Tuesday, March 27, 2001

Chapter 22

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~
Chapter 22
"Sweetheart, are you sure you're ready for this?" Isabella asked her husband softly while they were getting dressed.
He paused in the middle of buttoning his shirt and smiled sweetly at her and said, "Beautiful, I'm not sure I'd ever be ready but it's way past time to come clean, wouldn't you say?"
She nodded because he was right, but it didn't make what he was about to do any easier for him, for her, or for any of the rest of them either.
"I know, but I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this if you're not ready. The other night was bad enough; I don't want to see you have to go through that again," she told him with a sigh as she sat on the edge of the bed.
He walked and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulder. When she laid her head on his shoulder he kissed the top of her head and then ran his fingers through her hair. "Talking to you the other night was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but because you're the amazing woman you are, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Isabella, I'm ready to put all of this, everything, behind me, finally. I've put you and everyone else through more than anyone should have to suffer, all because I've spent twenty years angry at my parents. I never should have waited this long in the first place, so yes, thanks to you and the fact you're still here with me, I'm ready."
For the past three days, the two of them had stayed hidden from everyone and everything. Phone calls went unanswered, except for text messages to let everyone know they were okay and wanted to be left alone. The television hadn't been turned on except for the few times they'd cuddled in bed to watch a movie, which they wound up ignoring because they couldn't stop talking to or touching each other. Food was delivered because neither wanted to leave the other long enough to cook anything; even their showers had been taken together.
"Edward, you know I'll always be here. I love you," she told him when she picked her head up.
"Well, thank God for that because you know if you ever tried to leave I'd just find you and bring you back. I can't live without you, love," he told her and then pushed her back on the bed and laid on top of her. "You've been so incredible these last few days," he whispered and then proceeded to lower his lips to hers for a toe-curling kiss.
His tongue languidly slid in and out of her mouth, caressing her tongue with his. She let him lead, let him take what he needed, what he wanted, and he greedily accepted what she offered. His fingers tangled in her hair and he ground himself against her, letting her know that even though they had made love too many times to count over the past few days, his desperate need for her hadn't diminished in the least.
"Oh, Isabella," he chuckled in her ear. He flicked her earlobe with his tongue and then nibbled on the tender skin of her neck. "Is it bad for me to say I just want this night to be over so that I can be inside of you again?"
She ran her fingers through his hair and then across his forehead and beneath his eyes. Thankfully, over the course of the past forty-eight hours, the creases on his forehead had lessened significantly, the dip between his eyebrows had evened out again, and his eyes were back to the usual vivid bottle-green that she was used to. She hoped, for all their sakes, that once the rest of the family knew what she did, they could all begin to heal.
She knew she had.
Listening to Edward tell his story was the most painful thing she'd ever had to endure and by the time he'd cried himself to sleep after hours of talking, she could feel their connection and their commitment to each other strengthen even more. She held him as he shook in her arms and told him over and over how much she loved him and always would. How strong she thought he was for enduring everything he had. How much more she understood now that he had shared his past with her. She never pitied him because he didn't need to hear that. He needed to know and believe that even though he'd been wrong about so many things and pushed away all the people that loved him, they were still there for him, still there loving him no matter what.
"I suppose I can share you with the rest of our family and friends for a little while, but I'll be just as happy when we're alone again as you will be, sweetheart," she told him and pulled him back down for another kiss.
This time she was the one that did the exploring with her tongue and when she felt him settle between her legs, she moaned quietly in the back of her throat. She slowed the kisses down and then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She felt his warm breath in her ear and she giggled softly when he growled. They stayed that way for a few minutes, lying together without saying a word, just soaking up the comfort each was offering the other.
After another moment or two she softly said, "I should probably go check on dinner. Everyone will be here soon."
He nodded against her shoulder then scooted off the bed. When he stood up he held his hand out to her and helped her off the bed. "I love you, Isabella, so fucking much," he told her as he laid his hand on her cheek.
She laid her soft hand over his and smiled at him. "I know, Edward, and I love you, too."
"I know."
He watched her walk out of the room and then turned to look in the corner, not surprised in the least to see the annoying angel person smirking at him.
"Enjoy the show?" Edward asked with a roll of his eyes and grunted when he heard the booming laugh that shook the windows.
"You, my friend, are in quite the good mood," Seth casually remarked.
"Ha, well we'll see how long that lasts once everyone gets here," Edward scoffed as he finished getting dressed.
"Well, I'd be willing to bet you'll feel even better once the night is over, Eddie. This is it you know? The last of what you need to accomplish; that has to make you feel good, yes?" the angel asked with a raised eyebrow.
Edward attached his watch to his wrist and then ran his fingers over the friendship bracelet he'd yet to take off. He thought about bullshitting the angel but then realized there was no point. The damn bossy being always seemed to know when he was being less than truthful anyway. "No, actually, it really doesn't to be honest with you. What would happen if I didn't talk to Carlisle and Esme, or Emmett...could I just drag this...whatever it is, out indefinitely?" he asked when he sat on the bed to tie his shoes.
"Nice try, Eddie my boy, but no, unfortunately it doesn't work quite that way." Seth chuckled at him.
Edward sat up and stared at the angel. Today he was dressed in a pair of khaki dress pants a white button-down and a brown sport coat. On his feet were a pair of brown wingtips and he couldn't help but laugh at the otherworldly being. He had a thought that the pain in the ass angel wore the God-awful shoes just to get a rise out of him.
After another moment of looking at him Edward said, "Well, you can't blame me for trying."
Seth regarded Edward, trying to figure out what was going on with him. For someone who was about to have one the most difficult discussions of his life on top of dealing with why it needed to be done in the first place, he was incredibly calm; much more so than Seth ever expected. He figured not only would a stern talking to be in order, but he assumed a glass or three of angelic scotch combined with some of his mumbo jumbo would be needed as well. The Edward Anthony Cullen in front of him was not what he expected, not at all.
"What the hell is going on with you?" Seth demanded when he couldn't take not knowing any longer.
Oh, he would pay for that slip, he knew, when he returned to Gideon and the others, but he had a feeling Edward was keeping something from him, something important and he didn't like it, not one little bit.
Edward tried to keep the self-satisfied grin off his face, but that only lasted for about two point two seconds before he laughed. "Sucks doesn't it?" he tauntingly asked.
"Edward Anthony, this is most definitely not the time to be playing games, and certainly not with me," the angel said sternly which caused his charge to laugh even harder.
"Who's playing games?" Edward asked in a falsely innocent voice.
Edward was thoroughly enjoying himself even though he supposed he needed to get serious. However, he was having too much fun to stop, at least just yet. It had taken some time, but he'd finally gotten the best of Seth and he was going to enjoy it for as long as possible, that was for damn sure.
He wasn't sure, exactly, why he wasn't freaking out over the impending conversation, but he wasn't. Ever since he'd told Isabella, that same sensation he'd felt at the theater during the final act, the one in which he somehow knew everything would be okay, had settled over him like a warm blanket. Between the unforgettable night he and Isabella shared after the confrontation with Vincent, all the talk of naming Isabella his successor at CP, and then the past few days when the angel had let him be, he hadn't had a chance to ask about what had happened to him last week. When the feeling came back, Edward decided to keep it to himself. Why? He had no idea, but he just knew it was something meant for him and him alone. He had no idea what it meant or why it was happening, but he didn't really care. After all that had happened to him and all that he'd had to accept on faith, what did one more thing really matter? All he knew was that though he was a bit nervous about how everyone would respond to his revelations, everything would be fine.
He just knew it.
Isabella believed it and he had no reason to doubt her. He would never do that again, not after everything she'd done for him.
"Oh, relax, Seth," Edward chuckled again, "things will be just fine," he said cheekily.
"Who the hell are you and where is the real Edward Cullen?" the angel asked with a shake of his head.
He had no clue what was going on with Edward but he supposed as long as he was calm, he shouldn't rock the boat. Besides, much like with some of the cryptic comments Gideon had said in passing lately, he couldn't help but feel that something else was at play, he just didn't know what it was.
Edward walked to the door and looked back at the for once stunned speechless angel and asked, "You coming?"
"Don't push me, boy," Seth growled loudly and the rumble sounded like thunder. "You might think you can pull one over on me but I promise you, I'll figure out what you're up to."
"You think so, huh?" Edward asked, totally not afraid of the threat.
Seth's eyes twinkled at his young charge. "I know so. Besides, it's time for you to answer the door. Company has arrived." He grinned then disappeared.
"Damn angel," Edward snickered and then quickly went down the stairs to open the door.
When he passed the entrance to the kitchen he couldn't help but smile at his beautiful wife. "I've got it, love. Do you need any help?" he asked quickly.
"No, besides I would bet that is Mama and Nonna and they'll try to kick me out of my own kitchen anyway," she said with a roll of her eyes.
He gave her a wink and when he approached the front door, sure enough, there were the Swans just like his brilliant wife guessed.
"Edward, son, so good to see you!" Charlie said in a loud, boisterous voice as soon as Edward opened the door. He stepped forward and gave his son-in-law a fierce hug and then strode into the house, followed by Renée and Nonna after they'd said hello to Edward as well.
Charlie couldn't help but look around with wide eyes, for it had been some time since they'd been invited to Isabella's and Edward's house. He wasn't sure what the occasion was for the invitation today either, but he was happy to be here.
"Bambola!" he cried when his daughter walked out of the kitchen. He noted right away that she first looked at Edward with a worried look and he chuckled when Edward rolled his eyes at her and then gave a small nod. Whatever was going on, it was clear this was more Edward's doing than his daughter's which immediately piqued his curiosity.
Edward laughed softly when Renée and Nonna walked straight into the kitchen with barely more than a hello for Isabella. He was extremely grateful for his wife's concern but he hoped she would try to enjoy herself as much as possible. When they'd first talked about how to handle telling the rest of the family they decided to have everyone over for dinner and then tell them all at once. It would be excruciating enough to say it again after he'd told Isabella; he most definitely did not want to have to repeat it numerous times afterward if he could help it.
She had hesitated though when he mentioned inviting her family as well as his, along with Jasper, Alice, Marcus, and Alec. Like he'd told her, they were all a family and it was way past time for them all to act like it. He loved Charlie, Renée, and Nonna, very much, and they had just as much right to know what had happened to him as the rest of them did. He and Charlie were closer than ever and spent a good deal of time together with and without Isabella's presence or even knowledge. They'd had lunch together at least once a week since her birthday and Charlie and Renée hadn't missed one of Jack's baseball games yet. In all honesty, he was closer to Charlie than he had ever been to Carlisle. A part of him felt horribly guilty about that fact, but the other was just extremely grateful for his father-in-law's unwavering support and guidance.
So yes, the Swans had just as much reason to be there as any of the rest of them.
After Edward and Charlie were able to visit for a few minutes, everyone else arrived. Edward had to chuckle to himself when they all realized how many people were there and he could see the questions in everyone's eyes, but decided to just let it go and enjoy himself as best he could. He wasn't sure, but with the exception of his and Isabella's reception, he couldn't recall another time when they'd all been at the same place at the same time.
It was an oversight Edward vowed to fix in however much time he had left.
He introduced Marcus and Alec to Charlie, Renée and Nonna again and laughed heartily when both blushed profusely when Renée kissed them and when Nonna told Alec she had the perfect girl for him within five minutes of meeting him. Somehow, he didn't even doubt her.
Charlie, Carlisle, and Emmett were happily discussing Jack's last baseball game and Rose, Esme, and Alice were all talking about some new restaurant they wanted to try. As he looked around the room he was struck with how different everyone was but how they all seemed to mesh perfectly. He supposed it was what being a family was all about. He held his hand out and smiled when Isabella slid her tiny soft hand in his. He'd known she was there, he could feel her just like he always could, but ever since the other night it was if their bodies called out to the other's if they were apart too long.
"Should be an interesting night," he said quietly when he lifted their joined hands to his mouth and pressed a wet open-mouthed kiss to the inside of her wrist.
"You don't have to tell them all tonight, you know that, right? We can just eat dinner and visit and no one would be the wiser," she told him as she searched his face for any sign of trepidation and was more than a bit surprised when she found none.
This time instead of kissing her wrist, he kissed her lips and then rested his lips against hers when he said, "Beautiful, thank you for being worried about me, but really, I'm ready for this. I promise I am."
"I'll be right beside you the whole time," she told him quietly, holding his face in her hands.
He nodded and gave her her smile. "I know. It's the only reason I know I can do it."
Dinner was a raucous affair. Between Emmett, Charlie, and Alec everyone was laughing so hard it was a wonder anyone was able to eat any of the delicious food Isabella had fixed. Not wanting to spend all day in the kitchen, mostly because she couldn't bear to be away from Edward that long, she'd decided to make three pans of lasagna, homemade garlic bread and Caesar salad. She'd also made cheesecake brownies for dessert and planned on making cappuccino to have along with it, mostly because it was his favorite he knew.
Once everyone was finishing up their dinner he leaned over and kissed Isabella on the cheek. "Are you going to be okay? I know this is going to be as hard for you as it is for me."
"If you're sure you want to do this, then I'm doing it with you," she told him when she turned to look at him.
He rested his forehead against hers and whispered, for what seemed like the thousandth time, "I love you. Thank you for...everything."
"I wish you would stop saying thank you, Edward. I'm not doing anything besides loving you and supporting you. It's...it's just what I do," she said with a shrug of her delicate shoulders.
"Well, what you do is incredible, so I guess I'll just leave it at that," he said with a grin. He took a deep breath and quietly said, "Here we go."
She nodded in encouragement and reached for his hand, entwining their fingers together. He smiled at her before he stood up. When he did so the conversation slowly came to a halt and he shook his head when everyone stared at him expectantly.
"Yo, Ed, you getting ready to make a speech or something?" Emmett asked from the other side of the table.
Edward looked down at Isabella before answering. "Something like that, Em." He reached for his glass of wine and took a drink before clearing his throat a couple of times. As much as he was looking forward to getting through the night, finding a way to start the conversation was causing him a bit of trouble.
Thankfully, he was saved by his brother. "What's going on, Edward? As great as it is to all get together, I have a feeling there is a reason."
Emmett had enjoyed himself thoroughly all night, but ever since he'd arrived he'd had a nervous feeling in his stomach. He watched Edward closely and though he had smiled and laughed a good deal during dinner, he knew his brother well enough to know that there was a reason they were all there tonight. He only hoped whatever it was, it wasn't bad.
Edward took a moment to look all around the table and everyone pretty much had the same look of expectation mixed with a bit of worry, too. He shifted from foot to foot for just a few seconds before he took a deep breath and said, "Why don't we all go into the living room where everyone will be more comfortable? This is liable to take a little while."
"Edward?" Esme asked worriedly before everyone started to move.
"Mother, please. I'll explain everything in just a few moments. This is a good thing, I promise," he told her softly.
With that everyone left the table and found a place to sit in the living room. Isabella refused to let go of his hand, knowing that he would need her strength to make it through what was about to happen. She moved an ottoman in front of the fireplace so that the two of them could see everyone and pulled Edward down beside her. Even though they all were looking at her and Edward, she took the time to whisper softly to him, "You can do this, sweetheart. I'll be right by your side, okay?"
He didn't say anything but he nodded and rested his lips against her forehead briefly before turning to look at a sea of very expectant faces. "I know all of you have been wondering what has been going on with Isabella and me over the past few days, especially after my behavior for the few days preceding our self-imposed lock down. So let me start by apologizing to Emmett, Jasper, Alec, and Marcus especially for acting like such an ass at the office."
"Nothing really all that new there, Edward," Jasper said good-naturedly and Edward was grateful when everyone chuckled at his statement.
"Jas, as much as I would like to disagree with you, I can't and that kind of brings me to why Isabella and I asked you all here tonight," he told his best friend before looking from face to face.
He took a very shaky, nervous breath and began slowly. "In all actuality, I owe everyone in this room an apology for acting the way I have toward each and every one of you. I don't have an excuse for my behavior, though I suppose I have a reason. Thanks to the love and never-ending support of my amazing wife, I'm finally ready to tell you all what that reason is."
"Edward," Esme cried out softly. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest as she stared at him with wide eyes.
Carlisle immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He was in shock, utterly speechless as he looked at his son. When they'd gotten the invitation for dinner he wondered what was going on but never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that Edward was ready to share his past with all of them. He watched Isabella squeeze Edward's hand and when Edward looked down at her and smiled, he had never been more grateful for his daughter-in-law than he was at that moment.
"Mother, this has been a long time coming; you and I and everyone in this room knows that. I've kept things from you for far too long and it's time to tell you everything so we can all move past it and be a true family. I want to do this," Edward said and took another deep breath.
He pulled Isabella's hand onto his lap and looked at their joined fingers before he began. "I know most, if not all, of you have assumed that my childhood was...not good, but I'm quite sure none of you know exactly how bad it was. I'm not sure exactly where to start so I guess the beginning is as good a place as any. Um...from the time I was little, well for as long as I can remember, I was on my own. I may have had a mother and a father, and I may have had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, and clothes to wear, but that was about it. It seemed as if the moment I started school when I was five, it was up to me to get myself dressed, make my own breakfast and lunch, and pretty much anything else."
He heard the soft gasps from everyone fill the room and when he looked at Esme, she was already crying. "Mother, I know this is going to be difficult for you to hear," he told her apologetically.
"I just don't understand, Edward. What do you mean you had to take care of yourself? Where was Maggie? Where was Liam?" Esme asked after she wiped her eyes.
Edward could feel his eyes narrow as he thought about the man that gave him life. He wasn't sure he could ever refer to Liam as his father because the man damn sure never knew what the meaning of that word was. He shrugged his shoulders in answer to her question. "Around I guess," he stated bitterly. "It was fairly obvious early on that he never wanted to be a father. Maybe my mother threatened him, though I highly doubt it. I would imagine she begged to have a baby and he gave in...I really have no idea. What I do know is that for as long as he was alive, I can probably count on one hand, maybe two if I thought hard enough, the number of times the man had a conversation with me."
"Edward, son, surely that can't be entirely accurate?" Carlisle asked, hoping beyond hope that Edward was just exaggerating, at least somewhat, because the thought of what he just said being true, pierced his heart and left him with a burning pain.
As easy as it would have been to take that comment the wrong way, Edward understood immediately where Carlisle was coming from. "Actually, Carlisle, it is. I know it's hard to believe, but to my...to Liam I was nothing more than an afterthought.
"The fact of the matter is this, I grew up in a house that wasn't a home. I had parents who acted like I didn't even exist. I was making my own dinner by the time I was five, granted the best I could do was peanut butter and jelly or a bowl of cereal, but it was food at least. By the time I was ten, I learned how to work the washing machine so I could at least have clean clothes to wear to school. There were no birthday presents, no Christmas presents, no Thanksgiving dinners...ever," he said in a sad voice.
"Do you know," he went on and he wasn't sure if he was talking more to himself or to the others. Now that the floodgates had been opened he had so many buried memories rushing to the surface. "I can't even tell you with certainty what my...Liam did for a living. I know he worked at some import/export business but I can remember hearing bits and pieces of conversations between him and my mother that made it seem like he did something totally different. After talking with Isabella the other night and remembering things I hadn't thought about in a long time it's almost like the two of them lived this whole separate life that I wasn't a part of, not that I was a part of it anyway."
"Edward," Jasper asked in a pained voice. Even hearing just the little bit he had, he already understood his friend so much better. "What did you do about getting to and from school, about homework and stuff like that?"
Edward shrugged his shoulders and said, "I walked and I did it myself. Luckily for me I guess I was a pretty smart kid and from a really early age spent a lot of time reading in the library or at home. I didn't have anyone to talk to, so...I read."
"No wonder you were so far ahead of everyone when you came to Chicago," Esme said softly.
"What about friends, neighbors, Edward? Didn't anyone help you?" Charlie asked in a gruff voice.
"I didn't have any friends because I learned early on the only person I could rely on was myself. I'm sure if I would have asked someone for help I would have gotten it, but I didn't trust anyone to help me. If my own parents didn't think I warranted enough to be concerned about me, why would I think anyone else would care? Now, of course, I realize that is wrong. Well, let me amend that," he said and looked at Isabella. "I'm learning that has never been the case."
"Edward, if I had known," Esme started but Edward held up his hand to stop her.
"You didn't and there is no way you could have either. By the time I came to live with you, Carlisle, and Emmett I'd already pretty much just shut down. I tried over and over and over again to be enough, to matter enough to the two people who should have loved me more than anyone, all to no avail. It seemed like no matter how much I excelled at school or even when I acted out to get attention, nothing affected them. Their sole focus was on each other; nothing and nobody else mattered, not even their son," he finished and took a painful breath.
"What about Maggie? Edward, she was your mother; surely she didn't treat you the same as...as Liam did?" Esme questioned, desperate to hear that her sister couldn't possibly have treated her own son in such a way.
"It was different, but she did. In some ways, it was worse than the way he treated me only because there were a few times when she acted like she cared about me. She'd make double chocolate chip cookies for me to have after school," he said and then smiled knowingly at Isabella. "Or she'd watch cartoons with me on Saturday mornings, or at least she would until he got up and wanted breakfast. Her attention never lasted for long and Liam always came first, no matter what."
"Ed, didn't you play sports or anything like that? Do anything for fun?" Emmett asked in a heartbroken voice.
Edward sighed and hung his head, remembering the day he arrived in Chicago and how excited his little brother had been at having him there, and how sad he looked the next morning after Edward had torn down all of the posters off the wall. "I asked...him...to teach me how to play baseball when all the other boys started playing, but he never did. I was already getting picked on because of other...things; I thought if I played baseball like everyone else did, maybe I wouldn't get teased so much," he answered Em when he'd picked his head back up.
He watched as Emmett's eyes grew wide as he remembered. "No wonder you hated those posters so damn much. You sure annihilated them; all that was left was the tiny pieces of paper still attached to the thumbtacks," he said quietly.
"I'm really sorry, Emmett," Edward told him, apologizing for hurting his feelings all those years ago. "There was no way you could have known but I never should have done that, either."
Emmett waved off Edward's apology, but only because it wasn't needed. Rosalie reached over and ran her hand up and down her husband's back. She could feel his agony for Edward rolling off of him in waves, not that she blamed him in the least.
"Edward," she said not stilling her comforting movements, "you said you got picked on, how do you mean?"
She noticed immediately that both Isabella and Edward tensed at her question and that Isabella scooted even closer to Edward than before. Edward let go of the hand he held in his lap and wrapped an arm around her, almost protectively she thought and when Isabella looked up at him and had tears in her eyes, she got a sick feeling in her stomach.
With everything that Edward had told her about his childhood and his parents, what he was about to share had been, by far, the hardest thing for Isabella to deal with. She wasn't a mother, but she hoped to be one day, and couldn't bear to think of treating a child the way Maggie had treated Edward. She had been angry before in her life, but she had never felt the burning hatred she felt for the woman that had given birth to her Edward. As far as she was concerned, it was the only redeeming thing about the woman, and she used that term very loosely.
Bitch.
That was the description she found herself using more and more often whenever she thought about Maggie, and she found herself more and more comfortable using the word that was completely out of character for her, but really, was there another way to describe her? She supposed she could precede bitch with selfish, horrible, fucking, and all would work, but bitch worked just fine on its own, too. She looked at Esme and gave her a sad smile. What Edward was about to tell everyone would certainly shatter any hope Esme had of her sister being the girl she remembered.
"Well, Rose," Edward started somewhat wearily. "Up until about the time I was twelve or so, I suppose I was a little on the small side. I guess because of that, or let's be honest, because my mother didn't pay attention, she thought that because I was small I didn't need new clothes. I liked to read; I didn't play sports; I kept to myself because I didn't have any friends, so I was a prime target for the bullies at my school. For the most part," he said and then swallowed thickly. Isabella lifted her arm and wrapped it around his waist holding him as tight as she could. He knew she struggled with this part of his childhood and he hated making her listen to it again, but he didn't have a choice.
"For the most part," he began again, "the teasing mostly stayed to knocking my books out of my hands, picking me last in PE class, mean notes shoved in my locker and things like that. Every now and then I'd get tripped in the hallway or get my lunch stolen, but it wasn't too bad," he said mirthlessly. "When my clothes started getting too tight and too short because I started to grow, the teasing turned nastier and happened more often. One day I got cornered on the way home from school and a group of boys beat me up pretty badly. Bloody nose, split lip, torn clothes, things like that," he continued in a monotone voice. "When I got home, I knew my...father wouldn't care about what happened, but I figured my mom would. I mean what mom wouldn't be upset at seeing her son beat to shit?"
"Edward, no," Esme whispered in an anguished voice.
Her stomach was twisted in knots at the thought of her sister doing nothing to help her son, but from the way Edward sounded, she knew that was exactly what happened.
Edward looked sadly at the woman who was more a mother to him than his own had ever been and slowly nodded his head. "Neither she nor Liam did anything about it. They didn't contact the school or the other kids' parents, hell, they didn't even take me to a damn doctor. All my mother told me when I got home was to make sure I didn't get any blood on the floor and to make sure I cleaned myself up before my father got home from work so I didn't upset him," he said bitterly.
Isabella noticed that there was no sound in the room except for the soft cries of Esme, her mother, Nonna, and Rose. Poor Alice looked shell-shocked as she sat next to Jasper blinking rapidly but saying not a word. Emmett and Jasper looked like they wanted to murder someone, that was if her father and Carlisle didn't take care of it first. Marcus and Alec just looked...sick.
"Are you holding up okay?" she asked him quietly, though everyone was staring at them.
He nodded and let out a long exhale and tightened then relaxed his shoulders. Was he okay? As uncomfortable as he felt just then due to the topic, he really was. "I'm good. What about you, Beautiful? I know this is just as hard for you as for me," he whispered.
She nodded her head at him and felt her heart swell with so much pride for him. He was handling himself so well and making sure that everyone else wasn't overwhelmed by what he was saying. She knew there were a few more revelations he needed to share, but he was almost done.
The hardest ones were yet to come, though.
Edward cleared his throat so he could keep going. Now that he'd started, he just wanted to get it all out so he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. It wasn't like he didn't know there would be questions from everyone and he'd also realized that just because he finally shared his past, it wouldn't automatically fix everything and it would all magically just be okay, but he could tell that even though it had only been three days, both he and Isabella had healed so much and he hoped to give the rest of his family and friends the same sense of peace.
"As I got just a little bit older and grew just a little bit more, I guess somehow my parents decided that meant I was even more capable of taking care of myself. I would come home from school to find an empty house; no note; no dinner in the oven, nothing. Hell, I can remember more than a few times them being gone for an entire weekend without even letting me know where they were going or if they would be coming back," he finished on a shaky breath.
God, he could remember like it was yesterday the sinking feeling he'd get in his stomach as Friday turned to Saturday and then Sunday with no contact with his parents. They might have been awful parents, but he felt some sort of comfort knowing they were in the same house as him at least. Being all alone, not knowing when or if they were coming home was excruciating.
Which was why when Isabella left his office the other day and then came home so late he was in a state of terror. She'd felt horrible, of course, when he'd told her why he'd acted the way did, but she surely wasn't to blame. She would have known if he'd told her long ago.
"Edward, sweetie, what about school things like parent/teacher conferences or anything like that. Didn't your mother go to those? I don't know what school is like in Ireland, but I know when Isabella was little we had to meet with teachers and there were programs and plays and awards to attend all the time," Renée asked gently.
Edward smiled at his mother-in-law and felt how much she loved him. He knew what he was sharing would trouble her and Charlie and Nonna as well. The Swans were incredibly loving people, so there wasn't really much chance of them understanding his parents' behavior, not that any of them could really fathom it to begin with.
He shook his head at her question. "No, Renée. There was this one time," he began in a far away voice. "I had made it to the finals of a really big Science Fair and won. There was going to be this really big production where I was going to be presented with an award and there was going to be a ceremony for all the winners from all the different schools. I was so excited and ran home to tell my mom, well that, and some other news as well," he said with a smile when he glanced quickly at Isabella.
He'd told her all about the girl named Molly that he'd helped at school that one day and how he'd asked her to sit with him at lunch, too. He'd been so happy that day, so excited and when his teacher had told him about the award and the ceremony on top of sitting with the prettiest girl in the school, or so he thought, he'd run home full of news of the best day of his life only to have her completely ignore him and rush out to meet his father...again.
He also told Isabella that was the day that finally just pushed him over the edge and he shut down completely. He withdrew even more, spent even more time by himself, and even went so far as to find a corner in the library so he could eat lunch alone.
"Anyway," he began again. "I told my mom, who of course didn't pay any attention, but I kept reminding her after thinking that when the time came she would show up because she knew how important it was to me. I waited and waited and when it was time for each recipient to take a picture with their family's of course I didn't have anyone there. Talk about awkward," he scoffed and shook his head.
Isabella growled in the back of her throat and he brushed a kiss across her temple. "Down, tiger," he chuckled softly.
The topics of discussion were painful and brought up memories he'd have rather left buried, but he already felt so much better having shared his story one time and he could afford to try to lighten things up, if even a little bit, for his amazing wife.
There was a lull in the conversation and Carlisle shifted uneasily on the couch beside his wife. Everything he'd heard thus far this evening had been eye-opening but there were still a few questions he hoped Edward would answer. For twenty-plus years he'd dealt with the fact that there were things he'd never asked, mostly because he didn't want to know, he now recognized. When he and Esme arrived in Dublin when they'd received news of Maggie's death and found out Liam was also dead, they'd rushed to Edward's aid. Between completing complicated paperwork and expediting Edward's adoption, there had been very little time to concentrate too much on Liam and Maggie. It was avoidance, plain and simple, Carlisle knew both then and now, and he couldn't help but wonder how different things might have been if only he and Esme had pushed instead of pulled back.
"Son, will you tell us what happened to Liam and Maggie?" he beseeched.
He watched as Edward and Isabella huddled close with their heads bent toward the other. They whispered back and forth for a few minutes, totally oblivious to the rest of them in the room. He felt a twinge of jealousy flare up at the realization that she knew more than he did and he was Edward's father, but immediately tamped that down after silently admitting he hadn't been much of one to the man across from him. Not only that, with an almost suffocating amount of guilt, he also had to admit that he hadn't ever shown Edward the unconditional love and support that Isabella did either.
He definitely could learn a lesson or ten from his incredible daughter-in-law, no question about it.
"I'm not sure I can do this, Beautiful," Edward whispered softly to her. He'd lowered his head and leaned it against hers, trying to calm the stampede of elephants in his stomach.
Isabella rubbed comforting circles on his back and said softly, "You can, Edward. You're doing so great and it's almost over. Everyone has tiptoed around this subject for twenty years, sweetheart; it's time to give them the answers and then lay it to rest."
"But, Esme...Carlisle..." he started but she picked up her other hand and gently laid her fingers over his lips.
"Shhh," she said. "No more excuses. You can do this, I know you can."
Edward closed his eyes tightly, so tight he saw stars behind his eyelids and then exhaled through his nose. He'd known this question would come up but he was no more ready to talk about it now than he'd been when he told Isabella three days ago. He'd kept it all buried for twenty years; there was a reason for that.
"Okay," he said and swallowed before turning to Carlisle. "You have to remember, I was only fourteen-years-old when everything happened so I was pretty much in the dark as far as information about Liam. Right before he...died, I remember hearing him and my mom talking at all hours of the night. I couldn't really understand what they were saying, but both of them sounded nervous. I also remember thinking it was weird that they stayed home more than usual, but they did. Night after night they'd sit in the living room whispering and arguing back and forth, and if I walked past the room, they'd immediately stop talking until I left again. I only heard bits and pieces and it was never enough to get a grasp on what was going on. They were both tense, I can tell you that, but that's about it."
He took a deep breath and looked at Isabella for a moment, really needing her encouragement to go on. "One night...the night...I only remember a few things, but the most clear memory I have is hearing my mom scream and then the sound of her body hitting the floor when she'd fainted. I had been upstairs in my room reading and I knew Liam had gone out but for some reason, my mom had stayed home. It was pretty late at night, I remember, but I didn't sleep much so I was still up when I heard the knock on the door. I went downstairs and immediately saw two police officers standing in the open doorway trying to help her up off the ground. They both looked shocked to see me but as soon as they started to talk, my mom started coming to. We got her on the couch and when she was finally all there, she was...hysterical. I didn't understand what she was saying, and all I could hear was 'he's gone' over and over again. Finally one of the officers looked at me and told me that my father had been killed. He didn't tell me much, only that Liam had apparently been walking home and been attacked in an alley between his office and our house. They started asking my mom a bunch of questions, most of which I didn't understand but they made me nervous. I heard questions about enemies, if she knew of anyone that would want to hurt him or her, if he'd been acting strange lately, if we'd gotten strange telephone calls...all of which should have been answered with a yes, but she just sat there and stared off into space, muttering under her breath. Now I know she was in shock, but of course I had no idea what was happening to her back then. I remember I cried, only because I was scared of what would happen to us without him. The police officers left and I heard them say something to her about having to make a statement but she didn't even move until after they'd closed the door."
Edward kissed the side of Isabella's head and stood up, needing to move to get through this next part. He hated losing the feel of her next to him, but he had so much pent up energy racing through him, he felt like he could fall apart at any time. Charlie took one look at his daughter, whose eyes never left Edward's as he paced around like a caged lion, and then slid from the couch and sat down next to her, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders. She didn't stop watching Edward, but he did feel her pat his hand in acknowledgment.
Edward shot Charlie a very grateful smile when he noticed he'd taken his place beside Isabella.
Once he'd paced back and forth a few more times and realized no one had made a sound of any sort for quite some time, he turned back toward everyone. He stared anxiously at Esme who he could tell was just barely holding it together. He frowned quickly, because though he knew she needed to hear what happened, he was certain the truth was going to be worse than anything she had imagined.
~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~


Sunday, March 25, 2001

TGG Seth's Story Outtake

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~
The Greatest Gift Outtake~ Seth's Story (Fandom Against Domestic Violence)
by: les16
Ireland - 1846
"Seth Patrick McNamara!" Fiona McNamara hollered at her son as he pushed his sister, Claire, on the swing outside their home.
"Sorry, Claire, duty calls," Seth told his younger sister and ruffled her hair.
Fiona and Sean McNamara lived in a tiny stone and mud cabin on a plot of land owned by a wealthy Protestant family. The McNamara's were luckier than most in that they had a small stone fireplace inside their home, which was most welcome during the difficult, harsh winters Ireland had. They were also lucky in that their landowners were, for the most part, fair people. As long as Sean and Seth worked the land and harvested the potatoes, they were usually left alone. It was much more than many others were granted and they felt extremely fortunate to have a home with a bit of heat.
Seth turned and waved at his sister, feeling a tug at his heart. She was so beautiful, even at fourteen-years-old. Seth knew it wouldn't be long now until she was married and starting her own family, as was the custom among their people. Seth wished things were going to be different for her, but with the future looking as bleak as it did, he didn't have much hope.
"Sorry, Ma," Seth said apologetically as he stood in front of her.
Claire McNamara was the spitting image of her mother. Both had long, wavy red hair, a smattering of freckles across their noses, and eyes as green as the fields of Ireland.
"Ah, 'tis okay, my boy. Now, run along and go help your father. Supper will be ready soon and there is still much to do before it gets dark," Fiona told her son after giving him a kiss on the cheek. While Seth needed to go help Sean in the fields, she felt sad at having to stop him from paying attention to Claire. Their bond was so strong and during these trying times, their spending time together seemed to be the only respite from the endless desperation that seemed to permeate the air around them.
The potato famine had begun the year before, but thankfully so far their area of Ireland had been spared. Things were still very difficult and there wasn't much food, but there was enough. Sean and Seth were knowledgeable farmers and had thus far been able to keep the crops going. How much longer they would be able to do so remained to be seen, but Fiona prayed every day that somehow their luck would hold out.
Even though the times were trying and full of the unknown, the McNamara house was full of love and peace. Sean and Fiona felt especially blessed to have two such wonderful children. Claire did all the washing and took care of the animals while Fiona did the cleaning and the tending to their own garden. Seth was any parent's dream...hardworking, obedient, and loyal. Like parents throughout all of time, both Fiona and Sean wished for a better life for both their children. Claire seemed perfectly content to stay in their small village, marry, and have a family of her own. Seth, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes.
He could read and write; something most other young men his age couldn't do. Fiona had been taught to read and write by a wealthy estate owner's wife many years ago. It was practically unheard of in that day and age, but Fiona was extremely grateful and made sure she taught each of her children how to do both. If their family could somehow endure the trying times, Fiona hoped that Seth would leave for Dublin where the opportunities for smart, hardworking young men were plentiful.
Seth turned back one last time, and waved to both his sister and mother before he went to go find his father. He loved his family, he really did, but he didn't want to be a farmer. He wanted an adventure, he wanted to explore the world...he wanted to leave their small village and see what else was out there. Of course, leaving home meant leaving his parents and sister, more than likely never to return. He wanted to take one Kathleen Madigan and go away.
Seth's heart stuttered when he thought of the beautiful girl he had feelings for. So far they hadn't had much opportunity to spend any considerable amount of time together. Walks through the fields and escorting her home after Mass on Sundays had been all they could manage, but Seth wished it were more.
Kathleen was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, even more beautiful than his mother and sister, and he thought they looked like the Greek goddesses his mother had read to him about. She had long dark hair, so dark it was almost black. Her eyes were dark brown, but had flecks of gold in them, a fact he'd noticed when they'd shared their first kiss not long ago. He felt like he could stare into her eyes for days on end, but his favorite thing about her was...her voice. They had spent a few treasured, stolen afternoons, when his father had to go into town to take care of business, sitting beneath a tree, while she read to him. Her voice sounded like what he imagined an angel's would sound like. He went to bed every night dreaming of her, and her voice was always the last thing he heard before he went to sleep.
As he walked toward the field to meet his father, he couldn't help but remember the last afternoon they'd spent together, the one where they'd shared their first kiss.
Flashback~
"Seth?" Kathleen asked as she laid the book down on the ground beside her.
"Yes?" he answered sleepily. Between her voice, her fingers in his hair, and the warm sun, he was as relaxed as he could ever remember being.
Kathleen smiled down at him, staring into his very blue eyes. He was so handsome. He made her heart beat faster and made her stomach have a funny, fluttery feeling. She wasn't supposed to be with him without a chaperone, she knew that, but the temptation to spend an afternoon with him by herself was just too much to resist. Her father had gone into town to meet with the other farmers and her mother was helping a neighbor, so she had sneaked away so she could be with him.
"Do you think we'll ever be able to leave this place? To go to Dublin or England and start a life together?" she asked him.
She wanted it. Lord help her, she wanted it. She would miss her Ma and her Da, but there was a whole world out there and she knew Seth wanted to go explore it. She wanted to go with him because the thought of him leaving her made her sadder than she could put into words. Seth was so good, so big and strong, and he deserved a better life than what they had here in their tiny village.
Seth sat up from his place on her lap and put an arm around her and held her close. It was the first time they'd been so intimate, but he couldn't help it. Kathleen knew she shouldn't act in such a way, it wasn't proper, but at the time she didn't care.
"Ah, Kathleen. We will, I promise. We'll leave and I'll find a job. We'll get married and buy a house and all of this will just seem like a distant memory," he assured her.
His voice sounded so strong, so confident, that Kathleen couldn't help but melt against him in relief. That he wanted to take her with him, was the first thing she told herself...followed very closely by the fact that he'd just said they'd get married one day.
Seth sat in a stunned silence for a moment once he'd registered what he just said. Not that he didn't mean it, because he surely did, but he knew it was way too soon to be talking about things like running away together...and getting married. He wanted it, so very badly, but he knew that he couldn't leave his family with the way things were right now. It was a wonderful dream...but for right now that was all it could be.
He felt her scoot closer to him beneath his arm and his stomach tied itself in nervous knots. He turned just so and laid a hand along her cheek. He'd never felt for anyone the way he felt for her and he was afraid of losing her. "Can I kiss you?" he asked as he stared into her gold-flecked, deep brown eyes and when he heard her tiny gasp of surprise followed by a blush on her cheeks, he was afraid he'd made a mistake. It wasn't until he saw her little pink tongue dart out and slide along her bottom lip and she'd nodded her head, that he smiled and said a quick prayer of thanks.
Seth leaned forward and bent his head down and slowly lowered his lips to hers. They both stared, wide-eyed as their lips touched for the first time. Her lips were so soft...was the first thought that flooded his mind, followed immediately by the thought that they tasted sweet as well, like the wild blackberries that grew in the fields. Their mouths molded against the other and he brushed his against hers a few times, trying so very hard to resist the urge to swipe his tongue across them. He could feel her heart beat wildly against his chest and he was positive she could hear his thumping as well...it sounded so loud in his own ears.
When they finally had to break away, each panting heavily to regain their breath, they each smiled at one another. They were falling in love...if they hadn't already...and it was sweet and innocent...and the only bright spot in an otherwise very bleak existence.
"That was," Kathleen breathed out as she placed her hand over her still rapidly beating heart.
"The most amazing kiss ever," Seth finished with a wide, very satisfied smile.
I kissed her, Seth chanted to himself in his head. And I hope we do that again soon!
"Oh, Seth," Kathleen said softly as she stared at the man that could easily steal her heart.
"I promise you, Kathleen, we'll find a way to be together," he vowed before he scooted back and wrapped an arm around her. They sat for hours underneath the tree, each lost in their own thoughts...each praying that somehow, someway, things would get better and their dreams could come true.
End of Flashback~
Though the time they lived in was fraught with death and despair, somehow it seemed better whenever they were together. Seth was unsure of what would happen and in all honesty the prospects looked incredibly dismal, but it didn't keep him from praying every night that somehow, someway they'd be able to escape together and begin a new life.
"Seth, my boy," Sean called to his son as he approached. Seth put all thoughts of distant lands, brighter futures, and a girl with long, dark hair and eyes in the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand.
"Hello, Da. I'm sorry I'm late, I was with Claire," Seth said immediately when he reached his father.
Sean chuckled at his son's apology. How could he begrudge the boy from spending time with his sister? Even more than Fiona, Sean wished that things were different for his son. He knew how unfair it was to expect him to stay and help the family, but there wasn't any choice. Their landowner's were fair people to be sure, but if the crops weren't tended to they would all pay the price. Sean heard the stories of the death and despair that spread throughout the countryside and he frantically prayed every night that his family would be spared.
"'Tis okay, Seth. Your sister needs you, too," Sean answered his son and then handed him the spade so they could till the dirt.
It was late March and it was time to plant the potatoes that would sustain them through the long, cold winter months...but of course that meant making it through the end of summer first. The potatoes weren't harvested until late September and with the famine spreading the way it was, Sean could only hope and pray that the blight that plagued the neighboring villages didn't spread to theirs. The planting went as scheduled and Sean and Seth kept careful watch over their landowner's crop. Each day Sean worriedly and obsessively checked the plants, praying fervently that the black spots that meant the crop would fail wouldn't appear.
Unfortunately, Sean's worries came to fruition and their crop was destroyed, leaving them with next to little or no food for the four of them. Sean and Seth tried to fish, tried to do whatever they could to provide enough food for them to eat, but it was sporadic at best. Fiona and Claire resorted to begging for food, but since there were so many people going hungry...there just wasn't enough food to go around.
Everyday it seemed like more and more people were suffering and it wasn't unusual to see entire families laying dead on the side of the road where they'd tried to beg for food. The workhouses spread throughout the countryside were full to capacity, but there wasn't enough work nor enough food to go around. People were dying at an alarming rate and a day didn't go by that word didn't spread of some neighbor or friend that had passed away...including Kathleen and her family. Seth knew things were bad for her and her family, but he couldn't do anything to help her. It was all he could do to try to watch over his own family. It was unbearably cruel to think about her suffering, as he knew she was, but he was completely at a loss to do anything for her. She died and he never even got to say goodbye.
Seth was too heartbroken, too angry to do anything with that news except not think about her. All of his hopes and dreams died with the girl with the long dark hair and the voice of an angel.
One night, as Seth lay on his tiny pallet on the floor, he heard his Da and Ma whispering in anguished voices.
"Sean, I'm so scared," he heard his mother say softly and he could tell she was crying.
"My love, I know. I'm afraid, too, but there just isn't anything we can do. We just have to hope and pray that if we don't survive that Seth can somehow find a way to keep Claire safe and alive until this terrible time has passed. He loves her so much, he'll do whatever he has to, to protect her," Sean tried to assure his wife.
Sean knew he and Fiona would die, there just didn't seem to be any hope that they wouldn't. All he wanted was for Seth and Claire to survive, to be able to live long, happy lives. It was unfair, he knew, to expect Seth to do so much, but he didn't have a choice. Once he was gone, all his precious daughter would have was her big brother.
"At least they will have each other when we die," Fiona said softly, acknowledging that she understood as well their chances of survival were minimal at best. "I hope they don't forget us," she whispered again.
Seth wanted to yell and scream as he listened to his parents resign themselves to their fate, but he didn't...couldn't. He vowed to himself as he laid there in their small house that he would do whatever it took to keep Claire safe and he would ensure that she survived...no matter what.
As fall turned to winter...Sean and Fiona McNamara both died of hunger leaving Seth to take care of an ailing Claire. Why Seth was spared he didn't know; he supposed it was so he could take care of his little sister. He would go days and days without eating, giving Claire whatever little food he'd managed to scrounge up. He spent most nights holding a constant vigil over her shriveling body, praying for some miracle to help them make it through.
Watching his parents slowly die was torture and Seth was positive he'd never survive watching his adored sister go through the same thing. Night after night, day after day he constantly kept watch over her. He found himself in a never-ending state of despair, not knowing what to do. His father, as he lay dying, barely conscious, begged him to watch over Claire, to protect her and Seth promised he would.
Somehow, Seth was sure through the grace of God, they managed to hang on until things got a bit better. He was able to find work building the stone roads that started to appear throughout the rural parts of Ireland. It was hard, back-breaking work, and he'd work ten to twelve hours a day for mere pennies, barely enough to buy some cornmeal, but it was better than nothing. He hated leaving Claire alone, day after day, but he had no choice. He didn't know how else to take care of her and it was all he could do.
As the famine slowly began to recede, what Seth feared would happen, finally did. Their landowners, having decided that growing potatoes was just too risky, decided to plant fields of wheat and ordered Seth and Claire to leave. Having no choice, they left, forced to live in a workhouse. They were separated...as was the rule, and days would go by before they could see one another. Sundays were the only day they were allowed to see each other until one Sunday, Claire didn't come. Nor the next or the next.
Once he was informed that Claire died, having contracted typhus, Seth became a different person.
Gone was the young man with visions of a better life...one he would share with Kathleen and their children. In his place was a bitter, broken, and angry man who spent every day cursing the God that had taken his family and his new love. He found work in Dublin, working long hours for pennies a day. Food was still scarce and he barely made enough to keep himself somewhat fed. Angry and alone, Seth slowly succumbed to the vices that surrounded him and the other men. Gambling, fighting, ladies of the night...all things that Seth never envisioned would be a part of his everyday life.
Unbeknownst to him, Gideon and his mentor, Samuel, were watching from their world far away. The angels had been watching Seth for quite some time now, and his plunge into despair was agonizing to watch. As angels it was always so difficult to watch the pain and suffering of humans, even ones that were destined to join their world one day as Seth was.
"Samuel, how much longer must we wait before we help him? He's losing faith, losing himself," Gideon cried helplessly. Gideon had been chosen to watch over Seth and it was hard for Samuel to watch Gideon struggle with the waiting they had to endure.
Samuel floated next to Gideon and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "My friend, you know we cannot interfere. We have to wait. Don't lose faith, Gideon. He will need you to guide him. It will be up to you to help him find his way back from the dark he has fallen into."
"What if I can't bring him back? What if he won't listen?" Gideon questioned nervously.
"Then that is his choice. You know how this works, Gideon. Seth's sacrifices to try to save his family have warranted him a chance to become one of us...but it will be his choice and his choice alone," Samuel reminded his young protégé.
"He's so good but he's so lost and so alone now," Gideon said sadly as they watched Seth drunkenly walk through the alley back to the workhouse.
"You'll know when the time is right, believe me. I know it seems unfair my friend, but it is the way it must be," the elder angel said patiently.
It was so hard to watch the pain and suffering of humans, especially ones as inherently good as Seth was. Losing his parents and then to have Claire taken so unexpectedly from him had practically destroyed him, but he was still trying to find his way back. Samuel was sure of it. Seth had so many opportunities to turn his back on his true self and hadn't yet. Samuel believed there was still good buried inside of Seth, hidden beneath the layers of hurt and bitterness he wore like armor.
"You have to have faith, Gideon," Samuel told him again and then let him be.
Gideon knew that, but it was so hard and so painful to watch...and wait.
However, Gideon didn't have to wait long.
A few short weeks later, after Seth gambled and drank another night away, he found himself in the same alleyway as before...only this time he wasn't alone. This time there was a young girl, who looked barely older than his sister Claire had been, and she was about to be attacked by two men who were in the same drunken state as Seth found himself in. Hearing her muffled cries for help coupled with the fact that she reminded him of Claire, sobered Seth up in a hurry. Without a moment's thought or consideration for his own safety, he stepped in immediately to help the poor girl.
"You really shouldn't have done that," one man slurred menacingly as the other still held onto the terrified girl.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be attacking defenseless girls either you piece of shite," Seth spat out, mindful of the knife that gleamed in the dim lamplight.
The two men stared at each other, each waiting to make a move when Seth noticed a movement off to his right. The other man had his arm wrapped tightly around the frightened girl, her eyes as big as saucers. Her clothes were torn and her face was tear-stained and Seth knew that he was her only hope of making it out alive. When he saw the flash of light that bounced off the knife, Seth should have been very afraid...but he wasn't.
Seth welcomed death actually. He was so tired of being angry and bitter all the time. He was tired of having no hope, of not knowing what his purpose in life was. Of living everyday knowing he'd failed as a son and brother because he hadn't been able to save his family. He was tired of wondering what his life with Kathleen would have been like.
He was tired of being alone.
If he were to die, at least he'd be with them again. He wouldn't be alone anymore. However, one look into the faces of his attackers, and Seth knew if he wasn't able to stop them, they'd keep on attacking other girls, and he couldn't live with himself if he allowed that to happen. No matter how little he thought of his own life, no one deserved to die at the hands of the two vile men that stood before him.
"End him, Connor," the man that held onto the girl hissed. "Kill him so we can have our fun with her and then kill her, too."
Right about that time a few things seemed to happen simultaneously, and far above, Gideon knew it was time.
The young girl, in her desperate attempt to get free of the man that held onto her, bit his hand. He howled out in pain, throwing her hard to the ground. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, deciding to just go ahead and kill her since she'd been more trouble than she was worth, and besides he could always find another.
Seth saw the knife and threw himself at the man, knocking him into the wall. The young girl scurried along the ground until she was able to stand and watched, horrified as the man hit his head against the brick wall with a muffled thump.
"You bastard!" the other man shouted as he watched his brother fall to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Hearing the scream of the girl, Seth made the mistake of looking at her instead of at the other man. "Run!" Seth shouted at her as he felt the knife enter his side. Before he fell to the ground, he saw her exit the alleyway and heard her call for help. Before long, a group of men had surrounded the man that stabbed him and Seth felt hands at his side.
"He's not going to make it," one voice said.
"He saved that poor girl," came the voice of another. "She looked barely older than thirteen."
"Girl...someone...make sure..." Seth managed to stutter out as he felt himself get weaker and weaker by the moment.
"Shh, son. Someone will take her to Father O'Brien. She's safe now thanks to you. Those two men have been terrorizing young girls for weeks now," a kind voice told him. "You're a hero."
Seth shook his head, the pain he felt at his side erupting into a fiery burst. "Couldn't let...anyone else...die...tried to save..." he said painfully as his breathing became labored and he closed his eyes.
"Hang on, boy!" a voice shouted. It sounded like it was from far away, even though Seth was aware that the person was right next to him.
"Seth, it's time for you to go," said another voice though this one was much different than any voice he'd ever heard before.
"I'm so tired," Seth heard himself say, though he knew he didn't say it out loud.
Gideon smiled at the young man. "Seth, it's okay. We've been waiting for you. You can come with me, become one of us. You can let go of all the anger and guilt you've carried around with you."
"No. I don't deserve it. I have failed my parents, my sister, Kathleen. I couldn't save any of them. I tried, but I failed. It's my fault they died," Seth cried out in anguish. He knew what the voice was, where he was being asked to go, but he resisted...no matter how strong the pull was.
"Seth, no. You did everything you could for your mother and father...going hungry yourself so that they could eat. You worked your fingers to the bone trying to ensure that Claire got enough food. You tried to make sure Kathleen and her family had food, even though there wasn't any to be found. You sacrificed yourself so that young girl had a chance at life. You're good, Seth. Come with me," Gideon told him again.
Seth felt like he was floating on a cloud, surrounded by warmth and he noticed...peace.
"Why me?" Seth asked.
"Because you can help others like you. Help others who have lost their way. Come with me, Seth," Gideon told him one more.
Seth wanted so badly to just...sleep, never to wake, but then he thought of his sister, Kathleen, his mom and dad. "If I come with you, I'll be like you? I'll be helping others?"
"Yes."
Feeling himself floating farther, feeling the anger and the bitterness within fall away, Seth said, "I'll come with you."
Dublin - 1986~
"Molly, are you all right?" Edward asked the girl who'd just been pushed to the ground. He reached a long arm out to help her up, blushing when she smiled at him.
The young girl brushed off her jeans and glared at the backs of the cowardly duo of Rory and Shane. "Yes, I'm fine."
Edward bent down on one knee and began picking up the books and papers that had spread out all over the yard in front of their school. He handed everything back to the girl and blew out a nervous breath. Molly Gallagher was the prettiest girl in the eighth grade...at least Edward thought so...and now here he was, talking to her.
"Thank you, Edward," the pretty girl told him.
Most people steered clear of Edward, mostly because he always had his nose buried in a book. She stared at him as they both stood awkwardly on the sidewalk, each shifting from foot to foot. There was something about him that seemed so sad, but at the age of thirteen, she had no idea how to put it into words. He kept to himself, only spoke when the teachers asked him a question, and she never saw him at the park or anything like that where she and her classmates hung out after school and on the weekends.
She and her friends talked about him all the time, trying to figure out what was going on with him. She had only told her very best friend, Caitlin, that she had a huge crush on him. He was so cute, she thought. He was tall, and though his muscles hadn't filled out much yet, you could tell they'd be there someday. His eyes were the prettiest green she'd ever seen and when he smiled, though it wasn't often he did so, she felt like her tummy had bubbles in it.
Edward stared at Molly, trying to think of something to say. His hands were sweating and he wiped them on his legs. His t-shirt felt like it was sticking to his chest and he would swear that Molly could hear his heart it was beating so loudly. He swallowed convulsively, wanting so badly to ask her to sit with him at lunch.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Edward finally managed to squeak out.
Molly blew the piece of her curly red hair out of her face and growled adorably when she thought about the two iijit's that knocked her down. "Darn fools," she said. "Nothing's hurt except me pride."
"You should tell Principal O'Bannon what they did. I'll go with you if you want me to. You could have gotten really hurt," Edward said as he glared in the direction of the two boys that had so carelessly pushed her.
She couldn't help but squeak at the way he sounded so upset for her. She stared at him, feeling her heart beat faster. She licked her lips and she had the strangest urge to reach out and touch him...so she did. Molly lifted her hand and laid it on his arm, and then felt tingly all over. "Edward, it's okay," she managed to say.
Edward stared at the tiny hand on his arm. His arm felt like it was on fire beneath her fingertips. His stomach clenched and his breathing got faster. "Molly, will you eat lunch with me today?" he said so fast he was sure she didn't understand what he'd said. He held his breath while he waited for her answer.
Molly couldn't believe her luck. If she didn't want to hit Rory and Shane over the head for being such jerks, she might consider kissing them because without them, she might never have had the chance to talk to Edward. And now he asked her to sit with him at lunch! She couldn't wait to tell Caitlin!
She nodded her head quickly up and down, too afraid to open her mouth because she just knew she'd say something to embarrass herself. There was no way she was taking that chance!
"Really?"
She took a deep breath and said quietly, "Yes, Edward. I'd love to eat lunch with you."
"Okay, good. Cool. I'll...um...wait for you...outside of the cafeteria," he told her, feeling like the luckiest guy in the whole school.
The bell rang, signaling that school was about to start and they walked inside. Molly waved at Edward as she was surrounded by her friends, who all stood with their mouths wide open when he waved back.
Edward was barely able to concentrate during class and thankfully he wasn't called on to answer any questions out loud. He rubbed his arm where Molly had touched him, kept imagining the way she'd smiled at him. He tried to tell himself over and over that she would show up and it wasn't until he stood outside of the cafeteria and saw her walk toward him that he let out the breath he'd been holding.
He had brought his lunch, like he did everyday. His parents never thought to give him money to buy pizza or chicken nuggets from the cafeteria like all the other kids and suddenly he felt like an idiot because he couldn't even offer to buy Molly her lunch.
Molly saw him anxiously look around the cafeteria and then clutch the brown lunch bag in his hand. "Edward, I brought my lunch today, too," she sweetly told him, and Edward was thankful that that crisis had been diverted.
He blew out a relieved breath and then motioned toward a table near the back of the cafeteria. He was well aware of everyone staring at them and he could hear people whisper as they passed each table but Molly just smiled at him. He pulled her chair out, like he'd seen other people do on television and in the movies. Apparently he'd done something right because Molly giggled at him and then pushed her hair behind her ear.
They sat in an awkward silence while they each took out their food. Again Edward was embarrassed because he'd been forced to bring peanut butter and jelly...again. He was in the eighth grade, you'd think his mother would realize he wasn't a baby anymore and at least get him ham or bologna, but no...he was still eating peanut butter and jelly every day like he was still a little kid.
"Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite," Molly said quietly when she noticed the frown on his face.
"My mom still seems to think I'm a baby or else doesn't care about what I want to eat...but if I wanna eat, this is what I have to make," Edward said and flinched when he realized how bitter he sounded.
Molly took a bite of her sandwich and then a drink of her Capri Sun and asked very hesitantly, "You have to make your own lunch?" When she saw the frown on his face and the deep 'v' in between his eyebrows she felt awful, but there was so much she wanted to ask him and she had asked the first thing that popped in her head.
Edward shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to decide what to say. "I'm sorry, Edward. I shouldn't have asked that," Molly said in a sad voice.
He ran a hand through his hair and then pinched the bridge of his nose and hung his head for a moment before he picked it up again and looked at the beautiful girl next to him. He shrugged his shoulders at her in a kind of nervous gesture. "Molly...ah...my um mom and dad...well they kinda...yeah, I make my own lunch. I've been doing it as for as long as I can remember. I...um...had to learn when I was really little...to make my own lunches and stuff."
Molly's heart hurt when she listened to him talk. Her mom and dad took care of everything for her, even if sometimes they drove her nuts. She couldn't imagine what other stuff Edward was talking about.
"Well, just look at it this way," she said with a smile. She wanted him to feel better, she hated seeing him so sad. "When you grow up you might be a famous chef or something with all the practicing you get to do." It was the only thing she could think of to say and when he smiled, she felt better.
The rest of their lunch they spent with their heads bent close together as they talked about anything and everything they could think of...except for Edward's parents. His instinct to avoid that topic was already well-ingrained by the time he was thirteen.
When the bell rang signaling that lunch was over, they cleaned up their places at the table and threw their trash out. As they exited the cafeteria, Edward reached out and grabbed Molly's hand, barely registering that they were holding hands. "Will you eat lunch with me again tomorrow?" Edward asked in a rushed breath.
Molly smiled hugely and nodded her head, immediately wondering if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. She hoped so, she really, really hoped so. "I'd love to," she squeaked out as her friends giggled as they watched from across the hall.
"'Kay. I'll um, I guess I'll talk to you later then," Edward managed to say. His tongue all of a sudden felt like it was three sizes too big for his mouth but thank goodness he was able to sound somewhat normal. Without thinking he leaned in and pecked her cheek in what was probably the world's quickest kiss...not that either of them cared.
"Bye, Edward," Molly said really fast and then hurried to catch up to Caitlin and the others. She gave him a small wave and went in the direction of her math class. She kept turning around to see if he was watching her, and he was, because he'd yet to move from the spot he'd taken root.
Turning the opposite way, Edward walked, dazed, to his science class. He found himself in his seat without remembering walking down the hall and into the room.
"Edward Connolly, please see me after class," Mr. Murphy announced before he began his lecture.
Edward couldn't even worry about what Mr. Murphy had to talk to him about, all he could think about was Molly and the fact that he'd kissed her. He hoped he got to try that again...and hopefully not on the cheek either. He couldn't believe that she wanted to sit with him again. He also couldn't believe that she seemed as excited about it as he was. And he really couldn't believe he'd talked about his parents to her, but it was so nice for a change to do exactly that.
Class ended and Edward waited at Mr. Murphy's desk.
"Edward, my boy, tis nothing bad," the nice old man said and then sat down at his desk. "I wanted to tell you that your science project has been chosen as the winner of the Einstein Science Award. They'll be giving you your plaque and certificate in a special ceremony at the end of the month." Mr. Murphy then picked up a stack of papers and handed them to Edward. "Take these home and show your parents. It has all the information you need about the award as well as the ceremony with time and date and all that. Congratulations, son, it's a very prestigious award, but you deserve it. Now, run along so you're not late for your next class. If you or your parents have any questions, just let me know, okay?"
Edward nodded, too stunned to speak and then hurried onto his next class. The rest of the day passed in a haze and Edward kept a constant watch on the clock. He couldn't wait to go home and tell his mother what had happened today...first Molly and then the award...it was the best day in his whole life.
The final bell finally rang and he shoved all his books in his backpack and raced out of the building.
"Mom!" he hollered as he flung the door open. His mind was a jumbled mess and he couldn't even decide which to tell her first.
He threw his things down beside the door and kicked off his shoes and yelled again, "Mom!"
No one answered and Edward felt his heart hurt just a little that no one was home to share his news with. Finally, he heard a sound coming from his parents' bedroom upstairs so he ran as fast as he could up them, skidding to a stop in front of their door. He knocked since the door was closed and waited until he heard a faint 'come in' before he opened the door.
Maggie Connolly was frantically walking around her bedroom, trying to hurry and get dressed for the evening. Liam wanted to take her out to eat with some colleagues from work and she wanted to look her very best. She looked up when she saw Edward walk into her room, a smile as big as she'd ever seen plastered across his face. She felt her heart tug when she stared at him. Besides having her eyes, he was the spitting image of his father.
"Mom, you'll never believe what happened to me today!" Edward excitedly said as he bounced up and down on his feet.
"What's that, dear?" she said absentmindedly, half-listening as she tried to decide which pair of earrings to wear.
Edward decided to start with the award, saving Molly for last. "And, Mr. Murphy said there was an award ceremony and everything," he said as he took a deep breath. "And, then...Mom, you'll never believe it. Molly Gallagher sat with me at lunch. Rory and Shane knocked her over and I helped her up and then we got to talking and I asked her to sit with me and she said yes. Tomorrow she's going to sit with me again!"
"Nice, Edward. That's all real nice," she told him as she leaned in her closet to grab her jacket.
Edward's face fell and his stomach hurt when he realized she hadn't listened to a word he'd said. It had been that way for as long as he could remember. Whenever she was doing something for his dad or talking about his dad or thinking about his dad...she didn't pay attention to anything else. Why he thought this time would be different, he didn't know, but he stupidly thought that just for once, she'd pay attention to him.
Like a punch to the gut he realized that no matter what he did or what happened to him, nothing would ever be as important to her as his dad was. He was smart enough to know and had seen enough of his classmate's parents that their behavior wasn't normal. Ignoring everything around you...including taking care of your own child wasn't right, he knew that. He'd known it for a long time but the fact that she couldn't even give him five minutes of her time destroyed whatever spark of hope there had been left that somehow things might change.
"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" Maggie exclaimed once she'd put her coat on. "Don't stay up too late, Edward," she said as she hurried out of the room, not even bothering to make sure he had something to eat, say goodbye...or tell him that she loved him.
Edward trudged downstairs, grabbed his backpack, and got started on his homework in the silent house. He fixed himself a simple dinner of macaroni and cheese and a glass of milk, took his shower, and climbed into bed once he'd brushed his teeth. As he lay in bed, he couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't enough for his mom and dad, why he didn't matter at all. Why they didn't love him or why no matter what he did, they barely seemed to realize he existed.
It wasn't the first time he'd had such thoughts, and it wouldn't be the last.
His last thought before he finally fell asleep was that if his own parents didn't care about him, there was no reason for anyone else to either...and that included Molly. He decided right then and there that it was better to be alone than to try to be close to someone, only to have them find out what his parents must have known already...that he didn't deserve to be loved or cared about.
Edward did just that. The next day at school, he avoided Molly all day, and when she waited outside the cafeteria to meet him for lunch, he was sitting in the corner of the library...alone, where he ate from then on.
"Gideon, we have to help him!" Seth cried out as they watched Edward.
Seth's heart broke for the boy he'd been watching for some time now. Day after day more of his spirit broke until today, when it was completely shattered. He could already begin to see the bitterness and the anger building inside of him...and it reminded him of what he felt when he was human.
"Seth, you know we've been watching him for awhile," Gideon answered as he looked from his most favorite pupil to the poor, broken boy far down below. "My friend, you know this isn't going to be easy...and you're liable to have to watch without making your presence known for quite some time," the older angel reminded his overzealous protégé.
"I know." Seth sighed, wishing it weren't so, but knowing it was the way things had to be.
For now.
~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~