"I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties, there isn't any privacy." ~The Great Gatsby

Chapter 103 - Parties and Visions

When the four of us made it back to the house, I couldn't help but notice how nervous George and Harry were.

"I'm going to tell you both what's going on," I said, twisting in my seat. "I feel like you guys deserve to know."
"Alice is everything okay?"

"Do you remember me mentioning an intruder in Bella's house? They took a shirt, a pillow, stuff like that?"

"Yes," Harry said, watching my face.

"Well they are connected to the army. Jasper speculated it, I thought maybe it was another vampire passing through. They stole Bella's stuff to see if they could make it past me. If they could make it past me if they decided to not do something that I was specifically looking for."

"And it worked?"

"Yes. So I have to work faster at trying to pit Riley Biers against the true leader. Can I trust you guys to put the decorations together for the party while I try to do this?"

Jasper nodded.

"Just let us know what you need done and we'll do it."

I nodded and waved for them to follow me.

"Come on," I said. "Everything is inside."

They all followed and lined up behind the couch.

"First things first, you guys need to change out of those clothes. Jasper, an outfit is laying out on the bed for you."

I went into detail of everything I needed for each of them to do. They were all given tasks, and they all quickly set out.

"And you, my little man," I said, picking up Fred. "You are going to help me focus."

I sat on the couch and sat him in my lap as I began rocking side to side. I closed my eyes, and began to focus on Riley.

I entered his present quicker now. It felt like no time had passed at all.

Riley was back in the dark room.

"I told you that you couldn't run from yourself," I said, sliding down the wall next to him. "You can never run from yourself."

"What do you want?" he groaned.

"To understand, mostly," I answered truthfully. "These yellow eyes. What did they do? Why are we fighting them?"

"To keep ourselves safe."

"Are you sure that that's it?"

"They're going to hurt her."

"Her…" I mused. "How do you know she's not lying?"

"Because she loves me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"So what are you supposed to be?"

"Consider me to be your consciousness," I said. "Your at war with yourself. You know what you're doing isn't right. You're tricking these children into being led to their death. But at the same time, you seek her approval."

"I know what I'm doing is right," Riley snapped.

"So why do you listen to me?"

"I don't know."

"You have to be questioning it a little bit. Otherwise you would have tried to find a way to shut me out."

"Is that an option?" he grumbled.

"No," I said. "But it wouldn't stop you from trying. So tell me, Riley. What's the purpose of all of this?"

"I've already told you. To keep her safe. That coven is going to harm her if they aren't stopped."

"And the human?"

"She's the prize."

"Riley?" a high baby voice asked. "Riley, who are you talking to?"

Victoria stepped into the dark room.

"Nobody," Riley said, raising to his feet.

"Ask her about James," I whispered into Riley's ear, careful to make sure Victoria couldn't hear me.

"Shut up!" Riley hissed under his breath.

"Ask her," I pressed.

"Riley, honey, what is it?"

"Who's James?" Riley asked.

Victoria's eyes widened.

"What?"

"James. Who is he?"

"Where'd you hear that name?"

"So it's true?"

I could see that Riley was starting to believe me, so I took the opportunity to come back.

When I opened my eyes, Fred was still laying with me.

"We're making progress, Freddie," I grinned, picking up the child. "Before long, Riley Biers won't trust her."

"Ali, you should go change," Jasper said, stepping into the room.

"Jazz!" I said, jumping to my feet and turning to face him. "I know who the leader is."

"Who?"

"You can't say anything to Edward. Not yet."

"I won't," he said.

"You were right," I said. "It was Victoria."

Jasper sighed and gave a weak smile.

"How'd you find that out?"

"She came into the room. She heard Riley yelling."

"You really get under his skin, don't you?"

"In a way," I smiled. "He's only upset because he knows deep, deep down that I'm right. She doesn't love him."

Jasper sighed.
"He doesn't want to believe it though. She may not love him, but trust me when I say, he definitely loves her."

"I know he does," I said, as I sat Fred back down onto the floor. "I could see it in his eyes. Now. Did you change the light bulbs?"

"Already done. And I've just finished putting up the lights in the driveway."

"And Harry and George?"

"Almost done getting everything into bowls and plates. All that's left is you need to get dressed and I need to move the couch and put up a table."

I nodded and kissed Jasper's cheek.

"I'll be back in a moment."

I hurried up the stairs and changed into a pair of red leather pants, sequined tank top, and black booties. It took me about five minutes to get the Dark Mark covered, and another five to get the oxygen tank back on in a semi-comfortable way.

When I got back downstairs, the others were back. Edward was leaning against the wall waiting for me.

"Alice," he said in a quiet voice, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't," I said.

"You couldn't?" he repeated.

"No, Edward, I couldn't. You having an outburst during the ceremony wouldn't have helped anybody now would it?"

"Is that what you were blocking from me?"

"Yes," I whispered.

Edward was quiet for a moment. The others were watching cautiously waiting for an argument to start.

"You should have told me," he said.

"It doesn't just affect you, Edward," I said.

"I know that, but they're coming for Bella."

"They're coming for all of us," I said. "They've been trained to take us down, and Bella is the prize."

"What?" Edward said in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Riley."

"You talked to him?"

"Yes. When we got home I went back to try and turn him against her."

"And did you?"

"She heard him talking to himself and came in to investigate. I told him to ask her about James."

"Did it work?" Carlisle asked.

"I came back before I could see. I'll go back tonight to find out."

"Good," Carlisle nodded. "People are going to start arriving soon, so let's put all of this behind us for the time being."

I nodded and picked up Fred who was tugging on my pants leg.

"Come on, Freddie. Let's go see how Daddy and Uncle Harry are doing."

I stepped through the dining room and into the kitchen.

"How's it going guys?" I asked, looking around the kitchen.

"All done," George said. "Where do you want it?"

"Emmett and Jasper are going to put a white table into the living room against the wall. Once that's put in, set everything on top of that."

"Is there anything else you need?" Harry asked.

I shook my head.

"That's all. Carlisle is going to be putting in the stereo, and that's all that's really left to do."
"When is Bella coming?"

"In about half an hour, maybe less."

"Do you have to wear that right now?"

I nodded.
"There's too much to do, and I don't have time to fiddle with it."

"Fred's got his outfit for the party laying on the couch," George said. "Did you want to change him?"

"I can do that," I grinned. "Come on, baby boy. We've got a party to get ready for!"

Fred gave a squeal of delight.

"I think he likes parties just as much as his Aunt Alice," George smirked as I turned back to the living room.

"Oh, god," Emmett said from the living room. "There's another one."

Bella came in close to ten minutes after I finished changing Fred. I was working on music selections as Fred tugged on my pants leg asking to be picked up.

"Hey, Edward!" I called as I swooped down to pick Fred back up. "I need your advice. Should we give them familiar and comforting? Or should we educate their taste in music?"

"Keep it comforting," Edward said. "You can only lead a horse to water."

I nodded and began moving the CD's from the stack into a box.

"I think I'm underdressed," Bella said as I readjusted the cannula.

"You're perfect," Edward disagreed.

"You'll do," I said.

"Thanks Do you really think people will come?"

I made a face at Bella before turning my attention back to the CD's.

"Need help?" Jasper grinned leaning against the speaker.

"Can you take the baby for a minute?"

Jasper smiled before taking Fred.

"Does the table look okay?" he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the table.

I looked at it and grinned.

"It looks great. Now we just need to move everything out here."

"Already on it," Rosalie said as she, Esme, Harry, and George filed out of the dining room each holding various foods and drinks.

"Hey, Jasper, I need to talk to you and Carlisle," Edward said. "It's important."
"Can it wait until after the party?" I asked as Jasper passed Fred back to me.

"No, it can't."

I sighed as Jasper kissed my cheek.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart."

"Hurry," I said. "People are going to start coming in ten minutes."

Jasper nodded and took off upstairs where Carlisle was filling out some last minute things for work in his office.

"Do you want a chip?" I asked Fred as I made my way to the snack table.

Fred accepted it and showed it to George who had come to stand with us.

"Do you want me to take him?" George asked, pushing Fred's hair out of his eyes.

"If you want to," I said, "but I really don't mind keeping him."

"If you don't mind then you can keep him. But I can take him back anytime you need me too."
"I want to spend as much time with him as I can. I won't be around as much until this army is taken care of."

"Then you keep him," George smiled.

"Hey, Ali?" Harry asked.

"Hmm?"
"What do we do exactly? Do we mingle, or do we just stay in the background?"

"People are going to be curious about who you are and why you're here. They've seen you, Harry, and they think that you're my older brother. Biological. George, we've never given an explanation for you, however, we could say that you're a brother too. Chances are I'll refer to Fred as my nephew."

"How do we explain the red hair?"

"I can change it to black if you'd like," I shrugged. "But my mother had red hair."

"Would they be suspicious?"

I shook my head.
"They tend to not ask a lot of questions about the mysterious Cullen family."

The doorbell rang, and I grinned before turning up the soft music that was playing before making my way to the door. Jessica, Mike, Tyler, Conner, Austin, Lee, Samantha, and Lauren made their way into the house.

"Hi, Alice," Mike said, breaking the silence. "Who's the little guy?"

"This is my nephew, Fred. He's my brother's son."

I pointed to Harry and George who were leaning against the wall.

"That's my brother, Harry, and my other brother, George."

"Your birth family?" Mike asked as I guided them into the house.

I nodded.

"Last fall when we went away, I found them in Britain. Well...I found Harry. He told me about our parents and George."

"Are you going back to Britain with them? Is that why they're here?"

I shook my head.

"I love my brothers, but my family is here. With the Cullens. I don't have much longer left, you see, and moving just doesn't feel right."

Mike's face fell.

"I didn't realize," he said.

I grinned and shook my head.

"No worries. I've had a good life."

Carlisle and I had agreed earlier that the party would be a good way to start alerting the public that I would be dying soon.

"How long do you have left?" Lauren asked, suddenly intrigued in the conversation.

"A year."

"And Jasper?"
"He's planning on going to stay with my family in Britain. Now if you will excuse me, I have people to greet."

I grinned before stepping away from the group.

I moved around the room, mingling with the guests who were now starting to pile in. After about twenty minutes, I realized I couldn't find, Jasper, and set out to find him.

I found Jasper was sitting on the top stair. He was scribbling something into a notebook while looking at a map.

"Hey," I grinned. "Are you going to join the party?"

"Not yet," Jasper said. "Carlisle and I are planning a training session tonight. Do you want to take Harry and George home before then?"

"I'll ask them if they want to go home as soon as the party is over. If they do, then I'll take them home and then come back here."

Jasper nodded and kissed my cheek.
"Go have fun. I'll be down there in a little bit."

As I made my way back down the stairs, I started to get flickers of something. Somewhere, a decision was being made, but I couldn't exactly see it. I was scared that if I blocked it for too long, then it would disappear entirely.

"Come on, Freddie," I murmured. "Let's go find Daddy and Harry."

Fred's face looked worried. He was smart for his age, and I was sure he could tell that there was something wrong. Or that there might be.

"Don't worry," I told Fred in a soft voice. "It might be nothing."

Harry and George were mingling close to the center of the room with Jessica and Angela.

"Excuse me, ladies," I said, "but I need to borrow George for just a moment."

George offered them a smile, before stepping away with me towards the back of the room.

"Is everything okay?"

"I need you to take Fred for a moment. There's something trying to get through. Somebody somewhere has made a decision."
"Is it the army?"

"I don't know," I said. "I have to go find out."

"Go then!" George said, taking Fred. "Come find me when you see something."

"Oh, and Jasper is planning a training session for tonight, to prepare us for the newborns. Did you and Harry want to go home right after the party, or did you want to stay until tomorrow night like we planned?"

"We're going to stay," George said.

I nodded and turned on my heel, heading for the kitchen.

Once I was inside the kitchen, the flickers started to become more clear. Then, all at once, my sight was gone and replaced by something.

"Alice!" Edward called in a quiet voice. "Alice, what is it?"

The sounds of the party and the sound of Edward's voice faded, and I was falling.

Riley Biers stood in front of twenty-two newborn vampires. They were lined up in a straight line, and Riley paced in front of them like a military commander.

"It's time," Riley told them in a loud booming voice. "She thinks that you're ready to go. Each of you have come a long way since you were first born. Now it's time to do what we've been training for. The Yellow-eyes will be coming for us soon. We have to catch them before they can come here. Then we have no limit to where we feed and how much we feed. We no longer have to live in fear. The humans will be powerless against us!"

The scene faded and it was Victoria and Riley in the same dark room as before.

"When are we leaving?" Riley asked.

"We have to be there by Friday."

The scene faded once more and I saw the newborns advancing out of water. One on the end carried a red blouse. Bella's red blouse.

"Oh god," I whispered. "Did you see?"

"Yes," Edward said.

"Get the others," I said. "Meet me upstairs."

Edward disappeared, and as I gripped onto the doorway, I could see Bella, Harry, and George all making their way to me.

"What's going on?" Bella asked Harry and George when they met.

"I don't know," Harry said. "But it can't be anything good."

The three of them made their way to me.

"What, Alice, what? What did you see?" Bella asked.

I looked between her and Harry at Edward, who had just found Emmett, and I watched as the two of them headed up the stairs.

"Ali," George said. "What is it? What's happening?"

As I tried to focus myself on George, Harry, and Bella, the doorbell rang. Somebody was here. Somebody I hadn't invited.

As I focused on the future of the party, I noticed it was black. It was all gone.

"Who invited the werewolf?" I snapped at Bella.

"Guilty," she said, sheepishly as Harry nudged her away from me.

"Well, you go take care of it, then. I have to talk to Carlisle. Harry, George, stay here, but keep your distance from the werewolves."

"No, Alice, wait!" Bella exclaimed, reaching for my arm just as I darted off for the stairs.

"Do what she says," I heard Harry say. "Whatever she saw, isn't good."

The others were waiting in Carlisle's office.

"Alice," Jasper breathed. "Edward told us what you saw."

"They're coming," I said, scanning his face. "We're out of time."

"When will they be here, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Friday."

"Does Bella know anything?" Edward asked.

I shook my head.
"There was no time. I'm going to go and get her, Harry, and George in a minute, and we're going to explain everything."

"We need a plan," Jasper said. "It's more important now that we go through with the training tonight. You guys need to be prepared for what we're going up against."

I stepped back from them.
"I'm going to get the other three and bring them up here. There are wolves here. Three. Jacob and two others. I didn't see who they were."

"Go, Alice, and hurry," Carlisle said.

When I made it back down the stairs, I saw Harry and George first. They were waiting close to the door with a fussy Fred.

"Harry! George!" I hissed, waving them to me.

The two of them quickly rushed up the stairs to me. Fred instantly reached for me, and quieted down when I took him.

"Follow me," I told them. "We need to talk to the two of you and Bella. Stay behind me and say nothing to the wolves. They're not like the ones back home. Do you understand?"

The two of them nodded.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Things are much more urgent now. It'll be easier to explain it to all of you at once."

Harry and George nodded and they immediately went behind me.

"That goes for you too, little one," I told Fred, pausing on the stairs. "I need for you to be a big boy for me right now. Stay quiet. There will be people with Miss. Bella who will ask questions about you. Don't make any noise, and don't even look at them. Understand?"

Fred buried his face in my shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Smart boy," I murmured, before kissing his forehead before turning to the other two. "The wolves don't like us very much. Jasper will be following behind us to make sure nothing happens with the wolves. They know about me and my family, and they know who you are, but not what you look like. No matter what they say to me, don't respond."

Harry and George nodded again. I picked up my oxygen tank and we began to make our way down the stairs.

"Alice!" Bella squeaked as I hit the bottom step. I looked over to her. She was cornered by Jacob Black, and the two wolves who had first learned about me. Quil and Embry.

I narrowed my eyes at the three werewolves, but continued to make my way to the four of them. I squeezed in between Jacob and Embry before putting the oxygen tank on my shoulder and wrapping my free arm around Bella's waist.

"I need to talk to you," I murmured in her ear.

"Er, Jake, I'll see you later," Bella said, trailing off.

Jacob threw an arm in the way, blocking me from being able to get around him, and blocking Harry and George from my view.

"Hey, not so fast," Jacob said.

"Excuse me?" I asked taking a step back from him. I peeked under his arm at George and Harry. George had taken a step forward, and Quil had turned to block him.

"Go," Quil said to them. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does actually," Harry growled back. "That's my sister that your friend is blocking."

"Harry, stop it," I said before turning back to Jacob.

"Tell us what's going on," Jacob demanded in a threatening voice.

Jasper appeared at Jacob's arm and snarled quietly at him. Like he had touched a hot surface, Jacob jerked his hand back.

"We have a right to know," Jacob muttered.

Jasper slipped in between me in the wolf, remaining in a protective stance. He had his hands behind him holding onto my hips so he could keep me where I was. The three wolves ended up in a protective stance of their own.

"Hey, hey," Bella said with a slight chuckle. "This is a party, remember?"

Nobody acknowledged that she had spoken. Jasper kept his protective stance, glowering at Jacob as Jacob glowered at me.

"Harry, George, come here," Jasper said in a low voice. The wolves let the two come through, and they stood next to Bella.

I unwrapped my arm from around Bella and wrapped it around Jasper to try to keep him calm.

"It's okay, Jasper," I murmured to him. "He's actually got a point."
Jasper kept his position as if I hadn't said anything to him.

"What did you see, Alice?" Bella asked me.

I looked between Harry, George, and Bella. My gaze lingered on Bella.

"The decision has been made," I told them.

"You're going to Seattle?" Bella asked.

"No."

Harry and George's face fell.

"They're coming here?" Bella said in horror.

"Yes," I said.

"To Forks?" Bella confirmed.

"Yes."

"For?"

I paused and glanced at the three wolves before sucking in a deep breath.

"One carried your red blouse," I said.

"We can't let them come that far," Jasper murmured to me. "There aren't enough of us to protect the town."

"I know," I said. "But it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search."

"No!" Bella whispered.

"Alice, we could help," Harry said.

"No," I growled. "They'll kill you before you can get out your wand."

"Alice," Bella said, calling my attention to her. "I have to go. I have to get away from here."

"That won't help. It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first."

"Then I have to go to meet them! If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else!"

"Bella, you don't understand. They think that they are coming for us, and their prize for killing us is you!"

"Hold it," Jacob ordered. "What is coming?"

I turned to him. I noticed he was watching Fred as I held on to him.

"Our kind. Lot's of them."

"Why?"

"Like I just said. For Bella. That's the main reason...but the leader wants them to wipe us out, and Bella is the prize for them doing so."

"There are too many for you?" he asked, in what almost seemed like a taunting tone.

"We have a few advantages, dog. It will be an even fight," Jasper said, stepping closer to me.

"No," Jacob said, as he turned to grin at me. "It won't be even."

It clicked to me what he meant.

"Excellent!" I hissed. "Yes. That's it!"
I looked ahead for the battle with the newborns. It went from them coming out of the body of water to everything going black.

"Everything just disappeared, of course," I told Jacob. "That's inconvenient, but, all things considered, I'll take it."

"We'll have to coordinate," Jacob said. "It won't be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours."

"I wouldn't go that far, but we need the help. We aren't going to be picky."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Bella interrupted.

I stood on my toes, looking over Jasper's shoulder at Jacob.

Jacob and I both turned to Bella.

"Coordinate?" Bella repeated.

"You didn't honestly think you were going to keep us out of this?" Jacob asked.

"You're staying out of this!"

"Your psychic doesn't think so."

"Alice — tell them no! They'll get killed!"

Jacob, Quil, and Embry all laughed out loud.

"Bella," I said, "separately we all could get killed. Together —"

"It'll be no problem," Jacob said, finishing my sentence.

Quil laughed again.

"How many?" Quil asked eagerly.

"No!"

I ignored Bella

"It changes — twenty-one today, but the numbers are going down."

"Why?" Jacob asked, curious.

"Long story," I said, looking around the room. "And this isn't the place for it."

"Later tonight?" Jacob pushed.

"Yes," Jasper answered him.

"We were already planning a . . . strategic meeting. If you're going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction." The wolves all made a disgruntled face at the last part.

"No!" I moaned.

"Bella, trust Alice," George said. "Between her and Jasper, they'll be okay."

"This will be odd," Jasper said thoughtfully. "I never considered working together. This has to be a first."

"No doubt about that," Jacob agreed. He was in a hurry now. "We've got to get back to Sam. What time?"

"What's too late for you?"

"What time?" Jacob repeated.

"Three o'clock?"

"Where?"

"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you'll be able to follow our scent in."

"We'll be there."

The three wolves turned on their heels.

"Wait, Jake!" Bella called after him. "Please! Don't do this!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bells. You're giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you."

"No!" Bella yelled.

Jacob Black turned to follow his friends who were almost out the door.

"Alice!" Bella exclaimed.

"Bella, listen to me," I said, turning to face her. "With your wolves, we'll outnumber the newborns. You add that to all of us training under Jasper, and my magic, they won't stand a chance. This just adds to our advantages."

Bella looked at me astonished.

"You're not worried about what will happen to them? Because you have a vendetta against werewolves after Remus, you're going to let them die?" Bella snapped.

"They won't die, Bella," I said. "They're going to be fine."

"What makes you think Alice has a vendetta against werewolves?" George asked with a frown. "She likes Bill and Teddy. They're both half werewolf."
"Exactly," I said.

Jasper pushed out a force of calmness through the immediate area and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"You'll have to excuse us," Jasper told the three humans. "Alice and I have to let the others know about the plan."

I passed Fred back to George and Jasper and I quickly made out way through the party which was at full swing.

"Don't worry, Bella," Harry said quietly. "Nothing will happen to your friend. Alice won't allow it. I promise."

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It took less time to write it than I had anticipated. Chapters might be delayed in the near future with the holidays coming up, but after the first of the year they should resume a semi-regular schedule...well our regular.

So I hope you enjoyed!

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