A/N: I decided to move the next chapter of this story up in my line up because I couldn't seem to get Twilight out of my head as I worked on my Ouran stuff. So, here is the next chapter. What do the wolves have planned? A lot actually. Enjoy!
Chapter 45 – Destined to Be
"We cannot give you permission to bite and change another human. We have already given you permission to break the treaty once," Billy declared sticking to his guns. He and the coven leader of the vampires had been arguing for the past twenty minutes and neither side was budging. To him, this was more than just about them changing some human due to whatever danger he may be in, about more than someone who was requesting to be changed; this was his best friend, his fishing buddy, and someone he depended on when he needed some advice father to father. Charlie may not be a tribe member, but to Billy, he was still family and an honorary member. It had been hard enough to allow them to change Bella, but now his good friend? How was he supposed to agree to something like that, knowing what was about to happen?
"Billy, I understand your position on the matter. I do, however, we don't have much choice. James will be back with others and Charlie is vulnerable. If he had stayed with you, he would have died. Here his future is unknown. Alice is having a hard time pinpointing it because much of it is still undecided," Carlisle argued back.
"So you want me to allow you to break the treaty again in order to change another human? And next year you will want the same. Where does it end? The treaty has ruled and guidelines for a reason, and you are not to break them. We gave permission for Isabella Swan because we knew there was no other way. With the two cold ones targeting her, it was safer to allow her to become one of you rather than keep her human, but we cannot make the same concession for Charlie."
"You know Edward will come after him in order to get to Bella."
"You said you can protect him, so do it."
"There is something else."
"I don't think anything you can say will convince us to change our mind. Our stance is firm."
"He is Alice's mate."
"A human and a cold one?"
"Why not? It happened with Bella and Jasper. Why couldn't it happen between Alice and Charlie?"
"I see. Does he know?"
"I don't believe so."
"Then he does not need to be changed."
"Billy!"
"Is there a relationship? Charlie and I have been friends for decades. I was his friend before he got married, before Renee even came into the picture. Don't you think he would tell me if something developed between him and another? And why would he want someone that looks the same age as his own daughter?"
While the tribal leader had valid arguments for everything, Carlisle believed he did as well. "It isn't like that. When your wolves find a mate, isn't there a bond that happens between them. They know who they were destined for the moment they meet them? Vampires are similar. We know our mates when we find them. Jasper knew when he saw Bella at the age of ten that she would be important to his life."
"Important does not equal a mate."
"He had never felt that before and realized what it meant when they saw each other again."
"How do I know you didn't coerce Charlie?"
"We didn't decide this for him. He made this decision on his own!"
"Really? He hasn't called and talked to me about it."
Running a hand through his hair, the doctor exhaled in frustration and finally said, "You know as well as I know that we are not allowed to share the secrets of the other. How is he supposed to ask you to become a vampire if he isn't even sure he can talk to you about it?"
"Then have him call me."
"There's no need," Charlie announced from where he stood at the office door. He had been standing out there for the last five minutes and could hear the debate raging on, getting more heated as the seconds ticked by; and although he was spying, he couldn't be blamed for hearing the entire conversation the coven leader had the phone on speaker. The whole mate thing had come as a shock to him, but that was something he would tackle later. For now, he needed to deal with the getting permission to change thing first.
Billy was taken aback, "Charlie? What have they put into your head? This isn't something you should decide. It's wrong. Their very existence…"
"Wait," he held up a hand as if his friend were in the room and not on the phone. "Billy, we've known each other a long time. Right?"
"Over half our lives."
"Then you know when I'm bullshitting you and when I shooting straight."
"I would like to think I did."
"I don't know about this whole Alice thing. I know she can see the future and there are some questions about mine. It was my decision to do this. From what I understand James and Edward's band will be dangerous and if I remain human, I could die. I don't know, this just felt like the right decision. I've thought about what Bell's did and why since I found out, and I tried to put myself in her shoes; and honestly, the more I thought about it, the more I thought this life seemed made for me. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like I was meant for it. You might think it's wrong and that it goes against the natural order of things, and my question to you is who are we to judge? Who are we do decide who is right and who is wrong?" He almost mentioned the wolves and how it wasn't normal that they could shape shift, however, he did not want to get the Cullen's in trouble for sharing the secret the tribe held so dear.
"Charlie, I don't think you understand what you're getting into. You will be a danger to people everywhere. You will have to drink blood."
"Remember when we first went hunting together and killed the dear? You made me drink some of the blood and eat the heart? Is this the same thing?"
"No, it isn't."
"It kind of is. From what I understand, the Cullen family don't drink blood from humans, they drink from animals. So as long as I can learn to do that, I think I'll be alright."
"You'll be the enemy, Charlie."
"What do you mean?"
"Our tribe. We don't like cold ones… vampires. If you go through with this, our friendship is severed."
Charlie sat there for a minute before running his hand through his hair and said, "Billy, I love you like my brother, but Bella is my daughter. I would rather go through this change than to pretend she is dead and gone."
"You're asking me to give you the impossible."
"No, I'm asking you to do me a favor. One last one… let's say it's a last wish from a dying friend."
"You want me to tell you it's alright to become a monster?"
"I guess in a way I am."
Sitting there, tears stung the old Indian's eyes. He knew what was coming, he knew the plan, and now his friend pleaded with him for a decision that would sever their friendship forever. "Charlie, if you do this, we will no longer be friends. We will be enemies."
"I understand, but she's my daughter and this is what feels right for me. Maybe I'm making a mistake, but it is mine to make."
"Charlie…"
"I know, but this will happen."
"Do as you will," Billy muttered and hung up the phone. His friend's fate was sealed and he knew there was nothing he could say or do to change his mind.
Carlisle hit the button to end the beeping on his phone. His mind had been so wrapped up in his conversation with Billy, he hadn't been paying attention to the door other than knowing someone had approached at some point in time. He should have known that Charlie would have wanted to talk to his friend and explained his side of the story, and it was a good thing he had because without him barging in, they wouldn't have permission right now; and yet, he had the feeling that Billy was trying to warn Charlie against more than just turning into a vampire.
Studying the other man for a moment, the vampire leader asked again, "Are you sure this is what you want Charlie? We can protect you without this step."
"No, it needs to happen. I don't know if I can explain it or not. Maybe you understand."
He shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, but I don't. I was bitten and woke up days later alone and unsure of what happened to me. Blood seemed to be the only thing I craved."
"So you used to live off of people?"
"No. I survived on rodents and any other creatures I could get my hands on. I could never bring myself to bite a human, but then again, I've never come across my singer. I hear that it is virtually impossible to resist."
"And the others?"
Carlisle leaned back in his chair and answered after a moment, "Esme hasn't, but Emmett has bitten one human. He ran into his singer and lost control. Rosalie bit some humans shortly after she awoke to this life as revenge for what they had done to her. Alice, she's bit a couple before she joined our coven, but as soon as she had the vision of meeting us and our lifestyle, she changed. Edward went through a rebellious phase for a time and survived on murderers and rapists – or so he says, and now he's left us again."
Noticing, the other man didn't say anything about Jasper, Charlie asked, "And Jasper?"
"Jasper?" The doctor turned to gaze out the window and finally said, "Jasper fed on humans, changed humans into vampires for an army, and had some issues converting to our lifestyle, but he made it. The proof can be seen in Bella."
"What do you mean?"
"He was able to change her himself without draining her."
"Why is he called the scourge of the south? What do you mean he changed people for an army?"
Golden eyes flashed to brown ones, and Carlisle said, "Our history is just as long as yours, and many times it intersects, but sometimes it is separate. Just like men fight wars, vampires have fought their own wars… usually over land and power. We have a governing body that are three of the oldest vampires around, and they give us some leeway until we try to overstep out bounds. About the time of the Civil War, the vampires were fighting a war of their own in the south: The Southern Vampire Wars. Jasper was a Major for the Confederate Army when he was found by a vampire named Maria and turned. He helped her build an army and conquer the south, and then he left it all behind. Peter and Charlotte were part of the army and served under him. He let them escape when Charlotte was about to be killed."
"Which explains why Peter calls Jasper, major, and why the three of them have such a strong bond."
"Yes. Peter and Charlotte respect not only Jasper's strength and skills, but his compassion and the fact he understood their plight and let them go."
"They're mates."
"Yes. Peter found Charlotte after she had been captured and changed. The fact they were in the vampire wars is also the reason they know how to fight. The army was made up of mainly newborns, with the exception of a very few select others. That's where they acquired their knowledge and experience in regards to fighting newborns."
"I see." He waited a moment and then asked, "And mates?"
Carlisle leaned forward and asked, "Did you hear what I told Billy?"
"I did, but why don't you explain it again."
"When a vampire finds a mate, there is something inside us that tells us this is our mate. Much like human attraction and love, but stronger and more permanent."
"So you don't get to pick?"
"In a way we do. It works much like when you find someone you are attracted to when you're human. You don't want anyone else. Unlike humans who can fall in and out of love, we don't. It's a lifetime commitment."
"Do human/vampire relationships exist?"
Shaking his head, he coven patriarch answered, "No. Humans are not supposed to know about us, and if they find out our secret, they are supposed to be killed. My coven tends to disappear without a trace. It is actually rare to find your mate when they are still human. I have never heard of a human mate remaining human."
"How is that possible when you live among humans?" Charlie couldn't believe he was having this conversation with the other man like it was a normal conversation, an everyday occurrence. It was like he had entered the Twilight Zone.
"We blend in with humans and they don't realize we are… shall we say different?"
"What's it like? Changing or whatever happens?"
"I'm not going to lie to you, it burns, but you come out on the other side with sharper senses and better reflexes." Carlisle nailed the other man sitting across from him with a hard stare, "It isn't a cake walk and Billy wasn't lying. Once you are bitten, you can't turn back. You will never be human again and you will be the tribe's enemy."
"I understand, but this is what needs to happen. I'm not going to have my daughter placed at a disadvantage or lured into a trap because I couldn't fight back."
"If that's all you're doing this for…"
"No," Charlie interrupted, "it isn't. Like I said. It feels like this is what's supposed to happen."
"Then let's talk about when. The sooner the better…" Carlisle began.
In the woods…
Bella bit into the neck of a deer. After the discussion earlier, Jasper had taken her hunting. Being in the same room as her father was a chore and harder than she thought it would be. It took all her effort, and some of her mate's gift, to suppress her desire and control herself; otherwise, she would jump across everyone, bite the closest pulse point, and drink. When was this supposed to get easier? How did they manage being around humans all day every day? Yes, she was a newborn and everyone told her the first year was the hardest, but she was so afraid she was going to lose it one day and kill someone…maybe even her father before he had the opportunity to change; although, she still had a hard time believing he was willing to go through the change and give up his life.
Guzzling down the blood, her thoughts strayed from her father to her mate when she spotted him drinking from the neck of a dear about ten yards away. It never got old… the wanting and needing. Every time she looked at him, she craved him; and that's what was odd. She thought when she was changed, she would only want blood, blood, and more blood; and yet, her desire for her mate sometimes trumped her need for blood. She wanted Jasper just as much as she yearned for blood to sooth the burn in her throat. Both quench her in different ways.
As the sustenance ran dry in her prey, her eyes were still locked on her mate, and as soon as his eyes met hers, she could no longer hold back. Bella had to have him inside her… NOW!
In an instant, she was up and thrusting her body towards his and she bowled into him a second after he threw his own deer away from his body, not caring where it landed at the moment. Like her, he needed his mate. After each fight he had won, he had wanted to do nothing but sink into her depths and forget about the problems of the world. His lips locked with hers and they only broke long enough for clothes to be removed. Soft, slow, and gentle would have to wait because he couldn't hold himself back right now.
Their breathing was sporadic as they tried to undress carefully and yet quickly. If a couple buttons went flying, oh well. If there were small tears, so be it. As long as the clothes were mostly intact so that they could return to the house without the others – mainly Charlie – seeing them buck naked, that was fine.
As soon as her mate had wiggled out of his pants and boxers, her mouth inhaled his cock. She wanted to taste him, to feel the hardness. Her tongue followed the veins on the underside and then it circled the head, delving into the slit. She lapped up the bit of moisture that had leaked out and sucked, wanting more.
Throwing his head back, he moaned loudly not expecting her to give him a blow job. The muscles in his neck popped and he looked as if he was in pain, but he wasn't. Not even close. This was pure pleasure. They were both at their limits and he could smell how wet she was, feel the desire in her emotions. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. And if she didn't stop, he would climax before he even got to pleasure her.
A tug at her hair, Bella lifted her mouth off of Jasper with a pop and scrambled. Pushing him onto his back, she climbed over him and immediately lowered herself on his member. It felt like it had been a lifetime since she had him in her, though it had only been hours. Just looking at this man, and her juices pooled readying her for his assault; and she relished it each and every time, but this time, it meant she would take him, ride him until they were both panting and trying to rush towards orgasm. Up and down, and then she would twist her hips causing Jasper to catch his breath and moan like a man dying of hunger. So deep. She could feel him thrusting with her into her very center, the hood of his dick rubbing against the roof of her hole, hitting her g-spot over and over again.
Jasper allowed Bella to set the pace at first: fast, fast, slow, slow, slow. She was driving him insane with desire. Her moist heat pulled him in, hugging his member, massaging it. This was sheer heaven. When he could no longer be a passive participant, he started to thrust upwards every time she pushed herself down on him. Deeper and harder than just moments before. Reaching up, he pinched one of her nipples, watching as she hissed with pleasure/pain; and then he grabbed her neck and pulled her forward kissing her lips, biting her neck, and then suckling at the unattended breast as he released her neck and returned his hand to her hip to steady her. Their rhythm was getting faster and more erratic and she almost got bucked off. He didn't want to leave her slick channel yet and anchored her to him. The slapping of bottom against him, the squishing sound of his dick driving into her moist center, all of the sounds echoed in the small clearing they were in; and to him, they were a symphony.
Pleasure was building, growing. Starting in her belly and moving lower. The more south it traveled, the more intense it got, and then everything exploded the moment Jasper grabbed her clit and twisted. Something about the small bit of pain sent her over the edge and gave her pleasure as well. Even as she convulsed around him, she still rode him, goading him towards his own climax and hissing as her own got drawn out the longer she moved.
He couldn't hold on any longer and after only a few more thrusts upwards, he cumed inside of her, adding to the moistness that had already gathered. The fingers that had grabbed her clit were covered in a mixture of her juice and his cum, and he brought them to his mouth and sucked. It wasn't lost on him that her eyes followed everything he did, or how she licked her lips when his fingers disappeared into his own. Using those same fingers, he returned them to where he was still joined with her, scooped up some of the moisture and brought it to her own lips, and after she sucked him clean, he yanked her downwards for another predatory kiss. They would not be returning to the house any time soon. Let Carlisle and the others deal with everything that was going on for now, he still needed his mate.