Summary - "Bella is an average girl, struggling with her homosexuality and her life at home. Can the love of not one, but three vampires help show her that she shouldn't be afraid? A/B/R/V".
Author's Notes – Inspired by my dear friend Hollowgo...
This symbol **** Means Flashback, its only going to be used once because of the way chapter 26 ended it will also me italicized.
Rating - Older Teen to Mature
By: WDG and Lash_Larue
The Garden of Four - Chapter Twenty Seven – Push Back…
Bella rolled over with a groan. Smacking her alarm clock to silence it, she heard it crack a little under the pressure. She sighed in relief when the beeping finally stopped ringing in her ears, rubbed her eyes and stared at her ceiling for a moment before getting up to get ready for school.
It was decided yesterday after everyone had left and Charlie and Bella ate some supper that the kids needed to go back to school for a while. They had come up with the story that Bella was with the Cullen's on a trip to visit relatives while Charlie took care of the Cullen's house for them while they were gone.
Bella climbed out of the shower and began to dry off while walking to her room. Pulling on some underwear and a bra she grabbed her clothes for the day. She picked some slightly baggy dark blue jeans with a black belt, and then added a tank top with a red button-up thrown on over the top of it. Racing downstairs she grabbed a pair of boots that Rose had gotten for her. They were tan with steel insoles and toes. 'Great for kicking ass', is what Rose had said when she gave them to Bella. Grabbing a white zip up hoodie with a gold dragon on it she had begun to make a quick healthy breakfast for herself and her father when the sounds of feet coming down the steps alerted her to her father's descent to the kitchen.
Charlie came in decked out in his police uniform, and it seemed a little loose now around the waist, and yet it was starting to fill out a little more with muscles from his work outs and diet. "Hey there old man, you got up looking good this morning. What did you do…did you find my energy drink and take it again?" teased Bella.
Charlie scoffed. "Drink one can of her favorite energy drink and she never lets it go," Charlie teased. Both of them were trying to lighten the mood for the little time they had left before the time to change Charlie came upon them. Bella seemed ready, but still went on hunting trips daily to keep practicing for the upcoming full moon. Charlie had even picked up his pace in the gym and started eating healthier and had been having regular check ups with Carlisle.
Both knew they didn't have very long, not with the vision Alice had seen the week before
*** Carlisle was very excited about Bella's idea to control her bite, and after taking some careful measurements he went to his office to study Charlie's xrays and design the device. He and Rose and Emmett could forge it with no trouble, the Cullens were a multi-talented family.
"I need to get back home and clean the house, I've gotten behind on my housework lately," Bella admitted.
"Okay. See you tomorrow?" Alice asked.
"Count on it. I need to talk with Shelia too, and then we need to set up a meeting with the Quileutes and the lycans to make plans." Bella told her.
"Okay. I love you," Alice said, and she kissed Bella goodbye.
"Love you too, and give my love to Rose and Vic."
Bella left for home, and a few minutes later Alice assumed a faraway look as a vision opened in her mind.
Alice saw the Volturi leaders conferring…
"Something has happened to Jane. She should have reported to us by now," Aro insisted.
"We should just go and deal with the Cullen aberrations once and for all," Caius urged, "they grow too large in numbers, they are a threat."
"They are no real threat," Marcus said lazily. "Doubtless Jane is merely amusing herself by tormenting them. Them or someone else. The Cullens cannot hurt Jane."
"We do not know the full extent of either Edward or Alice Cullen's powers," Aro pointed out, "perhaps one or the other of them can counter Jane?"
"Unlikely," Marcus reiterated.
"I do not trust them. They do not act as vampires should," Caius said bitterly, "imagine actually helping humans, and feeding on beasts."
"Disgusting and unworthy, yes," Aro agreed, but let us not be too quick to destroy them. Edward and Alice would be of inestimable value to us, could we but win them over."
"I say kill the others and let Chelsea bind Edward and Alice to us as she has the rest," Caius pressed.
"Perhaps that will be necessary," Aro allowed, "but I would prefer not to take that path if it can be avoided. We must not be seen to act without just cause."
" 'Just cause', is what we say it is," Caius spat.
"Peace, brother," Marcus said easily, "unless we have news to the contrary, we should assume that Jane is well and simply has not returned for reasons of her own. For a time, that is. The full moon approaches, do you wish to be abroad then?"
That brought Caius up short.
"So we wait, is that our decision?" Aro asked them.
"For now. For a time," Marcus said. "What is a month or so to an immortal? Jane has proved that she can more than take care of herself. And she has lingered away from home for her own reasons before."
"And if she does not return?" Caius questioned.
"Then we shall visit our dear friend Carlisle," Aro said calmly. "All of us. We cannot allow the loss of Jane, if she is indeed lost, which I do not yet believe, to go unpunished. We will try and bind Edward and Alice to us, but if we cannot, and if they have harmed Jane, then the Cullens and any with them shall die. All of them…"
Alice's eyes refocused.
"Oh, fuck," she said aloud.
She went to find Carlisle.***
Bella cleared her mind and patted her old man on the shoulder "Go have a seat dad, and I while bring you some coffee and your plate, okay?" Charlie nodded and moved to the table to sit down. A few seconds later the smell of coffee and food entered his nose as a plate and cup were set down in front of him. Smiling at her, he said, "thanks, Bells."
Bella nodded and had begun to eat her own breakfast and drink her apple juice when her Dad began to speak. "So do you and the others have your story planned out for today at school?"
Bella nodded her head and said "Yeah we're covered."
Charlie nodded in return."Don't forget to make up all the work you missed, I mean I know things have been hectic lately with all this crap that has been going on, but you have a wonderful mind, Bella. Don't let it go to waste by not doing your homework and studying. Just because you have gotten smarter since your change doesn't mean jack, because to become even smarter, first you have to learn."
Bella giggled, "Yes, I know, dad, don't worry. Underneath this big bad wolf thing I have going on I'm still a nerd at heart and love to learn, okay?"
Charlie smiled and said, "That's my girl, always making your old man proud."
Charlie waved goodbye to Bella when the sound of a horn honking outside made itself known. "See ya, kiddo."
Bella waved back, walked outside and climbed into Edward's silver Volvo, sliding into the backseat alongside Alice, Rose, and Victoria while Edward and Jasper sat in the front. It was sort of a tight fit until Bella made herself comfortable in the middle with Alice sitting in her lap, while Rose and Victoria leaned on her two sides.
When they pulled in they could see Emmett and Tanya, who had decided to stay for a while, were already waiting for them in the parking lot. Tanya had signed in as a visiting family member so that she could sit in class with Emmett. Edward pulled up beside Emmett's jeep and parked. He and Jasper climbed out, and being the gentlemen they were they opened the doors for Bella and the other ladies.
When Bella got out she could hear the whispering, and looked around. It had been a while since she had been at school, but after all that had happened she just couldn't really bother herself to care about what they were all saying. Wrapping her arm around Alice's waist, she pulled the pixie-like vampire closer, and kissed her cheek before walking with the rest of her family towards the school building. Bella grinned when she heard the gasps and the whispering start at a faster pace than before, probably spreading the word that Bella Swan had once more been seen kissing Alice Cullen.
It was later on that day when she took time after gym to go and wash up a bit while all the other girls were gone that she had a sense of déjà vu. Bella heard the last voice that she wanted to hear.
"Oh, there you are, Bella," Lauren said with false friendliness. "My, you certainly have made some fast moves with the Cullens haven't you?" She walked to stand in front of Bella, trying to block her path out of the locker room. "Whoa there, Isabella, I am not done talking to you."
Bella restrained a growl; this girl was really beginning to piss her off. Breathing deeply to calm herself, Bella almost choked on her own spit when she smelled arousal - Lauren's arousal. What the hell was wrong with this girl? Didn't she know how to take 'no' for an answer?
Lauren walked right up to Bella and stopped with barely any room between the two of them. "So, honestly Bella, what do the Cullen whores have, that I don't? I mean, sure, I was a little mean when we first met, but come on, it was only a little teasing…" Lauren placed her hands on Bella's shoulders, running them down her arms, feeling the steel muscles beneath the thin button-up.
Bella felt herself shiver in disgust at the touch. Lauren, thinking it was a shiver of desire, moved her hands to Bella's stomach and was about to undo the buttons on the shirt when steel tight grips on her hands stopped her. Bella backed Lauren hard against a locker and pinned the girl there with her hands.
"What do they have that you don't? I can think of two things without even trying – they have class, and they have me. Look, Lauren, I don't like you, and quite frankly you don't turn me on at all. Hell, if anything, you turn me off." Bella snorted at her own joke. "Heck, just thinking about me and you together makes me want to hurl all over my new shoes." Bella shivered again. "Ugh…gives me the creeps…kinda like a never ending nightmare, really."
Bella used her free hand to smack the lockers with a loud wham to get Lauren's attention once more. "So let me make this clear one more time, I will never date you. I am with Alice, Rose and Victoria now, and if I ever hear you call them whores again, you won't be leaving this school without a call for 911, do you hear me?"
Lauren cut her eyes over to the hand print Bella had made in the steel of the locker door, and in that moment realized that she had less than no chance with Bella Swan.
"Yes, Bella," she whispered in resignation, "I hear you."
Bella strode out of the locker room, leaving Lauren rubbing her sore hands, and wishing that she had done things differently.
"Have you ever tried to change when the moon wasn't right, Shelia?" Bella asked.
"A few times, but just out of curiosity. Bella, I've spent my entire life since I was changed trying to control the wolf. The wolf killed my parents. I have spent hundreds of years cherishing every human moment. Well, as much of a human moment as I can have," Shelia told her. Alicia rubbed circles on her mate's back, but kept silent.
"Shelia, it's not your fault that you got bitten. It's not even your fault what happened to your parents. I've talked with Carlisle about it, you were young, and you were scared, and you wanted them with you. You didn't have anyone to help you. You need to forgive yourself and accept who and what you are," Bella said gently.
"Bella is right, love. You have helped hundreds of people who have been turned. You helped me. You saved me. It's time to think of yourself. It's time for you to love you, like I love you, and all of the people at the school love you," Alicia insisted.
"And I love you too, Shelia," Bella told her. "You gave me a gift. Not one many would want, true. But it was right for me, and I am happy with my new life, with my mates, with my new family. You don't need to be afraid of the wolf anymore; she is just a part of you."
"I want to believe you both…" Shelia whispered, "but to welcome the wolf – it goes against everything I have worked for."
"Then welcome her because I need you, I need your help," Bella urged. "The Volturi are coming. Not today, not even next week. But they are coming to kill my family and my mates, and me. They will not stop until they have wiped out the lycans and the werewolves and the shifters. We can stop them this time, stop them forever, but I need your help, I need another alpha. Will you try?"
Shelia nodded; she gathered her strength and summoned the wolf.
Shelia trembled and shook, her skin rippled, her hair turned blue-white and her eyes burned like blue fire, her limbs cracked and changed… and then it stopped.
Bella looked at her for a moment, feeling her pain, her uncertainty, and then Bella shook violently, her bones shattered, and agonizing minutes later where there had been a beautiful young woman there was an enormous white wolf. The lycans at the school all fell to their knees, all except for Shelia, who was trapped between human and lycan form, unable to move.
"Am I your alpha?" Bella asked.
"Yes," Shelia choked out, her throat constricted and distorted.
"Then join me. Embrace the wolf! I command it!"
Shelia shook violently for a fraction of a second, and then melted seamlessly into her pure lycan form.
Not even the best of the Quileutes could have shifted faster.
Shelia was magnificent. Smaller than Bella, and leaner, she was still bigger than any of the Quileutes. She was whiter even than Bella, silver-tinged, ancient and strong.
"Thank you for freeing me," Shelia said, and she bent her knees and lowered her head.
"You are more than I dared to hope for. The two of us will scare the Volturi witless," Bella said with a deep chuckle.
"Not just the two of us," Shelia replied, "look!"
Bella followed Shelia's gaze, and saw no less than a dozen shining lycans in pure wolf form, and several in the intermediate stage. As she stared in amazement, one of them just a bit smaller than Shelia trotted over to her and nuzzled Shelia's flank.
"I like this," Alicia declared.
"So do we," chorused the others.
"We are so going to kick their asses…" Bella said in amazement.
All of them pointed their muzzles to the sky, and howled in pure joy.
Back in LaPush, ears pricked, and teeth were bared, and the Quileutes out on patrol howled in response.
"Bella?" Alice's voice sounded in her mind.
Bella spoke clearly to her family and pack members "All is fine, just grabbing a little more team members to to Push back with, let Ario try to come and fight us"
End Chapter 27