edward’s thoughts on: his parents
EDWARD MASEN SR never really filled the role of father for Edward. While his career as a successful lawyer meant he could provide financially for his family, he never took a very hands on approach to parenting his son. More often than not, Edward Jr felt more like a burden to his biological father than his child. He would constantly try and make his father proud, only to receive little acknowledgement. Even so, when it came to trying to get him to the hospital when he got sick with the Spanish ‘Flu, Edward Jr did everything in his power to get him there. And when he died, he took on a lot of guilt about it, wondering if he should have done something sooner.
ELIZABETH MASEN was the centre of Edward’s world as a human. If his father was an absentee parent, his mother filled both roles for him. He was always certain of his mother’s love, not feeling like he had to try and earn it like with his father. She doted on him, and while his father paid for the music lessons he received and the private schools he attended, she was the one who would attend every recital or congratulate every success. She was the one who tried to keep him safe from war, praying that his ideal of becoming a soldier would never come to pass. Nursing him, away from her own sickbed, she was the one who kept him alive only enough to ask Carlisle to save him.
CARLISLE stepped into the father role that no one had ever filled for Edward rather quickly. After his transformation, and in the immediate years following it, Edward soaked up the knowledge Carlisle would provide him like a sponge. It didn’t take long for them to progress from friends, to best friends, to father and son. They know each other like no other, those three years together moulding a relationship neither had really had before. Edward always feels like he can go to Carlisle in a crisis, knows that his father will always do his best to be understanding and sympathetic. Above anyone else, Edward yearns to be like Carlisle. He is Edward’s hero.
ESME fit into a role Edward was missing in his life. With his father, he had felt little guilt giving Carlisle the moniker, but could he really replace his beloved mother? It turned out he had little to worry about. Still young enough to benefit from a mother, Edward quickly came to see Esme not as a replacement for Elizabeth, but someone willing to fill that same role with love and kindness. She had lost a son, and he a mother, and it made sense for them to bond over their shared grief. He loves Esme dearly, and hates the idea of ever hurting her. He knows he can always turn to her for comfort and reassurance in his times of need, and he enjoys being around her loving mind.