Edgar opened his eyes and looked around the room. His head finally felt clear and he blinked a little, confused as to where he was. He heard someone sigh and turned his head to see who it was. He found a mound of red hair beside him and he smiled, knowing exactly who it belonged to. He turned over slowly and snuggled against the almost animate hair and took in Merida's scent. He had been abandoned on the streets by his own mother, forgotten and left to starve. If Lord Clarvins hadn't been so adamant about a message boy, Edgar wouldn't have met Merida. She was the closest thing to what he saw through the windows of people's homes of what a mother was like. He knew she loved him and he loved her with all of his being. He wished he could call her what he'd always wanted to, but he didn't think she'd allow him. He snuggled more into her, worried about what would happen to him. He was still weak and tired, woozy and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Mama..." he whimpered, feeling the dizziness overcome him again.

Merida's' head popped up suddenly, scaring Edgar. He pushed back from her and then began to cough uncontrollably from the heaviness in his chest. Merida grabbed hold of him immediately and held him to her, rocking back and forth with him.

"Ye'll be alright, laddy..." she said softly.

Edgar finally stopped coughing and just laid on her shoulder, taking in her warmth and her safety.

"Merida?" he said softly.

"Aye?"

"Can I call you Mama?"

Merida paused for a minute before continuing to rock him. "Why would ye want to do that? I'm far from a mother..."

"If I could have a mother, I'd want her to be just like you."

Merida frowned, touching her hand to his head. He was raging again but she could tell he was cognizant of his own question.

"An ye feel ye need to, I willnae stop ye. Just dinnae get offended an I dinnae answer ye right away."

She could feel him smile so brightly that his fever fluctuated.

"Thank you!"

"Ye get some rest, laddie. Looks like yer body is trying to fight this issue. I willnae leave ye, so ye best be getting better soon."

Edgar smiled again. "Alright, Mama."

Merida felt him get heavy with fatigue as it took over him and he went limp in her arms. She smiled a little in the crook of his neck, feeling a little overwhelmed but extremely happy that he viewed her as a mother.

"Ye dinnae worry, wee one, I willnae let ye leave from this world and leave from me. Ye fight with all ye've got."

She carefully laid back down in the bed, leaning over to grab a rag from the basin beside her.

********************************

"Can you see my hand?"

"It buwwy buh I cah 'ee it." Higgs said, frowning at his speech. (it's blurry but i can see it)

It had been four days since the revelation of Edgar and as she had promised, Merida stopped taking care of him. Jamie took over, and in that time Higgs' tongue had grown back enough to actually talk but it wasn't exactly the best of speech.

"It's blurry, huh? Well, you still have about a week or so of the month, so your eyesight should get better. If not, you'll have to wear glasses."

"I on't 'ant to 'ear ga'eh. It mates 'anging har'." (i don't want to wear glasses, it makes changing hard)

"Well, I can't help what the sun does to vampires. You're lucky you've recovered fast enough as it is."

Higgs just sighed, watching the blurry form of Lucas as he put all his other stuff up.

"How Me'ida?" Higgs asked softly. (how's merida?)

Higgs felt his father's gaze bore into him from somewhere in the room.

"She's fine. She's sleeping with Edgar."

"How eh he?" (how is he?)

"On the road to recovery, finally. Seems like his body is flushing out the illness but he's stopped vomiting and having hot and cold spells. He has a constant low grade fever, which usually means the body is still detoxing, but I think he'll pull through."

Higgs smiled slightly. "I'm gad. Cah... cah you ak Me'ida 'omething for me?" (i'm glad. can... can you ask merida something for me?)

"I can try..."

"Ak her... ak her eh 'ee... eh 'ee..." (ask her... ask her if she... if she...)

Lucas put his hand on Higgs' shoulder.

"She's not leaving you, Higgs. She's pissed to high heaven, but she's not leaving."

"Cah you 'uh..." (can you just...)

"I'll ask her but I guarantee you that she's not going to leave you. I wouldn't be surprised if she treats you a little coldly for a bit but you are aware that your actions could have cost that boy his life?"

"I oh." (i know)

"He loves you and Merida like parents. You're probably the first two people to treat him like a child and be kind to him so... he was relying on you and you failed. I'm sure that's one of the reasons Merida is mad, because she knows how much Edgar respects you."

"I eh a 'ad 'eron." (i'm a bad person)

"What?" Lucas said with a confused look.

"He said he's a bad person." Jamie growled from the window. "And to be honest, you are. You're a bad person, Higgs."

"Jamison."

"Merida has every right to hate you and much more. She has every right to leave you behind her, a cold blooded man who can't even take care of a single child and then when he gets near it, he tries to kill him?"

"Jamison, I think you had better check your own life before you lay into your son's. I recall a few months back when a certain someone was supposed to be helping his son after a man tried to gut him and we found him fang deep into his neck." Jamison made a face. "As I thought. You sit here and preach about control and audacity when you yourself have done it before. We call that a pot calling the kettle black, if I recall."

Jamison made a noise and Higgs smiled, knowing Lucas had delivered a timely blow to his father's ego.

"The point of the matter is that Merida is still here with Edgar. You'd have to talk to her about forgiveness and all that rot. She's forgiving, but she does have a place in her heart for the boy and you almost killed him whether by neglect or by your own nature. You will need to formally apologize to her when you get the chance."

"If you get the chance." Jamie chimed in.

Higgs nodded, wondering if his tongue would heal in time for him to talk normally. His eyes were a different matter altogether and he had a feeling he would be stuck with glasses.

**********************

Merida closed the door to Edgar's room softly and then breathed in for a minute. She smelled horrible and needed a bath. She started down the hallway when the door to Higgs' room opened up and Higgs walked out. He turned around, smelling her, and she stopped in her tracks in the hallway. They just stared at each other for a minute and Higgs turned away, walking away from her. Merida sighed and walked behind him. It was awkward since they were going the same direction. When they got to the stairs, Higgs turned around again and Merida stopped.

"Are oo' 'ollowing 'ee?" (are you following me?)

"I just happen to be going in the same direction. Nothing more."

Higgs moved out the way and motioned for the stairs.

"Ah'er 'oo." (after you)

"Ye ken I'm going to let ye be behind me? He havenae had anything to eat since he were burnt to a crisp. My exposed neck will do nothing but tempt ye."

Higgs pointed to his mouth. "I cah ee' cuh mah tah eh gah." (i can't eat cuz my tongue is gone)

"What?"

He opened his mouth and pointed to his missing tongue. Merida made a face but nodded.

"Aye, I ken ye then..."

She started down the stairs when Higgs grabbed her arm. She whirled to him with the angriest look and he let her arm go quickly.

"I 'uh..." He shook his head and smiled sadly, motioning for her to go. "'owwy..." (i just.../sorry)

Merida squinted but went down the stairs to go and find Margaret or Fuchsia.

Higgs watched her blurry red hair go down the stairs and although he really was hungry, he lost his appetite as he watched her go down the stairs, walking away from him and the life he had. He had ruined it for good this time, he knew it. When Edgar was better, she would leave him and find someone else who was normal and wouldn't try to kill her. It hurt worse than when he thought she just up and left him. At least it was quick and swift and she was already gone so the wonder was there but if she had never been found, he would have accepted that. That was only back in June and four months into his transformation cycle for the year. Between two and four months was the average time a maid had stayed with him, depending on the transformation. But this was October; one month to go and she would have seen all his transformations... She would have passed a test no one had done yet and yet...

The thought hit him like a punch to the gut and he doubled over, leaning on the banister of the stairs. Every emotion he had revealed to her, every insecurity, every fear, every desire, every bit of his heart he had shared with this woman was being torn apart by his actions... He had ruined this chance to have someone be by his side like his father had Davros and Catherine, ones who would be there even if he didn't get married or find someone, ones who loved him and would just be there for him...

Walking was a chore and he couldn't do it as he made it to the edge of the hallway and slid down, putting his hands over his face. If he couldn't even keep someone as brave and strong as Merida, how the hell would any other woman break his curse?

He couldn't cry quite yet and the emotions were too much for him. He didn't mean to scream but it was all he could do. He just covered his face and yelled at the world. His own stupidity, his selfishness, his ancestors, his parents, everyone he could think of, but never at Merida. She did nothing wrong...

***************************

Merida was drawing water for her bath when she heard this horrible scream come from inside the house. Her head whipped up quickly as Fuchsia looked up as well. Merida just stared at the mansion, undecisive.

"Merida, are you going to leave my brother?"

"Fuck no." she said angrily, turning back to the pump. She started to pump faster in anger. "Is that what he's hurtin' about? Does he ken I'll leave him?"

"This time he really, truly believes that. Can you blame him though?"

"No, I cannae blame him for kenning it. I'm mad as hell at him right now, but I couldnae leave him. I've gotten too far deep into this family to just up and abandon him now."

"That might be true but it's not like it hasn't happened before. This family carries a curse but it also carries the trauma that goes with it. Every person who bears the curse will always carry with it the trauma of watching people leave or the fear of believing people will leave. It's just something that happens."

Another scream tore through the house and Merida shivered. "Ye ken he doesnae have banshee in one of those transformations?"

"If the curse continues, I don't see why it wouldn't come about... but I understand. Higgs has only done that once before and... it's haunting to hear. It's a sound that carries everything in his soul, his heart... it's a pain that can't be described with words."

"Weel, I cannae cater to him every time. What he did to Edgar is not something I cannae forgive easily. As much as ma heart wants to go to him, an I do it, he'll believe all is done... He's got to realize that there are consequences to his actions as weel.."

"Merida, please-"

"That boy kens how to drive a hole right through my own heart and into a depth of my being that I cannae explain." She said, her eyes tearing up. "But curses or not, leaving a wee lad to die on the excuse of just forgetting him is far worse that me walking out that door. He has to ken that much... and I ken he does because an he didnae, he wouldnae be so hurt. He kens what he did and he kens why I'm acting the way I am but... he caused this on himself and no one can be blamed other than him." She looked at Fuchsia and she watched Merida wipe a tear away. "But ye be assured I'm not a cold-hearted bitch who gets pleasure from his pain... it's just this time he needs it. To grow up, he has to understand."

Fuchsia watched her leave, taking her pail of water with her, and then looked up at the house again as Higgs gave another scream, although this one just sounded pitiful. She thought she would never hear that scream again...

****************************************

"Mommy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt her! I'm really sorry!"

"Fuchsia, sweetheart, are you alright? Speak to me, lovey."

"Mommy, I didn't mean to!"

"Don't touch her!" Margaret yelled, pulling Fuchsia to her chest.

Higgs looked at her in surprise as Margaret glared angrily at him. His heart fell, realizing his mother was scared of him, of what he could become. His sister was bleeding in her arms from his inability to control himself. He was a monster and his whole family knew it... now he knew it too.

"Don't... be mad... Mama..." Fuchsia said, shaking and in pain. "He didn't... he didn't mean to..."

"Let's get you cleaned up and have Lucas take a look at you."

Margaret picked her up and Fuchsia looked around her arm at Higgs. Margaret slammed the door closed, blocking him from her view when the most horrible sound escaped the room. Fuchsia started crying.

"You'll be alright, honey..."

"Why did you do that, Mama?! Why did you hurt him?! Why did you break his heart?!" Margaret stopped and looked down at her as she sobbed in her mother's arms. "He didn't mean to do it at all. It was my fault and now he thinks you hate him and I hate him and everyone...He thinks he's a monster, Mama!"

"Ma'am, ye called?"

"Catherine, take Fuchsia to her room and have Davros go for Jami and Lucas. I... I messed up."