Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight / JR Ward owns Black Dagger Brotherhood
"Carlisle do you really think it was a good idea to agree to one of them coming here?" Edward asked a few moments after Rosalie had taken Nessie to her room.
"Edward, I know it is not in your nature to trust easily, but I gave my word to Wrath that we would call a truce, and until he gives me reason to doubt him, I will trust his word" Carlisle said as he moved towards Esme, who stood by the floor to ceiling windows.
"Love" Carlisle said softly brushing his lips across Esmes forehead who smiled in greeting.
"A visitor?" Esme asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Yes. A physician Jane" Carlisle said wrapping an arm around Esmes waist and turning around to face his family who remained in the room.
"The doctor? Her husband is the one mom knocked out cold" Emmett chuckled from his seat next to Jaspar.
"I see Nessie has filled you all in" Carlisle said looking at Bella, who was currently sitting between Edward and Jacob.
"If you mean filled in - as in couldn't stop talking about how super cool they were, and how the men are all super hot, and the women super pretty, and they're super rich and live in a super mansion. Then yes, we've been super filled in" Bella said smirking a little at Carlisle.
Carlisle laughed "Ah such an extensive vocabulary, did she manage to tell you anything useful?"
"Defy tell. I swear the girl has an IQ that would rival university professors, yet her mind is still that of a child. I was able to read certain things, that Nessie thought was useless, that instead could prove useful to us. Of course it didn't help that during the mist of all the 'the guys are so hot' dribble that was running through her thoughts, I just happened to over hear that 'they were seriously still hot mofo's even when shooting her'. Her words not mine" Edward said pinching the bridge of his nose. Bella placed her hand on Edwards's thigh and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
Jacob started to growl, at the mention of Nessie being shot, in which Carlisle felt the room ease and relax a little, Jaspers handy work no doubt.
"Hush now. We already went though this and I'm not going to go over it again" Esme said sternly looking directly at Jacob, then Edward.
"What time will she be here?" Bella asked trying to change the subject.
"Six, so we've got a little time. I'd prefer Rosalie not be here" Carlisle said to Emmett raising an eyebrow.
"Oh I'm telling Rosy" Emmett chuckled.
"You know very well, Rosalie's temper gets the better of her. I've just called a truce; I don't need it broken in the first ten minutes. Plus Wrath has informed me that there is something unique about Jane, something which she didn't tell Nessie and would prefer to do on her own. So I'm assigning you and Rosalie to look after Nessie while Jane is here" Carlisle spoke.
"Unique how?" Emmett asked shifting in his seat.
Carlisle sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's a fire breathing dragon…I don't know Emmett. But please, can you just keep Rosalie away?"
"Alright pop's. Take a chill pill. I will entertain the lovely Rosalie, even if it means losing the hotel security deposit" Emmett said grinning waggling his eyebrows as he stood.
"Dude!" Jake hissed disgusted.
"Barf" Alice said, shoving a finger in her mouth.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game" Emmett said bouncing his way out of the hotel room.
"Of course everyone left is free to stay or go" Carlisle said releasing his arm from around Esmes waist and grabbing her hand and leading her into their bedroom. "But if you intend on staying, please come back at ten to six"
"Double barf. The parent's macking" Alice said getting up quickly, Jasper practically pulling her out the door, causing a bottleneck as everyone tried to get out.
i-i-i-i-i-i-i
"I'm so excited. Are you excited?" Jane asked as Fritz dropped them at the door of the hotel.
"Ecstatic" Xhex replied sarcastically.
"Oh Xhex where's your sense of adventure?" Jane asked allowing the doorman to open the doors for them.
"I left it at Iron Mask; you know where a female knocked your hellren out cold" Xhex said eyeing the interior of the lobby for threats as they made their way over into an open elevator.
"Yes well, Nessie explained that" Jane said quieter as she hit the button for the tenth floor. According to V, the 'Cullans' had five rooms booked on the tenth floor. How he managed to find that out she had no idea. Nessie had told the shellans which hotel they were staying at, but she didn't tell them room numbers.
When the elevator doors opened showing a long hallway, Xhex grabbed Jane's arm.
"Just remember what Wrath said, any sign of danger and you disappear out of there. You got it. Don't wait for me, I can get myself out" Xhex said seriously.
"Yes Xhex. I'm not looking to play the hero today" Jane said offering a reassuring smile.
"So which one?" Xhex said looking down the hallway again.
"Mmm well we've got room 1018, 1020, 1022, 1026, and 1028. How about.." Jane was saying just as a door further down the hallway opened, and a blonde thirty year old man stepped out.
"Jane?" the man asked.
Jane looked at Xhex who nodded her head for Jane to answer.
"Yes" Jane said walking together with Xhex.
"Welcome" the man said smiling when they reached him. "I'm Carlisle, Nessies grandfather for all intensive purposes" he said holding his hand out to Jane.
"Jane, but you know that, and this is Xhex" Jane said shaking Carlisle's hand.
Carlisle turned and looked at Xhex the same smile on his face that he had given Jane.
"Ah yes, I believe we've meet before briefly" Carlisle said holding his hand out to Xhex, who just looked down at it. Jane nudged her discretely in the side.
"Xhex" she said shaking his hand quickly.
"Please come inside. I hope you don't mind, some members of my family wanted to sit in." Carlisle said standing to the side to let them enter.
"Not at all. The more the merrier" Jane said entering the room. Xhex hesitated for a second before following Jane in.
As Jane entered the room, she was flabbergasted at the beautiful people sitting in the lounge. She thought V and his brothers were chiseled from marble by the gods, in all their infinite beauty, but these people were something else.
A lady with soft caramel hair and heart shaped face, stood by a window smiling, but she was more than smiling, she was sparkling. Literally. She stepped away from the window and instantly stopped sparkling.
"Hello, I'm Esme. You must be Jane" the woman said stepping closer to where Jane stood staring. Xhex nudged her forward, snapping her out of her stupor.
"Sorry, but god, Nessie wasn't joking, when she said your species sparkled. I've never seen anything like it" Jane said moving towards Esme, her hand outstretched.
Esme laughed softly, "Believe me, sparkling isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Shopping in pouring rain so I don't sparkle is not a lot of fun"
"I can only imagine" Jane said staring while she shook Esmes hand blindly.
"Nice to meet you" Esme said releasing her hand and looking towards Xhex her smile still in place.
"Esme"
"Xhex" Xhex said looking at Esmes outstretched hand before quickly shaking it and stepping to the side.
"Please let me introduce my family" Esme smiled turning and placing a motherly arm around Jane's waist.
As Jane shot Xhex a 'Stop being rude' look, movement in the corner of her eye had her wiping her head around quickly. Not quick enough that she didn't notice Xhex palm her piece.
When Jane turned she noticed all the men standing, waiting to be introduced.
'Such manners, just like the brothers. God vampires could teach humans a thing or two about manners' Jane thought smiling slowly looking at each man standing.
"I think it's more that we're just really old and brought up in a time where men stood when meeting a lady" one of the young men said, surprising Jane.
"Ah you must be Nessie's dad. Edward?" Jane said smiling moving forward with Esme's arm still around her.
"Yes my oldest son" Esme said beaming.
"Pleasure to meet you" Edward said shaking Jane's hand. "Allow me to introduce my wife Bella. Nessie's mother" Edward said indicating a petite brown haired beauty standing by her side.
"I can see where Nessie gets her looks from. You're stunning" Jane said her hand outstretched.
Bella shook her hand firmly whilst ducking her head.
Esme made further introductions around the room. Jane meet Nessies aunt and uncle Alice and Jasper and the mysterious Jacob, whose manners didn't seem to match Carlisle or the other men in the room. After the introductions were made, Jane and Xhex took a seat together on the lounge across from Carlisle and Esme, while the rest of the group fanned out around them.
"Thank you for coming today" Carlisle smiled sincerely.
"No thank you. You don't understand the thrill I get from learning there's a whole other race out there. I mean to have found my hellrens race, and now yours. A geneticist only ever dreams of making such discoveries" Jane prattled.
"Well on that. I'm afraid for your safety and that of my family anything you learn from us must never be released. You see, we aren't the be all and end all with our species…"
"Oh yes the Voultri and the rule. Keep the secret. Nessie informed me and I completely understand. It's the same with V's race" Jane said smiling.
"Carlisle tells us you're a physician" Bella said.
"Yes surgeon first and foremost. My second field is genetics. Nessie told me you're a doctor as well" Jane said nodding at Carlisle.
"Indeed. Some of the time. Unfortunately I haven't been able to practice in a few months" Carlisle said somewhat sadly, just as Esme reached across and squeezed Carlisle's hand.
"Can I ask how you have a medical license?" Jane asked seriously.
"I image the same way you do. Going to university every ten, fifteen years and studying. With the advances in technologies and procedures, one must keep up to date" Carlisle said smirking.
"Most definitely. Which area do you specialize in?" Jane asked railroading the questioning.
"Genetics, gyno, cardio, pedo, uro, nuro. You name it, I've pretty much spent a dozen years or so doing it" Carlisle smiled.
"Wow. I need a minute…Leading procedure in a cartiopic?"
"Swinston technique, though many would argue it's invasive, it is also the most effective, also one hundred percent successful if done correctly and shorter recovery time"
"Have you…performed it yourself?" Jane asked aware she probably had a star struck look on her face.
"Three times, though I may have cheated. With my abilities, I'm able to detect problems before they arise"
"Problems?"
"Often because the blood vessels are so thin and microscopic, one could accidently nick one, leading to a slow bleed out that wouldn't be detected for days, which wouldn't be good for the patient"
"While this is all exciting, if you two are just going to discuss medical procedures, I might go hang out with Ness" Jacob said rising.
"Oh I'm sorry…" Jane started apologizing.
"No need. Don't forget Jake" Carlisle said pegging Jacob a hard stare.
"Wouldn't dream of it" Jacob said sarcastically before leaving the room.
"Is he always like that?" Xhex said nodding her head towards the door Jacob had left through.
"No. He's just really worried about Nessie at the moment" Esme said softly.
"Has something happened to her since last night?" Jane asked worriedly.
"Oh you could say that" Jasper drawled from his spot next to his wife Alice, earning him an elbow to the side.
"Is Nessie alright? I hope you weren't too hard on her, she was just being a teenager" Jane defended Nessie.
Esme and Alice both snorted, while Carlisle looked guilty.
"Trust me Jane, when I tell you Nessie is fine. That girl undoubtly has everyone in our family wrapped around her finger. Even if we wanted to ground her for her reckless behavior, I fear my mother would have grounded me" Edward said pointedly shooting Esme a look that dared her to say otherwise.
"Well she's just going through a rebellion stage Edward. I should think of all people who could understand you would" Esme said wringing her hands together glaring back at Edward.
"And let's not forget who gave Nessie their credit card and told her not to spend over five thousand dollars, before increasing it to…what was the amount hon" Jasper grinned his finger taping his jaw as if he was trying to remember the answer.
"A hundred thousand if I remember correctly" Alice said grinning.
Jane whipped her head back to Edward who huffed and looked down. But she distinctively heard him mutter "Like you could have said no to her".
"Anyway we digress" Alice said speaking with an even bigger smile on her face. "Nessie told me that most of you girls can't go out in daylight, cause you know sizzle. So I've decided that I will become your inhouse stylist. Of course I will need to come over to the house and check out what you girls already have, and then I can go shopping for you all. How does that sound? I can come tonight. Yay this is going to be so much fun" Alice said clapping her hands together and bouncing in her seat.
Jane sat there jaw slacked. How'd they go from Swinston technique to having an inhouse stylist?
"Alice" Esme warned lightly.
"It's already done" Alice said shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm sorry" Bella apologized, wincing at Jane.
"Sorry?" Xhex asked.
"If Alice says it's already done, then it's already done" Bella offered.
"Okay I'm lost. What's already done?" Jane asked.
"Your inhouse stylist I'm afraid. If Alice has seen that it will happen, then more than likely it will happen" Carlisle said apologetically.
"Oh give it a rest you guys. You'll scare Jane. Anyone would think I just told her I was going to torture them. I'm just going shopping for them" Alice said standing.
"Torture…shopping" Bella said sarcastically her palms facing upwards as she pretended to weigh up the options.
"We're leaving. And it's not torture, I know Beth is going to love me and so is the other Bella so there" Alice said sticking out her tongue at Bella while holding her hand out to Jasper.
"Potato. Patatoe" Bella grinned.
"The other Bella just became my new best friend" Alice said seriously.
"Oh thank god. Finally I can escape the wrath that is Alice" Bella smirked.
"You'll regret that when you're wearing last season's clothes" Alice grumbled, whilst pulling a stack of magazines from under the coffee table.
"Oh no the horror" Bella laughed.
"Here Xhex, you're going to need these" Alice said handing the magazines to Xhex.
Xhex took the bundle of magazines from Alice staring blankly at them. Jane noted that they were weapons magazines.
"What do I need these for?" Xhex asked dropping the magazines ontop of the coffee table.
"Jane and Daddy C are going to discuss all kinds of medical rubbish. In about fifteen minutes, that.." Alice said pointing at Bella "..soon to be ex best friend is going to get bored and leave. Five minutes after that Esme is going to leave. Then lame-o over there.." she said pointing at Edward "..is going to get involved in the boring medical talk, and you'll be stuck here wishing you could be anywhere but here. But you won't leave Jane, even if I swear on the bible that she'll be safe, so then you'll pick up the magazines and start reading. I'll be back at sundown, ready to go to your place Jane. Xhex you'll make the call and clear it with the Chief. I mean Wrath." Alice said skipping out of the room with Jasper following after her.
After Alice and Jasper were gone, Jane turned her head to Carlisle. "It's all going to happen isn't? Just like she said"
"Mostly likely" Carlisle shrugged apologetically.
"Sweet Virgin, there is so much to learn. Nessie told us about Alice's gift, but to see it happen is a whole other story" Jane exhaled.
"You get used to it, and if anything she was probably just showing off a bit with the magazines, to try and win you over" Bella smiled.
"Can we change it? The future I mean" Jane asked.
"Of course, see for instance Alice said Bella would leave first and then I. Here I'm going to change the future and leave first. Since I already know what will be discussed, I fear I will be in the same position as Xhex and want to be anywhere but here. But unlike Xhex I will leave. So here I go changing the future" Esme smiled kissing Carlisle on the cheek before leaving the room.
"Alice only sees the path people are on. If they make a decision that changes the path so does their future" Carlisle tried explaining.
"Sort of sliding door" Xhex said.
"Sliding door?" Carlisle asked.
"Movie Carlisle. The difference between a sliding door being open allowing you to go through or closed, meaning you have to wait for it to open. In those few moments, your whole future is altered" Bella explained standing.
"Yes exactly. Is that a movie?"
"Yeah a pretty good one actually. Gwyneth Paltrow. I'll see you later" Bella said kissing Edward softly on his lips. "It was nice meeting you both. I hope to see you again soon" Bella said before walking out of the room.
"So now that the future has been altered, does that mean Alice won't be coming back with us tonight?" Jane asked sparing a glance at Xhex.
"Possibly" Carlisle said but didn't look to confidently.
Jane noted that Edward tilted his head slightly as if he heard something.
"Alice said to open the front cover of the top magazine" Edward sighed.
"You heard her, or you heard her?" Jane asked curious as to how his mind reading abilities worked.
"Heard"
Xhex leaned forward and turned the cover of first magazine over. Sitting inside was a piece of paper that Xhex picked up and brought back to read quickly before handing it to Jane.
Jane read the note three times.
'So just to show you how awesome I truly am. After I left, Esme left preciously four minutes and thirteen seconds after. Then Bella left two minutes later, but not before telling Carlisle about the movie Sliding doors, great soundtrack by the way. Xhex now realizes how awesome I am, and is contemplating leaving you Jane, but she won't she is however going to pick up a magazine in about three minutes. You and Carlisle and Edward are going to discuss in great detail all things medical, before you finally tell them you're a somewhat ghost. Ha bet you didn't see that coming. Did you? I will be back at six o'clock on the dot, and Fritz your guys wonderful butler/cook/cleaner(how many jobs does he have?) will take us back to your house. At which after meeting Beth and Bella(my new best friend) I will stay the night in the spare guest room that Nessie slept in last night, or should I say Qhuinn's room. Yep I know all about that, but what I don't think you guys know is that Nessie had a bedmate last night. One in which we will need to discuss, tonight. Can you say slumber party? I can't wait.'
"Wow" Jane exhaled, just as Xhex picked up a magazine and flipped open the cover. Jane stared shocked at the action. It had been roughly about three minutes.
"What why fight it?" Xhex shrugged turning a page.
"She's amazing" Jane breathed out.
"Amazing…annoying. Take your pick" Edward chuckled.
"What else can she see?" Jane asked intrigued.