"The plan is simple. I'll stand in the middle of some big field, we lure them there with me as bait, and then you guys sneak up behind them and kill them," I pitched. That was my best idea. Seth didn't approve of it. Emmett had just shrugged his shoulders.
"I like that. It's all like, stealthy sneak-up and BAM! They're dead," he grinned. I sighed.
"The only problem is that…they'll probably have scouts and stuff. They'll hear us or something, and then they'll split up and ignore me standing out there in the open," I pointed out. There was a low rumbling in Seth's chest, and his arms were shaking with the tremors pulsing through his body.
He was standing not anywhere near me. I was on the couch, and so were Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee. Seth was near the stair railing, leaning against the wall beside it.
"They might not. If you're the objective, Eliza, they'll focus on you," Edward shrugged.
"Yeah, but they'll probably smell wolf from a mile away," I teased, grinning at Jacob and then Seth. Seth didn't grin back like Jacob did. He walked over, held out his hand to me, and when I took it he lifted me up off the couch.
"I need to talk to you," he mumbled under his breath.
I looked around the room, all eyes on us. When I turned my gaze back to Seth, he still had a look of distress on his face.
"Not now, Seth… we need to get this plan all prepared by the time they come," I sighed, pulling away from him and returning to the couch.
"So where were we? Oh yeah, the sneaking up thing," I mumbled, remembering the previous conversation in my head.
Alice took a step forward and lithely folded herself down on the floor in front of the couch. Jasper joined her.
"I've got a better plan," she announced in her pretty-bell-like voice.
We all looked to her. Jasper sat beside her, leaning back on his hands.
"We should just call the Volturi," she shrugged simply.
All of our eyes kind of looked like they were bugging out of our heads.
"Of course!" exclaimed Carlisle. "Because if they show up at exactly the right time, they will see a coven of fifteen, not many separate covens coming together as allies!" he concluded.
I blushed. That was way simpler than my idea.
"Yes. I can always contact the Volturi and tell them we have a crisis on hand. They'll come as fast as their robed-butts will carry them. We just need it to be perfectly planned. Eliza," she looked at me "how much time do we have?"
I looked at the timer. "A little less than twenty-five hours," I told her gravely.
Alice leapt to her feet.
"So anyone objecting to my plan?" she asked, looking around. A couple people shook their heads while others just stood as still and motionless as stone. "Good. Then I'll go make the call." She strode off gracefully.
As I stood, Seth's arms were around me instantly.
"Good. There, we have a plan that doesn't involve you using yourself as bait. Less work for me," he mumbled into my neck. I was a little distracted, and blushed when a couple eyes were on us.
"Seth. Not here," I mumbled, and he groaned, taking my hand and rushing me outside to a bit oak. We stood behind it and, quite literally, made out.
When we broke apart, he was grinning his Seth-ish grin. His arms coiled around my waist and I smiled.
"We still might have to fight," I murmured. He scoffed.
"You're not fighting anything. We'll fight. As in, Jacob's pack and the Cullens," he corrected me. I rolled my eyes.
"I can't just sit there and do nothing!" I protested. He bent down and pecked my lips.
"Yeah. You can. And then we'll live happily ever after like normal people do," he stated very matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes with a playful smirk.
"Ha! 'Normal people'. Yes. I'll be the once-hunted-by-vampires girl and you'll be my werewolf-boyfriend," I giggled.
"…or more, someday," he murmured. I held my breath to prevent a little sigh of happiness. I wished this was true… I didn't say this out loud.
"I know what I'll do – I'll stand with my arms thrown up in the air and shout 'come and get me!' and then they will, and the Volturi will be there to snag them," I changed the subject back. He groaned, pressing me up against the tree with his hands on either side of my head. He stared me intently in the eyes.
"You won't have to do anything! UGH! Are you just looking to get yourself into some danger?" he snarled. I rolled my eyes, not nearly affected by his vicious attitude.
"I thought you'd want to kick some vampire butt. Especially Aaron, 'cause we all know he'll be the first one to find –"
"No! No way! C'mon, you can't just think you'll convince me like that!" he whined, kissing my forehead. But his lips quickly left mine and he was glaring. "Aaron…" he spat the name to our side, and I knew that vile creature stood no chance against my brave, angry werewolf boyfriend if they came face to face in twenty-four hours; and counting, still…
"Yep. He'll be the first one you can get rid of if I'm out there in the fields," I tempted, playing with him. He looked back at me and I grinned.
We stared at each other, me with a goofy smile and him with a very intense glare.
Suddenly his eyes widened and he jerked back a moment. "No! Man, Eliza, don't do that!" he complained.
"Why, what ever are you talking about, Seth?" I asked, playing dumb. I sucked at it too because Seth huffed and held my hand, and we began strolling down into the forest. Just an average walk; probably the closest thing we could get as a normal couple activity. You know…strolling hand in hand, me leaning into his side, us whispering to each other, us in love.
"You aren't going to stick yourself in a field surrounded by Volturiandyour Hunters. As your boyfriend I can't allow it," he told me with great pride in his voice when he said the word "boyfriend." I stopped him in our tracks and kissed him lightly. We were both breathless again, and I staggered the first few steps as we continued walking. Seth just laughed at me while I did this.
"As my boyfriend, you should respect my opinions and trust me," I countered, and he cringed.
"Crap. Well, I still don't think it's smart," he pouted. I sighed, leaning into his arm more. His arm was around my shoulders now and I was leaning into his chest, clutching his side.
"You don't have to think it's smart. Honestly, I think the idea is stupid too. I'm no where near ready to die," I admitted, shivering slightly. Seth pulled me closer.
"Then shut up and listen:" he began, stopping us and grabbing my shoulders firmly but tenderly in his hands. He looked me deeply in the eyes, and there was no way I could joke and get us out of the tension until he was finished. "I. Won't. Let. You. Go. I refuse to let you put yourself in danger. I will kill for you, Eliza. I really will," he said firmly. I blushed.
"That's sweet, but-!"
"No buts! No more buts, Eliza! I don't want to hear them! I've said what's going to happen. You'll be safe in the house while we're working our butts off to get rid of these pests. Even if it means calling the Volturi, and – saying they don't get here in time – even if it means fighting them off with my bare hands to keep them away from you," he told me with conviction.
"Technically…you'll be on your paws," I mumbled. He groaned, pulling me into his arms.
"Not the point, Eliza!" he moaned agonizingly.
"Just saying," I mumbled into his chest. He was stroking my hair now, his cheek resting on the top of my head. My lips barely reached his shoulder.
"Mm. Sure. So what are we going to do? I'm not going to fight with you, but we clearly have different opinions on what we should do," he sighed.
"We'll make something up," I said quickly.
"I mean seriously." And I could hear the seriousness in his tone.
I blushed.
"Okay then…well… The safest place I'll be is with you, right?"
He nodded.
"Well what if we, very kindly, ask the others to help fight off the others…and you and I will somehow sneak off somewhere else. Aaron's going to go straight for me; he won't be distracted by the fight. I'll lure him to some dark part of the forest, and you'll be circling around the area so that it doesn't look too suspicious, and when he comes, you've gotta come at exactly the right time to attack him," I offered.
Seth's eyes widened.
"So I can stay with you and kill Aaron?" he beamed.
I found a flaw in my plan.
"Okay, I just thought of something… what if you can't handle taking down Aaron? He's not a newborn…he's stronger…" I murmured.
Seth scoffed.
"I'm insulted! How can you think that I can't take down this butthead?" he grinned.
I blushed.
"I'm sorry…I'm just concerned. I'd hate if you got hurt," I mumbled.
"Then we have Leah stay with us. She'll hate it if I tell her the plan anyways. She'll have to come with us," he observed.
I felt a chill of fear rush through me.
"But Leah hates me. She wants me dead because you imprinted on me. You saw how willing she was to take me to the airport so that I could go to my Hunters and die!" I cried out. I was in his arms again, but we were sitting down and I was cradled in his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning my cheek against his shoulder.
"She's all talk. I mean, she may not like you, but it'd kill her to see me upset. And just to tell you, I'd definitely be upset if you died," he told me softly. I blushed, snuggling against him. He nuzzled my shoulder affectionately, and kissed my cheek. I kind of felt like a wolf right now. It was one of those moments that reminded me of seeing a pair of wolves, mates obviously, nuzzling each other affectionately. Try and picture that in your head; you've all seen the tapes. Yeah. That's how I kind of felt.
I told this to Seth and he laughed, growling playfully and nuzzling me again. I giggled, a little amused by his "friskiness."
We had shifted positions so that now I was lying on the grass, Seth hovering over me on his hands and knees. He was nuzzling my neck again, still imitating a wolf-y thing, and I was stroking his back.
"So that's the plan? We ask them if it's okay with them. I feel really guilty about making them fight my own battles," I mumbled. Seth took his face from my neck and was looking down at me intently.
"Hm. Well I think Emmett doesn't mind the fighting. And whether you believe it or not, they do consider you family. 'Specially Bella. Even if she doesn't act like it sometimes. It's true. Mom and Charlie are getting kind of close," Seth explained as he shuddered. We both chuckled.
"So…you…me…and Leah? Will she be willing to help fight off Aaron? I'm scared…" I told him.
"Don't be. Leah'll help. I just need to convince Jake it's cool, and she'll listen to what Jake says. And I love you, Eliza,don't forget it. I wouldn't let even my sister hurt you," he said. I forced a smile. He kissed me and it became a real smile.
We got back to the Cullens' house and walked inside. Alice was there, sitting on the couch, like she was expecting us as we walked through the door.
"You're really indecisive, Eliza. I couldn't figure it out at first, but then I got it. And…then I lost you again when Seth came into the picture," she sighed. "What's going on? What's your plan that's so separate from my plan?" she frowned.
I shrugged.
"You're all going to hate me for it," I warned her. She rolled her eyes, dancing over to us.
"I doubt. Let's hear it," she said cheerfully, holding out her hand to me. When I grabbed it, Seth grabbed my hand. It was like a little train of people. I nearly giggled at the thought as Alice sat down, then I sat down, and then Seth sat down on the couch. I leaned into him, hugging his arm tightly to my chest.
"Well…we were wondering if…you, er, the Cullens could deal with the Volturi and the rest of the Hunters while, uh…While Seth, Leah, and I take down, uh… one…in particular…" I mumbled. Alice stared at me with shock. "Yeah…" I blushed. "It sounded smarter when I was talking to Seth about it. You know how things are when suddenly your head gets all cloudy and uh, er…never mind," I mumbled, and I heard Seth chuckle and nudge me in the side with his elbow.
Alice looked away, and when she looked back at us, Jasper, Carlisle, Edward, and Jacob were standing by her. Oh geez… all the guys. And Jasper being the trained, military-educated in strategy and stuff guy, I knew this plan wouldn't work. When I glanced at Seth, I saw a look in his eyes that said that he knew this too.
"Um…yeah, Eliza… I understand that you and Seth want to stick together-"
"But we need Seth out there. We're not even sure if we're getting Sam's support! We need the backup, man, worry about your lady later," Jacob interrupted, scowling. Seth pulled me into his chest.
"If this was Renesmee in this situation, you'd be just as protective," Seth shot back.
"Seth-" I tugged at his arm, realizing how this would set off the protective father.
"Renesmee is different, Jacob. There's no way we can lose her. This entire family would put in their best; Jacob's pack would too; and Sam because Renesmee is technically part of their family as well. Don't get all snappy," Edward snarled. Seth didn't shrink this time like I did.
"How can you say that in front of Eliza? You're saying that she's not important enough; that if it wasn't for my future ties with Bella's father and my mom, that you'd just leave her out to die; that she wouldn't be your problem," he observed in my defense. I looked away from Edward, afraid of his furious reaction. It hurt even more to hear Seth say it, but I understood. I was too comfortable; too used to being around this family. I was overly-comfortable. I should have expected this, which I did, but it hurt still.
Edward just…sighed.
"Seth, don't be so irrational. Eliza is…just as important as Renesmee," he struggled to say. His hesitation just proved to all of us what he said was a complete lie. I began to stand up.
"Um, you know what, it's okay. Really, I'll live. You guys don't have to bother-" I began, but Seth pulled me back down. This was just awkward now.
"You just hit Edward's soft spot, that's all. He doesn't really mean all the grumpy stuff he's saying right now…" Alice tried to comfort me. I knew she was lying too. Seth's body had begun to tremble. I rested a very gentle hand on his lap and told him to calm down.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Seth's tone was very curt, very short; like he was really struggling to keep his temper controlled.
"Kid, step outside for a moment," Jake told him. Seth suddenly cringed. I don't know what it was that Jacob said, or if it was his tone or something, but Seth immediately stood up, his shoulders slumped, and walked outside at a human pace. I felt a little alone in the room.
"So…forget I even mentioned that. Actually, maybe we should just forget the whole-"
"Eliza, give us a moment. I think we should just go with our original plan. You'll meet them in the clearing, well you'll lure them there, and then the Volturi will come to investigate my rumor I sent to them about a coven of fifteen. Aro likes me, so I'll gladly stand by you and I'm sure Bella will too unless she wants to stay with Renesmee. She's got a pretty cool gift, too. Anyways, we'll be watching out for you. The Hunters will be there, and we'll stall if they get there a little before the Volturi do, and then when Aro and the others see the coven of fifteen, they'll probably choose to eliminate them. In case your Hunters try to fight or run, or something happens so that the Volturi do not think they are dangerous, I'll keep in touch with the others – who'll be staying home – and I'm sure Seth'll be keeping a good ear out for any problems. The only issue with this is that Jacob" she looked over at Jacob "and his pack will have to take extra precautions on watching each other's backs, in case Karina thought the werewolves were such a threat that she'll have warned Vincent to keep some scouts circling the area in case. What do you think?" She was finished.
I was a little amazed at how calmly and smoothly she handed out this explanation without any stutters or stops for breath; although I knew it was because she didn't technically have to breathe.
"Um…Alice, only if it's okay with you and Bella," I asked.
She smiled, kissing me on the cheek.
"Of course it's okay! I'm perfectly fine with it," Alice said with a smile. I didn't bother glancing at the men in the background. Jacob and Edward were probably still scowling at me, Jasper was probably trying not to scowl at me…and I think Carlisle had a lifeless expression on his face. He probably felt the same way as Jacob and Edward, although he was too kind and compassionate to admit it.
"Do…you mind if…?" I didn't have to finish it. I knew Alice could understand what I meant. I wanted to be with the one person who really loved me…who could probably make me not feel like an inconsiderate, selfish, pain in the $$.
Still no comment from Edward.
I got up after hugging Alice, and was walking to the door. I opened it, and just then, I heard Jasper whisper,
"She's sad."
I closed the door behind me.
