Happy Reading
DISCLAIMER - ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYERS.
STORYLINE BELONGS TO ME.
We had finally finished with out shopping trip getting enough clothes to last for the next 6 months or so; each of us purchased a lap top before separating for an hour to go make individual shopping trips.
I purchased an Xbox, PS3 and as many games as would fit inside my jeep, you know besides my clothes and some of Jaspers.
Both him and Bella stopped by the nearest bookstore and ordered books for the new library we would have at the new house as well as to take with us on the trip.
Then we were piling the many bags inside the two trucks she dashed off saying something about making one more purchase but would not tell us what it was.
She came back half an hour later with the biggest grin on her face blowing us kisses before jumping in her truck, roaring and peeling out of the parking lot.
Bella POV
Right before leaving Seattle we stopped and picked up phones for each of us, since we would need to keep in touch with each other even on the road. Silly vampires keep forgetting that I am still a human and don't have their superb hearing.
Traveling with two vampires is the best road trip ever; I have to tell you mainly because they don't smother me or tell me what to do. We all share in the decision making and make choices based on the THREE of us, not just the one.
All of our opinions count and we're having the best time of our lives.
Once we crossed the border into Oregon I called them and suggested that we stop and purchase camping equipment. They didn't ask any questions or tell me that camping is not for me or that it was not safe, they just simply said okay and pulled over at the nearest camping shop.
It would have taken us only 5-6 hours to get to Montana from Seattle; however, we decided to camp out every night so that I could get some experience 'roughing' it in the wilderness.
I laughed because I think Emmett just wanted to go bear hunting, they even situated me up in a tree one night so that I could see how they hunted. Of course I was several miles away with a pair of high powered binoculars so that I could see them from my position.
Finally we arrive at Peter and Charlotte's and find them standing outside waiting for us, seeing as how they probably heard our cars miles away.
Pulling up to the front of the house I watch as Peter and Charlotte exchange glances before walking towards Jasper who is getting off his bike. I watch for a moment as Jasper gestures towards me in the truck and Emmett who is coming up on the driver's side.
Emmett opens my door sliding his hand across my shoulders massaging the back of my neck as I pocket the keys and grab my purse before stepping out of my truck.
I grab his hand and walk forward to stand beside Jasper but slightly behind him as I look at Charlotte for a moment. Charlotte gazes at me in silence as I feel a wave of curiosity, sisterly love and a sense of welcoming from her.
But before she can say anything Peter blurts out, "I FUCKING KNEW IT!!!"
I tilt my head to the side and stare at him for a moment quirking an eyebrow at him before he slides his sights to Jasper and then to Emmett, while rubbing his hands together and grinning gleefully.
Knowing that I'll find out soon enough I look back towards Charlotte seeing her staring shyly at me as I tilt my head to the other side and stare at her for a moment longer before saying quietly, "I believe I have truly found a sister now" before running up to her and giving her a long comforting hug.
To say Charlotte is surprised is an understatement before she finally recovers quickly but still in shock. She pulls away a little asking, "You're not afraid of me because I'm a human drinker?"
I look at her confused for a moment as I feel the guys tensing for my reaction before saying lovingly, "Why should I be scared, I know you would never hurt me."
Still in shock and feeling a little disbelief she asks, "Not disgusted or freaked out…or angered even?"
Then it finally dawns on me as my eyes flash in fury, "Alice never approved of you nor Peter; did she?"
Charlotte looks sad for a moment as I feel a wave of anger from Peter, hurt from Jasper and disbelief from Emmett.
I shock them all when I spit out, "What the FUCK does she know about anything? You can't be held responsible for her stupidity and ignorance if she judges you for what you are instead of who you are. And of all the people to….who the FUCK is she to judge someone, the manipulative pixie bitch?!?!?"
Jasper and Emmett send me waves of pride as Peter looks at me speculatively while Charlotte smiles brightly saying, "Thank you Bella."
I cup her cheek responding softly, "There's no need Charlotte, I see the good, loving and caring person that you are, both you and Peter."
"She never took the time to get to you who you are, instead just assumed because of the color of your eyes. I've learned to never judge a book by its cover" I say quietly looking over my shoulder at Jasper and Emmett.
"I'm going to enjoy getting to know you" Charlotte says, "As will I" I reply before hooking my arm in hers and directing us towards the house.
After getting comfortable on the couch with Charlotte I finally notice Jasper, Emmett and Peter coming into the room looking happy and grinning widely that Charlotte and I have clicked so fast.
"Now Peter, what was it you so eloquently said outside, you FUCKING knew what?"
Jasper sits on the arm next to me while Emmett sits down at my feet as Peter looks between us once more before saying, "That you three have formed a triumvirate or troika as some would call it."
Jasper looks shocked, while Emmett is curious and I just wish he would stop being so fucking cryptic.
"I'm only cryptic because I know a little bit about everything" Peter replied grinning as he sits back in his chair and stares at us.
Jasper frowns as Emmett glances at me so I ask, "What's a triumvirate?"
Jasper answers quietly, "A group of three people in joint control of something, it could be anything, like the Volturri - Aro and his brothers Marcus and Caius."
"In all honesty they are just three brothers ruling the vampire world, while you three are a true troika. To put it simpler you three are considered as a unit, connected by whatever happened in Forks when they found you. By the way what did happen?" Peter asks quietly staring at me.
I ignore his question and ask one of my own, "So what does that mean exactly?"
Quirking his eyebrow back at me, Peter does not mention that I ignored his question and just instead answers mine, "You three share a bond equally between you, a bond that neither Jasper nor Emmett nor you shared with your less than true significant others."
"You Bella are the conduit that connects the three of you together in your bond – which by the way is unbreakable – even by family" Peter says looking at me intently.
I look at Peter and instantly know what he is keeping to himself.
"Carlisle called didn't he" I ask quietly continuing to stroke my fingers through Emmett's hair as Jasper tenses next to me, to which I reach over and lace my fingers through his squeezing gently in comfort.
"What's a conduit?" Emmett asks looking up at me lovingly before turning his attention back to Peter.
"Someone who can combine powers and spread them around, between two people or more" Peter says tilting his head to the side and staring at me more intently.
"See anything else Peter?" I ask arching my eyebrow at him again.
"You're a shield and you're able to see the truth, sometimes what people don't want anyone else to see" he says leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he starts getting excited at the prospects of what this means.
"Why are you so excited Peter?" Charlotte asks looking at him curiously.
"Because no matter what people say, Bella will be able to see the actual truth, imagine how pissed off other vampires will be having her know their intimate secrets" Peter says gleefully as it finally dawns on me why he's so excited.
He knows about everything Edward and Alice, as well as the family, lied about and that no matter what excuses spew from their mouths, I will always be able to see the truth behind the words.
Jasper says quietly, "That's why she was able to see…."
"What happened with Rosalie" Emmett continues.
"And Alice" says Jasper.
"As well as Carlisle and Esme" I finish quietly as I contemplate what this will mean when, or if, we ever come into contact with the Cullens again.
"Do you guys do that often?" asks Charlotte as she gets up to sit next to Peter, looking between the three of us bewildered. Emmett takes her place next to me as Jasper slides down on the other side.
"What" I ask softly running my fingers down Emmett's neck as he continues, "finish" then Jasper "each other's" and I finish "sentences."
Peter looks between the three of us amused as he continues as if we didn't interrupt him, "Your shield prevents people from finding you or even seeing you guys. It's why Carlisle called me; he is concerned that Jasper might have relapsed."
"Then we'll take a fucking picture and send it to him" I growl in anger before humming softly as Jasper and Emmett start rubbing my back soothingly.
Peter looks more pleased while Charlotte looks on with love and awe in her eyes.
"They didn't ask about Emmett, did they" Jasper asks glancing at him as I slip my arm around his waist in comfort.
"I guess it didn't occur to them that you and Emmett would stay together this long, they probably thought you would go your way and Emmett would go his after getting the information that you needed after arriving in Forks. Shows just how much fucking faith the fuckers had in you guys. If I felt anything towards them anymore I'd be fucking disappointed" I say laughing darkly.
Emmett leans over to nuzzle my neck whispering, "It's okay precious, who needs them anyway when I have you and Jasper."
"I feel the same way" I reply kissing his cheek softly while continuing to run my fingers through his hair.
"As do I" replies Jasper reaching out a hand to clasp Emmett's shoulder in comfort and love.
Turning to Peter and Charlotte who are watching our interaction with a mixture of admiration and understanding I gaze at Peter for a moment in silence.
Until he replies, "The devil pixie can't see you guys; apparently your shield blocks her. As soon as Jasper and Emmett made the decision to come back to you, they disappeared from her radar."
I shot up in anger and disgust towering over Peter as Charlotte looks on in worry while Jasper and Emmett glance between Peter and me wondering what's happening as they feel my rage start to boil with a slight dose of pain mixed in.
Peter leans back and looks at me intently while I rage, "And what, NOW she's fucking concerned?" I sneer in disgust as I continue to feel waves of fury and pain coursing through me, "She wasn't concerned when she was dictating people's lives or fucking Edward behind my back!"
"That's not all" Peter continues quietly while steadily gazing at me with interest as Jasper and Emmett sit up sending me waves of calmness and anxiousness that just bounce off my shield.
"They heard rumors about what happened in Forks and they're headed there to see what really happened."
My knees buckle as I am slammed with the pain of remembrance from before my loves found me, my heart thumps erratically thinking about the note that Victoria left, and then I feel a weight crushing me knowing Charlie and Jake died because of me.
I hear both Emmett and Jasper groan in pain in an attempt not to be sucked into the darkness that's beckoning me with open arms. But because I have not properly grieved for my father and the best friend who died for me the pain becomes too much and I welcome the darkness willingly believing that I deserve to feel all the pain.
I hear Jasper and Emmett calling my name frantically as they feel some of the pain that I am experiencing, wincing as the whole that covers my heart trembles and implodes.
"Bella, precious, don't let it take you, don't give in, it's not your fault" Emmett begs and pleads.
"Precious, you're worth it and so much more, we'll get her we promise, it's not your fault" Jasper declares lovingly and forcefully.
"Please come back, we love you" they both say in unison as I drift down into the darkness.
I wake up lying across Jasper's chest as Emmett rubs my back soothingly. I stretch gently as Emmett asks, "Are you ready to talk about it Bella?"
I play dumb knowing what they want, "Talk about what?"
"Bella" they both reprimand gently in warning.
Taking a deep breath I start, "I fell apart when Edward left me, not just because I believed that we were truly meant to be together, but also because he tore you guys away from me. I gave up everything to be with him, my friends, precious time with my dad, even more time with the only other person that wanted me – Jacob."
"What's worse was that he didn't even let you guys come and say goodbye, Esme and Carlisle both always told me that I was like a daughter to them and yet they could not even deign themselves to come and say goodbye. They just favored Edward's word above their own – even mine and left me broken."
"Alice was supposed to be my best friend – what friend treats another friend like that? She didn't even leave a note or anything, just up and left showing me how she truly felt about me to begin with."
"I was in so much pain" I whimper in remembrance holding on to the thin thread of calmness before feeling waves of it course through me from both of them.
"I wanted to numb myself – so I sedated myself the best way I could, I rebelled against everything and everyone and did everything I could to break the promise he made me make."
"Which" Emmett encourages me and Jasper finishes "was"
"To take care of myself and not put myself in any danger. What he failed to realize is that ever since I became involved in your world, I've become a danger magnet for trouble. I don't look for danger; danger just seems to find me."
"After Victoria attacked I got pissed because my world imploded with so much more pain than what I felt when he left with you guys. I was pissed because he was so full of himself that I guess it never occurred to him that Victoria might come back looking for me or at the very least come back for revenge."
"I drank, did drugs, hung out with the wrong crowds, and got expelled for 2 weeks for fighting. Even though I kept my grades up, it wasn't enough to keep me from remembering how happy I was being surrounded by you guys."
I feel the whole in my chest start to rupture again as they both hiss in pain before sending me love, tranquility, hope and acceptance. Their positive emotions flow into me from everywhere that we are touching, they flow through me – filling me to the brim before overflowing back to them.
Hearing a muted thud then giggling from Charlotte makes me smile then I feel Jasper's arms tighten around me while Emmett starts playing with my hair.
"Charlie tried everything, so did Jacob. It took them finally sitting me down for an intervention…the……the same….."
I take a deep breath, inhaling their positive emotions and exhaling the negative ones before continuing, "Their intervention happened the same night that Victoria came to the house looking for me."
"Billy told me afterwards that Jacob was calling him to check in and let him know that he was going to spend the night when he heard Charlie scream over the phone then Jacob whisper 'they're real' before screaming as Victoria sucked him dry" I murmur quietly.
"Billy had to listen to his son die by the very thing his tribe was born to fight – Jacob would have turned in a couple of weeks, Billy said it was inevitable because he was going to be Alpha of the pack."
"I should have just made dinner with what was there, I'd be dead now too, maybe she would have just stopped with me and Charlie and Jacob would still be alive."
Jasper sits up and pulls me around to face him with Emmett sitting behind me still rubbing soothing circles on my back.
"Bella, you are MEANT to be with us right at THIS moment in time. Without your help, love and encouragement, who knows where Emmett and I would be, after leaving that fucked up family who only care about themselves and no one else."
Emmett continues, "You are with us for the better, and whatever is happening to us is a great thing, don't EVER doubt us, because we'll never leave you or abandon you. We are with you forever, precious."
I smile at Jasper before leaning back to smile up at Emmett basking in their healing love as I murmur quietly, "Do you guys know how much I love you both?"
"Probably as much as we love you" they reply together.
"If I forget to tell you guys often, I want you to know that I'm really glad that you guys came back for me, I am extremely happy that we're together."
We all lean in for a hug, before lying down cuddling together before my stomach starts grumbling and we have to go find me something to eat.
Two days later Jasper, Emmett and I are lounging out in the backyard on a mattress, just cuddling with my head in Emmett's lap as Jasper's is in mine.
I'm stroking Emmett's arm with one hand while running my fingers through Jasper's listening to the world of beauty around us – we found that we are enjoying being away from people and attuning to nature.
We turn our heads in union as Peter and Charlotte walk up after having gone hunting a day earlier.
After having spent time with Charlotte, I learned that they are selective in their hunting habits – only hunting murderers, rapists, and those who are looking to harm others.
I think of it as Vampire Mafia – taking out those who would otherwise hurt innocents, after my little experience in Port Angeles with those guys who were attempting to attack me I have no qualms about believing Peter and Charlotte are doing a good deed for the world – making it a safer place to exist for other humans.
Peter looks at the three of us before finally asking us what happened in Forks when they found me.
I close my eyes remembering the feelings coursing through me when both Emmett and Jasper touched me at the same time before speaking softly of what I felt.
"I had finally decided to clean up and make attempts to move out of Forks; you know sell the house and property. I found Victoria's note when I was picking things up and snapped."
"I don't remember getting up and going into the kitchen for a knife or returning to sit down in the middle of their chalk outlines after having spent a week screaming and wailing in anguish, starving myself."
"I had just picked up the knife and was in the process of slitting my throat when their arms enveloped me, I felt like I was wrapped up in a cool blanket of warmth filled with electrical currents as they started coursing through my body."
"Everywhere they touched electricity flickered, then my mind blanked, the room faded out and darkness swallowed me as I inhaled the mixture of their scents that created a welcoming comfort in the oblivion that I sought."
"Then I hear a roar of DAMN THEM in my head before being engulfed by red light as I actually feel emotions run through me, I actually feel them both in my head as pure rage envelops me. Then I see thousands of stars, followed by images of black female panthers, male elks and grizzly bears converge mixing."
"The images continue to flash until stopping embedded and superimposed on top of each other as the red light fades to be replaced by a deep blue glow that blinds my mind."
"My rage and fury die down to be replaced by a calmness as peaceful as the ocean in the eye of a storm, and I feel as if I am floating in that calmness as I come back into myself kneeling wrapped in their arms, our foreheads pressed together."
"After that I pass out and wake up wrapped up in their arms in a guest room at the Cullen house. That morning when I pulled away from them I felt lost when we weren't touching, but I could also feel as if I could taste their emotions when I did. I didn't think anything of it at the time."
Peter looks at me intensely for a moment before nodding his head and saying, "It sounds like the essence of each of you merged with one another."
"We spend the morning talking about what happened and as I was getting angry again they reached out and took my hands. The minute they touched me I scream, my back arches off the bed and they both hiss in pain as more of our essence is transferred between each of us. I could actually feel it – Emmett and I get Jasper's empathic ability as Jasper and I get more of Emmett's strength while Emmett and Jasper get more of my humanity and soul."
"Then once again I open my eyes feeling as if I am floating again on the lake of calmness in the eye of the storm as they both breathe in as well feeling the calmness."
Peter giggles gleefully, "A true real-life troika. I can't believe it."
"Was it the same for both of you as well?" Peter asks glancing at Emmett and Jasper.
They both nod their heads as they cuddle closer together before Jasper says, "Plus we can't seem to stop touching each other."
"I'm not complaining either" finishes Emmett as I giggle between them.
"Now aren't you glad you left that family behind, imagine the greatness you will achieve – the three of you together, all equal, true soul-mates."
Jasper stiffens catching what Peter said before asking, "Bella is my true soul-mate not Alice?"
Peter tilts his head to the side and replies, "She never was to begin with, just the guide to bring you to who you truly belong to. Plus it makes me happy because I never liked the lying pixie bitch to begin with."
Jasper stiffens in anger some more before instantly being soothed back to calmness by the touch of my hand at the base of his neck to which he groans then purrs as his eyes close and he leans into my touch.
Peter tilts his head towards Charlotte and murmurs, "The touch that finally brings peace to the God of War, fucking amazing."