A/N: R&R if you so desire.
I do not own Twilight, I just play with the characters.
BELLA
I feel like there is something that I am missing. It's like something is on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of it to save my life. I walk to Jen's office and sit in front of the closed door. I am ridiculously early, but I want to make sure that I have an opportunity to talk to Jen. It does not take long before Dakota joins me. We sit silently, but each of us knows what the other is thinking. We want to know what's going on. The whole thing feels like a riddle. I know the answer will be incredibly obvious when I hear it.
Jen and Eliot walk hand in hand towards us. He gives her hand a gentle squeeze before he heads off towards his classroom. I guess whatever it is, Jen wants to tell us alone. She leads us into her office and we all sit down.
"We were foolish," Jen starts.
"How do you mean?" I ask.
"The magical families have never counted on going back and changing things," my friend sighs. Suddenly all of the pieces fall together for both Dakota and me.
"I can't believe I didn't See this," Dakota sounds astounded.
"I can't believe I didn't realize that the whole thing was way too easy," I respond.
We spend the rest of our free time during the day rushing here and talking some more. The biggest problem is not that Jen's life is in danger, but that her mother's life is in danger. Jen's mom does not have her magic and cannot defend herself. The determination of both of them is all that really stands between the magical families and their taking over the world. I mean, what's the point of talking over with no line of succession? Power play after power play would ensue and everything would just go to pot.
"Has anyone made a try for your life?" it occurs to me to ask at the end of the day.
"No one has yet," Jen answers.
"Seriously, I am surprised that they weren't waiting for you when you got back." Dakota adds.
"The waiting is the hard part. But those who wish me dead should know that they really only have a few chances to actually succeed in that aim," Jen replies.
"It's good that the other are letting us be," I suddenly notice that we have been left alone.
"I'm sure Eliot explained everything and they want to give us our space so that we can plan what to do," Jen comments.
"Where do we even begin?" Dakota huffs.
"It's not like we have ever had to work out how to protect someone we already know," I add.
"There is really very little for you to be concerned about with me," Jen rolls her eyes.
"But you love your mom…" Dakota starts.
"More importantly though, you really like your mother," I interrupt.
"And we want to make sure that nothing happens to her," Dakota eyes me while she finishes.
"If I want to interrupt you, then I will. There is nothing about trying to give me the evil eye that will stop that," I tease her.
We go back and forth for a while. I'm not going to lie. I'm very impressed with the lack of interference. The only things that give us pause in our planning are when Eliot brings us dinner and Dakota has to use the restroom. Edward is really doing me proud with this. I would have thought that he might be a little bit of an interruption…
ALICE
"EDWARD IF YOU MOVE ONE INCH I WILLL PERSONALLY REMOVE YOUR LEGS!" Emmett bellows for the umpteenth time.
"He'll really do it, you know," Rose sighs.
We are all rather annoyed at him, really. I mean the girls have a real problem on their hands and need time to deal with it…or at least to make a plan to deal with it. Eliot informed us of the issue at hand this morning. They have been in there for basically the whole day. Well, Bella and Dakota taught their classes and Jen dealt with the paperwork and the Council who randomly sent over a couple of interns today. Who even knows what they are thinking…
Anyway, Edward has been trying to duck us and interrupt the planning session since school got out. I'm proud of him for going that long before he cracked. Once we all heard about it, Emmett started taking bets. Usually I win, but I can't see Edward very often because if he is doing something that Bella affects, there is one gaping hole in my vision. I know that one of them should be there, but alas there is only the hole. It all started out with me not being able to see how they affected our lives, but as I got used to being around them they took on a strangely transforming wolf pack quality of being holes. Jasper won this round. He said that Edward would make it to the end of the day before he lost his cool. I'm thinking that my darling husband might have had some kind of say in how long Edward felt calm about the whole mess. Luckily, Emmett does not suspect or he might throw an even bigger tantrum than Edward. They can be such babies sometimes. I can't help the eye role that goes with my thoughts. Rose sees it and nods her agreement.
"If you are both fully ready to act your age, I think the girls might break soon," I announce to the now three boys wrestling on the ground. That catches their attention and they stop in a comical position with Edward sandwiched between Emmett and Jasper who are clasping arms to trap their brother.
"How can you possibly know that?" Edward asks in disbelief.
"Because I lose us all in a couple of minutes," I answer him.
"Not going to make a break for it?" Carlisle asks Edward as he and Esme enter the room.
The three boys suddenly remember the position that they are in and resume their wrestling. He can't even wait a few minutes? Seriously? I guess I should not really be surprised.