A/N: Hey guys, so I'm alive, and I promise I have not lost motivation for this story (quite the opposite). Sorry for another extended leave, but I had an idea and wanted to try it. If you guys haven't noticed, this chapter is long. Would you guys prefer shorter, weekly chapters, or longer, biweekly chapters? Please let me know!
FAIR WARNING! Part of this chapter becomes M rated (there will be a double horizontal line before and after the section if you would like to skip it!)
Chapter 26: Victor
December brought with it the impending move for the Cullens and Beau; having completed their studies and officially gotten their high school diplomas in the mail, Beau and Edythe, along with the others, gradually made their preparations. They were already registered and ready to begin their first semester in Ithaca come late January, giving the family enough time to get to the Northeast and settled before classes began.
Charlie, of course, was thrilled at Beau's accomplishments; it seemed no one in Forks was able to escape his constant plights of elation and pride for his son. Edythe had joined him and Beau for Thanksgiving breakfast, where she helped Beau prepare a small but tasty meal. She was happy to have had her first Thanksgiving dinner—such a novelty was unattainable in an all-vampire household—though Beau was unabashedly surprised and teasing that the Cullens didn't do anything special, like hunt turkeys. Eleanor and Archie had made a face at the idea of feeding on poultry when he suggested it.
After four weeks of Edythe on Ocalcitin and gaining the majority of her mobility back, Carine felt comfortable enough to return to work, though keeping her shifts shorter so she wasn't gone as long. This was partially for her own state of mind for fearing of leaving Edythe in potential discomfort—her vampire mother knew very well how adept Edythe had become at burying pain—as well as leaving her unprotected with Victor still on the loose. Earnest, of course, along with one of her siblings remained with Edythe at all times, but Edythe felt immense relief from not having the obvious watchful eyes on her every moment of the day.
The hospital was admittedly upset at Carine's resignation, and made it clear she was always welcome to return in the future. Carine thanked them greatly, but knew the majority of her coworkers and staff would be long dead before she were to return to the Forks Hospital after this Christmas. Edythe, likewise, had had similar conversations with Becca and Allen; they had remained the closest after the accident, but Edythe made sure to keep them at arm's length, knowing the separation was coming soon. They wished her and Beau the best, and she was thankful, and glad they would be going on to lead happy lives in each other's company.
Because they had finished school, Beau was not obligated to attend in-person, and so he spent much of his time with Edythe at the Cullen house; this made it easier, as the Cullens did not have to spread themselves too thin being in multiple places. Though they didn't really have anything to do, the two humans never found themselves bored, either entertained by the Cullen siblings or occupying themselves in companionship.
Edythe awoke one morning to the light, cool caresses that she easily recognized. She smiled, her eyes opening slightly as she met Earnest's gaze. He sat besides her, and she stretched, her stiff muscles straining from the lack of movement from a full night's sleep.
"Good morning, sweetheart," he said softly as she flopped onto the pillow on her stomach.
"'Morning, Dad," she returned. This was something she usually woke up to, either one of her parents coaxing her into consciousness, sometimes as a defense from her siblings that entertained themselves by bothering her in the mornings to get up.
"Breakfast is downstairs, ready for you," he said. "Your mother and I are going hunting with Royal and Eleanor. We'll be back later this afternoon." Edythe nodded noncommittally. She was glad her parents were finally hunting regularly again; she knew Carine alone had pushed it off at least double what she normally would. Though she never feared for her own safety, Edythe often worried for their discomfort and often pushed for her family to hunt as needed. They always said they were fine, but Edythe was not convinced.
"Beau will be here in a few minutes," Earnest told her, "There is a serving for him as well." Edythe smiled and nodded. Earnest gave her a final farewell before departing. Edythe waited another minute before pulling herself out of bed and to her closet. Knowing she would lounging around all day, she pulled out a pair of soft deep gray lounge pants and a long-sleeve shirt.
"Aren't you only supposed to wear those to sleep in?" The teasing voice from her bed made her turn. Edythe made a face at Eleanor as she stripped down in the bathroom with the door cracked, pulling the fresh clothes on before pulling her hair up in a twist.
"They're comfort clothes, when I want to be comfy," she returned, huffing. Eleanor grinned and Edythe glared back. Eleanor laughed at the expression before tossing the bag she was holding to Edythe, who caught it easily before glancing at the contents.
"Archie said you'll need these soon, so I grabbed them for you," she said casually as Edythe dropped the bag on the counter.
"Archie needs to stay out of my private business," Edythe muttered, glancing again at the Motrin, chocolate bars, and heating patches. Eleanor shrugged.
"He can't help what he sees," she reminded her, "Besides, it's not like the rest of us can't tell. You get cranky when you're close." Edythe whipped her head around, aiming her hairbrush at her sister, who neatly dodged it.
"Hey, no need to for violence, you little hormonal psycho," she said, her hands up but her eyes filled with mirth. "Just want to make sure we're prepared to deal with you." Edythe rolled her eyes and flipped an unladylike gesture at Eleanor, who just laughed, enjoying getting under her skin.
"I don't know how Beau does it," she snickered as Edythe retrieved her brush, dropping it on her side table as they made their way to the kitchen. Edythe didn't say anything, not wanting to be baited again.
In truth, her menstrual cycle had been nothing but anti-climatic. She was never very agreeable for the three or so days she suffered through, often choosing to curl up under the blankets, doped up with pain medications and sugary food with a heating pad under her pelvis. Her mood swings were severe, to the point where Jessamine spent most of Edythe's waking hours out of the house for the first few months, just to keep everyone else sane. She had gradually gotten a handle on it, and was able to get by without causing every vampire in the house to bounce back and forth between unabashed, unfounded irritation and a desire for caffeine and chocolate.
Although the experience was always exhausting—not to mention usually aggravating—Edythe had bee undeniably thrilled. For both herself and Carine, this seemed a good indication that, like every other vampire trait, her infertility had been reversed. Prior to the accident, they had been debating on going through with various fertility tests, to further investigate.
Eleanor and Edythe arrived in the kitchen and, once the smell of bacon came to Edythe's senses, she turned immediately toward the food. Beau was already at the breakfast bar, digging in.
"That's my cue to leave before the smells makes me gag," Eleanor said flippantly. "I'll see you later." She gave Edythe a one-sided hug and punched Beau lightly in the shoulder before ducking out the back door. Edythe sighed, shaking her head as she went to join Beau, knowing that Eleanor following her all the way to the kitchen was her attempt at being subtle as a bodyguard, because apparently the one floor made such a difference. She hopped up onto the adjacent bar stool, reaching forward to press her lips chastely to Beau's in greeting.
"Good morning," he said, which she returned, "El nearly hauled me out of the window this morning. Any reason they're in such a hurry?" Edythe shrugged, and there was a small elation that ran through her that such movement did not bring the usually wave of pain. The constant doses of pain medication made it easier to ignore and block out the discomfort. She reached forward toward her plate, grabbing her knife and fork.
Once the humans finished their breakfast and cleaned their plates, setting them on the top rack of the dishwasher, they made their way upstairs. Archie and Jessamine were on the second floor, leaving Edythe and Beau to give them the illusion of privacy, and they took advantage of it. Edythe crawled back to the middle of her bed as Beau closed the door before coming to join her. He lay on his side and she turned to lay her head against his chest, his arms coming up to wrap around her waist lightly.
They laid like in that in companionable silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, the small pinpoint prick in Edythe's back grew enough that, if a small exhale, she turned away from him, onto her stomach. Beau's hands moved with her, laying lightly across her shoulder blades. Without asking, he began to massage into the skin there, pressing the pads of his fingers into the fabric on either side of her spine. Edythe hummed lightly under her breath.
"Hurting again?" Beau asked quietly. Edythe shrugged, her hands crossed underneath her chin and her eyes closed as she let him continue. She made no further comment, not wanting to worry him further than he already did, and he continued, eventually sitting up and using both hands.
Beau never turned down an excuse to touch her, and he knew from previous experience that this often helped ease her discomfort. She allowed him, not saying anything as he worked out the stiff, aching muscles in her back, concentrated around the eight inch scar that was just visible from the small sliver of skin from her shirt that had come up. Eventually, she reached down and pulled her shirt over her head, wanting to feel his fingers against her skin, knowing how much more effective it would be. She wore only a simple wine-colored bralette, thin enough that, for Beau, it was if touching her with nothing there.
She turned her head to the side so she could see him, her eyes heavy-lidded and her mind turning more and more incoherent as he worked. Her eyes began to drift, taking in his jawline, the tightening of his bicep as he massaged her, the subtle curves of his pectoral muscles under his T-shirt. She felt the all too familiar tightening heat in her body; it was a feeling as common and aggravating as her pain was. They had not been able to act on their desires for months, mostly due to Edythe's physical inability and Beau's steadfast refusal to do anything that would risk causing her pain, no matter what she said. And so, weeks had gone by, and the feelings welled up inside her just got worse and worse, more and more demanding. And, being with Beau all the time, such urges were being tantalized but never satisfied.
Without really thinking about it, Edythe turned her fingers to her bra, pulling it quickly over her head and tossing it across the room before laying back down. Beau's hands froze, suddenly more than distracted by her lack of a top. She said nothing of it, and he didn't comment. He continued the ministrations, studiously trying to ignore her bare back and equally bare front that was facing into the comforter she was laying on.
However, his actions betrayed him, his fingers grazing lower and higher, tracing the edges of her shoulders and neck down to her tailbone at her waistband. She moaned quietly, and after another half minute, reached behind her to still his hands, bringing one of them down her side and lifting herself up enough for his fingers to graze against her left breast. His breath hitched, even as he resisted slightly.
WARNING! Skip of you're not comfortable...
"Edythe…" he warned, nervously, "What are you doing?"
Edythe didn't answer verbally, instead turning onto her back and leaning against the bunch of pillows against her headboard. She twisted her fingers between Beau's, whose sky blue eyes were wide as he took in her body. Her chest was just as perfectly shaped as it always had been, and only the small discolored line under her right breast hinted at the accident. She pulled his hands to her chest, and he couldn't help as his fingers brushed across her sensitive skin, buzzing with electricity. Edythe gasped quietly as his thumb grazed her nipple, making it stand erect and pink. She ran her hands up his arms, her eyes invited him to lean forward. He obeyed and pressed his lips very gently to hers, but was completely unwilling to put any of his weight on her, despite her pulling. He hovered over her, and her legs moved to straddle him, her hand coming behind his neck as they shared another kiss. Edythe moved against him, grinding her hips against his, and Beau felt himself swell with desire. He knew what she wanted, but his panic kept him in place.
"Edythe, I…," he began but she interrupted him with another kiss. He groaned lowly in her mouth and she shuddered in pleasure. "Please, don't tempt me. I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," she promised him, her movements against him never ceasing. She let go of him for a split second, reaching down and pulling the waistband of her lounge pants down, kicking them to the door of the bed. As Edythe pushed herself against him, Beau could feel the dampness of her underwear, the clear indication of her want. After another long moment when he didn't react, frozen in place as he warred with himself, she leaned up to whisper in his ear.
"Please, Beau," she said, "Let me feel normal for the first time in a long time. Let us do something that feel right." He leaned back slightly to see her face. There was undeniable lust in her green eyes, but there was other emotions there: trust, love, and some combination that Beau could not completely interpret. Edythe could see that he was not completely convinced, but he didn't disentangle himself from her.
"I promise, if it gets bad, I'll tell you, and we can stop," she said, her fingers grazing along his cheek; he pressed his lips to her palm chastely and she could see his resolve waver. She reached down and pulled her panties away for him, and, before he could really register what he was doing, Beau's hand had wandered below the deep red triangle of curls to the soft velvet of folds between her coated thighs. Her hips ground on his hand and he watched her carefully for any signs of distress from the movement, but her eyes were heavy lidded, and he couldn't see anything other than pleasure on her face. He pressed a little firmer, his thumb finding her clit, and her mouth opened slightly in a little 'o', her fingers tightening on his bicep.
Edythe reached forward, her small hand pressing against him, stroking him firmly through his gray sweatpants. His breath caught as she gripped him, and he unintentionally began to move against her strokes. Edythe smiled, then slowly, teasingly, she moved her hands from him for a moment to reach behind the thin fabric of his boxers, gripping him again with nothing between their skin. Beau's breathing increased and his eyes became dazed. Inadvertently, he pressed against her more, and was met with a noticeable increase in slickness between her legs; his fingers were dripping with her juices.
Their breathing increased as they continued to pleasure each other, but Beau was not ready to go where he knew it would inevitably go. Reluctantly, he pulled out of Edythe's grasp; her eyes found him, her face twisted in confusion and hurt, before widening as he shifted and knelt down on the bed before her. Another second later, his tongue found her, and Edythe had to fight down a whimper as the erratic electricity coursing through every cell of her body seemed to sing. She leaned back into the pillow she was propped up against, her hips shifting forward toward Beau, her legs bent and spread for him as he pleasured her.
She clenched the sheets tightly in her fingers, small little mews issuing between her teeth as Beau pumped a strong, pulsating rhythm just inside her walls. The sounds coming from her mouth were uncontrollable, and for a brief second, she recalled her siblings, who were almost certainly privy to what they were doing. However, as Beau's hot breath enveloped her sex, she found she didn't care, her hips pumping slightly, begging for more.
Beau ravished her until he could feel her orgasms building; but, he found he was no longer satisfied with the idea of simply bringing her pleasure, to satisfy the never raging want that was rocketing through her body, partly from lack of release, but spurred on by her hormones. He knew then that he had lost, though he found he couldn't care in the slightest, only looking to plan to ensure he did not hurt her. He pulled away and Edythe glanced down at him, confused and put off to be cheated out of the release she could feel just at the brink.
But, as she met his gaze, she could see the desire in his eyes and she smiled demurely, knowing that the exact thing Beau had been trying to avoid, was exactly what he was about to do. A small part of Beau's brain was yelling at him to stop, fearing for injuring her when she still hadn't completely recovered; but she had been fine so far and he rationalized that it was possible for them to do this as long as he kept himself off Edythe's back, and encouraged her to take a passive position.
With that, Beau pulled himself free of his boxers, his swollen want evident. He permitted himself a brief pass across her opening before reaching over and grabbing one of the small plastic wrappings inside the drawer of the bedside table. Edythe had to fight a grimace as Beau quickly pulled the condom down over himself before stroking between her legs, coating his member with her slick juices. She shuddered and the muscles in her body tensed as her clit buzzed with the sensitive contact, leaning back into the pillows and her hips arching up toward him. Another sound of want slipped through her lips and she moaned his name.
Beau, unable to hold out any longer, lined himself up; Edythe held her hand against his stomach as he eased into her, slowly progressing his hips forward until he filled her completely. Edythe sighed as he finally entered her; the feeling was familiar, like a lock sliding home.
"I'm okay," she assured him, seeing the worried look on his face, her hands coming up to twist her fingers through his. Beau trusted her vote of confidence and, as he began to pump in and out of her gently, Edythe let out a low hum in contentment. The feeling of Beau's member passing through her walls, touching her in the most intimate places, made Edythe calmer in a way she had not felt in many months. They moved together harmoniously, Edythe lifting her hips up in time to meet Beau's, connecting them to the hilt and increasing the length of the strokes, only to meet again almost immediately, driven by a hungry urge that had nothing to do with food.
Beau shifted slightly, tentatively pushing Edythe's knees down to the bed, opening her hips more. She moaned, her back arching as his thrusts lengthened, brushing against a deep part of her that she didn't know he could reach. Their breathing was ragged, but their eyes were filled with lust, with passion, and they reveled in each other's bodies.
This simple act, of them making love, felt more real than anything else since the accident; it reminded Edythe of herself before she had awoken in a hospital bed, when everything felt so right it couldn't have been real. She pulled Beau's face down to hers and pressed her lips against his, melting against him as he responded.
They made love with abandon; the comforting feeling of their union felt right, for both of them, and they ignored the rest of the world, indulging in themselves. They didn't care that the sounds they were making was enough to alert the whole house; they simply forgot. Edythe forgot about the pain in her back, her immobility, because in that moment, she didn't need to do any of those things. When she was in Beau's arms, feeling themselves connected like this, fortifying their love in the most physical and intimate way, she felt as strong and unbreakable as she had when she was a vampire.
END OF M-RATED SECTION
Archie and Jessamine stood just on the edge of the boundary of the Cullen land, positioned in the spot Archie knew the others would return from. When the approaching vampires smelled the rest of their coven, they moved immediately to meet them. Their expressions were immediately filled with caution and concern.
"What's happened?" Eleanor asked immediately, looking around for some kind of threat.
"Archie, why are you two out here? Where's Edythe and Beau?" Carine asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand why two of her children were suddenly over a mile from the house. But Archie and Jessamine's calm expressions seemed to assuage them.
"They're at the house. They're fine; we just thought we should give them some privacy," Archie said nonchalantly, his head tilted in the direction of the Cullen mansion. Confused, the vampires listened closer, absorbing the new sounds from the forest and beyond. It did not take them long to realize what Archie meant. They quickly retracted, forcing their senses to focus on something other than what the smallest Cullen and Beau were up to.
"Poor kid got the receiving end of Edythe's menstrual hormones," Eleanor snickered, unperturbed. Jessamine shook her head indulgently, but Archie chuckled.
"I figured, Edythe put up with us all these years, we can do the same for her," he commented. "At least we don't have to be privy as much as she inadvertently was." Though his tone was joking and light, there was something off in his eyes. Combined with the way Jessamine held herself, back straight and alert against the young elm she leaned against, Carine could tell there was more.
She met Archie's gaze, waiting for an explanation. He did not hesitate.
"Victor is going to try his chances tonight," he informed them. "It's the best chance we have to end this."
"How? Where?" Eleanor asked, intrigued, ready to put a slow, painful end to the nomad that had eluded the coven for so many months. But Archie didn't answer, his eyes still on Carine.
"Will we succeed?" she asked warily, guessing at the 'but'. Archie grimaced.
"Yes, we can, but you won't like the way it has to go down," he admitted. Carine did not like the undercurrent to his tone, but she also knew they couldn't afford to leave Forks with Victor still alive.
She gestured for him to continue.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all," Edythe said flatly, her narrowed eyes on her brother.
"We heard you the first ten times," Archie said, rolling his eyes.
"This is completely reckless, filled with unnecessary risk," she shot back; Beau squeezed her hand gently, his thumbs running circles across the back of it. She turned her gaze on him, shifting from angered to worried.
"I'll be fine; if it's the only way to end this…" he comforted her. "You don't trust them to protect me?"
"You know I do," Edythe said immediately, "I just don't see why you need to be there at all."
"We've been over this, Edy," Archie said, "Victor will never come close enough unless he thinks Beau is alone." Edythe grimaced but said nothing.
Archie's plan was almost flawless, and he saw it would work. Victor was getting restless, wanting to enact his revenge on the Cullens, but found that the wall they had enacted around the two human members of the family was nearly impenetrable. His decisions had been divided in two for weeks, and Archie wasn't able to discern what those two options were, or how they would clear. But what he finally saw had unsettled him, and Jessamine even more so.
Archie had seen Victor's plan, to go to Seattle and begin to wreak havoc on the city, planning to try his hand at creating a vampire army. Victor, as most vampires, had heard about the decades-ongoing wars in the South, and thought the idea intriguing; to have the Cullens occupied by the newborns enough for him to be able to get access to Edythe and Beau. This idea had gotten far stronger than the alternative option, which was to continue to track and evade the coven, hoping their defenses would fall. As a result of the lackluster plan, he was almost decided on his Seattle trip.
In a panic, Archie had flipped through as many possible visions as he could think or, trying to figure out a way, that some decision they could make to stop Victor before he could start. Jessamine had done it for him; in considering setting a trap, the avenue had opened up, and Archie could see its immediate success. They had never considered it before, as their primary goal was to keep Beau and Edythe safe and protected, away from Victor as far as they could get, especially after the accident. But Archie could see this would work.
Beau would take a 'unsupervised' trip to Port Angeles last minute, and the Cullens would follow, far enough back that Victor would not sense their presence, because they would know exactly the route Beau would take. They would position themselves at specific markers on the trail and intercept Victor as he trailed and made to corner Beau while he was alone. The nomad was so desperate to get his revenge, his defenses would falter just slightly, and it would be enough for Cullen to make their move. The plan was hardly perfect, but Archie saw a high percentage of the outcomes working out in their favor. The small, unaccounted for percentage, however, was what had Edythe on edge.
"Edythe, the odds are astronomically better than they were before that day in the meadow," Archie told her. "It will be fine." Edythe looked unconvinced and Eleanor came over, squeezing her sister tightly, a little too tight, though Edythe didn't comment.
"He'll be fine, girl," the vampire said with a grin, "I think five vampires can watch after one scrawny teenager." Beau ignored the jamb, his focus on easing the tension in Edythe's shoulders.
"We'll be able to hear him for thirty miles in all directions," Jessamine said, "There's no way he'll get past us. Not this time." Her ochre eyes were on Edythe, focusing on sending soothing, calming vibes. But Edythe could feel it and she glared at her honey blond sister.
"Stop it, Jess, that's not going to make me feel any better about this," she snapped, though her jaw was not tense as before, and her eyes a little less resolved.
"You're not going to feel better about it, period," Royal said, "Just fine enough that Archie is confident in this. And have confidence in us. Beau will be fine." Edythe didn't meet his gaze, and Carine stepped forward, sitting precariously on the edge of the coffee table besides the couch where Edythe sat between Beau and Earnest. She reached for Edythe's free hand and the vampire squeezed her fingers around them.
"You know I wouldn't agree to this if I thought Beau's life was in any jeopardy," she said softly. "I promise you, it will all be fine. And then this weight will be off your shoulders, off all our shoulders." Edythe didn't answer, her eyes casted down. Of course, she knew Carine wouldn't allow any harm o come to Beau; and her mother was so against violence that the fact she had agreed to this made the situation that much more severe.
"In doing this, we will have saved not just your and Beau's lives, but many other countless innocents in Seattle," Carine continued, "If this opportunity has presented itself, we must taken advantage of it."
There was a long pause and then, finally, Edythe exhaled in defeat, nodding slowly. She looked up to meet her family's gazes as they stood, each departing with their own farewell. Earnest pressed his lips delicately to Carine's with a simple, "Be safe," just as Beau pulled Edythe to him, kissing her passionately on her lips once, then her forehead. Her hands squeezed his fiercely, then pulled up to wrap around his neck, allowing herself to melt against him for a moment before she reluctantly let go. With one final gesture from Carine, running her fingers lightly down Edythe's cheek, they were gone.
Edythe sighed again, curling into Earnest's side, who was assigned to stay with her. He tightened his arms around her for a moment in a hug.
"They will be fine, sweetheart," he assured her. She didn't answer, her chin resting against his elbow. All she could do was worry, and hope they were right.
Carine stood motionless in the dark trees, fifty yards from the break where the highway snaked between the never-ending forest between Forks and Port Angeles. She stood ramrod straight, her eyes focused hard on the road she could see between the trunks, while her other senses expanded out as far as she could force them to go.
She knew Eleanor stood just out of her hearing range, and Archie just beyond Eleanor's. The five Cullens encompassed a large, barely dovetailing cover over the road that Beau was currently driving, waiting for their prey to take the bait, and waiting for Archie's signal.
They waited, and they listened.
They recognized the familiar sound of the Honda as it came within hearing range; Beau drove just below the speed limit, his heart rate only slightly irregular and a little too fast. not enough to hint at their subterfuge, but enough that one listening could attribute it to Beau's anxiety at being alone for the first time in a while.
The trip was intended to be last minute, that Beau hadn't felt the need to let the Cullens know about such a short, relatively safe trip. The late evening weather provided the perfect cover as he began to track along the road that he knew the Cullens were waiting on. As he did, they all simultaneously, quietly, retreated directly backward from the road, allowing a wider berth on either side of the asphalt. They made sure, when coming here, that their fresh scents did not track anywhere near the road, coming at it from unexpected directions and standing in congested areas of trees that would minimize the carrying of their scents from the wind.
They waited, and they listened.
Suddenly, they could hear it. The quick approach of an immortal, moving in from the southeast, running slightly parallel to the Honda's route. Coming from this angle, he would not smell them, for the wind had turned northwest, blowing his scent to them. Just as Archie had predicted. His pace was not relaxed; there was an agitation in his step, the internal nagging in the nomad's mind to flee being overpowered by his greedy, desperate drive to follow the blue car. As the distance between the vampire and the car decreased gradually, the Cullens forced themselves to stay in place, knowing they had no chance to trap him until he was in the precise spot.
They waited, and they listened.
Just as they Carine hear the passage of the nomadic vampire between Royal and Eleanor, she heard Archie's signal, as in one swift movement, he was on the hood of the Honda, pulling himself into the car through the open driver side window. The small jolt of the SUV from the impact of Archie landing on it was signal to Beau to let go of the wheel and move out of the way, leaving only half a second until Archie's hands were on the steering wheel, not enough time for the car to veer far enough out of the lane. Archie expertly spun the car on its right side tires, screening to a stop diagnosing across the road, facing the driver side toward the oncoming nomad who had no time to be startled.
As soon as Archie had made the first step toward the truck, Carine and Jessamine converged from behind Victor, as Eleanor and Royal moved from the sides. Within a second of the signal, Victor found himself surrounded in the middle of the dark roadway, blocked on all sides. He froze, his head swiveling around as he took in the vampires suddenly around him. Archie was standing in front of the car now, Beau behind him. Royal and Eleanor moved closer, pressing the side walls of the imposed circle tighter, as Carine and Jessamine took up the rear. All eyes were narrowed on the redheaded nomad, his panicked, scarlet eyes wide in terra as he realized he was trapped.
Unlike their first encounter—as well as unlike any action movie—the Cullens did not hesitate.
Jessamine immediately moved offensively, taking the first strike. Victor dodged neatly, but found himself closer to Eleanor. He hissed, his innate talent allowing him to unconscious duck her blow and avoid her grasp. But his gift could only take him so far, as there was no where to run to when surrounded.
Both Eleanor and Jessamine shifted simultaneously, their hands clamping down around Victor's arms. A half second later, Royal stood behind his wife and sister, kicking the nomad hard into his back, forcing him to his knees. Jessamine and Eleanor held his arms stretched out, their eyes going to Carine, who had made no move to intercede. But that had always been the plan, the way Archie had seen it. And so none of the Cullens moved as Carine approached where Victor stood, captured. His glimmering red eyes glared up at the coven leader, baleful and half-deranged as always.
"That little bitch, she will pay for what she did to my Joss!" he hissed, and Eleanor snorted at the lackluster, fruitless attempt at a villainous declaration. But Carine's expression did not change.
"She will no longer suffer at your hand," the matriarch said simply; it was not harsh, but there was a metallic edge to it that hinted to her children that she was not so far off from bloodlust as they were. Holding prisoner the nomad that had evaded them for so long and had caused so much heartbreak, they were figuratively itching for the call. But they waited on Carine.
She was quick; Victor's head disconnected form his shoulder in one swift motion, and his eyes went blank. Carine was not a fighter, but that did not make her unskilled. Though she could feel the tingling in her hands, the satisfaction from effectively wiping the sneer off Victor's face once and for all, she still felt no need for torture or violence.
Though she turned her eyes way as her children moved to destroy the rest of the pieces—using far more force and gallivanting than required—Carine felt satisfaction only in that she knew Edythe and Beau were free from the nomad's plight permanently. She only wanted her daughter and son safe, not to embellish and gloat in the victory of the fight. Archie stepped away from Beau to assist his siblings in the destruction and concealment of Victor's remains, and Carine approached, pulling her cell phone from her back pocket and quickly speed-dialing Earnest's number. He picked up on the first ring.
"Carine?" The deep tenor of his voice was laced with worry and relief.
"Hello, love," she greeted him, her eyes on the fresh purple smoke billowing from above the tree tops. "Victor is dead, Beau is fine. We're coming home now." Earnest let out a sigh of relief, and Carine could hear him speaking to Edythe softly, assuring her everything was fine.
"We will see you soon," he emphasized before they ended the call. Carine returned the phone to her pocket as Archie reappeared from the treeline, having directed where to light the fire. Carine moved toward where Royal, Eleanor, and Jessamine stood besides the flames as Archie jumped into the driver seat of the Honda, Beau following on the passenger side. The car was speeding away in seconds, back toward Forks.
It felt like the longest short hours of Edythe's life. She could not settle, no matter what she tried to do or think about. Her mind was too wrapped up in the prospective of what was happening not far from where she was, with no way to control anything. She finally found herself tucked under Earnest's arm; her father didn't say anything, just held her in silent comfort as they waited for news.
As the time drifted on and the night grew darker, Edythe's erratic, jumpy behavior was amplified by lack of sleep. Unable to get calm enough to rest, her eyelids fought against her to shut, and she leaned her head against Earnest's shoulder, hoping the coolness would keep her conscious.
After what felt like eons, Earnest's phone rang; it was at his ear in the same instance.
"Hello?" he asked, his own apprehension leaking into the greeting. Edythe could not hear what was being said on the other line, but she felt Earnest's body relax around her, a relieved smile taking up his lips.
"Thank goodness," he said then turned to her.
"Everyone's fine, it's done," he told her. She nodded minutely in understanding, but her body still felt numb, as if she couldn't quite process it. Even after Earnest hung up and pulled her to him tighter in a hug, her reaction was delayed, like moving underwater. Another immeasurable amount of time passed, where Edythe focused solely on her breathing, count the second in between to force her mind to focus on something. She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her arm.
Edythe glanced up to meet Beau's cerulean gaze; she let out a deep breath, her stress alleviated as soon as Beau took her in his arms; she pulled herself into his lap, her arms around his shoulder as she hugged him tightly, the relief evident. As she clung to him, her chin on his shoulder, Edythe took in the rest of her family, all present and accounted for, though the contented look int heir eyes was a new development, showing proof of the what they had finally been able to do, after struggling for so long.
Carine stepped forward as Edythe pulled away from Beau slightly, her fingers brushing Edythe's hair back behind her shoulder and then encircling the side of her face as she sat besides her daughter. Edythe met he mother's eyes, seeing the ever present tenderness, with a small dash of victory.
"It's over, Edythe," she assured her, "He'll never touch either of you again. It's all over."
Edythe exhaled again, letting out a deep breath of air and, with it, tension she didn't fully realized she was holding. She smiled at Carine and Beau's arms tightened around her as she finally seemed to grasp what had happened. Victor was dead, and Beau—and the rest of her family—was unharmed.
It was over; life could go on.
A/N: So what did you guys think? I hope Victor's end was one you guys could agree with, and I really didn't want to tack this onto the next chapter. This part of the story had to be resolved sometime, and now it has.
And, as we move into the final month of 2020 as well as the end of this part of the story, life can go on. And with that, the next chapters will be the move to Ithaca!
Of course, thank you so much for reading and sticking with me for so many chapters! Again, please let me know what you guys prefer so I know when to have the next chapter out for you all! I appreciate your input and thoughts always and I hoped you enjoyed this one!