Everything Is Eclipsed by the Shape of Destiny

Coffee had always been the one thing that never failed to improve Emerson’s mood. It worked better than marijuana; better than good music or the company of others.

There was something about its warm deliciousness that filled her with a sense of security and made her forget all her troubles, but the morning after Bill had wed, it seemed that no amount of coffee would be able to lift her spirits.

All Emerson could do, was think about him.

It was pathetic, she knew that it was fucking pathetic, but try as she did her thoughts refused to stray from him; the damn imprinting refused to give her peace because the moment that Emerson had imprinted on Bill, was the moment that her thoughts became consumed with him.

Emerson hated that.

She hated the fact that she’d imprinted on him.

At first the fact that she’d imprinted had been exhilarating, it was something straight out of a fairy tale but now imprinting no longer held the same magic, now it was nothing but torture; torture that would slowly drive her mad.

Seeing his twin so devastated, broke Everett’s heart. He was used to seeing her with a cheeky grin spread across her face while she said an inappropriate joke. He wasn’t used to her frowning.

He knew that what she was going through was much more than a simple heartbreak, Bill was her imprint, her other half and there’s no worse pain for a shape shifter, than losing one’s imprint, be it to death or to another.

The silence in the room was unsettling, Emerson wanted Everett to talk. She didn’t care what he talked about as long as there wasn’t any silence in the room but she knew that he didn’t talk out of fear of saying something wrong.

It would be up to Emerson to break the silence.

“I'm quitting on Monday,” declared Emerson.

“You’re what?”

“Quitting,” she repeated softly.

“But why?” he knew why, but he didn’t want to lose his sister.

Throughout the years they had always been together, you didn’t find one without the other and the prospect of working without her at his side honestly terrified him. It terrified him more than he would like to admit.

“Everett,” Emerson tilted her head to the right, “You better than anyone, know why. I never wanted to work here. The only reason I’ve stayed as long as I have is because of Bill and he’s not here anyone so it’s time that I move on with my life.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm planning on staying with grandma in Mexico. I already have a job at the Ministry that’ll allow me to study the ruins.” Emerson smiled sadly. “This is a good thing. I’ll finally be able to do what I always wanted.”

Everett put down his cup of coffee. “You’ve had this planned out for awhile, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I started planning about a week after he told us about the engagement. I figured that if I wasn’t going to have my imprint that I could at least have the career that I always wanted.”

“This is going to sound really selfish of me,” Everett rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “But I don’t want you to go. Bill may be gone, but I'm still here and I need you. I need my alpha, we’re a pack, and we need to stick together. I mean, what if something bad happens. What if blood thirsty vampires attack the Pyramids and I'm the only shifter here.”

“In case of a vampire attack just give me a call and I’ll apparate.”

“I wish you didn’t know how to apparate,” mumbled Everett.

“But I do and I’ll apparate often, I promise.”

“It won’t be the same,” argued Everett. “Just stay, Emerson. If you stay, I’ll count it as my birthday and Christmas presents for the next decade.”

“You’re going to be fine. You live with your fiancée and I bet you won’t even notice that I'm gone.”

“A fiancée doesn’t compare to a sister.”

Emerson smiled. “You’re right. Fiancée’s are loved more.”

“Fucking Emery,” cursed Everett. “Have you told mom and dad?”

“Not yet, I'm avoiding that awkward conversation until I actually quit because if I tell them before I quit, they’ll go crazy and guilt trip me into staying, you know mom, she’s great at guilt tripping.”

“She’s the master,” agreed Everett. “You need to tell her when I'm around. I want to witness her wrath.”

“Gee, thanks,” Emerson stood from her seat at the table, placing her cup and plate in the sink. “It’s nice to know that the torment mom will bestow upon me is going to make you giggle.”

“Not giggle, chuckle,” Everett clarified.

“Well I'm going to chuckle when I stick my foot up your ass.”

“I don’t think my fiancée would appreciate that very much.” Everett smirked.

“Perhaps she won’t appreciate it, but she will understand why it is that I did it.”

“True,” Everett stifled a yawn. “Hey, do you want to hang out with Tulia and me today?”

“No thanks, I'm just going to stay in here.”

“Are you sure?” Everett didn’t comfortable leaving her alone. “Tulia was going to make your favorite for dinner and we were thinking of having a movie marathon.”

“I'm positive. I just want to be alone for awhile.” – Everett parted his lips to protest – “Everett, I'm going to be fine, you go and have fun with your lady.”

“You shouldn’t be alone though.”

Emerson chewed on her bottom lip. “I'm heartbroken, not suicidal. I’ll be fine so please get the fuck out of my apartment and go be happy.”

About an hour after Everett left, there was a knock at the door.

Emerson wasn’t expecting company, nor did she want any so instead of answering it, she sat down on the couch and stared at it, hoping that the person would soon grow tired of knocking and leave but they didn’t.

They kept knocking.

When Emerson could no longer stand the sound, she stood from her seat on the couch and flung the door open, ready to curse out whoever stood on the other side of the door but when she saw her father standing there she quickly shut her mouth.

“Hi dad,” greeted Emerson as she hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head against her hair. “How’s my little girl?”

“She’s alright,” Emerson lied.

“I don’t believe you,” he pulled away slowly. “I know you and I know when something’s wrong.”

“Dad, it’s nothing.”

“Your imprint getting married is not, nothing.”

“Fucking Everett!” exclaimed Emerson angrily. “I told him not to tell you guys!”

“Why would you want to keep that a secret?” he followed her into the room.

“Because,” was her only response.

“Because what?”

“BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT I WAS A FAILURE!” cried Emerson, surprised by the intensity with which she spoke to her father, she had never raised her voice to him.

His brow furrowed. “Why would I think you’re a failure?”

“Because I'm such a horrible shifter that I didn’t get my imprint,” Emerson’s nostrils flared.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I'm not being ridiculous.” Emerson pursed her lips. “Everett had his imprint within a week of having met her and she was married but I spent five years with mine and I didn’t get anything; if that doesn’t prove that I'm a failure as a shifter, then I don’t know what does.”

“Emerson, if there’s one thing that I am certain of in this life; it’s that you are no failure.”

“But I . . .”

“Let me finish,” he said in a fatherly tone. “I have never seen anyone love another person half as much as you do Bill. You loved him enough to let him go. You loved him enough to let him be happy with someone else and most people wouldn’t be able to do that. Most people are selfish and would want that person all for themselves but you, you understood that when you truly love someone, you put their needs before your own and I am sure that the spirits are proud that you had the strength to do that; I know I am.”

“Do you mean that?” her eyes watered.

“Of course I do and I came over here because I wanted you to know that even though you’re twenty fives years old, that your dad will always be here for you, as long as I am alive, I will be there.”

“Thanks dad,” Emerson fought back her tears.

He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “There’s no need to thank me. I'm your father; I have to be there for you. Now, let’s start planning how you’re going to tell your momma that you quit your job.”

“That asshole told you? I'm going to beat him senseless.”

“You can do that later,” he smiled, “But first let’s plan, how you’re going to tell your momma, because if you don’t tell her the right way, she’s going to be the one that beats you senseless with her chancla (flip flop).”

“Let the planning begin.”