Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, not making any money off this, yadda yadda.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing guys!

Rating: Mature, 18+. Death, gore, and heavy romantic elements are not glazed over.

WAITING BETWEEN WORLDS

∞ Chapter 5: The Reunion ∞

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. The smell of smoke and incense wafted through the air, just as pungent now as it'd been hours ago when the festival had begun in Volterra.

She smelled blood as well, which wasn't surprising in the slightest, especially with how many were out celebrating. Thousands of possibilities and fragrances drifting all around her, singing and dancing and being human, innocently unaware as to the predator that was hiding in the shadows. And despite having not feed in almost two weeks, she didn't feel a single twinge of the usual hunger they should've stirred inside of her.

Perhaps it was because none of their scents compared to Beau's.

For a fleeting moment she wished she could immerse herself in the bouquet that was his blood, just one last time, but fate had already robbed her of the possibility. Beau was already gone, and with him he had taken what remained of both her heart and soul. Now, she could only hope that whatever gods existed—if any—would take pity on her in the afterlife. And if they did, they might yet allow her one last chance to see him again.

Edythe Cullen stepped into the sun.

∞ Beau ∞

He kept his thoughts guarded, unsure as to what would happen when he arrived, but it turned out to not matter in the end—

Edward Cullen could not hear his thoughts, just like Edythe hadn't been able to. Following the wolves' departure, the next day was filled with silent torture: Beau hadn't spent an ounce of thought planning ahead until shortly before Edward and Alice's arrival. It hadn't even occurred to him, really, the potential dangers of Edward being able to read his thoughts. He didn't want to have to explain the names of people he loved, nor did he want to find himself caught off-guard by any pressing questions that would force his hand and reveal who he was.

How could he explain that he was somehow from another timeline of the same universe, and they just happened to have striking similarities? How would they not think he was crazy if he, (arguably a total stranger to them), started talking about the possibility of parallel worlds and realities?

"You aren't the first Cullen family I've met." He'd say, pausing for dramatic effect. "I've met all of you before—in another life, or world, one which I was known as Beaufort Swan."

Just the thought made him cringe. The voice inside his head grew louder as the hours swept by, whispering the dark, unspoken fears that lingered in his heart: what if Edward heard his thoughts? Would he approach him privately, or would he immediately confront him with his family nearby, demanding for him to explain it all—

How could he explain why he was lying and tricking his family? And if he did hear his thoughts and the truth was forced out of him, what then? Beau doubted they'd believe him. They would peg him as delusional, perhaps even console him with the thought that he might've been a tad touched as a human being. Perhaps, like Archie Cullen, he had been gifted with sight or vision, and that was what had led him this far north to them after turning. It was utter madness just considering the possibilities, almost as maddening as the idea that the life he'd had before was real, and he'd just happened to ripple into another parallel world. The more he thought of it the more lost he felt.

By the time morning rolled around, Beau didn't even realize he was still seated on the couch with Wuthering Heights propped in his lap. He'd read the same chapter four times now and hadn't progressed any further. It wasn't until Jasper and Emmett joined him, announcing that they were going to go hunting, that Beau finally managed to escape the impending doom that was approaching. Beau joined them without a second thought, losing himself for a short while to bloodlust.

And when they returned—after several hours of being the target of Emmett's endless guffawing and jokes, most of which had been targeted at his 'preferences' for hunting ("you prefer deer? Deer?"), as well as his apparently poor tactics ("I guess I can check 'seeing a bull set loose in a China shop' off my bucket list"—though even Beau hadn't been able to choke back his laughter at this one, and even Jasper cracked a grin)—they had already arrived.

Both Edward and Alice.

Beau had been building himself up to an onslaught of emotion the moment he saw either of them. Out of all the Cullens, aside from Edythe, he had been closest to Archie. And then there was Edward himself, or Edythe's proposed replacement—something he didn't think was truly possible. However much Edward might be similar to Edythe, he argued in his head, they still weren't the same person—

And yet they were. They both were.

All the stitches in his heart were cut open in a matter of seconds. Luckily for him, he'd only had a few to begin with, and managed to keep his composure for the most part. He'd grown accustomed to the gaping hole in his heart since Edythe had left him, and also when Julie—who was the only person that had helped him begin to heal after the Cullens left—had also cut him from her life.

It made it no less painful to see the most important person in his life in the face of a man, however.

Coppery hair, perfect, pale skin, and warm golden eyes. Like butterscotch, or topaz. He was an Adonis in the flesh. His voice was melodic and gentle, throwing him back through his hazy human memories to when he'd first met Edythe Cullen. Edward Cullen, while different from her, was still her twin in every way.

He could see her in his curious eyes and tentative smile. Several hyperventilating seconds later, that smile twisted into a look he'd seen before: confusion, frustration, then shock.

'You can't hear this, can you?'

Edward's bewildered expression told him no, he couldn't.

Alice, unaware as to the crisis her brother was going through, embraced him with open arms.

"You're Beau!" She danced towards him, all grace and long legs. Her pixie haircut brought focus to her heart-shaped face, particularly her brilliant smile. "My name's Alice."

If she was surprised by his appearance, she didn't show it in the slightest. She leaned towards him and brought him into a loose hug, the top of her head hovering just below his shoulder. Before Beau could even say anything, she continued, her enthusiasm bubbling over.

"I won't lie," Alice grinned up at him, "I might've taken a peak or two after Carlisle called to let us know we had a new member of the 'family', so I knew what to expect when we got back home."

"What do you mean?" Beau asked. He felt like he was reading from a script. He knew all the lines, but he was obligated to speak them anyways. To play along. He couldn't tell if he was a good actor or not, but Alice was warming up to him just fine. There was a familiar sparkle in her eyes that reminded him eerily of Archie.

"I can see things—the future." Alice explained impatiently. She was glowing with excitement, like he was some new, unexpected present for her to unwrap. Beau found himself smiling too, unable to help himself. "It's not always easily defined, and it's prone to changing at the drop of a dime, but it helps give us an idea of what's to come."

"Though," she said curiously once releasing him, "I didn't see you coming." She frowned.

'Right.' Beau thought to himself. 'Edythe and Archie always said he was most sensitive to visions of other vampires.' He warily glanced back to Edward again.

That same look of frustration remained, growing more and more potent by the second. When he realized Edward was staring back at him, he looked away quickly, feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise. Even though Edward very obviously couldn't hear his thoughts, it felt like they were spelling out across his face for him to read like an open book.

'Just look away.' He pleaded silently, but another quick glance told him he was still under scrutiny. Beau felt himself growing more nervous, adding to the queasiness building inside him. It didn't help how full he was right now, practically brimming to the edge with fresh blood. He'd gorged himself to the point of feeling sick—a poor choice, one he should've learned after living in the woods for two weeks, but once he started to drink it was difficult to pull away. He didn't want to imagine how badly he'd lose it if he crossed paths with a human.

"—and of course," Alice was still talking cheerily, forcing him back to reality. It felt like his ears were popping as he tried to concentrate on what she was saying. "This is Edward."

"Edward Cullen." Edward said softly. He stepped forward finally, extending his hand in a friendly gesture. Like Beau didn't know who he was. Almost mechanically, he offered his own hand, shaking briefly before releasing him.

"My name's Beaufort—though I doubt you aren't aware of that by now." His smile felt fake, but he tried anyways.

"Beaufort, but you prefer Beau, don't you?" Edward asked in a friendly way. His eyes were still unnervingly fixated on him, searching for some clue to the mystery of the silence between his ears. Beau's hand felt like it was burning when he pulled away, nodding. It was a painful, unpleasant sensation—

Wrong, wrong, wrong, his body recoiled from him. Beau lost himself for several seconds, staring back at Edward with the same intense scrutiny he was being observed with. But where Edward was simply confused and bewildered, perhaps even frustrated, Beau was looking for her. He expected Edythe to start laughing at him any moment now,and reach up to pull away a mask she was wearing, revealing herself once and for all. Edward's perfect face remained unchanged. He kept staring at him motionlessly, his expression growing more intense, concentrating.

Beau knew he wouldn't hear him. He never would.

A peculiar sensation rippled around him suddenly: a flimsy bubble—glistening faintly, just out of sight of his direct vision, but he could see it distinctly whenever he tried to find it in his peripherals—was tightening around his body, expanding and stretching as it unfurled over him from head to toe. He became hyper-aware that his hand wasn't the only thing on fire anymore, but his heart was too. The edges kept burning and burning, until it finally snuffed out, cauterized. Cold and dead, like a vampire, the emotions draining from him.

"Beau?" A quiet, concerned voice reached for him, dragging him out of whatever dark depths he'd crawled into. Jasper had casually joined his side at some point, extending a wave of calmness in his direction. Beau glanced at him, uncertain. How long was he standing there? Was he watching us? Jasper wasn't looking at him though. His eyes were only for Alice, who was discussing in a more serious tone the events that'd occurred in Volterra.

"The Volturi might've let us go for now, but they won't be forgetting what happened." She shook her head, looking at them all worriedly.

"Of course they won't." Carlisle frowned. "This is probably the most exciting thing they've had happen in decades, especially since she was so averse to their abilities."

He looked at Alice in concern. "Do you see them coming for her, Alice?"

"No—" Alice threw a weary glance at Edward suddenly. "Not right away, at least. We might be able to buy some time, but at the end of the day, we can avoid all of this if we just do what they want—"

"No." Edward interjected angrily. "We aren't turning her. Not right now."

For once, Beau didn't have to pretend he was confused. He didn't understand what they were talking about: who were the Volturi? Who were they coming for? Where was Volterra? He wracked his brain for memories, but they seemed sluggish to come to the surface, unwilling. His human memories were becoming more and more difficult to navigate through as time bled on. Volturi sounded distantly familiar, but Beau couldn't recall where he'd heard it.

"What do you exactly propose then, Edward?" Alice snipped. The bubble of positivity was popped.

"When the time comes—and you said yourself that it probably won't be for years," Edward stressed the word sharply. Beau shivered, distinctly recalling Edythe saying something like this to him many, many times. A few more years being human wouldn't matter, she'd told him once. Twice. Ten times. "I'll take her somewhere safe."

"Your plan is to play hide-and-seek?" Rosalie's beautiful face was carved in ice, just as cold as her tone. "You do realize that if they can't find her, they'll just come looking for us, right?"

It was then Beau connected the dots: whatever threat they were talking about (the Volturi, Victoria), it had to do with Isabella Swan. The 'Bella' he had heard referenced to so many times. Edward's human mate. Esme had spoken briefly of her just the night before, a shy smile on her face. To a newborn vampire who wanted nothing more than to feed on human blood (more than anything else), it must've felt strange to confide in him such a sadistic secret. Bella, the daring, brave human who Edward loved and refused to turn. Bella, who had hurt herself trying to take on a vampire by herself in Phoenix, Arizona, last summer, just to spare the rest of them from being harmed.

Bella, another version of himself in this life.

"We'll discuss this more later." Carlisle cut in before anyone else had a chance to argue. "Right now, let's get settled in. Our focus right now should be Victoria. She's an immediate threat not just to Bella but all of us here." He paused, glancing at each of them carefully, like he was seeking some form of approval from them all. There was no contest—no contest except for Rosalie. She let loose a noise of contempt, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder, but otherwise remained quiet. The rest of the Cullens appeared to be in agreement, especially Emmett, who looked positively thrilled at the idea of going on a hunt for one of their own kind. Carlisle's gaze found Beau last.

"Beau—" He started again, hesitantly this time. "You're still new to us—not just to our family but being a vampire as well. Our lifestyle isn't something that's easy to adjust to, even as a vampire who's learned to control themselves around humans."

"What he means to say." Esme held open the front door, gesturing for them to head inside. The motion felt somehow motherly to Beau, like she was ushering all her kids inside. "Is that we don't expect you to join us in this if you aren't comfortable. If you do choose to help, we won't have you going anywhere near humans for the time being." Emmett smirked and threw an obvious look towards Jasper. Beau pretended not to notice. "At least not until you've had more time to adjust and learn. But if you'd like to help by joining us on patrols, I don't think anyone would protest the extra help."

One by one he felt the eyes of six vampires turn to look at him. The blood in his gut churned unpleasantly at the attention, but it wasn't nearly as unpleasant as the hole burning into the side of his face. He didn't need to turn and look to know whose gaze it belonged to.

"It's the least I could do." Beau nodded, uncrossing his arms. Alice beamed at him, giving him much-needed strength. "Just tell me where and when, otherwise I'll stay near the house. If this Victoria is hunting after Bella," his voice dipped at her name, tasting its unfamiliarity, "then I want to help. You guys have done so much more for me than you can imagine."

Unwittingly, his eyes sought Edward's. He wanted the sincerity of his words to be felt. He wanted it almost desperately. It was the most honest thing he'd said since meeting them, and if anything needed to believable, it was this.

Beau wasn't supposed to meet Bella for the foreseeable future, and he was perfectly content with this. As painful as it had been to meet the rest of the Cullens—especially Edward and Alice—he didn't think he was ready to meet the version of himself that still had a chance at their dreams. He didn't let himself dwell on her often, even though his purpose over the next several days surrounded her. He dove into the responsibilities given to him with abnormal enthusiasm, taking any opportunity he could to escape from the house.

Correction: to escape from Edward. He wasn't Edythe, just like the others technically weren't his vampires, but it made it easier to sort through his emotions and thoughts when he wasn't constantly reminded of her. There were times when he thought Edward was going to say something to him—either about his mind-reading, or the fact that he couldn't hear any of his thoughts at all—but every time they found themselves alone together they were mercifully interrupted. Beau listened intently to the conversations going on around him when he could, trying to catch some whiff of uncertainty or confusion over anything about who he claimed to be or the story he'd sold them on. Surprisingly, no one seemed at odds over him—no one except Edward, of course. And while Beau was sure that Edward had probably mentioned his lack of mental presence to Carlisle and the others by now, no one seemed quite as fixated on this as Edward himself.

The frustration in his eyes remained ever-present, but it began to abate as the hunt for Victoria took off. Nothing mattered more than Bella's safety. It helped, too, when Edward and Alice once more resumed school.

It was on a rainy day—just five days after Edward and Alice's return, completing the Cullen family reunion—that Beau finally got a moment to himself from everyone. Edward and Alice disappeared in the Volvo for school to keep up the facade of their recent return, but where secretly just attending to keep Bella and the student body safe. The good Dr. Cullen had returned to work at Forks Hospital, ready to continue his life's work of repentance; he also wanted to be ready in the event there were any humans that survived one of Victoria's attacks. Beau didn't want to imagine the horror of what a regular doctor would think if an ambulance pulled up with a vampire victim as its cargo. Esme and Emmett were patrolling the northern border near Clallam Bay, continuing eastward towards the highway that would branch further south into eastern Washington; from there, Jasper and Rosalie covered the territory all the way down to the invisible line that separated the Quileute reservation from the rest of the world.

He threw on a gray jacket after stuffing the edges of his shirt into his blue jeans, then headed out into the rain. Beau had hated Forks before, with its endless greenery and constant overcast, but it'd since grown on him, especially after turning. Hiking was no longer deplorable and navigating through the woods had become second nature to him. It helped he wasn't in constant fear of tripping over something or hitting a stray branch with his head.

He headed down the yard to the tree line, following the dirt path to the edge of the Calawah River. The last time he was here was when he had been running for his life, but now it looked peaceful, inviting even. Werewolf-free. The water gurgled loudly, breaking over the rocky edges in angry crashes. All around him Beau could make out the wildlife: the birds were singing their pretty morning songs, sunshine or not, and a herd of deer were grazing deep into the forest on the other side of the river.

Nearly an hour passed and he'd lost track of how far into the woods he'd gone. The wind beat pleasantly against his back, pushing him further east until he came to a fork in the river. After just a moment's hesitation he continued along the lower fork, hands jammed into his pockets, head tilted back to stare up at the sky. He was so lost in thought that if he hadn't casually brought his attention forward, he would've missed her altogether.

Beau froze, his body, his breathing, all of it.

She was trembling from head to toe, and while a normal person would've assumed it was due to the chilly breeze sweeping through the trailhead, he knew that wasn't the case for her. She was from the reservation, there was no doubt about that. He stared at her warily, unwilling to speak least of all breathe. If he took in a breath he might very well smell wet dog (or wet wolf, as would be the case), but a small part of him, that point-zero-one percent that couldn't truly be sure of what she was, didn't dare risk it. Some of the tribe members were simply human. Not all of them were werewolves… though, the more he looked, the more Beau became certain of what she was.

His eyes swept over her, taking in her appearance. Her hair was cut into messy, unprofessional layers, like someone had taken a pair of scissors and angrily chopped all her hair off at some point; it hung against her forehead and cheeks wetly, framing her face. In some strange way, the emotion behind her 'look' somehow felt wholly unique to her—real and unaltered, like she couldn't be bothered to put on a show for anyone, even for herself. It told a story that drew him in for a second look. His eyes stole away to the rest of her face, drinking in the purse of her lips (unsmiling, but she wasn't grimacing at him at least) and a long nose, all the way up to her eyes, where he paused finally.

He was startled at the lack of hostility in them. Chocolate brown eyes watched him with very much the same confliction he was feeling, but there was something else to them that he was missing—something not so easily deciphered. For some inexplicable reason, Beau found himself fixating on the emotion. He unintentionally took a step forward to get a closer look when he realized his mistake. Beau froze again, every muscle in his body going rigid in preparation of whatever was to come and yet… She didn't move. Like him, she seemed just as paralyzed.

A roar of thunder suddenly ripped overheard, startling them both. When he looked back at her a half-second later he saw that she was trembling even harder still, drawing his attention to everything else he'd overlooked. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a white tank top. Both were soaking and clinging to her feminine figure—absolutely clinging to her, he realized suddenly. The white material clung to her stomach and chest, allowing him to easily make out the supple curve of her breasts. Even against the light material, the warm coloring of her skin was just so prominent… honestly, she might as well have not been wearing it at all—

"Hello." Beau forced his eyes back up, both embarrassed at his temporary lapse of self-control, while also deeply thankful he couldn't blush any longer. A tentative taste of the air confirmed his suspicions, though thankfully the smell wasn't nearly as bad with the rain and wind blowing towards her, rather than the other way around. It was likely why he hadn't noticed her to begin with: her scent hadn't been carried towards him.

"You're the one from the other night." She spoke. Her voice trembled just like the rest of her body. "The one that was in the woods with us."

"The one that you were all hunting, you mean." Beau corrected, unable to stop the accusatory tone. Although the situation with the wolves had been 'resolved', there was no way in hell he was letting her call a spade anything other than a spade. The wolves had been hunting him, it hadn't been a friendly frolic through the forest.

"Hunting, yes, sorry—that's what I meant." She made a face, her lips twisting into a grimace, like the memory of it was somehow painful for her. "I figured since we're on the same side—"

He raised a brow.

"Fine." She huffed. "Since we're technically on the same side right now, with this female vampire that's trying to get at the Swan girl and all, I figured that reminding you that we had been hunting you the other night wasn't the best idea."

"Well," he frowned. "It isn't exactly something I'm going to forget anytime soon."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She asked, annoyance bleeding into her pretty voice.

"What do you think it means?" Now that he was talking, Beau suddenly couldn't stop talking. The calamity of emotions he'd been bottling up the last few days—hell, since he had escaped from the clutches of the wolves the first time and ran into the Cullens—rose inside him explosively, greeting her anger head-on.

"Do you think it means that I'm planning on holding onto it as a grudge or something?" He asked, taking a sideways step towards the river—not closer to her, but not further away, either. She was watching him closely, though he was doubtful she'd take her eyes off him for even a single second. "Or that I'm just making sure you remember what happened as clearly as I do: that your pack set off after me like hounds after a fox?" Beau exhaled loudly. "Pretending something else happened isn't going to change what happened."

"Or," she cut in angrily, her brown eyes suddenly alive with fire. "Maybe I can't tell if you're trying to intimidate me right or just being a jackass."

Beau opened and closed his mouth several times, a flood of unspoken, unfiltered words burning the tip of his tongue. Their burns didn't quiet him so much as she did. For how angry he felt—angry over what had happened in the woods, angry at how lost he felt right now—it felt shallow in comparison to the hurt he saw in her eyes. It lasted just a few seconds, but it was long enough or Beau to see it, which meant he couldn't ignore it. He held his tongue just long enough to let the emotions inside him deflate inside his chest, and once he could breathe properly again, he continued.

"Sorry." Beau said roughly. "It's been a long last few days. Well, a long last few months, really." He was surprised that he meant it, but he did. It was difficult enough dealing with his own emotions, and taking it out on her—a mostly innocent outsider to his situation—felt wrong and dirty. She didn't say anything else at first, but the trembling seemed to ease slightly at his apology.

"It's fine. I'm Leah, by the way. We met the other day in the clearing." She said offhandedly. Beau remembered her, of course: the gray she-wolf, the one that acted so strangely. He didn't comment on it, instead nodding at her. Leah took that as encouragement to continue. "It was my brother that you came across at the store that night. He didn't realize what you were doing—he thought you were looking for a poor sod to feed off from the bar across the street."

'And there it is.' Beau thought grimly, the guilt inside of him expanding immediately. He could still hear the resounding pops of bones crunching inside his head, loud and clear as day.

"That wasn't the case at all, I promise." The words flowed easier this time now that he was breathing normally again. "I didn't have any money on me, and for the sake of not hurting any of the humans nearby, I waited until it was dark and looked empty before I went in to get new clothes."

"Before you broke in, you mean." Leah corrected him, crossing her arms over her chest. The pointed look she gave him made his lips twitch upwards—almost into a smile, but not quite.

"Broke in, right." He conceded. One for one, then. "I broke into the store to get some clothes. I'm still adjusting to this life, and I'm taking all precautions to avoid killing anyone unnecessarily."

It was quiet for a minute or so, both feeding off the other's energy as the air settled. Beau rested near a sweeping pine tree, leaning back against its rough bark. It was quiet for so long that his eyes strayed from Leah, instead watching the water rush by.

"So." She spoke again, this time much more hesitantly. "You're a new bloodsuck—er, vampire, right?"

Beau glanced back at her carefully, noticing the sudden shift in tone. Was he mistaking it? Her eyes were still cautious, and she was still trembling slightly, but... was that a note of softness to her voice he'd heard? No, he had to have been imagining it…

He sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"And you're not out patrolling with the others so close to town because…" she trailed off slowly, realization hitting her.

"Because I don't want to hurt anyone." Beau said simply, filling in the gaps.

If Beau hadn't been watching her, he would've missed her taking a step towards him. She was angled to face him where he lingered by the river's edge, arms crossed over her chest—no doubt, he realized, to cover herself. Beau quickly looked up at her face again. Even from this far away, he was positive he could make out a faint blush on her cheeks.

"You really are just like the rest of them, then, the Cullens."

"If by that you mean I refuse to feed on humans, then yes." He said more quietly now, though he was sure she heard him still. "Just because I am a monster doesn't mean I want to be one."

Another lapse of silence filled the air between them, though this time it felt different. Calmer. The storm brewing between them passing temporarily, allowing a moment of peaceful reprieve. And Beau watched as, bit by bit, Leah began to tremble less and less, until finally the moment came when it seemed stopped altogether.

[End Chapter]

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