When Worlds Collide

Millie heard the bedroom close quietly as she collected the last of her toiletries from the bathroom. She didn't need to ask who it was, she could sense Jared a mile off and she could feel his emotions inside her head. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and ran her hand gently across her stomach. Leaving was for the best. She knew, he knew, but it didn't make parting any easier. Straightening her shoulders she walked briskly out of the bathroom.

Jared was standing at the foot of the bed, idly fingering one of her tops in the open suitcase. "Are you almost ready?" he asked quietly turning his deep blue eyes to her as she entered the bedroom.

"This is the last of it," she answered equally as quiet dropping her bag of toiletries into the case. She watched Jared close and set it down on the floor.

"The others are ready," he said and she nodded her head acknowledging that the moment was now upon them. The moment when they would have to say goodbye, not knowing if they would see each other again.

They stared at each other silently for a long moment and then Jared moved, reaching for her and pulling her tightly against him. "Millie," he whispered, his big body shaking as he held her. He didn't want her to go and yet he couldn't get her away from the compound fast enough. His contrasting emotions made his head spin and all he could do was hold his precious woman and breathe in her sweet scent of peaches and cream, wondering if he'd ever see her again.

Millie didn't mean to cry. She tried really hard not to but the tears starting falling anyway as she clung to Jared as if her life depended on him. "Don't you dare die on me, Jared," she wept. "Don't you dare leave me, leave us."

He framed her face gently in his large hands, wiping at her tears, his expression tortured. "I swear I'll be here, baby. I won't leave you. I won't leave our babies." He kissed her, softly, groaning as a little whimper escaped her lips and her mouth clung desperately to his. He wanted to stay wrapped in her arms forever but he knew he couldn't. He wrenched his mouth from hers and hugged her tightly again.

"It's time," he said gruffly, swallowing down his own tears as he stroked her hair gently. "You have to go now."

Millie stepped back nodding as she wiped at her cheeks. There was no point delaying. It wouldn't change anything. Jared would still insist she left and she couldn't argue with him about it because of the precious lives in her belly. It still didn't make it any easier but she managed to give him a wan smile, trying to draw on her wolf, looking for some inner strength.

"Come on Millie. You can do this," Jared said quietly, giving her an encouraging smile even though his heart felt as if it was breaking.

"I know," she sighed standing up straighter, a hint of steely determination in her voice. "Let's go then. No point in keeping everyone waiting."

Jared felt such an overwhelming rush of love for his precious mate as she masked her pain and misery and stood proudly before him. "I love you, Millie."

There was so much emotion in those words that Millie thought she would start crying again. She swallowed hard and let more of her wolf come forward to give herself more strength. "I love you, Jared," she said softly. She slid her arm around his waist as he picked up her suitcase and they headed out the bedroom.

Jared handed off Millie's suitcase to Cedar when they stepped outside the house. The blonde Were stowed it in the back of the Jeep and turned to wait for Millie. They were taking two Jeeps, Jen and Aaron in one and Cedar and Millie in the other flanked by Cedar's other two brothers Brody and Connor.

Jen was saying a tearful farewell to Lacey, clinging onto her friend tightly. "Don't let anything happen to you, Lacey," she whispered tearfully.

"I won't, Jen," her friend answered fervently. "You be safe too. Stay close to Aaron just in case any vampires come your way."

"They won't," Jen said morosely. "They're all coming here to try and get you."

Aaron slipped his arms around his mate and pulled her back against his chest. "Hush now, honey. Everything is going to work out fine," he said confidently. He gave Lacey a warm smile. "I'll look after her, Lace. You have my word on that."

"I know you will, Aaron," Lacey smiled. "You take care of yourself too. You've only just survived one run in with Richard's cronies. Don't go thinking you're superman again."

The big blond threw his head back and barked a short laugh, his eyes twinkling. "You mean I'm not?"

"No, you're not," Rafe growled coming up behind them and slapping Aaron on the back. "So you keep that firmly in mind. Cedar's in charge of defence. You make sure Millie is protected. Let Cedar, Brody and Connor be the first line of defence if it's needed."

"Yes, boss," Aaron sighed rolling his eyes. He locked his gaze with Rafe and they nodded to each other before Aaron looked down at his woman. "Come on, honey. It's time we got going."

Jen pulled out of his arms and hugged Lacey one more time before she turned and threw her arms around Rafe completely surprising him. He looked down at her in shock for a moment before he hugged her back gently. "He won't get near her, Jen," he said quietly.

She sniffled slightly and then pulled back, scrubbing at her cheeks and nodding. "He won't get past you, I know that," she answered. She smiled at Lacey one last time and let Aaron enfold her back in his arms.

"We'll see you soon," Aaron said with another of his cheerful smiles. Lacey didn't notice that it didn't quite reach his eyes but Rafe did. He knew his friend was worried about what would happen while he was away.

"One of us will call as soon as it's safe," Rafe told him. He slipped his arms around Lacey as Aaron pulled Jen away and headed over to their Jeep.

"Will we see them again, Rafe?" Lacey whispered as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Yes we will," he answered firmly, kissing the top of her head. "They'll be safe where they are and you have the pack protecting you. You'll see Jen and Aaron again, sweetheart. I swear it."

Rafe held her a moment longer as they watched Jen and Aaron climb into the Jeep, then he pulled Lacey over to Jared and Millie. He slipped his arms from his mate and reached for his sister, hugging her gently. "Try not to worry too much, Mills," he said quietly. "It's bad for the babies. I have Jared's back as does Caleb and Annie. We won't let anything happen to him."

"You'd better not let anything happen to you either," she answered with a little snort. "You're the only brother I have and I've already had to deal with your death once. Don't make me have to deal with it a second time, Rafe."

"You worry too much," Rafe laughed shaking his head. "You just concentrate on looking after yourself and your babies. We're old enough to take care of ourselves." She snorted again but managed a little chuckle as she stepped back and turned to Jared. Slipping her hand in his they headed off to the other Jeep.

Rafe watched his friends and family prepare to depart with a heavy heart. He really hoped all his brave words were true. If the vampires bailed out on them then they didn't have much hope of making it through the next few days. He prayed silently that his faith in Caleb was justified.

_____

Rhianna glanced at Caleb from the corner of her eye and nervously bit her lip when she saw his expression hadn't soothed any. The atmosphere in the car was thick with tension and had been ever since they'd gotten into it. He was furious with Rafe and not willing to listen to anything she had to say. For once she was unable to break through his anger and that worried her, a lot.

She glanced back at the Jeep behind them and a little shiver went down her spine. She should have insisted Mara travel with them but her friend had been adamant she was staying at Demetri's side. He was even more furious at the turn of events than Caleb was and Mara felt it was better if she travelled with him and tried to soothe him.

Rhianna wasn't concerned about Demetri when it came to her friend's well being but she was concerned about the two other vampires in the car with her, the Romanov brothers. They were cold. She didn't care how much Andrei smiled, he was as dead inside as his twin brother Alexei. He just hid it better. The two of them scared the life out of her and it was difficult not to show it, which only heightened Caleb's anger on a completely different level.

"Forget about them," Caleb said quietly, speaking for the first time since they'd gotten into the car.

"You're taking them into my family's compound. How can I forget about them?" she answered slightly tartly. She heard Caleb draw an irritated breath and swallowed down the feeling of misery which was threatening to rear up again. If he sensed that in her as well it would just make his mood worse.

"You're not helping, Rhianna," he bit out tersely, his use of her full name making her wilt even more.

Caleb bit down another angry growl as his woman's unease flooded the car. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay but he couldn't. Rafe mating with Lacey had changed everything. He was livid about it and so was Demetri. Worse than that, Demetri actually seemed a little uncertain now and that scared Caleb. If his friend was feeling uncertain then that meant they had a lot to worry about.

"Can you at least try to contain your emotions, even just a little," he said wearily. "You're driving me mad here and it's not helping me work to contain my own."

Rhianna bit her lip again, feeling the sting of his words. She was stuck between suddenly wanting to cry and suddenly wanting to yell at him. "Sure, Caleb, hold on while I just flip a switch and turn them off. I won't be a moment." Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

He growled loudly, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he turned off the road into the trees and headed towards the Hanlon compound. He pulled up outside Jared's house and switched off the car, turning to face her with a hard expression on his face. "Sarcasm really doesn't suit you, Rhianna" he said coldly, his golden eyes clearly showing his disapproval.

"Being a cold, heartless bastard really doesn't suit you either, Caleb," she retorted angrily, his censure wounding her deeply. She got out the car and slammed the door as Demetri pulled up in the Jeep behind them. Ignoring the other vampires she turned and ran up the short flight of steps into the house.

Caleb muttered a curse under his breath as he watched her go. He hadn't missed the flash of pain in her eyes and it cut him deeply that he was the cause. He got out of the car and turned to Demetri. He pinned the vampires with a hard stare. "I'll do the talking," he said quietly. "I expect your behaviour to be impeccable.

His hard gaze settled on the Romanovs. "Mark my words carefully. If either of you do anything in there that hurts my woman I will kill you myself. Are we perfectly clear on this?" He didn't wait for an acknowledgement, turning to follow Rhianna into the house.

He found the Weres in the dining room, his eyes quickly running over the assembled group before settling on Rhianna who was hugging Lacey tightly, her beautiful face wreathed in a wide smile as she welcomed her new sister into her family.

There were five Weres standing at the back of the room against the wall. He recognised a few of them from Wicked, knew they were betas and particularly close to his brother-in-law. His eyes flicked once more over Lacey and Rhianna before he stopped at Rafe and gave him a hard glare. The big man met his gaze unflinching and Caleb fought down a weary sigh.

He finally turned his gaze to Jared and was met by such steely resolve that he started wondering if coming to the compound really had been a good idea. If any of the Weres got hurt tonight his Annie would never forgive him.

It was too late now though. Demetri flanked him on the left with Mara at his side. The Romanov twins remained near the door, their brown eyes narrowed with distrust as they surveyed the room. Weres on one side of the table and vampires on the other. His Annie clearly on the side opposite from him, letting him know firmly where she stood.

"You wanted this meeting, Caleb," Jared finally said. "Let's get on with it."

They all sat down, the twins being hesitant to take a seat at the table but doing so when Demetri rumbled low in his chest. None of the betas sat and Caleb watched his woman closely to see what she would do.

Rhianna bit her lip and hugged Rafe tightly. He picked her up and planted a big kiss on her lips and tousled her curls before setting her down and giving her a gentle push. They didn't speak but she knew he was giving her his blessing to return to Caleb, that he didn't see it as some kind of defection on her part. She walked back around the table and slid into the chair Caleb pulled out for her without looking at him.

"Are you here to tell us you won't stand with us anymore?" Jared asked tersely. There really was no point in small talk, not with the tension in the room.

"We're here to tell you that this mating has complicated things," Caleb responded coolly. His eyes swung to Rafe's as he spoke, his anger plain to see. "I expected better from you, Rafe."

The big man bristled, his eyes hardening as he reached under the table and gripped Lacey's hand to soothe the anger starting to build up within himself. "I could say the same for you, Caleb," he responded coldly.

Jared cleared his throat loudly and Rafe glanced at him before sitting back in his chair and wrapping an arm around Lacey's shoulder, obeying his Alpha's silent command to be quiet.

"Am I hearing you correctly, Caleb? Are you actually coming into my compound and dictating how I run my pack?" the Alpha said in a very quiet voice.

Caleb's gaze turned back to him, his golden eyes flashing angrily. "You know damned well this has nothing to do with how you run your pack, Jared," he snapped. "You asked us for help remember and now you've gone and pulled the rug out from under our feet. How did you expect us to react to that?"

"I certainly didn't expect to have you come here and act as if my pack is suddenly subservient to you in some way," Jared hissed leaning forward to glare hard at his friend. "If having your help to fight one vampire means we have to roll over and ask your fucking permission on when we can mate then we don't want your help. We will not submit to any vampire, no matter how dire the circumstances are."

"No one's bloody asking you to," Caleb roared standing up so abruptly his chair flew back. He leaned on the table, his beautiful face a hard mask. "I'm trying to keep you alive you stupid dog. I'm trying to keep the promise I made to Annie and your stupid bloody pride is getting in the way and making my job harder. You have no concept of what you've done allowing this mating to go ahead."

Jared stood too, his face equally hard as he faced down the irate vampire. The tension in the room was at boiling point. "Then why don't you enlighten me," he said tersely.

"Graves is no longer going to be coming to retrieve, Lacey," Demetri said coldly, his voice devoid of all emotion, his expression completely blank. "When he learns of the mating he will be coming to kill her for making him look like a fool. There will be no carefully constructed plan of attack for him to put in place anymore. It will be all pretty straightforward. Enter the compound and kill everyone in it."

The temperature in the room dropped as the black haired vampire calmly pronounced their death sentences. Lacey paled and turned to look at Rafe who was moving closer to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Mara shivered at Demetri's side staring slowly at the Weres before turning to look at Rhianna. The little redhead was staring at her brother and his mate, her eyes filling with tears as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Do you see now, Jared?" Caleb snarled. "Do you understand what a fucking mess you've landed us all in? How do I protect you from a rabid vampire who's only thought is to kill every living thing standing in this compound, including me, including my Annie? Why shouldn't we walk away right now and leave you to your fate?"

Jared looked down at Rafe and Lacey for a long moment, his thoughts in chaos. If things were so bad, if Caleb walked away, then there was no hope for any of them. He turned back to his friend and met his furious glare. "If you want to leave then do so, Caleb. I will not hold it against you. And I will not apologise for any member of my pack or their actions. If we all die then so be it. We will die knowing we didn't submit to the whim of a rabid vampire. No one walks over us."

The room fell silent after one long hiss from Caleb's lips, the two sides glaring balefully at each other. The break in the silence surprised Caleb.

"Okay, I'm still in," Demetri said quietly and his friend's head whipped around to stare at him in amazement. Demetri's lips twitched in a little smile. "What?" he shrugged. "He's pretty impressive for a dog. Willing to stand up for his people no matter the consequences. I can relate to that. Plus I love hopeless situations. Didn't you tell me taking out Janick's coven was suicidal?"

Alexei and Andrei shared a look at the mention of the previous fun they had had with Demetri and then the brown haired vampire turned to Caleb. "We stand with Demetri," Andrei said quietly, turning his gaze back to the five Weres regarding them so suspiciously and shooting them a nonchalant smile just to piss them off.

Caleb hid his sigh of relief. He hadn't known which way the others would go and he had been worried. Irrespective of what they had decided he would have stood with the Weres because he had promised his Annie he would and also because they were his friends.

He had half expected the others to walk, which was why his mood had been so foul on the way over. Deliberately baiting Jared had seemed the best course of action. Letting his friends see the steely determination, the strong pride of the pack had been the only gambit he could come up with to get his people to have some respect for the Weres. Thankfully it had paid off.

He looked down at his woman and saw her face wet with tears and his heart wrenched painfully. He hadn't been able to tell her his plan. He'd needed Demetri to think that he was really prepared to walk away and leave the Weres to their fate. For that he'd needed Rhianna's reactions to be real. To save her brother he had had to hurt her and it would be a long time before he forgave himself for that.

"The alliance still stands, Jared," he said quietly turning back to the Alpha. "We may have to rethink our strategy slightly but we'll be here when Graves comes."

Jared hid his own relief well. He had meant what he'd said. The pack would stand alone if that's what it came down to. Knowing they didn't need to shifted a little of the responsibility from his shoulders. It gave them a fighting chance at least.

He watched Caleb's face intently, saw the little twitch of his lips and a slight glint enter his eyes and he fought to stop his own lips from twitching too. His friend had engineered the whole meeting. He had gambled on Jared's reaction to his throwing his weight around to bring his friends around to his way of thinking. He knew instantly that his friend had had no intention of walking away. Caleb would have stood with them no matter what the others had decided.

"Thank you," he said quietly. To the others it appeared as if he was answering his friend's last words. Caleb would know what he was really thanking him for.

The vampire nodded and turned to look at his woman again with a slight frown on his face, "May I use the study briefly?" he asked quietly. Jared inclined his head in permission and Caleb reached for his woman.