Title: An Unkind Fate

Rating: PG (T)

Pairings: Ultimately Bella & Edward but first we have to show what happens if Bella tried to make it work with Jake after Edward leaves in New Moon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the Twilight series. They are the property of Stephenie Meyer and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Set: Alternative Universe to New Moon. Edward leaves Bella but doesn't think Bella died in the cliff diving incident, doesn't go to the Volturi nor does he come back to Bella. Bella tries to make a relationship with Jake work but fate intervenes. Bella starts over by moving to Oregon and going to school. Fate intervenes again and she runs into Edward again. Can they make it work now that she is older, a bit more broken and disillusioned?

A/N 1 – To those of you who sent me PM's asking for the next chapter – thanking you for caring enough to send me messages to get me moving on an update. I'm sorry for the delay, work issues have prevented me from writing. I really appreciate those that have stuck with the story and I promise I have every intention of finishing this story. For the new reviews that came in since the last post, thanks for taking the time to comment on the story. As everyone says, it is very motivating to receive a review.

Chapter 21 – Company comes calling

Everyone looked at Alice or Edward. Edward concentrated and said with some surprise, "It's Tanya, and it appears she's brought company with her."

My stomach dropped at the thought of seeing Tanya again. Edward looked agitated. "Perhaps I should take Bella home?"

Alice was silent a moment and said, "It's fine, Edward. I don't see any problems if Bella stays."

Edward looked like he wanted to argue, but Tanya's voice rang out from the front of the house and a few seconds later she appeared with a beautiful woman with pale blond straight hair. She might be a blond, but her features were more Slavic than Scandinavian. Like Tanya she exuded sexuality. The only thing average about her was her height.

She was accompanied by a striking man around Edward's height and build. If it weren't for the brown hair, they might be mistaken for each other from behind. He had movie star looks so common of their kind.

Edward saw the visitor's dark burgundy eyes and hissed. He grabbed me and pulled me behind him. Jasper took a position beside Edward.

Tanya held up her hand and said, "It's all right, Edward. He's no threat to your little human."

I bristled at her condescending tone. What I wouldn't give to be able to slap her and not break a hand.

Kate seemed surprised that the Cullens were entertaining a human, "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. Tanya didn't warn us that you might have company."

Tanya didn't look pleased to see me, "I didn't know. Don't worry, dear sister. The human knows our secret."

Kate looked uncomfortable but she turned to Edward and assured him. "This is Callum. He's relatively new to our lifestyle and his eyes haven't completely adjusted yet. I assure you that she is quite safe in his company. He won't hurt her. "

Carlisle stepped forward, "Kate, it's lovely to see you." He embraced her warmly and then turned to the stranger. "Callum, welcome to our home."

"I hope you don't mind us just dropping in unannounced. I wanted to surprise Tanya with a visit and introduce Callum to everyone."

Esme graciously replied, "Kate, you are welcome any time. We're so happy to see you and meet your new friend."

"Did you just arrive in Portland?"

"We took our time coming down and stopped at a few places along the way to readjust to city life. This is the first time we've strayed so far from the Denali house since Callum switched to our diet. I wanted to make sure he was ok before we hit a city the size of Portland."

Edward tensed at the hint that Callum might have had some slip-ups as Emmett liked to call them. Kate sensed his mood and quickly said, "He has been fine for months and had no issues as we made our way south."

Alice seemed to communicate something to Edward and he got less tense.

Carlisle tried to smooth things over, "Well, we know how challenging this lifestyle can be to new comers and if there is anything we can do to help we will."

Carlisle introduced each of the family members to Callum.

Tanya interrupted Carlisle as he got to Bella and said condescendingly, "And this is Edward's little friend from Forks."

I grimaced at her tone but gave Callum a small smile in greeting. I could feel the tension emanating from Edward as Callum looked me over.

"I have to admit I'm a bit shocked to see you socializing with a human so freely. Isn't that dangerous?" Callum looked at Carlisle with what seemed genuine concern.

"Bella is an old family friend," Carlisle said as he smiled at me warmly. He turned back to Callum. "She stumbled on to our secret when we lived in Forks. As you can see it is many years later and she has kept our secret. In fact, we consider her family."

I was surprised at Carlisle's words and secretly pleased. Even if I didn't have Edward, it felt good to know that Carlisle and Esme cared. I made a mental note to ask Alice about what Callum meant by dangerous. First Tanya had said it and now Callum. I couldn't see how I was a danger to any of them.

"Please won't you come into the family room and sit down?" Carlisle invited. The Cullens cautiously returned to the seating arrangements they previously held. I was not shocked when Tanya sat on the arm of the couch next to Edward as she obviously staked her claim.

Esme frowned at Tanya but then turned to where Kate and Callum were seated. "So, Kate, how did you and Callum meet?"

I could see by the way that Kate looked at Callum that she had strong feelings for the beautiful young man. They stared at one another for a moment and then Callum started the story. "I was traveling through Alaska about six months ago. I had heard about your alternative lifestyle from some nomads passing through that warned me of some locations to avoid hunting. They said that it was the territory of a stationary coven. I couldn't believe a coven could be stay in one place for any length of time without drawing the attention of the local authorities. That is when they explained that you hunted animals instead of humans. I could tell that the idea of hunting animals for sustenance disgusted the nomads. I knew I had to learn more because the thought of settling into one place after all these years of wandering was really appealing. So, I tried to get as much information out of the nomads as I could to look for the coven. It took some time, but I finally stumbled across a scent of another vampire in the area they had warned me about. I took a chance that it would lead to the coven, or at least more information on where I could find it." He paused for a moment looking back into Kate's eyes and smiled, "It led me to Kate."

"We ran in to each other near Talkeetna when I was hunting." Kate squeezed Callum's hand. "At first I thought I was going to have to fight a rogue vampire. Imagine my surprise when he said 'Finally, I've been looking everywhere for you'."

Callum laughed. "Imagine my surprise when I took one look at this beautiful creature and realized that my words meant more than I found the person that could teach me another way of life."

It looked like Kate would have blushed if she could. This individual was nothing like the experienced seductress that Edward told stories about when he told me the origin of the succubus myths.

"Would it be too personal to ask what made you interested in trying this alternative diet?"

"Not at all, Carlisle. I think it had something to do with how I was changed. I'm relatively young by this room's standards based on what Kate has said. I was attending a university when I was attacked one night near campus. I don't know who my sire was."

"I can't believe one of our kind would take such a risk; make a vampire and not take responsibility for it."

"When I woke up, I was overwhelmed by all the heightened senses. I could suddenly see things like colors and textures I had never seen before. The cacophony of noise was deafening. Then someone must have come near to where I was and I was suddenly overcome by a burning thirst that felt unbearable. The sound of a heartbeat made me move. I was on the source of the rhythmic beating in seconds and I couldn't stop myself from attacking. After I satiated my thirst I was disgusted with what I had done. I never thought I was capable of hurting another human being but the hunger was overwhelming."

He paused for a second. He appeared to be collecting himself.

"I tried to avoid feeding as long as possible, but that just made the blood thirst worst." I could see Jasper nodding in agreement without realizing it. "I learned that if I didn't feed on a regular basis I had no control and the next feeding was more savage. One night, a vampire ran across me feeding. I guess I made a mess of the situation, and he showed me how to hide my tracks and took me under his wing. I finally learned what I was and how I was turned."

"Who was it?" Rosalie asked.

"He called himself Joseph. We weren't together long. He wasn't interested in forming a coven. He said he wanted to stay in the area for a while, because he was working on something and he didn't need the scrutiny of the Volturi that an uncontrollable newborn could bring. He explained who the Volturi were and the rules. He told me that there were others like us and how we typically interact. He didn't understand my guilt when I had to feed but he explained why I was more out of control if I delayed feeding too long. I admitted I thought of trying to kill myself and he just laughed. He explained how one of our kind can be destroyed. He told me I needed to overcome my guilt and tried to convince me to look at humans like humans look at their food source like cows."

"He trained me for a few months and then sent me on my way. I wasn't sure where to go or what to do. So I decided I would try to find the vampire that sired me. I don't know if I wanted answers as to why they changed me or if I I just wanted revenge."

"If you didn't see if it was a man or a woman how did you expect to find them?"

"I don't remember a lot from before my attack but I remember the smell of orange blossoms. I thought if I ran across them I would recognize their scent."

"I traveled around for years without any success. Then I had the great luck to run across the nomads in Alaska that told me about your way of life. A way of life that might make this existence bearable. The rest you know."

"He's done really well, Carlisle. He's handled interacting with humans these last few months with a lot more ease."

"So Callum, did you find what you are looking for?"

Callum smiled at Kate again. "It is difficult but I can see the benefits."

"Yes, many of our kind find our lifestyle abhorrent and unnatural. It isn't easy but it has its benefits in terms of quality of lifestyle and its ability to build strong ties to each other."

Kate gave Edward a long look.

"Kate, Emmett and Rosalie were just about to go hunting. Would you and Callum like to join them?" Edward offered graciously.

Emmett and Rosalie looked surprised for a moment but this family had been together a long time and knew how to take queues from each other.

Rosalie smiled and said, "Yes, please join us."

Kate turned to Edward. "I'm good. But please why don't you take Callum to check out the local wildlife."

Callum protested at first but Emmett convinced him that he knew a spot that sometimes had bears. Rosalie smirked, "Callum, watch out for Emmett. He likes to play with his food."

Alice quickly said, "Come on Tanya. Let's go with them and show them how it's done."

Tanya nodded but then stopped when she noticed Edward hadn't followed to the sliding glass door. "Aren't you coming with us, Edward?"

"No, you guys go without me."

Tanya didn't look pleased.

As soon as the hunting party left, Kate turned to Edward. "Thank you, Edward. I wanted a few minutes alone with you to see what you thought of Callum?"

"Perhaps I should leave," I said uncomfortably. Kate looked like she had forgotten I was even in the room.

"You don't have to leave, Bella." She turned to the others in the room. "I know I sound foolish, but I needed you to meet Callum to make sure I'm not seeing what I want to see."

Carlisle stood up. "Kate, what is going on?"

"Could you hear his thoughts?" She asked Edward.

"Yes, I could hear his thoughts."

Kate looked embarrassed. "I know this may seem wrong but I really wanted to bring him here to get your read on Callum. Is he the person he presents himself to be?"

Edward stared at her for a moment. "I would say that his thoughts were consistent with everything he said. However, did you tell him about our gifts? If you did he could have tried to hide something. I didn't read any subterfuge but I can only read what he is thinking when I'm around."

"I know. Could we stay for a while? I didn't tell him about any of your gifts and I told Tanya not to say anything either. After Irina's experience with Laurent, I wanted some outside opinions. I really think he could be someone special."

"Your mate?"

"I'm not sure. After all these centuries I think he could be someone I could build something with. Not everyone is as lucky as your family to find their mates."

Kate turned to Carlisle. "How did you know that Esme was the one?"

I was uncomfortable with this conversation. What would I do if she asks Edward how he knew Tanya was his mate?

Carlisle put his hand on Esme's shoulder as she sat beside him on the love seat. "The first time I met Esme she had broken her leg and I was a doctor working temporarily in a practice near her hometown. When I saw her, it was like I had been looking at the world in black and white and suddenly everything was in Technicolor."

"I didn't know that!" Esme said softly. Carlisle spoke directly to Esme then.

"You were so young and innocent. I didn't think there was any way we could be together so I kept my distance. All I wanted was for you to have a happy life. I tried to stay far enough away so I didn't interfere in your life. I knew from the first moment I met you that you were the one."

I heard frustration in Kate's voice as she said, "I don't know if he is the one but for the first time in forever I feel something bigger than myself." Kate turned back to Edward. "Could you tell what Callum feels for me?"

"Jasper might be the better one to respond to that question."

"You're right. I know I sound silly but I feel young and unsure for the first time in hundreds of years. I've known many human men but this is different. This could be my equal. Someone I could build a life with like you have all been so lucky to do."

Everyone looked over at Jasper and he took that as his queue. "I didn't sense any subterfuge when he told his story. I could feel the anger he had toward his unknown sire. I could feel his guilt when he spoke of his first feeding. As for his feelings for you, Kate, I could sense gratitude, lust and strong feelings of affection. Like Edward, I'm limited to what he is feeling around me. Could Eleazer sense any gift?"

Kate grimaced, "Eleazer, Carmen and Irina are in Volterra."

Carlisle looked surprised.

"Aro asked Eleazer to visit before I met Callum. I suspect he wanted Eleazer to check out some potential recruits and Eleazer likes to keep things cordial with Aro." Carlisle nodded his head in agreement at Eleazer's handling of the Volturi. "Irina decided to go with them to see if she could find some word on Laurent."

I looked warily at Carlisle at the mention of Laurent's fate. He subtly shook his head at me.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

"I don't really know. I don't like the politics of the court and the judgment on our life style by the members of the Volturi. Besides, no good could come from Aro reading my thoughts."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Edward broke the momentary silence. "Well, at this point Callum seems to be what he appears. I'm sure Alice, being Alice, has already realized that you don't want Callum to know about our gifts. So I'm sure she has told Emmett and Rose not to mention them. Does Callum have a gift?"

"I don't think so. He said that Joseph mentioned that some vampires are gifted to him so he is aware that such gifts exist. I asked him if he had noticed anything but he said he hadn't experienceed anything beyond enhanced senses and strength. He knows about my ability but since it is more a novelty he didn't seem that impressed."

Edward turned to me and explained, "Kate has a defensive gift. If someone tries to grab her hand or arm she can shock them." Edward turned back to Kate. "If he thinks it is a novelty you must have taken it easy on him. I've seen you drop Emmett with just a tap of the finger."

She grimaced. "It took me forever to spread the ability from my fingertips to my arm."

Jasper said, "I would feel better if Eleazer had met Callum and could sense if there was some ability or not."

Carlisle agreed, "Well, he is a guest in our home so let's give him the benefit of the doubt."

Kate hugged Carlisle, Jasper and Edward, "Thank you."

Esme said, "We just want you to be happy."

That seemed to break up the discussion. Carlisle asked Jasper for some help on something in his study. Edward turned to me. "Bella, can we finish our conversation? Will you take a walk with me?"

Kate looked at me and Edward in speculation for a moment before leaving the room with Esme.

Thinking it was better just to get this conversation over with, I was just about to agree when my cell phone rang.

"Why doesn't my key work in the lock?"

"Leah! I thought you were going to stay in Forks a couple of more days."

"I was, but Mom and Charlie insisted everything was fine and I should get back to classes. Why isn't my key working in the lock?"

"Um, that might take a few minutes to explain. Listen, hold tight and I'll be right over to the apartment."

I turned to Edward, "Could you take me home?"

He looked frustrated but said, "Of course. Let me get my keys."