Twilight-Forever

Chapter Thirty-seven

Fred's story

By Cindra

A/n: In case any of you have been wondering why I've had a nearly five month drought of writing or updating chapters, well I have been really sick and unable to really do much of anything sitting at the computer wise. Not to mention suffering from a mean case of writers block until around October… I was feeling better and decided to try and get some of what's amounted to one and a half (five subject) spiral notebooks onto digital medium. So Happy Christmas, Season's Greetings, and all that from me to you. Did I mention how much I loathe snow? Hope you enjoy all three of them especially the last one that was fun to write.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters this is just because someone gave me a challenge and mostly for fun.

Bella was on her second white-tail when she sensed another of her kind. The scent wasn't familiar to her at all, so her instincts to protect her babies kicked into overdrive. Crouching down into fighting position she dropped the half drained carcass, ready to spring at the first sign of movement. Eyes scanning the meadow, her bottom lip curling into a low growl, she looked for any sign of a vampire nearby.

The dark shadows of the night didn't matter, with her night vision she could clearly make out everything around her. Spotting the large shadow in the tree five hundred yards away was a cinch. Her target made she realized the vampire male could have easily challenged her if he'd wished, as his size and build was similar to Emmett's. Shocking azure eyes watched her cautiously, yet sparked with curiosity.

Perched high up in a tree, dressed in cut off jeans, sneakers, and a Muse t-shirt, he reminded her of modern day Tarzan with his tousled golden blonde mane and striking good looks.

She heard the one thing that set her mind at ease. This vampire had an inhumanly rapid heartbeat, so whoever he was had earned her Gramps cure. Meaning that he was a welcome resident of the ranch and in truth she was intruding on his hunting grounds.

"Sorry, if I fed on your early morning snack. I didn't know there were any other of my kind here, other than my family." She sang out in a friendly voice, her high soprano echoing around her.

The man in the tree cautiously sprang silently to the ground, still unsure of his visitor's intentions or how she could even see him. His deterrent was on full, yet the young woman was completely oblivious to it. Her scent also had a familiar tone, but he'd only smelt it once before and the sweet scent had belonged to a human. Yet here he was yards away from a young woman, clearly of his kind, and she smelt like Shalimar mixed with hints of the most decadent desserts. The golden jeweled wedding band glistened in the moonlight, as did the charm bracelet with its bejeweled charms, and the medallion that she wore around her neck. The charm that gave him a clue about what coven she hailed from had him lowering his shield.

Logan's home had that crest on his front door, not only that his journals and photo albums were filled with stories and pictures of all the Cullen coven. The strange yellow eyed ones that Fred's creator had intended for him to kill. He'd read Logan's writings on that morning. It had broken his heart knowing that his timid little mouse was no more, by the hands of the Volturi. The Cullens had wanted to take her into their care, but the dark robed ones were there only to punish, not to grant leniency.

This young woman was who Logan referred to quite often as Trouble in his journals, as she'd been his charge to protect since she was a baby. Isabella Marie Swan Cullen?

Astounding that a human would choose to willingly marry a vampire, but here she was watching him curiously. She'd wanted to be changed, endured the hell of the burning to be with Logan's little brother, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. The mind reader, not unlike his brother, only Logan was a Were which was another ironic twist of fate.

He felt no ill will over those who had wiped out his former coven. Riley had spun a web of lies. They had been the evil villains, not the Cullens. They were the heroes, all the chaos had been centered around the young woman watching him from his meadow.

"It's okay. This is my family's ranch. I have no intention of hurting you. I'm Bella Cullen. Do you know Logan, my brother-in-law, or Aiden? You were given my Grandfather's cure, so I know that you're a good vampire…" Bella called softly, as not to spook the gentle giant.

His scent was woodsy with just the slightest hint of gingerbread cookies drowned with sweet icing. She now knew who this man was, only one vampire had ever had that particular scent. Victoria. This gentle giant was Bree's friend 'Freaky Fred'. The only newborn still alive, as he'd gone off on his own before the main showdown. Though she didn't see how the name fit him. He seemed fine to her.

"Here on the ranch there's plenty of game for everyone, so feel free to finish your meal." Fred's baritone drifted into the meadow. "I wasn't expecting visitors, your appearance put me on my guard. I'm Alfred Powers, but I go by Fred."

"Are you by any chance Bree's…Fred? She told Edward all about you, though your nickname doesn't make sense to me. You are far from a freak." Bella remained sitting in the middle of the meadow.

"Yes, that," Fred grinned, scrubbing at the back of his neck. "It's because of my special talent. Deterrent, really. A shield of sorts, as it repels, making me invisible to anyone around me. Vampire, Weres, humans, Pixies, Fairies, doesn't matter it works on all creatures."

"I easily spotted and sensed you, but then my shield makes me immune from most unusual gifts." Bella was comfortable enough to finish her meal.

"God in heaven! Someone wash the mongrel with that eye watering stench! Aiden has rules, one of them is proper hygiene! Bloody Hell! Bigfoot doesn't reek this badly! I'm gonna be sick and I finally fed ten minutes ago! If that's you Fred! I come in peace! All I wish is to collect my pregnant wife! I have no quarrel with you, so your deterrent is far from necessary…!" Edward choked out, willing his stomach to settle, but the odor was so pungent. His eyes were spilling tears and his lungs burned as if they'd been cut off from the air around him.

Bella easily extended her shield to include him. No sense wasting a grizzly, and two bucks. Is that better, darling? She crooned, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Edward was crawling on his knees taking in big gulps of air, as if he'd been suffocating or the breath had been knocked out of him.

"Sorry, I was simply testing Bella's shield. It's impervious to even my most powerful deterrent. You'll be fine in a minute or two. It takes time for the effect to wear off." Fred apologized, not wishing to start a conflict with her mate.

"You wouldn't be the first to try. That's quite a talent you have, Fred. Attacking the senses until your opponent is rendered powerless to do anything but flee the surrounding area." Edward said hoarsely, stopping beside his silently giggling wife.

"It can't be that bad, maybe it's your newly heightened sense of smell that made Fred's repellent so pungent." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Lower your shield around just you and then we'll see who's being melodramatic." Edward narrowed his eyes down at her.

"I'll prove to you that you're being a drama queen. It can't be that bad. I mean, it made even you powerless and you're a Werevamp." She lowered the shield around her face.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't wanna cause you distress, since you're in a delicate condition and all that." Fred eyed them gravely.

"Just give her a quick taste and then shut it off. No sense traumatizing our triplets with more than that…" Edward gave him permission to teach his love a lesson.

Seriously, Edward Anthony…you are being a big… She started to chide him when the full force of Fred's repellent attacked her senses.

"Oh, God…it's like a wet dog's rolled around in the entrails of a kill already at the highest peak of decay…!" Bella gasped, eyes instantly streaming with tears. It felt like her nose was on fire and it hurt to even breathe. Add the acute nausea and she was in sensory hell. Then it was over, as she instinctively threw up her shield to make it stop.

"I'm sorry…" She gulped in air, as if deprived of it for minutes instead of seconds. He's lethal. Let's sic him on Caius and Aro. They'll never bother us again. I mean, if he can render you powerless then they wouldn't stand a chance. Without the terrible quartet as their first line of defense, they've got nothing to defend against it.

"No one sees me unless I want them to and you are the only exception that I have ever found." Fred casually munched on an apple that he'd taken from his pocket. "Wet dog rolling around in the entrails of a decaying carcass, huh? Logan says it smells like a dead human covered with rotting deer hides and if he looks at me sees a living dead person straight out of a video game or cheap B-Movie Sci-Fi flick."

"That's because the mind wants to visualize what it's smelling. Weres can't take the smell of a rotting human corpse, their senses are too acute to withstand such a pungent odor. Vampires can't stand the stench of a Werewolf and that coupled with the smell of a rotting corpse is enough to render one powerless." Edward explained his theory on Fred's powers, as he soothingly rubbed Bella's back. She had her nose burrowed against his chest and was curled as close as she could possibly get.

Next time you'll think before questioning what you see. I may be a bit melodramatic at times, but I never fake being in extremes for others amusement. As for the other, well, that is entirely up to Fred. He set his chin on her head. She wrapped her arms around him, contently inhaling his sent to soothe the burning in her nose.

"Yes, that's my theory too. I haven't had to use it as often, because it's so peaceful here. Lyle being the exception. It came in quite handy when dealing with an out of control Werewolf. I kept guard over the campers during the full moon. None of them were any the wiser. I've learned to project only at my opponents and not those I'm protecting." Fred jogged over to them.

"Is she okay? Perhaps she should lie down for a while. I've plenty of room at the cabin and food if you're hungry. It's Logan's place, so you might find his collections of keepsakes and memorabilia quite fascinating."

Edward rose with his sleeping princess cuddled in his arms. "It's been a quarter of a century since I've stepped foot in one of my big brother's lairs. It will be interesting to see how his collection has grown. Bella's in her first trimester. She'll sleep soundly for a few hours and I could do with a bite to eat."

"Lair sounds about right." Fred led the way to Logan's retreat. "Logan calls it his little palace of Zen. If this is his idea of little, I'd like to know what he thinks a big place should be."

"My brother is over two hundred years-old. During that time he, like most intelligent immortals, has amassed a great deal of wealth. A necessity if one wishes to blend in with society or acquire new identities, as the humans around you age and die while you remain forever frozen in time. One acquires a lot of stuff over the centuries and real-estate is a sound way of investing ones wealth."

Edward assumed that Logan had built something to match the main house's rustic style. What he was seeing in front of him was a Frank Lloyd Wright original, a masterpiece of architectural wonder. Four stories of aged wood, stone, and floor to ceiling windows graced each floor. With decks, so any room had a breathtaking view of the Wyoming wild. It bordered Lake Chantal, a large natural spring fed lake and the largest body of water on the ranch. Logan's haven also had its own private hot spring. Carved First Nation Chief statues guarded the front doors. Substantial howling wolf and majestic eagle carvings guarded each side of the front porch, while a carved grizzly watched over the stone steps leading from the lake up to the house.

"It's as astounding inside as it is out here. Logan and Lily's studio is in the cabin just a half mile North of here on the other side of the lake. The bear is his latest and the Chiefs are statues of Lily's father and grandfather. She finished those this winter like she was celebrating something major. Logan too, until Lyle was brought here from the UK. Then they were all business, focusing on him." Fred jogged up the steps onto the porch and opened the front doors.

"We had something to celebrate this winter. It's good to see them focusing on their love for art again." Edward stepped into the foyer where a pair of knights guarded each side of the highly polished grand staircase.

There were treasures everywhere you turned. Priceless artwork, statues, a curio cabinet of Fabergé eggs in the Great Room. Next to other glass enclosed displays of Chinese Imperial Jade, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Babylonian, the list was endless. Three thousand years of treasure collected over time were preserved and in mint condition. It was an archeologist's wet dream around every corner. The sunken central area by the giant granite stone fireplace and floor to ceiling windows were the focal points of the room.

"They moved the collection from the vaults. I wonder if it's all here? They set up roots here to be close to Billy and Bella. I was too caught up with reining in Jasper and then meeting Bella turned my word upside-down. She was my only focus. I could have been robbed blind and not given a whit about it…" Edward arched a red-gold brow at Fred.

"This place is a fortress with several underground levels. The second sublevel is a vault and then there are tunnels, escape I believe, that exit to several locations. The studio, main house, garage, and airstrip. This place is a well thought-out masterpiece. Completely energy efficient with hydro, solar, and geothermal technologies making it completely off the grid." Fred led him up to the third floor. "There are four bedroom suites on this floor. We'll get her tucked into one of them."

"My god…" Edward couldn't believe the size of Logan's Lair. "Just how many bedrooms are there…" He waited as Fred opened the doors to the Phoenix Suite. His eyes taking in the ambiance of the room. The warm colors of the desert sunset were everywhere in the lavish bed linens, ceiling, walls, even the lush carpet was the color of twilight desert sand. This room had been made with Bella in mind.

"Eight total counting the third and fourth floors. Then there's also the entire living quarters and emergency supplies down in the underground subterranean areas. He and Lily planned for every contingency. This compound is a fortress with heat signature security systems calculated specifically to detect our kind. The alarm alerted me about Bella. I was immersed in Grey's Anatomy, studying for my exam and not expecting guests."

"She wasn't aware there were any other of our kind here, so in her defense there was no one to intrude upon." Edward tucked her into the queen-sized hand crafted sleigh bed.

On the walls were framed photo's of Bella at various ages. Starting from barely a year old to her late teens. Some with her cuddling several types of whom she had named scruffy. The look of utter devotion and love shined in Logan's eyes and she had been just as besotted with him.

It made him itch to read the journals sitting on their bed, as the earliest ones were during her tween to early teen years. Had Logan been planning to bring her here after he had nearly destroyed her? All of this had him seriously thinking so.

"She'll be fine in here, since this is her room and all. Logan designed it as a sanctuary for her after she showed no signs of coming out of her catatonia. He'd been helpless to do anything but watch from a distance. It wasn't till months of watching her waste away that he was going to set in motion his plan to have her brought here to the ranch under Aiden's care while he dragged you back here. The plan was to force you to face your fears and stop running from your destiny. It was either that or kill you. He was on the fence about that for months." Fred had left him to go get Logan's journals of the past three or so years.

"It's all here in these. I needed to understand why. Logan provided me with his side of it by allowing me access to his journals."

"Mine are in my sanctum back home in Forks. However, I can give you a summation of my side of it." He gave him the cliff notes version of it all. Towards the end he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily, closing his eyes as the past flashed once more before his eyes.

"No more needs to be said. That you have basically been through hell and back several times sums it up all quite nicely. The kitchen's fully stocked. I've found that keeping a steady balance between hunting and human food keeps our hybrid bodies in top form." Fred led the way back to the second floor kitchen fit for a gourmet chef.

"I can't forget anything, total recall is both a blessing and a curse. Talking about my courtship with my Bella brings every minutia detail back clear as day in my mind. It's why I prefer to focus on the now and what lies ahead." Edward opened the fridge, searching the contents before selecting all the ingredients for a Hero sandwich, which he then set down on the marble counter of the kitchen island.

"Is she truly as much of a trouble magnet as Logan writes in his journals?" Fred watched in fascination as he meticulously built a sandwich that even Dagwood himself would have been in awe of.

Edward filled him in on the curse. Going as far as mentioning Bella being dubbed 'The klutziest teenager in America'. All the while putting away all his unused ingredients exactly where he had found them before raiding the pantry for his favorite idea of dessert.

"She's a vampire now, so I assume all that's left of Oberon's jinx is the bad luck…"

Edward nodded.

"No wonder he came up with his miracle best of both worlds cure. It's a wonder he dared showed his face again, casting a jinx on a baby like that, his own Great-granddaughter too." Fred growled his disapproval.

"He was banished to sleep until Bella or her child touched his prison. Ole Glory is only a stones throw away from our house. Cain was charged with watching over his Great-Granddaughter until it was time for her to meet her soul mate. Handing over that responsibility to me." He took out the large jars of homemade peanut butter and set them on the counter. Hunted for the items he would need in the cupboards. Then it was back to the fridge for the chocolate.

"And Logan was given the task of watching Cain as well as protecting Bella?" Fred asked curiously while Edward proceeded to make peanut butter squares from scratch and with no mess to be found. Unlike Logan who was by far the messiest gourmet chef on the planet. "Was Cain going to take Bella? Is that why Oberon cast the jinx on her?"

He slid four trays of treats into the blast freezer to properly set up and then proceeded to give Fred a rundown of the story of Oberon and Cain and how they all fit in both his and Bella's genealogy.

"So now that they've made peace, shouldn't they be able to figure out something to counter the jinx?" Fred's brows rose when Edward set half of his sandwich in front of him. "Uh, thanks."

"So far that's not happening, but they are working on it," Edward smirked, eyes dancing with mirth. "Did you honestly believe I was going to devour that by myself?"

Fred shrugged.

"Emmett or Logan could eat this in one sitting, but I try not to overindulge. There's that and mother would box my ears for rudely eating in front of someone without offering to share."

"I'm boning up on everything so I'm prepared for my comprehensives before applying for an internship in a few weeks. This hits the spot, so again thanks." Fred was nearly finished with his sandwich.

"Fred? Do you have any relatives that are searching for you? If so then your identity has to change." Edward paused in mid-bite, brow furrowed.

"My parents died when I was fifteen. It was only me and Gran after that…" Fred sighed heavily, azure eyes pained.

"That vile witch…" Edward snarled darkly, reading the rest from Fred's mind. "Making your first kill…"

"Gran was terminally ill. I'd come back just after graduating from Harvard med school to take care of her. She was in so much pain…the cancer had spread throughout her body…I'd gone into Seattle to pick up supplies for the hospice nurse…Riley and a woman were in the back of my car…all I remember is pain after that… "

"You were a newborn, your only instinct was to quench the thirst, it wasn't your fault, Fred." Edward sighed deeply.

"I murdered my Gran, her hospice nurse, and the mail carrier before the thirst ebbed. There was only Riley and Diego then and they cleaned up my mess by burning my home to the ground and all my human memories with it. I'm legally dead. Powers was my mother's maiden name."

"So when you left to go off on your own…"

"I'd been a vampire for nearly ten months. I kept to myself. My deterrent and size made that easy. I paid little attention to the others until Bree. After getting her arm torn off she started curling up by me. I had someone to protect, unlike the others she wasn't afraid of me. I was the calm corner amidst the chaos. A week before the attack she got up the courage to talk to me and we became friends of sorts. I had planned on taking her with me, but she had her mind set on finding on Diego. They'd bonded on a previous hunting trip and unbeknownst to me were now a pair. I knew the odds were great that he had been killed by our creator, but there was light not fear in her eyes and I couldn't take that hope away for her. Riley was a selfish monster and there was no way that he would willingly share Her with Diego, even if he was his best friend."

"Victoria was a siren. Riley was nothing more than an easy means of carrying out her bidding while she remained safely in the shadows. She gave the Volturi an excuse to come check on my family. Her plan was a means of thinning out our coven without getting their hands dirty. Diego and Bree followed Riley to Victoria's lair and witnessed their meeting with them. Diego didn't have a chance in hell once he confided what he knew to his best mate. Bree, on the other hand, was close to you so she was spared the same fate as her mate." Edward got up to put their empty plates in the sink.

"Was it quick or did they torture her badly?" Fred asked, his voice grave.

"Jane liked to toy with her prey and had the ability to make them relive the hell of burning alive over and over again. Bree told me everything she knew in detail before Jane had Felix end her life in an instant. Apart from Jane, her death was quick. The Volturi excel in swift justice." Edward took a tray out of the freezer and brought it over to the counter.

"You said liked. Is this Jane no longer with us?"

"The Volturi went too far this Summer. We ended Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri. And without them they are but toothless dragons. Still their masters live, ancient relics sitting on their thrones, but their days of terrorizing and lording over our kind are over." He bit into a chocolate peanut butter square, closing his eyes in bliss, the flavors exploding on his tongue. "Enough doom and gloom. You really must try one. They are actually quite good."

Fred helped himself to a square. "Just one more question and I'm done…"

"James is the answer to your question. He was hunting Bella. My family and I ended him for very nearly taking her life. Vampires mate for life. Victoria wanted revenge for his death. None of us believed her to be a threat. It was a grievous error on our part, but in the end her vendetta was the key to making peace with the Weres. All of whom are family to us now." He eyed Fred's face for any reaction to his words.

"No wonder Logan was so pissed at you in his journals. James and Victoria were responsible for the murders of two of his closest friends." His eyes widened even more as it all fell into place."

"A fact I was not aware of until just recently because Logan and I haven't seen each other since the late eighties, early nineties before our move to Denali. He's incredibly difficult to keep in touch with. My main focus at the time was on reining in Jasper. He was having a time of it adjusting to our way of life and because of that we were constantly on the move." Edward got up to pace.

"You never clued in that he was watching all of you?"

"Bella was my focus. Keeping her safe at all costs blinded me to anyone, even my brother. Whom when last I saw was playing the part of a Canadian Mountie. Never once did it dawn on me that he was or had always been a Watcher." He growled in frustration.

"Isn't that the whole point of being one? The nondisclosure to even ones immediate family?" Fred picked up the stack of journals on the island and walked over to him. "Read them and you'll see how hard it was for him to do nothing, but stay on the sidelines while you took on his role as Bella's protector."

"I think it best if I start with when he first became her protector and go from there." Edward hunted up a container for his favorite treat and put them away in the fridge.

"Logan's den is down the hall to your left. Thanks again for the meal and the talk."

"You're very welcome. Oh and Fred, consider us your family now that's if you'd like to return with us to Forks. Carlisle, my father, can always arrange for you to intern at the County Hospital. He's the head surgeon there."

"I'd like to be a part of a family unit again. First, wouldn't it be best to ask before offering the invitation?"

"Not in the least and you'll understand when you meet Esme tomorrow. Bree's final wish was for us to find you and bring you into our fold and I intend to grant it. We've been searching for you and now that we've finally found you all is complete." He gave him a big brotherly look. "I'll let you get back to the books while I immerse myself in my brother's most private thoughts. It's only fair as he's been privy to mine for years."

Fred went to hit the books again. Perhaps he'd see about an internship in Forks. He rather liked the idea of joining the Cullen coven and he did miss home.

Next Chapter 38

Memory lane

Cindra © 2011