I don't own Twilight but Twilight owns me! Many thanks to Stratan for all of his awesome beta work!
I lowered Bella to the ground as we approached the edge of the forest nearest the clearing that marked the boundary line. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into my side as we broke through the tree line and into the line of sight of the Quileutes.
Carlisle led our group with Jasper on his left, walking a step behind him, as was custom with our kind. I was mimicking his position on Carlisle's right. Bella was tucked into my side, where she belonged.
At the sound of our approach the wolves, who were already waiting for us, visibly began shaking. Our presence was causing their instinct to phase to become very hard to suppress. Sam, the pack's alpha and the chief of the tribe, called out to Carlisle, telling him not to come any closer.
Each of three wolf pups took a defensive position next to one tribal leaders. Sam and Billy Black were at the center, and clearly the ones in charge. No one spoke, but all of them were glaring daggers at me as soon as they realized that I had brought Bella with me.
Carlisle took it upon himself to begin the meeting by introducing us to the group.
"Good evening, I'm pleased that you were all able to be here tonight. I am Carlisle Cullen. These are two of sons Jasper and Edward, and I think you all know Bella." He pointed to each of us in turn.
"I'm Sam Uley, this is Jared and Paul. Billy, Quil and Harry are the elders of our tribal council." I wonder if I should have told them that I'm the tribe's chief or the pack's alpha? I guess it doesn't matter.
Charlie would send that girl straight back to Renee if he knew what she was associating herself with. Billy Black
Why did the leech have to bring her with him? Rachel will be pissed at me, she wanted to come. Paul
How can she stand so close to that thing? Jared
We should find some way to warn Charlie about the company Isabella is keeping. Quil.
Get to the point already bloodsuckers. Sue will be worried. Harry.
It's not safe for the human to be here. There are too many supernatural beings here for me to be able to ensure her safety. The elders knew what they were getting into, but does she?
Sam's mind drifted to a young woman who was quite lovely despite the three claw marks that marred her left cheek. His thoughts held nothing but loving notions towards the woman, yet there was an underlying emotion clouding everything that I would need Jasper to decipher.
I found myself responding to the alpha's thoughts before I could stop myself.
"There is no need for your concern. I will ensure Bella's safety. And yes, she knows everything. We have no secrets between us."
"You can hear my thoughts?" Sam wasn't angry, just curious.
"Yes," I responded simply with a nod. I saw no reason to withhold that knowledge.
"Amazing, I had always thought that the legends of vampires with gifts were just myths." His thoughts seemed to indicate the desire to learn more about out gifts.
I opened my mouth to offer to tell him more at a later time when Paul interrupted.
"Yes, it's simply amazing. Murdering leeches that can read people's minds are just what we need more of in the world" he growled." Tremors began to run over his person.
"Paul. Calm yourself," Sam commanded.
"Fine, calm" he began taking deep breaths, moving back to the tree line on their side of the line, and his shaking eased slightly.
"Sorry about that. Paul has a short temper. Now what do you want to discuss?" Harry Clearwater inquired.
"First of all, we wanted to ensure that the treaty between your tribe and my family is still intact." Carlisle wasted no time in getting to the point.
"It is, as long as you all uphold the rules that were established. We don't want a war. Is there anything else?" Billy Black glared at Bella and I openly now.
"We do not desire a war either. We do have a situation that we would like to discuss with you all and I am hoping that you all will keep an open mind." Carlisle's professional tone slipped into a more persuasive one with this request.
"We will try." Sam assured my father, and I could see from his thoughts that he was being honest.
"Where to begin? Hmm, I know… how much do you know about our kind?"
"Not a whole lot, just the legends that have been passed down through the generations." The elder named Quil answered.
I listened as their minds ran through countless stories about vampires and how we are nothing more than dead soulless creatures, emotionless living stone ready to massacre every human around.
"Their stories say that we are heartless killing machines, Carlisle." I told him solemnly.
"I can assure you that is not the case." Carlisle explained to the men that as a vampire's body is frozen in time when we are transformed, so are our personalities, interests and desires.
He told them that a vampire's temperament can only be changed by extreme emotional upheavals such as finding or losing our mate, making sure that they understood that a vampire only has one mate no matter how long they walk the earth. He explained the connection that a bonded, or mated pair of vampires experience.
I was intrigued when Sam's thoughts drifted once again to the young russet skinned woman. He called her 'his Emily'; she was his imprint. The imprinting compulsion was very similar to the connection that I shared with Bella just not as consuming. He wasn't in pain being away from her, for example.
"The connection between mates isn't exactly like what you have with Emily, but there are very rare cases that are more powerful than even imprinting. Bella and I share such a connection. She is what is referred to in the vampire community as La Cantante, or my singer." I hoped he at least would try to understand.
For the most part none of them believed me. Paul was calling me every crude name he could think of, hoping to offend me enough that I would attack him. Silly dog, I have built up almost a century worth of self control. Sam wanted to know more. Quil was curious as well.
"What does that mean, your singer?" the alpha inquired.
"Bella is a symphony for all of my senses. Everything about her calls to me. She is my air. I simply cannot breathe if she is not next to me. It causes me physical pain when we aren't touching each other. It is the same for her." I told him.
"Is that true Bella?" Quil asked.
"Yes, Edward is my world," she said, blushing a lovely pink color.
"How do we know you're not lying?" the boy Jared spoke for the first time.
"We can prove it. Would you like to feel what we feel when we are separated?" Bella asked forcefully. She did not like our relationship being challenged in any way, and she definitely did not like to be accused of lying.
"Fine, prove it then Isabella, show us how it feels," Paul sneered her name, stomping back over to the group.
"Everyone?" she asked quietly. They all nodded and murmured their agreement.
"Okay then, Jazz" Bella smiled at my brother and released my hand. She asked Carlisle to take her about half a mile from the clearing. He had only carried her about twenty away when the agonizing torment began building deep in my chest.
Jasper gasped with the force of both my and Bella's pain, immediately projecting it in order to keep it from consuming him as it did us.
"Bella" I choked out. She returned to me as quickly as Carlisle could carry her. Jasper kept absorbing and projecting our emotions as I took Bella into my arms, allowing the soothing balm of her electricity calm me.
All of the Quileutes human and wolf alike were stunned by the force of the pain and in awe of the love that flowed between us. Billy Black was the first to regain his composure.
"Well, what do you know, the leech is telling the truth. Tell me bloodsucker, what are you going to do? Bella is human. She is growing and changing every day. Your leader just said that your kind doesn't change physically at all, so what happens when Bella is forty and people think you are her son, or worse, when she's sixty and they think you her grandson? What are you going to do when she dies? It's not like you can follow her, vampires are immortal right?" Billy Black taunted.
"That would bring us back to the reason that we are here. Now that you all have personally felt the pain that it causes Bella and Edward to be apart, we would like to ask for permission to amend the treaty to allow for Bella's transformation." Carlisle was back to his professional tone.
"Absolutely not!" All three of the elders yelled in unison at the same time as the Alpha said "We will consider it."
"You can't be serious Sam?!" Paul shouted, moving into a crouching position, glaring at me all the while; the tremors rocking his body were causing his shape to blur slightly.
"Stand down Paul. You need to calm down, now!" Sam commanded, his voice ringing with authority.
"Why should I? These parasites called us out here in the middle of the night to, what? Play with our heads and emotions? Show us that they've adopted Charlie's daughter as their pet?" He snarled at me, his shape vibrating convulsively.
"Enough" Sam demanded.
"I think it might be best if you left. I will contact you later with our decision" He moved to stand between us and his pack mate.
I pulled Bella onto my back and headed for the trees. Our retreat must have caused Paul's already fragile grip on his instincts to deteriorate completely. He phased with a loud ripping sound and booming pop.
"Paul, no!" Sam shouted but it was too late. The wolf had already lunged for the slowest member of our party. I turned as soon as I registered his pain. The large gray wolf was pinning Carlisle to the ground with its massive front paws, his teeth inches from my father throat.
Carlisle, ever the pacifist tried to reason with the wolf, to no avail. His alpha was shouting command after command at him to remove himself and leave the clearing. Paul released Carlisle but refused to move more than two feet away, his instinct to kill his enemy was at war with obey the command of his alpha.
I lowered Bella to the ground at the tree line. The further she was away from the volatile wolf the better. I told her to stay very still and quiet before moving very slowly towards Jasper. He had enough presence of mind to freeze on the spot, knowing that one wrong move could result in horrific consequences for Carlisle.
He was forcing peace and tranquility throughout the clearing. He was trying to make the wolf lethargic; thinking that if the beast fell asleep, we could remove him before he could attack.
Without removing my eyes from my father and his attacker, I followed the backward movement of Sam and the humans.
I have to make sure the elders are safe.
I nodded my agreement, the humans were in danger being this close.
Sam grabbed Jared's arm, pulling him with him as he quickly ran for the trees, coming back seconds later as large wolves. Jasper immediately tensed.
Sam just wanted to be able to hear Paul's thoughts and try to figure out a way to reason with him. Jared was excited, thinking that he was going to get to fight. He lowered himself to the ground, ready to pounce.
"Emmett, help! Emmett!" Bella screamed as loud as she could. I heard the fear and panic in her voice, and moved to her side taking her in my arms.
"Bella, love it's okay, no one's going to be hurt," I told her soothingly, running my hand through her hair.
"You can't know that." She reasoned.
"Sam and Jared phased so that they could deal with Paul better. Not to hurt anyone." I promised her.
Emmett's thoughts invaded my mind at that moment. Nobody better have touched my little sister. I will go for blood.
Em burst through the trees growling and looking feral. When his mind caught up to the situation at hand, he growled fiercely at the wolves while maneuvering his body so that Bella was behind him, crouching into a defensive stance, ready to protect her at any cost. I had a strange surge of emotion as I stood beside my brother. I was proud that he didn't run in trying to fight, grateful that he was protective of my mate, and unbelievably, jealous that he was the one doing it.
"Sam wants this to be resolved peacefully Em. He's the alpha. He will make the others comply" I wanted him to fully understand the situation.
Got it. I'm going to get Bella out of here. You have to stay since you're the only one that can talk to the mutts.
"Are you okay Bells?" Em was struggling to keep his voice steady so as to not scare her.
"I'm fine, just scared." She whispered breathlessly.
"Don't worry little sister. I got you." He tried to reassure her. Jared growled and Paul's answering snarls were battle cries, and Emmett knew it. Sam was losing control of his pack.
"I'm not scared for me. Edward, Jasper and you are the ones I'm worried about." She always worries about the wrong things.
"Have a little faith Bells, we got this. Now, do me a favor, grab my phone from my jacket pocket." He paused and waited until she had it. "Now call Rose and have her come get you. Tell them that you're a half mile south of the clearing. You don't need to see this."
"I'm not leaving Edward" She huffed. She pulled herself closer to me, gripping my shirt with both hands. She's almost as stubborn as you, bro.
"It's okay, love. I promise that everything is going to be fine. I will see you in a few moments." I kissed her forehead gently, and she whimpered quietly.
"You need to leave. Edward needs to concentrate, and he'll be trying to watch out for you if you're here, which could get him hurt. When I say the word, I want you to take off. Run straight down the path behind you. You should get there at the same time as Rose." He turned his head and winked at her. She sighed and nodded once.
"Emmett is right. I need to concentrate, but not on fighting. I still think that Sam can get the others under control and we can all walk away from this." I assured myself as much as her.
"Get ready Bells. I'm going to move away from you. When I've taken three steps I want you to run." His steps blocked her completely from view.
"Now!" She was in the trees running the path as fast as she could, dialing the phone as she went.
The humans who had been steadily moving backwards towards the forest's edge, stopped short when they saw Emmett's position in front of Bella and me.
They listened to our exchange with rapt attention. Their mind all tangled and confused as they tried to understand our reactions. It went against everything they knew, vampires protecting a human.
Once Bella was safely away, Emmett and I moved up beside Jasper. Carlisle had not moved from his position on the ground.
Sam was able to force Jared into submission fairly quickly. The two of them stepped in between Paul and my father. Carlisle reacted instantly, moving to stand beside Emmett.
We are going to push Paul into the forest. As soon as we hit the trees you can leave. I am very sorry for his actions tonight. I pray that the treaty is still in effect.
"We have no intention of attacking anyone, the treaty is still active." I tried to put his mind at ease.
"You can rest assured that there will be no backlash from what has occurred here tonight. My family only wants to live in peace." Carlisle would never condone violence unless it was completely necessary.
Thank you, I will be in touch. Please apologize to Bella. I never meant to scare her.
"I will pass it on." I assured him. I could see myself liking the alpha wolf. He was a pretty decent man.
Once Paul had been removed from the clearing, we ran for home. I was sure that the women would be anxiously awaiting our return.
I pulled Bella into my arms the moment I entered the house. I lifted her into my lap when we gathered in the living room to discuss what had happened tonight.
~*~
We slipped back into our usual routine, not dwelling on the possibility that the pack could deny or request or what repercussions would come about if they did. It had been over two weeks since that night in the woods, and no one from the Reservation had tried to contact us at all, so I was very surprised to find Jacob's car parked in Bella's driveway when we returned from school.
The once gangly boy unfolded himself from the driver's seat. He had grown over a foot since I had seen him last, and had the unmistakable musculature of a wolf. Sam Uley and his sister were with him.
I know this is unexpected but we mean no harm, we are just here to talk.
Bella is too good of a friend to let her choice of boyfriend come between us.
Damn I thought for sure I would imprint on her when I saw her. Oh well, we can still be together.
"What do they want?" Bella whispered as I came around to help her from the car.
"Sam says that they just want to talk, Rachel misses her friend, and it seems Jacob is still infatuated with you." I told her. She rolled her eyes in response to Jacob, but smiled brightly at his sister.
"Jake is so big. Oh my god, is he one of them?" Bella gasped.
"Yes love, he's a wolf." She pulled herself closer to me. She was shaking slightly.
We moved into the backyard to afford ourselves a little privacy for this conversation. Sam suggested that Rachel and Bella go inside as it was raining, but Bella adamantly refused to leave me alone with the two wolves. Her fear of them was palpable. I suspected that she was not afraid for herself, but for me.
Rachel and Bella hugged briefly, and then Rachel moved to stand between her brother and Sam while Bella came to my side, wrapping her arm around my waist, while I put mine around her shoulders.
"What no hello hug for me?" Jacob joked.
"No, you stay over there." Bella said shakily.
"Oh come on Bella, how fair is it that you are shaking you're so scared of me, but have no problem with a parasite wrapping its arm around you." He tried to maintain his teasing tone, but animosity entered his voice when he called me a 'parasite'.
"Jacob you can't blame her. Paul was pretty aggressive when she saw him." Sam's assessment of Paul's behavior was too forgiving in my view.
"Whatever. It's still messed up," the pup huffed.
"The only thing messed up here, Jake, is your opinion of Edward." Bella retorted curtly.
"It's okay, love. He's entitled to his own opinion." Honestly, the mutt's view of me meant nothing.
"Can we focus please? I need to get back before Paul comes back from patrol." Rachel wasn't supposed to come, but she wanted to see Bella.
"I agree Rachel." Sam squared his shoulders and looked me in the eyes. His voice took on that quality of authority again. "As chief of the Quileute Tribe of La Push Washington, and alpha of the protectors of the people of this area, it is my duty to inform you that we have made our decision. We agree that Isabella Swan may be transformed, but only if her life is in danger. If, and when this occurs, she and her entire coven have to leave the state of Washington, and never return. You know that our people are true to our word, and I am warning you now that if any one of your kind enters our territory from the moment you move on, they will be destroyed, no questions asked. Can you agree to these terms?"
"We agree. Thank you Sam. If ever there is something that my family and I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." I told him sincerely. We shook hands and they turned to leave. Jacob's mind, that had been strangely blank the entire time, began working overtime. An idea solidified in his head, and he spun around to face us.
"Oh, and one more thing Bella, leeches aren't allowed on Quileute land, and since that thing is your mate, the pack will consider you as one of them. So do yourself a favor and stay away." He wore a smug mask of arrogance, but inside he was angry and hurt by Bella's choice.
It took everything in me not to pounce on him for threatening my love. I knew that was what he wanted, and I would not give him the satisfaction. I could not however stop the warning growl that rumbled in my chest.
"Don't worry Jacob, I have no desire to go back there, and I am more than proud to know that you all consider me part of the Cullen family. In fact, I'm honored." She smirked at him, and then turned to Rachel.
"If you want to hang out, call and we can meet somewhere." Bella told her.
"I'll be in touch, Bells." Rachel and Bella shared a brief hug, and then they were gone.
Once they were completely out of hearing range, Bella turned to me with a smug smile.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was just thinking that Sam basically gave you permission to change me right now if we wanted." She shook her head, laughing.
"How do you figure that, love?" I wondered if I would ever get used to not hearing her mind.
"He said you could change me if my life is in danger, right?" I nodded once, "well in case you haven't noticed, my boyfriend and my best friend are vampires, and as of now, I have a whole pack of werewolves as my enemies. How much more dangerous can my life get?" She concluded.
"Well, I'm sure that I could up the ante on danger if you wish" I growled playfully, crouching down to pounce at her.
She giggled and ran towards the house. I gave her a head start before jumping across the yard, grabbing her and kissing her senseless. Life just doesn't get any better than this.
Come over to the forum on Twilighted . net. The thread for the story is in the AU section. I look forward to talking to you all!
