Disclaimer: Twilight related = Stephenie Meyer, Lost in Austen related = Guy Andrews. The filler that links it all together = Me.

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I'm really stringing this story out for you guys and I apologize. I know it must be frustrating to get little dribs and drabs every so often. Still, ignore the grammar and hope you like it.

Return to Meyer

12. Denali

For the briefest of moments time seemed to stand completely still. No sound, no movement and no thought. Just being. As quickly as it came about, it ended. And suddenly things began to move at such a rapid pace I could barely keep up.

It began with a word. "Carlisle," Alice and Edward said together, breaking the mood. Beside me Edward's body was rigid and his eyes wide.

Several heads snapped up instantaneously in unison, swerving round to gaze into the nearby trees. Before I knew it Jasper and Carlisle had disappeared.

"Wait here," Edward told me before he followed.

Tanya looked at the vampire I believed to be Kate, Catch up with Irina." She said quickly as the gloved blonde took off in a similar direction leaving Alice and I on the porch with Tanya. "Come inside," she gestured towards the door, allowing for us to step through in front of her.

Confused, I entered after Alice. The only guess I could come up with for what was happening was that Laurent had heard the Cullens were here and attempted to make a break for it. But could he really be that stupid? There was no way he could hide from Alice's visions or outrun Edward. I could assume that that was why the Carlisle, Jasper and Edward had taken off like they had. They were trying to catch up to him before he got too far away.

Whoa. I stared around the room with a stunned expression. You'd think I would have been use to walking into a totally beautiful and huge house after seeing the Cullens' so many times. Ah….no. The Denali clan were definitely not scrappy on architecture, decorating or housekeeping. The house was immaculate. It made my reasonably large double story house back home look like a shoebox.

I coughed, trying to force myself to speak. "Err…you're house is beautiful." Nice Ashley. Creative. You sound like a complete idiot. Looking down at my feet and the shoes by the door, I left my own beside them. I was brought up to be a polite guest.

"Thank you," Tanya replied calmly to my comment, showing us into the living room. Living room, ha. I'm sure they'd get a laugh out of that commonly used term.

Standing cautiously was a male vampire I could only assume was Eleazar and another female, who by her stance, appeared to be his mate Carmen. "Carmen, Eleazar," Alice greeted the two vampires cordially as Tanya sat gracefully on a nearby couch. The worry lines on her face showed her concern. Yet, apart from Rosalie she was probably the most stunning woman I had ever seen in my entire life. I felt my self esteem plummet three levels just by looking at her. Sure, I'm not ugly but even in another lifetime there was no way I would or could ever compare to this level of beauty. How Edward had passed her up despite his thing for brunettes amazed me. Oh crap, and I just dyed my hair blonde. Talk about ironic.

"Alice, would you kindly explain to us what it is that's happening?" Eleazar queried, his brow raised in both wonder and anxiety.

"Carlisle will tell you everything when he gets back, I promise."

As if someone had snapped their fingers, Eleazar's eyes darted towards my face. A slight crease of the forehead showed that he was examining me, how I didn't know. Finally he spoke, "You are Ashley, Edward's mate?" he asked.

My eyes widened as I felt myself step back involuntarily. "Okay, sorry. The term mate just sounds very…"

"Binding?" he provided. His choice of word interested me. Why would he think I would react badly to that?

I shook my head, smiling apologetically. "I meant to say animalistic." It sounded weird but it was how I felt. "I prefer girlfriend."

He smiled weakly at this and nodded. "I understand why you would feel that way." He sympathised. His odd expression returned, his eyes still gazing directly at me unabashed.

Feeling nervous I did what I usually did, spoke. "Is there something wrong?"

Eleazar shook his head. "Nothing wrong exactly. I'm not sure what the Cullens have told you about our family but I, personally, normally am able to sense the particular…abilities of those such as myself." Feeling the need to clarify himself, he paused. "Vampires."

I nodded, already knowing this detail from reading Breaking Dawn. "I am also, to a certain extent, able to get an idea what a specific human may have talents with. Vaguely a sense of the things they excel at."

"Okay," I prompted, not seeing where this was going.

"Looking at you, I find myself feeling, for lack of a better word, nothing." He explained simply.

I froze. Wait a minute, did he mean… "You mean I'm not good at anything?" I blurted out.

Backtracking quickly, he held up a hand. "No, no, of course not. That's not what I'm saying. It's merely that I can't seem to gain a read on your abilities. Less so than that of a normal human."

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed. It was probably just because I wasn't from around here. People like Eleazar don't exist where I come from ."Right, no big deal." The room fell into silence soon after this.

Unable to stand the quiet, I opened my mouth ready to speak. Before the words could come, a loud crash sounded through the house. The sound of a large sheet of glass crashing to the ground in a mess of sharpened, fragmented pieces.

"Ashley, please wait here. I'll come and get you when I know it's safe." Alice told me as her and the others disappeared from my line of view. Damn. Why am I always being told to stay put? I'm not helpless or incompetent. I sat down on the couch, pouting.

A second crash hit my ears followed by loud growls and yells I couldn't seem to understand. Nope, no way I'm sitting here listening to this and trying to work out if there's a massacre going on in the other room. Getting to my feet, I ran towards the sound glancing from room to room along the hallway until I reached the kitchen. Catching sight of light reflecting off the floor, I forced myself to stop mere centimetres from a scattered minefield of broken glass.

Whew. I exhaled deeply. If I'd kept running I probably would have cut my feet on the broken glass and by the looks of the scene taking place in front of me, it would have been about the stupidest thing anyone could possibly have done.

Laurent was pinned up against a wall by Edward and Jasper while Carlisle, Tanya and Eleazar attempted to reason with a furious Irina. My jaw dropped.

Unlike his mate, Laurent appeared to have stopped fighting and had resorted to standing still. "You can release me," I heard him tell his captors.

"Sure, so we can chase you back out there and drag you back." Jasper said vehemently.

"Jasper, Edward, let him go." Carlisle ordered. Grudgingly they both loosened their grip on Laurent, allowing him to shake his limbs freely in agitation.

"Irina, we only wish to discuss some things with Laurent. We have no reason for any violence. Our issues are important and needed to be broached urgently. You must see why we had to stop him from leaving." Carlisle rationalised their actions decisively and politely. Slowly logic began to set in to Irina's mind. Her stance relaxed but her eyes remained narrowed. Even I could see that she was still hostile no matter what she wanted anyone else to think.

"Fine. If that's so, discuss your urgent issues quickly and then I would appreciate it if you'd leave." She said seething.

"Irina," Tanya cautioned, clearly uncomfortable by the current situation. Should she support her obviously distressed and outnumbered sister or her friends who had yet done nothing to warrant any form of distrust.

"If that's what you wish. We won't wear out our welcome or your hospitality." Carlisle replied. Turning towards Laurent, his expression hardened ever so slightly. "Would you prefer to talk here or elsewhere?"

"Here is as good as anywhere else," he said unemotionally. Both three hundred or so year old vampires eyed each other silently, waiting for the other to speak. Carlisle to see if Laurent would confess to what half those in the room already knew he had done, Laurent to see what Carlisle would do with this information.

It was Laurent that broke. "Don't worry, I know why you are here." He said softly.

"Then you must have some idea of what I'm going to tell you." Carlisle said, his tone even.

"Some idea,"

"No-one wants to get the Volturi involved but I cannot allow this to continue. Not only will my family be exposed but the rest of our race as well. Although, despite my own wishes, if it does occur again I will notify them." It was not meant to be threatening, merely simple fact. I knew Carlisle well enough to know that his words were true. He would not relish setting the Volturi guards on another being but if it came down to it, he would choose to save the many others that would die if he did not.

"I understand," Laurent nodded. "I will leave, it won't happen again." He said, equally sincere.

"Thank you for your hospitality Tanya, Kate, Carmin, Eleazar…" Carlisle paused, his gaze stopping on a now very angry and confused Irina. "Irina." He finished, turning away and heading out the new open wall, into the trees.

A second later, Edward was beside me holding my shoes. He held them out to me, allowing for me to slip them back on and avoid severe cuts. I walked towards the direction Carlisle had left when I felt a strong grip around my wrist. A low voice at my ear whispered words reminding me of things I'd rather wished had stayed forgotten.

"If I could kill you now I would, if not only as an act of mercy. If you knew what Victoria had planned for you, you would give yourself to me freely. Do not underestimate her, she will be back for you."

With the sound of Edward's hiss in my ears and the hairs on the back of my neck standing up at Laurent's words, I walked in silence back to the Volvo for the long drive back.

A/N: I know, its short but it covered the things I needed it to. I want this story finished, so I'll probably be working at it regularly over the next couple of days. We'll see how I go. Anyway, hope you're enjoying it. Remember to review.

Next Time on Return to Meyer: True to Laurent's warning, Victoria's back. With a carefully thought out plan on her side, will this be the moment that rips apart Edward and Ashley forever?