We walked in silence for a while. Edward kept glancing sideways at me, but I ignored the question in his eyes. He just sighed and grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop walking. "I thought you wanted to talk."

"I do" I replied softy and I looked up into the sky. Edward sighed again as I fell silent.

"It would help if you actually told me know what's on your mind… instead of blocking your thoughts."

I turned to face Edward, and I saw the same concern in his eyes that Esme had shown earlier. "It's tough Edward, you know that." He just nodded and waited for me to continue. I was silent for a few minutes, trying to gather the thousands of thoughts rushing through my head. "It was hard enough moving away from our home, into this house, and now," my voice broke as the single thought rushed through my mind. Our family is going blindly into danger. We'll just lose someone else, and I don't think anyone, especially me, could handle that so soon after Alice.

"Carlisle, you know it won't be like that!" Edward was surprised at the direction my thoughts were going. "We won't lose each other; Jane won't be able to handle the seven of us, especially with Bella helping." He placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked at him doubtfully.

"How do you know? I've never felt so… uncertain before. I've never feared for our family's safety more that I do now!" Edward just shook his head in defiance.

"Father, you don't really believe that we all aren't fearful? We know the possibility, but are refusing to see it because it's not a valid concern. Carlisle, we need to get Jane, and you know that we could hunt her easily, without getting hurt." I sighed again.

"I see the truth in your words, but it doesn't help my worry. Edward, my son, you've always helped me. But this time, I'm inconsolable. The very possibility of another death has imprinted on my mind…" I shook my head. "No matter how I look at the situation, I know that we will hunt her as a family, and I know we will kill Jane. But I still can't shake the feeling, no matter how silly it may be."

"Carlisle, you're our father. It only makes sense that you worry about our safety, especially after the past events. But have faith in us!" Edward's excitement seemed to be growing as I acknowledged his point. "Jasper is thinking about leaving by tomorrow night. The most difficult aspect of this whole thing will be finding Jane! The rest will be easy!"

My eyes widened in surprise. So soon? I asked Edward through my thoughts, and he nodded. "Well, I guess we have to start preparing." I turned towards the house but Edward stopped me.

"I'm always here Carlisle, if you need to talk. I know this is hard for you." I smiled my thanks and we walked back to the home together.

Esme was perched on the courtyard's short, granite wall. Her expression turned from worry to relief as she saw the smiles Edward and I had on our faces as we came out of the forest. "We're leaving tomorrow at twilight," Esme sang in excitement. "We're going to Forks to try and get Jane's scent, and then we'll hit the road!" Her enthusiasm was catching and I found myself ecstatic.

I took her hand in mine and pulled her into my arms, carrying her into the house and up the stairs into our room. I put her down on our bed and we sat with each other, taking in each others' features, enjoying the time alone. Esme put her hand on my cheek, and I closed my eyes, leaning into her touch.

"Are you okay with going?" Esme asked and I sighed, pulling her back into my arms. She rested her head against my chest and I was content.

"Now I am. I just worry, but we'll be okay."

Esme smiled largely and I kissed the top of her head. She shivered again and I laughed. "What? We don't spend nearly enough time together lately." She giggled as she raised her head and our lips met lightly. I laughed again.

"I can delay my return to the hospital if that's what you want. I wouldn't mind spending more time with you." She laughed again and rose off of the bed.

"I'm glad you would sacrifice others lives for me! But I don't expect you to do that. We'll just take a vacation, when this is all over." Esme began to grab outfits out of a drawer, and neatly tucked them into suitcases. "How long do you think we'll be gone?"

"Weeks. But it doesn't matter; we can always go to shops while on the road." I started to gather some of my own clothes and placed them on the bed. Esme folded the different articles and we chatted lightly until everything was packed. I took both of our bags done to my Mercedes and was surprised to see Rosalie sitting on the car's hood.

"Carlisle," she acknowledged me with a nod, but seemed to be lost in her thoughts. I placed our bags into the trunk and then turned to lean against the hood next to Rosalie. "So, are we only hunting Jane? Or are we going to take out the rest of the Volturi members?"

I stared at her until she looked me in the eyes and I shook my head. "Only Jane…," but I paused and added, "for now. I'm not sure if we'll continue, but Jane is our most important target."

Rosalie nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. For a while, I thought you wouldn't approve of our plans." I grimaced, was it really that obvious?

"I still don't enjoy the idea of killing her, but, even if I didn't approve, it wouldn't have stopped any of you."

Rosalie laughed lightly, "That's true." I smiled at her and we both stood. "Emmett and I are already packed. We're going to be taking the jeep and will go ahead of everyone to make sure that Forks is safe. We don't want the werewolves getting involved…" Rosalie trailed off but a malicious smirk played across her face. "Although it would be fun to have a little warm-up before we meet Jane."

"Rose, don't start anything with them please," I sighed, exasperated. Rosalie laughed again and Emmett came into the garage laughing too.

"Don't worry dad, I'll keep her under control," he boomed as he pulled Rosalie over his shoulder. She scowled and started hitting his back, but that only made him laugh harder as he walked her up towards their room. I chuckled as I followed them into the house. Esme was in the main space, putting covers on the furniture.

"It's a shame that we only just got settled in the house a few days ago," she said solemnly. I kissed Esme's cheek and continued up the stairs. I stopped outside of Bella and Edward's room, where I heard growling. I knocked on the door and Edward called, "Come in!"

I entered the room and saw the couple wrestling. Bella, of course, was stronger, but Edward was putting up a decent fight. Bella laughed as she jumped onto Edward's back where he couldn't reach her. Edward growled playfully and tried to grab Bella into his arms. I coughed once, and they both looked at me with sheepish grins.

"You two should start packing for the hunt," I stated simply and Bella's face darkened.

"Okay," she growled and walked into the closet, gathering suitcases. Edward cast a worried glance at her, but shrugged his shoulders as he pulled some shirts out of a drawer. I backed out of the room and continued to tour the house, making sure that we took anything we would need during the hunt. I found Jasper in my study, where he was looking at the various books that I had collected.

"Can I borrow some of these?" He asked as I walked in and I just nodded. Jasper pulled three books from the shelf and walked out of the room without another word. I frowned at his coldness, but understood his troubles. I pulled a few books from the shelf also, and continued back down the stairs. I made sure everything that was needed, was packed and that everyone was in a generally good mood.

A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending! Please tell me what you think! There are a few more chapters coming up today, so keep on the look-out! Please review! Thanks… :