Boilerplate: The Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer – I'm just playing in it. I don't own anything except my laptop computer.

***

"Bella? Did you leave that window open?"

"What sign am I looking for? That deer said to--"

"Enough dreams, sleepyhead. It's time for school! Your alarm has been going off for at least 10 minutes." Charlie, clearly already two cups of coffee into the day, was shutting my window. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep with the window open like this. So, I'm leaving for work but can I trust you to drive yourself to school and back?"

I rolled over, trying to shake the moss and leaves from my head. School. "Yeah, dad. I'll be fine. You have my word – to school and back, nowhere else."

"I knew I could count on you, Bells, but deputies Heyworth and Sanchez will be so disappointed that they will not be ensuring your cooperation."

"DAD!"

"I'm just joking – Heyworth is too much of a ladies man. I wouldn't trust him within twenty feet of you. Sanchez, on the other hand--his wife would have tan his hide if he tried anything funny."

"That's hilarious, Dad. You should try stand-up."

"Okay, okay. I'll try to be home around 4."

"Fine. Bye." I said, pointedly.

He took the hint and left me to get dressed.

***

School was school. Academics had never been difficult for me and thanks to Angela's thoughtful impulse to bring me my homework I wasn't too far behind in class. Besides, there were more important things to worry about. The Cullens were back in school – well, Edward and Alice were– and that is all anyone could talk about. My "illness" was swiftly forgotten in the gossip free-for-all that ensued.

Fitting Edward and Alice back into my routines wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Counting the months, I had spent almost as much time missing them as I had actually being with them. New patterns and habits and friends had sprouted in the barren patch of life they had left behind and which table to sit at during lunch was suddenly a fraught question.

Do I ignore the people who had been helping me build up a normal life or do I invite Edward and Alice to sit with Mike Newton? I didn't want to antagonize Edward any more than necessary and, to be honest, I wasn't quite ready to share him with anyone yet. Edward seemed to have the same idea, as he had been glued to my side since the moment he spotted me in the parking lot that morning.

I spotted Angela heading towards the cafeteria and, signaling Edward that this was going to be "girl talk," I pulled her aside. "Do you think, um, that it would be okay if I sat with Edward and Alice at lunch today? We have a lot of, um, catching up to do."

Angela seemed nervous and glanced over my shoulder at where Edward was standing, watching us. "Oh! I just assumed you wouldn't be sitting with us anymore." She looked kind of sad. "I'm not going to have anyone to talk books with now—Jessica isn't exactly 'Reader of the Year'."

"Of course, I still want to sit with you—just today I can't." I hoped she caught the emphasis on the 'today.'

"Sure, Bella." I don't think she believed me.

"And--thanks for bringing me my homework. You saved my life."

She smiled half-heartedly and walked off and it dawned on me that Angela thought I was the kind of girl who abandoned her friends as soon as her boyfriend took her back. I knew that wasn't how it was with Edward but the thought still made me uncomfortable.

I had forgotten how awkward it is to eat lunch with people who don't eat. Alice and Edward both took trays of food but left them untouched. I did the same with mine. I didn't want Edward to smell me with tater-tot breath or to touch greasy fingers. My empty stomach gurgled.

"Is it weird, you know, being back here?" I asked, trying to break my chain of thought.

Edward was in a pensive mood. "The days of a—one of us—bleed together. There is no beginning and no end, eternal – just like high school. The faces change but the patterns remain the same. Being here is like being anywhere, except for you, Bella."

"Oh." I blushed.

A heavy burst of rain suddenly hit the cafeteria windows. "I wonder how long it's going to rain," I said, thinking out loud.

"In Forks?" joked Alice. "Until approximately 2025."

"She's making that up," clarified Edward. "Alice doesn't care much for meteorology."

"No, I don't have time for a lot of hobbies – unlike some people."

"If one takes proper note of barometric pressure and wind direction then one can easily tell the cloud cover for the next day. Most importantly, one can tell if one go outside that day without—you know."

Alice leaned over towards me and winked. "I just check online."

"That's wonderful, Alice. I'm sure that will help you greatly when you are up in the mountains without a computer and are wondering whether you can run into town for some more hairspray." Edward smirked, considering this hand won. Alice rolled her eyes affectionately.

"I just borrow his when that happens."

The rain continued to beat against the windows. One of my hands had been resting on the table near Edward and he reached over and gently covered it with his own.

This was as good an opening as any and I gathered my courage. "Edward, will you tell me what happened last night? About the meeting?"

Edward sighed. "Bella, you don't need to worry about that. I've made sure that you and your father are protected."

"But what about Forks? The pack has been doing patrols through here, protecting everyone."

Edward and Alice just looked at one another and their silent communication made me angry. I deserved to know. The wolves were my friends and, unlike the angelic siblings sitting in front of me, they were flesh and blood and vulnerable.

"And what about the pack? Are they protected from Victoria in La Push? How are you going to coordinate with them? What about the treaty?"

Edward still didn't answer.

"Bella, the wolves can take care of themselves." Spoke Alice, softly. "You don't need to worry about them."

"I can't help it. I can't help worrying about my friends—I'm only human, after all." I spit the last part out in disgust. "I wish I wasn't. Then I would be able to know when things were happening and I could protect my friends instead of going off places and leaving them alone."

"Is that what this is about? Bella, your humanity is precious and my desire to protect you and keep you safe comes above everything else. And it does you credit that you worry about your friends, no matter what they are, because it means you have a tender heart. But I hope you haven't forgotten what I told you last night." Edward drew his hand up to cradle my face. "I will not allow you to see those animals. They are dangerous and could injure you without thinking. You are so fragile--" he trailed off, wistfully.

It was all too much – as if my brain could no longer handle being so close to Edward. I had become desensitized and his very being overwhelmed my senses. While I knew he was only thinking of my safety, a small part of me rebelled his authority and if I didn't get out of this conversation, that small part was going to grow.

"I need to leave."

Edward and Alice rose to follow.

"Alone. I need to be alone for a few minutes—to think. I'll see you in class."

I walked out of the cafeteria as fast as I could. Not allowed? Not allowed to see Jacob? The pack had done so much for me over the last few months; this felt like a betrayal. They had kept me safe here while he was out wandering the world and hurting me for my own stupid good.

Rain continued to pound the windows. I hated the rain. Frustration and anger still crackled in my limbs. I stamped my foot and felt silly but a little better. What I really needed was air, rain be damned. The door leading out to the trailers beckoned and I pushed it open and stepped outside. Raindrops splashed on my head and shoulders, slid down my nose and pinged off my feet. I raised my face to the sky and let the rain wash away the anger. I shivered a little at the cold and shoved my hands into the pocket of my dark green and quickly dampening hoodie.

I must have been standing like for 10 seconds when I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder, hard. I turned around but there was nobody there.

A rustling in the pitiful shrubberies alongside the wall caught my eye. My heart began to beat a little faster. Dull thuds sounded behind me and I whipped around, my mind racing. With the rain coming down it was so hard to see. Could vampires be invisible? What should I do?

That same squishy sound started coming from the roof and I shook myself out of the startle and ran for the door. Before I could reach it, something fast and silver came racing at me from above. My hands automatically reached up to block it. Of course, I missed and it landed at my feet.

Frantic, I tripped and landed in Edward's arms. Alice was beside him holding an umbrella in one hand and in the other a King Salmon.

"Alice, why do you have a fish?"

"Look down."

My left sneaker had put a nice dent in the side of a cod. "Charlie is going to be pissed—he loves cod." Littering the grounds were a growing number of fish, falling from the sky.

The cafeteria had emptied out and people were gathered around the windows to watch the show. Edward herded me inside. We had barely made it past the crowd into when thunder boomed down the hallway.

Alice giggled. "It's too bad we're stuck in school today—it's the perfect day for a game."

Edward stopped. "I don't think that was thunder. Mike Newton just went outside to check. He says--"

"HEY BELLA! You were almost crushed by a giant whale."

In the end, I did get to see both Deputies Heyworth and Sanchez after all. They accompanied Charlie to check out the whale, which turned out to be a whale shark. Deputy Heyworth gave me a big wink, which Charlie didn't catch as he had his hands full trying to decide if the fish was evidence or could be taken home for dinner. I took advantage of his distraction too, and since school was let out early, I let Edward drive me home, nice and slow. (Alice volunteered to drive the truck.) He blasted the heater and the classical music station on the radio and we just sat in silence in front of my house and held hands, our fight forgotten, until Edward sensed Charlie was almost there.

"Your father is almost back. Remember, Bella, if you need me, I am just on the other end of your phone."

I didn't want him to leave, not when things were so nice. I sighed in disappointment and Edward chuckled.

"Oh, Bella, I will see you sooner than you think."

"You promise?"

"I do." He looked so solemn, like the statue of a young warrior cut down before his time and I wanted to kiss him. I leaned over to press my lips against his but he pushed me back.

"We must part for now but I won't say good-bye. Today, the finality of that cursed phrase feels too overwhelming. Instead, I must borrow from the French, a bientot, Bella." With an eerie quickness, he pulled my hand to his lips and pressed it against them. "Now, leave before my will escapes my control completely."

His eyes were dark and I was afraid for him.

I ran from his car and was inside my room before Charlie got home.

"Bells?" He called up the stairs. "You haven't started dinner yet, have you?"

I heard some banging and shuffling noises in the kitchen. Dinner! I hoped Charlie hadn't returned with a cooler full of fish and giggled a little in spite of myself at the thought of cooking a fish that had hit me on the head.

A knock sounded on my door. "Bells? Can I come in?"

"Sure." The door opened to reveal Charlie, still wearing his raincoat and boots. "I haven't started dinner yet."

"Good. How would you like to eat out?"

"I guess." A sudden wave of hunger hit, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and I put a hand to my stomach. "I am kind of hungry."

"Well," he said, drawing out the syllable and glancing around my room before finally resting his eyes on me. "Why don't you, uh, clean up and meet me out in the cruiser in about five minutes."

I looked down at my still slightly damp hoodie and jeans. Was that fishscales on my elbow? I wasn't vain but I also wasn't fond of the homeless fishwife look.

"Um, sure. We aren't going anywhere fancy, right?" Charlie just chuckled and shook his head no.

After quickly washing my face and hands, I threw on a clean pair of jeans, a plain black tank top, and a dark red hoodie. I smiled at my reflection and hoped I didn't smell too much like fish, as I brushed my hair out and put it up in a neat ponytail. What should I get at the diner? Fries were a must.

As promised, Charlie was waiting in the cruiser and we drove out. He had classic rock on and was singing along under his breath.

Has he lost his mind?

Can he see or is he blind?

Can he walk at all

Or if he moves will he fall?

"Got to love Sabbath."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

"This is good stuff here, Bells. Your mother has seriously neglected your musical education. You don't know your Sabbath from your Motorhead."

"Are those bands or something?"

"Are those bands?" He echoed me, disbelieving. "That's it, young lady. As part of your punishment we are going to spend some time bonding over real music."

"Do I have to sing? Because that would be punishment for everybody."

Charlie just chuckled. It made me happy to see him joking around and I smiled. I knew the last year hadn't been easy on him and the last week had been worst of all, his daughter had run off and one of his best friends had died. We were so alike in so many ways, not wanting to show weakness. I thought about what it would have been like for me if I had lost one of my best friends--like Jacob.

I looked out the window to distract myself from the tears that threatened. The rain had stopped and the trees blurred into a dark green mass in the mist. I watched them pass by. The only thing out this way was—

"This isn't the way to the diner," I said, stating the obvious. Had I missed something?

"Well, I thought since I picked up all that fish—and Billy's still in a bad way—it might be nice to cook up an old-fashioned fish fry—in honor of Harry." Charlie's eyes remained on the road.

I groaned. "Ew! Dad, you know where those fish have been! I'm not cooking--"

"Hey, Bells check up ahead there on the left, a doe and her fawn!" We were about to cross the border to La Push.

They darted across the road and Charlie slowed the car. I watched them run off into the woods and saw two pairs of amber eyes glinting in the headlights of the cruiser – eyes too high up off the ground to belong to a deer. Victoria? But who was the second vampire?

I checked my pockets frantically for Edward's cell phone but it wasn't there. Inwardly cursing, I realized I must have left it in the pockets of my other jeans. I craned my neck around to see if the eyes were following the car but there was nothing-- just trees.

"You alright there?"

"Yeah. Just—watching the deer."

Misreading my worry, Charlie smiled. "Don't worry about them, sweetie. Hunting season doesn't start for another few months. And that fawn will be able to take care of himself then."

"I guess." My heart was still pounding as we crossed the border into La Push. I kept my eyes glued to the woods outside the window.

"Yup. He'll be able to run pretty quick by then."

"Mmm hmm." Sam would have smelled them. The pack would be guarding the border. I was safe, I told myself.

"Maybe I'll get Junior to come out shooting once the season starts. You loved venison when you were little."

A figure lurched into the road up ahead; I couldn't see her face.

I shrieked and Charlie slammed on the breaks. "Why are you stopping?" I yelled. "She's going to kill us!" I reached over to the steering wheel, as if my touch alone would keep the car moving forward towards safety. "DRIVE!"

The woman in the road turned around to look at us. Her black eyes glowed and her hair flew wild in the wind. She smiled manically and stuck out her thumb.

"Oh, for the love of--" Charlie grumbled. "God damn that woman."

It was Raven Spirit, drunk off her head. She came around to the driver's side window and Charlie rolled it down.

"Going my way, chief?" She had the sing-songy rez accent.

"The only place I'm taking you is down to the station for being drunk and disorderly."

"Not tonight, chief, you ain't got no authority over me here."

"Well, then, why don't you go on home and sober on up."

"Sure, sure. After I finish this." She held up an open bottle of sludgy looking brown liquid and took a swig.

Charlie started to roll up his window but she stuck her hand in to stop him. Her fingernails were tattered and her hands filthy with dirt.

"Is that your girl, chief?" Raven's eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. Her boozy breath wafted into the car and I wrinkled my nose.

"Yeah. Now why don't you kindly remove your arm from this window before I remove it for you."

"I got a message for her from my grandmother. She says that---"

"Raven, whatever you have to say--" Charlie tried to interrupt but she continued.

"—the forest is angry. You let a bad thing in and now everything is wrong. It's like a cancer. There is a cancer." She took another drink and stuck her head down into the window so she could look directly at me. Her eyes were clear. "You need to listen for the signs."