I shiver slightly as we cross the Cullen's front lawn. It didn't take me long to figure out why Jacob might want to walk me home; he couldn't have me, but he could make Edward pay in the most painful way he could think of - with his memories. Just like the time Edward left me, and Jacob picked up the shattered pieces of my spirit, using the images of me to revenge himself. This would be a thousand times worse.

I half expected Edward to greet us at the door, his amber eyes furious. Instead, Alice was perched on the banister, watching us in mute agony.

"Bella." She murmured as we closed in, Jacob's hand resting on the small of my back. "I'm glad you're home."

"Are you, Alice?"

She flinched, as if I hit her.

"Of course I am, Bella. I love you. You're my sister."

"Don't sisters protect each other?"

"I thought I was Bella. I'm so sorry."

I snort in derision, walking right past her into the house. And encountering the last person I ever wanted to see. Rosalie.

"Bella! I thought you'd left us for good?"

I glared. Hoped, was more like it.

"Edward's not here. He's taken Tanya back to Denali."

Jacob's hand slipped from my back to encircle my waist as the words filtered through. He was still with her.

I felt my knees buckle.

Rosalie grinned at me, her expression so smug, I would have loved nothing more than to wipe it right off her face.

"And you couldn't possibly have stopped that, could you leech?" Jacob's voice hissed through the ringing in my ears.

The smug expression became even more malicious. "Well, it was his place. He brought them here after all."

A blur flashed past us and Rosalie was knocked to the ground. When the shapes became something recognizable I saw Alice sitting on Rosalie's chest, her pixie face screwed up in anger. "Haven't you done enough damage, Rose?"

"Hey. I didn't push Edward and Tanya together."

Alice growled, low in her throat.

Jasper and Emmett entered the fray just as Alice bent her head for punishment of the more lasting kind, pulling the girls away from each other.

"C'mon girls. Enough's enough." Emmett held Rosalie loosely in his arms. "Rose." He murmured. "Can't you just stay out of it?"

Jasper had Alice turned towards him, was whispering in her ear.

Jacob pulled me to the couch. "I think I'll hang around until Edward gets back." He pulled me into his lap as he sat. "We need to have a little chat."