And we're back!
So sorry for the delay! It turns out moving is stressful - who knew right? Thanks so much for bearing with me, and to everyone who started reading while I was AWOL, thanks for trusting that I'd come back.
In case it wasn't obvious in this chapter, I am very into historical clothing! If anyone is interested, go check out priorattire on youtube for some wholesome historical fun!
Thanks to my bf, my bff, and all you lovely lot x
Edited 8/7/23 - total rewrite, the original was craaaaaaap
November 25th, 1885.
They ran over hills and mountains, forests and streams; avoiding people wherever they could. After a day filled with joyful stories and heartfelt chats, Carlisle and Bella found themselves in a quaint riverside town, covered in November snow. Carlisle took the large pack off his back and pulled out a plain brimmed hat for himself and a scarf for Bella to wrap over her head. They followed the bricklaid road in the low evening light at human pace until they came to a plain stone house, unremarkable and unassuming.
Bella hummed, Carlisle turned to her.
"What is it?"
She shrugged. "It's weird to see them living somewhere so small. When I knew them they lived in this huge log cabin, basically a snow mansion. Do they not have money in this time?"
"They do. We all do," he gave a little shrug, "the side effect of living for hundreds of years. But they have to be careful how much wealth they display. Three rich young women living alone and moving around often would draw a lot of attention."
"Living alone…" Bella frowned. Eleazar and Carmen must have joined the coven much later than she had thought.
Carlisle interrupted her thoughts and made off down their front walkway. "Shall we?"
Bella lingered behind him as he knocked on the heavy wooden door. She heard a rustling of fabric and it swung open with a loud squeal. Despite herself, she couldn't help the smile that grew across her face at the sight of Tanya Denali; ice blonde hair pinned into an elaborate coiffere, her pouty lips lightly rouged. Her waist was cinched to a perfect V, hips shot out dramatically in clouds of silk skirts, a strip of velvet ribbon adorned her neck. The succubus oozed sexuality without showing a scrap of cleavage or leg. Bella could not help but feel self-conscious in her stolen gown that she clearly was not wearing right; and yet found comfort in the fact that her cousin was in essentials exactly how she remembered her.
"Carlisle!" she grinned. "What a surprise! We didn't know to expect you!"
"Yes, my apologies for that," he said, "this is quite a spontaneous visit."
"Well do come in and tell me all about it!" She moved to the side to allow him entry but wavered when she caught sight of Bella behind him. "You brought a friend!"
"Yes," he held out a hand to beckon Bella forwards, "this is Bella."
"A pleasure!" Tanya inched around Carlisle and held out her hand for Bella to take. "I'm Tanya Denali."
Bella squeezed her hand and tried not to look nervous. "Bella Cullen."
Tanya froze, turned and raised a perfect eyebrow in Carlisle's direction. "Well you'd better come in. I think you have some things to catch us up on."
Bella stepped through the low doorway, having to stoop her head just a little, Carlisle ducked completely. The house was just as small and plain on the inside as you would expect from the outside, only the furniture was ornate and ancient, so clearly from another time and another world. The Denali sisters had set up their home with exactly as much luxury as they liked away from prying eyes.
Tanya led them to a sitting room to the left of the door. It was warm and cosy, the one window let very little light in. Books and sewing projects were piled on every table, evidence of how they kept themselves busy. Kate and Irina were already standing to receive them, dressed similarly to Tanya and looking unbearably beautiful.
"Well Carlisle," Kate smirked, "we never expected you to marry."
"No! No no, I'm not married." He replied, smiling sheepishly. "Bella isn't my wife, she's my daughter."
Tanya frowned. "Your daughter? Since when do you have a daughter? You have never mentioned one before and last time we saw you was last year - this girl is no newborn. You adopted her?"
"Well… it's quite complicated you see."
"I'm from the future!" Bella blurted out.
Four pairs of bewildered eyes turned to stare at her, Carlisle's included.
"I beg your pardon?" Tanya asked.
"I'm… from the future." Bella mumbled. "Carlisle turned me in the future."
Irina blinked blankly in her direction. "Okay, I think we need a little bit of further explanation."
Bella sighed, ready to begin her long story all over again.
"Right," Tanya said, now sitting securely on one of their plush velvet sofas, "to confirm. You, Bella, were born in 1988 and Carlisle turned you in 2007."
Bella nodded. "Yes."
"And in 2012 the Volturi arrived at your doorstep and sent you back in time to stop a rebellion."
"Yes."
"You first went to Carlisle and now you have come to find us."
"... yes."
Tanya leaned back, a wrinkle between her eyebrows. She turned to Carlisle. "And you believe this?"
He nodded back in Bella's direction. "She has proof."
"I think we would appreciate some proof," said Kate.
Bella began to rummage through her bag for her polaroid, then paused. She could show the Denali's more than she had shown Carlisle. She could show them the family portrait of them at Kate and Garrett's wedding, without telling them whose wedding it was, of course. She knew she shouldn't really show anyone, the polaroid was necessary to convince people she was telling the truth. The other photo was for her, just for her. Yet she almost felt like her family was slipping away from her. She was becoming ingrained in this new old world where her family meant nothing to anyone but her. If she showed someone else exactly who her family was, what their names were and what they meant to her, it could keep them real and safe in her mind for long enough to find them in person.
"Carlisle…" she said, her mind made up, "didn't you tell me earlier that you have a nomad friend travelling in this area? Why don't you go see if you can find him?"
"I… but…" he frowned.
Tanya smirked at Bella. "Go on, Carlisle. Find your friend, we'll be fine here."
Carlisle gave Bella a long look, then disappeared out the front door.
"Right then," Tanya said, "what is it that you don't want him to hear?"
"There's some things I don't want him to see or know," said Bella, "not yet, anyway. I don't want to spoil future events for him."
"But we can know?" Kate asked.
Bella nodded, reached into her bag and took out the family portrait, a large glossy photograph. She handed it to Tanya and her sisters crowded behind her to absorb it over her shoulder.
"It's beautiful…" Tanya whispered, running light fingertips over the shiny surface. "Is this your coven? There are so many of you!"
"Yeah," Bella stood and joined them in looking. "That's my coven."
"It's so clear and colorful." Irina breathed, eyes tracing the HD lines, "The clothes you are all wearing are so strange. Very simple and tight."
Bella snorted. "Most clothes we wore are probably simple by your standards."
She took out the polaroid and passed it to them to compare.
Tanya beamed. "You, Carlisle, and-" she pointed at Jasper in the larger photograph, standing by Alice and Bella with a smile on his face "-this man."
"That's Jasper," said Bella, "he's the next one I'm going to find. The rest aren't born yet."
"Well he is delightful…" Irina grinned, "Tell me he is unattached, Bella. He is particularly handsome."
"Irina!" Tanya exclaimed. "He is covered in scars!"
Irina shrugged, "I like my men dangerous."
Yeah, she sure did. Bella summoned up a fuzzy memory of Laurent trying to kill her in a field. Very dangerous indeed.
"And who is this man, Bella?" Kate pointed at Edward. Bella's tongue became a thick lump in the back of her throat. He was so far away from her.
"He looks very close to you," Tanya prompted, gesturing to his arm wrapped over her shoulders, and hers looped around his waist.
Bella felt venom swell in her eyes. "Yes, he was close to me. He was my mate… is my mate. He is still my mate, right?"
The sisters looked at each other for a moment, clearly debating the right answer.
"Did he mark you?" Kate asked.
"No," said Bella, "he said it felt too animalistic, it made him feel uncomfortable. But mates don't have to mark each other, right? It's just like a wedding ring."
"Yes, just like a wedding ring," said Kate. "But much more permanent."
There was a moment of silence, Bella bit her lip.
"He is your mate for as long as you feel he is." Tanya suddenly declared. "But, Bella… No one would blame you if you didn't wait for him. I am sure he wouldn't either."
"I know," said Bella. "But I don't think I'm capable of loving someone else like that. I'm happy to wait for him."
The sisters traded unsure looks. "But what if something goes wrong?" Kate asked, "What if, God forbid, fate does not bring you together again? Will you condemn yourself to a life as a nun?"
"Well hey, if I get to wear a wimple and sing with my sisters all day!" Bella joked pathetically. She would really rather not think about that possibility.
"Ah… wimples." Irina sighed, "It was much easier to walk about in the sun when we had to be that covered. They had a particular charm about them too."
Bella swallowed the dozens of questions that that statement had brought up, with any luck she would have years to learn about the sisters' history. There was one important fact in this conversation.
"So… you believe me?"
They all traded a look again, Tanya finally smiled and held Bella's hand.
"It would be a rather stupid and complicated lie, and I don't see why you would make up this whole story. What would you stand to gain? Yes, dear, we believe you."
Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"Now," Irina stood, grabbed Bella's other hand and pulled her up too, "we need to sort out your clothes. Please don't take offence, but you look ridiculous."
Bella spluttered and giggled as she let herself be dragged to their ridiculously large dressing room, grateful to have more friends on her side.
Irina put down her measuring tape and poked Bella's waist. "Bella, are you wearing a brassière?"
"Um…" Bella wrapped her arms around herself, starting to feel self conscious. "Yes?"
"Oh!" Irina laughed and swept over to a pile of fabric she was turning into a corset. "It's no wonder your dress didn't fit properly, darling. A dress without a corset is like a house with no foundations!"
"Do you not wear corsets in the future then?" Kate asked from her spot on the sidelines.
"Nope," said Bella, "I've never worn one before. Everyone wears bras - or… brassières."
"Oh how wonderful." Kate sighed. "I'm so sick of corsets, they're always breaking."
"Only because you aren't careful enough." Tanya chided. "Irina and I can make ours last several years without breaking any of the bones."
"Yes but you don't like hunting like I do."
Bella smiled and pulled together her courage for a question she had been thinking of ever since she saw Tanya in the door.
"How do you get your waists like that?" She asked, gesturing to the sisters' angular abdomens. "I know women tie their corsets really tight and restrict their lungs and things to get their waists small, but I assumed we wouldn't be able to? We're pretty …unsquishable?"
Kate burst out laughing, "Unsquishable?! Bella, where do you find these words?"
Tanya's laugh was more restrained. She clasped Bella's hands, "You're right, we can't tight lace, but our clothes are all illusion! We pad our hips and busts and it makes our waists look smaller by comparison. Humans don't usually tight lace either! It's just not practical."
"Oh! In my time you don't pad anything except your bra, either you have the perfect body shape or you don't."
"Trust us, Bella, the perfect body shape changes over the decades. No one can reach perfection all of the time."
"Speaking of perfection!" Irina stood, brandishing a bundle of fabric and whale bone. "I have finished your new corset!"
"It's been like five minutes!" Bella exclaimed, "How did you do it so quickly?"
"I'm a vampire, darling." Irina swept around Bella, undoing the ties of her dress until it slipped right off her. Bella resisted the urge to squeeze her arms around her middle to protect her modesty, it didn't seem worth it.
Kate peered at her chest. "So this is a bra?" She asked, "Can I try it on?"
"Sure," Bella shrugged. "You can keep it. I guess I won't be wearing one for a few decades anyway."
Kate grinned as Bella took her bra off and handed it to her. She threw herself into a chair in the corner to inspect the garment with childlike joy.
Before Bella had time to feel self-conscious, Irina pulled a cotton shift dress over her head and clasped the corset closed over the top of it.
She gently tightened the laces until it fit Bella's body snugly. "You need to be careful putting it on and taking it off so you don't break it when it's still stiff and new. And don't worry, I won't give you a full bustle!" She rolled long white stockings over Bella's knees. "There is no point in you getting used to the fashionable way of dressing when you are leaving society altogether in a few weeks. Who knows what will be in style when you come back! I will give you a bum roll." She held up and crescent moon shaped pad attached to a ribbon and tied it just below her waist at the back. "Your dresses won't fit correctly otherwise."
Next, she pulled two thick petticoats over her head and buttoned them at the waist. "See the slits in the legs?" Irina gestured to the cuts where Bella's calves poked through. "My own design, it makes it easier for you to run."
She buttoned a soft grey blouse over Bella's chest and tucked it into a thick wool skirt, then smoothed a silk waistcoat over the top.
"There!" Irina smiled, "Now you are a perfect lady."
Bella smiled back; it was nice to get to know Irina without the chasm of Laurent's death between them.
Tanya dragged over a small stool and stood on it to reach Bella's hair, which she pinned into a bun on the crown of her head. "Your hair will never stay up when you are running around in the south," she said, "but you will look a little strange in society with it down. Keep some pins in your bag."
The sisters turned Bella to look in the full-length mirror in the corner. She stifled a gasp. Sure enough, her waist looked just like the sisters', if a little wider as she was simply a bigger person. She looked like something she had only seen in pictures and films, maybe a little like Mary Poppins, and yet like herself. She did not feel constricted, despite the boned corset tight around her chest.
"Just don't bend over too suddenly," Kate whispered in her ear. "The boning is not made with us in mind, it can snap."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Bella studied herself for a moment, this was an image she would have to get used to for a long time to come.
Irina wrapped an arm around her. "What is it, dearest?"
Bella let out a strange noise that was part laugh and part sob. "I feel so stupid, to be sad about clothes. I just realised that I'm not going to wear jeans and a tshirt again for what? Eighty years? I won't look like me for such a long time. Alice won't present me with random outfits to wear for decades... I won't see her for decades! I haven't chosen my own clothes since I was a human! Oh God I don't know what I'm doi-"
"Stop." Tanya squeezed Bella's face in her hands and looked her dead in the eye. "You are doing something incredible, Bella. You are in a world that is brand new to you, I am sure that it is terrifying and confusing. But you are doing so well. Look how quickly you found Carlisle! You can do this, but only if you keep your head. Okay?"
Bella nodded and tried to calm herself.
"Besides," smirked Kate. "If choosing your own clothes is a problem for you, I'm sure Irina is happy to oblige!"
Irina squeezed Bella to her side. "I know you miss your family, Sweetheart. But for now, you have us."
Bella smiled at the sisters in the mirror. While they were no Alice, Esme and Rosalie, they were a comfort and joy to her nonetheless. Exactly what she needed.
She opened her mouth to thank them for their kindness, but Carlisle sped into the room.
"I'm back!" He announced, a large grin spread on his face and his hair windswept back.
"We can see that!" Tanya laughed. "Where on Earth did you go? You said you were finding a friend?"
"Yes, he told me a few years ago that he was going to travel around here to 'play with the polar bears'. It's quite lucky I found him actually, he was in a fishing village about a hundred miles north of here."
"That's great!" Bella grinned. Any ally was a good ally. "You never told me which friend it was."
"I brought him back with me," Carlisle said, "I thought I might ask you which friend. If you recognise him without having met him, it may go some way to convince him of your story. He's waiting outside."
Bella let herself be ushered back through the house and out to the front courtyard, desperately hoping that she had in fact met this friend.
A figure stood at the gate from the road; tall and lanky, with long dark blonde hair tied back from his face, a long brown coat and big leather boots.
"Oh," said Bella. "Garrett!"
Garrett studied her with his strange ruby eyes. "You know me, do you?"
Bella decided to try her best to prove it. "You were turned during the American Revolution, you pride yourself on being on the right side of every American war-"
"Carlisle could have told you that," he smirked at her.
"- And you were 'this' close to biting Custer." Bella gestured with her hand, directly quoting the nomad from when she first met him.
Garrett stared at her for a moment.
She panicked, "He is dead now, right?"
"Yes, about ten years ago," Carlisle chimed in.
Garrett stepped back. "And this is all the Volturi's doing?"
"Yes."
"…And Carlisle believes you?"
"I do." Carlisle said from behind her.
Garrett's face split into a giant grin, "Well then that's good enough for me, little time traveller! You say you've met me? How many times? Are we good friends?"
December 10th, 1885.
"I hate that you're giving up your home," Bella lamented as the sisters packed their trunks onto a wagon. "You really don't need to, I'll be okay!"
"Bella," Tanya turned. "You insist on us not joining you in the South, which we accept for the sake of your plan. But you can't ask us to sit tight in Canada and wait to find out if you are still alive. You could be down there for years!"
"I don't see the difference between you waiting in Canada and you waiting in Kansas."
"The difference is two full days of travel time should something go wrong." Tanya took Bella's hands and squeezed them, "What if you get found out, Dearest? Are you going to let them chase you all the way to Canada? At least with us as close as we can safely be, you have a chance of getting to us for help. And with Garrett roaming around the area and reporting back to us, we may be able to somewhat keep in touch with you."
Bella bit her lip and studied the floor, it was difficult to accept the people she loved making such huge sacrifices for her.
"Indulge us, Darling." Tanya flashed a dazzling grin. "You know that if you don't give us this compromise, Carlisle will find a nice tall tree outside the camp to live in for the foreseeable future. This is really the safest option for everyone."
Carlisle absolutely would and Bella was very aware of it. No matter how much time Bella had spent practicing fighting with Kate and Garrett, he was always on the sidelines in case she got hurt. He had embraced the protective father role wholeheartedly, and as much as it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside - it made doing stupidly dangerous things a bit more difficult.
"Now," said Tanya, sensing Bella's resignation. "You know the plan. Irina and I will drive the wagon to the new house with all our things. You and the others will run down ahead and secure the territory. Okay?"
With a heavy heart and heavy feet, Bella nodded and let Tanya finish her task. Carlisle, Kate, and Garrett waited for her behind the house and kept in step with her as they set off. Her mind wasn't on this trip to Kansas, not really. All she could think of was in three weeks time. On the first of January 1886, she would go to Texas; to join the Southern Wars.