Chapter 5

Two days went by and Ana still hadn't come to them or phoned Cat. To say she was worried was an understatement. A third day went by, and there was still no sign of Ana. Finally, on the fourth day, Alice saw Ana approaching. The Cullens gathered in the living room and waited for Cat to bring their guest.

"Thank you so much for coming, I was getting worried." Cat whispered to Ana.

Ana smiled at the younger vampire. "Of course. I'm only sorry it took me so long."

"Doesn't matter as long as you are here and safe. Come on, the others are waiting." Cat led Ana to the living room.

"Oooh, do I get to meet your Jasper?" Ana smirked at Cat, expecting an embarrassed reaction.

"Nice try. I've been living in the same house as Emmet, though." Cat smirked back as they heard a loud laugh from said vampire.

Ana pretended to pout. "Takes the fun out of teasing you."

The women entered the living room and were greeted by the Cullen patriarch. Carlisle stood and walked to where they stopped.

"Thank you for coming. My name is Carlisle and this is my wife, Esme." He gestured to Esme as she walked up to him and placed her arm around his.

"Of course. I will always be here when Kitty calls. And from what I understand, this is now a family affair." Ana swiped her shoulder-length black hair from her face, red eyes shining.

Esme and Cat made eye contact briefly. "Ana, what did you find out?"

Ana sighed. "Good news. The coven refused to fight alongside Nicole. They believe that facing the Cullens would be a bad idea as their list of allies is great and they fear that if something went wrong, they would answer to the Volturi. So you're in the clear. However, the newborn army has been noticed and it is growing."

Despite the news of the army growing, the room seemed to deflate with relief. Jasper finally let his shoulders drop from the excess of calm he felt.

"Thank you for coming and informing us. Will you be staying in the area long?" Esme asked.

"Well, I would like to offer my services in your fight. I know you will need every person you can get and have fought in many battles. I understand Mr. Whitlock has his fair share of experience as well and combined, I think we would stand a better chance." Ana stood tall and proud. Cat remembered very little of Ana's history. Merely because Ana didn't share it. With anyone. Period. She kept the answers vague, like what she told the Cullens. Cat looked at Edward to see if he could hear anything and was met with a solemn nod in what seemed an answer to an unspoken question from Ana.

"We would be honored if you stayed with us while we prepare. I'm sure Catherine has told you of our diet, though. Hunting is limited to animals in our land. If you cannot restrain yourself, we ask you go outside our land and outside the pack's land to maintain peace." Carlisle spoke politely, but Cat could tell he was being as serious as the Plague.

Ana nodded. "Very well. I fed recently, that's what took me a little longer to get here. I will be fine for a while and when I need to feed again, I will abide by your way of life while I am here."

~~A few days later~~

The Cullens, Cat, and Ana were preparing to meet the Uley pack. The pack and the vampires decided to band together to protect Bella and the human inhabitants of the town. Neither side were truly pleased with the arrangement, but the severity drew them to the conclusion that it was the best idea. Carlisle was particularly tense, which was uncommon for him. Knowing his mate was also in danger's path was doing nothing for his sense of peace. The Cullens, Ana, and Catherine were waiting on one side of the clearing for the pack to show up. Cat, knowing her first encounter didn't go very well, was rather nervous. Jasper stood close by her side and sent calming waves to both her and Carlisle. Edward then showed up in the clearing, with his human fiancé. They appeared deep in conversation, but Cat didn't pay attention to it because she could smell and hear the wolves approaching.

Soon, Sam's black wolf entered the clearing, closely followed by his pack. A reddish-brown wolf stopped near Bella, but still stood close enough to his pack. Catherine enjoyed observing the wolves, in all honesty. Animals had always been a love of hers—making her new diet somehow harder than biting into the living flesh of a human…

Carlisle greeted the pack and thanked them for coming. He explained what they were all there to do and what was expected of them. Jasper took the stage to explain his newborn knowledge, leaving out his personal history. Soon, it was time for the mock fights to begin. Each vampire took a turn fighting Jasper. Catherine was the quickest among them, but still no match for the vampire general. She managed to land some hits on him, but when she felt she was gaining an upper hand, Jasper sent waves of doubt, causing her to stumble and hold back. She only noticed he was doing so after the match was called.

"That was so not fair…" she grumbled.

Jasper smirked, "All's fair in love and war, darling." Cat rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop a smile from stretching her lips.

After a while, Carlisle closed the meeting and plans were finalized for the coming war, as well as Ana's plans for feeding so the wolves were aware. The Uley pack left first, but the reddish-brown wolf stayed by Bella's side. Cat watched with curiosity as Bella spoke to the wolf. She noticed Edward watching them as well and briefly thought the wolf might not be considered a friend of the entire family. Edward smirked in her direction at that thought. Bella and the wolf parted ways soon as the alpha, Sam, seemed to beckon him.

Bella made her way to Jasper and Cat heard her ask him about why he know how to deal with newborns. Catherine frowned, wanting to go over there and stop the conversation, knowing how much his past had bothered him when they were living together with Alex. But as she was going to walk over, she saw Alice come up to the pair and assure Jasper that he never had to feel alone again. Cat didn't feel jealous… she didn't. She didn't need Jasper's gift to see how much Alice loved Alex. But she did feel a sense of… loneliness, or a sense of not belonging among these vampires. Catherine looked away from the three and walked over to the car she came in with Rosalie and Emmet—having arrived later. She sighed and sat in the back seat, staring at nothing.

Ana came up to the open door and leaned on the frame. "You know…" she started. "I think you're a good fit with these folks."

Cat looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Why's that?"

"Because you care about the world and people around you. You don't belong on your own. You belong with others who care just as much." Ana nodded at her own words.

Catherine stared ahead again and considered Ana's words. On one hand, her birth mother was here and she could have that relationship if she wanted. There were others here who had some similar experiences and traumas. But on the other hand… Cat wasn't sure she could get used to depending on a whole coven. She was used to running and living for herself. But… Jasper was here. He would want her to stay and be a part of the family. There were just so many variables to consider. But, after the fight. This could wait. She needed her head in the game.

"Thanks." Was all she said to Ana. Ana patted her knee and told Cat she would be back in a little while—she had to feed. She was left to her thoughts for a few more minutes as everyone either packed up or finished conversations. Jasper soon came over to her and mimicked how Ana had been leaning on the car.

"You coming with me, or Emmett?" He asked simply.

"I'll come with you. I might be immortal, but I don't know if I can handle Emmett's driving again." Cat answered loud enough that she knew Emmett could hear. Jasper smirked and held out a hand to lead her to his vehicle. Cat graciously took his hand and hugged his arm for a moment.

"Hey, Jasper?" She asked as they rode down the road on the way home.

"Yes?" Jasper looked over.

"Love you…" Cat murmured, hardly audible to an average human. She might as well have shouted it because the resulting smile and joy on Jasper's face was blinding. Jasper took hold of Cat's hand and kissed it gently.

"I love you too, Catherine." The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable, loving silence. Jasper's gift emphasized the couple's love for each other so much, Cat felt she would explode.

Only a few days went by, but the Cullen residents used every moment to strengthen themselves. They hunted, they sparred, whatever needed to be done to prep for the upcoming fight. Alice used her gift to ensure they were not caught off guard, but the day was still sooner than they expected. Within what felt like moments, the fight was upon them. One morning, Alice left to get Bella and bring her to the Cullens' so Edward could take her to safety.

Jasper and Catherine were huddled in their corner of the room, away from the others. Ana soon joined them. They talked among themselves, gradually joined by Alex and Alice. Alice looked to Carlisle and announced that it was time. The group of vampires made their way to the clearing, the wolves were already there.

Carlisle stepped up and spoke to the group, "I thank you again for your help. We will have your backs if you have ours. Be safe."

As Cat watched the tree line, the branches seemed to blur and then disappear as more and more newborn vampires appeared. She took Jasper's hand to ground herself and the group seemed to take an unnecessary collective breath.

And so the fight began.