A/N: Ugh! I had to get three shots today! I hate shots…though I don't think I'd mind so much if Dr. Cullen were giving them to me! Except I had this old nurse who stuck me on TWO! You're supposed to wait til THREE!

Anyway, I got my rant out of the way, here's the next chapter. Promise 34 is going to be action-packed, it just might take me longer so don't expect anything until the end of May.

Thanks to my faithful readers, I'll try not to let you down! Read, Review, and Pass it on!

-Wish

P.S. Seriously, Review.

Chapter 33: The Nomads

The heckling went on as the score remained close. Our team was at bat and it was my turn. Edward was crouched a few yards back, catching. I was about to swing when I heard Alice gasp. I turned my head back to look at her as the ball whistled right by. Edward only caught it because he had been in position for it. His own head snapped up to Alice and for an instant, everything was completely silent. Then Edward was gone, at Bella's side before Alice could say anything.

"Alice?" Esme asked. She was on edge. We all knew that face. Alice had seen something big. Something that was a possible threat.

"I didn't see—I couldn't tell." Alice whispered, shocked.

The others had run in from the outfield.

"What is it, Alice?" I asked, keeping my voice calm.

"They were travelling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," Alice muttered.

Jasper leaned in closer to his wife as if he was going to protect her. "What changed?" he asked carefully.

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," Alice replied.

I glanced towards Bella. I saw the others do the same. We all knew. With Bella there, this could get dangerous really quick.

"How soon?" I asked Edward.

"Less than five minutes," he replied. "They're running—they want to play." He frowned.

"Can you make it?" I asked, looking towards Bella.

"No, not carrying—"Edward cut off. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asked, turning to Alice.

"Three," she replied.

Emmett jeered. "Three! Let them come."

I tried to figure out what would be our best course of action. Edward was right, the last thing we needed them to do was begin to hunt. But we also didn't need to confront them. Violence wasn't necessary.

"Let's just continue the game," I suggested. I tried to keep my voice cool and calm, a model for behavior. "Alice said they were simply curious."

"Are they thirsty, Edward?" Esme asked low and quickly. Bella didn't seem to understand what she said, based on her puzzled look.

Edward shook his head slightly. No. That was a stroke of luck.

"You catch, Esme," Edward suggested. "I'll call it now."

Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper returned to the field, looking over the forest.

"Take your hair down," Edward told Bella. She hurried to obey. Edward tried to arrange it around her neck to muffle the scent.

"The others are coming now," Bella said. So Edward had told her about Alice's vision.

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please," Edward told her. He was trying to keep his stress under control and was failing more than usual.

"That won't help," Alice warned. "I could smell her across the field."

"I know," Edward replied, frustrated.

I took the bat again and stepped up to the plate. The game was cautious now. We kept the hits in the infield and were always on the look out.

The first warning was the break in Edward's apologies to Bella, followed by the hiss and the step he took to put himself in front of Bella.

The rest of us turned a tenth of a second later as we heard the approach of the company. Alice had been right on. There were three of them, and they were moving fast. The first one out into the field halted long enough for the second, dark-haired vampire to take the lead. The final one into the clearing was a female with a mane of fiery, red hair. They converged on each other as they caught sight of our family. The dark-haired male was obviously the leader. His skin was darker, more olive-toned. He smiled easily as he approached.

I stepped forward with Emmett and Jasper to meet them. They were obviously nomads by their rugged, frayed clothing and their bare feet. The stood up straighter as we approached.

"We thought we heard a game," the leader said. His speech was tinted with a slight French lilt. "I'm Laurent, and these are Victoria and James."

"I'm Carlisle," I replied. "This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Bella." I kept my motions vague, not drawing attention to anyone other than myself.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent inquired.

"Actually, we were just finishing up," I told him, keeping my tone light like Laurent's. "But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves," I added.

I felt a casual calm descend over the group. I thanked God again for a son like Jasper.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent asked casually.

I knew what he meant. But I ignored his assumption and answered as truthfully as I could. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Laurent actually looked visibly shocked. He actually rocked back slightly. "Permanent? How do you manage that?" He seemed to be genuinely curious.

"Why don't you come home with us and we can talk comfortably?" I suggested. "It's a rather long story." And we needed to give Edward time to get Bella to safety.

Laurent accepted, "That sounds very interesting, and welcome. We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His red, scrutinizing gaze was uncomfortable, but I held my ground.

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," I explained.

Laurent nodded his agreement. "Of course. We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway." His laugh at the thought of murder almost made me feel physically ill.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us—"I offered, "Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep." I hoped neither Laurent, nor James or Victoria would think anything of my remark. Bella and Edward needed to get away. Alice and Emmett could help. They'd have advanced warning and numbers, should one of the nomads try to go after them.

Suddenly Edward stiffened and the shorter male, James, whipped around to look at Edward. I caught Bella's scent on the wind and immediately understood. James had caught Bella's scent. James took a step forward and sunk into a crouch as Edward took up a defensive stance between the nomad and Bella. He snarled, baring his teeth. It's meaning was obvious; it was a threat.

"What's this?" Laurent demanded. He had obviously not caught Bella's scent yet. Surprise and confusion filled his expression.

"She's with us," I declared. It was a warning, directed to James. Laurent seemed to finally catch Bella's smell. Understanding dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" Laurent inquired, taking a step forward. Edward snarled again, louder, more ferocious. Laurent stepped back.

"I said she's with us," I corrected him. My voice was hard. I tensed forward, ready to defend my family.

"But she's human." Laurent didn't seem aggressive like James, merely astounded and perhaps intrigued still.

"Yes," I replied. Emmett had stepped up and was leaning forward, his eyes fixed on James, menacing and a bit daring. He was almost daring James to attack and see what happened.

Laurent seemed to want to defuse the situation. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed," I replied. If Laurent didn't want a fight, I wasn't about to push one.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation." He looked quickly at Bella. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

James, who'd straightened, looked at Laurent with annoyance and frustration. The female, Victoria, who'd remained silent thus far, looked between our faces. She seemed nervous.

I looked at Laurent's careful expression, trying to see a hint of a lie in it. I couldn't ask Edward. I didn't want to draw anymore attention to him. "We'll show you the way," I said finally. "Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?"

The rest of the family closed in, blocking Bella from the nomads as Alice and Edward hustled her away. Emmett backed out warily, never looking away until they were within the trees.

"Our home is this way," I said to Laurent, gesturing in the opposite direction. It was a bit more roundabout, but it would keep clear of the town completely. I took the lead, followed by Laurent, and then James and Victoria begrudgingly. Esme, Jasper, and Rosalie had placed themselves at the back and sides of the other coven. We ran back, going through the forest and around mountains, giving Bella, Edward, Alice, and Emmett more time. It was completely dark, but that didn't matter to us.

As we put more and more distance between our group and Bella, James seemed to become more agitated. And as James became more agitated, Laurent seemed to become uneasy as well, but not in the way a leader might get annoyed his instructions were not being followed. Laurent was becoming frightened. It made me think back to the meeting at the field. James had been first into the clearing, but he'd dropped back to let Laurent take the lead, showing who was in charge. Unless, that's all it was, a show. I felt stupid. I felt like an idiot for not seeing what was blatantly obvious. Laurent didn't hold the authority. James did. That was why Laurent was cautious and why James paid little mind to what Laurent said.

Esme sped up along my side, opposite Laurent. "What are we going to do, Carlisle?" she whispered quickly. "I'm not sure we could keep James at the house."

Esme had caught James's agitation. She'd made her own inferences, but based on her question, they seemed to be in line with mine.

"We'll have to see," I replied. "We need to give Edward, Emmett, Alice, and Bella time to get away. I don't think we could keep them for long, but any lead we can give them would help."

Without warning, James stopped. Jasper skidded to a halt with him as the rest of us overshot him and had to come back.

"James?" Victoria asked.

James took a deep breath, closing his eyes and seeming to savor what he smelled. I took a breath of my own. There was a faint trace of human; we were closer to the highway now, but it wasn't enough to merit the reaction James made. I searched for something in the air that I'd missed the first time, as did Rosalie, Esme, and Laurent, but neither of them seemed to find anything more than I did.

"I think it is time we left," James told Victoria. He looked back at Laurent and nodded a steely look on his face. Victoria took his hand, watching James's face closely. Then, with even less warning than James had given earlier, they sprinted back the way we'd come. Jasper made as if to go after them, but Laurent grasped his shoulder.

"He's on the hunt," Laurent said. "You can't stop him."

"The hunt?" Esme asked.

"James is a tracker, a particularly lethal one. Once he goes on the hunt, only death can stop him." Laurent was solemn.

"Come," I told him, "You need to tell us all about James, but someplace else."

A few minutes later we arrived at the house. Just glancing around, everything seemed just as we'd left it. I couldn't tell if Edward, Emmett, or Alice had been there. I knew for sure Bella hadn't.

"You have a beautiful home," Laurent commented, looking around the enlarged living room.

"Thank you," I replied, gesturing for him to take a seat. Laurent sat down on one of the chairs in the living room.

"I am curious as to how you are able to keep such a permanent residence," Laurent admitted. "You promised to explain."

"I did," I agreed. "Obviously we are different from other covens. We don't actually feed off humans, but animals. That's why our eyes are a different color and how we are capable of living in a semi-permanent residence. We are able to remain inconspicuous because we don't look at humans as a source of food."

"You said semi-permanent?"

"The fact that our kind do not age affects how long we can stay in a location. We start as young as possible and stay until people begin to comment about our ages. Alone, I could stay for at most, ten years in one place. Together, it is more challenging. Often times we stay long enough for the kids to complete high school and then move on to college. Occasionally we may stay longer."

Laurent sighed. "I don't understand how you can deny human blood. That must be nearly impossible!"

"It is difficult," I admitted. "It takes time to develop a tolerance. But it is possible. I work as a doctor and a surgeon. I have never lost a patient to my bloodlust."

"It is unnatural," Laurent muttered. "To deny what you are—what we all are…it would be like a lion eating vegetables!"

"It is our choice. We refer to it as being 'vegetarians'."

"Carlisle," Jasper interrupted. "James."

Laurent's expression went from mild interest to worry and fear. "I am sorry," he said. "I am sorry for—"He cut off as we all heard two cars pull off the highway. One I recognized as Emmett's Jeep. But it's more familiar, low rumble was overpowered by a deafening roar of some sort of truck. It must've been Bella's. Edward had told me about the old vehicle long ago. Emmett had compared it to me and had earned a reprimand from Esme.

We all stood motionless as the cars drove up to the door. Edward preceded Alice, carrying a bag that smelled strongly of Bella. Emmett brought up the rear, clutching Bella to his chest protectively. Emmett growled when he caught sight of Laurent.

"He's tracking us," Edward said. He glared at Laurent.

He's here to warn us of James, I told Edward silently. He does not want to be involved.

Laurent looked worried. "I was afraid of that."

Alice immediately flitted to Jasper's side. She whispered low and fast into his ear. Even the rest of us vampires couldn't understand it. They disappeared upstairs. Rose joined Emmett, glaring briefly at Bella.

"What will he do?" I asked Laurent. This was serious.

"I'm sorry," Laurent said again. "I was afraid, when your boy there defended her, that it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?"

Laurent shook his head, solemn. "Nothing stops James when he gets started."

"Well stop him," Emmett replied.

"You can't bring him down," Laurent insisted. "I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven."

Laurent looked at Bella and back to me. He didn't seem to be able to understand why we would risk so much for one human. "Are you sure it's worth it?" he asked.

Edward's roar burst from his chest, filling the room with his rage. Laurent physically cringed back.

I gave Edward a cautionary warning. Calm. Patience. He's only trying to help. Then I turned back to Laurent. "You're going to have to make a choice," I told him. I didn't like making Laurent chose between his coven and us, but I needed to know if we would eventually have to worry about him. He seemed to understand my concern and paused a moment. He looked around at my family, and then the living room.

"I'm intrigued by the life you've created here," Laurent said carefully. "But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north—to that clan in Denali." Laurent hesitated, seemingly having more to say, but not sure if he should say it. He settled on repeating his warning. "Don't underestimate James," he warned. "He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on…I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry." Laurent bowed his head. Obviously he thought of Bella as already dead. The rest of the family he didn't seem so sure about.

"Go in peace," I told him.

Laurent took another appreciative, but wary, look around before leaving quickly.

A/N2: And just another reminder, REVIEW!!!!!:-)

-Wish