Darkness at the Heart of My Love || Wenclair

Chapter 12: To Be Courted?

My mind is racing... What could I have done to screw this up?... She just said she loves me... But... What do we need to talk about?... That makes her sad? I must've started to cry a little because I feel a cold hand wipe something off my cheek. I look up to make eye contact with her, my eyes still a little watery.

"Enid. It is not that I do not love you" She says softly and reassuringly. "But there is something you need to know." She places her hands back in her lap, folded like usual. "What is it, Wednesday?" I manage to say it without sounding too sad.

She shifts uncomfortably, or at least Wednesday's version of being uncomfortable, then lowers her eyes to avoid contact. Before she does though, I see sadness in her deep brown eyes. "First, no matter how much it will hurt me, this will be the last time we talk about our feelings for each other." My eyes widen. "Last time we talk about this? But... We just... You just..." I say, panicked and sad. "When you were unconscious, the thing that took and hurt you, said if I stay near you, you will get hurt or killed before it comes after me. So in order to protect you, I will be staying with family, and I will have a request made to... change dorm rooms." She says that last part quietly. Never have I heard her sound sad before. But to do all this just because she thinks it is what is best? "Wednesday!" I say, heartbroken a little, trying to see if I can't snap some sense into her thick mind. "Why?... Don't I get a say in this? If there is someone who is going to come after you, I am more than willing to help you and fight with you. I held my own against a Hyde for crying out loud!" I start panicking on the inside. Wednesday leaving me alone at her house? AND a whole semester alone in my dorm?! Not again!

"Enid..." She says softly with a worried tone. One I am not familiar with. "Mon Amour (My Love), your safety and protection are far more important than my feelings" My spine shivers, in a good way, when she says those first few words. But that quickly subsides and I am now feeling a slight rage mixed with heartbreak. "Your feelings Wednesday? What about mine! You leaving would hurt me worse... I... I can't be alone again... please... I can't..." I start crying and pull a pillow into my lap and start sobbing into it.

Wednesday's POV

I look at Enid, who is now sobbing into a pillow. I... Maybe...I am being too overprotective of her. But the thought of losing her would hurt me more than anything. Seeing her in pain makes me want to torture then murder who hurt her. I pull Enid into a hug or side hug or something to try and comfort her. I hold her while she sobs. I didn't realize how much I must mean to her... But why? I just told her about 5 minutes ago I might be in love with her. So why is she now so attached?

"Enid... I will make you a deal." I say, regret in my voice, for if anything would happen to her, I would never forgive myself. "W-what kind of deal Wednesday?" she says through sniffles. "I will not leave you for the break, nor change dorm rooms. However, I will keep my distance in public and if anything happens to you, or if you get into a single dangerous situation, I will change dorms." She looks at me and I can see her thinking over this proposal.

"Counter offer." She says sternly, her brow furrowed. I nod in agreement to hear her offer. "You stay with me here and in the dorm, distancing in public is okay but not ideal... But I get to have a say and actually be taken into consideration about if a situation was too dangerous or if I got hurt." She says with a smile. Maybe I am starting to rub off on her a little. She knew I would wait until she got a single papercut to leave and protect her.

I pause thinking about it. Do I risk her getting hurt? She could be useful... Not only as bait or to help fight whatever it may be I am getting us into... But also just having her as a partner... someone to talk to who I can trust. And I don't trust easily.

"Deal." I say, putting my hand out as she grabs mine and we shake on it. Her smile, she knows she played me well. "Anyways" I say as I stand up. "My mother would still like to speak with you. She wants to discuss something which was to be discussed the other day. I shall walk you down to the greenhouse." I say as I walk toward the door. I hear Enid slowly get out of bed, her face red and smiling. She quickly follows as we walk down the hall.

"S-so" Enid says quietly but I can hear giddiness in her voice. "Does this mean that... You know... We're dating?" I raise an eyebrow. "Unfortunately not, Sinclair." I hear her whimper a little out of- sadness?. "In the Addams Family traditions I am to court you. However, I hate those traditions because I refuse to be anything like my mother." I say sternly. "But Wednesday! I think it would be cute if you courted me! I have no idea what that entails or means but it sounds cute!" I roll my eyes and sigh. "I shall think about it Sinclair. But my mother will speak with you now. I'm going back to writing." I leave Enid standing at the doors to the greenhouse, not wanting to think about feelings anymore than I already have, heading back to my room and setting my typewriter.

Enid's POV

I hate it when Wednesday does this... I stand at the doors of the greenhouse, nervous to go in. That is, until the doors open and I see Morticia standing in front of me, I look up to meet her gaze. "Hello Enid!" She says excitedly as she steps aside to let me inside. "I have heard... Well... Seen a great opportunity for you and Wednesday. I knew she would find the perfect person for her." She says as she starts watering her plants. "Now tell me, has Wednesday begun preparing to court you?" She says curiously. I feel my cheeks start to burn. "I- Uhm- Well" I stutter out as she turns to look at me in confusion. "Enid? What's wrong?" I look down. "Wednesday says she doesn't want to court me." I stop, not wanting to say more in case it would hurt Mrs. Addams feelings if I told her what Wednesday truly said. "Oh? I assumed she would have confessed to you, then would have begun to plan the best way to court you." She says as her smile fades.

I sigh. "No... She did confess that she likes me... But... She said she doesn't want to court me, because she hates the tradition and doesn't want to be anything like you." I say, my mouth spitting it out at a thousand miles per hour, preparing to get yelled at as my mother would have if I said anything remotely like that. Morticia sighs and goes back to watering her plants. "She doesn't need to keep the Addams family traditions. It would be nice if she did. However, the curse will take hold soon, if it hasn't already." She must sense my confusion because she doesn't hesitate to continue.

"The Addams Family is built on trust and love. Two things that are hard to obtain and keep. The curse is based on old family lore, that when an Addams falls for someone, in this case, Wednesday falling for you, she would not only do anything to protect you from something or someone. She will also do anything to keep you. Love is a dangerous game and if played incorrectly, can be a painful loss, or a happy win." She says softly. "I don't know much about how werewolves relationships work, Wednesday would however." She says in a way that is curious but also not pushing me to say anything.

"Well... When we find a mate... We usually mate for life. We are overprotective, territorial, but very loving. It's sometimes hard for us to tell when we have found a mate. We usually don't know until a full moon. Even then it's not set in stone. My family and pack just..." I trail off, and look at the floor. Morticia must realize it is an uncomfortable topic because she wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. "Do not worry about Wednesday. She will find a way to express her feelings. She has a way around them." She says with a smile. "For now, you have free reign of the house, feel free to explore, practice your violin, or anything else you'd like to do."

I smile softly and thank her as I leave the greenhouse. I head up to my room and close the door. I would hate to bother Wednesday, but I know she's busy writing. I pull my violin out from under my bed and I sit on my bed. I stole a music stand the other day and put the piece of music I found in the music hall on it. Maybe practicing will help clear my mind.

As I start playing, I get lost in the music, my fingers dancing on the strings. I decide to close my eyes, and see if anything happens. But nothing does. I don't smell or see anything like I did last time. My eyes start to open as I finish the song, my fingers slowing and the bow coming to rest. I open my eyes to see a light brown colored envelope sitting on the stand, my name beautifully written in ink, next to my name reads "Il mio adorabile lupo" (my lovely wolf).