Being the new people in town was never easy, especially in a small town like Forks, a fact that Eleanor Beckett was well aware of. So when her son came home from school one day boasting about making friends with one of the new kids, Eleanor did her...
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"We need to go, we need to go right now," Eleanor rushed through the house, throwing things left and right into suitcases scattered around the room. "They're planing something, I know it."
"Mom, seriously," Cal helped her pack even though his mind was clouded in confusion and worry about his mother's currently manic state. "What even happened?"
"I don't know exactly but it's some kind of trap," the woman explained, pausing before turning to look at her son with a regretful expression on her face. "I'm so sorry it turned out like this, honey. I know you really liked them."
Callahan stared at his mother for a moment before reaching out and grabbing her hand, squeezing it gently in reassurance as he thought through what he was about to say.
"I know you're really worried about them and whatever happened at the diner really freaked you out, but what if this isn't a trap? You said it yourself, if they wanted to kill us they could've. So why haven't they?"
"To lure us into a false sense of security before destroying everything I love and then killing me?" Eleanor recited, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
And it was, to her at least. After all, that was the strategy her parents had used on countless vampires in the past. Lure them in, make them feel safe and comfortable, and then rip them apart. It was one of the only ways humans managed to win against them, that and scarily advanced weaponry. But then again, Eleanor had never heard of a group of vampires doing that to another vampire. Especially when they could already easily overpower her.
"Dark, but fair," Cal just nodded along, zipping up a suitcase. "Even if you are right and they are trying to kill us, you haven't fed in like a week. Your eyes are starting to get dark again."
"I'll pick something on the road," Eleanor replied, waving her hand in the air to dismiss his concern. "There's bound to be a deer or something."
"Just make sure it's not Bambi's mom."
:::
Carlisle Cullen paced back and forth in his home office, running his hand through his hair as he thought of her. Eleanor Beckett. He'd pulled every detail he could from his children as soon as they'd gotten home, all of them shaken and confused by the woman's reaction to him.
"I don't have a mate."
She'd said it with so much certainty that he almost thought he'd been wrong, almost. But there was no mistaking the immediate pull he'd felt toward her, the protectiveness and unconditional love that swelled in his chest. He was positive she was his mate and yet she thought it was all some trap according to Alice's most recent vision.
How was he supposed to convince her otherwise?
"There's no such thing as safety."
Something told him it wouldn't be easy, but he had to try. He had to think of something, anything, to help Eleanor trust him. Not just for himself and his all-consuming need to be near her, but to prove to her that she can be safe. That she deserved to be happy.
Carlisle needed to clear his head before he could come up with a plan and there was only one place he could rely on for that. The hospital.
:::
Eleanor sighed in relief as she loaded the last box in her car, glad to be one step closer to getting the hell away from whatever was happening in Forks. All that was left were the couple bags Cal had insisted on carrying himself and then they would be ready to go. The woman felt an ache in her chest at the thought of leaving, choosing to pointedly ignore it as she called out for her son.
"Come on, Cal!" she yelled while shutting the truck. "We need to get going before I turn into a damn disco ball!"
"Yeah, I know! We just so happen to choose to move on the night before one of Forks' rare sunny days, woe is you," Cal replied sarcastically from inside the house, letting out a grunt as he struggled to walk down the stairs with all his bags.
"Very funny," Eleanor rolled her eyes, beginning to walk back toward the house. "Do you need some help with those, honey?"
"Mom, I'm fine. I can do it myself-"
The sentence was punctuated by a crash, Eleanor quickly rushing inside to catch her son as he tripped down the stairs. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was growing rapid in panic, a habit she just couldn't kick even after over 14 years of not having to breathe at all.
"Cal, honey, oh no," Eleanor gasped, clutching the sobbing boy to her chest as her eyes caught on his leg that was definitely not bent in the right direction.
"Mom... It hurts so much."
"I know, honey, I know," the woman reassured him by stroking his hair, lifting him in her arms and carefully bringing him to the car. "I'm taking you to the hospital, okay?"
:::
Carlisle was checking in on one of his patients from the day when his pager went off, calling him down to the ER. He rushed over, forcing himself to stay at a reasonably human speed as he did, and he was about to open the doors when he smelt it.
Smelt her.
He froze for a moment, wondering what she could be doing there, before he heard her panicked voice.
"I'm not leaving his side! I am his mother!"
"Ma'am-"
"Eleanor."
Both the Eleanor and the nurse she'd been arguing with turned at the sound of his voice, the nurse sagging in relief while Eleanor only seemed to go rigid.
"Doctor Cullen, this boy-"
"Callahan Beckett. Do you seriously refer to all your patients as 'boy' or 'girl'? What happened to bedside fucking manner?" Eleanor practically spat at the other woman.
"Mister Beckett-" the nurse restarted, quickly getting interrupted yet again.
"Mister? He's fourteen for fuck's sake-!"
"Miss Beckett!" Carlisle finally butted in, stepping in between the two women and shooting an apologetic glance to the boy that had been patiently waiting on a nearby gurney. "I promise you, your son is in good hands. I have been a doctor for quite a while, and Rebecca here is a very good nurse. We will fix his leg and have him back to you in no time at all."
The man swore he felt a chill go down his already cold spine as Eleanor's eyes locked on him, rounding on him as the nurse rolled her son away.
"I swear to god Carlisle Cullen, if you so much as think about hurting him I will tear you limb from limb and bury the pieces on opposite sides of the fucking globe," she threatened as she got closer, sticking a finger in his face.
It was in that proximity that Carlisle noticed that her eyes were no longer the hazel color they'd been back in the diner, instead they were almost black. A sign she was hungry, and yet she could stand to be in the hospital without a hint of strain on her face.
She was amazing...
"Let me prove to you that I mean your family no harm," Carlisle spoke, not being able to help himself from leaning toward her as he spoke. "That you don't have to leave, at least not yet."
