Okay, so this chapter is a little treat for all my faithful reviewers out there who have generously supported me and given me great suggestions. This chapter is about Alice and Jasper's arrival from Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie's POV. I hope you enjoy, it was a really fun break to get inside these characters's heads. Next chapter will be back to Alice and Jasper. I just can't stay away from them! Please, keep the reviews coming! Work is really crazy right now but I will try to respond to your reviews very soon!
Disclaimer: I have written this as a fan of Stephenie Meyer's work and do not claim any ownership to the characters or plot lines of the Twilight Saga novels or anything Twilight-related.
Visions of Love
Chapter 10: Visitors
Carlisle's POV
"Carlisle!" Esme's voice was tinged with a slight panic. She hadn't yelled but still I'd heard her from my second floor study. In a matter of seconds, I found her standing in the front living room, staring out of the window. I couldn't help but appreciate the view of her from behind in her white sleeveless blouse and black form-fitting pencil skirt. Her caramel colored hair flowed all around her creamy shoulders. My favorite way for her to wear it.
But her posture was all wrong. She was as still as a statue and her arms were wrapped around her waist. She was frightened. But of what? Rose must have also sensed something was wrong as I felt her whip by me in a whirlwind, coming to a perfect stop next to her adopted mother. In the next second, Rosalie snarled and dropped to a defensive crouch.
Something was definitely not right. My first thought was that perhaps Emmett and Edward had returned early from Denali and one of them had been hurt. But with a shake of my head, I dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come. Impossible. Emmett could be reckless at times but with my level-headed first-born son there, I knew Edward would keep him under control, keep him safe.
I quickly moved to Rose's side murmuring reassurances to her. She tended to be the most dramatic of my children, often over-reacting. I usually found myself in the position of pulling her back from the brink. I reached down placing a firm hand on her shoulder but her gaze never strayed from what she was looking at, the topaz of her eyes blazing, her white teeth bared, showing there was more to her than a beautiful face.
I quickly followed her gaze. Perhaps a lost hiker? My unbeating heart dropped to my stomach as I found the objects of Rosalie and Esme's distress. Vampires. Nomads, most probably. Likely they had picked up our scent and traced it to our house (or ice fortress as Emmett liked to tease Esme about her architectural tastes) out of curiosity. Or perhaps to do us harm, claim the territory for their own.
I threw up a silent prayer that for some reason Edward and Emmett were on their way home even if a few days earlier than planned. I was sure Rosalie and I could handle these two on our own if necessary but I hated the idea of fighting or killing any creature. Esme hated fighting worse than I did although I was sure she could hold her own as well. I'd seen the tigress in her on more than one occasion, er, just not while fighting. If Edward were here, he'd be able to read their thought, tell us what their intentions were.
"Rose," I murmured reassuringly, lightly squeezing her shoulder. Looking out the window, I saw the two figures standing still as statues, staring at the house. The female was tiny with dark short-cropped hair. The blonde male was tall, muscular. They were holding hands. Interesting. Typically, even if nomads were mates, they didn't show such signs of affection. Perhaps they were just curious.
Placing my hand under Rosalie's elbow, I gently prodded her to raise to a standing position. I could feel Esme's gaze on me. I was always attuned to here, no matter if we were near each other or not. I met her eyes and saw the fear there. I gave a hint of a smile. "Well, it looks like we have guests. Shall I greet them?" Rosalie began vigorously shaking her head, wordlessly, as if in shock at the very thought.
Esme's brow creased with worry. "Carlisle," she began, her voice breathy. I knew that tone. Whenever she was worried or afraid for us, her voice would get lower, huskier. That quiet voice always brought out my desire to protect her at all costs. I tried to show her with my eyes that it would be okay, that I would keep her safe.
I looked back out on the lawn. Now my brow creased. The tiny vampire and her tall companion were locked in an embrace. Well, if they meant us harm, surely they wouldn't be having a make-out session in front of our house. I crossed to our solid front door, steeling myself for whatever awaited me on the other side. I took a deep breath as my hand grabbed the door knob and turned. Now or never. It was time to see what our visitors wanted.
As I swung the heavy door open the blond male vampire swept his mate behind him, crouching defensively and baring his teeth. A small gasp escaped me as I got my first clear view of him. He had the physique of a fighter. Every inch of his exposed skin revealed a criss-cross pattern of crescent-shaped scars. Vampire bites. He was a fighter. I expected to see the ruby-red eyes of one of our kind. But his were much paler, a rose color. As if diluted by…Impossible!
At that moment, the petite female peeked her head around. I felt my body stiffen in shock. Her eyes were a rich golden color. Like those of my family, thanks to our "vegetarian" diet. "Carlisle?" She called in a sweet sing-song voice. Confusion spread through my brain. She knew my name. I had no time to process what that meant because in the next second, her arms were wrapped tightly around me. "We're home," she breathed in my ear.
My confused gaze met her companion's and he gave me a sheepish look. Almost reluctantly, he began moving toward us. He was speaking but I could barely process what he was saying. Snippets broke through the confused fog in my brain. Jasper, Alice, home. They were home? Well, so much for being visitors.
Esme's POV
Okay, Carlisle was still in one piece. I had wrapped an arm around Rose. Partly to comfort her, mostly to stop her from doing something rash that would put us in danger. From what the visitors had said, I don't think they meant us harm. Quite the opposite in fact. They seemed to think they belonged here. Well, the girl did anyway. Her mate didn't sound so sure.
I peeked out the door and saw the tiny female with her arms around my husband. She must have felt my presence because she looked over his shoulder, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. I felt my lips curve upward of their own accord. Her countenance was lovely. She looked like a fairy princess. With topaz eyes.
I felt myself take a step backward in surprise. Suddenly, she let go of Carlisle and skipped her way to us, stopping short in front of me and Rosalie. Rose recoiled backward with a look of haughty disgust on her face. Oh, Rose. Trapped in her own sense of self-worth. The fairy creature in front of me smiled shyly, a look of uncertainty now clouding her eyes. I felt an overwhelming urge to pull her in my arms and reassure her that it was okay.
She reached out and grasped both of my hands in hers. She had a strong grip. Especially considering how tiny she was. Instinctively, I knew she meant no harm. I got the feeling she had a difficult time containing her excitement. "Esme." My name escaped her lips like a sigh. "You're Alice?" I sounded much more confident than I felt. "Did someone send you here?" It was the only thing I could think of. Perhaps Tanya, Kate, or Irina. How else could she have the golden eyes of a vegetarian? "Not exactly." She shrugged her shoulders, almost sheepishly, as if embarrassed or uncertain of what to say.
I turned my head searching for Carlisle, confusion blanketing me. He'd stepped inside and the tall blonde companion of Alice (I think I'd heard the name Jasper?) was about a foot behind him. I now saw what had caused Carlisle to gasp. Oh, the poor dear. So many bites, how excruciating! His face did look a little strained. I couldn't help but be warmed by the thought.
He was obviously worried about his Alice. His gaze moving rapidly between Carlisle, Rose, and myself as if assessing any threat we might pose. I was certain he wasn't worried about himself but instead our reaction to his mate. His eyes were a pale red. I felt my compassion for him grow. He hadn't been in our lifestyle long and instinctively I knew that the reason he was in it at all was because of the lovely creature in front of me.
I raised my arm and placed it around Alice's delicate shoulder, gently squeezing. "Well, Alice, Jasper, welcome to our home. We're always delighted to entertain visitors of our kind. We get them so rarely." Alice beamed at me and ever so slightly, I saw Jasper's posture relax. He still looked a little worried but something else was there in his eyes. Relief? Yes, perhaps. Mixed in with a little hope. That was it. This Jasper creature seemed to look a little hopeful. What had this poor soul been through? Well, I had to agree with Alice. They were home now.
As I glanced at Rosalie, I realized she hadn't moved an inch. She was standing there like an incredible marble statue of a Greek goddess. Okay, now we had to convince Rose that they were home. A small sigh escaped my lips. That wouldn't be easy. Change did not come easily for Rosalie.
Rosalie's POV
It had finally happened. Esme and Carlisle had lost their damn minds! What were they thinking inviting these two strange visitors into our home, our haven? I'm sure the disgust was written all over my face. I had never been particularly good at hiding my thoughts. It always showed on my face. That was good for Emmett. I loved him desperately but being perceptive was not exactly his strong suit. Brute strength was.
I wished he was here now. He could dispatch with these two in a matter of minutes. As my gazed raked over the male vampire, I reconsidered. Okay, well, maybe a little longer with that one. He'd obviously seen his share of battles. Of course, if Emmett was here, then that would've meant Edward would be here too. Ugh.
A small part of me was glad Edward wasn't here to witness this bizzarro scene. He'd be all smug with his mind-reading and then of course would fall into line with whatever Carlisle and Esme wanted to do, however they wanted to treat our uninvited visitors. He was never on my side. And most of the time, I took extreme delight in that fact. There was another part of me though that wouldn't mind if he was here just so we would know for sure what these vampires' true intentions were.
I was not as eager as Esme to roll out the red carpet just yet. Although the tiny female was cute in her own way. At least she seemed to have some fashion sense. And her grin was a little infectious. But it would take more than that to convince me. I trained my gaze on her mate, never wavering. I wanted him to know exactly what I thought about this. He might have been stunningly handsome if it weren't for all of those hideous scars.
As his gaze met mine, a small crease line appeared between his brows. Immediately, my mind became cloudy and I felt waves of calmness wash over me. Wow, I felt like I didn't have a care in the world. It felt amazing!
Something pricked at the back of my mind. I tried to ignore it but I gasped as it broke through. Oh. My. God. That scarred, red-eyed freak was messing with my mind. Oh, hell no! My teeth clenched and with a shriek of frustration, I growled, "Get. Out. Of. My. Head, you freak!" His surprised gaze met mine and he jerked backward as if I'd physically attacked him.
I bent over and clasped my knees, taking in deep breaths to clear my head. And to stop myself from flying across the room and adding a few more scars to his collection. I looked up and Carlisle and Esme were both looking at me with a mixture of confusion and shock. Carlisle also had that disapproving look he got right before admonishing me. Great. Sometimes I really hated it when he got all father-like on me.
But honestly, he couldn't possibly be mad at me for sticking up for our family with these two freaky visitors! He opened his mouth and said reprovingly, "Rosalie!" Crap. I guess he could. Fine. They could stay. But I didn't have to like it. And I definitely didn't have to be nice.