Chapter 52: Mother Love
(Cassie)
I was heading down to Spring Street with a suitcase in my hand
Filled with love and life and grand illusion,
I knew you'd understand
I left you by the stairwell
And your eyes were wet with tears
Mother you knew you had to let me go,
Even after all these years
"Okay, I'm thinking of adding to the advanced art course. I don't think I'm getting the students enough surrealism."
"Oooh, I think you should add something about pop art. Andy Warhol?" Delilah said, holding up one of my pop art experiments.
"Put it in the maybe pile." I ordered.
"You should get rid of the section on cave paintings and pre-historic art. You could save a whole week of time, and nobody really cares about cave art anyway." She suggested. I smiled.
"Be that as it may, they're still important. I might be able to cut out two days of it if I just keep the most essential things, then I can do a section on surrealism and let students do a pop art project…" I mused.
The silent pulse in the air made Delilah and I look up. "Where's Blaze?" I asked immediately.
"Garage, with dad." She answered, narrowing her eyes. I had quicker reflexes than her, I already knew who it was.
"Echo!" I yelled. The door to my bedroom opened and Echo's dark head peeked in. Another silent pulse in the air.
"Five minutes! I asked for five minutes to wrap my head around everything, and you're gone!" Eva's voice rang out, irritated.
"I told you we needed to do this before I lost my nerve." Echo quipped back. My eyebrow shot up.
"Lost your nerve?" I questioned, unconsciously reaching out to pull Delilah closer to me. A part of me was afraid that Echo was finally going to lash out at Delilah. I was waiting for that moment... because it made sense to me that Echo was going to break, no matter how little Liley deserved it.
"Yeah, um…" Echo dropped her head, Eva sighed.
"Family meeting." Eva prodded.
"Er, by family?" Delilah asked.
"Just the people that live here, thanks." Echo murmured. I stood as Delilah bounced off the bed.
"Go get your dad and Blaze." I said, pushing my hair back. "This is going to be a trip."
Delilah looked faintly nervous as she ducked out of the room. I followed her, standing in the doorway and looking at my oldest daughter. She didn't quite meet my eyes. "What did you do?" I asked, exasperated. She shook her head.
"I'm only doing this once." She said, turning away and heading down the stairs. I turned to Eva. She shrank back under my stairs.
"I am totally not getting involved in this. I am here as moral and emotional support." She stammered out quickly, holding her palms out high.
"She needs moral and emotional support?" I said out loud, my heart sinking. "It's pretty bad, isn't it?"
Eva bit her lip, shrugging her shoulders. I put an arm around her, guiding her down the stairs. She didn't follow me to the couch, where the rest of my family was sitting, sans Blaze. I sat on the arm of the couch, leaning over to kiss Jake's cheek.
"No clue what this is about?" He asked.
"I didn't have time to shake down Eva. Did Blaze know anything?" I asked.
"Nope." He answered. I heard something popping from the kitchen. "Where is Blaze?" I asked suspiciously. Delilah's lips twitched.
"He's making popcorn." Echo said scornfully. "My awkward miserable life is his entertainment for the night."
"Oh for the love of…" I started, looking toward the kitchen. "William Blaze Black get out here right now!"
"You don't need to yell." Blaze said, appearing with popcorn bowl and settling in between Jake and Liley. We all looked expectantly at Echo.
"Are you pregnant?" Lilah blurted out. I turned to stare at her as she turned beet red.
"What?! No! No!" Echo said. Jacob sighed, visibly relieved as he sank down into the couch. Eva giggled softly from the staircase.
"Did you kill someone? Get expelled from college on your second day?" Blaze asked, shoveling a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Echo's hand reached out reflexively for something to throw.
"Enough." I said firmly. "Blaze, shut it. Liley, you too. Echo, just spit it out. Nothing you say is going to be as bad as what is running through her mind right now."
"Okay. Okay." She looked up, her mouth opening, than closing. "I can do this."
I reached down, taking Jake's hand in mine and squeezing it. Echo ran both her hands through her dark hair, letting it fall in a curtain around her head.
"I'mdatingchris." She said suddenly, the words running together. I blinked.
"I don't think I got that. Can you repeat without mumbling?" Blaze asked. Before I could tell him to shush it, Jake reached over and put his hand over his mouth.
"One more time, Echo, please." Jake said softly, smiling warmly. Echo took a deep breath.
"I'm dating Christian. He's my boyfriend." She said, slowly enunciating each word. There was complete silence, the popcorn bowl slipped from Blaze's hand. Automatically, I reached out my hand, catching it with my powers before it hit the floor. I levitated it onto the table, but I couldn't put it down quite as gently as I wanted to. It clattered against the glass top. Delilah's mouth was hanging open in shock, Blaze's eyes were just about popping out of his head (although I had to admit it was something to see him speechless), and Jake…
"Ow." It was the first word anyone had said. I winced, trying to pull my hand out of Jake's vice like grip. Delilah and Blaze both turned to look at me. Jake's hand relaxed, he frowned.
"Did I hurt you?" He asked remorsefully.
"Yeah, it's okay. I don't need those fingers for anything." I remarked, rubbing them gingerly. Jake's warm hand replaced mine, gently rubbing the fingers.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"Mom? Do you need some ice from the kitchen?" Echo asked timidly. It was a bad move on her part, every pair of eyes snapped right back to her.
"Please tell me you met another Christian and that you haven't completely lost it." Blaze remarked.
"Eva, clarify, please." Jacob said.
"I'm not getting…" Eva started, but when every set of eyes jumped to her she shrunk back. "She's dating a vampire." She murmured, ducking her head.
"What are you thinking?" Jacob asked, peeling his hands away from mine, his voice low, dangerous. "What in the world is going through your head?"
"I'm not marrying him or anything, I'm just…"
"It's dangerous!" Jake yelled. Liley's hands flew to her mouth in shock. I didn't think any of my children had ever heard their father yell. Echo' s eyes widened in shock. "It's dangerous, and despite whatever your teenage brain is telling you, you are not freaking invincible!"
"Dad, calm down!" Echo pleaded.
"How am I expected to calm down when you are throwing away everything! Everything you ever wanted or cared about! For a leech." He growled the last part out.
"Jacob…" I said, reaching out.
"I don't want it anymore!" Echo cried out. "I don't want any part of this place! I don't want a werewolf boyfriend! I don't want to fall in love with someone before we go out on a date, I don't want my entire future decided for me!" Echo yelled, her cheeks flushing with blood, her eyes wet with tears as she turned, starting up the stairs.
"No, you can't do this Echo. I won't let you. You can't see him." Jacob ordered. Echo stopped beside Eva on the stairs, looking down at us.
"And who's going to stop me, dad?" She asked quietly. "You and what army?"
And then she was gone, I heard the door to her room slam. "Evie, how long have you known about this?" I asked softly. Eva didn't answer, she stared blankly ahead, her facial expressions changing quickly. I knew what that meant. "Eva!" I said, louder this time, she started.
"I'm sorry, you're going to have to speak up." Eva apologized. "I can't hear you over the CRAZY GIRL RANTING IN MY HEAD!" She yelled up the stairs.
"How long has this been going on?" I asked. Eva shook her head, as if to clear Echo's voice out of it. I knew that feeling very well, I could feel Bella's dim emotions churning in the back of my skull.
"Since they were in Arizona. He…he really does care about her. I don't know how she feels, I don't know if she knows how she feels." Eva stood, making her way down the stairs. "I wish I could stay, I really do, but if I have to hear how unsupportive I'm being one more time I'm going to…"
"Go ahead, tell Paul I said hello." I said weakly.
Eva nodded, heading out the door. And it was just us.
"Well…at least she didn't run off. She's still in her room." Delilah offered.
"You're the one who wanted to name her after Bella." Jacob accused, pacing back and forth.
"I wanted her to be strong and brave like Bella. I didn't think she was going to make the same romantic choices. This is not my fault." I qualified.
"You didn't back me up." Jacob murmured.
"I'm sorry, I'm just pretty sure that we can't tell her not to do something since she turned eighteen." I remarked sarcastically.
"So you're okay with this?" He asked, motioning up the stairs.
"Of course I'm not okay with it!" I exclaimed. "But, Jake, we always knew that this might happen. We've had years to think about it, I can't help the fact that you never took the time to face the idea until right now."
"I am not letting him take her away from us. I am not letting her throw her life away because some vampire wants to get in her pants." Jacob growled.
"Are you listening to yourself?! If you honestly think that's what he wants, don't you think Edward would have kicked his ass by now?" I asked, forgetting about Blaze and Liley on the couch.
"I can't do this right now." Jacob said, heading for the door. He slammed it, I'm pretty sure one of hinges cracked. I stood in the center of my living room, unsure of where to go. Did I go up and calm Echo, did I go after Jacob, did I head to Seattle and give Christian a piece of my mind?
"Mama?" Liley asked.
"It's alright. You two, just…just go do something. I'll figure it out. And don't get into trouble, mommy only has tolerance for one crisis a day." I grabbed my coat off the hook and concentrated. The familiar pull of space took me away from my home. Right into Bella's new apartment.
"Cassie?" Bella called out from down the hallway. "What are you doing?"
"Where's Edward?" I asked, falling onto her leather couch.
"Out with Emmett, hunting." She sat down gracefully next to me, her heart shaped face half hidden by her glamorous hair. "We knew about Echo and Chris."
"I figured you probably did." I admitted softly.
"We didn't tell you…we figured it was her place to do it. Alice knew she was going to do it today. I debated calling to warn you."
"Nah, it would have just given Jake more time to stew." I answered. "It was her place to tell us. You did the right thing."
"So you're not here to yell at me?" Bella smiled sweetly. I laughed.
"Nah, sis." I answered. "I just needed to blink in somewhere."
Bella frowned, scanning over my thoughts. "You're going to see Christian, of course. Well, I can't say I'm surprised."
"Yeah, you know me much too well." I kissed her cheek. "Which apartment is his and is he there?"
There was a quick, light knock on the door. "You don't have to go see him, he's coming to you." Bella murmured. "Come in Chris!"
The door opened and the boy came in. I say boy…because there was something about him that reminded me of Blaze. Something about the slump of his shoulders, the careless curls around his face. "Hello Mrs. Black." He said formally as he crossed the room.
"The only people that call me Mrs. Black are my students." I retorted.
"Cassie, play nice." Bella said. "Do you want something to drink?"
"I would like a pack of cigarettes." I said.
"Cass…" Bella warned. The door opened again and Alice danced in, throwing me a pack of cigarettes.
"You are better than a fairy godmother." I said reverently. Alice beamed.
"She quit, Alice. You're an enabler." Bella scolded.
"It would have not gone well if she didn't have a cigarette." Alice said sweetly, sitting down next to me and handing me a pack of matches.
"You are not lighting up in here." Bella said quickly.
"So, you're my daughter's boyfriend?" I asked. Christian nodded.
"I know Jacob already talked to you, about what happened thirteen years ago. That's not why I'm here." I stood. Christian watched me, warily.
"I'm letting go. She needs to live, to grow, to make her own mistakes. But…she's still my little girl. And I'm warning you…Jacob isn't who you have to be afraid of. He's bigger…stronger…but I'm five thousand years old. I've killed more vampires than Jacob can even imagine. I am a witch of epic proportions. And you're nothing to me…except what you are to her. If you hurt her…it'll be the last thing you do. And I'll rip you limb from limb…and then light each part of you on fire...and if you think I'm joking, ask Bella."
"She's not kidding. She's very serious." Bella admitted gravely.
"I would never hurt Echo. She means the world to me. She is the world." He whispered. And there was something in his eyes that shocked me…something I'd seen many times. In Edward's eyes, in Jake's eyes, in Blaze, Sam, Jared, Jasper, Embry, Quil…
"You do love her." I murmured, reaching up to pat his shoulder. "That's good to know. It'll make it easier."
"Are you leaving already, Cassie?" Bella asked. I turned to my sister, smiling widely.
"I still have to do damage control on that house. I swore in front of Liley and Blaze. I might never live it down." I admitted.
"You're a great mom, Cass." Bella admired. I blew her a kiss, then blinked away from her apartment, back to my front porch. As soon as the ground steadied, I pulled out the cigarettes and matches, lighting one and taking a deep breath of toxic smoke.
"Blaze, I can feel you." I said loudly. Blaze ducked around the side of the porch.
"Smoking is…"
"Terrible for you, I know. I quit when I met your dad, but I'm feeling a little stressed now, so please let me alone." I said, shaking my head. "Where is your dad?" I asked.
"Not here, he hasn't come back. Delilah and Echo are up in their bedroom." He said.
"Is it world war three up there?" I asked with a groan.
"Nope, Delilah took a peace offering of the Ben and Jerry's you keep in the freezer. Are you going to find dad?" He asked.
"I know where he is. Hold down the fort." I said immediately, opening the door to let Price glide out beside me, a pale ghost in the night. I followed him off the porch, smoking the cigarette like a lifeline, down the darkening La Push streets. Prince trotted beside me loyally.
Jacob was right where I knew he would be. He was sitting on the beach, watching the sunset, the very place we had first met, where this had all started. "Hey you." I said as Prince nudged his nose against Jake's shoulder.
"Hey." He said, his voice gravelly. "You're smoking again."
"Once every ten or so years won't kill me." I said, sitting next to him.
"I want her to have a life. Kids, a family…something normal." He said heavily.
"What about what she wants?" I asked.
"She's not old enough to know what she wants." Jacob murmured.
"You were younger than she is when we met." I pointed out.
"That's different." Another voice called out through the night. Zack and Stella were holding hands, making their way down the beach.
"It took approximately a half hour for Eva to spill the beans." Stella said sweetly.
"We can't tell her what not to do." I said softly. "He loves her. He really does."
"You went to meet with him? Figures." Jacob said. I sighed.
"Maybe we're old. Too old to understand young love anymore." Zack said.
"We can't turn her into Juliet." I snuggled into Jake's arm. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, baby."
"Me too." He murmured.
"Are those cigarettes? We quit." Stella said, her hand inching out. I handed them to her and she pulled out two slim cigs for her and Zack.
"We'll figure this out. It'll be alright." Zack said softly. And we watched the sunset together.
