Incomplete 7

Isabella Swan had always known she was an incomplete puzzle. When the last pieces finally fell into place, it was much more than she hoped for.

Bella/Zafrina

Bella still found herself in awe of what a vampire was capable of, what she was capable of as a vampire. She could hear Zafrina tracking a new group of foolish drug runners in the distance. Another bunch, believing themselves capable of evading them. She could see them despite what she suspected was a pitch-black night; as a vampire, she could no longer tell. She could see it all, and she saw it perfectly.

Nothing about her first week as a vampire denoted she could hunt on her own at nine months old. Her first hunt had been nothing short of a catastrophe. She'd been running with Zafrina intending to get ahead of a boat. With five drug runners, Bella would have had her fill. Then a smell hit, nothing, and no one was keeping her away from that smell. She'd pulverized a tree with how quickly she changed course, heading for that smell, a smell that was on a tourist boat. Bella hadn't known that then or cared; in truth, she wasn't sure she'd care now. Zafrina would not have caught her had it not been for Kachiri and Senna, who appeared out of nowhere, tackling her into the water. The fight that ensued had Bella nearly losing both arms as she fought desperately to get to that smell. Marcus had surmised it was more than likely her singer. What were the odds of catching the scent of your singer in your first minutes as a vampire? Astronomical, Bella thought.

Zafrina's leap onto the branch she occupied was done with a grace that made Bella smile. "Wipe that smile off your face." Zafrina quipped. Throwing Bella's own words back at her.

"Why should I? I happen to find everything my mate does to be very…" Bella's eyes trailed over Zafrina's body purposefully. Zafrina growled in return, and Bella's responding laughter echoed through the dark night.

All attempts at stealth were abandoned then, as the motor on the boat roared to life, floodlights blinding in their brilliance as the runners attempted to make a ran for it. With a raised eyebrow at a sheepish-looking Bella, Zafrina leaped with Bella right behind her. Mere minutes later, an empty boat made its way down the river; it would be found soon enough, empty with little evidence of what had occurred. An occurrence that no longer surprised or warranted an investigation by the authorities.

Marcus was a true believer in the adage that patience is a virtue; today, he found that adage sorely tested by Senna. The vampire was incapable of staying on topic. This was the first chance he had to speak to Bella since Zafrina called and informed them of the incident with the singer. Senna seemed determined to give him a second-by-second account of what had happened in the jungle since then. He knew Bella had broken her phone in her first week as a vampire when she wanted to talk to her father. Increased strength was something all newborns grappled with, and Bella's forgetfulness of that had been costly. It had taken months to get in touch with Emmett, hoping he could send her a new phone. Despite his capabilities, it had taken him a few more months to complete the modifications.

"I sent Emmett the email, but he and Rosalie were traveling, and he didn't get it until they got back home." Senna's cheerful demeanor was miles removed from Marcus' increasing irritation.

"I'm aware of that; I was aware of that fact when you informed me the first time." Marcus managed to reply cordially despite his mood.

"There are no cellular towers, so normal phones don't work here." Senna carried on as if Marcus hadn't spoken. Kachiri watched her in disbelief; she knew Senna well enough to know she was not doing it to irritate Marcus. This was Senna when she talked on the phone. It was as though talking on the phone rendered her incapable of coherent thought. Charlie was the only person capable of having a cohesive conversation with Senna on the phone. A feat Bella found incredulous.

Emmett, to their utter horror, had sent Senna her own phone. When Kachiri had picked up the package at the mailbox Emmett set up for them, she hadn't known there were two phones in the box. She was sure she would have broken Senna's phone had she known. Emmett said Bella had called and ripped him a new asshole for sending Senna the phone. In his defense, Senna had pleaded for the modified phone, promising to call him often.

"Senna, I believe this is Bella's phone, and I called to speak to Bella, so please… can I speak to Isabella Marie Swan, please," Marcus managed through gritted teeth. Bella had gotten back in touch three months ago. Unfortunately, the Volturi found themselves dealing with an uprising. One they suspected the Romanians were behind, it had taken them months to prove and deal with it. He'd been eager to talk to her and was being waylaid by a nonsensical, talkative vampire. "And I won't cause a fuss about the fact that Bella's father knows about vampires." It turned out those were the magic words to shut Senna up. Yep, she'd said too much.

"Bella is hunting now, and I will let her know you called when she gets back; it shouldn't be too long." She whispered, ending the call quickly. "Ooh, Bella is going to kill me," Senna mumbled.

"I doubt that." Kachiri looked far from worried. "Marcus would not do anything that would earn him Bella's enmity." She added thoughtfully.

"Good, or else Bella might truly kill me this time." Senna teased.

Kachiri smiled at her thoughts of Bella. When she'd first heard about the human who had come looking for her mate. She remembered feeling so cautious when Zafrina talked about this human who seemingly had knowledge she should not have had. Then she met her, and caution ceased to exist. Bella draws everyone to her with such ease. Now the Volturi themselves would not dare anger her. She wondered if Zafrina had noticed.

Marcus stared at the phone in bewilderment. "I had to resort to threatening an innocent man." He grumbled. Didyme bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Will you inform Bella of the boy?" Caius asked.

"No." Was Marcus' blunt response. Edward Cullen had darkened their doorway months ago, only to find the kings unavailable. He had stayed in Florence, waiting for their return, and was promptly back when they arrived at the castle. There was a mountain of issues to address, and Edward Cullen was at the bottom of that list; he would be waiting for a long time before he saw any of them.

His phone rang, and the smile that graced his features made it obvious who it was. "Bella, finally." He intoned.

"Hi, Marcus. It's great to hear from you. I heard there was trouble in the vampire world." Bella chuckled.

"Indeed, but it has been dealt with thoroughly." He smiled.

"Fantastic, I was concerned my vampire life would be one lived in turmoil." Her voice had a teasing lilt, but it was clear it had been a genuine concern.

"You need not fear such a thing, my dear. The Romanians are now ash. It was such a decisive victory; it sent a reminder of our strength to the vampire world." Marcus said, rolling his eyes at Aro's preening. As if he single-handedly defeated the Romanians.

"Good stuff." Bella giggled. "I can just see Aro strutting around like the peacock." The uproarious laughter that greeted her ears was all the answer she needed.

"Bella, you know him too well." Athenadora laughed.

"Oh, he just seems the type," Bella mumbled.

"I don't believe I've had the chance to congratulate you on becoming a vampire. How are you handling your newborn year?" Marcus asked.

"Surprisingly well, considering the events of my first day," Bella grumbled. In truth, she did not remember much of what transpired. She vividly remembered the burning, the all-encompassing need for a taste of that blood. "I am in more control of my thirst and strength, although I tend to forget about it occasionally and end up breaking something." So far, her old phone was the only casualty of any real importance.

"Shame you didn't break Senna." Bella was sure she wasn't supposed to her that, but she did and damn near fell over the edge laughing. Zafrina's instinctive catch of her mate was the only thing that prevented it from happening. "Can't have you breaking another phone." She said sarcastically. Bella rolled her eyes, knowing her mate could care less about the phone. Not that Bella would have suffered from any real injury falling off the treehouse.

"I couldn't possibly entreat you to visit or allow us into your territory," Marcus asked, surprising Bella. "Before you say anything," Marcus added quickly. "Aro has promised to keep his hands to himself. He will make no inquiries about gifts of your fellow coven mate if you come here. If we come to you, he will not be accompanying us." Marcus promised.

"Wow, you really must want this visit." She chuckled.

"They come here, even Aro," Kachiri said. With the Volturi, they wanted home-court advantage, even if they trusted them.

"Sure, you can come, even Aro, but he still keeps his hands to himself," Bella warned amusedly.

"Thank you, Isabella." Marcus cheered. The conversation went on for some time. In truth, the call only ended because Zafrina wanted her mate's attention.

It took nearly six months, three days shy of reaching the six-month mark, before Edward Cullen found himself in front of the kings. "You... "

"I'm aware of the fact that Isabella Swan is now a vampire." Aro's tone conveyed his boredom aptly. Edward gritted his teeth to keep from speaking out of turn. He'd waited months for an audience and would not risk getting thrown out.

"You said under no circumstance was Isabella Swan to be turned into a vampire. The Amazons have gone against that decree." Edward blustered.

"I am fully aware of what I said," Aro replied. Edward waited, but nothing else seemed fort coming.

"They have gone against your decree," Edward shouted, his frustration boiling over.

"Zafrina has not gone against my decree. Those words only applied to you; I believed you would have changed her without it. A change we now suspect could have resulted in her death."

Edward's countenance dropped; he had pinned his hopes on Aro disagreeing with Alice even though he knew it was unlikely. He had lost everything and just needed this; what he'd gain from it, he did not know. "Did you even consider that the Amazon coven had no knowledge of a decree I had little hope of enforcing?" Aro asked.

"Or that Zafrina is Isabella's mate, which supersedes everything Aro said. Zafrina had every right to change Bella, and we could not have done a thing to stop it. We would have been breaking our own laws had we tried." Marcus added. If Edward needed confirmation that Bella was now a vampire, this was it.

"Tell me this, young Edward. Had Zafrina indeed broken the law by changing Bella, what would you have had us do? It is done; Bella is a vampire, you know that. Why are you here?" For the first time, Aro looked at him with something akin to pity. Why was he there? Did he hope the Volturi would go after the Amazons, giving Bella to Carlisle and, in turn, him? As if the Volturi would not take a gifted vampire for themselves.

"Having met and come to know her, I understand how deeply the loss has impacted you. Bella is a wonderful being and an absolute pleasure to know. I can say for certain, in time, the rest of your coven will earn back her trust. I wish I could say the same for you; believe me, it pains me that I cannot. Do not worsen her ire for you with these foolish attempts to get her back; leave her be." Marcus entreated. Edward nodded solemnly.

Months of waiting to talk to the Volturi had ended as he knew it would. He'd spent four months in the rainforest and hadn't caught a glimpse of the coven. He'd tried tracking their food source, drug runners, in hopes of finding them, and that had proven to be another failure. He had come across a boat on two occasions, only to find them empty of humans, the coven had already gotten to them, and he'd been none the wiser.

Zafrina was floating on her back, staring at the deluge of water coming down in the distance. Or at least it looked that way; in reality, she was staring at her mate. Bella was lying on the grassy bank gawking at Zafrina. "You are staring. "Zafrina murmured.

"I love you." Bella was sure she'd be blushing if she were still human. "I don't think I have told you that enough since becoming a vampire. "She muttered.

"Actions speak louder than words." Zafrina rose out of the water and walked to the bank, joining Bella. "I know you love me, Isabella. I see and feel it every moment with you. I don't need you to tell me. In truth, words mean little to me. Your actions from the moment I laid eyes on you told me all I needed to know about you." Zafrina ran her finger over her lips. "I love you too." She added, earning a choked-up chuckle from Bella.

"I know," Bella whispered, sitting up to kiss her mate.

"I would like to see the world with you. Charlie mentioned it was something you wanted to do." Zafrina said as the sun went down.

Bella lifted her head from her chest to stare at her. "I would love that." Bella cheered. She could now confidently do what she'd always wanted to do. See the world without worrying about how safe it would be for a lone female.

"How do I get travel documents?" Bella hadn't even thought of that." We can get around without them, but I suspect it would be prudent to have them." Zafrina finished.

"I will call Emmett." Bella groaned. "I haven't called in over two years, and when I do, I'm asking for a favor again."

"I doubt he will mind, especially if we ask because we want to visit after we visit Charlie," Zafrina said with a sly smile. "Or we can ask when we get there." She added.

"We will ask when we get there, and no, I don't think they will mind." Bella smiled as she dug around her backpack carefully for her phone. "Wait, you want to run to Forks, then to Ithaca!" Bella asked, looking incredulous.

"Trust me, Bella. You'd want to do that too. At least some of the time." Her smile had Bella sighing in resignation. "There is much to see from here to there." She added.

That thought actually had Bella looking forward to it. "You know, if we are going to see Charlie, Senna will want to go as well," Zafrina muttered. Bella groaned at the idea as Emmett's phone rang.

"Bells." His exuberant greeting had her smiling. She really would make an effort from now on to call him more often.

"Hey Bear, so... any chance we can come for a visit." Her question was met with complete silence, then what was clearly Alice trying to contain her squeal.

"When can we expect you?" Emmett asked, doing a much better job of containing his excitement.

"We are going to see Charlie first." Bella cheered, looking forward to seeing her dad." I will let you know when we have an exact date. I just wanted to make sure we will be welcome." Zafrina shook her head at her words. They all knew the Cullens would bend over backward for Bella.

"Bells, you and your coven are always welcome, more than you know," Emmett mumbled.

Jasper would tell her years later that the excitement that descended after she ended the call made him feel like he was floating on air for weeks.

Esme had been leisurely working on an extension. After the call, everyone got involved to get it finished. It was done in twelve days, even though the coven turned up one afternoon almost a month later.

"Let's go over the rule one more time," Bella said, glaring at Senna. "Keep my personal life out of your conversations with Charlie." She warned, much to the merriment of Zafrina and Kachiri.

"What if he asks about you?" Senna argued.

"I'm right there; he can ask me," Bella growled. "Senna, I am warning you," Bella added.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Senna huffed.

"I'm going to fucking..." Zafrina grabbed her mate before she attacked Senna deep in the Olympic Forest.

"Senna." Kachiri's warning tone had her acquiescing.

"Your personal life is just that." Senna relented.

Charlie had never been more grateful for Bella's phone call. She'd call to tell him they'd be there soon. He heard them, or at least the birds scattering as they ran through the trees leading straight into his backyard. Without her warning, he'd grab his gun for all the good it would do him.

Bella had sent him pictures over a year ago, but that still did not prepare him for the sight before him. It was an intimidating sight, but he couldn't help the smile that split his face. "Bells." She jogged towards him.

"Hey, Dad." She hugged him gently, but he still grunted at the strength of her hug. "Looking good, old man." She teased.

"So do you. I mean, I had some idea what you'd look like having seen the Cullens, but still, you are a surprise. Can't tell you how glad I am you are here." Charlie drew her into another hug.

"Me too." She smiled. "Come, let me introduce you to the coven." She noticed Charlie looked a little nervous, and surprisingly so did her coven mates. "Dad, this is my mate, Zafrina, her sisters Kachiri and 'I don't know how to mind my own business' Senna." Bella snarked. That broke the ice as Charlie started giggling.

"Honestly, Senna, there are some things I really don't need to know," Charlie said as he nearly had the air knocked out of him in a hug. "It is nice to finally meet you. Are you guys coming in, or will you build a tree house out here?" He couldn't help but tease.

"We wouldn't have to if you'd built the one you promised to build Bella over a decade ago." Zafrina shot back. It had Bella grinning from ear to ear.

"Senna warned me about this," Charlie muttered under his breath.

"Warned you about what," Bella asked.

"Forgot you can hear a whisper," Charlie mumbled.

"Warned you about what." Bella wasn't going to let it go.

"Oh, you know... mates always backing each other," Charlie said nonchalantly, but Bella wasn't buying it. She knew it was far from what Senna said.

"Uh-huh." She grumbled. "Did you get a dog?" She asked as they reached the house.

"No, well… unless you count the pack." He chuckled.

"I finally understand the Cullens' complaints. They stink." Bella groaned.

"Can't smell it," Charlie said with a shrug.

"Miss it?" Charlie teasingly stuck his coffee under Bella's nose when he caught her staring.

"Yeah, the only thing I miss." She retorted.

"So that is why you came for a visit because you miss coffee." Whatever reply Bella had was halted by the sound of paws hitting the earth.

"CHARLIE, CHARLIE." Jacob's worried voice bellowed as he came through the back door, nearly taking the door off its hinges.

"Break my door, why don't you," Charlie mumbled sarcastically, still sipping his coffee, making unnecessary slurping noises.

"We caught… Bells." Two long strides later, he had her out of her chair and in a firm hug.

"Hey, Jake." She hugged him back, still careful of her strength. "Good God, you reek." She groaned.

"So, it was the stench of your perfumed corpse we caught." He looked over at the rest of the coven. Bella was in a t-shirt and jeans, while her coven mates looked to be wearing what looked like skins. "We tracked it here, thought the worst when I realized where it led," Jacob explained.

"I can forgive you for breaking my door then," Charlie muttered. "This is Bella's mate Zafrina and her sisters, Kachiri and Senna." Charlie made the introductions.

"Hello, Senna, I know. We've talked a few times." Jake said as his phone rang. "Yeah, yeah, sorry, it's Bella." Jake rolled his eyes, clearly amused. "Yes, vampire Bella and her coven." Jake ended the call. "They were Port Angeles when I caught your scent. They should be here soon." He mumbled. Bella had expected as much.

"We look forward to meeting them. We owe you all a great deal of thanks. I have my mate because of you and the pack's protection." Zafrina said, taking Bella's hand in her.

"Anything for Bella," Jake mumbled.

"What happened to my assault course?" Bella asked, finally realizing the backyard was empty.

"Oh, we moved it to the rez. It was wasted here; it wasn't as if Charlie would use it." That had everyone giggling except for Charlie, who glared at him.

"You are fixing that door." He growled.