Meeting (James' POV)

Just a little further, I thought to myself as I led my next victim down the dark alley. I heard the scream of a young boy as my mate began to feed. I turned my head in that direction and I saw my glowing red eyes in the reflection of the nearest car. That's when I heard it. Thunder, as any human would call it, but I knew it wasn't. A gust of air flowed though the night and I tasted the extra flow of venom as I smelled the woman I have lured. I turned to her and, eagerly, I dug my teeth into her throat, enjoying the sweet taste of her blood, and I finished off just when I heard my companions arriving.
"James, did you hear that?" asked my love, Victoria. Just then, as if it where answering her question, 'thunder' exploded into the sky from far in the distance. Too faint for human ears.

"Yes, I did," I answered her anyway, "I think we should go see who's playing. Maybe we could join them." It took just two seconds for our little conversation and then we were off, running through the city we had come to hunt. We swerved around the trees and over the mountain tops, through the rain till we were finally close to the clearing where the unknown vampires were playing some ball. It wasn't raining here, but the thunderstorm was a good cover for a game. As we slowed to a jog I noticed Victoria's brilliant red hair was stuck with thorns and branches from the journey. I laughed quietly to myself. Apparently not quietly enough, though.

"Don't you say anything!" Victoria said as she shot me a you-speak-you-die glare.

"Be quiet...I can hear them now," Laurent said as he turned to face us. "It's like they know we're coming. Maybe they already heard us." We sped up till we reached the edge of the clearing and I heard them shuffling around and mumbling to each other. I was the first to step out into the clearing, falling back behind Laurent, though I was the leader of our coven. Victoria was the last to emerge, her eyes shifting between the vampires we were now encountering. Laurent moved closer to them and then said, "We thought we heard a game. I'm Laurent, and these are Victoria and James." He pointed to each of us as he said our names.
The closest vampire, male, with blonde hair, advanced the slightest bit saying, "I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, Edward and Bella." I examined each of them as he gestured towards them casually but awkwardly, almost as though he was trying to hide something. Carlisle was most likely the head of the family, for he showed a sense of leadership by the way he stood. They all did, though his was the most distinctive. It was very unlike the way we stood, like a cat ready to pounce. One of the other blondes, also a male, whom he had called Jasper, was eyeing me carefully. He look especially relaxed and calm compared to his companions. The next was by far the largest. Did Carlisle say Emmett? He stood with a mischievous smile on his face, looking like he could take about anyone, with the size of those muscles. The last of the males was easily the most handsome, he stood slightly in front of the girl who Carlisle said was Bella, staring only at me. Then I looked at Alice and I felt a wave of shock and frustration flow through me. She was the girl I had once tried to track, and I almost had her, too. The only one that ever escaped me was now a powerful vampire that Carlisle had stolen, hidden from me, and changed so that she would not die when I had tried to kill her so long ago. I could hardly believe that she was here in the clearing. I remembered that she had visions of some sort and got curious to see what she was capable of now. Then I looked and the female beside her. Esme was calm and collected; Carlisle's wife, I suspected. Rosalie had to be the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, but of course right after my true love, Victoria, who was also looking at the family of vampires that stood before us.

Then Laurent interrupted my thoughts and said, "Do you have room for a few more players?"

Carlisle replied, matching Laurent's friendly tone, "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Were you planning to stay in the area for long?"
"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time." Laurent replied.

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves." Suddenly I felt a wave of calmness flow through the clearing as the tense feeling subsided in to a casual conversation.
"What's your hunting range?" Laurent inquired.

Ignoring the assumption behind the inquiry, Carlisle said, "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent resident nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly. "Permanent? How do you manage that?" he said with honest curiosity in his voice.

I was most surprised when Carlisle then said, "Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?"

I looked at Victoria as she turned to face me when he mentioned the word 'home,' but Laurent continued as if he had heard nothing.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." he smiled as we all looked at Carlisle's appearance, "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while."

"Please don't take offence, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained.

"Of course. We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway." He laughed.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us." He turned back to his family and said, "Emmett and Ali...

Then all of a sudden I felt a breeze flow through me and I jerked my head to where Bella stood behind Edward. My nostrils flared as Carlisle still spoke, but I couldn't pay attention. My head was swarming as I breathed in the most delicious scent of my existence. It was then that I realized why I had noticed Carlisle's unusual behavior earlier. Bella wasn't a vampire; she was human, and she had the most addicting blood I've ever smelled. I lurched forward into a crouch and I saw Edward crouching in defense as a growl ripped from his throat. My vision blurred and thirst burned through me; my mouth over-flowing with venom.

"What's this?!" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise.

I shifted to the right only to find Edward do the same at the exact time, like he knew exactly what I was going to do, when I was going to do it.

"She's with us." Carlisle said firmly, directed towards me. Then awareness dawned on Laurent's face as he caught the scent, but less powerfully I suspected, then me.

"You brought a snack?" he asked incredulously as he took an involuntary step forward.

Edward, never taking his eyes off me, snarled more ferociously, letting his lip curl up above his glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back.

"I said she's with us." Carlisle said in a harder voice.

"But she's human," Laurent protested, not at all aggressive, just astounded.

"Yes." I was surprised to hear Emmett speak, for he had not since we've arrived. I could feel his eyes boring a hole in my back. I slowly straitened out of my crouch but never leaving the gaze of the horrified, beautiful smelling Bella, my nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tense in his crouch before her.

To defuse the sudden hostility, Laurent said, "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."
"Indeed." Carlisle's voice still cool.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation." His eyes flicked from me back to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

I glanced toward him in disbelief and aggravation and then looked at Victoria, whose eyes fidgeted angrily from face to face.

Carlisle measured Laurent's expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They took their places next to Carlisle, blocking my view from Bella. Emmett's eyes were locked on mine as he backed up to join Edward, Alice, and Bella.

"Let's go, Bella." I barely made out the last words from Edward as they moved, human speed, to the edge of the forest.

"Shall we?" Carlisle said as soon as they disappeared in the blackness of the forest. He lead us to their home but I wasn't coherent, I was only running, and thinking of ways to track that Bella down. There is no way I was going to let her slip out of my hands just because of Laurent's promise to not hunt on their territory. She'll be mine. I'll make sure of it. Victoria pulled me out of my treacherous schemes as we began approached Carlisle's mansion. But I knew Bella was not going to be meeting us there.

"Listen, I'm going to track Bella, and I need you to help me." I whispered so low that only Victoria could hear.
"I'm always with you, my love." smiling as she replied.

We quietly - making sure that none of our other vampire friends noticed - slipped behind a few nearby trees and I explained to Victoria what I was planning. Then, wasting no more than five seconds, we were off, chasing the Jeep they left in along a river that flowed the length of the highway. Then all of a sudden, we came to where we couldn't trace the scent anymore and I knew that they hadn't gone any further. Victoria and I exchanged a glance as she sprinted back into the deep forest. I knew that she was headed to Carlisle's mansion but I went off in a different direction this time, following back down the highway to see if I could pick her scent back up. Finally, I found it and I ran after it, tracking it back to a little house, which I knew to be Bella's. There were lights on in what seemed to be the kitchen and I heard an argument coming from inside. I hid in the trees about a hundred yards away from the tiny house as I listened, and waited for Bella to step outside. She seemed to be arguing with an older man, probably her dad, I thought, as I listened harder to make out the words...

"...can't do this anymore! I can't put down any more roots here! I don't want to end up trapped in this stupid, boring town like Mom! I'm not going to make the same dumb mistake she did. I hate it - I can't stay here for another minute!" She stomped her way to the door.

This will be easy. I thought, a smile spreading across my face. She'll just step outside and slam the door and I'll run up and snatch her and take her away so I can slowly and painfully...

A vicious growl stopped my thoughts is their tracks because that's when I realized Edward was in the car waiting for her and I knew this was going to be harder than I thought.

Finally! A challenge. This is going to be exciting.

"Bells, you can't leave now, it's nighttime." said her father, sounding rather hurt.

"I'll sleep in the truck if I get tired." She grumbled back to him.

"Just wait another week, " he pled, "Renee will be back by then."

"What?"

He continued babbling, "She called while you were out. Things aren't going so well in Florida, and if Phil doesn't get signed by the end of the week, they're going back to Arizona. The assistant coach of the Sidewinders said they might have a spot for another shortstop."

I was moved closer so I could see inside and dart after her when she stepped out of the front door, though I knew Edward was watching me.

"I have a key." she said shyly and started towards the door again but something stopped her and she yelled out, "Just let me go Charlie. It didn't work out, okay? I really, really hate Forks!"

Then she ran into the night and jumped into her truck just as I stepped out behind the trees in her front yard. Bella started the car and flew out of the driveway, as fast as that truck could possibly go. I followed a good distance behind them. I glanced away for less than a second and then Edward was now, somehow, in the driver's seat. They were talking to low for me to hear so I sped up, not even going a hundredth of the speed I was capable of, only to realize they were headed for the mansion. I decided that I would wait and not try to attack a home of seven vampires. Then I remembered that Laurent was still probably with them because he didn't follow Victoria and I. I wondered what he was saying to them, most likely how I was definitely going to track Bella and that nothing could stop me once I got started, but it didn't really matter. I knew he would never go against me in any case, he was too afraid. I ran through the trees to the river and kept going until I would meet up with Victoria. I caught her scent but I didn't see her any where.

"Hey there." She jumped out of the tree with a sly smile on her face, her dazzling red hair cleared of twigs and sticks that had been there earlier, "What's the plan?"

"I followed them back to Bella's house and I heard the end of an argument she had with her father. She said she was going back home, but I know that was just a show to confuse me because Edward was hiding in the truck. They're at Carlisle's house now with Laurent. I'm not sure if he's left yet or not."

"Are we going to get her at the house now or wait?"

"Wait. Who knows what kind of defense they have for the girl."

"Ok, so we go back to the house and see where they're going and track the girl so that she's alone and easier to get?"

"That's what I'm thinking is best."

Not taking another moment, we ran back to Carlisle's mansion and hid in the trees away from the house, trying to hear their conversation. As we approached I spotted Bella's truck, a Mercedes, a BMW convertible, and the huge Jeep that I followed to Bella's. I heard a few mummers, but I couldn't put anything into words so we moved closer. Just as we got close enough to hear, the murmuring stopped and the front door cracked open.