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Riley's POV
I was pissed. Pissed off beyond belief at what this Jenks dude was spouting off about the Cullens. Jasper had sent him a fuckton of trust and I used my gift to have him make copies of all of his Cullen related paperwork for us. I also have him discussing everything in detail with Garrett.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Hale and his wife would like an annulment. You're to follow Mr. Adams' orders to the T, he'll tell you exactly what you need to do."
Jenks got a glazed expression in his eyes and started processing the annulment. Earlier, we had sent his secretary home. I told her that Jenks wanted her to go home and relax with her kids for the rest of the day. Pete gave her a thousand bucks in cash saying that it was a bonus from Jenks. We, then, told her that she's to come in early tomorrow morning and clean and disinfect the office from top to bottom and make sure that she sprays all surfaces down with copious amounts of Lysol. We didn't want to take the chance of any of the Cullens detecting our scent. As she was leaving I told her to forget about seeing us and to remember to clean the office tomorrow.
Emmett had an external hard drive hooked up to Jenks' computer. He was copying all of his files so he could go through them at home. About an hour later, Jenks finally finished putting the annulment through. "Mr. Adams, I've put through the annulment for Jasper Hale and Alice Brandon. It will finalize in the State of Nevada tomorrow by noon."
He looked up and noticed Bella. "While you're here, Mrs Cullen, I have the paperwork and identification that you requested eight years ago all set." He went to his file cabinet and pulled out a manila envelope. Your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and all necessary identification including driver's license and passport. I've kept them up to date for you since you never came to pick them up."
"Huh? I never requested anything from you," Bella stated. "I've never even been married."
Jenks' eyes widened. "Wh...wh...what do you m...m...mean? The letter is in the envelope."
Garrett dove into the envelope and clear as day was the original letter requesting documents. It listed Isabella Marie Swan, age 21, as married to one Doctor Carlisle Cullen, age 23. There were photoshopped wedding photos—Bella was wearing some sort of black veil, as well as pictures of the happy couple on a honeymoon in some European country. All identification listed her as Isabella Marie Cullen and her address as Denali, Alaska.
We all started growling while Bella started freaking out. Peter grabbed Bella immediately, placed her on his lap and started purring to calm her down.
"Jenks, did it ever occur to you that your line of work could get you killed?" Peter asked.
"Wh...wh...why? P...p...please, I...I...I didn't know. Doctor Cullen said he's a Saudi Arabian prince and that polygamy is legal there. H...h...he has three wives: Esme Platt, Tanya Denali, and Isabella Swan."
"Do something, Garrett!" Bella yelled desperately.
"No."
"No?" we all shouted, even Jenks did.
"It doesn't mean I won't, it just means that we have more ammo to fuck up the asshole with. Tell me, Jenks, is Tanya Denali aware that she is wed to Carlisle Cullen?"
"Ironically, she reacted in the same way that Isabella did. She found out roughly six months ago and she was angry, extremely angry. Mr. Eleazar demanded that I try to annul the marriage, but I was unable to. They must be done in a Saudi Arabian court of law in the presence of a judge with both parties present."
"Thank you. Jenks, do I have copies of all of your paperwork now."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Garrett looked up at Jasper. "Knock him out for a minute."
Jasper sent lethargy over to Jenks and he was snoring at his desk in seconds. I really miss snoring.
"Emmett, find out everything you can about Scott Jenks."
Emmett looked through Jenks' computer files. "He's married, aged sixty-two, lives in Seattle, and his net worth is close to five million dollars. His wife's name is Linda."
"Good, Riley when we wake up Jenks, I need you to convince him to retire and move to Costa Rica. We'll need to have you work your magic on his wife too because they need to move within the week. I want to scour the office for any paperwork that we missed. I need you to have Jenks take any personal belongings and important personal papers home with him; he's to leave all business related paperwork here. Afterwards, make sure you wipe his memory of ever meeting the Cullens, Denalis, or any of us. Two more things, before you do what I'm asking, I need the names of all of his shady contacts, and he needs to fire off a check to his secretary for a hundred thousand dollars since she's losing her job. Got it?"
I repeated everything Garrett said to him. When he was satisfied. Jasper woke Jenks up and I worked my mojo on Jenks. He wrote a check to his secretary, put it in an envelope, and gave it to Garrett. After that, he handed Garrett a black address book filled with the names of his more shadier connections. When that was done, I told him that he was going to retire in Costa Rica with Linda and live happily for the rest of his life there. He was to forget about ever meeting us, the Cullens, the Denalis, or any other questionable clients. He, immediately, started gathering up his personal belongings and papers, got into his car, and left the office.
I trailed him to his house, got to his wife before him, and convinced her to move to Costa Rica by Friday and live happily ever after with her husband.
When Jenks walked in through the front door of his house, his wife was already packing. I decided to fool around a bit more. You see, I'm kind of a softie and I believe that most people should have a happy ending. I sat on the living room sofa with the two of them and put my hands on their shoulders. "Scott, Linda—as soon as you move to Costa Rica, you will have wild, animalistic sex everyday. You'll both work out and get into top shape because God knows you both need it. In fact, I want you both to make becoming personal trainers to retired American senior citizens in Costa Rica, such as yourselves, your personal goal. You're not to argue about petty things and you're both to love each other until the day you both die. Oh, and Linda make sure you give Scott a blow job to wake him up every morning from tomorrow on. Scott, you reciprocate. Be happy, enjoy Costa Rica, and from the moment that I close the front door, forget about me."
I was on my way back to Jenks' office when I got a text message telling me to meet them at the air cargo facility at the airport. I arrived there in no time and I found everyone placing items from Jenks' office, including the computer, into a crate. Pete was making arrangements to have everything shipped directly to our house.
After our business was concluded, we stopped at Walmart and picked up a whole mess of cleaning supplies for Jenks' secretary and dropped everything off at his office. She would show up tomorrow, clean and disinfect it from top to bottom, then leave with her severance pay at noon. Those were the instructions we gave her in the letter that we had Jenks write to her and, regardless, I told her to Lysol the entire office anyway.
"Where to next?" I asked.
"Forks, I want to pay a visit to Forks General Hospital and to Charlie Swan."
We arrived in Forks after a two hour drive. Our first stop was, of course, to the Forks Police Department where we went to see Charlie. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but what brings you kids to Forks?"
We let Garrett handle the talking. "Charlie, we came across some disturbing information about Bella." He then went on to tell him about the nude pictures, the bogus marriage to Carlisle, and the detailed journal entries. Charlie was seething.
Sam, the alpha of the Quileute pack and also one of Charlie's deputies overheard the conversation. "Are you fucking with me? Bella? Is this true?"
She burst into venom tears. All of the stress finally got to her. Sam picked Bella up and held her on his lap so she could cry. "We'll make it better, I promise. Don't worry, baby girl," he reassured, then looked up at Garrett. "What can we do to help?"
I knew that Sam thought of Bella as a little sister, but I never realized how close they were up until now. Sam was the wolf that found Bella in the woods the day that Edward abandoned her. His imprint, Emily, loved Bella from the moment they met. To this day, the two of them spoke on the phone everyday. That pissed Leah off because she and Sam used to date, but Bella made it clear from the get go that the incident had nothing to do with her and Emily's friendship. Even Peter didn't interfere with Sam's proximity to his mate. I've gone out for drinks with Sam before, he's a genuinely good guy. Stinky as all hell, but a good guy.
"Nothing for now, but when the time comes that we require your assistance, we'll give you a call. Thank you," Garrett said, gratefully. "Charlie, I'd like to have a look at Bella's hospital records from when she was hospitalized with catatonia and hypothermia. I'd also like to, eventually, press child pornography charges against Carlisle and Edward Cullen. The photos in question were taken when Bella was seventeen. I don't know what Carlisle Cullen is up to, but I have a feeling it's much bigger than simply wanting to fatten his coffers. We must be prepared on all fronts."
"I agree. I haven't turned anything up on Cullen, but Sam may be able to find something in the Quileute archives."
"I'll have a look. The other thing we can do on our end is to null and void the treaty that we have with the Cullens. I've already placed everyone in your family on a separate treaty so you folks are all set. What I can do now is tear up the one between the Cullens and the Quileutes."
"May I have a look at the treaty before you go and rip it up?"
"Sure, I can get a copy to you tonight."
"Good, what I'd like to do is draw one up professionally and notarize it so there are no questions left."
"You might have trouble getting Jacob and Billy Black to sign it unless, of course, Riley can fuck with their minds a bit."
"You want me to fuck with their brains?" Hell, yeah, I can do that.
"Yeah, can you?" Sam asked me.
"No problem."
"Good, well, while you're at it, can you make him into a happier guy in general. He's bringing us all down."
"Okay."
"I didn't hear a thing," Charlie stated, flatly. "Alright, Susie is expecting you kids at home. You are staying the night, aren't you?"
We all nodded that we were. "Good, can you and Pete take a look at my truck tomorrow? The 'check engine' light has been on for a month. You can ask Embry about it in the morning."
"No problem, Charlie."
I was looking forward to seeing Embry tomorrow. He and I had always gotten along. Plus, he was another one of those wolves like Paul and Leah that didn't smell rank to us vampires. The rest of them, as nice as they were, stank like wet dog. Ew!
The next day...
Sam dropped off the two treaties, the one with the Cullens and the one with us, in the morning and Garrett started working on them immediately. Meanwhile, Embry stopped by with his tools and, along with Pete, we started working on Charlie's ten year old, GMC Sierra. Jasper and Emmett worked on repainting Sue and Charlie's house for them.
"I think the transmission needs to be rebuilt, when you drive it you can feel the gear slipping," Embry stated.
"Yeah, you're right. I'd rebuild it, but I don't think we have the time. Is there a place where we can pick up a new or a rebuilt transmission around here?" Pete asked.
"The closest would be Port Angeles. There's a GMC dealership there and if they don't have one in stock, there are a couple of junkyards that we might be able to grab a transmission from."
"Alright, Pete and I will head over there. You should probably get to work. It's almost 9am."
"Nope, I'm out of a job. I couldn't put up with Jake's bullshit anymore so I quit. It got really bad after Leah and Paul imprinted on vampires. Hey, are there any cute vampire chicks that are available?"
"I'll keep my eyes open, my friend."
We returned from Port Angeles armed with a new transmission around noon. With the three of us working side by side, we had the transmission in the truck in no time. We also took the opportunity to replace the spark plugs, brake pads, and oil filter. The truck was in great shape when we were done.
"Do you want a job?" Peter asked Embry.
"What?"
"A job, you know—for pay."
"Do you know of one?"
"You can work for me. Paul, Riley, and Rosalie do. You'd have to move to Pennsylvania, though."
"Dude, take the job. Trust me. The working conditions are great plus you get to watch Rose leaning over the hood of a car wearing shorts and a tank top everyday."
"Why? Is she hot? Do you think she'd dig a wolf like me?"
Pete and I started chuckling. "Oh, she's hot. She's just not single. She's mated to Emmett."
"Damn it! Do you know that I still haven't lost my V-card yet? I can't seem to find the right girl and I don't want to just jump into a relationship with just anyone cause what if I imprint? I don't ever want to hurt anyone the way Sam hurt Leah or Jake hurt Bella. I can't do that."
"It'll happen man. Just be patient."
"So, do you want the job or not?"
"I'll take it. When do I start?"
"Whenever you can get to Hillsgrove."
"When are you guys going back?"
"Tomorrow."
"I'm coming with you. I have nothing keeping me here and they have enough wolves to protect the reservation."
At five pm, we met at the treaty line with the tribal elders to rework our treaty and dissolve the one with the Cullens. After hearing what happened with Bella, they all agreed that the Cullens were criminals and could not be trusted in any capacity. Garrett had prepared a letter stating that the treaty had been broken and, therefore, was dissolved. The letter cited the callous way that Bella had been abandoned in the woods by Edward, which in turn led to her being hospitalized for hypothermia and catatonia. Further, it cited the fact, that the Cullens took Bella over the state line in order to protect her from James. Rather than protect her, she was returned to Forks with significant injuries so, thus, the treaty was broken. The original treaty had stated that "no harm, physical or mental, may be caused as a direct result of vampire activities to any human at any time." Further, it stated that "any illegal activities will result in the immediate nullification of the treaty." As Bella was a minor at the time, taking her to Arizona without parental consent would be considered abduction of a minor over state lines and, therefore, considered a federal criminal activity. The Cullens would not be able to say a word regarding the dissolution of the treaty because it was justified in every way, shape, and form.
Now, for our treaty. As expected, Jacob and Billy Black caused the most problems. Jacob was the first to speak, "While I understand that Riley helped us capture a rapist, the fact still stands that he's a bloodsucker. We can't trust them. On top of that, I don't see why we have to include everyone else in the treaty just because Bella is now a leech."
"Jake, do you think my personality has changed at all since I became a vampire or are you just spouting out all of that bullshit just because things didn't go your way with me? What the fuck did you want from me? Did you want me to wait on the sidelines while you went ahead and built a relationship up with your imprint?" Bella asked.
"You turned to leeches as soon as we broke up, Bella. I can't believe that you went and sought them out."
"I didn't go and seek out vampires, Jacob. Victoria saved me from being raped."
"Yeah, right. How do we even know that you're telling the truth?"
Smack! Seth Clearwater pounced on top of Jacob and started punching him. Jacob fought back. The two of them phased into wolves and started attacking each other. The other wolves phased and surrounded Jacob. Sam must have ordered them to phase back because they returned to human form a moment later.
"Don't you fucking ever, ever accuse my sister of lying—you prick!" Seth yelled. "Apologize, now!"
Jacob remained silent and glared at Bella as if it was her fault he imprinted. Then, he looked up at her and spoke, "I loved you, Bella. I still love you."
"That's it," Billy Black stated. "I'm invoking my right as tribal elder and ordering Sam to step down as Alpha and my son to step up as the rightful leader of the pack. This situation has spiraled out of control. We don't need to be making treaties with bloodsuckers!" The elders huddled into a discussion.
I took the opportunity to quickly work on Jacob. "You will live happily with your imprint until the day you die, you will accept the fact that Bella is a vampire and is happily mated, and you will support your pack brothers in every endeavor that they undertake; and for God's sake, man, think for yourself—stop being your father's lackey."
The tribal elders soon faced us. "We will rework the treaty, but we, with the exception of Old Quil, agree with Billy that Jacob should take the position of Alpha of the pack."
"I don't want to be Alpha. In the name of Taha Aki, I refuse to be Alpha," Jacob, stated flatly. I shook my head 'no' at Sam. I definitely did not put that thought in his brain.
"Son, I'm ordering you to be Alpha. It's your birthright!" Billy Black pierced his son with his gaze which Jacob met with conviction.
From the sidelines, we noticed Quil stepping forward. "In the name of Taha Aki, I invoke my right to be Alpha of the Quileute Wolves. Furthermore, I dissolve the right of the tribal elders to be involved in any decisions of, or pertaining to, the wolfpack while there are active wolves on the reservation."
"Huh?" Everyone turned to Quil who winked and smirked at us. His grandfather had an enormous look of pride on his face.
Quil continued, "I order you all to phase if you accept my decision. Oh, and someone call Leah and Paul and tell them to phase."
"I'll do it," Bella chirped and went straight to making her phone call.
Every single wolf phased. You could tell that they were all mentally conversing to each other. Bella was talking to Jane on the phone. Meanwhile the wolves all returned to their human forms.
"Okay, Leah and Paul have phased back to human form now, Bella. Were you able to hear them again, honey?" Jane asked Paul. "Oh, for crying out loud! Stop scratching your fucking balls. No, don't touch me!"
"You suck on my balls, yet you won't let me touch you with my hands after I scratch them. That's fucked up, babe!"
"Did you hear the rest of the pack or not?"
"Yep and can I just say that Brady's imprint has nice, big, bouncy tits. Owwww! Jane! Leah! Rose! Shit!" We could hear Paul screaming. "Bells, they're being mean to me! Hurry up and get back! Ow! Vicky, you didn't have to slap my balls!"
The wolves and the vampires were all howling as we heard Paul pleading for mercy.
Bella hung the phone back up. "Why, Quil?"
"After Paul and Leah imprinted on vampires, I realized that the whole premise that vampires are our mortal enemies made no sense whatsoever. I think that we exist to protect the tribe from those that inflict harm upon us—whether human or supernatural. I accept the new treaty, but I want you to add that you folks and those in your family can come and go from the reservation and hang out on La Push Beach. Just make sure that you're wearing contact lenses. Embry, I know you've made the decision to move to Pennsylvania. I'm going to miss you, bro, but I understand. It can't be easy being the only one that hasn't imprinted. Go and be happy, brother. You know that I'm tied to this reservation because of my imprint."
"Why the hell was Paul using his imprint like a buffet tray?" Sam asked.
"He was eating off of her," Pete explained.
"That's whacked! He was always weird though. He had sex with both Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory."
"Everyone had sex with those two girls," Emmett noted. "At least from what I can recall."
"At the same time?"
"We're going to have to ask him about that later, Em," Jasper stated. I agreed. I knew those two girls. Even I had a roll in the hay with them when I was at Forks High, separately—not at the same time.
"Um, I'll change the treaty terms and return it to you for your signature, Quil," Garrett stated. "Thank you."
"No problem, I want to meet with the wolves right now. Bring the treaty and some tequila to the bonfire tonight. Bella knows the time and place," Quil hugged Bella and pecked her on the cheek. The wolves all left to meet with their new Alpha. Billy Black looked murderous as they loped away.
I sidled behind Billy Black and whispered to him to be happy for his son and for the tribe and to stop being such a downer and just be happy. He got a glazed look in his eyes, then broke out into a smile. God, I love my gift. Sometimes, it just makes the world a better place.
Two months later...
Esme's POV
I was running. Running as fast as I could with just my handbag, my three photographs of my infant son, one of me as a little girl with my family, and my mother's string of pearls. I had to get away from the house, from those people. I came home two days early from a trip to Denali and walked in on something that I wasn't supposed to. Fortunately, I don't think they noticed. What I saw was so horrific, so mind boggling, so...ugh! I'm so disgusted! I didn't even have time to change my clothes. I'm still in my favorite pink Channel suit.
I'm not so sure who I can trust anymore. Peter. Peter is who I'll go to. He has no loyalty whatsoever to our family. I remember Alice telling Jasper that he lived in Pennsylvania somewhere. That's where I'll run to. I have to not make any decisions. I have to keep running.
I didn't stop until I reached Pennsylvania. I was a blur that no human eye could identify, I could care less what the Volturi thought about exposure. I arrived in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania around 3am and thought that I vaguely detected Peter's scent in the parking lot of a 24 hour Walmart. I decided to go inside and see if he had been inside. If anything, I might be able to track his scent to his home. I hope to God that I can find him. I need help.
Peter's POV
"I love you, baby," I purred into my mate's neck while I moved my way down her neck. I unbuttoned her shirt and started sucking on her nipples. I could smell Bella's arousal building. I had to have a taste. I slid Bella's jeans and panties off and slowly licked her piece of heaven from bottom to top.
"Aaahhh," Bella moaned as she ground her pussy onto my tongue. "M...m...more."
"You like that, baby? Cause you taste delicious to me."
"Don't s...s...stop."
I continued lapping up her folds until she was just about ready to peak. I sprung my dick free from the confines of my jeans and plunged straight into my mate. Bella came almost instantly onto my cock. I continued fucking her until I released my load straight into her core. By then, Bella was cumming again. She screamed in ecstasy as she clawed at my back and sunk her teeth into my neck.
I held still for a second so I could feel her mating venom, her love, flow through my veins. A few minutes later, we got dressed and hopped out of the cab of my truck. Bella looked up and stopped. "Hey, Pete, is that a security camera that you parked under?"
I looked up to where she was pointing. "Ha, looks like it." I put my arm around her and we both looked up. "Wave and say hello to the nice security guard, honey."
"Hello!" Bella waved and gave me a wet kiss on my lips. The two of us walked into Walmart to take care of the shopping. It was Thanksgiving in two days and we had a houseful of guests arriving, including my future in-laws, beginning tomorrow. This was completely new to me. When I was with Charlotte, Thanksgiving meant that she'd be off somewhere fucking someone and I'd be thanking God that I had the house to myself.
"Welcome to Walmart, have a great day."
"Hey, Frank, how are you today?"
"Good, the sciatica is acting up, but I'm still here."
"Hey, if I don't see you again, happy Thanksgiving," I said as I grabbed a shopping cart and made my way into the store.
Bella pulled out a monster sized shopping list. Now that Embry was living with us, Bella was cooking huge, industrial sized pans of food together with Bree. Everyone who wasn't working was pitching in to help with the cooking.
Felix and Jane had purchased the property adjoining mine on the other side of where Riley's house stood. The two of them, along with their mates lived there. Garrett and Heidi still lived with us as did Rose and Emmett. Embry was living in a large, two bedroom cabin on my property just behind the garage. Felix, Jasper, and Emmett helped him fix it up and it was now a pretty slick little bachelor pad. It didn't have a kitchen, but it did have a fully functioning bathroom. Embry didn't want a kitchen because he said that if he had one, Bella would probably make him cook his own food and that was just unacceptable to him.
As the two of us were walking hand in hand, Brewmaster decided to interrupt me and Bella. "Fucker! Sparklepuss!"
"What?"
"What the hell? Can't you two give me a little more than just plain 'what'? Where's my 'how are you' or 'how have you been'? Geez, you two take me for granted and you don't ever show me any love. I'm hurt."
"I'm sorry, Brewmaster," Bella thought. "How can I help your majesty today?"
"Well, now, you're making me feel bad, Sparklepuss. Two things, in order to annul that fucked up marriage of yours, you and the succubus have to fly to Saudi Arabia with your male head of family."
"But I don't know the succubus, I don't even know if I can trust her."
"You can trust her, she can't stand the Cullens either."
"Fine, is this before or after Vegas?"
"After, you have to meet her first."
"Okay, then what's the second thing?" I asked, jumping into the conversation.
"Turn left here and peer inside the shelf behind the bottled watered. Help her."
Bella and I both narrowed our eyes. I moved two cases of bottled water and loaded them into our shopping cart, they were on our list anyway. The two of us stuck our heads between the shelf and the bottled water and saw her. Sitting in the fetal position, sobbing her eyes out, was Esme. She looked up, noticed me, and started bawling some more.
Bella helped me move the cases of bottled water out of the way. I pulled Esme out and cradled her in my arms. Something had happened. Something terrible by the way she was crying.
"I'll come back after it's light out and do the shopping," Bella whispered. I nodded to her. We carried Esme out of Walmart and got into the truck. Bella drove while I held Esme.
When we got home, I rushed into the house carrying Esme and settled her on the sofa. It was only about five am and the sun wasn't even up yet. The vampires all came barreling into the living room, the wolves were still sleeping.
"What did they do to you, Esme?" I asked.
"They lied. I saw something, it was so...so..."
"What did you see?"
"I was visiting Carmen and Eleazar in Denali. I wasn't due to be home for another two days, but I decided to surprise Carlisle and came home early. I heard noise coming from the basement so I went to check on it. When I opened the door I saw...I saw...oh it was so horrible. They were having some sort of ritualistic sex with Alice and Charlotte. Alice was suspended from the ceiling by ropes. Carlisle was whipping her while Edward had his way with her. Charlotte was chained by the neck to the wall and she was on her knees servicing Carlisle. Branleur and Buckley were both tied to some sort of cross. There was some sort of metal device, a chastity belt I think, attached to their...their...m...members. All four of them had some sort of clamp attached to their nipples. Oh, it was so sick, it was so horrific."
Esme continued. "I heard Carlisle belting out orders, 'Do what Esme doesn't do for me, Charlotte.' She answered immediately, 'Yes, Master Carlisle.' Then she leaned over some sort of a wooden post and allowed Carlisle to lock her legs into some sort of a spreader bar and then he...he...had sex with her. He ordered Edward to release Branleur and Buckley and the entire group started having sex with her wherever she was able to take them. I feel so stupid, so horrified, so betrayed."
"Motherfucker, they're really sick!" Bella screamed. "Oh my fuck! How the fuck? Those fucking fuckturds! Fuck me!"
I had to chuckle. The only word that Bella seemed to remember whenever she was angry was fuck or some derivative of that.
"Bella?" Esme asked, finally noticing her. "Was that you that drove us home?"
"Yeah, it was. Hi, Esme."
Esme bolted into Bella's arms and started sobbing, "You've grown up so much. You're so beautiful. How old are you now?"
"I should be twenty-seven, but I was changed when I was twenty-six."
"You're the same age as me."
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"How did you become one of us?"
"To make a long story short, I met Pete, we found out we were mates, and I was changed."
"Oh, well, I'm happy for you. I always envisioned you as a vampire, but I couldn't really see you with Edward. Now, I know why." Esme scanned the room and finally seemed to notice all of the vampires gathered in the room. "Do you all live together? Are you a coven?"
"No, we're family. My name is Jane Volturi, Esme. We were going to rescue you in a few weeks, it seems you found your way to us instead."
"V...Volturi?"
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you. We want to help you."
"Esme, Carlisle is up to something devious. He's done things, terrible things to people. Bella, herself, has been directly affected by his misdeeds, so has Tanya Denali. Edward and Alice are in on it too. They aren't who they seem," I explained.
"What I'd like to know is who this Buckley Fitzroy is. Ever since, he came into the family, things have been extremely strange in the house. He sends shivers up my spine, he's so creepy. He, Edward, Alice, and Carlisle are usually holed up in his office talking for half of the night. Rose, I don't think he's your mate."
"Oh, I know he's not my mate, but apparently he's my husband."
"What? How?"
We explained to Esme about the bogus divorce and marriage, we also told her about all that we discovered about Bella and Tanya. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Don't worry, this can all be reversed," Garrett said. "For now, what I'd like to do is forge some new papers for you. I suggest that you don't use the last name Cullen or Platt for the time being. We need to keep you hidden from the Cullens."
"I'm fine with any last name. What last name is Rose and Emmett using?"
"Swan," Rose replied.
"Okay, then I'll be a Swan, too." She then looked up, perplexedly. "Aren't you Victoria?"
"Yes, yes I am."
"Okay, I think we need to explain to Esme how we all came to be a family," I suggested. We all told her how we came to be together, starting with how Bella and I met up until now. Esme was stunned, but she seemed to take it all in stride.
"At least you seem like a normal family, not fake and put together like Carlisle's. You don't have any disgusting sexual fetishes, do you?"
"Other than Jasper projecting, Bella and Pete being exhibitionists, and Paul and Riley thinking they're amateur pornographers. No," Jane stated.
"Hey, we're not that bad!" I resented Jane's assessment. "At least we weren't caught on the dining room table wearing our dinner."
We all walked into the dining room where we found Paul licking food off of Jane's naked body. He had a camcorder set up on a tripod and was filming the whole scene.
Speak of the devil, Mr. Hungry himself, walked into the living room through the front door. He yawned, pulled Jane to him, kissed her, spanked Bella on her ass, then declared, "I'm starved, what's for breakfast?"
Leah, Paul, and Embry usually just rolled out of their beds and walked over from their homes to ours for sustenance. I don't even think they had food in their refrigerators.
Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh for crying out loud Paul. You're always hungry."
"I have a fucking high metabolism! Who's the hot chick?"
"Oh!" Esme started giggling like a school girl.
"This is Esme. Esme meet Paul Lahote. Jane's mate."
"Bella! I'm hungry!" Embry came loping into the living room.
"Esme, this is Embry Call."
"Nice to meet you both." Esme greeted.
"You're pretty," Embry sighed, then sat down.
"What's wrong, Embry?" I asked.
"I didn't imprint again. It would be nice if I could imprint on a pretty girl like Esme."
Damn it. This guy was so sweet. I hope he can meet his mate soon. He deserves one. On top of that he's twenty-six years old and a virgin, it's high time he popped his cherry.
"Good morning." A perky Leah walked in through the front door. "Who are you?"
"Leah Clearwater, this is Esme."
"Oh wow! When did you rescue her?"
"We didn't exactly rescue her, we kind of found her at Walmart," I explained.
"Pete, maybe you should just hang out at Walmart. I mean, you found Bella there and you found Esme there. Who knows what you'll find at Walmart next."
"True."
"Enough small talk. I'm starved. What's for breakfast Bella?"
"Frosted Flakes. Grab a bowl, pour some cereal inside, and pour milk over it."
"What?" Paul, Embry, and Leah all gasped.
"Alright, how about pancakes and bacon?"
"Chocolate chip?" Embry asked, hopefully.
"Fine, chocolate chip," Bella stood up to go cook. Bree went along to help.
"I think I'll help them cook." Esme rushed to the kitchen.
"You know, you three fuckers should learn how to cook. As soon as Cullengate's over, Bella's going to be working full time. She isn't going to have time to cook three meals a day for you," Rose stated.
The three wolves looked outraged. Paul decided to speak. "Don't say shit like that Rose. We'll die of starvation without Bella."
"Oh my God. You three are the laziest, most spoiled gluttons on this planet." She rolled her eyes. "Learn how to fucking cook!"
A few minutes later, the wolves were called to the table for breakfast. We all sat with them and talked. It's what we did for all three meals, meal time was always family time. It was decided that Esme would stay in the spare bedroom in Embry's cabin. Embry was happy for the company and both of them preferred to not be in a house full of mated couples.
"Okay, I have to go back to Lewisburg to pick up groceries. Who's coming with me?" Bella asked. "Esme, do you need clothes?"
"I hadn't thought about that. I only have about a thousand dollars in cash with me. I also have Carlisle's black credit card. I suppose I can use that."
"I'll need that Esme," Garrett stated. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to know what you brought along with you."
"Well, other than the black credit card, my Macy's card, my driver's license, and my social security card—nothing except for a few sentimental items. I have my cell phone, of course, but I need that."
"Have you used your cell phone at all since leaving Oregon?"
"No."
"Good. May I see it please?"
"Certainly." Esme handed her phone over to Garrett who promptly shredded it between his fingers.
"Bella will put you on her plan. The first thing that Carlisle will try to trace, once he finds out you've disappeared, is your cell phone. You should know that we have very strict rules in this family. First and foremost, you never leave the house without informing someone of where you're going. Second, you always bring a buddy with you. Third, if you're going further than twenty miles, either Bella, Leah, Paul, or Embry has to be around you at all times because they can shield you from Alice."
"I understand. Bella, if I give you my sizes, would you mind picking up clothes for me? I know you hate shopping, but I've been running for almost a day and I think I just want to stay put for awhile. I can give you some money."
"Don't worry about money, Esme. Keep what you have for emergencies. Just write out a list of what you need including any make-up or toiletries and I'll take care of it for you."
"Thank you, Bella."
Bella's POV
"Can you believe the shit Esme just told us?" Leah asked as we strolled through the mall. We had just finished with the three page shopping list from hell and we were now picking up clothes for Esme.
"I believe it. Who knew that I'd ever be the third wife to a Saudi Arabian prince named Carlisle Cullen?" we both chuckled, but knew how horrible the situation actually was. Without a divorce or an annulment, I could never marry Peter. I wanted to marry him, desperately, too. I wanted Daddy to walk me down the aisle in front of my friends and family and I wanted to wear a beautiful, white gown.
"Sis, I'm kind of scared. That Carlisle Cullen gives me the creeps. Just meeting him once gave me the heebie jeebies. Now that Esme is with us, I have a feeling that things are going to heat up. The thing is, we still don't know why he needs all of that cash and why he felt a need to marry you and this Tanya Denali chick on paper."
"We'll figure it out Leah. We have to. Alright, where should we buy Esme's clothes?"
"I don't know, she's our age. Why don't we just buy her whatever we'd buy for ourselves?"
"That's a good idea. She needs to dress down a bit anyway. From what I can recall, she has always dressed like a politician's wife. I mean, for God's sake, she ran away from Carlisle dressed in a pink Channel suit and pearls."
We ended up shopping for Esme at American Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie and Fitch. Hillsgrove was a jeans and hoodie type of town. Winter was fast approaching so we even grabbed a winter coat and a pair of Timberland work boots for her. Esme Cullen was going to be no more and the brand new Esme Swan was going to younger, hipper, and more approachable when Leah and I were done with her.
We finally arrived home around eight pm. The guys all helped us unload our purchases. Esme had cooked for Embry and Paul. "Bells, Esme made us some fried chicken. It was so good. You have to get the recipe from her."
"Thanks, Esme. Oh, Leah and I went shopping for you. Try everything on and let us know what you think. You can change in my room. I'll show you where it is."
I helped Esme with the twenty shopping bags and led her to Pete and my room. When I turned to leave, I heard her say, "No, stay, Bella."
"Sure."
She started trying on clothes. "I just wanted to thank you for all you've done for me and I wanted to apologize for leaving the way we did when we were in Forks; though, I think now it might have been better for you with us gone. I'm just so sorry about Carlisle and the things he did. I truly am. I wish I knew because I would have done whatever it took to stop him."
"Thanks, Esme, but you're a victim in all of this too. He lied to you, used you, kept you in the dark, and forced you to be a model wife. Tell me, who is the real Esme Platt?"
"Oh, Bella, I don't know. I have no idea who Esme Platt is. I was physically abused by my human husband and lied to for nearly a century by my vampire husband."
"Who was Esme Platt before she got married?"
Esme continued trying clothes on. She already looked younger and hipper in the clothes Leah and I picked up for her. "I used to be naughty. I used to climb trees. I'd play pranks on my little sisters because I could. One time, I threw a live frog in my sister's soup. When she tried to eat it, it jumped out at her and landed on her nose."
We both had a good laugh. "Well, then, that's the Esme Platt you should be-not Esme the battered, victimized wife; be Esme the fun-loving, vivacious tomboy that you once were."
"You've matured so much, Bella."
"Esme, I'm twenty-six; plus, after you guys left, I was surrounded by my family who would accept nothing less than a happy, healthy Bella. And if you think Rose is a bitch, wait until you get to know Leah."
"We heard that!" Rose and Leah yelled from the other room.
"The point is, Esme, we've got your back. We'll make sure that you're happy here because anything less is just unacceptable."
"Thank you, Bella."
"You're welcome. Now, what do you think of your new clothes?"
"I like them, they're fun and trendy and, most importantly, they're comfortable."
There was a knock on the door and a bouncy Heidi walked inside armed with beauty equipment. "Now, let's do something about that hair of yours. You look like a Breck girl from the seventies."
"Of course, I do. I kept my hairstyle this way because Carlisle saw the commercial in 1972 and liked it so much."
"I think you're due for a change. Let me work my magic on you. Get out, Bella."
"Okay." I left the room quickly because there was no way in hell I was dealing with Heidi's temper.
The next day...
Knock, knock! I went to answer the door with Pete. Daddy and Mom were standing there along with Seth and Angela. I gave them all hugs and let them in.
"Let me look at you." Sue gave me an approving once over. "So beautiful."
Everyone came out to greet Charlie and Sue who had suddenly become parents to a whole mess of vampires and wolves. Embry was the only one who wasn't home, he had flown to La Push to spend Thanksgiving with his mom.
We introduced Esme to Sue, Charlie had met her previously in Forks. As soon as we told them her story, the two of them reassured her that they wouldn't let anyone hurt her anymore. That's when I realized that Esme, who had been playing the role of mother to appease Carlisle, needed to be a daughter—more than the rest of us. She had been used and abused for her entire adult life from the time she was human. She needed guidance, love, and support. Sue and Charlie could give that to her.
We settled in for an evening of pleasant conversation. Sue was exhausted from having worked the overnight shift the previous evening so she trotted off to bed early. The girls and I decided to hit the High Knob Inn and go for drinks. It was about two miles down the road in Hillsgrove so we just walked there.
"Oh my God, Bella. Guess what?"
"What?" I asked, Angela.
"Tyler Crowley and Lauren Mallory just had a baby."
"So," Rose stated.
"Lauren Mallory is married to Eric Yorkie." I explained.
"Motherfucker!" Rose gasped in realization. "So, what's going on now?"
"Eric and Lauren are getting a divorce, Tyler refuses to admit the kid is his and now my ex-boyfriend, Ben Cheney, is involved stating that there's a possibility that the kid is his, too."
"This shit should be on Jerry Springer," Heidi said, "What the fuck kind of town is Forks?"
"Trust me, you meet some real weirdos there."
We were talking about nothing really when Jane brought something up. "I need to get something off of my chest."
"Shoot," I urged.
"It's Paul, he stayed down for an hour yesterday and ate my pussy out. I mean, come on, I like it, but a whole fucking hour? That shit can get annoying. By time he was done, I just wanted to kick him."
"Oh my God! Seth is like that, too. I think it's a wolf thing because Kim was complaining about Jared the other day, too."
"You know something? I think it is a wolf thing because Sam used to be like that. I don't have a problem with Felix at all. He's perfect."
"Uh-huh, this coming from the girl who was bitching that Felix's sexual routine was always the same. He goes down on you for two minutes, you give him a blow for three, you climb on top of him for four minutes, then he flips you over doggie style and he finishes with a spank on your ass," Jane smirked.
"Do you want to know what's bad?" Esme asked. "Carlisle Cullen's method of having sex with me. He kissed me, hiked up my nightgown, pulled my panties off, had me bend my knees, entered me, thrust for a grand total of forty-six times, ejaculated, kissed me again, then thanked me. The sad thing is, I didn't know any better because my human husband was exactly the same way."
"Haven't you ever had an orgasm, Esme?" Bree asked.
"I don't think so."
"You mean that you've never rubbed one off?" Rose was stunned.
"Touch myself?"
"Yeah, I mean, honestly, you should really get to know your own body. It's healthy."
"N...n...no. I've never done that."
"Esme, times have changed from when you were growing up. Masturbation is considered acceptable for both men and women. It leads to a healthier attitude about sex in general. Ignore all of the social mores saying that masturbation is taboo, it can be freeing," I explained.
Esme gulped, "I don't know how."
"That you have to figure out by yourself. Stand in front of a mirror naked, touch yourself, explore your body. You'll eventually learn what you like and don't like. That's how we all figured it out. Oh, and what you told us about Carlisle and his sick crew of sexual deviants, that kind of thing is not normal, healthy sex—just to let you know."
Esme just nodded and seemed deep in thought for the rest of the night. We went home around midnight. Tomorrow morning was going to be a big cooking day for me. There were only six people actually eating, but with three wolves, I had to roast four turkeys. We were using the ovens in both my house and Leah's house. Everyone that could cook was pitching in to help. Geez. When I think about it now, I cook more, now that I'm a vampire, than when I was human. Crazy!
Pete picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and rushed into our bedroom. "Time for some alone time, baby. Just you and me." He kissed me on the lips and I just melted into him. "I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too, Pete." My mate was always exactly what I needed to take the stress off of my mind. Always.
I'd love to hear what your thoughts on this chapter. I'll always reply to your reviews-that's a promise. XOXO
