Chapter 25 – Spring Forward

Waiting idly was less than appealing to me. In hindsight, I should have known that they would be sleeping – they were only human. Waking them up would be a simple matter, and I planned to do just that, but I needed Emmett with me when I confronted Rosalie. While they were both involved, it was Rosalie I needed to talk sense into. The only thing I could do was to hope that I wasn't too late.

I wasn't about to sequester the aid of my parents, because I fully understood that their absence meant that they had already retreated to the cottage. They were having private moments I wasn't about to interrupt.

I passed Jacob a guilty glance for taking away from our own post-wedding ventures, but he didn't seem bothered by the delay. He made his way to the couch and patted his knee. I groaned and move to sit on his lap, while Jasper and Alice stood staring out the large picture window. Something told me that staring out into the dark wouldn't hasten Emmett's arrival. Nor would it make morning come any faster.

Jacob's warmth enveloped me in a comforting blanket, and I felt my eyes beginning to droop.

What happened next was a blur at first. It was very difficult to pinpoint the precise moment my subconscious decided to take the reins, but it was obvious that I was no longer physically awake. My thoughts were sluggish, but they were somewhat coherent – enough to realize what was happening. I was dreaming.

It was strange seeing things in that capacity. The pictures reminded me of the layers in the rainforest. Several things were happening at once and separating them in my disjointed state was hard. I settled on the brightest of the colors, though I quickly regretted it.

I heard the sound before I saw them. There were ticks that sounded somewhat similar to high-heels clicking on linoleum, but it wasn't just one pair of shoes making the sound. As they grew closer, I looked around me. While I knew I wasn't alone, I was unable to see who was standing with me. A mystery alliance.

I strained to see through the fog in front of me, because I needed to see who it was that we were fighting against. The opposing force was hidden behind a thick, white cloud. I could see nothing until one cloaked figure moved into view.

Tayte.

Joining him on either side was Aro and Jane. They wore uniform smiles that terrified me. I could feel the beat of my heart increasing in time with the ticks, each pulse strengthening the volume. While I could not see behind the smoky screen, I knew what was behind it. It was an army.

Three more figures stepped forward. The first I recognized as Cathain, and she looked at me with a smug expression. The next was Dayanara, who appeared equally arrogant. The final female was one I had never seen before. Her confident pose further intimidated me.

I looked around again, still unable to see those standing with me. I could feel their presence, and I knew that I should not be frightened, but I couldn't shake my dread that this wasn't a social call.

While I knew it shouldn't matter to me, I couldn't help being disappointed in seeing Tayte with them. His agenda had been nothing short of self-sighted, but I had started to see beyond the faux bravado he wore – or at least I thought I had. I even trusted him - as much as you could trust an egotistical, self-servicing vampire.

I knew it was coming. There was no avoiding the confrontation that would cost us lives, but I hadn't had time to prepare and was nowhere near ready for it. There were too many flexing variables, and I wanted to run. It was then that I felt the warm, damp nose of my wolf. Of course he was there. He gripped the bottom of my shirt and tugged, but I couldn't move.

We hadn't exactly planned an escape route, but we did have the necessary travel documents to flee. If I jumped on Jacob's back and ran, we would spend the rest of our lives running. What if the others weren't able to get away?

Amidst the fear were other emotions: confusion, anger, relief, and the most notable which was courage.

"Why?" I whispered.

Aro opened his mouth to answer me, but instead of words came the wretched black film I had seen when I had changed him. It poured from him.

The mist shifted, covering them.

Rosalie appeared with a broken Emmett trailing behind her. Her stomach was round with child, and she held a small smile on her lips. She fell to her knees, and I still could not move from my spot.

Beside me, Jacob was no longer pulling me away. He was pushing me forward, trying again to dislodge me from my current location – toward them. I wanted to go to her, to save her, but was unable to break free from the cement blocks that regret had placed on my feet.

"Why?" I repeated, louder than before.

She opened her mouth to answer me, but instead of words came blood. So much blood. It was pouring from her mouth as forcefully as the rainforest waterfall, and I suddenly felt helpless. I couldn't help her. I was going to lose her.

When I finally dislodged my feet it was too late. I ran to her, but she disappeared as quickly as Tayte and the others. I was left searching through the fog that had enveloped me.

Jacob was gone. Rosalie was gone. Even Tayte was gone. They were all gone. I was alone. Empty. Spent. I had nothing left to give any of them.

That's when he appeared, the mist parting like a curtain for him to pass through. The youngest wolf had no fear on his face. While he was small, he was brave. He would not leave me, even though I was the one who had planned to take away his wolf form – albeit temporarily. He extended his hand as an offering of peace, and I reached mine out hesitantly.

"Don't worry," Takoda assured me. "You can change me back."

Then I started vibrating, and the cloud dispersed around me. I tried to stop the tremors, but the more I resisted, the harder my body was being shaken until the cloud disappeared completely.

The first few moments after being woken up, I still wasn't seeing clearly. Alice and Jasper were hovering, and I realized that it had been Jacob's hands that were causing the movement. They were still squeezing my arms – too tightly. I lifted my hand, a silent plea for them to give me time to regain my bearings.

I'd had my first dream, and it wasn't at all what I had expected a dream would be like. It was complicated and confusing, and as far as I was concerned, I hoped I never had another one.

Trying to piece together the information and get something useful out of it was difficult in my disoriented state. I could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, each second bringing me closer to coherency. After about five minutes of awkward silence, I finally realized the significance of everything my subconscious was telling me.

I could save all of us, but it wouldn't come without sacrifice. I shook my head, frustrated over the fact that it had taken me so long to figure out what exactly Aro wanted. The change hadn't stifled his intelligence. And I would give it to him. Did I have any other choice?

"They're coming," I informed them.

"Who's coming?" Jacob asked, rubbing my back lightly when I started shaking again.

"Aro."

"He's nothing to worry about anymore," Jasper assured me.

"He's not the one I'm worried about," I countered. "It's who he's bringing with him."

They stared at me then, and I wasn't sure how to explain to them that if I wasn't able to do what Aro wanted, we would all die. I regretted not interrupting Mom and Dad. Dad could have explained it for me. At the same time, I was glad that they had their time together. It might very well be the last night they spent in each other's arms. A battle was coming, and this time we would probably lose.

#

Jacob was still holding me four hours later, like he was afraid that the next person coming through the door would be Aro. It wasn't; it was Emmett. I had long forgotten the urgency of speaking to him about his and Rosalie's poor judgment. It was the least of our concerns.

If I was right about my hypothesis, it wouldn't matter whether or not Rosalie was pregnant. We could save her – providing we found a way to save ourselves.

Turning Aro back into a vampire wouldn't be his last request. He wouldn't stop there. So not only did I have to worry about whether or not it would even work, but also what he planned to do to us once he regained full power.

I wasn't exactly surprised that Jane was at his side, but I was worried about who else he had managed to convince to follow him. As a human, his authoritative control was immediately revoked, but if he thought he could regain his previous status and managed to make them believe it could happen, they would have listened. He had always been able to persuade them. That ability remained regardless of his physical state.

I was disappointed by Tayte's position, but not entirely surprised. He was unpredictable, and I was sure that his presence probably had more to do with something he had been promised than allegiance.

The sisters were a suitable explanation for Alice's inability to see Aro. With them there, it would have been impossible for her to see what was going on. If they were still there, we had no way of knowing how soon we would be face to face with devastation.

The missing sister – Alexandria – didn't concern me. If the other two were blocking Alice, then it had to mean that Alexandria had broken away from them and was with Marcus. She would be warning him about what was coming. Nahuel was likely with her. At least Marcus wouldn't be unprepared.

Why had no one called? Chelsea had mentioned the phone-lines being a less than secure method for communication, but it only made sense that they would chance the breech to warn us.

When I started trembling again, Jacob wrapped his arms tighter around me, and it calmed me down enough that I could think straight again.

"We should get Edward," Jasper stated.

"Not yet," I muttered. "Give them a little more time."

That's all I wanted – a little more time. I wanted to enjoy my honeymoon with Jacob. I wanted to feel his soft lips against mine, feel his strong body connecting with me. I might never feel it again, and that thought brought on the shakes again.

"A little help here," Jacob groaned. "I'm going to break her in two if I have to hold her any tighter."

Jasper nodded, and I welcomed the warmth he sent rushing through my body.

Rosalie walked sluggishly into the living room. When she saw Emmett had returned, she instantly stood at attention.

"Are we having a slumber-party conversion?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Alice shrieked, and Rosalie flinched.

"Oh please," Rosalie returned, quickly putting her guard up. "It was only a matter of time."

"Will you never think of anyone but yourself?" Jasper scolded her.

"I was thinking about a lot of things besides myself, actually," she said, rolling her eyes. "With my beauty and his brawn, we will make a lovely football team together – complete with our own mini-cheerleader squad. You should be thanking me, because I plan to keep you busy placating babies for the next ten years or so."

"Are you planning to have a litter?" Jacob snapped.

"No," she replied coolly. "I will leave that to you and Nessie."

I took my fingers and pinched his lips together before he could say anything else. She had no idea about the danger she had placed herself in, and I didn't want to be the one to tell her – not with other important matters on my mind.

"Thank you Rosalie," Jasper said, growling low in his throat.

"You're quite welcome," she replied smugly.

"We should thank you," I whispered, and they all looked at me.

"If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't know they were coming to kill us."

We continued the re-enactment of my dream several more times until the sunlight poured in through the window.

"Well it won't be through the day," Alice explained. "It will be at twilight. They won't risk exposure. And I can't see anything past that."

"It would help if we knew who they were," Jasper suggested.

"I've told you about everyone I saw," I replied.

"I would appreciate an explanation as to why you are discussing Maria," Dad demanded, his lips forming into a thin line.

I hadn't heard them come in, but I was so happy to see them that I finally lifted from Jacob's lap. I ran to them, and they opened their arms to me. Mom gave Dad a quizzical glance that suggested he had about ten seconds to explain to her what was going on. I started again from the beginning and was happy to have him there to translate for me.

"They're bringing an army?" Alice exclaimed, in a shrill soprano voice. "Why?"

"That's a bit dramatic," I said glumly. "With Tayte on their side we have no chance."

"Bring it on," Emmett interjected. "We won't go down without a fight."

"It's a fight we can't win," Mom countered. "We have no time to gather help."

"We should think about evacuating those involved," Jasper stated. "Jacob, your pack should be warned as well."

"We can't leave the humans unprotected," Jacob argued.

"They aren't coming for the humans," Jasper urged. "They will leave them unharmed."

"So we run?" Jacob shot back. "We take the chance? Lives are at stake here. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't really put anything past that wannabe."

"He's right," Dad agreed. "Aro's first priority will be in getting changed back. If he has Demetri on his side, he could use him to follow us, but if he doesn't, it won't matter who he has to harm to find out where we are. He will find out. Lives will be lost."

"Without being able to predict their numbers," Jasper said. "We are flying blind."

"Maybe not blind," I countered, getting an idea.

"What are you thinking?" Jacob asked, resting his hand on the small of my back.

"Do you suppose we could pull Takoda from his first class?" I wondered.

"Only if we grab him before he makes it to the bus stop," Jacob replied, warily. "Why?"

"We need his eyes," I explained.

"And his wings," Jacob added, finally catching on. "Let's go."

We were moving out the door before another second ticked by on the annoying wall clock. I had never noticed it before, but in having finally paid it the proper attention, it was the only thing I could hear. Tick. Click. Just like the steps of the army coming to slaughter us.

I didn't have much hope that the added eyes would save us, but it would be nice to at least have some idea of how grossly outnumbered we were. Jacob phased as soon as we were outside, and I climbed onto his back. Part of me wanted to steer him away – to some place safe where we could be together, but that was the selfish part. I was long past making choices that only benefited me. I leaned into my russet wolf and tried to feel nothing as we sprung forward except the whipping wind against my skin. I would miss that.