Chapter 17 - The Whitlocks

I could feel the mischief radiating from Peter as we approached the family and braced myself for whatever he was planning to do or say. Emmett's emotions had lightened up considerably, since he discovered his Partner in Crime was here, and he was full of eager anticipation. Em and Pete were two peas in a pod and got on like a house on fire. Every time Peter and Charlotte came to visit us, he and Pete would turn the entire Cullen household on its head. After the first two visits resulted in hasty moves, they agreed to conduct any 'suspicious' activity, such as frat boy pranks, at least 150 miles away from the Cullens' current town of residence. They were absolutely forbidden to come with two miles of whichever hospital was currently employing Carlisle, and Peter was not allowed within 100 yards of whichever school the 'kids' were currently attending.

"Pete, my man!" Emmett exclaimed, bounding out into the hall enthusiastically to meet us. "It's awesome you're here. Wait until you find out what all is going on right now. The possibilities are endless!"

Peter grinned and clapped him on the back. "Yeah, the Major's told us a little. Seems we're getting us a new little sis. You think she'll wanna hang with us, be our third musketeer?"

"No! No way!" Edward shouted, jumping up from his seat as we entered the room. "You stay away from her, Peter! She doesn't need the likes of you corrupting her sweet innocence."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "He's better than you, asshole. At least Peter won't hurt her and throw her away like yesterday's garbage."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, but Peter beat him to it.

"Why don't you just admit you're batting for the other team, Eddieboy?" Peter asked smugly. Edward growled, but Peter ignored it. "Anybody who would toss aside that beautiful girl upstairs, especially when she was willing to give her heart, body, and soul to her lover, is either as gay as it gets or has some serious issues. Carlisle, have you ever considered becoming a psychiatrist for the vampire community? I bet you could make a killing at it."

He paused to snicker, while the rest of us just rolled our eyes. Only Emmett bothered to laugh, though Charlotte groaned supportively. I felt Peter's internal pride at what he considered a good pun and marveled at the man's ability to remain oblivious to reality. It was a trait he and Edward shared, though it manifested in opposite ways. As much as Edward loathed himself and saw every little thing as confirmation of his monsterhood, Peter loved himself and saw every little thing as confirmation of his awesomeness.

"This family alone has enough issues to keep you busy for decades, and the Volturi could keep you occupied for centuries, trying to deal with their 'idiosyncrasies'," Peter continued. "Add in the nomads, and you're set for eternity, without even touching the Southern covens. Shit, I can't even imagine how many sessions the Denali sisters would require, with their whole sex-food-love obsession."

Carlisle smiled, appreciative of Peter's attempt to dispel some of the suffocating tension in the room. "I'll keep that in mind, Peter. It's good to see you and Charlotte again. Are you here to help us with our Bella?"

While Peter had been doing his song and dance with the menfolk, Rose, Charlotte, and Esme had gathered together in a cluster and gotten caught up with one another, in the age old way of women everywhere. It always amazed me to see how comfortable they were together, their natural camaraderie, and the way they bonded over the discussion of their men. In the past, it had saddened me that Alice never fit with the others, that she would shun Charlotte and was jealous of Char's relationship with the other Cullen women. She would usually try to sabotage them, by planning outings designed to exclude Charlotte or speaking of people, places, and things unknown to the Whitlocks to leave Charlotte out of the conversation.

Even now I could feel Alice's jealousy and resentment, as she stared at the other women. I was glad now that she had never developed a relationship with the Whitlocks, for I would feel no dismay at cutting her out of our lives. Peter and Charlotte would be only too happy to see her go.

"Indeed, we are, Carlisle," Charlotte replied to his question, pre-empting her husband. "It's a wonderful experience, Rose and Esme. You're going to love it. It's just like having a vampire baby of your very own, or as close as we can get to it. Wait until you feel the warm glow of pride when she learns something you've taught her, goes on her first hunt, takes her first steps. The love and happiness you'll feel is no different from what a human mother feels for her human child. At least, that's my experience."

Rose and Esme were filled with joy, excitement, and hope at this dream come true. Though it wasn't ideal, they were looking forward to making the best of it.

"How would you know?" Alice sneered.

Everybody froze for a second, shocked by her audacity, before swinging around to look at her incredulously. She preened for a moment, having gained everyone's attention, and I wondered how I had never really noticed her shallow vanity before. Her deliberate cruelty was making Rose look like an angel in comparison.

Charlotte maintained her composure, raising an eyebrow and frowning at Alice disdainfully. "Before I answer the question, shall we all get comfortable?"

"Yes, of course," Esme hurried to reply, reminded of her hostess duties. "Honey, would you mind grabbing the table leaf from behind the china closet? Emmett, would you please get two of the extra chairs from the storage room? Rose dear, can you help me pull the table apart, so Carlisle can add the leaf?" The family scurried to obey her softly spoken commands, couched in the respectful terms of requests.

I heard the door to Bella's room quietly opening and raced up the stairs to confront whomever dared to disturb her sanctuary. I relaxed when I spotted Emmett simply peeking his head in the door to check on her. "How is she?" I whispered.

Em tensed momentarily at the first sound of my voice, but calmed as soon as he recognized it was me. He pulled his head back and turned to face me, projecting his concern. "I can see the physical changes starting to take effect, but she's so still and quiet, it's kind of freaky. I remember how much that shit hurt, and I can't believe she's not even whimpering or anything."

I nodded. "That's normal for head wound victims in my experience. I don't feel any pain coming from her, so I can only hope the venom hasn't restored the pain centers of her brain yet."

Relieved and comforted by my observation, he grabbed the two chairs and took them down to Esme. I ghosted into the room and over to the bed, looking down at the beautiful girl, lying pale and motionless. For some reason, she reminded me of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, waiting in a deathlike state for her prince to come and kiss her awake. It was a silly, fanciful notion, yet I couldn't resist the temptation to bend over and lightly brush her lips with my own. I pulled back, knowing she wouldn't be awake yet, and was surprised to see the slightest smile gracing her mouth. Even though my heart was fossilized in my body, a relic of bygone days, it still felt like it gave a leap in my chest. I backed slowly away, confused by this turn of events, and hurried back down to take my place at the table with the others.

Peter gave me a knowing look as I sat down beside him, but I simply ignored him. There would be time to deal with him later, when there weren't so many curious eyes, ears, and minds observing us. I noticed Charlotte was sitting in between Rose and Esme, both of whom were holding her hands in a show of emotional support.

"Enough, Peter!" Edward suddenly whined.

Peter chuckled. "If you don't like what you see, stay out of my head."

"You're disgusting," Edward groaned.

Emmett and I both laughed in response. Peter had taken Emmett's advice to heart when he first met the Cullens, as to the way to keep Edward out of his mind, however, he had added his own little twist. Peter hated the idea of Edward being able to see his Charlotte naked, so instead of picturing himself and his mate having hot monkey sex, he imagined Edward in compromising positions with various male vampires he'd met over the years. In his mind, Edward was always on the receiving end, with the other vampire controlling the encounter. He'd coached Charlotte to do the same. As a result, Edward avoided their minds like the plague.

What Edward didn't know, was that Peter's gift always let him 'know' whenever Edward was going to try to read him or Charlotte, so they were always prepared for him with the most embarrassing or disgusting images they could conjure. Rose and Emmett had caught on to their game decades ago and now played along. Taking a break from their usual blocking thoughts, Emmett about sex with Rose and Rose about her own reflection or remodeling car engines, they would take advantage of Peter's gift to think of Edward held down and ravished by all three Denali women at the same time. Edward had gotten even more skittish around the succubae sisters ever since Rose and Em began that form of mental torture.

As for myself, I was content to remember battlegrounds in excruciating detail, the torn limbs skittering about looking for their owners as they were picked up and haphazardly tossed into the fire, causing screams from dismembered heads lying around or occasionally from somebody in our army who hadn't been quick enough to locate his or her missing limb before it was mistakenly fed to the flames. It was a death sentence to whichever unfortunate vampire that happened, as Maria would order any unfit soldiers to be destroyed after all the enemy's parts were burnt to ash. Not only did these memories disgust and horrify Edward, but they always increased his fear of me as well, seeing firsthand in my mind the atrocities of which I was capable of perpetrating on my fellow vampires.

Needless to say, Edward distinctly hated it whenever Peter and Charlotte came to visit. The mind blocking wasn't the only reason though. I could feel the jealousy, longing, nostalgia, and thirst every time they would return from hunting with their bright crimson eyes. Everyone knew Peter and Charlotte only drank from human monsters or those already on their deathbeds, just as I had taught them, so their hunting habits always brought back Edward's memories of his own rebellious period. He would fondly remember the pleasure of hot human blood, fresh from the vein, accompanied by the chivalrous feeling of saving a damsel in distress from a fate worse than death. He hated that Carlisle and Esme were so accepting of the Whitlocks, enjoying their company and understanding their decision to maintain a human blood diet, though they occasionally supplemented with animals when the situation warranted. Carlisle and Esme accepted the Whitlocks as family, despite the objections of Alice and Edward, thankful to them for saving me from the hell of the Southern Wars and respecting them for not only escaping Maria, but going back for me, risking their own capture to set me free.

Charlotte cleared her throat, bringing me out of my thoughts, and began to tell the others about her experience with Daniel, a head injury victim who had been changed and brought to Maria's camp. "As some of you know, I was changed a few years after World War I, in the spring of 1923. It had been a busy decade for Maria, with a steady influx over the war years of returning soldiers with bad injuries and missing limbs. The Major had found that such men were the perfect vampire soldiers. They came into their new lives already having a sense of discipline, having combat training and wariness, along with strategic thinking and the ability to follow orders without question. Additionally, they were often thrilled to find themselves awakening in bodies restored to full strength and health, without the pain they had become accustomed to bearing. As a result, they were loyal to the ones who allowed them to be men again, rather than the broken cripples many had considered themselves, particularly those who had returned home no longer able to ride a horse, work the fields, or earn their keep by normal means. Most of those had been rejected by their local ladies as unfit for marriage, as they were now unable to provide for a family. With so many loyal, trained veterans gracing the army, Maria was able to conquer large areas of territory. Seeing their worth, she rewarded the best of them by allowing them to live on past their newborn years as an elite group of lieutenants. At the time of my change, she had the largest and most highly skilled army in the south."

Charlotte paused, her hands tightened into fists, warring within herself as she always did whenever she mentioned her own change. I knew what she had endured upon awakening in the changing bunker, with four male newborns waking up alongside her. She was alone with them for a couple of days before Peter found her, recognized her as his mate, and protected her from further harm. Rose squeezed her shoulder in sympathy, knowing as I did which memories were haunting her. They were the same kind that still haunted Rose on occasion. The two women had recognized the shadows in each other's eyes, the wariness and hesitation with which they each greeted the unknown male mate of the other, and found a kindred spirit. They had talked and bonded for days during the first visit, bringing a sense of healing to both women as they faced the world together. They were finally able to recognize how much stronger they were for having not only survived the ordeal itself but having overcome it enough to push past the resultant pain and fear to find joy and comfort in physically intimate relationships with their mates.

Peter took over for her, giving her time to recover, and I felt the gratitude she directed his way. "Because we had so much territory to protect form invaders, Maria often sent the Major and I on reconnaissance missions, looking to intercept scouts from other armies and to watch for trouble on the horizon all around our borders. We were often able to nip things in the bud quickly, saving us from all out war, so we took these missions seriously. Upon returning from one such trip, we discovered one of the lieutenants had brought back a changing man who had been stepped on by a horse. That particular lieutenant had lost both legs in the war and had been overjoyed to be able to walk and run again after his change. He was thankful to be a vampire, despite our harsh existence, because he was whole again. Thus, his first thought upon seeing a man in uniform, drunk off his ass, trip and fall in front of a startled horse, who promptly trampled him, was to restore the dying man to health by changing him. He was unaware of the Major's ban on changing those with head wounds and the reason for that ban."

Peter turned to me, and I sighed as I gave a brief explanation of the experiences I'd had in the past with head injury victims and how they behaved upon being changed. I assured them that those vampires had exhibited the ability to learn and grow mentally, though I was unsure as to what extent the growth could progress, since Maria had always ordered their destruction within a few days of their new lives. Upon realizing Maria wasn't willing to give them a chance, even during times of relative peace, I had issued the ban to prevent any more from being uselessly changed only to be destroyed days later.

"Peter and I returned to camp just before Daniel awoke. While I went in to report to Maria on our mission, Peter went to find Charlotte. Lieutenant Evan was worried he had done something wrong, forgotten some key ingredient or something, having never seen someone go through the change completely still and silent before, so he sought Peter's council as soon as he heard we had returned. Thus, Peter and Charlotte were present when young Daniel awoke. Pete realized what had happened from my previous descriptions and swore Evan to secrecy. He informed me of the situation and together, we took steps to keep Maria from discovering him. To make a long story short, Charlotte spent the majority of her time feeding, teaching, and essentially babysitting Daniel by herself in the bunker where he was changed. Unfortunately, Evan was careless and unwittingly led Maria right to him one day when he came to visit. Maria considered Daniel a liability and was aggravated we had tried to keep him hidden. In punishment, she made Evan kill him, while Pete, Char, and I all watched. Then, I was ordered to kill Evan. I hated to do it - he was a good man, but if I hadn't he would have been killed anyway, along with Peter and Charlotte, and who knows how many others."

"You're a monster!" Edward accused. "How could you be so heartless?"

I growled at him. "You know nothing about what I endured and why! Maria had a gift, you little shit! She could hypnotize you the moment you looked in her eyes to tell her your deepest secrets, whether you wanted to or not! I tried to refuse to fight in her army, to do her dirty work, to kill and change and destroy! She held my family, my human family over my head - my mother and father, my baby brother, and my two little sisters. She threatened to rape and torture them and change them to fight in my place! What would you have done, Edward? Yes, I did many things I wasn't proud of, but I tried to make the best choices I could about whom I changed or killed. I sacrificed my own morality, future, and happiness to protect the ones I loved, and I'd do it again. Who are you to judge me?"

I looked around the table at the reactions I was unconsciously blocking in an instinctive attempt to protect myself. Peter and Charlotte were stoic, their faces blank of expression, as this was nothing new to them, but the rest of the family were shellshocked. I had never told them that part before. Even Alice had never known. The reason it had taken Peter and Charlotte so long to come back for me, was because it had taken that many years to locate and relocate all the descendents of my brother and sisters, hiding their trails to protect them from any retaliation Maria was liable to try when I escaped her grasp. I would be eternally grateful to Pete and Char for what they had done for me and mine, and I was honored they shared my family name.

xxxxxxx

AN: Well, there you have it. Getting to know Peter and Charlotte a little better. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! It gave me the impetus to get this written and published today.