#☾ ⟶ ❝ v : an unending unchanging midnight ❞

[divescustos]

@mvndrvke / starter call.

I LEANT GENTLY IN THE DOORWAY of his office, rapping my knuckles against the frame. Given the flames licking at the inside of my throat, I felt surprisingly pleasant. Esme was out with Rosalie and Alice for the weekend, Emmett and Jasper were engaged in another of their intense chess sessions and likely would be for another three days if Alice's vision stayed true. Which left my father and I the only two without plans.

"Come on a hunting trip with me?" I asked softly, my head tilting to one side with an easy smile. It had been quite some time since we last spent time together, just the two of us.

[divescustos]

NORMALLY, WERE I PRESENTED WITH INFORMATION like this, I would file it away in the back of my mind to discuss with Carlisle. But I knew, on this rare occasion, my father would be unable to answer my questions. He had told me all he could in those early years, when my mind was like a sponge for anything he could give me. Had he known any of this, I would already be privy to it. This time, it would seem I would be the one to teach my father something new.

My brows raised at his time frame. Once again, I could not help my internal comparison with Carlisle. His time before he had changed me had been kept much the same. Move somewhere new and dig into work before he could think too much about his abject loneliness. Not that he didn't still champ at the bit to dive into his practice as soon as we were in a new home, but Esme normally managed to convince him to at least take a few days to settle in before returning to his calling.

"Almost two years now," I replied, tucking my hands in my pockets. It was one of my more preferred moves, one where we knew we would not stay overly long – and so the idea of the loathed high school had been put aside rather quickly. Instead, we were a little more free to follow our own pursuits. "Besides my father's work, myself and two of my siblings are in college." Rosalie had wanted an electrical engineering degree, and Jasper was trying his hand at philosophy. For my own choice, I had quite literally thrown a dart at a board and received the answer of 'art history' from Alice before it even landed. "My mother has a small architecture business and my other two siblings are trying their hand at entrepreneurship."

I studied him for a moment. We were unusual in our close habitation with each other. I had heard no sign of him sharing something similar, but then he was already closer to ourselves than the average nomad. "Do you have anyone in the area, Dr Reid?"

It seemed there were still similarities in what they were, even though they were different variants of vampires. Jonathan had always found himself intrigued by the different types, mostly pitying the zombie-like Skals who he tried to help, tried to keep safe after he'd met Old Bridget and the sewer Skals, realising that not all of them were rabid beasts like the ones he'd first encountered when he'd been reborn. Then there were the Vulkods, huge and domineering creatures that radiated violence and towered over Jonathan despite him standing at 6'5" yet still having to stretch his neck to look up at them.

Now a new variant that he hadn't seen before? The scientist within him was more than a little giddy. He still feared the day when he no longer found such intrigue in everything around him.

"No, I... moved into the area yesterday." He supposed it might seem strange to some people that he wasn't spending a few days getting things sorted at home, but Jonathan always found his focus always resided in his work more than anything else in his life. A fact that had been much the same long before he was made into an Ekon.

"Idles hands, as they say..." He offered with a slight smile, settling back down against the edge of his desk, always so aware of his height and not wanting others to feel as though he were crowding over them. "Have you, and your family, resided here long?" Did they do the same as him? Stay in one for a decade or so and then leave before people started to notice a stark absence of ageing? "And what do they do, if I may ask? You and the rest of your family. Do all of you work? Study, perhaps?"

[divescustos]

@roshale / starter call.

I WIPED SOME OF THE GREASE off my hands on a nearby rag, looking over the hunk of metal I'd been inspecting. With its age and condition, it hadn't cost me much, but the real joy was not in the owning. It was in the giving. And I knew exactly the right person to give it to.

"Rose?" I called, only slightly louder than conversational level, tossing the rag onto the countertop. "I got you a gift. Meet me in the garage."

An old rust bucket to anyone else, I knew my sister could make something special out of the car now parked amongst other shining examples of her work. And, if she were in a good enough mood, she may well let me work on it with her. If there was one thing my sister and I could agree on, it was our love of cars.

[divescustos]

“Please just…don’t.” / @feltferal.

I TOOK A SEAT, THE RUSE become habit. The entire house was in turmoil at the need for our sudden departure, hardly any thoughts truly coherent, even with our innate ability to compartmentalise. The distance did nothing for the volume, my gift too attuned to my family to fade as easily as I could with human minds, but it gave me breathing space at least. I didn’t want to go too far, Esme was panicking enough as it was. But that was more of an excuse, wanting space. In reality, Alice had asked me to come out here. To check on Jasper.

There had been sudden moves before, the need to just uproot and go. A human who had a fleeting thought that, for once, was on the mark. That had happened two decades ago. A loss of control requiring an escape. But even in those situations, we had had days to plan. Weeks. Not now. Now it was down to hours.

I had already packed all that I could not bare to part with. The piano in the living room was to be a sacrifice, but there were always more instruments. Rose was already mourning the cars. It would be faster, easier, to leave anything that could link us to this place behind. I had to admit I would miss my Shelby Cobra, which Rosalie and I had been working on together. But the cars, much like the piano, could be replaced. They were toys. There were more important things.

The tone of Jasper’s voice was not unexpected to me. It was hard to see my brother in pain.

“Okay,” I responded at last. Words of platitude died on my tongue. What good would telling him it wasn’t his fault do? Of course this mess Maria had left us in wasn’t Jasper’s fault. But it wasn’t like saying it would help.

“What can I do?” I asked softly. If anything at all.

[divescustos]

@feltferal | starter call.

HE FELL INTO A CROUCH, DIGGING his toes into the dirt, a low rumble of a growl emminating from his chest. The forest was still around them, the animals having better sense than to stick around when superior predators were among them. His muscles coiled to spring, Edward searched his brother's mind for the slightest hint of what his next move might be.

To an outsider, this all may have appeared quite alarming. Esme would probably have a fit. But there was a fierce grin plastered on his face, and his eyebrow quirked as he waited.

"I know we're immortal," he said at last, "but you don't have to put that to the test by making me wait for all eternity."

[divescustos]

MY SHOULDERS STIFFENED AT THE CONDESCENDING remark, but I forced my body to react in no other way. I knew that under any other circumstances, things would be different. Jasper was so tightly wound, I found it difficult to keep up with the places his mind was jumping.

I wondered briefly why Alice had sent me out here. It felt more like I was just winding him up further, rather than helping in any way. But she had given me a small push, and so I assumed she had some reason for it.

"Of course they've noticed," I replied, giving a shrug of my shoulders. "But trying to draw the attention of the human authorities is quite different to what they likely see as some land spats." They were far, far more than that. I had seen enough of my brother's memories to know. "Carlisle spent time with them, about two centuries ago. Aro considers him..." I trailed off, fighting for the right word for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure friend is right, but something like that. If needs be, we tell them what she's done here, who she is provoking. They won't stand for that."

I had heard many stories of Carlisle's time with the Volturi. The tales of what he'd learned, and the less than pleasant attempts to change his appetite. Aro had been fascinated by my father, had wished him well when he left. He was gone before the wars down south had started, but he had still heard the Volturi had quashed at least some of those engaging in such acts. I felt a twinge of annoyance that Maria had not been swept up then.

"We'll be gone soon," I soothed, checking in on the minds back at the house. I touched briefly in the thoughts of each member of my family, checking they were still alright. Scared, but alright. Nothing catastrophic had happened in our brief absence. "Before I came out here, Esme said she thinks we should be able to leave within the hour. Two, at most."

Carlisle had already called ahead to our friends in Denali. We had other houses that were closer, but it would be easier to stay off the grid if we went to them. Eleazar and Tanya had both assured us we were welcome. Rosalie had wondered, only in her mind, if splitting up would work better. But she had known as well as I that that would only devastate Esme. So the two thousand mile trek to Alaska was one we would make together.

"Jasper?" I added softly, leaning forward on the old stump I had sat on. "You're not alone in this. We're here for you."

Despite all Jasper's posturing, and outburst, Edward doesn't seem even remotely concerned about harm. Concerned about him, but no rise in emotion when he'd snarled far worse than any other predator. Like the younger trusted him. He almost mentions that it's a bad idea. Trusting anyone in general, especially one born and bred on war. He isn't entirely sure the sentiment doesn't come through in his thoughts.

His laugh is a pitiful sharp bark. It comes out so harsh he chokes on it like he's human. "Oh bless your heart, sweet summer child." The words roll off his tongue heavily accented and sardonic. Innate, arguably taught, hopelessness fought his spinning anxiety. There was no tracking. No winning even with numbers because there was no guarantee there wouldn't be reinforcements on the other side.

Jasper's head cocked as he played out that strategy in his head. Foolish, difficult traveling miles through heavily populated areas, but not entirely impossible with the right management. Not a tactic he would ever use if given the chance or need. Too far with too many risks and not enough reward. Though wouldn't he do anything for Alice? If he thought she'd left him to a twisted unhealthy life? The very idea makes him shiver. Carlisle had chided him on his propensity for violent before. Normally after he'd sprung on any nomads wandering into their territory or just those who didn't obey the carefully crafted laws he'd been raised on. Like looking another in the eye was disrespectful, a challenge-why he hadn't looked directly at Carlisle or Esme for months after showing up on their door. He'd been terrified of accidentally drawing their ire and finding out that they weren't as gentle as Alice made them out to be. But there had been true rage from the elder. A ferocity that didn't belong on anyone who wasn't defending a loved one to the death. He doesn't quite know how to feel about that bit.

"What?" Jasper turned toward Edward fast enough to blur to human eyes. "Oh come on, you really think they haven't known this entire time? We-" no, fuck "-she...is the most successful in at least two countries and has been since before I don't even know how long. There is no possible way the Volturi couldn't have noticed." Dark eyes squinted before widening, faster flashes of fire overtaking any coherent thoughts. "And I broke the law too. I don't think they'd give a damn who started it versus who was just involved." Instinct pushed him to his feet looking around as if he could see through walls to how the leaving was coming along. "No. No, we'll-we just need to go. Now."

[divescustos]

The grin spread over my face at his easy agreement, before a bubble of laughter escaped my lips, something akin to a snicker. I often tried not to react to my family's thoughts unless they were directed at me, but sometimes I just couldn't help it.

"Maple syrup?" I echoed, tone teasing. "Sure thing, you suck on a tree. All the more for me of the actual good stuff."

Despite my words, I understood the brief yearning. My memories of food were few and far between, but the minds around clued me on what I was missing. Always with an undercurrent of disgust, my own natural reaction, but still. Irritating.

"Do you need some time, or shall we get going?"

"You haven't been out in awhile," Carlisle agrees. He perks up at the thought of going out on a proper trip. He's been so caught up with work lately, he hasn't had focus for more than a quick hunt now and then.

"Let's do it," he says. "We can head up towards the Canadian border maybe? I love it up there." He has a moment of sadness that he's never been able to try maple syrup before he pushes that thought aside.

[divescustos]

I HAD KNOWN MY REQUEST MIGHT not be accepted even before I asked. And if she had said no, I still would have given her the car and the funds to do whatever she wanted with it. But for all we lived under the same roof, I missed my sister. I had been spending so much of my time burying myself in my major, spending hours in the impressive college library, and the rest hunting or holed up in my room. It wasn’t until Esme’s eyes had lit up at the sight of me emerging from another research session behind a closed door that I’d realised how much I’d been isolating myself. And so I had made attempts to change the routine I had inadvertently fallen into.

“I’m sure Alice would be thrilled to get down and dirty in an engine,” I teased back, my grin more relaxed now, my posture reflecting the change.

Don’t even joke, Edward! I heard from upstairs, and I chuckled at the disgusted tone of my other sister’s thoughts. She was picturing her new favourite skirt covered in grease, and I could just tell she had shivered at the idea.

“Deal,” I said easily. I didn’t need Alice’s gift to see that condition coming. “You’re stuck with me anyway, since your backup just pulled out. So, where do we start?”

I sidled up beside her, but didn’t duck my own head under the hood, giving her room. Instead I shoved my hands in my pockets and offered her a whistled rendition of If I Only Had A Brain.

     SHE PREFERRED to work alone , unless someone wanted to get technical and count emmett , who often just served as a jack or someone to hand her the tools that were needed . it was her safe space , where she could let herself finally feel a weight lifted off her shoulders -- it was a place where , regardless of how ironic the comparison was , she felt most similar to how she felt as a human .      ❛ i should be upset with you that you don't want to share ,  ❜ she commented , pulling her hair up into a ponytail , wispy hair falling out around her hairline . when she actually worked on it she would take more time to put it back , but this would do for now . ❛ but i can't help feeling grateful that you found this . besides , i can always ask alice for help , too .  ❜      she smirked , knowing edward could hear that she was only teasing . the truth is that if she wanted to , she could figure it out , but part of her was excited to have an excuse to spend time with her brother .      rosalie opened the hood of the car , looking around at its engine : horrible condition , expectedly .      ❛ i wouldn't mind having an assistant if they had half a brain ,  ❜ rose teased , practically sticking her head into the inner workings of the vehicle . ❛ though , i suppose your mind - reading can make up for any gaps you may have . i'll take you on , if you agree to one thing : i'm in charge .  ❜

[divescustos]

DESPITE HIS FRIENDLY ENOUGH DEMEANOUR, I decided not to disclose my gift just yet. It was the one advantage I had in case this was indeed some kind of ruse. While it was difficult to control one's thoughts, it was doable with enough concentration. Carlisle had learned a few tricks early on, thinking in languages I could not yet speak, or more commonly just thinking about something else until I was out of range.

As I watched him, I wondered how similar he was to us. Was his show of leaning against his desk something done for comfort, or an act, as Carlisle had perfected? My father was so used to his human habits that he now did them automatically, even at home. The fidgeting, leaning, sitting, blinking. It all came naturally to him now. Was it the same for Dr. Reid?

I was still cautious about taking his hand, but it would look strange now not to. I stepped closer and shook it once, firmly. I didn't feel any adverse effects, but I was struck by the similarity of our temperature. To a human, I knew my skin to feel ice-cold, although it was more of a trick of the mind. It was more like room temperature, but the contrast to the warmth of living flesh was quite the shock. His hand felt like any other member of my family.

"Indeed," I replied. "Have you been here long?"

"As was I, I can assure you." He warmed with a slight smile, setting back a little more comfortably against the front of his desk. He certainly hadn't expected to find another vampire working at the hospital, let alone one that had a whole family of them on top, if they were all vampires, at least.

"Most of the fellow vampires I have met tend to be of a more... hostile disposition, one might say." The Brit mainly thought of his fellow Ekons and the rogue Vulkods he'd encountered over the years, though things always quietened down whenever he moved to the US, his name not quite as volatile there in vampire circles without the Ascalon Club seeping into every corner. Then again, he imagined his name wouldn't come up at all, if he was lucky. If he had to be known for something, he'd rather it be for his tireless work rather than his cursed affliction.

"I'm glad that you and I can meet under more pleasant circumstances, though I do apologise if I caused you any alarm. I'm afraid my curiosity got the better of me, and... your father and I have yet to converse outside of professional conversation." He had to admit it was rather looking forward to talking to another vampire doctor, like with all matters, he had countless questions.

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" The Ekon's soothing voice sounded out, standing to his towering height once more as he stepped closer, offering a large yet skinny hand in greeting. "Dr. Jonathan Reid, and you are... Mr. Edward Cullen, if I'm not mistaken?"

[divescustos]

MY BROWS FURROWED AT HIS WORDS, his mind offering no further sense as far as I could discern. His words seemed genuine enough, his wish to help people. I wondered idly in the back of my mind if Jasper would have any more luck reading the man. I took some comfort in the fact my sister had yet to try and contact me or Carlisle. Either I was on the right path to avoid danger, or this man, Dr Reid, truly meant us no harm. Or she wasn't looking, my treacherous mind supplied, and I shook my head.

"Sort of vampire?" I echoed, my eyes finally leaving his face to gaze at the floor in contemplation. I had peppered the man that had become my father with questions when I was still new to this life. Each he had handled and answered to the best of his ability, drawing on his centuries and the knowledge he had gained from the oldest of our kind. He had devoured the Volturi's library in his decades with them, had soaked up the knowledge the brothers had been willing to dispense. But in all of that, there had never been a whisper of other types of vampires.

Then again, those ancients did not know of the shapeshifters we had first encountered in the thirties. Who was to say there was not more they didn't know, so wrapped up in their own dealings? I was still wary, but the fear, terror, that had gripped my heart was lessening by the second.

"I was not aware there were any others than ourselves," I said eventually. "You are the first I have ever encountered to call himself vampire but be not... as we are. I hope that goes some way to explaining my reaction. My apologises. I was quite unprepared for this meeting."

Despite the tension that lay thick in the air, as the door was closed for him, Jonathan simply nodded a little and strode over to his desk which was still covered in boxes and files that he needed to tidy away once he found the time. Though for a moment, the question had him paused, decidedly turning to rest against the front of his desk to lessen his 6'5" stature and hopefully make himself appear less -- - imposing.

"I'm a vampire... an Ekon, to be precise." Even now, whenever he said the former he could still hear Lady Ashbury and her daughter correcting him which was why he still tended to add that he was an Ekon after. "And as for what I'm doing here..." His sturdy shoulders shrugged a little, his pale hands lifting from his sides momentarily. "I'm simply here to work. To help people... nothing more." However, he couldn't help but wonder whether the other vampire and his family saw this as their territory? Had he encroached in on it? He'd never been much for vampire laws and rules, he'd made that quite clear when he'd gone against Lord Redgrave's orders and been banished from the Ascalon Club in the early days of his transformation.

"I do not intend to cause you, nor your family, any concern. Of that, I can assure you." The creature added softly, arms crossing over his chest as he looked back at the man. "Though I do have one question. You are a vampire, as is Dr. Cullen, that much I know, but you seem... different. To me, at least. Yet you're neither a Skal nor a Vulkod. Which means... you're a another variant of vampire. What sort of vampire are you, exactly?"

[divescustos]

I WAS ON MY FEET TOO fast for human eyes to comprehend, the chair rattling against the wall. The nurses turned their heads in our direction, their thoughts questioning for a moment before returning to what they were doing. I was lucky — the human mind often served up easy explanations for that they did not see.

In all my years as the family watchdog, I had never heard the word thought so casually unless from one of our own kind. And I was fairly certain this strange man was not that. At least not like any I or Carlisle had ever met. Yet he knew us immediately for what we were.

I reeled while searching my mind for what to do. I picked out my father’s thoughts, still seeing to the business that had kept him from meeting me already. I wished dearly for him to have my own gift — his guidance would be very welcome at this precise moment.

“I need to speak with you,” I finally settled on, ignoring his offered hand, my voice low. “Alone.”

"Rest assured that it's... nothing serious, Sir, I promise you." The Victorian Englishman found himself quick to reassure the man, or vampire, as Jonathan had sensed long before he'd even had him in his line of sight.

"You're Dr. Cullen's son, are you not?" He'd heard a few of the nurses gossiping about the pair and the rest of their family. Were they all vampires? The Londoner couldn't quite curb his curiosity, particularly when a fellow vampire doctor was involved. "Dr. Jonathan Reid..." He warmly greeted, offering out a large chilled hand. "I'm a new surgeon here at the hospital."

[divescustos]

EVEN AFTER ALL THE TIME WE had spent together, the fact he still said my name as if we had been apart weeks instead of hours brought a warmth to my chest. I wouldn’t call my relationship with Carlisle simple, but the love we shared was.

I paused at his words. I felt alright. I appraised my face in his mind — besides the darkness of my eyes and accompanying shadows under them, I didn’t see anything unusual. But also as I appraised myself, I felt some pent up energy pulsing under my skin, a need to just run. Of course Carlisle would notice it before I even did.

“Just feeling a bit cooped up, I think,” I replied, needlessly stretching out my arms for something to do. “I hadn’t realised how long I left it since my last hunt. Do you want to go further out, make a real trip of it?”

Carlisle has just changed out of his scrubs into normal clothes, mentally weary after a double shift at the hospital. He loves his work, he does, but it's still a taxing experience. Still, seeing the results of his labors mean the world to him, and in the centuries' of his immortal life, it has made it all worth it just to know that he's saved so many people.

He's still thinking about work when Edward knocks, and Carlisle looks over at him with a smile. "Edward," he says, voice warm. He lets out a breath of relief at the question. "Please. I'm starving. Let me just get some shoes on." He glances up at Edward when he's tying his shoes. "Are you alright? You look uneasy."

[divescustos]

MAYBE OFFERING MYSELF UP AS A punching bag when Jasper was in this state was not one of my better ideas. But I trusted my brother. I trusted him the same way I trusted Emmett when we would play wrestle, or Rosalie not to drop a car on my head. The effort Jasper made did not go unnoticed. I trusted that if he took his frustration out on me, he would not do more damage. Foolhardy, perhaps, but Alice had yet to come rocketing from the house with visions of me decapitated. I chose to take that as a good sign.

That bad, huh? Emmett's thought came with a mental wince as he was told off, and I grimaced with him. I remained sat where I was, listening long enough to hear that my brother had retreated around to the opposite side of the house. He couldn't give up on his vigil, too agitated to stop, but he could at least give us some space. Good luck, kid.

"Not even Alice saw that she would come this far north," I argued, still remembering her guilt filled, panicked thoughts as we all realised what was happening. "But now we know. We can keep track of her. And it's seven of us against one of her. She won't catch us unaware again. And I won't be betting against Alice if she tries."

I sighed, and turned my gaze to the forest floor. It felt like nothing I could say would help. I was used to at least trying to talk through issues, and I knew Carlisle was reluctant to use violence on anyone. But I had seen a real flash of fury in him this morning, when it dawned on us what Maria had done, what she was trying to do. That one of his own was being threatened. The rest of us, too, being that we would be collateral damage, but he felt just as fiercely as if it had been Esme, Rose, Emmett or me threatened. I had never seen my father's pacifist nature jump straight to planning to attack before, and I think he had surprised even himself.

"Carlisle has friends all across the country," I continued. "Even if we just asked them to keep us informed when we cross paths. Or... we turn her into the Volturi ourselves. She's the one flaunting the laws, after all, not us."

He doesn't need to be the mind reader to understand the flickering fear Edward has. In the chaos of his own racing madness, he'd forgotten about the Volturi. This wasn't exactly subtle. Getting rid of the evidence may not be enough. Jasper had been raised on the art of subtly, stealth and not going noticed. What he'd been doing was illegal, but the lawmakers looked the other way as long as there was no exposure risk.

It didn't matter who broke the law and knowing the perpetrator, his 'family' would be blamed. Maybe just for inciting the incident by his existence. The spiraling part of him wonders if the two continental leaders know each other. That would explain why the Italians hadn't intervened in the beginning. But he has no proof and this isn't the time for conspiracy theories.

"Dangerous words," he murmured. What did he need anyway? Jasper couldn't even clamp down on his own emotions to keep them from bleeding out to the rest. Anxious fearful vampires could be irrational bitey creatures. He'd never needed to know if heads could be reattached and starting now was a bad idea. His own lip curls back over long canines as Edward continued. "Again." A scoff. "You're too arrogant for your own good. No one sees her coming." Telepathy was a powerful gift, but there were ways around it. Ways Jasper had tried his best to learn. Think of anything but what he didn't want Edward to find out, especially in the early years when he'd been tensed for attack at any moment by the 'nice' vampires. His teeth snap together with a resounding deep rumble from his chest. A warning though not that he expects the civilized ones to understand. For all his immortal abilities, no words make it to his tongue. They couldn't protect him he didn't need protecting he'd lived this long but now he knew so much more and it was all the more terrifying. Emmett kept circling, young and eager and naive like the rest of them. "I don't doubt you will try-will you stop that?" Jasper snarls far louder than necessary for anyone within a mile to hear. He practically hears Emmett skid to a stop with a wave of sheepishness.

[divescustos]

I COULD FEEL THE ANXIETY ROLLING off him, hitting me like a tidal wave. The only thing keeping me from drowning in it was the knowledge the emotion was not my own. Not all of it, anyway. I felt fear for my family, for the danger we were in. Not from the human officials, they could do nothing to us, but to the higher force that would surely step in if things got too out of hand. Carlisle had told me tales of the ancients in Italy, what would happen to those who stepped outside their laws. And despite his friendship with them, I knew we would not be shown mercy, should it come down to it.

The memories racing through Jasper's head were horrific, reminding me of the thoughts I had seen while away from Carlisle and Esme. Pain and terror and death. I had heard so much in my years of living with my gift, so many things people would want no one else to know. The casual trauma of life so many put up with, pushing through to some semblance of normality, even if that was only for a few hours at school or work. I had adjusted to looking at it from a far off perspective, lest I let myself be buried in their sorrow.

"Do whatever you need to," I said softly, picking up on his first instinct. If snapping and snarling at me would make him feel better, then so be it. I knew he didn't really mean it. Perhaps it was arrogance, but I also trusted my gift to give me an upper hand should things get too out of control. That, or Alice come between us. She had been totally focused on her mate when I left the house, chasing visions along every thread that she could, checking on him. She would see if anything went wrong.

"We aren't going to let her get near you again," I continued, my lips pulling back from my teeth a little at the thought. I had finally heard her mind, a fleeting glimpse into the cruelty there, just what I needed to seek her out again. As soon as she tried coming close again, I would know. Alice had told me she would not try again soon, and so I had given up my vigil for the time being. "If she tries, we will protect you."

Emmett was already chomping at the bit for a fight, the threat to his loved ones enough to set him off. He was circling the house, for lack of anything else to do.

Despite the rain and passage of time, he can still smell the blood. Picture the piles of bodies left at their door-a calling card and throwback to his days of hunting humans. They would pile the corpses with the beheaded and burn all of it. It should have been obvious from the start. Jasper should have noticed the familiar scent under the blind enticing red. He'd wanted to believe it was some sort of weird mundane serial killed.

Alice had warned them both times. They'd had more notice to start coming up with cover stories and packing than the visit. Jasper had broken the door when he realized what she'd said. Run with no clear thought as to what he was doing, if he was running to confront or running away again. Neither were good options. He'd barely started being able to work on getting a genuine education not from the house. Just gotten it into his head that things were actually not normal down south even for vampires. There were covens that got along without murdering each other most of the time or creating cannon fodder for useless territory wars.

Of course it couldn't last. Of course it would follow him-she would follow him. Jasper hadn't gotten to make the decision on what he was going to do. Maria had taken that away from him too and found him first, all croons about if he'd liked the gift and if he didn't she'd already informed authorities that one of the Cullens had gone 'feral.' He can't remember much after that. They were taking only the essentials. Carlisle and Esme are doing rounds, ensuring nothing that wasn't needed was left behind. The cars-the clothes. Jasper still can't breathe. As much as it doesn't matter to vampires, some instinctual part of him knows this is bad. Behind everyone else's tension and concern, his own anxiety threatens to suffocate him like he still needed air. Edward is likely getting bombarded on all ends. He doesn't need up close and personal traumatic memories from the reason they were being forced to leave. He can only smell smoke and blood and the sweet scent of burning venom. His head spins like he'd downed three humans, lightheaded on fresh blood. None of it goes any farther than the forefront of his mind no matter how hard he pushes. Like trying to shove air. Jasper wants to snarl at the younger. Snap at him like a disobedient newborn who didn't know the rules yet. "I don't know." Despite his best efforts, it comes out cracked and shaky. Unless Edward can undo the past twenty four hours-or the past hundred years-he has no ideas.

@divescustos from here

[divescustos]

I HEARD HER HESITATION AND ROLLED my eyes, but managed to rearrange my features into something more neutral before she actually saw me. And I was glad of that – missing her reaction would truly have been criminal. But the smile that spread across my face was genuine, if a little smug.

“If I told you, I’d have to find some other source of battered cars to surprise you with,” I teased, leaning back against the counter and folding my arms over my chest, giving her space to inspect the 'patient'.

I loved vehicles, the way I could get a small piece of the joy running gave me in a more human style. But I loved them in a different way to Rosalie. I didn’t mind tinkering occasionally, but I would willingly put my hands up and admit she had the far superior skills and knowledge. However, being around our cars was one of the few times I could settle into a sense of camaraderie with my sister, and it had been some years since we last had a project to work on together.

“I’ll bankroll the whole thing,” I announced, stepping to her side, and running a hand over a particularly rusty spot, keeping my tone light and eyes downcast. “As long as you don’t mind having an assistant?”

     SHE DIDN'T know what had warranted a gift from her brother , and that alone equally scared and intrigued her . edward was not completely boorish enough to never get her something , but it was neither a holiday nor her birthday ( not that they really did gifts for the latter -- especially not for rose ) . for a moment , she considered taking her time to get to the garage , but her curiosity got the better of her as she zoomed down the stairs , feet barely touching the steps that she didn't already skip .      a 1956 chrysler windsor , so rusted that it almost looked burned . the underlying color was ugly anyway ; satin grey wasn't flashy enough of a color . he hadn't just gotten her a gift , he had gotten her a project .      ❛ where did you find this ?  ❜ rose asked , her eyes almost popping out of their sockets . ❛ i mean , it's in awful condition , so it can't have been too hard to get your hands on but -- where ?  ❜

[divescustos]

I listened as he changed and watched through his mind as he sent the message to Esme. It felt like not all that long ago, we'd just leave a note, if anything at all. I wasn't all that interested in the technology myself – I had one of the tiny silver things, Alice saw them becoming rather ubiquitous, and had already invested in a few promising companies.

I grinned as he joined me, choosing not to answer his question directly and instead take a running leap over the river. Ever since I had awoken in this life, my ability to run had brought me some of my greatest joys.

"Are you coming?" I called teasingly, ready to race off again.

“We can at least pretend to be out for a simple hike,” Carlisle points out. “I’ll be right back.”

It takes seconds, really, though Carlisle has been a vampire long enough that it feels like minutes. A normal pace is too fast, but it’s his way of life. It’s what he knows.

He comes bouncing down the steps to join Edward behind the house. “I texted Esme so she’d know where we were,” he says. He never brings his phone with him, just his pager in case there’s a work emergency. He’s not on call, but Carlisle doesn’t feel right going away without it. Even if he’s hundreds of miles away.

“Ready?”