Chapter forty eight

"Are you sure about this, Bella?"

Alice and I stood in the quiet meadow, watching as the shade of the grass darkened with the oncoming night. It was a damp evening, with fine droplets of water falling from the sky, coating everything with a glistening sheen. Although the woman beside me wore a hooded jacket, I hadn't bothered. What was the worst that could happen, I'd get a cold? My eyes turned to the raven haired vampire on my left, as I prepared my reply to her question.

"Yes," I said, to which she nodded.

We both focused our attentions to the trees ahead and I trained my gaze to the point where I expected Jacob Black to emerge. No time frame had been given to the werewolf, but I'd asked him to come to the meadow as soon as possible and just prayed he'd keep his word. It wasn't long before those prayers were answered and, through the trees, appeared three silhouettes. The middle figure was easily the tallest and I knew it was Jacob. The other two followed him part of the way, before hanging back, as he continued his approach. Clearly, we weren't trusted to meet him alone, but trusted enough for them to remain in human form around us.

None of the other coven members, as far as I knew, were aware of what I planned to do and I felt a smidgen of guilt about it, but discussing it with them would have led to them trying to stop me, which I just couldn't allow to happen. Being entirely honest, I wasn't sure they'd actually understand my reasoning. Of course, I wasn't going to take away from their individual awful experiences during transformation, but I was beginning to wonder if perhaps too much time had passed for some of them to fully sympathise. After all, they hadn't actually had to watch their loved ones grieve in front of them.

Or, perhaps I was just trying to justify my actions to myself.

Jacob halted a few feet away, his dark eyes studying my companion, before they finally settled on me. I noticed that he never sought direct eye contact and wondered if it had anything to do with the vivid colour of my irises.

"Still being chaperoned, I see," he remarked, glancing quickly at the diminutive vampire beside me.

"Good evening to you too, Pup," she retorted, pleasant as you like.

"So, what is it?" he asked me, in his deep, rumbling voice.

No pleasantries? Well, good, I didn't really have time for them anyway. I took a small step forward, before speaking.

"It's about Charlie," I said, to which his eyes narrowed a fraction.

"What about him?" Jacob tried to be nonchalant, but it was impossible for one with such a passionate nature.

For a brief second, I searched my brain for the best possible way to explain my request. Should I provide a back story, or gradually lead in to the subject?

"I want to tell him I'm alive," I answered, deciding that, in the end, candour would be the best policy.

Jacob's eyes widened incredulously. "You wanna what?"

I braced myself, ready for refusal, but willing to fight my corner. "I want my dad to know I'm not dead," I repeated.

"Why?" My elaborated answer hadn't wiped the bafflement off Jacob's face.

"Because…" I paused, trying not to let the image of my father's face, permanently imprinted on my brain, arouse the dreadful emotions yet again. "Because he's…he…he came to the house today," I explained. "To speak to Carlisle and he looked…miserable."

"None of us are exactly over the moon, right now," Jacob remarked and my eyes flashed with anger.

"I know that!" I retorted. "It's just…I hated seeing it, seeing him look so awful, especially when it's because of a lie."

"A necessary one," he said.

My response was delayed, as I processed it in my brain. I knew the reasons for secrecy, but I was wondering if absolute secrecy from certain people was entirely necessary. The punishment for revealing our existence was death by the Volturi-a terrifying prospect by any reckoning-but, Charlie wasn't a loudmouth, he could keep a secret, even if it was a ridiculously enormous one…couldn't he? Surely, he'd be happier with a vampire for a daughter, than no daughter at all.

"Is it?" I eventually queried and immediately felt two pairs of eyes upon me. Apparently, even Alice hadn't expected that response and I felt a need to explain. "I mean," I continued. "If someone could promise not to say anything, never to reveal what they knew…I never told anybody."

"You didn't," Jacob agreed. "But look where we are now." He held his arms out, as if trying to encompass the current situation everyone was in. "You've gotta admit, things would've been a lot different if you hadn't known the truth."

I remained silent, but glared at him. The most infuriating thing was that he was right, none of this would have been necessary, had I not discovered their true identities. Then again, I also probably would have been dead by now. My inner smartass was about to tell me that, technically, I was, but I cut her off.

"I think this is a terrible idea," Jacob declared. "Especially right now. We're expecting the bloodsucking Royal Family and you wanna arrange a family reunion? The less involvement anybody else has with any of us right now, the better."

Jacob was going to say no, I could tell and it tightened my chest to realise it.

"But you didn't see him!" I persisted. "It was horrible, looking at him, seeing him such a mess…"

"I know, Bella," Jacob said, his tone softening just a little.

"No you don't!" I cried. "You have your family, they all know exactly what you are, you haven't had to give up anything to be a werewolf. But I have! And now Charlie is left imaging God-knows-what, because he thinks I've been kidnapped by a murderous lunatic!"

Jacob pursed his lips and looked away, clearly uncomfortable about my emotional outburst. Good, I thought, bitterly.

"You stand there, sneering at us, calling us "bloodsuckers", but you have no idea what it's like, how hard every single member of the coven works to abstain from doing the very thing we're intended to and not one us chose this life, but we've had to make the best of a shitty situation. And Charlie is suffering too, because of what's happened to me, so forgive me for hoping to alleviate the pain for at least one person involved in this."

My rant ended as suddenly as it had begun and, when I replayed the words in my head, a number of things struck me. Most importantly of all, was the use of the words "us" and "we". I'd now grouped myself with the rest of the Cullens and wondered if anyone else had picked up on that. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder and turned my face, to see Alice watching me, a small, empathetic smile on her lips. It said far more than any words could articulate and I placed my palm over hers, before giving a light squeeze. I really did love my little Tinkerbell.

Facing Jacob once again, I willed his gaze to meet mine, but it was a long wait. Even when he was finally looking at me, the eye-contact was still lacking.

"So, will you help?"

The werewolf took several deep breaths, placing his hands loosely on his hips.

"What do you want me to do?"

I braced myself. Here goes nothing.

"I…" I licked my lips. "I don't know how, but I want you to be the one to tell him that I'm alive."

A deep frown creased Jacob's dark brow, as he eyed Alice and me warily. "Why me?"

"I'm out, for obvious reasons," I replied. "And, with this town's mentality, if the Cullens do it, they'll immediately become suspects."

The bulky Quileute's arms crossed in front of his broad chest and an eyebrow rose. "Aren't they?"

"Don't," I warned, with a low snarl.

"Alright," he relented, with a sigh. "And how, exactly, am I supposed to fulfil this request?"

Well, that was where my planning had stopped. I had no answer for his question and my face must have projected the blankness of my mind, because Jacob rolled his eyes and let out a bitter bark of laughter.

"No ideas, no suggestions…anything?" He watched expectantly, before continuing. "Don't forget that every cop in this town is searching for you, so what is their Chief gonna tell them, if he finds out you're not the Ripper's latest victim? He'll wanna know where you are."

I could have kicked myself for being so short-sighted. I hadn't considered any of that, too desperate just to end my dad's sorrow and, having those questions posed before me, I didn't know what to do. What could I tell Charlie? What story could possibly convince him of my safety, without compromising anyone else? I started to bite my lip, as my brows creased with anxiety.

"Listen, Bella," Jacob said, seeing the uneasy arrangement of my features. "I will help you, but you have to see that we can't do this yet. I don't want your dad to suffer any more than you do, but I don't wanna get him mixed up in what's about to happen, either. Give it time and we can think of something, a way to let him know you're safe…sort of."

I wasn't happy and desperately scrambled for something that would justify my refusal of his offer. I didn't want to give it time. I wanted to tell him now! But, regrettably, Jacob was right about timing; it wasn't ideal. With the threat of the Volturi looming ever closer, involving anyone else would only drag them unnecessarily into the fight. I would have to wait until all this was over.

If we survived, of course.

A spark of defiance ignited in my belly and I felt the beginnings of a fire light up inside. We would survive. Even if I had to fight tooth and claw, I would do every last thing within my power to ensure I, and the people I loved, lived after the Volturi arrival. I would have gladly hunted down Edward myself, to hand his sorry ass to the Italian vampires, if it kept the coven safe, but a newborn wasn't capable of such things. I would have to rely on my shield and hone it as well as time would allow. I was going to make it, we all were and then I was going to tell Charlie I was alive. It was the motivation I needed to put the fear aside and focus.

"Bella!"

I turned to face the person responsible for the gasped whisper and saw Alice's features rigid with fear, her eyes wider than I had ever seen them.

"Alice," I called, taking her hands in mine. "What is it? What are you seeing?"

"Th-the…the Vol…"

Her voice was trembling and her grip on my fingers increased. Were I still human, my fingers would have been close to falling off. She went silent and her gaze turned glassy. Her eyes twitched, manically shifting in all directions and I knew this was going to be quite a vision. She took in a sharp breath and her hands released mine, before consciousness infiltrated her pupils once again and she slowly became aware of the world around her.

I gave her a long moment to recover, before quietly calling her name again. Her eyes swivelled up to mine and she blinked furiously. Then the panic struck her features once more.

"We have to go!" she declared, grasping my hand again. "The Volturi are coming!"

"We already know that," I said. "When the snow falls, remember?"

"No," she argued. "They're coming now!"

It was my turn to panic. "What, right now?"

"Yes! They'll be here by tomorrow. We have to go and warn the others!"

"Wait!" Jacob demanded, his growling voice cutting through all other sounds. "The Volturi are on their way already? Why? What's changed?"

"I-I don't know," Alice admitted. "I just know that they've accelerated their plans and aren't going to wait any longer."

"Do you have a location? A time-"

"Jacob," I interrupted, knowing his interrogation wasn't going to help her. "She's freaked out. Let me get her back to the mansion and she can give us every detail she can. Then we'll explain everything to you, I promise."

"And, what? We're just supposed to wait like good little doggies?"

"Until she gives us more, yes!" I wasn't in the mood for Jacob's tenacity. "I told you, you'll find out soon. You have to start trusting us."

Alice and I were treated to one of Mr Black's very best glares. "Fine," he barked, before turning on his heels and jogging away.

I immediately turned my full attention back to my companion, who was desperate to get moving. We raced back towards the house, probably not being as careful as we should, but time was of the essence. The others may well ask where we were, but would cease to care, when they heard Alice's news. The drizzle was still falling and, at our tremendous running speed, pelted our faces with surprising force. Luckily, we hardly felt the impact.

The mansion was as we had left it, and Jasper was approaching the front door, ready to open it. He stepped onto the porch and concern lined his face. Had he sensed his mate's anxiety from that far away?

"Alice," he said, holding his arms out to her.

The petite vampire ran into the embrace, but didn't waste time enjoying it, as she immediately told Jasper of the vision. His expression turned stoic and I knew him well enough to discern that it wasn't a good sign.

"Come on," he said, ushering the pair of us inside. "The others are all here."

Entering the building, I could sense the location of each coven member. Emmet and Rosalie were downstairs, watching television, whilst Carlisle and Esme were upstairs. I let Jasper and Alice go down, as I ran up the steps, towards the study. The door was closed and, normally, that was a sign to knock, but I didn't think he'd mind if I forgot my manners this time. I found the pair both stood in front of the desk and their heads spun in my direction.

"Isabella?" Esme queried, her flawless brows knitting together in alarm.

"You have to come downstairs," I informed them. "Alice had another vision."

Nothing more needed to be said, as they both trailed closely behind me, following my descent to the basement lounge. Rosalie and Emmet took up the two armchairs, with Jasper and Alice occupying two thirds of the settee. This left one free seat, but I was happy to remain standing beside Carlisle, so Esme took it.

"Alice," Carlisle said softly, to gain the wide eyed vampire's attention. She was still fretting about the vision, I could tell. "Bella says you've had another vision. Tell us."

Alice braced herself and began. "It's very much like the one before, with the Volturi making their way here, except the snow had gone, meaning their arrival was either going to be earlier or later than anticipated. Then the vision shifted to their feet and one stood on a newspaper, which had the date printed on it and that's how I was able to know that it's definitely tomorrow that they'll be here."

"Do you have a timeframe?" Carlisle asked. "Can you tell whether it is morning or evening?"

"Not for certain," Alice answered, regret in her tone. "The sky isn't at full brightness, though, so it'll be either dawn or dusk."

"I don't understand this," Rosalie said. "Why would they decide to come here sooner? There haven't been any more murders and it's not like they got word of us planning to run away, so what's the point? The Volturi are never ones to rush into action."

"No, they're not," Carlisle concurred, before glancing over at the clock on the wall behind him. "And I wish I could understand the motive. However, we have at least ten hours to prepare and need to use every single minute of them. Jasper, come with me. The Quileute tribe will need to know about this, so that we can coordinate with them."

I watched the blonde pair leave and took the newly vacant seat beside Alice. Esme reached for the remote control and clicked through the channels, until she reached one dedicated to the weather. I gave her a questioning look, to which she replied: "We need to know what conditions we're dealing with tomorrow."

That made sense and my eyes watched the screen, waiting for the woman in the royal blue suit to move on to the next day's forecast. To be honest, I probably could have predicted the weather, as there were only really two kinds in Forks; wet and less wet. Apparently, tomorrow was going to be wet. Of course.

With that task completed, I felt a little at a loss as to what to do next. The two main strategists had departed and I had no idea what else we'd need to prepare for the confrontation with the Volturi.

"How's your shield, Isabella?" Esme asked me.

"Um…it's getting there," I replied. "But there's no way its strong enough to protect everyone."

"How many can you cover with it?"

"Not including myself? Three…possibly four, if I really try."

Esme nodded, her expression turning thoughtful for a moment. "Four is certainly better than none. I don't think there's much else for it, but to have you practising as hard as you can for the rest of the night. As soon as Jasper returns, we'll start."

"Okay," I agreed.

The wait for Jasper was a long one, as it seemed the tribe were very unhappy with the update and they disliked the notion of following a vampire's command. I hadn't expected anything less; the wolves had their own way of doing things and were damned if they'd take battle advice from a sworn enemy. Eventually, agreements had been made and plans were set in motion, as everyone prepared themselves for the dreaded arrival.

One thought that kept entering my mind was of Edward. It was distracting to think of him at a time like this, but I couldn't help wondering where he was. Plenty of time had passed, since my transformation, yet not a word from the person responsible. What had happened to his vow for revenge? Perhaps he thought I'd died, thus fulfilling his wish. Or, maybe he was the reason for the advancement of the Volturi's plans. What would he have told his masters, if he was indeed accompanying them? Surely, whatever lies he attempted to give, would be seen through immediately.

I didn't follow that train of thought any further, for fear it would bring on a panic attack and decided my attentions would be best focused on the task at hand. Although the range of my shield was limited, I needed it to work faultlessly for the few it could protect. The worst part was deciding who would benefit from the shield's safety most. Four places were on offer, but I refused to have a say, because, of course Carlisle was of the utmost importance to me, so he was first in line, yet deciding between the others was impossible. Like a parent asked which of their children they were willing to lose, I just couldn't do it. Every single member of my new family was important to me, so I left it up to the others to choose. Surprisingly, Alice was willing to bow out of having the shield's protection.

"I'm fast," she said, silencing Jasper with a finger to his lips, before he could start protesting. "Any gifted member of the Volturi will need to get me firmly in their sights, in order for their talent to work. Besides, I have a feeling that they would be reluctant to eradicate me so quickly."

"Why?" I asked, intrigued.

"My gift," she replied. "The Volturi may be law enforcers, but, essentially, Aro is nothing more than a collector. He collects vampires with special talents and, as far as I'm aware, doesn't have anyone like me."

"After killing Sapphire," Carlisle added. "He offered Edward a place amongst the Volturi. It was rejected initially, of course, but, apparently, he changed his mind."

"Even tried recruiting Emmett," Esme chuckled.

I faced her, surprise etched into my features. "Really? But, I thought he doesn't have a gift."

"He doesn't," she said. "But, only an idiot would ignore the benefits of brute strength when they see it."

"Thanks, Babe," the bulky brunette winked, as he and his devastatingly beautiful companion re-entered the lounge.

"But, what if they catch you?" I said, steering us back onto topic, as my eyes found Alice once again. "From what you've all said, these guys are really powerful."

"Yes, they are," Jasper agreed, looking pointedly at Alice.

The conversation continued, with each trying to convince another of taking one of the four places, except for Carlisle, who desperately sought for a way to keep everyone safe. I saw Rosalie and Emmett advance to the centre of the room, but neither sat. They were speaking to one another at lightning speed and in such hushed tones, that, even with enhanced hearing, I couldn't quite make out their words. They seemed to be planning something, though.

"I'm bored," the statuesque blonde declared, grabbing everyone's attention. "And we have far more important things to do, than argue, so we've made this easy on all of you."

Every single one of us gawped at the standing pair, wondering where the statement was going to lead.

"Emmett and I will remain outside the protection of the shield."

Shocked silence followed for a long moment, as we all took in what had just been said. Rosalie-beautiful, vain, arrogant, confrontational Rosalie-had just offered to sacrifice herself, for the good of the coven. And the news had been delivered in typical Hale style, completely without sentiment or hesitation. Why was she doing it? I knew she hated being a vampire, but, surely she wasn't considering suicide? And, what about Emmett? Clearly, he was only going along with it to remain at his mate's side. God, the thought of it was both depressing and undeniably romantic.

"There is no need for that, yet, Rosalie," Carlisle argued. "It is possible that Bella could extend the range of her shield, given practise."

"She said it can hold up to four," Rosalie countered. "Five, if we're lucky. We need her gift to be working at its very best and, the more it's pushed, the weaker it'll be. Better some of the coven fully protected, than all of us left vulnerable."

Carlisle could understand the logic and knew she was right, but it was easy to see he hated the idea. The thought of losing two family members was awful for him and I felt terrible for not possessing more skill with my gift. Just when I'd started to feel good about my accomplishments so far, I felt useless all over again.

"As I said, it's already been decided," Rosalie finished, her chin lifting a fraction, to lend an air of finality to her statement.

"So, with that done and dusted," Emmett chimed in. his voice booming and bizarrely cheerful. I envied his apparent calm during this time. "Let's get planning a way to take down these fuckers!"

A chorus of laughter erupted from various members of the coven and I couldn't help wondering if the Volturi knew what they were letting themselves in for.

A/N: So, how was that for everyone?

Originally, my plan was to create a big reunion for Bella and Charlie, but, as I started writing it, I realised just how out of place the moment would be, with a Volturi arrival imminent and I didn't want to stray too far from the main plot. There may be a moment between them later on, or it could be a little one shot for another time. Who knows? Either way, I hope this leaves you all eager for the next chapter.

See y'all soon :)