Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight saga and its universe. No profit is made here and no offense intended

Chapter 3: If It's My Fault

"For the last time, Eleazar, no," I repeated, frustrated. We'd come to visit the Denalis a few weeks ago, over spring break, and ever since Eleazar, a gift-sensing vampire, had seen my gift, he had never stopped pushing me to practice using and further developing it.

"I don't understand, Cate," he replied. "Don't you want to understand it better, to strengthen it? You're lucky, your gift is so strong and so powerful. You could do so much with it!"

"And I don't want it!" I nearly shouted. "No one should have the kind of power it gives me. It's not natural! It's not right!"

"We are vampires, none if this is natural! And Alice can see into the future. Are you saying her gift is unnatural, too?"

I was shaking my head. "Hers is different. All she does is see. She doesn't take away people's wills. She can't force them to do things they don't want to."

"Who says she can't? Who says we all can't? Humans are drawn to our beauty. It's part of being a vampire!"

"But that's different! Humans are naturally attracted to beauty. What I do is not natural. It's like killing them, taking away their choices and their futures, only less permanent!"

"But don't you want to understand it better? To control it better?"

"I already can control it! And I don't need to understand it to know that using it is wrong!"

"Eleazar, Cate." Another voice entered the fray. It was Kate, my favorite of the Denali sisters. "Cate doesn't need to learn if she doesn't want to. It's her gift, after all." I nodded vigorously. "In fact," she continued, "I was about to go hunting, and Emmett was looking for someone to play chess with. I suggested you, Eleazar. And come with me Cate?"

We both nodded our agreement, and Eleazar turned to head back towards the house. He looked back, though, after a moment's thought. "I don't understand why you don't accept your gift. It's part of you. And there are plenty of vampires who'd kill for a gift like yours."

I glared at him, but didn't respond. I had killed, with my gift. Too many times.

Running with Kate was a glorious reprieve. Before Eleazar had started badgering me about training my gift, we'd been talking about drinking human blood, and the conversation had uncomfortably turned to Irina and Laurent, and the subject of mates.

That was, until Kate started talking.

"I don't want to push you," she said, and I knew the conversation would turn awkward again, "but if I were you, I'd want to learn more about my gift. To protect my family."

"Well I don't," I snapped, then felt sorry as Kate's expression became hurt. I sighed. "It's just, I have bad experiences with using my gift. I don't want to hurt anyone with it."

Kate shrugged. "Well, my gift also hurts people. That's the only thing it does. But I'd still use it to help my coven. Just... think about it. Eleazar just wants to help."

And I did think about it. But I couldn't. Kate's gift was different, because mine violated people in a way hers didn't. I took away choice, while she simply hurt for a bit.

And my compulsion was indefinitely worse than hers.

When we returned, Eleazar and Jasper were play fighting. Something about Alice and cheating and chess. Everyone was watching them fight, which was why I was the first one to notice when Alice froze.

Her eyes were distant, and I knew the look well. She was looking into the future. And her expression told me that what she was seeing wasn't good.

"No..." Alice whispered. "No!"

My mind whirled as I tried to figure out what had happened. Edward or Bella, it had to be one of them. But what had they done?

Jasper was at his mate's side in an instant, cradling her. "Tell us," he said with a practiced air.

There was a long paused, then Alice's eyes focused again. They were wild, though, wild and grieving and unbelieving. Suddenly, she was a blur of movement, running towards the stairs where our rooms were. Only, Jasper was there, holding her.

"Alice, tell us," he begged. "What did you see?"

"I have to go back!" she nearly shouted. "Back, before... before... Let me go, Jazz! Let me go!" She was twisting, struggling to get out of her mate's grasp, but he held her firm.

"Alice!" He had somehow let go, and she was running up the stairs, now. Jasper followed her, and I was right behind him.

"Please, Alice, tell us!" I said. "What happened?"

"I can't talk, we have to hurry!" she replied, still moving at vampire speed, as she threw some belongings and passports into a bag. "Hurry, hurry!"

Suddenly, she was in Jasper's arms again, and even I, standing a few feet away, could feel the effects of his gift, enveloping the room with calm.

"Jasper, stop that!" Alice shrieked, or tried to - what Jasper had done had too large of an impact on her for her to be as panicked as she had been earlier. "We can't afford to waste time, we have to go now!"

"Not until you tell us what happened! Please, Alice. We need to know!"

Her eyes closed for a moment, then she whispered a name. "Bella."

"What about her? I asked. I realized that my voice was shaking. "What did she do?"

"She... jumped."

At first, I couldn't process the words. Bella had... jumped? On the ground? And then I realized. It was off of something. "Off of...?"

"Off a cliff," Alice confirmed. "I saw her. She was smiling, then she jumped. And now I can't see her... her future's all blank."

Slowly, the pieces began to fit together. Bella had committed suicide. She and Edward couldn't live without each other; it was just like I'd said! And now she was gone... if Alice's visions were blank then it meant Bella was gone... that we had no chance of saving her, that we wouldn't be fast enough.

"No," I whispered faintly. "Not Bella." Not my sister, the one who'd given me a purpose in life, the first one I'd trusted with my secret, the one who'd convinced me to stay in Forks and to give the Cullen's another chance.

And this was all my fault...

Faintly, I realized that Jasper and Alice were arguing. Jasper couldn't go back. Not when it was his and my fault that we'd left in the first place, not when he'd promised Edward that we will wouldn't go back.

But Bella was my sister, more than Edward was my brother. And if there was even the slightest chance... or if I could at least be there for Charlie... I had to go back.

"I'm coming," I said, interrupting Alice and Jasper.

"Cate..." Jasper said, his expression torn.

I shook my head. "I have to be there. Alice. How are we getting there? Plane?"

A nod. "We can get on the plane leaving in two and a half hours, if we hurry," she explained.

"And then?"

"We can run to Forks, but we'll need a car for cover once we near the house. Carlisle's car. It's still in the garage."

Quickly, I moved to my room, and threw some random clothes in a small backpack, making sure my passport and a small wallet full of cash were in the front pouch. Within seconds, I was back at the stairs, where Alice waited.

The others watched from around the room as we went down the stairs in a somber procession. There were murmurs, apologies, condolences, but none of them tried to stop us. They knew what had happened, and what was at stake. They knew Alice's gift, too, and, though no one said it, no one expected for us to find Bella alive.

Not with her blank future.

In the back of my mind, I realized that Carlisle, Esme, and Edward himself weren't there. They would have to be told. Who would tell them? Jasper?

He shouldn't have to. It was all my fault.

We ran to the closest airport, then boarded the plane with the tickets Jasper had purchased online while we were on our way. We didn't speak, but I could tell from Alice's blank gaze that she was still searching, still hoping that we'd find Bella alive. All throughout the flight, I watched her. She found nothing.

We landed at SeaTac airport, then boarded a connection to the airport in Port Angeles. Once we'd landed, we ran back to Forks, taking care to ensure that we wouldn't be seen. All throughout the journey, I remembered Bella. The day we met. The way I'd hated her, at first, though our competitions seemed so petty now. The way we'd planned Phil and Renee's wedding together. The way she'd confronted me, after the wedding, and demanded to know the truth, because for some reason, my gift hadn't worked on her...

My gift didn't work on her. Edward's gift didn't work on her. Was it possible that, somehow, Alice's gift, too, didn't work on Bella? Could that be why... could Bella still be alive?

I dismissed my thoughts. The idea was ridiculous. Alice had seen Bella before. There was a reason why we thought Bella to be dead - Alice had seen her jump off a cliff! That Bella's future had disappeared only supported the idea that she was ... gone.

But still, a small part of me hoped. Hoped that we'd go to Charlie's house and find her there, alive, happy, even.

My sister, my brilliant, selfless, beautiful sister, could not be gone!

But deep down, I knew she was. And nothing I said or thought could change that. She was gone, because I hadn't had enough control when she'd gotten a papercut, because I hadn't fought back enough when Edward had decided we needed to leave, because I had been too selfish to keep fighting, because I hadn't been there while she'd struggled.

The house was empty as we approached it, the door unlocked. I didn't even have to use my key as we slipped inside. The house itself felt lonely, as though only one person lived in it. Bella's room - my old room - looked almost abandoned. The person who lived in here... it felt like she'd died a long time ago.

Edward hadn't cared enough to do anything, the first few months, and here was proof that Bella had reacted the same. Why couldn't that stupid, selfless vampire have seen? Neither could survive without the other. When he is alive, all that matters is him. When he is dead, the only thing keeping you alive is revenge. What if you thought he'd left you because he didn't love you anymore? What if you left because you knew you'd end up killing her? I was looking at the result of that. And now it was too late...

A strange sound interrupted my thoughts. Alice was clutching, murmuring softly, so softly I couldn't hear what she said. And then there was a car in the driveway, and the sounds of heartbeats - two heartbeats? - and a low voice I didn't recognize talking about Bells? and two scents, one that smelled horrible and of wet dogs, while the other was... was Bella.

But how?

"Vampire," said the low voice, and I started. Who was he? How did he know? There was a low growl. Whatever he was, I knew that he wasn't human.

"How do you know?" Was that... could it be... Bella?

"Because I can smell it! Dammit!" Smell it... no human could smell us from here, not even with the scent trails we'd left behind. What had Bella gotten herself into? "Phase or get her out of here?" It was murmured, so low I half thought I'd misheard. Phase into what? "Right. Get you out." No! Not when we were so close! But moving towards them would only cause him, whatever he was, to run away faster. I didn't move, not an inch.

"Stop! Stop!" Bella's voice. With a thrill, I realized the car had stopped moving away from us. Had she recognized...?

"What?" It was nearly a growl. Please, keep yourself safe, Bella.

"It's not Victoria." Victoria, as in James's mate, as in Laurent's covenmate? Why was Bella talking about her? "Stop, stop! I want to go back!"

"What?" This time, there was more confusion than anger in the word.

"It's Carlisle's car! It's the Cullens. I know it!" Why, oh why did she sound so happy about it, when we'd left her, not even saying goodbye?

"Hey, calm down, Jake," Bella commanded. What was this 'Jake', that being angry would be a bad thing? And what was that horrid smell? "It's okay. No danger, see? Relax." No, there was certainly danger. Whatever Jake was, he was right about one thing: that vampires were dangerous. The only question was, were we less dangerous than he?

"Yeah, calm." At least he was agreeing with her. I let out a sigh of relief.

Alice was moving toward the stairs, now, towards the front door. I followed her...

"I really hope you don't die." It was the low voice, the source of the wet-dog smell. Who was he?

...and it opened, and there she was.

Bella. Alive. Whole. There.

The light flickered on, and then she saw us.

"Cate! Alice!" My sister hurled herself at us, nearly falling as she hugged us.

"Bella?" Alice asked. I knew she was wondering how it was possible, but I didn't care. My sister was alive. It wasn't my fault. Our happily ever after could still happen.

Her scent was delicious, as always, but I'd hunted only a few hours ago, and I fared better than Alice, whose eyes were a deep, thirsty black. A first, a little voice said in the back of my mind.

"I'm ... sorry!" she apologized. "I'm just ... so happy ... to see you!"

"Bella," I finally managed to get out. "I'm so sorry. I should have stayed. I should have fought him more. I should have..." She was shaking her head.

"It's not your fault. And everything, everything's okay now!" Her cheeks were flushed, her scent overpowering, and it was starting to be too much, even though my eyes were still gold. Finally, Bella seemed to realize the problem.

"Oh. Sorry."

Alice shook her head. "It's my fault. It's been too long since I hunted. I shouldn't let myself get so thirsty, but I was in a hurry today." And it was my fault, I continued in my head, that my control was so bad. Not that either of them would agree.

"Speaking of which, would you like to explain to me how you're alive?" Yes, I agreed. It might have been holes in Alice's visions that had kept her from seeing Bella's future, but she'd still jumped.

Bella's mouth dropped open. "You saw me fall."

"You jumped, Bella," I responded, then sighed. Hadn't I guessed that this would happen, though? "I... don't blame you, though. After what we did to you..."

"I told him this would happen," Alice quietly agreed, "but he didn't believe me. He didn't believe us. 'Bella promised.'" But I knew exactly how easily such a promise could be broken.

Alice blathered on, talking about promises and looking into futures and just seeing. I thought back on the past few months, how we'd all suffered, Bella and Edward most of all. Now that we had come back, what would we do next? I desperately hoped Edward wouldn't make us leave again. Not that I'd let him.

"Alice," Bella interrupted, finally understanding what we both had thought. "I wasn't committing suicide." She wasn't?

"Are you saying you didn't jump off a cliff?" Alice asked, echoing my thoughts.

"No," Bella said, grimacing. "But it was for ... recreational purposes only."

"Recreational? Jumping off a cliff? Are you insane, Bella?" I asked. I could see vampires, maybe, doing it for fun, but delicate, clumsy, easily bruised Bella?

"I'd seen some of Jacob's friends cliff diving," Bella tried to explain. "It looked like fun, and I was bored..."

"Bella, your idea of fun is reading Wuthering Heights or Romeo and Juliet for the fiftieth time. Why would you think jumping off a cliff would be fun... oh." Bella had flinched at the mention of the two books, and I realized why. They were love stories. They'd remind her too much of Edward.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

She shook her head once more. "Not your fault," she mumbled, then continued explaining. "I didn't think about how the storm would affect the currents. Actually, I didn't think about the water much at all..." And she claimed she hadn't been trying to die.

Seeing each of our faces, she tried changing the topic. "Okay, so ... if you saw me go in, why didn't you see Jacob, Alice?"

"Jacob?" I asked. "Was he the one who just left?" Had I been wrong? Had Bella found someone else, someone to replace Edward?

Bella nodded. "It's true I probably would have drowned if Jacob hadn't jumped in after me. Well, okay, there's no probably about it. But he did, and he pulled me out, and I guess he towed me back to shore, though I was kind of out for that part. It couldn't have been more than a minute that I was under before he grabbed me. How come you didn't see that?"

Alice had only seen Bella jump, or only mentioned seeing her jump, and we'd all assumed the worst, especially given the blank future. But why hadn't she seen this Jacob rescuing her?

"Someone... pulled you out?" Alice asked, confirming.

"Yes," Bella replied, her cheeks flushing once more. Did Jacob mean more to her than just a friend? "Jacob saved me."

Something clicked in Alice's mind, though I didn't recognize the name, not the horrid stench. Slowly, Alice leaned forward, taking a sniff at Bella's shoulder. Both of us froze, and I prepared myself if Alice lost control, but she only told us not to be ridiculous. And it was true - Alice had much better self-control than I did.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

Alice didn't respond to her question. "This Jacob, what's his last name?"

"Black," she replied naturally. Black... as in Ephraim Black, the Quileute chief? As in Billy Black, the one who'd asked my part in the treaty?

I remembered Jacob, now. He was Bella's friend, the one who'd come with his father as we talked about the treaty, the one who'd danced with Bella at prom. I was certain, though, that he'd smelled normal back then. Unless he'd changed?

Was this horrid stench... could it possibly be...?

"Jacob is ... strong," Bella was saying. We waited for her to continue, and finally, she did. "See he's... sort of a werewolf."

Of course he was.

Bella continued, talking about the Quileutes and meeting them a long time ago, but I barely paid attention. A werewolf. I'd never heard about them, before I'd met the Cullens, though they'd explained the basics - that there was a treaty line from the last time they'd been in the area, and that no Cullens were allowed to bite humans, for as long as the treaty existed.

Alice was shrieking about Jacob being a young werewolf, now. I didn't know much about werewolves, but if they were anything like vampires, I knew it couldn't be a good thing. Uncontrollable instincts, extreme emotions, powerful abilities. No human could be safe around that.

But then Bella was speaking two other names, and I realized just how much we'd missed.

Victoria and Laurent? Irina's Laurent?

Bella told her story, proving just how wrong Edward has been, when he'd decided to leave her. Bella's vague explanations of 'not being herself' - she'd obviously reacted the way Edward had, curling up in a ball, wanting to die. But then Jacob had come, and started to heal the wound Edward had left. My instincts had been right. They were certainly more than friends. Bella had moved on.

Was there still a place for me, a place for all of us, in Bella's new life?

Alice must have been thinking the same thing as I had. She spoke again. "Well... I... I guess I acted impulsively today. I probably shouldn't have intruded." I closed my eyes. I couldn't, wouldn't, leave Bella again, but maybe... maybe it was better off this way.

Bella's reaction, though, proved otherwise. The blood drained from her face, and she was nearly hysterical again. "Don't go, Alice, Cate! Please, don't leave me!"

I comforted her quickly. "We won't, Bella. Promise." Not that my promises had done her much good. Still, she calmed down.

Alice finally seemed to notice the way Bella looked; her bloodshot eyes, her sunken cheeks, the matted hair. "You look like hell, Bella."

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. "I-we should have been there."

She shrugged. "It hasn't been easy, but it's been getting better." I filled in the gaps. Jacob had been making it better.

"I told him..."

Just then, the phone rang. We all jumped, even Alice. Was this another decision, another future, she hadn't seen? What was happening to her visions?

"That has to be Charlie," Bella said, after a moment. She moved to the kitchen, dragging both of us with her, unwilling to let us out of her sight, though it wasn't as though we were going to leave ... again.

"Charlie?" Bella asked, picking up the phone.

"No, it's me." It was the same low voice, Jacob Black, the werewolf. Bella's next words confirmed it.

"Jake!"

"Just making sure you were still alive," he said. He was angry.

"I'm fine. I told you that it wasn't-"

"Yeah. I got it. 'Bye." He hung up on her. What kind of friend, boyfriend? did that? But then again, what kind of mate left you behind, to suffer? Maybe this Jacob was better for Bella than Edward was. Even though he was a werewolf. A werewolf who hated vampires. Would I, could I bear, losing her again?

"That's going to be a problem," Bella was saying. No kidding. Did she hope to keep us both in her lives, even though werewolves and vampires were mortal enemies? Would it even be possible for us to get along?

Or would Edward force us out of her life, again, before that could be a problem?

"They aren't excited that we're here," Alice stated. She hadn't been excited, either, when she'd found out the werewolves were still here, though.

"Not especially. But it's none of their business anyway."

"Well, according to the treaty…" I stopped when Bella glared at me.

"None of their business," she replied. "Don't even think of disappearing again."

"I promise," I repeated. "I'm not leaving you again. Not even…"

This time, Alice was the one contradicting me. "I don't know about that, for sure. We need to see Carlisle."

"Alice. It's Bella."

"We promised him." Right. Because, obviously, Edward's wishes took precedence over ours.

"He didn't know, he doesn't know, what he was talking about." But if Bella wanted us, me, to leave, then…

"Could you stay? Please? Just for a little while. I've missed you so much," Bella begged, her voice breaking. She didn't comment about him. Did she no longer love him? Had Jacob replaced the vampire who had been her first love?

"Alice."

"If you think it's a good idea," she finally relented. Her eyes were unhappy. Stupid Edward.

"I do," Bella insisted. "You can stay here, both of you. Charlie would love that."

"I have a house, Bella." I glared at the other vampire. Was she really suggesting…?

My sister nodded, her expression resigned. "We're not leaving, Bella," I told her, daring Alice to disagree.

"Well, we'll need to go get a suitcase of clothes, at the very least," she amended. Of course. Alice was always thinking about clothes.

"Alice, Cate, you're the best!" Bella exclaimed, embracing the both of us, inadvertently flooding us with her scent. I pushed down the venom that suddenly swelled in my mouth, frowning. In our absence, it seemed, Bella had forgotten the basic self-preservation I'd taught her. Not that she'd had much, before, anyway, falling in love with vampires, being friends with werewolves.

Alice, though, stiffened in Bella's arms, days without hunting taking its toll on her control. "And I think I'll need to hunt. Immediately."

"Oh. Sorry," Bella apologized. She looked to me.

"It's only been a few hours. I'll be fine," I told her, then turned to Alice. "I'll stay. I can keep her out of trouble." I could feel Bella glaring at me, but I didn't look at her. She was just a magnet for danger.

Alice's eyes unfocused for a few moments, before she came back to the present. "You should be fine. I don't see anything problematic." But then again, she'd missed many events in the past few days, too, hadn't she? It didn't matter. I would protect her.

"One hour," Alice continued, promising. I nodded. She smiled at Bella, kissing her on the cheek, before leaving through the front door. Bella blinked - Alice had moved too fast for her to see.

"I missed you, Cate," Bella said. I nodded again.

"How about you get cleaned up?" I suggested, gesturing at her generally disheveled appearance. Her cheeks flushed. "I'll make dinner. Not that it'll taste good." My cooking skills were about the same as Charlie's.

"Sure. And I'm sure it'll taste great," she replied, beginning to move again, headed upstairs. I watched, motionless, as she headed for the shower. She definitely needed it.

I took some random ingredients to make macaroni and cheese; it seemed easy enough. By the time Bella had come downstairs, though, the pasta was stuck to the bottom of the pot, and there was no cheese sauce left.

My sister shot an amused glance at me, and I sighed. "Fine. I can't cook. Happy?"

Shaking her head, Bella took the spoon from me, and went to work fixing the mess I'd made. "Only you, Cate."

"Not my fault that I don't eat!" I protested.

"Well, Esme and Carlisle can cook." I playfully glared at her, then realized what she'd said.

"Esme and Carlisle can cook?! How is that fair?"

Bella laughed at me. "Only you, Cate," she repeated. "And you can hardly protest." She turned her attention back to the macaroni and cheese.

What had she meant, that I could hardly protest? After all this time did Bella still want to become a vampire? After what we'd done to her?

A small part of me commented, that her only other option was becoming a werewolf, and which would I prefer more? But no. It was her choice. It would be her choice, from now on.

"So, how've you been, these past f-few months?" I ignored the stutter in her words. I could imagine how it had been for her.

"Well, I finally went to college, but it wasn't the same without you. For any of us. You're part of our family, everything just felt … wrong, without you." I winced. "I - we - had to leave, after the first few weeks. It … wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine," my sister murmured. "Where … where did you go?"

"To, look into Alice's past. Based on what James had said-" I cut off, seeing her expression. Right. Bad vampire memories.

And then … her. I fought back the memories, the feelings she'd stirred that I hadn't felt for a long time.

"And?" Bella was perceptive, she'd caught the mass of emotions.

"And?" I repeated, unwilling to talk about it.

"Cate." I looked into her large brown eyes - a mistake. "Tell me." I couldn't resist, either, after all we, I, had done to her.

"I saw Delilah again," I exhaled, barely more than a whisper.

Bella froze, her face a picture of sympathy. "Cate … I'm sorry."

I turned away. "It's fine." A small scoff came in response; my sister didn't believe me. I didn't really believe me, either.

"What did she … if there's anything you'd like to talk about, Cate, you can say it. To me."

I closed my eyes softly. Bella was my sister, but I didn't want to talk about it. Partly because she was my sister. I didn't … what would she think of me? If I told her, about the kind of person I was, about how similar I was to Delilah?

No.

"It's fine," I repeated. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Just … Delilah was playing with words again." Playing with my mind, her and Sai.

Bella nodded, understanding as always, and we lapsed back into silence. It was comfortable silence, though, and before long, Alice was back, her eyes a pleasant golden.

After a while, Charlie returned, from some funeral. It was easy enough to convince him - without using my compulsion - about why Alice and I had left, and then returned. It was mostly Edward, now, that Charlie hated, and that was for what he'd done to Bella. I couldn't imagine … what must it have been like, for Charlie, those first few months after we'd left? Before she'd found Jacob, before she'd started smiling … if Bella looked bad, now, what must she have been like in October? In November?

The three of us all headed to Bella's room to 'sleep,' with Bella and I on the two beds and Alice on a sleeping bag on the floor. Apparently, Charlie checked on her throughout the night, so Alice and I would have to stay. I tried not to think of why he would check on her.

Before long, Bella was asleep, her expression more peaceful than it had been all day. I winced at the thought.

It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault? Was it my fault, for what she'd been through?

"What are we going to do, Alice?" I asked, my voice pitched too low for humans to hear, just in case Bella was still awake. The others, in Denali … they still didn't know. And what would Edward say, if he heard about this? But we weren't going to leave again. I wouldn't let us.

"I … don't know," my newer sister admitted. "With the others … Edward … we'll have to talk to Carlisle, that's for sure. And then, with the werewolves …"

"He makes her happy," I reminded her. We both knew who I was talking about.

"He's a werewolf," Alice countered, but I could tell by her tone that her heart wasn't into it. It wasn't that Jacob was a werewolf that bothered her, it was that Bella loved someone other than Edward. And Alice had been Edward's sister, before she'd become ours.

"It's Bella's choice. For who she chooses … and for whether she wants us to stay. Not Edward's." Almost as if she'd heard his name mentioned, Bella shifted uncomfortably in her sleep. After a moment, though, she relaxed again.

Alice spoke. "It put her in danger …"

"She's always in danger. And with Victoria, and Laurent, and the werewolves, well, we need to stay. And she won't want us to go." We both knew it. Despite the danger, despite the fact that we'd left, Bella loved us.

"We'll have to talk to Carlisle, and the others," Alice repeated. I nodded, understanding. The conversation was over.

Was it my fault?