A/N: These wonderful characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I may be borrowing them for a while, though…

Another long chapter.

EPOV

Even though Alice could not see them, I didn't need her visions to know that the wolves would want to fight. Jacob's reaction to seeing Bella was a strong indicator, plus their nature was violent where our kind were concerned. Part of me couldn't blame them for their natural disposition towards us. The majority of the vampire world invited violence, even encouraged it.

I stepped out onto the porch just to stare into space for a while and try to figure out a way to avoid the bloodshed and agony that would be a result of a war with the wolves. It was after midnight, so the noises were limited to the few nocturnal creatures that roamed the nearby forest. I could hear one vehicle driving near the access road to our driveway. As I listened, curious, I was convinced the truck was turning intentionally, but also cautiously. Most likely the driver had lost their way, or some teenagers thought they found a good makeout hideaway.

Alice had decided to distract Bella with some more talk about the wedding, which wasn't really working. After all, it seemed like the plans they had been working so hard on would now be null and void, given the other events we were now anticipating.

One thing that concerned me was how this would affect Bella's mental state. Immortality had made her physically strong and able to suppress unpleasant memories, but her emotional health was still quite tentative at best. Not being able to recall specific memories was one thing, but Bella could still recall pain, anguish, and a sense of loss. Seeing her new family threatened by someone she loved and once trusted had to be devastating. I was fearful that seeing that threat turn into a battle could force her into catatonia, should she even survive.

No, it could not come to that. All of our lives were just starting to become normal and happy again, now that we were all together. There was really only one option. We had to leave Forks in order to continue our happiness and keep our family safe, and that was certainly a small price to pay. We could head back to the house in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I knew Carlisle planned to suggest the idea soon, and everyone else had let it at least cross their minds. Nobody had said as much out loud, though, because the idea of leaving would not please Bella. Being that far away from Charlie and unable to keep an eye on him would upset her greatly, but she would have a much better chance of adjusting to that than to seeing the kind of resolution the wolves had in mind. If we stayed to fight, the chance of exposure was too great anyway, and the last thing any of us wanted was to raise the curiosity of the Volturi. I knew we could all be ready to leave in a matter of a few hours, minutes if that were ever necessary. It was time to talk to Carlisle and put a plan into action.

Before I could turn to walk back into the house, a pair of comforting arms slipped around my waist, hugging me to the most beautiful creature on the planet, who had apparently escaped the ramblings and attempted distractions of her future sister in law.

"Hello, Love," I said quietly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful surroundings of the night. She rested her head just under my chin and nuzzled softly into my neck as I put my arm around her shoulders and ran my fingers down the side of her arm. "So peaceful," she whispered, as if she could read my mind for a change. I had never seen her as content as she was in her new life, even before I was moronic enough to leave her. And the more she thrived, the more I began to see things that I had previously thought of as mundane in a totally new light. I had to admit, she was turning me into an optimist. It made my resolve to prevent any further sadness in her life even stronger.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, knowing of course that I had. "I think someone got lost on the highway and is trying to get turned around." I replied. We both turned our heads towards the long driveway, and were surprised when we heard the sound of the approaching vehicle. The driver's thoughts began to enter my head, and I thought for a moment that I must have been mistaken - this couldn't possibly be who it seemed. But it was, and apparently our dealings with the Quileutes for the day were not over yet.

Once I heard the thoughts of Billy Black, driving very slowly up our driveway, and knew his intentions, I instructed everyone else to stay inside the house so that he would not be caused any unnecessary anxiety. They could all listen and watch from the darkness inside the house, although to them it would look only slightly darker than noon time. The only ones that would be involved in this conversation were Bella, myself, and Jacob's father.

"Don't be afraid," I assured Bella. "He's just here to talk and find a solution to this mess. I'm right here beside you."

"I'm okay." she said calmly, giving my hand a squeeze as reassurance.

The gold Chevrolet pickup truck came to a stop 50 yards from the house. We carefully approached the driver's side, Bella's hand in mine, to greet our visitor. Bella seemed both wary of him and glad to see him at the same time. Of course, she had probably gotten to know him fairly well when she was spending so much time with Jacob in LaPush. It still made me sad and angry at myself to think of what she went through at that time because of me, but I couldn't let myself dwell on that right now.

I knew immediately by his scent that Billy was not a werewolf, and I wondered why that was. I could smell others' scents on him, but his own scent was too human.

"Good evening," Billy said, leaning out of the truck's window and nodding his head towards us. His eyes lingered on Bella, and I could hear him thinking that she looked much different than the last time he saw her. He also thought she looked...happy?....peaceful?....he couldn't really put a word to it.

"Hi Billy," Bella said with a sheepish smile on her face. "Good evening," I returned politely. "Thank you for coming to talk with us."

Momentarily confused by my comment, Billy tried to figure out whether I had somehow known he was coming. He had expected at least mild animosity when he first arrived, but now felt that his mission might be met with open mindedness and cooperation, which made him feel much more at ease.

"You may or may not be aware of this, but the tribe council held a meeting tonight to discuss the validity of the treaty, given uh…. recent events." He looked at Bella as he said this, and was trying pointedly to speak without offending anyone. "I've come here to talk to you about the outcome of that meeting and what might be done to prevent any further tragedies to either of our families."

"I understand. Please, continue." I was being careful not to enlighten him to my mind reading abilities just yet. I needed to know if he was being totally honest with us, and something told me he was. As soon as he mentioned the meeting, though, I knew pretty much what had transpired.

"The tribe discussed the aspects of the treaty, and the conditions that were agreed to so many years ago. Please understand that both sides were fairly represented at the meeting, and it was put to a vote as to whether or not action should be taken. It was not a unanimous decision, but it was voted to nullify the treaty."

I heard Bella breathing faster, an automatic reaction to stress. She obviously knew what this meant, as did I. Although Billy could not hear inside the house, conversations were already taking place about what this would mean for our future.

Bella surprised me by speaking up, slowly considering her question. "Billy, I think I understand what you're saying, but I need to know something."

"Yes, Bella?" Billy answered her.

"I need to know how Jacob voted."

Billy reacted as though that were the worst possible question anyone could have posed to him, and if he could have found a way to get out of answering it, he would have. Either way, I could hear him thinking the truth already.

"Bella, Jacob is the tribe leader. His decisions are based on the safety of his entire family and the heritage he has grown up with. If he…"

"I'm just looking for an answer, Billy." Bella meant business. "You are here, so that tells me something about where you stand in all of this, but I need to know where Jake stands."

"Okay, well….it was a tied vote, and Jacob was forced to choose the outcome. It was clear he didn't like to have to do it, though, and I'm sure you are the main reason for that."

"But he did it. He declared war on my family." Bella stared off into the forest as though searching for an explanation from the dense trees. "I never thought he would do this to me."

"Bella," I said. "Maybe you should go inside with the others. I can talk with Billy alone if you prefer."

"No. I'm not leaving your side." She said this with defiance, as if declaring her loyalties. I gave her hand a small squeeze and kissed her head. Apparently immortality does not affect someone's stubbornness.

"So, is there a plan, Billy?" I needed to get some details quickly if we were going to get all of the information we needed. Billy was starting to feel uncomfortable and I wasn't sure how much longer I would have to talk with him.

"They seem anxious to have it over as soon as possible, which is why I came tonight. They are all sleeping in order to prepare…" he trailed off. "I don't have an exact timeframe, but I would be willing to bet something happens within the next 24 hours."

"Then we will do what is necessary to protect both families in that timeframe." Carlisle spoke from the porch. "We should prepare to leave soon."

Billy frowned for a moment and his thoughts were disturbing. "I don't know if that will necessarily change things, Dr. Cullen."

"Oh? Why not?" Carlisle asked, walking a bit closer to the truck now, but keeping a non-threatening tone and stance.

"These boys have it in their heads that the treaty demands that someone be held responsible, and that perhaps ridding themselves of your family would relieve the entire tribe of a longstanding threat. In their minds you have committed murder, not just transformation. They have pretty much convinced Jake of it, too. I'm afraid that they will keep looking for you until they find you, never giving you peace until a war is started." Billy looked sad at this revelation, and it was obvious again how he felt about the way the younger tribe members were interpreting Ephraim's intentions. Being able to see inside his mind to his memories of the meeting, I also knew he was right about what the younger members intended. They were not going to rest until their own justice was done.

"OK, then, what would your recommendation be?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm not sure. One of the reasons I came here was because I was hoping you would have an idea. The treaty was not intended to deliver an end to any creature's existence, but to provide us with a guideline to living in peace. I wish there was an easy answer to all of this. I'd like nothing more than to just forget everything that has happened and continue living in peace."

Without even realizing it, Billy Black had just given us the hope we had all been praying for.

OK, guys, I know you're out there. How about some reviews? The more reviews I get, the faster I tend to write….. so let's hear from you!!