Lost and Found

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Eighty One-The Meeting

"It was when I reached Italy that I came into contact with Carlisle and his family for a second time." Ephraim gestured toward the head of the Cullen clan. Carlisle took this as his cue to join his friend behind the podium. Ephraim had already given the pack and their families a glossed over version of his life. He had kept the darker bits to himself, not willing to share the despair and unhappiness he had experienced through much of his long life as he wandered the world seeking absolution. He had found it in the last place he had expected, home. His dark eyes wandered to Leah Clearwater and his expression softened when she smiled back at him with her face glowing with pride.

"Thank you, Ephraim." Carlisle shook his friend's hand in a show of togetherness.

"Now we come to the reason behind this gathering." Ephraim's face turned serious again as he stared out at the sea of faces looking back at him. He saw the young shifters suddenly become much more alert. He noticed Billy frowning and Harry looking anxious. Quil was fussing over his grandfather making sure the old man was comfortable. Jacob was still holding firmly onto his mother's hand while clutching Bella close. Ephraim noted the dark look on Sam's face as he sat next to Charlie and stared over at Jacob and Bella. He sighed, that problem had to be dealt with. He couldn't allow it to impact on what was ahead. "I am going to hand you over to Carlisle." Ephraim then stepped aside and let his friend take the floor.

"Thank you all for coming. My family and I have enjoyed your company and now consider you all our friends." Carlisle said with a smile before his expression turned grave. "It is now my sad duty to inform you of what is coming ahead. We have all come here together, united in a common goal, to keep those we love safe from harm and protect our home. And we consider this home." Carlisle spread his arms wide to encompass his extensive grounds and beyond. "My family and I have very happy memories of this place and hope to add more now that we are relocating here once again."

There were a few quiet mutterings amongst the pack at this news. Jacob warned his brothers to be silent. The news wasn't unexpected but they still felt ambivalent about it despite the Cullen's kind hospitality thus far. Carlisle waited until things had died down before he continued. "When I came across Ephraim again in Italy I was surprised but very worried about his presence in the area. Unbeknownst to him at the time and all humans is that in Italy, in a small town called Volterra, resides the leaders of the vampire world, the Volturi."

There was a collective gasp of surprise from the audience. Billy's face paled and Old Quil looked sickened. Jacob exchanged a shocked glance with Bella. She already knew some of it, so wasn't taken unawares like the others. Ephraim called for silence again as everyone began talking amongst themselves and demanding answers. "If you'll all remain quiet and let Carlisle finish you will get the answers you seek." Ephraim called out irritably.

Silence fell again as everyone turned their full attention onto Carlisle. "The Volturi are the most powerful coven of vampires in the world." Carlisle continued. "They enforce the laws of the vampire world, and with good reason. Without consequences there would be utter chaos. Their fear of discovery is the predominant reason. Even amongst our kind there need to be rules. The Volturi act as the unofficial royalty in the vampire world, and are an incredibly influential coven. The Volturi act as guardians, keeping the secret society of vampires hidden from the human world as needed. They often send their agents from Volterra to prevent overzealous vampires from exposing our kind through mass eradication of every vampire and any humans present in any particular area. The coven has existed for over three thousand years, and is the largest in existence."

"Are you saying they are coming to Washington State?" Embry asked incredulously. "Is this the threat you have been hinting at?"

"No, but I worry that they will be alerted to this area from the very thing the Volturi try so hard to stamp out."

"What's that?" Paul demanded as he stood up from his chair and confronted Carlisle angrily. Embry, who was sitting near him, yanked Paul back into his seat.

"Exposure." Carlisle replied as he exchanged a grim look with Ephraim. "I lived with the Volturi for several decades. I have made friends among their guard, and am on good terms with the leaders. They have recently become aware of a spate of murders and disappearances in Seattle. The leaders became worried and wanted to despatch some of their most experienced and deadly scouts to the area to investigate. But I managed to put them off. I told them I would do some digging of my own and report back to them. The last thing any of us wants is the Voturi's spies here. If they found out about the shifters then the leaders of the Volturi, especially one named Aro, would be here in a blink of an eye to wipe you all from existence. They hate werewolves, and have done their best to eliminate them over the centuries. What I am talking about are the true children of the moon, not shapeshifters like you. Genuine werewolves are vicious, deadly and have no comprehension of compassion. Once they are bitten all their humanity deserts them."

Everyone was caught up in the horror of Carlisle's news. Sarah began to cry and Jacob had to release Bella so he could comfort her. Rebecca was pressed tight against Jared's side, while Charlie looked horrified as he exchanged quiet words with Sam. The other pack members just stared at Carlisle as they absorbed what he was saying. When everyone quietened down again Carlisle continued on with his explanation.

"It upsets me deeply to deliver such horrifying news. I was only alerted to what was happening by one of my close friends in Volterra, otherwise I would have been blindsided and would not have been able to act. When Bella contacted me about Sarah's illness I immediately called Ephraim. He was in Italy himself, keeping a close watch on the Volturi. He had made it his life's mission to thwart some of their more dubious activities." Carlisle turned to glance at his friend. Ephraim's face was grave and there was a haunted look in his eyes. "I won't go into details. They are not relevant to what is happening here. But suffice to say when I came into contact with him; some of the things he'd seen began to make sense."

Ephraim nodded at his friend as he took over the meeting. "When I was in Volterra I head whispers regarding a vicious female red head, she went by the name Victoria. She had been in Italy to petition the Volturi to send her help to exact revenge for the death of her mate. The leaders weren't interested in such a petty request and apparently sent her on her way. But while she was there, seeing how the Volturi used their specialist guards to carry out their work, gave her an idea."

"This is the red head that attacked my mom." Jacob let go of Sarah's hand and stood up. "She's the one who tried to hurt Bella. I was the one who killed her mate."

"Yes, she is one and the same." Ephraim conceded. "It was only when Carlisle and I traded notes that it all became clear to us. Victoria is attacking innocent humans in Seattle. She is changing them into vampires, assembling an army if you will. She has been clever, only picking on street kids and those going under the radar. But the bigger her army gets, the more she fails to control them. They are hungry, reckless and risk exposure. She can no longer wait to change anymore. The authorities are beginning to investigate and she knows the Volturi will too. She is now ready to exact her revenge. We have been reliably informed that in exactly one week she will head for Forks, we are not exactly sure where, and begin to release her army of newborns against the pack. We have to be prepared, we have to stand united. Carlisle is calling the rest of his family back to help us. I took you all away to train you, I was hoping for more time, but unfortunately it has run out."

Jacob felt his heart race in his chest. This was all down to him. He was the one who had killed the red head's mate. Sarah had nearly lost her life because of this, Bella too. He saw his brothers turn to look at him, as if they could sense his emotional turmoil and despair. Bella stood up next to him and took his hand. "Jake, don't you dare blame yourself for this."

"How can I not?" Jacob questioned in anguish. "I set this in motion."

"No, we all did." Sam's words resounded through the gardens. He steadily met Jacob's gaze and nodded curtly. "We were all there that day, just doing what we were born to do, defending our lands. No one person is to blame for any of this."

"Sam is right." Ephraim called out. His stern expression softened as he looked in relief at Jacob and Sam. They may still be divided because of their love for Bella Swan, but in this they were united. "This threat will be a big test for all of us, but if we stand together, as one, we will prevail!" He shouted the last words like a call to action. The pack stood up and began to cheer. The palatial gardens were filled with a deafening cacophony of noise. Eventually Ephraim called for calm. He advised everyone to go and relax. No more could be done that night.

Esme had already sent for more food. The marquee was taken down and a bonfire lit in the middle of the gardens. Night was drawing in and it was like a beacon in the dark. It illuminated the faces of the pack and their families as they gathered around it. Ephraim shared more stories of his past travels, before Carlisle stepped in and gave them more information about the Volturi and the intricate set up in Volterra. He warned them about the strength of the newborns and promised that on the morrow, he and his family would begin teaching the wolves the best way to defend themselves against vampire attacks. Old Quil then took the floor. Sitting in Carlisle's own chair that he retrieved from his study, the elder began to tell the legends of the past. Occasionally Ephraim would interrupt him when he wandered off topic or thought events had been exaggerated. The elders tales of the strong men of old were encouraging and raised the spirits of the young pack who were anxious about what they were about to face.

Eventually the bonfire died down and everyone retreated to the tables, once again groaning with food. Billy stood by himself near the dying embers of the fire while he observed his family from a distance. Jacob was sitting with his arm around Bella as they shared a plate of food. His daughter, Rebecca, sat with Jared, her head resting on his shoulder. Despite the oncoming threat, they looked at peace, all wrapped up in each other. His eyes drifted to his ex-wife. Sarah was with Charlie. His friend was sharing a plate of food with Sarah and speaking in hushed whispers as they talked about the upcoming threat and what this meant for their families. Harry was with his own offspring. Ephraim had finally told him about his imprint with Leah. Harry had been shocked, and momentarily lost for words. But after giving himself time to recover he congratulated his daughter and apologised to her for the way he had acted in the past and upon his return. He was pleased that she now had a good, strong man to lean on. He was full of regret and remorse. He couldn't change the past, but he wanted to change the future. He sat beside his son, Seth, and did his best to allay his own fears.

Billy didn't know where he fit in anymore. Embry ignored him, just like Jacob and Rebecca. Charlie and Harry were too caught up with others to even offer him their company. He felt bitter and resentful. Billy threw the last of his own food into the dying fire and watched as sparks flew up into the night air. He wanted a proper drink, not the crappy stuff that the vampires had put out. Some moonshine would be good right about now. He would leave. It wasn't like anyone was going to miss him. Billy crept silently away. He walked slowly around to the front of the house. He noticed Sarah's car parked in the drive. He glanced around; making sure that no one was about. He then used his elbow to break the glass in the driver's window. It made a slight tinkling noise as it hit the gravel but no one came running to see what was the noise was. Billy managed to open the driver's door to get inside. He knew Sarah's car well. She was a creature of habit and kept her spare set of keys under the front seat. He bent down and found them.

The engine sounded loud to his ears when he started the car, but he didn't care. By the time anyone came to investigate he would be well away. The tires crunched on the gravel driveway as he spun the car around and drove off at speed. Billy put his foot down and drove like the devil down the long, winding driveway. It didn't take long for him to reach the main road. He had forgotten to put his lights on, it was now very dark and he was having trouble seeing what was ahead. He continued on his way, his mind distracted by resentment and self-pity. All he craved now was a strong drink to numb his pain.

Billy didn't see it coming. A white streak darted in the middle of the road, right in the path of his car. He wasn't aware of anything until he hit something hard and his car veered across the road, the hood crushed in a V-shape. The car fell into the ditch, the wheels still spinning. Billy was out cold. The front door was wrenched off and a white hand hauled him out of his seat as easily as if he was a rag doll. His captor threw him over their shoulder and disappeared into the night.

A/N-thanks for reading!