A/N: Thanks for sticking by me on this ride. It's been wild.
"Um, whoooo are theyyyyy?"
"Yeah, they definitely were not here the fall semester."
"Oh, you don't know the tea?" Four heads turned in unison to face the speaker, a smirking girl with a bad perm and a whole arsenal of gossip. Once she saw she had a captive audience, she continued. "Those are the new doctor's kids!"
A million questions were flung back in rapid succession.
"Say what?"
"There's a new doctor?"
"Do you know them? Introduce me!"
The girl's smile fell a bit. "Well no, I don't know them personally. But my mom met some of them the other day." She flipped her hair, working herself back up before she lost the spot light. "But yeah, Dr. Carina Masen started worked at General a few weeks ago. She got to be like a prodigy or something because Mom says she looks straight out of med school. But she's, like, already pretty established."
One of her friends held up her hand. "Okay, if she is a baby doc, how in the heck does she have, like, six kids? If you tell me those are sextuplets I'm going to call BS right now, Jamie."
Her eyes flashed. "Uh no, will you let me finish?" Jamie glared at her friends, daring them to interrupt her again. "Anyway. Nope of them are her biological kids. The two blondes are her niece and nephew that she is legal guardian of. I guess their parents died in a car crash or something."
"#Tragic backstory unlocked," a different girl quipped.
"And then… I think it's the red head and the guy with the buzz cut? Yeah. Eden and Archison. Weirdass names - they were the ones my mom met when they brought their mom lunch last week. Those are her husband's stepkids from a previous marriage. But they have full custody."
"How badly do you have to fuck up to lose a custody battle to a dude the kids aren't even related to?"
"Drugs, mayhaps."
Jamie nodded, but she actually wasn't positive about that part. She made a mental note to hound her mother for more gossip when she got home; this was the most attention she had gotten all year and she was living for it.
"And the other two?" her best friend pressed impatiently. "Stop dragging it out and give us the deets."
Jamie rolled her eyes as if she was put off. "Those are their foster kids."
"So they already have four kids and they decide to add more? Rich people are so weird."
"There's a reason if you would just shut up and listen to me." Jamie huffed, puffing herself up for the juiciest part. Her mom hadn't wanted to disclose this to her at first because she thought it was personal, but knew her daughter well enough to know she would never let it go. "So get this. See how they are all crazy pale? The doctor is too! They all have some rare autoimmune, skin disorder thing. It affects their pigmentation and makes them sickly."
"So they are albino?"
"Do they look albino, Steph? No. They are basically allergic to the sun. Like it's crazy deadly to them. They could probably die."
"You're making that up!"
She shrugged her shoulders, pretending not to care but boiling under the surface at being called out. "My mom told me. Dr. Masen told her it was super rare and genetic."
"So they are collecting sick kids?" Steph sounded skeptical. "To experiment on? Make a cult?"
But her twin sister shook her head. "I doubt it's like that. I mean, she's a doctor living with a super crazy disorder. She's probably trying to help them. Who better to care for them then someone who knows what they are going through?"
"That's a pretty weird coincidence for them all to have it, if it's as rare as Jamie says."
Another girl chimed in. "Well some of them are actually related, if it's genetic."
Jamie didn't like the focus being shifted off her. "Well anyway, you won't see them in school on sunny days. They have to go full bubble-boy mode then."
"Dude, I wish I was sick."
"You are sick for saying that. What is wrong with you?"
"I wonder if being sick is what makes them so hot. Cause they all are, right? I'm not imaging that insane level of crazy hotness?"
"Yeah, they are crazy hot, you right." Her friend giggled. "Know if they're single and looking to mingle, Jamie?"
Jamie wasn't too sure about this part because her mom only knew part of the story there. "Well I know one of the foster kids is dating Dr. Masen's nephew. That really tall girl, Ellie? That's how Dr. Masen met the McCarty kids and found out they had the same weird skin thing. When she found out they were in the system she had felt it was her duty to bring them home. She actually moved the family here for like a fresh start cause she is moving towards adopting the brother and sister pair."
"Uh, wouldn't that make the ones dating siblings?"
"Haven't you been listening? They aren't actually related."
"Still weird, but okay."
"So if I get sick can I get adopted into the family and shack up with my boyfriend cause that sounds like a pretty sweet deal."
"Girl, shut up."
"I'm just saying, I didn't think we lived in Tennessee, but it we are dating siblings now…"
"It's like Modern Family meets the Brady Bunch! No one cared when Marsha dated her brother."
"That's a TV show! This is real life, hun."
"Is it even legal? Like, could they get married?"
"If my brother looked like that blonde guy… I mean…"
The group of girls continued to debate the pros and cons of incest, loudly and passionately, sixty feet away from the subject of their gossip not knowing they hear them clear as day. But their conversation was far from unique; several almost identical conversations were happening throughout the courtyard as the students mulled around in wait for the first bell. And strategically arranged around the circular stone table in the center of the courtyard, there sat the newest additions to the student body, perfectly situated to monitor the news as their presence sparked banter among their new classmates. And to their immense relief, things were unfolding just as they hoped.
"Genius idea, Beau," Jess complimented. "Everyone is completely buying that story."
Beau felt a little smug. "We chose the right people to feed it to thanks to Archie. Our cover will have completely circulated the town by nightfall."
Royal shook his head. "It's a little weird purposefully spreading rumors about ourselves."
"If we give them a story to focus on, they can't go making up their own and coming to weird conclusion."
Edythe nodded. "Especially when the story we fed them, while plausible, is still gossip worthy all on its own. Truth is stranger than fiction and all that."
"Well, not always," Archie snickered, showing off his brilliant teeth. His siblings chortled their agreement.
"So we let ourselves be the hot gossip on purpose and then they just forget about us?" Eleanor asked, seeking clarification.
"No exactly. Once everyone is telling the same story over and over, it'll be boring and we shouldn't get too much more attention. But we can't go underground or we will feed into the hype and prolong our time in the spotlight," Beau explained.
"Like in Forks," Eleanor surmised.
"Exactly. I think were you guys messed up in Forks was that you pretended you weren't interesting even though everyone found you extremely interesting. You never talked to anyone, kept to yourselves, all while being mysteriously beautiful. Of course people like Jeremy never stopped wondering about you. It's why the first thing he did when I moved there was tell me all about the freaky Cullen family – even though you had been there two years already, the notoriety never went away." Beau shrugged as if it was obvious. And maybe it was given how recently he had been human in comparison to the rest of his family. They had lost touch for how high school actually worked.
"I guess that makes sense," Edythe mused.
Beau nodded as he continued. "But if we give them all the fodder up front, it isn't fun to gossip about anymore. We just have to interact with our classmates just enough for them to get the picture we painted, as a run-of-the-mill family of sick kids brought together by tragic circumstances. It's not a fun story, it's kind of sad and so it's uncomfortable. Besides the incest thing most of them are stuck on, we aren't that interesting. It'll get old after they make their jokes or whatever for a month, and we can exist on the periphery for the rest of our time here."
"Very well thought-out," Jess complimented again with a wink. "There's a master strategist in you yet."
Edythe beamed at her husband, her pride evident. "Beau has the human angle down, one that we've long-since lost. He understands they process information best. I knew he would take to this."
"And no one is thinking anything else about us?" Royal asked quietly. "It's never gone this smoothly before."
"We didn't have Beau then," Eleanor chuckled.
Edythe nodded. "Every mind I've dipped into has bought the story hook-line-and-sinker. And I am sufficiently horrified to see how far with incestuous relationships these children are actually willing to go with in their fantasies. The state of the world is looking very bleak indeed."
"Good news for us. Thank god for taboo fetishes." Archie scrunched up his face.
Eleanor rolled her neck, pretending to be stretching but really giving her classmates some side-eye. "So we have already established me and Royal as Ellie and Roy, the next Jamie and Cersei Lannister. What's next?"
Jessamine reached her hand out to Archie. "We won't make it a whole to-do, but Archison here and I will casually hold hands in crowded areas like this until they get the picture."
"You got it, 'Jessie'," her husband agreed.
Edythe turned to Beau. "And after a few weeks, 'Bo' will begin to publicly vey for my affection, eventually asking me out, cementing our budding relationship. They'll keep the flies off of us most effectively."
"So no making out in dark corners, you two," Royal snarked.
"At least until you are official," Archie added.
Edythe rolled her eyes. "We know how this works. We can remain chaste for the time being."
"But just at school," Beau was quick to clarify, making his siblings burst out with laughter. He ignored them, however, turning his pleading eyes to his wife. "Right, babe? You know that only applies to while we're in school?"
She pretended to think it over. "Hmm… But it would certainly help sell our cover story. Really make people see you pinning for Eden Masen, the aloof but lovely daughter of your foster father. It creates an element of realism, no?"
He vehemently disagreed. "No, no it does not."
Edythe huffed dramatically. "It will help me get into character, Beaufort, dear. You're always so quick to point out how badly of a job we did in Forks; I'm just trying to make sure I don't disappoint you with my performance this time around. And think about how satisfying it'll be when we finally come together again if we hold back." She quickly turned to Eleanor. "Keep your dirty jokes to yourself or you will lose an arm tonight, sister."
Eleanor tried and failed to look innocent. Meanwhile, Beau was silently cursing himself, anticipating a frustrating few weeks in his future. Just as he was contemplating how to convince his wife a very active sex life was crucial to his continued existence, the first bell of the day rung, prompting them to action.
"That's our signal," Royal sighed as they stood as one. "I'll see you all on the other side." Hand in hand, he and Eleanor departed.
"Don't look so glum, love," Edythe teased. "This was your idea, after all."
"Stupid idea really, don't know why anyone decided to listen to the newborn," he grumbled, brushing his hand against her's but knowing any public display of affection was off the table.
She quickly pulled her hand away, drawing it to her chest where he knew her rings were tucked safely, attached to a necklace he had gifted her this morning. "You survived 17 years without. I think you can last five weeks." Edythe spun on her heel to hide her devilish grin, practically skipping to her class with Jessamine at her side, roaring with laughter.
Five weeks, he mouthed in mounting horror.
Archie clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Don't you worry yourself too much, brothermine. I promise this will all work out." And with a wink he too took off for class.
"Easy for you to say," Beau muttered. With a deep sigh, he forced his feet to carry him to his first period. Maybe he could convince Edythe to meet with him back at the car between class so he could make a more effective and preferably horizontal case for himself.
His musings were put on pause as soon as he walked in the door for he was hailed by the mousy brunette he suspected to be his teacher. "Oh, you're him. That is, uh, hi, I'm Ms. Anders. You're… new? The new student?"
It was show time. Beau ducked his head shyly, using his hair to partially cover his face. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Bo McCarty."
She beamed a little too widely. "Won't you stay up here with me? I mean, to introduce yourself," she clarified quickly.
"Yes, ma'am."
"So polite," she whispered, perhaps thinking he could not hear her from the careful distance he kept away. "And Linda was not lying. Damn."
Once the room was filled, Ms. Anders called attention to class, trying to appear not as flustered as she felt. "Everyone! We have a new student. Bo, honey, go ahead and introduce yourself." She blushed then, realizing a beat too late that pet names were probably unprofessional. Quite embarrassed, she shoved herself behind her desk, determined not to do anything else that could potentially get her slapped with a sexual harassment suit. The school year was young and she needed her job.
Beau shuffled slight away from his teacher's desk, mindful of the blood pooling in her cheeks. While he was quite practiced, he didn't want to tempt fate. He carefully raised his eyes a fraction as he addressed his classmates with his practiced speech. "Hello, I'm Bo. My foster family moved here over winter break. Um, I'm glad to meet all of you and hope we will get along." A little information, but otherwise a carefully bland intro. He turned to his still mortified teacher, looking for guidance. "Is there somewhere I should sit, ma'am?"
"Oh, um, yes. Just, over there anywhere is fine," she mumbled, gesturing to the far side of the room where a few desks were vacant.
Beau slide gracefully into the desk as far opposite of the window as possible, in the middle row beside a tiny Hispanic girl who was doing her best to hide the fact she was staring. He took pity on her, giving her a shy smile that set her heart thudding. He drew back sharply, busying himself with pulling supplies from his bag and turning away from the girl as he took a shaky breath.
This was his new normal, he reminded himself as the lesson began eventually. Strategies and careful planning, a thoughtfully crafter façade (that apparently included abstinence for some reason) meant to keep humans at arm's length without completely isolating himself. He was just finding it a bit different in practice than it had been in theory.
After over half a year spent pretty much off the grid, the Cullens had decided they were ready. Specifically, that Beau was. He had passed every test with flying colors, venturing into the closest town periodically with his family to measure his control in every way imaginable. It was beyond apparent that Beau had unparalleled control and this first foray into establishing their family among a human population was long overdue.
And not just because, like Carine, Beau had yet to taste human blood despite ample opportunities. Though it had been a large factor.
However, while his family still maintained his clean slate, Beau vowed he would never forget the Charles Swan who had died because of him. His death would forever weigh on Beau's heart, just as Victor's did. The two impacted who Beau was a vampire for different reasons. They shaped how he view himself and helped strengthen his resolve, a lingering reminder of the reality of his existence.
But while those dark circumstances shaped him, they did not define him. He wouldn't let them. It had taken a long time, but he had begun to heal and forgive himself. And that was thanks in no small part to the one who actually guided his path. His reason, his life, his love.
He couldn't help but to think on how different this year was from the last despite how familiar this felt. On this day, he was once again the new student in a small barely functional town. He was the subject of gossip, the new shiny toy, forced to introduce himself among his peers in new territory. But time he wasn't coming home after years away this time, he definitely wasn't human, and he was far from alone. He was loved and confident and content. His world looked completely different, despite the copy-pasting of the setting.
It was the night and day, the same picture seen through a different lens. But he felt ready.
The class was largely uneventful outside of Beau having to focus so as to ignore one particular classmate's quickened pulse each time he so much as blinked. He knew his wife would want a full report when they met in the hallway, so he dutifully logged each interaction for her perusing; no matter how practiced he was, Edythe continued to worry for her just barely-still-a-newborn husband. He knew it came from a place of love, though, so Beau did so without compliant.
When the bell rang, his neighbor tripped over the corner of her desk in her haste to stand. Beau couldn't help but to feel a kinship, himself a reformed klutz.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly as she right herself.
"Yes," she squeaked, bracing herself against the desk. Her eyes widened as she remembered whom she was seated beside, her poor heart shifting into overdrive. "Thanks. For asking, I mean. Thank you."
"Of course." He edged around his desk, careful to move as humanly as possible.
"Are y- do you know where to go?" she fumbled.
He paused, heaving his backpack over one shoulder. "For my next class? I think so." Of course he had the floorplan memorized but he could hardly tell her that.
"I could show-"
"Bo, let's go," Edythe interrupted, ducking her head into the classroom. His classmates that remained in the room openly gawked at her, but she paid them no mind.
"We've got time," Beau reassured her. He offered a small wave to the girl – Yessenia, he remembered – as he walked away. "Thank you for the offer but we actually need to run back to our car real quick."
She nodded comically, her short hair bobbing with the motion. "Right. With your sister. Right."
"Not his sister," Edythe correctly sweetly but firmly. As Beau neared, she snatched his arm. "I forgot something too, so let's go."
Beau was eager to get her alone so he could plead properly, so he did not notice the agitation pouring off of his wife. Walking quickly but not too quickly, they made their way back to the car they shared for appearances with Archie and Jessamine. Beau had barely opened his mouth to try to convince Edythe to climb into the backseat before he found the door thrown open and himself firmly shoved into the cushioned bench. He blinked and Edythe was straddling him, her eyes dark and flashing.
"Huh?" Was his brilliant question.
Edythe leaned over him menacingly, grabbing him by the collar. "You listen to me and you listen to me good, Beaufort Swan. Going forward, when you pick your seat for class you will not sit next to the pretty little girl who reads harlequin romance novels like they are the good book, you will not smile at your female classmates in any way that they can somehow misconstrue as flirting, and you will not accidentally seduce your bitterly single teacher who fancies herself a Mrs. Robinson. Got it?"
"I – yes?" His answer came out as more of a question due to confusion, but it began to click then. "Oh! Edythe, you know I didn't do any of that on purpose."
"I am not asking for an explanation, I am telling you, as your wife, how this is going to go down." She bared her teeth over her pretty pink lips, a rumbling building in her chest. "Have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal," he gulped. Edythe was freaking scary when she was pissed.
But also undeniably attractive. He didn't know how she managed to turn him one while ripping him a new one, but she did.
Edythe shifted her body, finding quite hard evidence to exactly how attractive he found his wife's anger. There was not a second of hesitation as she reached to cup him, rolling his length in her tiny hand. Even as she stroked him through his jeans, she continued to mutter furiously under her breath. He didn't catch all of it, just something about John Green novels giving girls fixations with hospital-bound teenagers.
Beau gulped again as she lowered his zipper. "I thought…? Weren't we going to refrain…?"
"Beau, I was clearly just messing with you earlier so I'm not even going to justify that with a response. Now we don't have a lot of time before the next bell so just shut up and fuck me."
"Shutting up."
Across the campus Archie snorted at his predictable sister. As the bell rang and the seat he had saved for Edythe remined not so mysteriously empty he made a mental note to remind Royal and Eleanor that he would accept payment this time in the form of his own car. He had had his eye on a pretty little yellow import recently.