A/N: Originally, this chapter was going to be chopped and part of the first section was going to be in Chapter 23, and the rest in chapter 24, but then I was like oh forget it. So this is the final chapter, there is an epilogue which I will try to upload... maybe tomorrow? I really just want to no longer have to deal with this story. It got away from me and turned into something different than I imagined, which is why I'm being hesitant about any new stories I post. I'm working on several, but I'm just in that time period where I don't feel like it. Probably won't post anything new until February or later, might even try a different fandom. I do have stories for Once Upon a Time, Harry Potter, Pitch Perfect in the works, but we shall see. It's been an interesting ride guys and I hope you enjoy the last chapter.!
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The Trickster
Posted: January 23, 2016
Chapter 24
"Oh god, shut it up," Bella groaned as a blaring sound emanating from her cell phone woke her from a dead sleep plastered on top of her girlfriend.
Leah moaned and unwrapped one of her arms from around Bella. She slapped her hand down on the bedside table, looking for the offending device before connecting with it. "Hello?" Leah answered it because Bella was busy trying to bury her face into her naked breasts.
"Leah?" Alice's frantic voice came through Bella's phone.
"What Alice?"
"I had a vision, Laurent and his army of the walking dead are coming tomorrow."
"That's good, think of that yourself?"
"I'm being serious, god, wake up! You two need to get here quickly, we have to implement our plan."
"What plan? Alice, what the fuck are you talking about?" Leah asked, pushing Bella off of her slightly so she could focus. "I thought you said we had a month? It's barely been a week since the first training meeting."
"I know, I know, something came up apparently and he moved up the time table. The vision was as clear as anything, it's going to happen tomorrow."
Leah sat up in bed and Bella followed, leaning her front against Leah's back to listen in to the conversation. "So what is this plan that you're talking about?"
"I'll explain when you get here, I didn't see much, but it's the best way for this to work out. I still feel like I'm missing something though…"
"Can't do anything about that Alice, you have to do the best you can with the information you have," Leah sighed, rubbing her face. "We'll see you all in a few hours."
"Do try to hurry Leah."
"Alice, I know you can't see me right now with your visions, but I am in bed, naked, with my equally naked girlfriend pressed up against my bed sending all kinds of delightful sensations through my body. I understand that this is a life or death situation, but priorities pixie." With that Leah hung up the phone and turned around, detaching Bella's lips from her neck where they had taken purchase.
"I can't believe you told her we were in bed naked," Bella gasped out as Leah's teeth nipped at her throat.
"Mhm, I would've thought of that before you started teasing me," Leah murmured before scooping Bella off the bed, eliciting a squeal from her girlfriend. "You heard Alice, we only have a few hours, so we shall pick this up in the shower."
"You can talk dirty to me while we get clean and do naughty things to each other," Bella winked as Leah put her down.
"You're terrible."
"You love it."
"Never said I didn't," Leah said as she followed Bella underneath the hot spray of the shower.
After a long shower, the two made a quick breakfast before heading out back to Forks. Bella called her boss and asked for a few days off, citing family emergency as the reason. Luckily, it was the middle of the week so tourism was lax on weekdays. Bella dialed Leah's job at the dentist office while Leah drove. "Hey Liz, it's Bella, Leah needs a few days off," Bella said, greeting the older woman. Leah couldn't quite hear what the woman said, but Bella laughed in response before hanging up the phone. "Liz said to, and I quote 'enjoy banging your super sexy girlfriend, and take a well needed few days off'," Bella chuckled. "I love Liz, she's super funny."
"Sweet, little old grandma with the mouth of a sailor, she's super adorable."
"Mhm, do you need me to call the bookstore, or my dad about days off?"
"I switched my schedule at the book store to work Friday through Sunday, and your dad took me off shift this week."
Bella looked over at her sharply, "He what? Why?" Leah shrugged, unsure why Charlie did anything that he did. "This is highly suspicious; ever since we started sleeping together, he's had you on shift more to keep an eye on you, but this week he takes you off shift? Don't you find that a little strange?"
"It's only Monday Bells, I try not to think about these things." Bella's mind continued to mull over what her father could be up to when Leah reached out and placed her hand over her own, interlacing their fingers. "Calm the suspicious mind a bit Bella."
"I'm a kitsune darling, we're always suspicious."
"He could just not need me at the station this week," Leah offered.
Bella snorted, "If that's what you want to think, fine, but I will continue to remain suspicious."
The rest of the trip to the Cullen's house was quiet as Bella tried to discern what her father was up to and Leah tried to wake up. When Leah finally pulled up in front of the Cullen house, it was close to noon. Alice was waiting outside for them, tapping her foot impatiently.
"You're late," she started before noticing that Bella wasn't paying her any attention. "What's wrong with her?" The pixie asked when seeing that Bella was muttering to herself and her eyes whirling furiously.
Leah rolled her eyes, "She's convinced her father has some nefarious plot up his sleeves since he gave me the week off from the station."
"It's suspicious," Bella stated automatically before realizing that the car was stopped and someone was talking to her. She turned her attention out the open door and saw that Leah and Alice were staring at her. "What? When did you get here Alice?"
"I feel the better question is when did you get here?" Alice retorted, smiling in amusement at the brunette. "You done with your pondering?"
"I think I know my father better than either of you, and I say he's up to something," Bella huffed, getting out of the car. "So what's the deal Alice? I thought you said we had more time?"
"I thought we did too, but I got a brief glimpse of a field, the field where we practice, and an intense thunder storm. It's the same thunderstorm that's going to be hitting us tomorrow," the small vampire said, ushering the two into the house. "No rain fortunately, but lots of thunder and lightning."
"Isn't that fantastic, this started in a thunderstorm, so I guess it'll end in a thunderstorm," Bella snorted, resisting as Alice tried to push her down on one of the couches. "I'm not sitting down until you tell me what this plan thing you think you have is."
"You're not going to like it."
"I don't like any of this, but I'm putting up with it."
Alice sighed, "You're going to have to hide. Laurent is gunning for you, and I didn't see him or you in my vision, in the short vision I had."
"I'm not thrilled with that idea, but it doesn't sound terrible…"
"There's more," Alice interrupted, looking apologetically at the girl. "Edward and one of the wolves have to stay with you. The one, Jacob Black, he volunteered."
Bella blinked at Alice before turning to look at Leah, "Let's go, I'm pretty sure we could pick off those newborns one by one. Newton's sells a flamethrower, that should work in getting these buggars."
"Bella, you can't, this is the best way to make sure that everyone on our side comes out alive in the end."
"Leah's staying with me," the brunette stated firmly.
"Bella-"
"No, if I have to go camping in the forest some where, Leah is coming with me to protect me."
"Bella, I wouldn't let anything happen to you," Edward protested, earning a glare from the brunette.
"You're who I need protected from, or maybe you from me, I'll make sure to pack a lighter."
Leah placed an arm around Bella to keep her from getting any more riled up and looked at the pixie vampire. "Alice, I'm going with Bella, I'm not letting my mate," she was interrupted by Edward's snarls and she just growled right back, "my MARKED mate go somewhere with two guys who want to make her theirs, that's not how this will work."
Alice looked at Leah for a full minute while Emmett wrapped an arm around Edward and a hand over his mouth to keep him from spouting his normal bullshit. "I can't see you, so I'm hoping that this will work," she conceded. She went to the garage and came back quickly with a pile of camping gear. "This should be everything you need, plus enough food to feed three people."
While Bella murmured something about hating to camp, Leah glanced through the supplies. "You're gonna need more food than this Alice, we have two wolves to feed and Bella eats like a starving man," the she-wolf said. She knew her girlfriend ate that way because of her magic and how much energy she burned, but they didn't know that.
"I'll toss in a few more protein bars and a few more cans of beans," Alice said urgently. "You've got to go soon though. There's a clear campsite up on mountain around twenty miles away, that's where you're heading."
"Do we have to go now?" Bella asked. "Why do we even have to go now?"
"Because the timeframe could move up again, I don't even know anymore how to predict their actions anymore," Alice sighed, frustration evident in her voice.
Bella sighed, seeing her friend so distraught, "It's okay Alice, at least we have some timeframe."
Soon they heard a series of paw prints striking the ground as six sets of paws hit the ground. They went outside and the wolves appeared in the Cullens back yard, Sam and Jacob phasing into back and pulling on their shorts. "I could've lived my entire life without seeing that," Bella muttered, crossing her eyes.
"Bella," Jake greeted, a smirk on his face. "I'll carry you to the campsite, and that leach can carry the camping stuff. The pixie leach filled me in this morning."
"I'll carry Bella to the campsite, and you can carry the stuff like the good dog you are," Edward hissed. Jacob growled in response and the two started a glorified pissing contest.
Bella looked at Leah impatiently and she smirked before disappearing in the tree line, re-emerging a minute later in her wolf form. "Oh," Alice murmured, shocked at seeing her. "She's beautiful, I didn't realize she would be that beautiful."
"That's my girlfriend you're ogling," Bella chuckled.
"Fur is so last season Bella," Alice replied, rolling her eyes. The two strapped the camping gear onto the large wolf while Edward and Jacob will still glaring at each other. The other wolves, including Sam, inched away at the appearance of the she-wolf, shifting further back in the trees so as not to draw notice to themselves. Bella climbed onto of Leah, settling on her shoulders and Alice handed her a map to where they were going. "I'm sure those two will catch up eventually," the pixie vampire said, motioning to tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum.
"We're heading northeast Leah, do try not to be spotted," Bella said, grabbing some of the scruff on Leah's neck as she took off through the trees. Once they were out of earshot, Bella slid off and landing the ground with fur and tails. She grabbed the map between her teeth and took off in a blur, racing Leah to their camping spot.
"This is such bullshit," Bella groaned once they reached the spot and Leah shifted back. They set up the tent for themselves and Leah gathered firewood while Bella located a thicket of wild berries. "These are edible," the brunette said, rejoining Leah as she got the fire going. "The taste isn't too bad, and they're pretty filling. More filling than protein bars and beans."
"Thought you weren't a fan of camping?"
"In a place as wet as Washington? No. Arizona wasn't too bad in the spring and fall. Katy taught Valen and I all about edible plants and things when she took us out in the desert, how to take care of ourselves and ward off icky things like scorpions, snakes and stuff. Valen and I got pricked by quite a few cacti before we figured out how to cut them to get the fruit and water," Bella shuddered. "The nights were beautiful though, far enough into the desert, all you could see were stars." She looked up at the usual cloudy sky of Washington and waved her hands at it, "Oh look, clouds, how fun."
"Won't be to bad out here," Leah said, scooting closer to her girlfriend. "Out here, in the woods, the quiet, a ranging storm around us, will be rather romantic." Just as Leah was about to lean closer, Edward and Jacob burst out of the forest.
"Could've been romantic," Bella sighed, "except for the two twat-blocks over there." She stood up and crawled into the tent just as Edward and Jacob walked over to them. "I'm staying in my tent," she said, pointing a finger at them. "If either of you think about coming in here, Leah will rip of a limb and I will burn it, shape shifter or vampire, got it?" She grabbed some of the berries, a few of the protein bars, and two bottles of water before zipping the door partially closed.
Bella stayed in her tent for the rest of the afternoon and into the night, catching up on the sleep she's missed by staying with her girlfriend. She didn't regret what she and Leah get up to, but she desperately needed sleep in order to keep having fun. It was close to dawn the next day when she stumbled out of the tent, wiping crumbs of the protein bars off of her. "Bella, do you need something?" Edward asked when seeing her, both Jacob and him running over to her.
Leah just rolled her eyes and finished eating the can of beans in front of her. "Geez, I have to pee guys," Bella hissed at them. "Just let me go in peace." She stomped off into the woods, leaving the others at the campsite.
"Why do you just laugh?" Jacob asked furiously looking at Leah as she chuckled. "I wouldn't laugh if anyone was hitting on my mate, I would defend her," he sneered.
"Bella can look out for herself, and I laugh because I know that neither one of you stand a chance," she replied, standing up and giving Jake an amused look. The look was a combination of 'I got the girl' and 'you are nothing but a little boy,' neither of those looks were appreciated by the alpha/beta wolf.
Before Jacob could respond, Leah jumped backwards as a brick wall slammed into him, sending him flying into the tent. Leah turned in the direction of the force and growled when spotting a dark skinned vampire with dreadlocks and a brunette teenage vampire not too far from him.
"I was looking for the girl," Laurent growled, his crazed red eyes shifting from Leah to Edward. "But a dog and the moronic copper-haired vampire will do." Edward didn't react to Laurent's words, too busy staring at the young vampire he had brought with him.
"Baby," the girl whined, "Did you have to hit him, he was so hot." She glanced over at Edward and her eyes lit up again, "Oh, you're hot too, not as many muscles though. Hot in a more boy band type of way, I like muscles and tattoos more. When do you think you're friend will wake up? Laurent baby can we keep him?"
"Shut up Bree, god, for once in your life shut your trap," Laurent hissed at her, his eyes whirling. Bree huffed in response, skipping over to where Jake was groaning, wrapped up in the tent. Edward followed after her pathetically, completely ignoring Laurent's presence.
"I can see why we needed their help," Leah sighed before phasing, not caring as her clothes ripped around her.
"I know you," Laurent said, "I smelled you in her room. I was going to kill the boy, but I think killing you would hurt her more." Leah snarled and Laurent dove at her. She ducked and caught his leg in her jaws, tossing him away into the ground.
"I leave to pee and all hell breaks loose," Bella grumbled when she came across the scene. Bree was cooing over Jacob as she helped unroll him from the tent with Edward not too far away. Laurent was picking himself out of the rubble with Leah standing between him and her mate, growling fiercely.
Laurent's head snapped towards Bella and Leah briefly lost focus at her mate's voice, allowing the dark skinned vampire to slip passed her. His eyes were completely focused on Bella, his hands outstretched like claws. Bella was prepared to drop in a ball of flames when a ball of fire appeared behind her heading straight for Laurent. A large golden, nine-tailed fox jumped in front of her, incinerating Laurent within a matter of seconds.
Jacob, Edward, and Bree stared at the fox in shock, while Leah just laid down, placing her paws over her face. The fox turned to look at Bella and gave her an unimpressed look. "You knew?" Bella asked, looking at the golden creature. The fox nodded and Bella huffed. "I knew you and Dad had to be up to something, geez." The fox let out a few chuckles before looking back to the west.
"We should go," Bella said, ignoring her mother. She gave the newborn vampire between Jacob and Edward a harsh look, "Are you going to be a problem?"
"No, not as long as you promise this hottie is coming with us," Bree squealed, latching onto Jacob who looked at her with disgust. Edward growled and attacked Jacob, tossing him across the field.
"I don't have time for their shit," Bella sighed as she disappeared in a wisp of fire, reappearing in her fur.
How did you and Dad know? Bella asked as she, Renee and Leah ran back towards where they could hear the faint rumbles of a fight over the thunderstorm above them.
Your aunts blabbed, her mother's voice came as the older kitsune gave her another unimpressed look. The older fox stood at about the same height, a little taller, but definitely longer as the nine-tails flew behind her as they ran. Longer fur sat on top of the fox's head running down her neck, reminiscent of her mother's hair.
Do they even know how to keep secrets? Bella snorted as they ran.
Not from me, not much any more after your little escapade down to Arizona.
Um, I hate to interrupt, really I do, but do we need to discuss this now? Leah asked hesitantly. We're almost there.
Just so you know, we're having a discussion after this, both of you, Renee stated firmly before they came through the forest.
Bella shook off her fur and stared at the scene in partial shock but also irritation. A giant coyote, standing several feet taller than the wolves cowering behind it, tore through the newborns, ripping them apart and tossing the pieces to the stunned vampires behind it. Tanya, Kate, Irina and Victoria were tearing apart vampires with the coyote, not even bothered by the large beast. The last vampire was ripped apart and dropped into the pile. Renee strutted over, flicking her tails and setting the pile on fire.
"I knew you were up to something suspicious," Bella said, stomping up to the coyote, pointing an accusing finger at it. "I knew something was up when you gave Leah the week off." She looked to her mother and saw a mischievous expression on the fox's face, "No, you made this happen, you tricked Laurent into attacking early, knowing the Cullens and the pack weren't ready. You two wanted to show off." At the guilty expressions on the furry faces in front of her, Bella threw her hands up in exasperation. "Gah, I can't believe you two, you're ridiculous. How old are you two? Seriously, grow up!"
"B-Bella," Rosalie stuttered, warily looking at the massive creatures in front of her. "What's going on?"
"Oh nothing," Bella replied, exhaustion lacing her tone. "Just my parents behaving like children."
"Parents?" Carlisle gasped out, griping Esme to him.
"Mhmm, parents," the brunette said, turning back around to glare at them. "You two are ridiculous."
Edward and Jacob came to the field, Bree trying to pull out of the vice grip hold the vampire had on her to get to Jacob while the wolf made a beeline for his pack mates, using their bodies as a blockade. Bella was just getting ready to start in on another lecture at her parents when Alice gasped, slipping into a vision.
"No," Edward yelled out, just as the pixie vampire muttered "Oh fuck."
"Alice," Esme scolded, the other vampires relaxing slightly when they realized that the large creatures weren't going to attack them.
"Sorry Esme, but I just saw what it was that I was missing, the Volturi are coming," Alice said, a panicked expression on her face.
"The Volturi? When?" Carlisle sputtered out.
Alice looked to the other side of the field, "A matter of minutes, there is no time to get away, they'll hear us."
"Who are the Volturi?" Leah asked Bella after shifting back and finding some clothes she had stashed in a nearby tree months back.
"You'll find out," the brunette sighed, not having any more energy to explain anything else.
A few minutes later, a collection of black-cloaked figures emerged out of the trees with a loud clap of thunder and a crackle of lightning. Three figures stepped out from the middle of the group, lowering their hoods to reveal the kings, the leaders of the Volturi. "What do we have here Carlisle?" Aro asked, scrutinizing the scene, he eyes lingering on the giant coyote and nine-tailed fox before shifting towards who he identified as the human the vampire Laurent spoke about.
"Eh, well, I'm not sure…" Carlisle stammered out, unsure what to say.
"Have you revealed our existence to a human Carlisle?" Caius asked from Aro's right side.
"And did you or did you not neglect to tell us about a newborn army, which could have been a potential problem in the area, possibly exposing even more humans to our secret?" Marcus asked, staring at the Cullen coven leader.
While Carlisle sputtered and attempted to formulate an answer, several of the Volturi guards started to creep closer. As soon as they moved, the coyote, Charlie, shifted into a fighting pose, his hackles raised. Renee moved as well, her tails fanning out with fire forming at the end of each one. Both were growling at the vampires in front of them, fully prepared to defend their daughter if needed.
One of the cloaked figures stepped out from behind the kings. "Mistress," one of the other figures hissed while the first one just shook them off.
Athenodora pulled the hood off her face and focused on the fox in front of her "Renea?" She asked, looking into the furious green eyes in front of her.
Renee paused, taking in the figure in front of her before she shook her fur and fire off, standing back on two legs. "Dora…" Renee whispered. "Athenodora is that you?"
The other blonde nodded and seemed to flicker for a moment before her appearance changed slightly, her facial features resembling Renee's and the familiar green eyes shared by Renee and her daughter. The two raced towards each other to the shock of everyone around them, embracing, the entire Volturi stunned at seeing one of their queens change in appearance. "I didn't think I'd see you again," Dora said, releasing the other woman.
"Me? I didn't think I'd see you again, what happened?" Renee asked, brushing away some tears that had leaked out of her eyes.
"That's a long story," Dora sighed before being interrupted by a cough. She turned and saw the brunette that was with Renee in the picture, Isabella.
"Yeah, hi, Mom," Bella said, staring pointedly at her mother, "What's going on?"
"Er, ah, right," Renee said, "Bella, meet Athenodora, your aunt, my little sister."
Athenodora smiled at her only niece, just to frown when the girl just stared at her for a minute. "Bella?" She whispered quietly when the girl didn't say anything.
The brunette just sighed and threw her hands up in the air, walking back to her girlfriend, "I can't deal with this shit."
"Um, ladies?" Aro interrupted, approaching the two women, "Would it be preferable if we relocate elsewhere, I feel like we have some things to discuss."
"Yeah, I think that would be good," Dora said, looking hesitantly at the family that she's had for thousands of years, before glancing over at the family she thought she lost thousands of years ago. "A long conversation."
"So you're a kitsune," Rosalie muttered, still staring at her brunette friend in shock.
"Yup," Bella shrugged, leaning into her girlfriend sitting next to her.
"And your mother is a kitsune," Alice continued, shifting her attention to the blonde haired women before turning her attention to the blonde Volturi queen. "And you're a kitsune as well…"
"Yes," Athenodora replied, looking guilty at her mate and her coven members. "I've been in disguise as a vampire for a long time though. At first it was because I was afraid, but then overtime, I started to forget that I wasn't a vampire, at least until I saw Renee's picture with Bella."
"What were you afraid of, what could have you been afraid of?" Rosalie asked before turning her attention to Leah. "And why aren't you shocked by any of this?"
"Huh, oh they told me like months ago," Leah dismissed, urging the girl back into the conversation.
"Do any of you know how kitsune's came about?" Renee asked. When the people in the room shook their heads, she continued, "Kitsunes are descended from the Teumessian fox, Cadmean vixen from Greek legend. She was a gigantic fox that could never be caught, and she was our mother."
"Renea, Renee was the oldest, the only one born in the first litter she had," Dora continued. "I was the youngest of four kits in the second litter, the runt of the litter technically. I got scared because mother took off one day, leaving us with Renee while she disappeared. We found out later she was caught in a paradox and destroyed, cast into the heavens to became Canis Minor."
"We started to develop and change. I started gaining more tails, becoming the first of a new species," Renee picked the story back up. "We started to be hunted though, and were scattered. I never knew what happened to my younger siblings, I couldn't find them, I spent a lot of my time wandering alone, until I met the vampire Sasha." At that point, Renee looked at Athenodora questioningly, prompting the other kitsune to explain.
"My sisters and I wandered around aimlessly for a while, honing our magic before heading out separate ways. They settled down, mainly in Asia, and had families. I haven't met them though, unlike Renee and I, they didn't gain all nine of their tails and chose to live mortal lives with their families. Their descendants wouldn't know about me, Renee or our history," Dora replied sadly. "I thought I didn't have family any more and that I would still be hunted so I disguised myself as a vampire. I found my mate though," at this she smiled at Caius, "and I found a family, a highly volatile and still standoffish family, but at least I wasn't alone anymore."
"Why didn't you ever tell us though?" Didyme asked, placing her hand on the blonde's knee.
"Like I said, I forgot," Dora shrugged. "You spend long enough pretending to be something, you forget that you're anything else."
"Okay so that explains you two, but what are you Chief Swan?" Carlisle asked, "A shape shifter?"
Charlie snorted, "As if, I'm the one known as Coyote."
Sam choked, drawing attention to himself and the other wolves. "The Coyote?" He gasped, looking at Charlie with apprehension.
"The one known as the trickster in Native American legends," Charlie continued. "Though technically as a kitsune, my wife is just as prone to tricks as I am. Bella comes by it naturally."
"Have you been the one messing with people around Forks and La Push?" Emmett asked, laughing. "Some of those have been hysterical.
Bella just shrugged, "I didn't do it alone, and I didn't do everything. Dad gets bored on occasion, and I know you and Leah sunk Harry's boat, so don't even try to pin that on me."
"You wouldn't let us burn it," Charlie grumbled before turning his attention to his former best friend's son. "Jacob Black, I know what Billy had in store for my daughter, and I also know how your tribe treats women who phase into wolves," he narrowed his eyes. "Your ancestor Taha Aki treated women the same way, and is dealing with his penance in the afterlife. I suggest you go and tell your tribal elders that I will be visiting them and dealing with them and you personally." When the wolves refused to move, Charlie's glare hardened, "Go!" They disappeared out of the house whimpering and cowering.
"So you knew Sasha?" Aro asked Renee, regret present in his eyes.
"Yes, we met just after she had been changed into a vampire and her sire had been killed," Renee replied. "I stayed with her a while, even helped her when she decided to change those three." She indicated the three Denalis present on the other side of the room. "I wasn't around when she, you know, and when you showed up to deal with it obviously. I agree with your decision to kill her, I don't like it, but I agree with it." Tanya made to protest but Renee sent a glare in her direction. "I know she was your mother Tanya, but I knew her longer than you did. What she did, creating an immortal child, was a horrible thing and she deserved to get punished for it. If the Volturi had let her live and just killed the child, I have no doubts she would've done it again. Sasha was that kind of a person."
"You're probably right," Tanya sighed. "I just wish we hadn't had to see it." Bella got up from her seat next to Leah and cuddled next to Tanya while tossing her legs over the other two Denalis.
"They're her godmothers," Renee explained when Dora shot her a questioning look. "They came down to Arizona practically all the time when she was growing up after Charlie and I separated."
"Why did you separate, that was the only thing Bella never really explained to me," Leah asked.
Bella snorted, "That's because it's stupid. They met when they were both living here pretending to be human, neither of them bothered to tell the other that they weren't human until it all spilled out one day when I was caught doing something weird. They each thought that I had inherited their magical abilities, so it all came out into the open. Needless to say they were both hurt and slightly betrayed, but I can tell you this, they were more embarrassed than anything else."
"Stop stop," Edward yelled out suddenly. "You can't expect for us to believe any of this right? It must be an illusion, one of the Volturi guards must have a gift for illusions and is tricking us all right now, luring us into a sense of security before killing us and taking those of us with gifts back with them."
"We didn't come to kill you, stupid boy," Caius scoffed. "And we wouldn't want you in the Volturi with your attitude. We came to show our displeasure at having to find out about this whole affair from a nearly wild vampire, who then continued to cause more trouble, that you also neglected to tell us about."
Edward shrunk back in his seat, pouting petulantly, one of his arms still holding onto the newborn vampire who was torn between wanting to get away and wanting to play with Edward's hair. Marcus watched them, amusement dancing in his eyes. "You're going to have a lot of trouble with that one," Marcus chuckled, nodding his head at Bree. "I'm guessing you felt the mating bond form yes?"
The copper-haired vampire frowned but nodded anyway, "Yes but it would seem she has some newborn tendencies that are affecting the bond."
"Oh, it's not the newborn instincts," the brunette king said before directing his attention to the newborn. "Can I ask you name and age dear?"
"Oh hi cutie," she said, winking. "Name's Bree, I don't remember my last name, and I am 15 years old."
Marcus nodded his head, "Thought so, mating bonds don't full form in the traditional ways for a vampire under the age of 18. You Edward, are feeling a partial bond since you were 17, but Bree, at 15, would not feel the bond at all. What 15 year old, even in ancient times, knew anything of the kind of love required for a mating bond?"
"Does, does that mean she'll never feel the bond?" Edward gulped, sadness and confusion etched on his face.
"She might, one day, but what this means is that you'll have to do what most humans around your age do," Marcus chuckled. "You'll have to get to know her, and woo her, prove that you're the best choice or she'll choose someone else."
Bree finally broke free of Edward's grip, patting him on the head. "Yeah, the boy band look is cute and all, but I'm going to go find the muscled guys, even if they smell terrible. They're more my type, by old guys, weird guys." With that, Bree disappeared out the door, Edward following after her a few moments later to keep her from doing anything stupid.
"Jane, Alec, Demetri, would you be dears and make sure those two don't get into any trouble?" Aro asked his guards. "Felix may go as well if you wish." The four nodded and filed out of the door before rushing off after the other two. He turned his attention to Athenodora who was seated pensively next to his brother in all but blood. "Dora dear, we understand why you didn't tell us what you really were, and your history. You are still family, whether you're a vampire or not, you don't have to hide anymore."
"Thank you brother," Dora whispered, hugging him. Sulpicia, Didyme and Marcus hugged her as well while Caius kissed her softly on the temple.
"This is definitely a different picture of the Volturi than the one you told us about Carlisle," Emmett commented, watching as the supposedly fearsome coven interacted in a loving manner.
"Have you been spreading silly rumors about us again Carlisle?" Aro tisked, "And all because we thought your plan to feed only on animal blood was silly?"
"It is not silly, you all laughed at me?" Carlisle yelled, standing up in a fury.
"Well it is a little silly," Renee commented. "I mean human blood has certain nutrients in it that vampires need to function correctly. Sure you can exist on animal blood, but you won't really be living to the fullest potential if that is all you consume."
If Carlisle had been human, his face would've been beet red with anger as he turned and stormed upstairs. Esme followed after him, apologies tumbling from her lips as she left the room.
"Well sister," Athenodora said, drawing Renee's attention. "We really should be going, we were promised a vacation in the Americas and I desire to capitalize on that. We are staying in this area for a few days though in Seattle, I would love to spend time with you and get to know my niece if that is alright."
"Of course Dora, I would love to catch up, maybe get to know your new family better," Renee smiled, hugging her younger sister. "Maybe since you dropped the disguise, you'll think about having a little one of your own some day."
"That's possible?" Caius asked stunned, thoughts of a child whirling through his mind.
"It's possible, only daughters though since a boy would be impossible," Renee explained. "The boy is whatever species the father is while the daughter is always a kitsune. A boy would essentially be an immortal child, which our bodies would not tolerate, so any Y chromosomes are ejected before conception."
"Is that why Bella turned out to be a girl, did you zap my chromosomes?" Charlie asked, amusement in his eyes.
"I really wanted a girl," Renee bit her bottom lip, looking sheepish.
"Let's not continue this present discussion okay guys, like ever," Bella interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore of the conversation. "Let's just summarize by saying never underestimate kitsune magic."
"I will take that under advisement dear Isabella," Aro said standing up, his voice almost unnaturally cheerful. "I imagine you four are immune to my gift now?" He asked, pointing at Dora, Bella, Renee and Charlie. At their nods, he embraced them quickly, leaving everyone but Dora slightly ruffled and bemused. "How wonderful it is not to see a person's entire life through a touch," he sighed. "But we must be off, we'll arrange time in the future to visit. I would love to get to know our new family." The royals and their remaining guards filed out of the house and climbed into the cars they had left at the Cullen home before locating the fight in the woods.
"Your father and I are going to go too Bells, will you be okay here?" Renee asked her daughter who was still cuddling with her aunts.
"Yeah, I'll be fine Mom, and don't think you and Dad are getting out of the conversation about being suspicious, sneaky, and not acting like the grownups you keep telling me you are," Bella reminded her, waving her hand about.
"You keep telling yourself that dear," the older woman chuckled before she and Charlie also left.
"So, care to share why you couldn't tell us you were a magical creature?" Rosalie asked, folding her arms and staring the girl down.
"Mom told me not to," Bella shrugged. "Leah, Jessica and Angela already knew so there were enough people running around with that in their heads. I had to use magic to block those thoughts from Edward so he wouldn't find out, and you know how hard that is to do with multiple people? I pretty much wore myself out with that, plus magically roasting James with my foxfire didn't help either. It's why I was in the hospital so long."
"I thought Tanya and Kate killed James?" Jasper asked, though his memory of the event started to become fuzzy.
"That was an illusion weaved by Renee," Tanya explained. "It should start to fall apart in your minds now that you know it was an illusion, along with 'visiting' Bella in the hospital when you were really visiting an empty room until Renee merged illusion with reality."
"Whoa," Emmett muttered, "That's super cool, can you do that Bells?"
"I only have two tails Emmett, that kind of stuff takes experience, practice and a ton of magic, more than I have access to."
The group continued to talk, asking questions and telling stories, Emmett wanting to know about all the pranks she's pulled. Eventually the Denalis left, citing it was time for them to return to Alaska but that they'd be down to visit. Jasper and Alice left to hunt and process what they had learned. Finding out that there were more fantastic things in the world than vampires and shape shifters was difficult to process. Only Rosalie, Emmett, Leah and Bella were left in the living room of the Cullen home. Carlisle and Esme never came back down from his study and Edward and Bree never returned.
"Bella, be honest for a second, would you have told us the truth if this stuff hadn't come up?" Rosalie asked, a curious expression in her eyes.
"To be honest, I don't know," the brunette replied truthfully. "I want to tell you that I would have, and I might have, but we'll never know for sure since that is a path we'll never walk down." Rosalie nodded her head in understanding. "If those are all the questions you guys have, I really want to go home, back to Leah's apartment, take a shower, eat like three pizzas and sleep, preferably naked with my girlfriend. Being stuck in a tent all night was not fun."
The two vampires followed the other two out of the house to Leah's car that had been there since the day before. "Oh Bella," Rosalie started, drawing the girl's attention, "One more question, I know they kept saying that you're a kitsune, but what does that mean, are you a fox or are you a woman?"
Bella smiled at her blonde friend as she climbed into Leah's car, rolling down the window so she could respond. She grabbed Leah's hand and squeezed it, glancing at her briefly before looking back at her friend. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Leah," she started, grinning. "I am a fox, I am a woman, there's no distinction between either forms, I am me, the same, in both. But I will tell you one thing, I am now and will always be first and foremost, a Trickster."
A/N: Okay so you guys are probably wondering why I chose to end it this way, well this was always the plan. It was cemented by the different comments and reviews saying they couldn't wait to see what happens to the elders, the pack, Jessica and Angela. I'll give you a little bit of stuff in the epilogue, but again, not that much. I know what happens with Jess and Angie, so if anyone wants to know after I post the epilogue, I will tell you, but your imaginations do much better job. No matter what I did to the elders and pack in the story, it would never be enough, so I leave that to you guys to imagine what happens to them. Let me know if you guys come up with anything interesting ^_^
Review guys!