Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

"Beth, that;s... you're so smart, to think of that. Dad had to yell at me a bunch before I started really trying to.. I guess to not do to you what Mother did to Marian after she died. To really see you and not just keep some picture of you in my head."

[Bethany]

Bethany blushes. "I, um, I didn't think of it," she admits. "I read about it in a book that dad just happened to leave lying around in the magic room downstairs. By purest chance, I'm sure," she says fondly. "He's clever like that. I... I have trouble taking advice. Or rather, I have trouble taking orders and also have trouble telling the difference between the two. So... he picked up the trick of leaving information around and letting me stumble into it."

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods. "I could never have thought of it. And, if he did that to me, I probably wouldn't even look at the book. So... I still think you're smart. I mean, you came up with the Shiny Cat thing, and... you're just, amazing. You look at problems and you think through all of it at once."

[Bethany]

"No, I really don't," Bethany says softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I didn't think of anything but..." She glances away. "I can be stupid and stubborn. So damn sure that my solution isn't just best but that it has to be done my way. And to the hells with anyone else. I won't say I'm not smart, I know I am. But smart isn't always good. Sometime smart means you get... prideful, I guess."

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah. You do get that way," he admits. "But it's not a smart thing. I get that way too. So sure that if you just did what I said you'd be safe. But that's not always true, and... and it'd be wrong to make you not do things you want to do just to be safe. When you... when you said you'd stop whoring I was... I don't want to cage you, Beth. I don't want you to ever feel like you can't be yourself."

[Bethany]

"But... But maybe who I..." She takes a moment, wanting to get the words right. "I want to live my life the way I want to. But... but if the life I want to live hurts the person I love most, then maybe I need to rethink what I want. Because being the sort of person that does that, the sort of person that's so selfish and... and cruel... that's not a good person. I need to think past that... knee-jerk 'my path no matter what' mentality. It's breaking the other things I want in my life. Like my family."

[Carver Amell]

"No," argues Carver. "I will be here no matter what, and so will Dad. You're not going to lose your family again, not ever. I promise. So... so it's good that you think of us, because it's good to not want to hurt us, but please don't be afraid we'll break apart."

[Bethany]

"I- Okay, yes, that too, but I was more thinking breaking like... messing up, not... necessarily separate," Bethany says with a faint blush.

[Carver Amell]

Carver shakes his head. "nuh-uh. You can't mess this up. It's mess-up-proof. That's what family is. I thought... I used to think blood meant that, that no matter what you share blood with someone so you're bound together. But I think... maybe that's not true of blood, but it is of family. And family is different than kin."

[Bethany]

"That... that makes a lot of sense," Bethany says softly. "See? You're pretty damn... I know you won't accept smart, but how about wise? Not about book and facts, but about... life, I guess."

[Carver Amell]

"Sure. I guess I can be wise," he relents, with a small smile. "Are you okay? Do you feel better?"

[Bethany]

Bethany nods against his shoulder. "Yeah. I... I'm glad to hear you say you're... not fine but you're getting there. And I feel better talking about my doubts. And... making sure that what happened between Mari and I isn't... still between us. It isn't, is it?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver shakes his head. "No. You love me, now, whatever happened between us then. That's enough."

[Bethany]

"I'm glad," Bethany says softly, then yawns. "I should probably go let Merri know she can stop hiding in my room," she says with clear reluctance. "Unless you had something you wanted to talk about?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver blinks, then laughs. "You know, I never realized before you nicknamed Merrill and Marian the same thing."