Chapter 22: A Long Night
A/N - Sect master here! Thank you all for leaving your thoughts on the questionnaire. As I mentioned, those questions weren't an indication of me changing the story, I just wanted my readers to speak out and talk to me.
Majority did request for longer chapters, so here is the chapter for the day. 2.5k words.
Could we get to 2.5k power stones or more? Belt me with them!
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"Gabriel, I don't think you understand the implications of your words," Carlisle said as he stoically sat down on the recliner. The Cullen family had paused at his question, confusion apparent. The concept of sleep was a foreign entity to vampires, as their bodies essentially stopped all human functions the moment they completed their transformation.
Understanding Carlisle's apprehension, Gabriel stood up and walked to the kitchen, his steps slow and calculated as his mind searched for the right words. "I'm not saying now, or even soon, but I believe I have a means to allow you all to have a peaceful night's sleep." He paused, turning to the family while softly smiling at Rosalie. "I just have a feeling there's something more to my powers, and I know that you all would love a break from your eternal thoughts."
Finishing his words, Gabriel opened the fridge and peered inside. 'Damn, not even a loaf of bread,' he thought. He no longer needed to eat food, and blood would help more, but his human habits were deeply rooted in his being.
Esme, the ever-loving woman, sat next to Carlisle on the armrest of the chair, tenderly stroking his face. "I think we need some time to think about this, Gabe. It's not that we're not thankful, but this is something uncharted for us."
Turning his head away from the barren fridge, Gabriel noticed the rest of the family nodding their heads solemnly. Slumping his shoulders, he walked back to Rosalie and sat down next to her. "It's fine. You have from now until eternity to decide." His all-too-familiar grin widened at the lame immortality joke.
Rosalie, inching closer to Gabriel, rested her head atop his shoulder, choosing to ignore his joke, though there was a sparkle in her eye as she enjoyed the vibrancy he brought to her mundane life. "Are we going to tell Edward tonight?" she questioned, her eyes scanning her family.
"I think you and Gabe should head off to see him. He'll react negatively if he doesn't find out soon," Jasmine chimed in. She and the rest of the family were aware of how Edward reacted to information, not from the original source.
Nodding, Gabriel agreed with her, as he couldn't help but think that Jasmine oddly combined Emmett's playfulness and Alice's bubbly pixie personality. Standing up, he grasped Rosalie's hand, pulling her forward with him. "Is he still inside Bella's house?" Gabriel asked, looking at Alice.
"Last I saw of him, yes," she replied.
"So, car or run?" Gabriel asked, turning to Rosalie.
Not responding, Rosalie disappeared from his grasp as her body became a blur. A loud laugh resounded as the front door opened in the distance.
"It's a race!"
**********
Edward stood in the darkness, his eyes void of any semblance of thought apart from protectiveness. He had saved the girl he cared for, though at what cost? He tried his best to hide his obsession with her from the moment they first met. Whenever she was around him, his usual thirst for blood multiplied to the highest degree.
After saving her, his father admonished him. Once she was released from the emergency room, Bella inundated him with questions, all directed at how he had saved her, a seemingly impossible task. Edward tried to push her away, but she was stubborn to the bone, almost like it was her mission to understand him to his core.
As he stood there, lost in thought, his heightened senses picked up movement that wouldn't be possible for anyone but the supernatural. His mind reeled at the possibilities before he felt the thoughts of someone he was familiar with.
{Edward, come outside. We need to talk.}
Sighing in resignation, he took one last look at Bella before launching himself out the window and running to the thicket of trees surrounding the Swan residence. Walking into the darkness, a sight that somewhat shocked him greeted him.
Rosalie stood there, her ever-stoic face staring at him with intent. Next to her was a person he was growing more wary of as the days passed. Edward didn't understand the situation, so he did the only thing he naturally did in these scenarios: his mind peered into Rosalie's thoughts.
"Stop, Ed," Gabriel voiced out, halting Edward.
Cocking his head to the side, Edward stared at the mysterious teenager. "What do you mean?" Edward questioned.
"The fuckin' mind reading, dude. Stop it," Gabriel said, his voice laced with slight hostility. He hated the fact that Edward abused this power to invade his family's privacy. They had lost so much already in their lives; he thought they at least deserved to have freedom in their minds.
Rosalie, sensing the tension, stepped between the two before things escalated. "Ed, he knows," she said, waiting for the impending explosion of Edward's emotions.
"Rosalie! How could you? Do you not understand what you stripped away from him now?" he yelled out, seething in anger and remorse. "You've set him on a course of eternal damnation, along with the rest of us." Unable to process his emotions, he lashed out at his sister, his words laced with venom as they scarred Rosalie.
"Rose, think about what we showed your family," Gabriel spoke out, interjecting before Edward said anything more damaging.
Nodding her head sadly, Rosalie did what Gabriel asked. Edward, understanding the hidden meaning, peered into Rosalie's current thoughts. The more he listened, the wider his eyes grew. 'This has to be some kind of joke,' Edward thought, the shock of the revelations burning him.
His eyes bounced between Rosalie and Gabriel. Unable to verbalize his thoughts, he stood there, rooted in place as his mind churned at a slow pace.
Gabriel pulled Rosalie into his arms, gripping her. She had shaken at Edward's accusations and could not respond to him. Kissing her forehead gently, he looked deep into her eyes, the usual vibrancy dulled by the pain. "You did nothing wrong. We both know this. Don't listen to Father Edward." Kissing her nose, she just hummed lightly in response to his words.
Standing there in each other's embrace, they waited in silence for Edward to respond. It took him ten painful minutes before he blinked at them, then took a step forward, reaching out before pulling his hand back.
"I'm sorry, Rosalie," he murmured, his tone expressing sadness.
She turned her head from within Gabriel's chest and smiled lightly at Edward. "If I got paid a dollar every time you said something stupid, we'd be the richest people in the world."
Laughing lightly at her joke, Gabriel held her tighter. "So, questions? I know you can't read my mind," he said sarcastically.
"What exactly are you?" Edward asked slowly and deliberately.
Thinking for a moment, Gabriel said something that would either cause issues later or help tremendously. "I'm human, but that's changing daily. I'm also a vampire, and I share traits with the shapeshifters."
Rosalie looked up at Gabriel, confusion clear in her eyes, until she gleamed into his plan. Slightly baffled at the planning he set in motion, she smiled.
"Are you part of the Quileute tribe?" Edward questioned.
"Nope, but those shapeshifters are in the minor leagues, in comparison. I have no affiliation to anything but this lovely woman in my arms." He squeezed Rosalie tightly in response to his words.
Unable to respond once more, Edward stared at Gabriel, his eyes scanning the teenager for anything that could show he was lying or hiding something more. Unfortunately for him, Gabriel knew how to act in these situations, as he simply stood there without an ounce of fear or shame.
"Look, I know this is hard to comprehend. Your family are probably all throwing out wild theories at home as we speak, but all you need to know is I won't cause any harm to you or your family," Gabriel said, his confidence and honesty leaking out of him like an aura.
Edward simply nodded, unable to speak.
"Now, why don't we talk about your stalker tendencies? What the fuck are you thinking standing inside Bella's room as she sleeps? You can barely hold yourself back because of her blood. Don't you think your actions are idiotic at best?"
After reading the books and watching the movies, Gabriel knew how insane vampires went with her scent. It seemed childish that the guy who could barely control his emotions thought standing next to a sleeping and unsuspecting Bella would be safer. One small misstep and he would kill her in an instant. This wasn't training his control; it was masochism.
"What I do with her doesn't concern you, Gabriel," Edward said in defiance. He felt irked at the thought of harming Bella. He would never do that; it would destroy him if he even considered her life being in danger.
"Oh, and the scent of a vampire lingering on a human wouldn't cause possible passing vampires to think that a human had affiliations with them?" Gabriel questioned.
Clenching his fists, Edward looked toward the ground. He couldn't refute those words; he hadn't thought about the implications his constant protectiveness could bring to Bella and her family. Shaking his head in defeat, he continued mulling over his thoughts.
"Look, either be with her and be honest, or stay away. She's a teenager, and the hot and cold will confuse her more. You're mature enough to understand that." Finishing his words, Gabriel pinched Rosalie's cheek as he smiled at her.
"Let's head back to yours; we have school in the morning, don't we?" She nodded before turning to Edward. "Be cautious, Ed. I don't want to see you harmed." Saying those words, she shot off into the darkness, Gabriel following closely behind.
**********
Gabriel sat on the couch, talking to Alice. They had arrived a couple of minutes prior, and Rosalie talked to Esme and Carlisle about what was going on with Edward.
"So... seeing into the future, that's got to be a daunting power?" Gabriel asked. He disliked the ability, if he was being honest. Peering into the future seemed to cause problems in most scenarios, though he understood if he didn't have the powers he did, future sight would be a godsend to prepare for multiple scenarios.
Nodding her head in eagerness, Alice responded. "Yeah! But it's more of a subjective power. Let's say I saw you falling to the ground tomorrow. If I told you about it prior to the event, and you avoided the fall, it could either lead to you not having an accident or branch off to a possibly greater injury." Though it wasn't the best explanation, Alice tried her best to convey the complexity of her power.
Nodding, Gabriel leaned in, his body trembling for a moment. "So, Alice... Have you been using those powers to, let's say, see the future about the stock market?"
She gaped at his words. The moment she revealed her powers, something she had been doing for years was easily discovered. "How in the hell did you know?" She jumped in surprise.
"C'mon, I'd do the same thing! Plus, it makes little sense. Sure, your dad's a doctor, but all this wealth? The ability to move around and change identities, you'd need to have some world-breaking money."
She simply giggled in response as she made way for Jasper to sit down next to her.
Gabriel and Jasper stared intently at one another for a couple of seconds before Jasper broke out into a soft laugh. "You, my friend, are an enigma. Would you object to being my sparring partner if I ever needed one?" His deep southern accent added a twang to his words that Gabriel enjoyed hearing.
"Anytime, buddy. It would do us all good to keep up the training," Gabriel said, knowing that Jasper had a military background. He was always one to understand the necessity of being prepared for combat.
"Tell me, Gabe. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Gabriel paused, his mind returning to the time he absorbed the soul of a soldier to get proficiency in Krav Maga. From his knowledge, the martial art was known as one of, if not the most deadly hand-to-hand combat systems due to how aggressive the techniques were, focused on neutralizing a person in true combat.
"As you probably know, my parents are quite wealthy. When I was in school, I dealt with a string of bullying, which progressively became more violent. Having no parent around to give me guidance, I paid for a personal instructor to teach me. Coupled with working out, I can safely say that I was never bullied again."
A solemn atmosphere radiated around the trio as Jasper acknowledged Gabriel's words. He knew everyone had a history, and Gabriel probably didn't wish to speak any more on the matter. His power was to understand emotions and even influence them. Though with Gabriel, it was almost neutralized; he felt a minuscule shift and stopped himself from questioning any further.
Rosalie, finishing her conversation, walked over to the group and sat down next to Gabriel as she kissed his cheek. Feeling her lips, he pulled himself from his dark memories, not the ones of this life, but the ones from his previous.
"So, you guys have a school trip today? Alice, I know you'll watch out for Bella. Make sure Edward doesn't toy with her too much," Rosalie spoke.
Rosalie's personality differed slightly from what Gabriel had expected when he initially reincarnated into this world. Even though she was closed off to most people, she had a deep understanding of her family that was not fleshed out in the novels and movies. She showed care for Bella because she understood Edward was to be her partner. The peace of mind she had, knowing she didn't need to turn her mate, and that he was much more powerful than her, allowed her reservations to be lowered, her expressiveness slowly bubbling to the surface.
Leaning back on the couch, Gabriel pulled her closer once more as he thought about his next steps. 'I should help Sam out, and Emily, too. He should've shifted earlier, but I guess there are discrepancies in this world. They're both good people, and they don't deserve the pain of something like that incident.'
'I also need to check my email to see if the publishing house is ready to have a chat. I'd love to mooch off Rosalie and her family, especially because she's a sugar momma, but I need my independence for my plans.'
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