Author's Note:

This story is not abandoned or on hiatus. Please see emended author's note at the end. (Added April 23, 2011)

PS: Stephenie Meyer & Volvo own it all. I haven't said that in a few chapters, but it's still very true. This is a piece of long winded fanfiction, nothing more.

PPS: It's been a year since I began this & I truly can't believe the overwhelming and positive response. Thank you so much for all the support, the nominations, and the many reviews you've given me . You're the lights in my moonless night. ;-)

Much Love, Ginnie

Chapter 25:

"Fire and Icy Waters"

Sunday afternoon, a day after receiving her Bachelor's in English Literature from a werewolf-free University of Washington, Bella and I dropped her mother off at the airport and then turned the car towards Cedar Falls. Charlie had returned home to Forks the night before. Saying goodbye to both her parents had been bittersweet for Bella. She admitted she would miss them a good deal, but was eager for things to get back to what she called normal.

Bella was unusually quiet while we drove and I knew that her thoughts had drifted back to Seth without having to ask her. A phone call to La Push yesterday did little to ease her unnecessary guilt and anxiety. Even though Sue had promised her the pack got Seth home without any incident, it was likely that Bella would not be convinced that Seth was okay until he himself told her so. I wanted to tell her that I knew from personal experience that he was doing fine, but was slightly afraid of her reaction to how it was I had that personal experience.

As we got closer to the house Cedar Falls, she tried to put on a brave face. My own mask firmly in place, I grinned at her and was relieved to see she was almost smiling by the time we pulled up in front of the garage. Emmett was the first to greet us, hollering as he bounded over with Rosalie a few steps behind him.

"Bella!"

"Hey, Emmett," Bella answered as I held the door while she stepped out. She took my hand with a more genuine smile. She was trying. My eyes were apologetic even as my brother continued on, oblivious.

"Con-grad-uations! I got you something," he said when he reached us.

Bella turned to face him and what was left of her smile fell.

"I told you guys no-"

Emmett put his hands up. "Relax. It's nothing big. And you'll love it, I promise."

"Emmett..." Bella complained.

"Oh come on... I know you're just dying to commence opening it!"

Bella rolled her eyes, but laughed lightly. "Cute."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"Just ignore him, Bella," Rosalie cut in. "He's been like this all morning."

"Thanks for the warning," Bella replied, tightening her grip on my hand. I could only guess that she was suspicious of my sister's unexpected greeting. Of course her effort didn't last. Rose went right back to being Rose.

"So... when do I get to take a look at the piece of crap truck that my brother says is going to take your life any day now if you keep driving it?"

"What?" Bella squeaked, turning to me with her mouth open and her eyes narrowed. "Did you really say that?" she asked and pulled her hand out of mine, aiming to smack me in the stomach.

I grinned and captured her tiny hand before she could hurt herself. "I'm sorry, love. But it's the truth. And I cannot tell a lie."

"Oh, right. And I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll**," she quipped, rolling her eyes.

Laughter erupted from Emmett as well as from the rest of the family who were assembled inside the house. Even Rosalie paused to give Bella an appreciative glance.

"Not bad, little girl."

Bella's ire faded as she took in the backhanded compliment from my sister. "Um, thanks?"

Rosalie frowned. "Yeah, well, whatever. Just let me know when you want me to see if your junk heap is beyond help."

"Um, okay I guess... Just, Rose?"

"What?" Rosalie demanded, spinning on her heel to glare at Bella.

"Don't call it a junk heap," Bella replied in a surprisingly firm voice. "Please?" she asked, her tone wavering a bit.

Rosalie's eyes flashed at first, but then shook her head and laughed mockingly. "Whatever."

Several hours later, I was truly thankful for my sometimes idiotic, but somewhat thoughtful brother. Bella had started laughing just as soon as she opened his graduation gift to her. The Ultimate James Bond Edition of Monopoly that he'd found online was a hit, and much to my brother's delight, she forgave him for breaking her self-imposed ban on presents. She was even open to playing a round of the game with him then and there.

We set up the game board in the family room and while we played at a leisurely human pace, Bella answered Esme's questions about the previous day's commencement ceremony, as well as the whole of her visit with Charlie and Renee. Bella left it up to me to tell everyone how it went when I was introduced to them.

"They were naturally a bit suspicious. Chief Swan talked himself out of believing there was any basis to his gut reaction to me, but Bella's mother..." I trailed off, sharing a small smile with my beloved whose eyes were once again slightly haunted.

"What about her?" Esme asked, watching us intently.

I shook my head. "Let's just say that Renee Dwyer is almost as observant as her daughter is."

Bella spoke up immediately, at hearing Esme's small gasp and seeing Carlisle's concerned face. "Renee has a very vivid imagination," she explained quietly. "She would have been looking for something odd about Edward even if he was 100% human."

Rosalie scoffed without looking up from the catalogue of vintage Chevy parts she was browsing. "Well, now... that's the thing isn't it Bella? He's 0% human."

Bella scowled at my sister before righting her face. I had to smile at her tenacity. "I think my parents will be pleased with my choice as long as Edward makes me happy. And he does," she said simply.

Rosalie pretended to ignore Bella. I however, pulled her closer to me and kissed her temple before whispering in her ear, "You make me happy, too."

Bella sighed and leaned into my chest only to sit bolt upright when Rose tore from the room at top speed. Bella's poor little heart raced in surprise.

"Rosalie Lillian..." Esme scolded.

Alice sighed and shook her head. "Well, she won't be back until dawn."

Emmett frowned and threw the dice down a little too hard on the game board in front of him. "I'll go talk to her."

Bella smiled weakly and looked at the floor in front of us as Emmett stood up. "Will you tell her I'm sorry, please?"

Emmett paused. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bella."

"But I..."

"No, you didn't," he interrupted. "And even if you had, just don't worry about it, okay? I'll take care of my girl."

Bella smiled up at him, but I could tell she wasn't convinced.

"It was me," I murmured, pulling her fully into my lap once Emmett was gone. "I'm the reason she took off."

"What did you do?" Bella asked sincerely.

I smiled shyly, painfully aware of the audience we had. "I existed."

She made a face.

"I'll explain it to you some other time. Just believe me when I say that Rosalie is not mad at you."

Bella heaved a sigh, but nodded. Jasper noticed her slipping mood and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head subtly, signaling we'd discuss it later.

Alice went to work distracting Bella with a movie on DVD and an updated weather report for Jessica Stanley's upcoming wedding the following weekend. Bella had asked me to accompany her weeks ago, but all Alice could see was sunny skies and a plethora of questions if I attended the festivities. Alice reminded Bella regularly that weather could change quite suddenly, and I think we both knew that I'd do just about anything to be at her side. Which was why I'd been so surprised that Alice had only fleeting visions of me there. We could only assume that something Alice hadn't seen was preventing me from being at the wedding, and in both of our minds that meant it probably had something to do with a certain pack of werewolves. Again, we were left to just wait and see.

"I'd say she's out for the count," Jasper laughed quietly when Bella's head fell heavily against my chest only halfway through the film.

"She hasn't been getting enough sleep these last few weeks with her exams and working full time," I said, twirling a piece of her hair around my fingers.

"Well, she should be able to rest easy now. Does she have to work this week?" Esme asked, watching us fondly.

"Just Tuesday and Wednesday. She leaves for Virginia on Thursday."

Esme's eyes sparkled. "Why don't you let her stay here tonight then? Let her rest."

I frowned a little, even as my thoughts and Alice's went to the image of Bella in the big bed in my room.

"I don't know if she would be comfortable staying her overnight."

"She seems comfortable enough to me," Jasper muttered. I looked at him in surprise and he shrugged.

What? You know she is.

And I did, but there was the not-so-small matter of a human being sleeping amongst a house full of vampires. She was at her most vulnerable while at rest and I was used to having her all to myself at night; I was used to her bestowing that kind of trust on me alone. Then there was, of course, the fact that she was in the habit of talking on occasion and I was selfish enough to definitely want to keep that all to myself. But on the other hand... if we stayed here then I wouldn't have to be exposed to the mundane and sometimes vulgar thoughts of Bella's many neighbors all night long. Or their smells. The thought of escaping that for even one night was very appealing and I sighed as I looked down on my beloved. Her eyelids fluttered a bit, and she smiled slightly as she continued to fall deeper into sleep while resting against me.

"She'd want to stay," Alice said confidently.

I nodded. For once I didn't really need to look for confirmation –I knew my sister was right.

Jasper tested the emotions coming off of Bella again and his thoughts flickered back to earlier in the evening. He met my eyes and wondered if I would tell him what had her so upset.

I paused for a moment, knowing I would have to word this carefully. "Another one of the Quileute boys with the shape-shifter gene joined the pack this weekend."

"Another one?" Carlisle spoke out.

I nodded. "Yes. Seth is Bella's friend and the son of her father's girlfriend. She loves him like a brother and feels responsible somehow. She's also worried about what he'll think of her now."

Why?

Because she's with you?

I smiled at Jasper and Alice. "Something like that. The Quileutes believe that it's our presence that caused this generation to begin phasing. Seth was apparently too young when we first moved to Forks, but the pack kept growing long after we left, Because he's a direct descendent of one of the old wolves, the tribe assumed he would be one of them. But then the older he got, they instead began to believe it might pass him over."

"And Bella thinks that it's somehow her fault that it didn't?"

"To a degree."

"Well, that's absurd," Esme commented.

"That's what I've been trying to tell her," I sighed. "She just feels the need to take the whole world on her shoulders."

"Sounds like someone else we know," Jasper said, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes.

Sure... deny it, but you two couldn't be more perfectly matched, my brother thought.

I started to ask him what he meant by that, but Carlisle had another question.

"So the young man, Seth? As I recall he was attending UW with Bella. Is that correct?"

"Yes," I answered slowly. I had hoped to avoid this conversation but saw the questions in Carlisle's mind and knew it was unavoidable.

"And you said he phased this weekend? For the first time?"

I didn't have to be Jasper to feel the emotional tenor in the room go from easy to alarmed in less than a second. I braced myself for what was to come next.

"Yes."

"Was he in Seattle when it happened?" Carlisle asked.

"He was. But we were able to get him back to La Push without much incident."

"We? We who?"

"Well, me... and a few members of the pack. They did most of the work, I just helped them get away unseen."

"What!"

Carlisle stared at me, lowering his book. "Just how exactly did you do that?"

"Um, no..." Alice interrupted. "Why exactly did you do that?"

I ignored her for the time being.

"I might have tampered with the security cameras on campus and then caused a small diversion while they got Seth off campus."

"What kind of diversion, son?"

I paused and sighed. He wasn't going to like this.

"I pulled a fire alarm to evacuate the building Seth lived in, and then I set a small, contained fire to draw attention away from the back of the building."

Carlisle practically threw his book down at my words. Jasper looked at me like I was insane, while Alice stared at me, slack-jawed and frozen in place. Esme simply closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temples.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jasper asked first.

My sentiments exactly, Carlisle thought, surprising me. He shook his head slowly and eventually formed the words. "You actually started a fire? In a dormitory?"

"It was well contained."

"I don't even know what to say to that," he sighed. His thoughts were utterly shocked.

"How did you get involved in the situation to begin with, Edward?" Esme asked gently.

"Um..." I began. "If I may... allow me to take Bella upstairs and then I can tell you the whole story."

Carlisle nodded and silently acquiesced, so I made my way upstairs with Bella cradled in my arms. Alice entered my room a few steps behind me with some pajamas in hand.

"She'll wake up in about an hour. She can put these on then."

"Thanks, Al."

Yeah, whatever... I did it for her, not you.

"You're mad at me?" I asked, surprised.

"What do you think?" she hissed. Chastising me even as she helped me take Bella's shoes off and settle her under the covers. "You lied to me, Edward. I asked you what happened when you disappeared on Friday and you said that it was nothing. That it was just Embry."

"Well, Embry was there," I said, somewhat abashed.

Alice walked out on me without another word, leaving me alone to make sure Bella was settled. When I was assured she was fast asleep, I returned to the family room to find that Carlisle had the television tuned to a local Seattle news station that had done a story on the incident on campus yesterday. Emmett and Rosalie had come back inside, having wandered close enough to the house a few minutes ago to hear what was going on.

"I cannot believe you pulled a stunt like this without contacting one of us," Carlisle scolded.

"I used the smoke to keep onlookers focused on the opposite side of the building from where Seth exited. I planned to make an anonymous donation to cover any damages."

Emmett started laughing loudly. "Dude!"

"Shut up," I hissed. He wasn't helping.

"Oh, man...does Bella know about this?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, but I plan to tell her."

"What were you thinking setting fire to a building, Edward?" Carlisle sighed, still shocked and exasperated.

"I set fire to a trashcan, the building was never involved. And I was trying to help a boy who is like a brother to the woman I love."

"Someone could have been hurt, or killed."

"I was careful," I said quietly.

"So careful that it made the local news?" he challenged.

"You really have a special talent for making a mess of things, don't you Edward?" Rosalie interrupted. "As if we don't have enough problems."

"You are a bit of an idiot, bro," Emmett laughed.

"Can we desist with the name calling, please? It's not solving anything," Esme insisted.

"What happened after you pulled the fire alarm?" Carlisle asked, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Were you able to ascertain if the diversion worked? Did you all get away unseen?"

"I believe so, yes."

"You believe so?" Jasper growled.

"There were no witnesses telling tales of the Wolfman, if that's what you mean. And I checked the security tapes from Seth's dorm as well as the two closest buildings and they were all clear. Although it may be prudent to take a look at the rest of the university's security feeds from Friday night around 8:26pm. Just in case."

"Yes!" Emmett cheered. Rose reached out to slap him, but he was waiting for it and caught her hand. "Come on, babe. You know you love a little undercover work. And you look hot dressed all in black."

She scowled and then conceded the point. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So you'll go with me?" her husband asked.

Rosalie shrugged. "It's just another opportunity to bail Edward out of trouble. So yeah... why not?"

Jasper sighed. "I'll go with you guys.

"Count me in too," Alice said, a slightly devious smile coming over her face. "Carlisle's not done talking to our dear brother yet."

I swallowed reflexively when I realized how right she was. While my siblings departed to see to their errand, Esme quietly ghosted upstairs to one of the computers in the house and began pulling up all the news stories related to the fire on campus yesterday.

Carlisle kept his eyes trained on me as the room emptied. My decision to leave him out of my decision to interfere with the wolf pack didn't set well with him. As a result, for the first time in a very long time, I felt like a normal seventeen year old boy standing under his father's scrutiny.

Then in a flash, reality reminded us that our lives were anything but normal.

Alice gasped just as soon as the vision overtook her. She was changing clothes at the time so it took me a minute to tune into her thoughts since I'd been granting her some privacy. My eyes fell closed as the images and sounds overtook me.

Water, blackened by night. Stone-cold flesh, white and stark against the darkness. Lights extinguished. Screams muffled by the sound of a small explosion in the engine room. Blood running thick over white flesh and eventually into the water. Sixteen, no, now fifteen crimson eyed monsters wreaking their havoc upon unsuspecting commuters. Dozens of hearts ceasing to beat. Dozens of bodies taken watery graves. And then nothing... Blackness. Static. Nothing.

"Alice?" Jasper pled.

"Edward?" Carlisle's voice echoed Jasper's.

Edward, what is it? he thought, reaching out to me mentally.

"The newborns," I said when I was able.

"What about them?"

"Victoria's going to let them loose on a ferry. She's going to let them take out every single human being on board and then scuttle the ship."

"What!"

When?

"All those people..."

Why!

"How?"

"Alice, darlin'? Come back to me."

Edward? Jasper's thoughts screamed, frantic at the emotions coming off of Alice.

"Edward?" Carlisle said, nearly as frantic. "Tell me what she saw. Tell me exactly what Alice saw."

I relayed her vision to the others, and as soon as I did, the room became chaotic. At least it was chaos in my head.

"A commuter ferry? As in public transportation?"

Those things can hold over a couple thousand people!

"Who would attempt such a thing?"

All those innocent lives... so many of them...

"Why would they attempt such a thing?"

How could she possibly hope to cover that up?

"The Volturi would hear about something like that. There's no way they could miss it."

Oh, God... that would bring them here, wouldn't it? Oh, Bella... Edward...

"We don't have a choice. We'll have to kill her."

"Could everyone just stop?" I begged. "Please!"

The family had gathered together in the foyer of our house, waiting anxiously on Alice and Jasper who were still in their room. Their thoughts were horribly loud and as panicked as our kinds thoughts become. The many questions in their heads and coming out of their mouths were overlapping and only amplified my own concerns.

"Alice is on her way down. Just please calm down," I whispered, holding my head in my hands.

"Oh, sweetheart," Esme murmured.

Alice appeared at the bottom of the stairs just then with Jasper by her side, doing everything in his power to stabilize the emotional tenor in the room.

"Friday," Alice said. There was a brief image in her mind of someone holding a paper. "There was a man on the ferry with a paper dated for Friday."

I exhaled in relief, the sound loud even to my ears. By some great mercy, Bella would be gone when Alice's vision came to pass. She would be on the other side of the country attending Jessica Stanley's wedding this weekend.

Suddenly someone spoke up, it may have been Rosalie. "What if the paper you are seeing is a couple days old or something?"

"Well, we at least know it's not happening until after Friday, then," someone else said. "That's something."

I continued to alternate concentrating on the scenes from Alice's vision and thoughts of the lovely and fragile girl who was asleep upstairs and breathing quietly.

"We have to stop this from happening," I mumbled. Alice nodded, her eyes troubled as she met mine.

"I can't see what will happen if we don't interfere yet, but I agree... There is no way that a missing ferry will go completely unnoticed. The waters in the Sound aren't deep enough in most areas to conceal that kind of thing forever. It will surely garner attention."

Volturi... the word echoed through all of our minds like a haunting vesper.

"Were you able to see the name of the vessel in your vision, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

She shook her head. "I'll keep trying."

I ran my hand through my hair. "We can narrow it down at least. It was a smaller vessel as far as ferries go. Definitely under five hundred passengers."

"That helps," Jasper and Emmett said almost in unison. One of them offered the other a fist bump.

Thank goodness it's not one of the larger ones, Carlisle thought.

"The website for the state's DOT might have some information on their fleet that we can use to identify the ship you saw, Ali," Jasper said, rubbing his mate's back as she clung to him.

"I don't know if it was one of Washington's fleet. It could have been a private line, or from British Columbia. Most of what I saw was on the interior. We'll have to check into it," Alice said.

"We also have to contact the pack," Carlisle said.

"No!" Alice shrieked. "We can't... I can't... that will make it worse." She looked at me and I saw that she was already struggling to see the way things would play out now. It was inevitable that we would contact them and when we did their decisions would both blind her and possibly alter the course of the vision she'd seen.

"What else are we to do, Alice?"

"I don't know," Alice said, sitting heavily on the stairs. She rubbed her forehead and kept searching for anything that would help us.

Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Why don't we use what she saw to spring a trap on Victoria and the newborns? We know where they'll be and approximately when."

"It's not that simple, Rosalie," I sighed.

"Why not?" she huffed.

"Yeah, why not, Edward? It sounds like a really good idea to me," Emmett chimed in.

Jasper looked up from his place next to Alice. "It is the best lead we've had since Olympia. And the wolves are ready to fight. I've taught them everything I can."

Carlisle was nodding. "If we make our arrangements and call the wolves in at the last minute..."

Alice squinted and then growled in frustration. "It's already muddled. You're already set on calling them. It's just a matter of when. I don't think I'll see it if our decisions alter her course. I can only tell you what I originally saw."

Carlisle sighed. "I'm sorry, my dear."

"One second... Can I just ask a question for those of us without visions of the future, mind-reading, or four centuries of wisdom to draw from here?" Emmett said suddenly.

"Of course, Emmett," Carlisle sighed.

"I thought ginger-bitch was after the mutts. What's up with her taking this little army of hers on a killing spree as if she's staking a claim on the territory? A very public claim, I might add."

Jasper exchanged a look with Carlisle, gaining silent permission before addressing Emmett's question.

"It's about access to blood," he said, his face straining slightly as his throat flared with the thoughts that accompanied his words. "In the southern wars an act like the one Alice has seen would have had a dual purpose. Like you said, Emmett, it would serve to stake a claim on the area. But it would also serve to prepare the troops for battle, so to speak. Since newborns are so volatile, but at their strongest when well-fed, it's important to find easy blood and plenty of it. At least it is if you don't want to risk losing numbers in the final hours."

The reactions to Jasper's words ranged around the room from horrified to impressed. Emmett for one was surprised that buses, boats and trains didn't turn up mysteriously empty on a more regular basis even today. Jasper caught on to his emotions and glared.

"Engaging in such reckless and radical hunting practices is not a pardonable offense, Emmett. Believe me when I tell you the Volturi found no one above reproach when they came to put a stop to the wars in the south."

Emmett put his hands up in a show of surrender. "Easy, big brother. I was just surprised. I mean, I know I'm not a genius or anything, but it never would have occurred to me to do anything like that."

Carlisle put a hand on Emmett's shoulder. "That's because most of us come into this life with at least a shred of our humanity intact. We are not the mere feral creatures that some would lead us to believe. If that were the case then I would not be standing here. Nor would our existence be a secret. Even those of our kind who regularly consume human blood would be hard pressed to live a controlled and nearly invisible existence were that the situation."

Jasper nodded. "It is unusual for even the worst of our kind to behave this brazenly though. Victoria must either be particularly evil, or she has a death wish. Maybe both."

"Well, she's not taking us down with her," Rosalie growled.

"Rosalie's right. We have to stop Victoria and her progeny before they get to that ferry," Esme said.

"Agreed," Carlisle replied.

Jasper crossed his arms over his chest, looking every bit the tactical advisor he was. "We'll have to find out what vessel and ferry route we're talking about here, but if we wait until the time is right..."

"We can stop them before they get there," Emmett interrupted.

"Victoria is too proficient at escape. We need a way to assure we actually catch her this time," I said.

Jasper ran through various strategies. "If we wait until they're in the water…"

I saw where he was going with his thoughts. "We could rent out the ferry. Purchase enough tickets to bring fill it to capacity and then insist we need to have it to ourselves."

"What about the crew? What are we going to do, hijack the thing and drive it ourselves?" Emmett asked.

"Well, I just set fire to a public building this weekend in the name of the greater good. What's a stolen ferry now? It may end up under water anyway."

"Boys," Carlisle scolded.

"We can't afford that kind of risk," Esme added. "What if we bring more attention to ourselves?"

"You mean more attention than hundreds of missing commuters and a sunken ferry?" Emmett asked sincerely.

Carlisle sighed. "We could try to rent out the ferry. We'll need aliases and fake ID's, and we'll also have to consider the crew, but it could work. Maybe if I can get enough blood from a blood bank, we can keep the newborns too frenzied to realize that there are no beating hearts on board. At least until it's too late." His words were flying out as fast as he was thinking. Jasper was nodding in agreement.

"We can't deal with them on board the ferry though, it would be destroyed," Rosalie interjected.

"We're not talking about a fight on board the ship. We need to catch them in the water. They'll know something's up before all of them can get on board otherwise," I said.

"We'll be outnumbered that way though, Edward," Alice spoke up.

I sighed. She was right. "How many of them did you see, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Fifteen newborns. Well, sixteen, but one will be dust before they make it in the water." She was still rubbing her forehead. "And then Victoria, of course."

"So then, that's where the wolves come into play," Carlisle responded without pause.

Alice shook her head. "I just don't know."

"Well, I know this," Jasper said. "Edward's right. The primary focus must be the newborns' creator. Victoria is the objective. We get her and we stop this. The rest of the mess can be cleaned up later."

Alice started shaking her head. "I can't see if you're right, Jazz. I can't see us catching her either, and I don't know if it's because we won't or because it's blocked to me."

I looked into Alice's mind further as everyone considered that. "What other choices do we have?" I asked.

Esme sighed. "I guess all we can do is hope that Alice can't see the end result because the wolves will be the ones to catch Victoria."

"That's not good enough, though!" Alice practically shouted. "What if we go to all of this trouble and she gets away?"

"Or worse," Rosalie whispered, trying not to think that one of us could be lost in the process.

"So we let Victoria and her babies go after the ferry," Emmett said. All eyes shot to him in disbelief that he could be suggesting we let the humans fend for themselves, but he just grinned. "Look, if we try to wait for them to come to us, or try to trick them, they could turn right back around and escape the way they came. But..."

Jasper nodded. "If we slip in behind them and cut off their retreat, they will be forced to advance."

"And the wolves will be waiting on the other side of the channel," Emmett concluded.

"Very good, boys," Carlisle began. "But there's still one problem with your plan, Emmett."

"What?" Emmett asked.

"The humans," I answered. "The newborns will still be distracted by an easy meal and we can't possibly hope to protect the ship and catch Victoria."

"Damn," Emmett sighed. "Well, what if we wait on board the ferry and jump overboard when they are too far away from the shore for any easy escape?"

"Still too many potential casualties," Jasper said.

"And witnesses," Rosalie added.

Jasper hummed. "And all of this is contingent on us pinpointing which ferry route we're talking about here anyway."

"Unfortunately..." Carlisle stopped us. "As you mentioned earlier, this is the first solid lead we've had in weeks. We know there will be some movement on Friday, so we have to go with it. Are we all in agreement on that at least?"

He looked around the room just as I heard Bella stir in the bed upstairs.

"Very well, then," he sighed. "Alice, Jasper, Edward... do what you have to do to determine which ferry it is and see if you can nail down the date and time some. Emmett, Rosalie... you two get to Seattle and check the rest of the security tapes from yesterday around the time your brother and the wolves were smuggling Seth off campus. Confiscate what you must. Esme and I will get documents, money and everything else in place so we're ready for anything this weekend. Understood?"

A chorus of yeses rang out and moments later the foyer of the Cullen home was nearly empty.

"Alice?" Carlisle asked on his way out the door. "Am I contacting the Quileutes yet?"

Alice shook her head. "Not yet. Give me some time. A few hours at least. I'll let you know."

"Alright, my dear. And... remember, we believe in you," he added. Esme smiled warmly at Alice beside him and then they were gone.

Bella shifted again in the bed upstairs and I could tell from her breathing and heart rate that she was about to wake up.

"Go on," Alice said, raising her chin up. "She needs you, too."

"I'll be down to help just as soon as she's asleep again."

"It won't be long. But we'll manage without you somehow," she teased.

I smiled. "Thanks, Alice. And Al?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I lied to you about the other day."

"That's okay. I just hate being so blinded by them."

"I know you do."

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"We can't fail at this. Not this time."

"I know," I answered as her mind flickered forward again. The future she was looking for was too far off to be truly distinguishable to her, but all of it was bleak. The indistinct images created a strong sense of foreboding in both of us. She was right. We could not fail. Everything in our futures seemed to hinge on that.

And it was with that thought that I ran up the stairs, thanking any God willing to listen that Bella was going to be on the other side of the country when it all went down.

~(~)~

"You were gone." Bella's eyes fluttered open slightly at the feel of my cool fingers against her cheek.

"I'm sorry, love. Were you very disoriented when you woke up?" I asked. While we'd spent time here every week for the last month or so, Bella had never actually slept here overnight before.

"Not really. A little at first. I'm sorry I fell asleep." Her cheeks warmed considerably and I couldn't help myself from running my thumb along the flesh there.

"It's okay. Do you mind that I brought you up here instead of taking you home? I know it was a bit presumptuous of me."

"No, I'm glad you did. I like it here," she said. "And your bed is really comfortable," she added shrugging.

"Is it now?" I smiled.

"Mm-hmm.," she nodded. "Ridiculously comfortable. You should try it out."

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Should I now?"

"Mm-hmm," she answered pressing her teeth into her lower lip and looking up at me with her beautiful, inviting eyes.

I swallowed. Had she any idea what she was doing to me?

Distract her, Edward. Now is really not the time for that.

I frowned at Jasper's thoughts and heard Alice laughing a little despite how worried and pre-occupied she'd been a moment earlier.

"Alice loaned you some pajamas to wear," I said, offering them to Bella. "There is also a new toothbrush, your brand of toothpaste, and a few other toiletries in the bathroom for you."

She looked up at me, confused.

"Just some wishful thinking on my part, I suppose."

"Oh," she said, pausing until a smile crept across her face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I answered, surprised. It was just a toothbrush and toothpaste, but it was progress where Bella was concerned.

I held my hand out to help her sit up and watched as she kicked at the covers to get out. I adored her antics as usual. Simply being near her suddenly made all of the tension from minutes ago melt away. It wasn't as if I could ever forget what the future held in the days ahead, but I just handled them better when Bella was near me. She gave me a reason for staying focused and calm. When she looked up at me, her eyes completely full of love and trust, I knew I could not –no, would not– fail at what I had to do.

Once Bella had changed and gotten ready for bed, she immediately climbed back in between the sheets of the large bed that would now and forever more be hers. "Join me?" she asked, quietly.

I climbed up next to her, pulling the covers up for her as she snuggled against the pillows and adjusted them to her liking. When she was settled, she gazed at me with her teeth pressing into her bottom lip and a question burning in her eyes.

"What is it, love?" I asked, lying down next to her but on top of the satin comforter.

"Will you... will you hold me?" she whispered shyly. Her bashfulness amazed me. Was this the same creature who was teasing me only moments ago?

"Yes, of course," I answered, shifting so that she could lie across my chest as she usually did.

Bella sat up a little, but instead of curling herself around me, she shook her head. "No. I mean... in here?" she asked, lifting the sheets in invitation.

"Bella," I breathed.

"Please? I haven't forgotten what you said the other day," she whispered as softly as she was capable of. "But that's not what this is about. I just want to be close to you."

I stared at her, amazed by the power of her words. Because if I were to be completely honest with myself, at the moment I wanted nothing more in the world than to hold her and never let go. Knowing what I had to look forward to over the weekend –not only having to fight and possibly destroy up to a dozen sentient beings, but living without Bella as well- it made me want to soak up as much of her enduring warmth as possible.

Bella sighed when I didn't answer. "Never mind, it's okay if you'd rather not."

"Bella, wait," I stopped her. "That's not it. I was just considering."

She looked at me as if she didn't trust my words, or she was afraid to believe them. It broke me.

"Scoot over."

It was just two words, but Bella's smile was sublime.

She immediately complied and shifted to one side, lifting the sheets higher for me as she did. I could feel her heart beating faster and her breathing increase. I found my own respirations doing the same. The scent of her saturated my lungs and it still shocked me that I was now able to be this close to her without the searing pain and extraordinary internal conflict that I would have experienced a month and a half ago. The discomfort was still there of course, it would never go away, but it was now associated with so many pleasant sensations that it was almost possible for me to ignore it. Not quite, but it was still amazing to me how far I'd come.

However, tonight would be a new challenge for me. The flow of Bella's warm blood both soothed my silent heart and attracted the beast inside me. I was wise to be thinking ahead of how those basal instincts would affect me without the barrier of a blanket or two between us.

"You'll get cold like this," I warned her, despite the fact that I was agreeing to her demands.

She shrugged. "I already told you, my sheets feel chilly to me when I first climb in bed too. But they warm up eventually. Why wouldn't you?"

"Physics, love. It's a bit different, given my molecular make-up," I chuckled.

"Well, in lieu of giving me a science lesion, why don't you just try? I might be a little human toaster for all you know."

"A brave little toaster," I teased.

"Oh, I used to love that movie when I was a kid. Did you ever see it?"

"Unfortunately. Jon Lovitz could potentially drive me insane."

"Who?"

I laughed. "The man who did the voice of The Radio."

"Oh," Bella said, yawning.

"Alright. Come here," I said, resigned to trying something new. I just hoped she was able to fall asleep before she started shivering. With our limbs tangled together and her head resting against my chest however, I realized she wouldn't be the only one in danger of trembling.

Easy there, Edward... Jasper thought, silently reminding me of other more pressing issues as if I could actually forget them.

Still, my brother's warning sobered me and I dutifully kept myself in check while Bella held herself to me. I did allow myself to breathe deeply of her scent as she began to drift slowly into unconsciousness. Just as I thought she was about to surrender, she jerked and grabbed my shirt in her fist. Her heart began pounding in earnest, causing venom to flood my mouth.

"Bella?" I said softly, once I was sure I was safe for her.

She raised her head to look at my face, blinking and swallowing hard. "Sorry. Bad dream," she rasped.

"Already? You were barely asleep."

She shrugged and tried to take a calming breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and laid it back down. "It was nothing."

"It's not 'nothing' if it frightens you," I answered.

She didn't answer, but instead began rubbing her foot softly against my calf. I was surprised by how severely intimate the gesture felt.

"Come with me?" she suddenly whispered. She leaned up on her elbow and rested her head in her hand to look at me. "Please, come with me to Jessica's wedding? I know you said there will be questions, but surely you can make something up that will work. And the sun... well, we can figure that out too. Just tell me you want to come with me."

I turned on my side and mirrored her position. "I want to come with you," I said quietly, lifting my free hand to cup her cheek. "But... I can't."

Her eyes lit up and then fell all at once. It crushed me.

"I would be there in a heartbeat if I could, but I just can't Bella. It's not a good idea."

"I understand," she whispered, frowning at my vague excuse before lying down again. I could tell she was fighting hard not to respond emotionally to her disappointment. She took a few breaths and closed her eyes, during which time I debated telling her the reason why I wasn't free to accompany her on her trip. It was then that I smelled her tears and looked down to see one escape from her clenched eyelids.

"Sweetheart, don't cry," I said, pulling her close to me and leaning over her. She tried to swallow back the flow of her tears as I kissed them away. "Please, Bella. I'll be there the moment anything changes."

"No," she shook her head. "You don't have to do that. It was unfair of me to ask you. Alice said it would be sunny. What was I thinking that you would just hide in my hotel room the whole time? How selfish am I?"

I laughed, despite the fact she was being serious. "No more selfish than I, I guarantee you."

She sighed, and not caring that my siblings had halted their discussion to pay attention to what was going on in my room, I leaned closer to her.

"These things will happen now and again if you share your life with me, Bella."

She finally opened her eyes and met my gaze. "I know, and I can handle that. I'm a big girl. I just..." she took an unsteady breath. "I'll miss you."

"I know. It will be the same for me."

She smiled slightly and reached up to push a wayward strand of my hair back into place.

"It's the second wedding I've been in inside of a year. First it was Angela's, now Jessica's. I've never once been envious of them, but I give it a day before someone makes the 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride' comment. Not to mention all the inevitable questions about when I plan to settle down. Like I'm so wild now..."

Bella continued speaking, all the while running her hands through my hair, tracing patterns on my scalp with her fingers. Despite the phenomenal sensation, my body and mind were locked into place. Frozen over the words, "never a bride".

I felt as though I was suddenly incapable of putting two and two together. Had it been a prophetic statement? What had she meant by it? Did she think she would never marry because of me? Did she not want to marry? Or was it some sort of hint? Surely not. And dare I ask her to clarify? I couldn't. That was hardly romantic. Only... why was I having visions of her in white, walking down the staircase of this very house towards a small sea of people?

Bella's fingers stopped their motions and I became aware of her hands on my face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm perfect."

"Well, you don't have to brag," she teased, forcing a laugh from both of us. Slowly, she moved her hands to the back of my neck, threading her fingers in my hair. "Seriously Edward, you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you? Did I say something to freak you out?"

"No," I bluffed. "And why would think something was wrong?"

"I don't know..." she said, obviously thinking. "You just seemed far away there for a second."

I smiled and ran the backs of my fingers over her cheek. "I'm right here, where there's nothing for either one of us to worry about right now."

She sighed and lifted her head at the same time she pulled down on my neck. I complied with her silent request and kissed her softly, relishing the traces of her taste on my tongue. Fortunately for my control, it wasn't very long until Bella was sated and sleepy once more. With her tucked safely in my arms, I hummed her lullaby until she was once again sleeping soundly.

It wasn't easy to pull myself away from her later to go back to my family and the crisis we were desperate to avert. It was even more difficult to leave her alone in her apartment the following evening to do some reconnaissance on the two ferry routes we suspected were possible targets in Victoria's plan. And it was almost impossible to tear myself away from her two nights after that, our last night together before she left for Virginia and what I assumed would be nearly five days apart.

"Dude, you're late."

"I know."

"What the hell? We're vampires, man. We don't do late."

"Shut up, Emmett."

"Geez, you're a moody bitch when you leave your woman," he laughed.

"Shut up, Emmett." This time it was Rosalie who said it. I smirked a little as I took my place in the ranks of my family.

How is she? Did you tell her what's going on yet?

I glanced at Rose briefly and shook my head. I hadn't said anything to Bella about the impending fight or this last minute tactical meeting with the wolves. Only a few would come to represent the pack tonight. It was too risky for the lot of them to leave the reservation. So for the last couple of meetings, Embry had volunteered to come –along with Quil, and more reluctantly, Jacob. Whoever was coming tonight was due any minute now.

You really are an idiot, Rose thought, scoffing out loud. When Bella gets pissed and wants to kick your ass, tell her to come find me and I'll do it for her.

I rolled my eyes. She was, in her own annoying way, trying to be charitable of my relationship with Bella. But as much as I wanted to be grateful for her efforts, most of the time I wanted to tell her not to bother. Especially when she reminded herself to be good simply because she would only have to put up with everything for a few more decades. And that was only if I didn't kill Bella first.

I forced those thoughts out of my head and once I focused on the situation at hand instead, I realized that the thoughts of the rest of our family were decidedly more positive and eager than they'd been a few hours ago.

"What happened?" I asked, seeing Alice grin when she noticed that I'd picked up on the change. "What's going on?"

Alice bounced a little. "We had a stroke of luck."

"Yeah?"

"An address. And a garbage truck," she said brightly.

"Alice..." I complained, wishing she would stop dragging it out. She laughed but took pity on me and opened her thoughts, filling me in verbally at the same time.

"The trash collection service for the house Victoria had taken over apparently showed up a little earlier this week that last. It was still dark outside when the truck arrived and a couple of newborns caught the driver's scent. Not good for the driver, but great for us. I saw the attack just before it happened and the truck's designation was plainly visible. It was also reported missing after it failed to show up at the end of the day, so we were able to determine the route it was assigned to from the company. It's a rural route, located north of Victoria, British Columbia."

Alice beamed.

"Great job, Alice," I said, grinning back.

"It gets better. Thanks to the most recent satellite imagery available on Bing maps, we have a pretty good idea of exactly where her safe house is."

"So, Victoria's in Victoria?"

"Well, just outside it. But yes. Ironic, isn't it?"

"It is. It's also really good news," I said, looking up at the rest of the family. "So what's next? I assume you guys already talked strategy."

Carlisle stepped forward. "We did a little. This information moves the timeline up a bit. Alice sees the group moving on again soon. Most likely because they killed the driver of that garbage truck so close to their home base."

"That's the thing with newborns, though. They're so damn unpredictable," Jasper added. "We have to realize that plans will be made and just as easily abandoned where they're concerned."

"True," Carlisle agreed. "But we have her current location, an approximate idea of where and how she was planning on preparing them for the battle, and of course we know that she's planning on a trip to La Push after that."

"We assume that's the case," Jasper reminded him. "It makes the most sense. But even then, there are still several options for how they would get there. I assume her current location means that she plans on attacking from the Coast. Think Normandy Beach. However, we don't know that for certain and we know nothing of her plans after that."

Emmett sighed. "It's too bad we can't get Eddie-boy here close enough to her to get a read on her thoughts."

I smiled and shook my head. "I can try, but she has some kind of sixth sense when it comes to her own self-preservation. If she thinks she's cornered, she'll flee."

"And we can't afford to spook her now," Carlisle added.

"So what next?" Esme asked, taking his hand.

A branch snapped about a mile off. The wind shifted and we all turned towards the scent.

"It's time to talk to the pack," Carlisle answered, taking his position as the head of our family.

"Let's hope they're ready for this," Jasper added, falling in line next to him.

Ready for what?

They want to know if we're ready? Ha!

I know, right? Hey, Edward! Tell them we were born ready!

I smiled despite myself.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, confused by my humor.

"They can hear us." I nodded towards the trees. "Seth in particular wants you to know they were born ready."

"Seth? As in the one who just turned werewolf a couple a days ago?"

The one and only, he thought happily.

"That would be him," I said.

"Well, Seth," Jasper said, louder than was probably necessary as the padding of giant paws drew near. "Y'all are about to find out if that's true."

End Notes:

**The "second gunman on the grassy knoll" is a reference to one of many conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963. A second gunman was never found or identified, nor were theorists ever able to prove conclusively that there was a second gunman involved. Because the event happened long before Bella was even born, the Cullens were surprised and impressed by her wit. And while it would be very unusual for someone of Bella's age to use this phrase, I believe she could have picked it up from one of her parents, as did I.

- On other quick thing. I've only had one or two people ask about this, but Leah is not going to be a part of the pack in this story. Due to the Cullens leaving and the delay in Victoria learning about the southern vampire wars, there weren't enough vamps around to necessitate Seth and Leah changing at the same time they would have in the New Moon/Eclipse timelines. Since we know Leah is older than even Bella (a year, maybe more), I decided she was probably already well over twenty when Victoria came back into town with Riley and friends. Also, I haven't written anything on the subject, but my sincere wishes are that Leah had the good sense to move on with her life and find happiness elsewhere other than in La Push. Who would want to watch their cousin and ex-fiance live happily ever after? Not me. I imagined her somewhere warm and sunny, and completely werewolf free. I'd love to hear your HEA wishes for Leah if you have them. Who knows, maybe I'll write it someday. ;-)

EDIT: Added April 23, 2011- I've gotten a few confused reviews that seemed to think the "to be continued" that I formerly wrote at the end of the chapter meant that this was the end of What Drives Her and I was planning a sequel. Just to clear things up, that's a big, fat no. This is NOT the end, it is to be continued in the NEXT CHAPTER. I hope that answers any concerns. I realize it's been a long time since I updated, but writer's block happens and I have to admit that action and suspense are difficult for me. I am writing, I have not given up on this, it's just a lot of work to maintain canon elements and keep characters "in-character". I'm playing inside Stephenie Meyer's playground, and trying desperately to go by her rules as well. It's that reason many of you love this story, and so I will continue to hold myself to that level of excellence. Anything less would be unfair to you. Have patience... the conclusion is coming.

Mega Hugs, Ginnie