A/N: Katbug86 did the beta thing. xoxo bb.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight; all of the respective characters belong to SMeyer.

Chapter 21

BPOV

When I was about seven my dad took me fishing, it was the first time he decided to attempt such an endeavor with just him and me. He took me to a small river not too far into the woods from our house; most likely foreseeing a day long fishing trip on a boat would be a bit much and opting for a closer location.

He wanted to take me, nonetheless, bond with me – show me himself in his environment. None of those things occurred to me at that age. I was just an awkward seven-year-old, with knobby scuffed up knees, teetering behind my dad as we made our way through the lush green forest.

I remember thinking how big my dad looked as we lumbered over decaying logs, moss weaving in and out of the bark, taking over the rough surface. He towered above me, and I wondered if he could touch the tops of the trees with his enormous height.

After all, he was my dad - he could do anything.

Once we made it to the tiny river, he perched himself on top a rock and readied his fishing pole, baiting it. I wrinkled my nose at the pink worm that he pulled from a small white plastic container. It writhed between his fingers, struggling to free itself. I had to look away when he pierced the hook through the slimy bait.

"Why does that even attract the fish?" I asked with a shudder, glancing back just in time to catch a glimpse of the worm dangling from the hook, speared through its middle.

Dad chuckled, patting me on the head as he stood to cast out his line. "It's what the fish eat Bells."

"They eat worms? Ewwwwwww!" I stuck my tongue out, turning to watch as the invisible line splashed into the shallow river.

Feeling particularly brave I slipped my shoes off, pulling my socks off and stepping out into the river. Water rushed around my ankles, the sensation almost exhilarating. The large round rocks beneath my feet were smooth and soft. Taking a step, my toes met with spongy mud, and I dug them into the water logged earth, stirring the smell around me.

Reaching down slowly, I stuck my hand into the murky water. It was cool and refreshing. My fingers found the mud, and I pushed into it. Scrapping my nails against a rock, I curled my fingers around the hard stone. After only slight resistance, I managed to pull it from the river bed. It was covered in black sludge. Holding it gingerly back to the water, I let it break the river's surface. Water gushed around the rock, cleaning it. When I felt it was presentable, I righted myself and held it into the air like a shiny trophy. My dad beamed at me, in only the way that he could. I felt proud of myself, because he appeared proud of me. And that was Charlie, always proud no matter how trivial my accomplishments.

The afternoon went much like that. I would display my inconsequential finds and ask my ridiculous questions, and my dad would be more than happy to answer, never getting annoyed or bothered. If I closed my eyes I could still hear the sound of the water rushing over the rocks. I could smell the thickness to the air, the strong fragrance of dirt being disturbed by the river. I could hear the soft dunk of my father's bobber as he cast out another line. Moments like those, fading memories, were the kind I had always taken for granted.

As I sat on the Cullen's couch, those lost and trivial moments played through my head like a movie. Laced into the memories were new images of my father. Sharp chiseled features, hardened flawless skin – blood red eyes.

The moment my eyes focused on his face as he stood at the top of the Cullen's driveway, my reality was shattered.

He wasn't dead – he wasn't alive - but he wasn't gone.

Nothing made sense, save one thing - I wanted my dad. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hug him. I wanted to remind him of that fishing trip and tell him I'd never forgotten. I wanted to tell him I loved him, no matter what.

But I couldn't. Edward's arms had grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me away from my father. I was enraged. He, of all people, knew what Charlie meant to me. How dare Edward keep me from him when he was so close? I yelled and screamed, beat my limbs against Edward's hard marble flesh, but he only held me tighter.

I hated him in that moment.

So I wept, sobbing heavily and surrendering to Edward's brute strength over me. I had no concept of the situation that was occurring on the Cullen's front porch, nor did I care. Once I saw Charlie, he was all that mattered. My safety held no bearing on the matter, and it confused me how Edward didn't seem to understand that.

The rest of the Cullens came home, and I barely remember Carlisle checking my hands for some reason. My body was numb, the only sensation was my chest pulling tightly as I breathed slow steady breaths. The muscles in my face were lax, emotion missing all together. I'd been staring at the same spot on the floor for God knows how long. It had been hours at least, as the only thing that caught my attention was the moving shadows across the floor, until the sun hung low in the sky and the room harbored a sickly orange glow.

My vision was completely unfocused; I was unseeing and unaware of anyone around me. My phone buzzed in my back pocket. When I heard the light notes of Clair de Lune filter through the air I pulled it from my pocket, turning it off without even looking.

I don't care what you have to say to me. I thought bitterly, you kept me from him.

More time passed and then there was some commotion. But I sat, lost in my thoughts, only pulled from my stooper when I heard someone say James' name. James means my father; I thought lifting my head, attempting to focus my vision on the group of vampires huddled around Jasper. My eyes burned as I blinked back the haze.

"What do you mean James took Alice?" Carlisle spoke, his voice calm and even.

Edward growled, irritation evident in his hunched stance. He began to pace in front of Jasper, who I was able to focus on finally. My eyes widened at his condition, he looked utterly ripped to shreds. I watched, captivated, as one of the deeper wounds along his shoulder slowly closed on its own.

"But why didn't she just warn us!" Edward finally bellowed.

Jasper shook his head, defeated. Glancing around, I took in everyone else's confused expressions. Emmett groaned, "Out loud please, we can't all read minds."

"She didn't want to warn you because she said things would be worse if she had." Jasper's voice was vacant, shallow, and weak. The numbness waned as I felt a twinge of pain deep in my stomach, a sudden longing to go to him and wrap my arms around his neck. He has lost someone too.

"So she did have a vision about all of this?" Rosalie asked obvious anger behind her words.

Jasper shook his head slowly.

"Jasper, dear, why don't you just start from the beginning so we can all figure this out together?" Esme's soft sweet voice filled the air, calming the atmosphere. It was then I realized there had been an intense level of anxiety that must have been rolling off of Jasper and adding to everyone's angst.

I watched as Jasper took in a soothing breath and closed his eyes, an immediate wave of sedated tranquility filling me. "Sorry," he spoke, his voice less ragged. "Alice had a vision in the middle of the night." He glanced around at everyone's weary expressions, sighing before he continued.

"She said that if the nomad vampires came here and saw Bella that it would be very bad for all of us, that she couldn't see any good outcome from it. She couldn't see why exactly, but she could see that they were coming." Jasper's fists balled at his sides, his voice straining a bit as he went on.

"She said that she and I had to go and try to intercept the vampires, but we couldn't tell anyone or it wouldn't work. She told me the only way she saw everyone together in the future was if we did this alone. I agreed, trusting her judgment…" he trailed off for a second.

Jasper had everyone's rapt attention as they hung on his every word, trying to make sense of the situation. "We found them easily, just outside of the Quileute border. We weren't expecting there to be six of them though…" he trailed again, breathing deep.

Esme kneeled next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright Jasper," she tried to sooth him.

He shook his head, bringing his hand to his brow in exasperation. "He knew her."

Edward moved for the first time since Jasper began speaking. Standing, he shifted quickly back to my side, bracing his arm around my shoulder. Something Jasper was thinking must have caused him to do so. Dad, I thought, waiting with baited breath for Jasper to mention my father.

Edward's brow furrowed slightly, "I can't believe he knew about Alice," he said softly, mostly to himself. Four sets of eyes shifted to Edward and he shrugged motioning for Jasper to continue.

"Yes, he knew Alice. James said he had been looking for her for a long time. He didn't really explain, but Alice seemed to understand what he was talking about. All he said was that Alice had been stolen from him long ago. James asked her to join them. I laughed at him, knowing there was no way my Alice would join such a pungent, vial group."

My stomach sank at the thought of poor Alice, trying to head off danger for my sake, only to end up throwing herself to the lions in the process.

"She told him no, simply, and that seemed to anger James. He thrashed around, throwing trees against one another and then I saw her eyes frost over. I couldn't ask her what she had seen, but her expression terrified me. I was floored when she nodded her head and agreed to go with them."

Esme gasped, tightening her arm around Jasper. "She agreed to go?"

Jasper shook his head, his eyes falling to the floor. "She mumbled something to me about it being the only way she could see - that she had to," he spat the last part, anger bubbling to the surface.

I felt it too, my flesh crawling and my brow furrowing as I felt suddenly enraged.

"That son of a bitch just smiled at me, thanking me for my time. I lost it. Alice pled with me, begging me to leave, but I told her no – I wouldn't leave without her. James informed one of the women he was with, Victoria, to take Alice and most of the other vampires with her and leave."

Jasper's expression grew impossibly sadder, and once again, I felt my mood shift to match his demeanor. "I tried; I did the best I could. There were three of them, James, Laurent, and Charlie."

Air caught it my throat, my shoulders stiffening at the mention of my father.

"James had promised Alice he wouldn't kill me, but I didn't care if they did or not. I tried to tear them apart, screaming for Alice the whole time. I was able to get some good hits in, but it wasn't enough. They had ripped me up to the point that I couldn't focus, my vision blurred and all I could think of was her. Then they tore my arm off and threw it off of a cliff."

I blanched at Jasper, looking back and forth between his two arms, hanging intact from his body. "They threw me off next, and by the time I got my arm and was able to make my way back up the cliff they were gone. I tried to track them, to follow Victoria's path, but after searching for hours I realized I was going in circles. So I came back here. I need your help," he finished weakly, his eyes lifting to each of his family members – imploring.

"We will leave at once," Carlisle replied.

The Cullen's discussed strategy as Edward's fingers moved softly against my arm in a soothing manor. My irritation with him ebbing as the reality of the situation sunk in. Poor Jasper- poor Alice. I thought back through Jasper's story, stunned that my father would take part in such horrible actions. I needed to see him; I needed to ask him so many things. How? Why?

"What about Bella?" I heard Esme ask meekly, glancing at me. I made no action or acknowledgment. I had yet to admit I was aware of anything that was happening, keeping my facial expressions under control for the most part.

What about Bella? I knew there was no way Edward would leave me there alone, but I didn't want to go with them either. I needed to be away from them, I had my own priorities. My mind went to the one person I knew could help me. "Jake can stay with me," I spoke my voice sounding dead even to my own ears.

Everyone turned quickly looking at me with concern, shock etched in their features. "Are you sure Bella?" Edward asked softly. I nodded, careful not to make eye contact.

Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on my temple. "Thank you Bella, I was worried you were going to want to go with us so you could see…" stopping himself from finishing Edward sighed, hugging me tight. "I was just worried," he concluded.

I went back to my non responsive state, my gaze drawing to the floor as the Cullen's planned their course of action.

I couldn't tell you when I fell asleep, but I drifted at some point. Hardly aware as I was shifted from Edward's cool arms into Jacobs heated embrace. I barely made out the hushed whispers of Edward when he spoke to him. "Thank you for doing this Jacob."

"No problem. Sam and the others are in the woods, they will help in any way they can," Jake responded evenly, his tone tense. After a brief pause he spoke again. "Hey Edward… he's really alive?"

"No. Not alive - a vampire, but yes, he was here." Edward's voice was right above my ear when he answered Jake. There was light pressure against my scalp as Edward placed a kiss there.

"I love you Bella," he whispered. "Be safe."

The light click of the front door closing drew me from my foggy sleep. I sat up, startling Jake. "Holy shit Bells. I thought you were out cold."

Standing, I immediately began pacing, a million thoughts whirling through my head. Without a word, I spun on my heel and dashed up the stairs to Edward's room. Jake followed close behind, calling out to me. "Bella, what the hell are you doing?"

I slammed the door in his face, the wood rattling against its frame. Wheeling around, I grabbed my bag from the floor. There were loud thuds against the locked door; Jake's voice was muffled slightly. "Bella, I really don't want to have to explain to Edward why I had to break his door!"

Quickly, I pulled my yoga pants off and shimmed my jeans up my hips. Grabbing a sweater, I pulled it over my head. Tying my hair back into a loose ponytail, I shoved my feet into my boots and yanked the bedroom door open before Jake broke it down.

He froze, his fist hanging in mid air, prepared to slam against the door once more. His eyes grew wide when he was met with my firm expression. "Bella, what the fuck?"

I pushed past him, flying down the stairs, my body on auto pilot. I had one destination I was concerned with, and since Edward wasn't there to stop me, nothing would. Reaching the front door, my hand stretched out, and I could almost feel the cold door handle under my fingers when Jake grabbed my arm, twirling me around abruptly. "Bella, will you please talk to me! What are you doing?"

"Going to find Charlie," I said evenly. I was oddly calm, everything seeming entirely clear to me.

Jake's eyes grew to wide saucers, "You're WHAT?"

Yanking my arm from his grasp, I straightened my sweater, standing up taller. "I am going to find my father," I spoke slowly, annunciating each syllable.

He shook his head furiously at me. "No Bella, it's too dangerous, you can't go."

"Jake, its Charlie – I have to go."

He snickered, his lips curling into a sneer. "That's not Charlie, Bella, that's a blood sucking vampire and you can't even say that he's somewhat decent like the Cullen's."

Before I realized what I was doing, I drew my left arm back, and brought my hand across Jacobs face with a thunderous smack. Pain seared through my whole arm, but I ignored it. Angry tears filled my eyes. "How dare you Jacob. He is still my father."

His shocked expression softened. Bringing a tentative hand up he cupped my shoulder. "I know Bells, but it's just too dangerous."

Shaking my head at him, I let my gaze bore into his eyes. "He was always there for you Jake. He deserves at least this much," my voice was barely above a whisper. Jake shivered, my words hitting him hard. He closed his eyes, drawing in a long breath.

I filled my own lungs with air until the muscle fibers burned under the strain. Exhaling, I forced my tone to be steady, wanting to express my determination, because I had never spoken truer words than the ones I was about to speak. "I will go with or without you. I will find my father. The only question is - are you going to help me?"

Opening his eyes, I stared into the bottomless soulful pools, the deepest brown – warm, sincere, understanding – my Jacob.

"Okay," he whispered, dropping his gaze to his feet.

xxXXxx

The cool moist air stuck to my skin pulling a shiver through me. We were moving at a swift pace, Jake bounding over stumps, fallen branches cracking under his feet as he thudded to the ground. He would stop occasionally and examine a low lying branch or a spot in the earth that had been disturbed. I followed silently, doing my best to keep up.

We had been moving through the woods for over an hour, and Jake seemed to know where he was going. You could tell he was following a determined path. I put my full trust in him, he would find Charlie - I knew he could. He has to.

Jiminy had been incessant since we left the Cullen's house, my conscience pleading with me to turn back. I ignored that part of my brain, fixing my thoughts on what I would say to Charlie.

Be Safe.

Edward's words filtered through my head unbidden, and a shot of guilt ripped through me. I had been so angry, placing undue blame on him. But once outside the walls of his home, the forest air seemed to clear my head. I knew he was only trying to protect me. He was putting me first, something even I had failed to do – my preservation unimportant once I saw my father. And I had treated him like he was the monster. I had been horrible to him, and now he was off to face down a volatile group of vampires, and God only knows what might happen. Oh God.

Tears filled my eyes as I pulled in a ragged breath, trying desperately to hold back the sobs. My toe hooked on a thick root twisting from the ground and I tripped, falling forward. Pain rocked through my body, steaming from my outstretched hands that had braced the impact.

Jake doubled back, running to my side. "Bella are you okay?"

A strangled sob finally escaped my throat, the pain traveling through me, coiling around my heart and pressing down. Edward. I may never see him again – he could be killed. The tears fell freely, and Jake wrapped his burning arms around me, engulfing my small frame.

"Bella? Are you hurt? Shhhhh," he soothed as he rocked me gently.

A light breeze caressed my cheeks, chilling the hot tears that streamed down my face. I nodded finally, bringing my hand up to wipe away the tears, and wincing as I tried to ignore the blazing pain in my left hand. "Yeah, I just – I was so mean to Edward, and now he's – and I don't…"

"Shh, I know Bells, its okay. He knows," Jacob interrupted. "It wasn't easy for you to see what you did earlier. It was a shock to your system. He gets that, don't worry." Running his pointer finger over my brow, he pushed a tear soaked strand of hair away from my face.

"Okay," I replied lamely, not wanting to argue or verbalize my fears that I may not see him again.

"Come on, let's get moving." He stood us both up, squeezing my shoulders before he released me.

I smiled weakly at him, "Thanks Jake – for everything. You are really the best kind of friend."

A grin crept across his face and he looked away suddenly, chuckling to himself. "You too Bells." He paused, turning back to me. "You know I would do anything for you right? Anything." His eyes were unwavering as they burned into me, and I nodded, mesmerized by his intensity.

Traveling through the woods for what seemed like hours, the darkness grew deeper. The only sounds besides our own foot falls were the light symphony of night mixing with the forest. Crickets played their song while the wind swayed along to the rhythm.

The knees of my jeans were caked with dirt from the many spills I had taken, but we forged on. I was beginning to feel discouraged. Despite the fact that Jacob never once waivered and always seemed to know where he was going – I had not seen any hints of the other vampires.

My body began to suffer fatigue, my lids falling heavy against my eyes. Jake stopped by a rather large pine tree, glancing back at my slow moving form. My legs were cumbersome; it was a struggle to pull them up from the ground and press forward.

"Why don't we stop here and rest for a minute?" He offered, sitting down, leaning his body into the base of the tree. Not even possessing the energy to nod my head in agreement, I merely plopped down beside him with an audible huff.

Laying my head on Jake's shoulder I sighed, closing my eyes briefly. I was reminded of our time spent together after Charlie – after I thought Charlie had passed. We would spend hours in the woods, much in the same way and Jacob would help me pass the time. "Tell me a story Jake." A yawn pushed its way from between my lips as I spoke.

He chuckled lightly, "Ok, what would you like to hear?"

"Mmm, tell me about when it happened … when you started changing," I mumbled.

I felt him shift, leaning his head into mine as he cleared his throat. "When I was little I use to go sit in the woods and just stare up at the sky. I would stretch out on a flat rock and watch through the heavy tree branches as the clouds moved above, finding their homes. The woods always seemed like a magical place to me, and sitting there, pretending to be a part of that was … nice. Now I spend more of my time here than anywhere else," he laughed humorlessly.

"I was so scared when … things started happening to me. I didn't know what to think, except that maybe I was going crazy. I mean I had Sam and the guys to explain things to me, but it still didn't stifle the complete isolation I felt. The realization that I would never be normal – have a normal life. I was so terrified and it was the first time in a long time I found myself wishing my mother were still alive so I could talk to her about it. She always had a knack for just making things better." He shrugged, and I opened my eyes, realizing tears were falling from them.

"I'm so sorry Jake, I wish I could have been here for you – I know that must have been so hard…" I stumbled over my words, unsure how to articulate my sorrow for him.

"It's not your fault Bella, you didn't know. And I wouldn't have been able to tell you… it would have been too dangerous." He paused for a moment in contemplation. "Anyway, so the first night I had a really high fever – like need to go to the hospital fever, my Dad just shook his head and told me to wait. I thought I was delirious, and then Sam showed up, talking about my changes and what to expect. It felt like one big nightmare that I –," Jake stopped, his body stiffening against mine.

"Jake what -," I closed my mouth abruptly when he held his hand out. Listening carefully, my ears filled with static. The air around me suddenly too loud, and then I heard it, a faint rustling noise.

Jacob stood slowly, and I mimicked his actions, my heart beating wildly against my chest. I told myself it was probably just a deer, or a rabbit, but I couldn't shake the feeling looming in the pit of my stomach. I squinted into the darkness that seemed too close, pushing in around me. I couldn't make anything out except for the silver outlines of pine needles hanging from the tree above us.

I wiped my hands against the tops of my jeans, my palms sweaty and shaking. Jake startled me when he let out a low rumbling growl. It was a sound that rivaled only that which I had heard from Edward. There is something out there, Jiminy whispered, setting all of my alerts on high.

A flash of red caught my attention as it blurred in front of me like a streak of lightning. My breaths were coming short and quick; I took a step back until I felt rough bark against my fingertips. Leaning my weight into the tree, I attempted to calm myself.

Everything happened in a split second. A gush of wind blew my hair back and Jake let out a rabid growl as he jumped into the air, his body phasing before his paws touched the ground. Shreds of fabric fluttered to the ground, landing at the feet of a woman who had appeared out of thin air. She stood several yards from me, Jacob in between us, his fur raised high on his back, a heavy menacing snarl ripping through him as he bared his teeth at the woman.

She looked at him with wide eyes, her fiery hair falling in tendrils, framing her unnaturally perfect face. Recovering her composure, her gaze rose to mine, and I was met with the same blood red I had seen in Charlie's eyes. Only her eyes were different, wicked like James'. Witnessing vampires like James and the woman before me solidified the fact in my mind that Edward and the Cullens did have souls, no matter what they believed. I could see the difference.

She grinned malevolently as our eyes met - the world slowing. "So you must be Bella," she cooed, her voice soft and high pitched, but grating against my ears. I flinched, fear seizing my body, encompassing me.

Stepping to her left, Jacob circled with her, every muscle in his body taught, ready to spring. My breathing had not relaxed, my heart slammed against my ribs as a million scenarios played through my head. Why was she alone? Where was Charlie? Where was James? Alice? Had they already gotten to Edward and the others? Jake – he can't be hurt protecting me.

A second vampire stepped from behind the trees, into my line of sight, and I gasped. He was a young boy, no older than Jacob, tall and lean with bright blonde hair - his eyes the most vivid slow motion the atmosphere had taken on shifted as soon as my eyes met with the vile vampire before me speeding up considerably as the male stepped towards me.

Jake lunged for him, but the female jumped at the same time, grabbing Jake mid launch and thrusting him hard against a tree. His body making a deafening thud as it hit. The tree whined and snapped, falling to the ground as he leapt up from where he had landed.

"Grab her Riley," the female called out as she took a defensive stance towards Jacob.

The male, Riley, ghosted to my side, grabbing hold of my arms. I hissed in pain, as he lacked the gentle touch that Edward and the Cullens possessed. My bones protested against the pressure of his fingers. I cried out, feeling like my arm would break.

Riley made no motion to hurt me, just to hold me there. I watched in horror as Jake was repeatedly thrown to the ground, ripped around like a rag doll. The female was too fast for my eyes to keep up. She flitted about him as he snarled and gnashed his teeth at her. Catching hold of her arm one time, Jake ripped his head about, flinging her into the darkness of the night. Turning his head, he spit out a chunk of marbled flesh.

"Victoria?" Riley called when she didn't return right away.

She reappeared seconds later, springing onto Jacob's back and sinking her teeth into is thick hide. He howled in pain. I screamed out to him, "Jacob!" I sobbed, tears distorting my vision. My breathing was erratic, and I struggled against my captor, trying in vain to pull free. "Help!" I shrieked, praying another wolf would hear or one of the Cullen's. My heart sank when I realized they might all be dead.

Jake was slowing down, limping, his weight shifting off his hind leg. He was hurt. No, no no! Thoughts ragged through my head, I had to do something. I was kicking and screaming against Riley, who growled at me, but I didn't care. "Help, please, somebody help!" I cried out as Victoria mounted Jacob's back once again and ripped at his flesh with her razor sharp teeth.

She laughed manically as he faltered, his legs giving out beneath him, his large form collapsing to the ground. I could barely make out his deep brown eyes through the haze of my tears. They were falling closed, his chest rising slowly with shallow barely-there breaths. He was scarcely hanging on; I could see it in his face. My body racked with silent sobs as I watched helplessly, mouthing I'm sorry.

Standing over him, Victoria shifted so her feet were on either side of his large head. Taking his jowl into her hands, she twisted his head half way before pausing and turning to smile at me. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, turning my head away just as I heard the sickening crack.

A/N: So… we're getting down to the wire here. I don't want to give any hard numbers (b/c, for example, this was supposed to be two chapters) but we're getting close to the end. Thank you to everyone who reviews this story. Thanks to all the peps that have alerted faved and read. I heart you all! (even the lurkers) Please press review - I'd love to know what you think of the progression of this story!

Quick h00ring moment (you know how much I love it) Voting opens TOMORROW for the AwkWard contest. If you haven't read my entry Love Me Awkward, Love Me True, please do… and you know… vote if you like it. :)

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