AN: Here it is. The penultimate chapter. Sorry it took so long. It was with my beta readers for a lot longer than I thought. Hope it's well worth the wait, and that it answers all the questions that have arisen throughout the story.
"Brynhildr, you should probably go and hunt," Carlisle said, breaking the dreary silence of the estate's withdrawing chamber. "It must have been far too long for you since you last fed. We could even help you, if you want."
Briefly, Brynhildr looked over at Carlisle, but then glanced out the nearby window. One didn't need to be a mind reader to know the direction her thoughts were going in, so her response came as no surprise.
"I will hunt when my brother is up to it."
"It might be some time," Alice pointed out.
"I've gone without blood for years," Brynhildr replied. "But I've been apart from Vermundr for much longer. I cannot leave when he's clearly hurting."
"Actually, you don't have to," Cassie spoke up, softly shuffling into the room, carrying a silver wine decanter and a crystal goblet. "Sometimes, despite hunting regularly, Vermundr worried about spending all his time around humans like myself and… and Abraham." For a brief moment, Cassie slightly swayed as if she was about to faint. However, right before anyone could come to her aid, she seemed to shake it off and continued. "He often feared he might be overcome by the temptation. So he'd taken to storing the excess from his hunting trips in this decanter in case he ever needed to take the edge off. I'm sure he would be perfectly fine with you having some. I realize it might not be the freshest, but it's probably better than nothing."
"You humans have a saying, I believe," Brynhildr commented, carefully accepting the decanter. "Any port in a storm, is that right?"
As Brynhildr started off slowly draining the decanter, doing her best not to pull a face at the taste, the heavy silence fell once again. Since they had returned to the estate, Vermundr, after depositing Abraham's body in the fallen man's old bedroom, had locked himself up in his forge out back. He hadn't even responded when Edward and Jacob had gone out to ask for his assistance in figuring out what to do with the surviving carnival workers. Thankfully, it turned out Vermundr's assistance had not been needed after all. The events of the night had drained the fight out of the carnival workers, and they had not shown any reluctance at agreeing to leave the vicinity at sunrise. Only one of the survivors had expressed hesitation: a rather scared and broken-looking man Edward had recognized as Daniel, the timid carnival worker who had helped capture Nightmare when she'd been disguised as Jacob. When Daniel had explained that his hesitation was not because he wanted to continue the fight but rather that he had nowhere else to go, Bella had come up with the suggestion that Daniel should join up with the widowed Felicity and her children, pointing out that they could take care of each other from now on. Thus, taking into account how Felicity might not be receptive of a vampire coming to her room at the inn, Jacob had volunteered to escort Daniel into town and explain the situation to her. He had returned from his errand less than fifteen minutes ago with the news that Felicity and Daniel had both agreed to the suggestion to leave the town together.
"What are we going to do now?" Renesmee asked, breaking the silence once again, absentmindedly reaching out to stroke Grimalkin's head when the cat curled up on her lap.
"I wish I knew," Edward replied. "It's rather clear we gave up our chance to get back home in order to stop Josiah and put an end to the Carnival of Darkness. So it looks as if our only option is to take the slow path."
"It might be a bit hard for us," Alice pointed out. "We have to be careful not to do anything that could alter historical events."
"And we probably should make an effort to make sure we don't have a run-in with Carlisle's past self," Bella added.
"I think there's one thing we should worry about first and foremost," Carlisle announced, getting to his feet. "We'll need to give Abraham the dignified interment he deserves. We owe him that much."
"I," Cassie whispered, wiping her eyes as she spoke. "I think I know where Abraham would want to be placed. But only Vermundr knows the exact… Cassie's words broke off with a sudden gasp as she stared wide-eyed at the entrance of the withdrawing chamber. Baba Yaga was standing there, standing surprisingly tall considering her hunched figure. "Baba Yaga! We didn't hear you come in!"
"And that is how I like it," the gypsy witch commented. "I trust you have properly dealt with the carnival?"
"You knew about the Carnival of Darkness?" Jacob cried.
"How stupid are you?! Of course I knew! Those fools were skulking outside my tree searching for magical creatures for their collection, announcing to the whole world what they were planning to do. I wasn't going to sit back and let them wipe out all those creatures. Most of my ingredients for spells come from those beasts."
"But if you knew, why didn't you warn us from the start?" Bella asked. Instead of replying, Baba Yaga gave her a withering glare. Seconds later, Edward let out a sudden hiss.
"It was you!" he exclaimed. "The fog that brought us back to this time! You were the one who cast that spell!"
"I assure you, that was not my plan," Baba Yaga scoffed. "The spell I cast was supposed to locate someone that could provide a way to put a stop to it all. Of course, I had no way of knowing that it would actually reach through the sands of time in order to complete its task."
"That doesn't explain why you didn't inform us what you knew from the start," Alice pointed out.
"And what would that have accomplished?" Baba Yaga snapped. "It appears you managed to handle things regardless."
"But if we had known ahead of time," Carlisle reasoned. "We might have been better prepared. And perhaps we could have been able to save Abraham."
"Oh?" Baba Yaga raised an eyebrow. "You believe there would have been a way to stop the carnival without making sacrifices? In that case, try and think for a moment. What would you have done differently, had you known about the carnival from the start?"
"Does that mean you knew?" Vermundr asked, suddenly appearing behind Baba Yaga, his expression clouded. "You knew what might happen to Abraham when we set off to stop the carnival?"
"Well, you're still here, are you?" Baba Yaga eyed Vermundr almost dismissively. "I have to confess I am surprised. Since Abraham is gone, I believed the Life Contract would have come to an end."
"So what if it is?" Bella challenged. "Life Contract or not, Vermundr and Abraham were friends! How can you even think Vermundr would have just gone off the second Abraham died?" Instantly, Baba Yaga let off a cackling laugh.
"You really are stupid!" she cried. "Did you think that the Life Contract was only temporary? Something finite that would allow Vermundr to continue walking the earth after it ran its course? You have no idea what the Life Contract entails! Allow me to explain as simply as possible so even you fools will understand. The Life Contract binds this vampire to Abraham's bloodline for all eternity! The moment the bloodline dies out, Vermundr will also cease to exist!"
"What?!"
"Getting it now, are you?" Baba Yaga sneered. "Thus, you can hardly blame me for being surprised to see that Vermundr still remains now that Abraham's life has ended."
"Oh!" Carlisle suddenly gasped, his eyes wide with realization as he turned to look at Cassie. "Now I understand. Abraham was the father, wasn't he?"
"Wha…what?" Cassie sputtered, meeting Carlisle's gaze in surprise. "How…how did you….?"
"The other day," Carlisle explained. "You and I were talking in the hall. In that brief silence before Nessie woke up, I heard a very faint sound coming from you. After all the years I've spent as a doctor, I would know that sound instantly. It was the sound of a developing heart beating within the womb."
A faint pinkish hue colored Cassie cheeks as her hands slowly rose to rest against her abdomen, almost absent-mindedly. Lowering her eyes nervously, she nodded her head.
"Three months gone," she confessed. "It's not showing yet. When Abraham and I found out the true nature of the Life Contract, neither of us could bear the idea that Vermundr's life would end when Abraham's did. We agreed to do what we could to prevent that from happening, by ensuring Abraham's bloodline would continue on after Abraham's life came to an end." After a pause, Cassie turned to cautiously glance at Vermundr. "We… we were going to tell you soon, Vermundr. I promise we were."
"Come now, Cassie," Vermundr shook his head. "You don't really think I didn't know, did you?"
"You did?! But how?"
"Did you forget what I was?" Vermundr asked, letting out what sounded like a choked laugh. In that one moment, he looked suddenly embarrassed. "Dead blood may not be appealing, but it's still blood. Did you really think I wouldn't have noticed that you were no longer bleeding periodically?" The blush on Cassie's cheeks instantly got brighter and she averted her eyes, but after a few moments, a small smile appeared on her face.
"I suppose I should have realized you would notice that," she admitted.
"Well, it looks like I was wrong about you lot," Baba Yaga stated, interrupting the moment. "It appears you are capable of making intelligent plans. You're not as hopeless as I took you for. Now, since I have the confirmation I need that the danger of the carnival has passed once and for all….."
"No," Vermundr growled, his mood shifting to anger in an instant. "You still haven't answered my question, witch! Did you know!? Did you know Abraham might not return home with us when we went off to stop the carnival?"
"Does it truly matter?" Baba Yaga inquired, casting Vermundr a withering look. His response was immediate. In the blink of an eye, Vermundr had Baba Yaga pinned against the wall, his hand clenched over her neck, but before anyone could even react, a burst of light erupted from Baba Yaga's staff. Vermundr was instantly thrown across the room, crashing into a table that was holding a various assortment of small trinkets, all of which smashed upon hitting the hard floor.
"THIS IS WHY I DID NOT WARN YOU!" Baba Yaga shrieked, staring down at Vermundr with rage radiating off her ancient face. "This is why I cast the spell to locate someone who could help put an end to the Carnival of Darkness! I knew I couldn't trust you and the human Abraham to handle the threat on your own!" You put far too much value in your insignificant friends! What if you had discovered Josiah's plot on your own, without the aid of the newcomers from the future? I wouldn't have been surprised if you had stepped aside and purposely allowed Josiah to win, all so your little human friends would get out unscathed! For something that is supposed to be eternal, you have forgotten how dangerous it is to only look at things subjectively." Without another word, Baba Yaga turned on her heel and marched out of the room. However she stopped at the entryway, turning to address Carlisle.
"Your potion, vampire," she said, tossing Carlisle a small crystal vial containing a murky green liquid. "I promised to send you home to your time, and I keep my promises. When you are ready, just go back to the spot where you arrived and pour the potion on the ground. It will recreate the fog that will allow you to return to your time." Seconds after she'd given her instructions, Baba Yaga seemingly vanished on the spot. However, no one had been really paying attention to her departure. They were all focused on Vermundr, who was standing in front of the fireplace as still as a statue simply staring into the crackling flames.
"She was right." Vermundr finally spoke, not tearing his eyes away from the fire. "If I'd known that stopping the Carnival would have cost us Abraham, I would have let Josiah complete his ritual. Please don't misunderstand me, though! I am not saying I would have turned away and allowed any of you to perish. I am merely speaking of how I would have responded had the spell not brought you back to this time. Before our paths crossed that evening in Epping Forest, Abraham and Cassie were the only friends I possessed in this world. Even you, Carlisle; despite the fact that your younger self exists right now, you do not know the trials that befall a vampire when they choose the life of a Gold Eye, or Vegetarian, or whatever you wish to call us. As I have seen, by the time you began truly interacting with others of our kind, you were, in a sense, protected by your relationship with the Italians. Not even the most cavalier vampire would dare mock anyone in that position. But it is different for the commoner vampires. It is better now that I am a fugitive, and therefore, have to keep contact with other vampires at a minimum, but before then? I was a filthy traitor; A disgrace to all self-respecting vampires everywhere. All because I chose to align myself with humans and refrained from drinking human blood. I was an outcast everywhere, with no true place among other vampires or humans. Abraham and Cassie were all I had, the three of us forming a single family of outcasts. Up until now, I lived for them, and only them. So why would I stand aside and knowingly allow Abraham to give up his life to protect creatures I did not know? Why would I let him prevent the eradication of all vampires when they had all, with very few exceptions, shunned me because of my chosen lifestyle, particularly when doing so would result in Abraham paying the ultimate price? Call me heartless if you will, but I would have allowed them all to be wiped out, myself included, if it meant keeping Abraham alive."
"Bróðir," Brynhildr muttered, despite clearly not knowing what to say.
"You know something?" Vermundr continued, showing no indication that he'd heard his sister speak. "Out of all the vampires in existence, I'm probably the only one who will always completely remember what it's like to be human, all thanks to Baba Yaga's spell. I remember how it feels to be hungry for food, what it's like to feel physical fatigue, the relief that comes with each breath. But out of all of that, do you know what I miss the most about being human?" Before anyone could even begin to answer, Vermundr finally turned to face the others, revealing that his face held the look of someone who'd experienced years of torment.
"What I miss the most," Vermundr announced, "is the ability to produce tears." Without another word, Vermundr spun back around, his shoulders slightly shaking from tearless sobs. After a brief pause, Cassie slowly stepped forward until she was standing right behind him. Wordlessly, she reached out and took Vermundr's hand. At the touch, Vermundr's head snapped around, meeting her expectant gaze.
"Well then," Cassie said, her voice sorrowful but unwavering at the same time. "It's a good thing you've got me. I can produce enough tears for the both of us." With that, Cassie threw her arms around Vermundr, hugging him as tight as she could as she buried her face in his shoulder, breaking down into tears herself.
"Cass," Vermundr whispered, his voice horse and rough, moments before returning the hug, resting his chin atop her head. Unwilling to intrude on the pair's mourning, the Cullens and Brynhildr quietly slipped out of the room.
"Is it right?" Alice broke the silence once they had gone a respectful distance away. "Should we just go home, after what has happened? It almost seems disrespectful to leave now."
"At the very least," Carlisle decided. "We should stay one more day. It wouldn't be right if we left before paying our final respects to Abraham."
As this conversation was going on, Bella noticed that Brynhildr was stepping away from the others. Without hesitation, she followed after her, catching up to the older vampire just outside the dining hall.
"My brother," Brynhildr said. "I almost cannot believe it, despite seeing the proof of it firsthand. To think that two humans care so much for him they would go through the measures they did to keep him safe. I remember the story you told me, about how Abraham gave up his hand to help my brother. Then, he gave his life to save us all. And now, the knowledge that he and Cassie were willing to produce a child just to ensure Vermundr would live on. I'm afraid that knowledge frightens me. As foolish as it may sound, I cannot help but wonder if my brother really does need me."
"What are you talking about?" Bella exclaimed. "Of course he does! You are his sister. I saw his face when he found out you were still alive."
"Yes, I am, alive" Brynhildr agreed. "We're both alive, and we all know it now. But that doesn't mean that he has need of me, particularly since he clearly has Cassie now."
"You're wrong," Edward announced stepping into the conversation casually, placing his arm around Bella's shoulder as he spoke. "You forget that I can hear Vermundr's thoughts. The moment the fact that you were alive completely resonated in his mind, I saw the direction of his thoughts, as clear as day. In that one moment, he pictured you coming to live alongside him, Abraham and Cassie, and all four of you sitting at the dining table while Abraham and Cassie ate, everyone laughing and sharing stories. He pictured you accompanying him and Abraham on their monster hunting exploits, you standing by his side during hunting trips, and sitting together in the withdrawing chamber while Abraham and Cassie slept through the night, just talking. He dreamed of a future where a family of three became a family of four. Because of Abraham's sacrifice, the future Vermundr wished for cannot come to pass the way he'd wanted. But you are still here, and that means that Vermundr might still get the family of four he desired."
"Family of four?" Brynhildr repeated, clearly confused.
"Cassie has admitted to be carrying Abraham's son or daughter," Bella pointed out. "Once he, or she, is born, your number will be four again."
"But only if you do not leave," Edward continued. "Vermundr needs you now more than ever." After a brief pause, Brynhildr nodded once in understanding.