Chapter Seven
The newest vampire of the Cullen family was pacing, a wholly human movement that was no longer necessary. It was the only thing she could think of to dispel her agitation. At least it was the only on she could come up with that wouldn't wake her sleeping daughter. It felt like they'd been at this all night. Oh, wait, they had been. First about the rash decision that had lead her to visit the new people in Forks and now it was about the strangers themselves.
"I do not know what they are," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. Considering how smart her family was she shouldn't have to repeat herself so much.
Esme, sitting still as a statue, asked, "Didn't you smell them dear?"
Huffing out a frustrated breath, Bella resisted the urge to shout at her mother-in-law. Their ears were too sensitive to shout. "Of course I did. The boy, Harry, smelled like the air before a storm with the faintest hint of blood that smelled unappetizing at best. His sister, Trinity, smelled like fire, air, and water with a hint of dirt. I couldn't smell any blood on her. Plus she'd spent half the days with the wolves and I couldn't smell them on her. They can't possibly be human."
The other vampires stared at her like she'd sprouted a second head. Jasper was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute as emotions ran higher. Sorting through everyone's feelings to find his own was difficult. He was weighed down with frustration, worry, confusion, fear and anger. After a few stressful minutes of struggling he sent a small wave of calm over the room to even his family out a bit. He needed a break.
"Why should we even care?" Rosalie demanded, "We're leaving this godforsaken place in just a couple of months."
Emmett nodded in agreement with his wife. "As long as we leave them be they shouldn't bother us."
"That might've worked before our dear brother and his wife decided not to mind their own business without bothering to consult the rest of the family," Rosalie bit out.
Alice, Jasper's ex-wife, bit her lip in an uncharacteristic show of nerves and uncertainty. She hadn't even done that when she'd come to tell him that she'd found her true mate. At least these new people had given him some relief from the constant pity he'd felt from the others for the last few few months.
"I can't see them at all. It isn't like with the wolves and the hybrids. It's like they simply don't exist. I saw Bella and Charlie at the B&B with Mrs. Miller clearly. Harry and Trinity simply weren't there. I know when the wolves and the hybrids are involved because everything fogs over. They could mean us harm and I would never see it coming."
Nahuel, the hybrid that was Alice's mate, took her hand in his. Why Alice had chosen someone that could confuse her visions was beyond Jasper. The two of them had been together for so many years. Jasper had given her everything he had to give. He had thought she'd done the same. Jasper couldn't understand what had brought this change to them. Since the end, sometimes he wondered why he was even still here. Until he remembered that the Cullens were as much his family as Alice's.
"What do you think we should do Carlisle?" the dark skinned man asked in heavily accented English. Jasper still wasn't used to his voice after all this time.
Carlisle didn't answer immediately. He was deep in thought. Edward, for once, was quiet. He seemed to be having trouble sorting through all the conflicting thoughts. Jasper could feel his brother's guilt at sending his wife into a potentially dangerous situation and couldn't be bothered to offer him comfort. The unilateral decision he and Bella had made had brought them unwanted attention and put them in this situation. Whatever this situation happened to be.
"Can you tell us anything else about them?" Jasper asked to prevent himself from falling into thoughts of blame.
Bella shrugged. "Not much other than something about Trinity made me really uncomfortable. I think she might be the source of that power we felt before," she shifted uncomfortably, "and I think she knows I'm a vampire."
Rosalie's nostrils flared as her anger skyrocketed. "You just thought to tell us this now! What did you do?" she raged.
"Nothing! I was behaving perfectly human!" Bella shouted, making them all flinch, before continuing in a more moderate tone, "Something touched me and she went all quiet and tense. Then she kept studying me like she was waiting on me to turn feral or something."
"You stupid girl! How could you do something like this to us again!" Rosalie shot to her feet and lunged toward Bella.
Faster than any human could blink Carlisle was there between them. "We will not fight amongst ourselves!" While he didn't shout his voice was hard with anger and disappointment.
Emmett was quick to grab Rosalie from where she was still trying to get past Carlisle no matter what the man said. He pulled his struggling wife onto his lap and pinned her there with his massive arms. Edward had moved to Bella's side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Esme watched the whole debacle with wide eyes while she tried to decide who to reprimand. "Bella and Edward have both acted rashly," the 'again' was left unsaid, "but Rosalie, you need to calm down. What's done, is done." There was a finality in her voice that only mothers ever seemed to master.
"If she is the source of the power we felt then we can't be attacking each other and we can't run off and attack them," Edward reasoned, "We have Renesmee to think about now. We just survived a brush with the Volturi. Let's not start another war, especially with someone we know so little about."
Rosalie opened her mouth to say something else but one look from Carlisle stopped her. He didn't put his foot down as their coven leader often but he was now. And when that happened they all listened and obeyed without question. Jasper sent a stronger wave of calm out over the room to help, focusing most of his energy on Rosalie. They didn't need to be fighting, especially with Renesmee in the house. Jacob would be pissed if he found out.
"We will have them over for dinner. And we will all be polite," Carlisle's tone left no room for argument, "We will assure them that we are not a threat to this town. We will explain that the time has come for us to leave Forks, and other than short visits to Charlie, we won't be back. That is all we can do now that they know about us."
Now they had a plan of sorts. Jasper couldn't say that he agreed with it. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. The tactician in Jasper didn't like that one bit.
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Paul scented Harry first, then heard his shuffling gate, before Harry even set foot in the room. Paul had chosen to work in Harry's room again. He wanted to make sure that everything in Harry's room was safe and perfect. The best way to do that was to do it himself. His friends would be offended and confused if he went behind them to check their work after all.
His imprint came to a stop right behind him and cleared his throat. "How's it going in here?" there was the slightest strain in his voice.
Paul put the piece of bed frame he was holding down beside him and looked up. "Pretty good so far. I wasn't sure where you wanted me to set up the bed though."
Harry's eyes were pained as he looked around the room. Paul wanted desperately to ask if he was alright. After a moment Harry motioned to the wall opposite the windows. "There," he said, "I want to be able to look out the windows as soon as I wake up in the mornings."
Getting up off the floor, Paul moved the headboard where Harry wanted it. "Here?" he asked once he was satisfied with the position. When he received a nod Paul smiled, "Good."
Harry sighed before easing himself down on the box containing his dresser. "I'm not going to be in the way sitting here am I?" he asked, resting his cane across his lap.
Grabbing a screwdriver and pieces of framing, Paul shook his head. "I'll need to put that together eventually but you're good for now," Paul bit his lip while trying to focus on his work, "Are you ok?"
"Haven't taken the time to sit down all morning," Harry answered, "Ever present ache and all that. I think I'm going lie around for a whole week once we're finally moved in. I'll probably go ahead and start studying to fight off the boredom."
Paul laughed. He sounded like studying might just be a fate worse than death. "You could watch TV or play video games instead," he suggested.
"I've never played video games," Harry said after a slight hesitation, "My cousin seemed to enjoy them. When he wasn't chucking them at the wall anyway."
Paul looked up at him in shock. "You're eighteen, right? How is you've never played video games?"
Harry rolled his shoulders uncomfortably and didn't want to meet his eyes. "My...um...It...um," he cleared his throat, "I just wasn't allowed until my cousin was finished with them and he never finished with them until he'd broken them."
Oh, how Paul wanted to ask about that. All he said was, "That sucks." Harry looked really uncomfortable and Paul didn't want that. "I have a system at home. You could come over and play sometime," he offered, "As long as you promise not to throw it at the wall, of course."
A surprised laugh escaped Harry and Paul was proud of himself for making the other boy feel better. "That sounds like a plan," Harry's smile was crooked, "I might just take you up on that."
Paul's heart stuttered in his chest. He'd just invited his imprint to his house and he'd agreed to come. Dear God, he was going to have to make sure the place was spotless. And hope that his dad didn't embarrass him. He was going to have to make sure he didn't embarrass himself. Suddenly inviting someone so important over didn't seem like a good idea.
Paul worked quietly while he tried to settle the butterflies that had just taken flight in his stomach. Good Lord. He was starting to sound like a girl in his head. There was no way he was going to be able to keep his feelings about Harry to himself when he shifted with the others. The guys were never going to let him live this down. He just hoped he could handle their teasing without losing his cool every five minutes.
"How are you liking Forks so far?" That seemed like a safe bit of conversation.
"What I've seen of it looks nice. And the people I've met are friendly enough even if it's just so they can gossip about me later. I loved the beach," he could hear the smile in Harry's voice, "And, believe it or not, I love the weather. It keeps me from getting homesick."
"Do you miss England a lot?"
"I miss my friends more than the country I suppose," Harry answered.
"Did you leave a lot of friends behind?" Paul steeled himself, "A girlfriend maybe?"
"I didn't really have many close friends. I haven't seen them for months," Harry shifted on his seat, "And my girlfriend couldn't stand to look at me after the accident so she left me while I was still in hospital."
Paul was bombarded by conflicting emotions. He was happy that Harry was single but disappointed that he was straight. He was horrified that his girlfriend had dumped him over his accident but thrilled that she had dumped him. Paul might have a chance with Harry but Harry had been hurt badly. How was he supposed to convince Harry to have a relationship with a man when he had just lost his apparently shallow girlfriend?
Right now Paul felt like he was on a pendulum but he couldn't focus on himself. Harry was hurt. That was what was important. And no matter how it turned out Paul's only concern had to be helping Harry work through his pain. So he was going to be Harry's friend. Once some time had passed then he would worry about whether they could be more. If Harry would ever want to be more.
After a silent argument with himself Paul said, "Harsh."
Harry snorted, "Story of my life."
Paul debated about asking him to clarify that statement. He decided against it for now. He didn't want to push too hard and scare Harry off. "You could make new friends," Paul suggested, "You're well on your way to making friends with us."
He looked up at Harry as he moved on to the next piece of the frame. He was glad to see Harry smiling. He seemed to be thinking over the offer of his friendship and that of his friends. Then he frowned and Paul started to worry. Had he said something wrong?
"Is my money going to be an issue?" Harry asked seriously, "It's hard to tell who wants to be my friend because I'm well-off and who wants to be my friend because I'm just Harry. It's been like that for the last few years at least."
Paul looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "We're proud people. Money doesn't mean much to us. I don't see any of us wanting to be your friend because of your money. If you talk about it and throw it around that might cause problems."
The other boy laughed so softly the Paul would have missed it if he wasn't a werewolf. "I wouldn't know how to throw it around. I had nothing most of my life," Harry turned his gaze to the window, "I still haven't gotten used to it. I doubt I ever will."
Paul's brow furrowed as he continued working. "If you didn't have anything until recently, how is it that Trinity is so free with her money?"
"We weren't raised together. We didn't even know we were brother and sister until recently. And we were raised very differently."
"Why didn't you know?"
"Trinity's mom never told our dad that he had another kid. She never told anyone who Trinity's dad was. My parents died when I was a baby so I was brought up by people who didn't particularly care for me. We went to the same school for three years and never knew."
"When did you find out?" Paul was curious and he hoped that Harry didn't stop talking.
"I found out a few weeks ago. Trinity's known nearly two months. Her mom finally told her. I think Trinity's mad at her because she hasn't talked about Kalia since she first showed up at my house. We've been getting to know each other as more than kids who pass each other in the corridors too wrapped up in our classes to care about the other students."
Paul was surprised. Harry and Trinity seemed close. It was hard to believe that they hadn't known each other very long. "She told us some about her mom. It didn't seem like they're close to each other."
"Trinity hasn't been out of school long. They were starting to build a relationship outside of work because Trinity is finished with school and was living at home. Then Kalia dropped the bomb about me," Harry turned to face Paul again, his brow furrowed as he thought about what he was saying, "She's built her own family. I haven't met them yet but I will. Trinity was looking forward to getting to know her mother because she's blood. Finding out that her mother had kept her from knowing any part of her family, had kept her own council about something that means so much to her, that she had been taught and feels is just about more important than anything else, was hard on Trinity. I'm not sure how long she's going to be mad at Kalia but I don't think she will be for much longer. Family is too important to her."
Paul nodded as he wrapped his head around this bit of information. He would probably be pissed if he found out his dad was hiding a brother from him. "How do you feel about all of it?" he was honestly curious. Paul saw this as something that was worth his hair-trigger temper. Did Harry have a temper to match his own?
"I don't know what to feel about Kalia. It would have been nice to know a hell of a lot earlier but she had her reasons to keep it quiet," Harry rolled his shoulders while watching Paul work, "I'm excited to have family of my own though."
It seemed like Harry was more level headed than Paul. "That's a good way to look at it."
Harry smiled before falling into silence. Paul finished putting the bed together and wrestled the mattress into place. He actually had to work to make it look harder than it was. How would Harry handle the whole werewolf thing? He seemed like he was more comfortable around him now. Paul didn't know what had freaked him out on the beach but it didn't seem to be bothering him now. So he wasn't bothered by his size. Paul could only hope that the rest didn't bother him when the time came to tell him.
"What about you?" Harry asked suddenly.
Paul looked up from the box he'd just opened and blinked. "Huh?"
Harry snickered, "Tell me about you. I told you about my friends and family. So share." The bright green eyes focused on Paul alight with curiosity.
Paul thought about what to say while he put the bedside table together. "It's just me and my dad at home. My mom left before I could remember much about her. I never had many friends growing up, too hotheaded," he said with a self deprecating smile, "A couple of years ago Sam and the others were willing to look past my temper, we've been like brothers ever since. There was some fighting last year and we nearly lost Jacob and a few others because of sheer stubbornness. We've been working on mending fences and I think we're almost back to where we were."
"What was the fight about?"
Paul sighed. How to explain this without giving too much away? "Jacob made some friends that most of us didn't approve of and were concerned about. Dangerous friends. When Jacob left it shook Sam. Seth agreed with Jacob and followed him. Then Leah followed her brother because she wanted to protect him and get away from Sam for awhile. Took some time but we got over it. I, most of us actually, still don't trust Jacob's friends but we'd rather have him in our lives than out of it."
Harry nodded like he understood. And maybe he did. He hadn't shared everything about his life after all. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Harry asked.
Paul snorted, "Not a whole lot of girls willing to put up with me for long."
"Why not? You seem like a nice, good looking guy. Are the girls around here crazy?"
Never had Paul been more grateful for his dark skin. He could feel the blush blazing across his cheeks and hoped like hell that Harry couldn't see it. After taking a moment to calm himself he looked up with a grin. "Yup, they're all completely nuts."
Harry laughed at this and Paul joined him. This was going to be a good day. He hadn't scared his imprint off. He didn't think he'd been too nosy. He'd invited Harry over and hadn't choked. And he was going to get to spend the morning with the other boy. Paul loved it when everything seemed to be falling into place.
