A/N: *sigh* In all honesty, I had decided against publishing this chapter in favor of something more plot progressive. However, barely three pages into the rewriting, I find myself unable to get much done on it and I'm afraid it might be a bit before I can. Hear me out before you start hating on me please.

Recently, my oldest son and I were getting ready to take my youngest son and some of his cubscout friends to the skating rink. We got all the kiddies loaded and as I leaned in to do a quick head count, my oldest son shut the van door on my hand. It was, of course, not intentional, but I'm almost embarassed to say that that didn't stop me from hurling expletives in front of a van full of seven and eight-year-olds. :( I suppose I am fail at chaperoning, but damnit it hurt!

In an effort to keep this A/N reasonable in length, we'll leave it at my right hand is broken and I am SO not left-handed. I'm trying, but between the pain, the painkillers, (which knock me the frick out) and the overall awkwardness, I'm just not getting much done. My daughter has offered to type for me on the weekends, but I'm not sure how well that'll work. We'll see...

I also want to apologize for not responding to a few reviews last chapter. Most of you know that I always respond, or at least try to - I might've missed a couple here and there but I believe prior to last chapter I had something like a 98% response rate... If I missed you, I'm sorry.

So PLEASE bear w/me... I promise I'll do what I can when I can. In the meantime...

As always super huge thx to Twike, who betaed this weeks ago - I would be so very lost w/o her.

Prey For Protection

Chapter Sixteen:

Rosalie

When Edward and Alice walked out of the cafeteria with that dog, I didn't know what to think. I looked over at Jasper and found him staring blankly at the door they'd just walked out of. "What the hell are they doing?" I hissed at him.

"Ali said they were just going to talk to her," he muttered, unhappily. "She was afraid the wolf would be intimidated by any more than two of us."

"What could they possibly want to talk to the wolf about?" I asked, unable to hide my contempt. "Like it's not bad enough the bitch stinks up my favorite boutique and three of my freaking classes. Now what? Eddie and Ali want to invite her to stink up our table at lunch? Oh! Em! Gee! Maybe we can all become BFF's and start our very own supernatural freak show right here in Forks!"

Emmett chuckled and scooted closer, wrapping his enormous arm around my shoulders and tugging me into him. He bent his head down nuzzling my cheek and soothing me in a way that only my Emmett could. "C'mon Rosie, they're just talking. I'm sure they'll give us the 4-1-1 when they get back. Besides," he added with an impish light in his golden eyes, "if they wanna let the mutt stink up the table, we'll just find some place else to go to for lunch everyday. Maybe somewhere a little more private?" He wiggled his brows devilishly, his dimples shining, and I forgot all about the stinking she-wolf. I briefly wondered how much damage we could do to one of the janitor's closets in thirty minutes.

"Could you two tone it down a notch?" Jasper groaned exasperatedly, "As if I'm not getting enough of that from a school full of hormonal teenagers."

I smirked, but swatted Em's roaming hand away with a playful wink. He straightened up in his seat and glanced around the cafeteria. He started talking to Jasper about their plans for an upcoming hunting trip out to Goat Rocks, and the next thing I knew the bell was ringing signaling the end of lunch. None of them had returned to the lunchroom. Jasper looked uncomfortable as we all stood and carried our untouched trays of food to the trashcans.

"They probably went straight on to class," Emmett offered, noticing Jasper's tension. "You know how anxious Eddie-boy is to get to his Biology class these days," He snickered.

Jasper shot him a reproachful look as he added his tray to the stack next to the bins. He gave one last glance toward the double doors that led out onto the pavilion, before shoving his hands into his pockets and heading for class.

The rest of the day's classes passed by uneventfully, but when the final bell rang, I found Jasper waiting outside my classroom looking frantic.

"Jazz? What's wrong?" I asked, immediately concerned for my favorite brother. I could only think of one thing that could cause Jasper to look so panicked. "Where's Alice?"

He placed his hand in the small of my back and led me through the hallway, speaking so that no one else could hear him. "She didn't make it to 6th period. I walk passed her class on the way to mine. She always waits outside of her room for me, just so we can see each other for a minute in the hallway. I usually don't even stop walking, just reach out and touch her hand as I walk by, and she smiles and watches me go down the hall." Both his voice and his expression softened momentarily as he spoke. "We do it everyday. This time, she wasn't standing there, so I peeked inside and she wasn't in there either. I waited outside the room and she never showed. I've tried her phone a half-dozen times. No answer."

By that point we were outside, and Emmett was approaching as quickly as he dared amongst so many humans. His expression was grim as he fell in step with Jasper and I. "Jazz you seen Alice?" he asked.

"Not since lunch," Jasper replied. "She didn't go to her 6th period class."

"Edward wasn't in 6th period either. I heard that Newton kid talking and he said Edward and that human girl Bella, both missed 5th period. I asked him about it and he also mentioned that Bella, Jake, and Jessica, the girl the other dog's always trying to hump in the hallway, all missed 6th period Gym class."

Jasper stiffened and his voice came out as a half growl. "It's sounding like none of them have been seen since lunch time. Something must've happened. God damn it," he swore, "I knew not to let her go off without me."

We'd reached the cars; Edward's shiny, silver Volvo sat where he'd left it that morning, parked right next to my sleek, red Beamer. We all stood there silently, looking around the lot for some sign of Edward, Alice, or even one of the wolves. There was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen, just a couple hundred teenagers heading home from yet another day at Forks High School.

Jasper was the one to catch sight of the Police car parked behind the school. I felt an icy chill run down my spine, as my imagination ran with the possibilities we'd encounter when we walked back there. Jasper took off at a jog, moving a little faster than the average human but not fast enough to attract too much attention. Emmett hooked his arm through mine and we took off after Jasper.

Images of the wolves laying in ambush for Alice and Edward as they followed Leah behind the gym flashed behind my eyes. 'If those mangy mutts so much as got a flea on Edward or Alice I will ensure their place on the endangered species list.' I silently swore.

Jasper stopped dead in his tracks as he made to round the corner of the gym. His hand went up over his nose and mouth and he staggered for a moment, as though he'd been hit in the chest. The breeze shifted and Jasper dropped to his knees as the scent of fresh blood wafted over me. Jasper was clawing at the ground with his free hand, digging his fingers into the earth as he fought to restrain himself.

"Take him back to the cars Em, otherwise whatever happened is going to go from bad to worse." Emmett nodded and sprinted the remaining distance between Jasper and us. He grabbed hold of Jasper, and started leading him back the way we'd come.

I watched them go and held my breath as I turned and continued behind the gym. There was police tape marking off a large section of the woods as well as most of the field inside of the track. I gasped when I saw what appeared to be two bodies covered with black tarps. Immediately I regretted the reaction, the scent of wet dog, and both tainted and untainted blood was thick in the air. My throat was enveloped in an inferno, and my mouth suddenly overflowing with venom.

My instinct was to run, get away from the temptation. I took a step backwards, contemplating fleeing before I did something I knew I'd regret, when I noticed a man that looked a lot like an older version of the Quileute wolf boys, standing near the trees and talking to one of the police officers.

I inhaled lightly, testing the air as well as my control, and I picked up both Edward and Alice's scents. I also smelled the all too familiar smell of burnt vampire flesh. I choked on a sob, at that moment noticing the purplish haze wafting through the trees.

I stepped across the yellow police tape and stormed toward the Quileute man. The wet dog smell got stronger, as did Edward Alice's scent. I also noticed the smell of unfamiliar vampires, and I felt another shudder run down my spine. I reached the man and after giving him a death glare I simply said, "Walk with me."

He looked confused for a moment until I sent a pointed look to the police officer still standing right next to him. He sighed and excused himself, leading me away from the others. Once we were safely out of earshot he stopped and turned to me with a contemptible expression. "What do you want?" he demanded.

I didn't know who the hell he thought he was, but I was in no mood for his bullshit. "What I want is to know what the fuck is going on here," I snarled at him. I have two siblings missing since lunch; I come back here and I find bodies, the smell of charbroiled vampire, and you. Now if you don't deserve to die, I'd say you have about thirty seconds to tell me what happened. Otherwise, I'll rip your fucking head off and shove it up your ass based on the circumstantial evidence alone." I looked down at my wristwatch and back up at his shocked face impatiently.

"Wha- who…" he stammered. "You're one of the Cullens right?" he asked.

"I am," I replied, "Tick. Tock."

"Look," he said, taking a step backwards, "here's what I know that concerns you. You're… siblings, if that's what you call them, are fine. One of them ran off with a human girl, and the other took off with one of our people. I think they went to the Cullen house, err your house. The vampires that died were not members of your coven. Now. You need to tell your leader that Leah is to be returned to us immediately. If she isn't, we will come for her and bring her back by force. We appreciate that your… siblings… assisted her in her fight, but her place is with her people. Her father is a tribal elder and will not tolerate his flesh and blood being left unprotected in the hands of leeches, regardless of how harmless they claim to be."

"If Leah is your stinky she-wolf, and if she's at my house I can assure you she won't be there long. I may have to tolerate the stench of you foul cretins in school, and I may not be able to avoid the vile smell of you on my shopping excursions from time to time, but I'll be damned if I'll be stunk out of my own home."

Anxious to reassure Jasper with what I knew and get home to make sure that Edward and Alice were all right, I spun on my heel and hurried back across the field toward the parking lot. I didn't breath again until I stepped onto the asphalt.

When I arrived back at our cars, the lot was nearly empty. Jasper looked up on hearing my approach, his eyes met mine and I forced a smile onto my face. "Fucking do-gooders. They just had to go and get involved in the wolves' drama. They're at home. Apparently they wanted souvenirs from their adventure, and we're now the proud owners of our very own dog. I hear it even came with it's own human to walk it and feed it and shit."

Both Emmett and Jasper looked at me like I was nuts, although Em's expression was amused, whereas Jazz was just confused. I rolled my eyes and gestured toward my car, "get in, I'll explain what I know on the way home."

"If they were heading for a fight why would they leave us behind?" Emmett pouted after I'd repeated what I'd been told. He was unable to focus on anything other than the fact that he'd 'missed out on all the fun.' He sulked for half the drive home, grumbling about 'being left out.'

During the drive home, Jasper called Alice's phone fourteen times, swearing under his breath every time it went to voicemail. He was in a much better state than he had been in, but Jasper wasn't one to take reassurance from anything less than the source, especially where Alice was concerned.

The chief of police was pulling out of our driveway as I approached it, preparing to turn in. He threw up a hand in a distracted half wave as he passed us and I returned the gesture. I parked in the garage and Jasper almost tripped over himself trying to get out of the car. We hurried into the house and the scent of wet dog greeted us at the two. I immediately heard the sounds of two distinctive heartbeats, and knew the Quileute had been telling the truth.

We'd no more than walked through the door when Carlisle called all of us to the dining room. Alice came flitting down the stairs and rushed into Jasper's waiting arms. He picked her up and hugged her tightly to his chest, murmuring into her ear and covering her face in kisses. He carried her into the dining room and took his seat, pulling her onto his lap.

Emmett and I took our seats across from Alice and Jasper; Esme sat in the chair to Carlisle's right and Edward to his left. Once we were all seated, Carlisle looked around at us and smiled one of his most dazzling smiles. 'Oh shit,' I thought, 'whatever this is, it's big. Daddy's pulling out the high wattage charm.'

Edward looked at me and smirked the way only a mind reading know-it-all can. I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping to knock the smirk off his face. He rolled his eyes at me dismissively, knowing damn well how much that shit annoyed me, and returned his attention to Carlisle. 'Don't you fucking roll your eyes at me Edward Cullen,' I silently shouted at him. 'Jazz and Emmett were worried shitless about you two. You have some serious explaining to do.'

"I suppose," Carlisle began, interrupting the mental brow beating I was bestowing on my oldest brother. "The best way to bring this matter to the table, so to speak, is to begin at the beginning."

I turned my attention to Carlisle and listened as he and Edward explained the story of the human girl whose childhood sweetheart was turned into a vampire. The newborn vampire apparently became obsessed with the human girl and had been stalking her and making threats on her life for the past year. Carlisle told us what he'd learned from the Quileutes during their meeting and Edward supplied us with additional facts he'd picked up from the thoughts of the wolves. While I couldn't deny it made a fascinating, albeit twisted tale. I had no idea how any of it related to any of us.

That's when Alice spoke up. She'd had a vision of the human girl, Bella Swan, being attacked by unknown vampires at Forks High School.

Jasper tensed at this, staring at her in disbelief as she acknowledged the danger she'd knowingly walked into. She winced slightly and lowered her head shamefully at the grief she knew she'd caused him. She looked back up at him, her eyes pleading for understanding as she said, "She was going to die Jasper."

Without hesitation, Jasper firmly but quietly replied, "Better her than you Alice, better anyone than you."

Alice's lips twisted into a faint half smile as she shook her head. "I knew I would be fine, and Jazzy… I'm going to love her someday. She's going to be the best friend I've ever had."

Before I had a chance to ask her what that was supposed to mean, Edward picked up the tale again. He told us about hearing Bella's scream and the three of them - himself, Alice and the dog, running off to find the human girl in the clutches of two vampires. He explained how Leah planned the attack from outside the trees while he and Alice kept the vamps distracted, and how she sprang through the trees attacking one of the vamps while knocking the human to safety.

Jasper's tension subsided more as he learned that Alice's role in the events had been simply to get the human girl to safety. Edward shot him a look and asked, "Did you really think I'd allow her to jeopardize herself?" Jasper said nothing, but let out a deep breath and a mildly sheepish expression crossed his face. Alice rolled her eyes and the overall mood in the room lightened considerably.

Carlisle cleared his throat, a human action that served him no purpose other than gaining our attention. "Yes. Well, now that we're all up to speed on the events leading up to now, I suppose I should tell you why I called you all here."

"Prior to today the human girl was completely unaware of the supernatural world her world had collided with. Her father on the other hand, Police Chief Swan, was entrusted with the wolves' secret, and they made him aware of the existence of vampires as well as their theory that it was in fact our kind that they were up against. Unbeknownst to her, Isabella has been under the protection of the wolves since arriving in Forks."

Carlisle paused and looked around the table, gauging our reactions to the story so far. I glanced around and saw Esme with her hand over her dead heart; the perpetual mother, her heart obviously went out to the girl. Edward had a strange look of determination on his face. Jasper wasn't looking anywhere but at Alice, who was watching Esme with an odd grin on her face.

"Oh Carlisle," Esme asked, her voice thick with emotion, "is there anything we can do to help them?"

"What?" I asked, louder than I originally intended. "Since when do we go getting involved in other people's drama?"

"Rose," Carlisle started, his expression considerably more stern than his words. "Truth be told there are several reasons for us to get involved. First and foremost she is an innocent child being hunted down and threatened by creatures she has no chance of defeating and that simply makes us offering our assistance the right thing to do. If that one doesn't appease you there's the question of how many other innocents will die should there be another attack? A human child and a young Quileute died today Rosalie. When will it be enough to attract the attention of the Volturi? Or perhaps we'll be lucky enough to stay under their scope and we'll only have to pack up and move again." He looked at me, silently urging me to understand, When he spoke again, his voice was so low no human would've heard him, even if they'd been standing right beside him. "If we have the power to prevent death and we do not, are we not as guilty as those doing the killing?"

I looked away, unable to hold his gaze as he addressed the entire table again. "I'd like us to offer our assistance to Chief Swan and his daughter. It will mean telling him the truth about our family, but since he already knows about the existence of vampires, we won't technically be breaking the law."

"What makes you so sure he'll even listen to anything you have to say beyond 'I think you should know we're vampires'?" Jasper asked.

"We have to address the situation very carefully," Alice cut in, "but if we handle it right, he won't totally freak out." She looked around the table at each of us, a faint smile playing at her lips, "I've seen it."

"Bullshit," I scoffed at my miniature sister. "Look, if the other vampires come and attract the Volturi's attention that's their problem, not ours. Unless we get involved. Then it becomes our problem too. I don't even know the girl. I think we should mind our own business."

"How can you be so-" Edward started, but Carlisle interrupted him.

"The only fair way to handle this is to put it to a vote. Do we offer our assistance and protection, if it comes to that, to Charlie Swan and his daughter? I must say that I cannot guarantee that there will be no danger in doing so, but I, for one, am simply not comfortable doing nothing." He raised his right hand into the air, in typical Cullen family vote tradition, and said, "I say we help the Swan's. Agree or Disagree?" He then turned to us, one by one, for our vote.

Esme's hand was immediately in the air as she chimed in her, "Agree."

Alice's hand was in the air before Esme spoke, and she was just as quick to add her earnest "Agree."

Jasper on the other hand, sat slouched in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking at Alice, who was smiling at him sadly. "I just can't bring myself to vote in favor of potentially going to war with some unknown coven of vampires over a dispute that doesn't involve us in any way shape or form."

"But Jazzy-" Alice started, but he silenced her with a hand in the air.

"I heard you say that you're going to love her someday Ali," his voice softened, "but you have to hear me saying that I love you now, and I will not put you in the line of danger, especially not over some human drinker's runaway snack." There were several gasps from around the table at that, "I know it sounds harsh damn it, but you, Alice, are my number one priority and because of that I have no choice but to vote with that in mind." He straightened in his chair, looked to Carlisle, and said, "Disagree."

I busied myself inspecting my manicure, sparing another glance at Jasper before looking up at Carlisle. "Disagree," I said, and without further explanation I returned my attention to my fingernails.

Emmett shifted in his seat beside me. "Well," he began, "I for one am always up for a fight, so I say-" I delivered a swift kick under the table to his shin, interrupting his sentence. Was he really going to vote against me? He cried out and met my narrowed gaze as he rubbed the offended spot on the front of his leg. His shoulders slumped a little before he looked away and said, "Disagree."

I couldn't help smirking a bit until I realized why Alice hadn't been overly upset by Jasper voting no. The vote was tied 3/3 and the only vote left was Edward's. I groaned at the realization, and was pushing myself back from the table before he'd fully vocalized his, "I agree."

"Wonderful," Carlisle clasped his hands together in victory. "Alice have you determined our best plan of attack in regards to breaking the news to Charlie and Bella?"

I stormed out of the dining room, and through the foyer. I started up the stairs but the stink of wet dog nearly knocked me backward before I was halfway up the steps. I stopped and growled in frustration, before spinning on my heel and storming right back into the dining room.

"So we're going to help the human. Fine. So we're going to tell them we're vampires and hope they don't run away screaming before we get to the part about being vegetarians. Fine. But god damn it, someone needs to take the stinking dog out." I demanded.

"Rose," Esme chided, "language please."

Emmett snickered and even Jasper almost smiled. I rolled my eyes, opting to ignore them and looked at Carlisle expectantly, "it's not staying here is it?"

"She. Rosalie, and for a while, yes," Carlisle replied. "She was severely injured in her fight to protect the human girl. I think the two of them might even be something of a package deal."

"You're kidding right?" I demanded.

"I'm afraid not Rose, so you might want to think about getting used to the idea," Carlisle informed me.

"Alice, can you see whether or not Chief Swan is having any luck in La Push?" Alice closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them smiling brightly. "Oh he'll get the paper signed alright," she said knowingly.

"Very well. Edward, if you would come assist me, I'm quite certain we'll have time to get her to the hospital, get her x-rayed and get her back before the chief returns. What do you think Alice?"

Again the pixie closed her eyes and after a couple of moments she reopened them and said, "Well, I can't see you at the hospital, but I do see you back here when Chief Swan arrives."

Carlisle nodded and he and Edward hurried up the stairs. He called back down for Emmett to pull his Mercedes around to the front door for him and Emmett got up to do so.

A moment later, Edward and Carlisle were coming down the stairs carrying a very ragged and battered version of the once-beautiful she-wolf I'd seen so many times in school. I gasped at the extent of her obvious physical injuries, and wondered if she'd had any idea what she was getting herself into when she jumped through those trees.

Edward looked up, and with an odd expression on his face he said, "She knew exactly what she was doing."

I looked away and heard Carlisle asking Alice to keep running through scenarios until she found the best way for us to approach the chief of police. She agreed and watched them carry the girl out to the car, waving them off as they pulled away.

She turned away from the window, and met my gaze, her expression sad, almost pained. "Rose," she started softly, "I know that what happened to you still haunts you, even after all these years. Ask yourself something for me. Had someone been able to stop Royce, wouldn't you have wanted them to? Can you imagine someone having the power to stop it, but choosing not to get involved? James wants to take away Bella's life and use her for his own purposes, whether he wants her as a mate or a snack, he has no right to her life. Just like Royce had no right to yours." She smiled weakly, and turned to head upstairs, leaving me speechless in the foyer.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Edward

Carlisle pulled up to the emergency entrance of Forks General Hospital and left the engine running as he hurried in through the automatic doors. He quickly commandeered a gurney and returned to the car a moment later. We maneuvered Leah onto it and he deftly rolled her inside while I moved his Mercedes into a parking spot.

There was no one in Radiology, so we went straight in and got her prepped for the x-rays. We repositioned her several times and he took dozens of pictures. Afterwards, he took time to write up several prescriptions for both Leah and Bella and sent me to the pharmacy to have them filled while he processed the x-ray films.

The pharmacist was nowhere to be seen when I first arrived, so I pressed the call button and waited… and waited. I was just reaching forward to press the button again when a petite, frazzled looking, woman in a lab coat came rushing around the corner. Her dark-hair was pulled on top of her head in a messy bun with several strands having fallen loose. She apologized profusely as she took the prescriptions from me and pointed to the blue plastic chairs across the hall suggesting I have a seat while she set about filling the order.

By the time I returned, not only had Carlisle finished processing and printing the x-rays, he'd also taken time to run a CT scan on Leah's head and arranged to have some additional equipment sent to the house for him to use there. Soon after, we were carefully settling Leah back into the backseat of Carlisle's car and preparing to head back home.

Leah remained unconscious the entire time. A fact Carlisle and I were both grateful for; neither of us suspected she'd make a very cooperative patient. Her thoughts remained ruddy, kaleidoscopic flashes of people and places both strange and familiar.

When we returned to the house, we carried her back up the stairs and into the guest room. Esme had come in during our absence and put fresh sheets on the bed. We got Leah settled into bed and I quietly followed Carlisle back out of the room. He peeked in on Bella to ensure that she was resting peacefully before heading back down the stairs.

I sat at my piano and absent-mindedly caressed the keys while Carlisle disappeared into his study to peruse Leah's x-rays. Emmett and Rosalie were just returning from an impromptu hunt when Alice came dancing down the stairs, Jasper trailing right behind her. She bounced down off from the bottom step with a bright smile as she sang out, "family meeting!"

I felt myself smile as I listened to her mentally go over her plan, and watched the vision she had that confirmed the best reaction we could possibly hope for from Chief Swan. We all made our way back into the dining room, and resumed our places around the table.

Carlisle was the last to join us. He took his seat at the head of the table, glancing at each of us thoughtfully before turning his full attention to Alice, who was practically bouncing in her chair.

Alice gave a worried glance toward Emmett and Rosalie, and then immediately went into explaining what she thought would be the best way to approach Chief Swan with our news. As she spoke, I paid close attention to Rose, expecting nothing short of an outburst from her as Alice detailed her plan.

Her thoughts however surprised me, as she reflected on her own past, comparing her situation with Royce to that of Bella and James. She thoroughly dreaded doing what Alice assured us we each needed to do, but she remained uncharacteristically quiet.

No sooner than Alice had finished explaining her plan and the reaction she saw Chief Swan have to the news, the sound of a car pulling onto our private drive reached my ears.

Alice bounded up from her seat, with a singsong 'It's ti-ime!" and danced off to answer the door before the car made it all the way up the drive. She was a bit more excited than the situation called for.

"Let's give the man a moment Alice," Carlisle softly chastised her. "I'm quite certain he'll want to check in on the girls first."

Alice twirled around again, looking very much like a dancing six-year-old, before grabbing the doorknob and swinging the front door wide before the chief of police even had the opportunity to knock. "Hello Chief Swan," she sang.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Carlisle led the Police Chief upstairs, calling Jasper to accompany them to ensure that the emotionally charged climate remained as pleasant as possible. The rest of us remained seated and listened in on the exchange that took place upstairs. When I realized Bella had woken up I had to resist the urge to rush up the stairs myself.

After Bella was again sedated, both medicinally and with a little help from Jasper, Carlisle led Charlie to the guest room to check on Leah. Just a few moments later Carlisle, Charlie and Jasper came back down the stairs.

Carlisle informed Charlie that there were a few things that he wanted to discuss with him, and led him back into the dining room where the rest of us were waiting. He pointed to the empty seat at the end of the table, and Charlie joined us, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

Esme offered him refreshments, but he offhandedly declined. His thoughts were focused on his daughter. He was terrified as to the sort of reaction she'd have once she was no longer under the effects of the medication. He worried as to exactly what she'd seen and how much he'd have to tell her. He looked around the room and sighed before clearing his throat, "Alright doc," he said turning his attention to Carlisle, "what was it you needed to talk to me about?"

As always, thanks to each and every one of you for reading & an extra special thanks to those of you that review.