Disclaimer to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N: As always, thank you to everyone who reviews, follows, favorites, etc. I didn't get a chance to message any comments left on the last chapter I published but I did read them all and am so thankful. I hope you all have a great week and enjoy this chapter! Hopefully it answers some questions :)

With love, -M

Chapter Twelve

Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper joined Alice and I on the porch as more wolves appeared through the tree-line. Esme grabbed my hand to pull me behind her, wrapping her other arm around my waist.

"Bella," Carlisle whispered, "stay back here with Esme and Alice. I will speak with the wolves." Without asking, Jasper followed Carlisle to the middle of the field.

"Hello, it seems there has been a misunderstanding. Sam, Jacob, may we speak? The others may stay in form if that gives you both comfort." Carlisle shouted across the field.

Looking briefly at each other, the wolves both disappeared into the clearing. A few minutes later, two human men emerged.

"Jacob…"

Whatever image of Jacob I had imagined was shattered by the figure that stood before Carlisle. The young boyish face that I had cared so deeply for months ago was gone. Jacob's jawline had sharped, his hair was shorter, and every inch of his body was built with solid muscle.

The man I assumed to be Sam stood with Jacob. A few inches shorter than Jacob, his eyebrows furrowed as faint wrinkles from too much sun exposure creased his face. Both men approached Carlisle cautiously, stealing quick glances in my direction.

"Carlisle," Sam greeted, about 10 feet from Carlisle and Jasper.

"Sam, we weren't expecting a visit but we are glad you are here. It seems we have a few things to discuss." Carlisle shifted his attention to Jacob. "Hello Jacob, nice to finally meet you officially."

Jacob gave Carlisle a curt nod, but his eyes never wavered from me.

Sam wasted no time. "You all need to leave. Now. Bella is dangerous. If you do not take her away from here, somewhere she can't hurt any humans, we will have no choice but to take that responsibility into our own hands. We're here in good faith to warn you in order to preserve the treaty."

"Sam, I understand the shock of Bella's transformation, especially as her family is close with families on the reservation. But I can assure you Bella will not harm any humans here, she is quite in control of herself, she-"

"Is that so?" Sam interrupted.

Jacob's shoulders dropped. "Sam-"

"Jacob, don't. I am allowing you to be present in this conversation only because I know Bella was your friend. But I will not allow your affection for her to cloud your judgement."

"Bella mentioned you and your pack did not take kindly to her arrival in Forks." Carlisle said. "I spoke with Billy Black yesterday, he seemed to be very understanding and sympathetic to Bella's situation. Am I to understand this feeling is not shared among your pack?"

Sam took a single step towards Carlisle, sneering.

"Our of respect to a former pack leader, we gave Bella the chance to-"

"Oh I would hardly call it a chance, Sam. You overreacted!" Jacob yelled, moving between Sam and Carlisle. Tears began to pool in Jacob's eyes as they moved to where I was standing.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Jacob cried.

"What is he talking about?" I started to move toward the field.

As I took my first step off the porch, the wolves behind Jacob and Sam dipped into a defensive stance, ready to attack. I froze, my attention split between Jacob, Carlisle, and the long line of wolves.

"Bella, stay back," Carlisle said again.

"Jacob, what are you talking about?" I asked.

Jacob didn't answer. He only continued to stare at me. A few times he opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the right words.

"Jacob?"

Sam reached out to grip Jacob on the shoulder, pulling him back to him. In a low, hoarse whisper, Sam scorned Jacob. "She would have killed you. You need to stop defending her now or I'm sending you home."

Before the wolves could react I ran to Carlisle's side.

"I never would have hurt Jacob!"

Startling Sam, the wolves began to close in around us. Alice and Esme moved to where Carlisle, Jasper, and I stood, each of us stanced to defend each other.

Sam reached out with both of his hands, motioning for the wolves to step back. The more the wolves retreated, the more the Cullens relaxed.

"Sam, there must be a misunderstanding. We have no desire to… well, drink your blood. The Quileute's blood is not appealing to us in the least. Bella would have had no attraction to your scent." Carlisle said.

"She is dangerous!" Sam yelled.

"We're all dangerous," Jasper said in a smooth, even tone.

"Sam-" This time, Jacob placed his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Jacob, I told you-"

"It wasn't Bella's fault! I flinched! I flinched on impulse, because she's still a vampire! But that doesn't mean she was going to hurt me! She just got so close to my neck, she didn't know! You all reacted so quickly you didn't even give me a chance to recover!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Jacob's face dropped. "When you first approached me, I let you touch me. You moved your hand down close to my neck and I… I didn't mean to but I… I just got scared for a second. Not because I thought you would hurt me on purpose! But I just know… well, you know and I- I-"

"Jacob…" I took a few steps toward my friend.

And just like in the clearing, Jacob flinched. Sam moved to step between Jacob and I, snarling at me to back away.

Carlisle placed both his hands gently on my arms, pulling me back to the others.

"Bella, I'm sorry!" Jacob yelled.

Jacob's fear felt palpable. No matter how much he cared for me, he couldn't help but fear me. The venom that coursed through my veins had built a brick wall between the two of us. My fists clenched at my sides. No matter what either of us wanted, our friendship was already over.

"Sam," Carlisle spoke again, "I can understand the feeling of wanting to defend yourself especially around a newborn vampire. But from what Bella tells us, you explicitly attacked her when she did nothing wrong."

Sam stood a little straighter when he spoke his next words. "The only reason we did not kill Bella on the spot was out of respect to the Black family. Otherwise she wouldn't have had a chance to get away."

This time Jasper moved to step in front of me, lightly pushing me back to stand with Alice and Esme. Cool bursts of calm sprinkled through the air.

"Sam, I was assured by Billy Black that the treaty had not been broken. If we had not changed Bella-" Carlisle started.

"Yes, I spoke with Billy. The treaty is not broken. We want no conflict with your coven but Bella must leave. She must leave or we will take action."

"No! We're not going to harm Bella." Jacob held up his hands to the wolves, signaling them to stay back. He walked towards me, Carlisle and Jasper nodding to one another and moving to allow Jacob to approach me. Sam fumed behind Jacob. There was no way to stop him without getting near the Cullens, something I could guess Sam would never willingly do.

Jacob looked me over for several long moments before taking my hands. He flinched again feeling how cold my hands were, but looked apologetic at me taking notice of his reaction.

"Bella," Jacob whispered, "I don't want to see you get hurt. Please, just leave. You're not protected by the treaty and-"

"Jacob," Carlisle said, still facing Sam, "excuse my interruption, but by the terms of our treaty Bella is protected."

"No," Sam said, "the treaty specifically covers Cullens only."

"Bella is a Cullen," Alice said. "When she was transformed by Carlisle that granted her all of the rights and responsibilities as the rest of us. She has not killed a single human since her transition, nor will she. She is no threat to any human now or in the future, I've seen it."

"My daughter is correct. Bella is fully a member of this coven and she is a Cullen under the jurisdiction of this treaty. If any action is taken against Bella, we will all consider the treaty to be broken, something that none of us desire."

"No!" Jacob screamed. "Your son left her. She is not part of your family! Your family is the reason she's like this to begin with! You-"

"Jake! Stop!" I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Still holding Jacob's hands, I squeezed as lightly as I could to not hurt him. Jacob's eyes returned to mine, hurt clear on his face. "Jake, I am part of their family. With him or not."

Jacob dropped my hands, taking a few steps back from me. "You're kidding…"

"Jake, where else would I even go if I wanted to?"

Jacob said nothing, his eyes never breaking contact with mine. I could see his features change from shock, to anger, to pity, to hurt within the short time he held my gaze.

"This is wrong, Bella."

"This is reality, Jacob."

"I don't know how much more I can protect you. Bella, I care for you, I don't want to hurt you. Please don't put me in the position to do so…"

Jacob walked back to return to Sam's side.

"Sam, surely we can work something out. Bella is a valued member of this family and we care for her greatly. She has already resisted the temptation of exposed human blood. She is stronger than any newborn vampire I have ever met." Carlisle turned his head to look at me before continuing. "Bella knows she cannot return to her past human life. She knows she can never see her father again or return to school. All we ask is that we are able to remain here in our Forks home and hunt accordingly on our land."

Sam contemplated this for a few moments. Next to him, Jacob was restless, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Alright. If Bella agrees to stay off Quileute land and not enter town, we will keep our distance. But if she makes one misstep Carlisle, we will not hesitate to react. Is this understood?"

"It is, Sam. Thank you."

"I ask the same of the rest of you. Since Bella is a newborn vampire and had an affiliation with your family prior to your departure, it would be best if none of you return to town and let your presence be known to the humans."

"We can do that."

At this resolution, Jacob seemed a bit more relaxed.

"We should warn you though," Sam added, his back to Carlisle as he began to walk away, "since you left there has been another vampire that has refused to leave the area. We haven't been able to catch her and she's causing quite a disturbance in surrounding areas."

"Another vampire?" Jasper asked. "You mean the Volturi?"

"No," Sam answered. "A single woman. She's been hunting something, we're not sure what. We haven't seen her in a few weeks but we believe she will return again."

"Wait, how long has she been in the area?" Alice asked.

"A few months, she appeared not long after you all left."

Alice's face glossed over, but not as it would if she were having a vision. Her forehead creased, she bit down on her lip concentrating strenuously.

"Um… what does she look like?" I asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer.

Jacob was the one to answer, shrugging his shoulders. "Pale, red eyes, red hair-"

"It can't be-" Jasper interrupted Jacob, none of us needing any more info.

"Victoria," Carlisle said. "She's been tracking Bella. That also explains why you all have remained transformed after our departure."

"Wait, she's after Bella? Why would she be after Bella?" Jacob's voice grew angry.

"I bet she tipped off the Volturi about the wolves. They were her only obstacle with us gone," Jasper said.

"That would make sense. She must have left town when she thought the Volturi took Bella. I guarantee she'll return if she hears we're in town though, she'll want to make sure Bella is really dead," Carlisle said. "Alice? Can you see if she will return?"

At Carlisle's question, Alice lifted her face to the wolves. "No. No I can't see her returning… but I also can't see her not returning. I just see… nothing."

Carlisle turned to Alice, a single eyebrow raised at her answer. "Alice what are you saying?"

Alice locked eyes with Jacob and he sunk back a few paces, his head dipping to the ground.

"I can't see anything with the wolves. They… they block my visions. It's why I couldn't see Bella arriving in Forks, because the wolves were there. I didn't see them coming to the house, I can't see what will happen here, I can't see… anything when they're near."

Sam turned sharply and grabbed Jacob's arm, forcing them both closer to the wolves. "We'll let you know if we see her. The treaty remains in tact, we'll be on our way-"

"That's why I couldn't see Bella's accident." Alice muttered the words, but everyone stilled as if she held a knife to each of their throats. "I couldn't see Bella's accident because you were all there. When the Volturi took her, you were there. You knew what they were and you let them take her!"

I couldn't look away from Jacob's face. No doubt Jacob cared for me, but even more so he felt guilty.

"Bella!" Jacob started, "I'm so sorry, I wanted to do something! I heard the crash but by the time I got to you they were already there and I couldn't-"

My skin felt as if it was boiling. "You couldn't or you wouldn't?" I snapped.

"Bella, you don't understand, we had just spent hours chasing them off and I couldn't disobey orders-"

"Sam's orders?" I asked.

Sam raised his chin a bit, meeting my gaze. "Yes, my orders. I'm sorry this happened to you, Bella. But your wreck was just past the reservation line in plain sight, we couldn't risk that kind of exposure. And even if we did intervene, we didn't know if you would survive it anyway. I'm sorry, truly."

I balled my fists tighter, trying desperately to calm down. The last thing I could do was lash out and ruin the peace Carlisle had tenderly crafted with the wolves for me. Breathing out all the air in my lungs, all I could do was give Sam a curt nod and step back into Esme's arms.

I acknowledged his choice but I wasn't sure if I could forgive it.

Sam returned my nod and began to walk back to the tree-line with the wolves. Jacob was the only one that didn't move.

"Bella…"

"Jacob, I think you should go."

"Bella, I'm so sorry you have no idea how awful I feel. I thought for weeks you were dead, you can't imagine how I felt when my dad got the call from Carlisle, I-"

"Jacob… please leave." My voice was beginning to break, I couldn't do this right now.

"But Bella-"

"Jacob, stop! You have to let me be hurt! I don't blame you, I understand, but I've lost so much because of that stupid accident!" I closed my eyes.

Calm down, Bella. You have to stay calm.

In a much more even tone I looked back to Jacob and spoke again. "I was going to see you that day, you know? But because of a small patch of ice on the road I've lost almost everything. My mortality, my family, my friends, my life. It's hard for me to look at you and know you sat back and watched everything slip away from me."

Alice grabbed my free hand squeezed it, staring at Jacob as if he had killed me himself.

Jacob's head hung as he flexed his hands at his sides. "Bella, I've never wanted to hurt you."

I didn't answer.

"It doesn't make it forgivable, but I thought you'd like to know that I visit Charlie every week." Jacob looked up to the sky and hesitated before looking at me for the last time. "I hope that gives you some comfort, Bella. I promise to look after him."

As angry as I was at Jacob, it did bring me a great deal of comfort. I imagined Billy and Jacob showing up at Charlie's with beer and fish fry, watching sports on tv with Charlie's flatscreen. Jacob couldn't have done anything to save me, but he was saving Charlie.

And one day I would thank him immensely for it.

But it couldn't be today.

Nodding to Jacob, I gave him a quiet thank you before watching him return to the others. Esme squeezed me tighter. At this point, she was almost holding me up entirely. Even as a human my knees had never felt so weak.

The wolves a few miles away from the house, Carlisle turned around to face the rest of us and clasped his hands in front of him.

"Well, I suspect it's time for another family meeting."

…

The next few days were spent planning for Victoria's return and settling into some kind of normality. Carlisle spoke daily with Billy Black to touch base on any updates from the reservation. Sometimes Carlisle asked about my father and passed on the updates to me. He also called Emmett and Rosalie daily to see how their task was going. Still unable to find him, they had no plans to be home anytime soon. Esme accompanied Carlisle for almost every call to Rosalie and Emmett, disappointed each day with no updates on her eldest son.

Of everyone in the house though, Alice was the most stressed. Every hour, she tried to see something about Victoria. Only occasionally was she able to get anything of value. The only thing we knew for certain was that if Victoria decided to come in through the reservation, she would have a strong advantage in surprise. Alice repeatedly asked Carlisle to speak to the wolves about staying away from the reservation line closest to the house but he refused to push the wolves harder than he already felt he had.

Alice would never admit it, but she was also looking for him. Since the accident, no one had been able to get a hold of him. Rosalie and Emmett continued their search but weeks passed with zero luck. I could visibly see the guilt weigh harder into Alice's shoulders. I tried my best to indulge her in fashion shows and online shopping, but they only seemed to help briefly.

When I wasn't a mannequin in Alice's room, Jasper used Victoria as an excuse to use me as Emmett's step in. With his prior experience training a newborn army, he actually had some useful tips. Esme scolded Jasper harshly every-time he dragged me out into the backyard but eventually I began to enjoy it. A few times I had even pinned Jasper on my own.

Within the first week Esme gave me my own room on the third floor. It had previously been a room for storage the Cullens had hardly used, but since agreeing to stay Esme had decorated it like a home magazine cover. A small balcony at the end of the room, I spent nearly every night outside listening to the woods and every night I missed sleep a little bit more. When the others went out hunting or excused themselves to their rooms, I stuck my nose in whatever non-medical books I could find from Carlisle's library.

Also on the third floor of the house, right next to the only staircase, was the closed door to his room. The only path to my room, I passed it everyday. Everyday, I reminded myself that nothing in that room would make anything better. But still, everyday, I stopped and allowed the door to tempt me.

One night, Alice, Jasper, and Emse went hunting and Carlisle excused himself in his office to take a call with Rosalie and Emmett. Alone and at the top of the stairs I stood staring at the door as if it were a portal to another dimension. I slowly inched toward it, flinching when my fingers curled around the cool silver handle. I pushed it open, just a few inches, when his scent hit me like a slap in the face. I opened the door wider and stepped in, closing it quietly behind me.

The entire room smelled like him. Even if I was human I would have been able to sense it. His scent lingered heavy in the air. Each breath, my chest tightened as if I was being lassoed in by the room. All of his possessions sat where they had been when I had last been here with him. I grazed my fingers over the shelves of his CDs. One was missing.

Clair de Lune.

Of course, his favorite.

Across the couch was his bookshelf and eventually I moved over to inspect its contents. Even when we were together, I had never taken the time to see what books he kept for himself. Unfairly, it contained all my favorites. All of Jane Austen's collection, Wuthering Heights, Romeo and Juliet, and even a copy of Little Women. I laughed a bit, surprised he favored these books over the other classics he used to speak so fondly of.

I grabbed his copy of Wuthering Heights and flipped through it on his couch, pulling a small blanket over my lap. I got as far as Healthcliff and Catherine disappearing before I forced myself to stop and place the book back onto his shelf.

Eventually, he would return. Alice had seen that. No matter how he approached the Volturi, they were going to turn him away.

He's going to come back.

And what would he think of me being here when he did?

The last few weeks, I had embraced the Cullen's words about being a member of the family. For now, it felt right and I enjoyed spending so much time with them. After months of mourning their departure, their re-entrance into my life felt like a cool splash of water on the hottest day of summer. I couldn't get enough of them.

But as much as I loved the Cullens, I wouldn't be able to stay once he returned. I wouldn't be able to be near him without being with him. When he came back, he would be my forbidden fruit and I had no intention of facing the wrath of my inevitable weakness.

He had been very clear when he left. He did not love me. He did not want me. This transformation would change nothing.

Sighing, and against every once of judgement I had, I took the blanket from his room and into mine. As foolish as it felt, the faint trace of him in my room brought me some comfort. When he would come back and I leave, maybe I would be able to take it with me. Maybe he wouldn't notice it was gone.

Maybe it could be the last piece of him I'd get to keep.