The Last Time I Saw Him

by revealingmagic

"Please be careful."

Those were the first words I heard my father speak all day. He heaved himself from his writing desk and sighed, slowly shuffling toward me. "You're clever," he continued, not giving me a chance to reply. "And I have no doubt at all that you have found a real coven. But Carlisle, these creatures are dangerous. Far more dangerous than any witch I might have caught."

I was confused. Wasn't this what my father wanted? His only son to follow in his footsteps? While I might not have been as bloodthirsty or fierce as my father, I still wanted these creatures gone. They were a threat to the people of my town, and surrounding areas. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"I want them gone, yes. They're tools of the devil. But I do not want my only child dead, Carlisle. Or worse, one of them."

I had never seen my father so worried in my twenty-three years. He was biting his lip, and wringing his hands - something I had only seen him do before preaching a particularly powerful message.

He watched me as I continued gathering my supplies, making sure I had the necessary items. By all theory, these monsters had proven themselves to be all but invincible - except to fire. I made sure I had the materials to bring them down. "Everything is going to be fine, Father." I assured him. "We have a large group of people, and they can't be that bad."

"Carlisle, why do you think these vampires have lived so many years? It's obvious that if it were easy to kill them, none would live past twenty."

He had a point.

"Still, I admire your courage. You're taking a stand against evil, Son, and you have no idea how proud that makes me." He was next to me now, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him, and he gave me one of the few rare smiles that he had. "Your mother . . . She would be so proud of you. You look like her, you know."

I did not like the direction this conversation was headed. He looked as though this were to be the last conversation we were going to have. I swallowed, and moved my eyes to the floor. "You don't believe I'm going to come out of this alive, do you?"

My father was silent. It was clear he thought just that. A twinge of anger built inside me, furious at the fact he did not seem to think I could handle a raid as well as he could. My father had made it clear I had been a disappointment as his heir - I wasn't quick to judge, or to see demons where they didn't exist. More often than not, I had disagreed with him when he condemned someone of witchcraft, or persecuted someone for being Roman Catholic.

My anger quickly diminished when I realized this was no disappointment in my father's eyes - he was honestly scared for my life. I reached for him at the same time he did for me, and for the first time in a very long time, father and son embraced in a hug. He buried his grey head in my shoulder and shuddered in my arms - a sure sign he was holding back tears.

I pulled away and gripped his shoulders. "I am going to make you proud of me."

"I am already proud of you. You are a very fine man, Carlisle Cullen."

We locked eyes for a brief moment - his light brown against my own dark blue, before I grabbed my satchel. "I will see you when I return?"

He nodded and I headed out the door, unaware that it was the last time I would ever see my father as a human.

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