Chapter Twenty Two

Death Threats

Nessie

When I awoke the next morning it felt as though my eyes were stuck shut and it was almost impossible to open them. Nahuel's face was blury and I had to blink to adjust it, he was awake and smiing at me. "Good morning." I said and his smile got broader.

"Good morning Nessie, so what are you doing today?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"I think I'll go over to see the pack." I replied and Nahuel nodded.

"I'll come with, meet Jacob formally, I was to guilty with not telling you before." He told me.

"Nahuel don't be ridiculous, I am worried enough how this will turn out, without being pregnant! I couldn't imagine what I was like if I was also pregnant in addition to everything else." He smiled at me and kissed my hand. I went to the closet and took out some clothes I smiled when I saw Nahuel's clothing next to mine. I loved him so much this man that was my own kind, that could understand me more then anyone else. I pulled out a shirt and pants and put them on before going into the other room. I smiled at Amelia she had somehow gotten to be sideways in the night and her red hair was a mass of tangles. I sat down in the rocking chair and watched them sleep. I smiled when I saw that Alex had grabbed onto the wolf he had gotten in the night and was chewing on its ear.

"They are both so beautiful." Nahuel said standing beside the chair one arm resting on it looking at the children, our children now. One of my blood and Nahuel's the other of his sisters but they were both mine. I smiled at him as Amelia opened her eyes.

Good morning. She said happily my little ray of sunshine.

"Morning sweetheart." I replied and went over by her bed. "So why don't we visit Uncle Jake?"

He's not my uncle! He wants to take Daddy away, although he do anything to make you happy. She said and I sighed, if life wasn't complected enough.

"Are you hungry?"

Are you making pancakes when we get there? I smiled at her she loved pancakes.

"Sure its the only thing I know how to make well." I replied and she grinned getting out of bed. I took a brush from a bedside table and gently brushed her hair with it. It shone when I was done like a miniature flame and I was glad that my daughter had not yet grown, I liked her at this age. Then again I would like her at any age. I went over to Alex's cradle and smiled at him, his eyes were open and he grinned at me.

"Mama?" He asked and I stared at him trying to decide what to say, his own mother thinking it was best had abandoned him. I took care of him and I loved him as my son.

"Yes Alex." I replied and Nahuel spun around grinning at me from where he was helping our little lady to get dressed. "Do you want out?"

"Wof." He said and held up his wolf.

"Its yours Alex." I replied and his little hands held the animal tightly. "You need to know that biting people is bad, not going was your punishment, but I didn't know when we would get back again. Amelia wanted you to have something that was your own and so did I.

"I 'ove wof." He said and started nibbling on the ears again. I smiled and gently lifted him out of the cradle he clutched on tightly to the wolf in one hand and me in the other.

"Looks like someone is a bit wet, and stinky." I said and he nodded. I went over to the bed and changed him, he never let go of the wolf once. "We are going to have pancakes over at Jacobs but you need to be quiet in case Jacob is still sleeping." He nodded.

We will be Mommy, can we go with you when you check on Sammy and maybe play? I've want to wrestle with her and I think it would be an even match.

"We will see about how Sam takes that alright?" She nodded and held Nahuel's hand firmly. We walked together to the car and drove to Jake's, with the children in the backseat with some of their toys stowed in the trunk along with Sam's buster seat. I helped Nahuel get the children out and unlocked the door. I smiled when I saw the whole pack snoring on Jacob's much cleaner floor. I went over to Jake watching him sleep for a moment, thinking how selfish I was being with the men I loved. I could not choose one to stay with that was like asking me what part of me did I want, my heart or my soul. For as much as I loved Nahuel, and my heart was freely given to him, Jake would always have my soul as I had his.

Amelia tugged on my sleeve and I smiled at my daughter. Pancakes! She reminded me and I laughed she is so like Embry. I nodded and blew on her belly she giggled as I stood up and set about making pancakes. Can I sit on the counter and watch you? Its too tall for me to get up there.

"Sure you can." I replied and lifted her up on the counter. She smiled at me her legs dangling off a little as she watched me make batter and dollop it on. Alex was playing with the truck in the corner winding it up and letting it go. I knew that Amelia loved cars as well so she must have actually intended it for herself I smiled at Nahuel who was crouched beside him watching him play with Alex. I flipped the pancakes over and added more batter to the grill, Seth who usually was starving was groaning softly and I smiled at him as he raised his head and set it back down. I laughed and put the pancakes on a plate and started coffee looked like Seth needed it. I gave him the coffee and six pancakes leaving the rest for Nahuel to split with my family. "Long night?"

"Yes." He groaned again and I smiled. "Sam's pack got someone else, and he's bi. Whenever they faze he keeps thinking of how hot all his pack mates are. Its making the whole pack rather uncomfortable and Sam decided to have a sit down meeting last night. As our pack is so small we run patrols together and we got back around three in the morning." I smiled at him. "So what did you do yesterday? Leah, Embry and Jake were frantic with worrying that something happened to you."

"I told them that we were going shopping, well Alex and Nahuel stayed behind, he's got a bit of a biting problem." Seth's eyes widened. "Don't worry though we talked to him and he understands now that he isn't supposed to bite people. I got him a toy anyway and he's playing with Amelia's truck." I said. "Speaking of Amelia I should go back to watching her."

"She's a good kid I think she can't get into much trouble at JHQ." He said and I laughed. I had always liked Seth his personality was great and he was always sunny.

"You know when you imprint your going to make someone very happy." I told him.

"Sure, sure." He said, his eyes were drifting closed now he had eaten. I got up and went to the kitchen, I saw Amelia standing at the grill flipping pancakes easily, she was smling and the wolf was sitting on the counter. "Amelia that is very hot!" I said.

I know Mommy but I like cooking, please let me cook. She said.

"Alright but I am going to watch you." She nodded and watched the pancakes flipping them rapidly, I smiled she was standing on a stool that I had insisted that I needed to reach high up ingredients. She flipped them onto a plate one after another before starting over again. I smiled at her she was doing it twice as fast as I could and they were all a golden brown. She had plates lined up and looked over to Nahuel who shrugged.

"She wanted to try it, and I watched her for a little while before you came in out of the corner of my eye."

"She could have been burnt." I said and they both shrug, I suppose being maddening runs in the family.

"We heal quickly and its best to encourage her to be independent." He replied and I nodded, Nahuel was a great father. I put my arm around him watching our small daughter give the grill a workout. I put the plates in a oven so that they would keep warm until the pack was ready to eat as she finished flipping the last of the pancakes. She climbed off the stool and I saw that she had put two on each plate.

That's for us. She said and I smiled, taking the plates off the counter top and putting them on the counter, I gently lifted Amelia into a chair and sat next to her, Alex sat on Nahuel's lap. I drew some blood from my wrist and splashed a little on Amelia's plate as well as Alex's. They both looked delighted and nobody enjoys the taste of their own blood. I bled over Nahuel's plate until it closed up a second later, thank you fast healing. I ate with my family dousing the pancake in a generous helping of syrup. After we were finished I put the plates in the dishwasher. I then went over and sat by Jacob feeling the carpet rumble slightly under me from the snores of the pack. This was like a second home to me.

Nahuel came up besides me and sat down. "I'll support you no matter what, even if you also love a drooling snoring dog." I smiled at him and sighed relaxing against him and wanting to lie next to Jake at the same time, it felt so confusing to love these two men so absolutely. I sighed and decided between the two, I laid down my head in Nahuel's lap watching Jake's face as he slept and felt Nahuel gently brushing my hair. I could just see the two children playing out of the corner of my eye, both seemed mesmerized by the truck but Amelia hadn't yet let go of her wolf. Alex was jumping forward on the toy and pulling it back.

"Look at Alex." I said to Nahuel looking up at him, he smiled and then laughed sorry when he saw the children's game, his fingers went back to stroking my hair and I could see the love in his eyes. Jake shifted in his sleep and one wrapped around me, it was warm as always and I smiled at Jake. Nahuel continued to stroke my hair making me feel relaxed and loved, I inhaled the scent of Jake's blood. It smelled like trees after a rainy day to me, I loved his smell. He mumbled something before resuming his snores and I reached out with one hand gently stroking Jake's hair as well as Nahuel's. "I love you both so much." I admitted and Nahuel smiled at me.

"We will try to make this work out, I am sure I'll grow to like Jake. How could I not when you love him as deeply as I know you to love me." I smiled and inhaled again, their scents mixed in the air making a wonderful blend, lavender, vanilla and rain soddened trees. Suddenly the phone rang and I got up to answer it, Amelia got to it first. I pulled it from her hand and smiled.

"Black residence how can I help you?"

"Do you have a dog?"

"I have several why?" I asked a bit frightened.

"Tell the dogs that they will be put down, along with the other unatural races. By order of the Volturi, I'm most probably risking my existence telling you this but I have a gift with being able to tell where species are." Then the phone went dead I stared at it before practically throwing myself on Nahuel I haven't ever been so afraid in my life.

"The Volturi are coming and they want to take down the 'unatural' species."

"Well the unnatural species can fight." Nahuel said and shook Jacob's shoulder until his snores stopped. "Get the others up!"

"Wha?" Jake asked.

"Do it Jake." I said and he stared at my tears that were burning my eyes. I didn't cry easily I wasn't a weepy sort of woman and yet tears were running down my face.

Mamma what's wrong? Amelia asked coming over to me I sat her in my lap.

"It will be alright Amelia we will make it alright." I replied and she looked at me.

Your scaring me Mamma.

"I'm going to be honest with you, some bad people are going to try to kill us." She looked startled and so frightened in that moment. "We won't let them though and nether will our family." I said to her and she nodded the complete faith of a little girl in her family.

"Wake up guys, we need to talk." Jacob said and at once the pack awoke, I smiled as Amelia ran over to Embry the wolf in her hand.

Look at what mommy got me. She said excitedly. Its my Emry dolly. Embry's smile could have lit up the room and hugged her tightly.

"Good morning." He told her and she smiled patting his head.

Good doggy. She said causing the whole pack to laugh.

"We need to talk the Volturi are planning on killing the species they consider 'unnatural.' " Jake said. "That includes us, Sam, our imprints most likely and several other people. We need to think of something to ensure our survival because Bella's gift can only go so far." The pack all stared at him in open amazement some were trembling some weren't, they needed something normal to help them through this.

"They can talk over breakfast." I told them. "You all need to eat and I would say that some coffee was in order." They smiled as I got out the plates and coffee serving Jake first then the rest of the pack, Seth drank a second cup of coffee the first cup seemed not to help very much.

"So we need a plan, they are coming to our home so we should have the upper hand." Jacob said in between a bite of pancake. "However I don't think that we can plan without Sam's pack with us and this also concerns Nahuel and Nessie."

"The children have to be safe." Leah said looking at Alex. "We need to send them away."

"No, we should defend them yes but I don't think that would help anything, vampires in general go for the weaker side and they are our weaker side." Nahuel said and I stared at him in surprise. "Its instinct I have them sometimes, I think that the female half of our species are more human and the male more vampiric." I smiled at him and he smiled back, the smile didn't reach his eyes and my own was forced. "Some should serve as a last guard, we could put a circle around them of the packs and vampires, the women and children should go in the center that way they have to fight through us to get to them. We know that they are after us not anyone else."

"Your a great tactician." Jake said and Nahuel shrugged.

"Anyone could tell you the same, its tactical, if your around long enough you know something of warfare this trick has even be used by a king in battle a while back, he died but his army was so outnumbered that it was a wonder that he had managed to live." Nahuel said. "There will be some losses but not as many if we do a full frountal attack." Jacob nodded.

"I need to go over to Sam's come with me." He said and Nahuel nodded.

"You should try to teach the woman some martial arts, they might be weaker but they might have to fight as well." Nahuel said and I stood firmly.

"I'm fighting." I said stoutly.

"No your not, you can be the defense, or protect from the inside but your not to fight, you'll distract us." Nahuel said and I smiled at him, I knew that I could not die but that didn't mean that I wasn't frightened, there were things worse then death and the Volturi were infamous for their ability to torture.

"I can't die and you know full well that Mommy will be protecting us from talent attacks." I said and Nahuel nodded. "I think I will be safer then most of the people in this room."

"You can't die?" Jacob asked and I nodded.

"Can't die can't be turned, stay like this forever I think, that's what Nahuel told me." I wrenched at my arm and everyone winced as they heard a break but within a minute it was back to normal.

"Don't do that." Jake said and I shrugged.

"Alright." I replied and dialed Sam's number handing the phone to Jake I saw that he was shaking.

"Hi Emily,tell Sam get your pack together we need to have a war meeting." He said and smiled. "There all there, we will be over in a moment." We ran over to Sam's, Amelia riding on Embry's shoulders and laughing.

Faster?

"We can't little one, not out in the open, we can go out into the forest later."

Alright. She replied. We go to Sam's house together and I am suprised to hear snoring, Emily stood in the doorway opening it to us.

"I didn't have the heart to wake them."

"Didn't you hear me Emily, warfare, someone wants to kill us and things that are unnatural seems to me that imprinting is pretty unnatural we need them up, you need to wake up Sam. I'm not going to that, my face isn't his favorite." Emily nodded and gestured us inside, I wondered how calm she was to death threats when I realized that she had been having to deal with them for a long time. She awoke Sam who sat up and stared at Jake.

"What is he doing here Emily?" He asked starting to shake.

"He needs to talk to you and your pack." She replies and he stared stopping his shaking, he knew that Jake wouldn't disturb him unless it was impotent.

"Wake up." He said and they all awoke at once, sitting up sleepily.

"Hello Jake." Jared said and Jacob smiled at him.

"Nice to see you again." He told him and Jared nodded. "The reason we came over is that the Volturi are coming to get rid of what they consider unnatural." Everyone in the room started to shake, of those who were werewolves we don't do that shaking thing.

"Bloodsuckers in the hisous." One of the pack said I smiled Embry had taught me some slang.

"What's up Dawg." I replied and flashed a peace sign before snapping my fingers. "Give me your numbers." He stared at me and I smiled.

"Todd, so this your crew?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yes, Nessie." I replied and bumped wrists with him. "Jacob and Nahuel are my mainsqueezes." I said and everyone stared at us as he burst into laughter.

"I don't have a mainsqueeze." He said and pouted I laughed.

"Your just the flyest thing on four legs." I said and he laughed. "Want to rumble?" He looked at Nahuel and Jacob.

"Is it on the down low?" He asked.

"These guys, they know that I fight my own fights." I replied and he shifted I smiled as he attacked dodging out of the way. "Torro doggy." I said laughing this was fun what I had been designed to do. I sprung over him at his next attack and held his throat. He gasped and hit the ground with his paw I let go.

"That was amazing how did you get to be so fast?" Jacob asked.

"Well Todd underestimated me so I didn't have to go that fast but you can learn a lot from Emmett with fighting technics and Jasper knows a thing or two about fighting." I replied and smiled as Todd nosed his clothes onto his back and changed in the other room.

"You had me whooped." He said and I shrugged.

"You need to defend your back and your front don't watch and wait for your enemy to attack." I told him and he nodded I smiled at the newer pack. "I'm afraid your too compliant you need to learn to fight in the few days we have before they attack." I told them and noticed them quivering. "Come on you have to admit that Todd was schooled by a seven year old, I am not nearly as strong as, or have as much experience as a full vampire." They all stared at me again and I shrugged. "You can't let your differences devide you thats the easiest way to ensure that you get killed." I saw that two of the guys looked down and another two looked like close friends. "You read each other's thoughts but that's not enough you need to think and act like a team.

"She's right." Sam said. "Aden, Fredric no fighting you need to work together." Aden growled.

"He's the Alfa and its getting tiring." Another voice said.

"That I am Nathan and you need not to forget it."

"I don't its not my fault they have known me for much of my life." Nathan replied. "Maybe if you stopped with the I'm the mighty alfa attitude they will respect you as I do." He glared at Nathan.

"You both are being ridiculous." Emily said and they stopped at once. "Now I am going to make lunch for you and our guests and you can talk while we do so." We did exactly that although no one came up with a better plan, the fight had made me relaxed and I smiled holding Jake and Nahuel's hand, one was cold when the other was warm, my fire and my ice. I liked watching the way that Jacob seemed so self assured as he talked with Sam. We finished talking only when the sunset and Amelia pulled on my clothes.

"Sleepy Mommy." She said and I nodded.

"My daughter needs to get home." I said. "As does my son Alex." Both the packs nodded and I smiled seeing what I had not before, Sammy and Alex slept together his fist was in his mouth and he held onto his little wolf. I gently picked him up and Nahuel did the same.

"Stay at my place tonight." Jacob offered and I smiled.

"I would like that." I replied and the rest of the pack got up as well, I could tell that they were tired from the way they walked, Nahuel carried Amelia and I smiled seeing her curled up against him also sound asleep. We put the children in the guest room when we got back to Jake's and I made enough macaroni and cheese to feed thirty six hungry werewolves. They devoured it and I smiled at Jake sitting next to him he had cheese on his lip and I gently wiped it off. "The dishes can wait until morning, I'm tired." I admitted and Jake nodded he was yawning and he put one arm around me. I went into his room with Nahuel, it was tight but it felt right to be in between them. Jacob started snoring almost instantly. I smiled and snuggled into the blankets. Jacob and Nahuel both had an arm wrapped around me it was comforting to have them next to me although I was afraid about what was going to happen.

"Sleep my pretty one, sleep my child, relax your fears, your cares I want to see your dreaming smile. Sleep my wonder sleep my lady fair, rest in my arms without a care." I could feel the affect of his voice on me as I drifted into sleep grateful for Nahuel's talent.