I knew that you had been a mother again. Where is Carmody?

-Resting at home. Lou has been present at the birth and has been so excited that he has passed out

Charlie couldn't help it and laughed out loud, Vic reproached him with her look. Manx leaned a little closer and said:

- Well, as I said, I came to see you out of courtesy and to bring you a couple of gifts ...

 Vic looked at him skeptically. Charlie sat in an armchair near the bed and showed Vic a takeout package:

- I thought you would be hungry. Hospital food sucks, right? And you need to regain strength ... And this is for the little girl- he said, handing Vic an envelope with a card from a childcare store along with a Christmas greeting.

Vic took the gifts, murmured a polite thank you, and said:

- Come on, Charlie, confess. We know each other too well. What have you really come for? I don't believe you just came out of courtesy.

Charlie chuckled and said:

- The truth is that it was a pure courtesy visit. but since I'm here, I would like to ask you something ...

Vic frowned and Charlie continued as he sat next to her on the bed.

- If you remember well when we fought with the Wendigo, you asked me if something happened to you and Carmody to protect Wayne ...

- Yes ... but now there is nothing that threatens us, so I release you from your promise ... if that is what you want.

- By God, no. I'd be happy to take care of Wayne and your little girl too, just in case something happens to you… Actually, I wanted to ask you to let me be your daughter's godfather. I have also perceived that it is special ...

-What?! Is Maggie a creative soul like you and me?

- So you named them after Miss Leigh. I imagine that you should have done it to honor her and remember her ... and answering your question, I'm pretty sure she is not a creative soul, but she does have a gift. Do you remember I told you that there were people with a gift called The Shining?

-Yes.

- Well, I think she has it. And very powerful too. You don't have to tell me anything now, but consider it, I'll know your answer.

 Charlie got up and got ready to leave and before walking out the door he said:

-If it turns out that she has that gift, make sure that she never crosses the True Knot. Especially with her leader, Rose The Hat

-Who are they?

-The empty demons… And I'm not kidding, Vic. If they found her, they would kill her and absorb her power…

Charlie left the room, went down to the parking lot, and noticed Vic watching him from above. He raised an arm to say goodbye and got into the car.

- Has exactly what I told you happened, right?" Said the Wraith in Charlie's mind. "I warned you, she will never be yours." Her heart belongs to another man and her children. You better face it and move on.

-Shut. She is meant for me. I know. Fate will deliver her to me one way or another. And that girl may she be the middle

- Won’t  you pretend to do the same thing you did with her other son?"

- No ... I want her to love me and not to hate me but I have a feeling that this girl will help me fulfill that wish ...

[wraith-of-christmas-future]

When you catch a few NOS4A2 reruns on AMC tonight and it rekindles what flame that grew dim the past couple of months due to real life stress.  When it flares that deeply rooted ship between Charlie and Victoria despite it’s toxicity. The need once again rising at a all time high. Completely consuming my thoughts. You weep that there isn’t enough fanfiction out there that ship the two. That no matter how much you crave the fluff during Charlie’s calmer and better half, you also want the sadistic nature that lurks beneath which manifests subtly as this perfect stereotype for vampiric romance : The possession, the horror and gore that could run rampant. You curse yourself for not playing the more monstrous Charlie more often, like what we get glimpses of in season 2 of the television show, with his mind unhinged. That despite favoring the Charlie in season one before his first demise - the one that seems closer to book in my personal opinion.  You still love and adore his transcending sinister nature that corrupts him during the second season and wish to explore it more often than not. Honestly, there are quite a few things I regret that I had not turned to in some of my threads. I keep saying I want more gore, obscene horror and visceral elements that withstand in the plot’s roots.  But I also desire that gothic romance that is so deliberately under toned it leaves you wantoned within it’s wake. Or at least the small fragments we get wind of in both novel and show. Ah, when not many people ship your OTP .. the struggles you endure. Lmao !

[amazingdvils]

starter for @wraith-of-christmas-future It was a quiet, peaceful night for Vic McQueen, something that had become a little rarer over the last few months. She sipped her tea as lightning danced across the inky black sky, a low hum of content sounding from the back of her throat as thunder rumbled in the distance. She cherished nights like these, especially when her pain levels were low and her mind was calm. She enjoyed the sense of solitude that had settled over her, knowing that the few people in her life that she cared for were safe in their own pursuits. Even Charlie was out of town and out of her hair for some errand or another, although she wasn’t sure where or what. She found it better for her own peace of mind to just not ask.

She was dozing off when the click of the back door opening jerked her awake. Eyebrows furrowed as she listened, muscles knotting in sudden fear. Had she forgotten to lock the back door again? Her mind quickly went over the logical people that it could be. Maggie was off with her girlfriend on a date night. Wayne and Lou were out of town for a much needed guys trip. And she knew that it wasn’t Charlie because she would have heard the hum of the Wraith’s engine pulling into her driveway, a sound that she’d become intimately familiar with over the last few months.

A shaking hand reached for her cane as she slowly got to her feet, heart pounding. “Who’s there?” she called out, hand tightening around the head of the cane. She could dimly hear low voices, male sounding, but couldn’t make out the words. 

With a sickening jolt, she realized that she was outnumbered. If she was younger, if she wasn’t so damaged from her showdowns with Manx, she would have been more willing to stand her ground and fight. But she knew that if she tried, she would be overpowered quickly. It was no secret to those in town that her leg barely worked, that she was half blind, that she was a lot weaker than most. She was an easier target than she used to be. Fuck.

The Brat tried to ignore the panic that was attempting to well up, quietly turning to try to leave her house from the front door. She could hear Lou’s voice in the back of her mind reminding her that objects were replaceable, but she wasn’t. There was no reason to try and fight back if escape was an option. Besides, she was absolutely sick of hospitals at this point. 

She’d only gotten a few feet of the front door before it burst open and two men dressed in all black with their faces concealed came bursting in, causing her to skitter back. Apparently, Vic had forgotten to lock that door as well. Motherfucker. She screamed, turning to run down the hall. If she could reach her bedroom, she could bar the door long enough to climb out of the window and hide outside long enough for them to leave. 

Her cane was suddenly kicked out from beneath her as she tried to run, causing her to shriek in surprise as she stumbled forward. Vic fell, face slamming into the corner of the wall at the entrance of the hallway. Pain filled her skull and her vision exploded into sparks and stars. The taste of blood and terror filled her mouth as she felt a hand grab her hair and yank it up, pulling a yelp from her. 

“Poor little Victoria McQueen,” sneered a male voice in her ear. “Children’s author, kidnap survivor, crazier than a shit house rat. But hey, even crazy fucks have valuables. Now tell me, where’s yours?”

Despite her terror, the Brat gritted her teeth in defiance. “Go fuck yourself,” she spat. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that it hurt. All she could think of was Wayne and that she would never get to see him graduate high school. She’d never get to see him go to college or, eventually, have a family. She’d never get to have another summer barbecue at the lake with Wayne and Lou and Maggie. Hell, she even felt absolutely heartbroken over the fact that she would never again get to hear Charlie’s voice purring her name in her ear or feel herself get lulled to sleep with her head on his shoulder.

Charlie. Instantly, an idea occurred to her. Some sort of mental bond had been forged between the two of them due to the time that he spent haunting her. The bastard used it to his advantage all the time, often figuring out things that she’d much rather he didn’t have the power to know. But could she use it to her advantage now? Could she somehow reach out to him via this link? Would it work? Hell, even if it did work, was he in a place where he could reach her in time?

Excruciating pain suddenly exploded through her bad leg as a knee was pressed into her, interrupting her line of thought. She screamed and felt another person slap her so hard that she saw stars once again. “I’m not here to play games, bitch. If you want to get out of this alive, tell me where you hide your fuckin’ valuables.”

“I don’t have anything valuable, you dumb fuck,” she snarled. Inwardly, she reached out for whatever tether that tied her and Charlie together and tried to yank on it. Hard. Help! Help! Goddamn it, Manx! HELP ME!

Her face was slammed into the wooden floor before more pressure was put on her bad leg. The pain was so bad that she couldn’t think or even scream. She just groaned, eyes closing as the tears fell, silently screaming for the one figure who even had a chance at helping her. Please, please work. Please, Charlie.

[ha-ha-problemtic-shit-go-brrr]

Hi! Could I ask for a Vic McQueen/Charlie Manx moodboard, from "NOS4A2"? Thank you so much! 😊

Thanks for requesting and introducing me to NOS4A2!

(REQUESTS OPEN)