Greye's Notes:
First, thank you so very much to those who reviewed my last chapter, and who favorited/followed! I'm overwhelmed by the response. Second, I am sorry I left you all like I did, and where I did, in the story. Part of that was that I wanted to get the conversation between Rosalie and Bella right, but mostly life caught up to me in a rather unpleasant way for a while. Anyway, thank you all for your interest in this fic - I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Last Time: Paul and Bella have a heart to heart, and the Swan Pack plays a little ball with the Cullen coven. Denali coven interrupts. Bella worries that the presence of more vampires may be more than Paul can bear, but it isn't Paul who makes a scene when the beautiful Tanya approaches Bella. Rosalie and Bella retreat to the woods to talk after Rosalie nearly attacks Tanya, and Bella finally spills the truth of her imprint. Rosalie tells Bella to stay away from her, find somebody else, but…
"I can't." She said finally, the words coming out just barely from a chest twisted with hurt and longing. Her voice could not hide her pain. Rosalie glared at her, and the pain intensified. The wind picked up and now that they stood outside the relative protection of the trees, it bit into her. "I can't do that, Rosalie. I can't go flirt with Tanya, or Paul, or anybody. And I can't stay away from you, or say that I understand." The vampire looked like she was going to cut Bella off, but faltered when she took in Bella's tortured expression. "I can't do what you ask," Bella said, voice ragged, "even though I want nothing more than to make you happy because I imprinted on you. You are my imprint and, for better or worse, you mean everything to me."
She pulled her shirt collar aside, revealing the silvery mark on her skin. "And this? This tells me that something like that has happened for you too." Rosalie stood stock still, and Bella stopped speaking. She knew instinctively that another word or move from her would cause the vampire to bolt, and Bella didn't feel like chasing after her. This conversation was overdue, and it would happen now. Though to be honest, she wasn't really sure about the mark. She was bluffing a bit, remembering how Rosalie had wanted to see it that day at the edge of La Push. Since Rosalie wasn't laughing immediately, she thought maybe she was right.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, some of the tension eased and Bella released her shirt collar. Rosalie's eyes were regaining some of their golden color, and despite her frustration Bella inwardly thrilled when she began to speak. She couldn't help it.
"You are marked by me, yes." It sounded like the words were hard for Rosalie to say, so Bella didn't interrupt. The vampire met her eyes, and Bella could see the burning anger and resentment there, though curiously again it didn't seem to be - at least completely - directed at her this time. "But I was not in control of myself when I marked you...when I marked you as mine." Her words sent a shiver through Bella, and the wolf regretted it when the vampire stiffened in response, eyes flashing.
Rosalie took a deep breath, which of course she didn't really need, and continued. "When you saw me in the woods that day, hunger had taken over me completely. I had surrendered to the hunt. When I saw you, my first thought was that I had found my meal. Once I got a taste of your scent, however…" She closed her eyes, and Bella waited. "It was like there were two parts of me, fighting. One side wanted to mark you, claim you as my own, but the rest of me…" Her eyes opened, blazing hot. "I never wanted this. I don't want a mate - I don't! I was fighting myself, my urge to make you mine, and as a result ended up fighting you, though a part of me didn't want that at all, either." Rosalie looked frustrated trying to explain.
Her words were hard for Bella to follow, but she thought she understood. Whereas for Bella, the imprint had been all-encompassing and she hadn't even had a chance to have the will to fight it, whatever the reverse was for Rosalie wasn't enough to completely eclipse a lifetime's desire to remain alone. That realization was painful.
Bella absorbed this silently, turning it over in her mind. So...Rosalie had marked her. But, she hadn't wanted to. Not really. Or rather, she didn't want to want to? This was making her head hurt, and not helping her heart to ache any less. Finally, she looked back at Rosalie, fingers digging into her jean pocket to clench the fabric there. It was a failed attempt to ground herself.
"Tell me then." Bella said quietly. "Is it not as hard for you to be away from me, as it is for me to be away from you?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, or what she would do with it once she had it, but she asked anyway.
Rosalie gave her a pained expression in response. "Sometimes." She answered rather cryptically. Bella closed her eyes, frustration and fatigue at this game tangling inside.
"I wish you could just give me a straight answer." She muttered. Her eyes slid open. "Look, Rosalie. Just because I imprinted on you, does not mean that we have to be mates." The words pained her on the way out, and she scuffed her boot into the damp undergrowth. "All it means is that I am bound to you. We can decide what that means. I just…" She gritted her teeth, but said it anyway, "I just need to be near you. Not all the time, but more than this. Please. I don't want to feel this way anymore." She touched two fingers to her chest, where the painful feeling felt tightest, and exhaled. Her green-gold eyes sought out Rosalie's then, asking. It was hard to admit this...this dependency, but Bella was at her wit's end. And she knew the wolf in her already accepted Rosalie as mate, so this display of vulnerability wasn't as trying as it might normally be with a fellow predator.
Rosalie's face was unreadable though, and Bella resigned herself to wasting away. She couldn't very well force her presence on the vampire. Even if she thought she could, she wouldn't do that anyway. The part of her that so desperately needed to be near Rosalie, was also the part that so desperately seemed to want to please the vampire. It was quite a quandary.
The beautiful vampire was as still as stone for several long moments, before suddenly taking a step toward Bella, and stopping abruptly, almost like she was catching herself. "Alright." The word came softly enough that even Bella had to strain her ears to hear.
"What?" She breathed, uncertain.
"Alright," said Rosalie louder, clearer, "We can...spend some time together. Well...in the vicinity of one another." Her gold eyes flashed warningly. "I won't take any unwanted advances. I don't consider you my mate, and I never will. This...whatever it is, between us, will have to be dealt with. In the meantime, I suppose we can come to some sort of arrangement."
Bella strove to keep the utter joy that suffused her off her face. She wasn't sure how successful she was from the slim, golden eyebrow that lifted, but at least Rosalie didn't remark on it. For the first time in weeks, the knot in her chest loosened.
Rosalie wasn't giving her much, but it was enough. For now at least, it was enough. As the mention of "unwanted advances" registered, her joy dimmed a little and she frowned. "Thank you, Rosalie. This means…" She had been going to say everything but stopped when she saw Rosalie's face. "Anyway, listen. I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but I promise you I would never try to take advantage of you in any way. My Imprint wouldn't allow me to do that even if it were in my nature. I could never hurt you. Not intentionally, at least."
Rosalie didn't respond, and Bella wasn't sure that her message had been well received. "Come on," Rosalie said abruptly, "The others will be waiting for us to start the game again." The vampire turned and stepped into a supernatural run, her figure not quite a blur to Bella's eyes. Bewildered, Bella shook herself before leaping forward to follow.
Clearly, she thought, there was a nerve there. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was going to find out.
For now though, there was a game to play.
As they broke into the clearing, Bella suddenly hit a wall of emotion that caused her to stumble, and a gasp at its intensity escaped her. Dimly she realized that her knees had hit the ground, a furrow from the force of her fall dug into the grass, revealing bare dirt. Her hand grasped her chest while her mind struggled to wrestle control of these feelings that weren't her own.
"Bella?" An alarmed voice that still managed to sound beautiful came from what seemed like a great distance. She couldn't find her own voice to respond right away, focused as she was on walling off this sudden flood. "Carlisle!" The same voice, Rosalie's she recognized, shouted. At last she managed to close herself off from what she now recognized was her connection with Paul.
Bella released a breath of relief and rocked back on her heels. Her eyes widened to find Rosalie crouched beside her, eyes black and filled with worry. Instinctively, Bella reached out to touch the vampire, reacting to that concern. "I'm alright." She said. "Something's going on with Paul, and it overwhelmed me for a moment."
"I think I can explain that."
Bella's head snapped around to see that Carlisle had come at Rosalie's call. The vampire beside her growled a soft warning, and Bella tightened her grip on Rosalie's elbow in reassurance, waiting for the coven leader's words. "Although," he said, "You might have an idea yourself what's happened." He looked at her pointedly, and the wolf recalled the feelings she'd experienced, and allowed the tiniest sliver of her connection with Paul to re-open.
Blinding need. Devotion. Desire. And maybe...love.
Before the feelings could overwhelm her senses again, Bella closed off the connection and thought. Those feelings were familiar, intimately familiar. Her eyes settled on Rosalie for a moment, and then widened. She looked back up at Carlisle. "He imprinted. On who?" Her eyes moved to look over the field again and took in the familiar forms of the Cullens...but no Paul. He was close though, she could feel that much. She mentally counted, and realized that someone else was missing too. One of the Denali coven.
"Her name is Kate." Carlisle supplied. "Ironic, since she seemed to be the one who viewed you both with the most distaste. They've…" he cleared his throat, "retired, to ah...figure things out." Bella frowned. Would Paul need her help? He didn't want this vampire taking advantage of him… Her eyes tracked back up to the eternally youthful doctor and saw his expression - her mind clicked. Her face flushed.
"Oh." She gave herself a quick shake and double-checked that the connection between her and Paul was completely blocked, before pushing up from the ground and getting to her feet. Carlisle smiled, but refrained from the kind of laughter she knew she would have gotten from Emmett. With a nod to both of them, he headed back toward the rest of the family. "Come over when you want to play again." He said as he retreated.
Suddenly she remembered that Rosalie was still beside her, and that her own hand was still clenched tightly around Rosalie's arm. Instantly she let go, though the loss of contact was hard. "Rosalie, I'm so-" The breath whooshed from her lungs as Rosalie's arms pulled her into a crushing embrace, her apology effectively cut off. Bella's mind reeled as she felt the vampire bury her face in her neck, and her heart very nearly burst with joy at this unexpected display of affection. Her senses were flooded with Rosalie's sweet scent, and it was hard to convince herself to breathe out at all.
Before she'd could bring her own arms fully around Rosalie in return, the vampire was gone, sprinting away at lightning speed and leaving a very happy, very befuddled Bella behind. "Wow." She murmured, heart still pounding from the exchange. She had no idea what had driven Rosalie to hug her that way, and so suddenly, but Bella found she didn't mind at all. Not one bit.
Her eyes began to focus again and saw a familiar, huge figure approaching her. "Emmett." She greeted with a smile. He grinned back.
"Well, are you going to come back and play? We definitely need you now. Rose is gone, and so's your man Paul. Luckily Tanya and Irina said they'd fill in - but you can't leave too! We'd be one short." Bella laughed, of course he was still focused on the game. She allowed herself another moment to bask in Rosalie's lingering scent, before nodding.
"Yeah, let's play."
A few hours later found Bella sans Paul, the Cullens sans Rosalie, and the Denalis sans Kate, back at the Cullen house. Emmett had persuaded Bella to stay a while longer to play video games, and how could she say "no" when he pulled out a classic like Duck Hunt and paired it with puppy eyes that would have put an actual puppy to shame? She borrowed the Cullens' phone to call Charlie and let him know she would be home late, and surrendered herself to more fun. After a few rounds of fierce competition, Bella passed the orange plastic gun off to Jasper and went in search of Carlisle. It was getting late, and now was as good a time as any speak to him about a few things. Even Tanya and Irina had left and continued on their original trip, with promises to stop by on their way back again. Her mind wandered to Paul briefly, and his new imprint Kate. Would she stick around? That question faded as she refocused on the questions she really wanted answers to - and the only person who could answer them.
She found him in his study, unsurprisingly, and responded to his warm smile of welcome with one of her own. "I wondered if you would want to talk tonight." Carlisle said. "Please, have a seat." Bella eased herself comfortably into one of Carlisle's leather wingback chairs, and was pleased when he came around his desk to sit in the one next to her. She curled her legs under her, and the Cullen patriarch waited patiently while she got comfortable. She did have several questions, after all.
"So Bella," said Carlisle, "where should we begin?" Bella opened her mouth, and stopped. Where did she want to start? There were so many things she needed and wanted to know, but she hadn't thought to sort them out or prioritize them. What he knew of her heritage was a burning question inside, but that was a big topic and would take a lot of time to dissect. Were there other things she should start with? Like what he knew of her connection with Rosalie, or why Edward could only seem to read her thoughts sometimes but not all the time. She also wanted to know about vampires in general. Did they all have special abilities, or even most? Emmett didn't seem to have anything like Edward, Alice, or Jasper, unless it was his strength. And what were these "Volturi" that the Denali coven had mentioned?
She shook her head, frustrated, and decided to start with the one she thought was the simplest. "Why is it that Edward can only read my mind sometimes? Is there a way to keep him out?" Having her thoughts on display like an open book was disturbing to think about, and to experience. Frankly, Edward unnerved her.
Carlisle pressed his fingers together and leaned back in his chair, considering his response. "If there is a way to block him from reading your thoughts, I don't know it. As for why he cannot always glean your thoughts...I have a theory." Bella waited silently, and he continued. "Your species is something utterly foreign to Edward. You are not the same as the Quileute shifters, at all. Your very nature...is inhuman."
Bella's eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened to protest, but the words froze on her tongue at Carlisle's raised hand.
"Peace, I do not mean that as an insult. Merely as a statement of fact." Unsettled, Bella crossed her arms. "You are not human. You were raised by a human, and your current form lends you to be very similar, but you aren't the same. When your mind is functioning as a human's does, reacting the same way and thinking in similar patterns, Edward can read your mind as he can any other. But, when your true nature is present - you might think of it as when your wolf is driving your thoughts - your mind is alien to him, and he cannot understand it. For all that we are more than human now, we were only human once and that is how our brains operate most of the time. Mind you, that is only a theory." Bella had a feeling that Carlisle's "theories" were more concrete than fact.
She sat back in her chair and considered his words. For what she'd thought was the simplest question, there was much to consider. Thinking of herself as something other than human was hard, even though she knew it was true. How could she not? Charlie had raised her, but they would never be the same. With difficulty, she set that line of thinking aside. There was more to be asked.
"I want to know also about your kind, vampires, and what you know of my kind..." She whispered the name of her species softly, and Carlisle smiled kindly.
"You don't have to hide what you are here Bella, yours is a noble race. Take pride in it." His words seemed, somehow, to be exactly what she'd needed to hear. For a moment her chest swelled with pride for her heritage.
Locking eyes with the vampire, she stated clearly, "I am Faoladh. And I don't know if I'm the last of my kind, but I've never met another. Not since my parents were killed and Charlie took me in." Carlisle nodded sympathetically, and she wondered how much he knew of her story.
"Unfortunately, those two topics are not exclusive of each other." Bella wasn't sure what he meant by that, but knew he'd explain in due time. "I'll start with vampires, since I know the most about my own kind." Bella listened intently as Carlisle talked about vampires, reality and myth. No the sunlight didn't harm them, but yes they avoided it. His explanation of why made her eyes grow round with wonder. Wouldn't it be something to see someone's skin sparkle! Her mind immediately jumped to Rosalie, and she flushed at Carlisle's knowing look. She gave herself a mental shake, and he went on to explain the process by which one became a vampire, which sounded awful, and some of their abilities.
"So not every vampire has some awesome power?" She interrupted, and Carlisle smiled patiently.
"No," he replied, "I think you've observed enough of my children to know that. Edward can read minds, Jasper can influence feelings, and Alice can sometimes peer into the future and see possibilities...but the rest of us have no such powers. In fact, most vampires don't. We still have the enhanced strength, speed, and senses, as well as the ability to lure in our natural prey - humans - merely by our appearance. We are crafted as the perfect predator." Imagining the Cullens as mindless, bloodthirsty killers was impossible for Bella, even remembering her initial reaction to Edward's scent. She hoped she would never have cause to meet a red-eyed vampire. Her instincts growled inwardly at the thought, however, confident in her ability to destroy such a threat.
Carlisle waved a hand. "There's a little more to vampires, but I think that gives you the basic information you need. Feel free to ask more specific questions later if you want." Bella held in the urge to blurt out that she wanted to know about vampire mates - she could wait, she told herself.
The old vampire fixed her with an intense gaze that made her shift uncomfortably. "What I am about to tell you, is a terrible, horrible truth. I don't think there is a way I can prepare you beyond telling you that." The hairs on her arms stood on end, and Bella swallowed before nodding. "You asked about the Volturi. I was going to tell you about them soon enough, for they will prove a great threat to you, should they ever learn of your existence." His eyes drifted to a painting on the wall of his study, and Bella followed his gaze to see an image in which Carlisle's familiar face stared out, though he was garbed in the clothes of a different time. Around him were other men, each with a cruel set to their faces that Carlisle alone lacked.
"Aro, Caius, and Marcus. Those are names you need to know - remember them. They are the leaders of the Volturi, a kind of vampire royalty, if you will. They lay down the laws my kind must abide by. The penalty for breaking any of those rules, is death. The Volturi have long arms, and many, many loyal servants. I lived with them for a time, many years ago, but I could not abide their senseless cruelty." Carlisle took a breath, and Bella pulled her eyes from the painting and was startled to see a pained expression on the face of the usually stoic doctor.
Carlisle passed a hand over his hair and sighed. "It is to my great shame and regret that I did not stay, and try to prevent the genocides to come. The Volturi decided around a hundred years ago that they would eliminate anything and anyone they perceived to be a threat to vampire dominance. This included many races of beings - several of which were actually harmless - as well as your own." A shiver and a sudden flash of rage ripped through Bella, and she knew that her own eyes were blazing. She remained silent, however. There was more. "The Faoladh, of course, are anything but harmless." Fierce pride bloomed in her bosom.
"We are protectors, guardians. We would be poor guardians indeed if we were weak." She said, and Carlisle inclined his head in agreement.
"Just so. And because your kind generally protect humans, the food source of most vampires, the Volturi slated them for elimination." His eyes slid closed. "There was much killing, on both sides. But your people generally lived isolated from one another, scattered throughout the world. This proved beneficial to Aro, Caius, and Marcus, who sent out death squads that worked with such brutal efficiency that it was rare for a warning to make it from one family to another."
Pain and old, familiar grief settled in her chest. The rage had dropped to a simmering anger.
Carlisle's eyes opened and met hers, warm and sorrowful. "I don't know, Bella, if you are the last. You are certainly the only one I've met in decades. I did not know your parents, I'm afraid, but I would not be surprised if they were discovered by servants of the Volturi. The fact that you escaped is remarkable." His expression grew grave. "Be on your guard, for if the Volturi learn that you survived, they will return."
Bella's eyes blazed. "Let them." She could feel the saliva pooling in her mouth even as her canines lengthened. Her eyes, she knew, had changed as well. "I will rip those murderers to shreds." The words came out as a guttural growl, but she was cut off as Carlisle's arm suddenly flashed through the air. For the first time, she saw intense emotion on his face.
"No." He said, voice firm, almost harsh. "Bella, hear me. The Volturi are extremely powerful, and extremely old. They have vampires working for them with powers terrible to behold, and they will spare you no torment." His voice softened slightly. "I will do everything in my power to protect you, but please don't go looking for them."
The anger, the desire to avenge her parents and fallen people was a hot brand inside that burned, but she heard what Carlisle was saying. Besides, she thought grimly, she needed to learn how to fight vampires before she went looking for the really nasty ones. But one day, she vowed to herself, she would reign hellfire on the Volturi for what they had done.
When Carlisle seemed satisfied that she had calmed enough, he stood. "I think that's enough for today. It's getting very late, and Chief Swan will be expecting you home soon, I'm sure."
"Wait," Bella protested, "I still wanted to ask you about...well...me and Rosalie." Her ears turned pink, and grew hotter at the look on the doctor's face.
His lips lifted in a smile. "I can answer a few questions for you...tomorrow. But you're going to have to speak to my daughter to get the answers you really seek. All I will say now is to give her a little time and space. She'll come to you."
Bella groaned. Why was this so hard? Still, she had learned a lot today and despite Rosalie's disappearing act, they had made progress too. And she should probably check on Paul to make sure he was in one piece. With a sigh, she got to her feet. "Thank you Carlisle, you've filled in a lot of gaps in my understanding. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me." The Cullen patriarch brightened.
"Of course. Come to me with questions anytime." He nodded toward the door. "Emmett will give you a ride home, if you want. Try to get some sleep tonight." She'd have to, she thought ruefully. Wasn't like she could do without like her eternal friends. With a final wave to Carlisle, Bella left the study, closing the door softly behind her.
Before she'd even made it a step, two familiar arms lifted her in a big hug. "Bella!" Whined Emmett. "You were gone for ages! Jasper's been cheating." Laughing, she let Emmett carry her down the stairs and back to the TV.
"Jasper," she called to the stoic vampire, "What's this I hear of cheating?" She was delighted to see him smirk.
"Well," his southern drawl came out in his response, "Utilizing all resources available to me doesn't seem like cheating." Emmett set her down and she quirked an eyebrow at him in question.
Emmett had folded his arms and stuck his tongue at his brother. "It is so cheating when you use your emotion-changer-power-thing to make the other person all...all sleepy or whatever!"
"Really Emmett, you still call it that after all this time? It's "pathokinesis". Not that hard." Jasper shook his head with a faint smile, and Bella laughed. She couldn't help herself. She'd just gotten a load of heavy information, and laughing helped. Thank goodness for Emmett, she thought.
The big vampire folded his arms and stuck a tongue out at Jasper. "Whatever. That's what I said." Jasper rolled his eyes, and it was only through sheer will power that Bella kept from dissolving into laughter again. She really did need to get home, after all.
"Alright well, we'll have to leave this up to Alice." Bella said when she'd caught her breath. Her eyes looked up at Emmett hopefully, "Carlisle said you'd drive me home? I've got to get back and go to bed." Emmett groaned dramatically at this announcement, and to her surprise even Jasper looked a little disappointed.
The big man heaved a deep sigh. "Alright. I guess my Bella-Bear needs her beauty sleep." She laughed again, and Emmett wagged a finger in her face warningly. "Don't think this gets you off the hook though. We're going to play Duck Hunt again until everyone knows that I'm the best player." Bella shook her head ruefully, but knew she wouldn't mind playing endless games with Emmett.
On the drive back home Bella realized that her heart was full. Even with learning the true nature of her parents' deaths, and her connection to vampires... Bella felt good. She had so many people in her life now, so many friends. And Rosalie. It was hard to imagine what life had been like before she'd met the Cullens, and she didn't really want to try. Sleep that night wouldn't come easily as her mind wanted to replay the events of the day, memories of Rosalie most prominent. The beautiful vampire was the last thing Bella thought about before she succumbed to sleep's waiting embrace.
Greye's Notes: Whew! Well, that wasn't as long as my usual but I hope it was enjoyable nevertheless. Sorry again for the long delay! Many thanks as always to Moon's Lullaby, my sister, for checking this over for errors for me!
