Hello lovely readers! I'm getting back into the swing of this updating thing! I know this chapter is a little filler-y, but I swear it's important!

More to come soon... leave your thoughts!

~wwsadd

An Inheritance

It was the sixth time my phone had rang in less than five minutes. I knew without looking at the caller ID that it was either Alice or Edward, again. We had only been on the reservation for a few hours, but apparently that was enough time for a major meltdown back in town.

I was about to ask Sam where best to look for Bella, when she came breezing back through the door. "Hey Evie, when will you be ready to leave?" She asked quickly, staring determinedly away from Sam. Strange.

Shrugging, I hopped off the counter where I had been sitting and grabbed my keys. "Now, if you'd like. Your overbearing vampire friends are getting on my nerves." I told her, waving me phone in her face to show her the number flashing across the screen for the umpteenth time.

"Ooooh crap. We're in trouble." She mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"We? Seriously B, if anyone's going to be in trouble, it's me. I'll handle it." I stated, turning back to my new friend.

He leveled a concerned gaze at me. "If your being here is going to put you in danger when you return, I suggest you remain on our lands. They are not welcome here and you will be safe." He told me, his calm demeanor had remained unchanged for the better part of our hours-long conversation.

I laughed. "It's cool Sam. I know you haven't seen me in action yet, but I'm fairly good at this gig. I can handle myself." I replied, holding my hand out to him. He shook it warmly and graced me with a smile.

"So I will see you tomorrow then." He said, as way of goodbye. I nodded and pulled Bella toward the door.

"Tomorrow? What does he mean, tomorrow? There's no way they're letting us come back here again." She muttered under her breath. I laughed, yanking the door to my truck open and climbing in.

"Please, Bella. There's no way they're letting you come back here again. I'd really like to see them try to stop me." I said, still snickering as I put us back on the highway and headed for Forks.

"Well yippie for you." She snapped, glaring out the window. I threw her a withering look.

"Oh what now? I got you to the reservation, I got Sam to at least consider that the Cullens aren't the threat he's been so convinced they are… and we both know I'll take most of the heat for today's little adventure. What could you possibly have to be upset about?" I asked, my patience wearing thin. I wasn't good at this whole girly-friendship thing. Friends were a liability that I usually managed to avoid. I thought I had been doing fairly well with Bella. Until now, anyway.

I was horrified as tears began to run down her face. "Whoa, rewind. What happened?" I asked, concern lacing my thoughts and my voice.

She was still staring out the window, looking for all the world like she would just like to tell the universe to fuck off. A sentiment I understood well. "Nevermind, okay? We never should have come here. I was crazy to think that Jake and I could work anything out." She mumbled swiping her fists across her cheeks.

Confusion marred my ability to form anything akin to a comforting reply. Since I had met her she had been longing for the chance to get everything out in the open with that tool of a werewolf. "Wait a sec. B, what did he say?"

She finally turned toward me, and I could see the hurt reflected deep in her red-rimmed eyes. She took a deep breath before speaking. "He said he would rather I really be dead than be a vampire." She said, her voice shaky.

My confusion quickly transformed into disbelief. I had to physically bite down on my bottom lip to keep my retort silenced. "Uh… Bella… you can't…I mean, that…that surprises you?" I asked, throwing a worried look in my rearview mirror where a silver Volvo had appeared out of nowhere.

She gasped. "You're on his side?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes again. I tried to keep myself calm. I didn't need to get her more worked up than she already was. Edward was going to be a monster to deal with—pun totally intended—without letting his girlfriend go completely off the deep end. But the way that guy had glared at me in Sam's kitchen earlier was still fresh in my mind.

"On his side? Look Bella, don't expect me to buddy up to Jacob any more than I intend to become besties with Edward. They're your problem, remember? I'm just trying to keep the hunters the hell away from this place, and every day that seems to be like a more impossible task. Especially with whatever the hell is going on in Seattle. So I can't really worry about this twisted little love triangle, okay? They can both go screw themselves as far as I'm concerned—and trust me—you'd be better off if they did.

"All I'm saying is that it makes sense for him to view vampirism as worse than death. Nearly every person I know would see it the same way. Because you're asking for a fate worse than death. And I know you don't see it that way. But once you've done this… there's no going back. No 'undo' button. It'll be done, and done forever. You're eighteen, are you absolutely sure that you want to remain frozen in a half-existence hazed with bloodlust for an eternity? How can you know that?" I asked, taking the turn that would lead us to the Cullens' house.

I could feel her heated glare, but I kept my eyes on the road. "Who are you to talk Evie? You're what, sixteen years old? Your uncle dies; the only person keeping you rooted in this world of monsters and madness, and instead of bailing you decide to dive further into it. It was you that spent the afternoon making friends with a werewolf, remember? So what if no one understands my life choices? Most people I know would see your decisions as certifiable." She replied angrily.

I slammed on the brakes and threw the truck in park in the middle of the deserted road. I'm sure my expression matched hers as I shifted in my seat so I was facing her. "First off, don't you dare bring my uncle into this, he was the only family I had, and vampires killed him. How do you still not get that? You have two parents that love you, and are happy and safe and just want you to be happy and safe too. Do you know what I would give for the choices and chances you have? What any of them would give? You want to throw it away? That's your decision, but don't expect me to sit around and watch it happen. I'm here to keep Daniel Elkins' promise to Carlisle Cullen, and that's it. Once I'm sure that the hunting community is going to leave well enough alone, I'm out of here." I snapped.

She didn't quite seem to know what to say to that. The anger melted off her face, as she perhaps—finally—realized exactly why I had such a hatred of vampires. Why Sam Uley and I had so much in common. Why I would take their side.

She was saved the awkward half-apology, however, when a sharp rap on the passenger-side window made us both jump. Cursing quietly, she rolled the window down enough that the glass barrier between us and Edward's murderous glare was removed. "Bella, go get in my car. Now." There was no trace of anything even akin to amusement in his features or his tone. It was clearly not up for debate. The tension that had been so quickly alleviated in Sam and Emily's kitchen was redoubled as she slid out of the truck and tripped back to the Volvo, parked mere feet behind my pickup.

"You—" He started, his dark eyes like daggers. I threw my hands up in the air dramatically.

"Don't start with me Edward. First of all, you don't scare me; stop trying, it's embarrassing. Second of all, I realize I betrayed your trust this afternoon, but if you really trusted me you wouldn't be freaking out like this, because you would know that I'd never purposely put a human in danger. That's not how hunters operate. Everything's fine; and you need to chill the fuck out. I don't really have a third of all, but if I did, it would be that we have bigger problems than your ego, so back off." I replied.

He couldn't quite contain his shock at my words. "What kind of bigger problems?" He finally managed to ask.

I was struck at the almost-comical difference in atmosphere, as we sat in the Cullens' living room. The wolves had exuded warmth and vitality; here we were surrounded by the cool, refined indifference of immortals. I tried to hold on to my patience, but I had spent most of my day either planning or executing a fairly-successful infil-exfil plan. I was tiring of playing nice with the non-humans.

"You can't be sure it's Victoria." My least favorite of my new friends was on seriously thin ice.

Everyone seemed calm…ish. None of them had made as big a deal as Edward about our little outing. Obviously the rest of them had the presence of mind to realize that the wolves weren't the threat of the day. Speaking of Edward and Bella, they had disappeared almost as soon as we arrived at the Cullen property. I had no idea where they were, but I was officially off babysitting duty.

Sighing, I shifted so my feet were pulled up under me on the giant designer sofa. I was cold, all of a sudden. "Yes, I can be. Fairly sure anyway. I spent a good two hours talking to Sam about the wolves' encounters with her. There's no way she's working alone. If she was just planning on killing Bella, she could have done that—easily—before you guys even showed back up. The wolves' defenses were good, but not perfect. She had to have been counting on this. That y'all would come back and then she could really get revenge.

I think she's going old school with this. Like old school, old school." I said, leveling a purposeful look at Jasper.

He seemed to be thinking it over in his mind. Emmett fidgeted, leaning against the back of the sofa. He was by far the least-patient immortal I had ever come across. "I don't get what we're waiting for." He finally said, leaping lightly over the edge of the sofa and landing next to me. I laughed.

"Well you don't want to rush into this, if it is what I think it is." I told him.

"And what exactly is it that you think it is?" Rosalie asked, as disinterested as she always seemed to be. Of all the Cullens, I was fairly certain she was my favorite. Other than her diet, she was the only one that didn't completely confuse me. Rosalie Hale was the kind of vampire I understood.

"A vampire army." Jasper said grimly, his southern accent thickening. I didn't know how much he knew about the wars of the south, but judging from what I did know about him—approximately when he was turned and how unmistakably southern he sometimes acted and sounded—I figured he had to be familiar with the legend, at the very least.

"Not even Victoria would flirt with danger like that. The Volturi don't stand for that kind of thing anymore." Edward sauntered back in, falling into the plush armchair and pulling Bella down onto his lap. He seemed better-tempered, thankfully.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. What else could possibly be going on in Seattle? I have eyes and ears out, and there's nothing else freaky going on in the area, so I don't see how that's not what's up here." I said. "There's no way that there just happens to be a bunch of new, unruly vampires wreaking havoc in the closest city to Forks, at the same time that Victoria's little vendetta is coming to a head. Coincidences like that don't just happen." I stressed.

Jasper shifted on his feet, as though he was about to start pacing. He was older and calmer than Emmett though, and held his ground. "It's possible, I suppose. If it is an army, and Victoria's created it, we have a whole new set of problems." He said grimly.

I shot Edward a look. "Told you so." He did not dignify my childish comment with a response, but the corner of his mouth quirked up almost imperceptibly.

I couldn't sleep. And not just because I was having a sleepover at the local vampire crypt. There was so much going on that my brain wasn't processing it all very quickly or efficiently. I wandered out onto the large, open porch and hopped up onto the smooth oak railing.

The forest seemed peaceful from here, and my eyes couldn't decipher anything out of the ordinary in the dark shadows between the trees. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone spoke from behind me. Damn vampires really needed to wear bells around their necks or I was going to have a heart attack one of these days.

"Looking for something?" The southern lilt in the words piqued my curiosity. Earlier we had all been focused on the present problem; but now, there was time to wonder about Jasper.

"Uh, yeah. Normalcy. I don't think I'm going to find it though." I said, answering his question in as light a manner as possible.

He chuckled quietly, leaning against the railing next to me. It worried me a bit that I didn't even tense up. I was losing my edge, seriously. "Well you won't find it in that forest, that's for sure." He replied.

We lapsed into a silence that was weirdly not uncomfortable. I had all but convinced myself that we would never get along, so I was more than a little confused. He shot me a quick smile. "I'm confused too. I don't want to like you either." He said, his perplexity visible in his expression.

I laughed, swinging my legs back and forth and feeling a little like a child. "So this magical pendant of privacy doesn't protect me from your power, I see." I retorted, touching the circular piece of metal at my throat. His smile widened.

"Well it does to an extent. I can read your emotions, but not influence them." He told me, matter-of-factly. I quirked an eyebrow at him. "If I could, you'd have been long gone from here by now." He explained.

I shot him a mocking glare. "If you want me to leave, there's actually a better way to approach it. Tell me to get the hell out, and I will. I can run hunter-interference for you guys from Colorado or Nebraska." I pointed out.

He straightened, no longer leaning next to me. "Alright. Get the hell out."

I hopped down and landed lightly on my feet. "Done." I said shortly, making for the steps that would lead down to the lawn.

He let me get to the stone path that led around the side of the house before appearing in front of me. Damn he was fast. "What, don't tell me you've changed your mind already?" I asked, my voice thick with sarcasm.

He shook his sandy hair out of his eyes—or maybe he was answering my question in the negative. Either way, he didn't seem to feel the need to voice a reason for his odd behavior. We stood—neither of us moving—for at least ten minutes. He didn't even blink. Having a fair amount of experience with vampires, I knew it was impossible for me to out-wait him, so I finally folded my arms over my chest and cleared my throat. "What exactly is it that you know about the old wars of the south?" I asked, when it was clear that he had no intention of telling me what the hell he was doing.

He gave me a hard look, but I stood my ground. He wasn't the most terrifying vampire I'd ever encountered—although admittedly he ranked quite high up there. "I enlisted to fight for the Confederacy when I was hardly older than you are now. In Texas they didn't care about your age, just your ability to shoot and actually hit a target. I was… quite well-liked and rose quickly through the ranks. The Civil War…it was a bloodbath. Quite literally. Perhaps it's not surprising that vampires seemed to come out of the woodwork. Amid all the destruction and death, they went almost unnoticed—as did their victims." There was an edge to his voice that sent a small thrill of terror down my spine.

"Her name was Maria, the vampire that turned me. She had me so indoctrinated that I was doing her dirty work without question. Together we created one of the greatest vampire armies the south had ever seen." He continued. I felt my jaw drop a little. I quickly clamped my teeth together. I had been told stories of the vampire wars of the south for as long as I could remember, but they had always seemed like an intangible, obscure metaphor for something else. I couldn't quite wrap my head around there being any honest reality in them.

"My ability to feel the emotions of those around me caused me to reassess my choices, eventually. But my understanding of vampire armies is quite thorough, I assure you." He stated, rolling up his shirt-sleeves. The moonlight glinted off the scars that littered his arms. "I trained—and destroyed—many newborns in my day." He said, as way of explanation.

It took me a few minutes to process what I was being told. "Hell of a story." I said distractedly, still trying to get my brain to function properly. He laughed darkly.

"Your turn." I pulled myself out of my muddled thoughts to give him a confused glare.

"What do you mean, my turn?" I asked patronizingly. The glare he returned was definitely more impressive than mine.

"Few know anything of those wars, let alone would be able to put together the pieces to realize that that's what's going on in Seattle. How did you figure it out?" He asked, his glare only lessening slightly.

I thought for a moment. They were the scariest stories Uncle Daniel ever told me; but it was more than that. No other hunter I had ever met had any real information on the southern wars. It was part of the reason that I had always thought that there was a fictional aspect to them—like Uncle Dan had been trying to instill a certain kind of fear in me—that there was no way they were true.

Finally it all clicked together in my head. I started laughing. Jasper looked at me like I might have officially lost it. I tried to calm myself down enough to explain. "Everything makes sense now."

"Do tell." He prodded. I could tell it was annoying him that I couldn't just spit it out.

Still snickering, I shrugged. "I know because you do." I said simply. His blond eyebrows rose in surprise. I hurried to explain. "My uncle was the ultimate authority on vampires for forty years. If anyone had a vampire problem, Daniel Elkins was the first on their go-to list. He knew more than any human should about vampire lore—vampire history. Why do you think that is?" I asked, giving him a meaningful look.

It didn't take him as long to put together has it had taken me. "Carlisle." He said, understanding dawning on his face.

"Remember what Carlisle said about the night he met my uncle? They sat for hours talking about the 'world of the supernatural'. I'm almost certain that's where he learned everything he ever taught me. Including the stories about the vampire wars of the south." I stated, the shock still running like adrenaline through my system.

Jasper seemed to be almost as thrown. "Well that's ironic." He finally retorted. I broke down into giggles again.

"Welcome to my life."

I poured my third cup of coffee since the sun had come up an hour earlier. Jasper was leaning against the counter across from me, smirking at my stifled yawning. "You know, some of us normal people need this little thing called sleep." I grumbled. He chuckled.

"You? Normal? Keep dreaming." He retorted. I made a rude hand gesture and turned as quickly as my foggy mind would let me when I heard someone come into the spacious kitchen. Bella was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and giving the mug of coffee in my hands an envious look. I moved to the cupboard where the matching mugs were kept, and deftly poured her a cup. Pressing it into her hands, I went back to my perch on the counter.

"How long have you been up?" She asked sleepily. I rolled my eyes.

"Way, way too long. We have a plan though; so it was probably worth it." I stated, gesturing between Jasper and myself. Alice danced into the kitchen, followed very closely by Edward, who slipped his arms around Bella and grinned at our matching mugs of liquid caffeine.

"Tired, ladies?" He asked. Bella elbowed him and then winced. I rolled my eyes.

"I've been waiting since basically the day I met you to tell you this, but you really need to stop doing that. I suggest using a tire-iron instead of your elbow." I told her, causing all three of the vampires in the room to laugh. Bella shot me a dirty look.

"Whatever Evie." Was the best reply she could apparently come up with.

Alice hopped lithely up on the countertop next to me and looked between Jasper and I conspiratorially. "Did I hear something about a plan? I can't see it, so I can assume that we're going to have some help… of the canine variety." She said, asking a question without actually asking a question. I was quickly learning that was just her style.

At Alice's mention of the wolves, Bella dropped her cup of coffee, sending the steaming liquid all over everything. Edward caught the mug before it hit the tile, but a quiet, pained hiss alerted us all to the fact that most of the scalding coffee had gone all over Bella's hands.

Edward said something under his breath that I didn't catch, but Bella's face turned nearly as red as the burns developing on her hands. Whatever it was, she brushed it off and turned back to us. "No. Absolutely not. You are not going to use the wolves to take out a vampire army." She said, panic apparent in her voice.

"No one's using anyone. Why do you think so many of the Quileute boys have turned? Usually it's just two or three; according to Sam. Even with you lot here, as you have been sporadically over the years, three is the most wolves a pack has ever had at a time. This threat in Seattle is affecting them too. There are eight wolves in La Push at the moment. Sam wants this dealt with before any more of the tribe is affected. And their numbers would help us—judging from the damage being reported in the city, there are dozens of new vampires there. This could turn into a catastrophe if we aren't careful." I explained to the room at large, as Edward pulled Bella over to the pristine sink and began running cool water over her bright red fingers.

She turned to me, looking somewhat thunderstruck. "What do you mean, eight?"

I nearly dropped my own mug of coffee. "You're joking, right? Jacob just conveniently forgot to mention that Quil wasn't the newest member of their pack?" I asked sharply. What the hell was that kid playing at?

Her face reddened again. "No…it never came up." She mumbled, returning her focus to her injured hands.

I shook my head in exasperation. "Whatever. Look, I need to get going back down to the reservation. I'll talk out the details of a treaty-re-work with Sam, and I'll let you know what we come up with." I told them, hopping down from the counter.

"Get them to meet us on our side of the line just after midnight, and we'll work strategies from there." Jasper reminded me. I nodded, ignoring the disapproving looks I was getting from both Bella and Edward.

Before I could make a quick exit, Carlisle and Esme glided into the kitchen. I stopped long enough to give Carlisle an extra-appreciative smile. He smiled back, his attractive face lighting up, though I could see a hint of confusion in his golden eyes. "Good morning Evelyn, Bella—let me take a look." He said, turning to the more accident-prone of his two human guests. I threw Jasper a look and he nodded almost imperceptibly. He would explain to the rest of them about the strange Circle-of-Life-esque nature of our newly-strengthened alliance.

Tossing my bag into the truck and then climbing into the driver's seat, I turned the key with one hand and stifled another yawn with the other. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure.

As I drove down the highway, I marveled at the way that my destiny seemed to be interwoven with the Cullen family's. They were vampires, yes. But they were also the reason Uncle Daniel was … well, the Daniel Elkins. Carlisle had given him everything he'd needed to protect himself against the creatures of the night—everything he'd needed to teach me to do the same. I finally understood why he had been so defensive about them years before. He owed them, big time.

I laughed. Good vampires. I was finally starting to believe it.