A/N: Thanks to Erikasbuddy and Masenjar for their usual sparkly magic. And extra-large thanks to VixenOnFire for reading a boat load of chapters to catch up on this fic and helping out with this chapter. No infringement intended.
Chapter 28
Carlisle POV
The quiet hum of the tires rolling over the highway and the sound of the car as it cut a path through the air were the only sounds filling the Mercedes. We ran out of things to talk about an hour into the trip northward, and now an awkward silence hung in the cabin. Esme sat quietly by my side, her hand entwined with mine as she gazed out the side window and watched the landscape pass us by. Emmett had insisted on traveling to Denali even though it was against Alice's recommendation. However, I did feel much better about this trip with my strongest son riding next to Michael in the back seat.
Alice did say that her visions were so fleeting and unpredictable that she didn't have a firm grasp on what would happen, and the only thing she could say for sure was Victoria's mental state might not be too firm. Since Victoria and Laurent's scents would be immediately recognizable to Michael, we thought that a neutral area would be necessary to diffuse the tension between the vampires. Something big had clearly happened between them to provoke Michael, resulting in the dismemberment of Victoria and Laurent before he came back to Forks. We needed to keep the three former traveling companions away from the prying innocent eyes of humans just in case another fight broke out when they met again. A desolate area in the Canadian wilderness halfway between Denali and Forks was chosen for this meeting, and now I just had to endure the drive for several more hours.
Something about this trip didn't seem right, and I still wasn't sure if Michael had malicious intentions by returning to Forks. To keep my mind off of the nagging doubts I had about basically handing him over to Victoria, I thought about the current situation involving Edward and Bella. My eldest son's desperation to be a normal vampire again was a direct result of Michael's actions. If he hadn't resorted to using his unique power all those months ago, Edward wouldn't be sleeping every night. And the silvered scars on Bella's leg were another cause for worry. We all knew that Edward had been drinking from Bella, but we looked the other way because it wasn't out of control—not yet, at least. When I was shown concrete evidence that he'd actually been biting her, I wasn't sure what to think of the situation. They'd been straddling a fine line of appropriate behavior, but now I knew that they were walking along the razor's edge. If the Quileute's somehow caught wind of this, the treaty would be broken and war would be declared. Billy Black had been looking for any excuse to tear up the treaty for months now, seemingly ever since Edward and Bella began their relationship.
Luck was on our side last night when Bella was able to misdirect Jacob—by weaving a web of barely convincing lies—and getting him to leave the house as quickly as possible. The young man was suspicious, and we had to put on a charade of normalcy just to fool him into believing that all was well at the Swan residence—it was just a normal Saturday night. But in fact, it was far from a regular evening at home. What would Bella and Edward have done if I wasn't able to get there so quickly or if her bleeding was much heavier? Such games couldn't be played just to throw one lone wolf off of their scent so their subterfuge wouldn't be discovered. Their behavior was leading us all onto dangerous ground.
After seeing how Edward's body metabolized Bella's blood so quickly, I now wondered if there was an effect due to prolonged exposure to smaller quantities of the same blood over and over again. How much human blood was it going to take to break him of this sleep pattern, or was it even possible now? Edward was taking the first steps in discovering the answer without me since I had to take this trip, but I expected to be kept up to speed with text messages on his progress. His erratic behavior didn't leave me feeling very optimistic with the results of the first experiment. It was clear that Edward couldn't sit still or focus, and in the end, he nevertheless fell asleep.
Edward POV
Snapping awake, my arm immediately moved to the cold, empty spot next to me on the bed. Bella was gone. Already tense and definitely not rested as one should be after sleeping, I was relieved to hear her steady heartbeat and her slow, even breathing from somewhere within the house. It took only a few seconds as I silently moved throughout the rooms before finding her sprawled across the couch, a blanket tucked under one of her legs and strewn haphazardly along her body as she slumbered peacefully. It was strange to not see her all bundled up while she slept.
She couldn't get any rest next to you because you were thrashing about so much while you slept. Alice sat in Charlie's recliner, absently flipping through one of his fishing magazines in the dark. Sensing my unease as I stood next to the couch looking down at Bella, she put the periodical aside and leaned forward. You're not feeling any better.
She didn't even state that as a question because my sister knew me so well. "No, I'm not," I whispered so low that Bella wouldn't hear and her peaceful rest wouldn't be disturbed. Bella never mentioned that I moved around in my sleep before. In fact, she'd remarked in the past that it was almost like I was truly dead while I was unconscious since I didn't move or breathe. What was going on?
Alice maintained the one-sided conversation by keeping her part in her thoughts. But you've made significant progress. You only slept for four hours this time.
While I was relieved that the amount of time I was out was cut nearly in half, the raging thirst that gnawed at my insides was beginning to consume me yet again. I turned my attention back to Bella, sweeping my gaze over her luscious and milky skin that lay exposed outside of the blanket. Her delicious scent started to make the venom pool in my mouth as I watched her neck thump in time with her heartbeat.
Why don't you try some of that blood that Carlisle left here for you? Alice tugged on my arm, moving me away from my vulnerable girlfriend and into the kitchen where she sat me down at the table before grabbing the chilled blood out of the refrigerator.
My instincts were battling between running to Bella in the adjacent room or into the woods to find the nearest animal to drain. Fearing the wrath of my sister, instead of acting on either impulse I just rested my forehead against the tabletop while Alice did whatever she needed to do. It was impossible to wait patiently, and I found myself bouncing my leg up and down quickly as images of creamy white skin passed through my mind. Before long, a bell dinged and a large coffee mug full of steaming liquid was placed next to me on the table.
"It's probably too hot, and I know that it's going to feel all wrong drinking out of a mug that says 'Charlie: The Man, The Myth, The Legend' on it." She attempted a small laugh, but it came out too forced. "But I'm not going to taste it to see." Alice backed away from the table as I wrapped a shaking hand around the cup, hesitating before I brought the rim to my lips, and I began to drink greedily.
She was right about the temperature; the liquid would have scorched human flesh as it slid down my throat. The flavor wasn't as I remembered, either. Maybe it was because this blood had been sitting in a bag for who knows how long, absorbing components of the plastic while the preservatives added to keep the blood from spoiling altered the taste further, but nothing compared to the feast that was Bella's blood—straight from her beautiful veins.
Tipping the cup back to get the last remaining drops, and cursing the red film clinging stubbornly to the ceramic, I turned to Alice fully intending to get a refill. But I was met with a stern expression of worry on my sister's face.
"Carlisle said you should go slowly with this. That mug can only be filled once."
"I'm sure the legendary Charlie Swan gets as many refills as he wants in this mug, especially in his own house." Who would buy him this coffee mug anyway? The man had no idea I'd been sleeping with his daughter for months. Some cop, he was.
"It should probably disappear after your little cocktail anyway. Bella wouldn't want him drinking coffee out of it again." She reached around my shoulder, wrapping her hand around the handle and snatching it away before retreating toward the sink.
"Alice," I said evenly, rising to my full height. As I looked down at her, I continued while reaching out my hand, "Give me the bag."
To her credit, she didn't back down. Alice stood her ground. "You will not bully me. If Carlisle doesn't think that you should dive in head first with this, we will abide by his wishes even though he isn't here."
And that was when I caught a flash of how desperate and wild I looked at that moment through her eyes. "Please, Alice. I'm so thirsty. Look at me. My eyes are still black. That small amount of blood hasn't affected me in the least, and if Bella sees this, she'll just want to help out. Carlisle doesn't want me to hunt animals, and I desperately need to not sleep anymore." It was a low blow, but throwing her best friend into the mix would play on Alice's sympathies. I was trying to avoid drinking from Bella after I'd already made her so weak. My desperation to never sleep again was making me do things that I normally wouldn't dream of doing.
Alice looked toward the living room, and her resolve wavered. She handed the bag of blood to me. "I'll be sitting with Bella," she said in a defeated voice before disappearing from the kitchen.
I studied the label on the clear plastic bag, trying to understand why this didn't really hold that much appeal. Must be because this isn't the same blood type as Bella I reasoned with myself. But the real answer was simple, though; it wasn't Bella's blood. Without bothering to warm it up, I wrenched off the spout and squeezed the contents of the bag directly into my mouth. Temperature didn't make a difference; the blood still tasted and felt wrong. Once it was empty, I discarded the bag into the trashcan, waiting for the familiar sensations of strength, warmth, and fullness to overtake my body.
Those feelings never came.
Instead, an intense stabbing pain radiated from my stomach throughout my body, and I doubled over in an effort to contain my distress. As I groaned in agony, the overwhelming impulse to purge the contents of my stomach started to build. As I stumbled to the backdoor, Alice and Bella were right behind me in the kitchen voicing their concerns, but I couldn't stay in the house to listen to their pleas.
I didn't make it out of the backyard and into the forest like I had intended before the first wave of nausea erupted and won. Falling to my hands and knees onto the damp lawn, another painful spasm rocked my body. Soon, every drop of blood that I had consumed was left on the lawn, leaving the grass painted red like a crime scene while the front of my clothes was coated like a murder victim.
I rolled over onto my back and stared up into the star filled sky. But doing so didn't alleviate the sick feeling tucked deep inside of me. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping the sensation would just go away. As I lay in the cool grass waiting to feel better in the dead of night, Bella and Alice approached tentatively.
"Are you all right, Edward?" Bella asked, her voice still raspy from sleep.
"No," I whispered, not having the energy to say anything else.
Luckily, Alice took charge of the situation. "I'll get the hose. Bella, you get Edward into the shower. Afterwards, Edward and I need to go hunting."
Carlisle POV
A flashing green light caught my attention out of the corner of my eye while I was driving down the interstate. "Esme, could you grab my phone please?" My wife marked the place she was reading in her novel before reaching down, picking up my phone, and handing it over. Pulling up the waiting text message, I was surprised to see that the sender was Alice.
Good news: E only slept 4 hours. Bad news: he can't keep down any liquids. Going to take him out after B cleans him up.
Biting back a groan of frustration—both at the complexity of their situation and not being physically there to help—I hit reply and began to type as I steered the car with my knee. Esme gave me a dirty sideways look as I focused on the phone.
How is he acting? Physical symptoms? Need more info.
Dropping the phone to my lap, I resumed steering with my hand while I waited for a response from Alice. Esme noticed my worried expression, so she reached over and soothingly patted my thigh. Emmett and Michael were still talking about a video game they'd been discussing for the last hour. Just when I thought I could stand no more talk about the merits of one gun over another, I received another text message from Alice.
Gave him mugful from fridge & had no effect— stayed black, still restless, still thirsty. Drank rest of bag & barfed all over backyard. Hosing down now & not happy, btw.
"What does 'B T W' mean?" I mumbled to myself, not really asking anyone in particular as I mulled over the evidence in her text message. We couldn't be too careful with what kind of digital trail we left behind us; it was best that we were as vague as possible in these messages in case someone stumbled upon our phones. It would be so much easier if we could just talk directly right now, but I couldn't take that risk with the wildcard that was Michael in the backseat.
Emmett poked his head over the front seat, smiling as he turned and gave Esme a wink. "It's shorthand for 'By the way,' Carlisle," he said. "Who are you texting while driving? And I thought you were the responsible parent. You know, setting a good example for us kids and not doing the whole distracted driving thing."
As he craned his neck to look around my shoulder to the phone sitting in my lap, I reached back and batted his head away. We appeared just like a regular human family right now, and before long, I'd be threatening to turn the car around when the boys' chatter grew to be too annoying. "It's just your sister."
Before I could reply, another message was sent to my phone.
I know what you'll say, but he can't hold out—bad things will happen. Will text again after we hunt. FYI, Rose is 1 hour behind you in the BMW and closing.
Now that abbreviation, I recognized. Rosalie deciding to follow us wasn't surprising. She'd voiced her concerns about bringing Michael to Denali before we left the house, but even she couldn't argue with the logic of keeping whatever would happen when he and Victoria saw each other again far away from our home.
Understood. Keep me posted.
Back to our problems at home. What symptoms had Alice just given me about Edward's case? He slept four hours less than he normally does, which was a good thing. This means we were making progress on that front, and that was surely due to his ingestion of a larger quantity of Bella's blood than usual last night. Unfortunately, Bella was then showing signs of mild anemia from blood loss, and it would take a few days for her to recover.
But with his rapid metabolism that he had seemed to develop from months of exposure to Bella's blood, the result was vomiting when Edward tried to drink the donor blood. What was I missing here? There wasn't a difference between her blood and regular human blood, so maybe it was something in the process of bagging the blood for donation that was affecting him. What implications could this new facet possibly have? I didn't relish the thought of obtaining another human donor, and forcing them to give fresh, untainted blood directly to Edward.
We drove for few more hours before our exit came into view. "Emmett, call Rose and tell her that we're going to stop at this park for a quick hunt. I'm sure she'd want to know what we're up to since she's decided to meet us in Denali." I was very careful with my wording because I didn't want Michael to know that Rosalie was worried enough about our trip to follow us to Alaska. He would find out soon enough the real reason for our unexpected pit stop.
As I navigated the Mercedes down a gravel path into a parking area surrounded on three sides by dense forest, Esme shot me an uneasy glance. I gave my wife a weak smile in return that truly mirrored the uncertainty I was feeling about our current situation—both with Michael and Edward. Turning around in my seat, I placed a mask of calm on my face. "Let's see what we can find in the forest. I'll lead since I've been here before." It was more like I was given directions by Tanya so we could meet everyone, just like an ambush.
Michael and Emmett got out of the back seat, slamming the back doors of the car a little too forcefully at the nearly the same time, causing the car to shake. I opened the door for Esme, offering her a hand which she took with a beautifully appreciative smile.
"Are you ready?" she whispered against my chest while I hugged her tight, the multiple meanings heavy in the cool air.
Brushing a kiss along the top of her head, I quietly sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
Emmett being Emmett felt the need to diffuse the tension. "Get a room you two. What do you say we get a move on?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Michael added. "I'm anxious to meet these hot sisters Emmett keeps talking about."
A flutter of annoyance passed over Esme's face before she pushed it aside. "You'll meet them soon enough, Michael."
Running due east as instructed, I finally found the small field that Tanya was speaking of during our last phone conversation. The wind was blowing just right so we couldn't detect the scent of any other vampires. I stopped in the middle of the clearing and the others responded in kind.
"Why are we stopping? There isn't anything around here to hunt except for field mice," Mike said, confusion lacing his voice.
Before any of us could reply to his question, Tanya stepped out from behind a line of trees. The strong breeze blew her strawberry blond hair and behind her as she approached. While Esme, Emmett, and I remained relaxed, Michael immediately crouched and went into a defensive position.
"It's okay, Mike. This is Tanya, one of the sister's we told you about," Emmett said in an effort to calm him down. While Michael stood completely upright again, his body remained tense and ready to flee at a moment's notice as he regarded all of us suspiciously.
As I walked toward the middle of the clearing with Esme by my side to meet Tanya, I heard Michael mumble nervously to Emmett. "You were right, dude. She is hot."
"Carlisle, Esme…nice to see you again." Tanya hugged Esme in greeting, and smiled warmly towards Emmett and Michael over my wife's shoulder. "Hello, Emmett. And this handsome friend of yours must be Michael." She slowly approached the two boys as non-threateningly as possible—arms at her side, slow steps, small smile on her lips, soft amber eyes. I was sure this was the same technique she used with human men over the years, and it was a bit fascinating to see her in action.
"What's up, Tanya?" Emmett said before nudging Mike's shoulder as the woman with the man-eating reputation and the barely out of his newborn phase man stared at one another for several long moments. Emmett turned to us with pleading eyes, throwing his hands in the air when neither one reacted.
Fearing the worst, Esme and I quickly joined them. Our sudden appearance at their sides jolted them into awareness, and Tanya fearlessly extended her hand towards Mike. Just as he hesitantly reached out and grasped hers with his own, loud voices broke out from the surrounding forest before a vampire sprinted into the clearing.
Instinctively, I pushed Esme behind me as I prepared to fight for our lives while my muscles tensed. Both Emmett and Michael had tried to do the same with Tanya, but she was much older and used to defending herself. The three of them stood in line, ready for anything.
Leading the charge was Victoria. Her red hair was a wind-blown mess, giving her an unkempt and somewhat insane look as she took in the scenery with a sneer on her lips. When her crimson gaze landed upon Michael, her crazed expression softened momentarily as her body straightened and relaxed.
Kate, Irina, and Laurent ran into the meadow about twenty seconds after Victoria had appeared, quickly encircling her in a protective ring. Every single vampire in this clearing held a defensive stance, except for Victoria. She simply stared blankly towards Michael as he started to slowly back away.
"What the hell is going on here, Carlisle?" he asked while never taking his eyes off of Victoria, anger and a hint of fear coloring his voice.
This certainly wasn't the way that I would have liked to reintroduce Michael to Victoria, but their body language spoke volumes about what might have happened before he returned to Forks. "I'm sorry, Michael. I didn't have a choice. Victoria had to see that you were with us of your own free will."
"Is that true? You asked to join them?" Victoria tried to step forward, but Laurent moved with her and blocked her path. Irina and Kate surrounded them on either side.
Michael stood his ground. "I just went home to visit my family, and I wound up staying with the Cullens for a while after a graduation party they had at their house." He looked around nervously before adding, "It's not like there's any other vampires around Forks to hang out with."
"You could have tried to find us, you know." Thinking back, Victoria didn't seem as volatile and wicked as she did when we first met the nomads. This version of Victoria seemed to be much more wounded mentally that a man would actually voluntarily leave her than she had been about James' death.
Laurent stepped out of Victoria's way and turned towards us. "I don't think he wanted to find us. I'm sure he assumed we were dead while he pranced around without a care in the world."
"Why would I think that you were dead?" Michael asked in a slightly raised voice. "I went off to call my parents and have a bit of privacy. There was no sign of you guys when I was done. I figured you two just ditched me like you did that time in Paris."
He was a skillful liar. If Emmett, Esme, and I didn't have an inkling of the truth from Alice's visions, I would have easily believed him as he explained his side of the story. We were in dire need of Edward's ability right now, although that wasn't possible because he was dealing with much bigger personal problems at home. But the more I listened as Michael explained himself to Victoria and Laurent, doubts began to creep into my mind as to what version of events was the truth. He quickly went over how he went to Forks to visit his family, his appearance at the graduation party—excluding the talk we had about staying with our coven in Forks—all in excruciating detail. His omissions were obvious to me, and his reluctance to admit them to Victoria made me suspicious.
After regarding everyone around me, I hoped that everyone was less cautious enough to agree to what I was about to suggest. "Why don't we all travel to Denali as planned? Rosalie should be here by now, and we can all drive together since there will be enough space since there will be two cars." Tensions didn't appear to be as high at the moment, so I assumed we'd be able to peacefully drive in both of our vehicles to Denali. And if I was lucky, I would be able to piece together exactly what was going on from snippets of conversation during the drive ahead of us.
"That's a good idea, at least we won't have to run back," Tanya added. "We'll follow you to the car, Carlisle."
While Emmett called Rosalie, Esme grabbed my hand and lead the way to the parking area. Glancing behind me, Victoria and Tanya had lined up on either side of Michael, followed by Irina and Laurent—who were surprisingly holding hands. Kate and Emmett were behind them.
When we got back to the parking area, Rosalie was leaning against the front of her BMW as we emerged from the trees. While she said nothing, the look of distrust and revulsion at the sight of Victoria and Laurent wordlessly said it all.
The dilemma of who would ride in which car was easily decided as people split up and headed to certain vehicles. When Michael resumed his spot in the backseat of my Mercedes, surprisingly Victoria slipped in beside him while Tanya forced him into the middle of the seat when she pushed in from the other side. Emmett joined Rosalie in her car, of course, and Kate, Laurent, and Irina headed for the rear seat.
As Esme sat behind the steering wheel, graciously relieving me of my driving duties for the last leg of the journey, I prayed that this drive would go smoothly. Lord knew I didn't feel comfortable without Emmett literally having my back for the next several hours.
