"No!" Edward roared and his voice echoed through the silent house.

"There is no getting around it! It's the only way!" I was trying to keep my voice calm.

"No you will not and you never will! Not while I still have something to say about it!"

I opened the door of our room. "Then shut up because it's going to happen!"

I had never been this mad at Edward before. Walking out of the room, I made my way down the hall. The only thing I had on was one of my lingerie sets but I had put on Alice's robe that she gave me. It flowed around me as I stomped down the hall. Unfortunately, I only made it to the top of the stairs before Edward grabbed my wrist.

"You will not go!"

His grip on my wrist was crushing. It was hurting me even though I was a vampire. I tried to get out of it but it sent shooting pains up my arm.

"Edward, let me go!"

"No! You are not going anywhere anytime soon! Especially not to see those mutts!"

I sighed. We had gone up to our room to talk but Edward had a different agenda. It had been one of the best intimate times I had ever had with him. But after, we began talking and I told him about the conversation earlier.

He believed the same as the family about fighting by my side which didn't really surprise me. Although, Edward was thinking like Jacob and that we had a fighting chance. It wasn't till the end that I mentioned about the plan to go to the pack. He seemed to agree until I told him that Jacob and I were the ones going to talk to them.

"I have to go! You insist upon staying here so I have to do whatever I can to protect this family! So let me go Edward!"

"No!" He yelled. Our fighting had caught the attention of the family. At the bottom of the stairs was Emmett, watching us intently. Alice was holding onto Jasper, who looked like he was having a hard time with Edward's anger.

"No one else could go. Look at it rationally Edward. We are the only two that they will listen to and there has to be more than one just in case the pack decides to turn."

"I am thinking rationally! You aren't going and that's final!" His grip tightened on my wrist and I winced. Since he was angry, his strength was more than I could take. I turned around and tried to get my wrist out of his hand. Carlisle had joined the onlookers now.

"Promise me you won't go!"

"I can't." I squeaked as the tears ran down my face.

"Then I can't let you go! I am not letting you leave me again!" He growled and his grip constricted around my wrist even more. The tears now came down out of pain.

"Edward you're hurting me!" I screamed when he tried to pull me towards him.

But it was all the audience of my family needed. Emmett was the first up the stairs and ran full force into Edward. Edward was slammed against the wall, leaving a huge dent in it but he still wouldn't let go of my wrist. I yelped when the force pulled me with the two boys.

Jasper quickly followed and kicked Edward hard in the stomach. The energy of the kick made Edward loosen his grip and I slipped out. Stumbling back, Alice caught me before I fell down. Carlisle was helping Jasper and Emmett hold Edward.

I watched as Edward fought against his own brothers and father to get to me. Sobs started to wrack my body and I couldn't watch anymore. My gift came in handy at times like this and I used it. Running out the door, I cradled my wrist as I dodged trees. There was no destination to my run but I ran to get away. After a while it wasn't so much about getting away but the feeling I got when I ran. The silk robe flapped around me but I didn't care. The wind was my only comfort and it willingly embraced me.

I didn't know when my gift had stopped but I had lost concentration along the way. Now, I was in the middle of nowhere, overlooking a scenery I didn't know. My legs were curled up against my body 

and my arms held them close. The cliff I was on dropped down to the forest below and it was tall enough to be fatal to any human to jump off it. Surprisingly, I still had venom left in my body because I was still crying. Slowly, a tear would leak out of my eye and down my cheek.

The sun was setting in front of me and I knew it was around seven but right now I didn't care. My wrist still hurt and was sending shooting pains up my arm but I ignored them. I had ignored everything around me except the wind that enveloped my body. It was like a comforting blanket, helping fend away the pain and the stop the slow decent into the void.

After a while, I head the patter of feet behind me but I didn't care. I didn't care who it was or what it was. My eyes were focused on the sunset and my mind on the wind. The feet stopped about a yard away. Then a whine sounded but still, my mind didn't want to be brought into the reality just yet. A few minutes passed and the patter of feet only came closer until I could feel fur brush against my side.

My head turned to the right, revealing a large reddish-brown wolf lying next to me. It didn't look up but just stared out at the sunset with its head on its paws. The wind picked up again and I looked back out at the sunset. It was almost over, slipping behind the mountains. Leaving a ray of light still in the sky.

The wolf wined next to me again and this time when I looked over, it was looking at me. My mind blurred over as I just stared at its dark eyes. I could feel it move over and then heat radiated from him and the fur rubbed against my skin.

"Knock it off Jacob." My voice sounded foreign to me.

The wolf wined again and nudged my arm. I hissed when he moved my hurt wrist. Burying my head in my knees, I just waited till the pain subsided. Absent mindedly I moved my right arm on top of Jacob's warm fur. Then, I moved it across him and lay down against him. The tears started to flow and I cried into his fur. The moment passed and when I lifted my head up, I left a big wet spot.

"Sorry Jake."

He only shook his big wolfish head. I gave him a lifeless and hollow smile. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the next dark night. The stars shone bright but I was surprised by the time that had elapsed.

"I guess we should go back now." I stood up and blushed slightly at my clothes, or lack there of. But at the moment, I didn't care about them either. If Jacob was going to make up mind fantasies, he didn't need me to be dressed up like I was. So it didn't really matter.

Before taking off, Jacob looked up at me and seemingly asking me if I was ready. I nodded and followed after him when he took off. It was a long time before Jacob slowed and finally stopped into a trot. The road was close by and we burst out of the trees. The Rabbit was sitting on the side of the road with the drivers' door open. Peeking inside, I saw the shredded clothing everywhere. His cell phone was still open in the passengers' seat.

A bark brought me back from my examination of the car. Jacob was staring at the trunk of the car and so I walked around to him. I opened the trunk and saw a medley of clothes; shirts, socks, pants, shorts, underwear, and shoes. Picking out jeans, a button-up black shirt, a pair of underwear, white socks, and shoes, I handed them over to Jacob. He grabbed them in his mouth and bounded back towards the forest. Slamming the trunk, I made my way to the passengers' side of the car and sat down in the seat. Picking up Jacob's cell phone and fingering it until he came back.

He slipped into the drivers' seat and closed his door. For a while he just sat and stared off into the distance but he only turned on the ignition. Making a U-turn, he headed back down the empty highway. It had been around two hours and I looked at Jacob's phone for the time. Twelve-thirty.

"I guess I should take you home." His voice startled me but I just stared out the window.

"No. We have things to do tonight that don't involve me going home until after." My voice was distant but serious. I wasn't about to risk my whole family over a fight I had with Edward. It wasn't an option when their lives were at stake.

"But Bell's…"



I cut him off. "No, we need to do this or we can't say we tried. It's our only hope." The last sentence was in a whisper.

"Well, if we are going to La Plush, I think you need to change. Should we go back to Charlie to get something?"

I blushed. "No, that would be a bad idea. I will just steal something from your array of clothes in the trunk." I smiled at the window and I knew he saw the reflection because he chuckled.

It took another thirty minutes to get close to La Plush. Jacob pulled into Billy's driveway and shut off the engine. He smiled at me.

"We have to walk from here. It's not too far but enough for them to see us and calm down before we get there."

I nodded and got out of the Rabbit. Walking to the back, I lifted up the trunk and searched through the clothes. I found some jeans that looked like they would fit. Slipping them on, they were way too big but I picked up a safety pin that was in the trunk and pinned them so they fit.

"It's a good look for you, baggy jeans." Jacob was leaning against the Rabbit and smiling at me.

I rolled my eyes but I only looked back into the trunk for a shirt. Choosing a plain black cotton shirt, I undid my robe and slipped the shirt on. Jacob inhaled but I ignored the gesture, not in the mood retort. The shirt hung to the middle of my thighs and so I pulled it up to my hips, tightening it to fit.

I tried to tie the extra material but my wrist sent pains up my arm. My left hand held onto it and I closed by eyes, waiting for the pain to pass. The shirt pulled tight again and Jacob tied the knot in the back.

"Thanks." I smiled but he didn't smile back. He was staring at my lame wrist. "Its nothing, it just hurts a little."

"A little? Bell's you're a vampire and you can't even tie a knot. If he would have done that when you were human, it would have made your bones turn to dust!"

"Please Jake, not now. I really want to be as professional as I can be when meeting the tribe. I don't want my marriage problems getting in the way of that."

"Marriage problems? More like obsessive issues."

I glared at him and he threw his hands up in submission. We walked down to the beach and I looked ahead at the bon fire. My vision zoomed in and I watched the scene play out. Putting my hand on Jacob I stopped him.

"The pack just smelled us. They are getting ready to attack but the elders are trying to talk to them. It looks like they are arguing. A few of them aren't fighting though, they seem to approve."

I focused back on Jacob who was watching me.

"You can see that far?"

I shrugged. "It's a gift."

We waited a few moments before resuming out walk. When we made it to where I could see them normally, I focused on them to see if they had calmed down. They had. All of them were sitting down, although, a couple were tearing into whatever they could get their hands on.

"It's all clear. Let's go." I looked up at Jacob and we made the climb to the fire.

The whole camp was silent as Jacob and I walked into it. Everyone was there. Sam, Quil, Embry, Paul, Emily, Seth, Leah, Sue, Billy, Old Quil, Jared, Kim, Collin, Brandy, and one other that I didn't know. Most of the pack shifted slightly when we came into view.

Jacob leaned down to my ear. "The fire is reflecting off of you." I rolled my eyes.

My head straightened and my jaw locked as Jacob began to address the elders.

"We are here only as friends. Right now, I do not wish to separate us by species. It has come to our attention that a vampire or a group of vampires are headed to Forks in the next few days. Usually we would not need to ask you for help but there are too many variables. We do not know how many are coming to Forks and depending on the message, how many are coming after."



Sue Clearwater was the first to speak. "What do you mean?"

I stepped in, letting my voice become sweet and calm but serious. "He means that there is going to be a war. The leader of the Volturi sends anywhere from one to one hundred vampires to talk to the other side before the battle starts. Depending on the message, it will decide the fate of Forks."

"Why should we care?" Paul's voice dripped with hatred.

"Why? Because if one hundred vampires come here and are not killed, half the population of Forks will die because some of them were hungry. They, unlike us, feed off of human blood." I kept my voice calm but I was visibly annoyed.

Old Quil scratched his hand. "So, you want our help to get rid of vampires coming to mediate a war. Who is this war being wagged against? I know you said the Volturi, but who is the other side?"

I smiled. "Me. The whole Volturi have declared war on me."

Everyone seemed to shift. An uncomfortable silence swept through camp but was broken by Leah.

"Alright, so you leave. That solves that problem."

"I'm sorry Leah but it doesn't work that way. They will come here whether or not I am here. All of them, to make sure I am here. So no matter what I do, you would have vampires on your hands."

"Alright, so say we help you kill all your vampire 'mediators'. What happens after that?"

I chewed on Sue's words. In truth, I had no clue. My planning only went as afar as to get the message Aro would send.

"It depends on the message the vampires bring." I finally spat out, after finding nothing else to say.

Billy finally spoke up. "So, depending on the message, a war will be waged?"

"No, the war has already started. It just hasn't come to the fighting yet. What's depending on the message is the fate of Forks and probably all of Washington."

"So what's the best and worst case scenario?" Billy's question caught me off guard. I shifted slightly and Jacob looked at me. Looking up at him, I realized he had the same question.

I inhaled. "The best case scenario is they accept my offering and let my family go free. Leaving no vampires in Forks and they would go back to Volterra without needing to ever come."

Quil asked the next question. "What are you offering?"

I looked at Quil and smiled. "Myself. They want me; they can have me. As long as they don't hurt my family." Jacob let out a snort of air but I ignored it.

"What is the worst case scenario?" Billy asked, seemingly annoyed at Quil's interruption.

"The worst case would be that the whole army of Volturi comes here to Forks. Meaning that the battle would be fought here, laying waste to the land and the feeding of their soldiers would wipe out all of Washington's population."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"And we are talking about five to six hundred vampires right?" Sam's fear made his voice shake.

I laughed. It caught everyone off guard but I couldn't help it.

"Five to six hundred? If only! I wouldn't be asking for help if it was that few. My family and I could take care of them easily." I was still laughing.

Sue's eyebrow rose. "So then there must but like one thousand or two thousand for your family not to handle it."

I laughed even harder. Doubling over and wrapping my arms around my stomach. The gesture earned me some pain from my wrist but I was laughing too hard.

"Are you that ignorant?!"

My question was replied by more than a few growls. I whipped my eyes.

"No my dear woman, there would be a minimum of thirty or forty thousand."



Everyone's jaw dropped. Even Jacob gave me a look of utter astonishment. I shook my head and just let them situate their thoughts. My head turned to Jacob who was still staring at me.

I whispered, "I told you it was impossible. Everyone here barely took on twenty or thirty newborns. These are trained assassins with gifts beyond you wildest fantasies. You think I would plan to die at the hands of measly vampires? You insult me Jake." I smiled and turned my focus back to the elders.

"I come here to ask your help not to fight the war but to help get rid of the vampires that are coming now. We will deal with the other problem later when we know more."

Billy, Sue, and Old Quil had their heads together and the minutes passed. Finally, they looked at me.

"We have one more question for you." Sue's voice was calm.

I nodded and Jacob moved closer to me.

"You said that you could take care of three or four hundred vampires with you family. Then why ask us for help now? You could take them down easily."

I nodded before I answered. "You are correct we could. But we would risk letting many of them escape. It was speaking in terms of a battle which does not apply here. We wouldn't have to worry about leaving survivors. If they run, it is less for us to kill. But these mediators won't attack except for a meal. None of them should be left standing save one, who will take our reply back."

Old Quil looked at Billy and then to Sue, who both nodded. They looked around the group and then their eyes rested on us.

"We have agreed to let you use some of the pack. Some. Quil, Embry, Sam, and Seth will be the only ones that will help you. It is that or nothing." I bowed and Jacob followed suit. Upon rising, I replied,

"That will be enough. Thank you for you understanding and help."

I turned and walked back down the path. Jacob followed after he flashed Billy a smile. We walked in silence till we got to the beach. He grabbed my hand to stop me but I squeaked.

"Sorry, I forgot that was your hurt wrist."

I only nodded, putting my left hand around my wrist.

"Bell's you didn't ask them to fight in the big battle. Why?"

"Because, they need to digest the number of vampires that are going to be coming to Forks depending on the message we get. We don't know if we will need them yet and I don't think they are ready to make that choice. Everything in moderation."

Jacob nodded and we kept walking to the Rabbit. I slipped back into the seat and picked up my robe I had taken off, folding it into a neat square. Turning on the car, he pulled out of the driveway and headed to the Cullen's house.

He was silent and I knew something was bothering him.

"What is it?"

"Its just, thirty thousand vampires, that's so many!"

I nodded and watched Jacobs face. I knew he wasn't telling me the whole truth.

"What else is bothering you? And don't say 'nothing' because I can see it in your face."

He sighed. "I am afraid of taking you back to him. He hurt you Bell's and I'm not sure I want you to stay with him. He's endangering you because of his own personal obsession."

"It's a little late now." I looked up to the white house looming ahead. Alice was pacing the porch and she froze when she saw us.

Jacob stopped the Rabbit but he didn't turn it off. I knew he must have decided to go back home to his apartment. I kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for driving me and coming to my rescue."

"What are friends for? Promise me you will be careful." I opened the door of the Rabbit and got out.



I leaned my head back in and smiled. "I promise. See you later Jake."

Shutting the door to the Rabbit, I watched as he pulled out and down the dirt path. I pulled my folded robe closer to me and turned back to the house. Alice was still rooted in her spot on the porch, watching my every move. Dread filled me what I began to slowly walk towards the house.

What had I left behind? What was waiting for me now?