A/N: This will be one of the last chapters of the story. I hope you have enjoyed it and will continue to read some of my other stories. Thank you to all of those who have reviewed and to those who have put me on your alerts. R&R!
Alicegirl
The GatheringI plopped down on the couch and sighed as Alice put her arm around me in comfort. She turned on the brand new plasma flat screen and watched it without paying attention while I worried. I opened my mouth to speak but shut it again, not wanting to make things worse. After an hour of worrying I stood up and stared out the window. Rosalie came and joined me moments later after finishing counting her pairs of shoes. Alice had told me it was a calming exercise but I had yet to try it.
"Why did we let them go in search of other vampires?" I asked furtively as I slammed my hand down on the table, straining the wood beneath my hand. Rosalie took it in hers and looked in my eyes.
"They had to go because Edward can read minds and see what they are thinking, Jasper can convince them, Carlisle is respected by most vampires, and Emmett- she winced- Emmett is there in case they decide to attack them." She patted my hair before walking into the garage, probably to look at her car, which had been tuned, washed, and buffed ten times in the past week.
"Maybe we should play a game," Alice suggested with an echo of her normal enthusiasm. "We could play hide and seek all over Forks, or maybe we can run to Olympia and find a place to play baseball there, it is supposed to rain. I grinned in spite of myself.
"It's raining here Alice. Plus, we barley have enough players to even make one team let alone two." I laughed sarcastically. "Why don't we call up the wolves and have an argument on whom is strongest?" Alice gripped my arm enthusiastically.
"Bella that's it, we will have a gathering!" Alice exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed the phone off its cradle. "We will ask Esme to make snacks; it will at least get her out of her room for some time, and we will get music. Oh, and I think I still have the lights and speakers I used for our graduation party." By now she had grabbed a notebook and pen and was jotting all of her ideas down in her elegant, slanted writing.
"Um, Alice," I volunteered, "How the hell do you plan on getting the werewolves to come to our house, they will think it is an ambush probably." I sat down as an idea slowly began to form in my head. "Hand me the phone." I whispered as she put the phone in my hand, a smug smile on her face.
The phone rang four times before someone picked up.
"Hello?" Diana's voice came through the receiver, jealousy washing over me as I tried to reply. "Hello?" She tried again as I finally got my voice back.
"Hey Diana, it's me, Bella. I was just wondering if Jacob was around…" I trailed off as I heard several voices in the background.
"Give me a minute Bella and I will get him," Diana replied warmly as I heard the voices get louder and louder.
"What do you need, Bella?" Jacob asked just as I was about to hang up and call again. "I am kind of in the middle of something, so could you hurry up?"
"I won't keep you long, Jake," I began as I glanced at Alice who was bent over her notebook in concentration. "I was just wondering, since the boys are out of town, trying to find some more vampires, would the pack like to come over to our house to talk battle strategies?" I winked at Alice as her head snapped up in interest. "We will provide food and you can even bring the girls."
"You mean Emily, Kim, and Diana?" Jacob asked, curiosity entering his voice.
"Sure, whatever you want! How about tomorrow afternoon?" I asked politely.
"What time do you want us there, and remember, we eat A LOT," Jacob joked.
"How about three o' clock?" I said, glancing over at Alice for approval. "Bye!" I hung up the phone as Rosalie stalked back in her jeans a greasy mess. She walked upstairs as Alice and I ran past her, eager to talk to Esme.
28 hours, a decorated house, speakers blasting on high, and just about a hundred pounds of food later, the wolves of La Push began to arrive. I watched them arrive in over ten cars and began to wonder absently how much the pack had grown. Half an hour later, I found out exactly how many more wolves had joined the pack. About thirty-five wolves had gathered in the large main room of the house. The normal wolves were there, as well as several adults that I was unfamiliar with.
"Thank you so much for doing this," Emily whispered in my ear as her hand grasped mine. I smiled warmly at her, glad that someone from La Push remembered that I had feelings. I squeezed her hand gently before walking through the swaying bodies of the warm bodies around me.
"Rose, are they near" I asked quietly as I walked over to her. She stared out the window expectantly. Alice had pulled us aside just as Jacob and Sam had walked in, saying that the boys had found some help and they were coming, right in the middle of the party.
"No," she replied, her lips barley moving in anticipation. "Alice said they wouldn't be coming for another fifteen to thirty minutes. She groaned loudly as Leah passed holding her nose. I stuck my tongue out at her, causing her to flinch visibly. I laughed loudly as she ran out the door, vibrating like a massage chair. I walked over Jacob, who was pressed so tightly to Diana that you couldn't fit a piece of paper in between them.
"Excuse me," I muttered as he bent in to kiss her. He jerked his head up at me, his cheeks pink and his eyes passionate. "I have a little bit of news," I continued as he slowly pulled away from his lovely. Get a grip, I told myself as I pulled him into the kitchen. "Jacob, the guys are coming home tonight and they are bringing company. I don't want you to be alarmed but I think you should warn the pack. They are not vegetarian but they promised that they wouldn't hunt in La Push or Forks.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Jacob yelled in my ear his face turning a dark shade of red. "You want us to stay here in a house full of bloodsuckers? They will kill us all!"
"Jacob, you need to get their scent and they need to get yours. As soon as they get here we will stop the party and talk battle strategies. We don't want ANYONE to make ANY mistakes." I glanced meaningfully at him, remembering the last time someone had made a mistake resulting in Jacob having half of his bones crushed.
"Okay, okay," Jacob said, his hands raised up in defense, "I see where you are going. I will go warn the pack." He walked out of the room nudging me playfully to the side.
"BELLA!" Alice screeched from the main room. "They are coming!" I sprinted as fast as I could to the front door, Alice, Rosalie, and Esme behind me. In the distance, fourteen figures moved at lightning speed. I waited patiently as they jogged into the house into the center of the now somewhat empty floor. The wolves stood at the edges of the dance floor, their lips curled in distaste.
"La Push wolves, Alice, Bella, Rose, and Esme, these are our recruits" Edward announced lightly as the ten unfamiliar vampires sniffed the air delicately. One in particular, a brawny male with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail had his eyes fixed on Alice, disbelief and recognition burning in his eyes. I nudged Alice and looked at him meaningfully before happiness transformed her features.
"Damian?" she gasped as he took a step forward. Jasper stepped behind her, his arms wrapped tightly around her small form. He smiled, triumph on his face. "Is that really you?"
"Yes it really is," He replied, warmth in his deep baritone voice. "How are you Alice? I see you have found your northern vampires." She launched herself at him, hugging him tightly as the wolves gasped in awe.
"Now that you know Damian," Edward chuckled, "these are Lindsay, - a blonde stepped forward- Paul,-a slight brunette- Piper, Brian, Susan, Zach, Alana, Andrew, and Suzanne." Each vampire stepped forward, acknowledging the vampires and werewolves around us.
"Alice would you like to tell us what we are up against, Jasper you as well?" Emmett suggested, Rosalie pressed tight to his waist.
"Sure," Alice and Jasper said together as they walked, hand in hand, to the center of the floor. "Now where do we begin?"
We all settled down for a seemingly long meeting, discussing battle tactics, special abilities, advantages and the location of the battle, tomorrow. The meeting broke up around midnight, the wolves trudging back to the cars, information clouding their minds. After we cleaned up, Edward and I ran up to our room to talk and listen to his music collection, enjoying the last moments together before the fight.