Note: I don't own Twilight!!

Chapter 13

Mustering For Battle

After nearly seven and a half hours on a plane, Sarah was relieved to be on solid ground again. Ben led her as they made their way through customs. Because she was considered handicapped, she and Ben received expedited service. The whole group, thankfully, made it through the process unscathed and met up again at their departure gate. Alice erred on the side of caution, leaving layovers between flights in case of delays. They had a two hour wait before their flight to Rome.

Sarah snuggled next to Ben as they waited on one of the benches near the gate. In response, he wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. His strong presence was a welcome comfort as she continued to worry about her father. She was glad her mate decided to come; it would have been a difficult trip without him.

"How is Carlisle?" she heard her mother ask. The anxious pitch in the flutes of her mother's voice made her ache inside and she wanted to do anything and everything to make her mother's pain go away.

"So far so good," Alice replied, the tone of the piccolo guarded. "Siobhan must be working on it."

Suddenly, Sarah felt the familiar odd sensation at the nape of her neck and the tingle of electricity over her skin as her radar kicked in. Her whole body tensed and she automatically tuned her hearing.

"Little love?" Ben's voice was concerned in response to her sudden reaction.

"There are others," she whispered.

She reached for her mental tuning knob and scanned the stations, looking for the mental signature of vampires. Humans, she found, had flat, single dimensional minds while shape-shifters had a duplicity that mirrored their twin nature. Vampires, on the other hand, had minds that were like mammoth caverns and they rang with the same musical quality that their voices had. Before she could locate their exact presence, the sound of the harp from Alice's phone call filled her ears.

"There you are, we were afraid we'd missed you."

"Siobhan," she heard her mother greet the woman happily. The air from the ventilation duct overhead stirred a slight breeze and she saw her mother embracing a woman affectionately in blazing gold against the black velvet.

"How are you holding up, love?" the harps asked. She was truly concerned.

"As well as I can," her mother answered as they sat down together. "Thank you for your help, we weren't expecting you to come and meet us."

"It was Maggie's idea," she answered with a chuckle.

The sensation of her radar intensified just before a male voice with the sound of bagpipes in it filled her ears.

"You found them," the male seemed relieved. "Maggie and I were just about to call you." He paused for a moment and she could tell the sight of their group startled him.

"Have you told them the good news?" he continued when his composure returned.

"What news?" Bella asked.

"They've decided to come with us," Alice answered. Her sister's voice was less than thrilled. "Siobhan, really you shouldn't, it could be very dangerous."

"Is that so?" the harps played ruefully. "Have you no faith in me at all then?"

Before Alice could answer, Sarah's radar kicked into overdrive as she felt the presence of even more vampires. She must have looked very uncomfortable because Ben pulled her in even tighter against his side and whispered soft comfort into the top of her head. She counted the unfamiliar presences around her and they totaled six. Their party now numbered seventeen.

"Forgive our rudeness," the bagpipes played, "I should introduce our friends."

"His name is Liam," Bella whispered as she settled next to her. "He's Siobhan's mate. Though she hasn't spoken yet, there's a red-haired girl with him and her name is Maggie. They are the Irish family I told you about."

"This is Peter," the bagpipes continued, "and his lovely mate Gwinn. The handsome lad with them is Waymon. Their territory borders ours to the north. Once they heard about our quest, they decided to join us."

"I'm sorry," Esme sighed, and Sarah could hear reserve play through the flutes, "but you don't know us, why would you want to risk your lives for us?"

"That's easy enough," the other male answered. She guessed it was Peter and his voice was the melodic cello. "Birds of a feather must stick together. We follow your lifestyle. I'm a convert to it but Gwinn has always lived this way. Waymon just recently joined us; he's a newborn, only six months old.

"He and his twin sister, his birth sister I might add, were turned at the same time and abandoned. We found them when they were only a little over a month old, but by then it was too late. Corrah, his sister, managed to break a few rules and . . . well, Jane came calling. The poor thing didn't know any better but Jane wouldn't hear of it. You can guess what happened."

The sound of her mother's soft moan sent a shiver up her spine. Her mind drifted back to her father's story of Mikhail and Katrina. Seeking comfort, she buried herself even deeper in Ben's side. In response, he kissed her forehead and murmured to her.

"Do these Volturi not understand compassion?" she whispered for only her mate to hear.

"They do what they feel is necessary to protect our world," he whispered just as softly. "It can seem harsh, even cruel, but it is meant to protect the common good."

"How does killing Papa better the common good?" A low growl mixed in with her whisper.

She heard him laugh softly. "I never said it was right, little love, nor did I say that I always agreed."

* * * *

Carlisle paced his "cell". Actually it was a very spacious room, the very room in fact that he had occupied long ago when he had lived with the Volturi. While much of the room remained the same, a few things had changed. Most notably the plasma screen TV mounted on the wall over the room's fireplace. It was a shame really, once a master piece by Caravaggio hung in its place. He had to admit, he preferred the painting.

Still, he found the remote and turned on the TV just for the distraction it provided. His thoughts were a mangled mess. Aro had been furious when Carlisle entered the audience chamber alone. He thought his life would end at that very moment as Caius bounded forward ready to set his body ablaze. Aro and Marcus stopped him, but just barely. That benevolent act, however, didn't keep Aro from letting Jane have a little fun with him during their interrogation.

The only reason he still had his life was because Aro hoped his coven . . . his family . . . would come after him. They couldn't, of course, he'd seen to that. He'd warned Edward to be very cautious. He was under strict orders to keep Sarah and Esme on extremely short leashes. In matters concerning him, mother and daughter were of one accord. When they put their heads together, he imagined they could be a very explosive combination.

His thoughts continued to revolve around his family. For possibly the hundredth time since he left home, he saw each face dance before the eyes of his mind. He missed them terribly and it made him ache deep inside. He had been sorely tempted to turn around and go back home more than once, but he knew he couldn't. He loved them all with every fiber of his being, and he knew this was the only way to keep them safe.

A knock at the door disturbed him from his thoughts.

"Medico," a voice called softly through the locked door.

"Enter." Why he needed to give his captors leave to enter was beyond him.

The door opened and Tobias came in carrying an armload of books. "The Masters thought you might enjoy some reading to pass the time. I see you have already found the remote for the television. I'm sorry; all the channels are in Italian."

Carlisle dismissed him with a wave and watched as he put down his load on a small table. Entertainment was a good sign, it meant indecision. Aro wasn't quite ready to kill him yet.

"The Masters wish to know if you are thirsty."

His thirst burned like fire in his throat. The summons came without warning and the events that followed in its wake hadn't allowed him a chance to hunt before his trip. He was torn between telling the truth and playing brave. He decided to err towards truth, it was his nature.

"Does it matter?" he sighed. "I do not share your Masters' dietary preferences."

"Yes, Medico," Tobias smiled, a friendly gesture meant to put him at ease. "The Masters have made arrangements for your . . . uhm . . . special needs."

"Have they?" Carlisle grumped. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a small wall mirror, his eyes were nearly black. "Tell your Masters that I require something more substantial than a few sheep stolen from some poor shepherd's flock or a couple of street curs garnered from the local dog pound."

"No," Tobias shook his head. "You misunderstand; they would never seek to insult you in such a way, Medico. You are their honored guest. They have acquired stags for you."

He was to be fed and entertained, how interesting. The ancient tradition of bread, wine, and circuses that had appeased the impoverished masses of Rome for centuries continued. The great Nero would be pleased. They must truly be convinced his family would come to his rescue.

He felt himself sigh. He wasn't sure which would be better, to die now without the extended agony of anticipation or to live a few more weeks with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

"Tell your Masters I appreciate their hospitality," he managed. "I am, indeed, thirsty."

* * * *

The entire "C-Team" filed into the small airport chapel. Sarah heard Esme ask Liam and Jacob to watch the door while the rest of the group took seats. It was time to call Edward. Sarah could sense Bella's nervousness as she dialed the number. Esme insisted she put the call on speaker. The room was graveyard quiet as they listened to the ringing and waited for Edward to answer. When he did pick up, he exploded on the line.

"Isabella! Where the hell are you?" Edward's angry piano keys filled the quiet chapel. "Don't give me that crap about being in Port Angeles. We just got back from the city and you weren't there. We searched for hours and didn't find even the slightest trace of your scent," he snarled on the line. It was the angriest Sarah had ever heard her brother sound. "I want the truth Bella. Now!"

"The truth, Edward," Esme answered him calmly, "is that the girls and I are in London."

"London!" Edward exploded again. By the amount of shock and rage in his voice, Sarah half way expected her brother to leap out of the phone and strangle all of them.

"Esme, what the devil are you doing in London?" As he asked the question, he must have realized what they were up to and she heard him growl.

"Mind your language when you speak to me, Edward Cullen!" her mother corrected him sharply. "If you must know, we are on our way to rescue your father."

There was a long pause and when he finally spoke again, his voice sounded sad. "Esme . . . Mama . . . there are only five of you. What could you possibly hope to do? This is suicide, Mama . . . and you're taking Bella and the girls with you. Please don't do this . . . Dad wouldn't have wanted it this way."

"You talk as if he's already dead," her mother dismissed. Confidence rang in the flutes of her voice as she continued. "And for your information son, there are seventeen of us now."

"Seventeen!" she heard him exclaim. Sarah could tell he was shocked. "Just who do you have with you, Mama?"

She listened as her mother explained that Ben had come along and then she told him about the Quileute presence. Edward had another outburst when he learned Jacob and the wolves were along. She could hear the ringing growl in the pitch of his piano keys quite distinctly. It worried her just a little, but Esme seemed to ignore it. Then her mother explained about the company of Irish vampires that now joined their fold. Her brother growled again but this time he didn't say anything.

"So you see Edward, our odds are greatly improved," she told him cheerfully, "and Siobhan has her gift working in our favor as well."

"Alice," Edward's voice still held a growl, "what do you see?"

When Alice didn't answer right away, Sarah became nervous. She snuggled against Ben's side seeking his comfort; instinctively he wrapped his arm around her and shushed her fears with soft whispers.

"I see us all gathered together for a very formal occasion," Alice purred. "I see you in a black suit Edward, you look very fetching."

"You would tease me about our father's memorial service!" he bellowed.

Sarah's hand went to her mouth in shock. Alice could be cheeky, but she had never known her to be insensitive, let alone . . . cruel. What did her sister see?

"I never said anything about a memorial service," she heard her sister correct. "I was referring to Sarah's wedding. My vision clearly shows us all attending . . . and Carlisle is there to proudly give his little Sarah away. You should see them dancing together; it's a beautifully mushy father/daughter moment. If it were possible for me to cry, I would."

"Are you certain of this?" There seemed to be less anger in Edward's voice.

"Well, perhaps you'd care to enter into a little wager with me," her sister replied smugly. "I do so enjoy taking you to the cleaner's big brother. Now, let's see, what shall we bet this time, another car perhaps? A girl can never have too many of those."

"Never mind Alice," Edward stopped her. "I want to make it very clear that I don't like this . . . if I had my way the lot of you would be on the next flight back to the United States. But seeing as these events are obviously out of my hands . . ." he paused for several minutes and Sarah thought the call had dropped, "be careful . . . all of you. It's hard enough thinking about losing Carlisle, but I can't even wrap my mind around losing the rest of you too. You have no idea how much and how deeply I love all of you. Now if you don't mind I'd like a few private words with my mate . . . and Alice, you and Rose should call Jasper and Emmett. They're worried sick."

Sarah heard Bella pick up the phone and switch it out of speaker mode. She wasn't naughty enough to pry into their private conversation. While she always knew Edward loved his family, she'd never heard him express it before and the tone of his voice left no doubt about his sincerity. Now she wanted to cry.

"It's alright little love," Ben whispered against her hair. He had become much attuned to her moods and their bond seemed to deepen by the day.

She turned her face, buried it in his chest, and inhaled the comforting scent of him. "I was so awful to him," she murmured into the folds of his shirt.

"You did what had to be done," he told her quietly. His cheek now rested against the top of her head and his hand stroked her arm lightly. "The success of the mission depended on it. You had to distract him and make him believe you were angry and withdrawn. Any other behavior and he would have suspected something. You can apologize to him later."

She nodded against his shirt and he pulled her more tightly into his embrace.

"Now that we have that taken care of," Esme sighed, "any ideas concerning how to handle the Volturi? The floor is open."