2. Questions

Questions like, Why, and more importantly When, popped into my head. But the one that seemed most pressing, How? How could they be coming back, I thought it was over! That it was done!

I guess there are just some things in life you can't count on. Like happiness, hope, and everything that you are most sure about.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" said Mum, her voice was such a low whisper that I could barely make out what she was saying.

How could she not know? How would she take it when she realized?

Guess I'm about to find out, I thought, if I were not still in shock I probably would have felt a bit of dread.

"Them," said Jacob, again could barely figure out what he had said through his teeth. When she clearly was still non-plussed he continued "The Volturi."

What little color any of them had was drained from my family's faces.

Carlisle gasped, and then, so quick that the movement didn't exist, he wrapped Esme in his arms as she began to tremble.

Jasper let out a hiss and immediately went into hunting mode. He sunk into a crouch in front of Alice and was obviously getting ready to take her and run if any hint of danger arose.

Emmett looked shocked for a millisecond then he rolled up his sleeves and flexed his rolling muscles, while Rosalie looked at me incredibly protectively, and seemed like she just wanted to get me out of here as soon as she could.

Meanwhile, Bella stayed completely still, like she was a living stone. Her expression was the only thing that had changed.

What had once been curiosity and concern was now dread, horror, and stubborn disbelief.

Dad was not in shock like the rest of them, he had known, of course, as soon as he had walked in the door. He looked like he was in deep, deep thought.

I was currently trying to remember everything about the amazingly powerful ancient family of vampires, trying to grab hopelessly at anything that might give me some clue to what was going on.

Aro, the leader of the ancients – or so it seemed – had the incredible ability to hear all the thoughts your mind had ever held. He had always made it clear that he thought of Carlisle as an 'old friend'. I remembered his parting line in which he hoped that they could still count each other as such. He certainly hadn't done what Carlisle had requested that he should prove that he should still be counted as one, if that was what he wanted.

Caius hated us. Hated us to his very core. He detested our lifestyle and wanted deeply to slaughter us, last time we saw him he had been ready to do that, and in cold blood! I truly hoped that his and Aro's relationship had gone downhill. When Aro had voted no for our execution Caius had been fuming with anger, and that could only be a good thing (that he was angry mostly with Aro).

Marcus, I wasn't sure about, he always had a blank bored look, that I assumed was to hide some inner emotion, I was terrified at the possibilities of what that emotion could be.

And maybe the worst of all, Jane and Alec. Jane's ability to simulate the worst possible pain was almost as bad as Alec's ability to cut of all of your senses.

A whole army, coven, or, in our case, family at his mercy.

There was no way that they could be coming back!

'The Vol-who?" said Charlie who was still standing in front of me, snapping me out of my train of thought. He seemed utterly stunned about what had happened over just a few seconds.

"Charlie, we have some friends coming over, I'm sorry but we can see you again soon." Said Carlisle, taking authority.

"Ok, but, just what's happening?" he said then backtracked, because of the exasperated looks he got, "Oh… umm, ok. I'll just, uh…. Go then. See you later, um, yeah… bye." He said awkwardly, and then when nobody did anything, he walked out of the door.

When the grumbling of his engine had disappeared, the questions started.

"How?" Asked Carlisle.

"Why now?" Said Emmett.

"When?" Asked Rosalie

"Who did this, no matter why they are coming, who told them to?" Said Esme.

"Leah," said Jacob through his teeth, "She went there human."

This shocked us all, then suddenly Dad was up in Jacob's face, and the smiling, joking person was gone.

"How could she do this, how could you let her! I thought things like this were behind us! She will pay." Said Dad, clearly beyond all reason. Though he was much taller than Dad he still seemed to cower slightly below him.

"I told you! She went their human! I didn't think to give an order, how was I to know that she would do this?" Said Jake, who know seemed a bit angry too, now.

"Edward," said Esme, warning him, "We cannot blame him for this."

Dad took a deep breath – not that he needed it, of course – then he said,

"I'm sorry Jacob, that was harsh of me." He said curtly, then he asked "But why would they come?"

Then his eyes widened in fear, as he listened to Jacob's answer in his head.

"Charlie," he breathed, "they know we have had close contact with a human."

"What shall we do?" whispered Esme, seeming like she didn't really want to know the answer.

"I know what we have do to," said Mum speaking for the first time,

"We have to tell him."