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Tear of Mist

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And if you're considering reviewing now, please do! Tell me what you think, should I do another chapter in Edward's point of view? Should Jacob make an appearance? Should they get back together? Should Bella be a vampire? I may be putting up a poll on my profile having to do with this story. So watch out! And if you haven't already, please check out my other story, Hurting (However, it is rated M for a reason, so don't go there if that offends you)! Also: FanFic has been deleting the ends of my sentences, and sometimes the beginnings and middles as well, so if something doesn't make sense to you, just tell me and I'll clarify! And finally, only one more quick thing to say: I have been alerted that in my first two chapters of this story, I spelled the name of the author of Pride and Prejudice wrong. It's Jane Austen, not Jane Austin! Thanks for bearing with me guys! Enjoy the chapter:

Chapter Four

When I called the Culle– Stewart household from home I was so upset that I put Alice to bed after a bath and didn't grade any more papers. I turned on the TV again and took another whopping piece of cake. I sat down, but knew that something wasn't right. And then I remembered.

The windows weren't locked.

I went to check on Alice, expecting him to be there, and he was.

"Bastard." I hissed. "I warned you."

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Jacob's number. It was only seven over there. "Hey Leah," I said when Jacob's girlfriend picked up the phone, "Can I talk to Jake?"

"Sure," she said. She knew that I had long since relinquished my claim to him as anything but a brother.

He was quickly on the phone, Edward hadn't left. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hey Bells, what's going on? How's Ali?"

"She's great, asleep at the moment, actually, so I was going to get some much needed rest." He laughed, "Um, hey, I have a really big favor to ask of you."

"Sure. What is it?"

"The Cullens are here."

"What!" he spat. Leah was a werewolf too, I heard Jake quickly relay the news to her. I heard her howl soon after, she was calling a meeting. "We'll all be over there as soon as possible. Montclair, right?"

"Yes. I can tell you their address when you get here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I have their student records."

"How?"

"Well, you know how I teach English?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember how I told you that the Cullens keep repeating High School?"

"No way!" he breathed.

"Yeah. He's in my English 3 class."

I could feel the anger emanating from Jacob although he was three thousand miles away. "Do you want me to bring the entire pack over? We'll take them down for you, if you want."

"No, no, just make sure that they stay away from me." Edward was still standing there. I sat down on Alice's bed and started to stroke her hair. I was purposefully but surreptitiously putting myself in between my daughter and the vampire.

"No problem. Do you mind if I kill the bronze haired one?"

"Nope."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Uh oh, what did he do?"

"I'll talk to you when you get here. Are you sure that you have the money, because I could help you out if you need it."

"Yeah, we've got the money. And believe me; if we're going to take down some vampires, we've definitely got the money."

I laughed aloud, "Thanks Jake, you're the best."

"No way, you're the best!" That's how we always ended our conversations. "Bye Jake."

"Bye Bells, I'll call you tomorrow!" He hung up, I hung up.

I gave Edward the evil eye. "And now we wait." I said.

"Alice wouldn't like it very much if you killed me."

"No." I agreed.

"So…"

"So what?"

"Never mind."

"Yes. Never mind. Now get out of my apartment."

"Alright, Bella."

"That's to you."

"Goodbye ."

"Goodbye."

I picked up my daughter, who was stirring in her sleep. "Edward," I said. He grabbed onto the window sill that he was crouched on. "I'm sorry that I'm being so unkind. It's just better this way." That was similar to something he had once told me. And he had been right.

"I understand. Carlisle told me the same thing."

"And Edward."

"Yes?"

Because of his reaction when I told him that Alice was my daughter and the way that he had reacted that first afternoon when he was first informed that I had a child, and because he was in her room, not mine, I thought I knew what he was trying to find out. "I know that you've been worrying, but I adopted her."

Edward's nostrils flared. "Thank you Bella. You don't know how much that means to me."

And I had him right where I wanted him. "But why does it mean so much to you? Edward, listen to me," He was escaping. "If there's anything you learn in being a mother, it's how to read people. I can read you still, even after all these years." I grimaced. Alice seemed to sense my discomfort even in her sleep, she was restless. Still unconscious she sighed and reached up with her hand to stroke my cheek. I bounced her a bit. "I can tell that you're hiding something from me. I don't care whether or not you tell me, but I want you to know that I know." Alice cried out in her sleep. And then she was whimpering.

"Oh, Alice baby, wake up!"

Edward was still on the window sill.

"Sweetheart, wake up, you're having a bad dream." I stroked her forehead, which was a bit too hot for comfort. "Crap." I muttered. I couldn't have a sick daughter on my hands! I would have to call Frankie and warn her that Colin may get sick too. Had I gotten her flu shot this year? Yes, yes I had. I was strangely paranoid about the flu, and the reason was still on my window sill.

"Alice," she woke up. "Are you okay honey?"

"Yeah," she said sleepily. "I had a dream that you were away and I couldn't find you. And there was a huge spider coming after me." I knew the cause for that dream. He was also sitting on my windowsill. I glared at him. Alice noticed and turned her head, rubbing her eyes. "Who's that, Mommy?"

"That's Edward Stewart, he's in my class."

"Like Colin is in my class?"

"Sort of. Say 'hi'!"

"Hi Edward Stewart."

Edward jumped down from the windowsill. "Hello Alice Swan." He kissed her hand, she giggled. "Did you know that my little sister is named Alice?"

"No."

"Hey Edward," I interrupted him. "Do you think she has a fever?"

"You all feel warm to me."

"Yes, but you are the only one here who went to medical school."

"Do you have a thermometer?" Oh yes, I did.

"Good point, do you want to hold onto her for a second?" He looked terrified. "I'll take that as a yes." I put her into his arms; she latched onto him unfazed by his cold skin. What was wrong with her? I didn't want her to fall in love with a vampire too. Oh darn. Oh well, she was only four. They could be friends until he moved on again. Maybe she and Alice Cullen could keep in touch.

I ran to the bathroom to get the thermometer. I took her temperature as Edward held her. She was 100° F. It was only a low temperature. I grabbed some children's Tylenol and gave her a spoonful. She was already falling back asleep when I took her from Edward. "Goodnight sweetheart." I said. She latched on to me. "Alright, I'll stay with you." I went down next to her and held her in my arms while humming to her. I didn't even remember Edward was there until he tapped me on the shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Swan."

"Yes, thank you so much for your help Edward. But listen, the pack is coming, I've already called them. And so you had better stay away from my daughter and me."

"Understood." He hopped out of the window with a strange look on his face. I thought back to try and understand why. I came up with nothing. It wasn't until I lay back down next to Alice that I realized. I had been humming my lullaby.

The next day I wasn't at school. I was taking care of my daughter who had an autumnal cold. It wasn't a big deal. She was fine by that Saturday, we had each only missed one day of school, and we had both had some great mother-daughter time. I made sure that all of the windows were locked from then on. I didn't want Edward or any other Cullen/Stewart coming into my apartment uninvited.

I went back to school the next Monday, Alice's fever having died down. But it was a day off from her school. She went to a private pre-k, so they had a different schedule from the Montclair Public Schools. I acquired special permission to bring in my daughter to school. She was amazingly polite throughout the day, it was only after lunch that I had to worry about. And I only had one class after lunch.

We got to class a few minutes before the bell rang, I had underestimated how much time it would take to separate Alice from her seat at Starbucks. When we stepped into class, the first thing that Alice noticed was Edward. "Hello Edward Stewart." She said.

Edward smiled at her and rose in one fluid motion to kneel at her feet and kiss her hand again like he had done that first day, "Hello Alice Swan."

She giggled. I smiled; Alice's laugh was such a gorgeous sound. But I didn't want her too near Edward. I called her over and set up a computer game with headphones for Alice to occupy herself with. The bell rang and a student walked in afterward. I was forced to give him a ten minute detention after school. I would have to stay later. Oh well.

We talked more about Shakespeare and the students turned in their homework to me. Edward's was five pages, the longest by far. Maybe he had double spaced.

And I tucked the papers away and led an intense discussion of the first part of Romeo and Juliet's plot. I focused heavily on Paris and Roslyn. I didn't want my students to forget that each character had other choices, but chose to take the hard way out. I stressed that they fought to overcome their differences in family in order to be together. And when they were forbidden to see each other, they still made the effort. Romeo became quite adept at scaling Juliet's balcony. I tried very hard not to look at Edward when I was talking about scaling walls and climbing into people's rooms. But when I did cast an eye over to him, he was watching Alice intently.

He was not allowed to do that. I had to pull his attention back to class. "Edward?" I called? "Are you paying attention?"

"Yes."

"So what do you think?"

"I think that Shakespeare was trying to show that love transcends all boundaries." He said this intensely, looking into my eyes. He was trying to communicate something that I already suspected. I chose to ignore his implications. I would not allow myself to hope for anything. And even if he did still love me, I could not leave Alice for anything.

The last bell rang as 2:33 as always and I saw Michael trying to sneak out, trying to avoid his detention. I caught him, "Mike," I called. He turned, "You can skip, I wouldn't care, but then you'd get an in school suspension."

He dragged his feet back into the classroom. Edward was still packing up; it was obviously on purpose, he could have been packed up and out of the classroom the second that the bell rang. He went to talk to my Alice. Unacceptable. "Edward." I called him out. "Go. And please tell your sister that I'll see her tomorrow at lunch." I glared at him when Michael's back was turned. "Don't forget about Jacob." He knew what I meant even if Mike didn't. He quickly left the room.

I stayed throughout the extra time with Mike, and when I left the room I took Alice with me. The two of us went together to Starbucks where I talked a bit to Ruthie and thanked her again for the wonderful coffee and the support that she had shown me a few days ago. She asked if 'my ex' had left. I told her that he was probably in for the long haul, but I was totally alright now. She didn't seem to buy it, but that was alright.

Alice was quite energetic after being at school all day, so I decided to take her to Eagle Rock Reservation to run around a little bit before it got dark. It was only a five minute trip and it was on the way home from school. I drove up the winding pathway and we entered the reservation on one of the lesser known paths. I wanted to try some new scenery and keep my mind off of a certain someone. I was walking being Alice, who was running ahead of me a little bit. And then I heard a feral growl. I started running.