Disclaimer: The characters, over-arching plot and even the settings belong to Stephenie Meyer. Good thing too!

AN: Now we are getting to my favourite parts...! I do hope you, dear readers, like where this ends up, but I have a worrying notion in my head that maybe you won't. Gah!

Chapter 8

'You are not going,' Edward decreed later that evening as the sun began to set.

'Yes I am,' Bella repeated.

'Not a chance. I'm not letting you near those wolves.'

Bella took a deep, steadying breath, trying to find the control to not lose her temper. They'd been at this for ten minutes. Alice was no help, since every time she looked ahead, all of their future's disappeared. There was no way to know if Bella going or not going was a good idea.

And Edward certainly thought it wasn't a good idea.

'I need to be there. Look, they're less likely to attack you if I might be in the way, right? I mean, they're purpose is to protect the humans. I'm a human.'

'That's not logical. You may be human, but you associate with vampires. Do you honestly believe they'll protect you enough to risk your life?'

'Three against seven, Edward? Do you really think they'll attack with those odds?'

He glared at her. 'We don't know if there are only three; that's a guess. They could number as many as us, and then what?'

'I'm going,' she said again.

'Oh, stop arguing,' Rosalie butted in as she walked passed Edward's room. 'If she wants to come, it's her decision. Stop making choices for her.'

Bella was too stunned by the blonde's support to say anything. Edward seemed equally as surprised. 'Rosalie...' he began.

'Oh, shut up, brother,' she huffed and flounced off to her room.

'Yeah, I'm with her,' Emmett said, jerking a thumb after his wife as he too passed the doorway. 'And with Bella,' he went on, giving the human a small smile.

'Thanks,' Bella sighed. 'Edward?'

He glared between his bear of a brother and his girlfriend. 'Fine,' he ground out, though it was obvious it was only to placate the rest of the family. He hadn't changed his mind.

Bella didn't bother thanking him. She hadn't been asking his permission anyways.

xxx

Bella gave Charlie the last minute excuse that she and Alice had a history project that they needed to work on. As Charlie was completely unaware that Alice wasn't even in Bella's history class, he agreed with ease and told her in a very fatherly voice not to stay up too late on a week night.

They didn't leave for the border until nearly midnight. Bella had bundled herself up in layers of clothing to escape the cold rain as she clung to Edward's back on the way there. At least it wasn't very far, but they had to run down the river a ways to get close enough to attract the wolves' attention.

The vampires heard their approach first, but after a few minutes Bella was aware of something moving through the trees on the opposite bank and a massive animal stepped into view. It was very nearly pitched black out to Bella's eyes, though Edward had handed her a flashlight. It didn't do much to break up the perpetual darkness of the trees on either side of the water. Still, even its meagre beam was enough to illuminate the thing that arrived. By the sound of it, the first wolf was followed by others, but Bella couldn't make out exactly how many.

Edward stepped forward to the edge of their side of the treaty line. 'We mean no harm,' he stated clearly.

There was a moment's pause and then he sighed. Looking left towards Carlisle he explained in a hushed tone that the wolves didn't believe that for an instant. They wanted to know why the Cullens kept coming to the border.

'Edward?' Carlisle asked softly. His son nodded and the blonde stepped forward instead.

'We need to speak with you. No doubt you are aware that on Saturday some of our kind were here. They were sent by a group of vampires that we considered to be our rulers. They enforce our laws; the highest of which is that no human may know of us.' Here he glanced sideways at Bella and across the river one of the wolves keened. 'They have been told of Bella's presence. Unfortunately, my daughter Alice has had a vision that soon all of them will come. The rulers have a large guard of vampires, that number greater than we. We have no way to fight them.'

'They really don't care,' Edward muttered, disgust in his voice.

'I realise that our survival is of no concern to you,' Carlisle relented. 'But if they come here, they will discover you. I am afraid your scent is powerful enough that even those that were sent as the advance guard are aware. The Volturi have encountered werewolves before; true Children of the Moon, but they will have no care that your tribe is different. It will not stop them from destroying you.' He looked at Edward.

'Their leader, Sam Uley, wants to know how many are coming. The others are hoping for a fight.'

Jasper made a sound of disbelief. 'Stupid children,' he muttered. The wolves bristled at that.

'Alice?' Carlisle turned to her.

'At least a dozen, maybe more; they've haven't entirely decided yet. But they have gifts just like we do and most of them are really powerful. You can't fight that,' she stated simply.

'Sam thinks otherwise,' Edward muttered. 'There are six wolves now, but even with our strength I wouldn't wager on the odds. We might win, but not everyone will survive.' His voice was bleak and very, very worried. Bella stepped closer to him.

Across the river, one of the wolves shifted suddenly and in a second, Edward had put himself between the river and Bella, hissing at the dark shape on the riverbank.

'What has happened?' Carlisle asked; ever the reasonable one.

Slowly Edward relaxed, but he didn't move from his place in front of Bella. Heart racing, she clutched at his shoulder.

Edward sighed. 'Jacob's not too happy about that prospect.'

'Jacob?' Bella whispered. 'He's here?'

'If by here you mean 'gone wolfie',' Emmett joked.

Clearly confused, Bella turned to Edward. 'I don't understand.'

'Jacob has phased. About a month ago now. He's on the far left there, just at the water's edge,' he pointed. In the dark, Bella could just make out a slightly moving mass.

This explained why Jacob hadn't been around lately, but Bella could hardly believe that he was one of them now. One of the creatures that killed vampires. The opposite sides of the riverbank might have been an ocean wide, for the distance between them now.

'Oh Jacob,' Bella muttered. 'I'm sorry.'

'He's not,' Edward snorted. 'He seems to like being a monster, just like the rest of us.'

That didn't exactly help the situation. All the wolves on the other side growled very low, anger clear in their voices.

'Edward,' Carlisle cautioned. To the tribe he continued: 'We have come tonight in peace. You need to be aware of the situation. Alice believes the Volturi will arrive next weekend. They do not come to reason or to listen. We will, of course, attempt to dissuade them from a fight, but there is no guarantee. I fear they will not suffer any of us, even you, to live.'

There was a long silence after that, though the other side was filled with the sounds of large animals moving around.

Edward's voice finally broke the silence. 'They won't let the Volturi harm any humans; Sam says that includes Bella. He wants to know what we have planned.'

'We will avoid a fight at all cost, but if that cannot be done, I would ask you to fight with us.'

Another long growl echoed across the water and the Cullens shifted themselves, worried the fight would start sooner than planned. After a moment, it died off.

'Bella, the light,' Edward whispered, motioning to the flashlight she held. He turned it to the other bank and suddenly Bella realised there was a man standing there in a pair of shorts and not much else. 'Sam Uley,' Edward greeted him with a nod.

'We can't fight twelve,' Sam admitted, though reluctantly. 'If we fight together, that doesn't mean anything. We'll spare you this time, but the old treaty still stands. All of it,' he hissed out, gazing right at Edward.

'What does that mean?' Bella whispered into his ear.

He ignored her.

'The treaty will stand either way. We have no intention of breaking it,' Carlisle explained.

'Yes you do,' another voice called across the flowing water. Edward shifted the beam to reveal Jacob, also in just a pair of shorts.

'Jacob!' Bella called.

'You have every intention of breaking it, don't you leech?' he directed at Edward.

'Not here. The treaty stands in Forks only.'

'Like hell,' Jacob shouted, before Sam quickly silenced him.

'Our Elders tell us the treaty states that if you bite a human, the treaty is broken. It doesn't say whether you have to be in Forks or not,' the pack leader explained.

Beside Bella, her boyfriend suddenly stiffened. 'She's not food,' he seethed.

'If you bite her she is!' Jacob called back.

'Enough,' Carlisle and Sam said in the same instant. 'We can discuss the treaty only after we have dealt with the coming threat. The safety of the Quileutes and the people of Forks are more important,' the blonde continued.

Edward relented, but Jacob was still clearly upset about Bella's coming transformation. Bella was annoyed Edward had withheld another piece of information. If her change would cause a war with the tribe, that was something to consider. Beside her, a cold hand squeezed hers.

'Fine,' the pack leader agreed. 'Just tell us where and when.'

'As soon as my daughter knows, I will send word. I thank you.'

'Don't. We aren't doing this for you, as you pointed out. We fight for us,' Sam groused. He moved out of the path of the flashlight and a loud noise signalled that he'd phased again. Slowly, movement on the opposite bank died away until there was only the sound of Bella's quick breathes and still pounding heart.

'That could have gone better,' Alice broke the silence.

'It could have gone worse,' Jasper pointed out. 'It will give us the numbers. Whether the Volturi are fully aware of what they are or not, there will be an element of surprise. That might be all we need.'

'Let us hope,' Carlisle agreed. Esme, who had been silently hidden at the back during the meeting, stepped forward to grasp his hand. 'Let us return to the house.'

Slowly they left in pairs until it was just Bella and Edward. Obviously he knew she wasn't happy.

'Were you going to tell me?'

'About Jacob?'

'No! Yes!'

'I only knew about Jacob when he showed up tonight.'

'About the treaty then,' she countered.

Edward sighed. 'We weren't even certain the treaty was still valid. Since it is, we may have to consider it. I can't change you here, but we'd have to go somewhere else anyways. Alaska, probably.'

Working herself up to angry Bella crossed her arms. 'Got it all planned out, do you?'

'No,' Edward admitted.

'You should have told me. Even if it wasn't valid anymore, you still should have told me.'

'Yes,' he whispered. 'I'm sorry. I keep...I keep getting it wrong, don't I?'

That softened her mood, if only a little. 'Just stop withholding information, however unimportant you think it is,' Bella said, her voice ringing loudly in the still woods. 'And don't make decisions for me.'

He took a hesitant step forward and when she made no move he took another, coming to stand in front of her. 'I should have explained about the treaty when you first learned about the wolves.'

'As long as you realise that. Don't do it again,' she groused, anger dissipating. 'Can we go home? I'm tired of being wet.'

'Gladly,' he agreed and swung her onto his back in a heartbeat.

What do you think? I'm not sure about writing the wolves. It's doesn't come as easily to me as vampires.