Chapter Seventeen: Awaken.

"No…"

The noise was so faint, I half thought that I'd imagined it at first. While we waited for Carlisle to arrive, the living room had been cast over with a looming silence as Jasper and Alice worked to determine who of their family friends they should contact first. Alec sat with Jane, watching and waiting for her to make some sign of awareness. Meanwhile, I contented myself with curling up on the edge of the couch.

"Stop… stop it…"

I jerked to attention. Alec, naturally, was the first to realize that Jane had started to come out of her catatonic state. He shielded her view of everyone else, fingers combing through her hair.

"It's alright." He murmured, his voice low enough that I had to actively listen to catch everything that he said. "You're safe."

"Alec?" She breathed, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "W-What?"

He moved to sit beside her, helping her to sit up the rest of the way. Eyes half-closed with exhaustion and shock, she leaned against his shoulder. Her eyes darted about the room.

When she landed on Jasper and Alice, her lips drew back into a low snarl. In a second, she went from appearing sweet and delicate, to holding the visage of a lynx.

"They're helping us," He said, holding onto her before she could pounce. She looked up at him, jaw set with irritation, but said nothing else on the subject for the time being. Contented with his answer, she settled back down against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. Still, her eyes continued to move about the room. Eventually, they came to rest on me.

"You were in the cell. Next to him." She murmured, her head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed. "How'd you get out?"

I swallowed tightly. I wanted to leave those memories behind, in those cells, but it seemed that I wouldn't be able to. Not for a long time.

Not for forever.

"It's a long story," I answered, pressing my lips into a tight smile. "We knew you were on Bosnia so we came here as soon as we were out."

She brightened almost instantly, sitting up straighter in his hold. "Really?"

"Maybe we should have been a bit quicker," He murmured, playing with the ends of her hair. "Was it Audrey?"

"Yes." Jane answered after a short silence. "And that's all I'm going to say about it."

Jasper closed the laptop he'd been working on and leaned forward. "Do you know if she's still in the area?"

"No." She answered instantly, her tone sharp. "I don't remember much of anything."

Alice swallowed tightly, glancing at Jasper from the corner of her eyes. "Carlisle should be here in just a few hours. He'll be able to find out why her memory isn't working."

"Carlisle?" She asked, and her eyes flared wide. "He's coming? The others aren't coming, are they?"

"Eventually." Jasper smirked, his arms folded across his chest. A second later, though his expression relaxed. "We aren't going to attack you. Regardless of how horrid you've been to our family, that isn't how we do things. Besides…" He gave a vague gesture to the ripped clothes she wore and the injuries that covered her body. "It appears as though you've been through enough, already."

"It's odd, though." Alice piped up, drawing all of our eyes to her. "I used to watched Aro's future, the path he planned to take. But...for the last three years, I haven't been able to. It's as though something has blocked my sight of him"

"Well, we'll need to figure out what." Alec mused, "Do your visions get blocked often?"

"Nowadays?" She leaned back, her eyes turned up towards the ceiling. "Yeah, sometimes. I can't see Nessie's future. Not all of it, at least. It's very cloudy with her. Especially with the mutt at her side. I can't see the pack's futures at all."

Alec's brow furrowed momentarily. "She's half-human and half-vampire, yes?"

She gave a brief nod.

"I know why you can't see his path," Alec declared, leaning back against the edge of the couch. "Aro's gotten himself a little hybrid. He doesn't like others to have things that he doesn't have. She must be preventing you from seeing him clearly."

"H-He…. He made a hybrid?" Jasper stammered, "What poor woman…?"

"Her name was Avery," He shrugged. With a contented purr, Jane had settled herself against his chest. "Her name is Euphrasie. Avery had an extensive obsession with Les Miserables."

"I see." Jasper cupped his face for a second before bolting to his feet. "I should make a few calls."

Before he could leave, Alec grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat. "If it comes to a battle, I want her left alone. She's good natured and just a child."

"We'll see when it comes to that," Jasper answered, his tone low. With a jerk, he pulled himself out of his grip and headed into the closest bedroom.

"Who is he calling?" Jane questioned, her fingers tight around Alec's shirt. I knew they were close, from what he'd described, but I wasn't sure if I had expected them to be this close. Then again, given

What they'd been through, maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Friends," Alice gave a tense smile. Jane shrank back, her shoulders hunched and her body curled up slightly. "We're trying to find as many people to stand with us. We had a lot during...well when Renesmee was born. Of course, Carlisle has managed to make at least a dozen more in just the last five or so years."

"I don't think we have to worry," I murmured, doing my best to reassure her, the only person she hadn't met before. "They're coming to help us."

"The Cullens and I have a history," She sighed, her face twisting for a split second before settle into a neutral repose. "I wouldn't put it past them to finish what Audrey started."

"No." Jasper protested, holding his hand out to stop the next words that lingered in her mouth." Like we said, we aren't interested in starting fights with you or Alec. If that were the case, we'd have Bella fly over from New Zealand to nullify your powers. As it stands, we're on equal grounds."

Jane nodded, seemingly a bit more relaxed than she had been moments before.

"New Zealand?" Alec questioned, "Since when are they in New Zealand?"

Jasper gave a short, low laugh. ""Edward thought it would be a good idea for them to travel for a bit. Carlisle is still in Forks. His practice is there and its such a small down that they wouldn't have much of a medical system without him. Rosalie and Emmett live up in Oregon and visit Denali at least once a month."

"And besides Bosnia, where do you two live?"

"Depends," Alice piped up, giving a small grin. "Forks, sometimes. We were in New Zealand with Edward and Bella for the last four months before we came here. We have a house in Seattle and another in Texas."

"I've never been to any of those places," I admitted. Naturally, I'd heard of them, but I kept most of my time to the United Kingdom. "You should stay in Scotland. It's nice and gloomy without looking sad."

"We've visited." Alice answered, her eyes bright. "It's really pretty. Are you from Scotland, then?"

"Yeah. I was born there, but my father was from Wales." I grinned, playing idly with a bit of hair. "I learned Welsh and Gaelic before English."

"Welsh is hardly a language." Alec huffed, giving me a pointed look. "Gaelic is only a bit better."

"Just because it's beyond your realm of comprehension, doesn't mean its any less of a language." I shot back. "It has grammar rules, syntax and formation just like every language. Japanese and Chinese don't look anything like Western Languages when written down, but their still languages."

"Fine, fine." He groaned, holding his hands up in surrender. "I get your point. It's just odd. It's strange to hear and strange to see written down."

"I could teach you," I offered. "Welsh really isn't that difficult, if you start at the basics and work your way up. With our memory retention, you would be able to learn it in just a few weeks."

Alec raised a brow. "I feel as though language lessons are not what any of us need to be spending our time in. Maybe if we live through this, you can teach me anything you want. For now, I just want to focus on surviving."

"Of course," I smiled, tucking the lock of hair behind my ears. "Besides, if it comes to it, I can translate."

"I didn't realize you had become so….close with one another," Jane mused, turning around for a moment to meet Alec's eyes. He shrugged, and his grip around her tightened further still. I couldn't blame them. Not a bit. If I'd gone nearly a year without seeing someone who'd been an integral part of my life since birth, I'd hold onto them with all of my might. It was easier, though, not o get close with anyone. Letting go proved to be a simple, painless part of my life.

"I suppose that just happens…" I said, pressing my lips into a small smile. "When you have no one else to talk to. I think it helped to...quell the blow. Some of the time."

"You were imprisoned in the castle, then?" Jasper asked, his brow furrowed with thought. "I was unaware that Aro kept prisoners."

"He doesn't," Alec answered, "Normally prisoners don't last for more than a week. He has them executed once he's extracted any necessary information from him. I suppose he wanted to see if I would remain loyal to him."

"And you?" Jasper asked, nodding in my direction.

"I'm…. I'm not sure." I drew my legs up to my chest, drawing circles on the tops of my knees. "Audrey thought I had information about an uprising but… I didn't really. I knew nothing more than what had already been found out. I don't know why they kept me alive for as long as they did."

"Could they have wanted you to join?" Alice suggested."Maybe they wanted to break you so much that you had no other choice than to become a member of the guard."

Was that the reason? Audrey never mentioned...then again, why would she? Did he intend to have me join the guard?

"Maybe." I shrugged. I suppose I'd never truly know. It was one of those things where "maybes" existed far longer than definite Nos or yes's. "It doesn't matter if that was his intention. I've spent my entire life being opposed to the Volturi. They couldn't break me that much. I have ideals. I have standards. Aro is a tyrant who has too much power."

Jasper folded his hands, head bowed in solemn thought. "Agreed, but are we prepared to attempt to abolish that power? He's had the upper hand for years. The confrontation was one thing. We're talking about an outright coup."

"We have the upperhand sitting right in front of us, if I'm not mistaken." I grinned, gesturing towards the twins, who did not seem to want to untangle themselves from one another. It was sweet...in an odd way. "With your shield, I believe we really have a chance. If we have more powers in our arsenal and some battle training, we might just be able to pull this off."

"Aren't you optimistic." He chuckled, his mouth turning up into a lopsided smile. "I can handle the training. If everyone that our family is friends with agrees to stand with us...we'll have a strong variety of gifts."

"I'm not staying in the same house," Jane declared, a steadiness to her tone that had been absent until now. "I know what everyone thinks of Alec and myself. We'll find somewhere else. We'll help, but…"

Alice nodded. I couldn't pinpoint her expression exactly, but it held a kind of confident, sure air.

"In time, I believe that we can all get to trust one another," She began, her hands folded in her lap. "For the time being, though, it might be wise...if you and Alec stay somewhere else- After Carlisle makes sure you've healed enough to be on your own."

"I'm not a child." Jane grinned sweetly, prompting Alice to shrink back. Only a moment later, she recovered and straightened.

"I am well aware of that. But you were unresponsive for two days and God-knows how long you spent lying on the ground before Alec and Saoirse found you. Carlisle checking you has nothing to do with you being a child or not. It wouldn't matter if you were physically eighty. He'd still want to make sure you're alright- both of you."

Jane sucked her cheeks in, her head cocked to the side, brow scrunched. "Why?"

"That's just how he is," Jasper grinned, "He doesn't have enemies. He'll fight for those he cares about...but there's never been a time in his life where he's enjoyed or encouraged the suffering of another living being."

"If he can determine our state without touching me, then fine." Alec declared, his eyes narrowed. "Otherwise, he's not getting near me. I'm not going to be poked and prodded like a test subject."

"Well, that's good... " A new voice added itself to the conversation. I hadn't even noticed the door opening, or the footsteps, but a blonde man, no older than his early twenties had stepped into the room. He brought with him a gentle air- the sort of presence that could calm storms and settle the unnerved. "I'm afraid that experimentation on…. Shall we say the humanlike went out of fashion a long time ago."

Alec shrunk back. Somehow, he hadn't felt the gentleness that I had.

"Carlisle," He said haltingly. Jane moved to sit next to him, leaving him to rise to his feet. Then, he gestured towards me. "Saoirse, this is Carlisle Cullen."

Carlisle gave smile that warmed, right down to the bones, and offered a hand. "Pleased to meet you." Briefly, his eyes scanned the room. Jane appeared to be on the verge of pouncing, while Alice and Jasper had merely settled back into going through the document they'd shown Alec moments ago.

"Pleasure," I smiled, a bit tensely, my fingers curled around his hand. "We're really grateful that you opted to come and help us. I'm sure you have better things to occupy your time."

"I've spent all of my existence learning how to help those in need," He said, his stance relaxed. "I'd fly to the moon if it meant the chance to save a life."