~ Chapter Five ~

Harleigh's warning captured the groups' attention; all of them turning where he faced. Within such a large area of forest it seemed unlikely they would be able to see the approaching vampires until they were before them. As it was the direction of the breeze made their position downwind of the vampires' path. The group wouldn't have been able to smell their arrival much less see them through the foliage. Adding the arguing to the combination and they wouldn't have known of the vampires' approach until it was far too late.

Seconds passed in which the shifters changed form. Their growls echoed around the area preparing to attack the vampires as they had been born to do. Harleigh watched as they changed fascinated in the difference between a shifter and a werewolf. The fluid movement appeared so natural compared to the torturous snapping of a werewolf come full moon.

Before Harleigh had the chance to further study the shifters, Carlisle stepped between them. He scowled but turned away as Carlisle placed a hand at his back. The gesture wasn't missed by the Cullen's. Yet no comment was offered as three newborn vampires entered the area.

The unnatural stillness of the vampires and the constant growls of the shifters had caused animals in the surrounding area to flee long before the arrival of the newborns. Their instincts far outweighed the necessity to remain in a known area.

Harleigh watched the newborns. They had yet to speak, their hunger overriding any intelligence retained after their turning. All they desired to do was feast however it seemed their sire had directed them to one human in particular. Behind a line of Cullen's and backed against a tree, Bella Swan cowered knowing their strength. Harleigh praised everything he knew she was intelligent enough to fear them.

"Edward, can you understand them?" Carlisle questioned.

"They're too manic." He replied. "The only thought I can grasp is their desire to reach Bella."

That wasn't too surprising. Bella was the only human present and it appeared they had been scented beforehand to target the girl. The shifters wouldn't smell at all appealing to a vampire. Being able to shift into a wolf meant they shared similar properties in blood. To a vampire they were nothing more than another animal. Harleigh's blood tasted of spices which appealed even less than an animal or so he'd been told.

However if Harleigh could pin one down and read their thoughts he would be able to tell why they were so focused on Bella in particular. Her blood and her ability to block Edward couldn't be the only two redeeming qualities she possessed. He needed to have a better picture of why everyone seemed to believe Bella Swan held significance to offer aid to Carlisle.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Harleigh smirked.

He hadn't needed to stretch his abilities in this way for many years and looked forward to being able to see whether his movements were a little rusty.

Carlisle took the lead as the shifters couldn't properly communicate to them in shifted form.

"Edward, Alice, and Esme will protect Bella. If you get a chance to run-"

"We aren't leaving you here to deal with this alone." Esme interrupted. "It would only be foolish to run and might urge the newborns to give chase."

Bella needed protecting. However Esme didn't want to leave her husband fighting amongst the newborns with only half their family, the shifters, and a witch. Alice hadn't spoken yet as to whether they could win this small battle but Esme wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

Carlisle nodded his acceptance before continuing.

"You will protect Bella. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie will focus on one of the vampires. The shifters can choose another as well as making sure they don't leave this area. We don't need them escaping into town. The last will be taken by Harleigh and me. Do it quickly, we don't need to stretch this out."

The Cullen's shifted a little, curious as to how Harleigh would manage in a fight against another vampire. However before they could focus on the witch the newborns jumped forward, eyes locked onto Bella.

Edward immediately moved before Bella blocking direct line of sight. Alice and Esme took up positions before the pair determined to keep any stray newborns away from them. Their golden eyes darted around the area watching as the other groups took care of the newborn vampires.

The shifters descended upon their prey as a pack. They cornered the confused vampire, snapping at it when it tried to break free from the circle they'd formed, waiting for the perfect opening to lunge. Each of them enjoyed the freedom in actually attacking a vampire. They had become accustomed to patrolling their land and leaving the Cullen's alone. To actually perform how they were born to do was energizing.

Sam snarled as the vampire utilized its' strength to throw Jacob into a tree. The instant Jacob let out a pained yelp Bella gasped in shock. Three vampires, all of who had become distracted by the additional protection around their target, turned towards her.

Rosalie snarled as she heard Bella make a sound. A smart human would have attempted to keep as quiet as possible when surrounded by deadly creatures. Not this one. This human appeared to attract every single creature within radius doing nothing more than existing. It frustrated Rosalie to no end. There was nothing outwardly special about the girl, she had the personality of wet sand, and yet they all flocked to her.

Releasing her anger on the vampire before her, Rosalie tore of the newborn's arm off throwing it carelessly away and in the direction of the remainder of her family. Bella thankfully remained quiet to the gore. The only other people who kept quiet were Carlisle and Harleigh. Glancing over to her father, Rosalie nearly lost composure.

Carlisle tore into the newborn while Harleigh watched. The newborn struggled yet was held in place with a mere hand raised by Harleigh. Rosalie remembered the magic Harleigh had used on her when she'd angered him upon their first meeting. She hadn't been able to move so it was little wonder why Carlisle was easily dismantling the newborn. What she found odd however, Carlisle never moved between Harleigh and the vampire.

Harleigh didn't blink though she knew he needed to. His green eyes never left the red of the newborns a constant connection between the two. Before she had time to consider the oddity her attention turned back to the vampire Jasper and Emmett wrestled to the ground for easier dismantlement. Leaving Carlisle and Harleigh to the third vampire, Rosalie resumed dismemberment.

Methodically removing the newborns limbs, Carlisle kept a watch over the other vampires in case they moved too close. Harleigh wouldn't have been able to defend himself in his current state, eyes locked with that of the vampire's. Harleigh viewed the memories within the mind doing well to keep the vampire immobile at the same time. With any luck, Harleigh would be able to deduce why the newborns seemed to target Bella with such ferocity. Then they could remove the problem and return to their normal lives without the drama Bella brought upon them.

Green eyes broke away from red as a triumphant howl echoed around the area. Harleigh watched as the shifters moved away from the limbs of the newborn they'd cornered. Behind him Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett pulled the final arm from the newborn with boisterous laughter while Carlisle watched over them all with pride.

Bitter, Harleigh turned away from the man. Pride was never something Carlisle had turned towards him. The first few years together had been awkward. Carlisle had been uncertain as to how he should act around Harleigh. Travelling together and learning what they could do and what they needed to be wary of didn't allow for great communication skills between the pair. Turning Edward had been the start of something new for Carlisle. Something that Harleigh hadn't been welcomed in.

With all three of the newborns dismembered, Harleigh waved his hand. The bodies didn't have a chance to burn they turned to ash and blew away on the wind. Nothing remained of the battle but the scrapes along the ground.

"Did you gain any knowledge from the newborn, Harleigh?" Carlisle enquired.

Shock ran through the group everyone drawing the same conclusion.

"You can read people's minds?" Edward questioned.

The curiosity transformed Edward's face from the stern stillness he wore. Not wanting to increase his bitterness towards the Cullen's for the day Harleigh gave a tired nod.

"It's a skill I managed to acquire yes. It doesn't work like Edward's though."

"You need direct eye contact, don't you?" Rosalie questioned, piecing together the facts she had collected.

Harleigh smiled in her direction.

"Indeed, all I need is a second and I can see memories they don't even remember."

Bella blushed in mortification from Edward's side remembering how long they'd held eye contact when they'd first met. Her curiosity had spurred her to openly view the one person of the Cullen family she hadn't met. In horror, she wondered if he could reach her thoughts in ways Edward couldn't and frantically attempted to remember what she had been thinking.

Harry smirked, knowing what she was thinking and confirmed, "I can read the mind of anyone I choose."

"What did you find?" Jacob questioned, as the pack shifted back and put on jeans.

"Victoria is practically drugging them on her scent." Harleigh replied. "She has items of clothing which belong to Bella and whilst they frenzy and gorge themselves on humans they are constantly surrounded by her scent. When they begin to associate her scent with food that is when Victoria releases them to see whether or not her experiment has worked."

The feeling of hunger still hadn't completely left Harleigh's mind. Victoria barely gave her collection of newborns enough to eat. They fought over every single human she pushed towards them. Only the strongest and most capable were able to feed leaving the others to either be torn apart or cower in the corner. It was a pitiful second life.

Carlisle frowned at this and turned towards the pack noting the sun setting.

"We should return home. Any conversations that need to happen will have to occur at a later date. There is much to be discussed and much sleep that some of our mortal friends require."

Bella yawned once again aware she was still human. It wouldn't be long before sleeping became something she no longer could do but she would easily give up sleeping to be with Edward. For now however she needed to sleep.

Sam agreed, "Harleigh may enter our lands if we require aid. The boundary lines still remain for the vampires in the Cullen family."

Turning away from the Cullen's the pack shifted and ran away from the boundary back into the Reserve. The pack followed with Jacob giving a shaky wavy at Bella before following.

With the pack retreating, the Cullen's turned their attention towards Harleigh and the mystery he exuded every time he stepped forward to aid them. Harleigh however wasn't interested in their opinion and disapparrated leaving Carlisle behind.

The Cullen's turned to a furious Carlisle who once again sped away to follow Harleigh to the house. After everything that had occurred during the few moments Harleigh had been in their lives, they had hoped actively participating as a group might warm Harleigh to them. No one could find a way to connect with Harleigh and Harleigh wasn't opening up to anyone.

As Jasper could feel Harleigh's emotions he offered them an explanation.

"It's hard for Harleigh to see Carlisle interact with us. Carlisle's pride when we dismembered the newborns rivalled Harleigh's bitterness. It felt as if Harleigh had never received any fatherly emotions from Carlisle yet Carlisle continues to act protective. He was young when they became acquainted and learning to be a vampire didn't offer any chance for them to build the same bond we share with Carlisle. Welcoming him amongst us isn't going to repair their relationship."

Esme saddened at the news. Carlisle had been turned three hundred years ago and Edward one hundred years ago. The years between that had been Carlisle and Harleigh attempting to figure out what to do with their lives. Their bond would have been stronger than anything in the world if they had remained together whilst Carlisle expanded the family. Leaving Harleigh out would have been difficult and heartbreaking for both of them but whilst Carlisle had his family to concentrate on Harleigh had no one. She wanted that to change.

"Let's return to the house." She murmured.

On the journey home they decided Bella should remain with them for a few days. Rosalie was against the idea, acknowledging Carlisle had nearly attacked the girl in their home because of her closeness to Harleigh. However the others all agreed Bella could be better protected if she returned to their home. They would just need to watch Bella around the pair and hope she didn't say anything to aggravate either of them.

x-x-x-x-x

Harleigh was munching on a simple sandwich when Carlisle sped into the room eyes tracking the length of his body to make certain he was well. The instant he spotted the sandwich he commented.

"If you are hungry Esme would be happy to make you something filling."

"It's a lingering hunger from searching the newborn's mind. Eating heavy wouldn't do any good."

Carlisle knew reading the mind wasn't the easiest task for anyone. Edward and Jasper suffered greatly when others felt hunger. It wasn't any different for Harleigh. He sighed.

"You needn't suffer through this experience Harleigh. The family want to welcome you. They want to understand who you are and know the experiences you have lived through. You are my first child and for all the time I've spent with them I've spent more time living through the decades with you."

Sweeping away his crumbs, Harleigh turned towards Carlisle.

"Yet you still left. We spent so long trying to figure out what had happened to us. First when your father cursed us and then when you were bitten. All of that and yet when you turned a human you stop trying to figure everything out. You ignored the part of you that wasn't completely vampire and left me in the dark."

The turning of Edward had been the first marker in an active stretch of time when Harleigh had no one. He'd been an immortal witch with no connection to anyone and with Carlisle fleeing with his fledgling vampire, Harleigh to had needed to move on to avoid questions from the authority.

"I had no idea what I was doing." He continued. "We always have to leave mortal friends and you never introduced me to other vampires because you were terrified of what they might attempt. What was I meant to do? Who was I meant to turn to when I couldn't turn to you?"

Carlisle could feel his world crumbling as Harleigh spoke. He'd never considered the hardships Harleigh would have to face alone. Since he'd always planned to bring Harleigh back into their family it hadn't been a necessity for Harleigh to know anyone outside of their group.

"You can't protect me Carlisle as if the past hundred years of isolation didn't occur. I'm not the same person I was back then. I have lived doing what I must to survive regardless of whether it has led to good or poor outcomes for the people around me. I searched for answers and only managed to find more questions and I had no one to talk to."

The front door opened and the remainder of the Cullen family poured inside with a mortal girl gripping the back of Edward. Carlisle growled.

"She can't stay."

"We can protect her better if she is with us." Esme offered.

"The longer she is here the more danger she attracts."

It was left unsaid that the danger could possibly lead to Harleigh's harm. However with Carlisle positioned between Harleigh and the remainder of the family it didn't need to be spoken to be heard.

"She's a danger to all of us. I want her gone." Rosalie agreed.

Harleigh watched as Bella frowned listening to Rosalie's words. The girl's need for acceptance by the blonde probably stemmed from issues in previous schools. After all, if you were accepted by the beautiful girl everyone admired the more people would notice you. However it wasn't just that. Bella needed the approval of the family to fit in and clearly Rosalie was hard to win over.

Rosalie could obviously sense something within the girl which didn't impress. Much like Harleigh, she viewed Bella as any other mortal wandering the world and waiting for their end to arrive yet searching for a way to extend it. Gaining Rosalie's approval would be a huge hit against Bella. Harleigh resented being dragged into this so if he could subtly make jabs at Bella, the cause of all this trouble, it would be somewhat worth his time.

Smirking, he turned towards Rosalie.

"I don't think we are going to get our way but if you'd prefer I could ward your room as I did mine and Carlisle's study the other day. She won't be able to enter and you won't be able to hear her in the house. You can pretend she isn't here."

The offer seemed to stun everyone. They were certain Harleigh would continue to resist warming to any of them. Certainly, they hadn't considered the first person Harleigh would approach to be Rosalie. They loved her but she wasn't the most approachable of the family. Harleigh however didn't back down.

Rosalie thanked Harleigh reading the smirk on his face and realizing he wanted to cause trouble. Harleigh wouldn't cause trouble for the family knowing Carlisle would frown upon it. He might not be happy about his situation but he wouldn't upset Carlisle.

"Shall I show you the way to my room?"

"Please?" Harleigh gestured for her to lead the way.

The pair moved away from the group and made their way upstairs Carlisle following them closely. Harleigh wasn't certain about this turn of events.

Becoming close to Rosalie would serve to annoy Bella however it would open Harleigh to the other family members. They would see their friendship as a way forward. While it would make Harleigh's time spent under Carlisle's roof more agreeable he knew opening this avenue would create connections between them. Carlisle would be pleased with this turn of events. However Harleigh couldn't help but wonder whether becoming a part of the family would be everything he had dreamed of or whether it would only lead to more pain.

x-x-x-x-x

Harleigh had studied the marks on the floor surrounding him. Chains might have kept him from moving but he could still see the lines along the floor. The Cullen Patriarch had drawn them the day he had bound Carlisle to Harleigh. They meant very little to Harleigh, not knowing what any of the symbols meant, but when he finally broke free of these chains he had a trove of information to go through surrounding him.

The books lined the walls with jars sitting between them at random intervals. Harleigh recognized certain herbs his mother had used in cooking. They gathered dust on the shelves but when his mother had used them they added flavour to the winter broths warming them when the chill set in. Each recipe had been passed down in the family and now thinking on it Harleigh realized the recipes probably held properties of witchcraft.

There were so many instances his family had unknowingly used witchcraft. It would have been fine if the Cullen Patriarch hadn't searched the entire house. They would have continued with their lives not realizing their family and lives were filled with magic.

Given his situation, Harleigh was pleased he'd managed to figure out so much. He knew that whatever spell was used allowed Carlisle and Harleigh to share pain between them. They healed each other when the other became hurt. Most recently, Harleigh figured out his hunger was sated purely because Carlisle was eating. Their lives were deeply connected in a way Harleigh couldn't quite figure out.

The door to the basement swung open revealing Carlisle's father. He stepped into the room closing the door behind him and focusing his attention on Harleigh. Carlisle wasn't with him.

Harleigh remained silent. Without Carlisle there truly was nothing stopping this man from doing whatever he wanted to test the bond between his son and the witch. Whatever happened next couldn't be good.

Moving forward, the man didn't stop until he stood before Harleigh. The chains seemed to tighten around him reminding him of his inability to move from the location. There was nothing he could do to stop the descent of the knife as if slid into his torso.

Green eyes went wide never leaving the cold eyes of Carlisle's father. The blade was yanked out of his body allowing for warm blood to spill down his rapidly cooling form. The chains which once so soundly kept Harleigh in place slipped away as the man unlocked him. Not having the energy to attempt to run Harleigh slide to the frigid floor.

"Now we see if you can die."

The world went black.

x-x-x-x-x

Screaming, there was too much screaming; a male and a woman shouted at each other from above. Harleigh's head was pounding as he sat up. His body hurt all over. The blood which had poured from his body was now sticky and covered both him and the floor.

"You have harmed my son!"

"He's our son and he shall do as I order."

Harleigh glanced at the basement door. He rather doubted the door would open for him. He was thankful the Cullen Patriarch hadn't chained him up once again however he wasn't certain where that left him.

Just as the screaming reached a new peak, the door opened revealing Carlisle. He appeared pale, leaning on the wall for support. Harleigh couldn't offer him any aid in his current position. Yet Carlisle still managed to walk from the door to Harleigh and collapse on the floor.

"You don't look well." Harleigh muttered.

Guilt settled within him. He knew Carlisle was only ill because his father had attempted experimentations on Harleigh. Without it Carlisle would have been fine and not attempting to heal him. Carlisle was only human after all and a human body wasn't very strong.

"I thought it odd when he ordered me out of the house for the day." Carlisle replied. "I didn't think he would make an attempt to experiment on you. Mother was agreeably upset when I collapsed from unknown causes."

Harleigh smiled. "Mothers are often quite protective."

Carlisle huffed, laughing.

After a moment he started, "Your mother…"

"Yes?" Harleigh questioned.

"What was your mother like?"

Harleigh's smile softened as he thought back to moments he shared with his family. They filled him with warmth.

"My mother, she was light and caring. Her voice swept everyone she knew into a story of tenderness and warmth. During the day she could do all of the tasks she set to mind and by night she granted us all a warm hug which made us feel comfortable and home. But she could be fiery when father did something she didn't agree with. Yet they always made sure to talk and forgive each other before they went to bed."

Harleigh could picture the warmth his mother exuded; her bright red hair always dancing in the light. Their village always spoke of how caring she was and how much they loved having her amongst them. His father always joked and played around when at home but at work he held a sternness others couldn't compete with. Together they were ferocious and unstoppable. Together they had loved him and raised him. They had taught him right from wrong. He would never forget them.

"I would have liked to meet them." Carlisle whispered.

The shouting had grown quiet above. Harleigh wasn't certain whether either of them would make their way down the stairs to check on him or search for their son but he moved closer to Carlisle regardless of the concerns he held.

"They would have liked to meet you as well. You would have amazed them with your compassion." Harleigh confirmed.

Reaching out, Harleigh ran his hand through the golden strands of Carlisle's hair remembering a time he was ill and his mother had done the same. Carlisle relaxed into his touch turning towards him and ignoring the blood pooled on the floor.

"We'll figure this out Harleigh. I don't care if I have to leave my family. I will help you undo what my father has done and I won't leave you until I do."

Harleigh smiled. He found himself trusting Carlisle's words and if so he could make the same promise to Carlisle. Together they would figure this out and together they would undo the magic done.

I hadn't touched this story in a while and I forgot how much I truly love writing these characters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

~MidnightEmber