Xxx

"What I don't think my colleague is comprehending is that this isn't the first case of homicide with multiple victims, not in this city or this side of the country for that matter! Need I remind you of the Zodiac Killer?"

I groaned and rubbed my temple, I don't know who was more of a prat, this moron or his 'colleague' and why the heck were they comparing this to the zodiac killer? I looked over at my brother and father desperately, but both were focused on the TV.

Jasper and Carlisle had put CNN on and all the newscasters could talk about was Seattle and the murders and disappearances.

I convinced my parents to let me stay home from school, I wasn't really in the mood for classes, granted I wanted to spend as much time with Marie as possible, but today was just full of finals, including our final project for science which was due today, I had already gotten mine in and presentations weren't until Friday so I had plenty of time, I didn't have any other finals until tomorrow.

"I comprehend, Mr. Hastings, but I think we all need to look at the bigger picture. Look at who has gone missing, look at who is turning up dead." The other newscaster argued "are you seriously suggesting that the Zodiac Killer has not only come back, but is roaming around Seattle?"

"Zodiac himself?" Hastings said loudly "no of course not, but a copycat perhaps!"

"A copycat are you mad?!"

My head darted back and forth between the two morons and I couldn't take anymore, I clutched my head and groaned

"Oh, please, for the sake of my sanity and all that is intelligent in this house, shut them off please guys I'm begging you please! I can feel my IQ dropping by the second. They're making Fox news look like candidates for Mensa!" I finally spoke up looking at my brother and father pleadingly.

"One minute Chris," Carlisle said not taking his eyes off the TV.

"Oh brother…" I muttered, "dad, they're idiots please, please before we all join their stupidity."

Jasper reached over and covered my mouth

"Shh!" he whispered and I growled around his hand.

By the time Edward and Bella came into the house an hour later, Esme had joined us. Alice was watching from the bottom step, she was ticked off at something in her vision and as much as I wanted to know what was on my sister's mind, the idiots on the TV were annoying me too much.

Emmett walked in at the same time as Edward and Bella, he was grinning at my annoyed face, he knew exactly what was bothering me and was kind of amused by it.

"Hey Edward. Ditching, Bella?" Emmett asked grinning

"We both are," Edward said and nodded at me "as is he."

Emmett burst out laughing.

"Yes, but it's her first time through high school. She might miss something."

Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett and tossed the paper to Carlisle.

"Did you see that they're considering a serial killer now?" he asked

Carlisle sighed

"they've had two specialists debating that possibility on CNN all morning." He explained

I looked over at my father and shook my head

"And I repeat my earlier statement both of them are moronic prats, specialists my butt, they are bloody id-."

"Christian." Esme warned, I shrugged

"It's true" I replied I wasn't going to apologize this time. She rolled her eyes at me and decided to let it go.

"We cant let this go on." Edward continued, clearly ignoring me, when he glanced over at me I looked at him cross-eyed, slightly immature but well deserved.

"Let's go now," Emmett said hopeful. "I'm dead bored."

"YES!" I exclaimed, getting to my feet, anything to get away from dumb and dumber on the TV, I usually have a lot of respect for CNN and it's reporters, but I was really fed up with these two.

Upstairs Rosalie hissed, I'm pretty sure it was directed at both Emmett and I.

"She's such a pessimist." Emmett muttered

"We'll have to go sometime." Edward agreed

"The sooner the better, it's getting dangerously close to exposing our kind." I added, reminding everyone something that really didn't need reminding. I couldn't help but wincing as Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs. She descended slowly, her face was smooth and expressionless.

Carlisle looked at me and shook his head.

"I'm concerned. We've never involved ourselves in this kind of thing before. It's not our business. We aren't the Volturi"

"But we've never had something this big happen so close to us." I pointed out "we've never been in this kind of predicament before." It was true, this was all new to us.

"I don't want the Volturi to have to come here," Edward said "It gives us so much less reaction time."

"And all those innocent humans in Seattle," Esme murmured. "It's not right to let them die this way."

"I know," Carlisle sighed.

"Oh," Edward spoke up and I immediately looked over at him as he looked at Jasper, apparently Jasper was finally letting Edward in on what most of us already knew and had done a good job keeping from him, what we were truly dealing with in Seattle. "I didn't think of that. I see. You're right that has to be it. Well, that changes everything."

I looked over at Edward again and this time he looked back at me, I allowed my mind to let him in, gave him my profile, what Jasper and I had experienced in Seattle, stuff we probably shouldn't have kept from him. I felt Jasper look at me too, both of us sharing a thought that the others minus Edward couldn't see. I could read his body language, he was going to tell Bella his story, tell her how he knew what we were dealing with and how to combat them.

If my telling my sob story had been a big step for me, then the step Jasper was about to take was equal to Neil Armstrong's on the moon. Jasper likes to stay in the back ground, kind of like me, but his story was necessary if Bella was to understand why we were all so nervous about Seattle.

As Jasper began his story I leaned back into the couch, happy for the distraction from the idiots on CNN.

xxx

"An army," Alice spoke up pulling me out of my daydream, Jasper had concluded his story and what Alice was talking wasn't in the past. "Why didn't you tell me?" that last part wasn't directed right at Jasper, but at me too, I hadn't been really paying attention so I allowed my ability to do a quick catch up.

Jasper looked at me carefully and sighed

"I thought Chris and I were interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from. But I've seen this before, and there's not other explanation. Chris you thought so as well but we didn't believe it."

I nodded, knowing exactly where Jasper as going with this

"We didn't believe it because you're right Jas, it makes no sense." I added

"What doesn't make any sense?" Bella asked clearly confused by this discussion, which was fair.

"There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle." Jasper explained gently

"Fewer than twenty, but growing more populous by the day." I spoke up remembering Jasper and I's encounter and how many different beings I sensed and smelled.

"The difficult part is for the most part they are totally untrained," Jasper continued nodding at me "Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse and it won't be much longer until the Volturi step in. Actually I'm surprised they've let this go on so long."

Now it was my turn to make a face, I hated the idea of those dictators coming anywhere near Washington, for so many different reasons.

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked, I could hear the fear in my father's voice, he still holds out on his friendship with the Volturi, but he is not naïve to their cruelty or their constant need for power and control.

"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon."

Carlisle's face dropped, to protect our family and protect the humans in our area he would agree to this, but it pained him to agree to take a life any life. It's just who my father is. I took a deep breath as the conversation continued between Jasper and Edward, with Esme speaking up briefly and Alice giving her opinion.

While this occurred I went over to where Carlisle sat opposite the TV, the set turned off and forgotten about, he looked so torn over this decision and I knew if we did go to Seattle, Carlisle would struggle with the trip, taking a life went against everything he stands for, both as a doctor and who he is. I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up quickly, nodding thanks for my gesture.

Then Edward said something that brought all of us back to attention, when he mentioned the Volturi and the possibility of them being behind the newborns.

"Why?" Carlisle asked, still shocked. "There's no reason for the Volturi-"

"It was there," Edward said softly, he looked right at me and I closed my eyes, sighing. "I'm surprised it's come to this so soon, because the other thoughts were stronger. In Aro's head he saw me at one side, Alice at his other, and Chris standing alongside Jane and Alec,"

This was not the first time I've heard that, Edward and I have discussed it before and it scares the hell out of me every time, so I couldn't help but wince, Esme saw my reaction and moved closer to me and Carlisle, she reached over and held out her arm, hugging me tight.

"Shh, Chris it's okay." She whispered "it will never happen."

"The present, the future, and the past, virtual omniscience." Edward continued "The power of the idea intoxicated him. I would have thought it would take him much longer to give up on that plan…he wanted it to much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealously and the fear. You having…not more than he had, but still, things that he wanted. He tries not to think about it, but he couldn't hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there; besides their own, ours is the largest coven they've ever found…"

Bella looked at Edward in shock and I knew instantly that he never told her what he saw in Aro's mind.

"They're too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they've worked for." Carlisle spoke up, arguing gently with Edward,

I took a deep breath, I needed to be careful with my words on this one, I love my father and my respect for him has never wavered, I never want to offend him, but he was being blinded by his friendship with Aro, he didn't want to see what Edward, Alice, and I already know about our Italian Rulers.

"Control Carlisle that is what they've worked for." I started "Our coven existing is beyond their control. You discovered animal blood to maintain humanity not the Volturi, you left the Volturi declining the chance to maintain their ways. In Aro's mind this is like saying 'we don't need the Volturi'. Without meaning to Carlisle our family's existence is in itself an act of rebellion. We do everything that our kind especially those in Volterra, do not. We co-exist with humans, we see them as friends not food if it weren't for certain aspects we exist more as humans than the Volturi could ever hope to. Their afraid our way of life will appeal to more covens and they will really lose the control and fear they have insisted upon." I paused

"Chris," Carlisle started and I shook my head, begging him silently to let me finish.

"And if that means getting rid of us to maintain that control they will do it. Who would question them? You have friends all over the world Carlisle, but none of them are large enough to oppose the Volturi, none of them have enough of an issue with the Volturi to stand against them, even if it means defending a friend. The only ones who would stand with us against the Volturi is the Denali clan. They have the numbers to stand with us, and they are in as much danger as we are, guilt by association, their family may not be as large as ours or hold as many of abilities that we do, but they do defy the Volturi's idea of the "correct" way of living. Eleazar realizes this. He's in the same situation as you are Carlisle. You left the way the Volturi believe is correct for a different way of life and so did he. The only reason we seem to be stuck on Aro's radar is because of our sheer size and times he has had a member of this family turn down his offer to join the guard on a permanent basis. Your leaving was the first, my refusal to stay the first time he offered was the second," I looked over at Edward and Alice "and more recently, Edward's desire to destroy himself as opposed to joining the guard"

"Which wasn't the reason" Edward interrupted

I shot him a look, he can read my mind, he should know better then that, for crying out loud he's seen the inside of Aro's mind.

"Do you think Aro really cares about the reason, Edward? He cares only for the fact that when you were offered the chance to join the guard something Aro believes all of our kind strive and want, but only few will ever be offered, you willingly attempted to reveal yourself to humans, choosing death over enlistment. He may be able to see the love you feel for Bella and had seen the pain at the thought that she was dead, but he doesn't feel those emotions anymore he couldn't understand them so he related your actions to just not wanting to join the guard. You need to remember that when it involves the Volturi, it all revolves around them, its all about them and no one else, they have the worst case of narcissism in the world." I paused again "the final time, the tipping point you can say was both Alice and Edward's outright refusal to join when asked."

"Chris are you sure?" Emmett asked,

I sighed, really regretting my profile at the moment, but still I nodded

"Aro is both jealous and dismayed by our family…and by our unwavering loyalty to Carlisle and to family."

"They will clean up afterwards. A double betrayal." Edward added, accepting my profile "no harm done."

Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head, I knew he wasn't disagreeing with me, but he wasn't completely agreeing with Edward's belief that the Volturi were involved. To be frank I didn't think they were either, it wasn't their style, Aro liked to make a show of things, he'd want to make a point and use us the martyrs. None of the Volturi, at least the ones I know would use a band of newborns as their pawns, not like this.

"No Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it's much to sloppy. This…person, this threat…they have no idea what they're doing. A first-timer, I'd swear to it. I cannot believe the Volturi are involved." He looked over at me "but Chris is right on his profile, they will be. They will see this as an opportunity."

"A fight is what the Volturi is hoping for…they are hoping that we will be destroyed by the newborns and then the Volturi will step in to destroy the newborns. That's why they are holding back. They know we will not allow this to go much longer, it puts us in danger and it puts us at risk for a visit from the Volturi." I explained looking at Jasper who nodded. "they're hoping we make the first move."

Everyone exchanged worried looks, and I felt sick to my stomach at this whole thing, I couldn't believe it had taken me this long to realize what the hell was going on and I was a little ashamed of myself.

"Then let's go," Emmett said loudly grinning wide, clearly nothing was going to bother Em on this one. "What are we waiting for?"

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance, before looking at me. I couldn't help it, I lowered my head, still ashamed at the profile I had to give. I wish I had better control over it, but that was the profile I got, that was how the pieces got sorted and believe me I wish I could change it.

"We'll need you to teach us, Jasper." Carlisle finally said. "How to destroy them." I hated seeing that look on my father's face, he looked so defeated so pained at the thought of killing the newborns.

As if the conversation couldn't go any further to hell, it did, when Carlisle called the Denali clan to ask for their help, just in case we needed back up, Tanya agreed with one requirement, permission to take down the wolf pack.

We were all shocked by that, then I remembered a few months before, when I was in Alaska right before Charlie died. The spark I had seen between Irina and the nomad Laurent, it may have been one sided, but it was there. Irina not only had feelings for Laurent, but I could only imagine how she must have felt finding out that a pack of werewolves had been his downfall.

No amount of explaining on Carlisle's part could change Tanya's mind and I could practically see Irina seething up in Alaska, in pain and very angry.

Of course Bella was concerned and rightly so, she knew there was something of a treaty between us and the wolves, but she was obviously concerned that family ties with the Denali clan would override any treaty set with the Quileute's. But we would not betray the wolves, they had done the right thing in destroying Laurent, their action had saved Bella's life and that was what mattered.

When Carlisle snapped the phone closed, he moved to the window, not speaking to any of us, all of us except for Bella of course had heard the conversation nearly in its entirety and what Tanya wanted in exchange for their help. Esme moved to her husband's side resting her arm on his shoulder, both of them staring out.

"What's the problem?" Emmett asked Edward, gesturing to our parents

"Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than we knew." Edward explained, he looked at me and my mind drifted back to when I knew that fact, when he was still searching the world looking for Victoria. I winced and lowered my eyes, great something else that I should have mentioned that I didn't. Edward shook his head at me, telling me not to blame myself, but that ship had set sail. "She's holding a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants…" he paused looking at Bella cautiously

Bella looked right back at him

"Go on," she said, before glancing at me, I could see the confusion on her face when I avoided eye contact with her.

"she wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission."

"No!" Bella gasped

I was standing close enough to her that when her hands went flying to her mouth she nearly hit me. But I didn't care about that, I put a cautious hand on her shoulder and she looked at me thankful.

"Don't worry Bella," I explained "the pack is in no danger from us or the Denali clan, we wont let anything happen to them like that."

"He's right, Carlisle would never agree to it," Edward added, he hesitated, then sighed growling "Nor would I. Laurent had it coming, and I still owe the wolves for that."

"This isn't good," Jasper reminded us. "it's too even a fight. We'd have the upper hand in skill and abilities, but not in numbers. We'd win, but at what price?" he looked over at Alice, then at me.

Even Emmett had sobered up a little, we were in big trouble that was certain. If it wasn't from the Volturi coming to destroy the Newborns, it was the Newborns launching an army to attack us. Great, just great.

xxx

A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter and the fact it had a lot from the actual book. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but this was unavoidable. I'm also sorry it took me so long to update. I meant to have it updated this past Friday the 5th, because I was going to be away from my computer for a while, but sadly I couldnt get it written in time. The next chapter will be uploaded next week, either Tuesday or Wed. and it is something I know a lot of you are looking forward to. The Freshman/Sophomore Dance. I'll say it for that chapter too, but I have to give a shout to Nan who helped me write that chapter when I got really stuck. But that chapter will be coming shortly, but for now I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Till next time!