1-28: Ready When You Are

Calm down, don't take it too far
I know only time can heal scars
So I'm ready when you are.

(A/N:

From here until the end of generation one, things get kind of time jumpy. Not because I don't want to share every moment of Eden's life and love affair with you, but let's be realistic. That would take about 50-60 chapters, and Eden hasn't even gotten pregnant with any of the possible heirs for generation two.

So for the rest of this generation, only the important things will be covered. I guess it's up to you to decide how much time has passed between each section, but I'd like to say this all ends around the time Eden turns 26-27 and we lead into generation two.

 I just thought you guys deserved a heads up, and a prevention from getting confused... because a bunch of important life-altering things happening one right after the other can tend to get that way.

So.... I'm going to stop talking now and let you get to the actual story....)

-------------

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Eden dropped her head into her hands, taking a deep breath. After a few moments, she reached over to the sink next to her and filled the cup up that was sitting there again from the faucet. She tilted her head back and drank as fast as she could, sitting back down on the edge of the bathtub. She stared at the two red lines on the stick in her hand and groaned, sliding down to the floor.

She pushed the cap back on the stick and tossed it next to the other seven sticks with identical bright red lines that were on the floor next to the toilet.

"This has to be a joke. It has to. God wouldn't do this to me. Not yet. I'm twenty one."

She was talking to herself, half convinced she was going insane. She wasn't crying though, that hadn't happened yet. She kept waiting for it, but the shock wouldn't seem to wear off enough for her to produce any tears.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent Kiara a text, her hands shaking in her attempt to form coherent sentences.

-Are you in my fucking house?-

It took a few moments for Kiara's reply, but eventually her phone went off and it slid into view.

-....I'm always in your house? Where are you?-

-In the upstairs bathroom. Can you get your ass in here?-

A response never came, but soon, Eden heard the footsteps that she'd grown to know as her best friend's. Kiara didn't even bother knocking, just slung the door open like she always did. She took one look at the boxes scattered around the floor, and the her eyes widened and she quickly shut the door behind her.

"Uh oh."

Eden reached out and grabbed one of the sticks, throwing it at her feet.

"Tell me this doesn't mean what I think it means. Please."

Kiara kicked the stick out of the way and walked over next to Eden, sitting down on the bath mat. She looked at the pile of sticks and a smile crossed her face, but it quickly disappeared.

"It means you're pregnant. You're not that stupid, Eden."

Eden groaned and this time when Kiara grinned, it stayed in place. Eden really wanted to punch her, but knew that was the worst choice possible.

"Eight tests though, Eden? Was that actually necessary?"

Eden pulled her head out of her hands and looked up at Kiara, scowling.

"I slept with him once! I've banged other guys dozens of times and I never got knocked up. What does this guy have, super semen? This is not okay. I'm not ready to be a mom."

Kiara reached over, brushing Eden's hair out of her face.

"Maybe not, but you're going to be. So you should probably accept it."

Eden rolled her eyes, getting to her feet and picking up the sticks, tossing them in the trash.

"I realize that. Can't I just pretend that I'm not until I get fat and feel something move inside of me?"

Kiara shook her head, laughing.

"No, I don't think so. But what you should do is go and tell Xav. This is kind of a big deal. He might want to know about it."

Eden's eyes widened and she rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

"What if he doesn't want to keep it? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me after this?"

Kiara raised an eyebrow, grabbing a couple of the boxes and tossing them in the trash on top of the pregnancy tests.

"I don't think Xavier is that kind of guy, and I'm pretty sure you don't actually think that either... You don't really have much of a choice here. He needs to know."

Eden placed a hand on her stomach, turning to face the mirror. She studied her face, the curves of her hips and her stomach. She knew how much her body was going to change. She knew what this meant, and she knew what her only choice was. She would never terminate, and definitely wouldn't give her baby away... But she had thought she would have to make this choice a lot later in her life. Maybe even never.

She just didn't know where to go from here.

"I'm having a baby. What the hell?"


Kiara stood next to Eden in the mirror, that same smile still in place.

"You are. Congratulations."

------------

Eden knocked on the door to Xavier's house hard enough to hurt her knuckles. She didn't stop knocking until she heard footsteps, finally taking a step away from the wood. Xavier opened the door, and as soon as he saw her, a smile broke his features.

"Hey Eden, what's up?"

She scowled, brushing past him.

"Don't smile at me. You smiling at me is what got me into this mess in the first place."

As Xavier shut the door, he looked over at her, confusion in his eyes.

"What? What's wrong?"

Eden crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips.

"I currently hate you, and your penis."

Xavier looked even more confused, crossing the room and standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry?"

His voice matched his expression and Eden sighed, throwing her hands in the air.

"I'm pregnant. It's yours and I hate you so much right now."

Xavier froze, his mouth dropping open. His eyes traveled from her face to her stomach and back to her eyes. It seemed to take him a few moments to formulate enough words to respond.

"We had sex once... What?"

Eden nodded, letting out a groan.

"I'm aware. But just in case you missed health class in high school, once is definitely enough."

She crossed her arms over her chest, and finally, she found the words she knew she had to ask.

"So what do we do now?"

Xavier cleared his throat, taking a couple of deep breaths. He put his fingers underneath Eden's chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. 

"Eden... I'm not going to leave you. I'm okay with you having a baby. My baby. It's fast, but we can make it work. Hell, we've been slow at everything else. Something had to happen like this right?"

He bent down, pressing a kiss to her forehead, a small smile on his lips when he pulled away. She blinked a few times, finally exhaling the breath she had been holding. Xavier tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and laughed a little, pulling her into his chest.

"I do, however, think this might be the right moment for me to ask you to be my girlfriend."

Eden couldn't help but laugh, uncrossing her arms and wrapping them around him.

"Talk about slow.

But yeah, Nile. I kind of want to kill you sometimes, but I'll date you. Why the hell not? I'm pregnant with your spawn after all."

Xavier chuckled, shaking his head and pulling away enough to look down at her.

"I'm pretty sure those kinds of things are the reason why I fell in love with you. 

Maybe."

Eden nodded, pressing onto her toes and brushing her lips against his.

"Maybe."

------------
"So, we have something important to discuss."

Kiara looked up from her book, rolling her eyes at Atticus' tone. She put her feet up on the Simon's kitchen table and scoffed, flipping to the next page.

"If you're about to tell me that your twin sister is pregnant, I already know. She told me first."

Atticus dropped the glass he had been filling with water in the sink and it shattered, his eyes glued to Kiara's form.

"Eden's pregnant?"

Kiara sat the book down on the seat next to her and cleared her throat. She hadn't exactly meant to let that cat out of the bag. Eden was already around 16 weeks, how did her family not know?

"Uh... Yeah... It's Xavier's... They're dating? How out of the loop are you, exactly? I've known for two and a half months."

Atticus shook his head, his eyes widening slightly. He walked over to her, his face still colored with confusion.

"Two and a half months? .........What?"

He took a seat next to her at the table and rubbed his face with his hands, exhaling softly.

"Yeah, she finds out what she's having in like... a month. 

Can you, like, not tell her I told you though. I have a feeling there's a reason she hasn't told all of you guys. I'm just surprised she hasn't told you, at the very least."

Atticus nodded, reaching out and taking Kiara's hand with his.

"That makes two of us, but that's not what I wanted to ask you."

His face turned serious and Kiara raised an eyebrow, running her tongue across her lips.

"What? I'm not going to marry you, sorry."

She said it jokingly, but Atticus' face didn't look humored at all.

"Not quite, but. I'd like for you at least to be with me again. Give me another chance Kiara?

Cause we both know that I love you. That I always have."

Kiara's lips turned up, and she leaned over. She pressed her mouth to his cheek and laughed, her breath on his skin.

"I know. And you're right, I always did.

I also knew that you were too coward to say it."

She kissed him again, but he still seemed tense as she pulled away. She shoved his shoulder lightly, her smile not fading.

"Oh come on, Simon. You know it's a yes."

--------------

Time passed faster than Eden counted on, and being pregnant wasn't something she was convinced she was even semi-equipped to handle. She found out that she was having a girl and let her entire family know by telling them they needed to 'buy her lots of pink stuff in tiny sizes'.

And not only that, just three weeks after she knew the gender of her own baby, her mother went into labor.

And the moment Bliss Lyric Simon was brought into their tiny dysfunctional world, it was like things started shifting. In all of their lives. 

Noticeable shifts.

In Cassius. In her mother. In her father.

With bright pink eyes and hair the exact color of her mom's, Bliss and her perfect, innocent face seemed to have healing properties. 

As Cassius held the small pink clothed bundle in his arms the first night in the hospital, the tears fell out of his eyes and onto the floor. He didn't speak for a moment, but out of nowhere, his eyes went brighter than Eden had ever seen them.

He looked up at Eden and back down at Bliss, and his voice was so quiet, she barely heard him.

"I see her in her eyes, E. I see nothing but her."

The room went silent, and Eden didn't have to look up to know her mother was sobbing. It swept through the room, and collected on the air. It passed through every single one of them, and she wasn't sure that any of them weren't crying in that moment.

Eden knelt down, rubbing her finger across her baby sister's forehead. She wrapped her arms around her little brother's shoulders and felt every shudder of breath that left his body.

"I'm sorry. I fucked up, and I'm sorry.

I'll change."

He whispered the words into Bliss' ear, and Eden pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"We've all fucked up, Cassius. Maybe you and I more than the others, but we have. What matters is what you do with that knowledge. How you grow from it."

Cassius looked up into Eden's eyes, both of them bleary with tears, surprise hanging in the air between them.

"I can safely say, I never thought I would hear something like that coming out of your mouth."

Eden nodded.

"People change. Things change. 

Lyric's gone, and I know she was the only one on this planet that meant anything to you, but you have to let her go. Let her rest. There's a new baby girl you can protect now. Right there in your arms.

A wise man once said to me, 'If I could bring her back, I would. But I can't, and nothing can ever change that. 

But you're gonna be okay.'

And I don't think anything else quite fits."

She looked up, and her dad's eyes met with hers, and the smile on his face was something she wasn't sure she had seen in years.

That visible shift in her family, that loss, and that pain, finally seemed to have come full circle. 

And maybe things had gone farther awry than any of them ever could have thought, and maybe all of them had dealt in horrible ways... But it felt like that was over.

Maybe they had all learned something through this, even if it had been in a tragic way.

Maybe it was possible that this dysfunctional family she had sworn off for so long, was worth mending. 

------------

1-27: She

-----------

"If you don't open this fucking door, I'll burn your house down Nile. I swear to God."

Kiara banged on the door one more time, walking over to the window. It was cracked and she could see a light on somewhere in the depths of the house. She leaned her head down to the crack, raising her voice an octave.

"I can see your fucking car, asshole. I know that you're here."

She sighed loudly, straightening back up. She walked back over to the door and knocked so hard, a crack appeared in the wood.

"This is the last time I'm knocking. I don't know if you think I'm someone who jokes around about this shit, but if you don't open this fucking door by the time I count to three, I'm knocking it off of its hinges."

She took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"One."

She looked down at her nails, tapping her foot impatiently. She thought she could hear footsteps from inside, but she wasn't sure.

"Two."

Her voice echoed down the empty street, and she honestly couldn't believe this kid could be stupid enough to let her get to three. She opened her mouth to speak, but the door swung open. Xavier stood in front of her, and his face was anything but amused.

"Are you a psycho or something?"

Kiara nodded, reaching out and pushing Xavier to the side so she could get through the doorway.

"Yes. And I need to talk to you. So shut up and listen."

Xavier looked at her, dumbfounded. He looked like the last thing he wanted was for Kiara Hunter to be in his living room at 6 am, but he shut the door softly behind her anyway.

"What do you want, Kiara?"

Kiara spun in a circle, looking around the massive room in Xav's house. 

"Well you see, we have a problem. And by we, yes, I mean you too.

My best friend disappeared last night. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about, since you're in love with her and stuff."

She fixed him with a look as she finally brought her eyes back to his face. She looked like she was daring him to contest her, and he didn't disappoint.

"I'm not in love with Eden. And you act like she doesn't disappear a lot. 

That's what she does. She runs away."

Kiara let out a loud noise of exasperation.

"Why are you such an idiot? I mean really. You're one of the smartest people in this fucking town and you're still acting like a scared little boy.

I'm not asking you to stand there and declare your love for her, because anyone with eyes can see it. What I'm asking you to do is stop her from leaving.

She's leaving in half an hour to some fucking country I can't even pronounce the name of."

Xavier's expression blanked out, quickly turning incredulous.

"What makes you think that I can stop her? She's never listened to me before. What the hell is going to change that now?"

Kiara rolled her eyes, her hands finding her hips. She looked at him in a way that made Xavier uneasy in seconds.

"Really?"

Xavier hesitated to answer, shifting his weight.

"Yes?"

Kiara walked over to him, and even though he was easily as tall as Atticus, she stared him down like he was half her size.

"Because she loves you, you dumbass."

Xavier took a step back from her, clearing his throat. 

"Eden doesn't love anyone but herself, Kiara."

Kiara sighed, again, her annoyance growing with every passing minute. She spoke quickly, her words running into each other.

"You're wrong about that. 

She loves Jett. She loves her twin brother. She loves me, and she sometimes loves her dad.

She loved Nico in a way that left her broken and opened up to things she didn't know how to deal with.

She loved her baby sister, and her death shattered her entire existence.

She loves alcohol and she loves sex. She loves music and she loves doing things she knows she shouldn't do. She loves causing trouble and she loves math."

Kiara's voice paused for a second and she let out one more breath before looking Xavier straight in the eyes.

"But none of that is going to compare to the fact that she's in love with you.

That shes probably loved you for a long time.

And maybe Eden doesn't know how to show that, and maybe she doesn't know what to do about it, but that doesn't fucking change it.

So why don't you be a man and go to the fucking airport before she leaves and you miss your chance?

Do something. 

Because we both fucking know she never will."

Xavier stared at Kiara for a long, long time. He didn't seem to be able to say a single word to the speech Kiara had just dumped in his head. He was trying to comprehend how this girl standing in front of him could know someone like Eden so well. How Eden, with walls stronger than concrete, could have let someone else inside.

But wasn't that sort of what she'd done with him? Or at least, what she'd started to do?

Was that what had happened? 

Did she love him?

Did he love her?

All he could do was repeat the same sentence in his head over and over.

We both fucking know she never will.

Finally, he let out a breath. He shoved the shoes sitting next to the door onto his feet and turned back around, holding his hand out to her.

"Give me your keys."

------------

Xavier pulled Kiara's bright red Mclaren to the side of the gates and threw it into park. The guy behind the parking entrance terminal sat the paper he had been reading down and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Xavier climbed out of the shiny red car and rushed over to the glass window. The security guard leaned forward, sliding it open.

"Can I help you? These gates don't open for another 15 minutes, son."

Xavier's eye widened.

"No, I need to get inside."

The guard shook his head, looking down at his watch and pulling his newspaper back in front of his face.

"Well you're gonna have to wait. It's only 15 minutes. You'll be fine."

Xavier shook his head, reaching into the window. He pushed the newspaper down so the guard could see his face.

"There's someone I need to see. What's it going to take for you to open this gate?"

The guard paused for a moment, taking in Xavier's appearance. Every second that passed made the anxiety in Xavier's chest triple.

"You love her?"

Xav blinked, completely caught off guard. He didn't know how to respond to that. What was he supposed to say? He didn't know. He had no idea.

"That's what I keep hearing, yeah."

The guard nodded, once. He sat his paper down, reaching out and hitting a bright red button on the side of his desk.

"Then I suggest you run, kid."

Xavier stared at him in disbelief, but just for a moment. He ran to the car, put it in drive and floored it the moment the gate rose. He shouted 'thank you' out of the window when he passed, but he didn't know if the guy had even heard him. But he was sure that he kept getting weird strokes of luck tonight.

Hopefully, they continued.

---------------

Eden looked down at her cell phone, scrolling one by one through her pictures. It was 6:51. The plane was supposed to leave in nine minutes. In nine minutes, she'd be free of this town. She'd have her trust fund and a new country, a new life. She could be someone else. Have something else. Maybe for once in her life, she could be happy.

She sighed, pressing the button on the top of her phone. The screen went black and she took another step forward, following the line of people toward the boarding area. The glass doors to the airport fell shut behind her and it was like a weight lifted off of her chest.

No one even knew she was leaving. They'd figure it out soon enough, but she wasn't even sure she cared. It wasn't like it was important for her to stay here. No one needed her here.

All of her reasons to stay were gone.

She hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder, and the single tear that fell down her face was sworn to be her last one. 

This was about freedom. This was about moving on, and letting go.

This was about-

"Eden!"

She blinked, once, looking around at the passengers that surrounded her. Was she imagining things? She almost thought she recognized that voice. She brushed it off, following the people in front of her once again. She put her hand on the railing to the stairs up to the plane, only to be promptly knocked off of the step, her bag falling beside the stairs.

She looked up, her mouth dropping open. The guy who had been behind her gave her a dirty look and brushed past her.

"Xavier? How the fuck did you get in here?"

"Massive amounts of luck and about five thousand dollars."

He was out of breath, and he looked exhausted. Like he'd been running. He took her by the arm and pulled her out of the line. Person after person pushed past them, boarding the plane. Boarding Eden's escape, and here was Xavier, not allowing her to do the exact same thing.

"I'm about to leave, Xavier. Why are you here? What do you want?"

She looked to the side of him, not able to quite meet his eyes.

He gasped for breath, putting his hand on her shoulder. He was searching her eyes, searching for words.

"Don't get on that plane."

She shifted her weight, glancing around. People were staring, whispering to each other. She looked back at Xavier, biting down on the inside of her cheek.

"I have to. There's nothing left for me here, Xav. Everything is destroyed. Everything is changing. 

I have to go."

She tried to push past him, towards the stairs, but he stopped her. One hand on her chest. He shook his head vehemently. 

"No you fucking don't."

She raised an eyebrow. He was cussing. Every single time it happened, it surprised her.

"I'm pretty sure I just said that I do."

"And I said that you don't. Because there is something left for you here. I'm here.

And I know change scares you. I know that feelings scare you. I know that I fucking let you down. But running away solves nothing."

He took her face in his hands, bringing her emerald green gaze onto his own.

"Don't leave."

Eden let out a breath, and her heart jumped in her chest.

She had to leave... She couldn't stay. Not for some boy who didn't even really care.

But if he didn't care... why is he here?

"Why?"

The question was open ended. It had a million meanings and a million answers. But she was looking for just one. One reason to stay. If he could give her just one-

"Because I'm in love with you.

Just like you said. Just like Kiara said. Like your father did before we ever even left for college. 

Because for all of your faults and all of your mistakes, I can't seem to fucking see you as anything less than beautiful.

You scare me, and you piss me off. You drive me insane.

You're reckless and obnoxious and have a terrible drinking problem. Your family is dysfunctional and your best friend is a psycho.

I almost got arrested because I was determined to get to you. I just gave all the money in my wallet to a security guard who looks like he already has more money than God.

But I don't care.

Because I'm in love with you.

 And you can not get on that plane."

The shock that pulsed through Eden was unlike anything she had felt in her entire life. Was this really happening? Was he really doing this? In front of all of these people? Right now?

Thunder broke across the sky and the flight assistant leaned impatiently out of the door of the plane. They were the only two people left outside. Rain drops fell onto her face one by one and still, she didn't speak.

What kind of cliche movie bullshit was this? Stopping the girl before she gets on the plane? Were they in the nineties? This was dumb. It was insane and it was gross. Everything in her brain was telling her to push him away. To get on that plane and never look back.

Except...

"I love you too."

She pushed onto her toes and touched her lips to his, her hand on his face. He twisted his fingers into her hair and pulled her against him, the rain falling heavier. He tasted like he always had, and it was something she wasn't sure she ever quite forgot. When he broke the kiss, looking down at her, she saw something new in his eyes. He actually looked... happy.

She was in love with Xavier Nile. 

 And maybe this wouldn't fix her family, and maybe it wouldn't fix any of the damage that had already been done. Maybe it wouldn't fill the cracks in her defenses, but then again... maybe she didn't need them anymore.

It wouldn't make her world spin, and it wouldn't freeze time. It wouldn't be a fairy tale, and it wouldn't make her believe that love was the most beautiful thing in existence.

But what it would do, was show her that maybe not all love is bad. Maybe there are different kinds. Safe kinds.

Maybe she could do this after all.

"Excuse me, miss? We need to go. Are you getting on this plane or not?"

The woman's voice cut through her thoughts and she hesitated, looking from Xavier and back to her. She traced her fingertips across Xavier's cheek and shook her head slowly.

"I think I'm gonna stay."

------------

She, She is the words that I can't find
How can the only thing that's killing me make me feel so alive
And I couldn't speak
I couldn't breathe to save my life
All of my chances swim like sinking ships
This time it's it
I'll drown or make her mine