A/N: Rosalie is such a… well you know. When are they going to tell Charlie everything? Who is this new person on their way to Forks? What is going to happen next? I want to say thank you to everyone who is following, reading, favoring, and reviewing the story. I write because you encourage me. Thank you. Enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 43 – A Twin Comes Knockin'
Charlie stood in his room and stared unseeingly out the window, thinking about how life had been nothing like he expected since the day Renee walked into his life. When a parent holds his/her child for the first time, so many things are imagined and planned for the baby's life. Who will she marry? Where will she go to school? What will she become? Most parents want more for their child than what they themselves had growing up, and Charlie wanted the same for Bella.
The moment Renee told him she was pregnant there was an elated feeling like nothing he ever experienced before – complete euphoria – and the joy was mirrored in her eyes as well… even if it was only a temporary Band-Aid. Before his little girl was even conceived, her parents were already struggling to remain together. Not even a year after their vows, Charlie and Renee were at each other's throats half the time, and the other half… he was either working or they didn't talk. He knew she felt suffocated and he didn't know what to do to help her. His hands were tied, or at least they felt like they were. The sex was great… when they had it, which was getting more and more rare as their marriage continued. Sometimes he would be surprised though. Walking into the door after work or one of his fishing trips, he would find Renee in a negligee or nothing and he would pounce. In the back of his head he knew she did it to make herself feel like she wasn't alone, that she belonged somewhere, and that there was something alive that wanted her too. The clouds and dreariness of Forks was stifling and she was struggling to hang on; and then she found out she was pregnant. Everything was rainbows again, but it didn't last. Charlie knew Renee loved being pregnant, decorating the nursery, and knitting clothes for their baby; and yet, he also knew she hated not seeing the sun, living in a town that was small whose atmosphere felt oppressive, and having to deal with it all on her own. Maybe he could have helped her more, but he didn't, and he wasn't sure what could help. He hoped that after the baby was born everything would change, and he had been wrong.
The day Bella was born, the clouds broke and the sun shone through, and it only lasted a few hours. It was a day to celebrate, and the new parents were ecstatic and in love with their little bundle of joy. This could have been a turning point, but it wasn't. Their personal time, which was rare, now became nonexistent, and the fights increased. Renee was becoming more and more unhappy the longer she stayed in Forks; and thus when Bella was only six months old, the couple divorced and Renee took Bella to live in California because she didn't want her daughter to live without the sun. Charlie was heartbroken, but understood and let his daughter go because sometimes it isn't about what you want, but what is best for your child. Letting Renee take Bella away, the police chief knew it was the best decision for both the woman he loved and the daughter they had created together… even if it had been the hardest decision he had ever had to make.
And now, just as she had re-entered his life as more than just an occasional blip, he felt like he was going through the same heart wrenching act. He thought that when Bella came back to Forks he would have her around for a while before he had to release her into the world or let some other man take a prominent role in her life, but that wasn't the case. Jasper had been there to welcome her from the beginning and he was the man his daughter lived for. Was it so wrong to wish she had stayed a little girl for just a little longer?
Sighing, he pressed his face to the window and stared out over the trees, and something caught his attention. Atop a tall tree a couple hundred feet out, something perched unmoving. A bird or animal would have picked a branch regardless of height. This had to be something else. Blinking, he focused on the spot again… it was gone. Maybe he had been imagining it. Lord knew he had been bombarded with the mysterious and unexplained for the last couple of days; it was only natural to start seeing things. Possibly. His eyes scanned the area again. There it was! A different tree to the left of where it originated. What the hell was that thing? With only two options available, he took the one that felt right. Ripping open the door of his room, he called out, "There is something in the trees watching the house."
"There can't be. Alice would have seen it," Rosalie snidely remarked.
"Really? I saw it out the bedroom window. Are you telling me that her visions are 100%?" Charlie crossed his arms over his chest.
Jasper pushed passed Charlie and was at the window a moment later, "No, there's holes." Glancing over his shoulder, he said, "And Charlie's right. There is someone watchin'."
"Shit!" Emmet spat.
"What?" The blonde vampire was shocked. How had something or someone infiltrated the area without Alice or someone else raising an alarm?
"My guess is, this is another present from James," Jasper stated and shouted, "Peter, come with me. Charlotte, stay with Bella. Emmett, I want you to watch over the others."
Emmett stopped his friend before he moved, "Are you sure Peter is up for this? He was just ripped apart earlier."
Smirking, the southern vampire nodded, "Oh he's up for this, and if this is someone from James's ranks, he will want a little payback."
The dark gleam in the other man's eyes was enough to stop Emmett from asking any more questions. If he had been human, he would have shivered in fear, but now he was made of sterner stuff than that… barely. Never before had he seen that look in his coven mate's eyes, and he could only imagine what it meant. This was a hint of who he once was and why just the mere whisper of Jasper's name struck fear into the hearts of other vampires. After the two vampires left, he muttered, "If a human had to fall in love with a vampire, she had to pick the scourge of the south."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked quickly.
Shocked because he hadn't realized he had spoken that loud, Emmett shook his head, "Nothing. Jasper's a good man."
"Yep, one of the most feared vampires ever," Rosalie added.
His glare intensifying, Charlie pinned the blonde with his hard gaze and snapped, "What the hell is your problem. Bella hasn't done anything to you, and it isn't like she could have done much while she was still human, but she hasn't even been home long enough to do anything and yet you persist in acting like you do. You have a chip on your shoulder the size of Mt. Everest and you either need to lose it or go away!" Where he had found the courage to stand up to a vampire, he will never know, but he couldn't just let her continue to spew her hate.
"Emmett, are you going to…"
He didn't let his wife finish before he answered, "Sure am because he's right."
In indignation, Rose stomped off and Charlie turned to Emmett, "Sorry about that."
"Nothing to apologize for. You were right. She just has a lot of baggage and needs to learn to let go of the past, but don't worry, when we need her, she'll fight with us."
"Why are we fighting?"
"Not you," the bigger man chuckled. "Just us."
"Why?"
"Maybe you need to talk to Jasper and Alice a little more. They can fill you in, or Carlisle."
"I don't understand…"
"I know, and I can't be the one to fill you in. Sorry about that. Now, I'm going to make sure there are no other surprises for us outside." With that, Emmett left the police chief standing in the hall alone.
Outside, Peter and Jasper tried to move as quickly and stealthy as possible, however, the question had to be asked by the friendly nomad, "Do you think this one has a gift?"
"If it's one of the people Alice spotted in her vision, then no doubt about it. No way would a newborn just sit there on top of a damn tree like that. Hell, they probably wouldn't even climb a tree unless a human were up there."
"True."
"That bein' said, be careful. We don't know what this one's capable of and that last one just bout got the drop on both of us."
"Yes, sir Major."
Quiet once again fell between them as they ran to the area the vampire had been in, and when they arrived, they jumped high into the trees, climbing to the top with ease. Jasper sensed someone close by, could feel their emotions of exhilaration and fear, the latter no doubt caused by the wolves in the area. He could smell them even if he didn't see them; and he had no clue as to why they were on Cullen land. Is this why Alice didn't see the stranger coming, or was there another reason?
Breaking through the tree canopy, the trespasser was easy to spot, and just 30 trees or so stood between them and it. They had to move quickly before she spotted them.
Too late. As soon as they appeared, the stranger had seen them. Below, wolves paced back and forth, waiting and anticipating any kind of movement that came from above. And now, above, two vampires came to attack… or capture. She had been sent by James, but arrived early in order to seek out her sister Melody in order to have some fun much like they did in the old days. She and her sister were the reason so many people feared the night, why Halloween was almost banned in several towns across the country. The word serial killer whispered behind raised hands, but they were never caught. With soft whispers in ears, they caused riots and bloodshed, and then swooped in and drank from the victims. Yes, they could find their own food, but why not watch a show as well? Dinner and a show. So many good times had, and she wanted some more. What havoc could they wreak today considering it didn't take much to spark humans to violence nowadays?
As soon as the stranger turned around and looked in his direction, Jasper gasped. This one looked exactly like the one he had already killed. Twins? "Peter, be careful."
"Shit, she looks just like the other one!" Peter exclaimed.
"Exactly. Twins. And y'all already know if one twin has a gift…"
"Yah, we only have to see Jane and Alec to know how that bullshit works."
Tilting her head to the side, the stranger narrowed her eyes and asked, her voice almost purred, "Other one? So you have already met Melody."
The way her voice almost sounded as if it was mocking them, laughing at them, made them both cringe inwardly. "We met that bitch and killed her," Peter shouted.
"Pete!" Jasper tried to chastise, but it was too late. The emotions coming from the stranger were already growing and for some reason, his gift was not working on her. There was no telling what they were dealing with in the way of gifts or skills and his partner just royally pissed off their enemy. He just hoped it didn't screw them.
A smile appeared on her lips, one some would call maniacal, "Killed? There is no way to kill Melody. My sister is unstoppable and together we are invincible."
"Now I wouldn't say that because I'm the one that lit her up," the southern vampire declared. If he could get her to focus on him, once she attacked, Peter could grab her and rip off her head. It sounded like an easy plan… the problem was trying to get her to take the bait and it was a toss of the coin on if she would react the way he wanted her to, expected her to act. If he taunted her enough, then maybe it would work, and with the wolves just below, they had a backup plan. He just hoped the wolves would only attack her and not him or Peter… another toss of the coin at the moment.
"You lie!"
"What makes you think you're so special? Lots of vampires have gifts. You're not the only ones. Sorry to break it to ya."
She released an eerie laugh, "Because we are the Brandon sisters."
"Shit!" The curse escaped both men. Jasper had made a name for himself and was notorious in vampire society for his role in the Southern Vampire Wars, but he wasn't the only famous vampire out there. The Volturi were famous because they had been the rulers of their society since long ago, and others were famous for this or that… sometimes as a do not do this or you too will end up dead type of thing. However, the Brandon sisters were notorious in much the same way Jasper was, except while his accolades were won during battle, theirs were won striking fear in human and vampire society alike. There were many rumors whispered about as to why the Volturi had not killed them yet, and more than one saying they had both been recruited by the governing body and to this day remained the only ones to ever refuse and escape, which made them even more famous. It was said that one could control power and the other could block anything that came towards she or her sister, and many people would have loved to control those types of gifts. It also explained why Jasper's gift didn't work on her.
"OH? I see you've heard of us. Then let me introduce myself before I kill you, I'm Harmony," her laughter would have given chills to the dead.
The southern vampire knew he had to tread extremely carefully, "I've heard of y'all. So you're part of James's coven?"
"Not really. He has vampires that are loyal to him, but no real coven… unless he wants to string someone along. He changed my sister and me, and we owe him our lives. Now where is my sister?" Her voice turned from a laughing lilt to a virtual shriek.
Jasper knew if he could get her to lose control he may actually have the upper hand, he said, "I done told you, I killed her. I set her on fire and burned her to ashes. There ain't nothing left but dirt."
"You lie!"
"Honey, I don't know what fucking make believe world you're livin' in, but no vampire is completely immortal. We can all die, and your sister's turn was today. I think it's high time for you to get off your unicorn and…" He stopped when he saw her flying at him. "Pete, be ready."
"Got it Major."
She threw herself at Jasper as fast as she could with every intention of ripping his lying tongue out of his mouth right after she removed his head from his shoulders. Her hands gripped his neck as they both fell backwards out of the tree. Right before they landed on the ground, she released him and grabbed a low hanging branch, landing deftly on her feet. Her prey had not been so lucky, falling on his back. Within moments, she was on him again, but just as she was about to grab him, he disappeared and she held a handful of dirt and leaves in each of her hands.
"You were so nice to introduce yourself, I think it only polite to do the same. I'm Major Jasper Whitlock. I can tell from the way your eyes widened and the way your fear and anger increased, you've heard of me."
"Oh, I've heard of you. I've actually met your former coven leader. Maria still talks about you, though I don't think there is much to the legend now that I see you in person," she scoffed. For a moment, a split second, she appeared bored, and then she attacked. She flew low, her arms close and ready to grab and rip. This was no ordinary foe and she had to be careful. Just before she reached him, she ducked right with every intention of grabbing his partner. Harmony didn't expect the other vampire to dodge her and grab her arm, throwing her into a tree, forcing it to fall to the ground.
"Did I not mention? This is Peter, he was my second in command during the war," Jasper announced when his friend had grabbed an arm and ripped it off of the woman. The wolves were surrounding them, the stench growing, but they had to ignore the four legged intruders in order to finish the fight with the nomad.
Using her legs and a bit of flexibility, she swung her legs around, clasped them around Peters, and swept them to the side, sending the other man to the ground. Even with one arm, she was a force to be reckoned with, and this was not her first time losing an appendage. Any vampire that had been around for a while had probably lost something at one time or another. Pressing one knee into his chest and another into his neck, she gripped his chin with her one remaining arm. This way she could still behead Peter without a second arm. It was easy enough, it just took a little extra work and finding the right grip. She could see the cracks forming on his neck, but just before she made any progress, he rolled her over and grabbed her chin. In the next instant, her head was ripped off and she could see the flame coming closer… closer… closer… until she could feel the fire eating her up.
Peter threw the head down to the ground and rubbed his throat. It had been another close one, and yet, he was glad Jasper hadn't stepped in. He needed to do this himself if he was capable, and she had been so blind with revenge and rage, she wasn't thinking clearly. It shouldn't have been that easy of a fight; and if the twins had been together, it would have been a lot harder to come out on top. They were lucky they were sent separately. Had James planned that? Surely not. Surely he thought they could kill any vampires they came across.
Picking up the body and throwing it on the fire, Jasper lay his hand on Peter's shoulder, "How ya doin' there?"
"I'm fine, but she really was a pain in my neck."
"That was… a bad joke," the southern vampire chuckled and then his countenance straightened. He peered into the woods surrounding them and said, "I don't know what y'all think you're doing on Cullen land, but this is against the treaty. I know Sam isn't with you and my guess is that he never ordered you to come this far out."
"Your kind shouldn't even exist!" A voice growled.
Jasper rolled his eyes and stared into the space where the voice echoed from, "I should have realized it was you Jacob. Who else is with you? It doesn't matter. Tell Sam that this vampire is dead along with the one that attacked Jared. I'll call him later with more of the details."
"And why should we do what you want? Why should we listen to anything you have to say?"
"I frankly don't give two shits what you do, but I'll still be calling him."
"We could rip you apart right now."
"You could, but I know for a fact, your alpha would know if you did. Do you really want to be the ones to break the treaty?"
"You broke it when you turned Bella Swan!"
"I had permission from your alpha! The treaty was not broken!" A large brown wolf leaped into the air and knocked Jasper onto his back. He could have dodged it, but Jacob needed to realize that the Cullen's were not a threat to him, or his pack. Of course the growling, snarling muzzle in his face did not exactly inspire confidence. Seeing Peter move to remove the animal, Jasper ordered, "Stay where you are, Pete."
"If you say so," the other vampire didn't look so sure, but he would follow orders… for now.
"Jacob, I order you to get off of him and return to the reservation!" The hardened voice of Sam Uley cut through the sounds of the forest.
Pressing his nose a little closer to the vampire he was hovering over, Jacob snapped at air less than an inch from his foes face. He didn't like this order, he wanted to kill this vampire right here, right now.
"Jacob!"
Reluctantly, he backed away from the southern vampire and trudged into the woods. One day, he would pay Jasper Hale back for what he had done to Isabella Swan.
Jasper regained his feet and called out to Sam before he could leave, "The strange vampire that hurt Jared…"
"Is dead. I know. Jacob wasn't the only wolf here. I heard it all. You have my thanks. Anything else?"
"More are coming. We don't know how many, but they should be here in about five days. I wanted y'all to be aware."
"I'll be sure to let my pack know," Sam stated without turning around and then disappeared into the trees. A howl could be heard moments later.
Shaking his head, Peter remarked, "Friendly bunch, ain't they."
"Sure. They win the fucking Miss Congeniality award. Come on. We need to get back to the house."
Two were down, but did this one count in the three others that were coming to Forks? Jasper didn't know. What he did know, there was nothing about this that was going to be easy and right now, he just needed to hold his mate close, to love her, and have her body pressed against his. All hell was about to break loose and he needed Bella before that happened. Something told him it was going to get really bad here real soon.