Seismic Shift Chapter 34

The real weapons are fear and terror. These people
are monsters. We cannot let them feed off of
our fear. We can't give them the pleasure of
watching us like little children jump from the
carpet to the bed. We can't let them witness us running
up the basement stairs after we flip off the
light because we are afraid. You cannot give into it,
you cannot play into that fear.

We are not the monsters, these people are the monsters.

We do not have to be afraid of the dark that they live in.

~ Michael Burns

BPOV

I heard the commotion in the other room, and it confused me. I'd just been in there listening to Edward pretending that he and Alice weren't discussing Christmas gifts. However, this was different. This was hushed speaking and low, pained tones. Jasper was involved, and now I heard more people gathering. My hearing was nowhere near as impressive as a vampire's, but it was enhanced.

I dropped my spatula and stood frozen, terrified of what I might find. Edward hurt on the floor while Alice lamented that she couldn't save him. Jasper bent over the both of them as he struggled to contain the feelings of overwhelming grief and heartache. Something was happening just on the other side of the wall, and it was going to be monumental. It was going to change all of our lives. What could have infiltrated this house so swiftly and so unbidden?

I pressed my palms to the cool, smooth wall that separated me from absolute pain. I didn't want to go around the end. I wanted to stay in the warm kitchen with Renée, to pretend for just a little while longer that nothing was wrong.

"Bella?" I jumped as Renée touched my back. It was meant as a gesture of comfort, but merely reiterated how bad it was about to become.

"Something's wrong," I whispered. I rested my forehead on the wall in an attempt to cool the flush.

"What?" She sounded very confused.

I pointed to the wall. "In there."

I finally moved, forcing one foot in front of the other. I passed the barrier into the living room, spotting something similar to what I'd feared; Edward was bent over Alice, who was kneeling on the floor with her head in her hands. She rocked back and forth as Jasper rubbed her shoulder. Emmett and Carlisle were crouched defensively behind Jasper, and Esme hovered near Edward, Rose just behind her. It looked like a scene with which they had plenty of practice.

Charlie stood in front of the sectional sofa looking perplexed. "Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on here?" he snapped. His eyes darted between Renée and me.

"Edward?" I mumbled. Renée kept her hand on my back as we moved slowly forward. Her show of support made me want to cry more than anything.

Edward looked up at me briefly, and his face was the epitome of helplessness.

"It's too much, too fast," Alice panted. "Sensory deprivation, broken bonds, and so much pain." Now she moaned. I'd never seen a vampire in pain before, knew it was next to impossible.

"Stop focusing on it, Alice," Jasper ordered. I felt a rush of calm trying to smother the panic. I embraced it and did my best to send it back out to the others.

"Alice, focus on me," Carlisle said in a soothing voice, "and nothing else. It's almost Christmas, and you love Christmas. What are you planning for Jasper?"

"I bought him a vintage guitar," she answered shakily. It seemed that she had to force the words out. "Sorry to ruin the surprise," she laughed, but it sounded fake.

"That's good, Alice. What did you get Esme?" His voice was nearly hypnotizing in its smoothness.

"I made her a new shawl to match the dress Rose bought her." Her words were a little stronger, with less of the breathiness.

Esme smiled, though it wobbled. "I'm sure I'll love it."

Slowly, Alice uncurled herself and stood, her expression and small stature giving her the look of a frightened child. "It was awful," she cried. Her face was pinched, but the others relaxed their tense stances.

"It was all of them," Edward continued.

"The full guard, even the wives," Alice added.

"The wives never leave the protection of the palace," Carlisle countered. "Aro is too worried they will meet their demise."

"Like Didyme?" Rose said wryly.

"Wait, I'm completely confused," I interjected. "If the crisis is over, can we sit down and talk about it?"

"Oh, but the crisis isn't over, that's the problem," Alice told me. "I'm just trying to distract myself from the horrific images."

"Great," I muttered, moving to the couch and sinking down on it. Charlie and Renée joined me. Edward came to stand in front of us, then sat on the coffee table to face me. He took my hands in his.

"Your dream about the Volturi was accurate, unfortunately. Alice had a vision of them coming, but more than that, she saw how they planned to annihilate all of us."

"Jesus Christ, don't sugarcoat it or anything." I was completely horrified with what he was describing.

"The thing is, we have the power to change the outcome because we have warning. What she saw was their version of events based on their decision to come here. What we do with that information will affect everything." He was apparently trying to reassure me now, but it didn't exactly feel like it. What the hell could we do against a legion of powerful vampires?

"So we were right all along. We need to go back to the Amazon," Charlie said, wringing his hands together and darting glances past me. Renée just sat beside me, shaking. "And this time we'll bring Bella with us."

"Let's not be hasty," Carlisle implored. "Renée and Bella are powerful, who knows how powerful when they work together. We are familiar with the gifts of each of the members of the Volturi guard. We need a plan to disarm them, so to speak."

Carlisle made some sense, but it seemed he was the only one on board with that idea.

"Oh, hell no," Rose scoffed. "You seriously want to mollify Count Chocula and those fruity pebbles? We'll all die, and if we run, Demetri will track us."

Carlisle held up a placating hand. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. We don't know why they're even coming. Aro was a friend of mine many years ago, I'm certain we can have a civil discourse instead of a war."

"That is not what we saw," Edward interrupted, and Alice was shaking her head.

"Edward is right. It was Alec stealing our senses, Jane blinding us with pain, and Chelsea breaking our mating bonds. Whatever friendship status you used to share with Aro, he isn't your BFF anymore. I'm not letting Chelsea and Corin delude me into thinking I'm happy with being in the Volturi guard so they can use me as their puppet."

"I'm not letting them turn the pixie into their fortune teller!" Emmett huffed. "They'd have to go through me first!" He punched one fist into his other hand, his muscles flexing and showing off his intimidating size.

"So the alternative is to fight?" Esme said. "I don't want to fight."

"Nobody is fighting," Carlisle assured her, sounding on the verge of losing his patience, but the others were having none of it.

"You don't know that," Jasper argued. "I have the experience, I can teach you organized fighting, but it won't do any good if their guard is as talented as the legends say."

"But we have preparedness and fighters of our own. I think Jasper has the right idea," Edward insisted.

"We don't even know why they're coming. What made them decide to come to Forks, Washington?" Esme's brows were pulled together, her marble forehead now wrinkled. "Who on earth would have sent them in our direction?"

"We should get in touch with Jake and ask if the wolves will fight with us," I suggested. Jasper nodded his head in agreement.

"That would give us higher numbers and slightly better odds. Each wolf can take on more than one vampire."

"We don't know what's going to happen when they come!" Carlisle shouted, finally losing his cool.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, they aren't coming for high tea, we can be positive of that. I know you're an eternal optimist," she emphasized the word eternal, and I snorted, "but it's probably time to face the reality that they're not coming for anything good."

"I don't like this," Charlie said, standing up and rounding the coffee table where Edward was still sitting. He paced in front of the TV, which was now a soothing blue screen. "You should all be concerned with fleeing, not thinking you can take on a giant."

"I'm not spending my eternity on the run," Emmett protested. "If these scum want a fight, we'll give it to them."

"I'm not running, either," Alice said softly. Jasper nodded, clasping her shoulder.

Edward and I locked gazes. "We stay and fight, together," I announced. He nodded and squeezed my hand.

"I agree. Why or who is irrelevant. Nobody is joining their guard, and nobody is dying. Carlisle, I believe it is time to call our cousins in Denali." Edward had only mentioned them in passing, but I knew there were five of them. We needed all the numbers we could get.

Carlisle dipped his head, staring at the carpet, before moving into the office. A moment later, he could be heard talking on the phone.

"You're all nuts if you think this will work," Charlie groused.

"Charlie, I can't hide anymore. I'm not giving Bella up after we just found her. Maybe we can even call Shelly, Maria, and Connor, and ask if they'll help us again. Bella hasn't ever seen them in human form, after all," Renée pointed out.

"Those are the friends of yours that raised me?" I asked.

"Yeah, and I've spoken to them over the years since you moved to La Push. I think they're still in the states."

Carlisle came back out of the office. "Eleazar agreed that they would all come, and they're leaving tonight. He was skeptical about the wives coming, but trusts Alice and her visions."

"You never bet against Alice," Jasper chuckled. "Not if you're smart, at least."

"Great, so you're all planning a party, when we should be packing." Charlie came to sit beside me again, taking my shoulders and turning me to look at him. I pulled my hands out of Edward's to focus on my father.

"Bella, please. You've got to come back to Brazil with me and your mother. I can't lose you again."

"Charlie, you've made mistakes in the past because you make your decisions based on fear rather than logic. Listen to the Cullens. They know what they're talking about."

He leaned forward, looking intently into my eyes. I saw the fear, the desperation in familiar chocolate eyes. "I know I've been an ass, but it's because I regret not taking you with us. The guilt has eaten at me, and I felt like I was no better than Quil. I don't know how to get those years back, but there's no way I'd survive if I lost you."

I moved my hands to touch his cheeks. "I understand. But I'm not running, Charlie. I can't. I won't." I looked over at Edward, the love of my life. I knew that I would do whatever it took to keep him safe. But we were in agreement; running was not an option. "We stay, and we fight. You know Renée and I have skills beyond what the Volturi have, and we'll have the wolves."

I took a deep breath and let my hands fall to my lap. "I'm not living my very long life in fear. We fight."

"We fight," Edward agreed. "Together."

"Together," Jasper echoed.

"Let's kick some crusty asses!" Emmett boomed.