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Isabella Swan was beginning to think she had gone slightly mad. After finding a cat in a closed off room, when she was adamant he was not there five minutes before, she realized that she thought this same cat had a strange humanness about him, that was so unlike the expected behavior of domestic wildlife. She swore he had looked embarrassed before, and now his eyes, two greenish orbs, were fixated on her in what she was sure was apprehension!

"Maybe… you should eat," she said, uncertain and feeling stupid.

But the cat had nodded his head once, in a sort of kitty-acknowledgement. It leaped to the ground, and got to the bowl of milk, which he licked at, carefully at first, and then with more passion. To Bella's astonishment, the bowl was fully finished after a couple of minutes. She got up to retrieve it, and the cat had a rapid reaction of driving back.

Too much! rang in Edward's mind. Her hand was once again coming towards him; Edward realized he did not want to risk it, and so he drew back.

His claws had drawn out, and he clutched onto the dirty clothes as he moved backwards. Unfortunately, the clothes were rumpled enough by his movement that what came out of the pile was… a bra. Edward hung his head in bitter shame.

Two thousand, three hundred kilometers, or so, away from the confined laundry room, Emmett Cullen was sitting in a haphazard manner, his stillness a camouflage amongst exquisite statues and antique vases.

If one was to look at the scene unfold, he may be able to acknowledge five other ethereally beautiful persons in the room. The tension in the room was palpable—and the stillness of the room only added to that.

"Still nothing?" asked Carlisle to his youngest daughter.

"No. I know he's still alive, but I can't see him!" Alice cried desperately.

Emmett knew how she felt. He was the only of them all present when Edward had disappeared. He had started to doubt his own abilities—even as he raked his brain for details, the smallest hit as to what happened to his brother, nothing came up. The trail left by Edward's scent just disappeared. Not a single indication of another presence, either. It was maddening—

"How would you know he's not dead, if you can't see him?" Rosalie cut with snide.

Alice glared at her.

"I just know it," she shot back. "I would have seen it, and if he were dead, I wouldn't feel him. He's there."

"I just don't understand," murmured Jasper, while rubbing Alice's shoulders in a comforting manner.

If Edward were here, Emmett thought. He would calm Esme's silent sobs, would support Alice, and soothe them of their fear even before they were complete thoughts in their mind.

If Edward were here, he would know what to do. He would find whoever it was that had such powers over a person, and could make them disappear. An idea formed in Emmett's mind. His family wouldn't think of it—Carlisle considered them dear friends, and the rest only ever heard of them through Carlisle's respectful descriptions. To be truthful, Emmett himself wouldn't have questioned Carlisle's judgment. Yet, Emmett knew Edward, Edward would have thought of it. The only people in the world powerful enough to make a vampire disappear without a trace—who else than the Volturi?

Emmett's head snapped up. The fact that he had been in a catatonic state assured him now the instant attention of every vampire in the room. Emmett spoke up:

"Listen, I think… I think we may need to go to Italy."

On Sunday morning, Bella woke up with a new determination: she would help the cat back to its rightful owner. It gave her purpose on this dreary weekend of dreadful weather. Her father had gone fishing, again, but his presence wouldn't have changed much to the solitude she felt. Since she had moved to Forks in the middle of the school year, she hadn't really made friends. Mike was friendly, but too insistent, Jessica would bitch behind her back only to come back with a huge smile. Lauren was another story—pure, undiluted harpy.But Bella had met Angela, who was nice, friendly though she was shy.

But really, without Renee's constant pestering, Bella felt alone.

Okay, I must stop being so depressed, she thought. Let's have some Coke. Coke helps make the world go right.

With her glass in hand, she joined the cat, which refused to move from the laundry room. She thought it was because it comforted him to be in familiar surroundings. Little did she know, her furry companion refused to leave the room because he secretly hoped to go back to the small Illinois forest, the same way he had involuntarily left it. And so he stubbornly stayed on the pile of dirty clothes.

"Hey, cat," she said, "Smile!"

She snapped a picture before he could register what she was doing. She was out of the room in a flash.

In her own room, her decrepit computer turned on to a new Word Document, she began composing a flyer. CAT FOUND, it said in bold capital letters. The picture followed, and the description was easy enough, orange fur, green eyes … And then she was faced with a problem. She didn't know whether it was male or female. Meanwhile, Edward had decided to inspect on his strange human's actions. He was in the doorway when she suddenly stood up from her chair. When she noticed him, she beckoned him in with her hand. Perhaps unconsciously, her movement had been more that addressed to a human than the ridiculous crooning or the strange sounds people used to intrigue animals. It was what decided him to take a bold step inside.

"I'm Bella," she said. "I thought it polite to tell you, since I'm going to have to become intimately acquainted with you."

Had Edward been in his right state of mind, he may have understood her meaning. But as he wasn't, Bella was at leisure to take him in her arms and rub his fur. He let her, because the act was not condescending in the least, and also because it truly felt good. He was purring as she got him to stretch on his back. That is when he realized his precarious situation.

"Male!" Isabella exclaimed. But the anxious animal in her arms did not take too kindly to the sudden outburst—and he scurried off, his paw digging into her skin involuntarily. "Ouch!"

Once the flyer was completed, Isabella Swan drove to the station, where she knew her father's colleague would happy help her. Soon, a few copies of the document were spread over the town; the dinner, the station, and the supermarket had been their first destinations, since they were the most visited places in Forks.

But Isabella had done her fair share of asking—and nobody had reported a missing cat. Nobody seemed to recognize it, even. Plenty of them, especially the older women, had aggressively wanted to know if he were to be 'adopted' by a family. Jessica's mother had been particularly vicious—her passive-aggression had fed up the teenager. Seeing the fake smile, covered in cracked, dark red lipstick that had obviously been applied in order to make Mrs. Stanley's lips much fuller than they really were, just repulsed Bella. Isabella was starting to realize there was something strangely attractive in the cat. She was herself strangely attached to it.

On the way back home, Bella realized the two cars following hers were none other than her father's patrolling car and his best friend's. Thus, when she pulled into the driveway, her father, Billy and his son Jacob were not too far behind.

Bella waited for her dad's car to pull up, and when he got out of it, she went to his side to explain the situation. Charlie, a man of few words, seemed more jovial than his usual self, and hazarded a comment, answering that having some company, even the animal type of company, was good for Bella. He'd been worried about her, when his extended fishing expeditions left her alone for days. Plus, he knew his daughter well enough to acknowledge the fact that he wouldn't have to worry about anything concerning the cat's welfare—Bella would take care of everything.

That night, Billy and Jacob stayed for dinner. Bella usually enjoyed these evenings. She would cook, but not have to worry about dishes. Her monotonous discussions with her father disappeared for a night to leave place to easy, pleasant banter between the four of them. This night, however, brought a small surprise for many of the participants—and the cause was, of course, the fifth participant.

Edward Cullen had reached the conclusion that the laundry room was boring. Since Bella had left, he had explored the house as well as his new, interesting body. In fact, he had practiced jumps over the banisters, on the stairs and on the shelves so much that his whole body ached for sleep. But soon, the sound of keys and the opening of the door jostled him awake.

Before his eyes, Bella and three stranger men came inside.

That'll be all for now. Thanks for still being with me!