A/N: Okay so I'm late, I know, but technically I promised I would update on Wednesday, I didn't say which Wednesday. But in all seriousness, life has been difficult lately. Long story short, I started college and it's a huge time guzzler, so since it's the holidays, I thought I would drop a chapter your way. So, without further ado: I present:
Chapter Twenty Three
Dana POV
"Today's the day!" I crowed happily, bouncing on the spot.
"Dana, settle down," Jasper said, though he too was smiling.
"But I'm so excited! Alice went to get Bella and she said everything would be fine!"
"Yes, I know exactly how excited you are but you need to settle down so I can coach you through this."
"But Alice said it would be fine."
"I know that too, but this is just precautionary. Now would you please sit down?"
"Okay," I sat down right where I was and looked up at him expectantly.
Jasper shook his head at my antics and sat down in front of me.
"First of all," he started. "Humans smell a lot better than animals so you'll have the thirst to war with."
"That's why we went hunting last night," I piped up.
"Yes, but the thirst will still be there."
I nodded studiously. "I will not bite my only friend."
"Good. Determination is good," he nodded approvingly. "The other thing you have to keep in mind is your strength. Bella is delicate and breaks easily, as easily as your pencils, so if you're even able to be that near her, handle her gently."
"Like when I was a kid, my dad got me a chicken egg to raise. When the baby chicken hatched, he said to handle him gently 'cause he's really delicate."
"Exactly like that," he said. "Perfect analogy, Bella is a baby chick, so handle her gently."
"Bella's a what-now?" came a voice from the stairs.
"Hi, Emmett," I called. "Jasper's coaching me, and I used the baby chick analogy."
"Today's the day is it?" he asked.
"Yep! Alice went to get Bella," my excitement was coming back full force. Damn crazy newborn emotions; they just hit you like a wrecking ball.
"Dana, I said settle down," said Jasper. "Or do I have to settle you down?"
I giggled. "You sound like a dad."
He stared at me, wide-eyed.
Emmett laughed. "Check out Daddy Jazz, crackin' down the law."
I giggled again. Sitting so close to him, I could feel the overflow of his embarrassment. "Don't be embarrassed, Jazz; you make a great father."
His embarrassment grew, but there was a happy warmth in it, too.
"Anyway," Emmett said loudly. "I thought you guys might want some help. What with Bella coming over and all."
"Yes," Jasper said, snapping out of his daze. "Your help will be much appreciated."
I suddenly heard a car turn off the main road and onto our super-long, super-hard-to-find driveway. I leaped up, a wrecking ball of excitement again. "They're here! They're here! They're here!"
Then I felt very lazy and lethargic. I flopped down on the couch, eyes drooping. "Hey no fair, Jasper," I whined tonelessly.
Emmett laughed.
"I told you to settle down," Jasper said with a smile.
So I tried to remain settled. Not too difficult with Jasper pumping lethargy into me by the gallons.
"Now, we don't know how you're going to react," Jasper said quickly. "So I think it best if you hold your breath until you run out of air to speak. Emmett and I will be there to make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Okay," I said. I took a deep breath and held it in and waited.
I listened to Alice's Porsche pull into the driveway and turn off. I heard Alice tell Bella to stay calm. Ha, we both have to stay calm for her safety.
Then Bella said, "Okay, let's go," and I heard the doors open and close as the both of them got out. Bella was louder in the way she walked. I heard her stumble and Alice caught her. She's so clumsy.
That realization of her weakness plus the sound of her heartbeat had something feral stirring inside of me. I quickly stamped it down. She's a friend, not prey. Friend, not prey. Friend, not prey. I repeated that mantra in my head until the feral monster inside eased back into hibernation.
Jasper gave me a look that said he sensed my internal battle and was proud of the outcome. I gave him a small smile in return, then turned my focus back to the front door which was about to open.
Alice came in first, all smiles. She turned and took the hand of a girl who looked very familiar. I hadn't seen her since I was human, but I knew who she was at first glance.
"Hi, Bella," I said, using as little air as possible.
"Hi, Dana," she said in return. Her voice was so different from my family's; less musical. She seemed to be mesmerized by what I assumed was my new beauty, my new musical voice too, probably.
The thought of her distracted by my natural traits as a predator had me squashing down the feral beast again. Friend, not prey.
She took in my guards on either side of me. "Are you sure she's okay?" she asked Alice.
"Jasper says it's for precaution," I said with a smile.
"Okay," she sat down across from me in one of the two armchairs. "So, how have you been? I know you've been sending letters but it's usually easier to say stuff out loud."
I frowned. "Hold on a sec, I'm almost out of air."
Jasper watched me cautiously and Emmett put a hand on my shoulder. Alice nodded encouragingly, and Bella watched curiously. I inhaled a little through my mouth and winced. The feral beast snarled and leaped, I fought to shove it down again. I could taste her scent in the air and the monster in me wanted more. I clenched my teeth to keep from snapping at her, I balled my fists and held myself stiff to keep from leaping at her, and I shut my eyes to try and focus better. Jasper and Emmett had a hold of my upper arms in a tight grip, but I knew it wasn't tight enough if I was going to break away. The thought of how thin my bonds were had the beast leaping inside, trying to find a way to that alluring scent.
Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey!
The beast within growled in indignation and finally relented, allowing me to relax again. At some point, I had started breathing through my nose and the scent was much stronger this way so I went back to breathing through my mouth. Jasper sensed my change and released my arm, Emmett followed his lead and released me as well.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked me with concern.
I nodded. "Yeah," I smiled. "I'm good, by the way how have you been?"
She seemed taken aback by me suddenly going back to the question she had asked nearly a minute ago. "I've been good," she finally let out, relaxing now that she was sure I was in control. "Edward has been watching me like a hawk, though. I had to resort to inviting Jacob over several times because he wouldn't let me go down to La Push to see him."
"I've had similar surveillance here," I remarked, looking a Jasper accusingly. "Though, it's for everyone's safety that I don't get loose and go on a rampage or something."
Emmett chuckled.
"Not funny, Emmett," said Jasper.
"I know, but I got this mental image of Dana the size of Godzilla stomping her way through Seattle," he sniggered.
Bella giggled, and I grinned.
After that we just sat around and chatted, catching up and filling in bits and pieces that were left out of our letters. When it became apparent that I would have no more relapses of control, Emmett wandered away to the TV, Jasper and Alice lounged on the loveseat, and Bella moved to join me on the sofa. We chatted animatedly for hours, I think that was the most Bella has ever spoken in one sitting.
When Esme came home, she didn't think anything off about Bella and I being in the same square mile let alone next to each other on the sofa. She just greeted us warmly, asked Bella if she wanted anything to eat and then went to the kitchen to prepare something despite Bella's denial that she wasn't hungry.
When Carlisle came home, however he did the funniest double take you ever saw.
"Bella?" he asked in confusion. "When did you get here?"
"This morning," she said as if nothing was amiss. "Alice came and got me. I'm hanging out with Dana, and I have the strong impression that Esme is cooking something for me despite me telling her I'm not hungry." She raised her voice in the direction of the kitchen on the last three words.
"You're going to eat something, Bella," Esme called back.
"Hi, Carlisle," I said to snap him out of his confused stare.
His golden eyes met my rust-colored ones and then took in the way I was sitting not half a foot away from Bella and breathing easily as if I had been at it for decades. Then he smiled proudly at me before going upstairs to drop his work things in his office.
Bella and I talked a bit more until Alice suddenly stood up.
"Now is the moment of truth, people," she announced.
"What does that mean?" Bella asked warily.
"Edward is on his way here, and he'll be a mite bit annoyed."
Uh oh. Would he take it out on me? Would he be angry with me because I allowed this to happen, and because I almost took a bite out of his mate? Yeah he'd be angry about that for sure.
"It's okay, Dana," said Jasper. "He's probably going to be most annoyed at Alice and me."
"Me too," said Bella, she adopted a deeper voice that sounded almost like Edward without the musical lilt that all vampires seemed to have. "'How can you not see the danger when it's staring you in the face?'" She changed back to her own voice. "He won't be very impressed with my latest trip to the land of impulsiveness."
"Don't worry, Bella," said Alice, giggling a little at her impression of Edward. "It's mostly me he'll be angry at for putting the idea in your head in the first place. He won't even be very upset with Jasper because if Jasper hadn't known about my vision, he would never have allowed this to happen, no matter how much progress Dana was making."
"She's right," Jasper said. "I've seen too many newborns in action to have believed this was possible in less than two months without Alice's vision. I have a policy of never betting against Alice."
"He'll be able to hear our thoughts in six seconds," Alice said.
I could almost hear everyone counting out the seconds.
After six seconds I immediately started to defend my actions in hopes of calming him a little before he got here. Alice said it would be fine, and I've been working so hard. She said I was ready, I didn't think it would be a great idea to test that theory on my only friend, but she said it would be alright. Bella wanted to go for it, you know how she is; she wouldn't want anyone else to be in the danger zone when she could prevent it. Jasper wasn't too thrilled at the idea either, but he trusts Alice. And honestly, I don't think it would have worked so well with anyone else; Bella's someone I wouldn't want to lose, while everyone else are nameless faces. Try not to be too angry at us, no one got hurt and all the precautions were taken.
It was about then that he burst through the door, stalked into the room, and stood two inches from Alice, towering over her petite form. I felt calm wash through the room from the direction of Jasper.
"I saw that everything would turn out fine ages ago," Alice said before Edward could start yelling.
"That's still no reason to test that theory on Bella!" he growled in the most dangerous voice I had heard from anyone yet.
The sound of that voice made the feral beast inside me spring up and try to defend the mate of my sire. The bad side of that reaction was the beast suddenly becoming aware of the human sitting not half a foot from me. I quickly stamped on the beast. Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! Friend, not prey! The beast snarled in annoyance, but I held it back with my mantra, until it finally relented and fell back into hibernation. I relaxed, having won the battle for the third time today.
I suddenly realized Edward's eyes were on me. My eyes widened in fright at the dangerous glare he sent my way. He heard the mantra, he heard the struggle.
"How could you allow this to happen?" he snarled at me. "Don't you know the limits of your control?"
That flared a bonfire of anger within me. Of course I know the limits! I haven't killed her have I? I haven't even come close! Of course all that came out of my mouth was a vicious snarl as the beast leaped to defend itself.
Alice moved Bella away from the blast zone and Jasper and Emmett were suddenly holding both my arms. I managed to easily rip my arm free of Jasper but Emmet grabbed it while he came around front, and pushed me back by my shoulders, filling me with calm and peace as he did so.
"Dana, focus," he said soothingly as he glared at Edward. "Come on, do whatever it is that you did before."
Somewhere in my mind dwelt the rational part of me. It fought through the thick cloud of anger to the surface of my mind. I pushed the anger away using Jasper's calm to help. Now all that was left was to cage the feral monster. You're unwanted, I told it. I am rational. I am calm. I am rational. I am calm. I am rational. I am calm. Finally (though only a couple of seconds passed), I locked the snarling beast inside its cage, and I relaxed again. Jasper nodded at Emmett and he let me go.
Once he was sure I was rational again, Jasper rounded on Edward. "You've seen at least three newborns before Dana and you think it's a good idea to anger one?" he asked. "How stupid are you? You may have been able to defend yourself but what about Bella? She was right there! Do you think before you open your mouth?"
"Jasper," Bella and I said at the same time. By now, Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie had joined us.
"No, you two, he needs to hear this," he turned back to Edward. "I know you're angry, I would be too if I were in your position, but I wouldn't have yelled at a newborn for something that's not really her fault. You should have known it would send her off the deep end. She was worried enough that you'd be angry at her, but then you go and accuse her of not knowing her limits when you just saw, first hand, how in control of herself she is. Any person proud of that accomplishment would be mighty pissed at such an accusation. So next time think before you open your big fat mouth."
Silence rang in the room. Edward stared in shock.
"I'm done," Jasper said after the silence dragged on for awhile. "You can speak now."
Edward turned to me. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, it wasn't really your fault and I did overreact. Will you forgive my unfair accusation?"
I was floored by the apology; I wasn't expecting that at all. I nodded. "I'm sorry I snarled at you," I said, ashamed of my insane overreaction.
"It's fine, I should have known you'd react that way. Jasper's right, I wasn't thinking."
I nodded again.
He turned to Bella. She opened her mouth to explain, but he held up a hand to silence her. "It's alright, I think I understand your motivation. Just to be clear, Alice told you nothing could go wrong?"
She nodded.
"Okay," he turned to Alice. "You, however, are in big trouble."
He didn't say anything else to her but turned from her back to me. "Your control is amazing, by the way." I knew he was partially tacking back his earlier accusation while at the same time praising me.
"Thanks," I said.
"So..." Esme said when an awkward silence grew. "Bella, are you hungry yet?"
"Sure," she said and followed her into the kitchen.
Emmett went back to the TV, Rosalie went to sit with him, Carlisle went back to his office, Alice disappeared upstairs and then it was just me, Jasper, and Edward, standing awkwardly around.
"You did a good job raising her," Edward said to Jasper.
Jasper shrugged. "It was mostly her own natural talent, and her determination to see her friend again." He smiled proudly at me. "She's come a long way in just over six weeks."
"You sound like a father showing off how well his daughter grew up," Edward commented.
Rosalie looked up from the TV and stared jealously at the back of Jasper's head. I knew he could feel it.
"Dana mentioned something like that when I told her to settle down earlier, or I would make her settle," Jasper remembered.
"Well, you're like my father, Jasper," I said. "You created and raised me."
Jasper looked dazed. Standing so close to him, I could feel some of the things he was feeling. Warmth, happiness, pride, awe.
Edward smiled. "You're a lucky man, Jasper; you have a daughter and you didn't even think to ask for one."
Rosalie looked away again, obviously annoyed. She always wanted a child. Not quite the way Jasper got one, but she always wanted someone to call her momma.
Emmett looked up. "That makes me your uncle and Rose your aunt," he grinned at me.
"Yep," I said, walking over to them. "My favorite aunt and uncle."
Rosalie looked at me and smiled. She liked that idea. Emmett loved that idea.
"What about me?" Edward asked.
"Well, I guess you'd be my uncle too, but Emmett's still my favorite, he's more fun."
"Damn right, I am!" he said proudly.
Bella came out of the kitchen, having probably heard most of the exchange. "If Edward's your uncle," she said. "Does that make me your aunt?"
I thought about it. "Well for now, you're just my best friend," I said. "You're not my aunt until you marry him."
She wrinkled her nose as if the idea of marriage smelled bad. However, I noticed that Edward got a faraway look on his face. Oh my gosh! He so wants to marry her! But Bella's not really the marrying type, what with divorced parents and all... She had told me before that her mother ground into her the idea of marrying straight out of high school never turned out right, but I couldn't see her with anyone else. Jasper told me that vampires mate for life so Edward would never find anyone else. It was a match made by the Fates. I believe in you, Edward. You'll convince her to marry you one day, I know it!
He smiled at me. "Thanks," he said in a vampire-only tone
"So if Jasper's your dad," Bella continued. "Does that mean Alice is your mom?"
Alice came flying down the stairs. And I do mean flying; she leaped over the banister as soon as she was clear of any obstructions and landed not a foot from me.
"I would love to be your mom!" she exclaimed. "But there are some serious renovations I need to do to your wardrobe; no daughter of mine is going to be a tomboy!"
I laughed. "I'm frozen at fifteen, Alice, there's no way you can change my style at this point. That ship has sailed."
"I can try," she said.
"You can spend forever trying if you like but I only wear dresses and skirts on special occasions and you'll never change that. And even though you see that now, it's not gonna stop you from trying. But check out this future," I planned on tearing apart every dress she tries to force me to wear.
Alice gasped in horror, and Edward laughed. Everyone else looked confused. "You wouldn't dare!" Alice almost pleaded.
"You know I would, so unless you want me to make confetti out of the dresses you try to force on me, I suggest you not even try. You can totally try and convince me to wear a dress all you like but as soon as you try to force me into one: instant confetti." I stared at her challengingly.
Alice pouted. "Okay," she relented.
Everyone chuckled at how much more child-like my mother was than me. Bella's mom is like that too; like a little kid, while her daughter was forced to grow up quickly so she could look after her. But Alice can look after herself and I grew up a long time ago due to seeing the dead body of my real mother, the innocence of youth ripped away from me in that instant.
Jasper felt my sudden melancholy, recognized it from the other times I remembered what happened to my mother and what probably killed her, and gave me some cheer. I accepted it gratefully and smiled happily. Edward was giving me a sad sort of look that I had no way of understanding. I would have to ask him about it later.
We all hung out for a bit longer, Esme made Bella some dinner. Emmett told some jokes and we all had a good laugh. Alice tried to get me to understand the elegance of a peasant blouse, which made Emmett laugh. She also tried to get me to "at least wear this pink t-shirt" but I insisted that pink was a horrible color and Bella agreed, Rosalie even stepped in and said that I was more of an autumn anyway.
I mentioned that I played saxophone for six years and everyone insisted that I needed a sax so Edward and I could start a band. Carlisle actually went so far as to look up top-of-the-line alto saxophones for purchase. I told him to get a cheap one at first because I was bound to bite the reed too tightly and cut it in half, the mouthpiece too. Everyone laughed at that.
Finally the wee witching hour was upon us and Bella was getting tired. Edward decided it was time for her to go to bed and offered to take her home, which she agreed to as long as she could come back tomorrow since, it being the holidays, she had nothing better to do, having bought everyone's Christmas presents already. Edward agreed to that, nodding approvingly in my direction, and took Bella home.
After they left, everyone left me alone to allow me to perch on the rooftop, as per usual. I sat on the roof, staring at the beckoning sky, which opened up and began to snow.
A/N: So I hope this makes up for my extended absence. I won't be promising anymore exact dates from now on; college is just too hectic. I'll try to update lots before I start back up again though. Have a happy New Year. R&R.