Bella stood up and started to pace. She told the Cullens, "I'm sure that some of you are thinking that maybe the best way for you to get through this is to sit tight and not to get involved. After all, you've lived like this for decades and it worked and everybody left you alone. I'm not saying it's a bad plan - me and the Quileutes are actually going to do exactly the same thing. However, something happened. Something, that made this idea a whole lot more complicated. Something, that my mother did."
Bella stood behind a couch and leaned on it with her arms.
"Bellatrix's failure at the D.o.M. threw a bad light on her, as well as actions of her daughter. That led to Snape's rise in Voldemort's favour and through him we gained most of the following information. Mother begged her master all the time to let her redeem herself. And the Dark Lord, well, I believe he always intended to give this certain assignment to my mother. After all, there was no way she could possibly screw this one up. To be more precise, it was sort of a goal for her to do so."
"I presume it had something to do with the world of vampires?" asked Jasper.
"Very good. Yes, my mother was sent to Volterra. She was supposed to speak for Voldemort and negotiate an alliance between the Volturi and Death Eaters. Aro and his brothers welcomed her and her companions very politely. After all, everything those bastards do is very polite - until they rip your head off. As for my mother, if she was ordered to fail on purpose she surely made a good job of hiding it. At first, she treated them if not politely then at least without showing an outright contempt. However, Aro's responses to her offers were less than non-committing. After all, why would he want to get involved in the war when he could simply sit back and then either attack or at least impose some new demands on the victorious but weakened side. Mother made sure to call him on that and gradually shifted her attitude from barely polite to 'You filthy half-breads, you should beg us to let you serve us.' Aro and Caius couldn't ignore it without loosing their faces in front of the guard. To cut to the chase, a fight broke out. Bellatrix's escort apparated out of it sooner or later but she stayed. She didn't even put out any shields. She just went into offensive and the Volturi didn't manage to push her from it for the rest of the fight. The word is that mother dusted several members of the guard, including one or two essential ones, and grievously injured one of the brothers. Then she strolled out of their castle without as much as a scratch and walked into the sunlight outside."
The Cullens stared at Bella, having troubles to imagine that somebody could be so powerful.
She continued, "I hope that all of you realize how dangerous my mother is and we can presume that she has grown even more powerful since then. So unless you are more powerful than the Volturi, remember that she's out of your league if you ever meet her. Now, let's get back to the Volturi. I don't have to tell you that they were terribly insulted and humiliated by this incident. However, they did not declare a war on Death Eaters - because by that they would do a great favour to their enemies. So they decided to bide their time instead and prepare for a better time to make their move. Also, they started to neglect their duties and thus created a pressure on all magical authorities around the world. And in doing so, they did exactly what Voldemort and Bellatrix wanted them to. Vampires brought a great amount of instability and uncertainty in the whole equation. As a result, Britain was cut off from any outside help because nobody wants to leave their backside unprotected against this ticking bomb. And how does this all affect you? Volturi were thrown off their balance and that is going to resonate throughout their entire domain. They are surely recruiting right now to replace their losses and to obtain some new talents needed for this situation. It's safe to assume that they would consider an ability to live off animals and easily interact with humans as such. Not to mention that three quite old vampires and a former member of their guard are living not so far from here so they are bound to send somebody to North America either way."
The Cullens were sombre when they listened to her. Slowly, they started to ask questions and discuss what they heard.
Bella interrupted them, "Please, I understand that these are quite disturbing news but I propose to postpone discussion until you have the whole picture."
The Cullens agreed to let Bella to finish her story. She went over the beginning of the new year, Harry's suspicions about Draco, and Harry's sessions with Dumbledore. She mentioned that she and Harry continued in their practices and were almost always joined by somebody from the rest of the group that went to the D.o.M. - most usually Luna and Ginny though Hermione started to come regularly as well after her fallout with Ron. Bella also mentioned that she had failed to persuade Harry to change his resolution. She had decided to secretly collect information from children of minor Death Eaters and unofficial supporters through various means to not to let the whole year to become a waste of time.
"What I found interesting was the fact that Theodore Nott was suspicious about his father's disappearance and he suspected that he was either killed or kidnapped during the incident at the D.o.M. There was even a possibility that he knew that something was about to happen and was going to get involved. I decided to keep an eye on him."
When Bella got to the point when Harry learned about Snape's unbreakable wow to protect Draco, she told them, "That was probably the stupidest thing hat Snivelus ever did. All I had to do was to kill Draco and he would die as well. However, I had no such intentions because I realized what were Draco's orders. I connected all the dots outlined by his previous attempts and realized that Dumbledore was in the middle of them. I knew that his death would be a great blow to his side and that it would complicate things. At the same time, I couldn't but appreciate the freedom it would bring to Harry and me. Then I learned that Dumbledore knew about it and was resolved to let Snape handle everything. So I decided not to get involved and strike only after Dumbledore's death."
Carlisle and some others had their comments about Bella's attitude and she responded to them, "Hey, he knew about the danger and he did nothing. He not only risked his life in doing so but he also deliberately endangered every student at the school. That is, at least every student who wasn't loyal to Voldemort. So I thought that if he died in the end, it would be a fitting punishment for his stupidity."
Carlisle still wasn't satisfied but didn't say anything since it actually wasn't Bella's responsibility to convince the headmaster of the gravity of the situation. So he stayed silent and Bella continued with the events of the rest of the year. At the end, she briefly went over Harry's and Dumbledore's adventure at the cave before she dived into the best part.
"The moment finally came. I stayed with the main group since they had the Marauder's Map. Nott was in the common room while Draco was in the Room of Requirement. Then Nott started to move and I went after him. I didn't ask for the map but I had some alarms set up in some of the corridors so I managed to ambush him. There was no fight at all, he was dead before he knew that somebody was there."
Carlisle shook his head and said, "You know Bella, he had not done anything wrong by that time."
"Oh, don't give me that. I have enough enemies to worry about even without leaving additional ones behind my back. He would find out that his father was dead eventually and it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who killed him. It was better that way. On the other hand, I missed the beginning of the battle because of it."
Carlisle knew that it was pointless to argue.
Bella continued, "When I got rid of the body, I rushed to join the battle, which was taking place in the astronomy tower. As I neared my destination, I came across Rodolphus Lestrange, toying with Neville and asking him about his brother's death. He probably joined the operation to seek revenge even though my mother didn't. The luck potion helped Neville to evade the attacks but he was in a tight spot anyway. When Rodolphus saw me approaching, he shot an explosion spell under Neville's feet which put him out of commission for a while. Then the two of us fought. He was stronger than his brother indeed but my power increased during previous year. Not to mention that this time around, I wasn't afraid to use unforgivables while I blocked his with levitated pieces of rubble. It turned into an evenly matched fight, if not tipped in my favour actually. Then Neville rejoined the fight and hit him with a cruciatus in his back. It was a mere distraction since it had no power but it was enough for me to end the fight. And so, I avenged the death of my father by killing my mother's husband. Although, I don't think she cared since she never felt anything for him."
Esme shook her head. Thought she wasn't surprised, such indifference upset her. Then again, half of the family was coming from similar or partially similar backgrounds.
Bella ignored Esme's expression and retold what transpired at the top of the tower as Harry had described it to her. Since Bella had already foreshadowed Snape's betrayal, the Cullen's weren't surprised by it too much. Most of them of them agreed that Dumbledore's actions concerning Harry weren't ideal and could have caused Harry's demise had he been discovered. Bella returned to the description of her own experience.
"When we rejoined the others, it was too late to prepare some kind of an ambush for Dumbledore's killers. Those Death Eaters who were left behind by them were no match for the Order but they managed to distract them for long enough. Snape, Malfoy, and three others burst from the stairway and managed to punch through. The fourth one was fortunately injured by Harry and since Harry wasn't in a state to worry about him, he was found dead next day. I wanted to go after Draco but Snape ordered two of his companions, the Carrows, to intercept me. It was much easier battle than the one with Rodolphus. You know, some Death Eaters are simply unable to develop a better strategy than to throw a lot of unforgivables around them, which can be quite tiring in a long run. Somebody managed to hit one of them and it was easy for me to kill the other afterwards. Then I crushed the skull of the incapacitated one."
"And the others just let you to do it?" asked Carlisle.
"Well, McGonagall looked like she wanted to say something but I told her to shut up and fight," replied Bella.
She described Harry's pursue of Snape.
"I thought that he would go after Malfoy, since killing him would kill Snape as well. Unfortunately, he pitied him and attacked Snape directly instead."
After a very brief description of what had occurred, she warned them, "Snape is quite an unknown in regards to his actual power. While my mother or Tom are always flaunting their abilities, Snape prefers to keep a low profile. So all that we know about him is that he is a capable potion-maker and that he was well versed in Dark Arts as a student. It's also important that as a half-blood, he isn't burdened by any pure-blood degradation so there's no reason why he couldn't be capable in other areas of magic as well."
Bella remarked that Draco, Snape, and Fenrir Greyback were the only ones who had escaped that night. From the rest of the force, only one had been captured, the rest had perished. Bella had the decency not to say that it had been quite a successful skirmish - not out of respect for Dumbledore but out of compassion with all the muggle-born families that suffered as a result of his death.
Bella skimmed over the aftermath of the incident and the funeral in which she highlighted only her and Harry's encounter with Umbridge (he had accused her of attempting to assassinate him).
She said in conclusion, "And that was it. I knew that I had overstayed my welcome in Britain and decided that it was time to leave. I approached Harry for one last time and asked him to come with me, extending my offer to Hermione as well. I almost lost my calm when he told me that he was going to carry out Dumbledore's wishes and destroy the Horcruxes. He even asked me to join him. Hermione was decided to stick to him. I saw that it was pointless to try to change his mind and told him my farewells, warning him that he wouldn't be able to contact me. So he asked me to take his club coin. I was half tempted to refuse, since it was a possible way of tracing me, but I took it in the end. After all, it's always better to be informed, even when you have no intention to get involved. I'm not keeping it with me, of course - I've left it on an island in a middle of Atlantic later."
"And what good is it to you there?" asked Emmett.
Bella replied, "I'll get to it later. There is something... well, of great importance that I have to tell you first."
"What?" asked Edward when Bella didn't continue.
Bella thought for a moment before she carried on, "I was preparing for my departure when I had an encounter with a member of the Volturi guard, I believe."
"What?!" shouted several Cullens at once.
Rosalie thought, "I knew that she was trouble..."
Bella continued, "I was returning with some magical supplies purchased in Diagon Alley back to the Grimmauld Place. I spotted him at a metro station and slipped away from the crowds. He followed. It probably wasn't the smartest idea but as I said, I hate leaving enemies behind my back. I don't know how he tracked me down but it's probable that he had an informer. Possibly somebody from the Ministry. They probably thought that it would be an easy way of getting rid of me."
"How did he look?" asked Carlisle.
Bella described him and Carlisle identified the vampire as Afton.
"What happened?" asked Carlisle after he shared what he knew about him.
"Well, he opened his mouth to speak but he barely managed to say 'Voltur...' before I attacked. It was the first time I encountered a non-ancient vampire and I thought that he wanted to bite me. The struggle was short but intense. I don't think he expected me to attack. Also, he wasted time on trying to use some kind of a gift, probably to conceal himself. It didn't work. Anyway, as I was destroying his body, I remembered my father's story about Quileutes. And then I thought that a vampire skull would be a great gift for their leader."
That shocked most of the listening vampires.
"Hey, a vampire might be hard like a rock but his bones are even harder. So, the two can be separated. However, let's not get sidetracked."
Carlisle sombrely said, "Bella, you've made yourselves a powerful enemy. I don't know why but his mate Chelsea is a privileged guard member. Besides that, it's never wise to provoke the Volturi in such a way."
Bella recognized the name (Chelsea) but said nothing at that moment. She shook her head in disagreement and retorted, "Oh no, my dear Carlisle, that's the only way to deal with those gangsters and keep your life and your freedom at the same time. Plus, they can't be sure what exactly happened to Afton. But as I've said earlier, we can talk about it later."
Jasper felt Bella becoming excited about something and started to suspect that there were more juicy kills ahead. And indeed, Bella wasn't about to fail him.
"After this incident, I saw that it was in my best interest to leave quickly rather than slowly. However, I didn't want to run like a whipped dog with my tail between my legs. So I decided to say a little farewell first."
"Do we even want to hear it?" groaned Edward.
"Oh come on, it were just the Crabbes and the Goyles. Not to mention that they would bring much harm to any non-magical people they would encounter."
"Nevertheless, the most of us would appreciate if you skipped this," insisted Edward.
Bella rolled her eyes and relented, "As you wish. To cut it short, those two families won't harm anybody ever again. Surprisingly, Crabbe senior was hiding at his home. Or not so surprisingly when you think about it."
"And then you travelled to America?" asked Jasper.
"Yes, though it was a little complicated. I took some cash, both magical and non-magical, an enchanted suitcase full of books and supplies, and a bag with some personal things and went to an airport. It was first time I was at one and since I was in a hurry, I had not gathered any information beforehand. So, I just went there, hoping to purchase a ticket like on a train. I learned much later that I should have made some kind of a reservation. It was a moot point though because two Aurors came looking for me. I started to walk away and from the way they went after me, it was clear that they weren't there to talk. I led them on a merry chase through the bowels of the airport. Once again, I was underestimated and once again, it turned fatal to the party involved. I lured them into an ambush in which they bumped into the airport security. While they were stunning them, I exploited their distraction and killed them. Then I took their wands and quickly left the area."
Carlisle seemed somewhat upset by that and reprimanded Bella, "You shouldn't have killed them. They were no Death Eaters, they were just cops doing their job."
Bella vehemently objected, "No, they weren't. They were corrupted and supported Voldemort. You might find this a little hard to believe but what happened in England after my departure confirms it. I shall get to it soon enough."
She settled down and continued in calmer tone, "I decided to try another type of transport - my father's bike. It wasn't very comfortable and not exactly safe but I plotted my course over several islands. I've left the coin on one of them and booby-trapped it. Then I pointed a quantum-entangled mirror at it. If a message appears on the coin, the twin of that mirror will show it. It's still a risk though, maybe I should get rid of it."
Jasper snapped his fingers and proposed, "I've got a better idea! Lets hide it somewhere away from here and set up a web-camera to record the image in the mirror. Then it will be like having it right here and no wizard will be able to trace it!"
Bella agreed that it was a great idea and continued her story, "Also, I've left a Portkey anchor on that island and on another one later. That's a kind of a magical object which enables its creator to create a Portkey to that location more easily. I've learned how to make them from the materials I've stolen at the Ministry. Not that I actually intend to return to Europe but one never knows what might happen. Anyway, I continued in my journey. After some time, I found out that the bike wasn't made for such long flights. I was glad that I've made it to Newfoundland. I let the bike to cool down for a while and tried to fix it a little. I decided to try my luck once more. Well, my attempt to fix the bike probably upset it because it stopped working halfway to the mainland. I had to jump in the side-car quickly and disconnect from the bike. The enchantments on the side-car stabilised it and slowed down its fall but the bike itself crashed in the sea. Well, and then I continued to Washington, mostly by train, sometimes by apparation. I made sure to make the last part of my journey by non-magical means. Obviously, I could have spared myself the trouble since I've apparated and performed magic in this area later, though I've kept it at minimum. Once in La Push, I visited the guy my father was corresponding with - Billy Black, my distant uncle. He and Jake welcomed me warmer than I expected. Billy still remembered Sirius but he assumed the he 'grew up' and became another pure-blood supremacist since he had not heard from him for all those years. I gave him the skull and told them this whole story. Billy counselled with the other elders and Sam and they all agreed to let me stay."
Edward furrowed his brows a asked, "Bella, that was almost three-quarters of a year ago. What you've told us are very grave news. Do you have any information about what have happened in Britain since then?"
Bella made a gesture with her hands and answered, "Well, that's not so hard to guess. If you looked at the news, you would know that there isn't any open war. Instead, there's a lot of strange and unexplained accidents and disappearances. Scrimgeour was killed not long after I departed - in his own office, they say. Death Eaters took over then - ruling through their puppets at the Ministry. And people are buying it without any kind of resistance. I hoped that there would be a war. A war which would occupy both sides enough to forget about me for a while. Instead, those cowards turned their coats and succumbed to Voldemort's poorly veiled dictatorship. Well, not all of them - only those with sufficient blood status. As I said, Quileutes aren't in contact with the rest of the magical world much but they heard that refugees from England claim that muggle-borns are being persecuted. As for Harry and his friends, I know nothing about their fate. For all I know, they could be dead already."
Carlisle shook his head and accused her, "Bella, this is... Forgive me, but this is horrible. And you've been living here for all these months, playing games with us..."
Bella interrupted him angrily, "Don't even think about accusing me of deserting my friends, the Order, or the England and its people. I was willing to take Harry and Hermione with me, as well as any muggle-borns smart enough to take their well being seriously, instead of relying on Dumbledore or Harry or the Ministry to solve everything. Do I have to remind you that I was forsaken by the magical Britain when I was only a baby and that I owe them nothing? Do I have to remind you that the wizards in Britain got in this mess by their own poor choices and stupidity and that they are in fact traitors who are now supporting Death Eaters? Yes, I'm sorry that Voldemort's enemies and muggle-borns are being hunted like animals, not all of them deserve it. But what do you expect me to do? Go there and single-handedly destroy the enemy? That's not going to happen - I don't want to end up fighting the entire Britain. As for wasting time and doing nothing useful - nothing could be further from truth. The Quileutes and me have been preparing hard for an upcoming conflict. We can talk about it later."
Carlisle raised his hands in surrender and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."
There was a moment of silence after which Esme asked, "Bella, why are you living with Charlie Swan and assuming the identity of his daughter? And how did you manage to fool him in the first place? Don't tell me that you've bewitched him."
Bella tossed her hands and replied, "Well, I couldn't stay with Billy and Jake forever. If nothing else, it wasn't exactly inconspicuous. But Billy had a plan how to allow me to blend in perfectly. He told me about Charlie, his childhood friend and a distant relative of the Quils by marriage. He claimed that he was an honourable man who wouldn't creep into my room at night and who needed somebody to look after him and to make sure that he eats properly. However, I had to pretend that I was Charlie's daughter. And this is the point where it gets weird - Isabella Swan doesn't exist."
"What?" exclaimed the vampires, surprised by that revelation.
Bella explained, "It's true that Charlie was married to Renee years ago. They wedded right after high school and got pregnant soon. It was difficult for them as you can surely imagine. Then they were stricken by a tragedy - Renee lost her unborn daughter. Neither of them really managed to cope with it and their marriage fell apart. Renee ran off and wasn't seen here ever since. Billy attempted to locate her and found out that she was dead - she crashed in a car while driving drunk. What follows is a peculiar example of inner workings of a non-magical brain. Charlie was unable to handle the reality so he censored it. He started to believe that his daughter was still alive and that Renee left him because she refused to live in this small rainy town. Billy attempted to help but providing him with his friendship and making him eat as much of fish as possible was the best he could do. When I came, he thought that if I posed as Charlie's daughter, I would kill two flies at once. Surprisingly, it worked - he really believed that I was his daughter. It was awkward at first but I've gotten used to him. Come to think about it, he's probably more of a father figure to me than Ted Tonks or Sirius."
However, Carlisle still wasn't satisfied and protested, "Bella, even though he chose to believe the lie on his own, what gives you the right to take advantage of him like this?"
Bella raised her eyebrows and sarcastically answered, "I don't know. Maybe the fact that I'm cooking his meals, cleaning his house, and doing his laundry - all of that without magic? Maybe the fact that his life was slowly deteriorating over the years and now he's living like a human being again? Not to mention that I've provided him with companionship but he has done the same for me."
Esme nodded in agreement and Emmett said with a surprising resoluteness, "Yeah, Carlisle, doesn't this justify it enough in your eyes? It might sound like simple things but they can have a great impact on someone's life. Or do you think that just because somebody doesn't cut into people all day long..."
"Emmett, Rosalie isn't exactly fond of Bella," interrupted him Edward.
Emmett told his wife quickly, "Oh. Rose, you do understand that I'm just saying this to remind you how sensitive and appreciative I am, right?"
Rose rolled her eyes but she was smiling.
Jasper, who studied psychology once, remarked, "Well, Charlie's perception of reality is very peculiar indeed. Almost unbelievable."
Bella shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Tell me about it. However, it's a common knowledge that non-wizards see the world not as it is but as their brains tell them to. As a result, they can't see some things at all, like Dementors or ghosts."
Emmett smiled in amazement and noted, "That's very Pratchett-like."
Bella replied that she couldn't possibly know what it meant if it was yet another reference to the non-magical culture.
Esme still had one last concern. "Bella, what are your intentions with him in the long run?" she asked.
Bella scratched her scalp and answered, "Well, Billy believes that once Charlie is healed enough, he'll be able to hear the truth. If not, well, he can believe that I'm his daughter for as long as he wants."
Bella briefly explained all the other details that the Cullens were still confused about. Jasper asked Bella to show him her ID and rolled his eyes when he saw it - it wouldn't pass if a policeman examined the fake more closely. He promised her to arrange with Jenks to get a new and better one, as well as a passport.
Bella stretched her arms and proclaimed, "Enough of storytelling for now. I know that it's a lot to take in but I think we should move on to a discussion as soon as possible. So, my proposal is to meet at the dining table in five minutes."
Jasper, who shared Bella's fear that certain Cullens might start over-analysing certain things, replied, "I agree. There are some issues which should be addressed right away."
Bella nodded to him and went to take a leak. When the time was up, they started to take their seats. Not that the vampires needed to but it made the event more orderly. Bella noticed that they were leaving her a chair at a head of the table. Carlisle and Esme were on the opposite side but Jasper sat next to her. The other chair next to her was left for Edward.
Bella sat down and spoke, "First of all, let me thank you for listening to me and not freaking out too much. As I said, it's a lot of information and it's complicated. However, all of it can be summarized into three main points for our purposes. The first two are problems: the Volturi and Death Eaters. Both problems are tied to me but both would concern you even if we never met, especially the former. Also, both of these have ways of dealing with, as we can discuss in a moment. At third: despite the problems I'm dragging with me, I can be a valuable ally useful not only in combat."
"Useful how? By making sunscreens?" asked Rosalie.
Bella smiled deviously and replied, "I assure you, that's only a beginning."
She wanted to continue but Jasper interrupted her, "I think that you've proven your mettle already. The details can be addressed later. Right now, I'm more concerned about the other two points."
"I agree," replied Bella and a few more Cullens nodded.
"Let's start with the Volturi," proposed Carlisle.
Bella rested her elbows on the table and spoke, "Well, I hope that all of you can see at this point how evil, deceitful, and dangerous they are. Victoria would be able to tell you all about that. However, my mother proved that their invincibility is just an illusion they wanted their subjects to believe. Don't read me wrong - they are lethal, especially if you underestimate their deviousness or overestimate their humanity or willingness to be reasoned with. That's important - never deal with them, that's what they want. If you start doing that, they'll catch you in their net of bullying and false promises and in the end, you won't like their terms anyway. No, you have to do the exact opposite of what they want and expect and stop it right at the beginning. They believe that everybody fears and respects them so you need to thin their ranks whenever the opportunity offers itself. They send a messenger with a demand for help? Shoot the messenger! They threaten you? Threaten them to reveal their existence! They..."
"Bella," interrupted her Carlisle.
"Sorry. Of course, it's better to choose a more covert approach, if possible. In fact, I believe that it would be better if you stayed out of Aro's radar and never confronted him directly. If you remain careful and keep your mouths shut, you can achieve that. I also believe that he doesn't know about my presence here let alone my association with you. In other words, he doesn't know that North America is a hot soil for his pawns - and we can use it to our advantage."
"What are you talking about?" asked Carlisle.
Bella was about to answer when she noticed Jasper's smirk and nodded to him. He told the others, "Volturi's success is based on several key members. Bella's mother made a dent in that system. If we somehow manage to finish what she has started, we shall deprive the Volturi of their main weapon. Then they will have to rely on more conventional methods of fighting and all sorts of ambitious sharks in Europe will start closing on them."
Bella added, "Of course, we'll have to figure out how to pull this out without loosing anybody and while staying in shadows. However, with your gifts, my magic, and a help from the Quileutes, it's doable."
"And what's their stake in this?" asked Edward.
"They do not wish to wait until American wizards decide to press them into a war against the Volturi. Just like you would surely prefer not to be pressed into joining their guard."
Carlisle shook his head and protested, "Wait, wait! What you are proposing would result in power-struggles among vampires. Can you imagine what kind of chaos would that yield?"
Bella spread her arms and replied, "Well, there are two options, depending on the outcome of the situation with Death Eaters. In a worse case scenario, Voldemort will win and he could react in various ways to this. But if he was defeated, then our actions would actually help the other countries. They would probably establish a new leadership for vampires - they've got more semi-ancients at hand after all. But like I've said, Aro is probably going to wait how it all ends first so we can always reconsider our plans."
Carlisle still didn't look convinced so Bella tried another approach, "Look. As you know, time travel is possible with magic. But it can be used only to give you more time. You can't change past because there is a simple self-enforcing rule to time travel: do not mess with the past as you remember it. Now, imagine going from this point on while adhering to all your beliefs and principles. Imagine that such a decision would lead to Volturi destroying or enslaving your family. I'm sure you would change your opinions in such a case. However, it would be too late - even if you could travel all the way back, you would be able only to watch it all happen again. Fortunately, it's not true that history can't be changed. It can be changed while it's still happening for the first time. You simply need to be proactive and adapt before the incentive for adaptation actually occurs. That way, you'll never end up lamenting about how you should have acted differently twenty or so years ago."
Carlisle stayed silent. Edward saw that he was imagining demise of his loved ones at the hands of the Volturi.
Rosalie grimaced and stated, "I still think that this is the best way to get ourselves destroyed."
Bella retorted, "Well, since you have no ability, the Volturi would destroy you anyway. But like I've said, it's premature to make any concrete plans. Once this becomes actual, we can discuss this again. Until that time, there are bigger problems to worry about."
Jasper nodded and said, "Yes, let's talk about a possible threat from wizards."
Bella leaned back and considered the best way to say what she had on mind. Then, carefully choosing her words, she said, "This threat is obvious - somebody might learn about my presence here and some Death Eaters might come looking for me. I have been keeping my magical activity at minimum but it became difficult after I encountered you and before I learned that you posed no threat to me. I am aware that this is something that doesn't concern you, not directly at least. Though if the Volturi recruited you, they would probably send you against wizards - especially Jasper. Still, I'm sure that some of you are wondering why I don't just leave and take my problems away."
Edward, who had been quite silent otherwise, suddenly interrupted her, "Actually, only one person here would go that far. Others are either on your side or still undecided."
Rosalie glared at him when he revealed this. Bella noticed it and said, "Well, that's very touching. In that case, I'm not going to say that it's up to the Quileutes whether it's OK for me to stay or not. Instead, I shall say this: Rosalie, you are going to change your mind. Soon." She briefly hesitated at the last sentence.
Rosalie made a little snort but said nothing.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This second threat, I presume that you have some kind of a strategy prepared already?" asked Jasper.
Bella answered, "Indeed. Shortly after I settled in, Sam and others discussed the matter with me. I've told them that I would leave before my presence here would caused them any trouble. However, they refused this notion, claiming that it would be very ostrich-like and that we should stick together. Ever since then, we've been preparing for a possible confrontation."
"How? How do you fight a wizard when you aren't one yourself?" asked Esme, being wary of where it was going.
Bella locked her fingers, propped her chin on her hands and said, "Well, I believe that this is yet another thing I've already said. Right, Edward?"
"What?" her replied in confusion.
"Remember the time when you told me that you wanted to be a soldier?"
While Edward was replaying the conversation from his vampire memory, Bella reached in her knapsack and retrieved something wrapped in a plastic bag. She put it in front of Jasper who pulled out the object inside.
"With guns you mean?" he asked, holding a handgun similar to the one that Bella had.
Carlisle and Esme wanted to object to Bella bringing guns in their house but Emmett spoke first. "Don't wizards have some kind of shields?" he asked.
Bella nodded and answered, "Indeed. However, that doesn't mean that wizards are like some kind of sci-fi aliens who can fly around in their shielded UFOs and completely ignore everything that's thrown at them. We actually need to conjure a shield, which takes a time, albeit short. Also, shields don't have unlimited power - they are powered by their conjurers so it's not like we could survive an explosion of a bomb for example."
Jasper leaned back in his chair and remarked, "I think I can guess what are you and your friends planning."
Bella grinned and continued, "If one or two Death Eaters come looking for me, I'll be able to dispose of them. Maybe even three, given the circumstances. Of course, I'm not accounting for my mother yet. However, if a small contingent comes here, then I won't be able to handle them alone. Now, this is purely hypothetical, because I believe that they will rather resort to trickery, but in the case that there will be an open confrontation, Quileutes can even the odds for me. Their ability to shape-shift is useless against a wizard but those of them who can stay focussed and keep from changing even during a battle would be able to take advantage of their improved physical attributes in their human form - namely their strength. They should be able to handle heavy weaponry like normal soldiers would handle light SMGs. Then, if they concentrate their fire on hostile wizards, forcing them to sustain their shields and pinning them down, I'll be able to nail the enemies one by one. Or the other way around: I'll engage enemies with minor spells and let snipers kill them. There are different types of shields, you know. Some are generic, others specialise against magical or physical attacks. Of course, we realize that it won't be that simple in reality so we've been training and developing more elaborate strategies than this. Unfortunately, there are two problems. The first problem is the fact that the pack has only three members and only two of them have the necessary discipline for this kind of warfare. That can be easily rectified, given some more time. The second one is the absence of one of the basic prerequisites: heavy and modern weaponry. There are some hunting rifles and shotguns and thanks to my ability to replicate things with magic, we've got enough side-arms. I even tweaked mine a bit. However, it would be a matter of one flick of a wand to render gunfire from those harmless. Then the wizard would be able to destroy the attacker with another flick. However, if there was a constant barrage of high-calibre projectiles, he would be actually pressed into defence. So, what we need is to upgrade from those pop-guns to some big SAWs and miniguns."
"Can't you just conjure them?" asked Jasper.
"Not without basic materials and at least one original weapon to serve as a blueprint. Unfortunately, we don't have enough money and what's more important, we don't have necessary contacts."
Carlisle interjected, "Excuse me, are you actually heading with this where I think you do? Do you think that we do have such contacts and that we shall traffic guns for you?"
Bella scratched her head and replied, "Well, you do know people like Jenks."
Rosalie crossed her arms and said, "You are forgetting one important detail: why would we involve ourselves in these affairs? This isn't our war."
Bella quickly answered, "Oh, worry not, I haven't forgotten about that. Well, I think you've already got the basic idea about strategies I'm suggesting. We can discuss them more later should you wish it. So let's move on to the last thing we need to discuss: where do we go from here? First of all, do you all recognize the threats to your family which are unrelated to me?"
Jasper chuckled and said, "Believe me, all of us are aware that Volturi are to be avoided. Isn't that right, Carlisle?"
The addressed thought for a moment and then replied, "I won't try to reason with Aro if that's what you ask. However, Demetri has my trace - they can find me anywhere if they decide so."
"We'll deal with it somehow," said Bella, waving her hand. "Now, let's get back to what Rosalie said. Do you know what you, me and the Quileutes have in common?"
"What does this have to do with everything?" snapped Rosalie.
"Oh, it does. You said that this isn't your war and you don't want to get involved. I know this but it seems to me that you are completely missing my point. Think about it: this isn't your war, it isn't my war either, and it sure as hell isn't Quileutes' war. You don't want to be dragged into it and neither do I or the Quileutes. The Quileutes and me are prepared to kick ass of anybody who doesn't like this attitude of ours and I'm sure that if somebody attempted to take away Carlisle's talented children, even a humanist like him would be willing to resort to violence. So, I've got a proposal for you: let's sit this war out together. Apart, we would be easy pickings for anybody meaning us harm, but together, we would form a large and diverse group capable of fending of any threat, human or vampire alike. Make no mistake, I wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger in a fight against wizards. However, it would pose no problem or risk for you to buy us some better gear. Also, it would improve your survivability to learn more about magic and how to fight it."
"Do you believe that the Quileutes would be willing to cooperate with us and take anything from us?" asked Edward.
"Probably not but they are willing to cooperate with me. If I obtain weapons for them from you, they will consider it as something between you and me."
Rosalie cleared her throat and said, "I hate to break this to you but there is a piece of this picture that doesn't fit and that piece is you. You are not as uninvolved as you would like to. You've made enemies and they won't let you to just sit this out."
Bella raised her arms and answered, "And the Volturi won't let you to sit this out either. Look, I know that being associated with me brings severe risks to your family. However, I believe that the benefits out-weight them."
"What benefits?" asked Rosalie shortly.
Bella leaned back in her chair and answered, "For example, my magical abilities can allow you to live a more comfortable and normal life. Being able to walk in full sunlight is only a beginning, there is so much more I can do for you. Imagine, what would your life be like if you weren't bound by all the constraints to which you have to adhere. Always living on the edge of the society, repeating high school over and over again, always moving and so on. Or your inability to eat or drink anything - do you remember that picnic in La Push? The food was prepared from partially transfigured blood."
"So that's why there wasn't anything to choke out," whispered Edward without interrupting Bella.
She continued, "The paleness and coldness of your skin, the fact that you don't age, the pheromones you exude and which can be sometimes inconvenient and not exactly healthy for humans around you - all such little things that make your life difficult can be taken care of. And if somebody gets too suspicious, a simple confusing charm can diffuse any troubles before they even form. I won't even mention obliviation, since I can't imagine that it would be needed with all the other measures. Also, your thirst. I could develop a potion to temporarily neutralize the burn in your throat. However, since the venom is your lifeblood, I don't think that it would be healthy for you. Not to mention that you might find yourself in a situation in which you would need to paralyse something. As I also said, there are magical creatures which can satisfy you more than humans. I wouldn't want you to get used to them but it could be handy to have an extra power in a case of an emergency. Speaking of blood, I think I promised some to Jasper."
"Bella, that's appalling! How can you suggest something like that?" cried Edward.
She rolled her eyes and rebuffed him, "Oh chill out and think practically for a moment. Magical blood would be nice, especially for someone with a gift. However, magical creatures don't grow on trees so in the case of an emergency, it would be logical for me to give a bit of my blood to one of you - if there was time for me to recuperate. In that case, Jasper would be the best recipient of that blood in regards to the results it would yield. Alice and Edward don't have abilities based on power so human blood would only distract them. However, Jasper's gift, while it can be used in subtle ways in certain situations, could turn extremely useful if empowered enough. Maybe it could be even possible to disrupt wizards while they cast spells, imagine that!"
Jasper twirled with his hand and remarked, "Maybe. And maybe your blood in my system would turn more distracting to me than to them. I believe that tactical thinking is important and from what you've told us, I gather that it applies tenfold when dealing with wizards."
Rosalie huffed and exclaimed, "I can't believe that you people are actually considering this!"
Carlisle stopped rubbing the ridge of his nose and slowly spoke, "I'm sorry Rose. As horrible some of Bella's actions were and as much as I don't want to risk safety of this family, I can't just ignore this. This is a serious threat to all non-magical humans. I'm not planning to directly embark in the activities described by Bella but if there are other ways to help, I will. I am a doctor after all."
Esme slowly nodded in agreement. Rosalie just snorted.
Bella turned to her and told her, "Come on. Look over past few decades of your existence. Do you really want to spend your whole existence like that?"
Jasper seconded that, "My words exactly. This decadency and boredom is killing me."
Rosalie didn't look convinced. Bella stayed silent for a while, contemplating whether she really wanted to say what was she about to say. Finally she made a decision and said in a leisure tone, "And, of course, there's your baby problem."