Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since the Alpha wolf's visit. Bella still found herself reeling from the tale she had heard. It was true that her uncle Caius had gone to war to aid the werewolves, but that was not what the Quileute's were. They didn’t get their powers from the moon or anything like that. Those people that were granted the gift, changed based off of the power of their emotions, and whether their enemies were near. Bella thought over the girls story about the shifter origins; about their first sighting of a vampire.

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Earlier:

"If my dad were to tell you this story," She started.

"He would tell you that our people were once great spirit warriors, that our tribe always had magic in their blood."

Sighing heavily, Rachel paused before continuing.

"But in all actuality, we were seeking revenge against your kind." She said with a sense of foreboding, looking over all of the vampires in attendance.

"While our hunters went out to search for food and other resources, they found three bodies at the feet of some unknown man. He was tall, pale, and had ungodly red eyes. One of the hunters became enraged and attacked the man. In his anger, he transformed into this large wolf. Grey and snarling, he pounced at the intruder, the killer, the monster who killed his tribesmen. Their was a brief struggle, but The Cold One was victorious in the end, snapping the hunters neck.

His companion began to shake with a similar rage. It was all encompassing, filling his entire body. At first he was confused at what was happening. The pain in his limbs was nothing compared to the anger he felt at seeing his friend being killed. He too transformed into the beast and charged at the vampire. His fangs bit into stone-like skin and tore the arms, legs, and head from his body. When the deed had been done, the hunter calmed himself and shifted back into his familiar human form. He ran over to his fallen friend and watched as the large grey wolf changed back into a broken shell.

Before the hunter could pick up the body in front of him, he found out that the fingers of the man he had just dismembered were still twitching. Still moving as if they had a mind of their very own. A thought came over the native in that moment. Fire purges everything; he used a flint and some dried grass and leaves to create a small flame before casting everything into it. The bright red eyes of his friend's killer shined brightly before they too turned to ash."

As the Cullen and Volturi covens both soaked up this information, Bella just stared at Rachel. She was a great story teller. The brunette was always a fan of books like Dracula and Frankenstein, but hearing a tale like the Quileute's was indeed one of remembrance.

"Everyone in the village nearby hoped that the strange man was alone. Hoped that the few deaths would not result in more carnage; but that was not the case. There was another, she saw the death of her mate and swore vengance against my people. The woman followed the hunter back to the village and killed many. All of the warriors had been killed by the beast as she screamed out in pain of losing her mate.

All but one had been slaughtered. Taha Aki was his name and he was the chief. His third wife was crying over the body of their son. Taha Aki went to the boy and his wife and mourned as well. Tears fell from his eyes and onto his son's tanned skin. But as he looked up to see more and more of his people being slaughtered, he shook with rage and ran to the woman, transforming into his wolf form. His body contorted, limbs grew as skin turned to fur. A large brown wolf took the place of the chief as he lunged at the vampire.

Saliva was frothing in the front of his muzzle as he tried to bite the head off of the woman in front of him. But all he could do was clench his jaw around the stone cold grip. The vampire tried to wedge Taha Aki's mouth open, tried to kill him that way, and she was gaining the upper hand. The third wife watched the fight with great fear. Fear that her husband would die leaving her a widow without a son to care for. She saw a stone dagger on the blood soaked dirt and picked it up. Her hands shook for all but a moment as the vampire and her husband waged a war with each other. One more strong pull and Taha Aki would've been no more.

Plunging the dagger into her stomach, the third wife made no sound at the pain. The red eyed vampire stalled in her fight with her husband but kept the strong grip she had on him. The smell of blood was fresh in her nostrils. Sure, she had spilled more than her fair share of it around the small native village, but that blood was stale and cold. The scent that permeated the air now was fresh and warm. The third wife knew that the monster could not resist the hypnotic pull and so she let go of the wolves muzzle and walked towards it. All of a sudden, right before the cold fingers could wrap around the warm, pulsating neck, The Cold One's arm vanished from her torso.

Taha Aki regained the strength and awareness to defeat his enemy and avenge his people."

Rachel drank from the water cup provided to her by Alice and sighed thankfully at the coolness. The liquid made its way down her throat relinquishing the coarse feeling from speaking for so long. Brown eyes met gold as she smiled briefly at the attention placed upon her. She didn’t really feel respected by her own people, but these vampires, these 'vegetarians' looked at her like she held their fate in her hands.

Bella in particular intrigued her. The brunette didn’t know anything about the vampire world. She didn’t know anything about the shifters either. Rachel wasn’t sure what to make of the Volturi princess, but she knew that Isabella was no threat to her or her people.

"The moral to the story here is that, while the third wife had no magical power within her, she still had the courage to do what needed to be done. She protected her people with her life and her willing sacrifice, lead her people to safety and prosperity."

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Bella understood that there was strength in humans. Their courage changed the world. Sometimes for the better, other times, not so much. Bella kept reading some of the books from Carlisle's office and found herself relaxed. Tension seemed to be a thing of the past for her. The sun glared upon her form, making her skin shine like a thousand diamonds. The Cullen's and the Volturi children were absent today from school for that very reason.

Carlisle had given some excuse about a family camping trip or something like that. She scoffed at thinking how gullible humans were. What was going to happen when James and Victoria came with their newborn army? What sort of excuse would Alice's father give then?

Bella heard tiny footsteps behind her coming from inside and knew that it was Alice. The lavender, honey, and vanilla scent washed over her. She shivered from the intoxicating aroma, but made no other movement besides that. She and the little seer had a connection there that was hard to deny. All throughout the past couple of days since Rachel had come by, Alice rarely ever left her side. Bella was grateful for it, but her mind was all foggy and her chest was tight thinking of just holding Alice's hand in her own.

"Hey you." Alice greeted her.

Bella closed the book and looked up to a matching pair of golden eyes. They were slightly darkened from the need for blood and the princess wondered if that was what Alice was coming to talk to her about.

Alice went over to the railing that surrounded the back deck and leaned against it facing Bella. Her arms were crossed against her stomach and her head was turned to the side looking out into the distance. This revealed the smooth skin of her neck. Bella swore that she could see the pulse point that was long dead inside.

She didn’t breathe as a subtle breeze blew by. Alice's short spikey hair ruffled through the small gust of wind. Oh how Bella wished that she could be that breeze. Bella got up from her spot and went to stand next to Alice. She too leaned on the banister and looked straight ahead, wondering what mysteries and dangers laid in wait for them.

The two of them didn’t speak for a long moment. They just stood there, looking out into the woods, easily pleased with each others proximity. Alice and Bella stood so close to one another that their arms were almost touching.

Alice turned her head over to Bella and looked at the girl's profile. Her features were angular yet soft. Her cheeks held a certain childlike innocence to them that the seer found endearing. She had noticed that Bella's face as a whole resembled a heart shape, and her nose had a smooth bridge and a slightly bulbous tip. Her hair looked like a stream of dark chocolate. Its length was long and gorgeous, and she found herself wanting so badly to run her fingers through it.

"Lets go hunt." Alice found herself speaking out.

The words left her mouth unbidden and the pixie couldn’t help but need her time with Bella. With her mate. She knew of the bond that they would share one day, but the future was never certain. She took everyday with a grain of salt. Alice lived in the moment and that's what her family loved about her. Esme in particular found her attitude to be a breath of fresh air. Her vibrancy was like a bright star.

Bella smiled at her and Alice found herself falling for the princess all over again. It was true that she had a vision of the girl right after she was changed. All she saw was a face and heard a name. Bella's once green eyes haunted her for a long time. One day, not long before she met the Cullen's, she had another vision of Bella but her eyes were now red like a newborn's.

Alice wasn’t sure what to expect when Bella and her family came that fateful day, but one thing was for sure. Bella was very sheltered. Aro and his brethren taught her everything she needed to know about the skills, strengths and weaknesses of a vampire. They also taught her how to control her hunger. How to feed off of animals. It was like they wanted to protect her from being more emotionally scarred than she already was.

There were times when Carlisle had told her of the coven's violent past. Some of them did feed off of humans for a time. Aro never once tasted it, nor had his sister Didyme, but Vladimir had. The three of them were the first, created by the original vampire Lilith. They were loved as her own children and she changed them out of necessity. Vladimir hadn't taken well to the diet of animals, so he went on a rampage killings hundreds - if not - thousands of people.

The blonde man was banished from the family for his violent nature and from then on, Aro became his sworn enemy. Alice felt bad for the lord and what he might have to do if he and his brother had ever met again, but the leader of the Romanian coven was well underground now. There were brief sightings of their involvement in the human world, even some of their agents were acting in their name, making sure that the vampires were indeed the superior race.

As Bella smiled, Alice could see all of the good that the Volturi had done for her and her siblings. Felix was the spitting image of Emmett. It was like they could've been related. Jane and Alec were never far from one another. Their love and loyalty to their family trumped everything and everyone else in the world. Sweet Bella. She was the sun, moon, and stars to Alice. She was love and wonder and kindness and Alice hoped beyond all reason that her vision would come true one day.

Bella for her part was excited and eager to spend some alone time with Alice. The feeling of completion filled her body to the point of bursting. She lifted herself over the railing and down onto the grassy floor below. Her golden eyes watched as Alice followed her every move. The corner of her mouth was upturned in a smirk and her eyes looked glazed over, like she was having a vision.

"Hey Tink, you okay?" Bella asked softly, knowing that Alice could hear her.

Alice shook her head, getting caught staring. She smiled softly and raced over to Bella. She held out her smooth hand and Bella took it without question. Then the two of them took off into the brush and tall trees.

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As they hunted, Alice and Bella came across one of the pixie's favorite spots.

Bella looked transfixed as she looked out into an open field covered in nothing but grass and wildflowers. The tiny spots of purple were the beautiful contrast to such a constant green. She wanted to bend over and touch the soft grass beneath her feet, but she didn’t want to disturb the serene peace that radiated off of the field.

Alice smiled as Bella walked forward, utterly amazed by the sight before her. She had found this place on a day much like today. She had just finished her hunt and had been full and satisfied. Her reaction was much like Bella's own.

Her ears picked up the sound of hoofbeats in the distance and walked at a human pace after her unknowing mate. Touching her shoulder made Bella jump at the slight touch. She turned her attention to Alice after that, her golden eyes calm and entranced.

"We can come back her after we've fed." Alice said to her.

"Promise?" Bella asked, hopeful.

The question was sincere and filled with wonder. It made Alice's chest ache even without the heart inside. She walked back to the tree-line and looked over at Bella. She had remained there for a couple more moments, just letting the sun shine over her while staring at the field. She had never seen anything so beautiful in all of her life. Well, maybe second most beautiful after Alice.

Bella began to turn around and walk away but not without one more look at the sea of green behind her. Once she was back at Alice's side, she asked.

"How does a place like that exist?"

Alice just shrugged her shoulders, not really sure herself. What she was sure of however was that she wanted it to be their spot. Their magical, calm, and serene spot; when the world would become too much for them, that was where they would go. Alice wondered briefly if that look of wonder would always be on Bella's face when they returned here.

"Promise me something now."

"Anything." Bella replied instantly.

"This will be our spot; our secret."

Her mate smiled and held out her pinky. Alice smiled in kind and wrapped her own tiny digit around Bella's and the pact was set.

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Bella and Alice raced through the trees looking for the herd of deer that Alice had found not long ago. Their hoofbeats were still loud in their ears and when Bella looked for tracks, she found deep fresh ones in the dirt, still slightly damp from the morning dew.

The two of them raced after the small herd and came across them in a tiny clearing. Trees and bushes were everywhere here. Not like Volterra. There were wheat fields as far as the eye could see. Trees were more North from where the Volturi resided. Bella crouched down in a bush and Alice was above her in a tree. It was relatively short compared to the other ones in the area, but she was still high up.

There was a large buck in the little patch of sunlight that Bella called for herself. Alice went for one of the younger males but it still wasn’t a fawn. The vampires frowned upon feeding off of females and their young. Once their targets were chosen, Bella and Alice came out from their hiding places and descended upon the herd.

Multiple deer scattered away. The children stayed with their mothers and the teens escorted whoever they could find away from the predators. Bella grasped her large buck by the neck and put the animal in a sleeper hold until it passed out. She then set it gently on the ground before her fangs fell and plunged into the thick hide. Alice already had her chosen meal on the ground and was feeding. Bella took a few pulls from the large deer and was satisfied with what she consumed. Alice was done as well. Bella heard the heartbeat coming from the both of them and let the matter lie.

A droplet of blood was falling down the corner of Alice's lips. The pixie didn’t notice however and Bella walked up to her. Her eyes the bright shining gold they had always been. With a sudden surge of confidence, Bella reached up and wiped the small drop away with her thumb. Not taking her eyes from Alice's for a moment, she put the digit into her mouth to sample what the pixie had ingested. She also wanted to taste what the Cullen's skin tasted like.

Bella knew that she was falling for Alice. She knew it that first day in the field where the family was playing baseball. The sound of her voice grounded her to the earth, it kept Bella from floating away when she saw her beautiful face. The moment when the Volturi saw the sun shine down on Alice was something she had never experienced. Her chest tightened, she unnecessary breathing had become short and ragged. Bella was so confused. She had never felt this way about anyone before. Not in this life and certainly not the last.

Her conversations with Jane and Alec lifted some of the mystery about what she was feeling away. The fog over her brain was dissipating and now Bella could clearly see Alice for the beauty that she was.

Alice stopped breathing and moving all together. She didn’t want to spook Bella with her words or movements. She wanted Bella to do this on her own. Not with any prodding from anyone else. She wanted her to be comfortable with what she was about to do. Alice couldn’t believe what was happening. She had never seen this before in any of her visions. This had to have something to do with Bella's shield ability, or maybe it was her own gift wanting to surprise her; who knows?

As Bella inched closer to Alice's lips, she finally felt like all of the violence in her life, all of the pain and suffering she had endured as a human, was for this moment; and this one alone. The moment when Alice became hers. Alice would be her person, her joy, her mate.

Was this what it was like for Aro and Sulpicia, for the others who had mates of their own?

The kiss they shared was the lightest of touches. Bella pushed her lips to Alice's and it was like a shock to the system. They were so soft and supple and she had never felt anything like them before. Not even the softest of pillows or beds or blankets could compare to Alice's lips. If she were human her entire face would be flushed with emotions that she couldn’t name.

After the first initial touch, Bella leaned away. Alice's eyes were still closed basking in how wonderful her first kiss with Bella was. Fate did indeed choose well for her. A lazy smile came over her and when her eyes opened, it was like seeing her mate in a new light. She was more beautiful with each passing second. She could see every shade of brown in her hair. Every flake of gold in her eyes. It seemed as if Bella were made for her just as much as Alice were made for Bella.

Deciding that she liked what she felt moments ago, Bella leaned in for another kiss. This one was firmer, more sure. She took Alice's hands and wrapped them around her neck as if by instinct alone while her arms wrapped around the pixie's waist. No amount of space was between them. Bella moved her head to the side and her tongue experimentally peaked out before swiping against Alice's lower lip.

Alice quietly moaned against the intrusion, but opened her mouth all the same. Her tongue tangled with Bella's and every touch sent shockwaves through her body. Alice's hands wrapped themselves in her mate's long flowing hair and she felt Bella grip at her sides. She was sure that the girl would put holes in her shirt, but she didn’t care; couldn’t find it in herself to care. After 90 years of waiting, years of watching her parents and siblings happy with one another, there was someone who was just for her. Someone who would love and cherish her till the end of time.

Moments that felt like hours passed by, with the two women just kissing. Kissing and feeling the passion inside them rising. Bella heard herself growling and moaning at the taste of Alice too many times to count. She heard Alice purr like a cat more than once too.

Although everything felt amazing, even though everything felt real, Bella was still so new to this. To these feelings and emotions running through her. She knew that she had to slow down and discover whatever this was with Alice by her side. Bella leaned away from the girl and leaned her forehead against her…mate's?

Mate.

The word rolled around in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that this was it for her. Alice was here, she was hers now, and she in turn was Alice's. While her mate played with the tiny hairs on the back of her neck, Bella breathed in through her nose to calm herself down. Alice's eyes were still closed and didn’t want to open them in fear that this was all a dream. Bella just smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

Pale eyelids opened to meet the matching gold shade in front of her.

"I know that it's all ceremony at this point, but can I take you out on a date?"

Bella asked and Alice couldn’t be more happier to hear it. She just nodded her head, smiled and jumped into Bella's arms. This was forever, both of them knew it and both of them would love every second that ticked by.