Chapter 36

The Cullen family sat around their table in a tense conversation. Emmett stood behind Rosalie with his arms folded across his chest. The joy that the two of them had just experienced from their son's wedding at all but diminished.

"You didn't get a scent?" Jasper asked them, looking toward Edward and Carlisle.

They both shook their heads before Carlisle spoke, "There was nothing. Sam said he may have sensed it before, but he wasn't sure. It wasn't someone who stood out."

"Aro wasn't behind this," Alice said confidently, "I'm always looking at his actions. He's still planning a trip to see you Carlisle, but as far as I can tell he doesn't know anything about it."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Could it be more rogues?" Edward asked, "Someone who has a grudge against werewolves?"

"It's possible," Carlisle said.

"There's been too many things happening to us," Rosalie told them, "It's hard to believe this is an isolated incident."

"There's no real reason to think we'd be targeted along with them, yet," Emmett said, "Is there?" His eyes focused on Carlisle, who sat thinking about his question.

Bella looked down at her phone as it buzzed. Edward's eyes looked down to read the text message from Renesme that let them know that she and Jacob returned to their home. She quickly wrote back and refocused on the conversation at hand.

"We should all take points on the reservation's border," Jasper said, "We should guard it. Wait it out until the remaining assailant returns."

"I'd be all for that," Carlisle said, "We would just have to talk to the tribe. It is their territory, their land. They'll want to be the ones to defend it, I'm sure. It's very possible that some of them won't want our help due to what it was that killed Jared and Embry."

Bella's eyes met Carlisle's for a second at the mention of their names before they both looked away. Saying their names aloud in the sentence made it all the more real. She had spent a number of days hanging out with the wolves and at a time was very close with them all. The thought that they were gone was almost mind boggling. Neither the vampires, nor werewolves, seemed all that superhuman in that moment. Like humans, any one of them could be taken at any minute.

"I don't know if Charlie and Sue were headed home tonight or not," Esme said, catching Bella's attention again, "But the two of you will look after them?" She shifted her eyes from Bella to Edward.

"Of course," Edward said, placing his hand on Bella's knee. She put her hand over his and nodded to Esme.

Caleb began to fuss a little and she excused herself for a moment to go feed him.

They all looked around at each other, and almost fittingly, the lights overhanging the large table flickered several times before going out, leaving them in darkness. The window behind where Carlisle sat shook from the winter winds, causing the pane of glass to making a light clanking noise.

Alice called Nicole with her and the two of them left the room quietly before returning with their hands full of candles. Alice pointed out where to place them around the room before the two of them lit them with their own book of matches.

"Thank you, Alice," Carlisle told her, then looked to Nicole who gave him a smile. He added a second "thank you" to her before continuing. "The truth is, we don't really know who the person is, or what they want. Some of the questions we'll need to find answers to are: Will they return? Are we on their agenda? Are there more people involved? What is the motive; the reason?"

Jasper nodded as his eyes fixed on the candle immediately in front of him, "I still say we protect the border." Alice rubbed his forearm and nodded in agreement.

Carlisle liked the idea, though still wasn't sure how the Quileutes would feel about it, "We should check in with Jacob, Seth and Leah. They'd be all for it. We just have to make sure Sam and the rest of the are on board."

"They should be by now," Rosalie said, "They'd be foolish to deny the added protection."

"And, I mean, they've stuck their necks out for us," Emmett added, "It's only right to return the favor when it's their family who have been attacked."

"I hope they see it that way," Carlisle said, "Because it would be the best way to assure everyone's safety. We have the numbers on our side when we're all together."

Esme returned to the room, still feeding Caleb and took her place again at the table next to Carlisle. He looked over at her for a moment and put a hand on the back of the chair where she sat.

"We need to talk to Jacob, Seth and Leah soon," he told them, "So we can get the permission to add to their guard. I want to give them the space they need tonight. It's going to be a very difficult time for the packs and their families."

"Have you seen any other attacks tonight or in the near future?" Esme asked, looking toward Nicole and Alice.

Alice looked over at her daughter, then Nicole shook her head, "No. Definitely not tonight."

"Then we'll wait until tomorrow some time before we approach them," Carlisle concluded.

Bella looked around the table at all of them, each looking elegantly beautiful in the dim lighting. At times, she still found herself admiring her family members. She looked across the way at Carlisle. "Should me and Edward still go down to my dad's tonight?"

He nodded, "It wouldn't hurt. They're all alone over there, and the most vulnerable of all of us."

She nodded back in agreement and looked at Edward. He gave her a soft smile and put his arm on her chair as Carlisle had to Esme's.

"Should we contact William and Madison?" Emmett asked, then looked down at Rosalie.

"They're not in danger," Alice assured them, "If I had a doubt in my mind, I would tell you."

The two of them looked at each other, and Rosalie tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully.

"You two can make the decision on that one," Carlisle told them, "As long as their not in danger, maybe we should wait until they return."

Another silence fell over the group and they all seemed somewhat statue-like as everyone was engulfed in their own respective thoughts. The only sound was that of Caleb, as he continued to feed on the bottle in Esme's hand.

"Why don't we go down to your father's," Edward said quietly to Bella, ultimately breaking the silence.

She nodded at him and gave a final look around the table.

"We'll stay in touch," Edward told them all, looking at Carlisle and Esme.

"Let us know when you get there," his mother said, "And if they ended up staying on the reservation, or not."

"Okay," he agreed. The two of them threw on some winter clothes, just for the sake of looking the part, should anyone see them, and made their way toward Charlie's.

Carlisle sighed and looked at Esme as Caleb's mouth detached from the bottle. He took his son from her and held him against his chest. "I guess this is where we stand for tonight," he told his family, "We'll talk to the packs tomorrow."

Jasper and Emmett nodded their heads. Alice and Rosalie exchanged a glance before Alice did the same. Rosalie's face looked stern as she stood up from the table. She and Emmett made their way to other parts of the house.

"Want to get the generator going?" Jasper asked Carlisle, "Get the lights back on?"

He nodded and Esme took Caleb back from him. "I'll meet you upstairs in a few minutes," he told her. She nodded and stood up, moving behind Alexandra. She ran a quick hand through her daughter's hair and let her hand stay on her shoulder.

Alexandra and Michael had been quiet, not saying much throughout their family discussion.

"Are the two of you okay?" Esme asked, glancing up as Carlisle and Jasper left the room. Alice and Nicole closed in to be next to them.

"Fine," Alexandra said, "I wish I knew Embry and Jared more. I know Masen was friends with them."

Nicole sighed and looked at Alice, then leaned up against her. Alice draped an arm over her and gave a shrug to Esme.

"Why don't we do something to keep our minds occupied for now," Esme suggested, "Maybe a board game or something."

"If Dad gets the generator going, can we watch a movie?" Nicole asked.

Alice nodded, "What do you want to watch?"

She shrugged, "Can we all go pick one out?" Her eyes went to Alexandra, who stood up and took her hand.

"Let's go girl," she said. The two of them walked ahead of the group through the dark house and into the living room. Alice and Michael each took a candle so they could read the labels on the movies.

"There's a flashlight in one of the kitchen drawers," Esme told them.

Alice gave a tiny smile, "It's more fun with the candle. Makes me think of the olden days."

Esme smiled back, finding something comforting in Alice's words and the glow of the candle on the nearby wall. She thought back to the 'olden days', as Alice had called it. They had a long run where their family never experienced violence, or death, or threats. For many of her decades in existence, she'd never met Aro or the Volturi members, and had preferred it that way upon Carlisle's detailed description of them. Now, it seemed as though they were in their company almost annually. She hoped that somehow their family would be able to one day, again, go back to that simple, peaceful way of living.