A/N:- Again my Apple'O' Gees, for my reviewers, I'm getting the emails, the statistics are registering, but the review itself is in the ether. Therefore I have no way of answering you, 2 days so far, so as soon as I can I will xx AAP
Garrett
We were just laughing and fooling around last night when we looked into the next window, but instantly my eyes had been drawn to the antique ring hidden almost in the back of the window display, it was practically screaming buy me! I'd glanced over to see Little Swan's eyes glued to the very same ring and I knew we had found her engagement ring.
It was a large square cut black diamond, surrounded by small white diamonds and set into the shank were several more small black ones, stunning was the only word that came to mind. We then agreed to return in the morning, as I had held her to me kissing her with all the love I had inside me and I felt the little tears brushing our lips as she cried with joy at finding the ring for us.
Once we were back at the hotel, I had carried an exhausted, but a happy angel to the massive bed gently stripped us of our clothes and slid into the cool sheets. I held her against me all night, occasionally stroking her hair or the skin on her back as she slept soundly, now and then mumbling my name with such love and devotion, I was humbled then, that this wonderful human woman, could love me, to other eyes I was a monster, but to Little Swan I was a man, her man and I thanked anyone who was prepared to listen, there in the dead of night, for giving her to me.
I woke her gently, giving her plenty time to have breakfast in bed and a shower before we headed out to get our ring, it was still there in the window looking as perfect to me as it did last night. To Little Swan's eyes, she said it was more splendid in the daylight, she pulled me into the shop practically bouncing with anticipation, the shop owner smiled affectionately at her, did my woman have this effect on all men? yes, yes she did!
Caius
"Aro, have you heard from Carlisle recently? Is that human changed yet?" I was seriously bored and was looking to get someone anyone into trouble, it was the only fun I ever got nowadays. Aro had us all tied to Volterra and him, we knew this but were unable to break free. Aro and Marcus looked up from what they were doing and they were pensive, "Yes it's been over a year so I would have thought it would be done by now!" Aro seemed confused, wondering why Carlisle hadn't told us it had occurred. "She wasn't his mate, were you aware Aro?" Marcus asked in his usual bored voice and Aro smiled nodding, "I read him remember! That boy's so conflicted, it's a holdover from his human life, his life was destined for the church you know? Shame! Let's hope it's done, I really don't want to have to kill Carlisle. I like him and his peculiar thoughts on our way of life! He's wrong of course, but I do like him, I predict we get a call soon, Alice will have seen this conversation!"
Alice
"Shit, Shit, Shit! Jasper, we've got trouble coming our way!" It was only a matter of time, but as usual, we just didn't give it enough attention, the Volturi have remembered Bella and her promised change, Damn it, Caius couldn't let sleeping dogs lie! "My mate you need to head the Volturi off, they have decided Bella is out of time, I told you, Edward, you're a bloody fool!" Jasper and Carlisle were frozen in place and Edward was hanging his head in shame, little good that would do now!
Jasper
Fuck! I didn't want them involved in our coven until we were back to full strength and Bella was changed, well I'm just goin' to have to bluff my way through this! I motioned for Carlisle to follow me to my study, I know everyone would hear, but I needed to have the comfort of my own stuff around me, for this call. "Okay, Carlisle I'm goin' to tell them everythin'! Swamp them with information and hope Bella's still being human is just a small blip, due to all the other stuff! but I'm not holdin' my breath" he nodded and I made the call.
"Hello Major, you are not who I expected to call!" Aro was soundin' a little thrown and I laughed, "Ah Aro, are you losin' your touch? Might I enquire if the other two Kings are present? I have much to tell you all and would rather only say this once!" I used my most persuasive, but commandin' tone. I then explained that the 'Whitlock' and 'Cullen' covens were now one unit under myself as the leader, this drew a hiss from Caius. "So you've just added Peter and Charlotte to the existing Cullens?" he demanded, "Actually Caius, Garrett and his mate are also members too!" I said hopin' to distract them I rushed on to tell them about the blood.
I explained that our newest member had made the discovery that animal blood lacked the vital ingredient to let us maintain our humanity, which was a shock to us all. So that Carlisle was now tryin' to blend the two, so we could keep the more human eye colour but have what we needed to survive. How we all had become complacent and indifferent to the humans around us, rather than enhance our humanity it had watered it down so much we didn't even care about each other's feelings, but it had crept up on us slowly over the last, well for me anyway, fifty years.
Carlisle
"When did the 'Patriot' find his mate? Do you realize you are now a coven of twelve? Isn't that a bit obvious and dangerous?" asked Marcus. Jasper sighed and told them we were spreading ourselves out but would still be one coven, there for back-up and help. Peter and Garrett and their mates ranching in Montana, Emmett and his in North Dakota, himself and I with ours in Oregon, as well as Edward. "Yes Major, that makes sense but what of Edward's young lady? Bella I believe, although she wasn't his mate, she must still be with you all as a newborn or almost finished her first year by now?" Aro asked and there it was, so now he had to do a little stretching of the truth.
"Well that answers two of your questions, Bella is Garrett's mate, they met when he came for a visit, so she's off to Montana very soon. actually, it was her who worked out our blood problem, also she's researched both Garrett and Alice's past and found out who they were as humans!" Jasper said hoping they wouldn't dig any deeper. "Really? So who is the 'Patriot'?" asked Marcus, as record keeper he liked to keep abreast of all new information. "Winslow, and Alice was Mary Alice Brandon" he said, I hoped that would be the end of all their questions. "Marcus, Edward recently made a discovery about himself and was hoping to ask you for help and information?" I said.
"Ah old friend we were aware! The church yes? I think it's possible and who better to absolve you than a mind reader!" said Marcus, as Aro and Caius laughed "Get him to call me tomorrow and I'll talk to him, but we must finish off for now, I hear Heidi approaching with our meal" with that the line went dead and the whole house let out a collective sigh and the breath they were holding. We just dodged a bullet there but Bella would have to be changed as soon as possible.
Bella
I had just walked into the antique shop and the owner was smiling at me pulling Garrett in behind me, when I shuddered violently. "Little Swan are you okay?" Garrett asked me concerned, I laughed shakily, "Someone just walked over my grave baby! I'm fine" he looked confused and I squeezed his hand, saying quietly that it was just a human saying to explain a strange feeling. He nodded and asked about the ring and as the owner went to retrieve it he pulled out his phone, had a quick conversation which I didn't catch any of and came over to me smiling, "Okay angel let's get you your ring!" he said nonchalantly, I knew something was up but decided to wait until we were back at the hotel before asking him.
It was a perfect fit and the man said that although the center stone had been replaced that the setting was from the late seventeen hundreds, possibly twenty years before the war era, he said and we just looked at each other amazed. This was definitely the ring for us, I asked what the black stone was and the owner laughed, "It's a black diamond miss, as are the small ones on the shank" I gasped, " Baby, it'll be too expensive" I murmured and Garrett shook his head, "It's to last for eternity Little Swan, how could that be too expensive?" and I was stumped, how do you answer that.
He's good, not trying to flatter me into it, but just stating the obvious. I assumed that it would be put in a box and Garrett would give it to me later, but not him, he got down on one knee and took my hand slid it on and said " Little Swan, you have no idea how much I love you, but I will spend every day of forever showing you, my future wife, Mrs Isabella Winslow!" I started to tear up and hugged his head against by breast, "Not as much as I will love you, my Soldier.
"That's funny!" the owner said and we looked at him, "No! not your devotion to each other, but the provenance of the ring, It belonged to Mrs. Eldon Winslow originally, Mabel, it says here" and he held out the document to Garrett, which he took with shaking hands. How on earth had we managed to do that, it had to be divine intervention, Garrett has just given to me his own mother's engagement ring, as mine, we were meant to be, this had to be a sign from the heavens if ever there was one. His family came from Maine originally, so at some point they had to have moved, across the top of America, stopping in Seattle and thus bringing the ring with them.
I looked over his shoulder as he stared at the document, the ring was given on the birth of their son, Garrett and the stone swapped out for a black diamond after his death during the War of Independence, as a mark of mourning. It was so sad, but his family loved him and missed him, this was a true sign of his mother's love for him and that made me happy. She would I hope be pleased that I now wore her ring to remember them by. The universe was a crazy place but sometimes, things just clicked into place. Time for more research I think, to find their burial site and give Garrett closure, of a kind.