AN: I don't own Twilight, I'm just playing puppet master!

THANK YOU everyone that is reading this story, and giving me a chance, Ya'll make my fucking day!

I need to thank my girls Missy and Sarah, they both put so much into this story and it wouldn't be the same without them! Also, to Debbie, cause she bugs me about the next chapter and makes me write! Love ya!

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Years and in the words of Edward….
BE SAFE!

There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person's eye when he feels that we have sympathized with him, understood him. At these moments something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These are the moments worth living.
– Don Marquis

CHAPTER 4 – Explanations

All eyes were on me.

"Bella, why don't you sit down," Sam suggested.

I took a deep breath and walked over to the chair closest to Jake. I rested my elbows on my knees and held my face in my hands for a moment. I was happy that I knew the truth, but dreaded the inevitable conversation we would have to have. I wasn't sure how much they were aware of, but it was obvious they knew that the Cullens were vampires. They would have questions, and I would have to talk about Edward.

"Jake showed us the package you received." I raised my head enough to look at Sam. "Before we start talking about that, I think it'd be best for us to get an understanding about what each other knows. Obviously you know more than you probably should, so let's not beat around any bushes and just lay all of our cards on the table so to speak."

"Okay, you first," I told him. I wanted to know they would be honest with me before I told them anything.

Sam looked over at Jake, essentially giving control over the conversation to him. It was a pretty smart move, considering I was more willing to talk with Jake then with someone I didn't even know.

"You're right. We're werewolves, to an extent; we are able to shift into wolf form at will. Our sole purpose is to protect humans from vampires. Just like with any other wolf pack, we have an Alpha. Sam is ours." I nodded as Jake told me all the technicalities of being a werewolf. He went into detail about how they communicate with each other once they shift, as well as how Sam can give them commands that they have to obey. He was just getting to a part about how their temperatures are always so much higher than a normal human's and that's why they were never cold when Paul broke in.

"You don't need to tell her every damn thing Jacob. She don't need to know everything, she needs to be talking to us!"

"Shut up, Paul!" Embry jumped in, defending Jake and me.

"Why should I? It's none of her business how things work for us, we just need to get the information we need from her and she can go back to where ever she came from."

"You think I'm just going to let you pump me for information and then be shrugged off? You're fucking crazy! What do you really know about vampires other than what your stories tell you? Have you killed one yet? Have you even seen one?" I paused, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "If you want to know what I know, you are going to want to watch what you say to me and about me." I looked at Paul, letting him know I had heard what he said about me.

"That's enough Paul, leave it alone." Jacob told him, anger dripping from his words.

Paul stormed out of the room mumbling something about 'stupid bitch in love with a bloodsucker'. I stared at the door, fuming.

"I'm sorry about him, Bella," Sam said from across the room.

"Don't be. Is that how you all feel?" I asked.

"We all have a unique set of circumstances." Sam glanced at Emily as he spoke. "We won't judge you for your choices. We all understand that you can't help who you love, whether we agree with it or not."

"Thank you." I really was grateful for his understanding. Sam sounded completely sincere, I noticed a look passed between him and Emily, I couldn't help but wonder what their circumstances were. He sounded as if he spoke from experience.

"Who sent you the box Bella?" Jake asked, trying to get us back on track.

"I don't know."

"Now isn't really a good time to keep secrets anymore. I swear I will answer any questions you have about us later, but we need to know as much as we can about this situation."

"I'm not keeping secrets, Jake. I really have no idea who it could be from," I told him honestly.

"Okay. Do you know what any of it meant then?"

"It means Phoenix." Confusion filled everyone's face. "Do you remember last year when I ran off to Phoenix and I fell?" Jake nodded. "Well I didn't really fall."

"I see. What did happen then?" Sam questioned.

"There was this vampire, James, he came after me. Edward defended me from him, and when he did, it set James off. He became obsessed with the hunt. Alice and Jasper took me to Phoenix to get me out of the way while the rest of the Cullens tried to deal with James. It didn't work though, and he found me. He was able to hurt me pretty badly before the Cullens arrived. It all happened in a ballet studio. That's what the mirrors and shoes mean."

"So then it's this James guy who sent it?" Embry assumed. I was shaking my head before he finished.

"He's dead," I told them.

"Are you sure? He could've…." Jake started.

"I'm positive. Emmett, Jasper and Alice - all three took him on. There is no way in hell they would've left without knowing for a fact he was dead. Edward…" I swallowed. "Edward was unbelievably protective. He would've made sure any danger to me was taken care of."

"So then it has to be one of them, the Cullens." Embry accused.

"No. I understand that you are natural enemies, but they wouldn't dream of doing something like this. They are good to their core. Their completely against any sort of violence, well except for Emmett." I smiled a little. "Carlisle wasn't even comfortable killing James, and he was trying to hurt Carlisle's family."

"Whoever it is, they're getting braver. Their scent was all over Bella's yard," Jacob spoke directly to Sam. I thought back to the way Jake had acted in front of my house.

"That's what you were doing at my house? Following a scent?" I raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"It's a natural thing for us, and a vampire's scent is easiest. They all smell different, just like humans, but there's something about their fragrance that literally stinks to us. It makes it easier to pick up on and to follow," he explained.

I nodded my understanding. "What did you mean when you said they're getting braver?"

"Well, we've been catching the same scent for a while now. They're careful not to make their presence known, but we all rotate patrolling the forest. About 4 months ago we started catching this same scent, at first we just thought it was a vampire passing through, but it would always reappear. It's a big part of why I was always at your house, even before you woke up. Considering the scent always seemed to be stronger near your home and when you add your history, well…"

"I was the common denominator," I finished, running a hand through my hair.

"I thought it might have been one of the Cullens checking in on you, what with everything that was happening at the time." Sam shifted uncomfortably, clearly not wanting to offend me. "There were no killings or any other indications that they meant any harm, so we just decided to monitor the situation from afar. However, now we know differently. But why would they wait? If they wanted to hurt you, what kept them from doing it already?"

"There would be no fun in killing me when I was out of it, for starters. Vampires like the chase; the power and control they can have over their victims is what makes it worthwhile for them. The note even said that they were scared I wouldn't be awake for the 'anniversary'. That may be another reason. Whoever it is was waiting for a day that would mean something and just bided their time until now."

I didn't even have to think about it to figure out what the date would be the anniversary of. March 16th would be one year since Phoenix. That part was easy, but everything else was giving me a headache. I knew that I had to be overlooking something, but so much had happened in just a few short hours and I just wasn't able to get my brain on the right track.

"We're all going to have to be ready, never let your guards down. Obviously Bella can't be left alone, so someone will stay with her at all times and another will be posted outside of her home. We'll rotate patrolling until we find whoever it is and get rid of them," Sam instructed.

"NO! You can't do this. This is my problem, I'll handle…" Jake cut me off.

"You'll handle it how, B? What could you possibly do to defend yourself?" I looked out the window, refusing to meet his eyes.

I knew the only way to end it would be to let them have me, I accepted that. Staying behind and allowing Jake and his pack to fight would only get someone hurt. Everyone else had so much more to live for than I did, there was no point in them risking their lives for me.

"You have no intentions of saving yourself, do you?" Jake accused, reading the defeat on my face. "So you're just going to quit, just lie down and die!?" I flinched at the harshness in his tone.

"What else am I suppose to do? I can't fight them, I can't out run them, and I can't let you get yourselves killed for me!" I snapped back at him.

"We won't! We are built for this; it's what we are meant to do. I won't let you let yourself get hurt," Jake argued back at me.

"Bella." Sam attempted to mediate our fight, "Jacob's right about this."

"Can you guarantee that no one will get hurt?" I asked Sam, raising my eyebrows and tilting my head to the side.

"There are no guarantees, but there are six of us. The chances of one of us being harmed are very small."

"There is no point in risking it though. Can't you see that?" I started pacing while I pleaded with them. "You all have so much to look forward to, lives to live, you shouldn't risk them on someone whose life is already hopeless!"

Jacob closed his eyes and turned his face from me. I didn't know if my words had hurt him or angered him worse. I should've been sorry for saying so much of how I truly felt, but if it would stop them from doing something so stupid, then I couldn't be.

Sam stared at me as if he could find some answer written on my face. I pleaded with my eyes for him to understand where I was coming from.

I would never love again, my heart was taken, whether the person who held it captive wanted it or not. There would be no marriage with 2.5 kids completed by a house with a picket fence. No long life of happiness waited for me. My future was simple; I would work my way through a life without Edward one day at a time. It would be routine, plain, and boring. I would simply do whatever I needed to in order to survive and wait for my time to come.

No one else in the room was cursed with such a fate; they could have all of those things. The idea of them giving up their chance at happiness for my empty existence was appalling. I didn't want to die, I wouldn't go looking for death, but I wouldn't try to prevent it once if found me.

"What do you think your death would do to your parents?" Sam asked, searching for a weakness.

"They'd probably deal better with my death then with their daughter just checking out, with no way of helping her. At least this way they would know what happened to me, they would believe I was in a better place. They could hold on to the hope that I would be happy there." Sam's words had affected me far worse then I let on. Of course this wasn't true, especially for Charlie. The idea of causing my parents more pain hurt me tremendously, but the idea of someone dying in my place was worse.

"Bella," Jake spoke quietly, still not looking at me. "How do you expect me, or any of us, to live knowing you died and we could've stopped it? Explain to me how I could look at myself in the mirror everyday knowing that I did nothing to keep you safe?" His words progressively grew stronger as he spoke. "Tell me how in the fuck am I supposed to carry that guilt?

"You may not think your life is worth protecting, but if I don't try then my life won't be worth living," he finished with a whisper.

I was stunned by the amount of emotion I'd invoked from Jacob. There wasn't just anger in his voice, but an almost betrayed sound, as if I had done something unthinkable to him. I could easily see the agony I would cause him if I chose to just give up and it nearly brought me to my knees.

I still believed in everything I had said. It was a pointless risk for them to fight for me. However, I had been on the receiving end when Edward made the decision to take himself away from me and I had been helpless to stop it.

No matter what was right or wrong in this situation, I would not, I could not, knowingly cause someone I loved that kind of agony.

Jake's eyes met mine and I knew I had no choice. "Okay, what do we need to do?"