Players: Sue Clearwater/Edward and Carlisle Cullen/Billy and Jacob Black
Disclaimer: It still belongs to Ms. Meyer.
Summary: What if two elders become attracted to each other? A tribal elder and a coven leader. Events occur after the battle in Eclipse.
He was in bed, propped up against the pillows reading the newspaper. Or rather turning the pages of the newspaper. It was the night sounds which held his attention, the screech of a hunting owl, the rustle of the wind through the trees, the sound of the rain gently striking the windows and the roof. Above all the usual nightly noises, he listened for the sound of a wolf howling. But so far tonight there was none. He felt relief, for now all was well with those on patrol. His anxiety level slowly dropped back to it's usual state of general worry. He did not anticipate an company tonight. Rain, the pressure of work and family responsibilities were sufficient to keep his usual night guest away.
As he put down the paper he reflected on his current situation. How did this happen? he thought. Why me? The boys are just as mystified and they still haven't come to terms with it. How did I end up involved with someone who is our natural enemy? Besides I'm to old for this shit, he mused. How on earth did this happen?
Three years ago…
We were sitting on the porch, Sue's hand clutching the armrest of my chair. Both of us strained to hear any sound which would give us a clue of what was possibly occurring. The fact that the clearing was over ten miles away made no difference. No words were necessary between us; in fact we had not exchanged a word in nearly thirty minutes. Neither of us wanted to hear the other's anxiety for fear of unleashing our own forebodings. This was a situation in which the tribe had no experience, no history to draw guidance from. Today was not uniting with 'an enemy of my enemy' but rather uniting with 'my known enemy' to face the unknown.
"Charlie?" she asked suddenly, "where is he? I thought it was arranged for you two to go fishing," Sue said.
"We were but he called early this morning to cancel. Seems some stores were broken into during the night. He had to call in the off duty men to help with the investigation. You know, get the information on what was stolen, gather any evidence. That sort of thing."
"Break ins? Robberies? In Forks? How many stores Billy?"
"I don't know Sue. He only said that some stores were broken into during the night. His deputy got the call, and called him at home. He just rang to cancel the fishing trip and didn't have time to tell me anymore as he was rushing off to the station." I knew my tone was testy but at the moment I resented the implication.
"Oh. Funny though, how is just happened the night before,"
"I know Sue, but our people had nothing to do with it," I interrupted her. "The last thing our boys would want is Charlie Swan on his own as a possible target. Can you imagine Bella's reaction if she knew her father was not here with us? Or Jacob's? And we can't tell anyone . The last thing the pack needs is a distraction. No, they need to stay focused. When everything is over and they're back safe then we'll tell them."
"Okay if you're sure," she replied the uncertainty clear in her voice.
"I'm sure Sue, don't worry about him. Charlie is busy in Forks surrounded by his deputies and the townspeople," was my answer in an attempt to reassure her.
Looking northwards they once again fell silent; Billy absentmindedly patting Sue's hand as it rested on his chair. A few minutes later it was Sue to once again break the silence.
"What is that? Do you see it, over there on the left? Clouds?" she asked.
"That grayish smudge? Nooooo I don't think it's clouds. It looks more like smoke. Yes, of course, that's it! Don't you remember the tales? Our ancestors spoke of burning the remains. Sue that's what we're seeing, they're burning the pieces. It's over, the fighting is over." In my excitement I began pounding my fists on the arms of my wheelchair.
"Oh thank god," Sue breathed the teardrops glistening on her eyelashes. "They'll be back soon. Please lord, let them all come home safe," she whispered.
After a few minutes she suddenly stood up, pushing back her chair. "I have to go, get the food. They'll be hungry when they get back. Do you think they'll come here or go to Sam's place? No, no, " she answered herself, "they'll come here. Sam will want to report to us, tell us how everything went down. After all, we are both tribal Elders."
"Sue, you are dithering. What's wrong?" I asked, surprised at her loss of composure.
"Nothing's wrong Billy but I just can't sit here any longer! Besides, they'll be starving. Have you ever seen them eat after a patrol? And this time Billy they'll have been fighting, fighting for their lives. They'll want food, lots of food," she explained.
"But Sue they should be here within a half hour. You can't cook enough food in that time to satisfy them. Maybe Emily has done some cooking?" I asked.
"Emily and I arranged it all when we spoke last night. We've both been cooking. I was up before Seth left this morning, preparing food. I'll take your truck and stop at Sam's place and pick up Emily and what she's fixed, then drive over to my place and pick up what I've cooked. We'll bring everything here and spread it out in your kitchen so they can just help themselves. Everything will be ready by the time the pack gets here," Sue replied.
I just nodded content to leave the arrangements to the women.
Turning my gaze northwards once again, immediately my attention focused on the horizon watching the billowing smoke.
Sue had returned with Emily and they were presently in the house putting out platters of food. While I watched they had made several trips back and forth to the truck, bringing out food each time. Both women were working together in rhythm concentrating on the job and I knew better than to offer any assistance. But we were all worried. Nearly an hour had gone by since Sue had spotted the smoke. The pack should have returned by now, they were only ten miles away, an easy run. No one wanted to voice concern. After all the only reason to explain their lateness was if
they were walking back. And the only reason the pack would be walking was if someone was injured.
It was another half hour before the first boy appeared jogging through the trees. It was Seth.
"Sue, Emily," I called out, "you'd better get out here. Seth has just appeared, and he's alone."
The women came out of the house, each taking position on either side my chair. We waited in silence, silently praying for our children or betrothed. Seth was jogging easily, no sign of fatigue or concern in his demeanor. As he came closer, we could see the excitement on his face, his body language radiating sheer exuberance.
"Everything's okay," he yelled, 'we did it, we did it, we won." He jumped into the air, arm thrust skywards in a spontaneous outburst. There was a smugness in his voice, and if any of the pack had been near, a high-five would have surely followed.
As he neared the porch, he said, "it was awesome, totally awesome. And I took one out, all by myself, swear. Bella's boyfriend Edward was busy fighting the redhead and I took care of the vamp with her. Riley Edward called him. Tore him to shreds. It was just like you said Billy, just like the legends. Tear chunks off 'em then burn the pieces afterwards. Edward tore off that Victoria's head. You should have seen their fight! The vamps are so fast. Mind you, we're just as fast, but to see the two of them fight each other! Totally awesome," the awe and admiration clear in his young voice.
Sue had become tense beside me as we all listened to Seth's tale. Now I heard her exhale, draw in a deep breath and then another.
"You were not supposed to be involved in the fighting," she shouted. "Weren't you supposed to be in the mountains with Bella? You dared disobey your pack leader? What happened?"
"It wasn't planned Ma. I did make it to their camp, just like Sam and Jacob ordered. You know I can't disobey Sam. And we were fine, I was relaying the fight to Bella's bloodsucker when all of a sudden out of nowhere, there they were. The redhead and another one. Edward said afterwards that she must have come across his scent and tracked him up the mountain. The other vamp was like oh I don't know her second in command? Her assistant? Whoever he was, he was right there with her. And I took him on while Edward fought the redhead. It was a pretty close fight too, I gotta tell you 'cause he was no novice. And Edward! Man, he was so cool. Then after it was over Sam told me to get down the mountain, I mean like yesterday and I was to bring Bella and her boyfriend as well. The little bloodsucker, the one who can see things, well she saw something and told Sam to get us there like now! Edward just grabbed Bella and we hightailed it straight down the mountain to the meadow."
"Then why are you here alone, Seth? Were are the others?" I interjected.
"Oh, well they'll be here any moment now. Sam said to come ahead and tell you…." His voice trailed off.
"Seth? Tell us what Seth?" Emily gently asked.
"Well, see even though the fighting in the meadow was over, there was this one bloodsucker hiding and Leah attacked him then Jacob went to her aid and well, Jacob got hurt," he blurted out. "I was supposed to let you all know to get his bed ready. The cold one who's a doctor? He's coming too. Can you believe that, he's a real human doctor, works in a hospital and everything?" Again there was awe in the youngster's voice.
I inhaled sharply, fear twisting in my gut. "How badly hurt is he Seth?"
Seth looked down as his bare feet, then glanced up and faced me. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and said quietly, "his right side is all crushed I heard the doc say. He can't phase, he has to stay human to heal and the doc's coming to set his bones." He looked relieved to have finally given the news.
"You couldn't have told us that right away?" Emily demanded. Sue looked upset but said nothing letting Emily tear into him.
"But he's alright. Some bones got crushed but aside from that he's okay!" Seth yelled back. "Honest, if he was really seriously hurt, I would have said so right from the beginning. The boys decided to carry him home and they're walking awfully slow so as not to jar him, that's all. I'm not lying to you; they'll be here any moment now."
"Was Jacob the only one hurt Seth?" I asked quietly. I could see the exhilaration of his first kill slowly seep out of the boy, the cockiness disappearing from his voice. I didn't want the memory of his first encounter with the enemy spoiled for the youngster, but it was my son who was hurt.
"Yeah, no one else. The fighting was pretty much over you see; it was just bad luck that's all. And yeah Ma, Leah's alright. Everyone else's alright too Em, everyone." Seth repeated.
Just then the pack emerged from the woods, walking slowly. It was obvious the older boys were carrying someone on their shoulders. Sue and Emily turned and entered the house, going straight to Jacob's room. There they straightened his bed in preparation of his arrival. Then suddenly they heard the sound of tires on the gravel then the slam of a car door closing. Sue and Emily glanced at each other then hurriedly returned to the porch.
The vampire elder was standing at the foot of the steps, speaking softly. He glanced at them, nodded his head in greeting and continued speaking directly to me.
"He was caught and held in a bear hug, one of the most dangerous tactics of a newborn. They are incredibly strong the first year of their existence you see. Jacob has extensive injuries to the right side of his body. All the bones have been shattered from his shoulder to his hip. I didn't think you would want him taken to a hospital and I can treat him here in private. That is, with your permission Chief. You are the direct descendant of Ephraim Black are you not?" the Cullen leader asked.
"You would treat my son?" was my response, amazed at the offer.
"I am a doctor Chief, a human doctor and yes I would treat your son. The pack came to our aid today and helped save many lives, including my own family. It is the least I can do. With your permission of course. I will set the fractures though I must warn you, I may need to break the bones again in order to set them properly. I do have some morphine with me which hopefully will help, but it will be still be very painful for him. I thought it best to bring him home and avoid any questions which would be raised if he was in hospital. Do I have your permission to proceed?" the doctor asked me once again.
Sam and the others had reached the porch steps forcing the doctor to move aside. As they mounted the stairs I turned my chair to look down into my son's face. Looking back at the vampire I slowly nodded granting him permission.
The vampire doctor mounted the steps to follow the boys into the house. "Thank you Chief, I won't betray your trust," he murmured softly before entering the house.
It seemed like forever yet not a full hour had past when the vampire re-appeared on the porch. The sounds of Jacob's screams had died away some time before.
"It's done and he'll make a full recovery Chief. There'll be no permanent damage as long as he stays immobile till I remove the bandages and the cast. He may need to do a little rehab on that shoulder; he wouldn't want his wolf to have a limp. But that can wait until he's healed. Right now he's running an extremely high temperature and his body is burning off all the morphine I gave him. With your permission I would like to return after I make a brief stop at the hospital. I will bring some more morphine and set up a saline drip. We need to replace the fluids he's losing. Aside from that, he's a healthy strong lad Chief and you can expect to have a typical bored teenager on your hands fairly soon. May I return?"
It now was evening and in the twilight I peered up at the vampire trying to read his face and after a few seconds nodded. "My thanks," I said. "And yes, you've my permission to enter our lands again."
The coven leader extended his right hand, saying "thank you for trusting me." Slowly I stretched out my own hand and touched the hand of our enemy. Quickly shaking the cold hand I pulled away, spinning my chair around towards the front of the house. The doctor nodded to all those present before striding to his car. "I'll return in a few hours," he said before starting the engine and driving off.
Sam and the rest of the pack trooped into the house, finally relaxing enough to surrender to their hunger. Talk was subdued in deference to the sleeping invalid.
I remained outside on the porch. The house would be full to overflowing with the entire pack inside, at last getting the chance to relive the fight, relate their individual encounters with the newborn army. It would be a few more hours before the house emptied of its guests.
Sue had already gone home dragging Seth with her. In twos and threes the rest of the pack had left until only Sam and Emily remained. I hadn't seen when Leah departed but she was definitely gone.
"Billy, do you want us stay with you till the doc returns?" Sam asked.
"No thanks Sam. You and Emily get on home. It's been a full day and for once no patrol is needed tonight. Everybody can do with a good night's rest, including you both. Go on you two, take full advantage tonight," I told them.
Once they left I wheeled myself into the house leaving the front door open and went down the hall to check on Jacob. There was a sheen of perspiration on his face but he was still in a deep sleep. Returning to the living room I turned on the TV; I needed some background sound for company while I thought of what had occurred earlier.
The touch of the cold one's hand in mine. The hand was not as cold as I had expected. Granted it was hard just as in the stories, but it was also - silky. Silky smooth and cold. But not ice cold, not freezing cold but cold only as if one had been outside without gloves on a winter's night. And the smell. I had overheard Jacob and the others speak of a stink. Yet all I had been aware of was a stringent aroma of lemons, which I found actually quite pleasant. I didn't know what to make of all of these seeming contradictions. There had been no mention of such things in the tribe's histories.
After about a half hour I heard a car drive up. While waiting in the living room for the doctor to make his appearance I tried to shut off my thoughts, empty my mind. I knew the bloodsucker Edward could read minds, but no one had mentioned if the leader had any special talents.
The doctor knocked on the door before entering the house, nodding to me waiting in my chair. "I'll just go through and check on my patient if I may? I brought the equipment for the drip as well as more morphine. Is he still sleeping? Did he wake at any time while I've been away?" he asked.
"Yes, yes and no I don't think so," I answered him. I was distracted, having noticed the vampire was burdened with a large container holding several bags of a clear liquid, saline most likely I assumed, as well as a steel rod. Moving forward I asked, "do you need any help?"
"Thanks, it's not heavy but it is a little awkward. If you'll hold the IV pole? I don't want it to catch or hook onto anything," he said passing me the pole and continuing down the hall. " I've brought as much of the saline as I think he'll need. I'll set it up but one bag will probably be empty in about four or five hours. Is there anyone staying in the house with you who I can show how to change the bags?" the doctor asked as he entered Jacob's room.
I followed behind the vampire, pushing the pole ahead of me. I heard his words, but I wasn't really listening. Tonight in the bright light of the living room I truly saw him. He was the real actual stereotypical cliché; blond hair blue eyed all American white Anglo-Saxon beautiful male. Except men weren't supposed to be referred to as 'beautiful.' And of course his eyes weren't blue. But he was more than handsome, so much more. And his voice. Maybe as a doctor he had learnt to speak in that soft low tone with just a tiniest hint of an accent. Or maybe it was his actual speaking voice. But however he had acquired it, it was music to my ears.
"Chief Black is there anyone else?" he asked again.
"No one so you'll have to show me," I answered him, "I can do it."
"Hmm," was his only response as he proceeded to check on Jacob then set up the IV drip. "He needs to stay on his back, no movement for at least the next ten to twelve hours. There're signs of the bones already knitting in just the few hours I've been gone. At this rate I expect he'll be healed in about two days. But he's going to have to wear the cast for another day after that. I don't want to take any chances on that shoulder. In fact if he will tolerate it, I would prefer if he wore the cast for a full five days, but I doubt he'll go for it. From what I can see, he's a very active teenager. I'll inject the morphine into the first drip so he'll have a pain free night."
With swift sure movements, he hung two saline drips on the hanger rods and affixed the tubing. "Chief if you'll come over here I'll show you how to adjust the height of the pole and switch to the second bag when the first is finished."
Space was limited in Jacob's small bedroom but I was able to maneuver my chair close enough to see his movements. He quietly explained the procedure to me, letting me raise and lower the IV pole so I would get accustomed to the telescoping feature. Switching from on bag to the other I found easy; after all I was used to tending to my own pouches several times a day. Once again there was the scent of lemons which I found enticing.
"By the way, it's Billy not Chief. We haven't had a chief since my grandfather's time." I felt it necessary to mention that to him; to distract myself from his aroma. After all it was due to his treaty with Ephraim that the tribe decided to form the elders' triumvirate.
"Oh, sorry Chi, ah Billy I didn't know. My name is Carlisle, Carlisle Cullen by the way. I should have introduced myself earlier today. Needless to say I was the one who urged Ephraim to accept the treaty. Believe me, today I was never more grateful for it's existence."
Satisfied that I would be able to cope changing the saline bags we went back into the living room where he emphasized the importance of the timing. I don't think he quite believed me when I insisted I would have no trouble. Eyeing his less than pristine lab coat I asked, "did you work tonight? At the hospital?"
"What? Oh the lab coat. Yes I stopped by. The surgical supply store was closed so I helped myself to the morphine, IV pole and the saline. But I also had some patients to check on and it turned out the staff were shorthanded. So yes, I stayed and worked till the late shift came on duty." He was so nonchalant admitting to stealing the drugs and medical equipment.
"I'm sorry I don't have any True Blood to offer you," I said, wanting to see his reaction.
"True Blood eh? You've been watching the TV series or perhaps reading the books? Sorry but I don't drink human blood, not even plasma. Maybe one day someone will develop synthetic blood, but for the present I'll stick with animal blood." He was amused by my question which told me he had a sense of humor. "My son Edward likes to say we are vegetarians," he chuckled.
Once again he strode over to my chair to shake my hand. This time I didn't pull away but held on to his hand possibly longer than necessary, longer than courtesy demanded. Carlisle after an intense searching look at my face said softly, "you know I can come back later tonight and change the saline bag. There'll be no need for you to bother yourself. I can be in and out in five minutes and you'd never even know I was here. Do you lock the your door at night?" he asked in his soft voice.
For a moment I was so tempted to accept his offer, but at the last minute shook my head. "Thank you," I said, my voice cracking like a young boy's, "but I can manage. I don't need much sleep these days."
"Something else we have in common Billy," was his quiet reply. "Then I'll say good night, but I will be back in the morning, before I go to work."
Puzzled by his remark, I sat there watching him walk out the door, pulling it shut behind him. Now I had even more to think about. Here I was, a middle aged man with three children; a paralyzed middle aged man in a wheelchair entertaining thoughts about the enemy.
Still, when their hands had touched he had felt something. Was it possible he was attracted to a vampire?
TBC.
All remarks/comments welcome.