"Jake, we just got back from the hospital. Can we do this later?" Charlie's voice was barely above a whisper. The man had little to no energy left.
"I know some people that can save Bella." Jake blurted out before Charlie could close the door. "You know them too." He added when Charlie gave him a skeptical look.
"Okay, I'll bite. Who?"
"The Cullens," Jake murmured as though it pained him to say it. Charlie opened the door further, allowing Jake through.
"I have a funny feeling I'm going to need a couple of drinks for this conversation," Charlie muttered as he headed for the kitchen. Jake stayed in the living room pacing when he got back with a couple of beers in hand.
"Okay, I'm all ears." Charlie just about fell onto the sofa.
"The story of the cold ones, they aren't just stories. What we call cold ones the world call vampires." Jake looked up at Charlie and realized the man did not believe him.
"I guess next, you are going to tell me you turn into a giant wolf." Charlie groused sarcastically.
"Erm, I don't want to damage any furniture, or worse, hurt you, so I will have to shift outside." Charles Swan's eyes widened when he saw the truth of Jacob's words. The boy was not lying, and that much was finally clear.
"Where can I find the Cullens." Jake looked relaxed for the first time, Charlie noticed. "You didn't think I would believe you no matter what did you?"
"No, not that. I… even if you did, you might have decided you'd rather Bella died than become a vampire."
"Why would I? My daughter will no longer be in pain, and above all else, she gets to live." Tears ran down Charlie's face. "I started making funeral arrangements yesterday." He choked on the words.
"Dad doesn't see it that way. He forbade me, convinced me Bella's chemo was working, and then I overheard him telling Sam that Bella would not make it. He lied to me to stop me from at least giving you the option." Jake growled.
"Again, how do we find them." Charlie wiped his tears and stood ready to do whatever was needed.
"Old Quil." Jacob damn near growled the name.
It didn't take Charlie long to convince old Quil to help find the Cullens. The old man reluctantly started the ritual, then something changed. His features contorted into something resembling awe and shock. Bella was linked to the Cullens, which made it so much easier to find them. Old Quil performed the rest of the ritual without so much as a grumble. He could not in good conscience keep Bella from her mate.
Charlie raced to his car, he knew where to find one of them at least, but he had little time and he had to time it to perfection. He had a lot to do and little time to do it in. He was not the least bit surprised to find Billy waiting for him by his cruiser. It was in everyone's best interest if Charlie ignored him.
"You can't do this; you are willing to turn Bella into a monster for what? She'd be better of dead Charlie." Billy yelled, not giving a damn who heard him.
"You are telling me if you had the chance to save Sarah, you would not have taken it?" Quil's voice held no malice. Billy had no words, not that Charlie cared as he was already driving away. He had too much to do and too little time to give a fuck about what Billy thought.
"Thank you so much, Esme, you are a godsend." The director of the shelter praised.
"It's nothing Carol, I do have a lot of time on my hands and a desire to experiment." She whispered the last part with a cheeky grin.
"Well, your experiments will always be welcomed here." Thanks to Esme, the homeless shelter was able to feed so many more mouths. Her food also happened to be something you were more likely to find in a Michelin star restaurant. A couple of the homeless guys swore heaven and hell she was an angel, and her inhuman beauty did in some way help their case. Still, human nature being what it is most ignored the obvious.
"I will see you on Thursday," Esme said with a wave as she walked to her car.
Half an hour into her trip home, she put her foot down further. She had caught a light in the distance, desperately trying to keep up with her. She wasn't sure she had been caught in a police speed trap or if someone else was following her. She still had a two-hour drive ahead of her, but she was doing about a hundred over the speed limit, so it was more like an hour.
Thirty-plus million people lived in Canada, but only a million people or so occupied eighty percent of the land. Parts of Canada were vastly empty, and naturally, they chose that part of Canada. They were taking a break from their usual routine; this had allowed them to live in Canada a little longer than expected. She wasn't keen on the idea of living in isolation, as they had been doing the last few years. Not having a mate meant she felt the isolation so much more. Locking herself away wasn't going to help her find what she was looking for.
Before she knew it, she was pulling into the hidden driveway of their home. She had another couple of miles to get to the house, but this part of the drive was slow going. She had designed it that way to slow down anyone who somehow found their hideaway. In the eight years since leaving Forks, this had been their home and seemed it would be for some time.
It was just past midnight when she walked through the door. The only one in sight was Irina; she was leaving in an hour or so, and that Esme was happy to say it thrilled her. She loved their cousins, but Irina's constant push for them to try for something more was grating on her nerves. She wasn't about to enter another relationship, only for a mate to come along decades later.
"You are back earlier than usual," Irina said. Esme didn't miss the light in her eyes. Irina was hoping she had done so to see her.
"Yes, there weren't many tonight." Esme lied. She had put her foot down, but it had nothing to do with Irina.
"Oh." Irina muttered, "I understand your hesitation... after what happened with Carlisle..." Her voice trailed off. Carlisle had lied to Esme about being mates, but she was also in part to blame. She had long ago suspected it wasn't true but stayed with him despite knowing he had lied about something so honored in the vampire world. Carlisle had found his mate in Forks, and they had left the family for an extended honeymoon of sorts. It was his absence that had facilitated their extended stay in Canada.
Edward had been the angriest at Carlisle's betrayal, but she suspected it was more out of jealousy than anything else. Carlisle had her and yet also found a mate, while Edward couldn't even find someone whose presence he could tolerate. Edward shied away from both vampire and human interactions, yet he expected a mate to be dropped onto his lap.
"I'm not giving up on you, but it appears you need more time."
"I know," Esme muttered. The rest of the conversation was about the mundane, and Esme was ready to be done with it. It appeared so was Irina as she bid her goodbye and left. Irina made no mention of her want of Esme, and for that, she was grateful.
Esme sighed and settled on the couch after she could no longer hear Irina's car.
"You need to be cruelly honest with her, or else this will continue," Rosalie muttered as she sauntered into the room.
"I know... I just can't bring myself..." She stood abruptly, just as everyone else entered the living room. A car was coming down their driveway.
"Alice?" Edward damn near yelled.
"I can't see anything." She whispered as Jasper wrapped his arms around her.
You know what to do until we are sure." Esme said as she moved to the door. They hadn't been this surprised since Forks, and even then, no one visited their home in the four years they spent in Forks.
The lights of the truck finally appeared, allowing Esme to open the door. The car windows were rolled down, so Esme smelled the distinct human scent.
To her utter surprise, Charles Swan stepped out of the car. "Oh." Her vast vocabulary had abandoned her.
"Could you get one of your kids to help me," Esme could hear the other heartbeat in the car. It was weak, but not so much to panic, but enough to be concerned. Esme moved forward and opened the car door. Indeed concern was necessary; the girl in the car was clearly dying. Esme could smell the drugs in her blood; it was overpowering the girl's natural scent. On closer inspection, Esme realized she wasn't a girl but a woman. Whatever ailed her had stripped her of all body fat and had left her looking gaunt and frail. Tears would run down her cheeks if they could. Bella opened her eyes, and Esme gasped.
"Hi." The greeting was barely above a whisper. Esme's gasp was not missed by anyone. By this point, the rest of the family had crowded the doorway. She carefully picked up the woman and carried her into the house. Charles Swan followed with barely any acknowledgment to the rest of the family.
"I'm calling Carlisle," Rosalie whispered.
"Unless he can remove the tumors that have wrapped itself around every inch of her, it's safe to say he will be of no use." Charlie finally stared at them closely. "You can still help me; you can change her." He added bluntly. He had little time for decorum and easing them into the reasons for showing up.
"You will damn her soul?" Edward piped up.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Charlie asked with little to no emotion in his voice as though he expected this.
"We are soulless monsters." He barked.
"Despite your age, you know nothing." Charlie sneered. "How do you think I found you?" He didn't elaborate, moving to Bella's side. "Will you change her?" He asked Esme, who hadn't taken her eyes of Bella.
"Yes, but she needs to ask." Esme finally tore her eyes away from her mate.
"Change me." Despite the weakness in her voice, the strength and surety in her ask weren't missed by them.
"I will, but I would prefer Carlisle to be here when we do this." Bella nodded, her eyes also on Esme.
"What has our lack of souls got to do with you finding us?"
"Quil Ateara III is the medicine man of the Quileute tribe. Dad convinced him to help find you. When Jake revealed what you were and how you could help. There had been rumors he could track any soul as long as there was a link." Bella answered with barely a glance at Edward.
"He tracked your souls." Charlie finished. "Or I should say, he tracked Esme's soul." He added. Edward looked flabbergasted at the revelation.
"I was right," Esme whispered. "You were following me." She looked up at Charlie.
"Yes, good thing I've got zero authority here because you should be thrown in jail for the speed at which you drive." He chuckled.
"But how did you find me. I mean, I lost you a good hundred miles or more away."
"Put a tracker under your car." He answered with an apologetic shrug.
"Esme's soul?" Edward questioned, desperate for answers. Above all, what had Esme done to earn a soul, not that she'd always had one.
"Your existential crisis is the least of my problems." Charlie snarled, turning his attention back on Esme. "When will Carlisle be here? We don't have much time?"
"Dad, a few days isn't going to make any difference." Bella rolled her eyes at her father's impatience.
"He's on his way," Rosalie answered.
"He will be here in the morning," Alice answered.
"Alice, could you prepare guest rooms for..."
"Bella should be in your room. I will get one ready for Charlie." To Bella and Charlie's eyes, she disappeared from sight. Esme picked Bella up and made her way up the stairs with Charlie closely behind.
"How does Esme have a soul? Is it because of all the charity work?" Jasper rolled his eyes at Edward's question.
"No, we have been trying to tell you for decades. We still have our souls, or we wouldn't be here at all. Your soul is you; it is your entire makeup. The medicine man found Esme's soul because it is linked to Bella. Bella is Esme's mate." He could still see the doubt in Edward's eyes. He had spent so long believing he was soulless, it would be nigh on impossible to convince him otherwise.
"At the end of it all... we are dead, and so will she." Edward retorted with little bite. "I don't believe any of them see it that way. He'd still have her in his life, even if it takes time to get there. As for Esme, it's safe to say she deserves this more than most." Jasper moved to the back door. "Edward, try not to let your need for what Esme now has get the better of you," Jasper warned.
"What!" Edward exclaimed.
"I can feel you. You are envious of what Esme has. I do not have your gift, but I know precisely the thoughts coursing through your mind. Carlisle might not have been her mate, but they had a wonderful marriage until Forks. Less than a decade later, she finds another, while you are still waiting for a semblance of a loving relationship." He disappeared into the forest without waiting for Edward's weak protestations.
Bella, for the first time in a decade, felt alive. She was about to die in a sense, but she felt alive. She hadn't been entirely surprised by her pull to Esme, considering their link was how they found the Cullens. What she was feeling in Esme's presence was nothing short of euphoria. All of a sudden, her refusal to move to Forks ten years ago pained her. She might have avoided years of pain had she moved to Forks instead of going to Florida with Renee.
"I need to explain what is going..."
"No, you tell me all that when Carlisle gets here. Truthfully, I don't need to know anything... because it doesn't matter. I will be dead without you."
"You'd still be dead," Esme whispered.
"I doubt that very much." Bella chuckled. "What I feel from you is life. For the first time in years, I feel alive, and that is because of what is to come. More importantly, when I wake up, I will have you."
"You will," Esme answered as Bella drifted off to sleep. It had been a tiring day.