Where I Belong

Chapter 1

Song I listened to for this chapter: Train Song by Ben Gibbard and Feist

October 27, 1991
Phoenix, Arizona

Charlotte Whitlock POV

Phoenix criminals are such pigs. I swear, every single time Peter and I pass through this town, we always catch a rapist to feast on. Gladly ridding the world of another dreg of society, and maybe saving a couple of women from getting raped in the future. It also satisfies the hell out of Peter and I; their blood always seems sweeter when you know that you're killing this fucker who likes to hurt women. Yeah, you're welcome, Phoenix.

My mate and I are nomads, travelling around the world. We're not satisfied staying in one place for too long, always getting bored and wanting to see what else is out there. We do own a couple of different houses around the continental United States, however. Just in case we're in the mood for a bed, or for relaxing. We have one in Texas, which we consider our "main home." It's the one we stay at the most, the one that feels the most like home. We have others in Montana, Oregon, and Canada.

Turning my head, I look to my mate, Peter. God, I love him. Ever since I first woke up and laid eyes on him, I knew he was mine, and I was his. He knew it, too. Maria assigned him to babysit the newborns when they first woke up, which he fucking hated. I distinctly remember opening my eyes, seeing his face, and something clicking in me. A burst of love and possessiveness ran through me like molten lave through my veins. He looked at me, and smiled, knowing that I was his. That's where our rocky love story started.

Of course, that bitch wasn't too thrilled about mates, so we had to express our love in secrecy. Meeting away from the camp, not being able to mate properly. Not being able to claim each other with our bites in fear of her seeing them. Damn, if that wasn't the toughest shit I ever went through. Damn little hussy newborns with their eyes all over my mate, and I wanted to kill them. Maria would reward her higher-ups with sex from the more controlled females, Peter always making sure that he picked me. Maria always had the Major to herself, stringing him along.

Then, my year was up. The days prior, Peter and I were getting panicky. We didn't know what to do, we didn't think there was anything that we could do. Peter begged the Major to spare me, to let me live. Telling him that I was still of use to them. The Major didn't listen, Maria's claws were too far in him. She said jump, he said how high. He did everything for that bitch, all because he thought they were mates. He was the puppet, she pulled the strings. We all saw it, and we all felt bad for him...of course, not around him. He would feel it and then beat the absolute shit out of us. I inwardly shudder at the thought, remembering some of the beatings the other female newborns got, not just from him. The other higher ups did as well. Peter protected me as much as he could, and thankfully, I was never on the end of a beating.

When it was my time of disposal, Peter went fucking livid! A male is damn protective of his mate, and that's how he was. I swear, I thought he was going to try to fight the Major right then and there. I have faith in him, but he would lose. They don't call him the 'God of War' for nothing. Jasper then looked at Peter, confused as all hell, but his emphatic gift must have picked up on the love he was radiating. Peter told me to run while the Major was distracted, and I did. I ran and ran, praying to whatever God was listening for the Major to spare my mate, to let him live. I got as far as Corpus Christi, when Peter caught up to me, explaining how the Major just told him to run. Peter didn't think twice, and ran.

That was the first act of compassion the Major ever showed, well, public act. He was ruthless, arrogant, and most of all, lethal. He was also a rare occurence, in fact, I don't think that this ever happened any other time. We decline in strength and speed after our newborn year, but not the Major. He fucking got stronger and faster! Of course, this was one of the reasons Mistress Maria kept him around, that and his gift. He had control of the newborns, but not control of himself. No, that was all Maria.

Peter and I travelled as nomads for a couple of years, when my mate's "all knowing" gift told him to head east, and we met up with none other than the Major. Peter and him were friends, well, as close as they could get to that word. Now, they're like brothers. I was still wary around him back then, seeing as how he was about to kill me without a second thought. I still respected the hell out of him and still do. I'm forever grateful as well. He let us live, staying back to take Maria's punishment. He still doesn't talk about what happened that day, but something in him snapped. Whatever she did, that shit belongs in nightmares. He stayed with us for a while, trying to live with our lifestyle, when he said he couldn't do it anymore. We parted ways, the Major heading up to Philadelphia, while we headed west. We stayed in contact throughout the years, Peter using his gift to run into him a couple of times.

His eyes shocked the hell out of me the first time we saw him after we parted. They were gold! Apparently in Philadelphia, he met this vampire named Alice, who can see the future. She said that they were mates and that she was going to take him to a Coven who feed on animals, not wanting to feed and kill humans. He said that the animal blood turns your eyes gold, easier to blend in with humans. He also said that the Coven leader is a doctor. A doctor! How in the hell can he stand to be around that blood while operating and not be tempted? I'll never know.

I remember when we first met Miss Alice, and her immediate distaste for us. Right back at ya, sweet pea. She said that we were bad influences on "Jazzy" because of our diet, it would tempt him to slip. Peter told me that they weren't mates, and I think Jasper knew it as well, but he was lonely and desperate. All he craved was some hope, and he got it from her. Peter and I could see changes in Jasper with her, bending to her every will. He would have never stood for that in the past. Mate or not! I guess that with that Coven, he felt like he finally belonged somewhere. We tried to convince him that he belonged with us, but he couldn't deal with the diet.

I think the scariest thing was, that it seemed to be a repeat of the past. Alice was manipulative and controlling...just like Maria. Why would he go from one manipulative bitch to the other, I don't know. She gave him hope, but he needs more. I don't need to be an empath to see that there isn't any love between them. So, we parted again. We barely saw each other after that, Alice always convincing him to not visit us or contact us. It was hard on Peter, who saw him like a brother, Jasper feeling the same.

Peter and I have been nomads for the last sixty years. All over the globe, but now we're passing through Phoenix for a meal. It's getting late, the watch on my arm saying that it's almost midnight. Time doesn't really matter to us, I only have a watch to tell when the sun will rise so our sparkly asses don't get caught in the Arizona sun.

We move briskly through the town, our thirst satisfied by a pair of rapists. They were cornering some girl outside of a bar, so Peter and I caught their attention, giving the girl the opportunity to escape. Some of the men in this town are just awful, the things we've seen men do to women. Yet, we're the monsters.

Peter and I follow an empty road, until a familiar scent catches our nose. Vampire, the scent not even an hour old. I share a glance with my mate, him frowning as he follows the scent, wanting to check and see if he's going to cause any trouble. We run towards the scent, finding blood permeating the air about two miles down the road. Idiot is feeding on a road! He's either new or an inexperienced idiot. We hear the vampire's growls, and we start to turn away to our original route, until I hear something that sends chills up my spine.

A small sob.

I immediately whip around, headed towards the vampire with Peter following behind me. There are some things where Peter and I draw the line, feeding on a human child is one of them! Maybe it's the maternal instinct that's buried inside of me, but I will not feed on a child, nor will I allow someone else to.

We see down the road a car, the unfamiliar vampire holding a body to him while he drinks. Fucking idiot is feeding in plain sight! Peter and I share a glance, realizing that we're going to have to take care of this vampire, so we approach him. His head snaps up at us, growling menacingly while Peter and I growl right back.

"Sorry, there isn't enough for you. Get your own." the vampire hisses while I roll my eyes.

"Your feeding on a main road. Are you trying to risk exposure?" I growl at him, Peter stepping in front of me, blocking me from the vampire. I then hear the sob again and turn my heads toward the car, seeing a little brunette head peek up with the biggest brown eyes I've ever seen, full of tears. I widen my eyes and move to go to her, but the asshole vampire stops me.

"Don't even think about it, that's my dessert." he growls at me, Peter growling right back at him.

"Don't you dare growl at my mate." Peter warns in a low and lethal voice. Peter is a sarcastic and goofy asshole, but if you disrespect me, he's got a bad temper.

"You're sick, she's just a child." I snarl, absolutely livid. He will not touch this little girl, no fucking way. In a flash, the vampire leaps at Peter who catches him, pinning him to the ground with no effort while I hurry over to block the little girl's sight, not wanting her to see my mate dismember this petulant vampire. Peter easily snaps his head off, before ripping off his arms and legs. Good fucking riddance.

"I'll go take care of this, stay here with her." Peter says, gather up all of his limbs and hurrying to a place where he can burn him. Sometimes, there are vampires out there who shouldn't be "alive."

Hearing a sniffle, I turn my head back to the little girl in the backseat, seeing her curled up in a ball while her body shakes with silent sobs. I approach the backseat, opening it up and slowly getting inside the car while she cringes away from me. "Hey, sweet thing. It's alright, I won't hurt you." I murmur, not wanting to frighten the girl. I'm assuming that woman was her mama, and she just saw he get drained by a vampire. Poor thing.

The little girl lifts her head up, little tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Her tiny lip is quivering as she looks at me, confused and still afraid. I remain where I am, not wanting to frighten her even more than she already is. "Where is my mommy?"

Oh, shit. Okay, how the hell do I break this in gently? Is there a way to break it in? Should I just flat out tell her, or lie? "Did the bad man get her?" she asks me, snapping me out of my inner rant.

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. I was not prepared for this at all. "Yeah, sweetheart. The bad man got her, but now she's in heaven." A couple more tears roll down her cheeks at this revelation. I wanna reach out and hug this girl, comfort her in some way, but I don't want to scare her.

"She's with my daddy, now." Fuck! Now this little baby doesn't have any parents. I feel Peter approaching and turn my head, seeing him walking towards us slowly. The little girl tenses up at the sight and actually moves closer to me.

"It's okay, sweet thing. That's just Peter, my ma-...husband."

"Took care of the bastard." Peter says quietly so the little thing won't hear. I notice that the girl kept moving closer to me, now she's against my side in the backseat of the car. "Hello, Little Bit." Peter says, peeking around me to see her while she hides from him.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I softly ask her as she looks up to me.

"Bella." she tells me and I smile at her.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Charlotte. Do you have some family where we could take you, Bella?" I ask her and she shakes her head, looking down.

"Grandma died last year." Shit. Okay, Charlotte, think.

"Where can we take her? Should we take her to an orphanage or something?" I ask Peter, speaking at a decibel that Bella won't hear. Peter follows suit as he thinks. Sometimes, I wish his gift was just a bit more effective, then we would know how the hell to get out of this.

"What about her daddy?" he asks, and I shake my head.

"Dead."

"Well, I guess the orphanage our best option." Peter says, while I just looks down at the little girl next to me. She looks up with a tiny frown, like she knows we were talking. Her brown eyes are huge and full of some fear and sadness. Oh, God. I can't bring this girl to an orphanage where there's only a chance she'll get adopted. I can just imagine her getting passed around from foster home to foster home.

"Char, baby, what are you thinking?" he asks, still talking quietly.

"We can't drop her off at an orphanage. What if she doesn't get adopted?" I ask him, looking down at the little girl who's actually curling up to me, while keeping an eye on Peter.

"Baby, that's our only option." Peter replies while a light bulb goes off in my head.

"Not our only option..."

"You aren't thinking of..."

"We'll take her back to the Texas house until we figure something out." I tell him while he shakes his head.

"Char, I know you feel bad for her, and so do I, but we can't keep human child!" He quietly hisses while I look back down to Bella, seeing her eyes drooping while she lets out a small yawn.

"Why not?" I ask, not taking my eyes from her, slowly placing my arm around the drowsy girl and pulling her to me. I think she's so tired, she doesn't even notice.

"Because...because...we're vampires, Char! We ain't exactly experts on humans. Especially of the, uh...teacup variety." he says, gesturing to Bella while I scoop her up in my arms and start to get out of the car. My eye catches on a purse in the front seat, so I grab it and exit the car, throwing it to Peter while cradling the little girl to me.

He catches the bag and opens it, pulling out a wallet. "Renée Swan." he says, looking at the dead lady on the ground, who I shield Bella from, not wanting her to see her mama. He then pulls out a picture, I see that it's the woman, a man with brown hair and eyes, mirroring like the little girl in my arms, and who I assume is a baby Bella.

"Peter, if we bring her to an orphanage. She will be bounced around from foster home to foster home, a chance of her not getting adopted." I plead her case to him while he sighs.

"You know the rules of humans finding out about vampires. The Volturi will have our asses and then kill her." I can't help the growl that escapes my throat at the thought of the Volturi killing this little angel in my arms. Peter actually looks surprised at my burst of protectiveness.

"They won't lay a hand on her." I hiss before feeling the little one tense up in my arms at my growl. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. "Like I said, let's just take her back home until we find out what the hell we're going to do. We need to take care of this, first off."

We are standing on an open road with a dead woman lying in the street and a little baby in my arms. Humans could drive down the road at any second, we need to clean this up. Peter just sighs and quietly curses, nodding his head. "Alright, I'll take care of this. You take the Little Bit home."

"Thank you, Baby." I quickly peck his lips before taking off down the road, running carefully so I don't disturb the little bundle in my arms. The run from Arizona to Texas won't take long, probably around three hours. I'm just glad that Bella is sleeping peacefully. I finally reach our house in Tahoka bringing her right up into our bedroom and laying her down. I set her down and go to get some water for her, when a little hand clutches to me, not letting me go. I sigh and sit back down on the bed, pulling the covers over the both of us. I watch this little angel sleep while brushing the hair out of her face, trying to strategize the next few hours.

Jalen, why are you starting another story?

I've always wanted to write a Bella/Jasper story, so I figured why not?

Should I continue - yes or no?

Thanks for reading

-Jalen-