The Cullen Twins Chapter 2, a twilight fanfic

Chapter 2

The cool, late fall weather swept around him as he walked down the street, though the boy hardly noticed it in his tightly zipped leather jacket. His old backpack hung limply over his shoulder, bouncing unceremoniously with each step of his aged black boots.

The boy was very lanky, having a smaller frame then most would expect given his above average height, but it was clear that he had muscle on him. His skin was a lovely cream color, his cheeks having a rosy tinge to them from the cold air that brushed his face. His hair was a deep chocolate brown, a trait that added to the consistent sense of danger that wafted off of him. The cool blue pools of his eyes helped to take the edge off, giving way to the belief that the boy was better-behaved then he actually was.

Alice looked on in wonder at how well the young man had grown in her absence. At this thought, she couldn't help the twinge of remorse she felt, but ignored it as she sat on a bench on the far end of the park, out of his site, though, of course, she could still hear and see him perfectly as if he were right in front of her. Her golden eyes danced over his dark jeans and t-shirt, making her cringe at the absurdity of his choice in apparel, but could nonetheless say that she was thrilled to see him after so long.

"Cecil," she whispered, joy swelling in her heart. Even after all these years, she could easily recognize his scent; the pleasing mint like scent that she remembered having been sweet when he was a small child, had morphed, changing to a more earthly, fresh fragrance, but it was still his and still unmistakable to her.

It hadn't taken long for her to find her way to western suburban area that the address had pointed her to. The house that she had found was an older looking building, but it was very well taken care of, that much she could see. Behind the house were manmade woods, trees and foliage, giving her a perfect covering to keep out of site of unwanted eyes from any neighbors around or anyone passed by. However, that meant very little to her as she watched the occupants of the home go about their lives.

From what she could tell, there were a total of eight occupants; two parents, and six children, including the twins. The father and mother were clearly in the mid forties, both blonde and aging not so gracefully. The mother was very thin, but held an air of authority about her, telling Alice that she was no doubt very strict and the primary parental figure in the house. The father, whom she found outside raking leaves in their yard, looked very tired, his poster much more relaxed and slouched, giving her the impression that he was less concerned about things.

Making her way around the house, Alice carefully peered into the windows on the upper floor as she searched for anything that would give her a lead. The first room was very bright and colorfully painted. The walls were a light shade of pink, adored with various pictures and posters of cartoon characters and boy bands. The floor was littered with toys and stuffed animals of all kinds. On each side were twin white dressers that no doubted held clothes for the two little girls the room belonged to. Alice could see the two of them playing in the room happily at the moment.

The younger one, who couldn't be any more than six, happily bounced a doll around on the floor, her golden curls framing her face. The other one, a preteen by the looks of it, sat on the floor next to her, doodling away in a note pad, her equally blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. The two were clearly sisters, their facial features identical to the parents'.

Though Alice was left with a pleasant feeling at the scene, they weren't who she was looking for, causing her gaze to shift to the next room. This room was painted a deep seafoam green, but was decorated identically to the previous one, posters of superheroes and sports stars in place of the boy bands.

The two occupants of this room were older than their counter parts, the younger of the two being about the same age at the older blonde girl, a video game controller in his hand as he sat in front of a small TV and tapped away on the buttons. He too shared his family's blonde hair as well as the facial features of his two parents. The older one, who had his face buried in a magazine, was clearly a teenager, and the oldest of his siblings. His hair, though a shade of blonde, was much darker, looking similar to that of wet sand. A large pair of noise cancelling headphones distracted him from his brother's loud game playing, something that seemed almost overly routine for them.

Alice frowned, annoyed that she hadn't caught a single glimpse of either of the twins in the house, nor had she had a single vision of them since her arrival. A bit of dread settled in her at that thought; what if they weren't here? What if the twins had been sent to another home? Had she missed them?

Refusing to give up so quickly after she had tracked them down, Alice closed her eyes, rubbing her temples as she tried to focus on the future. At first, she was getting nothing of significance; cloudy weather for a more few days, Esme and Roselie going shopping; Carlisle having to leave for emergency surgery.

Then, like lightning, it hit her. The vision was of a young boy, a teenager, walking down the path in the park down the street with an annoyed grimace on his face as he looked at the note in his hand. The vision quickly changed to one of a wrist watch, the very wrist watch Alice was wearing, showing her the time; 4:10 pm.

Blinking her way back into reality, Alice looked at her watch; she would come across him in five minutes. A smile etched onto her perfect face as she turned and raced away to where she now found herself watching him.

As she sat on a bench in the park, watching him closely with every step, she contemplated how to approach this. Or, she did, until she was suddenly joined by another person. Another smile came to her face, though her gaze remained focused on the boy.

"I can't say I'm surprised. I've been expect you," she said, a tone of playfulness in her voice.

The blonde man gave a low chuckle, throwing his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close to him as he whispered in her ear. "You're never surprised, my darling, Alice. You knew I was coming the second I did."

"Of course you're right, Mr. Whitlock. I did know you were coming. After all, you do have a tendency to be a bit overprotective. Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were following me."

"Why, I'd never dream of it," Jasper said before following her gaze to the boy. "Is that one of them?"

"Yep. That's Cecil."

"I must say, he looks quite the troublemaker, if his emotions are anything to go off of. He's full of a lot of angst and anger."

"Apparently he and his sister have been quite the troublemakers these past few years," Alice said with a sigh. "This will, no doubt, make approaching them more difficult."

"Approaching them?" Jasper asked, looking at her as if she were joking. "Alice, you can't. You're not even supposed to be trying to find them; Carlisle would have your head if he knew you were doing this. If you engage them-"

"When, I engage them," she corrected. "I've made up my mind, Jazz. I can't just sit back and pretend that they aren't there, especially now that I have a chance to be back in their lives. I'm going to talk to them."

Jasper sighed into his hand; he knew this was a bad idea, letting her go digging for information on the two human children. Not that he could have stopped her, but he knew he should have at least tried to persuade her more to not pursue this, even though he knew she would do so with or without his help.

Looking back at the boy, Jasper definitely could feel the rage of emotions that were going on in him. Most were normal and common amongst teens, making it easy to suppress the unwanted ones. But the one that seemed to be the strongest for him was anger. The boy had quite the temper, though based on the way his shoulders were relaxed and how even his breathing and heartbeat were, Jasper could tell it was the calm kind of anger, which he regarded as the more dangerous kind of anger as it came with a very silent tendency to get even and be vengeful, as well as cold and calculating. The boy was dangerous, for a human anyway, that much was certain, and though Jasper didn't wish to engage him like his wife did, he couldn't help the natural curiosity that made him want to find out more about him and find out why he was so angry.

"Alice, I understand how important this is to you, but we can't go about involving ourselves in the lives of humans like this. I mean, look at what happened before. The only reason that we're here is because of what happened in Forks," Jasper said, holding down the pit of guilt that still haunted him. "If that's not a sign that we shouldn't do this, then what is it a sign of?"

"Fate," she said with a sweet smile. "It's a sign that fate, like mother, knows best."

Jasper could only look at her, flabbergasted at her reasoning, and knowing that he had lost yet another battle. With a shake of his head, he tightened his grip around her and the two returned to watching the boy as he walked down the path.

A groan of annoyance escaped the boy's mouth as he pocketed the note. He had just finished serving his third detention for the week, something that normally didn't bother him. However, the principal, who he decided was probably the biggest prick on the face of the planet, had demanded that he give the note to his foster parents to schedule a conference. Of course, Cecil had no intention of actually giving them the note; why give them more leverage against him? They already hated him and Cleo as it was, so why give them an excuse to get pissy at him?

Speaking of his younger sister, Cecil silently wondered where she had gotten off to, having told her not to wait up for him after school. He knew she hadn't gone home; the two rarely went home alone, mostly because it would give the impression that one of them had been up to something if they came back without the other one. Or, at least, that was the impression that Mary, their foster mother, had always drawn when it happened.

As he passed the park, he couldn't help rubbing his cheek where there would no doubt be a bruise forming in the next couple of days which would be evidence of his getting into yet another fight at school. He didn't know why, but Cecil knew that he loved to fight. Maybe because it was an outlet for his frustration? Or perhaps because unlike everything else he had to deal with in his life, there were no rules, and he was in full control. That seemed more like it.

In the long string of fights he'd been in, Cecil had very rarely lost. He was smart and quick on his feet, which came in very handy in one on one fights. He may not have been the biggest person there was in a fight, but he damn sure was going to come out the victor. Having been in so many, Cecil could tell what a person's strengths were and what their weaknesses were, and more often than not, it was size. Not to mention the fact that he always fought dirty, going for and taking any advantage that he could. This included using weapons he found on the ground, attacking people while down or even using their vulnerabilities.

Needless to say, his reputation at school was not a good one; if you pissed him off or challenged him to a fight, you'd best be ready to go home with at the very least a broken bone. Even when ganged up on and outnumbered, Cecil was hard to take down; the boy just had a natural keen to fighting, and could maneuver his way very skillfully in battle, making it more of a spectacle than a serious problem. It was almost as if he could force his opponents to go and move how he wanted so he could take them down.

But that was what he had to do to protect himself and his sister.

Growing up, Cleo had always needed him to protect her; she wasn't a fighter, at least not physically. Whereas he was the muscle, she was the brain. That was just how it was with them. Cleo got the better grades, Cleo was the quick thinker and Cleo was the smart one who always knew how to cover their tracks. Or at least she always tried to.

Cecil knew without a doubt that they would be a lot worse off if it hadn't been for Cleo's always over thinking mind, but there were even some things that even she couldn't get them out of. Which is where he came in. Cleo had always tried to be a pacifist, avoiding confrontation if possible. However, that didn't mean she was defenseless; she just couldn't fight anywhere as well as her brother. Luckily for her, she never really had to.

Everyone knew of the Caesar twins; Cleo, the smart, quiet girl who could use her words to talk her way out of must any situation, and Cecil, the skillful, fighting machine of a boy who would know you teeth out of your head if it meant that he could get his way. Their reputation kept most, if not all, of the students away from them, something that neither of them minded at all. People liked to make fun of them and gossip about them, but that meant little to either of them; why waste your time caring about the thoughts of people they were never going to see again?

It was also a well known fact that though Cleo was the better of the two, she was not innocent. She was much more sneaky and careful about her way, easily stealing money or other valuables, and placing the blame on her foster siblings. Of course, seeing as they didn't get along with the others, she never truly felt bad about. She also knew her foster parents couldn't stand either of them, but kept them around for the government aid that they received for it. This just spurred her on even more to upset them; anytime something came up missing, her foster mother would instantly point at her, but would she do when the evidence point to her own children? Of course, this didn't stop her from blaming the twins, not that it mattered.

Cecil felt a bit responsible for his sister's behavior, having convinced her that they had to do whatever it took to survive, even if it meant hurting other people. Cleo had been skeptical at first, but as the years went by, it became second nature to the both of them to not care about others. Cecil only cared about himself and his sister. The same couldn't be said about her.

Cecil could still remember the face of their "mother", so to speak. When they were very young and still at the orphanage, there was a woman who used to visit every day and would help out around there, giving the two of them extra care and attention. She always looked after them, bringing them special treats, taking them on special trips and always tucking them into bed before she left.

Her face was pale, void of any real color. Her hair was a dark, black color, a huge contrast to her skin. Her eyes were like honey, a golden color that you could swim in, and her frame was slim and small. That was the way Cecil remembered her, though he rarely ever bothered to do so. She was like an angel; so beautiful and so caring.

When she had first gotten there, they had asked her what her name was. They were so captured by her beauty, that they had to know more about her.

"Alice," she said sweetly as she kneeled in front of them. "My name is Alice."

"You're really pwetty," Cleo said with a smile, Cecil nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, thank you. You're both the cutest kids I've ever met in my whole life," said told them with a smile of her own.

From that day on, he and his sister had been mesmerized and only ever wanted to be around her when she was there, never bothering with the other caretakers or volunteers.

He remembered that he and Cleo were so attached to her, loved her dearly, as she did them; she told them so, and told them quite often that she did. That is what prompted to ask her the question.

"Alice, will you be our mommy?" the twins asked her. Alice held a perfect smile on her face as she embraced them. Her cold skin was a strange sensation to the two of them, but they loved her for it; it made her so much different and unique from the other adults that they had met.

"Yes, I will be your mommy," she said, her heart swelling in her chest. Though she had seen it coming, nothing in the world could ever actually prepare her for this moment, no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, the venom stinging, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind one bit.

"Do you promise?" Cecil asked as she let me go to look at them.

"Yes, I promise," she said before an idea struck her. Holding up her pinky, she asked, "Why don't we make a pinky promise?"

"What a pinky promise?" Cleo asked.

"A pinky promise is a special, important promise that can never be broken. When you make a pinky promise, it means that no matter what happens, you have to keep true to that promise, for the rest of your life. Do you guys want to do that?" The twins nodded eagerly, their eyes shining with wonder. "Ok, now hold out your right pinky like me." The twins followed her instructions, mimicking her hand motion. "Good job. Now, I want you to repeat the words that I say. Say "I" and then your full name. I, Alice Cullen-now you say, "I, Cecil Caesar" and you say "I, Cleopatra Caesar."

"I, Cecil Caesar," he repeated.

"I, Creopata Caesar," Cleo said, having trouble pronouncing her own full name, but Alice couldn't help the smile that was on her face.

"Promise to," Alice continued then paused.

"Promise to," they said in unison.

"To love, protect and cherish-"

"To wove, potect and sharish-"

"The people I love-"

"The peopoe I wove-"

"For the rest of my life-"

"For the west of my wife-"

"In the good times and bad-"

"When I'm happy and when I'm sad."

Alice didn't think her smile could get any bigger, but she was wrong. As she brought her finger forward, the twins followed, hooking their pinky fingers around hers as she did theirs.

"I love you, Cecil. I love you, Cleo," she said, though what happened next shocked her, and even her visions couldn't predict it.

"I wove you, Mommy," they said, wrapping them small arms around her neck and hugging her. Alice returned the hug, a wonderful bliss settling into her as she never wanted to leave that moment.

For a while, everything was great. They were like one big happy family and everything seemed to be going perfectly for them. And then, one day, she Alice never showed up. Cecil and Cleo were confused and hurt, spending the entire day wondering where she was and why she hadn't shown up. They asked one of the other volunteers who knew her well, and the look on the woman's face confused them. Now, of course, Cecil knew what the look was; she was conflicted. How was she supposed to explain what death was to two three year olds? How do you explain that the person you cared about most in the world was dead, and was never coming back? That you were never going to see her again?

It wasn't easy, but she did it. The pain that he felt that day was immeasurable. Cleo cried for so long, as did he, holding onto each other for dear life, afraid that if they let go, they would follow the same fate as her. It broke the heart of the volunteer to have to tell them, but it was better that they knew and stopped looking for her. It just hurt her that kids so young would have to deal with such a loss, regardless of the fact that they were not actually related to the woman.

A few days later, a gift showed up for them. The same volunteer opened it, smiling at the small framed photo of the three of them. The frame was made of pure steel, meaning the photo was perfectly protected, and would be for a very long time. In the photo, you could see the twins, sitting on Alice's lap, her arms wrapped around them, big smiles on everyone's face. The photo had been taken nearly a year before, only about a month or so after Alice had begun volunteering there. She remembered because she had taken it.

The back of the frame was engraved with words that she knew had have come from Alice herself.

"Never forget to watch out for each other because I'll always be watching out for you, Mommy."

When they had been given the photo, Cleo clung to it for dear life. Cecil remembered how she used to hold it while sleeping, telling everyone that it was her way of being close to their mother. To this day, Cleo still clung to it whenever she needed a boost or a bit of reassurance.

If there was one thing he could say though, it was that they had held up their promise to always watch out for each other.

"Don't you ever get tired of detention," a voice said to him. Cecil stopped in tracks, looking to find a girl as she stood from her spot under a tree. Her hair was a light blonde, contrasting with his own dark locks, though that seemed to be the only real difference between the two of the, aside from her height, which was at least half a foot shorter than him. Everything else about her matched his features, from the shape of her face and color of her skin, to the shimmering blue of her eyes.

"Not my fault the principal's a prick, Cleo," Cecil said, addressing his sister as she put her book in her backpack. "So this is where you decided to go instead of home?"

"Well I'm not exactly all too eager to have Ms. Mary scrutinizing my every move," she replied, folding her arms over her jacket. "So caused this one?"

"Nothing really. Couple of jocks tried to jump me again, so I kicked their asses. Of course, I was the only one still standing, and only one who doesn't get let off for this crap."

"Do you ever really expect to?" she said with a roll of her eyes.

Cecil gave a small smirk, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they began walking home. "Nope, not really."

From their same spot on the bench, Alice and Jasper watched the two walk back toward the home she had been to earlier, smile still on her face the wind blew, giving her a quick whiff of Cleo's scent. Much like her brother, she had a minty scent about her, only hers had a bit of a cinnamon spice to it, reminding her of peppermint, but without cool freshness.

She looked to Jasper to see that he too had gotten a whiff but seemed to be ok, his gazed focused on their retreating forms.

"What do you feel?" she asked.

"Compassion, is the main feeling," he said. "They care about each other very dearly, that's for sure."

"I'm glad," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "They've needed each other without me; still do. I just wish I could have been there more."

"I know you do," he said, kissing her forehead and rubbing her arm.

The two sat silently for a while, enjoying the peace that they had in the park on that autumn day, leaves of red, yellow and brown cascading down around them. Eventually they decided it was best to head home, before their family began to worry. With one last reluctant sigh, Alice looked toward the direction her children had gone, promising that they would be reunited soon before taking Jasper's outstretched hand and disappearing into the woods.