I'm back, it's been a while, but you remember where we left off right? We'd selected our allies and were just waiting to hear back from the Pack so that we could begin moving people in? Alright, let's go ahead and get started.
It was the Monday after planning had gotten under way and the battle was already a logistical nightmare.
We were all tasked with finding places for ten new pairs to sleep and train, and a city to protect. No one had given me a definitive list of the abilities of them all, and so of course that was the first question anyone asked me. They were taking these people into their homes, after all, and I had school, and…
It wasn't much fun. This many stresses led me to do something that I have never admitted to before.
I was flying towards the Stevens' home after school, as a hawk that time, when I passed a familiar face in the tree tops. Yeah, I thought it was weird too, so I turned and flew back to see Edward Cullen sitting in a tree just on his side of the treaty line.
Meet me on the ground and tell me why you're stalking me or I'm coming up there to kick your ass, I thought. Then I flew down and shifted.
A moment later he joined me.
"I'm not stalking you – Carlisle and Esme want to open our home up to anyone who'd like to stay there. We can take about five couples and if they're worried about their safety, we can arrange something," he offered kindly.
"Say that again?" I asked, not quite daring to believe it.
"We can take five couples?" Edward repeated hesitantly.
I did the unthinkable. I hugged it.
I was the only one with connections near Forks who could know about the upcoming battle, so I'd been left with the job of finding space for all ten pairs, and then there were groups like the Georgia Watchers who wanted to be together and there were all the relationships to consider and who wouldn't mind close quarters and who was sleeping with who and who would be mortally offended at that implication and…. The very thought of it all makes me rant.
I… it hurts to admit this but I… I held on to it. Okay, Jamie, I'll stop calling him "it". I held on to him until I regained my senses and jumped back.
"Thank you, I'll be in touch," I said, turning and walking a bit in the direction of Forks before turning and adding, "Tell no one."
Then I shifted into a bat and flew a ways before shifting again, this time into something that could see in daylight hours and didn't have to flap its wings so much.
Jamie nearly kissed me, the thought came as the Stevens' house drew nearer. It had almost really happened and I'd wanted it. It was amazing to me that I could be feeling this way again, only this time it was better – more than it had been with Sam. He was half of my soul; it would have been strange if it hadn't been different.
I knew what his love for Alex had felt like, just as he knew what mine for Sam was like, and what I felt was neither. First chances are first chances and you don't get two. Once you've been broken there's nothing to do but wallow and hope the pieces are all still there when you're ready to be fixed. We were helping to fix each other, and that made for a connection that effected what we were becoming almost more than the bond could have hoped to.
Jamie was waiting on the front porch of their house when I flew up, and he stretched his arm out towards me when he saw me approach. I decided to try something a little different, this time intentionally leaving a feather in my hair as I landed in front of him.
He touched it, smiling slightly.
"Is that a cultural thing or just a fashion statement?" he asked.
"It can't be both? Where is everyone?" I asked, walking inside.
He followed me in as he answered, "Jack and Izzy stopped somewhere afterschool to meditate, and I'm not sure where Mac and Wes got off to. My parents are in the study. We've got about a half hour or so before we meet and get back to planning."
There was an awkward moment where the two of us were unsure how to proceed and then he smiled at me again, this time with a bit of mischief in his eyes.
"Feel like getting beat on a first person shooter game?"
I laughed.
"You're on!" I declared. We ran back to his room and played a round or two before I asked, "The Georgia Watchers. Do you think that they'd be fine spending nights at the Cullens' house?"
"What?" he said, falling off of a ledge on the game out of surprise at the question.
"Edward Cullen offered up room for five couples, and the Georgia Watchers wanted to be grouped together. Think they'd be fine to lie down near the leeches?" I asked again, explaining.
Jamie considered this for a bit before smirking a little.
"They'd probably be cool with it, and we can ask them about it. We'd probably want to warn them to childproof the house first though, they're a crazy bunch from what I've seen. Though it's been a while," he replied. I killed him on the game.
"So what's the deal with them? You said that you'd fill me in," I asked after a few minutes.
"We're going over that in a few-" he started, but I raised my hand to hush him as I recognized a sound.
"Mac and Wes just popped in," I told him. The low buzz of Izzy's bike coming up the street announced, to me at least, that she and Jack were on their way in as well.
I saved the game and the two of us moved back towards the study, Jamie stopping along the way to glance in at Andrew, who would remain in the temporary holding cell until just before the battle.
"Hey," I greeted quickly, moving to sit down before Wes and Mac came in, followed soon after by Izzy and Jack.
"We're all here and on time," Mary started with a weak smile. " On the agenda for this evening is some briefing about the Watchers who'll be joining us, more planning about when they'll come and where they'll stay, and then we need to call them all to tell them when we'll meet them and where."
"Anything to report?" Joshua added.
"Yes," I said. I told them about the Cullen's offer and my idea to send the Georgia Watchers to live with the Cullens.
"Tell them to hide their valuables," Wes replied.
"What is up with them? Are they clumsy?" Izzy asked.
"We'll save some things for when you meet them, but maybe we should go ahead and start with the briefing, okay Ms. Stevens?" Mac suggested.
"Go on," she allowed. "Names and powers only, couple names at your discretion."
"Fine," Wes began, standing. "The Georgia Watchers are led by Colby Talbot and his partner… his Match… his significant…They sleep together. Haydn Phillips, a cousin of Mac's."
"There are a rather lot of them – my great grandmother was one of twelve," Mac added, " Another of my cousins is in that group, one Marian Aileen Grayson, who, with her Match Robin Daniels, form the pair known fondly as Sherwood. Marian is an empath, a non brain affecting, non music dependent empath. Robin has really good eyesight. Their joint match power is seeing into other universes."
"There's also The Magic Act. Razi Teller and Daniel Penn. Daniel is eye catching. Really. The song I only have eyes for you was written for someone with his power. Razi can make manmade things disappear and together they create illusions," Wes continued.
"And last but, well…not really last in the grand scheme of things, are the Rave Twins. Kayla Ann Cadwallader and Tiffany Jessica Larson , a technopath and a sound manipulator respectively. Their Joint Match ability is light manipulation," Mac finished. "Now, let's call and talk to Haydn. We need to start getting people here and twenty-four hours notice would be polite."
"What, did Emily Post write a book on Vampires?" Wes smirked at him.
"Yes, I particularly enjoyed the chapter on waiting to be invited in," Edward said, and everyone jumped, startled by his sudden presence.
Izzy took it stride. "So it was published recently then?" she asked dryly.
"What are you doing here, bat boy?" Wes asked him, seeming vaguely disquieted by his presence.
"Alice said that you were going to call the ones who will be staying with us and Carlisle asked me to come speak on our behalf," Edward replied.
"That's my job, as liaison," Izzy pointed out, and sighed after a moment. "But you're here now, so be quiet unless they ask something that only you can answer."
Joshua picked up the phone and handed it to Wes, who dialed the number and put it on speaker phone.
It rang a couple of times before Haydn picked up.
"Hadyn Phillips, Watcher of the eastern united states of whatever, which Stevens am I speaking to?"
"Why Hade, I do believe that you've gotten cynical in your old age," Wes replied.
"I'm thirty-two," he said matter-of-factly.
"Precisely," she returned in a similar tone. "We have marching orders for you to consider."
"Oh, Wesley, no question as to my well being? I thought we'd trained that New York rudeness out of you."
"And replaced it with southern inefficiency? We've got things to do, and stuff to…watch. Is Colby there?"
"Always, Wes," a different voice replied. "Have you figured out where you lot are stashing us all?"
"How do you feel about sleeping at the Cullens' house?" Mac asked plainly. "They have room for five couples and Wes and I could join you if you think that safety would be a problem."
"There's no other way for us all to be together?" Colby asked.
"Not without causing our liaison with the pack undue stress," Mac said regretfully.
"Then it'll work or they can sleep in the yard," Haydn reasoned. "When will you come get us? A few members of our group seem to pack better with a deadline."
We heard Colby chuckle a bit at that, and then Wes and Mac looked a little spaced out for a few moments. Then Wes replied, "We'll come get you at around 3 Eastern Time tomorrow, if that's fine. We have a stop to make earlier."
"Shall we call in the rest our ragtag bunch of miscreants to say hi, or are you busy?"Colby asked.
"I'm afraid that we have other matters to handle, but please pass along a fond greeting and…" Mac began and he looked to Wes expectantly.
"… Tell them we love 'em and say hi with extra waves and promises of hugs in the near future!" Wes ended, giving Mac a look and pleased little smirk.
"Walked right into that one, kid," Haydn added. "See you tomorrow."
Then he hung up the phone and they called Alba Mariano and her husband/Match who'd volunteered to help in their efforts.
"Alba Mariano, Proud Watcher of Southwestern Europe, what time…?" a sleepy voice murmured before switching to Italian for the rest of the sentence.
"We'll be there at seven tonight. Thank you and sleep well," Jamie said and I finished with. "Your service honors us all."
"I hope that it will," Niccolo, said and they hung up.
We talked about the procedure for welcoming foreign Watchers, and Mac and Wes's sick day from school so that they could welcome them, and dispersed. Then I followed Jamie back to his room and we meditated.
The bond was warm and comfortable as we sat next to each other on the floor facing opposite directions. We focused on it and were rewarded with the all encompassing nature of the experience, the feeling of being nothing more or less than the all of who we were and what we could become.
After a while I felt a soft touch on my cheek, and then my nose, and then my mouth, and I returned the pressure. Then my conscious mind told me what I'd missed in the warm haze.
We were kissing.
Softly and damply and perfectly, we were kissing.
Later I would close my eyes and think on it, and my heart would race, but as I projected my surprise and my joy across the bond and felt him smile against my lips there were no theatrics, just warmth and a goofy awkward beauty as we separated into our own minds and physical spaces.
A dove flew home that night, and an eagle and several others, and if the cavalry weren't set to arrive the next day, if my mother's shoulders didn't carry the worries of the elders, I could have forgotten that there was anything wrong in the world… but life's a bitch, and I dreamt that night of battle.
I survived Nanowrimo, and now I can write fic again! I said I'd try and update twice in the month but school and sleep got in the way. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to hear from you all. please review and thanks to my wonderful…people we'll talk about later because it's somewhat complicated.
REVIEW and Send outtake ideas, because the end of this fic is approaching. Thanks and I'll start on the next chapter ... later today.