A/N: I know it's been a long time since I updated this story. I'm sorry. Here are two chapters for those of you who have stuck with this one.

Edward helped Bella from the front seat of the cruiser in the school parking lot. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

"Nervous," she replied. It wasn't a lie.

"You are so beautiful."

He wanted to say more; Bella could tell. But Charlie, in an obvious maneuver that he meant to be subtle, shrugged in between them and put his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"Are you excited?"

"Not really."

"Bella, this is a big deal. You're graduating from high school. It's the real world for you now. College. Living on your own … You're not my little girl anymore." Bella knew that her dad was choking up.

"Dad, please don't get all weepy on me."

"Who's weepy? Now why aren't you excited?"

"I don't know, Dad. I guess it hasn't hit yet or something."

"It's good that Alice is throwing this party. You need something to perk you up."

"Sure. A party's exactly what I need." Charlie laughed at her tone and squeezed her shoulders.

Everything went as planned through the ceremony. She couldn't believe that she was doing something so mundane as going through a graduation ceremony when there was a sadistic vampire wanting to kill her.

After the fact, she was standing with Edward. "Congratulations."

"Um, thanks."

"You don't look like you're over the nerves yet."

"Not quite yet."

"What's left to worry about? The party? It won't be that horrible."

"You're probably right."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Alice – where is she?"

"She ran out as soon as she had her diploma." Seeing the confusion on his face, Bella decided to tell him.

"Worrying about Alice?"

"Er…."

Knowing that her next statement would tip him off that she knew exactly what was going on she asked the question anyway. "What was she thinking about, anyway? To keep you out, I mean."

"She was translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic, actually. When she finished that, she moved on to Korean sign language."

"I suppose that would keep her head busy enough."

"You know what she's hiding from me."

"Sure. I'm the one who came up with it." She looked around, knowing that Charlie would be coming through the crowd to find her. "Knowing Alice, she'll probably try to keep this from you until after the party. But since I'm all for the party being canceled – well, don't go berserk, regardless, okay? It's always better to know as much as possible. It has to help somehow."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just stay calm, okay?" When he nodded she continued. "I think you're wrong about things coming at us from all sides. I think it's mostly coming at us from one side … and I think it's coming at me, really. It's all connected, it has to be. It's just one person who's messing with Alice's visions. The stranger in my room was a test, to see if someone could get around her. It's got to be the same one who keeps changing his mind, and the newborns, and stealing my clothes – all of it goes together. My scent is for them." His face had gone so white she wasn't sure if she should continue. "But no one's coming for you, don't you see? This is good – Esme and Alice and Carlisle, no one wants to hurt them!"

His eyes were wide with panic as he realized, just as Alice had, that she was right.

Just then, Charlie showed up. He wrapped his arms around her which shuffled Edward off to the side ever so neatly. "Congradulations, baby!"

"Thanks." She was worried about Edward who still hadn't gained control. He reached for her as if he was going to grab her and run for it. In her mind, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Charlie kept talking to her and she was trying to pay attention. But she realized that Alice had been right to keep her thoughts clouded. It had been a supremely bad idea to tell him right then.

Charlie pushed a little and Bella gave into eating dinner at the Lodge. Edward turned him down when invited. He was a little short with Charlie which led the man to believe that he and Bella were fighting.

****

Sitting at the lodge, Bella could hardly eat anything. She felt awful about springing that on Edward the way she had but at least now he knew.

Since her back was to the front windows she had to fight to resist the urge to turn and look for the eyes she could feel watching her right then. She knew that nothing would make Edward leave her unprotected now. Not knowing what she had figured out.

She wanted to hurry out of there so much that when Charlie put a tip on the table she stood up.

"In a hurry?"

"I want to help Alice set things up."

"Okay."

As he turned to say goodbye to everyone, Bella all but ran for the cruiser. She stood by the passenger door impatiently.

Something moved in the shadows.

A sigh of relief was born of her gasp of fear as Edward walked out of the shadows. He pulled her in close and kissed her lips. She felt the tension in his jaw.

"How are you?"

"Not so great. But I've got a handle on myself. I'm sorry that I lost it back there."

"My fault. I should have waited to tell you."

"No. This is something I needed to know. I can't believe I didn't see it!"

"You've got a lot on your mind."

A gentle touch of his hand on her cheek warmed her heart. "And you don't?"

He kissed her again before she could answer and pulled away after far too short a time. "Charlie's on his way."

"I'll have him drop me at your house."

"I'll follow you there."

"That's ---" He was gone before she could finish.

Charlie arrived just after that and they left the Lodge. Bella could never have dreamed what would happen next in the wild adventure she called her life.