A/N- finally got to writing again!

Previously:

"You look wonderful, Bella. I can't wait to hear all the spicy details about tonight, and about your studly boyfriend! After all, you can thank me for having met him, dragging you to London last summer and all."

Bella laughed. "Yes, that's true. Thank you Sophie."

Sophie leaned down and gave her friend a light hug before walking to her own bedroom, flipping on her stereo as she breezed around the room. A minute later, Bella heard Amy Winehouse's gravelly voice echoing through the walls, Sophie's own tenor singing along with it.

Harry arrived soon after, spent a few minutes chatting with Sophie and posing for a few pictures, and the pair left Bella's apartment arm in arm, enjoying the fading golden light of late August in DC. The air was pleasantly cool, and the city felt vibrant and alive. After ducking away for privacy, Harry soon apparated them to a MACUSA checkpoint in midtown Manhattan, from where they walked out onto Broadway and 49th street about a half hour before show time.

While they casually strolled through the bustling streets, the crowds a mix of commuters on the way home and theater-goers making their way to their shows, neither of them were aware they had caught the attention of a pair of golden, immortal eyes.

Chapter 21:

New York City

Shortly after the sun and its revealing rays sank below the skyline of New York City, Rosalie and Alice Cullen walked out of the Baccarat, one of the more prestigious hotels in the New York Theater District where two of the Cullen couples were vacationing for the week. Jasper and Emmett were upstairs in their rented suite, meeting with one of their contacts who supplied them with false identification papers. The time had come for them to abandon the name Cullen for the next few decades, as some of them could not pass as their documented ages much longer. Indeed, according to his papers, Carlisle was 37 years old, and even with touches of makeup and greying powder in his hair, it was a hard sell to convince people, even when encouraging plastic surgery rumors.

The past few years had been difficult for the family, and they'd spent very little time together as a group; and while this had happened before, this time felt different than any time before. In fact, it wasn't until just recently that Edward had agreed to come home from his 'sulkfest' - as Rosalie called his three year absence - and take his place again with his family, that they would all be residing again under one roof.

For her part, Alice had spent a lot of time researching her human roots, and had recently been posing as a long lost granddaughter of herself - Mary Alice Brandon - in the hopes of forging a relationship with her long-dead sisters descendants. There were two Brandon nieces - their names were different, now - still living in Biloxi, and Alice had finally felt a connection to her missing past as she built tentative relationships with them, slowly overcoming the natural caution that human's felt in their presence.

Emmett and Rosalie had also lived apart as a married couple, only just agreeing to return to the family a few weeks ago. They had, of course, done this several times in the past, but never for this long and never so far away; they'd been living in Europe since shortly after leaving Forks, living at the family homes in Aviemore - a small town in Scotland - and at a small villa Emmet had bought for Rosalie in the Italian Alps. Rosalie had particularly loved Italy, but even she could admit that mountain goat blood got very old, very quickly, as a means of sustenance, and Emmet's whining about the lack of good hunting and missing Jasper and Esme had finally pushed her into agreeing to return home: that three years away was long enough.

When they all recently met up in Ithaca, where Carlisle had taken a position as a lecturer and researcher at Cornell, Esme was so happy that the family was united that Jasper was literally buzzing for days. For that first week, everything just felt normal again, especially knowing that Edward was finally coming home again.

Rosalie had only seen him twice since they'd left Forks. At first, he spent a few days with them in Denali after Bella's disastrous birthday party; but after Jasper and Alice left to research her human past - and to get away from Edward, as Jasper could not bear to be anywhere near him as he was just too depressed to be around with his empathic ability - Edward left shortly after, disappearing for years.

Emmett and Rosalie left just after the family relocated to Ithaca; the Cullen family was wounded, and she blamed completely blamed Edward. Rosalie hated the fact that she'd been right all along, that getting involved with a human had been a terrible mistake, and they all paid for it emotionally for a long time. After all, most of them had grown close to Bella, and even more so to the wonderful effect she'd had on Edward.

Pleased at the double-takes that many of the men gave her as she passed them in her high heels and tight skirt while she window-shopped with Alice, she let herself relax and just enjoy the moment. She knew how shallow she could sometimes be, but she had long ago resolved to take whatever pleasure she could in this half-life that Carlisle had forced her into.

As they walked, she and Alice didn't converse much; they were sisters, and shared a family bond, but they'd never been particularly close. Besides their love of their family and their interest in fashion, the pair didn't have much in common. Rosalie sometimes resented Alice's busybody ways, trying to force the future into the paths she thought were best. Conversely, Rosalie knew that Alice sometimes resented her as well: for her selfishness, her vanity, and absolute disdain of Edward and his incessant teenage brooding.

Nevertheless, so long as they followed Carlisle's way, they were bound to each other, and tried to make the best of things, finally able to find a comfortable place in the middle.

So it was, that Rosalie didn't complain as Alice stopped at just about every other store to window shop, searching her visions for articles of clothing that might be waiting for her inside a particular shop. This was a pattern Rosalie had long ago gotten used to, and as they had an endless amount of time on their hands, didn't let it annoy her.

Besides, she and Emmett were going dancing later, and she knew Alice would help her find a new outfit to wow her husband.

At the next corner, as they were crossing the street onto Broadway and 50th street, Alice again looked in the window of a small boutique, before hurrying inside with a wide smile on her face and a spring in her step.

Rosalie shook her head: Alice was so easy to please and was fundamentally a happy person, carrying no memories or baggage from her human life; this sometimes made Rose envious of her, though she tried not to be, for Jasper's sake.

Rosalie let her eyes wander over the crowds, more envy filling her as she watched the humans scurrying about, living their simple human lives, and not realizing how lucky most of them were.

Just before she turned back to the shop, she thought she spotted a familiar silhouette across the street.

Tilting her head, she focused her vision on a well-dressed couple that were casually strolling two blocks away, a clear view of them difficult to get as passerby between them would block her view every second or so as the crowds moved between her and the object of her interest.

Nevertheless, all she needed was one clear moment; and when the woman turned her head, laughing at something her companion said, Rosalie got it, immediately wishing she hadn't.

For there, just across the wide expanse of Broadways five lanes and a block to the south, was a handsome man walking with a particularly well put together and gaily laughing person she'd never thought she'd see again.

Isabella Swan.

Fuck.

Bella laughed at Harry's joke, laden with enough innuendo that her cheeks flushed and she play-slapped his arm. "Harry! Behave!"

His grin wide, Harry pulled her closer to his side as they walked. "Yes, dear."

Bella rolled her eyes at his insouciant grin, and let him steer her towards the theater entrance, when she suddenly felt him stiffen beside her, his right arm sliding off of her shoulder and his posture tensing.

"Harry?" Bella had no inkling of what set him off, but she'd learned to completely trust his instincts by now, and took a step away from him, readying herself for any surprises that might come their way. After all, a vampire had run right at her during daylight in downtown London, in plain view of hundreds of people. She would have died that day had Harry not apparated in front of the vampire, and she had learned that not all vampires were as worried about secrecy as the she had been led to believe they must be.

For his part, Harry had felt just the tiniest niggle on his magic; but he recognized the feeling at once, having felt it just recently in Athens. He suspected a vampire was near, and given the fact that at least one was hunting him, he was on high alert, lest his inattention lead him to a snapped neck or, more likely, a thrown rock bashing his head in.

He slowly turned, his eyes scanning the streets, looking for a pair of interested eyes, knowing the likelihood of spotting the vampire in these crowded, bustling streets were almost nil. Unless the vampire was blatantly staring at them or standing close, there was just too many people here for him to spot it.

Rosalie stood frozen, staring at Bella, passerby cutting off the view of her every second or so. She looked like she was on line to go into the theater she was standing near, and was looking very cozy with the man she was with.

This affected Rosalie more than she expected; after all, she had never cared for Bella, had judged her as a simpering girl who was in over her head, and only saw the glamorous part of their lives. She knew nothing of the years and decades of burning thirst and the struggle to constantly deny the urges to feed, the inability to establish any relationships in the towns they lived in, the monotony of their dreary existence, the finality of knowing that they would be stuck like that, forever, unable to sleep, to dream, to live and make life...

She also thought - as did Jasper - that their association with the girl was a serious risk that could backfire on them, badly. The Volturi law was very clear about humans knowing their secret: change or die. And Edward - thankfully - never wanted to change Bella and damn her to this life.

On that, she wholeheartedly agreed with Edward. This existence - even with Emmett by her side - was far inferior to living as a human.

So she was happy that Bella was moving forward with her human life, away from the supernatural. But she was also angry; angry that Bella seemed happy - had possibly found love again - when Edward was so obviously not. Her brother had suffered since they'd left Forks, Rosalie knew that. For all his arrogance and ridiculous behavior, he clearly loved Bella. So seeing her in the arms of another made her sisterly loyalty to her brother want to extend her claws on her brother's behalf.

Rosalie also wondered - deep down - at her ability to keep this from Edward. His mind-reading was so invasive, that blocking him from hearing the random thoughts that would sometimes go through her head was nigh impossible to do.

But it was important that she try; he had, after all, just decided to return home after three years of sulking who knows where? So how would this sighting affect him? Would it be a good thing - would he finally be able to fully let go, knowing that Bella was doing what he wanted: moving on, living a happy, human life? Or would it drive him back to despair and send him running again?

After all, Edward had proved that, when things were tough, he'd run. He had done it many times before; this latest time might have been the worst, but she could see him vanishing for longer next time. After all, what was a decade or two to a vampire?

It would crush Esme if he ran again, and that would in turn hurt Carlisle and everyone else. After all, Carlisle might have been the head of their family, but Esme was the heart.

Rosalie didn't know the answer to these questions, and she cursed her luck and cursed Bella for being here, right in Rosalie's sights.

Less than three seconds had passed, and Rosalie quickly checked to see if Alice was still deep in the store. Thankfully, she was, and Rosalie glanced back to Bella. She really did not want Alice to see Bella, as she seriously doubted Alice would stay away from her; and despite thinking she could keep Edward out, Rosalie knew that Edward was very good at ferreting things out from Alice.

Rosalie had to admit - rather grudgingly - that Bella looked good. She no longer looked like a nervous high school teenager, but rather an attractive young woman. She was dressed well, her hair was done-up, and she was more poised, her shoulders wide and her back straight.

Alice would be proud, she thought. A small smile tugged at Rosalie's lips, despite herself.

Suddenly, the man next to Bella seemed to become very alert for no reason Rosalie could discern. But his head began to swing to the right, and his body began to turn, and Rosalie knew he'd be looking right at her in another second.

Not really understanding why she moved, Rosalie spun on her heel, facing completely away from the man and Bella, suddenly pretending to be interested in the store's window display. She couldn't understand the impulse to turn; after all, from their distance of two hundred feet or so, there was no way the man would see her staring, not with the crowd between them. Human eyes just weren't that good.

So why did she turn?

Realizing that if Alice walked outside right now she might spot Bella herself, Rosalie moved into the store without looking back and began to browse the blouses on display. She knew this would sidetrack Alice, and hopefully when they emerged Bella and her alert friend would be gone.

After scanning the streets for a few seconds, Harry finally relaxed, and took Bella's hand, leading her to the theater's ticket-taker.

"Harry?" Bella asked quietly while Harry handed the man his tickets. "What happened?"

They walked through the turnstile and he led her to the drinks line, waiting behind an older couple who ordered champagne. "I'm not sure," he whispered into her hair. "But my magic sort of warned me; if felt like we were being watched by a vampire."

Bella's eyes widened, and she shivered. "Are you sure?"

"No," he replied after a moment. "I can't be certain, and I didn't see anyone on the street. It was just a feeling, very fleeting. But let's stay alert all the same, okay?" His eyes were weighty on her.

"Okay." And Bella shivered again, even as Harry placed their orders for drinks.

Unseen by either party, another set of eyes was watching. Upwind to avoid detection, red eyes had focused on Rosalie Cullen, watching with interest as her attention suddenly focused on something in the distance. They'd followed the Cullen couples since they'd arrived in the city, and this was the first time the females were out alone, without the burly one and the Soldier.

Red eyes squinted, remembering: the Soldier was a truly deadly opponent, able to feel an enemy and influence them from a distance, and he possessed unmatched fighting skills.

The Cullen girl stood rigidly, her attention totally concentrated across the street. Following Rosalie's line of sight, the individual tried to determine who she was so keenly looking at. It was difficult to determine, as the humans were out in droves, and the possibilities couldn't be narrowed down right away, though she seemed focused on the theater entryway across the wide boulevard.

After a few moments, Rosalie very suddenly turned away, drawing the attention of her watcher; and then she walked determinedly into the store where her companion - Alice Cullen - was waiting.

The watcher turned to his companions, his voice low, and his words quick. They both turned towards where Rosalie had been looking, taking careful note of the faces that might have been the object of her interest, paying particular attention to the handful of people under the theater awning, where he estimated the Cullen girl was looking.

His intuition immediately ruled out several of the humans loitering there - too old, too young, too obese - leaving perhaps a half dozen who might have caught her attention so avidly. He did his best to memorize their faces. Who knew when they might come across those faces again, after all?

Very interesting.

In the deep desert of New Mexico, Nick Fury walked down the metal stairs to the lowest level of the Joint Dark Energy Research Facility. Unbeknown to most, the entire bottom floor held the Tesseract, which was currently being subject to every test that the project lead - Doctor Eric Selvig - could dream up. He and a team of assistants were working on a set of field equations that would - if they worked - allow SHIELD to use the Tesseract to open a portal in space, and safely tap it's energy in a continuous fashion, as opposed to the miniscule charge and stop way they had done to this point. Their method's had been fairly safe, but were agonizingly slow. Selvig's equations and control program would allow them to have an almost infinite energy source: on tap and on demand.

Of course, that was just one of the many uses they had for the powerful artifact. Already, SHIELD had created several caches of weapons, using battery cells supercharged by the Tesseract. More were already being produced every day, and new designs were being tested almost every day. But the charge and stop methodology was slow and unwieldy, and Fury and the Security Council were very anxious to get Selvig's program up and running.

However, a glitch had suddenly appeared yesterday morning. Fury had flown out here because of a disturbing report he'd received last night from Coulson. Apparently, the Tesseract had seemingly 'turned on' by itself, sending out pulses of energy that were increasingly unstable and were increasing in strength.. As a precaution, Fury had ordered the phase 2 weapons and any other important tech removed to the Helicarrier until they could figure out how to keep the Tesseract quiescent.

On the far side of the galaxy, on Sanctuary, the figure waited, watching as the very fabric of space-time rippled before him, swirling in tandem with the glow from the scepter he held before him.

Standing now, the figure prepared himself for his journey to Midgard, and the start of his reign as King over the puny mortals that lived there, and subsequently taking his revenge on his traitorous brother.

Rising to his full height, a wicked smile transformed Loki's handsome face into a cunning, shark-like visage as he prepared for his destiny.

A/N. Okay, the stage is set.