Coming home from work; Volterra; Family

[ofthefamily]

It's Saturday, a random weekend in Forks, and Carlisle is coming home from a shift at the hospital. He hears Esme in the house, but not Edward. Or Alice and Jasper.

Maybe they're in Milliways.

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[sheisourheart]

Esme is looking none too pleased.

One hand cupped over Alice's shoulder, and arm wrapped around her back, holding her daughter tightly to her when she turns her face as though to hide in Esme's body.

"It's done now?" As much as it can be when her husbands' rightful tirade is falling on the already weary, beaten faces of their children, who in trying to explain don't seem to be reaching any more relief.

[ofthefamily]

"Of course it is - I'm standing here. Because my children had to come rescue me?"

It's still loud, sounding incredulous and just the tiniest bit ashamed.

"Did I attack anyone. What damage control do I have."

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

Jasper reaches over to his wife, wrapping his fingers around her ankle in a comforting touch, the least he could do. "There was a girl in Milliways. I'm not sure who..." He doesn't mention the insults that were thrown; there just isn't any reason to.

[themidnightson]

"I took care of it."




It's very clear and still and quiet.

Even in a room where everyone will hear it.

[ofthefamily]

So there was damage.

Carlisle nearly feels sick.

"You never should have seen that."

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

"Maybe not."

But they did, and Carlisle fretting over it won't change that. Jasper would try to pacify him - all of them, really - if he wasn't so damned weary enough as is, his head spinning.

The best he can offer is a hand on Carlisle's shoulder, another comforting touch without much strength behind it.

[sheisourheart]

She wants to know what else.

What else isn't Edward saying. What else has Alice hiding against her. What else has Jasper looking so weary, so wounded. But they're all saying so little, standing up for him more than their selves.

She wants to wrap her arms around her husband and remind him that he's safe here. That they all are. Except -- Volterra. Her children were in Volterra, with the Volturi.

Two hundred years, and only minutes, ago.

She wants to burn that closet down, too.



"What's done is done," Esme said, trying not to hear the weary note in her own voice. She held out a hand for Carlisle, still holding Alice to her. "Their home and safe now."

Her hand still at her side raised to run her fingers into Alice's hair. "But it might be wise of us, when everyone else is calmed down, to revisit whether it is worth the risks our family keeps falling into, being in that place."

[ofthefamily]

What slows Carlisle down is Alice.

She looks so tired.

(Because of helping him. Carlisle will deal with that later.)

For now, he reaches his hand into Esme's to squeeze it I'm here, I promise before placing both hands on the crown of Alice's hair. He gives her a kiss there and a quiet "Ca y ira, ma fille" and exhales.

There's nothing else for it now.

[betagainstme]

Alice sits up at Esme's words, her face almost crestfallen at the idea of losing Milliways, even after this. But she keeps to to herself, for the most part, knowing she'll little support for her cause now.

She stares up at Carlisle, before standing and throwing her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. "Tu m'as manqué, Papa."

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle's hands stay pressed against the flat of Alice's back, eyes meeting Jasper, Edward and Esme all in turn.

Quietly then, "Unless there's anything else I need to know, I'll...find you all later." He tilts his head towards the sofa in Esme's direction, wordlessly asking her to sit with him - Carlisle will stay with Alice until she lets him go.

Looking over at Edward before he leaves, I'd like to speak with you first. Later on.

[themidnightson]

Edward's response is simple, and unchanging from the last few minutes. His eyes stayed on the quartet of his family, touching each other, in the center of the room.

His gaze rose to meet Carlisle's for a brief half second, at the address more than the dismissal. Before he looked away as he turned and walked out of the door that was still far closer to him than the rest of the room.

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

Staring after Edward, Jasper turns back to the others with a frown before touching Alice's shoulder gently.

And in a whisper that Carlisle and Esme will hear anyway, says, "Alice, hon, I'm goin' to our room. You come up when you're ready, alright?" Not wanting to pull her away from them until she is.

He glances apologetically at Carlisle before trudging out after Edward.

[sheisourheart]

Esme kept her forearm on Carlisle's lower back, around him embracing their daughter, watching first one son and then the other vanish off to wherever best they thought it would be to deal with this.

With the quietest of noises, Esme turned her hands to urging Carlisle and Alice to sit down on the couch. They could take this one of time and as they could, handling the damage.

[betagainstme]

She murmurs that she'll be up there soon to her husband. She wants nothing more than to find some comfort in his arms...but she's too frightened to move from her position here.

Her heart seems to seize with the terror of the future she foresaw. It's something that scared her more than she told her brother or Jasper.

On the couch, she leans her head against her father's...her hand in her mother's. For now, Alice needs her parents. They're here. Everything is okay.

She just needs to convince herself it's real.