After the battle had come to an end, Maya headed back behind a tree she had stashed clothes in and shifted back. She was just about to head out to help them burn the bodies when she heard a shriek and went running, scared that they may have missed a newborn.
What she saw instead was Alice hugging a short girl with long dark hair and grinning like a madman. Stopping in confusion, Maya turned to face Jasper. "Any idea what this is about?"
"Apparently, Alice's mate was with the army. She stayed out of the fighting though and seemed terrified so Carlisle and Esme spared her."
"Well, that was lucky." Maya kept her eyes on the pair, considering how close Alice had come to losing her mate before she even had a chance to know her.
Just then, they both saw Alice tense up as she went into a vision. Jasper could feel the worry rolling off her and was about to ask her about it when she turned to the wolves. "I need you to call Seth. Let him know that Edward and Bella have to get back here right away. The Volturi are coming."
Sam, still in wolf form gave a nod. Maya felt the tension build up within her now as she looked over at Alice and her new mate. While she didn't think that her family would harm the girl since she was a newfound mate, she did not want to take any chances. She began to think of ways in which she could convince her siblings to spare her, or worst-case trick them. Because she had no doubt that they were the ones that had been sent and would see their orders through.
Unfortunately, as different arguments and reasons flashed through Maya's mind, she came to the unfortunate conclusion that none of them would work if her siblings had been given the order to see the entire army destroyed. With a small sigh she resigned herself to fact that it only left her one option. This is probably one of the stupidest things I will ever attempt, lying to my family like this. But protecting Alice's happiness it totally worth it Maya reasoned silently.
She stepped forward then to catch the new couples attention. "Alice you and your mate, I'm sorry I have yet to get your name, need to switch jackets." At everyone's questioning looks Maya explained her reasoning. "While I'm like 99% sure that the Volturi will not harm her as she's your mate and they all know how important a mate is, I do know that because of their responsibilities they are forced to put the law above all else. She may not have had a choice in her turning, but depending on the current state of the vampire world, that may not matter. Especially given that they just finished dealing with a revolt in Asia. They may not be in a position to make an exception and certainly not towards us given that they have already given us a second chance after they found out Edward broke the laws and told Bella about us. As such to be safe you guys should switch clothes so that your scents mingle more."
Maya turned to face Rosalie then. "Also are you wearing your crest under your coat by chance? If so, could you lend it to her? If you keep your coat zipped up, no one will know its yours and that way we can say she was part of the family before the battle."
Rosalie and Alice were quick to nod their heads in acceptance of this plan, rushing to make the changes that Maya suggested.
"Do you really think this will work?" Carlisle questioned.
"There is a really good chance that they won't even ask about her so long as we don't antagonize them. But if we somehow do, just leave the talking to me" Maya said with more confidence than she actually felt. Jasper reached out his hand to pull her close in comfort and she gave him a grateful smile just as Edward and Bella arrived.
Maya ignored them though and focused on Alice's mate, approaching her slowly, knowing this situation had to be overwhelming. She let go of Jasper a few steps away and motioned for him to stay back, not wanting to frighten her anymore than she already was.
"Hello, I'm Maya. What's your name?"
"Bree" she muttered, still looking around.
"That's a nice name. Do you understand what's going on?" Maya highly doubted that she did and her immediate shake of the head confirmed it. "Right so you are mated to Alice, which basically means that you guys are sort of fated to be. Soulmates if you will. I'm sure you already feel the pull towards her?"
"I ... it helped me," Bree spoke quietly, "I was overwhelmed by the scent of blood, but then I caught hers and all of a sudden, the human blood didn't matter any more. Once I was no longer focused on that I realized what was going on, that everyone was being killed and I ... hid."
"Yeah, that was a very smart thing you did. But unfortunately, the army that you part of broke a few of the vampire laws. You see vampires are ruled over by three kings, who have made a law that basically says any vampire that exposes us to humans is to be killed." Bree gasped in fear at that and Alice reached out to pull her into her arms in comfort.
Maya rushed on ahead to explain before the girl could worry too much, "Don't worry though! You are mated to Alice and mates are sacred among the supernatural, so you should be safe. Having you switch clothes and wear Rose's crest is just an extra layer of precaution. That way you smell more like us then you do them and if they ask, we can say you were apart of the family before the battle. Which is technically true, as Alice saw you coming years ago and has had a section of her closet put aside for you ever since. So really there is no need for you to worry. Just stay close to us and you will be fine."
Bree opened her mouth to say something when Edward's shout distracted them all, "Leah no!" They all whipped around to see what was happening and followed his gaze to where a newborn had Leah in his grasp.
Maya made a move to rush over and help, but Jasper was quick to grab her and hold her back. He was not about to let his mate charge down a newborn recklessly get hurt.
Unfortunately no one was close enough to stop Jacob from doing just that. He charged straight at the pair, pulling the newborn off before it could hurt her, but landed himself in its clutches. With one move, the newborn had crushed one side of his body and he fell to the ground whimpering as he shifted back. The other wolves were quick to rush over and tear the newborn apart before shifting back to their human forms to help Jacob.
Maya stayed where she was as Bella, Edward and Carlisle rushed over to his side. They talked quietly as Carlisle examined him, before the boys picked him up and carried him away. Just as they left the clearing Alice called out "They're coming!"
They all rushed into place, Bree placed firmly between Jasper, who had Maya tucked into his arms, and Alice who had grabbed her hand to comfort her. They stood there for a moment watching the trees as four people glided out, pulling off their hoods as they came to a stop.
Maya mentally rolled her eyes wondering if uncle Aro had drama classes for all new guards or something on how to make an entrance.
"Impressive. I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact." Jane said by way of greeting. Yep, drama classes had definitely been a thing at one point Maya decided.
"We were lucky" Carlisle claimed.
"I doubt that" Jane's eyes scanned over the group, resting a moment longer on Jasper than the others.
Once the Cullens had left Volterra a few months back, Jane had questioned Aro extensively on Jasper's background and memories wanting to know exactly who her sister was mated to. She had no doubt that had he not been here to lead them in this fight they would have lost.
"It appears we missed an entertaining fight" Alec stated, coming to the same conclusion as his twin. Honestly, he was disappointed that they had not arrived in time to see the so called "God of War" in action. Maybe next time Maya visited them he could convince her to bring him along. Then he could see just how well her mate lived up to the legend surrounding him.
"Yes, its not often we're rendered unnecessary" Jane commented, unaware of her twin's plotting.
"If you'd arrived a half hour ago, you would have fulfilled your purpose" Edward snidely commented, picking up on their thoughts and growing angry that their thoughts were all about his brother and not that someone came after him and Bella for revenge.
Maya wanted to kill him; with Bree here, they desperately needed to not antagonize her siblings, yet he seemed incapable of not doing that. Like he had no concept of the fact that some people due to their power or position were owed respect. Or that he, and their family, was not in fact untouchable and were liable to face consequences should he anger the wrong people.
"Pity" Jane said, though nobody thought she meant it. Maya herself sending her a look that said "really?"
"You missed one" she commented, looking towards the back of the group. This caused Bree's eyes to fly up from the ground she had been staring at. She clutched Alice's hand tighter in fear.
"Really?!" Maya said, throwing her hands up dramatically and stepping away from Jasper. "I was willing to wait to greet you all until after business was done with, but then you over look me for someone else? My feelings are hurt!" She placed her hand over her heart and sent Jane a fake pout.
Okay, so maybe she had also picked up a few dramatic traits from her Uncle as well and shouldn't be so quick to judge her siblings for it.
Jane rolled her eyes at her, "yes I was going to greet you, but first we have to deal with this last newborn."
Maya rolled her eyes, faking playfulness, "Jane are your eyes going in your old age? Or maybe its your sense of smell? Bree here is Alice's lovely little mate. She joined us shortly after they returned to Forks. Which I am forever grateful for, as she has taken my place as Alice's favourite person to dress up. So I'm afraid that if you intend to harm her I will have to attack you in order to save my own skin. Or maybe sanity is a better term." Maya placed her fingers on her face with a look of deep thought, causing many to quietly laugh or snicker at her, while Alice stuck her tongue out Maya.
"She smells like the army" Demetri commented after he stopped laughing, unwilling to let this go if it would put his baby sister in danger. Well, more danger than she had apparently already been in. Maya silently cursed his tracker abilities; she knew lying to her siblings was going to be hard.
"Dude, I probably smell more like them than the Cullens too. We got pretty close to these newborns for a minute there."
"Did you now?" Felix commented raising an eyebrow at her, scanning her for any sign of injury.
"Yep!" she said proudly, ignoring his concerned look, "I used every trick and tactic that you guys and Uncle Caius taught me to kick their asses!" Which reminded her to give him a call when she got the chance to thank him for the lessons and tell him all about how her first real battle had gone.
Her brothers laughed at that, Emmet joining in as Jane cracked a smile. "Well then you shall just have to visit us soon so that we, as well as lord Caius, may hear all about it" Alec commented.
"Definitely! Now that I have some real experience, I'm not going to lose to you guys so easily! I will take you boys down next time!" She declared, making Jane laugh out loud at this.
The Cullens all stared on in shock at the way the guards were acting, having never pictured them as being so human. However, as if sensing their thoughts, they all calmed down and once again assumed their cold, hard looks. Though Maya could still detect a hint of something in their eyes that made her nervous.
"But putting the newborn that is mated to the seer aside, that does leave one issue we have to discuss" Jane said with sweetness dripping off her tongue. "Namely why you thought it a good idea to fight this battle without calling your family for help dear sister?"
Maya laughed hesitantly and back up a step so her back was pressed up against Jasper's front. "Because I'm an adult now who can fight my own battles without needing my older siblings to fight them for me?" She asked hesitantly.
Silently though she cursed in her head. She should have seen this coming, especially since her mothers had been here only a few days ago and she hadn't mentioned it to them either. Now it would seem like she was deliberately trying to hide it from them.
"hmm" Felix mused, looking her over with a critical eye. Although anyone who knew him could see the spark of humour hiding in it. He may have been worried about her putting herself in danger, but since she had made it out unharmed his biggest concern was making sure she never did something like this again. "An adult you may be little sis, but you have no real experience. Meaning you may as well be a child when it comes to battles such as these."
"Meaning we are going to have to tell the kings what you've been up to" Demetri added, enjoying watching his little sister's face fill with horror at the thought of whatever embellished tale they would tell.
"I will literally drop to my knees and beg you not to if that's what it will take for you all to keep your mouths shut" Maya vowed.
"Yeah, but what's in it for us? If the kings find out you were injured, it will be our heads they come for." Felix reasoned with a grin.
"I'll come visit you for a week just after Christmas?" Maya suggested weakly.
"Make it two and bring your mate" Alec bargained.
"Done. Now you guys have to tell my uncles that I made it out without a single scratch and did amazing." Maya said with a decisive nod, snatching up any out offered without a second thought.
"Darlin' -"
"Shh" Maya elbowed Jasper in the chest. "Its this or my uncles, and probably mothers, will descend upon Forks and I'm not sure I can handle that happening again."
"Mm, yes you didn't seem to take it too well the last time we visited you here" Demetri said with a fake pout.
Maya just glared at him. "You all tried to eat half the neighbourhood because they weren't 'nice enough' to us or some other ridiculous reason! And when my dad and I wouldn't let you, you guys tried to buy them out!"
"You let these monsters near Charlie?!" Bella shrieked, no longer able to stand being ignored.
"Again Isabella, these people are my family. And they actually like Dad and get along with him. Something you never bother to try and do." Maya told the human with a glare. That was matched by four other glares from her siblings.
The combined weight of it had Bella cowering against Edward as she tried to hide behind him.
"Well I'd say that just about sorts out everything" Demetri said with a grin. Glad that not only would his sister be coming to visit for Christmas but that the news would hopefully soften the blow of having to tell that kings that their little girl had been involved in a battle.
When the three had returned from mopping up the mess in Asia and learned that there was an army near where Maya was they had all panicked. Caius had been half-way out the door before his wife and Aro's (who had apparently snuck out to visit Maya and only just returned as they got sidetracked shopping for picture frames) assured him that Maya was fine. They had then proceeded to distract all three of the kings with photos of Maya grinning in her graduation robes and cap and where they should put up the pictures.
It had worked to distract the kings who, along with their guards, had been upset at not being able to attend her graduation in person. Luckily though the queens had also taken videos of the whole things and that calmed them all down somewhat. At the very least it meant that Caius had not ordered the entire guard to move out and head directly for Forks Washington. But Demetri, Felix, Jane and Alec had been ordered to move out immediately.
They had travelled for 12 hours straight and headed straight for the area in which the most trouble had been reported. From there Demetri had led them straight to this clearing and the sight of their little sister scuffed, bruised and covered in dirt from her fight with them.
Internally grimacing at the picture Aro was going to see when they returned and he read their minds, Demetri shuddered at the thought of the tantrums the king would throw. Especially when he learned that Maya was covering for the newborn that now stood at the seer's side.
His little sis may think that she had them fooled, but the little vampire's traces had been mixed in with the army's since Seattle so Demetri knew his sister was lying. And if he had to take a guess he would say the other three knew it too. But he could also acknowledge (as they probably had as well) that so long as that was the story Maya and the Cullen's stuck to, it wouldn't be an issue. Maya would be happy and no one outside those currently present and the kings would have to know they let the vampire live when they should have killed her.
"Since it appears that everything has been dealt with, we will be going now" Alec told them. He knew the sooner they reported back to the kings that Maya was fine and the danger had passed the better.
The four pulled Maya into brief but tight hugs, promising to call her soon to catch up, before turning away to leave.
Jane however, paused as they were walking away, "Keep in mind, the Volturi don't give second chances. Caius will be interested to know that that thing is still human."
"The date is set" Bella declared, a smug look on her face as the thought of being turned gave her a boost of confidence.
Maya bit back a whimper and thanked their lucky stars that Jane had not turned around so she did not see it, nor did the other three. She knew that they were lucky the tone alone did not set them off. The sight of her smug face would have definitely set them off so bad that they would have killed her then and there. She loved her siblings, she really did, but she also knew that they could be quick to anger. Especially if it felt like they, or the kings, were being disrespected.
Though what she didn't know was that Jane and her brothers had only walked away, not because they didn't catch Bella's tone or smug face but because they all knew that there was a worse fate awaiting the human when she eventually turned. A thought they kept carefully hidden from the mindreader they were in the presence of as they all left.
Maya waved goodbye as the four headed off into the trees once again, only collapsing once she was sure that they were out of range. "Damn, I really thought that Demetri had figured us out for a minute there. What was I thinking trying to lie to my siblings?!"
Jasper patted her on the shoulder, "if it makes you feel any better Darlin' I don't think anyone could tell how badly you were freakin' out."
Alice sped over and quickly pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground as she did so. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I got so worried when they focused on her! If not for you I have no idea about what would have happened!"
"No problem" Maya gasped out, "But could you possibly let me breath Alice?"
"Ohh" Alice said, releasing her, so she fell to the ground and stumbled as she tried to find her footing. "Sorry!"
"No problem," Maya waved her hand, brushing off her thanks as Jasper came up to steady her, "just glad I could help."
"So Edward," Jasper began as he turned to look at the boy, "can I assume that you dealt with Victoria? Or will she continue to be a problem for us?"
"You knew she would find Bella?!" Edward practically screeched as he read the thoughts going through Jasper's mind.
Everyone turned to face Jasper then, who merely shrugged. "The woman was never going to make her final move when everyone else was around. So we needed a trap that would be too good to pass up. A chance she would risk even if her gift was screaming at her to run. And since you decided that you weren't going to help your family in this fight, I thought that you might as well make yourself useful."
"I could have been killed!" Bella screamed beyond furious that anyone would put her in danger like that.
Jasper merely sent her an unimpressed look. "You asked me what you could do to help when we were training. I merely took you up on that offer."
"You set me up to face Victoria alone!" Edward yelled, not liking the fact that some of his family was silently agreeing with what Jasper was saying.
"You left your family to fight an army that was only coming after us because of you and your girlfriend. And besides, I didn't leave you alone. I made sure that the wolves left at least one member of their pack up there with you as support or to call for help if needed. So really you can't claim that I abandoned you to deal with it on your own." Jasper explained calmly.
You -"
"Edward enough" Carlisle said, cutting him off and moving between the boys. "I understand that you are upset that Jasper did not fill you in before hand, but the plan worked. We are all safe now, no one was harmed and there is no longer a threat to this family."
Besides the human Maya added silently as she watched Edward glare at every member of the family in turn as no one took his side.
Not all of them agreed with Jasper's plan, but they had to admit that Edward leaving them to camp with Bella during the fight had not sat right with them. Which is why, given that he made it out okay, they were not angry at Jasper for planning this without telling them.
Reading everyone's minds, Edward glared once more at all of them before picking up Bella and speeding them both back to the house.
Everyone let out a tired sigh as the pair left before turning back to the fires. They all made sure all the evidence of the battle was destroyed before heading back to the house themselves. Carlisle being the exception as he took off almost immediately after the Volturi left to treat Jacob.