Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Catharsis

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 18:

At eight pm sharp, the pack, elders, Bella, and Charlie waited at the treaty line for the Cullens to appear. The pack, with the exception of Levi Uley and Paul were all in wolf form because they didn’t trust the vampires. Paul had already faced Edward in human form so he wasn’t afraid at all. Besides, his reasoning was that if Bella, who was an imprint with no supernatural strength could stand up to a psychotic vampire, he could meet some friendly ones without being in his wolf state.

Bella agreed with him, and the fact that the rest of the pack were phased in their wolf forms didn’t sit well with her. She was arguing with them when the vampires appeared at the border five minutes late.

“This is so ridiculous! How in hell are you planning on working with them if you’re going to hide yourselves behind your wolf forms? If they can’t speak to you, they won’t be able to coordinate with you. You need to trust them. You can always phase on the fly if necessary.”

Sam returned to human form and threw his shorts on. “Fine! Why are you always so damned stubborn?”

“She’s always been stubborn,” Jasper informed him. “She just hides it behind her sweet and innocent demeanor.” He approached the border and held out his hand. “Major Jasper Whitlock at your service.”

“I’m Sam Uley, uh, senior at Forks High School.” He took the proffered hand and shook it.

“And the valedictorian,” Paul added to give him a bit of significance since he was up against a major and all. “Yeah, we’re pretty proud of our Sammy. Aren’t we, Bella?”

“We sure are.” She nodded her head and donned a brilliant smile on here face.

By now, all the wolves had phased back except for Leah. Bella assumed she remained in wolf form for modesty because she didn’t want to change into her sundress in front of strangers. She understood Leah’s reasons a hundred percent.

“First of all, we’d like to apologize for the actions of Edward Masen. As you might have guessed, he has gone rogue, and we are here to stop him. Unfortunately, to do so, we will need your assistance. We are here to plead, to beg for your help. Alice, my mate, is a seer. And my friend and right hand man Captain Peter Whitlock, who is standing next to me, has a gift that… well, he just knows stuff and he’s deadly accurate. We don’t know how to describe his gift except to say that it is absolute and more powerful than Alice’s. In any case, they have both foreseen that Edward and his mate Victoria are forming a newborn army and will be coming here for vengeance.”

“And what exactly is he here to seek vengeance for?”

“Edward prized Bella’s blood, when it was pure, above all. Her blood is no longer pure so he… uh…” Jasper noticed Charlie Swan listening intently. “Well, he is angry at the one who made her blood impure, and he is angry at her for no longer being pure.”

“He did say I was like his own personal brand of heroin, and he did his eye voodoo thing on me.”

“He’s deranged!” Peter blurted, and turned to Carlisle, “Man, I don’t understand why you let him run loose and mess with humans? You made a poor coven leader. This is why you’ve lost your coven to Jasper.”

“This is certainly new information. My name is Levi Uley, Major Whitlock. I am the alpha of the current wolfpack and your primary contact.”

“Excuse me. Are you the same Levi Uley we met in 1936 when you were a young boy?” Esme Cullen asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Cullen, I am one and the same-just slightly older.”

“Oh, but you’ve aged so beautifully. Yes, you have.” She took in Levi’s appearance with a dreamy expression. “Hasn’t he, Rose?”

“Indeed he has. Wow!” Rose agreed, giggling next to Esme.

“Hello, I’m Alice. I wasn’t here when everyone first met you, and this is my friend Charlotte.”

“Are we going to get to see you shirtless as well, darlin’?” the busty, blonde vampire asked with a smile.

“Excuse me, Char! We’re trying to have a meeting here,” Peter stated, annoyed. “Would you mind lusting after the alpha on your own time. There are newborns coming here in five or six weeks. These wolves have to be trained or they’ll be crushed.”

“Levi Uley? Levi Uley? How come the name sounds so familiar?” Jasper mused out loud.

“It really does,” Peter agreed.

“Perhaps you’ve heard one of your coven members mention my name?”

“No, that’s not it. Besides, they aren’t my coven. Charlotte and I aren’t part of any coven. We usually live in Texas, and we’re here to help. And before you comment on our red eyes, we’re aware of your no hunting rule. You should know that we only feed from hardened criminals like rapists, murderers, and those who beat women and children.”

“Ah, well, we really should get to discussing the situation.” Levi turned to Jasper. “Let me begin by saying this. When Edward Cullen became involved with Isabella Swan, the treaty, which was formed in 1936 with Carlisle Cullen became null and void. Furthermore, the treaty was entered into illegally because the three wolves who signed it, myself included, were minors between the ages of twelve and fifteen, with just rudimentary educations and no knowledge of basic laws.” He sighed. “However, considering the fact that our tribe is under threat and you have all come to assist, we are willing to renegotiate certain aspects of the treaty, and by we, I mean Police Chief Charles Swan, the current elders, and myself. You will not be conferring with the children. Even though a few of them are over the age of eighteen, they are still in high school. Now, we would like to discuss the terms in a civilized manner instead of out in the open. We are not savages. That being said, Chief Swan has offered up his home as neutral territory. If you are willing, we can go there now.”

“Thank you. That would be agreeable to us,” Jasper replied.

Thirty minutes later, they were all at the Swan residence in Forks. Bella and Paul were called upon to describe their encounter with Edward, which they did completely. Bella was further asked to explain about what had occurred during their breakup. She informed them about her cathartic moment, and realizing how abusive he had been during their few months together. She also told them about his arrogance and callousness while he was breaking up with her.

Esme Cullen burst into tears, explaining that her first husband had been all of those things Edward was and more. She felt guilty for not realizing the signs and begged Bella for forgiveness.

“You don’t need to ask for my forgiveness, Esme, because you have it. I’m more concerned about your mental health. Your issues need to be addressed by a professional. You can’t continue on in life with post traumatic stress disorder.”

“Okay, Bella, as much as we’d like to address this issue, we need to get on with this meeting. Clearly, your mate Paul and you are being threatened.”

“I happen to think Esme’s issue is just as important.”

Jasper simply ignored her and turned his attention back to Levi Uley.

“Damned Neanderthal,” Bella muttered under her breath. She took umbrage to the fact that Esme’s issues were being dismissed so callously. Angrily, she text messaged her stepmother about what had just happened, just to vent her frustrations, prior to turning her attention back to the meeting.

“Uh, Jasper,” Charlotte interrupted. “Paul is not Bella’s mate. Sam is Bella’s mate. I can see their bond clearly.”

“Well, then how come Edward thought they were mates?”

“We just happened to be hanging out together that day,” Paul explained.

“You allowed another man to be with your mate?” Jasper asked Sam. “That’s very progressive of you.”

“Caveman,” Bella whispered.

“Uh, dude, times have changed,” Paul explained. “I can be friends with Bella, just like he can be friends with my imprint. This is the twenty-first century, I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah, Jasper. Bellsy has always been my buddy. We used to play XBox together and everything. And remember the time we let her use us for target practice?” Emmett mentioned. “We had so much fun until the shimmery, shiny jackass decided that it was inappropriate.”

“Bella?” Charlie asked through his clenched teeth.

“Did you know bullets just bounce right off of vampires, Dad? I hit Emmett squarely between the eyes and he didn’t even flinch. “

“And exactly where did you get the gun?”

“Oh, I was using Jasper’s rifles and guns from the Civil War. I wanted to give them a whirl. He’s the one who suggested I shoot Emmett between the eyes. He told me that practicing on a real target was the best way to practice aiming. Emmett and Jasper are really good shots. I think they’re better shots than you are. Besides, you’re the one who said that frequent target practice was an important aspect of gun safety.”

“Geez, she’s definitely your kid, Charlie.” Harry nodded his head. “She’s a born hunter.”

“I wonder if they have a bullet that can penetrate through a vampire’s flesh?” Paul questioned out loud to the horror of the vampires.

“It would have to be made of a really strong metal or be treated with some sort of a fire producing chemical,” Bella replied, nodding her head. “We should look into it.”

Jasper who wanted to return to the topic at hand stated, “Alright, let’s stick to the pertinent facts. We know that Edward and Victoria are coming here with their newborn army. When they do, they’ll be coming straight for Bella and Paul. We also know that they want to destroy La Push. In the process, much of Forks will also be decimated, if they are allowed to succeed.”

“Excuse me. You keep mentioning a newborn army. What is the significance of a newborn army?” Charlie explained.

“Daddy, I already told you. Remember? I explained about how newborns are stronger because their human blood still lingers in their tissues when I told you about Jasper and the Southern Vampire Wars.”

“You told your father about the Southern Vampire Wars?” Jasper asked.

“Of course I did. I had to explain about my dealings with vampires once I became an imprint. Gee whiz! Don’t they teach you anything in supernatural school? Besides, you guys put my life in danger.”

“Bella is correct. Our kind is never more powerful than in our first several months of this life. There is a special skill set required to destroy newborns, I’d like to train you in those skills. We also need to coordinate logistics.”

“Is there a way to draw Edward and Victoria away from the residential areas?” Charlie asked.

Alice closed her eyes and began checking her visions. “I’m not sure yet. When the time gets closer, my visions will become more defined. Right now, Edward and Victoria don’t have a clear path yet.”

“Well, then, here’s the thing. I know you want to teach the wolves to fight newborns, but they’re still in school for another month. Jared, Paul, and Sam have only three more weeks of school until they graduate. Unlike the rest of you, these are kids. They weren’t born this way, they became supernatural creatures because of your residence in Forks.”

“What do you mean?” Rosalie asked. “How could our presence cause them to become wolves?”

“It’s the presence of vampires that turn them into wolves. Their genes cannot differentiate whether the vampires are friendly or not. Samuel here was the first to turn,” Billy explained. “He attended Forks High School and was exposed to you daily causing him to become a wolf. He had to drop out of school, as a result, until you moved.”

“And before that, he was the top prospect in the high school,” Emmett recalled. “He also had a mean arm. Weren’t you being looked at by colleges for football?”

“He was, but the presence of your family destroyed those dreams.”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea,” Carlisle said. “Here I was pretending to be human, hoping for some normalcy, and in the process, I was destroying the lives of children. It was unconscionable of me.” He turned to the elders and Charlie. “You have my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of your children.”

“I agree.” Jasper nodded. “I also feel they should be permitted to go on with their lives as normally as possible. Perhaps we can meet with them to practice for an hour each day until they’re done with school, and then bump up the training hours afterwards?”

“That sounds fair. How do you feel about that, Charlie?” Levi asked.

“I’m okay with it, Levi.” He turned to the kids. “Is that okay with you?” They all nodded in the affirmative.

“In the meantime, we need to post protection for the reservation, this home, and Forks High School. We would like to coordinate this with you and the elders,” Jasper said.

Before anyone could answer, the front door opened and Alison walked inside.

“Honey, what are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

“Our daughter needs me. What’s the matter, Bella?”

“Esme just had a cathartic moment, and these Neanderthals just brushed the situation under the rug like it was nothing.”

“And who is Esme?”

“Carlisle Cullen’s wife.”

Esme shyly waved to Alison.

“Men are all unfeeling bastards!” Rosalie declared.

“Ma’am, we are having an important discussion here,” Jasper interrupted, ignoring the warning signals from both Alice and Peter not to open his mouth. The latter two threw their hands up in exasperation.

“And what is more important than someone having a crisis. This must be addressed immediately. You will come to my office with me, Esme,” Alison declared.

“Now, wait a minute! You just can’t come in here and break up the meeting!” Jasper protested.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? You are in my house, and therefore subject to my rules! Is that understood?”

“Yes. Yes, ma’am.”

After giving Jasper a stern look, she motioned to Esme. “We are going to my office to talk. Bella, come with me.”

“I’m going, too. As protection,” Leah decided.

“Uh, so am I,” Rosalie declared.

And within a few moments, they were gone leaving some in the room confused as to what had just occurred.

Charlie broke the tension by saying, “That’s my wife. She’s a little firecracker.”

“I like her,” Alice declared.

It only took a few more minutes for them to all decide on a temporary treaty. The vampires would be allowed to protect La Push from four points surrounding the reservation while school was still in session. After graduation and the end of the school year, the wolves would assist and patrol alongside the vampires

Levi had no doubt that more kids would phase with the presence of the Cullens. Leah and Levi wouId spend time training the new wolves. It was also decided, by mutual agreement of Billy Black and Paul, that Rachel would be flying directly to her sister’s house in Hawaii, rather than returning home, for her own safety’s sake.

When the meeting adjourned, most of the vampires stood to leave for the Cullen home. Carlisle Cullen and Emmett McCarty asked if they could stay to wait for their mates.

“Sure, why not? We can watch the game.”

“Chief Swan, may I wait for Leah, too?” Embry asked.

“Of course you can. Have a seat, boy.”

“Well, if he gets to stay. So do I,” Paul declared.

“Uh, that’s a nice TV, Chief Swan. Are you planning on watching the Mariner’s?” Jasper asked.

“Yes, I am.”

Before Charlie knew it, the elders, wolves, and vampires were all seated in his living room watching the game. Neither of the supernatural sides seemed to realize that they were, in fact, taking the first steps in forming a friendship. He shrugged his shoulders and just went with it.

---

Alison Uley listened intently to Esme Cullen’s story of how she had been abused as a human by her then husband. It was eerily similar to her own story, except rather than fighting back, Esme decided to commit suicide. It was clear to her that this woman had counseling needs, which had long been neglected.

“I just couldn’t take it anymore. My husband was abusive and my infant son had died. After I was found at the bottom of the cliff, I was brought to the hospital where I was treated by Carlisle. He felt so bad for my situation that he changed me without my permission.”

“So, even in death, your choices were taken from you?”

“Yes! Exactly! And after we discovered we were mates, he told me to forget about my past-that we would be so happy, and it would all be a distant memory. But how am I supposed to forget about my child? How can I not remember the pain that my former husband inflicted on me with his bare hands or the kicks with his booted feet?”

Suddenly, the door to her office burst open and Rosalie Hale walked inside. “I feel the same way! Carlisle changed me into a vampire without consent when all I wanted to do was die after being gang raped!”

“Gang raped?” Alison questioned.

Bella and Leah stood at the doorway with their eyes wide open.

“Girls, you two need to go home. I need to speak with these ladies privately.”

“No!” Rose stated. “They need to hear how I was changed. Bella especially does. She needs to know why I harbored so much animosity for her when she was with Edward, and how absolutely sorry I am now for missing all the signs of his abusiveness. I should have intervened. I’m so sorry.”

“But you don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“I do. I was jealous of you.”

“Jealous. Why would you be jealous of me? You’re beautiful, you’re smart, and you’re super strong. I’m a clumsy mess.”

“Bella, you are so young and naive. You have something that I can never have. You have the ability to live out your live as you please. One day, you’ll get married and have babies. This is something that female vampires can never have. We’ve lost our ability to reproduce, and we’re frozen in time. I would do anything to be human again.” She paused before sharing her story. “Royce King, my fiancé, was handsome, rich, and considered to be the best catch in town. I thought I had it all, soon we’d be married, we’d live in a big house with a white picket fence, and we’d have three or four perfect children. I was living the dream until, one night, a week before our wedding, I was walking home late from a friend’s house. Royce was out drinking with four of his friends. Well, I won’t go into the details, but I was gang-raped and left for dead on the street. I wanted to be dead. Carlisle found me. He smelled all the blood, and thought he was doing me a favor by saving me. Later, I found out that he thought I would make a good mate for Edward.” Rose shook her head. “When I woke up, Edward called me used goods and said he wouldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole.”

“That creep! How could he say that to you? Has he no feelings at all?” Leah cried. “You know, hearing all of your stories just made me realize how lucky I am. Other than having a controlling mother, I have never been mistreated by any of my boyfriends. Instead… instead, I hurt them. I hurt them because I… I was so confused! I didn’t understand why I became a wolf? Why am I the only she-wolf in a group of males? Why was I stuck in a quagmire, in which I loved one boy, but was assigned his brother as a mate? Why?” She tried to shake away her tears, but she couldn’t. “I was so jealous of Bella! She got to have Sam, but then I felt guilty because, when I really think about it, the spirits got it right. Sam is perfect for Bella. Embry is perfect for me. He’s a lot less emotional, and a heck of a lot more logical.” She felt Bella’s arms wrap around her, and hold her.

“Leah, you shouldn’t discount all that you’ve gone through. I would say changing into a wolf is an emotional upheaval in and of itself. I’m sure that these beautiful women would agree with you.” She motioned to Esme and Rosalie. “None of you asked to become supernatural, but it is what fate had in store for you. You’ve all adapted to the best of your ability, and you are to be commended because it means that you’re warriors. Here’s the thing that you need to remember. Just because you’re supernatural, the essential part of you does not change. Your past, the good and the bad, is part of you and make up the essence of who you are. I was abused terribly by Sam’s father, and I became stronger as a result of it, but I still cannot change or forget what happened. I can only learn from it and grow.”

Esme shook her head. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? Carlisle changed Rose and me because he thought he was doing us a favor. He thought we’d forget about the abuse we had suffered. I can’t forget the pain.”

“And you never will, but you can learn to accept that the abuse happened to you in the past, and things will become better for you. I promise.” She smiled at both ladies. “I’d like to help you both by counseling you individually.”

“I’d like that, but what about after we leave Forks? We’re only here for a short period of time, and after learning that we’re the reason why wolves change, I will insist upon us leaving the area permanently.”

“There are other ways to meet. This is the modern age. We have Skype and FaceTime. There’s also the good ol’ telephone. You will both heal. I insist upon it.” Alison reached out and hugged Esme and then Rosalie. “Ooh! This feels different,” she gasped upon feeling their cold, marble-like skin.

“You’re warm, and you warm our hearts,” Rose said, and then reached out to hug Bella and then Leah. “Now, you feel like a warm blanket.”

“And you’re helping me to keep my cool.”

By the end of the evening, all five of the women had become fast friends. How could they not after such shared confidences?