Hey guys, I know that it has been a while since I updated this story. For those of you that were wondering. In January I had my friends baby, a boy that weighted two pound one ounce. Now he is sixteen pounds and very healthy. Thank you for all of your prayers and kind comments.

I've decided to go ahead and try and get this story on the roll. I hope you all like the next installment.

I don't own it.

Chapter 5: Aftermath

In the movies, an explosion is loud and violent. You sit and watch in awe and rapt attention as the destruction passes across the screen. The destruction is always followed by chaos and a bunch of mini explosions that the main character has the fortune of getting away from just in time while all around them people are killed and thrown like rag dolls all over the place.

This explosion was short lived and even though the destruction was just as complete. Glass, wood and other debris rained down on the four of us as Edward shielded my body from most of the carnage. The loud boom reverberated through my body and shook my head so hard that my teeth felt like they might break.

I couldn't see the others from the position that I was in. Edward had me pinned on the far side of the limo and had braced himself just underneath it. I was sure that Rose had been inside but Jasper and Alice had been placing my bags in the back when the explosion happened.

Fear gripped me, and I couldn't tell if it was my heart or the remnants of the explosion, but My family was unaccounted for. The pressure of Edward's body held me still and prevented me from taking inventory of the others.

"Edward, Alice and Jasper…" I choked off a strangled sob as the possibilities assaulted me.

"They're fine. We need to get you out of here." He said lifting the limo just high enough for me to scramble out from under him, and for him to stand up right. Still he held on to my arm effectively keeping me close to him.

I looked around and got the full impact of what had happened. Cars were on their sides, people were coming out of alleyways and other place where they had sought cover. My eyes traveled slowly around me and finally I found Rosalie and Alice not far from where we had been. Jasper was on the other side of the street coming from behind a small wall that lead to a entry way of another apartment building.

"Go!" Edward hissed in Jasper's direction. It was then that I noticed that he had been holding his breath and walking very stiffly. Again I looked around and saw what his vampire senses had. All around us people were injured and breeding. He was struggling with the bloodlust and I couldn't help but think about my fatal birthday party.

I wiped the memory away before it had a chance to cripple me. "Jasper please go, it's okay. The emotion around here can't be easy." I intentionally didn't mention the blood. He had enough to deal with and being a weak link in the Cullen chain was always going to be difficult for him. I was not going to be the one to throw it into his face.

He looked at me gratefully before he turned and disappeared into the now crowded streets, I assumed to head back to the house. I turned to Edward, "Should we call someone? There are a lot of people hurt."

Edward was looking directly at Alice. Fire burned in his eyes and I felt myself shrink back at the malice there. Alice too wore the same look as they had a silent conversation. He noticed my fear before he rearranged his features and looked down at me. "No we need to get you out of here. Any help that might come might not be help for you. There is somebody trying to kill you."

Alice was by my side in an instant. "I'll take her Edward. See what you can find out and come home." With a nod Edward walked in the opposite direction that Jasper had gone and blended himself into the crowd. I would never have thought it possible for him to make himself invisible. Edward had always stuck out to me but he disappeared.

Alice grabbed my hand, "Let's go."

I was at a loss, what was happening? Why wasn't he going with us? "He has the ability to find out if there is anyone around that knows how and who did this. As long as you are safe and away he should get something." Alice said answering my questions before I could ask them.

Something else occurred to me, "Alice why didn't you see this coming?" The question wasn't an accusation. I knew that Alice wasn't infallible, but I had that knowledge from first experience.

"The decision hadn't been made until seconds before the bomb went off. Whoever set it off was fighting with their decision until the last possible minute." More for her she added, "I hope."

Rose moved with us more quietly than I had ever known her to be. Her hair was mussed and still she was beautiful but there was something else there. Something in her eyes that I had never seen before. It was fear. She looked around the people that we passed without moving her head scanning the crowd for possible danger. She was scared not for herself but for me. I could only imagine what had gone through her head as the bomb had exploded.

Gently I reached out and touched her arm. "Rose are you okay?"

The question seemed to shake her, and her eyes met mine. "No." that was the only thing that I got from her and I didn't want to press her. If she wanted to tell me she would have and there was no way to pry it out of her.

Before I knew what was going on we were in a taxi speeding towards a unknown location, but my mind was going just as fast as the vehicle that we were in. Edward had said that someone was trying to kill me and in truth that scared me less than it should have.

It had been a very long time since I had been in true danger, but I was accustomed to it. From the incident with James to the constant interference of Victoria I had grown up with the type of danger that would cripple a person.

What scared me was the fact that my danger had once again fallen upon the Cullen family and they once again were putting their lives on the line to help me to survive. But that fact made me feel a little happy and guilty at the same time.

My danger had not only put them in the front line but had also brought them all back to me. I couldn't even fathom what something like that meant. If I was being honest with myself, that selfishness would hopefully keep them close for the rest of my life if I was lucky enough to survive this.

Another thought made me wince. Had my ability to attract danger into my life also cost the lives of David and Stan? Was it the point that I had had years of good luck that it spill over and had killed others. I couldn't help the tears that brimmed my eyes. I fought them. I wasn't that sniveling Bella anymore. Instead of the self pity I let myself get angry.

This wasn't my fault. Yes I was in danger and yes people were fighting for my safety, but that just meant that my life was worth something. I was sitting in a car racing to safety with protectors all around me. What I really wanted to do was find out what was really going on.

My fingers were starting to hurt and looked down at my hands. I hadn't realized that I had the package I had received yesterday. The brown paper was ripped and dirty, scuffed from the blast and quick cover. Under the paper, there was a book that looked like it had been flipped through repeatedly.

I grabbed hold of one of the ripped edges and tore it open. I couldn't help the surprised gasp that erupted from my throat at the contents. "What is it Bella?" Rose asked being started from my sudden exclamation.

She had been looking out the window of the cab lost in her own thoughts. I looked over at Alice and she had a knowing look in her eyes. "It's David's journal." I said.

David wrote down all of his finds in this journal. It was a running joke with us that he would leave his head at home but his journal would always be at his side. I ran my hand over the worn cover and turned it over, examining the book that held the life of a man that was as brilliant as he was strong.

Taped to the underside of the book was an envelope. Across it in neat script was Isa Daily. I removed it and carefully opened it to see a short letter written in David's handwriting.

Isa,

I'm writing this because at this point I think that you are the only person that I can trust. There are some weird things going on at the sight. Strange people are coming around asking questions and accidents that I have been very careful to hide from you.

My journal has all that I have uncovered and it is possible that you will believe none of it but the truth is scarier than fantasy, Isa. I tried to keep you out of this as long as possible but I fear that my life is in danger. As much as I hate it I must ask you to keep this safe, my darling.

I think that even though I hide this from you, you are already in danger by association. My life is not important to me but, the crime of your murder would be heinous.

I met a man today that was more than a man. His name was Anthony and he said that he knew you. You will understand when you read the journal. The only way to protect you is for you to discover what I could not. Find out what happened in the past and use it to help yourself.

I love you Isa. You have always been a light in a tunnel for me. I know now that there was a reason that you held yourself from me, I will never blame you for it, because even though you did the love that you showed me was enough for a lifetime.

If this letter reaches you and I do not just do one simple thing for me…Be safe.

Love,

David

By the end of the letter my hands shook, and I could barely see the last words in it. He knew that he was in danger and instead of getting help for himself he was worried about me.

Alice wrapped her arm around me and I slumped into her letting the grief over come me. She knew about the letter, she knew when I would read it and that was why she grabbed it on the way out of the house.

We spent the rest of the way to the Cullen house in silence as I cried and wished I had known some way to help him in his last moments. I tried to remember if I had told him that I loved him the last time I had talked to him, but the memories would not come. I tried to remember if he had been acting differently at anytime, still the memories wouldn't come.

By the time we arrived I was set in my resolve to do as he had asked. I would find out what was being hidden and figure out why in the world this information was so important.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I didn't notice the house when the car came around a bending drive. The first thing that I noticed was the beautiful caramel hair vampire that stood in the door way with excitement and worry written all over her face. Behind her stood another equally beautiful vampire with blonde almost silver hair standing with his hands wrapped around her with a look of amusement gracing his features.

Carlisle and Esme were just as I had remembered them. I couldn't control myself when I stepped out of the taxi and went running into the waiting outstretched arms of Esme. She wrapped me in her cool embrace and hugged me as tight as she dared just stroking my hair like a caring mother would do.

We stood there for a long while before someone cleared their throat and I realized that Esme had met me half way to the car. Carlisle stood a good ten feet away from us, "Do you mind sharing the human, dear." He chuckled at his joke and walked over to embrace me in his own hug.

The whole family had come for me. The thought of it was over whelming and I felt the earth beneath me begin to give way. I heard Alice call to Carlisle before the world went black and I gave in to the darkness that came from the exertion that I hadn't known that I was battling.