A/N:Sorry for the long wait. My thanks to everybody for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! I appreciate your support so very much!

My thanks go to sherryola and Noble Korhedron for pre-reading. And Katmom is the best! Not only does she have a keen eye for my mistakes, she makes me laugh! I love working with these folks!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all the characters; this is just a little road trip! No copyright infringement is intended.

Ch 24 – Wolf Patrol

Before long we turned into the driveway leading up to the house. We weren't planning on staying, so I parked near the front of the house. As we climbed out of the cab the front door opened, giving egress to Esme and Alice.

Alice had a deep scowl on her face. Normally she was very serene, since she could see what was coming for her. Now she was uncomfortable because she couldn't see any of our futures, except her own, and that vision had been very unpleasant.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, as I drew closer to her.

Alice made a face and shook her head. "I can't see Jasper; I don't like it," she said with a worried pout.

I reached for her and pulled her into a hug, her spiky hair tickling my chin. "He's fine," I assured her. "He's down at La Push, looking over the defenses with Edward and Eleazar."

"Thanks, Bella," Alice sighed. I felt her relax a little, but her brow remained furrowed.

"I spoke with Rosalie," Esme was telling Carlisle. "She's still against coming with us."

Carlisle nodded, unperturbed. "That's fine. I want what she feels is best for her."

"You might want to talk to her, though," Esme said. "She's feeling very guilty about it."

"All right, where is she?"

"Where else?" Esme pointed backward with her thumb. "In the garage."

Carlisle pursed his lips and considered. "Hmm, she really is upset." Taking Esme by the hand, he headed down the drive toward the garage.

I tugged on Alice's sleeve. "Jasper said he had some duffel bags in your room? He wants us to bring them down."

"That much, I know," Alice said, wrinkling her nose. "He picked them up last night after you got back from talking with Jane and Alec. They're taking up space in my closet."

I smiled inwardly because that comment sounded more like the Alice I knew and loved. "Come on, I'll help get them out." We headed into the house. Kate followed us, then split off at the top of the stairs to let Tanya and Carmen know what was going on.

Inside Alice's closet, four duffel bags of black, ballistic nylon lay piled in front of one of her shoe racks. I could see how that would irritate her. I hefted one easily, and the contents felt soft – probably the uniforms. A smaller bag held some harder objects. Those must be the radios. Alice grabbed the remaining bags and followed me outside, and we stowed the bags in the truck bed.

Remembering that Jasper wanted some tents, I drove the short distance to the garage — the storeroom where we kept the camping equipment was in back. Through the open doors I could see Carlisle and Esme talking to Rosalie and Emmett in the far corner, near the workbenches. There was no arguing, only calm words being spoken. Wanting to give them some privacy, Alice and I went the long way around to the rear entrance of the storeroom.

As I picked up two tents, I snorted at a random thought, earning me a raised eyebrow from Alice.

"We're going camping again. It must be another crisis," I said with a rather hysterical giggle.

Alice blew a raspberry at me and gave me a shaky smile. I felt better that I could distract her. But then the thought of her current blindness brought another concern to mind.

"Alice? If we're working with the wolves, you're blind, right? How are you going to see to fight?" My brow creased with real concern. She hadn't trained with us and drew her fighting prowess from her foresight. If that was gone, she'd be a sitting duck.

Alice frowned as well. "I'm not sure. Hit me."

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Her face grew angry. "Yes! Hit me!"

"All right." I gave in and set the tents down. She didn't have her guard up, so I just stepped in with a palm strike to her chest. I figured I'd be able to control it in case I got through.

Fortunately it wasn't necessary. She wasn't where my palm thought she was going to be. She moved at the last second and my hand passed through empty air. She smiled, a little happier.

"I still can't see long term things with most of the family. But I've seen Emmett and Rosalie in Paris, on the African savannah, and a few other places as she changes her mind. It looks like I can still see short-term things that involve vampires. It won't work with the werewolves, but at least if the Volturi come at me I can take care of myself."

"Good," I said with relief. "I was worried about you for a minute."

"Mm, so was I." And judging from her face she was feeling a little better. Still not great, but better.

After we added five tents to the load, the bed was full to the brim. Again, I breathed a word of thanks to Edward for getting me a truck instead of a useless Ferrari. Thank goodness he understood me so well.

True to his word, Emmett had washed off the accumulation of dirt from our trip to Alaska. With the custom paint job the truck was a little flashy for Forks, but nothing an honest layer of dirt wouldn't fix. No amount of dirt could disguise an Italian sports car.

As I closed up the truck, sound coming from the garage told me Rosalie was back at work. Carlisle and Esme were walking slowly to the house, and I paused with my hand on the bed cover. We were leaving soon, and this might be the last time I saw— But I stopped short on that thought. If I let myself dwell on that subject I might freak out again.

"Alice?" She was in the process of climbing into the cab, and stopped with one foot on the running board, looking expectantly at me.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Emmett and Rose."

Without a word, she gave a somber nod, and stepped down.

After we walked into the garage and around Carlisle's AMG, we could see Emmett squatting next to the red BMW with an oil filter in his hands. The front end of the car rested on jack stands, and Rosalie's legs, clad in jeans, stuck out from the side, resting on a mechanic's creeper. Emmett grinned when he saw us.

"Hey, it's Tinkerbell and Wendy. What's up, guys?"

Alice snorted, snatched a polishing cloth from where it rested on the AMG, and hurled it. Emmett caught it neatly before it struck him in the face, sending lint and wax particles flying from the impact. He sputtered a little and tried to fan the drifting cloud away. Despite my mood, I couldn't help smirking at their antics. I was going to miss him.

I scuffed a foot on the polished concrete floor. "Um, we're almost ready to head down to the reservation."

Rosalie's heavy sigh and the sound of a twisting ratchet came from beneath the vehicle. "I'm a little busy here."

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and gave us an apologetic look, so I directed my next question at him. "Do you know where you guys are going?"

"Not sure, yet," he said. "We're still figuring it out."

"Rose, we came to say good-bye." Alice's tone expressed her disapproval like only a close sister could.

The ratcheting continued. "So? Go, then! Throw your life away for a pack of mutts! You know they wouldn't return the favor if the Volturi were just coming for us!"

Alice frowned, but didn't raise her voice. "I didn't come to argue with you. All I know is, the only road I can see leads to Volterra. I don't want to be a slave for Aro, and I definitely don't want that for Jasper. If the wolves can help me avoid that, I'll take their help."

Finally, the noise stopped. After a long pause, Rosalie's fingers appeared from under the car, and she slid herself out. Despite the drama, I still felt a twinge of admiration when she emerged. Wearing slim jeans and a work shirt with the tails tied at her midriff, her hair tucked under a baseball cap, somehow she still managed to look like she should be on a calendar hanging in the garage, not working in one. Even the smudge on her cheek made it all work together. She pushed herself up to a sitting position on the creeper, still holding the socket wrench.

"You know, if you're not involved with the wolves, you could see your future again."

"Yes, I know," Alice answered quietly.

"So you'd see the Volturi if they're coming for you. You'd be able to stay ahead of them."

"And keep running forever?"

"And keep living forever!"

"You'd abandon Carlisle and Esme?"

"They're not really our parents!"

Silence dropped down, heavy and oppressive. Esme had been like a mother to me even before I married Edward. Leaving them hadn't even entered my mind.

Alice's usually musical voice came out brittle as frost. "If that's how you feel, Rose."

Rosalie wavered, then dropped her gaze to the socket wrench in her lap. She gave the barest shake of her head.

"No." Her whisper faded in the chill air of the garage.

As the pause stretched out and grew uncomfortable, I unintentionally shifted my foot and Rosalie scowled up at me.

"I suppose you think I'm such a coward," Rosalie said bitterly.

"No, Rose, no." Not feeling right talking down at her, I took a step closer and sat on the garage floor, folding one leg under me. I hadn't been her favorite person from the start, but in the last month I thought we had started to build a bridge. I found myself wanting to leave her on a good note. "Carlisle's right," I said. "You need to do what's right for you."

"That's what he said. We should be here when the family needs us so much, but I—" she stopped, shaking her head slowly, her usually elegant lips pressed grimly together. "I know I told you a lot of things to convince you to stay human, but as much as I hated this life in the beginning, it's still life. It's still sweet, and worth holding onto. How can we throw that away, too?" She looked into Emmett's face as she said that, and his expression softened as he gazed back.

Now that she wasn't hiding behind her gruff exterior, I could understand what she was feeling. As much as Rosalie seemed to be self-centered, she wouldn't have stayed with the family if she didn't care for them. Edward and I had just recently discussed how sweet our life was. I could see how she'd want to hold onto it, and to Emmett, with both hands.

"Funny, I had that same talk with Edward," I admitted. "Nobody's blaming you for feeling what you feel."

Emmett rumbled the same sentiment as he set down the oil filter and sat cross-legged, rubbing Rosalie's shoulder with his huge hand.

"I'm doing this because it's right for me," I explained. "If not for the wolves, I would have been dead meat when I ran into Laurent."

I stopped and gave a rueful laugh. "You might not believe me but I'm actually glad in a way. You're my family, too. At least I'll know that you two will be okay. As long as you don't have anything that Aro would want, I don't think Demetri will come looking for you. You don't need my blessing…but I'm giving it to you." Impulsively, I reached out and put my hand on her knee. "Be happy. I want you to be happy."

Rosalie's eyes widened at my first touch, then she covered her mouth with one hand and her eyes grew soft and luminous. "Thank you, Bella. I'm glad you're part of the family. Even with all the drama, I'm glad."

"Thanks, Rose," I said, and gave her knee a squeeze.

Carlisle's voice came to us from the house. "Alice! Bella! We're ready to go!"

"We're coming!" Alice called over her shoulder. "We better get going."

We got to our feet. Rosalie stuck the wrench in a pocket and wiped her hands. I turned to Emmett, towering over all of us. "And you! You better take care of her! If not, I'm going to track you down and kick your butt again!"

Emmett laughed good-naturedly, reached out and enfolded me in a huge bear hug, lifting me off my feet. "Don't worry, little girl, I will." He set me back down. "But if you guys survive, I want a re-match. I've been practicing you know."

I could feel myself starting to get a little lump in my throat. "Good. You practice hard, because I'm not going to go easy on you. Next time…" My voice broke and I grabbed Emmett around the waist and hugged him. "I'm going to miss you guys," I mumbled into his chest. "Both of you." I reached for Rosalie's shoulder, and she surprised me by embracing us both. I twined an arm around her for a quick squeeze, and felt Alice join the group hug.

"I think you'll like Africa," Alice remarked as we separated. "Lots of big game. Just try not to eat anything too endangered."

"Hey, big boy needs big eats," Emmett joked. Rosalie pulled her cap off, shook out her hair in a cascade of gold, and tucked herself under his arm.

Alice laughed. "Gonna eat a whole elephant by yourself?"

"I'll save some for Rosie."

I met Emmett's grin with my own. "You're gonna get yourself shot for poaching."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "They gotta see me to shoot me."

"Alice! Bella!"

I chucked Emmett on the shoulder. "We gotta go. You two stay safe."

Emmett sobered, his eyes serious for once. "Thanks, kid. You, too."

Alice stepped in quickly, and hugged our brother and sister one last time. "Take care of yourselves," she said softly, then turned away, her mouth set, holding her emotions in.

Over my shoulder, in the last image I saw of them, Rosalie stood in the circle of Emmett's arms, her glorious golden hair spilling across her shoulders, and an unhappy look on her face as she watched us leave.

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

We needed to take two cars to carry all the gear and people down to La Push. Alice, Kate and Tanya rode in my truck while Carlisle drove Esme and Carmen in Edward's Volvo. These were the least conspicuous vehicles we had, and would stand out less at the reservation. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived at Billy's place, and he told us to go over to Old Quil's house. Quil had a barn where we could hide our cars, and Charlie didn't usually visit him. Carlisle called Edward to let them know that we had returned and they should meet us when they were done.

Quil normally stored his boat in the barn when it wasn't fishing season. For this occasion, he told us to pull the boat out and drive the cars in. The boat was a twenty-five footer and sat on a trailer. Usually you hitched it to a truck to move it but that wasn't necessary with seven vampires at hand. After a quick glance to see we weren't being observed, Carlisle, Kate, Tanya and myself grabbed hold of the hitch and lifted. The boat and trailer probably weighed several tons, but it was on wheels so we only supported part of the weight. Even so, I could feel my share of the load was pretty significant. I hadn't really tested my strength, but remembered Alice's comment about Edward possibly throwing a Buick through a wall to provoke the Volturi. We easily moved the boat to a spot alongside the barn, then drove our cars inside.

Shortly after, Edward, Jasper and Eleazar arrived. There was still some daylight remaining, so Jacob and Sam left to get some rest before night fell. Edward came immediately to me. Wordlessly, he smiled down and brushed my hair back to tuck it behind my ear. And just like that, the myriad worries I had been keeping at bay subsided in my head. I returned his smile with one of my own.

"How did it go?" I asked as I laced my fingers together at the small of his back. "No fighting, no biting?"

He chuckled and raised a hand with the fingers spread wide. "Everything's still here, see? And he mostly kept his thoughts to himself, except when talking to Jasper or Eleazar about defensible areas."

I wondered how much he wasn't telling me; after all, this wouldn't be the first time. Part of me wanted to ask if he could tell how Jacob was feeling, but I put that aside. "Well, he's working with you, and that's what matters. Come on, we need to unpack."

After we unloaded the vehicles, Jasper led us to a location within a thickly wooded area, a stone's throw from Quil's house. There, we cleared a little brush and pitched the tents. Edward hummed quietly to himself while we worked. We didn't really need to get out of the weather, but some of the things would do better if kept dry. We took our time, working at human speed, since we were still outside. Before long, our camp was set up, nestled among the trees.

Dusk began to approach and we needed to get ready. Jasper started opening his duffel bags and I heard a squeak of dismay.

"You're not seriously expecting me to wear that?" Alice indignantly held up military fatigues mottled with a dark-green and brown camouflage pattern. "And don't you dare calm me down!"

For once, I saw Jasper at a loss for what to say or do, and he just looked helplessly at his true love, who glared up at him, sparking with fury. At six-feet, three inches, Jasper towered over Alice who was just under five-feet tall. He was an experienced war veteran, yet he cringed from her as if from a snarling tiger. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud, and I stood with my hands over my mouth, snorting with suppressed mirth. Edward caught my eye and he had a pronounced smirk on his face. I'm not sure if our Denali cousins had ever seen Alice like this, as their expressions ranged from shock to amusement.

Swallowing my laughter, I took pity on Jasper and went to Alice's side. "Alice, didn't Jasper tell you what he was picking up last night?"

Even Alice's frown was cute. "No! He just said he was going to get some things we might need. I didn't bother to check what he was getting. I mean really, do I look like a poster girl for Field and Stream?"

"You're not surprised, are you? You knew he was ex-military when you married him." I had to hold my ground as her glare expanded to include me. "He's only being practical. If we're doing sentry duty we'll need to be hard for the Volturi to see."

Wanting to keep the peace, Esme also spoke soothingly. "Did you have something else in mind, dear?" she asked.

"Not something you'd see in Soldier of Fortune magazine!" Alice retorted with a stomp of her foot.

"The form isn't important," Jasper said, backpedaling quickly. "Just nothing bright or flashy. Dark would help, but that was what we were trying to avoid, to help the wolves distinguish us from the Volturi. As long as you can blend into the night it should be fine."

"I'll see what I can do," Alice growled. "Bella, I'll need your keys."

"No problem." I pulled them out of my jeans pocket and handed them over. Alice threw the clothes at Jasper, stalked into the barn and we heard the truck rumble to life.

After watching Alice leave in a huff, Jasper pulled the fatigues off his face and shoulder and turned to the rest of us. "It's a good thing I didn't pull this out first." He opened a different bag, and pulled out what looked like a bundle of moss and weeds.

"What is it?" Tanya asked.

"A ghillie suit. Snipers use them to really blend in to the background."

I could see why. On closer inspection, it was a coverall festooned with fibers and scraps of cloth made to look like vegetation. All I could think of was Cousin Itt from the Addams Family.

Carlisle smiled. "I think Alice is right. You've been reading too much Soldier of Fortune."

"If you handed that to her that's not the only thing she would've thrown in your face!" Kate laughed.

Jasper ignored our laughter at his expense. "Umm, does anybody else have problems with the fatigues?" We looked at each other, and none of us seemed to have any fashion issues with camouflage. "How about this?" Jasper asked. He pulled a couple jars out of a different bag, opened one and applied a swatch to his cheek. It was dark face paint. "Pale skin would stand out in the dark. This will help neutralize that." He was asking. The scene with Alice seemed to have shaken his normal commander's presence of mind.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Jasper, don't let her get to you. You're the expert in this area; we'll just follow your lead."

"She's just irritated she can't see what's coming," I said.

"Um, yes. Of course you're right." He nodded quickly and started passing out the bags. "Here, you should be able to find something that fits. You can wear them over clothes or by themselves, whatever you feel comfortable with."

Unlike Alice, I had no qualms about wearing something that might make it harder for the Volturi to find and kill me. Also the face paint might keep Jane from recognizing me. I snuck off to the tent Edward and I were sharing, and changed into my fatigues. My old boots suddenly worked well with what I was wearing. Applying face paint without a mirror wasn't easy, but I did as good a job as I could. Then with a rustle of nylon, the zipper of the tent opened. Edward pushed the flap open and zipped it shut behind him.

He turned his back and began to change into his fatigues, and my fingers paused in mid-stroke as I was distracted by the sight of his back muscles rippling under his skin, and his well-formed rear. I took a breath and counted to ten…or twenty, while he finished changing.

He turned and grinned when he saw me still frozen from ogling him, my fingers poised over my cheek. "Here, let me help you with that," he said. I held still while he dabbed and smoothed the paint over my face. It was hard not to notice that he took his time, stroking and caressing my cheeks as he worked.

"Hey, stay focused," I teased him.

"Mm, I can't say I like the effect," he mused with disappointment. "It covers your face."

"If Jane can't recognize me, that'll be a good thing."

"I happen to like seeing your face," he objected.

I smiled at his attitude. It seemed odd that we should still feel wedded bliss while preparing to engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Volturi. But I didn't question, and took it as it came. After all, it could be gone without a moment's notice. When he was finished, it was my turn to paint his face. I did my best to blend different colors so they broke up the outline of his features and matched the camouflage patterns. I too, found my fingers lingering over his brow, and the smooth lines of his jaw. A flutter of pleasure tickled the back of my neck; I would never tire of touching his face.

When I was finished I craned my neck up for a long kiss that was only marred by the unsettling image of kissing a gargoyle. I closed my eyes and it was better, the movement and silky feel of his lips just as breathtaking as ever. The thought that this might be our last kiss before going off to battle made my heart lurch, and I held on to him with greater urgency than before.

Edward sensed my emotional state, sat down and pulled me into his lap. He took his time kissing me but held me as tightly as I held him, and I savored the touch of his lips, the satin smoothness of his cheek and the musky scent that was uniquely Edward. It wasn't hunger that drove me, but the need to communicate to him how much I loved him. At one time I thought if only I was strong enough to lock our hands together we could never be parted. That was before I learned of the Volturi. Now I was stronger, but it still might not be enough. I kissed my way down to the hollow of his neck and buried my face there.

"Edward," I whispered and squeezed convulsively.

"I know. I love you, too," he answered. And we sat together silently for a long while. If not for the fatigues and face paint, we might look like a statue of Cupid and Psyche, marble still and smooth.

Finally, Edward broke the silence and whispered against my hair. "They're waiting for us."

"What? But I'm touching you! How can you hear them when I'm touching you?" I panicked and pulled back, mentally feeling for my shield. If my gift were to fade now that we needed it the most, we were in serious trouble.

He grinned at me and placed a finger on the tip of my nose, his teeth a stark contrast against the dark makeup. "You might affect my heart and my head, but my ears work just fine."

"Oh. Right." I sighed, slightly embarrassed, and noted that I hadn't been paying any attention to my surroundings at all. That wouldn't help my chances of survival. Just in case, I mentally flexed and felt the familiar tingling warmth intensify. "Considering you make me forget everything else but you, we better not be in the same patrol. Okay, let's go." I crawled to the opening and we left the tent, zipping it shut behind us.

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

Dusk was falling and we were supposed to meet the pack in the woods behind old Quil's spread, not too far from our campsite. Just before we went to meet them, Jasper distributed the two-way radios. We all had cell phones, but in a tactical situation it would take too long to dial and wait for a connection, and cell phone coverage tended to be spotty in rural areas. So we left the phones in the tents and took the radios. Each had a 10-mile range which would be plenty for our purposes. Alice had returned, dressed from head to toe in black denim, and Jasper refrained from making any comment about her wardrobe.

I cast my eyes over the assembled vampires. Dressed alike, with the lone exception, we looked like a fairly formidable force. And undoubtedly against four normal vampires we would have been. It seemed somehow very wrong to see Carlisle, Esme and Carmen dressed in military fatigues. Edward, on the other hand, looked very good in a uniform, and I remembered how he had wanted to be a soldier when he was still human. Jasper made his own brief inspection, then gave the signal to move out.

In the clearing near Quil's house, Jacob and Sam sat waiting for us, along with Leah and Paul. The rest of the pack stood among the trees, silent and ominous. We moved almost silently through the woods but the wolves were like ghosts. I couldn't see the entire pack but I could tell by the smell there were a lot of werewolves.

Jasper spoke first. "Reporting for duty, sir," he said with a wry expression.

Jacob snorted. "Let's do this," Edward translated for him.

Jasper raised his voice and addressed all of us. "Remember to pull back if attacked. We're trying to draw them in so we can finish this. Is everybody clear on what to do?" A chorus of growls, barks and affirmations filled the clearing.

"All right. I'm going to take the sentries to their posts," Jasper said. "When we're in place you can set your patrols in the path we scouted earlier." He turned to me and pointed to Sam. "Bella, you're with Sam, Seth and Brady." Sam sat to one side. I recognized Seth next to him and one other, younger wolf who must be Brady. He had grayish fur with silver tips and his right, forepaw was white.

I started to ask why I wasn't in Jacob's group, but let the words die on my lips and just nodded. It would make sense to protect the alpha wolf, but I could feel Edward's eyes on me.

Jasper started to lead the family off through the trees. Before Edward turned to go, I caught his eye. "Be careful," I said. He held my eyes with an intense gaze for a moment, then nodded gravely and they were gone.

After the family disappeared into the woods, I realized I was left alone among the wolves. Before, this wasn't a problem; I had spent lots of time with Jacob and the wolf pack in both their human and wolf forms. But I was human then, what they had sworn to protect. Now I was a vampire, what they were born to destroy. Unbidden, tension rose in my head and my senses automatically went on alert. My body was telling me I was surrounded by my natural enemies. I knew that Jacob wouldn't let them hurt me, but that didn't help the uncomfortable feelings from bouncing around in my head.

I made myself sit slowly down on a rock between Sam and Jacob. More than one narrowed set of eyes watched my movements as I sat, but Sam and Jake's expressions didn't change. I thought about Jacob's original objections to us accompanying their patrols, and I admit I was still nervous about that.

"Jake?" The great head turned and the large brown eyes regarded me. "You guys know my scent right? Do you think I'll mess up the scent for the other patrols?"

Jacob cocked his head to one side and he flicked one ear as he thought. He took a sniff and winced, then he gave a slow nod.

That wince gave me an inspiration. I pulled out the jar of Kate's ointment; I always carried one with me these days. I opened it and held it toward him. "Would this make a difference?"

He leaned close and sniffed, then suddenly sneezed several times. When he recovered, he nodded vigorously, and rubbed at his nose with a paw. My thought confirmed, I took several dabs of the ointment, and smeared it on the outside of my fatigues.

"Better?" I asked. He gave a low whuff, which I interpreted as positive.

"Did you guys get some rest?" I asked, when the silence stretched out too long. Sam inclined his head and Jacob seemed to shrug. Communication with them was going to be difficult, limited to expressions of yes or no.

"Sam, so I'm just supposed to follow you guys, and if we get attacked, pull you back to safety?"

Another nod. Not that I was normally a chatterbox, but it dawned on me that my time with the wolves was going to be a fairly one-sided conversation, and my pre-patrol jitters were making me want to fill in the space. I looked at Jacob and searched myself for the old feelings I had for him. But he was right when he had observed that his wolf form didn't affect me like his human form did.

"Aren't you nervous at all, Jake?" I asked. Jacob snorted and his fist-sized eyeball rolled upwards in answer.

I pursed my lips, irritated at the inconvenience of carrying the conversation. "This one-way communication is kind of a pain isn't it? What happens if you need to tell me something more than yes or no?"

Jacob growled and barked a couple times. After a moment my radio crackled to life. "Bella?" Edward's voice brought a glimmer of a smile to my lips. "He says you're worrying about nothing. As long as I can hear one of the wolves, I'll be able to relay to you or the rest of the family."

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Jake's lips pulled back from his fangs and his tongue stuck out a bit in wolfish laughter.

Not knowing what else to say, I let my body lapse into the stillness that it was comfortable with – one of the vampire traits that I had recognized in Edward – and let my mind and senses wander. Night had settled in, with a gentle mist falling and being shifted around by a slight breeze. It wasn't too cold by November standards but I was glad that I didn't have to worry about weather anymore. The wolves, too, wouldn't even feel the chilly temperatures. I was still nervous about what I was going to do. If we did come up against Jane and the guard, there was no telling what might happen.

A little while later, the radio hissed again. "We're in place now," Jasper's voice came. "The patrols can start moving."

Jacob barked, and I heard the faint sounds of several animals moving through the forest. I looked more closely and one of them looked to me like Embry. Roughly fifteen minutes went by until the next group was dispatched, led by Jared. Group by group, they took off like squadrons of scrambling fighter jets. Now Sam's patrol and Jacob's were the only ones left in the clearing, and I wondered who would be next. My nerves were itching with the mounting tension. Would we be attacked tonight? Would I be able to do anything about it if we were? I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself.

A sudden throaty growl opened my eyes. Sam was standing — we were next! I scrambled to my feet as Sam headed in the same direction that the other patrols had gone. Seth and Brady followed him and I took my place at the end of the patrol, where my scent wouldn't interfere with their tracking.

Our path led downhill toward the Quillayute River, and turned left just inside the edge of the trees before we reached the river. Sam set a pace that I could easily match. I hadn't seen a werewolf at full speed but Jacob's comment that they had easily caught and killed Laurent made me wonder just how fast they were. In the dim light I could see the wolves coursing along, easily moving around the trees, over or through the brush, their heads low at times, noses constantly working.

The patrol route followed the rough contour of the Quileute lands. The dark river lay on our right, a natural break so we could easily see if someone attempted a crossing. Somewhere on our left was the picket line of sentries, but we were moving too quickly for me to spot any of them. I briefly wondered where Edward was posted.

As the river neared the ocean, the terrain rose until we topped the cliffs that overlooked the Pacific. When we passed near the cliff where I had originally jumped, I had a wandering thought that I ought to try that again now that I couldn't drown. The jump itself wasn't bad, only the landing.

We ran past First Beach, then Second Beach. All this time I saw nothing, and detected no vampire scents. I smelled no shortage of werewolf, as the scents of the other patrols mingled with those of my own unit. After Second Beach, we turned inland, cutting across the hills that made up reservation land, heading across the peninsula toward the river again. At one point we had to cross the main road that ran between La Push and Forks, but it was deserted so we crossed without incident. Once we reached the river we again turned east, and resumed our original path.

As I moved through the darkened forest, I again felt the freedom and power of flying through the trees, of being one with my element. If I weren't engaged in a life or death situation, I could really enjoy this.

There was no sign of the Volturi Guard. I kept an eye on the river whenever we were in sight of it, but there was nothing. The only thing that moved were a few nocturnal animals — bats, owls, and some raccoons. At some point in the night, I lost track of how many circuits we had completed. I was reminded of running laps in PE, and not knowing what lap I was on because it all looked the same. I found myself starting to get lulled by the monotony into a sense of security. What could Jane be up to? Surely they must see us when we traveled across those spots less wooded than others.

And so it went for the rest of the night. I was so glad that I didn't get tired anymore, because by the time the early morning light started to touch the edges of the sky, I had no idea how many miles we had run. During the time we had been on patrol, I guessed we could have run all the way down to Oregon and back again. When the light from the dawning sun was almost peeking through the overcast, Edward's voice came over radio.

"Bella? It's Edward."

I unclipped the radio from my belt and pressed the send button. "What is it?"

"Jacob is calling in the patrols for the night. He wants to have a quick meeting at Quil's place before he dismisses them. Jasper and I will meet you there."

"All right," I acknowledged. Sam turned from our patrol route and led us through the forest toward the reservation proper. Back in the woods behind Quil's house, a number of werewolves were in the little clearing – Jake, Jared, and Embry. It seemed it was a meeting of the squad leaders. The rest of the pack stayed amongst the trees, but they could easily hear what was going on. The only other vampires present were Edward and Jasper. I drifted over to Edward's side, and his fingers automatically twined with my own. I still didn't like the look of the camo paint on his face but the touch of his hand felt good after the long night.

Edward thumbed his radio and spoke first. "Nobody in the patrols saw or smelled anything. Did anybody on sentry see anything?" Oh. Jake was still in wolf form, and Edward was translating for him.

"This is Esme. Nothing here."

"Carlisle here. Nothing."

"Tanya. Nothing."

One by one, each of the family chimed in with a negative.

"Negative for the sentries," Jasper repeated, then addressed the wolves. "Were there any problems with scent, since Bella is running the path with you?"

The Jared-wolf growled and barked. "No, she smells different enough that it should be easy to spot the bad guys," Edward said.

The russet wolf nodded. "Everybody get some rest," Edward translated, though it was unnecessary because this command was directed at the wolves. "Be back here at sundown."

Wolves stood and began melting into the trees. Before long, Jacob and Sam were the only wolves left. Jacob gave a low growl. "Well, that was a waste of time," he said through Edward.

Jasper raised his radio and thumbed the talk button. "Carlisle? Eleazar? We're negative on any trace of the guard. Any thoughts?"

"What do you think, Eleazar?" Carlisle's voice asked. "Is it possible we over-reacted and the Guard has retreated?"

Eleazar didn't answer immediately. "It's unlikely," the radio finally crackled. "They have their orders, and only if they've spotted one of us helping the wolves will the situation have changed for them. It is possible they might have seen Bella while she was running patrol, but it's hard to say."

"Well, at least we didn't lose anybody," Jasper said.

"Yes, that's a success of sorts," Carlisle agreed.

Jacob snorted derisively. "Jacob says, it's not a success until we kill them," Edward said into his radio. And for once when it came to something violent, I agreed with him.

"It's only the first night," said Jasper. "They may have different orders tomorrow."

"Jacob? Go ahead and get some rest. We'll keep watch," Carlisle's voice buzzed through the radio.

For a moment, the fur on Jacob's neck seemed to bristle and I thought he was going to object. Then he shrugged and rose from his haunches to saunter off into the woods. Sam followed close behind.

"Hello dear, how was your evening?" Edward asked as he bent his head down to kiss me, and I turned my face up to meet him.

"Pretty quiet, after all that anxiety," I said, and wrinkled my nose a little. "Not that I mind because I really thought Jane would attack us tonight."

I thought I saw the muscles around his mouth tense a little, but he didn't comment. Instead he offered to walk me to my sentry post.

"I don't know where that is," I said. "I was on patrol with Sam's unit."

"Oh. Jasper, where should we post Bella?" Edward asked his brother.

"You might as well have her at the post next to yours," Jasper said and grinned. "That way you won't have to go far to look for her." Obviously he knew Edward pretty well. Hand in hand, Edward led me through the forest. Jasper came with us, headed for his own post. We traveled along some game trails and larger hiking trails that cut through the reservation.

Eventually Jasper separated from us, and we continued on toward the river. We arrived at a bluff overlooking the water that had good cover in a stand of spruce trees and bushes. For a moment, Edward stood, scanning the opposing river bank and listening for thoughts. With a shrug he turned back to me.

"All clear," he said. He seemed to relax a bit and leaned against the trunk of a spruce tree.

I stepped in close and rested one hand on his arm and the other on his chest. His face looked odd to me with the makeup on, but the amber eyes that looked down at me still held the same warmth. I felt my breath catch in my throat and blinked quickly. To cover my befuddlement I asked him, "So is soldiering what you thought it would be?"

"Oh, I'm not the misty-eyed youth I once was," he said with a sardonic smile. "I saw enough of the effects of war to realize it wasn't as glorious as the recruiters wanted us to believe."

"What made you want to be a soldier so much? Was your dad in the military?"

Edward shook his head. "No, he wasn't, he was a lawyer," he said. He looked across the river, thinking back through the years. When he spoke he had a faraway look in his eye. "I'm not sure how it is with girls but at a certain age you want to show that you've grown up, that you've become a man. The Great War was in all the news. When I was 14, the British passenger ship Lusitania was sunk by the Germans, killing over a hundred Americans. In 1917, Germany declared unrestricted warfare on all Allied shipping. My friends and I were all filled with righteous indignation and patriotic fervor. Joining the military was the cause of the day, but you had to be 18."

"You could have lied, like Jasper," I pointed out.

"I could have, but that would have upset my mother. She didn't like all my talk about joining the service."

His voice was a little sad as he said that, and the smile faded from his eyes. I took a guess as to what he was unhappy about. "You don't like me running with the patrols, do you?"

He shook his head. "It should be me, not you. Sentry duty isn't without hazards, but I'd much rather you be in back of the lines than running them."

"But if Jane attacks your patrol, what are you going to be able to do?"

"I…I don't know," he admitted, and he must have been remembering what Jane had done to him. Wanting to soothe him, I raised a hand and ran my fingers through his hair, coming to rest on the back of his neck.

"That's why it has to be me," I said. "I'm sure I can protect three wolves, so we'll have at least one functional unit in case we get attacked."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. "I understand the need. I just don't like it."

I gave a light snort of exasperation. "You're so old-fashioned some times," I teased him.

Edward took my fingers and raised the back of my hand to his lips, an old courtly gesture I never got tired of. "And you're always the brave one." He smiled.

"No, not brave," I disagreed. "If that's the only thing I can do to help, then that's what I'll do.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "How far does it go?"

"What?"

He let go of my hand and pushed away from the tree. "Your shield. Show me how far it will go." He stepped back from me a few paces.

"Oh, okay." I took a breath and pushed, extending it out as far as I could. "Come closer," I said. Edward edged nearer, one hand extended toward me. At about three feet away, just beyond my outstretched hand, I felt the field change as he touched it. Interestingly, though there were no nerves or substance of any kind, I could close my eyes and tell where he made contact, as though he had touched my body. "Right there," I told him. "It starts right where your hand is."

Both of our radios buzzed to life and we jumped. "Edward?" It was Jasper, speaking in a low, amused voice. "Are you at your post, yet?"

Edward and I both laughed, looking at each other guiltily. He raised his radio. "Almost there, Jasper," he said with a residual chuckle. "I'll see you later." He stepped in and stole a kiss before he turned to go.

I watched until his tall, broad-shouldered form disappeared amongst the trees, and sighed. I had a happy little smile on my face again, so I took a deep breath and shook myself. Sentry duty, I'm on sentry duty, I chanted to myself. I exhaled loudly, directed my attention to my surroundings and let my senses expand. I gazed up and down the opposite river bank. The mist had stopped falling but the river held on to the iron grey color of the ever present cloud cover. The cold didn't stop the animals of the forest, and the background sounds of rushing river and wind through the trees were often punctuated by the call of birds or other woodland creatures.

As I settled in to my watch, the monotony of guard duty began to steal over me. In the lush green setting, it was too easy to let my attention wander and drift away. To keep myself alert, I decided to work on my exercises. After my last time working with Eleazar I felt I could use more practice in projecting while dealing with outside distractions. I inhaled deeply, exhaled and began the standing meditation. I disengaged part of my attention, and set it to scanning the landscape, testing the scents on the air, and monitoring the sounds of the forest. Thus engaged, the hours slipped by while the sun passed unseen above the clouds. All day long, nothing moved except what normally belonged in the forest.

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Just before dusk my radio buzzed, rousing me out of the exercise I was performing and bringing my attention to the here and now. I unclipped it from my belt and held it up.

"Jasper? It's Edward," my radio squawked.

"Yes?" Jasper responded.

"The wolves are starting to assemble for patrol, now," he replied.

"Thank you, Edward. Bella?" Jasper asked.

"On my way," I said into the radio. I straightened, and started into the woods, making my way back to the clearing near Quil's house.

When I got there, most of the wolves were already assembled. Sam and Jacob were in the clearing so I went up to Jacob to ask which unit I was with. His eyes narrowed and his chest seemed to expand with a deep inhalation, but that was the only change I could detect. He swung his muzzle in Sam's direction, and I got the message. I sidled over to stand with Sam's group, as we waited for the rest of the wolves to arrive. While we waited, I applied the scent-masking ointment to the outside of my fatigues again, causing my patrol mates to wrinkle their noses.

After the sun slipped below the horizon and darkness fell, we began patrolling again. As I followed after Sam and the others, I started to wonder about what Carlisle had said: were we too jumpy, and the Volturi had backed off after all? The darkened woods were just as empty as the night before, though the cloud cover was not as complete and a little more moonlight made its way down to earth. I tried to keep alert, and kept an eye on the river every chance I got. But nothing moved other than the bats and other nocturnal animals. The patrols kept moving and the mixture of scents told me we had made a number of circuits already.

Toward the middle of the night, as the moon was about to follow the sun below the horizon, we entered a more marshy area that was created by a creek feeding into the river. The trees thinned out and the bushes gave way to reeds as we crossed the creek. Suddenly Sam, Seth and Brady tumbled to the ground, head over tail. The air was filled with their horrible snarls and whines of pain. In fact the entire forest seemed to groan with an agonized chorus of growling and yelping. I froze in shock for a moment before I realized what was happening. I whipped my head toward the river, and there they were on the opposite bank, just stepping out from the cover of the trees. Jane had a happy smile on her face and Felix was grinning next to her.

I fumbled the radio off my belt and called into it, "This is Bella! We're under attack!" Then I had to move, because the Volturi were starting toward the water.

Sam was in the lead, so he had tumbled into the creek, and lay thrashing in the water in agony. I ran into the water, and put my hands on him. I felt my damper field infuse him but nothing happened, he still jerked with spasms of pain. My heart fell into my stomach as I realized what was going on; it didn't matter that I was shielding him, the pain was being shared through the wolf link. No help would be coming from the other wolves as long as Jane could affect one of them, and they had fallen too far apart for me to extend and shield them all. I leaped over to Brady and touched him, with the same results. But when I touched Seth, they stopped writhing and looked around. They all had to get under cover and fast.

"Get to the trees!" I shouted, and tried pushing Seth to his feet. "Edward, over here!" I screamed, hoping my family would be able to get here in time. The wolves got up, took a few steps and then collapsed again. I glared back at Jane; she must have switched to Sam or Brady. But I could see that her smile had faded and she was frowning.

Cursing under my breath, I grabbed Seth around the middle and hefted him over my shoulder. As a horse-sized wolf I'd guess he weighed maybe four- or five-hundred pounds — he was an armful but still child's play to me. He stopped snapping his jaws, but his eyes were squeezed shut and his limbs still twisted and tensed under Jane's fiery assault. The trees were not too far and I rushed through quickly and put Seth down when I could no longer see the river. Not pausing to see if he had recovered, I sprinted back to the creek.

I burst out of the trees and into the creek, splashing water in all directions. I grabbed Sam, who was nearest to the river. Fearfully, I glanced at the river and didn't see anyone but Jane on the opposite bank. But the others could be crossing underwater, so I turned and ran. Sam didn't thrash as much, but his whimpering was heartrending to hear.

When I finally got Brady into the trees as well, the sounds of suffering wolves ceased. Just to make sure, I extended my shield and settled in the midst of my troop, covering them all. Edward and Jasper were the first to arrive, followed by Carlisle and Eleazar. The whites of Edward's frightened eyes showed wider than usual against the dark face paint as he rushed over to me.

"Are you all right?" he cried as he grabbed my arms and quickly looked me over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I tried to re-assure him. "Hold on, I need to check something." I had to disengage myself from his worried, searching hands.

I crept closer to the edge of the trees and peeked across the river. Jane was no longer in the last place I had seen her, and nobody was coming out of the water. I frowned at this, since I had completely expected them to cross and follow up on their attack. We were supposed to have been retreating inland to draw them in, but there was no point to it now.

"Edward? Can you still hear if they're out there?" I asked.

Edward paused for a moment before answering. "Not really. They may be controlling their thoughts, or they're miles away by now."

"I don't understand," I voiced my confusion.

Jacob arrived with his group and growled a question. "No, everybody's okay," Edward said. Jacob looked at me and grumbled something else. Edward's brows narrowed for a second but he translated. "Jacob wants you to cover him while he checks for their scent. I'll come with you," he declared, and took my hand. Jacob seemed to shrug.

"Let's go," I said, and keeping hold of Edward's hand, I lay my other hand on Jake's flanks. Connected in this awkward fashion, we moved out into the open. Everybody else stayed safely under the trees. Jacob made for the river bank, and started sniffing the water's edge. We moved up and down the river for a hundred yards on either side of the creek, but he didn't find any trace that the Volturi had come across. Jacob gave a snort of disgust and headed back to where we left the others.

Jacob growled and barked some more. Edward translated, "I'm going to take some of the guys and see if we can find their scent on the other side."

"We'll come with you," Jasper said. Jacob bobbed his head in agreement. "But don't cross here. It's too wide and if they ambush us while our forces are separated by the river we're in trouble. Cross at a narrower part where you can get the whole group across quickly."

Jacob seemed to think about that, and I saw him glance at Sam, who nodded. With a whuff, he turned to lead the two patrols and the vampires up the river.

"Where are the girls?" I asked Edward as we jogged after the wolves.

"Jasper told them to go back to their posts. We still need to keep watch." That made sense to me, and truth be told, I felt better if gentle Esme or Carmen were in a less hazardous location. "What happened?" Edward's tone was still clipped, laden with his concern for me. I quickly related the events of the attack.

"And I didn't feel anything at all," I said. I knew he would be the most concerned about that, so I tried to emphasize that I was fine. He seemed to be a little mollified by that.

Jacob led us to a part of the river where it narrowed and we could easily cross the river in one jump. Once across, we turned downstream until we reached the spot from where Jane had attacked us. The wolves got the scent immediately, and they came to instant alert. We followed the trail away from the river, but after a mile or so Jacob declared that the trail was getting older, and they had probably come in by this path.

We returned to the ambush spot, but the scent trail didn't seem to come back out of the water. We needed to find where they had gone, so we continued downstream. Edward maintained constant vigilance, not wanting us to be surprised again.

When we reached the mouth of the river where it flowed into the sea, it didn't seem likely that the Guard had come out of the water anywhere nearby. We were a couple miles from our starting point. Jacob and Sam seemed to hold a silent conference, then Jake turned back up river. "Let's get back across to our side," he said through Edward, and we started back the way we came. Once we crossed to the reservation side of the river, Jasper turned to Jacob and Sam.

"Might I suggest a change in tactics?" he asked.

Jake cocked his head to one side in a listening pose.

"Judging by how Jane's gift gets transmitted to every single wolf in the pack, we might want to do this differently."

"How differently?" Jacob asked through Edward.

"The patrol didn't see the ambush coming from across the river. And while they're moving around, it's not easy to spot an enemy in hiding. We've basically been providing a werewolf shooting gallery for the Volturi." A low muttering rose from the wolves.

"What do you suggest?" Jacob asked.

"I'm thinking of abandoning the patrols, and distribute the wolves as extra sentries. If we have more left over, we can have the reserves stand ready to reinforce any point that comes under attack. This way, the wolves aren't attacked immediately, which incapacitates the entire pack. If they want to attack, they'll have to come across where we can see them."

"All right, we'll try that for now," Jacob barked, and started growling at the assembled wolves. They disappeared into the woods, to take their place on the sentry line.

"What about the other two units?" Carlisle asked.

"I'll have them stand by. Eight wolves added to your numbers will give good sentry coverage."

"Excellent," Jasper said. "We should have a debriefing before you turn in this morning. Sunrise?"

Jacob rolled his eyes, probably mocking Jasper's military tone. But he woofed out an affirmative, and left the clearing to join the lookouts.

We still had several hours left until dawn, so the family and I also returned to our sentry posts. But the incident had left me, and probably all the defenders, a little shaken. Although we hadn't lost anybody we hadn't counted on the wolf-link being a liability, especially since it had been so helpful during the battle with the newborns. If Jane could disable over half of our fighting force at once, and Alec could disable the other half, where did that leave us? It made joining with the wolves no improvement on our situation. In fact it was worse because we had given the Volturi their excuse to move against us. We might as well have run, to face them later.

I shook my head in irritation. Running away would still have been wrong and I owed the wolves better than that. As much as the situation frightened me, I wasn't going to second guess my decision now. We would figure something out. Jasper and Eleazar had to have some ideas. They just had to.

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To be continued...

A/N: Well, I hope that was worth the wait. What the heck is going on? Why haven't they invaded already? As always, love to hear your thoughts!