The Brightest Part of The Night

Chapter 2

As the years pass, Aidan becomes familiar with Elliot's friends, becoming a safe place for LGBT kids to hang out. Though, Aidan still saw Elliot's black outline, she keeps it a secret, and now it's the day before their 19th birthday. 

Covered in Elvish markings, looking more like tattoos other than the bright blue marks everywhere else, Elliot sits in the living room, with a friend. A guy, yes, but, Elliot is a raging lesbian. 

Their horns were a lot longer than they were when Aidan first took them in, more markings and more fae traits, like heterochromiac eyes. Their blue eyes have developed a purple in the left one, not completely taking over the blue, though. 

Aidan runs back and forth from the kitchen to the living room, baking cookies, and watching the same tv show that the the two teenagers are. 

"Hey, mom?" Aidan's heart swells at hearing that from Elliot. Every time Elliot says it, she knows that they love her. 

"Yes?" 

"Can I go to the restaurant down the street? I'm meeting my friends there," Elliot asks, grabbing their jacket, and smiling. 

"Sweetie, you're eighteen, you don't need to ask me anymore. Go, just be back before I can go and find you," Aidan said, smiling.

"I love you," Elliot told her, going in for a hug. Elliot was a few inches shorter than her now, their horns made them appear taller than they was, and tucked their head as best they could under Aidan's chin.

"Love you too." 

Normally when Elliot and their friends leave, Aidan breaks out the books or reads the letters from Eli. The papers were old, being from about 70 years ago, and the first picture they took together, just before Eli started to transition socially. 

Her late husband was trans, and she still loved him with all of her heart. She had moved on a couple years ago, however, it took her a while to sleep off the pain, sleeping for eight years, before going outside and meeting this beautiful kid she has now. 

Though, Aidan may have saved them from suicide two times now, the first time forcing them to throw up the pills they took and the second talking them down from jumping while burning in the light. That was when Aidan exposed herself as a vampire to them, and they had their questions, but, still loved her. 

Staring at the last letter that Eli left her, one he left on their bed, one that told her that he was diagnosed with a terrible elven disease, that couldn't be cured with him being a werewolf at the same time. 

So, it was the last letter he ever wrote, because he was admitted into the hospital the next day, and she had to stand with his seven remaining adoptive siblings and his ren. The last time she saw his metallic eyes, and his smile. Told her that he loved her more than anything in the world, and urged her down so that he could kiss her forehead once more. 

It broke her heart, when he passed, and she held tight to his ren's shirt, crying into it, and finding her biological son outside. He helped her back to her home, all the while she was crying and tucking her head into the crook on his neck. 

He was still alive. They just didn't talk a lot. He was busy, more so than usual. The last thing that Aidan has to remind her of Eli, and he doesn't come over a lot, because he doesn't like to be in his father's shadow. 

During the years that Elliot has lived with her, Aidan realizes where she's seen them before; in her dreams. 

Sees Elliot cut, sees them get kicked out of the house, sees them take an entire bottle of prescriptions, sees them scratch their wrists, sees them have many anxiety attacks, and then rush into Aidan's room to tell her what they've been doing.