Chapter Two: A Tempting Offer
"Five minutes now," Alice whispered nervously, twisting her hands together.
The entire family, along with Jacob, was gathered in the living room. Ever since Alice had gotten the vision confirming Aro's visit an hour ago, they had gotten together to wait. Only two days ago, it was just a meagre vision; now, it was cold, hard truth. There was no time for any kind of protection, and running away was futile, so they had decided to wait and see.
Carlisle stood up slowly, the serious expression giving him an air of stern authority that didn't suit him well. Alice took in his grim face, and slight worry coursed through her. However, the feelings weren't her own. She turned to look at Jasper, who was gripping her hand protectively. Ever since they had met, he had opened a link between them that allowed him to feel every emotion she had. This, though, also went the other way around; she could feel everything he did, yet on a lighter scale since he toned it down for her sake. She knew that the worry came from Carlisle, passing from Jasper to her.
"I'll greet them outside and see what they want," he said soberly, registering the sudden expression of pure horror on his wife's face. He reached over to touch her cheek, and her face melted into a look of reluctant agreement. She had always trust his decisions.
Rosalie raised a perfectly-arched eyebrow just as Emmett scoffed. The black-haired boy instantly boasted, "I'll come with you, Carlisle! I'll take on the new kid, though! He'd surely be a better fight than Aro!"
"We're not fighting them, Emmett," Edward gently admonished as he sat beside Bella.
Suddenly, though, his wife burst forth in apology. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle! It's my fault that the Volturi are always on us." Bella's face was struck as she genuinely appeared upset.
"No it isn't," Carlisle gently said before turning to his middle son. "I still think I should go alone, Emmett. Aro might take us as confrontation."
A soft musical voice emerged from a corner of the room. "Then why don't you send Alice!?"
All eyes turned to Renesmee, who was sitting close to an unusually silent Jacob. She smiled brightly at them, her perfect row of white teeth gleaming as her brown curls bobbed around her face. Even though her physical age was approximately that of a four year old, with her mental capacities of a teenager, she hadn't even gone through her first birthday yet.
"No." The answer came from Jasper, and Alice found her emotions switching as she suddenly became possessively angry. There was then a wave of worry that crashed through her, and she patted Jasper's trembling hand carefully. His emotional climate rose to near hysterics, though his face remained stoic and composed, and she hurriedly focussed her emotions on her love for him in order to calm him down.
"Why me, Nessie?" the raven-haired girl questioned.
"It's not a secret that Aro respects you," Nessie murmured, smiling shyly. "I think you should be the one to greet him if we're trying to send out friendly signals."
"That was one more reason why we're not sending Alice." Jasper narrowed his eyes. "I want to keep her as far from that man as I possibly can."
"I think it's a good idea," Rosalie nodded. "It might appease him if he is coming for a fight."
"But Carlisle knows him," Edward hurriedly put in, obviously reading frightening thoughts in Jasper's mind, "and Alice shouldn't hold that burden. It's too dangerous."
Alice then broke her hand from Jasper's. "Well I agree with Nessie!" Gracefully, she danced towards the door, then turned around to blow Jasper a kiss. "I'll be right back!"
Ignoring the shouts of protests and the surge of fear coming from her husband, she sauntered out of the door. The afternoon sun would be a solace for anyone, but for Alice, it was nothing but uncomfortable. Her skin shone brightly, the thousands of diamonds rippling brightly as she stopped a few feet from her home.
The two figures emerged from the wood rapidly, though their paces slowed when they realized that they were expected. Aro slung off his hood, his papery skin also glittering as he beamed at the short girl in front of him.
"Alice," he said breathlessly, his crimson eyes shining with eagerness. "I am delighted to see you."
Alice smiled weakly, nodding in greeting as her hands rested lightly against her hips. She didn't fail to notice how the other person hung behind, his maroon and black hood low over his face. "Hello, Aro."
The smile never left his face as he looked at her up and down. She knew, without needing Edward's gift, that he was once again assessing her gift and all the possibilities it would bring.
"I assume you already know why we're here?" Aro said, nodding towards the stranger.
"Actually, no. Seemingly, the gentleman didn't make the decision to tell us of his power, so I couldn't quite see what this meeting is about." Alice's teeth gritted as she told him of her weakness. However, Aro appeared unfazed, if not even more excited. Only out of politeness did she finally invite them in.
As they entered the home, Aro asked carefully, "Shall we gather the family for this?"
"It's been done," she replied curtly. "Even though I'm not sure why, I did expect you, Aro."
As they entered, the entire family jumped to their feet. Alice had to smile at the way they seemed to place themselves. Carlisle and Emmett were side by side, with Rosalie and Esme hanging lightly in the back. Jasper was standing beside his mother, his eyes intently settled upon Alice's face as he searched for some reassurance. Meanwhile, Edward and Jacob stood protectively in front of Bella, who was cradling Renesmee in her arms.
How typical.
She sauntered over to Jasper's side, quickly intertwining her fingers with his as she allowed Carlisle to take over the conversation.
"Welcome to our home, Aro," he said courteously, though his tone hinted of danger. He would not have anyone touch his family.
The Volturi leader's face lighted. "Thank you, Carlisle! I appreciate the warm welcome."
Smiling, the blond doctor nodded. "Well, I assumed it would be important, especially for you to come down all the way from Italy to see us. Is it concerning your guest?"
"You jump quickly to the point, Carlisle," Aro grinned, then waved the man forward. "Indeed, let me present to you the newest member of my guard, Aelic."
The vampire stepped forward and took off the hood he was wearing, uncovering manly features. His red eyes were bright, settled over a thin nose and a square jaw. His hair fell down to his chin, as straight as a board, and as black as Alice's. He wore an air of superiority that did not go unnoticed by the family, and it did not help that Aro regarded him as a piece of gold.
"Well met, Carlisle Cullen," the man said, his voice a deep baritone.
"As well, Aelic," Carlisle replied with a sharp nod. However, his suspicion did not vanish completely, as his features still remained guarded. He shifted forward lightly, putting himself as a barrier between a possible threat and his loved ones.
Aro nudged his companion excitedly. "Tell the Cullens what your special ability is!"
Aelic's eyes gleamed as he took a step forward, now only a few feet from Carlisle, raising his chin proudly. He let a few seconds of silence to pass by, attempting to build suspense before saying, "I have the power to turn the immortal into mortal again for a brief moment."
Carlisle's eyebrows raised drastically, as did most of the family's. After a brief second of stunned silence, the blond leader shook his head unbelievingly. "This is impossible. You can't revive non-beating hearts, you can't make blood flow in frozen veins."
"Oh really?" Aro chuckled. "Haven't you noticed by now that special powers are things that none of us can consider as possible? How can someone read thoughts? How can one see the future or manipulate emotions that aren't their own? How can you incapacitate minds, or drown someone in fog like Jane and Alec? Aelic can turn vampires into humans, I've tested it myself."
Carlisle remained silent for a few seconds, squeezing Esme's hand comfortingly. "While this is quite interesting, what exactly does this have to do with us?"
"Well," Aro leaned against the wall, "I thought that maybe you might enjoy the experience."
Suddenly, Edward growled menacingly, then nodded at Carlisle. The doctor shot his son a quieting look before turning to his guests. "How can I trust you, Aro? Especially after the episode with Nessie, when your guards clearly crossed the line?"
Aro's face fell. "I find it very unfortunate that we have come to be the antagonists in your life, Carlisle. This isn't how we were meant to be perceived, and I wanted to offer you the gift. I know that your diet isn't the same as the rest of us, and you might enjoy a small reprieve."
"So my entire family could become human, weak, while susceptible to threats?" The doctor's eyes flashed. "I won't accept the offer, no matter how generous it may be. However, if my family agrees, I will gladly watch over them during their time as humans."
Aro turned to the rest of the family, and Aelic smiled gloatingly. "Anyone else frightened?"
Carlisle's face darkened, but Esme squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "I guess that I am. I'm not willing to take the chance. I'm finally in control of my thirst, and I don't want to start the struggle again."
"When waking up after their day of being human, every vampire were just as thirsty as when they were changed. It's as though nothing had happened. Women can't get pregnant, or if you get hurt, your body just regenerates," Aelic explained impatiently. "There's no consequence whatsoever."
"Still," Esme continued, "if Carlisle remains a vampire, so will I."
Bella snorted from her position behind most of the family. "I've begged Edward to turn me in a vampire for years. I'm not turning back human for anything in the world."
"Neither am I. My family is what's important to me for now," Edward shook his head.
"What a boring family," Aelic grunted audibly, then turned to the remaining couples. "Please don't disappoint me as well."
"I won't," Rosalie breathed. Her eyes were shining beautifully, and she practically glowed. "I'd love to turn human for another day..." She then turned to Emmett, whose face was suddenly bursting with excitement at the prospect of a new adventure. He stepped backwards and took her hand tightly in his, sending his support with a touch.
"Bring it on!" The strongest member of the family chuckled.
"Good," Aro chirped, his perky attitude returning with full force. He turned to the remaining two. "How about you both?"
Alice, despite herself, felt her excitation bubble within herself. However, she couldn't shake the apprehension of becoming human again. Jasper was still clinging to her hand, and she felt a dead calm settling over herself. Looking up into his gleaming eyes, she knew that it was his way of telling her to do whatever she wanted, and he would follow her. He was clearing her mind from both excitement and dread, leaving her to decide on what she would do in a clear conscience.
Turning her eyes to Aelic, she said coolly, "Count us both in."
A/N: I will end the chapter here because I decided to end the chapter here.
Now, I'm never one to truly beg. However, if I need to do so, then I will. How come I got tons of views, some faves, and many alerts, but only one review. What's even sadder is that the review's from Raven, who had promised me to review my story if I was to post it... So technically, that tells me that no one willingly reviewed my story. Is it that horrible so far?
Yes, I promise that there'll be more AlicexJasper in later chapters. The next one will be the transformation, but afterwards, there'll be quite a few fluffy chapters.
As for the 'Carpe Diem', well, it's a bit unfair to declare Raven the winner, since she's the only one who guessed. However, even if she was close, it wasn't dead-on. But dearest, you win half of the prize. I'll PM you sometimes.
Now, my A/N is way too long, so I'm logging off!
Take care!