A/N for 2020-01-31: This chapter is rather long. I won't apologize for that, but "the chapter that never seems to end" was a real contender for the title (credit goes to my beta for the actual title!). I hope you consider it worth the wait. On a related note, though, my beta and I have noticed that many reviewers tend to comment on things that happen in the latter parts of chapters. Feel free to comment widely. Reader reaction fascinates us both!
Finally: I struggle to adequately quantify or describe what my beta does, but suffice it to say, without her, this story would be miles away from where it is. Thank you, Eeyorefan12.
Erin
Sam had given Edward permission to drive Bella to Billy's the morning of the expected battle, telling him he'd be getting the younger wolves there early and making sure they understood what they were to do. The less-than-subtle subtext was that Sam would also make sure Edward left the Quileute lands, too. While other wolves had shadowed Edward and his human family's arrival on the reservation, they had done so out of sight.
Pulling another bag out of the car, Edward deposited this on the porch of Billy's house, loathe to rush through these last, normal steps before the day took on a shape he could only hope for. He pretended to search for something in the bag, listening to the sounds in the house, listening for the sound of Bella. She had been uneasy about spending the day with Billy, though she had hidden it well enough. In the past, she had blamed herself for Jacob's death, and Billy hadn't done much to persuade her otherwise afterwards. Still, Edward knew Billy felt more pity than anger for Bella, most of his ill-will saved for the Cullens and all others of their kind.
Edward didn't blame him; the man had cause. If the Cullens hadn't returned to Forks, Jacob never would have become a wolf, and would likely have gone on to live a full and normal life.
There was no changing the past, though, and if all went as planned today, Edward would be contributing to a far more peaceful future than the Quileutes had known for several years.
Charlie's mind, when they arrived, was understandably subdued, given the grief he still endured, but he was well-versed in the art of compartmentalizing his feelings. Edward watched him show interest in Josh and Meredith's excitement about their fishing trip with him and their 'Uncle' Billy. Despite his role as host, Billy Black had yet to emerge from the house, and Edward could hear in the man's thoughts the hope that Edward would leave soon. With all the energy it took for Charlie to focus on Meredith and Josh, he didn't seem to notice that his future son-in-law and closest friend had not yet interacted.
Out of habit, Edward continued to take the temperature of all the minds around him, trying not to take offense at the inappropriate thoughts one of Sam's newest pack-mates was having about Bella and what his adolescent mind considered the positive physical manifestations of her pregnancy. Inside the house, Billy had casually introduced Victor and Tony to Charlie and then to Bella as 'relations'. Charlie hadn't batted an eye at the vague consanguinity, apparently accustomed to Billy's expansive definition of family.
For all that he hated to be parted from Bella and the children, Edward needed to leave soon. He worried that he would either lose his resolve to make his farewells without any sign of anxiety, or be tempted to teach the young werewolf Tony about what was, and what was not appropriate to think about the woman whose life you were guarding.
Billy had set the two hulking youths to work splitting and stacking wood by the far side of the house. They were fifteen and fourteen, respectively, but had the physiques of grown men. Only the puppy fat in their cheeks marked them as adolescents. Josh, who had immediately been fascinated by these older boys, now stood watching them intently from the corner of Billy's porch. Edward had pointed to the axe they were wielding and quietly explained how dangerous it was. The boys had wrinkled their noses in Edward's direction, otherwise pretending to be absorbed by their work. Edward had asked Josh to stay on the narrow porch until another adult could accompany him any closer and the little boy had nodded solemnly. He had tested Edward on such fronts before, but his small mind was perceptive. He knew today was different somehow, and he was determined to please Edward with this small obedience.
Victor glanced up as Edward made another trip from the car to the house, depositing a small bag of toys for Josh by the steps. The young werewolf's thoughts ran to play, and then to what he imagined the coming battle would be like—picturing the play-fights he and his pack-mates often engaged in. Then he considered the more serious, if necessarily hasty training Jasper had led them in. There was envy for Victor's older friends, who he imagined were off to have a good time.
Edward's gut twisted, thinking of the fate his family's arrival had thrust upon these boys, for they truly were children yet if this is what they thought a battle was. His shift in feeling didn't make him feel any less like his future wife was somehow a poker chip in the bargain they'd made with Sam, but he did appreciate more deeply Sam's desire to protect these youngest pack members, if only from their own youthful misapprehensions.
The other boy, Tony, was focused on the wood still needing splitting, his thoughts scattered between the work at hand, and his grisly speculations about what he and Victor might have to do, should their older counterparts fail. He recalled the maneuvers they'd been taught, trying to catalogue it all in his mind, labelling each of the steps they'd broken down as a pack. He was obviously overwhelmed by the thought of having to defend so many people. The faces of the children and Bella and Billy and Charlie flew in his thoughts. His aim with the axe went wide and Edward knew its trajectory would bring the sharp and heavy head into the boy's leg. He didn't think before he found himself beside Tony, his sure hand gripping the axe handle just beside the boy's.
"Shit!" Tony cried, jumping back from Edward's touch. His tall form shuddered, but didn't shift. Behind him, Victor paused, arms full of freshly-cut wood, a steady tremble in his body making the pieces rattle.
Left holding the axe, Edward tapped it into the stump and stepped back. The last thing he needed was to have one of these boys shift.
He spoke softly and quietly so only they could hear. "If it comes to a fight in defending them, it won't be that part of your mind that serves you. Trust your instincts. You are the heirs of Ephraim Black, and you are ready to do what you've been called to do." They were young enough that such words could make or break them. And he needed to make them the men they were not yet.
Each nodded solemnly if a little shakily. They might not trust him not to kill them, but they believed his eloquent flattery.
Tony's cheeks reddened. The pack had been told that Edward could read minds, but he hadn't quite believed it. Now he was uncomfortably aware of the fact that Edward must have heard his earlier thoughts.
"Such things may be forgivable," Edward said quietly, but with enough of an edge to be a warning.
"Thanks for helping Billy out," Sam Uley's voice called to the boys. He was striding towards the house from the treeline. His house was on the other side of the woods, not a short ways, but enough that a human wouldn't think much of his appearance.
"Hi Sam," Charlie called from the porch.
Edward nodded at Sam before turning back to the house. Bella had emerged and was walking towards him. Her face was noticeably pink and damp, the evidence of recent tears hastily washed away.
"It's getting late," she said breathily.
Alice hadn't seen exactly when Victoria's army would attack, but the sun was several hours higher in her visions. Still, they weren't taking any chances with missing an opportunity to corral the newborns into a space away from the town.
"Yes, it is," he agreed. His hand had snatched at hers, holding it too tightly. But there would be no desperate goodbye here. He'd promised himself that. He wouldn't leave her with the taste of the fear that sat on his tongue.
"So, sundae's later, hey?" Bella said, picking a piece of lint off of his shirt. She released the spec, and the wind caught it. They watched it sail away on the breeze that tugged at her loose hair. The same air wound her scent around him, and he inhaled and exhaled carefully.
"Sundaes," he promised.
Her gaze found his and she nodded. "Good. I'm holding you to it." Then she pulled her hand away and turned to walk less confidently back to the porch, calling out to Charlie, "We should get going, if we're going to get a good spot by the river." Her voice quavered in a way that few others would notice. But he did.
"Yep, sure," Charlie said. He waved at Edward. "See you later, Edward. You too, Sam."
Charlie thought Sam was catching a ride into town with Edward, who would be busy packing up the house in preparation for the move back to Vancouver.
After the briefest of waves to Charlie, Edward turned and walked towards his car before his resolve could break. He wanted to snatch up the woman and children he loved and run.
Rounding the corner to where the car was parked, he gritted out a, "Let's go," to Sam, who was waiting for him, leaning on the hood.
"No problem," Sam muttered.
But before they moved to their respective doors, Edward turned to face Sam, close enough to easily reach him, but keeping his hands to himself. "I want to be very clear: I expect to find Bella and her children in the same or better condition than they are at this moment."
Sam scowled at Edward, his thoughts bitter. We're all leaving people behind that we love. And not all of them are so well-guarded.
"Or kept hostage," Edward countered. He didn't expound upon what would happen if he found Bella and the children had been mistreated or stressed in any way. What Sam was imagining would suffice.
Edward's words prompted Sam to leave final, and softly mumbled instructions to his youngest packmates, "Remember what I told you."
The boys' thoughts indicated that Sam had warned them adequately.
Edward slipped into the car, waiting until Sam had buckled himself in before turning the ignition over roughly, shoving the car into gear and beginning the drive back towards the house. He would park there and continue on foot. If all went according to plan, Charlie would drive Bella and the children to his house by the end of the afternoon. Victor and Tony had been told to incapacitate Charlie's car if they or Bella didn't receive the all-clear by then. Not that Bella and the children would necessarily be safer on the reservation, but they would at least be further away from any vampires that might have escaped the Cullens.
At the Cullens' house, Sam disappeared into the trees to deal with tying his shorts to his leg before reappearing in wolf form a moment later.
Don't flatter yourself that I enjoy your company, but I'm sticking with you until this is done.
"As it suits you," Edward said. "Just don't get in my way. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." He let Sam determine the sincerity of his words as he turned and ran, allowing himself only a moment of smugness as Sam struggled to keep up. They all needed to put pettiness aside for now and focus on their common enemy.
Assembled in two groups, one on the east, and one on the west, the other Cullens and the wolves waited. Edward's and Sam's arrival was their cue to split further and spread out. Armed with Bella's blood, Carlisle went first, leaving a trail of droplets from the north and the east, the likeliest directions from which the newborns would arrive.
Edward paired with Alice, moving both of them as far away from the wolves as possible so that she had a chance to use her gift. They were almost to Port Angeles when Alice began to catch future flickers of red-eyed bodies hurtling through the woods.
"I see," Edward whispered, texting the other Cullens, who were each within ear-shot of wolves. "Where do we tighten up?" He knew it was far-fetched for Alice to pinpoint something in this terrain, but there was a chance.
She shook her head, frowning. Nothing yet.
Minutes later, the buzzing of Carlisle's text seemed to ricochet off the trees around them. He'd shared his coordinates. Alice and Edward bolted in the direction given.
The trees were nothing but blurs as they ran, Edward's gut roiling with an explosion of fear and whatever the equivalent of vampire adrenaline was. He heard the wild thoughts before he saw their backs ahead of him, the wind carrying the oblivious newborns' scents towards him and Alice.
His fear receded when he caught sight in the distance of a thick mane of flaming red hair, curls fluttering in the wind as it ran towards the trap they had set: Victoria.
You are as good as dead, his thoughts promised her. The feeling was something like giddiness, as the anticipation gave way to action at long last.
The loop made by the wolves and Cullens tightened around the army with stunning precision. Edward was glad that the number they had estimated appeared correct—there couldn't be more than twenty or so. Made frantic by the smell of Bella's blood, the newborns hadn't yet realized they'd been herded into a trap. Several were foolish enough to think they had surprised their prey.
Before Edward could even reach the field, he watched Jasper dispatch one of the vampires, twisting off the man's head as he levied a kick towards another attacker. While the Cullens alone might be outnumbered, they had the advantage of expertise, and this was never so evident as with Jasper's efficient maneuvers. Once the wolves had joined the fray, it was clear their side would have the upper hand.
Hearing his assailant's thoughts before he saw him, Edward tackled the man that sprang from the treeline, bringing his teeth into his neck before they both hit the ground, severing the head neatly. He only glanced at the unfamiliar face before igniting a lighter and dropping it on the body.
Ahead, one of the wolves—Seth—had been tackled to the ground by a snarling blond vampire. His arms encircled Seth's midsection, and the wolf's voice was panicked and shrill with pain.
Edward leapt forward, jamming his shoulder into the blond's back. It was enough to loosen the vampire's grip, which let Edward yank back his arms and tear them from his body. Abruptly released, Seth fell to his side with a yowl, struggling to get his hindlegs under him, his forelegs limp and useless, as Edward finished dispatching his opponent.
Dropping another flaming lighter onto the remains of the second newborn, Edward quickly surveyed the field. Everyone was occupied with someone, the Cullens all capably so. He could see Sam dancing backwards and forwards with Victoria—and here his heart dropped, catching Sam's view. Not Victoria, but a look-alike. A decoy. Spreading his awareness around the field, Edward searched rapidly through all the eyes he could find. Emmett was handily engaged with two fighters at once, Esme and Carlisle were teamed up with another, Jasper and Alice were whirlwinds of activity, and Rose and two of the wolves had encircled another newborn . . . No Victoria. The bottom of his stomach seemed to fall out of him. The Cullens had thought they had set a trap themselves, but if Victoria wasn't here—
Edward's panic didn't have time to explode from its kernel-like state, because the owner of the next set of assailing thoughts was suddenly on him, pushing him to the ground, an anonymous pair of arms tightening around him like a vice. He and his attacker were face to face, all snapping teeth and hissing. He wrenched one arm free and suddenly recognized the man in front of him.
"Grant!" Edward gripped his face tightly in his hands, keeping the newborn's teeth away from his own neck with difficulty.
Grant hissed back at him, his red eyes narrowed with fury and bloodlust.
Hearing his intention to bite, Edward twisted to the side, using his body's momentum to reverse their positions. It jarred Grant's hold, which Edward quickly dislodged. He dropped to a crouch facing him, his eyes never leaving Grant's.
"I could have killed you, and I didn't. Think about that." Edward dodged Grant's next lunge, taking hold of the man's arms and twisting them behind his back, throwing him down and pinning him to the ground.
"You're a murderer!" Grant yelled at him.
"Absolutely, but not the kind you think," Edward said. Grant's strength was superior, but Edward's gift allowed him to anticipate his captive's movements. He pushed his knee into Grant's back, his weight securing part of his hold, the proximity of his teeth to Grant's neck doing the rest.
"I know what you do, and it's disgusting!" Grant was so full of his rage, he could barely form a coherent thought.
"I didn't kill you when I could have. I could do it easily right now, but you're still alive. Think about that."
Grant only growled in reply.
"I know you, Grant Wilson, and not because of the lies you've been told. You know me too—you saw me with Bella once at the school. Try to remember."
He pushed Grant further into the ground as Leah leapt over them both, coming to her brother's defense when another vampire charged at a still-incapacitated Seth. Edward watched her snap at and capture the attacker's neck, a screeching crack marking the severing of the head from its body.
Still guarding her brother, Leah turned to face Edward and made a low, bone-rattling growl in his and Grant's direction, incredulous that he hadn't yet killed him.
"He's Bella's friend," Edward explained quickly. "Or at least he was. I don't want to kill him unless we have to."
"Bella?" Grant asked.
"Yes, Bella. My mate."
"You turned her? She had kids—she was pregnant!" Grant roared, renewing his struggles.
"She is still pregnant and well, as are her children, being kept safely away from here, at least when I left her. Where is Victoria?"
Grant said nothing, but his thoughts revealed much: She'd told them she would scout out meals for them and then meet them near Port Angeles before they headed north.
As much as Edward wanted to believe what Grant obviously did, how could he trust anything Victoria said? She knew about his ability to read minds. Would she have told her newborns this to mislead him? Her absence vexed him almost beyond reason.
"Victoria's not here." Jasper announced to everyone from across the clearing. He directed his next thought just to Edward. Bella and the children? Has she gone after them?
With Jasper's verbal confirmation of her absence, Edward heard the same question echoed in the minds of his family. "Probably. . . yes," Edward responded, trying to control his panic and keep his mind on the task at hand. He scanned the field again, counting the quickly-diminishing enemy, the smoking piles and his family members. Seth was the only major casualty so far that he was aware of. "Alice, get as close to Bella as you can!" he said, still keeping hold of Grant.
We'll both go, Jasper thought to him.
Edward turned to Leah. "You understand how Alice works."
Leah's mind, and those of the pack members, answered in the affirmative.
"She needs to get close enough to do what Victor and Tony were doing." He narrowed his eyes at her to convey his thoughts, hoping fiercely that she understood without giving plans to Grant or any other enemy listening.
Leah did. She used her mind-link to communicate to the rest of the wolves. Sam, the boys need to back off when the little spitfire gets close. And she and her creepy husband need to go on the reservation, too.
If Edward weren't ready to explode with anxiety, he would have chanced a look at Alice to gauge her response to Leah's descriptions of them.
Sam's silent assent and instruction to his pack were synonymous.
"Go!" Edward urged his siblings.
Alice and Jasper were already whispers in the woods.
Edward's knee pressed further into Grant's back. It might have been unjustified, but they were still technically in the midst of battle, although the action was dwindling, and Grant hadn't yet surrendered to him. And until he did, Edward couldn't let him go or be free to get to his mate. His frustration was at the boiling point.
"You can be assured of Bella's well-being so long as she is far from Victoria. Not that you cared much for her when you were lusting after her blood." he hissed at the newborn beneath him.
"What does Victoria have to do with Bella?" Grant spat out dirt with his words. Edward maintained steely pressure on the man's back, teeth only a decision away from his neck.
"Her mate tried to kill Bella, so I destroyed him. Victoria wants revenge."
Grant's physical resistance had lessened, and Edward wondered if he was making some headway. The newborn's thoughts were fractured, jumping this way and that so quickly that it was hard to tell where he was focusing or what he believed.
His words, though, were logical ones. "I don't remember you. You could know about Bella because you've hunted her," Grant said. "It would explain her blood."
While Edward could see Grant was straining for the memory, it was unlikely he'd held onto it in his newborn state. Grant remembered Bella, but he would have only seen Edward for seconds, probably not long enough to retain the memory in his human mind, let alone his immortal one. His argument would need to be logical. "We knew your attack was coming and we prepared. We wanted Victoria's army off-kilter. Human blood is too hard for you to resist and Bella helped us to protect her children," Edward explained.
"How did you know our attack was coming?"
"Not relevant," Edward snarled, ready to be done with this
"She could be dead," Grant said. His thoughts became morose. He was beginning to remember Bella in a way that Edward did not appreciate, but could understand.
"She isn't dead. She's well. And if you agree to stand down, I can let you live and see proof of it."
His eyes and mind had not left off roaming the field as he tried to reason with Grant. They were down to four attackers, not including Grant, all of them more skilled fighters than the ones who'd earlier been dispatched but clearly about to be defeated. It was impossible to feel triumphant, or even relieved, with Victoria unaccounted for.
With a pang, Grant caught sight of Carlisle making what Edward knew could be a fatal tackle on the Victoria look-alike.
"Mary!" Grant croaked. His entire body winced, and a choked sob escaped him.
Edward lessened his pressure so that Grant could raise his head. "Grant, if there are any others you can convince to stop, now is the time. We don't want to kill anyone unless we have to."
"Addison!" Grant called. "Something's wrong. I don't think she was right. He didn't kill me, so just stop and listen for a bit. Addison!"
There was a brief flicker of attention from one of the minds on the field, but it was only a flicker. The two wolves the newborn faced terrified it too far beyond reason. "This doesn't look like peacemaking to me!" Then he turned and tried to run. Edward grimaced. A third wolf tackled Addison mid-air, ripping his head from his body, cutting off his loud shriek.
Grant did not call out to any others, and Edward heard his fear and grief blossom. The young vampire was certain he was dead next, just being saved for torture later on. It was the only reason he could fathom having survived so far amidst the carnage strewn about him.
It was Carlisle who delivered the final, fatal blow in the battle. He'd offered quarter for the young woman if she would stand down, but she wouldn't listen to reason, shrieking and screaming at him for the murder his coven had supposedly committed in taking her sister. When she launched herself at Esme, Carlisle moved like a snake, his lips at the woman's neck one moment, her head bouncing onto the grass the next.
Seth remained prone, his breathing shallow and pained. Leah lay beside him. He'd stopped whimpering, but the distress Edward could hear from him was profound.
"Carlisle, Seth needs help." Edward nodded towards the wolf a few yards from him.
"Esme, get my bag?" Carlisle called back.
She nodded, dashing off and back with a bright red backpack. Ever the physician, Carlisle had come prepared to tend to the aid of the wolves, or any others that might need his assistance.
Edward could hear Grant's confusion. He wasn't sure how much time he had left, but in the interim he was wondering why a vampire had a medical kit, and why he was going to use it on . . . a very large dog?
"Can you shift?" Carlisle asked Seth quietly.
Seth answered with a low whine, and then a much louder cry as his human form appeared.
Grant gasped.
Edward kept his grip in place.
I could use some help, Edward, Carlisle thought urgently, throwing an emergency blanket over Seth and moving his hands lightly over what looked like very wrongly-healed ribs. Leah disappeared briefly, hastily dressing and returning in human form to kneel by her brother.
"Emmett," Edward called to his brother who was tossing a lighter onto a headless body nearby. "This is Grant. He was Bella's friend, before."
Emmett nodded, coming close. He was utterly devoid of his usual sense of humour but clearly still feeling the heat of battle. He planted himself at Edward's side, arms folded across his chest, and Rose came to join him.
Very slowly, Edward released his grip on Grant, standing and moving towards Seth and Carlisle. He positioned himself on the side opposite Carlisle, still keeping an eye on Grant in case he tried to bolt. Joining his father in assessing Seth's injuries—or malformities, as the case was—Edward nodded his agreement with Carlisie's initial evaluation. Seth's bones had begun healing, but not the way they were supposed to.
"Very soon, Bella will be my sister-in-law," Emmett was telling Grant, whom he, Rose and Esme had circled. "I would very much like to be able to tell her that you're still here. Don't make me have to disappoint her." There was no room to misconstrue the tone of Emmett's voice , and Edward heard Grant's silent, logical response. He knew he was without any chance of escape, and was trying to make peace with what he imagined would be a very gruesome end.
Edward dropped to his knees beside Seth, as Carlisle began strategizing aloud how best to treat him. Sam had just completed a search of the field for any missed attackers, and was now sitting in his human form beside Leah, both of them perplexed by the unintelligible medical jargon Edward and Carlisle were employing. Leah's hand brushed over her brother's hair, while Sam let Seth squeeze his hand.
Finally, Carlisle leaned back and looked at his son regretfully. The bones need to be rebroken. Would you explain?
Edward swept his attention around the rest of the wolves. In the younger wolves' minds there was that tang of giddiness, of the euphoria that they had all made it. The older pack members were more cautiously optimistic. Some were worried for Seth, and others for what other surprises might come but that wariness would take time to stand down. It was best to warn everyone about what needed to be done.
"Seth," Edward said softly as Carlisle began an IV, "Carlisle's giving you morphine. Your bones aren't aligned , and we need to rebreak a few of them before they heal fully."
"What?" Sam spat.
"Oh fuck," Seth muttered. He looked up at Edward and they held each others' gaze for a moment. Seth seemed to find the sincerity he was looking for because he closed his eyes then and Edward could hear his silent acquiescence.
"Whatever you're gonna do, just make sure it looks like weekend warrior crap gone wrong," Seth muttered, clearly concerned about what he would tell his wife about his injuries.
"We got you covered," Sam said, patting Seth's shoulder. Edward was pleased that Sam had decided not to argue but to trust Carlisle's medical expertise. It seemed a minor victory at least.
Edward and Carlisle worked as efficiently as possible, grateful that Leah and Sam were there to help, both physically and to provide encouragement to Seth. The rest of the wolves had moved to the other side of the field at Sam's orders, since the temptation to attack anyone who appeared to harm a packmate might be too much for them.
Esme and Rosalie, for their part, were filled with compassion for the young vampire who had been drawn into this through no fault of his own, while Emmett distracted himself by reliving parts of the battle. Edward was too busy with his work to watch Grant, but he could hear the shock in the newborn's mind. Bella's former colleague had no frame of reference for what he was seeing, and it was unnerving, all the misleading things he'd been told about being a vampire.
I've got Seth, Carlisle thought to Edward, once they were nearly done. Find out what you can.
But Edward didn't need to, the buzz of his phone silenced with his answering it. "Everything's good here," Alice said. "I see sundaes in your future tonight. But Victoria's running, Edward! I saw it as soon as we had some distance." There was excitement in her voice. "Jaz and I should go after her."
Edward waved his hand at his side, as if it could make her and Jasper move faster. "Go. Call us as soon as you're able."
His family's eyes looked bright when he hung up the phone. They had all heard.
Only Carlisle seemed unaffected, his mind almost wholly focused on treating Seth. He only paused to say, "I think you have a phone call to make."
In all Edward's distraction, he'd forgotten his promise to call Bella as soon as possible. "Of course." He put his phone on speaker before he pressed on Bella's image, eyeing Grant meaningfully. The man was sufficiently intimidated by the other vampires and wolves present. He wouldn't speak out of turn.
Bella's, "Hello?" sounded like a gulp of air.
"How's fishing?" he asked.
"It's fine. How's the packing?" Her exhale was loud, even over the phone.
"Good. Nineteen boxes packed of twenty."
"Nineteen," she repeated. "As in you lost one?"
"I saved one. In fact, I ran into an old friend of yours. Would you mind saying hello to Grant?"
"Grant? . . . Grant Wilson?" The tone of her voice communicated incredulity and question.
"You're on speaker phone." He held it in Grant's direction while the new vampire stared at it in bewilderment.
"Bella?"
"Grant!" she said. "I did not expect to hear from you." She sounded like she was about to cry. "Are you . . . alright?"
"I am . . . well," he said. "I am confused." He looked around the assembled wolves and vampires. "Where are you?" Grant blurted out.
Edward's eyes narrowed, listening carefully. There was no subterfuge in the man's thoughts, though. It was simply a customary inquisition.
Grant seemed to understand his faux-pas, and looked down, suddenly fearful again.
"I'm just out fishing with my dad and the kids," Bella said, adding much more quietly. "Don't be afraid, okay? Please, listen to them and do what they tell you."
Grant's eyes flicked between Emmett's and Edward's faces before he gave a silent nod. Bella's words had helped; Edward could hear his thoughts of surrender.
"Edward?" Bella said.
He pulled the phone back, "Yes, I'm here."
"You're okay?"
"We're all well. Carlisle is keeping busy with a special case, but everyone is fine."
"And. . . Grant? What will you . . . what will happen to him?" Edward could hear the concern in her voice but he couldn't blame her. The man she had known for a time had been kind to her but now he belonged to Victoria—had fought for her. Bella was right to be concerned for him.
Before he could begin a response, there was an eruption of sound from Bella's end of the line, an assortment of squeaks and whoops in which the words, "fish," and "Josh," were sprinkled.
And all Edward wanted in that moment was to be there, taking in the excitement of a boy and his first fish, if he'd heard correctly. He wanted to help his . . . son, yes, son . . . catch a fish. But he stood in a clearing that reeked of wolf and rancid smoke, watching a young man shiver in pain as his body burned off the morphine Carlisle kept injecting it with.
"We'll do what we can," Edward finally said, hoping they would be able to do right by the man.
"I love you." Bella told him. "Please, if you can . . . make sure that Grant has directions. It would be good if he had a place to stay." Her coded message was a clear request for leniency for her former friend. Charlie's voice rang in the background, praising Josh for his first catch, telling him to put the rod down so they could unhook the fish.
A place to stay. What in the world were they to do with Grant? They certainly couldn't let him run loose. And they couldn't bring him home, though Esme was looking at him with pity. He was a victim of Victoria's vices, and a teacher to boot, a slam-dunk for her sympathy. But a newborn in the house with Bella's-and his-children? No, that was not an option.
With a final promise to see Bella as soon as possible, Edward hung up, pondering what they would do with Grant, how to best assist Carlisle with Seth, and wondering above it all, if Alice and Jasper had caught up with Victoria.
If Grant hadn't been convinced of the trust that existed between the wolves and the Cullens before Carlisle had begun treating Seth, he was learning it now. Edward couldn't say that he was gifted, per se, but he was clearly someone who had been remarkably empathetic in his human life, because his mind had flinched at every pain Seth endured, being treated on the field.
Though it shouldn't have surprised him, it did when Rose offered a solution for where to put Grant.
"I think it's time we visited our cousins," she said. "And bring them a lost sheep."
While Grant was offended by the comparison, he said nothing.
Emmett laughed, but his expression sobered when he turned back to the vampire he was guarding and noticed the wary look on his face. "Do you have any doubt that I could kill you?" he asked Grant.
Grant shook his head.
"Good. If you want to live, you'll go where we tell you."
Rose was still working out a plan, with her thoughts directed at Edward. He's shown so much empathy. I think he could adapt, Edward. And if there's a chance of a connection between him and one of the Denali's . . .
It was a far-fetched hope, but the Denali's tenderness towards human men might extend to a newborn who had been horribly abused. Maybe.
Give him the choice, Carlisle said. He hadn't heard the rest of Rose's words but he was thinking along the same lines. I don't think his compliance is in question.
For her part, Esme was quietly studying Grant as she considered Rose's suggestion. Her relief at the possibility of a kind solution was palpable. When she finally looked over and caught Edward's eye, she gave him a hint of a smile, knowing he had already registered her vote on the matter. She nodded in encouragement.
"We have cousins like us further North," Edward said to Grant. "And like us, they live on the blood of animals, not on tortured humans." He wanted to roll his eyes at Victoria's ridiculous notions, but given how convinced her warring coven had been, he didn't. Better to let the man see for himself. "We think they might welcome you. If not . . . " he sighed. He wasn't sure what else they could do with him. "It will not be easy, but if you're willing—"
"I'm willing," Grant said. And he was. He was clearly trying to accept Edward's words at face value. The idea that he could live on something other than human blood was a relief to him. Truly an empathetic creature.
Edward nodded. "Emmett and Rose will take you."
"Let's go, then," Emmett said, grinning wickedly. He lifted his chin north-wards and punched Grant's arm. "Tag. You're it. Go!"
Looking slightly terrified, Grant took off at a moderate run, Emmett and Rose on either side.
Leaving Seth safe in hand with Carlisle and Leah, Edward joined Sam and two of the other wolves to do a final run through the area. His paranoia felt justified, part of him wishing he could find one more newborn to eradicate, just to erase the feeling that something was left unfinished. But there was nothing to find, all trails ending permanently in piles of ash on the field.
When they returned, it was to find Esme burying these ashes. Edward moved to help her, but she shooed him away with her silent injunction. Go, see Bella. We can clean up here.
The need to go to his mate was an ache in his chest at this point, but he felt the obligation to check with Carlisle first, who was distracting Seth from his many, many pains by relaying some of his personal history. Much of it would intrigue anyone with the faintest interest in the past, but it had riveted Seth's academic attention and was helping distract him from his suffering.
"How's the weekend warrior?" Edward asked gently.
Seth grinned, a little loopy from the morphine. "Sweet."
"Thank you," Sam said, approaching again. He nodded to Carlisle and Edward.
Edward returned the nod. If Sam hadn't demanded Bella and the children's presence as near-hostages, there might be thanks, but good will, even for all their success, was thin on the ground. "We are grateful for your assistance. We wouldn't have survived this without your help. We'll make sure Seth is alright. If there's anything else . . ."
Sam's thoughts were clear. He didn't want pretty words or to need the help for Seth, he wanted the Cullens to leave the peninsula, and let his people be people, not wolves. He was about to say as much, but Edward spared him making his blunt request.
"We will," Edward said. He eyed Carlisle meaningfully. They would discuss it later, but it was only fair that the Quileutes be free of this immortal obligation.
Carlisle's expression was just as meaningful. Instead of commanding him as Esme had done, he only wondered why his son was still here when the woman he loved was waiting for him. Edward's response was to flash an abashed grin at his sire before turning to run toward the hearts that beat in place of his own.
DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.