Becoming a Cullen

[I do so much appreciate each review. Thank you so much! As always, many thanks to Ms. Meyers for allowing us to play in her world. If you enjoy, please do review! -- Thanks, Kelli]

Chapter 9. Travelers

Jasper Whitlock

Alice and I were getting closer to the Cullen's home now. Their scent lingered in the forest, making it easier to find our way back.

Alice gasped. The sound was familiar to me now. A warning that one of her stronger visions was overwhelming her. My arm slid around her waist, steadying her. "What is it?"

"Esme. Oh, no," Alice moaned. "They're in the house. They're hurting her."

The words roused rage inside me. My mind, with its ability to travel several paths wondered at my reaction even while I asked, "Who, Alice?"

"Nomads. Three males."

"When will it happen?"

"It's too late." Alice grabbed my arm as I prepared to run. "We can't get there in time."

Damn it. "Where are the rest of the Cullens?"

Alice's eyes closed. "School. Carlisle's in an operating room."

"Emmett?" He'd left before me. If we could find Emmett before he got to the house, it'd help even the odds.

"I see him. Houses on both sides of the street." Alice opened her eyes. "He's walking at a human pace. He must be going to the school."

Forget Emmett. It was up to us. I needed to know the intruders' goals. "What are they after, Alice?"

"Everything the Cullens have," Alice said.

I shook my head. It didn't make much sense. Carlisle hadn't staked out a territory claiming dominion over the humans in this corner of Maine. Robbery didn't make sense. Nomads can't carry much. Don't have much need for money either. Thinking they could simply step into the Cullen's shoes and take over their lives wasn't sane. No time to figure it out. "Do any of the nomads gifted?"

"I don't know." Then Alice moaned again. Heartrending pain, Alice's pain, shot through me. Another vision. Her voice was frantic as she told me what she was seeing. "They use Esme against Carlisle when he comes home. Now he's dead. Then they kill Esme. Edward hears their minds when they drive home from school. They all run to the house. They fight." Another moan. "Rosalie's torn to pieces, then-." Alice stopped talking, throwing herself against me. "Jasper, please. We've got to stop them."

"We can try." I had no doubt of my own abilities. Yet racing into the house and attacking three strange vampires whose fighting skills and potential gifts were unknown was foolish. No matter how fast I was, no matter how well I fought, at the very least, Esme would die. We needed a plan. "They're going to stay inside the house, waiting for Carlisle, right?"

"Yes."

I nodded. The elements of warfare are simple, eternal. I knew them well from the texts on warcraft that were the only books Maria had allowed me to read. Had practiced most of the strategies when we were fighting for territory. My mind raced through different scenarios, trying to understand and counter the nomad's strategy. One advantage we had was that they'd limited their options by confining themselves in the house. Gazing at Alice, I had a sudden hope that we had another edge besides her gift. "They must have been watching the Cullens for a while. Know their schedules. Yet there hasn't been any trace of strangers since we've been here. They must have scouted them out some time back. Maybe they missed our arrival. Think they know about us?"

Alice's eyes shut. She frowned. "I don't think so." Then more definitively. "No."

A wave of relief. Now we had real surprise on our side. Unless, of course, any of them had gifts similar to Alice and Edward. I shook my head. Nothing I could do about that. Considered getting help from the Edward and Emmett, but getting to them and extracting them from school without a commotion would take too long. When Carlisle talked about his past, he'd never mentioned a single fight. Dismissed him as more of a liability than as asset. I tore open the knapsacks, looking for inspiration, something we could use against them. A lighter rolled out. Alice and I had lit fires sometimes when we were living outside. Not to keep warm, but to keep back the darkness when the night pressed too close. The ideas came together. Plucking the lighter from the ground, I told my plan to Alice. The world's most peerless intelligence agent warned me of the enemy's likely reactions. Gave us a chance to refine the plan until we were both sure we couldn't improve it any longer.

No guarantee of success, but Esme was suffering now. "Alice. Don't take any chances. Please, just follow the plan," I said. I handed her the lighter. My voice was rough with fear. As much as I wanted to help Esme, Alice is my life.

"You don't want me to fight. I can, though."

I shook my head. "My head wants to believe you, but my gut can't take it. Not today. Please, Alice."

She sighed. Nodded.

A kiss. Then we ran forward.

When we got to the house, Alice started a fire in the leaves that Edward and I had so carefully raked into piles just days ago, while I hid in the second one. I kept a peep hole to watch. As soon as thick smoke streamed into the slight breeze rising high into the overcast sky, Alice ran into the woods. A moment went by, then another. As Alice had predicted, one vampire came out, frowning. Tall. Well-muscled. Moved with a certain swagger that told me much about him. His emotional tone was simple annoyance.

He never had a chance. Not even to scream. I burst out of the second life pile to dig my fingers into his throat, tearing out his voice box even as my teeth shredded through the back of his neck. His head in my hands. Hurled it away. Tore off his arms, and then let Alice finish him as I raced toward the house. Downwind was longer, but safer. While I snuck closer, Alice hid the body. Tossing the body onto the fire would immediately alert the others that they were under attack.

My gift allowed me to hone in on the enemy's location. On Esme. She was close to them. Unfortunate. I climbed to the second floor to get in. It wasn't safe to open a window downstairs. No matter how silent, how swift I was the change in air pressure, a chance gust a wind, an increase in volume of the normal outside sounds, any of these changes could have given me away. Upstairs, at the opposite end of the house, I let myself into Edward's room. His room had the most soundproofing. As I expected, his door was closed. I crept down the hallway, right above the stairs, lying flat on the floor to escape any casual glances.

Esme was terrified. In pain. I had to beat back another surge of rage. I focused my gift on the others, reading them. One of them radiated uncertainty, fear. My target. It was hard, but I narrowed in on the weaker one, increasing his fear until his breathing was ragged.

It was all I could do for now. Reaching out, I touched Alice with my gift. Shifting my emotions to one easy for me to summon, I brushed Alice with a surge of love. Reacting to my signal, my tough little wife threw an arm of our downed enemy through the front window.

As soon as it hit the wood floor, it started to crawl forward.

The vampire whose emotions I'd been working screamed. Obvious then that he was unused to fighting our kind. Good. The third vampire's shock turned to rage even without my encouragement. He ran toward the front door, so focused on fighting the enemy outside that he had tunnel vision. He didn't notice me as I flew downstairs as he crossed in front of the staircase. I slammed into him, momentum and surprise working in my favor to knock him off-balance. My arms pinned his as my teeth tore into his neck, severing his spine. Too experienced to keep my entire focus on my current foe, I was up in time to meet the headlong rush of the third vampire. I turned to the side, raised an arm, an easy target for an inexperienced fighter. He took the bait. His teeth in my arm gave me access to his neck as I hugged him to me. His head hit the floor. I let his body drop. The second vampire was beginning to recover. In no shape to put up a real fight, I had him in pieces in under a minute.

Alice raced inside, leaving the door open behind her. She dismembered the third vampire as I began to toss body parts outside into the fire.

It was over.

My gaze and gift checked Esme as I retreated outside. She was against one wall, trembling. Her eyes wide with shock. I knew Esme was conflicted about my being here. Despite her desire to welcome me into her family, despite the motherly love she already felt for Alice, she was afraid of me. What she's seen today wasn't going to make it any easier for her. As gently as I could, I soothed her fear, helped calm her as Alice hugged her.

I went to stand by the fire to make sure nothing got away. Tearing open my sleeve, I attempted to suck out the venom from the latest bite, spitting it out onto the fire. He'd torn me up pretty good. Already hurt like a son of a bitch. It'd get worse before it got better.

Alice was on the phone now, calling Carlisle.

Didn't take Carlisle long to get here. He'd run home, still in his bloody operating clothes, faster than any car could have made it through the streets. He slowed when he saw me.

"Jasper?"

I nodded at him, kept my eyes down, my hands clasped around my back. As unthreatening as I could make myself without kneeling. Moved further away from the door. Couldn't help the instinctive, reflexive switch of my gift from Esme to Carlisle, needing to know his emotional tone, needing to know how he felt about me. It was then I knew I'd accepted Carlisle as my coven leader. Didn't like it. Didn't want to belong to him. As Carlisle went into the house, I retreated further to stand behind the fire, struggling to get my emotions under control.

"Jasper?"

Alice's sweet voice, her presence instantly made me feel better. I wrapped my arms around her, rested my cheek on the top of her soft hair.

"You're trembling," Alice said. "What is it? Your arm? Let me see."

I let her fuss over my wound. Bathed myself in her emotions. Love, affection, worry, pride.

"Maybe Carlisle should look at it."

I sucked in my breath, shook my head violently as my gut tightened. Showing weakness had always angered Maria. "I'll be fine."

Gold eyes looked up at me, bewildered at my reaction. "You got hurt defending his wife. You don't think Carlisle will want to help heal you?"

"Nothing he can do."

She grabbed my other hand, started tugging toward the house. "Come on, Jazz. It'll be fine. I promise."

Pointless to argue with Alice when she was in this mood. As we went up the stairs, I missed my footing as a sudden wave of sick pain hit me. Alice grabbed me before I fell.

"What is it?"

"Esme. Carlisle's hurting her."

"He had to," Alice's voice was grim. "One of those bastards broke some of her fingers, let them heal crooked."

The pain was muted, fading. Poor Esme.

Carlisle was cradling his wife in his arms, her head buried against his neck. His pain and regret at having to hurt Esme stabbed through me. Tried not to wince under the weight of it. Shifted my focus to Alice, trying to use her to shield myself. Helped a little.

"Jasper. Esme and Alice told me what happened." His eyes closed, he shook his head. "I don't know what would have happened without you here. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

His surge of gratitude was overwhelming.

I nodded.

Esme lifted her head and looked up at me. She was trying to smile. "I didn't get a chance to thank you, Jasper. Thank you so much. You were amazing." She held out a hand.

Her gratitude was even more intense than Carlisle's. More amazing to me was that she felt no fear. Not even after seeing the brutal way I'd killed the intruders. Keeping Alice close to me, I stepped forward. Gingerly took her hand, kissed her fingers and retreated backwards.

Wasn't sure what to say. Wanted more than anything to get away from him. Think about things.

Carlisle Cullen

It was hard to let Esme out of my sight. Out of my arms. I'd come so close to losing her. Then I'd had to hurt her. Thank God that they hadn't killed her. Thank God for Jasper and Alice. Words couldn't express my emotions. At least I knew he could sense what I felt.

Esme settled back against me after thanking Jasper. He was acting so strange. So skittish. As if he were afraid of me. I couldn't understand why he'd feel this way. He knew by now that I had no secrets. No powerful gift.

"Jasper was bitten on his arm. Would you look at it?" Alice asked me.

"Of course." I moved Esme from my lap to seat her beside me. Her hand slipped under my arm.

He walked toward me, each step more reluctant than the last. He pushed a torn sleeve up to reveal where a chunk of flesh had been torn away near the inside of his elbow. Couldn't help my shock at my first sight of his arm. I'd seen his wrist scars before, but he'd been careful to keep the rest of his arm covered. Couldn't see a single patch of skin wider than a finger that wasn't overlapped with a reminder of a bite. It took me a second to regain my professional distance. I released his arm, knowing he didn't like being touched.

"How soon would this normally take to heal?"

"A day." Then he added, "When I'm not hungry."

A fast healer then. I checked his eyes. The black rim around the gold was deep. I nodded. "I could sew the wound together, but it'd just hurt you more without really making it heal faster. It's too late to wash the venom out. How much does it hurt?"

He shrugged. "Not so bad. I sucked as much venom out as I could."

Alice had the same reaction I did. We both shot him startled glances. "You sucked the venom out? I'd never have thought of that." I shook my head. "Unfortunately, painkillers don't work on us. I'm sorry, Jasper, I can't really do anything medical to help."

He nodded. Unsurprised.

"What I can do is get you a meal."

He stiffened. As if I'd insulted him.

"I k'en hunt."

His accent had slipped out. I had insulted him. "Of course."

"We can go together," Alice offered.

Jasper glanced at her, his face softening. As he started to move away, he looked at me with the oddest expression on his face. A look I didn't know how to interpret. I didn't know if he'd explain, but I took a chance. "What is it?"

"Maria would have rewarded me." Jasper shook his head. "Didn't even occur to you."

"I'm so sorry," I said instantly. He was right, it hadn't occurred to me. "What can I-"

A gesture from Jasper silenced me.

"No. I'm glad." He smiled. "It means you think of me as family."

"Yes, of course." He was right. I hadn't thought of rewards. Guess I had just expected that we'd all protect our family.

His smile faded. Jasper's eyes slipped away from mine. "You know I'm not like the others."

Having no idea what to say to that simple truth, I nodded.

"Not sure if I can do what they do." He swallowed. "Like go to school."

"We have all the time in the world," I said. I felt a surge of relief, of pleasure. The statement, as negative as it sounded, was a declaration of intent. No matter what I felt, Jasper was the one who had to make the decision. Now I knew that he was serious about becoming a full member of our family. I hastened to reassure him. "Don't feel pressured to jump into anything you're not ready for."

"We will go to school together," Alice beamed up at him. "I've seen it."

Some of the tension in Jasper's face eased.

It wasn't exactly how I'd planned to welcome him back. I was intensely curious to know if he'd read the material that I'd sent. It was hardly the time to ask. He was so sensitive. Talking about his past now, fresh from yet another battle, would cause Jasper nothing but pain. I had to wait. Be patient until he was more comfortable with me, had more successes with this new life so that we could deal with his past. I settled for saying, "By the way, welcome back."

A ghost of a smile. Another nod. Then they were gone.

I turned to the love of my long life. My arms reached for her, needing to hold her, know that she was safe. "Esme."