A/N: *sigh* So I got 17 reviews, from people who've reviewed nearly all the chapters. I'd like more reviews. For over 600 hits, I'd expect a little more. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. Anyway, I had a lot of conflict over this chapter, mainly Sam and Seth's fates. I don't want to cause reviewers anger, but a good story isn't without its share of drama. I'm going to leave Sam's fate unknown for now, so REVIEW to sway my decision onto whether Sam lives…or dies.

"Bells, why did you come back here, not that I'm complaining or anything. I love seeing you and the grandbaby, of course. I'm just a little confused. You're still a newlywed, after all." Charlie said, holding Willa in his arms feeding her a bottle of milk. Not cow milk. He was trying to open up around his daughter, and delving into the reason as to why she had come back home with Willa.

"We kind of had a fight. Somebody hurt Sam and Seth from the reservation, and Jake's angry. Not at me, but just…angry at whoever did it and why. I didn't want to leave, but he needs space." Bella said, fingering the hem of her sweater. A snowstorm had blown in during the time it had taken for Bella to get to Charlie's house; she'd spotted Paul hanging around the edge of the woods, a reminder of Jake's love for her.

"He's your husband, Bells. You love him, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He's always so kind and caring; he's such a great father to Willa. I've never felt more alive than when I was with him. He brought me back when Edward left, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him." She said, looking at her baby, a mirror image of Jacob. Her soft black curls, chubby baby cheeks, deep brown eyes that showed a lot of expression, normal-sized ears, long limbs and larger-than-average feet. Every minute she looked at her daughter, she felt a longing to be with Jacob. Was it the bond of the imprint? Or was it her heart telling her that she needed to be with her husband?

"Then what's the problem?"

"I told you, Dad. He needs some time to deal with Sam and Seth's injuries. All of the tribe is pulling together to help."

"You married into the tribe, Bells."

She sighed. "I know, but I'm not of native blood. I don't feel right being there right now, Dad, for my own reasons."

"I respect your decisions, Bella. I just hope that you know what you're doing. Jake's a good kid, and he's been real good to you and this little one here. I remember telling him to treat you right when you were getting married, and he said he'd do that with his life. Now, I thought that was a bit of an intense answer for a twenty-one-year-old kid, but he's always been that way."

"You have no idea, Dad."
"Oh, really?" He smirked like he had no idea of Jacob's fight for Bella.

"Yeah, when I went back…to Edward, he said that he wasn't going to let a good thing get away. He told you about the bikes because he figured that you'd forbid me from Edward, and he came to school one day and confronted him about not being right for me. I was stupid enough to not believe him at the time, but after graduation, I figured out that I'd been hung up on a guy who didn't deserve me. Jake did, and I needed to give him a chance to win my heart, and he did." Bella knew she couldn't tell her father everything that had occurred, after all, he didn't need to know about vampires and werewolves, but she found her voice cracking with emotion all the same.

Charlie looked to be tearing up as well. "I shouldn't have given him such a tough time after you guys got engaged. I see you made a good choice for my son-in-law. Personally, I'm happy you chose Jake. I don't think I'd like it if Edward Cullen was my son-in-law. He seemed a little unstable mentally. Too possessive."

If only he knew the truth that Edward was a raging, murdering, sociopathic serial killer vampire.

"I think Willa wouldn't have turned out as beautiful either."

Charlie guffawed, startling Willa. He quickly settled her, and Bella knew that if given the chance, he would've been a really good father when she was a newborn herself. Baby, that is. But, unfortunately, Renee hadn't wanted to give Charlie that chance. "Nope. Hey, have you heard about those killings going on in Seattle? I worry about you going up there."

"Dad, don't worry about me. I'm not planning on going up to Seattle anytime soon." She didn't feel like talking about the murders in Seattle with her father, partially because she didn't want to be reminded of Edward, and also because she didn't want to remember the reason why she'd left Jacob's warm embrace.

"Okay, that's good, Bells."

XXXXXXXXX

Outside the Swan residence, Jacob leaned against the side of the house, listening in on the conversation between Bella and Charlie. He'd felt his heart clench tightly when she had talked about him fighting for her life. He remembered those times as being difficult, but rewarding as well. Jacob had won Bella's heart. And her love. And knowing that she was here and not in their home that was theirs alone felt gut-wrenching and terrifying. He was constantly worried about Bella and Willa's safety, and he was driving the others crazy when immersed in the pack mind. He respected Paul, Quil and Embry's ability to protect, but it wasn't him. He couldn't be here all the time to protect her, and relying on others would've given him ulcers by now if he didn't heal so quickly.

On the subject of the Seattle homicides, he heard the intake of breath and speeding heartbeat that belonged to Bella, and she'd quickly shifted the conversation. He felt like he had a part in that hesitation.

Things hadn't been going well back at the reservation. At all. Seth had broken out with a fever a few nights ago, and it hadn't broken yet. It was an alarm when a pack member's body temperature rose above 112 degrees. Sue and Leah kept pouring cold water over his body, and placing ice-cold compresses on him. They'd even resorted to putting ice cubes down his clothing. Something wasn't right with the wounds. He hadn't been bitten, but his physical injuries had healed properly besides the fever. To make matters worse, they hadn't found Sam yet. Leah had broken down upon returning; proclaiming that she'd failed Sam by not finding him. Emily was beside herself, bursting out into tears without any warning. She was feeling intense pain by being apart from her imprint, and it blind-sided everyone. Matthew didn't understand why his father couldn't be there to tuck him in, or why he couldn't see Willa whenever he liked anymore. That boy really did have a big crush on Jacob's little daughter.

Another shocking development was that a newspaper article had been attached to the last victim, and not a note. It was an international article about an American girl who had gone missing while in Paris, France, and it was believed to be foul-play. Her boyfriend, also an American, was beside himself with grief. He was also from the Southern part of America. Alice Cullen had been reported missing by Jasper, who should have known where she was.

It was speculated that Edward had finished off his fortunetelling sister after she failed to kill Seth, or abduct Bella. This article had seemed to prove the theory. Seth had woken up briefly and told the others who his attacker was, and that she'd been attacked herself just before he fell unconscious. It had given the whole pack a sense of happiness to know at least one vampire had fallen, even if Edward had done the killing.

Jacob didn't want to tell Bella, and after hearing the conversation between Bella and Charlie, he no longer felt up to it. Bella deserved to have one afternoon with her father and Willa without him being the bearer of bad news. He ached to hold Bella in his arms again and love her until she couldn't walk; to hold his baby girl and watch her sleep peacefully in her arms, knowing that she was secure and safe. He wanted his family back, but now wasn't the time. He feared that he might overreact again like he had before, and he didn't want to hurt Bella.

"How's Seth, Jake?" Paul had emerged from the woods, making sure to keep out of sight from any windows.

"Still pretty hot. Sue's trying to get his fever down with an ice bath. It's gone down a degree or two, but it's still high."

Paul growled. "Damn it. How's Leah taking it?"

"How do you think she's taking it? Her brother's potentially dying, and her Alpha is still missing! Everything's just great. Emily's still broken up, too. She always knew that this life wouldn't be easy, but she didn't think that her husband could be missing. Mattie doesn't understand what's going on, but he does know that his dad is in trouble."

"I always knew that kid was smart."

"It would've been better if he wasn't."

An anguished howl reached their ears, and it chilled their blood. The message was clear:

Someone had just died.

A/N: PLEASE, tell me what you think. A guess, an idea, anything! Please review!