𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬² | 𝙏𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 ✓

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The night dragged on as the wind howled along the trees near their window. Meloria couldn't help but admire the way the moon's light shined on her son's face.

He was her entire life. Of course, she had her parents and she loved them very much but Tobias was all she had left of Vincent.

She sighed with a small smile as she stood up and sat down in a rocking chair near the window. She looked out at the beauty that was the night sky.

As she looked at the twinkling stars she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. She looked behind her only to find her son fast asleep, almost snoring. She looked down at the forest to find nothing but darkness.

She swore she could see a silhouette of a person but maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks on her again.

The same thing happened on Tobias' tenth birthday. She swore she saw Vincent near the forest lining when she took Tobias up to Flagstaff to see the snow. She knew it couldn't be him because he'd been gone far too long for it to be.

A small part of her always wished that maybe he was still alive. Perhaps they didn't have an open casket at his funeral because there was nobody to bury. But she knew that was ludicrous.

Even for someone like her, who lived in her own fantasy world in her mind most of the time, it was a ludicrous thought to have.

From down below Vincent looked up at his beloved wife, knowing that he couldn't go back to her yet.

He was risking everything just being in that town. Vampires that weren't part of the Cullen clan weren't particularly welcomed but he couldn't help himself. He needed to know that his family was okay.

"You made me a promise Vincent." He heard from behind him. If his heart were still beating, it would've stopped immediately. "They're my wife and son Sam. I can't just leave without at least seeing that they're okay." Sam sighed from beside him as he looked up to see Meloria rocking back and forth.

"The Cullens wouldn't hurt them and even if they tried my pack made you a promise to protect them." Vincent just wanted his life to go back to normal.

"Maybe if I did things differently the three of us would still be in Arizona living normal lives. I don't want them involved in all of this." He confessed. "Trust me, we all would like to go back to normal but it's their choice to make once they find out. The Cullens will give them a choice, I promise you that." Vincent smiled lightly at his friend.

Sam had helped him from the beginning when a rogue vampire accidentally turned him while he was out hanging out with some friends in their college town a bit away from Forks.

"I want to talk to them, Sam. I need to talk to them, show them and tell them I'm alive and well and we can go back to us."-"Except you're not alive." Sam sighed, hating that he had to keep having this conversation with him.

"It's been way too long to see them. There might've been a small window of time that you could've gone back to them but that window has been closed and boarded up for years." Vincent wanted to scream but he knew Sam was right. It'd been far too long.

He decided to not say anything on the matter. He knew it would just be a losing battle for him so he just stood there, looking up at the love of his life as Sam shifted and ran off pack to the pack house where his wife was. 

Vincent was envious of their relationship, still being able to stay together even after everything.

"Meloria." He whispered; her name falling from his lips so easily. Every letter rolled off his tongue smoothly. She moved slightly in the chair, looking down, directly at him as if she had heard him.

Except that she only saw darkness. He smiled up at her, restraining himself from running inside and holding her in his arms, telling her how much he loves her. How much he missed her.

"Vincent." He heard her say silently. Her voice was shaky as she played with the engagement ring that sat on her ring finger. She'd never taken it off, not once. 

He promised her that they'd start planning their wedding as soon as he got back and little Tobias would be their flower boy.

In their minds, after Vincent disappeared, they were married, past the engagement stage.

They looked at each other in the dead of night through the large window wall of the Cullen house. Yet, only one of them could see.

"What are you doing up mom?" Tobias said, waking up suddenly as he walked over to his mother. Vincent's smile grew slightly at the sight of his son. He had grown so much since the last time he had seen him. Same had him practically on house arrest for almost a year so he couldn't go and visit them as much as he pleased.

"I couldn't sleep." She said simply as Tobias placed a hand on her shoulder, letting her lean her head on his arm. "You miss him, don't you?" He chuckled. "Of course. I don't think I'll ever stop missing him." Vincent's heart wanted to ache. He wanted to cry. He wanted to hold them and tell them everything was going to be okay.

Tobias leaned his head on top of hers with a sigh. "Me too. I wish he was still here, I think he would've liked Forks."-"I do." Vincent answered from below. Tobias looked down at where his mother was looking early and for a second, the moonlight shined directly on Vincent giving his son a clear view of him but just as his brain registered it was him the shadows covered him up.

Tobias thought nothing of it, thinking maybe it was just the tiredness getting to him.

"Come on mom. Let's go back to bed." He said as he walked back to the bed. Meloria looked down at the shadows again as if hoping to see something impossible before sighing and going back to sleep.

Tobias dreamt of Italy, living in Italy with Ren as they studied the arts.