I do not own anything in the Twilight Universe. I only wish I did. Don't we all?

Coffee Shop

Claire reached up with her hand to get Micah's attention. "It's going to be ok. Faith will make it right." She could sense his rising panic. The threads of the web were closing in. As much as he wanted to think of himself as the bad guy, she knew that there was good in him. But there was so much loneliness. It made her want to cry at the pain she felt there. He turned his face into her hand, placing a kiss upon her palm. She had no idea, that faith was something he did not have.

Micah sighed. When had his world turned upside down? He had been basically, existing, walking through time, hiding, watching, not living. He had separated himself from everyone and everything. Why had he awakened? What was the purpose? He looked down at the fragile girl in his arms. With the slightest pressure he could crush her, pop her little bones. Yet, just the tilt of her head, the glimpse of her pout could tear out his unbeating heart. Her cry of pain could send him to his knees.

He was also speechless, that she was so comfortable with him as well. Currently, she was leaning into him, as he carried her, slowly rubbing her shaved head against his chest, in the gentlest of caresses. He had not had so much contact with a breathing human being, in centuries. He should be overwhelmed with the sweet fragrance of her blood, that sang through her little veins, but he wasn't. And he had not fed for several days.

He had been watching her visions, seeing the possible futures. It kept changing, each time a player in the game made a different decision. Micah cringed each time his angel met with a hideous demise. Each time he tried to change his plans, something would go wrong. He just could not see a way to keep her from them. Time was running out. There were less than half a dozen hours of daylight.

His thoughts kept turning back to the decision, that he did not want to make. There was no way on this earth, that he was going to let Aro touch Claire. But the thought of just dropping her off, hiding her somewhere, hoping that she would be safer, than with him, did not make him feel any better. He knew with certainty that if she stayed with him, Aro would intercept them.

She touched his cheek again, " I'm hungry." He looked down at her, at first not comprehending. Then the words started to make sense. He searched the street he was on and spotted a diner down the walk, across the street.

" And what are you hungry for. It's been a long time since I thought about food in that way." She looked up into his eyes, that at one time scared her, but now she only saw his uncertainty. The corners of his mouth tipped into a hint of a smile, as he asked, " Do they still eat soup? That was my favorite at one time." Claire weakly smiled back.

" Yes, alphabet soup is my favorite." Micah's smile widened further as he tried to imagine what kind of soup that could possibly be made out of. It did not sound very appetizing.

"Well. Let us see if this establishment can produce some of this educational soup, shall we?" Claire laughed for the first time since he healed her and shook her head at him as if he made a joke.

" You sure talk funny," She said as she laid her head on his chest and took a deep breath. Micah's breath hitched and he placed a light kiss upon the top of her head

Micah made sure that his trail was masked and made his way in, making the bell ring on the door. The waitress looked up from the table she was waiting on. The young man at the booth was eating two meals. When he looked up, he acted like he was going to stand up. Then Micah placed a suggestion that he did not see anyone at the door and then made his way to a booth across the room. He gently placed Claire on the cloth bench and slipped in beside her. She picked up a laminated menu and handed it to him. He looked at the squiggly lines and pictures, lost as to what he was looking at. But the picture of a big bowl of soup caught his eye. Maybe this is what she wanted.

The waitress walked up to their table and looked down on Claire with pity in her eyes. Micah bristled at the waitress, not liking the attention she was giving her. However, Claire was busy looking at the menu she had. "What can I get you folks today? Micah pointed to the picture on the menu, "Can we have a bowl of this?" The waitress leaned down to inspect the menu.

"What kind of soup would you like? We have split pea," Micah and Claire both made a face at that. Obviously, things have not changed that much, if that odious soup was still in existence. The waitress continued after the short interruption, "We also have clam chowder, and vegetable beef." Micah looked at Claire afraid that she would be disappointed, and that would break his heart, but she looked back at the waitress and asked, "Does that have the letters in it?"

"Yes, I think that it does." Claire bounced in her seat and cheered YES. Micah smiled at the enthusiastic girl. Then he turned to the waitress and told her that would do. The waitress asked if that would be all, and he thought back, to what he used to like. He then ordered a large glass of milk for Claire. She needed her milk. The waitress left to place the order.

"Sam, I don't think that we need to move at this time. Claire said the coffee shop. I trust her. I don't want to miss her." Quil's voice was turning frantic. He was afraid that Sam would play the alpha card again. And he was getting pretty damn tired of tasting dirt. At the moment the wolves were deep in the alley behind the coffee shop. They were in contact with the rest of the pack in the clearing outside of the city. It looked like a fight was about to start on two fields. But it didn't make sense to Quil. Why would the Volturi fight in the city, during daylight? Didn't they make such a big deal about hiding their existence?

"Quil, I understand your misgivings, but we can't chance a battle in the city. Too many innocent lives would be at stake." Quil stepped up to Sam, " But what about Claire's innocent life. I don't give a damn about anyone else."

Sam's tone in the other wolf's head became steel, " That's your problem, Quil, you don't care about anyone else. You are not thinking clearly, and that is why you are a liability now. I can't depend on you in battle." Embry's muzzle rubbed against his friend, trying to give him comfort. The other wolves thoughts swirled around the trouble young man, his pain, their pain. Everyone was torn up about the decision, but no one would challenge Sam at this time. They were going to move to the outside of the city, to meet up with the Cullens, to provide a universal front, to avoid a bloodbath, in the heart of the city.

Leah leaned into Quil, her whine, high pitched and heartfelt. But Quil was lost in his torment. They were so close, he could not leave now. In his heart, he knew, that if he left now, he would never see her again. Sam was signing her death warrant, and for what. Alice's faulty visions. Which were more wrong lately than right to him.

Quil turned to Jacob for support. "Jake, please reason with Sam. Tell him! If we leave now we will never get Claire back. If we don't get Claire back, you won't have your bargaining chip for Nessie." Quil knew he was playing dirty, but he would do anything to get Claire, and if that meant he had to play with his best friend's feelings, to get what he wanted, so be it.

Jacob howled with the pain, that Quil's statement produced. Sam commanded Quil to be silent, to stop the dissension he was causing. Quil paced back, choking on his own retort. It was times like these, Sam wished that Jacob had claimed his birthright. Second doubting every decision, was a position he could not afford, when so many lives hung in the balance. The responsibility was crushing his soul. How had the elders handled it for so many years. Only twenty five, but feeling decades older, Sam gave the dreaded order to head out.

He turned to Paul to go get Jared, from the diner. Quil howled his frustration, no longer able to phrase his protest into actual thoughts. He hated Sam with a heated passion, that made his hatred of vampires a pale comparison. When this was over, he was turning his back on the pack and everything that it stood for. And he was going to kill Sam.

Sam looked into Quil's crazed eyes, knowing that he had lost the Quileute for good. This may tear up the pack. And he feared that nothing would be able to fix it this time. He did not bother to try to console the other man, also knowing that it would fall on deaf ears. No longer able to stand to see the desperation in Quil's, no longer pleading eyes, he turned and bumped into Leah. The look of hate there, burned his soul. "Please, Leah you have to understand. The need to protect, must be our first concern. We cannot put anything or anyone before that."

"If it were Emily, that we were waiting for, would it be so easy to make that decision? Would you be such a pompous ass then?" Sam stared at her, not able to answer that honestly, without hurting her again. But then again, there was something different in her thoughts. Or maybe there was something lacking in her thoughts that caught him at a stand still. " It's a hell of a lot easier to make commands, when it doesn't affect your stone heart." She spat at him as Embry came between them, forcing her back with his head. She turned into Embry's body for support.

Paul came running into the alley, and phased back to talk to the pack. "They're here! Claire and the leech are in the coffee shop, eating. Jared is in a booth eating, not even paying attention. Come on guys! It was what we were waiting for." The pack just stood there in shock. "They're here? How did they get past us?" Sam asked Paul, not really expecting answers.

Who the hell cares? Quil thought as he fought the invisible bands that held him in place and held his tongue. He waited impatiently for Sam to give the order to proceed. When he did Quil was the first to phase back and dressed as he raced through the alley to his Claire. Sam commanded caution, and Quil slowed, even though it was killing him. As they approached the glass wall of the coffee shop, his heart fell into his stomach. She sat there with the leech, no sign of struggle, or fear on her face. She was blowing on a spoon full of soup, as she tilted her head at something the vampire said. Then his heart stopped at the sight of her laughing at what he said. The blood sucker smiled back, his glistening teeth glowed in the florescent lighting. He leaned in and that was all Quil could take. He yanked open the door, making the bell sound its warning.

Everyone turned to him, but he only had eyes for Claire. His eyes glassed over at the sight of her shaved head. All of her glorious curls gone. And there were dark smudges under her eyes. Her face was pale, but the radiant smile that shaped her face, that was his alone, lifted his heart. She breathed his name like a prayer. Instantly the vampire went into a defensive move, grasping Claire from the booth, cradling her to his body. The pack filled the diner front. Each vibrating with the need to phase.

The waitress and the cook moved to stop the fight that was about to happen. "Look we don't want any trouble. Just take this outside. I don't want anyone hurt." Bo the cook said as he palmed the baseball bat he had in his hand. Micah swayed back and forth, Claire reaching for Quil, pressed against his frozen chest. Not taking his eyes off of the group of Quileutes in front of him, he gave the suggestion that the cook and waitress go to the back room and take a little nap. Without any further protest, they made their way back. Jared looked to Sam as if waking up from a dream, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Just hand her over. It ends here." Quil moved forward, but stopped as Micah jerked her back. Claire pressed her hand to his face, forcing him to look at her. Quil heart jerked at her face being so close to his. Micah reluctantly lowered his eyes from the shifters, seeking her eyes.

"It's ok. Please." Micah's fear eased at her assurance, then her eyes glazed over as a vision took control of her mind. He placed his hand over her racing heart as he saw the guard advancing. They were just moments away. He could see only one way this was going to go down that he could accept. With great reluctance, he stepped forward and slowly raised his arms toward Quil, who moved forward to take her.

"Trust Faith." Claire told him as she was handed over. Micah would have cried, if he could, as he watched Quil clutch the girl to his chest. Micah's own felt cold and empty without her warmth. Quil breathed in her scent as tears slipped through his closed eyelids. She hugged him back without any restraint. Micah stepped forward involuntarily, not willing to let her go. But the vision kept forcing itself at the front of his mind. He could not let Aro get her. The pack took it as a threat and they advanced on the vampire, phasing in mid stride. Claire screamed for them to stop.

"We do not have time for this. The Volturi are on their way. If you don't want Claire in their ranks, you need to move on. I can stall them, but only if you leave now." Micah tried to reason, panic forcing his words to be less threatening than he wanted. When it looked like they would ignore what he was saying, he turned to Quil. "You have to do something. They are killing her. Do you understand me?" Micah moved in an evasive maneuver to avoid Paul's attack. He pushed Embry back, avoiding his lethal teeth, knocking him back into Leah. But that left him open to Sam's advance.

Claire screamed and made her move to jump out of Quil's arms. Just managing to keep her from falling he lowered her to the ground. She took advantage of the chaos and ran to Micah, into the middle of the fray. Quil moved and caught up with her, as she reached Micah's side. The wolves froze, afraid that they would hurt the little girl. She reached blindly for the vampire who was nursing a gaping hole in his arm from Sam's razor sharp teeth.

"They are almost here. Take her. I will hold them off as long as I can. GO!" Claire froze as another vision held her attention. The site of Micah at the mercy of the Volturi, made her cry out his name. Quil screamed at Sam to leave and he fled with Claire looking over his shoulder, reaching for the vampire, still on the floor as he looked back at her, memorizing her features, and he watched his salvation slip through his fingers for a second time in his life.

Stands will be made and sacrifices will be made before the battle will be done. And the war starts.