Chapter Info

Title: Mine or Yours

Number: 5/?

Warnings: Angst, language

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Comments are love!

Guest(s): Thank you for reading and commenting! Glad you like!

Goldielover: Time will definitely tell, I don't want to give too much away right now, but it'll all come together. :) Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

-Abigail-

Her gaze didn't leave the door for a couple moments before turning to Alice with a shocked, hurt look across her features. He didn't even speak to her and then ran off like she lit him on fire. What did I do? Did I offend him somehow? Does he not like me for some reason? None of the others spoke either and she dropped her eyes down to her hand where they twisted together.

"He does this often, we're sorry." It was Edward who spoke and her eyes lifted to him, frowning for a moment, but he looked so sincere and apologetic that she couldn't help but smile and feel better. If he did it often, it couldn't be her, right?

"As long as I didn't scare him off," she said, breaking the tension and causing soft laughter to ripple through the group. It seemed after that it was easy to talk, even Jasper loosening up and joining in on the laughter and gentle conversation. Around five, the Cullens got up to leave and Abigail frowned as she realized she didn't want them to go.

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner? I could have Charlie come over, too, he gets out in like ten minutes."

Alice shook her head with a soft smile and leaned in for a hug. "We'll come see you tomorrow, okay? Or you can come see us."

Abigail smiled. "I would love that," she answered truthfully as she returned the hug and regretfully let them go. The car—Alice's, they had said—was impressive and she decided she didn't even want to know how much it cost. She waved goodbye to them, leaning against the porch railing until the car was out of sight, before heading back inside for her dinner of cold homemade mac and cheese.

It took her until Beth got home for her to realize something: when Carlisle left, even though he didn't speak to her and looked at her like she had kicked his puppy, she missed him. What's that all about? she wondered. But it was true, as soon as he left, she was aching to have him near her again. It was like the feelings that swept her at the wedding reception only ten times more powerful and so she ran up to her room before Beth could walk in the door so she could hide and figure things out. She had never felt like that before, especially for someone who had never even said hello to her. It was confusing and irritating, feeling how she wished she had ran after him instead of watching him walk out her door. And she ignored how the sight actually squeezed her heart as if the motion hurt her, because that was just irrational.

But that night she had her nightmare, the first time since the night of the wedding, and this time she did indeed have someone else with her. Familiar topaz eyes appeared followed by a shock of honey-blond hair, shining out of the darkness. She reached for him and his cold hand enclosed around hers, dragging her away from the red-eyed killer. The creature screamed and collapsed in a pile of limbs, bursting into flame, while Abigail pressed herself against a firm, cold chest. The man above her looked at her with such love and devotion, such utter and desperate affection that her knees trembled and it took every muscle in her body not to collapse. But her hand molded to his arms, his wrapping around as if he could feel how he made her ache, and smiled adoringly down to her.

"Rest easy, my love," Carlisle whispered. "No one will ever harm you."

.x.x.x.x.

-Alice-

"Well, I suppose that went as well as could be expected," she said a bit dryly, though she couldn't fault Carlisle for leaving as he had. Being up close, all the attention on her, the resemblance to Carlisle's late Abigail was striking. She had the same eyes and hair, she breathed the same and smiled the same, she even smelled the same. The others could all tell that even if Carlisle's thoughts hadn't been screaming it to Edward since they arrived. On the way back, they told the whole story to Bella who was, of course, confused. The newborn was understandably shocked that her lifelong friend resembled in every way her father-in-law's dead mate.

"She even thinks the same," Edward had said as they pulled into the garage. They could tell Carlisle wasn't back yet so Edward took Bella up to his study to show her the painting from 1873 that hung in his small gallery that usually was covered by a black silk cloth. While Carlisle refused to remove the painting, he couldn't look at it every time he entered his sanctuary, so it was Alice who gave him the cloth back in 1984 to cover it up.

Jasper took Alice's hand and guided her inside. Rosalie and Jacob sat on the floor with Carlie as she read to them softly. Emmett sat alone at the chessboard, moving between white and red as if working out strategies in his head. They all looked up and Carlie smiled, running to hug her aunt and uncle, before curling against Jacob. All attention had shifted to Alice and Jasper as they all—save for Jacob—knew where they were and what they were doing.

"Where's Carlisle?" Rosalie asked as she stood, crossing her arms over her chest. Emmett moved as if pulled to his own mate's side, fingers falling to her shoulders. Jacob looked confused as he pulled Carlie up and sat on the light gray couch with her on his knee.

"What's going on?" he wondered, as if Alice and Jasper had some news of more danger.

"Carlisle's fine. He just...had to get away."

"Can you blame him?" Rosealie said softly as she stood. "She resembles Abigail, that can't be easy for him."

"Wait," Jacob said, standing as well with a deep frown. "Abigail? As in Abigail Goodwin?"

Rosalie sneered as her eyes flashed over to him. "What do you know of her, mongrel?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Probably a lot more than you."

"I highly doubt that."

Jacob snorted and smirked, mocking her stance, as he launched into his story. "Her parents were Gwen and Hank Goodwin. She was both February fourteenth 1984. But she was adopted, doesn't even know her birth parents names. She was born in Delaware, and they only know of her first name and birthday because it was written on a paper left with her when someone dumped her on the steps of a fire station. She was left out all night until the chief came in the next morning and found her there, nearly hypothermic and starving. Hank and Gwen never could have kids of their own and were looking to adopt, so three months after her birth, they flew to Delaware to meet her and immediately fell in love with her. When she was two, she fell down the stairs and broke her arm and got a cut on her cheek. She still has the scar." He pointed to the location on his own cheek. "She was there when Bella and I were born because Hank was best friends with Charlie and my dad. During the summer, since Gwen was a nurse and Hank taught summer school classes, my mom would watch her. She taught me and my sisters how to hunt and fish. When she was thirteen, she fell in the water and my dad jumped in after her to save her even though she knew how to swim. She graduated high school early and moved to Seattle to be a doctor, but wound up being a nurse. Her ex-boyfriend was emotionally abusive and so I drove up to Seattle to kick his ass, and he hasn't talked to her since, which is good because the next girlfriend he nearly killed. She trusts too easily and gets her heart broken too much, and whatever the hell you're doing with her... It better not hurt her because I'm not afraid to make you my next example in what not to do to Abigail Goodwin."

Jacob's story left everyone speechless, even Rosalie who gawked at him like he grew a second head. But mostly they were sad because none of them knew her beginning and none of them knew if the abusive ex, the very thought of it had Emmett growling under his breath and he began pacing quickly in his spot.

So then it was time for their story, from start to finish, and Jacob listened quietly even as Bella and Edward entered the room. Edward's face was pained as Alice went through the story Jacob told for him, explaining what her life was like before they came along. After Alice's story, it was Jacob's turn to be stunned and silent, all of them looking at each other and for once, glad Carlisle wasn't there so they could talk more freely, though they all listened for him carefully.

"Do you think she's the same?" Jacob finally asked, voice quiet and not full of tense anger like it was before. He sat back by Carlie on the couch.

Alice shook her head. "No. I mean...how is that possible? Reincarnation doesn't exist, especially for our kind. None of really believe we have souls."

Jacob snorted and frowned. "See, I don't believe that. The rest of the bloodsuckers, maybe. But you guys?" He shook his head. "You're good people. And if my Abigail is exactly the same as the Abigail you knew, then I know she had a soul because there's no way mine doesn't. She's one of the best people I know." He sighed, all of them quiet again as they took in his words and his unexpected compliments. "So what are we gonna do?"

Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and sat forward. "I mean, if she's just like your Abigail, then we have to get her to remember. She might be my Abigail now, but they sound like one in the same. Kind, soft spoken. Polite and yet brutally honest. Sarcastic and funny, clever and so smart." He paused. "Not to mention, she's beautiful enough now to be a vampire, can't imagine what she would look like after the change."

"I can," Alice said wistfully. "But if it's true, if she's our mother come back to us... How do we get her to remember? She's still human, we can't tell her our secret. Can you imagine that? 'Hey, you're actually the reincarnation of Carlisle's dead mate. You were a vampire for almost two hundred years, but then a nomad ripped your head off and you died. But don't worry, if you remember this then you can be part of the family again, so just think real hard about being a blood sucking monster.'"

Jacob was glaring at her at the end of her rant and huffed. "Well, you could be nice about it."

"Before we do anything, we would have to talk to Carlisle. We all miss her and want our mother back, but she's his mate. His opinion comes first."

"What happened, anyway?" Rosalie spoke up, but this time she wasn't defensive, just neutral with a hint of melancholy.

"It was too much for him. She's exactly the same in every way, Rose. I thought if he saw her and noticed the differences, saw the flush of human blood in her and her beating heart, maybe even a difference in her voice or laugh, then he would be fine and we could move on. I wanted to prove she wasn't his Abigail, but I'm afraid all that happened was proving that his mate is still dead and now her ghost will be haunting him. She even works in the ER as a nurse."

Suddenly Emmett hissed and they all looked over at him, his face a line of fury and pain as he turned and stalked from the room, running once he hit outside. Alice frowned and looked back at Jacob who seemed confused.

"What's with Thor?" he wondered.

"Emmett was particularly close to her. He was the youngest of us and she always called him 'Baby Boy.' He took it as hard as Carlisle did when she died, and didn't speak to Edward or I for a decade because we didn't tell them what was happening. I saw her death in a vision, and of course Edward saw it in my head, and we didn't have time to explain, we just ran. But it was too late, she was dead before we even got close. Emmett thinks if we had just said what was happening, he could've gotten to her in time. But Carlisle was with her, he watched the nomad kill her. If he couldn't stop it, Emmett surely couldn't have either."

Jacob moved to say something, but Edward held up his hand to halt him as they all heard Carlisle's footsteps returning. "Say nothing, mutt," Rosalie growled to him before yanking him over to sit down with Carlie again, everyone going to an activity so they didn't make Carlisle suspicious of their discussion.

Author's Note: So, you all have probably noticed a couple changes. What are these changes you might ask? Well for starters, this story does not include Esme. Originally I stuck her in and had her mated with Garrett, but it just felt too forced, so she will be edited out. If you see her name at all, please don't hesitate to let me know in a comment so I can edit the chapter. The other thing you might notice is the name Carlie. This is Renesmee, but for obvious reasons, I had to change her name. Since Esme doesn't exist, Bella wouldn't have gotten her name from their mothers. So Carlie is Carlisle and Charlie. It makes a lot more sense to change it then keep it in for no reason. ANYWAY, here's chapter five, hope you all enjoyed! Thank you once again for reading, and comments are love!