Chapter 21
~*~ warning ~*~ story contains very dark themes, including brief mentions of or flashbacks to a past sexual assault. if this subject is a trigger for you, please do not continue.
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse and need assistance, please contact RAINN
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, or any of the characters created by Stephenie Meyer. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
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Previously
"Jake, no!" Edward knew what was about to happen. He pulled Bella back against his chest and they landed in a heap on the stairs. Emmett rushed to Jake's side as he phased, hoping to restrain the young wolf before Charlie got hurt.
"Jake..." Charlie gasped, his eyes wide and his pulse erratic, as his best friend's son contorted into an enormous wolf, right in the Cullen's foyer.
"Dad!" Bella cried out. Carlisle leapt to his side, catching him as he began to faint.
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September 13th, Forks
"Keep Bella back."
"...hit his head?"
"Here, put these on, Jake."
"...saw them, he knows they're not Jane's."
"...completely terrified."
Charlie started to come around, hearing partial conversations and concerned, hurried voices.
"What were you even thinking? Jesus!"
"I'm sorry, okay? It seemed like a good idea to get it over with."
Charlie's eyes fluttered, blinking against the late afternoon light.
"He's my father, and I'm telling you I'm fine."
"Let's all just calm down."
"He's coming to."
He felt a cool cloth pressed to his forehead, and the first face he recognized was Bella's, upside down?
"Bells?"
"Hi, Dad. You gave us quite a scare. You okay?"
He pressed his palms over his eyes. He was aware of lying in Bella's lap, on a sofa. "Yeah, I just..." He tried to push himself up, but strong hands - Edward's? - held him back.
"Don't rush, Charlie. You fainted. Just take it easy for a few minutes, all right?"
Carlisle, he thought. Charlie nodded, wincing at the swirling pain in his head. "What the hell happened? How long was I out?"
"Just a minute or so, Dad."
"I thought I saw..." Charlie immediately bolted upright, wavering, clutching his head with one hand and reaching with the other for the sidearm Edward had removed. "Where's Jake?" he shouted, frantically scanning the room. He stumbled, and Carlisle caught him in his arms, while the others crowded around Bella.
"I'm here, Charlie." Jake spoke up from across the room. Charlie shook his head briefly, blinking, making sure his eyes were seeing him properly, his missing sidearm now forgotten.
"You turned into... some kind of... I don't know what, Jake! Jesus! Am I even awake?" He looked up at Bella. "And you - you - look different. You're you, but - different. You look, and you sound..." He squinted at her, and then his eyes grew wide. "Are those contacts? And why on earth would you want red ones?"
Carlisle eased Charlie down into one of the wingback chairs near the fireplace, and Esme handed him a glass of water. He took a sip and closed his eyes to calm his thoughts. When he opened them again, clearer and more alert, he saw them all standing close; Bella and Edward, Jacob, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, the cousin - Jane? - from Europe ...and the babies, one in Alice's arms, and one in Rosalie's. He was distracted by the babies' faces and only half heard Carlisle speaking.
"...things we can't easily explain, Charlie. Some things better left unsaid."
"What?"
Carlisle smiled. "There are things in this world you never imagined, Charlie. Amazing, supernatural things we can't easily explain. Some of them are better left unspoken."
Charlie's eyes darted to Jake, who was staring at the floor, wringing his hands. "What the hell is going on here, Jacob?"
"Dad..." Bella soothed, her cool, firm hand tracing his shoulder. He glanced at her hand, then her face.
Jake interrupted, pulling the focus from Bella back to his impulsive stunt. "Charlie, It's a Quileute thing - to protect the tribe from..."
Edward looked at him sharply.
"...from dangerous things, and predators," he finished, struggling to get around Sam's non-disclosure rule.
Charlie just looked at him. "Are you high? Shit, am I? Did you all slip me something? Because I swear to god, he turned into a huge wolf right before my eyes, and that baby looks exactly like Bella did, and that one looks a hell of a lot like Edward." He looked from Jake, to Edward, to Carlisle, and then to Bella, insistently pointing at the twins.
"Dad, Carlisle is right. There are things we can't... things you might be better off not knowing. Jake showed you what he is. I know it's a lot to take in, but it's real. You aren't imagining things."
For what seemed to them all like an eternity, Charlie sat silently, absorbing Bella's words, trying to process them while the split-second image of Jacob's shivering contortion played over and over in his head. He couldn't get the instant replay to stop, couldn't slow down enough to fully form all the questions in his head. Finally, one stood out above all the others.
"Does Billy know about this, Jake?"
Jake nodded stiffly, his jaw clenched. "I'm bound..."
Carlisle finished Jake's answer. "There's not much more he can say, Charlie. Tribal rules... even though you saw, he's prevented from elaborating."
"And what about you?" Charlie asked Edward. "What's this got to do with my daughter? I put my only child in your safe keeping! What are you? All of you - Bella?" Her head was down, staring at her fingers nervously twining in her lap.
"It's a bigger, stranger world than you realized, Dad. Saying much more than that might…" she hesitated to finish the thought.
Edward spoke for her. "It might put a lot of innocent people at risk if we tell you anything further."
"Just know that I'm fine. I'm happy and safe, and there's nothing for you to worry about. Okay? Dad?"
Charlie held up his hands, stunned by the absurdity of the situation. "I don't... I can't... this is all just too much. It's insane, that's what it is." He leaned back into the chair, rubbing his eyes. "You say Billy knows, about..." Charlie flicked his hand in the air in the direction of the foyer, and Jake nodded. "And these babies?"
Bella whispered without looking up. "What about them?"
"Are they, I mean, I'd say it's not possible, but I don't know what 'impossible' means right now." He scrubbed his hands over his jaw. "Jesus, you just got married a month ago! There's just no way that one's not related to you, Bella, and the other one, too." He stared at them for a moment before speaking again. "Am I, you know, a grandpa?"
Edward held her hand. "You can be, if you'd like to be, Charlie."
His jaw went slack as the words sunk in.
"If it's too much, you're not ready, we don't have to..."
"But how? I mean, was my daughter pregnant when you got married? You can't... they look at least a couple of months old... There's just no way!"
He watched as Edward and Bella seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes, before looking sadly back at him.
"No," he shook his head, "don't tell me."
Bella motioned Alice and Rose closer, and placed each of the babies in Charlie's arms. "This is Masen Jacob," she whispered, caressing her son's porcelain cheek. "And his little sister, Cara Marie," she said, repeating the gesture.
Beautiful, she thought, which Edward heard.
"Masen?"
"A family name," Edward said, nodding, still staring at Bella.
"And Cara?"
"Sort of Charlie, and Carlisle, but for a girl," Bella smiled.
He looked down at the two precious faces, easily the most beautiful babies he'd ever seen, even more than Bella had been. "Really?"
"Really. They're a miracle, Dad. Truly. That's all you need to know."
He took a deep, slow breath and gently kissed each of his grandchildren's foreheads. "Okay. I can live with miracles."
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Thursday, September 21st, Forks
Leah phased back to her human skin and stooped to retrieve some clothes. Esme had begun leaving a basket at the edge of the woods just beyond the house and, although things were still somewhat strained between the Cullens and the pack, it went a long way to fostering goodwill.
She strode out onto the lawn, pulling a tee over her head, and saw Jane leaning against a nearby tree. Something about the girl tugged at Leah. Her self-imposed isolation, perhaps, felt familiar in a painful way. Part of her was disgusted with herself for feeling sympathy towards a leech, but the young woman sitting before her in that moment was just a pitiful girl not much different from Leah. She followed Jane's line of sight toward the Cullen house where, through the wall of glass windows, they could see Jacob and the others playing with the twins.
"Why don't you go in?"
Jane looked up at her slowly, wrinkling her nose. Leah laughed at the implied insult, and plopped down on the grass a few feet away.
"It's not my place," Jane finally said.
"What is?"
Jane looked at her sharply, feeling a burning desire to see the raven-haired woman in pain. "None of your concern," she muttered. Gazing back at the tranquil scene inside the house, she felt even more out of place, and looked away.
Leah took a deep breath, suddenly weary of the situation. "I've spent the majority of my life trying to figure out where I belonged, who I was, what my place was. I was always someone's sister or daughter or girlfriend, always knew I would take my humble place amongst the other Quileute women some day, defined by the men around me and the role they expected me to take on. No one ever asked me what I wanted, if I had dreams or goals, if I wanted something more. Then the Cullens came along," she scoffed, "and changed everything." She paused as she looked out over the river.
"For some reason, or the right combination of genes, my body felt the call to protect same as the boys, and here I am. I have this amazing ability and an immense duty to my tribe to uphold, but somehow I'm still just a girl. I'm still second-class, still an afterthought. I'm still on the receiving end of the whims of whatever man thinks he's above me, only now not even my thoughts, or my body, are my own."
Jane looked back to her, watching Leah's face.
"I have a place in this tribe, bigger than what I had before, but it's still not of my own choosing. I had no say in this, never any options. They may have elevated my status, but what good is it?"
Jane nodded, seeing the similarities with her own existence.
"I know what it's like to struggle with your place, to be forced to let others tell you who you are."
"Yes," Jane whispered.
"You don't have to do that."
"What?"
"I decided to side with Jacob. I've known him my entire life and even though the others might disagree, I think Jake has proven we can get along. So, here I am, learning to coexist while the rest of the pack watches from a distance."
Jane cocked her head, wondering if it was really that simple.
"Don't wait for someone to tell you your place. If you want to go in there and be a part of that, go do it." Leah pointed at the Cullen house with her chin.
Jane nodded, staring once more out over the river, then back to the house and its occupants. She wondered if the choice she'd made, killing her brother, was enough. Hadn't that established her on a new path? Hadn't that been a clean break from her past? Or was it just a knee-jerk moment, leaving her adrift? She'd stayed here with them, lying to Aro, covering up her brother's death, learning to hunt animals... But was this where she belonged?
Jane noticed that Jake had stood up and walked towards the window, arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face as he looked in Leah's direction.
She saw a similar smile on Leah's face.
"You planning to take your own advice?
Leah glanced back at the house and raised a hand in greeting toward Jake. "Him? He's..."
"He's headstrong, impulsive, but becoming a fine young man."
Leah shrugged. "He's not there yet."
Jane raised her eyebrows, not believing that Leah wasn't interested. "And when he gets there?"
Leah looked down at her, and the small, warm smile turned into an ornery smirk. "...none of your concern," she muttered, echoing Jane's earlier words as she strode toward the house.
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Thursday, September 28th
Jasper looked down into Masen's eyes, like melted jewels, russet, green, and blue. He loved holding him, loved being consumed by the warm little person in his hands, wondering if it was the nature of the boy himself, or some long-buried paternal craving.
"Da... Da... Da..." Masen babbled.
Jasper stood immediately, looking around for Edward. "You want your daddy." Masen smiled. "Da!"
Jasper found him in the kitchen, chatting with Jake as Esme made him lunch. As soon as he was in his father's arms, he began smacking his lips together, making little bubbles of drool drip down to his chin. "You're a hungry little man!"
"Ba ba!" Immediately, Edward, Jasper, Esme and Jake all scrambled for to prepare him a bottle, practically tripping over each other in the process.
As soon as the bottle touched his lips, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
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"Are you sure, Alice?"
"Positive. Try it."
Alice handed Cara over, making sure that Bella's fingers met her daughter's bare skin. Alice hadn't discovered if the direct contact would always be a factor, but for now it seemed necessary.
"Now try it - think something to Edward. Something specific."
If Alice's assertion about Cara was true, Edward would be able to hear her thoughts as long as she was touching Cara's skin. Ever since she'd awoken from being changed, they'd had a few flashes here and there when he could hear her, but they'd never been able to figure out a consistent reason. It never dawned on them that it could have to do with Cara, but apparently Alice had been holding out on them from day one.
"I still can't believe you didn't say something before now. And - how? I mean, is she some kind of conduit for me? No one else can ever hear my thoughts, so I don't understand how..."
"Just try. For me. And to answer your question, I didn't want to spoil your chance to figure this out on your own, about your own child. Now, I'm just too impatient."
Bella closed her eyes, as if that would help her channel her inner Alexander Graham Bell. Edward - Come here. I need you.
In an instant, he bounded up the stairs and was standing at her side. "Bella - what's wrong?"
"Oh my god, Alice. You were right!"
"Right about what?" Edward demanded.
You can hear me - it's Cara. I'm touching Cara's skin and you can hear me.
Edward fell to his knees in front of her, looking back and forth from his daughter to his wife. "How... Cara?"
"She's some kind of conduit, Edward. Alice showed me."
"I don't think she's a conduit, actually." Take her from Bella, Edward. Make sure your skin touches hers.
Edward reached out, gingerly lifting her from Bella's arms. Alice's thoughts continued to pour through his head as he fumbled with Cara's blanket. As soon as their skin touched, Alice's voice fell silent in his head.
Edward looked at Alice sharply, stunned that they'd overlooked this possibility.
"She's not a conduit, Edward. She's an inhibitor. When we touch her, my visions stop, your mind quiets, Jasper stops feeling every emotion around him..."
He looked back at Bella, feeling like he was missing something, then back to Alice. "But Bella doesn't..."
"Think about it, Edward. Bella's unaffected by Jane, or Aro..."
"She's... a shield."
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Monday, October 2nd, Volterra
Caius and Marcus strode down the corridor to Aro's private chambers, knocked, and entered silently. The three nodded to each other and sat, each equally aware of the tension in the others' bearing.
Aro spoke before his counterparts had finished situating their robes around them, attempting to take the upper hand. "The time has come to act. I see no need to delay further, and in fact feel that we have lost ground in allowing the Cullens' charade to continue this long. We know the child is conceived."
Marcus shifted his gaze slowly from Aro to Caius, who tilted his head in silent assent. He nodded so slightly that human eyes would not detect it, but Aro noticed. His lip twitched in irritation, and he flipped the hem of his sleeve back from his hand, a subtle indication to them both that should they seek to hide something from him, their secrets were but a touch away.
Marcus' face contorted, insulted at the implication. Caius remained still, but Marcus saw the fibers of his loyalty to Aro continuing to unravel, as they had since the horrid event that started them down this path.
"What action do you feel needs to be taken at this time, dear brother?" Caius folded his hands together, the sleeves of his heavy robe obscuring them from sight. Aro was not oblivious to his subtle defiance.
"The time has come for us to pay a visit to America, and remind Carlisle how seriously we take our contractual obligations. Jane has clearly failed us, and perhaps even become their pawn. We must act, and the sooner the better. The heir must be surrendered, and the girl must be turned. Anything less encourages further impudence."
Caius held his tongue, letting Aro's assertions fall flat. He knew the ridiculous situation could never be resolved so easily.
Marcus finally spoke. "Who do you think should accompany us?"
"Renata, of course, and Felix and Demetri..." Marcus expected that Aro would name his personal guard before any others. Felix and Demetri were a given.
"More than that may escalate this toward something none of us want, Aro," Marcus cautioned.
Aro ignored him and continued on, demonstrating how much consideration he'd already given to his own solution. "...and Chelsea, I think. Her talents will make the transition easier for all of them. In all honesty, disbanding the entire coven would be a kindness and a preemptive strike against any further nonsense. Perhaps a full complement of all our best guards. A show of force to indicate the strength of our convictions."
"I think we have yet to consider all the ramifications of such an act, brother, much less whether it would be a kindness." Marcus resented Aro's implication that being removed from one's mate could ever be construed as a blessing. He still mourned the loss of his beloved wife, Didyme.
Aro shifted forward in his seat, elevating his head above theirs in an aggressive posture. "Regardless of your individual qualms about that particular aspect, taking action in the matter of the contract is without question."
"Disbanding the entire coven seems extreme even for you, brother. Have you so little love left for Carlisle?" Caius' voice did not conceal his disdain for Aro's suggestion.
"He has his charms, no doubt, but I think of this as a corrective measure. Every vampire he pulls under his wing is an insult. He should not be encouraged, and allowing his coven to grow undermines our authority. Any of their sympathizers we encounter should be outright eliminated. They made their treasonous intent clear when they sided with the Cullens. It is our duty to put a stop to it. Nec Temere, Nec Timide, brothers."
Caius was incensed. "How fitting of you to invoke that motto, Aro. Timidity is not my fear, but temerity. To act boldly, without good counsel, is foolhardy. You've set us on that unfortunate path with this entire matter. The real question is what resolution can be had without inciting all-out war."
"War? What are you talking about? This is a simple matter over contractual servitude, in payment of a debt!" Aro was stunned at Cauis' audacity.
"Simple? Have you lost your mind? This ceased being simple when you chose to act out your own greed, just for a few new toys to flaunt at court!" It ceased being simple the minute you chose to force-breed Edward Cullen and his virgin singer, based on a fragmented vision, without seeking the endorsement of your brothers! It ceased being simple long before you insisted that we resurrect the matter after the girl miscarried!"
Marcus lifted his hand, waving Caius to calm himself. "We had an opportunity to extricate ourselves when we received Carlisle's rebuttal. I warned you then, Aro. As soon as he sought other covens to align with him, the line was drawn. Sending Jane and Alec did nothing to strengthen our position, but merely entrenched us further and robbed us of two key guards."
"I will not be cowed by one small coven bent on harboring a human amongst them, who have shown direct disregard for our authority, here, in Volterra, under our very noses!"
"If we pursue, it could spark rebellion," Marcus countered. "Are you prepared for what that could mean to Volterra, Aro?"
"Perhaps a little rebellion would help flush out our enemies. Tides are turning, the world around us is evolving. The sheer number of covens eager to side with Cullen should stand as a warning. If we allow their ilk to flourish, unchecked..."
Marcus spoke quietly. "Let us speak plainly, Aro, and dispense with this defensive posturing. You wanted the human, or her child, from the very beginning, and manipulated the boy to secure that end. The rest is just thin justification, and the Cullens know it. What have you not told us about the child, Aro? What other secret did the seer's thoughts betray?"
"This is no trivial addition to the guard we're bandying about. The child is more valuable even than the mother - we must have it here, under our control and tutelage. We cannot allow them to raise one with such a gift. It could devastate all that we've built."
Caius stood and moved toward the door. With his back turned in defiance, he spoke. "I will travel with you, out of respect for the centuries behind us, Aro. But know this; my support for this course is fragile. You have yet to convince me the value in pursuing the matter."
"As with me, Aro." Marcus stood, facing Aro, but out of reach. "Open conflict will exact a price we can't begin to calculate."
Aro stood abruptly, his robes fluttering around him. "We are mightier than a ragtag clan a handful of nomads."
Marcus pulled his cloak closed and buried his hands in the opposing sleeves. "I suggest caution against such arrogance. Never underestimate the bonds formed between those who feel wronged. A martyr amongst them could provide a rallying point more powerful than the child."
Aro pressed on. "Shall we sit here and bicker while any advantage slips away? Even now, the seer is certainly alerting them. The time to push has come."
"If we push much harder, brother, we may not like what happens when they push back."
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Monday, October 2nd, Forks
Edward jolted out of bed. Bella sat up, looking to the bassinets for reassurance. "Shhh. It's Alice. I'll be back."
Bella nodded, watching over Masen and Cara as they slept.
He knocked at Alice and Jasper's door, and heard Jasper's reply. "Come."
Alice's eyes were glazed over, and her body slack.
Seven figures, robed in black, striding across a winter-white glade, the last hours of sunlight setting their faces ablaze. More figures, too numerous to count, stood cloaked in the shadows of the forest.
Aro's voice, demanding the heir he was promised, Marcus and Caius at his side, but apart. Felix and Demetri standing as sentinels. Renata shadowing Aro, ever watchful. Chelsea, looming, cold and proud.
Cara, in Rosalie's arms.
The vision deteriorated then into a tumbling chaos of images as their choices and actions unraveled and wove back together. First the Cullens had the upper hand, the next flicker belonging to the Volturi...
Marcus and Caius stepping forward, hands aloft in a gesture of peace. Chelsea moving forward with a wicked glint in her eye. Masen's bell-like voice, and then nothingness.
The Three, issuing a united challenge, Jane shouting, blank emptiness as the Cullen family was shattered by Chelsea's terrible gift. Both babies carried away, and a putrid fire burning beside the river.
One final glimmer of hope appeared as the vision shifted once again, then retreated - Masen and Cara clinging to each other as the robed forms scattered amongst the trees.
"They're coming, it's been decided." she whispered. "Winter. Snow on the ground."
"Who?"
"The Three. Felix, and Demetri. A woman... Renata? Behind Aro, and another... Chelsea. More... guards. Many more."
"Dear god." Jane stepped into the room. "Chelsea?"
Edward nodded.
"He's going to disband the family."
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A/N:
Thank you for reading.
October 2012: chapter re-edited for minor content and dialogue refinement. Endless thanks to my beta, Fatally Obsessed.