A/N: Here is chapter 2. Review and tell me what you think of the story so far. Do you think the sequel has potential?
*** This chapter is dedicated to: blackwolf2dragoon.
*** Disclaimer: All proper rights go to . I am just enjoying elaborating on my own plot.
BPOV
"Bella, you are handling things remarkably well," Peter told me as he sat down beside me on the porch steps.
"I wouldn't say that." I huffed.
"I would." he smirked at me.
"Right, Petey," I rolled my eyes. "My enhancements distract me so often that I feel scatterbrained and I feel things so much more powerfully that it actually hurts sometimes. Not to mention that I have this inner-self that would love nothing more than the opportunity to slaughter the entire human race for the liquid gold in their bodies. Oh and we shan't forget that I am the reason that my innocent friend was murdered as well as the reason that my best friend was captured and Lord only knows what else."
"That's the spirit!" Peter chuckled while punching my shoulder. He quickly sobered up and grew serious. "We'll get him back, Bells."
I gave him a small smile and we sat together in a companionable silence. It's only been a few hours since I found out about Jasper being gone but my mind has ran through every scenario possible. I couldn't help the guilt that threatened to crush me since his capture was entirely my fault. If he hadn't come to save me, he would still be where he belongs-with his family.
On the outside it may look like I am doing nothing to get Jasper back, but in reality, I have been planning. There was no way that we could go into this half-cocked so I was currently making use of my multi-functional brain. It has to be one of my favorite parts of being a vampire so far. Well, except the physical aspects. I had forgotten what it felt like to be able to walk on my own let alone be able to be so free now.
"Okay well, I am going for a quick hunt. I'll be back in an hour. Would you like to go with me?" Peter asked as he stood up.
"No, thank you. I am not thirsty right now. I will go tonight with Edward. Hurry back because when you get back, we will start training." I said.
He smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, Ma'am. Oh and by the way, Bella, I loved how you put everyone in their place. Jasper will be proud to know how you stood your ground."
I giggled and shooed him away. I had more planning to do and I needed more time alone to figure things out. My mind momentarily drifted back to when I confronted the family about Jasper's capture.
I pulled Edward into the yard and called for everyone to join us out front. They all approached me slowly as if afraid that I would run away. I rolled my eyes at them and Emmett ran to me and twirled me in the air. He had the goofiest grin on his face and I couldn't help but return it.
"I knew you wouldn't forget us forever!" He chuckled as he sat me back down on my own two legs.
"Yeah, how could I forget my Emmy-bear?" I asked as I kissed his cheek. He squeezed me in one of his famous bear hugs once more before he stepped back as the others came to welcome me back. I stepped back with a glare and everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked me with a concerned expression. Seeing his concern broke me down a little but it served to piss me off as well. How could he show concern for me when his son was being held captive?
"You all should be ashamed of yourselves." I said through clenched teeth. Upon seeing their confused faces I laughed once without humor. "Oh, did you forget him already? How could you just leave him there? After all that he has done for this family, this is how you repay him?" By the time I finished saying this, I was pacing again. It helped to control my anger which was seriously needed right now. I didn't want to let my anger consume me.
"It's not like that, Bella." Carlisle tried to reason but stopped once he saw how furious my expression was.
"Then what is it like then?" I spat.
"He chose you instead of himself." Peter said as he looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
"That was not his decision to make. He never should have been allowed to come after me. None of you should have done that. Look what happened as a result. My life was and is not worth his. I appreciate what you all did for me, but you had no right to leave him like that even if it was to save me. Every single one of you comes before me and I will not tolerate something like this ever again. Are we clear?" I asked as I looked each of them in their eyes. I could tell that my eyes were hardened and anger blared in them.
"Yes." they all said in ashamed voices.
"Good. Now, I am going to save him. Whether you come or not, that is your decision. I will not take your choice away from you but I will not tolerate you interfering with this rescue. If you cannot commit fully to do whatever needs to be done to get Jasper back, I will not bother with including you in the preparations. If any of you are uncertain, even the slightest, about your involvement, then I want you to leave now because nothing will come in the way of me getting Jasper back."
I gave them a few moments to decide but thankfully nobody left. "Good. We will start training at three o'clock. Meet me back out here then and we will get started." With that, I left to sit on the front porch where I began to plot and plan.
I got up off the porch as Peter re-entered the yard from his hunt. I walked over to him and turned to the house. "Training." I said in a normal voice, knowing they would hear it. Within a minute, everyone was lined up in front of me, waiting for my instruction. This gave me a boost of confidence but I had no idea what I was doing.
I turned pleading eyes to Peter who just smirked and held his hands up. "Nope, Bells, this is all you. You're the one who decided on training so you are the one who will be leading it. Plus, you are the best one to lead us on this mission."
I looked at Peter funny. "What do you mean that I am the best one to lead?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion.
"You'll see." He said.
I rolled my eyes and turned to face the Cullens. "Okay, who has fight training?" I asked. They all raised their hands and I mentally sighed. Great, I am the only one to be amateur.
"Okay…Let's break off into groups. I do not want mated couples together for conflict of interest reasons. Whereas we won't be fighting our mates when this confrontation occurs, we do need to be able to focus now to be able to get the most intense training we can. How about Edward and Rose, Carlisle and Alice, Char and Emmett, and Peter, Esme, and I? We'll start off with simple sparing for now. Later we will advance." I dismissed them as they went into their separate groups.
I wanted Peter with me because I needed proper fight preparation since I am the only one who doesn't know how to fight. Peter and Esme came over. Peter had an amused look on his face. I looked at him curiously but he just smirked and looked away.
"Bella, you look fabulous. Immortality suits you." Esme complimented me. I smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek in gratitude. I really haven't had a chance to sit back and think about how much immortality has changed me but I can tell that it definitely suits me better than humanity in my opinion.
"Okay, sweet-thang, whatcha got?" Peter asked and chuckled as I rolled my eyes at him.
"I am not your sweet-thang, brother. I am your sweet and innocent baby sister." I said in mock seriousness.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say baby sis." He laughed.
"I actually want you and Esme to go first. I have never fought before and I want to see it done so I can pick up on the moves." I explained.
"Yes ma'am!" He saluted.
Esme and Peter got into crouched positions and began circling each other. Esme lunged at Peter but he sidestepped her right before contact and flipped around behind her. She crouched again and flung at him but turned to her right at the last second. Her fist collided with his jaw and I heard an obvious crack.
"Dang Esme, you have a mean left hook!" He said as he rubbed his jaw.
"Sorry, Sweetheart." she said thoroughly amused and not sorry in the least.
They circled each other again and Peter jumped off of the ground and landed behind Esme. He put his teeth beside her neck which meant he obviously won the spar. I soaked in everything I could but their spar didn't last as long as I would have liked it to.
"Your turn, Miss." Peter smiled his razor sharp teeth at me.
I held up my finger, motioning for a minute, while I glanced around at the other fights going on. I watched each group for a minute before I turned back to Peter. I got down in a crouch and flashed him my own razor sharp grin.
"Show me whatcha got, Sweet Thang." He smirked again and was momentarily distracted as I ran behind him and pulled his head to the side with my teeth at his neck.
"I am not your sweet thang." I growled as I let go of his head.
He stared at me in shock. "How did you move so fast?" He asked with eyes full of wonder and awe. I shrugged and he told us to go again.
I crouched down and we circled each other a few times before he lunged after me. I easily dodged his attempt and did a twirl around him. I giggled as I saw how flustered he was becoming at my speed. I think I was enjoying this a little too much.
He crouched back down and lunged at my feet but I jumped at the last second so that I landed behind him and grabbed his ankle to flip him over.
Once he was on his back, I grabbed him by his neck and raised him up off of the ground. I threw him across the yard and was beside him in a second. He lunged again but I faked left and snuck behind him as I bared my teeth at his neck again.
Bella two, Peter zero.
"Again!" He growled out.
I just laughed and motioned him forward. I decided to ruffle him a bit to see him pick his game up. "C'mon Petey, stop fighting like a girl and actually try to hit me."
He snarled and his eyes turned pitch black. Bingo!
He lunged at me and I flipped over him. He turned on me and grabbed me by the arms as he tried to force me to my knees. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again I felt a desire to break free. I used all of my strength and flung my arms upwards which inadvertently flung Peter into the air. He did a twist mid-flip and landed on my back. I tucked and rolled twice and came into a crouch once I felt that he let go of my back.
He tried to sneak up from the side but I felt him coming and twisted to face him. He snarled at me and I snarled back. We circled each other a few times before I lunged at him. He dodged my attack and grabbed me by the neck. He couldn't choke me, now that I was a vampire and technically didn't need to breathe, but it was still very uncomfortable.
I grabbed onto his arm that was holding me and threw him with as much force as I could over my head and into the ground. Before he had time to move, I pinned him to the ground and had my teeth at his neck again.
"Who's your momma?" I growled out.
"You." He said with a tremor in his voice.
I smiled against his neck and kissed his cheek before I jumped up and pulled him up as well. I looked around and was instantly embarrassed that everyone was standing around and watching me with shocked expressions. Apparently they had been watching our sparring match.
Peter stared at me with a strange look in his face and his colors shifted a little. Immediately, I regretted that shift as I knew it had something to do with me.
"Did I do something wrong, Peter?" I asked in a small voice when he just continued to stare at me. My voice seemed to break him out of his reverie as he shook his head.
"No Bella, you didn't do anything wrong, quite the opposite actually. I thought you said you had no experience fighting?"
I looked at him funny. "Of course I have no experience fighting…. Peter you saw how I was before the change and I obviously haven't had time to fight anyone yet." I pointed out.
"Bella, you just took me down, three times." He said with awe and confusion.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have been holding back, Peter." I huffed out with annoyance. I hated when others treated me differently.
He started laughing hysterically and I wondered, like so many times since I met Peter, if vampires could become insane. After he calmed his laughter he looked at me and clapped me on the back. "That's funny, Bella. You thought I went easy on you?" he pretended to wipe invisible tears away from his eyes.
"Bella, as you know, I was Jasper's second-in-command while we were in Maria's army. I fought alongside him and I have the scars to prove it. I have never lost a fight. Sugar, that was all you. I fought you just like I would an enemy."
"It was just a fluke. Beginner's luck mixed with newborn strength." I said even though I was starting to get a little freaked out. This was my first fight but it all felt so natural to me and it felt like I knew exactly what I needed to do in order to take down my opponent.
"Char and Carlisle, would you come here please?" Peter asked. They came to us and I gave Peter an inquisitive look. "Let's just see how far this 'luck' will take you, shall we?"
I smirked. "Give me what you got, Petey-boy"
I crouched down while Peter, Char, and Carlisle circled me. I felt uncomfortable having someone behind me but I felt confidence I didn't even know I had. I jumped up and flipped out of the circle and before anyone realized that I was gone, I took out Carlisle's legs from underneath him.
I sprung back into a crouch and advanced on Char. I didn't know much about her fighting skills but I did know that she was a newborn in Maria's army as well. Once I get my hands on that wench Maria, I am going to make her pay for all the suffering she put my family through. Just thinking about her made my rage boil.
Peter tried to sneak up behind me but I did a cartwheel between him and Char. When I was a safe distance away I went to spring forward on them but Carlisle caught my legs and pulled me to the ground. He tried to pin me down but I flipped him off of me and flipped myself into another crouch.
They all three began advancing on me so I stalked forward. Char threw a punch at me but I ducked it while my hand glanced off of Peter's fist that was aimed at my ribs. Carlisle tried to move to my side but I tripped his legs out from under him.
I was starting to get frustrated so I closed my eyes briefly and when I opened them again I felt a renewed sense of determination. I grabbed onto Carlisle and threw him into Peter and Char. All three fell to the ground and I pinned Char quickly and took her out by pressing my teeth to her throat. I kissed her cheek before I jumped up and caught Carlisle off-guard. I took him out quickly as well.
Last but not least was my darling Peter. He lunged for me but I used his momentum to fling myself up in the air and land on his back. He fell face down into the dirt and tried to kick me off until he felt my teeth against his neck. I jumped up and held out my hand to him. He took it but with apprehension in his eyes.
He began pacing and I noticed that the entire family was staring at me wide eyed and, yes, jaws slacked in shock. I began to get very self-conscious until Edward came up to me and wrapped his hands around my waist and held me from behind. He kissed my neck and whispered in my ear, "Just give him a minute Love. You were fabulous by the way." I smiled and felt relieved.
Peter stopped pacing and came to stand in front of me. "Bella, how did you do that?" He asked with intense curiosity.
"I don't know. It just all seemed like instinct to me. It was like I just knew what needed to be done. I know that it doesn't make sense but that is the best that I can explain it. I'm sorry." I said as I lowered my eyes some in embarrassment. I am actually glad that the traitor blush that graced my face my entire life is finally gone.
"Bella, do you realize that you just took down the three best fighters here?" I stared at him in shock. "At the same time?" I looked around to Char and Carlisle and they both nodded with pride shining in their eyes for me.
"But I didn't even know how to fight until we started! Something must be off." I tried to reassure myself mainly.
"I have a theory, if you are interested in hearing it." Carlisle said as he came forward to stand in front of me and beside Peter. I nodded for him to continue. "Bella, your abilities were always strong as a human and once Edward introduced venom into your system your abilities and characteristics began to enhance themselves through the venom. I believe that along with those characteristics, your instincts were also enhanced. Once you completed your transformation, those already enhanced characteristics such as your instincts, became even that more powerful."
"When we were at Prom, Bella had a confrontation with two girls and Bella got really territorial of me exactly the same way as a vampire would. I believe you are right, Carlisle." Edward agreed.
I thought back to when I almost ripped Jessica and Lauren's faces off and giggled. I hid my face in Edward's chest for a moment until the giggling subsided. "Sorry, continue, please."
Carlisle looked over at Peter and Peter stepped forward and put his hands on my shoulders. "Bella, I knew that you would lead us but I didn't realize how quickly you would take to it. I would have to say that you are the most powerful Wo…vampire I have ever encountered. You just learned to fight and look how you are fighting. You took down Char and I who were in the Southern Vampire Wars as well as Carlisle who fought for the Volturi."
I glanced at Carlisle who looked away and I saw shame emanating from him. Hmm, it appears as though my interpretations of the emotions are changing. For some reason I knew that the new color addition to Carlisle's aura meant shame. Odd. I wonder if this is how Jasper senses emotions.
"Perhaps I am just good at fighting." I suggested.
"Perhaps…. Let's see." He smirked at me. "Esme, Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Edward, will you please join us?" They all eagerly joined our group and Edward stepped up to go behind Peter. "Okay, we are going to see just how far our little Bella can go. Do not take it easy on her. Fight with all your might and all your strength. No going easy, got it?" He asked them all sternly. They nodded and he looked at me and winked.
I crouched down, ready to fight as Peter came after me from the front. Emmett and Alice came after each side of me. The rest were circling them. I had nowhere to go now so I did the only thing I could and jumped as high as I could go.
Mid air, I twisted and landed on Alice's shoulders. I don't know how she didn't see me coming but I surprised her when I pressed my teeth to her neck. I kissed her head as I flipped off of her back and landed behind Esme. I caught her off-guard as I pressed my teeth to her neck.
Peter blindsided me with his right hook as it connected with my jaw. The force from his punch threw me across the yard and into a tree. I shook off the soreness in my jaw and jumped to my feet.
Emmett came charging at me and threw a punch at me but I quickly ducked it. He threw another but I ducked that as well. He was starting to get frustrated so with the next punch I used his arm to hurl myself onto his shoulders. My teeth grazed his neck as I felt someone pull me off of his shoulders. Rose had me with my arms behind my back.
Before she had the chance to finish me, I threw my body back with enough force to send us flying backwards and we knocked into Char on the way. All three of us went down but I was the first to recover. Carlisle came at me next and I dodged his attempts and whirled around until I found his neck.
I only had Char, Rose, Peter, and Edward left. Peter was coming at my left while Char was coming at my right. Rose and Edward were coming side by side up to my front. I smirked at Peter while Char charged me and I quickly duck while grabbing her hand and throwing her into Peter. They both fell to the ground and it took a moment for them to recover.
Edward came lunging at me but my foot tripped him on his way. He flew a few yards before springing back to his own two feet and running back at me. Rose was running at me the same time as Edward so at the last minute, I jumped up and they collided with each other. The sound that they made sounded like boulders colliding. I am sure had I been human it would have been deafening. Before they could recover, I had both of them finished.
Now all that was left was Peter and Char. While ducking and avoiding a few punches, I flipped onto Peter's shoulders and got him out while flipping in the air and doing the same with Char. I kissed her cheek before I jumped off of her shoulders. I looked around at everyone with the biggest grin on my face.
"Beginner's luck still, Bella?" Peter smirked.
"I suppose not." I laughed and everyone joined in. "It still doesn't make sense though."
Peter looked at me and smiled his cocky lazy half-grin. "Yes, it does, Majorette Swan." He saluted me and I stared at him confused so he explained. "Jasper is Major Whitlock so it's only fair that you are Majorette Swan because I have never met anyone who could show Jasper a run for his money. I believe you may outrank him with more practice but just don't tell him that. He'd make sure I never found all of my body parts." Peter cringed at the mental image and I just laughed at the absurdity of it but the more I thought about it, the more I could imagine Jasper hiding Peter's body parts for ransom and cracked up laughing.
"Okay, I really need to hunt so why don't we call it a night?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Great…. I want to call a family meeting later so please be in hearing range of the house or have your cell on you." They all told me to have a good hunt and Edward agreed to go with me. I am thankful because I didn't think I could handle being alone. When I let my instincts take over it's quite overwhelming.
After I fed, I lay down on the ground and watched Edward take down his prey. There was something extremely animalistic in the lust I was feeling as I saw him take down his kill. If my mind, heart, and emotions weren't being weighed down by what I needed to accomplish to get Jasper back, I am sure he wouldn't even have finished the blood before I attacked him myself.
I watched as he finished and buried his kill and walked slowly over to me. I think he could feel my emotions and didn't want to invade my thinking. I smiled at him and motioned for him to join me. He lay down beside me while I rested my head on his chest. He began to play with my hair but didn't bother me with questions. He knew that I needed to sort some things out and for that I needed to think. I appreciated his understanding more than he could expect.
I sighed and relaxed into him and closed my eyes while my mind drifted to what was important in this moment: Get Jasper back.
How would I get Jasper back? I knew that he was being held by Maria but I have no idea how many numbers she has with her. She could have hundreds of vampires working under her for all we knew. She would also be expecting us so we needed help to try and even out the numbers but I am certain that the numbers would still be in her favor no matter who we got to help us.
Should I go alone so I don't risk anymore family members being caught or injured? I couldn't live with myself if anyone got hurt or killed. No, it would be suicide for both Jasper and me if I went in there alone. I may be able to take down the family in a mock-fight but there is no way I could take down Maria's army. Nope, I had to take the family but it would be my job to keep them safe.
A flash of pain shot through me and I shuddered. Just like you were supposed to keep Ruby safe? I cringed at that thought. I doubt I would ever get over the guilt of Ruby's death. It would forever taint my hands just as if I were the one to take the life from her myself.
I sighed but I felt a surge of determination as well. I would keep them safe. There was no other option. I couldn't get Jasper back by myself so I would just have to keep everyone safe. I need to work with Peter, Char, and Carlisle since they have the most experience. I am sure that Maria has very talented fighters so I need to learn all the dirty tricks that these three can teach me and knowing Peter, he'd have plenty in his arsenal.
I jumped to my feet while startling Edward in the process. I smiled at him and grabbed his hand. We began running back to the house but I held back so we could run hand in hand. I loved running beside Edward. It was an exhilarating experience. We neared the house so we slowed down and walked at a human pace up the steps and up to our room.
I stopped when he closed the door and I leaned up to kiss him. When we broke away, he leaned his forehead on mine and breathed out, "I love you so much Bella."
I smiled and kissed him once more. "The feeling is definitely mutual, baby."
He smiled back at me and kissed me once more. If we didn't stop this, we'd never stay focused and that is what we all need at the moment. I broke away from the kiss and headed to the bathroom. I desperately needed a shower after all of the hunting and fighting I did. I can only imagine what I look like.
I got into the bathroom and turned the shower on full heat. I let it run while I undressed and sighed as I stepped into the hot water. The sensation felt amazing. I quickly scrubbed away all the dirt, grime, and blood with my trusty loofa and washed my hair with my amazing strawberry shampoo. Every smell was enhanced and I nearly moaned at the wonderful smell of the strawberry scent that now coated my hair.
I shut off the shower, grabbed a towel, and hopped out of the shower. I wrapped it around my body and took another towel to dry my hair. Once my hair was only damp, I dried the rest of myself off. I walked out into the bedroom in only a towel and found Edward lying on the bed all clean from a recent shower. He must have used the hallway shower instead of waiting or joining me… Stop the bad thoughts, Bella!
He looked at me curiously and I just blew him a kiss and headed to the closet. I grabbed a brown fitted shirt that had a belt attached to it and some low hip hugger jeans. I pulled on some undergarments and pulled on my jeans and shirt quickly. I am so love the vampire speed.
I grabbed my brush from the dresser and went to stand in front of the full length mirror. I began brushing my hair out until my eyes caught my reflection. I gasped and dropped the brush.
Edward rushed to my side. "What's the matter, Bella?" He asked while looking me over for any signs of my distress.
I couldn't even answer him as I lifted my shirt up over my head. He growled as he took in my reflection. Along my arms, chest, and stomach were over fifteen crescent shaped scars. I recognized them as the same kind that Jasper has covering his body. They are vampire bite marks. I turned around and saw five more along the back of my shoulders. My eyes began to sting as I lowered my pants. I began shaking when I saw four more on each leg.
Edward held me steady in his arms because I am sure I would have fallen over from the shock of it all. He led me over to the bed and pulled me back as he scooted up to the headboard. He pulled my head down onto his chest and began stroking my hair. He raised my hair some and started growling. I instinctively raised my hand up to feel the skin. Sure enough there were a few marks there as well. I felt the other side and there were two that I could feel.
I don't know how long he held me or how long I sobbed into his chest but once I calmed down, I pulled back and kissed his lips chastely to show him how much I was grateful that he was there for me. Normally I would be embarrassed that someone saw me like that but this was my Edward. He was my savior, my angel, my soul, and my heart's love. He's the other half of me.
"Thank you." I told him as I sat up and just laid my head on his shoulder. He grabbed my hand and began to play with my fingers absently.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I think so. It's just a little much. Why did my other scars disappear but those remained?" I asked him in a small voice.
"Vampire venom is the only thing strong enough to leave a mark on vampire skin. So if you are bitten, even before or during the transformation, it will leave a scar." He said apologetically as if this was his fault it happened.
"Hey there…None of that, Edward. This is not your fault. None of it is." I assured him. I laughed once, "Looks like I can't escape the scars of my past no matter what creature I become." I tried to joke but even I could feel how fake it was. Edward just pulled me closer and nuzzled his face into my neck and inhaled deeply. He seemed to visibly calm down so I just held onto him knowing this was as hard on him as it was on me.
"Bella," he said as he raised his head to stare into my eyes. "You have never been more beautiful to me. As hard as it is to see your beautiful body scarred, and that is simply because I know the pain that put them there, these scars are badges of courage.
"Remember what I told you the last time we were here like this? Bella, I see each and every scar of yours as a testament to your strength. I think you proved to us today just how strong you are, Love. Never doubt your strength or your beauty. You are simply the finest specimen of both qualities." I felt my heart swell as he whispered into my ear how much he loved me and how beautiful I was to him inside and out.
After a while, I pulled myself away from him as I turned and kissed him lightly on the lips. I put my shirt back on and I grabbed a zip-up hoodie that matched to go over it. Edward may not be bothered by my scars but I wasn't ready to showcase them for everyone just yet. I left my hair down to cover the marks on my neck. Edward and I then made our way down to the dining room hand in hand.
I called everyone to join us and we all sat around the table. Everyone looked at me expectantly and I mentally rolled my eyes. I am not a leader.
"Thank you all for coming tonight. I wanted to also thank you for the training earlier. I am confident that with some more practice that we will have an advantage. Maria may have numbers but we have something that they do not." I paused and looked at everyone before continuing, "We have a purpose. Jasper is family and nobody messes with our family. I can guarantee you that once this is done, everyone will think twice before they confront us again." I gave Emmett a wicked smile which he returned. Oh yes, he and I have another thing in common now.
"What's the plan, boss?" Peter smirked at me.
I glared at him and growled out, "Do not call me boss, sweet-thang, honey-cakes, sweet buns, or anything else. Trust me; I can come up with a lot more embarrassing things than that. Got it, Big-Daddy-Pete?" Everyone burst out laughing as Peter's eyes grew three times in size. He nodded and gave me that 'we will talk later' look.
"So sugar, what's the plan?" Char asked while winking at me. Peter had Char to thank for giving me that Big-Daddy-Pete information. I would, however, make sure he never knew who gave me the knowledge. You must keep your enemy on his toes. Peter isn't my enemy but the saying still applies.
"Edward explained to me that everyone trained some for the previous rescue mission. This is good so we don't have to spend too much time preparing. Peter doesn't believe that Maria will physically hurt Jasper and I trust his opinion on this. If I thought we could pull it off, I would say we go in now and get him back; but that won't work. Maria knows how much we care for Jasper and she knows that we won't leave him. She will be expecting us to come back for him and she will be ready for that. From what Jasper has told me, Maria is gifted with planning." I looked over to Peter to confirm this and he nodded.
"Yes, she is extremely gifted when it comes to seeing outcomes. Nothing like our pocket-pixie over here," he ruffled Alice's hair which made her glare at him. "However, Maria is talented, nonetheless."
"We will not be able to ambush her, but we will definitely be able to surprise her. In order to do that, however, we must be prepared for anything. I have been working on different scenarios and I honestly believe that we can have an advantage here. We will be on her territory but we have something we would all die to protect. That fact alone will make us work harder than anyone in her troops."
I got up and started to pace. I had to keep my focus and everyone's colors were starting to distract me. As I spoke, they started to fluctuate as if in response to my words.
"Okay we will need some more training and more numbers. I don't want to involve too many people but we need extra help if we want Jasper to remain safe. Carlisle I need you to call the Denali Coven, Peter I want you to call anyone you know. I am sure there must be tons of vampires in Texas who aren't too fond of Maria. They will be apprehensive about going against such power, but promise them that it will be worth their while. I will contact the pack to see if Sam and Jacob would be willing to lend us aid."
They agreed to their tasks so I sat back down but made sure I didn't focus on anyone too long. Edward noticed my hesitance and grabbed my hand. "Are you okay, Love?" I just gave him a small smile and nodded my head.
"Esme, I would like for you to be in charge of getting our supplies ready. If the wolves decide to assist us, we will have to have human provisions for them. That means food, water, blankets, clothes, and personal necessities." I smiled at her enthusiasm as she nodded her head quickly. I knew that Esme loves to take care of others. She has a gentle soul.
"Emmett, you are good with computers. I want you to see if you can crack into any surveillance that Maria may have on her property. I am sure Char could help you with anything that you would need." I looked to Char and she nodded at me.
"Peter, Jasper mentioned that he has a contact, J. Jenks , who handles everything legal for him. I need you to contact him because the wolves will need a separate identification than they have now. Just in case something goes wrong, they need to be able to lay low for a while. We are bringing them into this so it is our responsibility to make sure they have what they may need. Also, we will need to set up a bank account under Sam's new identity. That way the pack has funds should something happen to the rest of us." Everyone cringed at the thought of something happening to us but I had to bring those possible realities up.
"Carlisle, you are in charge of getting all medical supplies together. Just because the vampires won't need the supplies doesn't mean the wolves won't. Make sure that you will have everything you may need to care for serious injuries. Also, I was thinking that it may be a good idea to get the wolves to donate some blood prior to leaving. You can keep it fresh enough to work in an emergency. I'm not sure what would occur if we mix werewolf and human blood so better to be safe than sorry.
"Rose, we will be driving there so I need you to make sure the cars are in the best shape they can be in."
She looked at me and asked, "Which ones?"
I smirked. "All of them". I could see the excitement in her eyes. Cars were her element and she was the best of the best when it came to fixing them.
I walked over and knelt beside Alice. I took her hands in mine and kissed her cheek. "Alice, I know that right now is excruciating for you. I know what you are feeling and I can assure you that we will get him back. If not, then you can kick Petey's ass." I smirked at Peter and my heart leapt when I heard Alice's tinkling laughter. It was a small giggle but it was there. "I have something important for you to do. I need you to keep an eye out for any decisions relating to Maria or Jasper. I have a feeling that Maria is counting on us seeing her through your visions so I think she will try to trick you with fake visions."
She looked at me curiously. "How would she do that?"
I looked her in the eye and made the decision to slap Edward across the face. I knew that I would never do that but I had to get Alice to see the difference between the real visions and fake ones. She gasped and glared at me.
"Bella, are you angry with me?" Edward asked in an uncertain voice in response to Alice's vision. I knew that after my outburst earlier, Edward was afraid of my feelings some. It hurt that I put that uncertainty there. I will have to do something to eradicate those uncertain feelings.
I raised an eyebrow at Alice and waited for her to connect the dots. "But it felt so real; I felt your emotions and everything. How can that be?" She asked as her eyes glossed over to look for an explanation.
"Alice, did anything feel different with that vision?" I asked. I was fairly certain of what I was doing but everything was happening so fast and everything was so new and different to me. It's odd to think that I just woke up as an immortal not too long ago. I feel as though I have always been this way.
Her eyes focused back on me as her eyebrows pulled together in concentration. "It felt like all the other visions. It was like I could feel your emotions and they felt pure and real. There was something though. It may not make sense but it was like an intuitive feeling. Something just felt off about the vision."
"Very good," I smiled at her. "The reason it felt off was because it was fabricated. You have yet to realize the full abilities of your gift, Alice." Great, now I am cryptic like Peter. Peter smirked at me as if reading my mind.
"Alice, it's imperative that you listen to your intuition. Yours is more heightened than most because of your gift. Your gift allows you to see the future but it also allows you to know when someone is playing around with your visions. I need you to look out for Maria, her army, Jasper, and also our family. I have a feeling that Maria may also try to get around your visions by having someone else call the shots. There is only so much that she can control you from seeing. Can you do this for me?" I asked her. I needed to give her something as a distraction and she was one of the key elements in our mission. Her foresight will help to protect us.
"I will do anything that you ask, Bella. Jasper is my husband and I will do what it takes to get him back with us safe and sound… Bella, I want to thank you. You are his best friend and you mean so much to him. I want to apologize for not taking better care of him. Before you came into our lives, I hadn't realized how much I took away from him. I found him with the help of my visions and I brought him to this family. I helped him with this lifestyle and he helped me. However, somewhere along the way, I took away his choices and his friends." She looked apologetically at Peter and Char and then back at me.
"I tried to change his personality to better fit mine. I didn't stop to realize that he was perfect the way he was. When you came to us, even from the first day, Jasper identified with you because you two shared the same kind of pain and you both had pasts that haunted you; something I never truly understood before. Together, you began healing each other. Jasper often talked about you when we were alone. He would tell me how gentle and pure a soul you have. He has never met anyone like you, Bella. He would tell me how much you have helped him. Nobody, not even me unfortunately, has ever accepted Jasper the way you have.
"I don't know why, Bella, but you are the one person who has been able to change Jasper into the man he once was. The man he was when he was human. I know that I never did intentionally, but I did hurt him. Jasper has never seen it this way but I have….. Bella, you have saved him in more ways than one and I am forever thankful to you for that. I know how much he means to you, sis, and I want you to know that I will never again take him for granted. If I ever hurt him, I promise that you have full authority to burn every piece of clothing I have." I wanted to laugh at her joke but I was too shocked. Alice never joked about her clothes so I knew just how serious she was.
"Alice, you needn't thank me or apologize to me. You didn't do anything wrong. I know how much you care for Jasper. He's to you what Edward is to me." I smiled over at Edward before returning my focus back to Alice. "Jasper is my best friend and, yes, he has healed me in ways that I could never repay him for. We are able to understand each other better because even though our pasts are different, we both know all too well about pain, suffering, and torment. Sometimes we joke that we have literally lived in the deepest pits of Hell and came back. I think that is one reason we are so close to one another. Until you go through what we have, there is no way to fully understand our daily struggles and suffocations.
All I can ask is that you allow him to make his own choices and support his decisions. He loves you more than anything in this world, Ali, so don't waste your time together with trivial things. Once you let him open up and you see the real him, you'll love the man that he is. You may have opposite personalities, but that just makes your love stronger. And I want to thank you for understanding our connection to one another. Not everyone would allow their husband to be best friends with another woman. Once we get him back, don't ever let him go. He's an amazing man, Alice." I told her with all the sincerity that I felt.
I think that had things been different, and Jasper wasn't with Alice and I wasn't with Edward, I think there would have been an almost absolute certainty that Jazz and I would be together. There is no way to explain the connection that we have but thankfully neither of us finds any romance in one another. We are simply just best friends and will always remain that way.
She wrapped her tiny arms around me and sobbed into my shoulder. I stroked her hair and held her until she was done. She looked at me embarrassed and I just kissed her forehead and gave her a small smile before I stood up.
"When will we leave?" Edward asked me while he looked at me with concern in his eyes.
I knew that he didn't want me fighting but he knew I could take care of myself as well. However, his need to protect me was strong enough that he was battling himself over allowing me to fight or making me sit out. He knew that I would not allow him to make that decision for me so I am glad that he kept his opinion to himself.
"That's a good question. I hate the thought of leaving Jasper by himself for any longer than necessary, but we also want to catch Maria as off-guard as possible so we can tip the hand in our favor. It will take a couple of days for everyone to be assembled and ready to go plus we also need more training and provide it to those who will fight alongside us. I believe that we should leave in one week. That will give us time to train and make sure we are as ready as we can be. We can't go into this thing half-cocked. As Emmett would say 'we have to go into this thing with guns blaring and ready to hand their asses to them,'but we also need to be smart about this." Everyone burst out laughing and it warmed my dead heart to hear my suffering family actually laugh despite the stress and grief they are going through.
After the laughter died down I looked at each member of our family. "Are there any questions?"
Carlisle stood up. "It's not really a question but I would like to thank you as well, Bella. Ever since you came into our lives, you have brought nothing but goodness to this family. You have taught us strength, understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and what it truly means to be a family. You have a heart that is the purest I have ever encountered and after all that you have been through, you aren't afraid to open your heart and love. You love us unconditionally and you are willing to protect and fight for us. You are part of this family and will always be; Bella, thank you for not only loving us but for not giving up on us."
If I had been able to, I would be soaked in tears. I knew that my family loves me but looking around the table at all of the nods, I finally realized how deeply they all cared for me. The Cullens took me in when I was alone and broken. They protected me and helped my body, heart, and mind to heal. They made me family and accepted me as well as my past. They showed me what family really was. Up until I met them, I had forgotten what the word even meant. Now, looking around at each member of my family, I knew that this is where I belonged all along.
I smiled appreciatively at Carlisle and after another ten minutes of questions and answers, the meeting came to a close. Everyone began to drift out but I had something I needed to speak with Peter about.
"Peter, can I speak to you for a moment?" He looked at me like he knew what I was going to talk about and I again wondered, for the thousandth time, how his gift worked. He nodded and held out his arm for me to link mine with. I laughed at his gesture and took his arm in mine as we strolled out into the moonlit night. We walked until we were out of hearing and mindreading distance. We walked over to a fallen log and sat down.
"What's up Sweet thang?" He smirked.
I sighed. "You know I hate when you call me that."
He snickered. "That's why I do it. Plus you know deep down that you love it." He eyed me challengingly.
I giggled and punched him in the arm which he winced at. "Yeah I do".
"So what have you been seeing?" He asked me while looking at me curiously.
"That gift of yours is creepy, Petey." I said as I scrunched my nose up.
He scoffed. "It is not a gift. I'm more masculine than having a gift."
I rolled my eyes at him. "How does your un-gift work?"
He narrowed his eyes in annoyance but got over it quickly and shrugged. That is something I loved about Peter. He got over things quickly and didn't take anything too seriously unless need be. "I am not sure, exactly. I just know things. It's like a thought in my head. Jazz used to joke that I was all-knowing. I guess the best way to describe it is like an errant thought but I have never been wrong yet. I don't know how it works just that it does work."
I was quiet while I took this in. After a minute I looked back to him and focused on his colors. "So that is how you knew that I was seeing things?"
"Yeah, I also recognized the look in your eyes that showed you were trying to figure something out. To others who didn't know what was going on, it looked like you were just distracted about Jazz." He explained.
"Well, I was that as well." I sighed. "I'm seeing colors. They circle people. The first ones I saw were with Alice. It was a dark color surrounding her heart. It hurt to look at and I could tell that it meant she was hurting. I looked around the room and noticed each person had the underlying dark color but was surrounded each by different colors. After we were training, the way I perceived the colors began to change. Now I get an instinctive feeling that tells me what the colors represent."
"Interesting," Peter said thoughtfully.
"Hardly. It's very distracting" I huffed. "Do you know what it is like to look at someone and be entranced by the colors surrounding them and not be able to actually focus on them?" I asked rhetorically. Recognition flashed through his eyes before he shrugged. I had a feeling that he was hiding something but I didn't pay it much mind. He would come to me when he was ready.
"Don't worry, Bells. You'll learn to control it. Eventually you will be able to turn it off and look around normally instead of seeing everyone's auras. You are very lucky, Bella. You can see people's souls. You can separate the pure from the evil and the good from the bad. You have been given this gift to be able to protect those who deserve it. Everyone needs a hero and you have been given to the people as theirs." I wanted to scoff at the insane idea of me protecting people but the look in Peter's eyes told me that he was being honest. I didn't know what to say and I couldn't wrap my head around it.
After a few minutes I smiled and hugged Peter. I then thought, I will do everything in my power to save as many as I can from going through the Hell that I went through; starting with Jasper.
A/N: What do you think? Any ideas why Bella is so un-newborn-ish besides the theory that Carlisle has?
*** Read and Review please. I absolutely L.O.V.E to hear your thoughts on the story.
*** Question of the day… What is your favorite book? Send me your answer along with your review. This is what I would like to start doing. Each chapter I will have a 'Question of the day' so that I can learn more about you guys and then it isn't just like me posting to post. Take care and have a great week! I will update as soon as possible.
