AN: Hey All! Fingers crossed but yeah, it looks like I really am back!
Thanks so much to all who read, followed, and favourited last chapter! Special thanks to, Goldielover, sycoscorpio66691, catgrl, Kyra, traceybuie, AHealingRenaissance, casedeputy, Babysis64, and SpawnGirl234, for reviewing! Your feedback makes my day!
I'm gonna apologize now to my Alice x Emmett fans because I didn't end up giving them a lot of coupley one-on-one time in this chapter. The Denali visit felt like it organically fit in here the best, so this chapter is both. But that's okay cuz Ally and Em are social butterflies anyway so I'm sure they don't mind the company! ;-P
Chapter 16: Dropping the Denali Bomb
Emmett's POV
After a while, it was time for the Denali clan to come visit. Everyone was a bit nervous because they were pretty much our closest family. I mean, the Blacks were mostly Bella's family (and Edward's, to an extent, because of Renesmee). And the Whitlocks were mostly Jasper's family. But the Denalis had been family to the Cullens since before most of us had even become vampires ourselves.
And the people whom Eleazar and Carmen especially were most strongly connected to were Carlisle and Esme. Which meant that their visit was going to be particularly stressful for Rose and Edward as their mates.
So, us "kids" decided that after the main announcement, which they wanted us to all be present for, we would take the succubi sisters and their mates with us and go on an extended hunting trip to give the four "grownups" a chance to bond as mated couples with their oldest friends.
Splitting up the Denalis would serve a double purpose, because it would also split up the temperaments. Alice and I along with Jazz and Bella, being the fun ones, would keep Kate and Tanya, aka the emotional ones, busy and distracted hunting panthers. Plus, I seriously doubted that Garrett and Ricky had ever hunted panthers in Indonesia before, so it would also be an act of hospitality to give them that experience.
Anyway, the day they were supposed to arrive, Alice came hopping up to me the way she had taken to doing and leapt on my back.
"Only six hours until go time!" She grinned, as I carried her around galloping like a horse. "I'm so psyched for this! I know everyone is worried, but I'm not. It's gonna be awesome!"
I spun her around without setting her down so that she was adhered to the front of my body instead of the back so I could see her better.
"Well, if my little Tinkerbell ain't worried, then I ain't gonna be either." I smirked, kissing her lightly.
"Good! Because this is gonna be fun, I promise!"
"I love you, Ally. So much." I beamed.
"I never get tired of hearing that." She giggled.
"Good. See that you don't." I laughed, tapping her on the nose.
She slipped into a vision briefly but her body language didn't change enough for me to be concerned.
"Hey Emmy…" she began, coming back to the present.
"Yes, Pasangan?" I smiled gently.
"I love you, Emmybear. So much."
And with that declaration, my lips joined with hers and never parted from them until we heard the sound of the airplane overhead that signified the Denalis impending arrival.
"Well...it's go time!" I grinned, reluctantly setting her down.
"Yep! Let's head back to the house so we can greet them!"
When we got back to the house, everyone was ready and waiting to greet the Denalis. Carlisle had hired a local pilot to fly them directly to our island from Jakarta.
He even escorted them to our house from the landing strip and Carlisle tipped him generously, thanking him for going the extra mile.
As soon as he left, we all took turns hugging our guests.
"Carmen! It's so good to see you!" Esme gushed as Carlisle and Eleazar did that half-hug back pat thingy.
"We were so glad to be invited." Carmen smiled sincerely as we escorted everyone inside.
Eleazar seemed to be looking around expectantly as we took their bags from them.
"Well...I don't see any new faces," he stated.
"Come again?" Carlisle puzzled.
"On the phone, you said you had some big news. The last time you called and told us you had big news, it was because Bella was joining your family." Eleazar reminded him.
"Ahh, I see." Carlisle laughed slightly. "Well, this time, we aren't expanding our family. Just...restructuring it." He shrugged. "I suppose we might as well get right to it, since we've clearly piqued your curiosity," he began. "I'm going to let Alice make the announcement, since she has known about this longer than the rest of us and can likely explain it better than I can."
We had discussed this as a family prior to the Denalis arrival, so Ally already knew she would have the floor. I gave her a reassuring smile and a wink as she moved to stand where everyone would be able to see her.
"Alright, so, Eleazar...in all your time as a vampire, have you ever known any mated vampires outside of the Cullen clan who did not bear a mating mark?" She asked.
"No. In fact, I have thought many times that it was strange that your family doesn't follow this practice. In my own experience, it was very...instinctual," he admitted carefully.
"Carmen, Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Ricky, would you all agree with Eleazar's assessment?" Ally asked them, looking from one to the next.
They each nodded in turn, muttering their agreement.
"And the sparks, you've all experienced those with your mate?" She asked them. Three sets of mated Denali vampires nodded in affirmation that they had each felt the electrical sparks of the mating bond.
We had planned their arrival to occur at night when it was already dark out. I stood up and proceeded to shut off all of the lights in the room. Then I walked over to Alice and took her hand in mine. Sure enough, the blue lights danced between our fingers.
A collective gasp was heard from all six members of the Denali coven.
"Jazz, Bella?" Alice spoke, calling them forward. Bella and Jasper clasped hands too, showing off their green sparks for everyone to see. Another gasp was heard.
"Now, I know everyone is about to go from surprised to upset, but I'm going to rip the bandaid off anyway. Edward, Esme?" Ally winced, preparing for the onslaught of reactions she'd already seen in her visions.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kate huffed, looking appalled as E&E's violet sparks joined in the light show.
"And last but definitely not least…" Alice cued as Carlisle and Rosie took hands, their red sparks burning brightly for all to see.
"What the hell?" Tanya frowned. "I don't understand how any of this is possible…" she puzzled as I turned some of the lights back on.
"Yeah, how could this be the first we would have noticed something like this? We're not stupid. We've known you all a very long time. Don't you think I'd know this about my friends?" Kate practically yelled.
"Most of us didn't even know it about ourselves, Kate." Edward attempted to reason.
That's when Tanya whirled on Alice. I growled in warning but Ally was prepared to face her down. "And you! You are psychic, Alice! You would have known even if the rest of us hadn't. Are you seriously telling me you let a bunch of people get married to someone they weren't meant to be with when their mates were right there in front of them? That's pretty vindictive, Alice. I thought I knew you better than that."
Ally sighed. "Tanya, you know just as well as I do that even though I can see the future, it doesn't give me the right to manipulate it. I have to let things play out the way they are supposed to. Do you remember when it looked like Jasper and I were deserting the family when the Volturi were coming? You all thought the worst of me then, too. But it wasn't what it looked like then either. We left because there was somewhere else we needed to be. And we came back when the timing was perfect." Alice reminded her.
"True. But are you seriously telling us that eight people spent decades of their lives married to people they weren't mated to, just because the timing wasn't right? That doesn't just happen. No other vampires have lived that way." Tanya argued.
"No other vampires have lived as an established coven of eight for many decades. Regardless of the mating situation, Tanya. Our family has always been unique." Carlisle reminded her.
"Okay, but what about Marcus? He was at the Volturi confrontation. He never said anything about it. He sees bonds," Kate debated.
"You mean that the guy whose coven was coming to kill us, withheld information from us that might help us to strengthen our bonds? Go figure," Bella pointed out, stating the obvious.
"Okay fine. Yeah, I guess you have a point. I still think this whole thing is ridiculous. I mean, the idea of Edward and Esme having sex, makes me want to vomit blood. No offense." Kate frowned looking grossed out.
"Offense taken." Edward scowled.
I was about to make a crack about how we were all having a hard time with the idea of Edward banging "Mom" but based on his sullen expression, I didn't think it was wise.
Esme smiled reassuringly at Edward and then turned to address the Denalis. "Carmen, Eleazar, you both have been awfully quiet so far. Would you like to weigh in?"
"I must admit am not exactly sure what to say here, Esme. To my knowledge, there are no vampire gifts that can alter the bonds of mated vampires. Not even Chelsea Volturi has that kind of power. Which means this must be real. And I feel pretty foolish for never realizing it before. We've considered all of you to be our family for quite a long time. The idea everything we thought we knew about your family seems to be false is...upsetting.
"But if it feels this way for us, I cannot even begin to imagine how all of this must feel for all of you." Carmen pondered.
"Indeed." Eleazar chimed in. "I have known many vampires over the years. And most were not truly mated. Of course, that rarely ever stopped them from seeking companionship and/or sexual gratification. In fact, many of the couples I have met were unmated vampires posing as mates for convenience and protection. And I will admit there were a few times I suspected this of some in your family.
"But I simply attributed it to the vast amount of time you all spend around humans. I thought perhaps your relationships were more similar to theirs, since you were accustomed to blending in with their world. I think, in hindsight, my instincts were screaming at me that something was off but I could never put my finger on exactly what it was," Eleazar admitted.
"I actually lived similarly myself for a long time." Ricky added. "When I was turned, my sire was a mated male and I lived with him and his mate for my first few years. But then, he encouraged me to go out on my own in search of a mate. He neglected to tell me any of the signs of finding one's mate. So I settled into a relationship with the first female I found. We were together for hundreds of years.
"It wasn't until she went to visit her sire in Italy and found her true mate among the Volturi guards that I learned the truth. She wrote to me and explained everything, including how I would know when I found my true mate. And once I knew what to look for, I searched until I finally found Tanya. Of course, I had been living in Greece, so I was searching in the wrong part of the world for quite some time. But eventually, we found our way into each other's arms." He smiled, taking Tanya's hand.
"Remember, Tanya, when I introduced you to my friend Felipe? He had only known me when I was with Octavia. Remember how weird it was for him at first? How it took awhile for him to warm up to you? This, how you are feeling, must be similar to how he felt." Ricky gently reminded her.
"Oh. That makes a lot of sense. I couldn't understand why he didn't seem very happy for you at first. Now I do understand. And...it isn't that we're not happy for you," she assured us, meeting the gaze of each member of our family in turn. "It's just going to be an adjustment. That's all."
"Yes. That's it exactly!" Carmen nodded. "We just need time getting used to this. It is a change. Change can be hard on our kind."
"Exceptionally hard." Eleazar agreed.
"Yeah, but I'm telling you all...if any of my friends get their feelings hurt throughout this process, the offending party is getting a very shocking warning from me," Kate cautioned.
Garrett winced. "I can attest to how much you don't want to experience that kind of scolding from my Electric Angel here. One day last month, I accidentally stepped on her cell phone and crushed it and then I got to lay on the floor twitching for six hours after her lovely punishment."
"Oh, so that's why you never texted me back when I sent you that Happy New Year gif!" Bella laughed.
"Yeah, he's getting me a new phone for my birthday." Kate grinned glaring expectantly at Garrett.
"Yes, Dear," he vowed with an emphatic nod.
"Oh my! Note to self, don't make Kate angry while she's here." Ally giggled.
"Yeah, that's generally a wise rule of thumb." Tanya smirked. "I like to refer to it as her 'Permanent PMS'."
Kate flexed her fingers threateningly at Tanya. "Don't you start with me."
"It's not my fault you're easily aggravated." Tanya shrugged.
"It is if you're usually the one aggravating me!" Kate laughed.
"Touché." Tanya conceded.
"Well, consider us all fairly warned then." Carlisle smiled, glancing at each of the Denalis in turn. "So, in spite of the shocking nature of our announcement, I trust we still have your friendship?" he confirmed.
"Oh Carlisle! Of course, Mi Hermano. Your family will always have our friendship. That isn't conditional of your living arrangements or romantic entanglements." Carmen assured us.
"Thank Heavens for that!" Esme laughed with obvious relief.
Surely they had to know the Denalis would stick by us through all of this, but I had to admit, even I felt a lot better after hearing them say so themselves. In fact, as Eleazar and the others rushed to echo Carmen's sentiments, every Cullen in the room looked noticeably more at ease.
"Come now, Friends. Surely you all didn't think we would abandon our decades-long friendship with you over this news?" Eleazar scoffed, looking slightly concerned.
"No, of course we didn't, Eleazar," Edward insisted. "But there was some concern that it might put a strain on the relationships within our two covens. Some more than others. For instance, you and Carmen have always been closest with Carlisle and Esme. So for Rose and I, as their mates, it's hard not to feel a bit worried about intruding on that."
"¡No te preocupes, Mijo!" Carmen scoffed, chiding Edward not to worry. "We have been closest to Carlisle and Esme because they were seen as the parental figures of your group, just as Eleazar and I are in our own coven. Not because we loved the rest of you any less. Whether Esme is with Carlisle or with you, she is still my best friend." She smiled.
"Well, I for one am certainly glad to hear that." Esme said, pulling Carmen into a hug.
"I will admit though, it is going to take a lot of getting used to. So I apologize if I accidentally say the wrong things out of habit. You were with Carlisle all the time I have known you, Esme. It is many years of habits to break." Carmen said apologizing in advance.
"Trust me, it is for me too. There is a familiarity there that is difficult to set aside." Esme sighed.
"I don't know that you'll ever lose that, Esme. It's a part of you, I think." Alice volunteered. "That's part of the reason I structured the new cover stories the way I have. For instance, it won't seem odd to the humans if you accidentally hold Carlisle's hand when you're posing as siblings."
"Oh! Good thinking, Alice. I must admit, I am guilty of doing that fairly often." Esme confessed with an apologetic glance at Rosie.
"Don't sweat it, Esme. I think we'll all have those sorts of lapses until we get used to things." Rose smiled reassuringly, probably thinking of the other day when I kissed her on the cheek. I didn't forget though, at least in that instance. I just found myself missing her sometimes.
Alice winked at me, probably sensing my change in mood. You don't stay married to an Empath for as long as my Ally did without learning a thing or two about emotions.
"Actually, speaking of getting used to the new dynamics...we had planned once the announcement was made on splitting the groups up along the new generation lines, for a while, if that's alright with everyone? We were thinking that Em and I, along with Bella and Jazz, could take Kate and Tanya and their mates for an extended hunt while the others stay to visit with Carmen and Eleazar." Ally offered.
"That sounds like a good idea to me. I'd personally like to fell a few trees, if possible." Kate nodded. She and Tanya seemed to still be upset about the changes but not as upset as some of us feared they might be which was good.
I stood up and rubbed my hands together excitedly. "Race y'all ta the jungle then!" I grinned, speeding off with Ally hot on my heels and Kate trying her best to catch up to us as the other 'kids' joined in one by one.
AN: Love to hear your thoughts!
Next chapter will begin with the hunting trip and be focused on Bella and Jasper mostly.
Blessings,
-BMW