Having participated in rarewomen (and got my story, "Cliffs of Fall" in with fifteen minutes to spare!), I found it immensely frustrating that the reveal didn't come for almost a week. Of course, I totally understood why this was done: there were pinch hits still outstanding; and naturally the mod wanted all recipients to get their stories simultaneously.

Because of the delay, I'd thought I might add a treat or two; but, in the end, I found myself extremely busy last week with another project—of which more elsewhere, because this post is about rarewomen. So I just posted the icons I'd been saving for less frequent female Forever Knight characters...and waited for the reveal.

Which produced an absolutely gorgeous gift for me from skieswideopen.

"Midnight Shakes the Memory" is a Forever Knight story. It opens during the events of the Season Three premiere, as Myra Schanke gets the ring at the door that is so dreaded by every police officer's spouse; and then follows her over the next few days and months, showing us the impact of Don's death. The pattern of her grieving shifts subtly with time, as it would. I was reminded, in fact, of the months after my own father's death; and Myra's response in this story rings very true to me.

We are also treated to a very different perspective on Nick. Usually, if fans decide to see him from another's point of view, they employ the principal supporting cast. LaCroix on Nick is easy to find! Myra on Nick...rather less so. Here, too, we see a shift in her response: the two interact rather more after her husband's death than they ever had before, precisely because he is the focus for both of them.

The story ends before the events of "Last Knight". This was, I think, a wise decision. For a fan, that would have shifted attention to Nick; and this is not his story. It is Don and Myra's—and then just Myra's, poor woman. A cop's wife's life is not a happy one.

You can find "Midnight Shakes the Memory" here.