Chapter twenty-four

Amelia came to announce that the fireplaces had been connected to the Floo Network and gave us the address book that contained all wizarding households and institutions in the world and their official Floo names. Since it was a magical book, every time there was a new household connected to the Network, the name magically appeared in it. She also said that our fireplace and the Cullens' had been deleted from the book for safety reasons.

She had to leave soon so I assured her that I'd show the Cullens how to travel via the fireplaces. Before she left, I remembered to inform her about the two new shapeshifters in La Push. She looked surprised but thanked me for letting her know.

Shortly after five Toby arrived to give me another of his lessons. He had already been informed about the three unknown vampires by Amelia and decided to make sure I had the strongest Shield charm possible because it was basically the only spell somehow effective on vampires that I was capable of. The Cullens insisted that they would protect me, but Toby didn't want to take chances and I was grateful for his approach. I didn't like feeling defenceless.

First though Toby wanted to talk to us all before Carlisle had to leave for work. Once we were seated in the living room and Emmett persuaded Rosalie to join us, Toby sat down in the armchair that was facing the rest of us.

"So, I'd like to know what your plan about those vampires is. I suppose you do have a plan, right?"

"Well, we talked about it but since we still don't know when they'll arrive, we haven't discussed the details yet," admitted Carlisle. "We make sure Bella and Charlie are under our constant watch and we told Charlie all about us which makes things easier for everyone."

Toby nodded, apparently, he'd already known about Charlie. "So, you still haven't had any new visions?" he asked, his eyes on Alice.

"No," she shook her head with a frustrated expression. "I'm trying to look but all I see is the storm and three vampires approaching Forks. At first, I'd seen them attacking Bella but that changed when we decided to intervene. Now I don't know what they're going to do because there are so many decisions to make."

"And you can't determine when they'll arrive?"

"No. I still see no storm in the next few days, but storms are very hard to predict, they change their directions too much and too quickly."

"So it could be basically anytime?" I asked, worried. Edward was holding my hand and he now started tracing calming circles on my wrist with his thumb.

"Well, usually I can predict storms at least two days before they struck. But sometimes it's just unpredictable. Still though I will know at least a few hours before the storm."

That didn't sound very comforting. I looked at Edward, but he was watching Alice intently, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Alright," said Toby, interrupting the short silence. "Since we don't know when they come, we have to act like it was tonight. What can you do to protect them?"

My eyes flickered between Edward and Carlisle but surprisingly it was Jasper who spoke.

"I think it would be best to keep Bella here while we'll be dealing with them. Thanks to the fireplaces she can travel safely now so she won't leave her scent that would lead them here from her house."

"It still takes some time before the scent fades away," objected Edward. "If they arrived tonight, the scent would still be there."

"I don't see them coming tonight," piped Alice. "And it will be raining all night, the scent will be gone by the morning."

"Okay, so let's say that I'll stay here," I said slowly. "What about Charlie?"

"We can invite him here as well," said Esme and Carlisle nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'll ask him tonight," I said, but I didn't really think he would agree. I knew he didn't like spending night outside of his house except for his night shifts and they were rare now that he was the Chief.

"He'll take the night shift at work," said Alice. "I think he already decided this."

"Is he going to be safe there?" I asked. "What if they follow his scent to the station and then try to lure me there to save him?"

Alice was shaking her head before I finished my question.

"I don't see them following your father, Bella."

"Only because the decision hasn't been made yet," I snapped at her but instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry, Alice," I muttered, burying my head in my hands. Edward put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple in a soothing way but then I felt small hands on my forearms. When I lifted my head, I saw Alice kneeling before me.

"Bella, we will protect you and your Dad. I promise."

"I think I have an idea," said Emmett, speaking for the first time. Everyone turned to look at him and I glanced at Edward, who was frowning.

"Hm, that's not bad, actually," said Edward and the rest of us groaned in frustration.

"Annoying, isn't it?" laughed Emmett but when he saw Rosalie's glare, he hurriedly explained his idea. "Well, he is friends with Quileutes, right?" I nodded. "And we know that no vampire who has any sense left would willingly follow that awful stench. So, he could spend the night at his friend's house. Only he'd have to come up with a good excuse." He shrugged and looked around to see what we all thought about it.

"I already said he doesn't like spending the night out of his house," I reminded him.

"And there is another problem," said Alice in a confused voice. "I don't see him."

"What do you mean?" asked Carlisle with a frown.

"Well, I could see him reluctantly agreeing to spend the night at Billy's and even leave for La Push but then… nothing." She sounded extremely frustrated.

"This is strange," said Edward. "How come you don't see what will happen to him? He can't just… disappear like that?"

"You think the wolves would kill him?" I panicked. They were supposed to be protectors, not killers.

Alice closed her eyes with a concentrated look on her face. There was a complete silence, and everyone was staring at her curiously. After what seemed like ages, but in reality, it couldn't last more than a minute, she opened her eyes again.

"No, I don't think they would kill him. I see him coming home from the reservation later with Billy Black," she said with a relieved smile. I breathed out in relief.

"But why can't you see him in La Push?" asked Edward, his tone as frustrated as Alice's.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Toby had been quiet for a long time but now he straightened in his chair. "How exactly do your visions work, Alice? Who do you see the best?"

"Um…" she hesitated, glancing at Edward and then at Carlisle. "I see vampires the best and then humans, though they're not as clear as vampires. I never tried any other species, simply because I never knew they existed."

"What about animals?"

"I see animals when we hunt with no problem," she shrugged.

"Hm," said Toby, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

At the same time Carlisle glanced at his watch, announcing that he had to go to the hospital and that he wanted to have a go with my Shield charm before he left. We decided to discuss Alice's visions and more details of the upcoming confrontation with the three vampires later and let Toby know what we'd come up with.

It was fun to see Carlisle so eager to try to penetrate my Shield. With that excited look on his face, he looked much younger and even more handsome than usual. Unfortunately for him, he was neither as strong as Emmett nor as fast as Edward, so it was quite easy to fend him off on my first attempt.

After Carlisle left, it was me against Emmett. Edward apparently didn't think that Emmett would crush me to dust anymore and instead he and Jasper cheered me on loudly. I felt like I was at a Quidditch match. I tried to figure out the outcome from Alice's expression, but she was as excited as always, having a huge smile plastered on her face – the previous discussion clearly forgotten - but otherwise giving nothing away.

First two attempts were useless. I was becoming more and more frustrated until Jasper had to step in and tone it down a bit. Emmett, on the other hand, was overexcited and was jumping up and down like the overgrown child he was.

"Don't want to give up yet, Bella?" he asked with a huge smirk on his face. "It's not a shame that I beat you, you know? I'm big and strong and you're so tiny. Just give up and admit you're a loser."

Even before Emmett finished taunting me, Edward was by my side. "Don't listen to him, Bella," he whispered in my ear, even though he had to know Emmett could hear him. "I know you can do it. Just imagine him lying on his back, like the big loser he is."

"Ha!" boomed Emmett. "Unlike you, little brother, I'm still firmly on my feet!"

Edward ignored him and kissed me under my ear, making me shiver and blush. He winked at me and went back to stand next to Jasper and Alice. I glanced around and was surprised to see Rosalie sitting cross-legged on the garage roof. I hadn't seen her coming out with the rest of us. She ignored me but was watching Emmett intently, like she wanted to send him as much strength and energy as possible.

I took a deep breath and fixed my eyes back on Emmett. I tried to muster as much confidence as possible and clenched my wand in my hand. Edward had been sure I could do it. I refused to disappoint him again. I conjured the Shield, trying to focus on its strength.

"Three, two, one, go!" Toby counted down.

I saw the big blur that was Emmett barrelling at me and then… there was a grunt, two huge arms in the air and a loud thud.

Emmett was sitting on the ground, looking bewildered.

A loud howling and applause erupted around me, I couldn't believe that just three people – well, vampires – could do such a racket. Only Esme was beaming proudly, without any kind of noise.

I felt my lips stretch into a wide smile, when I saw Emmett still sitting on the ground, eyes wide. I cancelled the spell and at the same moment I was lifted off the ground. I gasped in surprise but all I could see was Edward's bright gold eyes shining with joy.

"I knew it! I knew you could do it!" He laughed and gently kissed me on my lips. He put me back down and I looked around and saw Emmett on his feet, glaring my way.

"Is he mad?" I asked Edward anxiously.

He laughed again.

"No, he just hates losing. He actually wants to do it again."

"You bet we will do it again," grumbled Emmett, pointing his finger at me. "That was just a stroke of luck, I know you can't do it twice in a row."

"We'll see, loser!" I grinned at him but this time he grinned back and ruffled my hair.

Sadly, he was right, because I couldn't do it twice in a row, just like he'd said. I hated the annoyingly smug look on his face, so I was determined to practice even harder. Soon Toby announced that he had to go home and said we would start with non-verbal magic next time, but I had to promise to keep trying to fend off Emmett as often as possible.

I was excited. Non-verbal magic was one step closer to Apparating.

Later in the evening, after I finally showed the Cullens how the Floo Network works, I went home and told Charlie about the plan for the day of the unknown vampires' arrival. As I expected, he was very uncomfortable with the idea of spending the night outside of his own bed and when I told him that Alice couldn't see him if he went to La Push, he suggested to take the night shift at work. We agreed that we would discuss it in more depth with the Cullens the next day.

When Edward came to my room for the night, I decided that I needed to be distracted from some unpleasant thoughts and asked him to tell me more about his family. He didn't object and told me all I wanted to know, like the real last names of all the Cullens. Well, all except for Alice.

"Alice doesn't remember her name?" I asked, confused.

Edward sighed.

"Well, she actually doesn't remember her human life at all."

"Why?"

"We don't know. Carlisle has been thinking about everything that could have caused it, but it could have been anything." Then he hesitated. "Though Alice has been thinking about something you and Amelia said once."

"What?" I tried to think about what we could have been talking about but couldn't remember anything concerning a memory loss.

"She thinks that someone could have wiped her memory when she was still human."

"Oh," I said with a gasp and sat up on my bed, looking down at Edward who was leaning against the headboard. Then a sudden idea made me freeze in shock. I was staring at his face, not really seeing it, and thinking of something that hadn't occured to me before.

"Bella?" He sounded alarmed.

"What if she knew a wizard or a witch when she was a human? What if she… or you… God! Why didn't I think of it before?!"

"What are you talking about?"

I shook my head slightly, refocusing back on Edward's confused face. "Just think about it. You and Alice and Jasper and all the vampires with special abilities. What if those abilities can be found in wizards? I mean, some of us have it… I know one that can change her appearance at will without having to use her wand. I heard about true Seers as well. God, I have to talk to Toby or Amelia about it." Then I frowned. "I wonder why we never discussed it in Defence lessons at school," I mumbled to myself.

"Wait, you think that… that I might be a wizard?" He looked excited at the idea.

"Well, I don't think so. Not a real wizard. But maybe someone from your human family could have been," I said slowly. "Like Charlie… he is a muggle but there is still enough magic in him to keep you from reading his thoughts."

"My mother…" he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. Then he frowned. "But… I would have remembered it, wouldn't I? On the other hand, she did ask Carlisle to change me. He always thought it was strange, that she looked like she knew what he was. But then again, why would she have wanted me to be a vampire? It doesn't make sense." He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as if it would help to make sense of things. I had an idea why his mother would have wanted something like that for her only child, but I didn't say it aloud. Then he looked at me. "You're right. We need to talk to Toby and Amelia and Carlisle, too."

"Yeah," I agreed, snuggling back against his side. "But maybe it would be better to wait until the situation with the three vampires is over."

"You're right," Edward said again with a sigh. "We have to concentrate on keeping you and Charlie safe. Nothing's more important now." He put his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips against my skin. I loved when he did that but, in my opinion, he didn't do it often enough.

"Oh my God, Bella, look at you! Your clothes are covered in ashes!"

Alice was standing in front of the Cullens' fireplace with her hands on her hips.

I rolled my eyes, stepping out of the fireplace. "Well, what did you expect, Alice? It's a fireplace." Then I took out my wand and cleaned myself with a simple cleaning spell. "Better?"

"Not really." She wrinkled her nose and reached her hand to dust the rest of the ashes I'd missed off my sweater. "There's no way I'd ever travel like that. It's so messy!"

"It's still faster than running," I argued, sticking my tongue at her.

Right at that moment, Edward appeared by my side, effectively saving me from further arguments with Alice. "Hello," he said with a smile and stooped down to kiss me on my mouth.

"Hi," I said breathlessly, smiling against his lips. From the corner of my eye I could see Alice walk away with a huff.

"So, what's your plan for today?" Edward asked, taking my hand, and leading me to the kitchen where Esme was preparing an omelette for me. I told her I would have done it myself, but she just waved me off, saying she wanted to practice cooking. I sighed and turned back to Edward.

"The same as usual, I suppose," I said, finally answering his question. "And maybe I could talk to Carlisle about what we talked about last night."

Edward nodded. "Yes. I know we said we should wait but I already told him myself. He finds it fascinating."

"It's a very interesting idea, Bella," said Carlisle, who was leaning against the doorway with his hands in his pockets. "I'd like to discuss it further with you if you don't mind."

"Um, sure," I said with a smile.

After Emmett and Rosalie returned from their guarding duty – they'd followed Charlie to the station just to be sure he was safe – the rest of them left for school.

After spending all morning meditating and studying, I made lunch with Esme and sat down at the table to eat. Carlisle took the seat opposite me, folding his hands under his chin.

"So, you think that Edward's mother might have been magical?" he asked, his face all lit up and he looked like a scientist who just made a life-changing discovery.

"Well, I think we should discuss it with Toby or Amelia, but in my opinion it's only logical. I mean, Edward said that she looked like she knew you were a vampire."

"Yes, but she could have been just delirious. It happened only an hour before her death after all."

"Did she look delirious?"

"Well," Carlisle hesitated. "No. I thought she looked exceptionally lucid, considering her condition. But Edward was right. Why would she have wanted him to be a vampire if she had known about us? We are naturally killers, after all."

"Maybe… maybe she knew you weren't like the others?" I suggested. "We did learn in school about animal eating vampires. She could have known that just by looking into your eyes."

"Yes, that's possible. But wouldn't she have tried to save her family in a magical way? Like getting them to safety before it all got out of control?"

"Maybe she just couldn't," I said with a shrug. We'd never really learned about American history at Hogwarts, professor Binns had concentrated mainly on the Goblins wars that had taken place mostly in Britain.

We were interrupted by a text message I received from Edward. I read it, completely freezing in shock and fear. I knew it would happen but knowing the day was so close was something I still wasn't prepared for.

"Alice had a new vision. They're coming on Friday night. – Edward -."

"So, what exactly are we going to do?" I finally asked when all the Cullens, Charlie and Amelia gathered in the Cullen living room three hours after we'd received the message. Charlie had left the work early after I'd called him, demanding his presence. He didn't hesitate, probably hearing the urgency in my voice. Amelia had just gotten home from work so she could arrive immediately, leaving Angela at home to look after the twins.

"You are going to do nothing, Bella," said Edward firmly and Charlie nodded fervently. "You're going to stay here with…" he paused, looking around for volunteers.

"I'll stay," offered Esme and I noticed Carlisle breathe out in relief.

"And Alice," said Jasper resolutely, crossing his arms across his chest. Edward snickered.

"No way," Alice nearly growled. "You'll need me there and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She mimicked Jasper's position, daring him to argue with her.

He tried.

"We'll have Edward so we will know their next steps. You can stay here."

"No, I can't, and I won't." She raised her chin defiantly. It would have been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. I could understand Jasper's concerns though. Alice was small and looked so fragile that even I felt the urge to tuck her somewhere in safety, even though I knew she was anything but fragile.

"Alice is right, Jasper," said Carlisle and Jasper scowled. "We need as many advantages as possible and with her, Edward and you, we might be even able to solve this peacefully."

I doubted that and I wasn't the only one.

"Hell no," said Emmett with a snort. "They should know who they are dealing with. They're after one of us and that's unforgivable."

I gaped at him, completely overwhelmed by his including me in his family. The others didn't seem surprised by his outburst, on the contrary, they looked like they agreed with him.

Except for Rosalie, of course. She didn't say anything. She just glared at me from her seat on the couch beside Emmett.

"Hang on," said Charlie gruffly. "It's not going to be just Esme, right?" He looked apologetically at Esme, who just smiled warmly at him, not looking offended at all. "I mean… what if something goes wrong and they get here?"

"No, not just Esme," agreed Carlisle. "I think Rosalie should stay as well."

Rosalie opened her mouth, then closed it again, and without a word strode out of the room. Charlie stared after her with a surprised expression.

"Um… is it safe for Bella to stay with her? She didn't look very happy." What an understatement.

"I can assure you, Charlie, that Rosalie would never harm Bella," said Carlisle calmly and Emmett nodded in agreement. But it apparently wasn't enough for my dad.

"What's on her mind, Edward? Is Bella going to be safe with her?"

Edward gently squeezed my hand, looking directly at Charlie. "Carlisle is right. She would never hurt Bella. Rosalie might have her… problems…" He glanced at the ceiling, rolling his eyes. "But she's loyal to the family and she will do what we ask of her." He flinched slightly, and I could only imagine what Rosalie was thinking right now.

Charlie just nodded, not looking very convinced but he didn't argue further.

"But what about you, Dad? Are you going to be okay at the station?" It was my turn to worry now because if I was going to be left here under protection, so should he.

"Don't worry about me, kid…" Charlie started to say but he didn't get far because Amelia interrupted him.

"I think someone should stay with him, too."

"But we will need as many of us as possible to have any chance against them," argued Jasper. "We don't know if they have any special abilities so even if there are five of us and three of them, our strengths might still be even."

"Then I'll stay with Charlie at the station," Amelia suggested, earning surprised looks from the rest of us. "I can stay outside and if something happens, I can apparate him to safety. And I have a strong Shield charm as well." She looked at me with a slight smile.

When no one seemed to find anything to argue about, Carlisle stood up. "It looks like that's settled then," he said, bringing this meeting to the end.

As I walked to the fireplace to get home – Charlie had driven here – I knew that the next two days would be torture.