A/N: So, I wanted to let you guys know what's up, and why I haven't been updating my other stories recently. My computer crashed, taking all my files with it. I had these few chapters of this story done and sent to a friend, so I didn't lose them, but my mostly completed chapters for Awake and This Isn't Happening were gone. I've been posting the stuff I already have done, but I haven't been starting new chapters quite yet. My husband has had some time off work, which hasn't happened in a long time, so we've been doing stuff with our family that we haven't really been able to do. But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and it's back to work for the hubby. So I'll start writing those soon, and hopefully I'll have everything updated in a week or two. All I have left for Awake is the epilogue, and I've only got two chapters left for Fire and Ice, so I'm going to try to finish both those off first. It might be a couple weeks before I update this. Probably not, I'm too addicted to this story to not write it for too long. Thanks for bearing with me.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me and reviewed. You guys are awesome. Enjoy!

The rain pounded on the roof of the car as Hermione and Carlisle sat in silence in the front seats.

"Nervous?" he asked, looking over at her.

"A little," she admitted. She had no doubts about being able to successfully hunt an animal, but more nervous that the animal would not satisfy and she, despite the Cullen's careful planning, would hurry to the closest populated area and jump on anything she could sink her teeth into. It had taken all her effort that morning not to jump through the glass of the car to get to a woman walking her dog they had passed on their way to the large forest. She wanted Jasper. He had gone off with Alice and Amir traveling in the opposite direction to minimize the danger to the Cullens, and to get far enough away that a slip-up wouldn't get back to the pack.

"You will do wonderfully," he assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder. His phone rang, and he answered without dropping his gaze from her.

"We found a big bear," Emmett said, the smile evident on his face even over the phone. "Two and a half miles south. It'll be a piece of cake for her. Rose and Eddie are taking their places."

"Thank you, Emmett," Carlisle nodded, closing the phone. "Are you ready, dear?"

Hermione nodded once, and threw the door open. She walked casually to the front of the car, where Carlisle came to stand next to her. It took much less effort than she had anticipated as she let her thoughts open up to Edward. Right now, she'd do anything for blood.

"Edward is out there, listening to your thoughts, so he'll know if something is going wrong. Rosalie and Emmett are also nearby to stop you if you get distracted."

She nodded again, knowing this already. That had been the plan, though Rosalie had only volunteered that morning when Hermione expressed doubts.

"Would you like me to hold your wand?"

"Yes," she forced out, and slowly, as if she knew parting from it would cause great pain, she handed the wand to Carlisle, who carefully placed it in his pocket.

"We'll start south. Keep sniffing, you should be able to catch the scent in a mile or so. I'm not aware of your hunting strategy, but however you want to go from there I'll leave it up to you. I'll follow about half a mile behind you, so you don't feel threatened."

"Thank you," she whispered, looking up into his kind eyes before tearing south. Not too long after she caught the scent of blood. Unappealing, but blood nevertheless. She paused, and heard Carlisle do the same behind her. She closed her eyes and listened, and heard hundreds of tiny, rapid heartbeats around her before she focused on one, large and rhythmic, the source of the unappetizing smell.

It took her a fraction of a second to decide what to do. She lightly jumped to the trees, running along branches, making long, high jumps, focused entirely on her goal. She stopped short when she spotted it, the giant bear bent over a small river, poking it's paw in looking for a fish, confident in his spot as the top predator in the area.

Her eyes flicked around. She could smell them. Emmett was standing directly across from her, urging her to strike. Carlisle was moving cautiously towards her, but still a third of a mile away. Edward was the nearest, perched high in a tree, overlooking the area and keeping an eye out for any humans that might not be deterred by the bad weather. Rosalie was better hidden, but her scent was still on the air. She had to take a second for her brain to register that they weren't a threat, and wouldn't attack her when she took down her prey.

She tripped lightly to the end of the limb she was standing on, and launched herself at the bear's neck. It had no time to register that something was attacking it before she had latched on, blood flowing freely into her mouth. The bear started fighting, she felt it trying to reach her with it's paws, but she was wrapped around it's back and could easily bat it's paws away, hearing a few bones break in the process. Within seconds she could feel the fight going out of the bear, and moments after that it went limp beneath her, and a second later the blood dried up.

No one moved for several seconds while she closed her eyes and gauged her reaction. She felt full, but there was still a burning in her throat that left her feeling slightly unsatisfied. But it wasn't too unlike when she hadn't fed for a week or so. She didn't feel the need for more blood, just an annoying sensation in her throat like she would drink if blood was offered. She was sure of her control.

"There's a herd of elk nearby," Edward said, jerking his head North. "We were going to head over that way for ourselves. If you still need something, you're welcome to come with."

"Sure," she smiled. It was weird, hunting in a group rather than just by herself or with Jasper. She wasn't bait on this trip, which was a part she had become an expert at playing. A part she hoped she would never have to play again.

They struck as a group, each targeting one of the largest creatures. After taking one Hermione moved to the side of the clearing, allowing the others to drink their fill. She felt bloated, and there was still a burn in the back of her throat, but it was muted enough she didn't feel like a threat anymore.

"You did very well," Carlisle assured her as they made their way back to the car.

"Thank you. May I have my wand?" she asked, extending her hand.

"Of course," he said, pressing the wood into her palm. She visibly relaxed, but no one else really noticed. They made their way home, where Jasper, who looked like he had taken a shower after his hunt, was waiting for her with a wide grin spread across his face.

"I take it you did well," she said, hurrying up to kiss his cheek.

"The man is a natural hunter," Amir answered for him. "Took down a mountain lion before we even had a chance to smell it."

"Wrecked his damn shirt, though," Alice grumbled.

"Sorry," Jasper rolled his eyes. "I take it you did well?"

"A brown bear and an elk," Hermione answered casually.

"And how are you feeling?"

"Full," she smiled.

"I do, as well," he nodded.

His fingers interlaced with hers, and she suddenly felt much more confident in their transition.

Things in Seattle were getting worse, and the family was debating whether or not they should go check on the newborn running wild.

"We have nothing against the Volturi," Carlisle started, with a look at Jasper and Hermione. "But not all of them are going to be as forgiving about Bella's condition as you two are. We really don't want to risk them coming here."

"Won't they take her assurances that it is only a matter of time, that we are planning on doing it in the least conspicuous way possible?" Amir frowned, jerking his head towards Hermione.

"I wouldn't count on that," Edward grumbled, walking into the room, Alice not far behind. He was back to wait for his visiting hours with Bella.

"Why not? She's obviously their favorite."

"They fear her," he said plainly, studying Hermione's face for a reaction. There was no change in her expression, as if this wasn't news. "They gave her power to earn her loyalty. So they kept the information about our lifestyle from her to keep her around, where they can keep an eye on her and show they do have power. They knew me showing up would cause her to leave, and now they are worried about her, with Jasper, Amir, Alice, and I, are going to start a group to rival theirs. And with our ties to Eleazar..."

"Who is Eleazar?" Hermione asked.

"A member of our family living in Alaska," Carlisle explained. "He can sense talents. If you and he banded together, you could easily put together a group to rival the Volturi."

Hermione and Jasper looked at each other, but quickly looked away. It was still too early for them to even think of cutting their ties to the Volturi, and they had no desire to go against them anytime soon. But the idea of leaving was now put into another light. While all they might want to do is be free of the group, their leaving might seem like more of a threat to the Volturi, and they could easily become targets.

"About Seattle," Jasper said quickly, bringing the conversation back to the topic it started on. "We understand you don't want our fellows coming around. And if we don't do something soon we're going to have that very situation. So, perhaps we should go check things out. Hermione and I would be more than happy to do that for you."

"Are we so sure it's one newborn?" Rosalie asked.

"We'll have to confront the creator either way," Jasper shrugged. "Give them the warning that if they don't get things under control we'll have to kill them with the newborn."

"It sounds like a plan to me," Hermione shrugged. She summoned their cloaks, they threw them around their shoulders, and made for the front door.

"Wait!" Alice shouted, causing them to stop mid-stride. "His future disappears if you go," she said nervously, eyes staring at Jasper.

"He gets killed?" Emmett said, shocked.

"Hermione makes it back, but he doesn't," she whispered.

"What if we go with them?" Carlisle offered, trying to trigger Alice's vision. He had no intentions of going if there was a chance one of them wouldn't make it back.

"I don't know," she said, looking frustrated.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rosalie snapped.

"I mean I don't know," she snapped. "You have no real intentions to go, so things aren't changing."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll call Aro," Hermione suggested. "See if they're aware of the situation, and if they'll send help."

"If they don't?" Emmett asked.

"We'll have to sit on it. I won't risk Jasper. If they don't come now, their hand will be forced if things get more out of hand."

"And what will we do about the humans until then?" Esme asked in a whisper.

A look of guilt passed over Hermione's face before she murmured, "I won't risk Jasper," again.

A silence passed over the room, so Hermione took the opportunity to excuse herself to the other room and make the phone call to Italy.

"Dearest One," Aro's excited voice greeted her after Gianna passed him the phone. "How are things going for you and Jasper?"

"Things are going well. We did well on our first hunt, and neither of us have felt tempted by the human scent on Edward's or Alice's clothes when they come home from school. I'm confident in our ability to make the transition."

"Wonderful, wonderful. Take all the time you need to be comfortable, but we are looking forward to your return."

"Yes. Now, down to the business of my call. Has the situation in Seattle been brought to your attention yet?"

"Seattle? No," he sounded concerned. "How many so far?"

"Five, but there's probably more. Five is just the number the humans have found burning in dumpsters."

"Five is hardly unusual for a newborn, though it is concerning that it's creator is being so sloppy about the disposal. Perhaps you could go talk to them?"

"Well..." she hesitated, searching for a plausible explanation without bringing Alice's vision into play. "I'm afraid that my going to a heavily populated area right now might only expand the problem."

He chuckled. "Understandable. But I'm still not comfortable sending anyone over there yet. What say you to keeping an eye on the situation. If the body count goes much higher we'll come intervene with you."

"Okay," she agreed, trying to put some enthusiasm in her voice. "I'll forward any information I can find to you. I'll call back if there are any more bodies or messy scenes."

"Do that. You have always done right by us, Hermione. I trust you to know when this has gotten too far out of control."

"I'll contact you about the situation again soon."

"Agreed. Good luck, Dearest One."

"Goodbye, Aro," she muttered, hanging up. She walked back into the other room, and by the body language of the Cullens she knew she didn't have to explain what had happened during the short call.

"So, that's it?" Esme looked around, hoping to find an ally.

"For now," Jasper answered. "Aro is right. Five is not that unusual for a newborn. Perhaps we are champing at the bit."

"We are only being cautious," Edward shot back.

"Let's sit on this for a week," Alice interjected. "If things are getting worse we'll discuss going to check things out. We have more important things to worry about."

"What's more important?" Rosalie scoffed.

"Victoria. She's coming here this weekend."

"Do you know the place and time?" Emmett asked.

"Of course I do," she sighed.

"Then we'll be there. With Hermione there it won't even be fun."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Edward said seriously.

"My vision blanks. I see us all back at the house later, but it seems like the mongrels are going to wind up as a part of the chase this weekend."

"Even better," Emmett shrugged. "It'll be really difficult for her to beat out us, Hermione and the mutts."

"The mutts don't know Hermione or Jasper's abilities," Edward shot back. "I'm not worried about them finding out about Jasper's, but if they see what Hermione can do they may deem her too big a threat to live this close to their land. And we would never see them coming if they decide to try to do something about it."

"So Hermione sits this one out," he shrugged again. "That's not that big of a deal. No need to make this overly dramatic, Eddie."

"What about Bella?" Esme asked Edward. "Perhaps Hermione could help keep an eye on her house."

"I could make sure the Swan residence is the most protected in the area," Hermione nodded.

"I was thinking of taking Bella out of town. She's got two tickets to Jacksonville. But perhaps she could keep an eye on Charlie."

Alice sighed, as if Edward should have known what she was about to say. "I thought Hermione could take Bella."

"What?" Hermione and Jasper answered in unison.

"Jacksonville is sunny, right? Don't you have some kind of charm that will allow you to spend time out in the sunshine without being noticed? I know you can disguise your eyes..."

"Of course I can put a glamour on my skin and eyes, but..." Hermione started.

"Can't you cast them on me?" Edward asked. "Then I can go without suspicion."

"I don't know if they'd hold if you were that far away from me," she answered truthfully.

"Think about it, Edward," Alice said carefully. "There is no one else on the planet Bella would be more protected with, not even you. And Charlie would be more apt to let her go with another girl than with you, and no one knows that better than you."

"I can convince him to let me go," Edward protested, but he looked pensive.

"If both of you are gone that takes away our two biggest advantages," Jasper threw in. "And if you are so adamant about Hermione not revealing her abilities to the dogs quite yet than perhaps she should take Bella. I'm assuming your mind-reading is old news. If you're around we'll have a much better chance of getting this Victoria and finishing this."

Edward thought about that for a minute before sighing. "Fine. Hermione, would you go to Jacksonville with Bella?"

"Sure. Though don't you think sending her across the country might be a slight overreaction?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't been around Bella long enough. You have no idea what she can get herself into."

Edward decided that the best course of action was to bring Hermione with to Charlie's that night. They worked out a plausible scenario and made their way into town. After confirming that she wasn't tempted by the blood around her, Edward dropped her off a few blocks shy of Charlie's house and went in first. He and Charlie were discussing the merit's of the Mariner's shortstop when there was a knock on the door.

"Hermione?" Bella asked in surprise as she answered the door.

"I am so sorry I am interrupting," Hermione said in the Italian accent she adopted in public as part of the story they were playing out. She was dressed in a jogging suit, hair slightly messy as if she had been outside in the wind and the rain for a couple hours instead of a couple minutes. "I was out running and got lost, and I didn't bring the cell phone. It is lucky I saw Edward's car."

"No problem," Bella muttered, looking more confused than ever. "Come in, I'll get you a dry sweatshirt."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling a twang of guilt at what Edward was planning on ambushing Bella with soon.

"Hey, Dad," she said, leading Hermione into the family room. "This is Hermione. Remember I told you about her the other day?"

Charlie eyed Hermione up and down before seeming to decide that Hermione was safe to be pleasant to. "Yeah, I remember. Nice to meet you, Hermione."

"Nice to meet you, too," she smiled with an inclination of her head.

"You're Edward's brother's fiancé, right?"

"Technically she's Rosalie's brother's fiancé," Edward clarified.

"That's right. Jared, is it?"

"Jasper," Hermione corrected with a smile.

"I never quite got that. I can't remember for the life of me Bella ever mentioning him before a few weeks ago. Suddenly he's moving back and he brought back his girlfriend."

"We never really talked too much about him in front of Bella before," Edward said nonchalantly. "When Carlisle agreed to take Rosalie in, he offered a home for Jasper as well. Jasper was having a little trouble coping, and said he'd rather go finish school at a boarding school. He chose to go to England, to get away from the states for a while. He spent a couple years finishing school over there."

"And how did you two meet?" Charlie asked, turning to Hermione.

"I was at the same school, to study my English. My family owns a business in Italy, and I have been making plans to help expand to England or the States. They wanted someone in the family to become fluent in English to help smooth the transition, and I volunteered," Hermione explained.

"High school sweethearts, eh?" he looked a little skeptical.

"I couldn't stand him at first," she replied with a chuckle. "I found him arrogant and pushy. But he helped me through a major life change, and I realized that he was a charming, intelligent individual."

"You should have heard how excited he was when she offered for him to move down to Italy," Edward said quickly before Charlie could ask about the 'major life change'. "Carlisle found him an apartment, he enrolled in a nearby college studying law and international law enforcement, and he couldn't stop raving about 'his Hermione'."

"Jasper graduated, and my family decided that it was time to expand. Jasper told them about several cities he has been around, and we decided that I would go look at Seattle. Not too small, not too large, though we have put off exploring it further until the situation resolves itself. If things don't clear up soon, I'm afraid we're going to have to search elsewhere."

"That's smart of you," Charlie nodded. "I won't let Bella anywhere near that mess."

"Of course not. My family has granted me a month or two off to get to know my future family and get acclimated to the culture over here, but if things don't change in Seattle by then I'm going to have to go searching for a new city."

"How are you liking it over here?"

"It is certainly much greener than what I am used to. Many more rainy days."

"If you're going to move to Seattle you better get used to it," he smiled.

"Speaking of rain, I was thinking that Bella might want a break from it," Edward interjected. "Did she tell you Carlisle and Esme got her plane tickets for her birthday so she could visit Renee?"

"They did?" he looked at his daughter in surprise. Bella was looking mad.

"Yes, and they're about to expire. I think Esme might be hurt if Bella doesn't use them."

"How many tickets?"

"Two. One for Bella, and one for a guest."

"And you don't think that you..." he started, face turning red.

"Not in the slightest," Edward interrupted, and Bella's anger turned to confusion. "I was thinking it might be beneficial for Hermione to use the second ticket."

"Hermione?" Bella said in surprise.

"She has been talking about getting to know Bella better," he shrugged.

"I have, but I don't think I need..." Hermione started, trying to look as surprised by the revelation as Bella and Charlie.

"Haven't you been saying you've been missing the sun? You won't have a problem finding any in Jacksonville," he smiled.

"I wouldn't want to impose on Bella," she replied.

"What do you think?" he turned, putting his girlfriend on the spot.

"I think it's a good idea," she said slowly, sounding unsure.

"That is, if it's all right with Charlie."

Charlie looked like he was thinking for a couple seconds before he shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

"Great! I'll make the arrangements for them to fly out of Portland on Friday."

Later that night, after Charlie had fallen asleep, Bella was finally able to confront Edward about the situation.

"This has something to do with Alice's vision today, doesn't it?" she accused in a hushed voice.

"Of course not. Hermione has something she needs to do in Atlanta," he lied. "The Volturi cleaned up a situation there a few years ago, and they think one of their newborns was smart enough to break away from the group. Hermione wants to see if she can find them and talk to them about the situation in Seattle. This is a different situation than what Jasper went through."

"I see," she murmured.

"I would have discussed this with you earlier, but Hermione didn't get the idea to go before she talked to Aro earlier..."

Bella flinched at the name.

"Do you not want to see Renee?"

"I do," she said quickly. "I was just surprised at the Hermione thing."

"Don't worry. She'll do fine."

"I would have liked it to be you."

He smiled. "Don't want to push Charlie too far, do you?"