A/N: Welcome to Darkness. Without giving too much away, I did want to provide some general warnings and information, as I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. This fic is not a traditional Twilight fic. The character names, some of their abilities, and their likeness are pretty much the only consistent between Twilight and Darkness. The Cullens are not vampires, but will have abilities. If vampires show up, they will be more like the traditional vampires we know and not Twilight vamps. This is a very AU/AH fic. This is a mature fic and will deal with adult themes. You have been warned.
It had been months since I'd been out and let loose. My dissertation had taken every ounce of brain power; there were days I forgot to eat, I was so focused. But that was all behind me.
Thursday I had submitted my research, done my presentation, and I was now free. No matter what happened now, I knew I was done with my education. Doctor Isabella Swan had a nice ring to it. I already had an engraved nameplate for my desk ready. Graduation was next week and then I was starting at Featherlight, Inc. as the lead of the forensic accounting department. My team were others that I had worked alongside these last five years, I knew their work and was looking forward to putting our education to good use.
Despite all this, I wouldn't call my team 'friends'; I didn't really have those. The lack of friends is exactly how I found myself in downtown Columbia, drunk off my ass at two in the morning this fine Friday night (or, I guess Saturday morning if you wanted to be accurate, which I always was).
This wasn't really my plan when I got ready earlier this evening. I had pulled on a sensible, yet sexy outfit - tight jeans that left no room for even the skimpiest of undergarments, a rose gold blouse, low cut in both the front and back, and black ballet flats (heels were a no go, no matter the situation, I had learned early on in life that heels were a bad idea, combine liquor and I'd be in the ER in a matter of seconds). My hair was in loose ringlets, makeup was light but seductive, and I had been bar hopping, looking for a good time. I found Jose, Johnnie, and the Captain, and plenty of undergrads, but was thoroughly disappointed at the lack of older patrons. While I wouldn't have minded some of these kids, they were just that, children. Sure it might have been fine in the dark with alcohol clouding our senses, but I really did not want to deal with the emotional baggage of a twenty-one year old in the morning.
So that's how I ended up roaming the streets, many, many drinks later, muttering under my breath about the lack of options in this town. I was frustrated that after spending nearly ten years in school here I had been persuaded to take a job that would tie me here even more. I didn't even like the midwest, but I had all but signed my soul over to the devil himself and put roots down.
At this point most of the bars were closing down for the night, the one a.m. 'last call' meant no more booze flowing; only a few stragglers were nursing the remnants of their drinks and figuring out who was going home with whom. As I turned north off Broadway I noticed a door that was lit in dark red. The curtains were drawn on the windows and there was no sign, but this place looked to still be open. Curious, I pushed the thick oak door open and immediately was assaulted by the deep thumping of a bass line. There was a bouncer right inside the door; his muscles bulging, straining the tight confines of his black t-shirt. His dark eyes gave me a once over and concluded that I was above the legal age without even needing to check my identification. Yeah, I was that old.
He ushered me forward, holding the red rope open for me. As I passed him he put a big, rough hand on my shoulder. "Alice and Rosalie have been waiting for you. Make a right and go down the hall, first door on the left." He then gave my ass a light tap, pushing me in the direction he indicated. In my drunken haze I knew I should be worried - I didn't know the name of the bar I had just stumbled into, the bouncer seemed to know who I was, and girls I didn't know were expecting me. Despite this, I eagerly rushed down the dark hallway and pushed the aforementioned door open.
I entered the room and jumped as the door behind me slammed. I quickly turned around and immediately my heart was beating rapidly, partially in fear and partially in arousal as I took in the sight. Standing in front of the door was hands down the most beautiful being I had ever laid eyes on. She was tall, easily pushing six feet. She was lean but looked strong, and had killer curves. Her long blonde hair looked like spun gold and hung down to her waist; I caught myself before my hand could reach out and embarrass me by running through the silken trusses. I then noticed her eyes, a startling shade of bright blue, like looking into the clearest ocean. I wanted to drown in those eyes.
A voice on the other side of the room drew me away from the blonde goddess before me and I turned around at the melodic sound. "Thank you for joining us, Bella. We've been waiting for you."
The voice belonged to the complete opposite of the tall beauty I had just eye-fucked. This girl was tiny, but no less gorgeous. She had to be under five feet tall, even with her killer heels. She was thin to the extreme and had black spiky hair that framed a small, angular face. Her dark makeup accented her jade green eyes. I was captivated by both of these ladies, and any lingering worry about how I had ended up here were long forgotten.
My body moved on its own accord as I stepped forward towards the small figure. She reached a hand out for me; her firm was strong despite her size. She pulled me towards her, a hand snaking up my neck, forcing my mouth down to hers. A small part of my brain tried to pull me away, but I wanted this to happen. I leaned down and our mouths clashed. I kissed her as if her mouth was the only way for me to get air. We didn't get to kiss long though, as another melodic, but deeper voice pulled us apart.
"You shouldn't have all the fun, Alice." I stumbled backwards as I forced myself away from the tiny girl and faced the blonde once more. She reached her hand out, which I gladly took, and she softly tugged me towards her. She pressed a chaste kiss to my lips before pulling away. "Welcome home, Bella."
The girls led me to a black leather couch that was pushed against the back wall, facing the door I had entered through. On either side of it were wooden end tables, a bronze table lamp on each one, the lights dim and casting long shadows in the room. I sat in the middle, with the ladies that had greeted me on either side of me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down after the exuberant greeting I had been given. A small voice in my head was telling me to get out of here, but the alcohol laden, lust-filled voice was currently winning out. These girls had drawn me in, and I didn't really want to leave.
The dark-haired girl, Alice, started to speak, her high melodic voice a soft song in my ear. "Sorry, I tend to forget that just because I feel like I know you, the feeling isn't mutual, yet" she laughed, the sound like windchimes. I could listen to that all day.
"I'm Alice Brandon. This is my partner, Rosalie Hale. There are five other managing partners of Darkness, that's the name of this club, by the way. You'll get to meet the others soon. Everyone is so excited you showed up. I told them you would, and we just needed to be patient, but nevertheless, some of our family were getting a bit worried that you'd never make an appearance."
The blonde next to me let out a deep throaty laugh, "That's an understatement. I thought Jasper was going to lose his shit. Even in your visions he could feel the lust emanating off her, and us. I'm surprised he isn't here now, getting his fix."
I wasn't quite following what they meant, but didn't want to break the spell I was under. I thought if I spoke they'd realize just how plain I was and wouldn't want anything to do with me, and I wanted nothing more than to continue to be in between these ladies.
"All in due time, Rose." The little pixie turned her attention back to me. "I've been seeing you for years, Isabella. I knew you'd find us, on your own time. I saw that you would go out for drinks after the years of hardwork you put in, and knew tonight was the night we needed to lift the enchantment off the building. You see, normally the door to Darkness is, well, dark. No one even gives it a second glance as they pass the empty doorway. Tonight though, it was calling to you, all our doing. We knew you'd come in, eager for your night to continue. And we want your night to continue, for a very long time. So, how about it, join us at Darkness? I know you took a job recently, but we could use your skills, and you'd be taken care of, very, very well." Throughout her speech she was getting closer and closer to me, her breath danced across my skin, the last word was whispered in my ear as her tongue licked my cartilage and she nibbled my lobe.
My breath stuttered and I let out a small moan. It had been too long, much too long. I melted into Alice's soft embrace. She was no longer speaking, her mouth much too busy as it roamed down my neck, sucking on the juncture above my clavicle. She nipped gently, the skin pulled away from my body just enough to cause a small prick of pain. While she continued to kiss her way across my body, Rosalie started speaking, continuing where Alice had left off.
"We've wanted to even our numbers for years. While we all have special skills that help Darkness run smoothly, there's no one quite adept with numbers. In addition to your accounting skills, Alice here became very intrigued with you and thinks you will fit in nicely with the family. I want to hear it out of your mouth though, would you be willing to join us, all of us, in our family? There are no secrets, and everyone is loved just as equally as the next. You'd never be alone; all of the men, and us women are very generous partners. So, what do you say?"
I knew what I should say; I should be running away, screaming. What kind of proposal was this? Just what had I walked into tonight? Despite the alarms in my head, Alice's ministrations had me loosened up and wondering just how much more I was in for if I accepted their offer. I had a week before I was supposed to report to Featherlight. I'd give this a go for that week, if it didn't work out, I knew I could go on to the job I had all but created for myself.
In between moans of pleasure, as Alice was still ravishing my body with her lips, I let out a breathy "yes".