Blood from Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

"No, Mother," he says quietly. "We've been helping Marian for years. I just.. she couldn't come here, and you couldn't leave, so I've been trying to help you here and Marian at home. You both were so broken, Mother, so lost, and I just..."

Despite his best efforts, despite being braced for this already, he has to wipe away some tears himself. "I just kept trying to do the right thing. Trying to hold the family together. To be the son you could be proud of."

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

"Oh my sweet boy," Leandra says softly. She frowns then, her eyes drifting to the side and narrowing as if focusing on something.  "You've always tried so hard, to protect us, to be a good man. Never enough but you tried."  

[Bethany]

Hissing sharply, Bethany glares at the older woman. "Like Hells! Carver has done wonderfully, you ungrateful bit- Carver is the best of us."

[Carver Amell]

"No," he says sharply, the first firm word he has said in this place, in Leandra's prewence, in years.

"No, she's... She's right. If I had told her about Marian, she wouldn't have been so easily fooled. I should have pushed harder to get her to forgive you sooner. I should have... It wasn't enough. I did my best but it wasn't enough."

[Bethany]

"She is not right. You didn't not tell her on a whim, Carver. Expert healers told you not to. She wasn't fooled because of Marian, she was fooled because it's a devil and that's what they do."

[Carver Amell]

"Marian lasted longer," he says, voice barely audible yet undeniable like the shifting of stones deep underground. "I did what I could. But it was never enough. Don't tell me this was enough, Bethany."

[Bethany]

"Marian is stonger, of course she held out. Gods Carver, think of what she went through and survived. Of course she held out. She had practice." Bethany shudders as she speaks the word. "And what about me? Where's my share of the blame? Stop putting it all on yourself?"

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

A small noise of distress interrupts their argument. "W-What are you fighting about? You- you both have to- to look after each other."

[Carver Amell]

"You're hearing what you want to hear, Beth," he says, more gently now, raking a hand through his hair. "All we're saying is it wasn't enough. It can't have been enough, because yet again demons are threatening my family and hurting my loved ones. I refuse to let anything that led to this be enough. If any of us had done enough, we'd have prevented it."

[Bethany]

Beth narrows her eyes. "You did your best. You did a great deal. Yes, bad things still happened but it doesn't help any to berate yourself for it. Bad things happen. I'm sorry, but they just do. Stop expecting yourself to be able to stop them all."

[Carver Amell]

"I don't," he growls. "But Beth, I refuse to accept as good enough any solution that lets demons prey on my family. I don't see why I am expected to. What good are my vows if I just say, oh well, bad things happen? No. It's not good enough." 

[Tethras Clan]

Beth growls right back, though hers has a hint of yowl in it. " I'm not saying to be happy about the bad or not to try and improve just... don't blame yourself. I can't stand to see you hating yourself."

[Carver Amell]

That hits home -- shame floods his eyes, and he turns away, back to Leandra. He takes a deep breath, then another, steadying himself. "We should get back to work," he says quietly.

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

Leandra is watching them both with wide eyes, clearly surprised by the much changed dynamic between the twins. "... you've both grown so much while I was..."

[Bethany]

A bitch? Useless? A bigoted cunt? "Unwell? Her voice is even and cool but nonhostile at least. Professional and non-judgemental.

Beth can lie, when she has to