~ Chapter 41 ~
Lately I've been skeptical
Silent when I would used to speak
Distant from all around me
Who witness me fail and become weak
Life is overwhelming
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
I'd love to be the one to disappoint you when I don't fall down
But you don't understand when I'm attempting to explain
Because you know it all and I guess things will never change
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"So… Mei's partner is "Kira". It must be killing you to not mention the connection." Alice said playfully to Eliza as they walked back towards their places around the fire pit.
"I tried that crack once, she's not a Trek fan, and neither is Mei so they didn't understand a single thing I was talking about. Besides, isn't DS9 your schtick?" Eliza kept the smile from crossing her face, but she was clearly amused.
"I was just partial to Sisko. He was by far the best lead in any of the Trek series'. You see, not being able to sleep does have some advantages, like being able to binge watch a show on disc. Still I'm not really that much of a sci-fi nut." Alice replied casually.
Eliza pursed her lips in mild irritation, and narrowed her eyes to regard Alice with a bit of an incredulous glare.
Alice took in her expression after a moment and panicked. She had been talking casually in the hopes of building a connection with Eliza and inadvertently put her foot in her mouth. Her voice went up an octave, as she started to explain rapidly. "I didn't mean to insult you! I like nuts, especially since, if you want to get technical about it, I am one."
Alice saw Eliza's raised eyebrow at that, so she continued. "When I was still human, at some point I was actually committed to an asylum... not that I remember that far back. Your mom actually managed to help me find out about my past. I'm sorry I didn't mean insinuate you were like me or anything, or... I mean I didn't mean to... hmph... sorry." Alice stumbled over her apology.
Eliza had to stifle a giggle. It was so endearing, and it was clear that Alice was attempting to build a foundation for a relationship with her. Eliza paused in mid-stride, stopped Alice in place, and forced her to face her. "I wasn't upset about the nut comment. I will totally cop to being a geek. I was irritated that you said he was by far the best lead. I mean… the only one in my opinion that was worse was Janeway. Talk about a captain that shoulda been tossed out of an airlock. Picard was far and away the best Captain."
Alice blinked at that and then couldn't help a giggle that escaped her, "An excellent actor, but a French Captain with an British accent who never gave me the impression of being very strong. Sure he was a great diplomat and politician, but Sisko had those skills, and could punch a Klingon in the face and actually knock him out."
Eliza sighed in mock exasperation and shook her head slightly. "Heathen. However... one nut to another... was the Q episode totally superfluous?" Eliza asked with just as serious a tone of voice as Alice had.
"Ugh. Q. Omnipotent being. Omnipotent being short hand for arrogant, pretentious, and a total asshole. At least the actor got the role nailed down to a perfect science. Actually come to think of it, I saw him in something else, and he played basically the exact same character. I wonder if he really was a pretentious self-important jerk." Alice shuddered a little bit in revulsion and shook her head.
"Totes." Eliza agreed as they sat down. Eliza was sitting for less than a second before she started to look around. Leah and Seth were already climbing into one of the cars with the rest of the Quileutes that were set to leave. She frowned, and immediately stood back up, blurring over to them before they had a chance to close their doors.
Upon reaching the vehicle, Eliza reached out and grabbed Leah's hand as she reached out to close the door of the truck. Leah looked up startled, but smiled as Eliza started to pull her back out with a gentle but insistent tug.
Leah tilted her head curiously once her feet were on the ground, and idly reached up to brush a bit of Eliza's hair out of her face. "What's the matter? I figured we'd meet at Jacob's after you had your coven meeting."
Eliza looked uncertain for a moment, shooting a glance back at the fire where the rest of the vampires were gathering. Her eyes went to her mother, and saw the way she had her fingers intertwined with Alice's. She squared her shoulders and looked back at Leah. Her voice was clear and firm, almost stubbornly making a point, well aware that what she said could be heard by anyone and everyone. "This directly affects you. You're… my girlfriend! My life affects yours, so you should be a part of this too." Eliza looked down and her voice dropped a little bit. "I want you to be in my entire life. Not just a part of it."
Leah's eyes were wide at the blunt admission, and the grin that broke across her face was huge. She hesitated a few moments as she tried to think of a sufficient response. When none came to mind, she reached out, gripped the front of Eliza's borrowed shirt and jerked her forward to kiss her firmly, almost roughly.
Eliza let out a soft "mmph" of surprise and then melted into her girlfriend's passionate embrace, heedless of several catcalls from shifters and two loud whistles, one of which she was sure came from Emmett.
Isabella hesitated for several moments, first at Eliza's announcement, and then the rather exuberant follow up display. However, she wasn't particularly surprised. Her mouth quirked up slightly in a miniscule smile at the public display of affection, before she nodded slightly.
She sensed embarrassment from the bond, and she turned to look at Bree who was shifting slightly in her seat on the longest log bench, trying to look anywhere but at the couple. Isabella mentally sighed, reminding herself that she needed to teach Bree how to block emotions and physical sensations, and soon. She eyed her squirming daughter for several seconds before lifting her voice to call out with a sigh. "Seth, I know you can hear me. You might as well join us too, since it's probably easier than Bree relating the entire meeting to you word for word."
Isabella could tell from the immediate smile on Bree's face, and the relief flowing through the connection, that Bree would probably have asked for him to stay too, but couldn't quite work up the nerve. It was something that Isabella found to be both mildly disappointing, that she didn't have the courage to pursue her own desires yet, and extremely endearing.
Bree's innate sweetness, and the blunt but innocent way she reacted to most things, was simply delightful. It meant that she wasn't nearly as damaged as she should've been, or that by giving her a family that would love and protect her made all the difference in the world. Eliza may have made the decision to save her and bring her into the bond, but it made Isabella's decision to bring Bree into her heart worth it in every way possible.
Most of the Cullen's displayed at least a touch of surprise at the mention of Seth, except for Rosalie, but none of them said anything. Seth glanced away from Leah to look at Isabella in surprise. Though his eyes only remained on her for a second before being drawn to Bree as if my a magnet and he blushed, but he did step away from the truck. He moved back close to the bonfire, the intensity of which was slowly dwindling, taking an empty seat next to Bree.
He felt self-conscious for a few moments, feeling so many eyes on him, but a quick glance around told him most of the eyes had been drawn back to where his sister was busy trying to devour Eliza's face. He looked at Bree for several moments, his eyes drifting down to her hands which were twisting slightly in her lap. He was unsure if it was the right moment for that kind of contact, but after a couple of seconds his question was answered when Bree slid her own hand into his, interlacing her fingers with his, and squeezing gently. She seemed to stiffen a little as she did this especially so publically, and he had to stifle his own reaction of excitement.
The movement wasn't lost on Isabella, who smiled at her daughter's resolve. She berated herself for judging Bree too quickly, and made a mental note to not underestimate her in the future. Then in an effort to get bring her other daughter's attention back to the present, Isabella lifted her voice again slightly, "Eliza…"
"Oh don't stop them on our account, I never object to a show." Kira interjected her voice coming out in a suggestive purr. She had forgone sitting in an offered seat, and instead seemed more comfortable half draped over the back of Mei's shoulders, arms loosely encircling her neck. She let her eyes roam over the two kissing women, and murmured "Sekushi." in Mei's ear, quietly, but still loud enough for those sitting around the fire to hear, even if they couldn't understand.
By contrast Mei was sitting rigidly with her back straight as she observed the area. She seemed to have no objection to Kira's position, nor did her face betray any surprise to either the position Kira took, nor the comment she made. She observed the two impassively, eyes only lingering a moment as she seemed to give everyone else present the once over.
Isabella finally got impatient enough, and her amused voice floated through to Eliza's unfocused mind. "Ahem... Would it be possible for you two to examine each other's tonsils later? I would kind of like to get on with this meeting."
That seemed to be enough of an impetus to cause Eliza to pull back, she looked around the group with an embarrassed smile, though as they made their way over to the fire pit that she was pressed against Leah's side. It was her way of making it clear that she had no intention of hiding or being embarrassed about her connection to Leah. Her gaze met her mother's for a moment, almost challenging her to say something about such a brazen public display of affection, and then her gaze faltered slightly when she saw the small smile curve the corner of Isabella's lips.
She smiled shyly as the two of them settled onto one of the logs around the fire. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away."
The group gathered on one side of the fire for the most part, mostly keeping to the same spaces they had been when the Quileutes had been there. Isabella made a motion to spread out, to give everyone some space. So they did, albeit a bit reluctantly. Once everyone was settled in their new places, all eyes turned towards Isabella, waiting for her to make the first move.
Isabella cleared her throat, more from the need to signify a starting place than any actual physical need, "Okay, I don't really know how a full coven meeting is supposed to go. It's not really something the Volturi ever did. So pardon me if there's some sort of parliamentary procedure or protocol I'm missing, although I honestly don't care about shit like that. I... think I'm going to start by asking a question, which I'll direct at the former members of the Olympic Coven. I'm not going to ask this delicately, because honestly, I have no idea how."
Isabella paused a moment to look around. "Have you all lost your fucking minds?"
That seemed to startle all of the Cullen's present except for Alice, while Isabella continued, her voice seemed to be filled with one part anger and one part genuine befuddlement. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I have to confess to being confused. All those years ago, you all left without looking back, happily putting me in the rearview mirror. Without even a freaking goodbye. No phone call, no note, no nothing."
"Fast forward ninety years… and all of a sudden you're willing to break away from Carlisle and Esme in order to follow me, while I publically challenge the most powerful coven in the world? It doesn't make sense, no matter what Edward has done. Alice and I have talked, and I understand her motivation. The rest of you though? I'm not trying to sound… unwelcoming or anything, it's just more than a bit... unexpected and confusing. Can someone please clue me in?" Isabella looked around at the gathered vampires, eyes running over every former member of the Cullens one by one.
There was silence for several seconds. Most of the vampires looked somber, though Mei and Kira looked around curiously, and Adara's expression was a combination of sympathy and shared puzzlement.
It was Rosalie who stood up and took a couple of steps forward, she seemed to gather herself, staring into the fire for several long moments before lifting her head and her amber eyes met Isabella's crimson orbs unflinchingly "You're absolutely right. We screwed up royally. I won't try and deny it. I won't try and make any excuses about being manipulated and outright lied to, even though we were betrayed in the same way you were. Which is something that I can tell you, I will never forgive, or forget. However, we did leave, and we left of our own volition. I can only speak for me and Emmett for sure, but I can say this, we're sorry Isabella. We were wrong."
That rocked Isabella back on her heels slightly though Rosalie wasn't finished. For once Rosalie seemed to be flustered, but she didn't drop her eyes from Isabella's for a moment; intent on facing the issue head on. "Leaving you like we did was stupid, we brought you into this life. Edward might have started it, but we all accepted you. Even if we didn't always have the best way of showing it."
Rosalie looked abashed for a moment and then looked down at the ground for a moment before murmuring, "Okay, even if I didn't have the best way of showing it. You became part of our family. We all knew it too, except him. Whether you knew it or not, you changed us, brought fresh air to a life that had become stagnant and stale. Something in our family broke when we left you, and we've been going through the motions of a family ever since. We pretended everything was okay, wallpapering over cracks as they appeared. Every one of us missed you, Esme and Alice in particular were practically inconsolable for months."
Rosalie's voice turned thoughtful for a moment as her face became contemplative, "I wonder if that bothered him all the time. Being able to read our thoughts and knowing that everyone was more concerned about you, than we were about him and his, pain."
Rosalie snorted a little bit in amusement before meeting Isabella's eyes again. "We were going through the motions and none of us were whole, much less happy. That's why when we understood the extent of Edward's absolutely heinous betrayal, it was the final straw, for me at least. I feel bad for Carlisle and Esme but they aren't helpless, and they will survive us leaving. They just have to figure out whether they can continue pretending that the perfect Edward was ever real. You know it's funny. I haven't been able to speak civilly to Edward for decades, and today I finally figured out why. I freely admit that I never wanted you, but you added something fundamental to our lives, like you made us a more complete as a family. After you were gone, it was like something was amputated, and we never even saw the cut."
Rosalie continued to meet Isabella's penetrating gaze, "I guess it's no secret that I didn't help back then, and I won't lie and say you were my favorite person. I always detested how you seemed to have no backbone, giving in to anything and everything Edward wanted. I wanted you to have a family, and not take the seemingly easy path because it seemed more attractive at the time. I wanted you to have the choice to be a mother; in part because I never could be. I know that's selfish, but I couldn't help it. That's why I pushed you away. Now, you are so strong, and your daughters are both wonderful. You are the mother... perhaps the person I always thought you could be. I wish we had been there to help you, because you clearly went through something dark and it changed you in some way. I don't know how to say this without being condescending, but I'm so proud of you. Of the woman you've become. Even without help, you were able to work past that darkness enough to raise Eliza here, who has turned out to be a smart and capable woman."
Isabella was absolutely stunned speechless. Her mouth was left hanging open slightly as she stared at Rosalie.
Eliza blinked at Rosalie in astonishment, "I... did she compliment me?"
"I told you she's been really cool to me." Bree said defensively.
Rosalie glanced at Eliza and gave her a warm smile, and then her eyes crossed over Bree and beamed an even larger amount of affection. "For me, joining this Coven is finally acknowledging that you are family. More than that… despite our disagreements, one thing I could always trust in was that you were always honest. Something I sure as hell can't say about Edward. I think, If we had stayed, there probably would have been an attempt to pretend nothing had changed, even if only Alice had walked away. Edward would have tried to spin the whole thing to make himself look good. He would have tried to get us all to move past it, and convince us that we were 'better off'. The sad part is, I can't say that Esme and Carlisle wouldn't have gone along with it. Esme loves having a family more than anything else. I could see her trying to maintain that fiction even in her own mind."
"I'm not willing to do that, I can't just pretend everything is okay… that Edward is the same man I once thought he was. He's been lying about his true nature for two hundred years, that's... that's beyond betrayal. I know I can trust you, and Eliza, and I can't deny that I've grown very fond of Bree. So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm proud to be a part of this coven, in ways I could never have been before. Carlisle saved me, and I always felt an obligation of love and familial connection to stay with him. Yet for the first time in my immortal life, I feel free, like I truly belong."
After Rosalie's speech all eyes seemed to shift as one to look at Isabella, who seemed frozen in surprise.
"I think she broke Mom." Bree said to Eliza through their connection, after the moments of silence stretched out.
"I don't know. Why don't you try poking her with a stick? That might work." Eliza shot back, though her eyes were also on her mother, although she was suppressing her growing worry from transmitting through their connection.
"You first." Bree shot back.
Isabella stared at Rosalie for several silent seconds that stretched out past a minute, as everyone took in what she had said. Rosalie met Isabella's stare with her shoulders squared, and her head held high, as if she was daring someone to question her declarations. Isabella gave her a small smile, and nodded once at her. Isabella wasn't sure she could quite believe what she had just heard, because it cut into some deeply held beliefs. If Rosalie was telling the truth, and it appeared that she was, they hadn't thought of her as a pet and leaving her was not as easy as she imagined.
She blinked as a thought occurred to her. Rosalie had never lied to her. She had never tried to pretend she liked her or tried to be gentle or friendly. She made her dislike known rather pointedly on many occasions. But a part of Isabella had always respected that. She wouldn't pretend to be your friend, and then try and put a knife in your back. No, if Rosalie was going to try and hurt Isabella she'd do it from the front. Was it really all Edward's manipulation? They had still chosen to leave, so they were still to blame for what happened.
"Maybe their choice wasn't that simple mom. I've hated them for what they did to you too... but they're here. They chose to follow you, knowing the danger, even after everything that's happened." Eliza said to her mother.
Isabella immediately tried to shut off her side of the connection. She hadn't realized that she had been broadcasting her confusion and conflict. She was struggling to keep up her impassive façade, especially confronting this maelstrom of emotions. She didn't want this coven meeting to be highlighted by her breaking down publically, so she ruthlessly quashed the conflict inside her, even though a part of her suddenly felt like it had been rubbed raw.
Isabella clenched her jaw and turned her attention from Rosalie to Emmett, who merely cocked his head toward Rosalie to make it clear that she spoke for them both. Isabella's eyes moved on to fix on Jasper and Adara. "What about you two? Adara doesn't even know me."
"For me, this is a fresh start. I've been an outsider for half a century, and that's a really hard place to be despite the support I get from my mate. I love Jasper, but I'm not willing to stay in the shadows anymore. Being the 'new girl' can get really old. This is an opportunity for me, to finally be me without feeling like I'm forcing my way into coven that's already been established for like a century and a half.." Adara said with clear honesty.
Jasper took a couple of deep and troubled breaths as he realized something he hadn't recognized before. Adara was sitting straighter, her eyes were wider, her expression more open. Her body language was clear, and the emotions flowing from her just confirmed everything that the rest of his senses were telling him. She was happy, worried, and scared about the future, but happy.
When Jasper spoke, it was calm and contemplative. "When I found out about the mass exodus to your Coven I confess that I was more than a little bit incensed. Then I heard what Edward was encouraging the Volturi to do, and it made me realize I couldn't stay either. Even if I wasn't doing what I feel is right, I couldn't stay. Even if the rest of the family was staying, I would've had to go in the end, because after what I heard, all my worst fears about Edward were confirmed. If I stayed I wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to attack him sooner or later, and that would've destroyed Esme even more. She needs time to accept what he is, and then maybe she will understand why he needs to be...
He shook his head a little bit, "No, it isn't my place I don't think. Although he betrayed all of us, it was you and Alice that were wronged the most. Leaving is hard, because Carlisle and Esme are family. But maybe it's a testament to how most of us have lived for years. This just makes the decision easier, we may not be blood relations or anything, but I love my siblings. I'm not going to abandon them now. Also I think Adara's right. This is a fresh start for all of us. More than that, I agree with Rosalie. I didn't like being around you as a human, but not because I didn't like you. I think you'll recall that it was really hard for me to be around any humans because I was always fighting the temptations of blood, and I was still learning to control my thirst. Still I grew very fond of you in the short time we had to interact, and I hated how we left you behind. I even brought up the dangers that Victoria might've presented, but Edward brushed off my concerns, saying you'd be-" He cut off his words suddenly as he sensed a sudden burst of pure rage from Isabella. A question finally answered in his mind, Victoria did have a part in the person standing before him. How big a part was something he needed to figure out, although the time was hardly right for those kinds of questions.
"I... that... no." Isabella looked at Jasper fiercely, a creeping feeling of overwhelming emotions clouding her ability to think straight. Isabella had tensed up and her fists had clenched tightly, and once more the shadows began to lengthen and the world darken, the rage building at the mere mention of Victoria, until suddenly she felt Alice's fingers reach out to brush the back of her hand. The effect on her emotions was instantaneous, and the shadows immediately vanished as most of the tension disappeared.
"Mom, it's okay. He was just making a point, He doesn't know any better." Eliza's voice whipped in her mother's mind almost immediately, knowing what the problem was. Then she noticed Alice touching her mother, and realized that maybe she no longer needed to be Isabella's sole pillar of emotional support.
It felt almost like something was lifted from her shoulders, not like she was shedding a burden, but more like someone was helping to carry that weight finally. Bree had helped a little, but she wasn't there emotionally like Alice obviously was. Isabella had someone to lean on that wasn't someone that she needed to protect as well, at least not like a child. It was a bit of a bittersweet revelation, but she would always be there for her no matter how big the circle of people who came to help support her grew. She would always be a central part of Isabella's life, just not the only part of her life anymore.
Deep inside that felt a little strange, and a selfish need cropped up for a brief moment. It took a minute to realize that a part of her didn't really want to share. However, she had Leah now, and Bree was very important in both of their lives. Her mother deserved love, and Eliza wasn't going to stop her from having that, especially now that she understood it.
"Isabella. I know this all probably sounds strange, maybe unreal, and you're right, I don't know you. About the only thing I do know about you now, is that I get the distinct impression things are never boring around you. Yet I heard your human story. Even though no one wanted to tell it. I gathered pieces of it for decades, from short exchanges and hushed conversations. Dancing around Edward's edict that you were a taboo topic. I even stared at your portrait trying to figure out who you were, and why you left such an impression on the family. To see you now, I think I understand." Adara gave her a very warm smile.
Isabella stared at her, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Isabella, it's okay. I couldn't explain before, how we all cared. I knew you had to hear it from the rest of the family." Alice said softly, as she stood and walked around to look up into Isabella's eyes.
Isabella looked at Alice, and then to everyone else. Her jaw clenching and unclenching in anger and confusion. She hated being this openly conflicted. "I... think... I guess… that why you left isn't... important right now." Isabella shook her head a few times, and reopened her connection to Eliza as she closed her eyes in frustration. With a ruthlessness that was almost reptilian she boxed her emotion away as she tried to regain her usual iron focus. She wasn't going to just ignore those new conflicts to her already sorted past, and pretend that they didn't exist, but she couldn't sort through them when she had to be in the here and now. She couldn't untangle her emotional turmoil in front of so many people. She couldn't stand for everyone to suddenly see her as weak and helpless, as she'd once been.
"Look, I can't say I'm thrilled about this situation. Wait… that came out wrong. I mean, it's just surprising, I wasn't even remotely prepared for this, so… I guess… for now I'm going to lay down some very simple ground rules, unless anyone objects." She opened her eyes to look around, but no one was speaking up to question her. This gave her just the right amount of strength to keep going, even though something deep inside was threatening to tear apart her concentration, as surging emotions, not so easily quelled fought against her self control.
"First, and this is especially true right now. No one goes off on their own without telling the others where they are going." Everyone nodded once in agreement, not that Isabella acknowledged them. She was too intent on getting out her thoughts.
"On second thought, until things settle down, I would prefer it if no one went anywhere without someone else; that includes hunting. I may be paranoid, but with the Volturi wanting us dead, whatever Joham's up too, not to mention Edward. I would be more comfortable if everyone has at least one person to watch their back. Groups of two I think should be mandatory, although I think at least three is better." She glanced around hoping that no one would be upset by the idea, but before she could continue Eliza interrupted.
"Mom! That's not fair!" Eliza's immediate protest sounded almost petulant. At the same time Bree let out a little huff of disgruntled frustration too.
Isabella rolled her eyes and held up her hand to cut off the objections, "I don't care if you're paired off with a significant other, as long as there are at least two of you. This is not some attempt to force you guys to have chaperones." Isabella smirked, but at the same time she wasn't entirely thrilled at the idea that her daughter's only protection might be someone that could steal all their attention. Thankfully her comment seemed to quell things rather quickly.
"Third, right now there are exactly four people whose skills I know well enough to trust in a combat situation. Myself and Eliza, Mei and Kira." At that, both Jasper and Emmett began to speak up in protest, but Isabella raised her voice and cut them both off.
"I'm not disparaging whatever skills you may have. I haven't seen any of the rest of you fight as vampires. I don't know how extensive, or solid your ability not only to engage an opponent, but be aware of your surroundings and adjust to unexpected circumstances. I'm more than happy to let any of you spar with me so I can figure out how competent you are. However, until I'm satisfied that there is a specific level of ability, I don't want any of you in the upcoming battle. I know what the minimum level the Volturi guard are trained to, if any of you want to be in that fight you need to be able to exceed that... otherwise you'll be nothing more than a speed bump to them. Since Bree is... rather adamant that she be a part of this, we're going to start training her shortly, and any or all of you are welcome to join us." Isabella looked around, clearly inviting any questions.
"I know how to fight, but after watching the two of you last week, I know I'm out classed in that department. I think I'd like to join Bree in training." Rosalie interjected thoughtfully, her eyes on Bree. She didn't want Bree being the only one learning, and had at least a little concern about how hard Isabella might push the girl.
Isabella nodded her assent, and then paused to make sure she had dealt with all objections before continuing. "Fourth, because of the nature of combat, should we find ourselves in that kind of a situation of any sort. I would ask that you to not question any instructions I give, or anything that Eliza tells you to do. If we order you to run, you should run. If we tell you to stay put, you should stay put. If Eliza tells you to start humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic, you don't waste time asking her what key she'd like it in. You can exact revenge afterward if she's being silly."
Eliza whistled innocently at that. Which drew Isabella's attention for a moment before she continued. She should've found that funny, in fact most of the rest of the coven smiled at her. Yet Isabella couldn't, she was too intent, to focused on the task at hand. Her emotional control was hovering at the red line, and all she wanted to do was finish this and get away long enough to center herself.
"Fifth, the Quileutes are family. Leah and Seth especially… but also Jacob and Tekali and the rest of their pack. We are in an alliance with them, and they are welcome in my home, our home. Whenever we actually get another one set up that is. I don't care what the status of relationships are. I don't care if you think someone smells. You want to joke around and tease, fine; as long as they're okay with it. You make any of them feel genuinely unwelcome and you'll answer to me." Isabella's expression was serious and didn't invite protests. Although she did seem to be rushing, her words growing ever so slightly closer together. Eliza frowned slightly at her mother but remained silent.
"Sixth and final. We've been a coven less than 24 hours, and there are almost 10 of us. Tensions are bound to occur. If you have a problem with someone, no matter who it is, you don't bury it and pretend everything is okay. You bring it up and address it. Even if it's with me. We'll do our best to resolve it. I will not allow backstabbing, or any sort of political bullshit." Her voice came out in a growl as she looked around, almost daring anyone to stand up and challenge her. Her exasperation with the situation showing more than a little bit, and Eliza tilted her head at her mother in concern.
Then Alice was next to her again, wrapping her fingers through hers, and a sudden rush of calm centered her almost completely. Isabella couldn't help but sigh slightly in contentment, she wasn't sure she would ever get used to that, not that she wanted to.
Her voice cleared up, and she looked around the group for the first time. "Those... rules, are non-negotiable for now. I don't know when things will ever calm down, but if they do we can figure out if these make sense then. I imagine other rules will come up in the future, but these are probably a solid place to start. Most anything else we do can be discussed. Is that understood?" She emphasized her question by meeting the eyes of everyone there getting a nod of agreement before moving on.
"Any questions?" She finally asked, squeezing Alice's hand slightly in silent appreciation.
"Where do Kira and I fit in?" Mei asked thoughtfully. "We aren't a part of your coven."
"Honestly, you're welcome to stay as long as you want, and I if things develop to the point where you want to join us we can figure it out then. I seem to have an aura that attracts people, maybe it's my bubbly personality. Until then, you are an ally. You will be welcome in our home... " Isabella trailed off, clearly leaving the floor open for anyone else to start talking.
It was Rosalie that jumped in first. "We need to get ourselves a house. As much… fun… as roughing it might be. I have to admit I'm partial to warm showers and clean rooms."
"Which leads us to a bigger problem, money to pay for that. Since Aro knows we survived, I have no doubt that one of his first actions was to cut us off from any and all account access to the Volturi trust." Isabella said.
Emmett burst out laughing at that, and there was smiles from most of the Cullen's. Alice was the one that spoke up, giving Isabella's hand a gentle squeeze, amusement on her face. "Money is not a problem at all. We've got plenty of it to suffice."
"If by plenty, you mean assets that rival the GDP of some large countries, then sure… plenty." Adara snorted and shook her head.
Isabella raised her eyebrow and couldn't stop the small smile that crossed her face. "That's good, because all we have is the clothes on our backs and even those are borrowed."
Adara nodded. "Also, although though none of us have Esme's artistic flair when it comes to architecture, between Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and myself we know enough about building to construct a house that would be more than adequate. Hell we can do it faster and better than any contractor you could hire."
"Not to mention the fact that they will just use insulation in the walls instead of high explosives. That gives them a leg up right there." Eliza deadpanned. Everyone laughed, even Isabella chuckled a little.
Alice's surprised everyone by clapping in a slightly over done and childish exclamation of excitement. "Major shopping trip! We'll need paint, and furniture, and appliances and new vehicles! And… oh... my... god…! We all need entire new wardrobes!"
Isabella ran a hand over her face and through her hair and sighed in exasperation.
Eliza laughed and took pity on her Mother, "Don't worry Mom. I know your size, and we know you want all black. You don't have to go shopping."
"Oh not even!" Alice's voice cut off Eliza. Alice pointed a finger seriously at Isabella. "I'm not going to let you off the hook that easily. Sticking with basic black? Absolutely wasting the possibilities of such gorgeous hair and perfect skin? Not on my watch."
Eliza laughed a little and shook her head, "It's no use Alice. Mom doesn't do clothes shopping. No force on Earth can compel her to go."
Alice frowned over at Eliza and then lifted her chin slightly, the words coming almost as a challenge to her. She turned towards Isabella in a deliberate manner and looked up into her eyes, "Please will you go clothes shopping with me? I really want you to come and… it would mean a lot to me if spent the time together... and got you outfitted for a new wardrobe in the process." Her smile was perfect, and impossible to resist.
Isabella looked down into Alice's eyes. To anyone watching it seemed like Alice was being playful, and teasing in a totally unsubtle attempt to get Bella to go shopping with her. That's what Isabella thought at first, but when she looked into Alice's eyes, the teasing sarcastic reply she formulated died on her lips. In Alice's eyes there was something other than playfulness. There was uncertainty… and hope... and concern.
It took Isabella a minute to understand that Alice was uncertain, that she didn't know if Isabella would want to go with her, especially since it wasn't something she'd ever really enjoyed doing. The hope was clearly that she would consent to go. She knew the concern was over her strange behavior, that no one except Eliza had picked up on. Although looking around both Rosalie and Bree looked at her with a touch of worry as well.
After a few moments Isabella groaned and put her head in her hands theatrically.
Eliza blinked several times at how her mom folded and then a wide grin crossed her face. "This is going to be the greatest shopping trip ever. Of all time!"
Isabella's groaned in mock pain again, which had everyone laughing. Even Eliza who sighed in relief. Isabella looked at Alice, who smiled at her, but wasn't entirely fooled. Her open expression was no longer full of uncertainty and unfulfilled hope, but her worry was still there.
Isabella looked at the group, and for the first time noticed that they didn't seem to pity or fear her. It made her wonder what had changed."One thing's for sure, I'm not wearing a dress." Isabella said in an attempt to keep the jovial mood from fading.
"One step at a time, but I bet I'll get you in a dress eventually." Alice said with a smile, although her expression shifted from happy to embarrassed for a fraction of a second. The shift was lost on Isabella, but Rosalie caught it and gave them both a happy smile.
"Clothes aren't the only things we need though. A house has literally a ton of necessities, and even more luxuries." Emmett added trying to be helpful.
"There is something not shopping related that has been bothering me If you don't mind the shift in conversation." Jasper spoke up, effectively cutting the discussion short.
"And that is?" Isabella asked dubiously, since Jasper was giving her a strange and slightly antagonistic look.
"Honestly? Your feeding habits. I cannot in good conscience go any longer without mentioning that killing innocents for blood goes against everything we believe in. Now I would never force our diet on anyone, but given our connection to you... I feel it's something we need to address now before everything else is settled."
"We don't kill if we can help it." Eliza spoke up in defense of their feeding habits.
"Your eyes would contradict that." Jasper said with a nod towards Isabella, and a less certain one toward Eliza as he paused taking in her violet eyes for the first time.
"Well, that's because we do drink human blood, but only from donated blood bags. We only feed on humans in dire circumstances." Eliza said with a touch of pride. "The stuff we get is cast off, marked to be destroyed or sent for testing. You can literally order it online, and a parcel service will deliver it to your doorstep."
Jasper frowned a bit, then nodded, seemingly at least partially satisfied with the answer. Then he looked to Mei. "I know we are only allies for now, but I would hope it's not too much to ask that you not feed in town."
"Of course, I have not killed a human outside those that I was ordered to, in over three centuries." Mei said with no hint of anger or indignation.
"How is that possible, or is that too personal a question?" Rosalie asked with genuine curiosity, even though her expression came off as a bit more incredulous.
"It is a personal question, but not a private one. I feed off of Kira, who regenerates her blood at such a rate that I never have to worry about draining her." Her formal way of speaking seemed to falter a little, and some real pride laced through her tone. Kira gave her a small squeeze around the midsection, and Mei managed a small smile.
"That's possible? What about your venom?" Eliza asked suddenly very curious.
"It takes a certain level of restraint, but yes it is possible. The venom can hurt a shifter, their body rejects it. The times I've failed to hold back, Kira got very sick for several days." Mei said with a touch of guilt. "She's built up relative immunity to it now."
Kira spoke up, "Yeah, it kind of sucks. Fever, hallucinations; actually the hallucinations were kind of fun, but mostly it was like a bad flu. Then my body burned it out, and I was fine. Now that I'm pretty much unaffected by it, it's actually sexy as hell when she gets worked up..."
"Although this is probably not the place for that line of thought." Mei interjected blandly. Kira looked a bit sheepish, but gave Mei a suggestive smile. Mei clinched her jaw slightly, but it was clear she was more embarrassed than angry.
"So, that blows about everything we thought out of the water." Adara said with a slight smirk, looking pointedly at the two other vampire-shifter couples. Eliza was looking at Leah with a questioning look, and Bree was keeping her gaze away from Seth entirely.
Leah mouthed, "later" to Eliza, but didn't say no. Eliza nodded once, and didn't make an issue of it.
"That does beg the question. I know that technically you aren't hurting people, but our diet is more than that. It allows us to curb or instinctual need for human blood, and it is a symbol for our ways of life. It also allows us to pass for human more easily, I think we give off less creepy vibes because we don't feed from humans." Alice said in an upbeat, but serious tone.
"I need to think about it personally, but I won't speak for my daughters, it's their choice." Isabella really thought about it for the first time. When she emerged from the ground, she was practically rabid. Killing felt natural. When Eliza entered her life, she tried to change for her. Sticking to blood bags as an alternative was a good compromise.
In the years that followed, they had only killed maybe a dozen humans, and Isabella made a point that the ones they did feed off directly were hardly good people. She had never thought to follow the Cullen's way of life, because she wanted to get as far from that memory as possible. Now, after everything... she honestly didn't know what to do.
"I'm already exclusive to animals, I'm done with killing to feed." Bree said solemnly.
"You weren't to blame sweetie, that was a different life." Rosalie said to Bree with a parental smile, giving her a small hug and a smile of pride.
"I'll give it a shot, although I wonder if it isn't more of a moral choice. Is killing animals less of a crime than drinking from blood bags designated to be destroyed? I'm kind of ambivalent either way, but it's something to think about." Eliza said with a shrug.
"Food for thought, but I think that's settled for now. If there's nothing more, I'm going to get a little air before we have an invitation to go see Jacob." Isabella said putting an end to the conversation. It was the last thing she felt like doing, when all she wanted to do was get away from everyone.
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Oliver got about a hundred meters from Emma before turning to watch her go. She was so strong most of the time, that he often forgot that she was also very damaged. What that woman did to Emma was horrible, and it took most of his self restraint to not go on a world-wide search for her to end her miserable life.
He frowned as she disappeared around a building, and sighed slightly at the possibility of never seeing her again. She had never quite been a daughter to him, but they had never been able to get over their human connections and become something more than just friends. Instead they were family, and he loved her as almost a sister, ... the only thing that made that relationship awkward was their mutual parental love of Zoey.
Coming back to Zoey he turned and ran full tilt towards the apartment. She was still human, and therefore vulnerable. He used the cover of night to conceal his movements, and used rooftops where he couldn't avoid crowds. Until finally he reached their block, and made his way towards their apartment with a touch of nervous anticipation. This was the first day of another fresh start. If the Caravelli coven was about to break out into open warfare with another coven, getting the hell out of dodge was the only option. If it was vampire equivalent of a turf war, staying was not exactly conducive to long term health. Besides, Zoey would need time to adjust to her new existence, if she chose to become one of them.
He had been so sure that she would choose to be with them, that he never thought about the alternative. What if she didn't want to go through with it? The thought almost stopped him cold, it was an old worry, and he frowned again at the resurgence of it. There was no point in being indecisive, this was as good a time as any for her to choose one way or the other.
He moved through the building with ease, this was home, or at least he'd come to think of it as such. They had spent time in so many places over the years, but Chicago had become one of the places they felt like they fit in. Oliver wrapped his hand on the door knob of his home and stopped, the contact sent a flood of images through his mind, and the most recent was not only unexpected it was terrifying.
Zoey heard a knock on the door and pulling headphones out of her ears went to answer. The man standing in the doorway was a vampire, and nearly a newborn to boot. Oliver traced this strangers path to this point easily enough, he had followed Oliver's own scent trail from the crime scene where they were ambushed. Oliver kicked in the door without hesitation, knowing stealth was pointless at this point.
Zoey was laid out on the dining room table, that ended up being used for work more often than not. Several half-empty cartons of Chinese takeout were knocked over on the floor. The vampire stood over her, a single finger on her throat.
"I let go of this, and she dies quickly. So keep coming, I dare you." He smiled maliciously at Oliver, who was restraining himself from leaping at the vampire. His only hope was that this newborn had bitten into her. If he had, then the venom would seal the wound. He wanted to laugh at that irony, in this idiot's attempt to keep her alive long enough to threaten Oliver, he might have inadvertently saved her life.
"Did she taste good?" Oliver asked with a casual smile, he wanted to make it seem as though her life meant nothing.
"Actually she was delicious, what do you feed her?" The vampire responded with some attempt at wit. It was enough though, Oliver knew he was too young not to have spread his venom... so Oliver launched himself at the man who hurt his adopted daughter. He used his momentum to fly over the table, and into him before he could react. Age did have some perks, like the advantage of speed and control over strength.
He didn't waste time, and before his opponent knew what was happening, Oliver had removed his head from his shoulders with an efficient twist. He looked at the decapitated monster and stomped on its skull once, shattering it into a dozen smaller pieces. Then he leaned over Zoey, and sighed in relief that her neck wasn't oozing blood.
"I'm here sweetie, I know it hurts but it won't be forever." He turned away from her reluctantly, and headed for the safe in his bedroom closet. He grabbed their important files and bank account documents, Emma's diaries, old passports and ID's, and Zoey's birth certificate and pictures of her human family. Along with a few old pictures of his own human family, and Emma's.
Then he grabbed his emergency bag, and then went to Emma's and Zoey's rooms and gather their emergency bags as well. He put them all on the floor near the table where Zoey was laying. Before retrieving some lighter fluid and a box of wooden matches. The Venom always accelerated the fire, leaving almost no trace of a vampire's remains. He hoped the fire wouldn't spread too far, but he couldn't think about that. He'd pull a fire alarm when he exited the building just to be safe. He sprayed the flammable liquid over the body and quickly lit a match and flicked it onto the body as well. The blaze was immediate and large, and the purple smoke quickly began to fill the room.
He gently picked up Zoey, retrieved the bags, and made a beeline to the stairs, which he was well aware didn't have surveillance, to the parking garage where he had an escape vehicle. Zoey didn't make a sound through the entire process, even though he knew from experience that she was going through something far more excruciating than the worse pain he had ever felt as a human.
He took the long route, making sure to take several abrupt turns and twists to be absolutely sure no one was following him, and made it to Uriel's after a very long hour. He wanted to find out if she was alright, he couldn't imagine his life without Emma. She was family. She was his sister, his friend, the person he trusted most in the world. He made it to the door, and before he could even turn the handle she opened it. She looked like she had freshened up, and he realized he smelled like he had taken a swim in the river, and then been around a fire.
"Hey you." Emma said with a smile. "Hug later, you smell like a shoe dropped in a sewer. Wait, where's Zoey?" Emma looked towards the SUV with fear, but Oliver shook his head.
"She isn't dead. One of them was there and bit her." He frowned, and she sighed in relief. He wasn't thrilled that her choice was stolen from her, but at least she was alive. He was relatively sure that she would have made the same choice, only wishing that it wasn't some strange newborn who had bitten her, but someone in her family that she trusted.
"I'll get her. Uriel is already working on new ID's." She moved past him towards the big black monstrosity of a car, and he went inside with a strange sense of hope. This was the beginning, they were alive, and they were together. It didn't know what was going to happen next, but he wasn't sure he cared.
Oliver made his way inside and took a quick shower and changed into something that didn't smell exactly like Emma described. He would've retched if he were human. He was half tempted to set the entire outfit on fire, but instead opted to shove it all in a large black contractors trash bag. Then he went downstairs to find everyone in the living area.
"The Caravelli's are gone. I was too late." Emma said as he settled behind Uriel so he could watch what he was doing. She was sitting in a large desk chair, dressed far more casually than normal in dark jeans and a simple black tee-shirt with no logo.
Zoey was unconscious on Uriel's overstuffed black leather couch. Oliver sat on a quarter wall that separated the spacious living room from the dining room that served as Uriel's office. There was a large bank of computer monitors with hundreds of programs running, flat screen televisions with a dozen different channels on ranging from three different sporting events, business news, local news, national news, and a couple of international news channels. All at medium volume. The main monitor he was using had a template program running, that he was currently futzing with it to get the typeface updated to the current federal regulations.
Uriel was one of the best identity forgers in the country. It had nothing to do with him being an artist or being able to match fonts on driver's licenses and passports. It had nothing with him being able to match the holograms, the paper type or look of any identifications. Any half decent forger could make a passport or license that looked good enough to pass even more than casual inspection.
No the genius behind Uriel was twofold. His identities were always clean. It would hardly be good to get an identity, only to find out that the identity you had picked up was wanted for murder in some state. The second, and equally as important piece was that his identities were always complete. If someone did a background check on the history Uriel provided; that background would not only come across as clean, but absolutely real. Including no criminal history, educational background and diplomas, even tax histories if someone looked deep enough. He was careful not to make it look too spotless though, dropping in a parking ticket, or a speeding ticket here and there. He even provided a record of medical insurance.
It also explained why Uriel was able to charge an arm and a leg. He was worth every penny and he knew it. He was a thin man, turned in his early thirties. He always wore dark glasses to hide his eyes, that way he didn't have to put up with stupid contact lenses, or at least that was his excuse. Emma always thought it was because he was lost in a movie from the last century. He had long dark hair that was usually pulled back into a pony tail, although it was currently out around his shoulders. When Emma made the announcement, he seemed to freeze for several seconds before turning his head. "Okay that's it. I'm going to ground. After this job I'm out for a while, until this shit blows over."
Emma frowned. "What if we need your services?"
He gave her a smirk, and reached into his pocket to retrieve a business card. "Use this number, leave a message and I'll get back to you. But don't expect a quick response." His smirk faded as he returned to his work.
"That's fine Uriel, I imagine we won't need you again for a decade or so." Oliver said with a frown.
"Sounds good to me. Things should have more than calmed down by then." Uriel said distractedly.
"That's all nice and fine, but I'm afraid the Caravelli's are not the only coven that has fallen. Covens all over the world seem to be under siege or are simply disappearing." Emma elaborated with a deepening frown. Her dark expression gave Oliver a bad feeling.
"Who's doing it?" He asked a bit rhetorically. He didn't expect Emma to have any answers.
It was Uriel who half turned, "Not sure who is behind it, but there are some rumors. You said wolves attacked you. Well word's out on a group of wolves that come from some shitty little backwater town in the armpit of Washington state."
"What town?" Emma asked
"It was… Forks I believe." Uriel said in a tone that displayed his total lack of interest. Then he turned completely back to his work.
"Shit, I know that town, I have trouble believing anyone from there would be involved." Oliver said feeling a twinge of regret at leaving all those years ago. More than regret, he was filled with dread because he had a pretty damn good idea who Uriel was talking about when he mentioned wolves.
"If I had to guess, I'd say you were too late. The Volturi are already in the area, once again, rumor is they took down a group of them in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. So by the time you go there I imagine they'll be cleaned out. How do you know anyway?" Uriel asked with mild curiosity. Not looking away from his work.
"You know that probably means the town is in shambles. Which is a shame, I was thinking we should at least warn them." Emma added somberly.
"Well I haven't seen anything on the news about the town being attacked or anything. I've tried to keep an eye on newsfeeds from the state ever since it first popped up in rumors." Uriel said, his tone still distracted.
"Hmm. So maybe there's still some time." Emma said thoughtfully.
"Wait, you actually wanna go? It'll probably be a mess." Oliver responded in surprise.
"I think it's time. Volturi or not." Emma smiled a bit, she knew Oliver wanted to go the instant the name Forks was brought up in conversation. She didn't even need to read his mind to know.
"You guys are nuts. Even if it's cleaned out, that place will be a madhouse for weeks I bet, as vamps come to get wolf heads." Uriel said incredulously.
"Then the human's will be defenseless." Emma said with a compassionate tone, her dark expression brightening a little at the prospect of doing some good for a change.
"Is that enough of a reason?" Oliver said curiously.
"If we plan to settle there, yes." Emma said with a look that made it clear she thought it was time to go home.
"I think you might be jumping the gun a little bit Emma, I think we should watch and wait, help where we can and figure out if we want to stay maybe. I'll admit building a life there again has its appeal, but right now might be too chaotic. Plus we have Zoey who needs time before she can be around humans." Oliver's answer was logical, but he tended to be less picky about the places they choose to go. Emma tended to be a little more discerning so he deferred to her entirely.
"You know I don't give a shit about semantics. Settle, linger... whatever. I just think it's time. I'm tired of pretending my name isn't Angela. Like I know you hate hiding behind Oliver... Charlie."
"You know that doesn't matter to me that much. You're the one that picked out the name Oliver for this round of identities." Charlie said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yeah well, I picked it from Oliver Twist, I thought Bella would've liked it. She always loved the classics. You'd have picked another baseball player's name." Angela retorted with a slight but serious smile.
"She always liked Dickens. I never made the connection. Hey what's wrong with my name choices?" Charlie said suddenly feeling a little sensitive.
"You tend to pick perfectly good names, but your 'pitchers who pitched perfect games' list was getting pretty narrow." Angela said with a shrug.
"I cycle through them." Charlie retorted defensively.
Angela scoffed. "Yes, I know. But you said the next name on your list was Felix Hernandez!"
"What's wrong with that?" Charlie began to huff, causing Angela to smile. She loved it when he got frustrated like this.
"Um. Last time I checked... you're not Hispanic" She said with a slightly smug smile.
"Well... besides that I mean... So if my names are so bad, why did you pick a comic book character for yourself?" Charlie retorted with a smug smile of his own.
Angela looked down, she hadn't been sure until that moment why she'd picked her own name. Ben had been a huge comic book fanatic, and loved Emma Frost. She closed her eyes at the memories that drudged up, and shivered as a slight chill ran down her spine.
Then she stood to move over to Charlie, her expression turned serious. "You deserve to stand tall, be the man you were. I've kept you away for long enough." Angela said with sincere admiration and more than a little guilt.
"I never minded. God knows I have enough reason to stay away from that place. Losing Ben the way you did was enough of a reason for you to stay away." Charlie met her eyes, and she didn't flinch at the mention of his name for the first time that he could remember.
"Oh, that reminds me, I ran into Jessica, the psychotic bitch is calling herself Harley now. Which is such a stupid name, she thinks that no one will respect her with a name like Jessica. Stupid twit can't figure out the reason no one respects her has nothing to do with her name. She was part of this whole plan to attack."
"Well I guess we have another reason to hate them." Charlie said and looked at Uriel who was staring at them both with a strange expression.
"I need names." Uriel said flatly. He clearly didn't want to get involved in a personal discussion. Keeping clients at arms lengths kept them clients instead of friends. Which was so much simpler than getting involved.
"Okay, so we go by our real names. Do you want to use Weber again? Or should we come up with something new?" Charlie asked,
"I'd rather take your name, I wouldn't mind being called Angela Swan. I think of you as a brother, so it makes sense to me." Angela responded after a lengthy pause, her voice low.
Charlie didn't give her a hard time or linger on her decision, knowing she'd be uncomfortable if he did. So he kept his tone blasé as he continued. "Okay, it's settled then. Uriel, put down our names as Charles, Angela, and Zoey... Swan."
"Charles… Angela… Zoey… Swan." Uriel parroted as he typed the information into the computer. "Shouldn't be hard to create those identities. So whatever floats your boat." Uriel said with a smirk, before completing the documents and sending them to the printer.
Angela looked at Charlie and took a deep breath, they were going home for the first time since their lives had been destroyed. It was a big, if long overdue step.
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Author's note: SURPRISE! O_O
1) How about that? Charlie and Angela are ALIVE? HOLY SHIT!
I'm hoping readers like this.
How did they get there? What's their story? What happened to them? That shall be revealed sooner rather than later.
2) I didn't get any feedback on the visual reference I have for Mei in my profile. Please take a look and tell me what you think? I'd like to know if you envision her in the same way.
Yes she wields bladed weapons. Yes there's totes a reason for it.
3) Samantha Minuet's Co-Authors Note: I initially fought to keep the Charlie/Angela reveal from you guys for another four chapters, but Kathryn had a cooler head. I honestly can't wait to read all of your reactions, their story was something we had been planning since I joined up with Kathryn. Although it didn't come together until recently. Also... we will have some serious Bellice stuff very soon, so those of you waiting impatiently... it's coming soon! Until next time... thank you all for your reviews!
4) However, I had planned to bring them both into the story pretty much from the start, but I had originally envisioned them COMPLETELY different. Samantha, through many hours of arguing and poking and prodding, and the occasional death threat, has come up with them this way. Trust me. Her way is so much better than what I had thought of.
5) Yes, Bellice stuff coming soon. However I hope you all can see that the connection between the two is there, and growing throughout the rest of the writing.
6) Please Read and Review!
