"Lilah's coming over tonight!" Alice announced, bounding into the living room from the garage. "She sounded like she could use a fun night, so I'd appreciate everyone being on their best behavior."
Rosalie was the only one to offer up any protest, in the form of a grimace, an eye roll, and aggressively crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't understand why everyone else in her family, even Jasper, had all hopped on Alice's friendship train with the witch. They were all being idiots, Rosalie thought. The witch came with serious baggage: an entire death squad looking to hunt her down, but no one else seemed to care much about that, or the threat it could pose to any of them, being so close to her.
Alice narrowed her eyes at her sister. She loved Rosalie very much, but her attitude could be beyond exhausting.
"Rose, you don't have to stay."
"I don't understand why you're all acting so normal about this girl," Rosalie said. She glared at all of them, even Emmett, whose arm was still comfortably around her waist. "We've worked so hard to make Forks comfortable and safe for us, and she threatens all of that, more so than any human we could slip up and kill. We could make that look like an accident and leave if we really needed to. If that girl's father shows up with his fellow witch hunters and discovers all of us, we'd have a much bigger mess on our hands, if we even get away. If not, then we're exposed to a giant group of humans, the the Volturi will have our heads on stakes as soon as they get word of it."
The room went silent. It was a reality everyone was aware of, yet not one any of them had been ready to confront.
"You weren't around for the witch trials," Carlisle said. "You don't know how cruel and outright evil they were…innocent people, little girls, women, the elderly, being killed in the most extreme ways. Hangings, drownings, burning at the stake, all on display for the public to ogle at."
"This is one girl, Carlisle," Rosalie said. "Don't be so dramatic."
"It always started with one girl," Carlisle said. There was a conviction in his eyes as he spoke that was rarely seen, even by Esme. "One person. And then another, and another, because the more the witch hunters get away with it, they more they're emboldened to keep going. It's not just witches that get caught up in it. Anyone deemed a bit odd, too difficult, useless to society, they'll get accused and convicted, too. I know because I was a part of it, Rosalie. I watched my father point his finger to send people to their deaths, and then I did the same thing."
Rosalie set her jaw. She, and everyone else, knew she'd gotten herself into a losing battle. And not one that Carlisle was going to let go.
"Part of what keeps us all together in this family is our respect for human life. We do what we can to show that respect with our diet, and with Esme and I dedicating ourselves to the practice of medicine. I know that we can't act much more than that, but we can do the right thing here, with Lilah. I know I'm biased, too personally involved in her cause because of my past, but I can't, in good conscious, leave her high and dry and not help her in her time of need. Also, I think there's value in allying ourselves with other supernatural species. None of us have been fans of the wolves, per say, but our alliance has allowed us to keep returning to our beautiful home here in Forks. I think continuing the good relationship we've started to establish with Lilah and her coven would be beneficial."
"We voted on that treaty," Rosalie said. "If that's part of this, we should vote now."
She was just being stubborn, appealing to her family's tradition of voting on big choices, especially those involving how they interacted with others. She knew she was going to lose and yet her pride kept her from shutting her mouth.
Carlisle nodded, and gestured for Rosalie to start the vote.
"Okay, everyone who agrees with Carlisle and thinks we should continue to protect this girl, raise your hand."
Rosalie's pride took an enormous hit as every hand in the room went up except her own. She glared at Emmett, though she knew there was no changing his mind, and he merely shrugged.
"Sorry, babe," he said. He leaned in to kiss her cheek to appease her some, which she allowed. "I like Lilah."
She rolled her eyes. She had lost. That woman, that witch, was going to be in her house, and she wanted nothing to do with it. So she sauntered out of the room, out of the house, going to find peace and quiet for herself in the forest, as far away from the house as she could get. Emmett grumbled and started to follow her, knowing he'd regret it if he didn't, because Rosalie would make sure he did.
"Em!" Alice said. "I thought you were going to cook something for Lilah?"
Sheepishly, Emmett smiled back at his sister. He'd become quite the chef since Lilah arrived in their lives, mostly because he wanted to keep his self-given title of best chef in the Cullen house. His competitive nature had driven him to pick up the craft quickly and deftly.
"Sorry, Al," he said with a hint of a shrug. "You know I'll have my ass handed to me if I don't go after her."
Alice's shoulders fell. He was right.
"Okay."
"Good luck," Edward added, having already heard the maelstrom in Rosalie's mind.
Emmett rolled his eyes and said, "Thanks, brother," and then disappeared into the evergreens after his wife.
"Okay," Alice said once more, turning to her remaining family members. "Does anyone think they can learn how to cook in slightly less than an hour? And make something Lilah will like?"
Alice was as nervous as she was excited. Edward could see it quite clearly in her mind. Alice was used to relying on her visions to ensure that she knew exactly what to give someone, exactly what to do for someone, so she'd never had to question whether or not she'd get the right gift or say the right thing. She could not see Lilah in her visions, and thus, had that certainty taken away from her. The one person she had really wanted to befriend in almost a century was the one person she couldn't use her gift on. She had to figure it all out on her own.
Edward was so focused on Alice's thoughts that he didn't anticipate that Jasper would be the one to speak.
"I can try," he said, getting to his feet.
He saw and felt all of the eyes focusing in on him, shocked. Jasper, the one who had the least control around humans, the least experience with them, the least interest in them, was now the one offering to cook for one. Their shock was understandable.
Jasper cleared his throat.
"She's a fellow southerner," he said. It sounded as though he was trying to explain himself to himself more than anyone else in the room. "Surely the cuisine hasn't changed all that much."
While Edward, undoubtedly, saw the inner machinations of Jasper's mind, he didn't have a chance to say anything about it. Alice squealed too loudly, excited, and grateful for the help, trailing him to the kitchen. Thankfully, Emmett had left his laptop there, so Jasper used it to his advantage and began looking up some recipes. It wasn't hard to get past his password: iloverosalie123.
Alice, showering Jasper in continued thanks, made herself useful, and got to work as his sous chef. He instructed her how to prepare the ingredients for him. They had everything they needed, as, in typical Emmett fashion, he'd went all in on his new hobby, buying enough ingredients to stock a small grocery store. The two got busy working, going off the recipe from the computer and Jasper's faint memories of his sister making a the same dish over a century ago. Behind them, Carlisle kissed Esme goodbye before heading out for his night shift at the E.R., and Edward stared at his brother in awe and amazement. He saw what was going on in Jasper's head, and he still couldn't believe it.
Finally, a knock at the door came, and Esme, being closest, went to let Lilah in. Alice gasped in shock at the horror of her outfit—light brown corduroy pants that were patched at the knees, another godforsaken tie-dye shirt, a denim jacket adorned in pins and patches, and hiking boots that should've been thrown out years ago—and then saw how upset Lilah looked.
Jasper didn't need to turn around to see. The mood radiated off of her. Hurt, regret, fear, worry, hopelessness. It was heavy, as Lilah's emotions always were, and, perhaps more upsetting, she was blaming herself for most of it. He turned, glad that Esme was there, giving Lilah a much needed hug, and giving off the emotions she was best at: affection, love, support.
"I'm sorry," Lilah said, once Esme released her from the hug. She looked around at all of them, a bit embarrassed at having shown so much of herself.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Esme assured her. "We're friends. You're allowed to show emotions, Lilah, especially here. We all want you to feel comfortable and safe while you're here."
Alice bounced over to her just after she squeaked out a 'thanks,' to Esme, and hugged her as well, going up on her tiptoes to reach her better. Lilah felt colder than usual. It was late October, and the air had made her clothing cold, her skin cooler as well.
"Did something happen?" Alice asked.
"No, nothing in particular," Lilah said. "I just talked to my sister and my mom a lot over the past couple of days…it's getting harder to be away from my family the longer it goes on, and there isn't an end in sight…it's hard. I really appreciate you all being so welcoming. It helps."
"We're all happy to have you here," Esme said. "Carlisle sends his well wishes, too. He had to be at work, or else he would've been happy to see you."
Lilah nodded. She counted the faces in the room, and saw that Carlisle wasn't the only one missing.
Esme drew a breath, and amended her previous statement, and said, "Rosalie is a bit apprehensive about accepting new people. It's nothing against you personally, her not being here…she wouldn't like anyone."
"And Emmett went with her, because, for whatever reason, he's still in love with her," Edward said. Seeing the look his adoptive mother flashed him, he added, "We all love her…for whatever reason."
Hearing such sibling banter, Lilah had to laugh. She missed having it with Morgan in person, not just over the phone.
"Jasper stepped up and made dinner for you in Emmett's absence," Alice said brightly. She took Lilah's arm gently and pulled her along to the edge of the kitchen.
"Chicken and dumplings," Jasper said. He presented her with a whopping serving in one of Esme's fancy bowls, silver spoon and folded linen napkin on the side. "Probably not as good as Emmett would've made it, but I hope it's alright."
Nostalgia, homesickness, love. Lilah's new burst of emotions hit him square in the chest. Another wave of emotions, his own, this time, hit him deeper in the gut as he looked up and saw that she was blinking back tears.
Food was one of Lilah's love languages. It was why she'd brought the habit into her adult life, cooking for her family and the friends she'd had through college. It was one of the ways she could show others how much she cared, how much someone could show that they cared for her.
"Did Constance tell you this was one of my favorites?" she asked.
"No…lucky guess. You said you were from Arkansas, so I thought you might like something southern, and chicken and dumplings was one of the few things I could remember about southern cuisine."
"Thank you," Lilah said. Her voice was full of gratefulness, reinforced by the feeling that Jasper felt coming off of her.
Jasper, even deeper into foreign territory than Alice, tried to swallow the knot in his throat. He didn't know what it was about Lilah. It was more than just what he felt from her, more than just her potent emotions that drew him in. There was more he found himself liking about her. The sound of her voice. Her hazel eyes. The freckles over her nose and cheeks. Her smell, lavender and honey. Her outfits that were so mismatched that they made Alice sick. The way she was so at ease with all of them, never once judging them. The way she smiled at him.
It was terrifying, how suddenly and profoundly Lilah had wormed her way into his non-beating heart. How he wanted to use his gift to ensure that she never felt any of those negative feelings again. How he didn't, because she asked him to, because she already wielded enough power over him to keep him from doing what he wanted.
He nodded and pushed the bowl closer to her. As he did, his cold hand grazed her warm fingers ever so slightly, and what he was feeling was suddenly reinforced by a physical sensation. The lightest of touches between them had felt like plugging into something bigger, deeper, stronger than the two of them.
No, no, no, he told himself. He didn't care that Edward was listening; he was too worked up to try to cover his thoughts. Alice said that she and I would always be alone…if anyone deserves a mate, it's her, not me…I can't possibly…I could never deserve…someone like Lilah surely deserves better.
Lilah, too, felt something. Of course she had. Jasper knew it before he saw it written all over her face, her freckled cheeks flushed deeply. Adorably.
A few steps away, Edward's golden eyes frantically bounced between Jasper and Lilah, as he went back and forth between reading both of their minds. His first instinct was to be happy for both of them. He knew how wonderful it was for a vampire to have a mate, and saw it first hand with the love between Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. His second instinct was to be concerned. For both of them.
Both Edward and Jasper were grateful that Esme and Alice were there. They too could sense something had happened, but without Edward's ability, were not able to see what, exactly, and thus were able to keep the air in the room light enough by carrying on a conversation with Lilah. Esme even allowed Lilah to curl up on the sofa as she ate, and brought her a warm, thick blanket to wrap up in.
Alice settled next to her. Kept talking to her. Asked her about her jobs, decorating her house, anything else. Lilah mentioned she wanted to try hiking, but it was obvious she was distracted by whatever the hell had just happened.
Jasper excused himself from the situation. It was too much, too soon. Edward was hot on his trail, all the way out into the yard, where he finally caught up to him.
"You're just going to run from this?" Edward asked. His voice was sharp.
"What would you suggest I do?"
He turned on his heels, coming almost face to face with his brother. He could feel that Edward, for once, didn't have the answer. He didn't have any preconceived idea of what Jasper should do, if he should give in to what he felt, or if he should run for the hills for Lilah's sake. Edward, too, realized that Lilah was in enough danger as it was. Becoming a vampire's mate would only add exponentially more danger onto her life—and just because she was a witch didn't alleviate that danger. They were all still stronger and faster than she was, and surely the Volturi would have something to say about her becoming so involved in their world. At best, they'd want her changed like Constance, a fate he didn't wish on anyone, and at worst, they'd have her killed.
Edward sighed. His way of letting Jasper know that, no, he didn't have a single word of advice.
Jasper merely nodded, and, like Rosalie, went into the forest to get as far away from Lilah Porter as he could.