DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Except for this Hufflepuff coffee mug. That's mine, and not even smeyer and her lawyers can take it away from me, because I know she's not a Hufflepuff. That iron bitch is a Slytherin through and through (sorry Slytherins).
As always, I am indebted to NeedMoreZzz's for knowing where to place a semicolon and where not to. Her story On the Run is starting to pick up! If you like this, you're likely to enjoy that, too.
Speaking of owing people things, if you've read/commented/favorited/lost sleep/stayed in quarantine reading this, you have my undying love and gratitude. There are no words to express how full my heart is every time I post another chapter and see the response. The only way to describe it would be to show you the happy dance I've been doing, which is embarrassing and really shows off how I have no fucking rhythm. Disgraceful, I know, but it's so hard to contain oneself when your heart overflows with love.
Having said that, if you have any qualms/concerns/thoughts/smeyer rants/general inquiries/Gaelic hymns/prophetic visions/insights into human nature/woodworking tips/corrections/court jester anecdotes/etc. by all means, share them! I read them all and reply if I can.
XXXIII
Despite her concerns, Bella was able to perch herself snugly between my shoulder blades, and her fists balled up around the hair on my neck kept her from falling off. We arrived at the clearing last. I padded up next to Sam to let Bella down, then stared across the clearing at our new allies.
I got a better look at the leeches now.
As if seeing them from ten points of view all at once wasn't enough, they were lined up neatly in a V-formation across the middle of the clearing. I recognized Carlisle at the spear point and Jasper beside him, then noted Edward and Alice on the far ends. Bella filled me in on the others' names by whispering in my ear once we were close enough for her to see.
"The big one with the dark curly hair standing next to Carlisle is Emmett," she explained. "And the blonde super-model next to him is Rosalie. They're married now, I think. And the one with the caramel hair is Esme, she's Carlisle's wife. She made me Italian food once," she added wistfully.
Was there any garlic in it? Paul wondered.
Shh, Sam hissed, stepping forward from our loose grouping.
Carlisle took a slow, deliberate step forward. It was a careful movement, by a practiced diplomat.
"Welcome," he greeted us.
Thank you, Sam responded, eyeing the mind-reader. We will watch and listen, but no more. That is the most we can ask of our self-control.
Edward relayed the message word-for-word, but his voice couldn't match the power Sam's had, like a roll of thunder cracking the earth open.
"That is more than enough," Carlisle answered. "As you know, my son Jasper" – he gestured to where the tall vampire stood, tensed and ready – "has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."
What are their numbers now? Sam wondered.
Once Edward translated, Carlisle nodded. "Tonight, their numbers stand at twenty. Ten for us, ten for you – it shouldn't be difficult. The numbers may go down. The new ones fight amongst themselves."
A rumble passed down the line of wolves, a low growling mutter of enthusiasm with no words attached.
We are willing to take more than our share, if necessary, Sam summarized.
Carlisle smiled. "We'll see how it plays out."
Do you know when and how they'll arrive?
"They'll come across the mountains in three days, in the late morning. As they approach, Alice will help us intercept their path."
Thank you for the information. We will watch. Sam nodded towards the vampires, then laid down with a huff.
The pack sighed, following Sam's lead and lying on the ground one at a time.
This might take a while, Leah grumbled, rolling her eyes. If it's anything like that first meeting.
It was silent for two heartbeats, and then Jasper took a step into the empty space between the vampires and the wolves. His skin was bright against the dark, pale moonlight. He threw a wary glance toward Edward, who nodded, and then Jasper turned his back to the werewolves. His shoulders heaved with a sigh, clearly uncomfortable.
"They'll fight like children." Jasper spoke only to the vampires, ignoring his audience. "The two most important things you'll need to remember are, first, don't let them get their arms around you, and, second, don't go for the obvious kill. That's all they'll be prepared for. As long as you come at them from the side and keep moving, they'll be too confused to respond effectively. Emmett?"
The big one Bella had pointed to earlier stepped out of the line with a huge smile. Jasper backed toward the north end of the opening between the allied enemies. He waved Emmett forward.
"Okay, Emmett first. He's the best example of a newborn attack."
Emmett's eyes narrowed. "I'll try not to break anything," he muttered.
Jasper grinned. "What I meant is that Emmett relies on his strength. He's very straightforward about the attack. The newborns won't be trying anything subtle, either. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett." Jasper backed up a few more paces, his body tensing. "Okay, Emmett – try to catch me."
Jasper was a blur as Emmett charged him like a bear, grinning while he snarled. Emmett was fast, don't get me wrong, but not like Jasper. It looked like Jasper had no more substance than a ghost – any time it seemed Emmett's big hands had him for sure, his fingers clenched around nothing but the air. We were all leaning forward intently, eyes locked on the brawl, when Emmett froze.
Jasper had him from behind, his teeth an inch from his throat.
"Fuck," Emmett hissed.
A rumble of laughter bubbled in the wolves, turning into muttered guffaws.
"Again," Emmett insisted, his smile gone.
"It's my turn," Edward protested.
At the sound of his voice, Bella stiffened beside me. The arm she had wrapped around my neck tightened. I rested my head in her lap, enjoying the way she ran her hands through my fur.
Focus, Jacob, Sam ordered.
"In a minute," Jasper replied to Edward. "I want to show Bella something first."
Bella watched with anxious eyes as he waved Alice forward.
"I know you worry about her," he explained as she danced blithely into the ring. "I want to show you why that's not necessary."
My eyes narrowed as I watched him sink into a crouch facing the tiny spiky-haired psychic. Bella liked that one especially, I'd noticed. I swallowed the jealous bile racing up my throat.
Jasper shifted forward, then slinked to her left. Alice stood motionlessly, looking tiny as a doll after Emmett, smiling to herself. Alice closed her eyes, and Bella's heart thumped unevenly as Jasper stalked towards where Alice stood.
Jasper sprang, landing just on the other side of Alice, who had taken a step to the right just before he leaped. Jasper wheeled and launched himself at her again, only to land in a crouch behind her; all the while Alice stood smiling with her eyes closed.
She took a small step forward at the exact second that Jasper's body flew through the spot where she'd just been standing. She took another step, while Jasper's grasping hands whistled past where her waist was. Jasper closed in, and Alice began to move faster. She was dancing – spiraling and twisting and curling in on herself. Jasper was her partner, lunging, reaching through her graceful patterns, never touching her, like every movement was choreographed.
Wonder how many times they've practiced this, Paul muttered impatiently.
I don't see how this is going to help us, Embry grumbled.
Finally, Alice laughed. Out of nowhere she was perched on Jasper's back, her lips at his neck.
"Gotcha," she said, and kissed his throat.
Jasper chuckled, shaking his head. "You truly are one frighteningly little monster."
UGH! Gross, Leah barked.
Ditto, Paul agreed.
Seriously, why are we here?
So you don't underestimate our opponents, Sam growled, thoughts wary.
"It's good for them to learn some respect," Edward murmured, amused. "My turn."
I growled. Watch it, mind-reader.
To our collective surprise, Alice glided up cautiously beside Bella, and took a place sitting next to her on the mossy ground. I unwillingly slumped out from under Bella's arm and turned to focus on the sparring vampires.
But I couldn't help listening.
"Cool, huh?" Alice asked Bella, her voice smug.
"Very," she agreed.
Edward had taken his place opposite Jasper. He slunk noiselessly forward, his movements lithe and watchful as a jungle cat.
"I've got my eye on you, Bella," Alice suddenly whispered, so low I almost didn't catch it.
Edward was intent on Jasper, both of them feinting as he closed the distance. I strained to hear the rest of Alice's hushed whisper.
"I'll warn him if your plans get any more defined," she threatened reproachfully. "It doesn't help anything for you to put yourself in danger. Do you think either of them would give up if you died? They'd still fight, we all would. You can't change anything, so just be good, okay?"
Bella didn't respond, but I thought I caught a flicker of a grimace on her face in my peripheral vision.
"I'm watching," Alice repeated.
Edward was closing in on Jasper now. This fight was more even than the first one. Jasper had however-many-odd years of experience, and by how fast he was moving he had to be relying mostly on instinct, but his thoughts always gave him away a fraction of a second before he acted. Edward was slightly faster, I noticed with disdain, but the moves Jasper used were unfamiliar to him. They came at each other again and again, neither one able to gain the advantage, instinctive snarls erupting constantly.
The wolves and I watched on, adrenaline pumping in our veins. It was not an everyday occurrence to see a vampire and try not to kill it. But here we were, watching the bloodthirsty leeches we had learned to hate go at each other's throats, expected to just lay here and watch. I longed to join in the fight. I kept thinking, let me in, coach, I'm ready to play, and eventually it turned into a snippet of a song one of us had heard at some point, becoming in the end an annoying, endless loop echoing around in my skull as everyone simultaneously got one line of a sung stuck in our heads.
Eventually, Carlisle cleared his throat. Jasper laughed, and took a step back. Edward straightened up and grinned at him, then shot a sympathetic look over at the wolves.
Mind-readers must hear a lot of annoying bits of songs, Leah sneered, indignant towards his pity.
"Back to work," Jasper said. "We'll call it a draw."
Things went quicker now that they had gotten past all the leeches with extra abilities. The rest all took turns, starting with Carlisle, then Rosalie, Esme, and Emmett again. Then the bloodsucker slowed down, giving more instruction.
"You see what I'm doing here?" He kept asking.
"Yes, just like that," he encouraged when Rosalie effectively blocked his attack and appeared with her teeth about to sink into one of the scars on his neck.
"Concentrate on the sides. Don't forget where their target will be. Keep moving."
Edward – the bloodsucker whom I hated on principle and ignored only for Bella's sake – kept glancing over to the wolves, reacting to the merged stream of consciousness that threw us all for a loop. Between half of us paying attention, and the other half goofing around while keeping tabs through other eyes, things were a bit cluttered.
Hard to make sense of, I guess, Paul thought.
You get used to it, Quil replied. I don't mind not having to talk. Speeds things up a bit.
Some of us think before we speak, Leah rebutted.
I was only half-watching, because it was very boring, and I hated every moment of this stupid meeting. My nose was burning, my eyelids felt like they'd been tied to ten-pound dumbbells, and I really wanted to jump into the fray, but Sam forbade any movement. The only reason I endured through the whole thing was because Bella nestled into my side, sighing as she pressed her frozen fingers into my fur.
After hurling Emmett into a fifty-foot spruce tree and splitting it in half like a pencil, Jasper concluded the teaching session by turning to face us for the first time, looking like he was clenching his asshole tight enough to make a diamond.
"We'll be doing this again tomorrow," he said in a disturbingly cool, serene voice. "Please feel welcome to observe again."
The welcome was not evident in his tone, but Sam replied diplomatically.
Yes, we'll be here.
Oh, hey, can we get a sniff of 'em?
Excuse me?
Sam raised his eyebrows at Seth, as if the young boy had asked him to jump in a dumpster.
To get familiar with their scents – so we don't accidentally kill them, y'know, in the heat of the moment? Seth responded, unsure.
Sam rolled his eyes, but nodded, taking a step forward.
From across the field, Edward sighed and turned to his family. "The pack thinks it would be helpful to be familiar with each of our scents – so they don't make mistakes later. If we could hold very still, it will make it easier for them."
"Certainly," Carlisle said, looking at Sam. "Whatever you need."
There was a gloomy, throaty grumble from the wolf pack as we all rose to our feet. Bella's eyes were wide and bloodshot, exhaustion etched into her features. I nuzzled her neck before walking across the field to burn my nose.
The night was fading into sun-soaked clouds, though the light had not yet cleared the horizon, far away on the other side of the mountains. The hair on the back of my neck bristled as we approached the hoard of leeches.
Sam's heavy paws moved more slowly than usual. Instincts were battling with knowledge; the impulse to lunge forward and rip the bloodsucker's head off clawed at the whole pack. The empath must have felt our change of mood, since he stiffened. On the other side of Carlisle, the big one – Emmett – stood with his legs far apart, a relaxed grin on his face and a glimmer of mischief in his golden eyes.
Sam sniffed Carlisle, wincing. Then he moved onto Jasper.
It hurts, Seth whined as Sam moved down the line before he did and left him stranded between Carlisle and Jasper.
It was your idea, Sam replied, stopping to let the young boy catch up.
You listened to him, Leah reminded him, breaking the line to accompany her brother.
Single-file, we marched up to each Cullen and got a good whiff of their virulent stench. They were each slightly different, if you paid attention. Carlisle had a whiff of ammonia that reminded me of a hospital; Esme smelled like over-done caramel; Jasper's smell was slightly burnt, the way creosote lurks on the desert air; Emmett made me think of a fallen tree saturated in bleach; his mate – Rosalie, the super-model – had a hint of sickly-sweet bubblegum; Alice was the most unique, with a thick smell like a cloud of charred incense.
Edward was on the very end, his eyes fixed on Bella. When I approached him, I turned my head pointedly over to where she sat across the clearing. My muzzle fell open, pulling back over my teeth, tongue lolling out in a wolfy grin when our eyes met.
She giggled, face going red, and waved.
My grin grew bigger. I left my place in line to trot back over to her. I'd already gotten more than a whiff of Edward the other night, and I wasn't interested in paying him any more attention than strictly necessary.
I crouched down to let Bella climb on my back as the wolves backed away, not taking their eyes off the Cullens. I was getting ready to do the same when Edward interrupted.
"Wait!" He cried, crossing the field at a human pace.
What does he want? Quil wondered.
You want backup, Jake? Embry asked.
The two of them hesitated on the edge of the murky forest, their postures stiff with anxiety.
Probably wants to talk to Bella, I replied, rolling my eyes. Stick around just in case, though.
"Have you figured out where Bella will be during the fight?" Edward asked, stopping ten feet away from me.
I growled. That's none of your business.
"It's more complicated than that," Edward said. "You don't have to concern yourself, if it's too difficult. I can make sure she's safe." He grinned lopsidedly.
My eyebrows narrowed, lips pulling back in a snarl. It's gonna be like that, huh?
"What are you saying?" Bella whispered in my ear, feeling my shoulders tense beneath her.
"Just discussing strategy," Edward responded for me.
That's it, I thought, bolting for the woods. Embry and Quil followed.
"Jake!" Bella exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of my fur to keep herself upright. "Where are you going?"
I stopped just inside the protective barrier of trees, then leaned down to let Bella off. Without waiting for her to turn around, I shifted, enjoying how hot her face got at my nakedness.
"It's nothing you haven't seen before," I reminded her.
Bella shook her head, looking pointedly at Embry. "I would ask if he's always like this, but I already know," she said.
Embry chuckled, then he and Quil disappeared into the green underbrush.
I pulled on the black pair of sweatpants tied to my ankle wire, then grabbed Bella's hand. "I wanted to be able to talk for myself. Do you want to me to bring you home first?" I asked, noticing how she swayed on her feet.
"No, I want to know what you two were saying to each other," she insisted weakly. Her eyes closed heavily, then opened up wide.
"You're dead on your feet, Bells," I said, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.
She leaned into my side, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I want to be with you," she hummed, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of it than me.
"Okay," I murmured, leading us back out to the clearing.
Edward was closer now; the rest of the Cullens stood on the other edge of the clearing, talking quietly in a loose circle. I stopped us a few feet away, not trusting myself to stay human any closer.
"Okay, bloodsucker," I sneered. "What's so complicated about it?"
"You're not considering every possibility," Edward said. "What if someone gets by you?"
I snorted at the idea. "Okay, so we'll leave her on the reservation. We're making the boys stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there."
Bella scowled. "I'm right here," she said in an indignant tone.
"You can't stay in Forks, Bella." Edward's voice was pacifying. "They know to look for you there. What if someone slips by us during the fight?"
Bella's face went completely white, and she gripped my hand tighter, looking up at me with wide, panic-stricken eyes. "Charlie?" She gasped.
"He'll be with Billy," I assured her quickly. "If my dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he'll do it. It probably won't take that much. It's this Saturday, right? There's a game."
"This Saturday?" Her mouth gaped open, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Well, crap! There goes your present."
"My present?" I asked, surprised.
"I got us tickets to – " she began, then glanced quickly over at Edward, then back at me, and continued in a lower voice, "There's this concert in Seattle on Saturday that I got us tickets for. I had a plan… to thank you for the bracelet." she mumbled, looking at me meaningfully, in a way that sent a shiver down my spine.
"I'd love to hear what your plan was, sometime," I whispered, then continued normally. "You can always give the tickets to someone else."
Inspiration lit up her tired expression. "Emily and Kim," she decided. "At least that will get them out of town."
I squeezed her hand. "You can't evacuate everyone," I whispered softly.
"Hiding you is just a precaution." Edward interjected. "We won't have a problem with the newborns. There won't be enough of them to keep us entertained," he added, shooting her a smile full of blinding white teeth.
Her face got red, and she looked down at her feet again.
"We can keep her safe in La Push," I insisted, impatient.
"She's been back and forth too much," Edward said. "She's left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young vampires coming on the hunt, but Victoria obviously created them. This could all be a distraction. Alice will see if she decides to look herself, but we could be very busy at the time that decision is made. Maybe she's counting on that. We can't leave her somewhere she's been frequently. She has to be hard to find, just in case. It's a very long shot, but I'm not willing to take any chances. Are you?" His smile became taunting.
He looked over to Bella with a warmer, more charming smile. "Just being overcautious," he promised.
I ignored his provoking words. I knew what he was trying to do – get me to throw the first punch. I wouldn't do that – not in front of Bella, at least.
Instead of going for his throat, I gestured to the deep forest east of us, the vast expanse of the Olympic Mountains.
"So we'll hide her here," I suggested. "There's a million possibilities – places either one of us could be in just a few minutes if there's a need."
Edward shook his head. "Her scent is too strong. Even if I carried her," he said, ignoring how I bristled at the image of him holding her. "It would leave a trail. Our trace is all over the range, but in conjunction with Bella's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure exactly which path they'll take, because they don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us…"
Both of us grimaced at the same time, eyebrows pulling together.
"You see the difficulties."
"There has to be a way to make it work," I muttered, glaring toward the forest with pursed lips.
Bella sighed and leaned into my chest. I put my arm around her waist, pulling her closer and supporting her weight. "I should bring you home – you're exhausted. And Charlie will be waking up soon… Wait a sec!" I exclaimed.
I wheeled back to face the leech. "My scent disgusts you, right?"
"Hmm, not bad." Edward was two steps ahead. "It's possible." He turned towards the other Cullens. "Jasper?" He called.
Jasper looked up curiously. He walked over with Alice a half step behind. Her face was puckered up in frustration.
"Okay, Jacob." Edward nodded.
I smiled down at Bella. "Mind if I carry you?"
She shook her head, eyes closed.
I reached down and yanked her up into my arms, bouncing her a little when I miscalculated how much – or rather, how little – she weighed.
She gasped, eyes flying open. "Are you guys going to play ball with me or something?" She asked sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes, a grin pulling on my lips. "Don't be such a baby. We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail," I explained.
Both our eyes flickered to Edward at the same time. His face was composed and smooth, but I didn't trust it. He turned to speak to Jasper.
"Bella's scent is so much more potent to me – I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried."
I turned away from them and paced swiftly into the woods. We were both silent as the dark forest closed around us. Bella still didn't know how the woods looked at night; it was probably too dark for her to see the green leaves glowing in the sparse light filtering through the canopy, and her human ears might not have been sensitive enough to hear the frogs croaking amidst the gurgle of a nearby stream, but I relished the stillness and peace the woods afforded us. If only for a few moments, we were completely alone in the sleeping wilderness, so I slowed down to a human pace to try and prolong the moment.
We didn't go far; I made a wide arc and came back into the clearing from the west, half a football field away from our original departure point. Edward was right where we left him, standing alone, as I made my way towards him.
Jasper and Alice appeared beside Edward like phantoms. I took one more step, then set Bella down half a dozen feet away. She took my hand, then looked over towards Alice.
"Well?" She asked expectantly.
"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent," Jasper said, grimacing. "It was almost completely obscured."
"A definite success," Alice chirped, wrinkling her nose.
"And it gave me an idea."
"Which will work," Alice added confidently.
"Clever," Edward agreed.
"How did you stand that?" I muttered to Bella.
Edward ignored me and looked at Bella as he explained. "We're – well, you're – going to leave a false trail to the clearing, Bella. They'll be looking for my smell with yours, so I'll lead you there. The newborns are hunting, your scent will excite them, and they'll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work. When they catch our scent, they'll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears…"
"Yes!" I hissed before I could stop myself.
Edward smiled, true camaraderie beaming from his face. I was momentarily surprised before his face fell in a scowl and he turned to his brother.
"Not a chance," he spat.
Bella jumped next to me, and I wrapped my arm around her waist.
"I know, I know," Jasper said quickly. "I didn't even consider it, not really."
Alice stepped on his foot, looking up at him, annoyed. She must have hated not being in on the secret just as much as I did.
"If Bella was actually there in the clearing, it would drive them insane." He explained to her. "They wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but her. It would make picking them off truly easy…"
The combined glare of Edward and I had Jasper backtracking. "Of course it's too dangerous for her. It was just an errant thought." He said quickly, but I thought I caught his eyes glancing over to Bella wistfully.
"No," I said. My voice rang with finality, and a subtle edge I had only heard once before – when Sam had suggested the same thing.
"You're right," Jasper said. He took Alice's hand and stared back to the others. "Best two out of three?" I heard him ask her as they went to practice again.
I stared after him in disgust.
"Jasper looks at things from a military perspective," Edward quietly defended his brother. "He looks at all the options – it's thoroughness, not callousness."
I snorted. I'd heard that before.
I had edged closer unconsciously, drawn in by my absorption in the planning. We stood only three feet from Edward now, and there was a physical tension in the air. Like static, an uncomfortable charge generated by the friction between us.
Edward, sensing my discomfort, got back to business. "Bring her here Friday afternoon to lay the false trail. I'll meet you. Then you can carry her to a place I know, in the east, on the mountain. Completely out of the way, and easily defensible, not that it will come to that. I'll take another route there."
"And then what? Leave her with a cell phone?" I asked critically.
"You have a better idea?"
I grinned, smug. "Actually, I do."
"Oh… Again, dog, not bad at all."
I turned back to Bella to explain. "We tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the other boys. He's still too young, but he's stubborn and he's resisting. So I thought of a new assignment for him – cell phone."
Bella stared up at me, eyebrows raised dubiously.
"As long as Seth is in his wolf form, he'll be connected to the pack," I reminded her.
"Distance isn't a problem?" Edward interjected.
"Nope."
"Three hundred miles?" Edward asked. "That's impressive."
"That's the farthest we're ever gone to experiment," I explained again. This guy was not very considerate of those who couldn't read minds. "Still clear as a bell."
Bella nodded absently, eyes distant and thoughtful.
"It's a good idea," Edward admitted reluctantly. "I'll feel better with Seth there, even without the instantaneous communication. I don't know if I'd be able to leave Bella there alone. To think it's come to this, though! Trusting werewolves!" His tone was mocking.
My nose wrinkled up in disgust. "Fighting with vampires instead of against them!"
"Well, you still get to fight against some of them," Edward said.
I smiled, showing my teeth. "That's why we're here."