Alice's POV

At the mutt's words Bella's face paled so much she actually looked like one of the walking dead, all irony aside. "You what?" She whispers, trembling. "But… but why did no one tell me?"

"Bella," I say quietly, wanting to comfort her distraught face, "none of us made the connection. We've been fools, of course you're his daughter. The resemblance…" I trail off. "Look he doesn't know you're here." I say desperately.

Bella looks pained. "You're missing the point Alice! He's here, in Forks. I didn't realise he would still be here." She was talking almost to herself now. "I used to visit him when I was younger but I'd have thought he'd have moved on by now, somewhere else, especially after everything that has happened."

"What… what does he think happened to you Bella?" Carlisle asks hesitantly, asking the question we all wanted to know the answer to but didn't dare ask.

Bella threw her head back in defiance, her brunette locks tumbling down her back. "He thinks I've been kidnapped. I went missing one night and never returned."

Carlisle clears his throat uncomfortably. "That's… not quite true."

"Carlisle." Edward growls, but Bella's growl is much louder.

"No, tell me." She insists.

"He thinks you're dead." Carlisle says uncomfortably.

"Why?" Bella asks sharply, her gaze fixed on Carlisle, ignoring Edward's agitated movement.

"Well I've not spoken to him much; I've only ever seen him at the hospital but you've been missing for eight months now Bella. There was no trail, nothing to prove you were still alive. At your … death scene, there was nothing but blood. I should know, I was called to investigate." He says quietly.

"What?" Edward explodes.

"I know, Edward." Carlisle says miserably. "I should have made the connection sooner. How I didn't see this I don't know. I've been too distracted by Bella's differences that I haven't thought this through. I'm sorry Bella." He says quietly.

"Charlie called you to the place where he thought the blood… Bella had died?" The tallest mutt, Jacob, demanded.

"I'm a doctor in this town, remember?" Carlisle says, his voice icy cold.

"What was that Jacob?" Edward asks suddenly, his tone murderously angry and I realised he was reading the dog's thoughts.

Jacob is staring at Bella, his faces surprisingly vulnerable. "We used to make mud pies together when we were little. I don't know if you remember." He says quietly.

Bella stiffens in surprise. "Jacob… Jacob Black? Rachel's brother?" She says slowly. "I remember. Do… do you see… Charlie at all?" Her voice tremors.

Jacob looks at Bella in puzzlement. "Yes, quite often. Billy, that's my dad, goes round to his all the time and I sometimes go with him. He loves his fishing."

Bella smiles, the first genuine smile in a while. "Yes, he has always loved fishing, hence the mud pies to pass the time."

Jacob laughs. "I'm glad you remember that. It was fun. Rachel would never touch mud, but there you were, fearless."

"Rachel was always the girly girl type." Bella laughs too.

I frown at her. Why did it sound like she and Jacob were friends rather than natural enemies? Paul seemed to agree with my thoughts, still restlessly shifting on the floor. Edward was on edge, growling under his breath at the exchange.

Sam's shoulders were tense. "Jacob, we must go." He says loudly. "We've passed the message on and the leeches will uphold their end of the bargain."

"No wait!" Bella cries and instantly all eyes in the room are on her. "Don't go! I… I need to talk to Jacob."

"No way in hell!" Edward growls curtly.

"Absolutely not!" One of the mutts yell. "We don't converse with leeches!"

"Too right!" Another mutt agrees.

"Bella, you can't." I try to say reasonably.

"Why ever the hell not Alice?" Bella asks, her eyes flashing in fury.

"Because they're mongrels!" Edward yells at her.

"Werewolves." She corrects coldly.

"And a danger!" He growls.

"And I'm perfectly capable of defending myself." Her voice was like ice.

"And I won't let you…" Edward begins but Bella interrupts.

"You won't let me? You won't be doing anything Edward! Who are you, my father?" She screeches.

Jacob chuckles at his earlier words being repeated by Bella. "Bella," I say, sensing Edward was on the edge of breakdown. He was very protective when it came to those he loved. "Don't. It's really not safe. Werewolves," I forced myself to say the word, since she had issue with the insults, "are volatile, out of control creatures. As… Paul proves, just one simple thing can push them over the edge. You wouldn't be safe. Werewolves are natural enemies of vampires."

"Can we not be vampires or werewolves and just be people? I'm Bella Swan and I'm a Virgo. Surely that is more important than me being a vampire?"

"That is the most convulsed argument I've ever heard!" I yell, finally pushed over the edge, my voice ripping through octaves.

Bella doesn't even look my way; she is staring intently at Jacob. "I think it's your choice, Jacob. Can you just be Jacob Black and me Bella Swan? No vampires, werewolves or any of that crap?"

I turn, along with Edward to skewer Jacob with my eyes but he winks cockily as he turns to Bella. "I would never usually agree to talk to a lee… I mean a freaky Virgo," he grins, "but I'm interested into how this will go," he turns and grins at me, "so yes, I'll talk to you."

"Jacob!" Sam yells, before anyone can react.

"The only way I'm not talking to Bella is if you take away my free will. Are you going to do that?" Jacob roars at Sam.

Sam hesitates. "No." He says quietly. "Not in this case. Everyone else but Jacob, let's go. And Jacob, if you get yourself killed, it isn't my fault."

Without another word Sam, followed by Paul, still in wolf form and the other two mutts leave the house, slamming the door loudly behind them. Then the growling begins, first from Edward, then from the other vampires, myself among them. "It's like being in a cattery." Jacob smirks, looking totally at ease. "So where are we doing this?" He asks Bella leisurely.

"NO WHERE!" Edward roars. "DAMN THE TREATY! I'M NOT STANDING FOR THIS!" He looked absolutely livid, his face deathly white, his golden eyes seemingly burning out of their sockets.

I hear a shocked breath coming from Bella's direction and she speaks quietly, her voice miserable. "Edward if you don't let me go, I'm not coming back."

"What?" Edward whispers, stunned into silence and a small growl escapes my lips at his expression.

Bella looks pained, more miserable than I'd ever seen this. "I don't want to have to say things like that to you Edward but I need to know. I want to know about Charlie."

"We can give you information." Edward says desperately, staring at Bella imploringly.

"It's not the same and you know it isn't." Bella says quietly. "You don't talk to Charlie but Jacob does."

Edward stares at Bella for a long minute and then sighs in defeat. "If you harm a hair on her head I will kill you, Jacob." He says, his voice blistering with heat.

NO EDWARD. I shout at him mentally, as my future-searching goes blank again. Don't let her go. I can't see what will happen to her! Stupid, bloody, DOGS.

"I won't do anything to Bella, if she doesn't do anything to me, okay bloodsucker?" Jacob says calmly.

Was I the only one who noticed that Bella was the only one he wasn't calling 'bloodsucker?'

Edward starts to growl again but Carlisle interrupts him. "Edward, just let her go." He sounds weary. "She has proven she is more than capable of defending herself."

"But look at how she is dressed! The humans cannot see that." Edward says desperately and even I could tell he was clutching at straws.

"Bella can get changed at my place." Jacob says, grinning. "I have spare clothes."

"She's not going to your house!" Edward roars, instinctually grabbing Bella's arm.

The look Bella gave him could have killed him again. "I'm pretty sure here isn't the best place to have this conversation." She took a deep breath. "And if you don't let go of my arm, you're going through the wall Edward! I'm not a child!" She yells and Jacob starts laughing, loud guffaws that made my skin crawl. "Shut up Jacob." Bella rounds on him. "That really isn't helping."

"Just let the bitch go! If she gets killed by her own stupidity, then so be it!" Rosalie snaps, finally being unable to keep such thoughts to herself.

Both Edward and I, frustrated beyond hell, make a move towards Rosalie but Bella got over there first.

With a low thudding sound her hand connected with Rosalie's face, sending Rosalie flying backwards. "If you want a bitch," Bella yells, "you've got one! Jacob, I'm leaving!" She yells again, striding out of the door without a single look behind her.

Jacob legs it after her before any of us can recover from Bella's sudden attack and our resulting shock.

And after all, it was quite an exit.