Edward

I left Bella's house early the next morning. I kissed her briefly before slipping out the window. I wanted to spend the day with her but I had things of my own that I needed to do. Hunting was one of them. Spending so much time with Bella meant that I had to hunt more often. Even though I did not feel the familiar bloodlust my throat still burned if I spent too much time around her without hunting. I ran to the forest and took down two elk and a deer.

Afterwards I sat on a large boulder and looked out into the forest. I could not believe how much calmer I felt after talking to Bella last night. She had forgiven me for leaving her, for hurting her. Now I was working on forgiving myself. Could I do it? Could I forgive myself for causing her so much pain? I knew that I had to, that I had to find a way to get past this. I knew that it was the only way that Bella and I could move forward. I was unsure of where to start though. I decided that I needed to talk to someone. And that someone was Carlisle.

I ran back to the house and changed my clothes. I sent Bella a text message, figuring that she was probably asleep and would read it when she woke up. I got in my Volvo and drove to the hospital. I walked in through the double doors and searched until I could hear my father's thoughts. He was in his office. Perfect.

I knocked though I knew he heard me outside the door.

"Come in."

I opened the door and saw him closing a manila folder on his desk, a patient's file.

"Hello Edward. What can I do for you?" He asked.

"I need some advice Carlisle."

Of course, son. What is the problem?

"It's about Bella. Well, about Bella and me." I hesitated.

I'm listening.

I sat down on his soft leather couch and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Well, Bella and I were talking last night and she told me that she forgives me for leaving her and hurting her so badly."

That is excellent son. She is a wonderful girl.

"I know. She told me that I need to forgive myself for what I did but I just don't know how to go about it. I have hurt her so much. How can I forgive myself for that, ever?"

Edward, I am sure that Bella has told you this, but you cannot torture yourself with this forever. Especially since forever for you is a really long time. He smiled slightly.

I nodded. She had told me that.

Yes, you hurt her when you left. You made a decision that hurt you both. You can't take that decision back. But you can try to see the good in it.

"Good? What possible good did it do? We were both completely miserable, Carlisle."

Consider the changes in the relationship since you have gotten back together. Bella seems stronger, more confident in herself and you. You have finally started to realize that she loves you as much as you love her. She is standing up for herself in your relationship, not allowing you to make all the decisions but instead becoming an active partner with you. You understand now that you cannot make rash decisions that affect you both without discussing it with her. You both understand how much you mean to each other now that you have had this time apart. You both understand that neither of you is whole without the other. This separation has made your relationship stronger.

I sat and stared at him. Everything he had said was the truth.

"But I hurt her so much Carlisle. I can't ignore that."

No, but you can decide to let it go. You can decide that what you have with Bella now is more important than tormenting yourself with the past. And it is the past Edward. It has to be. Carrying it around in your pocket now will only poison your relationship. It will infiltrate every corner of your lives together. If all you can see is the pain you caused in the past you will miss all the joy you two can have together in the present and in the future. Is that what you want?

"No, of course not. But how do I let it go?" I had no idea what to do.

Just be with Bella now. In the present. There will always be reminders for both you and Bella. But instead of wallowing in misery when they happen, use them instead to remind yourself of how much happier and stronger you both are now that you are back together. Think of them as positive reinforcement.

Could I do that? Could I just decide to be happy now, right now, with Bella? I thought about it for a moment. Yes. Yes, I could. My relationship with Bella now was too important. I could not hurt her more by continuing to torment myself with this. Especially since she had forgiven me so completely. Not forgiving myself when she asked me to would be throwing her forgiveness back in her face. I could not do that to her. I made up my mind. No matter what happened now I would not allow the past to hurt our future.

I saw my face in Carlisle's thoughts, saw the fierce determination there.

I can see that you have made up your mind Edward and I am glad. You both deserve to be happy now. We cannot change the past but we can learn from it. Use your past experiences to make the future stronger. I know you can do this. And I am always here to talk if you need it.

I stood up and took Carlisle in a hug. He was startled at first but quickly hugged me back.

"Thank you Carlisle. Thank you so much."

Anytime son, anytime.

I drove back home feeling like a mountain had been lifted from my shoulders. Carlisle always knew the right things to say. I hoped that I would one day have even a little of his wisdom.

I realized as I drove up to my house that Bella had not responded to my text. She must be more tired than I thought. I sent her another message, asking her to call me when she woke up.

I went inside and saw Emmett and Jasper playing video games. I decided to play with them for a while until Bella called me. I missed the camaraderie with my brothers.

I sat and waited my turn. They were playing Mario Kart. Jasper was winning. He was using his gift to manipulate Emmett. Just when they were reaching the finish line he would send a wave of confusion and frustration at Emmett, causing him to falter and Jasper would speed past him and win. Emmett spouted some rather imaginative curse words until Esme called down from her study, reminding him about language. I took over from Emmett. Jasper and I were pretty evenly matched. He tried to block his thoughts from me but I knew his playing style and could pretty much determine what he would do. He tried to distract me by sending waves of frustration towards me but I grit my teeth and ignored it as best as possible. When he could see that was not working he tried a different tactic.

Suddenly I was hit square between the eyes by a tidal wave of lust. It slammed into me, forcing me to jerk back and lose my grip on the game controller for a moment. It was enough for Jasper to cross the finish line a few seconds ahead of me. I dropped the controller and leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, trying to calm myself down. I felt completely out of control and harder than I had ever been in my life. My body felt like it was thrumming with sexual tension.

"Dammit Jasper! That was completely uncalled for." Jasper was laughing uproariously.

"Hey it worked didn't it?" He was still laughing.

Maybe you should go find Bella to help you take care of that "situation" Edward. Jasper thought.

"Paybacks a bitch Jasper, remember that." Jasper only laughed harder.

I sat there for a few more minutes until I felt under control and went upstairs to my room. I checked my phone. Bella had still not called me. That was strange. She was usually very prompt in returning messages or calling me. I decided to go over and see her. Charlie should be at work.

I quickly showered and changed my clothes. I ran over to her house quickly and saw Charlie's cruiser in the yard. Bella's truck was gone. I could hear no movement in the house. I decided to brave Charlie's anger and knocked on the door. Nothing. I called Bella's phone and it went straight to voicemail.

"Bella? Where are you, love? I came by the house but your truck is gone? Are you with Charlie? Please call me when you get this. I miss you. I love you. Bye."

I sent her a text as well, asking her to call me.

I ran back home and realized that I could have asked Alice all along where Bella was.

I went upstairs and saw her sitting on her bed, reading a magazine.

"Alice, do you know where Bella is? I have called her and texted her but she isn't answering."

Alice closed her eyes for a moment and her face went blank. I saw vision in her mind, Bella in an old flannel shirt and cutoff shorts, holding a fishing pole. She was sitting next to a lake with Charlie. Alice opened her eyes and looked at me.

"She went fishing with Charlie. I don't recognize the area. They are having a good time. You should let them be."

"Thanks Alice. I was just worried because she hasn't gotten back to me and that is not like her." I knew that she was safe with Charlie but it was still hard to have to share her.

I walked out of the room and headed to my bedroom. I sent Bella another text telling her I missed her voice. I knew I was overreacting, texting so much but I missed her.

I sat in my room and listened to music for a while. It did not calm me the way I wanted so I went downstairs and sat at my piano. I tried to play but the notes were not coming out right. Everything sounded so harsh and impatient, not the soothing notes I needed. I called Bella's phone again. It went to voicemail again and I left another message.

"Bella please call me. I haven't talked to you all day and I miss you terribly. I am going crazy here. Call me. I love you. Bye."

I was restless, wandering around the house aimlessly. I could see that it was getting later in the afternoon and Bella had not called. Alice reassured me that she still saw them fishing and that they would head home soon. I was anxious to see her again. I could feel the same impatience welling in me that I'd had when Alice had taken Bella shopping. That same almost out of control feeling I'd had because she was not near me, because I did not know where she was or how she was doing.

I was sitting in the living room with Alice, Jasper and Emmett when I heard Alice gasp. We all looked at her and she had a horrified expression on her face.

"What is it baby?" Jasper asked. He took her hands in his. "What do you see?"

"Nothing." Was Alice's whispered reply.

That's not true, Jasper thought. "I know you saw something; I can feel your anxiety. What was it?" he said.

I looked into Alice's head but all I saw was black. She was concentrating on that blackness but could not see past it.

"No, I mean it went blank. I can't see her future. It's gone." She whispered.

Her future? Bella? Blank? What did that mean? What was happening to Bella?

I jumped up. "Did you see something about Bella, Alice? What happened? Why can't you see?" I was standing in front of her, my hands fisted at my sides. I could feel the panic welling in me.

Let her figure it out! Jasper thought angrily. I nodded to him and unclenched my fists. I stepped away from Alice and Jasper took her in his arms, trying to comfort her as best as possible.

"I don't know Edward. I saw them driving home then it went blank. I would have seen if they were in an accident or something. This was different. It was like someone turned the light out. It was just black." He voice wavered in distress.

What is wrong? Why can't I see her? Is there something wrong with me? Alice thought.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Bella call me! Your future went blank. I can't see you. Call me when you get this."

She hung up and was furiously texting as well.

I called Bella's cell and got her voicemail.

"Bella please, please call me. Alice can't see your future anymore. I need to know that you are okay. I love you. Please call. I love you.

I sent her a text as well. Why didn't she answer?! It was beyond maddening!

Alice was scrolling through her visions, trying to see Bella but there was nothing. I called her one more time, frantic, but could only leave her a message telling her how much I loved her. Jasper held Alice, trying to calm her disquiet. I could see the strain of our anxiety etched on his face. Emmett sat quietly explaining to Rose, who had just come in from the garage, what was going on. I was torn. I wanted to leave immediately, drive or run until I had covered every square mile until I found her. But I had to stay here; I needed to know if Alice's visions returned. I could not risk being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I needed answers.

I was pacing back and forth at vampire speed. I heard Alice speak to Emmett quietly but was too agitated to listen properly. I wanted to go search for her but I had no idea where to look. Alice's vision of them in the truck was too generic for me to be able to determine where they were. Nothing but trees and roadway. That could be anywhere in Forks or the surrounding area.

I heard Alice pull out her phone again and she dialed a number at vampire speed. When she heard it ring she turned to Emmett. "Now." She said.

Before I could decipher what she meant I felt a pair of very strong arms come around me. Emmett had grabbed me from behind.

"What the hell are you doing Emmett? Let me go." I was infuriated. What was he thinking?

"Sorry, bro. Alice said that you might try something stupid and that I needed to grab onto you." He sounded apologetic. We know how much you tend to overreact, bro.

I tried to break free, managing only to break the coffee table. Emmett was using his full strength and all I could do was curse at him to let me go. Esme came downstairs to see what all the racket was but before I could say anything I heard Alice on the phone.

"Bella! Oh Bella, are you okay? Where are you? What are you doing?"

I instantly stilled. Bella had answered the phone finally. I could hear her on the other end. Where was she? I needed to talk to her, make sure she was safe. I struggled harder against Emmett's hold, to no avail. Bella was answering Alice's questions.

"My Dad and I went fishing today and we are on our way to a friend's house to share our catch with them. What's wrong?"

"Bella, I was so worried. You know I wasn't trying to watch you but I am in tune with you so much and a few minutes ago your whole future disappeared. Completely. It just went black. Edward is frantic. Emmett is holding him down to keep him from doing something foolish while I am talking to you. We needed to make sure you were okay before he took off after you. Where are you going, specifically?"

"La Push." I could not follow her there. The treaty prohibited it. Damn it! I growled in frustration. I struggled in Emmett's arms. My only thought was to go down there and get her, treaty be damned but Emmett's hold was too strong. That must be what he meant about doing something stupid. I was ready to do anything to have her back beside me now, safe and sound.

"Hmmm." Alice said. "Well that complicates things. We are not allowed down there."

Why can't I see her? Alice thought in frustration.

"Let me talk to him please, Alice." Bella wanted to speak to me but Emmett would not let me go. I fought against his hold but he would not budge. I needed to hear her voice in my ear.

"Alright, here he is." Alice said. She turned towards Emmett, eyeing me carefully before nodding. "You can let him go. It's okay."

Alice walked over to where Emmett was holding me and held out the phone. He released me and I reached for the phone quickly. Emmett put his hand on my shoulder to restrain me a little but I shrugged it off as I put the phone to my ear.

"Dammit Emmett! Let me go! Bella? Bella are you okay? I have been calling you and texting you all day! Why didn't you answer? Where are you? Are you alright?" I could hear the desperation in my voice and tried to calm my breathing.

"I'm fine, calm down Edward. Charlie and I were fishing and I left my phone in the truck. We are heading over to La Push to have dinner with Billy and Jacob. Everything is okay." She was trying to calm me down with her voice but it did nothing to assuage my fears for her safety. I could not protect her when she was on the reservation and apparently Alice's visions were blocked in some way while she was there.

"Alice can't see your future and I can't come down there to make sure your safe. Please, don't go. Come over to my house instead. I need to know that you are safe." I could hear the pleading in my voice but could do nothing to stop it.

"Dude, you have to calm down. She is with Charlie. He would give his right arm if it meant she was safe. You know that. So calm down. You are going to make her worried for nothing." Emmett said. He was right. Charlie could protect her but it wasn't the same as having her safe in my arms.

"I can't do that. We are already here. I am with my Dad. I will be perfectly fine. I have my phone with me now. You can text me every half hour if you need to. We should only be here for a few hours. Then I will come see you, okay?" Her voice was so calm and soothing. I knew there was nothing to do but wait for her to come home. But I felt like I was dying inside, aching with worry. I needed her to be safe. If anything happened to her…

"Please, Bella. Please, please, please be careful. I can't live without you, not again. Please just take care of yourself and stay close to Charlie. I know he can protect you. I will be texting you every half hour. And call me the minute you leave. Please. I love you. Please just be safe." I knew I was begging but I didn't care.

"I will, I promise. I love you too. Try not to worry. We are here. I have to go."

"I love you Bella. Please just be safe and come back to me." Please be safe, I repeated over and over in my head. I didn't know what I would do if something happened to her, if she had an accident or got hurt and I was not there to protect her.

"I will. I love you. Bye." She said.

"Bye my love." I hung up the phone and stood there staring at it for a long moment until Alice came up and took it from my hand. She led me over to the couch and forced me to sit down. I could only stare without seeing. I felt empty and worried and aching all at the same time.

"Edward. Edward! Look at me!" Alice's voice seemed far away.

"I know this is hard but you have to trust that Charlie would never let anything happen to Bella. All they are doing is eating dinner. And even though her future went blank obviously nothing happened to her. It has to be something to do with the reservation. Somehow it is blocking my visions. We need to see if we can figure out why instead of sitting here freaking out." Her voice was firm and authoritative.

I slowly turned my head to look at her. She was right. We needed to figure out why she could not see the future. And after tonight Bella would not be going to La Push until we knew what was happening with Alice's visions. We needed to talk to someone to see if we could figure this out.

"Carlisle." Was all I said.

Esme called the hospital to speak to Carlisle but he was with a patient. She left a message with the nurse telling him that there was a situation that needed his attention at home. She did not go into detail but I knew that Carlisle could read between the lines.

Thirty minutes later I could hear Carlisle's car coming up the drive. I swiftly sent a message to Bella.

I'm sorry if I worried you earlier. I panicked when I could not reach you and Alice could not see you. I told you I was overprotective. I just want you to be safe. I love you, Edward.

Bella replied quickly.

I know and I'm sorry I am not there with you in person but I couldn't do that to Charlie. I'm safe, doing nothing more hazardous than cooking dinner. Take the advice you always give me and BREATHE. I love you too. Bella

The twist on my own advice had me chuckling irrationally and I could feel the stares of my family. I took a few unnecessary deep breaths and found myself strangely calmed, a little anyway. I knew that spending time with Charlie was important to her and I felt bad for suggesting she leave him to come here, not matter how worried about her I was.

Carlisle came through the door before my siblings could ask me why I was amused.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking us all in at a glance. Jasper and Alice were on the loveseat, Jasper rubbing Alice's arms looking concerned and Alice frowning in frustration. Emmett and Rose were on the couch. Rose was flipping through a magazine but her nonchalance was forced. In her head she was turning over different possibilities regarding Alice's loss of visions. Emmett thoughts held a level of protectiveness towards Bella that almost matched my own. He was mentally imploring Bella to take care of herself. Esme was fluttering around rearranging flowers or dusting to keep herself physically occupied. Mentally she was agitated and hoped that we could find the reason for the block on Alice's visions of Bella.

I answered Carlisle's question.

"Bella's future went blank." Carlisle's eyebrows shot up. "Alice said that suddenly her future just wasn't there. She and Charlie went down to La Push and it seems like as soon as they made that decision, her future disappeared." I was holding my frustration at this situation in, but only barely.

"Has anyone talked to Bella? Is she alright?" Carlisle's voice was concerned.

"Yes, we spoke to her on the phone. She is fine; they are having dinner with the Blacks." I said.

Are you okay son? You are surprisingly calm about this.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. "No, I'm not. There is nothing I can do about it right now, Carlisle. I can't go down there because of the damn treaty. She knows how worried I am and has promised to stay by Charlie and to be safe. I have permission to text her every half hour to check on her." Carlisle smiled slightly.

Try not to be a stalker, Edward. He was laughing in his thoughts. Then he turned serious.

"So, what now?" He said, almost to himself. "Let's start with what we know and go from there."

"Something about the reservation is blocking Alice's vision. It seems like as soon as Bella decided to go there that her future disappeared. But that doesn't make sense. Bella has been to La Push since we met and her future hasn't disappeared before. So what has changed?" I was grateful to have something to occupy me. Seventeen minutes until I could text Bella again, I thought.

"That is a good question. It may not be the reservation itself but something new on the reservation instead." Carlisle was thoughtful. "Perhaps we should run the border, see if we can pick anything up?"

"Good idea. Let's go." I needed to get out of the house. To be doing something so all my focus was not on Bella. Fifteen minutes until I could text her.

Emmett, Carlisle and I took off towards the Quileute border. We ran through the woods, not saying much. As soon as we reached the treaty line we all stopped in shock, all of our noses wrinkled in repugnance. There was a horrible smell emanating from the Quileute side of the line. It smelled like wet dog wrapped in three year old unwashed gym socks. Disgusting. We all stared at each other in disbelief.

"Dude! Is that what I think it is? I haven't smelled that scent in years. Yeecch! It smells like a wet dog had a run in with a skunk." Emmett said. I noticed he wasn't breathing. Carlisle and I weren't either. We quickly turned and headed back home. The scent dissipated behind us and we started breathing again.

I sent Bella another text as we ran.

Still pining for your return but trying to be patient. How is dinner? Edward

Nothing disastrous has happened. =) We are about to eat now. Thank you for being patient. I miss you too. B

We made it to the house and burst inside. Everyone turned to look at us expectantly. Emmett, Carlisle and I all spoke at the same time.

"Werewolves!"

They stared at us in shock.

"Werewolves? How is that possible?" Rosalie asked. "I thought that gene died out since last time we were here."

Esme looked concerned and Alice was frowning, deep in thought. Jasper was trying to control all the varied emotions coming from us all while going over strategy in his head for this new situation.

"Apparently not. And there is no way of knowing how many of them there are or what level of maturity they are. They have to be fairly new since Alice's visions were not affected before now." Carlisle said. I realized what he was saying and terror coursed through me.

"Carlisle! That means Bella is down there surrounded by who knows how many young werewolves and there is nothing we can do about it without breaking the treaty! Oh my God!" I sank down onto the couch and sat forward, my head in my hands, frantically pulling at my hair.

Werewolves were dangerous no matter what but a young werewolf had almost no control. They could snap any minute with almost no provocation. And Bella was sitting there, completely unaware of the danger she was in. Panic flowed through my veins like liquid fire. I had to get her out of there.

"No Edward!" Alice yelled. I jumped, startled. She had been so quiet I had almost forgotten she was there.

"You can't go down there and you know it!" She cried. Everyone turned to look at me, shocked.

"Dammit Alice! You have never seen how volatile a young werewolf is! One wrong word and she could be killed! I have to do something!" I got up and turned toward the door, my only focus was Bella's safety so I didn't hear his thoughts until it was too late.

Emmett grabbed me again, trapping my arms at my sides. I thrashed in his grip, snarling and growling but I could not break free. I felt Jasper throwing wave after wave after wave of calm at me. I felt myself relax against my will and hung limply in Emmett's hold.

"You can't do that Edward!" Emmett growled. "You can't break the treaty. You know that. You have to think. If you go down there it will start a war. One that Bella and Charlie are sitting smack dab in the middle of. Either one of them could be killed. And so could any of us. You know as well as I do that besides another vampire that werewolves are about the only other thing out there that can hurt us. You have to think, dude."

I growled in frustration. He was right. Bella or Charlie or any of my family could be seriously hurt. But Bella could be in danger right now and there was no way we would know about it until it was too late! I began to struggle again.

Jasper picked up on the renewed panic running through me and tossed another wave of calm my way.

"You have got to calm down and be rational, Edward." He said. "I know it is hard to do with the thought of Bella in danger but this threatens all of us too. You can't go running off with no thought to what repercussions your actions will bring."

I sighed, defeated. He was right too. I could not put my family in danger. I could not jeopardize them or Bella.

Emmett felt my surrender and released me, though he stayed close to me just in case.

"So what do we do?" I asked. I heard the weariness in my voice. I sat down heavily on the couch, feeling like my legs would not hold me up another second.

"We will have to be more vigilant about the treaty borders." Carlisle said. "I will do some research to see what I can find out about this particular breed of wolf. I don't believe that they are true werewolves. More like shape shifters. That will make a difference if we ever have to have a confrontation with them."

"Shape shifters?" Esme said.

"Yes," Carlisle replied, "not true werewolves. True werewolves are only able to change during the full moon and they have no control in their animal state. We would have heard if there were true werewolves on the loose. There would be a huge rise in homicides." He grimaced as he finished speaking.

"I believe that these "wolves" are simply shifting back and forth between human and wolf at will. That might explain why Alice cannot see their future. The decision to change is usually made so rapidly, sometimes without their control, and it keeps their futures in a constant state of flux. And when Bella and Charlie chose to combine their future with theirs it put them beyond your sight, Alice."

I realized then that Carlisle had seen and done so much in his long life. So many things that even after all this time I was unaware of it all.

"That makes sense, Carlisle. But what now? We can't let Bella run around with me being unable to see her future. But do we tell her about the wolves?" Alice asked.

"Absolutely not." I said. "There is no reason to worry her with this. Dealing with vampires is bad enough. We don't need to throw more mythical creatures her way."

"She should be told, Edward." Carlisle said. "How can she protect herself if she doesn't know what to protect herself from?"

"She can't protect herself at all, Carlisle. We are not going to tell her about this."

"What about if she wants to go back to La Push, Edward?" Esme asked.

"I will do my best to dissuade her then. She is not going back there."

"Edward it will do more harm then good to keep this from her." Esme said.

I shook my head. Bella did not need anymore stress in her life. I would keep her away from La Push and she would never need to know about the existence of werewolves.

My family did not agree with my decision but they saw I would not change my mind and were resigned. I noticed that forty five minutes had gone by and sent Bella a text.

Are you having fun? I miss you. Remember to call me when you are leaving. Edward

You're late young man! I hope you have an excuse from your mother! =) I am going to be leaving here soon. Charlie said that it was alright to spend the night. See you soon. B

I sent a silent thanks to Charlie for letting Bella stay over. I didn't think I could let her out of my sight after the day I'd had.

Twenty minutes later my phone rang. Bella's name appeared on the caller ID and I snatched my phone open.

"Bella?" I said anxiously.

"Hi, Edward. Are you okay?" She asked. I was touched by the note of worry in her voice. She was always more worried about me than she was herself.

"I'm fine Bella. Are you alright?"

"Of course. I took a walk on the beach and we all ate dinner. I managed to get out of there because a game came on and they were all so engrossed." She giggled a little. I could hear her opening and closing her truck door and the roar of the engine as it started.

"Look, I don't want you to drive one handed so I am going to hang up. I will see you in a few minutes." As much as I wanted to talk to her I didn't want to tempt fate when she was on her way to see me. I made a mental note to buy her one of those hands-free cell phone earpieces.

She hesitated. "I should really shower and change before I come over, Edward. I'm a mess." I could almost feel her blush from here.

"No!" I said, a little too loudly. "I mean, no, you can shower here. Alice still has plenty of clothes for you to wear here." I paused, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just want to see you as soon as possible." I said sheepishly.

She sighed. "Alright. I'll head that way then. See you soon. I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon. Be careful." Please drive safely, I thought in my head.

"I will, bye."

"Bye my love."

I hung up. Now all I had to do is wait.

A few minutes later I heard Alice gasp again. All eyes went to her and she was laughing and sighing in relief.

"I can see her again! She has left the reservation and is on her way here. She should be here soon." She was giggly and exited and I could here in her head how happy she was to see Bella's future again.

"Edward, you might want to reconsider telling her about the werewolves. She is not going to take it well if you don't." Alice said.

I shook my head. "I have made up my mind, Alice. I cannot put all that stress on her."

"But Edward-." Alice said. She tried to show me a vision in her head but I blocked her thoughts.

"No Alice." I said firmly. She sighed and shook her head. I heard her mutter "stubborn vampire" under her breath. Stubborn or not, it was my responsibility to protect Bella.

I sat back, waiting for her to arrive.

After fifteen minutes I was vowing to put her in a new car as soon as possible, even if I had to disable her truck to do it. Her truck was so slow it was a wonder that she ever got anywhere on time. The waiting was excruciating. Even knowing she was alright I had to hold her in my arms. I needed it. Like my body needed blood. I had to feel her arms around me to fully believe that she was safe.

About ten minutes later I could hear her truck roaring up the drive. I ran out onto the porch to wait for her. I could feel the rest of my hovering near the doorway. She pulled up in front of the house and I was beside the driver's side door in an instant. I opened the door and took her hand, practically dragging her out of the truck and into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and buried my face in her hair, inhaling deeply. Her scent calmed me, soothed my worries. She encircled my waist and slowly drew her hands up and down my spine. She pressed her cheek into my chest and made soft soothing sounds. I thought she was trembling but was shocked to find that it was me.

"Shh. It's okay baby. I'm here. I'm okay. It's going to be alright." She said whispered.

"I was so scared." I whispered. "I didn't know where you were or of you were alright. I couldn't be there to protect you if something happened. I never want to feel that helpless again. I love you so much." I heard the distraught tone of my voice but could not prevent it.

"I love you too. Let's go inside so I can find out what is going on." She said, slowly pulling her arms from around me.

Unwillingly I released her, but kept my arm around her waist as we walked towards the house. Alice met us at the bottom of the steps and drew Bella into a hug, though I still did not remove my arm from around her.

"Bella I am so glad I can see you again. I was so shocked and worried. That has never happened before. I am so glad you are okay." Alice trilled.

"I'm fine Alice, I promise. But I am curious to hear what has happened. Why couldn't you see me before but now you can?"

Alice looked at me before looking back at Bella.

"Let's talk about it in the house." I said.

Tell her the truth Edward. I'm telling you she is going to be mad if you don't.

I shook my head slightly. It was better for her not to know right now.

We walked up the steps and into the house.

My family backed away from the door now that they saw that Bella truly was alright. They were all worried about her too. Everyone sat down. Bella sat with me on the loveseat and I put one arm around her shoulders, running my fingers through her hair. I took her hand with my free one and rubbed her knuckles with my thumb. I felt such a strong need for contact.

"So, what happened Alice? You said you couldn't see me anymore. What does that mean?" Bella asked.

"Well, like I said I am really in tune with you and I had been kind of been keeping tabs on you all day for Edward." She shrugged sheepishly. Bella waved her hand in dismissal and Alice smiled.

"Anyway, all of a sudden it was like someone turned out all the lights. One second you were riding in the truck with Charlie and the next you were gone. It was just black. I have never had that happen to me before."

"And you think it has something to do with me being on the reservation?" Bella asked, bemused.

"We are not entirely sure what caused it." I said. "Though it seems that when you merge your future with the Quileute's that your future is lost."

"Oh. But why now? I mean, I've been down to La Push since I've known you all and this has never happened before. That you told me about anyway." Bella looked at Alice when she said the last part and Alice shook her head no in confirmation.

"So what's changed now?" Bella asked.

We all hesitated. Bella looked at everyone then up at me.

"What? What are you not telling me?" She asked suspiciously.

"There is nothing to worry about Bella. We are just not one hundred percent sure of what is going on." I said. This was true, sort of.

"What do you think is going on then?" She asked warily.

I shook my head. "We have to do some research. Until then it is nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about…" She echoed. "So there is something going on but you are not going to tell me?" Her voice was flat, making it more a statement than a question.

She looked at the faces of my family, eyes narrowed. Everyone was keeping their faces intentionally blank.

You should tell her Edward-Alice

She is suspicious and slightly perturbed Ed-Jasper

I think we should tell her. She is stronger than you give her credit for Eddie boy-Emmett

I feel so guilty not telling her the truth.-Esme.

I felt Bella draw in a breath.

"So there is nothing to worry about?" She was speaking each word slowly, carefully.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"And there is nothing you want to tell me? Nothing I should be aware of?" She asked, looking at me for confirmation.

"No, everything is fine." It was. We could handle the werewolves and she would not have to add them to her nightmares.

"Hmmm, well okay then." She said indifferently. She pulled her hand from mine and stood up.

"I will just be going then." She said abruptly and turned towards the door. We were all frozen in shock for a moment then I found my voice.

"Wait-no-I thought you were staying the night?" I asked puzzled. Her sudden departure confused me. I could not be without her now, not after the day I'd had worrying about her.

Bella turned around, eyes flashing. I was taken aback by her sudden anger.

"That is when I thought I was going to be staying with my family. You all obviously do not think of me the same way I think of you so I am leaving."

There was a moment of shocked silence then everyone was speaking at once.

"Of course you are our family." Esme cried.

"You and I are sisters Bella!" Alice exclaimed

"Don't do something rash." Jasper said.

"Bella we love you." Emmett said, pouting.

Bella held up her hand and everyone stopped talking.

"How can I be real family if you are all lying to me, whether by words or silence? You have no secrets from each other but you are clearly keeping something from me." She said angrily. She stared at each of us in turn and I could see the hurt in her eyes.

"Bella-." I started but she interrupted.

"I know you are not telling me the truth. Maybe all of your lying skills work better on strangers, people who don't know you, but I do know all of you and I can tell you are all keeping something from me. So tell me what it is or I am going home." She crossed her arms across her chest and stood, glaring at me.

"Bella, it is for your own good that you don't know." I said placating.

She gasped and her eyes narrowed. I heard Jasper sigh behind me.

"For my own good?!" She practically shrieked. I winced at the sound.

"We talked about this Edward. About making decisions together. Remember? Partners? Equals? How can we be together if you don't trust me?" Her voice was indignant.

"Of course I trust you Bella! I trust you with my life!" There was no one I trusted more than her.

"You don't trust me enough Edward. You don't trust me enough to tell me the truth. You don't think I can deal with it so you just decided not to tell me. You are doing it again! Making decisions about my life without even talking to me about it. I am not sure what it is you are keeping from me this time but I do know you don't think I am strong enough to handle it."

"I am just trying to protect you." I said in appeasement.

"You cannot wrap me up in bubble wrap Edward. Guess what? Life is unpleasant sometimes. There are things out there that might shock me or hurt me or disrupt my life. But it is far better to deal with them head on than to be blindsided by them later. You're not telling me what is going on now to protect me. But what if I am hurt by that very thing because you didn't trust me enough to let me deal with it?"

I was shocked. I saw her point. Our conversation in my bedroom came back to me. I had to let her make her own decisions about her life. By not doing so I was stifling her. I was falling back on my old patterns. I warred with myself about telling her about the Quileutes but I realized that if we were going to be on equal footing in our relationship there could not be secrets between us.

I dropped my head and sighed.

"Your right, of course. I'm sorry. It's just that you mean so much to me and the thought of something distressing you hurts me. I can't bear to see you under any kind of stress."

"I understand that Edward, but stress is a natural part of life, human or vampire. There is no escaping it. You have to believe in me, believe that I can handle it. If you don't see me as your equal there is no way we can be together. I may not have vampire abilities but I would like to think that by now you realize that I am not some shrinking violet. I can handle whatever it is. You have to trust me enough to believe that. You have to have faith that I can make good decisions. You have to have faith in me."

I was staggered. She was right, again, as usual. She was strong. She had proven that to me over and over again in the last month. Everything she had done since making the decision to find me had reinforced how strong she was. And even before that, from the first moment I had met she has shown me what an indomitable person she was. I was only now realizing the depth of her fortitude. She had proven over and over again that she could withstand whatever life threw at her and still come out on the other side. Why had I not seen this before? How could I have underestimated her so much? Because you are an idiot Edward, I thought to myself. Shame and guilt filled me.

I can feel what you are going through Edward. Now fix it. Jasper thought.

I looked at Bella, who still stood fuming before me.

"When did you become so much smarter than me?" I asked, with a trace of a smile. I saw the corners of her lips lift slightly before she answered.

"I always have been." She said smugly and smirked at me.

"Yes, I think you have." I conceded with a small smile. "I'm sorry Bella. I think protecting you is so ingrained in me that it is my first instinct, even if that instinct is wrong. I am only just starting to understand how strong a person you are, though I should have realized it long ago. I do have faith in you, I really do. It is just such a struggle; protecting you and letting you go at the same time." I hung my head.

"Edward, look at me." I looked up and saw compassion in her eyes.

"I know that you only want what is best for me. But we did talk about this. You can want what's best for me, but acting on it without talking to me first is wrong. We can handle anything that comes as long as it is together, remember?"

I could not help myself. I pulled her towards me and buried my head in the curve of her neck. She wrapped one arm around my waist and stroked my hair with her free hand.

"Together, always." My mantra.

She pulled away and took my face in her delicate warm hands.

"Now we are going to sit down and you are going to tell me exactly what is going on." Her voice was stern and her eyes blazed with determination. I nodded in her hands. She pulled my head down and kissed me softly before releasing me and grabbing my hand. I turned and realized that my family had witnessed our scene. Bella noticed too and her cheeks flamed, though her steps did not falter as she led me to the couch and we sat down.

I told you she would be angry. Alice thought.

When we had settled, Bella turned to me.

"Now, tell me. What is going on?"

I took a deep breath.

"How much do you know about the Quileute legends?" I asked.

She looked baffled.

"Not much really. Jacob Black told me about the legend of the Cold Ones and about all of you. He mentioned something about their descendants but it has been a while and I don't remember what he said."

"Well, according to tribal legend they are descendant from wolves. What most of the tribe doesn't know it that the legends are true." I waited to see her reaction.

Her brow furrowed. "You mean they are descendant from wolves? What does that mean?"

"It means that they are wolves, some of them anyway." I said.

"Wolves? Like, real wolves? So…that means they are what? Werewolves or something?" She sounded skeptical.

"Or something." I said.

Her brows shot up.

"Really? Werewolves? The whole howling at the moon, silver bullet kind of werewolves?" She sounded disbelieving.

I rolled my eyes.

"Those are Hollywood versions of werewolves Bella. And we don't think that they are werewolves in the truest sense of the word. These wolves are what you would call shape shifters. I think the choice of wolves is arbitrary. They could have morphed into kittens or elephants. But somehow they chose wolf form."

She paused and I let her gather her thoughts.

"So members of the Quileutes are werewolves? Why now?" She asked looking at all of us.

"What do you mean dear?" Esme asked.

"Well it seems like this is a new development. So why are they shape shifting now? What is different now? And how do you know about them in the first place if you are not allowed on La Push? Does this have anything to do with the treaty thing you were talking about?" I was mildly surprised at how well she was taking all of this news.

"We don't know what is causing them to shift now. Something recent it seems has caused that dormant gene to kick in." Carlisle said. "The treaty you mentioned was enacted seventy years ago. Edward, Rose, Emmett and I were here and stumbled onto their tribal lands. They had all heard legends of us and so knew instinctively what we were. I was able to convince them that we meant no harm to the humans here and so we made a treaty. As long as we stayed clear of La Push and did not harm any humans they would not reveal us. The leader at that time was a man named Ephraim Black."

"So he was Jacob's great grandfather? That makes sense. Billy knew what you were. I convinced him not to tell Charlie. But I was always surprised that he believed the legends so much but I can see how he would now."

She paused for a moment, a contemplative look on her face. Then suddenly she giggled. Then the giggle turned to full on laughter. She started to laugh uncontrollably. I was worried that I had finally made her snap when she spoke, gasping for breath.

"W-w-werewolves?" She said laughing. "Seriously?" *giggle* You were worried about telling me about werewolves?" She laughed. "Edward," she shook her head, "I spend most of my day hanging around vampires and a good portion of my time kissing one. Do you really think I would not be able to handle hearing about another mythical creature?" She laughed.

I paused before I realized she was right, I was absurd. I laughed and everyone else joined with me. "I guess I should have realized that you would not be afraid like a normal human." Then I sobered up. "But Bella, these werewolves are dangerous. This is not like a movie. These wolves can change instantly, at will and are ruled by their emotions. If you are too close to them when they morph it can be dangerous or deadly. Please understand that."

She nodded solemnly. "I understand. And it is better that you told me now. Jacob invited me to a bonfire next week and-." I started to speak but she held up her hand. "And now that I know about the wolves I am going to tell him I can't come." I closed my mouth and nodded. I was glad that she was going to see reason. She must have read my expression.

"I do have some sense of self-preservation you know. And besides that it worries the hell out of you. That is not something I want to do to you. I have no real reason to go down there anyway unless it is with Charlie so it is not a hardship not to."

I hugged her to my chest. "Thank you." I whispered.

She giggled and I pulled back to look at her face.

"See how much better it is to tell me the truth to begin with?" She laughed and my family joined her.

Much better indeed, I thought.