(Morticia pov)
Morticia wished that she could say the rest of the evening was much more peaceful, but that didn't happen. It was as if her revelation had put a new perspective on her in the Cullen's eyes and now she was on the receiving end of pity stares.
In her head, she knew they meant well and weren't trying to make her feel singled out but at the moment she felt like she was the main attraction at the zoo, a shiny new animal to gawk at.
They clearly had more questions, if Alice's pacing told her anything. Even the little pixie could make something as mundane as pacing, look like it could belong on a runway. She could also tell from Rosalie and Esme's not so subtle glances that they were unsure how to proceed in conversation.
Morticia sighed and tossed the magazine she was reading to the side. "Alright, ladies. I can practically hear your brains whirling so just ask. I know you all must have questions."
Esme looked sheepish while Rose looked impressed at her bluntness. It was Esme who took her up on her offer.
"Morticia, dear, could you tell us how this all started? I mean- if you want to of course." Her soothing voice made Morticia nearly spill all her secrets right then, but she knew that was Jasper's territory.
"Can I start off by saying that my story isn't as tragic or horrible as my body makes it seem. My body right now reflects me at age 17 for some unknown reason, which was the worst time for me mentally. My habits didn't start until nearly the end of my 16th year but they were quickly escalating in my 17th. At 20 I wasn't perfectly cured and frankly, I don't think any amount of therapy will cure me indefinitely. I'm sorry you have to see me like this, but I really have gotten better, slightly." She winced, remembering how many times she had skipped lunch or breakfast since coming here.
'We can't relapse back into that.' She chided herself, 'Think about how far we've come through this.'
Rosalie, in a surprising show of affection, grasped Morticia's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I feel I need to apologize...I severely misjudged you. You are by far stronger than any human I've ever met and I thought you-" She cut herself off and glanced at the floor in shame.
Morticia chuckled and knew this was probably very hard for Rosalie to admit. "You thought I was a little human that was a threat to your family, it's alright. For the most part, you can never be sure with high school girls so I get where you were coming from. Don't worry about it, Rosalie, we're cool."
Rosalie gave her another smile, "please, everyone in the family calls me Rose. I think you've done enough to earn that." Both girls were thrown into slight giggles.
It was Alice who eventually brought the two back to the conversation, "You said habits...what did you mean by that."
Morticia sighed as she thought back to all the little, 'habits' she had acquired since her days in high school.
"They started small. I would just run a lot- sometimes for hours on end. Then it escalated when I started counting how many calories I was eating and how many carbs I had. Slowly and slowly I began to cut meals down and eventually, it got to the point where I would only eat maybe once or twice a day with very heavy protein meals but I still ran constantly. In fact, this is the longest that I've ever gone without exercising in some way, huh, I didn't realize how much I missed it."
Her running shoes had become her safety blanket. Whenever she felt stressed or anxious she ran, if she couldn't sleep, she ran. Realizing how much she relied on them made her shudder slightly. She knew it was a bad thought but she really wished she could go for a run right about now. The endorphins may give her some clarity about how the hell to handle the Cullens knowing about her 'condition.'
Esme broke her out of her thoughts, "Oh, honey, can we ask why you would do that to yourself? Did anybody notice?"
Morticia smiled ruefully, "High school is a horrible time for any teenager, especially for their mental health. It all started with a comment. That comment festered until I chose to do things that may not have been entirely smart, but I did them anyway. Everybody around me just thought that I was doing it to get healthy or to cope with the stress of school. They weren't wrong, I did start out trying to be healthier...then it took a dark turn. It wasn't until I had gone too far that anybody noticed."
The room became much more sullen and it royally pissed Morticia off. She didn't want to sit here and be pitied or coddled like a child. She was a grown-ass woman for fuck's sake!
"Ok, look. I get that I am a very tragic case but believe me, I've seen worse. So, please don't get hung up on me and my issues. You heard Carlisle and Jasper, I'll get into a routine with them and it will be as if this never happened. So can we please just drop it...I can't believe I'm actually saying this Alice, but I could use some happy pixie energy if you're up for it."
Alice visibly brightened at her suggestion and it was as if the last few hours hadn't happened, thank god. Morticia would gladly listen to Alice and Rose argue over which is a better nail color- ruby red or scarlet, than focus on her inner demons.
She never really had girlfriends or rater, she never had girlfriends who didn't turn on her in some way, so being able to pretend-even for a moment- that she wasn't alone, was worth more to Morticia than any dream she could've thought up.
The rest of the night was filled with giggles, glitter, and of course gossip. Not the gossip that you would expect though. The Cullen women decided that it would be the best time to dish on their spouses, much to Morticia's encouragement.
"Wait, wait. Esme, are you telling me that Dr. Cullen, AKA Dr. Mcdreamy Fang...uses his English accent...IN THE BEDROOM?!" Morticia choked out scandalized.
Esme ducked her head slightly, "well, it's hard to get rid of it completely. He has lived in America for so long.." She tried to backpedal but Morticia was not having that.
"Hold the fuck up, you can't just drop a bombshell like that on us and then just try to logistically explain that he lets it slip because he's distracted by his gorgeous wife. I applaud the effort but no. Not happening." She deadpanned with an arched brow.
"Oh, dear." Esme said in a flushed voice, "I really hope the boys went on their hunt early."
"It isn't as if they haven't heard worse, Esme!" Rosalie chirped from the black chaise lounge. "There's no privacy in this family, so everybody already knew it."
All women burst into giggles at the thought.
"Besides, the boys have no room to make fun. Jasper loves to play cowboy. He even has a hat and everything and we all know how Emmet can be, right Rose." Alice said, throwing a glance at her sister.
Morticia was quick to cut off Rose before she could traumatize her with ay of Emmett's...uh, preferences.
"Ok, please, I do not need to hear about whatever perverted things go through your mate's heads." She said with a visible shudder.
Rose turned to give her a questionable gaze, "Hmm, well I guess you would only be interested in one male vampire's perversions, then, wouldn't you. Perhaps one with a certain musical talent."
'What the hell is she getting at...Is she? No, she couldn't think that.' Morticia rationalized.
Morticia's features must have betrayed her worry as Esme was quick to chide Rose for making the remark.
"Rosalie, that isn't nice. Don't tease her so."
"Don't worry Esme, I'm sure Rose was just playing. We all know Edward wouldn't be caught alive in any position like that with me." Rosalie and Alice didn't look too sure but Esme gave her a reassuring smile and they let the conversation drop.
'I wonder what brought that from Rosalie? First Tony, now Edward's sister? What the hell, people.' Morticia grumbled to herself as she tried to steer the conversation away from any subject of Romance, what so ever.
'I may be a hopeless romantic, but I do have standards...and I refuse to be anybody's second choice.' She told herself adamantly as she let out a tiny yawn.
"As much fun as this is, I think it's time for the human to sleep. Don't stop on my account, but if you hear any snoring...it wasn't me." Morticia called out as she turned down the bedding.
"Have a good night dear, we'll see you in the morning. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." Esme's soothing voice was the last thing Morticia heard before she drifted off into her dream.
~~~~~Dream~~~~~
This may be her most vivid dream yet. The striking detail made Morticia do a double-take. She immediately recognized the landscape. She was standing in some sort of castle that was straight out of a Disney film. Sleeping beauty to be exact. It was one of Morticia's favorites. The artwork and attention to the background detail always intrigued her, as well as the vibrant color pallet.
However, not all was as it appeared. Rather than Briar Rose laying on the bed, Morticia saw herself!
her short platinum blonde waves were a vivid contrast to the deep plum sheets that lined the bed. Her pale skin seemed to glow against the dark backdrop, almost in an ethereal way.
Gone was the blue dress and tiara, instead, Morticia was dressed in a long, graceful, ebony evening gown and her lips were dressed in scarlet. If she hadn't seen her chest moving, she'd almost think of herself as a corpse.
'Why am I dreaming of myself, sleeping? Talk about an out of body experience.' She thought as she glanced around the room, hoping to find some clues.
As she was turned to look out the window, she heard a commotion by the door. Thinking fast, she hid behind the long, heavy curtains. She just barely had time to camouflage herself before the door burst open and a tall figure entered the room.
"Where is she?! Where is Morticia? I have to see her." She recognized Edward's voice immediately.
'Edward, what is he doing in my 'princess' dream?' She thought as she took a chance to peek out from behind the curtain.
Sure enough, Edward was kneeling at her bedside in all his glory. He was dressed in period type clothing, but it was slightly more modern.
'Odd. He seems like the type to go full cosplay for any occasion to stay true to history.' She thought with a chuckle.
"Oh, my love. Why did you do this to yourself? Cursing yourself to save me, how could I be so foolish to think you not selfless enough to do such a thing? Your love knows no bounds, but hopefully, my love is enough to reverse this wretched spell you've been placed under. You still have to keep your promise and marry me, milady, we can't forget that." His voice was full of tears as he tried to laugh slightly.
Moving gently, he moved closer to her comatose form. She knew she should be freaked out since she knew the origins of the Grimm fairytale version of this story, but she had a feeling that even dream Edward was going to be virtuous.
Edward moved slowly over the sleeping woman and just before his lips were to touch hers, he whispered "please don't leave me. I love you,' then pressed his lips to hers. It was the most gentle of kisses she had ever seen and it made Morticia's heart flutter.
Typical of a Disney film, after their lips parted, the room became visibly lighter and the sleeping woman's eyes gently fluttered open. When they settled on the man above her, she smiled a blinding smile. "You found me, my love!" She breathed before throwing herself towards him.
Watching their embrace did nothing to ease Morticia's growing worry about her relationship with her Edward not in dreamland. Seeing herself so unconditionally happy and full of love was almost a sucker-punch to the gut.
'Whoever is controlling these dreams must have some sick sense of humor.' she thought glumly as the scene in front of her suddenly changed to black.
" Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times. When one only remembers to turn on the light..." That same ominous voice called out to her.
"Did you just fucking quote Dumbledore at me?" She called back. "What the hell does that mean."
"There are those that would wish to take your happiness from you, but hold true and you shall not stray from your destined path." The voice faded out as she sensed herself coming back to consciousness.
'Great now I'm dreaming in riddles, fairytales, and fucking Harry Potter quotes. What the fuck has my life come to?' was the thought that greeted her as she woke to the early rays of sun pouring through the large windows of the room.
The memories from the previous night came rushing back to her and she suddenly wanted to crawl back into bed and never come out.
'I can live as a hermit. Who needs social interaction, I'm fine.' She told herself as she moved to do just that.
"If you try to stay in that bed all day, I will come up there and drag you out myself." Alice's voice floated through the door.
"Damn Pixie." She growled as she threw back her covers and quickly ran to the bathroom to have her human time.
Taking a glance at the dreaded mirror, she looked herself straight in the eye and said, "You are strong and you can do this. You're Morticia fucking Addams."
Happy with her little pep talk, she took some extra time to pamper herself that morning. She was pulling all the stops, doing her makeup, and taking time to pick out the outfit she felt most confident in. She chose a 2 piece black and green checkered skirt/top set with tights and her platform mary janes.
With one last glance in the mirror, "let's do this," she said softly before heading down the stairs. She nearly made it to the bottom step when she heard the famous notes of Tchaikovsky's sleeping beauty float from the living room.
'You can't be serious. Did I talk in my sleep? Please tell me I didn't.' She panicked as she followed the sound to find Edward seated at his piano that she noticed looked slightly worse for wear. Much different than what she had seen the night previous.
hearing her entrance, Edward abruptly stopped and stood from the piano.
"Oh, please, continue. I didn't mean to make you stop." She said timidly as she approached the piano. She was really unsettled about how to approach him now. He seemed so angry last night, she was worried that she would upset him worse today.
"No. Forgive me. I didn't mean to wake you up with my playing." He seemed almost nervous as his hands flexed, obviously wanting to continue the piece.
Morticia chuckled, "Edward, I'd find it a blessing to wake up to your playing instead of my alarm clock every morning."
He shifted slightly and she motioned him to sit back down at the bench. "Was that sleeping beauty? Tchaikovsky?" She asked as she sat down beside him.
He seemed somewhat shocked at her recognition, "Yes, but I thought that you didn't listen to classical music. If I recall you prefer rock n roll." The fact that he remembered her musical preferences made her blush slightly.
"Yes, I don't normally listen to classical but I can recognize my favorite film score when I hear it. Don't start quizzing me on Mozart just yet." She chuckled as his fingers began to dance on the keys once more.
"Ah, may I ask why Sleeping Beauty? What made you chose her as your favorite?" He asked as the tempo changed slightly to a more cheerful melody.
Morticia thought for a moment, why did she really prefer Sleeping Beauty?
"Well, not to say that I'm a princess by any means but I feel that I can relate to Briar Rose on some levels. She was an innocent girl that had her life uprooted and when she finally thought that she could settle down with a man she planned to pursue, life knocked her on her ass. Not to say that I want a man to come to my rescue after I get into a fight with an evil faerie, but you get the idea. Maleficent is relatable in some ways too. She felt excluded from the kingdom because she was different from the rest of them. They shunned her and for that, she lashed out on an innocent child- making her appear as a villain. But, maybe she wasn't a villain at all but maybe she just finally had enough of being an outcast. Actually I think I relate to Maleficent the most, is that crazy?" She took a glance at his reaction and saw that he was looking at her with a sense of astonishment.
"I've never heard it described like that. Most people would just argue that they wanted to find their one true love who was a handsome prince and ride off into the sunset. That's the cliche that most people tend to prefer, anyways." He told her softly as his eyes roamed over her face.
"But you aren't like other people, are you, Morticia Addams." He concluded with a sense of realization that made her smile brightly.
"No, I most certainly am not. I think had I lived in those days, I probably would've been burned for being either a witch or possessed by demons for my 'devil's tongue.' Funny how times have changed yet some people still yearn for the romanticism of previous centuries." The thought made her smile become brighter, if possible.
Edward chuckled and took her hand from where it was lying across her lap. He brought it to her mouth and placed a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. Morticia was sure her heartbeat stopped.
His eyes met hers when he pulled back slightly, and she suddenly felt as if she were a deer caught in a predator's gaze.
"Then allow me the honor of escorting milady to her breakfast table," he said lowly as he rose gracefully and brought her to stand with him.
'holy shit, have him call me milady one more time in that tone and I think I might spontaneously combust right here.' She had to quickly shake herself as she could feel her legs turning to jelly as he continued to give her that same intense look.
He tucked her arm into his elbow and gracefully guided her into the direction of the kitchen. "I don't want you to be alarmed but Esme wasn't sure what you liked so she fixed a bit of everything. She hasn't cooked a meal for a human, so we aren't sure what anything will taste like." He said as they approached the entrance to the surprisingly spacious kitchen.
The breakfast before her was one befitting an entire army rather than one human girl alone. Esme had prepared everything from eggs to pancakes, waffles, to wait were those beignets?
'Edward really wasn't kidding.' She could feel her anxiety creeping up on her and squeezed Edward's elbow slightly. He leaned down gently and whispered softly into her ear, "just go slow and don't feel like you have to eat anything you don't want to. Whatever you don't eat will be donated to local shelters or the hospital."
That soothed her anxiety slightly but the idea of being under their watchful gaze while she ate made her stomach turn in knots. She quickly grabbed the smallest plate she could, another habit she picked up, and began to portion herself some eggs and toast.
She knew they probably wanted her to take more but with her nervousness, she didn't want to risk a vomit situation. They'd already seen her near mental breakdown, no need to add any more ammo.
She quietly sat on a stool by the island and turned her gaze towards the other vampires in the room. The entire clan was here, including Jaser, who gave her an encouraging smile.
Taking a tiny bite, "This tastes great Esme, but I'm sure it doesn't compare to Emmett's grizzly."
Emmett's booming laughter nearly caused her to drop her plate. The vampire in question chose to flash to the stool beside her and threw his arm over her shoulder.
"She's got some bite to her, I say we keep her. Then maybe I can show you what real food tastes like." He said, wiggling his eyebrows, causing Morticia to giggle and cover her mouth with a napkin.
She was sure Emmett would've stayed where he was if not for a noise that drew his attention. It seemed like it was coming from where Edward was standing. The two boys had a staring contest for what felt like ages before Emmet broke she silence by moving his arm and patting her on the head. "Just know we're always here little sis," he said cryptically before he flashed back to Rosalie's side.
'Well, that was odd as hell. What just happened between him and his brother? Did I just witness the vampire version of a pissing contest?' She thought as Edward moved to take the place that Emmett had just vacated.
She continued eating her eggs and toast when she noticed the other vampires in the room seemed to be having the same intense glare with Edward. Morticia really hated not being clued in on this freaky vampire secret language. Obviously they were talking too fast to hear and were sending Edward their thoughts, that she could tell. But this was obviously about her since the rest of the family were sending her concerned looks very quickly, trying not to get caught.
"Ya know, talking about the human, even with fast vampire talk, is still kinda rude." She said over her shoulder as she began washing her dirty dishes and set them to dry.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Edward move to follow her around the counter.
'What's with him following me around all of a sudden? Was there another revelation that I wasn't clued in on after my huge blowout from last night?' She thought as she turned her gaze to the other vamps in the room.
Carlisle and Esme looked sheepish while Rose and Emmett looked proud for some reason. Jasper looked like he was waiting for a pipe bomb to explode, and Alice just looked like her cheerful self.
"It's nothing, they were just wondering how to begin your sessions and Emmett was being obnoxious as usual." Edward's silky voice purred next to her ear. She turned slightly and was shocked to see just how close he was to her face. she'd only need to lean in slightly to kiss him.
'Nope, bad thought. stop.' She forced herself to lean back slightly, "So, what? You had a pissing contest with your brother because why? You wanted first dibs on who gets to escort me to therapy with Jasper? Sorry but I think I can manage that by myself. Thanks."
She quickly backed up and turned to Jasper, "Can we have our first session now? I could really use an emotional detox at the moment. Someplace open preferably."
Jasper gave her an understanding look and nodded, "Of course ma'am. Meet me on the back porch, the others will make themselves scarce I'm sure." He threw a pointed glance over her shoulder and she hurried out the back door.
As soon as the cool wind blew across her face and her senses filled with the scent of the familiar forest, she instantly calmed. Long walks in the forest always seemed to clear her mind. The ambiance always seemed to make her feel a sense of peace.
The door opened behind her after a few minutes and she could feel Jasper's gaze on her back.
"You don't have to worry, I'm not going to fall to pieces once we start talking. So quit walking on eggshells. "
Jasper took calculated steps and joined her by the railing.
"I would never say that you were weak but this is a delicate situation, Ma'am and I made a promise to be ever the southern gentleman." His drawn-out accent made Morticia laugh.
"You totally know I was fucking with you and Carlisle. I have no desire to hear him speak with an English accent now that I know of his and Esme's bedroom activities." She shuddered at the memory.
Jasper breathed a chuckle and moved to sit on the rocking chairs to their left. Morticia followed suit and pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. It wasn't the easiest feat to accomplish but it made her feel safer knowing where the conversation was headed.
After she got settled she immediately knew Jasper was completely in his professional persona.
"Let's begin with something you feel comfortable talking about, ok? What was your childhood like? Any memories that stand out?"
There was one, "My birthdays. That was the day where I could be as weird as I wanted and nobody second-guessed me, my parents and Damon were so supportive of any theme I had for a party."
"So, your parents...were they loving? How did they treat you and Damon?"
"Of course they were loving. It was hard at times, with scheduling and things but we made it work. Mom had to spend long nights working and so did Dad. When I was old enough I decided to take care of Damon so they could have a break."
"How much younger is Damon to you?"
"He's four years younger."
"And how did you feel when he was born, did you get along?"
"I was so happy when he was born. I even refused to let my mom nurse him one night because I wanted to hold him. He's my best friend, we did everything together. Yeah, we fought at times because that's what siblings do, but we always worked it out- usually with a movie and popcorn."
"At any time in your childhood, can you remember having any inkling of body confidence issues? I know this is hard but we need to start digging into those roots, but if it's too much just say...hmmm 'pineapple' and we will end this for the day. That'll be our code word: pineapple."
Morticia got lost in her thoughts for a moment. "You know, I want to say that I never had any issues and that suddenly it just appeared one day, but I think that I was always finding things to pick at about myself. I never really noticed until I was maybe eight or nine years old. I realized that I didn't look like the other girls in my class, but I never had the idea to change until I hit middle school."
"And your parents? Do you feel that they ever pressured you to look a certain way?"
"God no. Not physically anyway. I didn't hone in on the dark aesthetic until my junior year of high school- or this year I suppose- and my parents probably preferred my bubbly princess personality."
"What made you decide to change your style, did it have to do with the anorexia or the body dysmorphia?"
Hearing him say it so bluntly made her cringe slightly. He noticed her response and was quick to try to calm her down, but not with his powers.
"We can stop if you want."
"No, I need to face this. It took way too long for me to admit it in my own time, so it should be slightly easier now." She paused to take a deep breath. "When I was in high school my first go around, I made some friends with some not so nice people. At the time I thought they hung the moon, but I quickly learned that they were very different from who I thought they were. I was friends with this group of girls from freshman year all the way until my junior year. I won't lie, I was vastly overweight in my freshman year of high school and had horrible self-confidence, I see that now. Rather than loving myself for who I was I let other people tell me how I should look and let them shame me into hating myself.
Looking back, I think they also hated certain parts of themselves and they chose to pick on the bubbly girl who tried to make friends with everyone. I had such a different outlook on life before I met those people and before we had a few deaths in the family. I think my mental spiral was already on a decline but it became worse when I entered high school. My style slowly evolved over the next few years, but it really stuck once I had my 'friends' tell me that I was too fat to be Morticia Addams and that my parents must be so disappointed to have such an ugly daughter named after such an iconic beautiful woman." Tears began to swim in her vision and Jasper moved to place a hand on her shoulder but she waved him off. She knew this was going to be difficult enough as is, she didn't need to make him struggle too.
"I knew then and there that I had to change. I stopped eating any bread or carbs in general and only ate meats and protein, plus I ran for miles every single day. Which didn't seem like such a bad idea but once I noticed those numbers dropping so fast, I just couldn't stop. I went from eating 1,000 calorie meals down to about 600 and lost about 60 lbs in 3 months. It was very dangerous to my health but I kept it hidden with baggy clothes so nobody knew. It wasn't until the last week of junior year that my perfect little bubble was really popped.
We had this annual end of school year barbeque that was hosted by the current seniors. I decided against my better judgment to go with the friends who had called me those awful names. I really hadn't perfected my confidence yet. Anyway, we had to change in this locker room since everybody was going out on the lake and for some reason, I decided to wear a bikini. I thought, 'I'm gonna show them how much progress I've made, and maybe then they'll like me again.' That was a load of bullshit. I wish I could go back and slap my self silly for trusting those assholes.
As soon as I stepped out in my bikini, all eyes were on me and not in a good way. People were looking at me in disgust, pointing, whispering behind their hands. It wasn't until the next day in class that I found out that they were disgusted at me and the way I looked. Some of them approached me and asked me if I wanted to kill myself while others just shuddered when I walked by.
To top it off those bitches set up cameras in the locker room and took photos of me changing and sent them to everybody at school and labeled them 'the walking corpse.' I was humiliated and I knew that I had disfigured myself to appease people that treated me like dirt and I was worried that I couldn't come back from it.
Eventually, my parents found out about the photos and got me into a rehab facility where I spent the majority of my senior year. Thankfully I never had to see those bitches ever again and the whole situation actually made me and my family even closer. After I recovered enough, I decided that I still wanted to prove to those narcissistic manipulative bitches that I was beautiful and I could be a bombshell, Morticia Addams, if I wanted to, so I started dressing in black clothes and doing my makeup more sultry and even began wearing more dresses and skirts-which used to terrify me...So I guess you can say, yeah, my change in style was a result of my mental illness but I also a way to show that I'm a survivor."
Jasper was silent for a few moments before speaking, "I can't tell me how much it pains me to hear what you've gone through and not be able to send you at least some sort of comfort. Many people who have gone what you've gone through...they usually don't make it. You should be proud."
Morticia gave a wet laugh, "Yeah, there were a few close calls in rehab where my weight was so low but believe me when I say that I may have the body of my 17-year-old self who was emotionally unstable and had a terrible eating disorder, but mentally I'm a 20-year-old badass who has seen some shit and will cut a bitch if she gets in her way."
Her statement sent Jasper into a laughing fit and it made Morticia happy to know that she lightened the mood just a tad.
Sighing, she moved to stand and stretch her limbs. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She hadn't told anybody what she'd gone through since she was 17 almost 18 years old and refused to bring it up since. It felt good to let loose all those bottled up feelings, especially to the southern empath.
It was so much easier talking to Jasper than any assigned shrink she had back home. His presence made her feel safe and protected but calming at the same time.
Turning back to him she said, "Hey you can call the cavalry back in. I promise I won't go psycho if Alice tries to barge into the bathroom next time, and I'll even give you a five-star review on yelp for your amazing service today."
Jasper shook his head and joined her by the railing, "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You stood up to Edward the first day you met him and bossed us around like tin soldiers. Every day you manage to catch one of us off guard with somethin' and you have no idea how fun that is for us repetitive vampires! Ever since you've arrived this family has laughed more than we have in fifty years, I'd say! You may not see it yet, but you are important to this family and we would do anything to protect our own, Morticia. Look, I know you think you have to keep your feelings bottled up since you're in a family of vampires who know nothin' about privacy, but if you ever need to vent to this ole cowboy, just give me a holler and I'll send everyone else packin'." And with a wink, he flashed back inside the house, leaving Morticia alone to her thoughts once more.
'Could I seriously make a life here?' She had already resigned herself to the fact that she may never see her family again but did the Cullens really intend to keep her around after Bella arrived? How the hell was she supposed to fit into Stephenie's narrative?
She glanced out over the relaxing scenery for what felt like ages before her thoughts were interrupted as the back door was quickly thrown open and she turned to greet a frantic looking Edward Cullen.
He looked as if he had just run his fingers through his hair multiple times and yet that 'just fucked' look was really goin' for him and made her fingers itch to do the same.
His eyes were panicked as they met hers and he took a pause before filling her in on the news,
"It's Alice, she had a vision, a decision changed...Bella is arriving tomorrow night. She'll be attending school with us Monday morning."
'What. the. ever. loving. HELL!' Morticia was sure that if this had been a comedy, she would've fainted or something dumb like that. But instead, the opted to go the less damsel route and just shout, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW," before storming inside the house.
'I can never seem to catch a fucking break in this damn universe.'