A/N: Let me know what you all think! Chapter 14 coming in a couple days. Maybe sooner if I get a lot of reviews tonight :)

As always, thanks to AzBella, for your beta-ing skills! Your the best!

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Chapter 13

She looked beautiful in this light, the sun had set and there was just enough light shining on the yard from the open windows in the house. At that moment, all I could think about was how amazing it was to have her so close after going the entire day yesterday with her so far away.

Then I began to think about what brought her here, and the anger began to build up inside of me, because no one would try to hurt my girl and get away with it. After this mess in La Push was taken care, I would be going back to New Orleans to take care of whoever had done that to her.

I grabbed her hand in mine and brought it to my lips. I placed an innocent kiss on her knuckles and then smiled up at her.

She smiled a little but her face gave away her blush. She immediately turned her face to the ground to hide her embarrassment.

"So, what was all the bobbing and weaving you were doing a bit ago? Did I do something wrong? You aren't still worried you will hurt me when you are like that, are you?" I could see by the way she was still staring at the ground that I had hurt feelings with my avoidance to her affection before.

"Oh no, you didn't do anything. It was the weirdest thing actually. I'll have to ask my dad about it, but every time you would touch me, I could no longer hear the other guys...I mean wolves. I don't know if that's normal." No one has ever mentioned it to me. "Anyway, Sammy wanted to hurry and get back to Carlie, so I just figured if I could avoid your touch for a few more seconds... we could get done with our conversation and we would both be back to the love of our lives that much sooner." I smiled at her. "Don t be upset, you could NEVER do something to make me not want you to touch me."

"Oh. So that was it? I'm so sorry that I affect you that way. I'll try to keep my hands to myself from now on or at least till we find out if it can be fixed." Her face finally started making its way up from the ground.

I cupped her jaw in my hand, and pulled it up to meet my gaze. "You re the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me, you know that?" I brought my face dangerously close to hers. I could feel her breath on my face as she answered me.

"I do now," she whispered in my ear. She turned her face slightly and our lips grazed.

I moved my mouth closer, brushing my bottom lip across hers. The heat from our breaths made it impossible to push this kiss off another second. I wound my hand into her hair and after a quick glance to her eyes to show her how much I wanted her; I crashed my lips into hers. I was taking in every piece of her. Her smell, her taste, her feel. The passion I felt for her took over me. I put my other hand around her waist to pull her body close to me.

She felt it to. Her arms wound around my shoulders and I felt her cold hand on my neck. She dug her nails into me as she let out a small moan and gasped for air.

She let one of her hands wander back down my shoulder and over my chest, feeling every muscle on the way to where her arm curved around my side. I felt her pull her body even closer than before.

I kept kissing her with fervor; the need to keep her this close to me was overwhelming me. My hand found its way to her perfectly shaped behind.

"Huh hmmm." We were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

I looked over to see my father standing a few feet away. The light from the house showing his look of concern.

She pushed herself off of me, and immediately started straightening her clothes out and looking very guilty. I just laughed, and apologized for the display.

He cleared his throat and then turned serious. "Billy, we need to talk to you, could you two come inside please?"

"On our way." I replied with a bit of a chuckle. I gripped her waist again when he was a but further away. "Don't worry about him. He s more embarrassed than we are. And we're adults right?" I smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Right," She said with a hop.

When we got in the house, everyone was either sitting or standing around the room. Grandpa Billy's house was starting to look like it might just give way soon. Cullen's and Black's were everywhere I turned. Sammy was standing next to my sister in the front door way. Chance was still laying on the smaller or the two sofas, but appeared to be sleeping. Maybe grandpa Carlisle has sedated him.

"What's up you guys?" I asked innocently.

"Well, don t blame Sammy but, I could hear him thinking about the thing with Rissa when he came back into the house just a bit ago. It worried me so I informed Dad," Carlie explained to the entire room but I got the feeling they had already heard this part of the story.

"So, we're correct in assuming that you could no longer hear the rest of the pack, as long as she was making physical contact with you?" My grandfather Edward was asking, he glanced to Rissa with an apologetic smile to show he didn't want her to feel like they were blaming her.

"Yes, but the rest of the pack could still hear each other, except Sammy. He was standing right next to me."

"Maybe it's a proximity thing. He was closer to you than the others so he was affected as well?" Jasper suggested.

Grandpa Carlisle was joining the conversation now. "Yes, something like a signal she puts off. Perhaps if more of the wolves had been near you, they would have been affected by it as well."

"Perhaps," I granted him that.

"So how far do you think her 'signal' reaches?" Rosalie asked.

"Only one way to tell, just like with Carlie. We will have to test it, Jasper added.

Dad jumped up from his seat, "Good idea Jasper. Billy, we will need you to get the wolves over here tomorrow, for some test runs."

"Um...Alright." I looked to Rissa to see what she was making of all this.

"I m so sorry to be causing this trouble," she apologized to everyone.

I was quick to reassure her. "It's not trouble babe, we just want to make sure we understand how it works, so we aren't taken off guard, is all." I squeezed her hand in mine.

"Yes. Who knows you may even be able to help in some way, we won t know until we test it out," Alice chimed in. I think it helped, Rissa smiled again, which quickly faded into a yawn.

"She's tired. We need all you pesky humans to get your beauty sleep so you re all wide eyed and bushy tailed in the morning," Bella snorted at her own joke. A few of us joined in the laughter, but it slipped away within seconds.

"Well, good night everyone," mom said as she stood up next to dad and stretched her arms. She grabbed the back of his shirt and began pulling him in the direction of the bedroom.

"We will just be outside, Alice motioned to Jasper and the rest of my vampire family to join her.

"Goodnight," grandpa Billy mumbled as he wheeled his way behind mom and dad down the hall.

Sammy stepped out of the doorway and went to cupboard to grab the blankets and pillows they had used last night. Carlie met him at the couch to make their bed for the night.

I put my arm around Rissa and pulled her in the direction of my room. We had been sleeping in the same bed the last two nights we were in New Orleans and no one seemed worried about it, so why would it be any different here.

When we got into the small closet sized room, I collapsed on the bed, pulling her down with me. She started to smile in response but was quickly taken over by another massive yawn. Poor thing, she had only gotten about three hours of sleep last night. She must be exhausted.

I rolled us both over to our sides and pulled her body into the curves of mine. I drifted off to sleep with thoughts of my amazing girl lying right next to me, in my arms, safe and sound.

The next morning, we woke up to the sound of mom and Carlie trying to put together a meal for twelve hungry people, nine of which had the appetites of horses, well close, giant wolves actually.

Apparently there wasn't much to work with, after they had made breakfast yesterday. I left Rissa sleeping in the bed to go offer some help to mom and Carlie. Since I was the only one of us three that actually thought the food even sounded appealing, I could weigh in on the options.

Before entering the kitchen, I went outside to make a phone call. Chey answered on the first ring.

"Hey, I need you to gather the pack and head this way, I need everyone. We've got some breakfast if you hurry," I instructed her.

"You got it boss, see you soon," she trilled before hanging up the phone.

When I walked into the kitchen I found my mom looking through the pantry and my sister digging in the refrigerator. Carlie had a package of ham in her hands, some cheese and a bag of tater tots from the freezer.

"Mom, you see anymore bread or biscuit mix? I think we can make a casserole."

"Yup, biscuit mix. We will need milk though; did you see any in the fridge?" Mom replied softly.

"Got it," I added as I leaned over my sister and reached my hand into the fridge to grab the milk.

They both turned to look me. "What? I want to help."

Carlie turned the oven on to preheat, and she told mom to start chopping the ham. I was in charge of grating the cheese while she put a pot of coffee on.

Breakfast was ready in record time, which was perfect because everyone was starting to wake up and come into the kitchen. The twins, with Seth arrived just as the food was being brought to the table. CoDa, Pauly, Chey and Sam all got there only minutes after the others.

Chance was awake this morning and had come to join us at the table as well. There were more people planning to eat than we thought. Some were standing in corners of the kitchen; others were sitting in the few chairs around the table.

"Mom and I are going to go to the grocery store this morning while you all have your meeting. We need to re-stock the house with food before lunchtime," Carlie explained to me and Sammy.

I hadn't realized I was so hungry. The mention of more food in the house overjoyed me. I didn't give Carlie's comment any more thought than that. She was a big girl and my mom was definitely capable of taking care of herself. They would be fine.

After breakfast, I instructed everyone to meet me out front.

I informed the group of our revelation, with Rissa's contact and I could see her growing terrified at the sight of all these eyes on her, almost blaming her for this inconvenience.

After a few minutes of instruction, we split off into groups, Rissa staying with me of course, Sammy, Chance and Jace went west. Pauly and Chey went east and Jamie and Coda went north. Each group was to phase, and then wait for my instructions.

Dad, Seth and Sam came out to join us as the group was splitting and each headed into the woods in a different direction. Mom and Carlie came out soon after, shopping list in hand, with the keys to the SUV. Mom kissed dad goodbye, and they climbed into the car and were out of site seconds later.

Dad stayed with Rissa, as I ran to tree's about twenty feet away and phased. When I returned, Grandpa Edward had joined us.

"I will help translate if needed," he informed me.

The rest of my family fanned out around the yard, just wanting good seats to the show, offering help wherever they could.

Sammy, whose group was in position, began talking to me, and I motioned for Rissa to make contact. Edward told her it was time. As she reached her hand over to my chest, his voice went away. She kept there until I backed up to remove it.

Billy? You there? We were all still able to hear each other fine, Sammy was informing me.

Ok, this time, one person from the pair moves in twenty feet and one stays where they are. I could see Sammy, Chey and Jamie all come closer to me, all of them still hidden away in the woods. Now, Sammy, start talking again.

I took my step back to Rissa and nudged her with my head, she smiled. After a few seconds, I backed up again and the voices came back into my head.

So could you all still hear one another? I asked them.

Yeah, they answered in unison.

Ok, so, twenty more feet you guys, I commanded.

This time, when my voices turned off, the three closest to me lost their hearing as well. We kept playing with the distances, having Emmett, Jasper and Rose gauge the measurements to get it near exact. After several hours, we had a pretty good idea that anyone within twenty five feet of me when Rissa was touching me, would loose their communication with us as well.

My stomach was starting to growl when I noticed that mom and Carlie hadn't returned from the store yet. This thought automatically got Sammy worried about them. I ran back to the tree's to phase back, while I ordered everyone else to phase and head back in as well.

When I arrived, most of my pack was appearing from the edges of the woods. I motioned for them all to come and join me, but was stopped dead in my tracks when Alice's high pitched scream broke through all of my thoughts.

"No!" was all my grandpa Edward said, and then he took off running down the road with Alice right behind him. After a quick glance at one another, the rest of the Cullen's took off after them. Dad didn't wait a second to phase, his clothes shredded in the air, and he was darting down the road as well in wolf form.

Fear registered in my brain and I frantically looked to Sammy, who was frozen in shock.

"Go," I shouted at him. Chey ran up next to him and gave him a shove before grabbing his arm and pulling him into a run alongside her. The rest of the pack stayed behind with me and Rissa.

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A/N: This was the longest chapter yet! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging, but if you wanna know what happens before the update in a couple of weeks, I will email clues to everyone who reviews in the next 24 hours!