Chapter Eleven: A Long Hard Road

La Push - January 29th

Eliza stared down into the grey wolf's eyes for several seconds while the knowledge bomb dissipated. She was trying to grasp the full weight and importance of the news but couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

Isabella kept up an outward appearance of calm, but inside she was very confused and a little irritated. "I cannot believe you imprinted on my daughter." Isabella finally said just above a whisper towards Leah who let loose a small whimper.

Jacob turned to look at Isabella with a wry smile. "Things are never simple when it comes to you are they?"

"On the contrary, things have been simple for almost a century, I come here and everything goes to shit. I guess my luck never changes." Isabella said with an exasperated sigh.

"Our luck. This happened to me, not you." Eliza said with a mildly frustrated and indignant tone of voice.

"Right, sorry Eliza." Isabella said somewhat sheepishly.

Stephen had been quiet while everyone decompressed from the news, but his expression was anything but friendly. "I do not believe this to be possible… she is… well, she's a SHE!"

"That's irrelevant and you know it." Rita said with a deep frown directed towards Stephen.

"Fine, there's precedent with you and Greta, but Greta's human. That thing is a vampire, how is that anything but a perversion?!" Horror laced his words, but beyond the anger and disgust was a note of fear.

Quil looked at him sharply. "That's not how it works. You can imprint on anyone anytime. Or do we think it is a perversion to imprint on a child?" Stephen drew back, and Quil continued while barely acknowledging him. "Romance is only a part of the bond. Eliza must match Leah in a way we have yet to understand. Or would you rather be blinded by your prejudice and bigotry?"

"Prejudice! I am not a bigot!" Stephen stood up, his fury finally getting the better of him as he shouted. "I mean she is a vampire! That fact is not in dispute. For the first time in our history we are talking about accepting one into our family when by all rights we should throw her into the fire right here!" He took a step towards Eliza, as if he felt, as a human, he was going to manage doing the deed himself.

Isabella stood, prepared to stop him. "You take another step towards my daughter and I will…" But never finished her threat as a snarling grey wolf took one precise leap and interposed herself between him and Eliza. One loud growl and a snap of her jaws and he was scrambling backwards, tripping over the beautifully crafted wooden bench the council was sitting on. Leah was so furious that she took a half step forward, intent on making good on her threat towards Stephen.

"Leah!" Jacob stood up and yelled, but it didn't draw her attention. Her instinct to protect her imprint was far too strong. Then a shrill ear piercing whistle sliced through the air. It caused the shifted wolves to whine in pain and even the humans covered their ears. All eyes turned to the source of the whistle to see a very irritated Eliza standing straight up with her hands down at her sides in balled fists.

"You." Eliza raised a pointed finger at Jacob, "sit down before you ruin that nice outfit."

"You." Eliza pointed at Isabella, "we need to figure this all out. Arguing isn't getting us anywhere. So sit down before you lose it!"

"You." Eliza pointed at the grey wolf whose head was turned to look back at her. "Thank you for being… well you. But, I need you to know that I am quite capable of protecting myself. So, go change into a human and put some clothes on so we can meet properly."

"You!" Eliza pointed her finger at Stephen who was just starting to recover himself. "Sit your ass down and keep your arrogant, idiotic, ignorant, narrissitic comments to yourself. Because next time we might not be able to stop the giant wolf from ripping off an arm or, ahem, some other more appropriate, appendage."

"You!" Eliza turned and pointed at Quil and then faltered a moment. "Well, nothing. You've been quite the gracious host. Thank you." Quil looked surprised and then grinned.

Eliza plopped back down on the log bench and glanced at each person she had yelled at to make sure they were following her orders. Jacob and Isabella immediately sat down without argument. Isabella looked more amused than anything else at her daughter's tone. Stephen recovered himself and straightened his shirt before sitting down with a scowl on his face. The grey wolf turned and slowly walked out of the firelight into the darkness where Tekali had returned with clothing.

Once everyone had settled back down, Quil broke the ice by turning and grinning at Isabella. "You know, even if I was blind, I could see the family resemblance. She has your temper."

Eliza chuckled in spite of herself, and Isabella rolled her eyes. "I did not have a temper."

"Bella, when you were human, you broke your hand because you punched Paul in the face, and you knew he was a werewolf." Quil laughed and his deep rich laughter seemed to ease everyone's tension. Several members of the pack laughed as they returned to the firelight.

Isabella sighed, "Yeah well. He still deserved it."

"I have no doubt that my husband did several things to deserve it. Believe me, we've been married almost thirty years, and I still want to punch him in the face on a regular basis." Another female member of the pack spoke up, shaking her head. Paul did not look amused, but she pushed on his shoulder playfully which brought out a smile.

Isabella frowned at her face, and realized she recognized her. "Rachel Black" she murmured to Eliza quietly. Though apparently not quietly enough because Rachel turned to Isabella with a grin.

"I'm Rachel Lahote now." She said proudly, clasping her husband's hand tightly.

"Good to see you again Rachel." Isabella managed, but she was starting to feel emotional whiplash from all the surprises. Too many people from her past were alive and well, all ghosts threatening to tear her sanity in two.

It took a few minutes but Leah returned, who followed behind Tekali wearing a knee length dress that didn't quite fit, it was cut with the same design and fabric as Tekali's dress. She was fidgeting slightly, absolutely racked with nervous energy and refusing to look towards Eliza at first. Her usually perfectly straight glossy black hair was pulled back into a rough ponytail, matted and unwashed with three weeks of growth, which was nearly a foot longer than the last time anyone had seen her.

She paused as she entered the firelight and took a deep breath in preparation before looking up and meeting Eliza's expectant stare.

Jacob stood and motioned towards Leah. "Eliza, allow me to introduce Leah Clearwater, my second."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Eliza said, feeling a bit uncomfortable as she noted everyone staring at her.

"It's, ah, nice to meet you too." Leah said, somewhat abashed, and then cringed, clearly at the sound of her own voice. "Sorry about the hair, I've been out in the middle of nowhere for a few weeks."

"Yeah, that had to be interesting." Eliza said not sure exactly what to do. "Here sit next to me for the rest of this meeting."

"Okay." Leah said, holding her breath as she took her place next to Eliza's side, where a scant three inches stood between them. It was almost too much to be so close to her, as if she were sitting next to a live wire.

Quil coughed delicately which was as effective as banging a gavel in recapturing the group's attention. "Okay, we have several things to figure out. And some of us aren't getting any younger."

"Agreed." Colin confirmed with a small nod. "As I see it we have two primary issues to resolve first. Isabella, Eliza, your presence has been fundamentally complicated by, and at the same time simplified by this Imprint. While Stephen here completely forgot any semblance of tact, it is true that this is unprecedented. We have to face the fact that you are both tied to our tribe in a way that no other vampire has ever been. Regardless of our treaty with the Cullens, we need to work out what that means."

"The other issue of course is this rogue shifter pack that is eating people." Rita added with a dark tone of voice.

"I imagine with three former shifters on the council there are opinions on both issues." Isabella added tilting her head slightly in consideration. "I'm open to ideas though."

Quil spoke up. "Well first off, there is nothing we can do about the Imprint. We all know that cannot be controlled. Our pack law and by extension our tribal law regards Imprints as sacred. Any Imprint must be protected and above all cherished and respected by all members of the pack. No member of the pack, or council can hurt an imprint by threat or action. This means that Eliza is now a member of our tribe from now into perpetuity, and there is no argument against that point. As far as I'm concerned now we just need to figure out what to do about these other wolves." Quil looked around at the assembled council and pack members, Colin and Rita were nodding, Susan looked pensive and Stephen angry.

"So we are just going to ignore such a development without further discussion?" Stephen spoke up before Quil could continue.

"Yes, because Eliza is an imprint. There can be no further discussion on the matter." Quil said with a raised eyebrow, almost begging Stephen to broach the question again.

Stephen pursed his lips and shook his head. "Fine, but I fail to see how another pack's business is suddenly ours. What do we care if a wolf pack is hunting humans, we have vampires around the world doing the same and we let them live."

"Dude, you know you're kind of a douchebag right?" Eliza said with a sneer, she had never really had a reason to dislike someone before, even those she had to kill in the name of the Volturi, but Stephen was quickly getting on her bad side. Everyone turned to look at her, several council members grinning openly, and most of the pack broke into loud bursts of laughter or wolfy barks.

Stephen glared at her with a look of confusion. "I understand that Dude is a late twentieth century colloquialism, but what is a douchebag?"

Isabella pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up at her daughter incredulously, "Eliza, get out of the 1990's."

Eliza looked around and shrugged, "I am just fine in that decade thank you very much, and I've branched out lately. In fact I saw a movie from 2043 just the other day. Anyway, if you don't know what a douchebag is, I'm not going to explain it. Just take my word for it, it's insulting."

"You do realize that 2043 was over fifty years ago?" Leah whispered to her.

"Like you don't remember Heathers with fond memories." Eliza said, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Um, well yeah. Though I always preferred Pump Up the Volume from the Slater oeuvre." Leah said quietly with a half nod, and a small smile as she looked up to meet Eliza's eyes.

"Marry me." Eliza muttered with a big grin, which faltered as she realized to whom she had just said that so casually. Leah's breath caught as she peered into Eliza's eyes unblinking. Had she really just met the love of her life? Were her struggles relinquishing her own immortality a preface to finding a mate who would live eternally as well?

"Sorry, I can rarely talk to someone who gets what I say." Eliza apologized immediately, but Leah just shook her head.

"No need to apologize, I get the expression. Yesterday I would've ignored it as silliness." Leah said with a small smile, but a hopeful glint in her eyes gave Eliza an almost overwhelming sense of responsibility. This person was just as alone as she was, just as broken and just as in need of companionship. She had no idea if they would work, but it had to be worth it to try.

"Today it means a lot more." Eliza said finishing the thought, then paused to think about what she could offer. "I'm not gonna promise anything, but, let's get this meeting settled and we can talk."

"That's fair. Thank you." Leah nodded once gratefully.

"You're very welcome. As for you Stephen, it is becoming very clear that there isn't an IQ test prerequisite before becoming Chief. Look, how is a wolf pack eating humans not your problem? Especially when it's happening practically in your backyard. Plus, they're working with vampires who are killing people, and you're okay with it? That makes you worse than the monster you make us out to be" Eliza didn't hide the contempt from her voice, not that she cared. Her rebuke was meant to be scathing.

"How dare y-" Stephen began.

Eliza continued on, speaking over him. "I dare because it's true. You hate vampires because we feed on humans. How is that any worse than your own kind doing the same thing? Not to mention that if this continues, how long do you think it'll take until this problem shows up on your doorstep? What then? Are you going to take the ostrich approach? Stick your head in the sand and pretend there's not a problem?" Eliza turned to Leah. "Seriously, would it be bad manners to punch a council member in the face if I promise not to knock it off his shoulders?" Once again several members of the pack could not help but laugh.

"Now you're worried about manners?" Isabella muttered, shaking her head.

Jacob was grinning at Isabella, "Nope, her temper doesn't remind me of anyone at all." Isabella just rolled her eyes.

Quil interrupted, clearing his throat at an exaggerated volume, and sounding suspiciously like he was attempting to cover up another laugh of his own. "I think the point is made. We need to figure out what the hell is going on. Perhaps we should go ourselves to investigate this situation in Seattle and see what we can find? That feels like a good starting point."

Jacob nodded once resolutely, then stood and half turned so he could address the pack and the council. "I think a few of us going down there and investigating to see what we can come up with is the only thing we can do. If there is something bigger going on here, and that's what it sounds like is happening, then we need to know. One way or another this affects us, and puts our entire pack, our entire tribe at risk of exposure to outsiders."

Quil glanced at the other members of the council, who all exchanged meaningful looks before turning towards Jacob. "If they're killing humans. You know what that means right?" His tone was very serious, and his words hinted at grave danger.

Jacob bowed his head a moment and then sighed before raising his gaze to slowly look around at the pack and then at the council. "If they're like us, we have to find out who they are, where they come from and what is their purpose. If they're killing humans, then we will have no choice but to go to war with them, not just to protect the humans but to protect ourselves, our families and our way of life."

Seeing he had everyone's focus, he turned his attention to the pack members, taking a deep breath and gathering himself before continuing. "I came here tonight with the suspicion it might come to this when I heard another pack might be involved. That is why I wanted you all here tonight. I need to be very clear about my intentions and what I'm about to ask of you."

Eliza stirred slightly and her head moved slightly forward when she heard Jacob's last remark, but she said nothing, choosing not to interrupt the speech.

"I have led the pack for almost ninety years. Probably the longest of any Alpha in our history. I have never forced my will upon any of you, and I'm not about to start now. Tonight I give you all a choice. You can choose to leave the pack and if there are more than one of you, form your own pack. Or if you think you can beat me, you can present a challenge to me for Alpha. If you succeed I will go my own way. If you fail, I will still allow you to leave. I am giving you all a way out." He looked around at the assembled pack again, all of them staring at him wide-eyed, even his wife was looking up at him with a stunned expression on her face.

"Make no mistake. If you choose not to leave, then you are deciding to follow me. If I commit us to a war, then you are agreeing to fight, and possibly get hurt or worse. You know this is not something I want to do, or would enter into lightly. However, once the opportunity I am giving you passes, I will not accept discussion or dissent. We have not had a true enemy in years, save for a random bloodsuck... vampire here or there. It's not going to be easy or fun. But it is why our ancestors learned to shift in the first place. It is our purpose, it is who we are." Jacob finished, and then slowly surveyed the crowd a final time, meeting the eyes of everyone assembled, letting them process what he had said.

"I cannot think of another way to start this. Leah, what do you say?" Jacob asked, and then held his breath, he had no idea what Leah would do, especially now after finding her imprint.

"I'll fight, because after seeing that monster I cannot back down now." She stood to make her declaration immediately, with no hesitation. Jacob let go of his breath and the tension in his shoulders released a bit, but he still had to wait for the rest of the pack.

Jacob then turned his head to look Paul in the eyes, "What about it Paul? You're the oldest member of the pack. Don't tell me you've never thought about being Alpha or striking out on your own."

Paul blinked in surprise and quickly shook his head "Jacob, man, with all do respect, hell no. You know me, I don't have the temperament to lead. We've been friends for too long. Besides Rachel would fucking kill me if I left the pack."

"Damn straight," Rachel said with a big grin. "I'm with you too little brother."

Jacob looked at Paul, and then at his sister, and then at the surrounding members of the pack. "I'm giving all of you twenty-four hours starting now. I don't want you to make a rushed decision and then regret it."

Tekali stood up kissing Jacob's cheek gently then murmured. "Where you go, I go. Through this life and into the next."

"You may irritate the shit out of me some days, but I could never leave you hanging." Seth added, stepping up and bumping fists with Jacob. Then there was a short silence, broken as a quiet murmur spread among the pack members. After a few more minutes, one by one each stepped forward, into the light of the fire to state unequivocally with some variation of; "I stand with you."

Quil looked up at Jacob and nodded with a soft sigh. "I truly hope that all this talk of war is for nothing. But, I fear deep in my soul that a storm is coming and we must be ready."

Isabella was frowning pensively, looking around at the pack slowly, before she stood up and squared her shoulders, her voice formal. "I would like to speak."

The council and the pack turned to Isabella as one, their faces serious, as Quil nodded as if to say go ahead. "You have made your commitment here clear. You do not want these attacks to continue any more than I do, whether they be from vampires or wolves or anything else. We have the same goals. I would like to make a proposal."

Quil frowned thoughtfully, guessing her thoughts "You would like to formalize a treaty?"

Isabella shook her head quickly, "No, not a treaty. A treaty merely says that both sides won't attack one another as long as certain behaviors are followed. I wish to offer an alliance."

"Mother!" Eliza shot up to her feet in protest. Isabella extended her hand effectively shushing her.

Quil shook his head, "let her speak. I want to know why your daughter protests." he said firmly to Isabella.

"I'd kind of like to know that myself." Jacob said quietly.

Eliza looked around at the surrounding pack and shook her head slowly. "Because you don't know what she's offering. What it entails to offer it without consulting the council." Eliza said, meeting her mother's eyes.

"What does she mean? Do you not have the authority?" Quil eyes narrowed in a frown, looking at Isabella, his gaze demanded the truth.

Isabella frowned at her daughter for a moment before looking back at Quil, meeting his eyes, drawing herself up to her full height. She then spoke formally and without emotion. "I am Isabella of Volterra, Daughter of Marcus, Princess of the Volturi. As a full member of the coven, I have the authority to create an alliance without consultation. My daughter and I are charged with keeping control of this coast of the United States. It is the primary reason we approached the pack. With our goals aligned, and with Eliza's imprint binding us, we have a rare opportunity to bridge our racial animosity and form something lasting." She paused for a second and glanced down at the fire before continuing.

"All of this was wildly unexpected. I thought this night would end in blood. I was half convinced we would encounter the pack, and they would be unable or unwilling to see reason. Yet, even after a century I have ties to this pack and your people that cannot be set aside or broken. You protected me when I was abandoned, and no matter how that turned out, it is a life debt that I cannot ignore. Add to that you are connected to my daughter, who is the most important thing in the world to me. You have pledged her protection, and acceptance into your family. Which means you have my protection, and now I officially offer that same support from my coven as well." She paused again to look at Eliza who nodded for her to go on.

"An alliance is a formalized arrangement, a contract that I would be committing to on behalf of the Volturi. This would be a mutual benefit in regards to protecting your interests and our interests. You would have a voice in our world, a direct link to the only form of government my kind has. It will also free us to work with you without limitation, on any mutual concern." Some of the gathering clearly understood what was being offered, and some did not like the sound of it. Eliza pursed her lips and gave a half shrug.

"Basically she is sticking her neck out and placing it directly on the chopping block if things go sideways. Not only is she making a vow to you that we will give you our resources in this fight, but if anything goes wrong, or if the council disapproves, then she will be held responsible. If either side breaks the alliance, she will be held responsible, with a range of punishments up to, and including execution." Eliza wasn't being playful, and she gave her mother a serious glare. Of course Isabella could feel her fear underneath the anger, and for the first time she shared it. This was a dangerous play, and one that could get them both killed.

Quil looked up at Isabella slowly. "You would risk that to ally with us?"

Isabella looked down at him, her eyes softening for a moment. "The Quileute have never been anything but honorable. I fail to see there being any true risk. The only way there would be a problem is if a member of your pack attacked the Volturi unprovoked."

Quil looked thoughtful at that, and then frowned. "And what of the other matter?" He asked as his hand gestured at Leah, who flinched slightly, and then at Eliza, whose brow furrowed.

Isabella shook her head, "If we are in an alliance it's a non-issue. You'd have equal consideration in all things, including customs. I know how imprinting works. However, I do not make decisions for my daughter, at least in regards to her personal life. I have no personal objection. But please know up front, no alliance or imprint will sway her, and I will not interfere with her wishes. It's her life, and her choice."

Stephen had been quiet, but was clearly steaming mad. "Quil, you cannot seriously be considering this. We cannot ally ourselves with them! They're fucking vampires! They kill people!" His voice was coarse and his voice wavered in anger several times as he tried to get out what he felt was the problem.

Eliza spoke up before anyone could reply. "We will respect your customs. Any members of the Volturi in the area will not feed on a human, except in the absolute gravest of circumstances." Isabella raised an eyebrow at her daughter momentarily but said nothing. "What? You started this. I'm totally blaming you." Eliza sent to her mother through their link.

Quil looked around at each of the council members, "I call for a vote on this proposed alliance." He said quietly, looking from council member to council member, and then to the pack leader. Each member slowly nodded their head in agreement. The lone dissenting vote belonged to Stephen, who adamantly shook his head no.

Quil then reached out and braced his hand on the shoulder of Colin, who helped him stand up slowly. Isabella was reminded once again of his age and how frail he seemed. He reached his hand out and spoke formally. "I, Quil Ateara the Fifth, hereby commit the Quileute tribe as a whole to this alliance, unequivocally and unreservedly for as long as both sides are willing."

Isabella reached out and took his hand, surprised at the strength and firmness of his grip. "I, Isabella of Volterra, Daughter of Marcus, Princess of the Volturi commit the Volturi coven to this alliance, unequivocally and unreservedly for as long as both sides are willing."

They shook on it and Quil grinned. "Vampires and werewolves, life is never boring with you around Bella."

"Er, you do know that you're not actually werewolves, right?" Eliza piped up, her voice seemed both snarky and curious as she looked around.

Everyone looked at her as if she'd just announced plans to pursue a career in televangelism, though Paul spoke first. "Did you fall asleep there? Did you not see the whole 'transforming into wolves' bit?" He asked, prompting Isabella to recall someone telling her sarcasm was the lowest form of humor once during her mortal life.

"No I got that, that makes you guys shapeshifters. Werewolves, which we also call 'Children of the Moon' are different." Eliza explained as Isabella smirked, nodding a bit in agreement with her daughter.

"How so?" Jacob asked curiously, his interest piqued

"Well werewolves can change anytime, but they have to change during the full moon. They're also allergic to silver and are mindlessly violent. Their sole purpose is to spread their curse, biting and eating and destroying everything in their path. In contrast, your gifts are spiritual in origin if your tribal history is correct. Your ability to transform into the wolf is passed down from generation to generation genetically.

"Thankfully, the Children of the Moon are supposed to be extinct. Not that it really matters here, but I thought you should know. If you say you are a werewolf around another Volturi they will get very aggressive and possibly violent. Caius has a kill on sight order for any werewolf, because just one werewolf can turn into an absolute plague." Eliza shrugged a little bit, feeling her big finish was a bit lame.

Quil grinned at Jacob and murmured "Never a dull moment."

"If there's no other business…" Quil looked around curiously

Isabella spoke up, "Well there is one other thing."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jacob said sarcastically, rolling his eyes theatrically and laughing under his breath before his expression got serious again.

Isabella shook her head quickly. "Just a minor point that I need to clarify. Your alliance is with the Volturi. Not with the Cullens. We are two separate entities. Do not make the mistake of lumping us together. You aren't required to cooperate or protect them unless we are required to, and the same holds true in reverse. They are not required to help or protect you. Nor do I have the authority to compel them to do so."

She looked around, making sure everyone was being attentive to her words. "You can choose to tell them as much or as little as you wish. Several of you know about my history with them, and they will find out about my presence here soon enough, so do not feel the need to protect my identity. You are also under no obligation to say anything to them, and I implore you not to fall to manipulation or trickery, they are good at pretending to care. Also, you should be aware that one of them, Edward, can read your thoughts. Although from what I understand it is only surface thoughts and nothing deeper. Jasper can read and alter your emotions and Emmett is so strong he can tear you in two if he can get his hands on you. If they request a meeting, which I have no doubt will come sooner rather than later, if only to tell you about the presence of others in the area, you can insist that Edward or any of the others not be present. Carlisle will honor the request."

Quil nodded then glanced at everyone. "Understood. Well, if there is nothing else, I declare this Council meeting concluded. And I must say it's been the most eventful council we've had in years." Once again everyone except Stephen laughed. Several of the pack members approached to assist the council members who needed help leaving the clearing on foot. Bella, despite feeling a sense of accomplishment, couldn't help but feel this was just the beginning of a long, hard road.


Author's Note:

So about Quil, his line about the child imprint will always be controversial. In this version, how he conducted himself after the imprint is covered in a later chapter. I do not agree with SM's choice on this particular plot line, but a majority of the events through New Moon are canon in this story. This chapter is a bit of a respite, a small lull in the storm of the story. The next few chapters are very heavy, and at times quite dark.

I wanted to answer a couple of questions.

123a456e, yeah Stephen's comment about muzzling Tekali was outright awful. He is a misogynistic racist who thinks he in charge, but he doesn't really hold sway over the rest of the council.

Sasha Starr, I agree that there are some elements of the original that could be cut. However, at this point the length of this story is bordering on absurd. We have already added about 44k words worth of content up through chapter 15. We are endeavoring to have certain characters that were in the original, worked into the story more organically so that it doesn't seem so tacked on.

Inquisitive Penquin, I added dates mainly to keep track of the timeline and found they worked really well as markers for transitions between scenes. And yes, some of the later content will be cleared up by having a better picture of when things happen. Also, there have been some changes already to the Eliza/Leah dynamic and I hope their relationship plays better in the long run.

Hyrulian Hero Akai, While it is a bit early to address that character, I can say that the plotlines are going to remain mostly intact. As much as this is a story about an emotionally damaged vampire trying to rebuild her life after incredible trauma, it is also about family.

To everyone else who has commented or favorited this story, or is just reading along and enjoying the ride. Thank you so much for joining us, things have really just started (narratively speaking), and I promise there will eventually be some Bella/Alice stuff in the somewhat near future.

Next Chapter: Mother, Daughter