To the Moon and Back;

“No, I-” Charlie remembers herself being a lot more difficult to render lost for words, but somehow Scarlett’s managed to do it twice in the same conversation. “I don’t really know what I want.” Apparently, when she’d promised to be honest the first night they’d met, she was planning on sticking to it for an indefinite amount of time, but honesty still felt strange coming from her own mouth. “An ideal future… honestly, I stopped planning ahead once I started my gap year. I’m a little surprised I made it this far, actually. But I suppose where I am now is pretty ideal.” At least, it’s a lot better off than she ever thought she would be. “It would be nice if Carson stopped giving me so much to worry about, and Astrid found somebody that loves her as much as she deserves, and you and Mason finally stopped keeping us all waiting and get married already.” She cracks a smile at that. “Other than that, I… I don’t know.”

“Oh. Oh. You mean, like… oh.” Charlie nodded slowly, grateful when the waiter appeared with their food, already bagged and ready to go. It provided a moment for her to gather herself, because she honestly had not seen that coming. Of course, later she would realize that she should have, once she’d reexamined everything from a more objective standpoint. It wasn’t the idea of her and Carson being romantic that threw her - more so, it was just the thought of her having any kind of romantic capability. After her college disaster and Henrik, she’d lost the ability to believe she was meant for something like that. Love was for people like Aurora, who felt things fully, and Scarlett, who always seemed willing to open her heart further. Charlie was brash, and crass, and felt like she was feeling things less and less often - not someone who could be in love, or be loved. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” she says finally, trying to wipe any of the rattled expression off her face and putting on a smile as she stands.

“I have all the symptoms but just not as intense as other new vampires get I guess?” She shrugged. She was only basing this on what she knew and what others had told her about transitioning. “It’s like I don’t heal as fast as other vampires. It takes more blood for me to feel stronger again when I’m hurt. I don’t run as fast. The bloodlust and the heightened emotions thing everyone keeps telling me about just isn’t really there. I don’t dare even try using compulsion in case it fails miserably.” Not that she wanted to control people’s minds anyway. She’d prefer to use the money and eventually work again when September came back around for the school year. 

“Well why did they turn you, what’s the point of it all?” Whatever she was, it was the conscious decision of her captors that essentially made her this way. If she had known she had been taken by then, she surely would have bet they’d just kill her. So why give her more power? That was what she had yet to understand and desperately wanted to. She had to understand the minds of criminals however, weird in order to continue doing the kind of work she did. 

Shawn was far from alright and waiting around for an answer was becoming harder with each day that passed. It showed in its own ways too. There hadn’t been much progress on the house. He leaned heavily in the booze and letting his fists work off the frustration he was feeling. At least he was back at the running, which came more from the need of having to do something while he allowed his body a break to heal up a bit. Plus, it was something he always actually enjoyed, especially when he had the dogs with him which he did this time. Pretending like there was a race to be had between him and the two of them, they had been running at full speed once he knew they were close to the water and when they were in clear sight of it Shawn quickly stopped to catch his breath, his hand coming up to the bruise on his torso that the extension had caused some discomfort to. His head picked up when he heard the familiar voice, spotting bother Scarlett and Levi a little ways away. Bambi and Bandit had seemed to spot them from the get-go because when he looked at them, despite them sitting, they were scooting across the dirt from their urge of wanting to run to them. “Go.” That was all it took for the two of them to go running and attack the two with kisses as he straightened himself up and walked over, taking his shirt from his waistband to wipe the sweat dripping.

Unlike most, Scarlett managed run into most of her stability in Mystic Falls and she considered herself lucky because of it. Sure, the road was hard and unusual but even through it all, she felt stronger than she had in the protected secluded Paxon pack. As she was finishing apologizing to the stranger, she pulls a look at her soon who is jumping excitedly and patting at his upper thighs, beckoning the pups to join him. Once her eyes follow his gaze she smiles knowingly and submits to her knees to welcome the dogs into their space and onto the blanket they’d set up lakeside. Bandit goes straight to tackle Levi and lick him like a sog treat while Bambi leans into Scarlett's scratches and soft words of praise. “There’s my good girl. You heard me say puppy jokingly and just had to remind me how sorry I am you’re not mine, huh?” She speaks to her before looking up to find Shawn who was surely soon behind them. “Hey, sweaty. Runnin’ after them or with them?” Scarlett teases playfully. She knew the dogs were too well behaved to have the need to be chased around.

Mason’s eyes followed Scarlett the moment she came back into his view and he had to force himself to peel them off of her so he could actually looked at the two others in the room. His eyes met the male’s first and it took a lot of out him to fight the instinct of straightening his stance. It wasn’t about dominance either, simply a instinct his body wanted to have for those deeper reasons he tried to suffocate. So, he moved on rather quickly but when his gaze met James’ mother, he felt worse off. Being a killer was in Mason now. He had drained the bodies of people who didn’t deserve it before and he hadn’t lost sleep over it. So, he surely was never going to feel bad about what he did to James. Her pain, as a mother, was a foreign concept to him and one he didn’t feel like getting into. Mother’s, they’d really be the death of him one day. “Because your son didn’t know how to respect the mother of his child. Claiming her like she was property that he could force back here. I love her. And I love Levi. I’d do anything to protect either of them.” And he definitely blacked out once too much had hit him, but that was a bit too personal to be sharing with her or anyone for that matter. “Your son was one of those things.”

It was clear in the older man’s expression that he wasn’t buying this and quite frankly, he didn’t feel inclined to trust their new alpha more than his son. He was strict with him and made his expectations clear and for that reason, he didn’t believe he was capable of the things being described. He still maintained that it went down in a fit of jealousy. But his mother, her first instinct is to shake her head. Soon her gaze moves to Scarlett for some reassurance on his words and her face is enough to convince her that it’s true. Although, her head still shakes not because she didn’t believe him but because she felt ashamed at not knowing it at all. “How long?” She directed the question at Scarlett for she felt she had to answer to her in this moment more than Mason. “Most always, ma’am. Increasingly so when I got pregnant.” Which was the scariest part of it all for her and the main reason she had enough courage to leave them. “I’m sorry, child. If I had known..” Scarlett shakes her head and offers her a reassuring smile. “You didn’t. I know. Mason has been our relentless protector and his loyalty will extend you all. He is stronger than us all.” Both physically and mentally, she fully believed it. That leads the older woman her to the next question and likely the last for a while. “A hybrid. Why did you become one?” Wolves were known to be loyal to one another and vampires were often the cause of their strife, so merging with their species was foreign to her and to all of them. 

“Oh yeah, it’d be a real hit. I’d watch it too.” She chuckled. “You’ve been so…” Pausing to think of a word, she could only come up with one. “Patient. You know? I know it hasn’t been an easy ride for you two but you’ve really pulled him out of his shell.” His emotional shell, that was. “I’m really glad you’re in his life. And mine. I know I tell you all the time but…” Shrugging, she laughed and waved her hand. “Alright, enough, I will actually cry in a minute.”

Heidi paused while she tried to think of an answer for her. “I’m okay. I’m not fantastic but I’m okay.” She nodded slightly. She didn’t want Scarlett to worry. “The person who turned me, she kept injecting me with something. I’m weaker than most so I feel more human but then at the same time, I can just keep hearing heartbeats. It’s really hard to explain…”

Scarlett’s brows furrow both because she feels she must mourn her old life with her for a moment and because she struggles to understand her unique condition. She always loved to learn as much as she could so she figured she’d ask more. “So you only have some of the symptoms of vampires? Or is it just less accelerated?” 

“I can understand that,” Charlie nods. She was similar that way. It didn’t matter whether it was an assignment, a new piece on the piano, or something else entirely - big or small, the victory didn’t mean anything if it wasn’t hers all the way through. Despite the fact it made life a little more challenging, it was one of the few traits she possessed that she tended to be proud of. Knowing Scarlett possessed it too made Charlie like her even more. The question about Carson isn’t expected, but it is par for the course lately. She’s gotten a lot of questions about the two of them, and she’s still not quite sure why they’re all along the same lines, but she’s beginning to wonder if Mason and Astrid have started some stupid bet and gotten the entire pack in on it. “I mean, yeah, we’re pretty good friends. Nothing like shared trauma to bring people closer together, right?” She chuckles dryly. 

Nodding his head Mason walked up with her to the home. He had to keep reminding himself to keep it together although he was realizing now it was a lot easier than he thought it would be the more he thought about why he was doing it. He knew that before, but there was nothing like having to actually face it finally and know that, that was greater than any of the impulsive decisions he would have usually made by now. Still, he had only dealt with the sister so far. He was hoping everything he was feeling now would continue the same when he spoke to the rest of the family and the rest of the pack. There wasn’t just the matter of them accepting him after what he had done, but because of what he was. He couldn’t deny how he reveled as a vampire, but first and foremost he was always a wolf – it was just a matter of convincing them of that. 

The hardest thing about all of this was trusting that it would be okay in the end and while she trusted a majority of the people that would soon surround him, Scarlett felt a tremendous need to push him behind her every time they met someone. For that reason, she was relieved at seeing him enter the home to the point that it washed over her face. It was like she feared never seeing his face again. She rushed to his side, pressing a small reassuring kiss to his shoulder before stepping aside once more. Standing beside her were James and Savannah’s parents. His father whose eyes narrowed and who stood tall. His one arm was crossed across his chest while the other pulled his wife closer to himself. His mind was closed to newcomers despite the Paxons tendency to take them on. Their mother, however, her eyes were in a vacant stare, red and rubbed raw. As if she had been crying since the moment her eldest’s heart stopped beating. As if the pain never really seized. Seeing his killer in person was paralyzing for her yet somehow she pushed from her husband's grip and made herself stand between them. Facing him and moving her eyes up his form until they finally fixated on his face. Perhaps she was speculating what his parents might look like and how they may feel if she took him away from them. But she was smarter than that and did most everything with caution. She didn’t know him or his story but she wanted to. “Mason.” She addressed him, obviously knowing his name by now. “Tell me why you did what you did.” She couldn’t bring herself to name it, or her now departed son. 

“I figured as much.” But she was glad that changed. She just hoped it wouldn’t be a work overload, she’d have to make sure Scarlett knew she could take weekends off whenever she wanted to be alone with Levi and Mason. Admittedly, she felt a little giddy about the whole thing. Things were falling into place for her and Mason and honestly, it was long overdue. It was good to see two of her favourite people so happy. “Oh wow, listen to you.” Astrid pressed her hands against the grin on her cheeks as her eyes washed over with tears. A happy sting of tears, though. 

“I can imagine,” Charlie says with a grimace, knowing full well Scarlett has one of the most difficult jobs in town. There’s no way it could be easy for anyone, even for someone as determined as the other wolf. The expression turns into a pleased smile, however, once she’s accepted the invitation and spots the waiter heading their way. She orders her usual meal, making sure he knows their order is to go as she hands him her card to pay for the both of them. It won’t speed up the kitchen, but it will free up the poor guy’s table just a bit faster. “Do you at least get a couple of rewarding ones from time to time, to keep your spirits up?” Charlie asks once the waiter’s returned inside.

“Scarlett, I want to make one thing very clear. I was the catalyst in all of this. Everything that happened comes down to me and the court case was just one part of me causing all of this.” She didn’t want Scarlett to feel bad about any of it. Heidi took a moment to decide whether she wanted to tell Scarlett the truth or not but ultimately made a decision. “I’m a vampire…”

Subconsciously, she sat up straighter and moved to the edge of her seat. You never knew who was around so for some reason she was under the impression that whispering closer to her would help. Every worry previous to now had completely gone out the window at this point. Scarlett was just worried about Heidi. Client or not. “Are you okay? With it? With handling everything?” She realized it was probably a stupid question to ask a new vampire but it was all she could think of.