Chapter 18

Battle Plans

We were the last ones in the clearing, Edythe and I. Immediately entering, Eleanor couldn't stop snickering at us. "You two get lost?" She asked between laughs, "Or were you guys getting biz-say?"

I looked right at her, my eyes wide with anger and a little growl under my breath. "You remember our little bet when I kicked your butt arm wrestling?" I asked back. She wasn't supposed to be making any comments about our relationship.

"Ancient history," El answered still lightly chuckling. "Betcha couldn't beat me now."

We really didn't have time for this. I could begin to pick up on the wolves' smell. They'd be here within a few minutes. "Later," I placated her. While I definitely wasn't as strong as I had been in my first few weeks, it had only been three months and my eyes still held a tint of red in them, now almost yellow-orange. It wouldn't be very much longer until my eyes would be the same shade as Edythe's, I hoped just about our wedding day that that would happen. And then another thought ran through my mind. I didn't mind so much Eleanor beating me, I just wish that she would bring up Edythe's and my relationship, especially the things that were just none of her business.

"Hey El?" I commented as I began to hear the heavy thuds of wolf paws; wait, just one set of paws with human feet landing as well; five sets that way. Kind of surprising that it was that many. I kind of just expected Jules and maybe Quinn and Emma.

"Yeah?" She answered sounding like she was nervous about what I would want to propose.

"How bout an actual scrap later instead of just arm wrestling?"

Her eyes got really wide. She couldn't believe that I'd be actually asking her to spar. This would be something that she'd have a slight advantage on, but Edythe had been teaching me a little bit here and there about how to fight, but she had issues seeing me as an actual opponent. Still Archie and Jess had been a big help in that. I wanted to be ready just in case I'd be needed when the newborns came, even if Edythe had been insisting that I stay behind and not get into the fight. She thought I was simply too new, still ruled a lot by instinct, even if I was unlike any other newborn that Jessamine had ever seen before. This could be an opportunity to show them that I could handle myself; that I could at least be in the clearing while the fight was going on. And that if need be, I could be of some help. If I could prove myself by holding my own against Eleanor, then maybe they'd cave on this one. At the very least, it might make Edythe not as nervous about having me in the clearing with them.

"You mean it?" Eleanor asked, obviously still shocked that I'd even contemplate this looking all too eager to go right now. "You really want to throw down?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure. At least this way you've at least got a chance," I egged her on.

"Why you," she started to charge, but was stopped by the sound of a twig breaking just outside of the clearing.

"Something wrong, big sis?" I teased but the look on Edythe's face stopped me. Entering the clearing was only one wolf, but then five of them in their human forms. The grey large wolf was easy to decipher who it was; that was Lee. But surprisingly other than him, everyone else was human.

"This should be good," Emma teased, no doubt in hearing my challenge to Eleanor. "You bloodsuckers should sell tickets and popcorn." The way she said it showed little, if any, animosity left. There was something changing in the way that Julie's friends saw us. I couldn't be sure, but I figured that Sarah and me had the most to do with this. But I was pretty sure that it was even more so Sarah because of her liking Carine.

We all laughed, everyone except Earnest who I could tell was more worried that we'd hurt each other more than something getting broken.

"The most important thing to remember," Jessamine began instructing as soon as the formalities were finished, which didn't take long, mostly because we just didn't have time for such trivial matters. The newborns would be leaving Seattle in a matter of hours. We didn't have time. "is to not let the newborns get their arms around you. They can crush you in an instant. But that is also their weakness. Strength is all they'll have; they will have only very little tactical skills. Watch." Jess turned to Eleanor. "Just go for the obvious kill, El."

I knew why they'd use Eleanor to be the example… at least for now. She was the most like a newborn, even more than me. Jessamine, in her teaching me how to fight, was becoming more and more surprised with me by the day. Many times, she told me I was unlike any other newborn she had ever known. The quickest adapting newborn she had known before me was Patricia and even she took two months before being able to not be completely ruled by her instincts.

The two of them went at it for a good while before Jessamine, finally, had El pinned putting her teeth within a few millimeters of her neck. El cursed when she was prone but was soon helped up by Jess after that.

"Damn it," she whined to Jessamine. "You got me again. Come on, you're almost as bad as Edythe. Turn it off for just a minute. Stop cheating!"

"It doesn't turn off," Jessamine countered. "No different than with Archie or Edythe." She looked right at her husband; almost inviting Archie up next.

Archie shrugged more out of boredom than anything else and went next to Jessamine. "Ok, first one to die, loses. And you know the normal stakes," he added with a wink.

Edythe groaned, no doubt from whatever Archie had in his mind, but I could only assume it had to do with the two of them, ya know.

The two of them looked like they were dancing, ala a bull fight. In this case, Jessamine played the role of the bull, while Archie was the matador. It looked several times like Archie would be run over by the charging Jessamine, but at the last possible second, he skirted out of the way. Even a couple of times, Eleanor did yell 'ole'. I had to be honest, I didn't really understand why the two of them were going at it this way.

Finally, as Archie was about to end their little session, Edythe whispered to me, "He knows how much you worry about him and Archie wants to show you that he is more than capable of taking care of himself. No one other than the wolves would really have a chance against him."

I remembered back to the hotel in Phoenix, when I thought of the way Jessamine looked like more of a lion than anyone else I had met. The way she charged, was like a cross between a lion and a bull. Had I still been human, it probably would have been terrifying to see; one of them acting in a way that they really were.

The dance finally met its conclusion when Archie, after about three minutes, finally leapt into the air and landed gracefully above Jess using a trees lower limb to grasp with her feet and then, his lips were at her throat. A simple kiss between them and then Archie said with an immense smile, "I win."

Jessamine answered Archie's smile with one of her own, "You are a very terrifying monster."

"You know it."

"Edythe?" Jessamine challenged next. "Come show Beau why he shouldn't worry about you."

Edythe gently squeezed my hand and then she was off, her and Jess circling each other which reminded me of the dance of two large cats before they began to fight. And both of them had slight growls and hisses coming from between their teeth.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Archie said as he took Edythe's place beside me.

I had been so focused on the dance that Jess and Edythe were doing in didn't even notice him sliding over and hissed at him defensively

Jessamine turned her head away from Edythe and stared right at me, staring daggers through me.

"Relax babe," Archie said looking at Jessamine. "Beau's not gonna do anything."

Jessamine turned her focus back to Edythe and they resumed their circling, both waiting for something before someone would make the first strike.

"I tried to tell you that you don't need to worry about me. And you don't have to worry about Jess or Edy either. In any fight, no one would be able to beat any of us. Now El, on the other hand, her pride tends to get in her way, so she could be in some trouble against a more skilled fighter. But these new ones will only have their strength to rely on. It'll almost be too easy to beat them."

"But you guys shouldn't be risking your lives for me," I pled.

Archie almost looked like he wanted to slap some sense into me. I wasn't getting it. "You're a part of the family now, B. Get used to it."

Family- I thought about it again. Yeah, we were a family, not bound by blood but by venom and love. Everyone except Archie and Jess could be traced back to Carine in some regard. Carine had changed everyone but myself and Edythe changed me. Archie and Jess chose to be a part of our family because they agreed with our stance; that the indiscriminate killing of people just for our own sustenance wasn't right or even necessary. We had a choice and in that choice we all have found our humanity still.

"Beau, Jess and I aren't going anywhere."

"Huh?"

"No matter what, you're stuck with us. So, you better start getting used to Jess being around you so much."

"What?" I had to admit that I was completely shocked by this.

"I see the two of you getting close. You even being able to whoop her, which not many can do by the way."

"But I'd never-"

Archie laughed as Jess and Edythe still fought, both seeking the upper hand but neither getting it. "Like this," he laughed, nodding at Edythe and Jess. "You're gonna be a really good fighter… one day."

I never really had any desire for that before. Granted I was way to clumsy to even think about wrestling or boxing or anything else like that before I was changed. "Not me. I'm a pacifist."

Archie just shook his head. "Not like that. You're not gonna be like Joss or even any of the Italians. You're not gonna go around lookin' for a fight. But you will be good enough to whip most anyone who would want to try you."

Would I really stick with it long enough to do that? I didn't doubt that I would be willing to fight, and even kill for any of the Cullens if needed but something about the way Archie saw me made me certain in this vision. This was something that absolutely would happen unlike some of his others, namely Edythe possibly killing me. Although his visions of me seemed 50/50 between me ultimately being a vampire or Edythe killing me eventually but as we went on after our first real experience alone- other than the first night in my bedroom at Charlie's- that first date in the meadow, her killing me dropped in probability drastically. After that day, me being a vampire someday was just about a certainty. So, in many ways, the way he put this one was so much like how it was when we were in Phoenix; when he told me hw everything worked with being changed.

"Huh?" I muttered.

"Jess is going teach you everything she knows but unlike Eleanor, you're gonna be rational enough, patient enough to learn everything and actually apply it."

I didn't want to be forced into that life. I'd be happy to live out our eternity, however long that would be with Edythe and the rest of the Cullens in peace. I never really wanted to be a fighter. But for Edythe, I'd do whatever would be needed.

"That's better," Archie whispered as he turned my head back to Jess and Edythe still circling. How long had they been going at it? Five minutes? Ten?

"Alright," Jessamine said as Edythe backed out of her defensive crouch, "we'll call it a draw."

Edythe returned to my side as Earnest stepped up but was interrupted by one of the wolves, the chocolate brown one, also trying to step up. "Uh Earnest?" I stuttered.

He turned to me, his eyes soft and kind like always. "Yes."

Edythe smiled as no doubt she read the thoughts of the wolf who must want a crack at Jessamine. "I think that Emma here," she said pointing at the wolf, "would like a chance."

I hadn't even noticed that one of the Quileute girls were missing as she had no doubt gone to shift into her wolf form. Jules had a 'this should be good' look on her face.

Earnest was more than willing to accommodate her. "Of course," he said as he pointing invitingly towards Jess.

The wolf turned looking at Edythe, with a slightly nervous look on her face. Whatever she thought had Edythe damn near rolling on the ground laughing.

"What's so funny?!" Eleanor almost shouted out. She hated not to be in on any joke.

"Emma's just asking that you don't bite her," Edythe said looking at Jessamine.

"I wasn't planning on it," Jessamine said in answer. "Wet dog smell is bad enough. I don't need to taste it too."

Everyone laughed, even all the Quileutes other than Lee and Emma, who both growled. And then the brow wolf charged right at Jessamine snarling at her. It was all too easy for her to dodge her attacks the first few times. But then, the wolf did something that Jess couldn't have been expecting, she just laid down. It seemed weird but as Jess came closer to look at this, the wolf sprung. Jess didn't have time to react as she was only a few feet away. The wolf had Jessamine at her mercy, something not many had ever been able to do before.

"That's enough Em," Jules said, her voice having an odd commanding tone to it.

Jessamine got up from the ground and began to dust herself off, looking surprised. "You're the first one to ever get me on my back," Jessamine had to admit.

Eleanor snickered, "Well other than-"

"Enough!" Royal snapped.

"Huh?" El asked completely shocked.

"Could you act like a lady at least once in a while?"

"Probably not," Eleanor joked back at her husband.

"Try!" Royal snapped back. "For once in your life stop thinking so much about sex."

She seemed to think about that for a few seconds before running into Royal and tackling him, straddling his form between her hips. "Apparently not."

This was beyond awkward for everyone. I could only imagine what things were feeling like to Jessamine and the thoughts that Edythe heard screaming in both El's and Royal's minds.

"Ewww," I looked as one of the wolves was finally saying. Sarah, the youngest and also most naïve of intimate encounters.

Edythe looked relieved to actually have someone else to need to translate for. "They want to know if they have to stay for this?"

Carine's smile was as gracious as ever. "You are free to leave at any time, but we still need to discuss strategy." Carine turned looking right at the two vampires still on the ground. "What you two do in the privacy of our home is up to you, but right now we need to plan."

Eleanor sighed, disappointed but then helped Royal up.

"I think that's enough of the fight instruction," Jessamine added, now coming back to join everyone else but there was a newfound sense of respect towards the wolves from her. "But Carine is right. We do need to set exactly how we will set our forces. I can't imagine that our two kinds being in the same general proximity will be a winning strategy."

"Yeah, I really don't want to have to watch our backs from you bloodsuckers plus these other ones that are coming," Quinn said. She was probably the only one here who really didn't want to be here. Emma had been dying to get a chance to scrap with one of us and Jules still was willing to do whatever it took to be my friend. Sarah trusted Carine more than anyone else and Lee was here because Sarah wanted to be here.

"You don't have to worry about us," Carine said still as gracious as a host could possibly be, "but I understand if you wish to not be in the same immediate area as us."

I thought about it for a second. There was the baseball clearing, large and spacious but our, Edythe's and my meadow wasn't but a short run, maybe a quarter mile at most, away from it. The wolves' size might make more sense for them to be there while the meadow would be more fitting for smaller sized fighters.

"Hmmm," Edythe uttered, no doubt picking up my idea second handed from Archie.

"It wasn't me," Archie defended himself.

"Oh, I know," Edythe answered. "Beau, you care to share with the rest of the class?"

No one was more interested in my idea than Jessamine. No doubt this had been one of the most difficult parts of putting the plan together.

"Well, I was thinking that the wolves should probably be where we play baseball. The open space will give them more room and there's the thick woods on the outside which would be an ideal spot to surprise them. And the rest of us could be in the meadow."

"Interesting," Jessamine said as she worked through the plan. "But how do we make sure that we can lead them into both groups?"

"We set a trail for them," I answered. "We just have to know who or what they're after." In reality, I was pretty sure who was behind all of this. Sure, there was still a chance the it was the Volturi coming to shrink what could be conceived as a rival coven to them, not that Carine or any of us had any interest in ruling over all the vampires in the world like they did.

"But we don't know exactly who is behind this or why they are coming to attack," Jessamine said.

I knew. While there could be a small chance that Patricia or Charles did tell the Volturi about me being created. And from what I had learned about the Volturi, they could be jealous of any immortals with gifts. They could covet any of us, be it Archie, Edythe, Jess or maybe even me if I my muteness to Edythe was some form of a gift. But still, this was unlikely. If the strength of Joss and Victor's bond was as tight as Edythe thought it was, he would surely hold a grudge. That meant that his target would be, at the very least, either Edythe or me. My money was solidly on him.

"True," Archie said, "but its probably safe to assume that these newborns have only drank human blood. Carine could probably get a few units of donated blood that we could use."

"Certainly," Carine answered. "I could go right now. Overnight would probably be best since staffing at the hospital is lightest during third shift." Carine looked back at Archie with all seriousness. "Will they follow it though?"
"About half will. I lose the other half because of the wolves."

"Sweet," Quinn said. "So about ten for us?"

"More or less," Archie answered. "It's possible that more than half go towards you but I can't see you. So, I really don't know for sure."

"Sweet, some leeches we actually get to do what were supposed to with," Sarah said smiling.

"You're not gonna do anything!" Jacob commanded back. "Sam wants you with Brandy and Colleen in LaPush just in case any of those bloodsuckers get past us and make for there."

"But Jules-"

"If you don't like it, you take it up with Sam."

Even in his wolf form, I could see that Lee didn't like the plan one bit. He snarled at Julie."

"Then fine, both of you stay back," Jules answered to which Lee snarled even louder at. "Well what do you want then? Have the whole tribe completely reliant of Brandy and Colleen for protection? 'Cause I know you're not gonna be away from Sarah for a second, so both of you here or there?"

That stopped Lee's snarling. He really hadn't thought that far in advance. I could understand his perspective. He thought it was his job to protect his sister but the Quileutes were a very matriarchal tribe. Part of that was from the legends of their past. While a few men had been spirit warriors, their legends said that only girls related to that first wolf chieftess were able to turn into wolves. I wondered if that would change if more boys could shift as well but probably not.

"So, we use a blood trail," Jessamine thought out loud, "split into two parts to lead the newborns to both the clearing and the meadow. That could work."

"It will," Archie was confident now. "But we'll need to act fast. The newborns are leaving Seattle at sunset tonight. They be here when the moon is at its highest point."

"Midnight." Quinn said.

"Not exactly," answered Edythe. "That would be true if it was a full moon, but look at it."

"So, first quarter," Jules said looking at the right half of the moon being visible, another plus of there being limited cloud cover tonight. "So, when would it be highest in the sky?"

Carine answered the scientific question. "Little more than that but yes. About 10:00PM give or take a few minutes."

I was surprised that she knew that off the top of her head but the moon did cycle, so looking at it being 61 percent of full, the high point in the sky would be about the same no matter when it was.

"So, when should we be ready?" Jules asked.

Archie answered, "I'd be ready at least by sunset, just in case they leave earlier. There'll be some drizzle in Seattle tomorrow afternoon so they might leave a little earlier than I see now but they don't know it yet."

"Some psychic you are," Quinn joked.

Archie let it roll off of him.

"So, you better get some rest," Carine said, her tone still warm and inviting. "Tomorrow will probably be a long day." She turned to Archie. "Will we have cloud cover as well tomorrow afternoon?"

Archie closed his eyes to search. "Until about six. Then the sun will try to peek through the clouds. But there won't be any rain here after noon."

"So, we better have the trail laid between the rain ending and the sun coming out. I don't want to risk anyone happening to come across us as were doing our preparations."

Archie had the distant stare I had seen many times before. "What is it?" I asked.

"They're coming," he whispered.

"Who?" Eleanor asked, her tone just slightly annoyed. "We know about the newborns already."

"Not them!" Archie sighed. "Jason, Audrey, Felicita and Denise."

"Who the hell are they?" Quinn demanded.

"The Volturi," Carine said. "Our police force, I guess you could call them."

"They've had enough of the destruction in Seattle and have come to take care of it," Archie said explaining it. Everyone looked worried except Edythe who was no doubt trying to see exactly what Archie had seen. "Their timing seems just too perfect though. They be here just after the fighting ends."

"So that means the wolves will have to leave as soon as they finish lighting their half on fire," Carine said. "The Volturi wont honor our truce with the wolves. Knowing Denise and Felicita, they have no problem trying to slaughter all of them."

"Let 'em try," Quinn challenged but the look on Julie's face was pissed and it wasn't directed at us, but Quinn. I even thought I saw Julie mutter the words "shut up".

"Sorry," Quinn apologized.

"The Volturi are not to be taken lightly," Jessamine said, her tone holding some off sense of reverence for them. "Especially those four. The have disposed of many rebel immortals in their lives, all of them more than justified."

"But we haven't done anything wrong," Eleanor pleaded.

Was there really anything that we could have done to warrant this kind of response from them? I didn't think so but I still didn't know all of the rules when it came to this life. Sure, keeping the secret was paramount and the newborns in Seattle had been failing with that big time with their injudicious hunting and failing to dispose of their "meals" as I had heard Patricia and Charlotte refer to their victims.

"They're not coming for us," Archie corrected. "They've been sent to deal with the issue in Seattle. But for some strange reason they are pussyfooting around." He closed his eyes again and when they opened, he was shocked.

"What?!" I all but screamed noticing that Edythe and Archie both looked scared.

"Later," Edythe answered.

"But you have to tell us!" Jules shrieked back.

Edythe shook her head. "This doesn't concern you. And besides, the less you know about the Volturi the better. As secretive of our kind that they demand, they're even more so about themselves. No one, other than vampires are to know of their existence."

"Oh," Sarah said, the first to grasp the importance Edythe was trying to relay. "Jules, it doesn't matter anyway. Were gonna get more than enough bloodsuckers to take care of. Let it go."

"Always the optimist," Emma kidded.

"Someone has to be."

"Please relay everything we've told you to the others," Carine said in closing, "especially these latest developments. If something changes and you no longer wish to help us…"

"Not a chance!" It was Lee's shriek. I didn't even notice that he had shifted back to human. "I'm only here to keep short stuff here," he said pointing to Sarah which was a little ironic since they were just about the same height now, "safe. If she'd let me, she'd be nowhere near this mess. But I Know just how stubborn she can be. With her hero worship for Dr. Fang here, she's gonna help. I don't think that she'd even listen to Sam."

"Wait, you mean your done?!" Quinn said still surprised. "What about the main event?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"You didn't challenge the monster there?" Quinn added pointing at Eleanor.

"Oh… yeah, I guess I did." I hadn't really forgotten, but I still didn't know how I could hope to beat her. But if I could just hold my own, that might be enough to convince Edythe to let me be with the rest of the family. For that reason. I said the most absolutely absurd thing I'd said to that point in my new life. "You ready, Gigantor?"

AN: I apologize that this chapter took so long to finish. But there's only a couple left before the fight and I pay off the prologue shock that Beau finds in the scrap. Reviews and comments are always appreciated. Until next time, I hope everyone had a very happy and blessed holiday season.