Thursday 7th October

Sarah stared at the house in Anchorage, awe-struck. It was huge, at least twice the size of the house in Wytham, which had already been bigger than the average house. Pulling her thick, fur coat tighter around her, she trudged through the snow towards the house. One side was entirely made up of glass, while the others were built from wood. Once inside, she saw that the inner walls were made up of stone. The main room had a fireplace, where an already lit fire roared. Sarah crouched beside it, rejoicing in the warmth it radiated.

"Like it?"

Twisting round, Sarah saw Edward leaning against the door frame, watching her.

"It's… incredible. It's so huge! You must have built up quite an amount of money after living for so-" Sarah quickly stopped herself. She couldn't let Edward know she knew he'd been alive over one hundred years! Of course they had so much money! The doctor had been alive longer than any of the others, and without the basic needs of a human, he'd have saved up enough money to buy as many of these mansions as he wanted.

At Edward's curious gaze, Sarah amended her sentence. "You uh, must have lots of money to own this place."

"Mmm, yes. Vampires are immortal, you see. Carlisle has a lot saved up in the bank from over the years."

Sarah nodded, pretending this was new information to her.

"As much as I hate leaving you alone here so soon," Edward said. "I really have to go hunt. It won't be safe for you if I delay it much longer. I think some of Esme's clothes should fit you. Her and Carlisle's room is up the stairs, along the corridor, third room on the left. You'll be okay?"

"Yes, thank you. You go hunt."

Five minutes after Edward left, Sarah found the stairs and made her way up them. She went down the corridor and entered the third room on the left, just as Edward had instructed. Opening the wardrobe, she took out a woollen jumper, pulling it over her head. Feeling much warmer, she explored the house. Going up another flight of stairs, she opened the door of the first room she found, and realised it was Carlisle's study. She rummaged around in the desk draws, before finding a sheet of paper, a pen, an envelope and a stamp. She slipped these into her jeans pocket, deciding to write the letter later.

She was sure Edward wouldn't be back for a while still, so moved onto the next room along the hallway. It was a bedroom. A double bed was in the centre, with a bedside table on one side, and a wardrobe on the other. Sarah sat down on the bed and gazed at the pictures on the shelf, before picking up the one on the table. They were all pictures of Bella and Edward. In every single one, they looked so joyful and content just to be in each other's presence. Sarah couldn't believe she'd been a key factor in their divorce. How could she have destroyed a love so pure and beautiful?

For the first time, Sarah was doubting herself. Doubting Dunstan. Doubting that she was doing the right thing. But she could not allow herself to show any feelings of remorse. For remorse meant weakness, and there was no room for that in her job. She needed to be ruthless, and uncaring. She needed to be heartless and merciless. She could not get attached to anyone. She could not show pity or sympathy- especially not for the target. She could not show any signs of weakness.

Shaking the feelings of guilt away, Sarah wandered back to Carlisle's study, sitting down at the desk and beginning to write the letter.

Dunstan,

I know you will not be pleased that I didn't show up on Monday to update you. I was unable to. You see, Edward and I committed adultery, and Carlisle kicked us out. Before you get mad at me for allowing this to happen, I would like to say I have found out what the Cullens are.

They are vampires. They had incredible speed and strength, and enhanced senses. They drink from animals, not humans. They never sleep, and the burning in the sunlight thing is a myth. Edward hasn't told me what does happen to them in sunlight. He told me he'd show me, and that if humans saw them in the sun, they'd know they weren't human.

He also told me how to kill a vampire. According to him, only other vampires and werewolves- shapeshifters, I think he called them. They turn into wolves and protect humans from vampires. Jacob is one of them, and the rest of his 'pack' live in Washington- can kill a vampire. They rip the body to pieces and burn them. That's the only way.

Renesmee is part vampire, part human. My guess is she's Bella's and Edward's, but how that works, I don't know. I don't know yet how a person becomes a vampire, either. But I hope this is enough information for you to begin creating weapons. I hope I shall be able to write again once I have more information.

Do not send a letter back. It would be too risky. It will be hard enough sending this letter in secret. All I will say is that Edward and I are living in a mansion in Anchorage, Alaska.

Sarah

Placing the pen down, Sarah folded the letter in four and slid it into the envelope, sealing it and then putting a stamp on. She shoved it back into her pocket just as she heard Edward arrive home. Hopefully, they would go into town together soon, so she could post it. After all, it wasn't likely there'd be much food here. Sarah hoped Edward wasn't going to keep her locked up in the mansion. She'd just have to convince him tomorrow to go into town with her. She couldn't make the journey alone; they were so incredibly far from civilisation.

Sarah was in luck. The next day, Edward suggested they go into town to buy her some food and clothes. They got into the car and drove to the town. As they were walking around, Edward saw a book store and went in, leaving Sarah waiting outside. Knowing this was likely the only chance she'd get in a long time, she dashed to the nearest letterbox and shoved the letter in. Sighing with relief, she rushed back to the shop just before Edward came out.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go home."

Tuesday 12th October

Blakewell saw a letter being pushed through the letterbox, and watched as it fell onto the mat. Leaning down, he picked it up and saw it was addressed to him. A large 'private!' was scrawled on the back. Realising it must be from Sarah, he tore the envelope open and pulled the letter out, unfolded it and began reading.

As soon as he'd finished, he called Dunstan. When, eight days ago, they'd gone to the Cullen home in Wytham to get an update from Sarah, and she did not join them, Dunstan had been furious. Blakewell had been sent back to Washington, while Dunstan stayed behind.

The phone rang four times before it was picked up.

"Dunstan," Blakewell said. "I've just received a letter from Sarah."

"What did the little bitch say then?" Dunstan sneered.

Blakewell winced. "She firstly explained that she could not meet us because she was kicked out of the house by Carlisle, for adultery."

"She what?!"

"It's okay though," Blakewell quickly said. "She left with Edward and they're living in Anchorage, Alaska now. She said not to reply because it's too risky."

"Well, does she have any useful information?" Dunstan growled.

"Yes, yes! She discovered what the Cullen's are," Blakewell hurriedly said, trying to mollify Dunstan. "They're vampires."

"They're what?!"

Blakewell proceeded to recite everything Sarah had written in her letter to Dunstan. Once he'd finished, there was a moments silence.

"I have to check a few connections," Dunstan said, finally. "I'll get them working on weapons to use against the Cullens. Sarah did well, I must admit. Better than I thought she would. Call Manson and tell him to book a flight to London for Friday at the very latest. We're going to need a new spy. In fact, since the Cullens are all living apart, call Delaney and Wulfric too. Tell them to fly in with Manson, and then meet with me outside at the Wycombe Swan Theatre in High Wycombe at ten-thirty pm Saturday night."

Saturday 16th October

Jimmy Dunstan was an impatient man, who did not like to be kept waiting. Surely by now, his workers would know that when he wanted them to be somewhere at a certain time, he expected them to be prompt. He'd asked them to meet in High Wycombe at ten-thirty, but it was quarter to eleven and still there was no sight of any of them.

After waiting another seven minutes, Manson, Delaney and Wulfric appeared around the corner, keeping in the shadows.

"Where have you been? I asked you to meet me here twenty-two minutes ago!" Dunstan hissed, once they were close enough.

"Sorry Sir," Manson apologised. "Got into a spot of trouble on the way."

"Trouble? What trouble could you have possibly gotten yourself into?" Dunstan demanded, furiously.

"A couple of police officers roaming about," Delaney explained. "Walked too close to a crime scene and ended up being questioned."

Dunstan closed his eyes for a few seconds, fighting for patience. He needed to focus on the job, not the three idiots he had for spies.

"Well," he said, "I need you as spies. Manson, you will be following Bella, Jacob and Renesmee. Wulfric, you follow Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle. Delaney, you follow Alice, Jasper and Esme. I want you to follow them only. No interaction at all. Watch what they do on a daily basis. I have people working to create weapons that can penetrate vampire skin. I want you all to meet me, same time, same place, on Monday, and I'll see what you've discovered. Now, go! And remember, follow only!"

Bella leaned against the kitchen top, watching Jacob and Renesmee attempt to cook some sort of edible concoction. She thought it was supposed to be some sort of chicken soup, but looking at the soggy clumps that had formed at the bottom of the pot, it appeared to be more of a potato gloop.

Alice walked into the kitchen, wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell, and peered into the pot, filled to the brim with water.

"What is that supposed to be?" she asked, disgusted. "It looks worse than normal!"

"Hey!" Jacob cried, indignantly. "Do not insult our cooking skills!"

"What cooking skills?" Renesmee asked. "Our soup looks disgusting!"

"Nessie! Negativity will get us nowhere!" Jacob admonished, oblivious to the water slopping onto the stove.

Renesmee rolled her eyes. "What's getting us nowhere is you stirring the potato as though that will magically de-clump it."

"But that's what stirring does!" Jacob argued.

"Not when you're dragging the clump around the pot. Maybe if you mushed it to pieces and then stirred, it would work."

Alice raised an eyebrow at Bella. "You didn't teach them, did you?"

"Oh no, Alice. If I taught them, they'd be eating something edible right now. Renesmee seems to have inherited Charlie's inability to cook."

"Jacob!" Renesmee screeched. "What are you doing with that chicken?!"

Bella and Alice spun around to see Jacob clutching two chicken drumsticks.

"I'm going to put it in the soup."

"No!" Renesmee grabbed Jacob's hand and pulled the chicken out. "We already destroyed the potato, we don't want to destroy that too!"

"Uhm, do you want any help?" Bella asked.

"No!"

"Well then," Alice said. "I guess we'll leave them to it."

They were about to walk to the living room, where Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie had congregated, when the front door opened, and Esme stepped in, looking pleased.

"We're officially divorced!" she announced. "And I received twenty-five percent of Carlisle's assets. Alice, I'm going to start searching for a house as soon as possible."

"That's brilliant Esme! But you know you're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"That's very kind of you, Alice," Esme said, looking around the house. "And this is a lovely place you have, but I need independence, and my own place. I won't go far."

She shut the door behind her, took another step in, and noticed Jacob and Renesmee arguing next to the stove.

"What on earth is that?" she asked, repulsed by smell.

"Their chicken and potato soup!" Bella said, brightly. "Although the potato is just soggy clumps, and the chicken…"

The three women turned their heads to Jacob and Renesmee, only to see the chicken slip out of Jacob's grasp, and land in the pot, causing scalding water and mushy potato to splash everywhere.

There was a moment of silence.

Jacob gingerly brought his hand up to his face to wipe the potato away, before looking at Renesmee, who had her eyes shut, and water and potato dripping down her face. There was a clicking sound, and everyone turned to the doorway, where Emmett stood snapping pictures of them all, laughing gleefully at the shocked looks on all their faces.

Jasper appeared a moment later. "What happened to our kitchen, darlin'?" he asked Alice, spying the disarray of pots and pans and various ingredients that lay scattered everywhere. "All this happened from a pot overflowing?"

"Oh! No. Most of this mess was here before they even filled the pot with water," Alice replied, calmly.

"I think it's a good thing that… food is on the floor. If it could even be called food. It looks disgusting."

"All human food looks disgusting," Emmett pointed out.

"This, more so than normal."

"You have a point," Emmett agreed. "I think Bella or Esme should do the cooking. These two will probably end up setting the house on fire next time."

"That's a good idea. Renesmee, Jake, don't you agree?" Bella asked.

They nodded, meekly.

"I have a change of clothes for the both of you in the car. Go grab them, get upstairs and change," Bella instructed. "I'll try clean up this mess."

"How did you know to bring a change of clothes?" Esme asked, curiously.

"Believe me, this is not the first time they made a mess of their dinner," Bella said, grabbing a dishcloth and mopping up the water on the kitchen counter. "They've been experimenting with cooking ever since we moved out. They always end up getting food all over their clothes when they do so."

Emmett was scrolling through the pictures he took. "These are definitely keepers!"

Bella straightened up from where she was leaned over, picking up pots from the floor. "Oh, Emmett, send them to me! I think they'll be perfect to print out and hang up around the house."

"Will do, Bells!"

He walked back into the living room with Jasper, while Alice and Esme helped Bella clean everything up.

"Since the ingredients are already out, I may as well make chicken soup," Bella said, grabbing a chopping board and beginning to prepare dinner. "I think you've learned your lesson about letting them cook in your house, Alice."

"Oh, I don't know. It was rather entertaining, if I'm honest."

"I admit, it was," Bella laughed, as an embarrassed Jacob and Renesmee came down the stairs, clean and dry in fresh clothes.

An hour later, Bella spooned the soup into two bowls, and placed them on the table.

"Not my best work but it'll do. It's certainly more edible that what you two were making earlier," she said. "So Esme. Where are you thinking of moving to?"

"I'm considering Beckley, but it's quite a bit further away from Oxford than any of you."

"You should look around the place and see if you like the area," Rosalie suggested. "If not, well, there's plenty of other villages to go."

"Yes, I have the day off tomorrow. I might look around then," Esme mused. "Well, Emmett, we haven't heard much about what you're doing. How are the animals at the rescue shelter?"

"They're doing fine. Milo- you know, the small, brown border terrier- he's being adopted."

"Milo? You love him, don't you?" Rosalie said, gently.

"I love all of them, but Milo especially." Emmett sighed, heavily. "Rescued another few today. One of them was skin and bone. The owners appear to have left him alone for weeks."

"That's terrible!" Esme gasped. "Will he be alright?"

"We aren't sure, but there's not much chance he'll make it through the night."

Rosalie shook her head, appalled. "The things people do to such innocent creatures."

"I know. The gratifying part is watching these animals bloom under our care. We watch them go from distrustful, broken creatures, starved of affection and care, to lively and happy animals. The change really is a miracle to behold."

"I can imagine," Bella said, softly. "But it must be awful to watch the weakest ones wither away, while you're unable to do anything to help them."

"It is, but I like to think they've moved onto a better place, where they get the care and love they deserve. They don't have to live a horrible life, in a world where no one cares whether they live or die. It's unbearable sometimes, so I spend time with the healthy ones who are ready to leave the centre and find a new life, to remind myself of why I do this job, and to find solace. I'll miss them dearly when we have to leave."

"Spend time with them while you can," Bella advised, wisely. "You never know when you'll have to say goodbye."

Monday 25th October

The entire family was at Bella's house again, as they'd agreed to meet up there every Monday to catch up. Bella was busying herself with washing the dishes from dinner, when she smelled a familiar scent. There was a knock on the door, and Bella cautiously went to answer it.

"Carlisle," she said, suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

"Bella!" Carlisle rasped. "That Sarah girl- there's something up with her!"

"What do you mean?"

"The whole time I was with her, it was like I was walking through fog, pushing my way through, unable to see clearly. I never noticed it before but it seems so obvious looking back! It's been three weeks since I last saw Sarah, and I started noticing the difference in myself last week. Please Bella! You have to believe me! She has some sort of power that clouds your mind!"

Bella raised her eyebrows at Esme, who had joined them in the hallway. They were both inclined to hear Carlisle out, since they'd been wondering similar things.

"Alright then. Come in and explain. But I promise you, if this is a hoax, some foolish attempt to worm your way back into our hearts, you will be in great danger of losing your head," Bella warned.

"No! No, I promise you! This isn't a hoax!" Carlisle fell to his knees and looked up at Bella. "Please believe me."

Bella helped him up and shut the door. "I do believe you, Carlisle. Please, follow me and calm yourself. You are quite wound up about this."

Carlisle nodded, mutely, and followed Bella into the living room, looking very much deranged. Once he'd settled down on the sofa, and looked considerably calmer, Bella began asking questions.

"Okay Carlisle. What do you mean about Sarah having a power that clouds your mind?"

"Edward and I were the two who got separated emotionally from the family. You- all of you- are still treating each other as family, while we got pushed aside. And quite rightly too. The way we were acting was abominable, and that leads me onto something else. Edward and I grew up in times where women were viewed as less capable than men, and I have never truly been able to rid myself of those feelings that my wife should obey me. I succeeded, for the most part, not to behave like a dictator to Esme, but these past couple of months have brought out that side of me again."

"But Jasper and I grew up in similar times, with similar views," Emmett said. "How come we didn't suddenly become sexist pigs?"

Carlisle looked down, ashamed. He was about to answer when Bella beat him to it.

"Sarah! None of us noticed that Carlisle and Edward were the two who spent the most time with her!" Bella exclaimed.

"Those sexist thoughts are quite possibly my worst traits, and the more time I spent in Sarah's presence, the more they magnified, and the more I lost sight of who I really am.

Rosalie frowned. "So you think Sarah has some sort of power that, I don't know, amplifies your worst traits?" she asked, slowly.

"It's possible. But what about the losing sight of yourself, and acting entirely unreasonable?" Alice asked.

"Maybe your worst traits are amplified so much you lose sight of anything else," Bella suggested.

"But it still doesn't fit," Esme said. "Edward was unable to read Sarah's mind, and surely she can't be a shield as well as having this strange power."

Jasper's eyes widened, suddenly. "My power wasn't working so well around Sarah!" he realised. "I didn't notice it until now. Whenever I was around her, everyone's emotions felt distant, in a way. It was like a veil covered them, so I couldn't feel them properly. It went back to normal after we moved out. Alice, did you notice anything odd with your visions?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe… I didn't often get them when Sarah was around. I got a couple but they seemed hazy and unclear, and I couldn't properly understand what was happening. I just assumed it was because of Jacob," Alice replied, pensively.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Esme asked.

"Carlisle said he lost sight of himself the more his worst trait was amplified," Jasper explained. "What if it's consuming us, and interfering with out powers?"

"That's possible," Rosalie said, thoughtfully. "It would explain a lot, like Edward's abandonment of his views on adultery."

Bella sighed. "I knew something was up with her. Edward wouldn't listen to me and now look where it's got us."

"That's all very well, but I'm sure there's an ulterior motive. Do you think she knows she might have this power?" Emmett asked.

"I don't think so," Carlisle said. "I doubt she's being used by a vampire, and what would another vampire gain from this, anyway? But I agree with Emmett. There has to be an ulterior motive. It's all just too convenient for there not to be."

"Well, who has anything against us?" Alice asked.

"No one," Bella said, slowly. "It has to be humans. They wouldn't know vampire's have powers. They wouldn't even know about us."

"But there is bound to be records of us somewhere, and if anyone was looking, paying attention, they'd find them," Jasper finished.

"So, what?" Carlisle asked. "Our enemy is humans?"

"Not enemy," Bella said. "They aren't necessarily trying to kill us, though the probability of that is high."

"So you think Edward has told Sarah about us?" Rosalie asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jasper said. "She was bound to find out sometime. The few times I was around her, I felt suspicion and… deceit. She was deceiving us the whole time." He shuddered and glanced around. "I wouldn't be surprised if there are spies watching us, right now."

After a moment, Jacob, who had been silent up till that point, asked, "What do we do? Kill the humans who know about us?" He felt sick at the thought of killing the very beings he was supposed to protect.

"No," Carlisle said. "Even if we get Sarah and those she's working directly with, we can't know how many people higher up will have been told. There are many more humans than vampires, and if any of them went public with evidence against us, it would spread at incredible rates."

"Then what do we do?"

Bella sighed, defeated. "We wait. We fight them when they attack us. Just like Edward once told me, we will cross these bridges when we reach them. We just have to hope they haven't crumbled and collapsed."