Thanks for the reviews!! It's good to know ya'll are still interested in this story! And, as a side-note, I never meant to cast Bella in a negative light. I'm not trying to make her seem like a complete ditz, this is just from Evie's point of view, and she's a bit on the cynical side herself.

That said, continue to let me know what you think! This chapter gets more into the events of Eclipse. It's also substantially longer than most of the chapters in this story so far, hope it makes up for being MIA for so long!


~wwsadd


Borderline Dangerous

The week passed and I fell into a sort of routine with the Cullens. We'd meet at lunch and act civil but not overly-friendly, Bella and I would go to class and we would talk in whispers about what had been going on for the previous couple of years in Forks.

After school I'd head to her house, make polite small talk with her cop-dad, and then make a quick exit after a couple hours "hanging out" and spend the rest of the evening at the Cullen place, talking to Carlisle or Edward about vampires, hunters, and the activity that had started up in Seattle. Something strange was going on there.

Esme quickly fell into the habit of having something ready for me to eat for dinner, and each night I was there she reminded me more and more of a mother.

Bella had been grounded for her fieldtrip to Italy, which I'd been informed that her dad was under some serious misconceptions about. Thursday at lunch however, she announced that she was free. Everyone seemed pretty excited, especially Alice. Until her face went blank and she became completely unresponsive for a whole two minutes.

I was a quick learner, and between the looks on Bella and Edward's faces, Alice was having a vision. My mind jumped immediately to John. It'd only been a week! Had he already gotten bored hunting the real demons of the world? Or was he just that vindictive?

The moment was awkwardly smoothed over, but I brought it up as we were sitting in History. "What was that at lunch?" I whispered, glancing around.

Bella's eyes swept the room too. "A vision. But I don't know what. And I have a feeling they aren't going to share. Sometimes they're infuriatingly overprotective." She muttered.

I sighed. "Well, they'll tell me." I pointed out.

She shot me a dirty look. "Of course they will. And you'll tell me. Right?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Sure. It's dangerous enough what you're doing, without being in the dark about possible…obstacles." I hissed back.

Alice pulled me aside roughly as soon as our final classes let out. "Hey, Edward's going to go over to Bella's. You should just come back to the house with me…we need to discuss something." She said quietly. I nodded curtly, not particularly enjoying the fact that they seemed to deliberately be trying to keep something important from Bella. My bet was that whatever it was, she needed to know.

We hurried to catch up to them; they were talking to Mike, something about his car. We all climbed in Edward's Volvo, and Edward and Alice kept up a string of nonsense-chatter all the way to the turn-off to their house. "Hey Bella, Evie and I have some things to work on for Advanced Art. We'll see you tomorrow!" Alice chirped brightly, motioning for me to jump out of the car too.

I shot Bella an apologetic look, to which she gave an exasperated sigh. As soon as the Volvo disappeared back down the street, I turned and started walking down the shaded path to the house. "Start talking Alice." I demanded.

She sighed. "Okay, your little crazy slayer friends aren't our biggest problem at the moment." She began. I let out a sigh of relief. She looked at me like maybe I'd lost it.

"So whatever you saw earlier, it had nothing to do with John Winchester?" I asked.

She shook her head. "What? No. How much has Bella told you about our friend Victoria?"

I remembered the quiet conversation about what had happened in Phoenix, and shuddered. "Right, James' psychopathic girlfriend. What about her?"

Alice laughed. "Sorry, it still amazes me that vampires don't scare you." I smirked. "Anyway, she wants to kill Bella because Edward killed James. Which isn't technically true, but water under a bridge. Love for love, you know? She's been around a bit the last few months, but I just had a vision of her getting really close. So Edward's going to try to convince Bella to go visit her mother in Jacksonville for the weekend so we can hopefully get rid of Victoria once and for all."

I laughed. "Finally! A vampire I'm allowed to kill!" I said happily. I was afraid I was going to go soft, hanging out with good vampires all the time.

Alice grinned. "If you can catch her, go for it. She's a fast psychopath." She pointed out, echoing my earlier comment.

We'd made it up the porch steps when I turned back to her, something she'd said finally clicking in my brain. "Wait, so you just told me she'd been around the last few months, right?" I asked.

She raised one dark eyebrow. "Yes. She's just been making her way up and down the coastline, since January or so. Why?"

I gave her a pointed look. "You guys just got back like, two and a half weeks ago. If this vampire chick's goal is to kill Bella, didn't she have a whole two months to do it, without you being around to stop her? Who was playing babysitter while you were on vacation?" I asked.

Her mouth opened as if to reply, and then closed again, twice. She finally spoke, turning away from me and toward the door, her hand on the knob. "Oh, uh, about that…" She trailed off, leading the way inside.

*********

Ten minutes later I was pacing around her ridiculously plush gigantic room. "What do you mean werewolves!?" I asked, for the second time since she'd dragged me up here.

"You know, like massively big smelly dogs." She replied shortly, sitting fluidly down in the window seat.

I shot her a dirty look. "So now there're vampires and werewolves? Don't y'all hate each other? What gives?" I demanded. Good vampires? Fine, I could deal with that. But good vampires playing nice with their archenemies? Was I completely oblivious all these years, or had the world had actually turned upside down?

"Well, we don't hate them… And Bella's best friend Jake is one of them. He took care of her while we were… away. We have a treaty with them, as long as we don't harm humans, they won't attack us, and they won't tell anyone about our existence." She explained.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a migraine coming on. "So let me guess. They're good werewolves." I said, making sure my sarcasm was apparent in my voice.

Alice sighed. "I know, it's a lot to process. But just bear with us, okay? We could really use your help with this." She said softly.

I groaned, but nodded in assent. What other choice did I have? "Alright alright, I'm in. But look, I'm gonna head back to my motel room and do some research. There's some weird stuff going on in Seattle, and I've gotta decide if I wanna call in any backup. Can we talk about the whole werewolf issue tomorrow?" I requested.

"Backup?" She asked, clearly ignoring my question.

"Yes. There's more than just one rogue vampire in Seattle, and with your issues with Victoria and now your furry new friends, I have enough to deal with here without splitting my focus. I've been debating calling in some friends, but they won't be on the same page as far as this little alliance we have going on here, and I'm not sure whether I'm willing to risk it or not just yet." I explained, making my way to her bedroom door.

Alice's eyes widened in obvious apprehension. "Whatever you think is best I suppose." She said hesitantly. I nodded and made my exit as silently as possible. The large house still gave me the creeps, just knowing so many people were present without being able to sense their presence.

*********

When I got safely back to my room, I locked the door and flopped down on my bed, pulling Uncle Dan's journal out and flipping through it with a practiced hand. I left it open in front of me, staring at the rough impression of a wolf-man. It stood up on two feet, claws and teeth both sharpened and threatening.

I shuddered. Bella's best friend was that? She was seriously off her rocker. I read through the short notes that were scrawled under the picture. Apparently werewolves were temperamental, but none too intelligent. If they became a problem, well, it'd be an easy problem to handle.

Besides, according to Uncle Dan's records, they were only dangerous on certain days—in accordance with the lunar cycle. And moreover, how many could there possibly be? You had to be bitten to turn into one, and if they were good werewolves, as Alice claimed, they wouldn't be running around ruining peoples' lives… right?

Closing the book disgustedly, I pulled out my phone and the worn old business card that I'd kept for so many years. After a few minutes of intense internal debate, I tossed the card back in the nightstand with the pistol, and flipped my phone open. I dialed a number that I knew by heart.

" …`ello?" The raspy voice answered. I grinned. Wasted already.

"Hey Ash! It's Evie." I replied.

"Oh hey E! How goes it? Been a while since we heard from ya." He drawled.

I laughed. "Yeah well I've been pretty good about keeping myself out of trouble for the most part. Until recently that is. Did you hear about my uncle?" I asked.

There was a short silence. "Yeah, E, sorry about that. We woulda come to a funeral, but Ellen said you'd prob'ly a'ready cleared outta town."

I nodded, though I realized he couldn't see me. "She was right, as usual. Anyway, I'm out west now, working on something my uncle had asked me to do. But I could really use a favor." I hinted.

I heard a slight chuckle on the other end of the line. "That's what I'm here for. What do ya need?"

I took a deep breath. I trusted Ash. Ellen Harvelle too, even if her daughter Jo was a bit of a ditz to be allowed out on hunts alone, in my opinion. Even so, I wasn't sure either of them would take kindly to the fact that I was working with vampires. So I kept it simple.

"Seattle. Vampires. Just let me know if you hear anything. I have it under control right now, but this seems to be a bizarre case, even by my standards. I just want to keep my bases covered." I explained.

"Bases, check." Ash replied, causing me to laugh again.

"Thanks Ash, I owe you! Anyway, give my love to Ellen and Jo, and I'll be sure to come around again soon." I promised.

"Take care, E!" He said, before I heard a distinct click. I sighed and tossed my phone on the nightstand. This was getting complicated. Complicated was never good on a hunt. Get in; take care of business, and get out was how I'd always operated. Too bad that theory didn't work here.

Rolling over onto my back, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. It wasn't even dark yet, but I knew I needed an extra long sleep, unless I wanted to crack from stress.

*********

The next day in History, I approached the subject, wanting Bella's take on it. "So… Alice and I had an interesting conversation about your…" I cleared my throat, "pets." I decided on the least insulting word I could think of.

I heard her sharp intake of breath but kept my eyes trained on the teacher. "What? How did you…?"

"It came up kind of randomly actually, when I asked how you'd managed to keep yourself out of trouble when they were gone. Wanna explain to me what the hell you're thinking?" I hissed quietly.

It took her a few minutes to answer. "Alright, I know it looks bad, but please trust me. Jake's a good guy, a really really good guy. And all I've done is hurt him. He's my best friend, but Edward is being so difficult, and won't let me go see him." She told me, the sadness apparent in her voice, as soft as it was.

I snorted, earning a glare from the girl sitting in front of me, who shot the dirty look over her shoulder. I was even quieter than before when I retorted. "Won't let you? Look B, your life, your choice. I'm not saying I'm an advocate of… dogs, but make sure that the decisions you make are yours and yours alone. Otherwise you'll end up with nothing but a lifetime full of regrets." I whispered.

She sighed. "I want to see Jake. I feel like I need to explain so many things to him. But now just isn't a good time." She defended.

"There's no time like the present." I muttered back, wondering why I was so intent on playing devil's advocate all of the sudden.

"I know. Edward and I are going to Florida this weekend to see my mom, but the minute we get back I'll go see him, even if it means you have to detain Edward so I can get down to La Push." She said, her tone turning light and teasing.

I snickered quietly. "Gladly."

I sidestepped her questions about Alice's vision of the day before, realizing it was in everyone's best interest to just leave it be until she and Edward got back from Jacksonville.

*********

That night I took Daniel's journal and a small bag of necessities and headed over to the Cullens' for a night of intense discussion.

I ran into Eric on the way out. I'd remained friendly at school, but I hadn't had time to keep up the charade outside of the classroom setting. "Hey stranger!" He called.

I stopped, cursing mentally and plastering a fake smile on my face. "Hey Eric! What's up?"I asked, as though I cared.

He shrugged self-consciously. "Not too much. Hey, are you busy tomorrow night? I wanted to see if maybe you would like to see a movie in Port Angeles or something…" He trailed off.

I held back a groan. "You know, that sounds like a lot of fun. But I actually promised Alice Cullen I'd help her with a big senior Art project this weekend. Rain check?" I asked, wanting to kick myself.

His face fell, though only slightly. "Sure…so…you actually get along with the Cullens…right? Don't you ever get the feeling they're kind of… I don't know, off?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

I smiled brightly, though my heart sped up strangely. "Oh, I didn't get that impression at all! I think maybe they're just misunderstood… They seem nice enough to me anyway. Hey, I'll catch up to you at school on Monday, okay?" I asked hurriedly, wanting to be out of the awkward social situation. I'd take a bloodthirsty demon over turning down dates any day.

Making a quick exit, I jumped in my truck and hightailed it to the Cullen place. I had planned my arrival for just after Bella and Edward left for the airport—no sense in making her even more suspicious. Alice let me in with a cheery smile. "For the record, you and I are working on an Art project all weekend if anyone asks." I informed her, making my way into the spacious living room.

She laughed lightly. "Who'd you run into?"

"Eric Yorkie. Actually it's a good thing I had this as an excuse, or I might have felt obligated to accept his offer of a date tomorrow night." I complained, with an exaggerated shudder. Alice giggled again, falling gracefully onto the couch. I dropped my bag and sat down next to her, pulling my feet up under me.

"Poor you." She mocked. I stuck my tongue out.

"You're lucky everyone's too scared of you to even think of making a move on you." I muttered. She stuck her tongue out at me in retaliation.

We were quickly joined by the rest of the family, sans-Edward, of course.

Alice began recounting, in detail, the vision she had. "This could be tricky; we have to mind the line." She finished.

"I'm sorry, what line?" I asked, confused.

"The line between our land and the land that the dogs control. We can't cross it." Emmett informed me. "It's a major pain in the ass." He added.

"Oh. Wonderful." I replied.

"As long as we come at her from every side, it shouldn't be impossible to keep her from crossing into their territory." Jasper, decidedly my least favorite Cullen, said.

"I thought you guys were friends."I pointed out.

"In theory." Rosalie muttered, and I held back a laugh. I could see why Bella didn't like her, but she wasn't nearly as goody-two-shoes as the rest of the Cullens, and I appreciated her darker sense of humor.

"Fair enough. Looks like we know what my job's going to be." I said.

"You know Evelyn, I feel like we shouldn't be asking you to take a part in this. It could be dangerous." Carlisle said, the sincerity in his expression too clear to allow me to be angry. I actually really appreciated how much he had stepped in for my Uncle Dan in the last week; even refusing to call me Evie. It was weirdly comforting.

I shrugged off my sentimental feelings. "I know, and I thank you for the concern Carlisle, but keep in mind that my uncle, the one who raised me, is the only hunter that ever got close to outsmarting you. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I'm here; I might as well make myself useful, right?" I asked.

He seemed hesitant to agree with me, but finally conceded. "So, what is your job, as you see it?" He asked.

I grinned. "Well ya'll may have made a treaty with the La Push werewolves, but I didn't. That means I can cross the line if need be. I'll be border control." I said, fidgeting with the knife I'd pulled out of my boot.

The game plan we came up with was simple, but sounded effective. As much disdain as I felt toward Jasper, he was pretty much a genius in strategy.

*********

It seemed as though everything was going to go smoothly. I was hidden up in a tree that stood precisely on what they told me was the "line". The knife Uncle Daniel had given me so long ago was clutched tightly in my hands. I didn't know why I was so nervous; I'd done this a million times. I guess deep down I still couldn't get over my prejudice against the Cullens. They were vampires and my instincts were telling me they were going to betray me.

The sky was dark, large wet raindrops began to fall, quickly soaking through my long dark hair, and my black tank and green cargo pants. I shivered, wishing I'd worn something warmer; it never rained this much in Colorado.

It seemed like hours later when I finally sensed a change in the atmosphere. My knuckles turned white even through my darker coloring, my fingers were gripping the handle of my knife so hard. I barely breathed, waiting for the moment I should spring into action.

Then three things seemed to happen in quick succession. First, I heard Emmett and Jasper completely giving away their position; a sound like an avalanche assaulted my ears. Second, a deep snarling seemed to completely surround us. And third, something, or rather someone, dashed past the tree where I was hidden. She was so fast that all I caught was a blur the color of fire before she was gone.

Alice had been right, she was a quick one. I dropped lithely from the branches and took off after her, knowing I couldn't catch her, but hoping I could track her. She wasn't being as careful as she ought to have been, and her trail was easy to follow—broken branches littered the path I followed.

I was confident that when we got far enough away from the Cullens that she didn't feel threatened anymore, she would turn on me, and then I would finish her.

My plan was simple, but it was one that had worked many a time. Vampires always underestimated hunters. I sprinted after her, breathing evenly and making sure not to loosen the grip of the knife in my hand. There was a clearing in the trees up ahead, and squinting, I could see that if I didn't slow down, I was going to run right over the edge of the cliffs that opened up onto the Pacific Ocean.

Skidding to a halt, I looked around, and listened intently to the sounds of the forest.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" A lilting voice asked. I spun, catching my first full view of the vampire that could only be Victoria. Her wild eyes matched her fiery hair. Her lips were curled into a smirk far more vicious than the one I tended to sport.

I lifted my chin defiantly. "New friend of the Cullens. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I think I've lied enough this week." I replied.

"They have certainly made a habit out of keeping humans pets." She remarked, clucking her tongue as if to scold me. "Vampires are not good company to keep little girl."

I laughed lightly. "Neither are hunters." I muttered. Her eyes zeroed in on the knife clutched in my hand. I dropped into a crouch, ready for the real work to begin.

At that precise moment I heard something that sounded like an earthquake. It was accompanied by more snarling, and a deep growl that sent shivers down my spine. I wondered what the hell kind of a game the Cullens were playing while I was trying to solve their little problem.

The next second, there was a thunderous crashing noise, and I groaned. "Damn bloodsuckers." I cursed, turning and dashing back the way I came. There was a moment when I thought Victoria might attack me from behind, but throwing a glance over my shoulder I saw that she had disappeared.

I thought after four years on the job, nothing would ever truly be able to shock me, good vampires aside. But when I made it back to where I had left my new friends, I nearly stopped breathing. Everyone was poised to attack, snarls and growls ripping from the monsters on both side of the almost tangible line.

The vampires couldn't hold my attention, however, because the hugely gigantic wolves had me completely mesmerized. I'd never seen anything like them before. I didn't even feel the knife drop out of my hands, I was so stunned. They were the largest wolves I'd ever seen, but moreover they did not resemble at all the images of werewolves I'd seen and heard described.

And there were so many of them! There was no way that all of them had been bitten without some sort of word spreading through the hunter-world. My sudden and apparently unexpected appearance halted whatever major fight was about to go down. I took a couple of deep breaths before crouching down to pick up my abandoned knife.

"Hate to break up the love fest, but your little friend got away from me." I stated, crossing back into what seemed to be 'vampire land'. The wolf I passed closest to swung his large reddish-brown head around to fix me with a astonishingly intelligent gaze. I stumbled in shock, nearly cutting myself with my own knife.

Straightening up, I stowed it back in my boot—I could only imagine how much worse the situation could get if human blood became in any way involved. I'd managed not to break eye-contact with the wolf that seemed to be staring me down, as I backed up slowly.

The silence of my surroundings finally broke through the fog in my brain. The red wolf's large gentle eyes widened considerably, and then it let out a yelp. It was a strange, non-threatening sound, but caused a shiver to run down my back. Seemingly simultaneously, all the wolves turned and fled back the direction that I had come, quickly disappearing into the trees.

I turned my attention back to the matter at hand. The vampires were standing in a loose grouping, but they all still seemed tensed for a fight. "Sorry I lost Victoria; it sounded like the earth was ripping apart so I figured I needed to come investigate." I said, hating how breathless my voice sounded.

Everyone seemed dazed. "We'll get her next time…" Emmett mumbled. "What the hell was that?" He added, as though what had just happened had finally registered in his brain.

I tried to laugh, though it sounded off. "That was an eye-opener." I half-joked. Alice shot me a dirty look.

"We told you about the werewolves." She snapped.

I laughed for real this time. "Hate to break it to you guys, but those are not werewolves."


P.S. for those of you that don't watch Supernatural, Ash is a guy that does a lot with technology to help hunters (i.e. the Winchesters) with their jobs. Ellen is the wife of a hunter that was killed, and Jo, her daughter tries to be a hunter.

Hope that clears up any confusion!

Review! you know you want to!