(retroactive)

[her_imperial_radiance]

It is after the very first Bellparty.

"Dad never comes to these," Elspeth tells her grandma. "Too many strange Bells. If there were strange Edwards, Mama might have trouble with them too, but there aren't so far. But I can reintroduce you now, if you'd like."

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Some of it," says Edward. "Yes." He half-smiles. "Bella is also curious about whether my historical tendency towards 'melancholy philosophizing' is really about being a vampire or if that's just a shape it took."

[prima_sequentem]

"Melancholy philosophizing. Yes, this is a tendency I recognize," says Lizzie, smiling.

[alicornucopia]

"We had an argument about souls, once, that she found very exasperating. I suppose it's all been rendered quite moot; it has been more than demonstrated that vampires and humans appear in the same place and it couldn't reasonably be called Heaven."

[prima_sequentem]

"I never previously believed in an afterlife, but I'm happy to be proved wrong."

[alicornucopia]

"Did I pick up all my opinions on the subject from Carlisle, then? And attach my own melancholy philosophizing flavor?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Your father might have had an influence there."

Lizzie does not approve of Edward Masen, Sr. He had lots of money, which was nice, and he did genuinely love her, which was also nice, but he completely fell down when it came to parenting his child and if the practical considerations (i.e. money) hadn't been so hard to overcome, she probably would have left him over it. As it is, she tried to minimize the damage. It's hard to tell how well she succeeded.

[alicornucopia]

"Hard to tell," echoes Edward. "Yes, I suppose so. I have no special talent at reading my own thoughts."

[prima_sequentem]

"No, that's your wife's area of expertise. Although I guess you could always ask her for tips."

[alicornucopia]

"I have, occasionally. I think it requires more... self-esteem, than I tend to default to."

[prima_sequentem]

Well, now she kind of wants to hug him.

[alicornucopia]

He considers this for an imperceptible fraction of a second, and then holds out his arms.

[prima_sequentem]

Hug.

It's perfectly familiar, except for the change of species. There were a lot of hugs in Edward's childhood, and the majority of them were from his mother.

Is that the kind of information he is looking for?

[alicornucopia]

"Yes."

[prima_sequentem]

Lizzie grins.

"Happy to help," she says, letting go.

[alicornucopia]

He laughs softly.

[prima_sequentem]

Well, she is. She's his mother; it's her job. Hugs and all.

[alicornucopia]

"I have been wondering if I should introduce you to Esme. And reintroduce you to Carlisle. Or if that would be uncomfortable."

[prima_sequentem]

"I don't think it would be uncomfortable."

It has the potential to be, but it's not what she'd expect, going on secondhand information about Esme and Carlisle. She's not competitive. Edward can have as many mothers as he wants. He can start a collection. Just as long as he doesn't start keeping them all in glass cases in his basement, because that would be inconvenient and sort of creepy.

[alicornucopia]

That surprises a laugh out of Edward. "I don't know if 'mother' would be the best way to describe the relationship, anyway, except for convenience's sake, inadequate words for the odd configurations that crop up in covens - we often presented that way, but just as often I posed as her brother. Once as her nephew. Carlisle I do have more of a filial feeling for, and she's his wife, in addition to being a generally motherly person."

[prima_sequentem]

She grins.

"I am perfectly happy to share being your parent with Carlisle."

(She probably would be even if Edward's original father had been remotely adequate, but since he wasn't, there's no feasible competition for the title.)

[alicornucopia]

Edward laughs. "I'm glad. Particularly considering you picked him out for me."

[prima_sequentem]

"Well, there wasn't exactly a vast selection on offer at the time. But if there had, I'm pretty sure I still would've gone with him."

[alicornucopia]

"Very lucky," Edward agrees. "The Denali coven were the only other vegetarians active at the time, and I don't think I'd have fit in as well with them as creators instead of cousins."

[prima_sequentem]

"I take full credit for this near-total accident."

[alicornucopia]

"What would you have done, if it hadn't been Carlisle? I'm not sure why anyone else would have been here, but it wouldn't be unheard of. Alice came from a hospital that had a vampire working at it, albeit not one dedicated to treating the flu."