Chapter Ten

JASPER - 2020

Eve was propped up next to me, eyes closed and unresponsive. Her phone felt incredibly heavy in my hand, I tried calling the number back multiple times, but each time there was no answer. After my failed attempt to wake Eve I called Alice, but she was still in Seattle with Edward and didn't answer either. With no other choice I sighed and dialed Carlisle's number. Two rings went by and I started to worry that he wouldn't answer either, but by the fourth ring his voice rang out clearly through the phone. "Carlisle, it's Eve…"

I hurriedly explained the situation to my makeshift father before he advised me to hang tight. He promised to come over after picking up some supplies from the hospital. I sat with Eve's head in my lap, she was silent, and apart from a random twitch, she seemed entirely dead. My whole body ached as I started into the face of the woman I had come to love, and who I had loved many years ago.

Fifteen minutes passed before Carlisle knocked on the hotel door, I called out for him to come in, and watched as he slowly entered the dimly lit room. Eve was not very organized, clothes scattered the floor around her suitcase, which she still hadn't unpacked. Books were strewn about, which was partly my fault from shoving a large pile off of the bed and onto the floor, but even without my help her room was still a mess. Herbs and crystals littered every available surface, leaving very little room to do much else but work and study.

Carlisle took a look around the room and appeared shocked by the state of it. Clearly this wasn't how Eve lived in the past. "Walk me through how this happened," he said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. I explained the mysterious phone call, and how she passed out as Carlisle took the few vitals we had. "It appears that she's dreaming," he said, though neither of us knew if that was possible or how it would work. "This didn't happen the first time, did it?"

"If it did she never mentioned it to any one," I felt more dejected than before. Could Eve have hidden something from all of us? I refused to believe that she would keep something as serious as this from the ones who were trying to help her.

"Okay, so now we wait." Carlisle opened one of the books by his feet and settled in to wait out Eve's dreaming.

I watched as he leaned against the footboard, one of his arms reached back to cradle his head while the other held tight to the book on astrology. "You're gonna wait here with me?" I was surprised that he was willing to stay. He and Eve hadn't spoken more than two words to each other since she came by to apologize and explain her situation. I didn't think that Carlisle hated her, but he definitely didn't like her.

Carlisle put the book down and looked at me, a serious expression clouding his face. "I took an oath a very long time ago to help people." I gave him a look, which he took to mean 'yeah right.' Carlisle's lips curved into a smile, "okay, well I will always have a soft spot for Guinevere, she was my first love. After our chat, well I can't help to think that she had every right to attack me. I would have killed her if I knew her before she was changed, and I was attempting to kill her when I met her." I nodded, appreciating his honesty. As Carlisle went back to reading his book I remained focused on Eve and her condition.

The two of us sat in relative silence for about ten minutes before Eve's eyes fluttered open. Her irises were nearly black when her eyes landed on mine. "Jazz," her voice made my stomach tumble as a smile spread across my face.

"Eve, how're you feeling?" I brushed her hair away from her face and helped her sit up. Her eyes landed on Carlisle who, upon noticing Eve wake up, began collecting his medical bag to examine her. "Carlisle is gonna make sure you're okay," I assured her, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"It was Aro…" Eve trailed off looking between Carlisle and I. "I think Afton sold me out, I don't know why, but Aro knows where I am."

"We still need to check you out, we can deal with Aro and the rest of the Volturi later," Carlisle said, pulling Eve's face towards him and tracking her eye movement with his finger. "Jasper, could you go get something for Guinevere to eat, this has taken a lot out of her." I nodded and kissed Eve on the cheek before leaving the room to hunt.

EVE - 2020

"I won't let them find you and your family, Carlisle," I said as I followed his finger with my eyes.

Carlisle dropped his hand into his lap and looked at me, "our family, Eve, you became a part of the family when you started dating Jasper." I smiled and felt a tight squeeze around my heart. It had been a very long time since I felt like I was a part of a family. "Plus, Jasper would never let you just disappear, neither would Alice or Rosalie… or me."

I placed my hand over Carlisle's, "thank you." He smiled back before continuing his examination.

"You seem as normal as any other vampire now." He began packing away all of his equipment as he spoke, "were you dreaming?"

I balked at him, "I don't know if I was dreaming, it felt like I was listening into a real conversation."

"Has that ever happened before?"

I shook my head as I told Carlisle about the conversation I heard. "I was in Italian, Aro's voice and someone else, someone I have never heard or met before. They were talking about me, how I was the final piece, but I don't know what they were talking about beyond that."

"That's it, you can't remember anything else?" Carlisle stopped what he was doing and took my hands in his, "I know I don't have to tell you this, but it's really important that you are open with all of us."

"Well, it wasn't a dream or anything, I couldn't see them, but there was a looping vision of what looked like Saint John's festival in Italy." I described the images to Carlisle in as much detail as I could.

"Midsummer Eve," he said, remembering the festivals that we had attended back in Florence when we had been together all those years ago. "That might be when they plan on coming to visit?"

"Maybe, but it felt like something much more than that. Why would he call?" I asked thinking about the only way he would have gotten my number was from Afton. My heart sank as Carlisle guessed that Aro was checking to make sure he wasn't being lied to by Afton.

It wasn't long before Jasper returned and took me out to the woods behind the hotel where he had lugged a bear back for me to feed on. I rolled my eyes, but drank deeply anyway. Carlisle and I told Jasper about the vision and conversation I heard. He insisted that we go back to their house and tell everyone, seeing as Aro could show up any minute and we all needed to be prepared. I dreaded telling everyone that I was the reason they may be in danger, but I had come to love the Cullen's, so I knew that this was the right thing to do.

Jasper asked me to consider coming to stay with him in the Cullen house, I told him I would think about it, but in the meantime I needed to also prep the Quileute tribe on the impending drama that was going to unfold. Somehow Jasper talked me into waiting until the morning and asked me to stay with him for the night, or at least until Alice, Edward, and Esme came back from the art exhibit so we could share the news with them too.

While we waited Rosalie and I began researching more about St. John's festival, Emmett insisted the best research would be to watch videos of people partying and getting too drunk at the festivals, so we left him to do his own investigation. Jasper took to the computer to look into any lore that surrounded the festival and vampires, while Carlisle began researching vampires and illnesses. We all worked through the night, only stopping when the rest of the Cullen's returned home to share what was going on and divy out tasks to them as well.

The night flew by filled with hushed chatter and the clacking of keys on many different computers. By the time morning came around I was surprised to see the sun shining high in the sky. This had only happened one other time during my stay in Forks, but I had a deal with the pack that if it was sunny we would take the day off. I called Sam and informed him of everything going on, but he assured me that they could handle the day by themselves and insisted that I stay home and rest, which was fine by me because Jasper and I decided to spend the day together hiking through the woods.