Parachutist 2 – Our New World

Chapter 24 – Epilogue

A/N A short epilogue, as I told you. What will Alice See of Bella and Edward's future?

As usual the images for this chapter are on the Twilighted thread. Taking off the parenthesis, here is the link.

http:/www(.)twilighted(.)net/forum/viewtopic(.)php?f=33&t=17854

At the bottom of the chapter, after the end notes, there is a preview of my new story: The Pilgrimage: summary, list of characters and teaser.

Previously, on chapter 23

Bella's heartbeat has gone. Perfect and unmoving, her skin alabaster, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I dimly realize that there are more people in the room and I cover her breasts, now unmarred again, with the sheet…

No PoV

Alice is waiting in the silent house. She could go to her cottage but she won't, because Jasper is here and she would like to support him at least by being nearby. There is not much she can do, otherwise. Bella, Edward, Jasper… they are all suffering. But it will end. There is that: it will end. She is so attuned to her husband that she is almost feeling what he feels, taking Bella's pain on himself, calming it. Edward's voice, going on and on…Alice remembers that when she changed she was all alone, lost in the fire that coursed in her veins… but Bella has Edward, trying to reach her, to distract her. He is reciting something from the Scriptures now. Alice is not particularly religious, but she thinks it is fitting.

A vision she has had many times takes her again. Bella with red eyes, smiling. Now she and Edward are somewhere in the forest. They are hunting together and Alice admires the deadly grace with which they take down their prey. Afterwards garments are flying around and Alice quickly tries to distract herself from the vision of a very happy couple renewing their mating bond. The pain of the change will pass, the fire that is burning Bella right now will pass, but the fire of their passion will go on and on, forever.

But it is not necessary that she averts her inner eyes any longer, because what she Sees changes and then changes again, a string of vignettes moving swiftly one after the other. Bella and Edward together, in a room she does not know, a future house, evidently. They are beaming and opening a package. From it they extract a brightly colored object, thin and square: a black disk comes out… it is a record, but different from the ones she is used to. Alice suddenly knows what it is. So it is true, it will happen, Edward will be a composer, his work recorded. She's happy, so proud and happy for her brother!

Another vision. Bella is sitting at a desk. She is… she seems to be typing, but not on a typewriter. There is no paper sheet, no, there is a screen in front of her, like a TV, and what a strange keyboard! Fascinated by this new writing machine Alice has a glimpse of herself using the same device. Oh, she can't wait to have one.

The family, all together, now, watching a color TV set – she knows already that those are coming. But, how are they dressed? Alice is appalled: horrible, horrible denim trousers with bell bottoms, by God. And wearing brightly colored shirts that are nothing better than undershirts. Ugh. Over my pile of ashes, she thinks, but fears that she will eventually submit to fashion, if that will be the current one.

A new scene makes her gasp. Edward is in Court apparently, and he is… testifying? God this is dangerous, and not so far in time, as the other people, particularly the women are dressed more or less like now. When, what?

But a different vision makes her cry loud: the Volturi, as in the vision about Irina she has had previously. She has never met them in real life, thankfully, Should they know of her gift… But when she described them to Carlisle he confirmed who they were. Now they are sitting on thrones, how sickly pompous. And… Bella and Edward are in front of them, strong and proud. There is not even a hint of fear in their faces.

The image clouds and disappears because what she sees now is Bella, incredibly beautiful, opening her eyes. She flies upstairs... everything else forgotten for a while.

THE END

Endnotes

Last chance to send me a review. Please. And, to all my readers, the best Season's Greetings.

So, that's it. I might be producing future takes, but not right now. Before that, I will take you into the darkest Middle Age. The Volturi indeed, horror, death, and a passionate love story, of course. The title is The Pilgrimage, see teaser below.

In case you wonder about Edward in court, if I ever manage to write it I will be following a hint from Serendipitous. A brush with McCarthyism … we'll see if I get to do it.

As for the final vision: how powerful will Bella be, once turned? Powerful enough to bring down Aro and his coven? I do hope so, but I still have no idea.

So I am saying goodbye to my dear parachutist. It is time to write other stories. I have so many people to thank: my pre-reader Serendipitous and all the people who helped me to figure out US and Canada in the '40s: Andy, Jmolly, Sebastien Robichaud, Philadelphic and Maniac Motherland. This side of the Ocean there is my Italian pre-reader Raum, Alberto B and many patient friends. Don't miss my pre readers' stories, they are great.

The Pilgrimage

The story is currently being posted on Twilighted net but will come here too, in due time. There I am just Camilla, if you want to have a look already. It is up to you, going there or wait for the pilgrims to reach fanfiction net.

Summary: AD 1353. Europe has been ravaged by the plague, and millions died. Now the scourge has ended and religion is flourishing. To thank God for their deliverance, or to atone for the sins of their dead loved ones, many people will go on pilgrimages, either to near or far away destinations. We will follow a number of such pilgrims, willing to worship at San Marcus' shrine. But, things are not always what they seem. The handsome young monk leading them is very pale under his cowl, and he appears to be fasting all the time. Plus, all of them have secrets and very few are innocent. Will they find love or death at the end of the journey?

This is a Pre Twilight AU story. It is rather dark and there are no Edward and Bella, obviously. Feel like reading it all the same? I hope so, because I promise you a passionate love story, despite the setting. The rating is NC 17, for violence, sex and, just in one case, slash.

Characters in The Pilgrimage

A. Humans - The pilgrims

Aligi:a young pilgrim, atoning for his father's sins and with something to hide.

Alina: a beautiful horsewoman from Arezzo, mysteriously connected to Aligi. She will join the pilgrimage later.

Omodeo: an arbalester from Genoa, still mourning Fulco, the man he loved and died at Crecy.

Bonizella:a merchant's widow, harboring a dark secret.

Cosimo: a notary, who is not shy of messing with the wills entrusted to him and now is planning murder.

Duccio &Baldo: a butcher and his brother. Baldo is simpleminded and, as it is often the case, extremely perceptive.

Guerrino: an apothecary, who fears the vengeful ghost of a woman he wronged.

Velia & Masino:a rich woman from Montalcino, widowed twice, and her henpecked son.

Ada: a wet nurse, who has lost her child.

Vanna: a midwife, who meddles too much.

Leonello:a mediocre painter looking for work, with his apprentice.

Morello: a horse.

Other pilgrims, unnamed. Among them two embroiderers, a baker, a farrier, a beekeeper, a cheese maker….

B. Vampires

Aro:the "Abbot",leader of the Volturi coven, with his two "brothers":

Marcus:the Order of Saint Marcus' Librarian, and

Caius:the Order of Saint Marcus' Cellarer.

Adso:the monk guiding the pilgrims to Saint Marcus' Shrine. Formerly a Dominican novice, he is now a Lure for the Volturi.

Ruby: an attractive female. She is the Volturi's tracker.

Dominic: a gifted member of the Volturi Guard.

Godenzo:a priest turned vampire by the Volturi, with the gift of making humans sleep.(He was able to do this even when human and preaching).

Tanya:a gorgeous succubus.

Irina: her "sister".

Anomad:who has something to reveal.

Other members of the Volturi coven, unnamed.

Teaser

From Chapter 4 – At the well

Unaware of the murderous intent one of his sheep was harboring, the monk was lost in his thoughts. He would have to convince Aligi to leave. After all, the capacity to persuade was his talent, as mind reading was Aro's, and bond detecting was Marcus' - that broken shell of a vampire,since he had lost his mate.

Mates… Adso had never found his and it was better so, he thought. He understood lust, had experienced it with Tanya but … love was another matter entirely. There was something intrinsically wrong with pairing the concept of vampire with the concept of one finding love. One of his teachers in Saint Peter's Monastery - a saintly old man, dead well before Adso's flight - had not been afraid of speaking to him of what could pass between a woman and a man.

"You will encounter human love among the people you'll confess and will preach to, and you'll have to understand, even if you are not going to experience it" he had said. "The God Lord doesn't despise flesh. His own Son became flesh. Therefore the sacred bond between a man and his wife comprises both the spirit and the flesh. Very often, however, the flesh prevails, and people sin. But, when there is perfect equilibrium, with no selfishness, no greed, then human love mirrors divine love. Never forget that, my son."

Adso had not spoken then, ashamed because what had bonded his mother and his father for a while had been sinful, obviously. But the lesson had stayed with him. Until the night he lost his virginity and became a vampire, that is. And what he had seen of humanity since then had dispelled every illusion of love. As for vampires, most of them were like animals. Pitiless predators, what had love to do with them? They rutted, just that. Still, some animal species mated for life, he knew it. It was a conundrum he had never solved: To murder wantonly and to love eternally seemed an impossible contradiction, as selfishness ruled murderers and true love was all about unselfishness. How could anyone make a habit of killing, and yet love another person infinitely? How could the purity of one act survive the filthy blackness of the other? It puzzled him. Oh, If only there was a way of feeding without killing...

The sun had gone for the day. It was time to lead the night prayer and tell his pilgrims to go to sleep. When Adso's pure tenor voice intoned the Compline hymn "Te Lucis Ante Terminum" nobody joined him, for a while. Despite the constraining discipline imposed by Gregorian music on human voices - or maybe because of it – It seemed to the awed pilgrims that this was the way angels sang. Had the vampire been a mind reader, he would have found the idea extremely ironic.