Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 54:

Rose’s POV

I was gathered outside around a bonfire with most of the tribe. To me, it was shocking to witness vampires sitting around a fire. Most vampires steered clear of them, but the Wanagi were not frightened at all. “Fire is a part of nature, and we live amongst nature. If we respect it, it will respect us,” Qaletaqa, the Wanagi Nation shaman, explained when I asked.

Qaletaqa asked me to share the troubles the Quileutes and the WaYa were now facing. Not only had I filled him in with the story Bella had told me about Tony Fuller, but I had inadvertently shared my life story with him. He appraised me with his kind eyes and then abruptly pulled me to his chest, engulfing me in a warm hug that filled me with hope.

“You will heal, my child. Tawanna will help you. Isabella will help you. They both have the spirits of healers residing within them.”

“They do?”

“Oh, yes. Just like you have the spirit of warriors within you.”

“I’m a warrior? But I have no gifts.”

“My child, just because a vampire is gifted does not make him or her powerful. True power comes from the spirit within. You may not have any magical gifts, but you have an inner strength and the will to live. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to survive the atrocities committed against you while you were human. You have the heart of a Wanagi Warrior.”

“Oh, wow!” I gasped, placing my hand on my heart. A Wanagi Warrior? I felt so accepted like I was a part of something big. The vampires in this tribe were so caring, so understanding, but most of all, at peace with the fact that they were immortal. As an immortal, I had never felt comfortable in my natural skin. I had never accepted the fact that I was a vampire. Instead, I resented it. After spending a few days here, I realized I was the only person whining about being a vampire. It was time for me to end my ninety-year self-pity parade. It was time for me to start living.

Qaletaqa took my hands in his and bestowed a smile on me. “You have come to a decision, Rose.”

“I have. I will start living now.”

“And you will not look back. Remembering the atrocities committed against you is okay, but do not let them define who you are.” He released my hands and took a deep breath. “Now, we must consider how we’re going to take down this Tony Fuller cretin because the Quileute and WaYa Warriors cannot handle it alone.”

“Well, that was my thought, too,” Bella interrupted.

“Where did you come from?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“From the cabin. It’s almost four in the morning.”

“Why in hell are you up so early? Can’t you be a normal human, Bella?”

She took a sip of her tea and tilted her head. “I kind of like to stay on schedule; otherwise, I become tired at odd hours at work.”

“Bella, you do not wake up at four a.m.! You usually wake up at five.”

“True, but being around vampires makes me feel lazy. You’re all out here accomplishing something twenty-four-seven while I get seven or eight hours of shut-eye each night.”

“Do you want me to change you?” I offered, knowing she’d decline.

Bella rolled her eyes and turned to me with a goofy grin, offering her wrist to me as a joke. I approached my friend, took her wrist, and kissed it instead. Then I hugged her. I’ve been doing that often. I used to wonder why Emmett hugged Bella so much when she was a teen. I now understood why. Her hugs enveloped us in a warmth we rarely felt as vampires. And it was a reminder that just because we were supernatural didn’t mean we were monsters. We could and should retain our humanity. It was funny. My big lug of a husband, who was often dismissed as being an idiot, was the smartest one out of all of us. He always kept his humanity. Emmett had always known that just because he was a vampire didn’t mean he couldn’t love himself and live life to the fullest.

“So, when are we going to La Push?” Bella asked with a bright expression.

“Uh, no. You, human, are not going. It’s too dangerous for you.”

“On the contrary,” Qaletaqa stated before Bella could protest. “I believe she must go. She may be human, but she is the mate of the Great Protector. The Healer who must stand by his side during times of adversity.”

“Exactly how adverse is it going to be?” Bella asked the shaman curiously.

“Oh, it’s going to be really super-duper adverse,” Alice, who came out of nowhere, interrupted. She was with Charlotte. Clearly, they had run here from wherever the heck they had been. Alice, effervescent as ever, kept bouncing up and down on her feet with excitement, probably at seeing Bella for the first time in over a decade. “I had a vision while running here from Canada, and guess what?”

“What?” Bella, Qaletaqa, and I all asked simultaneously.

“We have to fight the Volturi!” Alice chortled excitedly.

“What kind of fresh hell is this?” I shouted. “The Volturi? How did they get involved?”

“I don’t know. I just know that we have to fight the Volturi. I tell it like I see it.” Alice nodded, then turned to Bella. “Oh, good gracious! Your husband has such a beautiful body.”

“Alice, what does Paul’s body have to do with the Volturi?” Bella questioned.

“Nothing. I just thought you should know that I think your mate’s body is incredible and his voice. Oh my God! I just talked to him last night, and he sounds like velvet.”

“And exactly when did you have the opportunity to see my husband and hear him speak?”

“Oh, I see you both all the time. You see, I watch you to give Jasper suggestions on what to do when we have sex.”

Bella’s face flamed with embarrassment and then anger at Alice’s confession. “You watch us while we’re in bed?”

“Well, it’s not like I can help it. You two do it-a lot. Generally, between nine and ten p.m. in the evenings, right before bedtime. And wow! You two go to bed early on weeknights! And you’re both so regimented. You work out in the mornings together in your new home gym and meditate. Sometimes, you make love outside while the sun rises. That last session when he marked you was so raw and intense. Then he makes coffee for you while you make breakfast. After that, you both leave for work simultaneously except on Mondays and Fridays when you don’t work.”

“Alice, why are you spying on Paul and me?”

“I’m not spying. It’s just that ever since Paul took in that vampire venom, I can see you both in my visions because I think about you a lot. I missed you, Bella. I really did.”

Qaletaqa, who had been listening to the conversation, offered his advice, “Be that as it may, young seer, constant focus on one couple borders on the obsessive. Perhaps you need to have a discussion with our tribal psychologist, Tawanna. She will be able to advise you on how to tamper down on your compulsions.”

“Oh, I know she will. I’ve seen it! But it’ll be later. I will have to control my visions of Paul, but he’s so beautiful now. I’m not so sure I’ll be able to stop myself.”

“You are a very disturbed individual, Alice,” Bella stated. “However, the disturbing trait of your personality holds particular interest to me right now. Let me ask you this: Was your twisted mind able to figure out a way to get into Angela’s safety deposit box and steal the flash drive?”

“I was!” Alice chirped. “Well, we were.” She pointed to Charlotte. “This is Peter’s mate, Charlotte. Have you met her yet?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Bella.”

“Very nice to meet you. You have a delicious-looking bosom. I bet Paul loves licking Cool Whip right off of them.”

“Alrighty, then. I can see that you and your mate are a perfect match!” Bella zipped her jacket up all the way to the top and crossed her arms over her breasts. She shuffled closer to my side, and I understood why. Alice and Charlotte were nuts. “I’d like to introduce you to Qaletaqa and Tawanna. Qaletaqa is the tribal shaman, and Tawanna is a board-certified psychologist. They will help you both because it’s clear that you two need professional help.”

“I can see that they will,” Alice confirmed, “but you want to know about the flash drive.”

“Yes, the flash drive.”

“I have it. We must plug it into a computer, and we need a hacker.”

“I’ll provide the hacker. He just needs a few more hours of sleep, but I can get him here. He’s in Washington right now.”

“But we have our own hacker,” Qaletaqa informed us. “Let me text her.”

“This is like a multi-service tribe,” Bella pointed out. “You have doctors, dentists, accountants, psychologists, and hackers. Cool!”

“Of course we do. We need someone to handle our vital records and identification. A hacker is of utmost importance to our tribe.”

A short woman about Alice’s height, with sleek, black hair styled into a bun, appeared. She sported a pair of eyeglasses. “Hey, vampires have perfect vision. What’s with the glasses?” I asked.

Tawanna shook her head. “Chepi thinks it makes her look more intelligent.” She rolled her eyes and then introduced us to the hacker. “Rose, Bella, Charlotte, and Alice, this is Chepi Wiyot-my older sister. She’ll help you with the flash drive.”

“Alice, give her the flash drive,” Bella ordered.

Alice pouted and turned her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why on earth not?”

“Because you’re going to like Chepi more than me. You like everyone more than me. I don’t understand why.”

“Give Chepi the fucking flash drive before I snap you in two!”

“I’m a vampire, Bella. You can’t overpower me.”

Bella let out a frustrated sigh. “Alice, this is not about you. This is about saving the supernatural world of which you are a part. Now, give me the flash drive, or I will light your nasal hairs with a match and torch you from the inside out.”

Alice gasped. “You really are sadistic, Bella. And you’ll do it, too. I just had a vision.” And then the pixie rubbed her temples. Clearly, she was having another vision. “I just imagined you as a vampire. You would destroy me.”

“Yes, now aren’t you glad I’m a mere human?”

“No, I still wish you were my best friend.” She fished the flash drive out of her purse and handed it to Chepi. “Good luck. I know you’ll find a good deal of information on the drive, more than Eric, in fact.” And then Alice rubbed her temples. “Charlotte and I have to go. Carlisle is coming.”

“Now?” I asked.

“Yes, now. Carmen and Tanya are going to protect everyone in Arizona. They’ll be safe. Charlotte and I can be more assistance in La Push. Now that Paul has vampire venom in him, I’ll be able to see things clearer. And I should be at ground zero.” Alice smiled at Bella and me. “I’ll see you both soon.”

Then she hugged Bella, who hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. “Keep them safe, Alice.”

“I will. I promise.”

With that, Alice and Charlotte took off for La Push.

“Should we warn everyone in La Push that they’re coming?” I asked Bella.

“Hell, no. Alice is more fun as a surprise,” Bella laughed.

“You’ve got that right,” I agreed.

“Well, I will take this flash drive and go over it with a fine-toothed comb,” Chepi declared and was about to take off for wherever she came from when Carlisle showed up.

“Alice said that I would be more help here. And how can the two of you simply take off? I was supposed to be guarding you.”

“Carlisle, you should know by now that Bella and I do not like being told what to do. Period. End of discussion,” I told him. “Remember, we are both grown adults.”

“Rosalie, I…” He noticed Chepi and Tawanna glancing curiously at us. “Would you introduce me to your friends? I know Qualetaqa, but I do not know these two ladies.”

“Of course. Carlisle Cullen, this is Chepi Wiyot, the Wanagi Nation’s hacker.”

“I prefer software engineer.” Chepi adjusted her glasses and shook Carlisle’s hand professionally. She looked him over from head to toe and said, “You’re not my type. You look too straight-laced. I like a little naughty in my men.”

Well, that was weird. I continued with introductions. “And this is Chepi’s sister, Tawanna Wiyot. Tawanna has been helping me with my PTSD. She is a board-certified psychologist.”

Carlisle extended his hand to her, and Tawanna shook it. They both froze.

“I knew it! I knew it!” Alice appeared out of nowhere and jumped up and down for joy. “I told you that you’d meet your true mate here!” She hugged Tawanna, then Carlisle, and followed up by hugging Bella. “Okay, I’m really leaving now. I’m so happy for you both!” And then she yelled to Charlotte as she was running. “We get to see Paul in person and shirtless. I’ll tell you all about his shower last night. Let’s go!”

“Alice is slightly disturbed,” I told Tawanna, happy she was mated to Carlisle.

“Clearly.”

“But she means well,” Bella added, then hugged Carlisle. “You deserve to be happy. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do… I’m just so surprised. Pleasantly. I never realized the electricity between mates was so intense. I never felt this much intensity with Esme.”

“You’ll get used to it. I did.”

“Never in my years of existence did I believe I’d meet my mate,” Tawanna whispered.

“Oh, my spirits. Tawanna’s going to be a nightmare,” Chepi quipped. “You’re perfect for each other. I’m going to my office to check out this flash drive before another life-changing event occurs.”

And just as the words left her mouth, an orb appeared smack dab in the center of the reservation.

“What the fuck?” Bella, Chepi, and I blurted simultaneously.

---

Bella’s POV

“What the fuck?” Rose, Chepi, and I blurted at the same time as a misty, white orb appeared in the sky from out of nowhere. At first, it was the size of a golf ball, but then it got bigger and bigger.

By now, the entire tribe had gathered.

“Hey, you don’t think it’s one of those Chinese spy balloons, do you?” Chepi asked.

“Oh, my goodness! Maybe we should call the government?” Tawanna suggested.

“Are you kidding me? We’d be able to handle it a lot quicker than the government.” I told them. “Besides, it looks like it’s landing and dissipating.”

“She’s right, you know,” Chepi agreed.

“Oh, my God! It’s fucking ET,” Tawanna blurted.

“No, it’s not ET. ET is a fictional character.”

“You never know. Aliens probably exist. Haven’t you seen Men in Black?”

“Those were fictional characters, too!” I insisted. “How can you call yourself a healthcare professional if you think fictional movie characters are real?”

“Bella, did it ever occur to you that you live in a supernatural world in which everything you thought was fictional is true? Vampires and shapeshifters are real, so why can’t aliens be real?”

“Because I want to retain a modicum of sanity in my brain. That’s why!”

And then, lo and behold, the orb dissolved into a mist from which four Native American men appeared. They were all good-looking, young, and stark naked. One of them looked like a young Jared but more attractive. He had tan skin, long, straight hair, and a sculpted body with abs almost as chiseled as Paul’s-almost, but not quite. My man had it going in the abs department.

Rose, Tawanna, and I glanced at each other before fixing our attention on the perfect male specimen while Chepi adjusted the glasses she didn’t need.

“Oh!” Rose gasped.

“My!” Tawanna added.

“Spirits!” I closed out the phrase, unable to look away from the four gifts to women. Who were these guys, and more importantly, did they know how to dance? And did they sell baby oil at the tribal store?

“Father!” Carlisle called, ran up to the man, and engulfed him in a hug.

“Father?” Everyone gasped except for me. I knew exactly who he was once Carlisle referred to him as father. It was Taha Aki in the flesh, and he was a serious hottie. And that’s saying something, considering I was married to one of the hottest men who walked the earth.

“Son, it is good to see you. You are keeping very well.”

“Thank you, Father. I missed you. I needed your advice so much this past century. Oh, Father… Father, I have failed you. I failed to keep your reservation safe. I failed to keep the Great Protector safe and endangered the Healer.”

The man placed a hand on Carlisle’s shoulder. “You did not fail me, Son. Those in charge of the reservation failed. Instead of being vigilant, they became lazy and put blind faith in a criminal who flattered, used honeyed words, and deceived them. They should have scrutinized his actions, but they did not. Instead, they allowed him to destroy the reservation from the inside out.

“As for the Great Protector, it is through his suffering that his greatness was born. And while you endangered the Healer by putting her in contact with Edward, whom you should have never changed into a vampire, you could expose her to vampires, although not in the way the spirit shamans had foreseen.”

The man turned to me next with a curious expression. “You are the Healer. Why are you not with the Great Protector?”

“Excuse me, are you talking to me?”

“Of course I am. You are the Healer, after all. The mate of the Great Protector.”

“Ah, I always thought my name was Bella. How silly of me? Excuse me.” I reached out with one hand and placed it on Taha Aki’s chest. Yep, his heart was beating, and he was all fleshy, muscular man. After that, I did the same with the other three men. They, too, seemed to be real-real as in human. What the heck? “They’re human,” I announced to the Wanagi.

“No way!” Rose said and did what I did. She touched them and listened for their heartbeats. Tawanna followed suit.

Chepi, on the other hand, unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse, removed her unnecessary glasses, and unraveled her hair from her bun. She did some sort of hair flip and smiled seductively at Taha Aki. “My name is Chepi. What’s yours, big boy?”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Tawanna asked her sister.

“You have a mate, Tawa. Now, leave me alone. I am tired of getting off using my BOB. I just want a real man in the flesh.”

“Chepi, I highly doubt Taha Aki is here to… to… service you!” I snapped. “Now, shouldn’t you be finding out what’s on the flash drive?”

Taha Aki smiled. “Beautiful lady, while I appreciate your sentiments. Our time on earth is limited, and we are here to ensure the continued survival of your tribe.”

“All I need is fifteen minutes. I’ll even bring BOB to bed to speed things up,” Chepi pleaded.

And I thought Alice was nuts. No, no. Alice is nuts. She’s a voyeur. Isn’t there some kind of supernatural law against abusing gifts?

“If you have a man named Bob, why on earth do you need me?” Taha Aki asked. “You should just ask him to spice things up in the bedroom.”

“But I’ve done all I can with BOB! There’s only so much that can be done when he has no hands, and lately, he’s been running out of power quickly.”

Taha Aki looked appalled and sternly reprimanded Chepi, “Young lady, I think the problem lies with you. You are too demanding of Bob. The poor man, clearly a warrior who has lost his arms in battle, can only do so much. Instead of always ordering him to fulfill your needs, why don’t you reciprocate? Ask him what you can do to satisfy him for once.”

“But BOB isn’t human,” Chepi argued.

“Bob may not be human now, but at one time, he was. I’m sure he has retained his heart and humanity, especially if he’s willing to comply with your demands with no complaints.” Taha Aki slapped his forehead and shook his head. “You remind me of my twelfth wife-gorgeous but demanding. Nag. Nag. Nag. Me. Me. Me. Thank the spirits I didn’t marry a thirteenth time.” Then, the man looked up and addressed the crowd. “Where is Bob? Show yourself! We must have a chat about asserting yourself.”

Rosalie buried her face on my shoulder. Clearly, she couldn’t control her laughter. Most of the Wanagi tribal members were also cackling. I had my fist in my mouth because I feared I’d say something stupid. No, no. It couldn’t get dumber than this. Clearly, these spirit men were here on business from wherever they came from, and Chepi was on her own agenda to achieve the big O.

“Bella, someone has to put a stop to this,” Carlisle pleaded, his face contorted as he struggled to hold in his laughter.

“Why me?” I whispered to him.

“Because you’re the voice of reason.”

“Fine,” I groaned. “Excuse me, Taha Aki, sir. Yoohoo!” I waved my hand to get his attention. “Chepi’s BOB is not a real person. Chepi’s BOB is a device used for sexual stimulation in order to encourage orgasms.”

“I don’t understand,” Taha Aki said.

“BOB is short for battery-operated boyfriend. It is an inanimate object that derives its power from batteries and vibrates at the command of the user.”

“Well, how on earth are men supposed to compete with that?” Taha Aki asked, appalled.

“I don’t believe it’s a competition.”

“Well, of course, it’s not a competition. It’s impossible for a man to make his tackle vibrate!”

“That’s right.” I nodded my head. “It’s best you remember that.” I ended the conversation because there was no way I was dealing with it any longer. “Now, why are you here?”

Taha Aki turned the question on me. “Why are you here, Healer?”

“Bella. My name is Bella. Use it, please.”

“Why are you here, Bella? You should be by your wolf’s side, supporting him.”

“Hmm… It’s not that I don’t want to support Paul. I am here because my husband, the Great Protector, is extremely stubborn. He believes I will be safer if I’m away from him. Besides, I am of greater assistance here for the moment. Now, Taha Aki, why are you here?”

“We are here because the Wanagi tribe needs to assist the Quileutes and the WaYa. There is evil coming to La Push-more evil than imaginable. The self-professed vampire king will arrive to destroy La Push and take over the lands with his minions. Then, he will proceed to decimate the lands of the WaYa and force the Wanagi into servitude.”

“The Volturi?” Carlisle asked. “When did they become involved? And why?”

“Now, let us all sit and discuss the situation,” Taha Aki ordered.

The only thing on my mind was that things became a whole lot hairier in the blink of an eye.