Ch.1 Family Meeting
Bella's POV...
We came to the house in Timmin's at Carlisle's request. He had something to discuss with the family, so Edward and I left Nessie and Jake in Seattle. Nessie is fully grown now, and in college. Following in her Papa Carlisle's footsteps she's starting med school in the fall.
"Don't cry love, Nessie's a big girl." Edward says, reaching to take my hand, his eyes never waver from the road. And to think just eleven short years ago his driving terrified me. I chuckle. He still can't read my mind, yet he knows what I'm thinking most of the time anyway.
"Any idea what this is about?" I ask, as we pull into the driveway of the huge log house. Originally the house was meant to be a hunting lodge, but it was too far off the beaten path and went under. Jasper had actually found it around the time Edward and I got together. He and Carlisle bought it and fixed it up in preparation of my newborn phase. But of course I didn't have the typical newborn year, so instead we moved there after Charlie died.
"No." he says coming around to open the car door for me. He doesn't have to, but he just can't help it. Courtesy was ingrained in men back when he was human, and in his early years as a vampire Carlisle encouraged him to keep that habit.
"Bella. Edward." oh boy, here comes the pixie. Still as hyper as ever as she fly's out the front door and down the stairs to greet us. Her true mate comes out behind her, a smile on his face.
"Easy babe." he says, coming down the porch stairs at a more human changes in him over the last fourteen years are astounding. James' eyes are golden now, but his hair is the same messy waves only a shade darker then his eyes. The fashion demon has him dressed in jeans and a vintage concert tee. We were shocked that day on the baseball field when the nomads interrupted our game, intent first to play. Then James had wanted to hunt me, till he got a whiff of Alice. He forgot all about me, to my extreme relief.
"Come on guys." Emmett calls from the doorway. With that we turn and go into the house. The decor is like the forks house, white and contemporary. Enough art to stock a museum twice. Edward's piano is here, on a platform in the center of what we made the music room.
Though we don't live here, everyone else aside from Alice and James does. Jasper is sitting on the couch, video game controller in hand. Rosalie is sketching on a pad at the desk that sits kitty corner to the couch. She's up the second we are in the door and hugging me. Ever since Nessie was born, she and I have made great strides in our bond.
"Sissy." Jasper says, now wither he's addressing me or her I can't say. So glad I don't need to breath anymore. She releases me, to Emmett who also squeezes me hard enough that were I human, I'd be broken.
"You just saw me last week." I gasp.
"I know." he replies releasing me. A throat being cleared pulls our attention from our reunion routine. A routine that for me never gets old since I was an only child as a human. So I feel very blessed to have a large and loving family to spend forever with.
Carlisle and Esme are in the doorway. Without another word, both turn and head for the dining room. Only Nessie and Jake eat so this room is used solely for this purpose. I look around as we follow them, trying to gauge if they know what this may be about. It seems not, as all look slightly worried. Once we are all seated around the huge oak table, Carlisle begins.
"I asked you all here because a favor has been asked of me. A favor that I wanted to run by all of you before agreeing to it. Aro called me two days ago." he has to stop at the angry hisses that sound at that name. He waits for quiet.
"You all know I lived with the Volturi for a few decades back before I came to America. There was something, or rather someone I never told you about." He continues, taking the frame Esme hands him. He passes it to Edward. Edward looks at it for a second before handing it to me. It's a photograph. I recognize the two men in the photo. One is Carlisle, the other is the blonde Volturi leader Caius. Both have an arm around the blonde woman standing between them. They look like they could be brothers and sister. The photo is old, I'd guess about seventy years given the dress she wears. I pass the frame on to Rose. Once the picture has made it's way around the table, Carlisle speaks again.
"I'm sure you all know Caius and myself. The woman with us, was Caius' wife. Rebecca is now his widow. He died eight years ago." he stops so we can absorb this new info. Caius was the meanest of the three leaders, yet he looked so happy in that photograph. We of course had been told of Caius' final passing.
"The picture was taken at Pearl Harbor just a week prior to the attack. We were only there on vacation, but when the attack happened we stayed to help. Rebecca volunteered as a nurse while Caius and I worked as doctors." he paused again, and I didn't need Edward's gift to know what Carlisle was thinking. I've seen the images of that day, studied it in my history classes as a human. Seeing it that way is bad, all those people killed. I can't imagine living through it.
"What does this have to do with Aro's favor?" Emmett asked.
"Rebecca is of course grieving the loss of her husband. They were married for nearly three hundred years. Aro wants her to come here to stay with me. He's hoping I can help her."
"Were they true mates?" Jasper asked. Knowing that if they were there would be nothing we could do. Carlisle shakes his head.
"What are you not telling us?" Edward demands, obviously having heard something in Carlisle's head.
"Rebecca's my daughter."
A.N. There I think that's the perfect cliffie. LOL! Own only Rebecca and I write solely for practice.