Chapter Eleven

The Calm Before the Storm

"Alice, where the hell is everybody?" I asked.

"Jasper has the area wired, that way if anyone is coming, he knows about it. The alarm was triggered multiple times this morning," she explained. "No one has ever found the house before. They thought we'd be safe until they got back." She shook her head sadly, "I didn't even hear her come in."

We had moved to Alice's bedroom. Neither of us wanted to sit on the sofa while there was a dead body in the room. There was a chair next to Alice's bed where she explained that Jasper sat most nights, watching over her. I was also embarrassed to discover that her room was right next to mine.

"We need to help them," I said. There were only three of them. If what Alice said was true, they could be out there fighting an army.

"No," Alice replied. "Us being there would only distract them. They'll come back, Bella."

"How do you know?" I asked desperately.

Alice smiled. "Because Jasper said they would."

I just stared at her for a moment before abruptly standing up and grabbing a gun, "I'm going to help them." She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "I can't believe something just because some guy I hardly know says so."

"Bella, I'm not an idiot," Alice frowned. "I know that just because Jasper says it's true, doesn't make it so." She could have fooled me. "But right now, faith is all I have. He told me he'd come back to me and that he'd bring my brother and Jacob with him. I love him, and I trust him, and I know he'll do everything he can to make that happen."

"How can you know this? You just met him!" I wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, but I was panicking, and she was so fucking calm.

She gave me a small smile. "You and I always were different. I knew when I met Jasper that he was the one. It may sound crazy, but I've always been a little crazy. Can't you just feel when something is right or when something is wrong?"

I shook my head. "No. I wish I could, but that's the issue here. If we don't go out there, and something happens to one of them, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Bella, I was hurt more than you know," Alice confessed. "I may have fought off that woman Chelsea, but I'm not strong enough to take on more than one. If I go out there, Jasper will be too busy trying to save me to worry about taking care of himself. The same thing will happen with you. It doesn't matter that you can protect yourself. They will still worry about you. Could you forgive yourself if something happened to them because they were protecting you?"

I didn't get a chance to answer.

"BELLA!" Jake bellowed. My heart jumped to my throat. Jacob was back, but what about Edward and Jasper?

Alice and I both rushed for the stairs only to meet the guys halfway. They were all there, and from what I could see, they were all safe. Jacob was crushing me in a hug when Edward pulled me away. His eyes were frantically searching my body. "Are you hurt? What the hell happened?" He started to lift my shirt to check for wounds.

I quickly grabbed his hands. "I'm fine. I got knocked around a little bit, but I've had worse."

Jacob turned me back to him. "You're not fine. You look like you've had the shit beat out of you."

"Thanks Jake," I replied dryly.

"I'm sorry, Bells. We saw that bitch in the living room and thought…" He shook his head and hugged me again.

"What happened?" I heard Alice ask.

"Scent hounds," said Jasper. "I don't know whose scent they could be following. Did either of you leave anything behind?"

I knew the color must have drained from my face. "My pack. I lost it when I was running from James."

"It doesn't matter. The hounds are buried," said Edward. "What happened here?" he asked.

"I didn't hear her come in," Alice whispered. "She got me from behind. She had a knife to my throat." Jasper tightened his grip on her. "She wanted to kill Bella since Edward killed James. She was going to settle for me instead, but Bella came downstairs." She explained how Victoria and I fought while we thought she was unconscious. For some reason, hearing it from her point of view freaked me out. I had too much of an adrenaline rush to fully understand the situation while it was happening. I was so going to need therapy after this.

"We need to get rid of the body," said Edward.

When they came back, I was so happy to see them that I didn't notice the bruise forming near his eye. Dogs couldn't do that. "What happened to your face?"

He didn't answer, but Jacob did. "Let's just say, we're even."

"Jake," I growled. "You fucking hit him? What is the matter with you?" Jasper and Alice inconspicuously slipped away.

"It's just a little bruise. He knocked me unconscious," Jake argued.

"He saved your life," I reminded him.

"First of all, he did that to save your life," said Jacob. "Second, I guess anytime I want to keep your stubborn ass out of danger, I can just knock you out. Would that be alright with you?" Shit. He had a point.

Edward cut in with a harsh tone, "That's not why he hit me. Jasper came to find me this morning, and I was still in your room. Some took it better than others." I felt my face heat up. Everyone knew? What was the point in being quiet? "We had a misunderstanding. We had a nice little chat, and it won't fucking happen again," he growled, glaring at Jacob.

My best friend sighed reluctantly and nodded. "I'll get rid of the body." He hugged me one more time. "I'm glad you're okay." Then he headed down the stairs.

Edward took my face in his hands. "I'm sorry I wasn't here." I could tell he was struggling with his emotions. He was upset with me for putting myself in danger, but grateful that I came in before Victoria hurt Alice. "Come with me." He took my hand and led me into my room.

"What are you doing?" I hadn't noticed his pack there earlier. I guess that meant I had a roommate. He dug through and pulled out a small first aid kit.

"This will help with soreness," he explaining, gently tugging my shirt over my head.

I took a step back. "That's okay. I'm sure I'll be fine." It didn't matter that I had just dove into a fight with warrior woman; I was still a wimp when it came to someone touching my bruises.

"Don't be a baby," he replied, moving towards me.

"I'm not." I was lying, and he knew it.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Bella." He sighed impatiently, "Do you want me to use it own my eye first?"

That gave me an idea. "If you get to help me, then I get to help you." It was childish, but if he hurt me, I was going to get him back.

He rolled his eyes and rubbed some gel on his hands. "Where does it hurt?"

Since I was thrown into a wall and onto a coffee table, my back caught the worst of it. I moved my hair aside and turned around. I flinched when he first touched me. That stuff was cold. He ignored me and began gently rubbing the gel into my skin. It didn't hurt at all. In fact, it felt incredible. "Damn," I whispered.

"What?" he asked, stilling his hands.

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

When he finished, I was a little disappointed. He wiped his hands on a rag. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

I took the gel from him. "Sit down. You're too tall." He did as I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. I nudged his legs apart and stood between them. I noticed he seemed a little uneasy. "What's the matter, tough guy?" I asked as I carefully covered his bruising skin with the gel.

He rested his hands lightly on my hips. "I'm used to taking care of myself."

"Carlisle allowed that?" I asked, surprised. I spent more time with the good doctor than I did with Alice, and he was always very caring. I couldn't imagine him letting one of his children get hurt and not help in some way.

"Well, I haven't lived at home for quite a while," he reminded me.

"Right," I replied. "How old are you?" I kept forgetting that I knew next to nothing about him.

"Twenty-six," he answered. He seemed slightly amused at my questioning.

I put the gel away and sat down beside him. "I can't believe I had sex with you, and I didn't even know how old you are."

"Sex with a stranger, remember?" When I frowned at him and put my shirt back on, he smirked. "Alright, what else do you want to know?"

"At least tell me the basics. I don't know your full name or anything," I replied.

He began listing the facts. "My name is Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. I was named after my father. My birthday is June 20."

"Wait," I stopped him. "I thought Carlisle was your father."

"Carlisle and Esme adopted me when I was three. My birth parents, Edward and Elizabeth, were killed in a car crash when I was a baby. Esme couldn't have children of her own, so they were more than happy to bring me into their family. A few years later, they decided that I needed a sibling." He smiled at the memory. "We didn't choose Alice; she chose us. I was watching all the kids on the playground when she came over to me and said I could be her brother."

I smiled too. Alice did say she could feel when something was right.

"I hope you're decent," Alice called from the hallway. "We're coming in." If I hadn't just gotten my ass beat to save her life, I would happily kill her now. She came in along with Jacob and Jasper.

"We need to discuss strategy," said Jasper. "I would like to take care of this once and for all. I would prefer Alice to be far away, but she seems to have other plans."

"You never know when you might need me," Alice insisted, and she was right. Victoria would have died from the knife wound, but not before she attacked me again. At the very least, Alice saved me from even more bruises.

Jacob sat down on my other side. "We don't know exactly what we're up against. I think we should go back for Emmett and Rosalie." At the mention of those two, I was immediately on board.

Edward was going to be harder to convince. "I worked my ass off to find Alice and protect Bella. We're at a point where we can get them out of here safely, and you want to grab a few guns and march right back out there."

"If we don't stop it, who will?" Jasper asked. "Kids disappear all the time in these mountains, and it's written off as animal attacks or hiking accidents. No one will listen to me; they always brush me off as a crazy hermit. However, the trails you took to get to that cabin were overgrown for a reason. The locals never take them, claiming they're haunted or bad luck or too dangerous. I can't do much by myself, but together, I believe we can put an end to this."

"I don't mind risking my life for others, but I don't want to risk anyone else's," said Edward, his eyes shifting between me and Alice.

"That's not fair," Alice said softly. "I supported your decision to join the Marines, despite the potential danger, because your reasons were noble. Now, I need you to do the same. These people killed our friends and will continue to kill others. We may not be able to stop them, but I know we would all regret not trying."

Jacob sighed. "Look, if you're worried about your sister, Jasper's gonna help you watch out for her, and as much as you and I butt heads, you know I'd do anything for Bella."

Edward stood up reluctantly. "We better get ready."

They were all right. Whatever was going on needed to be stopped. Too many of my friends had been hurt or worse because of these people, and if it was up to us to do something, then I would do it. However, I was scared shitless. I didn't want to go to the fucking doll house. I wanted to go home to my police chief father where the most I had to fear was him getting pissed if his favorite team lost.

"Bella." Jasper's voice snapped me out of it. "Do you know how to use one of these?" he asked, offering me a handgun.

I nodded and fastened my gun belt. Charlie made sure I knew how to shoot before I started dating. The belt lined with extra ammunition made me look a lot more badass than I actually was.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to visit my sister in Hawaii," said Jake. "It's been too long since I've seen her."

"I'm going to move out of the mountains. Living alone doesn't appeal to me anymore," said Jasper.

Alice smiled at him. "I'm going to spend less time picking out my clothes and more time with the people that matter."

Shit. I guess it was my turn. "I'm going to have more fun. I spend too much time reading about life and not living it. It wouldn't kill me not to be such a cynic either."

Edward was busy putting things in a pack, pretending that everyone wasn't looking at him. Finally he sighed. "I'm going to stop brooding over things I can't change. Life's too damn short."

While the others continued to pack and prepare, I slipped off to the bathroom. I splashed a little water on my face and took a few deep breaths. There was a huge difference between what I wanted to do and what I was going to do.

"If you want to go, say the word. I'll take you home right now," said Edward. His voice made me jump. I hadn't noticed him come in the room.

"I'll be fine," I replied.

"When we get out of here, will you have dinner with me?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"You're actually giving me a choice?" Before, he seemed all about demanding instead of asking. It was annoying as hell sometimes.

Edward shrugged. "If you say no, I can always catch you."

"I don't always get caught," I frowned. "Technically, I've only been caught once this trip if I don't count you."

"Bella," he interrupted. "Will you have dinner with me or not?"

"Yeah, but you're going to have to tell me more about yourself. It's strange that you know so much about me, and I--" He grabbed my face and covered my mouth with his. A frustrated growl escaped from the back of my throat, despite how good a kisser he was. When he pulled back, I started a completely new rant. "You have got to stop doing that just to shut me up. If you feel the need to kiss me, wait until I'm finished talking, and then have at it."

"Are you finished?" Edward asked.

I thought about it and couldn't think of anything else to add. "Yes," I nodded curtly.

He kissed me again.

Jasper cleared his throat, causing us to break apart. "Sorry," he said uncomfortably. "Neither Alice nor Jacob wanted to risk walking in on you two, so they sent me to get you instead. We're ready."

Shit.


AN: Hi guys. This chapter is exactly what the title says: the calm before the storm. I'm working hard to get it finished, so I can post a chapter a day. There are a some nasty little cliffhangers coming up, so I don't want to leave you hanging for too long. The next update will still be next week, but after that, there will be one a day. Also, The Doll House was nominated for a couple of Indie Twific Awards. My other story, Bella Swan: Kidnapper, was nominated for a Bellie. Thanks to whoever nominated them. There is more information about that on my profile. The title of the next chapter is: Welcome to the Doll House. Reviewers get a preview. Thanks for reading!