Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

41

Trigger warning: Domestic Abuse. I don't go too far into the details, mostly just the fact that it was happening.

3 Months After

I'm in Bobby's kitchen making grilled sandwiches for lunch. It's been the most chaotic three months of my life, but things are finally calming down some. Sam and Dean are on a hunt in Missouri, and bobby and I are doing demon research. Carlisle is in the living room trying to get in contact with his children. This is the third time he's called this week and so far, nothing. No one knows what happened, but I can tell the panic is starting to build in him. We've all been so focused on trying, unsuccessfully, to find some kind of loophole in the deal that Dean made that I'd forgotten the state we'd left Edwards and Alice in.

Last night Carlisle and I finally had time to talk about us for real. I close my eyes a let the memory wash over me.

I'm in the bedroom putting on my pajamas, Carlisle is already in bed, watching intently. I craw under the blankets next to him and his eyes follow me.

"What's on your mind?" I ask, leaning my head against the head rest and looking at him.

"What you said in the forest, did you mean it?" He asks.

"With every fiber of my being." I say imminently. "I love you Carlisle and that's not going to change any time soon."

He takes a deep breath and looking at the ceiling. I can see a war of emotions playing out inside his head. I grab his hand under the covers and scooch closer to him. "Tell me what's going on in your head right now."

Carlisle swallows hard and his atoms apple bobs. "The last person to say that to me was Esmé. I haven't said them to anyone else either"

Well shit. I killed Esmé, his wife for longer than I've been alive, and he's worked through that. Or I thought he had. I wouldn't expect to be sharing his bed and more if he hadn't.

"I'm sorry." I say, and he looks at me again. "I'm sorry I caused you pain."

He snorts and shakes his head. "You have no idea. The pain- yes- but also the relief."

I start and turn fully toward him. I'm officially very confused. What does he mean relief? I killed his wife, that should be bad and devastating and unforgivable. Not something that gives relief.

"What do you mean?"

He takes a deep breath. "I didn't realize at the time, and by the time I do mean several hundred years, but she was abusing me. And everyone, but especially me."

I can see how hard this is for him. I don't know what to think either. I'd never thought to ask what his relationship with Emsé had been like. Considering I'd killed her it seemed wise not to bring it up. I keep my grip on his hand firm to lend whatever support I could while he continued.

"It was never physical, that I would have understood and stopped. It was words. Words that cut to the bone and left me adrift and confused. Towards the end most of our conversations ended in a fight. We-I tried to hide it from the kids because they are obviously not all that young, but I'm pretty sure they saw through it. As devastating as her death was, it finally brought peace to the house in a way there hadn't been in years."

I don't care if he has more to share, I hug him as tight as I can. I feel his arms wrap around me and I hold on as sobs wrack his body. When he's calmed down some I pull away and wipe the tears from his face.

"Thank you for telling me." I say, still wiping tears from his face. "I don't care what she did to you as long as you're mine. I love you with everything in me and as much as I'd love to know you love me too, I understand if you're not ready. Take all the time you need because-"

He cuts me off with a kiss. I don't even know what else I was going to say because his hand are everywhere and nowhere and his mouth on mine is all consuming.

"I love you, Carlisle." I gasp when we finally break apart.

He looks at me with his soul piercing eyes. "I love you, Charlie, more than the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky. I'll always love you." He whispers, and then his lips are back on mine and all thoughts leave my head.

I shake myself back to the present and flip the third and final sandwich onto a plate and bring them out to the living room. I know Carlisle won't want one, he went hunting yesterday, but Bobby and I are only human and rely on regular food sources- beer and cheese.

"Hungry?" I ask, putting down the plate on the coffee table and grabbing the top sandwich for myself.

Bobby only grunts in reply but helps himself. I wrap an arm around Carlisle who is still on the phone. He's silent and I don't hear anything from the phone so I'm guessing he's not having much luck.

"How's the research going?" I ask Bobby as my hand rubs circles on Carlisle's back.

He finally looks up from the book he had been hunched over. "So far all I've found is that you don't make deals with demons because the deals are binding."

I shake my head, then lean into Carlisle's shoulder. He finally drops the phone onto the couch next to us and wraps me in his arms. Bobby watches us for a moment before going back to his book.

"Did you have any luck this time?" I murmur in Carlisle's ear.

He shakes his head. "I've tried all their phones and nothing's going through. I ever tried your landline and didn't get anything." He pulls me closer to his chest. "I don't think they're there anymore, but I have to go check."

I pull away to look at him and see how serious he is. We've been staying at Bobby's and that's been great for me, but I can see that being away from his kids is killing him. If Bella were still alive I wouldn't want to be away from her either, so I get it, but I'll miss the rhythm of life we've fallen into here.

"I'm sorry Charlie, and you don't have to come with me." He continues, looking directly inot my eyes, his blue eyes shining. "I'll understand if you want, or need, to stay here. But I have to go. I have to make sure that they're ok and alive" His voice breaks on the last word and I lean down to kiss him.

I break away and wipe the stray tears that have leaked from his eyes. "I'd follow you to the end of the earth Carlisle, I think I can handle Washington. Plus, we left in a hurry, and I should probably quit my job officially."

He laughs into my lips and squeezes my hand. "Thank you."

Bobby coughs across the room. "If you are done with all... that. I might have found something. Before you leave, we need to go hunting."