Post Tenebras Cadit

Chapter One- Beautiful Wreckage

A/N: Well, hello there all. This is one of my side projects, a Harry Potter/Twilight crossover. Normally, I really hate writing for Twishit, because I really don't like the books, but I was looking out my window one day when I suddenly wondered about how Carlisle would feel if Harry became a part of their family. Anyway, that's how this story came to be. I really don't like Twilight or Stephenie Meyer's writing, but I really love the family dynamic of the Cullens. Meyer didn't spend nearly enough time writing about their relationships with one another. It was all "Oh my God I can't choose between Edward and Jacob and oh my god pay attention to meeeeee!" for the entire four books. It irritated the shit out of me. I personally don't think Meyer's all that great of a writer either, but that's up for debate.

"Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine wrote this baby.

I am neither JK Rowling nor Stephenie Meyer (not that I particularly want to be her), so I don't own any of the characters, just the plot.

Laughter.

That was something he hadn't heard in his house for a while.

It was a rich sound, low and warm and soft, like honey. It was a sound that would've brought tears to his eyes, if he was able to cry.

It had been too long since he had heard Jasper laugh. Far, far too long.

Carlisle reclined in his desk chair, smiling up at the ceiling. There had been days when he felt his son had forgotten how to laugh.

He heard more laughter join Jasper's, the golden, feminine trill of Rosalie, Emmett's booming chuckle. They were laughing together, which Carlisle hadn't heard them do in a long time.

"What are you smiling at?"

Carlisle looked to the doorway of his office to see his beautiful wife standing there, a soft smile on her face.

"They're laughing," he said simply, beckoning her over to him. He opened his arms to her, wrapping them around her when she seated herself in his lap. He kissed her soundly, her sweet lips molding perfectly with his. "They're laughing," he repeated, smiling.

"Yes, they are," Esme agreed, her own smile radiant. "It's a magnificent sound, isn't it?"

"It is," he said, stroking her cheek softly.

"I never thought I'd hear it again." She cast a look at the door, smiling. "They're healing."

They heard another trickle of laughter, followed by Emmett exclaiming, "That was one time!"

Esme smiled again and kissed his cheek. "I better go make sure they're behaving themselves."

She touched his face once and left his office, leaving him to his thoughts.

It really was refreshing to hear his remaining children laugh, considering everything they had been through in the past year.

If he wanted to blame someone for his family's sorrows, it would be Bella, the girl who had changed everything.

When Edward had first brought Bella to meet them, Carlisle had his concerns. Edward had to use too much restraint around her in order not to attack her. She was his singer, not his mate, which made their relationship unhealthy and little unnerving in Carlisle's eyes.

He had his doubts about Bella. Rosalie hadn't liked her at all, and neither had Jasper. Jasper told Carlisle that he never felt strong emotions, like anger and passion. When she thought of Edward, he felt adoration, like one might feel for a puppy.

But Edward seemed extremely happy with her and Alice liked her immensely. Of course, Alice liked everyone, but...

He voiced his concerns to Esme, who had nodded in understanding, but she said, "I think we should let Edward decide, don't you?"

He hadn't been able to argue with her at that.

Carlisle kept his mouth shut, and grew to like Bella. She made his son happy, for the most part, and she seemed to fit in well with their world.

Well enough to warrant James nearly killing her and Victoria almost wiping them out with her newborn army.

Carlisle knew that Bella wasn't directly responsible for the fact she was a danger magnet, but after Victoria, Carlisle's doubts resurfaced. Rosalie, though she tolerated Bella a bit better, and Jasper agreed with him. Emmett, of course, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Long as she doesn't cause too much trouble."

He knew he couldn't exactly tell his eldest son that he was forbidden from seeing Bella. Edward would never have forgiven him, and Carlisle had the sinking feeling Edward would abandon everything he held dear to make Bella happy, even his family.

He felt that Bella was not right for his son. She was selfish and obsessive and foolish, not to mention a dangerous target. She had known Edward all of three months before declaring that she loved him. That was too short of a time to know for sure, in his mind.

But when he'd seen how happy Edward had been when Bella had said yes to his proposal, he remained silent on the matter. Jasper and Rosalie had followed his example, though he knew they were not happy.

And then Bella had gotten pregnant. Rosalie had surprised them by taking her side, but Carlisle understood that it was because she had always wanted children. After he had turned her, Carlisle had explained to her that even if she had lived as a human, the damage done to her body at the hands of her then fiancé would have prevented her from having children altogether. He understood her protectiveness of Bella, even if he thought that Bella was putting herself and her child in danger.

He was angry at Bella for just deciding to keep her child without speaking to Edward about it. If she died, his son would have followed her to the grave without a second thought. Her selfish decision would have cost him a grandchild and a son.

When Renesmee was born, he was so relieved. Bella had lived and his granddaughter had lived, so his son would too. And Jacob, the poor boy, had finally found his Imprint.

He saw only Edward in his granddaughter. His son's angular jaw was present in the young girl, though hers was softer, more feminine. The wrinkle she got between her brows when she worried, also like Edward's. Her soft, curly hair was the same bronze shade as Edward's.

There was no trace of Bella anywhere, even in Renesmee's personality.

The only thing that Bella had given her daughter was her eyes, large and chocolate brown and heartbreakingly beautiful. But even her eyes didn't solely belong to Bella. In the brown depths were large flecks of jade green and gold, the perfect combination of Bella and Edward.

And then the Volturi learned of Renesmee's existence. That was time of great panic for his family. They had reached out to everyone they possibly knew to help them.

It hadn't been enough.

Before they could reason with Aro, he had given the order to attack the Cullens and their allies. Many of them had been killed within moments, despite all of their various gifts that they had been training to use against the Volturi.

After Kate and Irina had been killed in the battle, Tanya had given Carlisle a sorrowful glance, and then disappeared with Carmen and Eleazar. Garrett had gone with them, followed quickly by Charlotte, who had just lost her mate.

Carlisle had been focused on protecting Esme, who had had several close calls at the hands of Dimitri. She was not meant for fighting, not his Esme.

He heard a gut-wrenching cry above all of the noise of battle, and time seemed to slow down for him. He saw Alice struggling in Demetri's arms before he grabbed her hair and wrenched her head to the left. A horrible ripping sound followed.

He closed his eyes and looked away, holding Esme to his chest as she screamed for their daughter.

The acrid smell of smoke made him open his eyes and he watched as the Volturi declare their victory before vanishing, leaving Carlisle's broken family and a few of their allies left in the clearing.

Esme clung to him, sobbing hysterically, burying her face in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around and squeezed her tightly, wishing that this was just a nightmare.

His knees threatened to buckle when he saw Emmett and Rosalie, their faces ash- and dirt-stained and their clothes torn and rumpled, walking towards them hand in hand, their eyes glazed over with sorrow. Rosalie's beautiful face was marred slightly with a bite over her right eye, but they seemed to be alright. Physically, anyway.

He opened his arms to them, crushing them into an embrace along with his inconsolable wife. Two of his children were safe. They were alive.

They found Jasper sitting by Alice's remains, a blank look on his face. He refused to move, so Rosalie and Esme kneeled beside him, wrapping their arms around his shoulders and holding him.

Emmett and Carlisle saw Bella standing at the edge of the clearing, Renesmee in her arms and Jacob standing by her side in wolf form. Edward was nowhere in sight.

"Bella," Carlisle said softly as they approached her. "Bella, where is Edward?"

Bella pressed her face into Renesmee's curls. "He's dead. Carlisle, he's dead. They held him down and oh my God, they killed him," she sobbed, tightening her grip on Renesmee.

"Bella, come with us," Carlisle said, reaching out to her. "Give me Renesmee and we-"

"No! You won't take my child!" she screeched, shying away from him. "We...we need to go. Jacob, let's go. We have to go now. Right now." She turned, Renesmee in her arms, and ran off, her long hair flying behind her.

Jacob looked after her and then at Carlisle with a sad look in his eyes before taking off after her. "Where she goes, I go," the look said. It was a defeated look, one of a man that had lost everything. Carlisle nodded sadly, knowing that Jacob had lost his pack in the battle.

The few weeks that had followed Bella's abandonment were a blur for Carlisle and his family. He remembered informing Charlie and Sue of their children's fates, and then packing up their belongings and leaving.

"Carlisle?"

Carlisle looked up, startled out of his train of thought. "Yes, Jasper?"

"Are you alright? You felt upset," Jasper said, looking concerned from where he stood in the hallway.

"I'm fine, Jasper," Carlisle said, smiling at his son. "I was just lost in thought." He looked out his office window. "I think Renesmee would've loved London."

"She would have," Jasper agreed quietly. "Has Bella contacted you at all?"

Carlisle shook his head and sighed. "No, she hasn't. I don't think she will."

Jasper nodded. "I wanted to let you know that Harry will be over in about an hour." Carlisle didn't have to look to know that there was a smile on his son's face, like there always was when his new lover was mentioned.

"Do you two have plans for tonight?"

"I thought about taking him out to dinner," Jasper said, leaning against the door frame. "We might just stay in, though."

Carlisle smiled at his son and nodded. "Well, whatever you decide to do, have fun."

Jasper nodded once more and left, heading back downstairs to speak with Rosalie.

Carlisle leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He hadn't been able to forgive Bella for abandoning their family and taking his granddaughter away from him and Esme. They could have taken her if Bella had wanted time alone to grieve, they could've raised her.

No, he didn't forgive Bella.

But there was one positive spin on her leaving. If she hadn't have left, they would have never gone to London and Jasper would have never met Harry Potter.

Jasper looked down at the young man curled up against him, his chest rising and falling as he slept peacefully. He smiled and ran a hand through the ridiculously messy black hair of his lover, savouring the feel of his silky curls.

After Alice had died, Jasper felt as if a part of him had died with her. She had been his everything, his very reason for existing. It was only the thought that she would want him to continue to live kept him from finding some way to kill himself.

He had sworn to himself he'd never have another, there would never be another in his bed or his heart. If his Alice wasn't with him, he was content with being alone.

It had hurt to see others, especially his family, be with their spouses, but he told himself that he would be betraying Alice. The little voice of reason in his mind, which coincidentally sounded like her, told him he was being completely unreasonable.

He knew Alice would want him to be happy, but he was content to be miserable.

That was before he'd met Harry.

After the battle with the Volturi and Bella's abandonment, the remaining Cullens had moved from Forks to England, hoping to start anew. Jasper had been wandering around London a few days after they had settled in, without a real destination in mind, when he had run into a short, lithe young man with a mop of black hair.

Literally, ran into him.

Jasper hadn't been paying any attention when Harry had come out of a shop, arms laden with bags. Not seeing the golden-haired man walking straight for him, he'd collided with him heavily, resulting in him falling flat on his arse.

"I'm so sorry," Jasper had said, kneeling down to help pick up the bags and to offer a hand to Harry to lift him up.

"Quite alright," Harry replied, not looking the slightest disgruntled. Jasper could feel surprise and a bit of embarrassment rolling off of him, tinged by the smallest hint of desire.

He brushed off the back of his dark jeans and straightened out the arm of his blazer, before lifting his head. Jasper held back a gasp when his eyes met the most beautiful, blazing green ones he'd ever seen. His face was angular, and his lips were full and pink and Jasper wanted nothing more than to kiss him.

"I'm Jasper," Jasper said, his brain refusing to supply him with any other words.

"Harry," Harry answered, smiling. "Do you think you could help me put these in my car? I'm only parked right down there." He turned slightly and gestured at a dark blue Volkswagen.

"Of course," Jasper answered, picking up some of the bags to lighten Harry's load. "I really am sorry about that."

"And like I said, it's alright," Harry said with a smile, digging around in his pockets for his keys. He unlocked the trunk and lifted the lid, setting his bags down inside carefully. "So, Jasper, I take it from the accent that you aren't from around here?"

"My family and I just moved here from America," Jasper said.

"Very nice," Harry said, grinning. "Well, Jasper, I hate to speak and run, but I have my nephew's birthday party to attend to, and my sister may very well rip my arm off if I don't get this food there in time. Maybe I'll see you around." He shut the lid of his trunk, and smiled at Jasper before getting into his car.

Jasper watched him as he drove away, smiling softly. He'd barely had a conversation with Harry, but he felt like he knew him. Much like he had been when he first met Alice.

That had been almost a year ago.

He had run into Harry a second time about a week later after their initial meeting, and offered to take him out to dinner. Harry had agreed and they had been almost inseparable ever since.

Jasper was so thankful that Harry had come into his life. There were times when he wondered what life would be like without him, and Jasper didn't like to think of an existence like that. Harry had filled the hole in his soul that had been there since Alice died.

Harry shifted slightly, his eyes opening slowly. He blinked a few times and looked up at Jasper. He smiled sleepily. "Good…whatever time of day it is," he mumbled.

"Good morning to you too," Jasper said, kissing Harry's forehead, right over his scar. After they had been dating for about three months, Harry had sat down with him and told him everything: Voldemort, Hogwarts, everything. Jasper, being a vampire, had known that wizards existed, but he hadn't known about the war in Britain.

When Harry had finished, Jasper told him his story as well, which Harry had taken in stride. Jasper took him home that night to meet his family, who welcomed Harry with open arms. Esme had been beside herself with joy, barely able to contain her excitement.

"What time is it?" Harry asked, snuggling closer to Jasper.

"About nine," Jasper said, stroking Harry's shoulder. "Do you want to get up?"

"Haven't decided yet." Jasper felt Harry press an open-mouthed kiss to his chest. "Did anyone call?"

"I believe that Draco did, but I didn't answer. You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you." Jasper smiled down at Harry. "He called about three times. You might want to call him back soon."

Harry chuckled. "I'll let him suffer for a little while longer. He just wants to get my measurements for my tuxedo."

Jasper shook his head in mock exaggeration. "He's going to hunt you down, you know."

A few weeks after Jasper had introduced Harry to his family, Harry had taken it upon himself to introduce Jasper to his adopted family and friends. The Weasley clan had definitely been an interesting bunch to meet, as had Draco, Neville, and Luna. Jasper had felt more threatened by the combined forces of the Weasley brothers than he ever had facing newborn armies and the Volturi.

Molly Weasley, who was a saint among women, had taken him aside and threatened him with every form of torture she knew. Despite knowing that even with magic she probably couldn't kill him, he'd simply nodded and cowered before her.

And Draco, who had become friends with Harry after the war was over, had smiled threateningly at him and said, "Whatever she does to you, I'll make it ten times worse."

Needless to say, Jasper was very much in awe of Harry's family.

"I know he will," Harry said, stretching like a cat. "But I really don't care. I want to just lay in bed today." He rested his head on Jasper's chest, right over his heart. "I don't get very many days to spend entirely with you."

"I know," Jasper said, kissing the top of his head. "We'll just stay in bed today, alright?"

"Sounds good," Harry said with a yawn. He had just closed his eyes again when a cell phone went off. "I swear, I'm going to rip Draco's testicles off."

Jasper laughed. "Relax, it's mine." He reached over to the nightstand beside him and picked up the vibrating phone. "It's Carlisle."

Harry nodded. "Answer it," he said, knowing that Carlisle only called Jasper if it was important. He closed his eyes again, listening to Jasper's side of the conversation.

"Carlisle," Jasper said when he answered. "Esme? What? Slow…slow down. Hold on." Jasper gently sat up, carefully maneuvering Harry's head to his lap. Harry looked up at him, confused and worried. Jasper only used that tone if something was wrong. "Harry and I will be over soon."

Jasper hung up the phone and stared at it until Harry gently asked, "Jazz, love, what's wrong?"

"Bella."

Well, this was just a little test run for this story. I want to see how people respond to it before I add any more to it. Read, review, send love. Love and kisses and Nutella to you all.