Beyond The Dawn - A Twilight Fan Fiction

Book 3 - Carlisle - Chapter Two

                                                                       2

                                                            "Full Moon"

A wise man once said, 'Time flies when you're having fun'. Given the circumstances, I couldn't agree more. The minutes seemed to drag more than usual as we waited for what I was sure would be our final standoff with the Volturi. Time was never something we paid attention to, simply because we are accustomed to having so much of it. But now, the moments bled slowly from one into the next as the days passed, separated only by brief hunting trips, news from the reservation or the pack, and by Charlie's progress. The good news was that an even stronger sense of family and camaraderie continued to build as the moments went by; it seemed we were all united by our desire to stop the Volturi from employing their scare tactics. And while I realized that rules were necessary to protect our secret, I was finished with their determination to destroy my family.

During the days leading up to the inevitable war, the Amazons had arrived. They were just as enamored with Nessie as the day they met her. Zafrina had even offered to run her to South America to keep her safe. Another tantrum from our little hybrid let us all know that such a plan wouldn't be possible. Edward was vexed by her insistence to stay in Forks. I, on the other hand, considered ourselves lucky that she'd let go of her passionate desire to fight.

I didn't see much of Charlie then; in fact, he spent most of his time away from the house. His presence was marked only by the loud rumble of boulders shattering and trees falling, followed by Emmett and Billy's thunderous laughter. Billy Black had played a much larger role in Charlie's combat training than I expected. I was pleased, however, to see that it brought them closer and strengthened their friendship. Perhaps there was hope for solidarity between the Cullens and the Quileutes after all. I also noticed a small attraction between Tanya and Charlie; it made me wonder what would become of him and Sue, assuming she decided to give him an opportunity to return to her. This resulted in the Denalis taking a role in training Charlie, with Kate leading the charge with her special brand of 'detainment'.

I was observing one particular stretch of training behind the house, where Jasper and Charlie were grappling. We were all impressed to see that Charlie had been taking Jasper down with ease. And the more frustrated Jasper became, the faster he ended up on his back with Charlie's teeth at his throat. Jasper jumped to his feet again, snarling as he backed away from Charlie. A deep-throated chuckle came from behind me; of course Emmett was enjoying this.

"Relax, Jasper," I interrupted firmly, "he was a cop, remember? Take downs are natural to him."

Jasper let out another growl an Alice was beside him in seconds, her eyes smiling playfully, "Jazz, are you jealous?"

"I don't know about Jazz, but I sure am," Emmett announced with a casual chuckle, "You may officially have me beat in the best fighter department."

Jasper straightened his back, strolling toward Charlie in an almost cautious fashion, "Don't get too comfortable with your natural born instincts. You're still new, and they can fail you."

Edward smiled, "Look who's acting like a teenager..."

Jasper snapped his teeth as he walked away, sulking moodily under a nearby oak. Kate stepped forward as Edward smiled in his brother's direction.

"Actually, Jasper is right," she remarked, taking a few steps toward Charlie, "You're good at the takedown, but what happens when someone gets their hands on you?"