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 Eight – Like Daughter Like Father
"How can you change so fast?" Bella asked Shelia as she stared at her unexpected allies.
"Centuries of experience," Shelia told her, "but I have to admit that this was faster and easier than usual. Your command seemed to help. Alicia, was it the same for you?"
"Indeed it was, I never intended to even try and change at all. I have never been able to change without the moon before. Neither have any of these others, whether pure wolf form or intermediate," Alicia answered. The assembled lycans expressed agreement. It was a novel experience to have changed absent the moon, to be wolf in broad daylight, and they were all excited.
"I want to run," Bradley said, and there were various yips and chuffs of agreement.
"Might as well see what we've got," Bella acknowledged, and she sped off into the forest.
It soon became apparent that Shelia was even faster than Bella, while Alicia was a tad slower. The other lycans straggled out behind them, and in time Bella called them to a halt. They gathered around her, panting happily.
"We believe that the Volturi are coming soon. They want my mate and my brother, and once they figure out that we killed some of them they'll want revenge. If they discover you they'll try and kill you too, but I promise that they will not learn about you from any of us. Will you fight with me against the Volturi?" she asked them all.
Shelia touched the minds of her pack.
"Of course you knew that I and Alicia would, Bella, but the rest of the pack will as well. It is time to stop running from the Volturi," Shelia informed her.
"They won't know what hit them, thanks guys," Bella told them. "We will meet later, Shelia, Alicia. I need to consider plans, and consult with Alice and Carlisle. All of us, vampire, lycan, and shifter, will meet before the battle."
"And Charlie?" Shelia asked.
"The sooner the better, will you be there to help me? To help Charlie?"
"I will," Shelia promised. "I will also be present for his first change, today has convinced me that contact with an alpha will make it easier. If we are both present, we may be able to spare him much pain."
Bradley barked in agreement, he really liked Charlie.
Bella nuzzled Shelia with her snout, and gave both her and Alicia an affectionate lick.
"I'll be in touch soon." Bella raised her head high, and gazed at the assembled lycans. "I am proud to be one of you, I'll see you soon."
Bella raced away, and the lycans all howled in farewell.
"Tonight?" Bella replied in shock to what Charlie had just told her.
"No time like the present," he confirmed, "Carlisle has everything ready, I'm ready, I'm all signed out from the office for the next week. Might as well get it done."
"What if I'm not ready?" Bella countered.
"Bells, you're gonna be scared if we wait a year. Carlisle says the thing he made works well, he's as confident as he can be about it. I know I may not have time for my first change before the Volturi arrive, but I want to be healed up, and I want to be stronger and faster. Hell, at least I want to be able to run away," he told her, his eyes crinkling with the smile.
Bella's heart clinched at the smile she loved so much, and she was once again struck by how much her father loved her. She squared her shoulders and nodded.
"Okay then," she agreed. Charlie reached out and mussed her hair.
"It'll be fine, kid, you'll see. I gotta go shave my leg," he turned and headed for the stairs, but called back over his shoulder. "There's no need to tell Emmett about that last part, right?"
"Right dad," she agreed. Charlie went upstairs and Bella walked into the living room in a daze and collapsed on the couch. An instant later cool arms encircled her, and the scent of her mates calmed her.
"I'll be right with you Bella," Alice promised, "so will Shelia, and Rose and Vic will be right outside."
"We'd be in there too," Victoria explained, "but you don't need a crowd of vampires in there, there is going to be blood."
"Oh, right," Bella acknowledged, "Alice, will you be okay with that?"
"Carlisle made me some nose plugs that will block most of the scent of the blood, and we'll have to get out as soon as you've delivered the bite anyway, so Carlisle can get to work. I'll be fine, and I need to be with you," Alice told her.
Bella pulled Rose and Vic closer, and Alice curled up in her lap. They held one another in silence for a while.
"I don't deserve all of you," Bella whispered, "but I can't live without you now."
"Good thing you won't have to, then," Rose said as she kissed Bella's cheek.
"It's time to go to school," Victoria sighed.
The biology teacher had to call Bella's name three times before she responded.
"Are you ill or something, Ms. Swan? You don't usually pay so little attention in class," he asked when he was finally sure she was listening.
"No, sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind, I guess."
"I see, well please try and put at least part of your mind to work in class, would you?"
"Sure, sorry," she repeated, "what was the question?"
The whole day was like that. Bella didn't even complain about Victoria's driving on the way home.
Charlie was waiting in the living room with Carlisle and Esme when they arrived; they were shortly joined by Edward, Jasper, and Emmett.
"Hi girls," Charlie greeted them, "Ed, Jasper, moose…"
Emmett had no smartass answer, and he couldn't hide the worry on his face.
"Lighten up, Emmett," Charlie said kindly, "you aren't getting out of me schooling you on the court once I get all wolfed up."
"You wish, old man," was the best Emmett could do, Bella hugged him.
Shelia and Alicia arrived.
"Go and eat, Bella," Shelia told her.
"I'm not hungry," Bella protested.
"I don't care," Shelia countered, "you're the alpha, but I'm the senior lycan here, and I know what I'm talking about. Carlisle and I have planned everything, and there is a reason for all of it."
"I made Italian," Esme said hopefully.
"She sure did, and it smells great," Charlie spoke up. "I can't have anything to eat until this is done, so get busy, and mind your elders, Bells. I know you're nervous, but it will all be fine, Alice told me so."
"Okay dad," Bella submitted, grateful for Charlie's usual confident manner.
"I'll be right there, Bella," Alice promised, and Bella went into the kitchen with Rose, Vic, and Esme.
"Let's go get set up, Charlie," Carlisle told him, "it never takes Bella long to look at a meal." He smiled, hoping to break the growing tension. Charlie swallowed and stood, Alice gave him a hug that made him groan a bit.
"You know my vision wasn't all that clear," she mouthed silently to him.
"Yeah, but Bella doesn't need to know that," he replied in kind. Carlisle and Charlie headed upstairs along with Jasper, who was using his gift to help steady Charlie's nerves. Once Charlie was sedated he would spend a few moments with Bella.
The event had been carefully planned, despite the shorter than anticipated time frame.
"This is great Mom, thanks," Bella said around a mouthful of food. The taste of the meal had made Bella realize that she really was hungry, and for a brief time she forgot to worry as she fed the appetite that her nerves had been building all day.
"Have some more," Shelia encouraged. Shelia wanted Bella as full as she could get her. She didn't want to have to worry about genuine hunger on top of everything else.
"Tiramisu?" Esme asked when she collected the empty dishes.
"Oh God, I love that stuff, but I don't think I have any room," Bella groaned. Esme's face fell. "Okay," Bella said when she saw the disappointment on her new mother's face, "I can't resist your cooking, Mom." Esme beamed, and in an instant was serving Bella a huge slice of the rich dessert. She left the cake on the table.
"Five hundred bucks says you can't eat it all," Emmett challenged.
"Emmett, that's mean," Rose protested. Emmett shrugged.
"She can do it or she can't," he said carelessly, "I'm not sure she's got the balls, though."
"I don't actually have balls, Emmett," Bella told him, "not the usual kind, anyhow. I bet mine is bigger than yours, though."
"Could be," Emmett admitted with a grin, "but I don't think either one of us wants to check on that, right?" Bella shuddered.
"Nope, some questions are best left unanswered. Balls or no, though, I'm gonna finish off this cake!"
She set to with a will.
Esme smiled, the entire thing had of course been a setup, from the menu to the teasing. It served both to be sure that Bella was not hungry, and to distract her from upcoming events. Bella suspected that was the case, but had decided to trust her family and friends and go along with it.
Besides, the cake was incredible, and she really did think hers was bigger.
"All set, Charlie," Carlisle assured him as he opened the flow on the IV, "when you wake up you'll be on your way to immortality.
"And better hair, I hope," Charlie joked. He started feeling a little fuzzy-headed. "If it goes wrong, if I – if I die. Take care of her, Carlisle, okay?" he whispered as the darkness descended.
"I give you my word, Charlie," Carlisle replied, "but it won't go wrong…"
Charlie's eyes closed.
"We're ready here," Carlisle told Jasper, "go and spend a little time with Bella. Bring her when you've done what you can." Jasper nodded and left.
There had been some changes to the room where Bella had undergone her first change, the most noticeable being a door on one wall. This door only opened from inside this room, and it was very heavy steel. If necessary, Shelia, Alice, and Carlisle were going to force Bella through it and into the room beyond where all of the other Cullens waited, ready to restrain Bella if need be. There was also a large tub of ice water in the room and powerful filters to remove the smell of blood.
They had done all they could to prepare, but in the end it all turned on Bella.
Being the alpha came at a price.
Bella didn't see Jasper enter the room, but felt a sense of calm flooding through her. She turned and smiled at him.
"It's time, huh?" she asked him as he gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Whenever you're ready, yes," Jasper said gently.
"Brush your teeth first," Shelia advised, "unless you want to turn him into an Italian lycan."
"Funny, Shelia. Carlisle already gave me some special mouthwash to use. Easier to brush before I change, I guess. Alicia, are you going to change too?"
"I think so, I'll probably need some help, though. Shelia can do it on her own now; I'm still having problems with it."
"I'll help you baby," Shelia told her, "we don't want to put any pressure on Bella just now."
Actually, she didn't want to wake up the alpha in Bella. Not at all.
"Come on," Alice said, and she took Bella's hand and led her up the stairs to her bathroom. Jasper trailed at a discreet distance.
"Almost showtime," Shelia said, "everybody ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Emmett said shortly.
Shelia trembled violently for a brief time, and then there was an alpha lycan in the room. Victoria whistled softly.
None of them had ever seen Shelia in her intermediate form, she was as tall as Bella in that form, but leaner, like she was in her pure wolf form. Where Bella's muscles were massive, Shelia's were rangy, and despite the soft white fur covering them they were quite distinct.
"Damn," Rose said appreciatively to Alicia, "she's ripped." Alicia smiled in agreement.
"Ready?" Shelia asked her mate, and Alicia indicated that she was.
"Change!" commanded the oldest lycan alpha in the world, and Alicia shifted nearly seamlessly to her own intermediate form. She looked almost dainty beside Shelia, shorter, not so starkly muscular, but she gave of an undeniable air of power.
"You ever try Bella when she was in that form?" Rose asked Victoria.
"Not yet, haven't had time. But I'm gonna, Alice said it was incredible," Victoria answered.
"She was already incredible," Rose pointed out.
"Yep. Just imagine… may I?" Victoria asked, her hand near Alicia's shoulder.
"Of course," Alicia replied, and Victoria ran her hand down the shining fur.
"I'm glad I've got my own lycan chick, 'cause I have to admit it, that fur feels good."
"It's not just the fur," Shelia promised, "but let's get our minds on business now. We can all flirt later."
The group headed up the stairs, the time for joking around was past.
"There are male lycans, aren't there?" Edward asked Emmett, his eyes on Shelia's rear end.
"Guess so. They still smell funny to me, but I have to admit that they are kind of interesting," Emmett answered. "Don't tell Tanya I said that."
"As long as you don't tell Jasper."
"Deal."
They all dealt with their nerves in their own way. Esme brought up the rear, mouthing a prayer she remembered from her childhood.
"I guess I can't put this off any longer," Bella said as she stared into the mirror.
"It will be fine," Alice assured her.
"Promise?" Alice didn't hesitate, if it turned out badly she would deal with it then.
"Promise, now bring me my pretty furry girl…"
Bella changed.
"Let's go, love," Alice said, and she briefly embraced her huge mate. Bella was comforted by her cold strength.
"What's all over his leg?" Bella asked when Carlisle let her, Alice, and Shelia into the operating room.
"Antiseptics and disinfectants," Carlisle answered. "Generally speaking a lycan's mouth is much more sanitary than a human's but bacteria are everywhere, as are viruses. There is no sense taking a chance."
"He won't feel it?" Bella asked further.
"Not a thing," Carlisle assured her. "Here is your bite guard, I'll help you position your jaws, you can even close your eyes if you want to."
Bella looked at her father's face. It was hidden behind an oxygen mask, but he was obviously deeply asleep. Apart from his face and his right arm, which had several tubes plugged into it, the only bit of him she could see was his left thigh, which looked odd with its deep red coloring from the antiseptic solutions.
"I'm afraid the antiseptic has a rather unpleasant taste," Carlisle said apologetically.
In fact, it had an extremely unpleasant taste, and that was by design.
"No matter, we're not here to have fun," Bella replied, and she took in a huge breath. "I'm ready."
Carlisle watched as Bella fitted the metal appliance in the back of her jaws, she gingerly closed her mouth until she felt the resistance of the hard alloy. She nodded to Carlisle, speaking was extremely awkward with the device in place.
Carlisle helped her to place her jaws around Charlie's leg, the antiseptic was very bitter, and saliva flowed freely into Bella's mouth. That was what carried the organisms that caused the change.
"Slowly, Bella," Carlisle said gently, "just close your mouth slowly until you reach the guard. That's all it will take."
Bella closed her eyes, and her jaws slid together, the teeth effortlessy cutting through skin and muscle. Hot blood welled out around her teeth, and filled her mouth…
A thunderous growl rose from her chest, blowing bubbles in the flowing blood. The metal screeched as her teeth closed on it, she growled again as the blood trickled down her throat, and her mind went blank as she struggled to close her jaws completely.
Carlisle was undecided, he could try and pull her jaws apart, but if Bella shook her head she would do terrible, possibly fatal damage. The great head twisted, and blood fountained into the air.
"Bella, STOP!" commanded Shelia. "Release him at once! OBEY!"
The alpha command was issued with centuries of power behind it, and although Bella's power was greater, she was new, and she simply could not ignore the command.
She could, however, resent it, and when she released Charlie's leg she turned on Shelia and snarled, the blood dripping from her jaws.
She launched herself at Shelia, only to be knocked aside by a tiny, marble-hard body. Alice wrapped her legs around Bella's waist and dug her fingers into the fur along her jaws.
"Bella, calm down," Alice commanded, and she kissed the bloody mouth. "Calm down, love." Shelia pushed open the door, and Victoria and Rosalie entered and embraced the shivering Bella. The scent of her mates overwhelmed the taste of the blood and the challenge of the other alpha.
"Get me out of here," she begged, and Rose, Vic, and Alice escorted her into the other room where Jasper waited to help her. Emmett went in to check on Charlie.
"Not too bad," muttered Carlisle as he worked on Charlie's thigh.
"That was close," Shelia said to Alicia, who had joined her.
"It was perfect," Alicia corrected, "you were wonderful, darling."
"Is the smell of the blood going to cause trouble for you, Emmett?" Carlisle asked him bluntly.
"Smells like my friend, not dinner. What can I do to help?"
Carlisle handed him a tube.
"Keep irrigating the wound while I patch this up, Bella nicked the femoral artery a little."
"Shit," muttered Emmett.
"It will be fine," Carlisle promised as he worked rapidly, "I've already got it, I'll give him some blood, but he's in no danger."
Being a vampire, Emmett of course could not cry, but his hands shook a little as he helped take care of his friend.
"I owe you big, Shelia," Bella told her as she lay panting in her mates' embrace. Her fur was dripping wet from dunking her head in the ice water to clear the blood from her mouth.
"Let's just call it even, okay? After all, you didn't kill me," Shelia said with a shaky smile.
Bella smiled and collapsed back into her mates' arms as they waited on news of her father's condition. It was long after she had finally calmed down that Rose left and came back with some shorts and shirts for all the lycans present in the room.
Pulling the clothes on, Bella was the first to walk out to see her father lying there in a peaceful state of rest, everything already cleaned up and looking normal, expect for the stitches on his thigh. Bella frowned a little, knowing it would leave a scar on her father. Victoria placed a cool hand on Bella's neck, "Hey, he is a fighter, plus a scar might make him feel more like a looker to the ladies," she said with a wink. Bella tried to grin, but she still felt bad that she was the one to leave the scar.
Walking out of the room and down the hall to the stairs, she began her descent along with the rest of the girls and Jasper, who was still sending out waves of calm. Bella was the first off the steps, but waited behind for Jasper. She patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thanks, Jazzy, it's nice to have a brother like you," hugging him, Bella breathed in his scent and then let him go to sit beside his mate. Edward nodded his head to Bella before pulling Jasper closer to him.
Alice had left to hunt, because she had been in the room longer with Bella when the blood had been shed, nose plugs or no. She loved Charlie, but still his blood made her throat burn with the ever present thirst that made her what she was. Bella sat between Rose and Victoria, her arms moving to pull them both closer to her sides. Nuzzling first Rose, then Vic, she tried her best to stay calm and wait out her father's resting stage.
"So now we just wait."
End Chapter 28