SM owns.

Thanks Mommakat!

EPOV

I tossed Bella a shirt to replace the one I'd just ripped off her. She hurriedly put it on and we raced down to the living where the rest of the family were. They'd all heard what I'd said about the wolves coming.

"How far away are they Edward," Carlisle asked.

"A little over two miles," I replied before turning to Bella who was looking up at me with scared eyes. I knew that after all she had experienced with wolves this situation was probably torturing her. I pulled her into me and her arms locked me in a bone crushing embrace.

"I don't want to lose you!" she exclaimed. "You have to be careful. I couldn't bear to see you hurt."

I knit my brows and pulled back a little to see her face. "You're worried about me?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course! Those things are ferocious! If Jasper hadn't taught me how to defend myself, I'm sure it would have killed me. Promise me you'll be careful," she replied fisting her hand in my hair.

"You know I will," I said kissing her lips briefly. "I just wish that you didn't have to go through this. I don't…," I began but she cut me off.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she told me. "We'll be okay, right? Then we'll go to Russia and everything will be perfect like it's supposed to be?"

I nodded my head. I would do everything in my power to make that happen. I'd waited over a century to find Bella and I was not about to be separated from her because of some fucking mutts. I hugged her one last time murmuring my devotion and love in her ear before turning toward the door. They would reach the house in less than a minute.

I concentrated on their thoughts and was amazed at how their minds seemed to all be connected allowing them to communicate with one another telepathically. It was a little disconcerting trying to listen to them all and distinguish between their conversations and private thoughts.

I could recognize the voice of the alpha easily enough. When he spoke all the other minds quieted to listen and obey. When they were a few yards away from the house, the alpha decided to phase back into his human form in order to speak to us, but mainly just John. I could tell that Sam was pissed but his anger was derived from his hurt, betrayal, and abandonment. Sam had never known his father and John no matter far away he lived, had always been there for him. John's becoming a vampire put an end to any and all ties or bond they had.

The minds of the rest of the pack were worried that Sam phasing back was not safe at all but none spoke up to actually object. They knew that his word was law and that there was really no use in changing his mind on something he was so determined to do. Being that they shared a mind, they knew exactly why he wanted to phase and respected that as well.

"He's upset with you, very upset. He's furious but only because he's hurt and feels as though you have betrayed and abandoned him," I whispered to John.

He nodded and from his thoughts I could tell that he was not surprised and felt terribly guilty. Jasper sent him and everyone else a wave of calm before Carlisle opened the front door and stepped out on the porch with the rest of us following behind.

I almost chuckled at the shocked minds of my family as they took in the sight of the enormous wolves on the other side of our lawn. They were all growling and ready to pounce instantly should Sam give the word. They were just salivating for a fight. Sam stepped forward wearing nothing but cut off shorts and was glaring at his uncle with a fury that was threatening to melt his face. His fists clenched and unclenched as his body shook on the verge of phasing. His eyes were focused on John and it seemed as if he didn't even realize there were other people around him.

"Why?" Sam growled through gritted teeth.

John stepped forward but kept an extremely wide berth between he and Sam.

"She's my mate, Sam. She's to me what Emily is to you. I knew from the very first time I saw her that I couldn't live without her. I made this decision to make our relationship easier," John answered but Sam was already shaking his head before John had finished speaking.

"That is not an excuse! You think things are easy for Emily and I? They aren't but we deal with them because our love is enough to carry us through any challenge!"

"You say that because there is no way to make it easier! There was a way for Tanya and I so we took it! You cannot blame me for that."

Sam's eyes slowly traveled to Tanya, who met his glare with her head held high and unperturbed. From her thoughts I found out that she sympathized with Sam but was not afraid of him. She was sorry that Sam felt as though he'd lost his uncle but was not sorry that she had made a move that allowed her to spend forever with her mate.

"I don't blame you, John. I blame her. She broke the treaty and now we have no other choice but to take action against her," Sam said.

John took another step forward causing the line of wolves behind Sam to growl louder in warning. John paid them no attention.

"You do have a choice. Don't do this, Sam. I didn't tell her about the treaty and I told her to change me. She's my whole world. For the first time in my life, I'm truly and unbelievably happy. She's what I've been looking for all this time. Please don't try and take her away from me. I will fight to protect her against anyone who dares harm her," John warned his voice taking on a steely edge.

Sam knew his uncle well because there was no bluff in John's thoughts and Sam knew by the look in John's eyes that he would indeed fight anyone including himself to protect Tanya. Sam let this fact sink in and with a heavy heart accepted it. His resolve wavered. He didn't want to fight John so he stalled by turning his eyes to Carlisle.

"It is not up to my uncle to inform vampires of the treaty. Assuming that they are your guests it was up to you to insure the safety of the humans here," Sam said.

"You are right and I apologize. Since our guests follow our diet and we were not aware that the pack had regenerated, it sort of slipped our minds, if you will," Carlisle replied.

"Your forgetfulness doesn't grant you amnesty. Especially since that one launched an unprovoked attack against my pack," Sam said nodding toward Bella. I instinctively moved to stand in front of her but Bella wasn't to be shielded. She moved around me crossing her arms over her chest, her defiant countenance almost identical to Tanya's.

"I was protecting my sister. I only growled to warn him away, but we attacked at the same time," she told him.

"He was defending our tribe," Sam retorted.

"Your tribe didn't want to be defended," Bella countered causing his form to shake violently. Sam seemed to vibrate and blur around the edges. I pulled Bella back so that she was closer to me. I waited, reading Sam's thoughts as he tried to bring himself back under control but it was a struggle seeing that he was also angry at himself for losing it in the first place.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Sam finally ground out through gritted teeth. "You've never been loyal to your tribe. You turned your back on us long ago, running away as soon as you got the chance. It's only fitting that you would in the end do the one thing that would truly separate yourself from us," Sam said. "The only reason I even stopped to talk was because you're my uncle but I see now that, that was a mistake. You broke the law that I've been forced into something unnatural and beastly to uphold. You had a choice in the path you chose but I didn't. It's clear that you don't give a shit about me or the tribe. I'm not going to give a shit about you either. You'll kill me to protect her, well I'll kill you to protect my people!"

"Don't be so fucking dramatic, Sam!" John growled. "You're letting your anger talk. Of course I care about you. That's why you stopped to talk first! Not just because we're family, but because I love you. I understand that you can't understand why I've chosen this life. I'm sorry that you were forced into being a shifter but I know for a fact that your grateful for it binding you to Emily in a way that makes you feel nothing but bliss when she's around. So don't give that woe is me bullshit because I know better! I also know that if our situations were reversed you would annihilate me even if I made a mistake and bumped into your imprint so don't try to make me out to be the devil because I would do the same for my mate!

"Maybe I did leave La Push but that doesn't mean I don't love my tribe, I just can't be confined to a reservation, especially one that just didn't feel like home. Nowhere felt like home to me, until I found my Tanya. She brings me peace and it just feels so damn good.

I'm begging you not to start this war, Sam. It's senseless. No one was harmed and no one has to be. Fighting will cause so much pain and suffering on both sides and for no reason at all. You say you want to protect our people but fighting won't do that. If you choose to fight, people will die and that will be your fault because you can decide to just walk away and spare everyone. You didn't have a choice in your life, but you have a choice in this. So what will you choose?"

I was proud of John. I didn't know him at all but I was sure that we would get along just fine in the future. He was strong and unashamedly devoted to Tanya. I was happy for my cousin as well. He would take great care of her and keep her happy, of that I had no doubt.

A tense silence ensued as all eyes focused on Sam and waited for his decision. John's words had succeeded in making him seriously reconsider his next move. He knew for certain that at least three of his pack would die should he decide to fight. Seth, Colin, and Brady were very new to the pack, all phasing for the first time in the last week. They still had very little control and as humans were still very young boys, children in fact.

He also knew that there was a great chance he would lose a wolf named Leah as well. She'd been a wolf longer than the three boys but she was constantly so furious. Her blind rage would hinder her in a fight against us because he knew we would all fight fiercely. He'd seen the battle with Bella in the mind of the wolf who'd attacked her named Paul and knew that Paul was very lucky that he'd escaped with his life. Plus after himself and another wolf named Jake, Paul was the best fighter.

There was no way to see sense in leading his pack into possible death when he knew that he didn't have to. The only thing that stopped him from leaving was his pride and his loyalty to his people and the treaty. He was trying very hard to do what was right and not what just seemed easy. His search for the answer was coming up fruitless and he eventually growled in frustration before deciding to turn the tables on his uncle.

"In 24 hours," he said as his eyes focused once again on John. "I'm going to come back here. If you all remain in Washington, we will attack with intent to destroy all of you. If you are gone, this will be pardoned, but you must never return. The choice is now yours."

And before anyone could respond, Sam had phased and ran off with his pack.