She was shivering under the worn quilt, her face pasty and skin fiery like coals. Her paleness was that of death, her lips were purple and her hair lay damp around her, stray strands sticking to her forehead.

"Charles..." Renesme moaned, nudging her head feebly back into the pillow. Her lips parted and a tiny breath escaped from between the chapped flesh after the plea for her son, her head turning to the side.

"She has never had a cold?" I asked Edward again in disbelief and he shook his head, placing a wet towel over his daughter's forehead. Jacob stood at the foot of the bed grimly, his dark eyes staring at Renesme with a thousand emotions swimming in them.

"She has never so much as coughed" Edward sighed "Well, unintentionally that is"

"But this shouldn't be a surprise..." I smiled, trying to get both men to rid themselves of their oppressive misery, she wasn't about to die... it was a cold, a little shiver and fever... everyone gets the hard ones at least three times in a lifetime "I mean, she was in the snow in nothing but that silly blouse"
"She is a vampire" Edward said.

"She is half human" I told him sternly and he looked at me surprised, by the authority in my tone or the reminder that his daughter was half weak. Although the weakness here seemed to lie in her being a vampire...

"Her skin is still the same hardness" Jacob's first contribution to the situation, he had been silent and grave through out it all. "She is still... so... erm, beautiful... she hasn't just suddenly turned completely human"
"The sickness is inside" Edward said, I wasn't sure if he was irritated by Jacob-his tone was always smooth and even, technical. "She could get run over by a car and be unharmed right now, but an hour longer out there and this could have turned worse. You don't understand the gratitude I feel Jacob, that you returned with her"
"Where were you going, Jake?" I asked him "To Leah?"
"Nowhere" he said softly, avoiding my gaze "Just away..."
He had been leaving this, leaving us, leaving Charles... running from everything. It always seemed like he was on the verge of it, it always seemed like he was more on the rim of the circle... even more so than I was, the pathetic human.

"She needs to be warm" I sighed, looking around the room-a thick quilt and sheet was all that covered Renesme. The blankets on the other beds were stained with blood and medicine from Jacob and my self's injuries and Edward was being a prison warden about anyone leaving the house.

"It's not safe" Edward said suddenly, sounding miserable and apologetic. I forgot about the telepathy, I always forgot about that irritating telepathy...

"Erm..." I pushed my glasses up, every movement sent a dull ache through me, my leg felt heavy, the cast suffocating my foot and the one good arm had a numb twinge to it. "I will.." pretend you didn't hear my thoughts "Go clean the blankets"
"Don't worry, Angela" Edward said quickly, suddenly appearing between the door frame and blocking my exit, his lavender eyes imploring me "I will do it. It will be done in a matter of seconds, don't worry about dinner either"

"Edward... I would prefer if you wait for me to say my thoughts" I said slowly and he smiled apologetically once more "I mean, not to be... erm, prejudiced against the... telepathically gifted, but my mind is the one place where I can be myself"
"I know" he said and I cringed "Erm, I mean..." he paused thinking and continued with a small smile " I know that you are yourself... but I shouldn't know, you don't want me to... know..."
"This I painful" Jacob grumbled.

"What, are you hungry?" I asked him.

"No, I am embarrassed on behalf of Edward" he muttered.

"Why?" I asked frowning but Edward appeared beside Jacob, very close-unfamiliarly close, I associated Jacob with regards to Renesme, Alice and Edward as always being given an odd allowance of personal space. Jacob immediately tensed, although it wasn't offensively close to my own judgment-while Edward seemed to be pushing his own limits with the proximity.

"Hey, I saved your daughter... you don't get to threaten me!" Jacob moved fluidly away from Edward and out the room before throwing a "He has a crush on you" behind him aimed at us.

"Don't worry about dinner" Edward repeated as though Jacob hadn't just said something juvenile and preposterous, or maybe he continued in such a manner because it was in fact juvenile and extremely preposterous "In fact... don't you worry about anything. Jacob is going to take a nap on the couch so you can watch the television freely without him guilting you..."
"You are doing too much, Edward"
"I have unlimited energy" he said "We have very little time. Renesme knows the direction Charles went in... And... I am not sure if I can trust Jacob to stay with you. He is erratic about his decisions"

"I can look after myself. In fact, I can look after myself and Renesme. Go with Jacob, I am sure he will be willing to go find Charles even with all his 'erratic-ness'"
"You wont stand a chance against vampires" Edward shook his head.

"I think you are being unreasonable and overprotective" I said gently and he shook his head again.

"You were almost killed and worse!" his demeanour crumbled suddenly and he was drowning in anguish and I was trying not to follow him into those depths, trying to remain strong enough so I could pull this sentient creature out of such ancient agony without succumbing to it myself "Angela, you were about to die... right then, when you were worrying about Jacob, you were about to die... and do you know what I was doing?"
"No" I whispered.

"I was entranced by my grandson's blood, too entranced to take notice of my daughter following after Charles or you or Jacob" he said "It was optional, for a second... to bother caring"

"I don't know why you want to dwell on some irrelevant future, which died in the past" I shook my head and tutted "You saved us. That's what matters"
"Jacob's heart gave out..." Edward whispered "And your heart was in its last few beats. I didn't save you, fate did"

"The point is we are saved"

"The point is... I have to always be alert" he said looking at Renesme. "The moment she wakes up, she is going to want her son. She believes he is the only person who has forgiven her, the only person who doesn't hate her"
"I know" I told him "But you didn't see Charles"
"But I did" he said and closed his eyes, opening them again, slowly "He is the reason you can look into my eyes, Angela. They should be crimson, by all accounts... because you see, I drank his blood. I gave him venom, what he calls concentrated venom right into his blood stream and from my mouth. In the current state he was in, she had no hope of catching him... if he didn't want to be caught. And Angela, he really didn't want to be caught!"

I remained silent, the memory of the Angel standing by Renesme and Jacob infused in my mind.

"And Leah?" I asked and Edward shrugged fluidly, again looking at Renesme. "And Alice?" no answer.

"I'll go and prepare a meal" Edward announced, plastering a smile on his face "You would watch her?"
"No, I think I want to help you with the meal, at least" I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. He smiled a small smile, and led the way for only a second before disappearing ahead in a motion that was nothing but a gust of air.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

The world had fused out; the sun had drowned over the edge of the horizon and risen as nothing but a red sphere over the darkness. This was hell; this was purgatory... my own mind, my own subconscious. I knew I was dreaming, I knew I was fast asleep and that the loneliness I felt in the dark desert with the red sun, over the black sky was only fictional.

I knew it... but it didn't stop me from gasping and running from the scene, covering miles upon miles and remaining on the same spot. The red sun, the blood moon-it was after me, it was going to catch me...

"Renesme?"
"Mama!" I wanted to cry but my lips weighed a ton, and the movement they made to formulate the word was so feeble that all that came out of my mouth was a moan. But she must have heard me, her hand had slipped into mine and although I couldn't see her in the darkness... I could feel her.

I was safe.

"I am not your mother" she whispered, her voice rough as sand paper and deep. I was frowning slightly, my nightmare dissolving into little wisps of light, my nose filled with a dry sponge that was somehow leaking... and throat on fire and dry.

"Hng?"I opened my eyes and Isabella wasn't looking down at me lovingly, she wasn't telling me it was okay to be in the dark desert and that the blood moon would be my companion... and the feeling of warmth and safety wasn't coming from her either. Jacob Black was half staring and glaring at me, such a frown on his face that I almost missed the slight concern in his eyes. I attempted to snatch my hand from his hand but he held on to it for a second, before purposefully releasing it and placing it by my side. He leaned back and watched me, still giving me his reproving look.

"You are awake" he announced and I almost managed to snort derisively at his silly statement but then a fit of coughs attacked me, strange little pockets of something that I feared to be phlegm hacking at the back of my throat. "Angela is talking to your Dad"

I frowned at 'Dad' and how infantile it made me feel, lying in bed with him watching me like some sort of snooty prefect. There were more important things to worry about...

"Charles needs tracking, not a half baked plan that consists of running through forests wild and crazed" he said, and I blanched (I was certain he was reading my thoughts). "There is also Angela to worry about..."

"Turn her!" I rasped, rolling my eyes "...and then there won't be anything to worry about! Or anything as drastically bad..."

I frowned at how dry and parched my voice was, the blood thirst itching my throat as well as another different thirst. Little wants and needs erupted in my body, half vampire and half... irritating.

"She isn't being turned... if I remember correctly, Alice said something along the lines of 'that wont be good for anyone'" he said in forced calmness "Besides, being a vampire sucks... I'd rather she were bitten by a rabid rabbit and turned into a playboy bunny"

"As interestingly..." I paused, frowning at him-he grinned impishly in return and I felt my dry lips twist and warp to keep from returning the grin... absurd as it was, to find him funny... and in present conditions more especially "For lack of a better word, disturbing... as interestingly disturbing as it is that such a thought could be formulated in your mind as current..."

"Cut me a break!" he chuckled "I am a hormonal teenage wolf. You're lucky there are actual thoughts formulating in my mind and not diagrams with labels that end with 'position'... at the present moment"

"Hmm" I closed my eyes and felt the twinge of sickness in my body. It wasn't pain, it wasn't numbness... it was all uncomfortable, hot and cold at the same time. And I wished I could remove my head, if only to be rid of the germs leaking from it.

I realised he had been sitting by my bed awkwardly, uncomfortable with being either so close to me or fearing my sickness.

""Are they not in the house?" I asked him and his brow furrowed "I can't hear them" I explained.

"Your sick" he smiled, enjoying my discomfort "It seems, your senses are dulled as a result" he turned to the door, obviously hearing them and sighed "Enjoy the chicken soup... your Dad sucks at cooking"

And with that he got up, leaving the room and the door open-I wouldn't be hearing anything regardless. The chicken soup was cold, tasteless and went down my throat wet and thin. The thirst was furious, the other lesser human hunger whining in me and my nose raw and prickling.

"I just want to get my boy" I moaned, pushing the bowl away and falling back on to the continental pillow, an odd queasy cloud falling over my mind and in seconds, I was back in my subconscious and this time... I wasn't tormented by bitter sweet love for Isabella, but memories of a small green eyed boy with a stammer and a heart of pure gold.

Xx~xx~xX

"Edward... go with Jacob, go and find Charles!" she insisted "I will take care of Renesme" have

"No" Edward said, but she could see he was unsure-and the moment she thought this he looked at her sternly and said with more conviction "No, Angela"

"You want to... you need to, you have to!" she pleaded.

"You are unprotected" Edward said softly, imploring her with wide eyes to understand some fact, some dilemma he was having that she thought was irrelevant. "Renesme has never had a cold, this is something that needs attention...!"
"You need to understand that she is half human!" Angela snapped, folding her arms over chest and staring Edward down, until he found he had to look away from her. "She is half weak, do you understand it if I say it like that then, hmm?"
"I don't think you are weak"

"Then stop trying to be my body guard!" Angela growled "I have been poked and prodded by Isabella, bitten by a crazy vampire, and then bitten by another crazy vampire... who used me as some sort of telepathic piñata... You know Edward; I think I can actually handle my own!"

"What would you do if a vampire came to you, attacked you?!" Edward asked, a form of desperation leaking into his voice. "Angela, what would you do if a vampire attacked you?!" he asked again when she looked away from him, and when she ignored him he moved to her, too close and penetrating her detachment and he asked for the third time, by her ear "Would you fight him off of you?"
She shivered, closing her eyes and trying to dispel the overwhelming tension every fibre of her body was consumed by, every thing about her alert to the fact that he was but a breath from her. She tried to inhale a steady breath, to calm her squeezing heart, but it only stuttered before jump starting into a sprint. He inched closer and she could smell him, a clean herb and lavender...

His eyes met hers the moment she braved a look, indigo desperate globes of ancient vehemence and secret emotions and she was instantly hypnotised, in a way she had never ever thought could be possible since she associated herself with the preternaturally gifted.

"What would you do Angela? Why... try it, that thought... Fight me off of you!" Edward commanded and she pressed her hand feebly against his chest and nudged half heartedly-her nerves and new anxiety frightening her more because she recognised it as only part fear and more... something else. Jacob Black opened the door then, and coughed out an amused "I'll come back later..." before attempting to reverse out.
"Err, Jake!" Angela squeaked, ignoring the electricity that was coursing through her and squeezing through the small space Edward allowed and half running to Jacob "We were discuss... Err... we were, examining... something!"
"Right" Jacob said dubiously, grinning at her knowingly "I wish I had more discussions like that in high school... I bet I would have been an 'A' student..."

"No!" Angela half shrieked, looking back at Edward, stupidly thinking he would still be standing as though she were trapped between him and the counter, and being shocked when he was leaning lazily against the kitchen counter instead-a bored look about him. "I mean... no" she tried for calmer but she was aware how bipolar she seemed.

"Oh... kay" Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"She thinks you and I should leave her with a sick, bed ridden Renesme and go off after Charles... with no knowledge of the future, of whether Bella will double back. Nothing. Edward said slowly, as though Angela were a deranged woman.

"Hmm" Jacob murmured, folding his hands over his chest and leaning on the opposite counter to Edward. "I think you should go, Edward. I can stay, I will stay and... We have to move from here. There is no question about that, but I think you should go... because the moment Renesme thinks she is strong enough... she will be going after Charles, whether you pull your controlling shit or not..."

Edward remained silent, looking at Angela intensely before sighing deeply "Yes, of course... The worst part about all of this is I cannot risk looking for Carlisle or anyone. It's dangerous... but if you move from this place, with the hopes that your ability to be human will allow you to hide yourselves a lot more thoroughly... then... yes, you would be safe"

"You hate it when I make sense, don't you?" Jacob asked.

"You know I do mutt, but what can I say" Edward sighed "It's in your nature to know how to lead, and as much as leaving is a distress on its own... I have to find him; I have to pray he hasn't been found either"

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

The night was an expanse of smoky navy, not a star glittering in it and instead many blinking and glowing lights filled the heights between sky and earth, tall cold buildings that were always awake. There was nothing to it; neither warmth nor humanity to the structures and he laughed morosely at that-things built by humans, could never be more alien than those sky scrapers. But it was almost perfection for him, perfection to his near deformed escape from Isabella and Jane.

A cold jungle that was incapable of clinging to his scent, littered with humans and pungent with cruel scents. He took a step out of the thin little woodland, looking over his shoulder warily. He was a sight, nothing about him was superhuman and he was aware how vaguely human he was in the moment; torn baggy shirt and oversized jeans hanging precariously on his emaciated body, his hair thin and long, wild around his face, skin pasty and sweaty and eyes sunken and dark.

Charles Black had never known a hunger, as the one he felt now. He was past being thirsty for venom, he was close to dying for it... but he had enough sense in him not to just allow Isabella and Jane to catch him-he was no match for both of them, and his only escape from such a confrontation would be death.

He didn't think he was ready for that at present.

He moved out of the thin trees, tripping and shuffling over the earth. To any human, to any other being-he was but a waif, some unfortunate vagabond mere seconds from death. In fifteen minutes, he reached the waters edge, the mass of water separating him from the concrete trees littering the city island. His toes touched the coolness and recoiled. He looked back over his shoulder once more, his heart shuddering in his chest. He moved into the water, the squelching of mud beneath his feet and the uncomfortable feeling of sharp objects nearly penetrating his now human skin. He braved it all until he was waist deep, and with one strong pull on his will, he concentrated on the single thought that he was going to hold his breath for as long as he could... he was going to ignore his stilling heartbeat (it was but another muscle in his body, that was immortal too), and whatever other symptoms that would arise... he would ignore them too.

He dived into the water, his eyes the only things that seemed to retain easy preternatural strength scanning through the darkness easily and when his lungs protested, he swam on, as his heart shuddered to a stop, he swam on.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

Alaska was nothing but ice, snow and wind.

There were no vampires here, and something about that fact filled me with a sense of relief and dread. I had wanted to see Eleazar at least; I had prayed that Carlisle was hiding out here...

This meant, we were truly alone.

The Cullen house was unlocked, the keys to the three cars still in the kitchen by the drawer and the safe still hauled out in the main bedroom.

"Shit" Embry breathed, looking around the dusty space. "So, this is what it feels like... being haunted"

"Haunted by what, dude?" Seth demanded.

"Vampires" Embry whispered, sniffing the air. Their scents were long gone, but being a wolf meant we could pick up the underlying bleach on everything. It didn't hurt in its weakness but it was reminder of the previous owners.

"What do we do, Leah?" Billy asked softly. "Do we just... stay?"
"For two weeks, keeping an eye on La Push, of course... you better call your folks, kid" I said, trying not to let the sense of emotional drainage seep into my voice "We can't stick around here, this isn't going to help us with anything"

We would have to travel out of here as men, in the cars... after our time was up and we had left La Push truly supernaturally free. I had an urge to head east, to head to Charles... such a desire and a want, that I almost called off our two week stay, but something in me told me that I wasn't strong enough just yet to go to him.

That was it, I had to be strong enough as well as make it safe.

For him.

For me.

For everyone.

AUHTOR'S NOTE:

Whew, glad all that updating is over and I can just concentrate on moving forward. Thank you all for the reviews and patience! Ah, my poor heart is aching with love...!

Xx, hope the holidays are treating everyone well!

TJ