A/N: Thank you guys for all the reviews last chapter and welcome to all the new readers. Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter, but I'm trying not to get epically behind on updates like I was before. Hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: Not mine, but I like to play with them…
Paul trotted through the woods with Bella on his back. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to his ear. "Is this all you've got? I could've walked there faster than this," she teased. He huffed as Sam, Noah, and Jared caught up to them.
You gonna take that man? Jared goaded.
Sam took stock of her smiling face before giving Paul a nod. Just slow down before you reach the field. I want to make sure we have it scoped out and there aren't any surprises from the leeches.
Noah threw a short bark over his shoulder at him before the other 3 wolves shot out ahead of them.
Hang on Princess. Paul thought before pouring on more speed. A squawk from Bella as her arms and legs tightened around him was the only response. After a minute her arms loosened as she sat up a little more to watch the trees flying by.
Paul suddenly slowed down as a growl rumbled through his chest. "Let me guess, it's not just Carlisle, is it?" she asked from her perch. Another growl was her only response.
A couple minutes later they broke through the tree line into a snow covered field. She could see the entire Cullen family standing on the other side. Sam and Jared had phased back and were standing waiting for them with their arms crossed glaring at them and Noah was still in wolf form pacing behind them. When he saw Paul they both took up position behind Sam and Jared. Bella tried to climb down, but a whine from Paul, a nudge from Noah, and Sam turning to shake his head at her changed her mind. She flopped back down with a huff and shot Jared a dirty look as he chuckled at her expense.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us Bella," Carlisle spoke, coming to stand a few feet away, joined by the rest of his family.
Her eyes flicked over them all before coming back to him, "Funny, I thought we were just meeting with you, but of course you'd bring the whole family."
"We don't mean you any harm Bella, we all just wanted to see you. We didn't really get a chance to talk the other day," Alice started.
Paul and Noah both gave a warning growl, as Bella cut her off, "And I thought I made it perfectly clear that I had nothing left to say to you."
"But if you'd just let us explain…" she tried again.
Now Bella was getting angry, "Explain, EXPLAIN… seriously Alice?! There is nothing you can say or do to make up for leaving me for dead in an alley!"
All four of the boys were growling now, and Alice had the good sense to shut her mouth. Bella felt a tingling feeling up her spine as the growls subsided and narrowed her eyes as they started to take on an orangey hue, "Jasper, I suggest you cut that shit out now before I really get pissed."
She didn't miss the surprised look on his face before he quickly apologized. Sam turned to look at her and did a double take as he noticed the color of her eyes.
"There Carlisle, do you see? Look at her eyes, they're glowing!"
"Yes Edward, I can see that," he answered giving Bella a small smile as her eyes now narrowed on his eldest son. "So Bella, Sam tells me that you want to perform a DNA test on the pack. Is this correct?"
She turned her gaze to him and blinked, her eyes returning to normal. "Yes, we'd like to do a full work-up on each wolf as well as several of the others that we believe will phase soon."
Esme looked worried, "How many more wolves are there?"
"There are four of us right now, three more close to phasing, and several others that carry the gene," Sam answered.
Carlisle shook his head, "I'm sorry Bella, but I won't be able to run those tests at the hospital. They require all DNA samples to be registered with the state's DNA database. There's too big of a risk of the blood samples falling into the wrong hands, especially if there is an anomaly as you suggested. I'll have to do them at my home office."
His statement was met by a chorus of growls. "And how are we to trust that you won't turn our samples over if there is an anomaly and have the government chase us down?" Jared asked.
Edward rolled his eyes, "Please dog, you should be grateful Carlisle is even willing to do these tests for you."
Bella was incensed; before the boys could react she had jumped off Paul's back and landed in a crouch next to him, her eyes glowing and a snarl ripping from her throat. "Grateful? WE should be grateful?" She slowly rose to her full height feeling the telltale 'pop' of energy as one of the boys phased. She started stalking towards Edward, nostrils flaring and eyes blazing, when suddenly Paul's arm was crushing her back to his chest. "You OWE me for leaving me in that alley. This is the least your 'family' can do," she hissed.
Noah snarled in rage as images of the night he found her flashed through his memory. Edward winced as the images assaulted him digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. Bella glanced from her brother back to Edward and smirked from her place in Paul's arms, "What's the matter? See something you didn't like?"
Alice left her place next to Jasper and stalked towards her, further enraging the wolves, "Just stop it! You're torturing him. He feels bad enough about what happened. That wasn't the way it was supposed to go."
The smirk dropped from Bella's face and a deadly spark ignited in her eyes again, "What do you mean that wasn't how it was supposed to go?"
Alice spluttered as she wrung her hands together and backed away, Bella, Paul and Noah's wolf stalking forward now. "You saw something didn't you? Before we met at the coffee shop that day, you had a vision and saw me get bit; and of course with his abilities, Edward would have known."
The rest of the Cullen family turned to Alice and Edward in shock. "Tell me you didn't," Esme gasped burying her face in Carlisle's chest.
"I- but- it was only one outcome. I had several of the meeting going just fine and us parting as friends. The last vision didn't come til we were just a couple blocks from the coffee shop," Alice tried to reason.
Rosalie stepped towards her now, eyes narrowed, "That should've made it all the more important. You wanted her to turn, didn't you?"
Alice's mouth opened and closed a few times, "But I checked her future after the vision and she was happy living with us as Edward's mate. I didn't see her death until it was too late, and then I tried to get Edward to stop, but it was too late."
The wolves snarled again as Edward whirled on her now, "Liar! You kept feeding me images of her happy with us, travelling the world. I was so caught up in your vision I didn't her heartbeat stutter until it was too late."
Alice gave a panicked look to the rest of her family and took off into the woods. Edward hung his head in shame, "I'm so sorry Bella, I wanted to believe her vision so badly. I let it blind me."
"I don't know what Alice did or didn't see in her visions, or what she wanted you to see, but I never would've chosen that existence, and you know it."
"I'm sorry Bella, I really am. If I could go back and change it I would."
She shook her head at him, "The past is the past Edward, I don't know that I'll ever be able to forgive you, but I'll do my best to try and move past it."
Carlisle laid a hand on his shoulder, "Perhaps you should go back to the house, Jasper doesn't seem to be having much luck trying to calm the wolves."
Edward looked from Jasper to the wolves and back to Carlisle. "I'll go, but this is what I was trying to tell you about. When she's around the wolves Alice can't see her in her visions and it's harder to read their thoughts. Instead of just being bombarded by them like I normally would, it's like she muffles them and I have to really concentrate on one specific wolf. Unless of course they're projecting their thoughts to me like earlier…" he trailed off, shooting a withering look to Noah's wolf. He gave Bella one last look before speeding off into the trees.
Carlisle turned to regard Bella and the wolves again, "Now as I was saying, I can't run the tests at the hospital, however I can order the equipment and set up a lab at the house. Once I have everything set up the boys could come one at a time, or all together if they prefer."
Bella looked to Sam to see if he would agree, "Alright, we can do that, however we don't trust you with the blood samples. We will bring Sue Clearwater with us. She runs the clinic on the reservation, and her son is one of the ones we expect to phase. She will take all of the blood samples, watch as you run the tests, and dispose of any remaining blood."
Carlisle nodded, "Of course Sam that will be fine. The test does not require a large amount of blood, only a few drops really, but if you would feel more comfortable with her there, then by all means. I will call you when the equipment arrives, it should only be a few days."
Sam nodded, "Thank you. We appreciate your help."
Bella stepped forward before they turned to leave, "Carlisle? Would you please tell both Alice and Edward to steer clear of Angela and I at school on Monday? I really don't want a replay of today in front of the entire school."
Emmett chuckled, "Don't worry Bella bean, I'll make sure they keep their distance."
She gave him a small smile before the remaining Cullens disappeared into the trees. Only when she turned around did she realize that Paul had been standing behind her completely naked. She quickly yelped and covered her eyes, hearing all 3 human boys laughing at her as her brother's wolf nudged her side. She felt the pop as each of the boys phased, and she clambered onto Noah's back. Bella shot Paul's wolf a dirty look over her shoulder and huffed in annoyance as he seemed to give her a wolfy chuckle before darting in front of them back towards the house.
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