Instruction

"Instruction," Jasper read.

"That had to be the longest party in the history of the world," I complained on the way home.

"I bet it was only a few hours." Alice rolled her eyes.

Edward didn't seem to disagree. "It's over now," he said, rubbing my arm soothingly.

Because I was the only one who needed soothing. Edward was fine now - all the Cullens were fine.

"Of course we are," Emmett said. "This is going to be easy now."

They'd all reassured me; Alice reaching up to pat my head as I left,

"That's kind of rude, Alice," Edward said, "and she definitely won't like you patronizing her like that."

eyeing Jasper meaningfully until a flood of peace swirled around me, Esme kissing my forehead and promising me everything was all right, Emmett laughing boisterously and asking why I was the only one who was allowed to fight with werewolves. . . .

Emmett laughed loudly at that.

Jacob's solution had them all relaxed, almost euphoric after the long weeks of stress. Doubt had been replaced with confidence. The party had ended on a note of true celebration.

Not for me.

Bad enough - horrible - that the Cullens would fight for me. It was already too much that I would have to allow that. It already felt like more than I could bear.

Not Jacob, too.

Edward frowned at that.

"Of course she's going to worry about him too, now," Esme said. "He's her best friend."

"And that's what she does," Emmett chuckled, "worry. Even when it's completely pointless for her to do so."

"I know," Edward sighed, still frowning.

Not his foolish, eager brothers - most of them even younger than I was. They were just oversized, over-muscled children, and they looked forward to this like it was picnic on the beach. I could not have them in danger, too. My nerves felt frayed and exposed. I didn't know how much longer I could restrain the urge to scream out loud.

I whispered now, to keep my voice under control. "You're taking me with you tonight."

Edward made a face at that; he didn't seem to think that was a good idea.

"It might help her not worry so much," Alice said, "if she sees this."

"Bella, you're worn out."

"You think I could sleep?"

He frowned. "This is an experiment. I'm not sure if it will be possible for us all to . . . cooperate. I don't want you in the middle of that."

"I'm sure it would be fine," Carlisle said. "They have the motivation to make this work, seeing as they need to protect their town. Besides, I would think that having Bella there would be a deterrent for both sides not to do anything."

As if that didn't make me all the more anxious to go.

"You really shouldn't have put it like that, Eddy," Emmett laughed. "Now she has to worry about us fighting each other, along with everything else."

"If you won't take me, then I'll call Jacob."

His eyes tightened. That was a low blow, and I knew it. But there was no way I was being left behind.

He didn't answer; we were at Charlie's house now. The front light was on.

"See you upstairs," I muttered.

I tiptoed in the front door. Charlie was asleep in the living room, overflowing the too-small sofa, and snoring so loudly I could have ripped a chainsaw to life and it wouldn't have wakened him.

I shook his shoulder vigorously.

"Dad! Charlie!"

He grumbled, eyes still closed.

"I'm home now - you're going to hurt your back sleeping like that. C'mon, time to move."

It took a few more shakes, and his eyes never did open all the way, but I managed to get him off the couch. I helped him up to his bed, where he collapsed on top of the covers, fully dressed, and started snoring again.

"She really does take care of him nicely," Esme smiled.

He wasn't going to be looking for me anytime soon.

Edward waited in my room while I washed my face and changed into jeans and a flannel shirt. He watched me unhappily from the rocking chair as I hung the outfit Alice had given me in my closet.

"Come here," I said, taking his hand and pulling him to my bed.

I pushed him down on the bed and then curled up against his chest. Maybe he was right and I was tired enough to sleep. I wasn't going to let him sneak off without me.

"If you fall asleep, it would be all too easy," Edward said.

"But then we wouldn't get to see the lesson," Emmett pouted. "Don't go to sleep, Bella."

"I don't think there's much of a chance that's she's going to miss this," Alice said.

He tucked my quilt in around me, and then held me close.

"Please relax."

"Sure."

"This is going to work, Bella. I can feel it."

My teeth locked together.

He was still radiating relief. Nobody but me cared if Jacob and his friends got hurt. Not even Jacob and his friends. Especially not them.

"Well, I care," Esme said. "I wouldn't want any of them to be hurt."

"Nor would I," Carlisle said, "and I'm sure that Edward feels the same."

"Of course I do," Edward said, although his voice was a little hard, making it seem like he didn't really think that...but they all knew that he did.

He could tell I was about to lose it. "Listen to me, Bella. This is going to be easy . The newborns will be completely taken by surprise. They'll have no more idea that werewolves even exist than you did. I've seen how they act in a group, the way Jasper remembers. I truly believe that the wolves' hunting techniques will work flawlessly against them. And with them divided and confused, there won't be enough for the rest of us to do. Someone may have to sit out," he teased.

"So, you think you're an expert now?" Jasper asked Edward.

"No, I just have some idea what the newborns would be like," Edward shrugged. "I know the difference between real life and reading a memory. You remember everything but It's not quite the same as really being there."

"Piece of cake," I mumbled tonelessly against his chest.

"Shhh," he stroked my cheek. "You'll see. Don't worry now."

He started humming my lullaby, but, for once, it didn't calm me.

People - well, vampires and werewolves really, but still - people I loved were going to get hurt. Hurt because of me. Again. I wished my bad luck would focus a little more carefully. I felt like yelling up at the empty sky: It's me you want - over here! Just me!

"Er...that wouldn't really work," Emmett said. "We're choosing to be there for you and we would throw ourselves in danger's path if it was just after you."

I tried to think of a way that I could do exactly that - force my bad luck to focus on me. It wouldn't be easy. I would have to wait, bide my time. . . .

I did not fall asleep. The minutes passed quickly, to my surprise, and I was still alert and tense when Edward pulled us both up into a sitting position.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and sleep?"

I gave him a sour look.

He sighed, and scooped me up in his arms before he jumped from my window.

He raced through the black, quiet forest with me on his back, and even in his run I could feel the elation. He ran the way he did when it was just us, just for enjoyment, just for the feel of the wind in his hair. It was the kind of thing that, during less anxious times, would have made me happy.

When we got to the big open field, his family was there, talking casually, relaxed. Emmett's booming laugh echoed through the wide space now and then. Edward set me down and we walked hand in hand toward them.

It took me a minute, because it was so dark with the moon hidden behind the clouds, but I realized that we were in the baseball clearing.

It was the same place where, more than a year ago, that first lighthearted evening with the Cullens had been interrupted by James and his coven.

Edward hissed at that. "Did you really have do this here?"

"Yes," Jasper said, nodding his head, "that is the best place for these lessons, and I would imagine it's where I'm going to suggest we confront the army."

It felt strange to be here again - as if this gathering wouldn't be complete until James and Laurent and Victoria joined us. But James and Laurent were never coming back. That pattern wouldn't be repeated. Maybe all the patterns were broken.

Yes, someone had broken out of their pattern. Was it possible that the Volturi were the flexible ones in this equation?

"No, I really don't think so,"Carlisle said.

I doubted it.

Victoria had always seemed like a force of nature to me - like a hurricane moving toward the coast in a straight line - unavoidable, implacable, but predictable. Maybe it was wrong to limit her that way. She had to be capable of adaptation.

"Why do you think that she's predictable?" Jasper furrowed his eyes.

"Asking her questions like that won't really get you any answers," Emmett chuckled. "It's not like she could answer back."

"It might be in the book," Jasper pouted.

"I think it's because she already knows what Victoria is after," Alice said, before Emmett could say anything else. "It makes her stagnant...a constant threat, but not something that could come at her in different angles."

"I suppose that makes sense," Edward frowned. "We don't change our ways very often..."

"Except when we want something really badly," Jasper muttered. "That would cause her to change her pattern."

"You know what I think?" I asked Edward.

He laughed. "No."