Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Behind Steel Bars

By Midnight Dreamer

Chapter 02: The Whitlocks

Another well known family in Texas are the Whitlock’s. Not for the same reason as the Swans but their contributions to Texan society in the area is well documented. The Texas Whitlock’s start with none other then Wyatt Whitlock.

Wyatt Whitlock was a quiet man. Hard working and honest – he owned most of the farm lands in and around Dallas, while several of the Whitlock ranches supplied horses to the military.

Wyatt also had two sons, Bill and Jasper Daniel Whitlock.

Their infamy all began just before the Civil War started. The Whitlocks recently bought up a few more acres of land and were surprised when they discover oil as they were plowing the land. They instantly became the wealthiest family in Dallas.

When the Civil War finally started, both of Wyatt’s sons enlisted. The Whitlocks felt is was a right to fight for the cause since the family owned several, well-treated slaves.

Sadly within the first year of the war Bill Whitlock was declared K.I.A. (Killed In Action.) Jasper was allowed to return home to help his father bury his brother and, during this leave, he also met his wife Maria. She stole his heart and they were married before his 2 month leave was up. He was allowed to return at Christmas and then again around Easter time. During this last leave, Wyatt Whitlock passed away. After the funeral, Jasper was given the news that he had to return to base. As he departed his wife gave him the best news and reason for his returning home safely to her: she was with child. With a new pep in his step he made it back to base only to receive news that he was being promoted to Major.

That was until the winter of 1862.

Major Jasper Daniel Whitlock was M.I.A. (Missing In Action.) His body was never found and the military eventually declared him dead.

Maria gave birth to a son: Troy Peter Whitlock.

Troy grew up on his families farm. He learned how to work the land from the family farm hands and when he was old enough, he went off to college and learned to be a business man. It was during his time in college that Troy met his wife.

Returning to the farm the couple helped the farm hands and made it into a profitable business, adding on to the Whitlock assets. Troys wife later gave birth to twins named Leo and Jack Whitlock. The boys grew strong and spread their wings once of age.

Leo stayed at home on the farm, while Jack set out to travel the world.

It was in April of 1912 that the word got back to the Whitlock’s the loss of Jack.

He was on his way home from Ireland, having obtained a job on a cruise ship as an engineer. Sadly the ship never docked and was said to have sunk in the North Atlantic. It wasn’t long before the news hit the papers in every state around the country: the R.M.S. Titanic had sunk on her maiden voyage after being dubbed “Unsinkable”.

At the finality of the news, Mrs. Whitlock couldn’t handle it and killed herself. It was a great loss for the Whitlocks leaving Leo alone with his father, Troy. The elder Whitlock had gone on to teach Leo everything he knew about the family business.

A year later Troy finally went to join his wife and other son, by means of a heart attack.

He left everything to Leo.

It took Leo years to finally find his future.

It was in a run down restaurant just outside of Laredo. His future turned out to be Rosalie Hale, a waitress. Blond hair and electric blue eyes, Rosalie was no pauper by any means.

The Hales owned most of the saloons, bars, and bed-n-breakfasts in the state. Leo went about courting Miss Rosalie and within a year he asked for her hand in marriage. They were married the following year, joining the two families. Two years later, in the spring of 1921, Rosalie gave birth to a set of twin boys, Anthony and Jethro Whitlock.

They perfect mix of mother and father: both were tall, blond haired and blue eyed. But most of all, they were full of the Whitlock charm – and pride. When the boys finished school at the age of 18 they both enlisted into the air force. World War II was in full swing and only the Americans remained uninvolved in the fight. Fly boys was what their mother called them, and they were some of the best pilots in the force.

Just before they were to be shipped out to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Jethro was given orders to head overseas to help out the British who were losing pilots left and right.

After months of being separated, Anthony got word that his brother was shot down and presumed dead.

It was weeks later while out with some of the boys that Anthony notice a man walking past the bar. The man looked strikingly a lot like his twin brother. Curious, he left the bar and followed the man. As he closed in, the man turned – and it was in fact Jethro.

After a heartwarming reunion the two brothers then drank themselves into oblivion only to be awoken on a beach the next morning to the sounds of gunfire. They rushed to the nearest planes and took to the sky, fighting gallantly against the enemy. When the smoke finally cleared the devastation was astronomical.

The war had come to them.

Somehow through all the madness, word got to Jethro that his twin brother’s plane had been shot down.

Once the war had settled down, Jethro returned home to the fields they ran in as boys.

Jethro later met his wife Abigail.

Abigail was working in the war office as a historian and had arrived at the farm to question him about his family’s participation in the wars spanning from 1800 to 1964. They soon fell in love while going over his family’s rich history.

On October 2, 1982 – when Jethro was almost 40 – Abigail gave birth to their first son, Jasper Wyatt Whitlock; the boy was named in honor of Jethro’s father and great-great grandfather.

Two years later, on November 27^th , 1984, Abigail again gave birth to their final son, Peter Brian Whitlock.

This is where our story begins.