Chris was a reoccurring name in the family. One was named because of their grandfather, the other was given his father's middle name. Despite similarities in names, they had distinctly different personalities. Blue eyes narrowed at his cousin, watching the other male stirring the pasta as if it was the only thing worth paying attention to in the whole wide world. He was angry, upset, irate, annoyed and so much more. Sadly, words could offer his cousin no comfort. This was something Christian had to sort out on his own, Christopher could only advise him to take that first step, he certainly couldn't make him do it.
"You should talk to her," he said, munching on a slice of green pepper. "You were the one person in the entire world she thought she could trust right now, and you're not being that person she wants...And needs."
Christian sighed heavily, lifting brown eyes from the saucepan. Glancing over his shoulder to his cousin who sat behind him, perched on the counter and stealing pieces of the vegetables he had prepared. "She did something stupid. I don't know how I can forgive her."
"Do you know what this family fears the most? Out of everything that has ever happened, do you know what the worst fear is?"
Christian shook his head. There were so many things in his family that members feared. His aunt Phoebe was scared of spiders, Aunt Melanie was scared of birds, his grandfather had been scared of heights. It was hard to find that one single fear that they all held. That, or he didn't suffer from that fear.
Christopher smiled softly. "It's that one day, one of them is going to take after grandmother. And I mean Grandma Hearst."
Christian had never met her. his own father refused to talk about her whenever he asked. Three fathers and one mother, but one grandmother he knew only of by name. Even Mrs Stewart who had died only last year, he had met on several occasions. Obviously Christopher knew more of her than he did. "Dad doesn't talk about her," he replied, stirring the pasta, adding some of the veg before Chris had chance to eat anymore. "And my Mom never met her."
"Aunt Erica doesn't even remember her," he said solemnly, glancing down at his hands. "I only know a little about her from my mother. Even she doesn't like talking about her, but one thing she has said, that everyone is waiting for the day someone does what she did." He reached out, placing his hand lightly on his cousin's shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. "Don't let it be Izzy."
"Why would Izzy want to suddenly vanish?"
"Maybe because her brother, and best friend in the whole world, has turned against her?"
Christian shook his head, leaving the pasta to simmer while routing through the fridge for more ingredients to add. "She's got Tetsu to fall back on."
The older male shook his head. "It's you that is the most important person to her. You that she wants to help her make up with Uncle Morgan. You're the one she needs the most, and if you don't give her that, then what reason does she have to stay here?"
Staring into the depths of his fridge, Christian listened to his cousin speaking about Isobel. She had left a mark upon the entire family, and it was obvious Christopher was another one that never wanted to see her cry. Well, except for when they had been kids, and he told her the story about how Shakespeare was a vampire were-rabbit, and would eat her toes while she sleeping. Poor Isobel feared the old rabbit. The young Christopher seemed to enjoy telling his little cousins such imaginative stories, and it seemed Isobel ate them all up. Christian was always a little skeptic, especially about Shakespeare, who had grown rather old. His father had a new rabbit now, a little white bunny named Romeo, who had an unnatural fixation with chewing people's shoes. He was certain Tetsu was ready to kill him, since Romeo had chewed his way through the toes of a pair of his favourite shoes.
Dragging his hand over his hair, pushing back some of the strands that had broken loose of the hair tie that kept most back, he closed the door to the refrigerator and leaned his head against it, eyes slipping close. "I'll go tell her I'm sorry, and that no matter what happens, I'm here for her."
Christopher grinned brightly at his cousin, giving him the thumbs up. "Great! now for more important matters. When is dinner gonna be ready?"
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