Disclaimer: I do not own any of the SM's character, SM does : ( All new plots, characters and their powers are from my mind vault though.
A/N: A shorter chapter this time my dears. Sorry.
Chapter 37: Bella's POV
It was close. The anticipation and dread in the air was palpable as we tried to go about our daily routine as if we weren't expecting an imminent attack. The last two weeks had been a blur of activity, from training in fighting techniques to trying to gain better control over our powers; there was never a day when we weren't all occupied by thoughts of the fast approaching battle. On top of it all, we had spent the last few days trying to act normal, as if it was easy to ignore the anxiety that clung to us with every movement, but we had to be sure that on the off chance Vasilios was watching, he wouldn't know that we knew. We knew that he was coming for us…and we were ready.
We were well aware that it would look suspicious if someone were to notice just how many vampires were in the house. Not only were all the Cullens here but we also had the Denalis, the rest of the committee and the pack with us, waiting for the moment when we knew that hell would reign down on us all. To combat this problem we were kept in the house for the last few days, only going out in small groups to hunt or get food while we all pretended that everything was fine. I knew to anyone spying on us from a distance it would seem as if there were only a few people living here; however the entire house was filled to the brim with people discussing tactics whilst attempting to stave off the fear that was threatening to consume us all.
What made it so much worse was that I couldn't do what I really wanted to do, and what I really wanted to do was lock Nessie away in a room and keep Elena away from her. It was hard knowing that at some point Elena would come and get her and that we would be unable to stop her from taking my daughter away. Alice had told us that no matter what decisions we make to prevent it, her vision remains the same. There was no way of stopping the kidnapping, I could only be thankful that we apparently manage to get to her in time to stop any permanent harm; the gift of Maddy's teleportation would allow us to save her as soon as we discover that she is gone, while deeming her attempts at distraction and dividing our forces futile.
I had argued with Edward, for the first time in a while, about whether we should tell her what would be happening. The children knew that something big was approaching, especially since Esme had turned their play room into a sort of vault, adding metal doors and steel shutters over the windows that even a vampire would have a hard time getting through; all in the hope that once they were all up there they would be safe from harm.
I didn't want Nessie to suffer through the trauma of being taken away by Elena. I wanted my daughter to be prepared, to be brave in the face of death once more and to know exactly what was coming. Edward disagreed, he believed that our daughter had no need to know that sometime soon she would be taken away from us and used as bait to make the family vulnerable. I knew better though, I knew that there was nothing more terrifying than the unknown. Even though it was frightening, I wanted Nessie to know that when she was taken by Elena that we would be there to save her.
I wanted to warn her so that when it happened she wouldn't need to be afraid, I shuddered to think of how she would feel if Elena took her by surprise, it would probably cause her so much distress that I much preferred she be taken with the knowledge that we had seen it happening and we would be able to save her from them.
In the end…I won. Much to Edward's annoyance I had decided to sit Nessie down and tell her the truth, deciding that readiness and bravery were more important than her innocence. She had spent the entire lead up to the Volturi not knowing whether or not she would live or die and I could see in her eyes that the uncertainty was as painful as the idea of losing her loved ones. I couldn't bear to see that sadness in her eyes again, I knew that even though she was still a child, a large part of her had matured in her early life and that same part would understand the need to be brave when Elena came for her. She couldn't be brave if she didn't know what was approaching, we had to tell her.
'Momma, what's happening? Why is everyone so worried?' she whispered one day after having found me pacing around mine and Edward's bedroom as I was going over fighting tactics in my head. I turned to her and saw the fear, causing her usually angelic face to look pained as she gazed up at me, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She obviously remembered the atmosphere from when we were preparing for the Volturi and had figured out that we were in a similarly life threatening situation again.
'It's okay sweetie…it's just that the horrible man we told you about, Vasilios, we found out that he's going to be coming here soon' I murmured into her hair, feeling her body stiffen in response as she froze in fear.
'He's…he's gonna hurt us isn't he? He's going to try and kill us like those other people did' she gulped and I nodded my head sadly, choosing to get it over with and tell her the truth.
'He's going to try Nessie; I'm not going to lie to you. But we're going to fight against him and we're prepared. He doesn't know that we're ready so we have a huge advantage' I explained and she gave me a watery smile as the tears ran down her cheeks.
'I know momma, you and daddy are strong and I know that there's no way they can hurt us if we're together' she whispered, placing her palm on my cheek and showing me the gathering of vampires from the battle with the Volturi. I must admit that we looked pretty intimidating through her eyes and I could sense the certainty she felt through the image, she was showing me that she was confident in our strength.
'Thank you honey. I believe we will beat them as well. But there is something you need to know, we weren't going to tell you this but I think you should know' I sighed, getting ready to tell her and hoping she would find the courage that I needed her to have. She looked up at me expectantly; worry once again lining her eyes as she furrowed her brow in confusion. I took a deep breath and wiped the remainder of the tears from her cheeks, pulling her tighter against my chest.
'Your Auntie Alice had a vision about the fight, she told us that at some point, a woman is going to take you away' I spoke softly, wincing when she began to cry again at my revelation. 'Shhh sweetie, I know it's upsetting. But trust me okay, I don't like it any more than you do but you need to be brave for me' I whispered into her hair as she sobbed quietly. 'Alice also told us that we save you and you're not harmed. Little Maddy takes us to you straight away and we manage to bring you back with us' I explained, 'so you won't be hurt. I'm telling you all of this because I know you're a big girl now and you're brave. I know that you'll feel better knowing the truth so that you can be prepared. Do you understand?' I asked, tucking some of her bronze hair behind her ear as she buried her face against my neck.
'I understand momma. I have to be brave' she mumbled, looking up at me and blinking away her tears. 'Thank you' she whispered as she gave me a weak smile.
'What are you thanking me for?' I chuckled, raising my eyebrow as the fearful mood began to dissipate.
'For telling me the truth' she smiled slightly, wiping her nose, 'I'm still scared. But I feel…better now I know what to expect and I trust you and daddy to find me'.
'Oh honey, you know we'll always be there for you no matter what. Of course we were going to come after you' I sighed, pulling her back into a hug and kissing her temple.
After that conversation, Nessie had taken to always having a brave face around the house. I supposed she wanted to prove to Edward that as long as we would be facing the fearful act of fighting off a group of vampires that the least she could do would be to show enough courage to face Elena. She spent the next several days taking it upon herself to ease the fears of her young cousins who were also well aware of the struggles that we would soon be facing, but completely incapable of properly dealing with it.
I had sent Charlie and Sue away to New York for the week, they knew that something was coming but my dad was more than aware that he would stand no chance protecting Sue against something that would threaten a family of vampires, so he was only slightly reluctant to agree on the trip. If it wasn't for Sue's worries about Leah then I think he may have wanted to stay despite the danger, but Leah was still too weak to fight and Eric had managed to convince her to accompany Sue and Charlie on their trip.
'I can't stand just waiting around for something to happen' Emmett moaned, pacing back and forth in front of the sofa as Rose braided Elsie's hair.
'We have to at least try and act normal until they attack, they need to believe that we are none the wiser' Alice sighed from Jasper's lap where I could tell from his pained expression that he was trying to focus on keeping everyone calm, despite the fact that he himself was positively itching for battle.
'I just can't believe that my little girl is going to be gone soon' I whimpered from my position on the couch where I was curled up next to Edward.
'She been putting on a brave face but I can read the fear in her mind. No child her age should have to deal with that' Edward growled, almost crushing the television remote.
'I know honey, but I would much rather her be afraid but ready…than afraid and not knowing what's coming' I soothed, rubbing his back as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
'I can understand where you're coming from, but I hate to see my little girl afraid. She's upstairs right now trying to take her mind off it but it's all she can think about' he sighed, leaning into me.
'How do you think she'll be able to take her' Esme whispered, looking upstairs towards where we could hear Nessie delicately tinkling on the piano keys.
'That's what's confusing, I mean…she's with us all the time. Elena will probably have to choose the perfect time, when she's alone and the wind is moving in a certain direction so we don't smell her. She'll be blocking me from reading her mind…I just don't know how she'll get to her, it's not like we let her go far alone' he groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration.
'You don't think she'd run off by herself do you?' Esme gasped and I shook my head.
'She knows the situation, she wouldn't do something like that. Elena will probably wait until everyone else is separated from her and will probably rely on a head start and erasing her tracks to lose us' I whispered.
'You mean…separated like we are now…' Emmett gulped and I suddenly stiffened in Edward's arms.
Edward was about to say something to comfort me when his nostrils suddenly flared, accompanied by a hiss that was joined by a few of the others. I looked at him with confusion until it hit me too, a faint trace of decay tinted with sour cherries drifted down from the music room and I shot to my feet, flying up the stairs followed by Edward and Jacob.
Right as we burst into the room the first thing I noticed was a mess of papers everywhere, some still floating to the ground as the wind blew in from the wide open window. I ran to the sill and growled as I failed to spot my daughter; I knew what was happening…this was it. This must have been Elena. Even though we had been prepared for it, I still felt a cold wave of panic wash over me as fear began to overwhelm me. I had to shake it off, I had to think…what was it we do, YES…Maddy.
I spun around and looked at Edward who nodded silently at me and followed me back downstairs, appearing by my side in the living room less than a second later. All of their faces twisted around to face us, looks ranging from angry and anticipatory to worried and fearful. Alice most of all wore a mask of anxiety that marred her usually joyful features as she looked between me and Edward and then to Maddy who was gazing up at her curiously. She sent me a silent question with a look and I nodded quickly, desperate to get to my daughter as soon as possible.
'Maddy honey, you remember what we talked about the other day' she whispered and Maddy gulped, nodding hesitantly before a look of determination scrunched up her tiny face. She bit her lip and ran over to us, standing in between me and Edward and taking each of our hands in her own shaky grasp. Carlisle ran his hands over his face before shooting us a worried look, rushing over to stand in front of Edward and placing a hand on his shoulder.
'Good luck son' he whispered before a golden haze enveloped us and the room around me disappeared in a swarm of light.
A/N: Again, I know it was a short chapter but I feel that for the pace of the action it needed to be. R&R please :D