Thank you to Tilli Roxs, twilightstATu, Smiley Alice, Marshmellow, ja4ever, note4, usagiharuka, alsionchristina127 and kirby01 for your reviews.
I hope the conversation the children have in this chapter answers a few of the questions I got in the reviews about what they all have been doing with their time and where their money comes from.
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When they reached the clearing Edward and Emmett quickly set up the field and then they walked back to where the rest of the family was gathered.
"How are we doing this?" Emmett asked eagerly.
"We'll need two teams," Carlisle decided. "I'll lead one, Edward can lead the other. I guess we pick a person one at a time."
"I'll take Alice," Edward said quickly. Alice giggled and skipped over to Edward's side as the rest of the family laughed.
"Lucas," Carlisle smiled.
"Bella," Edward countered.
"Emmett," Carlisle smirked and Emmett rushed over eagerly to join Carlisle and Esme.
"Edward?" Alice whispered and he turned to look at her as she pouted up at him.
"Pick Jazz, please?" she begged in her thoughts.
"Jasper," Edward laughed and Jasper grinned as he walked over to join the team.
"Rose," Carlisle grinned and so it continued until everyone's name had been called. Nessie, Oliver, Jackson and Sierra joined Edward's team and Letty, Angel, Stella and Brandon joined Carlisle's team. Esme offered to take her old position as umpire to keep them honest and she also promised to give the children who had never played some guidance.
"So how do we play?" Brandon asked once the teams had been picked.
"Jasper!" Emmett groaned. "Did you teach your son anything?"
"We've been living in the mountains, when was I supposed to teach him how to play baseball?" Jasper laughed.
"It's easy," Carlisle assured the children. "Our team will bat first. You hit the ball with the bat and run the bases." As he spoke he pointed out the direction they ran in. "The other team will be spread around the field trying to catch the ball. You'll all catch on quickly, I'm sure."
Edward's team moved out around the field and Alice stepped up to the pitcher's plate. Carlisle's team decided that Emmett would go first and he stepped up to bat as he grinned at Alice.
"Bring it little one," he smirked.
"Oh, I will," Alice laughed. The children watched with interest as Alice delivered a perfect pitch and Emmett swung at it, the bat and ball connecting with a thunderous crack.
"Yes!" Emmett screamed and threw the bat down as he raced towards the first base. The ball had disappeared through the trees, with Edward after it and seconds later Edward returned with the ball in hand. He held it up triumphantly and the family all laughed.
"Out!" Esme called.
"You have to be kidding me!" Emmett grumbled.
"Nothing has changed Emmett," Edward smirked as he threw the ball back to Alice. As Rosalie stepped up to the plate to bat next Esme explained to the children why Emmett was out and took the opportunity to explain a few of the rules. They were all intelligent children and caught on quickly and before they realised it the afternoon had passed and the game wound down.
The storm clouds started to recede and Carlisle suggested they finish up the game and return to the house. They all agreed and collected up the gear but they had all had an amazing afternoon.
XXX
Later that evening Lucas, Brandon, Sierra, Angel and Letty said goodbye to their parents and headed out to the garage where Carlisle's car was waiting for them. Lucas unlocked the doors and climbed into the driver's seat and waited while Brandon got in the passenger seat and the girls climbed in the back.
"So where are we going?' Lucas asked as he pulled away from the house.
"Seattle," Angel told him. "I checked out some places on the net this morning. There is a new restaurant there. I booked us in for eight. It sounds amazing."
"Well, once we get into Seattle give me directions," Lucas told her. "We have plenty of time."
"I will," Angel promised and settled back to gossip with her sister and cousin as the car sped towards Seattle.
XXX
Lucas found the restaurant that Angel had picked easily and managed to get a park just down the road from it. The group walked quickly through the night streets to the restaurant and slipped inside and were seated at a table near a large window. Once they were settled and their meals had been ordered Letty glanced at Lucas and gave him a smile before speaking.
"It must be so exciting living in Volterra," Letty murmured. "Tell us about it?"
"I suppose it can be exciting," Lucas admitted. "I don't have that much to do with the politics and decisions about our world. My father and Edward are usually locked away in council sessions all day every day. I only really know about things they tell me or things my mother teaches me."
"And you live with traditional vampires?" Letty asked.
"There are traditional vampires there," Lucas nodded. "I don't have much to do with them though. Our family has its own private wing and Nessie and I spend most of our time there. Our parents don't like us leaving the area unless one of them are with us. But the traditional vampires I have met don't seem that different from us."
"Do they feed on humans there?" Letty whispered.
"No," Lucas laughed. "There is a law that vampires cannot feed within five hundred miles of Volterra. That goes for us as well as the traditional vampires. I've never seen them feeding."
"What do you all do over there?" Angel asked with interest.
"Well, like I said my father and Edward are busy with the council," Lucas smiled. "My mother home schools Nessie and I. Sometimes Bella helps her but she is like the personal assistant of the council so she isn't around as much as Mom. My Mom has set up a classroom in our wing and Nessie and I spend most of our days there."
"We have to study every day too," Letty nodded. "Our Mom has done the same as yours. We have a classroom in our house where we are expected to spend six hours a day studying."
"What do your uncle and father do all day?" Lucas asked.
"When they are home not much," Letty admitted. "But they are away a lot."
"They technically work for the council too," Angel explained further. "If there is a vampire out of control and risking exposure of our kind anywhere on this side of the world they go deal with them."
"Does your Dad do that too?" Letty asked as she turned to look at Sierra and Brandon.
"Our brother, Oliver, does," Brandon replied. "But Dad doesn't. It's our Dad that teaches us. Stella helps him but our Mom is busy with other things."
"What does she do?" Letty asked.
"Our Mom runs the household and spends her days online doing investments and trading stocks," Brandon smiled.
"She's very good at it," Sierra grinned.
"Of course, her visions," Lucas laughed.
"Exactly," Sierra nodded. "According to Dad, our mother makes most of the Cullen money these days."
"That explains why we always have money but no one ever seems to go out and earn it," Letty laughed.
"That's why," Sierra nodded and the conversation halted as the waiter arrived with their meals. When they had all received their food they started to eat as the conversation moved to comparisons of the places they lived and the childhoods they had.
XXX
After the group had left the restaurant they were walking down the street in the direction of the car when Sierra suddenly grabbed Brandon's arm excitedly.
"Oh Brandon, can we?" she gasped quickly. Brandon sensed her excitement and grinned at her and then followed her gaze to a club on the other side of the road.
"I guess so," Brandon smiled and looked at the others. "Have you girls ever been to a club before?"
"No," Angel admitted.
"You don't know what you are missing!" Sierra squealed. "Let's go."
"I don't know," Angel murmured. "I don't think my parents would like me taking Letty somewhere like that."
"We'll look after her," Brandon assured her.
"Please Angel?" Letty begged. "It's my birthday!"
"I don't think it's a good idea," Angel shook her head.
"Angel!" Letty pouted sadly.
"Oh okay," Angel sighed. "But you stay with one of us at all times."
"I will!" Letty promised excitedly. Sierra laughed and linked her arm with Letty's and the two girls raced off towards the club.
"Hey, wait for us!" Brandon called out and took off after them and Angel glanced at Lucas.
"Have you ever been to a club before?" Angel asked.
"A couple of times up in Alaska," Lucas answered. "When I went to visit the Whitlocks."
"Brandon and Sierra go all the time then?" Angel asked.
"All the time," Lucas nodded as they hurried to catch up with the others.
XXX
Rosalie, Esme, Alice and Bella were sitting in the living room relaxing when Rosalie noticed that Alice had drifted away from the conversation and her eyes had glazed over.
"Alice, what do you see?" Rosalie asked gently.
"Oh, what? Umm nothing," Alice stammered but all the women noticed she looked angry.
"Is everything okay Alice?" Esme asked gently.
"Yes, everything is fine," Alice replied tightly. "I just need to go speak with Oliver." Without explaining further Alice jumped to her feet and hurried out of the room as the other three women watched her go worriedly.
XXX
Oliver was in the bedroom he and Stella had been given, lying on the bed with Stella snuggled in his arms. She rolled closer into him and turned to look into his eyes as she started to speak.
"Oliver, let's go out into the forest," she murmured huskily.
"I like the sound….." Oliver started but his words cut off as his eyes glazed over.
"Oliver?" Stella whispered worriedly. His eyes refocused and he looked at her sadly.
"There has been a change of plans," he sighed.
"What did you see?" Stella asked, knowing it would somehow affect them directly. In the years that the family had been separated the Whitlock coven had discovered Oliver's visions didn't work exactly like Alice's. They had known he didn't have them as frequently as Alice but they had also worked out that Oliver only had visions of events that directly affected him. It explained why for years Alice had seen things that Oliver couldn't.
"Brandon and Sierra have taken the other teenagers to a club," Oliver sighed.
"And you saw it?" Stella frowned.
"Just now," Oliver nodded. "Mom has seen it and is on her way up here to ask me to go get them."
"Oh, I see," Stella sighed, knowing it was Alice's decision that had given Oliver his vision, not Brandon and Sierra's. There was a knock on the door and Oliver kissed the top of Stella's head before getting to his feet and walking over to the door and opening it.
"You've seen it," Alice smiled knowingly.
"Yes, I'm on my way," Oliver nodded.
"You've seen where?" Alice asked.
"Yes Mom," Oliver assured her. "Stell and I will go get them. Where's Jazz?"
"Out the back wrestling with Emmett," Alice told him. "If you go out the front he won't see you leave."
"And we aren't telling him again?" Oliver asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Alice admitted. "I can't keep hiding it from him. Go get them and bring them home. I'll decide what to do while you're gone."
"We won't be long," Oliver promised her and leaned down and kissed his mother's cheek as Stella walked over to join them. He took Stella's hand in his and led her downstairs and out of the house. Alice knew he would find his younger siblings and bring them safely home again but deep down she knew it was time to tell Jasper about their children's indiscretions.