chapter 26:
I changed to some leggings and a sweater, only then realizing I was actually a bit cold. I laced up my boots and forced my coat to dry with a simple spell. With that, I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder. I made my way out of Jake's room, only to halt on my feet when I saw Sam and Billy were in the house. Bella sat on the couch, trembling, and Paul was talking to Sam, while Charlotte wavered between the kitchen and the living room, not knowing where to go. Jake noticed me first, taking two strides towards me and grabbing my hand.
"I'm ready to go when you are." I whispered, my eyes trained on Billy, who was looking at me. Not like he usually was but with a weird expression on his face. "Why is your father staring at me?" I asked, suddenly nervous.
"I don't know," Jacob said, pulling me towards the living room. "Bella is awake, I say we leave now." He added.
"Okay," I nodded.
He went to Bella and I went to Charlotte, asking her if she wanted to come with. She hesitated before shaking her head in the negative. Her eyes went to Paul and she bit her lip.
"You want to stay with Paul?" I voiced what she wasn't saying. "Honey, it's okay, you do know that, right?"
"Yeah." Charlotte nodded. "You going to be okay?"
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow." I hugged her goodbye before turning.
Jacob was by the door, Bella nowhere in sight. I supposed he had taken Bella to the truck and was waiting for me. I walked towards him, giving Sam and Paul a polite smile before turning to Billy, who was still looking at me.
"Good night, Billy," I said politely.
"Did you know?" Billy asked me. "When you got here you said Jake was gonna be all right. Did you know Harry was going to be the one to die?"
I blinked, not having expected him to talk to me.
"Not at all," I said. "I just knew Jake was going to be okay."
"How?" he asked, his eyes hard.
I pondered the question. I wasn't sure if he would understand and I wanted him to like me. Why couldn't he finally like me? It hurt.
"Faith," I shrugged before adding, "And I believe in his abilities."
Billy didn't seem convinced but he nodded and said goodbye. I walked quickly to Jake, walking out of the house with him. I got inside the truck, in between Bella and Jacob. He was driving. I found myself resting my head in his shoulder all the way up to Forks, while Bella looked outside the window. The little cold I had had a few minutes ago was completely gone thanks to his body heat. He was just so warm, like my own little sun. God, I loved him so much. It had been years, centuries since I had loved someone this much. Why hadn't I realized that before? I loved everything about him, I had since day one. His laugh, his dark skin, his perfectly white teeth, even his long hair. And when he cut it, I had missed it but loved his short hair too. Not only that but also how he was sweet and how he cared so much.
"What?" he asked, chuckling.
"What?" I repeated, suddenly alarmed. Had I been thinking out loud?
"You just hummed and hugged my arm." He pointed out, tilting his head for a quick kiss to the top of my head.
"Oh," I flushed, laughing nervously. "I'm just—I was thinking."
"What about?" he asked, his eyes not moving from the road.
I turned my head until my chin was resting on his shoulder. We were so close my nose would bump into his cheek if I moved too much. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes before his mouth curled upwards in a small smile. I giggled, continuing to study his face. His eyebrows were a bit furrowed, which made a little crinkle appear in-between the two. He had a bit of stubble, which made me want to kiss him until tomorrow, for some reason. I'm pretty sure I would have found him attractive even if he was a complete mess.
"You," I said, only loud enough for him to hear.
He smiled and, this time, it did reach his eyes. Satisfied with his reaction and happy to see him happy for the time being, I turned my attention to the road without letting go of his arm. Somewhere along the way, he started driving with only one hand, his hand reaching out and lacing his fingers with mine.
"I was thinking," Jacob started, making me glance up at him. "Maybe we should go to Bellingham for a day. You know, like a road trip."
"For a day?" I laughed. "You mean for a few days. I'm not driving six to seven hours all the way there just to spend a few hours and drive back."
"Okay, Little Miss Demanding, we can go for a few days." He laughed, glancing down at me for a moment. "So, what do you say? Let's go to Bellingham."
I smiled, my front teeth biting down on my bottom lip. We could go to Bellingham. It was pretty and it'd been ages since I'd had a vacation. But Bella was more depressed than ever and I knew Charlotte was still here for a reason other than Paul, even if she wasn't telling me, and there was still Victoria. The pack needed Jake.
"We can't just leave." I pointed out, widening my eyes so he could notice I meant we couldn't leave Bella alone.
"We'll go when things are better. Bella could come with." He shrugged.
I smiled again, pushing his face so he'd be watching the road again. We were just arriving at Forks; it'd be a few minutes to get to Bella's house. I turned to look at her, not surprised to find she was still looking out the window, not even having noticed we talked about her. I really wanted to go to Bellingham, even if it wasn't just Jake and I. Maybe it could be a group thing and we could all go, like a pack road trip. But if we were going to go on a road trip we had to do it right, not just for six or so hours… we could go to Canada. Of course, that'd mean crossing the border but I'm sure I could figure that one out. Or Charlotte could.
"Okay, let's go on a road trip," I said. "But not to Bellingham—let's go to Canada."
"Canada?" Jacob laughed, shaking his head.
"Yeah, Canada. There's this really pretty provincial park up in British Columbia." I explained. By now, we were already driving in Bella's street, I noticed as I kept my eyes on Jacob's face. "It's called Tweedsmuir South Park, or North, whichever one you want." I continued as he parked the truck and turned fully to me.
"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Hey, it was your idea!" I exclaimed, hitting his shoulder lightly. "We could all go! Like a huge road trip. And we could stay in Bellingham on our way there." I added, rising my eyebrows suggestively.
"Tweedsmuir Park?" he repeated, his arm going around my shoulders.
"Hmhm." I hummed, leaning closer to his face. "I don't know if we can actually camp there but… it still sounds fun." I added, kissing him slightly on the lips.
"All right." He nodded, kissing my nose. I scrunched my face up. He smiled before turning to look over my shoulder. "What do you say, Bella? Wanna hit the road and go to Canada?"
I blinked and turned to look at Bella. I had totally forgotten she was there. I was such a good friend. Bella, however, wasn't even paying attention to us. She had sat upright and was squinting at the outside of the truck. I followed her gaze, not getting why she was staring so intently at the empty street, to realize the street was not empty, after all. There, perfectly parked in the shadows was a Mercedes S55 AMG. I knew that car, Bella knew that car. Jacob was probably the only one who didn't know that car. The windows were closed and it was a particularly still night, which would explain why Jacob hadn't sniff out Carlisle yet. Because that was Carlisle's car, wasn't it? but why would he be here. That made no sense.
"Oh, no…" I muttered, finally catching up to Bella's line of thought. "Bella, wait." I started to reach out to her.
Bella seemed to be kicked into action by my small acknowledgement of the fact that she was not seeing things and that, yes, Carlisle's car was really parked in front of her car. She opened the door and jumped out of the truck, starting to run towards the house. An open door, of course, meant a riff of air coming directly into the truck, along with the sweet smell that only meant vampire. Jacob tensed next to me and his hold on my shoulder tightened, halting me on my way to the truck's door.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed.
"There's a vampire here." He practically snarled, already getting angry. "You're not going out there."
If he didn't calm down, he'd phase but if I didn't go after Bella, something very bad would happen. I took his face in both my hands and forced him to look at me. His eyes were dark and his eyebrows were scrunched up together.
"Calm down, Jake." I soothed him, raising my eyebrows slightly. "Breathe in… and out." He did as told and his body stopped shaking. "I appreciate the concern but I'll heal, eventually, Bella could die. So let me go." I added.
He nodded and let me go. I didn't stop for one second; I jumped off the truck and ran to the house's door, which had been left open. As I entered, I could hear Bella sobbing.
"Would you mind explaining me how you're alive?" a light voice with a very angered tone asked.
I relaxed, knowing the voice; it was Alice. Everything was okay. Alice was visiting… most likely because she saw Bella jump off the cliff and she came here to bury her? I didn't know. I glanced back, a little hurt to find Jacob wasn't there anymore. All that fuss and worry for nothing. Bella was fine and it was only Alice.
"That's because I got her out." I snapped as I slammed the door shut, making Bella jump and rub her eyes with her hand. "Jacob helped."
"Mia?" Alice said, apparently surprised to see me. She threw herself at me, making me stumble a little and frown at the sudden display of attention. "Are you all right? I haven't seen you in months. Why haven't I seen you in months? You just disappeared one day."
"I'm fine, Alice." I hugged her back, deciding not to explain why she didn't see me anymore. "I gathered you saw Bella jump?"
"Yes!" Alice exclaimed, angrily letting go off me and turning back to Bella. "How could you do it? I told him it would happen! I told him. And he said you promised you wouldn't, he said you wouldn't dare but I knew different. And suddenly, there you are, jumping off a cliff. Why would you do it, Bella? Why would you try to kill yourself?" she demanded, going on a rampage.
"I wasn't trying to kill myself!" Bella groaned, shaking her head and sniffing. "I did it for recreational purposes only. I didn't know there was a storm or that the current might push me under."
"Recreational purposes?" Alice repeated, clearly skeptical.
"Jake's friends do it for fun." I explained.
Alice turned her attention to me, tilting her head in confusion before her eyes narrowed. I blinked, my heart hammering inside my chest, as I saw her clearly studying me. She took a step towards me while I took a step back. Bella simply watched the exchange, confused.
"Jacob Black?" Alice asked for clarification. My silence was all the answer she needed. "And he helped you pull Bella out?"
"He took me to shore." Bella provided after several minutes passed without me answering. "Why didn't you see that? Both of them pulling me out of the water?"
"Marie Antoinette," Alice said warningly.
I simply met her eyes without saying anything. If I told her Jacob was a wolf, she'd made me keep my word about not going out with him if he turned. I had sworn; I had given my word. I had to deliver.
"So how did you manage the current?" Alice asked me.
"I turned," I said.
"Right." Alice nodded. "And Jacob?"
"He's very strong. Don't you remember?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You stink of wet dog, Marie." Alice pointed out, finally stepping close enough to me to smell it. "In fact," she added, sniffing my hair. "I can barely smell you at all."
"Hey, I do not smell like a wet dog and neither does he!" I complained, looking at her with an appalled expression. "Besides, you don't smell that great either. Have you ever heard the term, coma inducing sweet?"
"You just made that up!" Alice shook her head at me, obviously mad at me for dating a werewolf. I didn't care at all. Not one bit. She and Jasper had abandoned me in Denali. I had more right to be angry than she did.
"Stop fighting!" Bella said. "What's wrong with you two?"
I turned to look at her, not surprised to find her furrowing at us. I rolled my eyes, walking past both her and Alice and towards the kitchen, where the phone was. I had to call Jacob; I had to make sure he wasn't as mad at me as I thought he was. Okay so, I left him for a Cullen, no big deal, right? He knew they were almost family and I had to make sure Bella was okay. I dialed his home number, knowing it by heart. I prayed he would answer—and if not him, then anyone but Billy Black.
"Hello?"
I almost cried in relief when my sister's voice reached my ear. I didn't even question her still being at the Black's place, or the fact that she had answered their phone.
"Charlie?" I asked. "Oh, God, Charlie, is Jake there?"
"Yeah, he's outside talking to Sam."
"Charlotte, I did a very bad thing." I admitted, my voice was shaky.
"What happened?" my sister asked, lowering her voice.
"Alice is here," I said.
"Alice Cullen?"
"No, you dumbass, our aunt Alice." I rolled my eyes. "Of course Alice Cullen!" I hissed.
"Don't snap at me." Charlotte retaliated. "I'd see why that's… awkward for Jacob and everyone but why would that be a bad thing?"
"Because!" I exclaimed, leaning on the wall and biting my lip. "One moment we're talking about going to Canada—"
"Canada?" Charlotte cut in.
"Yes, Canada. You know, to Tweedsmuir Park. He said we should go to Bellingham and I said, let's go to Canada. It's cool and it does count as a road trip. So, we're making plans—it's been ages since we've done that, Charlotte!—and he's kissing me and it's all sweet until I see Carlisle's car. Bella jumped out of the truck and went running and I went after her, completely ignoring Jacob. Because, Bella already attempted suicide once, I couldn't leave her alone in a house with vampires again!" I ranted, pausing to take a deep breath in. "When I looked outside, Jake was gone. Do you think he hates me? did he look mad?"
"Sweetie, calm down." Charlotte adviced.
"No, no! You don't get it." I stressed. "I've already dumped him because of the Cullens; he maybe thinks I'll do it again. Maybe he'll break up with me this time. I haven't even told him I love him, Charlie. God, I'm the worst person ever!"
"She loves him?" a voice said on the other line. I rolled my eyes.
"Paul, shh." My sister shushed.
"Why is he listening in on our conversation?" I asked.
"Because you're screaming?" Paul said sarcastically.
"I love talking to you." I added with as much sarcasm as he had.
"Okay, stop it." Charlotte ordered. "You are on fire today, Marie."
"You're right." I sighed. "Sorry, Paul."
"Yeah, sorry, too." He grumbled. "He's going over there, though. I thought you should know."
"Did he look mad?" I asked.
"Not too much." Paul provided little information.
I shook my head and took a cleansing breath in. It was going to be okay, all I had to do was be rational, calm and collected. He'd come here to do god knows what and then I'd ask him to talk. We would, not in the house of course, and everything would be perfect.
"I'm gonna go."
"Okay, good luck," Charlotte said before hanging up.
Just as I put the phone back in the receiver, there was a knock on the door. My head whipped around to face the kitchen, making me wince as the muscles in my neck tensed. Okay, so much for calm and collected. Bella opened the door and Jacob came in, asking for me right away. His voice was tense. He was angry. Couldn't the ground just open up and eat me once and for all?
"Marie," he said once he entered the kitchen.
There was no sign of the anger he had showed earlier. He made his way directly to me and grabbed my shoulders, putting me at arms' length so he could inspect me.
"Hello?" I said hesitantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making sure you're okay." He nodded before hugging me. Okay, I like this, I thought as I hugged him back. "Sorry for running out on you before; I had to tell Sam about the situation."
"Wait a second." I pulled away and looked up at him. "You're not mad at me?"
He looked surprised before something very close to suspicion started to show on his face. "Why would I be mad?"
"No reason." I shook my head quickly. "What did Sam said?"
That seemed to make him focus again. He nodded once and took a step away from me. He looked so down to business, I was a tad surprised.
"I have to ask you a few questions." He started. "I'd ask Bella but I suppose she's gone after your friend already."
His entire face contorted in disgust when he mentioned Alice. I pretended not to notice. With a nod, I walked over to the counter and jumped up so I was sitting in it. Crossing my leg over the other, I nodded at him to continue. He did so after taking a deep breath.
"One of the Cullens is here with you and Bella." He nodded.
"Yes, Alice Cullen."
"Your sister?" he asked again.
"She's not actually my sister… you know that, right?" I tilted my head. "For pretences only, the Cullens say they're a family and I'm just a teenager they take care of. A family friend." I explained further.
"Right," he nodded. "How long is she staying for?"
That gave me pause. How long would Alice stay? Usually, she'd stay for quite a long time. But we were fighting and Bella was a wreck. I knew that the longer Alice stayed, the harder it'd be on Bella when the time to go came. Actually, maybe it was time for me to start going too. I dismissed the thought immediately. It wasn't time for that.
"I have no idea, truly," I said. "I'll… make sure she only stays for a few days."
Jacob nodded, apparently relieved by these news. He took a step closer to me, more at ease than before.
"Will you tell her about the redhead?" he asked me.
"I have a feeling Bella is already taking care of that." I mused. "Alice is probably wondering why Bella is running around with wolves, so…" I shrugged.
Jacob nodded before taking another step towards me. He grabbed my hands and let out a long breath. I started to get nervous.
"There's one more thing." He started. "Forks is their territory, as long as you and Bella are here, we won't be able to protect you." He explained bitterly.
"I don't need protection." I cut in quickly. "Does this mean you can't see me anymore?" I asked, biting down my lip.
"Not here. Not while she's here. Not if they come back."
"Interesting," I said, looking down at our linked hands.
Did that mean that if the Cullens came back permanently, he would be the one leaving me and not the other way around? I had given my word to break up with him if he turned into a wolf. Considering the Cullens no longer lived here, I thought I was out of the woods. But now Alice was here and if she never left, if she somehow got the others to come back, I would have to deliver. And apparently, Jacob had a responsibility with his tribe to do the same. I never stopped to consider that.
"So what you're telling me is that if the Cullens return, you'll break up with me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," he said, seemingly alarmed. "What I meant was I wouldn't be able to see you here in Forks." His face ducked down until he was able to meet my eyes.
"Oh, okay." I exhaled, suddenly relieved.
My chest tightened, however, when I realized one of us was still bound to a promise. But what were the odds of the Cullens all coming back? Slim to none, those were. So, with a big smile on my face, I leaned forwards and hugged him, leaning my chin on his shoulder.
"I was worried there for a minute." I giggled. He chuckled and I could feel the vibration of his chest as he did so.
"Marie Antoinette!" A very enraged Alice Cullen called from outside, making me sigh out loud.
"Ugh, is she for real?" I asked no one in particular as I let go off Jacob. "I'll go see what that one wants. Don't go away, please?" I pouted up at him.
I could see he was angry at Alice for interrupting, for being here, most likely for simply existing. I expected him to deny me but he just leaned down and brushed his lips against my forehead before stepping away so I could jump off the counter.
"I'll be right here," he said.
With one last glance towards him, I moved outside the kitchen and went towards the door. Outside, Alice was tapping her foot against the grass, clearly exasperated. Bella stood next to her, biting her lip.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I'm going to go." Bella muttered before quickly walking inside the house.
Both Alice and I threw her a small glance before focusing back on each other.
"Why didn't you tell me about Victoria?" she demanded. "You should have called! You've been dealing with this on your own?"
"Call? Call?" I repeated. "Alice, you forced me to leave Forks against my will. You left me alone in Denali and you haven't answered your phone in longer than I'd like to admit. So excuse me for not trusting you to come to my aid if I attempted to call you." I snapped, finally fed up and tired.
"So you decided to take on Victoria alone?" she asked. "Because getting yourself killed is much better than admitting you need help."
What was it with people continuingly saying I'd die? I couldn't die. Not unless someone figured out an incredibly disturbing ritual that would eventually killed me permanently. Only a group of people knew how to do it but they were usually busy enough that they'd never go after me. So, I was safe. I wasn't going to die. They had to get over it.
"I have the pack." I retaliated without battling an eyelash. "They're perfectly capable of protecting everyone. They got rid off Laurent; they'll do the same with Victoria."
"It's taken them long enough, don't you think?" she said. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Listen, I don't want to fight anymore. I'm sorry." She took a step towards me, her eyes apologetic. I didn't speak. "I am sorry, really. You have every right to be upset—we haven't exactly been the best lately. But the phone works both ways, Mia. You could have called. I thought you didn't care anymore and then you stopped showing up in my visions and I got worried. I thought you had found a way to unlink us." She explained.
I shook my head. She did look sorry. We'd been friends for so long, was I really going to give up all that for a small fight? Sure, she kind of left me hanging but we lived forever, a few months of separation was like a few days for a human. Sighing, I bridged the distance between us and hugged her.
"I'd never unlink us." I consoled her. "Maybe you can't see me because I've been spending so much time with Jacob. It's been fun." I added.
"Yeah, about that…" Alice started, stepping away from our hug.
"Please, don't say anything." I begged. "Sorry about the coma inducing sweet comment."
Alice laughed before suddenly sobering up, her eyes getting glassed over as she stared off into space. I knew that look very well. As time passed, her face went from surprised to worried to horrified. I grabbed her arm, worried myself.
"Alice?" I asked. "Alice, what is it? What did you see?"
She blinked before shaking her head and starting to walk back to the house, incredibly fast. The door opened at the same time she reached for the doorknob, which made her and Jacob run into each other. Jacob jumped away like he had been burned, while Alice simply pushed past him. I walked quickly to the house and closed the door behind me, not understanding anything. Jacob was trembling with rage and Bella looked angered and distressed. Alice, however, looked like she could cry if it was physically possible for her.
"What is it, Alice?" Bella asked, alarmed.
Alice was only able to get a word out and when she did, I hoped she hadn't said anything.
"Edward." She whispered.
The effect was immediate. Bella tilted to the side, pale as a sheet. Jacob was quick to grab her arm to try and stabilize her but considering how he was already shaking with repressed anger, I wasn't sure it was the greatest idea. Oh, God, please don't let him phase right now.
"Bella! Snap out of it." Alice demanded, even if her voice didn't sound as steady as I was sure she wanted.
I pushed Alice forward so she walked into the living room. As I passed Jacob and Bella, I grabbed Bella's other arm and forced her to stand up right. Jacob was still shaking as he glared at Alice.
"What did she do to her?" he hissed my way, eyes never leaving Alice.
"Nothing," I shook my head, walking to the couch. Bella had all her weight on me. "Bella's subconscious simply reacts differently to some words." I explained to him before focusing back on Bella. "Bella, come on. Snap out of it."
Just when I was considering slapping her, Bella blinked hard twice and her eyes focused on Alice. I took that as a good sign and step away so Alice could explain what was going on.
"What is it, Alice?" Bella asked. "What happened?"
"I don't know!" she wailed before pulling her phone out. "I'm calling Rosalie." She explained.
I moved towards Jake, then. He was still shaking but not as much as before now that he saw we were all okay and Alice hadn't harmed anyone. Perhaps what was bothering him so much was the fact that Alice was simply present in the room. I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together.
"Are you okay?" I asked him.
"Yeah." He cleared his throat.
"You don't have to stay." I added, squeezing his hand. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"No, I'll—"
Alice's angry "Why would you do that, Rosalie?" cut him mid sentence and we both turned to see what was going on. Alice's hands shook, her eyes were narrowed.
"Well, you were wrong." Alice snapped. "Yes, she's fine… I was wrong!" she paused, her eyes going to me before finding the floor again. "You're wrong about that too… that's exactly what I saw." She nodded.
I took a sharp breath in. my throat tightened as my heart started to beat faster. No way. Edward wasn't truly going to do what Alice and Rosalie were suggesting. It had to be something else. He was probably devastated, going on a killing rampage. All those things I could believe… but suicidal? Back in the living room, Alice had already hung up on Rosalie's attempted apology and had turned to face Bella.
"Wait, Alice," Bella said before Alice could open her mouth. "Carlisle called. He talked to Jacob."
"He did?" both I and Alice asked Jacob, turning to look at him.
"He asked for Charlie and then hung up on me." Jacob muttered.
"Jacob…" I warned.
He sighed before telling us all the truth. "He asked where Charlie was. I told him he was doing the preparations for the funeral."
Alice and I met eyes. She looked like she wanted to rip her hair out. I simply covered my mouth with my hands. This wasn't happening. So, I wasn't Edward's biggest fan at the moment but I didn't want him to die. Especially not over a misunderstanding.
"That wasn't Carlisle on the phone, was it?" I asked hesitantly. Alice shook her head. "It was Edward."
"Edward?" Bella asked, perking up.
"He thinks you're dead." Alice admitted. "And now he wants to die too."
"He's going to Italy." I added, my teeth biting down on my bottom lip hard.
There was no doubt in my mind now that Edward was going to go and beg the Volturi for mercy. He'd ask them to kill him. I could see Alice wanted to stop him. She didn't want to lose Edward.
"No!" Bella shrieked. "Why would he do that?" she asked as she hastily got up from the couch and walked towards Alice.
To my right, Jacob looked like he wanted to get in between them. Alice shot me an annoyed look. With a nod, I grabbed Jacob's hand and started walking towards the door, ignoring his protests.
"Go home," I said the moment we were breathing the fresh cold air from outside.
He looked betrayed. "What? No, I'm not leaving you."
"You have to." I told him. "I'll see you tomorrow. It'll only be for tonight, I promise."
He was still not convinced. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around before focusing back on me.
"What's in Italy?" he asked.
I knew he knew the answer. "The Volturi. That's what awaits in Italy."
"And you're not going to help them?" he asked, skeptical.
"I can't." I confessed. "I can't step into Volterra. It's Volturi territory and they don't exactly like me."
It was true. Last time I had met them it was a very tense day. They didn't try to kill me on the spot now simply because I was with the Cullens but if I weren't, they would probably hunt me down. That was enough to convince Jacob, though. He nodded and gave me a soft kiss.
"See you tomorrow." He agreed, clearly still not happy.
"Bye." I mumbled against his lips before giving him one last kiss.
After watching him go, I turned around and started to walk back to the house. If Alice and Bella were truly going to go to Volterra, then they were going to need help. I may not be able to go with them, but that didn't mean I was just going to sit around. It was going to be a very long night.