AN: Stephenie Meyer is still the owner of the Twilight Saga, and all the benefits that come with it. Any characters not found in the published editions belong to Nina or me.
Gigantic thank you to Ninadoll! She was incredibly patient with me as I attempted several different drafts of this chapter, not to mention, providing much needed inspiration in the form of Embry and Petra. She is an awesome beta and friend. Please, please check out her stories, including How the Mighty Fall. She has just been featured on Phase Fics, where HTMF was recommended and reviewed by myoung228. Please check it out at www (dot) phasefics (dot) com. Congratulations, Ms. Nina! You deserve it!
Also, thank you to my friend, shojioxlow, who is always willing to listen and stick up for me. I'm very lucky to have her!
My blog address has changed but the content is the same. You may find it at liljenrocksfanfiction (dot) blogspot (dot) com. I've been horrible about updating it, but I promise that is my goal for this week! Thank you!
CHAPTER 15: THE DAY LOVE DIDN'T FAIL
AVA'S POV
There's a point at which I have to ask myself if I have "Disaster Magnet" tattooed on my forehead. I mean, honestly. This had been one of the best days of my life. I woke up in the arms of the man I am totally in love with, I held my littlest nephew in my arms, and then, of course, like I always do, I managed to screw it all up.
"Were Seth and Scar fighting?" Abby yelled at me, trying to break free of my hold on unsteady legs. "Ava, let me go! What the hell is going on out there?"
"No, Seth wants me to get you in bed," I groaned. I started to wonder why I was listening to Seth since he was inevitably going to kill Scar.
"Then tell me what's going on!" she yelped. My mind told me just to pick her up and carry her to the bed but I wasn't really in the right state at the time, and in all likelihood, I probably would've ended up hurting her by accident, and then Seth would kill me too. I guess then though at least Scar and I could be together.
"Just stop fighting me and get in bed! Please Abby," I choked. "Seth's probably going to kill Scar and then there won't be any problems."
"What?" Abby gasped. I couldn't look at her or say anything else or even breathe for that matter. She made me give her the summarized version of what happened outside and then, "Give me my phone."
"What?" I asked, looking up at her and seeing her face tight in worry.
"My cell phone. It's in my bag," she said, putting her hands on the bed to steady herself. I worried that she might be in pain but I did as she said and walked around the bed, searching her bag until I found the phone and carried it to her. She punched a few keys and then put it to her ear. "Jake, this is Abby. Jacob, I need your help, please. Seth phased and he and Scar… Yes, in the hospital... Okay, see you in a bit." She hung up and then turned to me. "Can you help me?" she asked softly, reaching for my hand and I grabbed for it, and helped her ease herself into the bed, flinching in pain for a second.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized tearfully, trying to help but again, failing at that too. I was trying to help her but I was kinda sucking at it at the moment, not entirely my fault since I was a little preoccupied worrying about the love of my life being dragged out of the building by a vicious wolf.
"It's okay, it's not your fault," she smiled while she pulled her blanket up. "But, sweets? Tell me what happened? Please," She patted the spot next to her on the bed.
"Will you be okay if I get on the bed? I won't hurt you, will I?" I asked. Abby had the softest look on her face. Dammit! She'd just given birth less than ten hours ago and she looked so worried. Not about anyone or anything but me. I had missed that. I had missed being able to talk to my big sister. I used to, when we were younger and my parents were alive. She was the one I went to most of the time with my problems. Somewhere along the way, she became the enemy. She was the one that punished me when I screwed up or gave me that look of disappoint. I guess I hadn't given Abby enough credit. I had been trying to do better but I had always felt like I was failing. I got it then, though. She looked at me with love and care and concern. Exactly what I needed at the moment.
"Nope," Abby smiled and opened her arms for me to fall into. I guess the plan that I was going to just sit on the bed was replaced by one where Abby held me in her arms and I thought about the right thing to say.
"Scar and I," I felt a lumpy feeling in my throat and I bit my lip to keep from crying. I was Ava, I didn't cry. Not unless something really horrible happened. This could be horrible though, right? "We've been seeing each other." My eyes betrayed me as the tears rolled down my damn cheeks. Luckily though Abby just rubbed soothing circles on my back.
"How long have you been seeing each other?" she asked softly.
"A few months," I closed my eyes tight hoping that would keep the tears away. It didn't work. "Seth thinks, because we're not imprints that one day Scar will imprint and break my heart." Abby kept holding onto me and rubbing my back. I felt like a child but I didn't plan on letting go anytime soon and from the way my big sister was holding me, I don't think she planned on letting me go either.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked with a voice mixed with hurt and love.
"I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell everyone. But I knew that when Seth found out he would be pissed. He's warned Scar about this. He's usually so lighthearted but he was so worried that any kind of relationship between us would end badly," I spoke, trying to keep my emotions from making me even more of a blubbering mess.
"He's worried Scar will imprint?" she asked.
"Exactly, and he's worried that it will, I don't know, kill me, break me," I finally let it go and the tears that I'd been holding back finally came out, trickling down my face slowly. "But doesn't he know I'm stronger than that?"
Abby stroked my back. "Of course he does, sweets," she said. "Seth loves you, Ave. He thinks he's saving you from losing your strength."
"But that's ridiculous. I love him, Abby. Not like I love buttercream icing or the way Ashley loves the Disney channel. I love him like real love, like you love Seth. Like Nessie loves Jake, I love him so much that being away from him, physically hurts me. And no matter what I do or where I go, there's no one else that I will love like Scar, and I believe…I know that we belong together," I said. At some point during my rant I'd sat up and I could feel my body shaking as I looked at my older sister. I don't know if I was pumped up or scared that she would think I was being a bit too dramatic, but I knew I believed every word I said.
Abby ran her thumb under my eye to clear my tears. "I know, Ava. I've always known. The way you look at each other. And I trust him, there's not a lot of people I would trust my sisters with. But I trust him with you."
"Then why can't it be okay?" I asked. "Why can't I get my happy ending too?"
She let out a loud sigh, then pulled me back into her arms. "I promise you, I will talk to Seth. I will make him see what I see."
"Thank you, Abby! Thank you!" I held her tightly before realizing that she had just given birth and probably didn't appreciate me pressing into her like I was. "Sorry!"
"It's okay, just not so tight," she said. "I'll talk to him, okay?" I was about to thank her again when a loud "Ahem" interrupted me. "Ladies."
I let go of Abby and sat up to look at Jake who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Some people would've been threatened by that but he had a soft look in his eyes. "Seth'll be here soon as soon as he's dunked his head. He's okay, don't worry. Scar'll be fine too."
"Thank you, Jake," I said. "I'm sorry for causing problems."
He shook his head. "It's okay. Things were a little boring today anyway," he grinned. "I sent Scar to Carlisle and Esme's for the night."
I nodded. "I should probably…before Seth…"
Abby held my hand as I started to get up. "Do me a favor, Ava."
"Yeah?" I asked as I slid off the bed.
She smiled sweetly at me. "Go home. Sleep on it, let me talk to Seth. Things will be different in the morning."
I nodded and sniffled a little. "Okay," I smiled a watery smile and grabbed my purse before starting to walk out. I turned back around and looked at Abby. She was smiling at me still but I knew she was worried. I could see it even though she tried to hide it. I ran back to her and threw my arms around her in one final hug.
"Love you, Ave," she whispered, not letting me go. "For always and I promise, it's going to be okay." I nodded and kissed her cheek before letting her go and walking out the door, past a leaning Jake.
I walked out the door, not seeing Seth or Scar but hearing howls off in the distance. I thought of the drive up here this morning. Scar and I had been together, holding hands. And of course, it would have to be screwed up, right?
"Will you be okay to drive home, Ava?" Kim asked as I walked past her spot in the Doctors' section. I nodded but suddenly felt like maybe I wasn't okay to drive. I was very close to losing the love of my life and the thought of getting in a car, surrounded by his scent, by his bag of clothes, made me physically ill. "I can take you home and Jared or one of the other guys can bring your car if you want." She said sweetly. I hadn't really talked too much to Kim, the pack and the girls that ran with them were split between the young pups and the old-timers, Jared being in the latter of the two.
I didn't say anything, just nodded and walked to the passenger's side of her mini-van. She unlocked it and I slid into the seat. I had to keep telling myself to breathe, that Abby would talk to Seth, that there was still hope. But seeing Seth so angry, the way he and Scar literally were at each other's throats, made me, well…frightened.
"Do you want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a pretty good listener," Kim turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot and headed towards the main road to LaPush. I didn't say anything, just stared off into space. I wasn't sure I would be able to talk with thoughts of a shredded Scar in my head. "Did you know I was sixteen when Jared imprinted on me?"
I shook my head and looked at her. It was hard to imagine her as a sixteen-year old girl, she was always Dr. Kim Schwieg to me. "It sounds so silly to say but I had been in love with him for years and he never noticed me. Then he's gone from school for two weeks with mono, comes back, and one look at me, and suddenly I'm his reason for existing." She chuckled. "All that time, and nothing. Then he's a wolf, and I'm the world." I wanted to ask her what her point was, seeing as how I was not an imprint and had no chance of ever becoming one. "My point is that I was there, all along. I was just waiting for him. He needed the imprint to see me, to really know me and love me. I think what you and Scar have is very similar to what Jared and I have."
"How?" I choked out feeling my dry throat protest.
"You were always there but he didn't need an imprint to see you. He just knew that you were his destiny. That's better than an imprint, that's true love," she smiled and turned onto the reservation. I kept quiet thinking about what Kim had said. What if in some way, I was always meant for him we just didn't need magic to tell us so?
Kim pulled into the drive way of the house and stopped at the end of the gravel. I reached for the door handle, wanting to just run to my room to crawl in a ball and die. But something stopped and I turned to Kim. "Thank you," I said so soft I wasn't sure it was audible at all.
"You're welcome," Kim said. "One thing you also need to know is that Seth has always been protective of his family, especially the women in his life. They're all he has."
I nodded to her, thinking about the truth in that statement. I had been so angry without thinking about it from every angle, especially the idea that the women in Seth's family were the only thing he knew for certain, he knew he loved them and they knew he would always protect them. Suddenly I groaned realizing I was probably going to have to quit being so pissed off and think about it logically.
The good news was, the house was quiet and I was pretty sure, I had all the time in the world.
SCAR'S POV
It was worth it. I was in pain, but it was worth it.
"Ooh, think it's gonna scar?" Sebastian asked, hopping up on the table in Carlisle's study. "Ha ha, Scar would have a giant scar on his ankle. Think of the awesome story you could tell your kids. Fighting for the honor of a chick."
Carlisle poured iodine on already healing wound. "Wow, Seth took quite a bite out of you," he said.
"Is it gonna scar?" Sebastian asked with wide-eyes. He was a strange kid, that one. Most of the time, he got on my nerves and I wanted to hit him. Right now though, you'd think I was Superman or some superhero, the way he was sticking to my side.
"It's pretty clean, but it was a deep bite," Carlisle said just as he wrapped gauze tightly around my ankle. "It will heal quickly, so you won't need stitches, but you might have a slight scar."
Sebastian jumped up from next to me. "Hot damn! I have to tell Scott!" He shouted before running out the door. I smiled a little to myself at his enthusiasm, though I had to admit, the pain was definitely getting worse. I could practically feel the skin repairing itself and I cringed a little at the visual.
"You know, it's not entirely my place to get involved here, but—" Carlisle shook his head and started putting his medical supplies back into his bag. I watched in facination as he placed all the bloody gauze in a bowl, douse it with something and light a match to it. Honestly, it was the first time since I was a kid that I had had someone other than Seth as my doctor, and it hurt a little to think about the rift that I knew was now between us. He was my brother, one of my best friends, but I was pretty sure his teeth sinking into my ankle was a good indication that it was over. At least he knew now, though. "No, I'm going to go ahead and say it." Carlisle stopped what he was doing and walked to me. "Don't give up on Seth, Scar, not yet. The wounds are still healing, so to speak, give him time."
I scoffed. "Yeah, don't think that's gonna happen. His teeth and paws made it pretty clear that I am shit to him."
Carlisle walked back towards me and offered his hand so that I could slide off the table. My ankle was sore and I flinched when I tried to put my weight on it. I felt myself start to stumble, but Carlisle steadied me. "You're not giving Seth enough credit. Deep down, even when he's angry, he's only reacting this way because his family is the most important thing to him. He's very protective of them." He walked with me towards the den. "Plus, he's seen what can happen to a couple that gets involved without an imprint."
I couldn't help but growl a little under my breath. Up until all the mayhem of this afternoon, I was pretty sure that I was part of Seth's family. Not to mention that what had happened with Leah and Sam, had happened years ago, more than a decade ago, and yet when it came to Ava and me, that was all anyone saw.
"I know what you're thinking," Carlisle brought me out of my thoughts. "You're thinking that you're not Sam and Ava's not Leah, right?"
"Exactly. We're not them. And you know, when Sam and Leah happened, Sam wasn't even a wolf yet. I'm a wolf, I know the risks, but I'm choosing this anyway," I sighed.
I eased myself onto the couch, still steadying myself, mid-hop with Carlisle. He let out a loud sigh and cocked his head to the side, deep in thought. "Just try to imagine for a moment, if you were Seth in this predicament."
I sat for a minute, trying not to imagine if it were me in Seth's position. Thinking of my sister still hurt and then trying to imagine her, being pursued by one of my friends, did make me kinda understand why Seth would be upset. Then again, there were very few things in this world I was certain of. I had seen pain and death and hurt. I'd seen abandonment and sorrow. Those were things I was certain of, things that I had experienced. But the one thing, more than any of the others, the one thing I knew without a doubt, without a single waver, was that Ava was my soulmate. "There are a thousand reasons why we shouldn't be together, I get that," I said to Carlisle, not meeting his eyes. "But there is one big reason that we should, and that is love. I love her more than I love anything. More than I've ever loved anything. And fate might not have made our connection through an imprint, but I know that fate sent her to me." I started thinking about the person that I had been before I had met Ava. The truth was, I wasn't necessarily a bad person, I just did less than honorable things. "I used to think that being a wolf was what saved me from the misery I was living in. Now I get that it's not. She's the one, Ava's the one that saved me."
I finally looked to Carlisle to see his smile, always kind and compassionate. "I can't argue with that because that's how I've always felt about my Esme. We were both two broken parts that together made a whole. I had Edward, he was my companion and son in every sense of the word, and I do love him. But I never knew how much I was capable of loving until Esme. Hearing her heart struggling to survive, when I saw her, it was almost as if fate had chosen for me to be there, in the morgue that night." He looked off towards the stairs, where I knew Esme was probably waiting for him, probably cursing me for interrupting a perfectly fine evening. "Like you, I had seen my fair share of evil. I never lost faith, but in my existence, it's been easy to doubt. But not when I'm with her though."
"Carlisle," I heard a soft voice say as Esme came down the stairs. He immediately wrapped her up in his arms and it made me want Ava with me so badly.
"You know, we vampires, some of us have gifts. Alice sees the future, Edward reads thought, Jasper knows when we're upset about something without us saying a word. But I've always felt the most important gift, probably the one least appreciated, is Esme's gift. Love," Carlisle looked loving at his wife who leaned forward to kiss him.
"Love is a very powerful thing for sure," Esme whispered.
"So then you have to see my side of this. I can't help what I feel. I can't fight it, I tried, for months, for years and it didn't work," I put my head in my hands.
Carlisle released Esme and walked over to a bookshelf, pulling an old brown book out. He flipped through it as he walked towards me. "I have something here for you," he said as he handed the book to me.
"The Bible?" I asked, looking at him like he had clearly lost his mind.
"Yes, the Bible, whether you are religious or not, you can understand why this particular passage is perfect for your current dilemma," he pointed to a group of words on the page. "1 Corinthians 13:8…Love never fails."
I looked at the words and thought carefully about what it said. Love never fails. I guess if I could know that if Ava wasn't my imprint, I loved her. I loved her more than I was sure any wolf probably even loved their imprint. Nothing would change that, so we had to succeed because love never fails. I had to believe that, I had to. I looked up at Carlisle and Esme, my emotions clear in my eyes and understandingly, they guided me to the couch and left me to my thoughts.
I would've loved to take a shower but my ankle put a kink in those plans and I spent almost an hour laying on the couch doing nothing but thinking about my life. Esme and Petra served me banana-pecan pancakes, something that most people might consider a breakfast food but something I could eat 24/7. I'd never had banana pancakes until I met Ava. She told me they were her Dad's favorite and one of the very first things she learned to make when she was growing up. I guess that might be why I like them so much, it makes me feel connected to her and her family. Esme's pancakes were delicious and I knew she put a lot of love into them but they weren't Ava's.
"You have a visitor coming up the porch," Esme smiled as she took my plate and handed me another mug of milk.
I raised one of my eyebrows and sniffed the air…it appeared my shadow was back.
"Seth and Jake are chatting up Abby. I couldn't hear much but I know that Ava went home," Sebastian said, sitting down next to me and grabbing a large red apple from the tray on the coffee table. "Um, may I?"
Esme nodded with a smile. "Of course, dear."
"Thanks," he responded, taking a big bite out of it. "Anyway, when all this chaos is going on, Quil starts going over in his head about when he Claire first started dating, like officially." He chewed slowly then swallowed. "Anywho, Quil said Claire's parents put like this thing on their relationship where they started limiting the amount of time they got to spend together."
"That's funny, I don't remember that," I rolled my eyes, thinking Sebastian clearly had to be making this up.
"He said her parents were real freaked out by the like intense passion in their relationship," Sebastian took another bite and I chuckled.
"Intense passion?"
"Shut up, that's what Quil said. Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. It was right after the big vampire fight, right after that Christmas when I'm guessing things were a little more physical in their relationship. From what I gathered, Quil and Claire were doing it in the office at the paint shop and her Dad almost walked in on them. I guess he knew what they were doing though because he kinda spent like three hours arguing with Claire and Quil," Sebastian said. It was actually quite interesting how much like a gossiping teenage girl he was at the moment. I had forgotten how young he actually was. It made me thankful that we were both wolves now and not with the first pack. The first pack was as young as we were but they didn't have nearly the same choices we did. I knew, in Jake's eyes, that included who we chose to love.
I sighed heavily. "Does this story have a point?"
Sebastian growled under his breath, finishing the apple, core and all, something I found a little strange, but it got him to finish the story so who was I to argue? "He said he would write little love notes to Claire and then have someone else wolf out and deliver them." This started to make sense now. I remembered making a run or two out to the Munholland house to deliver things for Quil. I just never asked what they were. "I was thinkin', if you wanted, you could write a note to Ava and I'd take it to her."
I could text her even now, but writing a note had it's own appeal. "Where is she?" I asked, suddenly feeling the loneliness creep in. It had been months since I'd been without her, slept without her in bed with me, and as ridiculous as it may sound, I missed even her scent, the calming vanilla-rain scent that was all Ava.
"She's at Queso de Clearwater with Leah and the little children," Sebastian answered with a grin.
"Casa de Clearwater, you mean?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"Dude, here I am, being really nice, and trying to help you out, and you keep treating me like an idiot," he said.
I thought for a minute. It really was a nice offer on his part and not something I had thought of. I had agreed to both Jake and Carlisle that I would wait until the morning to go see her, but writing a little letter couldn't hurt, right?
"You wouldn't mind taking it for me?" I asked.
"Nope, as long as you name your first born after me," he chuckled.
"And if it's a girl?"
"Sebastiana, maybe? You've got time to think," he patted my back.
I didn't have to say anything, Esme slid a pen and piece of white copy paper across the coffee table to me. Love never fails. She too patted my back as she walked back up the stairs with a sweet smile on her face. It was a motherly smile, the kind I'd gotten from Abby and Nessie. The kind that made me miss my Mom. I thought for a minute about what to say. I needed her to know that none of this changed anything. I didn't care what anyone said, she was the only girl for me.
I took a deep breath and put my pen to paper, trying to find the best ways to tell her. When the first words came out, it was natural and I didn't even have to think. I sealed the letter up in an envelope, then wrote Ava's name neatly on the front. "It's ready," I said towards the den. Sebastian nodded as he took it from me. "Thanks, Sebastian."
"No prob," he grinned. "Kinda makes me feel important, like I'm helping get you together or something. I mean, like the Beatles said, 'all you need is love,' right?"
I watched as he walked out the door and into the darkness of the woods. I knew Ava would still be awake and I knew she'd be worried. I would make this right, completely right with everyone. Because I had every intention of spending every single second of my life with Ava and I would do whatever I had to, to live up to that promise.
AVA'S POV
After my talks with both Abby and Kim, I couldn't sleep. I should've been able to. It had been a horribly long day. It wasn't too horrible but it was long. I also knew I needed to rest up to prepare myself for a conversation with Seth the next day. I wasn't as mad at him as I was before. I understood it now. Leah had said that Seth was a protector, and as much as I wanted to scream at him for attacking Scar, I understood it. I knew that instead of being pissed off, I should be grateful to have someone care about me.
I couldn't do anything but go through the motions. I put on pajamas and brushed my teeth, washed my face, all without realizing what I was doing. Even my nightly routine seemed off without Scar with me. I sighed loudly as I pulled back the blanket on my bed. It had been awhile since I'd slept in it but the sheets smelled like lavender and I knew that Abby must have washed them during her nesting stage. It made me smile to think of my older sister going crazy cleaning, only to have everything messed up by a two and an eight-year old. It didn't matter though, Abby probably just smiled and went about cleaning up the messes again.
"Psst…" I heard from my window. "Yo! Ava!" It wasn't a voice I recognized at first and I pulled back the soft blue curtains to see Sebastian Birmingham standing directly in front of my window, in nothing but a pair of cut-off shorts.
"What do you want?" I groaned. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" I pulled open the window and furrowed my brow at him, hoping I was giving him a good 'shame on you' look.
"Yeah, yeah, don't shoot the messenger," he said smoothly as he reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Special delivery from Senor Scar." He handed the letter to me and I snatched it from him, pulling it to my nose and inhaling hoping to smell Scar. "That's not gonna do any good. It just smells like a vampire goddess."
I giggled at that. "Vampire goddess?"
"Yeah, you know, Carlisle's wife. She gave Scar the paper and envelope."
"And that makes her a goddess?" I asked.
"She looks like one," he shrugged. Sebastian stood for a minute staring at me a little too intensely and I cleared my throat to get his attention. "Anyway, just for the record, I'm rooting for you guys."
"Thanks, Sebastian," I rolled my eyes. I felt bad shooing him away after he had been so nice to bring the message to me. But I wanted to read it and I knew I couldn't do that with him standing there. He ran off and I slid the window close before I sat down in the chair next to my bed. I turned the envelope and ran my fingers over the messy script that spelled my first name on the front. I loved Scar's penmanship. I slid my finger under the seal and slid it down to open it. I took a deep breath and opened it to read.
Angel,
I know things have been really crazy today and I know that you probably have a million questions. I can promise you, I'll be there, bright and early in the morning to talk it all out. But I wanted you to know, that no matter what, I love you. You are my imprint. Not because something magical happened, but because we chose each other and nothing will ever, ever change that. Try to get some rest and I can't wait to see you. I expect a big kiss. Good night, my love.
Your wolf,
Scar
P.S. Love never fails.
P.P.S I'm gonna need you to make sure I don't rag on Sebastian too much. Turns out he's an okay kid.
I crawled into my lonely bed and held the letter close to me. I laid Scar's shirt I'd grabbed from the car and laid it on the pillow next to me. If I couldn't have Scar with me, I could at least have his scent surround me. It was nice but the truth was, it wasn't the real thing. I missed his warm arms around me. I missed the thought of waking up with him next to me. Somehow, though, the thoughts made my eyes heavy and I eventually drifted into dreamland.
The next morning, I was almost positive that I was the first one awake. It was cloudy but I could see a little light through my curtains. It almost pained me to get out of bed until I remembered that I could see Scar today. That made me practically jump out of bed and start skipping down the hall. I looked in all the bedrooms, Ashley snuggled with Sadie at her feet, the door to the guest room where Leah was staying closed, and then I stopped in front of Liam's open bedroom door. Seth was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, Liam curled up into his chest. Both of their eyes were closed and they both looked so content. My mind drifted to Scar again. I couldn't help but wonder if his dad had held him like that when he was a kid. When we had kids would he hold them like that? I smiled to myself thinking about that, having a family, with Scar.
"There's coffee downstairs if you want some," Seth whispered. I shook my head to put aside the thoughts of the future Monroe family and nodded. "I'll be down in just a sec and I'd like to talk, if that's okay."
"Sure," I answered. I could only imagine what kind of hell was going to rain down on me when Seth confronted me. He didn't seem mad just a second ago but then again he was holding his two-year old son. I tried not to get too discouraged. I was determined to work this out today and I thought long and hard about the exact words to say. I ran through them in my mind as I poured my coffee and topped it off with milk, sugar, and chocolate syrup.
"That's exactly how Abby drinks hers," Seth said, running his hands over his cropped hair and making me jump. "Didn't mean to scare you." He sighed as he walked over to the cupboard and grabbed his own coffee cup.
I swallowed hard. "Did you stay at the hospital last night?"
"Yeah, I just came by this morning to take a shower and change clothes. When I got home, I could hear Liam tossing and turning in there so I went to check on him," he said while he took a sip from his mug. "I know he knows things are going to change later when the baby comes home and I want him to know that this doesn't change anything. He'll still be as loved as he was before, maybe even more with a little brother who'll look up to him."
"Do you worry about, I don't know, not feeling as close to him because you weren't there when he was born?" I spilt out before I slapped my hand over my mouth. This was kind of uncharted territory or no man's land with Seth. He didn't like to be reminded that he missed Liam's birth or Abby's first pregnancy. Pretty much that whole time was considered undiscussable.
"Honestly?" he asked and I nodded. "I would never tell Abby but I was worried, when I felt the baby move inside her the first time. I worried that some how I'd feel more…linked or connected to Cullen. But the next morning, Liam came running in and jumped up onto my chest and said 'Wuv you, Daddy.' I knew then that I wouldn't love Cullen more. I would love him differently, but never more. They're my sons and they both make me happy and proud." He had the classic "Seth-grin" on his face. It was contagious and I soon found my pearly-whites exposed.
"You're a good dad, Seth," I said honestly.
Seth took a deep breath again and hung his head. He stared at his coffee, then looked up at me. "But I've been a shitty brother in the last twenty-four hours."
"Listen, I'm—"
"No, I have been. I've been worrying all this time about something happening and you ending up like Leah was for so long. I remember my big sister before Sam and I missed her for a long time. I thought I was protecting you from suffering the same fate."
"You don't have to—"
"Then I realized that you're not Leah and Scar's not Sam," he looked straight in my eyes. "You know Jake's theory on imprinting?"
"Yes," I answered.
"I don't think I truly got it until I thought about you two, and as much as it pains me to say it, I'm kinda jealous of you two," Seth chuckled. "No tricks of fate, you two found each other on your own. Why couldn't I do that?" I smiled as he took a deep breath. "I like to think that somehow Abby and I would've eventually found each other but I realize that I'd be a hypocrite to tell you that you can't be together."
"How do you mean?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Well, how can I say that I would love Abby without an imprint but then question that Scar could do the same?" he said. "The thing is, I was a little selfish too." Seth cleared his throat. "I've kinda thought of you as my sister since Abby and I have been together. I've been responsible for helping make sure you're protected and loved. But that's not my job anymore and it makes me a little sad to think about."
"Seth," I smiled widely.
"If you truly love him, can't live without him, I won't stand in your way," he sighed. "You have my blessing."
I walked towards where he was standing by the sink. I didn't even think as I wrapped my arms tightly around him. "Thank you, Seth," I rose on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. I was more giddy than I could imagine.
"Just so long as you know that if he does ever imprint, you will always have a home with the pack and with Abby and me," he smiled. "Now, go call him so he can come over and I can get this over with," Seth chuckled.
I hopped towards the doorway and stopped. "For the record, Seth. You are the best brother, ever. And I'm glad to have you to protect and love me." I hopped away before I saw his face but I knew he was probably smiling. I hoped he was.
I practically skipped and hopped all the way down the hall back to my bedroom to get my phone. I decided instead of calling, I'd text him, ask him to come over because I wanted to see his face and hear his voice when I told him we could be together.
Can you come over? I texted and hit send.
It seemed like forever before I got a response. In reality it was less than a minute but it seemed longer.
Will I get to keep my testicles if I do? Scar texted back and I choked back a chuckle.
I hope so, I have plans for them for awhile, I giggled to myself. No more than five minutes after I hit send, there was a soft knock on the front door. I started to run to get it but Seth beat me to it and I tried to listened as Seth apologized to Scar for the way he reacted.
"We shouldn't have hidden it from you either. We should've been honest and straightforward," Scar said to him.
"That shows me that you're being mature about this and lets me know that you have every intention of being honorable in this, right?" Seth asked.
"Of course. I'm in this for the long haul, Seth. If I have it my way, someday, Ava will be my wife, we'll have a family," Scar answered as I crept closer to the door. "This is not temporary."
I saw Seth nod and put his hand out for Scar to shake. Scar waved it off and instead did something very typically Seth. He pulled him into a bro-hug and they both chuckled as they patted each other on the back. "I think there's a spy in our presence," Seth kept chuckling as I made my way out of the shadows.
He moved away and I swear it was like a freakin' movie, the light coming in from behind the door, creating this angelic haze around Scar. "Hi," he said softly. I couldn't move, my eyes were locked with his and I started to feel all the emotions of the last twenty-four hours. Instead of just calmly walking to him, I ran the short distance and jumped in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and holding him so tight I was sure a normal human would've passed out. "It's okay, Angel. I'm not going anywhere."
"Good," I said, keeping my grip on him.
"We're together, okay? Forever," he whispered to me.
We were together. We were happy, we weren't a secret anymore. And for the first time in my life, it was like all the weight of everything bad that had happened to me was slowly lifting off of me. I felt whole, complete. There was no longing like there had been before Scar, no guilt like there had been before everyone knew, there was only hope.
I thought about what Scar had written in the letter, in the P.S. Love never fails. It was true, I could feel it in my heart. No matter what the future held, love would never fail us.