"What in the world have you been doing?" Seth had never seen Leah looking so disheveled. She was clutching her baby, sleeping peacefully now that he was in his mother's arms. Her hair was matted, her feet filthy, and where on earth did she get that enormous shirt she was wearing like a dress?

"She's gone, Seth. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, but I watched her burn. She'll never hurt you again."

Seth stopped in his tracks. "Jane?" he whispered. When she nodded, he sank down on the couch, his rubbery legs momentarily failing him. Leah sat next to him and related the whole story. Seth listened in silence until she was finished.

"Thank you, Leah. You're my hero," he breathed. He looked over Leah's shoulder at Sue, who stood listening with tears in her eyes. She walked into the room and placed her hands on Leah's shoulders, squeezing gently, her eyes never leaving Seth's.

"But she was MY SISTER!"

Felix sighed…again. "I know that, Alec, and I'm sorry. But Aro's right. It won't avenge her death if we go charging in without a plan and get wiped out by that pack of wolves!"

Alec stopped pacing so suddenly Felix almost ran into him. He dropped to the ground, his head in his hands. "Thirteen hundred years! And that filthy mongrel just ENDED her! I'll take her brother apart with my bare hands and make her watch! See how she likes it!"

Felix put his hand on Alec's shoulder, none too gently. "You have to get a grip, Alec, and right now. Aro wants us back in Italy today. Now let's go. You'll get your revenge, but you have to take your time and plan it with the others." He added, under his breath, "Jane should have known better than to go alone."

Alec's head whipped up. "Don't go there, Felix. Just don't," he growled through clenched teeth.

Felix shook his head, a slight smile on his lips that failed to reach his eyes. As if he'd take orders from a 12-year-old kid! Still, the twins were favorites of Aro's so he had to tread carefully. A pissed-off Aro was not a pretty sight, and he was in a murderous rage. Good thing he'd have time to cool off a little while they flew home.

His own fury was directed at the Cullens. How dare they team up with those filthy beasts against the Volturi! It would all be sorted out when he and Alec got back to Volterra. One thing he knew for sure. The Cullens would pay dearly for this betrayal.

Meanwhile, Carlisle had requested permission to address the pack. The physical boundaries, however, presented too great a problem. As a compromise, Sam had agreed to meet with Carlisle and pass on his concerns. It was a cloudy, overcast day when the two leaders sat down at the glass-topped table on the Cullens' deck. Esme silently placed a bottle of water at Sam's elbow and then glided back into the kitchen.

"I know Leah and Emmett did what they had to do, but just exactly what kind of trouble have we brought down on ourselves?" Sam wanted to know.

Carlisle tried to explain the hierarchy of the Volturi. "They're very old, very strong," he told Sam. "As nearly as we can guess, Jane was well over a thousand years old."

Sam rose from his chair, unable to sit still, and paced the length of the deck as Carlisle continued. "She was one of their most lethal weapons. They've got to be beyond furious – with Emmett as well as Leah. We have to be prepared, Sam. They won't take this lying down."

Sam shook his head. "Any idea what form their retaliation is likely to take?"

Carlisle pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, I know how they think. I'd expect them to target the loved ones of Leah and Emmett – her brother, possibly, and his wife or extended family. Humans would be the easiest targets, like Sue or Charlie or their little girl."

Sam stopped pacing, allowing the implications to sink in. "How can we protect ourselves against them?"

It took Carlisle a minute to answer. Finally, he spoke quietly. "We have some defenses against them in Alice and Edward. We should be able to keep track of their physical location, but I'd suggest you double your patrols. Your pack should be able to sniff out any suspicious presence, just in case they send out decoys or human scouts." He continued, his deceptively young face creased with concern, "It won't be today or tomorrow, Sam. They're very patient. But they won't let Jane's death go unpunished if they can help it."

Sam nodded slowly. "It never occurred to me that they might use human spies. That would make it a lot trickier for us."

Carlisle agreed. "Just don't ever relax your guard. They could have someone already in place in Forks, or even on the reservation. Try to concentrate on any weak links. They're not stupid, and I can't stress enough how dangerous they are. They'll use anyone or anything to accomplish their goal. And we'll have to assume for now that goal is to punish Leah and Emmett."

Sam ran his hand through his hair. "You know Leah and I have had our…issues, Carlisle. But she's a member of my pack, and that makes her family."

Carlisle nodded. "I suspect that Leah and Emmett are relatively safe," he cautioned. In the Volturi mind, killing them wouldn't be punishment enough. They'd be more interested in inflicting the greatest pain, and that means torturing and killing their families."

Sam sighed loudly. "I'm really not looking forward to sharing this with the pack, but they need to know what kind of threat we're facing. And I've gotta tell you. In Leah's place, I'd have done the same thing she did."

"So would I, Sam. Even knowing what I know now, I can't find any fault with their actions. I'll keep in touch with you and share any information I can get. Will you do the same?"

Sam nodded. "Do you think there's any chance at all that they'll let this go?"

Carlisle shook his head solemnly. "None."

The pack meeting went comparatively well. There were few complaints when Sam announced that patrols would be doubled, but Seth waited for the murmurs to die down before he stood and faced the group.

"What steps can we take to protect the humans?" he asked. "Besides Leah's and my family, I'm concerned about Christy too." He sat down as Sam and the others considered his question.

Jacob spoke first. "The Volturi have no way of knowing about you and Christy," he offered tentatively. "Maybe the best way to protect her would be for you to stay away from her for a while."

Seth objected vehemently. "That's not fair, Jake. Can we ask Leah to stay away from you and Tommy? Besides, we have to assume they know everything about us. Carlisle hinted that they could have spies anywhere, even on the reservation."

The murmuring started again, more loudly this time, until Sam spoke. His Alpha authority hushed the room immediately. "Unfortunately, Seth is right. We have to protect the humans as best we can. Sue and Charlie have a pack member living in their house, but Christy and her father are especially vulnerable. And when Seth is on patrol, the Swans are unprotected as well. We have to remember, though, that no vampire will cross our perimeter without our patrols knowing about it."

The meeting broke up and the pack dispersed. Leah looped her arm around Jacob's waist as they walked back to their house, where Sue was babysitting. She looked up at him and slowed. "Do we have to tell Mom any of this?"

Jacob turned and faced her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. She rested her face against his chest, absorbing his warmth and his strength. "I think we owe that to both of them. I hate to worry her, but she and Charlie need to be on their guard. And it's not fair to keep this from them, especially when Emmy could be in danger."

Leah sighed. "I guess you're right. What have I done, Jake?"

He stroked her hair gently. "You did what you had to do, Leah. I hope any one of us would have done the same. From what I understand, the Volturi have always been a threat. We'd have had to deal with them sooner or later." He smiled at her. "And right now we have to deal with Sue. The Volturi'd better not underestimate her!"

Two weeks later, Leah called over her shoulder as Jacob practically dragged her down the driveway, "You have our cell numbers, right?"

Seth laughed and waved. "Don't worry, Leah! We've got it!" He wrapped his arm around Christy's shoulder and turned to go back in the house, chuckling softly. "You'd think we'd never babysat before!"

Christy smiled up at him. She'd been looking forward to this weekend all week, and Leah and Jake had finally left on their trip. "Alone at last," she breathed. Her heart did that familiar little somersault as he bent down to kiss her, and time stood still until they heard a tiny voice calling.

"Mama?"

Seth sighed and released her with a smile. "Duty calls." He opened the bedroom door carefully, but Tommy was his usual baby self. Seth deftly changed his diaper, and Christy marveled as she watched. She picked the baby up and carried him to the living room, talking softly to him. He looked up into her face and smiled, happily jabbering in a language only he could understand.

She put him in his playpen and went into the kitchen to see what she could find for lunch. "How's grilled cheese and soup sound?" she called over her shoulder.

Seth stepped into the kitchen. "Sounds great," he grinned at her. "You cooking?"

Christy smiled back as she removed some bread from the wrapper. "Sure. I kind of enjoy playing house with you."

Seth chuckled. "Just don't get carried away. Remember, I get the king sized bed because I'm the man of the house," he teased.

"You get the bed because you have to sleep in the room with the baby," Christy reminded him, tossing a dish towel at him. "And I'll be fine on the couch." She sighed theatrically, and he laughed.

As Seth walked back into the living room, something hard hit his forehead and ricocheted, shattering a windowpane and landing in the front yard. Tommy had been playing with a toy phone and apparently whipped it out of his playpen with an amazing amount of force. The curtains were billowing into the room and the floor was covered with broken glass. "Great. They're gonna need bars on the windows," Seth muttered as Christy came rushing in. He chuckled and looked at Tommy. "Good arm, kid!"

"I'll take him in the kitchen and close the door while you fix the window," Christy offered. He shook his head as he started for the basement to find what he needed to repair the window, and Christy smiled as she picked up the baby.

"You're becoming a one-man wrecking crew, young Mr. Black!" she told him, planting a kiss on the top of his head. Apparently, that was the funniest thing he'd heard all day, and he chuckled aloud.

The rest of the day passed quietly with no further destruction. Tommy took a long nap, no doubt dreaming up more ways to wreak havoc, while Seth and Christy watched a movie. They cooked dinner and cleaned up, and Christy gave Tommy his bath and dressed him in his pajamas. By 8:00 he was snuggled into his crib.

When Christy came back in the living room, Seth patted the couch next to him. "Snuggle time for us now," he suggested with a grin. With a sigh, Christy sank down on the couch and burrowed into his side.

"It's so nice having you back," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's nice to be back," he agreed. "I sleep like a baby these days." He bent to kiss her slowly, lazily.

Christy looked up into his face. "Are you sure we're doing the favor here?" she asked, her eyes sparkling, "because I'm enjoying this way too much."

"Mmmm" was Seth's only reply as he returned his attention to her warm, soft lips. Too soon, he looked at his watch and sighed. "The little monster gets up early, so I guess we should call it a night," he whispered.

"You go ahead, Seth. I'll take a quick shower." She pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and rummaged in her bag for pajamas. Twenty minutes later she returned, smiling at the comforting sound of Seth's soft snoring from the bedroom.

Christy noted that Seth had made up the couch with a sheet and blanket for her, as well as a fluffy pillow. She punched the pillow down and settled in, smiling as she drifted off. She woke with a start to the sound of a key in the front door, and it swung open. Sue hesitated, but Emmy had no such restraint. She ran toward the bedroom, tossing off her coat, and barreled in squealing "Sef! My Sef!"

He caught her and scooped her up in his arm, kissing her cheek as he closed the door carefully behind him. "It's only been about 12 hours since you saw me, peanut!" She kissed his cheek, then rubbed it with obvious disapproval when she found it scratchy. He laughed. "No, I haven't shaved yet. Wanna watch me?" She giggled and nodded, and he headed off to the bathroom.

"Where's that grandson of mine?" Sue asked. Christy led the way into the bedroom and lifted Tommy from the crib. "Here he is, Grandma. He just finished his bottle." She handed the baby to Sue, then went into the kitchen to make coffee as Sue settled into the rocking chair to enjoy a few minutes of baby time. She knew as soon as he caught sight of Emmy it would come to a grinding halt.

Sure enough, Seth, now clean shaven, ducked into the living room with Emmy on his shoulders. They both had traces of shaving cream on their faces. She caught sight of Tommy on Sue's lap. "Woof!" she yelled happily, and he instantly turned to her voice, phasing effortlessly into his young wolf body. He launched himself from Sue's lap and promptly bowled Emmy over as he joyfully licked her face clean.

Christy stood in the doorway smiling. "Coffee's ready, Mrs. Swan," she announced.

Sue laughed, looking around. "Are you talking to me? Please call me Sue, Christy. Everyone does."

Seth put his arm around his mother's shoulder. "Let's go have a cup. I think Leah left some blueberry muffins to go with it…Sue."