Chapter 12- Light after the Dark

He assumed they had moved to a different part of the country, Whitman County in Washington specifically. Edward had heard Carlisle thinking of transferring to the hospital there before he left. It was pouring rain and night was falling when he arrived. As soon as he got off the train, he immediately found an area in town with a large forest where he might be able to pick up Carlisle or Esme's scent from hunting. He was drawn to the sound of the river because it was so like Carlisle to stop on his hunting trips and stare down at the water to ponder. Edward's assumption was correct and when he got to the stream, he could smell Carlisle's faint scent. His legs pumped beneath him through the muddy ground as he followed it through the forest. He was still extremely weak and his throat burned with the thirst that had not been satisfied for a year. But Edward had to force himself to keep moving, before he could change his mind.

At this point, his greatest fear was rejection. The pain of them no longer wanting or trusting him would be unbearable. But he promised himself then that if they no longer accepted him, he would bear the pain and move on like his mother would want him to. His resentment to Carlisle for turning him into a vampire was fading. He promised that he would mend his relationship not only with Carlisle but Esme as well if he was ever offered the chance again. He would not carelessly brush off their love like it was nothing.

Edward stopped for a minute to see his faint reflection in the stream beside him. He had not payed any attention to his appearance in the past few months. He looked dishevelled and was wearing dark grey dress pants and a white, loose fitted, button down, collared dress shirt. His shoes were dark, lace up shoes and his hair was his usual unruly, thick, golden mess that looked almost black from the rain water. He had not changed at all, he was still the pale seventeen year old boy that had left three years ago, his eyes were a deep black and he was completely soaked from the rain.

He was running again and came to a halt when he heard voices and thoughts coming from the nearby house. He almost felt like he was dreaming when he heard Carlisle's same gentle voice.

"Make sure to give her two of these pills twice daily until she gets her strength back. For now she needs to be in bed," Carlisle said.

His thoughts showed the image of a small, pale little girl lying on the table. Beside her stood her worried looking father, his hand resting gently on her forehead. The man looked up at Carlisle,

"Thank you Dr," the man searched in his pockets to find something to repay Carlisle with. "It's not much but-"

Carlisle cut him off, "Keep your money Richard, save it for your family... times are hard right now."

The man nodded, then gave a look of pure gratitude and weariness at the same time. He lifted his young daughter and left. Edward heard Esme in the next room, reading. Carlisle cleaned up his medical supplies and placed it neatly in his case.

Meanwhile Edward could see the lit up house through the dark evening and the pouring rain. He willed himself to keep moving, but his body refused. He just stood there instead. He did not recall how long he had stood there, listening to their thoughts, analyzing any signs of their resentment towards him. He found no signs, they were talking and they laughed together for a moment at a casual joke. Never had he ever longed to laugh with them or even to simply be in their presence before. He took everything back, his hatefulness towards their relationship and his cold, detached remarks towards them when all they wanted was to connect. He took back every minute of it. A low whimper escaped his throat as he ached to change the past.

Esme's head turned to the window slightly. In her thoughts Edward could see his own slouched, shadowlike figure through the rain, across the front lawn. Carlisle asked what it was that she was looking at. Then Edward heard the sound of their unbelieving thoughts.

In less than a second he saw Carlisle slam the front door open and stand there for a moment in the doorway of the house, directly across from Edward. Water droplets dripped from Edward's hair, he could not look at his father's face without breaking so he focused on the grass beneath him to compress the emotion that was building inside of him. When he felt arms embracing him however he could not conceal it anymore. He heard stifled sobs and it wasn't long before he recognized the sobbing was coming from him. He was shocked by the sudden affection which made his true feelings finally emerge,

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he managed to say as he buried his head deeper into Carlisle's shoulder.

Carlisle sounded like he had a mix of different emotions running through him at once when he said, "Shhh, it's alright Edward… it's alright son, you came back." He pulled him closer, he sounded like he was laughing and crying all at once.

It was not long before Esme was in the rain with them, joining the embrace. Finally, he responded to her affection. Edward remained locked in his parent's warmth, his quavering voice, apologizing over and over. It would be a long battle mending the wounds of his past but here, locked in between the only ones that could ever take the place of his human parents, he felt safe. The rain continued to pour, but none of them noticed. A boom of thunder followed by the hot strike of lightening added to this intimate moment as they were drenched and the roaring winds pushed the rain against their bodies. Edward focused solely on the small family he had again, forgetting about the atmosphere around him. In this moment they had each other and he had them. That would be alright for now.

End

A/N- Thanks for all the support to everyone who messaged me in the past couple months. You're the ones who motivated me to do this story. Also, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on this story at any time. Reviews are very much appreciated.

IMPORTANT- I am now working on the second part of the story called, "Desire of the Soul". If you liked this and are interested in reading the sequel you can check it out on my account.