Alice and I were the last to make it inside, if one did not include Peter. I recognized Charlotte as Alice delivered her message, but had eyes for only one person.

She was alive.

"Carlisle!" Esme gasped and threw herself at me. I groaned at the pain I felt as she hugged me tightly, and hissed as I felt as well as heard something crack. She drew back abruptly, her eyes wide. I staggered and nearly fell.

"Sheba." Alice spat, catching me and maneuvering me onto the couch beside Bella.

"Sheba was the one who attacked you, Carlisle. Her gift is to weaken people." Edward explained. "You're about as weak as a human. And as fragile." He added, stepping forward to run his fingers along my sides, as if checking for broken ribs. I gasped as pain flared in my side, and Edward frowned.

"Guess I got off lucky." Bella said softly. "Alec took me out before we even realized he was there. I missed everything."

Nessie was tending to Jacob, who was sprawled in an armchair and smelling of blood. He must have sustained some serious injuries for him to still be hurt.

Emmett and Rosalie were by the window, he watching the fire outside, she fussing over several bite marks in his arm; one silent, the other hissing her displeasure at his injuries.

I turned my attention to Esme, who still hovered close by, unwilling to leave my side. "I thought you were dead." I told her, taking one of her hands in both of mine. To feel her touch...

"I was afraid you were." She replied softly, her voice trembling. "And then I thought I would be joining you. I'm glad we were both wrong." I nodded in agreement, but winced as the motion made me dizzy again.

"Take it easy." Edward warned me before turning his attention back to Bella.

Charlotte was explaining to Alice why they were here. "Maria knew something was up, and knew we'd want to know. She found us, and Peter tracked you here." She frowned. "You're supposed to let people know before you abandon them to go get into a fight." She scolded, but her eyes were gentle, kind.

Maria was the other female, then. The Maria that we had briefly met so long ago. The Maria that had turned-

"Where's Jasper?" Esme asked the same question that had just occurred to me as Peter returned, slamming the door behind him with a little more strength than was necessary.

Peter spoke directly to Alice, ignoring everyone else. "Couldn't find him. Couldn't find anything. Not one trace of him. No body, nothing." The tension in his voice was barely controlled, his red eyes flashed, and I realized what a dangerous enemy he could make.

And then my attention was on my daughter.

I was up off the couch as her eyes went blank, and caught her as she crumbled, only to fall with her. I swallowed a cry of pain and wrapped her in my arms. She leaned against me, shaking, sobbing.

I didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. We had both seen him fall, had seen the female vampire take him down. Alice clung to me, her grip painfully tight, whispering his name.

Finally she looked up at me, her eyes fierce. "I'm going to make sure." She said.

Peter sighed. "Alice-"

"I have to know for sure!" practically screamed, ready to lunge at him if he said anything else. He licked his lips, but remained silent, instead turning to speak with Charlotte and Maria in low voices.

"Alice." I said softly. She looked at me, suddenly less sure of herself. But I understood her need.

"I'll go with you." I said, rising slowly. Edward and Esme both looked mutinous, but thankfully didn't argue. I think they both understood as well.

As we walked out the door, she said softly, her voice nearly a plea. "I have to know, Dad."

"I know." I reassured her. "It's okay."

"They'll be back." Alice said tonelessly, as if to break the silence. "The Volturi. They want me, and Edward, and Nessie. Conner can manipulate minds. He could control us, force us into the guard."

We searched, but just like Peter, found nothing among the charred remains of the forest.

"I can't see him." She said at last, dully. Her brightness of spirit, her joy, was gone. "He really is gone."

"I'm sorry." I said as she stumbled and clung to me for support. "I'm sorry, Alice."

"It happened anyway." She muttered. "I put him through all of that pain for nothing. For nothing." She said bitterly, then went silent.

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.