EXILE ━ Alice Cullen

08. All We Can Do

EIGHT ALL WE CAN DO

"Oh, my gosh!" Margot exclaimed as she stepped outside, hiking her backpack up on her shoulder, "Guys! I think it snowed last night! Not a lot, but look! I love it here, I love it!"

A few weeks had passed since their arrival to Forks, Washington, and the winter would soon settle which made things infinitely easier for the clan. Josette hadn't spoken to Alice since that day in the woods, but she knew she was probably better off. Alice was dangerous, just not in the traditional sense. She was trying to worry less about things, she really was, but Alice was an exception. She would always worry about her.

Another person she would always worry about was Margot who was currently about to step out onto an icy landscape in a tank top. Josette stopped her from going to the car by placing a hand on her shoulder, chuckling as she said, "Just because we don't get cold doesn't mean humans don't. Jacket, now. We can't be forgetful, it gets more obvious in the Winter."

Margot groaned, heading back inside reluctantly to put on a sweater, calling out, "I know! I've been trying to teach myself how to make my teeth chatter if I really wanna put on a show!"

The older vampire laughed to herself, rolling her eyes as Henrietta joined her on the porch, "She will learn."

"It's been 20 years, Henri, I'm starting to think this is how it'll always be," Josette sighed, but there was warmth behind it. She loved Margot as if they were sisters since birth, not just for the last two decades. It was nice to not be the youngest anymore, to have someone to take under her wing; but Margot was more than that. Margot was undoubtedly the friendliest of them all, Toni with her abrasiveness and Liz with her often condescending tone, it was rare they all got along before Margot joined them. She had brought them together more than she would ever know.

"Why do you guys always look so serious?" Margot interrupted the content silence with a warm grin, wrapped in a jacket that looked suspiciously like Jo's, but she wasn't complaining as long as Margot wore one. They had settled into the population of Forks quite nicely, but that didn't mean they could let their rouse slip for even a moment. Margot walked over to the car, turning around when no one followed her, asking, "C'mon, are we going or what?"

Henrietta laughed, stepping down the porch with her keys in hand, "Remind me to ask Charlie to put chains on our tires for us. God forbid we crash and someone sees us come out in perfect condition."

"You're on a first-name basis with Sheriff Swan?" Josette asked, raising her eyebrows a little bit of a question in them. She sat down in the passenger seat, giving the older vampire a suspicious look.

"Don't look at me like that! We're friends!" the woman chuckled, smacking the younger's arm playfully, "Besides, the age gap is a bit much don't you think?"

"Technically you're like 39, Henri, and he can't be older than 45," Margot piped up from the backseat, clearly biting back a smile, "He's just a lonely divorcee, single dad... stable job... respected in the town..."

"I will make both of you walk," she shook her head as she began to drive them, "We are friends and that's final. Besides, he's a human, we won't mix. There's too many lies involved for anything to happen even if I wanted it to, which I don't. You girls need to stop worrying about silly things like my love life and start focusing on your schoolwork and oh, I don't know, surviving."

Jo scoffed at this, surprising even herself, "Oh, please, Henri. We've all been lonely for so long, maybe a little love would be nice."

"Says you, you've been avoiding your soulmate since you met her again," the youngest groaned from the backseat. "You guys are all hopeless. I think I might go for Mike, he's cute. Or Angela, she seems so sweet."

"No, no, we are not going to mess with humans, Margot," Henri chastised, keeping her eyes on the road, "It's dangerous. That's always been our number one rule, stay away from them and avoid forming personal connections with them. Why not befriend the other vampires? What's wrong with them?"

Margot leaned back against her headrest, looking up at the roof of the car, "They're mean. The only one who's even spoken to us is Alice. Rosalie just glares and the rest of them avoid eye contact."

Henri seems displeased at this, sighing, "I was going to head down to the hospital today and see if I can arrange some sort of meeting with their clan leader or maybe his wife. Work out some sort of peaceful exchange. You guys need more friends your own age. No humans, Margot."

"Says the one cozying up with the sheriff," Margot mumbled under her breath.

As they pulled into a parking spot, Henri turned around and threw an exasperated look in the youngest's direction, telling her, "I've had enough of you, get out of my car, I'll see you in class."

"Ugh, fine, see you," Margot groaned, forcing herself to sit up and grab her backpack. It was clear that neither of them were actually angry with each other, but that didn't stop Margot from slamming the car door and sticking her tongue out at the two women still in the car.

Once Margot was gone, Josette turned to Henri and said, "You know, it really wouldn't be so bad if you wanted something with Charlie. He seems nice, his daughter, too. I know humans are off-limits, but really, what's the worst that can happen?"

"The Volturi get involved," Henri groaned, "Ugh, I hate them."

"Okay, but that's like worst-case scenario!"

"You said worst!" the older laughed, resting her forehead against the steering wheel with a sigh, "He's cute. And he'll put chains on our tires for us. I could never tell him the truth, though. What good is a relationship founded on lies, Jo?"

Josette smiled softly, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "It's all we can do. Just think about it. You spend so much time looking after us, you deserve to have a little fun."

"So do you," Henri sits straight up once more, giving her a pointed look, "I see the way you look at Alice, you love her still."

"There's eighty years of life between us, now. Things are so different, I don't know if my love for her will ever be the same nor hers for me. It's too complicated and it's not something I want to have to worry about. We're better off just keeping our distance."

Henri sighed, "Maybe you should start taking your own advice instead of wasting it on others, Jo. You've always been the most thoughtful out of all of us."

Before the younger could say anything else, there was a sharp knock on the window grabbing their attention. Margot stood there, pretending to shiver, mouthing, "Let's go."

Opening the door, Henri shot one last pointed look over at Jo, saying, "We can talk about this later, get to class."

"Bye, Henri," Jo called, linking arms with Margot as they walked into the school, immediately surrounded by students. She had a feeling Henri was probably right -- that she should take her own advice, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. There was something holding her back, something she couldn't get past just yet. Still, that was a problem for another day.