No chapter warnings for this one.

Patrol Planning

„I talked with Jacob. He and the pack agreed to help protect me and Charlie from the intruder."

Sascha did not need to be an empath to feel the utter disdain going around the room at that piece of information.

She was standing near the doorway, between Jasper and Alice. The latter had come knocking her door when Isabella and Edward had returned from the human's house. Alice wanted to make sure if Sascha wanted to be present for the family's future plans concerning their - most likely connected - situation.

Emmett snorted. „We don't need those dogs' help. They'll just get in the way."

„But you do need to feed. I know it's not ideal", Isabella sighed miserably. „But it seems like it's the only way."

„I'm sure we'll work this out", Carlisle soothed. „We should make our own schedule so we can plan ahead."

„The pack prefers to take watch at night", Edward said.

Jasper crossed his arms, back straight as a rod. „We should stay in groups of two. Just to be sure."

Carlisle nodded, a hand on his chin in thought. „Agreed. I suggest we go in turns with those who have hunted the most recently to those who haven't the longest. And then just cycle."

„For how long is this supposed to go on?", Rosalie snapped suddenly.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Sascha's eyes darted around, unsure if she should even say anything at all to this. Was she even included in the plan making?

Esme sat up from the sofa and approached the angry blonde, putting a hand on her shoulder. „Rosalie, this is about family", an almost stern look graced her brows, „for as long as it's necessary."

Rosalie scoffed, a snarl tugging at her lips. „Fine." With that, she stomped out of the room.

Emmett shot Isabella an apologetic look before he rushed after his partner. Wife, she remembered from their walk along the treaty line.

Carlisle sighed as Esme stepped to his side. He looked over at Isabella. „She'll come around, Bella. Don't worry about it."

„Sascha wants to know if she can join the patrol too."

The woman in question almost flinched, when Edward suddenly mentioned her. It took her a second to realise. „Can you at least knock before going into my head?"

„It's not something I do by choice."

„That sucks."

„You can say that again."

„Do you want to get involved in this?", Isabella cut in, worry all over her face. „I don't want even more to be in danger."

„Am I not already involved though?"

„Still", Carlisle said. „You don't have to be anymore."

„What Edward heard was actually me wondering if you want me involved. I know you are looking for a different intruder, but I can't help feeling a little like one myself."

„Oh, but you are not", Alice immediately said. „None of us think that way."

„Even if you don't. It's only been, what? 20 hours?", Sascha chuckled dryly. „I'm sure the feeling will fade, like you said, over time. But this problem is happening now and I don't know if I should take part in this. And if so, how."

Alice's face fell a little as she understood. „Of course. I'm sorry."

„No need for apologies. I'm just rambling…"

Carlisle hummed in thought. „Jasper, what do you think?"

„Given the fact that she's currently the strongest out of all of us, I'd say it can't hurt to have her add to our… line of defence, if you will", Jasper turned to look at her. „She also doesn't seem untrained in close combat."

„Did my left hook give me away?"

Jasper breathed out a laugh. „Your posture actually."

„Anyway", Edward interrupted. He seemed antsy again, poor guy. Sascha received the tiniest of glares for that before he continued. „If you want to join, you can."

Something in his voice seemed so forced, Sascha felt sure he did not actually mean that. But maybe his hate for the werewolves was so big, he was willing to take any other help. Even if it meant having to trust a stranger.

Another glare.

Sascha scoffed. „Come on, am I wrong?"

Edward's jaw clenched. „Not completely."

Sascha turned to the others, who waited patiently. „I mean I'll feel weird and out of place no matter what I do for the time being", she folded her arms across her chest. „Might as well make myself useful."

„You don't have to do this", Isabella said.

„I know."

Isabella nodded, her lips pressed together. Remorse and gratitude etched onto her face.

„So that's settled then", Carlisle said, taking over his part as the coven's leader again. „Sascha, I think it's best if you stick with Jasper for the first few times then. He has the best knowledge when it comes to newborns, it will be helpful considering…"

Sascha laughed under her breath when Carlisle hesitated. „My lack of knowledge of basically everything?", she offered.

Carlisle smiled softly. „Not my choice of words, but basically", he then looked around the others again, „Rosalie and I have hunted the most recent. It'd be best if we took the first shift. Alice, will you take tomorrow's shift, with Emmett?"

Alice nodded. „Of course. I'll let him know."

„Carlisle, do you think it's a good idea to have Rosalie go first?", Edward asked.

„She won't be happy either way. I'll handle it."

Sascha really wondered where all of Rosalie's anger came from. You would think that- She cut off that thought immediately. She didn't know anything about this family's situation. It wasn't her place to judge Rosalie's behaviour.

Alice softly put a hand on Sascha's shoulder. „If there isn't any more planning we need to do now, I would like to steal Sascha away for the afternoon."

„Alice, no adventures", Esme warned, „We should tread carefully for the time being."

„We won't have to leave the house."

„Do I even have a choice in this?" Sascha couldn't help the small smile though.

„Of course", Alice said innocently, before a devilish smirk appeared on her face. „But you'll be missing out."

Before Sascha had even uttered ‚okay', she was already dragged out of the living room. An honest and carefree giggle escaping her. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

„What about this one?"

Sascha leaned over to peek at what Alice was pointing at in her magazine. „Hm… the colour is a little too loud for me. If that makes sense."

„But it would look so good on you!"

„And I would feel like a neon sign wearing it."

„It's apricot."

Sascha buried her face in the magazine in her hands and breathed out a whine. „I know. It's a lovely colour, but still."

„Relax", Alice giggled and nudged her playfully. „I'm only trying to get a feeling for what kind of style you like. And before you say anything-", Alice quickly interrupted when Sascha opened her mouth, „Comfortable is not a style."

Sascha sighed in defeat and let her head dangle upside down from Alice's bed. The other was sitting at the foot of the bed, a pile of magazines around them. „I can't let you get me a whole new closet worth of clothes, Alice."

Alice turned another page, unbothered. „And why is that?"

Sascha flipped over on her stomach to better look at her. „It's too much."

„Too much what? Money? We have it. Time? That too. Effort?", Alice looked over her shoulder up to her, a smile on her lips. „It's my pleasure. Letting me do this is actually you doing me a favour."

Sascha let those words sink in for a while, Alice had already returned to browsing her magazines, making small notes or putting in marks when she spotted something she thought would fit into Sascha's style.

„Can I ask you something?"

„Anything."

„Why have you been so nice to me from the start?"

Alice raised an eyebrow and giggled. „Would you prefer me to be more like Edward?"

„Please no", Sascha gasped with a laugh of her own. „No, I didn't mean it like that. But you seemed so open toward me from the very first second. While you are all still in this mess, where I'd think any stranger is a liability."

Sascha caught how Alice's hand stilled the tiniest of moments before turning another page. „Let's just say I'm a good people person."

Sascha gasped in realisation. „Wait!", she got up and sat on the floor opposite of Alice. „Did you see me coming?"

„I can neither confirm nor deny that."

„Oh god… You totally did. What did you see?!"

Alice reached to grab one of Sascha's hands. „Just trust me, okay? Let me set up your new wardrobe, and try to get used to all of this."

„You've already adopted me as a sister before we even met, haven't you?"

Alice laughed, a bright smile lit up her face. „You can bet your muted, no-pattern, comfortable clothing style on it."

„Hah!", Sascha exclaimed and pointed a finger at the future-sighted vampire. „So it is a style."

„Careful, before I keep making you wear Jasper's clothes."

Sascha blinked in surprise. „These are Jasper's?"

„Rosalie's, Esme's or mine wouldn't have fit you", Alice explained and smirked. „Besides, something like that would never find its way into my closet."

Sascha snorted in reply. „Good to know. Guess I need to give him my thanks then, too."

„Ah, I didn't even ask him. I knew he wouldn't mind."

„You two must know each other for a long time, right? Emmett told me you and him joined this family together."

Alice nodded. „I had seen them, back then. And Jasper too. It showed me the both of us could have a more sheltered, less lonely existence. So I waited for him and dragged him with me. The rest is history."

Sascha listened closely, curious to maybe get some more details about each of their paths some time. „Are the two of you an item?"

„No, no. Very close friends. The closest. But never more than that."

„That's nice", Sascha mused. „I reckon it's really the best to not be alone, being like this?"

„I guess everyone has their preference. But immortality, eternity, can become quite suffocating if spent alone. At least that's what I felt like for a long time. I know some of the others do too."

„Was it a comfort to you sometimes? To see the future?"

Alice pondered for a moment, she set the magazine down in her lap. „Good question. I mean, I think it was a comfort in the way that it gave some sense of direction. But not all the time. My visions depend on people's decisions and how their path changes with them. So they can be quite erratic sometimes and unclear. When I first turned I was feeling like I was going crazy half the time."

„That must've been difficult."

„I'm sure your first few months were much more difficult, Sascha."

Sascha waved a hand dismissively. „Ah, I keep that bottled up to nurture until the time is right and I can take it out on someone who's responsible."

Alice pursed her lips. „It's not really healthy, is it?"

„Probably not", Sascha heaved a sigh. „But I have to get used to all this first. Before I can even attempt to unpack that."

„Lean on us if you have to. Honestly, most of us had to struggle alone in the beginning, it will feel good for us if we can help someone in not having to go through the same."

„Thank you", Sascha said, her voice small. „I'm glad I'm not alone with this."

Alice smiled softly at the blonde, before she turned the magazine around to her again. „Now, what do you think of this?"

End Notes:

It's been a while since I wrote this one, but I still remember enjoying writing these scenes. I hope you liked reading them.
Let me know your thoughts, if you have some time to spare 👀

Have a nice day~

Posted: 23.01.23
Last Edit: 26.01.23