I stared at Alice, dumbfounded.

I wasn't prepared for something to happen so soon. It felt like Aro and the others had left only moments ago. Alice was practically shaking, her eyes were wide with something I hoped wasn't fear. It took a lot to scare Alice.

"Alice, come here, sit down. Are you alright?" I asked, I was impatient to hear what more she had to say. First, though, I wanted to make sure she wasn't about to pass out; which luckily wasn't actually a possibility. "What did you see?" I continued.

She sat down across from Edward and I. I glanced at him; he looked at me at the same moment. His gaze was comforting, but I could see the fear there as well. He held my hand tightly as Alice began to explain.

"I'm sorry I scared you both. I probably shouldn't be as shook up as I am. I don't know anything for sure. There's something extremely odd about all of this. My reaction was almost… almost involuntary. Like I couldn't help but panic." Alice paused thoughtfully. I was practically bouncing out of my seat waiting for her to explain.

"I'm sorry, Alice. But what did you see?" I urged her on impatiently.

"Jane and Alec are in Forks. They've been looking for us, you in particular, Bella. The problem is, I can't seem to see much more than that. I think they have, or are about to find out that you aren't there anymore. But everything keeps… keeps disappearing." Her voice had become hesitant with that last sentence. I understood why.

"Disappearing?" I asked hesitantly.

She understood, and nodded slowly, her eyes on the floor.

I didn't want to believe it. Jane. The tiny, childlike vampire I'd met in Volturi. The most deadly vampire I'd ever heard of. Edward's look of agony when Jane had smiled at him flashed through my memory. I shuddered. I couldn't even imagine her around the people of Forks. It was terrifying.

I turned to Edward. The panic was evident in my expression; he didn't look surprised.

"Let's go, Bella." He said, answering my unspoken question. "Alice, you coming?" he looked to Alice.

She raised her head to finally look at us. "Of course. I'll talk to Jasper. We could use his help."

"Can we keep the information on where we're going within the family? There's no need for Irina or any of the others to know who we might need to help." I didn't want anyone unhappy with us in our new home. It was bad enough having Irina know we've helped the wolves once. I may have appreciated what the pack did to Laurent, but I understood how she felt about it.

"Whatever you need, Bella. Alice, you tell Jasper, Rose and Emmett. We'll find Carlisle and Esme and meet you at my car." Edward said, grabbing my hand as we raced out of the room.

Thankfully, Esme and Carlisle were easy to find. We told them what Alice had seen and they immediately understood. They assured us that we had their help if we found we needed it.

I hoped more than anything that it wouldn't come to that.

Alice had also easily found the others; it was a little trickier getting Emmett to stay back. We hoped we wouldn't need him, and he tended to be a little overzealous when it came to potential threats. Like Esme and Carlisle, we'll call on him if it came down to it. Rosalie was more than happy to stay back, which is what ultimately changed Emmett's mind on the subject.

We made it to Forks in record time. If I had still been human I'm sure I would have been absolutely terrified. I'm not sure Edward has ever driven faster. Luckily, I was definitely starting to develop a taste for speed.

We split up when we got there, Alice and Jasper would search where they could for any signs of Jane and Alec. Alice hadn't been able to see anything new since earlier. That was either a good sign, or something much more terrifying.

Edward and I neared La Push, he pulled to a stop on the side on the road. Luckily he'd been driving or I would have kept going, but he reminded me of something that had changed since I'd last been there.

I couldn't go to La Push anymore. I was a Cullen.

Not that we hadn't already broken the treaty. But that was when Carlisle was saving Jacob's life, did it really count? New terms of the treaty hadn't been set out; and I didn't dare have the wolves hate me more than they probably already did. Already I almost dreaded seeing Jacob; his potential reaction weighed on me.

I used Edward's cell phone to call Jacob. The phone rang in my ear – I'd memorized this number ages ago – it was only a few times I'd been so nervous dialling it. Those seemed easy in comparison.

"Hello?"

Thank god it was Jacob who answered, I really didn't need to deal with Billy.

"Jake, you're alright?" I asked, excited for a second, before the weight of my decision had hit.

"Bella? Is that you?" his tone was hesitant, as though he was sure he was hallucinating. I didn't blame him. I wouldn't have expected to hear my voice either.

"Yeah, Jake. I need to see you. Can you come to the border?"

He paused, I hoped he wouldn't hang up on me. "Sure."

The line went dead.

I held the phone to my ear a moment longer, not really sure what to do next.

"Let's go, Bella. I'm sure he wont take long." Edward broke the silence. I was jolted back into reality.

What was I doing? I couldn't bare to see Jacob look at me like I knew he would. Like I was … was a bloodsucker. I could barely even think the word. But that's what I was to him. Nothing more than a bloodthirsty monster.

When we finally drove up to the border he was already there. Leaning awkwardly against the Rabbit – the car he had built from scratch. It felt like decades ago that I watched him work on it. Sitting in the damp, makeshift garage by his house. I was so different then; Edward had left, and Jake had made me almost whole again. Without him I would have probably still been the same zombie I had for all those months. Who knows if Edward would have ever come back to bring me out of it himself.

Edward stopped the car, and turned to me. "Bella? Are you okay? We're here." He said, breaking into my reverie.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. "Yeah, let's go." I got out of the car slowly, anything to put off the reunion just a little longer. I wanted to live forever with the memory of Jake and me how we were; this was going to change everything.

We walked towards each other. I was surprised when I involuntarily stopped a few feet away from the car.

The treaty line.

My body knew where it was without my even realizing. Edward was a couple feet behind me. Watching Jacob closely, as unsure as I was about how this would go.

"Hi Jake." I said when he stopped a couple feet in front of me. I smiled awkwardly.

His face was solemn. I couldn't distinguish an emotion, either good or bad. It reminded me too much of the expression Sam had that always made me so uncomfortable. It wasn't my Jacob standing in front of me. He'd become even more like Sam than I'd remembered.

He stood that way for a second longer before he spoke. "Wow." He finally said as he looked me up and down.

I'd almost forgotten what I must look like to him.

"You look…" he didn't finish.

After a second of him staying silent, I couldn't wait anymore. "Look, I'm really sorry Jake, I'm sorry I came… I don't want… I didn't want you to see me like this. But Alice might have seen something, and we needed to see you." I stared at my hands, twirling the cord of my jacket between my fingers. I didn't look up. I wanted him to speak first.

"You look… kind of good, Bells." His tone was lighter, almost happy.

I looked up. He was smiling. Only a little, and not the usual smile I loved to see on his face. But he was smiling none the less. I felt lighter, a huge weight lifted. He didn't seem to hate me.

"Thanks, Jake." I smiled. "So… you're not disgusted? To see me… like this, I mean."

He laughed lightly. "I did know it was coming, Bella. I'm not happy, but I'd gotten used to your bloodsuck – … the Cullens. You're still Bella, I think." He cocked his head to the side, as if he was truly curious whether I was still me.

I felt like I was talking to my Jacob. The real Jacob.

I punched his shoulder lightly. "I don't look that different, Jake."

He made a face and rubbed his arm. "Well I guess you look like you… a little, at least. But wow, you sure are a lot stronger. That felt a whole lot different from the last time you punched me."

I looked at my feet. "Sorry."

He laughed, louder this time. Almost like he was getting more and more used to me by the minute. "Don't be silly, Bella. You didn't actually hurt me. You're not that much stronger." He paused. "So… do you think you could give a werewolf a hug? Or would that be too weird?"

I didn't answer; instead I walked straight up to him and wrapper my arms tightly around his waist. He was so warm, it was odd. I'd gotten so used to being cold. I realized this was kind of how Edward must have felt while touching the old me. Like holding a warm cup of tea on an ice cold day. It was extremely comforting.

I inhaled.

I regretted that immediately. A harsh smell caught in my throat. It was terrible; I made a face, but didn't pull away immediately. I tried to stand it for another minute but after only a second longer I had to pull away. It was far too intense. I understood now, why Alice and Edward had had such a problem with me when I'd been visiting Jake.

"Sorry Jake… But you kind of stink."

He laughed. "Of course, I should have known. Wait – " he pulled me back to him, inhaling me deeply. "You smell… you smell like you."

"What? Really? Thats… kind of nice actually, to know I don't smell bad." I smiled.

I'd think up reasons for that later – not that they weren't already sort of obvious. What was the reason for everything weird that happened to me since my change?

"What did you have to tell me, Bells?"

I suddenly realized why I was there in the first place. I'd almost forgotten. I turned around to see Edward. He was standing a few feet away, arms crossed. He didn't look angry, but he didn't look too happy either. I'd gotten his attention as soon as I turned around, and I motioned for him to join me.

He walked silently up to my side. I grabbed his hand before I turned back to Jacob. He didn't seem phased. It was a nice change from the last times we'd all been together.

"It's a long story… but Alice has seen something – or, not seen something, which is the problem. We think the pack might be in danger."

Before I could continue, or Jacob could answer, Edward's phone rang. He glanced at the display and answered.

"Alice." He paused, waiting for her answer. "Really? Oh. That's not good at all… Okay. We'll meet you there." He closed to phone and turned to me.

"Bella. We need to get to Charlie's house. Don't worry, nothing has happened yet. But it might."

Charlie.

I'd almost forgotten he was yet another person that Jane or Alec could hurt to get to me. I thought when I'd changed that I'd left all this trouble behind.

I almost wished I was oblivious as to why Jane and Alec would be singling me out. But I wasn't. I knew exactly why. It was the same reason for everything going wrong over the past two weeks. I'd brought them here; I tried to block to memory of their faces from my thoughts.

Jake spoke, getting my attention. "I'm coming too. I want more of an explanation."

"We'll meet you there. Charlie will be home soon, so you'll have to wait for us to explain."

"I've got time." Jake answered gruffly.

They were so close to getting along. I guess I couldn't get everything I wanted. Jake not being horrified by me was more than I could have hoped.

I spent the ride – not that it was nearly long enough – to Charlie's deciding what I was going to tell him. I wasn't supposed to be coming home anytime soon, and I certainly wasn't expected to come home looking like almost an entirely different person.

I finally decided on what I thought might be a good enough story. Charlie rarely pressed for many details so I wasn't too worried.

By the time we got there, Jacob hadn't arrived; the rabbit just couldn't match the Volvo unfortunately. Charlie wasn't home from work yet, so I let myself in with the key that we kept hidden. I knew Charlie wouldn't have cared enough to ever move the hiding spot.

"Wow" I said, walking in. It felt different somehow. "It feels like it's been far longer than a few weeks since I've been here. Too much has changed."

I sat down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table silently. Edward pulled one up beside me and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Don't worry, Bella. We got here in time. Everyone seems to be okay."

I smiled, glad he was right. It was nice to be able to really breathe again. I'd been in such a panic since we'd left Denali I was sure I'd barely taken a breath the entire time. "You're right, Edward. Thanks for coming with me, by the way. I'm so happy we were able to get here before anything happened."

He pulled me tighter, kissing the top of my head lightly. "You know I'd do anything for you."

We were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind us. We looked back to see Jacob standing in the doorway to the kitchen. I hadn't heard him come in, though I was sure if I'd been paying attention that even his new silence wouldn't have gotten past my senses.

"So, I think you have some explaining to do, Bella." Jacob said, pulling up a chair across from Edward and I. His tone was flat, though not angry.

I looked to Edward and asked, "Can you listen for Charlie? I don't want him walking in unannounced."

He smiled, "Of Course."

I turned back to Jake and cleared my throat nervously.

"Right." I started, hesitant. "Well, long story short, there are a couple of vampires coming to Forks to look for the Cullens… well, me in particular. We were warned they were coming and Alice saw them, and then everything disappeared. I was worried it had something to do with the pack, so we came back."

Jake looked at me, a hint of confusion covering his face. "Why does it matter if a couple blood– sorry, vampires, are coming to town? You think we can't handle them? We've done it before, Bella."

"I know you can handle normal vampires but these two are… different. They're incredibly powerful. More powerful than Edward and Alice combined." More powerful than me? I asked myself; I wasn't sure of the answer.

Before Jacob could respond, I heard a car coming down the street. It was Charlie. For a moment I was incredibly excited I hadn't had to rely on Edward to let me know when Charlie was getting close. Edward looked at me, I nodded, explaining that I already knew. Then I realized what it meant.

Charlie was going to walk through that door in mere minutes and I would have to explain my story. Explain how I looked, explain why I was here, sitting in his kitchen, comepletely unannounced, and with Edward and Jacob, no less.

I heard Charlie on the doorstep, and figured it would be best not to surprise him too much; I went to meet him at the door.

"Hey Dad… surprise!" I said, less feigning enthusiasm, when the door opened.

"Bella!" Charlie practically jumped out of his skin. Okay, so it probably wouldn't have scared him too much more to find me sitting in the kitchen. "Gosh, you scared me half to death! What are you doing here?" he paused, looking at me closer. "What… what happened to you?" he asked sceptically.

"Well," I began my prepared story. "Edward and I have some extra time before school starts, so we thought we'd come to visit for a day or so." I started to explain the rest of my story. I had it memorized so I would hopefully fool him into believing it. According to Edward and I, the story was, in regards to my appearance; when we were in California for our honeymoon, Alice had come down with Jasper for the weekend. She'd decided that since I was finally out of High School, I needed a new look. What resulted was an incredibly drastic makeover that, without the help of surgery, changed my appearance. Unfortunately, this makeover didn't include a new wardrobe. I was still confined to my boring clothes I'd brought with me from Forks. I thought that last part to myself. "Don't worry about taking us in, though. Edward and I will stay over at the Cullen house, Carlisle hasn't sold it." I smiled, finishing my story.

Charlie seemed to believe it well enough. He was a little more sceptical about why Jake was there with us. I didn't blame him, it's not like the three of us had spent much time together before. He was happy enough, though, anything that had Jacob and I in the same room made Charlie ecstatic, so he didn't fight it.

Charlie ordered pizza for everyone. Luckily Edward and I were able to make up a story about having just eaten on the way in to town. Jacob didn't mind, he ate more pizza than I could have ever imagined.

"Bells, you'll never guess what I had to deal with at the station today." Charlie said, as though he'd suddenly remember something important. It didn't sound like a good story was coming.

"What's that, dad?"

"Missing hikers again." He stated angrily, "I certainly hope we don't have another wolf problem."

My heart sunk, and I felt both Edward and Jacob tense.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this one took so long. I really appreciate all the feedback I've been getting recently, please, keep it up. Reviews really motivate me to write more, and with the release of Breaking Dawn coming up so quickly, I need to get mine all out :) Also, I'd been thinking recently, about all the connections to tiny details I've learned throughout the three books that brings my storyline in. Many of these haven't been able to be put in to dialogue or anything so they're sort of just hanging out. If anyone is interested in knowing how my story matches up to details Stephenie has put it, please let me know, I'd be happy to throw it in to a separate chapter or something :) As always, keep reviewing!!