Fic: Through The Open Door, Ch. 5
Title: Through The Open Door
Author: e-transitions
Characters/Pairing: Cullens - canon pairings
Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama, AU
Spoilers: Includes content from all 4 books + Midnight Sun
Summary: It was just a normal, stressful day. That is, until this Twilight fan walked through a door and ended up in the Twilight-verse. What would you do, if you ended up in Bella's life - if everyone in Forks thought you were Chief Swan's daughter - if nobody, not even the Cullens, knew the difference? How do you live someone else's life when you know what's going to happen?
Chapters 1-3
Chapter 4
X-posted at Twilight Archives
Chapter 5
I looked around the room, meeting every set of black eyes, before I finally took a deep breath and began.
“I…I come from a… different world, I suppose you would call it. In my world, there’s a famous book series about a girl named Bella Swan and the Cullen family.” I paused for a moment, waiting for them to interrupt me with claims that I was off my rocker, but no one spoke. So I continued, “In the books, Bella moves to Forks and meets the Cullens. Then… there’s an accident and Edward saves her life. She learns the Cullens’ secrets and ends up later becoming part of their family.” I conveniently left out the falling in love with Edward part. I wasn’t sure why, but I was embarrassed to tell them that part of the story.
“When I woke up this morning, I was in my world and everything was fine. Ok, not fine, really. I had a huge test I was supposed to take that day and I was really stressed out over it. I was on my way to my test, when I walked through a door and all of a sudden I was at Forks High School and everyone was calling me Bella. I thought maybe the stress had finally gotten to me, but… Then I saw you guys,” I nodded towards Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice, “and I really started to freak out because even though I’d never met you or seen you before, I know you.”
“I know how insane this must sound and I have no explanation for what happened. But I can prove I’m telling the truth. I know things about you all that I couldn’t know otherwise… I mean, besides the obvious.”
“Carlisle,” I turned to look at him. “I know that you were the first turned. You were following in your father’s footsteps, hunting vampires and such. But, unlike him, you actually found a real coven of vampires. One managed to bite you before the mob overtook him and you were able to hide yourself from your followers until the change was over. You knew what you’d become and you refused to feed off humans, starving yourself until instinct lead you to feed off an animal. You found a new way of living then.”
“Eventually, you went to live with the Voltari… But you didn’t agree with their diet, so you left and came here, to America. Edward was the first one you turned. He was dying and his mother begged you to save him… so you did. He didn’t thank you for that, though. Next came Esme,” my eyes shifted over to her as I continued. “Esme had… fallen off a cliff and was injured so badly that they brought her straight to the morgue. You saved her and found a love you’d never expected,” I added with a smile.
“After that was Rosalie,” I cautiously looked at her then. She remained standing behind Emmett, her face expressionless. “…She’d been hurt as well… you saved her, hoping that she would be to Edward what Esme had become to you. But she found Emmett instead,” as my eyes shifted back to the left to look at Emmett, Rosalie spoke up.
“Wait, that’s it? That’s all you know about me?,” she challenged.
“No. No, that’s not all,” I responded carefully. I couldn’t tell if it was going to anger her more if I kept quite about what I knew or if I spilled it out in front of everyone.
“Well, what else then? So far you haven’t said anything that would convince me you have some… inside knowledge of our family,” she spit our haughtily.
“Alright…” I glanced at Emmett hoping for a sign as to how to proceed with her, but he gave no help, remaining expressionless. Knowing this was going to backfire on me the second I opened my mouth, I proceeded to tell the rest of her story. “When Carlisle found you, your blood was soaking the snow in an alley. You’d been raped and battered by your fiancé and his friends. They left you there to die, drunk and confident that they’d go unpunished for their crimes. After Carlisle turned you, you had your revenge. You hunted and killed every last one of them without spilling a single drop of blood. You saved your fiancé for last, coming to him in your wedding dress.”
“You hated Edward from the first time you heard him speak because he didn’t desire you, as every other man you’d ever known had. When you found Emmett, mauled by a bear, you carried him to Carlisle, fearing that you weren’t strong enough to change him yourself. You wanted to save him because he reminded you of the child your friend had when you were human. After he was changed, you both fell passionately in love. But, you’d still trade everything, him and your family, for the ability to have a child.” My last sentence seemed to echo in the silence of the house. I continued to stare directly into Rosalie’s eyes as the seconds ticked by. Her face remained set in the haughty look it had held before I began. And then, suddenly, she was out the door in a blur of motion.
Emmett sighed and slowly heaved himself out of his chair, “I’d better go take care of that.” And then, he too was gone.
“Oops,” I breathed, looking down at the table, rather than meet anyone’s eyes.
“It’ll be alright,” Carlisle murmured, “Please continue.”
I glanced up at him and he nodded in encouragement. I turned towards Jasper, then, looking to him for permission to tell what I knew of his story. He gave a slight nod in encouragement as well, so I took up my speech again.
“Jasper was part of the Confederate Army in Texas when he was turned by a woman named Maria. Her and her 2 sisters were raising an army of their own. Jasper’s life as a vampire had a very long, violent, beginning. It wasn’t until Peter returned for him and told him of another way to live, that he discovered a life free of constant bloodshed. He left Maria and traveled with Peter and Charlotte for awhile, but he was still troubled. His gift forced him to feel the emotions of the humans he fed off of and it began to weigh on him in a way it never had before. Eventually he decided to travel on his own.”
“Then, one day, he stepped into a diner to get out of the rain and Alice was there waiting for him,” I smiled at Jasper and Alice as I recalled the story for them. “Alice walked up to him and said ‘you’ve kept me waiting a long time.’ And Jasper ducked his head like a good southern gentleman and said ‘sorry ma’am.’ Alice held out her hand then and he took it without thinking about what he was doing. For the first time in a long time… he felt hope. Alice showed him how to live off animals and told him about the Cullens. Eventually they both came to find them. When they first arrived, Edward and Emmett were away. When the boys came back home, Edward found that Alice had moved all his things to the garage. He was so pissed,” I chuckled as my voice trailed off into silence.
Alice was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say more about her story. Clearing my throat, I looked away, back towards the center of the table. She placed her hand on my arm but I didn’t move my gaze from the table. “Please don’t stop there,” she said quietly. “If you know more about me - about my past… I’d like to know.”
“Alice,” I pleaded, finally looking at her again, “I don’t think you want to know -”
“But I do. I need to know. I’m the only one who can’t remember my life.” I began shaking my head as she continued her pleading, but she wasn’t going to back down so easily. “I want to know,” she said forcefully.
“Alice, I really don’t think you do. They never really said how you took the news in the books, but I got the impression that you preferred being able to remember your life beginning with a vision of Jasper.”
“That’s nice, yes, but that isn’t a reason to remain completely in the dark about my past. Not when you could clear up some of the millions of questions I have,” she looked at me with sad, pleading eyes. It was hard to resist her when she looked at you like that.
Jasper placed a comforting hand on top of hers, which were now folded tensely on the table. I met his eyes and saw that he was behind Alice 100%. He supported her decision, whatever it may be. And, if she wanted to know what I had to say, he was going to make sure she heard it, one way or another.
“Alice,” I pleaded, “please don’t ask me.”
“Why? Give me one good reason!”
“Because I don’t want to be the one to tell you,” I burst out, getting frustrated now.
“Why!?!,” she asked, a bit outraged.
“Because! It’s not… nice, Alice. It’s… it’s going to hurt you and… and I don’t want to be the one who hurts you,” my voice broke at the end as I tried to convince her to let it drop.
There was a long silence as we stared into each other’s eyes. In my peripheral vision, I saw Jasper’s expression change from one of determination to thoughtful. He must have been a bit stunned when he realized I was holding back information in an effort to protect Alice. He seemed to be quietly reevaluating me as Alice and I continued to stare at each other. I hoped my emotions would help communicate to him the reasons behind my reluctance. I’d adored Alice long before today. To be the one to have to see the pain in her eyes as I revealed her past… It made my chest hurt to even think about it.
Finally, Alice spoke in a calm but firm voice, “I’m a big girl. Whatever you have to say, I can handle.”
“Alice?,” Jasper finally spoke up, concern in his voice. His eyes searched hers as she turned to look at him.
“I need to know,” she murmured in response. There was a quiet moment of communication between them and then they both turned to look at me in expectation