Chapter Notes: Sorry, it's been a while. I've been really busy with school and other stories.

Have fun :)

Disclaimer: SM owns all.

Chapter 24 – Anticipation

Edward and I had gone hunting when it happened. It was to be a quick hunt, just during the full moon before their arrival. Everyone had gone except Embry, who sullenly accepted his role of babysitting. Jacob had come, as Edward and I wanted to talk to him about his role in protecting Nessie if Edward and I were to fall in the oncoming fight. Little did the family know they would be coming home to only Embry.

"She's gone!" he wailed. I fell asleep , and someone had taken her. I tried to track them, but I couldn't sense anything. They had no scent!"

We were all grief-stricken; the two werewolves fell into deep depression over their broken imprints. And we all wallowed with the loss of two family members. Several times Jasper and I tried to track the captor, being the best trackers, but were unable to follow the scentless trail.

"Maybe it was Sasha?" Rosalie suggested hopefully a few days from the battle. Edward looked up at me hopefully. I squashed the hope immediately.

"No," I said firmly. "We would have smelled her. You know that." Their faces fell.

During the time between the warning and the battle, the family were working furiously on finding covens of vampires that were friendly with Carlisle and a day from the battle the house were abuzz with vampires. Many skirted around me, unsure of what to think, but found soon found that I was not hostile.

There were Jasper's friends, Peter and Charlotte, the Denali Coven, which consisted of Eleazar, Carmen, Irina, Kate, Tanya, and to everyone's surprise Laurent, who had mated with Irina. There was also three Amazon vampires, Kachiri, Senna and Zafrina; Irish vampires named Maggie, Siobhan, and Liam; also there was a nomad named Garrett, whom I found quite pleasant. But what surprised everyone, was the arrival two brutal and scary Romanian vampires, Stefan and Vladimir. They came only for the chance to stir everyone up.

Nessie was to be kept a secret, as well as Sasha, the family decided. No need to expose them to our enemies, even our allies. Who knows what would happen if everyone knew that Edward and I bore a child. It could be disastrous.

Soon we found ourselves, the mass of vampires and shape-shifters, as well as the child of the moon that was me crowded in a small meadow similar to Edward's and mine back home.

Luckily, the day they arrived was the day before the full moon and I was at my strongest. I could barely rein in my power as I gripped my sword with two hands tightly. It was the only one left by Sasha. I suppose I was thankful we even had one.

Dawn broke, and figures entered the clearing, parting the mist the swirled amongst us.

"They're here," Alice whispered eerily. We all braced ourselves.

After Notes: Ooooh! What's gonna happen? Who's taken Nessie? Conspiracies!! HEHE!!

R&R!!