The Phantom Wolf

Chapter 98 (Bree Cullen)

*3rd Person POV*

A week or so had passed since the coven went ice skating together for the first time, and Bree had had a lot of time to think about something that she really wanted to do, but had previously been to scared to bring up. Steeling her resolve, she approached her mate late at night in their bedroom.

Speaking incredibly quietly so that only Pearl would be able to hear what she was saying, Bree asked, but more like demanded, "Please help me find a way to call Carlisle and Esme mum and dad."

Pearl blinked in surprise and stared silently at her imprint for a moment. When what she had said fully registered in her brain, Pearl speedily picked Bree up and carried her bridal style out of the house, far away from their vampire family. Once she was certain that they were out of earshot, Pearl spoke, "Sorry for the sudden lift, I just figured that you wanted this conversation to be more private."

Bree nodded, and smiled thankfully. "Yes I did. Thanks Pearl."

"No problem." Pearl responded happily, then she turned her tone into a more serious one. "So, what's this about calling them mum and dad?" She asked.

Bree nervously replied. "I really want to start calling them mum and dad, but, I'm not sure how to ask if it's okay or not."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind Bree. They did technically adopt you after all." Pearl said reassuringly.

"I know that, it's just... no one else calls them that. At least not on the regular. And technically we were all adopted by them." Bree mentions downheartedly.

"Well, not all of us. I'm still Sue's kid, I'm just missing. But I do get what you mean." Pearl replied softly.

"If we were all human and this was a 'normal' situation, I'd already be calling them mum and dad. But, this isn't normal. We're vampires for crying out loud! I'm going to live eternally at 15 years old and I've never had parents before! Carlisle and Esme are the only parents I've ever known, and it feels right for me to refer to them as mum and dad, but, I don't want to screw anything up by overstepping." Bree rushes out worriedly, slightly afraid of Pearl's reaction, but she just needed to get it out in the open.

"Woah, Bree. Calm down, and take a breath. Okay?" Pearl spoke softly as she wrapped Bree in a comforting hug. Once Bree had calmed down a little, Pearl continued talking, "I very much doubt that you would be overstepping by asking something like that. And you're not going to screw anything up by giving them the titles that you think they deserve."

Bree nodded her head against Pearl's chest and pulled away slightly to face her. "How did you do it?" She enquired.

Pearl tilted her head slightly, showcasing her confusion at the question.

Bree clarified. "How did you go about calling them mum and dad?"

Pearl sighed, then smiled at her imprint. "Our situations aren't entirely the same. My biological dad is dead, yes, but he still raised me. And Sue definitely played a part in my childhood, I just can't see her the same way anymore, not after everything that happened. Much less give her the title of 'mum'. Carlisle and Esme stepped up for me, in ways that my parents no longer could. So I do see them as my parents now. But I don't call them mum and dad on a regular basis. It's still kinda weird. I just call them that when it feels right... I don't really know how to explain it." She muttered at the end.

"At the mall and the ice rink, you said it then." Bree stated curiously.

"At the mall, with everything Carlisle did, he felt like my father in that moment. That was when I realised what he meant to me. So when I called him 'dad', I meant it. And in the ice rink with Esme, that one slipped out naturally. I didn't even think about, I just said it." A warm smile spread onto the hybrid's face. "I still mostly call them Carlisle and Esme, but if anyone was to ask, I wouldn't hesitate to claim them as my parents."