Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE. Lyrics from Amazing Grace by John Newton.

Chapter 14: Always in Motion is the Future

"…I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see."

*#*

APOV

November 2003

It had already snowed around our home in Denali. The entire property was blanketed in white, a light dusting still remaining on the trees where the wind hadn't yet knocked it off the branches onto the ground.

The family members were all engrossed in their various activities. Jasper and Emmett played chess while Rosalie worked in the garage on our cars. Esme was upstairs reading in Carlisle's study while he was at work. I sat at my computer, designing some new winter clothes for Rosalie and Esme as I listened to the wind whipping around outside. For some strange reason, the sound compelled me to leave my sleek and stylish desk chair to look out the large picture window at the snow.

The wind swirled the snow around, white gusts blowing by and causing the trees closest to the house to whip against it. Then the snow disappeared and a variety images started flashing by quickly. A young woman, with pale skin, long brown hair and big brown eyes appeared. She sat on a bench in a gothic lobby. She walked down the street late at night. She practiced karate in a white gi. She danced in a wooden studio.

Who is this? I wondered as the images continued and got even more confusing. She walked on a street in Paris. She looked completely mortified, yet beautiful, standing in a gorgeous blue bikini. Finally, she walked on a dirt road in the winter time, slowing as she encountered a man in a duster coat. She turned her head to look up at her companion… who reached for her hand.

Edward?

Then the visions began again. The images flashed from a different vantage point… and Edward was in all of them, looking at her, following her, watching her. His face was… odd. Was it hunger? No, not quite. What is it then?

The images flashed once more, but this time, they appeared in reverse order, and in each one, the woman had vanished. She disappeared from the dirt road. Bikini clad woman – gone. Parisian street there but the woman – evaporated. She vanished from every image until I once again saw her walking down the street late at night and Edward was there, following her. This time I was sure the look in his eyes WAS hunger.

Jeez, this isn't good.

The snowy landscape outside our window reappeared. I reached down, got out my red jeweled cell, and pressed his speed dial number.

He answered after the first ring. "Hello, Alice," he said.

I tried to mask the worry in my voice. "Edward, I just had a vision about you," I said quickly.

"Really? What did you see?" he asked casually.

God, he's being nonchalant about my vision! How often do I call him about them these days? Uh, RARELY.

"A girl," I answered, "a human girl." I paused. "Well, not a girl, but a young woman. Brown eyes, brown hair. Edward, she's important." All I heard was silence on his end. I looked at Jasper who had left the chess game to come over and hold my hand. He squeezed it, trying to give me support as he could feel my growing concern.

Edward's silence was telling. "She's there with you now, isn't she?"

"Mmm…" he responded.

I started feeling nervous. If he harmed this girl, everything would go very wrong. I had to say it. "Don't kill her."

That got him. He paused and this time when he spoke, there was less humor in his tone. "Well, that's something to consider."

"I'm not joking, Edward. There's something big with this one. Leave her be tonight and we can talk more about this. Jazz and I can be on the first flight out tomorrow to be with you if you need us."

He was silent again. What is up with him? Jeez, he was driving me crazy. This wasn't just a 'make sure you pick up the dry cleaning/no response necessary' call. "Edward, did you hear me? Pay attention! DO NOT HURT HER."

"Let's see how it goes. I'm sure you'll be the first to know," he responded.

Images flickered again and I started to feel a bit better. "Hmm, looks like the vision is shifting. I think she'll be safe for tonight. Okay, Edward, remember… leave her be."

"Yes, I'll try. Chances are good right now. I'll talk to you later."

As he hung up, the images bombarded my head faster than I'd ever experienced. They were like a pinball bouncing around a machine, each image knocking the previous one out of the way.

The same images appeared with Edward again in each one. Then more: with each flash, I saw more members of our family around her in the oddest places… in San Francisco, Vegas, Italy, France, here in Denali. Then the images expanded to include not just our family, but our friends too… Kate, Eleazar, Maggie, Peter.

Finally there was one last flash: the woman was standing in the middle of a snowy field, once again with Edward at her side, flanked by the entire family and so many more of our friends. Her face was an awesome sight to behold. She no longer looked like the pale young woman sitting on the bench. She looked strong and fearless… and really, really angry.

I couldn't make sense of these visions without context. Only one thing was for certain: this woman, whoever she was, was very, very important.

~#~

September 2009

Very, very important…

Understatement of the decade, I thought, as looked around the living room at the motley crew assembled there. It was nice feeling normal again – if one could say that psychic abilities were normal. In any case, at least my temporary blindness was gone for the moment.

Very, very important… The statement danced around my brain as I reminisced about that first day of Bella visions. I thought about how all of the images I'd originally seen had indeed transpired but for one: the last one. I never had that one again. As the future is always changing, always in motion, at the time I figured there had been a 'course correction.' However, since Bella started having visions in her dream state and I discovered that her vision of Aro on that dirt road matched mine, I was no longer sure that it wouldn't come to pass.

I had yet to tell anyone about that vision.

I've said it before. Superpowers aren't what they've cracked up to be… they can be a real burden.

I think it was Andie McDowell's character in the movie Sex, Lies and Videotape who asked her psychiatrist how many people he knew who obsessed about how great and wonderful things were: "Maybe they do… but I don't think they're in therapy," she stated.

That sentiment generally summed up my crazy psychic life.

So rarely did images of simple happy times flash in my head on their own. Yes, I could conjure up happy outcomes if I was trying to see the results of different actions, but when one of my trances came upon me unbidden, the visions generally served as a warning.

The images that came to me so often left room for interpretation. I had to rely on my intuition and experience to piece them together and interpret them correctly. Sometimes – actually, quite often lately – I was flying blind. I only knew something had to happen but I didn't know why.

Take Edward and Bella. The fact that she would be in Edward's life was immediately evident as the images flashed by, and I found him swirling around her. His first look of hunger rapidly turned into desire, and eventually, what I came to realize was love. I knew that he would want her like he wanted no other and those first moments were crucial. Had he acted upon his hunger for her blood, he'd have killed the one who was destined to be his mate.

For some reason, I saw Tanya and Jacob together. It was wonderful to see Tanya finally in love. Meanwhile, Bella was so happy for her friend, and when Bella was happy, Edward was happy… although I'm sure there was a small part of him that still wished a piano would fall on Jacob's head because he once tried to steal his girl.

Ultimately, however, my visions were never just about matchmaking. They were about actions and reactions and course corrections. The vision I'd had about Jacob and Bella's future together when Bella and Edward were apart just over four years ago ended so badly, it shook us. That Bella wasn't meant to be with Jacob became obvious. That Bella and Edward had to be together to bring the Prophecy to bear wasn't, but I took action anyway. So why Tanya and Jacob? Well, at the time it made no sense, so I just went with it.

My abilities are not infallible. They have limitations. I have limitations. I can't see EVERYTHING. A few years ago, we discovered some holes in my visions which I at last understood: what I didn't know existed, I couldn't see.

They say 'what you don't know won't hurt you.'

Uh, ignorance is bliss? Screw that old adage.

Ignorance is perilous, particularly where our former danger magnet was concerned. There were many times where I was almost too late to stop my family – and that included Bella – from being hurt.

Take Laurent/Larry, the Parisian half-breed. Who knew halflings existed? None of us had ever encountered one. So when Bella was taken by him in Paris, she disappeared. However, once I was able to peg him as part vampire, I could see him and all halflings.

Up until today, my loss of visions when we first bought the Forks property - which almost led to Edward's destruction and Bella's death when James came after her - had gone unexplained.

When I was back in Denali, and later traveling around with Bella to San Francisco, LA and Montreal, the visions returned and were normal. Imagine my surprise when my visions started faltering again, even before we moved back to Forks. It was a series of black holes piled on top of one another. Of course, no one could have ever imagined a pregnant vampire.

Then we got no advanced warning when Charlie would come over with Sue and Seth, but once Seth stopped coming for a while, all was right with the world.

Until, of course, one of the twins vanished from my visions. It scared the heck out of me at first. Something happened when they used their telekinesis, causing one of them to disappear, and it was never the same twin who vanished. Finally, when I cornered them and made them show me what they were doing, I realized what was going on.

The little monsters were holding back on us! I realized that day that when one used their 'Azseeuesh' – or, in common, not-heard-in-the-womb English, 'As You Wish' – power, one lost the telekinesis and was able to give it to the other, magnifying the intensity. Conjuring up a vision of them as they were doing this, I was able to see a slight halo that would appear around the twin who was wielding the power, indicating that he or she was tapping into the other at the time. Afterward, as long as one twin was 'glowing' in my vision, I knew the other was safe.

I soon realized that I was witnessing only the tip of the iceberg, but I kept this knowledge to myself. I knew this would come in handy at some point and it was better to let it reveal itself as it should.

So just when I thought everything was settling down and getting back to normal, my visions went haywire again a few days ago. Grrrr!

Jasper and I were out playing with the twins when a vision swirled around me. I saw Edward's car rolling down a hill. Two vampires had attacked! But why?

Jasper registered my worry immediately. "Alice," he soothed, trying to keep his tone generally calm as to not alert the kids, "What's wrong?"

"Jazz, stay here," I whispered and I ran back to the house to tell Bella.

"Bella!" I yelled as I approached the house.

Edward stepped out on the porch. "She's not here; she went to pick up Jacob and Tanya."

He looked at me and registered my concern. He instantly started probing my thoughts. "What was that, Alice? What's wrong?"

I wanted to answer, but too many questions were forming as my mind was trying to connect with more information that wouldn't come. Why didn't she take the Mini? Suddenly the dots connected.

"Oh, God, she used YOUR car!" I looked up at him. "Edward, Bella's going to be attacked by two vampires on her way home!"

"Where? Where!? Show me!" He peered into my thoughts again. "Lake Crescent," we said at the same time.

"That's an hour away by car, but I can cut through the woods." He instantly tried to dial her. "Shit! She's not picking up."

"There's no reception," I answered, trying to conjure up some more information.

"I'm going," he said, as he took off.

"Hurry!" I whispered after him, knowing he heard me.

Within minutes another vision appeared and I could see Edward would get there in time. I calmed down instantly… and then they all disappeared again!

I called Edward's cell. Damn patchy service! I realized he wasn't on the road and his cutting through the woods was leaving us with intermittent connection. I kept dialing, waiting until he reached them. At last he picked up.

"Alice…" It sounded like he was moving around.

He snippily let me know he made it in time. I chastised him about not picking up earlier, but he reminded me that he was a little busy at the time.

I was afraid to ask the question. "What happened to Bella? Is she off somewhere else? She disappeared from my visions… well, actually, you all did…"

"No, she's right here in front of me… What do you mean we disappeared?"

"Edward, what the heck is happening? Something is throwing my visions out of whack again! Do you sense anyone else around you?"

Now he was really losing it. Any threat to his mate, or even the mere insinuation that she might leave his life, and he became volatile. "How the fuck would I know?" he spat. He paused for a moment. "No, I don't hear anything."

I was quiet for a moment. Then I asked what Bella was doing and he told me Jacob was hurt and Tanya's blood wasn't helping, so Bella had taken over.

By that point, Jasper and the twins made it back home. The rest of the family had gathered around. I smiled at Luc and Alena, realizing that Lucien could see what I was thinking. Thankfully, his mom and dad were safe. I could see his worried face ease up.

Edward had mentioned his car was totaled so I asked if he needed us to come get him. He said they could make it home faster on foot, so at that point all we could do was hope for the best as Bella worked on Jacob.

Thankfully, Edward kept our connection open and he gave me a play-by-play of what was happening. When I heard Tanya's relieved voice saying thank you, I knew they were safe.

But then my visions were gone again. I got nothing but static. I tried not to worry too much about it as I watched Bella and Edward coming back from the studio the morning after the attack.

Jacob was still sleeping and to keep the noise to a minimum, they decided to go to the studio and dance. The twins were skipping along ahead of them, giggling and spinning. Luc and Lena loved family time in the studio, and although family time put a damper on the naked dancing Edward and Bella liked to do there, the joy they had spending time with their kids helped make up for the infringement on their sexcapades. It wasn't like they didn't more than make up for it when the kids were asleep.

Yeesh! If there is one good thing about my faulty visions, at least I get a reprieve from seeing those two go at it….

~#~

So here we were, a few hours later, with no more secrets. Until I discover that invisible six-foot rabbits really do exist, I guess.

Here in one household was a gathering I never could have predicted:

- A vampire family/coven that housed the most powerful legendary vampire ever;

- Two halfling kids who had special powers;

- Native American boys who turned into werewolves;

- A human male who was technically the leader of a wolfpack… and who also may or may not be part wolf AND part vampire, holding the hand of his beautiful vampire mate;

- A confused tribal elder, father of the aforementioned possible half wolf/half vamp;

- And finally, one very human Chief of Police who had just learned about the existence of all of them, nicely passed out in one of the guest rooms, aided by Carlisle who administered a sedative to keep him down while we figured this out.

Werewolves. Jeez. Can it get any worse? Then I caught the irony of my thoughts. A vampire lamenting the existence of another 'mythical' being.

Vampires and werewolves and halflings. Oh my. I could tell it was about to get uglier. I didn't my visions to see the possible outcomes of this little gathering. I didn't bother to conjure up any; I'd just let the visions come as they would. Thankfully, the twins were off in their playroom; Bella wanted to wait until she felt it was really safe for them to be out with our guests.

"If Sam was your Alpha, and he died a few months ago, what have you done since? Who has been leading the pack?" Jacob asked.

"Paul," Seth said. "He was Sam's second in command."

"So, what, you were his… 'Beta'?" Jacob seemed confused about the proper wolf terms.

Paul squared his jaw and folded his arms across his chest. "That's right."

"So now you're my Beta?"

"God, I hope not," Paul responded bitterly, turn away from the crowd to look out the window.

"Paul," Billy barked, "please!"

Paul spun to look at him. "Billy, we don't know for sure that he's the Alpha. He's not even wolf!"

Carlisle spoke quietly. "We don't know for sure that your statement is accurate. I took a few samples of Jacob's blood yesterday after the attack—"

"Attack? What attack?" Quil asked.

"We'll get to that," Jacob said, his eyes flashing at him. Then he shifted his eyes to look back at Carlisle. "And?"

"I don't have anything to compare it to." He looked at the boys and Billy. "It would be helpful if I could take a sample of yours to compare…" he suggested.

The room was silent for a moment and then Seth spoke. "Sure, Carlisle," Seth said. "You can have mine."

Paul stepped forward. "No."

"Aw, come on! I was at Bella's and Edward's wedding. I helped Jasper and Alice find this land and build this place. They've been nothing but good to me and they're almost family. Our lives are clearly intertwined in so many ways… Charlie and my mom. Bella and Jacob. Bella and Sam. I mean, Holy Cow, you know?! I'll bet he finds out we all come from the same father or something!

"Dude! Just like in Underworld 2!" Emmett said.

"Yeah," Seth grinned.

"Fuck," Paul said under his breath as he shook his head. "No," he said again, more forcefully. "As the leader of the pack," he said, "I won't allow it."

Jacob's voice was calm yet cold. "Is it really your choice anymore?" he asked.

The ensuing silence was deafening. The tension was palpable as we stood around in our living room trying to make both heads and tails of the situation. Jasper did his best to keep us calm, but he was just barely managing to contain it. Finally, Emmett turned on the TV.

"Emmett, that's rude," Esme said gently.

"Well, we're all just sitting here, and My Cousin Vinny is on. Maybe something funny can break this freakin' tension," he said.

"Dude, Vinny… I love that movie, man," Quil said, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch from Emmett.

Emmett grinned and looked back up at us. "See! It's working already!"

Joe Pesci and Marissa Tomei had a string of profanities coming out of their mouths. The wolf boys and Emmett were cracking up when Bella growled at them.

"Jeez, Emmett, we have kids in the house. What did I say about what we watch when they're awake?"

"Well it's not like they're not going to pick it up in our thoughts with him around," he chuckled, pointing at Luc who had left the playroom and was watching the scene unfold. Emmett looked mischievously at Bella, obviously conveying a message to her.

Bella looked down at Lucien who was watching the exchange. "Lucien," she said, "Eyemuffs!" He quickly put his hands in front of his eyes.

Bella glared back at Emmett and raised an eyebrow. "I'm telling you Em, if they start talking like this," she said, pointing at the TV, "heads are going to roll." She used her right hand to gesture slicing across her neck. Emmett snorted and turned back to the TV.

I watched as Bella took the Lucien back to the playroom. The courtroom scene was now playing. Vinny was not-so-subtly admonishing the Judge…

"Mrs. Riley… and ONLY Mrs. Riley…"

Suddenly, the room disappeared. The picture was blurry but the words were swirling around. "Heads are going to roll…" "and only Mrs. Riley… Riley…"

Violent images flashed through my mind, faster than I could control them. Bella ripping the head off of Felix, the vampire who attacked her yesterday. "… there will be hell to pay," she spat… A blond young man, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old… A pack of feral vampires. "…heads are going to roll..." Kate grabbing Alena and ghosting with her. Lucien running. Tanya knocked down. Jacob sprinting - almost ghosting - toward her.

"Riley..." I heard Edward say softly to the blond man in my vision.

"Oh no!" I cried, sitting down on a chair. My visions had returned. In full-force.

"Alice!" Jasper and Edward were at my side immediately. Bella peeked out from down the hall. Edward and Bella quickly took in my visions and gasped.

I looked around the room. All eyes were upon me.

"They're coming."

A/N2: Ruh, roh. More trouble. Please review!

Short chapter. But not gratuitous.

Thank you, as always, to my lovely Beta, Irritable Grizzzly.

Post A/N: Can anyone cite the title reference? Without Googling or Yahooing it?*winks*

Also... who saw New Moon? *Raises both hands to indicate seeing it twice* Holy smokes - Jacob and the wolves, the Volturi scene, the ending. NICE.