10. At Anchorage

I closed the door of the Volvo behind me, staring at the black mess that was the Mercedes. Tanya was standing in front of the car's rear-view mirror, her strawberry blonde hair blowing in whisps around her face. Beside me, Alice whistled through her teeth. "Tell me that isn't Carlisle's Mercedes," I said.

Tanya's mouth twisted, a frantic sort of anger radiating from her. "Sorry, Jasper, but it is. I read the license plate."

"How? What happened?"

"I don't know, that's why I called. I thought maybe you did." She put a hand on her hip. "I would appreciate it if you would tell me exactly what's going on with Carlisle." Strong determination came off her in waves.

Sighing, I leaned against the Volvo, copying Tanya's pose against the S55. "There isn't much we know. All we know is that Esme found a letter from Carlisle stating that he loved us all, but he wasn't planning to return and he didn't want us to look for him."

"Obviously we aren't going to hold to that wish," put in Alice.

"He said he wasn't doing anything to make us ashamed of him," I went on, even though it was becoming more difficult to do so. "Apparently, Carlisle had left the hospital before noon that day, Friday. Naturally, none of us was able to take action as soon as we read the letter, so he already had almost an entire day on us as far as travel was conerned."

"But--Alice--?" Tanya was hesitant, and I felt her unwillingness to ask such a seemingly rude question: Why hadn't Alice, the supposed psychic of the family, seen Carlisle leave?

"I have no idea," said Alice miserably, her level of optimism for the day dropping. "It was like Carlisle didn't even register in my senses. I never keep tabs on him."

"Never?" Incredulity, heavy in Tanya's voice and her emotions.

"Almost never. This summer, maybe, when Edward..." Alice's eyes ranged over the car. "But it doesn't matter if I always keep tabs on him. I wasn't watching Carlisle Friday, and why should I have? I just thought it was a normal day."

"I understand," said Tanya, nodding. "I feel the same way. Why would Carlisle do this? It makes no sense."

I didn't want to discuss it anymore, even though I knew we had to. Maybe Tanya could help us, since Carlisle's car was here, in Alaska. And totally--well, totaled. "So, you just came across his car like this?" I asked, forcing myself to walk forward and examine the black ruin.

"Well, of course I didn't wreck Carlisle's beloved Mercedes," responded Tanya dryly. "This is how I found it, on this back road. I can only assume he drove it here looking for us, otherwise why would he come through Anchorage?"

"But, it's been utterly trashed," protested Alice, looking the S55 over. "It's clear someone did this on purpose. Carlisle couldn't do this much damage in an accident if he tried."

"Yes, the sides have been intentionally dented," I said, noting the way the doors were perfectly punched inward, at the same angle every time. "And I think it's safe to infer that no human could make these doors all crunch in this symmetrically."

"You think one of us did this?" gasped Tanya. "But who? And why?"

"Hold on," frowned Alice, glancing over at me. "What's this mark, on top of the car?"

"Can you see that high up?" I teased.

"Just come and look at it, you jerk."

I came to her side of the Mercedes and looked where she was pointing. On the edge of the roof of the car, cut deeply into the paint, was the rudimentary shape of a wolf.

"I was going to mention that," said Tanya. "What is it?"

"It's a wolf," I answered, stealing one significant look at Alice. She rolled her eyes at me, exasperation her dominant feeling. "Well, why not?" I queried indignantly.

"Why not what?" asked Tanya.

"Jasper, why? They have no reason."

"That we know of. Remember, Edward said he thought Carlisle traveled down the Quileute border."

"Quileute?" Recognition lit Tanya's eyes. "Oh, the Indians."

"If Carlisle followed the boundary line, he would have been going in the opposite direction than Anchorage," argued Alice, her chin stuck out stubbornly.

"We don't care for those Indians here," hissed Tanya, disturbing me with the sudden malice in her emotions. "I would have smelled one from a mile away."

"Another point!" Alice snapped her fingers. "We would have smelled Quileute all over this car if they had vandalized it."

She had a point, I conceded in my head. "But then, who would have carved this in here? I don't know of any vampires that use the wolf as a symbol."

"Maybe it's a hoax," suggested Alice. "Someone just wants us to believe it was the wolves."

"But who would do that?" I asked impatiently. "Carlisle has almost no enemies."

"Nomads?" Tanya was still upset about the Quileutes, for some reason, but had moved on to help us theorize. "You know how they can be, Jasper."

"I do," I said, with a painful memory from a year ago, when those three reprobates had come from Seattle and nearly destroyed Edward's chance of happiness. An idea came to me. "Could it have been that red-haired female, Victoria?"

"I know I would have seen Victoria," said Alice confidently. "Besides, she has no grudge against Carlisle, just Edward."

"Well, there would be no better way to hurt Edward than through Carlisle," pointed out Tanya.

"True." I considered for a moment. "But, she plans to attack Bella in recompense. Mate for mate."

"Oh!" Alice's fingers clutched the side of the car. "What?" she cried, her eyes impossible wide.

I pulled her fingers off the car, bending the metal back to the state in which it had been before her fingers had mauled it. "Alice, what is it?"

"No," she snarled, digging her fingertips into my palms. Still snarling, she wriggled in my arms and clawed upwards at my face. Startled by the violent motion, I reacted instinctually, wrapping my arms tighter about her and turning her around again, keeping her hands crossed behind her back. Horror and a distinct sense of protectiveness were everywhere in Alice's feelings.

"Alice!" Tanya was shocked like me. "I thought she never acts this way when she has a vision."

"She never does," I replied, keeping Alice locked into place. I was worried about her; what had made her want to claw out my eyes? She had never behaved in that manner in a vision.

Sucking in a huge breath of air, she came out of her fit, relaxing in my grip. "Ungh," she made a very un-Alice-like sound, "I--I'm okay, now, Jasper. I'm so sorry. I just--it was so real, so strong--"

"Are you all right?" I asked, holding her closer. "You had us convinced you'd gone bezerk, there."

"No, I'm not all right, and no, I haven't gone bezerk." She took another deep breath.

"What did you see?" We both asked.

Her face closed over. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alice, we have to know." I rubbed her shoulders, trying to dispel her sadness. "If it has to do with Carlisle, we have to know."

"Oh, it has everything to do with Carlisle," growled Alice.

"Yes?" pressed Tanya, leaning close. I wanted to tell her to give Alice some time, but her hopeful eagerness was too potent for me to have the heart to subdue it.

"I can't tell you," she whispered, laying her head against me. "I just can't do it."

Oh, no. No, no. I could only think of one thing that would have Alice so shaken. "Alice," I said, vainly striving to keep my voice level, "Carlisle isn't--dead, is he?" Tanya went silent, her emotions frozen in place, as well as her body.

"No. Not yet." Tanya's relief was almost a physical thing; I could almost see it.

I was too caught up in the actual words Alice had said to be relieved.

"What do you mean, 'Not yet'?" I asked cautiously.

"I mean, he hasn't died. Yet."

"Alice--" I clicked my teeth shut, reigning in my edginess. She needs time, I reminded myself.

She pulled my face down to her level, looking me in the eyes. "Jasper, I've seen how he dies. It is merciless, it is appalling. It is not the way I want him to go. We must stop it. We have to stop it." I couldn't escape her large, enthralling gold eyes, filled with deadly purpose and despair.

I glanced briefly back at the car, and Tanya still standing there. "Well, then," I said, as calmly as I could manage. "I say we go back to Forks and get the whole family in on our plan."

"Don't you need a plan, first?" asked Tanya.

"We have a plan," said Alice, as we hopped back in the Volvo.

"We're going to find Carlisle," I finished her thought, slamming my door and starting up the car.

"Wait!" called Tanya, stopping the hood of the Volvo with one hand. I cut the engine. "Good luck," she said, grinning. "Tell us if you need any help, anything at all. Goodbye." She released the hood, and I backed out onto the road. Before she got into her own Volvo, Tanya shouted one last warning to us. "Oh, and tell Rose I'm on to her!"