Jackson
A blast of revulsion hit me hard enough to make me double over and retch. I was happy to see Jasper stumble into a tree under the wave I threw at him. He was stronger but I was faster.
Edward stood to the right observing us closely; the rest of the family and Tanya were spread out in a loose circle in case one of us lost control and went hunting.
There was a campsite inhabited by humans at the edge of our scent range. Each time one of us caught a whiff of the mouth-watering aroma the double-blast of disgust left us both off-balance and uncoordinated.
Edward was struggling to suppress a smile but the amusement which filled the air around him was impossible to miss.
"Just let it out," I suggested as I braced myself against the trunk of a tree with one hand, "Laugh at our suffering so Carlisle grumbles at you."
Edward shook his head and glanced at Jasper.
"He's not allowed, or I will share the next wave with him," Jasper explained through gritted teeth.
"We're definitely getting better," I offered.
The annoyance in Jasper abruptly dissolved to be replaced by wisps of pride.
"I don't think I'll be able to smell a human without feeling sick again," he said.
After nearly a month of strengthening our control with this bizarre method the lure of human blood was still strong but not as overwhelming. Rather than losing myself in instinct there was a moment where I was able to make a decision whether to hunt or refrain. I liked having that control over such an important part of my life.
"You are both making remarkable progress," Edward said thoughtfully.
The happiness which grew around Jasper was interesting; he valued Edward's opinion nearly as much as Carlisle's. I wondered if it was because of his age, his control or both.
Edward pointedly ignored my thoughts, which was rather polite. I was sure I would never understand the moody teenage Vampire.
By midnight Jasper and I were thoroughly repulsed by the thought of drinking human blood. Edward also looked nauseous. I silently apologized for allowing the emotions to leak enough to affect him.
We gathered in front of the house so the rest of the family could be updated on our progress and congratulate us. To me it seemed rather pointless but I played along anyway.
The cottages for each couple sat quietly in the depths of the forest. While we gathered together I noticed Rosalie and Emmett trying to slip away in the direction of the one they had been allocated. The way Edward was watching Bella assured me that his thoughts were not platonic.
If any of them doused me with a wave of lust I would be tempted to rip an arm off; Emmett had made that mistake a week earlier and I had spent four hours with a painful erection. Ice-cold water had not helped.
Carlisle congratulated Jasper and I before allowing the gathering to break up. Tanya and I were left alone, as was often the case.
"I hate this," I grumbled. I was standing in the living room, completely unsure about what I should be doing.
"Hate what?" Tanya flopped down on the lounge and hung her legs over one end.
"Not having a purpose," I explained, "I spent decades always having responsibilities and tasks to carry out. Now I'm bored out of my mind."
Tanya tucked a pillow under her head and smiled at me lazily, "You need to figure out what is important enough to devote time to. I have multiple projects under way to occupy myself."
I sat down across from her, "Like what?"
"Well that boy who was bugging Bella for one," she said casually, "I also keep an eye on a few humans who have settled in the area since being released from prison to make sure they are not falling back into bad habits. I also write poetry."
"Poetry?" I repeated, "I can't see myself devoting hours to poetry I'm afraid."
"Well what did you do as a human to relax? Did you have any hobbies?"
I tried to recall the dim human memories. I could remember being in a war zone, exhausted and waiting got death but determined to make sure the men around me survived. An odd image caught my interest.
"Whittling," I realized, "I used to carve stuff out of wood sometimes."
"There you go," Tanya said with a smile, "Now that you're a Vampire you don't have to carve crude little things, you could plan an epic dragon to sit on the front lawn or something."
Tanya encouraged me to go find some suitable wood while she excused herself o go check on one of her ongoing 'projects'. If she was planning another poem I was not interested.
By the time Edward, Bella, Alice and Jasper were leaving for school I was sitting in my tree-house working on a lump of wood. It didn't look very impressive but I had an image in my mind which was slowly appearing.
A second car left the house but I didn't bother to check who it was; I was too engrossed in the new distraction I had found.
It was mid-morning when the sound of a Vampire climbing the tree drew my attention away from the Dragon foot I had nearly perfected. Since the height could be scaled in a single jump, the Vampire was being polite and trying not to startle me. I appreciated the manners which the Cullen's displayed.
Rosalie peeked into the doorway to watch me with curiosity. Sunlight illuminated strands of her hair.
"You look like an angel," I said softly.
Rosalie wiggled her eyebrows at me, "Nah; that sounds boring. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says 'Goddesses are Angels with bigger boobs?' "
Rosalie was always able to make me laugh. She was very perceptive for a non-Empath and I appreciated how often she went out of her way to make me feel more comfortable.
"You are definitely a Goddess," I agreed. I slid my nail carefully along the wood to finish the claw of the dragon.
"And compliments like that are why you are my favourite uncle," Rosalie laughed.
My hands stilled and I tilted my head, "Aren't I your only uncle?"
She shrugged, "Irrelevant. Anyway, my Emmy-Bear has classes and it was so boring last week I couldn't contemplate going again. What are you up to?"
I presented my shabby, half-formed dragon. It resembled something which had been deposited by a passing dog, only with bird feet.
"I've never tried carving," Rosalie mused, "I prefer engines; less splinters."
"It's relaxing," I admitted.
Rosalie rolled herself into my hammock. I admired her legs before my eyes moved back to the object in my hand.
"Everyone needs an obsession," Rosalie said sagely, "Carlisle has medicine, Esme has architecture, Edward has music, Alice has fashion, Jasper has history and war strategy; I have cars."
"What about Emmett?"
The dreamy expression which softened her face whenever someone mentioned Emmett was oddly soothing; one day I would feel that way about someone too.
"Emmett has a little bit of everything, but I think he is obsessed with keeping the atmosphere jovial."
"And Bella?"
The tendrils of affection were entwined with annoyance, "Bella's obsession is Edward, but that is normal for now. In the next decade or two she will probably find something to focus on."
"No indications yet?" I could think of worse obsessions than carving; I could decorate the garden and give away any I didn't want anymore.
"She's too fond of the wolf-shifters but the awful smell should stop any long-term plans to adopt them or something," Rosalie mused, "Though all bets are off if Renesmee falls pregnant."
I recalled that Renesmee was the name of Bella and Edward's hybrid daughter. I asked Rosalie how they had come up with such a stupid name. Her laughter made me smile.
She explained the hybrid name for the hybrid child. It made some sense but still sounded weird.
"I resented Bella for the humanity she was willing to give up," Rosalie admitted, "When she fell pregnant I was overjoyed for her and yet miserable for myself. When I was human all I wanted was a family and babies."
Her sadness was deep yet it didn't seem to be destructive. Once again I admired her strength; I had seen emotions that strong drive Vampires insane.
"Is that Vampire still impregnating women in South America?" I asked, "Emmett mentioned him in passing once. I could see you and Emmett adopting a baby."
The sadness lingered around her, "Apparently Nahuel was his last child; he was trying for a son. Once he had one he stopped, which is good for the women."
"Maybe you should work in child care?" I suggested, "After a few years wiping snotty noses and cleaning diapers the longing might fade."
Rosalie rolled her eyes, "Or it would get worse. I might try it one day but in the mean time I'll just be grateful that I have Emmett. No matter how miserable I get he can always pull me out of it."
"I do admire his optimism," I admitted, "Though it looks exhausting."
Rosalie watched me silently as I continued to scrape away tendrils of wood I didn't need. Clearly she had something else to say.
"I'm worried about you," she said finally, in a voice so soft I barely heard her.
I didn't pause in my work, "In what way?"
"The first few years Jasper was here he tried to keep his talent from affecting us," Rosalie began carefully, "Every few months he needs to be alone and unleash it all. I am concerned that you are becoming increasingly irritable because you need the same outlet."
"I've never needed it before," I countered stubbornly as I mentally analysed my behaviour.
"In battle you let it all go," she explained, "You can pour all the emotions into your victim. Here you are a kettle on a slow boil."
She was probably right and I was relieved to realize that admitting weakness to Rosalie did not make me feel vulnerable. There was something oddly comforting about that.
"What do you think I should do?" I asked.
Rosalie smiled at me while relief glowed around her, "Let's go hunting and while you're all along you can unleash on all the squirrels or whatever."
"And Santa's reindeer," I said with a smile.
She rolled her eyes, "And Santa's reindeer."
Rosalie
Jackson seemed comfortable letting me lead the way. I recalled how Jasper had always wanted others to remain in his direct line of sight for the first few years but it felt different somehow.
Jasper was my brother, my comrade in times of strife who understood just how screwed up the world could be. He admired Carlisle as much as I did but he never let anyone convince him that life was all sunshine and roses.
Though Jackson was physically older than any of us there was something child-like about him. He had suffered through decades of torture with a sliver of innocent curiosity intact and every maternal instinct in my body bade me to protect it.
Ultimately I blamed myself for what happened, even though Jackson never did. I had been reckless by taking Jackson hunting by myself.
His growl startled me into an abrupt halt. I spun around to see him standing completely still with his head tilted back to optimise his sense of smell. His eyes were pitch black.
The faint scent of fresh, flowing human blood filled me with dread. I realized my foolishness in that instant.
I expected him to bolt after the delicious scent; even my throat burned. Instead his head turned back to regard me, his eyes wide with anxiety.
I approached him quickly, desperate to distract him from the bleeding human. I reached for him slowly and let my hands curl around his elbows. His raised his hands to return my grip.
"You are doing a remarkable job," I said soothingly, "Hold onto that control; it could be your mate out there, or one of her parents. Focus on me."
He could not control the emotions he was feeling; they poured into me like a raging torrent. The desperation and longing were strong, held back by determination and an iron will which left me in awe.
I could tell the moment when his thoughts turned to his future mate. Hope, grim determination and a different type of longing saturated the both of us.
The tang of blood in the air grew stronger; the wind was changing direction. I silently cursed it.
The tension in his arms alerted me to the battle which was slowly being lost. A stupid idea flickered in my mind. Emmett was not going to be happy.
Before Jackson could lunge in the direction of the blood I leaned forward and kissed him.