Chapter 11: News
When Beau pulled up to Charlie's house, the cruiser was gone, unsurprisingly. He stepped into the house, calling out to Edythe; he moved toward the empty living room as she heard her feet pad down the staircase. She was dressed in her pajamas, but at least fully clothed, unlike the last time he'd seen her. Her head was slightly bowed and she was looking at the floor. Her posture made it clear that she had known what he had gone to do, and did not really want to hear the answer. She came to the bottom step of the stairs to face him, taking his hand.
"Well?" she mumbled, glancing up from under her eyelashes. Beau went to open his mouth but then heard his cell phone ring. He glanced down, pulling the device from his pocket; Carine's name flashed across the screen. He accepted the call and put it to his ear.
"I'm outside," the doctor's voice informed him; he straightened, a little surprised at the news.
"Let me tell her," Carine requested, and her voice was pleading, though not in a desperate way.
"Sure," Beau answered, his eyes meeting Edythe's for a second. She was confused as he moved away, toward the front door. She went to follow him, but realized a moment too late who he was letting in. Edythe froze out of habit in the middle of the living room, her eyes widening slightly as Beau returned to her, Carine standing precariously in the hallway.
Beau gently took Edythe's hand, standing besides her as they stood perpendicular to Carine. Edythe immediately fought her body's natural urge to recoil and back away, forcing herself to stay still. Besides the uncontrollable instinct, Edythe did not want to face her mother, not when she—through Beau—had asked such an unforgivable sacrifice of them. The shame was not something she could bare.
But Carine's face was not angry, or stern, or even upset. It was smooth, the only hint of emotion being caution as she saw and heard Edythe's reaction to her presence. She felt another wave of uncertainty for wanting to come here and see her daughter. Carine wanted the news to come from her, rather than this back-and-forth carrier-pigeon style of communication. But she was loathe to push Edythe too far.
And so, mother and daughter looked between each other, both of them nervous and unsure. One terrified of hearing the final answer of her separation, and the other unnerved of stepping over the invisible line in order to give the good news. Beau worked to calm his mate down, his hand at her back and arm, running over her skin soothingly as Carine slowly stepped forward. The vampire paused at the mouth of the living room, staying as far back as the room would allow. Edythe, her body as tense as piano wires, stood and waited.
"Edythe," Carine murmured, the voice quiet and gentle. Edythe had heard Carine speak her name countless times, and the tone now was no different from before. Not as if she were to be reprimanded or persuaded. The familiarity caused her tension to ease minutely.
"Edythe…Beau let us know what has been happening, how you've been feeling," the matriarch said. She kept her eyes on Edythe's, not avoiding hers, but careful to not have a penetrating gaze. It was a tactic she'd had to adopt before, when she had worked for a short time in a psychiatric ward. Those that were mentally unwell were more in-line with their instincts, and so getting those patients to trust her was even more difficult than usual. While typically her voice and mannerisms were enough to put most humans at ease, those she treated during that two year period would not be swayed.
In a sense, Carine knew Edythe was much the same; not in the fact of her mental instability, but in that her instincts were more firmly intact, and the situation was even more so because Edythe knew her instincts were accurate, to an extent.
"Yes," Edythe said quietly, her voice hesitant, nervous, but also dull. Carine could see that Beau had been right; Edythe seemed to have predicted the family's answer, and it was the wrong one. Meanwhile, Edythe was mentally forcing herself to accept it, both Carine's presence as well as the news she had come to give. She knew her creator well enough to know she would want to say goodbye in person, at least on behalf of the entire family. But the reality of it coming together made Edythe weak. She reached out to grip Beau tighter, needing the extra support. Beau squeezed her hand back affectionately, but she didn't turn to see the encouraging, albeit slightly nervous, smile on his face.
"We understand how and why you feel that way, Edythe," Carine continued diplomatically, though there was soothing vibes in her words. "But I wanted to be the one to tell you that you have nothing to worry about. You will be welcome with us for as long as you want us."
Edythe stared at her for a moment, the shock seeming to halt everything else in place. Prepared as she had tried to be, hearing the exact opposite of what she was expecting threw her for a loop. Her mind swirled with a million thoughts, as she teetered from the decisions she was expecting to hear, and the one she had gotten. For a moment, she wondered if she were dreaming, if the path she wanted so badly would really be offered to her. She shook her head in disbelief.
"Edythe, she's telling you the truth," Beau implored; her eyes flashed to him, seeing the small grin on his face. Her eyes moved back to Carine, who stood back, though Edythe could she wanted to come closer. A pause of wordless communication passed through them, a brief connection of their eyes, and Edythe nodded in permission. Carine took a step closer, and Edythe felt Beau's closeness as he watched them both.
"I am, Edythe," Carine said quietly, her honey eyes inspecting Edythe's face for signs of distress. "I understand your motivations to try and protect the family; but all of us agree that none of those risks are worth losing you, or Beau." Edythe exhaled shakily at the words, feeling the return of her blocked sinuses from the tears she could feel coming. Almost instinctively, she responded without thinking.
"But…" she protested, "What about the Volturi? Me being human? I'd have to sleep, eat…it would be completely different." She couldn't imagine they had not considered these things, but it seemed as if they had easily agreed to this without thinking of the ramifications. Carine smiled slightly, taking another small step forward, appreciating as Edythe did not cringe when the vampire moved within two feet of her and Beau.
"Edythe, I'm not implying we think it will be the same as before. But we are saying we have no qualms and are very happy to make the adjustments, to have you home. We love you, sweetheart, your father and I, and your brothers and sisters. We would never dream of giving you up, no matter the cost."
Carine's words were intertwined with emotion as she worked to calm Edythe's fears. The coven leader knew how little Edythe thought of herself; she had lived with her for over century and had argued it at any point it came up. But it baffled her that Edythe thought so much to think they wouldn't give up their supposedly pleasant and 'undemanding' lifestyle for her. Though she knew Edythe was aware they loved her as their daughter and sister and she reciprocated that love, she could not accept them being willing to 'give up' things for her. Despite her century of mind reading, it still made Edythe blind to seeing exactly how much her family loved her, but they were willing to trade for her.
"Edythe, you may not be a vampire anymore, but you are still a Cullen," Carine told her matter-of-factly. "We will be happy to have you home, when you are ready." By this time, silent tears were slipping down Edythe's cheeks. Beau hugged her to his side, rubbing her back softly with one hand. She rubbed her hands across her face, trying to stop the incessant salt water, but it kept coming.
Carine took another half-step, finding herself closer to Edythe than she had been since she had awoken, closer than was customary for personal space. She watched Edythe's reaction carefully and, despite her proximity, Edythe's vitals did not change, her body seemingly too preoccupied with her reaction to the news to respond as it considered appropriate. Cautiously, the vampire lifted her hand.
Edythe didn't recoil as the cool fingers moved closer, eventually moving to brush along her cheek, Carine's thumb smoothing away the tears, hearing the low, comforting words from her mother as she hushed her. Carine had never done something like that before, either to her or the rest of the family, but then again, vampires didn't cry.
It was a maternal gesture, one that Carine adopted easily considering she had never been a mother in her human life. But taking on the others and assuming the leadership position in the coven had shifted that, and Carine had assumed the role of mother to Edythe and the others almost immediately after meeting them.
Though it hadn't had the literal definition, Carine adopted the role not just for pretenses but in the entirety of their familial lifestyle. She and Earnest assumed the parental roles seamlessly, keeping the eternal teenagers in line and guiding and raising them as any one else would. But they had never needed to feed them or help them with homework, or any of the more typical 'parent' things. It was not necessarily traditional relationship in that sense, but even more primally, it was that traditional.
Carine was her mother, just as Earnest was her father, and the others were her bothers and sisters.
Carine was a mentor to Edythe, someone she looked up to and worked to emulate. It was what she had been trying to do since she had awoken as a vampire. There was nothing more she wanted than Carine's approval, just as any child wanted from their parent. But now, the same task that had been before her no longer existed; Edythe didn't have to work to abstain from human blood any longer.
In that change, the role had shifted slightly.
In her newfound humanity, Edythe found she did not need Carine to break up arguments between herself and her siblings, or give guidance on how to best navigate her and Beau's precarious relationship. Instead of the vampiric side of parenting, Edythe needed Carine to adopt the more 'normal', human side of parenthood.
Though Carine had never had her daughter's supernatural gift, the matriarch could sense the processing going through Edythe's mind. Much like her, Carine found she was needed to fill in a new role for Edythe, something more akin to a human mother and daughter, specifically protection, or at least, an oath of security.
"I'm here," Carine told her, "It's going to be all right." The reassurance seemed to be what Edythe needed to hear. Carine saw her tremors soften, and felt Edythe lean into her hand; she smiled softly.
"There," she murmured, "There is nothing for you to worry about."
Edythe didn't speak for a moment, simply basking in her mother's familiar comfort, though never in this context before. She was not surprised that Carine seemed to know exactly what she needed, but she was in awe that her creator had not hesitated once to give it to her.
"Thank you," the human said finally, her voice cracking.
"There is no need to thank me, Edythe, " Carine chided her gently.
"I love you," Edythe said.
"As I love you," Carine said, "As we all do."
Edythe looked up at Beau, her green eyes shining for the first time since she had awoken. For the first time, she could feel her future, as astonishing as it may be, billow out before her like the red carpet down the path. She could see what she could have, that she could have both her love and her family, and her heart swelled, the ache dissipating until she could feel it no longer. She hugged Beau as tight as she could and he laughed, leaning down to press his lips to her cheek.
"It's getting better," Edythe said, her eyes returning to Carine, who smiled wider.
"It would seem so," the doctor agreed, "But I don't want to push. We will ease into it; I don't want to risk a relapse or anything else. You are stressed enough as it is." Edythe nodded slightly, and she felt slight disappointment as Carine let her hand drop and took a half-step back.
"Take your time, Edythe," her mother said, "We will still be here, no matter how long you need."
"Can I call later?" Edythe asked; the hopeful look in her eyes made Carine smile, just the smallest amount of relief filling her chest.
"Of course," she responded, "But not too late; you still need to sleep. We will get everything ready for you at home. Whenever you want to come home, you can." Edythe nodded, her eyes following as Carine left; her disappearance was faster than it took Edythe to finish blinking, but unlike before, it did not unnerve her.
As Beau turned to face Edythe straight on, he registered just in time to catch Edythe as she jumped into his arms. He laughed again as he caught her, kissing her back as ardently as she did. Edythe was speechless, over the moon, and completely blissful. This morning had turned into a completely different one than what she had expected, and she couldn't have been happier. She felt the urge now, to return to the big white mansion, her home.
But Edythe knew she needed a little more time, partially to allow her family to prepare whatever they were to make the house and themselves more "human-friendly," as well as her and Beau to make their own preparations. There was much to be done. But in this moment, she reveled in the feeling of euphoria that washed through her, pulling herself up again to kiss her mate once more.
Beau moved them to the couch, sitting down on the low seat with Edythe straddling him. He kissed her back passionately; but unlike their instinctual craving passion from last night, this was more sweet, more light. Their caresses were loving, not merely for satisfaction of physical desire but for their own emulation of their joy with their situation. Like a herd of animals that had been released on an endless pasture, they saw their future open up, miles far and wide, free for them to grasp and enjoy, all while having their family by their side.