When you are faced with the chance that you might die you make the most of the time you have. I tried to do just that after we finished lunch. As Jacob and I were heading back to the house I called my mother. Of course she knew that I was about to go on a mission, that was the only time I ever really called her. We talked until I pulled into the driveway. I promised that I would call her when I got back home and hung up. I sat there looking at the house. My mind raced with all the possibilities of what would happen When you are faced with the chance that you might die you make the most of the time you have. I tried to do just that after we finished lunch. As Jacob and I were heading back to the house I called my mother. Of course she knew that I was about to go on a mission, that was the only time I ever really called her. We talked until I pulled into the driveway. I promised that I would call her when I got back home and hung up. I sat there looking at the house. My mind raced with all the possibilities of what would happen on the island.

I shifted and looked at Jacob. His eyes met mine as I leaned in to kiss him. The soft kiss I had planned turned passionate and deep quickly. It took everything I had to not rip his clothes off right there in the jeep. I pulled away from him suddenly, breathing far too heavy. He laughed softly and climbed out of the jeep. I watched him head toward the house. My breathing had slowed as I climbed from the jeep and headed into the house. Jacob was sitting at the dining room table when I walked in.

"Well that is not where I had expected to see you."

He stood and walked toward me. "Bella, we only have a few hours. We both know this is not going to end well. There is so much I want to tell you."

I didn't know what to say as he got closer. His arms snaked around me and pulled me in tight. I leaned my head on his chest and closed my eyes. His warmth was nice as he held me. In a few hours we would be in a truck on our way to the docks. I sighed softly and looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly.

"I love you Bella. If we make it through this I want you to marry me."

I just stared at him. I felt his arms slip away from me as he moved to grab a small box off the table. How had I not seen this coming?

"Jacob, I…I don't know…"

He held open the small box for me. It was just plain white gold band in the box. I smiled at him as I looked at it. He knew me well enough to know that if I was going to wear something it needed to not get in the way of my job. A plain band would have been perfect for me. I reached for the small box and looked at him.

"You know me so well. Jacob, I don't want you to do this because we might not make it back. What if we do?"

He reached up to touch my cheek softly. I leaned into his hand as his fingers brushed my cheek. I wanted to know that he was not doing this because of the mission.

"Well, then we will have a wedding to plan. I have wanted to do this for a while. This mission just pushed me to do it now instead of later."

I laughed softly. "Well I need to say yes first."

I grinned at him and pulled the ring out of the small box. I slipped the band onto my ring finger and looked at it. I did love Jacob, and I wanted to marry him. What tugged at my thoughts while I looked at the ring was what if the mission had been one of the safe ones. Would he have asked me to marry him if he knew we would be returning home? He said he would have, but I felt like this was being rushed.

"Well then say yes!"

I laughed and stood on my tip toes to kiss him softly. "Yes, I will marry you."

Before I knew it I was being twirled around as he kissed me over and over again.

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I stood on the ship's bow as it edged closer and closer to the island. The sun had set and completely disappeared before we had even caught sight of the island. The cover of night was perfect for us. I knew the beach would be watched by the vampires but not like the roads we created. Most teams went in the front door, but we were going in to spy. When spying on someone you can't just walk up and knock on their front door.

I was playing with the ring on my finger when I heard the team moving around behind me. I had not told anyone that Jacob had asked me to marry him. I had felt it was better to wait until after we were done on the island. I didn't want that to be on anyone's mind as we did our job. It was bad enough that it was going to distract me a bit. A hand on my shoulder brought me back to the boat, and I turned.

"Jacob wanted us to make sure the gear is ready. He is talking with the ship captain. They are going to get us as close to the drop point as possible."

I nodded as Mike spoke. I was having a hard time bringing my head back into the game. I mentally kicked myself several times before I finally approached the team. I helped them go through the gear, getting things sorted and ready to go. I even helped them get it all strapped to them. As each pack was slung onto their backs I made sure they fit right. I was always the last to get the gear on. I made sure they were all ready to go first.

As I finally threw my pack on and adjusted the straps I felt Jacob's hand on my arm. I looked at him and smiled warmly. I did love him, and the ring on my finger wasn't a horrible thing. I was just worried that after things were all said and done he would change his mind. He helped me get my pack set and soon we were all wading through water toward the beach. Our maps said the beach was called La Push and was at one point part of the indian reservation.

As we all spread out on the beach Jacob, Seth and Leah threw their packs off and phased. We all watched as the three wolves went off to check the area. I tried to not think about what could happen to them as I unpacked the gear. We weren't sure if there was anyone out there watching us. For all we knew the vampires knew we were coming.

"Alright guys, get the gear unpacked. We need to hide most of it but keep the things you need. Remember, we are going to want to blend in as much as we can. Keep guns, and whatever weapons can fit on your body. When they get back we will regroup. Newton set up base camp here on the edge of the woods. It will be easy to hide it there."

The sound of leaves and snapping wood drew our attention to the tree line. I was expecting the three wolves to step out. That was not the case. There in the darkness stood a petite woman. Her eyes were locked on me as she stepped toward us.

"Well, you are early. And here I thought I was always right."

Everyone had their guns pointed at the woman. She was not human; her grace and demeanor screamed vampire. She was different though. She didn't have the red eyes the others did. Her eyes were the color of liquid topaz, almost golden yellow. I was betting she was one of those special vampires. We had heard a rumor some were not feeding on humans.

"And just who the hell are you?"

She gave me a warm smile, "Alice Cullen. I knew you were going to be here, and I wanted to meet you, Killer Swan."

Hearing the name made me smile. I had earned it and I loved hearing it, especially when it came out of the mouth of vampires. I kept my gun in hand but lowered it as I looked at her.

"Well Ms. Cullen, you know who we are, but we have no idea who you are. What to enlighten us?"

She gave a little nod. "Your superiors were right. There are some of us on this island that don't feed on humans. I saw you coming before you even hit the beach. Some of us are gifted when we are turned. My brother and I are special even among our kind. I can see the future, though it is subjective. He can read minds. They wanted me to come meet you. I promise we won't hurt you. We only want to help."

I motioned to the team to lower their guns. Jacob and the other wolves returned as we all relaxed a bit. She looked away from me then, wrinkling up her nose.

"That is what the smell was. I was trying to figure out what you had with you that smelled so bad. Having shape shifters with you is smart."

I sighed. "Can we cut the small talk? We are here for a reason and need to get to work."

"You're right; you do need to get to work. We want to help you find out what you need to know. Hide your gear and come with me. We will help you get situated here on the island. Blending is key, right?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to trust her. I wasn't in the business of trusting the things I hunted. I looked at the team and let it all sink in. Did I want to put them into the hands of vampires? The wolves had shifted back and joined us. Leah and Seth both looked disgusted as Alice spoke. I felt Jacob standing behind me.

"Alright everyone, get what you need. We will come back for the rest. Hopefully Ms. Cullen and her family will let us store our gear there. For now though, let's hide it here."

I saw a small smile on her face. "I have changed my mind; bring all your gear. We have somewhere you can store it. You will have access to it at all times. We want you to trust us."

I perked a brow before looking at the team. They all looked worried. I gave them a small nod. I was not usually so trusting, but there was something about this Alice Cullen I knew I could trust. I sighed softly and we started packing everything up. As I was slinging my pack back on I felt a hand on the small of my back. I turned to see Jacob.

He leaned in to whisper, "Are you sure we can trust her?"

I frowned and shook my head. "I am not sure. My head says no, but my heart says yes. Tell the team to keep their guard up. I want Seth and Leah to walk with her."

He nodded and moved to talk to the team quietly. I adjusted my pack and ran a hand through my hair as Alice approached me again.

"You know, Bella, there is no reason to not trust me. I have seen you doing great things here and with my family."

I snorted. "Forgive me if I don't just believe you right away. I have seen what vampires can do first hand. Trust is earned, but I am giving you the chance to earn it here."

She nodded a bit as the team joined us. I motioned for her to lead the way. Leah and Seth kept up with her. I could see she had to keep a slower pace than usual for us to keep up. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hoped I was not leading my team into a trap.

We have first contact with a Cullen!!

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