A/N:
This chapter is a little shorter than my other chapters, but hopefully, the content will be please you enough so you don't need it to be longer :-D
Title: Origins: Destiny in the Mountains
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: Alice's White Rabbit
Pre-reader: BitterHarpy
Genre: Family/Supernatural
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.
However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 15
FRIDAY, MARCH 21st – TUESDAY, MARCH 25th 1941
"What are you doing?" Esme asked softly from behind me. When I turned, I saw she was looking at the piece of wood in my hands.
"It's just something I used to do all the time when I was a kid," I explained. "Dad gave me my first whittling knife when I was six, but I wore it down so quickly I had to constantly sharpen it." The fond memory made me smile as I scraped on a bump with my nail, effectively filing it down until it was completely smooth. "Don't really need to sharpen these, though." I wiggled my fingers toward her, and she laughed.
"What's it going to be?"
I turned the block in my hand. It didn't have a particular shape yet, but I was certain it would become an animal. "I don't know yet. I guess we'll see."
"Hey, Em," Edward called for me, and the fact that he used a nickname made me feel so pleased with myself. I liked to imagine he probably wouldn't ever have started using nicknames if I hadn't entered his life. "Maybe you should check on Rose," he continued, and all my amusing thoughts disappeared as if with the snap of a finger.
"Why?"
"There are some pretty dark thoughts coming from your room right now," he said, and I immediately abandoned the whittling and hurried upstairs.
I didn't even bother knocking when I reached the door because if my wife was lost in her depression, as she had a tendency to be at times, she needed me and wouldn't be in the right mindset to answer even if I knocked.
She was staring at the cover of a Life magazine with a faraway look in her eyes, and I gently approached and placed my hands on her shoulders. She was fully aware of my presence, yet she continued to stare at the cover. Not until I sneaked a peak myself did I understand why.
It was an issue from January, and it was a photo of a dark-haired woman holding a baby. The caption said 'Winston Churchill II and mother', and it wasn't particularly difficult for me to guess what had caused my angel to fall down the dark hole she was currently in.
Rosie's greatest wish had always been to become a mother and later, after that, a grandmother. She was one of those women who were simply born for that purpose, and I couldn't even imagine how painful it must be for her, knowing it could never happen.
"Baby," I said softly, but she didn't move. "What can I do?" I asked. There was no need to elaborate. She knew I knew what was weighing her down.
"Nothing," she replied in a whisper. "There's nothing that can be done. But it doesn't mean I just want to accept it and move on either."
"Of course not." I crouched down and leaned my chin on her shoulder. "I'm never going to ask you to deny that yearning. And I wish with everything in me that I could give you all the children you'd ever want."
She swallowed hard, and then grabbed my hand in her own. "If we'd been human, it wouldn't have been a problem. We've been married for four years now, and it would have been expected of us to have children, and—"
"I know," I interrupted. I had to because, if I didn't, she'd go into a long harangue with no end, and she'd just make herself feel worse. "And I also know there's nothing I can say to make you feel better, except that you're no less of a woman, and my love for you will never change. I will always be here to support you. No matter what."
After a long moment, she turned out of my arms to look at me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You would have made such a great father."
I gave her a smile to show her I was okay with her statement. "And I know you would have been the best mother." With open arms, I invited her to snuggle up on my lap, and I just held her for hours. She didn't sob. Rosie wasn't a crier, but her pain radiated from her, and I could only hope that I was soothing some of it at least.
There was no point in denying that it killed me to see her that way, and that with all my strength, there was nothing I could do to protect her against these particular enemies of hers. The only thing I could do was hold her, show her that I meant every word, and wait until her pain ebbed out … for now.
{=DITM=}
"Your strength is obvious to the eye, which can be to your disadvantage," Eleazar said as we stood opposite each other in the meadow just below his family's house. "Vampires with gifts can analyze you quickly and come up with a strategy before you have the chance to form a thought."
"Are there any positive parts to this?" I asked with a smirk but still somewhat annoyed by his negativity.
Eleazar grinned. "Of course, there are. Unless you have my gift, it's impossible to know whether your opponent's gift works from a distance or only through touch. Even more than that, you can't know if it's mental or physical. There are speculations that it's possible to elude projected mental gifts, as they are illusions, however, I've yet to hear of a vampire with that strength of mind. With that said, it's essential every vampire knows the basics of hand-to-hand combat."
He pointed to his own jugular. "There are a few points on the body best focused on in combat. The neck for example—a deep enough bite there and you can easily tear off the head. The same goes for arms and legs. All the natural joints causes places such as the inside of the elbow or the wrist to be at bigger risk and, therefore, easier to rip."
Finally, he crouched into an attack position. "Now, with what I've told you, try to overpower me."
My smirk grew. "With pleasure."
I had to admit I was cocky. Eleazar didn't look like much. He wasn't exactly skinny, but he had nothing on my own body mass. Still, I should have known I wouldn't win. He was trained, and I wasn't. I was thoroughly embarrassed when he had me sprawling on my back, his hand pressed tightly over my throat, in less than a minute.
"Your strength and size can easily be used against you," he explained. "Never forget that." He let go of my neck and took a few steps back as I stood back up.
"Again," I insisted. I didn't like losing. It didn't matter Eleazar was so much more experienced because he looked like an easy target, and I wouldn't feel satisfied until I'd overpowered him at least once.
It turned out to be quite impossible though. No matter what I tried, Eleazar always had a strategy at hand, and when he had me on my back for the fifth time, I called it quits.
"Don't despair, my friend," Eleazar told me as I brushed the dirt off my clothes. "Remember what I've told you, learn it, and few will be able to overpower you."
"Are you done, then?" Both of us turned to see Esme approaching us. "I could use some of your help, Emmett," she said and waved to Eleazar when he excused himself.
"Sure. With what?"
"I was so impressed with your whittling skills the other day, and there are a few details I need help with on that table I'm restoring," she explained as we made our way back to our house.
I never had anything against helping my family with anything they asked, but this time, I had to question it because I thought it odd. "Esme, I'm confused. I'm certain you could do it by yourself."
Esme stopped just outside the door and sighed. "Okay, the truth is I wanted to talk to you in private, and with Rosalie away with Tanya and Irina, I think this is my best opportunity."
I nodded. "All right, but why didn't you just say so?"
"I wasn't sure you'd want to talk about it if I asked outright," she admitted and walked inside. Together, we sat down on the couch, and I waited for her to tell me what was on her mind. "I've noticed for the past few days that Rosalie has acted more dejected than usual, and I'm worried. Do I have to be or am I just being stupid?"
Now it was my turn to sigh. "You're not being stupid," I said and leaned forward with my elbows supported on my knees. "You know how much Rose has always longed for children."
"Yes, it's been quite clear to me, but that's also something she and I share."
"Right. Well, she's been doing really well for the last couple of years, and I started to hope that maybe she'd finally found some contentment in her life with me. But then she was reminded how much she really wants a baby still." I let out a soft groan as I, for the first time, allowed myself to feel my own frustration toward the fact she and I could never have our very own family. "Maybe even more so after we got married."
Esme didn't say anything. She didn't offer any advice or try to soothe my mind because she knew there truly wasn't anything that could be done about the problem. Unlike Rose, Esme had the chance to be a mother to us, and the same solution could never work for my pained wife.
We couldn't adopt a baby because the child would be in constant danger around us, and Rosalie would never want to expose an innocent human infant to our world either. And even further, the child would grow while we didn't, and it would eventually ask why its parents looked more like older siblings than a mom and dad.
It would never be fair toward that child, and while my Rosie could be selfish, when it came to children, they were always put first.
"It kills me, Esme," I admitted to her. So very often I held on to my positive side. It wasn't really a struggle because I preferred being happy over wallowing, but it didn't mean I wasn't hurting. "It kills me that I can't give my wife what she wants the most. Knowing that humans have endless possibilities, things they take for granted, yet they're off limits to us."
"It's okay to be upset, Emmett," Esme said and comfortingly stroked my arm. "Family is important to the both of you, and I wish I could give you a solution."
"But you can't," I replied, and as I felt my despair drain away again, I smiled gratefully at her. It had felt good, cathartic, to vent, and I was thankful she'd given me the opportunity and offered to listen to me. "I know it's no use to agonize over things I can't change. I'm not interested in living an immortal life filled with guilt over something that's not my fault." I straightened up and took a deep breath to chase away the heavy feeling altogether. "I know Rose won't ever see it my way, but I will still do what I can to bring her the happiness I know she is capable of feeling."
I slung my arm around Esme's shoulders and hugged her tightly to my side as well as giving her a big kiss on top of her head. "Thank you, Esme. I needed to talk about it more than I thought."
She gave me a bright smile. "Anytime, Emmett. You might be the biggest of all of us, but I see you as my son as much as I do with Edward, and as much as I see Rosalie as my daughter. I don't ever want to see any of you hurting, and if I can do something about it, then you can bet on it that I will do it."
I kissed her hair again. "You are the best Mom I could have asked for."
A/N:
A little shorter chapter this week because it just felt natural to end it there :) We got another heartbreaking moment with Rosalie (the cover of the magazine she's looking at can be found on my website in the DitM story album) an educating moment with Eleazar and a sweet moment with Esme. What more can you ask for?
Until next week,
Stay Awesome!