I don't own Twilight: Stephanie Meyer does. I just get to play there.

CH. 10

"Ok, this is too much drama for me. I want to know who won the contest!" Emmett crossed his arms across his chest and pouted as everyone looked at him with varying degrees of surprise. "What? I do!"

Finder broke the silence with a chuckle that escalated into a full-fledged laugh. If it was a bit harsh around the edges, no one said anything. She began pulling things from her pouch and cloak pockets.

"One silver teaspoon, antique and heavy, chosen by Madam Esme and hidden by Miss Rosalie under a very large, very muddy boulder about five miles from here." Finder placed the spoon on the counter.

"One very heavy, very valuable, gold braid chain with a truly impressive diamond pendant, chosen by Miss Reneesme and hidden by young Seth." Out came the necklace the Volturi had sent to Bella before their last confrontation, and it joined the spoon.

"One CD, Cold Play, chosen by young Edward and hidden by Dr. Carlisle, in, of all things, the postbox." Carlisle shrugged and Edward said, "I didn't mind loosing it, that was all."

"One, just one, Jimmy Chou pink platform heel, chosen by Miss Rosalie and hidden by young Emmett in some very deep, very cold water."

"Someone got chocolate milk all over my other shoe," growled Rosalie and Emmett just laughed.

"One pizza coupon, chosen by young Seth and hidden by Madam Esme in the glove box of the Aston Martin Vanquish belonging to young Edward."

"Hey, careful with that, it's valuable." Seth grabbed the coupon from Finder's hand and tucked it into his back pocket. "Never know when you might need it." Esme looked a little downcast and he added, "If you aren't here, Esme, a guy's gotta eat." She perked up at his explanation and Edward could hear her planning how to keep enough food for the young wolves not only available, but already prepared. Their freezer wasn't big enough, she had decided, and in the back of her mind she was already calculating where to put a bigger one.

Finder reached into her pouch again and removed a delicate bracelet, silver with twisted vines running around it. "One bracelet, lovely design, chosen by Miss Bella and hidden by young Jasper. One color plate, obviously from a medical treatise, and equally obviously, chosen by Dr. Carlisle and hidden by Miss Reneesme in a bird's nest in a very, very tall tree." Reneesme giggled and blushed.

"One heavy silver salt shaker, salt still inside, chosen by young Jacob and hidden by young Edward in the roof tiles of Miss Bella's father, Charlie's house. One small, bedraggled teddy bear, chosen by young Emmett and hidden by Miss Bella in a large box under the roots of a downed giant of the forest. And one lead toy Confederate soldier, chosen by young Jasper and hidden in the abandoned logging campsite under a pile of tin cans by young Jacob. Very clever, all of you, splitting up like that." Jasper smiled, but the look in his eyes was triumphant. Edward looked at him, and he began reciting the pledge of allegiance in Farsi to keep his thoughts hidden.

Finder gave him a shark smile as she removed one last item from her belt pouch. "And one chess piece, a white queen, chosen and hidden by young Jasper in the living room on the mantle." She dropped the piece into Jasper's hand and gently pressed against his chin, closing his mouth. "You don't want to get flies."

"How…how did you get that piece? I hid it in the house and no one helped you, no one knew." He stopped and stared at the others, one by one. "You didn't tell her, did you? Did anyone?" At the negative response from his family, Jasper grew even more frustrated. Running his hands through his hair, he turned to Finder. "How did you find it?" Jasper was dumbfounded. He had been so certain that because no one knew about the chess piece, he would be able to out-think Finder. Equally, he had been certain that even if she figured out that he had hidden something in the house, she wouldn't be able to find it and retrieve it with the others in the house. He turned to Alice, suspicion warring with certainty on his face, and Alice smiled gently.

"Jazz, why would I tell her? I saw this, remember? I already knew how it would end up. Besides, I enjoyed watching everything enough that I wasn't going to screw it up by telling anybody anything."

Jasper nodded as he snaked an arm around Alice. "I was just so sure that you couldn't get anything in the house…." And Finder raised an eyebrow as she smiled.

"I haven't told you everything about either my gift or my training, young Jasper. I can do many things you have yet to learn."

"Whoa, dude. Does this mean she wins?"

"Yep," popped Reneesme. "Sure does."

"No," said Rosalie. "She should be wet, muddy, and tired. We hid those things in some fairly inaccessible places, yet here she stands, even with the one thing Jasper hid in the house, clean, tidy, and not in the least put out. This whole situation is impossible! Now you, whoever you are, you need to go away!" Clearly, if vampires could cry, tears of anger and frustration would be pouring down her perfect face. Emmett pulled his wife to his chest, stroking her hair and murmuring so softly that even the others could not hear the words. Rosalie gulped and nodded her head slightly against Emmett's shoulder.

"Rosalie," said Esme gently, "sweetie, she did win, and because it was impossible, even for one of us, she is what she says."

"Ok, Esme, I know about your rules for manners, but having powers doesn't make her everything she says true and accurate." Once again, the family was nonplussed, staring at Emmett, who just shrugged. "Muscles don't always come at the expense of brains."

"Well, that is usually the case with you Emmett, you have to admit," observed Bella. "Remember the pancake fiasco? It took a while to get them off the ceiling after you shot them there with your homemade bazooka."

Jacob and Reneesme cracked up and Seth followed, but the others manfully swallowed their laughter.

Carlisle cleared his throat and silence fell. "Finder is what she says in terms of her gift. I think we are safe taking everything else she says at face value for now. That is," he added, turning to Finder, "after you explain who that man in the forest was. And why he threatened you, and anyone working with you, which means us."

Finder bent her head, hiding her face for a long moment. She looked up and her bleak eyes met those of the Cullens. "He was…my husband. He is now my most implacable foe, and the author of the catastrophe we face."

And Cullens looked at each other, worry and concern grim in their eyes.