Nothing had prepared me for this moment. I thought I would be ready when they came back. I expected some anxiety over seeing them. I expected happiness, maybe even sadness. I didn't expect what I was actually feeling.

Anger.

I walked over to Alice and banged my fists on her chest. "How could you," I cried. I knew it wasn't her fault she left. But the way she left… that was entirely her fault.

I could feel the others moving toward me, probably to stop me from hurting myself. "Leave her," Jasper told them. It seemed a little weird. I was here, hitting his mate over and over again and he was telling them to let me. "She needs to get this out."

"I'm so sorry Bella," Alice said sadly. "I should have told you. I should have done something more. I am so sorry."

"Bella," Jasper said pulling my attention away from Alice. "Don't be angry at Alice. I made her leave. I tried to attack you that night. That was all me, not Alice."

"I never blamed you for that night," I said honestly. I had no more fight in me. "You're a vampire. I bled. It was my fault for getting a papercut. But Alice," I turned my attention back to her, "you should have told me. I would have understood. Right now… I don't know if I can forgive that."

"Bella," Alice protested.

"Alice," Jasper warned. "You might not like it but Bella is right." He turned his attention back to me. "We will respect your decision. We are here to help with Victoria. She was our responsibility and we failed. If you decide, after, that you don't want us around we will leave." Alice looked ready to protest but Jasper silenced her with a look.

"Of course, Bella," Alice said forcing a smile. "Take all the time you need." Even without Jasper's gift I knew she was sad.

Jasper handed me a piece of paper. "Our phone numbers," he explained. "We're staying in Port Angeles since our house is occupied."

"We did offer you the house back," Tanya said.

Jasper laughed. "We know. We don't want it. That's Carlisle's house, not ours. Besides, this gives Alice a chance to decorate." He grinned at his mate.

"Esme thought my tastes were too extravagant," Alice pouted.

"Solid gold bath fixtures, not at all extravagant," Jasper said with the shake of his head. "Call us if you need us, or if you just want to talk." With those words Jasper and Alice were gone.

I stared at the spot where they had stood. They were gone… again. I couldn't tell if I was relieved or sad. I honestly didn't expect them to leave so quickly, especially Alice. I know it was what I wanted but Alice didn't usually take no for an answer.

"Kate, Irina, can you give a minute?" Tanya requested. I didn't see or hear them leave. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Fine," I replied automatically. Tanya stared at me and I sighed. I sat on the edge of my bed. Tanya sat beside me. "Not fine," I corrected. "I spent months imagining Alice coming back here. I imagined Alice asking me to forgive her and in every scenario I imagined I forgave her. But seeing her now, I couldn't do it. I was so angry."

"No one blames you," Tanya assured me. "Alice understands. I don't think she looked to see how you would react because I think she was scared. She knows you have every right to be angry at her. She wasn't ready to accept that. I also know they won't leave again, unless you tell them to."

I wiped away the tears I didn't realize had fallen. "Charlie," I remembered. Had he been home during this? If so, how was I going to explain everything?

"Is still at work," Tanya said answering my unspoken question.

"Why are they here?" I asked after a few minutes. There sudden reappearance was bugging me.

Tanya sighed. "You were so upset about Alice leaving. So, I called them and asked them to come back. Alice wanted to come back immediately as did Jasper, once he figured out that Victoria was after you. He felt he owed it to you since he knew better than to let her live."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked with a frown.

Tanya hesitated for a moment. "Jasper has experience with vampires. He knew not to leave a vampire alive after killing their mate. You would have to ask him if you want to know more. That's his story to tell."

That's when it dawned on me that I knew nothing about Jasper's past. I knew he struggled with human blood but I never thought to ask him why. I had been so focused on E-Ed- Edward to even think about the other Cullens. Next time I saw him I would ask him about it. I didn't know if he would be willing to tell me but it was worth a try.

"I'll talk to him," I said.

"Jasper has friends coming to Forks," Tanya informed me.

"Okay," I said slowly. "Why are you telling me?"

"Two reasons." She held up a finger. "One you weren't willing to talk to Jasper so he didn't have an opportunity to tell you. Two," she held up another finger, "they are human drinkers. We wanted to make sure you were told before they showed up."

"Human drinkers," I gulped. I had a terrible history with human drinkers. Two of the three I met had tried, or are currently trying, to kill me. These may be Jasper's friends but I was still nervous.

"They will be on their best behavior," Tanya promised. "Peter and Charlotte only feed from bad humans. Peter has this… gift. As Jasper likes to say 'he knows shit.' He tends to know when someone is bad and that's how they pick their meals."

I wasn't sure if that helped or not. "What will Sam say about it?" I asked.

Tanya shrugged. "I'm sure he won't be happy but we need them. He will understand that."

"I thought your family could handle the newborns," I said confused. I didn't like this. It was getting too dangerous.

"We can," Tanya said. "But not without injuries. Also, you did ask me not to be a part of that, remember?" I nodded. I didn't want her near Victoria. Not again. "The wolves, Alice and Jasper, Peter and Charlotte and my family, we will have no trouble dealing with the newborns and even Victoria herself. Peter and Charlotte also have experience with newborns. With them helping we will be fine, even without me."

That explained how Jasper knew human drinkers. "I feel bad," I whispered. It was true. I did feel bad, but it wasn't because I was making Tanya stay with me. It was because that decision made the others unsafe."

"Don't Bella," Tanya said. "The others understand and they are not mad at you." I could feel Tanya's eyes on me. "Bella, having Peter and Charlotte here is just an extra precaution. We would be fine without them."

I still wasn't convinced but I let it go. "Fine," I said. I couldn't tell if Tanya bought it, probably not.

Tanya's phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly scanned through the message and sighed. "The police in Seattle think they got a lead on Riley. Charlie will be going to Seattle tonight to help out."

"How…?" I shook my head. I didn't want to know.

"Irina," Tanya answered. "She's watching Charlie."

"Is it safe for him in Seattle?" I questioned.

"Someone will be with him," Tanya assured me. "Even if the newborns are there, they won't get close to Charlie. But since Charlie will be gone tonight… You can come with us to wolf boot camp. Kate's words, not mine."

"Wolf boot camp?" I repeated.

"Training for the newborns," Tanya explained. "We are doing it at midnight. Less chance of anyone seeing us and the wolves."

"Are you training?" I asked.

"I am," Tanya confirmed. "I'm helping them. Jasper is running it. The best way for the wolves to practice is to fight against me, Irina and Kate. We are the oldest and therefore the strongest. If they can beat us then they will have no trouble against newborns as long as they use some common sense."

"What do you mean?" I asked leaning against her.

"Newborns have their own blood lingering in their tissues," Tanya began. "It makes them stronger than the average vampire. But they're also dumber. All they care about is blood. It makes them easier to take down because they have no sense of self-preservation. Kind of like you."

I glared at her. "Do too," I grumbled under my breath. It was childish, I know, but I couldn't help it.

The phone rang and I jumped up to go answer it. On my way out the door I tripped. I should have known better but I expected to hit the floor and have more than one bruise. But the impact never came. Instead I felt a cold, hard body.

Before I knew what was happening, I was downstairs in front of the phone. Tanya must have thought it was safer to carry me downstairs instead of letting me walk. As much as it frustrated me, she was right.

"Hello."

"Bella," Charlie said.

"Hi Dad." He must he calling about Seattle.

"Listen Bella, I won't be home tonight. I have to head to Seattle. We may have gotten a lead on a missing person."

"That's okay Dad," I told him. "I understand."

"Are you going to be okay on your own?" he asked concerned.

"I'll be fine Dad," I assured him. "Maybe I'll call Sam and Emily and see if they want to hang out."

"That sounds like a great idea Bella," Charlie said happily.

"I'll call them," I promised. It wasn't a complete lie. I was going to hang out with them later but not when Charlie wanted. I didn't feel guilty though. He didn't want me to be alone and I wasn't alone. That's what was important.

"Good. Have a good time Bella. There's some money in the drawer by the fridge if you guys want to order pizza," Charlie said. "Bye Bella."

"Bye Dad. Be safe."

"It's too early to head to the clearing. What do you want to do until then?" Tanya asked.

I shrugged. "Probably homework and some cleaning," I answered.

"Alright. You do homework. I'll clean. Then I will take you out to dinner before we meet the others," Tanya suggested.

"You don't have to do that," I told her. I was sure she had better things to do then clean.

"I want to," Tanya insisted. "Go, get your homework done."

I did what she said. It was dinnertime by the time I finished my homework. Tanya finished cleaning around the same time as me. I knew she purposely went slow. It was ridiculous. She could finish in minutes yet she allowed herself to take over two hours.

"I'm going to run and get my car," Tanya told me. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She kissed my forehead and disappeared.

While Tanya was gone, I changed into something nicer. A blue sweater that covered my arms and a pair of dark jeans. I had just finished brushing my hair when I heard a knock on the door. It must have been Tanya.

I pulled the door open and sure enough there was Tanya, wearing a black pantsuit that really stood out against her pale skin. "Are you ready to go?" Tanya asked.

"I feel underdressed," I muttered. Now that I thought about it, it was rather fitting. It represented a human being beside a vampire. It was how I felt every time I was beside him.

"You're perfect Bella," Tanya said. I blushed. "Do you have a preference for dinner?"

"Why are we going to dinner?" I questioned. She held open the door to her car. "You don't eat."

She climbed into the drivers seat but didn't start the car. "You need to get out and be a human. Go to dinner and eat till you're stuffed. Not sit around and wait for a vampire to try and kill you. Your life has been ruled by vampires so tonight for a few hours we are going to be human, or as human as I can be."

She started the car and drove toward Port Angeles. "Does that mean you're going to eat?" I asked.

"Yes," Tanya said with a sigh. It was as if it pained her to say it. Honestly, it probably did. "I will be eating with you."

"You don't have to do that," I quickly told her. As much as I appreciated it, it was unnecessary. "I know how much you guys hate human food."

"Yes, I'm not a fan of human food, but I want to do this," Tanya said. She glanced at me. "Besides it's hard to give you a nice human experience if I don't eat. Now, what are you in the mood for?"

My first instinct was to pick something cheap and simple, like fast food. But knowing Tanya she would take me somewhere that was the complete opposite, like a five-star restaurant. I didn't know how to respond. The only restaurant I knew about was the Italian place he took me to that night.

"I don't care," I finally said. I would let her pick something. I was bound to regret it but there wasn't much I could do about that.

"Okay, lucky for you I did some research," Tanya said with a grin. "I know the perfect place."

We sped down the highway. Tanya drove fast, just like every other vampire I knew. I got the feeling that she was going slower than normal for my sake. I did appreciate it. It wasn't that I feared for my life. I was confident she wouldn't let any harm come to me. My stomach however, couldn't take the fast speeds. It always made me queasy.

I couldn't help the glare when she pulled into the parking lot of C'est Si Bon, an expensive French restaurant. "Don't glare," Tanya said. "You should have picked something."

"Dang vampires," I muttered under my breath. Tanya grinned.

Before I could open the door and march off toward the restaurant, Tanya was standing there, door open and hand out to help me. I took her hand even though I still mad at her for picking a fancy restaurant.

Thanks to the vampire charms we were seated immediately. Tanya even convinced them to seat us away from everyone.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waiter asked. I watched him but he barely paid any attention to Tanya. It was strange seeing as guys couldn't keep their eyes off her in most cases.

"Water for me," Tanya answered.

The waiter turned to me. I picked the first thing I could find. "Lemonade."

"Would you ladies care to try an appetizer?" he asked.

I glanced through the menu, knowing Tanya would either pick nothing, or everything. "Bella," Tanya said letting it know it was my choice.

Even though I thought it was ridiculous to come here I figured I may as well enough it. "Fruits de Mer au Gratin," I told the waiter. It was a dish with scallops, crab and shrimp.

"I'll be right back with your drinks," the waiter said.

"It's not too late to back out of dinner," I told Tanya.

"I'm not backing out," Tanya said.

The waiter returned with our drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

"Bella?" I nodded, letting her know I know what I wanted. "I'll have the Saumon En Papilotte," she told the waiter.

He wrote down the order and turned to me. "I'll have the rack of lamb," I told him.

He jotted down my order. "I'll be back with your salads."

"Why isn't he staring at you?" I asked once he was out of earshot. "All the other human males can't keep their eyes off you but him… nothing."

Tanya laughed. "He's gay Bella," she said softly. "If one of the guys were here he would be staring."

"Oh," I said playing with my straw. That explained it.

"He's currently talking to one of the waitresses," Tanya continued. "She's jealous she didn't get our table."

"Does that ever bother you?" I wondered. "The fact that you can hear everything."

"Sometimes," Tanya said honestly. She paused when the waiter returned with our salads. True to her word she slowly started eating it. She even managed to not make faces every time she took a bite. "After a thousand years I've learned to tune things out. It's necessary when living with mated couples."

I blushed at the thought. I couldn't imagine having to hear… that all the time. "I'm glad I'm not a vampire," I muttered.

"Really?" Tanya repeated in surprise. She leaned forward in her seat. "I was under the impression that was what you wanted."

"It was," I admitted. "But I gave up on that dream when he left me in the forest."

Our food was brought to the table. "Do you need anything else?" the waiter asked. We shook our head. "Enjoy."

Halfway through my meal I sat my fork down. "If I asked you something, would you promise to tell the truth, regardless of how you think I will react?"

Tanya sat her own fork down. At least a minute passed without her saying anything. It looked like she was debating on how to answer my question. "Yes," she said finally.

"Why are you doing all this?" I asked. "Why does your family care so damn much about me?"

Tanya sighed. "The reason we have protecting you, the reason we care so much is simple." Her gold eyes locked on mine. "You're my mate Bella," Tanya told me.

Wait, what?