Chapter 38 – A test

BPOV

On Thursday morning there was a silver car in my driveway but it wasn't Edward's Volvo. I was waiting for him to arrive to collect me for school, I was early for a change, so I was sitting on the steps when this car arrived.

The tinted windows were so dark I couldn't see who was driving it. I'd seen the car before, in the garage at the Cullen's but I didn't know which of them it belonged to. I knew all about this car. I'd seen it on Top Gear. This was the car that Saudi princes bought because it was all bullet proof and flew like the wind. Gangsters bought these things, so did drug dealers. Why a Cullen would have one I had no idea. I was sure Jeremy Clarkson had said they weren't available yet and he was going to have to wait two years to get one himself, so how is it that one was sitting in my driveway now?

Then Edward unfolded himself from the drivers seat and strode to where I sat.

"Good morning my love." He swooped down and kissed my upturned face.

"Hey. Nice ride. Are we dropping baggies off to your crew on the way to school this morning?" I asked, laughing.

"Yep" he popped the p, "My boys are waitin for me to bring their shit." He was chuckling as he led me to the car and helped me into the plush leather seat.

"Mmm, gangster Edward. Me likes him." Alice giggled from the backseat and I turned and saw Jasper laughing into her side too. "Hey you two."

"Hi Bella. Gangster Edward huh? I could help him with that you know?" Alice was giggling uncontrollably now.

I watched him from the other side of the parking lot. He had a ring of boys around him like he was dispensing the gospel. Put him in a dress with some sandals and he could be the new Messiah.

I was giggling about that mental image when Alice joined me, grabbing me by the elbow and looking at my left hand as she came to stand in front of me.

"It's beautiful Bella." She beamed.

"I know." I ran my finger over the ring again and then put my hand back in my pocket. "How long have you known he was going to give it to me?"

"The night before, when he asked Carlisle to open the safe. I didn't see it in a vision though. I knew right away because he bought the box straight up to my room and asked me if I thought it was too old fashioned for you. I knew you'd love it as it was and told him so."

"Thanks Alice. Look at him will you? In his element." I pointed to where Edward was now showing about a dozen boys under the raised hood of the Guardian.

I'd learnt, since this morning, that it wasn't just a Mercedes, it was a 'Mercedes Guardian Isabella. This is a fine piece of engineering.' Blah blah blah.

He did look happy though, surrounded by his adoring fans. All day people had stopped him and asked him how he'd gotten hold of a Guardian so far in advance of the release date. He used a different answer each time and every single one of them made me laugh.

"My dealer got whacked last weekend so I figured I should protect myself."

"My Dad has just decided to run for the presidency so he bought it for me now that I'm gonna be the First Son, you know?"

"I did a job for the FBI and that's how they paid me, with the car."

"I'm really a world renowned cat burglar and I broke in and stole it last time I was in Germany."

"I'm really Michael Jackson's love child and the estate paid up."

"Bella said she wouldn't date me till I got a decent car." That one made me laugh hardest.

"It's nice to see him so happy. You've been so good for him, thank you." She leaned her head onto my shoulder and I smiled. "Did Charlie ask you anything after I spoke to him last night?"

Alice had called after dinner and asked if I could spend the weekend with her. Charlie had eyes me suspiciously but had given his permission anyway.

"He just wished me luck shopping with you on Saturday. I hate lying to him but I'm looking forward to going on the bike." I blushed scarlet as I said it. I knew it wouldn't be lost on Alice.

"That's a lovely colour on you Bella." She giggled, wrapping her hand through the crook in my arm as we walked over to where Edward was still holding court by the car. "I'll come pick you up after your dinner tomorrow night. Sorry for dragging Edward out of school tomorrow but we have to hunt. Well, they have to hunt, I wanted to shop but was outvoted."

"It's ok Alice. I expected you guys would be missing tomorrow. But how come you are going to collect me tomorrow?"

"Um, because Edward said he was too busy. Plus you're coming for a sleepover with me, not him." She pouted.

"Back up the train there Alice. Edward said he was too busy to collect me himself?"

"Mmm hmm. He and Carlisle have to stop in the city on the way back from the hunt tomorrow, so he won't be back in time to pick you up anyway."

"What's going on in the city?"

"No idea." She grinned and then she pulled me over to Edward and stood me squarely in front of him before she screwed up her eyes at him and he winced. Ok, so Alice knew something and Edward wasn't telling. I'd been played once this week already, didn't want to make it twice.

EPOV

"Distract her Edward!" Alice screwed her eyes up at me and I winced. We'd just talked about distractions the other day and now I had to do it again.

"She wants to know why you aren't collecting her tomorrow. I didn't know what to tell her so I told her the truth, you and Carlisle will be in the city and wont be back in time. Sorry." She waited for me to nod before she flounced off to find Jasper.

I wrapped my arms around Bella and hugged her to me. I pressed a kiss onto her hair and bought her around to the front of the car where the ring of boys still stood. They were pointing and talking in raised voices about the innards of my car.

"A few more minutes love and we'll go, I promise." She smiled and nodded. She didn't seem upset or mad so I hoped she'd forget to ask me about tomorrow afternoons plans.

"Hey filthy bloodsucker." I heard it so clearly above all the other mental voices it shocked me to my core. I turned in the direction it had come from and saw him for myself.

Jacob Black stood at the entrance to the schools parking lot beside a trail bike. He was smiling evilly and watching my every move. I couldn't hear the rest of his pack so I knew he was on his own. At least he'd turned up as a human, it was a small consolation.

"Isabella, get into the car." I didn't want to frighten her but I needed to be firm.

She looked up at me with wide eyes and I shoved her into the passenger seat, slammed the door shut and closed the hood to the car.

"Show's over for the day boys. I'll bring her again next week. Gotta run."

"I see him too Edward." Alice, Jasper and Rose all said the same thing at the same time.

"Get home. I want a crack at him this time dude." Emmett was already moving towards where Jacob had been a second ago. Now he sat astride his bike and kicked it to life. Emmett was hampered by having to move at a human speed but made good progress. He got to Jacob before the bike revved the first turn of the engine.

I walked to where Alice Jasper and Rose all stood, beside the BMW. Very quietly I said, "Emmett will follow Jacob as far as he can to La Push. I'm taking Bella to our house. Can you split up and go through the forest from the three other points of entry and see if he's alone? I can't hear anyone else but he managed to sneak up on us again just now, so you never know."

I waited till all three nodded then I walked, as casually as I could manage, back to the Guardian and revved the engine.

I used the rear view mirror to keep tabs on what was happening with Emmett and Jacob. I took one or two glances left and right to make sure that the others had gotten into the forest without too much notice being taken of them. Nobody had really noticed the altercation to this point and I wanted it to stay that way.

To the humans it just seemed as though I'd had enough of everyone gawking at my car for one day and had decided to go home now.

I heard no thoughts of ill will from anyone near us other than the wolf, and that would cease shortly if Emmett had anything to do with it.

I was out onto the open road before the first angry word was spoken, but I heard it clear enough.

"I thought you'd learnt your lesson little boy?" Emmett spat at Jacob's feet. "You shouldn't play with the big boys, you'll get bitten." Emmett laughed loudly and Jacob spun the wheels of the bike and tore off into the forest.

I knew that Emmett could easily outrun the bike, he'd be halfway to La Push before I had Bella to our home. I'd have to wait for an update.

"Sorry about that Bella. Did you see Jacob there on the bike?"

"Yes." She said it so quietly. I didn't think she was frightened, just a bit stunned.

"Emmett is giving chase. The others will be home soon too. There's nothing to worry about, he was there alone, again."

That concerned me. Why did he keep showing up alone? He couldn't hope to win against five mature vampires?

"Alice can't see him coming, can she?" Bella asked and I shook my head. "Is that why he's coming on his own?" I didn't understand the question so I asked her what she meant by it.

"Well, if he knows Alice can't see him coming then he probably knows about your gift too. If a heap of wolves turn up you're more likely to be able to hear their collective thoughts than if you only hear his single voice amongst hundreds here at school or whatever, right?"

I hadn't ever thought of it like that, but it made good sense. "That's a possibility Bella. Yes. I can see that might make sense to him too. He's testing us."

"I think so too. He's turned up four times now, but not really in a threatening way. At the mall he just spoke to me normally. He made no move on you, you didn't know he was there until you smelt him, then you heard him right?"

"Right. Then at the dance I didn't know he was there till the others told me, he knew I would lose his mental voice in the crowd that day too. Shit."

"Today he knew to come at the end of the day when the parking lot would be full. If he'd bought the pack you'd have seen or heard them way before you did."

"Fuck. You're right. He could've attacked and I'd have been blind for the first few seconds, until I smelled him. Fuck. This is not good. He's a clever prick, that's for sure."

She sat there giggling. Giggling was probably a hysterical response. Right?

"Why are you giggling, I didn't think it was funny."

"I'm not laughing about Jacob, that shit scares me witless. I'm laughing because you're so hot when you swear, you don't even realize it."

"Minx."

"Guilty."

The only flaw in Bella's logic regarding Jacob was his visit to her home. There was no cover of mental voices there to distract me from his presence, so he couldn't have wanted to use that as a way to test me. It was possible that he had been there innocently. He could've been there with his father, who was a friend of Charlie's, or he could've been there simply because it was on his way to our home. It didn't seem like a coincidence though.

The others were waiting for us when we arrived at the house.

"He headed straight home to La Push. He knew I could outrun him on that piece of crap bike so I can't figure out why he didn't phase and take me on. After a few miles I let him go ahead, he had no intention of engaging with me so I let him go to see where he'd go and who would be there to greet us. There was no welcoming committee and the rest of the pack didn't come to meet me at the boundary line. I don't get it." Emmett was shaking his head.

"I didn't hear or see anything the whole way down the western boundary line Edward. Their scents are there, but still in the same places that they have been patrolling as normal. Nothing new." Alice reported.

"I got to the river before I smelled the first hint of mange dude. It doesn't even look like they are patrolling the eastern river boundary now. The scent was weeks old, they won't be coming at us that way." Jasper offered.

"The north was clear too. I followed the edge of the highway on the way back too, to make sure nobody had doubled back behind us, but there was nothing. He really was alone. Stupid kid." Rose spat.

We sat around the dining table and Bella outlined her theory. Everyone immediately agreed that Jacob was using the holes in Alice's vision to test me.

"I don't know why he was at Bella's house though. That's what worries me now. Now that I know that he's testing me this way I'll keep better watch for him in a crowd from now on. But I want to know why he was scouting her home."

"If he's using Alice as a kind of shield to sneak up on us Bella's house would be a good place to do it. There is usually only one of us there at a time with her." Rose made a good point.

"I guess the question now is, is he there for one of us or for Bella?" Emmett said it softly and with real sadness in his voice.

BPOV

I leapt up out of my chair and flung myself at Emmett. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back.

"I promise no mongrel dog will hurt you Smella." He crooned as he hugged me.

"Thanks Em." I went back to sitting beside Edward and he took my hand in his, idly rolling my eternity band through his fingers. It was comforting, however mindlessly he did it.

"After tonight Bella will be with us for the next few days anyway, so there is nothing we can change until after that. We'll work something out over the weekend and try to work out what he wants." Jasper looked over at me and smiled.

"Right, well, I'll take you home now Bella. Charlie will be wondering where you are soon." I nodded at Edward and said my goodbyes to the others. Alice hugged me in the driveway as I got into the car.

"I'll be there to collect you as soon as the last bell sounds Bella, don't panic, ok?"

"Ok, thanks Alice." And we were off.

Edward drove much faster home than he normally would have. He didn't want to give Charlie any reason to punish me, not when I needed to be at the Cullen's as much as possible now. So our goodbye was brief this time. He kissed me firmly inside the car, knowing the tinting was too dark for Charlie to see us even if he stood a few feet away from the car, and then he walked me to the door.

He took my left hand into his and kissed my fingers, rolling the ring round as he did.
"I'll be back later on. I love you, so very much." And then he was gone.

~Esme is with you now, so don't worry so much. Don't worry about packing anything for tomorrow, I've got you covered. See you at 3, Alice xx ~

That was the message that was on my phone when I went up to bed that night. I looked out of the window and searched for tiny Esme, out there alone.

How could I go away from my home for three days and take nothing? What if I didn't fit what she packed for me? What if I hated it?

~Bring nothing. It will fit. You will love it all. I promise. A xx~

Now that really was funny. I had my very own psychic fashion Nazi stalker!

I was about to reply to her when my phone beeped.

~I am not a Nazi nor am I stalking you. I'll tell Edward that you are fantasizing about having him in the Aston if you bring a single thing with you tomorrow. Love you, A xx~

Holy shit! Busted!

~You win, I bring nothing. What about food? ~

While I waited for her reply I got ready for bed. I brushed my teeth and changed into my favorite t-shirt and boy shorts. I got back into my room and put my toiletries bag on my dresser when Alice poked her head into the window, scaring the shit out of me. I must have jumped ten feet in the air.

"We have doors you know Alice?" I said, putting my hand over my heart to calm myself.

"It's eleven o'clock Bella, do you really want to explain to Charlie why I'm arriving to gossip with you at that hour during the week?" She flopped herself down onto my bed and crossed her legs daintily.

"Good point. Let me get into bed before you start Alice, I have a feeling this might take a while, yeah?"

She shifted off the bed while I got into it and then she sat back down on the edge, hanging her legs over the side.

"You know, I could do your room for you one day. A bigger bed, some new curtains. A rug? Esme would love to do it with me, we could go to the big Décor store in Seattle one weekend and get ideas."

I waited till she finished the sentence then I coughed quietly, hoping she'd get my point.

"Oops, sorry. I forget you hate all that stuff. Once you live with us you'll get into it a bit more though. Edward's room is so male, we'll be able to fix that though."

She said it so casually that it made me squeak.

"Alice, how far ahead can you see?"

"It depends. When decisions are made I can see where they lead, the outcome of certain things depend on more than one decision. Why?"

"Do you really see me living with you all, at your house, one day?"

"Oh, of course I do Bella. You're going to be my sister. That's an easy one. Edward loves you and you love Edward that means the outcome is you live with us, easy. Do you want to live with us, someday?"

"Oh yes, I want that. Can I ask you a couple of things while you're here Alice?" I was embarrassed to ask but I couldn't ask her while Edward was around and we rarely got a chance to talk on our own.

"Better make it quick Bella, Edward has caught wind that I'm here and he's on his way." She chuckled.

"OK. Have you had a vision from this weekend?"

"About anything specifically Bella?" She was toying with me now, making me squirm.

"You know perfectly well what I want to know. Will it be ok Alice? Will Edward be ok? What if I'm not enough for him?" I bit my bottom lip between my teeth and steeled myself for her answer.

"Too late, we have company. We'll talk more about it tomorrow after school before big ears here gets back, ok?" She nodded towards the window and Edward poked his head through it, grinning.

"OK, break it up you too. Don't listen to her Bella, she knows nothing about anything. It's all smoke and mirrors. She gets her 'visions' (He used his fingers to make the quotation marks) off the internet. I busted her on the David Copperfield fan site the other day downloading instructions on how to predict lottery numbers." He came into the room and ruffled Alice's hair. She swatted at him futilely and he planted a big wet kiss on her cheek.

"Eww, gross Edward. God you're a pain!" She hissed at him, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. She turned to me and said, "You can have him. I'll see you after school Bella." And with that she was back out the window and gone.

"You heard her Edward, I can have you." I put on my widest smile and sat up in the bed.

"Hmm. That does sound appealing. What would you do with me though?" He asked, mirroring my smile. He slipped under the covers next to me and sat up against the headboard with me, looping an arm under my shoulders and taking my left hand in his.

"I am sure I could think of a few things I'd do with you Edward. I'd have you shouting 'stop' in seconds if given the chance."

"I don't doubt it." He said huskily.

"Did you send Esme home just now?" I was trying my hand at distraction. I didn't relish the thought of having to sleep on my own all night if I relegated him to the rocker before I fell asleep.

"Yes, she ran home with Alice just now. There is no need for you to worry about them while they're out there, you know that yes?"

"I just hate that they have to give up their time to watch over me."

"They do it willingly. It's not something you need to worry about Isabella. What drivel was my sister filling your head with before I arrived then?"

Oh I see Captain Distraction has arrived at the party. "We were having a text war actually, before she turned up here. She told me not to bother bringing anything on our trip away. I thought that was a bit weird, I kept asking her what the plan was but she turned up here and changed the subject. I actually forgot to ask her should I bring my own food, or at least some cash to buy some when we get there. Will you ask her for me in the morning please?"

"Nonsense. Alice has packed for us all, it's all already in backpacks and ready to go on the bikes with us. I have us booked into a fully equipped cabin at the edge of the forest so you wont need anything there. I'll make you breakfast before we leave, we'll stop for lunch on the road and we'll have your evening meal at the cabin. Same on the way back on Sunday. Nothing for you to worry about, see?"

"Ok, so just cash for buying lunch on the road, and my share of the cabin. Alice can stop at the ATM for me on the way home tomorrow, right?" It had been ages since I'd used my bankcard for anything other than groceries, I thought there was a bank in the main street I could use.

"You're being utterly ridiculous now Bella. You don't have a share in the cabin, I have booked and paid for it. You won't be needing cash to buy your meals because I will be buying them. Please, stop worrying about these things. I do love it when you bite that lip like that though."

He leaned down and took my bottom lip out from between my teeth and sucked on it himself.

EPOV

I had managed to distract her but it wouldn't last, I knew that.

She would fight me at every turn with regard to possessions and money, I knew that too.

I returned to her bed in the early hours of the morning. I knew I had to leave her today, I had to hunt before we went away for the weekend. It was the only safe thing to do, knowing I'd be with her every moment from tomorrow afternoon onwards. The others would be able to hunt out there, during the night, while Bella and I were in the cabin.

She stirred a little when I slipped back into the bed, my cold skin made her jump slightly when I took her into my arms, but she soon returned to sleep.

I took her hand into my own for the hundredth time and admired my ring on her tiny finger.

The irony that the stones were as black as my eyes lately was not lost to me.