Based on the characters created by Stephanie Meyer, in her Twilight Saga series of books

HOME BY TWILIGHT

Chapter 3

It took only seconds for the large house to disgorge it's contents. Tony and Connie worked their way to the front of the crowd, as the black horse reared and screamed at the newcomers. Tony stepped forward and grabbed the reins to bring the horse's tantrum to an end. He examined the animal, then announced what the Cullens already knew. There was blood on the saddle, a lot of it.

Connie's hands covered her mouth as the jeep roared toward the crowd, and slid to a stop as close to the door as Bill was able to get it.

"Bastards shot her right through the heart," Bill yelled, as he ran to remove his passenger.

Bella felt that the world had suddenly begun to move in slow motion. This could not be her mother. She was too young. Bella remembered then. It had been at least 6 years, but she had not aged at all.

"Aunt Jenna?" Bella looked at Edward. "It's my aunt Jenna. We thought she was dead five years ago."

Carlisle stepped forward to examine her. He laid a hand on Bill's arm. "She's dead," he said gently to him.

"You know nothing!" Bill growled back, and brushed off Carlisle's hand.

Edward stepped forward then. "Where do you want her?" he asked, as he carefully took her from Bill's struggling arms.

"Top floor," Connie yelled, as she ran into the house.

In a blink, Edward was gone. He examined the layout of the house as he went. Main floor, general living, second floor was guest rooms. The third floor must have been for Nita. There was a bedroom, and what looked like a classroom. The top floor was one large open space. A full size bed was at the center. The roof was a simple tarp pulled over a wood framework. The square that was its center was about ten feet wide, and empty, except for the tarp.

Edward placed Jenna on the bed. Carlisle and Bella were right behind him. Tony and Connie arrived a few minutes behind them, burdened with medical supplies, and small bowls of soft foods and thick liquids.

"She must sit up," Connie nodded to Bella.

"But she's dead," Bella complained sofly, but obeyed. She lifted her aunt/mother's head and sat behind her.

Connie began to slowly force food into Jenna's mouth, and used the thick fluids to wash it down her throat. Tony began to work on the gunshot wound. He pulled back her shirt and began by cleaning the area. When he had removed the blood and dirt to his satisfaction, he began to probe the actual bullet hole.

"Lodged in the lower right ventricle," he told himself. Tony talked to himself as he worked to remove the bullet that had stopped Jenna's heart. When he was done he bandaged her and had Connie stop feeding her. "Let her rest," he smiled at his wife.

"But she's dead!" Bella repeated softly. She could not understand the lengths these two devoted employees had gone to, to save a dead person?

"No," Tony smiled at Bella. "Her heart has stopped. It is not the worst injury she has ever had."

"Not the worst?," but Connie and Tony just nodded and smiled at her, before they left.

Edward went to sit near Bella, who had not moved form under Jenna. He placed his hand on Jenna's head, making it look like he was holding Bella's hand. He felt it then. Jenna was still there. He listened intently to her thoughts, trying to catch a full thread. All he got was pain. Rage, fear and pain. I was not prepared when her heart gave a tremendous THUMP, and her mind snapped shut, and Edward lost all contact with her.

Everyone in the room stared a Jenna. Bella felt it, as her throat slowly swallowed. They all watched as her chest inched up as she began to breath. Carlisle moved to check her heartbeat to be sure, but it was beating, slowly, weakly, but it was there. "Amazing," was all he could say."

"You won't want to be there when she wakes up" once again Nita had managed to come in without any of the Cullen's hearing her. "It probably won't be until tomorrow, but still, that will not be a safe place to be."

"And why is that," Esme asked Nita sweetly.

Nita gave her a short laugh. "Because she's going to be pissed, with a capital P. Wouldn't you be, if someone shot you in the heart?" She shook her head slightly, from side to side. "You ain't seen nothin' till you seen Jenna PO'ed." Nita actually looked a little scared. "She's going to kill those wolves." The fear turned to a gleam in her eyes, at the thought of the wolves being killed. That look almost caused Bella to shiver. It was the look of blood lust. This human child had a blood lust to rival he own. But for this child, it was reserved for werewolves?

"I'm going to bed," Nita announced. "Tomorrow is going to be a rough day," and she left the room as silently as she had arrived.

The Cullens gathered together in a corner if the large room. Bella felt dazed as her mind quickly reviewed what she knew about he aunt.

"Mom said that she wasn't her sister, but I could call her Aunt Jenna." everyone listened, as Bella gave them everything she could remember, about this strange woman. "She said to never mention her to dad, because he really didn't like her . She would stop and see me about once every year. I always got a birthday present, and Christmas present." Bella looked back at the bed. "She looks the same as the first time I remember seeing her." Bella looked up at Edward, "About six years ago, everything stopped. We thought she had died or something."

"Even touching her, I get nothing," Alice informed the family.

"Well, what is she?" Emmett asked, a little to loud. "She sure doesn't smell human. Not her blood, anyway."

Jacob walked slowly around the bed. "Other blood here to," he informed the others. "Horse, I think. A lot of it. I can smell at least two other wolves; probably the werewolves they all keep talking about."

Renesmee had come to the room shortly before Nita had left. She stayed close to Jacob, as he circled the bed. When she was close enough, she sat on the bed next to her grandmother's head. She picked up her hand and held it close to her, as she laid her palm on her grandmother's cheek.

"Rage," Renesmee whispered. Jacob came back to her, to kneel at her feet, so she could tell him. "So much rage." her head turned slightly to the right. 'I'm trying to let her know that I am here. That we are here. But the rage." Renesmee let go of her grandmothers hand and placed her other palm against Jacobs cheek.

Jacob closed his eyes and stiffened. The images and rage that Renesmee showed him were overwhelming. Men catching horses, slicing chunks off their hoofs until they bled. When the smell of the blood become too much for them, they would change and rip one of the defenseless animals to pieces. Then they would change back to men and laugh.

Jacob jumped back from Renesmee. "NO!," he spat out loudly. "That is not the way a wolf behaves. " There were tears in his eyes as his anger grew.

"Control," Edward warned Jacob sharply.

Jacob stood up straight and took Renesmee's hand from her grandmother's cheek. He looked to Edward and watched as Edward slowly gave consent.

"I need a run," he smiled down at Renesmee. "Let's go find something fast to chase," And the two left the house by jumping out of one of the large windowless openings in the rooms walls. They headed north, Jacob running full out with Renesmee at his side.

Connie arrived shortly after Jacob and Renesmee had left. She went to the limp figure on the bed and began to clean her and change her clothing into something more suitable for bed. Bella watched her work. She noticed the caution and reverence she used to handle Jenna. Bella listened as Connie recited a poem, or prayer over the reviving woman.

"Beware you should for the Queen shall rise

In all her rage and glory

beware for those she doth despise

and those who know not her story"

Connie repeated the lines over and over as she worked. An homage to the resurrection of this very mysterious woman.

"Bill said the this is not the worst injuries that she has ever had," Bella's voice was gentle even though she felt the exact opposite."What could be worse than dead?"

Connie stopped her fussing over her patient and sat up to look at Bella. She patted the bed for Bella to sit down.

"She may not like me telling you, but you should know. I heard you say that you thought she was dead five years ago. Well, so did we. You see, she didn't live here all the time. She came by every couple months and made sure everything was going fine." Connie's accent was thick, but her English was very good. "When she had been gone for a year, we were very concerned. Tony talked to someone she knew in Las Vega: she sometimes worked at one of the casinos. She has the voice of an angel." Connie shook her head to clear out the unnecessary. "They had not had word from her either. It was another 6 months before she was found. The man from Las Vegas brought her here. She was," Connie shivered at the memory.

Edward had come to stand behind Bella, as the rest of the Cullens gathered closer to listen. Edward gave Bella's shoulder a squeeze, as he saw the image of Jenna in Connie's mind. He looked again at the woman laying in the bed. 'Bella's mother,' he thought to himself. He smiled at her for a moment. A sad smile. 'This is where you get your strength,' and he turned back to hear the rest of the story.

"She had no back," tears began to flow down Connie's face. "They had beat her so much, we almost didn't recognize her. Her face was purple and black. Maggots covered her back, chewing away the infection. She was thin. Skin over bones. She had no lumps or swellings from the beatings, there was not enough flesh for it." Connie paused for a moment. "There were broken bones, some of them already mended or mending. We think that whoever had her, had been beating and torturing her for at least a year. We, me and Tony, we worked for three months before she woke up for the first time. She was not healthy for over eight months. The nightmares for another year," Connie reached for Bella's hand. "She could not see you like that. She refused to. By the time she was ready, things had changed. You were with your dad."

"And Dad doesn't like her."

"How would you feel about the person that knew a secret that could destroy your family?" Tony appeared at the door. "Connie, it's been two hours," he reminded her.

"Two hours?" Bella was curious.

"She requires food and consciousness to heal," Tony answered as Connie started down the stairs. "She may look like she is sleeping, but be full conscious. It is only that her whole being is concentrating on mending her wounds. There was only one wound. She should be fine by tomorrow morning. She may wake up very angry," he gave a small chuckle. "Very angry, but she will be fine by tomorrow afternoon."

A voice yelled up from the ground outside.

"Tony!" it was Bill. "Jeep's gassed and ready. Will the Vampires be joining us in the chase? I hear daylight don't bother them."

Tony looked at the Cullens for an answer.

"Chase?" Carlisle asked.

Tony chuckled again, "Kind of forgot... When Jenna wakes up, she's going to be more than mad. She's going to take off out of here like a rocket. We'll have to chase her down and make sure she don't hurt herself. " Connie arrived with a tray of food when Tony turned to her. "Bill's ready for the bag." the he turned to the Cullens. "Connie will pack her a bag of clothes. Believe me when I say, she won't care that she's just in a nightie right now." Tony smiled and rubbed his hands together,"So, what's it going to be, run along with us, ride a horse, or stay here?"

I'll be running,"Bella answered.

Edward looked around at the others, "We all will."

"The wolf should stay here," Bill yelled up to them. "We sure don't want her turning on him, before she finds out that he's a friendly. Kids should stay as well."

"THE WOLF has a name," Renesmee told Bill. "It's Jacob." and she ran into the house.

"OK, Miss Cullen," Bill exaggerated her name. "Jacob it is," and he walked into view. "WOW! Tony, take a look at this. This guy's a real monster. I was referring to his size, Miss Cullen," and Bill tipped his ball cap to Renesmee as she returned from her trip to retrieve new clothes for Jacob. He looked squarely at Jacob, "You got one mean looking size there kid. When the shit hits the fan, I hope you're still here. We can always use a good fighter."

"Hey," Emmett could stand it no more. "I'm no push over. And I think I enjoy a good fight better than this walking door mat."

Renesmee threw Jacob some pants she gotten for him, and he disappeared around the house to dress. When he returned he was also wearing a huge grin.

"Want to check that out?" he challenged Emmett.

"Not now he doesn't," Rosalie was at the front door, one hand on her hip, the other on the door frame.

Renesmee jumped into Jacobs arms and popped him in the nose.

"Ouch," Jacob grabbed his nose. "What was that for?" he held Renesmee away from him so he could look at her better, as water filled his eyes from her painful nose punch. "I was just joking," he complained, as she walked into the house. "Come on Nessie," he pleaded. "Don't be mad."

Despite everything that was happening, Bella couldn't help but smile. She remembered a similar event that nearly broke her hand. She enjoyed the fact that someone had finally smacked that smug, big nose. Edward caught her smiling and smiled back at her. He remembered that day as well.