"Suspicion"

BPOV

I awoke with a strange feeling this morning. A bad feeling.

I waited for Emmett to arrive, in case there was something wrong, but nothing had happened. Alice had called last night, saying precisely that, and that Edward probably would be out hunting this morning. I had wanted to go and see him, but Charlie arrived and said it was better if I waited until morning. As far as he was concerned, there was no reason for rushing… but I knew better.

I've had an uneasy sleep. On those brief moments I'd been able to do so, I could only see images of Edward, screaming in agony, and I was forced to wake up. I was so worried about him. I sighed; I'll have to wait a little more to see him, since he should be out hunting right now. Well, at least I could spend some time with Jake to pass the time.

Immediately after breakfast, I dialed Jacob's number. Billy answered almost immediately. Weird.

"Oh, hi Billy! Is Jacob there?" I asked.

"Hello, Bella. Sorry, but he's sleeping. I'll let him know you called" he said, and hung up.

I stood there, shocked. There was definitively something wrong here. Normally, Billy wasn't that rude to me. Besides, he told me he'll tell Jacob I had called, instead of telling me to call later or that he would do so… it was as if he was implying Jacob couldn't talk to me. I added another point to my worries: was Jacob sick? Hurt? Depressed? I suspected this had something to do with the strange encounter in Port Angeles, but Edward was not available to ask. I dialed Alice's phone, hoping she'll know something.

"Bella? I told you he's fine, you don't have to be that obsessive" Alice said. I got even more suspicious; she had answered too quickly and had been too reassuring.

"Yeah, I know what you said, Alice. I just want to ask you if you know anything about Jacob" I said.

"Jacob? Why would I know?" she asked, but I heard a small glimpse of doubt in her voice. She was hiding something.

"I don't know. Yesterday he and Edward had an odd conversation… he didn't tell you anything?" I said.

"Well, no. He just said Jacob was trying to ruin the moment" Alice answered.

"Hey, Alice. Can I go to your house? I want to wait Edward there" I said. Let's see how she reacts. For a moment, she was silent, confirming my suspects.

"Well… yeah, I guess. But he'll be late" she said. Fine.

"Don't worry. See you there" I said, and hung up before she could protest. I practically ran to my car and started to drive. I was going to get my answers.

EPOV

I awoke on my room.

I realized I was lying on the bed… this fainting thing was something weird. I wondered if any other vampire had felt like this. So strange.

"You feel better, Edward?" Carlisle asked. He was sitting on a chair next to me. I sat too, analyzing. I didn't know exactly how I felt… sore, I guess. Another strange feeling for a vampire.

"Yes. I guess" I said.

You scared us. I was worried. Carlisle's mind showed the same love and caring he always felt towards me. Hadn't he heard what I've done?

"Carlisle, I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to risk the treaty but…" I said, but he smiled at me.

Don't worry. He threatened you. You just tried to protect your life. "The treaty's still on, I guess. Sam was pretty angry when we arrived there" Carlisle said. Sure, Sam was obviously angry for that fight.

"I'm sure he is. I'm surprised he didn't attack you all" I said. Carlisle looked at me; he seemed amused by my answer. Why?

He's not angry with us. "He's angry with Jacob" he said. For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating again.

"With Jacob?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes. He saw it all on his head, and is furious at him for starting a fight. Apparently, he thinks we should be the ones doing that" my father explained. Well, at least I didn't have to fear any war… soon.

"How did you find us? Alice can't see" I asked with a soft voice. Now that I was awake, I could feel the results of that battle. Jacob was certainly a good fighter. Carlisle seemed to notice.

"Don't move too much. He almost ripped your arm off, and your neck isn't in very good shape either. You'll have to feed" he said. "Well, we had to follow your scent; it was not too long until we found his too. But when we arrived, you two were unconscious on the ground. What happened?" he asked. I was wondering the same.

"I don't know. We were fighting –actually, I had him subdued- when my scar started to hurt. I only remember hearing Jacob's whimpers of pain… you didn't see anyone? We both smelled a scent there. A vampire scent" I said, suddenly afraid. What if the vampire had gone after Bella while I was unconscious?

A vampire? Jasper said something about that, but we didn't find anything. Alice didn't saw it. Wait a minute… "Aren't you sure? You couldn't read a thought?" Carlisle asked.

"No. It's strange. I'm sure I should have heard it" I said, more anxious about Bella's safety than that. Again, Carlisle seemed to notice it.

"Bella's fine. Esme was checking on her all this time. I thought it would be good to distract her" he said. Of course, she needed to be distracted from her worries about my health. I sighed in relief. Suddenly, Alice entered the room; she seemed agitated.

"Carlisle! Bella's coming… Edward, you look terrible! He ruined your face" she said. I panicked; I had still the wounds on my body… she surely would notice the marks on my face.

"Thank you, Alice" I said sarcastically. "What do we do?" I asked my father. Carlisle seemed calm.

"Well, we told her you were hunting, so you could do exactly that" he said. So easy it was ridiculous… why didn't I think of that? I stood up, grimacing slightly at the pain. Jasper entered the room.

"I'll go with you" he offered. I have something to tell you. I nodded.

We both starting running. Soon we were deep inside the forest; I hated to hunt the simple prey, but right now I didn't have a choice.

Are you ok, Edward? You're slower than normal. Jasper asked. He was worried. I smiled to him without stopping.

"Don't worry. It hurts a little, but I'm fine" I said. The truth is I hadn't even realized I was running slower. I was focused on resisting the pain I felt… sometimes it was harder.

Tell me if you're tired. You know I know. Jasper said. Certainly, he could feel my unsteadiness on my feelings. I ignored the waves of pain and tried to change the subject.

"What do you wanted to talk about?" I asked him. I realized my voice didn't sound as firm as before. If I kept going like this I will surely faint again; the pain was rising. Unfortunately, Jasper noticed it.

Let's rest here. He said, stopping near a small stream. Surely, some prey would pass soon. We both sat on a rock near it, careful to stay hidden from view. I couldn't suppress a sigh of relief once I sat down.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard, Edward. It's not good for you" Jasper said, serious. I smiled to reassure him I was fine, but I doubted he'd believe me. I mean it… you'll end up killing yourself. No, he definitively didn't believe me. We both laughed softly; the phrase sounded silly on vampire context.

"So…?" I asked. I was really curious to know what he wanted to say. It couldn't be anything good. He sighed.

"Alice had the vision again. Yesterday, when you were, um, gone" Jasper said, and shuddered. I hate to see her like that. I knew it, because I hated it too… and I was not in love with her, so it must be worse for him.

"Anything new this time?" I asked, trying to sound calm. I even forgot the pain of my wounds. He nodded.

"She saw an approximate date for that. Two weeks" Jasper said. Is not much. I'm really worried… we don't even know them and we're supposed to fight in so little time. I shared his worries. Two weeks? I was going to get married in one… how could life be so unfair?

"But nothing… changed?" I asked, hopeful.

Sorry, it's all the same. You are the last one… Jasper said, sadness evident on his tone. I sighed.

"What can we do, Jasper? You're the expert here" I said. Jasper laughed without humor.

You won't like it. "The best option is to wait. You can't fight in your current condition, and we know nothing about the coven. The best course of action is waiting to know more. Gather information" he said. I growled softly.

I knew you didn't like it. Emmett's as angry as you. "I don't want that, either, but I don't see any other solution. We'll have to wait for them to make the first move" Jasper said. No matter how bad it sounded, his plan had certain logic… and he WAS the expert, so I trusted him.

Do you think it's the Volturi? He asked. After all, I was the only one who had seen the images besides of Alice. I shrugged.

"They are dressed in black, but I'm not sure. If they want to destroy us, why send someone else? I'm sure they would have sent Jane or Demetri" I said. We both remained there, waiting.

You should tell her. Jasper said. I shivered at the idea. How was I supposed to tell Bella that my family was going to die in two weeks? Worst of it: that I was going to end her life? I couldn't do it.

She's strong, and she's involved too. I she doesn't know, there's a risk she'll do something to make it worse. Jasper's remark had logic. Bella could end up doing something wrong by accident, just for ignorance, and then it WILL be my fault for keeping this from her. A deer appeared, distracting us both. I felt hungry.

You first. Jasper said. He had felt my urgency. With a soft gasp of pain, I crouched, ready to attack.

I have to say something: I liked the talk between Edward and Jasper :P I like all the Cullens, but I feel like we don't get much of Jasper… or brotherly love between he and Edward, so I decided to make this talk with him (my original idea was Carlisle… good option, too).

And if I were Edward, I wouldn't have the courage to tell Bella… but I'm still deciding if he will. And Bella's suspicious… of course, she'll get to know someday that her love and her best friend were "solving their differences" lol

And now I know how to distract Esme! She almost killed me when she found out (forgive me Esmeeeeee!!)

Hope you liked it nn (come on! Raise my self esteem! :P)