Title: Dusk to Dawn (4/?)
Rating: PG for now.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Edward/Bella, all characters
Summary: Post-New Moon. Bella and Edward deal with Jacob, Victoria, the issue of Bella's transformation, and...whatever else I decide to throw in.
Disclaimer: The whole fabulous world of Forks, WA belongs to Stephenie Meyer and whoever she sells it to. I, unfortunately, am not one of them; just taking it out for a test drive.

When I woke, Edward was still there, although he'd been home to change clothes. He lay next to me, holding me to his side with one arm, reading my battered copy of Wuthering Heights in the dim morning light. I smiled.

"Looks like I'm rubbing off on you," I murmured, fighting the urge to close my eyes and drift back to sleep. It was so cozy here, so perfect.

He smiled. "Just a little bit."

I sighed, not wanting to move. "Can we just stay here today? I'll call the school and tell them I'm sick."

Edward looked tempted, at least. "I'm afraid that would be a bad idea. Charlie would hear of it…and he's not done with you," he winced. "I should go. If you're not out of bed in five minutes, he's planning to come get you."

I groaned aloud. "All right."

Edward smiled gently and kissed me, slowly and carefully, leaving me light-headed and forcing me to forget all about Charlie. "Cheer up. It's Friday," he said, before he streaked out the window. I didn't bother getting up to watch him go. He would have been out of sight before I could make it.

I dressed slowly, then spent an excessive amount of time on my hair, hoping Charlie would leave before I went down for breakfast, but I was not so lucky – big surprise there.

Charlie was waiting at the kitchen table, not eating, just glowering. I cringed.

"Morning, Dad."

"Bella," he said in lieu of reply. "I want you to stay away from the Cullens at school today."

I ignored him, preparing a bowl of cereal. "I told you, Dad, Edward and I are a package deal. If you forbid me to see him, I'll move out. And I hope you haven't forgotten that the Cullens have saved my life on more than one occasion. They're not murderers. Jacob and Sam must be mistaken."

"And if they're not?" Charlie asked quietly.

I took my seat across from him. "They are," I said firmly. "Carlisle saves lives; he doesn't take them. Esme is the kindest person I've ever met, the others treat me like a sister, and Edward…Edward loves me. He was as messed up as I was after he left me, and he's never going to do it again."

"Bella –" Charlie began, but I interrupted him.

"I know you think I'm blinded by infatuation," I said, "but I see things more clearly than you think. And I can't believe you wouldn't trust my judgment over Jacob Black's."

Charlie had the decency to look a little guilty. "Bella, it's not that I don't trust you –"

"No," I interrupted again. "It's exactly that. You're afraid I'll run off again, or that I'll lose it. But I won't, Dad, unless you give me a reason to."

Charlie sighed, and pushed his chair back. "Just be careful, Bella. Promise me."

"I will," I promised, and he left me to finish my cereal in silence. A few minutes later, I heard the cruiser pull away, and then, as suddenly as he'd left, Edward was there in the chair Charlie had recently emptied.

"Did you hear all that?" I asked him. He wore an odd expression – something between amusement and awe.

"Yes," he smiled. "You actually got through to him, you know."

"Did I?" I said, relieved. "It's about time."

Edward grinned. "Well, you had to get your stubbornness from somewhere."

I fought back a smile, knowing how right he was, and washed out my cereal bowl. "I'll just go brush my teeth and then we can go."

"No rush," Edward replied, and I knew that was probably true. Especially if he was driving today.

I rushed anyway. Even with an eternity ahead of us, I hated the moments I spent away from Edward. I brushed my teeth as hastily as I could without being negligent, grabbed my bag and flew back down the stairs.

He waited for me at the door, leaning casually against the wall. I wondered if I could possibly ever be that irritatingly beautiful once I was changed.

School was simple, peaceful. It was as though no one could touch us there; we were in a protective bubble of adolescent normalcy.

Edward and I ate with the rest of his family at lunch, causing more stares than my sitting with Edward ever had. Otherwise, everything was quite normal, until Edward drove me home.

He had been humming along to the music, and the sound of his voice had me nearly in a hypnotic trance, but as he pulled onto my street, he tensed and went quiet, and drove right by my house.

"What's going on?" I asked, watching my house disappear in a flash as Edward's too-fast driving took us away from it.

"Victoria's back," he growled, jaw clenched.

I could only blink in response. "Already?"

"Yes, already," Edward replied, "and she's closing in now because the werewolves have left the immediate area and she thinks she's strong enough to take me now."

I gulped. "Is she?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Not at all. She's still young for one of us, younger than me, and she's rash and overconfident. Besides, Emmett will help me."

"Help you what?" I asked, ready for my cue to panic.

"Track her and kill her."

I groaned. "Ohh, no. I don't think so."

"Bella, how many times have we been over this? She can't take us both at once. Nothing will happen to me. Besides, I can read her mind. It's not as though she could catch me unawares."

I decided to leave it for now. Perhaps Esme could help me talk him out of it. "Where are we going now, then?"

"My house."

"Um…am I going to be back from your house before Charlie gets home?" I asked nervously.

"Yes," he said. "I just want to make sure you're protected when we go back. I'll see if at least Emmett, Jasper, and Alice will come with us. I want Alice to stay with you while we're hunting, in case Victoria manages to sneak by us."

I frowned. "I'm not sure Charlie will like that. I mean, he adores Alice, but after what Jacob told him…."

"She can stay hidden if she needs to," he said. We were in front of his house now, and he was opening the door for me. He at least let me walk under my own steam this time.

Once inside, he bellowed unnecessarily to the others. "Everyone, get out here, now!"

I watched as Jasper and Alice, then Esme, then Rosalie, and finally Emmett appeared as though out of thin air. Carlisle, presumably, was at the hospital.

"She's back," Alice said; she'd looked grave from the moment she'd arrived.

Edward nodded. "She's outside Bella's house, hoping we'll leave her alone long enough for her to snatch her." His voice was even, but there was an edge of roughness to it, of barely concealed anger. As flattering as that was, I feared that anger would make him hasty and irrational.

"What do you need us to do?" Esme asked.

"We need to hunt her. Emmett, Jasper?"

"Of course we're in!" Emmett said with his usual enthusiasm for violence, and Jasper nodded more sedately.

"Alice," he said, turning to her. "I need you to stay with Bella, just in case."

"Of course," she agreed readily, smiling at me. I felt temporarily calmed by her apparent lack of worry.

"I'll stay with her, too," Rosalie volunteered, effectively surprising everybody, me especially.

Edward smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Rose."

She shrugged off his thanks. "She's family now."

I felt warmed by their willingness to help me, to protect me, even as I feared for their safety. I didn't think Victoria was as dangerous as James had been, but she was ruthless and unpredictable. Who knew what might happen?

"Esme," Edward continued, "Would you mind watching Charlie?"

I was relieved he'd thought of protecting my dad as well. Knowing he would be safe left me with one less worry for the time being.

"All right," Edward said. "Let's get going."

Alice practically skipped over to Rosalie. "We'll go pack."

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper felt, evidently, that no supplies were necessary; they stayed motionless, along with Esme, waiting for the other girls to come back. I fidgeted and turned to Edward.

"You will be careful, won't you?" I said. "You shouldn't underestimate her. You never know –"

"Bella," he interrupted firmly, taking my face in his hands, which effectively stopped my mouth from moving, "I will come back. We all will, I promise."

"You'd better," I told him, letting him draw me to him in spite of our audience. "I'm not done with you yet."

Edward grinned. "I should hope not." He kissed me just a little more recklessly than usual, leaving me gasping for breath – much to Emmett's amusement. Edward just smirked.

Alice and Rosalie reemerged right after that, and Edward led me outside. To my surprise, he led me not to a car, but to Alice.

"Hop on," she grinned.

"You're not taking a vehicle?" I asked.

"No, we're faster on foot," Edward said, lifting me onto Alice's back. I clung uncomfortably to her; she seemed too tiny to be able to support my weight. "And this way, you won't have to worry about Charlie asking questions."

I barely had time to brace myself for the ride before they all began to run, Edward and Emmett flanking us to either side, Jasper in front, Rosalie and Esme behind, leaving me protected in the center. I fought off motion sickness – I was used to Edward, but not Alice; she was a bit bouncier – until we were suddenly at my door.

I dropped onto the porch, wobbling slightly, as Edward came to my side again.

"We'll get this taken care of as quickly as possible," he said, kissing me again. The sudden lump in my throat made it impossible for me to reply, so I said nothing as he, Emmett, and Jasper exchanged some quick words and took off into the forest.

Esme patted my shoulder comfortingly. "I'm going to go watch for Charlie now," she said. "Don't worry, dear. My boys are very smart."

I took Alice and Rosalie inside. They still looked strange in my average house, Rosalie especially, who looked too much like a super model or famous actress to be in a house like mine.

"This is going to be fun, Bella," Alice enthused. "A girls' weekend! We can use this opportunity to talk about the boys."

I scowled. "You're not doing my hair this time, Alice."

Rosalie snorted. "Just try stopping her."

Alice looked back at us innocently as she made her way up the stairs. "Don't you think we should start discussing a style for the wedding, Bella?"

I hadn't even thought of the wedding since yesterday evening, to be quite honest. The reminder was a shock to me.

"I – I doubt it will be that elaborate an occasion."

"Of course it will be!" Rosalie cried; I hadn't expected anything out of her. "I've had a lot of weddings, Bella, and I'm not going to let my expertise go to waste on your first one!"

"First?" I said warily.

"Trust me," Rosalie said, "There's always something you'll want to do different."

Alice shook her head and came back down to drag me up the stairs. "Personally, one wedding was enough for me, but to have a human wedding! Bella, you can't afford not to make the most of it. Come along, now. We've got a lot of work to do."

I stammered my protests as she took me unwillingly into my own bedroom.