Moonlight

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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Forty-Seven-Intuition

Bella sat on the old couch next to Jacob. She stared out of the window, into the liquid grey haze, and tried to remain calm. She couldn't start panicking now, she needed to remain strong, but her resolve was weakening. Edward was dead-possibly assassinated by the mysterious 'Anne' that Jacob and the others believed was really Victoria in disguise.

And yet, though all the evidence pointed in Victoria's direction, Bella couldn't let herself believe it was true. The vengeful red head had spent months trying to break through the wolf pack's lines, testing them to their limits in order to slip past them and get to her. Had that all been a ruse to distract them all while she put her real plan into motion? Was Victoria really capable of concocting such a duplicitous plan to fool them all, including luring Charlie into her web of lies to achieve her end game. Which was what exactly?

The confusing litany of thoughts continued to go around and around in Bella's brain as she tried to make sense of it all. The more she tried. The more it made no sense whatsoever.

Bella didn't know how much time passed as she continued to stare out the window in silence. But the rain was disappearing into darkness when Jacob finally ran out of patience. He put his warm hands on either side of her face and fixed his worried eyes onto hers.

"Would you please tell me what you're thinking? I can sense your turmoil. I don't want you to feel you can't talk to me about how you're feeling, Bella, honey. Even after everything he's done, I'd understand if you were upset that he's gone. He was a big part of your life."

Bella didn't know how to answer him. She searched for the right words to voice her mixed feelings.

"Your lips are white. Talk to me, Bella."

Bella exhaled deeply. She didn't realise she had been holding her breath. "I feel numb, Jake. Edward's dead. I should feel something…. but I don't. And I feel guilty for not feeling anything."

Jacob brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone in a gentle caress. "You're in shock."

"Maybe…." Bella's face was full of worry and scepticism. "I'm not sure what to do…what about Charlie…. what to say…. how to…." Her voice trailed off.

"Charlie is going to be okay. He's strong. Like you." Jacob said reassuringly.

Bella frowned. "Something doesn't add up."

The rain began to pound louder outside as Jacob peered at her face. "In what way?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Just a gut feeling. I can't even explain it. I mean why go to the all the trouble of creating this elaborate ruse? To get to me Victoria could have easily kidnapped Charlie and used him as bait like James tricked me into thinking he had Renee."

"She was using Charlie for information." Jacob surmised, he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "And why would she use the same ploy as her mate when it ended so badly for him. Maybe she decided to try another angle."

"I guess." Bella could feel her frustration building. "Its just I've met Victoria…. she doesn't seem the type to be so subtle. And why call Charlie to tell him what she'd done to Edward? And why offer to deal with him in the first place? It wasn't like she was bragging….it was almost like she wanted Charlie to know she'd taken care of the situation to make him feel better and that he didn't have to worry anymore."

Jacob gave her an incredulous look. "Are you suggesting Victoria has developed a soft spot for your old man?"

"Stranger things have happened." Bella pointed out resignedly. "I mean look at me."

"Your situation was entirely different, Bells." Jacob argued. "The Cullens are not your run of the mill blood drinkers…and the red head…well…I find it difficult to believe she would have their kind of restraint around a human."

"Exactly!" Bella could feel the panic surfacing in her eyes. "That's why I don't think Anne is Victoria."

Jacob fell silent as he pondered her words. He had been so sure he was right. In his mind it all added up perfectly. But now Bella had cast doubt on his original assertion.

"Jake." Bella continued earnestly. "We need to know for sure whether it's her or not."

Jacob maintained eye-contact with her as he mulled everything over. Deep down he knew she was right, but the problem was how to trick 'Anne' into revealing herself. The only way to gain access to her was to use Charlie as bait to draw her out, and Jacob wasn't comfortable doing that. There was the risk of what her reaction might be, once she realised, she had been deceived.

"There are too many variables at play, Bella, honey. To draw her out into the open we'd have to be quite some distance away, our scent would give us away. As soon as she figures out, she's been duped, there's no telling what she would do. She might hurt Charlie…"

"She can't if it's in a public place in broad daylight. There's nothing she can do if there are loads of people swarming around. And we only need to catch a glimpse of her to confirm whether its her or not." Bella cut in fervently. "It's a risk, certainly, but I feel its one worth taking."

"You're really set on this course of action, aren't you?"

It was a rhetorical question. He could tell by Bella's face that there was not a chance in hell he would be able to dissuade her.

"And you want to be there when it all plays out."

Bella lowered her eyes, her flushed cheeks giving her away. "You know me so well, Jake. But this is my life. I want to…no…. I need to do this."

Jacob sat back and sighed in defeat. "K.'"

"Okay what?" Bella held her breath.

"We'll do it your way." Jacob agreed as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Time continued to move too fast.

Jacob called another pack meeting, and with Bella by his side, outlined the plan they wanted to set in motion. They had already discussed the preliminaries with Charlie and Billy. That had been a difficult conversation. The police chief was still struggling with the knowledge that he had been duped so easily, and there was a small part of him that still refused to accept that Anne had used him. He wanted an explanation from her himself, so readily agreed to act as go between, but once he learned that Bella would be involved in the set-up operation, he did a complete one-eighty and firmly shut down the idea. An argument ensued, and it took all of Bella's persuasive skills to talk her father around.

"You'll be the one most at risk. Not me. I'll be some distance away surrounded by Jake and wolf pack. And there's little she can do in a public place." Bella argued her case.

With both Jacob and Billy weighing in on the argument, Charlie had eventually backed down.

Now the only obstacle that remained was Sam Uley.

After telling the gathered pack members of their intentions and noticing their eager faces responding to the bold plan, Sam pulled Jacob and Bella aside and confronted them alone.

"I am not risking lives on a hunch. Because that's what this is." Sam had pointed out stubbornly.

"Then you stay behind." Jacob had retaliated.

"You can't do anything without my agreement." Sam retorted. "And you know that."

"Do you really want to test that theory?" Jacob threatened.

Bella could feel the tension and hear the intensity in Jacob's tone as he battled with Uley for the pack's loyalties. But she knew now was a critical point. They couldn't afford to be divided like this. Only by staying united would they be able to flourish. She stepped in-between Jacob and Sam, making an impassioned plea for Sam to listen.

Instead of being defensive Bella explained she accepted and understood his ambivalence, that in the same situation she would feel it too. She knew that someone like Sam needed validation of his emotions, not some solution or apology. That was all it took for him to slowly come around to the idea. The only thorn remained Emily, but the others drowned out her protesting voice, until she was forced into silence.

There was one more difficult conversation Bella was forced to endure, and that was with Alice. It was with much trepidation that she contacted the little seer to offer her belated condolences.

"I understand the difficult position you are in." Alice said disconsolately. "Carlisle and Esme are the most deeply affected, they are in mourning. Rose has been unusually quiet and withdrawn…. Emmet does his best to comfort her."

"And you?" Bella asked sympathetically. "I know how close you and Edward always were."

There was a long pause before Alice responded. "I feel numb, Bella. I am having trouble processing that Edward is really gone. Jasper is keen to move on, all the heightened emotions flying around are weighing him down."

Bella felt a spike of irritation toward Jasper. Once again, he seemed only concerned with himself, and wasn't factoring in his mate's emotions. "You need to think of your own needs, Alice."

"That's the problem." Alice confided worriedly. "I can't see anything…I should have foreseen all this…I'm losing confidence in myself. I know Carlisle and Esme blame me, though they are too kind to say so out loud. I'm missing so much these days, I'm worried that something's wrong. That maybe my vision is slipping away."

Bella's eyes went wide. "Can that happen?"

"Who knows? No one's ever done a study." Alice replied sullenly. "I don't know what to do, Bella. I can't talk to Jas about it…I can't talk to anyone."

Jasper, again. It was strange. In the Cullen family, Jasper was always on the fringe, part of things but never the centre of them. It had always been Bella's unspoken assumption that he was only there for Alice. She had the sense that the Cullens lifestyle was not his first choice. The fact that he was less committed to it than the others was probably why he had more difficulty keeping it up. Now would be the perfect opportunity for him to persuade Alice to break out on their own. Just thinking about it raised Bella's suspicions, though she didn't say anything directly to Alice.

"Again, I'm so sorry, Alice. I have to go. Keep in touch."

"Thank you, Bella. And thank you for listening. You are a good friend."

"You're welcome. Bye, Alice."

Bella barely hid the tremor in her voice as she rang off. Something about Edward's quick demise had been bugging her ever since she had found out about it. The mysterious Anne had managed to despatch him very quicky after her initial promise to Charlie to deal with the problem. How had Anne tracked Edward down so quickly? Had someone been feeding her information? And was that someone the last person anyone would suspect-Jasper?

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.