No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All my original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

Chapter 15

So the whole Edward and Tanya thing had been an act. Why? To get my attention? To make me react?

Well, they got it. I'd have to congratulate them later, if I found myself able to speak without wanting to seriously injure or maim someone.

I turned to look at the house. Edward's gaze never left Tanya as she walked towards him. He took her arm roughly and escorted her back in the house. Alice sent my a pitying look and followed after them.

There was still a good-sized crowd outside, and I just couldn't make myself face them. Not after what Tanya had just said. I was livid, and needed to let myself calm down before I opened my mouth and said something we'd all regret.

Keeping my head down, I walked a wide path to the side of the house. I jumped in my little car, and hit the road. Inevitably, I found myself turning down the road to the reservation.

I ran with the pack to hunt, and aided with the patrols for the rest of the afternoon. The number of wolves and the number of patrol shifts had doubled, just because of the sheer number of vampires in the area. They were keeping an eye on the reservation and running a wide path around Forks, watching over the residents there just in case one of the new vampires got a little overzealous.

I could have put their minds at ease on that point, but thought that they needed to practice being on alert. There were nightly trips to Seattle, Tacoma and some of the bigger cities in the area. For the time being, Forks and the reservation were off the menu, so to speak.

The sun began to set, and I felt restless. Too restless to continue patrols, I found myself wandering in the direction of Jacob's house. I'd promised Jacob and myself that I would take care of his family. I meant to keep that promise, come hell or high water.

I just wish I could have felt a little more sure about my reception there.

Marie met me at the door, having seen me walking down the driveway. "Bella!" She cried, launching herself into my arms. I carefully put my arms around her, consciously trying to keep a close watch on my strength so I wouldn't hurt her.

I liked to joke that Marie was the best birthday present Jacob and Catherine could have gotten me. Not only had Marie been born on my birthday, but she'd even been named after me. Actually, Jacob had teased me about naming her the full Isabella Marie but I'd begged him not to do that to his daughter. Instead, he'd chosen to name her Marie after my middle name.

I'd been touched.

Ironically, even though we'd never met in person until I'd come to Forks, I'd watched her grow up in pictures that Jake e-mailed me regularly. When we'd finally met in person, Marie had attached herself firmly to my side, and we'd been best buddies ever since...and she'd been the one person that I was afraid would hate me over Jacob's death. Instead, here she was, hugging me as if she was afraid that I was going to disappear.

"You've been gone," she complained.

How do you explain the feeling of being responsible for a loved one's death to a 12 year old? She was so young, yet there was a maturity in her eyes now that I was afraid I'd helped to put in there.

"Sorry kiddo," I said, playfully tugging on her ponytail. "I've been busy."

She nodded. "Mom's missed you. So has Reese."

"Well, let's go see them, shall we?" I said, turning her gently toward the house.

I sat through dinner with most of the family. Gabe was missing, but I was assuming he was on patrol. The kids were slightly more subdued than I was used to, but somehow they were still talking a mile a minute. Once dinner was over, homework complete and kids sent to their respective bedrooms, Catherine insisted that we sit and enjoy the warm night air on the front porch.

We sat together in a companionable silence for a while, Catherine playing with the stem of her glass of wine. Then Catherine broke the silence. "I was jealous of you, once upon a time."

That...well, that surprised me. There was no other way to put it.

"Jacob talked of you incessantly. I thought you'd be this hideous ex-girlfriend that was going to haunt my marriage," She said, smiling softly. "Then, just before we'd gotten married and he decided I was ready to hear it, he told me about the legends being true, the cold ones existing and that you were one of them. Great," she laughed. "Worse than being a psycho ex-girlfriend, you were this ageless beautiful being."

I snorted, disbelieving. "Jacob never said I was beautiful."

"Well, no," she admitted. "I filled in that blank area myself. And then when I started talking to you on the phone, and getting all those pictures from the places that you'd been," She huffed out a breath. "Well, it was either a very good photoshop job, or you really were that beautiful...and ageless. I think that's why I really started believing his stories."

"Really?" Now I was curious. I guess I'd never thought of how Jacob had told his family about me.

"Yeah," Catherine said, taking a sip from her wine glass. "It was different with the kids, though. They've grown up in this tribe, with the legends and Jacob telling bedtime stories of men who change into wolves and vampires."

We talked for a while about the kids. Marie and Reese were adjusting well...or as well as they could, under the circumstances. They were attending councelling sessions with a trusted therapist within the tribe in case they needed to talk about Jacob, the wolves and vampires. They were back in school already, seeming to find comfort in the stability and routine of the classes.

Gabe, however, was withdrawn, sullen and rarely at home anymore. His dad had been his hero, and losing him made him angry at the world in general.

More specifically, vampires. Just because they...we...existed, he was a "freak". He was caught somewhere between a wolf and a man...yet he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere. Then, ultimately, it was a vampire who'd killed his father.

I'd noticed an increased moodiness in Gabe, but hell, his father had just been killed. There were bound to be some personal issues for a while, right? Now that I know it was still there, and getting worse even among his family, I'd do whatever I could in order to help him.

I figured the best way to start was coming clean to Catherine. I told her the whole story of what had happened in that cave, including my part in it. I also told her of my guilt over what had happened.

Catherine listened patiently, and when I was finished, she slowly bent over to place her glass on the porch. When she looked up, I sincerely though she was going to slap me...Not that it would hurt me, but still...

"I knew about all of this," she angrily gestured to her surroundings, "before we got married. I knew about all the supernatural crap was going to be a part of our lives. I've always had a feeling that something like this was going to happen." She grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at her. "What happened was tragic, and hopefully I'll never have to face another loss like this in my lifetime. But don't you dare hurt or cheapen his memory by taking the blame. He loved you, considered you his best friend and a member of the family. So do we. You didn't kill him."

"I didn't protect him," I cried.

"You weren't alone in that cave," she said, calmer. "There were others. More experienced others, by the way. The man that killed Jacob got past everyone. He is the one responsible, and he's dead. He can't hurt anyone ever again, because of you."

"They came for him because of me," I said quietly.

"Do you think this would have been any easier if it had been you who'd been taken? Jacob would have moved heaven and hell, even if it killed him, to save you. I think we both know that he hadn't changed in too long. He'd have been human-weak trying to go after those vampires."

I laughed softly, "Yeah. That sounds like him. Loyal to the point of stupidity...and I told him that many times over the years."

"Yes, he died," She said, finally. "Yes, it's the hardest thing we, as a family, have had to face. But I'm not going to let you blame yourself for it. Jacob would have hated that."

After that, we sat in an easier silence, simply being there as a support for one another. Finally, I encouraged Catherine to go in and get whatever sleep she could before the kids got up for the day.

She went inside, deep shadows under her eyes showing just how little sleep she'd been getting lately. I decided to make it my mission to see that she got some rest today. I went inside, sat on the sofa and waited for morning.

Chapter 16

I stuck around long enough to fix the kids breakfast (cereal and milk, I could do that!) and get them to the school bus, all the while keeping as quiet as possible so that Catherine could get some rest.

After seeing the kids off for the day, I got in my car and drove back to the Cullen's house. Deep in thought, rather than go inside and deal with even more drama, I jumped onto a low-hanging branch of a Hemlock tree. It had started to rain as I was pulling in the long driveway, and now it was a light, but steady rain. I raised my face to the sky, reveling in the feel of the small drops hitting my face.

'Not like I could catch a cold,' I thought. Then, deciding I'd dealt with enough emotional turmoil in the last few hours, I let my mind go blank and began the meditation technique that Jacob had taught me many years before.

One thing I had learned early on: Time holds little to no meaning anymore. When you're basically immortal, un-aging and don't need to sleep anymore, time because of little concern anymore.

That being said, I have no idea of just how long I sat there, trying not to think about anything. I must have been doing a great job of it, though, because I didn't hear it when someone walked up to the tree.

"Bella?"

It startled me, and for the first time since I'd become a vampire...I fell.

Strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground.

Startled, I looked up into a face that had haunted me for years. "What the..." I started, but stopped when I recognized it was Edward who'd caught me. I growled, "Put. Me. Down."

"No," he said bluntly. "If I put you down, you'll just run off somewhere."

Yeah, he was probably right. I'd give him that.

"I wanted to apologize," He said. "For Tanya. She was trying to help."

"Help? Help what...or who?" I asked, disbelieving.

"Me. You. Us." He shrugged, but at least had the good sense to look a little embarrassed. "She was trying to help me, mostly. I've wanted to apologize to you for, well, everything."

"Define 'everything'," I insisted.

"For leaving you like I did. For not being here to stop Laurent." He was sounding increasingly agitated. "For not being here to help you after you'd changed into a vampire. For not being able to save Jacob."

"You didn't even like Jake," I spit out.

"No," he agreed quietly. "I didn't like him simply because he thought himself in love with you. He'd been plotting on how to take you away from me, and it made me so jealous I couldn't see straight. For that reason, I didn't like him...But you did, and so I'm just that sorrier for what happened to him."

"What did happen?" I asked. "Back in the caves, how did Alexandre get past all of us?"

"He had an ability that allowed him to completely mask his presence," he said. "We didn't hear, see or smell him at all. One moment, there was no one behind us, and the next he seemed to manifest out of this air. He stepped out of the shadows and grabbed Jacob from behind."

"I was hoping it was something like that," I admitted. "I was hoping that I hadn't been so intent on my own private fight that I failed to look out for Jacob."

Edward gave the barest of nods. "I admit, I was only watching you. The others didn't forget, and they were concentrating on watching our backs. And, yet, he still got around us."

"And now we've got another fight on our hands," I said. "Tanya's right. You should go. You should all go."

Edward finally put me down, setting me gently on my feet. "No."

"What?" I asked, confused. I'd given him an out. He and his family could leave. Be safe.

"I said 'No'." he repeated, emphatically. "I left you once before," he reached for my hand, stopped short and lowered his arm again. "I left you once before, but I thought I was saving you. I'm not going to leave while you and your friends are in danger."

"But," I started, only to be cut off.

"No," He said, clearly angry now.

"You want to stay, fine," I blurted out. "I can't make you leave. At least tell the rest of your family to go."

"I'll tell them what you said, but I'm pretty sure we're all committed to seeing this through."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Committed? To what?"

"To you," he said simply. "To your wolves. Also, to standing up to the Volturi. There are a large number of those who are here who want the chance to knock them down a peg or two."

"But they're so powerful," I protested.

"They've let it go to their heads," he said. "They're travelling half-way across the world to force their domination over beings that shouldn't even concern them. If they manage to recruit the wolves..."

"They'll just be that much powerful," I finished for him.

"Yes."

I sighed and leaned back against the tree. "What now?" Sadly, I didn't even know what situation I was referring to anymore. The Volturi? The wolves? Edward and I?

I didn't even know anymore.

"For now," he offered his hand out to me one more time, "Eleazar has been asking for you."

I hesitated a moment, but slowly reached for his hand.

Together, we made our way back to the Cullen house in silence.