GLADIOLUS || FELIX VOLTURI

ten - the intruder.

Rowan didn't socialize much when she went to stay at Emily's for the night. She pretty much immediately fell asleep. The blaring alarm she set for work woke her up bright and early though – early enough that she assumed anyone else in the cabin was still asleep. After quickly turning the alarm off, Rowan quickly got dressed in clothes appropriate for work, and did so as quietly as she could – hoping to not disturb anyone. She devised a plan in her head to quietly slip out of the guest room, and make her way quietly out of the door before anyone could wake up and hear her leave. It's not that she didn't want to speak to anyone – it was more that she didn't know entirely what to say given the events of the past few weeks.

Rowan put her plan into action. She packed whatever few items she brought for the night, and quietly walked up to the door leading to the main living room. The floorboards creaked with every other step, causing Rowan to wince each time a noise was too loud for comfort. She took a breath, then slowly opened the door, hoping the creaking of the rusted door hinges didn't wake Emily.

Rowan was on her way to the entryway, plan almost complete, until she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Rowan froze mid-step, similar to a deer caught in headlights. She slowly turned her head to look at who exactly made the sound and wasn't too shocked to see Emily standing a few feet away from her, arms crossed, and an annoyed expression on her face.

"Oh, uh, good morning," Rowan said, straightening her posture as she spoke. She knew nothing could make her look less guilty at this point, so she mentally accepted whatever lecture she was about to receive.

"Were you really leaving without saying anything? A 'goodbye' perhaps? Or, oh, I don't know, an 'I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in a while Emily. Stuff is crazy in vampire land. I'll remember to call you and make sure you know I'm safe though. So you don't have to hear through Paul that I'm still alive!' You know, that would be nice every once in a while!" Emily said, frustration building with each spoken word.

Rowan winced hearing the last part of Emily's rant. The truth definitely did hurt. "I know, I know. I'm really sorry. There's been a lot going on and – I know it's not an excuse I just – I'm sorry Emily." Rowan sighed, placing her bag on the ground. She made her way to the small dining table centered near the kitchen. Emily sighed as well, and grabbed two mugs from the kitchen counter before joining Rowan at the table too.

Rowan's eyes widened as Emily gently slid a mug towards her, taking it with a thankful nod. "Don't worry. It's tea. I know you don't like coffee," Emily said with a knowing smile, before taking a sip of her own mug filled with coffee.

"Thank you. I didn't doubt you," Rowan said with a smile of her own.

The two sat in a moment of silence, sipping their own respective drinks. Emily finally placed her mug on the table, the clinking noise cutting through the comfortable silence. "You know, I didn't expect to grow so close to you. I assumed when I gave you my number that you'd honestly ignore it and just throw it away. I never expected you to actually reach out, or actually accept my invitation to come over."

"Why? You've always been really nice to me. Of course I reached out," Rowan said, her tone laced with confusion.

Emily shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe I assumed you were like your cousin. I shouldn't have assumed that though. Plus, I'm glad I was wrong. The more you came over, the more we all started to love you. And God, don't get me started on Paul, you're practically his sister at this point," she finished with a laugh. Rowan stared speechless, partially in shock, but mainly because she hadn't fully realized until this moment how much she had friends that truly cared for her.

"Needless to say, in the five months you've been here, you've grown a family around you. The pack all cares about you. We love when you can visit. Me, especially. Don't push us away during all this, alright? I don't know everything, and I don't need to, but you can always come to me and there won't be judgment. You're always safe here, got it?" Emily said, reaching out to grab Rowan's hand, giving her hand a firm squeeze with a gentle smile.

Rowan gave Emily a nod, laughing nervously while doing so. She took a shuddery inhale of air, and did everything in her power not to tear up. It was no secret that Charlie, while he had his moments, wasn't always the best at communicating his emotions. Bella certainly wasn't the best at it either. Rowan used to be better, but the passing of her father stunted that ability. Though, Rowan's father, he almost seemed a natural of it. He wasn't afraid to communicate his emotions to his daughter, and even voiced the importance of it. He raised Rowan so she would have an understanding that none of her feelings were shameful, and they all had a purpose.

Rowan had forgotten what that was like, to have someone that could express themselves like that in her life. That's why Emily's words touched her on a deeper level. "Thank you," Rowan rasped out, clearing her throat quickly to hide her wobbly voice. "I'll come over more, I promise."

Emily, who could very well see how emotional Rowan was, only smiled and nodded. She knew Rowan well enough that she knew her friend would recover better in silence. Emily knew to offer her comfort in other ways. "Well, I don't want you late for work. Would you like breakfast to take on the road?"

"Oh, sure. Yes, I'd really appreciate that," Rowan said with a nod, though looking away to hide her watery eyes.

After a few minutes, Rowan felt good enough to show her face again, and Emily was finished packing a small breakfast for her friend. "It isn't much. Just some toast and a couple of muffins – I know you need to be on your way. I packed a small lunch too in case you needed food later. Oh! And don't worry about returning the containers, keep em' if you like."

Rowan stared at the food Emily had prepared, and without saying another word, she stepped forward, wrapping her friend in a hug. Rowan did so much taking care of her family, it was nice to feel taken care of for once.

Emily gave her a tight hug back. "Call me when you get there, okay? And drive safe. I heard the weather's supposed to be bad here soon." Rowan's laughter was muffled into her shoulder, "Yeah, gotta love that Washington weather." As the two released, and Rowan grabbed her things, she looked back at Emily before reaching the door, "Thank you again. I'll keep in touch better. Promise." Emily nodded with an understanding smile, "No worries. And like I said, drive safe!" With a laugh, Rowan walked out the door with a wave, "Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry! I'm a perfect driver!"

---

Other than her chat with Emily, the rest of Rowan's Sunday passed by uneventfully. Work was slow, as it was on most Sundays. Really, Rowan had nothing much to look forward to, other than Bella coming back home. Normally, now that they made up, she would be looking forward to spending time with her cousin. But now, she only felt anxiety on the matter.

Did Bella know about Victoria?

Certainly, Bella would have told her if she did?

And why was Bella so weird about Felix?

She definitely knows more than she's saying.

Once Rowan got out of work, she immediately went home and was ready to confront her cousin with every question she had. Though, that plan died quickly when she came home to Bella being gone and at the Cullen's home. With a sigh, Rowan sat next to Charlie on the couch. Whatever, I'll press her tomorrow on it, she thought to herself.

As she sat there, thoughts racing in her head, she suddenly noticed that the TV was muted. This caught Rowan off guard, mainly because Charlie rarely had the TV muted, even when working off the clock. She glanced at the file on the coffee table, then at the paperwork in his hand. She recognized the picture attached to the file, knew the story even, but didn't know the name.

"He still missing then?" Rowan spoke up, causing Charlie to look up from his work. She hadn't been able to spend as much time as she usually did with her Uncle, and being this close to him, she now could see how much overtime was starting to impact him. The dark bags under his eyes had never looked worse, his skin looking more pale than usual. His expression too – it just looked so tired. He looked so much like her father at that moment, sickly and exhausted.

"Yeah. Riley Biers. Local boy. Parents are worried sick," Charlie said, returning his focus back to his work. Rowan stared in shock at his current state. It likely wouldn't faze most people to see the Sheriff looking tired doing overtime night after night, but it did Rowan. It shocked her to see the man that looked most like her father, resemble him in such a bad way. She had seen her father at much worse, but the way her Uncle looked now resembled her father at the start of his sickness, and it was enough to scare her to her core.

"Uncle Charlie, you have to take better care of yourself. Here, I'll- I'll start dinner," Rowan said quickly, jumping up off the couch. As she quickly paced to the kitchen, she glanced over her shoulder at her Uncle, "Just...please. Take a break."

Charlie had glanced up from his work, and while he didn't say anything, he could see the hint of worry on his niece's expression. That was enough of a hint that maybe he truly did need a break for the night. With a nod, he closed the folder, and stood up himself. Rowan gave her Uncle a confused look, "What are you doing? I can make dinner, you don't worry about it."

Charlie shook his head, "No, no. You don't have to do everything yourself. Here, let's get a bite to eat at the diner. It's been a while anyway," he said with a small smile.

So, the two went out to dinner. Nothing fancy, but perfect for both of them. When they returned, Bella was still with Edward. Charlie's sigh didn't go unnoticed by Rowan, but she said nothing. Only thanked him again for dinner. While it wasn't very late, it was clear Charlie was exhausted, so he went straight to bed, and Rowan decided to go to her bedroom as well. She would run into Bella eventually, that much she was sure of.

---

That Monday morning, Rowan meant to get up early enough to talk to Bella about Victoria, but she slept through her alarm. Upon seeing it was already nearing noon, Rowan shot out of bed and started to get ready for her shift at 1 pm. She rarely slept in later than 10 am, so this was enough to make Rowan nearly panic as she ran around looking for clothes for work.

Thankfully, Rowan made it to the bookstore on time. It was a shorter shift than usual, though still busier than what she expected for a Monday afternoon. Once she got out at 7 pm, the sun was just slowly starting to set. "Wow, nothing like spending your entire day at work," Rowan muttered to herself, sighing as she realized her entire day was almost gone. Once she got home, she immediately made time to tend to her garden in the front of the house and in the backyard. By the time she was done, it was nearly dark out.

Once she finally headed inside, she noticed her Uncle asleep on the couch, an open file on his chest. With a sigh, she covered him up with a blanket, setting the file on Riley Biers on the coffee table. She made sure to keep it open, not to ruin any work he was in the middle of. The weight of her exhaustion sunk in as she walked up the stairs, and after a quick shower, she fell fast asleep on top of her bed just around 8 pm. Too exhausted to even get under the covers.

It wasn't a long nap. She was woken abruptly to the sound of knocking on the front door at 10 pm. Feeling incredibly groggy, Rowan stumbled to her bedroom door, cracking it and listening to whoever was downstairs. She couldn't hear exactly what was said, but could hear the voices of her Uncle, Bella, and then Edward conversing. With a shrug, she shut her door, then stumbled back to her bed, ready to sleep again for the night.

That was, until she heard the sound of her window quickly slamming open and then shut again. So loud she almost expected it to break. At this point, she was certainly wide awake and shot straight up in bed. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and she stared in shock at the figure now in her room.

"Felix! What are you doing here-"

With inhuman speed, he was next to Rowan in an instant. His hands softly held her face, moving her head gently from side to side, inspecting every inch of her head for any hint of injury. "Are you hurt? Tell me now," Felix demanded. His voice was deeper than usual, Rowan noticed, and filled with more aggression than she had ever heard. As he held her face, she froze, staring into his red eyes, noticing the worry and rage in his expression.

"I'm- I'm okay. What's going on? Did something happen?" Rowan asked. She had never seen Felix so angry or worried, and she was almost scared to find out what caused his current demeanor. Felix took a deep inhale, his features growing angrier as he did so. "He was in here," he muttered to himself. Felix then stared at Rowan's face, taking in her confused and concerned expression. This caused his expression to drop into a more concerned one, as he leaned in and inhaled the scent of Rowan's hair. Though, whatever calm there once was, was quickly gone. He removed his hands from Rowan's face, standing quickly and taking a step back as he felt his anger bubble. "He touched you. He touched your hair while he was in here," Felix muttered to himself once again. Before Rowan could ask what was going on the door to her room opened, and both Edward and Bella stepped in, closing the door behind them.

"Rowan, are you alright-" Before Edward could finish his sentence, Felix pushed Edward against the door, loud enough that both Bella and Rowan worried that Charlie could hear. "Woah, what the hell!" Rowan quickly got up and ran towards both of them. Bella was too stunned to say anything, only stepping back and watching in shock.

"Your family promised me you would watch after her while I was away," Felix snarled, his grip on Edward's shoulder growing in strength each second. "I did my best," Edward muttered back, clearly in pain as he was being held.

"That's enough," Rowan hissed, pushing back Felix's shoulder with all her strength. Of course, it made no difference, she was far too weak to actually move the man, but still, the action was enough for Felix to release Edward and take a few steps back. As the tense air settled for a minute, and both Edward and Felix stared at each other in frustration, Rowan finally physically stepped between the two, looking back and forth at both of them.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on? Did someone break in or something?" Rowan asked, the frustration of her own clearly building up at this point.

"Yes, but I'm not sure who. I don't recognize the scent. A nomad maybe, but I doubt it given the circumstance," Edward stated.

Rowan's eyes widened again, hearing that a vampire, one that wasn't Felix or the Cullen's, was in her home. She could have easily died in her sleep, and she wouldn't have even realized what was going on. She turned her head sharply to Felix, whose eyes were glued onto her at this point. "He touched my hair...?" Rowan whispered to him, in disgust at the action. Felix nodded, though his expression showed his frustration at the action. His expression went from a harder one to a gentler, more concerned look. "Are you alright?" Felix asked again, this time, his voice a more quiet, comforting tone for Rowan. "No," she answered truthfully. "But I can't think too much about it right now. What do we do?" Felix wanted nothing more than to stay by her side. He thought he could trust the Cullen's to protect her when he wasn't there, but this proved to him that they couldn't. The possibility of her death was now much more real for him, and it brought a feeling back to him he hadn't felt in ages – fear.

"Can she go with you?" Felix asked, making eye contact with Edward. Edward nodded as held Bella close to his side, "Of course. I'll take them both back to my home. They'll be safe there."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Rowan asked. "I have a matter I need to attend to because of this. I'll be back later tonight," Felix stated matter-of-factly. He had been keeping an eye on the Seattle situation, and he knew this was related somehow. There was no doubt in his mind.

"Please be careful then," Rowan said with a sigh. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life, after finding out another vampire was in her room, choosing if she could live or die at that moment. While she trusted Edward to protect her, overall she felt safest with Felix.

"Of course," he said, a slight smile forming upon his lips. It was the first time Rowan had seen him smile in a while, which was enough to bring out her own smile.

"We should get going," Edward said, motioning for both Swan girls to head out the door. Before Rowan left, she looked back at Felix, who gave her a nod before leaving out the window with his own inhuman speed.

---

Edward took both Bella and Rowan back to the Cullen household – for safety and to discuss the situation. The car ride to the household was filled with silence, perhaps because Rowan was in the car or perhaps because the stress of the situation had everyone on high alert.

Once they arrived at the household, it was quickly apparent to Rowan how comfortable Bella seemed around the entire Cullen family – more comfortable than around even her and Charlie in a sense. While Rowan had mixed feelings regarding this, she knew she had to bottle it up and ignore it for now as more pressing matters were urgent.

Upon entering the living area of the Cullen household, Bella sat next to Alice, not leaving any space for Rowan. Feeling like the odd one out, she decided to stand a few steps back from where Rosalie was seated. She was the only one who made her feel somewhat understood last time she was at the Cullen household, thus was the one Rowan thought to stand somewhat by.

As everyone got settled into the room, Carlisle was the first to speak up. "Who was it? Someone we know?" Edward shook his head, "This stranger – I didn't recognize his scent." Rowan tensed up at the thought. While it wouldn't have been comforting if they had known the person, for some eerie reason, it was worse to think they didn't have any clue who the culprit could be either. Esme spoke, a confused expression upon her face, "A nomad just passing through?"

Rosalie turned over her shoulder to glance at Rowan, before turning back to her family before speaking, "A passerby wouldn't have left Rowan alive, or Bella's father either." Before Rowan could process fully what was said about her, both Jasper and Emmett entered the room abruptly. "The scent disappeared about five miles south of their house," Jasper stated, a grim look on his face. Rowan didn't know much regarding each member of the Cullen family, but she easily could pick up Jasper knew much more than he was letting on regarding the danger of the situation just from his facial expression alone.

"Someone's orchestrating this," Carlisle stated surely, as if the answer was right in front of them the whole time.

"Victoria?" Bella asked. Her eyes flickered to her cousin as she spoke, a glimpse of guilt mixed in her concerned expression upon dragging her cousin into this mess.

"No, I would have seen her decide," Alice stated, shaking her head while she spoke.

"It has to be the Volturi," Edward stated, a scowl forming on his face.

Rowan's expression formed into her own scowl at Edward's suggestion. "It wouldn't be the Volturi. He wouldn't put me or Bella in harms way," Rowan stated abruptly, interrupting the group conversation being held. Upon hearing her voice, everyone turned to look at Rowan, some looking surprised she even spoke up.

"You don't know the Volturi like we do. I believe Felix cares for you, but there is nothing stopping Aro from orchestrating this and leaving Felix out of his plans knowing his connection to you," Edward stated, brows furrowed while doing so, almost as if he was frustrated to even be defending his idea to Rowan.

"Okay, then say that. Felix is a part of the Volturi, so when you state that the Volturi as a whole is involved, then I assume you mean him as well," Rowan quickly shot back, arms crossing while doing so. A small snort from Rosalie could be heard after Rowan spoke, an amusing smile upon her face as she watched someone else, that wasn't her this time, argue with Edward.

"I don't think it's the Volturi either," Alice stated, attempting to defuse the situation before it escalated. "I've been watching Aro's decisions too."

"So we keep looking," Emmett said with a sigh, shrugging while doing so. "We'll also take shifts guarding Bella and Rowan at their house," Carlisle ordered.

Rosalie scoffed lightly, "Another protection detail?" Rowan wasn't entirely sure what Rosalie meant by 'another' protection detail, but was starting to understand that Bella was wrapped up in more danger than Rowan had fully realized.

"Rosalie," Carlisle stated in a scolding manner, eyes showing disappointment. Bella was quick to interject, "No, she's right. You can't protect me, watch my dad, watch Rowan, and search for the intruder."

"And for Victoria," Rosalie added.

"And keep yourselves fed," Bella continued.

"I'm leaving you here defenseless," Edward stated, frustration apparent in his tone.

"Well I'm not going to let you guys starve. And I wouldn't be unprotected, I have...Jacob," Bella said, hesitancy in her voice as she finished her sentence. Rowan sighed, the thought of getting the pack involved adding even more stress to her plate now.

"If Jacob is watching her, I'm sure Paul will hear about this, so I'm sure he can help with watching my back. Not sure if that helps at all," Rowan added. She didn't want to drag her best friend into the matter, but she knew the second Jacob was informed, Paul would learn about the ordeal and get involved as well.

"It's better than nothing," Jasper stated, directing a nod in Rowan's direction. "For now, we just stay alert until we have more information. It's the most we can do," Jasper continued. It seemed to be apparent to everyone that the conversation was over, as Edward walked over to Bella and ushered her away from the room. The others started leaving the room as well, whether to plan hunts or protection details. Rowan was left to stand uncomfortably in the room, feeling like an unwelcome guest in a house full of mostly unfamiliar vampires.

Before Rowan could fester in her ruminating negative thoughts more, Rosalie approached her, clearing her throat to get her attention. "Can I speak with you?" Rosalie asked. There was no expression on her face hinting at what type of conversation it would be, which certainly gave Rowan some anxiety, as Rosalie did intimidate her slightly.

Rowan nodded, walking towards Rosalie to follow her, "Of course." Rosalie only replied with a nod, before walking out towards the balcony that overlooked the backyard, Rowan quickly following. Rosalie made herself comfortable, leaning against the balcony fencing. Rowan, who didn't know where she stood with Rosalie, stood close to her but in a more rigid stance – keeping her walls up.

"I wanted to speak with you regarding the last time you were here," Rosalie started. She didn't look at Rowan as she spoke, instead her eyes overlooked the dark woods that surrounded the house. Rowan took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm sorry about my behavior if that's what this is about."

Rosalie laughed softly, shaking her head, "No. I don't really care about your behavior. It wasn't anything worse than what I've said or done. I wanted to say I respect you for you did. You were in a house full of vampires, almost all of them of differing opinions than you, and you still stuck with your belief. Not many would do that," while Rosalie spoke, her eyes shifted from the woods to Rowan's. It was clear to Rowan that Rosalie held back her emotions greatly. She was careful with who she let in. Even while speaking, she kept a blank expression, only letting a very small smile show.

"Oh. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Honestly, I just worry she's rushing into it. There isn't much I can do to stop her, but I thought I could at least voice my opinion," Rowan said, her stance becoming more comfortable as she spoke – much less rigid as she felt more welcomed in the home.

"Would you become immortal?" Rosalie asked, her gaze almost piercing as the topic became much more personal for Rowan.

Rowan, who so far respected Rosalie the most out of the Cullen's, felt thoroughly watched at that moment. She knew Rosalie wanted a truthful honest answer, but she also felt like she needed to word herself very carefully. As if she was being tested by the blonde.

"Um, honestly, no. I've already lost someone incredibly important to me, and the idea of watching more loved ones die and not being able to do anything just sounds miserable. I understand that I may grow used to it eventually, or at some point maybe I wouldn't get close to mortal people, but even then, that sounds so isolating. I just wouldn't want that," Rowan said with a shrug. "I don't know if that makes sense but-"

Rosalie immediately cut her off, "No, it does. It's actually nice to hear from someone who doesn't idolize an immortal life for once. This isn't the life I would've chosen for myself, so I get it."

"I'm sorry. I remember you mentioning that the last time I was here during the vote. I wish you could've had more say over your life," Rowan spoke in a gentle tone.

Rowan could see a growing sadness wash over Rosalie, her expression dropping slightly, the look in her eyes growing more distant. Yet, she still smiled at Rowan. "Thank you for saying that," Rosalie stated before standing up from the balcony fence. "If you have to stay here much longer, you're welcome to stay in the living room. We don't often use it, so you should be undisturbed there," Rosalie stated, before walking back into the house.

Rowan watched as she walked away, and was left feeling thankful that she had at least one member of the Cullen family that she felt somewhat comfortable around.