Sorry, I meant to have this chapter out sooner, but my Great-Uncle died, and I had to go to his funeral, so I had no computer for pretty much the entire weekend. Next chapter will be up by this next weekend because I'm so excited about it! It will be the chapter I've been promising, and I hope you all don't hate me too much at the end of it. I also hope that you all enjoy this chapter, and become as fond of poor neglected Oliver as I have.

Disclaimer: I own everything that the government and Stephanie Meyer don't...even Oliver.

Helping Her

Chapter Twelve

Oliver James Davenport

God, I was an ass. When I'd had Moss take the silver flask to Lilly, I'd had no idea to warn her. I hadn't warned her that mom had filled it with a pint of my blood and, Gerry had informed me, that of a human boy that had been in our house after hearing Lilly's screams. The flask was for her for her transition, I'd drawn it to be concealable and private. No one could smell the blood inside until she opened it, and only she and I could do so. She must have found it in her pile of dirty clothes when she went to the bathroom. She had no idea what was in it. I'd sensed her curiosity peak, and had instantly launched into action.

Holly had warned me to be careful with blood tonight, but I'd had no idea what she meant, or what she had seen. Holly always knew things. It was weird, having a clairvoyant for a little sister.

I had to do something. Not exactly sure what to do, I found myself eyeing bits of my mother's glass china, a vague idea forming. I grabbed the tray of water glasses, and walked towards the boy my sister had been hanging on all night. I could feel Lilly's shock as she popped the lid of the flask hastily back on. Rather awkwardly, I tripped myself.

Successfully, I managed in breaking the glass cups as they crashed into each other, sending shards of glass flying at the boy. I cried out in pain when I landed. The glass was embedded in my forearms, palms. At least had succeeded in cutting the boy, Seth, in several places. That made it worth it…sort of. I watched in slow motion as my blood began to seep from my arms and form a deep red stain on the floor.

My mother and the twins gasped. My father lurched into his serious mode. "Ollie, don't move." I sucked in a breath and prayed that whatever my father did, didn't cause the glass to go any deeper. He pulled me straight up, surprising me. I'd no idea he was so strong. I thought he was built like me, a beanpole with no muscle mass. Lilly could beat the crap out of me, the twins probably could too.

My mother descended upon me, tutting and cringing at the mess that were my arms. The Cullens were standing, all with shock on their faces. It occurred to me that the entire situation so far had taken less than twenty seconds; Lilly wasn't even back down the stairs yet.

Dr. Cullen moved swiftly, gently moving my mother to the side and holding my arms up for inspection. "There's quite a lot of glass in your arms. It might be best to take you to the ER."

Holly and Gerry glided back in, Holly clutching the first aid kit to her chest, "Dr. Cullen, I don't think that's necessary. Oliver is a fast healer. As long as he hasn't nicked any arteries, he'll be fine. Gerry's got a fair good eye for healing."

My baby sister touched my cheek, her purple eyes filled with compassion, "I'll take care of you, big brother."

I smiled at her, "I have not doubt in you, but I think it's best to let Dr. Cullen do his job. I'm sure I'm clumsy enough to let you have the chance to patch me up soon." I looked at Holly, silently willing her to let Gerry leave me alone. She nodded slightly, and I was startled to see a ghost of a smile form on her lips.

"That's probably true." She tossed the kit to Dr. Cullen, "Take notes baby sister."

Gerry thrust her chin out, and glared at Holly, "I don't need notes."

Holly huffed and picked her back up, "I know Napoleon." Gerry frowned and looked like an angry little old lady.

I hissed when the doctor pulled the first shard from my arm, "Damn. That hurts."

My mother hit me on the back of the head, "What have I told you? Language. You've been sneaking out."

I bit my lip to keep from snapping at her. My nerves were raw enough with Lilly freaking out and the doctor ripping my arms up, "Can we talk about it later?" I barely managed to keep my voice steady.

Arms crossed and a frown on her face my mother glared at me, "You can count on it."

"Great." I drawled sarcastically.

I hissed in pain again, and Gerry reached out, grasping one of her tiny hands on my knee. The pain instantly fled my body, leaving my arms numb instead. I breathed a sigh of relief, flashing a smile to my baby sister. She just looked at me disapprovingly, and glanced over her shoulder.

I looked up, the glass had only cut Seth in a few places, just enough for him to bleed. None of the glass had embedded in his skin, so he was standing next to Lilly with a worried expression on his face. Her silver eyes were wide with concern. I stared her down, "Lilly, I'm fine. It really doesn't hurt that bad."

Her eyes narrowed, "No need to be a martyr, Ollie. What exactly did you trip on?"

I looked down at my feet looking for a reason, "My shoelaces are untied, and I must have stepped on one."

My twin rolled her eyes, and smiled, "Klutz. That's good. At least you didn't trip on nothing."

I laughed, and winced, "Yeah, still, it could have happened."

"I know, you freak of nature."

"Thanks, sis." I said dryly. She loved cutting me down, and did it at every chance she could get.

I was actually glad she was back to normal. After our parents had let her go at me, I had reacted naturally, and it had freaked her out. It wasn't my fault, that I had been the closest male when Lilly had broken out of her restraints. Bloodletting was intimate, and induced a state of infatuation from the bitten to the biter if it wasn't a true imprint.

I shook my head; I needed to concentrate on the blond man that was currently ripping up my arms. It hurt like hell, even with Gerry acting as an anesthetic. Like the doctor had said, some of the shards had been deeply embedded, and I felt several of them scrape against my bones. When that happened, nausea would overwhelm me, because the sensation was so horrible.

Just as he was finishing up, the phone rang. Lilly, who was closest to the set in the hall, skipped out to get it. She popped back into view before pressing the 'Talk' button and saying, "Hullo!" She instantly paled, before holding the cordless out to our father, her hand and voice shaking, "It-It's for you." I'd never seen my twin look so shaken so quickly. Worry filled me.

Seconds after bringing the phone to his ear, my father flinched away from it, his gray eyes wide. Eyeing the piece of modern technology with contempt, he brought it back to his head, "D." He hissed, "D. Dicey. Dicey!" Already, mom had her head in her hands, and was shaking it in shame.

It must be my aunt. I realized slowly. Dicey was my father's older sister, the woman that should be queen instead of my mother. She was a piece of work, or so the elders say. She had been banished before Lilly and I had turned seven, a year before my grandfather had seceded from the throne. I couldn't' quite remember why.

My memory of her was fuzzy. But I recalled that my mother's hands had almost always clapped over my ears, my father's over Lilly's, my grandmother's over Holly's, my grandfather's over Nigel's, when she spoke. I remember that she always swore, and it seemed as much a part of her as her blond hair and silver eyes. I'd always thought she was pretty, even more beautiful than my mother even. Lilly and I had cried for hours when she had left, casting a sad, wistful look at us before the castle gates had closed behind her. Our father had been like stone, his eyes reverting to the flint color that we all shared when we were blocking in our emotions. Mother had been overjoyed, she had never liked her sister-in-law.

A strange feeling of longing always hit me when I thought of my oldest aunt. I moved closer to my father, when the doctor backed up, desperate to hear her voice for the simple reason that I felt I needed to. In the past, my father mostly pretended she didn't exist, but now, she was cursing at him trough the phone, using language more vial than any I had heard in the halls of public high school.

After several dozens of seconds, she stopped, seemingly to catch her breath before speaking in a child's voice meant to melt the hardest soldier, "Chrys, why didn't you tell me? Why are you keeping them from me? I'm not mad. I won't hurt them."

Memory flooded me. Elaine Dice Davenport had been banished for murdering one of her suitors. She was gifted, but not Rowan, like me, so several noble men, trying to win the name of King, had courted her. The man she had killed had been her most prominent courtier, a man named Roland Collar. (A/N: Rowan are shapeshifters. Like the wolves. The Gifted are like human Bella...gifted. I have notes up on my profile that tell a little more.)

I had seen her after she had done it, covered in blood, and being forced to kneel before her parents, as they granted her supposed mercy, by guards. They gave her her life, in exchange, taking her ability to pass between the two worlds, binding her to Earth, stripping her powers, and ordering her to be tortured for two days to atone for her sins. Even then, she had screamed at her brother for allowing my sister and I to have wandered into the room. We were ushered away, into our mother's arms.

It's at this point that my memory falters and seems unreal. This new found memory is quickly followed by on I did remember; After her sentence, I didn't see her again for three days, at the gate.

I was jolted into present time, when my father spoke, his voice as hard as the flint in his eyes, "Elaine, you are nothing to me anymore. I don't know why you assumed that just because I came to Washington, that I would let you know. Don't call here again." His eyes softened, "I'm sorry, sister." He hung up before she could say anything more, and handed the phone to me.

His dark mood slid off like a layer of rain, and his bright smile thawed the room, "So sorry about that." He picked up one of the twins, and looked regretfully at Doctor Cullen, "It seems my sister and son have ruined our wonderful atmosphere, and my little ones need to go to bed, seeing as tomorrow is a school day. I think it best we wrap up our night, and get some sleep."

It was when the largest Cullen snorted, that I realized the child, Renesmee, Gerry's new friend, Alice, and her boy friend were gone. I shrugged, they could have taken the little girl home for all I knew, but it was strange that they would have left without me noticing.

The rest of the Cullen's said their goodbyes before leaving, and the Clearwater boy hugged on Lilly for a few more minutes before following.

I looked down at the phone in my hand, and before I knew what I was going, I had pulled up the caller list, and had written it down on the palm of my right hand in black pen. I would help her, I didn't know why, but I would find out why my aunt wanted to see us. I looked at my twin as she watched the human leave from the porch, and I would do it alone.

Please review! I don't really have much else to say.

Thanks & see you next time,

-Jenn