Ben
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews! Sorry for the lack of updates. I struggled with this chapter so much. It has suffered countless re-writes. I think there are just too many vamps in it. In fact, its all about the vamps…. eek! (And Ben)!
Chapter Eighteen-Ben and Rosalie
Jasper was getting increasingly frustrated with Alice's lack of empathy toward his feelings. He had gone to visit her at Esme's new apartment, fully prepared to accept some of the blame for their recent issues, only to find his mate outside the apartment block laughing and joking with one of the wolf pack.
"You were supposed to call before coming over here." Alice had greeted tetchily, seemingly annoyed by his unexpected visit. "I'm just on my way out."
"Out where?" Jasper demanded petulantly.
"I can't say." Alice replied, quickly giving him the brush off. "I'll call you."
Jasper heard the dog laughing quietly behind his back. He turned around, giving him a death glare. The dog had the temerity to match his glare, before swinging open the driver's door of Alice's Porsche and getting in the driver's seat as if he owned it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jasper snarled. "Get out of her car right now!"
Alice sighed theatrically from behind him. "Actually, Jas, it's Paul's car now." She revealed. "He won the bet."
"What bet?" Jasper was infuriated. He couldn't believe his mate was hanging around with any of the wolf pack. She had always complained about their appalling smell and lack of manners, now she was driving off somewhere with one of them. It didn't make any sense. Was this just another way to punish him?
"Don't worry, Jas." Alice continued breezily as she climbed gracefully into the passenger seat. "I'll win it back."
Paul laughed heartily as if it was the best joke he had heard in his life. Alice poked her tongue out at him, joining in. "Step on it, wolf boy. Let's see if you can beat your speed record two days in a row. I bet you can't." She challenged him.
"I'll take that bet." Paul grinned as he switched on the engine. It purred to life. He put his foot down on the accelerator and revved the engine.
"See you later, Jas." Alice leaned out the window and waved at Jasper as the Porsche tore off down the road.
Jasper scowled at the memory as he stormed angrily into the house. His mood didn't improve when Edward accosted him as soon as he set foot inside. "No, I haven't heard back from Jenks yet." He snapped at Edward. "These things take time. Now go away and leave me alone."
"This is ridiculous. He's taking too long!" Edward complained. "I thought you were going to see Alice. Why isn't she with you?"
"I changed my mind." Jasper responded harshly. His fingers twitched at his sides. He had a sudden urge to rip Edward's head off just for the hell of it.
"I don't know what's going on with the females around here." Edward continued to moan. "First Bella, then Esme, and now Alice has walked out on us. All over that boy!"
"Alice has not walked out on me!" Jasper responded ferociously.
"Well she's not here, is she?" Edward pointed out sharply. "Something is going on. It's like the child has bewitched all of them." He pursed his lips, his expression turning thoughtful. "You know that might not be out of the realms of probability. I mean he's related to Bella; she has a powerful affect on everyone who meets her- "
"Speak for yourself." Jasper cut in nastily.
"Hey, guys!" Emmet's booming voice bounced off the walls as he bounded into the room. "Who wants some sport today?" He laughed jovially. "I feel like going bear hunting."
"Shove your bears!" Jasper retorted bitterly. "I have other places to be." He stalked back out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
"Well, somebody's not a happy bunny today." Emmet exclaimed. He turned to face a glowering Edward. "What about you, buddy?" He asked.
"No thanks." Edward rejected his offer immediately. Going hunting with Emmet wasn't much fun. The burly vampire always got the best game, and his constant boasting about his prowess was very off putting. "Why don't you ask Rosalie?"
"She's busy." Emmet said, sounding deflated.
"Doing what exactly?" Edward frowned, wondering if Rosalie had suddenly been infected with Ben fever, too.
"None of your beeswax, buddy." Emmet laughed, tapping the side of his nose as he followed in Jasper's footsteps and left the house.
In fact, Rosalie was staking out the Swan house in Forks. After Esme and Alice's sudden desertion of both Carlisle and Jasper, she was the only female vampire left in a house full of grumpy males. Edward always got on her last nerve-that was nothing new-but now Carlisle and Jasper seemed to be in a constant state of gloom. Carlisle had thrown himself into work as a distraction, but Jasper, having nothing like that to focus on, had turned into a downright moody bastard. Without Alice to constantly feed his ego, he mooched around the house, feeling as sorry for himself as Edward. It was infuriating. Rosalie was sick of it.
Even though she loved Emmet dearly, his boisterous personality could get a bit much sometimes, which led Rosalie to seek out Esme or Alice for company on occasion. Esme used to always be at home to lend a friendly ear and lavish Rosalie with love and affection. So, it felt weird when she suddenly wasn't around anymore. Rosalie found she actually missed her. She missed Alice, too-not that she would ever admit that aloud.
It was all such a mystery. Two devoted mates, suddenly walking out like that. Rosalie decided to do some investigating to find out what or why Esme and Alice suddenly felt the need to flee the family home. Her first port of call had been Edward and Jasper. She came across them whispering amongst themselves about something. She heard the name Jenks mentioned. The statuesque blonde knew all about Jenks and his criminal contacts. By day he posed as a well-respected attorney. By night he was a master forger-attracting quite a few high-profile clients-Jasper included.
Rosalie felt like Nancy Drew (but much better looking of course) as she hid around the corner and eavesdropped on what Edward and Jasper were whispering about. She caught the word missing, followed by a scathing that boy from Edward. From what she could decipher, the two morons were trying to track down the mysterious boy's mother, whoever she was. It was all extremely puzzling, not to mention vexing, until Edward mentioned Bella's name.
"Of course, Bella had something to do with it!" Rosalie thought to herself wryly. She left her post before Edward and Jasper became aware of her and sneaked out of the house, intent on staking out the Swan's to see if she could garner anymore information for herself.
Rosalie had parked her red Ferrari a few meters downwind from the Swan's house. She was out of sight, but still close enough that she could see all the comings and goings from her vantage point. Except there were none. The house seemed abandoned. No lights were on. There were no cars in the drive- except Charlie's police cruiser- but he definitely wasn't at home. It was like the occupants had all vanished. This went on for a whole twenty-four hours until suddenly the place became a hive of activity again.
Charlie Swan was the first to reappear. He swung into the drive in Bella's monstrous old Chevy and parked. Turning off the loud rumbling engine, he left it popping as he climbed out of the driver's side and jumped down to the ground. In the flatbed of the truck Rosalie noticed a ton of fishing gear. She tapped the steering wheel of her Ferrari with impatient fingers as she watched him lean back into the truck and lift something out…or rather someone!
"The boy!" Rosalie breathed as saw the police chief set Ben gently down on his feet in the driveway. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way, while she leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the small boy's face.
It was hard to see him at first. Charlie had him bundled up in a thick jacket to ward off the cold, a jaunty yellow scarf belonging to Bella was wound around his neck three times, covering his mouth so only his eyes and nose were exposed to the elements. And what incredible eyes they were. So beautiful, big, and a such a gorgeous shade of chocolate brown. Rather like Bella's in fact.
Rosalie was completely enchanted as she focused on the boy's face-noting his thick thatch of brown hair, the fringe falling cutely over his forehead, his skin was as pale as Bella's. In fact, he looked a lot like Bella, they could almost be related, she mused.
"I'll unload the truck later, Ben." Charlie Swan said to the small boy. "Let's go inside and get something to eat. Would you like that?"
The boy-Ben-nodded eagerly. He was clutching a soft toy in his arms. It looked like a pig or something. Rosalie was so intrigued that she found herself climbing out of her car and walking across the road before she realized what she was doing. Charlie and Ben had just stepped foot on the front porch when she caught up with them.
"Hello." She hailed them.
Charlie glanced over his shoulder and his jaw dropped when confronted by the tall, statuesque blonde standing a few feet away. She was stunning, her golden hair falling in soft waves to the middle of her back. He had only encountered Rosalie a few times in the past and it took him a moment to recognize who she was.
"Oh, hi." He said lamely.
Ben was gazing at Rosalie with interest. He let out a small gasp when she smiled brightly in his direction. "Hello, you must be Ben." She said in a melodic voice.
Ben looked up at Charlie as if awaiting permission to speak. Charlie smiled at him encouragingly and he mumbled a faint hello in response.
"Um…I'm afraid Bells won't be home until later." Charlie said, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Oh, that's a shame." Rosalie pretended to be crestfallen. "I was so hoping to see her." She sighed sadly, gazing up at Charlie from under her incredibly long lashes.
"Oh…um…would you like to come in and wait?" Charlie offered, surprising himself.
Rosalie beamed at him brightly, completely dazzling him. "That would be great. You are so kind." She gushed.
"You're welcome." Charlie said gruffly. He reached out for Ben's hand to take him inside but Rosalie beat him to it.
"Do you mind?" She asked, charming him all over again with her perfect smile.
"Are you okay with that, Ben?" Charlie checked. "My son can be a bit shy." He apologized to Rosalie.
Rosalie's eyes widened when he said the word 'son.' Everything was beginning to fall into place now. The lovely child was Bella's brother. Ben was the reason why she had called off the wedding and had ended things with Edward. Rosalie could see why. She felt drawn to protect and nurture Ben as soon as she had laid eyes on him. Bella must have felt the same. It also explained Esme and Alice's odd behavior. Rosalie held out her hand and Ben placed his small one in hers. Ben gifted her with a small smile and it had a magical effect on Rosalie. If she had a beating heart, she knew it would be full to bursting right now. A rush of love and affection washed over her as she held Ben's tiny hand in hers and followed Charlie into the house.
A/N-thanks for reading!
