Chapter Forty-Seven: Defining Characteristic
Mason (POV)
I felt an intolerable discomfort waiting, watching the empty tarmac. I knew they were safe, and yet I couldn't suppress the worry. Then they landed, and slowly taxied to where the passengers could disembark. I held my breath as the door opened, and didn't exhale as the small parade of the family exited one by one. While I was happy to see them all, I felt myself start to reach a breaking point in desperate anticipation.
Finally Angela appeared, holding two small bundles. Mirrored, mis-matched eyes peered out from each swaddle of blanket, their tiny perfect faces alight with curious and excited expressions. I felt my breath release, followed by an audible gasp of joy and astonishment. Not one hundred feet from where I stood was a continuation of my life, as an immortal I always assumed I would never have offspring. An unnoticed clause in the cosmic contract of my existence, a cost to balance the gift of my longevity.
Yet I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful, my heart filling up with a love I had only just begun to understand when I had fallen for Angela. Yet without thought or condition, I knew I would always be there for them, protect them, cherish them. My daughters.
I looked to Angela then, and took in the changes to her appearance. Immortality suited her, she was absolutely stunning. Yet the small details that had made her softer, human, were now missing. I let the disappointment in and analyzed it, and quickly realized it wasn't what I loved about her. Her mortality wasn't her defining characteristic, it was her humanity. I hoped that had remained intact, or could be recaptured when her newborn thirst abated. So I pushed aside any worries for now, and let my other feelings surface. The love, the anticipation, the painful desire I had for her, because I couldn't show any judgement about her change.
They moved into the building, a customs agent standing next to me as I waited. My other two companions were waiting outside with four cars. That's when I took in the presence of five individuals I did not recognize. Introductions would have to wait, but I was already intrigued by the expansion of this coven, idly wondering if they were newly inducted family members. At least one of them, the young red haired girl, was clearly adopted by Bella and Edward given her proximity. The three Indians stood out and smelled of wolf, and I assumed they were the ones that turned against their pack to stand with us.
The last one was an anomaly, but his kind expression and world weary eyes sparked intense curiosity. Angela immediately made her way over to me, and for several long seconds we stared at one another.
"Mason, I would like to introduce you to your daughters. Jezebel and Rebekah." They both reached out of their blankets towards me, and I immediately held my arms out to take them. I felt that same swell of emotions deep inside as an intangible connection to them suddenly solidified. They were mine and Angela's… they were the embodiment of everything I had ever searched for.
"I have no words." I said utterly overwhelmed.
"That's a first." Rosalie said from my right, a small smirk on her face. I shrugged, and held onto my girls, my children. The weight of it hit me all at once and I couldn't breathe, I had a family… a real family. I drifted off, daydreaming about the life before me. Diapers, school, battle. The dangers surrounding us suddenly felt like a mountain had been piled on top of me. We couldn't face the Volturi, this threat from Victoria, and raise two infant hybrids whose needs and behaviors I couldn't even begin to guess.
"Mason?" Angela said softly, pulling me out of where I had gone.
"Sorry my love, I was thinking about everything." I said taking a deep breath and handing off Jezebel to her.
"I can relate, having been doing that for the last fourteen hours." She shook her head and glanced around at the family. "Perhaps we can hold off on formal introductions until we get to a less public place?"
"I have done reconnaissance, there are no eyes on us right now." I advised, knowing that Volturi spies were uncommon in public places during daylight hours, so my check through the facility using my gift was sufficient.
"He's right. There are none of our kind, and the human minds here are terrified of us, but none have any idea who we are." Edward confirmed, his telepathy proving to be an asset once again.
"I have cars waiting nearby." I added, as the family gathered up and started to head out. One of the wolves stopped.
"I have to wait for my sister to arrive." The older male said, from the names I gathered from the last conversation, he was Jacob, the leader of their nascent pack.
"We just need a small group to linger for that." Carlisle advised, and I had to agree with him. The Volturi may not have had a presence nearby, but we didn't want to draw undue attention to ourselves.
"I'll stay. I know where we're going anyway." Alice offered in her sweet voice, her face held a joyful optimism that I hadn't seen in her before. Charlie, stood by her and without words said he would stay behind as well.
"Me too." The female wolf, Leah said with determination, she glared at her Alpha as if daring him to order her otherwise.
"Leah, you should stay with the Cullens." Jacob attempted, but Leah shook her head.
"I haven't seen Rachel in almost a year, I'm staying." Leah was resolute, and Jacob just shook his head at her.
"Fine. Seth go with." Jacob said glancing at the younger wolf, who simply chuckled at the order.
"Will do boss." He gave Jacob a small salute and moved to stand with the rest of the family.
"I'm not your boss." Jacob said with a touch of defeat in his voice, betraying some more difficult issues with his pack that I was not privy to.
Everyone fell silent, and after a few seconds of silence we made our way outside. I glanced back at those staying behind once, and nodded at Alice and wondered if it was wise to leave her behind even with two wolves as companions. Jane glared at the group of us gathered, and specifically at the two children held by Angela and myself. Yet she didn't say another word. We drove for nearly an hour, to a secluded house that would serve as a staging area before we attempted to rescue Katherine and possibly Didyme.
There was a small detached guest house that Angela and I claimed, hoping for a little privacy. Carlisle had anticipated our needs and there was a nursery already set up with cribs, and as we laid our daughters down to sleep, I found I couldn't part with them. After a few moments, Angela simply pressed into me and there we stood watching them for an hour. Their rhythmic breathing provided a sense of calm that I couldn't place.
"I have no way to record how long I've been alive. Yet I find that time means nothing anymore, I never felt so… complete." She looked at me, and I turned my head down to meet her gaze.
"I missed you." She said with a warm smile, which melted my heart just as much as it had when I first set eyes on my children. In her eyes I could see that same spark, that compassion and kindness. In just a look I could see that my lover's soul was intact, she was still my Angel.
"I love you." The words flowed easily, the hesitation gone. She was my life, my family, the other half of my soul. Despite the concept being mildly bizarre, and the ethical quandary of mating with a woman so young notwithstanding, I had no regrets when it came to our relationship.
"I love you." She replied and reached up to kiss me. Her lips were now colder than mine but the shape of her mouth was the same. She tasted vaguely like her human self, likely a remnant lingering in her body as the last of her human blood was slowly consumed by her new immortal flesh. The strength the blood would lend her eventually fading, along with the chaos it's presence causes in the mind of a newborn. Yet I could barely see that chaos in her eyes.
"You are remarkable, although I imagine Rosalie had something to do with your current temperament." I guessed, and she nodded once.
"Rose is the reason I'm not insane with thirst right now." She said with a small smile and an even smaller sigh as she parted from me and moved towards the balcony overlooking the Ligurian Sea. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and felt her react slightly to my touch.
"Just curious." I said, staring at the crashing waves rushing up onto the small beach nestled in a cove hidden by an outcropping of cliff. From our height we could see around the cliff to the nearby town, , the deep fingers of the mountain to the south stretching out and decorated with multicolored buildings almost hanging off the hills like penguins on their march towards the sea.
She paused for a long time, as though she had to order her thoughts or figure out how to tell me something. Then she finally took a deep breath, "I lost a month, my entire pregnancy, my mother, my father and my brothers… all in the blink of an eye. We were just getting ice cream, and then I was this. When I woke, I was gone. I, ah, I mean I was someone else, broken and violent... a monster. I hurt Bella, tortured her without thought or remorse. Rosalie cut through that, gave me my sense of self and let my memories fill up my mind. Without her, without what you helped bring out in her I would be lost." She turned to me then, and I could see the shadows of tears in her eyes, the human expression of pain and grief without the human physiology to allow them.
"Has Bella forgiven you?" I asked, keeping my arm around her, and rubbing her shoulder to show support. She nodded once and I looked down unable to meet her eyes. "I thought by leaving, giving myself to our enemy, I was doing the right thing. I may have made things worse, and I wasn't there for you." I couldn't look at her, I was too ashamed.
"I've already forgiven you, and it means a lot that you tried to sacrifice yourself for this family. Just don't do it again." She was being completely serious, even with the slightly playful look in her eyes.
"I promise." I said and leaned in to kiss her, losing myself in her embrace. After a few minutes she pulled away and looked out at the sea again.
"Jane, what is going on with Jane?" Her question caught me a bit off guard, but I was expecting the question eventually. I removed my arm from her shoulders and leaned by my hands against the balcony railing.
"She was my torturer. Yet, she was just as much a captive as I was. A young woman who was manipulated into becoming a weapon for the Volturi. We connected, because of you and what you taught me about myself I found a kindred spirit." My attempt to explain my relationship with Jane was inadequate, and I couldn't frame my thoughts into a coherent narrative. Although it was possible that no explanation could account for how things played out with Jane.
"Do you love her?" She almost whispered, clearly upset and worried. She was stiff and staring out at a specific point on the horizon, where a luxury liner was moving through the water towards the south and the more popular destinations.
"Yes." I knew this was important, and I couldn't lie.
"More than me?" She said just as softly, although I could hear the pain laced through her words. I smiled and pulled her into my arms, wrapping them around her waist. I kissed her neck and whispered into her ear.
"Never." I could feel her breath catch in her chest and she closed her eyes. "I love you, and our daughters. You are a part of me. But understand, that love extends to her as well, but not in the same way. I think of her as a dear friend, perhaps an adoptive daughter almost. I can never let her come to harm again. She is a part of my life now, and I ask that you try to accept her."
Angela turned around and leaned against the balcony, keeping me close enough that there was practically no space between us. "I can't say I understand what happened, but of course I'll try. She is older than me, so I'm not sure how this will work, but I will be her friend at the very least."
"That's all I ask. Speaking of which, she is approaching now. She asked to meet our daughters." I said motioning towards the opening door at the rear of the house.
"Alright." She said somewhat nervously, turning to watch her walk down the narrow path through the well maintained gardens to our guest house.
"Jane, please come in." I beckoned, and there was a small grunt of affirmation from the path below our balcony. A few seconds later there was a knock, followed by the front door opening and closing. Soft footfalls and then she stopped, just at the top of the stairs her head tilted as if listening to something.
"Heartbeats. God, I can feel their warmth from here. They truly are not immortal children." Jane's mouth was slightly agape and she was now actively staring down the hall towards our daughters' nursery.
"No, I gave birth to them, at least I'm told I did." Angela said with a grin that turned into a small frown.
"Then you are Angela. It is, um, nice to meet you." Jane held out a hand, almost begrudgingly, but Angela didn't seem to notice or care about Jane's almost complete lack of tact or etiquette.
"And you. Mason tells me good things, and I hope we can be friends at least." Angela gave her the kind of warm smile I had hoped would translate onto her immortal face. An expression not usually found among vampires. Jane's expression was one of confusion and mild fear. Yet as she shook Angela's hand a small smile slowly began to form, likely as she realized Angela was incapable of being anything but genuine. She glanced at me and I could see understanding.
"That sounds… good." Jane said stumbling over the emotions, her eyes catching slightly as she said good. The concept of a true friend was something I knew she had trouble understanding. I hoped that being around Angela, Bella, Alice and Rosalie would help to unlock the beautiful woman I knew was locked inside of Jane's hard exterior.
"Can I see them?" Jane asked letting go of Angela's hand and letting it return to her side limply. There was a hint of emotion in her voice, but it was hard to detect. Angela nodded, but a small wrinkle of concern creased her brow.
"Jane won't harm them." I clarified and both women shot a glare at me that looked a lot like disappointment. I was confused, unable to understand why the confirmation of Jane's intent broke some taboo.
"Mason, why don't you stay here while I introduce Jane to the twins." Angela said with a frown, and the two of them left me standing there feeling confused. I wasn't sure what to do, so I made my way down to the main house and searched for Carlisle, and instead found Esme sitting on a stool on the main balcony looking out over the sea, an easel set up and the beginnings of an exquisite painting already started. The choice of color and technique immediately drew my attention.
"I didn't know you painted." I said with clear surprise in my voice.
"I usually keep my creativity happy with decorating, but between moves I paint. I've tried all the styles, and I prefer impressionist." She said with a small sigh, looking at her unfinished painting with a critical eye.
"Monet is a favorite, I have a few of his earlier works hanging in my villa to the south." I said casually, I wasn't the best at small talk and I didn't want to sound like I was boasting. But I couldn't think of another connection. I loved art, but didn't have a lot of experiences with the more modern artists… well modern relatively speaking.
"Carlisle always wanted to collect, but held off afraid that he was removing something precious from the world." She said looking a little disappointed, perhaps a point of contention between them.
"Interesting, I never thought of it that way." I said, it was an intriguing thought and one that I'd never heard in this context before.
"It's why I fell in love with him, his compassion for humanity. It practically defines his every action and thought." She put down her brush and spun around to face me. "So, what brings you down here? I thought you and Angela would need some time." I nodded and moved to the railing, leaning against it and taking in the view again. This angle was even more impressive giving an even more severe look down the slope towards the sea.
"I believe I made a mistake." I admitted after a few seconds, looking back to catch her nod once.
"Oh, sit and tell me about it." She said motioning towards the chairs set up in the opposite corner of the large balcony. I moved over and she joined me, sitting down with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. I didn't know what to do with my hands, and almost laughed at my own restlessness. I hadn't felt this impatient and anxious in a very long time.
"Jane came up to see the girls, and I simply confirmed that she meant them no harm. They both looked upset by the implication." I furrowed my brow as I spoke, it was such a strange thing to cause conflict that I was still feeling baffled.
"Jane has turned a corner, rejected her past and her life, and followed you here. As a Volturi she would've been adamant that those girls be destroyed, along with Angela. That mindset is difficult to break from, but saying that she is having trouble, no matter your intention would come across as a small betrayal."
"Oh, this is about trust." I felt a bit of shame that I hadn't thought of that before. Of course Jane would take it as a negative, no matter how I intended it. Esme examined me for a few seconds before responding.
"Yes it is. The question you must ask yourself is; Do you trust her?" As she asked, my gut reaction was yes. That was all that was important. So I nodded as I began to reply.
"With my life. If you only knew what was done to her. She is a true soul, poisoned by a vicious lie." I said with as much conviction as I felt in my connection to Jane.
"Then you have to stand by her no matter what, even if she struggles. Be her support, be her cheerleader, because if what you say is true, she deserves nothing less." She gave me a knowing smile, and I was impressed by her depth of feeling and ability to understand emotions.
I nodded once in confirmation and felt I needed to do something for her in exchange. Yet I was loath to bring this up, as it would fundamentally alter the woman sitting across from me. "Esme, if you ever wish to draw out your gift I can help you."
She appeared thoughtful, and smiled tilting her head slightly as she considered her response. "I'll admit I'm curious, what ability will you conjure for me?" She almost giggled at the idea, but I kept my expression serious. Unlocking her ability might have potentially dangerous ramifications.
"As I told Rosalie, it is not quite like turning on a switch and the power has nothing to do with me." I explained and she nodded again, then her eyes widened.
"Do you mean right now?" She said in surprise, sitting forward with a slightly unnerved expression on her face.
"That is up to you." I said in as neutral a tone as possible, I owed her nothing less but I didn't want to encourage her.
"What will my gift be?" She asked sitting back again, her posture defensive as she crossed her legs and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Are you sure, once you know there will be temptation." I warned again, but she shook her head in response.
"I can handle it." She was determined now, I could see it in her expression.
"For some it is a reflection of their inner selves. Bella's closed off nature manifesting as a mental shield, or Rosalie being able to control others as a reflection of her need to control her own life. Even Carlisle, he has it within him to heal a human with a touch, which is a talent so antithetical to our kind that I cannot imagine it formed naturally, but it is also a perfect manifestation of his soul. Then there are others who have gifts not tied to their inner selves." I could feel her impatience as I set into my explanation, and wasn't surprised when she interrupted my train of thought.
"Stop beating around the bush, I get this is something you don't want to tell me, but you did offer." She didn't sound angry but I could tell I had to get to the point.
"Yes, and I owe it to you and your family to help manifest your gifts. However, your gift is counter to your nature. I bring this out and you will forever be at war with yourself." I waited for her to respond, not sure if she would want me to continue.
"I'm confused, what do you mean?" She was pursing her lips, and holding herself even tighter than before. I felt myself sigh.
I looked directly into her eyes and answered, "you will be able to reanimate and control the dead." She gasped and it was clear she was searching for any kind of association to help explain what I meant.
"Do you mean necromancy?" She said letting her arms fall into her lap, immediately looking down in fear and confusion before meeting my gaze again, almost pleading with her eyes for an answer.
"Necromancy is a fantastical term, and while it is somewhat descriptive of your gift, what you could potentially do is not magic. The extent of this gift is unknown to me, but it could create a permanence in the reanimation that could function as a form of resurrection. Just as Angela can touch the life of those around them, you could connect to the atrophied tethers the soul left behind when leaving a body and manipulate them or perhaps even mend them." I attempted to explain something ethereal, something that she couldn't understand until she actually accepted her gift.
"Animals too?" The question was valid, but I wondered why she asked it.
"Yes, and our kind as well." I answered quickly and she shook her head slightly before responding.
"To what degree? No don't answer that, none of this sounds right." She finally got what I was worried about, and I began to nod emphatically.
"No, it doesn't. It is why I have hesitated telling you about it. It is why I haven't told Carlisle about his gift either, because he could lose something precious to him." My own thoughts seemed to match her own as she began to nod in understanding.
"Being a doctor." She added, bringing it back to Carlisle.
"Exactly. I can imagine from a certain point of view, his entire life's work could be rendered irrelevant, because what purpose does it serve being a doctor when you can heal that same wound with but a touch? Of course, that is something that I leave to you to reveal to him. He may consider it an extension of his skill, rather than a replacement. I know this is a lot, and I hate to leave you with something that may cause you grief. Your family has been so gracious and accepting. In a very real way you gave me my family, and there are no words to express the joy that has brought me. I will always be there for you, and so will Angela. It took me some time, but I love all of you as extensions of my family." I reached out my hand, which she took easily, giving me a warm smile despite the worry in her eyes.
"We already consider you and Angela a part of the family." She said easily, and I knew it was the truth.
"Thank you Esme, for everything." I could never impart my gratitude, but it was the least I could offer.
"My pleasure." She smiled widely, and it even reached her eyes, temporarily erasing the conflict I had caused.
I made my way back up to the guest house almost running into Jane as she exited. She gave me a look and I stopped and turned to her. "Jane."
"What is it?" She spit out with more than a little hostility.
"I know you would never hurt them, I never meant to imply that you would have." I said in earnest, hoping it would explain what I meant before.
"A month ago I would've killed them without another thought." She cast her anger down towards the ground, and her hard mask faltered slightly. She immediately shook her head several times in frustration before looking up at me with a touch of desperation. "I need to go, I need to think, I'm sorry… I'm sorry." Jane took off down the stairway leading to the main garage lining the sharp incline the main house was built into. I watched her go, because while I wanted to follow and try to help, I couldn't think of what else to say.
Feeling a strange mix of confusion and frustration myself, I made my way inside and found Angela sitting in the main room, her eyes closed. I could feel her power, it was radiating out into the ground and into the surrounding city communing with all the people and animals. I'd never felt anything like it, even though I knew what she could do, feeling it was something altogether different. She sighed as I approached and she reached out a hand for me, which I took without hesitation. Then she brought it to her cheek, the contact sending a wonderful jolt of excitement through me.
"I feel everything, but nothing compares to your touch." She pressed against my hand a little, before turning and crawling up to the back of the armchair, balancing on her knees and pulling me into a full deep kiss. I gave into her completely, as our passion took control. After nearly an hour of lovemaking we found ourselves in the main bedroom, on the floor, facing one another in a lovers embrace. I had thought I'd known pleasure, but nothing had prepared me for the emotional connection I felt in those fleeting moments of bliss.
Yet as I laid there, pressed against my lover, I felt an overwhelming guilt and I had to let it out. "I wasn't there, and this happened to you." I said as I caressed the length of bare skin between her ribcage and her hip.
"I would've been happier, but nothing would've changed. The crash was human, and stupid and in the middle of town. We were lucky no one saw Bella." Angela said looking into the distance, likely trying to conjure up her foggy human memories, while absently playing with a stray lock of my hair.
"I still cannot believe they are ours." I let out with a joyful sigh. Then a terrible new reality opened behind me as I thought about my past. "I know this may not be something you wish to hear, but the idea of being able to mate with a human gives me pause, if it happened with you…"
"I was wondering that myself, I doubt you were a monk before meeting me." The half grin on her face was lighter than I expected, she wasn't lying that she expected me to have a past.
"No, although most of my partners were vampires. I did lie with a few mortal women who I connected with. Although there was only one who I had a fleeting relationship with. I did keep track of my mates for a while after I left, to ensure they had good lives. None produced an offspring as far as I am aware."
"All?" She asked, a small mysterious smile curling at her lips.
"No, not all. There was Claire. I knew her many, many years ago. She was my first real attempt at something human. I left after a couple of months…" I weighed the options of how to continue and went with the less horrible lie, "when I realized I did not return her affection, rather than leading her on, or risk hurting her. It was bad enough that I did not return to her." I could see a touch of disappointment on her face, but she quickly masked it with a thin smile.
"What was her full name, I bet Charlie could track down her history." She said turning around the point and asking me a question I hadn't thought about in some time. Of course I knew her name, I could never forget her name.
"Why would we want to track down her history? I'm not sure I want to know how she died." I had an idea where she was going with this train of thought, but I didn't want to say it myself.
"Two reasons, if she had become pregnant her life ended a month after you left. Unless she was fortunate enough to have a vampire doctor nearby willing to do everything to save her. If that child survived, they would have no idea where they came from or why they were different. More importantly, you could have a family out there without knowing it, an older sister or brother to our twins." She sat up and looked down at me, as I turned to stare up at the ceiling. I didn't want to hear this, but the sheer idea of having another child, lost, wandering the world was a heartbreaking thing to consider.
"Clarissa Nicole de la Croix. That is where I got my surname, Croix or more recently Cross." I answer in monotone, the name sitting on my tongue like a curse. I had made things sound better than they were, I hadn't left because of a lack of emotion. I left because I was starting to feel something for her… and I couldn't fathom why I had lied about that to Angela.
"That answers that question." She said in a mildly sardonic tone of voice.
"What question?" I was confused, but worried about why her mood had turned dark.
"Your last name, none of us knew what it was. Me and the girls took the last name Webb, compliments of Carlisle." She elaborated and laid back down next to me, throwing an arm over my chest.
"Ah, I like that. My name is malleable, so I have no qualms with changing it to Webb as well. I would rather adopt your family name anyway." I said, hoping to move on from Clarissa. I had taken her name as a way of honoring her memory, but it was time to take on a different family name. One I shared with the love of my existence.
"Mason Webb, not sure it flows." Angela said with a small frown, although not a dark one. "So there's something that developed on the plane that I haven't told you."
"Oh? What is that?" I asked looking down at the top of her head. She turned to face me and bit her inner lip before answering.
"We learned that little Rebekah could do something with the mind, maybe bring out hidden truths or something. Well I guess it was inevitable, but Jez developed a gift as well, and it showed up on the plane." She began and I nodded to get her to continue. "She can float."
"Interesting. I wonder what that implies, an ability to alter gravity or a form of telekinesis?" I pondered out loud, hoping my tangent might help ease her mind a little.
"I never would've thought about the implications. Either would be pretty insane." Angela said with a short muffled laugh.
"Depending on how it grows, yes, she could have a power to rival yours. Which is a little terrifying, because I have only encountered one other who could equal you." I said hoping to impress upon her
"I don't know how to respond to that. I never wanted power, and I don't know what to do with it." Angela sounded worried and tired, and maybe a little angry with herself. Given what happened when she woke to this life, I could not fault her for the feelings.
"Power is personal, what you do with it is your own business. I may be awed by your gift, but I am not afraid of your capacity to use it. You are the kindest soul I have ever encountered, and one instance of displaced personality, upon awakening from a coma and becoming a vampire, after losing so much... I cannot blame you for your actions. Even though your reaction to the situation was violent, I know that you would never do that to someone you love in your right mind, you are not that kind of monster." Mason
"There's more. I attacked the wolves too, and I cannot blame my actions on newborn madness or my coma. I was fully aware of what I was doing." She was sitting up at this point, and I sat up to respond, needing to make direct eye contact.
I reached out and caressed her cheek as I spoke. "Defending your home and your children? I would've done the same." She pushed her face into my hand and closed her eyes.
"I guess. Mason, after we rescue Katherine, I think we should run. I want to go home, but I think we need to be somewhere far away and hidden." She looked at me only when she was finished, and there was a desperation in her eyes that I couldn't deny.
"Abandon the family to the fight?" I had to ask, not sure if she meant only us.
"Never. Convince them to go with us." She shook her head, resolute.
"I have an estate in Australia, no one knows it exists. It may be safer there than one of the Cullen properties." I had been thinking of that place for a while, it was my true home. The place I had spent the most time, and where I had my staff and nearly a tenth of my resources.
"Lets bring it up at the meeting… actually when is the plan meeting?" Angela asked, as she began to look around for her clothes.
"Another hour, I didn't want to rush this." I responded with a smile, and she tossed the pair of panties she was about to put on aside and plopped down on my chest with a playful smile.
"Best news all day" Her voice was uncharacteristically sultry, and the look in her eyes was unmistakable. I pulled her lips to mine and we started to get heated again.
"Mama!" We both pulled away, almost as if being caught doing something we shouldn't. I chuckled, and she followed with her own small giggle a second later. I couldn't distinguish their voices, but to hear either of them speak hit me hard. I sat up along with Angela, and we quickly got on enough clothes for modesty and rushed into the nursery. Rebekah was standing up in her crib, holding onto the rail and Jezabel was floating above it giggling. I wasn't sure, but I could see almost irritation in Rebekah's expression as she was trying to grab a hold of her sister's leg. She cheered a little when she saw us, and plopped back down, but didn't take her eyes away from her sister.
"Jezzy." Rebekah pointed emphatically. I made my way over and tried to wrap my arms around the girl, but she zoomed away from my grasp and right into Angela's arms who intercepted her.
"She played this game on the plane for an hour." Angela's face was a little sour, but I could see a twinkle in her eyes as well. She was overwhelmed with her love for our children.
"An hour, she can maintain that ability for an hour." I gasped in surprise, the stamina required to sustain a gift that was that potentially powerful for that long had staggering implications.
"Oh yeah, it was starting to wear thin by the time she passed out." Angela rolled her eyes and set Jezebel down on a changing table, mouthing a small 'bad girl' at our daughter.
"I guess more sex is off the table." I said with a small chuckle, and Angela shrugged.
"Maybe later and maybe on the table," she said walking over and giving me a kiss that lingered for longer than expected. "We have all the time in the world. But first, let's get them bathed and changed for the meeting."
"Sounds like fun." I said with a smile, but Angela just turned towards the bathroom laughing.
It took almost a full hour to get them both washed and changed. Jez in particular hated being in the tub and would constantly float above it, requiring us to push her back down. The marble tiles were covered in soapy water and the slacks I had put on were soaked by the time we had gotten them dried off.
I took a quick shower and changed, while Angela got them dressed, then I watched the girls while she did the same. I wondered how long this routine would last, given how much growth the girls had gone through in the days since being born. Neither looked like newborns, each already appearing to be nearly a year old. I'd done several rotations in pediatric medicine, enough to know things were not progressing normally.
Then a deep worry tickled at the edges of my mind and took hold. What if they hadn't inherited my immortality? Would we be forced to turn our own children? Would they even want this life? What if they wanted to live their days as humans, dying naturally in a hundred years. I couldn't imagine losing either of them, so abhorrent an idea that I wasn't sure I could ever adjust to the world again without them in it. Was this part of being a parent?
My mind spun in circles as we headed down to the main house, the sounds of a larger gathering inside with heated voices. I caught just the tail end of an argument involving the wolves, something about an imprint. I looked to Angela, who glanced at me with worry and together we pushed open the french style doors to a scene we were utterly unprepared for.
Author's Notes:
Okay, so this took entirely too long to break. I knew what had to happen in this chapter, and I would be remiss to ignore the character beats. Yet I had a problem figuring out how I was going to present this. I thought about doing one massive chapter with multiple points of view, but that didn't work on a logistical level. So instead I had to figure out the events that take place, and write the different points of view out. I started with Mason because while this is not the most exciting story, it is the most emotionally relevant. The next 3 chapters will deal with the other things going on while Mason and Angela deal with their new family.
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