Chapter Two

JASPER'S POV

Charlotte, Peter, and I packed our bags and made our way to the Denver airport that night. We took the red eye into Seattle. We'd make it into Forks just before daybreak.

"You'll like Rosalie, Char. She may come off as a frigid bitch, but underneath her cold exterior, she has a heart of gold and is fiercely protective of the coven and anyone she considers a friend. The little pixie is there too. She can be manipulative and uses her visions to try and get her way," I told them.

I thought about Alice. She's a happy little sprite, though. It was one of the reasons I decided to spend time with her. She actually broke me out of my depression. "Then there's Emmett. Peter, you and he should get along famously. He's as big as a bear, but the mind and heart of a child. But, don't let that fool you. He, too, is fiercely protective and highly intelligent. He tends to dumb himself down, not letting on to others he's quite adept at logical thought. I think it's very tactical the way he plays it." I told them both as much detail about the coven we were about to meet as we drove towards the small town. I'd already told them of the good doctor and his wife, once I returned to them after my nomadic journey. We soon saw the Welcome to Forks, Washington sign.

Once we found our way to the Cullen Mansion, the entire coven was waiting for us outside. The amount of pain and grief I could feel rolling off them nearly had me doubled over in pain.

The little pixie, Alice, was not her usual whimsical bouncy self. Instead, she had a look of grief on her face. I often thought it would have been nice to have her as a mate. I was sure I would have always been happy and carefree. Though it wasn't my nature, and I'm sure I would have needed to send her much needed calm and tranquility from time to time. She slowly walked up to our pickup as we pulled into the circular drive.

"Thank you for coming, Jazzy. I hope you can find our sister in time. Though Maria doesn't have her yet, I've seen she will be taken by someone from a restaurant and taken to Maria," Alice told me with venom tears in her eyes. Then her eyes rolled back, and she had the same blank stare as when she has a vision. When she came out of her vision, she gave me a small smile and brought her hand up and stroked my cheek. She gave me a slight nod before running into the house sobbing. Rosalie and Esme went in after her.

Carlisle and Emmett were the only ones of the Cullens still in the driveway. I introduced them to Charlotte and Peter. Carlisle extended his hand for me to shake, and though he tried to hide the pain, he was in, as soon as our hands touched I could feel his immense agony.

"Thank you so much for you all coming to help us. You don't know how much this means to me." I did indeed know. I could feel, among all the other overwhelming emotions of grief, was his gratitude.

"Please, will you come in and we can tell you all about Bella?" Carlisle's eyes twinkled as he spoke her name.

CARLISLE'S POV

Bella. When I think of that delightful child, it always makes my heart flutter. Edward may have been my first reborn in this life, my first companion, but Bella was the child, if I'd been human, I would have wished for Esme and me.

She was delightful and beautiful, brilliant, feisty, and selfless to a fault. From the dotting of freckles across the bridge of her nose to the way her cheeks flushed when she was embarrassed. The way she bit her lower lip and her brow crinkled when she was in deep thought. She was nearly the spitting image of her actual father, my best friend, Charlie. But this was my daughter, nonetheless. We shared the same love of literature. I'd come home from the hospital and find her asleep in my study, one of the books from my collection sprawled across her chest. I'd pick her up, as a father would his child, and take her back to the room she had here. I'd tuck her in bed and kiss her on her forehead.

Now, she's gone. I feel I've failed her and my friend.

Charlie Swan had become my best friend shortly after moving to Forks. He was the town's Chief of Police.

FLASHBACK

"Carlisle, when you and your family first moved to Forks, I have to say, I had the same prejudice as many of the other town folks, as well as the Quileute," Charlie said to me one day while he and I were alone in his office. I'd just consulted with him on an investigation requiring a medical examiner, as I'd done many times in the past.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Chief Swan," I told him. I knew very well what he meant. It's a vampires' very nature to strike fear in humans, even though, my family and I, try very hard to fit into society. Given our unique diet and my choice of profession, we try very hard not to cause fear in humans.

"Don't play coy with me, Doctor. You know very well what I mean. I know that you are a vampire. I also know that you don't eat humans," Charlie said with a straight face. I tried to laugh it off. It was dangerous for humans to know of our kind.

"I don't know what would give you that idea, Charlie. You've obviously been watching too many movies," I said to him with a chuckle.

"Carlisle, I'm part Quileute. I am Harry Clearwater's half-brother. I've heard the legends of the Cold Ones ever since I could walk and talk. I know all about Taha Aki. I even know of the treaty made between you and Ephraim Black. It's also the reason Renée left me and took Bella. She feared for our daughter's safety. She didn't want her to be in a town where werewolves and vampires walked freely among the people, without them knowing. While I know my tribe is not werewolves, she overheard me telling the legends to Bella, just as my father told them to me." Charlie went on to tell me. To say I was astounded at what he was saying was an understatement. I had no words.

"You don't have to say anything, Carlisle. I just want to find my little girl. I want her to know you and your family. I don't want her to know the prejudices handed down by our heritage and what I fear my ex-wife may have told her. It wasn't until I met you and your family that I realized you are not the boogie men the tribe makes you out to be. Don't get me wrong, I know just like everyone, there is a good side and a bad side. I know there are vampires out there that would drink our blood and think nothing of it. When I tried to point this out to my brother, we got into a big argument over it. I tried to get him to see how foolish it was for them to stop using the town's hospital and clinic, just because you work there. It's only hurting them in the long run," Charlie said as we continued to finish our paperwork.

"Charlie, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your people really do turn into giant wolves. While the technical term is not werewolves, your people are shapeshifters. When I met Ephraim Black, he was a member of a wolfpack of three: Levi Uley, Quil Ateara II, and himself. The only reason they were so willing to forge a treaty with us was that, at the time, we were hunting animals when they came across us. We told them we only hunt animals, and they were outnumbered. There were five of us to three of them. Alice hadn't joined our family at the time," I confided in Charlie. Charlie's mouth hung open for a moment.

"Why have I not known about them? I've never seen any of them turn into wolves," Charlie said.

"I was sure the gene died out myself. I happen to know at the moment, there is only one that is an active shifter, and that's Sam Uley. They would like to attribute Sam's change to my family and me returning to the area, but I don't believe that. When Ephraim and his pack met us, they were already shifting, and we had just moved into the area. I would attribute Sam being the only one in the shifter line old enough yet," I told him. Charlie looked at me thoughtfully.

"Carlisle, do you like to fish?" he asked me.

"Are you inviting me to go fishing with you, Charlie?"

"That I am," Charlie said. "I would love to have a deeper discussion with you, get to know you and your family more and more about vampires in general. Just two buddies enjoying each others company."

"In that case, I would love to." That day we forged a friendship I will hold dear for the rest of my existence.

END FLASHBACK

I was brought out of my thoughts by Peter calling my name.

"Dr. Cullen, Dr. Cullen please, are you okay?" Peter was calling my name and waving his hand in front of my face. "Whatever it is that has you thinking so hard must be extremely painful. You are nearly bringing The Major to his knees." I looked over to where Charlotte and Emmett were helping The Major from falling to the floor.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry, Major. I wasn't aware." I tried to rein in my pain.

"It's not just you. If it were just you, I could have absorbed it. Everyone here is hurting. Maybe we could go somewhere else to talk. It's hard to concentrate with so much pain and grief coming from everyone." The Major had a pained expression on his face that matched my feelings.

"Yes, Major. Why don't we go to Bella's house? We still need to pack up her house. I saw The Major then look around to see the disarray of our home as well.

"Are you going someplace, Dr. Cullen?" He asked.

"We were in the process of moving to Alaska when Bella left. It was there I was going to finally do what should have been done nearly a year ago. I was going to change her," I told them all. Emmett, Peter, and the Major loaded into my SUV. Charlotte decided to stay behind with the women, in case she was needed. I began to tell them all about my friend and our daughter.

"Bella is one-quarter Quileute. Her father, Charlie, was half-Quileute. He was the half-brother of Harry Clearwater. Harry's father had an affair with a white woman here in Forks, Marie Swan," I told The Major.

"I assume you say 'was' because her father is no longer alive?" The Major asked.

"No, he's not. He was the Chief of Police here in Forks, and he was my best friend. I worked with him on cases that required a medical examiner, and since the small town couldn't afford its own M.E., he would call me. Through our work, we got to know each other well. He didn't like the prejudices the town, nor his tribe had against my family and me. He admired how I raised my 'children.' He shared with me his plight of trying to find his ex-wife and the daughter he hadn't seen since she was two years old." If I could cry, I would be shedding a tear for my friend at this moment.

"Anyway, he confided in me that he knew that my family and I were vampires and wished he could get his people to see we were not to be feared. It was also the reason Renée ran off with Bella. She didn't want her daughter in a town where werewolves and vampires ran rampant, her words, according to Charlie, not mine.

"I set him up with our attorney. I'm sure you know of him, Jenks. Jenks was able to find his daughter, Bella. Not long after learning that Bella had been located, Chief Swan was killed in the line of duty. He never did get to see Bella again. However, on his deathbed, Charlie asked me to look after his little girl. He didn't want her knowing the prejudices his tribe held, and that it was up to me whether I wanted her to know what we were. I offered to change him; I didn't want to lose my friend, but he declined. He said he was born Quileute, and he would die Quileute. He was very proud of his heritage, just ashamed of the people." I was despondent after telling them of my friend. Emmett put his large hand on my shoulder from the backseat.

"Pop, I didn't know. I knew you worked with him, I didn't know you guys were that close," Emmett said, trying to console me. I felt my sad emotions being lifted, apparently from the aid of the Major.

"After Jenks sent a registered letter to Bella, she left her mother the same day. Her mother called Jenks, trying to protest her daughter being summoned for her father's funeral. Bella, being as headstrong as she is, demanded that Jenks draw up emancipation documents immediately. She wanted to drive alone, from Florida to Washington. Jenks and I talked her out of it, insisting that someone fly down to escort her. I told Jenks that Esme and I would be her guardians until she was emancipated and flew down that night. I paid for a hotel since she was insistent that she wanted to be away from her mother that night, since her mother had lied to her, for her entire life.

"When I arrived in Florida, and Bella opened her hotel suite to find me standing at the door, her first reaction was to gasp. Her second reaction was to immediately grab my hand. The words that came from her mouth had me gasping." I recalled with amusement, and I chuckled.

"'Wow, you really are cold," she said with a smile on her face. It seemed that upon her leaving, Bella's mother gave her the only things she had of Charlie's, which Charlie gave to Renée to pass down to Bella. It was a book on the Native Americans of the Olympic Northwest, and a family album of the Clearwater, and Swan Family. Bella had not only stayed up all night reading the material and looking at the photos, but she'd also done research online of the 'Cold Ones' and knew what I was when she laid eyes on me. I marveled at how much she reminded me of her father, and from that day, I thought of her as my own daughter. On the drive from Florida to Washington, I told her any and everything she wanted to know about vampires in general, me, my family and her father.

We pulled up to Bella's house, which had belonged to her father. "Bella insisted that she wanted to keep the house," I told the Major and Captain as we got out of my vehicle. "She said it felt as if her father was there, and this was as close to him as she could get. I would come to check on her, and she'd be wearing one of his plaid flannel shirts, over a wife beater and jeans. She was a clean freak and Charlie hadn't been the best housekeeper, so I'd find her cleaning or painting in one of his shirts. Soon, the house looked like a woman lived there," I continued as we made our way into the home. There were trinkets and flowers about the home.

When we walked in, it still smelled of her. Her scent was of freesia with a hint of spice and strawberries from her shampoo. I began to hear a purr rumble from the Major, as he inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. I was puzzled by this. I knew it was a trait of only mated vampires. The Major must have sensed my curiosity, he looked at me, and the purring abruptly stopped.

"Dr. Cullen, I'm curious, you said you were finally going to change her as you should have over a year ago. Why hadn't she been changed?" The Major inquired. I let out a sigh before giving the explanation.

"It was purely selfish. Bella wanted to be changed. I told her I would change her if that's what she really wanted. Soon after she arrived, and I brought her to live with my family until she was emancipated, we found out that she was Edward's singer. I had to send Edward to live in Alaska with our relatives. Edward was quite intrigued by Bella. He couldn't read her mind. She had been the only person ever to thwart his gift. He was sure if he could get past his bloodlust for her that she was his mate.

"As you know, Edward had been alone for a very long time and never found interest in other girls. So, when we thought it was possible that she could be his mate, we worked to build up his tolerance to the smell of her blood.

"Bella was enamored by Edward, and they fell in love. Edward never liked this existence. He often thought himself a monster. He didn't want to condemn her to this existence. Even though she begged us to change her, we couldn't go against Edward, since he believed she was his mate.

"I had my own selfish reason. I loved the fact she was human. I often felt, if Esme and I were human, she would have been the daughter we'd hoped for. Given how she grew up, I wanted her to have every human experience possible. I wanted her to go to prom, graduate high school, attend college as a human. Most importantly, I wanted to keep a piece of my friend."

"Again, Dr. Cullen, I am sorry about the loss of your son. I don't mean to belittle the love I'm sure Edward felt for Bella, but, you do realize, it's impossible for his singer to be his mate?" I looked at the Major as if he'd grown a second head.

"I have to say I admire the control it must have taken for Edward to not drain her dry on the spot. But the idea of a singer being a mate is an oxymoron. Her blood sang to him, unlike any human's blood. Ever. The whole purpose for us to become mated in this existence is to find the other half of our soul for the eternity we are meant to have. If he'd wanted to change her, he wouldn't have been able to stop feeding on her once he bit her. Her very blood would have been the best blood he'd ever tasted, and his blood frenzy would have prevented him from stopping once he bit. It would have been like his own personal brand of heroin." Emmett and I both gasped at his words. We knew for a fact, Edward had said those very words to Bella.

"Pop, you remember those two girls I drained in Kentucky? I've never tasted blood so sweet and delicious in my existence." Emmett said to me.

"Whoa there, big boy! Ya trying to send us feedin' in this town? Your bloodlust just shot through the roof just thinkin' about it. I think ya might want to go find ya a deer to munch on," The Major told Emmett, his southern accent coming out stronger. Emmett seemed to ponder on this for a moment, then he shot out the back door and into the woods like a bullet.

"That, Dr. Cullen, had to have been how your son felt around Bella for their entire relationship. Now, why don't you tell me how your son was killed, and why the little lady decided to take off?" The Major asked with a curious look on his face.

I recounted the events that took place with the nomads, and how Bella went 'cliff diving.' Then, I told him of her best friend, and how after the cliff diving incident, she realized she could hide from Alice if Jacob were around. It was how she was able to leave without Alice knowing.

"Alice's visions are subjective. Even at that, I'd say her visions of Bella are only spotty at best. When she's with the wolves, Alice's visions of Bella are totally black. When Alice has a vision of Bella, she can only see her in conjunction with others. They are never of just Bella." The Major looked at his second-in-command thoughtfully.

"Have you seen her Peter, or did you just see me going after someone, and that someone happened to be my mate?"

"That's not how my knower works, and you know that Major, I ain't-a dadgum psychic! How dare you compare me to the pixie!" Peter was quite upset, to say the least.

"Aww, Peterpire, don't get salty," Jasper said with a chuckle to the agitated vampire, walking over and patted him on the cheek. "Now Petey, you know the only thing I know about your gift is that it's cryptic and annoyin' as fuck." That seemed to only agitate Peter further as he was now buzzing with anger. The Major just gave me a knowing smirk and sly wink, as he placed his arm around Peter's shoulders.

"It ain't a gift! I just know shit!" Peter said as the Major mouthed the exact words along with Peter. The Major then exaggeratedly rolled his eyes while shaking his head. They were quite an amusing pair. However, currently, my mind was reeling at the fact of the Major, being Bella's true mate.

"Dr. Cullen, I have a feeling your daughter is in more danger than first anticipated. From what you've told me, Bella possesses a gift, even in her human form. If it's this strong as a human, think of how strong it could be as a vampire. Maria can't read gifts, but she can tell if there is something in a human that will make them extraordinary as a vampire. It's how she chose Peter and me. Your daughter has a most sought-after gift. She will also be most coveted, not only by Maria but also by the Volturi. It seems Bella is a shield. I would like to talk to this Jacob, then I think it's best we be on our way," The Major concluded.