Hereee you go, the next update!

There is some other fluff in this chapter, due to the lack of Carlisle.

Enjoy xx

Chapter 10

Alice POV

It was raining. Again.

'Hey, Jaz, I reckon this place rains more than Forks!' I called, though I could have whispered it and he still would have heard.

'Ridiculous,' he whispered in my ear, standing behind me in an instant.

'Don't you call me ridiculous, young man,' I turned around with a reproachful look on my face. He smiled softly, his lips only turning up at the corners slightly, and I bit my lip to stop myself smiling. A flood of warmth rushed over me, and a feeling of serene ecstasy filled my mind – 'stop it, Jaz,' I whined, when he dragged the feeling away as quickly as he had given it to me. Cruel, cruel boy.

'Don't you call me young man – I'm older than you,' he murmured, leaning forwards and breathing in deeply as his skin touched my hair.

'What's up?' I knew the second that his cheek brushed mine that there was something wrong – I had been with Jasper long enough to be able to realise anything from a single touch.

'Nothing,' he stepped back, a surprised expression on his face. 'Just... tired of drama,' he shrugged, 'all these negative emotions hurt my head.'

'I know how you feel,' I muttered, wrapping my arms around him and resting my forehead against his chest, 'sometimes so much is going on that all the storylines keep flashing into my mind and all the different scenarios and outcomes and I just want to scream! Carlisle and Esme and Rosalie and Emmett are all so lucky, no problems with their minds – and I bet Edward's mind reading isn't painful.'

'I don't know,' Jasper's large, strong arms enclosed me like a blanket, spreading warmth and happiness through my veins, 'it might not physically hurt... but I don't think I'd like knowing everything that everyone thinks of me the second that I walk into a room.'

I laughed slightly, my fingers rubbing the soft fabric of his shirt on his back, 'at least you'd know who was two-faced and who wasn't.'

'And I'd know if you really loved me as much as you say you do,' he smiled.

'Now you're being ridiculous,' I rolled my eyes, looking up into his and getting slightly lost in them; they were like pools of molten topaz. 'I love you more than anything on this earth has ever loved anything else,' I whispered, having to stand on tip toe to press my lips to his, 'I love you more than a carrier pigeon that flies a thousand miles carrying a heavy message just to get back to its mate – did you know that?' I added, 'carrier pigeons don't actually fly home, they fly to wherever their mate is.'

'No, I didn't know that,' I felt his smile beneath my lips, and his warm breath blew gently across my face, 'and that's why I love you so much, you're so random!'

'And you're so – OW!' I stumbled back from him, pressing a hand hard against my temple. Jasper caught me, sweeping the hair from my face with a look of concern in his eyes. 'GOD,' I gasped, as he picked me up and carried me over to a leather armchair.

'What is it?' He asked, as I curled my legs up to my chest on his lap.

'It's Bella,' I groaned, 'everything I see with her in... it's so angry, and then she just disappears! It makes my head hurt,' I growled. 'At first I thought it was because she died or something... but now it's just... she's still there, I know that, but I don't know anything else... she just vanishes!'

'You don't think you're losing...?' He gently pushed my hands away and ran his own over my temples, kneading just at the pressure points where all my tension was balled up.

'No, no,' I answered quickly – the thought was awful, 'no, I can see the future just as well as I ever could. I can see you and Edward and Esme and that goddamn head teacher... I just can't see Bella!'

'Maybe it's because she's so far away,' he said comfortingly, continuing to massage my head, and letting warm, gooey emotions flood through my body.

'Maybe,' I said sceptically, pulling a sad face a resting my head back on his shoulder. 'It scares me... the stuff I see, it's like she's going to do something really stupid! She's not dealing.'

'She's not our problem anymore,' he whispered into my hair, kissing it and wrapping his arms around me. 'That chapter's over.'

'It's not,' I sighed, 'I still see the same vision every night... her as a vampire.'

'She'll never be a vampire,' Jasper's voice was stern, 'we have to do as Edward wants this time – he told her she'd never see us again, and she won't.'

'I know, I know,' I muttered, but it was impossible to feel angry with him or Edward, because all the emotions he was making me feel were so perfect – ones he perfected just for me – that all I wanted to do was sleep beside him; something I could never do.

Emmett POV

'I do feel sorry for Edward,' Rosalie shrugged, not sounding like she felt sorry for him at all, 'I mean, he really did like her. I'm not saying that he should have stayed with her – hell, I didn't like her – I just think he's causing himself way more pain and he should be. He should just get over the little human and find someone else!'

'He's spared the lows, but loses the highs,' I sighed, watching my piece of heaven as she styled her hair, though it looked perfect even in the rain.

'Well, I think, that in these circumstances, the lows outweigh the highs! I wish he'd get over it, move back and move on. Plus, Carlisle doesn't seem to be coming home until Edward gets over it, and at this rate it's going to be a bloody century before either of them come back!'

'I agree...' I mumbled, though I hadn't really been listening to a word she was saying. I was much too busy watching her get ready.

'Did you even listen to what I said?' She spun around angrily, and her stunning beauty hit me just as powerfully as it had the first time I had ever met her.

'Of course,' I lied defensively.

'I despair of you, Emmett,' she rolled her eyes, 'I bet that you can't tell me anything of what I just said.'

'Well... you know I have a bad memory,' I looked up at the ceiling, pulling the most innocent expression that I could.

'I love you,' she sighed, flashing to my side and pressing her lips to my forehead. 'Now, I'm going out shopping – do I look alright?'

'You got that dressed up just to go shopping?'

'How long have you known me?'

'Too long,' I grinned, 'you look pretty.'

'Pretty?' Her mouth fell open.

'Just kidding,' I laughed, standing up and sweeping her into my arms, 'you look beautiful.'

'You're getting my clothes all rumpled,' she muttered, shrugging her shoulders to try and free herself, but I just smiled, looking down at her and chuckling at her attempts.

Esme POV

'I know... yes... no...' I was talking on the phone, my hand shaking slightly. 'No, I want a plane to Seattle. No, Seattle. GOD WOMAN!'

'Whoa, Ez, calm down,' Emmett walked into the room, 'what you doin' going to Seattle anyway?'

'I'm going to drive across to Forks, find Bella, make sure she's alright! Alice said she's been acting strangely! And then we'll find Edward, convince him to go back to Bella and we all move back to Forks!'

'Sorry, we find Edward?' He said worriedly, pulling a bag of blood from the fridge.

'That's meant to be for emergencies!'

'Yeah, yeah,' he rolled his eyes, 'so, you're not changing the subject that easily! What do you mean, we find Edward?'

'Well, I'm not going to do it on my own!'

'Well I'm not going anywhere near him – seriously, wouldn't touch him with a barge pole right now!'

'But Carlisle will be with him!' My face fell, and I watched as Emmett paused, lowering the cup of blood.

'Look, Ez, if you really want to talk to Carlisle that much, why don't you just call him?'

'I don't have a number,' my eyes widened, as in took in the guilty expression on his face, 'Emmett. What are you not telling me?'

'Carlisle's called twice,' he said quickly, wincing slightly.

'Carlisle's called!?' I shouted.

'Ask Alice!' He disappeared from the room, and, fuming, I charged up the stairs at full speed.

'ALICE!' I called, clenching my teeth together. He had called, and they hadn't told me. Unless he hadn't asked to speak to me... I shook my head – no, he would want to talk to me, even if it was just to check that I was okay. I inhaled deeply, smelling Alice's scent – but it wasn't fresh. I slammed the door of her room against the wall, and walked inside. 'Jasper?' I raised my eyebrows at him, making my voice steady.

'Morning, Esme,' he quickly seemed very interested in his nails.

'Where's Alice?' I narrowed my eyes.

'She...er...went out.'

'She saw me coming to argue with her,' I sighed. He shrugged guiltily. 'Alright, why didn't you guys tell me Carlisle had called?'

'We... er... didn't think you'd want to talk to him.'

'Give me the number,' I said coldly.

'He's on speed dial,' he handed me a mobile, before bounding over to the window, climbing out and leaping across the river by the house.

I inhaled slowly, as I hit the number 1 button. My heart would, if it could, be beating faster than ever before. Listening to the ringing on the other end, I had to try very hard not to crush the phone between my fingers. 'Carlisle?' I breathed when the tone stopped.

'E...Esme?'

'Carlisle,' I almost felt my heart leap at the sound of his voice. It was soft, silky, even on the end of the phone.

'Esme, you're really there! They told me you wouldn't speak to me!'

'They didn't tell me I could,' I laughed, biting my lip to stop myself crying. I slowly walked down the stairs as he told me everything that was happening with Edward – it didn't sound like they were having much luck. 'Sounds terrible... will you be coming back then... if he's a lost cause?'

'He's not a lost cause...' Carlisle sighed, 'but I will be coming back soon.'

'Good,' I felt my lips turn up. I walked into the entrance hall, spotting Emmett grinning in the corner. I threw the tea towel hooked on my belt at him and gestured violently. He rolled his eyes and pranced away, nodding at the phone and putting his thumbs up. 'I love you,' I added with a sigh.

'I love you.'

The voice did not come from the end of the phone. I spun around and saw, framed in the front doorway, Carlisle, dropping his bag to the ground and taking a step towards me. I crushed the phone beneath my fingers and opened my mouth.