Well ladies and... I think I have some gentlemen here... I have bad news. Apparently, the publisher is a little too chicken shit to publish my version. But not to fear! I've decided to self publish the stories! But seeing as how I have close to no money, I figured I could start a fund raiser by selling (and I'm not kidding) sparkling voodoo dolls of Edward Cullen. If you want to get one, go onto YouTube and look up: "Sparkly Vamp Voo-Doo Doll." It's the first video you see. With that being said, let's get on with the show!

PS – I apologize for this being so late... I hit a bit of a block with this one...

PPS – Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, have a good Solstice, and all that jazz.

Twenty Five: The Cullen Estate

Edward, it seemed, did not want to return after sunrise. After a long talk with Nickey and Mac, Bella decided to stay up with the other wolves and wait for his return. The werewolves were all restless because of the appending full moon the night after that one, and so were unable to sleep. Bella distracted herself from her guilt with card games or dominos or even Tommy's video games. Billy didn't let them ride their bikes to get rid of energy after a certain time, so from eleven o'clock on, the pack was remanded to inside activities. Bella watched the window when she wasn't doing anything, staring at the dense forest just beyond the reservation. She awaited Edward's arrival, rehearsing what she was going to say to him. In all honesty, now that her tantrum was done with, she began to feel sorry for the things she said to him. She still hurt, and she wasn't about to forget and forgive everything, but she knew that Edward wouldn't do something like this on purpose. The idea of getting back together with him was still foggy, and at this moment in time, a bit out of the question. Still, there was no harm in at least settling to some kind of civilized plane of agreement and apology. At some time during her late night watch, she fell asleep, only to be awakened by Jacob shaking her shoulder.

"Hey... Bella." She blinked, looking up to the face of her friend. "You fell asleep on the couch," he said, smiling a bit. "Why don't you go lay down in bed?" There was a pause as her drowsy eyes saw the window. It was daylight out. Edward must have returned in those hours when she was asleep. Yawning, she got up and insisted that she was awake. After showering and changing, she went up to the attic to speak with the vampire. She didn't particularly want to wake him from his sleep. God knew he was cranky enough without being sleepy on top of it. But she couldn't let this wait until then. By that time, the wolves would have transformed and there would be no time to talk. So, with a heavy heart, she once more climbed the stairs that lead to the attic.

Carefully, she knocked. "Edward...?" There was no answer. She didn't even hear the creak of the floorboards. He must have been asleep. Taking a breath, she budged the door open and walked inside. She couldn't find him, and could only conclude that he was under the sheets of his make-shift tent. But when she pulled up the cloth, she saw that he was, in fact, not there. For a moment, she panicked. Had the hunters grabbed him? Had he been captured while out hunting or blowing off steam? She calmed herself, closing her eyes.

No... She could remember how he had fended off James. Hunters couldn't catch him if he had become his true form, which he probably did to get away from them. The only conclusion she came to was that he was somewhere else for the day. But where? He wouldn't dare go back to Carlisle. So where then? Had he just run off? That would be stupid... And the mill's roof was still caved in, giving him no protection from the sun. That meant that he could only be one place.

Home.

Quickly, Bella moved downstairs and headed outside. He was probably just sulking as usual. Still, the two of them needed to talk. She couldn't just leave this wound open, it would kill her from the inside out. After explaining where she would be going, however, she was met with a little more then obstacle. No one wanted her out on her own. Especially after what happened. They begged her not to go alone. Separating from anyone now was a terrible idea, and even worse with the full moon mere hours away. To her, this only fueled her own argument that she needed to bring Edward back to La Push. But to appease their complaints, she had Jacob drive her. Though she really wouldn't have been able to go without him to begin with, short of stealing his truck.

It took them a good few hours to get back into Forks. Bella prayed that Charlie didn't see them. That would just complicate things far more then they needed to be. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to be pulled into this whole mess... However, luck seemed to not be on her side, as at the second red light that fateful black and white cruiser sat just opposite of the black truck. Charlie looked up, and he and Bella instantly made eye contact. The man broke out into a charming smile, and Jacob and Bella glanced at each other. They couldn't just drive off as though they hadn't seen him now. So, reluctantly, Jacob pulled over to the curb and the two got out. It seemed he was just as cautious about involving the man as she was.

"Bells! Jacob!" Charlie hugged his daughter, rubbing her shoulder. "So you decided to come home early, eh? That's good... Though I wish you would have called first. I don't have any food in the house. But I guess we can just go out to eat tonight..."

"Dad." Bella patted her father's head, smiling weakly at him. "Um... We're not back. Not officially anyway."

Blinking, Charlie rubbed his neck. "You're not?"

"No, Chief Swan," said Jacob. "Um... right now we have to go do something for the Cullens. And then we're going back to our friends in Seattle." Charlie gave a disapproving frown to the both of them.

"Really?" he asked. He seemed to have his brief moment of happiness that his daughter was home dashed by the reality. Bella shifted uncomfortably before breaking into a smile.

"You know, dad... If you want, we can all have lunch together."

That seemed to raise his spirits a bit. "Lunch?" He looked to Jacob to see if he approved, and the shifter didn't have any objections. "All right. That sounds great." So, they headed over to the diner that was a block away and got themselves a table in the corner of the restaurant. Charlie talked up a storm, informing the two of all they missed during the summer in Forks. He ordered steak and blueberry cobbler as usual, Jacob only ordering a little something to eat, rather then his normal buffet. Understandable, considering the night they had ahead of them. Bella just ordered a normal hamburger, nursing her soda and listening to her father ramble. Slowly but surely, she joined in on the one-sided conversation, even smiling a bit. It was then that she realized just how normal she felt.

She had told Edward once that she hated being normal. That it wasn't interesting being normal. And yet, as she sat there, eating and enjoying the presence of her father, she couldn't help but feel refreshed by it all. After so much turmoil and danger, having a normal lunch with Charlie was relaxing, almost lightening. For a split second, she even forgot about everything. The hunters, the wolves, the shifters and the vampires. That moment, it was just she, her best friend, and her father, enjoying a meal together. It was... nice.

After eating, they went their separate ways, Bella almost wishing they could stay longer. But she knew that she and Jacob had to enter into a world that Charlie could not follow into. She could never live with herself if anything happened to her father. They drove silently until climbing the bumpy, uneven road that went upwards towards the house at the top. It seemed like ages ago since she last stepped inside that house. That house, that was so incredibly daunting and foreboding, yet had a certain, indescribable beauty and attraction to it. As they drove up to it, Jacob parked the car, remaining where he was. Giving him a glance and a pat on the arm, Bella slipped out and walked in herself.

The floor creaked as she walked inside, the candles unlit and cold. The only light within the old, Victorian manor was the light shed from the open door. Heart pounding, she closed it, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness within. "Hello?" Her voice echoed slightly against the walls of the empty house. She began to walk down the hallway, feeling in front of her so that she did not trip over anything. "Hello?" she called again. "Edward?" The old wood beneath her groaned with every step, the house itself breathing around her. Suddenly, chills ran up her spine, and she turned around. Nothing was there. Swallowing a hard lump, she continued inward. "Hello...?"

"MISS BELLA!"

Without knowing what hit her, Bella was suddenly winded, falling off of her feet and onto the floor. A bit dizzy, she blinked away stars until she saw the outlines of a little boy above her. "J...Jasper?" Quickly, Jasper lit a candle and set it aside in its holder, turning back to the human. He looked just as he did before the Cullens left Forks, gangly, shoeless, and with floppy clothes around his slim body. Bella gave him a weak smile and got to her feet, wobbling a bit. "It's good to see you again," she said, dusting herself off. "Ooph... But please don't tackle me like that anymore."

"Sorry... I'm just so happy to see ya..."

Bella nodded, straightening up a bit. "Are the rest of the Cullens back?" He shook his head.

"I'm the fastest," he said simply. "But don't worry. I won't tell Carlisle that ya'll are here. Though I dunno if he knows or not..."

"Jasper." Bella looked up to see the candle light flickering just slightly against the form of Edward, who was stalking near the shadows. He kept his eyes on Bella, who did likewise. Walking forward, he gave her a stiff glare. "I don't know how far off the others are."

Bella nodded, her eyes falling a bit. "Edward, I'm sorry for the fight." She looked up at him, trying to see if he'd understand. "But there are bigger things to worry about right now. The hunters will be very active tonight. It's a full moon – "

"I'm aware what night it is," he cut off. Bella blinked, suddenly reminded of their rocky start together. He wasn't turning back into that crude, rough vampire that despised her, was he? A frown made it to her face and she put her hands to her hips.

"So then why did you leave the reservation?"

"Simple," he said. "They're after the wolves. So I go to where there are none. It's safe, don't you agree?"

"But they could come after you! Hunters go for vampires too!"

"Yes, I've been informed about their main targets, thank you."

"Will you stop being such a persnickety ass hole? I'm trying to make sure you're ok!"

"Well here I am. Do I look harmed to you?"

"Do you even care about anyone but yourself?!"

"That depends, are you some self-righteous bitch!?"

Bella was about to open her mouth when a shrill whistle broke their bickering. Turning, they all three spotted Jacob walking through the shadows towards them. "Bella's right," he said, moving closer. "It's unwise to be on your own tonight." He gave Edward a glare. "Power in numbers. That's what your family has always believed in, right?" Edward's eyes narrowed, but it was obvious that Jacob was right. The more there were, the less likely a hunter attack would succeed.

"Well what do you suggest we do now?" Edward snipped. "It's bright out there. It's not like it's overcast and Jasper and I can walk out in hoodies."

"It'll be sunset soon," said Jacob. "We can stay here until it gets dark. After that, we can try and head back to the reservation."

Edward huffed. "Fine. You and your human pet have fun. I'm getting some sleep before then. Come on, Jasper." Turning, he slunk into the darkness. The smaller vampire gave them both looks of apology before turning and vanishing after his brother. Bella was just about to turn to Jacob, when she heard a rumbling outside. A bit confused, she and Jacob headed out to see Mac and his gang sitting on idle motorcycles. Mac removed his helmet, smiling.

"Mind if we come in?"

Sorry, this is a terrible place to leave off, but it'll make sense in the next chapter. So! Leave those reviews!

~T.