Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! I wanted to finish this story by Monday, but I'm not sure that will happen. I still have one more planned after this. Regardless, thank you to guests AnneCullen, lwolf, swalt31691, and superlunashadow. I appreciate your reviews so much!

I sat on the floor of my bedroom, my eyes uncomfortably wet with tears that wouldn't fall as Carlie lay half in my lap. 'You're being stupid.' I told myself harshly as I hid in the corner like a frightened child. 'They'll all be home soon and then I can talk to Charlie and Angela…it'll be fine. Charlie will be fine.' According to Carlisle, Charlie was not coping well…at all. According to my father, he was dealing with his grief by drowning copious amounts of alcohol and hadn't returned to work since my accident. Alice continued to assure me that he would be okay, that as soon as he realized that I wasn't dead, it would all be fine. I tried to believe her.

I'd spent most of the day with my family who stayed closer to me than normal, all quick to hug me or put an arm around me, and Edward explained that none of them was looking forward to this funeral and pretending that I was dead…him least of all. Edward still hated spending time away from me, and it reminded me of the weeks after Italy when I'd all but clung to him, so sure that I would turn around one day and find out that he was dead…that I'd been to late. I told him again and again that he didn't have to go, especially considering how Charlie had hut him, but he insisted, reminding me that we were trying to fool Sam.

They'd all hugged me tightly before they'd left a half hour ago, Carlisle coming up first with Esme to hold me tightly, his lips against my forehead, then Emmett, who spun me around like he always did, then Jasper, his hug accompanied by the emotions…love and comfort and affection…and worry. He didn't want to leave me…he hadn't left me yet. I didn't know if he worried that I would lose control and that my emotions would become to strong for me, or that I would get myself into some kind of trouble. Regardless, he was the last, besides Edward, to leave. Rosalie touched my cheek, then pulled me into her arms, her embrace gentle. Rosalie had been the slowest to warm up to me, but had become my sister. Our relationship had a way to go, but I knew we had plenty of time, and I also knew that I wasn't exempt from Alice's big London shopping trip for the four of us.

Carlie nudged my hand, nibbling at me, and I stroked her back, remembering how Alice had taken my hands and kissed my cheek, promising that it would be okay, that her visions were solid…we would all arrive in England, safe. As if that's what I cared about. But there'd been something else in her eyes, and before I could ask, she'd told me quietly that she needed to talk to me later. Edward had been confused; she'd obviously refocused her thoughts before he could catch them, but she'd scurried out of the room after the others, leaving only Jasper in the doorway and Edward in front of me, his hand on my cheek. "I love you." I told him quietly, my voice firm as I moved closer, putting my hand over his. "More than anything."

"You are my life." He said it so often…but it never seemed to lose its meaning….it's impact on me. It was something he lived, something he showed me every day…I was everything to him. He loved me absolutely, and without me, he wouldn't want to go on. It was the exact way I felt about him. Leaning forward, I'd kissed him, my movements almost desperate as his arms wound around me.

I didn't want to break away. I wanted to continue….it baffled him that, as a newborn vampire, I could focus on him, on my feelings for him, rather than how thirsty I was all the time. But I could…my dominant thought any time he was near was how much I wanted him. So I wanted to tell Jasper to get out in the nicest way possible, and continue on to what I'd wanted for months…but that wouldn't exactly be possible. Jasper must have felt my frustration and desire and everything that went with it, because he cleared his throat loudly, whistling tunelessly as he stared at the ceiling. As if she'd been called, Carlie had raced over to him, sitting at his feet and whining until he finally picked her up, and I had hoped he would take her and go, but Edward had finally started to pull away. I'd held onto his arm, and he rested his forehead against mine. "Screw the wedding." I had murmured, pulling him back, but Jasper put the dog on the floor and flashed forward, grabbing Edward's arm and pulling him away, ignoring me when I'd whirled furiously, my teeth bared as I growled at him.

"No…no screwing the wedding….Alice worked hard on it. As for screwing before the wedding, you can do that on your own time." If I had been human, I would have blushed, the blood filling my cheeks and saturating the air with the scent of it. But instead, I'd hissed at him, a natural way to express my displeasure. He had rolled his eyes, unimpressed and amused. "Yeah, yeah. Terrifying. Come on Edward. We're going to be late." Edward had sighed, smiling slightly at me as Jasper pulled him away, leaving me in the living room with my arms crossed, Carlie lying at my feet.

I'd dropped the stance as the car pulled away, my arms dropping to my sides as I stared sadly around the living room where I'd spent so much time with my family. I would miss this house….it had been in this room that I'd met Esme, that I'd grown closer to my family…and now we were all going to another country, and I felt a lonely ache that didn't quite make sense. Reaching down, I gathered Carlie into my arms and hid my face in her fur, breathing in deeply as I smelled her fur and blood, no longer appetizing but familiar and comfortable.

Feeling suddenly exposed in the large room all by myself, I'd hurried up the stairs, sitting in the corner in our bedroom and resting my chin on my knees. It wasn't difficult to be still…not anymore. I could be a statue if I wanted. For a while I amused myself by thinking about walking into a town one night and standing still in the middle of the courtyard and pretending to be a statue…would they try to move me? Would they even notice? And I could disappear that night. I laughed a little at the thought, knowing Alice would find it funny to play that game with me.

But my newborn mind didn't want to stay still. I wanted to go outside…I was going crazy, cooped up in the house all week, and it was even harder with no one home with me. Carlie sniffed me, sneezing, then licking my cheek, and I smiled at her, commanding her to sit. She did, looking up at me proudly as I praised her, and then told her to lie down. She rolled over then, and then gave me her paw willingly. "You're the cleverest puppy in the world." I cooed to her, kissing her head and laughing when she barked happily, jumping up with her paws on my knees.


Emmett followed his mother and father, Rosalie's hand firmly in his own. They didn't care about the façade anymore. She was his wife and she needed him. Edward and Alice had been the only ones to see the vision, but he'd seen how affected they were…they'd sat at Bella's side from the start, through her agonized screams, doing their best to comfort her and assure her that they were there, that they loved her and wouldn't leave her. When he'd come upon the scene behind Edward, Jasper right behind him, he'd thought the same as both of them…he'd thought she was dead. And then she'd cried out, begging for them to help her, and he remembered the fire. The two of them had frozen in place while Edward raced to her side, but Carlisle had been adamant that they destroy her truck, set fire to the area…no one could know what happened.

He and Jasper had jerked into action while Carlisle and Edward had run her and Carlie to the house, hurrying to throw the truck in the river. It had been easy enough to set fire to the inside and the surrounding area…her truck did have a cigarette lighter. Before throwing the scrapped truck in the river, he'd stared for a brief second at the stereo…remembered the night when he'd installed it, laughing at her reluctant participation in their party…and then they'd left her.

Rosalie squeezed his hand and he jerked back to the present, waiting to let Edwards sit beside their father, and then sitting beside his brother, Rosalie on his other side. Alice slipped away from Jasper to get to Charlie's side, taking his hand in hers and speaking to him quietly. He looked awful, but at least he wasn't drunk…and he'd shaved. Emmett thought about going over, but he doubted the man would want any kind of comfort from him. He would just wait until that evening when they took Bella to see him.

They all sat on one side at the front of the small church, taking the seats of her family, while, on the other side, Charlie sat a seat away from Renee and Phil, who they couldn't exactly ban from the town. He, and the rest of them, were under strict orders from Carlisle not to start anything with Phil. Actually, he'd commanded them to avoid them entirely. Alice had seen that Renee and Phil would be leaving that evening, right after the funeral. They'd flown in the day before, stayed at a hotel, and according to Alice, would be glad to be away from the Cullens as soon as possible. Sue Clearwater came in next, taking a seat beside Charlie, and Seth and Leah nodded to them with small smiles, sitting behind their mother.

He gave a tiny smile when Alice pointedly ignored both Renee and Phil, even giving the woman a frosty glare as she turned away, touching Charlie's shoulder before moving to sit with Jasper once more, his arm going around her. They turned when Angela entered, her eyes red, as she sat behind them with her parents, leaning forward and putting her head in her hands, sniffing softly. Her parents seemed distraught as well, and soon, Ben was seated on her other side. Jessica Stanley came in as well, glancing hesitantly at them, then sat a few rows back.

There were a few kids from school, and then entire police force that came for Charlie, but it wasn't until Lauren Mallory entered alone that Edward leapt to his feet, Emmett close behind. It was only Carlisle's hand on Edward's arm that kept his son from dragging her out of the church, and Emmett was halfway to the aisle before Rosalie grabbed his arm, holding him back. He turned to find his father's stern face glaring at him, and Edward already back in his seat, his head in his hands. "Sit down. Now." His father murmured, and Emmett dropped back in his seat, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead. But to his surprise, his father stepped past them, walking down the aisle to meet the stunned girl. All of them, except Edward who hadn't moved, turned to watch as he blocked her path, his arms crossed.

"Dr. Cullen…"

"Leave. Now." He ordered sharply, his normally kind, compassionate tone nowhere to be found. "Leave before I have you thrown out." He ignored the many eyes on them, while Laruen looked around, both stunned and uncomfortable. "Laruen, get out." Carlisle could be intimidating. Emmett knew that well. When he spoke like that, people tended to listen, and the girl huffed, whirling around as if offended, and stormed out of the church. Carlisle stood for a long time, his posture stiff, and Emmett didn't need Jasper's gift to feel the rage pouring from every line of his body, before he finally came back to his seat, touching Edward's shoulder briefly before sitting back down.

Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly pulled it out. Emmett grinned a little as he read Bella's name, and the text. 'I love you. I'll see you soon.' He watched his brother take a deep breath, his eyes softening, then turned back to Rosalie, putting an arm around her and kissing her hair and ignoring the murmurs from behind them. Alice stiffened, then turned, reaching out and taking Angela's hand. The girl's eyes were red, but she managed a small, sad smile for Alice.

"She loved you so much, Angela." Alice murmured, squeezing the girl's hand. "She would hate to see you so upset." That only made Angela cry once more, and Ben rubbed her back, his eyes sad as well. Emmett sighed, leaning back against his chair and glancing at Jasper who had his jaw clenched, all of the emotions bearing down on him. Rosalie reached out and touched his hand, causing him to smile at her a little.

Once the church was filled with people from the school, the town, La Push, and Bella's small family, the pastor moved to the front, and Emmett was surprised to find a slideshow at the front with pictures of Bella he'd never seen. In several, she was only six or seven, a small, shy child peeking out from behind her mom's leg. There were a few as a toddler, asleep with her father, or holding a book in her hand. There were none with other children, and all of her birthday photos and photos of her playing were either with her parents or her alone.

But then the photos were more recent. There was one with Carlisle and Esme, then another where she sat beside Alice, staring off into space while Alice pointed to something on her computer, and Emmett chuckled softly, the sound echoed by Jasper, and even Edward managed a smile. There was one of her with Edward in the living room, his arm around her, the pure adoration in his eyes taking many of the audience members aback, and she was smiling up at him, probably laughing at something he'd said. In another, she was outside, her head turned back as she ran, Carlie on her heels, and Edward had his hands on his knees in the shade, laughing. One or two photos were of her and Angela, the girls smiling into the camera, and in one, Carlie sat between them, refusing to look at the camera. The last picture was Bella in the living room, sitting between Emmett and Jasper. She was concentrating on the screen, a controller in her hands. Emmett had a hand on her back, and was pointing to something on the TV, and was leaning back against the sofa, grinning and watching in amusement as she probably struggled through some difficult level. In the background, Edward was talking to Alice, and Carlisle and Esme could be seen in the kitchen doorway. Rosalie was probably the one taking the picture…she and Alice had experimented with photography, along with Esme, and they'd obviously had plenty of shots of Bella.

Behind them, Emmett could hear Angela's soft sniffs, her sobs increasing as the pictures changed. And on the other side of the aisle, Renee had her head in her hands, tears dripping down her face. Emmett sighed, squeezing Rosalie's hand as the pastor began to speak. The man hadn't known Bella, but he'd obviously done plenty of funerals, and he gave a nice generic message about death and moving on that Emmett ignored.

Suddenly, Jasper stood, pulling away from Alice and hurrying out the back, and Emmett and Edward watched him in concern, as did Carlisle. They looked at Alice as he hurried out the back door, but she shrugged, her eyes worried. Still, it would draw attention to them if they were all to leave, so they kept their seats, Alice taking Rosalie's other hand, and his sister closed her eyes, obviously trying to see around the wolf that was staying at the house to guard Bella.


I sat at the piano, running my fingers lightly over the keys. Alice had bought Edward a new one that would be taken to the house in England, but in a strange, silly way, I would miss this one. It was the first piano Edward had ever played for me. I pressed a key gently, listening as the sound echoed throughout the large, open room. My phone chimed and I pulled it out, smiling a little. 'I love you too. I miss you.' I hated that Edward had to do this…that any of them did. 'It's almost over.' I told myself firmly, pressing down on another key, wondering if Edward would teach me to play. I'd never had any aptitude for music, but it might be fun to try…and Edward might enjoy it.

The smell was unmistakable and disgusting. I felt myself freeze in place, and I whirled when Jacob stepped through the door, hesitating when he saw me. I kept my seat at the piano, watching him warily. We were on the same side…I had no reason to worry about him. But seeing the guy who'd been my best friend…who'd kissed me against my will…who'd been there when I needed him…what was I supposed to say to him.

"You look freaky, Bella." I had to smile, the reluctant expression crossing my face before I could consider feigning anger.

"It's the eyes." I told him, the words coming easily.

"The teeth are kind of creepy too…do you have fangs?" I bared my teeth at him, laughing a little when he chuckled.

"They were right, you know. You smell terrible."

"Yeah? So do you." I laughed softly, crossing my arms and relaxing my posture a little. "Bella…I just…I never got to apologize, you know…about your hand. And kissing you…and…I was a jerk. Sorry." I nodded, surprisingly glad to hear those words.

"It's okay." I murmured.

"So…how was it?" I looked up at him in confusion. "After the wreck…what does it feel like? Turning into a monster?" His tone was playful, but his eyes were solemn.

"Like burning alive." I answered honestly, trying not to remember. He moved forward a little, looking around as though he were nervous. "What?"

"We…we haven't heard anything from Sam…not since you were changed. Leah and Seth are at the funeral…so if he was going to pick a day to attack…."

"You think he will?" I asked, standing nervously.

"I don't know…I wanted to stay close just in case." I nodded, looking down at the piano bench as if to sit again, but decided against it, standing stiffly in the middle of the room.

"Um…are you hungry? We have food….I can make you something…"

"You can still cook?" I paused, smiling a little.

"I guess…I haven't tried it since…um, I can try pancakes or chicken or something?"

"I'm fine….I do know how to cook." I forced a smile, glancing once more at the window, then sat down stiffly while he remained standing. "So how long is this funeral?"

"Um…another two hours I think." Despite his apology and our attempts at friendly conversation, the air was still a little strained between us. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" He grinned, shaking his head, his eyes still raking over me.

"So…" He spoke after a minute. "You guys are heading off to England."

"Yeah…after we talk to Charlie. We're going to school there."

"Do you think you'll come back?" I hesitated, looking over at the window.

"I'm not sure."

"I'll miss you." I looked at him in surprise. I'd been under the impression that he no longer wanted anything to do with me…not that I'd given him a chance either way.

"You said you'd rather see me dead." I reminded him flatly, letting the hurt show in my eyes, and he reached out to touched my arm, his gaze sad.

"I didn't mean it Bella." He murmured, and his hand was uncomfortably warm against my arm. "I…I was upset, and I didn't think…I'm just sorry. Really, I'm glad you're okay. No matter what you are now." I gave a little smile, touching his hand. "Are you happy?" He asked quietly, and I smiled.

"I'm….so happy, Jacob. Really…I couldn't even have imagined…" I laughed a little. "I mean, it's hard to get used to, but it's worth it. And I'm glad the pain is over." He nodded, removing his hand and crossing his arms.

"It sounded pretty bad." I started to answer, but he stiffened suddenly, then swore, his voice echoing through the room as he turned toward the door. "It's Sam." He swore again, this time stringing together several curses, grabbing my arm. "Not just Sam…there's at least five of them. You've got to go Bella."

"Go where!?" I cried, my nose picking up the scent.

"Just run. They'll smell you in no time…they'll kill you Bella."

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Yes, you are! Now go!" He tried to shove me toward the back door, but I stiffened, not allowing him to move me and he glared, clenching his fists. Carlie, who been sitting quietly at my feet, snarled at him in warning, and if we hadn't been in that situation, I would have laughed at the puppy trying to protect a vampire from a werewolf. "Bella!" He snapped, demanding my attention once more. "They. Will. Kill. You! He already tried once!" My eyes widened…I couldn't remember what had happened right before the crash. I'd asked Carlisle about that, and he'd explained that my body had been shutting down when he'd found me, that there was very little chance of me remembering what had caused the wreck, even if he'd been able to save me without changing me. But now that my brain worked differently, I'd probably never remember.

"Sam…he tried to kill me?"

"He caused the wreck, Bella! He wanted you dead before they changed you, but Carlisle got there before he could finish you off. I caught him…I'm not going to let him kill you! You're vampire family will tear me to shreds!" I knew that this wasn't the reason…Jacob still cared about me. He truly wanted to keep my friendship, even if he knew that that's all he'd ever get.

"I'm not leaving you." I growled this time, clenching my own fists and facing the door where I could see the wolves now. "Come on." I stepped forward, but he tried to grab me, making Carlie bark angrily, but we both ignored her.

"What are…"

"I'm not letting them hurt Esme's house." I murmured, throwing the door open, and he followed after a minute, his pants tied to his leg, his shirt laying on the back porch as I growled at the wolves that approached. I shut the door firmly behind me, not wanting Carlie to get out. I didn't know if they'd hurt my dog, but I didn't want to chance it.

There were seven of them. Paul, Quill, Embry, and Sam were the only ones I really knew. Sam had saved my life once, when he'd found me laying in the forest. He'd carried me home, into my bedroom. He'd held me so close, rubbing his warm hands up and down my arms, trying to get me warm. Paul had always teased me when I hung out with Quill and Embry. He'd reminded me a little of Emmett, only with a shorter temper. He'd been the one to nearly attack me when I'd learned what they were. Quill and Embry had been Jacob's best friends. They'd called me vampire girl.

Now they all stared at me with unease and fear…except Sam. Sam stared at me with hatred. He hated vampires…all of us. I had no doubt in my mind that he wanted me dead. But I had to try…I couldn't fight all of them…heck, I doubted I could fight one of them. I may be strong, but I'd never trained to fight. Neither of my brothers had had a chance to show me how. And I wouldn't leave Jacob here to die. "We're leaving." I announced, standing straight and glaring down at them. "We're leaving the country. We won't ever come back." None of them were human, and I couldn't read minds, so it was really no use…I had no idea what they were thinking. Sam growled. "You tried to kill me." I announced, wondering if that would do any good. "When I was human. You had no proof that they were going to do anything, but you tried to kill me anyway! You broke the treaty first!" Sam snarled at me, crouching, but it was the three pack members I didn't recognize that lunged, and Jacob moved in front of me, leaping and holding them off.

I stiffened, backing away as Sam attacked, pinning me against the porch railing. I was surprised when it didn't give. Turning as quickly as I could, I shoved him away and tried to run. If I could just call Carlisle, he could come help…or send help. Of course, they'd known that Jacob would be nearby, so Alice wouldn't have been able to see me regardless….so calling my family was my only hope. But first I had to evade Sam's huge jaws, one of the only things that could hurt me now. I spun out of reach, taking a few steps before I was headed off by Paul and Quill, Embry on my other side, and I knew what was going on. They were keeping Jacob busy while the others kept me from running. Sam would be the one to kill me…he would get the honor of tearing the vampire apart.

I danced away from him, knowing that I would never tire, and taking a second to be grateful before moving back towards Jacob, hoping that Sam would give up eventually…or that I could hold him off until my family returned. But I knew that eventually Jacob would tire as well, and that there was a chance that he'd get hurt soon. Sam snapped, his jaws nearly closing around me, but I turned, suddenly angry at the wolf who'd tried to kill me, biting down on his shoulder before letting him jerk away, yelping in pain. The blood coated my mouth and I bared my teeth at him, hoping that would convince him to stay away. Our venom was poisonous to them, although it was only fatal in combination with other injuries, so I didn't feel bad about biting him. On my left side, Embry snarled, stepping closer to me.

Suddenly I heard Jasper's voice screaming my name, his scent hitting me belatedly, and the snarling and barking of the wolves increasing as he raced toward us. Quill and Paul ran over, cutting him off and dancing around him, effectively keeping him back, but I was too preoccupied by the huge black wolf whose jaws closed around my upper arm to be much help. Sam yanked on my arm, making me scream in surprised pain, letting him pull me for fear that he'd pull my arm off. I felt a crack form in my shoulder and was shocked at how much it hurt. It burned and stung and ached…different from when I was human, but just as painful as if he'd broken my arm.

He pulled me down onto the ground, his shoulder bleeding heavily from where I had bitten him, and my fighting didn't seem to be getting me anywhere. Rather, the crack was widening and it hurt! I screamed again when he pulled at me, his teeth biting down on my arm. "No! Let her go!" I heard Jasper yell, and I looked around, about to scream for him when I heard him grunt in pain. I looked up, catching sight of him past Jacob who had one wolf pinned, but another was on him in a second. Paul had his teeth around Jasper's wrist, and he closed his eyes for a second, his jaw tight, before turning to fight him off.

'They're hurting my brother!' The thought drove the sharp pain in my arm from my mind and I saw red. I whirled in the space of a second, twisting until I could reach the wolf behind me, and ignoring the sharp pain as my arm cracked even further, I sank my teeth into his neck, the animal like taste of his blood filling my mouth once more as he gave a breathless gasp, then gurgle as I ripped at him, the flesh under his chin tearing. The wolf cried out once more, a pained whimper, then dropped beside me, and I turned over, baring my teeth and growling at the wolves that had gone after my brother and Jacob, but Sam's pack was all backing away, staring between their fallen leader and Jacob, who was watching me wide eyed, warily. Jasper ignored all this, appearing at my side and crouching beside me, his hand on my arm.

"Are you okay? He hurt you…" I clenched my jaw as the joint in my arm burned, but was more worried about him as he gently ran his hand over my back, comforting me with his emotions. Through the pain radiating from my shoulder and the comfort that Jasper was pushing at me, I wondered what he was even doing here.

"Are you okay?" I demanded, reaching out with my other arm to where a wolf had grabbed him, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine, Bella. Let me see your arm." I saw that a crack had formed from my shoulder to my elbow, wider at the top, and he touched the skin there gently, his gaze troubled for a moment. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" I shook my head, and was stunned when he put his mouth to my arm where the crack was the widest, his tongue running over my skin. I jumped, but he held me in place, then smiled wryly as he pulled away. "The venom will help it heal more quickly…just give it a few seconds. Stay still." He advised me, his arm touching my back for a moment before he stood over me protectively, facing the other wolves. I could actually feel the skin on my arm coming back together, the cracks disappearing, and the burning lessened until I could barely feel it. Still, having my brother lick me had been a bit weird.

I looked around as he stood over me, and my eyes widened as I caught sight of Sam's bloody form a few feet away. The strange fury had subsided and I felt my hands shaking. "Jasper, I didn't…I didn't want to…" I whispered, staring up at my brother who shook his head, putting a hand on my head.

"He tried to kill you and you killed him first, Bella. No one could fault you for that." He soothed me, and I stood up beside him, making him frown in worry, but my arm felt fine. He turned back to the wolves, his eyes narrowing. "We don't want to hurt anyone. We're going to leave…as soon as the others get back from the funeral, we'll be on our way. Leave us alone." He warned, his teeth showing. They all looked back and forth between themselves as Jasper pushed me back toward the house, murmuring for me to get inside. I knew he would probably lock me in a closet and stand guard now. Before he could get me back inside, Jacob stepped forward, looking intently at Jasper who sighed irritably. "My brother's the one who can read minds. You'll have to actually speak if you want me to understand you." He growled in frustration, glancing over at the other wolves he obviously wanted further away from me.

The red wolf seemed to sigh and turned on his heels, disappearing briefly into the woods, then returning in his human form, wearing only a pair of shorts. "You killed Sam." Jacob said simply, staring at me. Jasper's eyes narrowed as he glanced over at me, and then back at our ally.

"Will you get inside the da*n house?" Jasper growled at me, trying to push me back as the other wolves moved closer to Jacob. "He tried to kill her first….he tried twice...that's why we had to change her in the first place." Jasper spoke to the wolves, but Jacob was staring at me, ignoring Jasper's attempts at justification.

"You know what this means, Bella?" My thoughts spun around my head at a million miles an hour and I tried to pick which meaning he meant…then realized it.

"You're the only alpha now." I told him simply, and he nodded. Jasper's eyes widened, then his arm went out in front of me as Paul moved forward.

"That's nice. Can we have this discussion inside…and alone?" Jacob chuckled, and I stepped in front of Jasper's arm, ignoring his curse. Turning to his pack, Jacob grinned.

"The way I see it, Doc Fang was just doing what she wanted…I don't see any reason he shouldn't have saved her, especially after Sam tried to kill her." I knew how this worked…they had to listen to him now. He was their new leader. He'd told me that werewolves had to have an Alpha…they couldn't ignore a direct command from him.

"I'll go ahead and assume that Bella will be the last addition to your little family?" Jasper nodded tersely and Jacob grinned at my brother's unease. "Right. The Cullens haven't broken the treaty." He announced. "Anyone have a problem with that?" The others all sat on their haunches or lowered their heads, probably unhappy, but not about to test their new leader who was obviously sympathetic toward our cause. "Great. Let's go. The Cullens are welcome to come back to Forks any time they want. If you want to send your leader to come and see me before you leave, we'll make some changes to the treaty. Actually you can all come if you want." Jacob lifted a hand, waving, and then shifted, his shorts ripping as he ran back toward the border, and his pack followed.

I stepped forward, not sure if I wanted to follow them or just call out and thank Jacob, too stunned at this sudden turn of events to fully process everything, but Jasper's hand closed firmly around my uninjured arm. "Don't even think about it. I swear, even as a vampire I've got to watch you 24/7. We should have known better than to leave you alone for a second." He grumbled, dragging me back to the house, and I laughed, turning and following him willingly. He shut and locked the door behind us, sitting down on the sofa with a loud sigh, Carlie at his heels as she leapt up beside him.

"Jasper…how did you know I needed help?" He looked up at me, his irritability and fear falling away, and he smiled a little, standing once more and pulling me into his arms, his head against mine.

"I didn't." He told me simply. "But I was sitting at that stupid funeral and the preacher was talking and…and all I could think about was how much of a danger magnet you are." I smiled, hugging him back, and he kissed my hair. "I couldn't chance it. Not after everything…" He pulled away for a second, smiling grimly. "We have got to teach you how to fight. Soon." I laughed, and although I didn't say anything, I doubted he would ever stop trying to protect me, even if I could get to a point where I could fight as well as he could. He led me over to the sofa then, and pulled me to sit with him, his arm still around me. Carlie leapt into my lap as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'd better text Alice. She hates it when she can't see." He shifted, allowing me to lean my head against his shoulder, and his fingers moved over the keys as Carlie lay down in my lap, her head on his leg. Closing my eyes, I waited for my family to return to this house for the last time…at least for a little while.

Thank you all for reading. I'm probably heading back to school tomorrow (unless this huge storm coming down causes them to cancel classes) so updates will be less frequent. To everyone heading back to school, good luck! I hope everyone affected by the storm is safe. Be careful everyone!