Hope for a Champion (AU,M/M,ADULT) - Chapter 6C - 10/8 [WIP]
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:12 am
Hope for a Champion
By Erin (aka LuckyMiss)
Thanks for the banner, Never Knows Best!
Summary: A stable girl and horse trainer are each faced with several obstacles, including rocky relationships, scandal and foul play, on their road to becoming stars in the horse racing world. Will they overcome them to become champions?
Disclaimer: If I owned 'Roswell,' would I be writing fan fiction?
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: None! This is completely and totally AU. The initial idea is based off the Thoroughbred book series, written by Joanna Campbell, though I’ve altered everything else.
Author's Note: This was a story I started a long time ago and never finished. I looked for it everywhere online to see if I could restart or rewrite it, but I had no luck. And then I stumbled upon a disc from 2003 entitled ‘Writing’ and found all of my old Roswell fics. So this, at the bones, is my original story, but it has been updated. Because, let’s be honest, a lot of things have changed in the last 10 years… and I’ve grown up a lot, and it shows in my writing. So, for those of y’all who read this in the beginning, I promise it’s going to be a little different. And if you’re still around from 2003, kudos. And let’s celebrate because we have been around for a while!
I've been posting this story at CID for almost a year now. However, I've wanted to share it with y'all for a long while and am finally making the move on it. So here's the deal: the story is M&M-centric, but there are other CC couples thrown in and who play roles in moving the story along. I'll be posting parts weekly (more than likely on Mondays or Tuesdays), unless otherwise noted for holidays.
I hope y'all enjoy this!
* * * * *
Whenever she would walk into the barn, she felt as though she had gone to heaven. She had loved horses since she was a child, assisting her father in his small training operation when she was old enough to walk the powerful Thoroughbreds to and from the track. Those days were over now, though, and she was lucky to be where she was today.
The scents of the horses and the freshly polished leather were intoxicating, and she craved visiting the stable at all hours because of that. It reminded her of her childhood; of her blissful innocence. It felt like home, and to this day, provided a safe space for her. And words could not describe her feelings when she was around the powerful animals she adored and worked with every day.
Maybe that was the reason why she became a stable girl. She went by many names: a groom, a caretaker who helped raise the horse and made him shine, literally, but the end result was always the same, and she never received any credit for her hours of hard work. Every morning, she arose at 4 a.m. and was at work by 5, grooming and feeding numerous Thoroughbreds around the stable and preparing them for their daily routines, which usually included a workout for the younger horses and plenty of pasture time for the retired animals. She did not get a break from her work until 8 a.m., when she trekked into town for classes at the local university.
She wasn’t complaining, though. She lived and breathed horses, and it was more than she could have ever asked, especially given her past.
If those little truths about her job weren’t the deciding factors, they definitely added into her decision of coming to work here.
She loved her employer, who happened to be one of her best friends and a rising star in the professional horse racing world. Liz Parker was simply amazing with people and horses, and she had grown close to the older girl throughout the years, initially bonding over horses.
Liz was only a few years older than she but had so much more experience. Liz grew up on a horse farm in the Bluegrass State and had learned most, if not all, of the skills she possessed at her childhood home. Her father, Jeff Parker, was a big name among horse breeders in Kentucky, and her mother, Nancy, trained several of the foals Jeff bred. Because of this, Liz had the real world skills necessary to make it in the industry. And, more importantly, she didn’t have to start her climb from the very bottom rung of the ladder by becoming a stable girl at some corporate racing stable.
Maria met Liz in high school when they were both bright-eyed and bushy tailed. They were fast friends, even though Maria was a freshman, and Liz was a senior. They had attended the same college, and as soon as Liz graduated, she made her debut on the world stage with a bang, sweeping several races with one of her father’s horses who she trained. Unbeknownst to the racing world, Liz picked up several tips and tricks from her mother during her formative years, and she had been tapped by her parents to slowly take over their breeding and training operation, as both desired to retire sometime in the near future.
Shortly after Liz’s debut, she had earned enough money to build her own training facilities, which she fittingly named Daydream Acres. Liz’s entire job and success seemed like a daydream. When Daydream Acres had opened its doors three years ago, thanks largely in part to Liz’s parents moving their racing and breeding stock to Daydream and Liz’s continued success, Maria frequently visited, thrilled for her closest friend and slightly jealous of her success in the industry Maria was dying to be a part of. Liz offered her a job almost immediately; a job where she could live on the farm and commute to school whenever she had class. Maria had jumped on the opportunity without a second thought, much to her mother’s dismay.
Maria relished her days at Daydream, spending as much time as she could with Liz and soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
Life was great for Maria DeLuca. She loved her job, and she loved most of the people around her.
But sometimes, she wanted more from life than just being a stable girl. Sure, she had the opportunity to lead great racehorses out to the track, as well as groom and feed them, but she never played a role in the planning of the race or anything else except the polishing of the athlete. She didn’t want to be an ordinary helper for the rest of her life. She wanted something more than her current job could ever offer her.
She wanted to be a star, too. Not just the person behind the scenes who played a single role in the horse's life. It wasn’t that her job was unimportant — because it was — but she wanted more than it could be.
She knew where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do. It was just a matter of her pursuing that dream no matter what and pushing through the uncertainty and fear that accompanied it. Sure, she could follow Liz's footsteps any day with ease, especially since Liz had expressed interest in Maria learning more about training, but she had a completely different dream, one that was all her own.
She wanted to become a jockey — the person who rode the horse to victory; the person who risked her life to ride like the wind; the person who worked relentlessly to ride in the most prestigious race in the entire world that was merely a mile and a quarter long, a two minute sprint around a track to glory. She wanted that more than anything else in the world.
And she loved it, despite the risks she would have to take to achieve her goal.
By Erin (aka LuckyMiss)
Thanks for the banner, Never Knows Best!
Disclaimer: If I owned 'Roswell,' would I be writing fan fiction?
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: None! This is completely and totally AU. The initial idea is based off the Thoroughbred book series, written by Joanna Campbell, though I’ve altered everything else.
Author's Note: This was a story I started a long time ago and never finished. I looked for it everywhere online to see if I could restart or rewrite it, but I had no luck. And then I stumbled upon a disc from 2003 entitled ‘Writing’ and found all of my old Roswell fics. So this, at the bones, is my original story, but it has been updated. Because, let’s be honest, a lot of things have changed in the last 10 years… and I’ve grown up a lot, and it shows in my writing. So, for those of y’all who read this in the beginning, I promise it’s going to be a little different. And if you’re still around from 2003, kudos. And let’s celebrate because we have been around for a while!
I've been posting this story at CID for almost a year now. However, I've wanted to share it with y'all for a long while and am finally making the move on it. So here's the deal: the story is M&M-centric, but there are other CC couples thrown in and who play roles in moving the story along. I'll be posting parts weekly (more than likely on Mondays or Tuesdays), unless otherwise noted for holidays.
I hope y'all enjoy this!
* * * * *
Prologue
She loved the smell of the stable.Whenever she would walk into the barn, she felt as though she had gone to heaven. She had loved horses since she was a child, assisting her father in his small training operation when she was old enough to walk the powerful Thoroughbreds to and from the track. Those days were over now, though, and she was lucky to be where she was today.
The scents of the horses and the freshly polished leather were intoxicating, and she craved visiting the stable at all hours because of that. It reminded her of her childhood; of her blissful innocence. It felt like home, and to this day, provided a safe space for her. And words could not describe her feelings when she was around the powerful animals she adored and worked with every day.
Maybe that was the reason why she became a stable girl. She went by many names: a groom, a caretaker who helped raise the horse and made him shine, literally, but the end result was always the same, and she never received any credit for her hours of hard work. Every morning, she arose at 4 a.m. and was at work by 5, grooming and feeding numerous Thoroughbreds around the stable and preparing them for their daily routines, which usually included a workout for the younger horses and plenty of pasture time for the retired animals. She did not get a break from her work until 8 a.m., when she trekked into town for classes at the local university.
She wasn’t complaining, though. She lived and breathed horses, and it was more than she could have ever asked, especially given her past.
If those little truths about her job weren’t the deciding factors, they definitely added into her decision of coming to work here.
She loved her employer, who happened to be one of her best friends and a rising star in the professional horse racing world. Liz Parker was simply amazing with people and horses, and she had grown close to the older girl throughout the years, initially bonding over horses.
Liz was only a few years older than she but had so much more experience. Liz grew up on a horse farm in the Bluegrass State and had learned most, if not all, of the skills she possessed at her childhood home. Her father, Jeff Parker, was a big name among horse breeders in Kentucky, and her mother, Nancy, trained several of the foals Jeff bred. Because of this, Liz had the real world skills necessary to make it in the industry. And, more importantly, she didn’t have to start her climb from the very bottom rung of the ladder by becoming a stable girl at some corporate racing stable.
Maria met Liz in high school when they were both bright-eyed and bushy tailed. They were fast friends, even though Maria was a freshman, and Liz was a senior. They had attended the same college, and as soon as Liz graduated, she made her debut on the world stage with a bang, sweeping several races with one of her father’s horses who she trained. Unbeknownst to the racing world, Liz picked up several tips and tricks from her mother during her formative years, and she had been tapped by her parents to slowly take over their breeding and training operation, as both desired to retire sometime in the near future.
Shortly after Liz’s debut, she had earned enough money to build her own training facilities, which she fittingly named Daydream Acres. Liz’s entire job and success seemed like a daydream. When Daydream Acres had opened its doors three years ago, thanks largely in part to Liz’s parents moving their racing and breeding stock to Daydream and Liz’s continued success, Maria frequently visited, thrilled for her closest friend and slightly jealous of her success in the industry Maria was dying to be a part of. Liz offered her a job almost immediately; a job where she could live on the farm and commute to school whenever she had class. Maria had jumped on the opportunity without a second thought, much to her mother’s dismay.
Maria relished her days at Daydream, spending as much time as she could with Liz and soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
Life was great for Maria DeLuca. She loved her job, and she loved most of the people around her.
But sometimes, she wanted more from life than just being a stable girl. Sure, she had the opportunity to lead great racehorses out to the track, as well as groom and feed them, but she never played a role in the planning of the race or anything else except the polishing of the athlete. She didn’t want to be an ordinary helper for the rest of her life. She wanted something more than her current job could ever offer her.
She wanted to be a star, too. Not just the person behind the scenes who played a single role in the horse's life. It wasn’t that her job was unimportant — because it was — but she wanted more than it could be.
She knew where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do. It was just a matter of her pursuing that dream no matter what and pushing through the uncertainty and fear that accompanied it. Sure, she could follow Liz's footsteps any day with ease, especially since Liz had expressed interest in Maria learning more about training, but she had a completely different dream, one that was all her own.
She wanted to become a jockey — the person who rode the horse to victory; the person who risked her life to ride like the wind; the person who worked relentlessly to ride in the most prestigious race in the entire world that was merely a mile and a quarter long, a two minute sprint around a track to glory. She wanted that more than anything else in the world.
And she loved it, despite the risks she would have to take to achieve her goal.