Hey, here's another outtake. Hope you enjoy it! Many thanks for helping Cracked Marble break 100+ review mark! As always, thanks to mcc101180/Mel for being the bestest and fastest beta in the west.
Montana, 1945
I neatly folded the paper in front of me; the article about two local thieves and serial rapists found dead and drained of their blood was all the indication I needed to know that I was on the right path. Edward was here, or had been here in the last few days. When he left us, I expected him to return in a few weeks, or maybe in a month or two. After I had found and changed Esme, he became fond of little trips away for the sake of his sanity and my privacy. As the months passed and Esme's worry grew, I knew this was not to be one of Edward's short trips. My son had left us for good. Sometimes I wished I had his talent, the simple blessing of always knowing what the other person was thinking about—no need to second guess their wants or needs, having it all laid out bare for me. I wished that I knew what he was thinking; most importantly, I wished I knew where he was right now.
I figured that he was angry; after all, introducing him to Rosalie, with the hopes of them becoming a pair, was a horrible idea. It was disrespectful of his feelings to his human girl. In retrospect, I should have changed her and let them come into a relationship on their own, if there was one to be had. I was so eager for him to find the peace and happiness that I had found in Esme's arms that I was blind to other possibilities.
We waited for two years in New York, far longer than we should have with Rosalie being so young. After that, we moved west, heading first to Virginia, then continued moving, settling for a while in Tennessee. There Rosalie met her mate, a bear of a man named Emmett, who was one of the strongest vampires I had come across in a long time. Unlike Edward, who struggled with the ethical dilemma about whether we vampires had souls or not, and Rosalie, who begrudgingly accepted her immortality, Emmett wholly embraced being a vampire. He brought a childlike joy and sense of humor to this life that I had not seen before. He was simply happy, and being around him made me happy.
xxx
Forks, 1950
"Edward is coming tomorrow, and there's a chance he's staying for good this time," Alice said as she walked into my study. If Emmett had effectively changed the way I saw the world, Alice finished pushing it off its axis completely. Her power of precognition was a marvel to behold, second only to the fact that she became a vegetarian on her own. While she had slipped up, she had shown wonderful control in the few years that I have known her. Her mate Jasper was another story; he struggled clearly with our animal diet, but his gritty determination was nothing but commendable.
"You have said the same before, Alice," I replied. "The rift between us won't be repaired anytime soon. If and when he returns, he is my son and I will welcome him back as such. In the meantime, I have learned to not hold my breath regarding the matter."
xxx
As much as I tried to appear cool in Alice's presence, the conversation we had the previous day pressed me to speed through my overnight shift at the hospital. If my son was indeed coming home, I wanted to see him. I parked the car in front of the house and ran the perimeter, trying to catch his scent. I walked home late in the morning, slightly before noon. I showered and changed, only to be greeted by my mate who looked as if she could burst into tears if it were possible. While I could forgive Edward for turning to human blood, the flashes of pain I saw every time Esme thought about him angered me. I wanted her life to be perfect, and his absence was an ugly flaw in the otherwise beautiful world I have tried to give her.
As the day wore on, I admit that I started to lose hope. It was all but gone when I saw Alice go stiff as a board, her eyes flat and glassy signaling that she was having another vision. I watched her as the seconds became minutes, confused as to why she had not snapped out of the trance-like state. Finally after what seemed like forever but was nothing more than a handful of minutes, Alice blinked, her eyes finding mine in the room.
"He's here." She smiled. "He's lingering out in the woods. We just had quite an interesting chat."
I moved to the door, ready to go out and find him. I was still hard pressed to believe he was near. I could not sense him at all. Part of me wanted to drag him back by his ear like a petulant child and make him apologize to Esme; another part of me just wanted to make sure he was okay. Grabbing my arm, Alice stopped me, pulling me back into the living room.
"No, if you go out there, he is going to leave again. Let him come to the house on his will."
I stared at the door, wanting him to come forward, to knock. To give my wife the peace I could not give her because I was not her wayward son. Alice had to calm everyone down, telling us that if anyone went out first, he would leave again. After a few more minutes, I finally sensed him. Edward was indeed nearby. A few minutes after that, the silence inside the house was broken by the sound of him knocking on the door.
I opened the door, not quite knowing what to do as I stepped aside to let him in. Edward's eyes did not meet mine, but roamed all over the changes Esme had made during his absence. I saw when he spotted Emmett for the first time, taking in the sheer size of his younger brother. He barely exchanged glances with Rosalie, his eyes still scanning the room. I wondered what he was looking for when his eyes settled on Alice. I watched a spark light up within his eyes as he gazed upon her. Had I blinked or looked away, I would have missed the small smile that ghosted on his lips. For the first time in his life, Edward had met someone as talented as him. As he moved in past me to hug Esme, it dawned on me that they had been conversing while Alice was in that trance-like state. Perhaps having an equal would ease his pain and sense of alienation so my son would never leave again.