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Without further ado...

Chapter 19 - Forks, December 2004

Early December

It wasn't until the week after her mum's visit, the day of Monica's dinner, that Carys managed to get some time alone with Sarah to discuss how she was feeling. If she was honest with herself she really could have had Sarah over to talk in the week, but it wasn't until that Saturday that she'd realised she wanted to talk about it.

They'd left Sarah and Monica's at one that Sunday afternoon with the promise to be back within a couple of hours so that they could help cook dinner. Faced with the prospect of a couple of hours' alone time before they got back followed by an additional pair of hands to get everything ready, Monica had been more than happy to wave them off with the assurance that they should take all the time they needed.

As it quickly transpired, she had an added reason to suggest that last.

After about twenty minutes of walking and chatting about nothing in particular, Sarah turned the conversation and confided that the couple had both noticed something was wrong when Carys and her mum had visited them the weekend before.

"We didn't want to say anything when you were at ours, not in front of your mom, anyway," Sarah explained as she rubbed her gloved hands together. "There was just something about the way you looked, Care," she used the nickname that she'd given Carys a month before and still sounded strange to her friend's ears, "it was too much like the start of the year. Like you could hardly keep it together, you know?"

Sarah gave up attempting to rub any warmth into her hands and thrust them deep into the pockets of her puffer jacket, and turned to look at Carys as they walked.

Carys hardly needed to look back at her to know how concerned she was. Sarah had been the one who'd first noticed the change in her all those months ago, and Carys was as grateful as she was embarrassed at how easily she could be read, or how guilty she felt that her moods affected those around her.

"My mum's pregnant..." Carys started, shooting Sarah a look before she stared resolutely forward and wrapped her arms around herself against the chill inside her as much as the one from the harsh winter wind. "And I'm happy," she continued, for a moment not having to force cheer through her bleak tone when she thought of the prospect of the baby, "I really am, but it means I might have to leave. And I know it's going to sound ridiculous to-"

"It won't." Sandra cut in, bumping Carys' shoulder gently with her own. She fell silent, letting Carys know she'd only interject if she thought Carys was putting herself down.

"Thanks," Carys nodded her head slightly, then after a moment's pause, she sighed heavily. "I just remember what I was like at the start of the year, and I know how much I missed my home, but somewhere along the way... This," she waved a hand about her before returning it to its place against her body, "this became my home. And now I'm stuck because I have two homes. One in London, one here. Only, now I'm not going to have a home in London because my parents are moving to California, and I'm not going to have a home here because..."

"Of course you'll have a home here!" Sandra protested, her eyes growing round as she stopped in the middle of the path.

Carys paused a few steps ahead of her and turned to face her. "No... Not after next year. That's why mum wanted to talk to me. She wanted to let me know that they're looking to sell so they can get a place down there. Which means..." Carys sighed again and tightened her hold on herself as she ducked her head, toeing a loose stone. She then took a deep breath, straightened, and looked Sarah in the eye. "Which means that as soon as they sell the little house, I'm going to have to decide between going back to London and making a new go of things all over again, or joining them in California and... Well, having to do the same, just under my parent's roof... I can't help feeling like I should be happy about everything, but... I don't know, maybe I'm a bad person."

Sarah stared at Carys for a moment and then shook her head at her as if she was being silly.

"Come on Care. First, you're not a bad person for wanting the life you want, and second - you can't really think you're gonna get rid of us that easily?!"

"What d'you mean?" Carys asked quietly, frowning at her friend.

"I mean," Sarah explained carefully, stepping towards Carys as she reached her arms out to pull the younger woman in for a hug, "that if you need a place to stay, you'll have one with us. For however long you want it-" she continued on over Carys' protest, "-and as soon as we can find somewhere you can afford, we'll move you in. If you don't know by now, people like you here. I hate to tell you, but you're stuck with us for as long as you want to be." She squeezed Carys one last time before pulling back. "Though, if we stay out here much longer, I might just fucking freeze to death, then where'll you be?"

"California, likely!" Carys laughed bleakly, pulling back. "Fancy sneaking off to the diner for a hot chocolate to cheer me up?"

"Brilliant idea!" Sarah declared in a horrific attempt at an English accent, hopping from foot to foot and rubbing her arms for emphasis.

Forty minutes later, having had to double back on themselves through the forest and take the long route to avoid Monica seeing them, they walked into the diner and stopped dead.

"Bloody bad idea." Carys murmured, smiling awkwardly as she lifted a hand in greeting to Monica and began to shuffle guiltily through the crowd. At least, Carys thought as she unwrapped her scarf from her neck and shrugged off her coat, Monica looked every bit as guilty at having snuck off as they did.


Mid-Late December

Just under two weeks after saving Charlie from Monica's pestering at the latter's post-Thanksgiving dinner, Carys found herself pulling into a space near Sarah and Monica's house to attend their pre-Christmas party whilst she fleetingly wondered about their combined income.

They were taking off that Christmas to visit Monica's extended family in Idaho, so rather than their traditional party around the new year, they'd decided to throw a party the Saturday before Christmas instead.

As she walked through the door, wearing a dress she deemed far more appropriate to what she'd worn the year before, Carys wasn't too surprised to hear a cheer go up for Carlisle. Whilst he wasn't there - it was strange, she thought, that he never attended these things - he'd won the praise of everyone who was at the party, because it was only his agreement to take Sarah's shift at short notice that allowed them to throw it in the first place.

"Hi Carys," Charlie greeted her with a tip of his beer when she came within range of him and another man she'd seen him with a few times but never met.

Carys grabbed a glass of something questionably fruity-smelling from the tray Sarah thrust in her face as she passed, and jokingly poked her friend in the side when she knew the drinks would be safe.

"Hey, Charlie!" Carys grinned as she joined them, "any news on the Bella front?"

"She's coming to stay in January!" The other man announced happily, causing Charlie to sigh and roll his eyes as he shifted. "Midway from the looks of things. Charlie's excited really, someone just forgot to tell his face."

"Am I allowed to tell anyone? Or are you just going to do it for me?" Charlie asked, shaking his head. His tone, Carys thought, was completely ruined by the look of affection on his face and in his eyes.

"Sorry! I don't think we've been intro-"

"Harry. Long time friend of this one-" he smacked the back of his hand into Charlie's drink, earning himself another sigh and questioning look "-and I'm guessing you're..." He pointed and tilted his head jokingly, "The British one..."

"The English one," Carys corrected with a smirk, adding to her accent with a slight drawl.

"Ahh, English. My apologies," Harry winked good-naturedly at Carys, drawing an amused giggle from her and a frown of mild horror and censure from his friend.

Just as Charlie seemed as if he was about to comment, Monica bounced into the middle of the group, effectively cutting him off, her red hair swishing about her in a way that had him leaning away in case he was hit by it.

"Carys!" Monica half-yelled, causing them all to wince lightly. "Have ya met Charlie's Uncle Harry!?"

Even Charlie laughed at Monica's description, and Harry threw his arms up in the air as he frowned at her.

"Mon! What're you doing?" He turned to Carys and held a hand to the side of his face as if his loud pronouncement was meant for her ears alone. "She calls me his Uncle because she's jealous I'm still such a ladykiller."

"Does she now?" A beautiful woman with long black hair and an incredibly amused look on her face walked up at that moment and wrapped her arms around Harry. "That'll be news to me, and your kids, who're standing over there and can hear every single word you're saying!"

They laughed again as Harry hugged his wife to him and threw his son and daughter a falsely apologetic grin.

Carys continued smiling at the couple for long seconds after her laughter died down.

They reminded her of her parents when they dragged her to friends' houses and she caught glimpses of them as they were when they weren't playing their parental roles. If the look of mild horror on Harry and his wife's, Sue as she soon discovered the woman was called, daughter's face was anything to go by, it wasn't an isolated incident.


A few days later, Carys caught up with Carlisle before she left the hospital at lunchtime to head to Seattle, where she was spending the long Christmas weekend with her step-grandparents.

She'd talked to him the week before about her plan to stay in Forks when her parents moved to California and eventually sold their house, and at first, he'd been more reserved in his assurances when she'd asked if he thought it was a good decision.

In the end, it had been oddly soothing that he'd listened to her reasoning and worries and then, seeming to choose his words with care, had told her how glad he was that she was choosing to stay. He'd added that whatever she chose, as long as she made her choice based on herself, it would be right.

He'd been so lovely when they'd spoken, that Carys had had to force herself not to give him another hug.

That day, she found him entering his office and raced down the hallway to intercept him before the door closed.

"Hi!" She announced herself slightly breathlessly, grinning up at him as she clutched his wrapped present in her hands.

"Hello, Carys," Carlisle replied. He sounded as unflappable as ever, but he smiled at her abrupt arrival and waved her into his office before him.

"I can only stay for a second or two because I've got to get to Seattle before it gets dark," Carys warned him as she stepped through into his domain, greatly appreciating the fact it smelt so much like him. She turned to face him as he rounded his desk and held her offering out as she did so. "Merry Christmas, Carlisle."

Carlisle stared at the present for a few moments as if it was going to bite him before he finally took it from her and held it in his hand as a grin spread across his face.

She didn't think it should be legal for Carlisle to look up at someone from under his lashes as he grinned at them - not when it made her heart rate increase so quickly that she began to feel light-headed. "It's not much," she told him, feeling herself begin to ramble as he straightened and maintained eye contact, "it's just a book I like. I mean, I shouldn't be telling you that, but you don't know which book and-" she could feel her lungs beginning to constrict, "-well, I was going to get you whiskey but-"

"Carys?" Carlisle cut across her as his grin turned lopsided and he placed his bag soundlessly on his desk. "Remember to breathe, darling."

Carys blushed, feeling her cheeks grow hot, but she felt better when Carlisle continued to look at her with a kind smile rather than a teasing one.

"Thank you for the book," Carlisle turned the present over in his hands once more before he placed it gently onto the desktop as if it was something far more precious than it was. Then he smiled at her as he opened his bag with a flourish that had Carys laughing, and produced a wrapped present of his own. "We can only hope great minds don't think too alike, otherwise we'll have a straight swap on our hands." He paused, holding his gift out to her, and then added, "Merry Christmas, Carys."

Carys took the gift with a grin of her own and stared at it for a moment as if she might suddenly develop x-ray vision, and then fought the urge to hug it to her chest. Instead, she put it in her bag as she thanked him. "Even if it's the same present, I'll be happy."

"Darling, you should wait until you read it to say that." He cautioned with an indulgent smile. "That being said, I hope and expect you'll like it as much as I did."

"I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you again, Carlisle."

"Thank you dar-"

"If you call me darling again, Dr Cullen," Carys laughed as she blushed and smoothed her skirt in a nervous gesture with one hand, wagging a jokingly admonishing finger at him with the other, "someone might think you were flirting!"

Carlisle smiled gently and watched her as she stepped away towards the door. He waited until the moment after she'd said goodbye and had begun to let the door close behind her before he spoke.

"Carys?" He called and, when she ducked back to look enquiringly at him, added, "someone would be correct."

Carys couldn't recall the walk she then made from Carlisle's office to her car, because she was concentrating so hard on maintaining some sort of a professional facade. She made it as far as the front seat of her car before she allowed herself a little swoon, followed by a good few waves of her fists as she bounced up and down a couple of times.

A/N: We made it! The next chapter will be the title chapter for Twilight, so I'll post that tomorrow or on Saturday, before the next chapter.