January 1921.

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Carlisle and Edward are walking to the hospital. The second semester is starting for Edward and Carlisle will be in surgery most of the day. A new procedure, and challenging - Carlisle has been attempting to minimize his near-obsessive concentration on it for at least a week.

With only minimal amounts of success.

"...and with any luck, I'll be closing by four."

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Carlisle waits a good five minutes (Edward should be out of range, right?) before letting himself succumb to another moment of despair, of an eternity of black and dark.






He can't stay like this - in that moment. It won't do Edward any good and it certainly won't help Carlisle himself.

[iwouldfollowyou]

He runs. Into the wind, beyond it. There is no singular reason in the world to slow down and be seen by anyone. They are blurs on no consequence.

Edward didn't stop until he hit the road outside the hospital, appearing as a sudden random blip and ignored the one person who was convincing themselves they were seeing things from somehow missing him.

As people did not simply appear out of thin air.

He walked through the doors, without looking at the reception desk or the patience, turning down the hallways toward the observation areas.

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♫♪ la da-dum, la da da-dee dum, da dum ♫♪

[iwouldfollowyou]

People are easily ignorable, if the chatter and images are not so much. He still frowns anyway. He skirts by them, side stepping patients, wheel chairs and beds with far too much ease and grace rarely exhibited in this of all places.



The room is empty by the time he gets back to it.

He doesn't even know what he's looking for. Something, anything. Except that it all looks like it should, like most of any other of the surgery rooms, like the over half dozen being used in other rooms on their floors at this same minute.

There has to be something.

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The slosh of a bucket and he moves on to the offices now; nearly vacant and no one watching. The humming switches to being out loud.

Don't humans hum?

"♫♪ la da-dum, la da da-dee dum, da dum...♫♪"

[iwouldfollowyou]

The doors to the surgery room opens and even though he could hide he stays there. One of the other doctors who looks surprised to see him, more confused than suspicious.

It's a transparent lie to say Carlisle dropped his cuff links and Edward had promised to look when he came to get the assignments for his lass. Easy to keep on talking and slip out before the thought, why hadn't he just called, can make it to words.

To walk down a hallway, not thinking and letting all the stupid noise filter through him. All the people hurting and hopeful, dismal and dying, some of them so far from consciousness they were a dull hum.



And something, something at the edge of his thoughts, he stopped, scrunching his eyes and listened.

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It's time to find his house. They don't live in town - He would have heard by now if they did.

And he can't ask.

So...time to visit Dr. Cullen's desk.

The humans don't even notice.

[iwouldfollowyou]

At first it is nothing more than an amorphous shadow almost. A flicker at the edge of everything, like a butterfly wing again a leaf in a strong stream of everything else.




Except there isn't a reason anyone should be in Carlisle's office right now. And it floods him. The feel of fingers touching the edging of the desk. The book cases in pan. The casual flick of a pen and turn of papers.

He walked down the hallway quickly toward the office.

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Someone is coming and He can't be seen. It would ruin everything.

He leaves the mop and bucket behind in the office in his departure, blending into everyone.

[teachyouwhoiam.livejournal.com]

And then the black got lighter and the fog lifted, color coming back last to Carlisle's vision in the living room of the house he shares with Edward.

He had to go to town - had to find him, tell him it was over -

Towards the hospital at a run: Edward! It's over!

[iwouldfollowyou]

The door to the office is open a crack, but it's empty, and the scent is anything but human. Edward is staring down both parts of the hallway, listening, for the weird edges he'd caught.

And yet nothing except a faint sound.

There's a sharp edge to his eyes, to the make of the hunt.

Until Carlisle's voice, full and brilliant with relief, thunders into his head, and the wood under his hand groans with the thread of the door caving if he doesn't let go. Which he does.
If there was a time to believe in God.

Edward closed the door to the office and made for the front doors of the hospital quickly.

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Carlisle sees the flash of bronzed hair and he beams. He can see Edward here and he slows - has to, need to keep up appearances of wanting something more than to have Edward in his arms in full color -

another step though, and it becomes all sepia tones.




"No."

[iwouldfollowyou]

It's all there. Even with the things he needs to relay.

He can see himself, when the door floods open, surprise and relief around the serious edges. Then it's gone, instantly, and he catches the shift of his expression layered over Carlisle's as it dwindles fast into sephia and then deepening shadows.

Edward growled, low and sharp and far from human, with the glass door still swinging closed just behind him. Someone was there, playing games with them.

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Meanwhile, Carlisle is trying his hardest not to hyperventilate.

I came when I saw again and now its happening again no no no

[iwouldfollowyou]

Edward is very careful not to touch anything in the first few seconds. Whatever it was would not be so lucky as Carlisle's office door.

Forced himself to walk down the steps, rigidness emanating what sight could manage to see and sound wouldn't as his eyes scanned the outside now. Pressing outward trying to hear the sound, the faintest stirring it had been.

"Someone else was here."

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"God."

Someone with a power. To strike Carlisle blind.

Whenever he is near Edward. Or the hospital. Possibly both; the two loves of Carlisle's life.

I've never met someone with that gift. Something that specific.

And it could be stronger; this could just be a beginning.

[iwouldfollowyou]

What happens Carlisle would miss entirely.

Edward reached out to touch Carlisle, something between just to touch me and to fall back into the necessity of guiding, but his thought -- even the implausible reasoning of it -- alone sees Edward's hand never connect but come back down to his side.

"Whoever it is or was, they were in your office. I had only just missed them."

[teachyouwhoiam.livejournal.com]

"We'll find them."

This is easier now. Anger. How dare they?

Carlisle hesitates for a second but stretches his hand out in front of him. Even without needing it to get home, he needs to feel Edward nearer to him.

[iwouldfollowyou]

Edward's hand is there as soon as he reaches. Though he does have to look for contact, when the blackness is overlapping except for the sensations of need and emotional reactions rippling.

He doesn't have words, but his fingers slid into Carlisle, tight and hard around his.

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They'll find whoever it is.

Carlisle just wants to go home now, though.

Somewhere on their way Carlisle kisses Edward's shoulder to feel him near. It's enough for the moment.

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