An Unresolved Past
This story starts off five years after its prelude: 'Life is never what you expect it to be'. Bella is now Caius's mate and they are both very happily bonded. WARNING: This is an adult version of twilight and will have sexual submission and violence (after all; the story revolves around vampires). This is not for the faint of heart; it is very dark and has sexual content. 18+
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the creator of these intriguing characters but has nothing to do with this story.
Chapter 23 – When it is darkest men see the stars*
After having disposed of the corpses Caius came back to the cabin searching for anything that could help him ascertain his present situation. He saw different sorts of objects in the dwelling but none were remotely familiar. Even writing material were strange things; although a lot handier that what he had known.
While looking around he saw his reflection in a glass-like surface and studying it he remembered he had replaced his wet garments for those of his victim. Although his victim had been tall man he had also been burly so the clothes he wore were not flattering. Caius snorted while studying his reflection and was glad no one saw him in these demeaning garments. He decided to look for other garments and when he found some to his liking he went back to the mirror and pulled off the baggy shirt he was wearing; in doing so a small golden locket caught his attention. It was not like him to wear any jewellery so this must have some significance; curiosity got the better of him so he lifted it above his head and searched for an opening. It took a while before he found the latch and he was tempted to throw it in utter frustration when it accidentally opened; the beautiful face staring into his was not only familiar but seemed to unlock feelings he had never experienced before. It wasn't a small portrait or a cameo like he would expect; instead it was a perfect reflection just as clearly portrayed as his own reflection staring back at him in the mirror. He was captivated caressing the reflection with his thumb; this face was automatically associated with a warm feeling. The more he stared the more fascinated he became; this was important, he would stake his existence on it!
He gradually went into the next room and upon seeing the bed he concluded that it was a place the humans took their night rest. He was tired from his exertion and with warm blood filling his body he decided to take some down-time. He sat on the edge of the bed and then slowly lowered himself to the mattress; laying down he let out a deep sigh. Having never felt something so relaxing, he made himself comfortable; his hands travelling to the locket and holding it in his hand he opened it once more studying the beautiful face. She was the key; and although he couldn't remember her name, once he found her he was sure he would get his memory back.
A week after Caius's arrival he was still looking for something that would help him find out what was going on or at least tell him were the hell he was. His mind was in turmoil trying to understand things and his irrational temper made him desperate. The human living here wasn't a reader; at least Caius couldn't find books anywhere. Deciding there was nothing he started searching the closets for warm clothing so that he could go hunting.
While looking he opened one of the doors just beside the doorway that he had destroyed when he entered the dwelling. It swung open and he found warm clothing but, as an extra benefit, he discovered a map of what was called "Alaska" stuck on the inside of the door. Searching further he found some rolled up maps on a high plank and pulled them out to study them.
He took them to the table in the room next door and using the back of his hand he swiftly removed everything and rolled the different maps on the table; this seemed second nature to as if he had done this often in his life which was comforting. First of all he rolled out the one called "the world", weighing the corners down with ornaments he found in the room. He saw names totally unknown to him but thankful the shapes of the continents were familiar. He automatically recognized the boot-shaped landscape which, according to this map, was now called Italy. At first Caius felt relieved knowing that he hadn't lost all his orientation. That felling was however soon overshadowed by his sixth-sense warning him that this was a dangerous place. He was about to roll up the map when his eyes fell on the small print which said 1998 and was so surprised he did a double-take. He then whispered to himself "No wonder; I am in the future!"
He sank in the nearby chair contemplating this new information; it all fit! The place and the strange ornaments that filled it; like the portrait that looked so tangible, as if it would talk to him at any given moment.
He smiled as he absentmindedly held the locket. It seemed that the woman had already told him something; having this on his body meant he belonged to this time and she must have been someone special.
Once he had accepted what he knew must be the truth he tried to make an assessment of his situation. This map implied that it was no longer 1250 BC. The locket and the portrait inside it proved that he had belonged to this period in time for it was not only her beauty that captivated him there was more; something unique, something that keep eluding him. The third important fact was the temperature outside. He was either in the northern or southern end of this continent. "Not much to go on" he mumbled to himself.
Having made his analysis he went back to the garments he had found and gather the necessary clothes. He realized that the smartest thing for him to do is to spend some time in this shelter going over the maps and familiarizing himself with the new situation.
The next couple of weeks it had been constantly pitch black outside giving Caius a spectacular show of nature which was composed of all sorts of coloured lights; seeing this he assumed that the darkness was normal for this area. He decided it would be wise to stay around his lodging, only leaving at certain times it to hunt. There were no humans in the vicinity but until he understood where he was, he didn't want to wander off. He was therefore compelled to look at animals for his meals. It wasn't very tasty but it did serve the purpose of filling his body with the necessary nutrition that would strengthen him for his future journey.
During this time he rummaged through the rest of the maps and found another one saying "North America" in which Alaska was illustrated in the northern part. He compared it with the map on the door and began to realize that he was somewhere in this place; why else would the human have a map stuck on the inside of the door? Studying it he realized that he must be in the most northern part and saw that there were very few human settlements within his reach.
A few weeks later his initial strength had finally come back and because of this he decided to leave the area. He noticed that the past week the sun had finally arrived and as the days passed the hours of sunshine gradually increased. On his last hunt he was accidentally caught in the sunshine and he stood in the open enjoying the warmth of the sun's rays. Suddenly he was blinded by a flash of light and was surprised when he realized he had been the cause of it. He watched his skin light up as it caught and reflected the sun's rays; the surface of his skin shined like diamonds. The instant he saw this he remembered first thing he had learned as vampire; he had to stay out of sight.
Seeing it as a sign, he realized he could no longer delay and automatically decided to leave over a couple of days; realizing that while going southward the sun would appear and remain in the sky for a longer period, he would have to be cautious and moved southwards. He sought to travel a good distance before the sun became his enemy; this meant he would have to make a lair in day and travel by night using the stars to guide his path.
Only three days later he left his shelter as the sun began to set. It was a bit early but he wished to continue his journey; he was sick of animal blood and hoped to reach some far away hut or dwelling where he could attain something tastier. On his trip he would take the maps and of course the locket which he now considered his good luck charm.
One evening only three days later Caius had prepared a self-made lair he could accommodate during the daytime. It was about a half hour before sundown and although he smelt something peculiar in the air his desire to avoid being caught in the sun outweighed his caution. He had just stepped outside to check the sturdiness and sensed rather than heard a presence. He heard a ferocious wail as he felt the earth tremble telling him that something large was approaching. Turning he saw a huge white bear ready to pounce causing Caius's survival instinct to present itself and before he knew it, he found himself in a fight with the giant. After a long struggle Caius was able to sink his teeth in the main vein of the animal and pinning him in his arms he drank. It was repulsive but at the moment necessary as he had not come across a human in these past few days, it would serve the purpose of filling his body with the necessary nutrition allowing him to continue his journey.
Unknown to Caius the bear was being tracked by some members of the Salteaux First Nations tribe living in the area.
They had been following the polar bear all day and were standing on the roof of the jeep, watching it from a safe distance. One had a pair of binoculars and the other a photo-camera on a tripod both with built-in night-vision. They had been taking pictures of the bear's movements when all of a sudden the one looking through the camera saw a flicker of light.
"Hey John, did you see that?" the man with the camera asked as he kept gazing through the camera's lens.
John looked at the puzzled expression on his friend's face and then towards the area his camera was pointed "What?"
Dave slowly explained as he tried to zoom in "It was something that shone in the light, a large mirror or something".
"Yeah, Right Dave! A large mirror in the middle of this snowy wasteland" his companion jeered.
"No really man … can't you see the reflection of light?" he said pointing in the direction of the anomaly while looking through the lens.
Covering his eyes from the setting sun John looked at the point that his friend indicated and shouted "Hell yeah now I see it; what's going on down there?" he automatically brought the binoculars he had been holding to his eyes and peering through them as he focused on that area.
"My god… Awesome; did you see that?" Dave asked still incredibly dazed by the scene playing out before the camera's lens.
Now that John was looking he saw the massive white monster standing on his haunches as he
encircled something "Yeah; looks like the bear's has got a hold of something; he's all over it"
"It's a human being!" Dave said still peering through the lens of his camera.
John took a double take as he raised the binoculars to his eyes "Really? Holy shit!"
Dave wondered what the hell someone would be doing on his own in the frozen wasteland at sundown and knew any help they could give would be futile "Jesus! The guys a goner!"
Fascination got the better of him compelling Dave to scrutinize the scene in front of the camera "Hey man, are you seeing this; looks like that guy's skin is glowing like a thousand diamonds".
"Maybe some sort of sunblock; no wonder Yogi attacked" John said as he squinted absentmindedly lowering the binoculars. He didn't dare look; he was never into horror movies and watching someone being torn apart in real life was much worse. Looking at his partner he wondered how he could keep watching! Instead of horror he saw Dave's jaw drop and the expression on his face was that of pure amazement and disbelief. This made John curious so he raised the binoculars once more and peered through automatically fascinated by what he saw.
A second later Dave murmured to his friend "Hey this can't be happening … do you see that? It's fucking awesome!"
John, who was also dumbstruck, added "Yeah man, he's fighting the bloody polar bear and from what I see, I think he's winning".
Dave took his eyes from the camera to look at his friend as he said "I was afraid that 'if I said that' you would ask if I'd been drinking".
John kept watching as if mesmerized "What the hell…the bear is using his claws but it isn't able to even able to scratch the guy! At least I don't see any blood... this is like an episode of the twilight zone"
Dave was back behind his camera saying "I've got to get this on film otherwise no one will believe us". Then all that John could hear in the silence that surrounded them was the clicking of the camera as his friend frantically tried to get everything on the digital device.
Looking back to his buddy John said "You're right; hell even with pictures it will be difficult to sell; they will probably say they were digitally remastered"
Dave was too fascinated to answer being captivated by the fierce battle taking place in the distance "Now the guy's got the bear pinned against his chest and …You sure as hell won't believe it".
"What?" John asked swiftly bringing the binoculars to his eyes but not being able to get it in focus.
Dave looked up, amazement colouring his expression as he uttered "The dude just sunk his teeth in the bear's neck".
"Hey man, stop messing around; that isn't possible!" John said his voice skeptical as he continually tried to focus the binoculars.
Dave looked up saying "Duh… none of this is possible when it comes down to it; but I saw blood flowing from the polar bears neck."
John was becoming a bit nervous as he thought about what was going on and how easily they could be caught up in it "Look Dave let's get the hell out of here before he comes our way; I'm not looking forward to meeting this guy up front".
Dave was still peering through his lens as he said "Wait….He just dropped the bear and the thing's just lying on the ground; dead as a doorknob as far as I can see".
"It's time to leave" was the only thing John said as he got off the roof.
Dave turned white as he saw Caius look up. He didn't know if this blond guy could see him but he didn't want to find out. Grabbing his equipment from the roof of the jeep Dave quickly joined his friend. Both were in the jeep when John said "Shit"
Looking at the expression of dread on his friends face he asked "What's wrong?"
"I can't find my goddamn key" John said as he panicked, his hands desperately searching through his pockets.
"Holy crap, of all the times to lose the key!" Dave retorted his mind still haunted by those golden eyes.
"Duh... don't you think I know?" John retorted as panic took over
"Don't freak out on me just think… where could you have left it?" Dave advised him.
John, his adrenaline peaking, frustratingly answered "Damn, if I knew that we wouldn't be here now; would we?"
After closing his eyes for a moment he turned to Dave saying "Wait a minute; you borrowed it from me to get the telescope-lens out of the back".
"Oh yeah, shit I forgot" Dave said his hands nervously searching his pockets. Finally fishing the key-chain out of his backside pocket he swiftly gave it to his friend saying "Here, now get us the hell out of here! I think the guy might have seen me".
"Oh Fuck!" Turning the ignition the car came to life, the motor automatically protesting John's treatment of it. John paid it no heed as his only purpose now was to put as many miles as possible between them and that thing.
As they John drove Dave said "There's something else; I think the guy's got golden eyes!"
"Oh Shit! Didn't the elders say that some tribe in the state of Washington was on the lookout for some blond guy with strange coloured eyes?"
Dave looked at his friend and said "Yeah, now I remember. They also said he's really dangerous".
John looked back between for a second saying "That must be the understatement of the century; now that I've seen this guy in action he's more lethal than any wild animal I've ever seen".
Driving as fast as possible in the early morning with the sun glaring in the windshield and the ice on the roads, they miraculously arrived in one piece. Thankfully the traffic in this area was non-existent this time of the year so the cops weren't very strict about the speed.
Finally arriving at the sheriff's office they hit the brakes and almost tripping over their own feet they ran in the sheriff's office banging the door behind them.
The sheriff, who was also a tribe elder, looked up and seeing the flushed faces of both men he said "What's going on?"
Both chattered simultaneously continually interrupting one another as they tried to explain what they had just seen.
After a couple of moments the sheriff stuck his hands up in an attempt to stop their chaotic gibberish "Hey guys slow down and speak one at a time!" Then looking at Dave he asked
"now tell me what the hell is going on".
"We…saw…him" Dave struggled to say while trying to catch his breath.
"Saw who?"
"The one that tribe is looking for" John filled in.
"Which tribe? What the hell are you talking about?" the elder asked looking from one to the other.
"Remember, we have been getting some strange messages over the years from a tribe in the state of Washington; I don't really remember the name. You thought it was a practical joke and called but was told it wasn't'. Anyway it became a bit of a joke for the tribe leaders" John said his voice hitching once in a while as he caught his breath. Then turning towards his comrade he asked "Can you remember the name of the tribe? I know it began with a Q but after that I'm lost."
"The Quileute tribe?" the elder filled in.
"Yeah, that's the one!" John answered pointing at the elder
"Anyway they told you that they were on the lookout for someone that was extremely dangerous; someone with blond hair and strange coloured eyes" Dave filled in.
"And?" the sheriff asked
"We found him" the comrades said in unison.
"Right…." The sheriff sarcastically said looking at the two "look guys; I haven't got time for practical jokes today"
"Does it look like were joking?" John asked still out of breath from the quick sprint.
Looking suspiciously at both men and seeing their hyperactive movements and speech the sheriff asked "What are you guys on?"
"Hey man, why does everyone say that?" John infuriatingly asked then turning to nudge his partner he quickly added "Anyway, pictures don't lie; show them Dave"
With this Dave came forward and holding the camera in front of the sheriff, he skimmed through a number of digital photos he had taken.
The sheriff tried to study them but his eyesight wasn't all that great and the angle in which Dave held it, more often than not caused the screen to turn black. After a couple of minutes the sheriff got frustrated and retorted "I can't see a thing: how am I supposed to see anything when you keep fiddling with the buttons?"
"Why don't you load them into the computer; than you can see it better" John suggested.
"Usually Piet does that kind of thing, but he's not here yet so we'll have to wait. I myself am not handy with computers" the sheriff muttered.
"We can't wait; that guy's dangerous; he maybe even followed us" John argued.
"Will you Let me do it then" Dave offered
"Well…OK then but be careful, remember that's government property!"
Once everything was loaded Dave put it on slideshow allowing both the sheriff and his buddy to see the results.
The room was silent as picture after picture were presented by the computer. When the show was complete Dave gave a satisfied smile but turning around he saw that both his friend and the elder were white as a sheet.
The elder, bewildered by the information stared at the last picture saying "When we heard of the Quileute's search for this creature we warned the tribe just in case. However we took no special measures to ensure the safety of our members".
After a moment's hesitation he began to plead their case saying "We didn't see it as a potential threat"
Then he turned his head and looked at both men as he explained "after all it's the 21st century; creatures like these just didn't exist! I still can't believe it. You sure they weren't making a movie or something?"
Looking at the elder Dave said "This wasn't a movie, that thing was all alone in the middle of nowhere fighting a bear; we saw it with our own bloody eyes and the only camera around was mine. Now that we know it's real, we have to call that guy".
"You're right" the elder said and began his search through the top drawer of his desk hoping that he still had the e-mail".
"Here it is!" he said holding it up, secretly grateful that he had kept it just in case. It had always been a joke for the elders but the joke would have backfired if he hadn't kept it. After all who else could he call; anyone else would probably put him in a straitjacket and throw away the keys.
Dave looked at the paper and then seeing the shaken state of the elder he asked "Do you want me to call?"
The sheriff didn't say anything, just gave him the trembling note.
Decidedly walking towards the phone David quickly punched in the numbers, put on the speaker and listened until he heard the receiver click.
"Jacob Black speaking"
"Hi, Mr Black this is David Threefeathers, I'm a member of the Saulteau First Nations tribe up in BC".
"Yes"
Dave became a bit jumpy he was about to talk to a complete stranger about something he himself didn't really understand. That and the presence of the other two men didn't help. After a moment or two he spoke "You sent different e-mails to all tribes in the Alaskan and BC area over the past years asking them to look out for a blond haired red eyed individual"
"You found him?" Jacob asked the skeptical note in his voice clearly heard through the phone.
The tone of voice caused Dave to doubt his recklessness at calling as he answered "Well, yes"
"How do you know it was him?" Jake cautiously asked
"The blond hair and the strange coloured eyes were the first indication" Dave said.
"The real clincher was when he attacked the polar bear! Man it was awesome; he came out of that fight without a scratch!" John shouted from behind him.
"I took pictures with a zoom lens so you can see if it's the guy you're looking for" Dave quickly added. Then pondering the stranger's steady voice he thought it had to be their guy. After all, anyone else hearing this story would have hung up by now.
After a moment of contemplation Jake said "Can you send them to my e-mail address? I'd be extremely grateful"
"No problem; just give me your e-mail address" Dave replied.
"You mustn't get close to him" Jacob answered "he is very dangerous".
"Tell me about it!" Dave answered as John intently listened to the two
"What happened? Has anyone been hurt?" Jacob said, the fear audible in his voice
"Yeah, a huge Polar Bear" John excitedly answered
"Who is that?" Jake asked noticing an obvious discrepancy between the two voices.
"That's my buddy John; he was with me when we saw the guy"
"Where was this?"
"On the Moberly Lake Rd south; in the middle of Moberly Lake Provincial Park. We were on our car shooting pictures of this polar bear when all of a sudden we saw it attack the guy"
"OK, I think you just may have found our man" said Jake quickly giving them his e-mail address.
Once all the information was passed to and fro Jacob said "just make sure you don't get too close to him and if you inadvertently encounter him tell him 'that the Cullen's are looking for him'".
John's jaw dropped at the idea alone and Dave automatically answered for them both "You don't think we are about to go anywhere near that thing?"
Jacob, remembering the tales of Caius's ferociousness feared he wouldn't get there on time and said "all right give me your address and someone will contact you as soon as possible; in the meanwhile stay put and please warn your people".
Jake had been taking some time off and was at the reservation when the call had come in. He and Sienna had looked at the various pictures the guy Dave had sent and Sienna was looking up the address on google maps while Jake opened his cell phone to call Edward.
While the phone rang Sienna found the spot and showed it to her husband.
The phone kept ringing and Jake was worried he wouldn't get through when all of a sudden he heard "Edward here"
"With Jake, where are you?" Jacob asked hoping that he would be close to the spot.
"I'm in the area of Moses Mountain; my god we have looked everywhere! I'm starting to lose hope; it's been so long!"
"Well I got some good news for you; he has been sighted! I got a call from someone saying they spotted him in Moberly Lake Provincial Park, B.C.; somewhere north east of here in Canada".
"That's great!" Edward heaved a sigh of relief but after a moment's hesitation he asked "How do you know it's him?
"This amateur photographer in some small Indian reservation up north was taking pictures of a Polar Bear when he caught sight of him. He automatically took pictures of Caius hoe was being attacked by said Polar Bear and called me up. I asked for the pictures and he sent them to my e-mail. I'll send them through to you and Carlisle or are you guys being tapped by the big boss?"
"Thankfully Aro's not that paranoid yet; at least I don't think so" Edward said "so we'd be grateful if you send them to us"
"Get this!" Jacob enthusiastically said "he hasn't got red eyes; his eyes are golden".
There was a silence on the other end of the line and for a nanosecond Jake thought they had been cut off but then he heard Edward say "Something's definitely wrong; he was always loathed the thought of living on animal blood and found it demeaning for a vampire to partake in it".
"That may be true" Jake muttered "but then, it's not exactly densely populated with humans up north. I guess he decided a full stomach was more important than pride".
Edward automatically answered "We have to get to him as soon as possible".
"Yeah" Jake snickered "if he makes any more of an impression than he already has, we will be watching him on the news".
Edward had given the address to Emmett who had already pumped the information in his GPS. A second later he showed it to Edward, who promptly said to Jake "He seems to be working his way south".
Jake shook his head apprehensively "Thankfully one of the Indian tribes down there; they called to tell me of the sighting. However it won't take him long to reach the more populated areas".
"Well Moses Mountain is east of Forks so I'll call my family; they're at our home in Alaska. If they borrow the Denali helicopter they will get there sooner than we can. Do you have a name and place for me? I'll ask them to go there on their way down to Forks" Edward explained.
"Not a bad idea; I lost the name but I can look up the number then they can call them and discuss this. I'm sending it to you right now along with the pictures!" Jake said, grateful for the gifts of the computer age.
While the number was being sent Jacob said "Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Reilly to join them; he might be able to pick up his scent".
"Your right and I think I'll ask Athenodora as well. Caius seems to have been wandering around all this time and yet he hasn't contacted anyone. If he is being cautious, the only one that he might trust is Athenodora; after all, she has been his friend and confidant for centuries."
After a moment's hesitation Edward added "OK then; we are an eight hour drive away from there, so we'll be coming back to Forks instead and hold the fort until my parents arrive with Caius."
Jacob then replied "Call when you're at your home in Fork and I will come over".
Jake hung up and picked up his coffee mug while contemplating the news he had just received. He felt his wife's eyes watching him from across the table and looking up his eyes caught hers; he gave her one of his beautiful grins and set his mug on the table asking "what?"
Sienna smiled back as she whispered "So Bella was right all along; maybe this mate thing is as extraordinary as our bond".
Jake pondered her words as he reached over to take her hands in his and softly caressing them he said "If so, both their lives have been hell; I couldn't ever imagine loosing you". After having said this he brought her hands to his lips realizing just how unpredictable and precarious life could be.
The family had just been hunting so that they were ready to drive down to join Edward in Forks. As they were brushing the snow of their garments; Carlisle's mobile when off. He hung up his coat digging the cell phone out of his pocket and seeing Edward's number on the display he pushed the receiver button to take the call "Hi Edward, Carlisle here!"
"How are things going down there; how are you guys holding up?"
Carlisle sighed, looking at what was left of his family his eyes focused on his wife as he said "Were alright I suppose but Esme, well… she's having a difficult time; she never hears from Alice or Jasper and they never return her calls".
"Well I called to ask if you could visit a tribe in Canada on your way down here" Edward snickered.
"I don't understand"
"It seems they have spotted Caius in the Rocky Mountains; if your fast maybe you can get a hold of him" Edward quickly explained.
Edward heard a sigh of relief on the other end and then "What! Unbelievable! That's the first good thing I have heard in a long time; I was beginning to believe that Bella was wrong".
"Yeah I know; Bella was right all along; the guy is truly indestructible"
"Have you got an address for me" he asked picking up his pen to jot it down.
"I've got something even better. I am texting you the telephone number of the person who called as well as the address" Edward said.
He then continued "And Carlisle; we have to get him out as soon as possible that's why I'm asking you to do it; I might not be able to get there on time. He seems to be stirring things up down there that's why we have to get a hold of him before he begins attacking people. It might be wise to ask the Denali's if you can use their Heli".
Edward was about to hang up when then thought of something "Carlisle are you still there?"
"Yes"
"I forgot something; can you bring Riley and Athenodora with you? Caius has been wandering all this time and normally he would have contacted someone by now but he seems to be very wary of reconnecting. In that case I think the only one he might trust could be Athenodora. We will be going back to Forks and wait for you there".
"Good idea, as soon as we get the information we'll leave" Carlisle said.
As soon as he hung up his family bombarded him with questions about what was going on so he stuck his hand up signalling that he was still busy. He called the reservation and the person on the other end of the line was quick to pick up. After a moment's hesitation Dave told him the same things he had told Jacob. After a five minute discussion Carlisle gave them his e-mail address. Picking up his pen he jotted down the address and was promised pictures via his e-mail.
After thanking them for their help and promising to come as soon as possible he closed his cell phone and turned to Rose and Esme with an exuberant smile on his face. The silent room was now humming with excitement as Carlisle's said "There seems to be a change of plans; Jacob found Caius"
"What, where?" they asked, almost simultaneously.
"In the Canadian Rockies a small place called Moberly Lake Provincial Park in BC. He was spotted by a member of the Saulteau tribe living in the area. That was who I just spoke to"
"Are they sure it's him?" Esme asked.
"The person I spoke to is tribe member and an amateur photographer. He and his buddy were taking pictures when they came across him. He is going to send one to me but in the meanwhile we have to prepare to leave; time is of the essence."
Turning to his foster daughter he asked "Rose, can you call the Denali's and explain the situation? Ask them if they can come to our place with the helicopter. Oh yeah one other thing, ask if Riley and Athenodora can join us; it's really important they come along".
Rose nodded and enthusiastically grabbed her phone and while she was busy with her call Carlisle's cell phone sounded the arrival of an e-mail.
Opening it up he and Esme looked at the picture that had come in. Esme automatically gasped then said "It's Caius! Who would have thought that we would ever be so relieved to see his face?"
After a moment of observation she added "He seems to be dressed like a hunter"
Carlisle chuckled "Thank goodness he is; if he wore his Volturi robe he would have stuck out like a sore thumb"
He then projected it on the wall and zooming in on the face Carlisle gasped "Look at his eyes!"
In the meanwhile Rose had finished her conversation and turned to look at the projected image "My god they're gold!" she said while the other two were still in shock by this discovery.
Esme finally recovered saying "Caius drinking animal blood! Now; that is really strange" then looking up at her husband she asked "Why didn't he contact anyone?"
Carlisle looked at his wife saying "Remember Bella's idea that Caius might have been hurt when he fell; maybe that has something to do with it. Edward is afraid that the Caius we know has changed that's why he asked me to take Athenodora with us. He thinks that Caius might be overly cautious and therefore we might need Athenodora to convince him we mean no harm".
Rose smiled to her parents, unable to keep her admiration of Bella's intuition hidden as she said "So Bella was right all along, Caius is alive"
Carlisle noticed that Esme was openly smiling for the first time in ages and placed his hand on her cheek. His eyes filled with compassion as he whispered "At least now we know where to look; so let's get going!"
Esme nodded and passionately kissed him enjoying a moment of tranquility as they waited for the helicopter to arrive.
* When it is darkest, men see the stars ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
