Author note- Thanks for all the reads and reviews that i have received recently. You guys just win... all the fecking time. I have readers in New Fucking Zealand... that just blows my mind!

Thanks to Content1 for all her help and guidance. I've said it all... there aren't the words.

This is it, last chapter before the battle. Little bit of fluff and a last minute meeting with the wolves.

SM owns Twilight. I am currently devising a 'Kidnap Jackson Rathbone' plan.

Here we go kiddies!

Man lives freely only by his readiness to die, if need be, at the hands of his brother, never by killing him.

Mohandas Ghandi

Chapter 26.

Levity

"We can take the Hummer. It's fueled and we will all fit in it," I said, heading towards the garage with everyone else in tow. It was a little after seven a.m. and we were getting organised to back to Forks. It was Thursday now and we had, by Alice's estimations, about twenty-eight hours to go until it was 'Showtime' and we still had a massive amount to do. We had to make Bella safe, get her away from the fight. Edward would be looking after her so she would be well cared for in that respect. We had to do our final meeting with the wolves before tomorrow. We had to scout the clearing and look for points of attack, defensive positions and work out where everyone would be situated in it for the main fight. It was a lot to do and even though we had our speed and precision going for us, it was still a tall order. There would be a lot of difficulties and problems over the next forty-eight hours and I had taken it upon myself to give the family one last hurrah before the serious shit kicked in. The best way to do that, was residing within the two story barn we were standing in front of. I took the padlock that bolted the two doors shut into my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It crumbled in my hand and the doors unlatched themselves. "Gimme a hand, Emmett."

I grabbed one door and he grabbed the other and shoved them open and waited for the audible intake of breath. I was not disappointed. There was three statues with open mouths just standing in the open door. As I turned around to guide them in; Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett just glided right in there like they owned the place. I kinda liked that. On the way past me, Jasper looked distracted. I could see the wheels in his head turning over as they processed everything that we still had to do today.

I placed a hand onto his shoulder. "You okay, Jazz?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, darlin' "

"You look like you are trying to disprove Newton's Theory..."

"Maybe I am..." The side of my brother's mouth pulled upward, highlighting two scars on his cheek and on on his eyebrow.

"Don't. The old bugger was right." He was too. Newton was a very intelligent man...obviously. He had a wicked sense of humour though.

"You met him?" Carlisle asked, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.

"Head in the game, old man," Jasper teased, nudging Carlisle as we entered the downstairs area of the garage. The three people who hadn't been in this garage before fell silent.

"Well, I...huh..." Carlisle stuttered as his eyes fell on the cars on this floor. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Eloquent, Dad," Emmett smirked, shoving passed everyone to hit the staircase.

"Are they all yours?" Esme whispered.

"Yeah, I have more in Boston, London, Glasgow and Vancouver," I said, following Emmett up the stairs. As I passed Jasper, I grabbed his wrist. "Come on, Major. Let's go see your mistress." Alice laughed as her eyes fogged over before she followed us. When we got to the top of the staircase they froze again. My eyes rolled. Sure, this was where I kept the 'good cars' and they hadn't been here before or were too busy looking after me to enjoy it properly. "Guys, come in. It's okay. You should see some of the cars in Britain. I keep the classic cars over there. My 1932 Chrysler Kew is one of my favourites."

"I remember those cars..." Carlisle said, weaving his way between the cars. "They weren't very fast, but they were a joy to drive."

"My DB5 is being exhibited in the London Transport Mueseum at the moment. It's being used as part of a display or something."

"You have a James Bond car?" Emmett asked as he hovered next to the EB-110. Not the best Bugatti I had but still... very nice.

"Yes, Emmett, I do. Jazz, if you damage that paintwork on that car, I will kill you." My threat just bounced right off of him as he skimmed his hand backwards and forwards over the roof of my Maserati. I swear if he started drooling, I would put him through a wall. "Alice, this is the car Jasper will be leaving you for." I walked over to Jasper, grabbing him around the wrist and removing his hand from my car. "I did offer him a loan of the car, Alice, but I think he might want some alone time with it first." I could only imagine the vision she was having as her eyes fogged over, but whatever her emotional reaction was, it was enough for Jasper to throw out a torrent of lust so strong, my knees actually felt weak.

"Jasper!" I bellowed, taking off a boot and throwing it at his head. "Fucking quit it! Can you at least try and control that?"

"Sorry..."

"I already told you, once this was all over, you and Alice could take it out for a spin. Can you please keep yourself in check until then?"

"I'll try my best," He muttered, wandering back over to the car.

"Jesus Christ... Alice, what time are we due back?"

"Just after two,"

"Right, Jazz, you're with me. Everyone else, go to that cupboard and pick a set of keys. " I followed my own advice and opened the narrow wall cupboard. I lifted my Quarttoporte keys off of the hook, leaving the door on the cabinet open. "The keys are labeled. Pick a car because we are going driving. This house is on twenty-four acres of land with purpose built roads on it." I tossed Jasper the keys in my hand and moved to stand next to him.

"Really?" Jasper mouthed, almost vibrating with excitement.

"Yes, really. You seem to have trouble focusing so, if this is what it takes, then you will drive until you get over it." I opened the passenger door and got in, enjoying the feel of the leather on my bare shoulders and neck. From my seated position, I could see Alice admiring my Audi TT. Emmett had, predictably went for my off-road car; The Bowler Wildcat. Rosalie was eying up my DB8 and my Vantage as Carlisle and Esme - rather predictably- went for the McLaren Merc.

"There is a petrol pump outside the garage if you manage to empty the tanks. You have two hours. If you damage anything, you replace it, I will cripple your vehicles at him and then I WILL kill you. Deal?" I received a number of rushed 'deals' before their voices were drowned out by the purr of the engine underneath me. Jasper's low moan of pleasure was masked by the, now violently, purring engine, but the rumble in his chest sent vibrations throughout the whole passenger compartment. I wasn't sure he was capable of driving in his current state. "Jazz, do you want me t-" My sentence was cut short as the Maserati flew out of the garage and down the ramp, hitting 100mph before we hit the end of the driveway. The others followed us out.

"This is fucking awesome," Jasper murmured, running his hand around the steering wheel in an almost indecent fashion. I just shook my head at his enthusiasm.

"Guys, follow us until I tell you and then you are free to go." A round of horn blasts sounded as I indicated to Jasper to turn left. We reached a crossroads when I yelled 'Go Nuts' to the others, allowing them to drive around me, shooting off in different directions. Jazz chose the right hand road and probably the best road for a car like this. The long straights and sweeping bends brought out the best in Italian sports cars. This road had seven curves and six straights, before it dead-ended at a wide oak tree. The trick was to get the car around the last bend , drop it down two gears and kick the back end out, allowing the car to spin one-eighty degrees before shifting back up one and flooring it. I informed my chauffeur of this and the only response I got was a slightly giddy laugh.

"You won't lose a lot of momentum and it's easier on the $5,000 tyres. Plus, the big tree at the end of the road likes to eat sports cars; so watch it." I warned, pointing a finger in his face. He nodded once before taking the last of the corners at 160mph. I felt the familiar high that could only be achieved by traveling at this speed. The car held beautifully under Jasper's expert touch. His razor sharp reactions pushed the car to it's impressive limit as it flew round the curve. As the twisting tarmac straightened out, he dropped a gear, keeping the revs high before allowing them to drop enough to let the gear drop again. The car slowed dramatically until it was only forty feet from the tree when Jasper dropped the hand brake, and kicking the tail end out to the right, allowing it to swing around, screaming at every one of the 180 degrees he forced it to turn. Just before the car straightened out, he pumped the clutch, jumped a gear and shot off down the road in the direction he just came from.

Jasper was pouring liquid happiness into the car and it was more than contagious. He had the biggest grin on his face and he buzzed with excitement. It made the whole idea worthwhile.

"Kals, this is just fantastic, darlin'" Jasper cooed as he dropped the car below 120, intent on enjoying the drive this time.

"Glad to be of service, Major," I said, bowing my head.

"Why did you do this for us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, hun, we are twenty-four hours away from a major fight. We have a tenuous relationship with our furry comrades. There is a psycho after our sister and an army of feral newborns coming to rip us to bits. We are killing time playing with sports cars."

"Oh," I breathed, not expecting a question that straight forward. "Well, I guess I thought we could do with the down time. I mean, it's been a rough couple of weeks and it's not gonna be any easier over the next couple of days. I figured we would need to blow off a little steam while we could."

"Thank you," He said, flashing me a grin "And thank you for letting me drive this astonishing vehicle."

"It was my pleasure, sir. Take me back to the garage, will ya? I want to drive my Diablo." I smiled wistfully at the thought of my prized Lambo.

"Yes, Ma'am!" He saluted. I grinned at his southern accent and they way that it pulled at the words. We heard the distant rumbles of the other cars as the sped up and down the roads that weaved through my land. I smiled at the idea that I could do this for them. I hadn't given them much but I could give them this. "You know, I might stay here and hash out a couple of details for tomorrow if you want to stay with me."

We were at the crossroads at the bottom of my driveway and he had just turned the car onto the twisting sloped road. I considered his offer. We could use the extra planning time. Then again, I was going to be fighting for my life tomorrow and I would have liked the opportunity to drive my babies before I lost the ability. I could have done with the head space as well if I was being completely honest with myself. I needed my family more. After about ten seconds, I turned to Jasper, placing a hand on his shoulder and nodding once. He returned the affirmation and killed the engine once we were back inside the garage.

"Kali, you know we are all here for you, right?" Jasper's question came out of the blue and surprised me.

"Yeah, why?"

"You felt lonely, when you left the house earlier. Emmett came to find you,"

"Yeah,"

"Why?"

"No idea." I lied.

"Tell someone who isn't a lie detector, Darlin' " He teased, the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily.

"How about, after this is finished, we go hunting and talk about it?"

"That would be a great plan, but for the fact that Alice will be in full 'Wedding Planning' mode..."

"God, just the thought of her being... wait... Bella said yes?" I asked, smiling like a fool.

"Alice got the vision of a ring going on he finger last night while we were in Seattle,"

"Jesus, she is gonna be insufferable," I groaned, trying not to imagine the countless dress fittings I would have to endure.

"you have no idea..." Jasper agreed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, trying to alleviate some of the stress that he knew was coming.

The family arrived back at the garage a couple of hours later, just after ten-thirty with huge grins on their faces. The cars were filthy and the Bowler Wildcat was an inch thick with mud, leaves and the combines scents of Emmett and Rosalie was wafting from it as the breeze from the open garage doors hit the car.

"Nice guys, real nice. Please tell me my Aston doesn't smell like that..." I pleaded.

"Passenger space was too small," Emmett shrugged.

"The Vantage has more space than that wildcat," Jasper noted.

"Yeah, but we couldn't take it off road. The suspension would have got all fucked up,"

"I would have ripped you to pieces." I threatened in my very best 'I'm Going To Kill You' voice.

"Exactly. The Wildcat could take the strain," Emmett waggled his eyebrows and began to thrust his hips in mid-air in an effort to demonstrate just how that strain would have been applied. I grimaced as I laughed.

"That is just awful, Emmett," I groaned, my hands shielding my eyes from further trauma.

"It's natural, sis,"

"Oh, I know that, Em. Your technique is just terrible though..." I noted critically. The smile that had graced his face fell dramatically as everyone else around us exploded with laughter.

"That was uncalled for," Emmett grumbled.

"Yeah, that's what my Wildcat said." I snickered. Even Rosalie joined in as she descended the spiral staircase.

"You're not gonna stick up for me, Babe?"Emmett demanded as Rose moved away from the stairs.

"I'm just as guilty as you are and I will NOT have my technique called into question." She and Emmett locked fingers as the hilarity hit fever pitch. I gasped loudly as I tried to contain myself, finding it all the more difficult as Jasper wasn't controlling his gift very well- amplifying the hilarity. I managed to focus just long enough to send him a stiff wave of sobriety.

"Thanks," He muttered, before gently easing the comedy levels down to normal.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Carlisle asked, removing any more jovial throughts from the room.

"We're ready," Jasper announced.

"Let's go home,"

"I don't think we will all fit in here," Esme said, eying the hummer doubtfully. She had a point though, if we wanted to get back without drawing attention, two cars would be better than one.

"Well, my golf is here, so we can split between the two. Four in that and three in the beast."

"Can we take the Wildcat?" Emmett asked.

"Em, the only Wildcat you will be getting near from now on is either a mountain lion on Rosalie's p-" I was interrupted by Esme throwing me the mother of all 'Momma Bear Death Glares'. I swear, one time she gives me that look and it would kill me dead.

"We will take the Golf and the Hummer." Esme said in a tone that left me completely powerless to argue. I nodded once before retrieving the keys for the Golf from my pocket.

"Don't let Carlisle drive it. He drives like a lunatic!"

"There is nothing wrong with my driving!" Carlisle protested mildly before falling victim to a look from Esme that got him so worked up, Jasper flinched and groaned.

"Right, let's get moving. The sky will be overcast until two pm so we will have to be good for cloud cover." Alice declared, climbing into the front seat of the Hummer.

"Why am I taking this if four people fit into the Golf. I could take the TT or something." I bartered as I shoved the keys into the ignition of the Hummer.

"You'll need this car," Alice pronounced.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Just saw that you would."

"Fair enough."

"You should know better by now, Kali," Jasper teased from the back seat.

"Not questioning, Jazz. Just curious." I started the Hummer and pulled out of the garage and down the ramp with the Golf right behind me.

The drive back was uneventful at best. We only stopped when the cars needed refilled, mines twice. Using my petrol-guzzling behemoth was a treat. I hadn't used it since I last moved home two years ago. It was too bulky and conspicuous but it had plenty of space, a fair speed when pushed and it tended to be given a wide berth on the road.

"Oh!" Alice gasped, her smile lighting up her face like a fucking Christmas tree. Jasper just about bounced through the roof with the monster load of excitement that Alice just dumped on him. Then she squealed. I mean, really squealed. It felt like my ears were actually going to fall off.

"Alice, I really don't want to have to pull whatever you are seeing out of your head, so why don't you just tell me?" I asked when she finally quit sounding like a stuck pig.

"I have a wedding to plan!" She squealed again, clapping her hands so hard it sounded like someone breaking rocks. I flinched at the sound, hoping Jasper would calm her the fuck down.

"I'm assuming she is going to let you plan the damn thing then?" I asked. Her excitement peaked and she nodded so fast her head was a blur. "Jazz, calm her down will ya?" A quick blast of peace broke around the car but it barely had an effect on The Pixie. The sedative worked enough to keep her quiet, but she was bouncing up and down like Tigger on speed. We just turned onto the driveway when he mood changed instantly.

"I'm going to kill him!" She growled, looking more vicious than I had ever seen her.

"Kill who?" Jasper snarled, trying to control her rage while seeking out threats.

"Edward! He's ruining it!"

"Come again?" I was confused as all hell now. She was happy with him less than thirty seconds ago. I turned onto the driveway and Alice shifted, preparing to bolt out of the door and assault her brother.

"They are going to sneak off to Vegas!"

"So? Who cares?" I asked and almost immediately regretted it when Alice shot me a look that made my venom run cold.

"I won't let them do it," She growled.

"What you gonna do, Alice? Chain them to the alter?"

"Please don't put ideas into her head," Jasper pleaded as we came to a stop.

"Alice, just leave it, okay? Let them get used to the idea before you start throwing fabric samples at them. Let them do this their way or they will resent you for it." I tried to reason with her, god help me, I did. She lasted all of about one minute before she attacked Bella. While Alice accosted one very annoyed eighteen year old human, i spent a moment with my brother.

"Alice informs me that congratulations are in order," I said, walking towards him as he exited the garage.

"Figures she would have seen it." Edward mumbled, flashing his crooked grin.

"She said yes, then?"

"Yeah, she did." He lips pulled back into a ridiculously wide smile that transformed his whole face. He was breathtaking.

"Well, congrats," I pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Alice will be torturing her," Edward said. "Bella wants to go to Vegas,"

"Then go! After the battle, just fucking do it! I'll hold onto The Pixie while you guys run!"

"They aren't going!" Alice growled from the garage. I released Edward and doubled over laughing.

"She is going to be monstrous!" I complained, trying not to think about the dressing up I would have to do.

"She will probably tie you down until you submit." Edward reminded me.

"I should give in now. Save me an argument. "

"It might be for the best."

"After the night we've had, it might be a breeze." I noted, shuddering at the thought of our night in Seattle.

"What do you mean? What happened?" He asked, grabbing onto the top of my arm.

Can I just think it?" I sighed. "We don't have time and I really don't want to talk about it."

"Sure," He said, staring into my eyes as I ran over the previous nights events. I shuddered and grimaced when I got to the screaming humans. I always would if I ever had to relive those memories. The feeding frenzy, the sinking boat and my mini-mental breakdown. "Kali, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I shrugged, pulling away from his grip.

"Doesn't look like you were fine,"

"No, I wasn't okay. But I am now." I stated. "Oh, by the way, Emmett helped me."

"Really?" His tone dropped as his skepticism rose.

"He talked about feelings and shit,"

"I DID NOT!" Emmett bellowed from the house.

"You did so! You made me feel better," I pointed out. "Ya big woman!" Edward's laugh mixed with Emmett's growl.

"What set you off?"

"I had a shit night and sat in a room full of mated couples. Ya know?" If anyone would understand that, he would. He spent fifty years doing this shit.

"Ah," He nodded.

"Exactly,"

"Edward! Get in here. I know you are listening!" Bella yelled. I walked with him towards the garage as she stormed out, Alice bringing up the rear and dancing like her life depended on it.

"Alice, calm the fuck down!" I growled.

"Not likely," She smirked. Fucking pixie.

"Tell ya what," I said, turning back towards Bella and Edward. "When you guys wanna go to Vegas, just let me know. I'll fucking drive you," Alice snarled, causing Bella and Edward to chuckled heartily. "I'm gonna get ready for tonight and tomorrow. You guys finish up here."

I walked away, heading towards the house- the sounds of an argument about wedding locations following me. rolled my eyes, wishing the Pixie would just back down and leave them alone. Not likely, but a vampire girl could dream, right?

"You promise me that you will look after yourselves," Esme demanded, fussing with Edward's collar on his jacket... again.

"For the seventh time, Mom, we promise." Edward rolled his eyes at her. Bella and Edward were packed and getting ready to meet Jacob. The plan was to lay a fake trail, heading into the clearing for the newborns. Once she was there, Jacob would take her to the campsite where Edward would keep her safe until after the battle. Myself and Jasper spent hours poring over alternative but Jacob was the only one who could mask Bella's scent. Everything was set, and they were leaving in two minutes. I was a little anxious to say the least.

"Don't be, Kali," Edward said.

"Keep out of my head, will ya?" I giggled, shoving him gently. "You got everything?"

"Yes, everything is packed. We are going to the clearing first and then I will set up camp."

"Take a phone," I said, throwing his mobile at his head. "I charged it for you... just in case."

"Thanks," Me mumbled as he shoved his phone into his pocket with more force than was strictly necessary.

"There was no need for that, you arsehole. I'm only trying to help!"

"I know, sorry. Just tense."

"That's alright. Now, here. One more thing..." I put my hand into my back pocket, retrieving my silver butane lighter. "Take this, just in case."

"We won't need that..."

"Humor me, jackass. Just take the damn lighter or I will bounce it off your head,"

"You're getting to be worse than Alice..." he complained, taking the lighter from my hand.

"Yeah, and I'm bigger than her and I won't hesitate to hurt you. do what your sister tells you for once." I curled his fingers around the lighter before pushing his fist against his chest firmly. "That's my favourite, so watch it. I want it back."

"Yes, Ma'am," He said, pocketing the little silver rectangle and saluting. That one earned him a smack on the back of the head. "What was that for?"

"I told you I would hurt you," I shrugged. "You got a second before you go?" I glanced at the back door, indicating where we should be heading. He nodded and followed me out, ignoring the family as they stared at us. "We aren't going to have sex out there so stop fucking staring. I need to go over something with him before he goes. Is everyone alright with that?"

"We'll hear what you are talking about anyway," Emmett smirked, grinning at his apparently unassailable deduction.

I rolled my eyes as I passed him, tapping the side of my head. "Actually, Emmett, you won't." We walked out the back door, sitting on the swing-seat on the back porch.

"Hold on a second until I focus properly." I thought, looking into his eyes. I pulled his gift forward easily but maintaining it without focus was difficult. I kept it at the front of my mind, trying to burn it into the tissues.

"What are you doing?" He asked, sitting next to me, the words never escaping from his lips.

"Trying to focus on you enough so that I can use this later without too much trouble. "

"You could hurt yourself,"

"So?" Like that had stopped me when this family needed me...

"You are absurd," He thought shaking his head.

"I'm trying to give OUR family every possible advantage that I can," I growled mentally. "If a bit of a headache is the price to pay, then so fucking be it. I'd happily pay it. I AM happily paying it."

"I know you would, Kali. Trust me, I know what you think of every member of the family and your bonds with them," Edward thought, touching my shoulder. "I know what you have seen and and felt in the past two months and I know what you are willing to do and sacrifice for us. But we are not willing to lose you because you over-exerted yourself. So if you can't keep up the telepathy, you drop it."

"If I can't keep it up, it drops all by itself,"

"You know what i mean..."

"I know. "

"Good." We stood up in silence, just listening to the house. I couldn't help but smile at their thoughts. They were just itching to know what was going on out here. Their thoughts and concerns reminded me of my own.

"Edward, something big is going to happen tomorrow; I can feel it." I thought, shuffling my feet.

"You are taking on an army of newborns. I think that qualifies." He smirked.

"You know that's not what I mean, Edward. Something feels weird... like... I dunno."

"Whatever it is, we will all get through it and deal with it together," He gave me a quick hug. I squeezed him around the middle, reveling in the support he was trying to provide.

"By the way, if you or Bella get hurt tomorrow, I will fucking kill you," I threatened, letting him go. He flashed a grin, giving me another quick squeeze around the shoulders.

"Keep safe, Kali." He whispered, kissing my forehead before heading back inside.

"I called Jacob," Bella said when we walked through the back door. "He's ready when we are." This was it then. The start of the battle.

"You guys ready?" I asked as Edward bent to pick up their bags.

"As I'll ever be," Bella grumbled. I knew she wasn't happy about sitting out. It made her feel helpless. Unfortunately... She and Edward were fucking idiots who wouldn't listen to anyone but themselves... so he was sitting out.

"Take care of yourselves," Esme whispered, giving them both a fierce hug. Carlisle followed her lead and soon, everyone was getting hugs again. Rosalie stepped back, bidding them both good luck. To an outsider, it was a cold goodbye. However, this was about as warm as Rose was going to get today. It was her way of expressing concern. When the third round of hugs was finished, they left, setting out on foot to lay the trail to the clearing. When they had disappeared from sight, my heart clenched for them. I shoved those feelings away, focusing slightly.

"They will be okay,"

"I'm killing me some newborns in the morning,"

"I think denim will be battle-friendly,"

"I need to get out of here, the worry is too much," Jasper's thought registered last and I focused more, trying to grab hold of his gift. It was tough. The gifts were just slightly too far apart in my head and I was really reaching to grasp the second. I had twenty-four hours before Battle time and about twelve before we met with the wolves so I needed to do this. I pushed my focus to the limit, straining to reach that which was just out of my grasp.

"Kali, what the hell?" Jasper demanded, feeling my building tension.

"Gimme your hand, quickly!" I demanded, slamming my eyes shut and holding my own hand out. When I felt the familiar fingers wrap around mine, I had a rush of emotion coursing through my body. I felt everything around me and heard the minds of everyone at the same time. "Holy shit!" I gasped, opening my eyes and training my sight on Carlisle who was suddenly in front of me.

"What the hell is she doing?" Jasper thought, clearly feeling what I was feeling. As soon as his other hand touched my shoulder, the whole room exploded.

"Whoa!" I bellowed as every thought and emotion in the room ran through my brain. I could hear their curiosity and feel their surprise at my outburst.

"Holy... Jesus Christ," Jasper breathed. He started to tremble with the level of empathic stimuli swimming around him. I felt him redoubling his focus, trying to level out the emotional climate as I continued to float on it. "How the hell are you doing that?" He growled when a particularly strong swell of confusion hit us.

"With fucking difficulty," I snarled. It was slipping now. I was losing both the gifts right now but I forced myself to focus and keep them going as long as I could.

"I swear, I am going to was her mouth out," Esme thought, offended by my more than colorful language. Her thoughts were ever-motherly as I considered cursing my way through the alphabet if it helped me focus.

"Sorry, Esme," I grunted. "But the soap won't be necessary."

"I didn't say anything,"

"You thought it," I explained, The gifts slipped again, I was barely hanging on now.

"Aren't you channeling Jasper right now?" Carlisle asked, taking a step forward and placing his hand on my other shoulder. An influx of strong emotion coming from his hand to my bare shoulder caused me to yelp. It was a little too much. It exhausted me as Jasper kindly told his father to remove his hand before I lost the connection.

"Kali, you got another fourteen seconds before it gives out," Alice said. Thank fuck I didn't get THAT vision. I couldn't have coped with that. Not today. Jasper helped me level out my emotions as I tried to control the rooms. I was ecstatic that I could do this, even for short periods of time. This was important. Jasper chuckled at my new found confidence and that was it. His distraction caused the final slip and the gifts were gone.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Alice asked, standing up from her seat on the floor.

"About two minutes?" I offered, sitting on a nearby chair and cradling my head in my hands.

"How?" Carlisle asked, crouching in front of me. I knew he was doing his whole 'I AM DOCTOR' routine and checking me over, but I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed by it.

"I can do Edward's gift without a lot of focus. I wanted to try two at once..."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, I know." I agreed, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it.

"Don't try that on the field tomorrow," Jasper ordered. "It takes too much focus, I can't stand beside you the whole time and we need you mobile and focused on fighting."

"I know that. It's handy to know that I can though."

"Oh shite,!" I complained as the wolves drew closer. The wind caught them from behind and I now had the stench of wet roadkill beating my senses. It fucking sucked!

"Kali, enough," Carlisle warned, his own nose wrinkled slightly at the smell as a particularly strong gust of wind blew towards us. Myself, Jasper, Carlisle and Emmett formed a loose line as we waited on the wolves making their appearance.

"I know. I know." I focused on their minds, pulling their thoughts into my own. My limit without Edward present was about a mile so it wasn't ideal, but it was enough to get the job done.

"Nearly there, guys. Just calm down," Sam thought.

"I just want tomorrow to come so we can shred some vamps."

"Yeah, as long as we get the right ones,"

"Like it matters,"

"Treaty stands. It matters,"

"They're close," I said to my family. "About half a mile out."

"How the fuck can that tick know where we are?" One wolf mind spoke out. It sounded almost female...

"It's the other mind reader."

"Fuck!"

"Exactly..."

"I'm going to phase to talk to them," Sam thought. I was mesmerised as I followed his thoughts through the transformation. The difference between the pack mind and the individual was stunning and complex and if it wasn't for my nearly- irrational hatred of the shape-shifters, I would have liked to study the difference more. The air shimmered around him as he shifted down to human and pulled on a pair of cut-off sweats. He stepped into the clearing thirty seconds later with five huge wolves behind him.

"Hi, Sam," I said cordially. If we were working together, the least we could do it civility. I held my hand out in welcome, hoping that he wouldn't snap at it or something. After half a second, the gripped my hand and released it just as quickly. Better than nothing...

"Kali," He recognised me, nodding as he dropped my hand.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Carlisle offered. "We have a couple of things to hammer out before tomorrow so it's great that you could come."

"How are things shaping up on your end?" Sam asked. I liked that, if nothing else. He was all business.

"As well as can be expected," Carlisle began. " He have all hunted, and are at our strongest. Our original plan of having Bella's scent masked seems to have worked well and we have all trained again today. We are ready."

"Jacob is staying with Bella tonight, just to be safe," Sam said flatly.

"I didn't hear his mind when I was listening for you," I noted.

"He must have phased," Sam shrugged. I was instantly nervous. Edward and the mutt around each other while both in bi-ped form... not good.

"The scent trail is laid, so we have to stay clear of it, now," Jasper said, feeling my rising trepidation. "they will be coming from the east at around eleven AM. We will be here around nine AM to scout some more and to try and get the home advantage. Is this acceptable for you?"

The resulting snickers and barks indicated that the wolves thought we were underestimating them and it got my back up immediately. We were giving them all the information they could possibly need and they were pissed because me were giving them too much? Fuck that.

"That will be fine," Sam said, throwing a glare over his shoulder and aiming it at his pack. "We should try and split the main group into two. It will make our hunting easier."

"Whatever helps, we will do it." Carlisle said. "It might be easier for all of us to split the group. The lesser numbers will make them easier to pick off."

"Then that is what shall be done," Same declared. "We drive the smaller groups into the clearing to eliminate stragglers."

"That's a sound idea." I agreed. "So, are you keeping Jacob with Edward and Bella tomorrow?"

"No. He is one of our best fighters. We need him here. Seth will be going to the campsite in the morning."

"Seems like the best idea. You keeping anyone on the reservation? Just in case?"

"The two smallest members of the pack are staying to protect Charlie and our people. They will be safe." Sam crossed his arms, clearly proud with his thinking. I was happy with it. As long as everyone was protected, I was all good. The look in Sam's eyes when he mentioned the two youngest pack members made me shiver though. From his reactions, I knew they were just kids. Probably younger than Seth and HE was being kept away from the fight. I hated the idea of children dying and I could tell that Sam did too.

"Is there anything you need from us or want to ask?" Carlisle offered.

"I think that's everything," Sam said, turning back to his pack and jerking his head. They began to fall out, leaving only a small grey wolf and a large grey wolf standing in place. Sam's shoulders rose and fell as he turned to face us again. He took a step forward, lifting his hand and holding it in front of Carlisle. "Until tomorrow?"

Carlisle gripped his hand tightly and shook it twice before releasing it. "Tomorrow," Carlisle nodded, allowing Sam to turn away. I took a couple of steps forward.

"Sam!" I called, waiting for him to face me. His face whipped around quickly, his eyes boring into mines. "Thank you." I said, fervently. He lowered his head into a nod before heading away from us.

"I'm going for a drive," I called, heading for the front door.

"Why?" Esme asked from the seat that she and Carlisle were huddled on.

"Three mated pairs in one house the night before a major battle where lives could be lost?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I don't think so. I'm going out."

"Kali, we don't want you to go out,"

"Is what I want important?" I challenged.

"Of course it is."

"Then ask me what I want,"

"Kali, what do you need?" Carlisle interrupted, sensing this wasn't going in a good direction.

"I need to get out of here for a couple of hours. I need to think and plan and I can't do that if I am in a house with three happy couples that make me feel like my heart is being ripped out. I need to drive and clear my head and I need to not resent my family for being able to comfort each other the way that they do. I. Need. To. Go. Out."

"But it doesn't have to be like that, Kali," Esme whispered, stunned by my outburst. I was having a lot of those recently. I should probably talk to someone about them... maybe not.

"Tell me something, did Edward hang out here every night before he met Bella?" I asked, knowing fine well what the answer was.

"No, he went out a lot," Esme conceded. She furrowed her brow for a second until realisation hit her and her eyes widened. "Oh. That's why you go out so much at night..."

"Yah," I scoffed, lifting the keys to the Zonda. "I'll be back before sunrise."

"Very well," Carlisle said. "Let me walk you out."

"Sure," I shrugged, grabbing my leather jacket off of the hook next to the door. He slung an arm over my shoulder as he walked me to my car. I popped the locks on the car before turning to him. "I'll be back before dawn."

"Keep safe," He said, squeezing me around the shoulders before letting me go.

"I'm immortal, Carlisle. I'll be fine."

"Just humour an old man, huh?"

"I'm older than you are," I laughed. "I have two centuries on you!"

"You'd think you would act like it sometimes," He teased, opening my door for me.

"Watch it, kid." I winked, tossing my jacket into the passenger seat. I walked around the door, aiming to get into the seat and drive away before I could embarrass myself or Carlisle.

"Kali, Can I ask you something?" He asked as I finally got situated into the car.

"Shoot,"

"Are you lonely?"

Well, if there wasn't a hundred different ways I could answer that one. I had always been lonely . The only time I wasn't completely alone was when Euan was around, but even then, I knew that what I thought we were wasn't close to what it should have been. I had a new family and I loved them dearly, but the sight of so many happy couple made my chest hurt more than I cared to admit. It was difficult for me because it was the one thing I knew I was missing and it was something that you couldn't buy or find easily.

"Kali?" Carlisle asked, placing a hand on my shoulder

"Can I answer that when I get back? I don't think we have the time right now." I said, really needed to get of here.

"Okay, go." He said, closing the door and stepping back. I nodded once and gunned it down the driveway. I REALLY needed some space.

I ended up on the edges of the Tacoma Narrows Strait again. I almost abandoned the Zonda in my efforts to get to the water's edge. I sat in the same place as before, allowing the water to lap against my legs. The rhythmic motion of the water beating against me allowed me to reflect and focus. I sat on the banks for a couple of hours when I rose from the ground slowly. I was ready. I had grieved for what I had to do. I had mourned the loss our kind would suffer. I had accepted the depths to which I had to go to in order to protect what I loved. I had prepared to leave what ever I could to those I cared for should anything happen to me. I walked by to my car and headed for home.

I was ready.

Author Note- Thanks for reading this. It's been a rough chapter with lots of different things all weaving in and out and its the last one before the fight, so its been difficult. Please let me know what you think. I'm still open to ideas and theories, so feel free to throw them my way.

Links for Kali's cars are in my profile.

Thanks again to Content1 for all her help. You are just awesome. [/discussion]

Next chapter, the battle begins. Stick around.

Kalika87 (Amanda)