As they pulled into Charlie's driveway, the familiar sight of the small white house with its peeling paint and overgrown garden felt oddly comforting after the supernatural intensity of their first day. Veer cut the engine, and for a moment they sat in companionable silence, both processing the whirlwind of events that had transformed their quiet move to Forks into something far more complex.
"Well," Bella said finally, "that was definitely not the boring small-town experience I was expecting."
"Definitely not boring," Veer agreed, his phone buzzing insistently in his pocket with what he assumed were more messages from the Cullen sisters. "Though I have to say, the grocery shopping part was surprisingly normal."
"Mike was actually pretty helpful," Bella admitted as they climbed out of the truck. "Even if he was clearly working up the courage to ask me out."
"How do you feel about that?" Veer asked as they began unloading bags from the truck bed.
Bella paused, considering the question with the kind of careful attention she usually reserved for complicated academic problems. "Flattered, I guess? But also not really interested. He's nice enough, but there's no... spark, you know?"
"Spark is important," Veer agreed, though his mind immediately went to the decidedly sparking conversation happening in his pocket via group chat with three supernatural beauties.
They made their way to the front door, arms loaded with grocery bags, just as Charlie's police cruiser pulled into the driveway behind them. The timing was perfect—arriving home together like a normal family, loaded down with food for a proper home-cooked meal.
"Well, look at that," Charlie called out as he climbed from his cruiser, his genuine pleasure evident. "My kids went shopping like responsible adults. I'm impressed."
"Don't get too excited, Uncle Charlie," Veer replied with a grin. "We're about to test your tolerance for ethnic food."
"Ethnic food?" Charlie's expression shifted to something between curiosity and mild alarm. "What kind of ethnic food?"
"Indian," Bella said with obvious amusement at Charlie's reaction. "Veer's planning to make curry from scratch."
Charlie's face went through several interesting expressions before settling on resigned acceptance. "Well, it can't be worse than that Chinese place in Port Angeles. And at least I'll know what's in it."
As they entered the house, Veer was struck by how different the kitchen felt now that it was going to be used for actual cooking rather than just reheating takeout and opening beer bottles. The evening light streaming through the windows made everything seem warmer, more welcoming.
"Okay," he said, setting down his bags and surveying the available counter space, "first things first. We need to get the moka pot set up so Charlie can experience proper coffee, and then we'll start dinner prep."
"I can help with dinner," Bella offered, though her tone suggested she had limited confidence in her culinary abilities.
"Absolutely," Veer agreed. "This is going to be educational for both of us. I'll talk you through everything."
As they began unpacking groceries, Charlie hovered nearby with the expression of a man watching his kitchen be transformed by forces beyond his understanding.
"You know," he said, examining the moka pot with scientific curiosity, "I've been making coffee the same way for about fifteen years. Are you telling me I've been doing it wrong this whole time?"
"Not wrong," Veer said diplomatically, "just... limited. This is going to give you coffee with actual flavor instead of caffeinated brown water."
"My coffee has flavor," Charlie protested mildly.
"Uncle Charlie, your coffee tastes like it was made from recycled cardboard soaked in regret," Veer replied with fond brutality.
Bella laughed, the sound bright and natural for the first time since the Edward incident. "He's not wrong, Dad. Your coffee is basically punishment in liquid form."
"Fine," Charlie said with exaggerated hurt feelings, "revolutionize my caffeine intake. See if I care."
But his expression was pleased as he watched them organize ingredients with the kind of systematic efficiency that suggested they actually knew what they were doing.
Veer's phone buzzed again, and this time he couldn't resist checking it while Bella arranged vegetables by the sink.
Eleanor: "So how's the domestic goddess routine going? Successfully impressing the family with your culinary skills?"
Veer glanced around to make sure Charlie and Bella were engaged with unpacking, then quickly typed back: "Haven't started cooking yet. Still in the organization phase."
Jessamyn: "Organization is important, sugar. Shows attention to detail. I appreciate a man who plans ahead."
Edythe: "We're all quite curious about your cooking abilities. It's such a... nurturing... skill."
The way she'd emphasized 'nurturing' made Veer wonder exactly what subtext he was missing, but before he could formulate a response, Bella's voice drew his attention back to more immediate concerns.
"Veer, what exactly am I supposed to do with these?" she asked, holding up the Indian Monsooned Malabar coffee beans like they might explode if handled incorrectly.
"Those go in the grinder," he said, pocketing his phone and moving to demonstrate. "About three tablespoons for the moka pot. The key is getting the grind right—too fine and it'll clog the filter, too coarse and the water will pass through too quickly."
He filled the coffee grinder with beans and activated it, the rich, earthy aroma immediately filling the kitchen. Charlie's eyebrows rose with what looked like surprised appreciation.
"That actually smells like coffee," he admitted grudgingly.
"Just wait," Veer said with confidence, beginning to assemble the moka pot. "Water in the bottom chamber, coffee in the filter basket, and the magic happens with steam pressure."
As he set the moka pot on the stove, his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of approaching vehicles in the distance—two cars, moving with the kind of coordinated precision that suggested planned timing. His supernatural senses immediately went on alert, cataloging engine sounds, estimating distances, calculating potential threats.
But when he focused, the scents carried on the evening breeze were familiar: jasmine, vanilla, and that wild undertone that marked the Cullen sisters.
*What are they doing here?* he wondered, though he kept his expression neutral as he turned his attention to dinner preparation.
"Okay, Bella," he said, pulling out the lamb and chicken they'd bought, "lesson one in Indian cooking: the prep work is everything. We're going to need these cut into bite-sized pieces, and we need to do it properly."
Bella approached the cutting board with the careful attention of someone who'd never been entirely comfortable with sharp knives. "Define 'properly.'"
"Uniform size so everything cooks evenly," Veer explained, demonstrating with practiced efficiency. "About inch and a half cubes. And we want to cut against the grain for tenderness."
As he worked, his hands moved with the kind of fluid precision that came from enhanced coordination and muscle memory. What should have been a careful, time-consuming process became an exhibition of knife skills that made both Charlie and Bella stare.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Bella asked, watching the lamb transform into perfectly uniform pieces under his knife.
"Practice," Veer said simply, which was technically true even if it omitted the supernatural enhancement factor. "Your turn."
He positioned Bella at the cutting board and guided her hands to the proper grip. "Keep your fingers curved like this, knuckles forward. The knife should rock, not chop."
Bella's first attempts were hesitant and awkward, but she had the focused concentration that made her good at absorbing new skills. Under Veer's patient guidance, her technique improved quickly.
"Better," he said as she produced reasonably uniform chicken pieces. "You're getting the hang of it."
The moka pot began making its characteristic burbling sound, and the aroma of properly brewed coffee began to compete with the scents of raw meat and vegetables. Charlie was watching the entire process with the fascination of someone witnessing kitchen magic.
"What's next?" Bella asked, having finished with the chicken and looking pleased with her accomplishment.
"Spice preparation," Veer replied, pulling out the collection of whole and ground spices they'd bought. "This is where the real flavor development happens."
He laid out cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and a collection of other aromatics that transformed the kitchen counter into something resembling an Indian spice market.
"First step," he said, heating a dry pan on the stove, "we're going to toast the whole spices. This releases the essential oils and deepens the flavors."
The cumin and coriander seeds hit the hot pan with a satisfying sizzle, immediately filling the kitchen with rich, nutty aromas that made Charlie's expression shift from mild apprehension to genuine interest.
"That smells incredible," he admitted, moving closer to observe the process.
"Wait until we add the garlic and ginger," Veer said, grinding the toasted spices in the coffee grinder he'd cleaned after the coffee beans. "Bella, can you handle the onion prep?"
"What kind of onion prep?" she asked suspiciously.
"Two large onions, diced fine," Veer instructed, setting up another cutting board. "Same technique as the meat—uniform size, but smaller pieces. They're going to cook down and become the base of the curry."
As Bella began wrestling with onions and the inevitable tears that accompanied the process, Veer's enhanced hearing caught the sound of car doors closing in the driveway. Three distinct sounds, which confirmed his suspicion about who had just arrived.
*Perfect timing,* he thought, though he wasn't sure whether that was sarcasm or genuine appreciation.
Charlie's head lifted at the sound. "Expecting company?"
"Not exactly," Veer replied carefully, "but I think we might be about to have visitors."
Before Charlie could ask for clarification, a polite knock at the front door confirmed Veer's supernatural surveillance.
"I'll get it," Charlie said, moving toward the front of the house with the measured tread of someone accustomed to unexpected visitors in his professional capacity.
Veer and Bella exchanged glances across the kitchen, both of them recognizing the probability that their quiet family dinner was about to become more complicated.
"Think it's the Cullen sisters?" Bella asked quietly, wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Probably," Veer confirmed, his enhanced hearing already picking up Charlie's conversation with their visitors.
"Good evening, Chief Swan. I'm Dr. Cullen's daughter, Edythe. These are my sisters, Eleanor and Jessamyn. We were hoping we might speak with Veer and Bella for a few minutes."
Even through the walls, Edythe's refined politeness was evident, as was Charlie's immediate shift to his professional courtesy mode.
"Of course," Charlie was saying. "They're in the kitchen, working on dinner. Come on in."
"We don't want to intrude," Eleanor's voice carried easily to Veer's enhanced senses, "but we wanted to check on Bella after this afternoon. Edward's behavior was really inexcusable."
*They're using the digestive problem story,* Veer realized with amusement.
Footsteps approached the kitchen, and Veer felt his pulse quicken with anticipation and something that might have been nervousness. One thing was meeting the Cullen sisters at school, in the controlled environment of academic settings. Having them in Charlie's kitchen while he was cooking dinner felt infinitely more intimate and potentially complicated.
"Kids," Charlie's voice announced their approach, "you have visitors."
The three sisters appeared in the kitchen doorway with that characteristic fluid grace, and Veer felt the same physical impact he'd experienced that afternoon—like being hit with concentrated supernatural magnetism.
Edythe led the group, her copper hair catching the kitchen light and her refined features arranged in an expression of gentle concern. "Bella, we wanted to apologize again for Edward's behavior today. Sometimes when he's feeling ill, his social skills suffer dramatically."
Eleanor bounced in behind her sister, her auburn hair slightly windswept and her eyes bright with curiosity as she took in the kitchen scene. "Oh wow, it smells amazing in here! Are you really making curry from scratch?"
Jessamyn entered last, her honey-blonde hair perfectly arranged despite the evening breeze, and her golden eyes immediately found Veer's with unmistakable warmth. "Well hey there, sugar. Looks like you're putting those domestic skills to good use."
The way she said 'domestic skills' made Veer's cheeks heat slightly, though he tried to maintain his composure while being observed by three vampires, his cousin, and his uncle simultaneously.
"Just experimenting with spice combinations," he said, hoping his voice sounded more casual than he felt. "Nothing too ambitious."
"Nothing too ambitious?" Charlie interjected with growing amusement. "Kid's got the kitchen smelling like some kind of restaurant, and he's got Bella learning knife skills that would make those cooking show people jealous."
"I'm just trying not to cut myself," Bella said with self-deprecating humor, though Veer noticed she was handling the onion dicing with increasing confidence.
Eleanor was already moving closer to examine the spice array, her supernatural senses undoubtedly cataloging every aroma in the kitchen. "This is so cool! I love watching people who actually know what they're doing in the kitchen."
"Eleanor loves food," Edythe explained with fond amusement, "though she's never had much opportunity to appreciate cooking techniques."
"Our family tends toward... simpler... meal preparation," Jessamyn added with a drawl that suggested significant understatement.
"Well, you're welcome to stay and watch," Charlie offered with genuine hospitality. "Might learn something. I know I am."
The invitation hung in the air, and Veer found himself caught between multiple impulses. Part of him wanted to continue the cooking lesson in private, maintaining the comfortable family dynamic he and Bella had been building. But another part—the part that was increasingly aware of the way Jessamyn was looking at him like he was solving world hunger through proper spice toasting—was curious about how the evening might develop with supernatural observers.
"We wouldn't want to intrude on family time," Edythe said with perfect politeness, though her eyes suggested she was hoping for a different response.
"It's not an intrusion if you're invited," Veer said, making the decision before his rational mind could talk him out of it. "Besides, this is educational for everyone. Bella's learning, I'm experimenting, and Uncle Charlie's discovering that food can have actual flavor."
"Hey now," Charlie protested mildly, though he was clearly enjoying the gentle teasing.
Eleanor's face lit up with delight. "Really? We can stay and watch? This is going to be so much fun!"
As the three sisters settled into the kitchen—Edythe claiming a chair at the small breakfast table, Eleanor perching on the counter with supernatural balance, and Jessamyn positioning herself where she could observe the cooking process while maintaining conversational distance—Veer felt the domestic scene transform into something entirely different.
What had been a simple cooking lesson between family members was now a performance for an audience of supernatural beings who were apparently cosmically destined to find everything he did fascinating.
"Right," he said, trying to ignore the way his awareness of their presence made every movement feel more significant, "where were we?"
"Onion prep," Bella replied, having apparently decided to embrace the audience rather than be intimidated by it. "Though I think I'm developing an understanding of why people cry during cooking shows."
"That's just the onions releasing their sulfur compounds," Eleanor said helpfully. "It's a defense mechanism against being eaten."
"Eleanor," Edythe said with gentle reproof, "perhaps we should let the chef explain the science."
"The science is actually pretty interesting," Veer agreed, accepting the opening to continue his teaching role. "The onions are the foundation of the curry. They're going to cook down and caramelize, providing both sweetness and depth to the sauce."
He demonstrated the technique, his knife moving with the same fluid precision that had impressed Bella earlier, while being acutely aware that his every movement was being observed by three pairs of golden eyes.
The moka pot finished its brewing cycle with a final burst of steam, and the aroma of properly made coffee joined the complex symphony of scents filling the kitchen.
"Charlie," Veer said, reaching for mugs, "time for your coffee education."
As he poured the dark, rich brew, the entire kitchen fell silent with anticipation. Charlie accepted his mug with the expression of a man about to face either revelation or disappointment.
He took a careful sip, his eyebrows rising with genuine surprise. "Okay," he admitted grudgingly, "that's actually coffee. Real coffee."
"Told you," Veer said with satisfaction, offering mugs to the sisters, who politely declined with perfectly coordinated responses that confirmed his suspicions about vampire dietary restrictions.
"So what's next in the curry process?" Jessamyn asked, her voice carrying genuine curiosity along with that honeyed drawl that made every question sound like flirtation.
"Now we start building the base," Veer replied, heating oil in a heavy pan and preparing for the most critical part of the cooking process. "This is where everything comes together."
As the evening light faded outside and the kitchen filled with the sounds and scents of proper cooking, Veer found himself at the center of the most complicated domestic scene of his two lives—teaching his cousin to cook while being observed by three vampire sisters who were apparently destined to share him, with his police chief uncle providing commentary and discovering that food could be more than mere fuel.
It was domestic, intimate, supernatural, and completely unprecedented all at once.
And somehow, it felt exactly right.
—
As Veer began the crucial process of building the curry base, he heated oil in the heavy pan until it shimmered with readiness. The kitchen had settled into a comfortable rhythm—Bella focused on her onion dicing, Charlie savoring his revelation about proper coffee, and the three Cullen sisters positioned strategically around the space with expressions of fascinated attention.
"The key to good curry," Veer explained, adding the toasted cumin and coriander seeds to the hot oil, "is layering flavors in the right sequence. Each ingredient has to hit the oil at exactly the right temperature to release its full potential."
The spices hit the oil with an immediate sizzle, filling the kitchen with aromatic clouds that made everyone present react with varying degrees of appreciation. Charlie's expression was one of genuine culinary curiosity. Bella was learning to breathe through her mouth to avoid onion tears while still absorbing the lesson.
But Veer's enhanced senses caught something else entirely from the three sisters—the kind of polite, sustained attention that suggested they were maintaining interest in something that held no real appeal for them.
*Right,* he thought with growing amusement. *They can't actually eat any of this.*
"Now we add the ginger-garlic paste," he continued, spooning the aromatic mixture into the pan where it sparked and bubbled. "This is where the real magic happens—the combination of fat, heat, and aromatics creates compounds that simply can't be replicated any other way."
Eleanor leaned forward with what appeared to be eager fascination. "It's amazing how complex the chemistry is! All these different reactions happening simultaneously to create flavor."
"Chemistry is definitely a big part of it," Veer agreed, shooting her a look that carried just enough knowing amusement to suggest he understood exactly what kind of 'appreciation' she was demonstrating. "Though I suppose the real test is in the... consumption. Some people have very particular dietary requirements that make traditional cooking less... relevant... to their daily experience."
The pause he placed on 'consumption' and 'relevant' was subtle enough that Charlie and Bella wouldn't notice, but loaded with just enough emphasis that anyone with supernatural hearing would catch the subtext.
Jessamyn's honey drawl carried the faintest note of surprised delight. "Oh, some people definitely have very specialized... nutritional needs. But that doesn't mean they can't appreciate the artistry involved in food preparation."
"Absolutely," Edythe added with refined precision, her golden eyes sparkling with what might have been respect for his discretion. "The creative process itself can be quite... nourishing... even when the end product isn't directly applicable to one's personal situation."
Veer grinned as he added the diced onions to the pan, where they immediately began their transformation from sharp, pungent vegetables to sweet, golden aromatics. "Exactly. It's all about appreciating craftsmanship for its own sake, regardless of whether you're personally... invested... in the final outcome."
Charlie, completely oblivious to the supernatural subtext flowing around his kitchen, was examining the spice collection with growing interest. "How do you know what goes with what? This seems like it could go wrong in about a dozen different ways."
"Practice," Veer replied, which was true as far as it went. "And understanding that different ingredients bring different qualities to the dish. Some provide heat, some add sweetness, some contribute depth or complexity."
"Like people," Eleanor observed with barely contained delight, clearly enjoying the layered conversation. "Everyone brings their own... particular qualities... to any given situation."
"Some combinations work better than others," Bella added innocently, focused on her onion prep and missing the way Eleanor's comment made all three sisters exchange meaningful glances.
"True," Veer agreed, stirring the onions as they began to caramelize. "Though sometimes the most successful combinations are the ones that seem unusual at first. Multiple elements that shouldn't work together but somehow... complement each other perfectly."
Jessamyn's drawl deepened with what sounded suspiciously like appreciation for his word choice. "Sugar, you have a real gift for finding the... synergy... in unexpected combinations."
Before Veer could respond to that loaded comment, Charlie's phone rang with the distinctive tone that marked official business. He glanced at the caller ID with the resigned expression of a police chief whose dinner was about to be interrupted.
"I need to take this," he said apologetically, accepting the call as he moved toward the living room. "Chief Swan... What? When?... How many this time?"
The shift in Charlie's tone from casual to professional immediately caught everyone's attention. Even focused on the cooking process, Veer's enhanced hearing allowed him to track both sides of the conversation.
"...third incident this week... definitely animal attack... tracks suggest large predator... no, bigger than anything native to the area..."
Veer felt his supernatural senses go on high alert as Charlie's conversation continued. The three Cullen sisters had gone very still—not the casual stillness of people paying attention, but the predatory stillness that marked vampires responding to potential threats.
"Charlie sounds concerned," Bella observed, her voice carrying the worry that came from growing up as the child of someone in law enforcement.
"Mmm," Edythe responded carefully, though her refined composure carried undertones of something that might have been guilty knowledge.
Charlie returned to the kitchen, his expression grave and his phone already being clipped back to his belt. The casual family atmosphere had evaporated, replaced by the weight of official responsibility.
"Sorry about that," he said, though his distraction was obvious. "Work stuff."
"Everything okay, Dad?" Bella asked, setting down her knife and giving him her full attention.
Charlie hesitated, clearly debating how much information to share. "We've been having some... incidents... in the area. Animal attacks. Fish and Wildlife thinks we might have a rogue predator that's moved into the region."
"What kind of predator?" Veer asked, though his enhanced senses were already picking up the subtle changes in the Cullen sisters' scent patterns—the kind of chemical shifts that suggested stress and carefully controlled alarm.
"Something big," Charlie replied grimly. "Bigger than wolves, more aggressive than bears. Three hikers in the past week, all found with injuries consistent with large carnivore attacks."
Eleanor's compact frame had gone rigid with the kind of tension that suggested every muscle was prepared for immediate action. "Three hikers?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
"Yeah. Two last week. And the latest one..." Charlie shook his head. "Let's just say it was messy. Fish and Wildlife is talking about bringing in specialists from the university, maybe some trackers."
Veer stirred the onions automatically, his mind racing as he processed the implications of what Charlie was describing. In the context of the Twilight universe, 'animal attacks' that left messy casualties could only mean one thing: nomad vampires who weren't particularly concerned with maintaining the Masquerade.
*James, Victoria, and Laurent,* he realized with crystalline certainty. *They're already in the area.*
His enhanced hearing caught the subtle exchange of glances between the three sisters, the kind of silent communication that confirmed his suspicions. They knew exactly what was causing Charlie's 'animal attacks,' and from their expressions, they were not pleased about the development.
"How dangerous are we talking?" Bella asked with the practical concern of someone who'd grown up around law enforcement discussions of real threats.
Charlie's expression grew more serious. "Dangerous enough that I want both of you to be extra careful for the next few weeks. No hiking alone, no wandering around the woods after dark, and if you see anything unusual—anything at all—you call me immediately."
"Define unusual," Veer said, though he was watching the sisters' reactions more than focusing on Charlie's response.
"Large tracks, unusual sounds, animals behaving strangely," Charlie enumerated with professional precision. "Bears don't usually hunt in coordinated groups, and wolves don't typically go after humans unless they're rabid or desperate. This thing, whatever it is, seems to be actively hunting people."
*Multiple attackers,* Veer noted, filing away Charlie's casual reference to coordinated behavior. *Which confirms the nomad coven theory.*
The timer for the curry base rang, providing a welcome interruption to the increasingly tense conversation. Veer stirred the golden onions, now perfectly caramelized, and began adding the next layer of spices.
"Well," he said, trying to inject some normalcy back into the domestic scene, "at least we're safe in the kitchen. Nothing scarier here than the possibility of over-salting the curry."
Eleanor managed a laugh that sounded almost natural. "Though I have to say, your knife skills earlier were pretty impressive. Very... precise."
There was something in the way she said 'precise' that made Veer look up from his cooking. Eleanor's eyes held a speculative quality that suggested she was reassessing his capabilities in light of the conversation about dangerous predators.
"Just good technique," he replied carefully. "My mom taught me that if you're going to use sharp objects, you should know how to use them properly."
"Smart woman," Jessamyn observed, her drawl carrying undertones that suggested she was thinking about more than kitchen safety.
"She was," Veer agreed, adding turmeric and garam masala to the pan. "She always said that being prepared for various situations was just good sense."
Edythe's refined voice carried what sounded like genuine curiosity. "What kind of situations did she prepare you for?"
Veer considered the question as he stirred the spice mixture, watching the turmeric turn the oil a rich golden color. How much could he reveal without exposing either his supernatural nature or his meta-knowledge of the threats currently stalking through the forests around Forks?
"General self-sufficiency," he said finally. "Cooking, basic first aid, how to stay aware of your surroundings. The kind of skills that serve you well regardless of what life throws at you."
"Situational awareness is definitely important," Charlie agreed, his professional experience evident. "Especially right now, with whatever's out there."
As Veer added the prepared meat to the pan, where it sizzled and began to brown, his mind was working through the implications of the nomad vampires' presence. In the movies, James's coven had been portrayed as a relatively minor threat—dangerous to Bella specifically because of James's hunting obsession, but manageable for the Cullen family as a whole.
But this was 2025, twenty years after the timeline he remembered. These weren't the same nomads from the films, or if they were, they'd had two decades to grow stronger, more cunning, more dangerous.
*The question is,* he thought as he watched the lamb and chicken take on the rich colors of the spice mixture, *do I let this play out as it's supposed to, or do I take action?*
With his divine powers, hunting down three nomad vampires wouldn't be particularly challenging. He could track them through the forest, confront them away from innocent bystanders, and eliminate the threat before it could escalate into the kind of supernatural drama that had defined the original story.
But interfering with the cosmic forces that had brought him to this universe might have unpredictable consequences. The nomads' arrival was supposed to catalyze various relationship developments, force the Cullen family to reveal their nature to Bella, and generally set the stage for everything that followed.
"You're thinking very hard about something," Jessamyn observed quietly, her voice pitched just low enough that Charlie and Bella wouldn't catch it over the sounds of cooking.
"Just considering the... complexity... of the current situation," Veer replied, meeting her golden eyes with a look that carried multiple layers of meaning. "Sometimes when you're dealing with dangerous variables, you have to decide whether to take preventative action or trust that... existing security measures... will be sufficient."
Edythe's refined features showed immediate understanding. "Preventative action can sometimes create more complications than it solves," she said carefully. "Especially when you're dealing with... delicate... ecosystem balances."
"On the other hand," Eleanor added with characteristic directness, "sometimes the most efficient approach is to eliminate threats before they can escalate into larger problems."
Charlie, who had been listening to their conversation with the mild confusion of someone missing obvious context, looked up from his coffee. "You kids talking about the animal attacks? Because I have to say, Fish and Wildlife is definitely considering more aggressive intervention if this pattern continues."
"We were just discussing different approaches to... wildlife management," Veer said diplomatically, adding the final layer of aromatics to the curry. "Sometimes passive monitoring is sufficient, sometimes more active intervention is required."
"In this case," Charlie said grimly, "I'm leaning toward active intervention. Whatever's out there has already hurt people. That makes it our problem to solve."
As Veer added liquid to the pan—a combination of tomatoes, coconut milk, and spices that would simmer into the rich sauce that tied everything together—he found himself caught between multiple competing impulses.
The protective part of him wanted to hunt down the nomads immediately, eliminating the threat before it could endanger Bella, Charlie, or any other innocent people. The strategic part of him recognized that doing so might disrupt the cosmic forces that had brought him to this universe for a specific purpose. And the increasingly complex emotional part of him was acutely aware that the three supernatural beauties observing his cooking were themselves part of a vampire family that might have very strong opinions about outside interference in local supernatural politics.
"Well," he said finally, covering the pan and reducing the heat to let the curry simmer, "I suppose we'll just have to trust that the people who are supposed to handle dangerous situations will... handle them appropriately."
The loaded way he delivered that statement made all three sisters look at him with expressions ranging from intrigued to impressed to something that might have been anticipatory.
"Trust," Jessamyn repeated thoughtfully, "is a beautiful thing, sugar. Especially when it's placed in people who've proven they're capable of... handling... complex situations."
"Some people are definitely better equipped than others to deal with unusual threats," Edythe agreed, her refined voice carrying undertones of steel.
Eleanor bounced slightly in her seat, energy radiating from her compact frame. "And some threats are definitely more... manageable... when approached by people with the right kind of... skills."
Charlie, meanwhile, was examining the simmering curry with the expression of a man whose evening had taken several unexpected turns. "How long does this need to cook?" he asked.
"About thirty minutes," Veer replied, setting a timer. "Long enough for all the flavors to develop and integrate properly."
"And long enough," Eleanor added with barely contained excitement, "for us to have some very interesting conversations about... local security measures."
As the curry bubbled gently on the stove, filling Charlie's kitchen with aromas that suggested home, comfort, and civilized domestic life, Veer found himself at the center of a conversation that was simultaneously about cooking, supernatural threat assessment, and the growing certainty that his quiet new life in Forks was about to become infinitely more complicated.
Outside, the evening shadows were deepening, and somewhere in the Olympic National Forest, three nomad vampires were continuing their pattern of attacks that had already caught the attention of local law enforcement.
The question was: how long would it be before those attacks moved closer to town?
And when they did, would Veer be content to let others handle the situation, or would his protective instincts demand a more... direct... approach?
The timer ticked steadily, counting down toward decisions that would shape not just dinner, but the supernatural future of everyone in Charlie Swan's increasingly crowded kitchen.
---
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