Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, Jacob would not have had any interactions with Bella, asides from polite small talk whenever he dropped Billy down to Charlie's. He would have found a nice girl his age and wouldn't have imprinted on a hybrid baby. I'd rather have him paired with Charlie than *shudders* Renesmée.

Carlisle Cullen had a problem, and that problem came in the form of a pixie-like Vampire that he once called 'daughter'. In hindsight, he should have had this down as a possibility: a power such as hers, being able to see the future based upon decisions made, should have been monitored more closely. He hadn't thought the girl to be selfish, hadn't thought that her 'visions' could be manipulated in order for her to have her way and was utterly ashamed at the stupidity and naivety that he had displayed. He had worked so hard, for so long, and now his efforts were deteriorating before his very own eyes.

Things would have been that little bit easier if they'd had the God of War with them, that was for sure, though.

The Cullen Coven had just returned to their house, after having a meeting with the Shifter's of La Push and, much to their surprise, Carter.

"That little, filthy, lying human needs to die." Hissed Rosalie.

"Whoa, babe, calm down. She's our friend. You like her, remember?" Rosalie just snarled, completely resolute that Carter needed to die.

"You won't be going anywhere near her, Rosalie, so be quiet." She whipped around to growl at Jasper.

"What? Are you going to stop me?" She looked ready to pounce at him and Emmett was becoming nervous. He took a step forward, in front of his mate. A subtle, protective stance that Jasper didn't bat an eye lid at.

"I'll destroy you." He stated simply. He was at ease, hell, this was probably the closest he felt to being at home. There was going to be a war, there was going to be chaos; death and Jasper could not wait until he could join in on the action again.

"You're disgusting. What's wrong with you?" Edward asked him. He shrugged. "What? You honestly can't wait to track down and Alice and kill her."

"Can't deny it. Got it in one, Eddy-boy." He had a lazy smirk upon his face that seemed to irritate the bronze-haired boy.

"Please, everybody just calm down." Esme pleaded.

"We need to find Alice before she does something incredibly selfish and stupid." Carlisle declared. "She'd have gone to Alaska, for certain. The Denali's would have spoken with her, maybe hinted at ways to see the Volturi."

"Italy's the game plan then?" Jasper asked. "Can't say I wanna be part o' that." He straightened his posture. "Let them come to us. It'll be our territory and our terms. An ambush would be easily set. They wouldn't survive the first minute."

"We don't want to kill the Volturi." Carlisle said. "We want Alice."

"I'll deal with her myself. That way I'm gonna know it's done right. Ain't leavin' that one up to you lot: you'll let her live."

"You were with her for decades: don't you feel any remorse about what you're planning to do?" Edward asked, disgusted by the man's bloodlust. Jasper's thoughts were of nothing but war and the feeling of elation he gained when he made a kill.

"I had nothin' to do and nowhere to be. I do now. She ain't making it past the next week." Carlisle wasn't surprised by this and Edward concentrated on the Doctor's thoughts as well.

"I'll go to the Volturi alone. They can be reasoned with."

"Why are we waiting here?" Emmett asked.

"Carter's protected by the Quileute Tribe. There's no reason for any of us to stay near Forks." Edward chimed in. Jasper turned sharply, eyeing Rosalie with his lip curled into a half-snarl. He remained eyeing her until she spoke what she was feeling.

"Those mangy mutts won't stand a chance against the Volturi." She said with a smug smile. "Our problem will be solved."

"Best reign in that wife of yours, Emmett, else you ain't gonna have a mate much longer." Jasper warned. Emmett was getting sick of Rosalie's attitude himself, if he was being honest. Rosalie just couldn't seem to control herself though, and before Edward could warn anyone about what she was thinking of doing, Rosalie had crouched down, growling and preparing to attack Jasper. She was gone within a blink of the eye. With a speed that the Cullen's were unaware he possessed, Jasper had run to Rosalie, picked her up by the throat and had slammed her into living room floor with such force that there was now a crater. He then promptly picked her up and threw her across the house, not even bothering to care about Emmett, who had come to his mate's aid, as he picked the massive man up as well and sent him in the same direction as his wife.

"Jasper." Carlisle said sternly. The Doctor was shielding Esme away from the irate Vampire and Edward wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself.

"You thought you knew what I was capable of," he started circling the three, "but I'd bet everything that you don't know the half of it at the moment." His accent had taken over; the sweet Southern charm spilling threats that he would gladly follow through with. "If you want to leave with your lives and limbs, I suggest you don't provoke me. I'm not gonna hesitate in ripping ya'll to shreds and burning down this forest, along with this house. Understand?"

"He's not bluffing." Edward assured. He had to ask, though, or at least try to find out, why his brother was acting like this.

"You never accepted me into your Coven. You know my reputation, what it means to have me here. You've been safe, harbouring the God of War in your house and home. I didn't feel anything but contempt and a begrudging need to keep me here. Don't patronise me with your words."

"We've done nothing but love you, Jasper." Esme said, truly believing what she said.

"You tell the truth. The rest of the Coven, however? Not so much." Jasper Whitlock was done with being civil; was done with the Cullen Coven. It was time stopped pretending to be Jasper Cullen. It was time for the Major to come out and play. Carlisle recognised the shift within Jasper immediately, as did Edward. There was a palpable aura around the blonde man that would have lesser beings running in fear. "Now, listen here. This is what's gonna happen."

After explaining to them exactly what role they played and how they were going to do so, Jasper left with a new goal in mind. Originally, he had wanted to end the Seers' life. Now he had others to take care of that while he got to stay behind and bask in the presence of Carter.

With Jasper's absence, the Coven breathed a little easier.

"Edward," the boy turned to his surrogate father, "please, you must know something; anything." The boy shook his head.

"She would have been keeping an eye on my whereabouts. I haven't heard a single thought from her that betrayed her plans." He was feeling guilt as much as the rest of the broken Coven.

"Alice has played us all from the beginning!" Rosalie exclaimed. "We find her and we kill her. Jasper was right about what our actions should be." She was bitter. They'd lost two members of their family and were hurting. She didn't appreciate being played with either.

"As much I do not condone his behaviour or plans: Jasper is correct. We must find Alice. Edward, you were closest with her: what would she do?"

"Look for our course of action, find a way to gain forgiveness and trust," his eyes widened at his next thought, "and go straight to the Volturi." He summed up what Jasper had said moments before.

"We'll need back up; a solid plan if we're thinking of meeting with them. Honey," Esme turned to speak to her husband, "you were with them for a long while: are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I left Italy on good terms with them. They're dangerous though. Very dangerous. There's no telling if it'll be worth it or not."

"We've been forced to leave our home, we're now chasing after a future-seeing bitch: why not take the risk?" Rosalie asked. She was scared, absolutely terrified, at the prospect of having to meet the people who governed their species. She had her mate and she was seriously considering running away with Emmett and wiping her hands of the Cullen name.

"It might be best." Edward said to her, having heard her thoughts. "This could be the end if anything were to go wrong." Carlisle didn't the ability to read minds to understand the blonde woman's thoughts.

"I would never ask you to accompany me to the Volturi." He said, looking at each of his Coven. "In fact, I'd rather you all make yourselves scarce. It would put my mind at ease."

"You think we'd abandon you?" Edward was visibly angry. "That we'd leave you at the drop of a hat? We're not all like Jasper."

"Edward!" Esme exclaimed. "Jasper did what he believed was right."

"And he left us to guard some human who has him wrapped around her fingers. Those dogs are going to rip him up the second they get the chance. That's if the Volturi don't burn him first." Rosalie said, a slight bit of satisfaction going through her at the thought of her 'twin' getting a taste of his own medicine. She still could not believe that he had left them, said those awful words to them; hurt her all over some bag of blood. True, she had started to actually like the girl, may have even thought of her as a friend, but the change she ignited in Jasper had her cursing the day Carter walked through the doors of Forks High and approached them.

He was brought back to reality by the sounds of footsteps.

"Carlisle, dear friend, you know you are always welcome here," the ancient man addressed, "but, we have had been warned of what you will say to us." Of course, that had been expected.

"I ask only for a moment of your time. However hard it may be to believe: I have come to warn you. My Coven and I, we ask for an audience." The man giggled to himself and it took a bit of will power not to roll his eyes. Looking backwards, Aro needed only to glance at his fellow brethren. The other two men stood. Carlisle remained as impassive as he could.

"We have missed your presence, brother." The blonde said. "Perhaps a moment of our time is due." With that, the Vampire Royalty, known as the Volturi, walked the Cullen patriarch down the stone halls of their palace.

''

"It has been almost a century since you last graced us with your appearance, Carlisle. What have you to say that we haven't already been told?"

"You've been told of the circumstances with which I find myself today, correct?" Aro nodded his head but extended his hand, nonetheless. Carlisle took it without hesitation and Aro smiled down at him. His eyes widened as he sorted through Carlisle's memories.

"We were unaware that there was originally a plan for the young one named Edward." Carlisle, being as old as he was, had exceptional skill in controlling himself. This extended to an odd ability in which he was able to shield memories behind others, offering a distraction of sorts. He had learnt, after what seemed like a millennial with the Royals, to offer a certain memory, ensuring to captivate Aro's attention with it, while others slipped past the gaze of the ancient man. It was nowhere near perfected, and he wasn't sure if it had properly worked, but Carlisle Cullen was a confident man and he was, if nothing else, incredibly smart like that.

"I'm certain that, using her own ability, Alice has been able to integrate herself into your Guard. I stand before you now, as a friend and as a brother, to warn you against following her counsel."

"Was she not an asset to your Coven?"

"I cannot deny her that. However, with a complex such as hers: guidance counsellor for the Volturi Guard would not be the position she has her sights on." There was no need to spell it out for them. They'd have to be at least somewhat more wary than he had ever been in regards to trusting someone who saw the future.

"Would you please explain your story to Caius and Marcus." It wasn't a question and Carlisle recognised that he would have to play carefully if he wanted to walk out of there alive and with his Coven intact. Aro gestured for him to begin as they settled in the private room.

"Alice came to us out of the blue with a Vampire from the south." Aro nodded, as did his brothers.

"Major Whitlock: the God of War." He clarified.

"Yes, the God of War. We had not a clue as to who they were or why they had approached us, but eventually I gave them my consent to join our Coven. They both adopted the Cullen name and were integrated into society, living amongst the Humans as I do."

"Your fondness for our meals has always intrigued me, Carlisle." Aro said.

"But how could you ever give up the sublime taste of Humanity for the course, unpleasant taste of animals?" Caius asked. He could never properly understand why any Vampire in their right mind would want to consume the blood of animals. They tasted terrible and never satisfied your appetite.

"Let him speak, Caius." Marcus interrupted, wanting to get this whole ordeal over with. Caius waved his hand in a dismissive manner and Carlisle smiled at the interaction between the men.

"She became family, and with her help we were able to establish ourselves properly. We had a warning system with us; somebody that was able to tell us if there were going to be any attacks, both by us and against us. We had someone who could see if we'd last long in any given town we settled down in. We used her gift to play the stock markets, to make new acquaintances. We fell into a state of complacency and that was my mistake for relying so heavily upon her gift." He looked at the brothers three. "She told you not of her original vision: the one she hoped would come to fruition. I, myself, don't know the full extent as to how it benefits Alice. Three years ago, my family moved from Alaska to Washington. You know this. The reason, however, was because Alice led us to believe that Forks would bring some form of completeness to our Coven. With her persuasion, we moved. My son, Edward, was to find love with a human girl who was immune to his mind reading. She was to be attacked by nomads, one of whom would create a new-born army in Seattle. She would marry my son and they would bring into the world a baby girl.: a baby that had traits of both Human and Vampire. In her vision, Alice saw the three of you, accompanied by the immortal twins, and there would be a fight between us. Apparently, the end result would be a 'Happily Even After' for us." Caius scoffed.

"You were fool enough to believe such a fantasy?" He rolled his eyes. "This is why you never prospered here, Carlisle. Your heart is too soft. You are much too easily manipulated by the sad eyes of someone in need."

"As I said: I've no idea what her plans were or what happened to her after the war we waged."

"Well, it seems something went astray." Aro spoke up. "A spanner in the works, so it seems. Or, would it be more appropriate to say, a 'Carter' in the works?" Carlisle closed his eyes at the woman's name. He was hoping Alice had the foresight to avoid Aro and his powers. He was wrong again. "Now, I'd very much like to meet the Human who has caused all this disruption. Alice has claimed that she is the beginning of the end for us here in Italy."

"She's under the Major's protection." Carlisle managed to reply in a relatively calm manner. Aro nodded his head. They may be part of the elite of the Vampiric World, but even he knew of the Major's prowess and what it would mean to be targeted by the Southern legend.

"How do I know to trust you? To trust what you've told me?"

"I lived with you for several decades; I am nothing, if not your brother." Aro considered his words, turning back, once again, to gain counsel from the others.

"He has not the heart to poisonous us with falsehoods, nor the heart to lead us astray." Caius stated.

"The Seer has gained influence over our court. We will need to tread carefully when we rid ourselves of her."

"She must know what we have decided." Aro let out a giggle and clapped his hands. "We're going on a hunt." He dramatically threw his cloak onto the floor, grinning maniacally. "Will you be joining us, brother?" Carlisle nodded, loosening the tie around his neck. "Three of my Coven have been watching the perimeter: if she has tried leaving the Castle, they will tell us and be in pursuit."

"When we reach them, they are to fall back. Tell them that we'll meet them in the dining hall. Let us go."

''

The extended life of Alice Cullen had come to a fiery, painful end. Esme hid her face in her mate's chest, unable to watch as the limbs of her daughter danced with a burning light. Emmett and Rosalie had left Italy the moment Alice accepted her fate, not wanting to bear witness to her execution. Carlisle remained, eyes unwavering on the embers, frozen to the spot, processing what had happened and, more importantly, how and why.

It was Edward that was affected most, unsurprisingly. Alice had shown him a future where he was loved, both him and the monster within. He had been living the last two years simply for the vision she had in Alaska. The one about a beautiful girl, laying in a meadow, smiling up at him as he held her in his arms. He wasn't sure what he would do now. He had just watched someone burn to death by the orders of the Volturi as his family either fled from the scene or watched on as if it were nothing. Edward thanked Carlisle and Esme for everything they'd done for him over the last century. They understood, they did, but Carlisle held a secret fear that Edward would turn into the monster he was so afraid of becoming.

"Goodbye, son, and good luck."

''

Authors Note: Hey, so I've been inspired to properly finish this and looky here: two chapters in one day?! I know! I'm good. Somedays. Anyway, I didn't want to go into too much detail about the Cullen's problems but you can be assured they aren't over yet. As per usual, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and there will be more on its way. Stay tuned!