A/N:

Hi everyone,

I'm sure that many of you thought that I'd given up on the story, but I haven't. I've been really sick for the past several months, so I haven't felt well enough to write. I'm now feeling a lot better, so I've finished the chapter that I'd been working on before I fell ill. I hope that you'll stick with me because I promise you that I'm back. Thank you puff kitty and starla 1979. You both spurred me on to put the finishing touches to this chapter.

Until next time,

Mei Li

ESME

"Carlisle, are you sure that we should be leaving them? They need us," I said, with concern.

"I need to get Edward's blood and skin samples to the lab, so that I can do more research," he said without looking at me as we flew through the woods.

"I know that any tampering on my part could tip the delicate balance that is inside of him. However, if I do nothing, Edward will continue to be a ticking time bomb, so he will never be able to let his guard down, especially with Bella. And that will slowly kill them both," he said in a tone that sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as well as me.

My heart broke for him. Since Edward's return, Carlisle's confidence had taken many blows. There was so much that he didn't understand and hadn't anticipated that he was now doubting his every thought and action.

"I also can't in good conscience allow this epidemic to continue unchecked now that I know what has caused it. In 1918, there were studies in progress that were looking at using the blood of survivors to create a cure for the Spanish Influenza. In the beginning, I'd been a part of the research team, but when I decided to turn Edward I lost track of it," he continued in a tone that expressed that he saw it as another one of his catastrophic mistakes.

"The virus kills through an overreaction of the body's immune system, which is why young adults are the ones most seriously affected. The strong immune system reactions of young adults ravages their bodies, whereas those with weaker immune systems like children and middle-aged adults result in fewer deaths. So, why is Edward's enhanced immune system able to fight off the disease?"

I listened quietly as Carlisle talked. He wasn't talking to me anymore, but was simply verbalizing his train of thought as he tried to sort out the complexities of the problems facing us.

"It must be our vampire DNA," I interjected. "Edward only survived both onslaughts of the disease because he had it in his blood. As a human, he would have died within the day if you had not changed him. So, maybe it isn't Edward's DNA that we should be looking to for a cure, but ours."

Carlisle stopped speaking as he thought about what I'd said.

Suddenly, as the wind changed its direction, the scent of wolves struck me. I came to an abrupt halt, grabbing Carlisle's arm. They had been downwind of us, trying to approach without our knowing.

Before we had a chance to react, they came hurtling out of the trees growling and gnashing their teeth, forming a circle around us. I crouched low to the ground and prepared myself for an attack. Shifters were strong and we were outnumbered.

However, the wolves suddenly as a group fell silent, turning their head almost as one to look towards the trees. A man stepped out of the shadows and walked towards us, seemingly unconcerned about the tension rippling between us and the wolves. As he approached, the wolves parted in order to let him into the circle that we had been enclosed in.

While still remaining on guard ready for an attack, I looked at him curiously.

My first impression of the man walking towards me was the energy that he was giving off. While he looked human, I could instantly sense that there was some kind of animal inside of him fighting to get out. It wasn't like the shifters. Even though they turned into wolves, at their core they were human. This man was not. I'd never sensed anything like it before. While on the surface he would have appeared calm and collected to a human, to a vampire he practically vibrated with an undercurrent of energy. The kind of energy an animal gives off when they have stalked a prey and are ready for the kill.

"Please, everyone calm down. I don't want any violence," he said, trying to sound soothing. "I come in peace," he continued with a smile that was supposed to be disarming.

"If you come in peace, why did you sick your dogs on us," I said, not able to contain my anger.

As his eyes turned towards me, with warning bells sounded in my head. With absolute certainty, I knew that this was the man who had taken my son and tortured him for three years.

When his eyes met mine, I started in surprise. His eyes were the first thing that drew my attention. Not only were they an unusual pale blue, but their glassy appearance made him look slightly mad.

I felt an involuntary growl rumble in my chest and my lip curled as I tried unsuccessfully to suppress the urge to kill.

"I had to make sure that you wouldn't attack before I had the chance to explain myself. I'm sure that you have a lot of animosity towards me," he said in an exaggerated sad voice.

"You're Oscar, I presume," Carlisle said grimly.

"Why, yes I am," he said, a smile breaking across his face as he turned towards Carlisle.

"And you must be Carlisle. Edward told me a lot about you," he responded with an even larger smile.

At his mention of Edward, I saw Carlisle's jaw clench and anger flare in his eyes. However, he the refocused himself and a calmness entered his eyes as he focused all of his attention on Oscar. It was a look that I often saw when I would visit him at the hospital. His interest in the unexplained had probably always been a part of him even during his human life. His calling to be a doctor was not just his need to help others, but also his interest in taking apart complex cases in order to find the root of an illness. I could see that at that moment, he was pushing his emotions aside and focusing on drawing on that part of his personality.

When I looked back to Oscar, I saw the same look in his eyes. Gone was the false friendliness. Even the animalistic energy that had been pouring off of him had died down, replaced with stillness that came with extreme focus. They were sizing each other up, not physically, but intellectually. Jacob had told us that before Oscar and his wife were attacked by werewolves, he had been studying biochemistry.

Oscar looked away first and took a step back to join his pack. When he looked back at us again, the cold calculating focus was gone. With a broad smile, he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"I'd like to cordially invite you to join me at my home. We have a lot to discuss. I think that we can learn a lot from each other. Edward told me that you had a great mind, Carlisle."

It was clear that Oscar's was mentioning Edward to throw Carlisle off balance. He had found Carlisle's weak spot and was trying to exploit it.

"Why would we ever choose to join you? It is clearly a trap," Carlisle responded, calmly.

"Oh come now. I'm merely looking to have a meeting of the minds. You'll be perfectly safe. Aren't you even slightly curious about what I'd like to talk about? I'm sure that there is a lot that you'd like to ask me. This is your only chance," he stated and then tilted his head to the side as he waited for our answer.

I looked at Carlisle at the same time that he looked at me. As our eyes met, I saw resolve settle into them a moment before he spoke.

"Ok, we'll join you," he said.

"Wonderful! Follow me," he responded before turning away. As we followed him, the shape shifters closed ranks around us.

After a few hours, Oscar stopped and turned to us.

"I apologize, but I'm going to have to leave you for a short time. My pack will take you to the compound and get you settled. It won't take me long. I just have to meet with a few people,"

Without waiting for our reply, he walked off into the woods.

I tensed as Oscar retreated, leaving us with the wolves. However, Carlisle squeezed my hand soothingly.

"This is our only chance to find out more about him," he murmured too low for human or shifter hearing.

We walked for a few more hours, going deeper into wilderness before we came upon a clearing. At first the structure nestled in a corner of the field looked like nothing more than the foundation of a house, but as we approached we saw that it was actually a building that had been built mostly underground. Only the very top of the building was visible, giving it the impression that it was an unfinished structure.

One wolf changed back into his human form and without breaking a stride walked around the side of the building, leaving us guarded by the other three. When he returned, he ushered us around the building without a word.

We followed him down a long set of stairs that took us deeper into the ground. At the end of the stairs, we came upon a set of reinforced steel doors. The man stepped forward and lifted a phone that was bolted to the concrete wall.

"It's us… No… only two of them… OK…Yes… Yeah, I got it," he said before hanging up. A second later, a buzzer sounded and the man grasped the handle of the door and pushed against it. It swung open with a screech of metal against metal. Once we were inside the heavy doors swung shut with a bang followed by a loud click of a lock falling back into place.

I felt a wave of unease again and squeezed Carlisle's hand, seeking reassurance. After a moment, he squeezed back, but I could sense his uncertainty as we started down the long corridor.

It was a heavily reinforced building. It looked inside almost as if it had been constructed to withstand a natural disaster—underground, made of concrete, and doors, ceilings and floors made of reinforced steel. It was clear that Oscar had chosen or built this building with a purpose. Supernatural creatures had the same amount of power as a natural disaster. We could pull down a building, but with all the reinforced material around us in this building it would take time. Time that could be used by Oscar and his pack to attack. I wondered whether Edward had ever tried to escape. How many times had he broken out only to be corralled by Oscar and his followers?

I growled at the thought, causing the shifters who were still in their wolf forms to bare their teeth and growl in return.

At the end of a corridor, we entered an elevator that took us even deeper underground. When the doors opened, I was immediately struck by how much it reminded me of a hospital. My sense of smell sifted through the multitude of scents- a mixture of medications, bleach, fresh paint, and underneath it all… blood?

While cataloguing the scents around me, I took in my surroundings. The building had the same shiny floors, florescent lights, and twin rows of doors flanking the hallway that most hospitals that I'd been in over the years had.

At the end of the hall, the man pushed a button next to one of the doors, causing it open with a whoosh.

The minute the door opened, I gasped. A scent assaulted me. It was as familiar to me as my own. It was my son's scent.

I dashed into the room, fearful that Edward had been caught. However, the room was empty. I sniffed again and realized that it was an old scent.

Even though the room had been painted and fresh lemon-scented sheets had been placed on the bed, his scent permeated everything.

It was clear that he had lived in their cell during his captivity.

I shuddered at the thought that this had been the room that Edward had been held in for three years.

It was devoid of any creature comforts, only a bed and a table. Everything was white, everything was sterile. And with no windows and a door that blended into the wall, it would have caused sensory deprivation.

"Carlisle…"I gasped.

"I know," he responded.

I inhaled deeper, using my nose instead of my eyes. I hoped that there was something else that could give me any information about Edward's captivity.

It was then that I smelled it—blood.

I dashed towards the source, yanking the bed away from the wall so hard that it crashed against the opposite wall.

There were stains of Edward's blood spattered on the base board where a nail had been dug out of the wood. My eyes followed the spatters as they trailed up the wall to where a hole the size of a quarter had been dug.

Carlisle joined me and the two of us crouched down to look through the hole; however, I was greeted by the same white walls and sterile surroundings. The hole looked into another cell the same as this one. I took a shuddering breath at the thought of the despair that Edward must have felt at the sight. No freedom, just more of the same.

I picked up the nail that he'd used to try to dig his way to freedom, wanting to keep it with me. It was then that I saw something that shook me to my core. Chiseled into the tile floor were words written in Edward's tight script.

Edward Masen Cullen

R.I.P.

BELLA

I steeled myself after leaving Edward before entering the kitchen with Billy and Charlie.

"Hey Dad," I said as I walked into the room.

His back was to me, so I couldn't understand his muttered a response.

I sighed because it was clear that he was going to be incredibly difficult.

Billy gave me an exasperated look as he wheeled by me, leaving me alone with my father.

Charlie packed up the remainder of his belongings before grabbing his coat.

"Dad, where are you going?" I asked, grabbing his arm before he could open the front door of the house.

"I'm going to work, Bells. I have to get the investigation going into Bob Quinlan's death. We knew each other for over 30 years, so I'm not going to stay here and listen to all of this hogwash while his killer is still out there… I have a job to do."

"Dad, do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

He muttered something under his breath that I couldn't make out.

"Dad, come on. Talk to me."

When he turned towards me, his look was one of half-anger, half-frustration.

"Bella, I don't have time for all this. I've known Billy for half my life, but I don't understand why he would choose this moment for a practical joke."

"I don't know what Billy told you, but whatever he said, it's all true."

"You're all nuts if you believe it. Fairytale monsters are not real."

I took a deep breath, realizing that Billy hadn't pulled any punches with telling the truth to Charlie.

"Dad, can you please sit down? We need to talk. I need to tell you everything."

And I did.

He was silent during my telling of the story, but when I got to the part about James, he traced the scar on my wrist.

"Bella, you fell down the stairs and broke a window…" he murmured

"Dad, does this really look like a cut from a piece of glass?" I responded.

He rubbed his thumb over the bite mark again, but then shook his head.

When I met his eyes again, he didn't look convinced. However, he wasn't running for the door.

"So, what was all the commotion about yesterday? Why were we dragged here in the middle of the night? Billy was vague about that... I'm so sick of being the one out of the loop," he growled in frustration.

"This may seem like it is coming out of left field, but stay with me. Did you ever meet a guy named Oscar Chapman? You may have seen him around town a couple of years ago. He would have mostly stayed around the reservation, but I'm sure he would have made an appearance in Forks as well."

"A really intense guy with strange eyes? Yeah, I remember him. He showed up in town shortly after Rachel's funeral. I only talked to him once, but I got a bad vibe from him. Why?"

"You're instincts about him were right. Oscar is extremely dangerous…" I continued on to explain to him about what I knew about Oscar, but before I could finish he began to shake his head.

"Vampires, shifters, werewolves… Bella, this is crazy!" he snapped, slamming his hand down on the table.

"You all have to leave! All of you! Now!"

At Jasper's shout, we both bolted to our feet and ran towards the living room.

When I came around the corner, I saw Edward collapsed on his side, writhing on the couch. Alice was crouched in front of him holding her hands over his ears.

With a gasp, I ran towards them and took Alice's place.

"He's hearing other people's thoughts and can't block them," Jasper said, quietly. "I've sent everyone away, so he should calm down soon. We have to leave too because I think that our thoughts are hurting him the most."

Taking Alice's hand, he pulled her behind him out of the room, ushering Charlie out the door as well.

Edward recovered quickly with the silence that only I could give him.

Once he recovered, however, I was horrified that he wanted to try again.

When he had promised to protect me, I had no idea that this was what he was intending. I understood why he wanted his supernatural abilities back, but I didn't want him to change. I told him a long time ago that I didn't care that he was a vampire, but now that I had him in my life as a human I had a glimpse of what our future could be- a normal couple going to university, getting married, having children.

However, I couldn't deny that this reality was unlikely. There were too many forces against us. Therefore, I had no choice but to give him his freedom.

After Edward left with Jasper, I wandered aimlessly around Billy's house.

Charlie had decided to go for a walk with Jake. Before they left, Jake promised that he would do what he could to convince Charlie that we were telling the truth.

No one bothered me after that. I'm sure that they were all caught up in their own thoughts and worries.

Not knowing what else to do, I went into Jake's childhood bedroom to try and rest. My head ached from stress and lack of sleep from the last few days. I wasn't sure that sleeping would be a possibility with my mind racing as it was, but I had to try.

The minute I opened the door to his room, it was like I had walked into a microcosm of his life in high school. His walls were plastered with posters of his favorite bands and of motorcycles and cars. His bookshelf was full of comic books. His closet still had clothes in it that he hadn't moved to his new home. The room even smelled like him.

I had never been in Jacob's room before, not really. I had caught glimpses of it while I was visiting, but I had always been too uncomfortable to enter. It seemed too intimate. A person's bedroom was often a reflection of their inner self. Other rooms were places where any could enter, but a person's bedroom was private.

Just as I flopped myself down on his bed, I saw, tucked into the corner of the mirror, a strip of photos of the two of us. They were photos that we had taken over three years ago. Looking at the photos, I remembered the day clearly. It had been one of the few days during the dark time when Edward had left me, that I had felt normal and almost happy. Jacob had badgered me into shopping at the mall and then to a movie. We spent the afternoon looking at cds and browsing in a bookstore with Jake in the magazine section and me in the classics.

Before the movie, we found one of those little photo booths and squeezed in. I remembered that the only way that we would both fit was for me to sit on Jacob's knee. In one of the photos, we were making faces, me with my eyes crossed and Jake with his tongue stuck out. We both looked so different- so young. Jake's hair was long and there was brightness in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time.

In another photo, we were caught mid laugh. My eyes were closed as I laughed at something that Jake had said, but Jake's head was turned towards me. With the perspective of time, I could see it now. There was softness in his eyes when he looked at me that was more than the look of a friend. I had just been in such complete denial.

I sighed and returned to the bed. As I closed my eyes, I hoped that Jake and I would be able to one day think about these days of tragedy with relief that they were over.

"Oscar is one cocky son of a bitch. I can't believe that he had the balls to walk up to Bella in the middle of the day, like he didn't have a care in the world," Embry's voice right outside the bedroom window brought me completely awake.

"He has the upper hand, so why wouldn't he feel confident." Sam responded. "We don't know where he is. We don't know how many shifters he has in his gang. But all of that pales in comparison to the fact that in three days there will be a full moon and Oscar is going to turn into a werewolf along with any others that he may have turned, including Edward," he continued angrily.

"And here we are trapped on the reservation because if we leave we'll be putting everyone in jeopardy of catching the flu. I feel like we are in that movie Dawn of the Dead, trapped in a shopping mall and surrounded by zombies that want to eat our brains," Embry said, finishing Sam's train of thought in his own colorful way.

Their voices trailed off as they moved away from the house.

It was all true. We were extremely vulnerable because we were cut off from the outside world and had no knowledge about Oscar's plans.

Embry's description of our desperate situation took my mind off on a tangent. My mind wandered to the zombie movies that I'd seen. I wasn't a fan of horror films, finding them too bloody. However, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead were classics. Like us, the main characters in both movies were surrounded by creatures whose only thought was to kill. The flu was like that. It mindlessly spread from person to person and took no prisoners.

People only survived in zombie movies if they stayed inside a building and blockaded it, but inevitably there was always someone who decided to make a run for it. Then, once the perimeter was breached there was no going back.

I shuddered at the thought of the entire reservation being infected by the flu. The whole tribe must be terrified that somehow the flu would infiltrate the safety of their town. I wondered whether anyone blamed Edward for all of this. He was human now, but until recently he had been one of their enemies who had now returned and brought illness and violence into their homes.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I sat up with a jolt. No one had ever figured out how Oscar had gotten on to the reservation. With the pack on high alert, it seemed impossible that a man could have simply walked on to the reservation without them noticing. Beyond the full moon, Oscar was just a man, no match for supernatural beings.

There was only one possibility.

He had help.

I went in search of my father. I knew that he would be the only person objective enough to listen to what I had to say. The Quiluetes would never be able to accept that someone in their community was helping Oscar, but it was the only possibility. It had to be someone who knew the area and wouldn't appear suspicious wandering close to the patrolled borders.

Who could it be? Who would betray their own people?

I knew that Charlie was with Jake, so I walked the short distance to his cabin.

As I got closer, I began to feel more uneasy. Something felt wrong. Worried that something had happened to Charlie, I started running towards the cabin.

But when Jake's house came into view, I was relieved to see that Charlie and Jake were sitting on the front steps of his cabin. Jake was leaning towards Charlie who sat hunched forward, his arms braced on his knees and his head in his hands.

Without a shirt and socks, I knew that Jake had changed to show Charlie what he really was.

I felt sorry for my father. He was a level headed, common sense kind of guy, so knowing about the supernatural was throwing his whole world view into chaos.

When I got close enough for them to hear me, they both looked up. Charlie stood up quickly and made as if to approach me. However, he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards Jake and said, "Thank you for showing me the truth." It was said so formally that I could tell that he was struggling to regain his center by putting on his mantle of Chief Swan.

Once he'd moved past Jake, his eyes settled back on me. At this point, his struggle to maintain his equilibrium was thrown off as the hurt surfaced.

"Dad, I need to talk to you alone," I said, looking over his shoulder at Jacob.

He looked into my eyes intently for a moment before nodding. We fell into step with each other as we moved away from Jacob.

Once we were out of ear shot I turned towards him.

"Dad, who do you think has the most reason to dislike the Cullens? You know that the Quiluetes have for a long time disliked the Cullens. However, who, out of all of them, do you think has the most reason to dislike them?"

"What do you mean, Bells?"

"Now that you know about the pack, how do you think it is possible that Oscar got on to the reservation without them noticing?"

Suddenly, Charlie came to an abrupt halt grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop as well.

His breathing began to escalate, which caused me to jerk my head in the direction that he was looking.

"Bella! Look out!" he shouted.

A blur of brown streaked towards me and as it approached all I could see was teeth and fur.

I lunged towards Charlie and pushed him out of the way before I turned to run. I felt something grab the back of my shirt and try to yank me backwards, but I wrenched myself away with the sound of tearing fabric.

It was so close to me that I could feel its breath huffing on the back of my neck, so I knew that very soon it would have me. However, a shot rang out and a howl of pain roared in my ear. A weight crashed into the back of my legs, throwing me to the ground.

The force of its weight colliding with me knocked the breath out of me. I came to a standstill on my back.

As a loud commotion roared around me, all I could focus on was sky. In my dazed state, I marveled at the color. I had never seen anything so blue. A painting could never do it justice.

"Bella, are you OK? Kid, look at me! Are you hurt?"

I pulled my attention away from the sky and focused on my father's face as he crouched over me.

"I'm OK, Dad. Just help me up."

My head swam as Charlie helped me to my feet. I was finding it difficult to catch my breath.

"What happened?"

Behind Charlie, Jake and Embry were wrestling someone to the ground- a naked man.

"Dad, who's with Jake and Embry?" I asked, bewildered by the sight.

"I don't know. One minute, he was an animal attacking you, but when I shot him he turned into a person."

"Shape shifter…" I said.

The shock was starting to set in and my vision began to blur around the edges.

"Dad, I think that I need to sit down. I feel dizzy."

"OK, Kid."

Charlie practically had to carry me to a nearby rock because it was as if I'd lost all the strength in my legs.

I looked at my father's face and saw fear for the first time that I could remember.

As he crouched beside of me, he ran his hand over his face leaving a dark smudge along his cheekbone.

I sat up in alarm.

"Dad, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed.

I tried to stand up, but my legs couldn't hold me and I collapsed to my knees in front of him. My vision swam again and I felt sick to my stomach.

His eyes widened in horror as he looked down at his bloodied hands.

Looking up at me, he stumbled to my side.

Without a word, he scooped me up in his arms and swung us both around to the others.

"Help me! She's bleeding!"

I tried to protest.

"I'm OK, Dad. Put me down," I said. I didn't feel any pain, only light headed.

However, Charlie ignored me as the rest sped towards us.

"Where is she hurt?" Jake asked.

"I'm fine, Jake." I said, feeling annoyed that they were all ignoring me. All I wanted was to rest for a few minutes.

"I think it's her side where her shirt is torn."

"Lay her down here," Embry said, motioning to where he had spread his shirt on the ground.

Charlie gently laid me down.

"Maybe, it's not her blood," Charlie reasoned.

"I can smell it. It's her blood," Alice stated.

I looked towards her voice and saw that she was standing quite a distance away at the tree line. I felt guilty because I knew that the smell of my blood was affecting her.

Jake gently pulled the material of my shirt away from my body revealing my ribcage.

"Oh God," Charlie exclaimed. "We need to get her to a hospital."

I tried to sit up, but Embry pushed my shoulders back down.

"No, let me see," I argued.

"Bella, don't move. You're cut really badly," Jake said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I can't just stitch this up. The cut is too ragged. We need to get her to a doctor," Sam said, crouching down next to me.

"We can't! She might get exposed to the flu!" Embry argued.

"We don't have much choice," Sam responded. "She could die from blood loss."

"I'm fine. I don't hurt at all," I reasoned.

No one listened to me.

"There is a medical clinic just outside of the reservation. I think that she'd be safer there than at the hospital."

"No… no…" I argued, but I was finding it harder to speak as my lips felt numb.

"I'll take her," Jake said, picking me up in his arms.

"No, I'm her fa-" Charlie began, but Jake interrupted him.

"Charlie, you know now that we aren't human. I stand a better chance of fighting off the illness than you do. My immune system is a lot stronger. Let me do this."

With a pained expression, Charlie let go of my arm and stepped back.

Turning away from them, Jake gripped me more securely in his arms and hurried towards his truck.

"Bella?"

I had never heard a more sweet sound than Edward's voice.

"Ed-" I couldn't force his name past my numb lips.

"Where are you taking her?" he demanded.

I looked towards him and I could see him running full out towards us.

As he neared, he glared pure hatred at Jacob.

"Give her to me!" he snarled.

Suddenly, there was a roar from behind him.

"EDWARD! NO!"

Edward was suddenly yanked off his feet by Jasper, who then pinned him to the ground as Edward growled and thrashed.

"What the hell?" Jake gasped, clutching me tighter to his chest.

"Get her out of here!" Alice shouted, turning back towards Edward.