Chapter 29 - Stirring up Trouble

The three couples dragged themselves down the stairs, still smoothing their hair and adjusting their clothing in front of Bella's curious eyes. I raised an eyebrow, causing Carlisle and Esme to be embarrassed, though they'd been the most discreet of the three. The others simply shrugged smugly, their emotions shouting, 'Ha, at least we're getting some.' Bastards. I rolled my eyes and sent those four the 'Oh, shit!' feeling I'd had when Bella called me out on my slip about her knowing us as a human. They looked at me in alarm, wondering if I was just messing with them or if they should truly be concerned.

"What's the matter, Major?" Peter demanded.

"Did something happen while you were hunting?" Carlisle asked, noting Bella's disturbed expression.

Slowly, I nodded.

"Oh, no! What happened?" Esme cried.

"I smelled really yummy blood, but Jasgrr wouldn't let me have any. He said the smell was coming from human babies and that I couldn't drink from humans because they aren't food. But Momma and Papa drink from humans, so they must be food, right? Then Jasgrr told me I used to be a human but none of you drank from me, even though my blood smelled really yummy, yummier than what I smelled today," Bella explained. "None of this makes sense. I'm a vampire, not a human, so how could I be a human before, and why couldn't I drink from the yummy humans like Momma and Papa do?"

I smirked as I was hit with a tidal wave of emotions from the six of them, all comparable to what I'd been feeling earlier when she first hit me with her questions.

"Way to open your big fat mouth, JasGRRR," Emmett snarled, emphasizing the growl at the end of my new name. I knew he was upset with me, so I sent him a little remorse to let him know it was unintentional.

"We don't drink from innocent humans, Bella," Peter tried to explain, attempting to defend their dietary choices. He knew what was coming and what he would have to do for her sake, but he was still in denial. "And we never drink from human children or babies."

"There was a girl scout troupe out for a campout nearby. They heard us, but they never saw us, so they just figured it was bears or wolves. It was pretty close though. We're talking less than a second before it would have been too late," I informed them.

"Oh, my!" Esme gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and staring at us with compassion filled eyes.

"We only drink from the bad humans, Bella," Char informed her.

"How do you know which ones are bad?" she asked curiously. "Do they smell different?"

"The bad ones like hurting others of their kind, they laugh and think it's fun or funny to hurt other people, either physically or emotionally. They enjoy causing others pain," Char tried to explain.

Bella stared at her blankly, having no frame of reference for that type of behavior in her short vampire existence.

"Maybe we should let her watch television?" Emmett suggested. "So she can understand how humans behave?"

"Actually, I doubt most television would encourage her to spare the humans. It would be more likely to encourage her to help us cull the herd. Somehow, I doubt she'd be impressed with them based on Geraldo or Judge Judy, and the latest creepy thriller on HBO might just convince her the wolves and mountain lions are cuter and more worth saving than the human race," Peter muttered grumpily.

Carlisle and Esme glared at him. "You're really not helping, Peter," Esme warned. He had the decency to look sheepish.

Carlisle leveled him with a speaking stare. "I think it's time for Momma and Papa to embrace hunting for animals and agree in front of Bella that humans aren't food, no matter how good they smell."

"Do we have to?" Peter whined, pouting.

"No, you could decide to take an extended vacation somewhere else in the world instead," Carlisle suggested meaningfully.

"We'll do it," Charlotte agreed emphatically. She gave Bella a tense smile. "Humans aren't food, Bella, dear. Papa and I will be learning to hunt animals right alongside you, okay, sweetie?"

"Okay," Bella agreed, somewhat reluctantly, but unable to continue to raise objections now that her main argument no longer applied.

Carlisle and Esme relaxed a bit and beamed happily at Peter and Charlotte, who were now feeling decidedly glum.

"Rose, dear, I think it's time for you to go get the things you saved from Bella's room before we left Forks, now that she wants to know about her human life," Esme decided. Rose nodded and hurried off to pull the box out from wherever she'd been storing it.

Dismissing the others, Rose and Esme sat down on the couch, with Bella between them, and went through the box of memories, telling Bella everything they knew about her past. They chose to skim over and minimize her relationships with Alice and Edward. Esme told her she fell from a cliff to the rocks below, and Jasper had changed her when he found her, broken and dying. By unspoken agreement, neither mentioned her heartache or suicide.

xxxxxxx

While Rose and Esme talked to Bella about her human past, Carlisle decided it would be a good time to address the family's future. He closed himself up in his study, sat down behind his desk, and dialed Alice's cell phone.

He quickly discovered that both Alice's and Edward's cell phones connected to the family plan went straight to voicemail. He wasn't sure what the reception was like in Italy for their carrier, so it wasn't that they probably got new cell phones. Carlisle was disappointed though, that he didn't have their new private numbers. He would have to try to reach them by going through the Volturi's switchboard.

"Thank you for calling Volturi Enterprises! This is Gianna speaking. How may I direct your call?" a woman's cheerful voice chirped annoyingly.

"Hello, Gianna, this is Carlisle Cullen calling. I'm trying to reach Edward Masen or Alice Brandon, please."

"Hmmm, let me see. Looks like they have the same number. They must be sharing a room. One moment, please."

In a vacant room in the Volturi castle, a phone rang over and over again, ignored by most, but alerting the brothers that someone was trying to reach the psychic or the mind reader.

When the phone wasn't answered, the call kicked back to the switchboard.

"I'm sorry, sir, but they're not answering their phone right now. Could somebody else help you?"

Carlisle was concerned about this turn of events. He couldn't imagine why Alice would choose to ignore a phone call from him, not if she wanted to get back in his good graces. She would have seen that he was going to call and answered on the first ring. For the first time, he began to seriously question his firm belief in Aro's goodness. Could Peter be right? Had he given his children over into the care of the devil?

"Yes, let me speak to Aro, please," Carlisle agreed grimly.

Expecting the former call to be rerouted to him, Aro picked up immediately.

"Hello, Aro, speaking."

"Aro, this is Carlisle. I was calling to check in with my children, but neither one answered the phone. Could you please get one or both of them on the line for me?" Carlisle's tone was deadly serious.

"Oh, I would love to oblige you, dear friend, however I'm afraid that would not be possible, as they are away from the castle at the moment."

"Why? I thought they were going to be kept close and not sent out on any missions," Carlisle replied, a faint, but distinct edge to his voice.

Aro chuckled. "Relax, Carlisle, I haven't sent them out on a mission. They are simply out hunting, as I find it distinctly less appealing to have their meals delivered than my own."

"My apologies, Aro. Thank you for allowing them to maintain their diet. When do you expect them back?"

Aro chuckled again. "I'm not entirely certain. I suppose if Alice were here I could ask her, but since she isn't, your guess is as good as mine. Remember they are newly mated though, so they tend to get a bit lost in each other. I'll be sure to let them know you called when they return."

"I see. Well, do you know their new cell phone numbers?"

"No, I don't bother with such trivialities, dear boy. If I need to speak to someone, Gianna gets them on the line for me. I'm sure Alice and Edward will inform you of their new numbers when they return your call. Is there anything else, Carlisle? Heidi has just arrived with dinner."

"No, that's all for now. Thank you, Aro," Carlisle muttered unhappily.

"Ciao!" Aro offered cheerfully and then ended the call before Carlisle could reply.

Aro looked down at the box beside his throne with a frown. "So, your former father is looking to speak with you. I wonder why. What have you seen, Alice?"

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile, back with Charlie and the wolves . . .

"You know, I understand the reasoning behind making me think Bella was dead, giving me closure and all that, but why did they make it look like she committed suicide? Why not a car accident or something?" Charlie remarked to his seatmates, Billy and Jacob. Paul was over across the aisle, staring broodingly out the window.

"She really did commit suicide, Charlie," Billy replied sadly, looking over at his friend. "One of the Cullens changed her before she died."

"What?" Charlie cried, flinching at the thought. "I thought . . ."

Jacob glumly explained, "I saw it all in Sam's head. It was awful."

Charlie did a double take as he processed that statement. "You want to run that by me again, son?"

Jacob lifted his head, looking at Charlie in confusion.

"You saw it in Sam's head?" Charlie enlightened him.

Jacob blushed and looked away before stuttering, "Uh, y-yeah. Um, the wolves can read each other's minds, but only when we're in wolf form."

Charlie raised his eyebrows, but simply nodded. "Alright, son. I'm with you. What did you see in Sam's head?"

Jacob covered his face with his hands and let out a sob. "The young blond man, the scarred warrior, was the one who changed her. He let Sam come and see her injuries to prove he was saving her, at least in his perspective. She shot herself in the head - Sam could see the entrance and exit wounds. Her neck, spine, and limbs were all broken, bent in odd directions. There was blood everywhere, though the leech didn't seem at all bothered by it. He'd filled her with his venom, pouring it into her open wounds and sealing them shut. He hadn't bit her, so he technically didn't break the treaty."

They heard a bang and looked over to see Paul with his fist clenched on the tray table in front of him, glaring at them with black eyes. His hands shook with the occasional tremor, but he seemed to still be in control.

"Paul disagreed with Sam's decision to let them go. He thinks they should have killed them anyway, even though the leeches didn't bite her. Sam did consider it, but the leech did something weird where he was able to project emotions and let Sam feel what they felt for Bella. He also showed him that Carlisle loved her like a daughter, and his love was similar to yours, even in intensity, so Sam decided to give them a chance."

"Well, if they loved her so much, why did she commit suicide? It doesn't add up - there's something missing from the story," Charlie mused. "I'll bet my badge it has to do with Edward. That little shit did something, just like she indicated in her suicide note. That's why he wasn't the one who changed her when she was dying. The little bastard better not be living happily with her now, or I'll torch him myself!"

Paul smiled grimly, satisfied that somebody was finally thinking clearly. If it were up to him, they'd be barbequing every leech they could find.

"Good point," Jacob murmured, appearing thoughtful. "Sam didn't see or smell that Edward asshole anywhere in the vicinity, but the three Cullens who were there were distraught over her suicide. I really don't think they were faking their sobs and wails of agony, so I guess they must actually care about her. Then again, this is Bella we're talking about, right? Who wouldn't love her?"

Paul snorted. He didn't love her. He thought she was a brainless twit. What kind of girl willingly associated with creatures of the night? What animal goes willingly and knowingly to the slaughter? Yet the idiotic girl practically offered herself up on a silver platter. There was clearly some kind of debilitating disconnect in her brain impairing her natural survival instincts. In his opinion, it was good she was unable to procreate now. The world didn't need more people like her, fools who rushed in where angels feared to tread. As far as he was concerned, people like her deserved to get eaten, simply survival of the fittest as nature intended, and he sincerely hoped they'd find her messing up, so he could kill her without protest from the other three.

It was good the other three were unaware of his thoughts, or he would have been thoroughly thrashed. As it was, Paul zoned out into his own little world, not paying any attention to the conversation of the men across the aisle. This too was good, as it would only have angered him, which would have been a very dangerous situation. Paul had the least control over his temper and phasing of all the wolves, so angering him on an airplane would be a catastrophe. Content to leave Paul to wallow in his own thoughts, the other three carried on their conversation without any attempt to include him.

Charlie decided to bring up something else he'd considered, relating to previous discussions they'd already had on the subject. "You know, once you start to think about it, there are so many ways for vampires to feed not only without hurting anyone, but also fulfilling a service at the same time."

"How so?" Billy asked warily.

"Well, the undertaker drains the blood out of people before the funeral as part of the embalming process, right? No doubt the blood is too old by then and has started to decay, but what if the vamps paid the hospitals to drain the patients as soon as they are pronounced dead? I mean, for the hospitals to drain the patients and sell the supply to the vampires. It would save the undertaker a step, preserve the bodies better, prevent waste and disposal issues, provide food for the vamps that doesn't hurt anyone, and the amount of money obtained from the blood could be used to offset either the medical or funeral expenses, directly benefiting the family members of the one who died. Plus, the family of the deceased gets the benefit of knowing part of their loved one went toward sustaining the life of another person, just like when the deceased has donated their organs for transplant."

"I wouldn't consider giving their blood to feed a vampire in the same light as donating their heart to someone in need of a transplant," Billy protested.

Charlie shrugged. "Why not? Sure it's a much more fleeting benefit, lasting days rather than years, but the deceased's blood isn't going to do him any good anymore and is going to be drained out before the funeral anyway. Why not put it to good use, instead of wasting it and poisoning the land and ground water with it when disposing of it? It's recycling at it's finest."

Billy shook his head, disgruntled, but unable to come up with a suitable argument against it.

"The Cullens don't drink human blood like normal vampires," Jacob interjected. "They drink animal blood."

Charlie raised in eyebrows in shock. "Really? Is that why all the guys who prefer hunting to fishing have been complaining lately that the deer population is much lower than it has been in the past?"

"Probably," Jacob snickered. "Of course, the wolves have been eating them too. We burn a ton of calories each time we phase, and it can get rather expensive to feed us, so we try to offset it by hunting while we're out on patrol."

Charlie nodded. "That makes sense. Poor Earl didn't catch but two deer for the whole season last spring. I had to hear about it for months."

Jacob snickered again, while Billy chuckled.

"Well, shoot, if they want animal blood, there's a huge abundance of it likely going to waste already, unless the vampires have already figured out about it," Charlie happily declared. "Do you know how many cows, pigs, sheep, chicken, and turkeys are slaughtered on a daily basis in this country, to provide us humans with our meat? That's gallons upon gallons of blood being drained every day. Why should it go to waste? Hell, it's much better for the vampires to drink it than to dump it wherever the slaughterhouses do currently. Just think what a benefit it would be for our environment."

Billy and Jacob stared at him openmouthed in shock. They shook their heads in unison before smiling at each other. They could both feel themselves being slowly won over to the 'dark side', of accepting vampires and their diets, by Charlie's calm, rational, logical arguments as to the benefits vampires could provide and the purpose they likely served in the grand scheme of things. The way Charlie kept presenting it, there really did seem to be some reasoning behind vampires and humans forming a partnership, with benefits to both sides.

The men remained quiet, each lost in thought for the remainder of the trip. Before they knew it, they had landed in Alaska, obtained a rental car, driven to Denali, and checked into a hotel. The two wolves ran out into the forest looking for vampire scents, while the humans rested in their hotel room.

A few hours later, the wolf boys came racing back to the room, pounding on the door in excitement. Charlie hurried to let them in before they accidentally did some damage, and they enthusiastically announced, "We found them! We traced the vampire tracks to a large house in the woods and there's a whole bunch of them holed up there. We followed the road back here, so we'd know how to get there by car."

The four of them loaded into the SUV they had rented and made their way along the roadways to the secluded house, their hearts racing with fear, anticipation, and trepidation. After what seemed like forever, they finally pulled up in front of a large, beautiful, manor style house. They stared up at it for a few minutes, before forcing themselves to get out of the car. Charlie grabbed Billy's wheelchair out of the trunk, while Jacob pulled his father out of the passenger seat. Once Billy was settled in his chair, they turned to see the front door swinging open. Ready or not, the moment had come.