A/N The previous chapter was my version of a comic book Annual, or One-Shot. It furthered the story slightly, but mostly it was a quick little bit of humor after the prior chapter. I thought we needed a bit of lightening up. I hope no one minded.

On with Blackwater, as commanded:

Chapter Eleven – "I Sense"

This morning Bella and Edward left on their flight to begin their tour of the world. Carlisle was working at the hospital and Esme was inside cleaning the house. This is how she coped when she was sad. Edward and Bella would be gone for a very long time, and she would miss them. I couldn't say that I wouldn't miss them – I just didn't feel the same way. I saw it as an opportunity, and in that it was more positive than negative.

Anon, Esme threw us all out of the house and told us to go play, as if we were a bunch of toddlers.

The four of us, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and me were playing a game behind the house in the woods. It was called, "I Sense." It was our game to break the monotony. We could use our entire territory of the woods and play. Jasper created the game as a challenge to use all our senses.

One was the "Placer" and the rest were the "Seekers." Edward wasn't allowed to play unless he was the "Placer." Since he could read our minds he would always win if he was the "Seeker." Of course, now that Bella was around we'd sometimes let him be a "Seeker" if she was the "Placer" since he couldn't read her mind. Perhaps having Bella around wasn't all that bad.

The "Placer" would run out and hide a small, fragrant flower – usually a rose, since they had the most distinct smell and would never be confused with the forest smell. (I, of course, would provide the flower.) They would run to any myriad of trees and place it at the top, with a little red ribbon tied around the stem. This was one advantage of living in a forest of trees that grew to over 300 feet high. Once they ran back to the house, where we'd have to sit inside and wait, they would tell us to go and we'd take off, using all our senses, to find the flower.

Alice would always try and sniff it out, and I would always try and spy the red ribbon. We all had our own technique. Emmett would just run really fast from tree to tree and use the smash and grab technique; he and Edward were similar in that way. Jasper would always try and figure out the timing of when the "Placer" left and then returned and look over any clue on their person. Once, he found the flower by simply noting that I had in my blonde head of hair a sprig of Douglas fir. They were plenteous near the western side of our territory and he headed that direction, while the rest ran in another direction. Jasper was a regular Sherlock Holmes.

It was during this time we were running about trying to find the flower when I smelled Leah. I was getting used to her scent, and found it was lighter smelling, not as acerbic as the other wolves. She had only been shot no more than two days ago and I wondered why she was out, and why hadn't anyone stopped her from leaving the house. Carlisle stated she needed to rest a few days.

I left the game and went after the scent, skirting our border. The large sequoias grew thicker in this area, so that their bottom trunks made me feel like a Lilliputian. Ferns, and ground level greenery were even denser, and I ran up a redwood, to peek on Leah, just in case she was with others – though I didn't smell them.

I suddenly heard Emmett's loud voice yelling, "Found it!" It made me laugh. Bravo for him. He could then be heard whooping loudly. He was incredibly competitive. Next to Edward, I think he was the most competitive.

But then I saw Leah sitting on a rock, staring out to nothing in particular. She was wearing the white sweater Alice had bought her and some jeans. She sat there looking so small, especially in comparison with these redwood giants.

"Hey," I yelled to her, "what are you doing out of bed?"

She spun around, wondering where I was.

"Up here," I told her.

She looked up as I leapt down. She held to her neck, the turning being too quick. She still had a bandage around her neck and I could see it was still sore.

"There you are," she said.

"Oh, you were looking for me?" I asked.

She shirked her shoulders. "I was just wondering if you were around. I thought of calling you. I heard about Bella and Edward leaving and wondered if maybe you had something to do with that. Jacob told me they'd be gone over two months. He didn't seem as sad as I thought he would be."

I walked beside and then sat down on another rock across from her.

"I might have had something to do with that…" I grinned thinking over my part, "…but more importantly, however," I was sincere when I asked, "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "That was… pretty wild – being shot. They said it was an accident – the rifle supposedly just went off – but… I barely remember so I wouldn't know. Everything sort of went black when it happened."

"It frightened your family quite a bit – in that I mean all those wolves and especially… a certain Alpha wolf," I winked.

She snickered slowly, more like a nervous laugh. Something was bothering her again.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm just… a little embarrassed I was shot." She hit her palm to the rock, "how… dumb and girly. I'm a wolf. I'm the Beta wolf of our pack. Sheesh, I had to be saved like some freakin' damsel in distress. Jake had to save me. He's treating me all delicately now – it's weird."

I felt my eyes lift. "You're… wait – you're upset about that? Oh," I laughed, "I thought it was something serious – like Jacob making you feel badly or something. Or, getting on a plane and chasing after Bella."

"No," she grinned off-sided. She had an adorable glint in her eye when she spoke of Jacob, "not at all. He's been living at my house since it happened. He's been kind of… overbearing. It's like he thinks I'll break or something. Gosh – I had to just leave. Between he, and Seth, Embry, Rach and my mom. Sheesh – you'd think I was on my death bed."

"Sorry to mess with your pity party – but you were. I saw you. You were very near death. Even I actually worried… slightly."

"But I healed."

"Well, that's good then," I heaved a sigh, pausing for a moment and then told her, "you're a very pessimistic person, aren't you?"

Even she had to laugh at that.

"I saw you there," she said. "You and Carlisle were there after the other vamps left. I didn't expect that."

"Maybe I worried over you too. You have a way of growing on people."

She brushed her short locks behind her ears, smiling to herself. I think she appreciated that. The white sweater against her dark skin looked good. She was pretty, maybe one of the prettiest I'd seen of their tribe. Jacob really needed to take notice of her.

"I thought over going to the greenhouse, but I knew that your mate – vamp guy – whatever was back. I thought he'd get upset."

I laughed. "Oh, you're right about that – and my vamp guy is named Emmett. He smelled you had been there right away."

"Did he get upset?"

"No – just wondered why you'd been there. I told him you were a pot addict and begged me for a smoke. I couldn't say no – you know, you being addicted and all."

She laughed, "no way. You did not."

We both laughed and I soon sensed others wolves coming. I realized I was actually in their territory. Soon they were rushing to where we were.

I stood. "I need to go."

Leah also stood. "It's the others – Sam and them. Yeah you better go."

She no sooner said this when we were surrounded by five large wolves, snarling and growling. They moved so quickly, and pounced, encircling me.

"Sam!" Leah yelled, "Calm down. We're just talking – sheesh!"

"I'm going," I told the wolves calmly, and their hackles remained raised.

I could hear and sense Emmett, Jasper and Alice rushing this direction. Shoot, I was going to start a war over casual conversation.

Leah grabbed my hand and yanked me past the wolves, "Just back off, Sam. I'm walking her home. Man it's just a Cullen."

I can't say I approved of being manhandled, or being called "just a Cullen," but I allowed her to walk me past them if it meant keeping the peace. I could see Emmett in the distance, snarling, looking like he was about to kill a bear.

I waved to him, my hand in a stopping motion, and said quietly, knowing he'd hear, "Calm down, I'm coming back."

Leah stopped, standing between me and the wolves, who watched my every move. It was like I was actually prey. I'd never felt that way before. Not that I felt threatened or scared. I just didn't want to be the reason our truce was broken.

"You should go, Rose," Leah told me.

"I will. But here," I handed her a key. "I'll tell Emmett you're allowed at the greenhouse. I'll give them all a heads up. You won't be hurt."

"But…"

"He'd do anything for me. Don't worry." I grinned coyly, assured of my Emmett, and then turned and sped into the forest, back toward my family.

I could hear Leah lecturing the other wolves. It didn't sound good. I hoped she didn't re-injure or hurt herself yelling at them. She certainly held her own.

Emmett ran up to me, grabbing me up and into his arms. "What were you thinking?"

"I was just conversing with the wolf girl – talking politics, religion – that sort of thing."

Alice snickered and then grabbed around me after Emmett put me down. "So, did she say anything about that Jacob wolf? Are they mating, dating, whatever wolves do, yet? I want to know everything."

Instantly I shared, "He's been living at her place since the shooting."

"Oh wow."

"It seems he's become overbearing."

"Ooo, how sweet," she giggled, and wrapped her arm around my shoulder as we continued our gossip.

Emmett and Jasper both sighed, their brows raising, shaking their heads as we shared. They walked ahead as Alice and I continued chatting behind them.

~*~

Later in the evening Emmett and I sat on the deck. The moon was high and it cast its glow through the fog at the tops of the trees. He turned to kiss me gently on my cheek, and then he handed me a red rose with a red ribbon tied around it – his winning.

"Here," he said, "A rose for my Rose."

I smiled, "thank you," and then kissed him gently on the lips.

"I wanted to find it just for this moment. I wanted you to know how much I missed you when I was away. And… earlier – it frightened me when you were surrounded by those wolves of the Q-Tribe."

"You're so sweet. I was in no danger."

"They would have ripped you apart, Rose."

"But they didn't."

"Don't do that to me again, okay?"

I ran my hand along his cold cheek, and if I could cry at his sweet gesture, I would have. He looked sick with worry. "I won't. I'm sorry – I won't do that to you again."

He pulled me closer, tightly wrapping me in his arms, and then in his usual brevity, "Good."