A/N: Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I think some are ya'll are gonna be pretty happy with this update ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red. They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.

As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Cullens. Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods. Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Dr. Cullen, who, flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Emmett's brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.

The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose grouping around me, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline.

The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant.

Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold or black I had come to expect, but a deep burgundy color that was disturbing and sinister.

The dark-haired man, still smiling, stepped toward Dr. Cullen.

"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires beside him.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward, Katherine, and Bella." He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals. I felt a shock when he said my name.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.

Carlisle matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation, which surprised me.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly. "Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story."

James and Victoria exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word "home," but Laurent controlled his expression better.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." His smile was genial. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over Carlisle's refined appearance.

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained.

"Of course." Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed. A shiver ran up my spine.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us - Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," he casually added.

Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Carlisle was speaking. Bella's hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing her, his nostrils flaring.

A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping from his throat.

"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor Edward relaxed their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the side, and Edward shifted in response.

"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James. Laurent seemed to catch her scent less powerfully than James, but awareness now dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward. This made me realize that they had not realized that I wasn't a vampire yet.

Edward snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above his glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back again.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice.

"But she's human," Laurent protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely
astounded.

"Yes." Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle's side, his eyes on James.

James slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left me, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in front of Bella.

When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing - trying to defuse the sudden hostility. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.

Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They gathered together, blocking me and Bella from view as they converged.

"Let's go, Bella." Edward's voice was low and bleak. This whole time I'd been rooted in place, terrified into absolute immobility. I was relieved that they hadn't seemed to have picked up on the fact that I was human, but I was scared to death for Bella.

We hit the main road, and though our speed increased, I could see much better where we were going. And we were headed south, away from Forks.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked., then proceeded to speak when no one even looked at her "Dammit, Edward! Where are you taking me?"

"We have to get you away from here - far away - now." He didn't look back, his eyes on the road. The speedometer read a hundred and five miles an hour.

"Turn around! You have to take me home!" She shouted, starting to struggle with the harness.

"Emmett," Edward said grimly. And Emmett secured her hands in his steely grasp.

"No! Edward! No, you can't do this."

"I have to, Bella, now please be quiet." I stared out the window of the jeep again, not really knowing how to react about this situation. I had been good with weird. I had been imprinted on by a wolf, for goodness sake! But for some reason, this had sent my mind into an overload, causing it to shut down.

Suddenly, Bella gasped, which caused me to snap out of it.

"Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" She thrashed against the harness.

"She's right," Alice said. "Besides, we can't leave Katherine there. He'll realize soon that she's human." The car slowed slightly. "Let's just look at our options for a minute," She coaxed.

The car slowed again, more noticeably, and then suddenly we screeched to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. I flew against the harness, and then slammed back into the seat.

"There are no options," Edward hissed.

"I'm not leaving Charlie or Katie!" Bella yelled.

"We have to take them back," Emmett finally spoke.

"No."

"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her." Alice sent a smile that I was sure was meant to be reassuring.

"He'll wait." Emmett smiled. "I can wait, too."

"You didn't see - you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him." Kill? How do you kill a vampire?

Emmett didn't seem upset by the idea. "That's an option."

"And the female. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too."

"There are enough of us."

"There's another option," Alice said quietly.

Edward turned on her in fury, his voice a blistering snarl. "There - is - no – other - option!"

Then, a silence set over the jeep, as Emmett and Bella started staring Edward down. I sat there wondering who would be the first one to break the silence.

Bella broke it. "Does anyone want to hear my plan?"

"No," Edward growled. Alice glared at him, finally provoked.

"Listen, you take me back."

"No," he interrupted.

"You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want."

"It's not a bad idea, really." Emmett's voice sounded surprise.
"It might work - and we simply can't leave her father or Katherine unprotected. You know that," Alice said.

Everyone looked at Edward.

"It's too dangerous - I don't want him within a hundred miles of her."

Emmett was supremely confident. "Edward, he's not getting through us."

Alice thought for a minute. "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave her alone."

"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen."

"I demand that you take me home." Bella demanded. "Please."

He didn't look up. When he spoke, his voice sounded worn. "You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he spun us around, the tires squealing. The needle on the speedometer started to race up the dial.

"Emmett?" Bella looked at her hands.

"Oh, sorry." He let go.

A few minutes passed in silence, other than the roar of the engine. Then Edward spoke
again.

"This is how it's going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there, I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes. Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck with Katherine. I'll be inside as long as she is. After she's out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle."

"No way," Emmett broke in. "I'm with you."

"Think it through, Emmett. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you." Edward sighed. "If the tracker is there," he continued grimly, "we keep driving."

"We're going to make it there before him," Alice said confidently.

"What are we going to do with the Jeep?" she asked.

His voice had a hard edge. "You're driving it home."

"No, I'm not," she said calmly.

The unintelligible stream of profanities started again.

"We can't all fit in my truck," Bella whispered.

Edward looked at me.

"No. With the way you're driving, I'm not letting you in my baby, let alone drive it." I sternly put my foot down.

"I think you should let me go alone," Bella changed the subject.

"Bella, please just do this my way, just this once," he said between clenched teeth.

"Listen, Charlie's not an imbecile," She protested.

"If you're not in town tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious." I agreed.

"That's irrelevant. We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters."

"Then what about this tracker? He saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are."

Emmett looked at me, insultingly surprised again. "Edward, listen to her," he urged. "I think she's right."

"Yes, she is," Alice agreed.

"I can't do that." Edward's voice was icy.

"Emmett should stay, too," Bella continued. "He definitely got an eyeful of Emmett."

"What?" Emmett turned on her.

"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay," Alice agreed.

Edward stared at her incredulously. "You think I should let her go alone?"

"Of course not," Alice said. "Jasper and I will take her."

"I can't do that," Edward repeated.

"Hang out here for a week … a few days. Let Charlie see you haven't kidnapped me, and lead this James on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he's completely off my trail. Then come and meet me. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Jasper and Alice can go home."

I could see him beginning to consider it. "Meet you where?"

"Phoenix." Of course.

"No. He'll hear that's where you're going," he said impatiently.

"And you'll make it look like that's a ruse, obviously. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening. He'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I am going."

"She's diabolical," Emmett chuckled.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"There are several million people in Phoenix," I informed him.

"It's not that hard to find a phone book."

"I won't go home." She said.

"Oh?"

"I'm quite old enough to get my own place."

"Edward, we'll be with her," Alice reminded him.

"What are you going to do in Phoenix?" he asked her scathingly.

"Stay indoors."

"I kind of like it."

"Shut up, Emmett."

As we pulled up to the house, I realized the seriousness about what was about to go on. Bella was getting ready to crush dad's heart, much like mom did his sixteen years ago. I forced myself not to cry. This had to happen. I should have been worrying about where I was supposed to be. It sounded obvious that I wasn't going to Phoenix with Bella, Alice, and Jasper, but where was I to be at?

As we walked towards the porch, I saw Bella take a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for what she was about to do.

"Go away, Edward!" She screamed, slamming the front door in his face. I had to give it to her, she wasn't doing too bad at this.

"Bella?" Dad had been hovering in the living room, and he was already on his feet.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed at him, tears were flowing down her face, but not for the reason he thought. I ran up the stairs to my room, throwing the door shut and locking it. As I dug through my things for a bag, the throbbing in my hand became evident. I winced, but continued in my task in filling the bag with clothes.

"Bella, are you okay? What's going on?" I heard dad pounding on Bella's door.

"I'm going home,"

"Did he hurt you?" His tone edged toward anger.

"No!"

"Did he break up with you?"

"No!"

"What happened, Bella?" Charlie shouted through the door, pounding again.
"I broke up with him!"

I unlocked the door as soon as I heard Bella's door swing open. As soon as I opened the door, I saw her shoving past dad and stomping down the stairs.

"What happened?" he yelled. He was right behind her, not paying any attention to me.

"I thought you liked him." He caught her elbow in the kitchen.

"I do like him - that's the problem. I can't do this anymore! I can't put down any more roots here! I don't want to

end up trapped in this stupid, boring town like Mom! I'm not going to make the same dumb mistake she did. I hate it - I can't stay here another minute!"
His hand dropped from her arm like she had electrocuted him. She turned away and went for the door.

"Bells, you can't leave now. It's nighttime," he whispered.

I didn't turn around. "I'll sleep in the truck if I get tired."

"Just wait another week," he pled, still shell-shocked. "Renée will be back by then."

"What?"

Charlie continued eagerly, almost babbling with relief as she hesitated. "She called while you were out. Things aren't going so well in Florida, and if Phil doesn't get signed by the end of the week, they're going back to Arizona. The assistant coach of the Sidewinders said they might have a spot for another shortstop."

"I have a key," She muttered.

"Just let me go, Charlie." Oh no, I didn't like where this was going… "It didn't work out, okay? I really, really hate Forks!" She shocked me, making my freeze. Unfortunately, I had no time to be stunned.

"I'm sorry, dad. I'll take care of her." I leaned up and kissed his cheek, walking out before he had time to stop me. So, I ran out the door and towards Bella's truck, which she had pulled onto the road. Thankfully, with the dark and the rain, dad wouldn't have been able to see clearly.

Edward suddenly popped up and tossed me a key, then gestured to behind us. There was his Volvo parked on the street.

"Go to him, Katie." Without one more word or question, I ran and jumped into the Volvo. I knew exactly what Edward had meant. As I pulled off, I realized that this was probably the nicest car that I would ever drive. That thought also sobered me.

The drive to Sam's house took longer than I thought possible. Maybe, it was because I knew that Bella was being hunted as I drove and the Cullens were making a plan on how to kill him… When did this become my life?

All of the lights in Sam's house were off. The only light was coming from the headlights of the car. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my bag and turned the car off. Without any other thought, I got out of the car and ran up to the front door. Thankfully, I had grabbed my keys when I was packing my bag. So, I quickly unlocked the door.

As soon as I got in the house, I slammed the door shut and locked it. I shook my head, realizing that if the vampire realized I was human and found me, a locked door wouldn't stop him.

"Kate?" Sam's voice nearly gave me a heart attack. He looked like he just came out of the shower, because all he had on was a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was longer than I was used to seeing it and his chin held some stubble.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't find the words. They were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't spit them out. So, I just walked towards him and threw my arms around him. It only took a second for him to return my hug. The ache in my heart was gone because I was home. I was home.

To say that Sam was pissed was putting it lightly. I had made him put some clothes on and then we went to the living room, where I proceeded to tell him what had happened the past couple hours. As soon as I finished the story, he got off of the couch and started pacing, muttering about how he had to call the elders and inform them.

"Sam." He stopped and looked at me, a confused and fearful look in his eyes. "The Cullens are taking care of Bella. I want to focus on us tonight." Thankfully, it didn't take much to convince him. Maybe it was the past couple of days apart.

He sat back on the couch and leaned back as I placed my head on his lap. Being away from him hurt. I didn't know how I did it, but I knew that I didn't want to experience it again.

"You need to shave…" I said as we were laying in his bed later. After watching a movie, we moved to his room so we could actually get some sleep.

"I wasn't concerned with shaving the past few days." He murmured as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"I love you." The words came out.

"I love you Kate." He kissed my forehead gently and continued playing with my hair.

Sam loves Katie. And Katie loves Sam.