The Lion Meets the Panther
Chapter 2: The Rat's Mistake
A/N: Well, I can say I am heavily surprised by how much traction this story has gotten! To those who have reviewed the story, thank you! Those who have followed it and favorited it as well, thank you! I hope this chapter satisfies that craving of wanting to know more about what in the hell Bella is going to do. Again, I own none of the Twilight franchise, unless you count copies of the movies, other than that the characters belong to Stephanie Meyer and I'm just here to write a little story.
Excerpt from the previous chapter:
Alice was silent and Esme was upset, her son was manipulating a delightful young woman and knew he wasn't her mate. How had she not seen this before? It made sense, the moment the Denali trip happened, it should- she didn't remember part of that. Did he use his ability on her or is there a lot more at play?
The silence was palpable and told Bella Swan everything that she needed to know. Dread seemed to trickle down her spine and into her chest cavity, no, this is exactly what she dreaded. For one of the first times in Bella Swan's short eighteen-year span of life, she did not wish to be right, other times was fine, but this was never supposed to be one of them. It was slightly becoming harder to breathe as her voice conveyed all the immortals needed to know, "I'm not right, am I? Please tell me I'm just overthinking." Alice had to restrain herself for a moment. The shake of Bella's voice was doing things to her heart. Contradictory to belief, their hearts still beat, but pumped venom instead of blood. It skipped a beat and seemed to almost squeeze painfully. How could she not have seen this? Bella deserved so much better. It could not be possible right? Edward tricking all of them? He may be old, but Carlisle is older than him and he could not have steered them wrong all this time, right?
Jasper was more on the opposite end of the spectrum than his mate. It was making sense, he seemed to have been kept away from Bella by Edward multiple times. He remembered many a time when the pretty boy had come to him and convinced him of being a danger to Bella and just genuinely keeping away from her. That may be because of his gift was an empath and had consistently been around mated couples. Edward was charming, that was not a stretch by any means, but combined with his gift was considerably dangerous. Jasper feared that Edward was playing with things out of his control and if proven true, a death sentence. In the vampiric world it was often in the older times for more experienced vampires to try and take other mates away. It was because of lust or even just because one vampire had a gift that they coveted. Truly a shameful reason to separate those who were sculpted for one another.
It had gotten so bad that it had even spread to the hierarchy of the vampiric government. One of the mates of the Kings, pardon me, Queens. They had been almost whisked away by another. The guilty party had a gift to forcibly make bonds and ties to them and other people. They could have even crafted false bonds between other people if one so desired and could pay a very hefty price. They had been found out as mate bonds can be swayed slightly, but never can be reassigned or completely erased. An idiotic mistake on the guilty vampires' part and one that they paid with their life. It was no light crime and was well known that the vampiric royalty, the Volturi, would carry out the punishment in person or send someone to persecute the guilty party. It was the main law that Carlisle stressed to them all when they joined the coven, apparently, he was once friends with the Queens…though one would use the term friend very lightly.
Bella's body was involuntarily shaking, buzzing like a phone getting a text message or having chills, a panic attack. Rosalie was the first to recognize the signs. As Edward had gone through school and college multiple times, so had the rest of them, and Rosalie had gone into school for becoming a doctor. It also helped that her and Carlisle frequently spoke of medical topics due to her degree and fascination with how much a human body could endure. "Bella." The brunette looked at the blonde woman, honey gold meeting deep brown, though now those usual bright brown eyes were dull or at the minimum glassy. "Can you follow my instructions?" Bella seemed to eye Rosalie hesitantly.
Rosalie won't deny that the caution in the shorter girls' eyes made her concerned, "You're having a panic attack. I have medical training and I want to help you go through it safely. Do I have your consent to do so?" A shaky heartbeat. Another one skipping. Rosalie was having internal doubts and was concerned if this one was too bad, and the girl could not reply or even nod. Then the small nod in reply made whatever doubts that had formed in Rosalie's mind to dissipate. That was good. "I'm not going to ask you to speak if that is overwhelming, okay? I want you to use the five senses technique. "Internally I want you to first look around in your field of vision and list three things you can see." Rosalie did her best to use the calmest tone she could manage and to keep it together.
Bella's lips thinned and she seemed to consider it for a second before nodding before her eyes glanced around the room. She may not be very close to Rosalie, but at least the woman was not being patronizing and was an educated individual, so she'd try the suggestion. It seemed to be slow at first, but she would list things internally to herself, not trusting herself to speak. The coffee table was the first thing which was quickly followed by the tv remote on it. A small breath was released as her eyes found the last item, the very comfortable couch she had sat on many a time. When she listed the last item, her eyes would glide back over to Rosalie and give a small, but hesitant nod. The bombshell was more understanding and gentler with her when she had a panic attack than Edward was. Edward claimed to have some medical knowledge. Bella doubted that now considering the situation and believed Rosalie was not lying, please, the brunette had been in the doctor's office way to frequently.
Rosalie was relieved internally at that, good, Bella was giving her the benefit of the doubt, not what she was thinking what was going to happen in the first place. She'll take anything at this point. "Good. Internally or externally if you want too, list three things you can touch." The brunette's hesitant nod was a good sign, a little habit that the coven had noticed is that when Bella is thinking about something, she'll sometimes mumble under her breath or mouth the words as she theorized over something or another. It was an interesting little tidbit as Alice did it at times as well. Bella was quietly or at least internally listing things she can feel or places where she can feel something. Thankfully after a few more tries, Bella was calm and out of the main part of the attack. Unfortunately, she was having a few body shivers here and there as when she was anxious and dealing with something that caused her to worry.
Jasper was…slightly overwhelmed when he was slammed by all the emotions at once in the room. The first ones he felt was Alice's, which made sense since she was closest and his mate, and it concerned him. All the worry, guilt, and was that anger? Jasper blinked at that, his wife was angry at herself or was she angry at Edward? Esme seemed to be in some sort of denial and guilt, more than likely at herself for not noticing something off sooner. Rosalie's emotions were complex, much like his sister in that regard at least from an outsider's perspective, and an outsider Jasper wasn't. The burning anger from Rosalie was palpable to the flames that he had seen lick up the limbs of countless vampires in the Southern Wars. The worry was that of a flood, if he needed to breathe to survive, the air would have been knocked out of him. He wasn't misreading the emotions earlier then. Rosalie had a tie to the one and only Isabella Swan and had been denied of the chance to craft anything of significance with the brunette. He felt the last emotions and it felt like his own heart had dropped to his stomach. The overwhelming and crippling guilt from the Ice Queen herself, Rosalie motherfucking Hale, was terrifying. Jasper had never felt that emotion so strongly before from Rosalie. So, he was correct, Rosalie had a mate bond that was denied to her or maybe by her for a time. The reason why it now was coming into effect was because the blonde was getting to know Bella Swan and not watching from a distance. Jasper's eyes snapped to Bella's form as the flood of overwhelming panic and impending doom/anxiety slammed into the blonde cowboy. Bella had not wanted to be right. That realization scared Jasper "The Major" Whitlock.
They let Bella regain her senses and let Rosalie do her thing to help, after that was done, they all sat in silence for a few minutes as it clicked for all five members in the living room. As Bella regained her voice, before Alice could speak, "I guess you could say this is a grave situation." The collective groan of Alice, Rosalie, and the chuckle from Jasper was heard. The one damning habit that Bella had was when things went south or unsavory, she had a horrible sense of humor with puns or jokes to cope. Truly it was an endearing trait in one blonde's eyes, not that they'll ever admit it out loud or to the human girl herself. Alice was the first to speak, "If what you brought to our attention is true Bella, who I'm guessing is, then the consequences for Edward could be…severe." What they were not expecting was Rosalie's snarl at the words.
"Of course, they should be! Out of all of us, he is one of the oldest and the eldest that Carlisle sired, he should know the rules like the back of his hand! It is a severe offense regardless, he did reveal himself to a human, his singer no less and fooled them into believing a false mate bond while knowing it was never true. He broke multiple laws and if he does not face consequences himself than it could spell trouble for the entire coven and more trouble for Bella in general." Rosalie was angry. She was basically at the end of her rope with Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, fucking pompous self-centered and spoiled brat! Fuck him and his two middle names. Fuck him and his arrogant know it all attitude. Fuck him and his stupid aloof persona. Fuck him and his supposed Greek god looks, that was a direct insult to the Greek pantheon and anyone who made art of the pantheon in Greece or anywhere in the world.
Bella was stunned and a little startled at the snarl but could not deny that she was agreeing with Rosalie "Ice Queen" Hale. It did not fucking help that the snarl did something to her. This was not the god damn time to get flustered! "Rose, it's okay. I agree with you." Rosalie would her heart flutter, that had not happened in years…many years. Bella agreed with her. That means a lot to the blonde. "If Edward knew the laws, like you told me that Carlisle made sure to tell you all, then he must have told Edward too. Edward knew what he was doing, though I really hoped that I was wrong. I will not deny that I felt something for him or at least thought I did, however, with this coming to light and my theories being correct then the past few months could have been him just playing with me and my emotions. He was keeping me dazzled a lot. A part of the emotions regarding him are real, but what concerns me is what is not."
Jasper paused and was revaluating his opinions of Isabella Swan. She was a human…at least he thinks she is, but her observation skills were definitely not normal, least not for good reasons. An eyebrow was raised at that. Her concerns were extremely valid with the emotions and the consistent manipulations of his…well Jasper has never completely considered Edward his brother or even a true vampire. Edward was too soft when it came to arguments. He never did anything physically, mainly, and everything was a mind game…oh wow Jasper had lost his edge over the years. More that he thought in the time with the Cullen coven. A soft sigh was heard from his lips, maybe the bastard was right, Peter Whitlock. Well, Whitlock was not Peter's real last name, but he took it after he served/worked with Jasper during the Southern Wars. Did the animal blood dull the senses as he claimed? He never had to many problems while drinking human blood with his gift, in fact, he was in more control. Not to mention he targeted criminals and scum when he hunted back in the south when he had the freedom to do so.
Esme put her face in her hands as she was coming to terms with the situation. This is not what she was expecting when Bella came over, this is not what she planned on discovering. Did Carlisle know of this? He favored Edward, he'd never admit it and deny it, but it was true, and Esme knew it. She knew that she was not Carlisle's other half, but she was not sure if Carlisle knew that. The way that Alice and Jasper worked…that was never her and Carlisle. It was not uncommon for vampires to get together for companionship while they searched for their actual mates. Esme looked up at Bella and swallowed her worries, her daughter needed her. "Oh Bella, honey, I am so sorry. I should have noticed something or did something when I noticed Edward's sudden interest when he's had none before."
Bella did something that none of the current coven members expected as she got up and wrapped her arms around Esme. "Do not even start, it is not your fault for this. I know you are the mother figure and the heart of this family, but it was not your fault of Edward's motives or actions." Esme froze up in surprise before returning the gesture. She knew that Bella was never too much for affection, least not with Edward. Esme did not know Bella' complete history with her mother but knew she had problems with Renee so for the young woman to say those words means a lot. "Thank you, Bella." Esme says softly and gently squeezes the girl. Bella smiles slightly before pulling back. However, Alice brings up a valid point, "They come back on Sunday, it's Friday now…. what are you planning to do?" Bella looked tired at that realization, and it was Rosalie who came to her rescue, surprisingly. "We have a day to plan. Take the rest of today to relax and go from there." Bella's lips quirk into a small smile at that, she did not expect Rosalie to come to her rescue like this…again. This was an odd pattern. How it was to be solved was another matter.
A/N: Okay! We have a second chapter ready to go! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know if you have any critiques, I try to write when I'm inspired or in the mood so the updates may be a little sparse at times, but I do love this story. Remember, you are wonderful and deserve happiness! (2,736 words if you're curious.)