"Rose, this is important. The Volturi are an old an ancient clan of vampires and they are after two humans who aren't even born yet!"
He ran his fingers through his already messy hair over and over again.
"Doctor, I understand – we have to help them", Rose said and tried to make him calm down. "Why are you so stressed?"
He sighed.
"Vampires have never liked Time Lords too much, and we haven't liked them much either", he said. "When they find out…"
"If they find out", Rose interrupted. He shook his head and bent down over the controls.
"They will find out, no matter how hard I try to keep it away from them. And when they do, they will see this as war."
"But we have to help them, don't we?" Rose said calmly and squeezed his shoulder. He nodded.
"We sure have to, or it is the end of the world as we know it."
"How come?"
He blinked and looked at her with his dark eyes.
"What?"
"You said that it would be the end of the world as we know it", Rose said, a small frown appearing on her forehead. He looked confused.
"No, I didn't."
"Doctor, you did, ask the TARDIS. Why is it the end of the world if we do not help them? Why are those Volturi after them?"
***
"They've been sleeping since they got here."
"Good. That will help them recover."
Jennie lay completely still on the sofa, her eyes closed and her breath even as she continued to listen to the conversation going on in the kitchen.
"You have to tell them tonight what's going on", the first voice, a female, said. "It's been hidden for far too long."
"Their powers are unbelievable, Carlisle", a new voice, male, continued. "You have hardly told us what is going on with them and suddenly I find that the girl can read minds. It was obviously a shock to her as well."
A soft sigh.
"I know", said the voice of Doctor Carlisle Cullen.
"And the boy used speed to get away from Marwin in the first place", the voice that belonged to the small girl said. "They are in grave danger, Carlisle. Marwin was only the beginning of the absolute attack."
Jennie opened her eyes in shock. What attack? Why would someone want to harm her, or Jack?
Quicker than she'd ever moved before, she got up from the couch and ran out through the door.
"Jennie!"
She continued to run; ducked for branches and jumped over rocks, as if it was the most natural thing to do. It wasn't until she'd run a couple of kilometres away that she realised that it wasn't even close to natural for her.
With a gasp, she stopped and stared at the woods around her. How had she been able to run so far so fast? She'd been running even faster than the girl had yesterday; was that some kind of power that they'd been talking about in the kitchen? A power that she wasn't able to control, a power that she didn't even want?
"What is going on with me?" she whispered and sank down in the moss. With a quiet sob, she allowed the tears of fear to fall down her cheeks. It was all too much.
"Jennie…"
The soft voice of the school-doctor made her look up. He was standing beside a tree a few meters in front of her. She started to crawl backwards.
"Go away", she managed to say.
"Jennie, it's alright", he said and took a step forward. "I would never harm you."
"Then what is this big secret that has been kept from both me and Jack?" she answered and sobbed. Her body trembled as the tears continued to fall and she pulled up her knees to rest her head against them.
She didn't hear him come closer, but suddenly he was there; sitting beside her in the moss and wrapping his cold arms around her.
"It's alright", he whispered and stroke her hair. "You're safe now."
"What is happening to me?" she mumbled while she continued to cry. "What is all of this?"
***
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you better let me go out there and find her again", Jack growled. The five pale and beautiful creatures in front of him looked at one another, then looked back at him.
"Carlisle will be back with her in two minutes", the small, black-haired girl said.
"I don't care", Jack hissed. "Now step aside or…"
"Jack, it's alright", the blonde boy said. Jack felt an instant wave of calm washing over him, but he shook it off. The boy looked surprised.
"Bella, are you…"
"No", the brunette answered, also confused. Jack growled.
"If you do not move, I'll get past you anyway!"
"Jack, don't…"
He spun around and hit Mr Smith, who'd just walked in through the door, right in the face. Mr Smith stumbled backwards, covering his broken, bleeding nose. The pale ones, now behind Jack, tensed for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jack growled and tried not to start an even bigger fight. He was tired of all of these secrets that these people were keeping.
"Five, four, three, two, one."
As the small girl finished her countdown, the door opened once again and Doctor Cullen stepped inside with Jennie in his arms.
"Jack!" she said as she was placed down on the floor. He grabbed her at once and embraced her.
"Never ever run away like that again", he muttered.
"I hope I won't", Jennie mumbled and he realised that she'd been crying.
"Jack did", the bronze-haired boy suddenly said. Jack and Jennie looked up and saw Doctor Cullen kneeling in front of Mr Smith, who was now sitting on the couch.
"I guess I begged for it since he was angry and I sneaked up from behind without warning", Mr Smith said as Doctor Cullen examined him. With an angry growl, he rose.
"I'm alright, Cullen, I'll be fine in a few seconds", he said and stomped out through the door.
And a few seconds later, he returned with his nose fully healed. Jennie also noticed that he wore a different shirt, which surprised her.
"How did you do that?" she asked. Mr Smith was about to answer, but hesitated and looked at Doctor Cullen.
"It is time for them to find out", Doctor Cullen said and nodded. Mr Smith sighed and put his hands in his pockets as he once again eyed the two teenagers.
"Well, I guess you already know that you've got powers", he said. "But you have yet to find out why we are here, why you were attacked and what you two are."
"Only I and Mr Smith knows about this, so it will be something new for my family as well", Doctor Cullen filled in. Mr Smith looked up.
"Oh, right, that reminds me; introductions!" he said and suddenly grinned.
"I do not think…"
"Oh, come on, Cullen, we're in the same position here!" Mr Smith answered. "It would be good if we at least knew each other by name."
He turned back towards Jack and Jennie.
"First of all, John Smith is not my real name. I use it when I need to be working undercover. My real name is the Doctor."
"The Doctor?" Jennie said and raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's a title, not a name", Jack agreed.
"True, but it's the name that I listen to and the title that I've chosen to carry as mine. Queen Victoria once titled me the Doctor of Tardis, quite handy when it comes to…"
"Whoa, rewind!" Jack exclaimed.
"I think that there are a lot of things to explain, Doctor", Doctor Cullen said calmly. "And we'd better sit down and explain it all before it gets too late. But I ask you two to call me Carlisle while here, and this is my family."
He stepped up to the five others in the room.
"This is Alice and Jasper", he begun and pointed at the black-haired girl and the blonde boy. "Then Edward and Bella."
He continued to the two others; the bronze-haired boy and the brunette.
"And this is my wife Esme."
"And I suppose everyone already knows us by name?" Jack said. They all nodded.
"Well, now that's done, let us explain what is going on", the Doctor said and sat down in one of the chairs.