Half Moon;

“What, so you can tell me to get of my high horse but I can’t do the same?” Charlie retorts. It’s going to go south now - she can feel it in her bones the same way she does when a full moon starts to rise, but just like with her transformation, there’s nothing she can do to stop it. “Don’t be an idiot, Carson. You not wanting to see your mom, who you and I both know is your favorite person in the goddamn world, is a red flag as big as the sun and you know it. She’s here to help you, not institutionalize you like my mom would have, and you should take it before it’s too late to.”

Maybe there was something wrong with him. He could feel it? With how he was acting and how he felt about this all. He should be upset he’d kept something like this from him. Scared even. The situation couldn’t have been more crazy and yet, he took it in like a sponge without a single complaint. As if this was just another marker on his checklist of crazy weird stuff that kept on happening to him. How had this become his life? He didn’t even know how to fully respond to his words. How much of this did he know? That Carson was a werewolf? That werewolves exist? He didn’t know that. He can’t believe his first choice compared his life to a bad 80′s movie but he figured that was more Ben’s own benefit than his own.  But he understood the reference. However, he felt his surprise was a fake deep down. That somehow he knew all of this and yet he still experienced this as if it were new. It was awfully confusing to wrap his head around. It was unexplainable. That’s what his life had become. A confusion. A mismatch of what he thought he knew compared to what he did and felt towards it. It’s not like he’d suddenly stopped caring about Carson. It wasn’t like that. He just had to see things differently. He was listening more than anything right now. To gauge whether his emotions were in line with the logistics in his brain. And they weren’t. “Are you alone?” Ben asked. Maybe not meaning exactly that he was on his own. Ben would never want Carson to feel like he’d run out on him but in terms of being a werewolf, he can’t think what’s that’s like. “I mean, like, do you have friends like you? A pack? That’s what they call it right?” He tilts his head to the side. His brain thinking of literally everything he knew about werewolves from media.  As much as Ben knew about Mason and Carson’s friendship, Mason was something different. Part werewolf and part vampire so it wasn’t the same too. “You know I wanna help you but…it’s probably best you’ve got others like you, right? Saying that you’ve got me isn’t really gonna do anything.” As much as he disagreed with himself, it’s probably a right conclusion. He didn’t know how involved he could be in this yet alone, how involved Carson even wanted him to be. Does he want to put himself through that on top of returning to college? On top of all the other stuff. As selfish as it was, he wanted Carson around for himself because he was the only honest person around now. The only person he could trust. The only person that makes him remotely happy. 

Carson had been accustomed to moving on, letting people go and setting down roots somewhere new. In fact, he’d expected to be doing that when he came to Mystic Falls. Once it came up as a dead end for his dad, he fully intended on moving again. Finding his mom and resuming his old life but he found himself entranced with the unknown. He was this whole thing, his whole life and he knew nothing about it. It lived within him as a stranger. So he found information and he found Mason and before he knew it he found the family he was searching for in the first place. So he wanted to say that he would’ve been okay if Ben decided that this information was a deal breaker, that he would be able to move on as he always had but these years had made him soft, made him needy so no. He wouldn’t have been yet he suspected it. He was a strong proprietor of protecting him from the get go and now here he was, cracking the box wide open. Deciding it’d be safer that way. His question only managed a chuckle out of him as he shakes his head, the tears falling with it. “I just told you I’m a werewolf and that I killed a guy and your biggest concern is me being alone?” It only proved that this kid was going to be the death of him sooner of later. He wasn’t, in fact he had more support than he really wanted which was a whole other conversation he didn’t feel like having. “C’mere, Killer.” Somehow his confession had him more comfortable saying it again despite only one of them truly fitting the title. Opening his arms he expects he’ll fill them, they both needed it. “I got you? For now, that’s what I need.” 

Brave isn’t the word she would pick for how she was dealing with things, but she’d prefer to move away from the topic of her own issues as quickly as possible. “There’s a phrase involving a pot and a kettle that fits perfectly in this situation,” Charlie points out before taking a sip of her beer. “You don’t have to be alone through your shit either, Carson. I mean, this isn’t just a breakup or something normal, something human. What happened to you is big - literally life-changing. It’s okay to get help.” 

“Where do you think the perfect skin comes from? It’s those crucial eight hours, buddy.” Charlie retorts instantly, though it takes her a moment longer to respond to his next question as it raises an admittedly fair point. “What do you want me to say, Carson? I’m not fine. I’m not really anything. It happens sometimes, it’ll pass.” It’s the truth, but in that twisted sort of way Charlie’s always been good at - no lying, just the omission of an important detail or two. “Your turn.”

Charlie scoffs at the joke but obliges, pulling a pair of beers out of the fridge and opening them before she sinks down onto the couch beside Carson and hands one of the beers to him. “You just interrupted my beauty sleep, I’m fine. But I’m great at fighting, if that’s really where you want to go.” A sigh leaves the wolf, and she rests her head on the couch as she watches Carson. “Why don’t you want to see her, Carson? What are you afraid of?”

Charlie’s suspicions were confirmed when Carson answered the phone, only to hang up after just a few seconds. “Sure.” She steps back, though not quickly enough as he makes his way into her apartment, crossing her arms over her chest after she shuts the door and follows him inside. “If you were fine, you wouldn’t be avoiding her,” Charlie points out with a casual tone but with intentions anything but. “Just saying. You want a drink?” 

Ben’s facial expression slowly changed but there’s a feeling deep down in his gut that isn’t totally bothered by the information he received. His head is telling him the facts. That Carson had killed someone and the other part, had him knowing it was self-defense. He’d like to think he knows Carson well but how true is that statement anymore? Ben doesn’t leave people in times of need and though his facial expression had made a small journey as he tries to process such information, it eventual settles with one of sadness. That he had to go through all of that. “Okay.” Was the first thing he got out, a small itch of the corner of his nose following. He just sat there and thought how hard it must have been to talk about and he’s talking. As if he owed Ben and explanation which he certainly didn’t in his eyes. He could have easily kept this to himself. Say nothing. Not tell him he’d killed someone. And what was this small part of him justifying any sort of murder? Should he be scared of that? Ben deep down knew about the means of survival but couldn’t remember where it had been taught? “Those jerks forced you to your breaking point. It was circumstantial” Ben’s moved a hand to gently rub Carson’s arm with his thumb comfortingly. It’s all he can think of. It won’t change anything. But change him in ways he doesn’t understand yet? What does that mean? He just looks at him waiting for further answers if he wanted to give them. “You know I trust you.” More than anyone. And he does. He’s been the only person he feels is being straight up with him and even with this secret or what he’s else is going to be unloaded on him, he’s kind of mental preparation. Or so he thinks he is. 

It was particularly surprising, how receptive Ben was being when he just confessed to murder but he supposed it was because of who he was living with before. Whether they killed supernaturals or not, they still killed for a living. Although he still didn’t know how much he knew, he was suspicious that they tried to keep it from him to keep him safe but everyone knew that was bullshit. The only way to be safe was to know everything. Sure, maybe he wished he wouldn’t have to be the one to tell him but it was time now that he was something else. “You don’t have to make excuses for me, Ben. You just need to learn to accept that I’m not exactly a stand-up guy.” It was something Mason had always said and he maybe didn’t understand it till now. Being a bad guy was part of him now, at least until he got this figured out. For his comfort and his own, he grabs Ben’s hand and holds it between his own as he starts to try and explain everything. “I don’t know what you know about what lurks around this town and I’m sorry if I’m telling you shit you already know. But I’m going to tell you everything.” Sighing out he looks to his eyes and wish to get lost in them before he starts. “Starting with me.” Clearing his throat, he squares his shoulders as he tries to start. “So you ever seen that really old movie with Micheal J. Fox, where it’s super bad special effects wolf makeup? It was called Teen Wolf before the stupid ass show was.” Maybe not the best reference, this kid was young after all. “Well basically my dad, I never knew him but he passed a gene on to me. It’s almost like a disease but it lies dormant until I take a life. And when I do..well come full moon I transform into a wolf. So yeah, I’m a werewolf now. Suppose I always was but it’s active now.”

To put it mildly, Charlie had been spiraling. It would have been one thing if there was a source she could pinpoint it to, but nothing bad had happened to her, really. This was supposed to be when her life took a turn for the better, not the worse - her parents were dead. She was free. She should be happy, and because of that she had no way to explain the emptiness she felt every moment that she couldn’t otherwise occupy her mind. Carson usually made for a good distraction, though when she saw his expression as she opened the door now, she wasn’t sure it was going to be a good one. “Called… who, now?” Charlie asks, brow furrowing in confusion despite the gnawing feeling in her stomach telling her that she knew whose name he was going to say.

Levi let out a chuckle, only to explain to the kid, “Wasn’t lying, but they raked me back in. Needed some eye candy on the force. No one wanted to look at them, otherwise,” he threw in a nonchalant shrug, only to add, “Not gonna arrest ya, though, kid, don’t worry bout it.” Carson reminded Levi too much of himself to do that.

Carson rose his brow and nodded as if the explanation was completely sound, the fact was he wouldn’t argue with the fact that he preferred maintaining eye contact with Levi over other cops he’d encountered. Then again, he was about to argue about him not being a kid until he remembered someone had to call his mom in town to get him out of his funk. So admittedly he was at a loss here. “Oh yeah? That mean I can call on you if I’m ever in trouble?”

“This place has seen the devil, crazy fog and a psycho possessing coven and a candy machine is too much to believe in?” She scoffed as she laughed, smiling more so at the fact she’d managed to pull a laugh from him. That was something, right? She hated seeing him like this. “You would never do that to me.” Pressing a kiss to his collarbone, she shifted to sit up on the back of her legs. “There’s an Italian place just across the border? Or a new Chinese place near the town square, apparently. What’re you in the mood for?” She’s pleased he’s at least considering it, maybe he just needed a push to get out there again, she’d be happy to deliver it. 

“A town slam packed with power supers invites challenge. Challenge paves the way for chaos. It doesn’t pave the way for carnival sweets contraptions, Astrid.” Carson suggests with a grin that betrays the rest of his demeanor as of late. The more they toyed with the idea of going out the more he regretted how softly compliant he was about it. He still hadn’t quite figured out how he acted around people that weren’t his close loved ones. He was certain that they wouldn’t inspire any sort of rage, but others? He wasn’t sure yet. Her kiss aside from pulling him from his thoughts, causes him to yank away in faux annoyance. “I can try Italian.” He decides anyway. 

Not only do her words come across wrong, she manages to interpret his incorrectly as well. Of course she can’t help him. Everything she touches turns to ash, why should Carson be any different? More importantly, why is she putting him in danger like this? She’s an IED - who knows when she’ll go off, and who else she’ll ruin. “Maybe I’m not the person to help,” she admits, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t be. What you did isn’t all that you are, Carson. You’re good. You deserve better than this.”

Ruby glanced back at the girl in question and shook her head. “She’s one of those. All talk, no game.” She commented but by no means was she surprised. Ruby shrugged and looked back to Carson. “Makes no difference to me. To be honest, it’s probably been some of the better conversations I’ve had in this crowd.”

Judging from their brief interaction, he imagined she operated a lot of assumption rather than actual evidence or experience. Not that he was judging, just examining. “You seem like a people watcher.” Again, not meant to be an insult but naturally he wondered what she had thought of him. “What assumptions have you been making about me, huh?”

Mason: Still kicking, that counts for something right?

Lynda: But something's been wrong with him