Note and summary: I don't even like Twilight anymore, but I feel as though this story is missing. I wrote one about the creation and return of Edward, but I never wrote one when he left Carlisle the first time. That one would be the most dramatic. Since my writing skills have improved some, I'm going to give it a shot. I know I might get some things wrong; some of it is intentional, some is not. Believe or not, the reviews I got for Coming Back and Beginnings inspired this story and inspired me to write it even though Twilight isn't my thing anymore. See how good reviews are?
There are some references to Beginnings, but you don't need to read that to get this.
Disclaimer: I'm not the one who had a dream about the sparkly boy and girl aka Meyer. If I were, the story would have been different.
Going Away
I stand up over a blood-depleted carrion and listen for signs of Edward. I do not hear anything, but I am not surprised; the hunt can carry him for miles and miles, on and on. Feeling rather full myself and with over a century's worth of self control, I inhale through my nose, hold the breath, and exhale. During that one breath, a million different odors attacked my nose, but I smell each scent distinctly. I feel my eyebrows furrow in response. My hyper sensitive sense of smell picked up an unwelcome scent, humans.
Soon, I become aware of someone moving in the distance, someone moving with a sense of purpose, like a hunter.
Edward
I scream his name in my head and inhale again. This time, I smell Edward and the humans. I can hear three sets of footfalls. I make my way towards them.
Edward!
I run toward Edward, flying past trees in the forest. The footfalls are becoming more distinct. I can hear Edward's near silent, predatory stalk and the humans' careless paces on an extremely worn trail.
Edward! Stop! Find me!
Edward's footfalls have quickened, rapidly closing the gap between himself and the humans. This time, I panic.
Edward…
I hear the humans' voices, just as cheery and careless as their footfalls. I have to get to them before…I pause. I paused, because I heard a hiss and two sickening cracks.
Damn it! Edward!
I break out into a run again, running harder than I have ever run before. I run with a sense of purpose, without a sense of purpose. I see where I'm going; I sprint blindly through the thick, dark forest. I run heading toward my son, toward the one who betrayed me. The one who promised not to kill human beings; the one who just murdered in the middle of the night.
Edward! Stop it!
I shout my thoughts at him, all to no avail. I hear him drinking blood before I see him. It is dark, there is no moon tonight, but my eyes have adjusted a long time ago. I find him, crouched over two dead bodies, his lips against one of men's necks. I feel weak and grateful that Esme is not here to witness this.
"Edward…" I say, speechless. I feel weak. If I were human, I'd feel faint, but humanity had been stolen from me a long time ago.
He does not respond. I say his name again and touch his shoulder, but Edward continues his gluttonous feast. Finally, I shake the weakness off of me and forcefully pull Edward away from the dead humans. Edward glowers at me. I stare back, trying to remind him who I was, who he was. Edward smiles sardonically.
"Who I used to be, Carlisle," he hisses, "You took that from me. You took away death." Seeing me shocked, he turns back to his meal.
I stare back, stunned. Edward had never spoken to me like this, ever. The only other time he intentionally tried to hurt me was during that first hunt, after I bit him in 1918. What could have triggered this sort of behavior?
Edward turns away from his victims and fixes a fiery glare on me. "You did," he says darkly, his voice eerily quiet and calm. "You never let me try it, not once. Why did you keep me from this? This is the best thing since I woke from that three day hell."
"Edward," I reason, "This is what I was afraid of. It'd change you."
Edward eyes me suspiciously.
"Edward, don't you realize what you have done?! You have murdered two innocent people! Murder, Edward."
"The wolf murders the calf, yet no one sheds any tears," says Edward quietly, "This is the way it is, Carlisle. I have to accept it. You have to accept it as well." His voice becomes even quieter. "I know you care for these humans. I know how much they mean to you, but it's nature now. As unnatural as we are, we still have to abide by our nature."
"Any murderer is not nature," I say, but I can hear the logic behind his words. "You used to be human."
"You took it away."
"I tried to give you a new life."
"You were lonely. I was dying. It was easy."
I want to say something, but what could I say to that? This whole situation has left me numb, speechless. Edward sighs, once again turning back to the two dead men on the ground. "Edward," I say. "You cannot kill anymore."
His eyes narrow maliciously. "You are not one to tell me what to do. I know you care for humans, but let it go. We're predators now. It's about time you act like it."
"No, Edward." Even in the darkness, I can see his golden eyes turning red. He starts to drink the blood of the second man when I suddenly grab him and throw him off to the side. It is unexpected; I did not think about it. I hear the hiss of a vampire and the hiss of profanities of a seventeen-year-old boy. The vampire is louder. Edward charges at me and tackles me to the ground. I push him off and quickly stand up at the same time as Edward. Both of us breathe heavily and we stare holes in each other's heads. "No Edward," I repeat, softer, "Not while you're with me and Esme."
"You are absolutely serious," he says to himself. He looks at me, his expression unreadable. "I won't hurt the good ones. Not anymore."
"Who are you to judge whether a man deserves to die?"
Edward swallows, "I'm sorry, Carlisle. I can't…I can't ignore it anymore. He picks up the dead body still full of blood and backs away. "Tell Esme that I'm sorry." He looks at me one last time. "It's calling me."
I watch him disappear in the darkness, wondering how I am going to tell Esme, who thought this would be a good time for Edward and myself to bond, that her adoptive son just left. I move the dead body closer to the trail where a ranger can it pick up and his family identified. We'll have to move again, and this time we'll be one short. I wonder if Edward will ever come back.
Author's End Note: I very much enjoyed writing this little fic. I really hope it was emotional and all, and I hope you enjoyed it. There are other one shots that go along with this, but you can read them all by themselves. Technically, this takes place between Beginnings and Coming Back. I wrote those a few years ago, so I can't make any guarantees of how good they are. Anyway, reviews are always welcome.