exhaustion {seth/open}

[violet]

As Seth apologized again, Violet got the feeling that he was acting of his own accord. It was fairly normal behavior for Seth besides the new vampire instincts. She briefly wondered how well controlled his thirst was, but figured it he was here, in the presence of three people, and everything was fine, he had to be managing it fairly well. Violet just wondered what type of blood her brother would choose to drink. She decided it didn't matter, so long as he wasn't killing for his sustenance.

As he told his horrible story, Violet started to feel horrible about the thought of cursing him. After all, it was hardly Seth's fault that a vampire had attacked and turned him. There was really nothing to be done in a moment like that. Letting her wand slip back into the inside pocket of her robes, Violet finally allowed her body to relax, even just slightly.

"I'm so sorry," Violet said at last. Not knowing quite what to do, but feeling like perhaps she stood hug her brother, she remained awkwardly standing. She felt as though she hardly belonged in the conversation any longer. It was obvious that Wren and Seth were far closer than Violet and Seth would ever be, though that was partly of her own doing. What Seth needed now was Wren's help, not Violet's.

"I think maybe I should leave," Violet said, though she hadn't arrived that long before her brother. She stepped over to Seth and quickly embraced him. Violet wanted nothing more than to go home to Jordan, though she doubted he was back from work yet. Still, she had already done enough damage by seeing her brother.

[merlin]

Seth was over the moon with joy when they both relaxed. Wren even stepped away from Daniel which was rather surprising. After their initial response Seth hadn't been expecting this change in beats.

What was even more surprising though was Violet coming up and giving him a hug and then saying she should go. Seth didn't want her to go and held her in the hug firmly. Moments like these was when he had to remember he was a vampire. He could handle the thirst just fine so long as he didn't skip a meal but handling the emotions was proving to be rather hard. It was like when he had become a vampire all moderate motions had been erased leaving nothing but the extremes. At times it made Seth feel bi-polar as he went from being one extreme to the next in seconds.

"Will you stay? Just for a little would be okay," Seth asked softly, realizing that he was still holding her in the embrace. Feeling a little sheepish, Seth let go and let his arms fall to his side. He didn't want Violet to leave. It had been so long since the two of them had talking that Seth just wanted them all to sit down and talk. Seth knew that he had been intruding on Wren and Violet and would feel guilty if Violet left because of his arrival. Not only that though, Seth needed to interact with his family and Violet was still part of his family no matter how much he disliked her husband.

Thinking of her husband, Seth realized he didn't even really have a right any more to dislike the other. "I know this is kinda selfish but I've missed you and I just want to talk. I can sit right here if it makes you feel more comfortable," Seth offered Violet as he indicated the door frame that he still stood under. With where he was the whole room would separate him from everyone else. Seth figured that if he was farther away from everyone Violet could relax and would want to stay just a little longer.

[wren]

Wren felt her eyes sting again as Violet hugged Seth, and he didn't seem like he wanted to let go. Deep down she knew that Seth had missed their younger sister, this was finally confirming it to her. Perhaps that would be the first step for him getting to accept Violet and Jordan's marriage. Wren just hoped that Violet had tact enough to not tell Seth that she was pregnant, at least not at that moment, the last thing she wanted was for Seth to get angry, that would just take everything back to square one. Or because of his highly sensitive senses would he be able to figure it out on his own?

She just hoped that nothing would go the wrong way, Wren hoped that maybe, just maybe, if Seth came to terms with Violet and Jordan's marriage then perhaps it would encourage their parents to do the same. Wren hated that their family had been driven apart by it, they had been so closely knit before, and with Violet and their parents not really speaking she felt it left a gaping void. She blinked forcefully to avoid actually crying when Seth almost pleaded with Violet to not leave, how he wanted to talk with them, going so far as offering to sit in the doorway.

At that Wren stood up again and closed the small gap between them. "You'll do no such thing," said Wren, "we can all sit on the furniture." She took Seth by the hand, expecting his skin to feel cold, though not as cold as it actually was. He felt like ice, or a solid ghost. Wren resisted the urge to shiver and instead lead the way back to the seating area, releasing Seth's hand before sitting back down on the couch. She had arranged the living room for conversation, the sofa she was seated on against the back wall, a loveseat across from it, and then a chair between the two so everyone could face each other.

On the wall between the couch and loveseat was also a lovely, large bay window. Wren had padded the ledge with cushions and a few decorative pillows. She liked to sit there and watch the world go by when there was nothing to do, mainly in the rare cases where both Ruby and Daniel were napping at the same time.

[violet]

Violet was understandably surprised when Seth held onto her for a long time, pleading with her to stay just a bit longer. Truthfully, Violet wanted to go home and crawl into bed, but she hadn't heard her brother talk so nicely to her in such a long time that there was no doubt in her mind that she was staying. Violet still wasn't sure she would reveal to Seth that she was pregnant, but his desire to talk to her was a good step in the right direction, she hoped.

"Sure, I'll stay," she said quietly. Violet was about to tell Seth that he didn't need to sit by the door, but Wren beat her to that. Seth was pulled back into the living room, with Violet following a bit behind. Violet took the empty chair for herself, sitting down and pulling her bare feet up underneath her.

"Honestly Seth, I've missed you too," Violet said with a slight sigh. She really missed her entire family, with the exception of Wren. They hadn't spoken much to her since her marriage to Jordan, which was now in it's second year. For Violet, who had always been so close with her family, it had been a tough year. Only the news of the baby to come had really cheered her up and now even that was in doubt because she didn't know what Seth or her parents would think about it.

"It's been a rough year all around, don't you think?" Violet asked, voicing her feelings at the moment. She said it mostly to Seth, but then glanced over at Wren as well, knowing how hard her sister had tried to make peace within the entire family to no avail. Their parents were certainly hard sells on the matter of Violet's marriage and Seth had always made it his personal mission to hate Jordan. Violet didn't know if things would change in the near future, but she hoped they would.

[merlin]

The roller coaster of feelings was never ending so Seth went from feeling the need to cry in an attempt to get Violet to stay to feeling over the moon with joy once more as they all sat down. This was how life should be, family sitting down and talking to each other. Seth wasn't sure why he had let his own thoughts and feelings tear a rift between himself and his siblings. It shouldn't have mattered as much as it did who Violet married. Seth should have been able to get past his own feelings and just been happy that Violet was happy.

"As strange as this is going to sound I don't think this year has been that bad," Seth said honestly. They had all suffered this year, Wren as she tried to bring the family back together and Violet being forced to being the black sheep of the family. Seth glanced over at Daniel and couldn't think of that year as being that bad when so many other good things had happened. Daniel had been born, Violet was an Auror now and Seth had Marcus. Everything seemed to balance itself out rather well it seemed to Seth. Plus the year was only half over and everything that could go wrong had so the rest of the year had to only get better right? Those were Seths more optimistic naive thoughts though...

[wren]

Wren was grateful when everyone eased into their seats, all facing each other in the slightly circular way she had designed the sitting area. She hadn't been very particular in how the rest of the house was arranged, but had wanted a cozy, conversation-friendly layout to the living room- so everybody could see and hear everyone. She was vaguely surprised when Seth said that it hadn't been all that bad of a year, though was glad that he had decided to remain optimistic. She wasn't so sure that even her sunshiny spirit would have been able to survive her becoming a vampire.

"No, not that bad," said Wren, her gaze flickering over to Daniel at the same time her older brother's did, her warm brown eyes lingering a moment on her son fondly. Even then it was still surreal to think that she and Zach had created that baby, Wren still had a hard time wrapping her head around the concept with Ruby. It was only then that she came to the realization that her daughter would be two in a matter of months, time seemed to pass so quickly these days. Wren was sure that before she knew it her babies would be heading off to Hogwarts. It seemed a ways off, but surely time would fly past.

[violet]

Violet was surprised when Seth said that he didn't think the year had been so bad. Perhaps he was simply more optimistic than she was. Violet had felt like crap from the time she had gotten married until now, so she wasn't sure she could really say that things had been great. There had been some good moments and the rest of the family might've had a good year, but she didn't entirely feel the same.

Violet turned to Wren as her sister said that it hadn't been bad either. She eyed her two optimistic siblings and then turned her eyes to Daniel as well. Yes, he was one good thing that had happened. And maybe children made up for worser things. Violet supposed she would just have to wait and find out when her own child was born. She thought again about telling Seth that she was pregnant, but figured that moment wasn't really the right time either. Maybe there wasn't a right time.

"You two are so optimistic," Violet said with a laugh. Truthfully, she hadn't yet wholly forgiven Seth for siding with her parents in the hate brigade on her marriage. Violet hadn't told anyone how much she had been hurt by that, but she could remember times when she had sworn to herself she would never speak to any of them again. Seth did seem more accepting now, though. But she still didn't even know if things had changed.

[merlin]

Seth grinned at Violet and nodded his head in agreement. He'd needed to become much more optimistic in the past couple of months. If he let everything get to him then Seth wasn't sure how he'd get by in life. Seth just needed to ignore all the bad things and focus on the good. With that in mind Seth had managed to get through the day for the past four months. With the more positive thoughts though Seth had also come to realize the mistakes he had made in his human life. The biggest one he currently had was how he had shut Violet out of his life. He'd been horrible to her and he now knew that she didn't deserve the treatment he had given her. Violet was happily married and Seths opinion of Jordan didn't matter. He should have been able to congratulate Violet for finding someone she loved.

Seth breathed deeply to try and halt his roller coaster of emotion only to stop and frown at the strange scent he hadn't noticed before. Seth was still not used to being able to smell everything around him and so missed plenty of scents. Now though he could tell that something was different with Violet. He wasn't sure what but Seth could tell. Seth hoped she was alright but wasn't sure how to ask her. Brushing his hair back, Seth stared at the floor for a moment to gather his thoughts. He owed Violet an apology and now was as good as any other time. Seth had just hoped to keep the conversation light and friendly for the time being. Unfortunately he wasn't on good enough terms with Violet to do that though.

"I'm sorry. I meant to keep the conversation light and friendly," Seth said, feeling a need to apologize before he moved on with what he had to say. Looking up, he looked at Violet so that she would be able to see that he was serious. "Violet so many things have changed these past two years and I've done horrible things. I should have been there for you and supported you but instead I abandoned you and even blamed you for tearing our family apart all because you had found happiness early in life. I am sorry and I hope you and Jordan are happy together," Seth finished his little speech by bowing his head slight in apology. He had not intended his apology to turn into such a speech but felt that he had included all he had needed to say. He knew something was different about Violet and hoped that it was something good and not some illness.

[wren]

"The glass is always half-full!" Wren said in a cheerful, sing-song voice when Violet commented on how optimistic she and Seth were. It had been a trait that Wren herself had always had, optimism was just the way that she was programmed, she couldn't think any other way. From his swing Daniel began to fuss, and with a quick look at the clock Wren realized it was a little past the time that she would normally feed him. Without a second thought Wren got up from the couch to retrieve her son, along with a blanket and a pillow.

Seemingly sensing what was coming, Daniel almost instantly quieted down. He was a pleasant change over Ruby's infancy, she had been a much more demanding baby, she would immediately sob uncontrollably if Wren so much as left the room. Thankfully now that Ruby had matured to a toddler she had gained some independence, and was no longer practically attached to her mother's hip. Wren draped the blanket over her and Daniel for privacy, though didn't see the need to excuse herself from the room to nurse her baby. True to her flower-child ways, Wren viewed it as a deep bonding between mother and child, not something that needed to be hidden.

When Seth again launched into apology, Wren felt herself tearing up all over again, though this time did not do anything to stop the tears from forming. This was what she had wanted, this was a step closer to their family being back together again. Wren had known that deep down that one day Seth would come to terms with Violet's marriage, but now that it was happening... She dabbed at her eyes with the side of her finger, but remained quiet, it wasn't her conversation at the moment.

[violet]

Violet glanced down at her hands for a moment as Wren proclaimed that the glass was always half-full. Wren's optimism was lovely in Violet's opinion, but she wouldn't consider it entirely practical. Violet loved her sister to death, but she doubted she could ever be as optimistic and happy as Wren. Maybe she was just too pessimistic about things.

Violet was a bit surprised by Seth's sudden change in tone, but she looked right up at him when he spoke. She took it all in for a moment, listening to every word Seth was saying. And by the time he had finished, saying that he hoped she and Jordan were happy, she found that she was crying. So many bad things had passed between them over the past year, and she was shocked to see how easily Seth had put it behind him and accepted her marriage at last.

"Thank you," she said quietly, struggling a bit to speak through her tears. She quickly wiped her eyes with her hand, but found that it didn't help much. Violet figured that it was probably hormones because she wasn't usually much of a crier, but still was a bit surprised by her amount of tears. She glanced at Wren for a moment, who was holding Daniel. "Seth," she said at last, figuring now was as good a time as ever. "I'm pregnant."

[merlin]

I'm pregnant

Seth stared at Violet with wide eyes, his brain seeming to slow down as it tried to process those two simple words. Violet was going to have a baby. His younger sister was going to be starting up her own family and be having a baby. This was fantastic news! Seth wanted to jump up and hug Violet but only just managed to restrain himself by holding his arms tightly. If he hugged her he would hurt her and the baby. Yes, Violet was going to be having a baby. Seth didn't know how many more times he was going to think that but it did explain why she had smelt strange.

Realizing that he hadn't said anything for almost a minute now, Seth smiled at Violet to show all was okay. "That is fantastic news!" He exclaimed, voicing his thoughts at last. "When is it due? How long have you known?" Seth restrained himself from asking more questions by hoping that she would be able to answer these first two even though he had what felt like a million other questions to ask her. Did their parents know yet? Seth doubted Violet would want to tell them but she couldn't exactly keep it a secret forever. At some point she would need to tell the parents that they would be getting another grandchild soon. Perhaps Seth could see about trying to get them to see Violet with less hostility. Perhaps Seth could claim their hostility instead and get Violet to be accepted by them once more. Seth couldn't see them hating Violet forever just because of Jason and using himself as a new focus may help the process go a little faster.

"We are going to need to celebrate this you know. Don't you throw some sort of party thing when your expecting a baby?" Seth asked, looking towards Wren for the answer to that question since she'd probably know more about what he was talking about. Seth wasn't sure what people called it but it was some sort of party to give gifts and stuff to the expecting mother. Seth felt just a little stupid for not being able to remember what the party thing was called but his mind was still tripping over the fact that Violet was going to have a baby.

[wren]

It was all Wren could do to prevent herself from bawling out of sheer joy, this was the way that things were supposed to be, and as far as she was concerned the damage between Seth and Violet's relationship had been repaired. Now if amends could somehow be made between Violet and Jordan and their parents, then she would be entirely ecstatic. Though in Wren's mind, this was a gigantic first step toward having their family together again. She dabbed at her eyes again, feeling her breath catch a little bit in her throat when Violet announced her pregnancy to their older brother.

Wren, quite truthfully, had been afraid of how Seth would react- surely Violet wouldn't have been able to keep it hidden from him forever, but to say it quite so soon... She however quickly released that breath in an inaudible sigh of relief when Seth reacted with just as much enthusiasm as when she had told him about her pregnancies with Ruby and Daniel. If anything, Wren felt that he was the best uncle a child could ask for, always enthusiastic about children. Wren beamed although her eyes were still streaming tears, the happiness she felt now was the strongest she had felt in a long time.

"A baby shower?" said Wren, her tear-filled eyes now sparkling with a hint of excitement. The thought of that had completely evaded her until Seth had brought it up. "Oh I could take care of everything for that!" said Wren enthusiastically, "would you let me?" Her last statement being directed toward Violet. She didn't see why her sister wouldn't want a baby shower, though it was safe to ask just in case.