Catalyst

There was no moon tonight and but she had no trouble seeing how the pale white of all their skin contrasted from the blackness surrounding them. She was in the same clearing with Edward and his family, surrounded by woods on all sides but this time, Bella definitely was not dreaming.

Her pulse was racing. Everyone had stopped arguing and was standing very still, looking at the north end of the clearing. Waiting.

Judging by the sounds even she could hear, their other guests were getting closer. Uneasily, she guessed that they would break out of the woods any second now. Nobody, not even Alice, knew what would happen then.

There was going to be a choice, they would have to pick sides. Even Carlisle couldn't have negotiated a peace, not after what they had done. The chasm between them was too big, and it was too much against their nature.

It was inevitable.

One side was going to have to die and she shuddered at the thought that it would be Edward and his family that decide who. Bella took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently hoping they would choose to fight with the right side… whichever that was.

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Jacob sat in the kitchen looking at the three visitors who had come to see his father. Although Billy had a habit of sending Jacob away when anyone came by to seek his counsel, he asked his son to stay this evening.

"The time will soon come, son, when you'll be called upon to assist the council. It's time you become more involved in the concerns of the tribe." That's what his father had said to him last night after he got back from the meeting and, he guessed, the reason for this new development of letting him stay now.

Jacob knew he was not the most perceptive guy on the planet, but he could tell that Sam was frustrated by his presence by the way he spoke slowly, as if annoyed that he had to choose his words very carefully. Of course, Jacob was just as unhappy to see Sam and Jared as they seemed to be to see him and he was confused as to why Paul had suddenly made up with the two of them.

"I have reason to believe that the… problem I spoke to you about last night is, uh, worse than I originally thought."

Billy didn't respond to Sam's statement for awhile. He sat quietly, deep in thought. "You found out something else?"

Sam growled a yes. Jacob had to stop himself from laughing out loud. Seriously, he thought, who growls in response to a question? He also wondered what could bring on this kind of reaction and if it had anything to do with why Billy wanted him to stick around tonight.

Paul spoke up. He, too, seemed angry but Jacob didn't see it as anything out of the ordinary, especially after the way he had looked at the beach the day before. "She skipped out of school early with three of them on Friday. My friend Mike told me. He was pretty salty about it."

Jacob was suddenly very interested. They had to be talking about Bella. Who else would Paul's friend Mike get upset about, especially after the way he was so possessive of her the day before? As for the other 'three of them', by Paul's tone and Sam's growling, he figured it could only be one thing. Why did everything always have to come back to Dr. Cullen and his family?

"I spoke to Charlie about that this morning," Billy said.

Jacob cringed. His father and Chief Swan had already had a big fight over the Cullens and he would have thought his dad knew better than to bring it up again. "He said that she went to the library to study with one of the females on Friday afternoon but he didn't say anything about leaving school early. That's interesting…"

"So what do we do?" Paul's eyes could have been on fire as he said it, they looked so enflamed. Jared reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Apparently they were getting along again, Jacob thought.

"Nothing in the… we can't keep them from talking to her. You are going to need proof of… something else."

Sam was growling again. "I gave you proof last night."

Jacob started to get up out of the chair he had been sitting in, concerned that Same was about to lash out at his dad.

Billy sighed and didn't seem at all concerned by the tone the young man was using with him. Jacob just shook his head, knowing that if he ever spoke to his or anyone else's father like that Billy would whip him so hard he wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. He had never wanted three people out of his sight faster

"Perhaps you could bring us something more… tangible. And continue to keep an eye on her. If what you said about her friends last night is true, we'll need to figure this out soon."

Sam was still upset but he seemed to understand Billy's cryptic response. At least it seemed cryptic to Jacob but, then again, so did the rest of the conversation. After they left, he asked his dad for an explanation but Billy simply said it would come out in time and left the house, something about needing to go talk to Harry Clearwater.

Before she left the day before, Jacob had managed to get Bella's phone number. He told her it was to see if she was home the next time Billy came to visit her dad so he could come too. She agreed without hesitation. He had spent the whole day being proud of the way he had pulled that one off and now had a legitimate reason to use it. Once his father was safely out of sight he ran to his room to grab the post-it she had given him and then ran back to the phone.

He couldn't explain it, but the idea of Sam 'keeping an eye' on Bella made his skin crawl and the look in his eyes when he left was dangerous. Something told him this was information she needed to know.

He didn't pretend to understand everything that he had overheard that evening, but he caught on to enough to know that Sam was planning something and that it involved Bella. After seeing the way he had treated her the day before at the beach and the way he had just acted, Jacob guessed it couldn't be good.

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Even over the phone, the sound of his voice saying her name sent chills down Bella's spine. There was something calming about it. She knew he was dangerous yet he still had a way of making her feel safe. She let her foot off the accelerator and allowed the truck to slow down.

"Hi." She paused. She knew that this was the part where she was supposed to tell him why she was calling but suddenly it seemed ridiculous, accusing him of being a mythical creature. She couldn't think of how to start.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

She let out a short, sarcastic laugh thinking back over the events of a morning which began with the realization her lab partner is a vampire and very recently ended in nearly being attacked by three giant wolves.

"Honestly, Edward, I've been better."

He paused for what seemed like forever then took a deep breath. "I would image so." She could almost feel the pain in his voice.

That was not the response she had been anticipating. She was referring to her mental state, not her physical one but, yet again, he seemed to anticipate what she was feeling. He always seemed to know what was going on. She started to wonder if he was some kind of all-knowing, super vampire.

Thinking the word brought her back to the reason for her call. It was time to get some answers.

"I think it's time we had that talk."

"I think you're right."

"Not on the phone, though."

He paused.

"That might be… complicated. I am, um, somewhat confined to the house today." She had never known Edward to falter mid-sentence before and couldn't help but think he was hiding something yet again. But she was ready to talk about this now and nothing was stopping her.

"Fine, I'm already in my truck. Give me directions."

"What?" She could tell that he was not happy with the idea but Bella was determined to see him today.

"I'm coming to your house, Edward." There was another long pause.

"My family is here with me, Bella." He said it very carefully, putting emphasis on each word.

"Is that a problem for you?"

He seemed completely thrown by her response and didn't respond for a few seconds. His next question was laced with bewilderment.

"That isn't a problem for you?" He asked it as if it ought to be a problem for her.

"No. After the morning I've had, it's not."

He was instantly concerned. "What happened, Bella? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, now. I promise. I'll explain when I get there."

She could tell that he did not want to drop the subject but he gave in anyway. "Okay."

He gave her directions to find the house, describing in detail how to find the driveway which was somewhat hidden. She felt surprisingly calm when she hung up the phone. Her heart wasn't even racing. Had she really accepted this? Was she really about to accuse Edward Cullen and his family of this to their faces?

If Bella was being honest with herself, she was excited to see him again. Up until she started putting the pieces together on the beach, she had been missing him. She couldn't shake her memories of their skin touching as he traced the lines of her face with his finger in Port Angeles or the way her knees melted when she looked into his eyes. Hearing his voice only strengthened those memories.

Vampire or not, she finally admitted to herself, she was in love with this boy.

The driveway was nowhere near as difficult to see as Edward had tried to make her think and she had no trouble finding the house. It was exquisite, a traditional home mixed with elements of modern architecture. It was also huge. She realized she should have expected this. They all drove really expensive cars, obviously they had money. She took the key out of her truck, which suddenly felt very out of place, and opened the door. When she looked up at the house again, she saw Edward standing on the porch.

This was it, she thought as she walked up the front stairs and met his gaze for the first time.

He always seemed to take her breath away when she looked at him, but it happened this time for a different reason. He looked positively stunning but also positively anguished. The tortured look he met her with was almost too much for her soul to bear. Despite everything, he still resembled an angel and angels should never have that kind of sorrow in their eyes, especially not angels she was in love with. It was heartbreaking.

Before she could stop, she found herself throwing her arms around his stunned body. He stood there, cold, motionless, for several seconds before he wrapped his arms around her, too, hesitantly at first then firmer. He rested his chin on the top of her head. They stood there, silently, holding each other while she worked up the courage to begin.

She squeezed him tighter and lifted her eyes to meet his. "I know."

Edward squeezed her tighter and then closed his eyes. He let out a breath he had been holding. "I know."