A/N: Stephenie Meyer is the proud owner of all things Twilight. I'm not sure she'd approve of what I've done to it, but as long as my readers are happy, so am I.
It's time for the family to spend some quality time bonding... the girls and the guys separately, and the chapter got so long as I wrote it that I am posting it as two chapters.
Chapter 10: Boys will be Boys
CPOV
Very early Sunday morning, I was lying in bed with my wife, holding her while she slept and lost in my own thoughts, when I heard what sounded like the four remaining members of our family approach our bedroom door. What on earth could they want this early in the morning? They were obviously not concerned about waking Bella, as they proceeded to knock loudly on the door.
"Carlisle! We know you're in there! Cover up Bells and let us in!" Emmett boomed.
I shook my head, and then chuckled softly as Bella looked up at me through half-closed lids, quite obviously still halfway asleep.
"I'm sorry, my love," I said softly, arranging myself into a sitting position and pulling her up with me, "but your siblings have seen fit to wake you at four o'clock this morning."
She groaned, but opened her eyes. "Come in," she mumbled sleepily.
The door opened and the four vampires came traipsing in, Alice and Emmett leading the group with gleeful expressions, Rosalie and Jasper a few steps behind them, also looking quite happy, but slightly more restrained. I wondered what was going on.
"Ok, listen up Dad," Emmett began. "You two have been hogging each other for weeks now, and it's about time you shared."
"Alright," I said. "What do you have in mind, Emmett, that required you to wake Bella up so early?"
"Actually, that's my fault," Alice interrupted. "Rose and Bella and I are leaving for New York City in three hours, and I needed her to get up and get ready so we can make it to the airport on time." She grinned widely at Bella, as did Rosalie. Bella was still trying to fully awaken, but I could tell that she, too, was excited.
"And you are coming with us to the Adirondack Forest for some manly hunting," Emmett said. "I'm in the mood for some black bear."
"Don't forget the coyote, man...those buggers are tasty," Jasper added, licking his lips expectantly.
The Adirondacks did make for excellent feeding, and I had to admit that I looked forward to spending some time with the boys, so I quickly agreed to go. I took a few moments to say goodbye to Bella and wish the girls and pleasant trip before jumping into the front seat of Emmett's Jeep.
We chatted amiably amongst ourselves as we drove to the park, discussing the upcoming graduation of all of the "kids", and Bella's and my suggestion for how we act as siblings in the future rather than a father and his adopted high school aged children. Both of the boys seemed thrilled with this idea, making me feel a tinge of guilt for having asked them to play these roles for so many years already.
"Hey, Carlisle, don't feel guilty," Jasper said, obviously feeling my emotions. "We may not have enjoyed high school after the...first...time, but it worked for our family. And our family has always been what's important to us, don't doubt that. Believe me when I say that I'd rather go to high school with my brothers and sisters a hundred times than spend another minute of my existence living alone as a nomad or back in Maria's hellhole."
Jasper spoke with such sincerity that there was no questioning him. And truly, I understood his words. I, too, had spent so many years alone before I found Edward and began my family... I could not imagine ever being without them now.
We reached the park after a couple of hours driving, and made our way to a nice spot deep in the forest. It had been several days since we'd hunted, so we decided to separate initially, and then meet back at our chosen location in two hours. We planned to stay overnight, as the boys did not have any Monday classes and therefore had no need to rush back to Hanover, so there was plenty of time for joint activities after this initial hunt.
Running at top speed off into the woods, relishing the feeling of the wind against my flesh and rushing through my hair, and the simple freedom of the action itself. As I ran, I kept my nose open for an appetizing scent. I picked up on the first one about ten minutes into my run - a moose. Moose were a fairly nice snack, but I knew that they had just been re-introduced to the area and were not yet populous, so I moved on. It only took a few more minutes before I caught the scent of a white-tailed deer. I slowed my run to a brisk human pace, still silent, and followed the trail of the deer. It didn't take long for me to come to the herd - there were five of them there, their jugular veins pumping steadily in their throats as they remained oblivious to my presence. I could easily take them all down, but knew that I didn't need so much at once. Examining the herd, I saw two together who seemed slightly older than the rest, and chose to attack them, since they were not as strong as the others. I crouched low, and waited for a moment before springing, spreading my arms out wide to take the two out at once. They both fell immediately, the strength of my blow crushing their spines instantly. I sat down between them, then, and proceeded to drink from one first, then the other, feeling the warmth of their blood as it spread through my body.
I checked my watch, and saw that I still had an hour before meeting the boys, so I got up and started running to the west in search of another pleasant scent. It wasn't long before I found one - a black bear. While I may not be as big a fan of bears as Emmett, I must admit that this one smelled rather delicious. I stalked it for two miles, creeping behind it carefully so as not to make any noise that would frighten it - unlike Emmett, I prefer not to play with my food before consuming it. I finally got close enough to make my pounce, and took down the bear in one fell swoop. Latching on to his jugular, I quickly drained him, his blood invigorating me as it flowed down my throat.
I cleaned my mess, and then started back toward the meeting place. As I ran, I pondered the fact that my stomach was not sloshing around as I had expected it to after having drank so much. I must be depleting myself much more than I realized in the frequent escapades with my lovely wife. I'll have to tone it down a little....or I could just hunt more often.
I reached the meeting place - it was a large, relatively flat rock top to a hill that overlooked the green hills and a flowing river of the Adirondack preserve. The view was breathtaking, and it made me wish Bella was with me to see it. I sat to wait for the boys, but didn't have to wait long, as they arrived only a few moments after I had. They sat near me, the three of us forming a sort of circle, all of us lounging back on our hands to take in the warmth of the sun.
We sat for awhile, just chatting about random topics - Emmett was giving us his opinion on the latest video game that we had acquired, which happened to be a racing game.
"Hey Em," Jasper began. "You might want to keep Carlisle here away from that game!"
"Why?" Emmett asked.
"Because it seems that motorcycles give good old dad quite the hard on," Jasper replied, laughing.
Damn. I knew I'd never live that one down.
It took a moment for Emmett to calm himself from his raucous laughter, but once he did, his comment surprised me.
"Oh, come on, Jazz, you've spent more time riding with Bella than anyone. She may be our sister, but tell me that girl isn't hot as hell on her bike."
I had to stifle a growl, my possessive vampire nature nearly overcoming me in that moment. I understood what Emmett meant, and I sure as hell agreed with him, for that matter, but I knew that he was not competition for me. Emmett loved my life deeply, but in a very fraternal fashion.
"Carlisle, man... You've got to tell us what it's like." Emmett said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, rather hoping that his answer was not what I expected it to be.
"Sex with a human. What's it like?"
"Emmett!" I cried, appalled. "I am not giving you details about sex with my wife!"
"Shit, Dad! We don't want actual details... She's our sister for god's sake! Just tell us in general," Jasper exclaimed.
I thought about it for a moment. I didn't want to embarrass Bella, but I figured I could answer their question without giving any private details. And I knew, in my mind, that if one of them had been the one to marry a human, I'd probably be brimming with curiosity about the same topic. Odd, I'd never once considered sex with a human in all my existence until Bella...
"Alright," I agreed begrudgingly. "What do you want to know?"
"Is it difficult?" Jasper asked. "I mean, to deal with your strength, and the bloodlust, and the intensity of your own feelings all at the same time?"
"It's not too difficult, really," I replied. "But I'll admit that, especially when I was drinking the thermoses of blood instead of actually hunting, I did have to fight the urge to bite down on her when I came...not for want of blood, just on instinct. That's really been the only part that was a challenge - the strength issues I'd already dealt with before we made love."
"What's it feel like, inside?" Emmett asked, a strong curiosity evident in his eyes.
"Hot," I replied. "You know how your body warms when you drink?" I asked, receiving a nod of the head from both boys. "It's similar to that feeling, but wrapped around your cock, and hotter. Maybe like using an electric blanket to get yourself off..." I wondered at my own thoughts - how did I come up with such a comparison? "And god, the heat feels good..."
I suddenly realized that this discussion was quickly leading me down a path I didn't need to take at this moment. Already I could feel my shorts becoming tighter, and I shifted slightly, trying to make myself more comfortable. How long did I have before Jasper called me on it?
As I looked up at my son, I knew exactly why he had not said anything yet - Jasper looked as uneasy as I did, no doubt his empathy was making it even worse for him. Chancing a glance at Emmett, I saw a strangely thoughtful look on his face, as well as a glimmer in his eye that we usually only see when Rosalie is around. Looking back at Jasper, I saw that he was cringing and gripping the rock underneath him so tightly that tiny particles of dust were falling through his fingers.
Knowing we were treading a fine line, I knew I had to be the strong one now. "Come on, boys, I think it's about time we found some dinner. Let's meet back here in about an hour, alright?"
Both of them jumped up quickly and sprinted off in opposite directions, and I wasted no time leaving to find my own meal.
An hour and three white-tailed deer later, I returned to the rock. I was just in time to catch Emmett excitedly telling Jasper about the black bear he had just drained - it sounded like it had been quite the battle for dinner. I smiled and shook my head good-naturedly. We all knew how much Emmett preferred to fight his bears before taking them down - over seventy years had passed since I changed him, and he was still not over the one battle with a bear he ever lost.
We all laughed over Emmett's story, and then listened as Jasper told us of the pair of coyotes he had just caught, licking his lips as he remembered their taste. They both laughed and teased me when I told them I had sated myself with a few deer. Neither of them have much of a taste for the animal, really, and always tell me that it is "girl's food". I took their teasing wiht a smile, though, glad to have this time with my sons.
"So, Carlisle... Were you really serious about the new plan for Bella's re-entry into society after her newborn days? You're really going to quit being our dad?" Emmett asked.
I could hear sadness in his voice, and to speak candidly, I'd have to admit that it warmed my dead heart. It seemed that he was upset at the idea of my not being his father.
"It was Bella's suggestion that we all play the role of siblings rather than a father and his adopted children, so that you four don't have to keep repeating high school. She thought that you would all prefer that."
"I won't lie - getting out of high school has got to be the best plan ever. But as good as it sounds, I'm not sure about it. I mean, you've been my father for over seventy years, and now you'll be my brother?"
I smiled, I'm sure much more than I meant to. It couldn't be helped, though, not when I was hearing from Emmett that he really thought of me that way, just as I thought of him as my son.
"Son," I said. "It is only our roles outside that will change. Our lives, and our family, will not."
Emmett grinned at me, and I smiled warmly back. Then I felt Jasper's hand on my arm.
"We must not say it enough," he said, "Or you wouldn't be so surprised. You're not my father, or even my sire, Carlisle. That's true. But you've been the man who was there to guide and support me, you've taught me how to be better, and I've had nothing but respect for you in all the time we've been together. You're as much my dad as anyone ever could be."
I wrapped my arms around the vampires on either side of me, elated by the words, and by their love. This was what Aro had never understood. He thought that I was the leader of a coven, but I was not. I was the head of a family. And that was a million times more fulfilling.
"So, we're going to pretend to be brothers, then?" Emmett asked again, clarifying.
"Yes, that's right," I answered.
Jasper and Emmett shared a conspiratorial glance, and I suddenly felt worried. I took two steps back from them.
"I don't know about you, Em, but I think Carlisle here needs some instruction in how to be a brother," Jasper said.
"Oh, I completely agree, Jazz," Emmett said gleefully, just before he flew into the air.
A moment later, the sound of thunder filled the air. But there was no storm - the noise had come from my stone body being pounced upon by my two new "brothers".
About twenty minutes of wrestling later, the three of us lay side by side on the rocks, looking up at the stars, panting and laughing. For a moment, I wondered what Bella was doing. I hoped she was having as good a time with her sisters as I was with the boys. I cannot deny how much I love spending every moment with my wife, but now I realized that I would definitely need not to forget to make time for male bonding from now on.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. Bella and the girls are up next.
