Chapter 38
Daylight again, following me to bed
I think about a hundred years ago, how my fathers bled
I think I see a valley, covered with bones in blue
All the brave soldiers that cannot get older been askin' after you
Hear the past a callin', from Ar- -megeddon's side
When everyone's talkin' and no one is listenin', how can we decide?
Do we find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down
Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
The day was overly warm for March, and the air near the house hadn't entirely cleared up. Faint traces of ash danced through the rays of sunlight that filtered down through breaks in the cloud cover. Alice repressed a shudder though, coming up on the house triggered a flashback to what happened. It wasn't exactly a memory she was happy to keep. For the first time she cursed her vampire mind. Then she wondered how Isabella might handle it, and she squeezed her hand in reassurance.
She looked up at Isabella, her eyes tracing the lines of her face as she watched for a reaction in her friend? girlfriend? What were they? When they had talked that first night Isabella had agreed at an attempt at friendship. That night had been less than two weeks ago, but it seems like a lifetime ago. Obviously things had moved beyond that point, and situations had changed, but could they even say they were friends? The two extremely passionate kisses exchanged seemed to say they were more than friends, but were they girlfriends? Not for the first time Alice wished for Edward's gift to read minds, so she could tell what Isabella was thinking. Except, not even Edward could break through Isabella's walls.
Alice was slightly surprised that Isabella didn't seem to show a reaction as the house came into view. While Alice grimaced briefly at the burnt out husk, Isabella's expression didn't so much as twitch. Then a random ray of sunshine managed to push through the clouds, and crossed over Isabella's face, and stayed. The sunshine seemed follow them as they walked, and Alice couldn't stop herself from gasping in breathless awe. The soft glow of Isabella's skin was very different from her own. Alice realized the sun was moving away from her face, so she rooted herself in place, and practically forced Isabella to stop with her.
"I don't understand, what happened to you? How are you so different?" Alice asked without thought to how Isabella would take the questions. She needed to know why Isabella's skin seemed to react so differently in sunlight.
"Honestly, I have no idea. Ever since I bonded with Eliza I've been like this. Her skin reflects light in the same way as mine does, and now so does Bree. It's just one of the differences in our unique physiology. However, this particular change isn't exactly important so it's not something we've spent a lot of time exploring." She shrugged, "I'm sorry I can't explain more." Isabella frowned, and looked down at her free hand which was bathed in sunlight. Then she moved her other one, still gripping Alice's, into the light as well.
The difference between them was startling. Isabella's hand looked almost human in comparison to Alice's which was glittering like thousands diamonds were embedded into her skin. It made her look almost airbrushed, and Alice sighed slightly in contentment at the beautiful image Isabella made in the sunlight.
After closer examination Alice could tell that even though Isabella's skin looked almost human in comparison to hers, that even the most casual of observers would be able to see that glow in sunlight. Obviously no matter what Isabella was, she was still vampire enough that being out in public under bright direct sunshine would be a problem. Alice started turning that revelation over in her mind, when Isabella jerked her hand out of her grasp. Alice looked up at her with a vaguely hurt expression on her face, but it faded when she saw how Isabella's had twisted.
Isabella flinched, closing her eyes tightly, and then she began to rock forward onto balls of her feet and then quickly back onto her heels. She brought her fingers up to cover her eyes and forehead, as if suddenly hit with a massive headache. The raw physical sensations suddenly coming from Eliza had caught Isabella completely and totally off guard.
Isabella pressed her eyes tightly together in concentration for several moments. The sudden incoming stimuli was too much for her to handle, so she tried to block them out. By habit, Isabella had always kept the receiving end of her connection with her daughter more open than Eliza did, like the top of a funnel. It was mostly reassurance so that she would never miss anything, as a instant signal when Eliza was in danger or hurt in battle. Ironically, Isabella was more concerned with her daughter getting hurt, than Eliza ever was about her own safety. Contrarily, Isabella tended to be less concerned with taking the occasional hit in battle, so she got used to closing up her end of the bond enough so that Eliza wouldn't feel it every time someone got in a lucky shot.
Unfortunately in this case, the uneven nature of the connection seemed to backfire causing a veritable flood of new sensations crashing down on Isabella's unready mind. The sudden onslaught of physical stimulus was strange and terrifying, since Eliza was most definitely not getting attacked, well at least not violently. It filled Isabella with a sense of immense contentment that her daughter was so… happy, but it was weird to have to force their connection closed, because Isabella had never needed to work to tune out her daughter before.
To pile conflicted emotions on top of that, Isabella had trouble reconciling her own feelings that Alice was provoking within her. Physical desires, instincts, complex emotions, and now raw sexual sensations and passionate amorous feelings twisted round and round in her head until nothing made sense. She looked down at Alice's hand, which was still lingering in the air, and gave her a frown as she cemented her mental wall which successfully blocked out the unwanted flood coming from Eliza. To her credit, Isabella could tell that Eliza was trying to hold everything in, but she had never experienced anything like what she was sharing with Leah. Isabella almost blushed at the sudden realization that she must've been broadcasting similar emotions and sensations when she kissed Alice, no matter how filtered they might've been.
Isabella took Alice's hand again and shook her head slightly, in what amounted to her best attempt at a reassuring smile. Alice accepted her hand without hesitation or a demand for an explanation. Isabella was relieved, she wasn't sure how she would go about starting a conversation explaining her sudden situation with Eliza. A moment later Isabella started towards the house again, and Alice followed in unspoken confusion.
They found Bree sitting next to Rosalie and Emmett on the surprisingly unmarked stair case that led up to what was left of the front porch. The fire had erased most the structure, but Isabella blew it out in time so that some of the front part remained oddly intact. Beyond some soot stains, the front door and most of the porch looked perfectly normal, it was eerie.
It took Isabella only a brief glance to tell that Bree was out of sorts. She was biting a corner of her lip, keeping her face averted, looking away from Rosalie and Emmett, and not making eye contact with anyone. Rosalie was keeping an eye on her, a curious expression twisted up with concern for the girl, but she wasn't pressuring Bree for any answers. As they got closer Isabella could tell Bree was squirming, her hips shifting subtly on the stairs as if she couldn't find a comfortable position. One thing Isabella could tell without a doubt, was that her face bore an expression of thorough embarrassment.
When she noticed Isabella's approach, Bree stood up to say something and then looked down, her embarrassment cutting off her words before she could even begin to stumble and stutter over the apology that was on her lips. She watched as they got closer, hoping that Isabella's dark expression wasn't meant for her.
Isabella could read the confusion on Bree's face and she did her best to give her as much assurance as she could. She smiled as warmly as she was capable of and said softly, "It's okay."
Like the words had released a dam of pressure, Bree half threw herself forward to wrap her arms around Isabella's waist. "I'm soooo sorry I wasn't trying to spy or anything! But you… and now Eliza… I didn't mean to!"
Isabella wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug, and then she gently shushed her a few times. She realized that Bree must have been inundated, not only with the emotions and sensations that Eliza was currently in the middle of, but the emotions and sensations she herself had probably unconsciously broadcast earlier as well. Isabella met Rosalie's eyes over the top of Bree's head, and Isabella gave her a subtle shake of her head, causing Rosalie to frown a little bit and purse her lips, though she didn't say anything.
"It's okay. It's not your fault, and you weren't 'spying', it's just a part of being in this family. I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier. Given Eliza's current level of distraction, we probably can't teach you how to shield yourself right now. It's something we'll work on soon. Maybe even tonight if we get a chance." Isabella smiled down at Bree, and then frowned glancing back at Alice as a thought occurred to her.
Isabella wasn't sure what was going to happen with Alice, but part of her had an unsettling feeling that she didn't have much control over what was going to happen anyway. Isabella held Bree for several long minutes, squeezing her several times in a subtle reassuring way before she straightened and let her arm drop with a little sigh, though she noted that Bree didn't release the embrace entirely, settling in to cling to her around her waist. Isabella wasn't sure how to handle the fact that her new daughter seemed to be the physically affectionate type, which was totally unexpected given her history, and was entirely different from what she was used to with Eliza, for whom the occasional hug seemed to suffice.
"We have a lot of work to do if we're going to make this work." She changed the subject hoping to ease Bree's self-consciousness and avoid any embarrassing follow-up questions.
"Make what work? Oh the funeral... I heard you mention that to Eliza I just didn't know what you meant." Bree frowned in minor disappointment in herself, having missed the changed in topic, she felt behind the ball. However she was grateful that her Mother wasn't making a bigger scene out of what happened than Bree herself already had.
She also took a moment to marvel at how easily she'd accepted Isabella in the role of mother. She idly wondered if it was helped along by the bond that they had, or maybe it was because she was just that desperate for any sort of caring family. A third possibility that made her smile, was the fantastic notion that maybe she was destined to be a part of this family. That she was always supposed to be one of them. She shrugged that off as silly, but Isabella gave her a mental hug, she liked that idea a lot.
"Don't worry about it, I know I wasn't explicit since Eliza knew who I meant. We didn't know him long, but Henry needs to be honored." Isabella looked around slowly trying to inventory things in her mind. She had decided that Henry deserved and needed a funeral, unfortunately she only vaguely remembered going to the funeral of one of her grandparents when she was about eight years old. The memories were hazy and indistinct at best, and tinged with the child's viewpoint of life of death.
Her voice came out hesitantly when she finally did come to a decision. "Rosalie would you mind looking for a stone that would be suitable for a headstone. Something relatively large and solid without being grotesque?"
Rosalie raised an eyebrow at the request, but she nodded once, and stood to walk towards the waterfall that was partially visible from the house, to look for one.
Isabella glanced down at Bree. "Why don't you go with her sweetie? It might be fun to crack rocks until you find something that works." Bree smiled up at Isabella widely, and took off towards Rosalie, without another word.
"Emmett, would you like to play in the dirt?" Emmett stood with a big grin, and started searching the area for the right place to dig. He didn't need any second urging from Isabella, and didn't need to be told what exactly he was going to be digging. Mention of the funeral was enough for him. The solemn nature of the request kept him from laughing out loud, or making a wise crack. He quickly zeroed in on the perfect spot near a massive ancient tree, and moved to start digging.
Isabella took a deep breath and motioned with her head towards the rubble. "Alice, can you help me search?" Her voice was soft as she seemed to really look at the burnt remains of the house for the first time.
Alice's expression was puzzled at that, before a look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh god, that's right. He's still in there isn't he?" Alice said half to herself, as she blanched as much as a vampire could. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded once in agreement.
Together they moved into the wreckage, and began to sift through the blackened debris. It didn't take long to find him. They found his remains in the foyer, a mere three feet away from escape. He was mostly skeletal, but thankfully whole for the most part. Still there were several bits and pieces of him that had to be picked up, including his blackened skull which had been torn off his shoulders, hopefully from the force of the explosion and not from any collapsing debris. Isabella hoped that was a sign that his death had been quick and painless, and that he hadn't suffered first.
Once they were certain they had gathered all of his remains, Isabella spent a good deal of time shifting and digging into the rubble down into the basement, retrieving a partially melted tool box from the Bat-cave. Some of the tools inside of it were still useable, having been protected by the half-melted metal.
Then she started sifting through the rubble for suitable pieces of wood. She didn't say anything, just took up her task in silence. Alice watched her with a puzzled expression before she realized what Isabella was doing about five or so minutes into the project, and offered to help. Together they cobbled together a casket that would serve well enough for a proper burial. "He deserved so much more than this but I think if I waltzed into town and waltzed out carrying a coffin over my shoulder, people might start talking."
Alice managed a small smile and murmured, "Even without the implications and dangers of that kind of theft. The larger picture would bring all kinds of strange accusations and suspicions of demons or insinuations about vampires needing coffins... it's all probably a bit much." She was rewarded with a small smile from Isabella. Once they were both satisfied that the casket was significantly sturdy, together the two of them carefully gathered Henry's remains and placed them gently, almost reverently into the box, and closed the lid.
Rose and Bree came back with a very large, almost boulder sized rock, between them. The rock was practically split in two color wise, the top half was so light grey it was nearly white. The bottom was dark and still covered in mud and moss. Isabella watched as Rosalie patiently helped guide Bree in shaping the rock into something that would be usable. Isabella didn't feel the need to offer directions or comments, since Rosalie seemed to be handling it quite well on her own, and seemed to have a good idea of the sort of memorial Isabella had in mind.
The two of them spent several minutes flattening one side so it would sit upright and was in no danger of rolling or shifting, and even longer on another side so that it was as smooth as possible. While they were doing this, Emmett spent about forty minutes playing and digging in the dirt, going a bit deeper than was necessary, but the grunts and chuckles coming from the hole were enough that no one wanted to bother him.
Isabella was rather thrilled that Emmett took to the work without protest or complaint, of course from what she remembered of him it wasn't much of a stretch. What really struck her as odd was how Rosalie had agreed to take on so much manual labor as well, and seemed to have almost infinite patience with Bree. Her quiet contemplations were interrupted by Alice looking up at her and murmuring calmly. "We're going to have visitors in a minute or so."
Isabella's eyebrows raised in surprise, and her expression quickly darkened to wariness, though Alice seemed calm so it eased some of Isabella's early red flags. "Who is it? I didn't think the pack would get here so quickly."
Alice just shook her head as she worked to do her best to affix the somewhat crude hand carved wooden hinges and latches that she and Bella had painstakingly created to the casket base, in an attempt to connect it to the lid.
Isabella was about to repeat her question when it was answered for her. While they were all busy, no one noticed Jasper and Adara slowly approaching the house. Their motions were cautious and they made sure not to make any sudden moves so as not to alarm anyone, especially Isabella, who looked up from where she and Alice had laid the makeshift casket on the front porch.
"Jasper? Adara? What are you doing here?" Emmett asked, he paused digging, and had popped his head up so that it was partially sticking out of the hole in the ground, the echoes in the hole had reverberated just right that he was the first to notice their approach. Everyone stopped what they were doing and quickly gathered to greet them. Jasper scanned them all carefully though his attention was mostly on Isabella, and his entire stance screamed caution and an obvious wariness of saying or doing the wrong thing.
"We're here for a couple of reasons. First we wanted to tell you..." Jasper started, but Isabella shook her head and interrupted with a little sigh.
"The Volturi now know we survived. Edward kindly informed them." Isabella stated flatly. It wasn't the words so much as the tone that surprised everyone. There wasn't even anger behind her words this time, instead a flash of steely scorn crossed her face when she mentioned Edward's name, but otherwise she remained neutral. There was no shock on her features either, about the only emotion that she showed was faint resignation and a little irritation.
Jasper furrowed his brow and regarded her with surprise, "How did you know?" As if to answer his own question, he turned his head to look at Alice with a raised eyebrow, the gesture was a clear indicator of his meaning. She met his gaze and shook her head slightly, making it clear that she hadn't said anything.
"Because he's a worthless prick. It's pretty much what I expected of him. What he wants and cannot have, he tries to destroy. He gave his best shot while we were your guests. I'm sure you saw how well that turned out for him. My question mirrors Emmett's. Why are you here?" Isabella's red eyes were fixed on Jasper who met her gaze unflinchingly. That almost made her smile, he was cautious and walking into an uncertain situation , but he wasn't afraid of her.
"Two reasons, when Adara and I were out hunting we... she came across a strange scent that she was able track for a while until it started to lead us in circles before it disappeared entirely. That worries me. Second after we returned from hunting, Eleazar told us what happened, including Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice leaving. Carlisle was busy talking to Esme who was very… upset." Jasper glanced at Rosalie and Emmett and then finally Alice. Rosalie stiffened slightly at the gaze, but there was no recrimination in his look.
Alice's own anxious eyes locked onto his unflinchingly and she said softly. "Jasper, Edward knew! "
Jasper's face clouded with confusion for a moment and then cleared with a wave of understanding, though somehow he managed to keep his reply calm, "I told you he probably knew about your feelings. There was no way that he didn't read it in your mind at some point, especially given how much you thought about it."
Alice's response was quick, and she was shaking her head almost violently as she lashed out with uncontrolled anger. "No, he knew about the vision in the cafeteria. He saw it the day I had it. All these years and that… that bastard, fucking knew! The entire time, he knew what he was doing, what he was taking from us!" Alice's voice alternated wildly between a half shout and a barely audible hiss, as the true depth of her rage flashed across her face for just a moment before she gained control of it again.
Jasper allowed the shock to show on his face for several moments, as that information sunk in. He wouldn't have believed Edward capable of it before today. Yet even without his own evidence, the combination the hate coming off of Alice, and her plaintive and desperate outrage, and the obvious contempt she conveyed as she spoke of how truly manipulative and sick Edward was to sink to that level, forced him to finally and fully believe in Edward's malignancy. He waited several moments before continuing, he wasn't sure he could get through what he needed to say next, while his anger was so riled up. It was also nice excuse to also give Alice a few seconds to calm herself down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. What I did know was that he was insulting and rude, and that he attempted to attack you and Isabella. So when I got back I went to have a… conversation with Edward. Carlisle came with me, either to try and defuse the situation, or to attempt to protect Edward. I'm not entirely sure." Jasper spoke slowly and carefully, what he had to say next was even worse. He was so disgusted that he wasn't sure he could get through it.
Rosalie spoke up, her tone curious. "What did you hope to accomplish?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I guess I was hoping for some answers. I left for a few hours to feed, and I come back to find our family in shambles. Carlisle was in his office drinking from whiskey tumbler full of human blood, and Esme was a total inconsolable wreck. After bringing Carlisle up from his depression, we decided to confront Edward together, except as we were approaching his room we overheard him talking on the phone. It took a moment to focus, and hear the other end of the conversation, but when we did we both stood in shock and horror, since there was no mistaking Aro's voice. Edward related the entire story of your survival, then he started to give him specifics on your plans to remain in the area, Carlisle stopped me from interfering for some reason at that point... and then Edward began to inform on our family members who left to join you. He was telling them…" Jasper broke off and looked away from Isabella with a growl, for the first time his own anger seemed to get the best of him.
Adara reached her arm around her husband's shoulder's as his entire body seemed to shake, whether from the strength and fury of his growl of from the sheer stress of suppressing his rage, or the absolute sorrow of losing a brother she wasn't sure. She spoke up quietly, finishing for him. "Sorry, he's still furious. Edward was requesting for Aro specifically to make sure that Eliza, Rosalie, and Alice were, punished… before they were killed." Her tone was filled with disgust and left very little need for any sort of imagination.
Adara squeezed Jasper's shoulder gently as he took several seconds to regain control of himself. When he did finally calm down he looked up and let his eyes travel over the group. "Carlisle stopped me from jumping in and ripping his head off. Carlisle said he was going to confront him, but I couldn't stand to stay another moment. I think Carlisle and Edward were still shouting at each other when I stormed out. I'd had trouble believing it, but he really is a pathetic twisted bastard." Jasper's face was dark and dangerous, he was extremely pissed that Edward had fooled him for so long, and it was clear to everyone present that he was re-evaluating his decision to leave without ripping off Edward's head.
"I should have killed the bastard when I had the chance." Emmett hissed out. Everyone turned to look at him, as he threw his mud and dirt caked arm around Rosalie protectively. She didn't even notice his filthy condition, she was too busy dealing with her own emotions. Emmett's embrace seemed to immediately settle Rosalie and she melted back against him, though her face was still fixed in an expression of combined fear and anger, though the fear was slowly fading as she drew strength from Emmett's embrace. Yet that wasn't nearly as odd as the rage that filled Emmett's normally easygoing face, his clear hatred was shocking to everyone.
Jasper was watching Isabella with a thoughtful expression that slowly turned into a frown. "You knew what he would do when you left, and you did nothing. Why?" Jasper managed to keep his voice calm, and his question impassioned but logical. The curiosity elicited from the rest of those gathered, didn't faze Isabella who was quick to respond.
Isabella glanced around very briefly before speaking though, "We figured out that Edward was the only one who could have called and told the Volturi about Eliza and Leah, because he was the only one who could have known. I'm sure he put it in the worst light possible. Once he admitted to that, of course I knew Edward would call the Volturi; especially when Rosalie humiliated him like she did."
She turned to look at Rosalie. "Which, by the way, was perhaps the single funniest thing I've seen in a century. Not to mention more than a little overdue."
Rosalie grinned slightly, she wasn't sure exactly what was so funny about it. Then she tried to picture it, and she had to admit it was a touch hilarious. She wasn't exactly a big guy like her husband, and Edward looked rather pathetic in that moment. Moreover, she'd been around his antiquated unchanging chauvinistic viewpoints for longer than a century. In that moment she realized how Edward would take being beaten up by a girl; and he wasn't just beaten up, he was utterly humiliated.
The fact was that Isabella had now done it twice, and Rosalie had done it once, in full view of pretty much their entire social circle, made Edward's probable indignant anger all the worse. If the suspicions Jasper had mentioned in passing conversation a few days prior, were right, Eliza had embarrassed him as well, which was probably the reason he disliked her so vehemently after their first meeting; even before he knew of her connection to Isabella. Rosalie's slight grin widened into a full smile realizing just how emasculated that must've made him feel. After considering all of that in an instant, she nodded once in acknowledgement of Isabella's compliment.
Jasper's eyes didn't leave Isabella's face. "I saw the hole you left in the floor at the house. You could have killed Edward. Instead, you let him live. Why would you do that? You knew he would inform the Volturi of your survival, taking away your element of surprise. That would have been a significant advantage, possibly your only one."
Isabella's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea how tempting it was to kill him. However, my daughter promised Carlisle that we wouldn't fight, a promise I would have kept, had it not been for his unprovoked assault. The only reason he lived to regret that particular idiocy was again because of Carlisle. I owed him a debt for the hospitality and care he provided my family while I was unable to do so, and the care he showed to me during my convalescence. When we left him humiliated and broken, I was fairly sure that he would inform the Volturi. I just don't care, I want them to come."
"That's suicide." Jasper spit out. Then he regarded Isabella silently as a whirlwind of conflicting emotions raged inside of him. He was angry at how deeply Edward's betrayal stung him, and how totally he had misjudged someone so close to him, it threw all his carefully tended relationships into chaos. But moreover, he was mortified at the complete apathy Isabella was displaying for any sort of tactical advantage, especially against an enemy that was, without debate, the strongest vampire coven in the world.
Jasper was worried about her apparent lack of tactical understanding. He hoped Alice knew what she was doing, he wasn't certain Isabella was showing herself to be all that good of a leader, especially when it came to her total disregard for the safety of those he cherished as family. It was nearly enough to push him over the edge. She was behaving rashly, and her brazen attitude was very likely going to bring a death sentence down upon Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice. The thought of losing them too terrified him to his core, because they were all intrinsically tied to him in every conceivable way.
"I will not run because Aro is a coward. That was proven when chose to use a duplicitous and underhanded method of execution instead of sending agents to capture us physically. I think it's because knows all too well of our capabilities, and I believe he'll hesitate even with the forces he's already sent. Perhaps, I did sacrifice an advantage, but it was a calculated risk. Not to mention the fact that I will not break an alliance. I refuse to turn my back on the Quileute's, they are my allies, and I even consider some family. They have time and again proven their loyalty to me, even before I became a vampire. They've looked past my nature, and chosen to side with me no matter the personal cost. Do I need to add that both of my daughters have Quileute... companions, and I will not betray those connections under any circumstance?" Isabella lifted her chin slightly as a subtle threat to Jasper to contradict her.
Jasper met her gaze for several long seconds before his shoulders slumped. "You're right of course. Let's not fight, it's counter-productive and I don't think now is the right time anyway." Jasper suggested, which seemed to cut into the sudden tension immediately. Rosalie frowned, and then stepped forward, away from her husband's reassuring embrace.
"Where will you go now?" Rosalie asked softly, she didn't want to look like she was guiding them away from the Cullens, but at the same time she made sure her tone hinted that she didn't want them to go far.
"I'm not sure, Adara?" Jasper deferred to his wife, who looked around at the group in front of her with a touch of mixed emotions. She hated the idea of leaving Carlisle and Esme alone, but Edward was clearly like a cancer, who's only interest was his own twisted agenda and self preservation. His transgressions were such that none of them could forget, or even begin to forgive. It was true that she and Jasper hadn't declared they were leaving for good, yet it was clear they couldn't go back right now.
Adara continued to scan the group, her gaze falling in turn on each of the coven members she had known for decades. Emmett's usually smiling face was twisted into a grim almost menacing scowl, his anger directed at a man he couldn't confront. Rosalie's face was clearly also set in anger, but at the same time she seemed more at ease than Adara could ever remember. The biggest change was in Alice though.
Alice was the one that Adara had been the most leery around when she'd first met Jasper, since they had just come out of a very long relationship. She never fully trusted that Alice had just stepped out of his life without any argument or complaint. So she watched her closely for years, expecting jealousy to fester, but it never did. What was worse than the phantom of Jasper and Alice's hundred year relationship, was the act that Alice put on; a show for the rest of the family where she smiled and feigned excitement whenever she thought someone was looking, but when she thought no one was around, she slumped and the life seemed to literally drained out of her. Adara had wondered for years if Alice might have been clinically depressed.
Now, despite her obvious anger at Edward, for the first time that Adara could remember Alice seemed like she was happy, or at least happier than Adara had ever seen her. It was in her posture, and the set of her shoulders. Her shift to happiness reminded Adara of her own melancholy. She had never fit into the Cullen household, not really. She had been the new girl for far too long, and Edward never let her forget it, not that she cared much for him anyway. Still she loved Carlisle and Esme, but they weren't the parental figures for her that they were for the rest of the family.
She looked at Isabella for a long moment, this dark vampire might be crazy... perhaps even dangerous, but she was most definitely powerful. She had a strong Coven, and this was an opportunity to make a fresh start. "Is there an offer to join your Coven on the table?" Adara asked out of the blue.
Jasper's head turned immediately to his wife, giving her a look of total confusion. "Adara? You want to join them?" He had certainly not expected her to say that. When they had originally met and connected, it had taken him more than a year to convince her to join up with Carlisle's coven. She had repeatedly said that she didn't feel it was right to join such an established Coven without getting to know them first. This decision seemed to come out of left-field to him. Then he thought about it for a moment, she did already know half of the members intimately already, that could've been a big factor.
"This is the right place, don't you see. Carlisle and Esme will find their own way, we can't make this choice based solely on their feelings. As much as I love them, they aren't enough of a reason to stay. I need more, I need something new." Adara confessed, it was something that had been weighing on her for a long time. Jasper stared at her for a while.
"I guess that's fine." Isabella shrugged after a few moments hesitation, then Alice nudged her in the ribs slightly with an elbow. "Ah, I... you can join us I guess." Isabella tried to make it sound slightly more enthusiastic.
Alice scrunched up her face at Isabella."You couldn't have made that less diplomatic if you tried." Alice tried to scold Isabella, but her voice was tinged with at least a little amusement.
"Well, she probably could have. Given her new approach seems to involve a lot of punching and breaking things. That probably would have been slightly less diplomatic." Rosalie teased, feeling for the first time like she was a part of the group.
"Diplomatic or not, that was an offer, and I accept. I won't speak for Jasper though." She turned her eyes towards her husband with a questioning expression. This was probably the first time that one of them had unilaterally made a decision without consulting the other, and she wasn't entirely sure what his response was going to be.
He examined Adara, really looked at her for the first time in ages. She was tall, taller than he usually thought about. Taller than him in fact. She was dark haired, and had expressive eyes. Her face was so beautiful to him, that most of the time he took her beauty for granted. He was lucky to have her, to have found a real mate. He had never really told her that before, being with Alice had never been perfect. That they were partners and lovers, but were never truly a couple. They were both waiting for their real mate to come, passing away the years in mutual comfort. Alice had even said as much the first time they met.
She was sitting at that bar, and their eyes met. It felt like kismet, except for the fact she knew he was coming. Then she explained, that they were going to meet a wonderful family, and they would have many happy years together, until he met his one true love. She had trouble seeing her own fate, although she knew she would met that special someone first. When things turned sideways with Bella... Jasper assumed that Alice had been wrong all those years. The fact that Edward had co-opted her future, had stolen away her love before it could even take place... that was horrible. Edward was horrible. He closed his eyes to suppress his rage, then sighed a little at the pain of it.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll join my wife. If you'll have me." He pulled Adara into a quick embrace, and kissed her like he hadn't in far too long. This felt right somehow, and he was happy to not have to abandon all of his family, especially with a fight with the Volturi looming over them. He would also make sure Carlisle and Esme were taken care of.
"See, that's how you do it." Alice said in a chiding tone towards Isabella.
Isabella just rolled her eyes and muttered something that suspiciously sounded like "punching things is so much easier though."
Then she glanced around and raised an eyebrow at Jasper. "Now that you're here, would you mind lending a hand? You could set up a fire pit over there with seating enough for about two dozen people." Isabella asked motioning toward the opposite side of the house away from the make-shift grave.
Jasper nodded once, although he paused slightly before heading off to start on his task. "Henry?" He asked as he glanced toward the stone.
Isabella frowned and nodded as she motioned towards the hole that Emmet had already half dug up and the grave marker that Rosalie and Bree were still working on. Jasper nodded once, and he clenched his jaw as an expression of sorrow crossed his face. He stared at the place where Henry would be interned for several long seconds before taking a deep breath and setting about working on his assigned project with haste.
After everyone was done with their respective projects, they all helped lower the improvised casket into the ground, but left it open for the funeral. Bree had even found some wildflowers to put on the top of the casket. Isabella was touched they all seemed to care for a stranger, because it was important to her. They helped even though she was sure she could've managed all of it on her own. Yet for some reason they were all actively engaged in the process. Rosalie in particular seemed determined to help for reasons that Isabella couldn't quite understand.
"There's a screwdriver in there, that's good enough to do a crude engraving. What do you want it to say?" Rosalie asked, knowing she probably had the best chance of making it look good since she had a lot of practice working with hard materials.
"I'm honestly not sure. I think Eliza might want some input on that too... let me ask." Isabella pursed her lips a little, dithering over whether she wanted to risk interfering with Eliza's first time. So she opened up the connection a little bit to take a tentative peek, and found that the physical feelings seemed to have come to a relative stop, so they seemed to be done.
"So what do you want the tombstone to say?" Isabella's question seemed to come out of nowhere and startled Eliza. A look of embarrassment crossed Eliza's face. She was still in Leah's house and at the moment she was engaged in an active search for her clothes. She had half of an outfit still, although her shirt was a lost cause, and her bra seemed to have entirely disappeared.
"Um... hmmmm." Eliza balked, she liked Henry and knew some about him. He had been friendly and they had spent a bit of time together, yet in a very real way he was still mostly a stranger to her. They had known him for only two weeks before he was gone, which was barely enough time to form a deep friendship. "I think something like; Henry Jansen, the very best of men. You're spirit will never be forgotten, and you'll be forever missed."
"Hmmm, that may be too much Rosalie only has a screwdriver to engrave with." Isabella countered, feeling that the sentiment was right but the words were wrong. She was very deliberately not commenting on the sense of embarrassment she was feeling from Eliza through their connection.
"I could pick up some kind of chisel tool. We're bringing a caravan... the Quileute council and the entire pack are coming." Eliza said in a distracted and offhand manner. After a quiet invitation from Leah she was searching through her closet and dresser drawers for something that would not only fit her, but would look at least a little appropriate for a somber occasion.
"No I want it ready before they get here. Also I think we should address the fact that he was a part of a war he had no part in." Isabella looked at Rosalie who was now waiting impatiently for her to finish whatever she was doing. "She's thinking, just hold on a sec." She threw at a clearly surprised Rosalie. Rosalie in a mildly irritated gesture threw her hands up, and crouched back down over the now flat and slightly polished surface of the rock, visually measuring the surface area to account for proper lettering.
"Okay, how about; 'Henry Jansen, The Best of Men, Victim of a War He Had No Part In, Never Forgotten, Eternally Missed." Eliza frowned, she liked it but something about it felt off to her. Isabella thought it sounded perfect though.
"That sounds great. I'll see you soon. Oh and would you please do me a favor and make sure you tell your sister that it's not HER fault that she went through everything she just did." Isabella said as she looked over at Bree who was gleefully stacking wood in random piles in Jasper's newly created fire pit. The rest of the group were scattered, sitting on the logs set up around the fire pit as makeshift benches. Jasper and Adara both seemed deep in thought, Emmett was watching Bree and was clearly debating whether he should interfere and help her do it right.
There was a moment's silence and then a feeling of absolute mortification came through the bond. "Oh my God. I… I mean… she… you both felt… THAT!?"
"That would be a giant…. yes." Bree's voice came over the bond sounding a little miffed and slightly amused at the whole thing. "Maybe Mom does need to have a whole other sort of birds and bees conversation with you." Bree stopped in mid step, wondering if she had gone too far with the teasing, and looked at Isabella for reassurance, still holding on to a bunch of little branches. When Isabella actually grinned at her, she couldn't help but smile back as she dropped them on top of the rest of the large stack of branches that looked like it was about to collapse in on itself.
This time it was Isabella's turn to smirk, it wasn't often that she managed to tease Eliza, Bree's comment was pure icing on the cake. "Oh yes, obviously the physical part of the bond doesn't work just in battle. Needless to say… we need to teach Bree how to control some of the aspects of our connection. For all our sakes. Because I really don't want to know what both Clearwater's look like naked!"
"Hey! We haven't even kissed yet!" Bree shouted indignantly, a little too loudly through the bond. Eliza was too befuddled to laugh, but Isabella let out an audible guffaw, that drew the entire Coven's attention away from Bree who was turning an interesting shade of pink.
"I.. oh…um. Wow. Yeah... sorry Bree. That's totally my fault." Eliza was frozen in place at Leah's house, embarrassment covering her features. That was not how she'd intended to announce her relationship with Leah becoming official; and it certainly wasn't how she planned to let her mother of all people know that she was sleeping with someone.
"Totes... but that's okay." Breesaid back happily. She didn't have any actual problems with sex, even though she'd never done it herself. The fact that she had felt what Eliza was feeling was more of what had caught her off guard. Both Eliza and Isabella caught the mental shrug, and noted that she really wasn't a child, no matter how appealing it was to think of her as their baby. She may have been very naïve at times, and didn't seem to have any sort of understanding on how relationships worked. However, this was a teenager who had run away from home, and had survived the winter month's living on the streets. S he may have come across as young, but she wasn't even close to being a child.
"Totes?" Isabella asked Bree curiously.
"Totes... totally... it's a thing Mom. See you guys in a bit." Eliza said, cutting off the connection as Leah pulled on her pants. She was half tempted to make everyone wait, but Isabella's questioning had given her a mental kick to the butt to get her moving. Eliza grumbled slightly as she got moving, obediently if reluctantly.
"Rosalie engrave this; Henry Jansen, The Best of Men, Victim of a War He Had No Part In, Never Forgotten, Eternally Missed." Isabella said with a bit more emotion than she intended. Rosalie cocked her head curiously. It was clear to her that this man meant something to her, which meant he was important. That meant he deserved to be given a proper grave marker, and Isabella's suggestion didn't sit right with her.
"That seems, off. Who exactly are we burying?" Rosalie asked in a tender voice.
"He's the first casualty of the war the Volturi brought upon themselves when they tried to kill my family." Isabella was marginally shocked that Rosalie cared enough to ask for details, but it wasn't the first time she'd shown unexpected compassion today.
"Oh of course. You mentioned him before. What was he like?" She asked seriously.
"We don't have time to get into that now. The Quileute's will be arriving soon." Isabella dismissed her question with a wave of her hand, she didn't want to think about him.
"How soon?" Rosalie countered Isabella's dismissal easily.
"Twenty minutes." Isabella grunted out, her irritation with the pseudo-interrogation starting to show.
Rosalie ignored Isabella's mood, and pressed on. "That's enough time. Tell me about him."
Isabella frowned, then took a deep sigh. "Why? You didn't know him." Jasper had been watching and listening to the entire exchange, stood and moved over to them silently, but didn't say anything.
"No I didn't. Yet you obviously cared about him, or you wouldn't have gone to this amount of trouble." Rosalie motioned towards the grave, it had been quite a bit of work. If they had been human it would've been hours and hours of hard labor, as is, it took almost two hours to get everything set up just right. "I just want his permanent marker to reflect the man he was." Rosalie added with as much empathy as she could summon.
"I... thank you. I don't know. He, he was smart and knowledgeable. He had convinced Aro to keep him alive even though he knew about us. I knew he didn't want immortality, he had no interest in being like us. He was particular about things. I liked him." Isabella felt unequal to the task of describing the man she hardly knew. She even felt a little guilt that she hadn't bothered getting to know him better. At the same time, Rosalie actually caring this much was a new experience, and from her demeanor she seemed genuine. Isabella liked this side of her, and wondered why she had never seen it before.
"He was smart, he liked history and had a thousand stories. He kind of reminded me of a doting and friendly uncle type, but a sardonic one. Someone world weary, and well traveled. I have no doubt in my mind he served in some form of military at some point in his life. And I know he studied the human condition, and read extensively." Jasper filled in the gaps from Isabella's attempt, giving her a warm smile that showed he didn't hold her lack of information against her. She managed a small smile back.
"Let me think, I'll have something in a minute or two." Rosalie thought about how to phrase the memorial, as Jasper and Isabella watched her curiously. She felt a bit of pressure as they stared at her, but didn't let it get to her. "Alright I think I have it. How about; Henry Jansen. Storyteller, Scholar and Survivor. Friend and Compatriot. Fallen Before his Time. A Casualty in Someone Else's War. Always Remembered and Eternally Missed."
"That's... perfect. Rosalie... would you please use that." Isabella stared at Rosalie, as she started to change her opinion of other woman because of her continued displayed compassion. The thought wormed it's way into Isabella's head, maybe she had been wrong about her being an uncaring bitch all these years. The whole interaction gave her a lot to think about, as she turned towards the rest of the group to join Alice and wait for the council and pack to arrive. Except as she began to walk towards Alice, Alice gasped and then looked around at the group with a sudden deep frown.
"Oh shit, that'll never do." She scrunched her nose up making an icky face, and stood quickly. "I'm gonna get some clothes, we look awful." Isabella was about to protest, but shrugged as she looked around. They were all pretty filthy from the various tasks they had been performing.
"Getting to the mall and back before the Quileute's arrive isn't possible, and having them wait while someone shops for clothes is out of the question, what do you suggest?" Isabella frowned trying to figure out a solution. She didn't care so much about the dirty state of her clothes, but even she had to admit that attending a funeral looking like they did was disrespectful, and she very much wanted to send him off with the dignity and respect he deserved.
"Well, clearly we have to go back to the house. As a symbol, walking out was the right thing, it was hardly practical though." Alice suggested with a slight wince. She didn't love the prospect of facing Carlisle and Esme, or Edward.
"I don't have a problem with anyone getting things they need. I just don't think any of us should spend any more time in that house. Carlisle would be gracious, but I don't think we should make it seem like we're rubbing salt in the wounds. Especially with Edward around it would be dangerous for them." That hung in the air for a moment as everyone thought about their choices.
"I don't think Edward will be there, that fight didn't look like it was going to end well." Adara added, trying to offer something positive but regretted her choice of words immediately. Conjuring up Edward created an even longer silence, no one wanted to think about his numerous betrayals.
"I… don't have any other clothes." Bree spoke up after a second of silence. Alice smiled and moved over to Bree, making sure that physical contact was alright before pulling her into a friendly hug.
"Sometime this week I'll get you a whole big wardrobe." Alice said consolingly.
"Alice I assume you know everyone's sizes?" Isabella asked, somewhat rhetorically.
"Surely you don't doubt my skills?!" Alice's expression was one of mock horror before she grinned impishly at Isabella.
"Good, Rosalie would you mind going with her, just in case asshat decides to be a nuisance. If he tries… anything… feel free to indulge in an encore performance." Isabella grinned at the blonde with the friendliest tone of voice she had given her since returning to Forks.
"Trust me, that would be my pleasure." Rose actually managed a smile, then started off towards the Cullen house without another word. Alice gave Bree another squeeze and then pushed her back towards the logs and sticks she had been piling up for a bonfire.
Bree, couldn't stop the smile that pulled up her cheeks. She really felt loved and included as a part of something. It made her more happy than she ever remembered being, even before her mother disappeared. Nothing could've prepared her for being a part of a family like this, and she was living constantly in a state of blissful bewilderment, pleasant confusion, and a desperate hope that it was all real and she wouldn't wake up the next day in her father's home with a fresh set of bruises.
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Twilight descended on the scene, and a cool evening breeze blew through the clearing, with no hint of rain. Yet the wind was sweet, like the honeysuckles and seashore lupine, that smelled like grapes, had bloomed just for this moment... in a gesture to the memory of their fallen friend.
"They're coming." Bree announced proudly, practically chirping. She had been trying to better learn to use her senses, as Rosalie had been teaching her the finer points of focus over the previous week. She could hear the faint sound of tires on gravel as a look of puzzlement crossed her face. "But they're driving?" The last part of her announcement was more statement than it was question. She looked up from the fire she was carefully coaxing into life. She had discovered that even though she had plenty of wood, getting it started presented a bit of a problem. Emmett eventually gave up the idea of letting her figure it out on her own, and had stepped up and shown her how.
"Most of the Quileute Council are human, thus cars. I bet Eliza decided to ride with them rather than run back here." Isabella was sitting next to Rosalie and Alice who had returned with four suitcases full of clothes after only fifteen minutes, leaving a few minutes for everyone to get ready. When they arrived back, Alice looked a little disappointed, probably because she couldn't take her whole closet. Thankfully their acquisitions, liberated from the Cullen's house were all "barely acceptable", in Alice's opinion, for the event. Alice did manage to find a nice dress for Bree, mostly because they were similar in size and shape.
Alice had found a black dress she thought that Isabella would look good in, even as something worn to a funeral. However Isabella had adamantly refused to wear it. She stated very clearly that, "She did not wear dresses. Ever." Instead she picked out an all black ensemble of slacks, and a simple black v-neck long sleeve shirt that was too large in the bust for her, because it originally belonged to Rosalie. Alice was going to argue the point further, but she knew it was pointless.
The following few minutes were quiet as Bree's attempts to build the fire provided a bit of a distraction for everyone. Then the first car in a parade of trucks and cars pulled down the gravel drive to the house.
It took several minutes for them all to filter in towards the fire that Bree had begun. Eliza was the first out, along with Seth and Leah. The trio made their way over without waiting for the rest of the party. Without prodding Seth eagerly stepped up to help Bree with the fire, taking over for Emmett who then moved over to sit with Rosalie. He started by showing her how to make it a large bonfire by organizing the wood strategically instead of just stacking it haphazardly. However there wasn't any other conversation.
As the group settled, some of the Quileute's glared at Jasper, Adara, Rosalie, and Emmett, and some even tossed an occasional glare at Alice. The silence stretched as some of the Quileute's set up chairs instead of opting to sit on one of the logs near the fire. Most of the Quileute's liked Henry from their interactions with him over the past week, and as they all filed in, they waited solemnly in respect for the funeral to begin.
When the last Quileute made their way over to the fire, Isabella stood and moved towards the grave site ten meters away. The descending twilight and the now growing fire created a strange glow over the scene. No one spoke as they moved from the fire to gather around the hole, waiting for her to start. Jacob noticed the engraving and allowed a soft smile, he hadn't expected the leeches to get something like that right.
Then Isabella started speaking solemnly. "I'm not a word smith, so I'll keep this short. I first want to thank all of you for coming. I'm sure Henry would've been touched at the show of friendship and respect. Henry, I'd like to think that those here that knew you contributed a lot to the life we were starting to build here, and in the short time we knew you Henry, you brought us many unexpected things. It's hard to express how I personally feel, I didn't know you as well as I would've liked to. I know that this conflict, wasn't your fight. You were caught in fires stoked by cowards, who couldn't fight us directly. For that I'm truly sorry, if we had known how easily... no that isn't how you should be remembered."
She trailed off for a few seconds, looking awkwardly around before continuing, unexpected grief choking her up momentarily. "You were a good man, you made humans real to me again, I know that sounds strange, but I haven't interacted with any since I was human. I know you weren't afraid of death, and that immortality wasn't something that interested you. So I hope you've found out what lies on the other side of the curtain. I hope you find the answers you seek, even though I wish you hadn't started that quest to find them quite so soon." Her voice drifted off and silence descended once more.
Eliza's voice spoke up quietly after a few long moments of respectful silence, her voice was full of emotion, and if she hadn't let it out earlier she knew she'd be sobbing incoherently. "You were my first human friend. It was a pleasure to know you. I'm sorry we brought this on you." Eliza seemed to be at a loss for words for a few moments before she murmured. "We had a Batcave and you were our Alfred. I hope you know what you meant to us. We'll miss you." Eliza looked down in embarrassment as several confused expressions were directed her way. A few others seemed to understand the comment.
It was Quil's voice that rose solemnly, bringing the gravity of age with it. "You helped care for members of our pack when they were injured. You gave freely of yourself and yours to help us. May your spirit travel the winds freely. And may any spirits you encounter, know that you were named a friend of the Quileute's."
Silence descended once more.
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Author's note: Wooohoo! Chapter!
1) Once again, this chapter started VERY small and grew into alot more. But I'm happy about it. I don't think we're adding size or details just for kicks. I think they add to the story. Once again, i wrote something small and said "I hate this" and Samantha wrote a FABULOUS chapter. So once more thanks go to her for her AMAZING work.
On that note, thank you to those of you who took a chance to read our other collaboration and left reviews. As I said in the last chapter the other story is VERY AU and totes non-canon. But I hope you'll give it a chance. The second chapter has gone up!
title: Secrets and Covenants
www dot fanfiction dot net /s/9082301/1/Secrets-and-Covenants
2) I don't often do this but there was a guest review put up last chapter. It was very offensive and I deleted it. If you want to be a jerk about the writing that's fine, I *LOVE* constructive criticism. But I won't accept insults. When you're just trying to offend because the story doesn't go the way you wanted and you do it anonymously, I would appreciate you just moving on.
One thing I would like to respond to that reviewer however. I said that this story is a Bellice. That much is true. However, I have stated several times it's a STORY with lots of plot, that INCLUDES a Isabella and Alice romance. That is NOT the only point of this story. This also includes a Leah/Eliza romance and THAT is also not the only point of the story. It will include other relationships both romantic and platonic that may or may not get much scene time. I'm sorry if you read this and the only thing you're looking for is a Bella/Alice romance and Bella/Alice smut. There is NOTHING wrong with that, I enjoy reading that stuff if the mood strikes me. However that's not what this story is. We're taking the world in a whole bunch of fun directions with lots of exploring to do.
3) Samantha Minuet's Co-Author's Note: This started as such a short scene, but we felt that it needed to be an ending scene instead of a starting one. So what started as 1500 words grew into what it is now. It was another one of my projects again, as Kathryn worked on the next two (including something between a certain couple you all have been waiting for). I hope you all like it. Adara finally got some screen time, and I apologize if she isn't exactly like we've portrayed her before. To be honest she wasn't fully fleshed out until now, so expect her to have a bit more of a voice moving forwards. Until next time!
4) She's right, we fleshed out Adara much more in this chapter I've neglected her. If anyone is curious what the visual reference is for her We're happy to share! I also made a few minor adjustments to the last chapter. Thank you to those who pointed things out to me!
5) I hope you're enjoying the ride. More twists and turns and fun to come! *maniacal laughter*
6) Please read and review! Our stated and unabashed goal is 5k reviews. Even short ones help, but we LOVE long ones and they get you shout outs here!
Next Chapter- A new arrival!
