AUTHOR'S NOTE Happy 2010, everyone!
DISCLAIMER I own nothing from Buffy or Twilight.
Alice leaned against Jasper, watching the sky outside get lighter and lighter. It was almost morning.
Unless it was an absolute emergency, she never bothered any of her family at night. Most often, she and Jasper were just as preoccupied as the rest of them. She hated those rare occasions that her gift interrupted them, but the visions couldn't really be avoided.
She curled up against his side. "Everyone should be around soon."
Jasper gazed at the walls of their room, sensing the emotions in the house like a snake tasting the air, and shook his head. "Not yet," he murmured, kissing her temple. "There's still a whole lot of energy pouring out of Rose and Emmett's room."
Alice laughed. "When is there not?"
He tightened his arm around her bare shoulders. "They'll all be downstairs in a while. You sure you don't want to tell me about the vision? It might make you feel better."
She shook her head. What she had seen less than an hour ago was still too confusing. She needed more time to figure out how to put it into words.
Nipping playfully at her neck, Jasper whispered, "Okay." A warm, happy feeling flooded their room.
She smiled up at him. "You know I don't need that when I'm with you, no matter what my visions are. I'm always happy."
Another hour went by before the family was all downstairs and twenty minutes more before Edward and Bella brought Renesmee from the cottage they had back in the woods.
Mornings were interesting for the Cullens. Edward, Bella, and Alice had all officially graduated from Forks High School, so there was no hurry to rush off anywhere. None but Renesmee ever slept, so there was no bleary time spent trying to get going for the day. There wasn't even breakfast to prepare. Normally the conversation picked up just where it had left off the night before.
Alice gripped Jasper's hand, trying to find the words to interrupt Carlisle and Emmett's debate about exotic hunting trips. A moment went by and she didn't have to.
Edward suddenly looked at her. "What was that you saw?" he asked.
The talking ceased. All of her family's eyes were on her. There were times when her favorite brother's special talent was really irritating. "I'm not sure," she admitted, shooting Edward a glare.
She turned to Carlisle. "There's a group of people coming. Three of them. Or…more. I'm not sure."
"You can't see them clearly?" Carlisle asked.
She shook her head. "There are three humans. Then there's this muddy, cloudy feeling around some more." She glanced at Renesmee. "It's not like Nessie or the wolves where I can't see anything. I know there are more there; I just can't tell anything else."
The resulting silence was not surprising – Alice hardly ever had trouble interpreting her visions. Nor had she ever seen anything before like what she was describing.
Bella clutched Renesmee. "Who are they? Is it bad?"
"Momma, not so tight!" Renesmee complained. Bella loosened her grip, but just slightly.
"I don't know," Alice said.
She looked at Carlisle, hoping that he would add his thoughts, but he was staring intently out the huge window. Edward frowned. "Carlisle, why do you need to talk to Jacob so badly?"
Suddenly his eyes narrowed and a low growl escaped his throat. "No!"
Esme looked between her husband and her son nervously. "What?"
"Carlisle, you can't let him come here!" Edward cried.
Jasper looked down at Alice, who shrugged. He quickly crossed the room and put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Calm down, brother," he said softly.
"Edward," Bella asked. "What's going on?"
Edward kept staring at his father. Reluctantly, he finally said, "A werewolf."
Esme grinned. "Oh, is that all? Why'd you scare us like that? Jacob must have been afraid that we wouldn't be as welcoming of others."
"Not like Jacob," Carlisle interrupted quietly.
Emmet and Jasper looked at him, horrified. "Carlisle, no!" Jasper said.
Rosalie looked at Esme, confused, while Bella glanced at Edward the same. The room then disappeared into another vision.
It was the same vision as before, only this time it was clear that there were three others behind the murky haze. One was the werewolf that Carlisle was talking about. The other two were different.
She came out of the vision just in time to hear Emmett say, "You can't just sit back and let a Child of the Moon waltz into our town!"
"A Child of the Moon?" Esme whispered. "That's who's on their way?"
Carlisle nodded gravely. "And apparently – " He looked at Alice. " – he's not alone."
"The Volturi will never forgive us for this," Edward said.
Bella growled in frustration. "I am sick and tired of the Volturi screwing with our lives."
"Yeah, well, we sort of invite it," Rosalie muttered.
Edward glared at her. "What is that supposed to mean, Rose?"
"There are six!" Alice interrupted, hoping to ward off the fight between her brother and sister. It worked – the room went quiet. "There are six of them. Three humans, the werewolf, and two others that I still can't see."
Jasper was back at her side, his arm around her waist. "When will they arrive?" he asked.
"Tonight," she said reluctantly. "They'll be in Forks by tonight."
They all sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Carlisle said, "Right now, I say we wait."
Emmett, Jasper, and Edward began shouting angrily, while Renesmee clapped her hands over her ears. Carlisle tried to argue his point, but his voice was drowned out. Rosalie quickly joined in alongside Emmett and Bella was trying to calm her daughter.
Esme glanced at Alice, then took a deep breath and shouted, "Boys!"
The arguing abruptly stopped, since Esme hardly ever raised her voice. She took Carlisle's hand and looked at the rest of them. "We don't know anything right now, except that a true werewolf is on his way to Forks. Alice didn't see him coming to us. If we wait to see what happens, maybe he won't even come near us. The Volturi will never be involved."
Edward wrapped her arms around Bella and Renesmee and glared at his parents. "This is a huge risk. I won't let Bella and Nessie be in danger again."
Carlisle nodded. "If it comes to it, I will face the Volturi. I will not put the rest of you in danger again. We'll resettle somewhere else after it's done."
"I won't leave you," Esme said quietly.
"I won't either, Carlisle," Bella said.
"None of us are leaving anyone," Jasper said firmly. "We have fought off newborns and faced down the Volturi's lynch mob and we've done it as a family. If a true werewolf shows up at our front door and makes trouble for us, we'll kill him. Simple." He cracked a smile. "The Volturi may even reward us."
Emmet looked excited by that plan. So, surprisingly, did Bella. Esme looked gratefully at Jasper, then said, "I think a hunting day might be a good idea. It's been a while."
No one really argued. Rosalie was the only one who seemed irritated by the suggestion and that was mostly due to the fact that she had to change into more appropriate clothing.
Bella materialized at Alice's side. "If Nessie's in danger," she began quietly.
Alice took her sister's hand in hers. "I'll tell you." She felt the burning in the back of her throat as she looked at Bella's nearly-black eyes. "Esme's right. If we're going to face anyone for any reason tonight, we have to be strong." Venom began to flow in her mouth. "Let's go out for breakfast."