Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Twilight belongs to the great Stephenie Meyer.

Authors Notes: Thank you all so much for the continued support and for all of the lovely reviews. We are honestly having a blast writing this together.

Bella, for once, cursed at her truck, wishing that it would go just a little faster. She was on her way to La Push; Billy knew something. She didn't know what, but it was important. His face when she mentioned the Cullens said it all. He knew of that name, and Bella was going to find out what he knew.

She arrived at the reservation and parked beside the Billy's red hut. Bella was shocked when Jacob came jogging out of the wooden garage, wiping his hands on an oily rag.

"Hey, Bells, twice in one week! Everything ok?" He offered Bella his hand, which she took and jumped out of the cab of her truck.

No, it's really not. Your dad knows something, and he's not letting up. "Yeah, fine, I guess... you know, given the situation."

Jacob nodded at Bella sadly. "Yeah, I know. Anything I can do to help?"

Well, now that you mention it... "Um, I feel kind of awkward asking..."

Jacob just looked at her. "Bells, it's me. You can ask me anything." He spread his arms wide.

She took a deep breath and jumped right in. "Well, I noticed the other night, when my dad was asking your dad about the Cullens, that he was acting funny... like he already knew them or something. But no one in town knows anything about them."

Jacob sighed. "Come on; let's take a walk on the beach."

They made their way down to First Beach and slowly walked along the shore, Bella being careful to stay out of the ocean spray. "So what do you know?" she asked, slightly breathless.

He laughed. "I don't really know anything, Bella; it's just more of a story our parents used to tell us at nighttime to scare us."

Bella felt goose bumps erupt all over her. "What kind of story?"

"It's supposed to be secret," he said to her out of the side of his mouth, joking with her.

She wanted to scream. She was so close. "Please? I won't tell anyone."

"Well, the legend of our tribe is that we're descended from wolves. As in, real wolves. And the real wolf only has one natural enemy." He paused for dramatic effect.

Bella was almost dizzy; she was so giddy to finally get some answers. "What?"

"The Cold Ones," he whispered.

"Cold ones?" she asked. "What are they?"

He laughed. "It's just an old story, Bella."

She could tell her face was white. "Um, yeah. But why does your dad know about them, if they just moved here?"

"Just moved back," he clarified. "The legend is that many years ago, when my grandfather was chief, that the Cold Ones came onto our lands, but they swore that they were different from their kind and so, our tribe made a treaty with them. So long as they didn't hunt on our land, we would leave them alone. So, they've been here before."

"You're joking."

He laughed, thumping her with his shoulder and practically knocking her to the ground. "Of course I am. Seriously?"

She forced a smile, while her mind was racing. She needed to get some information on the Quileute legends... and now.

Bella thanked Jacob with a smile and got a hug from him. Jacob asked if she wanted to go and see his father. Bella politely declined, making some excuse that she needed to get back home. It wasn't a lie; she had a lot to do at home.

She hugged Jacob once again, and he still felt as hot as he was the night before at the bonfire. "You better take it easy, Jake. You feel as though you're running a fever. You're really hot."

"I am feeling a little, strange, now you come to mention it, Bells. Maybe I'll go get it checked out," he said, nodding his head.

"You should. The last thing you want is to be dealing with a newborn baby and being sick at the same time," Bella replied, reminding him of his impending venture in fatherhood. Jake nodded vigorously.

Bella hugged her best friend once again and set off for home.

Bella opened her Mac Air - last year's birthday gift from Edward – and opened up Safari. Her slender fingers hovered over the keys for a moment after she chose Google as her browser. Her fingers touched the keys and, before she could change her mind, she typed out "The Cold Ones" and hit search.

The results seemed inconclusive at first – lots of mentions about Native American Myths and Legends, and Mythical Creatures. However, there was one word that stood out to her, over and over again. Apotamkin. She followed a couple of more links.

Well, the closest legend that would bear any similarity to The Cold One would be the Apotamkin. This creature is unlike most other vampire folklore because it's exclusive to the Native American people. The Apotamkin was a bona fide vampire, however, with all the abilities and super strengths of other vampires that we know. It was believed among Native Americans that the Apotamkin would feast on the blood of any animal or human. And it got its name just the way you would expect – Apotamkins were very cold to the touch, mostly because they were dead bodies.

"Vampire," she said aloud and tried not to snort with laughter. Of all the stupid... just… no.

Bella placed her computer on the coffee table and ran her hands through her hair. So, all-knowing Billy Black seemed to think that Dr. Cullen and his family were vampires? That was just a hundred shades of crazy.

She leaned forward and followed a few more links, looking at the rest of the Quileute legends. Like Jacob had said, his tribe was supposedly decedents of wolves – and certain members of the tribe were shape shifters.

Bella slammed the lid of her laptop shut and laid down on her couch, screaming into the cushion. She was angry and so frustrated. Something wasn't right, and now, people who were supposed to be her friends were feeding her stories which were only good as fairytales – something you would tell your kids to stop them from running into the woods alone.

Bella buried her face into the couch and yelled again. She'd always been told that screaming into a pillow was therapeutic, and it really was. But, Bella figured it was her body giving out because she was so exhausted, and her loud screams were using up the last of her energy.

A stone cold hand touched her shoulder, which caused Bella to spin around. The shock was clear in her eyes, and she gazed up at him. He was so beautiful.

Edward – but not Edward.

"I know what you are," she whispered, her voice quivering slightly.

Edward chuckled and grinned at her; he moved a step closer and towered over her small frame. He chuckled, showing his long, razor sharp teeth. "Oh, you think you know what I am?" he questioned, chuckling a little. "Why don't you tell me... come on, Isabella, enlighten me."

Bella looked up into Edward's eyes; they were bright red. She inhaled sharply, not being able to avert her gaze from his. It was as though he was looking right into her, as if he was controlling her. "V-vampire," she stuttered.

He laughed again, a little louder, and stepped closer so that only two inches separated them. He leaned down to her neck and brushed her hair over her shoulder before running his nose and tongue across the hollow of her throat and inhaling deeply. "Vampire... and you really believe that, Bella? Has that damned skeptic in you finally left the building?

Bella was unable to say a word. She was frozen solid, although her breath hitched considerably when Edward placed a long and languid lick across her collar bone. The feel of his icy tongue sent shivers down her spine.

"What, Agent Scully, you don't have a response? Wow, I am lost for words. I never honestly thought that you would believe so easily. I really expected to have to show you what I really am. So, Bella, my love, why not join me?"

"You kill people." Bella's voice was barely above a whisper.

"But of course, it's survival of the fittest. The exhilaration of the chase, the pleasure of the kill, and the satisfaction of hot, fresh blood running down your throat is a feeling next to nothing you could ever contemplate."

"It's wrong... this isn't you Edward... so what, you're a murderer now?"

Edward laughed crudely and grabbed Bella, holding her face roughly between his hands. "It's what I am. I love this; it's better than anything I had before. My prior life was incomplete… there was something missing, and now I know what it was. Mortality is over-rated. Join me, Isabella."

It was Bella's own screams that woke her from her fretful slumber on her couch. She was hot and perspiring. Her hand moved to her sweaty neck and she flipped onto her back, her breathing erratic. What the fuck is going on? Bella raked her hands through her hair nervously and sat up once again. She knew that she must have been screaming and crying hard in her sleep during the dream. Her throat was sore and her eyes puffy.

Bella wanted to call Jacob and give him a piece of her mind for putting such stupid stories in her head. She took a glance at the clock and saw that it was only 9 p.m. That was a reasonable time to still call.

She scrolled through her contacts on her phone and dialed Jake's number. It ran several times and went to voicemail, so she tried the land-line instead. She was surprised when Billy's gruff voice answered.

"Billy, it's Bella, I'm sorry it's late, but may I please talk to Jake? It won't take long."

Bella wasn't expecting the response she got from Jake's dad. "No, he's sick... he has mono and he can't come to the phone right now."

"Mono? Oh, my God, is he okay?" Bella asked of her best friend. "And what about Leah and the kids?"

"They're fine, Bella. I'll get Jake to call you when he's well again, but please, he needs his quiet, so don't be calling here again."

And with that, the line went dead. Bella glared at her phone in frustration. It made sense that Jake was sick – it had been she who had advised him to go see a doctor, although to go from just feeling a bit strange and having a high fever... but to deteriorate so quickly... he must be really sick. And then Billy's rudeness... perhaps he knew that Bella had questioned Jacob about the legends? After all, they were supposed to be kept within the tribe. Is he mad at me? It sure as hell seemed that way to me, Bella thought.

Carlisle called a family meeting in the dining room, and Edward could not help but think it ironic how they all met around the dining room table. He picked a seat toward the end of the table and sat down. Everyone's thoughts were centered on wondering what the meeting was about. Apparently, Carlisle had told no one what he intended to go over this evening.

"What's going on, Carlisle?" Emmett asked. It must be something big to get us all together; he never calls us in here unless it's important.

It appeared to Edward that Emmett did have a serious side to him. That was good to know.

Emmett's voice brought back to Edward his earlier memories, and he felt as if he were blushing. He could easily hear everyone in the house during their… extracurricular activities… and he had contemplated spending his evenings outside, but he knew that would not do any good either. He had found that he could still hear his new family's inner thoughts, even from a few miles away, and he was not yet comfortable to go into the forest by himself.

Carlisle sighed. "Well, we cannot stay here in Forks. With Edward joining our family and him being from Forks... it just won't work."

"So we have to move? Again?" Rosalie asked. "Just when we got settled?" That fucking sucks. It's always about someone else, never about me.

Oh, shut up, Rosalie. Edward's existence is more important than you and your hair-flipping.

Edward barely contained a snort. He could tell that thought had come from Alice, his creator. She was one who would always stick up for him, and although her boundless energy sometimes drove him nuts, he was becoming fonder of her by the day.

I hope he doesn't feel guilty for us needing to move. We've done it countless times, many times for each other. Edward, don't feel bad; we don't mind.

Edward appreciated Esme's motherly thoughts toward him. Nothing seemed to rattle her, and she was wonderful at keeping the entire clan – or coven, whatever they called themselves – under control.

Edward felt his face contort in guilt, and he tried to pull it back into mask of indifference. But if they left Forks, he would leave Bella. "I'm sorry," he said to the group, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Carlisle, is there no other way? I don't want to be so far from Bella."

Carlisle smiled at him in sympathy. "I'm afraid not. I've already called the hospital in Forks and told them that Seattle had made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I hated to do it, but I had no choice. Also, we're close enough to the Quileute tribe, that they could consider our creation of Edward a breaking of the treat -"

"The Quileutes?" Edward interrupted. "As in, La Push?"

He nodded. "Yes. They are our natural enemies; they are werewolves and are basically the only thing that can kill us besides another vampire." I hate to pull him away from this Bella, but he needs to break that connection. He cannot be with her anymore, since she's human. I am worried, though, what that will do to him.

Edward felt his mouth drop open. "You're telling me that the guys on La Push rez are fucking werewolves?" Would this ever end? This has to be a nightmare… it just has to be. None of these monsters are real.

"Yes, that's correct." I'm sorry, Edward. I really am.

Edward barked a laugh. "One of our best friends is a member of the Quileutes." Doesn't that just fucking figure. Now Bella's in danger not just from me, but apparently the whole damn tribe, too. But how do I warn her?