CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DEEP THOUGHTS AND INTROSPECTION
The coven leaves to go for a hunt after their hunger becomes more apparent; all except for one. Ariel watches Rosalie closely, the one coven member who insisted that she will hunt later.
The whole day, Ariel has kept a close eye on the female Cullen. Her apparent fascination and adoration for Charlie has been clear since Ariel arrived; but she is not stupid. Rosalie's visible, immediate love for Charlie is noticeable, but that is not the only thing that Ariel observes.
She's noticed the way that the woman withdraws when Ariel's presence is close to them. The darker look in her eyes when certain words are said. It becomes very clear, very fast, that the reason Rosalie stayed is because she is so hesitant on leaving Charlie's side. Just as it becomes very clear to Ariel that despite Rosalie's attachment to her nephew - which, admittedly, makes her feathers ruffle - Rosalie also has some underlying issues.
She isn't sure if she notices it because she is an angel or if she notices it because being around Linda so often has made her more observant of certain behaviors. Like all the behaviors that Rosalie has had throughout Charlie's visit that make it clear that she is very upset. She hides it well, Ariel will give that to her; but it is still there. In the dark shadows of her eyes, the thinning of her lips, the way she is avoiding Ariel when she has Charlie, but happily treading along Charlie's side when Ariel's attention is elsewhere.
It makes her heart ache; Ariel can feel it especially now. The pain just oozes off of Rosalie as she kneels on the ground, her attention solely on Charlie as he happily plays alongside her. Anything that Charlie hands her, Rosalie takes with grace and a smile, looking serene and at peace.
"You have to take him back home soon, don't you," Rosalie finally speaks up, her voice soft.
Ariel silently nods; even as he plays, Charlie yawns and stretches in the way that any toddler would when they're up past their bedtime. Rosalie's lips thin and her grip on the toy grows tight, the tension is obvious in her shoulders. Her nerves are being drawn and Ariel prepares herself for what is bound to happen - the snap.
"How did you - your brother, I mean -" Rosalie starts, her voice uncertain as it wavers.
Ariel hesitates, sighing as she kneels down, scooping Charlie up as he starts to sway on his feet with little yawns. Rosalie's nose twitches at the face he makes. Ariel places him in one of the living room chairs for now and he curls up into a ball immediately, his eyes fluttering closed.
"It's complicated," Ariel finally speaks up, her voice growing softer to not wake the child that is starting to fall asleep. "Charlie is the first hybrid in a very long time, we don't usually interact with humans enough for it to happen. My brother has a few theories. Thinks that we adapt and change form based on what we feel - he didn't want to be one of us, so he wasn't; then he slept with Linda."
Ariel continues, her frustration growing in her voice. Her tone change makes Charlie shift and squirm. She takes a deep breath and continues.
"Whether my brother was human or not while he slept with Linda, I don't know. He's certainly not human now and Charlie definitely takes after our family... But something changed, at least for a little while, and apparently he was human enough for Charlie to happen. I only saw them after Charlie was born, so I don't know the specifics."
Rosalie takes the information in slowly, her brows furrowed. Ariel starts to clean up Charlie's toys as she speaks, gathering it all in his bag and putting it by his chair; she treads carefully, both physically and with her words as the tension grows between them. Rosalie shifts uneasily, her head beginning to throb as she tries to understand the concept of a species that can simply change what they are.
Taking pity on the expression on Rosalie's face, Ariel's eyes soften as she explains more simply.
"I know Amenadiel was thrilled when he found out Linda was pregnant. I think that we're not meant to have kids, but that when, deep down in our self consciousness, when we want to have children, something in us changes to make it possible."
Rosalie's knuckles go white as she clenches her palm into a tight fist. Not from hatred or genuine anger at her personally. Ariel can see it in Rosalie's eyes - burning jealousy. Envy. Desire. She starts to put the pieces together and her heart aches as she begins to realize just why Rosalie is so deeply distraught.
Ariel spots Carlisle from the corner of her eyes. She's not sure how much he's heard, or when the coven returned, but he looks ready to jump in at a moment's notice. His attention is going back and forth rapidly between Rosalie and Ariel. When he meets her eyes, Ariel nods toward the stirring child in the chair. He takes the hint and obliges, shifting his focus on Charlie, scooping him up from the chair to soothe him.
He whispers to Emmett, who looks just as ready to jump in. When he settles down due to Carlisle's instistance and Jasper's influence, he taps his foot nervously against the floor.
Ariel knows where this is going; she knows what Rosalie's response will be. She can feel it growing in the air around her; she can also feel Jasper's influence spreading, but Rosalie doesn't seem to react much to it. Her entire body is tense as her nerves start to snap.
"So theoretically," Rosalie's words drip with venom, "Even you and Carlisle could have kids."
The rest of the coven's attention seems to snap immediately to Ariel at Rosalie's statement, as if to see if she would deny it. Something unrecognizable shines in Carlisle's eyes as his eyes darken with swirling shadows and want. Ariel swallows thickly and she knows that if she answers honestly, it will set Rosalie off; she also isn't sure how Carlisle will take the information. But she still answers sincerely, nodding.
"No one in my family has ever had children with a vampire - at least to my knowledge - and even human hybrids like Charlie are rare, but theoretically - theoretically, yes."
Carlisle hesitates; looking at Ariel with a mix of both shock, hope, and confusion. Ariel's statement takes them all off guard just enough that no one else is fast enough to stop Rosalie from throwing her fist until it's too late.
Ariel knows how this goes; she's done it with her whole family more than once. That sometimes, you need to get it out. Amenadiel has been a punching bag for displaced aggression for everyone at least once; including her own anger. Being the second oldest, she's also faced the brunt of her siblings' rage at times, having lost count of how many times Remiel and her have brawled it out.
So she does not dodge or move. Ariel barely even flinches when Rosalie's fist connects with her face. Unlike the crystalised skin of vampires, Ariel's skin doesn't crack, splinter or shatter like glass. Instead, Rosalie immediately draws back clutching her hand with a pained hiss, her knuckles immediately shattering, her skin splintering around her hand.
"That's not fair," Rosalie hisses at her.
Alice whispered Rosalie's name softly with an empathetic pained tone. Edward barely watches, tension in his shoulders, everyone's thoughts are screaming so loud that it makes it hard for him to concentrate; Rosalie's pained thoughts being the loudest (It's not fair, how come they can have kids? How come she can simply change what she's not?) next to Carlisle's own thoughts of having children (It's - is it really possible?).
Jasper looks as pained as he feels, everyone's emotions soaring around him and caging against his skin. Emmett watches like a trapped frightened puppy, visibly distraught and unsure of what to do, but sharing the pain that his mate is projecting. The growls that build in his throat don't go unnoticed nor does the darkness seeping in his eyes. The primal beast claws at him to leap at Ariel for hurting Rosalie, but a mix of Jasper trying to project as much calmness as he can and the almost ethereal energy projecting off of Ariel makes him stay put.
Carlisle watches Emmett closely, a low growl building in his own throat; a warning. Emmett glances at him, just long enough that Carlisle knows that Emmett heard it. If Emmett jumps on Ariel, all hell would break loose. And while he is trying to figure out a way to deescalate the situation, he is also trying to process the information that Ariel just admitted to.
That - as theoretical as it may be - there is a slim chance of it being possible for them having kids. It is something that he never even dreamed of - he never even entertained the thought of children in all his time as a vampire; beyond that, their bond hasn't been consummated yet, as strong as his affection is toward her. Which makes even the possibility of children so foreign.
But he is very much limited in what he can do with a child snoring softly against his chest; a child that Ariel specifically wanted him to protect. She knew that this may happen and she is trusting him to keep Charlie away from this if it escalated, as painful as the idea of even leaving her to fight alone makes him.
Ariel takes a step forward and the rest of the coven watches as Rosalie doesn't stop her. Neither of them make any aggressive moves toward the other; with Ariel almost glowing as she looks at Rosalie with compassion, understanding. Ariel takes Rosalie's cracked hand, calmly holding it between both of her palms and murmuring softly as she focuses her energy on Rosalie's injury.
"I know it's not fair," Ariel admits, "I'm sorry that God is not fair."
Ariel removes her hands, revealing Rosalie's cracked skin to be healed; perfect and porcelain as it was before. Rosalie flexes her hand experimentally, but her expression has softened as the tension starts to disperse.
"That didn't even hurt, did it," Rosalie asks dryly, eying the way Ariel's skin seems unaffected.
"I - I felt it," Ariel admits but at Rosalie's observant eyes beating into hers, she continues sheepishly, "-Yes, it hurt, but it won't do much damage."
"If I continued to hit you, would it do any damage," Rosalie's voice is lighter, more playful than vicious.
"-Eventually, but it wouldn't last long or kill me." Ariel hums thoughtfully, "If you feel like you need to continue, we can go outside."
Rosalie grins, but makes no effort to continue hitting her. The tension leaves the room as they share a mutual understanding and respect for each other, with neither of them holding a grudge against the other for the argument. Ariel seems completely casual and unaffected by the fact that she got punched by a vampire in the first place; moving past it smoothly.
Carlisle relaxes, a soft weary grin on his face. His eyes shine with a bronze gold, fresh from a hunt, as he looks at Ariel. Emmett, however, takes the chance to immediately move from his spot, tackling his mate with all of his strength. He lifts Rosalie up in the air immediately, gushing over her and how 'badass' she was. With the sound of their teasing and laughter, the rest of the coven relaxes.
"That was very dignified of you," Carlisle comments softly as Ariel strolls over, the rest of the coven occupied with each other as Rosalie shouts at Emmett for messing up her hair. "You could have dodged her punch."
"I could have," Ariel hums thoughtfully and Carlisle relishes in the soft kiss that she presses to his lips, "But that wouldn't have solved anything. She needed to get it out and I let her. My siblings and I are always fighting among ourselves. Always brawling our issues out until someone bleeds or concedes, at least that's how it was when my sister, Remmie and I would fight. We would give it our all until someone came out the victor. The tricky part is dodging the weapons."
Her tone is light-hearted and joking despite the serious implications of what she says, the undertones being noticed by Carlisle as his eyes become hooded with concern. Misreading his expression, Ariel immediately backtracks.
"-I did not have any plans of engaging with her, not like that. If she needed to hit me a few times to get her frustration out, then I was fully prepared to let her and to heal her if she broke her hand. Some of my younger siblings did that all the time to get their anger out."
Rosalie glances at her, overhearing the statement immediately; her eyes softening as Emmett places a hand on her shoulder, murmuring soft whispers against her ear. Regret pulls in her chest for having thrown the punch in the first place, especially considering that Ariel never hit her back and healed her despite her being the aggressor.
Edward glances toward them; picking up on Rosalie's (if somewhat mild) thoughts of regret and Carlisle's pained thought process as he thinks carefully about Ariel's family. An image of a large man in the hospital comes to Carlisle's mind; Edward picks up that this is at least one of her brothers as Carlisle thinks about the harm a brawl between them or any of her other family members could do to her. Even Edward admits that it is a sobering thought. Rosalie may have thrown the punch, but it is the first time he's really seen her that visibly distraught. They may joke around - push each other into trees here and there, lose a few bets where the loser loses their arm for a day, but they never seriously hurt each other out of anger. He cannot imagine if any of his siblings were to brawl it as seriously with each other; especially with whatever weapons Ariel's siblings may have used.
"Families shouldn't have to brawl it out or fight each other until someone gets seriously hurt," Carlisle states simply, "I'm sorry that yours did."
Ariel pauses, processing the statement as if it is something that no one has ever told her that it wasn't okay. Linda made her oppositions clear on aggressive, angry spars or displaced aggression, but Ariel always thought that was coming more from the psychologist standpoint and never thought much of it. Despite even Linda stating that, no one has actually apologized to her for it. No one has actually said that they're sorry it happened.
The idea of it in itself is foreign; brawls were always the way most of her siblings solved their issues, or the way they would take out their frustration on her for whatever reason it was that time (especially if Amenadiel wasn't present for them to take their frustration on). Usually Remiel, who had a habit of bringing her weapons. Though they all still loved each other dearly and she wouldn't want anything negative to happen to them.
Come to think of it, she has yet to ever see the Cullens fight; aside from the emotion-fueled punch of Rosalie, she's never seen them seriously try to maim each other or hurt each other in spars.
"I -" She finds herself at a loss for words before she takes a deep breath and continues with deep sincerity and peace, eyes glistening. "Thank you."
Carlisle helps Ariel take Charlie and his things back home, both of them taking their time walking there so as to not risk waking up Charlie. With the storm gone, the night is silent and clear; neither of them particularly care about the mud that they may be trekking through.
Carlisle still carries the boy close to his chest as he snores soundly, his small arms wrapped tightly around Carlisle. Despite the privacy and the silence that's stretched between them, Carlisle can't bring himself to ask any of the questions that are swirling in his mind; not about the odd language he heard during the baseball game, the entire conversation that she had with Rosalie, Ariel's answer to Rosalie, or anything else still lingering in his mind - or in his study back home, as is the case for the particularly odd feather that Charlie gifted him.
"Carlisle - about what I said," Ariel finally speaks hesitantly, her eyes avoiding his as a light flush spreads across her cheeks. "I'm not sure if we actually can - "
Carlisle stops her from continuing, despite the hope that had built in his chest from her confession, he knows that realistically, the odds are unlikely. Vampires hybrids are small, unlikely rumors at best; and that is with humans. He isn't sure what Ariel is capable of, given her explanation of how Charlie came to be with her brother, but he knows that is just as impossible. Especially since Charlie himself seems more like a miracle than a common occurrence.
Unafraid to meet her gaze as he looks toward her with understanding, his eyes glistening.
"I'm fully aware that it is likely impossible," Carlisle whispers softly, his voice strained, "I've come to terms with that a very long time ago, my dear."
Ariel sucks in a breath through clenched teeth, a tight pain spreading through her chest as uncertainty plagues her. Charlie squirms in Carlisle's grasp with soft whimpers, his little brows furrowing. They both stop, immediately starting to soothe the small boy. She almost sweeps her nephew up from him, but Carlisle simply adjusts his grip and whispers soft comforts that tame Charlie's squirming. A heavy rock settles in her gut seeing the ease in which he handles Charlie.
"He's a fussy child, isn't he," Carlisle remarks with a soft smile.
Ariel runs her fingers through Charlie's unruly hair, fixing it the best that she can. A few strands are caked lightly with dirt and mud from the previous storm and him playing in so many puddles. She doesn't have the heart to wake him up just to give him a bath when they get home. She makes a note that after his bath tomorrow morning that everything - from his sheets to his pillows - will have to be washed.
"He's an empath," Ariel explains softly, "My whole family is to a degree, some of us being more attuned to it than others. Similar to Jasper, I suppose. Charlie's so young that he's even more sensitive to everyone's feelings and all the energy around him. He'll learn how to control it as he gets older, but for now, he feels everything and everyone. It wears him out very fast and it is very much past his bedtime."
"Your family has gifts," Carlisle asks, looking at her curiously.
She hums thoughtfully, an absent look in her eyes as she still focuses on trying to fix Charlie's hair, getting as much hunks of dirt out of it as she can, "-Yes and no. No, empathy isn't necessarily a special gift as it is just something that we all have. But yes, each of my siblings all have their own special ability, just like your coven."
"-Like how you healed Rosalie's hand," Carlisle presses lightly.
Content with getting the dirt out of Charlie's hair, they continue making their way to Ariel's house slowly and carefully. Their conversation continues as Ariel sways as she chooses her words carefully, but everything she says is sincere and honest. Carlisle listens to each word with rapt attention, storing away all the information that she gives freely.
"-The healing is something we can all do, given that we're -" Ariel pauses as she tries to find the right word, "-Unless something happens, we can all heal. But we all have something about us that makes us different. My younger brother, Lucy, can draw out people's desires, forces them to face their demons, so to say by making them tell the truth about whatever it is that they're feeling deep down."
She pauses before continuing carefully, "- Uriel was a lot like Alice, but he didn't get visions. He saw patterns. The epitome of the butterfly effect, Uriel could tell you exactly what butterfly's wings caused a hurricane."
There's a bit of strain in her voice when she mentions Uriel, the death of his existence still lingering with her; but it is not pained as it would have been before. Instead, it feels more reminiscent and melancholic. Carlisle notices the change, notices the ease that she mentions her younger brother.
The idea of being able to see that much is fascinating and eager to learn more, Carlisle still looks at her curiously and in wonder, "What can you do?"
He hopes that she won't avoid the question; that she won't tease and flirt with him, but actually be straightforward for once. He wants to know. He wants to know everything about her - about her family - and he treasures each bit that she shares with him.
Her eyes twinkle as she smiles coyly and just as Carlisle thinks that she is going to avoid him, she glances over toward the treeline. Carlisle can smell animals nearby, but he doubts that they are going to come close with him near. Instead, Ariel calmly urges the animals to come out, with a soft, commanding voice that enchants its way through the air.
The animals listen; he watches as a deer emerges, not hesitating to walk past him to come to Ariel's open, outstretched palm. Charlie stirs in her grasp, opening his eyes up just enough to see the deer, grinning and tiredly patting at its head before his eyes drift close once more. Ariel uses her free hand to continue to scratch at the deer's ears, looking at Carlisle carefully.
"There's a lot of things that you can call what I can do," Ariel admits, "But Lucy likes to say that I'm the alpha, I like to call it the power of suggestion. It's an almost dominating voice that is hard to deny - a suggestion that makes them inclined to do. Animals will listen to me, people will too. The more simpler the mind, the easier it is."
Ariel continues hesitantly, "Vampires. Newborns are tricky since they're like babies - they don't really listen to anyone. But it is doable."
It almost feels eerily similar to a certain vampire that he knows; his friend hidden away with the Volutri, but it disgustingly feels even more similar to the pack of wolves on the reservation. He can't keep track of who the current alpha is of the pack, not having much contact with them outside of when it is absolutely needed and the few conversations with Billy Black. But from what he has learned from them, it seems oddly similar to what their pack alpha can do with the rest of the pack; give orders that cannot be denied.
"It has to be within reason," Ariel continues, noticing the furrowed look on Carlisle's face, "And some stronger minds can fight back, but even my siblings tend to listen to me if I used that voice. Animals always listen, which makes shapeshifters and werewolves pretty easy to."
Carlisle wonders if she knows about the wolves on the reservation; she hasn't said anything about them nor done anything during their conversation with Billy Black to make him think that she does. Which makes him wonder just how many other shapeshifters and werewolves are there out there and if the Volutri even know about them. Then again, he doubts that Volutri even knows about her kind either.
"More complex minds are harder or when someone is overcomed with so much emotion that it doesn't matter what I say." Ariel continues thoughtfully, "When it comes to more sentient beings, I can't do a lot at one time. Maybe two newborns if I'm lucky, maybe a few vampires. I haven't done it on vampires in a very long time, I may be a bit rusty."
It is a bit comforting that she likely wouldn't be able to command his whole family, even if he knows that it would never be needed. Deep down, he knows that she would never do anything to hurt his family; a family that he can see is starting to grow on her. He only hopes that growth continues for her to fully embrace them.
Lost in her explanation, her eyes seemed glossy as she continues openly,
"I can only ever get one sibling to listen to me at a time, which as you can imagine, didn't help me very much back home with a large family."
At the mention of her family, Carlisle thinks, remembering what happened when her brother visited and the conversation that ensued from it. As they finally reach her house, he speaks up, trying to carefully choose his words. Their open and easy conversation is the most they have really touched on the subject of her family and her species and he has a feeling that this is one of his few chances to continue the conversation and ask questions.
"-Your brother, Amenadiel, mentioned that you all were made to help people."
The pain that immediately glosses over Ariel's eyes as she glances at him makes him realize that it was something that he should not have said. He got too ahead of himself and misspoke; it wasn't his place to ask something like that. But before he can get all of that out, before he can apologize, Ariel speaks.
"- Originally, we were. I suppose I just got the memo a little later than everyone else," Ariel's voice wavers as she tries to make light of the subject, but the bitterness still drips in her words. "I've never been my family's favorite. I was too hateful, too mean, and they all thought that I was made to just hurt and kill people."
Ariel's casual confession of it makes Carlisle ache as he takes a step forward, wanting to comfort her, but the child in his grasp stirs. Ariel turns, her face bright pink with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. She hesitantly and carefully takes Charlie from Carlisle before he can protest.
"We become the monsters that others think we are if we're not careful, especially if it is so easy to misplace your own anger onto another species that didn't deserve it." Ariel softly admits, "But you - you've always been a good man from the start, Carlisle, and you don't let others' views of you stop you from doing what you think is right. You have such a good soul, Carlisle. I suppose that one of the reasons I -"
She stops as she realizes what she is saying. Her face grows warm and frozen as a pregnant pause passes between them, their eyes meeting as they both wait for her to finish her statement. Despite all the feelings that have passed between them, all the flirting, the teasing, and even the openness that they have expressed with each other, a confession has never been made. Nothing dramatically confessed in the rain or in the bedroom, no passionate monologue or casual acceptance.
Carlisle watches her carefully, he can feel the need to confirm their relationship, their feelings for each other, clawing at his chest. Hope gleams in his eyes, even as they darken with want; the primal part of him wants her to admit it, wants her to say that she's his and that he is hers, wants to ravish her and show her just what he has been wanting to do since they first started this back and forth cat and mouse. The gentleman in him, however, will wait for as long as she wants. He will wait until she is comfortable with stating their relationship, their feelings, and he will continue to wait until she is comfortable going even further with their relationship.
Ariel knows what she got herself into when she first started having feelings for Carlisle. She knows that this is not a game or a passing fling and knows where this will be heading, no matter how long it will take them to get there. But that doesn't give her the right to deny Carlisle the answers that he needs; the answer to just how she feels about him.
She continues confidently, her eyes glistening as they meet his gaze.
"I love you, Carlisle."
