A/N: Okay guys. Read on. What you've been waiting for. We'll talk at the end!

Thanks to my lovely betas, ADGroovy and Danna0724. And you can blame (or thank) Danna for Alice's hobbling around on one heel in this chapter!

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Except for Gabby, who is about to get pulled into a world she never dreamed of!

I'm sorry that I hurt you, that's something I must live with everyday.

And all the pain I put you through. I wish that I could take it all away.

And be the one who captures all your tears.

That's why I need you to hear.

I found a reason for me to change who I used to be.

A reason to start over new.

And the reason is you.

I found a reason to show, a side of me you didn't know.

A reason for all that I do.

And the reason is you. – The Reason, Hoobastank

Chapter 27 – Take Me Home

EPOV

"Edward, we're back!" Alice's loud, shrill voice reached me at the same time that her thoughts did, diverting my attention away from the herd of deer I was hiding from and, for the time being, deferring their demise. I whipped my head around quickly at the sound of her voice, sending a low whoosh of air in the direction of the herd; who scampered away at full speed as they caught scent of me. Oh well, I shrugged my shoulders, coming out from behind the large oak I'd been hiding behind. I wasn't really that thirsty anyway; it was more boredom and anxiousness that had driven me deep into the forest this afternoon, looking for a way to distract myself as I waited for Alice and Rose's return from the Grand Opening of Eclipse, Bella's bookstore.

I walked in the direction of Alice's scent, picking up the soft sound of her footsteps as she ran towards me, her giggles echoing of the trees and sending a gentle vibration throughout that mixed with the breeze to flutter the leaves all around us. Scattered images of Bella, along with herself and Rose as well as dozens of other people, both familiar and unfamiliar, danced around in her mind.

She catapulted herself into me at full speed, almost knocking me down from the force of her little body running into me at 110 miles an hour. Hmm, not too bad, I supposed. Maybe someday she'd be able to keep up with me.

"Whoa!" I held her back with my arms, watching as her darkened eyes sparkled with excitement. She and the rest hadn't hunted properly in a while. They would have to feed soon.

"I take it all went well?" I asked, watching in her mind as Bella, looking tired but as beautiful as ever, greeted people pleasantly into her store; helping them make their selections, guiding them through the internet station, helping the baristas prepare and serve coffee to the store patrons; all with a lovely smile that brought an ache to my heart as I remembered I hadn't seen that smile, I hadn't seen her, in a week now.

"It went perfect Edward!" Alice gleamed happily. "Absolutely perfect!" She held on to my forearms tightly. "You should've seen how many people came! Everyone in town has apparently been dying for some place like Bella's little Eclipse; a place to hang out, check out some books, surf the internet, and have some good coffee. It was an absolute success," she screeched in delight, pulling me into a hug before pushing away. I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, even though the fact that I'd been asked to stay away from the festivities today still stung slightly. Nevertheless, it couldn't overshadow the satisfaction and pride I felt for my Bella at the knowledge that her opening day had been such an extreme success.

"Bella must have been thrilled," I commented, wanting to hear more about her, about what her reaction to the day had been.

"Oh, she was!" Alice confirmed with a chuckle. "You should've seen her scurrying about like a little worker bee. Rose and I kept trying to help her, but you know how she gets; always wanting to do everything herself. We had a hard time keeping up with her," Alice mused. "Well, no, not really. But you know what I mean!" she laughed.

"Yes, I do," I smiled easily, knowing Bella's independent spirit. I watched in Alice's mind as Bella pushed Rose away when Rose tried to bring up a box of books to the front. Rose stood back and smirked as Bella tried to lift the obviously very heavy box, only getting it about an inch off the floor before dropping it back down with a loud thud, barely missing her toes. I cringed. Rose smirked again before walking past Bella to easily pick the box up again with one arm and walking it to the front while eyeing Bella with a smug smile.

I shook my head. "That was close Alice," I chastised.

"Oh relax," she teased. "It wasn't going to get her foot. I'd seen it already."

I pursed my lips, trying to hold in the question that I knew would give away my insuppressible jealousy, but in the end gave up and just asked, knowing Alice would see right through me anyway. "Weren't there any…men there to help out with the boxes that still needed to be emptied?" I cringed internally at the obviousness in my tone.

Alice raised an eyebrow before answering. "Actually, no. Bella didn't want too many people there at the grand opening today, other than store patrons, obviously. She was worried too many people standing around and offering help and stuff would scare away the potential clients. That's why she only asked Rose, Gabby and me to come."

I let out a large gust of air, feeling relief flood me at the knowledge that it hadn't just been me that had been denied an invitation to today's opening; the tension I'd been feeling all week slightly diminished.

Alice watched me pensively. 'Edward, I wish I could see better. I wish I knew what was going on so I could help you.'

"You help me enough Alice," I reassured her. "You help me by helping her." Alice smiled at me sadly and gave my arms a comforting squeeze.

"We made do just fine without any of you guys though," she teased me again. "Even though we were two hands short what we expected." I looked at her questioningly. "Gabby didn't show up," she explained with a deep sigh. "She called Bella this morning and told her she wasn't feeling well. Bella's getting kind of worried, Gabby's been sick for about a week now." 'She looked like crap after the party,' Alice contemplated. 'Rose and I were scared we'd have to carry her into her house after we followed her home in Rose's Beetle, but she assured us she was fine before getting all teary-eyed and practically running inside.'

"I'm starting to get a little worried myself." Alice's tone was uneasy. "I've been trying to see her all week, but I can't see a thing. It's like something's blocking my visions of her."

I nodded my head, pondering Alice's words - both spoken and thought - and reflecting on what I'd seen occur between her and Jacob after the dance last Saturday.

It had been the strangest thing. One moment the dog's mind was filled with an all-consuming rage, with a refusal to accept that Bella had a decision to make, with a belief that there was only one clear choice, and that that choice was him. He wasn't ready to let her walk away, to let her have some time to figure out what she wanted. And just as Alice had been about to lead Bella out of the hotel lobby, he'd snapped, deciding to give her an ultimatum; making her choose right then and there.

Of course, I'd seen it in his mind when he'd decided to call her back, and I could've stopped him before her name would've left his lips; could've been on him, pummeling him into oblivion, before his mouth even formed the word. But I'd hesitated, because this wasn't how I wanted to do this. I didn't want to have to hurt the mutt. No matter what, I knew Bella cared for him, and that made it impossible for me to truly hurt him; physically at least. And what's more, as I'd just said to him moments earlier, I would forever be indebted to him for all he'd done for Bella when I hadn't been around. I knew he loved her, and I couldn't blame him for that. I could never put down someone who loved my Bella.

So it was all these things that stopped me from charging him at that moment. And it was all the time it took for Gabby, who'd been standing just a few feet away, to run over to Jacob. As she reached out to stop him from going after Bella, her thoughts were filled with sympathy. She was concerned that Bella had had enough for the night, and that Jacob had to give her a chance to figure out what she wanted.

All of a sudden, it wasn't rage that filled Jacob's mind. It was a mind-blowing, overwhelming sense of shock, as if he'd just seen a ghost; the ghost of someone he'd never expected to see. He pulled away from Gabby as if her touch had…branded him. I began to approach them, afraid that in his rage, Jacob might somehow lash out at Gabby.

But it was the sudden realization that Jacob had pulled away from Gabby as if he'd been branded, staring at her now both like he'd never seen her before and like he'd always known her, that started my thinking. I stopped, realizing that Jacob had no intention of hurting Gabby, and watched them both curiously now.

"Whattha?" Jacob growled as he pulled away from her. 'What the hell just happened?' he thought. 'Why did I just feel like…' His mind became a puddle of confusion. 'Where did she come from?' he thought, barely focusing on Gabby telling him that Bella had had enough for the night. He nodded his head at her dumbly, looking like he wasn't even aware of what he was agreeing to. 'But she never…I never…,' he thought. I continued to watch them, Jacob glaring at her with both angry and frightened eyes, while Gabby -afraid of the reaction she'd caused in him - looked down at her feet.

'What was that?' she thought to herself as she stared at the floor. 'What in the world was that?'

I waited for one of them to expand on what was happening, but they both appeared to be so flustered at the moment that they couldn't even form a coherent thought, much less a coherent sentence. Frustrated by their inability to think straight, I looked around quickly for Jasper, to see if he could help me out here, if he could let me know what the feelings behind their thoughts were, but apparently he'd followed Bella and his wife out of the hotel, and he was currently whispering something about 'the whole story' into his wife's ear. Exasperated by everyone's inability to cooperate here, I turned back to Jacob.

'This can't be!' he thought suddenly, the confusion quickly beginning to morph into rage again. 'No, No!' he thought, and suddenly he was off and running, turning towards one of the back exits to the hotel.

Seth, who'd been standing quietly to his side, turned to look at me with a confusion in his eyes that I was sure matched my own, before shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. 'What the hell just happened?' he thought, not the first one with that original thought in that lobby that night. I shrugged back and jerked my head in Jake's direction, signaling that he should follow his pack brother. Seth smiled apologetically; as if he'd done anything he needed to apologize for, other than be a friend to all of us. As quickly as he could without calling attention to his unnatural speed, he was off after his brother.

I stood there, alone with Gabby, wondering what in the world I'd just witnessed.

'Oh my God. Oh my God. What was that? What was that?' Gabby kept thinking, her eyes glazing over with what looked like tears threatening to spill.

"Are you okay Gabby?" I was worried that the girl was going to have some sort of break down right here, and there was absolutely no one else around to help. Where the hell was Alice when you really needed her?

As if on cue, Alice's voice carried into the lobby. "Gabby honey, we've had a change of plans. Em and Jazz are taking Bella home, and Rose and I-," she stopped. She took one look at Gabby's rattled appearance and quickly hobbled over on her broken heel. "Gabby honey, what's wrong with you now?" Alice glared over at me. 'What did you do?

I glared back at her, putting both my hands up, palms out, signaling I'd had nothing to do with it.

Alice rolled her eyes and looked back at Gabby. 'Oh for the love of all that's holy, gimme a break here with these human girls and their emotionalroller coaster rides!

Alice took a deep breath, before speaking in a gentle voice. "Gabby, what's going on?"

When Gabby finally looked up to answer Alice, her voice came out in a shaky whisper. "I…I don't know. Something…I just…."

I was never going to get an intelligible thought or sentence out of her tonight.

"I just don't feel well Alice," Gabby finally spoke in a full sentence. "I have to go home. Right now."

Alice looked at her questioningly, her eyes taking on that far away look I knew meant she was trying to see more than just what was in front of her. They quickly narrowed into a disgruntled smirk.

"Alright Gabby." She spoke to her warmly, although she was obviously displeased by her lack of visions. "Rose and I will follow you in her car to make sure you get home okay."

Gabby simply nodded before quickly heading towards the door. Alice looked at me and shrugged, and I shook my head and gave her a shrug in return. I had my suspicions, but I wasn't ready to share them just yet.

"Alice, do you need me to accompany you?" I asked, not wanting to leave the girls off on their own, even though I knew they were perfectly safe and even though there was something else I wanted to do right now.

"No Edward," Alice moaned in an exasperated tone. "We'll be just fine. You just get yourself home," she ordered, before turning with Rose to follow Gabby out. 'And don't go chasing Em and Jazz either. They don't need your help getting Bella home safely. They'll be fine,' she confirmed.

I simply nodded, because as much as I wanted to follow Bella home tonight, I had another direction I needed to head in.

I took the same back exit Jacob and Seth had taken out of the hotel, following their scent across the road, to where they'd parked. Yet even though I was able to follow their scent down most of the highway they'd taken here from Forks, eventually I had to accept that I'd given them too much of a head start, and that I wouldn't be catching up to them tonight. I slowed down and ran into the dark, wooded forest, preferring to find my way back home through the quiet sanctuary of the woods rather than along the sides of the highway, where scattered headlights made their occasional showing. I cursed my luck.

What had happened back there at the hotel? Why had Jacob reacted so strangely to Gabby's touch? Why had their thoughts been so flustered? Why had Jacob's mind been so full of denial as he watched Gabby? He'd watched her in much the same way that…that I'd looked at Bella that day so long ago, the first time I'd been attacked by her scent in Biology class. I'd looked at her with equal parts rage and confusion. Rage because I'd been almost helpless against the pull to her scent, and confused because the pull to her had been even stronger.

After that night of the dance, I'd kept my suspicions to myself, unable to prove them one way or the other until I saw either Jacob or Gabby again. If it weren't for the fact that I had more important things to think about, like the fact that I hadn't seen or heard from Bella in a week now, the Jacob slash Gabby riddle might have driven me mad. I hated unresolved brainteasers.

But what really mattered now was what Bella wanted; whether she still wanted me, still wanted a life with me; or whether she wanted to keep her very human life; with or without Jacob. I wouldn't have blamed her either way. I knew I'd never deserve her; all I could do now was wait and hope; wait for her word, and hope that I'd survive her decision.

"Anyway," –Alice's tiny voice brought me back to the present – "Bella says she's going to give Gabby 'till Monday to get better. If not, I promised I'd take the ride with her up to Port Angeles Monday night, after we all come back from our hunt, to go check on her.

"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed, wondering how much longer I'd have to wait before I saw Bella. Before I had some sort of idea what was going on.

My face must have registered my restless uncertainty, because Alice suddenly looked at my sympathetically. "Are you sure you don't want to come hunting with us this weekend Edward?" She watched me hopefully, although I'm sure she knew I wouldn't change my mind. "We'll be back by Monday morning," she assured, hoping this would persuade me.

"No Alice," I confirmed again. "I can't leave now." We'd had this conversation more than once since she and the rest of my family had decided to go away for a couple of nights; to go deep into the mountains for a hunt. They'd all been so wary of leaving me alone when we'd first arrived in Forks that none of them had hunted properly in a few weeks, except for a few deer and elk here and there, which were starting to get really mundane. I'd been lucky enough to run into a pride of mountain lions, as well as a healthy grizzly bear, during my blind binge a couple of weeks ago, after Bella and I had argued outside of my house. I was still feeling pretty satiated from that. Besides, right now was not a good time for me to go off on a weekend hunt.

"I've got to wait," I reminded her. "What if she decides…," I trailed off not knowing how to finish that sentence. "What if she comes looking for-"

"Edward," Alice interrupted me. She watched me through sorrowful eyes. Her mind suddenly closed, blocking me from seeing her thoughts. She did this whenever she had something to tell me that she wanted to word carefully.

"What is it Alice?" I asked warily.

Alice hesitated before speaking. "After we closed the store this afternoon, I asked Bella if she wanted to come over. You know, to celebrate how well the grand opening went and everything." She glanced at me guiltily, knowing we weren't supposed to be pressuring Bella in any way.

"Go on," I encouraged in an even tone.

Alice pursed her lips, a shadow of apprehension falling over her tiny features. "Well, she said she couldn't." She fell silent.

"Okay," I responded, not really surprised. I knew Bella probably didn't want to see me until she was ready to tell me whether she wanted me or not.

Alice pulled away, turning her back to me. Her words came out in a rush. "She-said-she-couldn't-because-she-was-going-to-La-Push. She-was-going-to-see-Jacob."

We were both silent. Alice kept her back to me, her head down and her shoulders slumped. Very ungraceful; especially for her. She looked like a child in that pose, rather than like a decades old vampire. I knew what it must have cost her to tell me that. My sister had been caught in the middle for weeks now; never sure what was right to say. Who to stand with, what words to utter; what words to keep to herself. She'd been walking a fine line between Bella and me for weeks, all in an effort to make us happy.

I walked over to Alice and put a hand on her tiny shoulder. "Alice. Hey, it's okay." I turned her around to face me, and when she looked up at me, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. She collapsed into my arms, her tiny body racked with sobs, mentally if not physically exhausted from weeks of forced neutrality. "Ssh," I comforted her. "It'll be okay," I tried to assure her, even though I doubted the words myself.

"I'm sorry Edward," she cried. "I wish I could see, but I can't. Bella didn't expand on what she said, and I didn't want to push her. I don't want to lose her again," she moaned. Her tiny body shook with her dry sobs.

"Don't apologize Alice." I rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm glad you didn't push. This is Bella's decision; her life, literally. Whatever she decides, we all have to stand by it." My dead heart constricted painfully even as I said the words, afraid that I'd be forced to live by them regardless of what Bella's decision was. But I knew they were words I had to stand by, even if they killed me. Bella's happiness was what mattered above all else; above my own, above my life.

"I know Edward," Alice agreed. She pulled away to look up at me. "And I told her that. I told her, 'Bella, no matter what, I love you, and you'll always be my sister. I just hope you let us continue to be a part of your life, whatever you decide.'" Alice's eyes took on a contemplative look. "She looked at me then," Alice continued, "like she wanted to say something. Her face appeared to light up for a fraction of a second, but she simply smiled and told me she loved me too, and she always would." Alice's face clouded over again. "And then she promised to talk to me later, and Rose and I left," Alice finished with a shrug.

We both stood there for a while longer, listening as the breeze blew through the blades of grass at our feet, swaying them gently to and fro. The leaves bristled quietly, a few falling slowly through the air and gathering in piles of sage, jade and olive on the damp, mossy ground. Eventually, not knowing how to offer each other some sort of hope, some sort of comfort, Alice and I walked back home.

Before leaving, Alice asked me once more if I wanted to come with them, and once again I told her no. If Bella had indeed made her decision, I had to be here.

I watched my family disappear into the dark woods, grateful that they'd never given up on me. Somehow, throughout all the death and horror this life of ours entailed, we were fortunate enough to find each other. Carlisle was able to build a family out of a group of lost misfits, and somehow that family had held me up during my darkest times, and would hopefully be there for me again if the darkest of my times were still ahead of me.

I walked around the house restlessly, playing the piano for a while; my fingers always returning to the familiar keys that made up Bella's lullaby. I read for a while. I played Emmett's XBOX for a while, trying, in vain, to distract myself from Bella's brown eyes. The thought that I may only get a chance to gaze into them once more, and that it would be while she told me that she couldn't break Jacob's heart - even at the expense of her own - weighed heavily on me, until I felt like a man drowning under water, and I gasped deeply, taking in unnecessary breaths.

These past few weeks around Bella had once again resurfaced long-forgotten emotions. Human reactions that I'd no longer thought necessary to function. Being near her, even for just these short few weeks, had turned me into a man again, albeit an immortal one. What would I do with myself now, as a man, if it turned out she no longer wanted me?

When the phone rang in the middle of the night, just as I was changing the game in the XBOX, I almost jumped through the roof. The XBOX crashed to the floor, breaking in two neat pieces. Emmett was going to rip me to shreds.

As I reached for the phone, I could've sworn I felt my already dead heart stop. 'Bella Swan,' the Caller ID read. The fact that she was calling at this time of night didn't bode well for me.

"Bella?" I could hear the tremble in my voice, but I didn't care at that point. I just needed to hear her voice, for as long as she'd let me.

"Edward!" Bella cried. My mind immediately went into full panic alert at the fear in her voice. All my own fears and securities were immediately banished.

"Bella, what is it? What's wrong?" I yelled into the phone, gripping it so tightly that I could feel the plastic cracking under my fingers.

"Edward!" she cried again. My dead heart thumped as if it were trying to jump out of my chest. The agony of hearing so much terror in her tone was threatening to undo me.

"Edward! Please! I need your help!"

"Bella what happened? Are you okay? What is it love? What's wrong?" I yanked at my hair frantically. I needed to do something to keep myself from going mad as I waited for her to explain.

"I'm in La Push Edward! You have to come! Please, I…I need your help! Please Edward! Please!" she begged, her voice muffled by her sobs now.

"I'll be right there Bella," I answered quickly, not caring that she was asking me to step into my mortal enemies' territory; not caring that this went against the treaty Carlisle and Jacob Black's grandfather had signed decades ago; not caring about anything but getting to her as quickly as possible. "Tell me where to meet you!" I cried. My feet ached to start running to her.

"I'll meet you at the border, off the one-oh-one," she cried quickly. I could hear her gasping for breath, trying to control herself. "Bring Carlisle's medical bag. And hurry Edward! Please!"

My dead heart dropped to the floor, terror flooding through me. She needed medical attention. I closed my eyes. Dear God, -I prayed- just let her be okay. I'll give her up. I'll do anything. Just let her be okay, I wagered with whoever was out there, hopefully listening.

"Bella, I'll be there as soon as possible!" I promised. "Wait for me!"

"Hurry Edward!" she cried once more before the line went dead and I leapt up to Carlisle's study in three long jumps and was out and running through the woods before two seconds passed on my watch. My throat was completely closed. I was unable to swallow, unable to collect enough venom in my mouth. My head felt as if it were about to explode, the agony as I replayed Bella's tortured voice banging on my brain like a jackhammer on a broken sidewalk. My legs moved fast and I forced them even faster with every step, willing myself to fly, rather than run through the darkened woods before me. The whole way there, I bartered with my life, I bartered with my soul, if I still possessed one. I bartered with everything I had left to give, asking whatever higher being controlled us to please let Bella be okay. Please let her be safe.

'I'll give her up, I swear. I won't try to bring her into my life anymore. I swear. Please, just let her be okay. I'll leave her alone. Just let her be okay.' I repeated my pleas over and over, my lips moving almost as fast as my legs, until my mouth was so dry it felt as if it were on fire; a thousand times worse than the burn from any thirst. No sound escaped my lips any longer; only silent pleas.

A couple of miles away from our meeting place, I picked up her scent. I inhaled deeply as I ran, reveling in the most wonderful smell to ever be created in this universe. I let her scent guide me to the spot where my eyes would finally land on her. I prayed and bartered and made deals the whole way there.

When I finally saw her, standing still and pale and scared to death next to her little car, I felt an overwhelming rage rise in my throat. Cursing the same being I'd just been begging, my feet stopped for a split second to let my eyes fully register the scene before me. Then I was off and running again, reaching her in a fraction of a second. Bella's top, her beautiful white cotton blouse, the same blouse I'd seen her scurrying about happily in a few hours ago - in Alice's visions - was bloodied and ripped, and I felt a familiar, overwhelming terror grip me as I reached out for her.

"Bella!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to me, dropping Carlisle's bag at my feet. I raised both hands to her stomach, where the large bloodied stain taunted me, reminding me that if I would've taken her a few years ago, when she'd first asked me, we wouldn't be here right now.

"Dear God Bella, what happened?!" I could hear the primal fear in my voice. This scene, or thousands of variations on it, was my worst fear realized. "What happened?" I repeated as I lifted her shirt, frantically searching for the injury that caused the cursed blood to drain from her body.

Bella swiped away at my hands forcefully. Her face was a dirty, muddy, tear-stained mess. Her clothes were completely tattered and muddy, and her eyes were wild with fear. "Edward!" she cried. "It's not mine! It's not mine Edward!"

But I couldn't focus enough on her words to comprehend. I was too consumed with finding the god-damned injury that was causing so much bright red blood to stain her clothes.

"EDWARD!" she yelled at the top of her lungs now, bringing her hands to grip my face tightly and forcing me to look at her. "IT'S NOT MINE!" she repeated vehemently. "Look at me Edward!" she commanded. "Smell it! It's not my blood!"

"It's not my blood." Her voice was a weak cry this time, and I forced myself to focus, to let go of the outrageous fear for one split second.

In that split second I did smell it; and it most definitely was not the wonderful scent associated with my Bella's blood. It smelled foul, it smelled wet, it smelled like…

"Jacob," I whispered, stunned, but overwhelmingly and shamefully relieved all at the same time.

Bella nodded her head quickly and closed her eyes, the tears streaming down her face and mixing with the dirt and salt and blood staining her beautiful skin. She opened them back up. "Jacob's hurt Edward. Really badly. Sam refuses to take him to the hospital. He needs help."

It was then that I noticed that Bella wasn't alone. Seth was standing next to her, looking at me with wide, scared eyes; a seriousness and fear touched his features; one that I'd never seen on this young boy since I'd met him. 'Oh Jesus,' Seth thought. 'Sam's gonna have my head for letting this happen.'

"What happened?" I asked in a low voice, the tightness in my throat lifting, the pounding in my head easing up, although the terror still remained. As alarmed as I still felt, the relief that continued to flood through me was at the forefront. I tried to focus on what Bella was telling me about Jacob.

Bella sobbed fitfully. "He was…attacked."

"Attacked?" I hissed. "Attacked by what? By who?"

Bella took a deep breath before looking up at me again. She spoke quickly. "It doesn't matter right now." She bent down to pick up Carlisle's medical bag and grabbed my hand to pull me into the car. "We just have to get to him. I promise I'll explain everything later." She turned back to me when she realized her pulling was getting her no where. "Please Edward," she moaned, her dirty, tear-streaked face and agonized tone sending sharp spasms of pain directly into my chest. I nodded quickly, willing to agree to anything she wanted from me in that moment. We were quickly crowded into her little car, driving off in the dark towards I didn't-know where, only knowing that something horrific had happened, and that Bella, as well as the man she may have already decided to spend the rest of her life with, needed my help.

We rode in silence. Bella was in the driver's seat, with me next to her and Seth in the back. Her complete focus was on the road. Her eyes were intent as she quickly navigated us through the winding cliffs of the coastline. The sky chose that moment to open up, and the little car was suddenly pummeled with raindrops as large and loud as hailstones. It was the only sound for miles and miles. Through my periphery, I could see how tightly Bella gripped the steering wheel, her hands only leaving it momentarily to wipe away at the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks. My arms ached to reach out to her, to touch her, to try to offer her some comfort. But I had no idea what I would be comforting her for, and I didn't think right now was the time to offer her my touch. She seemed completely lost; engrossed, her one objective was obviously to get to Jacob as quickly as possible. I gripped the sides of my seat to keep my hands to myself. I wanted to throw my arms around her protectively; to try somehow to keep the horror of the world away from her, to keep her encased in my stone arms forever. But I forced myself to keep still, knowing that was impossible, for the horror had somehow already reached her.

A small, red house came into view. Seth's thoughts, which had been muddled and all over the place in the car, became more focused.

'Please don't let them be back yet,' he prayed. I could hear the alarm in his tone. 'We just have to get Edward in and outta there before they come back. Oh God I'm in deep crap,' he moaned internally, slinking down into his seat as Bella pulled into the gravel and dirt driveway in front of the little house I assumed Jacob lived in.

She was out of the car in a flash, and I picked up Carlisle's bag from the space by my legs and caught up to her in an instant; hearing Seth step out of the car more slowly and reluctantly.

I could hear voices and thoughts coming from inside the house.

'Damn it! She went ahead and brought him!' A female's irritated mental voice rang out in my head, just as I saw the white blinds by the front window move slightly. 'I can't believe her! How can she be so-' She cut herself off and spoke aloud. "Billy, come over here and take a look at this!" the angry woman cried out.

The blinds shifted some more. Someone, a man, let out a huge gust of air. 'Damn, as if things weren't bad enough.'

"Damn," was all he said aloud, in a strong, familiar voice.

"I can't believe her!" the angry woman repeated. "And wait 'till I get my hands on Seth!" 'I'm gonna hang him by his-'

I cringed and looked back towards Seth, who was following behind us hesitantly. His face was a mask of fear and apprehension. It probably wasn't the best time to let him know someone was planning on neutering him as soon as he crossed inside.

The door swung open just as we reached the threshold. Billy Black sat in his wheelchair before us, his eyes wary and determined. Behind him stood a younger woman, about Bella's age, with dark, native features and a huge scowl on her face.

"He's not coming in here Bella." Billy spoke in a sure voice, his eyes darting to me momentarily before returning to Bella.

"Billy please!" Bella begged in an urgent tone. "We just want to help him. Please let us through!"

Billy Black's face was impassive. "You can come in. He looked behind me towards Seth, who stood stoically behind me. "Seth can come in." His eyes moved to me again and remained there, glaring at me with open contempt. "But you cannot come in here."

Bella remained quiet for about two seconds. When she spoke again, her voice shook with emotion, but the force behind it took me by surprise. "Billy, your son is lying in there, unconscious, in a pool of his own blood! His bones are shattered, and you all refuse to take him to a hospital to be treated,-"

"Because we can't-" the angry woman began.

"And I understand that." Bella continued, keeping her eyes on Billy. "The rest of the pack is off looking for…" She hesitated. "Billy, please. I just want to help him. Please. Let us through. Edward…Edward can help him."

We stood there for what seemed like hours, but were more like a few seconds, while Billy deliberated. His eyes nervously jumped from me, to Bella, to Seth, and back to me continually.

'Great Elders from the past, what do I do?' he thought to himself. His voice was laced with pained indecision. 'My son is lying inside looking barely alive. The pack is in a shambles. Bella says Cullen has medical training, like the one he calls his father. Yet I am bound by the treaty, the treaty my own father signed, to keep him off our land! What do I do?'

The words were out of my mouth before I'd even registered that I'd spoken aloud.

"You move aside and let me take a look at him." My voice was even. "You put the treaty aside for now, and let me take a look at your son. I can't guarantee I'll know what to do for him, but I swear to you, for Bella's sake, I'll do my best."

The older man hesitated for another split second. Abruptly, he wheeled himself out of the way, his actions forcing the angry woman, who'd been standing right behind him, to move aside to avoid getting her feet caught under one of the wheels.

'What? No!' she thought in an enraged tone. Her eyes narrowed in fury and her nostrils flared.

"Billy no!" she cried. "You can't be serious! You can't let him in here! You can't let him near Jake!"

Bella walked by her quickly, not sparing the angry woman a glance as soon as she'd received Billy's approval. I walked in after her, keeping a careful eye on the angry woman, whose hands were visibly shaking now. From that, as well as from the foul, wet odor emanating off of her, I gathered she was the female of the pack. I was careful to keep my body between her and Bella, a difficult feat considering the tight quarters we were in.

It was Seth who addressed the angry woman. "Leah, sis, he's not gonna hurt Jake. He's here to help. Trust me, he's not a bad guy."

The angry woman, Leah, turned her scowl on her brother, her eyes narrowing further in disbelief at his words.

"Trust you? TRUST you? You're betraying the whole pack right now by bringing him here! You're a traitor!" She followed us through the small house, Bella leading the way as she made her way to the back, opening a door that I assumed, by the stronger odor coming from inside, led to Jacob.

"A TRAITOR!" Leah continued, spitting the word out as she walked behind Seth. From my minds eye I watched carefully as her whole body convulsed in ire. "You're no better than Paul right now!"

Seth suddenly wheeled on her. "Don't you dare compare me to Paul!" Seth yelled back in a voice so loud it made the whole little house shake with its vibrations. "Don't you ever, EVER compare me to him! I would never…I could never do what he did!" Seth was the one shaking now. I kept a careful watch on the situation even as I entered the small room behind Bella, my eyes falling on the broken, bloodied and battered body of the man who, until less than an hour ago, I'd considered my mortal enemy.

"You are the traitor!" Seth continued, closing the space between himself and his sister and glaring down at her angrily, while she looked up at him defiantly. "You are the one who's betraying Jake, betraying the pack, by trying to prevent him from getting the help he needs! He's our pack brother! And as such, we are bound by something stronger than blood, stronger than a stupid treaty, to protect our own! And that's what I'm doing right now! I'm protecting my own; I'm protecting my brother!

I watched Bella kneel down at Jacob's side, taking his hand in hers while her tears began again. I also watched as Leah continued to glare at her brother, but said nothing.

"Now sit down and shut up and let Edward see what he can do for Jake!" Seth demanded. Leah stood in front of her brother for a few short moments before turning from him with an angry huff and walking towards the couch.

Bella, in the meantime softly caressed Jacob's forehead, which was sweaty with perspiration. "It's okay Jake," she cooed gently. "We're here. Edward's going to help you. It's okay," she crooned softly, completely ignoring the scene that had just played out in the front room.

I stepped closer to her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. I watched the young man lying unconscious on the bed in front of us. His clothes were torn and bloodied, and his body lay twisted in an unnatural position; broken. Lying here, so obviously helpless, Jacob Black suddenly looked much younger than his twenty-one years. He looked like a young child, a child who'd perhaps fallen off a tree and broken some limbs, or who'd gotten into a scuffle with some neighborhood ruffians. He didn't look like the unbelievably strong, unimaginably fast, or unthinkably resilient creature I knew him to be. Rather, he looked totally and utterly vulnerable, and he certainly didn't look like someone who deserved my hatred or rancor.

"Bella, what happened?" I asked finally. "You have to tell me what happened so I can have some idea what I'm looking at here."

She drew in a deep breath before speaking, keeping her eyes on Jake as she gently stroked his forehead with her hand. "It was…Paul," she finally spoke. "Jake's pack brother Paul." Her voice quivered as she continued. "Jake and I…we were over by the beach…talking. We didn't see him or hear him. "Paul…he tried to hurt me." My hands instinctively balled to fists at Bella's words, remembering Jacob's thoughts from a few weeks back, and Paul's threat to Bella. A growl escaped my lips.

"We heard something, and Jake…Jake was trying to pull me away. Paul came at him from behind, and-" her sobs took over.

I knelt down before Bella, needing to make sure she really was okay. Even though she currently had one hand in Jacob's and the other across his forehead, I turned her face to mine gently, watching her intently.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" I asked in an anxious voice. No matter what, no matter who was lying before me bruised and broken, Bella was, and always would be, my first priority.

Bella removed her hand momentarily from Jacob's forehead, bringing it to my cheek and cupping it tightly. She gave me a sad smile, her eyes reading the apprehension in my own. "Edward, I promise you. I'm not hurt. Jake…" –her voice cracked again- "Jake didn't let him hurt me."

I watched her to make sure she wasn't hiding anything, and then stood to examine Jacob, who I was now indebted to even more than ever. He'd saved Bella not once, not twice, but three times now. In the back of my mind, as I examined Jacob's injuries, I remembered the bartering, the deals I'd made with a Higher Being as I ran to Bella just a short while ago. I'd promised to let her go, to stop fighting for her if only she were safe. I flinched internally, feeling as if that Higher Being were now ensuring that I kept my part of the bargain. Bella was safe. Yet the unrelenting ache I felt at the thought of giving Bella up made me wonder if instead of bartering with someone above, I'd just made a deal with the devil.

As I continued to examine Jacob's wounds, counting the shattered and splintered bones, I was struck by the realization that one of his own had done this to him. For a brief instant, I pictured Emmett or Jasper ever trying to inflict this amount of damage on me. It was unimaginable. I couldn't imagine them trying to hurt me this way, just as I couldn't imagine myself ever trying to hurt either one of them.

"I can't believe his own pack brother did this to him," I muttered, more to myself than anyone.

"Sometimes it is those we least expect it from that hurt us the most," a quiet voice spoke from the corner of the room. It was Billy, watching me with an arched brow from a forgotten corner. In my preoccupation with Bella, and then with Jacob, I'd completely neglected to notice Billy there. His mind had been quiet also. Yet now I realized there was too much anxiety and confusion in there for his son for him to be able to think beyond. All that had been in his mind was a quiet desperation.

"And sometimes," he continued, in a contemplative tone. "it is those we least expect it from that teach us what it is to have compassion." I nodded and turned back to his son.

The damage to Jacob Black, unbelievably, did not seem to be as severe as one would have thought. Well, at least not for a werewolf who was supposed to be able to heal quickly from most injuries. Most of the bones in his body had been broken or shattered, which should not have been too much of a problem, as they would quickly heal. Yet, that was exactly the problem. Jacob was not healing.

"His bones aren't setting properly," I tried to explain to both Bella and Billy. "The pain, from the many breaks is extensive, and that is what's keeping him unconscious." Bella gasped, and Billy's dark face paled considerably. "He isn't healing quickly because his bones aren't setting properly."

"What can we do?" Bella asked, her voice full of anguish. Both she and Billy regarded me anxiously.

I pursed my lips and took in a deep breath, knowing neither was going to like my answer. "The only way to make sure his bones reset properly, thereby helping his body heal at its proper pace – I paused – "is to re-break them."

Bella's eyes grew wide and silent tears streamed down her face. She looked down, unable to meet anyone's eyes. I knew she was somehow blaming herself for this. I didn't want to think of the possible implications of that.

Billy's voice pulled me away from where my mind was starting to wander. "Cullen, can you help him?" 'I don't care what you are, just help my boy if you know how.' His voice was low, concern for his son trumping any remaining apprehension at having me work on him.

It was at that moment - when I was about to respond to this broken father that, as I'd said before, I would do anything for his son, for Bella's sake - that loud, deep, feral howls broke the silence in the air outside. I heard the howls at the same moment that their thoughts reached me.

'Vampire!'

'On our land!'

'Follow the scent! Quickly!'

Bella's eyes flew to mine, the fear in them darkening her irises to almost black. She'd heard the howls.

From the front room, other thoughts assaulted me.

'Holy crap, we're screwed!'

'Yessss! Let's see what the wanna-be vampire doc does now!'

"The pack's back." Billy's voice was void of any emotion, but his worried eyes betrayed his calm exterior.

Outside, fast, angry paws raced down the forest, quickly closing in on the small house, until their thoughts and scents were just feet away.

'He's inside Jake's house!'

'Quick, move in!' The last voice had a strange, double-timber to it that I'd never heard before. It was obviously the voice in command.

I crouched in front of Bella quickly, ready to protect her.

"Edward no! They'll hurt you! Please, no!" she screamed, before the door to the front of the house flew open, and in marched a pack of the largest, fiercest dogs ever to be seen by man. I growled and steadied my stance, preparing to lunge if anyone so much as looked at Bella suspiciously.

"Sam, Quil, Embry, guys! Stop!" Seth stood and blocked the wolves' further entry into the house. "It's not what you think!" His hands and body quivered, and in his mind I saw he was ready to phase in an instant if that's what it took to stop his brothers' advance. "It's Edward Cullen! Bella and me, we asked him to come so he could help Jake. He has medical training, like his father."

The largest and darkest of the pack, the leader I assumed, quickly phased, and stood before Seth now, in his human form. 'A Cullen? Here? Damn it! No!'

"Seth!" the leader growled. "You and Bella deliberately disobeyed me! I ordered you not to get the Cullens involved!"

"Hold on a minute there Sam," Seth interrupted, putting his hands out, palms up. "You didn't order, you only asked." His voice cracked, as if he knew his excuse was a bit of stretch.

I assumed there was some sort of difference between asking and actually ordering?

Sam's eyes narrowed as he glared at Seth.

"We just wanted to help," Seth offered, in a more subdued tone. "We couldn't just sit here and do nothing when Jake was…like that. We just wanted to help him."

Sam continued to glare at Seth without saying a word. 'He has no idea what he's done. No idea of who or what he's let in.'

"I tried to warn them Sam," Leah finally cut in. She sat on the sofa, her legs crossed easily, the top one swinging back and forth. A smug grin graced her scowling face. "But none of them would listen." Sam turned to look at her. 'At least she's still got some sort of sense left,' he thought to himself.

Taking in a deep breath, Sam began to walk towards the bedroom. Seth stood directly in front of him again.

Sam's eyes went back to Seth. "Seth get out of my way."

I furrowed my brows. Sam's tone held that same double-timber sound it had held earlier.

"Now I am commanding."

Seth, bridled, but moved out of the way slowly, almost as is he were fighting against the motion with every fiber of his being. "I'll deal with you later," Sam called out as he passed Seth.

As Sam approached the door to the room we were in, I quickly put my arms out to cover Bella, cursing myself for not having foreseen something like this, and not having gotten her out of here before I began examining Jacob. Although part of me knew, she would have never left.

The door opened and before me stood Sam, the leader of the Quileute wolves. His eyes quickly found me, and he glared at me with open hostility and disgust.

'How dare he cross our borders!'

"What are you doing here vampire? You know the treaty forbids this!" His tone was incredulous.

"I came to try to help," I answered, still crouched in front of Bella with my arms out protectively. "I don't mean you or anyone else on your lands any harm."

"Sam please. He's helping Jake!" Bella pleaded from behind me. "You know he doesn't hunt humans Sam! You know that!"

"All I know Bella," Sam spoke in a low, calm tone, keeping his eyes on me, "is that I specifically asked you, when you approached me about involving the Cullens in this, to keep them out of it." His face was cold and impassive. "You waited until me and the rest of the pack were far away, chasing after Paul, to deliberately go behind my back and bring one of our sworn enemies into our lands. You no longer have any rights here Bella. You gave up your rights when-"

Bella cut him off; her voice laced with anger and exasperation. "I love Jake!" she cried. I stiffened involuntarily before recovering myself and fixing my protective stance again. No matter what, no one would ever hurt Bella; not while I, figuratively, lived and breathed. No matter if her words had sent a thousand ton brick straight through my heart at light speed.

"No matter what, I love Jake, and that gives me the right Sam! While you and the rest of the pack were off looking to kill, Seth and I were here trying to save Jake! Because we love him, just as much as you and the rest of the pack do!" She was crying again, but her voice was strong and firm. "So don't you dare stand there and tell me I don't have a right!"

Through the whole exchange, Sam had kept his eyes on me, never wavering. Now he smirked at me. 'So this is what she goes to.' He snorted to himself. 'As if these leaches know how to love, how to do anything but take lives!'

I frowned at his confusing thought, not sure what he was referring to.

"So did you?" he asked aloud in an even tone. 'Did you figure out what's wrong with him? How to help him?'

"I think I know how to help him. Yes," I answered his unspoken question.

Sam's dark eyes widened, momentarily stunned by my response to his thought. Understanding, or rather recall crossed his features, and he smiled involuntarily. 'That's right, he can read minds. I'd forgotten. Well we'll just have to watch what we think about, won't we'

I nodded my head, confirming his thought.

He smirked. "And?" he merely asked.

"His bones aren't setting properly. We need to re-break them and reset them, so that he can begin to heal as he should."

Sam watched me for a few seconds, his expression blank. His mind, now that he remembered my gift, also went blank. Finally, he snorted. "You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you re-break his bones."

"It's the only way." I spoke in a calm, sure tone.

"Sam please!" Bella pleaded from behind me. "If you really care about Jake-"

Sam's stoic expression suddenly shifted, and he turned his eyes, looking past me towards Bella, even though I was still completely blocking her from his view. "Don't you tell me what I should or shouldn't do if I really care about Jake!" he hissed. "You are the last person to stand there and lecture to me about not caring enough about Jake!" His hands fisted at his sides and his arms began to quiver. I tightened my stance, barely hearing his words and focusing more on his apprehensive motions.

"Sam, look away from Bella," I commanded. "Turn your eyes away from her, and focus on your brother laying here. Turn. Away." I could hear the threat in my tone.

Sam's jaw tightened. His muscles relaxed though, and he moved his eyes back to me. 'Jake is like my brother,' he thought. 'Can you blame me for being upset?' I crooked my head at him, not sure what he meant. Did he mean because of what had happened to Jake tonight? Or was he upset that Bella had asked me to come here? Or was it something else entirely he was referring to?

"You will not re-break his bones." Sam spoke in the double-timber again. I quirked my head again, wondering if that was supposed to somehow stop me.

"Enough!" Billy's loud voice stunned us all, and we turned to look at him, where he'd sat, quiet and forgotten once again. He'd apparently had enough now.

"Sam, you know all you boys are like my sons, and I care deeply for each and every one of you."

Sam watched him through suspicious eyes.

"But this boy laying here is my son, and I love him more than anything. He and his sisters are all I have left. And if letting this…'bloodsucker'…man" – he paused to compose himself – "re-break Jake's bones is the only way for him to heal properly, then that's what's going to happen."

"Billy I can't let you-" Sam began, but Billy cut him off.

"You are not my pack leader Sam." Billy's voice was gentle yet decisive. "You are not my Alpha. Don't forget whose blood runs through my veins." Now Billy spoke in a commanding voice, and even though it didn't hold the double-timber Sam's just had, it held all the authority of centuries-old blood-lines.

Billy turned to look at me now, his face betraying no doubt. "Ed…ward, please do all you can for my boy. Bella and I, as well as Seth out there, will help you out as much as we can." I nodded my head, but refused to move from in front of Bella until Sam had left the room. Billy noted my reservations, and turned to Sam now.

"Sam, you are welcome to wait out in the living room, as well as the rest of the pack, but you will stay out of this room until further notice." Sam continued to glare at me, but made no move to leave. 'This is un-freakin'-believable' he thought.

"Are we clear Sam?" Billy asked in the same authoritative voice as before.

Sam took a deep breath before answering. "Yes Billy. We're clear." 'I'll be right next door bloodsucker. Don't even think of doing anything stupid. Are we clear?' I snorted but otherwise ignored his thought.

Sam left the room, slamming the door angrily behind him. I quickly set to work. It wasn't easy, or pleasant. The medical training I'd had, the journals I'd read, the images I'd picked up over the years from my father's mind prepared me, but the reality of breaking someone's bones and then setting them properly was unnerving. And although Jacob remained mostly unconscious throughout the ordeal, his occasional groan indicated that he wasn't as fully unaware of the pain as we – especially Bella – would've liked to have thought. Thankfully, Jacob's nature was one thing on our side, and once I began resetting his bones properly, the initial fusion occurred extremely quickly, more quickly than would have ever occurred on a normal human. It was then just a matter of time, and hopefully not too much of it, before the rest of the bone would heal.

When we were done, I stood back to look at Jacob. Through the dry blood and dirt, a notable difference was already visible. His face seemed more relaxed, although he remained unconscious. He was no longer perspiring profusely, and the unnatural bends and twists his body had been contorted in were no longer there. Except for the torn and bloodied clothing, he looked like a boy who was perhaps merely asleep, dreaming of long, midnight walks down the beach with his beautiful, brown-eyed girlfriend at his side. His future looked sure and bright in front of him.

I turned to look at Bella.

She watched Jake reverently, her eyes still dark and haunted. She'd taken one of his hands between her own, and leaned in to him closely to whisper near his face.

"You're going to be okay now Jake. Edward took care of you. You're going to be just fine," she assured him, although she sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than him.

"Why is he still unconscious?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of him.

"I'm not really sure," I answered honestly. "Perhaps the whole ordeal took a lot of his strength, and he needs to recuperate some of it before he wakes up." Bella nodded, a rogue tear falling down her cheek as she continued to watch him hopefully.

Billy, who had remained quietly in his chair in the corner throughout the entire ordeal, now cleared his throat. I turned to look at him, and he lifted his eyes to me hesitantly.

'Never thought I'd be saying this…'

"Cullen, I just want to say," he hesitated and swallowed loudly, "thank you, from both Bella and me, and I'm sure Jake if he could." 'I hope,' he thought. "For everything. I know our…families have had their differences, but I…I…" He struggled to find the right words to say. 'How do I tell him how much I owe him?'

"Billy, I understand. You don't have to say anything more." Billy nodded at me once, grateful I hadn't made him rack his brains for the right words.

He cleared his throat again. "I'm gonna go see if Sam and the boys want to come in and see Jake now. Maybe their loud voices'll help wake him up." I nodded.

As Billy wheeled himself to the door, Bella dropped one of her hands from Jake and without turning to look at me, reached out to grab one of mine, taking it into her small hand tightly, and giving me a squeeze. It was all the thanks I'd ever need from her. I put my other hand on her shoulder, needing to feel the closer contact, needing to feel her, as I feared that soon I wouldn't be able to feel her again. We both remained there, her kneeling in front of Jake, and me standing behind her, watching him as he remained oblivious to the world around him.

And despite myself, I couldn't help but envy him. Once he woke, he'd have an angel watching out for him, while all I would ever have were my demons to remind me of what I once could've had.

Sam and a couple of the other wolves walked in, all of them in their human forms now, shirtless and sporting pants that fit some of them awkwardly. I realized they'd put on clothes lying around Jake's house.

Dark, angry faces jumped from Jake to me. I kept myself in front of Bella, in case any of wolves lost control, although I'd heard Sam speak to them in the double-timber voice before they walked in; commanding them to remain calm.

Still, I trusted them about as much as they trusted me.

We all remained in the room for what felt like an endless amount of time. I remained anxious, not entirely comfortable with having Bella so close to them when they were obviously feeling worked up about the situation with Jacob, with me, with the problem with their traitorous brother Paul.

Paul. I hadn't really had to much time to focus on that tonight. But the wolf, the dog, hadn't been found. I'd gathered that much from listening to the conversations in the front room while I worked on Jacob. Paul would die though. That much was sure. I'd let it go the first time, when I'd seen Jacob's memories of what he'd said to Bella, believing, trusting that Jacob would be able to handle it. That had obviously been a mistake. But after tonight, after he'd actually tried to hurt her, after I'd seen what he was capable of doing to his own brother. I shuddered at the thought of how badly it could have ended; my Bella's blood being spilled instead of Jacob's. I shuddered again, and Bella's hand gripped me tighter, perhaps noting my tension.

Paul would never be allowed to get that close to Bella again. Never.

Paul would die. Soon.

Abruptly, Billy cleared his throat again. I caught the tail-end of his thought. '…Charlie's gonna have my head.'

"Bella honey, maybe you should head home." His voice held a gentle, fatherly concern.

Bella shook her head. "I'm not leaving him now Billy. What if he wakes up-"

Billy cut her off. "Bella honey, I really don't think Jake's gonna be waking up for a while. He looks better, but he still looks like he can sleep for ages. Besides, Charlie-"

At the mention of her father's name, Bella gasped loudly, removing her hand from Jake's and bringing it to cover her mouth. "Oh my God, Charlie! I completely forgot about him! He's probably put out an APB on me already!"

Billy chuckled. "Don't worry about it Bella. He called while you and Seth were gone earlier, and I told him Jake had gotten hurt today, and you were going to stay with me to help look after him. I didn't expand on how he'd gotten hurt, so you're gonna have to come up with that one on your own."

Bella sighed in relief. "Thanks Billy." She turned back to Jake and her voice was decisive. "Then there's no reason for me to leave. Charlie knows I'm okay."

Billy glanced up at me momentarily before turning back to Bella. 'She's so stubborn.' "Bella, you've had an exhausting and terrifying night. You need to get some rest yourself."

Bella looked back up at Billy. "But Billy, I can't leave him now." Her voice sounded smaller now, less sure.

Billy's eyes traveled back up to me quickly before returning his gaze back to Bella, watching her intently as he spoke. His voice took on the definitive tone it had held earlier. "Yes Bella," he answered her. "You can."

I furrowed my brows, thinking I detected something else in his tone, but unable to decipher it.

Bella lowered her head, closing her eyes tightly as she once again gripped Jake's hand between both of hers. She remained like that for a few seconds before opening her eyes again. Slowly, she leaned in towards Jacob's face and lowered her lips to his dark cheek gently. She drew in a deep breath. "You're right Billy," she murmured, keeping her eyes on Jacob's face. "You're right." She took another deep breath and rose, turning to face me now.

When her eyes met mine, I thought I saw a glimmer of certainty cross her features, as if she'd made some sort of peace with herself.

"Take me home," she whispered, and I nodded my head, unable to speak. I'd done what I could here for Jacob, the rest was up to his body. I'd made a deal with someone, I wasn't sure exactly who or what yet, to keep Bella safe in exchange for my surrender. I'd take Bella home now, back to her human life. And tomorrow she'd return here, most assuredly, and I would…what? What would I do with myself once the sun rose and this night ended?

I followed her out of the room, out of the small house, staying close to her even though the wolves minds were now on the healing of their one brother, and the murder of another. Even so, I had to take advantage of every moment I still had with her tonight, every chance to walk beside her, to touch her, to feel her still part of my life, my existence. I resisted the urge to carry her out; the exhaustion she felt was evident in the way her feet dragged across the floor, her shoulders hunched as if with the weight of the world, her eyes sagged as if being physically weighed down. But I knew she wouldn't allow me to carry her. Not now. Perhaps never again.

When we reached her car I asked for the keys - she was in no condition to drive tonight – and she obliged without a word. I opened the passenger door for her and had to almost carry her in at that point, her arms and legs barely functioning any more.

I climbed into the driver's side, starting the car and turning us away from the small red house, the deceivingly quiet beach town, towards the dark highway. The faint hint of a new day was only just beginning to stretch across the sky. The rain continued as always, but the loud, pounding noise the drops had made on the windshield on our way over had now converted to a quiet, lulling, steady noise. I turned to look at Bella; her body had given up, and she'd fallen asleep before we'd even reached the border between Forks and La Push.

I took advantage of her unconscious state now to study her, barely keeping an eye on the road in front of me. Even with the exhaustion of the world on her face and shoulders, even with her face caked with dirt and stained with tears, even with her clothes ripped and bloodied, she looked like an angel from heaven. My heart constricted and my throat tightened from the sight of her; from the thought that I may never get a chance to see her like this again. That this would be the last time that I would ever get a chance to be alone with my Bella. The urge to scream was almost overwhelming, and I had to bite hard on my lip to keep from opening up my mouth and yelling at the top of my lungs. I gripped the steering wheel so hard as I tried to control the overwhelming urge to grab her and run away that indentations began forming. My foot itched to slam down on the break and stop this car. To stop time itself if possible, and remain in here with her forever, even if all I could do was watch her sleep. But I drove on; slowly and steadily, but I drove. Knowing that all that mattered ultimately was her happiness, and cursing myself because I had once been given the opportunity, the gift, of being part of that happiness. Now all I could do was sit here and drive her home. Drive her back to her human life, to a life that would never include me.

Even at the slow speed I drove, we reached the front of her house quicker than I would've wanted. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. But deep inside, I knew that there would never be a right time for this. I would never be ready. There would never come a time when I could say good-bye to Bella without so much regret, without so much pain, without an overwhelming desire to grab on to her tightly and never let her go.

Quietly, so as not to wake her, I stepped out of the car and made my way slowly to Bella's side. I opened her door gently and took one more moment to stare at her quiet, peaceful form. She looked so calm and serene in her sleep, as if she were dreaming something that brought her the serenity that today's events had tried to take away from her.

Forcing myself to remain composed, I bent down and carefully, gently took her into my arms, ready to lift her and carry her home. As I contemplated whether I should go in through the front, or whether I should just take her directly to her room, through the window to my sanctuary, Bella stirred in my arms. Sluggishly, she opened her eyes, and when she saw me, a small, tender smile formed on her beautiful red lips. She looked around, her neck moving little by little. Blinking twice, she rubbed her eyes and a confused frown fell upon her face.

"Edward where…where are we?" Her voice was gruff with exhaustion.

I furrowed my brows and pursed my lips. She was so worn out that she didn't even recognize the front of her own house.

"Bella love, we're in front of your house," I whispered soothingly. "You asked me to bring you home, remember?"

I swallowed audibly, the ache in my heart growing at the knowledge that in a few moments, I'd have to give up the warmth of her body. My arms would no longer be cradling her so close to me. "We're home love," I whispered quietly, not wanting to wake Charlie during these last, precious few moments with my Bella.

Bella watched me for a few seconds, the confusion in her face growing, until her lips began to twitch, and a quiet sob escaped from her mouth. She brought her arms up around my neck, wanting, I assumed, to be carried inside quickly. But as the sobs continued, she began to whisper something over an over, and I leaned in closer to be able to hear through her tears.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered over and over.

The ache in my chest widened at the sight of Bella crying and apologizing for I had no idea what. She had nothing to apologize to me for. All that had happened had been because of me, because of my stupidity and insecurities and belief that I knew better than her. If these were my last moments alone with Bella, the last thing I wanted to see her doing was crying; the last things I wanted to hear from her sweet mouth were apologies.

I brought a hand up to her face, softly wiping away her tears, wishing I could kiss them away instead. "Please Bella. Don't cry. Don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong. You have nothing to apologize for," I begged. But her tears continued to flow, and abruptly, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her eyes found mine once again.

And in her eyes was the same peace and determination that I'd thought I caught a glimpse of back in Jacob's house, after Billy urged her to go home. Again, it was as if she'd made some sort of decision, and having made that decision, she looked younger, and happier, and more self-assured than she had since I'd first laid eyes on her upon my return to Forks.

She smiled at me through her tears, and pulled her arms from around my neck to place one hand on either side of my face, gazing intently and solidly into my confused eyes.

"Edward," she breathed, "when I asked you to take me home, I didn't mean here."

I cocked my head to the side, still not understanding.

She took another deep breath and her smile widened. Her brown eyes sparkled as she moved her head closer to mine. Our foreheads were now touching. "When I asked you to take me home, I meant home…with you."

Okay, now on the count of three, let's all take a collective sigh of relief…one…two…three! SIGH!!!!

Yipee! She decided!

All is not resolved though. We've still got poor Jake unconscious, Paul on the loose, Gabby losing her mind, and Edward still doesn't know what happened between Bella and Jake (and Paul).

We're almost done guys!

Make sure you put me on Author Alert if you haven't yet, I'll be posting the first chapter of the new story really, really soon!

And please, please, please let me know what you thought of this! Reviews are the highlight of my day! All it takes is once quick click on the green button below! Go ahead, make my day!