This Time Of Year
Written by: wizardtho
Story dedicated to: Bella MacLeod
Chapter 02:
BPOV
Though I did take a quick shower and change my clothes, I couldn’t even think of resting right away, so I slowly made my way back out to the main room to find Demetri relaxing back on a sleek couch. I sat opposite him on the other couch, curling a leg underneath me as I saw him smile softly.
“You look much more relaxed now,” Demetri offered.
I hummed slightly while running my fingers through my damp hair, “Yes, thanks. I needed that.”
He studied me for a long second, then said, “You said back at your house that you knew why I was there -or you thought you did. Elaborate, please.”
I let out a sound just shy of a snort, then shook my head, “Easy. The Cullens. They’ve probably gotten put on the naughty list somehow, and you found out about me. I knew it would happen at some point, but I didn’t think it would take over 8 years. I honestly didn’t think I would make it to my 21st birthday without the Volturi coming for me.”
He hummed as he made a slight head nod, then asked, “And why exactly were you sure we would come for you?”
I got up and moved around the central coffee table, then sat facing him with my back against the arm of his couch. When I was settled, I explained, “Carlisle always claimed to have this close friendship with your bosses. Said he spent like 50 years with them learning about life and the supernatural after his turning. I wasn’t naïve enough to think he would never see them again. At some point, Aro would see and touch one of the Cullens. The gig would be up then, and I was a human they left alive with knowledge I shouldn’t have. That’s one of the biggest no-no's, as far as your species goes. No one who finds out vampires truly exist is to be left alive; they’re either to be killed or turned and guided.”
Demetri nodded in what seemed like appreciation of my understanding, then offered slowly, “You are correct, Isabella. The Cullens did get put on that naughty list you mentioned. The trial you are to attend is for the Cullens to be sentenced on 4 counts of exposure and human abandonment.”
I gasped, then got angry as a thought hit me. I nearly growled, “Edward!”
Demetri smirked as he tapped his nose, “Bingo. It seems that your ex has a running tally of girlfriends he’s left behind. All who knew what he was. You were the first.”
I shook my head, immediately understanding what this meant, “One or more of them spoke out. Exposed the Cullens. How much death sits on their shoulders as it stands? For all their claims of wanting to live peacefully, without being the cause of a human’s death, they don’t think twice before leaving behind a trail of exposure risks.”
At Demetri’s raised eyebrow, I shook my head, “No, please don’t tell me. One is more than enough… and I’m suspecting the total is much higher than that.”
I was quiet in the main room for the next 20 minutes or so. I was thankful Demetri was letting me wrap my head around the situation. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Volturi guard tilt his head while looking at me. It made me curious, so I asked, “What?”
He chuckled, “You have a fire in you, Isabella. I’m just trying to fit all the pieces together. Here is this woman who, as a teenager, hung with vampires knowingly. That takes some serious balls. Then, on the other hand, there’s -”
I shook my head, knowing what he was going to say, “Michael Newton. You want to know why I never fought back or left him.”
I let out a heavy breath as I lifted my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, “It’s not easy to explain, but I’ll try. My relationship with Edward was intense… complicated. Physically, we were always circling each other, since I was his singer. Emotionally, on the other hand, intense would be a good word to describe it. I didn’t realize it until after, during my dark period, but I think the singer thing does more than just draw the vampire and human together. It’s an obsessive, drug fix type of relationship if the human lives past the initial meeting. Anyway, during that emotional drug high, I let myself become dependent on Edward. I let him make decisions for me, and when he left, I felt like I had nothing. I didn’t know who I was anymore without him. I went through a sort of hard withdrawal period, where my parents were literally ready to have me tested for drug addiction. That was my dark period.”
I shook my head at the memory, then ran my fingers through my hair as I continued, “I’m getting off track, but it has a lot to do with why I stayed with Mike. I guess to sum it all up, Mike had some similar mannerisms, and I was drawn to them. My last year in college, I started dating him, just as a way to finally rid myself of Edward’s memory. If Mike’s presence took over, Edward’s memory would no longer remain. As time went by, it worked partially, but that was good enough for me.”
Demetri raised a brow as he asked, “The abuse?”
I let out a heavy breath as I nodded, “I hated the lying and sidestepping whenever I was asked about the Cullens. I could never answer how I got this scar or that one without twisting the truth, because it would expose them. With no supernatural being in my life after they left, I had no one ‘safe’ to talk to, so I had to internalize all of it. Mike… he couldn’t stand Edward from day one. He was ecstatic when the Cullens left Forks. Then when we got married, he was constantly worried I would cheat on him. It didn’t matter that I had been faithful from day one; when he got a few drinks in him, I suddenly became his cheating wife. Without fail, even though I hadn’t seen him in over 4 years at that point, Edward was somehow always brought up when Mike hit me. It became a sort of reality check, I guess… a way to make sure I stayed silent. Mike became the physical manifestation of my burden for having knowledge of the Cullens. I lived silently with this burden for over 8 years… enduring Mike’s physical reality checks for 4 of them. That is, until you stepped in tonight.”
I let out a pitiful sort of laugh, then explained, “I was naïve, in one part of this whole thing. I thought that maybe Alice considered me important. Apparently when they decided to leave, claiming me as her best friend the whole time suddenly meant nothing. At points in my marriage, I hoped Alice would see… that she would step in. I didn’t care that she would be just fixing the situation and leaving again. I just wanted to know I still mattered… that I wasn’t just trash left on the curb. She didn’t, though. None of them did, yet I know that she must have seen something.”
Demetri watched me for a second more, but when I didn’t add anything else, he said adamantly, “You are important, Isabella. Believe it or not. As for the Cullens, their coven is not as well-liked among our kind as they make themselves out to be. I understand your reasoning, but being ‘important’ to a Cullen would not be high on my list of desires.”
I rested my cheek against the back of the couch as I thought about that statement, but soon my eyes were closing without my consent. I tried to say something to Demetri about not really wanting to face the Cullens again, but I don’t think I managed more than an unintelligible mumble.
DemPOV
My task was simple. Watch. Gather intel. Make sure there is no exposure risk. Eliminate any risks found. Retrieve one Isabella Swan from Forks, Washington for trial.
I did not expect to find Isabella to be an amazingly caring elementary school teacher, nor did I expect to find her husband physically harming her twice within a 72 hour period of time. Michael Newton was a nasty piece of work that I was all too happy to rid the world of.
Finding out that Isabella had a hidden bag of family keepsakes was not all that surprising, but the reason behind them was. It was true that her silence was their safety, but that she was so matter-of-fact about it blew my mind. This human was turning out to be extremely intelligent and down to earth. Both of which piqued my interest.
Isabella surprised me even more during our conversation. She knew vampire laws, and it seems she took them more seriously than the Cullens. She expected the Volturi to come for her… knew we would… it was just a matter of when in her eyes. Jesus, she was just waiting for us to show up, like we were friends coming for tea.
She had fallen asleep during the end of our conversation, her last statement a mumble of how she didn’t know if she could face Edward again. As I carried her sleeping form to the bed in the cabin, I promised softly, “You are strong enough to face him, Isabella. You are strong enough to face them all, head held high. And I will be right next to you.”
I was shocked at myself for saying such a thing, but the honesty in the statement shocked me more. I shook my head as I went back to the main room, then sat in my previous spot while pulling my phone from my pocket. I pressed the buttons, then lifted the phone to my ear.
“Status report,” Aro stated.
I gave a soft sigh as I offered, “Silent. No exposure risk. Isabella willingly came without a fuss. My dinner was her abusive husband, but the cover is sound for both. You’ll want to see my conversations with her before trial, Sir.”
Aro hummed slightly before asking, “Nothing to be alarmed about, I hope.”
I shook my head as I explained, “No. I just think you’ll be interested in what she revealed to me. She’s a very intelligent human, Sir.”
He laughed, “Then I look forward to your return, Demetri.”
After asking if the others had returned yet, I received a positive answer, then I bid my king a good evening and ended the call.
I was convinced as my eyes strayed toward the cabin where a certain human slept, my life was somehow never going to be the same, yet I had no idea why. I just knew I felt inexplicably protective of her and disliked the thought of her life being terminated.
BPOV
Though I did take a quick shower and change my clothes, I couldn’t even think of resting right away, so I slowly made my way back out to the main room to find Demetri relaxing back on a sleek couch. I sat opposite him on the other couch, curling a leg underneath me as I saw him smile softly.
“You look much more relaxed now,” Demetri offered.
I hummed slightly while running my fingers through my damp hair, “Yes, thanks. I needed that.”
He studied me for a long second, then said, “You said back at your house that you knew why I was there -or you thought you did. Elaborate, please.”
I let out a sound just shy of a snort, then shook my head, “Easy. The Cullens. They’ve probably gotten put on the naughty list somehow, and you found out about me. I knew it would happen at some point, but I didn’t think it would take over 8 years. I honestly didn’t think I would make it to my 21st birthday without the Volturi coming for me.”
He hummed as he made a slight head nod, then asked, “And why exactly were you sure we would come for you?”
I got up and moved around the central coffee table, then sat facing him with my back against the arm of his couch. When I was settled, I explained, “Carlisle always claimed to have this close friendship with your bosses. Said he spent like 50 years with them learning about life and the supernatural after his turning. I wasn’t naïve enough to think he would never see them again. At some point, Aro would see and touch one of the Cullens. The gig would be up then, and I was a human they left alive with knowledge I shouldn’t have. That’s one of the biggest no-no's, as far as your species goes. No one who finds out vampires truly exist is to be left alive; they’re either to be killed or turned and guided.”
Demetri nodded in what seemed like appreciation of my understanding, then offered slowly, “You are correct, Isabella. The Cullens did get put on that naughty list you mentioned. The trial you are to attend is for the Cullens to be sentenced on 4 counts of exposure and human abandonment.”
I gasped, then got angry as a thought hit me. I nearly growled, “Edward!”
Demetri smirked as he tapped his nose, “Bingo. It seems that your ex has a running tally of girlfriends he’s left behind. All who knew what he was. You were the first.”
I shook my head, immediately understanding what this meant, “One or more of them spoke out. Exposed the Cullens. How much death sits on their shoulders as it stands? For all their claims of wanting to live peacefully, without being the cause of a human’s death, they don’t think twice before leaving behind a trail of exposure risks.”
At Demetri’s raised eyebrow, I shook my head, “No, please don’t tell me. One is more than enough… and I’m suspecting the total is much higher than that.”
I was quiet in the main room for the next 20 minutes or so. I was thankful Demetri was letting me wrap my head around the situation. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Volturi guard tilt his head while looking at me. It made me curious, so I asked, “What?”
He chuckled, “You have a fire in you, Isabella. I’m just trying to fit all the pieces together. Here is this woman who, as a teenager, hung with vampires knowingly. That takes some serious balls. Then, on the other hand, there’s -”
I shook my head, knowing what he was going to say, “Michael Newton. You want to know why I never fought back or left him.”
I let out a heavy breath as I lifted my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, “It’s not easy to explain, but I’ll try. My relationship with Edward was intense… complicated. Physically, we were always circling each other, since I was his singer. Emotionally, on the other hand, intense would be a good word to describe it. I didn’t realize it until after, during my dark period, but I think the singer thing does more than just draw the vampire and human together. It’s an obsessive, drug fix type of relationship if the human lives past the initial meeting. Anyway, during that emotional drug high, I let myself become dependent on Edward. I let him make decisions for me, and when he left, I felt like I had nothing. I didn’t know who I was anymore without him. I went through a sort of hard withdrawal period, where my parents were literally ready to have me tested for drug addiction. That was my dark period.”
I shook my head at the memory, then ran my fingers through my hair as I continued, “I’m getting off track, but it has a lot to do with why I stayed with Mike. I guess to sum it all up, Mike had some similar mannerisms, and I was drawn to them. My last year in college, I started dating him, just as a way to finally rid myself of Edward’s memory. If Mike’s presence took over, Edward’s memory would no longer remain. As time went by, it worked partially, but that was good enough for me.”
Demetri raised a brow as he asked, “The abuse?”
I let out a heavy breath as I nodded, “I hated the lying and sidestepping whenever I was asked about the Cullens. I could never answer how I got this scar or that one without twisting the truth, because it would expose them. With no supernatural being in my life after they left, I had no one ‘safe’ to talk to, so I had to internalize all of it. Mike… he couldn’t stand Edward from day one. He was ecstatic when the Cullens left Forks. Then when we got married, he was constantly worried I would cheat on him. It didn’t matter that I had been faithful from day one; when he got a few drinks in him, I suddenly became his cheating wife. Without fail, even though I hadn’t seen him in over 4 years at that point, Edward was somehow always brought up when Mike hit me. It became a sort of reality check, I guess… a way to make sure I stayed silent. Mike became the physical manifestation of my burden for having knowledge of the Cullens. I lived silently with this burden for over 8 years… enduring Mike’s physical reality checks for 4 of them. That is, until you stepped in tonight.”
I let out a pitiful sort of laugh, then explained, “I was naïve, in one part of this whole thing. I thought that maybe Alice considered me important. Apparently when they decided to leave, claiming me as her best friend the whole time suddenly meant nothing. At points in my marriage, I hoped Alice would see… that she would step in. I didn’t care that she would be just fixing the situation and leaving again. I just wanted to know I still mattered… that I wasn’t just trash left on the curb. She didn’t, though. None of them did, yet I know that she must have seen something.”
Demetri watched me for a second more, but when I didn’t add anything else, he said adamantly, “You are important, Isabella. Believe it or not. As for the Cullens, their coven is not as well-liked among our kind as they make themselves out to be. I understand your reasoning, but being ‘important’ to a Cullen would not be high on my list of desires.”
I rested my cheek against the back of the couch as I thought about that statement, but soon my eyes were closing without my consent. I tried to say something to Demetri about not really wanting to face the Cullens again, but I don’t think I managed more than an unintelligible mumble.
DemPOV
My task was simple. Watch. Gather intel. Make sure there is no exposure risk. Eliminate any risks found. Retrieve one Isabella Swan from Forks, Washington for trial.
I did not expect to find Isabella to be an amazingly caring elementary school teacher, nor did I expect to find her husband physically harming her twice within a 72 hour period of time. Michael Newton was a nasty piece of work that I was all too happy to rid the world of.
Finding out that Isabella had a hidden bag of family keepsakes was not all that surprising, but the reason behind them was. It was true that her silence was their safety, but that she was so matter-of-fact about it blew my mind. This human was turning out to be extremely intelligent and down to earth. Both of which piqued my interest.
Isabella surprised me even more during our conversation. She knew vampire laws, and it seems she took them more seriously than the Cullens. She expected the Volturi to come for her… knew we would… it was just a matter of when in her eyes. Jesus, she was just waiting for us to show up, like we were friends coming for tea.
She had fallen asleep during the end of our conversation, her last statement a mumble of how she didn’t know if she could face Edward again. As I carried her sleeping form to the bed in the cabin, I promised softly, “You are strong enough to face him, Isabella. You are strong enough to face them all, head held high. And I will be right next to you.”
I was shocked at myself for saying such a thing, but the honesty in the statement shocked me more. I shook my head as I went back to the main room, then sat in my previous spot while pulling my phone from my pocket. I pressed the buttons, then lifted the phone to my ear.
“Status report,” Aro stated.
I gave a soft sigh as I offered, “Silent. No exposure risk. Isabella willingly came without a fuss. My dinner was her abusive husband, but the cover is sound for both. You’ll want to see my conversations with her before trial, Sir.”
Aro hummed slightly before asking, “Nothing to be alarmed about, I hope.”
I shook my head as I explained, “No. I just think you’ll be interested in what she revealed to me. She’s a very intelligent human, Sir.”
He laughed, “Then I look forward to your return, Demetri.”
After asking if the others had returned yet, I received a positive answer, then I bid my king a good evening and ended the call.
I was convinced as my eyes strayed toward the cabin where a certain human slept, my life was somehow never going to be the same, yet I had no idea why. I just knew I felt inexplicably protective of her and disliked the thought of her life being terminated.