So...there was a very good reason some of you were confused...operator error! operator error!...I posted a chapter out of order. Sorry...but now chapter 14 and 15 are posted correctly and this brings the story up to date with what is posted on Twilighted. Thanks to penguincullen for bringing this to my attention. New chapter will come within a week to ten days (I'm on vakay and not getting much written...). Many thanks for all the great reviews and SM owns!

BPOV

"Jake!"

I scrambled out of the Jeep and jumped to the ground. Jake was just coming around the side of the house, tying the drawstring on his sweats. He was sweaty and looked exhausted. He looked at me warily for just a moment before breaking into a tired grin. "Hey Bells."

"Hey. What are you doing here?" His face fell a little. "I mean, it's great to see you, but I never expected you to come here."

His face fell further. "I know." He looked up to Carlisle, who was standing on the front steps.

"Why doesn't everyone come in?" Carlisle asked. Rose and Emmett jogged up the steps, while Edward remained at my side.

Just then the wind carried the unmistakable scent of werewolf to my nose. But it wasn't Jake's scent. I turned, looking into the darkness, but not seeing the source of the smell. "There are others here?" I asked, turning back to Jake.

"Yes. A few."

My mind had been working on this when I first saw him in the Jeep. Something wasn't right. Jake wouldn't just come here for a visit. And, if he did, he wouldn't bring others. No one else from the pack would have the faintest desire to see the Cullens.

"What's going on, Jake?"

"Why don't we go in, Bells?"

I huffed. "What is going on, Jacob?" The more no one spoke, the more anxious I became.

Jacob looked up to Carlisle. My eyes followed. Carlisle's expression was somber, compassionate. It didn't ease my mind.

"What the fuck is going on?"

No one spoke for a moment, ratcheting up my anxiety further. My shield apparently snapped at that moment, because I began hearing snippets of Edward's thoughts. It wasn't as solid as what I had heard when we made love, but it was enough to cause me to whirl around and face him. "You know." If I could hear him, I knew he had to be hearing me. And, try as I might, I couldn't keep the anger out of my thoughts. Whatever it is, Edward, treat me like a fucking adult and tell me.

You're right. "He's going to be okay. But Charlie was attacked this morning."

WHAT? "What? How?" I looked between Edward, Carlisle, and Jacob. "Somebody start fucking talking." I felt my fists clenching and unclenching and was overcome with the strongest desire to feel something, anything, getting mangled within my grip. I needed some outlet for the rage boiling through me.

"Bella," Carlisle began as he descended the steps, "Charlie is in the hospital at Forks. He has a number of broken ribs, a few bad lacerations, and his left arm has been broken in several places. He will undergo surgery for that tomorrow."

I stared at Carlisle, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He took a deep breath and Edward took my hand. I looked at Edward, and was momentarily surprised out of my own rage by the malicious hatred rolling off of him. I felt my mouth drop open as I looked between them.

Then it clicked. "Victoria," Carlisle and I said at the same time.

Before they even knew what had happened, I had run in the house, grabbed the first set of keys my hands found, and, seeing what car they went to, got in Rose's beautiful red BMW. I was halfway down the driveway when Jake and Edward appeared next to me. I ignored them, knowing they would only try to stop me.

"Bella!" Edward called. "Bella, please!"

I could hear the worry in his thoughts and I knew I couldn't look at him or his expression would likely stop me in my tracks.

"Love, we need to talk about this. Bella, you can't just…."

I spun the car in a 180 and hit the acceleration. The car shot out in front of me. But Edward kept pace. I rolled my eyes. Under any other scenario, the scene might have been comical.

I noticed the headlights reflecting off of something ahead. God dammit!

I screeched the car to halt and felt the back of it fishtail. "Move." I glared out the windshield.

"No Bella. We need to come up with a plan, sweetie."

"I have a plan. Now move." Alice's expression was sympathetic, and her tone was full of understanding.

I felt a wave of calm come over me. "Jasper, don't fucking mess with me right now."

"I'm sorry, Bella, but Alice is right. We need a plan. That's why Alice and I were away from the house. She couldn't see with the wolves here. So we had to get away so Alice could get a read on the situation."

"I already have a plan," I retorted, not wanting to be swayed by his words.

"Okay. What is it?" he asked.

I breathed out a deep sigh. Okay, so I don't really have a plan. But I have thirty hours to think one up. I rolled my eyes and looked from Alice to Jasper to Edward, who was standing several feet to the side of the car. They weren't going to let me drive out of here. Fine.

I grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open. Edward stepped up to the door and helped me open it. I looked up at him and smiled, then made to bolt, knowing my newborn strength still gave me an advantage with speed.

I wasn't twenty feet from the car when Edward's arms wrapped around me and took us both roughly to the ground. "Edward! Let me go!"

"It's okay, Bella," he whispered against my hair.

"Edward, please." I pushed against his chest and we rolled, the two of us looking like wrestlers on the cold Alaskan ground.

"Sshh, baby, it's alright. Stop. We'll figure this out. Together."

I let out an anguished sob. Please. Please. Please. And then the fight left me. I lay there, my fists clutching at Edward's coat, shredding the front of it, wailing against his chest. Charlie. Oh God. My words stuttered out between chest-wracking sobs. "My…my fault…my…fault…."

"No, Bella, it's not your fault." Edward continued to murmur and think soothing words. I became aware of the feeling of floating, and realized Edward had picked me up and was running with me back to the house.

When we returned, everyone was standing in the front yard. My eyes settled on Rosalie first. And then my actions hit me. "Oh God, Rosalie. I'm sorry." I spun, my eyes searching for the car just rolling up the driveway. Alice and Jasper returned it for me. My eyes quickly scanned the side I could see. I couldn't make out any damage. I knew that thing was like her baby. I turned back to Rose. "I'm really sorry."

She broke free from Emmett's arm and walked towards me. I held my breath, knowing I deserved whatever she gave me. No one touched her car. She stopped a foot in front of me, then placed her hands on my shoulders. "When we find Victoria, would you please allow me the honor of assisting you in ripping her limb from limb?"

Sluggish with grief and anger, my mind took an extra moment to process her words, so different from anything I had imagined. When I finally understood, I could only nod.

"Nobody, Bella, nobody messes with my family. So don't worry about the car. Although thank you for not turning it into a pretzel around Jasper and Alice."

I choked out a laugh and nodded again. Rose took a step back and turned to face the others. "Okay, so what's the plan for dealing with this bitch once and for all?"

At Carlisle's request, Jacob stepped forward and filled us in on the full details of what had happened that morning. The wolves had been patrolling around my old house. They had been aware of Victoria's presence for several months now and were aware from hearing what Laurent said before he bit me that Victoria had been after me. But then she tricked them. They hadn't yet noticed the additional scents. There were two others with her this morning, all lurking outside of Charlie's house. When the wolves smelled them, two vampires took off into the forest, each going a different direction. The two wolves that had been guarding Charlie took off after them, unknowingly leaving Victoria unattended.

She had apparently ransacked my room first, looking for any clue to my whereabouts. This surprised us because there had seemed no reason for her not to believe the news of my death, seeing how there was even a funeral and all. But other members of the pack found her scent all over the Cullens' house. And then we realized – she smelled my changed scent there, and knew I was a vampire.

Charlie had apparently been asleep when she came into the house. When she didn't find what she needed in my room, she pinned Charlie down in his bed and tried to torture the information out of him. Of course, Charlie told her repeatedly that I was dead. The first time he answered that way, she ripped his shirt open and said, "Strike one," then carved a deep cut into his abdomen with her finger nail. After his third strike, and his third cut, she began breaking ribs, one by one. She crushed his left arm just as the scent of arriving wolves interrupted.

"Tell Bella I'm looking for her. And that I will find her," she apparently hissed as she fled the house, once again escaping the wolves' clutches.

She was calling me out.

The only saving grace in the whole situation was how quick and thorough the wolves were in covering up the true nature of the attack. Jacob was one of the wolves who scared Victoria away. He called 911 immediately to report another bear attack, then gently carried Charlie out into the back yard. One of the others grabbed Charlie's shot gun, making it look like Charlie had been awoken by the bear in the early morning and confronted him in the back yard. Charlie was on so much pain medication that he corroborated the story, allowing himself to be convinced that what he remembered of the actual attack was a drug-induced nightmare. His grief was still pronounced enough that he didn't find that a stretch at all.

I knew it was a good thing that Charlie remained unaware of the presence of the supernatural in the world, but I found little solace in it.

"I'm so sorry, Bells. I promised we would take care of him. And I failed. I'm so sorry," Jacob rasped, roughly batting away a single tear on his cheek.

I walked over to him, ignoring his scent, and took his face gently in my hands. "You didn't do this, Jake. You don't owe me any apology. You saved him. If you hadn't shown up…." Then something occurred to me. "But, why are you here now? Who's watching Charlie? How do you know she won't come back for him? Couldn't you have just told us this by phone?"

"Don't worry about Charlie," Jacob replied quickly, "two of us are outside his hospital door at all times and three others are stationed around the hospital itself."

I nodded, relieved.

I should be there. It should be me watching out for him.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. I know, love.

I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my throat as I turned in Edward's arms. But I can't be there for him, can I? The hospital…it's too full of….

Someday you could, but not right now. It wouldn't be a good place for you right now.

Just thinking of Charlie's deep cuts made my throat burn and the venom pool. The fact that my body responded that way to the thought of my own father's blood felt like a hard blow to the stomach and I stepped back, gagging, and bent down with my hands on my knees.

Edward knew what thoughts had affected me so, but Jacob didn't. He rushed to me and put his hands on my sides, needlessly helping Edward keep me on my feet. "Bells?"

"She'll be okay," I heard Edward say as I gulped for air. "She needs to hunt." His words made me recall my desire to hunt before our date earlier. "Jasper, Alice, will you come with me? Let's get her fed so that she can deal with all of this."

I stood up and nodded at Edward. Imploringly, I stared into his eyes. "I promise not to try to run away, but I need to run some of this off. I feel like I'm going crazy right now. So, just, come with me?"

He understood either my words or my thoughts as I heard his and the others' footsteps behind me as I took off into the night. The ripple of green light filtered down through the trees occasionally. Our date, Edward's proposal, the love we shared on the mountain – all seemed like ages ago. I ran and ran, whether trying to outrun my reality or cast off my demons, I don't know. But after a while it seemed to help.

And then I caught the scent of moose. In an instant, I was entirely predator. I was in there somewhere, but I was never more a vampire than I was at that moment.

The poor thing never even saw me coming. Maybe that was for the best.

The blood helped.

As the bloodlust began to recede, I realized Edward, Jasper, and Alice were standing nearby, waiting for me, watching out for me.

I hopped up off the ground in one smooth move and brushed myself as I walked towards them. When I came within several feet of them I stopped and crossed my arms. Taking a couple moments to get myself back together, I said, finally, "Let's get back. I want a plan. Now."

The others nodded, murmuring reassurances that Victoria wouldn't get away with this.

As we ran back, my mind was clearer. The initial fog of rage had worn off, and the blood had heightened the clarity in my mind. That's when it occurred to me: Jacob hadn't answered all of my questions. Why had he come here?

When we got back to the house, the yard was empty. We made our way inside and found everyone congregated in the great room. We weren't through the door when I posed my question to Jacob once again.

"We came because…well…."

"Just spit it out, Jake."

"We followed Victoria here."

***

The next two months were torturous.

We waited. And waited. And even searched some. But Victoria didn't show. Couldn't be found.

But we knew she was around. Carlisle picked up on it first. Newspaper articles detailing a few seemingly random disappearances and a number of seemingly unrelated deadly assaults in towns within a 60-mile radius of Denali told us that Victoria was building up her numbers. Alice predicted there would be nine, total, by the time she made her play. There were eight of us and three wolves, so we had the advantage, though it made me feel little better. Someone was bound to get hurt. But there wasn't a single person among us I was willing to see injured trying to protect me.

So, for the time being, none of us went anywhere alone; we always hunted with at least two others.

The guys continued to work with me on my combat skills.

We bought food and clothing for the wolves, who aside from Jake refused to come inside the house with us. In solidarity with his brothers, Jake wouldn't sleep inside the house either.

Word reached us of Charlie's slow but sure recovery, which was the one decent bit of news out of the whole damned situation.

And then, on top of it all, two weeks into the waiting I had to endure another visit from the Denalis.

Edward and Jasper had gone hunting with me. When the three of us returned, I went immediately upstairs to our room to shower and change, only to find Tanya prowling around the room, snooping and touching my things.

"What are you doing in here?" I growled. I simply had no reserve of patience for dealing with Tanya in that moment.

"Oh. Bella. Just waiting for Edward. I wanted to ask him something."

I don't know where the discipline came from. But I managed, even if my voice did sound strained, to very civilly reply, "Edward is downstairs."

"Oh good," she said. And as she brushed by me, she smirked as her eyes glanced down at my clothing, dirty and torn from the hunt.

And that smirk did bad things to me.

All at once I heard Edward, loud and clear. And then I began hearing the others too. It was like people calling into a conference call, one by one announcing their presence in my mind. After Edward, Tanya's thoughts connected next, I guess because she was closest to me.

…believe her! This? This is what Edward is choosing over me? She can't even fucking hunt without making a complete mess of herself. And that pathetic lingerie drawer – if I can even call it that! I mean, hello, grow up, give a man something more than some plain cotton panties for God's sakes. I mean, Edward has needs. I could fulfill his needs better than she ever could….

Like that moose, she never saw me coming.

I took her to the ground. Hard. The impact of our bodies cracked the hard wood beneath us.

Tanya shrieked and tried to flip out from underneath of me, but I was stronger, particularly fueled by jealousy and rage. "Get the fuck off me, you crazy bitch!" she howled.

Some part of my mind knew Edward would have heard Tanya's thoughts too. And since I could hear him, I knew he could hear me. And certainly everyone heard the crash we made as we hit the floor. I was vaguely aware of the sound of running feet.

As I choked out my warning through gritted teeth, my head throbbed with the pain of the multitude of voices at ungodly volumes all clamoring for attention at once in my mind. "I. Won't. Say. This. Again. Edward. Is. Mine. My. Mate. Get. It. Through. Your. Thick. Fucking. Skull."

Funneling all the gentleness I had at my disposal in that moment, I released one hand from her shoulder and fished my necklace out from under my sweater. Leaning over her, I dangled the necklace in front of her face. I heard her gasp in recognition. I shook the necklace, causing the Cullen crest charm and Edward's ring to jingle together. "Mine."

By then, there were nearly a dozen vampires crowding the third floor landing. The combined sound of their thoughts and their actual voices was deafening.

Having released my grip some, Tanya was able to throw me off and flipped gracefully from the floor. I landed as gracefully in the doorway to our room.

Tanya hissed at me, half in a crouched position. She looked like she was going to say something, then thought better of it. A cruel smile darkened her face and then she stood and pushed through the crowd, leaving the hallway and then the house altogether.

I slammed my hands over my ears, moaning at the intensity of the voices. "So loud," I managed.

Edward understood immediately. He scooped me up and ordered everyone out of the way, explaining to everyone and no one in particular that I currently possessed his full power and was drowning in the sound of a dozen beings' thoughts.

I only became fully aware again somewhere out in the woods. Then there were just my thoughts, and Edward's, and, faintly, Emmett's, who had apparently come along for our safety but remained some distance away.

It took two hours before I was calm enough that I could no longer hear Emmett's thoughts. But I managed to hang on to Edward's for the rest of that day before my shield collapsed around me again.

If my fight with Tanya wasn't reason enough, the wolves' presence strained our relationship with the Denali coven even further. The wolves had killed Laurent, whom Irina loved. While Eleazar was sympathetic to our cause and wanted to help, the others thought their first loyalties should stand with Irina, who was irate at our alliance with the wolves.

And so, we waited.

And then, one day, Victoria made her move.

It was a brilliant move on her part, really. Because she never could have gotten through the front door of our house, or even stepped a foot onto our property without someone knowing. So she didn't even try.

Her 'invitation' around in the mail on a Wednesday.

The thick stack of mail and magazines sat rubber-banded on the front steps. I had stepped out onto the front porch for a moment of solitude, reassuring Edward that I would be fine alone for a few minutes. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of wolf on the paper and realized Jake must have brought it in for us on his way back from patrolling. I was eager to see what magazines were in the bundle that I might be able to lose myself in for a few moments. Anything to make time pass quicker, I thought.

And there, in the middle of the pile, was a plain white envelope with my first name typed on it. Frowning, I picked it up and ripped it open, then slid out the single sheet of paper that read as follows:

Dear Bella:

Won't you come out and play with me?

Your daddy was so much fun to play with. I'd like to tell you all about it.

And if you don't come, I guess I'll just have to play with the three girls lying on the floor in front of me. Brown-haired, brown-eyed teenage girls. I chose them special, because they all reminded me of you. But I'd rather play with you.

Friday night.

And then she listed an address I wasn't familiar with.

Realizing what this was, and what I could do with it, I folded it quickly and stuffed the paper and torn envelope into my jeans pocket.

Just as I finished, I heard the sound of the door opening and Edward stepped out onto the porch. I heard his breath catch and looked up at him, and was surprised to find a strange look on his face as he observed the mail in my lap.

I frowned at his expression, not understanding it, and then gestured at the pile. "I was just looking for a magazine to read."

"Find anything?" he asked, although his voice sounded odd to me.

I held up the 'Cosmo'. "Apparently I can make this my sexiest summer," I quipped, referencing one of the taglines on the magazine.

He shook his head and laughed as he sat down next to me. He pulled the pile of mail off of my lap and sat it on the far side of him. Then he leaned towards me and kissed me.

I felt horribly guilty, as the only thought running through my mind was a constant plea with myself: Don't throw out your shield. Don't throw out your shield.

He smiled at me as he pulled away several moments later. He scooped up the mail and stood. "Are you ready to come back in? Or did you want to stay out here a little longer?"

I needed time to think. "Um, I think I'll just read for a while," I replied as I motioned for the "Cosmo'. "Nothing like some good mindless fun," I joked as I took the magazine from his hand.

He nodded, then tucked the mail tighter under his arm. "Okay, love." He stepped in through the door, then popped his head back out. "I love you, Bella."

I looked up and offered him a small smile. "I love you too."

He smiled then shut the door.

His final words, cherished though they were, increased my feeling of guilt in that moment.

Because, somehow, for the next two days, I was going to have to work hard to keep my thoughts away from Edward.

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