Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ties That Bind and Break
"I touch the fire and it freezes me. I look into it and it's black. Why can't I feel? My skin should crack and peel, I want the fire back. Now through the smoke she calls to me, to make my way across the flames. To save the day, or maybe melt away… I guess it's all the same. So I will walk through the fire, cause where else can I turn?"
"I will walk through the fire and let it… burn."
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Once More With Feeling!)
The Waterfall House - February 3rd
The sounds of birds fleeing their nests, of small animals scurrying in fear were all that greeted Brianna as she pushed her newly healed body as fast as it could. She didn't have a conscious direction, but she just needed to get away. It wasn't long before she broke into a large clearing with an ancient tree in the center of it. On the far edge was a strange looking mansion that appeared to be almost carved from the cliff face it was pressed up against.
A small waterfall dominated the soundscape, the wonderful white noise felt peaceful as she slowed to a walk. She knew this place, it felt like home. No, not home, not her home. She heard a phone in the distance, coming from the house and an indistinct voice mumble something she didn't bother to listen to. She felt an urge to run, to get away from this place. But then the front door opened, and a man stepped onto the threshold.
"Brianna, may I have a word?" His voice was crisp, and she recognized him from the memories still swirling in the back of her mind from Isabella and Eliza. She took a shallow breath and nodded, moving towards the house and him. When she was within ten feet he stepped aside. She gave him a look of hesitation and a touch of fear.
"You have nothing to fear from me, I'm human. The two wolves upstairs are still convalescing and Isabella and Eliza will stay away as long as you wish." His expression was proper, almost detached but there was something in his eyes that let her know she could trust him. So she nodded and stepped into the house.
"When I heard about your situation I had a hope that I would meet you. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Brianna. Would you like something to drink?" He motioned towards the back of the house, which Brianna knew was where the kitchen was located.
"I don't think…" She started, wondering if the offer was for blood. She wasn't thirsty, in fact the constant pain of thirst was gone for the first time in months.
"Eliza likes the occasional Sunny-D. I still have no idea how she procured a drink that hasn't been produced in nearly twenty years, but still I know she would love to share some with you." Henry said somewhat sardonically, but his smile showed a level of affection for Eliza that was endearing. Brianna gave him a strange look, juice? He was talking about juice?
"Isn't that like orange juice?" Brianna tried to imply the impossibility of enjoying human food, but it seemed lost on him.
"Not exactly, but close enough." He examined her for a moment, and then gave her a small sympathetic smile. "You know, they don't understand, at least not entirely."
"What do you mean?" Brianna cocked her head, examining him back. She had no idea what he meant, but was curious nonetheless.
"I know some of what Isabella endured, and while similar to… us, it differs in one important way." His eyes dropped briefly as he referred to their common past, but again it was lost on Brianna.
"I don't understand." She hated being confused, and wondered if this stranger would continue to be evasive. Henry pursed his lips slightly.
"Eliza called a few times, mostly to coordinate your room…" Henry started, but Brianna had to interrupt.
"I… I have a room?" She couldn't quite hold back the excitement, hope and joy upon hearing those simple words.
"Of course. Anyway, she also mentioned that we would need to be patient with your needs, then tried to be diplomatic as to the reasons why. It wasn't hard to read between the lines." Henry's posture and expression wasn't one of horror or sympathy. It was something more… It was understanding.
"Oh, so she told you." Brianna lowered her eyes, wondering how many people would find out about her father. She knew it wasn't good, she knew he wasn't supposed to hit her, but she also knew it was her fault he was like that.
"Not in so many words. Please, sit." Henry motioned towards a chair sitting across the dining room table. Brianna followed his request, then gave him a questioning look. "My mother died when I was five, cancer, it took her very quickly. Dad, well he took her death poorly. At first he balanced the loss by pouring himself into my well being. He got me into a wonderful school and tried his best to give me a bright future. The thing is I was broken, still grieving my mother. I was very angry, and rebelled in the only way I knew how. I ignored my studies."
"Sorry about your mom. My mom died too." Brianna thought it was the right sentiment, and when he gave her a warm smile she felt good about her choice.
"I'm very sorry dear. Would you like me to go on?" His voice was soft, and the request for permission felt good to hear.
"Please." Brianna said somewhat timidly, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear this story, but wondered what he was trying to tell her. He pulled a cigar from his waist coat and looked at it for a second before continuing.
"When I brought home bad grades he was disappointed, he thought I was wasting my opportunities. But after a short grounding he let me enjoy my summer vacation. The following year I did worse, and that's when it started. I won't go into details that might bother you, suffice it to say he grew angrier and angrier as the years went by, and I rebelled harder and harder until I was expelled from that very posh school. Returning home after my sophomore year, he beat me, nearly sending me to the hospital. It was only once, but it was enough. Although, in retrospect it wasn't the beating, or his anger and disappointment that hurt me. It was the fact he not only withheld his love, he constantly belittled and verbally assaulted me whenever I was in his presence. I was never good enough for him." He was looking down at the cigar, and then began rolling it between two fingers.
"When he died he left me everything, except his love. The final letter he wrote was a list of all my failings and failures. Even in death he hated me. This cigar was sitting on his desk, clipped and ready to be smoked. It would've been the last thing he would have enjoyed in his life. I've kept it as a reminder. Do you want to know why?" Henry leveled a serious look in her direction, the question was implying something she couldn't quite wrap her head around.
"Why would you want to remember him?" She asked plaintively, knowing how much she wished she could forget her father.
"It doesn't remind me of him. It reminds me of one very important fact. His hate, his disappointment in me, was never about me." The words hit her hard, and she cast her gaze down at the table instead of looking up at him.
"I don't…" She tried, not wanting to hear what he had to say. It couldn't be true, not about her father. He had told her he loved her, and was happy when she did well at school. It was just the alcohol that made him… no that wasn't true. He was always angry, and those few times he showed her affection were the exception, not the rule.
"I was just his object of hate, his outlet. In truth, he hated himself. I was always deserving of love, I was never truly a failure, although that is no excuse for withholding love. What he lost was a real relationship with me, perhaps I could've been a balm on his wary soul." Henry waved that away, "please Ignore that as wishful thinking. As an adult I found my passion and have done things he would never have imagined in his wildest dreams. The fact that he never knew me as an adult, and never shared in my success is perhaps what hurts me now. Not him, never him." Henry didn't sound angry, he sounded sad. A relationship forever lost to grief, ignorance and blind hate.
"What does that mean?" She knew exactly what he meant, but she couldn't believe it.
"I don't know what he said to you over the years, or what he did. And I am in now way comparing my experience to yours. But I can tell you what I see. You are a bright, beautiful young woman. Deserving of love and happiness." He spoke with such confidence and compassion that her eyes shot up to meet his. He couldn't be serious, he had to be embellishing or lying. Except there was no deceit in his expression. He had meant every word. She felt something deep in her stomach start to knot up. Then he continued without letting her disagree; "You have been offered unconditional love, and a family that will never ever harm you."
"How can you know that?" She snapped back with a sharp edge to her voice. She didn't want to be angry at him, but she refused to believe that she was worthy of that offer.
"Because I've come to know them. They are truly special. Not just because they are different, as you'll come to understand. But because they love each other, and now they wish to share that love with you." Hearing it again she began to shake her head, she couldn't believe it was true.
"I'm not worthy of their love." She finally said in a small voice, her eyes shut tightly.
"Because he told you that?" Henry asked pointedly.
She nodded, her body beginning to shake from emotional distress. "Yes." She finally whispered, almost unable to vocalize how little she mattered.
"Please look at me." He asked firmly, and she slowly looked up and met his eyes. "Okay,I'll help you however you desire, I can help you get settled wherever you want to go. But first, answer this one question." Brianna nodded, she was beginning to find it hard to speak. "Do you trust him?"
Her eyes shot open, and a strangled gasp combined with a cry of pain escaped her throat. Hot tears streamed down her face and she felt her chest start to spasm with heavy unbidden sobs. She stared at him, realizing how much of her own self identity was wrapped up in a man who had taken every opportunity to put her down and terrorize her. He had made her into a victim, someone to be pitied. Yet he was never honest with her, she always knew it deep down but could never admit it. Because he was her father. She had to trust him… except in truth she never did. She raised her head towards the ceiling and screamed; "NO!"
He held out a hand to her, which she took and held on tightly as she wept. It took nearly an hour for her to finally calm down, and when she was done he smiled at her.
"Would you like to see your room now?" He returned to his somewhat droll tone, and stood. She nodded, wiping some tears from her face, and together they made it up to the second floor where the other master suite had been partially decorated. At the center a grand queen sized bed, with thick blankets and half a dozen pillows.
"Miss Eliza said that shopping is set for tomorrow to get more furniture and clothes. If you are up for a trip into town." Brianna nodded abscently as she walked around the huge space, not fully believing that this was all hers.
"If you need me, I'll be downstairs in the batcave." She glanced at him for a second in confusion before a memory of Eliza setting her password as 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'.
"Thank you Henry." She said sincerely, he had helped and she would always be grateful that he shared his story with her.
"Anytime." He gave her a friendly smile and shut the door behind him. Brianna let herself giggle and dove onto the bed. Throwing off the remains off her clothes and slipping under the covers. It felt warm and safe, and before she realized it, she had drifted off asleep.
Waterfall House - February 3rd
"I hope she's doing okay." Eliza said worriedly to Leah as they walked into the clearing a few hours after Brianna had run away from them. While she had been on the phone with Henry a few times, he only affirmed that the girl had shown up and was currently napping.
"We'll take care of her." Alice said with a bright smile, glancing down at her hand laced together with Isabella's. While Isabella showed no outward signs of happiness or contentment, the lack of a scowl was a welcome change.
"Her mind is at peace, I believe she's asleep." Isabella said after a few steps in silence.
"To sleep, I haven't shut my eyes in nearly two hundred years." Alice lamented with a soft sigh, and Isabella made a mental note of the reaction. At least it was something to discuss with her, when they had figured out what they were to each other. Girlfriends? Lovers? Eternal Mates? Would she insist on marriage like Edward? Too many questions, but there was time. Answers would follow.
"Oh dear god, that sounds like a nightmare. No wonder most vampires are hostile." Leah said with a look of revulsion, then winced slightly at Alice who just shrugged.
"Perhaps, but I found that most vampires are hostile because of instincts. They tend to go nuts when feeding, injecting their venom which forces a rather strict kill or convert policy. It doesn't help that most are slaves to the thirst." Alice was clearly resigned to her existence, and Isabella wondered how she had developed her humanity, her brightness. A brightness she was starting to see in Alice's eyes again.
"Does feeding on animals help?" Leah asked, wondering what the difference was beyond just a moral choice.
"Not really, in some ways our thirst is worse. But we do seem to have better control over it. We also form stronger bonds, more than just mates." Alice said with a small frown, but quickly shook it off. Determined to be positive.
"I forgot about that." Isabella said, looking over at Alice, realizing that she hadn't lived with those issues in a very long time. Henry opened the door for them and was momentarily shocked when Eliza immediately gave him a warm hug.
"Miss Eliza?" He sputtered as she pulled away, and smiled widely.
"Thank you." Her gratitude hit him hard, but he was able to keep the tears from forming although his eyes were starting to sting.
"It was my honor, I'll be downstairs if you need me." Henry said with a proud smile, his head held high.
Isabella followed Henry down to the Batcave to check on disturbances, and Alice tagged along kind of curious about her process. Eliza helped Leah and Rachel get Paul and Seth downstairs and outside. They moved some of the patio furniture out to the big tree, creating a little social area next to the fire pit. Both kept their connection open to Brianna, while not sending her active messages, she could feel both of them clearly if she desired. It was around one in the afternoon before Brianna woke up, she was a bit confused at first, but realized she was safe. She cleaned up, and found some clothes left for her by Henry in her room. Then tentatively made her way down to the main floor.
Eliza flashed into the house but slowed down so as to not scare her as she approached. "Hey you. How'd you sleep?"
"Great, I slept great. I've never slept great." Brianna gave her a shy smile, and frowned as her belly rumbled. "Do I eat normal food?"
"No, we still drink blood. Well, you can eat human food, and boy does it taste good, but it does nothing but pass through our system. Want some pancakes, they're my specialty?" Eliza waggled her eyebrows and gave Brianna a wide smile.
"That sounds amazing." Brianna stood awkwardly, clearly wanting to say something but had no idea how to say it, or even how to describe what she wanted to ask. Eliza felt the question float across the connection and nodded.
"Let me get started on the batter while I explain." She motioned towards the kitchen and Brianna followed. "So, I don't know exactly how it happens, but a long time ago when mom found me, we bit each other which changed us. It is a bit weird, but we aren't like other vampires. We're stronger and faster and there are some other perks. Like we can cry, sleep and eat human food. Our hair grows, which is actually a bit annoying, because it takes industrial strength diamond edged shears to cut. It took me years to learn how to make it look professional. I'll give you a trim later this afternoon." Eliza motioned with her eyes at Brianna's now ass length locks of her now auburn colored hair.
"Is that why my eyes are blue?" Brianna asked with a light curiosity, her innocent smile making Eliza happy just to be in her presence.
"Exactly. It is also the reason you are better. You went through another transformation, your cells were re-written… It literally overrode whatever toxin was killing you. Or at least I think that's how it worked. But either way, you are better now. You are also a part of us." Eliza's explanation made her own head hurt a little, but she couldn't figure out another way to describe it.
"Henry tried to explain that to me. Are… are you saying you want me to be a part of your family?" Brianna knew that is exactly what Eliza meant, but she still needed to hear it.
"Yes, exactly. My sister." Eliza said with an even brighter smile.
"Would Isabella be my mother?" Brianna clarified the relationships, wondering how it would work.
"If you accept her, and Alice already considers you her daughter, although that will be complicated moving forward. They're tentatively together, but who knows how long it'll be before they are co-parenting." Eliza scrunched up her nose slightly, but then shrugged. She was more than willing to forgive and accept Alice given that Isabella already had.
"Will Alice be your mother too?" Brianna asked with a slight head tilt. Eliza furrowed her brow, she hadn't thought of that option.
"I… I don't know. I guess I hope so. She's already made me feel wanted, but it's hard. It's just been the two of us for so long." Eliza said, almost tearing up again, as she poured the first batch onto the griddle, as the butter just started to brown.
"I get that, literally. But I was alone and it feels weird to know you'll be there for me too." Brianna said, voicing her concerns. Knowing she wasn't reacting to this as the gift it truly felt like.
"I will, we will. Always." Eliza gave her a side hug, which Brianna almost melted into. Then Eliza let go of a heavy breath. "So, how much do you know about comic books?"
"I like Supergirl." Brianna looked over in surprise.
"What do you like about those books? The action, story, romance?" Eliza asked with absolute seriousness, making Brianna smile.
"I like how hopeful she is, and the love story felt cool. Like something I wanted someday." The way Brianna spoke about the character, Eliza knew immediately that it meant something to her.
"Which run? Kara, Matrix, Powergirl or Alura?" Eliza asked with a small smile. Brianna's eyes widened in excitement as she realized there was a lot more she wasn't aware of. Feeling the knowledge of thousands of issues of comics from Eliza's memories.
"Alura, and just a few issues before Dad found them and ripped them up." She didn't like to remember the comics, it had gotten her in so much trouble.
Eliza pushed down the flare of anger she felt, instead giving Brianna a solemn nod, "we'll fix that. What about live action or animation?"
"We only had a tv so I only got to see a few episodes of the New Adventures." Brianna never had access to streaming, so the television got network broadcasts and that was it. When she got home from school there was never anything all that good to watch. Instead she had taken to bringing home books from the library, because her father ignored those books entirely.
"Cool, are you okay, since we're immortal, with starting at the beginning?" Eliza tried not to get too excited, but the idea of sharing her love of all things geek with her new baby sister made her feel elated. It was a lot, but they had plenty of time. Plus, adding Leah to the mix just made her smile.
"I'm okay with that." Brianna said, trying not to sound too happy by the idea of just sitting down with Eliza and watching something fun. The idea of spending time with Eliza, as a sister, gave her some hope and a real desire to accept.
"Yay!" Eliza did a little dance as she flipped a pancake perfectly.
"I do have that entire run downloaded, but we'll start at the beginning with Christopher Reeves and Helen Slater and go from there." Eliza elaborated, licking some batter off her fingers.
"Are those pancakes?" Leah popped her head in from the patio door into the kitchen with a big hungry smile on her face.
"They are, and I made enough for you four. Thank god the rest of the pack isn't here." Eliza made a pouty face, and Leah immediately winced and smiled widely.
"Um, they're coming and probably ravenous. Henry spoiled them." Leah said somewhat sheepishly, and Eliza just bobbed her head. "Also a word of warning, Tekali doesn't want them to hear about Michelle until she arrives tomorrow."
"So this mental thing, doesn't it ever get a little... you know... weird?" Brianna asked randomly. Her voice was calm, and curious.
Eliza bit her lower lip, "well yeah, sometimes it can get a little bit weird, especially while you learn to control your internal monologue. Mom and I have a lot of practice at it, so don't be ashamed if you say something you don't necessarily mean."
Brianna nodded in understanding and then looked at her with another curious look, "she isn't your mom, but she's your mom. I don't really understand. Why would she love you so much if she isn't your blood?"
Isabella sighed from the door. "Because, from the moment she entered my life, she became my blood. My life, my child."
Brianna looked back and forth between Eliza and Isabella a few times before looking down. In a whisper she muttered half to herself, "it must be nice."
Isabella tilted her head curiously at her. "What do you mean?"
Brianna hesitated before replying softly, "Nothing. I was just wondering what it's like to have someone you can be so close with, to have a real family."
"Brianna, you are my blood, my life, my child. You will always have me, and Eliza, Alice and Leah and the rest of the pack. We'll always be here for you as family."
Brianna shut her eyes tightly, before nodding a couple of times. Hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She sniffed a few times before opening back up and looking around as Eliza pushed a plate of pancakes in front of her, covered in butter and syrup. She stared at the simple act of someone making food for her, something her father had never bothered to do, and she knew deep down this was for real. They really, truly wanted her.
The realization and acceptance broke her completely, but instead of crying or acting out, she just reached forward and started on her stack, savoring the flavors enhanced by her new taste buds.
"Oh my god." Brianna moaned in satisfaction. "These are so good."
Leah came in and sat next to Brianna, picking up a fork. "Do you mind?" Motioning to Brianna's plate. Brianna nodded, and Leah brought a forkful to her mouth.
"Humh, thbts reblly goud." Leah said around the food, and Eliza just started to chuckle as she turned out several more pancakes onto a serving platter.
"I have no idea how she learned to cook, we could never practice in our rooms in Volterra." Isabella said moving over and grabbing one hotcake and rolling it up to snack on. "Although I have to admit, these are amazing."
"I'm so jelly." Alice said with a sigh. "Tastes like nothing to me. Which is so weird, you would think our senses would be better. But that doesn't even smell good, and based on your reactions I should be in heaven. Of course I've never eaten human food… so I'll just have to live vicariously through you all."
"How?" Brianna asked wide eyed, then her brow scrunched up. "Oh, you don't remember being human."
"That's right." Alice said a bit more brightly than she actually felt. She didn't want to drag Brianna down with any dark emotions. But Brianna's face fell nonetheless as she glanced up towards the patio.
"What's the matter? Is Alice's past worrying you?" Eliza asked, trying to understand her new sister without intruding on her thoughts.
"Um, no. Shouldn't we go to the basement now before the sun gets us? The sun protection they gave us must've worn off by now." Brianna asked nervously, looking ready to bolt for safety at a single hint of sunlight peeking through the large doors already letting in a lot of light. It hadn't reached the back of the island where Brianna was sitting but they all noticed how her eyes were focused on the band of light inching across the white marble.
Isabella shook her head, "there are a lot of things we need to teach you, and that is probably the first one we should get out of the way. Sunlight cannot not hurt us."
Brianna looked at Isabella blankly as if she were playing some great joke on her, or worse that she wanted to get rid of her. Isabella shook her head, and sent several images of them walking in the daylight, but that only seemed to make things worse, as Brianna stood from her stool and pressed up against the back wall of the kitchen. Isabella raised an eyebrow, as she realized that words or even memories weren't going to work. They would have to prove it to her, physically.
Isabell looked over at her first daughter. "Eliza would you please demonstrate?"
Eliza nodded as she shut off the grille and set down the spatula, then she gave a frightened look at Brianna, then her expression switched and she grinned like a fool and ran out into the sunshine. She stood in view and raised her arms up to the bright blue expanse of azure sky and stretched them wide, letting the sunshine hit her face in just the right way to make her skin glow. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth.
Brianna gasped, and slowly made her way towards the patio doors, reaching out with one arm towards the angled beam of light and quickly passed her fingers under the light. Her eyes widened, and she giggled in spite of herself. She took a deep breath and ran out into the field with Eliza who just scooped her up into a big hug and spun her around, with a loud joyous burst of laughter from both of them.
When Eliza set her back down, Brianna looked up into the sky and her lower jaw quivered with emotion. Her bright blue eyes sparkling in the sunshine she shook her head feeling a wave of contentment she never imagined she would feel. This place and these people already felt right, like home. She also knew that all she had to do was reach out, and say yes and they would accept her as one of them. This wonderful family, this wonderful life could be hers.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Eliza asked, pushing some hair out of Brianna's face. The gentle action and sign of affection almost made Brianna start to cry again. The deep ache for this connection was starting to feel overwhelming. She wanted to just throw herself into Eliza's chest and claim her as her sister.
"Henry said you were my family now. I don't understand how this happened." Brianna said, feeling like she had to decide. There wasn't really a push, they were just accepting and waiting patiently.
"I know you were told differently, again and again. They were lies. You are a beautiful young woman with the potential to do anything." Alice said, drawing Brianna's attention. She stared at Alice for several seconds as the sunlight reflected off of her skin like thousands of tiny diamonds.
"I am different." Brianna looked down at her hand in confusion.
"You are, and I know you had a hard life, and I can't promise you anything ordinary or normal. But one thing I can promise you, we are your family, and we take care of our own. That means we will never abandon you. Ever." Isabella clarified, stepping up next to Brianna and Eliza, Alice right next to her a second later.
"Is it okay if I want this? Because I do, more than I can explain." Brianna said with a shaky voice, the emotions too complicated and heavy to truly steady herself.
"Welcome to our very weird little family." Eliza added sincerely with a half giggle, before joining the four of them in a family hug. Brianna didn't know how to react, except to hold on with everything she had. A physical embrace like this was something she'd never experienced before. They were touching her, holding her and weren't trying to hurt her. It was so much deeper than that, she could feel the emotions coming from Isabella and Eliza. While she didn't understand them all, she knew there was no hate or malice, and the anger in Isabella definitely wasn't directed at her. The four of them held onto each other for a long time until Brianna was done being overwhelmed by emotion.
"I've always wanted a sister. Thank you for accepting us!" Eliza let out a little squee sound, something she did rarely because she knew it irritated her mother. She moved over a step, and quickly wrapped her arms around Brianna again with enthusiasm and Brianna buried her head in Eliza's chest feeling the love and security of a big sister for the first time in her life.
Seattle, Washington - February 3rd
"Yes master. I'll make the preparations immediately." Talia watched the hologram dissolve and set down her phone feeling conflicted. She looked over at the bag still containing Kell's head and sighed. "What do you think?"
She laughed in spite of herself. "Exactly. This doesn't feel right." Without another second of hesitation she stood and grabbed her two simple bags and headed down to her car. The sporty two-door was black and had tinted windows so she could drive in the day without drawing attention. It had served her well during the last several months following Isabella and Eliza. It was also fast, and that was exactly what she needed.
She got behind the wheel and backed out of her spot, hitting the road as fast as possible in mid-day traffic on a Saturday afternoon. Ignoring speed limits, she made the trip in just under two and a half hours, and had to trust her GPS to find the turn off. The long dirt driveway turned into stone halfway down, as a massive gray house appeared on the left. It was picturesque, with a massive Elm tree sitting in the middle of a huge field surrounded by trees and a sheer cliff face on one side. A makeshift picnic area had been set up with a dozen or so people sitting around eating pancakes. As she stopped, she noticed five women talking halfway between the lunch area and the house.
"Talia?" Isabella called out as she noticed the car pulling up. Talia got out immediately and started to walk over towards Isabella and Eliza, a strange girl and what looked like one of the Cullens. Although that had to be impossible. She got a closer look at those gathered by the tree and found they were Quileute, she nodded towards Leah who stepped up close to Eliza. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, as she found what felt like a happy scene, then she locked eyes on the younger girl, and her bright blue eyes. She couldn't help but gasp.
"I see you noticed Brianna, she is my second daughter. Brianna, this is Talia, she works with us as a fixer of inconvenient violence." Isabella said with a small smirk, but the nicest expression Talia had ever been met with from her.
"Hi." Brianna said with the sweetest voice and a tentative smile.
"Hello little one. Eliza, Isabella I have some sensitive news. Do you have somewhere we can speak in private?" Talia tried to hint that it should be just the three of them, but Isabella immediately turned to look at Brianna.
"Downstairs. Brianna, would you like to come. Learn what it is like to be Volturi?" Isabella offered, and Brianna nodded slowly. A little scared of the memories, but deeply curious about the oldest and most dangerous coven in the world, enough that even Dr. Tepes seemed wary of them. Talia kept the expression of surprise off her face, she could not contradict Isabella in any way. Still she was worried about a new presence in their family.
"Alice, please stay up here. I need to make them aware of certain things." Isabella said, and gave the diminutive Cullen a warm smile, which was even more shocking than anything else Talia had seen so far. It cemented her choice to come. They made their way down to the basement, the door to the Batcave was open and Henry nodded once at the family as they stopped in the main basement space.
"What's going on Tal?" Eliza asked after they had stopped.
"I just got a call from Chelsea, I've been recalled." Talia furrowed her brow, curious how they would take that news.
"Interesting, I haven't made any requests to the council regarding your work." Isabella said with a raised eyebrow, her expression settling into one Talia was familiar with.
"I didn't think so, that's why I came. I think something is wrong." Talia tried to form the warning she felt in her gut, but couldn't quite articulate.
"Let's find out." Isabella said with frown, calling Volterra on the interactive line from the house. As soon as it connected, holo projectors cast the entire room in a full immersion experience, making it appear as though they were standing in the council room in Volterra. Brianna gasped slightly, but kept it mostly silent.
"Gramps, Uncle C, Marcus!" Eliza said with a bright smile, helping Brianna line up next to her as expected by the council. Talia stepped in line behind Isabella as per her station, and Aro glanced at her fleetingly without expression. Henry moved into the room, but remained out of sight of the cameras, leaning against the wall by the stairs. Isabella didn't say anything, she just bowed her head respectfully at the council, although she noticed that Aro hadn't even cracked a smile at Eliza's greeting which was very rare for him.
Aro's voice was brisk and business-like. "To what do we owe this unexpected call?"
"Checking in, I have news." Isabella said without intonation as usual, although she was a bit worried about Aro's mood. Aro glanced towards Brianna and pursed his lips.
"Well, it is excellent timing. We have some serious business to discuss. But first, who is this?" Aro was looking at Brianna, specifically her eyes with growing concern. Had they somehow found a way to make another like them?
Isabella nodded in agreement. "This is Brianna, she is my second daughter."
"I see." Aros' eyebrows raised slightly, and he turned to look at Caius. Marcus's eyes widened and a vague smile crossed his lips as he took in the young vampire. If he could express joy, it was exactly how he would've conveyed it. Aro cut her off, shaking his head. "We will save formal introductions for in-person when you next return home, for now there is another topic I wish to discuss first."
Isabella raised her eyebrow curiously and crossed her arms, waiting for him to elaborate.
Aro's eyes fixed on Isabella, and his tone turned mildly accusatory, "It seems you have been less than forthcoming with us." Isabella just raised an eyebrow in response, but didn't say anything, allowing him to continue. "When you brought us this alliance with your wolf shifters, we were all understandably wary of the idea, but we allowed it. However, you neglected to give us all the specifics. I refer, of course, to your daughter's... situation."
Isabella kept her tone just as mild, but her eyes were cautious now. "What situation would that be?"
"Her romantic relationship with one of the shifters." Aro replied with a very obvious note of disgust in his voice.
"A female." Caius practically whispered out as a curse. Eliza's jaw dropped, she was speechless as she turned her head slightly to glance worriedly at her mother. Then she shifted her gaze towards Henry who was shaking his head off camera, one look conveyed that it wasn't him who relayed that information with the Volturi.
"I fail to see how that's a situation of any sort, less one that should concern you." Isabella said, her jaw tightened for only a moment, her mind racing through possibilities, wondering who might have told them. From Henry's non-vocal anger it was clearly not him. She nodded very slightly in understanding and acknowledgement, telling him she believed him. Then she shifted her eyes up the stairs; wordlessly telling him it might be best to leave than get drawn into this disagreement by Aro. She wished she could do the same with Brianna and Talia, this had nothing to do with them.
"None of our concern?" Aro's tone was one of recrimination. "My dear, you are our concern, and you know very well that any sort of intermingling between species is against our laws."
Eliza watched Henry nod in wordless acknowledgement to her mother and head up the stairs quietly. Then she turned to Aro. "We haven't even done anything yet! And we're both girls!" Eliza spoke up without thinking, and flinched realizing her mistake. A look of embarrassment crossed over her immediately, but in another bout of incredulous defiance she plowed on. "I don't see what the big deal is."
Caius spoke up in a smug, almost taunting voice. "They have been attacking us. Their kind wages war against us. Several covens have fallen because of these mongrels, who are barely a step removed from the plague we spent CENTURIES eliminating! We cannot tolerate even a hint of a threat like this, let alone fraternization with a creature that is beneath you. It is impure, no matter what this imprint is, it is an aberration and no vampire, much less a Volturi, is allowed to engage in such depravity!"
"The Quileute are not Children of the Moon. To call them such is not only an insult to their people, but dishonors generations of noble warriors. More to the point, I have no objection to Eliza's choice of mate. But more importantly, it is her choice, her business and none of yours, end of discussion!" Isabella spoke with a look of hatred cast towards Caius, but managed to keep her voice even and firm despite her anger.
Caius leaned forward ready to counter, but Aro held up his hand to calm him, not wanting him to get too worked up… yet. "Unfortunately daughter, Caius is correct. No matter his choice of words, we allowed this alliance against our better judgment. Further, based on your last report and recent developments, the wolf shifters do present a significant threat to us. A personal relationship goes far beyond that, it could easily lead to inadvertent exposure of our secrets which may reveal a potential vulnerability."
"Expose us? Secrets? The shifters were born..." Eliza began to protest, but her rant was cut off when Isabella's voice thundered in her mind. "Eliza, be quiet. They hear one word of evolution or being born to kill our kind and it's over. We need to be smart here, and indignant remarks are just going to make things worse than they already are. Let me try and handle this." Isabella had to suppress the urge to give her a harsh look, showing her frustration outwardly, but she was worried even that small of an expression might be enough to cause the situation to spin out of control.
Eliza snapped her mouth closed, and tried not to react. She had been scolded before for her sense of humor and occasionally disrespectful attitude, but this was different as she realized this wasn't a playful reprimand, this was something else, because Isabella rarely ever used the word 'try', and the idea that there might be horrible consequences for following her heart made her entire body shake with fear and rage.
"Any relationship has the potential for careless trust or willful manipulation. We have no way to confirm the motivations of these wolf shifters, so it is very conceivable that they have an agenda to use your daughter to discover any vulnerabilities or weak points we may have." Aro replied.
"They have not been a threat to us. Quite the opposite in fact, they've helped us a great deal." Isabella replied, modulating her voice to create the illusion of control and calm.
"Yes, however, now that we have confirmation that other packs of these shifters are located throughout the world as part of this global scheme you mentioned, we realize now that their mere existence is a far bigger problem than we originally imagined." Aro stated calmly.
Isabella nodded agreeably. "Yes, and we've made the first steps toward unraveling this mystery, you see.."
Aro shook his head again, cutting off Isabella's reply. "No! What we see is that we've ignored a dangerous species for too long. Whether you were ignorant of the danger they present is something we are willing to overlook though." Isabella didn't like the sound of that, she let a bit of her frustration show on her face. Aro smiled widely. "We are calling a hunt. All Volturi are now to consider all shifters wolf or otherwise a threat to our continued existence. From this point forward all Volturi will be expected to kill any confirmed shifter without hesitation or exception."
"What of the Quileute's? We have an alliance with them." Isabella asked, her voice still calm, though the seething anger Eliza could feel through their connection made her worried that her mother might not be able to continue things civilly.
"The Quileute alliance is hereby terminated. We will be dispatching a dozen of our reserve guards to your location. They will assist you in the elimination of the pack." Aro stated with casual indifference, although it was clearly a bait. "You will evaluate their performance, to determine whether any of them are worthy of permanent status." He continued as if the matter had been closed.
Isabella closed her eyes slowly, and there was silence from both sides of the connection. Eliza watched her mother, but kept her mouth shut despite wanting to say a ton of things that kept popping into mind. Brianna huddled close to Eliza, fear radiating off of her. The eyes of two of the three council members seemed to be focused on Isabella as well. Marcus was staring at Brianna, his face strangely curious.
"No." Isabella opened her eyes to look at Aro and shook her head. "We allied with them. On my honor as a Volturi. I created this alliance. I will not betray it." Aro's face fell in an exaggerated way, Caius smiled somehow even more smugly.
"Are you refusing a direct order from the Council?" Caius' voice was sharp, but there was an air of condescension in it and withering contempt made him sound like a snake hissing out his words instead of speaking them.
"Not at all, I'm refusing to abandon an alliance made in my name. An Alliance that speaks to the integrity and honor of our coven. To turn around and attack them, would be to betray everything you have taught me to stand for. I'm asking that you listen to reason, I am absolutely confident that given the chance you'll find that they can help you..." Isabella's voice was calm, but Caius leaned forward with a sneer to interrupt her.
"Excuses, treacherous excuses." Caius interrupted, continuing to sound more like a snake than a man.
"Peace brother, I know them too well. They would never betray our cause, they are simply too honorable to spurn an alliance they founded." Marcus didn't move but his voice was oddly passionate, he glanced between Caius and Aro a couple of times, and met both Isabella and Eliza's eyes as well.
"It is their alliance brother, their pride. We did not ask for it, nor did we intend to honor it. Talia you have no stake in this, why are you even on this call?" Aro asked without his usual humor, but at least he seemed somewhat curious to her answer.
"They are the best of us, and I will stand with Isabella and Eliza. I've met these people, heard their words and looked into their eyes. They are honest and honorable and no threat to us." Talia said with her head held high, despite feeling the towering weight of that defiance.
Aro's voice was deathly quiet, all humor and lightness gone, "the three of you realize that you are refusing a direct order. That is treason against the coven, no matter how you try to frame it ideologically. There will be no trial, no debate here. You choose this and you know the consequences. Now, I'm asking you again. Will you abide by the council's decision?"
Isabella looked at the hologram for several long seconds before she turned her head to glance at Talia who nodded almost imperceptibly. Then she turned to Eliza, who glanced upstairs, towards where Leah was out by the tree with the rest of the pack, and then her face hardened as she met her mother's eyes and with a clear nod she turned towards Caius and leveled a deadly glare. Brianna looked upset, but she just huddled into Isabella's side even harder. Isabella turned back to the translucent image, squaring her shoulders and met Aro's impatient gaze across the thousands of miles that separated them.
"No." Isabella didn't need to elaborate further, it was clear that this argument was not going to be settled on this call. Marcus shut his eyes in disappointment, Caius was trying unsuccessfully to keep back a wide smile, and Aro just stared at Isabella. The pause lasted a bit too long for comfort, and she was ready to say goodbye and shut it down in frustration when Aro raised his eyebrows and began to speak.
"Then you have made your choice. From this point forward you and your daughter are stripped of your titles, and are no longer members of the Volturi. As for punishment, know that this brings me no pleasure, but I'm afraid you leave me no choice. You are far too dangerous to be left unchecked." Aro pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and proceeded to quickly dial numbers as Caius let loose and his face twisted in a malicious grin.
Marcus began to shake his head, reacting by standing up from his chair and moving towards his brother, "Aro, please no!" Marcus begged with more emotion than Isabella or Eliza had ever heard before. They could feel something was very very wrong, and the beginning of a question formed in their shared mind, who could Aro possibly be calling…
As the house exploded around them.
The End of Book One
Author's Note:
Don't worry this isn't the end end, just the end of the first 'Book'. I will be taking a short break (two weeks instead of the current one week) hiatus to rest. Chapter One of Book Two will be up the week of the 5th of September. Thank you all for reading this far.
