Chapter 11: The Things We Do For Those We Love
If someone had told me yesterday that I would be meeting a man claiming to be my uncle this evening, I would have called them crazy.
But that was fine; Alice was a bit crazy, after all.
'We both are.' I concede with an internal sigh.
She didn't tell me this would happen, but she did back Carlisle up when he presented the idea of using my name to gather more allies without hesitation. At the time, I thought it was a bit strange how she smiled to herself for a quick moment, as though she had succeeded at some small goal, but now I understood.
As a personal rule, Alice did not tell everyone everything she saw.
She had visions all the damn time, and unless they were monumental, she usually kept them to herself and didn't react outwardly. This was because knowing the future was dangerous, and telling someone their future was even more so.
When only she knew, she could plan around something happening and expect that her plans would not change the future she saw. As soon as she tells someone else, she starts to lose control, and her initial vision becomes less accurate. The more people who know or, the more someone works against it, the less likely the vision is to come true.
This was not to say she hoarded the information, however. If she sees something big happening, she will tell people she cares about, particularly if that vision is of something bad she didn't want to happen. She also loved dropping hints for people and leading them toward the good visions and outcomes she saw.
I said it once, and I will say it again. Alice is crazy, but she is crazy like a fox. She was always playing 3d chess.
She has never mentioned it to me, but I am pretty sure she has seen Elenore's mate in one of her visions. Her insistence on "Patience" is a dead giveaway to me.
Even still, this was all rather new to her. She had explained that her visions before I came were much vaguer, and she had less control over what she saw and how she saw it. She also had very little command over actively viewing the future—something that is incredibly hard for her, apparently.
When we started sparring together, and she got better at using her foresight in battle, she also started getting more visions and gaining more control over how she viewed and interpreted them.
To put it another way, it was like she owned a bike and knew how to ride it before, but now she was learning how to be a professional bicyclist or motorcyclist. One has a different mindset and develops different skills when trained in something compared to when one uses something casually—at least, that is how she explained it to me.
The point was that Alice probably saw this wizard coming and, instead of informing me about it, guided us to meet in a method and location of her choosing: inside the Cullen house, surrounded by Red Court Vampires willing to protect me if anything went wrong.
I may be just as crazy as she was, but I was no fool. I was extremely observant, as it was a required skill to successfully evade a group of literal bloodthirsty vampires who wanted to kill me.
With this in mind, I narrowed my eyes at her to let her know I saw through her ruse.
Alice tilted her head and beamed an innocent smile at me, her cheeks dimpling adorably.
Sighing, I focus back on the Wizard. "I...I'm not really sure what to say. I'm sorry, but I don't remember you... I don't remember a whole lot from my childhood in general. Truth be told, I try not to think about it as much as possible."
"Understandable. I don't have much time before I have to leave, and I'm not here to force you into anything. I just wanted to let you know I have your back if you need me...I owe your parents that much after my failures." The bearded man says with a huff and a deep scowl.
"What do you mean?" I ask, my eyebrows scrunching up.
"I...shit, kid. I should have been there. I knew something was fishy about the request the Council sent me on that night. I knew something was happening behind the scenes, but I never expected..." He trails off and rubs at a spot on his forehead between his eyes. "The point is, I owe you one, many more than one actually, and I always pay back my debts. If you need me, I will be there."
He then walks toward me, reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small dark blue card, and hands it to me.
'Wizards carry business cards?'
"Call me if you need my help or want to discuss your past. I've got a few stories about your Dad that would make him roll in his grave." He says with a dark chuckle.
I was starting to like him. He was straight to the point, had a dry sense of humor, and he looked fucking badass.
"Thanks. I'll do that." I answer, taking the card, standing, and then offering my hand for a shake.
He grabs my forearm, like I somehow knew he would, and I do the same, matching his eyes and nodding.
Without further ado, he offers a quick goodbye to the others, nods to Carlisle, and heads for the door.
Stopping at the doorway, he turns to me again with a smirk: "Ah, one more thing. Try not to summon any more blizzards, aye, lad? I can't close the investigation twice. Would draw too much attention."
I blink, an expression of shocked indignation coming to my face unbidden.
Alice, Emily, Edwin, and Elenore start laughing as the tension in the room melts away.
"I...uh...Sure." I answer lamely.
He lets out a quiet chuckle as he says, "Your parents would have been proud, you know. I doubt your Dad could have pulled that off at your age. Looks like you inherited more of your mother's Fae blood than we all expected."
That stops everyone's laughter short.
"Her what?" I ask, already feeling tired after all the revelations I received today.
My question makes him frown and turn to me fully, "Your Mom was half Fae, from the Unseelie or Winter Court. You didn't know?"
"No." I state flatly, "I'm afraid I remember very little about my past or family."
"Hmm..." he considers before pointing at the card in my hand. "Call me. I can give you a rundown of the basics. Just...try not to make any promises to people you don't trust. You should be fine since you are only a quarter Fae, but it's better to err on the side of caution."
I don't understand, but I nod anyway. It was an easy enough rule to follow.
Inclining his head to me and offering a parting, "Take care of yourself, Samuel," the Wizard Gregory Mason walked out of the Cullen house and into the cool evening air.
When the door closed, the house was thrown into a contemplative silence.
Alice takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, offering her love and support without words.
I send her a weak smile before looking at the royal blue card I still held in my hand. Its golden lettering seemed to glow and move slightly at the edges.
Archwizard Gregory Mason
Senior Councilor of the White Council of Wizards
North-Western USA Branch Leader
XXX-XXX-XXXX
That sounded like an important title—way more important than a "Supervisor," as we were led to believe.
The silence and my brooding were then broken by Edwin's annoying and teasing words: "You know, I always thought you looked a bit like a fairy."
I summoned a snowball and chucked it at his face.
* | * | *
December 15th, 2004 - Phoenix Arizona
"Sweetie, you really don't have to go! I can still call off the trip." Renée Dwyer whines as she holds onto her son's arm tightly as if that would convince him to stay.
"No, you can't," Beau Swan answers, mild irritation clawing at the edge of his words.
"I'm sure Phil would understand! I can fly out and watch his games every other month, and we can keep things exactly how they were." Renée offers, but her son is not deterred in the least.
'I love her, but man, do I need a break.' He thinks as he stops working on his packing list and turns to face his mother entirely.
"I'm going. I already promised Charlie and am not backing out of it this late." His tone was steely, one he usually reserved for when she bought things online without consulting him first...Which happened a lot.
A 17-year-old managing his household's finances was a bit odd, but Beau knew it was either that or winding up on the street.
'Okay, it probably wouldn't go that far, but still. Phil seems responsible enough. She will be fine without me...probably.'
More than just the finances, he managed the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the yard work, and even her taxes. His Mom was a wonderful woman but a pretty hopeless adult.
Either way, he was both excited about and dreading his move to Forks, Washington, in a month.
On the one hand, he would get some much-needed space from his mother, but on the other, he was in for a myriad of awkwardly stilted conversations with his Dad and the horrible weather of Forks.
He loved Arizona. He loved the sun and the desert heat, the cacti and the mesquite trees, the beautiful weather in the winter, and the buzzing song of the cicadas in the summer.
But...he needed a change, and he wasn't lying either; he promised Charlie he would come, so he would. Both his parents raised him to be a man of his word.
"Beau, last month, the town experienced a freak blizzard — the worst in its history! They had to call the National Guard! Houses were destroyed! I can't send my baby boy there. I'd be sick worrying about you!"
'How exactly is that any different from normal?'
"I'll be fine, Mom," he answered softly, giving her a tight hug. "Now...get out of my room, please."
Huffing, Renée glares at her son, saying, "This conversation isn't over, mister." before stomping out of his room.
'Really? Because it kinda feels like it is. Who is the parent, and who is the child here, again?'
Beau Swan sighed heavily as he sunk onto his mattress.
He looked around the room, years' worth of memories staring back.
"This will be good for me," he murmurs, repeating a mantra he has had to tell himself multiple times. He then looks at the door and scowls, "And it will be good for us to get some space."
Beau liked Phil. He was a good guy...He was also nearly a decade younger than Renée, which was weird for Beau. However, what drove him nuts was when Phil returned from his job, and they acted like a young couple on their honeymoon. That was all kinds of ew.
It also got old really quickly.
Phil played for a minor league baseball team and was touring with them most of the year. Beau's move to Forks meant his Mom could finally travel with Phil while he worked, something she had openly commented on wanting to do often enough.
Beau hated feeling like he was holding her back from her dreams. He wanted to do something nice for her, and the move served a dual purpose in that way: One, Renée would get to live her fantasy, and two Beau would no longer be around their lovey-dovey selves.
Thinking of love, Beau sighs.
That was something he had no luck with over the last 17 years — all his life, in other words.
He was a quiet and introverted kid who had been on a total of zero dates.
Sure, his friends had invited him to some meet-ups with girls from his school, but nothing ever came of it. They didn't click. There wasn't any spark.
Flopping back onto his bed bonelessly, Beau stares up at the glow-in-the-dark stars his Mom had put on his ceiling when he was young. He tried and failed to avoid thinking of his non-existent game.
'Maybe I will have some luck in Forks?' He thinks before a self-deprecating smile comes to his face. 'Yeah, maybe if she was blind or dead inside. The first girlfriend I get is either going to be a serial killer or a manic-depressive wreck. Just focus on school, Beau. One and a half years. If I maintain my 4.0 GPA, I can attend whatever college I want. Just make it through one and a half years in a cold, rainy, and muddy hellscape, and you are free...I'll focus on meeting someone in college.' He decides.
Smiling to himself as he slowly drifts off to sleep, Beau can't help but feel a small twinge of hopefulness at the new adventure to come.
That was exactly when his door slammed open.
"Sweetie, have you seen my phone charger?"
* | * | *
Monday Afternoon, December 18th, 2004 - Alice & Samuel's Bedroom
The last month had been both eventful and uneventful at the same time.
For me, I had a lot of new information to digest.
Wizard Mason's business card sat on Alice and my bedside table, untouched since the day he came by.
I knew I was stalling, putting off calling him with one excuse or another...I just...I wasn't ready.
Everything was happening way too fast. And I felt like he would both accept and understand that. He didn't seem like the clingy type, and he probably knew I needed time.
Alice, being the amazing woman she always was, never once pushed me. She asked me how I felt and if I needed anything but never poked or prodded me.
I could tell she was still dealing with whatever news Edwin and Elenore had shared about my past and that it still hurt her. There were times she would start crying or get really pissed off, seemingly at random.
Honestly, most of the house was still on edge about that, even over a month later.
No one told me anything, but it was alright. I accepted the fact that I was still healing and needed time. Just like how I needed time after finding out I was a quarter Faerie.
How fucking weird is that?
I mean, it does make sense. I was as hot, or hotter than any of the Fae I had met in my travels, and ice magic came as naturally to me as breathing.
'My arrogance and narcissism didn't come from my Fae blood, right?' I thought but quickly shook my head in denial. That was 100% Raith. From what I remember, all my family members were also like that.
And that was the rub of it.
Even if I was a quarter Fae, it didn't change anything, not really anyway. I was who I was.
'I'm just thankful I don't have pointed ears...'
I did find out from Carlisle what Mason meant about promises after he left. Apparently, Faerie, in general, couldn't break promises, and there was a thing about asking or saying something three times...but I was kinda burnt out by that point and zoned out.
I know, I know, that was stupid, so I read up on it the next day. The Cullens had a few books on supernatural creatures and entities in their library.
Basically, if I offered a promise three times, I would have to do it no matter what. It's the same thing if someone asked me a question three times. The third time would magically bind me to tell the truth, apparently.
That sounded like some bullshit to me because I had never dealt with anything like that before, but who knows? Maybe something has changed.
So, I did the smart thing and immediately tested it with Alice. She got great enjoyment out of asking me the same question three times in three different ways and then watching me answer the same thing with growing frustration.
The consensus was I could lie and break promises. I wasn't bound to the oath after three questions or promises...However, it would seem that I was not completely free from my Fae blood.
I felt this...itch. A compulsion to answer truthfully or do what I said I would. It was uncomfortable, but not anything I couldn't manage. I didn't receive any sort of backlash when I didn't do what I felt I should...But I did just generally feel crappy afterward.
It always puts me in a bad mood.
I had never triggered this before, but then again, I didn't really interact with many people before Alice and The Olympian Coven, as a general rule.
Anyway, back to the other changes.
One big one was Ross, surprisingly. He had mellowed out after whatever they saw in my head. He treated me better and was, dare I say it, even friendly to me now.
It was weird.
The others didn't really treat me differently, but I saw the looks they would shoot me sometimes out of the corner of my eye: Pity.
That didn't feel great, either, but I wouldn't be making a big deal about it. I was a grown adult and could cope with my feelings being hurt or my frustration at not knowing.
However, the biggest change didn't happen to me but to Alice.
More specifically, Alice and Jessica Stanley becoming friends.
Yup, that Jessica.
To explain fully, I need to go back two months. This was right after Jessica's 2-week suspension was over.
* | * | *
Jessica had become an outcast at school. Most of her good friends still interacted with her, but the school and other kids were not kind to her. Whereas before, she would always be a social butterfly, now she was often seen by herself and avoiding public spaces.
She also ran away whenever she saw me or Alice. Sometimes, literally.
This happened so often that we kind of assumed it would be the norm from now on.
So imagine our surprise when, on a random Thursday in early November, she walked up to Alice before she could sit down with her family in the lunchroom and asked if they could speak privately.
Alice, of course, told me what happened later, but the kids at school were shocked and expected things to come to blows.
After all, Jessica and Alice were mortal enemies, right?
Nope. This wasn't a soap opera.
After over four weeks of running away, Jessica found the courage to apologize—tearfully, or so I am told.
Jealousy is a nasty beast. It claws at your psyche and warps your thinking. Jessica had been hella jealous of Alice and admitted as much to her.
She apologized for and admitted to all the rumors, texts, and other falsehoods she spread about Alice. She swore it would never happen again and that she would leave Alice and me alone in the future.
Alice and I were already pretty close by that point—it was about a week before she asked me to dance—and Jessica even wished us the best.
That was a great ending, right? Alice gets a moment of vindication and sees Jessica crying before her. It's cathartic, right?
If you think Alice felt that way, you clearly didn't know her.
Alice hugged Jessica tightly (And briefly), surprising the girl immensely. She forgave Jessica and told her she didn't want her to avoid us. She wanted them to be acquaintances or maybe even friends at some point.
Jessica was noticeably shaken by Alice's friendly attitude and cried even more. She didn't think she deserved this. She was prepared for Alice to scream at her, but for her to hug her and forgive her? ...That was not something she would have expected in a million years.
She certainly wouldn't have done it if she were in Alice's shoes.
But that was just who Alice was, and Jessica quickly discovered how wrong her original assumptions about her were.
In the next few weeks before the dance, Alice would make a point to greet her and talk to her in the hallways.
They would talk about fashion and celebrity news and generally have short but sweet conversations. This pulled Jessica out of her self-hatred spiral, and I would often catch them smiling or laughing with each other. This also changed the school's perception of Jessica for the better, and she was slowly getting back to her original self - minus being a total bitch.
They exchanged numbers and texted pretty often. Sometimes, Alice showed me the conversations, but usually, she kept them to herself, which I was fine with. Their friendship was their business, and I wasn't a controlling boyfriend.
This all culminated in what was happening today.
For the first time since I started living with the Cullens, Alice did not ride home with me after school. Instead, she went shopping in Port Angeles with Jessica, which the short girls were very excited about.
Alice was far more motherly than I ever gave her credit for. She saw what happened, realized Jessica was genuinely sorry, decided to help her, and then worked her magic to build her back up into someone worth being friends with.
Now, this didn't change Jessica entirely. She would still talk a mile a minute, gossip like a neighborhood housewife, and could be a bit too snarky for my liking, but she did stop spreading rumors about students and most of her mean-girl-like tendencies.
I even saw grateful looks and smiles being sent to Alice from Jessica's friends. They also appreciated what Alice had done to bring Jessica out of her funk.
For my part, I was very proud of Alice. She showed compassion and forgiveness that would have made a certain Son of God smile. And for all of it, Alice got a good friend with whom she could geek out about fashion trends whenever she wanted.
...That was one aspect I was not too thrilled about. They talked about clothes, shoes, purses, makeup, and accessories ALL THE TIME.
I liked dressing up and being fashionable...but I did not like talking about them for literal hours at a time.
Maybe I didn't understand because I was a guy?
Whatever the case, I let them have their fun and listened attentively to Alice when she returned from her playdate and gave me the rundown-all smiles. It had gone very well, and she shared how Jessica had verbally torn apart two guys who had tried to hit on them and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Jessica's personality may be friendlier now, but that didn't mean her tongue was any less sharp.
When Alice and I started sitting at our own table in the lunchroom after the school's roof was repaired, Jessica would come to join us from time to time.
She never hit on me again, and I was very thankful for that, but she did try to be friends with me as well. For Alice's sake, I also decided to forgive her and be friendly, though a small part of me still didn't like her.
I hated the things she said about Alice, and, even if the woman in question forgave her, I couldn't fully.
'Maybe I am just a vindictive person?'
Either way, things had changed. Alice turned an enemy into a friend, and she and I were seemingly official and openly dating at school.
That was the last big change - We gave up on the plan the Cullen girls had put together.
We had too much going on and too many problems on the horizon to dedicate time and energy to it, so they decided to let the dance be the end of it.
...Well, they decided. I was not quite ready to give up, especially since I knew how much Alice wanted the last event to happen. On the Storyboard they made, it was the only event completely encircled with little hearts Alice herself had drawn.
So, with that in mind, I took my own initiative to make it happen.
* | * | *
I have never bought flowers for a girl before, and, if I had my way, I would never do it again.
'That's wishful thinking,' I grumble to myself internally.
It was a pain in the ass.
I thought it would be simple: I would walk in, grab a bouquet, and leave in 5 minutes.
Nope.
It took nearly 30 minutes to talk with the florist and pick the right flowers for the occasion. In the end, I went with red tulips, daisies, a couple of peonies, and a single lily. I had thought about getting her roses, but the florist told me that was something I should give her after we were already together for anniversaries and birthdays.
Supposedly, the flowers I picked symbolized new love, dedication, passion, and devotion. 1I think I got it right?
The single lily, in particular, represented a strong declaration of love.
I don't know, dude; I feel like I got ripped off.
$50 and 40 minutes later, I arrived back at school towards the end of lunch.
I hadn't told Alice where I was going, so my phone buzzed several times, letting me know she had texted me. I was hopeful that what I had planned would prevent me from getting in trouble later.
The very last event Alice and the Cullens had devised was a public confession of my love.
I was...well, I was shaking with nerves.
This was my first time asking someone to enter a relationship with me. Even my previous girlfriend back in high school had asked me out first.
I was so inexperienced that I thought of buying her a pin and asking her to go steady...before realizing that was dumb as all fuck and antiquated. No one does that anymore, and it has connotations of ownership that made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
So, I went with a classic: Flowers and a heartfelt confession.
As I entered the lunchroom, my face burning from the rush of blood in my cheeks, the conversations all around slowly cut off. People turned to look at me with smiles or shocked expressions.
I mean, I was carrying a giant ass bouquet, after all. It wasn't hard to put two and two together.
I approached the Cullen table, seeing Alice slumped over it but unable to see her face as she was facing away from me. When they saw me, the Cullens all smiled widely.
Elenore nudged Alice and whispered something to her, which caused her to spin around, scowling at me...an expression that morphed into genuine shock and elation a moment later.
'She...really didn't see this coming?'
Alice was a great actress, but I had been around her long enough to tell when she was acting and when something was real. This, for all I could tell, was real.
A giant smile bloomed on her face as she realized what the flowers meant.
Walking up to her and standing a bit awkwardly in the now silent cafeteria, I clear my throat and start, flowers held out before me.
"Alice, I have gotten to know you over the last few months and come to realize something. You are infuriating, persistent, and unbearably cheerful...and I can't stand the thought of not having you at my side. I love you and want to be with you now and forever more. Will you be my girlfriend?"
'God, this is awkward. Did I do alright? Fuck, why did I do this!?!'
According to the Storyboard, Alice was supposed to declare her feelings for me as well in a dramatic, cringe-inducing fashion.
She did none of that.
Practically leaping at me, she wrapped her hands around my neck and kissed me with such passion I was worried she would start pulling my shirt off.
She did grab on the hem of it, but ultimately held back. Instead, she pulled away with a giant smile and real tears of happiness in the corners of her eyes.
Whispering softly, only for me, she says, "You surprised me. Very little in my life surprises me; thank you, Sammy. I love you so much."
Then she looks around and laughs at all the people staring at us. "Yes, you jerkface. I love you too!" She shouts and kisses me again.
Polite claps, some cheers, more than a few wolf-whistles, and even a shout of, "Get a room!" were our answers, but we ignored them all and focused on our lips mashed together.
...At least until a teacher pried us apart after a minute or two of making out.
All in all, I think it went rather well.
Alice confirmed that theory later that night.
For the entirety of that night.
