"And what do you even care?" Mia countered. "It's not like you don't have an attitude. Far worse than me."

Jasper snorted at that and Rose's eyes lifted over the car to glare at him. Jasper raised his hands in surrender.

"It's not like you," Rose answered though she was tempted to argue the point.

"And how exactly would you know what's like me anymore? You haven't been around in months."

Jasper made a coughing sound, covering the surprise that had first come out of him, and both girls turned to glare at him.

Jasper shouldn't have been surprised at his sister's words though. The last six months had changed something in Mia, especially when it came to her willingness to hold back. Especially when it came to Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett. She didn't bother hiding she was upset with them for leaving. She didn't bother trying to pretend that it hadn't changed things between them.

And Jasper didn't think Mia was wrong, not completely. For all of their talk of being a family, they'd gone their separate ways, leaving a whole lot of hurt. He could see both sides, but that still didn't excuse the harm that had been done. There were moments he wondered if they realized that in their leaving, a certain trust had been broken. There was repair that needed to happen, and even then, Jasper wasn't sure things would ever go all the way back to where they were before.

If you'd asked Jasper two decades ago if he'd be where he was now, close enough to a teenage girl—a human, no less—that he regularly stepped in to negotiate on her behalf, to protect, to take the time to explain and translate her pain, to limit his influence out of respect for her wishes…he never would have thought. Hell, even a few years ago, he wouldn't have expected this shift.

Because even though they'd been family since the moment Mia became a Cullen, there'd always been a long line of people Jasper had allowed take precedence in her life. He'd slotted himself last in importance, closeness, and need out of principle, part of him rather certain that he'd only ever let her down.

Unlike the others, Jasper hadn't really known love or trust or family until he'd found Alice. He felt as though he was still learning, and the past six months had been the ultimate test because even though he and Alice and Esme and Carlisle had stayed, Mia had kept them at an arm's length. She'd tried so very hard to make them abandon her, to give up on her.

Carlisle had assured him it was a test, and they'd had many long conversations and the conclusion had been drawn that Jasper had succeeded better than any of them at holding onto their Mia, the proof of which was still evident even now that they'd returned to Forks and settled back into their old life.

She still gravitated toward Jasper and more than being able to anticipate her moods, he was able to understand what brought her to them, thanks to all of the conversations they'd had, the two of them sorting out her mind together.

She didn't say anything, but her glare softened and he somehow knew that she didn't want to continue the conversation with Rosalie, that it was bringing her too close to the pain and whatever front she'd had up when she spoke the words wasn't going to hold too much longer.

Jasper hadn't driven them to school today, but he dug a spare set of keys out of his backpack. He'd started keeping them since they returned to Forks, realizing that some days Mia needed the gift of a quick getaway and a long drive, just like the drive they'd taken across country in moving back from Ithaca.

"C'mon, Mia. Let's go for a drive," he said stepping around to the driver's side of Edward's Volvo. Mia slipped around Rose without a word, stowing herself in the front passenger seat with a surprising speed and Jasper was left meeting Rosalie's glare. "Emmett can drive the others home."

"She doesn't need you babying her."

Jasper huffed. "Honestly, Rose. She's right. And you're not really in a position to say what she needs." He pulled open the door and slipped inside, and it wasn't until they were out of the school parking lot that Mia spoke.

"I can't believe you said that to her."

Jasper pulled his gaze from the road to glance at her and he shrugged. "She needed to hear it. Clearly didn't get through to her when you said it." Jasper turned back to the road, "Now what's this about talking back to a teacher?"

Mia groaned on principle, but then she started explaining, the two of them driving and driving until Mia had sorted herself out, a sense of calm washing over her that Jasper hadn't created, not with his powers anyway.  

Cam did as Raine instructed, reading from the recipe book while simultaneously gathering ingredients from the pantry. The Sunday afternoon was off to a lazy start for the two friends, a day best suited for PJ’s and wine past it’s prime, an already open bottle that was in the back of Raine’s refrigerator their beverage of choice. Soon after arriving, Cam complained of her relentless sweet tooth and raided her friend’s cupboards for something to nosh on.

“Good luck finding anything,” Raine looked on with a chuckle as the petite woman pulled out random boxes and canned goods from the shelves. “We aren’t due to get groceries for another week or so.”

Cam’s shoulders slumped in defeat and she stood, downing the last of her wine in a large gulp that hurt her throat going down. “Shoot, had a hankering for something chocolatey…”

A recipe book set atop the microwave oven caught her eye. “Say…this looks promising.”

“You, a baker?” Raine cocked an eyebrow, absently picking at split ends from the tail of her braid, dusted blue where her hair grew out to it’s natural shade. “Hadn’t thought you to be the type. Plus I’ll never forget you like your casserole err, well-done.”

“Oh shut up,” Cam muttered, though couldn’t hide the sheepish grin that came with it. She recalled her recent attempt at mimicking one of Raine’s grandmother’s dinner recipes and unintentionally added her own flare by charring the dish to a blackened crisp. Since then she couldn’t turn on the oven without smelling the obliterated aftermath, even after a deep-clean. “Just because I have tendencies to…stray from the directions doesn’t mean I don’t like the process.”

Raine grinned and pulled some mixing bowls from above the stove. “Flip to the bookmarked page, there’s a recipe for fudge brownies that I’ve been dying to try.”

And so one batch of brownies, a dozen chocolate lava cakes and a fresh bottle of wine later, they got started on their final endeavour: chocolate cupcakes with a ganache coating. Suffice to say, they didn’t fool around when it came to cravings. Raine combined the ingredients with a hand mixer as Cam melted some chocolate on the stove, stirring a pot until the mixture was thick and silky. They filled the cupcake pans and put them in the oven, set the timer and flopped on the couch to peruse Netflix while they waited.

Nothing grabbed them, so they checked out a documentary on sea creatures, mostly because they seemed fascinating and the music was relaxing. Cam lounged on one end of the sofa and Raine took the opposite end, their feet tangling together unintentionally. But then it became a playful kicking match, limbs flying in every direction as they jabbed each other with their feet. Cam was determined to win and climbed on top of Raine, pinning her arms down as her ribs ached from laughter.

They stopped to catch their breaths just then, and the reality of the situation abruptly caused Cam to flush red; Raine donned matching blushes, her neck and decolletage going a shade of crimson. They stared at eachother, panting, feeling a strange shift in the air as friendship danced near a question mark-

Ding!

The oven timer startled them, interrupting the silence abruptly. They scrambled off the sofa and into the kitchen where Cam pulled the cakes from the oven, tossing the mit on the counter when she was done. “Now to set the timer and wait for them to cool. Should probably tidy up a bit in the meantime, huh?”

Raine nodded and reached across from her to the pot of cooled ganache, dipping a finger in it and bringing it to her mouth before it could drip on her shirt but shoot, a small drop fell to the corner of her lips. “Ah, dammit…”

In the second before Raine could wipe up the evidence, Cam’s mind delved to a place where friendship skirted a fine line. A place where she’d never imagined herself with her best friend, a place where only few had occupied, where very intimate occurrences and suggestive looks and touches existed. They overtook her thoughts, and in that moment Cam was wanting.

More than the dozens of chocolate baked goods on the counters next to them, Cam wanted that single spot of chocolate on Raine’s lips. She’d sooner toss their hard work in the trash than deny herself that small, sweet escape.

And so summoning a gargantuan amount braveness no doubt supplied in part from the liquid courage in her belly, Cam reached for Raine’s lips, swiping the stray spot of ganache and licked it from her fingertip. She studied Raine as she made her move, half expecting her to either laugh it off and the other half anticipating a snarky comment about how she should get her own.

So it left little room to expect what Raine did instead. Her brown eyes glazed over, lidded, entirely sultry and soft but with a spark in them that blossomed a peculiar warmth in Cam’s abdomen. Before Cam was aware of her actions, she’d dunked her finger in the ganache and swiped it across her bottom lip, a couple drops of her delicious invitation trailing down her narrow neck.

Raine knew what to do. She didn’t hesitate, slowness not in her fiery nature as she threw herself at Cam, mouths smashing against mouths and her tongue swiping across Cam’s bottom lip with hunger that wasn’t limited to a chocolate craving. She pressed into her friend against the counter top, a blazing heat erupting below her skin as she felt Cam’s softness and curves meld against hers. After any trace of chocolate was removed from her mouth, Raine dragged her tongue down Cam’s throat to clean the leftovers that pooled in the dip near her collar bone, her hands running down Cam’s sides and into her belt loops, pulling her hips against hers.

“Mmh, o-oh my gosh,” Cam breathed as Raine peppered kisses against her facial scars before moving south, pulling the collar of her cotton tshirt down with it until it wouldn’t stretch any further, where she tugged the hem up and over Cam’s head. Cam got a surge of self-consciousness, her arms wrapping around her front and curling into herself a bit, but Raine eased her out of it by lowering to her knees and pressing feather light kisses to the skin below her belly button. Boldness overtook the slight shyness in her and Cam tugged Raine up by her braid and back into a heady kiss, full of tongue, her hands unbuttoning the airy sleep-shirt that shrouded her figure. Raine’s bra peeked out and Cam salivated at the shelves of her breasts, two ample mounds that required her mouth’s attention, stat.

Being shorter than Raine a few inches, Cam had easy access to her chest. She dragged her tongue near the cups of her bra, flicking against the seam until she pulled them down to free her pert breasts, nipples pebbling with both arousal and exposure to air. Cam affixed her mouth to one as her hand skimmed the band of Raine’s pajamas, easy access permitted by the elastic band and, well, Cam wasn’t entirely surprised to find she went commando that day.

She would have hesitated to delve into Raine’s sex, but Raine wasn’t having it today; A sharp jolt of her pelvis had Cam parting her folds and wetting her digits, a familiar sensation of heat and slick as she rolled Raine’s nipple between her teeth. A low moan and expletive tumbled from her lips in response and she bucked against Cam’s hand, riding her against rigid fingers that grazed her entrance with each swipe. Raine pressed against Cam and into the counter top, a hard line against her tailbone but too lost in pleasuring her to care.

Though already delicious enough Cam thought Raine needed a little something extra. Parting from her breasts she used her free hand to pour ganache down the woman’s front, just enough for her mouth to manage. She kept her hand in Raine’s pants as she lowered and started lapping up the chocolate sauce, dipping in her navel before working her way up to her glazed chest. Raine’s hands combed through her curls as she pressed her tongue in flat swipes over the planes of chocolate-cloaked flesh, removing the evidence while pressing slow circles into Raine’s clit.

But Raine was eager for a turn; she eased Cam out of her PJ’s and backed off of her, settled on her knees and without a moment to spare, yanked Cam’s pants down underwear and all. Before Cam could react, her legs were parted and Raine was between them, her nose pressing against her pubic bone before her tongue met wetness.

It was an out of body experience for Cam as Raine knew just the moves to send shockwaves of pleasure up her spine, causing her hips to jut forward and shrouding more of Raine’s face beneath her core, her eyes lidded in concentration, working at unravelling the brunette above her. Cam’s fingers wove into Raine’s hair, pulling strands from her braid free and massaging her scalp as her head nodded with each fevered assault of her mouth, sucking, biting, all of the above on Cam’s slit. Keeping one hand knotted in Raine’s braid, Cam kept the spare to her mouth where she bit the fleshy pad of her hand to keep focus, keep grounded and not topple over when her center of gravity gave out, because soon enough, it would.

And sooner than she’d anticipated, as her thighs started quivering on either side of Raine’s face. The blue-haired beauty employed the use of her fingers to ebb Cam on, pumping two digits in and out of her essence, hungrily lapping up the excess fluids that came forth with her finger-fuck. Her other hand snaked around Cam’s hips and gave a firm grip on her considerable backside, nails pressing crescents into her skin. Cam was a whimpering mess of unfulfilled breaths and whimpered moans, and oh how easily Raine’s name tumbled from her lips on each increased pressure wave from below, each plateau surpassed with the stages of nearing climax. When Raine added a curl to her motions and sucked hard on her clit, the finish line was in sight.

Cam threw her head back and rose to her toes with her orgasm, a throaty FUCK breaking mid-word and her brain glassed over, feeling nothing but nirvana and Raine’s tongue coaxing her come straight from the source. It lasted both entirely too long and not long enough, feet planting back on solid ground as she joined reality once more. Raine rose, wiped her chin and gave Cam a hell of a grin.

But of course Cam had to taste test herself still fresh in Raine’s mouth and she did, kisses of appreciation and curiosity that tasted of her familiar tang, fresh with her most recent climax against a sweetness that could only be Raine herself. Cam rolled her bottom lip between her teeth before uttering a command against her mouth; “Floor. Now.”

Raine was a good girl for once in her life and obeyed without hesitation, laying down as Cam hovered over her, pressing fast kisses down her bare and sticky chest, remnants of ganache flavouring her skin, until she reached the band of her pajamas. Aiming to mimic Raine’s eager motions Cam pulled her pants down her hips and thighs, giddy at how quickly they gave from her form and tugged them off around her ankles, and Raine was spread-eagle and bare for her, glistening and ready. Best to not hesitate.

Cam dove in, the wet sounds loud and unabashed as she began drinking in Raine’s taste and nectar, familiar earthiness akin to her own yet entirely different at the same time. Raine’s clit engorged in Cam’s mouth and her hips lifted from the floor, legs crisscrossing around Cam’s head as she moaned her name. Her tongue swiped pressured flicks against her hood before delving down and between her folds deeper than before, tongue-fucking Raine for all her mouth could offer as her thumb pressed hard on her bundle of nerve endings.

It was getting Raine just where she needed to go; iridescent fluid flowed quicker from her as she neared release, grinding into Cam’s face without restraint as her hands scratched the brunette’s scalp, guiding her head closer to her though there was no space left to clear, needing her closer, needing her deeper. Her walls spassed and tightened and Cam’s tongue felt the resistance, so instead she replaced it with her fingers, not holding back, thrusting into her as far as flesh would give. Her mouth gorged on her clit and soon enough, Raine was ascending.

The tide came crashing in and Raine came hard around Cam’s fingers, her pulse tangible as she rode out her orgasm in waves that faded out with each crest, until a pleasant heat flooded her core. Cam rose and gave her a heady kiss, the fresh essence of her coated on her full lips, her tongue drenched. Cam parted from her mouth and they shared sheepish grins before going for another. They certainly knew how to make the most of a few minutes.

And shit, their timing was impeccable. Not a moment too soon, the oven timer went off with a DING!

DING!

DING-

Cam’s eyes flew open.

It took her a moment to recognize familiar surroundings; her cellphone on the nightstand, a bottle of Asprin nearby, the small nightlight plugged into the outlet near the bedroom door…

And her husband’s arm draped over her hip, pressing into her soulmate marking.

It was a dream.

Though the only logical way to ever partake in something like that with her best friend, and being happily married to the literal love of her life, a part of her felt slightly unfulfilled that it wasn’t real. Still, she barely had time to dwell on it as sleep reclaimed her moments after rousing from slumber.

Luck would have it that Cam and Raine previously arranged a double-date the following day, at the friend’s favourite coffee shop. Cam and Gladio sat in the booth across from Raine and Ignis, making the most of another day in darkness, a break from the grim atmosphere that was constant at Hunter HQ. The conversation lulled for a brief moment and Cam decided it would be humorous (in only hers and Raine’s brand of humor) that she share the previous night’s dream details. “So, heh, had a dream last night.”

Ignis unfortunately expressed keen interest right off the bat. “Oh, care to share?”

Gulping, Cam decided to swallow her pride and just say it, going for boldness. “Actually, Iggy, it involved your wife between my legs.”

A flourish of reactions as Gladio nearly choked on his muffin, Ignis’s coffee dribbled with a sputter and Raine’s eyebrows shot skyward. “NO SHIT?!” Raine sounded entirely too excited for public eye and a few wary patrons turned to give her a sideways glare. “That’s awesome!”

Ignis and Gladio repeated her last word simultaneously. “Awesome?”

“Hell yes,” Raine replied, stirring the foam of her latte. “Cam’s hot stuff, got an ass for days. I’d tap that.”

It was Cam’s turn to raise an eyebrow though a coy wink followed suit. “Back at ‘cha, hot stuff. What even are husbands, right?”

Despite Ignis being blind, he and Gladio shared a strained look of perplexed concern. “So, we don’t leave you two alone to your own devices then.”

“Perhaps,” Cam responded, “Though recently I have had the biggest craving for chocolate…”

Raine beamed, mischievous undertones to her smile as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips. “I have just the recipe for that.”

Mia had been quiet when she came home from school, slightly withdrawn as she went through the motions of saying goodbye to her siblings before they left for their hunting trip. No one questioned the behavior. Mia understood why she couldn’t go, but she was always a bit disappointed when the others left her behind anyway.

She first mentioned the stomach ache after they left, declining dinner and informing Esme that her stomach had been off all day. Mia figured it had just been nerves about the science test that was worth 40% of her grade this quarter, and when the test had passed but the unease in her stomach didn’t dissipate, Mia assumed she had caught a bug. It seemed likely—it was flu season after all. 

But the flu didn’t feel like this. It could be awful, sure, but the persistent pain Mia had felt…she knew it was something more. And it was something she couldn’t hide or explain away. She was in enough pain that she didn’t even care to hide it from her mother. Mia was in enough pain that she didn’t fight when Esme announced that they needed to go to the hospital. 

Mia only braced herself against the pain as her mother situated her in the front seat of the car, too engrossed in her discomfort, too desperate for relief to even be bothered about where they were going. 

It was Carlisle’s new resident, a bright-eyed young woman who grew up and attended college and medical school on the other side of the country, moving to Forks 6 months ago for her training, who greeted them and examined Mia while Carlisle was busy treating a farmer who had the misfortune of having his arm stuck in a piece of farm equipment. 

It was the resident who endured Mia’s screams as she gently pressed her fingers to Mia’s stomach. It was the resident who had studied the sonogram images of Mia’s abdomen. It was the resident who explained to Esme and Mia the diagnosis and the prognosis and the next steps. It was the resident who prescribed some pain killers while they waited.

Mia was resting by the time Carlisle was able to get away, curled into the fetal position with her head in Esme’s lap, both of them huddled in the hospital bed.

Carlisle kissed his wife and stroked a cool thumb across his daughter’s flushed cheek before pulling the chart from the end of the bed. He had already been briefed, but he liked to see the blood work for himself. Liked to see her vitals. Liked to be sure for himself even though he trusted his resident’s assessment. 

As soon as the appendicitis was diagnosed, they started the medications—antibiotics to fight the infection and pain killers to help keep her comfortable. 

Carlisle knew his daughter would be fine. They had caught it before the appendix ruptured. She would have a quick surgery and head home. She would recover and have little to show for the whole ordeal aside from a memory and a small scar that would fade to nothing over time. 

“She’ll be okay,” Carlisle said, unsure if the assurance was more for himself or for his wife. “Flanders is a terrific surgeon.” 

Esme nodded at her husband before looking back to their daughter, smoothing back the sweaty hair on Mia’s forehead. Esme had been so grateful when Mia fell asleep, so grateful for the speed with which the IV-administered pain medication had swarmed her daughter’s system, swiftly easing Mia’s torment. But there was a fear that still refused to budge, a worry that had settled itself in Esme’s heart and every fiber of her being. 

Carlisle pulled her to his side and kissed his wife’s forehead, careful that the movement didn’t disturb their sleeping child. Carlisle knew the words wouldn’t be enough to soothe Esme. 

The words…The knowledge that she would be fine…That an appendectomy was standard…easy…None of that had soothed him either. 

The only thing that would offer any relief was seeing their child on the other side of this.

—

The surgery was laparoscopic. Minimally invasive. No complications. She was discharged home on the same day from the recovery room with discharge notes and a prescription for pain medication. 

Mia was asleep on the couch, settled between Esme and Carlisle when the front door burst open, Edward emerging with a wild look in his eye. It was a full minute before Alice caught up.

“She’s—”

“I saw—” Alice began, the words caught in her throat as the vision she’d seen flashed in her memory again. Edward swallowed as it washed over his mind as well. 

“She’s fine,” Carlisle said, his gaze drifting towards the front door as Rose, Jasper, and Emmett came into the room. “Our Mia had appendicitis, but your mother spotted it in time and she’s healing.” 

Carlisle’s words and the sight of their sister sleeping peacefully brought some relief—Carlisle could see the slight change in each of his children as they integrated the information, taking in his assurances. 

Even so, he extricated himself from the sofa and crossed the room to pull her discharge papers from his bag. He wordlessly passed them to his son for review before glancing back at Mia. 

Jasper stood a ways back, but the others had taken up the space Carlisle had vacated, crowding around Mia as she continued to sleep. 

She would be fine. More than fine. While she recovered, she would be cared for and doted on almost too well. She would receive far better care than any hospital could offer.

Carlisle had taken a few days off from the hospital to be with her, but he knew it wasn’t truly warranted. Mia had more than enough volunteers ready to help nursing her back to health. 

“She should be up and moving soon,” Edward murmured as he looked over the papers. “Even if she doesn’t want to be.” 

Carlisle nodded.

“She did a little walking at the hospital before they released her.” 

“How did she do?” 

Carlisle answered through a glance and a small smirk that told Edward his sister had been full of complaints through every step she took.

“Your sister is a terrible patient.”

“And they’ll do nothing but enable her,” Edward said, nodding toward the others. 

“A little doting won’t hurt her,” Carlisle mused, knowing that he planned to dote a little himself. He glanced at Edward. “You were able to go hunting?” 

“Barely,” Edward answered, his gaze moving to Jasper who was still at the edge of the room and keeping a distance. “The others should head back out.”

“And you?” Carlisle asked. 

“I’ll be fine,” Edward answered. “I’ll stay.” 

Carlisle snorted softly. “Go hunt, son.” Carlisle took back the discharge papers. 

“I should—”

“Your sister is safe,” Carlisle interrupted. “And she'll be asleep for a few hours still. And your mother and I are here with her. Take your siblings back out to hunt.” 

Edward looked torn, his dark eyes settled on his sleeping sister. Carlisle’s gaze remained on his son as he watched his sister. 

You can have a turn doting on her after you’ve fed.

Edward glanced at Carlisle. He hadn’t said it aloud, but Edward heard it all the same.

The nourishment will help you better navigate the recovery. 

Carlisle hadn’t said it or even thought it, but Edward knew that what Carlisle truly meant was that feeding would give him a little more patience. Feeding would help Edward navigate his sister’s complaining about getting off the couch and completing her exercises and following the discharge instructions with the least amount of bickering. Feeding would lower the odds of Carlisle and Esme having to play referee. 

What Edward didn’t realize was that Carlisle also meant that before Edward could care for his sister, he needed to care for himself. 

What Edward didn’t realize was that Mia wasn’t the only Cullen Carlisle was doting on. 

Carlisle placed a hand on Edward’s shoulder, squeezing once before he crossed the room and began the process of ushering his other children from the room, communicating the plan to resume their hunting trip to the others while giving Edward the opportunity to approach Mia and Esme on his own. 

Esme gave a gentle smile as Edward approached, sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of them. Edward took the hand Esme offered.

“She’ll be fine,” Esme said. “They all said the recovery should be simple.” 

Edward raised an eyebrow. Esme chuckled, a bit of light entering her eyes for the first time since this ordeal started. 

“Well, it should be simple when it comes to the medical piece, at least,” she amended. 

Edward snorted, barely a sound emitted as he did it, but Mia’s eyes fluttered open anyway, locking on him immediately. 

“Edward?” 

Some tension Edward hadn’t realized he was holding shifted at hearing her voice. Esme released his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got my appendix out,” Mia mumbled, the hint of a smile on her lips though it disappeared as she shifted position, her face suddenly scrunched up as she winced at a lash of pain. 

“Careful,” Edward said, his hands instinctively shooting forward to steady her. 

“I’m fine,” she hissed, though she was far from it, a small bead of sweat forming at her hairline and a bit of foggy exhaustion creeping in after just a few minutes awake, after just a few seconds of misguided movement. 

Edward gave his mother a knowing look and Esme schooled her features, but Mia had somehow caught it, even distracted as she was with her pain. 

“It’s not funny. I just had surgery and—”

“You’re awake,” Carlisle said gently and as if it was the best news in the world. He offered a smile to Mia as he approached, his sudden presence easily putting an end to a rant he knew would only rile her up. 

“Edward, the others are waiting for you,” he said, squeezing Edward’s shoulder. 

Edward nodded. “I’ll be back soon,” he offered to Mia and Esme before standing and moving slowly towards the front door. 

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Carlisle asked as he took Edward’s place on the coffee table.

Edward slowed his steps as he waited to hear Mia’s answer, hoping she’d give their father a more honest and complete answer than she had given him. There was none of the sarcasm Edward had received—none of the bite in her voice either—as his sister answered Carlisle’s question with a question, her voice small and timid. 

“Can I have some ice cream?” 

Edward stopped by the front door. His instinct was to return to the livingroom and answer. To interject and relay the instructions he’d just read in the discharge summary—she was restricted to clear liquids only for 24 hours post- surgery—but Carlisle answered before he could get the words out. 

“How about a popsicle?” he offered instead, just as well-versed in his daughter's discharge papers as the son who still lingered by the front door. 

Edward didn’t hear his sister’s answer, but he heard Carlisle stand and cross the room, a doting sentiment sent his way as Carlisle walked toward the kitchen. 

Go ahead, son. She’ll be fine.

“You shouldn’t be,” Mia finally answered, crossing her arms over chest as she walked, hoping it looked more like she was angry and less like the chilly air was biting at her skin since she’d stupidly decided a denim jacket was sufficient for an evening out during this time of year.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Carlisle asked from his spot just a pace or so behind Mia. “I’m your father. Fathers—”

“You shouldn’t be concerned because it doesn’t matter,” she interrupted. “I don’t matter...none of it does.” 

It was the closest Mia had come to being honest, the most words she had offered to convey how she was feeling about the way things were now. She had been dragged from their life in Forks, told that leaving was the only way they could remain together as a family. Mia had struggled with that, but she had relented in the end realizing that although she had been happy in Forks, family was more important.

To me, at least, she now thought bitterly to herself—half of their family had taken off as soon as they settled in Ithaca, leaving the bedrooms of their new home empty—conspicuously undecorated and unpacked, their closed doors a constant reminder of those who no longer remained.

Everyone had been so understanding of Edward when he left. So forgiving of his sudden disappearance and subsequent silence. 

And it had been no different when Rose announced that she and Emmett needed some time alone as well. Everyone seemed to understand. 

No one had fought. No one had discussed. No one had seemed concerned then. No one had tried to convince them to stay.

Mia figured it was only a matter of time before Alice and Jasper left, too. Only a matter of time before Carlisle and Esme realized that there was no reason for them to bother with keeping up the whole human facade so they could continue raising her. It was only a matter of time before they realized Mia wasn’t worth the trouble. Not now that their family was already breaking apart, going their own separate ways, living their own distinct lives.

Mia had started going her own way, too. She now pushed at boundaries she would never have even considered approaching a few months ago, finding all sorts of trouble she had never imagined for herself. She had yet to receive any real sort of consequence for any of it, something that she couldn’t quite decide how she felt about. Some part of Mia longed to be yelled at or stopped even while she knew she would rail against any show of authority. 

That ambivalence was why she had given Jasper’s number to the campus security officer tonight. She figured Jasper would shout at her a bit, something which she wanted on some level, but that would be about it.

That's what Jasper had done the last few times she had found herself at a party on campus. Mia had gotten the distinct impression that her brother had been more annoyed about her interrupting his studying than he had been about her experimentation with alcohol and undergraduates.

Since her parents hadn't commented, she had figured Jasper had kept the incidents to himself. She assumed he would do the same thing tonight, though Mia supposed she had been wrong on that front considering it was Carlisle who had come to collect her even though he was supposed to be in the middle of a shift. Jasper must’ve told, finally passing the responsibility off to its proper place, to their father.

Or perhaps Carlisle's presence was just the product of them living in a smallish town where the name Cullen was irregular, where most people efficiently made the connection between her and the new doctor at the local emergency room.

Mia didn’t know, and she supposed it didn’t matter much considering she had ended up here either way. 

“Where's the car?” Mia asked as they hit a crossroads.

"Down the hill," he answered. “At the edge of campus.” 

Mia huffed a frustrated sigh and picked up the pace, hoping to put a bit of distance between them for the rest of the journey. She was annoyed about having to walk so far considering he could have just driven through campus. She didn’t realize that the distance Carlisle had walked prior to collecting her had been to her benefit, allowing him a chance to calm himself and collect his thoughts. Mia was so used to her father’s innate calm, that she hadn’t realized it sometimes needed to be coaxed and manufactured and managed. 

They walked in silence for a few paces, and Mia realized that she was actually grateful for the walk, too. She was grateful for the space it provided, the delay in their conversation. Once they were in the car, there would be no eluding conversation. There would be no avoiding or brushing off her father’s concern or disappointment, but while they walked she had a chance at ignoring it all, focusing most of her attention on her footing as they made their way down the hill.

“Mia.”

“What?” The word came out somewhere between an annoyed hiss and a bored groan. Mia couldn’t decide what she wanted to convey, which emotion she was actually feeling, a task that had been exceedingly difficult for her lately. 

“Mia, please—”

“Can we not do this?” she asked as she stopped, turning to him. “You all wanted me to be a normal teenager and guess what, dad?” 

Carlisle was quiet. 

“I’m doing just that. I’m being a normal, miserable, angry teenager. Drinking. Smoking. That’s all I’m doing. And it’s normal fucking development. Normal. Unlike the rest of this so-called family. So if you want to be a normal parent, you can go ahead and yell at me. I don't care. Yell at me and ground me and pretend to be concerned and do whatever it is that you think normal families do, okay?”

Mia’s chest was heaving with quick, shallow breaths and Carlisle could hear her blood pumping, her angry heart working double. Carlisle didn’t need to take a breath, but he found after all this time it still steadied him and fortified him, so he paused, taking a bit of air into his lungs before responding. 

“I want to,” Carlisle said, his voice and tone shifting towards raised though the change was subtle. “I’ve never wanted to yell at you more than I do just now, but, Mia, I know you.”

“No, you don’t,” she answered. Not anymore, she thought. And Mia didn’t want him to, either. She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to know her, to know what was inside her now—the heavy darkness that seemed to fill her until it felt like there was nothing else left. She wasn’t sure she could trust anyone with that.

“Yes, I do, Mia,” he said. “I know my daughter and I know what this is, and no matter how hard you try, you won’t push me away. Even if I’m disappointed. Even if I am concerned by your choices, nothing you could ever do would make me love you any less.”

Tears pricked in Mia’s eyes and she looked away, waiting for the searing in her throat to ease. It was dark and they were out of the range of the closest street light, but the cover of night hid nothing from her father’s gaze. Even if Mia had continued to fight him. Even if she had told him she didn’t care, Carlisle would have known it was feigned because he could sense every one of her vitals from where he stood a few steps away. And more than that, Carlisle had spoken the truth just before. 

He knew his daughter. Carlisle knew Mia so thoroughly that nothing she could have done or said would fool him or stop him from giving her what he knew she needed, what he had been doing for weeks now.

He had known all about her behavior, about her acting out over the last two weeks. He had given her the space and patience and understanding she needed. He had let her make the bad choices, knowing that she was safe. Knowing that Jasper was monitoring and able to step in when needed before tonight.

Tonight had been a shift, a sign that Mia was ready to push things further and Carlisle figured his daughter would need some limits and consequences as they moved forward. And he would give her that, too.

She had been putting a distance between them, separating and isolating. Some level of it was normal as Mia had said—typical adolescent development—but just now, Carlisle felt certain that his daughter didn't need space or consequences or lectures.

She just needed a hug from her father and Carlisle had never been one to deny his children what was needed.

Mia didn't push her father away as he moved to hold her. Some part of her wanted to, the part of her that said she could no longer trust that people would stay, but a much larger part of Mia craved her father's comfort, the arms that felt like home more than whatever house they resided in ever could.

Just like that, the walls she had built around herself fell away, the tension seeping from her as she began to cry several weeks of pent up frustration and hurt flowing out.

For weeks, Mia had been intent on rousing anger, but Carlisle knew what his daughter really needed was love.

—

Twilight (Mia Cullen) Masterlist

“I thought you had to work today,” she said, because his working a day shift this week had been a topic of conversation. It wasn’t often he did it, but a few times a month when the weather permitted, Carlisle worked at the ER during the day. 

Carlisle took a performative breath. He had hoped his daughter would simply fall asleep. She needed the rest more than she needed the answers to these questions, but it seemed she was intent on staying awake for now as she shifted to sit up in bed. 

“I thought we could spend the day together instead.” 

“Doing what?” 

“This,” he answered. “Resting.” 

Carlisle noted the slight disappointment that clouded over her features. 

“But I’m not tired.” 

Carlisle raised an eyebrow. He knew his daughter was tired, but he also knew she was stubborn. And he knew that alone time was sometimes a novelty for the two of them. A precious gift that they both cherished. Carlisle was rather certain that was the reason why his wife had gone out shopping despite having as full of cupboards as they needed.

“I’m not very tired,” she amended. “I slept.”

“For” —Carlisle glanced at his watch— “three hours, Mia. You need to rest. We both need to.” 

“You aren’t resting,” she argued, nodding toward the bound pages open in his lap. “You’re reading.” 

“For fun,” Carlisle answered. “For you. It’s a gift.” 

Mia’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the “book” he was holding. It wasn’t a traditional book—neither soft or hardcover—but a hefty pile or 8 x 11 pages bound together with a plastic ring binding. 

She lifted the pages to see the cover. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

by J.K. Rowling 

FINAL DRAFT - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

Mia let out a squeak as she dropped the cover onto her father’s lap. “This isn’t even out yet. How did you—How did you get this?”

Carlisle shrugged. “A friend.” 

The next book in the installment wasn’t expected out for another month or so. Finding an early copy had been a recent endeavor, something he had been working on as a gift for Mia. He had asked around to his contacts, knowing that eventually he would find someone with the proper access or influence to obtain a copy. After the trouble with James, Victoria, and Laurent, and with the stress of the end of the school year, Mia had been stressed. She had been having nightmares for weeks, but they had become more prominent over the last few days. It had been luck more than anything that the manuscript had arrived when it had. 

They had read all of the books together—Carlisle and Mia—and Mia had practically grown up alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

“How far have you gotten?” she asked. 

“I’ve just finished chapter 6.” 

It wasn’t very far, but it was far enough that Mia knew what her father had been doing—reading ahead so he could tell her the story himself as he had always done with she was little. Mia readjusted suddenly, settling her head against the pillows, and facing her father as she pulled the blankets up over her shoulder. 

“Would you like to hear it?” Carlisle asked. 

Mia nodded as he set the manuscript aside and shifted to turn toward his daughter, the smooth cadence of Carlisle’s voice a comfort as he told her the story from memory. 

Because Carlisle worked overnights, it was usually the others who tended to Mia’s nightmares—Edward and Esme, most often—so it was a rare gift for Carlisle to have this chance. A rare opportunity for them to spend the day together. Carlisle knew a day of rest with a shared book wouldn’t solve all of his daughter’s problems. It wouldn’t make finals any easier or erase the memories of the vampires who had caused their family and Bella so much strife, but he hoped it would help. He hoped the familiar routine and familiar characters would be a comfort for her as much as it was for him.

—

Twilight (Mia Cullen) Masterlist