"Engagement does not mean endorsement." ~Madeleine Albright

Chapter 106-New Engagement

Jasper and I worked until well into the afternoon. We met up with the others close to a mile away from the house, but not before I reminded Jasper of the agreement.

"Not a word to any of the others," I said. "You have to block Edward too."

"I know, Alice. It's better that we don't worry about them anymore than we have to."

"If I had some time, maybe I could look into Aro's present. See what he's planning."

"Why don't we wait and see what happens first."

"Jazz, what if we don't—"

He pressed his lips to mine breaking off my sentence.

"Alice, we're going to make it. We're going hunting and we have you and the wolves. There's no way they are going to win, Darlin'. We'd better hurry. They're going to be coming to come looking for us if we don't meet them."

Jasper and I set out through the trees. We could hear the others getting closer.

"We'll meet them in a few seconds," I told Jasper.

I had barely finished the sentence when Emmett came hurtling past us.

"Where have you two lovebirds been?" Emmett asked winking at me.

"Working," I said.

"Alice was unsure about using magic and fighting without it at the same time, so we went to work a little bit more."

Emmett put his hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"I'm hurt," he said. "You didn't invite me to come with you."

"All you had to do was ask, Em," Jasper said.

I began to receive flashes. They moved too quickly for me to see the person behind them or what decision was being made. I tried to focus on it, but the more I tried the blurrier it became.

I hadn't realized I had stopped running until Jasper put his hands on the sides of my face.

"Al, what is it? What do you see?"

"Nothing," I said.

"Alice," he murmured, running his thumb across my cheek. "You're afraid. It had to be something."

I shook my head.

"Someone's making a decision...or rather not making one. Somebody is trying to keep me from seeing something, although I'm not sure what."

"Can you see who?"

I shook my head.

"I think somebody close, the army maybe…" I trailed off, "but they're changing between their decision so fast that I can't see."

"It'll come to you later," he said. "I'm sure it will. Come on. There's a pack of coyote up ahead."

I followed him, but as I began to run again, I saw the flickers again, and this time I saw something glimmering the same way our skin did in the sun.

I tried to put all of my focus onto the hunt. Jasper and I stuck relatively close together. The others didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

"You doing okay?" Jasper asked not long after we found the coyotes.

I nodded.

"I still don't know what the flashes are from. But now I see a glimmering object."

Jasper frowned.

"Glimmering?"

"Like a diamond," I murmured. "That's why I'm sure it's the Volturi or it's the newborns."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Al. Not until we know something for sure. Wait until it starts to become clearer."

"Jazz?"

"What, sweetheart?"

"You really think we're going to win?"

Jasper nodded and pressed his lips to mine. When he did, I felt calm and confidence radiating through me.

"It's all going to be okay," he smiled as he looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he grinned. "I'm just admiring my beautiful, beautiful, worrisome wife."

I grinned and playfully hit his shoulder before pecking his cheek.

"Come on," I said. "They're going to send Emmett after us in a moment."

"I think Emmett thinks that we have our mind set elsewhere than hunting or the fight even."

"Oh he does," I laughed. "Which is why he's more than eager to come looking for us."

Jasper shook his head, took my hand, and together we set back off through the woods, looking for our next prey.

We found a herd of deer a couple miles to the west. Jasper pointed out the largest buck to me.

"Take him. He'll give you more energy, and you're going to need it."

Jasper took the second largest buck of the pack, and the others began to flee. The buck beneath me struggled, but quickly tensed up as soon as my teeth sank into his neck.

I hadn't realized how thirsty I was before then. I hadn't been taking care of myself, especially with patrols around Bella's house, babysitting Bella, and having to look into every past, present, and future of anybody Edward saw as a threat. As soon as I downed the buck, I took off after the fleeing herd, catching up to them almost effortlessly. Jasper wasn't far behind me, pouncing on a doe as I took the final buck.

"Feel better?" Jasper asked as I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.
I nodded as I fell back against the tree.

"Do you remember the first time we hunted?" I asked.

Jasper nodded.
"You were one of the best hunters I had seen as a newborn."

"I feel the same way I did then."
"What does that mean?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

"I don't know how much I need to have enough energy to fight," I said. "It feels like what I drink in the moment will never be enough."

"That's why I'm here," he grinned. "But believe me, you'll know when enough is enough. Think of it like Thanksgiving. Drink until you feel like you're going to explode."

"Thanksgiving," I murmured. "Never celebrated it."

Jasper sighed.
"I forgot you're not from America. Well that's the basis of it. Everyone eats until they can't eat anymore."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

I frowned as Jasper laughed and pulled me to my feet.

"Think of it like the Welcoming Feast at Hogwarts. Same concepts, less possibility with food."

I watched him and tilted my head to the side.
"Did you celebrate Thanksgiving when you were human?"

Jasper nodded.

"I did. My mother used to make a big feast. Turkey, ham, everything."

"Do you miss it?"

Jasper shook his head and leaned in closer to me.

"I hated being around the entire family for hours on in. I would have much rather been off reading a book somewhere. If you were there however, that might have given me some incentive to come out of my room."

He pecked my cheek as I grinned widely before pulling on his hand.

"Come on," I said. "Let's pretend like it's Thanksgiving."

Jasper and I set off through the trees again. We were looking for nothing in particular now, just for something that would keep us full.

"Any luck on the flashes?" Jasper asked.

"No," I murmured. "But I want to go try one more time with Riley."

Jasper watched me carefully for a moment.

"I don't think there's much else you can say now."

"Victoria's plans are becoming quite clear," I told him. "I see the newborns coming into the field. Riley is a part of them, but Victoria isn't."

"She's going to be looking for Bella," Jasper said.

"Yes,"I said, "and she's hoping that they'll die in the battle."

"And you want to warn Riley?"

"I don't know what I'm trying to do," I admitted. "I just think that it's horrible that he's going to be the one to pay the price for Victoria's actions. He doesn't realize that we aren't the enemy."

"But to him we are," Jasper said.

I sighed.

"They don't know any better."

"But we can't teach them any different," Jasper said. "They'll always remember what they were taught. Fight for the biggest red."

Jasper's stony face watched me carefully, and when my eyes met his, his eyes seemed to soften some.

"Ali," he whispered. "I know you want to see the good in these newborns. But you have to look at this how it is. They are going to kill us if we don't kill them."

"I know," I said, "I just hoped that maybe we could avoid a fight."

"You know more than anyone that that's not an option we have."

He was right. I did know that. He was also right about what would happen if we decided not to fight them. The newborns would still come, and we would die. There was no other option. This decision was set in stone, and therefore there were no other ways that the future would go. There were outcomes to the future, sure, but there was no other future. The battle was coming whether I was ready or not.

"Focus, Alice," Jasper said, breaking me away from my thoughts. "It's going to be okay. For now just focus on the hunt."

I nodded, and followed him through the woods.

The day seemed to pass quickly. After the sun had set, we met back up with Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie to take a break. I laid against a tree with my eyes closed, focusing on the flickering visions that seemed to be becoming slightly clearer as I focused on them.

"Alice?" Jasper murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Is everything okay? What are you looking for?"
"The flickering," I said. My voice sounded far away. "I think it's starting to become clear now."

It was becoming clearer. The more I focused on it, the more I could make out minor details. Then suddenly, all at once, the vision hit me.

Edward and Bella were in his room laying on the bed. They were talking in quiet voices despite the quiet house.

"Do you mind if I do something?" Edward asked.

"Anything you want."

Edward moved away from Bella, sliding off the bed.

"Anything but that," Bella whined.

Edward chuckled and pulled her off the bed with him.

"Now, I want to do this right. Please,please, keep in mind that you've already agreed to this, and don't ruin it for me." Edward got down on one knee and looked up at Bella. "Isabella Swan?" I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," Bella whispered.

"Thank you."

Edward grinned and slid the ring onto her finger. As it caught the light, it shined brightly, much like our skin.

The scene changed. I could see the Mercedees speeding down a long road. Edward and Bella were inside talking.

After a moment, a sign flew by that said: Oregon thanks you, come back soon.

"Do you think they'll understand?" Bella asked.

"Everyone else will. But Alice…Alice is Alice. She'll be mad, but she'll just have to learn to get over it."

"I just don't want a big wedding."

"I understand," Edward said. "I really do. You want to do this in Vegas, so we'll do it in Vegas. I don't care as long as we leave here married."

Bella smiled as Edward took her hand, resting them on his leg.

Jasper's face was the first thing I saw when the vision faded away.

"Al?" Jasper asked. "What is it?"

"The flickers," I murmured. "The vision finally came through for it."

"Really?" Jasper asked. "What is it? Is it the army?"

"No, it's Edward and Bella," I said. "Edward's proposed. Bella said yes. They've decided they want it to be done before the summer is out."

I looked down at my legs as the others cheered.

"That's great news!" Esme cheered. "We've got so much to do if we're going to have it done by the end of the summer. Dress, flowers, the cake."

"That's the thing," I said, looking up at them with sad eyes. "We aren't invited."

"What?" Carlisle asked with a slight frown.
"They've decided to run off to Vegas. Alone."

"Well I suppose that it's their decision to make," Carlisle said, 'and we have to respect it."

Despite the words, I could hear a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"Wait for Edward to say something to you," I said. "I'm sure he wants to tell you himself."

The others nodded.

It did hurt that I wouldn't be going to Edward's wedding. Edward and I probably weren't as close as we were when Jasper and I got married, but I didn't think that we had drifted so far that he didn't want me to be at his wedding. Maybe he heard a thought from Jasper or myself about us leaving as soon as we were done here in Forks. But that wouldn't explain why the others weren't coming. Carlisle and Esme especially.

"Don't be sad, sweetheart," Jasper murmured, kissing my cheek. "You can talk to Bella when we get home. Maybe you can change her mind."

Judging by a quick look into Jasper's thoughts, he was thinking the same thing I was. That even if the rest of us weren't there, Carlisle and Esme, and Renée and Charlie should at least be there.

I laid my head on Jasper's shoulder and shook my head.

"The decisions been made."

Jasper frowned.

"You know better than anybody that decisions can be changed."

"Maybe so," I said. "But all this is going to do is start a fight with Edward."

Jasper sighed.
"That's probably true."

"Well I guess I'll never know until I try."

"You could always guilt trip her," Rosalie said.

"Rosalie!" Esme said. "That's not nice! It's Edward and Bella's decision if they want a wedding or not and if they want us there or not."

"I'm still going to try," I grinned.

We all split up again close to a half an hour later. Jasper and I broke off from the others, heading East. .

"Hey Al?"

"Hmm?" I asked.

"I've been thinking about what you and Dumbledore were talking about. About us leaving?"

"Oh, really?"

Jasper nodded.

"I've been thinking, and I don't think it's a bad idea."

I gave him a small smile.

"I'm thinking the same thing."

Jasper sighed and pulled me into a hug.

"I don't think we should keep it from them, Alice," Jasper said. "As soon as the fight is over, I think we should tell them."

I nodded.

"As soon as the fight is over we'll tell them, everyone in England, MACUSA."

"They have to know?"

I nodded.

"My wand permit will be removed, and placed in a seperate file for if I come to visit America then Kingsley will have to know I'm coming back."

Jasper nodded.

"Looks like there's a lot to plan," Jasper said with a weak smile.

Hey guys! So if I had thought about the chapter lengths, I would have uploaded this chapter with the last one, but I didn't think about this. I am not going to talk much about Alice and Jasper leaving the Cullens at this time, but over the next several chapters, it will be talked about. I'm not saying when they leave or anything of that sort. It's all going to be a surprise for you. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!

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