AN: Thank you all so much for the support! To answer a question I received, yes this used to be Alice/Bella but I recently fell in love with the Rosalie/Bella pairing and decided to change the story to that. The change began in chapter 6, so chapters 6-now were rewritten to include the new pairing. There are a couple reasons I chose to change the story which I hope you all enjoy when the time comes. I am really excited for the direction the story is taking so as always let me know what you think and R&R!
Isabella stirred, breathing in the intoxicating smell of amber and vanilla as she stretched out in satin sheets. Her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the light filtering in from the French doors to her left as she sat up in bed. A yawn escaped her lips and she stood, quickly dressing and heading downstairs where a certain black-haired pixie stood practically buzzing with anticipation.
"Bella!" Alice called out with an earsplitting smile. "First of all, it is so cool that you can actually sleep. Second, it is time to catch me up on everything."
Alice grabbed hold of Isabella's arm and began to tug, ignoring the disgruntled and highly uncomfortable expression on her old friend's face. She led them to a large garden off to the side of the house where she sat precariously on a stone bench and looked expectantly at Isabella.
There was a silence that stretched between them as Alice calmed and looked almost hurt, dark honey eyes staring up at the woman next to her. There was an unspoken question between them as Isabella's violet eyes matched the pain of her friend and uncertainty caused her fingers to dance along the material of her pants as a distraction.
"Why did you leave? Of anyone I expected you to fight him, to come back for me, to at least call me and tell me why." Isabella's voice constricted in pain and her eyes flashed.
Alice sighed and placed her hand on Isabella's, stilling its movements. "I did fight, but Edward convinced us all that it was for the best. Rose and I, we tried to contact you, to come back to at least check on you from afar but… well when you have a mind reader for a brother secrets and plans become difficult. Eventually we gave up and eluded ourselves into believing the lies that Edward had told to get us to leave in the first place. Please forgive me Bella." Alice squeezed the hand beneath her own and looked into violet eyes pleadingly.
"I can't, not yet. But Alice?" Isabella paused "I don't hate you. I never could. No matter how angry I became, how hurt, I could never hate you or anyone in your family, except maybe him."
"You aren't the same girl we left. I still can't entirely believe that it's you."
Isabella laughed, an edge to the beautiful sound. "It's amazing what time, pain, and power can do to a person. The anger and the pain eventually lessened while I was in Volterra. I had found a family once again, a group of friends and allies that I wouldn't give up for the world. I found strength in my abilities, respect in eyes of those around me, and a place to call home that I need not fear would leave. I helped train and lead once my abilities were under my control, I met hundreds of vampires, took down dozens of groups intending on hurting my family, and I found unbreakable bonds and a destiny that seems at times far greater than I can handle."
Alice smiled and nodded, giving Isabella's hand another momentary squeeze.
"So, Rose huh?" Alice's smile was teasing, and her golden eyes sparkled as Isabella groaned and placed her head in her hands.
"What was that?" Alice laughed. Isabella groaned some more, incomprehensible words mumbled through fingers. Isabella lifted her head and gave Alice a shy smile, one that caused Alice's undead heart to skip a small beat, a glimpse of her old Bella leaking through the dark and powerful façade.
"She never even liked me Alice. And have you seen her? She's absolute perfection. I have never met someone so inherently untouchable, so out of everyone's league. Even yesterday I could feel her hesitation, feel her fighting the new bond that ties us together."
"Rose never hated you Bella, she's just a very guarded person, and one of the most fiercely loyal and protective people that I know. Jasper actually confided in me that he was uncertain about her feelings for you back when you were human. He said that her coldness slipped every time she saw you or smelled you. Said there was a flash of anger so brief it probably never happened in the first place every time she saw you with Edward."
A small light of hope and happiness flickered across Isabella's face and Alice smiled.
"Human you would have been eaten alive by Rosalie" Alice laughed. "But this you, I can see her falling irrevocably in love with the powerful woman I see. You're still the same old Bella, tripping into our lives and winning over more hearts than she knew. Now, now you're just stronger, and Rose needs someone strong in her life. She has scars Bella, so many jagged edges its impressive she can still pull off flawless so easily. Just give her time, let her come to you and work things through slowly."
"Any sisterly tips on how to get closer to her faster? The vampire in me is hard to control when I am around her. My instincts wish to take over, but I do not want her to feel pressured or rushed. I want her to want me."
"Rose loves her toys. Cars especially, though she is also a secret science nerd and a lover of other cultures and languages as well. She has a rocky past, but she loves her family and her biggest regret about being a vampire is not what you may think. She always wanted children of her own and now that it isn't possible I think she feels cheated somehow. Her favorite flower is indeed a rose, but she has always appeared to hate receiving them. But, most of all, Rose is stock full of surprises, dark corners, and insecurities even if she may never let anyone see it."
Isabella smiled, a true, genuine smile and Alice beamed right back at her.
Isabella sent a quick text message to Jax asking him to gather the troops and meet back at the Cullen house. She was slightly concerned after not seeing Edward since the day prior, wondering if he was simply brooding somewhere else or if something had happened.
Nyx- Hey meet me at the Cullen house with the witches. Need to start searching for the newborns.
Jax- Sure thing little one. Except Jane may have to just meet us there.
Nyx- What? Why?
Jax- How do they say it these days? I think she got lucky.
Isabella began coughing upon reading the text and understanding its implied meaning. Had she been human still, her face likely would have been the same color as the Kool Aid man. Isabella shook the images from her mind and went back inside the Cullen house where she was met with the mouthwatering scent of gourmet home cooking courtesy of Esme.
Isabella groaned in delight at the delicious smells and food being placed on the bar top and Esme smiled at her graciously in response.
"I absolutely love to cook you know. Having shifters around has been wonderful since I get to actually use my kitchen." Esme's motherly love filled the air so easily it was nearly tangible, and Isabella fought the sudden urge to hug the woman. As if sensing that feeling, Esme reached out and enveloped Isabella in a tight but soft hug.
"I'm so sorry for everything Bella." She whispered in her ear. As she pulled back from the embrace, Esme wiped her hands on a towel by the sink and addressed her louder this time. "Oh, and Rosalie is in the garage. You should go say hi dear."
Isabella made her way to the garage, listening to the steady whirring of an engine and the clattering of tools being sifted through. Poking her head in the door, Isabella couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips upon seeing Rosalie roll out from under a car. Isabella stepped closer and breathed in carefully, noting the addition of grease and metal to her mate's smell with a smirk.
Rosalie stood up and gave a small smile of her own, finding a rag on her toolbox and wiping her hands off with it. There was an adorable grease mark on both of Rosalie's cheeks, looking quite like the black paint used by fans during football games. Isabella gently reached out and wiped the smudges off with careful thumbs and watched as Rosalie shuddered ever so slightly when they touched. The movement was so small and subdued that it would have easily gone unnoticed by human eyes, but Isabella noticed it and her inner vampire roared with triumph.
"Hi" Isabella breathed out.
"Hi yourself" Rosalie responded.
"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me today. We are going to track down that newborn army and it should be easy enough."
Rosalie arched an eyebrow at Isabella in challenge, haughtiness overcoming her features. "Easy enough as in even I should be safe?" There was a dangerous undertone to her voice which caused Isabella to backpedal instantly.
"No, no of course not. All you have to do is look at someone and they either fall to their knees or burst into flames. I just, I would never put you in harm's way." Isabella appeared uncomfortable as she met the hard, golden gaze of an affronted Rosalie Hale.
"Hmmph" Rosalie responded, her eyes softening ever so slightly. "I would love to go with you."
It was then that the sound of someone entering the home reached their ears and they turned to make their way into the house. Isabella opened the door dramatically and ushered Rosalie inside with a playful smile to which Rosalie gave an amused half smile in return.
As they stepped back outside, Isabella eyed Jane carefully, noticing the way in which her friend seemed happier, more alive than she had ever seen her. Jane leaned ever so slightly toward her mate, who stood in wolf form at her side. Isabella couldn't help but laugh internally at the change of events that had taken place. The notorious Witch Twin of the Volturi, known torturer and assassin, was practically glowing. The bitter and angry wolf, abandoned by her fiancée for another woman, had now taken over the pack of said fiancée and she too was glowing with the same happiness. Not to mention herself and her mate, Isabella thought, the Ice Queen Rosalie Hale and poor, awkward, shy Bella come back as a royal vampire assassin to the family that had abandoned her all those years ago only to fall in love with the sister of her ex-boyfriend.
"What a fucking mess" Isabella laughed to herself. She could feel Jax's responding laughter in her mind and flashed him a smile.
"Alright everyone, we will break into trios to cover more ground. Do not engage the target unless they're looking to pick a fight or notice you. We want to know who is running this army and why." Isabella's voice was strong and confident, and the two teams immediately split up and began their careful scout through the forest.
Jax, Isabella, and Rosalie took the north west while Jane, Alec, and Leah took the north east. It wasn't long before Isabella's team came across a familiar scent and Isabella pressed her mental shields around them. They broke into a clearing of sorts and watched as a pair of newborns sat, crushing pebbles between their fingers, looking bored out of their minds.
"Aye, why are we waiting here again?" One of the men asked.
"We're supposed to wait for that one guy. You know, the one with the bed hair and ego? He's supposed to take us to the house. Gonna nab one of the goldilocks, that's what boss says."
Isabella looked at Jax and Rosalie in confusion and both shrugged. The trio crept ever closer until Jax was able to tackle one of the vampires to the ground, decapitating him quickly. The other vampire leapt to his feet in alarm, looking around wildly for the source of his partner's demise. Isabella dropped her shields, revealing them to the frightened newborn whose eyes were pitch black as he crouched and bared his teeth at them.
"Who created you? Who is supposed to be meeting you here? What house and what goldilocks?" Isabella demanded.
The vampire simply smiled at her and tilted his head, coal black eyes roaming over her figure. Rosalie let out a warning growl and his smile grew as he took her in as well. He began to laugh, almost maniacally, his reddish brown hair falling into his face as he doubled over.
"Oh you don't know? That's okay, surprises are much better. I wouldn't want to ruin boss' surprise." Isabella took a menacing step forward, grabbing the vampire by his neck and applying just enough pressure for it to get really uncomfortable really fast.
"Tell me or I will rip you limb from limb until you do" she growled.
"Well that's not very nice" the man wheezed. "But I won't tell you anything."
It was then that Jane and her group arrived, quickly burning the other vampires body and advancing on the newborn captive in Isabella's hands. Isabella nodded at Jane who fixed her blood red glare on the newborn, watching with a small smile as the man began to scream and writhe in agony.
"Stop, stop please!" the man begged. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
"Who are you meeting here and why?"
"I don't know his name. He's new to camp though and he always looks so in his head. Boss likes him because he said he could lead us to some house. We're supposed to either grab or kill someone there I'm not sure who."
"I need more" Isabella growled. Jane flashed her gift over the man once more for good measure and he began nodding frantically.
"The – the new guy. He used to be from around here I heard. He has some kind of magic where he just gets in your head."
"Gets in your head how?" Isabella snarled, violet eyes darkening and sparking with dangerous intensity.
"I don't know! It's like he can hear your every thought" the vampire gasped as pain ripped through his body once more. Isabella's eyes flashed pitch black and venom filled her mouth.
"Now tell us, who is your 'boss'? Why is he creating an army, why here?"
Breathing heavily, the man's coal black eyes met Isabella's and he opened his mouth to speak before a strange look passed over his face and his body stilled momentarily. The young man's eyes returned to their ruby red and his face became completely emotionless. As bright ruby traced over each of the bodies before him, a small smile tugged at his lips.
This sudden, abrupt change in mood and character took the group by surprise and uncertainty rose in each of them. Jane glared at the man and focused her gift on him in an attempt to force him to revert to his weakened state. However, when the man did not flinch in the slightest, Jane's eyes widened in alarm, as did those of the other guard members.
"What the hell" Jane muttered.
"As fun as this has been, you have already learned enough." With those words the young vampire quickly reached into his pocket and threw a small object into the air, catching it in his mouth and smiling with a small wave. That is, until flames erupted from beneath his skin and his screams filled the air until his body was nothing more than a pile of ash. There was panic in the group after seeing such an atrocious but incredible act and the uncertainty and fear grew to new heights.
"What the absolute fuck was that?" Jane demanded, her red eyes wide and filled with an emotion rarely seen on her.
"I- I don't know" Isabella responded, a slight waver to her voice.
"He just ate a fire pill and set himself on fire" Rosalie deadpanned, her voice filled with shock and fear. "Like a cyanide pill for vampires. We were getting too much information from him so he killed himself to avoid giving us anymore."
"Smart. Incredibly terrifying and fucked up but smart." Leah entered the conversation, having shifted back into her human form before returning to them.
"It wasn't him" Jax's deep voice stated, causing a hush to fall over the group.
"Jax is right, we all saw how his whole demeanor changed. It was almost as if something else was controlling him. Plus, Jane's gift always works." Alec shook his head with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"Someone who can control other people through their mind? I've never even heard of such a gift." Isabella looked to Jax who stood with an almost pained expression on his face.
"I heard rumors centuries ago about a vampire who could do such a thing. If it is true, if it is him… We must warn the Volturi at once." Jax's eyes were dark and the pain swirling in their black depths was so visible it was hard to look away.
Once back at the house, Isabella and Jax immediately sought out Carlisle, telling the rest of the family to stay inside and close together. Rosalie gave Isabella's hand a gentle squeeze as they parted ways and Isabella smiled at her, pulling the blonde's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss, one imbued with a promise of love and protection.
Carlisle welcomed the pair into his study, sensing the urgency in which they came and the tension that filled his home. Jasper was breathing heavily as he pushed calm waves throughout the group but their fear was beginning to wear even him down.
"We need to talk" Isabella stated once the door was closed behind them. Carlisle took a seat and nodded, worry etched into his marble face.
"Have you ever heard of the Great War Carlisle?" Jax asked.
"The war between vampires and shifters over control of the supernatural world?" Carlisle looked confused as he responded, and Jax nodded.
"The war was between my kind, the Abaven, and a group of vampires that believed themselves to be gods. They wished to see the supernatural world kneel before them and for humans to be no more. The Volturi in its earliest stages stood in their way, the beginning of a ruling body over vampires being established. The war came to an end on a battle field in which my kind stood, side by side with vampires, fighting against those that wished to see our world burn. The leader of it all, an ancient by the name of Abaddon, slaughtered my mother and father before my very eyes. I was never able to see that battle come to an end, for I fled with the weight of an entire species' existence resting on my back. Years later I found out that we had won that battle, that the majority of the vampires on the other side were either killed or captured. They were never able to find Abaddon. Not in my many centuries of existence was I able to track him down. He is powerful, probably the most powerful vampire to walk this earth, and he is as vain and evil as they come." Jax took a deep breath, lost in the memories that had plagued him for centuries.
"This Abaddon, have you found him? Is that why you are telling me this now?"
Jax moved his dark eyes to the golden eyes of Carlisle, nearly causing the refined doctor to stumble at the power and pain behind them.
"While we were looking for the newborn army we came across two newborns. They were waiting for someone, Edward to be precise. During interrogation, after revealing valuable information to us, the man was overcome by something we could not identify at the time. He took a pill before we could stop him, and his body combusted from within. He was dead within seconds. We realized that the man had been overtaken by something, someone else. This could only mean one thing. He's back. Abaddon was said to have the ability to control others with his mind so long as he was within a certain, unknown distance of his target. He need not be even within sight of the person to exact his control. His return and this formation of a newborn army can only mean one thing."
"We're looking at the second Great War" Carlisle answered, his voice solemn. Jax nodded.
"Isabella and I will send for Aro and the Volturi immediately. It is likely that Abaddon considered your coven a threat and created the army here in order to dispose of you before advancing on the Volturi. We need to start preparing for war."
"I don't know exactly what we're up against here but I believe we should begin reaching out to other covens for help." Isabella looked to Carlisle who nodded, the wheels beginning to turn almost visibly in his head.
"I know of a few covens and nomads that may be willing to come to our aid. Not many vampires respect the Volturi let alone want to fight for them in any way."
"If Abaddon is allowed to take over, a force much worse than the Volturi will reign. Convince them of this. He will hunt down every creature, every being, and force them to bow before him. If they do not, they will die along with the rest of their kind." Jax growled.
It was an hour or so later when Isabella and Jax returned to the group downstairs, having called Aro and the Volturi as well as a few of their contacts around the world. The Denali coven and a few others known to Carlisle and the family agreed almost immediately. There were others too, covens and tribes from across the world that pledged their aid. In the next couple of days there were about to be more supernatural beings in one place than there had been since long before even Carlisle was born.
As red eyes peered into the home from the cover of the trees, Isabella shivered and looked out the window, seeing nothing but leaves rustling in the light breeze outside. Isabella walked over to Rosalie's side, sitting next to her and reveling in the calming scent that greeted her.
Golden eyes peered into violet as Isabella took Rosalie's hand, tracing light circles with her thumb. "I won't let anything happen to you okay? I will always protect you Rosalie Hale."