Delayed confession [Wren/Open to family]

[wren]

Wren bit her slightly trembling lip lightly to keep it steady, usually she didn't work so hard at not crying, just let the tears come until they had stopped, but right now she was determined to at least appear emotionally stable. She probably wouldn't hold it together long, likely end up bawling like a baby when she went home, though right now Wren felt she shouldn't give in to her emotions. They too easily influenced her, they were too easily toyed with. She was craving things to be back the way they used to be, if only for a moment, tat they could rewind time back to when they had been children.

Sure, it had been crazy, chaotic even with so many of them, but at least they had been together. It had taken until then for Wren to realize that she hadn't properly cherished her childhood while she had it- though she supposed that most adults didn't either, youth was something not fully appreciated until it was gone. Wren looked up at Seth with her warm brown eyes when her said that he liked her naivety, though she couldn't imagine why. It left her vulnerable, and she felt in a way still immature. She managed a small smile, however, even though she still felt like bursting into tears.

Wren listened patiently as Seth spoke, explaining how he had been proud to be the role of hers and Violet's protector as their big brother, and how it had been essentially eliminated when they had gotten married. She did suppose that she hadn't thought about it that way before, Seth's feelings were beginning to make more sense to her. Wren was glad that he was open to talking about them, she had almost expected for him to shut down, but it was good for relationships to have open communication. Especially for her, she needed to understand why people felt the way they did about certain things.

Wren reached across the span of the couch to take Seth's hand, ignoring the chill of it against her skin. She had needed some form of contact, though wouldn't embrace her brother again when he had looked so uncomfortable the first time. "That's all I can ask," Wren said quietly, she allowed a small pause before continuing, "we have to stick together, all of us. Other people come and go, but family is forever." She rubbed at her eye with her other hand, not bothering to pull our her handkerchief again.

[merlin]

Seth had not wanted to make Wren feel so uncomfortable and sad. She just felt everything so strongly that at times people had no choice but to hurt her. Seth loved how much Wren felt everything because it helped make her a more empathic and happy person. Moments like this one though reminded him just how fragile she could be at times which only reminded him how he could no longer protect her from everything. It was no longer his job to protect her so all he could do was give her the truth and hope that she could handle it all.

Feeling her warm hand in his own Seth smiled sadly at her before leaning forward and pulling her into a light hug. Seth simply stopped breathing and did his best to ignore how close he was to her neck. "I love you and Violet so much and I hate how much I'm hurting both of you. But like you said, family is forever and I'm going to do everything I can to bring this family back together," Seth said softly before letting Wren go and leaning back. Wren needed a whole and happy family so that was what Seth would give her. Seth knew that his family wouldn't last forever and that someday he would be attending all of their funerals. This meant though that while his family was alive Seth could try to help them achieve the best they could in life.

"Wait here for a moment," Seth said before standing up and going into the kitchen. Grabbing a small plate and putting some cookies onto it. Filling half a cup with milk, Seth walked back into the living room and set both cup and plate onto the table. With a flick of his wand a fire was started in the fire place. Sitting down next to Wren again, Seth crossed his legs and leaned back with a childish smile on his face.

"I have a secret and the secret I shall tell you, these cookies aren't mine," Seth said all of this in a conspiracy whisper. He loved this game. It was a simple childhood game they used to play when they needed to be quite and there was no magic to use. All of the Harlington children would sit in a circle and whisper secrets to each other until they ether ran out or they could go outside to play again. Seth wanted to remember those times and felt that playing the game once more, even if it was only with Wren this time, would help remind him of what it was like to be a carefree child who didn't mind sharing their secrets with others.

[wren]

Now was one of the few times where Wren wished that she could not be quite so emotional, she needed to be a grown up now more than ever. One might think that she was about as grown up as she could be since she had children of her own, but she still felt she was still slightly juvenile. Truth be told, she was only twenty-one years old, she had a few years of youth left in her. But Wren didn't ever see herself as entirely level-headed, her heart was too strong for that, she was guided too heavily by her emotions. That was just who she was.

But what she had not been expecting, however, was for Seth to hug her. Wren returned his embrace readily, that was what she had needed. Of course, it really only made her want to start crying all over again. But it was comforting all the same. She was a physical sort of person, she had always felt that she showed her love, support, everything through touch. "I couldn't ask for anything more," said Wren, her voice trembling slightly as she fought back tears of a different kind. She didn't want to let him go, though respected that Seth might want space, so allowed him to sit back.

Wren offered him a watery smile, she was glad that he was going to make an effort to put thing back to the way they used to be again. She appreciated it more than she could say. She doubted all the damage could be repaired, but all they could be expected to do was try. Wren sat patiently when Seth excused himself, taking the opportunity to quickly pull out her handkerchief and dry her eyes. By the time he got back she had composed herself, and she even smiled gently when he put down a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

Owing to her being a vegan, she would leave the milk untouched, but she wouldn't mind having a cookie or two. She hadn't been allowing herself much in the realm of sweets, she had been working on getting rid of the baby weight from her pregnancies. Wren had managed to lose a few sizes during the months after she had had Daniel, glad that she didn't have to work too hard at it. She chuckled when Seth seriously whispered that the cookies weren't his, she remembered that game from their youth well. "I sneak Penny table scraps," Wren whispered back, that sparkle back in her warm eyes.

[merlin]

Good, the game had worked and Wren no longer looked like she was going to burst into tears. Only now Seth had to think of a way to keep the game going. He wasn't a child any more honestly and most of his secrets he wasn't willing to share. Not unless they kept the game going and got to the more serious secrets that is. Perhaps this game would be perfect for them both! Wren needed to comforted and reminded of the good times while Seth needed to get his secrets off his chest. Seth hated secrets and if he kept them to long actually felt sick because of them.

"I grinned at Marcus' owl and scared it," Seth said. He didn't tell Marcus this but Seth really did hate the others owl. Hermes was like some sort of ninja owl who would sneak up on Seth and when Seth jumped Hermes would get angry and bite Seth. That was why Seth didn't feel to bad that he could scare the owl so easily... Not that Seth would ever tell Marcus that he scared the others owl on occasion. It was just so hard not to scare the bloody thing that sometimes it made Seth feel better if he scared the bird on purpose.

[wren]

Wren reached for a cookie and took a nibble off the edge. It tasted good, so she didn't waste any more time in biting off a good-sized piece and chewing it. Now it seemed the emotions had finally gotten to her, she felt tired, worn out almost. Or perhaps it was the day finally catching up to her. It had started when the sun had barely risen, and thus far had not stopped. But Wren wouldn't trade her life for anything, even if it was a lot of work. She loved her husband, her children and being able to nurture them to the best of her ability.

She laughed when Seth confided in her that he had scared Marcus' owl, it was random, but a secret nonetheless. She took another bite of cookie, chewed, and swallowed- taking it as an opportunity to come up with something. "An old woman at the park accused me of being a teenage mother," said Wren, she hadn't told anyone about it, mainly because she herself didn't know what to think about it. The situation had been half-amusing, and almost offensive. It really hadn't been any of her business, Wren was happily married, both of her children born within wedlock.

[merlin]

Seth wasn't sure how to respond to that secret. It made Seth angry to hear such a thing but at the same time he could understand. Wren looked much younger then she was and she was pretty young anyway to have two children. Still she was married and seemed rather happy with her family. No one had a right to judge how Wren lived her live especially because Wren was so happy with her life. Not many people could say that they had achieved their own happiness at such a young age.

"I hate myself at times. I'll catch myself rocking in tune to Marcus' heart beat and realize that I'm hungry," Seth said. Seth wasn't as bothered by his blood lust when he caught himself craving a strangers blood but when Seth was thinking about eating one of his loved ones it made Seth hate himself and feel like a monster. Seth knew that he had much better control then most vampires as young as himself but it didn't help him feel any better.

[wren]

Wren supposed that she did have things like that coming to her, she was barely twenty-one, and had always had that naturally youthful look to her. If it weren't for her average height she might have been mistaken for a third year in her seventh. But now that she didn't have the height... Not that Wren was complaining, she had no problem looking younger than she was, probably because that was the way she felt, sometimes she found her real age hard to believe. She finished off her cookie, but before she swallowed Seth had spoken and she felt her heart was aching for him. Once again, she wasn't sure how to relate, she had no idea what he was going through.

Wren reached over to take Seth's hand again, unable to refrain from offering some form of physical support. "It'll get better," said Wren without much hesitation. There was her optimism for you, she couldn't not be that way. She allowed a pause to lapse, she wasn't sure if she could keep their secret game going, or if he wanted to talk further. She decided that a quick pause wouldn't hurt anything, so she kept quiet a moment.

[merlin]

Damn he'd done it again. Seth had thought it would be okay to share that secret of his but it had turned the mood once more to the more depressing serious type. Seth had been enjoying himself but had shared to serious of a secret. It was hard to keep a fun game going when you make it serious which is why Seth wasn't surprised when Wren went silent. Seth couldn't help but give her a sad tired smile. She said it would get better but Seth knew better. He would always feel the dull ache in his throat from the hunger. Seth would always see humans as a meal from this point on. Seth knew all of this, it was just a matter of controlling himself so that he was safe around people.

"Marcus doesn't know yet but I bought two piano's," Seth said when he concluded that he wanted to at least keep a conversation going. Seth loved piano's and had been playing since he was five. He hadn't played since he moved out from his parents house since he hadn't been able to afford his own. Now though he had recently bought a stand up piano for down in the basement that he could play during the day and a grand piano for the main room.

"I'm not sure if he'll like them because he's kinda serious and logical and may not be happy that I spent so much money right after we bought the house," Seth explained, feeling just a little bit guilty. He knew that he should talk to Marcus about stuff like that but Seth just didn't know how and at times just completely forgot. Marcus was the first person he had dated for so long and it made Seth rather nervous that he may mess up and buying the piano's was probably the first of many mistakes that Seth would make. Communicating things with Marcus would be a skill that Seth needed to work on...

[wren]

Wren continued to hold her brother's hand, for so long she had missed something as simple as that. They hadn't been able to spend much time together recently, and the time that they did have there was usually a distance between them. Wren wasn't used to having physical space between herself and the people she loved. Anyone who was important to her was showered with hugs and the occasional touch to the hand, arm, or shoulder during conversation. It wasn't like her to keep her hands to herself. Wren needed that contact from the people that she loved. It might come across as clingy to some, but she didn't care.

Wren found herself, glad, however, when Seth decided that he was going to continue the game by confiding in her that he had bought two pianos without first consulting Marcus. She chuckled a little bit, it seemed a bit more on the random side after the more serious thing that he had just told her. "Two pianos?" said Wren amusedly, she would think that one would cater to her brother's needs, but to each their own. But she was glad her brother had finally invested in one, she had known how well he liked to play. She listened as he explained that Marcus was the more logical type, more concerned with finances.

Wren was happy to get a little tidbit of information about Seth's significant other, she wanted to know more. Hell, she wanted to meet this Marcus for herself. "Well, I suppose I've got to think of two since you went twice," said Wren, finally releasing her brother's hand. She took another cookie to give herself time to think, and ate about half of it before taking her turn. "Sometimes I dress up the cat to amuse myself," said Wren, smiling a little guiltily, "and I let the garden gnomes move in our yard while Zach has been trying to get rid of them." She couldn't help herself, she thought the gnomes were hysterical- sure they dug around her flowers, but they never bothered the fruits and vegetables they grew during the summer.

[merlin]

Seth was hyper aware of the delicate hand Wren had placed in his own hand. He knew how much Wren needed to touch people but at the same time he would have thought that she'd know not to touch him so much any more. He could feel the pulse of blood in her fingertips and felt the warmth radiating from her skin. Seth took a calming breath to remind himself who Wren was and that she was not food but family. Glad that he had eaten recently, he very carefully squeezed Wrens hand more so to confirm for himself that he was in control and wouldn't hurt her.

"You are a horrible person you know, dressing up the cat," Seth shook his head and made a soft tutting sound even as a grin pulled at the corners of his lips. Seth wouldn't think that Wren would be the type to dress up a cat like a doll. She had children after all so why not dress them up? Her kids were still young enough that Wren could put them in anything and they wouldn't care. Hearing the part about the garden gnomes made Seth chuckle slightly. So Wren could dress up the cat but not throw the garden gnomes out? Now that was amusing for sure!

"So long as you don't end up dressing up those garden gnomes I won't start to worry about you," Seth said. "Stick to the cat and your children alright?" So long as none of Wrens secrets were that she thought the Garden Gnomes were cute or anything then all was well. "My next secret is very serious alright Wren? No telling anyone this but I plan on planting some roses next year," Seth said with all seriousness as if planting roses was the biggest secret he had told.

[wren]

Wren smiled a little guiltily, it seemed awfully crazy old cat lady of her, putting silly things on Galahad. The orange tabby was, primarily, Zach's cat, though if he made the mistake of wandering too near her when she had nothing to do... Her favourite thing to put him in were socks, either little baby ones Ruby had since outgrown on is paws- or one of her own on his peculiarly wedge-shaped head. He would walk quite strangely backward trying to shake them off, and then do odd sideways little jumps attempting to free himself. This would continue until Wren would finally have her laughs and release him from his sock-prison.

"Don't be concerned," said Wren, chuckling slightly, "I'm not quite adept enough at sewing to make things to fit a gnome." She used a tone that she hoped Seth would know she was only kidding. Wren wouldn't consider something that outlandish, besides, she liked to watch the gnomes run around on their little horned feet, she didn't quite have the desire to ever handle them. As far as Wren had heard their first line of defense was biting, and that she would rather not deal with.

Wren laughed when Seth told her that he was planning on planting roses, as if it were a a very serious, secretive business. Though she did think that some well-tended rosebushes lining the path up to the house would make the place infinitely more attractive. She had a way with plants, she loved them. She mimed crossing her heart. "Not a soul," said Wren, grinning. She nibbled on her cookie as she thought of something else to say. "The whole time I was pregnant with Daniel I craved pickles and peanut butter together, I would sneak jars of both to the bedroom so I could eat them without odd looks," Wren admitted, smiling.

[merlin]

"Now that is a nasty combination," Seth told her firmly. Even if he was human still and had a desire for food that combination was nasty. It didn't matter what type of pickles she used, pickles and peanut-butter were never meant to meet. But at least Wren did have the excuse of having been pregnant at the time so it was okay that she ate that so long as she no longer ate pickles and peanut-butter together.

Seth smiled as he looked out the window. It was getting so late and yet he did not wish to remind Wren of the time and see her go. It had been far to long since he interacted with someone besides Marcus. Seth avoided Master as much as he could and he had broken off the friendships he had shared with humans to keep them safe during the first few months after being changed. This meant that he could no longer talk to anyone so openly unless they were family and even that was iffy. Seth had once shared a very close bond with his younger brother but that had slowly faded this past year which left only Wren to talk to really.

"You are one of the strongest and brave person I know Wren," Seth said firmly. "You have never wavered when it came to family no matter the situation and because of that we are all still together really. I love you Wren, very very much," Seth spoke with earnest as he turned his dark ember eyes to look at Wren. No matter what anyone said to her Wren was always there for her family. Seth wasn't sure what their family would do without her acting as peacekeeper.

[wren]

Wren laughed, though she knew that it was the truth. The idea of eating pickles and peanut butter together now made her about want to retch, but when she had been pregnant with little Daniel those two things had been one of the few combinations she could keep down. Wren had also aggressively craved meat during that pregnancy, though she had denied herself on those cravings. She gave up vegan ways when she was expecting, and would allow herself milk, cheese, and eggs, though she would never go far enough to eat even a bite of any sort of meat, no matter how much she craved it.

There was just something about the idea of eating beef, pork, or even fish or chicken that made Wren feel uneasy. She often described her feelings on the matter about not wanting to eat death, or anything with a face if she were going for a more light-hearted feel to the conversation. Wren did, however, all too frequently indulge in the peanut butter-dipped pickles, just in private so she wouldn't get odd looks or anything like that. She was sure that Zach knew of that peculiar habit, though she hadn't told anyone else.

She smiled widely and tears, this time of happiness, pricked at her eyes, she wouldn't have expected to hear something like that from Seth. She wanted to hug him, although remembered his discomfort the first time she had done so that evening, so instead took his hand again and squeezed it- regardless of how his fingers felt like ice in the palm of her hand. "I love you too, Seth," said Wren, giving her brother's hand another squeeze, she now felt she had been given the determination she needed to see to it that their family came together again. The way they used to be when they were only children.