Whoa—Part 2

Alex POV

As soon as Nick was done with the dishes, he came out to the garage. The project I'd been working on was his idea, but he didn't always get to help me on it. What with him being in school, he often had homework that he had to do. We were "strict" parents that made their kids do their homework before having any fun.

"Hey Dad, I can't help you anymore today. I've got a paper due Wednesday and I want to work on it before my date tonight. That way I won't have to do as much later."

"That's alright. Your mom wanted to go for a run anyway." We had long since come to the conclusion that telling our kids half-truths was better than out right lying. It was much easier that way.

"Just don't paint it without me," he said as he walked back into the house.

I smiled. Elyse was going to be so surprised. There was no way she would've gotten this when she was human, but now that she was quite a bit more indestructible, she'd love and enjoy it a lot more.

Tess POV

I did my makeup while Alee was in the shower. It would be interesting to double date. I had only gone out with Ben a couple of times so I didn't consider him my boyfriend. Alee has been dating Doug for a few months. Who knows, they could be high school sweethearts. Except that Doug doesn't go to high school. I wonder if Mom and Dad know that. Come to think of it, I wonder if Alee even knows that I know that.

"Tess, you okay?" Alee asked me, as she stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her head and her bathrobe on.

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine. Why?"

"I don't know, maybe because you were about to poke yourself in the eye with your mascara."

I looked down, and promptly poked myself in the eye. Alee laughed. It was kind of funny, except for the mascara on my eyeball.

Elyse POV

I watched my girls come down the stairs. Alee had done her hair up in a high ponytail and then twisted a piece of hair around the ponytail holder to hide it. Her hair swayed as she walked. Tess had put her hair in a side braid, with the braid hanging over her shoulder. My girls looked similar but they were not identical. Alee had black hair with red highlights and Tess had red hair like me. Alee's black hair must have come from her biological father. Nick had black hair as well. Both my girls had long hair that reached all the way down their waists.

"You alright there, Mom?" Tess asked.

I shook my head. "What? Yeah I'm alright. Why?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because you looked a little dazed?" she responded.

"I was just marveling at how beautiful you two are." I said.

Alee snorted. "Yeah right. More like you were admiring our long hair."

I smiled sheepishly. "You caught me. I like long hair but at the same time I like my short hair too." My hair wasn't actually that short. It brushed the top of my shoulders but my girls' hair was longer. When Alee's hair was down, it reached almost to her bottom. Tessa's wasn't quite that long, but it was getting close. Thankfully, Nick kept his hair short.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" I asked.

"Doug and Ben are picking us up, and Nick is picking up Lily. Then we're going to meet up at Olive Garden. And after that, we were going to go for a walk in the woods."

I raised my eyebrows. "A walk in the woods? You two? Well alright then."

"What are you and Dad going to do?" Tess asked.

"Probably go for a run."

"Didn't you already do that?" Alee asked.

"No. Your dad was doing something in the garage and so we decided that we would just go while you kids were out. I wish I knew what he was working on. You two know what it is!" I exclaimed, catching the look they shared.

"Sorry Mom. We've been sworn to secrecy," they said in unison.

I growled in frustration.

Alee POV

After dinner, Doug and Ben took us to this campsite that they had rented for the night. It had this really cool alcove that made it seem like we were in our own world, completely blocked off from anyone. Tess doesn't impress easily, but I could tell she was impressed. I loved it. It was a great way to end the summer. Technically school had already started but it was still summer for a couple more weeks. The boys had set up a little campfire for us to make s'mores with.

"Where did you guys hide all of this stuff?" I asked.

"In the back of Ben's truck," Doug answered.

Elyse POV

After the kids were gone, Alex and I headed out for our weekly hunt. It was his turn to decide the general area of our hunt. When it was my turn I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the woods around me. Alex would sometimes do that. Most of the time, though, he would take a whiff and then point in a general direction. His favorite thing to hunt was mountain lions. Mine was grizzly bears. When I actually stop to think about what I'm doing, I have to laugh at myself. As a human, I didn't like blood. I didn't make me sick or gross me out, I just didn't like it. Blood belongs in the body, not out of it. And yet as a vampire, it doesn't bother me that I have to drink blood to survive.

"We should go north. I overheard some campers mention that their food had been gotten into by some wildlife."

I scoffed. "Humans need to be aware of what animals are around and bring containers to store their food. My parents always did. Humans have lost some common sense in this new age."

"True. But at least we know that there might be a problem animal around."

My eyes lit up as I smiled. "Let's go."

Nick POV

Part of me wished that Doug and Ben had let me on their little secret. Course my sisters were really good at being able to wheedle secrets out of me. Especially if it involved them. So maybe it was a good thing that they hadn't told me. After they got the fire started, we started telling ghost stories. The story Doug told started to take on a really dark theme that made me uncomfortable. Lily kept scooting closer to me so I could tell she wasn't liking it either. Just as I was about to try to change the subject, Tess fell off of the log she was sitting on. I thought that was her dramatic way of changing the subject until she didn't get back up and she didn't respond to anyone's calls to her. Ben got down next to her to shake her and as soon as he touched her he pulled his hand back.

"Guys, she's burning up. We need to get her home, now," he said.

"I'll take her," I said. "Come on Alee."

Alee moved to help me pick up Tess, but Doug stopped her. "Ben why don't you help Nick get her home? Alee can help me clean up here."

Something about the way he said that had me feeling uneasy, but Alee waved me away.

"I'll be home soon," she promised.

Alex POV

"Feel better?"

"I always feel better after a hunt," I told her. I don't even think she was mad that she only got one animal when I got three. Of course her bear was a heck of a lot bigger than my deer. Plus I didn't really want to fight her for the grizzly. She spotted it first, so she could have it.

"Shall we go back?" she asked.

I took her hand in mine and we started running back home.

Alee POV

The way Doug had talked to Ben made me a little uneasy. I had waved Nick away because he needed to get Tess home. I had never felt like this around Doug before, so I didn't know what brought it on. It wasn't like he had hurt Tess or caused her to get sick. He wasn't that close to her tonight. Maybe he was just taking advantage of the situation. Whatever his reasoning behind it, I had to get home fast. Something was wrong with Tess, and I intended to find out what.

"Alee, come here."

I turned toward Doug. As I walked over to him, he put his hands around my waist. I looked up at him and said, "I'm worried about Tess. Can you take me home now?"

"In a second. Thanks for helping me clean up."

Without any warning, he tried to kiss me. I pushed him away, or I tried to anyway. He seemed to think my resistance was just me being playful. It wasn't.

"Stop! I want you to take me home, and I want it to be now!"

"Well I want to kiss you. And since it's my car, we are going to do what I say."

"NO!" I screamed. With a burst of strength I didn't know I possessed, I pushed Doug away and turned and ran as fast as I could. I was almost to the road when he was all of sudden in front of me. I gasped and he grabbed me around the throat.

"Don't run away from me again."

I kicked him hard and felt my ankle pop. I screamed. He chuckled and threw me to the ground. I didn't know what he had planned but I wasn't going to let him hurt me without a fight. I felt around for something to hit him with. As he got closer, I found a tree branch and pulled. It didn't budge. I pulled harder. He punched me in the face.

"Stop fighting, Alee. I always get what I want."

Just because he told me to stop, I fought harder. I kept pulling on the branch and it finally came loose. I thrust it as hard as I could and hit him in the face. He reared back and then hit me over and over again. He hit me so much and so hard I blacked out.

Paul POV

Rachel and I were out on a date in Seattle when I caught the whiff of a vampire. I weighed my options. I could either ignore it or I could go after it. For all I knew, it was a Cullen that was just hunting up here.

"Honey, are you all right?"

I looked over at my wife. I took a deep breath, already knowing what I was going to do.

"I'm sorry. I have to take care of something. Hopefully it won't take too long."

She looked at me knowingly. "Is it pack stuff?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go. I'll still be here when you get back."

I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran toward the vampire. As I got closer to the stench, I could already tell that it wasn't a Cullen. I found a place to phase without being seen and moved even closer. What I saw made my blood run cold. A vampire was beating up a human girl. She was holding her own though. At least until he hit her so much that she blacked out. That was when I sprang forward and knocked him out of the way. He looked toward me, startled. As he started for the girl again, I leaped in front of her and stood protectively over her. He came at me again, and I leaped at him, biting off his arm. He roared and tried to hit me. I dodged and bit off his other hand and knocked him back. When he didn't get up right away, I turned to the girl. She was beaten badly. I grabbed onto her shirt and started pulling her to the road. Luckily she wasn't that far. When I got to the road, I saw headlights coming around the corner. Because I didn't want to expose myself as a wolf, but I wanted to save the girl, I had a choice to make. So I did the less stupid one. I darted in front of the truck and forced him to swerve away from the girl. Then I ran into the woods and waited to see what the trucker would do. When I saw that he was walking toward the girl, I ran off to get my clothes and rejoined my wife.

Trucker POV

I had been driving all night and I was getting tired. I knew I should have gotten off the road at that last truck stop, but something made me think I could keep going. Maybe it was because I had gotten a late start and knew I needed to make up time. I don't know. Whatever it was, it didn't really matter. All I knew was one moment, I'm drifting and trying to keep my eyes open, and the next I'm swerving my big rig to avoid hitting what looked like a huge wolf. I must have been more tired than I thought, cause I know God didn't make wolves that big. I grabbed my shotgun and got out to investigate just what had run in front of my truck. There was something by the side of the road so I headed in that direction. As I got closer I realized that it wasn't an animal but a girl. She was beaten badly and she wasn't moving. I was a little afraid to touch her, but I had to know if she was alive or not. I carefully set my gun down, and checked her for a pulse. She had one but it was very weak. I grabbed my phone and dialed 911.

Third Person POV

Two doctors and a nurse were waiting when the ambulance pulled up.

"What have we got?" Dr. White, the Chief Resident, asked.

"Teenage girl, found on the side of the road. She's got several broken bones, and a possible collapsed lung," the paramedic, Vicky, responded.

"Let's get her in to Trauma One. And get the OR down here," Dr. Ramirez said to Becky, the nurse.

As they began working on the girl, it became clear that she had internal bleeding. They worked as hard as they could to get her stable so she could go to the OR, but it didn't seem to be working.

"She's crashing! Someone get the crash cart!"

Alee POV

I felt like I was floating. The last thing I remembered was Doug beating me. Now I just felt free. Am I in heaven? I focused a little bit more on my surroundings expecting to see the forest. But I didn't. Instead I saw what looked like a hospital. How did I get here? What happened to Doug? When I could see more clearly I realized I was in a hospital. But I still couldn't figure out why I was floating. Until I looked down and realized that there was a body on the table in front of me. When I looked closer I realized that it was my body. Wait, am I dead? Does this mean that Doug killed me? What about my family? I don't have any ID so how will they know who I am? I don't want to be dead! I have so much to live for!

Elyse POV

"Has Alee come home yet?" I asked Nick, after heading into the living room.

"No. How's Tess doing?"

"I can't seem to get her fever to break. Your dad said that he was going to try to get ahold of a friend. If he can find him."

I checked my watch. "Where is she? It's been two hours since you came home. Didn't you say that she said she'd be home soon?"

Nick didn't get a chance to respond because there was a knock on the front door. He got up to answer it.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

I could smell two people. "Are your parents' home?" I heard one ask. I didn't like the sound of this so I went to the door. There stood two police officers. My lip quivered. I definitely did not want to hear what they were going to say. Alex must have smelled them to because he came in from the garage and stood next to me, gripping my arm.

"What can we help you with, Officers?"

The officers exchanged nervous looks. Clearly, they recognized my husband as the high profile defense attorney he had become. I don't know if they were afraid of my husband, or if they were just afraid to tell us whatever it was that they were here to tell us.

"I am so sorry to have to tell you this. About an hour ago your daughter was brought into the ER. She was found beaten and bruised. The doctors did everything they could, but it wasn't enough. I am so sorry."

No spoke for a few minutes.

"So you're saying that my sister is d...dead? What about Doug? Was he the one that k...killed her, or was he hurt as well?"

"Your sister was the only one brought in. Our department is doing everything it can to find out who did this to her. I am so sorry."

As they were walking away, I heard one of them mutter to the other one, "I hate doing these calls. Does it ever get any easier?"

"No. And I don't think it's supposed to."

Alex POV

As soon as the police left, Elyse was tugging on my arm.

"Let's go. We need to go!"

Instead of letting her pull me toward the car, I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. After a few seconds, I reached out and grabbed Nick, pulling him into our little circle. We all stood there for about ten minutes before Nick pulled away.

"Mom's right. You need to go. I'll stay here with Tess." As he walked away, I could see the tears streaming down his face.

Nurse Becky POV

I sighed as I sat down at the nurse's station.

"Long day?" Tammi asked. She was the desk attendant for the ER.

"No it's not that. We lost the teenager. I hate it when we lose patients, especially kids. It's just not fair."

Tammi came over and gave me a hug.

"I am so sorry. This is why I never wanted to be a nurse let alone a doctor. I honestly don't know how you guys handle losing patients and then coming back every single day. I couldn't do it. Hence why I am going to school to be a teacher."

We both looked up at the sound of the door opening. There were two people at the door. Both were extremely pale and beautiful. By the way they were holding each other they were clearly husband and wife. The wife was trembling and seemed to be held up only by her husband. Tammi and I exchanged a look.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, our daughter was brought here. The police…" he couldn't finish.

"If I can just have you wait here, I will go find the doctor," I said.

The man led his wife to our waiting room as I went to find Dr. White.

Dr. White POV

I was headed to the front desk when Becky grabbed me.

"Dr. White, the teenager's parents are here. I figured that you should be the one to tell them."

"Actually, the police already told them. Why don't you go get her cleaned up? No one should have to see their child like that."

She nodded and walked into the trauma room. I heard a gasp and then she was running out the door.

"Doctor! She's alive!"

Elyse POV

I couldn't stand the wait any longer. I already knew that my daughter was gone. Why weren't they letting us see her? What was the point of all this waiting?

"It's going to be alright. We can get through this. Just so long as we stick together," Alex whispered in my ear. I looked up at him.

"You can't possibly think that I would leave you. We will stick together. This is just so hard. I hate the waiting. We already know what happened. Why do we still have to wait?"

Before he could answer me, we saw a couple of doctors and nurses running down the hall. I figured some patient was coding or something. All I cared about was being able to take my daughter home and make her funeral arrangements. Not that I actually wanted to make those arrangements, but because of Doug, I didn't have a choice. I laid my head on Alex's shoulder and closed my eyes. It was times like this when I wished I could still cry. Crying was a way for me to release the inner pain I was feeling. Sleeping helped too. Of course I couldn't do that either.

"Elyse, we will get through this. It will be tough for a while, but we will get through it."

I sighed. "I know. But that doesn't mean I….."

"Pardon me for interrupting, but are you here for the teenage girl that was brought in a couple of hours ago?" A doctor had come up to us. His name tag read Dr. White.

"Yes," Alex spoke up. "When can we have her…um…moved to the funeral home?"

Dr. White frowned.

"That won't be necessary."

"So you will take care of that?" Alex asked.

"No."

"Well then how do you propose we get it taken care of?" I interjected.

"I don't think you quite understand. Your daughter is alive."

Present Day

Elyse POV

"So what happened?" Emmett asked. "Did you ever find Doug?"

"No," I said.

Edward looked up as Alice, Jasper and Carlisle came out of his office. He gave Jacob a look and then they both got up and went outside. They talked for a few minutes, quietly enough that no one could hear them, before Jacob leaped off the deck, phasing as he went. He ran off in the direction of the creek, with a couple members of his pack following.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Nothing. Alice just scented a new vampire and the wolves went off to make sure it wasn't a threat," Carlisle said.

Something about the way he said that did not have me convinced.

Alee POV

I had been sitting at the river bed for over three hours. I had just decided to head back when I heard a twig snap for the second time. Instead of looking up, I listened. Last time I had looked up and then there was nothing to see. This time, I was going to listen and pretend that I hadn't heard anything. After a few minutes, I decided to risk a look up. When I did, my blood ran cold.

"Hello Alee."

Tess POV

"What is going on?" I asked. "I don't like being kept in the dark. Spill."

"Well, there is a good chance that the vampire I scented was Doug," Alice spoke up.

"Alice!"

"Edward, I will not lie to them. They deserve to know the truth."

Edward threw up his hands and headed out the door, with Carlisle following close behind. I gave Dad a look, waited until he had a firm grip on Mom, (so she wouldn't do something stupid), then I grabbed Nick and we headed out the door, tracking Edward and Carlisle.

Seth POV

When we got to the river bed, I didn't like what I saw. The vampire was pulling a sharpened branch out of Alee's leg. He clearly wanted to torture her before killing her. As he leaned toward her neck, I lunged.

Doug POV

Just as I was about to sink my teeth into her neck I was knocked back by something huge and smelly. I rolled back to the trees to regroup and figure out what had struck me. What I saw when I looked up shocked me. I had known that Alee and her brother and sister were wolves, but I didn't know that there were others. This new revelation meant I had to rethink my

Alee POV

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a sandy colored wolf ripping Doug's head off.

Carlisle POV

As soon as Seth had killed Alee's attacker, I ran over to her to asses her injuries. They didn't seem horribly bad, especially since her accelerated healing was kicking in. What I was really worried about was internal injuries. Once I was sure that she didn't have a broken neck or spine, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her back to the house. Edward stayed behind to help dispose of Doug. Edward, call Bella and have her and Emmett keep Elyse and Alex out of my office. And hurry back. I could use your help.

Esme POV

We were all anxiously awaiting word when Bella's phone chimed with a new text message. That could only mean that whoever sent her that message didn't want anyone overhearing which usually meant bad news.

"It's Edward," she said.

"Well? What did he say? Is Alee alright? What about Doug? Did they kill him?" Elyse asked. Alex could barely keep her sitting still. He'd almost lost his grip when they discovered Doug was back. With Emmett's help he'd been able to keep her here. I didn't blame her for wanting to go to her daughter. I would have done the same thing.

"All he said was Carlisle was bringing Alee back. He didn't say anything else." Bella wasn't saying something. It must have been for a good reason. Clearly Edward had said something he didn't want Elyse and Alex to know. Otherwise he would have called. Alex looked at me with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry you two. I had hoped this would be a more joyous occasion. However please will you still think about staying here? Even if it's only for a couple of months. Please don't leave," I said. Elyse's lip quivered. Alex held her tightly to him. He whispered in her ear, reassuring her. I looked at Bella but she was showing Emmett her text. I would've moved over to them but I was afraid if I moved, Elyse or Alex would notice. And then whatever Edward had planned would be all for naught.

Alice POV

Jasper and I were waiting in Carlisle's office. Our part of the plan was to have Jasper and I waiting in here for him until Edward could join him. So long as Bella, Rose and Emmett pulled off their part, then this plan was flawless. I had no doubt that they would even if I couldn't see it. It was tough not being able to see the outcome of an event. Maybe I relied on my gift too much. Maybe this was a good thing. Jasper nudged me just then. I looked to where he was pointing. Carlisle was coming toward the house with Alee in his arms. Jasper stiffened.

"She's covered in blood," he mouthed.

"I tried to warn you," I mouthed back as I ran to get the door. Carlisle silently slipped in and placed Alee gently on the table. Two wolves, one black with white socks and the other solid white, slipped out of the woods and came up to the outside door. They both looked in and then turned around and placed themselves in front of the door. It took me a second to realize they were guarding the door. That wasn't part of the original plan, but I wasn't about to send them away.

"Jazz, go stand outside the door with Emmett." I whispered. Jasper had been holding his breath the whole time even though we had just hunted earlier today. I wished he would just trust himself more. Of course it does make it harder when the person is bleeding right in front of you.

Alee POV

The next thing I was aware of was being laid on a table. At least it felt like a table. I couldn't move or speak or even open my eyes to check. I just hoped that wherever I was, I was with family. I knew Doug was dead, but what I didn't know was whether he was working alone or not.

"She's semi-conscious." I heard a voice say. The voice sounded like Edward's, but I couldn't be sure.

"We've got to find a way to stop the internal bleeding. A normal human would be dead by now," the same voice continued.

"I know, son. There's only so many ways to find out where the source is, but I'm not sure it's something I want to do in a houseful of vampires." This was a new voice. This one I recognized. This was Carlisle, possibly my new grandpa. I think. I'll figure that out later. So if this was Carlisle, then I was right about the first voice being Edward. Phew. I was among family after all. I heard another new voice, just then. This one was a girl and she kind of sounded like my dad. Or maybe I was imagining that. I don't even think I could tell which way is up right now. Anyway, the girl said, "Carlisle, you have to. She will die if you don't."

Wait, what? I don't want to die. I want to live! How do I tell them that though? I want them to do whatever it takes to save me, short of making me a vampire. Sure I could live forever but I rather like being a wolf.

Carlisle POV

Edward had his head cocked to one side as if listening to something. "Wait. You said that Alee was semi-conscious. Can she hear us?" I asked. "Does she understand what I have I do?"

"She can hear us but I'm not sure she does understand that. Or at least she doesn't quite know what you mean."

"There has got to be another way," I said. I really didn't want to have to operate here. But I couldn't exactly take her to a hospital either. Too many questions would be asked. Questions that we didn't need asked. Questions that would most certainly bring the Volturi down on us again.

"Well what about an ultrasound? Maybe you would at least be able to see where to start. First we should clean her up," Alice spoke up. "Of course, after we clean her up, you may not even need the ultrasound," she added as an afterthought. So we gathered our supplies and started cleaning her up. Once she was cleaned up, I realized that I had been overreacting just a little bit. Most of her wounds were completely healed. There was only one spot that concerned me. "See this spot here?" I asked. "This is really the only spot of concern. Edward, would you bring the ultrasound here?" He did as I asked and then I proceeded to start it up. "You know this could be something as simple as a punctured lung," Alice said.

"Yeah unless a broken rib has punctured the lung and her body has already tried to heal the rib. Then we would have to re-brake the rib, and that's not going to be pretty."

"Stop being so cynical Edward," Alice said.

Alex POV

I could tell that Elyse was moments away from her breaking point. But, knowing her, I let her walk away because she preferred to be alone when she was like this. I still kept my eye on her though. Just in case she needed me. "Doug got away again?" I asked while watching Elyse.

"No," Jacob replied. I whipped around to face him. "What did you say?"

"He didn't get away. Seth killed him."

Elyse POV

I felt the anger coming on but instead of letting it consume me I tried turning it into something tangible. Soon I was able to see it as it became a part of my force field. I could feel the venom welling in my mouth like it did before a hunt. Only this time there was a metallic taste to it as well as the feeling of raw power. It was a feeling I hadn't felt since I was a newborn and I liked it. I really wanted to destroy something so I sent my force field toward the nearest tree. Instead of destroying the tree when it hit it like usual, I somehow pushed it inside the tree. I could feel it expanding and as soon as it reached its max, the tree exploded from the inside out with a resounding BOOM! Everyone came rushing out to the deck to see what had happened and then just stared at me in shock. I had sunk to the ground feeling very calm and drained. Alex knelt on the ground next to me and just held me.

Charlie POV

Out of nowhere there was this resounding BOOM followed by what felt like an earthquake. My deputy and I shared a look.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I have no idea, but it felt like it came from that direction."

I paled when I realized he was pointing toward where the Cullen's lived. Without even thinking, I grabbed my coat and my keys and headed out the door.