Hensley stood in the clearing 5 clicks west. She knew it well, the one she had met Carlisle and Jasper at when she found out she was being transferred. It had been 9:57 when she had arrived. The meeting was important, and she couldn't risk being late. Downside: standing in the chilly air for three minutes.
It was worth it to see him again.
She pulled Anderson into a tight hug, burying her face into his shoulder. Four months away had done him well. His hair was longer, nearly as long as Kaufmann's had been, which was something Hensley had never thought she'd see. He had a tattoo peeking out from the sleeve of his jacket and the smile he wore was brighter than any she had ever seen on him.
"You look so good." Hensley whispered, unsure why she was talking so quiet. They were alone, she knew that. "Dude, your hair!" She ruffled the shaggy locks, giggling at his 'annoyed' expression.
"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off but chuckled as well. "Figured I gotta grow it out for spite, right?" Anderson winked at her. "When I saw you out without your uniform, I figured you took my advice. Glad to see I was right. How's your man?"
Hensley's expression was enough to give Anderson his answer and he frowned. "Not with you? The hell, man. I'm sorry. I figured he'd be up here. Figured you'd be up here. That's why I said Papa Alpha."
She shrugged, taking a breath. "I was kind of confused by Papa Alpha, but that makes sense. I guess they left. Like, my whole family. Been trying to track them down. That's why I was in Georgia again. I thought maybe Jazz went there to wait for me, but I didn't see him."
"Oh, so you've been out a while." Anderson looked surprised to hear the news. She supposed that was fair. Hensley hadn't done much of anything the last few weeks he'd seen her. He probably was surprised she mustered up the strength.
"Just shy of two weeks."
"Kaufmann and Red find the stuff?"
Hensley scoffed at him, pretending to be offended as she crossed her arms, "How do you know it wasn't me who could've found it?"
Anderson cocked his head, completely deadpan. "Really?"
"Alright, fine. I totally didn't help at all. And as far as I know, they never found it. Apparently the only one who can hide from Red is you." That was an impressive feat…or would've been had Red been trying to find Anderson's body. Red could pick up a trail two days old. He was the best damn tracker the Agency had to offer for a reason.
"Should've left him the smell of the papers. He'd have found it in thirty seconds."
"And that's being generous." Hensley snorted. "What'd you leave them? What was it?"
Anderson just shrugged, looking around to ensure they were alone before he answered. "Just some stuff that was going on over there. It wasn't good, Hensley." He shook his head, staring back towards the direction of the Port Angeles base.
She smiled at him, unable to fight the urge to break the somber mood with a joke. "It's, uh, Alexandria."
He turned back to her, his eyebrows raised as though he'd forgotten he could know that information. "Alexandria…." He whispered the name slowly. She scoffed at him for thinking he could get in trouble for saying such a thing. They were both free. They could know those things.
"Yes, Xav-…you know what, you're right. I have to go now." She shuddered, laughing at the stupidity of it all. They could know those things…nothing bad was going to happen.
"Exactly!" He hissed, shoving her playfully. "See! It's weird! It's gross."
There was no denying it. She felt icky saying his name, almost like it was the worst kind of swear. Obviously, it wasn't, but damn if it didn't feel that way. Instead of dwelling on the weirdness, she changed the subject, "So, any particular reason you're meeting with me at 10 PM? Are the boys in trouble? Do they need help?"
Anderson took a breath, running a hand through his hair. "God, where do I start." He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Davidson needs to go. He's in way over his fucking head and he's going to get people killed. If it was just him, I'd say go for it, good riddance. But I…I don't know what his motive is for what he's doing. He's just-" Anderson sighed, looking back over his shoulder again. "He's really interested in you Hensley. You leaving was probably a huge fucking blow to him and his plans, which is why I wanted you to go, but still."
"What do you mean? What plans are you talking about?"
"I think…" He hesitated again, frowning to himself. "I think Davidson was trying to replicate what Rooney and your dad did."
Hensley took a minute to process those words.
Davidson was trying to replicate the experiment. Which mean he was trying to replicate…her. But he couldn't. Could he? Was that allowed? Of course, it had to be, at least in some part. What would the benefit to the Agency be if they created Hensley and then she got to walk free. Yes, she had worked for them for almost eighteen years, but seven of those were her growing and she hadn't been supremely useful.
Would Carlisle have agreed to it if he knew they could make more of her? Carlisle surely wouldn't have. The Volturi didn't know about her, from what she had gathered. Would they approve of more Hensley's if they knew? Had Carlisle broken the law by creating her? Would they punish Carlisle?
"He wanted to re-create me because he knew I was leaving?" She asked, still trying to wrap her mind around everything. Could the Agency be punished by the Volturi if they didn't approve of vampire hybrids?
"I think so. He talked to them. Was bringing them onsite, likely trying to convince them to create another hybrid."
"What did he want with you? How did you know about it?" Hensley rubbed her face. A small ache had settled into the front of her forehead.
Anderson shrugged, "I stumbled upon it. Tretson was late for shift change, so I was heading back to the apartments late. Ran into Davidson showing this guy with red eyes around base. He cornered me the next day, told me that what I saw was top secret and offered to let me help him 'be a part of something great.' Said that we needed to think about the future of the Agency and he was trying to secure that. He asked me to try and talk to some of the girls on base, see if they'd be interested in helping with a special project. Thought that if someone from our squad was the one to talk to them, that they'd be more interested because most people know we handle all the top-secret, super classified shit.
"When I told him I wouldn't do it a couple days later, he started ranting about how downhill the Agency has gone. He said something about Rooney, that Rooney was onto something but let it fall to the wayside and let you get soft. That's how I figured he knew about you seeing your family."
"That's when you spent time in solitary…when you came back and told me he knew." Hensley started to piece some of the timeline together. God, she needed to talk to Carlisle. She had to know more about what happened between him and Rooney.
"I tried digging around as much as I could in his stuff before I left. That was difficult though. He knew I didn't want to help at that point, so he kept an eye on me to make sure I wasn't ratting him out. Best I could do was the mission files I left in that apartment. I didn't have security clearance though, so they're just the redacted ones."
"What files were they? The ones-"
"With Rooney and your dad." Anderson confirmed with a nod. "It's impossible to read and get much out of it. It was so straightforward, no detail whatsoever. I thought you guys had the clearance to read the full reports. Maybe they could help piece things together more. Or at least, help you piece together what Davidson was up to." He shrugged, pulling his shoulder back to stretch a bit. "Guess it doesn't matter much now. Either Red and Kaufmann will figure it out or they won't. I was more worried about you."
It was nice of him, and a nice thought; that it was all over now that they were out of the Agency. Hensley couldn't believe that though. She couldn't believe it was all over for her.
~.~
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Hensley asked, looking around at the greenery. They'd been walking for a few minutes now and she was honestly surprised Bella hadn't killed herself on a rut yet. Hell, maybe if she was lucky, she'd kill herself on a rut.
Bella shook her head. She was determined, eyes set straight ahead, "It has to be up here. It has to be real."
Hensley shrugged behind her.
The three girls had ganged up on Davey to convince him to go after Peter, which had left Hensley and Bella alone again. Somehow, Davey managed to get it into Bella's head that she needed to look after Hensley, and Bella had put up quite a fight about Hensley going to see Anderson. Hence how they'd ended up hiking.
She'd agreed to go out to the woods with Bella if Bella agreed to stay back while Hensley went to visit Anderson. How that was a fair trade, Hensley wasn't entirely sure, but she wasn't going to question the gift horse. Bella had stayed back as promised and therefore, Hensley would hike as promised.
She had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Edward. Bella really was a wreck over him. Not that she had room to judge. She was a wreck over Jasper too. Well, honestly, she was 13 car pile-up over Jasper.
Another few minutes of walking brought them to their destination. A field of dead grass.
Hensley was about to make some sarcastic comment until she saw how defeated and crushed Bella was. Her own heart retched, knowing both of those feelings very well, and she moved to put her arm around the other girl, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"It used to be beautiful," Bella whispered into Hensley's shoulder. "there was purple wildflowers and tall grass and sun…now it's gone. Just like him."
She pulled Bella in for a full hug, letting the girl rest her head on Hensley's shoulder. Just like Bella the first couple times Hensley had been crippled by pain, she wasn't sure what to do. There was nothing Hensley could really do to make it better. She couldn't manifest Edward or the pretty purple flowers. Hell, she couldn't find her own mate.
Instead, the pair stood there in silence, Hensley keeping her grip tight around the girl, trying to offer silent support.
That thought went out the window as she picked up on footsteps getting closer. Hensley pulled away, staring at the ground as she tried to figure out what direction they were coming from.
"What-"
Hensley placed her hand over Bella's mouth. Her eyes snapped up to the other side of the clearing as the steps slowed and the owner came into view.
"What a pretty picture." Laurent spoke softly as he walked towards them, almost as if he were trying not to startle them. Hensley glanced at Bella, slowly pushing the girl behind her. With Bella in back, Hensley had a better chance of stopping Laurent should anything happen.
"Oh, hello. Nice to see you again. What brings you back to Forks?" Hensley tried to keep her tone friendly. He had helped them when James attacked. Maybe he was just coming by to say hi.
"Just passing through," Laurent did shrug innocently. His tone was all off though; like he was trying too hard to sound nonchalant and harmless. "I was surprised to find your Cullen friends missing."
He stopped by the house? Of course, he would. If he had been coming for a visit, he would go there first. Still, the way he looked a little too pleased at that fact made Hensley uneasy. "They're just out on an extended hunt." She lied. "They'll be back tomorrow night."
Laurent raised his head slowly in understanding, his eyes still never leaving Bella. "Interesting. Very interesting they'd leave their two frailer members unprotected."
Hensley smiled, "I assure you, they haven't left us unprotected. It's nice of you to show concern though. If you come back later, I'm sure they'd be happy to visit with you."
He hummed, taking a couple slow steps towards them. "Well, that's where you mistake my intentions. You see, I'm actually here for you. And it's quite…convenient that you're alone."
Bella gripped Hensley's arm tightly, but Hensley kept her eyes on the threat. "Oh?"
"Victoria asked me to check in, asked me to report back to her on how you're doing…but I think I just might have to take matters into my own hands. I just can't resist two…interesting specimens. One so mouth-watering…the other, such a rarity. It's not every day you find a human with such a quick beat. Makes one wonder if your blood is just as much of a delicacy." His voice slowly faded out to a whisper, and he flew towards them.
Hensley joined him in the middle of the field to get some distance between him and Bella. He tried to shoulder-check her, but she grabbed his arm and used his force to spin him around and fling him backwards. "Bella, run!" Hensley shouted as Laurent landed.
As he stood, he chuckled, shaking his head at her. "My, my. Such a feisty one, such a surprise! One has to wonder if you're human…but your heartbeat…your blood. Perhaps you taste more human that you act."
Hensley jumped him that time, hoping to keep him interested in her and not Bella. Especially since the latter was not moving.
She loved Bella. She really did. But Bella was a noble type; one who chose not to run in the face of danger and instead tried to attract it to herself so that she might suffer instead of others. It was an admiral trait, one that Hensley liked to think she possessed as well. But there was one difference separating Bella and Hensley: Hensley could hold her own in the fights she picked…or, stumbled into, with vampires.
Still, instead of listening to Hensley, Bella panicked. She alternated between backing away and looking around for something to help while the other two fought.
Hensley groaned as Laurent gained a brief upper-hand and twisted her right arm behind her. He pulled the limb in a way that shoulders were not supposed to bend, causing a shooting pain through the joint. Hensley could only imagine what Jasper had to be thinking. Hell, maybe it'd bring them closer. Jasper did go crazy when she was attacked…right?
He paused as he had her in the uncomfortable grip, smirking at her because he thought he had the upper hand. Before he could taunt her, she kicked his body with as much force as she could muster, sending him flying across the field from her again. She needed time to get Bella out of there and space was the best way to do it.
"Lexi!" Bella's panicked voice caught her off guard. She turned to tend to Bella, fearing the girl had hurt herself, as Laurent went to lunge at Hensley again. Seeing him trying to take advantage of the situation, she quickly spun back to brace herself for the hit, but it never came.
When she opened her eyes, Laurent was picking himself up from the other side of the field once more. A snarling man stood in front of her, crouched in a protective stance with his arms extended to further guard her. She recognized the brown-slightly-shaggy hair. Piercing red eyes glanced over at her, "Get out of here."
It was a vampire's fight, but the sight of Victoria behind Laurent forced her to stay. "Peter, I can't. Victoria." Hensley nodded towards the redhead, hoping Peter would know who she was talking about that way.
He turned back around to face the new vampire who had stepped into the clearing. Davey and Amanda rushed to Hensley's sides, both ready to fight as well. Four against two.
"Charlotte." Peter called for his mate, who Hensley had yet to see, "Get them two outta here."
In the next blink, Charlotte grabbed Hensley's arm and pulled her back, far stronger than Hensley had anticipated. Both Laurent and Victoria charged after the retreating girls, but Peter, Davey, and Amanda were quick to intercept.
"Come on. They got this. We gotta go." Charlotte practically whipped Bella onto her back and started running. Hensley hesitated for a moment before following, knowing that if Laurent or Victoria slipped the other three that Charlotte would need help.
They took a roundabout way, but eventually they made it back to the Cullen's house. It was the only place Hensley could think to go, even though Victoria was sure to know that was where they would be. Hopefully Victoria would've heard the lie about the Cullen's being back soon. Hopefully, with Peter and Charlotte now around, it wouldn't be a lie.
"They really are gone, aren't they?" Charlotte whispered as they headed into the living room. Hensley found the girl's tone humorous, like Charlotte thought the Cullen's would pop out of the cupboards at any minute and scold her for speaking too loud.
Hensley nodded. "Yeah, for about a month, I guess."
"What are you doing here?" Charlotte asked, staring at Hensley, "I thought Carlisle said you didn't get to leave that place until January."
"I was able to get out early."
"So, Major's out hunting or what?"
Hensley scoffed, sharing a disappointed look with Bella, "Actually, we were hoping you and Peter could tell us where he is."
Charlotte rose her eyebrows in shock, turning her gaze from the landscape pictures on the wall to Hensley, "You don't know where he is? Like, he's missing?"
Hensley wasn't sure she'd call Jasper missing, per se…though she didn't know where he was. Did that count as missing? "I…I dunno. I've tried calling but he isn't answering. And I'm not sure where he went, or where the rest of the family went, or if they're even together."
"So, the whole family is missing. Damn." Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. Hensley was pretty sure she'd accidentally led the girl to think it was more extreme than it was. Still, rather than try to explain further and make it worse, she decided to wait for the others to return. Maybe Davey could help. Or maybe Davey had also told Charlotte the family was missing, and Hensley had confirmed the gravity of the situation? Sometimes she wished she had gotten a cool ability, like mind reading.
Waiting was Hensley's least favorite thing to do. She itched to do something, anything at all other than pace but wasn't sure what. Leaving Charlotte and Bella was a bad idea, and that limited Hensley's options. She considered taking watch outside, but again didn't want to do anything to draw Victoria closer.
A few minutes into the silence, Bella had introduced herself, making Hensley feel stupid and bad that she hadn't done it sooner. If the other girls were upset, they didn't show it. Charlotte waved it off with an easy, "It's been a long afternoon."
Hensley wasn't going to argue with that.
Eventually Peter and the other two vampires returned, sending relief throughout the house that Hensley didn't need an empath to feel. Peter shared a long hug with Charlotte, which had been the most affection she'd seen between the pair since she'd known them. It was both sweet and nerve-wracking.
"How did it go?" She asked quietly after they had their moment.
Peter shook his head, leaving one arm wrapped around Charlotte's waist. "Took care of the man. The woman is slippery. Lost her while dealing with him. Her scent disappeared about five miles past the clearing we were in. Some weird animal smell took its place. Tried to follow that and got growled at by some very large dog-wolf things. Not sure what the fuck that was about."
Hensley wasn't entirely sure either, but her mental capacity was stretched too thin to worry about it. "She'll be back." Hensley told them. "If she came around now, she'll keep coming around until she gets what she wants."
"You two." Davey pointed between her and Bella, who had taken a seat on the couch.
Hensley nodded. "Yeah." She snapped her fingers as she remembered social graces, "Peter, this is Bella. Edward's mate."
The guy gave her a half wave. "Peter. Major, Cooper, Davey, and I go way back. The four amigos." He grinned, as if he hadn't spent the last hour fighting and tracking two vampires. How he could be so casual confused her.
Davey rolled his eyes, "More like two men desperately trying to stay alive while the other two did everything in their power to get us killed."
Bella smiled, amused eyes dancing between the two friends, "I can't imagine who would be who."
"Watch yourself, Bella. I care way less about Edward's feelings than I do Major's." Peter teased, shooting her a wink.
"Who else would you call and visit all the time if Jasper wasn't around?" Hensley shot back, earning a laugh from Davey, who pointed at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked, crossing his arms to look intimidating. It may have worked if Hensley hadn't known him.
She shrugged, "You're a clingy bitch, Peter."
His face fell while Davey, Amanda, and Charlotte laughed. He shook his head at her, eyes narrowed. "Clearly, you've been spending too much time around Davey. See, Char, I told ya we needed to be here."
"You needed to be here?" Bella asked, biting her lip as soon as the question was out of her mouth. Everyone else turned to look at her, the attention making her blush lightly.
"Peter's gift." Davey explained. That was news to Hensley too. She hadn't been aware Peter had a gift. "He knows things. Not like Alice where he can see the future, or Edward where he reads minds. He just…has a feeling about stuff."
Peter shrugged. "I had a feeling we had to be in Forks. I wasn't sure why; I just had a feeling. Met Davey and Amanda on the way and back we came."
"Damn good thing we did. Two against one half-vampire. Can't imagine that would've been pretty. Also," Davey eyed Amanda, "why I said we needed to stay here."
His mate rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up, "How was I supposed to know they'd be attacked by vampires? They didn't tell us they had enemies."
"To be fair, I thought the dude had gone up to Denali to be with Tanya and them." Hensley defended herself, holding her hands up in surrender.
"Well, now he's with their mother."
Charlotte and Hensley both gasped, the former letting out a sharp, "Peter!" Hensley couldn't pick her jaw up off the floor, hardly believing that she'd heard Peter correctly. Surely, he couldn't be that…crude? Dark humor was something she was widely familiar with, but not on the outside.
It turned out Peter was very familiar with it and had no problem using it, giving the girls a shrug, "What? Too soon?"