All things in the WW of Twilight belong to Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.

Here's that second Chapter I promised you today :)

Okay think happy thoughts. . . Edward is still really depressed, I'm trying to cheerify it, promise.

My reviewers are the most awesome people EVER! You Rock it!

Songs for thought: All these things - Bullet For My Valentine, Mouth (Stingray mix) - Bush, Emotional Drought - Chevelle. (Link to playlist in my profile :))

Chapter Five - Starting Over

Rosalie and Emmett left that evening. It hadn't taken them long. Knowing that Edward would soon be home had motivated them somewhat to execute their plan a little more quickly than they normally would. We said our goodbyes and they headed in to the dark evening off on their umpteenth honeymoon. I didn't envy them. They were running away from their problems that would only make it harder for them when they did come home.

I spent the night lying in bed in Jasper's arms. We held each other closely, we needed the closeness. The last couple of days had been strenuous and we needed each other to level out. We knew that it would be okay in the end. We had just never expected this, I hadn't seen it coming. Jasper stroked my hair comfortingly throughout the night, being away from Forks seemed to help him. That was something I was glad about. I knew this would be good for him, he was already starting to act like himself. I was hoping this would be good for Edward, I was hoping he would draw his strength from us.

We heard the Volvo pull into the drive and hopped from the bed. I knew Edward would be more depressed than I could possibly imagine. We would have to act as normally as possible. Even though I knew the attempt would be wasted, I'd agreed, so I complied.

Edward entered the house with his bags held under his arms, his eyes were darker than I could ever remember them being. I rushed forward and threw my arms around his wiast.

"Welcome home, Edward." I said with as much bravado as I could muster.

"Thanks, Alice. Where's my room?"

"All the way to the right at the top of the stairs, I could show you if you like?" I said.

"No, thanks, I'll find it."

I stepped away from him and let him go, he headed up the stairs and disappeared. I looked at Jasper and shrugged. We'd known this would be difficult. Esme and Carlisle appeared from the kitchen.

"No better." Carlisle asked looking up the stairs after his oldest son.

"Nope." I answered raising my eyebrows.

"Worse." said Jasper from behind me. "I could feel it as soon as he walked in, I've never felt any emotion like it."

Esme rose her delicate eyebrows and picked up Carlisle's hand in hers, her other hand went to her neck. "We should never have allowed this."

"Allowed what?" Carlisle asked quietly, hoping Edward wouldn't hear our almost silent conversation.

"To leave, Carlisle, I will never regret the time he spent with her, I've never seen him so happy. We should have spoken about it, instead of just agreeing to his terms."

"You know how stubborn he is Esme, he would never have listened to reason." Carlisle said stroking her face lovingly.

"We could have tried, Carlisle."

Carlisle nodded and looked up the stairs. "I'll go and talk to him."

This seemed to appease Esme's maternal nature and she let her husband climb the grand staircase. She turned to me with a forced smile on her lips.

"So, Alice, What are your plans this time around? I know that Jasper's decided to go to Cornell. What about you?"

"I was. . . I was actually thinking of doing some research into who I was when I was a human. Maybe I can find more about who I was from the things we learnt last Spring, from James." I felt my lips pull up over my teeth as I said the name. It was vile to me, I couldn't stomach it.

Esme nodded happily. I think she wanted me to find out who I was because it had always been such a mystery. It would also keep me occupied.

"I think it'll be good for you, Alice." She said leaning forward to kiss my forehead. She fluttered away back into one of the rooms she had been working on.

"Alice, I thought we talked about that." Jasper stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me.

"We did, but I think it's not a case of wanting to know anymore, Jasper. I think it's more needing to know now."

Jasper nodded. "I understand that honey, I just thought you would wait until I could go with you. The south isn't safe for us, there are wars raging in each and every state, the vampires fight first, they don't listen to reason. And the worst of all, your beautiful face will only be able to be seen at night. Do you have any idea what a crime that is?" he smiled and ran his fingers down my jaw line.

I laughed at his flattery, he was always so romantic. He was worried about my history though. The only thing I could remember is where I woke up and I was sure that the asylum had to be near there, in fact, I was sure of it. Jasper had found it on the internet it was in Mississippi, and at this time of the year it was hot, and very sunny. And the scent of the humans was everywhere. I appreciated his concern, Jasper was a southern gentleman in every way.

"And I told you Jasper, I'm not looking for trouble, just answers. I know that you mean well, but I'll be fine."

"Then I'm coming with you." he said stubbornly. He was so afraid of me running into one of the southern vampires, I knew he was justified in his concern but I couldn't not look for who I was.

"You've already enrolled, Jasper. You need to let me do this."

"You don't want me to come?"

I laughed and threw my arms around his neck and pulled him to me kissing him will all my might. He was playing the guilt card so I way playing the coy card. I moved my mouth to his ear. "You are so awry, my sweet loving husband, nothing would please me more than you being there with me, but you have enrolled in college, in a field you have always wanted to study in. I think it's unfair that you have to miss out on that."

I felt his cheeks swell with the smile on his face, "I love you, Alice."

"I love you, Jasper."

"Good because you're stuck with me, I'll postpone my first semester. Do you honestly think I could be away from you that long?"

I rolled my eyes and kissed him again, His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into the air with him as he stretched to full height.

"Fine." I said as I pulled away from the kiss, fighting for a breath I didn't need.

"Good." he grinned and lowered me to the floor. "I'll go take care of that now. Then I'll do some more research."

I could feel the smile growing on my lips. I nodded. Jasper was magic on the internet, the most I could ever do was shop on it. It was all I needed it for. Jasper, mostly read everybody's opinion about the civil war, and it wasn't always a pretty outcome. I have had many a night listening to him incessantly complain about a certain historical fact that he'd read about that was not true, at all, he knew this for a fact, seeing that he had been there. For a while I tried to convince him to write a factual, and detailed account of what really happened during the war under a pen name. But he said he didn't have any physically evidence to back up his accounts. Then he would continue to vent. I had become very talented at blocking him out, but I would always tune back in when his face lit up, it meant a change of subject.

Jasper was an expert on the South and I knew that his expertise would be beneficial. I watched him head towards his office and decided to help Esme with the house, it would be a couple of weeks before anything could be done, so I would have to bide my time until then. I was hoping I could help Edward, in some small way. I wasn't sure how, but I would try nonetheless, I would be then whenever he was ready.

The days passed similar to that of the last days in Forks, Edward stayed away from us in his room, silent. He had left his extensive CD collection in Forks, he requested that no piano be in the new house and he stayed silent in his dark room, no contact with any of us who shared the house with him. I would occasionally send thoughts his way but I wasn't past believing that he was also blocking those. Esme was growing more concerned with the situation, she recognized the symptoms from her last days as a human. He was deeply depressed, and there was no bright outlook for him, because we knew that he had promised himself to never darken Bella's doorstep again.

We received our first postcard from Rosalie and Emmett, they were in Scotland, they had found a remote castle in the highlands and were enjoying being alone. I didn't want to look into the double meaning of that.

Jasper and I were making preparations to head to the south for a while, Jasper had thought he'd found the asylum I had been admitted to and he was making sure that there were no southern covens close enough to effect us there. He'd been checking the news in the city. He was still nervous but we were closer to leaving now than we had been. He was calculating evacuation route and battle plans in case they were necessary. I sometimes thought he was a little too prepared but I kept my mouth shut, he was happier than he had been and it was all due to these 'preparations'.

After five days in the new house, things were getting closer to normal than they had been, I was helping Esme with the restoration of the large study that was hidden in the library, it was behind one of the built-in bookcases. It had made me laugh when we had first discovered it because it reminded me of a mystery novel I had once read. The study was large and would be perfect for Carlisle, Esme wouldn't let him move in there until we had restored the original detail and decorated it, so he was forced to work from a guest bedroom for the time being.

I was searching for a desk that would match the same time period as the house, that was when Edward called me softly from his room. I looked up at the ceiling, wondering if I had been hearing things, but he called again softly. Esme stuck her head out of the office to look at me with her eyebrows raised in question and, an undeniable hope etching every inch of her soft face. I shrugged my shoulders and headed towards the stairs.

Edward was stood at his bedroom door, and when he saw me approaching he left it open and disappeared inside. I followed him in and closed the door behind me.

"Edward?" I sat next to him on the couch and pulled my legs up under me and faced him.

He took a deep breath and an his hand through his hair. Whatever he was going to ask me was difficult, I was beginning to wonder if he would ask me about. . . I didn't even think the name and I stopped the thought before it could get into my head where he would see it.

"Alice, I need your help."

I nodded afraid any word I said would make him change his mind.

"I need you to look for someone for me, I need to know where to find them."

"Okay, anything, Edward. Who do you need me to look for?"

"Victoria."

I tried to stop the gasp in my throat before it escaped but it was released through my teeth and came out as a hiss. Edward's expression oozed sympathy and understanding. I knew that name held the same resentment as it did for me, and I knew why he'd asked. He wanted to eliminate any threat he could in Bella's life, if he couldn't be with her, he would take care of her any way he could.

"Edward. . ." I started but he raised his hand to stop me.

"I know, Alice. You have to let me do this."

I nodded and closed my eyes, I searched in my mind until I found something I could recognize, she was in San Diego hiding but her next move was to head further south. She had been looking for James, and finally found out from a news report, she'd also been talking to Laurent. She had been watching Bella carefully out of our ranges something had kept her flitting around and she was scared. Her next move was to head south, I had no idea why, she hadn't made that decision yet.

"She's in Southern California, she's heading south, she doesn't know why, she just keeps heading in that direction. She knows about James, from news reports and I think she spoke with Laurent. She's been watching B. . . Forks for the last couple of months, just out of our range." Edward frowned and I sighed. "Quileute's. She was running their land, but she left, something scared her. She would only come occasionally, and never spend long on the reservation. She's headed South, into Mexico and probably further."

I looked up and saw the dramatic change in Edward's demeanor, there was no longer a look of pain and agony plastered on his features, his face was now contorted with rage and anger.

"Edward?"

"I'm going to kill her, Alice. If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill her. She's watching Bella."

"Edward, you need to calm down, how are you going to find her, Mexico is huge."

"I saw into the mind of James pretty well, I know how he did it. I may not have the drive he did or the enjoyment of it, but I have the motive. She will never get close to Bella again."

I pressed my lips together and nodded, I knew he had to do this and I knew that nothing would get in his way, this was another testament of his love for Bella, and I couldn't deny him that. She would always be part of him, she owned his heart.

"Thanks, Alice." The flitter in his eyes made me realize he had listened to the justification in my head and I nodded.

"You need tickets?" I asked, I knew he had to talk to Carlisle and helping him fulfill his task would bring him home to us sooner.

He nodded, "I'll go talk to Carlisle and Esme."

I got up and headed towards Jasper's study, if this would bring some of the Edward we all knew and loved home to us, we had to let him go, it was dangerous, Victoria was like a feral feline, she like Edward had a vendetta to settle, but I knew Edward could look after himself. I would also keep a watchful eye on him. I would try and watch for every decision he made. I would do everything in my power to help him but this made me nervous, and that was exactly what Jasper picked up on when I entered his study.

"What's going on, Alice?" he looked at me nervously.

"Edward, he's leaving. . ."

Jasper jumped from his seat and pulled me to him before I could finish. "Where, Alice, your emotions are soaring, what's going on?"

"He's going after Victoria, and I just gave him the trail." I sighed and tried to pull myself back together."He'll be fine I think and I know that he has to do this. I just can't stop myself from feeling hesitant about this. It makes me nervous."

Jasper locked his arms around me tighter and pulled me towards him. "How about if I went with him?"

My head snapped up to look at him, I wasn't sure what emotion he was hit with first because I had a dozen effecting me at that moment. They were swirling around me like a barrage of gunfire. I began wondering if this was what it was like to faint.

"It'll be safer with two, Alice. It'll put your mind to rest, keep him safe, and get the job done. Then I can come back with him and we can head out to find your history."

Neat little package. I thought to myself and although it was tempting I was sure Edward would never agree to it, Not to mention that my fear would be doubled if Jasper went along, he was a terrific soldier, but that would never stop my fear for him. He was trying to ease my fears and once again the guilt was stifling me. When had I become so selfish?

"You're conflicted." laughed Jasper, I knew he was getting the full confusion of my emotions.

I nodded into his chest and closed my eyes.

"I know your worried, Alice, but we have to try." Jasper whispered quietly. I closed my eyes and wished for the first time in my vampire life that I could sleep. I needed the escape.