Carlisle

Vampires were not made to die. Carlisle was certain of that.

It was a hearty discussion he had one sunny afternoon in Aro's personal library as they poured over hundreds of year worth of human knowledge. The practical indestructibility of their kind had vexed him a great deal in the first few months of his life as his attempt at self-destructions failed.

Aro had spent a solid minute or two laughing out loud at the different ways Carlisle had attempted to end his life. The then young vampire had been quite abashed at the laughter at his expense. Yet what had confounded him earlier now became an endless source of fascination. And so he found himself studying the subject extensively during his time in Volterra.

That particular afternoon, Carlisle sat with Aro. They weren't friends quite yet but the Volturi King had found his strange dietary habits and nature fascinating enough to spend his leisure time with him.

Vampires were perhaps one of the strongest creatures on the planet. Their skin impenetrable to most human weapons. They could crush human skulls with the slightest of force. A group of well trained vampires could take down any human army in the world. An immortal child alone could destroy villages after villages.

With their speed, they could outrun any pursuer. The fastest horse in the world would be a laughable speck in the distance behind a running vampire. They could be in and out of a place in matters of seconds. Their body worked faster than a human mind.

That was not even including their immunity to most forms of death.

They could not drown. They could not fall sick. They could not fall to their death from a height. Even just tearing them apart would not kill them for the body would reattach itself.

They would survive flood. They would walk over earthquakes. They would outrun any wildfire.

And then there were many of them with gifts of their own. Gifts that ensured their survival even further.

"Did you ever try to set yourself on fire?" Aro had asked him.

Carlisle nodded.

After he had tried every other conceivable option, Carlisle had resorted to doing what the humans did to their kind. It would have worked, perhaps. But the instinct to escape fire was ingrained as heavily into each fiber of his vampire body as it was in a human body. He had set himself on fire and his instinct had taken over till he ran really fast and the speed put the flames out.

He tied his legs to a tree and then set himself on fire. He had torn through the rope and once again put out the fire. Under fire, the body ruled for survival even if the mind craved death.

Vampires were not made to die. He was certain. And he remained so for the next three hours.

For three hours later, Carlisle was made to stand at the first execution he witnessed. The feral newborn struggled against the guards as he was torn to shreds and the pieces set ablaze.

"We may not die," Aro had smiled over his shoulder at a stricken Carlisle. "But our kind may certainly be killed."

There wasn't much that Carlisle had to say that day. Or the day after.

In fact, he didn't leave his chamber all that often until Aro had swooshed in with a flurry of cloaks and dragged him back to his library. There they had spoken about the different creatures of the world and the place of vampires among them. He learned about some of the extremely few creatures that posed a danger, or a challenge to their kind. But after perusing those texts and late night discussions, Carlisle had come to the realization, that indeed, their kind died most often at the hands of other vampires only.

Vampires were not made to die, that was true. But that was not due to their superior speed or strength in comparison to that of a human.

Their speed, strength, sense, beauty, venom, they were all tools for hunting.

For survival, they relied on instinct.

Most species could sense danger and learn to evade them. Animals lower on the food chain fled when in danger. But higher predators were more wont to attack when they felt threatened.

And that distinction was evident between Aro and Carlisle. Aro had been challenged before, but he had fought. With an army of extremely powerful vampires at his service, the Volturi King did not have much to fear and faced any challenge head on.

Carlisle, a lone, ungifted nomad on the other hand, had followed his instinct to survive and fled when he felt he was in danger. It was not a conscious decision. Not until the two of them sat and discussed each event.

Even when Carlisle intended to kill himself, his body had fought to survive and put out the fire. That instinct had not kicked in when he threw himself off a cliff edge. Because in that case he was not in any true life-threatening danger.

And though Carlisle had eventually left Volterra that conversation had been on his mind several times since. How many of his decisions had he made based on that instinct?

It was never the sole reason for his movements, but it had played a small, subconscious role. Leaving England and swimming across the English Channel to get to Europe. Visiting Africa. Traveling to the New World. Turning back away from going too further south.

Each of that decision was ruled in part by an unconscious instinct. He was running away from something. He was avoiding danger.

The instinct did not kick-in in the face of a fight for fighting was in their nature. It only directed him elsewhere when he was wandering towards a danger that would lead to a certain death.

It was nothing as pronounced or well-developed as the powers Victoria showed with a knowledge of the best way out of any situation. But it was there.

Or had been once upon a time.

Carlisle admitted he hadn't felt that sense ever since he changed Edward. Once he had his son, he was not alone any longer and his companion possessed an extremely powerful gift. And thereafter, his coven had only grown larger and more powerful rendering that sense unnecessary.

So when, sitting in his study with his wife on his lap, and his children all close by, Carlisle felt that instinct kick-in with a force he hadn't ever felt before, he was taken aback. Confused perhaps.

The moment he wrote those four words on the paper, he acknowledged this hidden sense within and could feel it full force.

Before he could even put his pen down, Jasper knocked at his door.

Esme looked between him and the door before she slid off his lap and unlocked the door to the study. Carlisle flipped the diary closed.

"Jasper, please come in," she smiled.

Jasper walked in, a little stoic as he usually was when away from Alice. He looked straight at Carlisle and said, "I feel it too."

Esme looked at the two of them, perplexed. Carlisle was by her side in an instant. He could not quite explain the feeling to her but he did not like to see her confused either. He gave her hand a small squeeze. A promise to explain things later. She sighed.

It would be a little difficult to explain, Carlisle knew that. Most of his family never encountered a situation where they would experience that, always being a part of a relatively large coven. At least not frequently enough to put a name to the feeling beyond fear.

Wordlessly, Carlisle followed Jasper back down to the living room.

"Done alre-" Emmett's jab was stopped by another smack from Rosalie on the head and he chortled.

"There's a kid here," she hissed at him through an exasperated smile.

Carlisle shook his head, once again pulling Esme close. There was a time when a fear like this had him changing continents. Now, he had to worry about his daughter making her husband gargle bleach if left without supervision for too long.

He listened to what Jacob was doing. The young shape-shifter had missed the initial call. This was the second time he was calling back to find his father's answering machine. He hung up and started making his way down. His smell wafted down and Carlisle had to force himself to keep a straight face.

He had to chastise his kids from complaining about the smell of the werewolves in the beginning. And here he was, trying to school his expression to keep his own distaste off his face. When had the smell started affecting him that much?

"Personally, I never liked it, but for you, I think ever since that sense kicked in," Edward joined them in the little corner where Jasper, Carlisle and Esme stood. "Don't worry, I have no idea what these two mean either and I am as deep in their head as I can get."

His reassurance to Esme made Carlisle laugh despite the situation.

Alice hopped over to Jasper's side just as Jacob appeared at the top of the stairs.

Carlisle took in a deep breath and squeezed Esme's hand once before he let go and walked towards the center of the living room. He had a feeling Bella would not be too happy about what he was going to do. Nor Renesmee. But he could not ignore his gut. He wouldn't gamble with his family, even if he couldn't plausibly explain his reasoning.

"Jacob, may I speak to you for a moment please?" he asked, smiling up at the wolf politely.

The boy. Carlisle had to remind himself that first and foremost, he was talking to a child. Barely eighteen years old. He had to reign in his abrupt misgivings and dehumanization of the boy.

"Yeah sure doc, what is it?" he asked. His eyes darted for a second to the corner where his family stood huddled up. Carlisle ignored that, and also the questioning eye contact he had with Bella who shrugged.

"Jacob, I believe it will be safer for you-" Carlisle paused at the boy's eye roll. "-and your people if you were down at the reservation, with your pack."

"I'll be fine doc. Your old man won't be the first vampire I fight and win." Carlisle suppressed the urge to sigh. He was no stranger to the teenage haughtiness. His own children displayed that more often than not. But this was not the time. "Plus, Sam has the reservation covered and we have the patrol duty split between the two packs. Leah is fully capable of handling anything that comes up."

"I am sure you know how to hold your own against one of our kind, son," Carlisle said. "But it will be easier to reach a dialog if it's just the fa- just us present. Plus, I think Bella would feel better if you were there with her father."

He did not want to verbally exclude Jacob from the family. Nor did he want to point out their state as a vampire's natural enemy.

Jacob caught the hint though.

"You want me gone when this creator man comes…no worries, I get it." He shot a death glare at Rosalie when she hissed 'about time' softly before he continued. "I'll take Nessie with me down to La Push. Keep an eye on her and-"

"Absolutely not!" Carlisle's reply came out harsher than he thought and Jacob frowned.

Bella picked up Renesmee and walked into the house with Rosalie and Emmett. The entire family was watching the conversation and Carlisle took in a deep breath. The idea of Renesmee not being with the family kicked up a sense of anxiety he hadn't felt in a very long time.

When he spoke, his voice was lower, more even. "I think Renesmee will be safer with all of us in the house."

"Safer? Here? With a vengeful bloodsucker waiting to attack? You gotta be out of your mind old man." Jacob was getting impatient and Carlisle would have done more to placate the well-meaning child.

But the truth was, the Cullen family patriarch was losing his usual patience as well. The self-preservation instinct had over the years turned into a protective feeling for his entire family. And separating the family was something his anxious fear could not take at the moment. Protectiveness was reigning over patience in the moment. "Jacob, she will be safer in the house than anywhere else. There are eight vampires here who would lay down their life before they let anyone through to her."

Jacob was silent for a second. Carlisle's sharp eyes, however, did not miss the light tremors in his hands.

"What do you mean you don't trust our priorities?" Edward growled from the other side of the room, his angry eyes narrowed at Jacob.

The tremors intensified.

"I mean she will be safer with someone who cares about her," Jacob snapped back. "No offense, but apart from Bella, Blondie and the Mommie over there, all of you were ready to have her aborted and in a trashcan. Plus if it came down to choosing Nessie or your mates, you would all chose your partner."

Carlisle was not a mind reader. But he did not need to be one to see more than one of his kids were willing to retort with the fact that Jacob himself had been in favor of aborting Renesmee before her birth, or the fact that he imprinted on her when he had gone into the house to kill her.

One sharp hiss silenced all of them even though he could see they would not have said anything out loud anyway. Carlisle gave an almost imperceptible jerk of his head towards Renesmee who was looking at them with wide, terrified eyes. Edward was already at his daughter's side, reading the thoughts that lead to her eyes watering and her quickened heart rate. Renesmee had heard more than enough. It would be cruel to throw taunts back and forth when the only person it would hurt was their precious angel.

Edward and Bella exchanged a glance and bolted up the stairs with their daughter.

"Nessie," Jacob made to follow them but Jasper stood at the bottom of the staircase blocking his way.

"Look, I just want to talk to her," Jacob tried to side step Jasper.

"You have said enough, mutt," Rosalie snarled. Her eyes kept on darting up, listening to Edward softly explain everything to his daughter. They could tell she wanted to be there. But, and Carlisle had to admit he was surprised at that, she knew Renesmee needed to talk to her parents first and she was not one.

Jacob clenched his fists, controlling his hands that were outright shaking now. Emmett took a few steps further, standing in between the triangle formed by Esme, Rose and Jacob, ready to lunge at the wolf in case he phased and attacked either of them. Jasper held a similar position between the stairs and Alice.

But the boy had better control than they thought. He turned to Carlisle instead. "Doc, you know it's true. Seventeen wolves protecting her will be better than-"

"Jacob, you son of a bitch!" Jasper stepped out of the way just as Bella came tearing down the stairs. In one swoop she had Jacob hauled by up his shirt and threw him out the door. He crashed through the gravel in their front yard. "If I see you near my daughter again, I will kill you."

Jasper walked behind her, out the door. It was like Bella's first day in this new life all over again. Except there was no humor here. Carlisle followed her out. As much as he wanted Jacob gone, he would rather the boy left in one single piece. He did not want any of them sweeping his pieces off the ground.

Carlisle gave a stern look to Jasper who looked at Bella. Her breathing evened out.

"Bella, you know I only want what's best for her," Jacob implored, speaking to his friend a lot more reasonably than he had to anyone else. "She'll be safer-"

"That is not up for discussion Jacob," Carlisle cut in. Renesmee was Bella and Edward's daughter and he knew all decisions regarding her should be made by them. He did not wish to impose on their parental rights. But the issue was not just concerning Renesmee. It concerned the entire family. If she went to La Push, he knew Bella and Edward would want to be there too or at the edge of the treaty line. And something in Carlisle screamed that his family should not be separated.

Edward appeared beside Bella and wrapped an arm around her waist and she leaned into him. Carlisle looked at the two of them, silently asking for their assent. They nodded.

Jacob looked deflated, his forlorn expression showing his youth. He sat back on his haunches, his head bowed. "Something's coming, Carlisle," he whispered, his voice breaking with a sob. "Something's coming. I can feel it."

Carlisle was in front of him, on his knees, his hand on the young, defeated boy's shoulder. "I can sense that too, Jacob. So can Jasper."

"I only want her to be safe," he repeated, but his voice was so heavily laced with sorrow, no one said anything. He buried his head in his old T-shirt, trying to wipe away his tears.

Carlisle held his shoulder with a firm grip till the boy looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, his face a little red. "Jacob, I accept that Esme and I are not the strongest fighters of our kind. But Jasper has fought in and survived a war longer than your entire pack has been alive combined. Emmett is stronger than most vampires I have ever met. Rosalie is a formidable opponent in a combat too. Edward and Alice can warn us of threats ahead of time. Bella can render most gifts useless and still has her newborn strength. No harm will come to Renesmee. She is the number one priority for all of us."

Jacob took a shuddering breath in. Carlisle did not have to look back to know Esme had used her stern expression to send everyone except Edward and Bella back inside the house offering the young boy any sliver of privacy they could. Emmett and Rosalie were with Renesmee now.

"Jacob, I think you need to phase," Edward called out, his voice carrying a hint of a warning. Carlisle helped him up and he turned just as a large gray wolf bounded through the tree line.

Carlisle stepped back as Jacob looked once at Edward's wide eyes before bursting into a shower of tattered clothing and in his place stood a massive red-brown wolf. Carlisle walked back to his son who was listening intently to the telepathic discussion.

Through the glass door, he could see Esme, Alice and Jasper looking in curiously too.

"Edward, what are they saying? What's happening?" Bella asked as with each passing second Edward's face got more and more alarmed.

"There is a scent of a vampire all over La Push, inside scores of houses," Edward breathed out.

And then his eyes got even wider, impossibly so. His mouth hung open, trying to form words. Carlisle looked at Jasper again and his son narrowed his eyes at his brother.

Edward sucked in a breath and turned to Carlisle, the horror etched clear as day across his face. "Ten Quileute boys phased in the last one hour. Neither Sam nor Jacob can reach out to them through the pack mind."

"What does it mean?" Bella asked, looking between Edward and the wolves.

Jacob whined. Edward answered.

"It means there is a third Alpha in town."

A/N:

Who can tell I'm not the biggest fan of Jacob/Nessie ship? :D

I'll try to keep my personal distaste out of the story though and try to be as canon as possible. From the way Jacob had been since Eclipse, I can see him acting out if he thought Nessie was in danger. Again I'll do my best not to make the characters too OOC.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do leave a review and let me know what you think!