Disclaimer: Twilight and any Twilight characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 7: Suspicion

I mindlessly flipped through the hundreds of channels available on the Cullens' television. I wasn't actually looking for something to watch. The images on the screen passed as colorful blurs. I was so tired that my eyes actually hurt. Forcing them to focus on the screen would have taken too much effort. I just needed to pass the time.

That was all I had done lately. Find ways to pass the time. The first couple of nights that James had stayed away, I had been nothing but relieved. But as the days passed and James still did not appear, I had become increasingly anxious. I hadn't been able to sleep well for days. The smallest sounds woke me. I constantly expected James to appear at my bedroom window.

The possible reasons for his absence had been playing on repeat in my mind for the last week. He had changed his plans and was now plotting ways to destroy Edward. He had decided to eliminate any additional competition by tracking and killing Jacob. He was creating a new army of newborns so that he could take on the entire Cullen family. He had completely lost interest in the idea of me as a mate and moved on. He had angered the Volturi in some way and been executed. Or maybe he was intentionally trying to drive me insane by the constant anticipation and dread.

Personally, I thought that the last possibility was the most likely.

I flopped facedown on the couch and groaned into the soft cushion. If the lost of my sanity was in fact James's goal, he just may have accomplished it.

"Bella?"

When I felt the icy hand lightly grasp my shoulder, I instinctively gasped and jerked away, falling off the couch in the process.

"Bella? Are you all right, sweetie?"

I looked up to see Esme peering at me from behind the couch. A concerned expression marred her otherwise flawless features.

"Oh, yeah! I'm fine," I answered in what I hoped was a cheerful tone. "You just surprised me. I didn't know anyone was home yet."

"I just walked in," Esme replied as she walked around the couch and helped me to my feet. For the most part, the Cullens have accepted and ceased commenting on my total lack of grace. Except Emmett, of course.

I glanced around the room before asking, "Where's Carlisle? Didn't he come back with you?"

Esme sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to her. I sat down next to her as she replied, "Yes, but you know Carlisle. He wanted to stop in at the hospital to check on a few patients, so I just ran home ahead of him. He should be back soon. But where is everyone else?"

"Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett are out looking at cars in Port Angeles. My truck finally died and Edward convinced me to let him buy me a new one. I agreed, but only if I didn't have to help find it. And Alice dragged Jasper shopping. She said something about a once-in-a-lifetime sale. How was your trip? Did you two have fun?"

"Yes, it was nice to get away for a while. No matter how old your children are, sometimes you need a break from them," Esme smiled, but I could still see concern in her eyes. "I'm glad we have the house to ourselves for a little while, Bella. We haven't had much time for talking lately, have we?"

"Not with all of Alice's wedding planning!" I answered jovially. The truth was that I had avoided any serious conversation with the Cullens. I couldn't trust myself to not let something slip. It was better to keep the conversation light.

"Please don't think that I'm trying to intrude on your privacy, but I can't help notice that something is worrying you," Esme said gently. "I've never seen you so anxious and restless. Won't you tell me what's wrong?"

I wanted nothing more than to tell Esme everything. She would hug me and tell me everything would be okay. It wouldn't be my responsibility anymore. Esme would tell Carlisle and the others and they would take care of it. They would make plans and go after James. And then they just might get killed.

I plastered a smile on my face. "Nothing's wrong, really. I think I'm just a little nervous about the wedding. I hate the thought of being the center of attention."

The worry lines did not leave Esme's forehead. "All right. But if you do need to talk about anything, you know that you can always come to me. You mean just as much to me now as Edward does. There isn't anything you can't tell me."

I nodded quickly. A lump in my throat made it impossible to speak. I was saved from attempting further conversation by the sound of a car pulling up to the house.

"That must be Carlisle," said Esme. Any trace of worry in her face was replaced by an expression of delight. I loved seeing how much she and Carlisle cared for each other. I didn't have memories of Charlie and Renee parents as a happy couple.

It wasn't long before everyone else got home. Emmett and Edward were clearly in on some joke that involved me. They cracked up laughing when I asked about the results of the search for my new car and refused to tell me why. I even caught Rosalie hiding a smile a couple times. Alice strolled in the house empty handed, Jasper trailing behind her, loaded down with bags of clothing.

We spent the rest of the evening playing board games while I ate the dinner that Edward had thoughtfully picked up for me. It was a perfect evening, until I realized that it was getting late and I needed to get home.

"You don't have to go all the way home tonight. Spend the night here," Alice urged when I stood to leave. "I know it would make Edward happy."

"Not to mention the rest of us," Emmett commented. "He's been moping around and blaring crappy music until the wee hours of the morning since you kicked him out of the bedroom."

"Emmett!" Esme and Rosalie shouted in unison. Alice and Jasper seemed torn between amusement and pity. Edward avoided looking in my direction. He actually looked a little embarrassed. At least he didn't have to worry about blushing. I could feel my own face burning from a combination of embarrassment and irritation. I didn't know that the Cullens were aware of our nighttime arrangement. I had assumed that Edward was keeping that quiet.

"I'm just saying…" Emmett protested.

"Well, don't!" Rosalie retorted. "Come on. Let's go you come up with more stupid comments."

As Rosalie led Emmett from the room, Carlisle stood and said to the others, "I think we should all give Edward and Bella a chance to say goodnight."

I waited until the room was cleared before speaking. "You didn't have to tell them," I said matter-of-factly.

Edward stopped avoiding my gaze and looked me square in the eyes. "I wasn't aware that you didn't want me to. Did you think they wouldn't notice me hanging around the house every night?"

"Of course not," I answered irritably. To be honest, I actually hadn't thought much about the Cullens' reaction to our new arrangement. "I just wish that you weren't making such a big deal about it."

"What did you expect, Bella?" Edward replied. "I agreed because I know it's what you want right now, but please don't expect me to be happy about it."

"Believe me, I'm aware that you're not happy about it," I said. I grabbed Edward's car keys from the coffee table. "If you don't mind, I'll drive myself home. I'll bring your car back in the morning."

Edward's eyes flashed angrily. "You won't even let me drive you home? What did I do wrong? Why are you acting like this?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," I said through gritted teeth. "I just want to be alone! See you tomorrow."

I resisted the urge to slam the front door behind me. Walking out to Edward's car, I asked myself why I was so angry with Edward. He really hadn't done anything, but I couldn't help feeling annoyed with him. Why couldn't he just pretend to be okay with staying away? It made dealing with James seem that much more difficult if Edward was upset with me. I hated making him unhappy.

Maybe it was just PMS. Ick. I always felt awkward around Edward during that time of the month. But he'd never mentioned it being a problem, and I am certainly never going to bring it up. I put the car into reverse and pressed on the gas. A loud screeching sound reminded me to take off the emergency break. I spent the drive home praying that James would not return tonight.


Alice's POV

I watched Bella pull onto the road. After a few moments, I couldn't see her anymore from the window where I stood. I sighed as I felt Jasper wrap his arms around me from behind. He rested his chin on my head as he murmured, "Something is wrong with Bella. For the last week, she has felt nothing but fear and anxiety."

"Does Edward know?" I asked softly.

"I've tried to keep it from him, but who knows how well that works," Jasper answered.

I turned in Jasper's arms to face him. "My visions are changing," I whispered. Jasper looked startled.

"How? What's changed?"

"I don't know exactly. I can't always see Bella clearly anymore," I spoke even more softly, fearing that Edward would hear me. "It's almost like when she's with the wolves."

Jasper looked over my head out the window. "Do you think that she's having second thoughts about marrying Edward? Is she going to choose Jacob?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know," I said, burying my head against Jasper's chest. "I still see the wedding day. But I don't see Bella."


A/N: Thanks so much for all the positive reviews! I really appreciate them. I had fun writing the last chapter about James, but it was hard! I had to listen to angry music on repeat and keep rewriting to get it right. Thank you to MuscalFox for pointing out the "fiance/fiancee" error. That should be corrected now. Really, if anyone else notices any other errors like that, please let me know so I can fix them. I will definitely finish this story, but it may take a while. In case you haven't noticed, I update very slowly.