Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns sparkley vamps. I own nearly nothing.
Bella and Edward sat on two thin cots, placed side by side in the same room where they had met earlier. It had been cleared of all other furniture.
"When you wake up, you'll probably be a little disoriented," Alice explained. "It's not uncommon for newborns to get a bit violent, and I really like that furniture set."
Jasper snorted, and she glanced back at him with a wistful smile on her lips. "Go ahead and laugh, but once you've lived in a fixed location for longer than a couple weeks at a time, you start to get attached to personal possessions."
"You move that often?" Edward asked, arching an eyebrow at the blonde vampire in the corner. Jasper grinned evilly.
"When your diet requires you to chow down on the local human population, it's in your best interest not to stick to one place for too long."
"You don't have to eat humans, Jasper," Alice cut in. "You know that. There's another way."
"Not everyone can be so sacrificing," Eleazar said. "I can't imagine how you stomach your diet, to be honest."
The five of them had spent the last hour or so discussing the mechanics of vampires and their lives, and Edward and Bella had both been surprised to learn that some vampires, like Alice, chose to abstain from human blood and hunt animals instead. That was the reason for the odd, golden hue of her eyes, as opposed to the rich crimson tint that Jasper and Eleazar shared.
"You've met Carlisle," she answered easily. "I thought he made a good argument. And besides, I like being able to be a little more stationary." She turned back to the humans. "Carlisle Cullen is a great man; you'll meet him soon. He and his wife, Esme, are coming down to help you adjust to your new lives."
"You're not leaving us?" Bella asked, panicking. For as disconcerting as the presence of an oracle could be, Alice had fast become a source of comfort and familiarity. She didn't know what she would do if Alice left.
"Of course not. But Eleazar has to go back to Italy soon, and we'll need all the help we can get."
"Since time is of the essence, I don't suppose we could get things started?" Eleazar smiled absently, but Edward thought he saw a tinge of worry lurking behind his eyes. "As the oldest and most controlled vampire present, I will be administering the venom."
Bella's hands clenched at the white sheet she sat on. Edward laughed. "What a polite way of saying you're going to bite us and kill us."
"You will be reborn," Eleazar said gently, leaning between the two of them and speaking softly. "It is … painful, probably the most painful thing you'll ever experience, in fact. But after it's over, you'll be stronger and more powerful than you can even imagine."
"I don't know about that," muttered Edward. "I have quite the imagination, and I think Bella could give me a run for my money."
Bella glared at him from her cot. "What's that supposed to mean?" While his words seemed kind, every exchange between the two since they met had been tense and laden with double-meaning.
"It means I think you have a knack for imagining something from nothing," he snapped, then winced, immediately regretting his words and tone. Despite their less than pleasant personal relationship, they were about to embark on something huge—together. He wanted to be kinder, and it frustrated him that he couldn't seem to control his reactions around Bella. "Look, I was paying you a compliment, okay? Obviously your imagination helped us out in this case."
"Damn right," she huffed, now looking anywhere but at Edward. Her eyes gave her away, though, and he thought he could see tears threatening to fall.
Alice watched them quietly from the doorway. Their faces were pale with fear, and their rapid heartbeats loud and clear in her ears. She closed her eyes briefly and searched the future, one last time.
The central vision was still the same. Nothing had changed since Edward's face had crystallized. He stood in front of Bella, stoic and strong, shoulders and back braced against the onslaught of so many enemies. In the final moments before the vision swirled and grew cloudy once more, Alice realized that he was the only one standing between Bella and the fight.
She sighed inwardly. Though she had already known that Edward was necessary, it was now obvious he was vital. There was no question that Bella would be the difference between certain defeat and their one, slim chance for victory, and now it seemed that Edward was her sole protector, at least for part of the battle ahead.
Resigned to his fate, she skimmed ahead, looking for signs that her meddling would not doom them to an unhappy eternity. Her mind was made up regardless, but it would give her peace of mind to know that happiness could possibly lay somewhere over the dark horizon.
Unexpected flickers skittered across her mind: secret smiles, two hands clasped securely between a swiftly running pair of vampires, and one still-frame image of Bella and Edward, heads thrown back in laughter, her cheek resting on his bare chest. Only possibilities at present, far from certain...but it was better than nothing. Alice's eyes flew open and she fell back into the present—to two sulky humans who didn't know how to relate to one another, thrown together by the winds of chance.
"Ready?" Eleazar asked, looking from one to the other before glancing up at Alice. She nodded once, and he smiled, reassured.
"As I'll ever be," Edward said, swallowing back his panic and looking over at Bella.
"Let's do this," Bella agreed.
The two of them shared one lingering stare before leaning back on their respective cots. Edward's fingers curled over the edge of his mattress as he gripped it tightly, resisting the urge to reach for Bella's hand and comfort her. Jasper pushed them down, anchoring each of them to their cots with one hand. A bird squawked on the windowsill, and Bella flinched.
"Easy, now," Jasper said. A rosy, carefree glow descended on Bella and Edward, and Jasper nodded at Eleazar. "It's time."
Alice turned and fled downstairs, unable to watch as Eleazar administered the fatal bites. She knew that nothing would go wrong; she had planned painstakingly for this. Nevertheless, she couldn't watch.
Seconds later, she was joined by Jasper, and as screams began to fill the air, Eleazar swept into the front room, licking his lips. A spot of blood stained his otherwise immaculate white collar.
"Well," she said, letting out a gust of unnecessary breath, "that's that."
Hope and courage surged through her, and she bounced on the balls of her feet, like a buoy at sea. Joham's plans for Bella were foiled, and Edward was still flying low under the radar. Still, she knew that this was only the first of many battles to be won; trying days lay ahead.
Jasper squeezed her shoulder. "All's well that ends well, baby girl."
"Too bad we don't know for sure how this ends," she mused, leaning into him.
"It's a good thing we've got you, then," Jasper murmured, ducking down to press his face to her hair. They stood like that for several long moments, until Eleazar cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence.
Jasper dropped his hand to Alice's waist and turned around, suddenly brisk and business-like. "Right. We've got a few days, so I suggest we get planning."
"Two days and fourteen hours, to be exact." Alice smiled, reveling in the tiny bit of certainty she could provide.
"That fast?" Jasper asked, surprised. She shrugged.
"It's not so fast. Three days is average, and the older the venom, the more potent."
He whistled. "No kidding. You're a good vintage, Eleazar."
The older vampire chuckled. "Regardless... these two are my first progeny and they'll be my last. I'm just glad I was able to control myself."
"Speaking of control, have you seen any potential problems when they wake up?" Jasper turned back to Alice.
She shook her head. "I can't see things like that. Any problems will be spur of the moment, impulsive decisions. It's useless to try to predict the actions of a newborn. There are too many variables at play."
"That's true," he agreed. "And that's why we need to make sure to keep an iron grip on the situation. I've trained newborns for battle before. They need absolute structure with no room for questions or objections. The faster they learn how to take orders, the more use they'll be to us."
"Remember that they aren't cannon fodder," Eleazar warned. "They will be young and impulsive, but they also will be vital participants in the fight. They'll need strategy, defensive skills, and at least a cursory understanding of vampire physiology."
"You're right, of course," conceded Jasper, "but they'll still need to be in fighting shape. As the only member of our little underground movement with any kind of wartime expertise, I'll take charge of that aspect. From what Alice has said, Carlisle will be able to help them get control of their special talents."
"He will," Alice agreed. "But even Carlisle won't be able to handle them on his own. We'll need help. He and Esme won't be much help controlling them physically in those first weeks. The two of us together could maybe handle one of them—not both."
"What do you suggest then?" Eleazar asked. "I can't stay any longer. I'm inviting suspicion as it is."
She hesitated, then looked at Jasper. "I know a mated couple in the Ozarks. They live in a pretty isolated area. They don't hunt humans, and they mostly keep to themselves, but they've been supportive in the past. They might agree to help."
"Might?" Jasper asked. "Why only might?"
"Emmett would help in a heartbeat," she said slowly, "but Rosalie... is a little more cautious. She'll be especially sensitive to hosting newborns, particularly newborns who didn't have much of a choice in their changing. It will have to be handled just so."
"Can you contact them?" Eleazar asked. "Before the change is complete, I mean? If I'm to arrive in Volterra on time, I must leave tonight, and I'd feel more comfortable knowing there was a plan in place for their training and protection."
Alice shook her head. "No phone. I'm not sure a postman would even know where to deliver a letter. We'll have to time our arrival just right. The last time I saw them, Emmett extended a pretty generous offer of assistance if I should need it. If we can time our approach for when Rosalie isn't present, everything should work out."
"Is should the best we can do?" Jasper pressed. When Alice nodded, he sighed. "Should it is. We'll just have to risk it." He turned to Eleazar. "Something else has been bothering me. These hybrids that Bella told us about, can they be destroyed? Are they more vulnerable than vampires because of their human heritage, or are they stronger somehow? If this Nahuel is right, and they're raising an army against us, we have to know more about how to destroy them."
"Maybe we don't," Alice interjected. "Apparently Nahuel is sympathetic to our cause, or at least he disagrees with the way the Collective is using the hybrids. Maybe he's not the only one. If we can get in contact with him, we might gain a valuable ally."
They both looked to Eleazar, who frowned. "It will be risky. Especially since I wasn't even aware that the hybrids existed before Bella told us. Do you think they will be important, Alice?"
"I hadn't thought of it before, but it's possible that the hybrids are why I can't get a solid read on the future," she mused. "When Bella was with Nahuel, she disappeared. I can only see pieces of the battle, never the whole thing at once, and never one piece for any extended period of time. Maybe Joham has been creating little blind spots."
As her revelation sunk in, the three fell silent, each thinking of the possible consequences. In the sudden quiet, the screams from the second floor grew louder. Alice glanced at the ceiling with a worried sigh.
"I'm only guessing," she said finally, breaking the silence. "This has never happened to me before. But since the hybrids are the only unknown variable, unless the Collective has another weapon under its sleeve, I have to think that they'll be present, and probably playing a large role."
"The Collective has other weapons," Jasper said darkly. "We know about those. We'll have to destroy the key members of the guard or we'll never gain the upper hand."
Eleazar dropped his eyes and frowned. "Is it necessary to destroy them completely? I know they've strayed, but the Collective has been the only family Carmen and I have known for hundreds of years."
"It's the only way, Eleazar," Alice said firmly. "If we leave even one of the core guard, the tide will turn against us."
"And what if we fail?" he said quietly. "What will happen to my Carmen? I am putting her safety in your hands as well."
"The time for these questions is long past," Jasper said with a scowl. Without Eleazar, everything unraveled. "If you were having second thoughts, you should have said so. We need you now. It's too late."
Alice reached out and clasped Eleazar's hand in hers. Her tiny fingers barely wrapped around his much larger hand, but the gesture warmed him, and when he felt the surge of precognition in her touch, he remembered why he had trusted her in the beginning. "You have to have faith," she whispered. "Don't give up now, not when we're so close."
He closed his eyes briefly and nodded, and when he opened them again, she released his hand. He rolled his shoulders back and strode toward the door. "Alice, if you'll show me where you're headed with the newborns, I can direct any help I encounter to join you. It will be some time before I can get away again, but I won't be idle."
"Of course," Alice said, pulling a map from a nearby magazine rack. "Will you have time to meet with Carlisle on your way?"
"Briefly," Eleazar responded, eyes quickly scanning the map of the Ozark wilderness that Alice presented him with. He noted the coordinates marked "E&R" and folded it swiftly. "Is there a particular message you'd like me to bring?"
"Just make sure he hurries. He and Esme must arrive before the change is complete, and we'll be preparing to leave for the cabin within the week. Fill him in on all the details you can about Bella and Edward and their talents. He has to be prepared."
Jasper and Alice watched him leave as he sped away on foot toward town.
"He's anxious," Jasper commented, lightly brushing his nose over the top of Alice's head. "And more than a little doubtful."
"He won't be when it counts. He's got several stops planned on his way home, and he'll send us allies from each of them. And I've already lost thread of his future once he gets back to Volterra. He'll do what we need him to do and more. Don't you worry about Eleazar."
"I wouldn't ever bet against you, Mary Alice."
She wrinkled her nose at the use of her full name. He was the only one she had shared it with since her creator, and while she thought the combination hopelessly puritanical, the way the words fell from his lips, soft and affectionate, warmed her from the inside out. It reminded her of vague memories from her childhood, curled in front of a fireplace with a book and a blanket.
The memories from before—before the darkness of the asylum, before the change, before the future began lighting up like a road leading nowhere and everywhere—were dim, wisps of half-remembered dreams that she held onto with the iron grip of her perfect memory. Everything she did, she did for that girl, the girl from before.
Jasper's arms wrapped around her, and Alice reveled in their strong assurance, even as her heart dreaded what came next. They were both outlaws in the eyes of the Collective; he had balked at the Collective's registration laws from the beginning, and her creator had failed to register her with the proper authorities at her rebirth. If they failed, they would be destroyed, special talents notwithstanding. If they succeeded...
"My little bundle of contradictions," Jasper whispered. "Fear, hope, happiness and despair all at once? What is going on in that head of yours?"
Instead of answering, she twisted in his arms and kissed him soundly, and they lost themselves in the easy silence of gentle touches and passionate kisses until evening gave way to dawn.
A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! I love seeing your thoughts and predictions, and hearing what you think about Edward and Bella and their predicament. This story would not be possible without BittenBee, hmonster4, katinki01, and opheliabreathes. Thank you for reading, and as always, your thoughts are welcome. :)
