I do not own Twilight, or any of the song lyrics posted in my story.
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Chapter Nineteen: Vanilla Twilight
And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you.
Oh, if my voice could reach back through the past
I'd whisper in your ear,
Oh darling, I wish you were here.
Owl City - Vanilla Twilight
The house was eerily empty as Lucy made her way through the main level. Her socks moved silently on the floor, practically echoing through the halls. The lights were all off, though it was still late afternoon and the large windows allowed for the natural brightness of the overcast sky to lighten the rooms.
A brief rush of panic grew at the sound of pots and pans crashing in the kitchen. Lucy stood still for a moment outside of the kitchen. They made no noise. She didn't dare to take a breath for fear that whoever was in there would realize she stood outside in the hall.
She pressed her back against a wall, watching a painting across the hall from her. She didn't dare move, despite the unvoiced logic of vampires being able to hear her heartbeat that raced loudly.
"You won't be home until Tuesday?" Esme's voice came through the air, cutting the tension immediately.
Lucy felt like an idiot and pried herself from the wall. Esme held a cellphone to her ear and stood in the center of the kitchen. The phone must have rung while she was putting the pots away. They had been waiting on a call from Carlisle, who was in New York. The hospital that he had worked at when they moved over to New York for a year was having a bad weekend due to an outbreak of the flu, and they had asked Carlisle to come in and help.
"I love you, too. Be safe." Esme smiled, hanging up the phone. "Hello, Lucy. How was shopping?"
"I've been through epidemics that were more relaxing than shopping with Alice." Lucy replied, bending down to pick up some of the pots and pans. "How is Carlisle?"
"Good. They're finally getting everything controlled, so he should be able to come home on Tuesday." Esme smiled. She grabbed the pans from Lucy and had put them all in to a dishwasher before Lucy had even realized they were gone.
"Where did everyone go? The house is empty." Lucy commented, opening up the refrigerator to get something to drink.
"Edward and Bella are at their house. Rosalie and Emmett are still out, and Alice and Nick went hunting after you got back. The wolves went back to the reservation. It feels strange here without everyone now, doesn't it?" Esme asked, producing a glass on the counter. Lucy nodded, pouring juice in to it.
Drinking was a strange sensation. Similar to food, most drinks had lost their taste to her. Though it didn't taste like dirt; rather everything had a taste akin to that of orange juice after she had brushed her teeth. Slightly acidic, and unpleasant. She frowned at the mango juice as it slid down her throat. It had once been her favorite, though now it hardly tasted different from anything else.
"That dress is very cute on you." Esme told her. Lucy glanced down, realizing for the first time that she was still wearing the green dress. Though now it was wrinkled, and looked as though she'd used it as a nightgown. "Did you take a nap?"
"No, though I suppose I should change out of it." Lucy noted.
She set her glass on the counter and began walking towards the stairs. Before she had even made it to the bottom Esme had washed her glass.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Esme asked, appearing besides her and walking towards the couch in the small living room. Lucy looked up to the large television that was currently turned off. She didn't particularly care for movies, though it would be a nice way to relax with Esme.
"Yeah, I'll come back down after I change. You can pick the movie." Lucy smiled.
Esme moved at a human pace in to the room as Lucy began up the stairs. She had gotten up four of the stairs when the sound of the back door being thrown open reverberated against the house. Lucy jumped, her knuckles turned white as she clutched the banister. Esme looked alerted, jumping in to the hall between Lucy and the back door.
"Where is Carlisle?!" A man demanded. Lucy leant over the railing to see one of the wolves standing there in a near panic.
"He is in New York. What is wrong, Seth?" Esme asked worriedly. He panted for breath as though he'd run all of the way from the reservation.
"Paul phased next to Sarah." Seth breathed out. Lucy gasped, her eyes widening.
At that moment the taller boy entered, a bloody mess in his arms.
"Lucy," Esme looked up to the girl.
Lucy gave up on changing and ran down the few stairs, going up to the wolves.
"Esme, boil me some water, and start a kettle of tea." Lucy said, taking a deep breath as her stomach churned in disgust as the amount of blood covering what appeared to be a teenage girl.
"You, follow me and I need you to tell me anything you can about her." Lucy demanded, walking down the hall towards Carlisle's home exam room. She'd been in there enough times herself to know that he had nearly everything.
"Why should-" Paul began, not following.
"I have been a doctor for over 100 years, and at this point you don't have time to take her to a hospital so I suggest you start following me and telling me everything that you know." Lucy spat. She had little patience for dealing with the wolves. She adjusted her hair, putting the hair tie back in slightly tighter to keep her hair back.
"Um. She's 17, her birthday is August 12th. I don't think she has any allergies." Paul said quickly.
"What blood type does she have?" Lucy asked, turning on the light in the room. Tissue covered a long exam table. Paul lay the unconscious girl down. The brunt of her battle wounds seemed to cover her torso, large gashes tearing over her sides and chest. Her shirt was soaked in blood.
"I don't know!" He exclaimed loudly. Lucy began pulling out varying utensils from drawers and setting them in a tray.
"Get me a phone and call Carlisle." She demanded. He nodded, leaving the room in a hurry.
By the time Paul returned she had taken the girls vitals and attached her to machines to monitor her. She had cut the shirt off, and was cleaning up the blood before she began to operate. Lucy grabbed the phone with a clean hand, throwing the glove in to the trash.
"Lucy, Paul told me that you're operating on Sarah." Carlisle said.
"Yes, her name is Sarah Call. He phased and attacked her. She has lost a lot of blood and I need to find her blood type, as well as get transfusions." Lucy said quickly, preparing her items for cleaning the wounds and sewing it up.
"I see," began Carlisle. She could hear him typing away.
"Are you-" Paul asked.
"Get out; go get cleaned up and I'll come talk to you when I'm finished." Lucy said harshly, her eyes narrowed at the man. Paul looked affronted but exited the room regardless.
"Lucy?" Carlisle spoke up.
"Yes?"
"She has type A. I will have Edward bring you some blood. Is there anything else you needed?" Carlisle asked her.
"No, thank you. I hope you're having a good trip in New York." Lucy said, quickly hanging up as she began to work on the girl.
Lucy had worked through wars, so brutal life threatening gashes were nothing new to her, though she could feel her temper raising at the thought that some idiot of a boy had done this on accident.
It had taken her nearly an hour to sew up the wounds. She was putting on a hospital gown when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." Lucy said, fastening the straps behind the girls neck.
"How is she?" Edward asked, holding out a small cooler.
"She'll survive, no thanks to the idiot wolf." Lucy said.
She pulled out a large packet of blood and hung it on a rack besides the pain killer drip.
"Thank you for doing this." Edward said, walking back to the door. His eyes were turning to a dark black.
"Thank you for bringing me the blood." Lucy pushed a smile. He exited quickly.
A pad of paper had been used as a make shift way to monitor her progress. She used bleach to clean up the spilled blood, though with a glance down to her green dress she realized it would never be wearable again. Sighing she looked through the drawers to see if there were any more clothes to change in to.
She opened the door, peaking her head out cautiously. No one was in the kitchen. Frowning she narrowed her eyes to a shadow on the back porch.
"PSST!" Lucy said quickly. Sarah wasn't waking up any time soon, though she didn't want to draw any unneeded attention to herself.
The back door slid open and Jasper entered, looking somewhat confused. His eyes turned black within seconds.
"What?" He asked tensely.
"Can I have your shirt?" She asked, holding a hand out sheepishly. She kept herself behind the door, not wanting to wave fresh blood straight in his face.
"What?" He was confused.
"Your shirt. May I have it, please?" She pleaded, glancing down the hall as she leant forward to see if anyone else had come.
"Okay..." He took it off quickly, slipping it in to her hand.
"Thank you." She smiled politely, shutting the door before he could say anything else.
Lucy frowned as she pealed the green dress off. Her stomach was covered in the blood of the girl.
"I liked that dress, too." Lucy sighed quietly. She put the dress in to the sink and poured bleach on it to help mask the blood oder. Using a rag she washed the blood from her body. When satisfied that she was mostly sterile she pulled on his shirt.
The pale white and blue plaid material barely reached to mid thigh, the sleeves falling well past her hands. She rolled the ends, pushing it up to her elbows. She'd never actually worn a man's shirt before, and it felt somewhat scandalous. Though the fact that Alice had made her try on skirts and dresses that were shorter made her feel somewhat more comfortable than she may have otherwise.
The smell of blood was drenched in the house. Esme had opened the windows and was currently cleaning the floors to cover it, though Jasper could feel his throat burning the second he entered it. Rather than test himself he chose to stand outside on the back porch. The stars were beginning to dot the sky, and clouds lined the horizons in purples and pinks.
The back door slid open cautiously. Jasper glanced to his side to see Lucy step out. She was so tired that she was practically sleeping as she walked towards the steps that led down to the back yard. He was surprised to see that she was now wearing his shirt, the sleeves pushed up. Between his smell and the bleach that she had apparently bathed in he could hardly even smell her blood, let alone the other girls. He took an unconscious step closer towards her as she leant on the railing, her eyes looked out in to the distance unfocused on anything in particular.
The floorboards creaked beneath his feet, causing her to jump, a rush of fear. He'd never seen her quite so jumpy.
"Oh, it's you." She sighed in relief, turning back to the horizon. "My smell isn't too much, is it? I tried to clean all of the blood up."
"No, you smell fine." Jasper answered. She nodded, sitting down on the steps.
"Come here." She said, patting the spot besides her.
"What is it?" He asked, cautiously taking the seat besides her. He wondered if she would finally tell him what had happened earlier that day.
"Help me sleep, please." She yawned, leaning her head against his shoulder. He doubted it could have been comfortable, and it was the closest to friendly that she had been towards him in years. "I never have nightmares when you're around, and I haven't slept decently since I got here."
"Shouldn't you-"
By the time he had started speaking she'd fallen asleep. Her face glowed in the warm light of the sunset, the scars on her legs painfully evident. She had rarely worn anything that fell above her knees, so he was surprised to see that the scars continued all of the way up her thighs, disappearing beneath the shirt. There weren't as many as he had, his were so numerous that they had feathered everywhere, giving his skin a strange texture. While her arms were similar to his, the ones on her legs seemed to stand out more.
He debated whether to keep her there, or take her to her room, though a loud crashing sound in the woods made his decision. Moving fluidly he lifted her with ease, making sure to keep her modesty protected.
Holding her with one arm he jumped nimbly to an open window on the second floor. He always kept his window open so that he could smell any predators before they grew too close.
Steadying himself he glanced down to make sure that she was still asleep. He sent her calming waves, though she remained unmoved. He smiled in spite of himself as she moved slightly, nestling her head in to his chest. He'd never quite understood the satisfaction that Emmett had felt when Rosalie had worn his shirts around the house. It seemed somewhat silly to take such pride in it. Alice had stolen some of his shirts in the past and worn them, though he was more often annoyed than pleased.
Yet as he glanced down to see Lucy sleeping soundly in his arms, wrapped up in one of his shirts, he was filled with a strong sense of unplaceable pride.
The tall figure of major Whitlock walked through the camp to help them set up. They had settled for the second night. He had spent the entire day of traveling speaking with a small woman from town. She followed besides him at the end of the line of women and children. She never complained or slowed, which was more than could be said for some of his soldiers.
His feet were tired as he walked towards the soldiers tents. He felt relieved to sit down in his tent, and was even more thankful that none of his tent mates were in. His eyes shut gently, willing himself a few moments rest.
"Miss Merriweather, you are lookin' mighty fine today." The voice of Merry, a younger soldier in his battalion, said lightly. Jasper opened his eyes, his body tensing slightly.
"Thank you, Merry. You look fine as well." Lucy laughed politely.
"I heard about Wilfred, I'm sorry." Merry said solemnly.
"Yes, it's quite unfortunate. We lost a great man, but he died a proud soldier as he would have liked." She answered, her voice nearly quiet enough that Jasper couldn't hear it.
"I heard that your sister had a baby! Congratulations." Lucy said, changing the subject.
"Yes! Ma and Pa are visiting her now." Merry explained. "You think you'll get married and have kids soon?"
"I don't know, I think I'll wait until after the war. Maybe I'll meet a nice young soldier and move to somewhere different, like the Dakotas, or California." Lucy answered. He could see her polite smile in his mind.
"I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a willing man." Merry laughed. "It seems you've already gotten a jacket out of one. I wish I'd gotten to you first! Who's the lucky man?"
"This is Major Whitlock's, and he kindly offered it to me last night because I was cold." Lucy answered. "I was just looking for him, too. Have you seen him? Miss Jacob's made some lovely tea and I wanted to offer him a cup of it for all of his kindness."
"Well bully for you! I think he's sleeping in his tent." Merry said loudly. "I can wake him if you want."
"Oh no! I'd hate for you to do that! I'll thank him later. Have a nice night, Merry." Lucy said. Jasper could hear the crunching of her shoes as she walked away. His eyes were heavy as he lay back.
The tent flap opened, Merry walking in. Jasper opened his eyes and looked up with a frown.
"Can I help you?" Jasper asked.
"What is your intentions with Miss Lucy?" Merry asked, his arms folded across his chest defensively. "I like you, major, but she's like a sister to me, and I won't see to her gettin' hurt by anyone."
"I have no intentions for Miss Merriweather. She is a very nice girl." Jasper said, surprised to be having this talk with one of his soldiers. He was hardly the type of man to entertain women as they toured through towns, so it felt odd to be on the receiving end of a warning.
"I'll tell the other soldiers she's yours; they'll leave her alone." Merry grinned broadly. Jasper couldn't dispute the man before he disappeared out of the tent.
Jasper walked towards the door so that they could go to her room. As he reached out to the knob he noticed a small yellow envelope on the ground. Kneeling down cautiously he picked it up. He recognized the handwriting as Lucy's.
"For a vampire you sure move a lot." Lucy grumbled as she moved in his arm.
"I was taking you to your room. I'm sorry." He answered politely, feeling guilty for waking her.
"Okay. Thank you." She yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck and falling back asleep promptly.
He held the letter and opened the door, curious as to what she had written him. His throat burned at the closeness, though the stench of bleach helped to lessen the potency of her scent.
The halls were empty of anyone else, though the sound of the wolves breathing heavily downstairs seemed to shake the walls. He hated having them over so much, though the others enjoyed their presence, and Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee.
He doubted they realized how lucky they were that Lucy was there to save the girl. From the smell of blood alone he could tell that she had dealt with a serious injury.
Lucy's room hadn't changed since the last time he'd been in it. The sheer curtains that hung from the four poster bed were pulled back, a pile of throw pillows had been dispersed over the bed, the blanket wrinkled as though she'd lay down earlier. He tried to juxtapose her so that he could pull back the covers with his free hand, setting the envelope on a nightstand. The lights were off, and her room was on the opposite side of the house as his. His room could see the setting sun, though she had preferred to see it rising. Her room was next to Edward's old room, and across the hall from Esme and Carlisle's rooms.
As he tried to set her awkwardly on the bed she refused to let go of his neck.
"Don't leave me." She pleaded quietly. He doubted she was fully awake, but her voice sounded small and soft, like the Lucy in his memories and not the Lucy that he had grown accustomed to seeing.
"I promise I will not leave you." He told her seriously.
She seemed satisfied and let go, curling in to the bed and pulling the blankets over herself. Jasper sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she fell asleep. The cushioned mattress compressed beneath his weight. Lucy moved towards him, curling in to his side. He felt slightly confused by her sudden change of attitude
"Because I'm safe with you." Lucy mumbled in to a pillow, answering his unspoken question. Her breathing was slow and steady.
Jasper had always liked her room. The walls were a pale blue, while everything else was either a warm wood tone, or sheer white. The comforter was a deep navy blue like the nights sky with a light silver embroidery over it that looked like shooting stars. It was a relaxed style that wasn't busy, and made no attempts to look anything that it wasn't.
Once he was certain that she had fallen completely asleep he grabbed the letter from her night stand and opened it carefully as to not tear the paper. The yellow paper had a small flower design along the bottom edge. It was homely stationary that was fitting of Lucy. Alice had always insisted on having extremely formal stationary that was of the most modern style, but Lucy wasn't bothered by what was current, or fancy.
A small photograph fell out as he unfolded the paper. He grabbed it curiously, seeing unfamiliar writing on the back. it was dirty and smelled old.
'Unknown Couple c. 1864'
He turned it over slowly, looking at the couple. Staring at him from the old, dirty photograph, were the faces of him and Lucy. They were human, and both looked filthy. A large dark horse stood behind them, blurred heavily from moving. He wore his filthy confederate uniform, and she wore a muddy yellow dress, her hair tucked beneath a large bonnet.
They were a proud pair. Their backs were stiff as they smiled politely to whoever had taken the picture. Jasper wished he had remembered the event, though he had no recollection of when it had happened. It had to have been right before he'd been changed.
'Jasper,
'I regret having told you that you were a monster with no control, and I am sorry that I was so vengeful towards you as to turn everyone against you. I am sorry for anything else that I may have done to you.
I don't know what I did to make you regard me with such distaste, though I hope that we can be mature enough to look past everything that has happened. -Lucy'
Jasper read the letter a few times as though something new would appear. She was apologizing to him. He had forced her to leave a loving family and travel alone for years, and she was apologizing to him. His guilt over everything began to return.
He blamed himself for her scars, and the nightmares that plagued her. She hid well beneath a happy exterior; joking with Emmett and shopping with Alice. She had even played with the wolves outside frequently. Though no one else could feel the emotions that she fought with. The constant fears, the sudden self conscious feeling that followed her everywhere. He could sense that there was something strange about her from the moment she had returned; her reluctance to leave the house, her sudden jumpiness and fear over little things, the slip of her self-conscious feelings any time Alice tried to dress her in something that was not fully-covering.
After her first day back she had made it clear that she was avoiding him, and he had obliged, keeping his distance from her. But he was happy that she had asked for his help. He was being given a second, or perhaps third, chance to prove himself to her. She needed protection, and he would not fail her again.
Lucy slept comfortably, unstirred by anything. She had no dreams, and no nightmares. Nothing but silent sleep... until she was woken by voices.
"...waking up." Lucy heard Esme say. She opened her eyes slowly, pulling herself up and glancing around in slight confusion. Jasper was sitting up against the wall on her bed, a book laying in his lap. Esme was in the doorway.
"What's going on?" Lucy squinted. She didn't want to wake up, though she knew that she should. She had to check on Sarah, despite Edward agreeing to watch over her as Lucy slept.
"Alice has seen Sarah waking up soon. It's 2:30 in the morning. I'm sorry to wake you, but you said you wanted to be woken up to check on her." Esme smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Esme." Lucy yawned, throwing her legs over the other side of the bed. "I'll be down in a minute."
"Okay." Esme said with a smile as she glanced between the two. Lucy tried to rub the sleep from her eyes, and ignore her hair being a mess. She knelt down to find a pair of pants in her dresser.
"I'm sorry for everything I put you through." Jasper said behind her. She pulled a pair of jeans on to her lap and glanced back. He was making the bed for her.
"I know." She smiled slightly, standing up. She left him to enter the bathroom.
Lucy sighed, glancing at her tired reflection. She couldn't remember going to her room. She could vaguely remember asking Jasper to help her sleep outside, though that had been downstairs, and many hours prior. She hadn't expected him to carry her upstairs and actually stay with her. Everything that had happened that day left her with a perplexed feeling, and she was too tired to try and sort through any of it.
She looked longingly at the shower, but knew that she could do that later. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and pulled her hair in to a sloppy pony tail.
She pulled on her comfortable jeans. They were somewhat skinny legged, but were worn, and had holes in just the right places. Alice hated them. Mixed with Jasper's wrinkled skirt she could already imagine the lecture she would endure from the pixie.
When she returned to her bedroom Jasper was shutting the bedroom window that she hadn't realized was open.
"Thank you for staying with me, I slept very well." Lucy said with a small smile. She knew he could feel her slight awkwardness.
"You're welcome, I am glad I could help." He answered. She opened the door and began walking towards the downstairs. Jasper followed besides her in silence, holding his book under one arm.
"Where did you find that picture from?" He asked. She furrowed her brow for a second, trying to figure what picture he had meant. It only took a moment to click. She could feel her cheeks heat up faintly at the realization that he had read the letter. It may not have held anything deeply sentimental, but he had been right to say that she was overly proud; apologizing, truly apologizing, was not something that she did often.
"Charlotte found them while we were in North Carolina, there's three of them. A young boy from my town had taken them." She answered, holding the railing as she walked quickly. "The other two were essentially candids taken while we were sleeping."
"Oh." Jasper nodded. "Emmett tried to get a couple of those tonight."
"Oh no." Lucy cried, her cheeks burning even darker with a mixture of embarrassment and exasperation.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, looking up in to the living room where everyone was seated. Some of the wolves had moved in to the dining room to eat while they waited. She saw two people that looked older than the rest talking with Esme.
"Luce! I can't believe you would let Jasper stay in your room with you! I am appalled by your behavior." Emmett proclaimed fiercely. Lucy looked up to him with a deadpanned expression. "He wouldn't even let me come wake you up to tell you what Alice said."
"Had I known that all it took to keep you away from me while I slept was Jasper, I would have asked him to stay in my room every night." Lucy retorted, walking towards the kitchen.
"Lucy! These are Sarah's parents!" Esme said quickly.
"This is the girl that saved Sarah?" The man asked with wide eyes. Lucy frowned, going straight in to the kitchen to grab something to drink. "How old is she? Is this a joke?"
"I am a magical creature that lives forever and heals people that medicine can't help." Lucy drawled.
The girls parents glanced back and forth to one another, clearly unsure of how to respond. Lucy poured a glass of juice, putting the pitcher back and walking in to the exam room. Edward was sitting in a chair reading a book.
"How has she been?" Lucy asked, taking a drink of her juice. She grabbed the pad of paper sitting besides where Edward sat.
"She hasn't woken up, though her color is returning, and she seems to be improving." Edward said. Lucy nodded, setting the papers down on a counter, along with her juice. Pulling a pair of gloves out she made to look at the stitches.
She was healing well, no infections had set in over night, and the wounds looked as though they were already closing up. Lucy took her temperature, and marked her new stats down, which were similar to the last ones that Edward had taken. The painkiller drip had stopped about an hour prior, and the pouch of blood had been completely emptied. She cleaned up everything, carefully removing the needles from her arm and putting bandages over the holes. She didn't want the girl to tear them out and cause more damage.
"Could you bring her parents in?" Lucy asked, glancing over her shoulder to Edward.
The bronze haired boy nodded, standing to leave. Lucy lifted up the hospital gown, checking the stitches again for good measure.
"Is she going to be okay?" The mother gasped, rushing to the side of the girl. She began pushing Sarah's hair out of her face, kissing her forehead.
"Yes, she should heal fine. She'll have scars, but the boys are lucky they were able to get her here when they did. She had lost a great deal of blood, and wounds that large have a greater chance of infection." Lucy said. She always hated talking to parents about wounds, particularly because she had always looked younger than many of her patients.
"We've been applying a cold compress to the wounds for thirty minutes every hour to keep the swelling down, and we took her off of pain killers an hour ago." She said, pointing to the wounds.
"She had four major lacerations that each took about 10 stitches. There were three smaller cuts on her right side that only took two stitches a piece for a total of 46 stitches." Lucy explained. She grabbed a small tube of antibacterial ointment from the counter.
"I am going to give you this tube of antibacterial ointment. She cannot wash the wounds for 24 hours, and after that she needs to clean them twice a day and apply this with a cotton ball." Lucy said, motioning what they would have to do. "She should be able to return to school fine, and I've made her an appointment with Dr. Cullen in ten days."
Lucy grabbed a small piece of paper with Edward's hand writing on it and handed both items to the father.
"She will need to be careful and cannot do anything physically stressful for the first couple of weeks. And for at least a month she shouldn't do any sports, lift anything heavy, no exercising, running. Um..." Lucy tried to think of anything she had forgotten. "Essentially she needs to take it very easy for the next few months until it has completely healed. If she does anything to open the wounds she needs to come back immediately."
"Thank you so much." Her mother cried quickly.
"Mom?"
Lucy looked down to see Sarah stirring. She looked confused. She looked back to Lucy.
"How are you feeling, Sarah?" Lucy asked with a warm smile. "I'm Dr. Merriweather, and some of the boys from the reservations brought you to me after a bad accident happened."
"My stomach really hurts, so does my head. What happened?" Sarah asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure what happened, though the boys were frightened for you. It looked as though you were attacked by a wild animal." Lucy explained. "You had four large gashes on your stomach, and three smaller wounds. I've explained it all to your parents, and I'll let you have some time to speak with them."
"Please don't do anything to rile her up, and I'm afraid it is best if you lay still. You've got a lot of stitches in right now, and the wounds are still fresh." Lucy smiled. She glanced to the machines keeping track of her vitals, writing down a couple of notes. She set the pad down on the counter and grabbed her glass of juice.
"Would you like me to get you anything to drink?" Lucy offered.
"Water?" Sarah said, she didn't seem to fully comprehend what was going on.
"Okay." Lucy smiled, stepping out silently.
"You did well." Esme smiled, hugging Lucy as she entered the brightly lit kitchen. "You saved that girls life."
"Thanks." Lucy returned the hug somewhat awkwardly. "She wants some water."
That was all it took for Esme to disappear to get the girl water. Lucy walked to the table where the boys were all gathered. Empty plates that once held food lined the large table. She narrowed her eyes at one of them.
"You owe me big time." Lucy hissed. "You are unbelievably lucky that I am not a vampire, because if I was I would tear you to pieces, stitch you back up, and do it again."
"I could!" Emmett offered eagerly.
"No, you won't." Lucy growled, turning to look at the large man.
"Paul, you need to go in there and tell her parents what happened. Esme is to stay with you the entire time to make sure you don't do anything stupid." Lucy demanded.
Paul looked as though he was debating saying something, though the wolves all looked at him darkly. He trudged begrudgingly in to the room.
"You look very professional in that shirt, Dr. Merriweather." Emmett grinned. "I wondered why Jasper was walking around without a shirt on earlier."
"I was covered with blood, and I wasn't about to walk around the house naked with all of the wolves here." Lucy retorted, folding her arms across her chest.
"But when they're gone you will?" Emmett wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"Jasper?!" Lucy called, looking around for the tall blonde man. He appeared in the room a minute later.
"What do you need?" Jasper asked, glancing between her and Emmett.
"Could you take Emmett outside and attack him or something?" Lucy asked, smirking as Emmett looked appalled at her.
"What?! You're not really going to listen to her!" Emmett said to Jasper.
"Is that all you wanted?" Jasper raised an eyebrow.
"Please?" Lucy asked, clasping her hands beneath her chin. "He is being inappropriate and crass."
"Okay." Jasper answered, beginning to unbutton the shirt he was wearing.
"What?! You are whipped." Emmett commented.
"I would have fought you anyways. You're being an idiot." Jasper said. "Can you hold this?"
"Sure." Lucy took the large white shirt, draping it over a shoulder.
"Are you going to hold my shirt while I fight?" Emmett asked to Rosalie who was sitting in the living room watching tv.
"Do I look like a hanger?" Rosalie retorted without looking up.
"But Lucy is holding Jasper's!" Emmett proclaimed.
"So?" Rosalie asked, continuing to hold the remote out towards the large television.
"LUCY!" Alice cried out, running towards the girl. Lucy widened her eyes, ducking behind Jasper and holding him out like a shield.
"Protect me!" Lucy cried, her hands grasping his biceps. "She's going to kill me!"
"Lucy! How could you ruin that dress!" Alice cried out. "It looked so cute on you!"
"I'm sorry! I had to save someone's life! I didn't have time to change my clothes!" Lucy cried out, though she refused to let go of her grip on Jasper.
Alice stepped to the side. Lucy moved a bit, pulling Jasper with her. One wrong move and Alice would drag her up to her bedroom and they would be playing Lucy barbie all morning, and the entire time she would be lectured on not being able to take decent care of her clothes.
"You could have changed in to Jasper's shirt then! He has plenty shirts like that and can lose a few!" Alice proclaimed.
"Jasper wasn't home then, and the only reason I asked for his shirt was because I was covered in blood and couldn't exactly walk around the house like that!" Lucy said.
"Then why didn't you change out of it?" Alice asked, her arms folded across her chest smugly.
"Because it is comfortable, and I was tired." Lucy frowned.
"Why doesn't anyone-" Alice started.
"Lucy, could you come in here?" Esme asked.
"Yeah." Lucy let go of Jasper and walked down the hall to where Esme stood, thankful for a reason to get away from Alice.
"They are wondering when she can go home." Esme said. She grabbed the white shirt off of Lucy's shoulder before she walked in to the room. Lucy glanced down, having forgotten that it was even there.
"Oh." Lucy said, approaching the girl. Lifting the hospital gown she checked the stitches.
"She can go home now if they're prepared to take her. She will need help dressing for the next few days, and shouldn't lift her arms, or bend." Lucy said firmly. Her mother nodded, writing things down on a notepad from her purse.
"Thank you, Dr. Merriweather." Her mother said, hugging Lucy tightly.
"It was my pleasure. I hope that she heals well, and if you need anything you can call Doctor Cullen or I at any time." Lucy smiled in response.
"Thank you." The mother gushed quietly while the father helped Sarah up.
"Thank you, Dr. Merriweather." Sarah smiled, wincing slightly as she stood up.
"You're welcome. I hope you heal quickly, without hitch." Lucy answered.
"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you actually? You look like you could be 16." Her father asked curiously.
"Haven't you ever been told not to ask a woman her age?" Lucy grinned. "You could say that I have aged very well."
Lucy stood with Esme as they led the small family out to their car. Sarah sat awkwardly in the backseat, smiling at the reservation boys that had come out to bid her good bye. They stood silently, watching as the car disappeared down the driveway.
"I'm proud of you." Esme hugged Lucy.
"Thank you." Lucy smiled.
For the first time in longer than Lucy could recently remember she felt accomplished. She felt content, and happy with something that she had done. Everything she had done recently had been for simple protection, or instant gratification, and it left her feeling guilty, and filthy. Yet nothing could match the pride that came with saving a life.
"Have you thought about going back in to medicine?" Esme asked, leading Lucy back in to the house.
As though to sense that the "normal" people were gone a loud rumbling crash shook the ground. Lucy rolled her eyes and shut the front door behind herself. The boys were wrestling again.
"I think I'd like to, though I should get better first." Lucy responded somewhat begrudgingly.
She had kept telling herself that she would get better, and everything would heal. Yet the more she thought about it, the more impossible it felt. She was holding an impossible hope in the air and waiting for it to magically happen. In her dreams she would return to looking annoyingly childish, the vampires would no longer chase her, and the immortals would let her remain with the Cullen's in peace.
"You'll be better in no time, you're almost looking healthy. Eat more." Esme reassured her.
"I'm also worried about vampires following me, and being unprotected." Lucy admitted quietly. She failed to mention that she was also frightened that the immortals would follow her to work and kidnap her; she was more frightened of that happening than vampires attacking her.
"I'm so sorry, Lucy!" Esme cried, latching back on to the girl.
Lucy felt awkward. Esme wasn't at fault for anything. Jasper had been the one that told her to leave; Esme and Alice had told her she would be okay, but she didn't blame them for what had happened. Holding grudges was never beneficial to anyone, and she would rather look past it all.
"Don't feel bad, it's not your fault." Lucy said, trying to comfort the woman. She thought of Esme as a mother, which was slightly strange seeing as Esme was actually younger than her.
"I'm fine now." Lucy assured her.
"We never should have let you leave, and we should have told you when the family moved. None of this would have happened." Esme said, hugging Lucy tightly.
"Everything happens for a reason, and time heals all wounds." Lucy smiled, pulling away. Esme was beginning to suffocate her, and if she hugged any more tightly she may break a few bones.
"I will never let another vampire touch you." Esme said firmly, scarcely loosening her hold on the smaller woman.
"You're touching me right now." Lucy said, the corners of her lips turning up.
"You are a Cullen now, and any vampires that try to come near to you will have to get through us." Esme corrected.
Lucy smiled at the warning, her fears from that afternoon continued to bubble behind her smile, though the small voice of hope rang out. Even if Alberto had gotten to her, Jasper had appeared in the nick of time to save her. Alice had made a mistake, but Jasper had protected her.
"Do you think you can count Emmett as an outsider? Waking up at 6 in the morning is getting tiresome." Lucy grinned.
"I will tell Emmett to let you sleep in from now on." Esme laughed, finally letting go.
"Thank you, Esme. I'm going back to bed now, my day has been much more eventful than I wanted." Lucy stifled a yawn before making her way back upstairs.
Lucy tossed her jeans over her trunk and slid in to the large bed. She had thought Esme ridiculous for giving her such a large bed, but those thoughts disappeared the moment she sunk in to it. Lucy had made a comment in passing that she had always loved hotel beds because they were unusually comfortable, and after that Esme had found the most comfortable, luxurious hotel style bed that Lucy had ever slept in. There was something divine about sinking in to a bed and being surrounded by warm blankets that smelled of lavenders and vanilla.
The room was dark, though she could hear the sounds of the boys fighting in the backyard. The wolves had undoubtedly joined in, and would be fighting all morning. Initially she had found it to be annoying to hear them up all night, though it brought a strange sense of comfort. There would never come a time when they had fallen asleep, or that someone had managed to sneak past them on the property.
She rolled on to her side, pulling a pillow to her head. Her mind raced over the events of the day, trying to wrap around everything that had happened. One of her greatest fears had happened, and yet she couldn't help but smile. Everything felt as though it was finally coming together.
She had nearly fallen asleep when the sound of her door shutting caused her to stir again. She sat motionless as she felt a weight sit on the edge of her bed. She smiled as the bed creaked slightly beneath his weight.
"If you are getting dirt on my bed I will be very angry with you in the morning." Lucy said tiredly in to her pillow.
"I showered before I came up." Jasper said with a slight laugh as he adjusted himself.
"You'd better have." She yawned. "I like this bedding, and some things are unforgivable."
"I'll remember that."
Her problems weren't solved, and the past hadn't miraculously disappeared. But she had a family, and she knew that things would finally get better. It had taken over two years, and she'd had to endure the lowest of lows to reach it. At that very moment she could fall asleep peacefully, knowing that the worst was now over. For the first time since she had left Texas she felt that she truly had a home where she belonged.
.
PHEW! Please R/R to let me know what you think. We finally have some Lucy/Jasper action, it only took 120k words.
I actually wrote an entirely different chapter initially, and an entire different end of the story from the one coming now, but I didn't like it, so I started writing this one instead. XD
There is only really one more chapter after this, though it may end up as two more so I can tie up the loose ends without rushing it. So this is my question to you!
..
What would you like to see happen to Lucy and Jasper? (or any of the other characters for that matter.)