This plot bunny has been sitting in my head since I read "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" by SM... if you have not read it yet, stop right now and go over to www dot breetanner dot com and read it online for free right now. This definitely has spoilers, and you will likely not understand what is happening here if you have not read that first!
Okay, you're back? read on then, and let me know what you think! Yes, I'm still working on Morning Star, but just had to get this out of my head and through my fingers. If I get enough positive response, I'll keep it going...
~xXx~xXx~
Chapter One Second Chances
"Felix?" Jane said lazily.
"Wait," the mind reader said loudly.
He turned to Carlisle and spoke quickly. "We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing."
"Of course," Carlisle said eagerly, looking at Jane. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree."
Jane's face looked like she wasn't sure if they were joking, but if they were joking, they were funnier than she'd given them credit for.
Me, I was touched to the core. These vampires were strangers, but they'd gone out on this dangerous limb for me...
Was there anything more I could provide Edward to help this argument along in our favor, so that their effort might not be in vain? I wasn't afraid to die – or however it ended for us – but I was curious about these yellow-eyed vampires and what they thought they could offer me. I thought over the brief existence I'd had, and how much in the dark we'd all been kept about the true nature of our kind.
My mind went suddenly to Fred. I wished there was some way to warn him about the world he'd be stepping into, a world full of danger with dirty vampire cops, dodgy politics and secret covens. He was gifted, smart and careful; maybe he'd be fine, they couldn't hurt him if they couldn't see him, right?
"Wait," the redheaded mind reader said again. "This little one... she only ever killed discreetly and cleaned up after herself and others. She's gifted... and she knows of another very gifted newborn... she is the only one who can find him. He needs our help."
"Yours or ours?" Jane asked smoothly. "If what you say is true, then Aro, Marcus, and Caius might be interested in them."
"I'm sure they might be," Edward answered mildly. "But I'm also sure that they wouldn't want to be bothered with their training... two wild ones at once in such a confined space?"
Jane shrugged in an oddly exaggerated movement. "They will want to come visit you soon in any event... especially once I tell them that she is still human." She fixed her gaze on the human girl and smiled expectantly.
Still human. So they were going to change the girl. I wondered what they were waiting for.
"The date is set," said the little vampire with the short black hair and the clear voice. "Perhaps we'll come to visit you in a few months."
Jane's smile disappeared like someone had wiped it off. She shrugged without looking at the black-haired vampire, and I got the feeling that as much as she might have hated the human girl, she hated this small vampire ten times as much.
Jane turned back to Carlisle, her mouth set in a thin line but her eyes vacant. "It was nice to meet you, Carlisle – I thought Aro was exaggerating. We will be back soon to evaluate these newborns you feel so strongly about, and to see that you have indeed changed the girl as you promised you would. Your own existence and that of your family will be forfeit if you fail in your... responsibilities."
"I understand," Carlisle answered quietly.
The four black-hooded figures took their leave and vanished back the way they had come, leaving me sitting bewildered and wondering just why it was that I had been spared. I saw Carlisle looking expectantly at the redheaded vampire.
"You'll need to tend to Jacob," the mind reader said quietly. "Jasper and I will take Bree to find her friend and bring them back to our house. Perhaps Rose and Esme can figure out where they're going to stay." He looked down at the girl in his arms. "You're safe now, love. Alice will keep you company while I'm gone, and bring you back to Charlie later. In the meantime, I think she has plans for you." He grinned at her apologetically and kissed her before walking over to Jasper and me.
Love. That was it. For some reason, the mind reader had fallen in love with the human girl and considered her his mate. I wasn't sure how that could work, but it wasn't my business to care.
"Hello, Bree. Allow me to formally introduce myself and my brother. My name is Edward Cullen and this is Jasper. Jasper has had considerable experience in... working with newborns. How long have you been a vampire?" Edward spoke quietly, his demeanor one of general curiosity.
"About three months," I answered warily, not sure of the direction this conversation was going.
"You show good control for one so young," Edward commented. "Don't be afraid... you're safe with us now, we won't hurt you unprovoked. I had the sense you wanted to find your friend?"
I hesitated. After all that had happened, I wasn't sure that I should be trusting anyone, even this coven that for some reason had spared my existence. Jasper was watching me closely, seeming alert for any move I might make. The rest of the coven had begun to move off, returning to the cover of trees.
"I do. But what would you be doing with us? Why should I believe that I'd be better off with you?" I needed to think about what to do, though I wasn't sure that I had any options at this point. Fred, though...
"We can provide you with formal training and insights on what it means to be a vampire, and provide you with options you haven't had previously," Edward answered quietly. "You can then choose to stay with us or move out on your own. As highly talented as your friend is, he's not likely to last long without knowing what's out there, and it seems you both were given very little orientation on your new existence."
This seemed reasonable and valid to me, so I nodded in agreement before looking over to Jasper. He met my eyes and gave me a curt nod as well, releasing me from sitting on the ground. I rose slowly as our gazes remained locked; he was continuing to take no chances and I wished to give him no reason to move on me.
"Fred said that he would wait for me for a day in Vancouver... I can pick up his scent in a place called Riley Park. Can we get there quickly?" I saw a look and a grin pass between the two of them at my question.
"Oh yes, I think we can handle that!" Jasper laughed. Edward laughed with him, and I couldn't help but grin, their laughter was so infectious. Jasper gestured with his hand, and we took off into the trees with Edward leading the way, me running close behind and Jasper bringing up the rear.
Before long we were jumping over a small river into another clearing where stood a large white... mansion, the side facing us mostly glass. I didn't have time to really look more closely at it, as we ran around the side to access a smaller structure, which turned out to be a garage full of vehicles. Edward led us to a silver Volvo and opened the front passenger door, gesturing for me to enter. I hopped in without ceremony as Jasper slid into the back seat behind me, and then Edward was in the driver's seat and pulling out of the garage before I could even turn around.
We sped through the winding forest roads in a flash and were on the open highway before I knew it; while I had certainly ridden in a car before, I had never ridden one driven by a vampire, and it was nearly dizzying to me how fast the car could go under Edward's capable hands. We drove to Seattle in silence, then took the ferry over the Sound and headed up into Canada. I watched the road signs carefully as we approached Vancouver; Riley Park wasn't listed but Queen Elizabeth Park was, and we ended up parking in one of the small lots along Ontario Street and heading toward Riley Park on foot. It was a small area at the intersection of two main streets, and I knew Fred would not have stayed there long, but I could pick up his scent there and trail it to where he would be waiting for us.
As it turned out, I picked up his scent right away and it led us back to Queen Elizabeth Park. I was excited, knowing he was close, but knew I'd have to be careful; he was probably totally on his guard, and having two strange vampires in close proximity to me would only make him more wary.
I suddenly felt the strong wave of revulsion and nausea as I hit a grove of trees surrounding a large body of water and stopped. Edward and Jasper stopped short as well, both of their brows crinkling in distaste. They stayed in place as I walked forward a little.
"Fred? It's okay, these are friends! They're going to help us," I said, looking about but not seeing him anywhere. He didn't answer, and I moved ahead slowly, fighting the disgust that welled up within me until suddenly I felt something grab me and pull me behind a thick tangle of bushes. I looked up to see Fred staring fiercely down at me, before his expression suddenly softened and he hugged me in delight.
"You made it! I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he whispered softly against my hair as he continued hugging me tightly. I clung to him, so happy to see someone familiar after all the strangeness of the past several hours.
"I didn't think I see you, either... I nearly didn't. The yellow-eyes saved me," I answered. He drew away a little, his eyes flicking in the direction of where Jasper and Edward were still standing, then his gaze returned to me curiously. "Another lie of Riley's, Fred. This coven is not our enemy. He's dead, by the way. And so is the woman who created us." Both of Fred's eyebrows climbed toward his hairline at this, and I nodded my affirmation. He looked thoughtful for a time as he checked out my general appearance, then seemed to come to a decision.
"All right, introduce me to our new... friends. It seems we have a lot to discuss," he said cautiously as he led us away from the cover of the bush. I saw that Jasper and Edward had been standing in roughly the same place where I left them but had been looking about them; both sets of eyes tracked to me as Fred and I emerged and I realized that Fred must have dropped his protection so that they could see us clearly.
I clutched Fred's hand and brought him to stand with Jasper and Edward as I made perfunctory introductions between them. Both of them regarded Fred with interest, and Edward offered a friendly smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. That's quite a talent you have for keeping yourself hidden."
"It has served me and Bree well these past several months," Fred replied. "Living among so many newborns was rather volatile, though I can't help but wonder if Bree is not bringing me from the frying pan into the fire."
"That's fair enough," Edward answered mildly. "You certainly haven't been given much information to trust up to now. I hope we can change that for you."
"Bree told me that Riley is dead. That changes much already." Fred squeezed my hand tightly, and I squeezed back, looking up at him as he continued, "I'm sure the newborns have largely disbanded by now."
I caught the stricken look in his face as Jasper replied, "You two are the only survivors of that sick excuse for a coven." Fred closed his eyes and winced briefly before opening them again and shooting Jasper a glare.
"What happened?"
"The newborns were unprepared for what they met up with. They lost focus and were killed quickly. Edward had the greatest challenge, killing both Riley and Victoria when they tracked him to the east." Jasper seemed both pleased with the outcome of the larger battle and disappointed that he could not have fought at Edward's side.
"So you admit to killing us all. Where does the friend part part kick in?" Fred held me closer to him, his body tensed. I had the feeling he was prepared to run any second now if he didn't like what he heard, and he meant to take me with him.
"As you can see, we didn't kill all of you." Jasper's smile was thin. "We have no argument with you per se."
"How did Bree survive?" Still tense. I saw Edward eying him carefully, and realized that of course he would know what Fred was thinking.
"She surrendered to Carlisle, and he agreed to spare her if she would stop fighting," Edward answered earnestly. "When the Volturi came, we were able to plead successfully to provide her sanctuary."
Fred's gaze tracked back to me, his eyes wide in question. "Yeah, I'm fuzzy on that point too," I muttered. "But they are definitely more our enemies than the yellow-eyes ever were. The yellow-eyes were only defending themselves. These... Volturi were hoping that we would destroy them."
"So where are they now?"
"They have returned to Italy, though they have threatened to come back in a few months' time," Edward replied. "You have nothing to worry about from them, so long as you do not meet up with them away from us."
"So long as... now why is that, exactly?" Fred frowned at Edward, still holding me to his body tightly.
"They would kill you where you stand because of what you are, what you represent," Edward responded with a grimace. He continued to watch us closely, but also seemed... hopeful. Of what? I saw him spare Jasper a glance, and the two of them locked gazes momentarily, something unspoken passing between them.
"And what would that be?" Fred asked, and I sensed he was ready to just be done with this. I wasn't sure just how I felt about all of this yet, but now that I was reunited with Fred, I didn't plan on ever leaving his side again. He was the one true constant I'd known in my three miserable months as a vampire, beside whom I had always felt the safest. Whichever way he decided now, I'd go with him.
"Those who created you had no interest in you as individuals, only what you could do as a potential army. Collectively speaking, you were given no training, and not taught to follow the most basic of rules in our world, which is not to call attention to our kind. The killing spree that resulted called the attention of the Volturi, and they came to put an end to it, but they were too late. However, they don't usually leave survivors of such a group, and if they run across you outside of our protection they will likely finish the job." Edward returned his earnest gaze to us, and spread his empty hands before him. "Beyond that, we'd like to give you the opportunity to learn what you were not taught, in a safe environment. Bree gave me a lot of good information during our dealing with the Volturi, and I'd like for us to be able to repay the favor."
"You managed to get them to spare my... existence. That is repayment enough, really," I hedged, still sensing Fred's reticence. I noticed now that Jasper was watching Fred closely, a look of concentration on his face.
"No, not really. I don't think so," Edward averred quietly. "Please give us the opportunity to help get you started off on the right foot. You needn't stay with us after that."
"No strings attached? What's in it for you?" Fred's grip on me eased a bit.
"Well, hopefully an ally in the future, should we need it. A friend, at least... I think we have much to offer each other. Beyond that, no expectations," Edward said, and dropped his hands to his sides, glancing at Jasper as he did so. He seemed to be leaving the final decision in our hands.
Fred looked down at me. "What do you think, Bree?"
"I will go wherever you do," I answered slowly. "But their words have rung true so far... we have no reason to doubt them."
"Other than the fact that we don't know them nearly well enough," he growled. "What happened to Diego? Did you see?"
"He wasn't there to meet us. I believe Riley killed him long before... remember that death he described at the hands of our creator?" Fred nodded grimly. "I believe now that he was describing Diego's death." Fred shuddered at that and hugged me tighter. "So many lies, Fred. I think these people offer us truth."
Fred closed his eyes and remained immobile for a long time, before finally letting out a long breath and locking his gaze to mine. "I'm glad you came to find me," he said softly. "I'm sure that we could eventually learn what we needed to in order to survive, and certainly no one could ever find us. But I do have to admit to a certain amount of curiosity to learn more about these people and the Volturi, and I know you have it too, so I will go back with you." He lifted his eyes to Edward's. "We will not lift our guard, however... I am slow to trust anyone after what we've been through. The only one I trust here is Bree. I hope you understand."
Edward nodded solemnly. "I do... more than you know."
Fred let go of me with a huff then, though he kept hold of my hand. "Lead the way."
We made our way back to the Volvo. This time, Jasper rode up front with Edward, while Fred and I sat in the back. We talked quietly as we brought each other up-to-date on our experiences over the last several hours. He was saddened, but not surprised, to learn how quickly our little army had fallen apart at the start; nor was he surprised to learn how we had been deserted by Riley. I described how I had spent the battle looking for Diego and how I had finally realized he was never there; suddenly I realized that I was wailing tearlessly and Fred moved to hold me and try to comfort me. As I settled into his arms, I looked up and caught Edward's worried eyes in the rearview mirror. My eyes slid closed and I allowed myself to quiet down, though I still mourned Diego in silence. Part of me still wished I could follow him in death.
The trip back did not take long, and Esme met us in the garage with an apologetic look on her face. "Carlisle needs you down in La Push," she murmured to Edward, and he quickly took his leave of us and headed out again in the Volvo. Esme turned to Jasper and warned, "Bella is still here with Alice. We need to have a family meeting when Carlisle and Edward return, but in the meantime, perhaps we could take our guests to the cottage and help them settle in." Jasper nodded.
Esme turned next to me. "Welcome back, Bree dear, it's good to see you again. Who is your friend?"
"Esme, this is Fred. Fred, this is Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife. Carlisle is the head of this coven."
"The term 'coven' is technically correct, but we prefer to think of ourselves as a family, dear. You'll see why, in time. Come, this way," she gestured and we all followed her out of the garage and around the side of the house to the river we had crossed before. We all jumped over it, than ran through the forest for several minutes before stopping in another small clearing where a small white cottage stood. It looked fairly nondescript but recently tended to.
"This has been empty for a long time, but we are starting to make it over for Edward and Bella to have after they get married and return from their honeymoon. That's still a few months away; it should be ideal for you to use now, provided you don't mind that we'll still be working on it for them. If you should decide to stay on with us, there are rooms in the main house that we can let you use once Bella is no longer human."
"Thank you, Esme. This is more than I ever expected." I smiled at her shyly.
"Oh, I'm not done yet," Esme laughed. "Jasper, you and Fred appear to be of a size, can you get him some clothes? and see if Alice can find any clothes for Bree?"
"I can certainly work on that. Have you both fed recently? Do you need to hunt?" Jasper looked back and forth between the two of us as Fred and I met each other's gaze.
"Riley fed us before battle so that we would be strong," Fred said slowly. "I'm still good, but I'm older than Bree."
"I'm good for now, too, thank you," I replied. Jasper nodded and took off back the way we had come. Esme brought us inside the cottage and showed us around. The place was clean and looked comfortable, with running water; suddenly I badly wanted a shower. I would wait until we were alone, though.
Jasper was back shortly with clothing for both of us, for which we thanked him, and then he and Esme left us again to settle in. Esme promised to fetch us as soon as Carlisle and Edward returned and Bella left, so that we could take part in the family meeting.
I took the first shower, reveling in the feel of the scalding water against my skin. The clothes Alice had provided fit well and looked new; I felt like a new person in them and realized that that was fairly apt, as Fred and I would be starting a new life here, no matter whether we chose to join the yellow-eyes or not. Everything was different now.
Fred showered after me and fairly glowed in his new clothes, his blond curly hair shining softly. He grinned at me as we settled in the little living room to relax and talk while waiting for someone to retrieve us, however long that might take. I grinned back, "Hey, you clean up nice!" He laughed.
"So do you, short stuff. I think that's the first decent shower we've both had since we were turned. I might grow to like it here."
"They seem really nice – and friendly, even towards us. I definitely want to know more about them. I'm glad you agreed to come back with them, Fred." I curled up in a corner of the couch, facing him.
"Me too, I just hope we don't regret the decision later. I'm curious to know more about what they think they can offer us." Fred settled back on the couch and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
"Just so you know... Edward is a mind reader," I said. "And Alice has some kind of gift that the Volturi fear as well, I'm not sure what yet. I don't know about the others, I think Jasper might. Bella is the human we were given the scent for... they plan to turn her soon and Edward is planning to marry her."
"Interesting. I wonder what they see in her," Fred mused.
"I don't know. I saw her at the field, and she seemed rather plain and ordinary-looking to me. But Jane's power seemed to have no effect on her..." I trailed off, thinking.
"Jane?" Fred turned his head, peering at me. "What power?"
"Jane is one of the Volturi. She can cause you to feel pain like what you went through when you were turned, though it's all in your mind... she doesn't physically hurt you. She used it on me to get me to answer questions." I shuddered as I remembered. "I don't care to meet up with her again anytime soon."
"But it had no effect on this – Bella?" Fred was frankly curious.
"No... not at all, she didn't even flinch. Jane laughed afterward and said she was just checking, it sounded as though she'd tried it on her in the past."
"Huhn. Well, maybe she's got some talent for that or something... maybe that's why they want her," Fred shrugged and flopped his head back. "Riley knew I had some sort of talent before he brought me to be turned, though I don't think he knew what it was and regretted it afterward. He was never able to get me to do what he wanted, but he was afraid of me too."
"How did he find you, anyway?" I asked. "You don't seem to fit the 'dregs of humanity' profile they usually went for."
"Neither do you," he countered.
"Oh, believe me, I was one step away from selling myself on the streets for food," I answered with a shrug. "I ran away from home and tried to get by, but found I was a lousy thief... Riley snagged me with an offer of a cheeseburger, of all things. What was your hook?"
Fred laughed humourlessly. "I was scoring speed to keep up with my coursework at university. Riley promised me better stuff. He told me he'd been watching me for awhile, and told me I could do better than I was."
"What were you studying at university that made you feel the need for drugs to keep up?" I was mystified; having always been a good student at school, I couldn't ever imagine the need for artificial stimulation. I also felt really bad for him, and for whatever family he'd left behind – surely he'd been loved, and was missed, unlike the rest of us in Riley's unlikely coven.
He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I was in medical school. I wanted to be a doctor... to help people. Not kill them and drink from them to satisfy my thirst..." his voice trailed off, and he became as the stone we were, silent and immobile. I knew our discussion was finished at that point, and flopped back to wait for someone to return to us.
~xXx~xXx~
So, hooked yet? What did you like? Hate? Do you want it to continue? I won't add to it unless I get some reviews...
~Kaz