Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone who has kept up with this story so far. I appreciate all the kind reviews.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse or any of the characters found within them. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer who I thank for letting me play with them for awhile. No copyright infringement is intended by this story.

CHAPTER FOUR – PHOENIX RISING

We were finally on our way back to the house. Instead of wallowing in the back seat like I did on the way to the park, I was driving. Emmett was not very happy when I hopped into the driver's seat, but when he saw the look on my face he did not argue with me. Well, he did not argue with me out loud. His thoughts were slightly less generous.

While Emmett sulked, I began thinking about my next move. Now that I had realized there was something I still could do for Bella, I was anxious to get started. I also wanted to focus on the task ahead of me before my thoughts of Bella overtook me again. I was not exactly sure where to begin tracking Victoria. The last time we saw her was over seven months ago in Forks. After we returned from Phoenix with Bella, we could not find any traces of Victoria.

The quiet buzzing of my cell phone interrupted my thoughts. I knew exactly who was calling me. "Alice?" I answered.

"I have been trying to locate Victoria for you, Edward. I'm not exactly sure where she is right now, but I think you should start your search in Phoenix. She will be there soon."

She continued. "Please be careful. You know that you aren't a tracker."

"I know," I said. "But, I can learn. Once I locate her scent, I will be able to follow her." I was confident that I would be able to track Victoria. Though if I was being honest with myself, I knew that my confidence came more from necessity than a belief in my actual skills. This was one thing I still could do for Bella and I planned to see it through. I was a little concerned that the rest of my family would not be as enthusiastic about my plan.

"Have you told Carlisle that I am leaving?" I asked. I knew that Carlisle and Esme would be disappointed that I was not going to New York with them. I only hoped that they would understand why I could not join them. They knew me well enough to know that I could not be happy just continuing this existence like nothing had changed. I never would be able to do that. Bella had changed me. I was no longer content to spend my time alone with my family. Bella consumed all of my thoughts and desires. I needed her and since I could no longer have her, I needed to do everything in my power to protect her and the life I sacrificed everything for her to lead.

Alice interrupted my thoughts and continued. "Not yet," she said. "I will tell them as soon as you leave. It will be easier for you that way. I booked a 10 p.m. flight for you tonight. That should give you enough time to drive yourself to the airport. Jazz and I will pick up your car tomorrow. It will be here waiting for you whenever you come home."

"Thank you for not trying to talk me out of this." I was genuinely surprised that Alice had accepted my decision so easily. I had avoided her for the last few weeks because every time she approached my bedroom, I could hear in her thoughts that she wanted to try again to convince me to go back to Forks.

"Don't be silly, Edward. I already know that it wouldn't work. I packed a bag for you with some clothes and your passport. It will be waiting for you in the Volvo. It will be sunny in Phoenix all week so you will need to travel at night. I already reserved a rental car with tinted windows for you. I think that you will need it in Phoenix. Edward, you know I would come with you if you would let me . . ." she let her voice trail off. She already knew how I would respond.

"I know, Alice. I just need to do this by myself." I said.

"Take care of yourself. Call us when you can. Just remember that no decision is permanent. We can always go back."

As I sped to the airport in Fairbanks to catch my flight, I thought about what Alice had said. Of course, I wanted nothing more than to return to Bella and beg her to take me back. But I also knew this was the one thing I could not do. Instead of letting my mind take me back to a dangerous place, I forced myself to focus my mind on what I was going to do to track Victoria. I did not know much about her. I was so focused on James' thoughts last spring, I really did not pay any attention to Victoria. I did not think that she had any special abilities or talents. Still, I did not want to underestimate her. I did not doubt Alice, but I wondered why Victoria would go to Phoenix now. We destroyed James and the ballet studio over seven months ago. With the strong sun in Arizona, it certainly was not a friendly city for vampires to spend a lot of time.

I continued to contemplate the reasons why Victoria would go to Phoenix throughout the long flight. I silently thanked Alice for renting me a darkened car when I saw the sun starting to rise in the cloudless sky.

As I drove, my mind drifted to the events of my last trip to Phoenix. Bella had told me about the beauty of the desert, but I was too worried about her last spring to notice the scenery. Now, I could see why she liked it. The contrast between the bright blue sky, the red sand and the sparse spiky vegetation was beautiful in its own way. I found myself driving toward the ballet studio and Bella's old house. I did not consciously decide to visit Bella's house, but as I turned onto her street I realized that I had no place else to go.

Although she told me about many of her experiences growing up in Phoenix, Bella had never described her house to me. It looked fairly small from the outside – not much larger than Charlie's house in Forks. Still, I thought it looked rather cozy. I could picture Bella sitting outside on the small front porch and reading or doing her homework every night. I immediately noticed the for sale sign next to the driveway. I wondered how long it had been there and if Bella knew that her mother was selling the house.

I did not think it would hurt anything if I went inside. I found a spare key in the mouth of a small ceramic frog near the front door. I entered without hesitation. The sun was quickly rising in the sky and I knew that I would have to spend the day inside if I did not want to expose myself. Even after her long absence, I could still smell Bella's lovely fragrance in every room of her house. As I walked through the family room, I noticed a collage of Bella's school pictures on the wall, similar to the pictures in Charlie's family room. I let my hand trail briefly across Bella's beautiful face before I forced myself further into the house.

I let my senses lead me to Bella's room. It looked like Renee already had packed up most of Bella's belongings. Her bookcase stood empty and her closet was filled with boxes. I glanced at the sloppy handwriting on the first box – school papers, books, and photos. Interesting, I thought to myself. I could not stop myself from opening the box to look at Bella's past.

As I sat down on Bella's bed, I could feel my mouth filling slightly with venom and a shiver running down my spine as I inhaled the familiar scent of freesia again. I swallowed hard and turned my attention to the box of Bella's memories. I don't know how long I spent perusing the contents of the box – each item I found was more fascinating than the last. It looked like Renee had saved everything from Bella's childhood. As I looked through Bella's old spelling tests and book reports I smiled at the A's that adorned each one. The photo albums were harder for me to see – each time I looked at Bella's deep chocolate brown eyes, my chest ached with longing. I sighed as I imagined that I heard her voice describing each photograph to me.

Suddenly, I heard voices and the sound of a key in the front door. I quickly repacked the box and hid both the box and myself in Bella's closet.

A high nasal voice began reciting a spiel about the house. "This is a lovely 2 bedroom-2 bathroom bungalow. As you can see, it was quite well kept. Only a single mother and daughter lived here. They did not smoke or have any pets. Also, the walls have been freshly painted and the carpeting was recently cleaned. There are plenty of retail shops nearby and the school district is top notch."

She continued. "The price is very reasonable, especially considering the condition of the house. The seller has moved from the area and is quite motivated to accept any reasonable offer." Her thoughts were somewhat more entertaining. Please, please buy this house. I have much better ways to spend my time than listening to Mrs. Dwyer prattle on about her husband's baseball career. Although I suppose if I married a man that young, I would also talk about him to anyone who would listen . . .

I shuddered at her thoughts and closed my eyes in an attempt to close out her annoying voice. I stayed in my hiding place inside Bella's closet until I finally heard the click of the lock on the front door again.

That night, I checked the ballet studio and the surrounding streets for any trace of Victoria. I followed a similar schedule for the next few days. During the day, I perused the boxes containing Bella's childhood memories from the peace of her bedroom. Each night, I ranged further and further away to search for Victoria. Every morning I returned to the house before sunrise dejected and angry. As the days passed, I felt myself sinking back into my depression. Still, I forced myself to remember that I was doing this to help Bella and continued to hunt for Victoria each night.

After about ten days, I began to doubt Alice's visions. It did not make any sense why Victoria would come back to Phoenix. What could she possibly want here? That night, I very nearly gave up my short-lived career as a tracker. Reluctantly, I talked myself into going for a run to clear my head before making a final decision. As I returned to Bella's house shortly before dawn, I was shocked at the pungent scent near the front door. Victoria had finally arrived in Phoenix.