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Recruitment, New Council Style by kayariley






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Table of Contents
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Author's Chapter Notes:

This is a companion piece to the first chapter, Offer, in Edward's POV


Edward

I read Jane’s intentions toward Bree the moment she set eyes on her. With a heavy heart, I shook my head very slightly at Esme and Carlisle to let them know. Fighting the decision would most certainly bring the destruction of all of us. Before Jane could order Felix to kill her, though, something I had never seen happen in my life occurred. I never thought magic was possible, despite my own supernatural existence, so when five women appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the Volturi in a fighting stance, I was as shocked as the rest of my family.

Strangely it was Emmett who first found the word in his thoughts to apply to the powerful woman floating in front of us. He called her a witch. I tasted the word in the split second before she sent Jane crashing to the ground, a victim of her own mental attack. I had no other explanation.

Then, Jane was ordering her death and I prepared to follow Carlisle’s lead if he decided to come to their defense. My preparations proved pointless as I lived through the second-most shocking moment of my life: witnessing the four most loyal of the Volturi guard flailing helplessly, several feet off the ground. Dimitri did not like the situation, but seemed resolved to stay calm. His goal was to get away and then hunt her down later; he knew he could easily find her again. Felix was flustered. With nothing to grasp onto, his brute strength meant nothing and he felt as helpless as he looked. Alec was quiet—eerily silent actually—and still and it took me a moment to realize that the witch had turned his powers against him as well. Jane was furious, but did not try to use her abilities again. Above the fury, she was terrified of feeling that searing pain again and being at someone else’s mercy instead. I nearly chuckled at that. Like all bullies, she could dish it out, but couldn’t take it given back to her.

The witch—Willow—my mind supplied, although I couldn’t fathom how since none of the women were specifically thinking it and Alice wasn’t sending me anything telepathically. The dark haired woman to her right was more than a little annoyed with her, but she hadn’t thought the woman’s name. With a start, I realized that the witch herself was speaking into my mind. I didn’t know how she knew, but she was exactly aware of my mind-reading capabilities. I wondered if she could hear me as well.

Yes.

I guess I had my answer then. I had never been in contact with anyone other than Aro who could also gain thoughts that were not their own and I was instantly unnerved.

Don’t worry, she told me. Despite outward appearances, we’re the good guys.

And, the outward appearances were more than a little worrisome. Her hair had begun to take on black streaks and, though her back was turned to me, I could see through her companions’ eyes that her eyes were pure black obsidian with no white even showing at all.

Jasper was doing his best to exert a calm over us all so we would not act in haste, but even his efforts were barely enough to keep us from panicking.

The women before us seemed to be very perceptive, I realized as the dark-haired, wild-looking woman also came to the conclusion that I was a telepath. She didn’t particularly care for me reading her thoughts, but she had valid points that should be addressed: we were different from others of our kind, but that didn’t mean that we weren’t still dangerous.

I sucked in a hissing breath as I caught a glimpse of a dark, violent, blood-filled rage in her mind just before I withdrew as much as possible from her mind, at Carlisle’s request. It was enough of a glimpse that I knew I didn’t want her rage directed at me. Inexplicably, I was fairly certain I would not survive it.

My attention was caught once again by the redhead, who was now back to being a redhead and standing beside the other woman. Faith, Willow told me silently. I spared barely a moment to think that the name bestowed on the dark-haired woman was a bit of an oxymoron. Then, there were introductions being made and I could hear plain as day that Willow had already known all about our family, with the exception of Bella.

She also seemed to be able to have a conversation with me silently at the same time as verbally with everyone else. Her voice invaded my mind, You love the girl.

It was less of a question than a statement and I replied silently, Love is not a strong enough word for what I feel.

A ghost of a shadow tinged her next thoughts, I know what that feels like. Does she accept you?

Every part, I told her.

Then stop berating yourself and accept her choice, Willow replied. Now, listen carefully.

I focused on the present and Willow was over by Bree, speaking quietly to her. Everyone else struggled to hear what Willow was telling her, but I could hear with perfect clarity in her thoughts, Bree, you know you can trust me. You feel that deep within you. That’s because I am connected to every Slayer and to hurt you would be to hurt myself. In this box is something that will help you. It will ease your discomfort and let you think for yourself once again. With these, you will never be forced to kill for food again. Whatever you decide, I give you my word that I will make sure these are always available to you.

Bree made the decision quickly and I could almost immediately feel the relief coming from her. Her thoughts suddenly were less scattered and she was thinking more like a rational creature instead of a newborn.

As Willow was explaining the pills to the rest of my family, without meaning to, I caught Faith’s thought about Willow having almost ended the world and I couldn’t quite control my reaction. Her next thought, trying to cover up the prior one, really didn’t soothe my worry any, but Willow opened her mind to me and I saw not only what had happened, but the events that led up to it, including her lover’s death. I glanced down at Bella and I suddenly understood. I also could not live in a world where my love did not, but the difference was that I was willing to limit the destruction to just myself. But, Bella had not been murdered. When I thought she was dead, it had been an accident that had taken her from me and I blamed myself. I wondered if I would have felt differently if she had been killed in front of me by a bullet that even I couldn’t have prevented without Alice’s foresight. I pulled myself back to the conversation as quickly as I could. I couldn’t afford to lose myself to the hideous ‘what if’ scenario that was running through my mind.

I was brought back to reality when someone moved past me quickly and suddenly Emmett was on the ground. He came up sputtering and his thoughts were focused on retribution until he too noticed that Bree was no longer shaking. When she spoke, my entire family was shocked into total physical and mental silence until finally Carlisle moved forward and did a quick examination. It wasn’t really necessary, but I didn’t tell him that; he would want to see for himself anyway. I could hear Bree’s thoughts and she was now able to listen rationally to everything we were saying. She was telling the truth: Bella’s scent didn’t bother her one bit. She remembered her training with Riley and the newborns and that she was supposed to be hunting the girl with that scent, but that was what was ingrained into the scattered, unwieldy thoughts of her newborn mind. Now, with order restored, she understood the choice before her more clearly and she made the choice to willfully ignore Riley’s order of destruction upon Bella.

Once Carlisle was satisfied that Bree was okay, he made the decision that he would extend his trust to the women and invited them all back to our house. Even with Bella on my back, I was still the first of my family to arrive. We got there just as Willow teleported the other women and Bree to our doorstep. It didn’t surprise me that Bree trusted Willow more than she trusted us at the moment. She had witnessed us killing dozens of her fellow newborns and Willow had only ever helped her. I knew Esme hoped that, in time, she would become part of our family as well and I hoped that would come to pass, for Esme’s sake.

As soon as we were all inside, Willow sent Bree and a smaller red-haired girl name Vi into the other room to meditate as a way to try to control her newborn strength and temperament that hadn’t abated with the pill’s effects. I wondered briefly why we had never encouraged Jasper to try different forms of meditation when he had difficulty. From Alice’s thoughts, she was wondering the same thing. It was Carlisle who entertained the notion that there were many other things we may not have thought of because we only ever lived with our one perspective. Even with the addition of Bella to our family, we rarely thought as anything other than vampires.

A spark of hope was starting to take root inside of me as I listened to the girls meditating in the other room. Whatever methods they were using, it was helping. I wondered if it would help me as well in my quest to be a husband to my Bella. And then I wondered if, since Bella had made the decision to become one of us, if there was a way Carlisle and I hadn’t thought of to help her through the change. If there was something to alleviate her hunger once she was a vampire, perhaps there was something that could be done to keep her from feeling the intense burn during the transformation.

Esme offered us use of the dining room table and, ever the perfect hostess, offered refreshments to the humans in our company. Bella was the only one who accepted and I wasn’t sure if it was because they just didn’t trust us yet or if it was simply expedient. I got my answer when Willow spoke in my mind, I have another stop after this and I doubt the dark mage running roughshod over Seattle will let me take a time out from killing him to use the potty.

For such powerful women, they were definitely strange creatures, I decided. Then, the questions began. As Willow described what a Slayer was, I could see in her mind first one petite blond girl facing down a terrifying-looking monster and then I saw others join her fighting another monster. The women at the table were among the ones I saw fighting.

Then, the image shifted as she began speaking of the Slayer from so long ago. She remembered reading about how the Slayer was actually able to kill our kind. The record wasn’t very detailed, but she had no doubt of the events happening. I was astonished that someone who had blood pumping through their veins managed to be fast enough and strong enough to kill not one, but three of us, before she was overwhelmed. Then I realized that the vampire who had loved her must have taught her how to fight us, found some advantage that she could use against us. Whatever it was, Willow didn’t seem to know it, but I could sense that she was going to figure it out. I couldn’t blame her, even as she confirmed my suspicions, but told me that it was a precaution against other vampires and not our family. I somehow knew that as well before she had said so.

Meeting us might have been a coincidence, but Willow seemed the type to capitalize on such a coincidence. When Rona asked a similar question, I saw the answer in Willow’s mind in a montage that couldn’t have lasted more than a second or two: Emmett wearing a whistle and track outfit, clearly coaching the girls as they sparred with each other and then with him as well, Carlisle examining a wounded girl, then turning to me where I am stitching up a laceration on someone else’s arm. Even the thought of it was enough to bring the thirst to the forefront, but then I remembered the pills Willow had brought with her and suddenly the impossible was possible.

I smiled at the exchange between Rona and Willow that led Rona to leave the dining room. I could see in her thoughts that she wasn’t really mad at Willow so much as startled by the flashes of light. I agreed with her: they were disconcerting.

I didn’t bother to pick up the folder that appeared in front of me. I heard everyone else’s thoughts, except for Bella’s, as they read through the packet very quickly. Although Willow’s offer was genuine, I knew it would take more to convince some of the family members. It helped that the pills were not a condition of joining the Council. Willow assured us that they were ours if we wanted them, regardless of whether we joined up or not. When I asked her silently why, her answer was very practical and I agreed with her when she told me, Even if I wasn’t a nice person and didn’t care if you all were in pain, wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interest to help you to fight your urges rather than annihilate the town? You said yourself: accidents happen.

Of course, the one person whose thoughts I couldn’t hear surprised me yet again by being the first person to give a response. I thought Bella would wait to hear what we all decided and then go along with our decision, but apparently, Bella was done with the waiting. When I heard Rosalie’s thoughts as she read Bella’s note, I understood why. My selfless Bella wasn’t thinking of herself at all, but of our family. She knew Rosalie’s dream of having a baby was something never to be, but somehow Bella had found a way to give Rosalie back the one thing that she desperately wanted from her human life and never thought she would attain. By the time she had informed us that she and Emmett would be joining, she was already going over what she would have to do in order to be allowed to adopt. She knew the first step would be to take the pills, but then after that, she wasn’t sure of the order of events. But, with her mind now made up, she was eager to get started and was barely able to keep herself at the table to hear the rest of our decisions.

I tuned her out when her thoughts turned to paint colors for the baby’s room and reached for Bella’s hand just as she reached for mine. Though I already knew her answer, just by knowing her, I had to ask, “Are you sure, love?”

“Positive,” she replied with a smile that told me that she was being truthful with me: She was very committed to her decision. Unknowingly, she then echoed Willow’s scenario when she continued, “Edward, you have two medical degrees. It’s about time you get to use them.”

She had her ‘will not be moved’ face on and I knew that arguing with her would be a losing battle. She had already decided that this was what was best for us and I could even admit that it was probably what was best for her as well, but that didn’t mean that it was what she wanted. But, the truth was that I knew what she wanted was for me to be happy and I would be happy if I had her, but she somehow knew that I would be just a little bit happier if I was also able to drop the charade of perpetual high school student and follow in my father’s footsteps. So, I did what only Bella could have taught me how to do: I gave in gracefully. I leaned closer and kissed her temple, whispering my eternal love for her, enjoying how her heart sped up and, for once, not thinking that turning her into a vampire would be robbing her of opportunities she could still have as a human. Catching another glimpse of the picture of the picnic, I realized that there might just even be a way to let her keep her father in her life once she was changed.

Esme’s thoughts turned away from wondering what she and Carlisle would do to what kind of a house they would get in Cleveland and whether they would find something large enough for all of us or if she would have to build something from scratch. Always taking care of her family.

Carlisle looked at me and nodded. His thoughts were exactly aligned with my own and he even went a step further to be excited to learn about different species’ physiologies and whether he would be able to provide medical attention to more than just the Slayers. His mind was alight with possibilities, but he was still waiting for his two newest children to make their decision and that weighed upon him.

I should have known that Bella had something up her sleeve. She always understood that where Alice went, Jasper would follow, but now she also seemed to realize the reverse was true as she walked to Carlisle and took the box from him before making her way over to Jasper. I never liked her sitting so close to my brother. His control was not perfect by any means and I knew he had expended a lot of energy during the battle. Add to that the emotional overload since the Council had arrived and I wasn’t quite sure how well he was holding onto his urges, but something kept me in my seat. Probably Bella’s unspoken command that I trust her.

The words she spoke to him were entirely heartfelt, but she knew what I understood about Jasper long ago. Scolding him wasn’t going to do anything but annoy him, but giving him a better reason for him to listen to what you were saying over what he was already thinking or feeling inside could work wonders. I witnessed that first hand as he played her words over in his head and I saw the decision as he made it.

Oh, Jazz! Beautiful, I heard softly in my mind. Apparently, Alice had seen it as well.

We all watched as Jasper took the first step and dropped a pill into his mouth, swallowing it without chewing. At first, he wondered if he would feel anything—if it would even work on him. But then, in front of us all, we witnessed Jasper’s eyes changing from their now customary golden color to the light green of his human years. The shadows that had been growing under them also faded and his skin took on a flush of having just been hunting. But, I also had a ringside seat for the changes in his mind. I heard the exact moment that he felt the relief from the continual fire that plagued him in the presence of humans. Few people knew that Jasper was a religious man, but I did and I heard him send up his silent prayer of thanks that God had given him the strength to abstain and to live as long as he did to come to this day. He didn’t quite feel like he deserved it, as Bella said, but her words had given him the courage to step into the unknown and become more than a soldier.

I smiled as I saw the flash in his mind of himself standing in front of a classroom and sharing his knowledge with a roomful of students. I knew that by the next semester, he would be the most sought-after history teacher.

With Alice joining us as well, her mind already working out how to keep an entire army clothed stylishly, yet practically, our family’s decision was complete. All that was left were the logistics...and for the rest of us to take the plunge and swallow a pill.

FYI, I heard from Willow again. You’ll know when the pill is starting to wear off because your eyes will start to turn black again. And, it’s possible that you’ll have a mild case of stomach cramps. Both will go away as soon as you take another pill. It’s designed to quell the urge for blood, though, for another week past those symptoms in case you can’t get to a pill right away.

Good to know, I thought back to her. Thank you.

No need to thank me, she told me. I think I’m getting the better end of the deal here. Seven vampires and one soon-to-be vampire who all want to help us keep the world spinning. I’m a shoo-in for recruiter of the year with this one. I get a tiara and everything…well, if Andrew gives it back.

Her thoughts turned dark then and I knew she was preparing to go into battle. Before I even fully formed the thought to offer my help, she turned me down. Forget it, she scolded me. You just finished a battle with a Big Bad. It’s time to party. Besides, I’m not really planning on sharing the kill. There will barely be enough for me and Faith.

Although I participated in the rest of the conversation until they left, I spent the majority of the time contemplating her words. Willow was right. We had a lot to celebrate, but first…

“Okay,” I commanded everyone’s attention, grabbing the box from Jasper’s hand and flipping a pill to each of my family members. I searched my thoughts for the right words, but I was unfamiliar with making toasts.

Emmett beat me to it, holding the pill out like he was going to make a real toast. Even Bella raised her glass of water. Although I could hear what he was going to say, I managed to contain my laughter until he said the actual words, “Over the lips and through the gums, lookout stomach, here it comes!”

I swallowed the pill and for the first time in almost ninety years did not feel the urge to purge the solid mass from my throat. It slid down effortlessly, cooling, soothing as it went, seeming to expand in my stomach to fill every cubic millimeter of space for a pleasantly full feeling without the usual sloshisness I usually associated with being as satisfied as we ever really were able to get. And, I did feel satisfied. I reached for Bella’s hand and brought her wrist to my nose, sniffing experimentally. With a triumphant bark of laughter, I swept her up off of her chair and onto my lap, enjoying her surprised squeak as I pulled her against me and kissed her.

A cough interrupted us just as Bella’s heartbeat was climbing to a lovely level and I looked over to see Jasper watching us with a look that was patience mixed with absolute joy.

Better slow down, little brother, or you won’t make it to the wedding night, he smirked at me.

Bella read the knowing expression on his face and blushed right to her hairline. I saw that Jasper noticed this as well and instinctively braced himself for the impact on him, but then his joy at realizing that it never hit him overtook the entire table as it overflowed even his control.

He carefully regained his composure and stood up, walking solemnly over to Bella and holding out his hand. She accepted it and he helped her to her feet. I saw what he was planning in his mind and I knew it would mean more to Bella than any expensive bauble that either of my sisters would prefer in thanks.

He ducked his head down and spoke softly to her, “Bella, there’s something wrong that I wish to rectify. With your permission, I have never hugged my little sister and told her that I am glad she is part of our family.”

Bella let him wrap his arms around her and returned his hug happily. I doubly enjoyed the moment when I saw Jasper’s smile as Bella whispered to him, “Don’t you dare let me cry in front of everyone.”

Of course, everyone at the table heard her, but I didn’t feel the need to remind her of that as Esme cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. I already knew what she wanted to talk about. It was time to plan for our new lives in Cleveland.

It wasn’t until after I dropped Bella off to have dinner with Charlie that I went up to my room and found an unopened packet sitting on the nightstand next to Bella’s bed. It had a Post-It note attached that read: For Bella’s father. If you think he can be trusted to keep our secrets, the more the merrier. Willow. P.S. If he does join, it still counts on my recruitment tally.

TBC

 

Chapter End Notes:

Thank you to everyone who has read my little story!

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