I got a lot of fantastic suggestions last time for things that I could include that might give everyone a better idea about the gathered guests. This is the first part of my attempt at fulfilling some of those requests. Let me know how I did. I like how it turned out, but if you think I took too many liberties (or not enough) let me know. I'm having difficulties coming up with stuff for Mary and Randall since we know next to nothing about them. Anyone have any ideas? Again, thanks for all of your support and criticism. I appreciate it all! :) ~Jen

Edward's POV

Impressive numbers, the ancient voice echoed in my head.

Impressive talents as well, an equally ancient voice echoed.

"Did Alice send you?" Carlisle asked. Edward!

I bolted from the backyard into the house with the rest of the gathering following swiftly behind. I knew who was waiting at the door before I saw them standing in front of Carlisle. What do they want? How do we proceed? Carlisle's mind was racing. We certainly were not expecting a visit from Romania.

"No one sent us," Stefan said, his brittle voice betraying the disdain he felt at Carlisle's assumption. The Romanians did not go or come at anyone's bidding.

"Then what brings you here now?" Carlisle asked.

"Word travels," Vladimir answered. "We heard hints that the Volturi were moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering."

He looked around the room at the gathered immortals. He noted without surprise the faces of the Denali coven as well as Amun and Benjamin. He took in the form of Zafrina and Senna with more surprise and also noted several of the nomads. He was impressed with the number of friends that we had gathered, especially considering what it is that we were rumored to have done. But they weren't interested in placing blame. What they wanted was a second chance. They didn't care why we had angered the Volturi; they saw that we had enough talented friends to be more than a nuisance to the Volturi and they wanted to be part of the fight to overthrow them.

"We are not challenging the Volturi," Carlisle answered, strain evident in his tone. "There has been a misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we're hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn't--"

"We don't care what they say you did," Stefan interrupted him. "And we don't care if you broke the law."

"No matter how egregiously," Vladimir continued.

"We've been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged," Stefan said. "If there is any chance they will fall, we will be here to see it."

"Or even to help defeat them," Vladimir added, but his thoughts betrayed him. They were not planning on fighting, only witnessing the fall of the Volturi and then taking their place. "If we think you have a chance of success," he amended, looking at me.

I never took my eyes from him. "Bella?" I called. "Bring Renesmee here, please. Maybe we should test our Romanian visitors' claims."

I wonder if it is true what we have heard, Stefan thought, looking at me. No matter. They'll fight harder to protect it if they consider it family.

It does not matter what monstrosity you bring forth, child. Vladimir was cajoling my mind. We have seen it all before your grandfather's grandfather was even thought of. You cannot frighten us away or sicken us. Ah, so it is true!

Bella and Renesmee were beside me now. For the first time in some time now I was glad that Jacob was not here. This situation was hostile enough without having Jacob involved. They looked my daughter over with dry humor, no more. They believed her to be an immortal child, but they had spoken the truth: they did not care.

"Well, well, Carlisle," Stefan said, grinning. "You have been naughty, haven't you?"

"She's not what you think, Stefan."

"And we don't care either way," Vladimir answered him. "As we said before."

"Then you're welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Volturi, as we said before."

"Then we'll just cross our fingers," Stefan began.

"And hope we get lucky," Vladimir finished.

The Romanians were perhaps the final piece to our puzzle, but they were an ill-fitting piece to be sure. They kept their distance from the rest of the group, observing everything and missing nothing. They were fascinating to watch and read. Even more fascinating given that they seemed to know everything about everyone assembled. It was clear from their thoughts that they thought constantly about the coming battle, for they saw no other resolution to this situation than battle. But I was most intrigued by their reaction to Renesmee.

Although they insisted that they believed our story, and their thoughts had proven that out, like Amun and Alistair, they refused to be touched by her. The thought in their mind was similar to the others: they were afraid of her power. The Romanians considered themselves more than royalty; they were, in their own minds, gods of the vampire world. They had been in existence longer than any other being on the planet. In their minds, there could be no other explanation. They had achieved immortality in the time before Christ, existing for centuries before Aro, Marcus and Caius formed the great Volterra coven in Italy. They had been through a war with the Volturi, lost, and come out no less sure of their divinity but all the more sure of their right to revenge. This, to them, was their preordained time for revenge and they weren't going to allow whatever powers Renesmee had to distract them from their revenge.

They watched her, interacted with her, and were ever more intrigued by the possibilities that she offered to them. They speculated that her power was not limited to putting her thoughts in other people's heads. They saw in her the same potential as Eleazar and Alistair. They felt that, should she touch them, she would control them. No one had ever controlled the Romanians and they were certain that this witch child, as they referred to her, would not be the first. Should things not go the way that they hoped, they needed to be able to walk away from her.

Their scheming was the most thought-provoking of the internal monologue floating around the house over the next several weeks, but certainly not the most entertaining. Having a house full of immortals, almost thirty strong, made for strange relationships and even stranger hidden thoughts. I still looked forward to retreating to my own cottage at night and escaping the chatter, but I was finding ways of focusing more on individual chatter so as to explore the complex thoughts of our guests. I took as many opportunities as I could to sit quietly and listen to everything that wasn't being said. Bella and Emmett tried, at first, to engage me in the goings on around the house. Later, they realized that I was hardest at work when I looked to be doing nothing at all. Really, it was all very fascinating.

Alistair was a mystery on many levels. He came reluctantly because of several debts owed to Carlisle. He felt very close to Carlisle, but he could only bear a visit once a century. He felt crowded and unhappy surrounded by all of the other immortals. He was a true nomad who disliked the company of others. He spent most of his time in the attic so it was difficult for me to concentrate on his thoughts; they were so far away most of the time.

Zafrina and Senna were absolutely fascinating to me. Bella had remarked to me soon after they arrived how they moved as one entity, with Zafrina seeming to act as the mouth piece. What was most fascinating was that they seemed to think as one entity. They had been together for as long as they could remember. Senna was not a silent partner in the relationship, although she rarely vocalized her thoughts. The two wild women were able to communicate in a way not unlike Renesmee and my communications. They were so attuned to one another that, even without words, they could be sure of the other's desires. They were both hurting, that was clear to me from the start. They were missing the third piece in their intricately woven puzzle. It seemed, listening to them, that I could almost hear the missing beats of the thought process that would have been filled by Kachiri. I wondered what could have been so vital to keep her from her sisters.

I was surprised, continually, about how rarely Zafrina and Senna wondered about what was keeping Kachiri. Although they missed their sister with an almost physical ache, they understood her absence more deeply than any of the other immortals. Whenever they thought of her, the haunting picture of Alice's eyes would surface in their memory and they were at peace knowing that Kachiri was, in some way, helping to alleviate some of Alice's suffering. This was one of the many pictures that haunted me as I searched through the minds of our gathered friends.

Peter and Charlotte also had pictures that haunted me as well. They remembered often the look of hopelessness and pain lingering in Jasper's face when they met him. He seemed confused to them and lost, as if he wasn't sure where he was or where he was going to. I didn't doubt that actually. I was quite sure that Alice hadn't told him any more than she had told anyone else, at least at the point where Peter and Charlotte had met them. She was covering her tracks for some reason and, specifically, hiding things from me. She knew that whomever she sent back to me would bring pictures of their faces along with their words. I would be searching those pictures looking for signs that they were well. She would not give away anything in those pictures. I ached for my sister and brother as I saw their twin faces of despair in the minds of our guests. But I consoled myself with the knowledge that at least Alice seemed to have a plan.

The Egyptians were a strangely matched coven; I wondered how they had stayed together for so long. It seemed at first glance to be Amun in control of the four vampires, but that was a false assumption. Although Amun fancied himself their leader, it was Benjamin that held all of the power. The most interesting figure to me, however, was Tia. She rarely spoke openly, but Benjamin relied on her insight in order to make decisions. He was right to do so; she was a very insightful woman.

Benjamin was perhaps the most self-possessed vampire in our gathering. He would have fared well as a nomad, except for his reliance on Tia. Besides being ridiculously talented, he was in possession of an innate knowledge of his purpose in life. I liked being inside of his mind; it was a kind place where right always seemed to win out. Whenever Benjamin was in doubt about the right solution, he unfailingly went in search of Tia who was able to steer him in the correct direction. They were an interesting pair, suitably matched and equally dependant on the other for balance in their life.

Amun and Kebi's relationship was a near opposite to Benjamin and Tia's. Several times, I had seen Esme approach Kebi, attempting to draw her out of her shell only to be rebuffed by Amun. I could tell that Esme's heart hurt for the pain that she perceived in Kebi's silence, but I didn't detect pain in Kebi's mind, only resignation. She did not love Amun, but she was bonded to him and not strong enough to break that bond. It was interesting to me, surrounded for so long by perfectly matched couples to see the equivalent of a broken marriage in the vampire world. It may be the only one in existence. Amun didn't abuse his power over her, but he under-valued her ability to contribute to the coven which, in both Esme's and my minds was tantamount to abuse. Benjamin valued Kebi though, seeing her as a mother-figure. That relationship was the saving grace of coven-life for Kebi and I was thankful that Benjamin was in her life.

Garrett had formed a close bond with the Denali sisters, especially Kate. They had been flirting from the moment that he walked into our gathering, but now I felt that there was more there than just idle interest. Kate, for the first time since I had known her, was seeking out the company of someone outside her coven for companionship, rather than just a fling as was so often the case. She craved Garrett's company. Garrett, for his part, seemed more than mildly curious about the lifestyle that we had chosen here. He had spoken to both Tanya and Kate about the way their diet affected things like their strength and agility. I could see him forming a plan to attempt this type of hunt and I made a mental note to myself to ask him on a hunt with Emmett and myself before our time ran out.

Just such an opportunity presented itself on the morning when Bella took Jacob and Nessie over to Charlie's. Given our company, Charlie absolutely could not come to visit and the strain of being away from Nessie was difficult on him. Bella suggested taking Nessie over to see him, Jacob jumped at the opportunity to be away from all of the vampires, and I was happy to have a day to take a few of my new friends hunting. Em was more than happy to go with me. Garrett agreed readily and even Benjamin was eager to join us, although he declined to join in the hunt. He wanted an opportunity to get away from Amun's hostility and a place to practice his craft away from they prying eyes of the Romanians. Tia remained at the house as an unspoken promise to Amun that we would return. Eleazar considered joining us, but remained behind to research with Carlisle about previous punishments that the Volturi had attended.

Once outside the confines of the house, I could feel my spirit lift as we ran. It had been a long time since Emmett and I had hunted together and it was good to be away from the tension that was unconsciously building day after day.

Where should we take them, brother? Emmett asked, loping through the trees with childlike abandon.

"Would you like a bear, Em?" I asked, smiling.

The bears up at Goat Rocks would be busily storing up for the coming winter, the perfect time to catch a few fully fatted males. Em grinned at my suggestion and Garrett's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Excellent," Emmett said. "Follow me."

We journeyed no more than ten minutes time to reach our destination. The four of us stood atop an outcropping of rocks near the top of one of the peaks. It was a clear day, although not sunny, and the mountains were dusted in a layer of snow. It gave me a chill to see the ground so like Alice's vision of the Volturi's arrival. I wondered briefly where the Volturi were in their journey toward us, whether they were close or still a world away.

Emmett was pointing out different areas to Garrett. Benjamin had left us for the moment. He was going to sit at the summit and practice pulling gusts of wind from the air. I watched him climbing the peak and finding the place where he wanted to sit.. His talent was growing daily and, should it come to a fight, we would do well to have him fighting on our side.

"Bears aren't the same as humans, obviously," Emmett was explaining. "Even though humans have become predators, they aren't built that way. I mean, really, they were made to be prey. And for us, they're just too easy. Bears aren't so simple, but so much more fun. If, like me, you like to play with your food."

I rolled my eyes at my big brother.

"Emmett has a vendetta against angry grizzlies. In his former life, he walked in front of an angry bear and almost never walked anywhere else again. He's been making grizzlies everywhere pay for that for the last seventy or so years."

He laughed and patted me on the back.

"Just because you can't fight flu bugs the same way you can fight bears is no reason to give me grief, Edward," he said, still laughing.

I rolled my eyes again. "Let's hunt, gentleman."

Garrett looked at us one last time to be sure that this was, in fact, a good idea. I knew that he wasn't concerned about fighting with a bear. Rather, he was worried that the blood wouldn't taste right or that it would do something odd to him. I had to chuckle to myself as he surreptitiously looked Emmett and I over for any defects, and grinned unabashedly at me as I caught him in his private speculations.

"You can't blame me for wondering," he said, shrugging. "C'mon. Let's get this over with."

The bears were easy to spot. There were few areas with berries and sweet grasses left for them to forage. Most of the streams were near to freezing that the fish were scarce. They would be foraging on the outskirts of the forest where the air was warm enough to keep things in bloom. There were two females and a male about a quarter mile to our north. I watched as Garrett sniffed them out and unconsciously wrinkled his nose at the aroma. It wouldn't come naturally to him, that was for sure. The only person who took to this naturally had been Alice, but she had known it was coming. I wondered what she was hunting now.

Once the scent had found it's way to my nose, I let my instincts guide me and truly lost myself in the hunt. Bella had said that she found me beautiful when I hunted, but I knew that was because when we hunted we were much more predator than human. It was a marvelous thing to watch a perfectly designed hunter track and kill it's prey. I knew that was the beauty she was referring to. I saw it in the few times that I had watched others hunt without me. There was no denying the beauty in it; it was like watching a lioness hunt down a gazelle. Every move seemed choreographed, every muscle firing precisely.

I was impressed with Garrett's fortitude. He downed his grizzly quickly, forgoing the pre-meal game that Emmett was engaging in, and going right for the jugular. He had finished before I did and was standing watching me.

"It's not what I expected," he confessed as I looked up at him.

"And what were you expecting?" I asked politely.

He smiled graciously. As if you didn't know.

"I don't often try to flout my ability, Garrett. It has its uses and I don't shy away from using it, especially now when what people are thinking so directly affects my daughter, but I do appreciate hearing things from my friend's mouths as well as their minds."

"And I appreciate your courtesy. I just meant that you must have already known that I thought this would be disgusting. I was surprised to find that it wasn't completely unappetizing. Different, not as sweet, but not unbearable."

"You could get used to it--for the right reasons perhaps," I ventured.

He smiled. "She is something," he said wistfully.

"That she is," I agreed. "My cousins have quite a history. They are older even than Carlisle and still they have not found mates for themselves."

"Do they not wish to find love?" he asked.

"On the contrary," I said. "They had not found what they were looking for, I think."

"And--now?'

I shook my head and smiled slightly. "I couldn't say, of course," I demurred.

"I didn't think you could or would," he said. "But it was worth a try. You are too much a gentleman, Edward."

"I've been accused of worse, my friend," I said and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's find Em. He must have pulled the beast apart by now!"

We found Benjamin in deep contemplation at the top of the mountain. He had whipped the wind into a miniature tornado and was swirling some new fallen snow into a cone. His arms were raised and his eyes were closed. It was one of the most awesome displays that I had ever seen. Both Em and Garrett were stunned into silence. The vampire world was, indeed, changing and with gifts such as Benjamin's who knew what the future might hold.

Alice's POV

The jungle was a strange and mysterious place. The animals were different here, not as innately frightened of us as the animals that were native to our home. Jasper and I were able to hunt pythons, monkeys, tapirs, and jaguars. Jasper's favorite was the jaguar, of course, because of its predatory nature. He slipped once and said that he had to call Emmett and tell him about what he had found. His face fell then and he looked at me sadly.

"Do you think I'll ever get the chance to tell him?" he asked.

"I hope you get the chance to show him," I responded quietly.

He nodded.

"That's what this is all about, right?"

"Absolutely. We're going to make this work. I can't see it. But, I can almost feel it. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I think it does," he said after some thought. "I think that we are close to being able to approach them."

I looked at him, unsure. I hated to feel this way. I wanted to be useful again, to be able to offer something to this search. I wasn't used to not having a gift to share.

"Do you think that they will accept us?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure, of course," he hedged. "But we have given them a week to get used to us. I think that it's time to test things out."

We found Kachiri later that evening and she agreed with Jasper. She felt that we had given them enough latitude and it was time to make our presence known to the others.

It was full dark when we found their heavy scent near the water's edge. The boy was bathing.

"Hello," Kachiri called from the edge of the forest.

The small vampire turned and hissed at us, but the boy turned more slowly.

"Huilen," he said in a mature, easy voice. "It's ok. These are the ones who have been following us. They don't mean us harm."

He looked at us with curiosity and I could tell immediately that Jasper's plan was a success. He was easy and sure of us. The little vampire, however, was still wary and crouched to strike at us.

"What do you want?" she asked in a strangely accented voice.

"Just to talk," Jasper said with his hands held in front of him, palms up. "Your friend is correct. We mean you no harm."

"Nephew," the boy in the water said. "I am her nephew."

"We need your help," I called out desperately. I couldn't stand it anymore. All of this maneuvering. Either they were going to help us or they weren't. I needed to know! "Our family is in danger and your story may help to save us. Please! Will you speak to us?"

"Of course," the boy said. "Huilen, please. They will not hurt me. They are more frightened than we are."

"Thank you," I said more softly. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome," he said, stepping out of the water. "This is Huilen, my aunt, and I am Nahuel. What is it you need to know?"

"My brother and his wife have a child," I began. I told them about Bella and Edward's love and how they had been married and visited Isle Esme. I told them how Bella had come back with a child in her belly. Huilen hissed at that and I wondered why. I told them how Edward and saved the child and his wife; I noted how Nahuel's eyes widened in shock and surprise at that. I told them of the Volturi and how they were coming to destroy our family because they thought that Nessie was a monster.

"You see, the only way to save our family is to prove to them that Nessie will grow up to be safe. Unless they know, they'll kill her and the rest of us. Please, can you tell me your story?" I finished.

It was Huilen that spoke.

"Your brother is a vampire," she said; it wasn't a question. The word was filled with hate.

"Yes," I said, confused because she was obviously and immortal herself. "As am I."

"And he saved his human wife and made her what you are?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," I said. "Of course. He loves her."

"But--I don't understand," Nahuel said. "Aren't they all--"

How I wished for Edward right now, so I could understand what they were going on about. I felt so handcuffed. So angry. I inhaled and tried to calm myself.

"Please," I said. "Tell me what is upsetting you so that I can help you to understand."

"It is just a lot to take in," Nahuel said finally, looking at me with new eyes. "You see, when I was born, I killed my mother. My father," he spat the word, "left her while she was pregnant and Huilen was left to care for her while she carried me. I grew too quickly, broke her bones and when I emerged it was too much. She died during the delivery. I bit Huilen when she tried to cradle me and it was my venom that turned her into what she is now. For my whole life, I thought that my father was the only vampire cruel enough to do something like this to a human. Because I never suspected that a woman could survive such a birth. I never factored in love."

"Do you know your father then?" Jasper asked.

"He visited me a few years after my birth and expected me to join him. I declined, having all the family I needed in Huilen. He is a cruel man intent on creating a super race. I have not had contact with him since, but I know of the sisters that he has created."

"There are more of you?" I asked incredulous.

"Yes. I have several sisters that live with my father. They disdain human life as he has taught them to do. I apologize for my incredulous response to your brother's story. It's just that the only vampire that I have known besides Huilen only used humans for food or as a vessel to carry his offspring."

"I understand your reaction," I said, stunned. "But I assure you, my brother is nothing like that."

"I would like to meet him," Nahuel said. "And your . . . niece."

"There will be much danger," Jasper warned them.

Huilen looked swiftly at Nahuel and he put his hands on her shoulders.

"If there is something that we can do to help, we will do it. Surely these Volturi that you speak of cannot believe that I am a monster," he said.

"Your witness may be enough," I said. I couldn't see any more of the battle, now that the wolves, Nessie, and Nahuel were tied up in it. But, for the first time in three weeks, I saw Jasper after the battle.