I almost dropped Nayeli. Hell, I almost dropped to my knees.
Seth's words continued to ring in my head. They seemed to echo through the room. Everyone was silent. My legs shook violently and I clutched Nayeli as if for dear life.
"Drafted," I whispered. My eyes were wide, my voice quivered.
"They need more soldiers in Switzerland," Seth said.
"Esme, take Nayeli," Alice said. I couldn't find the strength to take my fingers from my daughter at a moment like this, so Esme had to pry my hands away from her small body. Every part of my body was trembling. If Seth hadn't rushed up to me and put his arms around my waist, I would've fallen over. I laid my head on his chest and tried to control my sobs.
"You can't go," I sobbed. "I won't let you."
I felt a pair of cold, shaking hands on my equally shaking arms.
"Jasmine, if he doesn't go, he'll go to jail," Rosalie said into my ear.
"He can't go," I said again. "H—he could d—die."
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, stroking my hair. "Not yet."
"What if you get hurt?" I cried. "What would I do without you?"
"Don't worry about that, Jasmine," he whispered. His lips pressed to the top of my head as I continued to soak his shirt with my tears.
"Leah, you should call your mother," Esme said. That was the first time I paid attention to the slight whimpers behind me. I turned my head to see Leah's face soaked with tears. Esme rubbed her back with one hand.
"I should," she said and pulled a phone from her pocket. She dialed her mother's number.
"Mom?" she said into the receiver. "I think you need to get to the Cullen house… You are? … That was nice of you… You'll know when you get here… See you then." She snapped the phone closed.
"She's on her way," Leah informed us.
I nodded and wiped away my tears. I had to put on a strong face for my daughter, my husband, and the rest of my family. My mother had been a strong woman, I believed. She wouldn't have liked to see me so vulnerable.
I summed up enough courage to ask one of the most vital questions. "When do you leave?"
"Friday," Seth answered.
"So soon?" I yelped, mortified against my will.
"This was sent over a month ago," he said, his eyebrows furrowing. "Must have gotten lost in the mail."
"I can't believe this," I sobbed into my hands. He took my hands from my face and cradled them in one of his own. With his other hand, he brushed back my hair.
"Don't fuss up that beautiful face of yours with tears," he said, brushing away a few of my tears.
I barely noticed that the only person in the room aside from us was Nayeli. I walked over to her crib and blew her a kiss.
"We love you, Nayeli," I whispered.
"We'll always love you," Seth added.
We stayed there for a while, arms wrapped around each other in silence.
"So we have until Friday?" I clarified, trying to keep new tears from overflowing.
Seth nodded soberly.
"Three days," I whispered, "isn't a lot of time."
"No," he agreed. "It's not."
"We have to make the best of it."
"We do."
Without really thinking about it, I took his hand in mine and led him out of the room, down the hall, and into our own bedroom.
"It's been so long since I've slept in here," I said. "I haven't even been able to make it upstairs for some time."
Seth chuckled.
The curtains were drawn together and, thanks to the door being closed, there was no light coming in from the hall. Times like those, when it was just Seth and me together, made everything else in the world seem unreal. Everything that was going on—including the fact that my husband and true love was getting sent to war—seemed to dull to the point where it was almost gone. Almost.
Seth's warm lips met mine and I was almost one hundred percent sure that the world stopped moving. His mouth moved with mine as if we were made for each other. We were made for each other, and at times like this, I never failed to forget it.
"Seth, Jasmine!" Leah's hoarse voice called from downstairs. "Mom's here!"
I sighed as everything became real again. Sue was here to know the news I dreaded to hear again.
"You go on down," I said to Seth. "I'm going to go get Nayeli."
He brushed my hair back before exiting the room. I left right after him and went back into Nayeli's room. Her soft snores filled the large space as I went to her crib. She stirred ever so slightly as I picked her up in my arms, blanket and all. Her small head and hands rested on my shoulder.
"I love you, Nana," I whispered in her ear. "I promise that your daddy and I will never leave you." I bit down on my lip, failing to stop the tears from coming down my face. "Daddy's not going to die. He won't."
I took a couple of deep breaths and stroked the top of her head. I hummed a random melody as I carried her downstairs. From the top of the stairs, I could easily see Sue's tear-stained face.
"Why did this happen?" she was saying, shaking her head. Leah had her arms around her mother and Seth had his head in his hands. His fingers ran through his tousled black hair. Seeing the scene made my tears start all over again. I continued down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible.
"My little boy," Sue sobbed.
I'd been crying freely by then. Sue was too busy sobbing into her hands to notice my being there. Leah was hugging her mother as Seth just stared at his hands and shook his head. I was making my way over to sit at the end of the couch, but Seth pulled me into his lap before I could get there. I curled up against him and squeezed Nayeli in between my curled up knees and chest. She didn't seem to mind. Seth put his arms around both of us and stroked my hair.
My eyes had been closed, so I hadn't noticed when Sue looked up.
"Such a precious child," she cooed softly. I looked up through tear filled eyes at her.
"She is extremely adorable," Sue continued, petting Nayeli's small head. "How is she going to get along without her daddy? Hm? Did you ever think of that, Seth?"
"This isn't my decision, Mom," Seth said. "They need more soldiers."
"And, oh, what if you—what if you—what if you die, Seth?" Sue continued, as if Seth had never spoken. Her voice broke audibly on the last word. "What will she do then? A broken family, she'll have."
Seth sighed, defeated, and stopped trying to reason with his sobbing mother.
I wasn't sure how long they'd been there, but when I finally found the will to open my eyes, I saw the entire Cullen family—plus Jacob—in the room.
"Leah, I think you should take your mother home," Carlisle said carefully. "She needs time to come to accept this, and being around Seth won't make this much easier for her."
Leah wiped at her eyes and reclaimed the fierce, powerful expression she usually had. It might've been believable if her face hadn't been stained with tears.
"Let's go home, Mom," she said, taking her mother by the arm and helping her stand. Sue didn't even try to struggle against there. She just rested her body against Leah's—limp and almost lifeless as she was practically carried out of the room. I bit my lip and held Nayeli tighter.
"Is there any way we can get around this, Carlisle?" Alice asked with desperation in her tone.
Carlisle sighed heavily. "Not that I know of, Alice," he said. "I can't be sure how to avoid this in any way. Our family has never had to deal with this; therefore I haven't found a way to solve the problem. As far as I am concerned, we cannot evade this."
"Are you sure?" I begged. "Can't we at least try to…" My voice trailed off. Try to what? Defy the government? Yeah, right. I really didn't want to go to jail.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," Carlisle sighed. "I can make sure Seth is well prepared for any kind of combat, but that's as far as my abilities will take me."
"I could always try to improve my capability of seeing werewolves," Alice chimed in halfheartedly.
Carlisle's face showed that he was clearly deep in thought. "Actually, Alice that idea may actually prevail. If you could manipulate your visions enough to be able to see shape-shifters, then perhaps we could warn Seth if something bad was to come his way."
"But how do I…?"
"Actually, I think Jasmine can answer that," Carlisle said, a smirk light on his face. I cocked my head in confusion, mirroring Alice.
"Jasmine, I've been noticing that, in a way, you've inherited Alice's power, except it seems to have become less subjective with you," Carlisle said. "When we went to Volterra, your dream had been a vision of the future. I also understand that, along with this, you've been having some very lucky guesses when it comes to the past, as well.
"When you first arrived here, I saw that you knew the names of things you'd never seen before. You were able to associate the Volturi with Volterra and you were able to recall your mother's native language even though you'd only been with her for mere hours. I've been curious to see how this inheritance would evolve should you become a vampire, to tell you the truth. In these dreams of yours, you've been able to see half-breeds such as the wolves, correct?"
I nodded, still mildly stunned. Alice looked dumbstruck.
"So Jasmine has my ability to see the future?" she clarified. Her voice was uncertain, as if she wasn't really sure what she was saying.
"Not necessarily," Carlisle said. "Yes, she has somewhat inherited your ability, Alice, through your family bloodline. I imagine your sister had it in her veins; it just wasn't as potent as it had been in you. She passed it on to her father, who in turn passed it on to her."
"But her visions are less subjective?" It was the first time Jasper had spoken. He looked proud instead of shocked like the rest of us.
"Yes," Carlisle said. "Being the imprint of a wolf, she is able to see them, whereas Alice cannot. From her past experiences, she can see Renesmee as well." He motioned towards Nessie who was clinging to Jacob instinctively.
"But Alice can't see the past," Esme interceded. "How can Jasmine see the pasts of different people? It can't be genetic, unless her mother was clairvoyant as well."
"But that would be too much coincidence for one lifetime," Edward muttered. Carlisle's hand was on his chin and his brow was furrowed—his sign of frustration.
"I can't be sure," he said. "My only guess is that one of her mother's traits got lost in translation, resulting in this unique addition to her deoxyribonucleic acid."
"In my what?" I asked, confused.
"Carlisle, you're losing her," Bella chuckled.
"Your DNA," Carlisle said with a slight smile.
"Oh," I muttered. No wonder I got a C- in biology back in high school.
"I guess we can say that we're glad we didn't leave her at the orphanage," he said. "That headmistress was an old fashioned woman. If she'd found out, Jasmine may have very well ended up in an asylum as well." He looked sideways at Alice who playfully stuck her tongue out at him.
"All right, Carlisle, how can I help Alice?" I asked, making sure I had a good hold on Nayeli. I stood.
"That's up to you," he said. "I can guarantee you it won't be easy. I can't help you much more, though. I haven't had any experience with handling something like this, and my shift at the hospital starts in half an hour." He walked over and gave me a tight squeeze. "You're a strong girl, Jasmine. I'm sure you can figure something out. But now I really have to go." He took his jacket from the coat rack and grabbed his bag. He gave Esme a peck on the cheek and nodded a goodbye to each of us before making his way out the front door. The only noise in the air for a while was our steady breathing and the sound of Carlisle's car backing out of the driveway.
"All right," I said after a while. "I guess we should… get to work."
"Here, Jasmine, I'll take Nayeli," Rosalie offered. "I'll take care of her upstairs. Away from all this."
I nodded and gave Nana a kiss on her sleeping head before handing her to Rose. I didn't miss the way her eyes lit up when she held my baby in her arms.
"I'll go with her," Emmett murmured, hurrying to catch up to his wife. I turned to face Alice and Jasper.
"Any ideas?" I asked. I hadn't meant for it to sound like I was only asking them. I needed everyone's help now. Seth's arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me to him.
"Nessie," Bella said suddenly. "She can project her thoughts to other people."
I caught on immediately. "Ness, have you ever tried projecting things other than your own thoughts?"
She hated being put on the spot like that—I could tell by the way her face reddened when all eyes turned to her and how she very subtly hid half her face in her hair.
"Well, no," she said. "But I could try."
"All right, then, let's try it," I said.
Everyone made sort of a circle around us. Seth gave me a kiss before standing back next to Jasper. Nessie stood between Alice and me.
"Ready?" she asked.
We both nodded. I bit my lip.
"Hold on," I said. "Is it going to hurt?"
Nessie giggled. "Don't be silly, Jazzy," she said. "It doesn't hurt transferring memories, does it? This shouldn't be really different."
"Ness, this isn't just transferring another memory or thought," Alice said. "You're transferring power."
"Alice, you're scaring me," Nessie confessed. She took a deep breath. "Let's just… concentrate. Alice, concentrate on receiving power. Jasmine, concentrate on giving it. We need to make this work."
She put a single hand on both our shoulders. The three of us closed our eyes. I concentrated on the past—everything about it. Every moment I'd ever spent with Seth, with Leah, with any wolf. Alice can see wolves. Alice can see wolves. Alice can see wolves. Alice can see wolves…
My thought process continued as I concentrated on the wolves, on my apparent power to be able to see the future of wolves. I wasn't sure how long it went on, but I knew it had gone on for too long when Nessie collapsed to the floor.
"I can't do it," she said, gasping for air. "I can't."
"Oh, Ness," I whispered, dropping to my knees next to her. "I'm sorry—I shouldn't be making you do this. It was a stupid idea, it's not even working."
"No, Jasmine, you're doing fine," she said, looking up at me through her brown eyes. "Your power flew into me."
"How do you know?" I asked her.
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I know it's not in me anymore because its presence was so powerful. I had it in me for a few seconds, but I could transfer it to Alice. The… signal, I guess we can call it, wasn't strong enough for that. It was in me, but not enough of it was in me.
I was able to receive it because I was touching you. You were able to give me some of it, but not permanently. I'm not sure what more we can do."
"We can always try again," Alice said. "Come on, Ness. We can do it on the floor, if it makes it easier for you."
Nessie gulped, but nodded. Alice sat cross legged next to her. The three of us held hands.
"Jasmine, you can't try to just give it to Alice without having Ness in it?" Bella's frantic voice asked from behind me.
"I don't think so, Bells," I said. "We need Nessie's power for this."
"It's alright, Momma," Nessie assured her with a sheepish smile. "I'm fine."
Bella was quiet.
We closed our eyes again and concentrated. Alice can see wolves. Alice can see wolves. Alice can see wolves.
This time, it was my turn to fall forward. I was curled up on the floor, breathing heavily.
"Oh, God," I gasped. "This isn't working."
Nessie took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze for support. Seth came up to me and wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and tried to continue concentrating through my exhaustion. It was amazing how much trying to transfer a power took so much out of you.
"I got it!" Alice piped. "It's in me, I can feel it. Keep going, keep… going."
It was like a lightning bolt shocked me. I jumped.
"It worked!" Nessie announced. She was sweating, and one hand to my forehead proved that I was too. I grinned.
"Alice, can you try it out?" I asked. "Just to see if it really worked?"
Alice smiled meekly and nodded. She put her fingers to her temples and went into 'vision mode.' She was perfectly concentrated for one, two, three, four, five minutes. When her eyes fluttered open, she looked dazed.
"I can see them," she said. "Leah and Sue just arrived home. Leah went wolf to talk to the pack. And, Nessie…" Her head whipped to the side. "There's a surprise in store for you."
"A surprise?" Nessie squealed. "Good or bad?"
"Good," Alice said, smiling. It might've just been my imagination, but I was almost sure she peeked over at Jacob. I shrugged it off.
"How are you three feeling?" Esme asked.
"Tired," Nessie replied. "I think I'm going to go take a nap. Momma, did you leave the door to the cottage open?"
"No," Bella replied. "We'll go with you." Bella, Edward, Jacob, and Nessie waved goodbye to everyone before exiting out the back door.
"My head hurts, but it's nothing I can't handle," I assured her, standing. I leaned into Seth, but my face turned into a mask of worry when I realized Alice was looking paler than usual, and she hadn't even tried to stand.
"I'm still… recovering," she whispered. "I need to get used to this improved vision—its presence is kind of wearing me down. Jazz?" She motioned to him blindly with her hand. He knelt down next to her and took her hand in his. "Can you take me to our room? I need to lie down. Aspirin won't help me, so resting is the most I can do for myself now."
"Of course," Jasper answered, taking her in his arms and flying up the steps with her. I tilted my head up so I could look at Seth.
"What do we do now?" I asked him.
"We make the most of our time," he said. He pressed his lips to mine and I melted into happiness, knowing that sorrow may not be far off.
Author's Note: I hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter ^^ Excuse me if it was a bit confusing—I tried to make it as clear as possible. Now, there's something I seriously need to talk to you guys about. From the looks of it, I might not be able to fit Angel in a Blender into less than, well, 40-60ish chapters. So, I want to know, do you guys, my totally pwnsome readers, think that I should just keep going without worrying about my chapter number, even if it gets to be one hundred and something, or just make a part three? If you guys decide that a part three is what you want, then rest assured that I do already have some ideas for it.
So, here are your choices:
A: Continue with this one story; I don't care if it's a bazillion chapters long, then, when you're done, continue with a new story.
B: Make a part three
C: Just cut down your ideas to fit into 30ish chapters and continue with a new story.
Since a lot of you don't vote in my polls, just give me your answer in a review, please. ^^