Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it ;)

Chapter 4

Thursday

Esme had called the school Tuesday morning and told them the Cullen children would be out until further notice due to an out of state family emergency.

No sooner had she hung up the phone than they were all out the door.

They, of course, found nothing. They searched the cliffs, inland to the mountains, and the outlying areas of Forks skirting the Quileute lands. There were no traces of anyone crossing the treaty line. Carlisle wondered if he should alert the tribe elders to be on guard but decided he would wait till they knew more.

Rose seemed to take her cue from the weather, her mood darkening as fast as the incoming clouds. By Wednesday she was unbearably snippy and refused to have any more to do with the search.

Alice's visions had increased in frequency but hadn't progressed beyond blurry shapes and darkness so she quickly lapsed back into despondency. She began acting even more strange; fidgeting and pacing, tapping her foot or fingers.

Jasper was so worried he had a hard time controlling what he was radiating to everyone around him creating a vicious cycle of emotions for everyone.

With all of the tension floating around the house, it was stifling.

Edward tried to be there for Alice but she wasn't herself and he felt like more of a nuisance than anything. The only reprieve he could find was the sanctuary of his bedroom with it's comforting scent or the serenity of the forest where he could be alone. His visions had increased some but had become noticeably darker. The beautiful garden and city street had been replaced by gloomy forests, rolling storm clouds, and brief flashes of red. He had no idea what the red was but felt it was important.

Today brought the end of the search. For two days they had trekked through the mountains and Coastal Range searching for any signs of their visitor all to no avail. The weather had continuously gotten worse, unrelenting thunderstorms and violent storm winds now battered the coastline. If there ever were any clues to find they were gone.

They sat in the living room staring at the television. The search had been more of a distraction then anything and now that it was over the situation weighed on them all.

Esme stood and walked to the wall of glass. Watching as the little bit of light that managed to fight through the cloud cover began to fade. Another day with no answers

Alice's incessant tapping had finally subsided and she looked more like herself, only tired.

Edward mused over this fact. He had always thought they looked tired with their pallid skin and dark circles around their eyes but he knew different now. It was something behind her eyes that made him realize this was taking a much bigger toll on her then she was letting anyone see. She looked vacant.

He was still looking at her face when he heard the buzzing, an instant later a flash of light and another face replaced hers. It had the same pale skin and dark circles but the eyes were deep crimson and sinister. That image melted into a dark cold room for a moment then thick trees sprouted from the floor and rain started pouring down. He felt his vision self start running. His steps were sluggish, like running through water. The vines and branches grabbed at his legs and clothes making him trip. He got up and kept moving. There was light filtering through the trees not far ahead and he knew somehow that the light meant safety. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't reach it. A familiar smell hit him and instead of venom flooding his mouth and sparking the normal craving, his stomach turned at the salty rust smell. He turned his palms up and stared at the blood seeping from the cuts. It must have happened when he fell.

Edward knew it wasn't really him experiencing this but it felt impossibly real. The visions kept getting more and more confusing. What was this vampire trying to convey to them, if anything? It all seemed meaningless and random. Only a few factors had been consistent and even those made no sense. He shook his head slightly as the vision dissipated.

"Eyes. Red eyes. That's what I was seeing."

Alice looked at him, stood up, and walked away. He stared after her in confusion.

Forgive her son, she is used to being the one with answers. She is struggling with this situation more than the rest of us.

"Vampire eyes? Did you see a face to go with the eyes?" Carlisle asked, drawing Edwards attention away from Alice.

"Yes, but only a very vague one."

"Do you think it was the one we are looking for?"

"I just don't know Carlisle. The visions are getting more and more confusing. None of the images tell me anything that I can decipher. There were trees and rain, a dark room, and a light I was trying to get to but couldn't. Like I was stuck. By itself that might make sense but what of the tea party and city street? Together they mean nothing."

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Then laid his face in his hands.

"Edward, we will figure this out, you need to believe that."

He didn't lift his face.

"I don't see how Carlisle. Look at Alice, I don't think she can deal with much more of this. She is losing herself because she can't fix this and we should be able to help her and we can't. I need to make it better for her and I can't."

"This isn't just on you, son. We are all at a loss here."

He looked up at Carlisle.

"But I'm the one getting the clues. I owe her."

Carlisle nodded in understanding.

The little pale pink candles sat on the end table between his couch and mountain of pillows. He reached up and plucked one from the dark stained wood and glass tray Alice had arranged them on. It was masculine yet elegant and fit nicely in his room. But who would expect any less from Alice? Impeccable taste even under such stress. He held the candle under his nose and inhaled deeply. The scent made him cringe slightly. The freesia and strawberry scents were there but it was harsh and laced with other scents to make it more potent for humans no doubt. It wasn't pure and soft and natural like the scent he had caught on the breeze a few days ago but it was better than nothing.

Only a few days ago. How much their lives had been disrupted, and so quickly.

The rain beat against his windows, the sky black with clouds. His view wasn't helping any tonight so he decided to go back to the living room. Maybe some television or a game would distract him.

He wasn't alone in this thought. Alice and Jasper had reclaimed their corner of the couch. Emmett was quietly playing Call of Duty. The fact that he was quiet about it meant a lot. Rose sat next to him, bored as usual. She really needed a hobby or two. Carlisle sat reading a medical textbook and Esme had brought some of her schematics down to the kitchen table. This at least made Edward smile. No matter what, they were together.

"Alice!" Rosalie gasped, "What the hell is wrong with you, are you chewing your nails?"

Everyones eyes snapped to where she sat huddled against Jasper. She was staring back at Rose with her finger still in her mouth, eyes wide in astonishment. She slowly put her hand into her lap and hung her head.

Esme glared at Rose.

Rose bristled and stood up.

"What? Do you think she wants to have disgusting nubs for nails? It's not like she can just waltz into the nearest salon for a manicure."

Her attention flew to Jasper. His projecting had amplified the emotions in the room to an almost physical blow when Rose yelled at Alice.

"And for fucks sake, Jasper, can't you control that shit? We don't even know what the hell is going on. You're all too fucking stressed! I don't know about anyone else but I've had it with all the drama."

"Rosalie Hale!" Esme gaped at her in shock.

Rose at least had the decency to look a little ashamed under her matronly stare but made no show of apology.

"Woman!"

Surprised by Emmett's interruption, Rose slowly turned to glare at him.

"Calm the hell down."

He smiled innocently at her for a moment then his smile stretched into a huge cheesy grin.

"Now go make me a sammich."

He smacked her butt, wagged his eyebrows, and lounged back on the couch.

She snorted in disgust, rolling her eyes as she stormed up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door.

Edward looked at the floor and bit back his laughter but it was almost impossible to suppress. He looked questioningly at Jasper and saw that he too was barely containing himself. Alice's small frame was shaking which caught both of their attentions. She had her hand clamped over her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut. Her will finally broke and she fell back into the couch laughing loudly. The living room erupted around her, the tension finally breaking.

Emmett smiled at them and stood up.

"Well, my work here is done, I think I'm going to go rustle up a rabbit or two. I like having these small meals every day rather than gorging myself once a week."

He ran his hands down his stomach.

"I definitely don't feel as bloated and I think it's helping with my muscle tone."

He raised his eyebrows at them.

"No? Oh well." He shrugged and sighed loudly. " Alice would you like to come for a run with me?"

She gave him a small smile, appreciating his effort to lighten the mood, and took his outstretched hand. He held out her raincoat, grabbed his, and walked out the door. Jasper and Edward followed running through the trees in silence.

The rain had slowed enough that they weren't completely drenched so after they each had what Emmett referred to as "fast food, Cullen style" they decided to relax a little before heading back. The tension felt less concentrated in the open air. Alice swung her legs over the cliffs ledge while the three men leaned against the tall, stately pines. The ground was soggy and soaked through Alice's jeans instantly but she barely noticed.

"Sorry about Rose. I don't know why she's being like this. She's unusually wenchy even for her."

Alice just shrugged and stared out at the dark ocean and churning clouds.

Edward glanced at Jasper. He was looking at his wife with a pained expression. She was hugging herself and rubbing her arms. When she realized what she was doing she stopped and turned to them. Confusion knitted her brows.

"Guys, I think... I.. I'm cold. Very cold."

She started rubbing her arms again as her teeth began chattering. When her eyes unfocused, Jasper quickly grabbed her away from the cliff and placed her on her feet between them. She began pacing back and forth.

Edward tried to see what was going on in her mind but all he could see was static.

"Alice should we take you home, love?" Jasper hated doing anything to her without her consent.

"I think we should..." Edward began but was cut off when the hum started in his head followed by the intense flash of light. Images poured into his mind.

A middle aged woman and younger man smiling hand in hand.

A middle aged man with kind brown eyes and brown hair smiling and crying in a hospital room.

Two caskets being lowered into the ground.

The brown haired man packing boxes.

A forest rushing by through a car window.

The red eyes of a vampire.

They started over again, cycling through rapidly a few times before settling on the red eyes then the connection faded away. He was immediately overcome by Alice's vision. A perfectly clear scene of a dark bare room. They were staring at the floor, pacing, glancing up at different parts of the room. An old rusty metal door. A stack of wooden pallets rotting with age. A single unlit bulb hung from the ceiling with a pull cord. Cold cement walls with only three small dirty windows at the very tops letting in just enough light to see.

"Why? Who are they? What are they?"

Alice's words pulled Edward from her mind. He blinked and looked at Jasper and Emmett. They were staring at Alice who was still pacing frantically. She was hugging herself and chewing her nails, her eyes wide and frightened.

Jasper took a step closer to his wife.

"Alice, what is it? Who are you talking about?"

"She's having a vision Jaz. A real one."

Edward watched as she continued to mimic what was happening in the vision. He looked into her mind again. He couldn't hear a thing from inside but he could hear Alice and see what she saw. Because of Jasper they could all feel the fear, confusion, and desperation pouring off of her.

Another hum and flash of light and he was focused on those red eyes again. The emotions from Alice intensified and she suddenly doubled over then fell to her knees and violently retched what little blood was in her stomach onto the forest floor.

Jasper dropped to his knees and pulled her into his arms. She didn't struggle, didn't even act like she knew he was there.

"Holy fuck." Emmett stood watching in shock.

"Please somebody. I don't understand. I'm so scared." Alice sobbed. The fear consumed her and she wilted like a flower in Jasper's arms. Staring up into the foreboding sky, oblivious to the raindrops pelting her face.

Lightening flashed brightly behind the black clouds illuminating the night.

Without a word Jasper stood up and began the all too familiar panicked run for home, the thunder rolling ominously in his wake.

A/N: Please don't hesitate to leave a review and thanks for reading! ~TheRavyn =)