Dusk

A/N: Reviews put my ass in gear, just sayin'... ^_^;; Also this chapter is brought to you by my birthday. This is my present to you, lol. I also want to wish RorschachinBlueJeans a happy birthday! We share the same birthday week. Kind of, haha.

Bella

I was awake, but I couldn't quite open my eyes. My memory was distant as if covered over with a film from time. I remembered faces, their mouths opening and closing as if they were speaking. The only sound that came out was white noise. My head was starting to pound against my skull. Like there was a memory trying to break its way free to the surface. I tried opening my eyes, but they felt glued shut. The panic in my chest was rising, I couldn't move at all. The pounding in my head was building up, getting louder. Each beat becoming more defined until I realized it was the thumping of my heart beat. It was racing, thudding and throbbing, rushing to it's crescendo. I tried to gasp for breath, take that cooling air down into my lungs in an attempt to relax the tempo of my heart.

Then everything was still. The silence deafening. I opened my eyes...

Jasper

"Fuck!" I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I couldn't exactly answer it with Isabella in my lap. I thought about laying her down on the couch momentarily to answer my phone but the thought of letting her go right now was like an icy grip on my soul. I had a plan, damn it all. I was gonna gently explain to her about mates, and how she was mine. Ask her if she still wanted to become a Vampire... Instead I fucking bit her. My phone stopped vibrating for a literal second before it started back up again. It could only be one of two people, Alice, or Peter. Which means Alice saw what I did and was going to tell Edward, or already told Edward and I was fucked. Or Peter saw, and he had some way to help save my ass.

I looked down at Isabella's peaceful face and I couldn't help feeling relieved. At least she wasn't screaming and thrashing like all the others. I couldn't stand this. I was going to have to wait three days to beg her for forgiveness and even then she's going to be a fuckin' rage filled newborn. Forgiveness isn't something newborns can comprehend. That was just the best case scenario, she could wake up with no memories. No one really understood the science of it all, though Carlisle tried his best to. I had a brief thought about calling him, but shook it away as quick as I was able. That was the kind of shit that gave Alice visions. Never think about anything too hard, more than once. You needed to show some kind of intent.

The sun wouldn't set for several more hours, and running from my truck to her apartment building was easy by myself. With no one around I just ran to the comfort of the overhang from the second story, and walked to her door. It would be a bit more complicated carrying a limp body, not to mention suspicious. In broad daylight anyone could see me with her body, and that would just make faking her death a lot harder. My phone finally went silent, that in itself was worrying. Did Peter give up? Was he on his way here? Was it Alice that had been trying to get a hold of me after all? Did Alice see this at all, was Edward aware, was I going to have to deal with diplomatic bullshit that would probably end up with people trying to kill me? Jesus. My mind was racing with every single possible outcome of my mistake. Trying so hard not to think the one thought that wouldn't escape my mind.

Isabella is going to hate me.

Peter

"The Major has really screwed the pooch this time, Char." I called out to her through the screen door as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tried calling him. I knew he wouldn't answer, but it was what I had to do. I know these things.

"What happened? He hasn't even been gone two hours." Charlotte asked, coming in from gardening outside. She saw Esme tending to the Cullens garden on a rare visit and loved the idea. Vampires can get bored, what with the never sleeping and eternal life we had going on. At least she wasn't getting on my ass anymore about video games.

"Oh you know how he is, always letting his emotions get the best of him." I deadpanned, because if there was anything he was known for it, it wasn't losing his shit. He was stoic, heartless. The man was an empath, not emo. Charlotte pulled off her gardening gloves and sat down on the sofa next to me, our knees touching as she leaned over to hear if Jasper answered.

"Does he need us?" She asked quietly, putting her hand on my bare arm. Touching skin to skin would calm her, which is why I imagined he wasn't picking up. He was trying to stay calm by touching his mate. This was a mess, but nothing was telling me we couldn't fix it.

"Of course he does, the man can hardly put one leg in front of the other without asking for directions." I chuckled, standing up and replacing my phone in my pocket.

"Peter." Oh, Char was using her stern 'don't give me any shit' voice on me. She knew that drove me damn near wild.

"I only know what I know, sugar." I held out my hand to help her up from the couch and she giggled. Being gentlemanly always worked with my girl. "C'mon lil darlin', let's go help out the Major and his lady."

Unknown P.O.V.

"Very peculiar. Very peculiar indeed. Wouldn't you say Caius?" Aro tapped his fingers together one at a time, and then he stopped, keeping his fingers touching while he gazed down from his perch upon his throne, where he sat with his two Vampire brothers. Caius rolled his eyes. Aro knew full well that Caius had never trusted Carlisle Cullen. He couldn't see into the Doctor's life, however. Aro could. Carlisle Cullen was almost as honorable as they came. He just wanted what was taken from him, a human life.

"Marcus, wouldn't you say it was peculiar? These new accusations against our old dear friend, Carlisle?" Marcus as usual, wasn't even listening to Aro. He was thinking of things long forgotten by time. What was a Vampire, if not time?

"Ach. Never the matter, we will investigate your accusation as we do all claims. You do realize though, if you are lying and there is no human with the Cullens, you will forfeit your life?"

The redhead nodded, confident in the truth. Aro had seen everything through her mind after all, he knew she was telling the truth. That they were keeping a human pet to entertain their eldest made.

"I swear it's as you saw it, they killed my mate to protect their pet." She sneered on the word pet. Keeping a human as a pet was frowned on in the Vampire world, though it was not against the law, most thought it ought to be.

"Then we shall send a number of our guard to suss out the truth of it all." Aro said, waving his hand and dismissing the woman. He had other things to discuss with his brothers. Things he saw, but could not have seen in the young redheaded Vampire's mind.