A/N - Sorry this took a while. Brain got too far ahead of myself and I found myself planning out the last chapter... forgetting I had about 9,000 between here and there that are completely unplanned!

Anyway, everything else is on the forum... the link for which is on my profile.

Disclaimer: You know it and I know it. Stephenie is the one hanging around on set drinking coffee with the beautiful people.

Chapter 12 - February Stars

CPOV

Over my many years serving as a doctor I have set hundreds of leg bones. When I first started and was still learning to control the constant bloodlust it was one of my favourite things to do. Unless the patient was very unlucky there was very rarely any blood to deal with, and I was more able to manipulate the injury than any of my human colleagues. The sense of relief when the cast or bandage was on, holding together the bones was almost always enough to calm down the patient enough to allow me to deal with anything else. But I never knew exactly how much pain they were in.

So once while with the Volturi I had asked Aro to break my leg so that I could experience the pain and have more empathy with my patients. Aro had delighted in my little experiments as he could then experience the pain without having the annoyance of dealing with the injury. That had hurt. I remember the snap, the throbbing and then the slow ebb as the pain went away over the course of a few hours.

This was different.

This felt as if my tibia had been quickly melted from the inside out by a burning fire. This felt as if the blood that hadn't run in my veins for nearly 350 years had suddenly come back and was boiling... it felt like the days I had hidden from the world and re-entered them as I am now. And the scream in my head sounded human and... female... huh.

It had been so long since I had screamed in pain that I was confused and embarrassed by the sound. Did I really scream like a girl? Emmett would never let me live that down. All of these thoughts stopped my concentration as I swerved across the road and clipped a bump just enough to start the world turning upside down. I knew that we would not be harmed by the crash itself but I wasn't sure if the sparks that would surely come from the impact would ignite the fuel... I looked at Esme to see her brace her foot against the dashboard and her arm against the roof. She was pushing against it so strongly that it was bending outwards. I gazed at her beautiful wrist as the car landed on its roof rushing against her hand and sending a shockwave all the way down her perfect arm. She looked at me as we skidded for a few seconds, the sparks hitting only the cracked windscreen, and I opened my mouth enough to tell her to get out.

She flicked her leg out and shattered the windscreen and hopped out; she turned to see I wasn't moving and grabbed my shoulder. She pulled me to her and carried me for a second before turning to look at the car, now about 50 yards behind us. She stood still waiting, I suppose, for the explosion... that didn't come.

Esme was holding me so tightly I could feel the tremors in her skin as her fear shot through her. I looked at her face. Her lips parted, eyes wide and knew that she was in some kind of shock.

"Put me down..."

She looked at me and took me to the side of the road. It hurt so much to speak, it felt like the venom inside me was coating my throat and I kept swallowing against it, like, I suppose, rising waves of nausea. It was odd. I was reacting to my injury the same way I human would - what was going on?

Esme ran her hands over my leg feeling the slight bump where the bone was pushing against the inside of my skin.

"What happened?"

"My tibia... and possibly fibula is broken..."

"But how?"

"I... don't know... There... was no impact before... There was a burning pain... and... ohhh..."

Another wave of pain shot through me and I quivered against it. Esme pulled her hands back.

"Not you... love..." The pain lessened slightly and I knew my venom was starting to heal the injury. She nodded and ripped open my trouser leg and gasped as she saw the sharp edged bump.

"Esme... you have to help me." I sat up to look at her and tried to hide the pain from her.

"How?"

"You'll have to straighten the bone... before... it heals crooked."

"I can't. What if I hurt you more?"

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried. You're the only one who can."

"Okay..." She tore the trouser material off and laid it across my stomach; I swallowed against the pain and nodded. She pushed against the bump gently until it was flat again and then quickly wrapped the material around the effected area.

"Too many episodes of E.R." she muttered to herself before turning to me.

"How do you feel?"

I smiled, "I don't mind admitting I've had better days... I have never felt anything like this before." I chuckled, "I could really do with being unconscious right now."

Esme frowned, "Don't make light of this Carlisle."

My smile grew wider, "Well, after screaming like a girl the only way to go is up."

"Screaming like a...? What are you talking about?"

"When my leg... In the car... Don't try to make me feel all manly now... I know what I sounded like."

"All in your head, Carlisle. You never made a sound. The only sound was of this... The break... It sounded like a thunderclap... But you didn't scream."

"Okay, so what you are telling me is I've just admitted to my wife that I scream like a girl in my head? That I scream exactly like..." The realisation hit me hard.

She leaned over and kissed my head, "Like what?"

"Like Bella."

APOV

What the holy hell is going on? The world is spinning too fast and is coming off it's axis. I knew there was a reason I had to get that car but I never foresaw this. I shivered as I thought about the cute little convertible I had nearly ordered. Esme would have lost her head. I nearly beheaded Esme! I still saw them making it to Forks in the car but now less grandly. The car was covered in scratches and dints and the beautiful front nose was ripped to shreds. Of course there was no windscreen and Esme's hair was unbelievably windswept as she drove up the driveway. I would call soon and let them know the car would run again... but first I had to check everyone.

I still saw myself meeting Rosalie and Emmett at Pilwaukee in about an hour and a half. They would be in better moods but still unwilling to admit to the other what was going on. Emmett would give up first... Ew, I didn't need to see that. Why couldn't I put a ratings filter on these damned visions?

The Denali's would land at Sea-Tac in about an hour and Laurent would meet them there. Tanya would want to swop the BMW I ordered her for a Volvo, which they didn't have, which would make them leave 20 minutes later, but they would still get to Forks just after 9 a.m.

I raced upstairs to mine and Jasper's room as I saw the clothes they would arrive in at Seattle. I had a beautiful charcoal grey sweater that I had seen a while ago. That plus the new darkwash jeans would make Jasper look like himself and not the unco-ordinated mess that he would be. I sighed and went across to Edward's room to get him some clothes too.

As I opened the door to his room I watched the dust swirl across the surfaces. None of us came in here. It felt rude. I sat on his couch and looked at the half opened drawers and papers on the floor. Half finished compositions and letters all crumpled in a corner of the room. I gathered them together and put them on his desk. Maybe he would want them again... One piece caught my eye and I straightened it out, gasping as I read the first line. Oh Edward...

Dearest Bella,

When you get this I will be gone... I will make you safe and then I will be gone. I told you that you would go on with your life like I never existed and by sending you this letter I am breaking even that most basic of promises but I feel like I had to say I was wrong. I always loved you, before you were born, before your mother and father were born... and I will always love you...

The note ended and I gathered the rest smoothing them out too. The guilt was eating at me but I felt like I was seeing Edward again.

Bella

The music means nothing to me without you here and I will never be able to play again without you by my side. My life is nothing but silence and I deserve only that...

Bella, my love.

The pain that I caused you is coming back on me ten fold and I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. Alice is trying to be so careful at not letting me know what you are doing, but as I saw your face I wanted nothing more than to run to your side and never let go...

Damn, I thought I had been good at hiding that from him.

My dearest Bella.

I can't do this anymore. My dead heart is broken and life has no meaning for me anymore. I am leaving my family to stop hurting them. I will make you safe and then I will no longer exist. Thank you for making me feel like a man. I am sorry I gave you nothing but pain.

A harder piece of paper ripped in half was the next I straightened. On it was a photograph with Edward on it. I would recognise that suit anywhere - it was from the prom last year. Esme had the same photograph in the family album. Of course her's wasn't ripped in half - Bella was there too. I smiled wryly as I realised he must have Bella's half with him. I quickly text Jasper getting him to check the photo was still with Edward and then remembered I had told him to switch his phone off. Damn.

I laid the straightened papers on his desk and grabbed the last one to straighten it on top. It was a surprise to see my name on top.

Alice

At some point in the future I am going to make a decision that you are not going to agree with and will want to stop. I am begging you to let me have this. You are the only one who can understand why I have to do this. You are the only one who has really seen Bella the way I see her, and you are the only one who can possibly know why I can't live without her.

I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you and Jasper. Please tell Rosalie that I blame her for nothing and thank Emmett for being there for me. You will know what to say to Carlisle and Esme. You always know what to do, even when you think you don't. My little sister, I love you.

I have to leave to stop myself going back. I could never do that to Bella again.

Edward.

That unbelievably selfish bastard was going to make me let him commit suicide and then tell everyone about it afterwards?! He thought about that? He thought about letting me be the messenger? I ripped the page in half and poked a fingernail through his photograph. Damn you Edward Cullen! I stared at the ruined photo for a moment and then smoothed the poked out edges back. He thought about it but didn't do it, like he never sent any of the letters to Bella.

Bella. I leaned my head on the desk and let my mind go back to the darkness. The end result was the same. We were still too late. Her body was broken and bleeding. She was not going to survive this, which pretty much meant the world was going to end. It was going to kill Charlie... Or had it already?

Oh, he was still alive... And still writhing in pain... It took me a moment to recognise the room he was in. He was at the hospital, and Dr. Snow was getting them to strap Charlie down while he shot him full of drugs presumably to calm him down. Oh, this was a disaster.

I dialed Carlisle's phone and Esme answered,

"Alice?"

"I am sorry I missed the cash. I don't know what happened..."

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

I sighed, "There's something bigger than that going on right now though."

"Bella?"

"No, it's Charlie... Can you put me on speaker?"

VPOV

When Laurent said he wanted a TV or a laptop to continue to torture Bella with; I thought he had finally drifted over to crazy town; and then he told me what had happened. It was like the fates were on my side. Had I pleased someone with the power to control the world? Did God exist and was he on my team? I worried slightly that he may have died and I wouldn't get my final revenge of draining his love in front of his face as he stood powerless to stop me. It would be less pleasurable to do in front of his family but I would take what I could get.

Laurent's mate was so good at giving me the information I needed it was almost like she worked for me. When I got back I would have to get Laurent to call her and find out if Dr Superior had enjoyed his broken leg.

The sky was a much lighter grey than it had been and these docks would be full of people very soon. I would need Kiazna here soon to tell the fishermen to keep away from the warehouse and tell them to ignore the screams I would be pushing out of Bella and was expecting from the boy.

He was transforming a lot quicker than I had hoped. I knew that Niko's power would have some kind of effect on the speed but this was incredible. Niko, having sat through a lot more transformations that I have, reckons we have cut at least half a day so far and wanted me to find someone to see if he can 'cure' the transformation and transfer the pain of the venom's burn to someone else. Boys and their little experiments!

I smelled him coming before I saw him. The stench of fish seeping through his pores as he walked up the path to the docks. I leapt into a tree to watch him walk by. I was still thirsty, I always was when worked up and torturing someone, but I think I had just found Niko's new toy.

I jumped down behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, his tired eyes widening as he looked me up and down before smiling lewdly.

"Sure I do honey."

I had taken the boy's t-shirt from him and had laughed at the message on it "You know you want me." The picture of the cartoon baby was a little disturbing though, but at least the man's reaction had been close to what I needed. I flashed him a smile and stepped closer - the smell of fish was almost overwhelming the blood that was pulsing quicker.

"Can you help me out?"

He puffed out his chest as he looked at mine again. "Any way I can."

"Do you have a TV I can borrow?"

"Er... yeah... in the boat."

"Excellent." I pressed myself to him. "Which boat is yours?"

"The Lucky Lad" I punched him in the head and lifted him onto my shoulder.

"Yes, you are."

EPOV

Jasper had left me by the lake to dry out... and get dressed. He had blown by wearing his jeans and pulling on a white western style shirt and he had left me... ugh... Obviously his wife's talent for choosing the perfect outfit hadn't been passed on. I would have to wear it though. My clothes were covered in the evidence of my crime. I had killed someone. Someone who was in no way a threat to me, someone who had done nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone, no matter how hateful she was, who was just another in the six billion people on the planet. I still couldn't figure out why I had done it. It almost felt like my mind wasn't my own and how stupid was that?

But still. He could have picked up something better than these horrible climbing pants with the zip across the middle of each leg... and I'm sure the 'Positive Attitude' t-shirt was some kind of joke.

I could hear his returning and pulled the trousers on. I thought about the emotions he would feel coming form me and swallowed everything down except a determination to get on with things. I had been compartimentalising the 'big pain' for months now and this latest thing was just something else I would deal with when... I smiled... I would never have to deal with it. All this had gone on too long.

Jasper appeared through the trees with a llama on one shoulder and, oh, he was forgiven for the t-shirt... a puma in his other hand. He threw both animals on the ground and then bent over, shaking with hilarity. And then I saw the image in his mind of what I looked like. Long sleeved t-shirt, one leg covered in a full pant leg, the other covered only in the top half, the zip had torn as I had pulled them on and my ridiculously white leg sparkling in the mottled sunlight.

He threw me the puma as we calmed down and I drank carefully. I would just have to think of the good things and remain calm, Jasper could never know what I was contemplating... and I hoped Alice wasn't looking too far into my future. I really wished she would concentrate on someone else for now. We buried the bodies and Jasper threw the blood soaked clothes in the hole too. As he started to cover it all I jumped in the hole.

"What the hell are you doing, Edward?"

"My wallet. I need..."

"I have your passport here."

"No." I found it and pulled it out of my pocket, checking the inside. The money was all stuck together. I pulled out my credit card and the most precious of my possessions and quickly put them in my pocket.

He looked at me confused as I jumped back out and continued to fill in the hole.

"Okay. So what's next?"

"there's a farm about 5 miles east. We're going to borrow their truck and go to Quito. Alice has sorted a flight out that leaves in about an hour and a half."

"How far is Quito?"

"From the farm, about 60 miles."

"Plenty of time."

Jasper hesitated. "Well, you haven't seen the truck."

His mind flickered and I groaned. A 1953 Chevrolet Pickup. And it was even in the same faded red. He winced at the despair I let go of for a moment before I gathered myself.

"It would be quicker to run."

"Yes." He agreed. "But in this sun?"

I nodded and we started towards the truck.

Officer Chelle Rathbone POV

I've only been on the force was a month. I mean, my God! I thought Forks was supposed to be a quiet little town. I remember Chief Swan giving me the speech.

Don't expect it to be all guns blazing and excitement. The most we get is a few drunk teenagers and one or two idiots who get lost in the woods.

I had listened and had since gotten quite used to the slow pace of this town. It was almost hypnotic. Tonight had been a little less dull than usual. The hospital had called about another potential animal attack and Keith had rolled his eyes.

"Does the victim want to file a report?"

"No. It's just it's not a hiker this time."

"Oh, who is it?"

"One of the La Push elders - Billy Black. Charlie's friend."

Keith had gotten on the phone to call Charlie but there was no answer. They assumed he had already heard and was on his way. Me and my partner, who everyone called Skittle, because of his skill with the pins, got up to leave on the regular Friday night 'Randy Teens' patrol when the phone rang again. Keith and Jimmy flew out of the station and yelled at us to follow them to the Chief's house.

We were cut up by an ambulance and, I don't know why, but the sight of the lights flashing put the fear of God into me. Jimmy ran up to us as we pulled up.

"Charlie's been attacked. Karen Newton saw some kid from the reservation, he ran off. I'm guessing that bike is his."

As soon as I saw the black motorbike I knew who it belonged to. That punk had almost run me over a week ago when I was picking up some driftwood from the beach. I had seen him again later putting the bike away.

"It's the Black kid. Billy's son."

Skittle peeled away and we pushed it to the reservation. We hit every bump in the road as speed but there was no way we were slowing down. We wanted to get this kid. Little things ran through my head. He was huge, probably on drugs, all the La Push kids were the same. And he was friends with Bella, well, he hang round her a lot. What if Charlie had said something to him? Told him to leave her alone and he had snapped? Oh, was that why Bella had been so down recently - did that kid have something over her?

Skittle tapped me and pointed at the Black house. The lights were on and the front door was open. As we quietly got out of the car I saw two large figures in the house. Skittle whispered,

"Get your taser ready... I'll go in."

I nodded, too terrified to do anything else.

"This is Forks police department, put your hands in the air!"

There was a sound that sounded like growling and one of the figures ran out. I aimed but missed the trigger on the taser as the figure ran passed me and disappeared into the woods. I looked down for a moment and saw Skittle being pushed back, the other figure ran at me and I closed my eyes and fired. I heard an inhuman scream and opened them again to see the Black boy writhing on the ground his hands in front of him still covered in blood.

Skittle groaned from the door and pointed his gun at the boys head. "Gotcha."

A/N2: Jasper and Edward's clothes are also on the forum! And I love you all for reviewing or adding me. I do a happy dance whenever I get an alert.