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[sub]By [@Sailorsadie], [@Hedgehawk] & [@SouffleGirl123][/sub][/center]
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Clara leaned her head against the window of her last interstate bus. She was late, 3 days late to be precise. She hadn’t texted Carlisle of her dilemma, sure she had intended to but it always seemed to slip her mind as quickly as she was reminded that it was something she needed to do. Time had slipped the young woman as she spent some time in Denver with the coven and next thing she knew was the day of the first meeting for the Tanner Coven. Luckily for her, she had a transportation circle in their coven’s central property. Not-so-luckily for her Denver’s coven house had a cat that walked in and distracted her while she was adding the markings to send her to Tanner and she ended up in Georgia. A long distance teleportation took enough magic out of her for a whole day and she was already late at this point so she decided to stay in Georgia for the night and just to take the bus the next day. Clara loved buses. Just as truthfully she was terrified of flying and trains were a lot more expensive. 

As the bus approached ever closer to Tanner Clara couldn’t help but bounce in her seat in anticipation. For as much as she loved the bus she hated being confined to one small seat in one small place. She looked between her phone and the window hoping Willow would indeed be there to meet her. She’d arranged to meet her, well more accurately after just not responding to her messages for a couple of days she called her friend, admitting her blunder for the insistence that Willow meet her.

After having received the phone call to meet Clara, she huffed out a breath as she leaned back in her office chair. All she had been told was to meet at the Coven, but it wasn’t time yet. The meeting wasn’t until next week. Willow looked up at the calendar on her office wall and her eyes widened. [color=lightblue]”That was this week?!”[/color] She groaned as she realized the meeting in fact had been three days ago. The young woman had been swamped with back to back caseloads that she had been an entire week behind. Not the first time she accidentally overlooked something.

With a shake of her head, she stood and smoothed out her black pencil skirt and lacy white top before grabbing her keys and heading out to her car. She knew Clara’s bus would be pulling up at the stop any minute now. She had to worry. Willow cranked up her car and headed off to the large house, Carlisle’s face in her mind. At least one good thing would come out of this: she’d be able to see the man who had plagued her dreams during countless nights. A smile pulled at her face as she stepped on the gas.

As the bus arrived at its stop in Tanner, Clara made her escape down the aisle, waving goodbye to the couple of kids she’d been intermittently keeping entertained through magic ‘tricks’ with a large grin on her face.She received her luggage, a colourful suitcase and a purple backpack, from under the bus and looked around her. When she’d looked on google maps Tanner’s transit stop seemed [i]so close[/i] to the coven house but a mile looked a lot shorter on paper, well on phone, than it did in person. She huffed at the distance ahead of her and went on her merry way. 

She tried running for a while but her suitcase clacking on the ground and backpack bouncing on her back got irritating. Not to mention having to hold down the hem of her green sundress half the time. She decided walking was better, it made singing to herself easier too. Then she came to a crossroads, it was left here, right? Or was it right here and left next? Clara was not the best navigator, even in a town she’d lived in her whole life. Well left [i]felt[/i] like the right way but right [i]looked[/i] like the right way. She didn’t even come to consider straight ahead. She huffed, pulling out her phone to look at her maps- hey someone tagged her in a photo on instagram. From there she found herself on the corner of the road scrolling through her phone- getting nowhere useful. 

Willow continued to drive the way to the Coven as she sang loudly to ‘Walking On Sunshine’, her car stereo on high and her windows down. She couldn’t wait to see her friends again, even if she was running behind schedule. She was also possibly going to be at the end of a lecture for being late. Though really, what could have possibly have happened in three days? 

As she turned down the road, she noticed a bright green dress and a head full of brunette hair bopping along down the street. Her eyes brightened and she gave a small laugh before pulling over at the curb a few feet in front of the woman. [color=lightblue]”Clara!”[/color] Quickly parking and getting out of the car, she squealed as she ran over to Clara and enveloped the woman in a bear hug. [color=lightblue]”I’ve missed you!”[/color]

Clara hadn’t even noticed the car stop until her name was being called by a voice she knew well. [color=DAA520]”Willow!”[/color] she calls out in return, reciprocating her friend's hug. After a few moments she pulls away bouncing on her feet. [color=DAA520]”Denver’s coven got a cat, just like a coven cat! Actually I think it’s a stray they picked up but we should get one. For the coven house, I don’t think my dogs would like a cat,”[/color] she rambles, bouncing on her feet. [color=DAA520]”Oh, and I missed you too. You should come with me next time!”[/color] she says, completely overlooking the fact that transportation was not one of Willow’s specialties and Clara herself could only take others with her for short distance transport.

[color=lightblue]”Oooh!”[/color] She immediately perked up and nodded. [color=lightblue]”We should [i]definitely[/i] get a cat! Wouldn’t that be just the cutest thing ever?”[/color] With a small giggle, she shook her head and noticed the woman’s suitcases. [color=lightblue]”Oh! Here!”[/color] Popping her trunk, she helped load the woman’s bags before bouncing on her feet. 

[color=lightblue]”So I totally thought the meeting was next week, so we need to hurry to the Coven. Come on!”[/color] She hopped into her car and leaned over, opening the passenger door for Clara. 

Clara slipped into the passenger seat, closing the door next to her with a [i]bang[/i] that was a little too loud and made her jump slightly in her place. [color=DAA520]”Do you think Carlisle, Lil and Serena were wondering where we were? Good thing I sent Carlisle a mess-”[/color] she opens up her messages to Carlisle to find a half written message about her absence not yet sent. [color=DAA520]”Whoops,”[/color] she quietly replies to herself, becoming smaller in her seat. 

Raising a brow in question, she started the drive to the Coven. She glanced over at the woman as she became quiet. [color=lightblue]”What’s wrong? Did-”[/color] Willow stopped when she realized what must have happened. She giggled and shook her head. [color=lightblue]”You forgot to send it, didn’t you?”[/color]

She huffed out a breath as she made a turn and shrugged her shoulders. [color=lightblue]”If it makes you feel any better, they’ve known I’ve been in town and nobody has checked in with me. So they couldn’t be too upset, right?”[/color]

Clara rubbed her face with hands, echoing a strained [color=DAA520]”I forgot to send it.”[/color] It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something like this, it was probably far from the last time too. At Willow’s next statement Clara sighs. [color=DAA520]”I think they might have forgotten about us,”[/color] she says simply with a shrug, rolling her window down. She closed her eyes, allowing the warm air of the day to rustle her hair. 

Willow scrunched her nose at that thought as she stopped at a red light. She shrugged her shoulders and glanced over at her friend. Seeing her eyes closed, a gentle smile tugged at her lips before her attention returned back to the road. [color=lightblue]”How could anyone forget about us? I’m sure there were other people who missed the meeting too. That’s the only reason they didn’t reach out to us personally. Heck, I’m sure at least someone would have stopped by my office if it were dire.”[/color]

Clara shrugged at Willow’s response, staying silent as she pondered over the answer. [color=DAA520]”Is this one of those things when you say it’s all ok so I ‘feel better’?”[/color] she questions, turning to her friend. [color=DAA520]”I’m fine with being forgotten, it doesn’t bother me,”[/color] She knew Willow had a tendency to ‘make light’ of situations that really weren’t all that bleak to her. No, not just Willow, a lot of people tended to do so to her.  

[color=lightblue]”Oh, you hush your face.”[/color] She huffed out a breath as she continued driving on at the green light. [color=lightblue]”I’m not trying to shrink you and you were not forgotten. If you were forgotten, then I was too, and we are not the type of women to be forgotten.”[/color] Willow nodded her head and reached over to pat her friend’s knee. [color=lightblue]”So stop the pity party. Sing with me!”[/color] She reached out and turned the radio back up, ‘A Thousand Miles’ playing.

Clara shook her head as her friend spoke. Honestly she really didn’t mind being forgotten. No, there was something almost [i]freeing[/i] about it but before she could correct her friend Willow had turned up the music. [color=DAA520]”It’s not a pity party,”[/color] she huffed to herself in a hushed whisper. Within a moment she was transported into the music with her friend and was almost as quickly singing along with her for the rest of the short trip to the Coven’s manor.

Soon the pair pulled up to the Coven and Willow decided to park at the curb. She turned off the car and clapped her hands together in excitement. Hopefully Carlisle was inside and she’d be able to see him. It’d been a while since the two had seen each other and she was really looking forward to it. As long as Lilith wasn’t around. Willow didn’t stand a chance at being noticed if the woman was anywhere within fifty feet of the man. She let out a breath and looked over at her friend. [color=lightblue]”Maybe we should call him first. Make sure he’s here. Can you do it?”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”Or we could just see,”[/color] she says, gesturing to the house in front of them. [color=DAA520]”Come on!”[/color] With that the young woman slips out of her car and bounds to the front door, hair bouncing with her every step. As she gets to the house's wideset doors she rings the doorbell then steps back in anticipation.

[color=lightblue]”I- Clara!”[/color] Groaning, she looked in her rear view mirror and made sure her hair and makeup was just right. She shook her head and quickly bounded after her. Standing next to the woman, she grumbled under her breath. [color=lightblue]”Hopefully he’s here. Where else would he be?”[/color]

Carlisle leapt from his chair after hearing the doorbell. He couldn't even remember what it was he was actually doing. Maybe he was doing nothing. Getting up, he pulled at the edges of his dressing gown. He hadn't taken it off since last night. He couldn't be bothered. It was too comfortable for him. Securing the tags, he walked over to the door, wondering who in the heck would ring the doorbell at this time. 

Opening the door he saw the two females and gave a small exhausted smile. His face still looked like crap since the events a couple days ago. His eyes and face  were still surrounded by black lines and bags. Now attempting to be disguised, poorly, by concealer that was a slightly different colour to Carlisle's skin. 

[color=00FFFF]"Ah, you two. I didn't think you were ever going to turn up"[/color] He stated as he moved aside to let them in.

 [color=DAA520]”Car!"[/color] Clara cheers, wrapping her arms around the man's torso in a hug before entering the grand house she knew all too well. She took a good look at him. He looked like an utter wreck. She blinked once. Then a second time. Before simply asking [color=DAA520]”What's wrong with your face?"[/color] She then squinted her eyes slightly to zone into his eye areas, something seemed very off. [color=DAA520]”Your concealer's the wrong colour, it doesn't look good."[/color]  Now, Clara wasn't trying to be mean, she was just pointing out what she could see. On the contrary, she was trying to [i]help[/i] in her own way, she'd sure want to know if her makeup was the wrong colour so she figured Carlisle might too.

Willow sucked in a breath at the sight of him. He looked tired and beaten down. Furrowing her brows, she followed Clara into the house. At her friends statement, she lightly smacked her on her upper arm before offering Carlisle a soft grin. [color=lightblue]”What she means to say, is that it’s good to see you. Are you okay? You don’t…look well.”[/color]

Carlisle had forgotten just how direct Clara could be at times. He was well aware of how mismatched his concealer was. It was the only one he could find in the bedroom at the time. He bought the dressing gown draped arm up and wiped the make up away, revealing the true extent of his exhaustion. Even two days of rest wasn't making that much of a dent in it. 

[color=00FFFF]"Things have been complicated. I got cursed, then died, technically. Bought myself back, but that has caused me to be exhausted and lose a good chunk of my magic. Oh the barriers down too. I don't have the Energy to restore it. Oh and even better, my mother disowned me yesterday. So now I am just little old Carlisle, bunking out in the coven until I figure out what to do."[/color] His word were exasperated and exhausted just as he was. He raised his arms to gesture to the whole Coven. He then looked at Clara. [color=00FFFF]" Enough about me though. How was your trip?"[/color]

At Willow's slap on the arm Clara hissed in response, [color=DAA520]”Owwww, what'd I do?"[/color] before redirecting her attention to Carlisle. 

[color=DAA520]”That sounds like a long few days. Say, if you’re not an Aston anymore does that mean you won’t be Coven leader? Or what about the adminy job you do now? Is that gone too?”[/color] she asks. It seemed Clara had missed more than she ever would have dreamed, and she hated that thought. The barrier being down was an issue but Clara was sure it would be fine… maybe. She tried to think of what would fix it, or at least help. She went through her mental notes of each of the Coven member’s schools of magic. [color=DAA520]”Lilith! Lilith’s an abjuror, you two are super besties, you should ask her for help! And maybe Delaney’s magic enhancer! That should be enough,”[/color] she says, her voice triumphant. The question of Clara’s trip almost seemed lost on her as she racked her brain to figure out solutions to the barrier.

Eyeing Clara, she let out a breath before looking back at Carlisle. There was so much she wanted to tell him, wanted to do with him, but the L word was mentioned again. Lilith. Though, the sound of everything the man has gone through had her significantly worried for his mental state. Willow furrowed her brows and laid a hand on his shoulder, searching his face. [color=lightblue]”You're not little and your mother is an idiot. What do you need from us? What can we do to help?”[/color]

Carlisle’s mind almost shut down at the words that Willow spoke. It had been a while since someone had actually asked how they could help. Or perhaps his memory was all over the place with the exhaustion. [color=00FFFF]”Well, Me and Lilith are at a bit of a…”[/color] Carlisle stopped for a second, unsure exactly how he wanted to word this one. [color=00FFFF]” We aren’t exactly getting along at the moment you could say. Been demoted to ‘Coven Business Only.’ Not entirely sure she could stand being near me at the moment. So I am trying to bring the barrier up myself, or at least felt things cool for a bit.”[/color] Carlisle let off an awkward laugh.

Willow couldn’t let the squeal that was building in her chest out. Him and Lilith were at odds? Maybe that would be her way in. No, [i]no[/i]. She couldn’t think like that. The man was obviously hurting. She had to rely on her work experience instead of letting her heart explode at him. Clearing her throat, she held back a grin and nodded. [color=lightblue]”Well, Clara’s right though, you could use Delaney still. She’s like a spell enhancer, right? Or- could someone else besides Lilith help? I’m not up to date with everyone’s abilities.”[/color]

She felt a gentle smile tugging at her lips as she shrugged her shoulders. [color=lightblue]”You’re not alone in this, Car. Let us help. We want to. That’s what we’re here for.”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”Did you and Lilith have a fight?”[/color] Clara asked. Willow asked topical questions to help so maybe her question would help? She wasn’t sure how it would help but honestly she had no clue how any of her friends’ brains worked. They were probably a hell of a lot more boring. [color=DAA520]”Oh, I know everyone’s school, I keep a list! It’s in my head. Well, actually there is a paper [i]somewhere[/i] but I kept losing it so now it’s in my head,”[/color] she replies.

[color=DAA520]”Now, abjuration, abjuration,”[/color] she muses to herself, thinking through the list of coven members once more. [color=DAA520]”Nope, nothing. Just you and Lil. Maybe someone from the last generation does though? It’s not like they don’t have their magic anymore,”[/color]

[color=00FFFF]”Nah, We didn’t have a fight per se, just a disagreement over [i]us[/i]”[/color] Carlisle was trying his best to answer the question without giving out any kind of specific details. 

[color=00FFFF]”Thank you both for your concern, but I will be fine. Just gotta figure a few things out and get my energy back. Then me and Lilith will have the barrier backup in no time”[/color] He wasn’t lying this time. He was telling the truth. He just needed to spend some time in recovery before he could be of use to anyone again.

Willow was trying to not make it seem like she was super excited for their argument, and had almost failed before she cleared her throat. She rid her face of the grin before she gave him a solemn nod of her head. [color=lightblue]”Okay, well. The offer to help still stands. Anytime you need it.”[/color] She hoped she didn’t sound desperate. 

Shaking her head of the thought, she blew out a breath. Then something he said earlier finally processed. Willow blinked and folded her arms across her chest. [color=lightblue]”Hold on. You said you were cursed and [i]died[/i]?”[/color] She side eyed Clara before shaking her head. [color=lightblue]”The heck did we miss?”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”A disagreement over us?”[/color] Clara echoes, trying to unravel the meanings of those words, that sentence simply just didn’t make sense. [color=DAA520]”What do you mean by [i]us[/i], like did she think she was you or something?”[/color] Even Clara knew that last question was a bit preposterous but it was the closest to an understanding she could gather. 

At Willow’s question Clara gave a small chuckle, [color=DAA520]”This sounds almost as exciting as Denver. They have a cat, Carlisle. A [i]coven[/i] cat. Why don’t we have a cat? We should get one,”[/color]

Her face brightened and she nodded along with Clara. [color=lightblue]”Oh, we should totally get a cat! How adorable would that be?”[/color] She looked back at Carlisle and cleared her throat. [color=lightblue]”Sorry. Uh. Yeah. Same question from before. The heck happened to you?”[/color]

Carlisle let out a sigh. Being near Clara was exhausting him already. He had little energy as it was, and she was draining the last of it. Willow seemed to be a little bit on topic at least. [color=00FFFF]”Someone cursed a book, and then made Lil have a vision about me touching the book. They knew I wouldn’t listen as I was trying to be helpful, and thus I got cursed. The curse froze me, and without me, the barrier went down. And then some werewolves attacked  later on that night. At the moment I don’t know alot more, I am still trying to piece it together myself.”[/color]

More talking yet not a single one of Clara’s questions had been answered. Maybe Carlisle had forgotten them, Clara forgot questions she was asked sometimes too and Carlisle definitely looked exhausted enough to forget things like that. [color=DAA520]”What did you mean about you and Lilith disagreeing over ‘us’?”[/color] she repeats. Sure, the conversation had long departed that topic now but the idea was stuck on her, she needed to understand what he meant. She knew she’d be lost thinking about it until he did.

Carlisle nearly choked. Why wouldn’t she give up? A visible look of annoyance came over his face until he finally spoke [color=00FFFF]”If you must know. I asked Lilith to go out with me and she said no. and to rub the salt in, got back with MIles in the same night.”[/color] Saying it out loud hurts. It was still a stinging emotion for Carlisle right now. While he wanted his friends to be happy. He still felt left out. [color=00FFFF]”I didn’t take it very well, and we got into an argument. And now, well. I don’t know exactly what we are anymore”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”Oh,”[/color] Clara replies softly, shrinking down in her spot. She pushed away the urge to ask Carlisle if she made him mad. In her experience asking people that just made them [i]more[/i] mad.

Feeling Clara’s energy shift next to her, Willow reached out and held her hand. She gave her a smile and a wink before looking back at Carlisle. [color=lightblue]”She was just asking a simple question, Car. No need to take out your anger and frustration out on her.”[/color] 

She kept looking at the man and raised a brow. [color=lightblue]”Im sorry you’re hurting. I really am. But we’re family. We just want what’s best for you.”[/color]

[color=00FFFF]”We aren’t family!”[/color] Carlisle nearly spat out. [color=00FFFF]”We are just people who work together because of a gift we were born with. None of us are here by choice!”[/color] Carlisle began to breathe hard, the exhaustion making his breaths deeper than they should have been for someone who was seething. Slowly he would regain his breath and calm down. [color=00FFFF]”Look there is nothing you can do now to help. I just need to recover. So please for the love of everything holy, [i]stop[/i] asking”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”I mean, it’s not really a gift. From what I’ve learnt I think it’s all biological! See my theory is there’s some mutation in our DNA that causes an extra electrical impulse to travel through our CNS system that allows-”[/color] Clara cuts herself off as her eyes meet Carlisle’s again. Yes, that was definitely anger. Or at least the look Clara knew there was in someone’s eyes before she got yelled at. As if it were possible she shrunk down even more, taking a step back from the man for safety.

Clenching her jaw at his outburst, she looked at Clara and gave her an approving nod before looking back at Carlisle. She stood her ground and huffed out a breath. [color=lightblue]”Fine. We’ll let you be. Just know there are people out there that love you.” [i]Especially me.[/i] “It doesn’t hurt anything to let people in.”[/color]

Willow looked away from him and grinned at Clara. [color=lightblue]”Why don’t we go see if there are any cats at the shelter?”[/color]

[color=DAA520]”Mm-hm,”[/color] Clara mused, sniffing a couple of times. [color=DAA520]”Yeah, ok. We’ll see you Carlisle. I hope you’re not so grumpy next time,”[/color] she farewells him, slowly backing out of the door with Willow in tow.
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