Sorry for the massive delay! So many things happened at once, it was like a train wreck…but I'm back! To make up for it, I'll be updating again on Saturday and we should be back on track after that!

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Last chapter:

Pa was quiet for a moment; I could almost see his brow crinkled up in thought. I couldn't help but hold my breath, waitin' for him to speak.

"I think that would be a good idea," he said, makin' about gasp aloud. "This town would be a whole lot better off without the Cullen's around."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*BS&CB*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I walked back to my bedroom in a daze, my heart breakin' with every step. The words Pa spoke put the final nail in my coffin of hope. There was no way that he would ever accept Edward, no amount of convincing was gonna work.

I stumbled through the door of the bedroom surprising a half-dressed Abby.

"Where's the water?" she asked confused.

"Huh?"

"The water you were gonna get to clean up with?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, that," Geez, I had completely forgotten about my little fib. "We'll wash up later."

She shrugged and started to dress herself in a plain work dress. I mindlessly set to the task of dressing myself; I plucked out a pale yellow dress and slipped on a clean apron. I was still tryin' to process what I had heard. If the town decided to go up against the Cullen's then Pa would side with them. He would help rid the town of the Cullen's… of Edward.

I fought the urge to vomit I needed fresh air.

"Sissy, are you okay?" Abby's small voice said.

"I'm fine," I said shakily.

"You sure?" she asked graspin' my hand with hers. "You look sick."

"I'm just gonna go get some air," I said pulling away from her and fleeing the room.

I made it outside faster than I thought possible, before I knew it, I was in the middle of the back yard suckin' in mouthfuls of air.

"You okay, Isabella?" Pa asked, steppin' out onto the porch.

"I'm fine," I said feebly. I'm sure he could tell that I was lyin', anyone with two eyes could see that something was wrong.

"You gonna get sick?"

"No," I said through another mouthful of air.

"'Kay," he said uncertainly. He seemed anxious, like when I started my womanly cycle. I was horrified when I had woken up with blood all over the sheets and on my legs. I never had anyone to explain things to me and I was certain that I was dyin'.

Pa busted into my room when he had heard my hollerin', only to see what I was screechin' about. He turned tail and ran. Well at least I thought he had, in all reality he went to Mrs. Jensen's place to get her to come talk to me. She came and helped me clean up and explained what I would be dealin' with from then on out.

The look on Pa's face now, was a lot like that morning.

"You wanna talk?" he asked awkwardly.

"About?"

"You know, um, boys," he was about stuttering.

I about choked on my breath. "No," I said adamantly.

"I know that these things can be confusin'," he said with a sigh walkin' closer to me. "Emotions are a funny thing and I know that I'm no help with all that. I just don't know what to say."

"I know that, Pa. You do a good job raisin' us."

"We can talk if you need," he said softly. "I'm here."

I felt my eyes start to burn with tears. I knew that my Pa cared for me, for all of us, but he rarely showed it with words. He was more of a show them with actions kind of guy. I looked at him for a moment, really looked.

I could see the concern in his eyes, questions that he wanted to ask, but didn't. He knew that the time was comin', he may have kept himself to the farm, but the whispers of gossip still found their way here. He had to have an idea of what Michael's intentions were.

"I know," I said softly. "I was actually hopin' that I could go see Mary Alice, we were talkin' at church and didn't get to finish our conversation."

I felt guilty about askin'. He was trying to be there for me and I was rejectin' him. I watched his face, waitin' to see the sign of disappointment. But instead of that, a look of relief passed over his features. It lessened my guilt a little.

"Of course you can. Just start supper before you go, Abby can finish up whatever you start," he said with a smile. "I'll get Toby hitched up for you."

"You don't have to bother with the wagon, Pa. I can ride horseback."

"Alright," he said. "I'll get him ready."

"Thanks, Pa," I said as I rushed back into the house.

It only took me a half of an hour to have supper prepared, I took Abby through what needed to be done and then I rushed from the house.

Just like Pa said, Toby was saddled and ready to go.

"He's ready for ya," Pa said steppin' out from the barn.

"Thanks," I hitched up my skirt and stepped into the stir up, swingin' my leg over the top of the horse.

"I..um…well," Pa stuttered. "I, well I heard the young Mister Newton escorted you into church today."

I felt the dread start creepin' through my stomach.

"He did," I said quietly.

"Alright," he said reaching' up to rub the back of his neck. "You, um, have a nice talk with Mary Alice and her Ma."

It was then that I realized why he was being so accommodatin' with me goin' to the Brandon's. Ben had told him about Michael's actions at church today and he thought I was worryin' myself over it.

"I will," I said getting ready to nudge Toby forward.

"He's a good man, Isabella," Pa's voice startled me.

"Who?"

"Michael Newton," he said with a look of confusion.

"Oh, he is," I said because he really was. He just wasn't right for me.

"He'll take good care of you," Pa said with a hint of sadness.

I just nodded my head because I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to yell out that Edward was a good man, and that he could take care of me also. But I didn't.

"Alright," he said after a moment. "Set for home before dark."

"Of course."

I enjoyed the ride to the Brandon's, the sun was warm on my skin and the fresh air helped clear my head. Before I knew it, the Brandon farm came into view. I made quick work of tyin' Toby up by the barn.

"Isabella," Mrs. Brandon's voice called from the back porch. "So nice to see you, girl."

"Thank you, Mrs. Brandon!" I said steppin' into the warm kitchen; I pulled my bonnet off my head.

"It's not often we see you for visits anymore," she said with a sad smile. I knew that she missed my mama a lot, those two were thick as thieves. We use to spend many of days in this kitchen.

"I had some free time; I thought I would come by and see Mary Alice."

"Well that is nice, she'll be glad to see you," she said smiling at me. She was elbow deep in dough, makin' bread from what I could tell. "She has been in such an odd mood lately; if I didn't know better I would think she was in love."

She followed that statement with a hearty chuckle. I laughed weakly along with her.

"She's out in the orchard, pickin' more fruit for pies and jams," she said noddin' her graying head towards the back woods. "You can find her out there."

"Thank you," I said brightly.

I walked across the fields towards the dense tree line. Anticipation settled in my gut, I remembered what Alice had said about her time in the orchard recently, I hoped that I wasn't going to be messin' up her afternoon.

My worries were soon appeased; as I stepped into a denser part of the trees to find Alice pickin' low hangin' fruit.

"Alice," I said startling her. She yelped loudly, droppin' her basket of fruit.

"Bella," she sighed.

"I'm sorry," I rushed forward to help her pick up her scattered apples.

"You gave me a fright," she said with a laugh.

"I didn't mean to, I should have made more noise walkin' up."

"It wouldn't have helped, I was lost in my own world," she reassured me.

"Alright then," I said pickin' up the last dropped fruit.

"What are you doin' here?" she asked turnin' to me. "Not that I mind of course, I just never see you outside of church anymore."

"I had some free time," I said weakly.

"You never have free time," she said with a giggle, floppin' down onto her behind, fruit pickin' forgotten for now.

I sat beside her, tucking my feet under me.

"I think Pa knew I needed some woman time."

She cocked her head to the side. "Something's botherin' you."

"Lots of things are botherin' me, Alice. You witness most of them."

"No, something more than Michael Newton and small town gossip," she said.

She was right of course, there was something more botherin' me.

"I overheard Pa and Ben talkin' after church," I said quietly lookin' down at my hands.

"And?" she asked gently, takin' one of hands in hers.

"They were talkin' about the Cullen's."

"Of course they were, them two being at church was big news."

"It wasn't just that," I sighed. I went on to relate the whole conversation that I had heard between Pa and Ben.

"Oh!" she gasped. Her hands dropped to the side, leavin' mine. "Do you think that they would lynch the whole lot of them?"

I didn't want to answer her, to say it aloud made it seem more real.

"I think that's their intentions."

"And your Pa would help?"

"Wouldn't yours?" I bit out more harshly then I meant to. It wasn't Alice, but the situation that was makin' me upset.

I saw her bottom lip tremble. "I'm sorry, Alice, I didn't mean to get at you."

"It's not you, Bella. I know that my Pa would help. Actually, Mr. Banner was here the other night, stopped by right after supper wantin' to talk to Pa. I didn't think anything of it then, but now I wonder," she said her eyes unfocused, lost in a memory.

"You think he was here talkin' to your Pa about the Cullen's?"

"I think he's doing more than talkin', Bella. I think he's roundin' up a posse," she said softly.

"What do we do?" I exclaimed.

"What can we do, Bella?" she said anglin' her body towards me. "We're just girls; we have no power when it comes to these matters."

I didn't have anything to say back to her because I knew she was right. If I went to my Pa and told him not to hurt the Cullen's he would send me away, especially if he knew I was in love with one. But I knew one thing that we could do.

"We have to warn them," I said after a moment of thinking.

"I agree."

"But how?" I asked her.

"We go to their house," she said standin'.

"We go to their house?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yep."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" I asked. I didn't like the look of determination on her face.

"We walk, of course," she said like it was that simple.

"And your parents?" I pointed out.

"I'll go tell Ma that we are gonna take a walk in the woods."

"And she'll just go along with that?" I asked surprised.

"Of course, Bella. My parents aren't as strict as your Pa."

I already knew that, Alice got away with a lot more than I ever did.

"Alright then, if we're gonna go we better hurry. I don't even know how to get to their house from here," I said standin'.

"I do," Alice said with a blush on her face.

"You've been there?" I asked in shock.

"No," she said quickly. "But Jasper walked me in that direction one day, wantin' me to know where to find him if I needed him.

"Let me go tell my mama our plans and I'll be right back," she took off in a dead run towards her house.

It seemed like only moments had passed before she was runnin' back through the trees to me.

"Okay, let's go," she said breathlessly.

We entered the tree line together, steppin' over fallen trees and small bushes. We walked a small way in silence, the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds chripin' our only company. But I knew Alice to well; she could never stay quiet for long.

"So, what are you gonna do about Michael?" she asked not falterin' in her steps.

Her words caused me to stumble though. Her tiny hand came out the help catch me.

"Sorry," she said with a giggle. "I should have given you a warnin'."

"No, it's alright, you just surprised me."

"So?" she prodded when I didn't expand on my answer.

"I'm not sure yet."

"You don't want to be with him?" she asked loudly.

"What?" I about shouted. "No! I just don't know how to tell him to go away."

"Well the best thing would have been to never say yes in the first place," she said smugly, as if it were that easy.

"Yeah, well I really didn't get much of a choice in the matter," I said bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"He asked me to the church fair in front of the town's ladies and made a point of talkin' to my Pa behind my back," I explained. "So like I said, I didn't have a choice."

"Oh Bella, I should have figured it was something like that," she said sadly.

I just nodded my head, before anything else could be said, Alice stopped in her tracks.

"Their house is just through that thicket," she said pointing to a large grouping of trees.

"I didn't realize how close they were to you," I said amazed.

"Yeah, well now that I think of it, I'm sure that is why Mr. Banner was talkin' to my Pa. These woods would make it easier on ambushin' the brothers."

"You're probably right," I said in wonderment. "They would have the right amount of coverage comin' this way."

"You ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

We walked through the denser trees until they broke free into a large field. There was a lot of land here, more than the Newton's even owned. The fields were overgrown, untouched by a plow or a hand. In the far field to the right, there were at least a dozen or so horses grazin', no fence holdin' them in. I didn't notice Edward's horse there though.

I followed closely behind Alice, my eyes flickerin' here and there until they landed on a large house. It must have once been quite a remarkable sight, the large windows and wrap around porch, but now it sat just as dilapidated and untouched as the fields. Shutters were hangin' on one nail, just winds touch from fallin' to the ground. Windows looked to be broken and then patched up with boards.

I couldn't believe anyone lived here, let alone Edward.

"Is this is?" I asked in shock.

"I think so, I don't see any other house around," Alice said still walkin'. "Though I don't see how anyone lives here."

We had gotten close to the front porch then, the house lookin' worse the closer we got. Before I had a chance to say anything, the front door swung open and we were starin' down the open end of a shotgun.

"You have five seconds to explain yourselves before I put a bullet in your heads," A gruff voice called from the doorway.

Gonna go hide now…Please only throw soft things at me, I don't handle pain well. J

XO-

Symphiann