Chapter 4
"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN…I-I mean BLACK! Did I just hear Jacob correctly? The Cullens are in your neck of the woods and you think you can 'handle it'?"

I hear the tone in his voice and bristle; still, I try to reason with him, "Dad, look… The Cullens are some of the sweetest people in the world… even Edward…"

Charlie cuts me off there. "Don't you ever say that name to me! I oughta be on the next flight out and give Carlisle a piece of my mind. You know, when you and 'that boy' started dating, I thought: 'Carlisle's a good guy so why not let his son date my Bella… Edward's gotta be better then half the yahoos and hooligans in this town'. When the 'Phoenix episode' happened, I started to have doubts about him… But then he just LEFT YOU and his family just left town with no notice or contact…and you fell apart on me. It was Jacob and the boys from LaPush that saved you. 'That boy' has been nothing but trouble for you! You'd do well to stay away from that whole family! Better yet, I forbid you to see any member of the Cullen family!"

I roll my eyes. *He sounds like he's got it all figured out…let's see how he handles my response…* I hear Jake groan in the background as my tirade begins with a laugh… "Hah, 'you forbid me'…? I hope that was a joke, Charlie, because there is nothing you can do about it. Not only are you on the other side of the country, but I'm 27 years old! I'm not living with you or near you and you have no right to forbid me anything because I don't need to follow your rules… I will say this only once, so put me on speaker-phone …Jake needs to hear it too. Now listen up… I am a 27 year old woman; I know what I want; nobody is going to stop me from going after it this time… This is MY CHOICE to make and I made it a long time ago… So if you're unwilling to be helpful then just stay out of my way. Got it?" I glare at the phone. "You know, you are such a hypocrite, Jake! You, of all people, shouldn't be like this. I forgave you and understood about the imprinting … I let you walk away from me… when I needed you the most… Do you know how it feels that I forgave you? Liberating! You and Dad have your true loves…both of you…Why can't I have mine?"

Alice sits with me as the waterworks begin again. She takes the phone and hangs up as Jasper puts his gift and my CD player to good use…

A few hours later…

'My Dearest Edward,
I don't know how long I cried today… I feel hollow…After the call back home,
Alice picked up some take-out for me… I ate it but I don't know what it was or
what it may have tasted like. Jasper's gift helped a bit… but once again, the
only thing that truly calmed me was my lullaby…I wish I knew why you continue
to punish us. I think we've suffered enough… I wish I knew what to say or do to
make you believe me when I tell you that you are the best thing to EVER happen
to me. I hate to be repetitive, but I'm 27, dang it all; I know my own mind and I
know my own heart…I also know that when you left Forks that day…you not only
ripped it out of my chest… You took it with you…11 words will make this right…
then we can move on with our relationship. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever
hear you say them…'

As I finish writing in my journal, Alice knocks on my bedroom door. "Bella, how do you feel? Jasper needs to go hunt with Edward and Emmett. Will you be ok without him?"

I look sadly over at her. "You're the psychic… You tell me…"

"Just because I have the ability to see into the future doesn't mean I have all the answers, you know." She rolls her eyes at me with a smirk.

I try to laugh but it comes out as a sigh. "I'll be fine for however long it is between now and when my dad and Jake get it in their heads to come and visit…Tell Jazz to go ahead…"

Alice and I are now just sitting in my office. I'm going over the assignment I gave my class. "They all did a pretty good job. Nobody did anything outrageously unrealistic… Uh, oh, I spoke too soon! This kid took a trip to Mars with the NASA space program, and then went on a deep sea mission with… some independent oceanic explorations company. Huh, I didn't know anything like that existed… Ok onward…"

The next day… 11 am
I'm in my office. I know if I need Alice or Jasper they are close… I could literally say one or the other of their names and they would both come running. I'm thankful to have that again. I step into my classroom and hand the first student the 'sign-in sheet' to be passed around. "Ok, class, most of you did well for the first assignment… To begin this class I'd like you to create a short story for me… A fictional story this time…I know some of you were confused with the letter, so I'm specifying now. Pick any genre, but make it fiction. The due date for this is the day before the next class. Send it to my office e-mail account… You can work on it now. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Class ends in 40 minutes. Mr. Marconi, please see me after class in my office…"

42 minutes later…
There's a knock at my door. It's Robert Marconi. "You wanted to see me Professor Black?"

"Yes, Mr. Marconi, please come in and have a seat. I've got a question for you. Did you really take that trip to Mars… or go on that deep sea mission? Do you really expect me to believe that a 20 year old student did these things or did you not understand that the first assignment was to be a somewhat truthful account of the last ten years of your life?"

His chagrin is visible on his face. "I'm sorry Professor. I guess I just misunderstood the assignment. I thought since this was a class on creative writing, that we were supposed to get… well, creative…"

I breathe a sigh of relief, and reassure him. "Well, I want you to redo that assignment for extra credit and hand in your 'fictional' short story on time. From now on I'll be sure to specify whether I want the project to be fiction or non fiction. Ok?"

"Thanks, Professor, that would be great." He nods, waving on his way out the door, bumping into a very agitated Alice.

"Alice, what…?" I start to say.

She interrupts me as usual. "Bella… something is very wrong… I tried to look at tomorrow for the weather and I can't see anything! Nothing at all! What does this mean for me… for the others… for you…?"

I frown. "I haven't a clue… Maybe you should talk to Carlisle… I'll be at my house; call me or meet me there later to let me know what his theory is." I watch her leave quickly. My thoughts drift as I walk to my car…to Edward…and his family…as always. *Will he ever utter those words? I hope so. How should I go about trying to get close to him again? What if he won't let me? What could be wrong with Alice's power?* I get into my Ferrari and drive off.

I see an unfamiliar car parked in front of my home, and a figure sitting on my porch swing. I reach into my purse. My pepper-spray is still full and fits into my palm. I call out from the car. "Who's there?" The figure gets up and moves into the light…It's … "Valerie! What are you doing here? Jake's not gonna like this…" I say as I run up and hug her. She's such a sweetie I can't help but like her.

"Hi, Bella, I know he won't be happy with me for this, but I've heard the story of you and Edward… I understand what you said on the phone…everyone deserves a chance to find their 'happily ever after'… and…" She grins and I hear a feisty determination in her voice. "I'm here to help you find yours… whether Jake likes it or not."

I close my eyes and let her hug me. "Come on in, Val… You'll stay on my sofa-bed. I've got a call to make…" I unlock the door and we walk in. "There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry. You remember where the kitchen is, right?" She nods. I run to my bedroom and dial. "Alice, I'm declaring my house a vamp free zone for a few days. Jake's fiancé is here and I will not have him saying she's in danger from you guys. She'll help me strategize to get Edward back and Jake will come to get her and he cannot find vampire scent…especially not Edward's…"

"How do you expect me to help if I don't get to know the people in question?" I turn to find a disappointed Valerie looking at me. Her gaze meets mine as she continues. "Are they safe to be around or not?"

I say, "Yes, but…" *Jake will kill me if anything happens to you…and Alice can't see the future right now… I don't want my best friend in the world to hate me forever if I didn't act with caution when your life is at stake…I can't lose my Jacob…even though he's not mine to lose anymore.*

She suddenly looks wise. "I trust your judgment, Bella, even if they don't. I want to meet them… Especially Alice; she sounds like a really great person and she can probably help us with her brother."

I sigh, defeated. "Alice, cancel the vampire free zone…but keep it to you, Esme and Rosalie. If the guys get anywhere near here and the scent sticks Jake will be pissed." After her acknowledgement, I turn to Val to explain. "He won't see the girls as that much of a threat to you, but the male's scent is stronger and he'll become angry and therefore volatile if I've exposed you to them. If you want to meet them, I'll set up an outing. Ok?"

She grins. "You know him so well…"

I stare off into space as memories of cliffdives and motorbikes flash through my mind followed by a succession of wedding and marriage images and finally his expression as he saw her for the first time. That day was painful but I'd felt so much worse than that…The sweet young woman who took my Jacob away has the chance to give me my world back…

Will she be able to? I somehow have hope that it's possible…