Author's Note: Characters and situation created by Stephenie Meyer. You already knew that.

"Edward, how can you not love grizzly bear?" Emmett pushed the drained carcass into the river and grinned at me. "It smells good, it's delicious, and there's plenty of it. It is mighty satisfying."

I chuckled. "You sound like you're filming a commercial."

"It's the next best thing to biting humans," Jasper proposed.

"When you care enough to kill the very best," countered Emmett.

"Tastes great and more filling!"

"Have a bear and a smile." The two of them were doubled over laughing.

"Seriously, Edward, there's more where these came from. Go for it." Jasper encouraged me.

"No, thank you."

"You prefer a little kitty cat?" asked Emmett.

"De gustibus non disputandum est," I replied. They just stared at me. They had no idea what I was talking about. "It's Latin," I explained. Meaning? thought Jasper. Boy, does he have too much time on his hands, thought Emmett, not for the first time.

"There's no accounting for taste," I translated.

"Oh, so that explains why Bella's always over at our house," said Emmett.

"No, it explains why you didn't run away screaming when you woke up and saw Rosalie." Emmett loved to tease, and he could take it as well as dish it out, but he wasn't so sanguine about comments regarding his wife. I could tell it bothered him a little.

So could Jasper. "Would you two knock it off? I have better things to do than to break up a fight."

"No problem," Emmett said, grinning. "Don't break it up." We were way out in the wilderness. His thoughts mirrored mine: Good place for a wrestling match.

My phone rang. My mood changed the moment I saw Alice's name on the screen. I was sure she would contact me only if there were important news about my future— or Bella's.

"What is it?"

"I'm so sorry!" Her tone and her words paralyzed me. I couldn't even speak to request further information, but I didn't need to. "She's with the wolves."

"What?"

"She was supposed to be at work, but I saw her driving towards La Push and then, nothing! It happened so fast; she was over the line before I could get there."

"I'm on my way." I snapped the phone shut. My brothers were at my side, ready to act. "I'm going back," I told them, taking off towards the car. In their thoughts I heard confusion and shock at my emotional state, which was as obvious to Emmett as it was to Jasper.

"What is going on?" Emmett demanded. They had to run with me in order to talk, because I had no intention of stopping.

"You haven't fed yet," Jasper reminded me, trying to soothe me. But I was so agitated that his efforts made no noticeable impact. "What happened? Is it Bella?"

I was too worked up to reply. Emmett roared in exasperation. "Tell us or I'm going to beat it out of you."

"You won't catch me." I snarled at him.

"We want to help you," said Jasper. He directed another wave of calmness at me, giving me enough control to converse with them.

"She got away from Alice somehow. She went to the reservation." Saying the words sent panic racing through my body and a question darting into in my mind. Bella was in danger, and I was going to rescue her. Yes, of course, as I'd done before. But this time she had put herself there. Why?

"What are you going to do?" Jasper asked.

"Get her out, obviously!"

"Edward, no!" Jasper protested. He was thinking about the treaty.

"I can't just leave her there. Anything could happen. Something could have happened already. Alice can't see!" My voice was becoming hysterical. That was not productive. I'd try to believe she was unhurt unless and until it was proven otherwise. That was the best way to continue to function. My brothers were both considering the possible ramifications of my actions. "Stay out of it," I advised. "It's my problem, my choice. I'll take the consequences."

"Yeah, right." Emmett spoke up. We're really going to let a pack of wolves attack you.

"Maybe they won't attack," said Jasper. "If I were there…" He was remembering the night Victoria was in the region.

"Whatever!" I said impatiently. "Can we just hurry?"

We'd wandered so far away from the car. That wasn't smart. I shouldn't have gone so far from home. So far from her. Finally we were back at the vehicle.

"Let me drive," ordered Emmett. I will get you there in record time. You think about what you want to do. I said nothing, but I tossed him the keys. He had the car in gear before we'd closed the doors.

"Let's talk strategy," said Jasper, renewing his attempts to calm me down.

"Stop that," I objected. "I don't want it." I needed the fear and tension and anger to propel me.

"Edward, it's not comfortable for me." The negative emotions were bouncing back and forth between us, growing as they leaped from his mind to mine and from my body to his.

"You didn't have to come with me." I thrashed around in my seat, overflowing with stress.

"You're going to lose it," Emmett warned. "Let him help you."

"This isn't helping Bella," Jasper pointed out. He was picturing her face. That image steadied me more than his gift.

"OK, OK, OK." I gave in. The relief felt good even though I knew it was manufactured.

"How do you want to do this?" asked Jasper.

"We're going with you," declared Emmett.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. If we all go, they can't ignore the provocation. If I go by myself, maybe they'll understand. I don't want to hurt anyone. I won't hurt anyone if I can possibly help it. I just need to get Bella out."

"You have a point," conceded Jasper.

"And if they don't understand?" Emmett was unable to accept the prospect of my entering hostile territory alone. "I can just picture us explaining to the others how we let you do that. Can you imagine what Esme would say? Alice? They'd crucify us. Even if we wanted you to fly solo, which we don't, we couldn't."

"I can see that Jasper would be helpful, to calm the waters," I admitted.

"Yes," he said eagerly. "I've done it before."

Emmett's mind flashed with indignation. "The two of you would go without me?" he bellowed. Jasper quickly soothed him.

"OK, I don't think that's going to work, Edward," Jasper said.

"Then I have to go by myself."

"No," they replied in unison.

"Edward," said Jasper, applying another heavy dose of calm. "Will you consider something, please? How about just giving her some time? Don't cross the boundary the moment we get there."

"You want me to leave her in danger," I said flatly.

"It's not a good situation," he said. "But exactly for that reason, you don't want to make it worse." I saw what he was thinking. A no-holds-barred battle with my Bella on the scene. Of course, I would try to get her to safety, but it wouldn't be straightforward. "Even with the three of us against them, it would be ugly."

"Bella might try to break it up," Emmett pointed out. His visions were worse than Jasper's.

I dropped my head into my hands. "What am I supposed to do?" Amazingly, they didn't answer, even mentally. They seemed to understand that I was overwhelmed. They gave me a few minutes to gather my thoughts. "OK," I announced. "I won't go in right away. I'll wait at the border for as long as I can stand it." I could hear that they approved of my plan. "And I don't want you to stay with me." Instant protest leapt at me from both their minds. "I'm not saying that I'm going in alone. I don't know yet. I just need space to think."

"Edward, I can help you! Keep you from getting too upset," Jasper argued.

"I know, but I need my own feelings so I can sort through them and decide what to do." I took a deep breath. "I hope and pray that she comes out of there before I have to make up my mind."

Somehow, we'd reached the border line. It seemed like days later although I knew Emmett's bravura driving had cut an hour off the trip. My brothers had left me with the car and returned home on foot. I had sworn to call them before taking any action.

I was pacing back and forth restlessly. Every nerve in my body was throbbing to go get her. I could tell my thoughts were crazy, but I couldn't make them stop. I was at war with myself.

I'll never see her again. Never touch her, never hold her, never smell her. I can't let that happen. I need her. I can't exist without her.

She's the only thing in heaven and earth that matters to me, and I've told her so every day. Why can't she understand how precious she is to me? Why did she take herself away from me like this?

Yes, what about that? Nobody took her. She went by her own choice. I know why. She wanted to spend time with that dog. She's putting her life in danger for him. She used to risk her life to be near me.

What if she doesn't come back? How long can I stand not knowing if she's OK?

I'm a hypocrite. I went for months without knowing if she was OK. I thought I was doing the right thing. She thinks this is right, and she's never been wrong the way I was. I should wait it out.

But she is wrong now. Wrong about him. He's unstable, volatile, lethal. She's fragile, trusting, vulnerable. He's not safe. A werewolf alone with my beautiful love. She doesn't understand. Even if he doesn't want to hurt her, it could happen so easily. So quickly. No warning. I need to be there to stop him!

He hasn't hurt her before now, even when he was so new. She's not going to be happy with me if I burst in there and nothing's wrong. Neither will Carlisle. If I break the treaty, even in the best case scenario, I'll disappoint him. It's the opposite of what he wants. And if I provoke a war?

The consequences of that were too hideous to imagine. My terror and frustration were overwhelming. Savagely I ripped a tree from the ground and flung it away from me. Does she know what she's done? Does she care that I'm going out of my mind?

She loves me. She's not a pet I can keep in a cage. She's not leaving me. She has a big heart. She has a lot of love to give. That love made it possible for her to forgive me. That love isn't all mine. It extends to her friends.

I'm a miserable excuse for a boyfriend. I keep her from doing what she likes. She had to go behind my back.

Did she plan this? Tell me to go with my brothers so she'd be able to spend time with him?

But I'm not a tyrant. I told her no for a reason. Her safety.

If anything happens, I'll kill him. I won't let anyone help me. It'll be just him and me, and I'll tear him apart.

What good would that do? I can't just wait around for my nightmares to come true. My job is to protect her, not avenge her.

He's my enemy, but her friend. He helped her when I nearly destroyed her. He saved her when I left her unprotected. I have to trust him.

But I can never, never trust a werewolf.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that for a moment I didn't recognize the sound. My phone! I slammed it to my ear.

"She's on her way out." Alice's voice was brimming with relief. I didn't have to ask if she was sure. Her tone conveyed her elation and absolute certainty. My whole body felt limp.

I jumped in my car ready to follow her home. She had survived this day, but there wouldn't be any more chances for disaster, for the destruction of all of our lives. I had just endured some of the most difficult hours of my existence. I had to make her understand. I couldn't go through this again.

Author's Note: Please let me know if you like my story! I love reviews and I try to write back to each one. I decided to extend this through the conversation in Bella's room and Edward's eventual decision not to contest Bella's visits to Jacob. There are four chapters in all.

If you don't recognize the advertising slogans that Emmett and Jasper are parodying, then you haven't been watching American television as long as Emmett, Jasper, Edward and I have. They are for AT&T long distance service (the next best thing to being there), Hallmark cards (when you care enough to send the very best), Miller Light beer (tastes great, less filling) and Coke (have a Coke and a smile).