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Dear readers,

Thanks to those of you who read these short little blurbs. It gets really annoying when I answer people's questions and then get asked the same question four more times. So, thanks if you do read these! And thanks for this round of reviews! They really made me smile!

Sincerely,

Rusty Myers

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~Chapter Five~

I was stretched out on the living room couch when they returned, enjoying the last few minutes of the Dallas-Seattle game. Great, there goes my afternoon. I had figured they would be gone at least a few more hours.

I looked up and noted that there were only three of them. The blonde woman and the big one came in together. Before I could blink he was lounging comfortably in the chair beside me, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Alright! I was afraid I'd miss this!" He hesitated for a moment, looking over at me. "Alice isn't back yet is she?"

"The puny one? No, haven't smelt her."

"Good. She always tells me who wins!"

I was a bit taken aback by his general geniality, but I suppose they couldn't all be as bad as he was. The blonde one scowled at him and disappeared upstairs to do who knows what. The last one, their leader if I remember right, closed the door and came into the living room at a normal, human pace.

"Jacob," he began, just as I was directing my attention back to the game. "I wonder if I might have a word with you."

I sighed loudly, but got up off the couch nonetheless. I followed him through the kitchen and out onto the back porch. Despite the open air, I could still catch Bella's scent mingled with that bloodsucker's.

I pulled myself up on the railing and sat staring at him.

"Bella's always been a selfless girl," he said pointedly.

I scoffed. "No joke."

"Yes well…" Carlisle hesitated. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I never would have sent Alice if I had had any choice. Edward's injuries were…dire."

"He looks fine to me," I pointed out sardonically.

"We heal extremely fast. Like you," he added with a smile. "But if Victoria had been able to catch up with us, I'm not sure what the outcome would have been. We'll be forever grateful to Bella for granting us this safe haven."

"Yeah, Bella's pretty selfless," I agreed finally. "All the same, I wish you all hadn't decided to stop by."

"Would you mind elaborating?" he questioned. "What I mean is, I wonder what effect this will have on Bella."

"What do you care? You'll all just pick up and leave again, like you did last time."

He didn't say anything for a while. His face was contemplative, occasionally flickering with pained regret. "I do regret that things turned out the way they did for Bella and Edward. At the time, I truly believed Edward's plan to leave Forks was what was best for Bella. Had I known that Victoria-"

"Victoria's got nothing to do with it! She's never cared that you left her in danger! Besides, she had me to protect her. The point is that you left her. Period! That you lied to her, made her believe you didn't want her!"

"Yes, I suppose that would be her reaction. She willingly put herself in a world of danger for the sake of being with Edward. And that's why I'm wondering…"

"You wanna know why she left."

"Well, I was curious about that, yes. I caught her conversation with Edward on my way back. I'm simply trying to figure gather as much information as I can about the situation. I just can't understand why Aro would take Bella over Edward and Alice. What does he want with her?"

"I'm not really sure I'm the one you should be asking."

"Of course," he mused. "I should speak with Bella directly."

He was silent for a long while now, thinking to himself.

"You're a good man, Jacob. You've always been there for Bella, even when Edward couldn't be."

"Chose not to be," I corrected.

He ignored my comment. "Edward's like my son, so naturally I want to see him happy. He's never really been the same since Bella left. He always assumed she was upset with him because he left. And then when you disappeared… Well, you can assume what we all thought.

"Yet, somehow Edward convinced himself that this was what was best for Bella. He never considered himself good enough for her. I believe he was genuinely happy for her. But when we arrived here last night…well, I've never seen him so devastated."

"Why?" I questioned bitterly. "Because he missed his chance and someone else'd already sunk their teeth into her?"

"Because all this time he'd been thinking she was better off, living out her human life with you."

I grimaced. "Bella's human life… I hardly even remember what that was like. These stupid bloodsuckers have got her so twisted and screwed up, it's a wonder they even call her Bella anymore."

"Jacob," he began, "Why did you help her, knowing that this was what they intended to do to her?"

"Because if I didn't…I knew the Volturi would come. And I knew they'd kill her."

"And Edward?"

I considered sarcasm, but decided the truth was best in this situation. "Look, I may not like the guy, but I never would've taken her away if I didn't think it was what was best for her. She may have pretended she was alright, but I knew she wasn't. I wish he could've seen what she looked like that first day she showed up in my garage."

He nodded grimly. "Thank you for your time and honestly, Jacob. I understand how difficult it must be for you to have us all here."

"It's not me I'm worried about," I mumbled, jumping down from the railing.

Carlisle nodded in understanding and disappeared into the house. It was then that I realized Bella's absence. She must have left; otherwise the bloodsucker wouldn't have approached me about her. Now that I thought about it, I couldn't smell her anywhere close by.

I hurried back inside and up the stairs. He was standing on front of her door, holding something in his hand. Before I could even voice my thoughts he answered them.

"I didn't do anything. She left this note on her door."

I stomped over to him and tore the note from his hands. My eyes quickly scanned the note, verifying that it was in fact her handwriting and not some trick the bloodsuckers were playing.

Jacob, sorry to rush off, but I got a call from Jane. I need to see Aro right away. There's some leftover roast in the refrigerator from yesterday. I don't know what the emergency is, but if it has anything to do with the Cullens I'll send proper warning. If it comes to it, please help them. I know it's not fair of me to ask you, but I have to just the same. Whatever happens, I love you. Be safe. ~Bella

"I didn't read it," he said.

"Could ya stop doing that?" I grumbled. "It's…weird. Besides, I'm sure you read it just find in my mind."

"I couldn't help that," he said casually. "Your thoughts are just so loud."

"Whatever," I scowled. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Nothing more than you do," he replied. "Do you suspect she's in some kind of trouble?"

I stared at the note carefully. "I'm not sure. Not yet anyway. This is her job. She's always being called away by that bloodsucker to do God-knows-what. But normally she would've waited to tell me. It's gotta be something serious."

"If anything were to happen because of us…"

"Well, maybe you should get going so nothing does happen."

He didn't respond to me. His expression fell and he turned away. Finally, he just walked off. I knew Bella would be upset with me if he did leave, but right now I didn't care. This was just too much. How could she expect me to handle this? I had no idea where she was this time and I was stuck in this house with a bunch of bloodsuckers.

"Wait!" I called after him. "Um…Edward." It was almost painful to say it. It made me sick. I don't think I've ever called him that.

He stopped, but didn't turn around. "Volterra. He lives in Volterra."

I shoved the note in my pocket and made to leave.

"It's hidden," he mused. "Though, I suppose you could smell them."

"Thanks," I said, forcing the words out. "And…don't leave. Bella wouldn't want you to. She'd be pretty upset with me if she thought I'd made you leave."

I heard a soft chuckle. "Thank you, Jacob. I appreciate the offer."

We both walked off without another word. I hurried to my room, grabbed a pair of shorts from a pile on the floor, and headed outside. I waited until I was a ways away from the house before shrugging out of my clothes and transforming.