Rosekiller

As long as he can remember Evan has always disliked his family excluding Pandora of course and recently their mother.
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After Felix was born their mother wanted nothing more than to care for him but she couldn't, she felt nothing no attachment or anything she really did love him but it just wasn’t enough, to say she felt horrible was an understatement,
Combined with the guilt she was feeling and their father bringing woman home every night she just needed something to feel alive, the first time it was just a tiny puff from one of the maids stashes, then it was just a few drinks to many at a party and you can guess what that turned into.

Two years later Evan and Pandora were born, they weren't expected in fact they weren’t wanted either, but the moment their mom saw them and held them she felt the happiest she had been in a long time, but when she realised that, more guilt over took her, why could she feel that way about them but not her first son?
She understood why; Felix reminds her of his father, but these two reminded her of the freedom she once had,
the naivete she could have still had, but now that she has seen the world for what it truly is; an unfair game where the players are oblivious to what the future holds, the only thing she wanted at that moment was to shelter the two children in her arms.

But that was not fair to Felix when he needed a mother she was everything less than that and now lady karma herself has come to pay her a visit, but she can’t be mad this is her own doing, even if she felt nothing for him he was still her child,
But all this time she had forgotten; she was a child too merely sixteen, she all but lost hope at anything good happening to her, but a tiny voice in her head kept saying:

It might not seem like it now but I promise you; good things come to those who have suffered the most, and if you could survive living in a home filled with devils at every turn, then you can survive until those Angel’s in your arms carry the kindness you once had, and see the world for what it is in their two coloured eyes.

[hi note: I came across a headcanon that I like, it was that both twins had heterochromic eyes and I just fell in love with it so forget all that I said before they have both have brown and blue eyes, hehe]

After that day she hadn't heard the voice again, it was only seven years later, she hadn’t seen the twins at all since they were born nor had she seen her first son, she kept to herself and stayed in her room but something-not the voice-told her to just go for a tiny walk,
The maids and butlers were surprised to see her but didn’t utter a word.

The clouds darkened as she walked through the garden, she had a feeling it was about to rain so she brought an umbrella with her just in case, she loved the rain it reminded her of the day her angel’s were born though instead of rain it was snow,
She stopped in front of a sycamore tree, she remembered this tree she would sit under here for hours at a time, she did this when she was pregnant with the little angels, she did name both of them but she can’t remember what names she picked, she remembered talking to her belly and singing, it was a song from a musical she loved,
She faintly remembered the lyrics, ‘Nothing’s gonna harm you’ was that it? Ah-yes that's the one, she smiled at the memory of her sixteen year old self singing under this very tree, but now here she is at age twenty three, not even sure if her own kids remember her.

Maybe they all thought she was dead? Her thoughts were disturbed by a heaven sent voice singing.

“—-Demons are prowling everywhere nowadays-”
It was a little girl's voice no more than seven.

“---No one’s gonna hurt you, no one’s gonna dare-” Cecelia found herself drawn to it, she walked closer to the tree, until she stood in front of two kids.

The little girl looked up at her, she had light blonde braidings like her own, caramel skin, a few tiny freckles and one brown and one blue eye, she was holding a boy who looked exactly like her, Cece could see the older boy had been crying, and the bruises and cut marks did not go unnoticed either.

The tree did little to shelter them from the rain, she crouched down and offered the girl her umbrella, she took it.

“May I ask what your names are?” Strange, she sounded-giddy? The boy looked up to glare at her, but Cece didn’t mind if anything she found it a little endearing.

“It's none of your business” he snapped, the little girl lightly slapped the boy on his arm, but she just tilted her head to the side with a smile, then one of the maids just happened to pass by, she called for her and quietly told her to get a first aid kit.

And without a word quietly sat down across from the two, she didn’t mind getting a little wet, the boy was still glaring daggers at her, while the girl looked at her curiously, soon the maid came back and handed her the kit.

She extended her hand and nodded to the girl's arm, she got the message and extended her own, she began to disinfect it and while she worked she hummed.

“Do you also know that song?” the girl asked, Cece nodded and began bandaging up the wounds.

“I used to sit here under this exact tree and sing to my belly all the time” the girl giggled.

“Why would you sing to your belly?” she smiled at the girl.

“Because I had two little ones growing inside there” the boy’s glare softened, and turned into more of a pout, after she was done, she gestured to the boy’s arm, he had a lot more injuries than the girl, the one that worried her the most was the one on his neck.

She got up and carefully sat down next to him, and he extended his arm.

“What happened to them-the babies I mean?” the boy asked, wincing in pain as she disinfected his wounds.

“I don’t know, this is the first time I’ve been out of my room In seven years” both looked at her with shock and something along the lines of amazement on their faces.

“Your room is in the north wing with ours!” the girl exclaimed excitedly, she nodded once more.

She started to pack up the first aid kit.

“Are you going now?” asked the girl nervously.

“Yes I’m afraid so-” she cut herself off as she stood up. “But you two know where to find me, if you need anything just come to my room, My name is Cecelia by the way”

She wasn’t fond of her name, though it was accurate she was too ‘blind’ to see the world around her as it was until now.

“My name’s Pandora, It’s nice to meet you Cecelia” Pandora meaning ‘all gifts’ a beautiful name for a beautiful girl she supposes.

“Evan–my name I mean” Evan meaning, ‘the lord is gracious’, the boy doesn’t seem to be the catholic type, but somehow it suits him.
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After that the two came into her room quite often, most times she met them under the tree, but this one night in particular, they came in with more bruises than she had ever seen, Pandora was passed out on Evan’s back.

Cece got to work managing her fever and Evan helped with her wounds, after a while Pandora was sleeping soundly, the older woman had noticed a bad wound on Evan’s wrist, without a word she started working on it, the only sound that filled the room was Cece’s humming.

“That’s a new song” she looked up, with a smile.

“That it is, It’s another song I sang under the tree” she was packing the kit up, when he asked.

“What’s it called?”

“‘Oh my darling Clementine’ or just ‘Clementine’” he nodded.
“The way you sing–It reminds me of Panda” he hesitates, she sits down next to Pandora on the bed and gestures for him to sit down next to her, he does and it’s her turn to hesitate.

“May I hug you?” he nods, and she pulls him close, Pandora opens her eyes. “I want one too” she pulls her in, both of them are curled up next to her and she carefully grabs a book from her night stand.

“What’s that?” Pandora asks.

“The ‘Tell tale heart’ by Edgar Allen Poe”

“What’s it about?”

“An unnamed narrator who murders an old man–would you like me to read it to you?” she asked in a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Both twins nodded, and she began.

“‘—here, here!-- it is the beating of his hideous heart!’” By the end of the story, both of them were still awake.

“It’s very rude that he called the old man’s heart hideous, I find hearts to be quite majestic in their own way” Evan snorts at his sister's comment.

“Panda—That’s not the point, why would he confess to the murder, if the police never suspected him? That’s just plain stupid” he huffed, he let Cece hold him closer.

“You must understand that he had gone insane, he thinks he hears the man's heart beat even after his death, tell me what would you do in his situation?”
They both think for a moment.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt, I’d kill myself” Pandora answered.

“I’d be able to live with it” Cece looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You’d be able to live with the weight of someone's death on your shoulders?”
He nodded.

“I understand that he murdered the man because of his over-sensitivity leading to his obsession with the man’s eye and of course the murder itself–but if I was put in a similar situation, I could do it, I could-” she hugged him tighter, and began to slowly stroke his hair.

“‘Years of love have been forgot, in the hatred of a minute.’” She said simply. Pandora looked at her confused, while Evan stayed silent.

“A quote by the author of this book, Listen to me very carefully you two, do not put aside all of the love you feel for the hatred you feel for one or many people” she stopped for a moment.
“Take it from me; a person who has done that over and over again, I beg of you–my children” she felt herself start to cry, both of the twins hugged her tighter.
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After that day she wouldn’t open her door, all of the years she lost with all of her children, because of a man; a of whom she didn’t even love.

She hadn’t eaten in days and the twins tried to sneak her in some food, she of course didn’t except, the twins still visited her everyday they read her poems and told her stories of their day, one day to her utmost dismay, instead of her little angels: it was Oliver who showed up, and for the cherry on top; he was drunk.

“Oliver, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence this evening?”
He scoffed.

“You-what is your goal here? DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I WANT TO HURT THEM?!” he slapped a candle stick off of a table near the door, thankfully the candle inside wasn’t lit.

She stood up and backed away towards the window, but Oliver got closer and when he was right in front of her he slapped her then grabbed her face.

“Why do they have to look like you? Why does she have to have your voice? Why does he have to have your wit and anger?” he stopped, his frown turning into a smile.

“Why does she have to scream like you? Why does he have to cry like you?” before she could even think about what he said, she heard Evan’s voice outside the door.

“Maman, please let us in–I’ve never seen Panda bleed so much she’s really hurt Maman”

Please don’t call her that, she doesn’t deserve it, not after all this time.

“Tell him no; tell him it’s his own fault” she shook her head, she could never do that, they're just children.

Another slap.

“Tell him” she let out a silent sob.

“N-No, whatever happened It’s your own fault!” Please just go away, I don’t want you to see me like this.

“Maman, Please I know it’s my fault, I asked him to let us go!” Us? Did he mean he and Pandora or- She felt one of Oliver’s hands slip around her neck, and the other go up her dress, she knew what was coming next and she didn’t want Evan or Pandora to hear.

“Evan, go-now!” she yelled.

“Maman please, I promise I’ll be good I-”

“I don’t want to hear it Evan go!” Please, I know you're a good boy, you’ll always be one, My little hero…

The first time Evan heard that story, was after he broke up with Seph, he was in the hospital with Pandora and their mum came in with another lady they learned to be Rosalie, Their mum had told them everything that happened and expressed how sorry she was for not opening the door that day,
She told them that she didn’t care what would have happened to her, that the only thing she wanted was to hold them and tell them everything would be fine.

After that day they mended their relationship, and their mum told them she and their father got a divorce, it turns out Rosalie was an architect who designed the new house she bought.

And a few years later, her and Rosalie got married, Pandora was the maid of honour, Evan was Rosalie’s best man [his request], Reggie was the ring bearer, Siri was the flower girl [his request], Narcissa officiated the wedding [Her order], and they invited all of their close friends, everyone loved Cece, especially Reg and Siri,

The reason being; well nobody really knows but they did mention something about her telling Wal****ga off, even going so far as to slap her in the face, Cece and Effe were besties since school but after Cece got married she had to move to france, but currently they have tea and book club every sunday.
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Looking back there are a lot of things that could have changed, but if he could go back Evan wouldn’t change a thing, it all led up until this point.

The four adults stood in front of the Rosier manor, and Evan’s nerves were growing by the second, he could feel Pandora’s tension as she looked at the doorbell.

Suddenly the door opened and all the tension went away. There stood: Cecelia Monreau-Black, with her long blonde braidings, blue eyes, caramel skin, light blue sundress with tiny white flowers on them and the matching crow necklace that she had with Rosalie.

Speaking of her, Rosalie had cut her strawberry blonde hair into a short curly bob, she had one green eye and one hazel, and she wore a light green corset top with tiny light pink flowers, a long black skirt that reached until her ankles, the right side of the skirt had a slit which revealed a long snake tattoo wrapping around her leg, and of course the crow necklace.

Evan felt himself smile, as he saw Rosa squint at them, he heard Pandora giggle next to him.

“Rosa, did you forget your glasses?” she asked, Their mother looked at her wife and let out a laugh of her own.

“Come on in” Cece grabbed Rosa’s hand and guided them inside, she led them to the kitchen where Rosa’ gold framed glasses were, after she put them on she smiled at them.

“Sorry about that, you two must be Lily and Barty, we’ve heard a lot about you” Evan raised an eyebrow, he doesn’t remember talking about Barty.

“From Pandora” Their mum clarified, Lily smiled, Barty seemed a little nervous but smiled anyway.

“All good things I hope” Lily said shyly. “Oh no of course, Actually Rosa here is also an architect, and I own an art gallery here in London and another in france” at this both of them perked up, It took four minutes for Lily and Rosa to get into a conversation about–Okay Evan did not know what they were talking about.

Barty and his mum were talking about different types of paint, while Pandora and Evan stood off to the side watching everything go down.

The thing that stopped the string of conversation was the doorbell ringing. By the look on his mother’s face Evan knew exactly who was at the door, Evan stopped her from moving.

“I’ll go” she nodded hesitantly, and he made his way to the door.

As he stood in front of the door, he felt a hand take his, he turned and saw Pandora, he and his sister were wearing their old house colours today with her in a royal blue dress with a bronze type of lining, while he wore a Royal green shirt with silver edges and black slacks, they were wearing matching chains their mother got them for their birthday.

Pandora squeezed his hand as he opened the door, there stood his father: Oliver Rosier, he wore a usual black and white suit, Evan didn’t know her name but next to his father stood a mushroom blonde hair woman with green eyes, she wore a red dress with expensive diamond jewellery, Next to the woman stood a teenage girl, that looked exactly like the woman, she wore a light pink dress and she looked really uncomfortable.

“Evan, Pandora” their father greeted, both twins gave him a shallow bow. “Papa”. They moved aside so the three could enter.

“This is my fiance: Yvonne Bernard, and her daughter: Manon” Manon flinched at the word daughter–ah so that's what it was.

“Where is your mother?”

“In the kitchen, she said dinner will be ready in a few minutes, Felix is almost here” Evan answered. He nodded.

“Manon, why don’t you get to know Evan and Pandora a little more, you will be siblings soon–Oh you don’t mind do you?” Yvonne asked, Pandora shook her head with a smile.

“We don’t mind, how about we head to the kitchen?” Manon nodded.

As the three walked towards the kitchen Pandora asked a very innocent question.

“What’s your name?”

“Your dad told you my name” Panda smiled. “I meant the name you prefer”

“I-I haven’t thought about that, but I’ve always liked the name Ciel” at that both twins smile.

“Pronouns?” Asked Evan.

“I’m gender fluid, but the male ones are fine” as they opened the door to the kitchen, Pandora says.

“Everyone, this is Ciel Their gender fluid and trans?” she turns to Ciel and he nods. “And Ciel this is my mum Cecelia and her wife Rosalie, that beautiful Redhead over there is my girlfriend Lily, and That’s my future brother in law and Evan’ boyfriend Barty” Everyone smiled at Ciel.

“It’s nice to meet you all, If it's not too much to ask, please don’t call me Ciel and please don’t use any other pronouns in front of my mum, just call me Manon at dinner” they nod.

“So Ciel, do you go to hogwarts?” Their mum asked. And he nods.

“I’m in Slytherin” both Evan and Rosa’s smiles grew.

“Both me and Rosa were in that house” He smiled.

Before he could reply the doorbell rang once more, Cece stiffened, but she stopped Evan from going to answer it.

“This time I’ll go” and with that she strode out of the kitchen.

“She might not have been a lion but she is very brave” Rosa said. “Mum never told us what house she was in” Pandora said.

“She was in Ravenclaw” Barty hummed. And Evan turned to him. “Did you go to hogwarts?”

He nodded. “I would have been in slytherin, but I asked them to fit me in with the raven’s”

“How come we never met?” asked Lily.

“I went to Italy” he shrugged. “But I did meet James before” his lips tilted up into a smirk. And Pandora started giggling.

“Wait, were you the one who pushed him down the stairs?” Lily asked.

“Yes, I was the one who started the blooming romance between Reggie and Jamie” Rosa snorted.

Soon Cece led everyone to the dining room, Ciel sat down next to his mother, Rosa and Cece sat next to each other, Barty sat next to Lily and Pandora and Evan sat next to him, Felix sat opposite them with Evangeline.

Evan really liked Evangeline. Honestly she was really too good for his brother, as they all began eating, Oliver spoke up.

“So Miss Evans, Pandora tells me you're an architect?” She nods. “Yes sir, I designed the building Pandora works at” he nodded.

“Is that how you met?” Their mom asked.

“No, we’ve been friends since Hogwarts” she smiled, she sent Barty an apologetic look, he didn’t understand why until he heard Oliver speak again.

“And you're an Artist?” He regards Barty. “Yes sir, I am” he hummed. “Anything I recognize?” He pointed to a painting on the wall. It was an oil painting of a woman in a coffin surrounded by white lilacs. She had dark brown hair, dark green eyes, and pale skin. She wore a black and red dress, a gold necklace that Evan saw Barty was wearing today.

“You painted that?” Felix asked in disbelief, Evan remembered seeing that painting when he came home for summer break. Barty nodded.

“Who is she?” Evangeline asked. “My mum” he answered with a smile.

“I can see the resemblance, you have her eyes” said Cece. “Thank you” seeing Barty and his mum interact like this melts his heart.

“It’s not really that impressive, honestly. If that's really how she looks I feel sorry for her” Said Yvonne, Barty turned to her.
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“Excuse me?” Barty hadn’t really liked this woman to begin with and this was just the cherry on top, Oliver looked at her with plain confusion on his face, everyone did really.

“I just think It’s unfair to her to be portrayed as-” he cuts her off with a smile. “With all due respect Miss Bernard,If I may-” She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Before you say something I’m sure you’ll regret, I will have to inform you that my mother passed away due to lung cancer a few years ago and all I had to work with as you can see was corpse” he gestured back to the painting, Cece let out a gasped next to him, while Lily held his hand under the table, he gave her a grateful smile.

“Well I am terribly sorry, that you defiled your mothers corpse” Next to him Barty saw Evan’s jaw clench.

“Yvonne” Oliver said sternly.

“Do you have no fucking conscience” Cece asked, Barty felt his heart rate pick up, why would she defend him?
He knows what Yvonne is saying is fucked up but, this dinner is important to both Evan and Pandora and he really doesn’t wanna be the reason this all goes to shite.

“He just told you his mother died and this is how you reply?” said Eva. “You don’t have any right to talk to me like that” Yvonne said to them.

“She has every right to” Felix snapped, Yvonne scoffed. “Oh please, it’s not like you two are even together, you might live in the same house,
but you have a boyfriend and she has a girlfriend and I don’t know where the hell that baby in her stomach came from but It’s definitely not yours!”

And just like that it all went to shite…
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