*BPOV*
It had been decided that our next home would be in San Francisco, but we didn't leave right away because Carlisle had a couple of patients whose treatment he wanted to see through to the end.
"I did say you were grounded, didn't I?" Carlisle had teased and patted me on the arm when the disappointment flashed across my face before I could stop it.
That family meeting had been a month ago. In the time that had passed, I doubled my efforts on my human endurance training knowing that I'd need all the practice I could get to be a successful vegetarian in a busy place like San Francisco.
But the problem with "people-watching," as I'd been doing in Angoon, was that humans out in the world were never in one place for very long. At least not these humans.
Most of the people I saw were fishermen walking along the docks, always coming or going, so the burning, mouthwatering scents never lingered long enough for me to have to endure them for very long.
I knew school would be a very different experience. Sitting in Charlie's warm little living room with his and Sue's thundering heartbeats had taught me that much. And that was just two people!
I tried to imagine thirty heartbeats and winced. How would I survive the stampede of two hundred galloping circulatory systems all around me, as was the case in one of the larger lecture hall courses I'd taken at Dartmouth? More accurately, how would the humans survive me?
I was more than a little worried that any sense of overconfidence on my part could result in destroying everything the Cullens had built and sacrificed for over the last century.
So against Edward's wishes, I'd procured a small discarded blood sample from Carlisle to practice with. Carlisle couldn't have been prouder. "It's how I got through medical school," he'd admitted with a rueful smile as he handed me the small vial.
The specimen wasn't even large enough that it would have affected the color of my eyes if I'd been overcome by the scent. But I knew from Edward's experience and Jasper's that it was much easier to commit to the Cullen way of life when you didn't know what human blood tasted like, so I didn't dare try even a drop.
I would take my blood sample and sit in the small white chapel on the blustery hillside in Angoon. It was largely abandoned the other six days a week when there were no church services offered.
It wasn't a perfect simulation. There was no galumphing heartbeat attached to this blood sample to hypnotize me, and its scent grew staler by the day. But I could sit in the chapel with the lingering scents of the humans who sat in the smooth solid oak pews week after week and let myself burn, determined to never again be defeated by a skinned knee or a split lip.
Edward thought I was going overboard and hated to see the self-inflicted pain I was putting myself through, though, of course, he burned right alongside me without complaint.
And what could he really say when the measures he'd taken to accustom himself to my blood had been no less extreme?
Not to be outdone by the newborn, Jasper even started coming along on these excursions. Emmett came once, mostly out of curiosity and not wanting to be left out. But once was enough for him. He'd compared the experience of 'vampire church' to hot yoga.
"You're just as crazy as Edward, kid! Why would anyone put themselves through that?" he shuddered.
"Which part? The burning or the being quiet?" Edward razzed.
We were still and silent during these exercises, because the stillness came naturally to us, and because there was something that just felt wrong about disturbing the peacefulness of the sacred space.
"Both!" Emmett bellowed as he disappeared into the woods to find the unfortunate bear that would put out the flames. As we heard the distant sounds of a struggle, I laughed out loud hearing Emmett inform the outraged bear that only he could prevent wildfires.
*EPOV*
Rosalie had waited until Bella, Jasper, and I were out of the house to approach Carlisle in his makeshift office. However, I'd heard most of the exchange since we were on our way back to our residence when their mental voices had come back into range.
I let the jocular sounds of Bella and Jasper's banter fade away into the background as I focused on the conversation that was happening without us.
Are we really going to pack up and leave Alaska and not visit our cousins in Denali? The slightly whiny voice was Rosalie's. Edward might still be holding a grudge, but can't bygones be bygones? They're the only family we have, and Bella's immortal now, so what does it matter that they didn't help us destroy the newborns?
I don't disagree with you, Rose, Carlisle replied in a friendly tone. Why don't we have a chat about it once everyone gets back?
So we were going to Denali then. Lovely. Rosalie wouldn't be so inclined to forgive them if it had been Emmett's life on the line, but that was hardly surprising. Rosalie never held herself to the same standards as she held everyone else.
Jasper picked up on my sudden despondency and shot me a questioning look.
Missing nothing, Bella voiced the same question but out loud. "What did I miss?"
I answered in a flat voice,"I'm no Alice, but it would seem that you are going to get a chance to get better acquainted with our cousins before we pack up and head for California."
Both Bella and Jasper made identical expressions of surprise.
"We're going to Denali? Really?" Bella asked, her eyebrows still up near her hairline.
Jasper was less than thrilled with this news, as he and Eleazar never exactly warmed up to each other.
Eleazar was a retired member of the Volturi before he left to find a new life with his mate, Carmen. When he had been in the Guard, it had been precisely his job to seek out gifted vampires so that Aro could recruit them using methods that both he and Jasper deemed dishonorable. It was why Eleazar left. Nevertheless, Jasper still perceived him as a possible threat to Alice.
"Nobody ever leaves the Volturi," Jasper would always counter whenever anybody tried to convince him that Eleazar was loyal only to his family, and by extension, that now included him and Alice.
As was typically the case, Jasper's fearsome battle-scarred appearance usually made our kind react defensively to him...when he wanted them to. Though Jasper usually warmed the atmosphere with his gift to make others feel perfectly at ease around him.
He didn't bother to do that with Eleazar because he wanted Eleazar to see him for the fighter that he was. So while they maintained civility, there was no love lost between the two.
I had my own feelings about visiting our extended family. Most of those feelings related to their defection in our time of need last year.
Apart from that, the idea of Rosalie, Tanya & and my Bella being in the same room together was...uncomfortable at best.
If Rosalie, who had never desired me, could be so aggrieved by my choice of mates, I could only imagine how Tanya felt about it. And much like a sex frenzy, in a talented family such as ours, feelings tended to spread like wildfire.
"It would seem that way," I answered. "Carlisle wants to have a chat about it when we get back," I answered, working hard to keep the derision out of my tone.
Yeah, I'd probably feel like a dead man walking, too, if I were in your shoes, Jasper smirked.
"Thanks," I hissed without feeling an ounce of gratitude. He just snickered and clapped me on the shoulder.
Bella looked at us quizzically, but I just shook my head, unwilling to explain.
*BPOV*
Much like Edward had predicted, when we'd returned to the house, Carlisle, flanked by Rosalie, wanted to have a conversation about ending the radio silence between our family and the Denalis.
"I understand your feelings on the matter, son, truly I do. But they also felt betrayed by us when we allied with the wolves, and I can understand that perspective, too. Amends need to be made on both sides.
"Moreover, wouldn't you agree that it would be unspeakably rude of us to spend several months living in their own backyard and never bother to pay them a visit?" Carlisle asked in a pointed voice, eyebrows raised.
Shoulders slumped, Edward reluctantly agreed, and twenty-four hours later, we found ourselves flying (by foot) across the wet, green landscape that was Denali National Park in the spring.
In this part of the world, spring was slower to take hold. The sky was a clear blue, the mountains that lined the horizon were still an opaque white, and the ground was green and soft from months of rain and snow.
Nothing in the way of wildflowers had begun to sprout out of the earth, yet, making the land look fertile and oddly barren at the same time.
I had met the Denali clan briefly at our wedding, but this would be the first time I would lay eyes on them as a fellow immortal. I could feel the flutters of anxiety in the pit of my stomach as their homestead in the distance grew closer, larger.
Jasper's waves of calm helped to soothe the flutters in my stomach and relax the tense set of my jaw, but it did nothing to redirect my thoughts. So I was calmly thinking about really meeting my strawberry blonde rival for the first time. On her turf.
It did nothing for my nerves that Edward, who I'd normally expect to tell me how absurd I was for being so insecure, was noticeably quiet. Not a good sign.
"My, my. Isn't this a surprise? Sisters, we have company," Kate smirked from where she sat on the porch swing outside one of the log cabins that populated a small clearing that butted up to an evergreen forest.
From their respective cabins, each of the sisters, plus their adopted sister Carmen and her mate Eleazar appeared, joining Kate outside to see what all the commotion was about.
"Carlisle's family is here! And it would seem Edward's human bride is human no longer," Tanya added, her eyes zeroing in on me. Edward's arm pulled me closer to his side.
"Welcome," Tanya said, at last, the first to step forward and greet us. Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar quickly filed behind her, while Irina hung back.
Carlisle stepped forward with arms extended to embrace her. "It's wonderful to see you all, Tanya. We were in your neck of the woods so we thought we'd stop by to catch up before we head south for California...I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time," he added conventionally as Tanya greeted him with a kiss on both cheeks.
"It's never a bad time for you and your family, dear Carlisle. I hope you can forgive us for the time when we did not behave as such," Tanya spoke to Carlisle but her eyes sought Edward's. He stiffened and nodded but otherwise said nothing.
"Thank you, Tanya. I appreciate that. That's all behind us, isn't it, Edward?" Carlisle graciously replied with a pointed look at his firstborn.
"Right," Edward agreed as he first greeted Tanya, appearing just a bit more congenial than he did a moment ago. The smile on his face looked sincere enough, but I could tell that it had taken him a lot of effort to put it there.
"Why don't we sit around the fire out back and talk? I'm not sure any of our tables inside will seat thirteen," Carmen suggested as she eyed the size of our group.
Esme spoke for the group now. "That sounds lovely," she smiled warmly and followed Carmen around to the rear of the property.
In fact, the fire pit didn't have quite enough seating for all of us either, but it was simple enough to knock down a tree and add a few more stumps around the crackling blaze.
"It's nice to see you again, Bella. You are absolutely stunning! Edward," Tanya addressed, though she was still looking at me, "you sure didn't waste any time!" she crowed. The others tittered in response.
"Yes, well, it was sort of necessary. The Volturi doesn't give second chances, do they?" was Edward's wry reply.
"No, they most definitely do not," Eleazar agreed. "I'm curious, how did they come to find out about Bella?"
Edward grimaced. "That is a rather long, painful story that I'd rather not rehash. But speaking of rehashing, I think Irina has something she wants to say." Edward's eyes flashed over to the smallest of the fair-haired Russian succubi, as did everyone else's.
Irina cleared her throat uncomfortably and then finally opened her mouth to speak. "We have apologized twice now for not coming to your aid when you called upon us last year. But where is our apology for your alliance with the shapeshifters that killed my Laurent!" Irina spat, her faint Russian accent accentuated by her anger.
"First of all, the alliance with the wolves wouldn't have been so necessary if your clan had not left us high and dry," Edward icily countered
"And secondly, cousin, your anger is misplaced. Even if the wolves hadn't killed Laurent, I would have after he threatened my Bella. If you want to blame anyone for Laurent being taken from this world, blame Laurent," Edward seethed.
Irina snarled at Edward from across the fire then stood up and fled for the trees behind her.
"You'll have to forgive Irina," Tanya regretfully apologized to the group. "Edward's absolutely right, but she needs someone to blame for taking away the happiness she shared with Laurent. She thought she finally found her mate, as you all have been so fortunate to do," she gently pointed out, sparing a glance at each of the four Cullen couples.
"She was so happy with him, but it lasted such a short time," Tanya explained with a mournful expression.
Edward's face softened, and I could tell he was thinking about the chip he'd have on his shoulder if something had ever happened to me.
"No apologies, necessary, Tanya. It was an unfortunate thing that happened. I'll never stop being grateful to the wolves for protecting Bella when I didn't. And... At the same time, I'm also very sorry for Irina's loss," Edward said in a soft, contrite voice.
I knew Edward well enough to know that while he didn't mourn the loss of Laurent, not for a single second, he was in fact sorry for her loss. Edward knew what it felt like to think he lost me, and he wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even the mate of his enemy.
"So what's this I hear about you packing up for California?" Carmen turned and asked Esme, in an obvious attempt to put the unpleasant subject behind us.
"Escrow closes in a week!" Esme beamed and began to describe her latest real estate conquest.
At the same time, Kate and Rosalie broke off into their own conversation.
"What about you, Rosalie? Having another one of your fabulous weddings anytime soon?" Rose's eyes lit up at the question like I'd never seen before.
"Yes, as a matter of fact! Our 70th anniversary is in August, and the traditional gift for the seventieth year is platinum, so I'm thinking that will be the theme."
"Wow! That sounds...shiny," Kate said with put-on enthusiasm.
*EPOV*
Over the course of the gathering, as the fire began to dwindle, the large group of us had broken up into smaller conversations.
Carmen and Eleazar animatedly engaged with Carlisle and Esme, comparing war stories about their time in Volterra, laughing like hyenas at some of Aro's more hilarious escapades with his squad of mutant vampires.
Meanwhile, Emmett tried to steer the conversation closest to him in a direction that was more interesting than bridal gown trains. Cathedral length or royal, Rosalie couldn't decide.
"Babe, hear me out," Emmett's dinner-plate-sized hands were held out in front of him for dramatic effect. "Garrett." And then he looked conspicuously at Kate. "Right?"
"Garrett? Who's Garrett?" Kate asked, genuinely interested now.
Rosalie considered that for a moment. She didn't think Garrett would respond to a wedding invitation, even one as grand as hers. And besides that, he was a nomad. She didn't know where to send an invitation even if she thought he'd accept it.
"Maybe he'll come if I write on his invitation that it will be a Revolutionary War-themed event...'' Rosalie joked.
"That might actually work, Rose." Alice giggled. "I'll have Jazzy dress up in his Civil War costume so that Garrett doesn't feel like a complete idiot."
"It's a uniform, dear, not a costume," Jasper grumbled. Alice swatted him gently on the chest like he'd made a joke.
Who doesn't love a man in uniform? Kate thought, idly twirling a strand of her cornsilk hair around her finger. Revolutionary War-Era? I do like them young... "Tell me more about this Garrett," she asked with an intrigued smile.
Incidentally, like me, Kate's hunting style was more like that of a cougar, but for an entirely different reason.
As I was quietly taking in all the silent and spoken voices around me, Bella huddled close to my side, seeming quite content to do much the same.
Just then, Tanya stood up from where she was sitting next to Carmen and flitted around the fire circle to come sit on Bella's other side.
Though none of their conversations faltered, I could feel everybody's eyes and thoughts curiously turn toward the three of us.
Awkwardsville. Emmett thought, chuckling loudly.
Oh, Tanya, let it go. That was Carmen.
Jasper's eyes were darting around as he took everyone's emotional temperatures. Bella was nervous and shy. Emmett was amused. Esme was concerned. Tanya was mostly curious, but she couldn't hide her wounded ego and hurt pride from Jasper even if she was fairly adept at concealing her more vulnerable thoughts from me.
As was her habit, Bella was shielding Rosalie's thoughts from me, but judging by the way she scowled, I could guess she was mentally screaming something like Do you feel like an ass? I hope you feel like an ass!
I did feel like an ass. I didn't know what to do with my hands. I wanted to be physically comforting to my wife, who was obviously feeling a little intimidated by her surroundings. But I also wasn't trying to hurt Tanya by being overly affectionate, either. What was the gentlemanly thing to do?
I wrapped an arm tightly around Bella, kissing her hair once, but other than that, I kept my mouth shut and my lips to myself. I was suddenly very envious of Jasper's ability to make himself so disinteresting to other people that they didn't even notice him.
"I'm so glad to finally get a chance to know you better, Bella!" Tanya smiled a bit too widely as she cupped a hand around Bella's shoulder in a friendly gesture.
"Me, too," Bella smiled shyly back, and then politely lied, "I've heard so much about you!"
Tanya's eyes widened and then darted from Bella to me with an amused expression.
"All good things I hope!" Tanya laughed loudly, but there was a slight edge to it.
Nodding emphatically, Bella's eyes tightened ever so slightly, and I could instantly tell by the purse of her lips and the way that she tried to hide behind her hair that she would've been scarlet red if she were still human.
The pink and orange firelight danced across Bella's face, warming her skin. It made my throat burn and venom flood my mouth just thinking about the way she used to smell when the blood pooled in her face turning her fair skin the color of cream and roses.
"You'll have to tell me what your secret is," Tanya insisted in a coaxing voice. I groaned inwardly at the direction the conversation was taking.
"My secret?" Bella asked, a confused 'v' appearing between her brows.
"For taming eligible bachelors," Tanya cackled and jerked her chin toward me. "I don't seem to have much luck with that."
"Tanya," Carmen chided. "Enough. Can't you see you're making Bella uncomfortable?"
Tanya held her hands up, conceding. "Forgive me. I've always been a bit of a sore loser," she said with a hint of laughter still in her voice. Her pale, flawless face then smoothed out.
Tanya appraised Bella for a long moment. She struggled to see what was so extraordinary about her. But then she shrugged indifferently and decided it didn't matter what she thought when I clearly did find her extraordinary.
"Seriously, though, you two look marvelous together. I'm so happy for you, both," Tanya patted Bella once more on the knee before she retreated back to her seat next to Carmen.
I gave Rosalie a hardened look wishing she could hear my thoughts. That is how you accept rejection with class.
"Thank you, Tanya," I said with all sincerity I could muster. I knew how much it cost her to be so gracious. She wasn't used to rejection any more than my sister was.
"Yes, thank you," Bella finally found her voice. "For whatever you said to Edward when he came here that convinced him to come back to Forks."
Tanya looked a little abashed remembering the way she'd propositioned me during my brief visit here two years prior. "Oh, I wouldn't thank me for that," she admitted with a nervous-sounding laugh. And then she recovered with, "Edward knew what he wanted all along."
Bella laughed too, despite herself, and for the first time that night, her smile touched her eyes. It made my cold, dead heart flutter in my chest just to see it. I leaned closer to Bella and murmured, "I love you. Only you," and pressed a gentle kiss behind her ear.
Tanya turned to my brother then. "So, Emmett, does this Garrett have a brother?"
Even I had to laugh at that.
Edward, Bella's inner voice broke into my thoughts immediately getting my attention. She didn't turn to look at me though, so I didn't move to look at her, assuming she was trying to be discreet. I just raised my eyebrows to let her know that I'd heard.
Later, when we're not around a large group of family, you are going to have to explain to me why you made such a federal case about us having sex when I was human when your cousins have been banging humans for centuries.
She turned to look at me then, lips pursed, eyebrow cocked, tongues of flame reflecting in her narrowed amber eyes.
I tugged at my collar and laughed once, nervously. "Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"
*A/N* LOL, you guys, I just got a review from someone binge-reading She's My Blackberry Pie for the first time who reminded me that Charlie already knew about the Bella/Jacob altercation at the wedding reception. Because, apparently, I addressed that in Chapter 33 of SMBP. I don't know if nobody else caught that or if you're all just too polite to call me out on it, so here I am putting my own self on blast. 😄
That was almost a year ago when I wrote that. Clearly, I need to refresh my memory more often, because I forgot all about that when I wrote about him finding out again a chapter or two ago when Bella confronted Jake. Whoops! 😬 Edward is right. The human memory is nothing more than a sieve.
For all you binge-readers, I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of my story, and please forgive my occasional lapses in continuity. ️It might've taken you a weekend to read it in its entirety, but this story has been a year-long labor of love, and if I took the time to reread all my old chapters to catch stuff like that, you'd be waiting a lot longer for updates, and no one wants that, right?
As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, and coming to my TED talk. Til next time!
Love,
Your humble author
