Title: The Best Of Times: Trailing for Hope
Chapter 37: Hoping For The Best But Preparing For The Worst, or The Bad Beginning
Rating: T, for language I guess. If the rating changes, you'll be the second to know.
Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of Twilight and all its proceedings, they continue to belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Summary: Ava Swan never expected to move to Forks, Washington, permanently. Then again, she never expected to be imprinted on by a hot-headed shape-shifter either. ...No Bella, or Edward-bashing. Follows storyline from "New Moon". Despite my attempts to write a believable Paul/OC fic, there's no way I can make this sound original, ever.
Notes: I apologize for any grammatical errors, as I EDITED THIS CHAPTER WHEN I EDITED THE CHAPTER BEFORE THIS I'M ON A ROLL. But I'm going to bed now, two chapters is enough for tonight. Also, the second part of the chapter title is paying homage to one of my favorite book series, if you guess it, you're awesome.
P.S. If I missed something grammatical or something doesn't make sense, please PM me and let me know!
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! :)
Monday. 11:52 PM. Swan house
When Bella and Ava had arrived home, Charlie had waited up. He was slightly surprised to see the girls this early, he was expecting them later considering they did just graduate. But he didn't pay it much mind, only waving at them half-heartedly and telling them goodnight as he ambled up the stairs to go to bed.
On the ride back, Bella had explained to her about the newborns. Ava could feel her foot inch further onto the gas and Bella had to snap her out of it on more than a few occasions on the drive.
Apparently, newborn vampires meant they were faster, stronger, and have much less control than a vampire that has been 'alive'–so to speak–for a longer period of time. When Ava learned this, she was beginning to understand everyone's preparations and she was beginning to worry about the safety of everyone that was involved, especially the pack.
Staying true to his parting words, Ava heard her window slide open and she whipped her head in the direction, audibly sighing when she saw that it was only Paul.
She immediately moved in his direction, standing by the window as he practically stumbled in. "What happened? Did you talk to Sam?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, straightening up off the ground and slightly perturbed that she hadn't asked if he was okay. But after a glance at her current state, that was wiped from his mind. He could hear the difficulty in her breathing and her heart rate was the highest he'd heard it. "Ava, you need to sit down."
"I'm fine." She waved him off, pacing back towards the center of her small room. "What did Sam say?"
"We'll fight," he assured, eyeing her carefully. She looked more than a little unhinged. "Ava, seriously-"
"It's okay." She shook her head, running a hand through the front of her hair. "I mean, it's not like we were doing okay before, so this is just another thing."
He reached out, placing a light hand on her shoulder. She jerked to a stop, her mind still pacing in her head. "It's going to be fine."
"Do you even know what you're going up against?" She bit out quietly, backing up a step. "They're stronger than regular vampires. They can kill you way easier and-"
"Ava, it's fine," Paul said solidly. "Our pack is way stronger than some dumbass newborn bloodsuckers."
"But-"
"It'll be fine," he repeated. "We'll take them on no problem, I swear."
Ava let out a frustrated breath, her worries were falling on deaf ears. Before she could get another word in, Paul's face twisted into a sour expression. "And Port Angeles. Why didn't you tell me?"
She furrowed her brows, shaking her head slightly. "Wha-?"
"Port Angeles," he repeated.
Ava pursed her lips before responding. "Same reason you didn't tell me about Victoria that night," she defended, keeping her voice low. Even though Charlie was one of the deepest sleepers known to man, she didn't want to take any chances. "That's why you checked on me so late. I didn't want you to worry or anything, you guys already had enough to deal with."
"That's not your job," he huffed, narrowing his eyes at her rebuttal. "Don't worry about that shit, I swear if something happens, you have to tell me."
"Okay," she agreed breathily, dropping her shoulders in surrender. She didn't have any fight left in her tonight. "Whatever, just…what about the training thing with the Cullens?"
He pressed a heel of his palm against an eye as he thought back, wrinkling his nose in concentration. "Uh, tomorrow. Midday."
"You need sleep," Ava noticed. "A lot of it."
"So do you." He let his hand drop and raised a brow. "Don't think I haven't noticed you look dead on your feet."
She jutted out her bottom lip in a small pout, ruffled by his poor choice of words. "I'm sleeping."
"Barely," he replied dryly.
Ava lifted her shoulders in defeat. "Well, I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight, anyway."
He glanced down at the floor and Ava immediately gave him a blank look. "You're not sleeping in here."
Paul looked mildly offended and scoffed, opening his mouth to deny her assumption before shutting it. Crossing his arms, he took a different approach. "Why not?"
"It's weird," Ava insisted. "And if Charlie sees you, he'll kill you. And then, he'll kill me. Or…ship me off to my parents."
"I'll be gone in the morning," he offered, already taking a step towards her bed.
"No," Ava repeated, stalking towards her bed quickly and snatching a pillow off. Throwing it at him, she continued, "and if you were sleeping in here, you'd be on the floor or shoved in the closet."
"I'll take the floor," he resolved.
"You're not sleeping in here," Ava deadpanned. "Now go away so I can at least try to get some sleep."
Realizing she wasn't going to budge, he rolled his eyes and made his way back towards her window. "It's only weird if you make it weird," he mumbled petulantly.
"Bye," she enunciated slowly, watching him heave himself out of her window. She walked closer, sticking her head out in time to see him land on the ground below. With a wave, she shut her window firmly, making sure the lock was in place tightly.
She felt a wave of nausea hit her and she shut her eyes, swallowing the collection of saliva in her mouth signaling a threatening upheaval of her stomach. With a nervous, final look outside, she closed her curtains, not wanting to look outside into the darkened, foreboding trees.
The next day. Tuesday. 1:23 PM. Training ground.
"Can one of you remind me again why you're both coming?" Edward asked, glancing from Bella in the passenger seat to Ava reflected in the rearview mirror.
"See what we're up against," Bella answered shortly. "We're involved in this, we should know what's going on."
Ava was fidgeting with her necklace, the back of the chain digging into her neck. She was staring out the window, watching the trees and brush whiz past. "We can't really do anything about it," she mumbled.
Bella frowned and turned to look back at her over the seat. "Ava, we're involved."
"Are we, Bella?" Ava asked, her breath hitching in her throat. She spoke around the forming lump, her voice heightening slightly. "Because we're human, in case you've forgotten. We should have just stayed home."
Bella chose not to answer, instead turning around and keeping her eyes on the clearing up ahead. She needed to know about everything that was going on; the people she cared about were now involved, and she didn't know how Ava was content on just sitting back and waiting. She practically had to drag her cousin out of the house.
Arriving at the clearing, turned training ground, the rest of the Cullens were already there. Ava climbed out of the jeep slowly and walked towards the group; she wasn't sure what she was expecting from today–the only thing that she knew was the pack would be joining them.
"Ava." Alice smiled, bouncing towards her and giving her a swift hug.
"Hey, Alice," Ava spoke, pulling back and looking at everyone. "Everyone." There were greetings from all around and no one had a chance to say anything else before the wolves emerged from the sparse trees beside the open clearing.
Ava shifted uncomfortably as both groups hovered closer towards each other. Despite having seen them in their wolf forms a handful of times, it never really struck Ava just how large they truly were.
She moved with the rest of the Cullens, taking a few additional steps closer before Paul's massive form moved past the rest of the pack and immediately wedged himself between her and the vampiric family. Pressing the side of his head against her hips, she stumbled a step towards the pack. Paul eyed the Cullens suspiciously, the vampires with reflections of the same expression. Suspicion.
"They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," Edward explained, his eyes tracking their minds individually.
Carlisle inclined his head at Edward and the pack in front of him. "They came. That's what matters." He thought for a second before speaking again, his face angled to Edward. "Will you translate?" Edward nodded once, still restless about the presence of the wolves.
Paul had moved from his original position in front of her to crouching directly behind and Ava felt nervous standing in the middle of these long-rivaled groups. She caught movement from the side and she shot her eyes in the direction, seeing Jacob ambling towards Bella uneasily.
Bella smiled tightly. "Hey, Jake."
Sam kept his eyes fixated on Jake and he growled lowly in a silent command. Alice seemed to have the same thing on her mind because she grabbed Bella's elbow and moved her tighter towards her family.
"Welcome," Carlisle greeted, moving much closer toward the pack. He was only a few steps from Ava and she could feel Paul bristle behind her. "Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them."
Edward stepped forward upon hearing Sam's thoughts. "They want to know how the newborns differ from us."
"They're a great deal stronger than us," Carlisle explained. "Because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life." After speaking, he turned around and nodded once to Jasper.
Jasper moved forward and further continued, "Carlisle's right. That's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them."
After he said this, Ava swallowed thickly. What chance did they have then? Paul, feeling the unmistakable spike of her anxiety, stretched out his neck and nudged his head against her lower back to try and silently convey that everything would be fine.
"Now." Jasper paced slowly back and forth, now addressing both his family and the pack. "The two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that...and you will lose."
"Emmett," Jasper called, moving to a smaller clearing beside them and readying to spar. "Don't hold back."
Emmett smirked, cracking his neck. "Not in my nature." He shot at Jasper and they moved quickly, Ava barely registering that they were there. Emmett lost, being slammed into the ground. "Never lose focus," Jasper advised.
Next were Carlisle and Edward. The pack had shifted closer, observing the fighting styles; Edward managed to pin Carlisle down and just as he thought he won, Jasper neared, and Edward straightened up.
"One more thing…" Carlisle reversed roles in the blink of an eye and now had Edward pinned. Jasper rolled his eyes. "Never turn your back on your enemy."
Rosalie and Alice followed, Alice being the only one that managed to catch Jasper off guard after distracting him.
After a lull in any action taking place, Jake had managed to stalk closer to Bella and she was speaking; Ava was itching to go over, but she knew that it wasn't the right time. Paul hadn't budged from her side and, already guessing her thoughts correctly, moved his head in front of her to keep her from any impulsive actions she might have.
"I'm not doing anything." Ava let out a small laugh when he pressed against her abdomen to move back a step.
Jacob ambled to her side, watching Edward and Bella who were reunited and speaking lowly to each other a few feet away. Paul continued nudging her harder and Ava looked down at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
"Ava," Bella's voice called suddenly, watching her cousin carefully. "We're done. We should go."
"Oh." Ava nodded slightly at her. "Yeah! Be right there." She placed a hand on the side of Paul's head, pushing him away from her and towards his retreating pack. "Go on."
Her actions barely phased him and he growled in response, glaring even in his wolf form at Bella and Edward's turned backs.
"Quit glaring," Ava said quietly. He turned towards her, a disgruntled look in his eyes and she rolled her own in response. "I'm good, you know."
He grunted once at her, snapping his teeth once at the family before he sprinted behind the rest of the pack. Ava watched as he disappeared behind the hill before turning on her heel to head back to the group.
The Cullens remained in the clearing for a little while, strategizing and thinking through numerous backup plans in case things got out of hand.
Ava was sitting next to Bella on the hood of the Jeep when Jasper passed by. "Hey." Bella leaned forward slightly, stopping him in his tracks. "How do you know so much about this?"
He glanced at both girls before answering, "I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted siblings." As he finished, he lifted the sleeves of his shirt to show the bite marks that littered his pale skin.
Ava felt her eyes widen slightly at the recognition and slid down the side of the Jeep. "Those-they look like yours." Ava tugged lightly at Bella's sleeve when she joined her on the ground.
"They do," Bella breathed out. "They look like mine." She would always have the reminder of James to carry throughout the rest of her life.
"Battle scars," Jasper joked, giving them a side smile. "All the training in the Confederate Army gave me was useless against the newborns...still...never lost a fight." He winked playfully at Ava.
She was taken by surprise, sometimes she forgot just how long the Cullens had been around. They were right in front of her–superficially breathing and eating alongside, yet, they weren't anywhere near the same age.
He stepped away a few feet and Bella followed, springing in front of him. "This happened during the Civil War?"
Ava trailed behind the pair as Jasper answered, "I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry, all without having seen any real battle."
"Until?"
"...Till I met a certain immortal," Jasper said breathlessly. "...Maria."
Jasper went on to tell the story of his turning. It was a surprising one of deception in the hands of someone he trusted. Maria, the woman who turned him, was creating an army of newborns and turned Jasper to aid her. He thought what they had was love, but it was nothing but a facade. Feeling lost until he found Alice.
"You kept me waiting long enough," Alice chimed in from behind Jasper, his attention immediately being diverted. Speaking briefly before sharing a kiss.
"We should go," Ava suggested, catching Bella's eye.
Bella nodded once, steering them towards Edward. As the ride commenced in silence, Edward could read the fear and panic gripping Ava's thoughts. When he dropped both girls off, he tried his best to ease them.
"No harm will come from this." He truly hoped his statement would help. The last thing he wanted was any trouble or pain to fall on Bella or anyone that she cared about.
Ava only hit her lip nervously, nearly drawing blood. No harm, huh?
5:53 PM. Emily Young and Sam Uley's house.
Paul felt his eyes narrow as Ava continued explaining what was decided with the Cullens. Apparently, they thought that the best and safest course of action was to have her and her cousin hidden away as the battle took place.
Ava being so close to the target of this entire mess didn't sound smart. She should stay on the reservation; it would be safer than being stuck on the side of a frozen mountain, unprotected.
"And, Bella convinced Edward to stay with her, so…"
...
Ava immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. She was hoping that bringing up Edward staying with her and Bella would lessen the blow about being a possible target, but now, she had multiple shifters unhappy with the situation. She had only foreseen Paul having a problem with a vampire being so close to her, but a quick glance around signaled that no one was put at any ease.
"It's what they came up with," Ava continued carefully before anyone had a chance to speak up. "I don't think it's that bad of a plan."
"Of course you wouldn't." Paul frowned. "You don't see the danger in any god damn situation."
Ava narrowed her eyes sharply. "Yes, I do. We only have three days to think through a plan and I don't see you coming up with anything."
He opened his mouth to retort snarkily before Embry chimed in, trying to failingly diffuse the situation. "I don't know. Hiding you both out in the same place seems kind of stupid. I mean, how do you expect to even get there?"
"Your scent is gonna be all over. It'll lead straight to you," Jared added.
"They haven't worked out the kinks yet," Ava admitted. She turned towards Sam since he was currently the most level-headed; he had been silent for the most part, thinking through what Ava was telling them. "They're figuring things out, though, Sam. I don't know. Right now, this seems like the best option."
Everyone's eyes snapped towards their alpha, waiting for him to shoot down the plan and suggest another one. A better one. He nodded once instead. "I agree."
"You can't be serious," Paul snapped, standing up from the table. "You think her being up on some mountain is safer than staying on the reservation?"
"It'll be fine. Seth is going to be there," Sam explained patiently. Seth perked up, this being news to him; Sam had originally told him that he would be with Brady and Collin. He'd been hoping his alpha would let him play a bigger part in the pack and this was his chance. "We'll know what's going on with them, as will they."
Paul opened his mouth to argue further and Sam held up a hand to keep him quiet. "The farther from the battle site, the safer she'll be, Paul. There's more of a chance they'll catch her scent here, than there."
He didn't have anything to say. With a harsh scowl on his face, he lowered himself back down. Ava had been around the reservation so much that her scent was everywhere. As much as he loathed the thought of Ava being stuck on a mountain with her cousin and leech boyfriend, she needed to stay as far away from the battle as possible.
"Why does the leech-lover's bloodsucker have to be there?" He asked instead, the bitterness coming off him in waves.
Ava ignored the nickname and spoke quietly, "she doesn't want him to fight." Truthfully, Ava didn't want anyone to fight. She was worried about the safety of every being involved, vampires and wolves, alike.
"How many do you think there'll be?" Brady asked, leaning forward in anticipation. He already assumed that he and Collin would be down guarding the reservation, but now Seth would be on the mountainside, while the rest of their pack would be fighting on the battle field; the prospect of being in an actual fight with a vampire was too exciting for him to keep quiet.
Brady caught Paul's glare and he shrunk back. Was it something I said?
"I'm not sure," Ava answered, not noticing the interaction. She bit her lip nervously and Paul deepened his frown, throwing an arm over the back of her chair.
"It's fine," Paul insisted. "We can take them."
"Can't we just go check it out?" Collin added, looking at Sam. "For a second?"
Sam shook his head once firmly. "You have your post." His voice left no room for argument, and the two boys deflated before turning back towards Ava.
"Did the vampire see who's going to win?" "What time are they getting there?" "Do you think there'll be more than a hundred?"
"Shut it," Paul barked. The young wolves quieted down, their pouts clearly evident across their faces. Ava wanted to tell him to calm down, that they were just curious, but she couldn't help but feel gratitude. This was all getting to be too much for her.
"I need to get home." Ava stood up shakily, keeping her hands on the table to steady herself.
"It's still early," Emily pressed. "Just stay for dinner."
Ava shook her head lightly. "No, I should get going. I'm pretty tired."
Paul made to follow, but Ava gave him a discreet shake of her head as she grabbed her bag from the back of the chair. He didn't pay it any mind and followed anyway.
She only gave everyone a tight smile with a small wave on her way out, hoping no one thought too much into her demeanor. She was wrong, though, as soon as she and Paul stepped outside, matching expressions of concern were across the kitchen and dining room table.
"You okay?" Paul asked cautiously, once the door was shut firmly behind him.
"Yeah," Ava answered absently, taking a step down the porch. She wanted to get home as soon as possible and crawl into bed. She knew sleep wouldn't claim her, but at this point she was just tired of standing.
When Paul followed as she stepped fully onto the ground, she sighed inwardly; he wasn't going to let this go and she didn't want to talk about it.
He deepened the line between his eyes and tried another approach. "So," he started, causing Ava to lift her gaze up to look at him after he took a second to continue. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Ava insisted, darting her eyes to the side when she heard a snap in the shadows.
The logical side of her brain knew it was one of the many noises that went on during the night but she couldn't control the spike of adrenaline.
"Then why are you acting like a rabbit is going to kill you," he asked patiently, unable to keep the quips to himself.
For whatever reason, that small comment triggered something inside her head and she snapped. "Can you, please, just admit that this is dangerous?"
A frown crossed his face and he folded his arms, patient tone still in play. "Why would I say that?"
"Because you can die," Ava tried whispering, her voice heightening after every word. "You can die. And all you keep telling me is that it's not dangerous, and you'll be fine, and not to worry."
"Ava." He sighed heavily, shutting his eyes briefly.
"What?" Ava ground out, not caring if everyone inside could hear her. "Can you stop acting like this is routine? That this is all normal?"
He eyed her frame carefully, choosing his words. To be completely honest, he was nervous. Not about his safety, but about Ava's; the thought of leaving her behind was debilitating, but he couldn't bring himself to stay back. He needed to play an active role in protecting her.
"What do you want me to say?" He breathed out finally.
"That you're scared," Ava replied instantly. "Just…react like a normal person. You're not invincible. None of you are."
"I'm not a normal person," Paul said pointedly. "I'm not going to act like some scared little kid, Ava. No one involved in this is normal."
She deflated, his words resonating with her. She kept forgetting that just because her and Bella were human, that didn't mean that most anyone else in their lives were too; they weren't going to roll over in the face of danger, they were going to rush in, fists swinging. The things could easily hurt or kill her wouldn't leave a scratch on them.
She wanted to ask him to stay with her. She really did. But the words were caught in her throat and she was afraid if she opened her mouth, she would only start crying.
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Incorrect Quote(s) of the Chapter:
Emmett: I'm immortal, baby.
Rosalie: Then how come you scream so much when you're in danger?
Emmett: I never said I wasn't a drama queen.
.+.
Emmett, standing on a high branch: Jasper, I'm scared.
Jasper, holding out his arms: Do you trust me, Emmett?
Emmett: Yes.
Jasper: Come on then!
Emmett: [starts to fall backwards off branch]
Jasper: [turning around and letting Emmett hit the floor, addressing everyone] Rule number one, never trust anybody.
.+.
Bella: Listen, have I ever put you into an unsafe situation?
Ava: All the time!
Bella: Then you should be used to it!
.+.
Paul: I just kind of feel like we're meant to be together, I mean, look at how fate throws us together like this!
Ava: Paul, it's midnight and you're literally climbing through my window. Go home.
Paul: Did you even hear me? It's fate.
.+.
Bella: I'm the one who got us into this mess, so I'll be the one who gets
us much, much deeper into this mess.
.+.
Jacob, singing to Bella: I love you, bitch. *strums guitar*
Ava, gasping: oh, my god.
Jacob: I ain't ever gonna stop lovin' you, biiiitch. *strums guitar again*
