Chapter 28
Edward runs and runs until he reaches the forest. He immediately slumps down against a tree, trying to take clumsy, quick but deep breaths like what he usually saw human beings will do to calm themselves. Harry said it was a mistake. How could he? How dare he? He was the one who came and wanted to claim him! Why is it so easy for him to just say everything is a mistake? Why would he say that when he already succeeded in making him love a person like he never thought he would? Edward feels a stinging sensation in his eyes. Perhaps this is what humans feel when they want to cry? How would he know? It's been a long time since he felt like crying. Harry is actually the first person that makes him want to cry... Why would Harry's words hurt him so much? It doesn't even hurt this much when Carlisle says that he is disappointed in him.
Scared. He is really scared right now. Not even facing Aro can scare him this much. Edward grabs on both sides of his hair and rubs it roughly. What if Harry leaves? What if Harry decides that he's not worth to love and leaves? But Harry promised him before that he'll love him forever, right? Harry will not act thoughtlessly and leave him here... right?
He really didn't mean to say those things about Teddy but why can't Harry understand his reasons? He can't be a father! There is no way he can be a parental figure to human beings or any beings in this world, he just can't! Why can't he hear him out? Why would Harry dismiss him just like that? It hurt. It really hurt.
"You need to calm down." a voice states behind him, startling Edward. How on earth did he not sense anyone coming? Turning around hastily, Edward sees Draco and Rosalie slowly emerging from the dark.
Rosalie doesn't say anything, but sits beside her brother and pat his back. Rosalie is never a sappy person and some people say she has a stone cold heart. Perhaps they are right... but she is never that way towards her family.
"He's going to leave me, isn't he?" Edward shudders and grabs his sister's hands for support. Edward is not a weak person, but in the verge of losing half of his soul now he really needs someone to tell him everything is going to be alright.
"He loves you too much to leave." Draco utters as he sits beside the distraught vampire, trying to sooth him with comforting, though still truthful, words.
"He said it was a mistake..." Edward answers in a low voice.
"Edward, he's regretting it right now, I'm sure of it." Rosalie whispers into her brother's ear. She wants to lash out and scold Harry for this but at the same time she understands why Harry is angry. She was there when they argued. She was actually there to help Draco with his controlling bloodlust potion but accidentally overheard them. She wanted to be annoyed with Edward for running away from his responsibility too, but unfortunately she knows Edward too well to be mad at him. Sure, Harry has almost complete information on Edward but there's one thing that the report missed: Edward's issue with being a vampire.
"You heard?" Edward looks at Draco questioningly.
"Yeah, it was pretty loud." Draco answers and nods in response. The only thing that made Teddy remain sleeping was probably because of Harry's habit of casting a Silencing Charm around the toddler once he was asleep.
"I didn't mean to say those things but I really can't... I just can't." Edward looks helplessly at the blonde wizard, searching for a hint of forgiveness for what he said about Teddy. He knows how much the blonde loves Teddy.
"Edward, if I was mad at you, I would not be here." Draco pats the distressed vampire's back, feeling a little bit awkward for doing it. Still, he need some time to get used to it. Honestly, he was a little bit annoyed with Edward at first. He always thought he was making the effort to make Teddy like him because he was fully prepared to become a parent. Draco even mentally prepared himself to let Teddy go, but who would've ever thought Edward only mean to be on good terms with Teddy, and didn't want any more of a role than that? Though, he understands a lot more after Rosalie's explanation that Edward's slip out of hunting humans for their bloods made him to think that he is a worthless monster until today.
"Edward, do you hate Teddy?" Draco asks carefully. Although he understands, he needs to know whether Edward have other reason, like Ginny. The blonde never thought that the youngest Weasley would despise Teddy so much. He always thought that after growing up with so many siblings, the girl would love or at least tolerate children. What if Edward actually doesn't like kid?
"No, I don't hate Teddy. It's just... I can't be... I cannot." Edward shakes his head miserably.
"It's always been Harry's dream to have a family. Do you know that, even though he's been miserable since being abandoned by the Weasels at last minute, he still think them as a family? He can't bring himself to hate them completely. The fact is, like it or not, the Weasleys are the first family that treated him nicely and they were the ones that showed what Harry actually wanted from the start. I'm not saying that Harry is extremely noble or what. Deep down, he's just a normal person that always seems to crave something that's unreachable. He wanted a family of his own so much that he did not realize that he's dragging you along the way with his dream. He once told me that with you and Teddy, his dream can finally come true." Draco smiles sadly as he explains.
Edward looks thoughtfully at the blonde but otherwise stays silent.
"Edward, I know it's hard, but I know you like Teddy. I can see it by observing how gentle you are with him. But first, you need to accept who you are. It's difficult, I know that, but by accepting yourself, you'll be able to open up yourself and accept others."
"I know... Thank you. I need some time alone." Edward hastily stands up and runs to another section of the forest.
"What do you crave?" Rosalie asks the blonde wizard after Edward vanishes into the dark. She sees the sadness in Draco eyes from the mentioned of unreachable wishes. Rosalie is fond of Draco, similar to how she likes Harry. She doesn't know why but she always thought Draco hid himself, always trying to just fade into the background. He is so different from his past. The once confident, arrogant and bigheaded Draco is lost somewhere else. She wonders what had happened to him.
"I just want an Emmet." Draco murmurs, then smirks at the now brunette vampire.
"Find you own." Rosalie nudges lightly at Draco with a smile, something that she does so many times lately.
"I am." he responses, shrugging.
After that, the two of them sit in silence, only accompanied by darkness, and each other.
"Jacob, do you know what exactly your imprint is?" Sam asks as he rubs his temple. He still can't accept how Neville disappeared into thin air just like that. Somehow what Bella said suddenly makes sense. But Neville doesn't seem like the person who can harm a fly, although he is quite intimidating when agitated. So now, all of the shape shifters are sitting in Clearwater's living room to have a discussion like what they supposed to have earlier. But it's hardly a meeting when only Sam and Jacob do the talking while others only watch them carefully.
"I... I don't know anymore. But I'm not giving him up." Jacob looks determinedly at his Alpha, swearing to himself that he will not back down, even if Sam throws a verdict and decides to hunt the Durands down. He will choose Neville over anything. At first, Jacob thought it was the imprinting thing that was causing his fondness and possessiveness toward Neville, but then he realized that the more he knew Neville, the more he liked everything about him. It's not just the imprint; it's just how lovable Neville is.
"I understand but you should know if they really is a threat, then-"
"No! You will not do anything to them!" Jacob stands up suddenly and glares at the Alpha of the pack. He already promised Neville that he would not harm any of his family members or the Cullens if they respected the treaty. Jacob can't imagine how miserable Neville will be if something happened to them.
"You know I can't promise that. All I can do is now is to see whether the Durands is really harmful or not. We won't harm them, just perhaps... evict them. I know it's impossible to leave your imprint so I think if... they were a threat, you can go with them." Sam sighs regretfully to Jacob. Being an alpha of the pack means all the pack's responsibilities fall onto his shoulders. Sometimes, he just envies the others, who have the option to be so carefree and do anything out of their own freewill. A leader needs to consider a lot of things, every aspect, for everyone.
"Sam, you don't understand. I can't disappoint him. I-"
"Don't talk about how I don't understand, Jacob Black! You are the one that needs to understand. I'm thinking for the whole pack, not just you." Sam suddenly snaps and looks sternly at Jacob. He has had enough of people saying he doesn't understand things, accusing him of being selfish, and so much more. Why don't they bear what he's bearing right now? He's sure whoever it is will run away from it within a day. "Your friend Bella will try to show us who the Durands are and I'm going to accept her offer." Sam states gravely.
"You can't, she's-" whatever Jacob wanted to say is stopped when Sam raises his hand to stop him from talking.
"We'll decide more things after that." Sam continues again and walks out of the living room. Paul and Jared look at Jacob, then follow their Alpha.
"Things will work out eventually. Don't worry about it." Emily who has been listening to the heated argument comes forward and tries to comfort the agonized wolf. Jacob nods absentmindedly and walks out of the living room, too. Emily moves her gaze and meets the only female shape shifter's eyes, noticing that she has been in silence from the start of the meeting.
Leah raises an eyebrow which Emily responds to with a comforting smile before walking away.
The morning's silence is broken when Rosalie voices out her question as soon she sees Neville handing a still sleeping Teddy to Esme.
"Where is Harry?" Rosalie asks restlessly when she didn't see Harry. Draco left after a few hours in forest since he really needed to help Hermione with something, but where was Harry? Why would he be absent during this time? Neville is the only one who came to send Teddy over like usual. By the time Neville came, all the Cullens are all ready to go, including Edward.
"I'm not sure, he went back to Scotland, said something about fixing a mistake." Edward unconsciously stumbles backward against Emmett, who looks at him worriedly. Neville yawns, not aware that his words just hit Edward like a bomb.
AN: So sorry for the long delay, I won't give any excuses. Hopefully from this onwards I will be updating regularly. Reviews please!
