Chapter 6 - Angels

Bella

I watched as Jacob and Renesmee rolled on the ground in a playful tussle; Jacob in human form. Neither one of them was using their full strength, mostly since Nessie's full strength would have broken more than few of Jacob's bones. And while Carlisle didn't mind setting them again, Jacob minded being out of action. Since becoming the Alpha of his own pack, Leah still acting as his Beta, and supervising the other boys to the lifestyle, Jacob had begun to actually mature.

I smiled at that idea. A year ago, mature is never a word I would have associated with Jacob Black. He would have been my funny, furry, mechanic; as loving as my younger brother and just as annoying. Since Renesmee's birth our relationship had balanced itself to where I had always needed it, though I had never known how I needed him in my life.

It was a perfect day to be outside, even for Washington. The trees were still moist from the fierce thunderstorm last night; to which Edward and I along with Jacob and Carlisle had massacred Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose in a game of baseball (since Esme was still determined to referee). I had wondered at first how well I was going to do with playing baseball, but Edward had convinced me that if I didn't enjoy playing after my first time at bat that I could referee with Esme. It wasn't the best compromise we had come upon, but it had satisfied me.

So I had put on my best face, much like the one I'd worn on many birthdays and Christmases, stepped up to the plate and swung the bat in anticipation. I knew that a lot of things from my old life had been corrected when I was changed, but I couldn't help the old apprehensions about playing sports from cropping up. Emmett smiled menacingly, he loved watching me squirm, switched from his crouch, and ejected the ball from his hand with the force of a bullet. It was amazing to see. Even though I could tell he had thrown the ball with as much force as he dared to use, I could watch the ball at an almost slow motion pace, and I swung the bat. It connected with the familiar crack like the lightning dancing merrily around us and I took off for the bases. I pushed every ounce of energy I had through my muscles and streaked around the diamond shape and slid safely into home a few seconds before the ball even came close to leaving Jasper's hand. And it was official; I was hooked.

Of course it certainly helped that my newborn strength still hadn't waned yet. I still thrashed Emmett in arm-wrestling matches. And hunting had become so second nature I didn't ruin every single outfit that Alice painstaking planned out for me. Edward and I still had trouble with keeping the clothes in one piece every night though.

The clouds hadn't completely receded from the area. The sun was constantly hidden behind the celestial collage that my family enjoyed the most. Enough of a shelter to make it possible to have a family outing without causing too much of a commotion about our dazzling images in the sunlight, but enough light to keep the quaint human tradition of a picnic real for us. It had amazed me at first, when I started referring to myself as part of the vast collective of vampires in the world. I hadn't really realized the moment when I started realizing I was part of this vast new world of wonder and intrigue, but it had just become as natural as being a "vegetarian" and the mental shield which I now had full control over.

My protective shield. It had been that gift, which I had called a malfunction in the hardwiring of my own brain so many times in my former life, that had tipped the scales in our favor. Well, that and the fact that Alice, I'll love her for all eternity, found Nahuel; another half vampire like Renesmee. I smiled at the sight of my little girl. My sweet little angel, alive and joyful.

Edward and I had realized early on, much earlier before the Volturi had entered our beautiful tableau, that she could not be enrolled in a public school until her growing had slowed enough to mirror that of the humans she would be around all day. So between Edward and I, we home schooled her in some of the basics. Of course, Carlisle, Esme, and the rest of the family were included in her education. And Renesmee was progressing by leaps and bounds mentally daily. Her usual academic schedule included musical theory, advanced automotives, advanced chemistry and biology, trigonometry and calculus, world economics and politics, and then she had her "free" classes like: 'Fashion Dos and Don'ts for Vampires" and "Folklore, Legend, and Mythology from Around The World".

Her body continued to slow down, as we had come to understand it at least. She was closer to the physical age of a eight year old now, months having passed from the Volturi's horrifying visit to our home. But nonetheless, she was strong enough to rip young trees from the ground by their trunks and could outdistance many Olympic track runners. Not exactly easy to hide in public.

But Edward and I also realized that Renesmee had to have social interaction with humans as well as with her family. She had to be able to keep the secret of our existence, and the best time to learn that was early. So we scheduled regular visits to larger cities to immerse Renesmee in human society. We also allowed Jacob to spend as much time as he wanted to with our family, though I had set some ground rules very early on in this agreement.

"Ten o'clock curfew," I told him calmly, but with the quiet authority I had learned from Edward. "For both of you."

"You've got to be kidding me," he choked. He searched my face, looking for the punch line and Emmett running into tell him it was a priceless look on his face. But I held his gaze and he understood I meant business, and was not going to buckle on my decision.

"And," I began.

"There's more?!" he exclaimed, his voice shooting upward an octave and his eyes popping wide.

"Yes," I replied just as coolly, as if he hadn't interrupted. "You will finish all your homework, attend all your classes, and graduate from high school on time."

"Now wait just a minute Bells," Jacob had begun, his face showing a great dislike for my parental authority.

I held up my hand, silencing him quickly with a look. "This is something that Edward and I are both in agreement on Jacob. If you truly care that much for her you need to set a good example for her to follow as she grows older."

"So what are you saying?" he said, his tone turning haughty. "A GED isn't good enough for this family of brainiacs? I have to have a diploma from some snooty college to be with Nessie?"

"It isn't about the actual merit of finishing your schooling Jacob," I said in reply, still very calm and in control of my emotions. Jacob's rantings seemed less and less to annoy since he and I spent more time together. I understood the pain and fear he was feeling right now; I even empathized with him a little bit from my own predicament I'd had with Edward while I was human; but that didn't mean I was going to change my mind.

"Renesmee needs to have an example of keeping the charade in place," I said slowly, choosing my words with care. "Eventually we're all going to have to move and start over again. And while I and the rest of us are going to be able to adapt more easily, I don't want you and Renesmee to have to do that. We all will have to endure this kind of social torture for the rest of our lives, but she needs the first one to be real and special; to be important. I probably won't ever tell Edward, but I'm very grateful now that he dragged me almost kicking and screaming through those painstaking events."

Jacob drew breath as though preparing to continue arguing, but I wasn't about to play nice on this. If every conversation we ever had was a hand at poker, I was about to play real dirty by stacking the cards against him. Sure, he had three of a kind with Jacks, but I was about to royal flush him with Renesmee.

"Do it for Renesmee Jacob," I pleaded in a whisper. I know it wasn't exactly fair, but I didn't care about that right now. I needed Jacob on my side about this.

Jacob fumbled for a few more moments before he had reluctantly given in with a slow nod of his head. And that was the end of that conversation, and Jacob had stuck religiously to that agreement. Not once did he waver in playing his role as student or friend, and I was very grateful for it.

I felt Edward by my side before I could even smell his familiar aroma. He had been right, of course, I never tired of having him constantly by my side. Working with my memories as a human I had never believed the powerful connection that bound us together. Now I knew that nothing short of hell itself was going to keep the two of us apart. I needed him with me more than now than when I was human; which would have seemed impossible to my old self.

"How's it going?" Edward asked casually, his velvet voice filling the air. He slid his hand gently into mine, as he gazed intently at our daughter and her playmate.

"Nessie's up by three points right now," I replied with a smile, turning to study Edward's face. He was smiling warmly, watching Renesmee tackle and pin Jacob to the ground. "But I suppose it doesn't really count since he's letting her win. Just like you do for me."

Edward turned to smile my crooked smile. "Me?" he teased. "Throw a match to let you win?"

We laughed quietly at the memory of my first few days as a newborn, when we had raced using the full power of our bodies. I hadn't beaten him every time, but I had won enough to humble him a little on his speed. And then to beat Emmett in every single arm wrestling match he ever threw at me was also another private joke among our family. I knew eventually he was going to destroy me, but I tried to not let that fear distract me from humbling him. He needed it every now and again.

I seemed to humble a lot of members of my family. Rose's opinion on my choices had changed, Jasper on the nature of the beast, Emmett and Edward on their strength and gifts, and Carlisle with the restraint I had during the change (I had finally sat down and told him about what the morphine had truly done during the transformation). The only one I couldn't surprise was Alice. Her uncanny ability to foresee choices made it impossible to shop for her and all the other tedious facts of having a loving sister-in-law and not be able to spoil her without her knowing. It could be very infuriating.

Jacob by this point had wriggled out of Nessie's hold and was stalking around in a circle again, waiting for an opening. Suddenly, he raced forward and leapt at her; but she was ready for him. In a move that reminded me so much of Alice's cunning, Renesmee waited until the last possible moment, jumped above his reach, and flipping lightly pushed Jacob down into the forest floor with an impish grin. I tried hard to muffle my laughter, but Edward was not as judicious until he caught my disapproving gaze.

"What's so funny?" Jacob called from across the meadow. I guess our voices had carried far enough.

Edward winked at me quickly before hollering back. "We were just laughing at the fact that a werewolf of your strength is being defeated by a child."

Jacob growled in his throat, but Renesmee diverted his attention again by tackling him from behind. This time we all joined in on the laughter. Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket and as he flipped it open to answer it. From the second that he placed the phone next to his ear, the atmosphere around us morphed from happy into tense as though a master switch had been thrown. I knew something was wrong as soon as Edward's hand tightened in stress around mine. He stared dead ahead while he listened to what was being reported through the phone. It was Carlisle, but my mind was running so fast that I couldn't seem to focus enough on his words to full comprehend what was being said. All I could really say that I caught were the words "newborns", "army", "Forks", and "coming".

But even those four words on their own were enough to scare me.

I could still vaguely remember the last time we had been visited by a newborn army. The pain and anxiety I had felt about losing any member of my angelic family had scared me as much as their losing me had scared them. Edward had been my guardian angel, and I could feel the familiar shift in his nature toward that role. I could almost imagine him picking up the sword and shield to fight for my life. I loved that chivalric nobility of his nature.

Edward slowly pulled the phone from his ear and closed with a soft snap, drawing me back from my wonderings. Something had to be wrong. The sparkling smile that stretched to his eyes which had once enhanced his beautiful face was gone. In its place was a look of fear and terror.

"Edward?" I asked gently, laying my hand on his face. "What is it?"

"Alice," he whispered.

I was right in step with all the words that he hadn't said yet. "What did she see?" I asked anxiously. Deep down I was more afraid of not knowing the looming event on the horizon that had stolen my angel's joy, but I feared it just as much.

"An army," he whispered, focusing his eyes on Jacob's face not fifty yards away. "Another army of newborns is coming."

I froze where I stood. Another army? "Why?" I asked. "I'm a vampire; Victoria, James, and Laurent are all dead. No other vampire is holding a grudge against us, so who would bring an army to Forks?"

"She doesn't know," Edward said, his eyes meeting mine again. I could see the fear and confusion etched in every facet of his golden gaze. "Alice says she'll keep watching, but it seems that you are still drawing bad luck toward you like a gravitational pull."

I smiled weakly at his attempt to distract me. "I'm not afraid," I told him confidently. "We will win. We have gifts that they don't."

"You don't understand Bella," Edward whispered, closing his eyes as though in pain. "This army is built of nothing but gifts."

My breathe caught in my throat. An army made entirely of gifted vampires? That was something to fear. Immense strength and terrible gifts that I may not be able to block out. This truly was the only thing apart from the Volturi that could threaten my family. My beautiful family that had survived peacefully for a century was going to be hunted and destroyed. It did seem inevitable that no matter how my life had changed, the Fates were bound to weave their own set of miseries to destroy my happiness.

Another vampire army. This was the worst news I'd had in the last seven months. I had thought that Charlie and Sue Clearwater becoming serious would be the most startling news. Or the invitation to Angela and Ben's wedding in Seattle.

It seemed rather ironic to me. That the most powerful vampires in history, the Volturi, would pass judgment on us and spare us only for us to be killed by a power-hungry vampire without any possible score to settle.

Edward must have read the fear on my face because he placed his hands on my face and made me face him. "We will get through this Bella," he promised. His voice was intense and confident; my guardian angel ready to battle the world for my life. "We will."

"I know," I whispered, not knowing what else to say. "It's not me I'm worried about." I turned away, almost wishing to be able to cry to release some of the pain from my unbeating heart.

"Then . . ." Edward began until he noticed I was staring at Jacob and Renesmee. He drew me into his arms and hugged me fiercely. "We will protect her my love. If no one else survives, I will make sure she does."

I hugged him back and together we consoled each other in the now silent meadow. And in my mind's eye I could envision the scene. In the vast clearing that seemed to be our own personal war zone, stood two lines of immortals. There we stood, my beautiful family, glittering lightly in the sunlight, silent and waiting to protect our peaceable way of life. To defend the ideals we valued most: love, compassion, tolerance, and life against the sins of intolerance, greed, and lust. On the other side, the blood thirsty and powerful newborns, their red eyes trained on their golden eyed opponents. No thought, no need, no purpose but our destruction. The end of my small family of angels.

If I could have cried in fear I would have as I surrendered completely into Edward's reassuring arms.

Barbara and Logan raced up the mountainside, easily leaping from rock to outcropping. After a few minutes of searching the dense woods around them they deposited their charges into a row along the moist ground.

Their bodies had begun to exhibit the classic signs of the change. Barbara could hear their hearts spreading their venom quickly through the rest of their bodies. And as it coursed through their veins, she could almost see the beautification of their faces and bodies, the strength pouring into their bodies. The blazing heat that had assailed her and her mate the entire journey up was dropping slowly, degree by degree.

But the most enthralling joy she felt was their gifts growing in intensity, a slow harmony of high and low humming in her head.

Barbara was almost giddy with excitement. She had assumed that only a few of the humans would prove worthy of entering this new life, but after feeling the pull from so many of them, she was ecstatic.

Logan stepped over to her, turned her face to his, and crushed his lips onto hers. His excitement to their acquisitions was palpable, increasing the already intoxicated flavor that was Logan. Her body screamed to be closer to his, to feel the raw power and grace of his muscles against hers.

She moved her hands along Logan's chest, her fingers feeling every curve, perfect and flawless under her supple hands. Logan pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms and began kissing her feverishly along her jaw and down her throat. His hands reached the hems of her clothes and the soft sound of tearing fabric whispered into the surrounding silence.

Barbara gasped and pulled away from his embrace.

Logan's eyes were alight with wild passion; smoldering and chilling in the same instant. Barbara struggled to maintain over her mutinous body, every nerve and fiber crying to be with Logan.

"My love?" Logan whispered, confused but gentle, as he searched her eyes for the cause of her hesitation. Barbara never restrained herself from his embrace unless there was a real need. "What is it?"

"We'll want to save these clothes my love," she whispered, sliding her hand beneath his shirt and brushing her fingertips along his smooth stomach. "We don't want to offend our guests, do we?"

Logan smiled wickedly. Sweeping her quickly into his arms, he ran to a nearby cave. A few seconds later, a pile of black clothes flung carelessly by the mouth of the cave, Barbara surrendered to Logan with a renewed vigor and determination.

As the sun set in the west a cry rose from the mountainside. A cry that sent animals scurrying into their holes. A sound that sent shivers through hiking travelers.

A cry of pain.