A/N- Stephenie Meyer is the creator of the story from which my small attempt at entertainment comes from.

Chapter 6: Catalyst

We were ready and waiting in the lobby when the family arrived several weeks later. Alice flew into Jasper's arms; after a brief but intense embrace they stepped apart, just staring at each other. They seemed to be lost to everyone but each other. Something… the echo of a memory of that feeling… tugged at my heartstrings, and I was suddenly overwhelmed. I looked past Jasper at Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme walking into the room.

Rosalie was immediately taken by her own reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors that lined the room in place of traditional walls. I'd no doubt our hotel was up to our opulent standards, but at the moment it struck me just how unnecessary all the gilt edging and rare artwork was. Everyone else stopped a few feet shy of me, their thoughts curious and uncertain. Carlisle was the first to approach me.

"Hello son," he greeted me quietly with one arm extended. I stared at him briefly before returning his handshake, at which he pulled me into an embrace. I stood there, numb, refusing to acknowledge the tide of emotion that threatened to rush over me. Esme hovered close over us and placed a hand gently across my back. Jasper had broken away from Alice's gaze, and they both stood staring. Emmett seemed at a loss and even Rosalie tore herself away from her reflection when she noticed the odd stillness that had descended on us all. They stared at me, and I was suddenly reminded of Bella's last night in our house. It was abruptly all too overwhelming, and I couldn't fight the all-too-familiar lead feeling that possessed my limbs. I sank to the ground, my face contorted by anguish.

Everyone's eyes widened as Alice flew over to me, Emmett took an involuntary step towards me, and Esme looked alarmed.

I've never seen him so distraught! Esme thought. Her eyes sought Carlisle's face as he knelt beside me. Jasper seemed tensed to run toward me, both hands slightly extended as he put every bit of his concentration specifically into calming me down.

I sucked down air in an attempt to ease my burning lungs, but to no avail.

"Easy, Edward," Carlisle soothed. "We're sorry… perhaps this visit wasn't such a good idea…" His voice trailed off as he glanced uneasily around at my family.

My family.

These were the ones who knew me best, and there I was reduced to a hopeless mess in front of them. I struggled intensely for a good minute before composing myself.

"I'm sorry," I gasped. I realized I was still breathing entirely too hard, as if I was subconsciously testing their scents for any lingering traces of Forks. It was foolish of me; they'd been residing in New York for entirely too long for any vestiges of my former home to be associated with them now. I shook my head and again, deliberately attempted to slow my breathing.

"I'm sorry," I tried again, and was relieved at how much more normal my voice sounded. I stood shakily.

Alice stared reproachfully at me before turning her attention to Carlisle. "We should get upstairs," she murmured. The hotel staff was staring at us curiously, and my bizarre behavior was attracting unwanted attention to these oddly pale guests. I nodded and struck out for the stairs, not trusting the awkward silence that would no doubt ensue once my family and I were all crammed into an elevator. I couldn't bear to see the frowns of concern on all their faces.

I flew up the stairs in record time, even for me, and was lying on the bed curled in a ball when the rest of the family trickled in several minutes later.

Esme was fighting the temptation to come wrap her arms around me on my bed, Emmett was shifting uncomfortably, and Rosalie was biting her lip while staring unabashedly at me in worry. Carlisle stood hesitantly in the doorway; Jasper hovered tensely near the foot of the bed, eyes darting between me and the others.

Alice flitted from Jasper's side to the center of the room and cleared her throat. "You should see all the research Edward has helped me do, Carlisle," she said with determined cheerfulness. "Thanks to his help, I've been able to narrow down my search to one final medical facility. We've been waiting for long enough of an overcast day to actually visit the site, but it should be rolling around any day now."

Carlisle gave her a soft smile. "That's wonderful, Alice! Um…" he cleared his throat, "I understand Emmett and Jasper have been itching to take down an alligator, and we're going to need some time to unpack and change before we hunt. Why don't you follow us to our room and we can all leave together to conquer some reptiles?" He smiled warmly at Jasper and Emmett, who flashed each other eager grins. Rosalie rolled her eyes but smiled, and Esme's eyes lit up with laughter before she glanced at me again, and her expression dimmed.

"It might be best for one of us to stay here with Edward," she suggested cautiously.

"I'll be fine," I replied. It seemed the leaden weight I felt was escaping into my voice. But then the thought of being left here, alone with just my memories and the aching heaviness in my chest, was suddenly more than I could bear. "Never mind," I said swiftly, swinging my legs onto the floor. "I'll come with you." I perched on the edge of the bed staring at the geometric patterns in the carpet, and took a deep breath. My family was here. I wasn't going to ruin their visit by being such a depressing deadweight.

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked.

I nodded. "I'm certain. Besides, I couldn't miss watching you wrestle an alligator!" I plastered a smile across my face and the tension in the room tangibly thinned out. Jasper grinned back at me before locking elbows with Alice and shoving Emmett good-naturedly through the door. Alice glanced back at me briefly, worry flickering in her eyes, but I just shook my head mutely at her. Rosalie slid through our crowd to catch up to Emmett, and I stood aside to let Carlisle and Esme pass. I let the door fall shut behind me and determined to enjoy the time I had with my family for now.

After letting the rest of the family change into more comfortable clothing, we let Alice take a moment to plot the best course for our new attempt at cuisine. We set out due west through the night for a small town called Plaquemine just southwest of Baton Rouge. We didn't bother taking the car; there were few people out that evening due to a storm brewing from the Gulf. We raced each other under the stars, and for the first time in months I actually felt as though the lead that had developed in my chest cavity wasn't quite as heavy. It was exhilarating to tease Emmett into a race, goading Alice and Jasper to catch up, daring Rosalie to beat me. Carlisle and Esme were criss-crossing each other's paths, and we all ran just for the sheer fun of running.

We could tell we'd reached the Mississippi River because the firm ground suddenly gave way to marshy grasses. Rosalie swore mentally at the thought of how dirty she would get, but her agitation was short-lived as Alice cautioned us all to be quiet and wade to the south.

We were just barely able to make out the scent of rain on the breeze when we caught another scent, a tougher, brackish scent. Rosalie hopped to a small bit of dry land from the riverbank, while Alice, Emmett, Jasper and I waded into the marshy ground. Suddenly, Alice's head whipped to the left and seconds later a relatively small alligator was breaking through the surface and making a beeline for her. With a graceful leap, she wrapped her arms around the creature and let her teeth slice through the tough hide, muscles, and sinews. The animal struggled, thrashing its tail violently before finally going limp and still. Alice stood up and disgustedly surveyed her now torn and bloody blouse. Jasper raised his eyebrows appreciatively while Esme and Carlisle smiled from the bank they'd stayed on to observe. Emmett growled about little pipsqueaks having unfair advantages, and I chuckled. Being with my family was more therapeutic than I'd expected. Only Rosalie stood off, still mostly dry. Her thoughts were a mixture of fascination and horror.

"What did it taste like?" she asked pressingly.

Alice grimaced. "Not the most pleasant blood in the world…. It's cold, which is…" she struggled to find the right description, "different, and there's almost an oily aftertaste. It's reminiscent of a sort of pork flavor, but not really." She smacked her lips in an unladylike way that was unusual for Alice, but Emmett merely looked encouraged.

"That thing was barely bigger than you," he scoffed. "I want to find a real monster! Something that will put up more of a fight!" He grinned.

Alice stared back at him and gestured to her now ruined outfit. "Any more of a fight and I'd have to get new clothes!"

"Oh, heaven forbid Alice embark on a trip to get more clothes," Carlisle teased. Alice stuck her tongue out at him and we all laughed.

Definitely therapeutic.

Alice looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "There is another bayou farther north, near Concordia… It's called Bayou Cocodrie, at least, so you know it'd have a bigger selection!" She laughed at Emmett.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at the two of them and leaped across the river gracefully to join Carlisle and Esme on the bank. Her thoughts were streamlined with Esme's in the hopes that alligator wasn't the only option on the menu.

"There're deer, too," Alice went on to reassure Esme and Rosalie.

They sighed in relief and smiled at each other.

"No offense, Emmett," Esme attempted to explain. "I'm sure you'd enjoy this, but so far I'm not impressed with the idea of consuming reptile blood!" She smiled her gentle smile.

We took off for the north and Jasper and Emmett made a wager on who could take down the largest animal. By the time we got there the storm clouds were beginning to pile up higher and faster. We saw the crackle of electricity in the air before we heard it, but soon enough we were being splattered by droplets.

Alice had been right; the alligators up here definitely larger and more difficult to take down. Rosalie and Esme went with Carlisle to hunt some deer to the east, and Emmett, Jasper, Alice and I splashed and thrashed through the swamp like carefree children. By the time Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie had returned, Emmett had taken down three (all of which were at least six feet long); Jasper and I had conquered two each. Alligator was definitely an experience, but not one I was sure I'd want to repeat. The blood seemed thinner, less nourishing somehow. Carlisle and Esme each got one, but Esme pulled back from her kill after her first long draught from its throat. A look of disgust wrinkled her face and again, we laughed. With the storm bearing down so relentlessly and our carefree antics in the swamp, we'd completely lost track of time and were surprised to find it was close to four in the afternoon. The thick clouds were being blown eastward and made it hard to tell where the sun's position was, so we knew we'd have to be careful on the way back to the hotel.

It was when we decided to head back that Alice was suddenly stopped mid-step and I felt the world slide out of focus. We stood, staring at each other, unheeding of the pelting rain. The next thing I knew, I was seeing Bella's haggard face speaking out in nervous fear to… Laurent!

I hissed and the family came to an abrupt stop around us.

"Edward, what's going on?"

"Alice, what do you see?"

Carlisle asked me at the same time Jasper asked Alice about the current situation. I was only vaguely aware of their inquires as I noticed the vision playing out before me, the way the others had twice already.

Laurent stood, scarlet-eyed and smirking at Bella.

"Do they visit often?" He would ask

Was asking? This was absurd! Laurent had gone to Denali and was no longer preying on humans! What could this vision mean?

in an attempt to garner information about my family's presence in Forks. My family stood staring as I again spoke on impulse.

"Lie," I whispered desperately.

Carlisle's eyes widened as Jasper took several involuntary steps towards Alice. She simply stood there—stood right before me—in this swamp, in rain that might as well have been bubbles for all I noticed it falling. In Alice's mind, Laurent circled Bella, obviously disregarding her persuasive words that we were still active in the area.

"You'll need to lie better than that, Bella," I pressed.

Rosalie stared at me, then at Alice. "What's going on?" she asked. Jasper hissed her into silence and turned to Carlisle, Emmett, and Esme.

"Whatever she's seeing, Edward's seeing it too," he murmured.

"So what?" Emmett asked, bewildered. "How is this different from any other time Edward's been around when Alice has seen something?"

I was barely aware of this as I watched—through Alice—Laurent continue to question Bella. After a while it became startlingly evident that his intention would be (was?) to kill Bella—to feed from her!

"Threaten him!" I urged, my command laced with dread.

Bella's voice was barely an echo, flickering on the edges of my consciousness. "He's going to know you did this… You won't get away with it!"

"Why not?" Laurent smiled menacingly in the scene my eyes couldn't escape. He reasoned that the scent of the killing would be washed away in the next rainstorm, and I wouldn't think of him as the culprit. She would be just another missing person, and he implied the kill would be nothing personal, merely a product of his overwhelming thirst.

"Plead with him," I implored her. I could think of nothing else. The scene began to dim and the sounds began to fade, but it felt so real—so vivid—I was unconvinced this was simply a premonition anymore. But then the vision blurred so violently, all I could do was give one last impassioned order. "Don't move!"

And I noticed for the first time the pounding rain.

My family stood by, dumbstruck, as Alice shook her head to clear the haze from her mind. She blinked rapidly several times and stared at me.

I don't know what to tell you, Edward, she thought. I don't know what that was. These visions are getting harder and harder to see! She was getting frustrated.

I understood her irritation. The success of her attempts to discover her past hinged on her foresight, and it did not bode well for us if her visions continued to be so dim and inconclusive.

Emmett was the first to speak through the relentless precipitation. "What just happened?" he asked, bewildered.

The rain wasn't that cold, but the damp heaviness of my clothes clinging to me was uncomfortable. It was bad enough to feel as though I were being weighed down from within; I didn't need any exterior hindrances. "Let's just get back to the hotel. I'll explain when we get there."

I was the first to take off for the east towards and through the center of the storm. Thankfully when we reached our hotel, the street outside was deserted. We were able to stealthily scale the walls to our rooms and ease the windows open without being detected.

Everyone stood dripping onto the carpet and I leaned silently against the wall, my hands shoved into my damp and resistant pockets as I stared brooding at the floor. Carlisle cleared his throat. "I suggest we all get cleaned up and meet back here in thirty minutes. Is that acceptable?" Everyone nodded their approval and the room slowly vacated. I looked up from the digital clock on the bedside table that displayed the time—6:34—in electric red numbers. Sighing, I dragged myself to stand under the steaming shower spray, toweled off, and donned fresh clothes. I found myself sitting on the edge of the bed, my head in my hands, for the second time that day.

In minutes my family trickled back into my suite in ones and twos. Alice arrived first, using the hallway between our rooms and knocking softly before covering the distance between us in three graceful steps to kneel at my feet. Next came Carlisle and Esme, who sat at the small table near the window, followed by Jasper taking his usual stance in the hall's doorway, then Emmett, and lastly Rosalie who joined him in the middle of the room.

I lifted my face to stare at my family. Alice spoke up, looking at Carlisle.

"For… a while now, Edward has been having an unusual reaction to my visions," she began nervously. "It's as though he's seeing them… with me. Not that that's unusual; in fact, he usually can see exactly what I see, and how and when I see it. What's unusual is how…" She struggled for words. "…how intensely he reacts."

"At least when the visions concern Bella," I said in a raw voice, "I find myself speaking to her, as though she's really there!" I ran a hand through my hair in aggravation.

"Just a few days ago, he was so convinced he was actually talking with Bella that he ended up yelling into the empty room. And I don't know if what I'm seeing is really happening or just possibilities of Bella's life back in Forks. Not to mention, my visions have been harder and harder to see lately," Alice said with frustration.

"We've already discussed the concept that perhaps it's a remnant of my human reaction to move those I care about out of harm's way," I continued. "It happened with Tyler's van… you remember."

Carlisle stared at me gravely while Esme repeatedly stroked his hand. He shifted his gaze to Alice.

"It would seem your visions are prompting Edward to react with the automatic responses of a human," he said. He briefly wondered if Alice had tried to stop focusing on Bella.

I shook my head in negation as I addressed the thought aloud. "I've already asked her—no, told her—not to search for Bella's future. But these visions come up so suddenly, and then disappear just as suddenly, it's hard to prepare for them!"

"Perhaps you're still trying to protect Bella," Jasper reasoned.

Esme agreed. "Regardless of what you think you're doing for her, I doubt this has been easy for you as you expected it to be. I think you might be trying to reach for her, to protect her still despite the difference in location."

"It's obvious that just because we're gone, it doesn't mean Bella's not going to attract some kind of trouble or another," Emmett said with a half-smile.

"But you can't always protect her, Edward," Rosalie said matter-of-factly. "There are always going to be others like Laurent and Victoria out there."

Time stopped.

Oh God. How could I have been so infernally short sighted? Why had it never occurred to me before? VICTORIA WAS STILL OUT THERE.

Thoughts of visions, thoughts of rainstorms, thoughts of anything else flew out of my mind as I hissed and began throwing things into my satchel—wallet, ID, extra cash, clothes, passport…. The others stared at me mutely for a moment before erupting at once.

"What?" Rosalie asked.

"Ed, man, you're scaring me… What's the deal?" Emmett inquired.

"Edward," Carlisle asked, puzzled. "What is going on?"

"Are you alright?" Esme exclaimed.

"What's making you feel so… driven?" Jasper wondered, baffled.

Alice answered her mate's question in a dead-pan voice, her face shaped by pure horror.

"Victoria."

The name fell into the room from Alice's lips like a bowling ball, rolling around in their minds until everyone reacted at once. Then their thoughts were bedlam!

Alice's mind stayed stuck in "horrified" mode while Esme and Carlisle's first thoughts were ones of initial panic and then planning.

Oh, no! Bella would be defenseless against a monster like Victoria!

I can take a leave of absence; I'll cite a family emergency, I'm sure the university will understand…

Emmett's mind was nothing but one large, loud, four-letter word.

Rosalie's mental sentiments were confused. What does he think he's going to do?

Jasper took a deep breath and was visibly trembling as he fought to calm everyone down.

I looked at each of my family members in turn.

"This is something I have to do alone," I said with determination. "I'm not going to let you uproot your lives again for my sake."

"Edward!" Esme chided me, shocked. "You can't take on Victoria by yourself."

I grinned at my Mother and lied through my teeth. "I won't fight her alone, I just have to find her alone. I promise once I find her I'll let you know and we can work together to destroy her. But tracking her is my task and mine alone." I knew I wouldn't be able to make them understand, so I merely rushed to embrace Esme, then Carlisle.

"So, what? You're leaving now?" Rosalie stared at me as if I were insane.

"I have to do this!" I said swiftly.

I had shaken hands with Jasper and was about to move to Emmett when his huge hands gripped my shoulders.

"Uh-uh, no way," he declared. "You can't do this, Edward! Even if you do find her and get her isolated, there's no telling how long you'd have to hold her for til we were able to come help you. Either we go with you or you don't go."

I hissed in frustration. I didn't have time for this! Rosalie of all people, though, came to my rescue.

"Emmett!" she wailed. "When has Edward ever lied to you about something this important? We were planning on taking a tour through Europe! If he wants to go off half-cocked for Bella Swan again, don't you think at this point there's nothing you can do to convince him otherwise?"

The rest of my family weighed her words silently, taking in more than their face value and seeing through the words themselves. They all knew I would never intentionally jeopardize myself except when it came to Bella, but they also sensed I would not be backing down on this. For once I was beyond glad for Rosalie's selfishness.

"She's right, Em," I persuaded him. "I told you, I'm not going to upset your lives with this. When I find her, you'll be the first to know," I promised. I made my way to hug goodbye to Alice, who was still standing in shock, searching for any possibilities of Victoria's location.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you anymore," I said honestly.

She seemed to stare through me and then brought her eyes sharply up to my face. "He's right, Emmett," she said, her eyes never leaving mine. "He needs to do this alone. We'd just get in the way at the moment."

Her mind projected a horrific sight into mine- Emmett's assistance to me would be compromised by Rosalie being harmed by Victoria in an attempt to distract us, should they accompany me. I was so thankful for Alice that it hurt to know I couldn't help her, but I wasn't going to let Victoria wander freely through the world as long as Bella was alive.

A stray thought pierced me like a bullet—what if it was too late? What if she was already dead? But no…. something in me, somewhere, told me I would know if Bella was dead.

"Where will you start?" Emmett asked me in the same instant everyone's mind focused on the one place I knew Victoria had definitely been before….

Forks.

I had sworn to myself I would never go back, but with Victoria out there potentially stalking Bella I had no choice. I wouldn't talk to Bella; I wouldn't even look for her. My sole purpose, my very reason for surviving anymore, became about protecting Bella. I knew interacting with her would be beyond detrimental to her protection, because Victoria would undoubtedly follow me if she were to be made aware of my return to Forks. That left one option- find her before she found me. I'd make my way to the airport to book a flight to Salt Lake City. There I'd pick up my car (assuming it was still there) because I knew I'd need it for ease of moment once I returned to Forks.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I have to do this," I said again.

Alice grabbed my hand and spoke passionately, "Stay in Forks only long enough to keep her scent, and then head towards Seattle. After that I can't see anything."

"Thank you," I said regretfully.

I gave my family one last look goodbye and rushed out the door.

Annnnnd he's off! The hunt begins for Victoria, but Edward's about to get more than he bargained for. Please review! Readers without reviews are like alligator blood- they're nice but not that nourishing. (=