Romeo and... Cullen?

15. End of a Fight

 The rest of the Cullen siblings waited with Verne and Jacob in the living room for Carlisle. If vampires could cry, Rosalie would be bawling her eyes out on the floor. No one knew what was wrong with Verne but it was clear it couldn't have been good. Verne had been having weird variations in her vampirism since she were bit but it hadn't become truly noticeable or a problem till seventeen years ago.

Carlisle immediately ushered her to his at-home office when he got home. Verne went through all the standard tests. Carlisle checked her eyes, ears, skin, reflexes. Verne seemed fine.

"Verne, I'm gonna have to draw blood."

The request seemed almost ridiculous to Carlisle but he had seen Verne bleed before with his own two eyes. When Carlisle went to poke her with the needle, it wouldn't go through the skin, not easily. She still had tougher skin like a vampire.

"I'm gonna have to bite you."

Verne nodded as Carlisle bit her wrist. Some blood leaked out and Carlisle collected it. Verne scrunched up her nose, for the first time in a long time she could clearly smell blood. She could smell a lot. Verne walked back into the living room where all eyes turned on her.

"We're gonna have to wait a few hours while dad looks at the sample."

Verne went upstairs to change into fresh clothes before going back down. She sat next to Jacob who laced his fingers through hers. Edward's head snapped up.

"She's not gonna die, Jacob."

"Hmm?" Verne looked between her boyfriend and her brother.

"He's worried about you... and if you die, he might too," Edward read what was on Jake's mind.

"Jacob, what?"

Before he could explain, Leah and Seth came bursting through the front door of the Cullen house quickly followed by the rest of the pack. The Cullen siblings held their breath so as not to make any rude comments.

"Jacob's thoughts are loud as hell, what's this about you dying?!" Leah pulled Verne into a death grip.

"Leah, I'm fine. But..." she turned back to Jacob. "What is Edward talking about you dying."

"It's the imprint," Sam explained. "It's one thing to be rejected by the imprint. It's a pain deeper than heartbreak but something the wolf learns to accept for their imprint's happiness. But if you die, the break of that bond is so painful it could literally kill a wolf."

Emmett huffed, "Why imprint if it comes with all these complications."

"Billy thinks it has something to do with the primal side. Something about the wolf finding the best pairing to pass on the gene."

"Then Verne's the worst option out there. Vampires can't have children," Rosalie spoke up. She would know, a baby was something Rosalie had wanted so bad in her human life.

Carlisle came out of the office. "I don't understand. The tests are the same as before, you're perfectly healthy, V. Above average even."

"I think I figured it out." Edward had been sitting quietly, probing everyone's minds to find out what was happening to his sister.

"I think it's the imprint."

"The imprint, Ed?" Verne looked at her brother confused.

"If Billy's theories are true then what would be stronger than something half werewolf half vampire—"

"But I can't have children."