Characters are always the property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 14 Truth and Lies

EPOV

"Dude, stop that shit!"

"What?" I asked him innocently, looking up slowly.

Jasper's eyes met mine with an incredulous look. Falling apart, he thought, but said, "Sulking. It's making me insane."

I knew that wasn't a lie. For the past few days, he hadn't even tried to hide his homicidal thoughts toward me. I understood it was hard for him. He missed her too, and the family, especially Alice, but my emptiness since Bella was anything but lessening. Each day, my long dead heart seemed to crumble further away.

Jasper pulled his phone from his pocket and began dialing Alice. Her voice mail picked up on the first ring. He sighed heavily as he left a brief message, not bothering to hide his irritation. "I know you said that I should stay, but seriously, Edward is driving me crazy! I love you. Bye"

He immediately dialed Carlisle. Voice mail again. "Just checking in," he said simply.

I ran my fingers absently through my hair, remembering the way Bella's fingers felt grabbing on to it as her lips danced with mine. Jasper groaned loudly and dialed again. This time it was Emmett's voice telling him to leave a message. He did.

"What? Did you all go on some mass hunting expedition? Where the fuck is everyone?"

My brother was losing his grip and I knew it had everything to do with this funk I'd been in. It was like I had no control over myself. Every single part of me ached for her, even though she didn't want me. She didn't want me. It still stung to remember the words passing through her sweet lips. I wanted her so much, it had never crossed my mind she wouldn't want me in the same way. But these feeling for her were so incredibly strong. Why couldn't she feel it, too?

Jasper was dialing again, but I didn't bother to look to see who he was trying. It wasn't surprising it was Rosalie who answered the phone. He seemed to relax incredibly. Finally!

"I was wondering when you were going to call," she answered in a bored tone.

"Where's Alice?" Jasper demanded immediately.

Rosalie was silent for a minute.

"What's wrong?" He asked again.

"I thought you'd know."

Her voice hung in the air for a long time before it penetrated my thoughts. Something was very wrong. Something beside the fact that I'd been a complete wreck since Bella left. Something that made a crack in my walls, if only long enough to remember that I wasn't alone, not really. I still had a family who needed me as much as I needed Bella. Guilt overpowered me and I slumped back into the chair, my eyes intent on Jasper's face.

Since Emmett and Alice left Nord, we hadn't tried to contact anyone in the family until today. Something had happened and I had us so involved in me that we'd missed it entirely.

"I told you she was nothing but trouble," Rosalie said in her smug voice. "That little bitch has brought down the strength of the Volturi on our heads."

"It's not like that," Jasper responded calmly. Luckily, I wasn't the one with the phone in my hand or she would have gotten an ear full of expletives.

"You and Edward know better than anyone what she's like. She's spiteful, angry, and even worse than..."

"Than you?" Jasper filled in for her. "Can't take a little competition, Rosie?"

She hissed into the phone. "Everything that's happening is because you invited her into our lives. The whole damn family is cracking and it has everything to do with that stupid -"

I snatched the phone before he had the chance to speak his calm response. "You better watch your tongue," I spat then added, "What do you mean, 'cracking?'"

She hesitated.

"Alice wouldn't tell me anything," she finally answered in a softer tone. "I don't even know where Emmett's gone. She said, 'the less we knew, the better.'"

"You're alone?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Esme is with me. Alice and Emmett left here with Eleazar and Kate and told us to take the rest of the Denali Coven north. All I know is she and Emmett were trying to lead the trackers in the opposite direction."

"And Carlisle?" I questioned as my stomach sank further.

She was shaking her head. I could hear the way her hair brushed her shoulders. "He took the jet," she finally whispered. Her fear was becoming my fear and Jasper sat on the edge of his seat, completely horrified of whatever she'd say next. "Esme is beside herself," she said in the same low tone. "He's never hidden anything from her before."

"And no one is answering their cells," I added as an afterthought.

"No." Rosalie's voice picked up its previous venom. "And, like I said it's all her fault."

"I told you to stop!" I growled. "This would have happened anyway! Aro's been after Carlisle for centuries." My temper receded immediately and I was ashamed of my outburst. Rosalie was just scared I reminded myself, so I added in a much softer tone, "Keep Esme safe. And yourself. The Volturi has endless resources."

I hung up the phone and immediately dialed Carlisle. His voice mail picked up right away, so I called Emmett, then Alice. Nothing.

"Where are they?" Jasper asked, not really expecting an answer. He snatched the phone away, and sent a short text to Alice. "I can't believe all the secrets. What's she seen?"

I looked at the immaculately clean floor and thought it over. Alice had definitely seen something. Rationally, I knew she had a good reason for keeping us all in the dark, but it didn't make it easier to take. Something was happening. I just didn't know what.

APOV

Everyone had their part to play in this. I wasn't sure if there was a good way for any of it to end, but I was sure I had done everything to sway the odds in our favor. Since I had seen the first vision – the one that had knocked me into as near a coma as a vampire could get – I followed every step necessary, changing and weaving when the circumstances called for it. I actually felt quite brilliant at the way things had worked out so far.

First and foremost, I had been able to keep Edward from seeing the whole picture. It wouldn't do any good to have him angry about everything from the first day. No. It had been much smarter to reel him in slowly, then thrust it into his face so he wouldn't have the chance to scoff. It was actually much easier than I thought. Not that I'd ever let Edward in that particular fact.

Then, I allowed myself to be captured, betting on meeting Bella. I had known immediately her connection to our family would be strong. Jasper surprised me in Volterra, but it worked to our benefit. Bella had tortured him relentlessly, but in the end, she seemed to have found a new best friend. Jasper considered her the same, I knew. It was a surprising gift added, because I already knew what kind of effect she'd have on Edward. I'd already seen how hopelessly their lives would bind together. It was terrifying. I knew the end of one would be the end of the other now that they'd met. Neither could survive the chasm that would inevitably rip apart their souls if the other died.

And there was still no telling how this was going to end. Even as I sprinted after Emmett, gracefully ducking in and out of the trees, I had no idea. Right now, I could see everything was going as planned. Carlisle even called to let me know Felix had contacted him. She wasn't doing well. I had a vision of her lying on a dusty floor, unmoving and shaking. The Brothers were going to find her guilty. Guilty and punished to death.

I sighed, but kept running. Carlisle had it under control or at least as much as he possibly could. I only hoped that my compassionate and loving father could do something to save her. His mind flashed idea after idea as he thought over what he'd be willing to do. I had told him everything, before I asked him to go. He took it all in, especially when I spoke of the bond between Bella and Edward, before finally agreeing to do everything he could. He understood it meant the happiness of his family forever, but might also mean a permanent end to it. But he agreed. He loved Bella in his own way and Edward beyond reason and he went when I asked.

I shouldn't dwell on any of that, though. I didn't need my visions to know Demetri and his posse of three was gaining. It was all part of the plan. Let them come, I thought and giggled a bit. I could see Emmett smile in front of me and sure enough, when he turned around, his grin was stretched wide.

"What's up?" He loved this.

My smile grew. "You're gonna love it!" I giggled again.

His deep laughter echoed through the trees. Hopefully, it was just loud enough for our little friends to hear. They weren't going to know what hit them. There were still many miles to go before they caught us, but the surprise would be on them and ask anyone who knows me, I live for surprises!

As we ran, my mind drifted to Jasper. Keeping everything from him had been the hardest. I wasn't sure he suspected anything, but I felt heartless for having to do it in the first place. Jasper was like a Sunday morning in summer, all goodness and sunshine, but I knew he'd be on to me soon. At least I had done what I could. Edward would have been fine if I had let him run on his own for awhile, but I asked Jasper to stay for his safety. He was too protective and I knew he would put himself in danger if he thought something was threatening me.

My phone vibrated suddenly in my pocket. Without missing a step, I flipped it open. Jasper was calling. So, they were about to figure out I was up to something. Thank heavens, no one knew exactly what.

A few minutes later, it rang again. I didn't even glance at the name, just tapped the button on the side, silencing the vibrations. I didn't even know what to tell him – how to explain what I'd done. So I ignored it. When it vibrated twice in short succession, I knew he'd sent a text. Four small words greeted me: What is going on?

Ok, so they knew, but they couldn't stop it now. Everything had already been set in motion. Rose and Esme were leading Carmen and the Denali sisters farther north. Carlisle was on his way to Italy. Emmett and I were running south and Edward and his overreactions were completely out of the way.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and kept going. I couldn't see the ending yet, but all players were in place. A few hundred miles later, I whispered forward into the darkness. "At dawn, Emmett."

He didn't acknowledge my words in any way, but I could see an immediate tensing in his shoulders. He was gearing up for the brawl. We were running straight for a clearing where Demetri and company would attempt to head us off. It wouldn't be long now and even Emmett had grown somber in the midst of the upcoming battle.

The meadow was easy to spot, though it was still a dusty gray in the early morning light. A fine mist rolled around our ankles and Emmett and I paused in the middle of the clearing, glancing around the eerie half light. I suddenly felt more uneasy than I should given I knew the outcome of the situation. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going wrong.

Then, I saw the vision just as I heard it starting. A high pitched keen from the east. I recognized it right away as did Emmett and we were speeding off together in that direction. Oh, no! No, no, no, no! Not Kate!

We reached the spot where Eleazar and Kate had been lying in ambush, waiting the confrontation to begin back at the meadow. Kate was sprawled on the forest floor, her pale hair splayed around her, covering her face. Eleazar was bent next to her in a protective crouch growling up at the hulking Demetri. Though he had turned away from his roots after meeting his wife Carmen, Eleazar was a trained Volturi Guardsman during the peak of their expansion. He was well learned in the ways of combat. I couldn't tell if Kate was still alive, but she wasn't moving.

"What's this about?" Emmett's voice boomed through the trees.

Demetri looked over at us and sneered. "You forget Eleazar and I worked together for many years. When I sensed him fleeing in the same direction as the two of you, I assumed you were up to something. At the last moment, we broke away and found these two. We knew there was a way to trick your sight," he snarled at me, a snug look crossing his features. "The Volturi knows all."

Suddenly, Kate's shaky hand burst out and grabbed Demetri's ankle. He shuddered violently, falling to the ground in a heap of twitching flesh as her electrocuting power pulsed through him. She didn't let go.

"Did you see that, you Volturi fuck? Huh?" she gasped, face still buried in her hair. She was on the edge of hysterics.

Demetri's body only twitched convulsively. His entourage, shocked into silence up to this point, seemed to get their bearings back and began stirring. Emmett was already on them, knocking the other three down like bowling pins. Eleazar jumped to his feet and onto one of the fallen, viciously tearing and ripping at him as he screamed and flailed beneath Eleazar's trained lethality.

I grinned happily. Even though it didn't start the way I had expected, there would still be no stopping us. In my delight, I almost failed to see one of the downed guards stumble to his feet and face me. In an instant, he sprang forward, slashing out with his hands. Sharp fingernails grazed my skin as I danced away, but they didn't puncture. I narrowed my eyes, issuing a hiss from my throat that would have made even the most ferocious Volturi cower. This one was no different.

"You really shouldn't have done that," I said between my teeth just as Emmett stepped forward and locked the confused vampire's arms tightly behind his back. In a rush I ran toward them, placing one foot on the center of his chest for added leverage, took his head between my hands, and snapped his head from his neck. It came free from my grip and rolled to a stop next to Eleazar's leg just as he was finishing demolishing his captive.

Then, my eyes were back on Kate who still had a hold of Demetri's leg, but seemed to have used up every bit of her energy. Her body was as limp as the one at my feet and Demetri was starting to come to.

"Hurry, Emmett," I said pointing at Demetri as he staggered to find his footing.

And Emmett was on him, growling and punching him until he no longer resembled a man so much as oatmeal. It was completely unpleasant, but Emmett was all smiles as he stepped away. Eleazar clapped him on the back, then ran off for the briefest moments to find a deer to restore Kate.

Kate sat up exhaustedly, a small smile on her face as she looked at what was left of the would-be assassins. Now, it was plain to see what happened to cause her screaming earlier. A huge gaping wound stretched across her chest. The flesh was ripped away sickeningly, but I could see it slowly stitching itself back together as the deer's life force spread through her body.

She winced in pain, just as Emmett dropped a match on the towering pile of vampire parts, to ensure the goons wouldn't bother anyone ever again. The heat expanded outward until it became too uncomfortable on our skin and we left it to burn.

It was at that moment I could find Bella no more. I searched and searched for her future and it was black. Anything that involved her or even Edward had totally disappeared. I pressed harder, searching for everyone in my family. They were gone, too. This didn't make sense. Something was blocking me from seeing what was happening. It left all our futures in the balance.

We had taken care of our part, but I could do nothing more than wait. At least, I didn't have to do it alone. While Emmett and Eleazar made their way carefully through the terrain of the Rockies with Kate propped between them, I reached for my phone. At least now I could have Jasper. There was nothing left to hide from Edward. He felt everything I knew he would from the beginning and nothing could change it. Now I could see my Jasper.

I dialed, but his phone rang and rang and finally his voice mail picked up. "Hi," I said, wondering why he hadn't picked up the phone immediately. "I know I have a lot to explain and I will. Right now we're in Northern Colorado and heading north again. Please call me. I love you."

That damn uneasy feeling was back in the pit of my stomach. I didn't bother calling Edward, knowing I'd get the same result and the seed of panic began to grow. Not being able to see made everything so much more ominous and terrifying.

I followed the others silently, trying my hardest to catch any glimpse, but I kept my phone firmly in my hand and willed it to ring. Call me, Jasper, I repeated over and over again. I wasn't sure if I could handle not knowing if the damn thing would ever ring again.

EPOV

"So, what should we do?" I finally asked, feeling myself rise away from my own self-pity and focus on the threat at hand. "No one will tell us what's going on, except Rosalie, who doesn't know anything to begin with. What should we do?"

Jasper looked at me a long time before raising his shoulders in a defeated shrug. "If Alice doesn't want us to know, then I doubt we'll be able to figure it out."

"She is cunning," I agreed, "but not any more than we are. And she tends to be impulsive. You and I are calculating. We just need to think. What would Alice be trying to shield us from?"

But as soon as I said that word, we both knew and a look of comprehension passed between us.

"Let's go!" Jasper said rising to his feet.

I was on mine and together we ran from the house, purpose spurring us. Everything seemed so clear now. Bella. It had always been about Bella. For me, it would always be about her. Something was wrong and it had everything to do with why I was so miserable, but I'll be damned – as if I weren't all ready – if I let anything happen to her! Whether or not she wants me, I will be there to protect her. I won't look in her eyes and see the pity, but I will be there.