Chapter 1: Homecoming Pt 1
Chapter Text
Edith sat in the hospital waiting room, staring at the clock over the front desk, counting as the seconds ticked by. Her leg nervously bounced up and down as she mouthed the numbers to herself. She could practically taste the sweet freedom on her tongue.
Her eyes moved down from the clock to her Mother, Rowen, at the front desk, talking with her Doctor and therapist, finally signing her discharge paperwork from the Miskatonic Mental Health facility. Dr. Creed handed her Mother a bag of Edith's perceptions and a folder of her medical records since she'd been admitted at the facility—her medical records from the last 4 almost 5 years.
She glanced out the glass doors into the wide-open world. She could see her Mom's car parked out front, she narrowed her eyes to see if she could see anyone waiting for them inside.
"Edie, Baby, you ready?" Rowen called her, now standing in the waiting area with her, holding her paperwork and one of her two bags. Edith turned to her mother and began standing up and grabbing her remaining bag.
"Yeah...I'm ready," Edith said as she stood, waving goodbye to her doctor.
The walk between the waiting room chair and the outside door felt like the longest 2 minutes in her life. She watched as Rowen pushed open the door and held it open for her. The fresh Autumn breeze hit her face as a few crisp leaves scattered in
"Are you ready? You're finally coming home," Rowen said as she held the door for her daughter. Edith's grip on her bag strap tightened as she stepped out the door, looking out into the bright-colored world.
She froze for a moment, taking everything in. Chills ran down her spine as it all set in. She was out; she could finally go home to her family—to her uncles and siblings, to her mom, and...Her eyes stopped on the car, seeing that no one was waiting for her. Her face dropped as she felt a painful ping in her heart.
Rowen glanced at Edith, her heart aching as she saw the realization set in on her face. She placed her free hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze and a reassuring smile.
"Come on. You're in the home stretch now, Edie." With that, she clicked the unlock button on her key fob and unlocked her vehicle as she made her way over, Edith following behind. She handed her bag to her Mother to set in the trunk before sitting in the passenger seat and starting the engine for her Mom.
After Rowen had packed her bags in the trunk, she sat in the driver's seat and buckled her seat belt, looking over to ensure Edith was buckled in. She saw Edith looking at the empty seats in the back, zoning out.
"Edie, Baby seat belt, come on. Lacey and Matthew had been up all night getting your welcome home gift ready." Rowen spoke, snapping Edith out of her trance.
"Oh yeah, sorry..." Edith grabbed the buckle and clicked it in place before Rowen reversed the car, and they made their way out of the parking lot.
The ride was quiet except for the music from the radio. No one spoke for a while until Edith broke the ice. She stared at the color-changed trees as they passed by.
"Have you heard anything from Dad?" She asked, glancing over at her Mother driving. Rowen sighed; she knew this conversation was coming up.
"I have heard anything from him, Sweetheart. I've called him several times, Edie. I know I want him here too..."
"...Is he mad at me? He disappeared right after I left...Does he hate me for what happened?" Edith asked, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging her legs.
"No, Babe, you're father could never hate you in a million years. You're his pride and joy," Rowen reassured her, reaching over and rubbing her shoulder to soothe her.
"...then why isn't he here? Why has he been gone for almost 5 fucking years Mom?!" Edith questioned, burying her face in her arms as her voice cracked.
"Oh Baby, I... listen, you know how complicated and...distant your Father can be..." Rowen pressed her lip in a thin line, trying to think of what to say to her. She glanced over at her daughter as she came to a red stoplight. Edith looked up at her with her tear-stained, greyish-blue eyes. She reached over and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Oh My Sweet Girl...listen...How much do you know about your Father's family?" Rowen asked as the light turned green, moving the car forward.
"Not much...I know that he had an older sister...Judy. He said I look just like her...something happened to her when they were kids, and his parents blamed him for it...That's why I never met them." Edith recalled, resting her chin on her arms. Rowen nodded as she turned out of town, heading into the county.
"That's pretty close to what happened...well, when the... Incident happened with Judy it fucked him up bad. His parents put him in the Mental Hospital too for a very, very long time so they didn't have to deal with him, and some very horrible things happened to him there-"
"So he abandoned me like they did him?" Edith interrupted, the tearful look in her eyes hardening. Rowen sighed and shook her head.
"Pup...I'm not trying to make an excuse for your Father. Trust me, as soon as I see him, I want to choke him out, but I'm trying to help you understand what happened. I think he just got scared for you for what might happen to you in there..." Rowen said as Edith buried her head back into her knees.
"...It's not like he was there in the 60s when they used electric shock therapy..." She muttered under her breath, Rowen fell quiet. The rest of the ride down the winding county road was in silence.
Edith went back to the window, watching the rolling fields pass by. After a while, Rowen turned onto a dirty road, coming to an old gate that led to their driveway.
"Edie, can you get the Gate, dear?" Rowen asked, parking the car.
Edith nodded as she got out and opened the gate. She winced as the metal scraped against the dirt and rocks, and the hinges made a high-pitched squeal.
"I need to tell Leather to fix that..." Rowen mumbled under her breath as she got back in and the two made their way up the dirt drive, pulling up to the big farmhouse.
"Alright, home sweet home...Are you sure you don’t want to go to your house first, Pup?"
“No, this is fine. I want to see everyone first.” Edith said as she looked across the grassy field at the two other houses on the property.
Rowen nodded as she got out of the car. Edith looked back at the farmhouse, taking it all in. Her eyes moved to the window as she watched someone duck behind the curtain. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped onto the lawn.
As she exited the car, the front door swung open, all Edith could register was a high-pitched squeal and a blur of red and pink before she was knocked to the ground.
"Edie! You're home!" Edith looked up at her so-called attacker, and her little sister Lacey hugged her body tightly. Edith smiled and patted her head.
"Lacey Baby, we've discussed respecting your sister's personal space," Rowen told the younger girl as she helped the two up.
"Here, help me with the bags."
"Yes, Mama." Lacey ran over to the back of the car as Edith dusted herself off.
"I'm so happy you're home, Edie! I can't wait to show you my new collection of buttons and my new makeup. Well, it's not new, but it's new to you. Oh! Speaking of cosmetics, I got my hair cut last week. By that, I got distracted at about 2 in the morning while I was trying to do my homework at the last minute. Mama had to fix it in the morning, but I like how it turned out. See, it's short now! Do you like it? I think it makes me look more sophisticated." Lacey talked and talked as she grabbed the bags of party supplies from the car, fluffing up her strawberry blonde hair, showing off her new haircut to her sister.
"It looks nice, Cece. The short hair suits you." God, this girl has not changed one bit.
"Lacey Dawn. Please don't tell me you got into the cake, you know that's for Edith."
"No, Mama, but Dad did let me eat the rest of the frosting when he was done decorating," Lacey answered their Mom, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"I need to talk to Jay about saying no to you...and not giving you pure sugar. You got him wrapped too tight around your finger, Sunshine." Rowen muttered, laughing to herself as she shook her head. Edith turned back to the door and saw Luke, Lacey's twin brother, leaning in the doorway, watching them.
"Welcome Home"
"Thanks." Edith climbed the stairs and looked at her Brother. She had a confused look on her face when she noticed his teeth.
"You still have Braces? I thought you were getting those off when I...left." Luke opened his mouth to answer, but Lacey beat him to it.
"He didn't wear his retainer because he said I quote..." Lacey paused, cleared her throat, and did her best Luke impression, which was pretty good.
"I'm Built Different"
"Shut Up!" Luke yelled at her, his voice cracking. Lacey laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. Glaring at her, he moved forward to scare her. Lacey ran and hid behind Edith, giggling.
This checks out, Edith thought to herself.
"Hey! Knock it off, you two." Rowen scolded them as she came up the stairs.
"Yes, Mama, I'm sorry," Lacey apologized. Luke just crossed his arms and looked away.
"Luke Davis."
"Yes, Mom..." Luke muttered, still glaring at his twin.
“Yes, Mom, What Luke?” Rowen stood before him, hands on her hips as she gave him a stern look, waiting for his apology.
“...sorry…” Luke looked away, still glaring as he grumbled under his breath. Rowen signed and moved inside. She turned and looked at Luke, cupping his face and kissing his forehead.
“Thank you, Baby Bug.” She released his face and headed into the dining room, Lacey following behind with the bags. Edith watched as Luke’s face softened. He always was a Mama’s boy at heart.
Edith approached him and hooked her arm around his shoulder, giving him a side hug as she walked him inside.
"Nice to see you haven't changed either, Lu."
"I have changed! I'm like a foot taller!" This was true. Last Edith recalled, Luke only came up to her shoulder; now, he was about at eye level.
Edith paused as she entered the threshold, letting go of Luke, as an odd wave of nostalgia and confusion filled her head. So much had changed. The once bright yellow flora wallpaper had faded and stained, and a new photo hung on the wall. Edith gently trailed her fingers along the windowsill as she walked to the kitchen.
She stopped when she spotted Sadie standing in the kitchen, holding the back porch door open for her father, Leather, as he carried a tray of raw meat from the meat locker in the slaughterhouse.
Edith stared at Sadie for a moment before she noticed her. Sadie had changed a lot since Edith had last seen her, though to be fair, Sadie never visited her in the hospital. But, how could she blame her after what happened?
Sadie froze when she saw her older sister standing in the doorway. Her tan skin turned pale as he looked at her like a ghost.
The two stared at each other in what felt like a standoff on who would speak first. Leather broke the silence when he turned and saw Edith.
“Hey. Edith, you're home. Welcome back"
"Yeah...thank you, Uncle Leather...umm, Hey Sadie..."
Edith looked back over to Sadie, only to see that she had left out the back door.
"Give her a second...she-"
"I know...I know..."
Edith said, looking down. A chill runs down her spine as the horrified look on Sadie's face and her terrified scream pop into her mind. She quickly shook off the memory.
"Hey, do you know where Jay and Joey are?"
Edith asked, looking up at Leather.
"Your Ma sent them out to pick up your gift-" He paused for a moment, glancing over at the clock on the stove.
"Shit they left 3 hours ago, Rowen!"
He called out to the Dining room.
"I just got done yelling at them!" She yelled back.
"Did Matthew go with them?"
"Huh, oh, He's in your Ma’s art studio playing on one of his screen games, whatever that thing's called."
"Thanks." Edith left the kitchen and made her way down to the craft room.
She spotted her little brother Matthew sitting on the large bean bag pushed up in the corner of the room. She could tell he was hyper-focusing on the game in his hands, headphones on, and probably blasting music.
Matthew had always been small for his age, but curling up on the huge bean bag made him look tiny.
Edith grinned seeing the perfect opportunity to scare the shit out of her little brother. She slowly crept up behind Matthew, careful not to knock over the many art projects her Mom and Lacey had scattered on the floor.
Edith momentarily loomed over Matthew's shoulder, watching his fighting game, slowly leaning closer as he sat unaware. She slowly reached for his headphones and quickly pulled them off his head, shouting in his ear.
“Boo!”
Matthew jumped, dropping the game in his lap. He looked up, angry, expecting to find either Luke or his dad to be the culprit, but instead, his face lit up when he saw Edith.
“Edie!’ Matthew turned and jumped on Edith, arms wrapped tight around her neck as he knocked her on her back.
“You're Finally Back!”
“Hey Buddy”
Edith wrapped her arms around Matthew and held him close as his arms squeezed around her neck. She would never admit it out loud, but Matthew was the Sibling she missed the most.
When he was born, he imprinted on her like a baby duck. He's been her little shadow ever since. She sometimes found it annoying, but she missed having him around.
“What game are you playing?”
“Mortal Kombat, look, they added Ghost Face!”
Matthew plopped back down on the bean bag, pulling on Edith's hand to join him.
As he explained the game's lore, Edith glanced up and noticed a shadow moving on the wall. She looked behind them to be met with the prettiest dark brown eyes she'd ever seen.
“Hola Mi Amor”
Edith felt a smile slowly creep on her lips.
“Hey, Beautiful.”
“Oh, hi, Catalina,” Matthew said, not looking up from his game. Edith quickly got up from the bean bag and looked down at Matthew.
“I think I heard Mom calling you.”
“What? I didn't hear anything.”
Matthew looked up at her, confused, pausing his game.
“Nope, I definitely heard her, come on, see what she wants.”
With that, Edith picked up Matthew by his armpits and carried him to the door, pushing him out into the halll.
“But!”
“Go!” Edith closed the door and turned to
Catalina, watching as she held back a laugh.
“You know, we could've just gone to another room.”
“And you know, He would've just followed us.”
“Fair enough,” Catalina said as she stepped closer to Edith. She could feel her cheeks heating up as she approached. Soon, she stood just a few inches away.
Edith reached out and tucked a lock of Catalina's dark brown hair behind her ear. Her hand rested on her cheek, her thumb pressed against her neck, feeling her heartbeat pulsing with life. Edith didn't understand why, but she always liked to feel her heartbeat; maybe it was just the knowledge that she was alive and real.
“You look more and more beautiful each time I see you…”
“You say that every time you see me, Edie.”
“And you love it when I say it.”
“I do,” Catalina leaned into her touch, looking into Edith's icy blue eyes for a few moments.
“Well…are you going to kiss me or are you just going to stand there smiling like an idiot? Remember, we can do that now.” Catalina teased, moving closer.
Edith could smell the coffee and vanilla that had clung to her clothes from her job at the local coffee shop. She cleared her throat as she felt it go dry from her closeness.
“R-right, we can do that now. I finally get to kiss my Girlfriend…yah…” Edith laughed nervously, her face glowing red.
“Edi-” Edith cupped Catalina's face in both of her hands and kissed her, catching her off guard, allowing Edith to slip her tongue in.
Catalina melted into her arms. She closed her eyes as Edith snaked her arms around her waist, pulling her close as she explored her mouth. She pulled away slowly, pulling on her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Happy?” she asked, looking down at Catalina, not trying to hide her smirk as she saw how dazed and shocked she looked.
“Well, now I want more…”
Edith chuckled as Catalina wrapped her arms around her neck, and they slowly swayed back and forth.
“I've missed you…” Catalina whispered against Edith's lips as her Fingers ran through her long, silvery Blonde hair.
“I've missed you, too.” Edith captured her lips again, leaning into her body as she held her close. Her hands began to venture lower as they kissed.
The two froze as a bright flash filled her room.
“Ha, Blackmail”
Edith pulled away from Catalina and slowly turned towards the door, only to see Luke holding his phone in the doorway.
“Luke…delete that.” Edith glared at her Brother, beginning to move towards him.
“Make me-” Luke froze in place once he looked up to see Edith moving towards him, glaring at him. Luke had forgotten how fucking scary Edith was.
“Oh fuck” Luke sprinted down the hallway, Edith already in close pursuit. She reached out and tried to grab him by his hoodie as they turned the corner into the Kitchen, where they met Rowen and Lacey, working on getting the punch and lemonade ready for the party.
“Edith Lorraine! Luke Davis. Take it outside!”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Sorry, Mom.” Luke ran out the screen door, closing it in Edith's face as she pursued him.
“Luke you little piece of Shit get back here!” She yelled from the porch, catching her breath momentarily, watching as Luke ducked behind the barn. Edith jumped off the porch and headed off after him.
Chapter 2: Homecoming Pt 2
Notes:
Warning: This chapter does mention Suicide and Self-Harm
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Edith bolted for the other side of the barn, only to turn the corner and see that Luke had disappeared. Panting heavily, she leaned against the red wall, cursing under her breath.
“God dame fucking Coward...He better keep running.” Edith turned to head back inside when she caught Sadie staring at her from inside the barn, holding two bowls of pet food and two barn cats meowing and pawing at her feet. She turned away and set the bowls on the ground, petting the cats as they ate. Sadie always had a soft spot for any animal; it was like she had a special connection with them.
Edith hesitated before stepping into the large barn. Sadie looked back at her, still crouching down with the cats.
“What are you doing out here?” Sadie asked, her voice sounding monotone and annoyed.
“Chasing The dipshit,” Sadie nodded, standing back up as she dusted the dirt and peebles off her legs.
“You should probably get back inside…Ma missed you.” Sadie said as she walked over to the bundles of hay in the corner, looking for something.
“I know she has…I know everyone has…right?” Edith asked, walking over to Sadie. Leaning back against the wall, Sadie glanced at Edith.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself at night, Edith.”
“Nice to see you're still as Stubborn as a mule…You've grown…you look good.” Edith said, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she watched Sadie hoist herself up on the block of hay.
“Thanks…” Sadie muttered, focused on searching the hay.
“What are you looking for-” Sadie cut her off.
“Here, both hands.” Sadie held her hands out, cupped around something. Edith held both of her hands out, and to Edith's surprise, Sadie gently set a very young bunny in her hands.
“Oh shit”
“Don't tell Lace, the cats killed the rest for the litter and chased the mom away. I'm bringing it into work tomorrow if it lives through the night.” Sadie said as she jumped off the hay; Edith nodded in agreement. She knew if they breathed a word about the orphan bunny and its massacre siblings to Lacey, her poor bleeding heart wouldn't handle it well.
Sadie went to her dad's workbench and picked up an old shoebox. She dumped the contents on the bench before filling it with hay.
“Oh, Luke, you better not tell Lacey either,” Sadie called out as she took the bunny from Edith's hands. Edith quickly turned to the barn door to see Luke trying to sneak out, that fucker was hiding.
Their eyes locked onto each other for a moment before Luke ran out.
“You knew he was in here?!” Edith shouted, looking back at Sadie.
“Shh! You'll stress the bunny out. Besides, you never asked. Edith groaned and flipped her sister off before heading back on her chase.
“LUKE!”
Edith chased Luke around the front yard, close on his heels as he tried to dodge her. Edith managed to grab his hood, causing him to fall back on the ground. Edith put her foot on his chest to keep him down.
“Delete it.” She growled, glaring down at him.
“Or else what?” Luke asked mockingly, trying but failing to pull her foot off him.
“Or else I'm going to punch you in the gut, Luke. And remember, we're both bigger now, I'm not going to hold back as much as I did when we were little.” Edith threatened Him, balling her hand in a fist as she glared at him. Luke swallowed nervously as he looked at her fist.
“OK Fine, I'll delete it! Now get off of me!”
“Show me, Lu.” Luke groaned, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and showed Edith as he deleted the blurry picture of her and Catalina.
“There. Happy?”
“I Guess.” Edith lifted her foot off Luke and helped him up.
They both looked up as they heard a car pull up the dirty drive.
“Dad's Home!” Lacey called out as she opened the front door, running down the steps with Matthew following behind.
“About time you two!” Rowen scolded her partners from the porch, closing the front door behind her as she walked over to Edith and Luke.
“Luke, I just got off the phone with Ms.O’Hara. She said you’re miss-”
“Oh, Hey, Look! Dad, here I gotta go say hi.” Luke quickly rushed to the car as their Mom approached them. She just signed and shook her head.
“I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow. We’re Celebrating tonight,” Rowen looked at Edith and smiled, grabbing her hand and holding it between her hands. Edith looked at her and squeezed her lower hand; Mom always had such soft hands.
“How are you doing, Pup?” Rowen asked, reaching to fix Edith's hair, moving it out of her face.
“I’m doing fine, Mom.” Edith gave her a small smile, glancing over at her siblings as they swarmed the car, looking at whatever was in the back.
“I know you want to see your uncles, but we need to hide your gift. Can I get you inside for a few minutes, Edie?”
“Huh, Oh yeah, I’ll go inside.” Edith turned and headed inside.
She stood by the window momentarily, watching her siblings greet their fathers. Jay hugged Lacey tightly, and Joey ruffled Matthew’s hair.
She felt it again, that cold, bitter ping resounding deep inside her chest as she watched, chills ran down her body as she felt herself grow jealous. She stepped back from the window, holding herself tight, her nails digging into her flesh.
She remembers when Mom told her that Dad was gone. It was a month into her stay when she found out. She remembers constantly asking if he would come see her, if he could come to the phone and talk to her, if he would write to her, anything to let her know he wasn't mad at her.
It was raining when Rowen finally told her what had happened and why he had ignored her. A couple of days after Edith was taken to the hospital, Rowen had stopped by the house to grab some of her things, only to find Mike had packed up all his valuables and left in the middle of the night without a word. Rowen and Her Uncles had spent weeks trying to find him before but had come up empty-handed. She remembered how heartbroken and scared her Mom looked that rainy day; She hadn't been sleeping.
Edith thought he was just having a hard time processing what happened, like Sadie did. But the weeks turned into months, which turned into Years with no word. God, who was she trying to fool? Of Course, he hated her. How could he ever look her in the eyes again after what she did?
She tried to kill his babygirl, his sweet sweet girl and Edith tried to slit her throat in a fucking bath tube.
Edith reached up and traced her fingers over the scar halfway across her neck.
It's funny, she doesn't even remember wanting or planning on dying that day. It just happened like her body moved on its own. One minute she was getting ready to take a bath, and the next thing she knew, she was lying in a pool of her own blood, pocket knife still in hand, as everything was fading.
All she could hear was Sadie screaming for their Mom. Why didn't she lock the door? Why did it have to be Sadie who found her like that? She was only 13 when she saw her; she was only a little girl. She failed her, too; she was meant to protect her little sister, and she failed her.
“Edith? Mi Amor? You alright?” Edith jumped, snapping out of her self-loathing as Catalina lifted her fingers from her arms, holding her hand, interlocking their fingers together.
“Y-yeah, I'm fine…” Edith whispered as she looked down at the red indents from her nails on her arms. If she had longer nails, she would be bleeding; they would surely bruise.
“Edie, Please…” Catalina pleaded, gently turning Edith's face to look at her.
“I-I'm fine, Cat…really…” Edith glanced back out the window to see everyone approach the house.
“Come on, Everyone's coming in,” Edith said as she led Catalina away from the door and walked her into the dining room.
“Edith, look at me, Hermosa,” Catalina asked, holding Edith's face in her free hand, her thumb gently rubbing against her jaw. Edith gave Catalina a reassuring smile as she gently kissed her knuckles.
“I'm fine. Today is just…a lot, yah know?” Catalina sighed and nodded.
“I know just…promise not to push yourself too hard.”
“I promise,” Edith leaned in and kissed her forehead as they heard the front door open.
“There's The Bride, Long time no See Kill Bill.” Edith turned to see her Uncle Joey walking in with Matthew hanging on his back.
“Hi, Uncle Joey”.
“Come on, Little Demon, hop off so I can greet Your Sister.” Joey Said as Matthew slid off, Rowen behind them to ensure he didn't fall.
Joey came over and hugged Edith, patting her back.
“It's good to see you, Joey.”
“It's good to have you Home.”
Edith looked down when she felt something around her waist. Matthew had joined in. She smiled and patted Joey's head as he let go.
“Oh, There She is!” Edith looked at the door again as Jay came in, and Lacey and Luke followed behind, bickering about something.
“Hi, Uncle Jay,” Edith pried Matthew off her legs and headed over to Jay, hugging him.
“Look at you, you've grown so much!” Jay commented, holding his hand just above the top of her head to compare their heights. He was still several good inches taller than her. Edith laughed.
“Uncle Jay, I haven't grown since I was 16. I'm the same height as the Last time you visited me.”
“Are you sure? You seem taller. Am I getting shorter?” Jay asked, scratching his head. Edith smiled and shook her head.
“Cece, where are you at? Come on, bets up; I won,” Sadie called out as she came inside, carrying a tray of grilled vegetable skewers and setting them down on the counter.
“Bet? What Bet?” Matthew asked, climbing up on the bar stool to grab a skewer. Rowen grabbed his hand before touching it, giving him a stern look.
“Yeah, what, bet you two?” Rowen asked, looking at the two girls.
“Go on. Tell ‘em, Lacey,” Sadie said, leaning against the sink with her arms crossed, grinning.
“...I bet Sadie Luke could go an hour before upsetting Edie…” Lacey admitted, looking away embarrassed as she took off her shoes and pulled out $20, handing it over the counter to Sadie. She gave it a disgusted look.
“Uhh…I’ll do an IOU…” Lacey shrugged and put her dollar back in her shoe.
“I had faith in you, Luke! How dare I have faith in my twin!” Lacey called out dramatically as she put her shoe back on.
“Fuck you guys…” Luke flipped them off, glaring at them. Edith rolled her eyes, glancing over at Catalina as she laughed. She had such a pretty laugh. Edith stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.
“What did I say about betting your siblings against each other, girls?!” Rowen scolded them as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sorry, Mama…” Lacey apologized, and Sadie rolled her eyes, glancing at the other Siblings. They all knew Lacey wasn’t sorry. Rowen signed, shaking her head.
“Here, how about you kids watch a movie while you wait for the rest of the party to arrive. Joey, help them pick.” Rowen asked, heading back into the kitchen. Joey began herding the kids out.
“Alright, you herd her. Mother knows best; let's go.” As he began to guide Edith and the younger kids out, Sadie stopped him before he left.
“Hold on, you too, Joey, pay up,” Sadie demanded, rubbing her finger together as Joey groaned, pulling out a crumpled $20 from his pocket.
“Don't tell your Mother,” He said, glancing back at them. Most of them nodded, but Luke just glared at him. Joey signed and pulled out a $5 bill from his pocket and gave it to him.
“...My Mouth is sealed.”
Sadie stayed back in the kitchen, moving aside so Rowen could wash her hands.
“Do you need help with anything, Mama? Before I go back out to help Pa.”
Rowen Signed, looking over at her as she scrubbed her hands.
“I want you to go watch a movie with your siblings, Poppet," she asked, drying her hands on her jeans.
“I don't mind helping Ma, you know that,” Sadie said as she grabbed another plate to bring out Leather, looking away from her.
“Sadie, please, I know you missed her too. You two used to be Inseparable.”
“Ma, please!...I-I just want to help you and Pa…” Sadie pleaded, gripping the doorknob, ready to run out. Rowen gave her a sorrowful look and walked over to her.
Once she reached her daughter, she cradled her face in her hands and kissed the top of her head, holding her close for a moment.
“Just promise me you'll spend Time with them after supper, Poppet…”
“...Yes, Mama…” Rowen kissed her temple before pulling away, gently stroking her cheek.
“Now go help your Pa.” Sadie nodded and headed outside.
Meanwhile, Edith sat on the couch, arms around Catalina's waist, waiting for Joey to pick a movie.
“Alright. What do you kids want? The Labyrinth, Gremlins, ET?”
Luke, Lacey, and Matthew erupted into an argument, trying to decide which one to pick. Joey looked at Edith and handed her the remote.
“Here. You decide what to watch. I'm going to help Wennie.” Joey then left the room. Edith just shrugged and turned on the first kid-friendly movie she saw: The Iron Giant. Luke opened his mouth to protest, probably to say the film was for babies, but Edith and Lacey glared at him to shut him up.
As the movie continued, Catalina rested her head on Edith's chest, her hand resting on her thigh, lazily tracing swirling patterns on Edith's jeans with her nails.
Edith held her close by her waist, her hand resting on her hip, just above the hem of her skirt. Edith Glanced Down at her for a moment, her grip on her waist tight. Catalina cuddled closer, her hand moving closer to Edith's inner thigh.
Edith looked away as she felt her face heat up, turning red. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't wish for time just to skip so they could truly be alone together.
Catalina smiled, pressed a kiss firmly on her cheek, and whispered in her ear.
“You're so Cute when you blush…”
“...Shut up…” Edith mumbled, shifting to pull Catalina onto her lap, her flustered face buried in the back of her neck as she hugged her from behind.
Edith looked up when she heard the front door opening. Catalina carefully slipped off her lap to allow Edith to stand as more of her family came in.
“Wennie, we're back with Nico!” Damien called out, guiding two little boys inside.
“Cassie! Corbie! Come here!” Lacey called out as she got up from the floor, holding her arms. The two ran over to her.
“Acey!” one of them called out, wrapping his little cubby arms around her neck as she picked him up. The other one went to Matthew and plopped down in his lap, and Luke ruffled his hair.
“Caspian, do you know who this is? This is our sister Edith. Remember? I've told you about her. She’s the one who looks like Elsa.” Lacey said as she walked over to Edit with Caspian in her arms. When he sees Edith, he hides his face in her shirt.
“Sorry, He's a little Shy…”
“Oh God…they got so big…” Edith said, looking at Caspian as she felt the guilt wash over her. They were only a few months Old when she left. No wonder he was so shy. She was a stranger to them. Hell, she couldn't even tell them apart. Her own baby brothers and she couldn’t tell who was who.
“Hey, don’t worry, they’ll get used to you. They’re like that with everyone.” Edith looked up and saw Damien approaching them, holding his hands out to take his son from Lacey.
“Come here, Cass. It’s ok, Buddy. Can you wave Hi to Edie?” Damien asked, holding Caspian, who shyly hid his face in Damien’s hoodie. He peeked out for a moment and gave Edith a little grabby hand wave.
“Hi, Caspian.” Edith smiled and waved back as Caspian went back into hiding his face. Edith looked down when she felt someone tugging on her pant leg. Corbin, Caspian’s twin, stood next to her, holding a handful of the fabric of her jeans.
“And You Must be Corbin,” she said as she crouched down and smiled at him. He just stared up at her before running over to Luke.
“That’s actually pretty good for him.”
“Alright, where is she? Where is my first God Child adjacent?” Nico called out as they came through the door, carrying their bag before dropping it on the ground.
“Hi, Untie.” Edith walked over to them and hugged them tightly. Nico let her go and held her at arm's length to look at her.
“Look at you. You look so much like your Mother.” Edith just laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Come on, you and I both know I look nothing like Mom.”
“It sure made it a hell lot easier to tell who your Daddy was when you came out.”
Rowen said as she came in, Wiping Her hands off on a kitchen rag.
“Mommy!” Corbin called out, getting out of Luke's lap and running over to their mother. He reached his arms up.
“There's My Baby Bird,” Rowen said as she smiled and picked him up, holding him close as she smothered him in kisses, making him giggle. He wrapped his arms around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder. Rowen carried him as she walked over to Damien and Caspian, giving Damien a kiss before smothering Caspian in kisses, too.
Edith smiled. She remembered the same happening to her and Sadie when they were little, the same with the twins and Matthew. Rowen always loved to make sure her children felt loved.
“How was the trip, Nico?” She asked as she wrapped her free arm around her best friend.
“It was alright. It definitely beats LA traffic,” they joked, hugging Rowen tight.
“Where's Riley?” Rowen asked, looking around the room.
“Oh, she's outside talking to her-”
“There she is! Edith, come give Auntie Riley a Hug.” Riley came in through the front door, heading over to Edith and giving her a tight squeeze.
“Hi, Auntie.”
“Oh, look at you. You look…great. Seriously, you could be a model sweetheart. Let me know if you ever want me to contact my agent. I'm sure I can hook you up with a gig.” Edith laughed, looking away, embarrassed, scratching the back of her head.
“Yeah, no thanks. I prefer being on the other side of the camera,” Edith said as Rowen came over, pressing a kiss on Riley's cheek.
“Riley, we talked about this. Don't send my babies into the industry,” Riley opened her mouth to protest when they heard Leather and Sadie come in the back.
“Suppers Ready!”
Notes:
Please let me know what you think <3
FantasiesEscape on Chapter 1 Mon 21 Apr 2025 01:44AM UTC
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