Here it is, Chapter 14. This fought me every time I tried to write it but between me and the fantastic WrittenWithJoy, I managed to get this out.
I am nearly done with chapter 15 and the Epilogue so you shouldn't have so much of a wait until next time.
I don't own Twilight or Peter knowing shit. That belongs to Ms. Meyer and Idreamofeddy respectively.
Peter POV
A man couldn't even plant his ass on his porch swing and sip his bourbon in peace, the tranquility of the sunset spoilt by my gift warning me that the shit was about to hit the fan. I knew something was coming and that there was a strong chance not everyone would survive. My fuckin' gift would only give me the feeling of impending doom though, not a concrete answer. As much as I knew the manipulative little turd Alice talked out of her ass the majority of the time—sometimes...just sometimes mind—I would like to be fuckin' sure about what was heading in our direction.
On the left, we had Jasper and Puss… I had no idea what their relationship was other than the fact they were spending time together and not fighting anymore. There was less tension between them but I wasn't sure what that meant. I was brutally honest with myself I wasn't sure if they would or could go back to being a couple. I wasn't even sure if I wanted that for them. It wasn't my decision to make, of course, but Bella needed to concentrate on getting well. The only thing she seemed to concentrate on right now was watching Jasper's ass in those ridiculously tight blue jeans he wore, wannabe porn star cowboy that he was.
On the right, we had the self-righteous veggie vamps complete with their stupid matchy-matchy Cullen family crests. What they didn't realize was that real families didn't need bits of leather and metal to keep them together. Real families had love, respect, and most importantly a piece of each other in their hearts. Holy Fuck! I'm turnin' into a girl. Putting my hands down my pants, I checked that the boys were in place. Thank fuck for that. Wait...no need to tell Charlotte I'd had to make sure—she'd rip them off and hide them for sure.
On the other left, we had the Volturi. Caius was already on his way bringing the rest of the crew with him. God only knows which trashy romance novel cover he'd be imitating this time, courtesy of Athenadora's preferred reading material. We didn't like it but we could live with it as long as she never suggested he wear a kilt. Caius coming meant we got Demetri, Felix and the rest of the gang. Bella would be happier than a pig in shit with her buddies around. Another conversation about Bella changing would be on the table as soon as they set their crimson eyes on my Puss. That decision was one hundred and fuckin' ten percent hers to make, and I'd die before I let anyone else interfere with it. Well, I wouldn't die, maybe lose a limb but not the boys, never the boys. You could put money on Caius extending his offer to turn her himself again though.
Wait... I seem to be obsessed with someone ripping my tackle off today. Better get that outta my head before someone decides to make it a reality.
Now... here's the rub. Coming straight for us, down the middle, weighing in at 225 pounds was the Alpha asshole of the puppies from La Push. According to my gift, he was madder than a sack full of rattlers. How many of his brainwashed mutts were coming with him was anyone's guess. Bella had taken the news as well as could be expected—it hadn't pushed her into a panic at least. She'd done the opposite and gone silent and thoughtful. I'd love to know what went on in that head of hers sometimes. I wanted to know what she thought about the asshole's imminent arrival, but not what she thought about Jasper's ass. That's it! I'm done for the day, what with thinking about losing my branch and berries, I don't need the image of Jasper's ass in my head.
When the so-called pack got here we needed a plan, and that's one thing I was good at—making plans for others to follow. Yeah, his Royal Assjesty Caius was the official strategist but sometimes you needed a sneaky bastard like me to put the wolf among the sheep and set things in motion.
Jasper's plan was to single-handedly rip the wolves to shreds. I poo-pooed that instantly, didn't want to have to face Puss if Jasper was the one that didn't survive.
Bella's plan was to sit back and watch as Caius let loose the dogs of war. Well, not the dogs but the Volturi on their flea-ridden asses. That was a plan I could get behind, in front of, and to the side of, and wouldn't you know it! That was precisely what we were going for. We needed a little something extra special to deal with those interfering, cock-sucking, poor excuse for vampires though, and that was where Alec and Jane came in. Those two adorable,evil little munchkins were just dying to use their gifts to torture the Cullens.
All in all, it was going to be a fun couple of days. All we needed was some good weather, a bucket load of butter pecan ice cream and enough non-veggie vampires to field a soccer team. Oh, and an eye, don't forget the fuckin' eye!—I knew I shouldn't have watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with Puss last night.
The sensible bit of me, yeah yeah I know it's small—not like a certain part of my anatomy, wanted Charlotte to take Puss and run to the ends of the earth until this was all over. But apart from Jasper, Charlotte was the one person I trusted to have my back no matter what. She was also one of the fiercest fighters I know, despite not having a gift other than being beautiful, having fuck-awesome taste in men and being mine! Even if I could persuade Bella to go with Charlotte, there was no guarantee that the little pint-sized bundle of ice cream-obsessed stubbornness would actually go with her or that Jasper would let her go without him. God knows we needed the badass Jasper when things got ugly not the laughing, smiling version we had at the moment.
But that wasn't important for a few days. There was no reason why today shouldn't be a good day, and I was damn sure I would make it one. Rubbing my hands together, I thought on what we could do as a family to make this a great day.
Rose POV
The flight to Texas seemed to take an eternity. I'd tried several times to contact Jasper on Skype but he wasn't answering my calls. Stupid stubborn bastard. I couldn't help but wonder why he was being so stubborn about accepting our aid. All I'd done was try and help him by keeping the Swan girl away from him. It's not like anyone else would have done any different under the circumstances. I would be having stern words with him when we arrived telling him point-blank that everything I did was for his own good.
I knew the wolves were on their way to find the Swan bitch to give her back to the Alpha where she belonged. I hoped our presence would enable them to do that without any harm coming to Jasper or my family. Screw the rest of them. I didn't give a shit about them.
Sighing heavily, I looked towards Carlisle and Esme. They'd been too easy to manipulate into coming with me, and Alice and Edward could see I only wanted to save Jasper from himself. Only my Emmett showed signs of wanting to keep out of what he believed was pack business, but I persuaded him that our interference was needed in order for us to go back to our usual lives.
The most important task was to keep Jasper from confronting Sam. I would never forgive myself if something happened to him because of that little bitch and her lies.
The only reason we knew where she was was because Carlisle used his contacts and checked with hospitals in Texas to see if Bella had ever been admitted to one. Imagine my joy when I found out that she had and that her address was on file. Carlisle had frowned when he read her medical records but I didn't ask because I didn't give a shit.
As the plane came into land, I smiled to myself. This was going to be such fun.
Bella POV
The sun warm on my back, I savored the clean Texas air. After the anticipation and the drama of the last few days, it was good to have a little time to myself. Well, Confederate and I anyway. My horse couldn't talk but if he could, he'd be saying, Aren't we having a wonderful time away from those fussing vampires? I felt stronger today, hence the ride out on my darling horse.
The watering hole was lower than usual, the long hot summer days with no rain making everything tinder dry. Even Peter had taken to smoking in his car so that a stray spark wouldn't ignite the parched grass around the ranch.
I had no idea how long I'd been sitting there lost in thought, Confederate happily grazing while I sat comfortably astride his broad back.
Arh-wooooooooooooooooooooooo
One tonne of horse startled, throwing his head back, his skin rippling with nervous tension as he shifted suddenly. His ears flickered back and forth rapidly, tail swishing from side to side as he raised his head.
"Whoa, boy, steady on." I patted his neck gently talking soothingly to him.
Dust raised around his feet as he started to paw and stomp at the ground, half-rearing— his fight or flight impulse seemed to be in full flow. Gathering up the reins in both hands, I tried to steady him to no avail.
Arh-wooooooooooooo
All the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck raised as I realized the sound was closer than it had been. We got cougars on the ranch but this didn't sound like them, that meant there was only one other possibility. If I was right, I had to get back to the house to warn the others before trouble arrived. Tightening the reins, I yanked them to the side, wheeling Confederate round before digging my heels into his flanks. Letting out a rebel yell, I sent him careening towards the house at full gallop, not even noticing my hat flying off and landing in the dirt behind me. The couple of miles seemed to take forever as I crouched low over his neck, hearing his hooves pounding as we made our way towards the ranch.
Sitting deep, I slowed Confederate slightly as we headed up the steps onto the verandah and straight through the open double-doors. His hooves clattered on the stone floor of the hall as I pulled him to a halt at the foot of the staircase.
"The wolves are coming," I shrieked at the top of my voice, knowing they would hear me. Sliding off my horse, I landed on both feet, pulling Confederate's reins over his head to hold him steady while we worked out what to do.
Thundering footsteps came from upstairs as Peter and Charlotte rushed down from the second floor. Confederate spooked at their speed, side-stepping and swinging his rear end towards my family as if he was blocking their approach to me. Charlotte made a soft crooning noise under her breath as she pushed him back towards me.
"I'll take him, Bella." She took the reins from my trembling fingers and led my horse out of the doors and towards the barn.
"P... Peter," I stammered, "they sounded close."
