A/N: Alright, so we're definitely changing things around for practicality's sake, but please remember the Cullen Braincell's are stored in Carlisle and Esme ONLY. Hope you enjoy!
Bella
This is the thing no one would tell me, I figure. Before Beau left this morning, Edward and Dad had a silent discussion, and everyone's been a little strange. Rose hovered over me the whole time we got ready to go, oscillating between asking me to stay home or stay close. Now, I understand the fuss.
Three vampires stride out from the trees, moving in a way no human could possibly move. They glide rather than walk, falling into position. At point is a tall, thin man. He has long, black dreadlocks and gleaming brown skin. He walks with confidence and an air of refinement, clearly the leader. His eyes, even from my vantage point, are frightfully red. I've never seen eyes like this.
The other two are less human, moving like hunting animals, always ready to shift into a crouch. There's nothing special about them, save their red eyes, and the woman bright orange hair.
"Hello," calls out the leader in a French-creole accent. He could easily be from New Orleans of the 1700's. "I am Laurent, and these are my friends, James and Victoria. We heard the game and wondered if you needed more players."
"I am Carlisle, and this is my family, Esme and Alice, Jasper and Rosalie, Emmett and Edward, and Beau and Bella." Dad says, holding his casual tone and position. I squeeze Beau's hand, thankful for its presence. We sit as still as possible, and I hope we are too far away for the vampires to notice the subtle shift in our movement. "We were actually just finishing up, but perhaps another time. Are you staying long?"
"We are passing through," he explains, a genial smile on his face. "This is your territory?"
"We keep a permanent residence not far from here," Dad says. "So we'd appreciate if you refrained from hunting throughout the Olympic Peninsula."
"Permanent?" Laurent asks, tilting his head. "Interesting."
"It's a rather long story," Dad says, smiling kindly. "A few of us are getting the cars back, but if you'd like to run with Esme, Jasper, Rosalie, and myself, we could explain it to you."
A breeze blew out across the clearing, knocking Beau's hood back, and suddenly, Edward and James were crouched, snarling at each other.
"What'd this?" Laurent asks. Dad looks at him sharply and rebuffs him in an even sharper tone.
"He's with us."
"You brought a snack?" he asks, expression incredulous. "Wait, I can hear two heart beats, but only smell one…"
"I said, he's with us." Emmett steps up to flank Dad, a veritable wall of muscle.
"But he's human," he protests. For a second, his eyes flash to my face, but they slide back to Beau. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."
"Indeed," Dad says, voice ice cold. Laurent smiles apologetically.
"We will not hunt in your area, as we've said. Really, we meant no offense," Laurent placates.
"Perhaps we can speak at our home?" Dad offers. Jas, Rose, and Mom hurry up, blocking Beau and I from view. Em falls back, bracketing us with Alice. The other male, James, straightens back up, annoyance clear on his face.
"Let's go," Edward commands in a harsh voice. We clear the trees and Suddenly, I'm swept up into Em's arms as we run for the jeep. We barely stop to get inside, and I find myself sandwiched between Em and Beau in the back seat. "Strap them in." I manage to get my backpack on my lap before it gets squashed behind me.
Edward takes off, driving like a maniac. He heads straight for the highway, driving fast away from town. My breathing comes in shallow pants.
"Where are we going?" Beau asks, but no one answers him. I shut my eyes, wishing this was some horrible dream I could wake up from. "Damn it, Edward, where are you taking me?"
"We have to get you away from here—far away—now."
"Turn around! You have to take me home!" I agree with Beau, but I don't dare say a word. I've never seen my siblings so nervous before. "Edward, you can't do this!"
"I have to, it's the only way to keep you—"
"Charlie will freak! He'll call the FBI and you guys will be fucked! You'll have to move! Carlisle and Esme—"
"I don't care."
"You're not ruining everything over me!"
"Edward, let's think this through," Alice suggests. "Pull over.
"You don't understand!" Edward shouts, scaring me so bad I flinch back against the seat. "He's a tracker, Alice, did you see that? A tracker!" Em goes stiff at the word, but I don't understand. I didn't dare ask.
"Pull over."
Nothing.
"Do it, Edward," Alice commands. I've never heard her infuse any kind of authority in her voice before, even with me.
"Listen to me, Alice, I saw his mind. This is his passion—obsession—and he wants him. He begins the hunt tonight."
"He doesn't know where—"
"How long do you think it'll take him to find out?" Edward snarls. "His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mind."
"Charlie," Beau gasps, panicked. "You can't leave him!"
"He's right," Alice says forcefully. "Think about our options."
"There are none."
"I am not leaving Charlie!" Beau screams forcefully, only to go ignored. I've met Chief Swan a couple times, and he's a good man. He doesn't deserve this.
"We have to take him back," Emmett says finally. "Listen, he's no match for us, he won't even be able to touch him."
"He'll wait."
"So can I." The idea of Em in harm's way, facing off against a vampire bent on killing him was terrifying. My heart leaps up into my throat.
"He won't stop," Edward grits out. "We'll have to kill him."
"You know, I kind of got that vibe." Edward shakes his head.
"The others will fight with him—"
"Three on seven is nothing—"
"There's another option," Alice cuts in, only to earn herself a wordless shriek from Edward. They stare each other down.
"I have a plan," Beau interrupts, finally stilling. He'd been thrashing against the seat. "Listen, you take me back—"
"No!"
"You take me back and I tell my dad I decided to visit my mom in Seattle, she's there for a work thing with Phil," Beau explains. "I don't know, to beat her to the surprise, anything, but I get the hell out while the tracker is watching, and then we run."
"That's not bad," Em says, impressed.
"It might work," Alice implores him. "We can't just leave his father, you know that."
"It's too dangerous!"
"He won't attack," Alice says confidently. "He'll wait till he's alone, and we won't let that happen, but we need to protect Chief Swan."
"I demand you take me home," Beau snarls, nearly matching Edward in his fierceness. And then, in a softer tone, "Please."
"You're leaving tonight," Edward says after a beat. "I don't care if the tracker's watching or not, you tell Charlie you can't be here another minute, whatever works. You pack the first things you touch and then get into your truck. You'll have fifteen minutes, do you understand me?"
We need a miracle for this to work, or…
"I have an idea," I cut in. Edward gives me a black look in the rearview mirror, but I ignore him. "Listen, we cast the protection spell on the house—"
"That won't work forever," Edward snarls at me. "There will be a way to get around it and you can hold a spell that big for long, you don't have practice. Eventually, Beau or Charlie will need to leave and I'm not having a bloodbath on their front porch!"
"No, listen, just leave the spell for Charlie to protect him now," I clarify. "We can even cast the dream spell on him to keep him inside for a while, just until we figure out what to do. We take Beau back to the house—"
"That's too close!"
"Edward, we need to protect Charlie," Beau pleads. "What does the spell need?"
"Um," I stutter, panicked. "Garlic, fresh water, and salt. And the dream spell only needs sugar and salt."
"We don't have time for you to mess around with magic that might not work," Edward snarls. "Just tell Charlie—" My anger mounts, and suddenly, magic rips out of me, bringing the jeep to an abrupt stop. Edward goes silent. Breathing hard, I try to reign myself in, but I'm tired of being ignored, and my magic discounted. This is the only thing I can do to protect my family, and that includes Beau.
Edward watches, speechless, as I force his fingers off the steering wheel, will him to hold his hands out in front of himself.
"Don't doubt me," I hiss, feeling a little vampiric myself. Edward sighs, a soft exhale.
"What will we do to keep Beau safe?" he asks.
"The protection spell at the house—"
"No!" Beau interrupts. "The tracker will know I'm with Edward. We need to separate. I can go to Seattle and hide—"
"We are not splitting—"
"I'll go with him and cast a protection spell—"
"You are not going by yourself," Emmett snarls, looking at me sharply.
"Jasper and I will go with them," Alice says suddenly. Emmett tries to interrupt but she shakes her head. "Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle will make up the hunting party, and Esme and Rose will head off the female. The other, Laurent, won't fight with them. He's deserting them."
Edward considers, and I let go of his hands, trying not to betray how much effort that took, but I'm already sweating and slumping against the seat.
"How long will the spells take?"
"A couple minutes, total," I promise. Edward nods once, a hard look on his face. "Beau you'll go—"
"To Seattle," Beau interrupts. "He'll never believe I'm going where I say I am. That dream spell, do you have to do it?"
"No, you can do it do, the powder will be enchanted," I explain quickly. "Just describe exactly what you want Charlie to see."
"This could work," Emmett muses, giving Beau and I impressed looks.
"We'll meet you in Seattle in a day or so—"
"Better make it a week—or not, a few days. We'll just stay inside until we're clear, okay? No leaving."
"Beau," Edward's voice was soft, private. I look down at my lap. "If anything happens to you, anything at all, I'm holding you personally responsible."
"Got it," he mutters.
"Can Jasper handle this?" Alice nods, looking a little offended. "Can you?" At that, my tiny, pixie sister curls her lips back over her teeth and snarls for everything she's worth. It's terrifying and shakes me to my very core.
"Keep your opinions to yourself," Edward says, a faint smile tugging on his lips. He starts the car again, pulling a 180 and gunning it back to Beau's place. We park a little ways away and wait. Edward shakes his head.
"He's not here," he says. "Bella, what do you need? Alice will break in and get it." I repeat my list and just like that, she's gone. Beau sits ramrod straight in his seat, fear and panic clear on his face.
"I won't let anything happen to Charlie," I swear to him. "This will keep him safe."
Alice returns with a couple mixing bowls and the ingredients. I fish my book from my bag and find the page. I do the protection spell first.
"Alice, I need crushed garlic," I say. She nods once and squeezes her hand, letting garlic mush drip into the bowl. I pour the salt in next, taking a deep breath. I can feel my magic just under my skin, like a second skin. A strange calm takes over me, and I pour the water into the bowl, filling it almost completely.
"Circuli eicientem daemonia. Nemo ipsam transire malorum," I chant, repeating the words over and over. Soon, a ringing grows in my ears and I can barely hear my voice. The ringing grows deafening, and suddenly the mixture glows. I stir it with my fingers, pouring as much power as I can into it.
"Okay," I gasp, exhausted. "It's ready." Emmett flips the pages of the book, balanced on his knee, to the dream spell. Alice takes it from me and hands the me the next bowl, filled with sugar and salt. I take one finger and dip it in stirring clockwise then counterclockwise.
"Et verba mea somnia," I chant, keeping up the stirring pattern. I force power into this too, breathing hard against the exhaustion. The powder begins to change, changing to a light blue and growing finer with each pass. Once I finish, I hand that Beau.
"Look him straight in the eyes and be super specific about what you want him to see," I gasp. "It should work immediately." Beau nods, sliding out of the car with Edward hot on his tail. Emmett gathers me up in his arms, carefully balancing the bowl.
"Just a little longer, honey, you're doing so good," he whispers, and I nod, feeling like a little kid. I want to curl up in his cool arms and sleep forever, but I force my eyes open. We mark a wide perimeter around the lot, skirting as close to the neighbors as we dare. Finally the circle is complete. I can see the faint lines of magic in the air. Emmett sets me down to try it. I grin tiredly when he can't break the perimeter.
We hurry back to the car, waiting for Edward and Beau to return. A minute passes and Alice perks up.
"90 seconds," she whispers, nearly too silent for me to hear. My head pounds and my entire body feels like it's made of jelly. I can't tell if I'm swaying or the world is.
"Rest a little, honey, you were amazing," Em says, pulling me against his side. The last thing I see is Alice's brilliant smile. I swim in and out of consciousness.
"—will be safe. The spell will hold—"
"—doubt her again—"
"—she alright? Did it hurt her—"
The next thing I know, I blink awake in the house, laying on the couch. Mom hovers over me, a relieved smile breaking over her face as I wake. She cups my face.
"My strong girl," she whispers. "I'm so proud of you."
"Where's Beau?" I groan. Just as I ask, he and Edward hurry downstairs, clothes switched. He throws a sweatshirt to Rose and she snarls.
"Why should I? What he is to me but another threat?" she snarls. Her words hurt even me, because I know she's saying it because of me. Well. Not just me, but Rosalie is the most protective of this family. Sometimes, it scares me to think about the lengths she'll go to keep us safe. Both her and Emmett.
"He's part of the family now, Rose," Emmett says. "You can't abandon family." At that, she deflates, but the frown doesn't leave her face. She slips the sweatshirt over her head.
"I never meant to put you, any of you, in danger," Beau croaks, sounding close to tears. Edward shakes his head.
"It's my fault," he says quietly, but Mom interrupts.
"This is no one's fault," she says sharply. "All we can do now is keep each other safe. All of us."
"Alice?" Jas murmurs. "Will this work?"
"I…" I realize suddenly that it's me. She can't see past me. "The female will follow Esme and Rosalie. The tracker will follow the hunting party. We should be able to leave after that."
"I'll stay home," I volunteer. "So you can see, Alice." She shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter," she says. "I'm watching the tracker."
"You're to stay with your siblings, do you understand, Bella?" Dad says, taking my face in his hand. Suddenly, I can't speak, choking on the lump in my throat. I've never been away from my parents.
"Yeah," I whisper. He kisses my forehead softly, and mom does the same to me and Beau. He folds in on himself to let her reach. Edward takes my hand suddenly, startling me.
"Thank you," he says vehemently. "I know that was very hard for you—"
"Can it," I say fondly. "Save the sappiness for later. I reserve full rights to make fun of you guys all summer long after this is over."
The different parties exchange their goodbyes. Edward and Beau are wrapped around each other, murmuring softly. Rosalie holds me tight against her. Her grip is starting to lose it gentleness, so I back out of it.
"We'll be okay," I swear. I'm not sure where my confidence comes from, but I know it in my bones. Rose nods, trying for a smile. I press my fingers to her cheek, assuring her. Alice, Jas, Beau and I watch as everyone leaves. Scared, I clutch Alice's arm. Her small hand slips into mine and she squeezes once, gently, before letting go.
We load up the car, me and Beau in the back with Alice and Jas in the front. Jas sends me a smile through the rearview mirror, but it's brittle. He's afraid, and that worries me most of all.
Jas takes off like a shot, driving twice as fast as the speed limit, but we can't even feel it in the car. Beau and I lean against each other, holding hands like we're each other's lifelines. I don't know when we fall asleep.
A/N: Okay, the hurting Charlie thing in the book I suppose I understand, but I will not stand for Charlie getting any less than the absolute best. Also, while we do have magic to help solve our problems, we have a very young, inexperienced witch. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you thought!