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"So what the hell has been happening while Bella and I were out of it?" Jasper demanded, as the group settled into the living room to discuss the current situation facing the vampire world. "Last I heard, Victoria was in police custody. Now I hear from Charlie that humanoids are turning up in Forks looking for our coven, hoping to be turned back into vampires. How has it spread so quickly?"

"Riley went into Mexico, and Victoria managed to get loose somehow and went straight to Italy. Since it only takes 20 min for someone who has drank cursed blood to become humanoid themselves, this plague is spreading like wildfire. It's like the zombie apocalypse, only for vampires instead of humans," Peter explained.

Jasper cursed, then asked with narrowed eyes, "Did you warn Maria when you saw which way he was headed?"

Peter winced and shook his head. "I decided against it, but I did call all our other friends once I realized it was spreading, as did Carlisle, and the Volturi."

Jasper scowled. "She could've stopped him right then and there if she'd known what to watch for, Peter. Instead, there are hundreds, if not thousands, infected by now."

Garrett reported what he'd seen and done, which led to the explanation that animal blood was the only known deterrent for the time being and that Carlisle was busy working on finding a cure in the wilds of South America.

Jasper called Alice to get a report from her on what had been happening on her end for the past few days. When she reported the death of Maria and the other Southern warlords, Peter hopped up and began dancing around the coffee table, singing a rousing rendition of "Ding, dong, the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead!"

I smirked, cautiously admitting to myself he was rather amusing when he wasn't insulting or threatening someone I loved.

"Hush!" Jasper half-heartedly admonished, trying to hide his smile. Even though Maria considered them friends, Jasper wasn't as sanguine about their past. He hadn't forgotten that she'd once planned to kill him, even if she had subsequently 'forgiven' him for his desertion.

Apparently they weren't the only former vampires to turn up at the Cullen's house in Forks though. A steady stream of visitors had come, having been told Carlisle was working on a cure and knowing he was an animal drinker. They believed his coven might be their last hope, considering the Volturi's order to kill any humanoids on sight.

Unluckily for them, most of them had murdered humans to steal transportation with which to approach Forks, and the wolves were able to smell the bodies decaying in the trunks or the small amounts of blood the humanoids had gotten on their clothing in the process. The wolves were now inclined to kill any and every former vampire they encountered, since unlike Alice and Edward who were directly cursed by the witch, these humanoids were clearly prior human drinkers by virtue of the words of the curse itself.

As a result, the wolves felt no remorse in killing murderers, beings they considered evil because they had no respect for human lives, even though they had beating hearts now. They realized the former vampires had a choice to feed from animals instead, but continued drinking from humans anyway. Therefore, in the wolves' minds, they deserved what they got.

Charlie was up to his neck in dead bodies. The FBI were now investigating what seemed to be a serial killer or a gang who liked to murder people and leave their bodies in the trunks of their own vehicles abandoned in various places along the 101 both north and south of Forks, as there had been more than half a dozen such cars found on the side of the road by local and state police.

The wolves were taking care of the other dead bodies, the nonhuman ones, who wouldn't have worried family members fretting over their sudden disappearance and demise. The ash heap was growing steadily.

As soon as he hung up with Alice, Jasper called Carlisle to get an update on that front.

"I've found a cure of sorts," Carlisle admitted. "Though it turns the recipients into half-vampires instead of full vampires. At least it stops the curse."

"Half-vampires?" our group wondered. "What the heck?"

Carlisle explained all the differences between the hybrids and regular vampires. "Rose and Emmett are changing now. As soon as they're finished, we'll be heading back to Forks, along with several other hybrids. I'm hoping Alice and Edward will agree to be changed too once they see the results. I'm worried that they'll end up killed if they don't accept the cure. Will you join us there?"

"I'm not sure about having a newborn around the hybrids," Jasper replied skeptically. "I think it would be safer for everyone if we stayed away for a while. I'd hate for something to happen."

"Their blood really doesn't smell appetizing, Jasper," Carlisle cajoled. "Even the Amazonians agree they don't smell like food."

"Yeah, well, Bella nearly decapitated Peter earlier when she ripped out a large chunk of his throat," Jasper calmly replied. "How well do the hybrids handle sudden limb removal?"

"Wait! She attacked Peter's throat?! How?!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"Seems she can be quite stubborn and determined when she wants to be," Jasper responded cautiously, not knowing who was listening in on Carlisle's side.

Realizing his near mistake, Carlisle quickly covered it. "I'm surprised that Peter was caught off guard like that, as experienced with newborns as he is."

"Must be losing his touch in his old age," Jasper joked.

"Hey!" Peter protested. "Okay, okay. I admit I forgot to engage my brain before shooting off my mouth ..."

"So what else is new," Garrett muttered.

Peter shot him a look and continued, "And I unwittingly triggered her protective instincts for her mate. As you know, there's little that can stop an enraged newborn in the process of defending his or her mate. They're like the Incredible Hulk on steroids. I wasn't expecting that level of aggression and wasn't in the proper defensive mindset. That's all."

"I see," Carlisle murmured in a confused tone, which indicated he really didn't see at all, even though he knew what Peter was saying was true. He remembered Emmett as a newborn in a protective rampage over Rose. There was a huge 'earthquake' and 'rock slide' in the mountains that day, and only Rose had been able to calm him down, while the rest of the family made themselves scarce, running a perimeter to keep the humans away.

Still it didn't explain how she went for his throat. Nobody ever goes for Peter's throat, due to his gift. The only way she could've gone for his throat was if Peter's gift wasn't working . . . like Edward's gift didn't work . . . Oh! Carlisle thought. "Oh, I see," he muttered in a fascinated tone this time.

"Have you been in touch with the Volturi?" Jasper asked cautiously.

Catching his meaning instantly, Carlisle replied, "Yes, Aro and Caius are both dead, as are Chelsea, Afton, and Santiago. Marcus is the one who killed them once they became infected, and he ordered all humanoids destroyed on sight until the cure is found. I haven't told him I found the cure yet, because I wanted to take care of my family first, just in case. I don't want to say anything until I've ensured Alice's and Edward's safety, because I know the Volturi will come to me to investigate, and I don't want my children to be vulnerable."

Jasper was relieved that Aro was gone, as he was the greatest threat to Bella. With Chelsea gone too, the Volturi must be in a shambles, he thought, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

xxxxxxx

Jane glared balefully at the waitress who'd offered her a children's menu. Feeling a headache coming on, the waitress massaged her temples as she stomped away, muttering under her breath, "Rude, disrespectful little brat."

"I hate being human!" Jane whined to her brother, wishing she could've made the waitress writhe on the floor, screaming in pain.

Alec rolled his eyes and let loose a long-suffering sigh. Jane was even more annoying as a humanoid than as a vampire, but with the benefit of her gift only working as well as it had back when she was human and accused of being a witch. Thankfully, that meant her gift didn't work on him at all, though she could still affect the humans around them enough to give them headaches.

Though she doesn't need her gift to do that, he thought with a snort. Her whiny voice and obnoxious behavior are just as painful.

"Why won't you change me back?" she asked him for the fifth time.

"I can't, Jane," he reminded her yet again. "If I tried, I'd be in the same boat as you. Can you imagine how hard it would be for us if we were both humans at our age? We'd be taken in by social services and sent to a foster home! I can't protect you if I get infected too."

"Why can't we go see Corin? I miss her!" Jane complained.

"I do too, believe me," Alec growled, starting to lose his patience. They'd already had this discussion before, multiple times. "But Marcus has given the order to kill any humanoids on sight, so she'd kill you!"

Jane sniffed, scowling. "Maybe that would be better than this!"

"Are you eager to die now?" he asked, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

Jane pouted, sticking out her bottom lip, which didn't look at all cute now that she was no longer a vampire. "No, but I need her gift."

"So do I," Alec sighed, feeling the longing ache inside him. "So do I."

The waitress brought Jane's food, which she'd pointedly ordered off the adult menu.

Jane's attitude improved marginally after eating her meal and drinking her soda. She'd developed quite an affinity for Coke, the sugar and caffeine boosting her mood and energy level for brief periods of time. She found she enjoyed the foods readily available in the modern age, particularly ice cream sundaes.

After dessert, Jane was in the best mood she was capable of producing these days. "Please, brother, let us try to find Corin. You can scout the area and find out if she'd be receptive. Maybe we can pay her. She left Italy suddenly, and it's awfully hard to live these days without funds of some kind."

He hesitantly agreed, knowing he was in serious withdrawals and fiercely craving Corin's gift. Alec worried that if he didn't get relief soon, he'd finally lose his temper with his sister and injure or kill her himself in a fit of rage. So far, he'd been able to simply knock her out with his gift when her whining got to be too much, convincing her afterward that she'd fallen asleep. However, his fuse was getting shorter and shorter as time passed, and she continued grating on his nerves. If she weren't his twin, he'd have lit her up long ago.

xxxxxxx

AN: Still with me?