Quickie: Okay, here's the next chapter. This is a bunch of ad-lib because who knows what actually happened to Edward in Alaska.

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Twilight, the characters, or the plot (the dialogue in this one is mine, though). I pulled information about the Denali coven from Twilight Lexicon. Very helpful.

Denali

I don't think that I breathed until I was halfway through British Columbia. I took a deep breath, clearing my head of the remnants of her scent. I tried to distract myself as signs blurred past me. I thought of back at the hospital. A nurse had led me to his office. She opened the door and smiled at me, but whatever the look on my face was, she immediately backed off.

"What happened, Edward?" Carlisle asked me as soon as I walked in the door. Alice called. I tightened my eyes. One side of me was growing more and more uncomfortable with not breathing, but the other was positive that her scent was all over Forks. Are you okay? I pulled Carlisle into the hallway. "What happened?" he repeated.

"I was this close to killing her." I held up my hand, my index finger and my thumb millimeters apart. I dropped my hand again.

Edward, what do you need? How can I help you?

"I need your car," I admitted. "I don't want to stop until I get to Denali. I'll fill it up when I come home." Or if I come home, I added to myself.

Carlisle sighed and looked at me. "That bad?" What could've done this to you?

"She's demonic," I snarled. "I need to get out of this town before I hunt her down and kill her." He looked so pained as I said this.

Call us when you get there. I would've smiled if I hadn't been so frustrated.

"Thank you," I said very quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. I turned to leave.

Oh, I presume that I'm to explain it to Esme? I groaned and put my hand on my forehead. My "mother" would be very upset that I ran off without saying good-bye. But I had to leave. I refused to be delayed.

"If you would be so good as to do so, I'd appreciate it." I twisted the handle and sent storming through the corridors, the same nurse pressing herself against the wall to give me room.

I'm glad you left her safe... his thoughts told me.

A sign saying "Welcome to New Hazelton!" flew past me as I pushed my foot further onto the gas pedal. I breathed in deeply again, my head spinning. What had happened to me? Why did it only take five seconds for me to consider destroying everything that Carlisle built for us there? We had returned to Forks after nearly an eighty year hiatus. I nearly ruined a chance for normality (as normal as a family of vampires could be). I shoved all of it out of my head and decided to focus on Denali and what on Earth I was going to be doing there. Tanya would demand an explanation, and I would give her one and another reason for why she still didn't interest me. She had moved on, but she was still... bitter.

And yet, a bitter Tanya was better than a dead Bella.

I didn't hit any stops until the border. Customs wasn't too tricky, though I had to make it clear to the woman checking my passport that I was not in the mood for flirting. I sped through the Juneau area, taking side streets to avoid the ferries and blaring some classical music that made me forget most of the things I left behind me. Most. It was nighttime by the time the sign "Welcome to Denali" drifted by. I was so close and yet I felt so far away from sanity.

I pulled my car to a quick stop in front of a large cabin-style mansion. I turned my care off and sat for a moment pulling myself together. I heard some thoughts beginning to seep from the house. I got out and slammed the door to Carlisle's Mercedes as the front door peeked open.

…who is that? Irina and they shouldn't be back yet—well that's Carlisle's car, but that's not—is that Edward? Why is he here? There he is, walking like he's all perfect… seductive jerk… he looks pissed. Why is he alone? The vampiress opened the door as my foot hit the first step and stopped. Her strawberry blond hair was glistening in the strange moonlight. Why is he glaring? Oh, he reads minds, right… ah, sh—

"Edward," she said coolly, her golden eyes watching me as I paused at the front of her house. She leaned against the doorframe, her jaw clenched.

"Tanya," I replied, my voice as frozen as the wind. We stood in silence, each waiting for the other to make a move. I took a deep breath through my nose and filled my head with a clear, crisp scent of the Alaskan air. I felt better, more controlled… but still thirsty. "I needed to get away from home. Am I allowed to stay here for a while?" I would've rather Irina be home, since Tanya and I had a bit of an incident years ago.

"Sounds fine," she gritted through her teeth. She pushed herself off of the frame and stepped towards me, her arms folded across her torso. "Are you coming in?"

I hesitated. "I should probably hunt." She raised her eyebrow into a perfect arch. "I haven't had the best day."

Well, he better sure as hell explain when he gets back, she thought.

"I will," I assured her. She was obviously startled that I responded to her thoughts but hid it very well. "I just need a caribou to tide me over." I couldn't help but grin wickedly. I wanted to feed so desperately.

She lowered her eyebrow and nodded. "I'll set up a room for you while you're gone." We went our separate ways, as usual. I parked Carlisle's car in a more convenient spot and went running off into the wilderness. I found my prey within minutes.

After I satisfied myself, I returned to the lodge. The others had come back from their hunting trip and we all greeted each other with golden eyes. I was feeling better but still frustrated with the day's events. They were all feeling fine, with their new human fancies (Katrina, Tanya, and Irina love men… a lot). Carmen and Eleazar were together like Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. The couple excused themselves for some together time that they'd been planning. They were very sad to not stay longer, but I assured them that I would be here for a while.

"So, Edward," Kate asked as soon as the couple left, "what brings you up to Denali?"

I organized my thoughts. "There was a girl in school today—" That was all I had to say to cause an uproar. Irina smiled wildly. Kate looked shocked. Tanya, however, looked annoyed.

…he finally saw a girl he liked… wow…

…oh, my gosh, Edward?! You actually straight?...

…oh, he's a hypocritical back-stabbing—

"It's not like that!" I defended myself quickly. I could now see that years of loving human men had made their minds into mush. They just looked at me, two in disbelief and the other angrily.

"Myslím že neboliš dost' dobrá," Kate giggled to Tanya.

Oh, no… I hated when they spoke Slovak. They knew that I was ignorant to what they said. I narrowed my eyes, but then I heard Tanya translate it in her head: I guess you weren't good enough.

Tanya began snarling and I held my hands up in defense,

"Would you please listen?" I yelled. All three went quiet and looked at me. "I nearly killed her."

"Drop dead gorgeous, huh?" Irina taunted. I growled.

"Shut up!" I finally shouted. They stared at me again and I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile off Irina's face, and Katrina's, for that matter. "I don't know why, but the scent of her blood hit me and I shattered. I nearly murdered her and everyone else in that room. She was sitting next to me in Biology." I took a deep breath, savoring the clean air. "She's a new student." I pinched the bridge of my nose with my forefinger and thumb when my hand was slapped away from my own face.

"Quit that, you look pathetic," Tanya hissed. She was still furious about the idea that I found someone else, even though I quickly put it down. I dropped my hand in my lap and saw the three look at each other in confusion. I began listening to their thoughts until…

"Myslietev do slovenčinu, sestry," Kate warned. "Nerozumie to."

I don't know what she said, but I do know that they were now thinking in Slovak. Streams of foreign syllables were whirling around me and I shut them out. I then went into a long explanation of what happened in Forks. They would think and discuss in the unknown tongue, which frustrated me, but I didn't care. Tanya stopped glaring as much and she wasn't quite as resentful as she had once been.

"Hlupák," she snorted when I mentioned the fact that I left without saying good-bye to Esme. She then spoke in a blur of Slovak until Irina interrupted her.

"You have to talk in English, Tanya," she warned. "His Slovak is non-existent, remember?"

"Right, sorry," Tanya amended. She turned to be and exploded, throwing her hands up in the air. "You left without explaining to Esme? I mean, it's great that you told Carlisle and all but Esme will beterrified until you call home. Once you finish, you get your vampire ass together and dial her number. Why won't you gain some reason for what you just did?"

"Grow up, Tanya," I muttered.

"I have to grow up? I've been a vampire ten times longer than you. I've never had to ditch my home and family because of a puny human who came in and interrupted my peaceful life. You're the one who has to grow up and realize that human's are tempting. We know that they smell good. Resist! You'll fare much better in this world if you don't try to drink your boss—"

"Enough!" I snapped. I could practically feel the fury burning in my eyes. "I didn't come here to get reprimanded. I came here for help because I nearly slaughtered half of Forks. You think I'm not scared? I'm petrified of myself. I just need to clear my head. I'll be out of here in a week I promise."

I ended the conversation by going into the guest room that the sisters set up for me. Well, they aren't actually sisters, but they're Slovak vampires who banned together in their quest to not drink human blood. They really do love their humans. It was almost sickening. I could still remember the advances Tanya made to me. They worked on all her mortal companions whose fun-night-in-the-outdoors turned into a night-of-passion with beautiful, foreign mistresses. Her seductive glances never worked on me. I think that made her angrier than anything else.

I collapsed on the couch, still listening to the Slovak thoughts of Tanya. Kate and Irina were back to English once they thought I was out of range. It was early in the morning and I wanted today to already be over. I hummed a few bars of music in my head, a tune that Esme enjoyed a lot. I had written it for her when we moved to Forks. She was having a hard time, as usual, trying to play the role of a newcomer into a small town where everyone knew each other from birth. It comforted her to hear me playing it in the early hours of the morning. I sighed and decided that it would be best to call her. I was feeling much better and more controlled. I flipped out my cell phone and she picked up on the first ring.

"Edward?" Her voice carried through the speaker.

"Hey, Mom," I replied. It had become habit to call her "mom." She wasn't actually my mother – I don't remember my mother – but Esme had played the role since I rejoined Carlisle.

"What was that for?" she demanded. "Why couldn't you've come home and talked it through with us?" She was partially angry and partially worried, just like a real mother.

"I couldn't stand being there. I thought that if I stayed any longer that I'd actually…" I trailed off, leaving her imagination to roam. She knew what I meant.

"I know. Alice told me." I should've known better. Whenever something bad happened to the four of us, Alice told the others. It was both annoying and caring. We always knew that Alice was looking out for us, and that Esme loved us. They were a dynamic duo of making-you-feel-better. "We do miss you."

"I miss you, too," I admitted. I couldn't take the sappy moment anymore, so I tried to lighten the mood. "Just don't let Emmett know that I actually said that. I would never live it down." No matter how long I lived… which is a very long time. "Well, I should get off and relax. I'll be home in a week." My plan was decided.

Esme laughed. "I know. Alice just wrote that in a note to me." I snickered as I heard Alice's voice yelling, "Hi, Edward!" through the phone. Esme continued. "Tell the coven that we'll come visit some time.

"They'd love it," I said. It's true: they all loved us. We were like their cousins or something. "Bye, Mom!"

"Have a nice trip, Edward!"

The next week spun by. I told Carmen and Eleazar about the incident the next morning, and it felt wonderful to have everything off my chest. I spent the days tracking down caribou and catching up with what the coven had been doing; this included hearing all about their most recent love interests. I actually had to meet the human men when we took a "field trip" to Anchorage. They were nice enough, and hanging around them made me realize that humans weren't that tempting. I could live without killing them, why couldn't I treat Bella the same?

Every time I looked at a caribou, it looked at me with surprise and fear. It reminded me of those brown-Bambi eyes that Bella used to look at me.

I would learn to resist her scent and focus on the fear in her eyes. She didn't deserve to die. She was human, just like everyone else.

She just smelled delicious.

On Sunday, I hoped back into Carlisle's Mercedes after bidding farewell to the coven of five and a good, hearty ungulate. I was in a much better mood as I made the drive back to Forks, singing along to some of my favorite songs along the way.

Quickie: I hope you enjoyed my ad-libbing. I enjoyed being the Denali coven more than I imagined. Here's your Slovak lesson of the day! (Yeah, I actually know Slovak, though my grammar sucks. Weird, huh?)

Myslímže neboliš dost' dobra.
I guess you weren't good enough.

Myslietev do slovenčinu, sestry.
Think in Slovak, sisters.

Nerozumie to.
He doesn't understand it.

Hlupák.
Idiot.