I remain, Yours

by Momatu

Bella is unexpectedly given an antique desk that once belonged to Edward, and in it she finds a letter he wrote to his cousin in 1918. She responds and sets them off on a journey neither could ever have expected. Perhaps there are some things we aren't meant to understand, just accept... Will eventually contain character death - NOT Edward or Bella.

38. Chapter 38

I've had a few comments on the last chapter about why Edward didn't try to save any of the other victims of the fire, or pull the alarm or put the fire out himself, and I wanted to try to explain my reasoning. As for putting the fire out himself, at first, he had no reason to think the hotel's alarm and sprinklers wouldn't go off on their own. Then when it became apparent that they weren't going to, the fire had already engulfed the ballroom, and as a vampire, he is rather flammable. Plus, I just don't think anything short of the Volturi itself would've pulled him away from Bella while they were still in the building.

As for saving any of the others, the Cullens are not superheroes. To quote from Midnight Sun after Edward saves Bella from being killed by Tyler's van, "I had already done too much. As I'd flown through the air to push her out of the way, I'd been fully aware of the mistake I was making. Knowing that it was a mistake did not stop me, but I was not oblivious to the risk I was taking-taking, not just for myself, but for my entire family. Exposure."

When Edward and Bella were talking at the hospital, she was angry with him, and she asked him why he'd even bothered to save her. He answered that he didn't know. When he saw the accident in Alice's vision, he thought to himself, Not her. Had it been anyone else, he'd have let the accident happen. He only acted because it was Bella.

Not only had none of the others made any attempt to intervene-and this was someone they had a connection to, albeit a slight one-Edward caught hell that night for what he'd done, with Jasper going so far as intending to kill Bella that very night to keep her from talking. And he wasn't without supporters in the family. This was in spite of the fact that, if Bella had talked, her story would've been "easily discreditable" both due to her having hit her head and the sheer impossibility of it.

Even Edward couldn't have saved *all* of those who were trapped. How do you possibly chose who to save and who to let die? And how would have saved them? Burst into their room and run at his natural speed with them slung over his shoulder? Jumped with them from windows like he did with Bella? Guided them down smoke-filled hallways to the emergency exits?

If Edward had saved any of the other victims, they'd have talked. How could they not have? An inhumanly handsome young man appears out of nowhere, saves them, and then disappears. Their stories would have matched to some degree, and their description of him would have been recognized by the emergency responders and witnesses, who would have had to have seen at least something had he tried to save more people. Then, his description might have gotten around and gotten back to whoever was working the reception desk when he'd checked in. If it had been a woman, she might have remembered his name-they had checked in just the night before. His description and possibly even his name could have made it to the papers with his superhuman heroics. It would have been catastrophic.

Basically, it was their survival or his and everyone he loves. Makes Edward's baggage a little easier to understand when you think of it that way, I think.

As for his taking off like he did, Bella had the undeniable advantage over Edward, she learned the truth in private and had a chance to come to terms with it, plus she had already come to the realization that something was up on her own. Edward had the truth thrust at him unexpectedly, with no warning at all and under horrible circumstances. Is it really such a wonder he ran? He just couldn't face it. But like I said, no New Moon II!

I hope that explains my rationale for how the last chapter played out-now on with the show!

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As always, thank you to my PTB betas, Thir13enth and SecretlySeverus!

Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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"That was really where you were staying? Whoa."

The fire at the Hotel Sterling claimed the lives of twenty-three people and made headlines for days afterward. Reporters from every paper in the State of Washington from the Forks Forum to the Seattle Times were clamoring for interviews, and all were steadfastly denied. Tanya had explained it was vital that they left as little evidence of their presence as possible, and Bella understood perfectly. If someone were to recognize a family they knew today in a photo from decades ago, perfectly unchanged, it would be disastrous.

She wouldn't have wanted to talk to them anyway. Vultures had more tact and compassion than some of those reporters.

But even the worst could take lessons from Jessica Stanley. "You are so lucky," the other girl sighed. Even without the obvious jealousy in her voice, Bella knew Jessica didn't mean they were lucky they'd been away from the hotel at the time of the fire, which was the official story. The majority of the student body was talking about the fire and the fact that Bella had been staying at the hotel at the time, and Jessica had clearly been enjoying being so close to the center of the school's collective attention.

Bella momentarily let herself imagine the other girl's reaction if she told her that not only had she, in fact, actually been in her room at the time of the fire, but that her vampire boyfriend knocked his way through a wall and jumped from their 11th floor balcony with her in his arms to rescue her. She mentally smiled. Jessica might actually be shocked into silence. A silent Jessica would be lovely, even if it was only for a few seconds. But she stuck to the story. "I know. Thank God we weren't in our room at the time."

In a tone very different from Jessica's, Angela said, "When my parents got married, they stayed at the Sterling for one night before they left for their honeymoon. My mom said it was beautiful." Angela had hugged her tightly and nearly cried when she'd first seen her; she was so relieved they were all safe, but she hadn't mentioned it again.

Aside from Jessica, none of her friends had mentioned the fire other than telling her how glad they were she was safe when they saw her on Monday. But it was a small school, and Bella had overheard Jessica self-importantly whisper to anyone she'd been able to corner about her "very good friend who'd actually been staying at the hotel at the time of the fire" more than once these past two days. By contrast, when Angela mentioned that her parent's had once stayed at the hotel, her soft voice held nothing but genuine sorrow, none of the morbid excitement of Jessica's.

Visions of billowing black smoke and white sheets spread out on the ground flashed through Bella's mind, and her throat tightened. Trying to block out the screams she could still hear in her head, she pictured the intricate wrought iron and gilt banisters of the grand staircase, the elaborate scrolls on that banister as it wrapped around the lobby mezzanine, the elegant gold leaf of the letter S in the middle of the scrolls, the beautiful tile work and claw foot tub in her bathroom. "It was. It really, really was. It was… it was like… stepping into another world… another time…." Her voice trailed off as her eyes stared blindly across the crowded lunch room. Edward's time. The hotel had only been three years older than Edward; entering it had been like stepping into the world as he'd once known it.

She could still see the 19th century mahogany reception desk in the lobby with its flat screen monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse. The incongruity of it had made her smile when she'd first seen it. It wasn't unlike their Civil War era desk, with her laptop sitting on the green leather where Edward's fountain pen and ink had once sat. Sitting in front of the monitor on the reception desk had been a glass case containing one of the hotel's old register books from 1915, turned to a page featuring the signature of Mrs. Maggie Brown, known today as the Unsinkable Molly Brown. There had been a small portrait of her in the lobby, along with other famous past hotel guests.

Online, Bella had found a picture spread of before and after pictures, the lobby among them. The once grand space was now nothing but an unrecognizable, charred ruin. She didn't know what had made her Google it in the first place, but she wished she never had. She would have much prefered to have only her memory of how it once was. It was eerily similar to the pictures of the burnt out ruin of the Iroquois Theater where Edward's aunt and her family had died over 100 years ago. Fire now destroyed exactly as it had then—absolutely and completely.

"How is Edward, Bella? Is he feeling any better?"

Bella sighed. That was another part of the story. She was new to this, but already she began to see what Edward's life had been for the past nine decades—an endless web of lies. "He's still pretty bad. His fever was down some this morning, Alice said, but not much. Carlisle—Dr. Cullen I mean—said he'll probably be out all week."

Actually, what Alice had said was that they could only give her "stubborn, pig-headed idiot of a brother a week to get over himself and get his sorry butt back home where he belonged before people started questioning why he wasn't at the hospital if he was so sick." But unanswerable questions, like a trail of any kind, had to be avoided at all costs. Therefore as far as anyone in town knew, Edward had come down with a terrible case of the cold that was conveniently going around.

Bella was grateful for Angela's change of subject, but she was so worried about him that no matter how much Alice assured her "the stupid fool" was perfectly safe, it was hard to talk about him. She missed him and wanted him home yesterday, if not sooner.

In addition to the "Edward is sick" story, there was also the "Bella fell down the stairs" story to explain her injured shoulder. It was still swollen and painful, and Carlisle had explained it could take weeks to heal fully. So the "Bella fell down the stairs and dislocated her shoulder when she reached for the banister to break her fall" story had been born. With her track record, even with the short period of time she'd been in Forks, no one questioned it.

She wished they could've come up with a story that would have allowed her to miss school this week, too. If being the new girl in town hadn't been enough, her landing—as Jessica put it—the one available Cullen had instantly made her the center of attention at Forks High, which with her temperament was difficult enough normally. Add to that not only having been an eyewitness to the biggest news story of the moment, but actually having been staying at the hotel at the time of the fire, it seemed like everyone was talking about her and trying to talk to her.

The Cullens had closed ranks around her. No one approached her with Emmett nearby. Even Rosalie had appeared at her side once when some senior boys had started to ask her questions. Emmett was the size of a redwood. Jasper was smaller, but somehow even more intimidating. But it was unquestionably Rosalie who scared her.

At lunch, though, she was on her own. The entire school watched everything she did now. If she ate with the Cullens at lunch, they would have to eat too, or it would be noticed.

Bella was grateful that—aside from Jessica, who seemed to feed off the attention she was getting for being Bella's friend the same way the fire had fed off everything in its path—the rest of her friends had taken it upon themselves to pick up from Edward's family at lunch.

She almost felt like a small child being passed from one caretaker to another, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was too worried about Edward to really care about anything else. None of Alice's assurances helped. She wanted to see him with her own eyes and see he was safe. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and feel his icy coldness against her.

She also wanted to punch him for leaving like that and worrying her sick.

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"But I don't understand. Why can't you just see when he'll come home?" Bella asked again.

Alice closed her eyes and very deliberately and very slowly counted to ten.

She had been explaining to Bella that she had a gift: she was psychic. Initially, Bella had been left speechless. Her best friend wasn't just a vampire—she was a psychic vampire. Then she had begged Alice to tell her when Edward would come home—an answer Alice didn't have.

"Because he hasn't decided yet," Alice explained. "I can't just see any random thing, Bella. I told you; it doesn't work like that. All I can see is the result of a conscious decision someone makes. Or I can see possible outcomes when someone considers something, like you when you considered asking Tanya about the whether we can eat food. When he decides to come home, I'll see when he'll get here as a result."

It was now Wednesday night. Edward had been gone without a word since Saturday.

Alice instantly regretted losing her patience and put her arm around Bella. They were sitting in the third floor room Bella thought of as hers and Edward's. "I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have snapped. I know you're worried. If it was Jasper, and I couldn't see where he was, I would worry too. But, please believe me; Edward is fine—stupid, but fine."

Bella was quiet for several minutes before asking in a voice that was nothing but a whisper, "But… he will come home sometime, right? He's not…. He's not… leaving me?"

Bella had told Alice she wanted to punch Edward for running off like that and worrying her, and Alice swore to herself she would punch her brother herself on Bella's behalf for putting her through this. "No, Bella. He's not leaving. I promise, the thought hasn't even entered his head. That I'd unquestionably see."

Bella looked away. She tried to believe her but she was unconvinced, and Alice couldn't blame her. "Then why doesn't he come home? Why doesn't he at least call?"

"Bella, would you like to see something? Would you like to see how I know he would never leave you?" Alice stood and helped Bella up. "Just look at this." She opened a closet door in the corner of the room and pulled out a small trunk. Inside, Alice explained, were Edward's most prized possessions. Everything he treasured most was in this trunk. Bella's eyes immediately went to a stack of familiar purple-trimmed stationary tied with a blue ribbon.

"My letters."

"Your letters, the painting you sent him is there too, your lock of hair he keeps on him at all times. Now do you see? Edward could never leave you. He simply can't. Even if he wanted to he could never stay away from you for very long. He learned that the hard way already."

Bella's eyes snapped up from Edward's trunk.

"None of us asked for this, Bella. We all struggle with what we are, but Edward struggles more than any of us. He carries an enormous burden on his shoulders, and he's had to bear it alone for as long as he can remember. He also carries a tremendous amount of guilt."

"I don't—"

"You don't understand. I know. But I'm sorry, Bella; this is a discussion you're going to have to have with him."

Bella drew her hands away from Edward's trunk. As much as she wanted to see everything in it, she wanted to look through it with Edward.

"Alice… do you…. I mean, have… have you… ever… seen… me… like you?"

Alice didn't answer right away; her eyes were fixed on a random spot across the room as she seemed to struggle to find the right words. Finally, she said, "Bella, the only thing Edward wants for himself is you, but the only thing he wants for you is for you to have the chance none of us had, to live out your life the way none of us could. He wants you to have the life none of us were able to have. He wants you to grow and live and experience all the things we can't."

That didn't answer her question, and Bella was sure that was an answer by itself. She just wasn't certain what that answer was.

"And, Bella, it isn't as easy as what Edward wants."

Alice explained their treaty with the wolves. What it amounted to was that they were forbidden from biting a human. But, certainly, if it was what she herself wanted….

Bella changed the subject. "Is he still at the waterfall you told me about?"

Alice nodded her head. "He went there with Esme and Carlisle months ago. It's become one of his favorite places." The corners of Alice's lips twitched. She'd promised her brother she would never tell Bella of her visions of her future—he wanted her to stay human—but Alice knew Edward often thought of the vision he'd seen in her mind of him with a ruby-eyed Bella together under that waterfall. Alice loved her brother dearly, and she understood his wanting to protect his mate from their fate, but the visions of them together after Bella's change were coming more frequently and becoming more solid. Edward had been alone his entire existence. He had the love of their family, but it wasn't enough. What he needed and craved was the love of a mate. He had that now, and it was wonderful to see her lonely, stolid brother as perfectly happy and… unrestrained… as he was in her visions of his future with Bella.

It was also embarrassing as hell for both of them. Edward and Bella would prove to be very unrestrained indeed. Alice smirked inwardly. Edward and Bella were going to make the stories she'd heard about Emmett and Rosalie's honeymoon period look positively G-rated.

Alice was trying to fight a smile and failing, and Bella smiled widely in return. "What? Alice, what? Have you seen something? Is he coming home?"

Alice shook her head. "No. I'm sorry." She started to laugh and it was like listening to bells peal. Alice's laugh was contagious, and Bella was soon laughing herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get your hopes up. I just can't help it."

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing. Really. I…. I just can't stop remembering the shock of seeing you call Tanya and asking her point blank about whether we could eat food when you considered it. Not much can surprise me, Bella, but you certainly managed it that day. You have no idea how hard it is to keep a secret around here. And no one can keep a secret from Edward for very long. No one but you it seems. If I'd had to hum the theme from Titanic one more time, I think I would've set myself on fire." Alice wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. "If he hadn't been so completely distracted by a certain someone, I'd never have been able to keep it from him."

"Why is that? Why can no one keep a secret from Edward?"

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. I've already said too much. You're going to have to talk to him."

Their sudden laughter faded as quickly as it had come. "I'd love to talk to him. If he'd just come home."

Alice placed her pale white hand on Bella's soft pink one. "He will. He will. But Bella…. I know you're angry with him, and you have every right to be, just please don't be too hard on him. He's hard enough on himself. Be patient with him. I can't imagine how you've handled this so well, but please understand, it's been hard on him too."

Bella nodded. "He's always been too hard on himself. I wanted to tell him I knew the truth gently." She rolled her eyes and added sarcastically, "So much for that."

Alice chuckled. "No, that definitely could've gone better."

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I've just had a chance to get used to it." Bella tilted her head to the pile of her letters. "And it's not like it's my first experience with something that wasn't supposed to be possible. Really, it isn't the worst possibility that entered my head."

Alice's eyes popped open wide, but before she could ask Bella spoke, shaking her head emphatically and regretting she'd said that. "No. No way. You'd laugh."

"Oh, come on!"

"No. Absolutely not."

"I promise, I won't laugh."

"Oh, yes. Yes, you would."

"Please?" Alice's hands were clasped in front of her chin, and she gave Bella her best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, that's so not fair!" Bella complained.

Alice smiled deviously. "Life's not fair, Bella. Deal with it."

Bella rolled her eyes and looked away. She folded her arms. "Cheater." She waited and peeked back at Alice, who hadn't moved a muscle except to smile even wider. Bella caved. "It's not my fault. It's Tanya's. She put the thought in my head. Blame her."

"Tanya's fault. Blame her. Got it. Now tell."

"I… I may've…. I mean… not really…. I mean you're obviously not, but still, Tanya did mention it… and I'd only just gotten the picture of Edward with his parents from his cousin, Michael, and as soon as I saw it I realized I already knew it was him, I just didn't know how it could be him, and I never would've thought of it if Tanya hadn't said what she said, but she did say it, and I knew she'd seen the picture, and it was like she was trying to tell me—"

"Bella, you're making me dizzy."

Bella dropped her face into her hands. "Zombies."

There was a split second of silence before riotous laughter could be heard coming from all over the house. Bella looked up at the ceiling and yelled, "STUPID VAMPIRE HEARING!"

The laughter only got louder.

While doubled over with laughter, Alice suddenly made such a horrible gagging sound, Bella had a brief moment of pure panic wondering if vampires could choke before the entire Cullen family was gathered around them, matching looks of fear on their beautiful faces. Bella's heart dropped to her feet. Her mind kept repeating one word, trying to make her body obey but she couldn't make a sound. Edward. It felt like all the air had suddenly been sucked out of her, and she couldn't remember how to inhale. Edward. For the second time in her life she felt a fear so intense it physically hurt. And both times it was for the same reason. Edward. Something had happened to Edward.

No, that wasn't right. Something was going to happen to Edward. Alice had told her she saw visions, saw things before they happened. People made decisions, and Alice saw the results before they happened.

Had… had Edward… decided something?

The room started to spin. Bella could hear voices. At least she thought they were voices, but really, they sounded more like strange, high-pitched whirring sounds than voices. Cold steel bars wrapped around her, and she struggled to get free. If Edward had….

If he thought for one second he could just walk away and leave her, he had another thing coming. Vampire or not, she'd go after him. She'd already found him once without even knowing he was out there to be found. She'd find him again. Just as soon as she got these damn bars off her and made the room stop spinning.

Bella pushed and twisted and tried everything but the bars didn't budge. The strange whirring noises were slowing. They were voices. At least they were voices now. She didn't know what they were before.

"Bella. Stop it. Please, listen to me. Jasper, help her. Bella, listen to me. Stop it. I'll let you go, but you have to listen to me first."

Bella felt boneless with the wave of calm that swept over her, and she collapsed heavily against her iron cage as she inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with oxygen. She looked around as the spinning stopped. "Esme?" Her iron cage was Esme? A cold hand pressed gently against her face, and Bella leaned into it; the coolness felt wonderful.

"Are you OK now, sweetheart?" Esme asked her.

She wanted to say that yes, she was OK. She was better than OK. She was wonderful. This calm was wonderful. But the knowledge that her stubborn, pig headed, IDIOT boyfriend was leaving her because he blamed himself for something that wasn't a problem was still foremost in her mind. The calm wrapped around it, but it didn't cover it. "Edward…. I have to go. I have to go to him. Esme, I have to find him." Tears filled her eyes as Bella looked at Esme, Edward's mother for the past ninety-one years.

"Bella, no. Darling, it's not Edward."

Not Edward? But that wasn't right. It had to be Edward. The rest of the Cullens were all here. She looked from face to face in confusion. Carlisle wasn't in the room now, but he had been before her panic attack. Esme was closest to her, holding her up. Alice was sobbing into Jasper's shoulder. Emmett and Rosalie were across the room. Emmett looked murderous, truly frightening. Even Rosalie's normally impassive face radiated anger. Edward was the only one not here. Her fath….

Bella's eyes widened in horror. Her father and Tanya weren't here. Of course they weren't. Her father was at the station but would be home soon. Tanya was waiting at their house for him. The station. The police station. Bella's eyes filled with tears. How many times had she worried about her father? Forks was a small town, but being a police officer was a dangerous job wherever you were. Drug dealers came to Forks from Seattle, from Olympia…. They didn't care if they shot a big city cop or a small town cop.

Her legs felt weak, and if it wasn't for Esme still having an arm around her, Bella knew she'd be on the ground.

If anyone had hurt her father….

Bella looked at Carlisle as he silently reentered the room, looking grave and solemn, and stood at his wife's side. If anyone had hurt her father, she and Carlisle were going to have to have a talk whether Edward liked it or not. Carlisle had changed Edward. Or sired. Or whatever they called it. He could change her, too. She'd wondered what it would be like to be a vampire a few times these past few weeks, but she'd never really given it any serious thought. That must've been why Alice hadn't seen it, Bella reasoned. She'd never truly considered it. All she wanted was to be with Edward. If she could do that as a human, what was the point of becoming a vampire? She'd even thought a few times that as a human she could be helpful to them—help keep their cover, be seen publicly doing all the things they couldn't.

But if anyone had hurt her father, she wanted their blood.

She met Esme's eyes. They were so full of anguish, Bella was surprised there were no tears streaming down her angelic face. She tried three times before she was able to voice the words. "My dad?"

"No, no, darling."

Bella's legs gave out in relief, and Esme guided her to the black leather sofa. The relief was short lived though. The two women sat on the couch, and Carlisle knelt in front of them. "Tanya?"

"Bella, Alice's vision…." Carlisle was at a loss for words, and he looked away.

Jasper tightened his grip on his grief-stricken mate and looked at Bella. His eyes showed all the pain that was missing from his calm, authoritative voice when he spoke. "Tanya's sister, Irina, and her mate, Laurent, were attacked by a former covenmate of his, a woman named Victoria. She…. She's… made herself some knew friends. The attack was unprovoked. Unpremeditated. They were killed."

"Ki… killed? But… but…." But you're vampires! Bella wanted to say, but Alice's comment a few minutes ago came back to her. "I'd set myself on fire," she'd said. Her father had told her last Easter that Tanya's mother had died in a fire.

Fire.

Bella looked back at Jasper. She was in shock. Overwhelmed. She hadn't even realized she'd looked away.

But the shock was wearing off now. Tanya's sister and her mate had been attacked and killed. Burned. By someone they'd known, or at least who he'd known. Apparently for no reason.

No, there had to have been a reason. No one would do something like that for no reason.

Filled with anxious energy as adrenaline pumped through her, Bella stood up and paced around the room as her mind worked. Tanya's sister was attacked.

Why?

She looked back around the room at Edward's family. It wasn't just Tanya's sister who'd been killed, it was also their cousin, and their pain over her death was obvious. She'd been Edward's cousin, and he….

Edward.

Edward didn't know. And he was out there alone.

As was Tanya. And her father.

Bella's heart pounded. What if whoever did this came after them next? They were sitting ducks, her dad especially. "We have to get Edward. My dad is at the station, and Tanya is at our house. We have to get them. None of us can be anywhere alone. Whoever did this could come here next."

Jasper looked at Bella calculatingly, appraisingly. "If there was any danger to any of us, Alice would've seen it."

Bella continued to pace the room, the back of her left hand slapping against the palm of the right in nervous energy. "No. There is a danger. No one attacks someone else for no reason."

She remembered in her first letters with Edward he'd told her about a case his father had been working on. Over one hundred waiters had been taken into custody, and four people had been arrested. No one could believe it. It was inconceivable, but they had been poisoning people, slipping something into their food or drinks, just because they hadn't tipped enough. She told Edward's family about the case. She shook her head, feeling sick. "There's always a reason. It might be a jackass stupid reason, but there's always a reason. There was some provocation, some motive. We just don't know what it was. This Victoria, there could've been bad blood between her and Irina's mate. They were friends at one time you said?"

"Friends isn't the right word. They were covenmates. They traveled together for mutual convenience, but that doesn't mean there was any real friendship involved."

Bella nodded her head, thinking. "But there may have been?"

"Yes, there may've been."

"But he left. Because of Irina? This Victoria might not have liked that. Maybe there was more than friendship involved, at least on her part. She may have wanted him for herself."

Jasper shook his head. The rest of the Cullens watched silently, heads turning from Bella to Jasper and back like some kind of verbal tennis match. Bella served. Jasper returned. "Victoria had a mate, James," Jasper responded.

"But you said they were attacked by a former covenmate. Only one. This James wasn't there when Victoria attacked Irina and Laurent. She attacked alone. One against two? No one attacks someone else for no reason whatsoever, especially not if they're outnumbered. Why wasn't James with her? Where he and Laurent close? Would he have been against it?"

Jasper was sizing Bella up; his admiration of her was growing. He could feel how intense her fear was—she obviously truly believed there was a danger—but her mind was sharp. Focused. Rational. Calculating. She would make an excellent addition to their family. His brother had chosen very, very well. "James is dead. The wolves killed him."

Bella's head snapped around. She meet Jasper's eyes before looking away and back several times before staring blankly at the wall across from her, her lips moving silently as she thought—something she had seen Edward do. "Tell me everything," she demanded.

Jasper looked to Carlisle, who nodded his head. "She is Edward's mate. She is a part of this family."

Bella smiled at Carlisle's words—Edward's adoptive father's words—in spite of her fear. She wasn't just Edward's girlfriend. She was his mate. And he was hers.

Jasper nodded his head at Carlisle in return and began. "Last year, around February, Laurent passed through the area. We were playing baseball at a clearing several miles outside of town. There is nothing around for miles. Laurent heard us and came to investigate. He had parted ways with his coven and was traveling alone.

"Bella, one thing you have to understand is that we are an anomaly in every way. We and Tanya's family are the only ones of our kind who live as we do. The others are nomads. They drift from place to place alone or with a mate. A group as large as ours is unheard of. Even a coven of three, such as Laurent and James and Victoria, is unusual. There are exceptions of course, larger groups who band together, but they don't generally last longer than a few decades. Or if they do, they are just casual alliances, traveling together when mutually beneficial and apart for the same reason. The nomads are too… predatory… in nature to maintain close ties for an extended period of time, except with a mate.

"As I said, Laurent heard us and came to investigate. Most of the nomads are aware of us. Even in our world, word travels. Occasionally, we cross paths with the others. Some are curious enough to approach us. A few have even been curious enough to… sample our diet, but none have found it to their liking before. After traveling with James and Victoria for a few decades, Laurent was understandably… more accepting of our outlook… than the others, but our numbers intimidated him. Tanya told him of her smaller family in Alaska, and he went in search of them."

Bella had gone pale during Jasper's speech, and she swallowed several times, trying to fight of the nausea she felt. "Whe… when you say… sa… sam… sample your diet… you… you mean… the others… they… they…."

"They hunt humans, yes."

Bella sucked in a breath and pressed her hand against her stomach. She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to fight against the bile threatening to rise in her stomach. "I… I never… I… I mean… I… I know… I know you don't… do… that…. I just… I never…. I mean…. I just never… thought… others…."

Bella wiped tears away from her eyes. Why hadn't she ever thought…? Why hadn't she ever realized there had to be others? A species of, what, twelve? Thirteen? She should have realized there would be others. The missing campers from last spring hadn't been killed by a bear. She knew it without having to be told. They'd been killed by vampires. Human blood drinking vampires. This Victoria and James…. This Victoria and James had killed them. And Jacob's wolves had killed James in response.

She drew a shuddering breath and tried to get a hold of herself. Those poor people were long dead, and they had their families and friends to mourn them. Her tears wouldn't help anyone, not the dead or their families, not Edward or his family, not her father or Tanya or herself, and she wiped them away angrily. "Right. OK. I'm sorry. I'm OK now. Finish what you were telling me."

"Bella—" Esme started, but Bella interrupted her.

"No. Tell me."

Jasper looked back to Carlisle who nodded his head again, more sadly this time, Bella noted. He continued, "We were on a hunting trip when Victoria and James came through the area looking for Laurent. Edward had gone off on his own for a while, and Alice and I had gone off on our own. Carlisle, Esme, Tanya, Emmett, and Rosalie were together, and it was they who Victoria and James approached. They warned them not to hunt in the area, and they agreed. They'd only just hunted in Seattle, they said."

Bella shivered involuntarily, and Esme reprimanded Jasper for not thinking before he spoke.

"No, Esme. It's OK. It's pointless to hide from the truth. Go on, they'd just hunted in Seattle?" People are murdered every day. This is no different. Just don't think about that. Edward doesn't do that. His family doesn't do that, Bella told herself.

Jasper continued, "Nothing about them seemed especially threatening. They mentioned they were looking for their friend, for Laurent, and he'd mentioned them as well. There was no reason to see them as a threat. If Edward or I had been there, we'd have known better."

Bella wanted to ask why that was, but she didn't interrupt.

"Carlisle told them he'd been here for a while but had gone up to Alaska. They were both visibly surprised to hear he'd taken a mate and was staying with her and three others, but they said they were happy for him. Victoria said since he had just taken a mate, they'd leave their visit for another time. James was disappointed, irritated even, but Victoria told him now was not the time, that their visit could wait. Finally, he agreed they'd find him later. They swore they wouldn't hunt in the area and left. The campers… went missing… less than a week later."

Carlisle finished the story. "The wolves exist for one reason only—to protect humans from our kind. Edward, Emmett, Rose, Esme, and I," he nodded his head toward his son, daughter, and wife as he spoke, "encountered them while we were hunting when we were in Forks the first time several decades ago. Your friend, Jacob's, grandfather was the chief at the time. It was very tense. Their instincts told them to attack, but we were five to their three. They could see for themselves that, as we told them, we were different from the others, and in the end we were able to negotiate a truce, a treaty."

Bella nodded her head in understanding. "That's what he meant, then. Jacob. Last Easter when I visited my dad, I had it out with Jacob over the way his father was acting over my dad's relationship with Tanya. I asked him why the tribe was so against your family that his father would jeopardize a lifelong friendship over it. He said he couldn't say, because you wouldn't allow him to."

Carlisle nodded. "We keep our end of the treaty, they keep theirs. They don't tell anyone what we are; we don't bite a human."

Bella was for silent for several moments as her mind worked. "But the wolves only killed James, not Victoria. Why wouldn't they have killed her too?"

It was Jasper who answered her. "They tried, but she escaped."

Bella returned to her pacing of the room and her silent mumblings before turning to Jasper. "How many wolves are there?"

"Currently, there are ten in the pack."

Her head snapped up, shocked. "Two against ten? And she escaped?"

"They aren't all in their wolf form at the same time. They patrol in shifts. It's especially easy for them now that there are so many. The pack used to be much smaller, but with so many of us here for so long, it's grown larger in response. There were only three in their wolf form at the time, but they were quickly joined by two more. The others soon phased as well, but by the time they arrived, it was over."

"So it was two against three at first, at least for a little while, then two against five. It still seems hard to believe she could've escaped."

"The wolves can't climb trees and we can. If you can make it into the forest, it's not too terribly difficult to get away. If that's what you're trying to do."

"What do you mean, if that's what you're trying to do? They were outnumbered two against five, do you mean this James tried to fight them all?"

"You have to understand, Bella, the wolves are our natural enemies, and it's not in either of our natures to back down. Two against three, the fight could go either way, depending on how skilled the two are compared to the three. But once the others arrived…. Two against five? It still isn't impossible, but the two would have to be exceptionally skilled. James and Victoria weren't."

Bella's eyes drifted to the small deck, momentarily seeing a balcony filled with smoke. She pushed the thought away. There has to be a reason.

The moment she repeated the thought in her head she saw what she believed was the reason and her eyes widened. It was so obvious. "What if James and Victoria hadn't been outnumbered? What if it had been three against three?"

Jasper didn't need any time to consider it. He saw Bella's point, and his posture took on the attitude of a military general preparing for battle. "James and Victoria would unquestionably have had the advantage had the numbers been even at the start, had Laurent been with them. The wolves undeniably have the strength, but they had no skill. Without the numbers being in their favor, they would've lost the fight. They were too smug, too sure of themselves. They were undisciplined. They were children fighting an enemy with centuries of combined experience. But they had the numbers in their favor, and that was the deciding factor."

"Laurent left. Had he not left, they would've been three. Had he not left, James would not have been killed."

Alice spoke for the first time, shaking her head. "If Victoria had intended to destroy Laurent because she blamed him for James' death, I'd have seen it." She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples as if she was trying to coax a vision to come. "I'm sure of it. If there was a danger to one of us, I'm sure I'd have seen it. The moment she decided, I'd have seen it. I'm sure of it." Alice seemed to be talking more to herself than to the rest of them.

Esme attempted to consoled her. "Alice, you're not a—"

Esme never got to finish because Alice's head had snapped up, her eyes wide with sudden understanding. "I did. I did. I did see it the moment she decided. I don't think she ever intended to attack him. Not until moments before it happened."

Rosalie spoke for the first time, clearly skeptical but not entirely disbelieving. "Why would she change her mind? To suddenly decide to risk taking us all on? That's not a spur of the moment decision."

Alice looked at the ground before slowly raising her head and looking at her mate. "It wasn't a sudden decision. Not taking us on. It was including Laurent in the attack that was the spur of the moment decision. I don't think it was him she blames for James' death. It's us. She blames us. When she saw Laurent's eyes she must have decided to include him by default, guilt by association, but it's us she blames. They were caught off guard, unprepared, because we didn't tell them about the wolves. I didn't see her plan because it involves revenge on the wolves. That's what her new friends are for."

Esme explained to Bella that Alice's visions were blind to anything that involved the wolves.

Jasper looked at Carlisle; he was now every bit a military officer. All that was missing from his address to Carlisle was the 'Sir.' "It makes sense. The campers were clearly an act of defiance. They played with them, drew it out. If they had known about the wolves I'm sure they would have—" Jasper broke off suddenly and looked at Bella apologetically.

She'd gone bone white, but finished his sentence, staring blankly straight ahead. "They would have been quick about it."

Jasper agreed.

Emmett cracked his knuckles. "She's coming after us? Bring it on."

Esme scolded him. It was surreal, Bella thought—like he was a small boy who'd been caught taking a cookie before dinner.

Her head swam. The whirring noises returned, making her dizzy. There was a vampire with a vendetta against Edward's family. A vampire, no a group of vampires… this Victoria and her new friends were coming after Edward's family. Esme's arms circled around her again as her vision blurred.

Bella's final thought before she fainted was that Edward was out there somewhere unaware of what had happened, of what was happening. And he was alone.

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WOOHOO! I'm so excited! Several months ago one of my lovely readers, Cared, was kind enough to review and recommend I remain, Yours on Rob Attack, and I thank her very much for that! Now, as we are at the end of another year, they are having a poll to vote for your favorite fic reviewed and recommended during 2012, and IrY is in the running for Best WIP of the Year! Now, since I am very definitely not above begging for votes, I am doing just that-so please, PLEASE, PLEASE, vote for I remain, Yours for Best WIP of the Year on Rob Attack! I do have a link, but FFn won't allow links-they delete them automatically-and I'm afraid to try to post it removing the dot com's and risking pissing of the FFn Gods and getting my story pulled. If you google Rob Attack Best of 2012, it'll take you to the site and you can scroll down to the right link, or check out Twilighted or The Writer's Coffee Shop for the link if you have trouble finding it. The winner will be announced on December 28th.

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Please vote for I remain, Yours!

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That damn Victoria!

A teaser for the next chapter can be found on Fictionators – Teaser Mondays, Twi Fic Central – Wednesdays, Twi & VD Fic Recs – Tuesday, and Twilight Fic Zone – Sunday. I will also try to visit the Sneak Peek campfire on A Different Forest on Monday night, but that seems to be one of the nights that my grandson visits, so… no promises. It's the same teaser regardless of which site you see it on.

Drop me a line and let me know if you liked it!