That Family Meeting

[themidnightson]

Edward and Alice walked out of hall closet together. The one no one saw them enter, and no one heard except for the time it opened and then the time it closed; only seconds passing between the sounds. The kind of time it would take to grab a cute designer scarf or a warm looking jacket. The kind of time in which an important decision could be made.

Edward glanced at her, a rueful but quietly content smile with bright untroubled eyes, a hand still lingering on her shoulder.

Alice's voice, quiet enough to be a whisper, loud enough to be heard through the whole house, tinkled merrily; "Family Meeting."

Comments

[themidnightson]

If one didn't count her penchant for the end of the universe, too.

Edward's expression was perturbed, but he resisted rolling his eyes Rosalie. At least Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme had looked none too suspicious on the circumstance.

"It's about Milliways, a place at the end of space and time, which Alice and I have been visiting for a given time."

Who needed lead up?

Apparently, not Edward.

"I was uncertain before Alice how to show it to any of you, but with her," she gets a glance and half nod, because its he ability that lends the ability for this. "We should be able to show it, too, the next time it connects here."

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle is the first to speak, and possibly the first to recover from a phrase like 'a place at the end of space and time'.

Slowly, making sure the question reflects what he needs to know: "What details about this place can you tell us?"

And how long precisely is 'a given time'?

[cullenteddybear.livejournal.com]

Emmett perks up at the mention of a place at the end of space and time. He has the look of a kid about to enter into the world's largest candy store.

"So is that where you two have been sneaking off to? I should think Jasper should be jealous."

He elbows Jasper just a little.

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

"Hardly," and though Jasper jests, even snorting boastfully at Emmett's ribbing, his thoughts are foremost about this Milliways. He's not exactly excited about it either.

"What sort of place is this?"

He directs the question at Edward, echoing Carlisle's own desire to know more, but his gaze is on his wife.

[wantingnormal.livejournal.com]

Rosalie rolls her eyes at Emmett, but the scorn is clear on her face. She won't argue that such a place doesn't exist - vampires shouldn't exist either - but she will give them both looks for not filling the family in first.

First the Swann girl and now this?

"How many threats do we have to face before someone realises that we're not taking the precautions we've used to take? Edward, Alice, you both should have mentioned something right away."

[mamavamp.livejournal.com]

"Why don't we let Alice and Edward explain instead of asking them endless questions?" Esme suggested.

[betagainstme]

Emmett gets a hard glare and Esme's the best. Alice smiles gratefully at her before glancing up at Edward and then Jasper.

"It's a...bar." She laughs softly at the silliness of the idea. "It appears in the strangest of places. Right now, the hall closet. There are people from all over the world, all over the galaxy, from different times, from different universes, all in this one hub."

She pauses for a moment and grins down at the floor. "I went intergalactic shopping."

Forgive her, she'll now be stuck on that thought for a while :|

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle also shoots a grateful look over to Esme, but turns again quickly to Edward and Alice.

"Is there any reason you know of why you both have been able to go there without us noticing?"

[themidnightson]

Because Edward hadn't pictured that conversation for the first multiple times the bar had taken him -

Walking in and asking his family to sit down. Telling them he was being absconded to the end of the universe by a magical door to a magical place which magically just happened to freeze the world and everyone in it.

That he couldn't show them unless it wanted them, too.



Because that was going to go over so well.
Especially after his part in that accident.




Esme gets a relieved expression from Edward as well as Alice. She always did have the soft touch of knowing what to say when and how to deflate things before they could balloon too far.

Hand in hand with Carlisle's calm requests.

"Time stops here when you walk through the door to it. You never noticed us missing, because to all effects here we never were."

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

Jasper doesn't like the sound of this place. Time stopping. More humans. Inebriated humans, even. Intergalactic shopping.

He doesn't need to antagonize the rest of the family with what he's feels about this so-called Milliways, his displeasure can be read clearly enough by the way he sits down heavily in an armchair, away from his wife, and the set of his jaw.

[betagainstme]

She falters when Jasper steps away from her and she watches him for a moment, taking a tiny half-step after him before standing her ground next to Edward.

Blinking, she clears her throat. "The time stopping...it's most helpful, seeing as it appears randomly, at times. On the way to any room. It is a fascinating place. You learn so...so much about all of these different people."

She should have known that not everyone would have been as excited about this as her. Deep down, she did, but she hoped for the best anyway. Her thoughts are a jumble and she mentally apologizes to Edward for them.

"They have really fast cars in the garage?" :|

[mamavamp.livejournal.com]

"You have no control over when you travel there?" Esme asks.

That's the part that troubles her.

[cullenteddybear.livejournal.com]

Emmett perks up at the mention of fast cars and then stands and moves over to Rosalie's side. He squeezes her and gives her head a kiss while listening to everything.

[themidnightson]

Edward shifted a step closer to Alice at her muddle of thoughts and apology. He'd known it wouldn't go perfectly smoothly, but it had gotten better when Alice was there, and the theory should follow here still.

"I haven't." Brief milliseconds of a pause. "But there are other patrons who've spoken of having a stable door to the place, which could be used out of choice from their homes."

[wantingnormal.livejournal.com]

Fast cars. End of the universe. She gives Alice a look for mentioning that, thinking it will complicate her just like that. She does curl against Emmett however.

"Where you go intergalactic shopping," Rosalie scowled. "Alice, what were you thinking?"

[betagainstme]

"And you can just walk back out if you don't wish to be there." Alice says. Best not to bring up being Bound just yet, if ever.

Rosalie makes her grit her teeth, her jaw tightening. "I was thinking that it didn't matter because I can see my future, Rosalie. I would know if something were going to happen, if I were to slip up."

Her annoyance rolls off of her and she crosses her arms, shifting closer to Edward.

[keptherwaiting.livejournal.com]

Jasper may take a moment to calm everyone - his wife, especially - but he's no more excited about Milliways than he was a minute ago.

"You don't see everything, Alice. This is an unnecessary risk," he mumbles lowly, shaking his head.

[themidnightson]

Edward glowered, even as he felt himself calming under Jaspers attempt to keep the meeting relatively low keyed, at his brother words more than his act.

"It is, but it's less of a risk than we take everyday we show up at that High School or any day in Forks. No one in Milliways can follow us through to here of their own volition."

He raised a hand resting it against Alice's shoulder blade, looking across his famly, both those who were reserved for more information and those who are obviously opposed.

"There are amazing things there, too." Edward thought errantly of Yrael and Jenny. "You can meet beings from worlds all over time and space, from history as well as fiction. You can travel across space, and back in time."

[mamavamp.livejournal.com]

"I would say that this bears further investigation," Esme says. "By the family as a whole. To determine if it's safe or not."

[ofthefamily]

"If we even can. If this..." Carlisle waves one hand absently, "...this door opens for us."

[betagainstme]

Alice shifts uncomfortably, the calmness that is being pressing upon her, mixing with her deep annoyance. "It will." She tells Carlisle, relaxing under Edward's hand. "It's still...in the closet right now, and I can see when it comes back, if it leaves. It's never gone for long."

She sighs. "This isn't...a bad thing. It's new and exciting and they don't care if they know what we are because there's always something crazier to be seen."

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle offers a noncommittal grunt.

To Edward: Do you think it's safe? Really?

[themidnightson]

Edward's gaze didn't flick to Carlisle immediately. It was a habit long ingrained from hearing people as well as the question which made him glance over rather slowly, casually.

Milliways still presented dangers. It always would.

But while he found many more reasons to consider the place and it's patrons annoying, he hadn't found reason enough to consider it dangerous to them. (Yet.)

He shifted his shoulders just barely at the same time as he tipped his head forward.

[ofthefamily]

No more use debating anything until I see for myself.

"Next is just...waiting."

[betagainstme]

"Whenever you want." Alice shrugs. "And if you're unsure if it's still there if it's moved to another unused door, just...ask me."

They know how she works. She looks a little glum as she purses her lips and looks at the wall.

Rosalie's getting spiders >(

[wantingnormal.livejournal.com]

"I still think this is a bad idea," Rosalie insists. She leans back further against Emmett, reaching for his hand to hold. "It only invites more dangers to the family."

[mamavamp.livejournal.com]

"And we need to investigate what those dangers might be now that Edward and Alice have been there," Esme said.

[ofthefamily]

"Not everyone has to," Carlisle adjusts, facing Rosalie directly. "You have every right to be concerned.

"I just refuse to not know what is there, especially if any of us are going."