Disclaimer: Twilight, and those characters belonging to it, is property of Stephenie Meyer and I profit none whatsoever from using them for the fan fiction I write.
Author's Note: Previous Chapters 18 & 19. Realized Alice wouldn't have been able to have a vision of Rose's death so that's why the vision was of what their life would be like without her. Small wording changes but spelling, nothing big.
Thank you for the recent review encouraging me to continue updating. I'm pretty much caught up to where I was so the next chapter posted should contain the previous chapter 20 and actual new parts to the story ^.^ Thank you to everyone that has read or re-read and stayed with me. I appreciate it.
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As Seth returned to patrol, Kady found Patricia from Sweets Bakery had responded to her application with a request to come in for an interview and by the end of the day she had a job and expectations to be in "bright and early the day after tomorrow." The day in between had given the youth time to take care of purchasing a set of no-slip sneakers and her boss time to get her name stitched onto her uniform. Pleased with establishing a source of income, and purpose outside of her original visit, the brunette showed up an hour before opening as instructed with a smile.
"There will be coffee as soon as we get you clocked in," the owner stated, locking the door after her entry, gesturing her through to the back. The time that most people would be crawling from their beds was still a long way off, the roads quiet as she had driven in, walking through the organization of Patricia's cases her stomach grumbled in hunger.
Boss laughing, Kady's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "I'll eat before coming in tomorrow."
"You're welcome to one item from the case a day but be mindful you account for it. When I first opened this place, I put on 20 pounds, they did not come off easy." Placing a few items in the cake tray on the counter, Patricia turned to show her how to load the industrial coffee maker, ensuring she watched her for the first regular brew pot and allowing her to fill the decaf on her own.
Outside, the sky began to warm, ink giving way to a deep violet blue that steadily lightened as cars began to trickle in along the street and Patricia advised her on what they could soon expect, "Fifteen minutes to open we're going to start getting calls. These are from the businesses along the street. It's important you ask where they are working because sometimes ex-employees will try to call in to get ahead and they know they can't do that, also if any orders come in at the end of the night those will be taped to the counter," a quick gesture at an empty indicated precisely where, "those get filled before the calls. All orders are paid for on pick up; check, cash or card. We don't have any redeemable coupons now and when we do, I'll let you know."
No sooner had her boss finished with the rundown did the phone ring and the morning kick off in full swing.
…
His angel was gone.
It was not God who had taken her, but two devils.
Devils had killed his mate.
…
The rain washed out the woods of Forks, masking the killers smell as it wound through the forest. Jake's pack had followed it in circles since the morning as the pair seemed aware of their pursual, separating frequently and spreading the trail wide only to converge again later. They'd been certain to avoid confusing it with the sickly-sweet smell that had crossed into the area the day prior, aware of the burly Cullen's return as well as his accompaniment by 5 others they were already aware of the Witnessing, but when a storm rolled in over town in the afternoon, they cursed their luck.
The clouds frequently covering the peninsula blackened the sky, the large wolves grumbling through their mental link; despite their keen senses they could only follow the path available them so long as it was clear. At first the scent saturated the ground, filling every moist pocket of water with its sweetness and then as the downpour continued it became so consuming nothing was distinguishable from it. Afternoon changing to evening, fresh paws and noses joined them, but the trail was so diluted it could not be traced. The land's protectors were frustrated, tired and hungry, finally relinquishing their patrol to the next group so they could rest.
Despite the ache throughout his body from the long shift, Jake called Sam as soon as he was in, "We're washed out here, but far as we can tell they've been circling town trying to find a point in."
Rubbing a hand along his forehead the young man tried to assuage his frustration with the motion, scratching his chest absently as he pulled his arm back down, listening to the other man's grunt of reply, "I'll let you know when we pick it back up."
Billy watched his son as he hung the phone back up, "They'll try to make their move while it's harder to find them. It'd be smarter to go into town as you are, try to pick it up when they get there." Seeing his son consider the course of action he cautioned, "After you've rested up."
Jacob relented, situating himself on one of the chairs in the living room, not trusting himself to wake up later if he fell into a truly deep sleep, "Fifteen minutes, then make sure I'm out the door." His eyes were closed before his head hit the back of the recliner, soft snores filling the room.
…..
Alice and Jasper had been left alone to care for Renesmee at the Swan residence, Charlie having left hours earlier in the day with a considerate reminder to let him know if there was anything they needed. The Sheriff's home was far easier to be in, even amongst the mortal families surrounding them with their fluctuating emotions and warm beating hearts, than the despair that permeated their own home. Amidst Esme's loss, Carlisle's guilt and Edward's conflicting emotions, it had already been a lot to handle for the empath so before Emmett could be advised of his wife's demise, his mate had ferried him away.
In Alice and their niece's presence, Jasper could determine what he himself was feeling and prepare for the wave he would face when they returned home. Rosalie and he had been acting as biological siblings for years, but it was not their coloring that was their biggest similarity but their change – both had been changed for the benefit of other people. Carlisle had changed Rosalie to save her, but also with the hope of finding his son someone to love and Jasper, to help a woman control the South, neither with their consent at the time. They didn't talk often but when they had it had been with understanding; while Rosalie's death had been caused by the horrors of humankind, Jasper had been forced to commit gruesome murders greater than those common in even mortal war.
They could acknowledge between themselves that while neither of them had started their second life off happy to have been changed, they did find peace and even pleasure by finding their other half later, something that would not have occurred had they remained human. The loss he felt was not as great as he imagined it would be had it been Emmett or either of his adoptive parents, but it was vastly less than when he thought of it being Alice, something he hated to consider. Minus the pressure of the others, this feeling was bearable even as fresh as it was, able to compartmentalize it as he realized Alice must have done when she was the only one suspect what had happened before even the wolves had found her.
Watching her playing with Renesmee he wondered how she had managed it and how she could smile at the little girl she held while she answered questions that Nessie only asked through her projections.
Feeling his gaze, the psychic turned to face him, patting the ground beside her where she sat on the living room floor. Obliging her request he settled next to her with a quiet sound, "Hmm?"
"Charlie's going to be home soon, it's been quiet in town…" Bell like voice tinkling in the warm air, she reached to touch his face with her free hand, thumb running under his chin, "You're ready to go home?" Though each of them knew it was a statement, already aware of what he had decided, she still posed it as a question. Many times his wife took charge, choosing the path she knew would be the best for everyone as she could see it, but today she choose to be considerate of trying not to make the decision for him. He turned his head to kiss her palm, enjoying the spark it lit in her before withdrawing his lips from her skin,
"I'd stay through the night, go back tomorrow." Edward would need the break as much as he did, and in turn it would give Bella time as well. He was certain the newborn was keeping her shield in place as long as she could, but it would be tiring, he knew how much it had drained her after the battle though she had done a good job burying it, "Has anything changed?"
The small sylph shook her head, gaze casting ahead for a moment while Renesmee stood to run into the kitchen momentarily, "No, I can't see anything firm." She sighed, disgruntled, "Esme is the most decided, but Carlisle would never allow…" He could feel the pain there, hesitation, they both knew where the Cullen Matriarch's thoughts would stray even without their abilities, it's why she was a vampire in the first place. The Major squeezed her closer to him,
"Bella, Edward?" Their brother and sister had a complicated relationship, but it had improved with Renesmee's birth, the same was true of Rose and Bella.
"Bella will follow Edward, Edward would only leave if Carlisle and Esme decide to go." Neither spoke of Emmett, Alice had seen several possibilities as soon as he was informed but so far nothing had panned out in any direction which was best for everyone in the short term.
"Us?" Before Alice could answer Renesmee's alarm caught the former confederate off guard, moving from his wife's side and to his niece's in an instant, scooping her up and away from the kitchen sink where she had been looking outside. Beyond the glass a woman with pin straight black hair pulled back, accentuating the delicate bone structure of her face. Two eyes, nearly as dark, stared at the two from the outside, the woman still as only a vampire could be. Alice took Renesmee from him without hesitation as she appeared at his side, already seeing him running outside in the next second as the figure disappeared.
The woman wasn't as fast as him, but he was hindered by her choice to move into town rather than out as the clouds overhead dissipated. Still sometime before twilight the sunlight, where it did hit, was too bright for him to cross into without giving away his nature but his prey had no qualms and ran straight across the street, slowing as she sensed his hesitation. Glaring at the figure, Jasper acknowledged the reason for the blank spots in Alice's visions as the woman grinned smugly back, her skin lacking the diamond like quality his own would have.
…..
Tugging his pants on, the teen trudged out of the tree line behind his property, approaching the back door when his mother's voice reached his ears. "..just consider it Charlie, please." Mr. Swan must've said something else additional before his mother hung up a moment later, sighing as she stood in view of the window where she spotted him still half the distance in their yard.
Offering a waive, he jogged the remainder of the distance, wet grass making soft squelching noises under his bare feet, "Hey mom." His voice carried through the door before he appeared, the hug she offered waiting for him when he arrived. Patiently he waited while she checked his face and shoulders over, not that any small injury would have lasted through the shift, questioning once she was done, "Everything ok?"
Satisfied her son was physically ok, she nodded, turning to get him something to drink. The water gone as soon as he had taken it, still waiting for her to continue as he moved to get something to eat, his stomach knowing at him the way it tended to all the time now, "Charlie had an unexpected visitor while he was out." Knowing Nessie had been staying at the Swan Residence, Seth straightened immediately, eyes alert, skin along his face drawing tight.
Sue cut him short before he could ask, "She's fine. Alice and…" the other one's name escaped her a moment, his mother less involved in the Cullen's life beyond her visits with Charlie, and even then, she was only there to support him. After a moment she caught it, "Jasper were there. They weren't able to catch her, but they believe they're like Renesmee - the woman was able to go out in the sun."
The young shape-shifter's stomach clenched around the nerves turning there, his earlier weariness forgotten as he leaned forward to take her elbows, head chin touching her temple, "Don't wait up."
"Seth!" Sue's call for her son was ignored, already running back out the door.
…
Chief Swan's home, his sanctuary, was full of tension as the sky dimmed from day to night; his visitors becoming more anxious the further in the evening it became. Bella stood in the living room, Renesmee with her head along her alabaster shoulder, dozing with her mother's arms tucked under her bottom to support the growing child. Edward had accompanied her, face drawn down as he seemed to concentrate from his place at the window staring out. They'd suggested her father go to the reservation, maybe spend a few days there with Sue but as always could not explain why, only that it may be safer for him to do so.
There might be a lot I have to let go to keep you from leaving Bells, but I can protect my granddaughter in my own home. The conversation hadn't progressed despite Sue's request not an hour later over the phone, and not too terribly long after that Seth had turned up at his back door, shirtless and scrounging for food. When he'd offered him the couch, suspecting the kid wasn't going to head back home in the dark he'd been waived off, albeit as respectfully as had ever been done - leaving only once Jake had arrived.
Laying on his back, pillow flat under his head from years of use, Charlie studied the shadows of his ceiling, letting his mind find the patterns in them as he drifted to sleep.
When her father's soft snores had passed for several minutes, Bella shifted her stance, questioning, "Jake?" From outside, a soft snort sounded from where she had heard a shift in the trees.
Unable to answer her directly, Edward spoke for her friend with a small grin she could hear in his voice, "He says he can't stay in one place like us." By his expression reflected in the window she could tell there must have been more however he didn't continue to voice it and she was glad for whatever it was keeping his mind occupied. Away from the family she had been able to relax her shield to herself, her mind work through scenarios, always circling back to the only possibility there was considering the limited pool vampire-human children came from,
"Nahuel's sisters?" They were the only women that they had knowledge of that were like their daughter. Though they had not met and as far as she knew would have no reason to harm their family, there was simply no other persons to choose from.
Edward nodded, thinking the same thing, "Maybe." Like his wife he came across the same question of why, what had caused Rose's death, and what they wanted with their daughter. If they had only wanted to meet her, there should have been no bloodshed and further still no reason to have the Denali Coven involved. He suspected it still had something to do with the Vultori, though without finding the truth from one of them directly it was supposition. "There are two trails, if it were three of them the numbers are right for what Nahuel mentioned."
A sadness swept over Bella, hoping the half-vampire was not involved but in either case for the loss of his sibling. Hand running along her daughter's spine she paced the room, continuing her human practice. Outside the dirt shifted under the sharp claws of her friend's paws as he listened, It'll just be him soon.