Author's note: Well, helloooo there! I'm so excited that this story is only thirteen away from receiving two hundred follows. That's amazing and I want to thank all of my readers for your continued support. As a reward, I have a new chapter for you all :)

Chapter thirty three

When the sun rose that morning, eclipsed by a thick blanket of grey cloud, there was little to suggest the day's dramatic turn of events. The sheets of rain hammering down could have been interpreted by some as a worrying portent, were it not such typical weather for Forks, Washington. I gave it the best scowl I could manage, as I dressed myself in clothing befitting such miserable conditions. Growing up in Phoenix, rain had never been my best friend, but, it became my mortal enemy at this time of year, when temperatures started to get as cold as the weather man threatened. It wouldn't be long until every street in town was coated in a thick layer of ice, which was particularly bad for a girl who could barely traverse dry paths, let alone slippery ones.

"Are you ready?" asked the fair haired angel, leaning against my bedroom doorframe.

Carlisle had spent the entire night with me, for his own peace of mind, as much as my mine, and was going to give me a ride to work, in place of Alice. Charlie was gone the entire time and, at eight o'clock, still hadn't returned home, which worried me to no end. I knew the station would be busy enough with the latest killing, without having the chief's daughter pestering them, so, instead of calling, I sent Dada text the moment I woke, to see how he was, but, had yet to receive a response. I hoped it was due to an enormous work load, but, only time would tell.

Shrugging on my coat, I followed Carlisle out the door, before locking it and running to the Mercedes to stay as dry as possible. It was like a fricking monsoon! Just the short distance from the house to the car was enough to make me look as though I had just gone for a fully clothed morning swim. I took full advantage of the vehicle's air conditioning and held my hands over the heater to bask in the warmth. It depressed me to think this weather look set to stay for the next few days. Would the tribe really stick this weather, just keep watch on me and Charlie? I owed enormously if they did.

Alice was already at work by the time I arrived at Thunderbird and Whale and I gave her a quick wave through the dress store's window, whilst dashing to the bookstore's entrance. What the sky lacked in sunshine, Jerry's temperament more than made up for, as he offered a smile and a hello when the bell above the door signalled my entrance. I might have tried to compete with his level of cheeriness, had I a hope in Hell of matching it, but, was running kind of low on optimism, for reasons that were obvious to only a select few. Instead, I returned his greeting and hoped my preoccupation with removing my wet coat might hide my lack of enthusiasm.

Given the climate, you'd expect work to be slow, but, it took more than rain to keep the town from their shopping duties. The fact that Christmas was fast approaching may have had a lot to do with it. I was shocked to discover how quickly it had managed to creep up on me and, with only a few weeks left, I still hadn't bought a single gift. I'd have to get working on that. At times like these, Alice was the greatest friend a girl could have. I could have probably given her a list and she'd find every single item in less than an hour. I was sorely tempted to do just that.

Speak of the Devil, Alice waltzed into the bookstore as lunchtime approached, her flawless appearance utterly unperturbed by the relentless rain. I'd hate her if I didn't love her so much. Her stubborn refusal to ever look bad was immediately forgiven when she produced an umbrella more than big enough for two and we huddled beneath it to walk to our usual diner. Luckily, there was little wind to accompany the rain, so it was easy to remain relatively dry beneath the shelter of the umbrella.

It was during coffee that I discovered Sam Uley planned to speak with me after work, which managed to drain the last of my ebbing cheer away. She assured me everything would be fine, but, despite the knowledge I possessed about her gift, it was hard to find comfort in her words. Everything may well turn out fine, but, that wouldn't stop it being probably one of the most uncomfortable conversations I'd ever had. Sensing my displeasure, she turned to a completely different topic, which happened to coincide with my earlier thoughts enough to make me wonder if she'd already seen my dilemma in a vision.

"Did you have a premonition about it?" I asked, when she offered to help with my Yuletide shopping, before I could even mention it.

"No," she replied. "I just happen to know you very well."

I felt a little relief in the pressure weighing on my shoulders and was glad to have, at least, one less thing to worry about. A second concern was eliminated when Charlie finally called a few minutes later in reply to my morning text. After a fourteen hour shift, he was finally on his way back home and intended to spend the rest of the day in bed. They may not have been any closer to catching the killer, but, I was happy to know that my dad was safe. I promised to be quiet when I got home and cook his favourite meal for dinner, to which he gave a sleepy thank you, before signing off.

The sky seemed to become a little brighter after that. It was still grey and definitely wet, but, the clouds ceased to be quite so dark and oppressive. A quick phone conversation with Carlisle only served to increase my good humour, as I told him about Charlie. Carlisle's genuine concern for my father's wellbeing meant more to me than the vampire would ever know.

Unfortunately, Carlisle was unable to drive me home, as he had a shift to cover at the hospital, but, I tried to turn it into a positive thing. If I was with him, I'd be ever so reluctant to leave and spend an evening at home, without him. Dad would understand and probably insist I see Carlisle, but, it wouldn't have been fair, as I'd already promised to cook. I would have asked if the doctor wanted to join us for dinner, but, felt too shy to do so. Although Charlie knew about us and had no objections, I imagined nothing but awkward silences filling the air; it generally took Dad a while to get comfortable enough with people to chit chat. Something to build up to, perhaps.

The rain eased off a little during the drive home, but, it was still horrendous, beating against the car windshield, as the wipers fought valiantly to keep our view of the roads clear. So far, the day had been utterly average, with nothing more dramatic than a paper cut happening to me and it was odd to think I actually prayed for the banality to continue. I'd had enough adventures for one week.

000

The mansion was bizarrely quiet without Isabella's presence inside it. With Alice and Carlisle still at work, and Jasper circling the town's perimeter, I was alone once again when I arrived home and it felt...wrong. I couldn't quite explain it and, after just over a decade of solitude, it was remarkable how quickly I had become accustomed to the hum of activity surrounding the girl. I wondered if she would be staying with us yet again this evening and couldn't help hoping so. It would ease my troubles somewhat if she did, as, I didn't like her being out of our sight, even if she was surrounded by a pack of wolves for protection. The news of yet another killing in Forks only heightened my worries.

Alice was the first of my companions to return home and I noticed she was unaccompanied. When I heard of Isabella's reasons for remaining at her own home for the evening, I was tempted to drive over there and assist her, as I could only imagine how difficult her father's night had been. I was advised against it, however, as Alice could tell the wolves disliked our presence and, given that Carlisle had already spent one night there, the tribe may read it as a lack of trust on our part if we let another night pass without leaving her alone with them. Instead, we both began discussing plans for what to do next. It would be ridiculous for us to spend the rest of our time here anxiously waiting for the Volturi to arrive and question us. We were entertaining the notion of going to Italy ourselves to present our case and, as the idea was in the very early stages of conception, Alice had not yet received a vision about doing such a thing. It meant we were required to look at the plan from every single angle, to ensure there were no fatal flaws.

We were deep in the middle of conversation when the wheels of a Mercedes crunched against the driveway of our home an hour later. Carlisle entered the downstairs lounge within minutes, followed closely by Jasper, who had concluded his survey of Forks at the hospital. The moment the idea of visiting the Volturi entered my mind, I wondered how willing Carlisle would be to go along with it. In the past, I knew he would have snapped up the chance to resolve an issue peacefully. However, things were very different now and he had someone far more fragile than himself to protect, which meant he was far more cautious than before.

I let Alice relay all we had spoken of and, as expected, he was hesitant to go to Italy, mainly because we would have little choice but to leave Isabella here. There was no possible way she could go with us, it was simply far too dangerous for her there. We discussed leaving him behind, whilst the rest of us went, but, as a former affiliate of the Volturi, there was nobody better to persuade them to offer lenience. A compromise would have to be found either way, as the only other option available to us was living a life on the run. I severely disliked that idea, as it wasn't an existence I'd wish upon anyone, Isabella, least of all and the Volturi would inevitably find us, anyway.

It was for the best that she chose to spend the night at home, as I could tell this was going to be a very long debate.

000

As predicted, Charlie was fast asleep when I got home. It's amazing how loud even the quietest of sounds can seem when you're trying not to wake somebody. I shrugged off my coat and hung it on an empty hook to dry, before taking off my shoes to minimise the thud of my footsteps up the stairs. As I was going to spend the evening alone, I chose to slip into the comfiest outfit I owned, which comprised of grey sweatpants and a white vest, before tying my hair out of the way.

Checking the time on my phone, I reckoned my dad had probably had roughly five hours of sleep, so far, so decided to wait a little longer, before starting dinner. Reaching for my precious first edition of Wuthering Heights, I settled on the bed and began reading. This was my second run through of this copy and, despite having read it several times already, my enjoyment of the story had yet to be diminished. I was soon lost in the beautiful writing of Emily Brontë, as she weaved one of the greatest, yet saddest love stories ever known.

Time flies when you're having fun and it felt as though only minutes had passed, rather than an hour, when my phone started ringing. Carlisle's voice was enough to make me happily discard my reading, as he asked how my day had gone and how I was. Our conversation was brief, but, during it, I learnt that Jasper had found no sign of Edward or the Ripper and was going to look again during the night. I wasn't happy to hear that Carlisle would be accompanying him, but, he promised be safe and, as tempted as I was to guilt trip him into remaining home, it wasn't fair to expect Jasper to do all the work. We chatted for a few minutes more and I sorely lamented the distance between us, as he told me he loved me, before hanging up.

As a means of distraction, I decided it was time to finally start making some food, a notion my gurgling stomach heartily agreed with, so, the book was placed back on its shelf and I headed downstairs. Searching through the contents of our kitchen cupboards, I found almost everything needed to make a chilli con carne. Sadly, we were out of tortilla chips, so nachos were out, but, as long as Charlie had enough on his plate to fill the stomachs of two grown men, I knew he'd be happy.

I usually liked to listen to some music whilst cooking, but, couldn't use the stereo this time, so had to jog back up the stairs to retrieve my iPod. I began tip-toeing around the kitchen, jigging to the tunes of the Rolling Stones. Yes, I definitely had my parents' taste in music. I was soon lost in a world of my own, as the kitchen became overwhelmed with the scents of all the ingredients cooking. My stomach churned in approval and I could hardly wait to try the food myself.

I paused the music for a moment, to check for any signs of life coming from Charlie's room, but, not a sound could be heard from upstairs. There still had a good half an hour left until the food was ready to be served, so I set about preparing the rice. My music was on a low volume, so, I was able to hear when one of the upstairs floorboards creaked a moment later. Pulling the headphones out of my ears, I wound the cord around the iPod and placed it beside the stereo, ready to greet my dad when he finally rejoined humanity.

Before that could happen, however, there was a loud knock at the door. The first thing I noticed, before even wondering who my visitor might be, was that I felt nowhere near as terrified about the knocking, as I had the previous night. It was odd to think that everything seemed more ominous and scary during the night. The first conclusion I came to was that Carlisle had decided to pay me a surprise visit and I could already feel my pulse quickening in anticipation at the thought. I had to have a stern word with myself not to get my hopes too high, because there was no guarantee it was even him.

The knocking sounded again and there was sense of urgency to it, this time. As a frown of concern contorted my brow, I strode over to the front door and reached for the handle. My fingertips had just skimmed the cool, metallic surface, when darkness overcame me...

000

Silence had resumed in the mansion and all four of us resided in our private quarters, having concluded our discussion. No decision had been made and, in truth, the matter was far from being resolved, which frustrated me beyond words. An answer to our predicament seemed so difficult to find and I had spent the entire time since staring out my window, the cogs of my brain endlessly turning, desperate to discover a solution.

I could sense, rather than hear, Alice flitting around the house, rearranging ornaments and occasional pieces of furniture. That was often her way of thinking things through, which told me she was trying just as hard as me to figure things out. Jasper and Carlisle remained elusive in their respective places of solace. For Jasper, it was the bedroom he shared with his mate, for Carlisle, his study and, more than ever, I found myself wanting the comparatively deafening noise of a human presence to offer a little distraction. I knew that trying to think too hard only made resolution harder to grasp.

My ruminations were interrupted by the opening of the bedroom door and my diminutive companion entered, carrying an assortment of white flowers, arranged in an elegant bouquet. She was moving at an almost-human pace, which meant this was no flying visit. I'd spent decades with Alice, before temporarily leaving the coven and her habits hadn't changed a bit. She wanted to talk. Her delicate steps carried her over to the dressing table beside me and she placed the flowers into the empty vase.

"Any luck?" she asked, quietly.

My eyes left the view offered by the window to gaze at her as I shook my head.

"Me neither," she replied, her words loaded with her frustrations.

Something on the vase caught Alice's attentive eye and she picked it up to get a better look. It turned out to be a hairline crack and she tutted, before mumbling to herself so quietly, I could only catch a few of the words, but, got the general gist. Imperfection in her interior design was never something she tolerated.

I was about to protest my innocence and insist I had no idea how the vase had been damaged, when an expression came over her face that I had not witnessed for a very long time. Her entire body went rigid, as the grip on the vase tightened and I wanted to remove the object from her grasp, but knew there was no hope of prying it out of her dainty fingers. Her face became immobile and her large, round eyes widened, before their gaze turned glassy and distant.

Alice was having a vision.

I watched and waited for the moment to pass, which felt endless. Fingertips began tapping on the china surface of the vase she held and breath started to hitch in her throat. Her irises started to twitch, swivelling from left to right and there was a slight tremor to her limbs, as her mind tried to analyse what she saw.

Eventually, the breathing stopped, as did the trembling, but the tapping continued. Her eyes remained wide, but her posture softened a little and awareness re-entered her gaze. I took the smallest of steps forward, frantic to hear what she had just witnessed. Judging by her reaction, it was no trivial event she had just been shown and, had I a heart, it would have been racing.

The next few seconds passed in an instant, yet I saw the whole thing unfold in slow motion. Alice's eyes fixed on mine and her grip on the vase slackened, allowing it to slip out of her hands. It met the wooden floor and shattered on impact, sending a shower of water and petals into the air. Her lips parted to let out a thunderous scream.

"CARLISLE!"

A/N: GASP!

I'm so sorry for this being another tiny chapter, but, I really hope the almighty cliff-hanger will enable y'all to forgive me. I'll be back as fast as my typing fingers will let me :)