Carlisle:
It has been an eventful week, and tensions have been high. Bella injured her hand punching a werewolf in the face – which Edward was worried about but Emmett found quite amusing. Alice, Edward and Jasper graduated again – but this time Bella was with them. Alice insisted on throwing her party – for the most part of which, Esme and I were in Esme's workroom. In the middle of the party, Alice burst in, blabbering about the visitor and the newborns being related; Bella's theory, apparently. I should have known something as basic as a party couldn't go to plan this week, but I had to admit Bella was probably right.
"What does this mean?" Esme breathed.
"It means they aren't coming for us – they never were – they're coming for Bella," Alice said.
"Well-" Alice cut me off.
"It's too late, Carlisle. The decision's been made. They're coming."
Alice went back downstairs before she could be missed, and I collapsed onto the heap of cushions in the middle of the room.
"They're coming for Bella." I muttered. "Why didn't I see that?" It had never even occurred to me, otherwise I would have...well, I don't know. It's no wonder Aro is half-mad, with all the threats he has to manage. Was Edward right? Did Aro see us as a threat? Maybe Rosalie was right too, then: the Volturi choosing to overlook the careless newborns in return for a threat being eliminated.
"They're coming." Esme's voice trembled. She pressed her head against my chest and closed her eyes, her expression anguished. "An army, Carlisle, coming for our family. For Bella."
She was hugging a picture frame against her chest, so tightly I could hear the glass crack. Esme gasped quietly and held it away from herself so she wouldn't crack it again, and I gently pried it from her fingers. It was a shot Alice had taken of all of us at Bella's birthday party. I smiled sadly as I set it aside.
"We'll sort this out," I vowed, turning my attention back to Esme. She propped herself up a little, her arms on my chest, so that we faced each other. I ran a finger down her cheek, wiping away imaginary tears. "We'll keep Bella safe; the newborns won't get to Forks."
"But what will it cost us?" she demanded. "What more can the world want from us? How else will we be tested to keep Bella?"
"Maybe…If I…" I shook my head before the idea could become too thought out. It was too late for that.
"No, don't change her. She needs to be human, even if she doesn't realise it. She's going to say yes to Edward, right?" Esme was desperate: desperate for a promise that wouldn't be broken, desperate for words she could trust. I put my hands on her cheeks and she smiled crookedly.
"He proposed, didn't he?" she asked. "That was his condition."
"Yes," I said, though without her enthusiasm.
Esme turned on her side, putting her ear over my heart, and closed her eyes as if she would go to sleep. I shut my eyes too, but I was praying. I had not seen first-hand what the newborn armies could do, but even taking them on one by one was difficult. I recalled the scars that ravaged Jasper's skin, and hoped that we would be better off than he.
"Are you asleep?" I murmured after a few minutes.
"Of course not," Esme replied.
"I can hope, can't I?"
Esme snorted and shifted her position. I bent one arm behind my head and twirled a lock of Esme's hair with the other hand, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything and nothing.
After the party, when all the guests had left – with the exception of Bella, of course – Esme and I returned downstairs. The normal lights were on now, rather than the red and purple ones, and all that remained of the party were the scraps of food on paper plates on the tables.
The others were waiting when we got there; Alice wearing an enormous smile, Rosalie a scowl and Bella an expression of sheer horror.
"The werewolves have decided to join us," Jasper explained, his expression a strange combination of relief, curiosity and confusion. "Jacob agreed to have them meet us at three o'clock, in the field north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. I don't know about working together, but they seemed pretty determined to protect Bella. Since it's her they're after, the wolves will join us."
"Stupid mutts," Rosalie muttered.
"Rose," Esme reprimanded sternly. "Enough of the insults, thank you very much. They're going to help us – they might be saving your life – so be polite."
Her voice wavered at the end there. I squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her not to be afraid. With the wolves to help us, our numbers would be brought up. The fight would be over faster. There would be much less chance of losing someone. And this was all because of Jacob Black.
"I thought you said Jacob wasn't the Alpha?" I checked with Jasper.
"He's not," Alice said. "But they'll listen to him. They'll come."
"I should take Bella home," Edward suggested, his brow creased with concern as Bella took several deep breaths. Emmett laughed.
"Oh, so we're fighting on their side now? How come Bella's the only one who gets to deck a werewolf?" he asked. Bella laughed weakly. Esme smiled at her.
"Everything is going to be fine, Bella," she promised, kissing Bella on the forehead. "We're going to be all right now."
Bella nodded absently and Edward steered her out the door. Alice reached up to pat Bella's head as Edward led her past, and Esme laughed with relief and joy as she wound her arms around my neck to kiss me.
"This was a brilliant party," Alice declared, clapping her hands with excitement.
"I'd better help clean up," Esme excused herself. I nodded, smiling, as she pulled away and disappeared into the kitchen, and then I ran straight out the back of the house and jumped into the river, laughing with relief.
"Bella is a genius!" I cried, dancing around the bank, sopping wet. It was an odd feeling, and when I tried to imagine what I must look like I just laughed, but I was just so ecstatic. We were going to get through this, and perhaps this one human girl would end the werewolf-vampire cold war after all. Bella was just one miracle after another.
"Bella is a genius!" I sighed, collapsing into a patch of clover with the most idiotic grin on my face. Esme was suddenly beside me, her skin glittering in the sunset, and she kissed me on the cheek and smiled.
"You look like the luckiest survivor in history," she murmured, her lips hovering above mine. Her honey eyes looked into mine, radiating love and joy.
"And you look beautiful," I said, leaning forward and stealing a kiss before she could pull back. She laughed and rocked back on her heels.
"Come on," she said, her smile even in her voice. "You've got to look respectable when you meet Sam."
"Sam Uley?"
Esme nodded.
"The wolf pack leader."
That explains it then. According to Ephraim, if Sam and Jacob both had the gene, Sam would have turned first, as he was several years older. Sam must have known that the position belonged to Jacob. He was, after all, willing to obey Jacob's request to protect Bella even when it meant assisting - protecting - a large coven of vampires. Jacob was the key to everything. If he already had so much power within the pack, as Alpha he could see to it that a deal was made over Bella's transformation. He cared for her more than he detested Edward, so she at least would be safe. She would side with us, so with any luck, the minute Jacob stepped up to the plate, we were in the clear. I had always theorised this, but it was uplifting to see support for my hypothesis.
Alice was right. What a brilliant party.
.o.o.o.
Esme and I ran back to the house, both grinning like fools, and the rest of the family joined us to make our way to the rendezvous point. Edward was not with us – he had taken Bella home. The smile on my face turned grim as I recalled Bella's horrified expression: not only were Edward and his entire family ready to risk their lives for her, her best friend Jacob Black and all his friends were going to join us. Against all our wills, and against tradition. All for her. And if any of us were lost in the fight – still a possibility, God forbid – she would blame herself.
"Carlisle?" Esme wondered. We stopped; we were at the field. I shook away my doubt.
"I'm nervous, that's all," I explained, flashing her a smile.
"Who isn't?" she replied. She kissed my cheek lightly and moved off to talk to Rosalie.
I took a deep breath and looked towards the horizon as Emmett and Alice went to greet Edward and Bella. I twisted my ring anxiously around my finger. The saliant lion; valour and courage. The chevron; protection and strength. Above it all, the hand: faith, loyalty and justice. Where was the justice in this? In four days time, twenty confused, hungry, leaderless newborn vampires would be coming at us. If the Volturi didn't turn up before then - and I must admit, I doubted they would - it meant killing all twenty of them.
"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership."
I twisted around to see Jasper facing me.
"Nelson Mandella," he explained with a smile. "You've made the right choice, Carlisle. It's not always the easy one. You're out here with us, backing your decision, and that's what counts. You're a good leader and I'm proud to follow you. We all are."
We both turned towards the quiet creaks and crunches of the undergrowth that announced the arrival of our allies. I could feel the tension in the air, from us and them. This was a step up from our previous arrangement - and fortunately, it could even be an opportunity to encourage Jacob to accept a higher position within the pack. Unfortunately, Bella the miracle worker hadn't quite overcome the cold war yet. This was not going to be easy.
"Damn," Emmett muttered under his breath. "Did you ever see anything like it?"
A shiver of anticipation ran through me. Moments later, the looming forms of several werewolves slowly emerged from the shadows.