A/N: I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and wonderful/safe New Years! Sorry I have been putting off this story. Part of it was writers block and part of it was working on a few holiday stories for other genres. All my notes on this story including my outline have been lost and I had to rethink everything. So, it might not actually turn out how I originally intended. Hopefully it won't be terrible though. I kind of feel lost myself without my notes, however, apparently when I went to the doc one day and was working on stuff there, I left it behind somewhere along the way and no one has seen it. I apologize for leaving you hanging so long. Here is the new chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 35 – Murderous Threats

"Alice said that the time table has changed. Taking Bella away has delayed some things, so take your time. She is still a newborn and still dangerous," Carlisle passed on the information he had received just that morning.

Jasper sighed and then instantly sucked in his breath when his mate walked out of the bathroom wrapped in nothing but a towel, which left little to the imagination since it barely covered anything. Instantly hard, he had to refocus his mind in order to carry on the conversation with his leader, "I… *gulp*… I still don't trust James or Edward. The little shit knows how Alice's visions work and they could actually be plannin' somethin' else right now." He had to turn away from the vision floating towards him and stood looking out the window, his back to Bella. She had woken up only about 24 hours ago and already Jasper was trying to decide when to go back to Forks. He had to be fucked in the head to consider something so crazy. A single newborn vampire loose in that small community could wreak havoc in no time and call down the judgment of the Volturi; not exactly something anyone wanted. Yes, they would all be watching her and attempting to make sure nothing happened, but controlling a newborn wasn't always the easiest thing in the world… for most people. Luckily he had experience.

"We don't either, but it is the best we can do for now."

"What about the wolves?"

"Something is happening on the reservation, but we aren't sure what and Sam isn't talking to us."

"How do you know?"

"Peter and Charlotte said when they were patrolling yesterday, they heard a lot of growling and the number guarding the boarder have increased."

"Their numbers have increased?"

"Could be, but in the past they only had one or two at the border. Now they have three and sometimes four at a time. We have never known how large their pack is, so either their numbers have increased or they are focusing on the dividing line for some reason."

"With James causin' the problems he has, it is no wonder."

"Peter said they were focused on both sides. They could also be trying to keep something in."

"A rouge wolf? Has Jacob called or said anythin'?" A thought popped into his head and he had to confirm it.

"No one has seen him off the reservation lately."

"Last time we saw him, he was a might peeved at me and Bella. He wanted her to go with him and she wouldn't. He was on the verge of changin'. We all knew it was just a matter of time."

"I know."

"New wolves are sometimes just as hard to control as newborns and if they feel they have a mission to complete…" Jasper's voice tapered off as he thought about what he was saying.

Carlisle ran a hand over his face, "If that is the case, we might have to worry about more than just James and Edward."

"Exactly. Be careful. They can be dangerous, and I don't exactly trust those other mutts to keep one of their kind on a leash."

"I agree. It could be nothing, but I would rather err on the side of caution. I will ask Alice to see if she can see anything with them."

"She might not be able to."

"What do you mean?"

Silence filled the air for a brief moment and then the southern vampire explained, "We never really said anythin', but Alice has been able to see the wolves. Whenever Bella's around them, she disappears from Alice's visions as well. We aren't sure why though."

This wasn't good. If Alice couldn't see the wolves then they were working with a blind spot. "There could be several different explanations for it."

"I agree. Just be careful and know in regards to the dogs, we might not be able to use her."

"Alright."

"How is Bella doing?"

Finding a smile for the first time over the course of their conversation, Jasper said, "She's more beautiful than ever. She doesn't exactly act like a newborn though."

"What do you mean?" The patriarch questioned, slightly bewildered. Going by the past and all of the interactions he had had with the young lady, she had never acted per the status quo. She had accepted them without question and never worried her life might be in danger. She treated them as if they were normal… with a less than normal diet. Never had she been afraid, not of the Cullen clan. Hearing that he wasn't acting like an average newborn was only mildly surprising, and completely fascinating for the doctor.

Jasper thought about how to answer the question as he glanced over his shoulder and found the woman in question, laying on the bed in still nothing but the towel and his dick lurched. He wanted her, needed to bury himself in her, to completely mark her as his so that no one would dare try to take her away from him. Normally his mind could process a number of different things at once, and yet, with Bella around, he found it hard to concentrate on anything but her right now. God they needed to take care of their problem people fast because he would rather give her his completely attention right now. Turning back towards the window and attempting to give Carlisle is completely and undivided attention again, he said, "She isn't solely focused on blood." It confused him and he felt slightly envious of her because of all the issues he had in the past, plus of what he had witnessed as a leader in Maria's army, however, he also felt proud to call her his. How did she do it?

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we have probably been inside the cabin just as much if not more than we have been out huntin'."

"I see," and he did too. Most newborns were not interested in being cooped up in a cabin regardless if their mate was there or not. Their urges were to hunt and kill, and that was always at the forefront of their mind.

"She has been able to act like her old self for the most part… with some improvements," the Texan's smile grew ever so slightly thinking about the fact he no longer had to be careful or treat her like glass; although he didn't mind it, she made it easy to forget himself sometimes.

Carlisle was happy for Jasper. He had known the southern vampire had struggled for years and carried around a loneliness that Alice had not ever been able to cure; and there were times he wondered if the empathy and seer were really mates. They weren't, but he had never really been completely sure in the beginning, only learning the truth long after he joined the Cullen family. And then Bella came along. Jasper lit up and looked happier than the patriarch could ever remember seeing him. This once human girl had been Jasper's savior… at least in Carlisle's eyes. "She has always been special."

"She has."

"JW," the whispered voice came from the bed, beckoning him to her.

Clearing his throat, Jasper said, "If you get more information, give me a call."

The patriarch wasn't fooled, with his vampire hearing he heard Bella call out to her mate. "I will. You two be careful." He disconnected the phone call without another word knowing his son was already consumed mentally with his mate. "As it should be," a whisper on the wind escaped his lips. That was how it should be, and yet, right now they had to think about other issues and the danger surrounding their world. Bella had been forced to be changed early, she had been forced out of school and away from her friends, and her father, as well as the Cullen's, were in danger.

"James and Edward are leaving the area, but they will be back in a month. Edward's eyes will be red again. They know Bella has been taken away," Alice called out from the doorway to Carlisle's office.

"Why?"

Locking eyes with her coven leader, she said, "Recruits."

"A month…" he repeated. Still not trusting the two vampires to remain gone for a month, he asked, "What about the reservation?"

She shook her head and dropped it sadly, "I can't see anything."

"It's not your fault. We'll keep our own patrols up and watch them ourselves."

"How is Bella?"

"Jasper said she isn't normal."

"I knew she wouldn't be," she grinned. As a vampire who would see the future, she had seen so much and Jasper was just witnessing the tip of the iceberg. Bella had been made for Jasper. They were the perfect match, and one day, they would see exactly why they were destined for each other.

Turning around to step out of the room, she called out, "Charlie is about to call."

The moment the door closed, Carlisle's phone started to ring, "Hello?"

"Doctor Cullen, it's Charlie. Have you heard from Bella? I tried to call her cell phone and keep getting voice mail."

"I haven't talked to her, but Jasper has and he said she is settling in just fine. I believe she tried to call, but with the time difference, she decided to wait. Is everything alright?" The lies came out smoothly from centuries of practice.

"Yah, I just wanted to be sure she got settled in and was okay."

"She is, but if I hear anything, I will make sure I tell her to call you and will let Jasper know the same."

"Thanks."

"What's wrong?" There was something in the other man's voice that sounded off to the doctor.

"Two more bodies were found in the woods. Hikers and strangers to the area, but it is the same as with everyone else. Can you take a look at them for me?" Charlie hated to ask, but this being a small town, sometimes the local doctors had to double as pathologists or coroners. Add that to the fact that the Cullen patriarch seemed to be more knowledgeable than most coroners Charlie had met during his time in law enforcement, and he valued the doctor's opinion… even if his family was odd and rumors circulated about them just as much as a celebrity in the tabloids.

"I can go over to the morgue now and examine them. So you think it is the same animal?"

"Yah, but I don't know what kind it could be. If you have any ideas, let me know."

"I will." Carlisle knew exactly what kind of animal it was, but he couldn't pass that information on to Charlie. What would the police chief say if he found out his own daughter was now one of those animals, or that the entire Cullen family were animals? Vegetarians to be sure, but they were still vampires and still the same kind of animals that were draining the victims. For that matter, what would Charlie think if he learned the reservation had a pack of humans that shapeshifted into wolves? The chief would probably think he needed to be admitted into Bedlam. The secrets had to be protected.

Examining the corpses, Carlisle was positive that James and Edward had committed these heinous murders, and he had never been more sure that they needed to be stopped. Although he didn't relish killing anyone, least of all his first son, there was no other alternative and Edward had made his decision when he bargained a deal with the devil.

His proof of the murderer came when he opened the mouth of the second victim and found a piece of paper lying on the tongue. Pulling it out and opening it, he found Edward's handwriting staring back at him, "I will pull her out of the darkness and save her from herself. She is mine." His stomach turned at how deluded his son had become, how far the boy he had turned had fallen. Had he missed any signs that Edward was so close to losing it? Had he been blind? Carlisle hoped he hadn't, but hindsight was always 20/20 and he could see the small clues he had chosen to ignore. The melancholy and depression, the possessiveness even before Bella walked into their lives, and some of the things he had said after he returned to the coven after his rebellious stage. The doctor wasn't sure if he could have stopped any of this from happening, but Edward had not been completely right after he left the family for a brief period of time. Maybe his mindreading ability was driving him over the edge, or listening to the thoughts of others as he killed them had made him snap. Who knew for sure, however, regardless of the past, Edward had to be stopped now.

On the reservation…

Sam glared at the figure laying on a cot in the cage. He had released Jacob to find Bella, and then found the teen in wolf form running amuck in the woods and scaring the people around the town because she had already fled with Jasper. Jacob was out of control and Sam had to put him back in confinement because when the pack had finally found the brown wolf, he was staring down a human and growling. There was no way to tell if he would attack or not, and as alpha, Sam could not take the chance.

"As a leech, she is an enemy now," the leader called out.

Jacob flipped over and showed the other man his back, "I'll kill Jasper Hale for murdering her."

"She went willingly and you can't touch them."

Jumping off the cot and turning it over in his haste, Jacob shifted and leaped towards the bars, snarling at his captor, "You didn't have to give them permission. You are just as guilty as him." Pacing like the caged animal he was, he glared at the man on the other side, growling. If he could he would kill Sam along with Jasper.

"It was either that or let her be torn apart. Plus, this is what she wanted."

"NO!"

"If you don't calm down, you won't be coming out of there. You almost attacked an innocent person!"

Jacob said nothing, choosing instead to once again turn his back on the alpha. Breathing deeply, he tried to calm down and shift back to his human form. It must have worked because he heard the sound of clapping coming from behind him.

"Impressive. You are closer, but you still have a long way to go," Sam said before he left the teen. He had received information about Paul's recent ability to cut off the pack, and he needed to investigate. Sometimes he just wanted to get rid of the lot of them and start over, but he couldn't. Instead, he would deal with the problems himself and deal justice when he needed to. He would control his pack and they would submit.