Jacob was completely silent as he carried Irina to her room. The girl in his arms was absolutely passed out drunk, but he couldn't even feel her weight. His anger was strong enough to block out all other feelings.

After he laid her on her bed, Jacob turned to the doorway to see Rosalie standing there.

"We need to talk," he told her gruffly. It was the first words he'd spoken since he saw her in the airport.

Rosalie nodded silently and turned to walk away, Jacob following her wordlessly.

The quietness was broken, however, when they finally reached Rose's bedroom at the end of the hall.

"Aren't you going to explain anything?" Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What's there to explain?" Rosalie asked back with a defiant stance.

"What's there to – are you forgetting everything that's happened for the last three days?"

"No. I just don't see anything that I have to explain to you. Who are you, my keeper? Do I need to ask your permission for everything I want to do?"

Jacob's eyes narrowed. "I'm not saying that, Rosalie. What I'm saying is I deserve some sort of enlightenment about what the hell went down the whole time you were gone! What were you doing in Forks that required you to extend your stay?"

"I told you, I was visiting my mother."

"The entire time?" Jacob questioned.

"Of course! I haven't seen my mother in over a year. Or is there some kind of law now that forbids people from seeing their relatives for days at a time?"

"You're lying, Rose."

"What?!" Rosalie sputtered. "How can –"

"I called Dr. Cheney yesterday," Jacob cut her off. "After calling you for the tenth time and being ignored, I decided to just contact your mom's facility directly – you know, since you've spent your whole trip with her. Imagine my surprise when he told me you haven't been there since Monday."

Rosalie's eyes trailed on Jacob as he paced closer to her.

"So where have you been, Rose?" Jacob said almost tauntingly. "Who else could be in Forks that can demand your attention?" he had meant to ask that rhetorically, but as soon as the question left his lips, he realized an answer for it.

"You met with Stefan."

Rosalie wanted to say that she hadn't, but for some reason, when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She had indeed had dinner with Alec Stefan, her father's best friend and the person helping her in taking over Cullen Architecture, but she really didn't want to tell Jacob that. Stefan didn't like Jacob, and had explicitly instructed Rosalie not to inform him of their meeting or what they talked about. According to him, Rose didn't need Jacob; the man was just a liability as far as Stefan was concerned.

Actually, Rose was beginning to think the same thing.

"No, I didn't," she lied finally. "I don't even talk to him anymore."

"Right. So you expect me to believe that the man whom you told me was going to help us at the beginning isn't going to anymore? We spoke only once, but I could tell even then that he wanted Carlisle Cullen to crash and burn even more than we did. What kind of a fool do you take me for?"

"Why do you keep assuming that I'm lying?" Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Because you are!" Jacob shouted. "I'm trying to help you, Rose! And this is how you repay me? By keeping things from me?"

"I'm not, okay?!" Rose screamed back. "I've always been honest with you."

"What were you doing in Forks then?" Jacob demanded. "Let's say I believe you when you said you didn't stay there for business. Was it for pleasure then? Was that why Whitlock was with you?"

"Jasper?" Rose sounded confused for a second, but then she remembered that he had travelled with Irina. "He has nothing to do with –"

"You know, I'm really starting to get annoyed with your lies," Jacob interrupted her again. "I know there's something going on between you two."

Rosalie was starting to lose it. With a deep breath, she tried her best to keep her cool. "What is your fucking problem with him? He's never done anything, and there's nothing between us!"

"Bullshit," Jacob spat. "You think I don't know about your little dates? You went to the bistro I told you about, then let's not forget about the times you practically stalked the man at Heaven even after I told you about how I didn't trust him." he shook his head. "I should've known you'd do something like. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"That's rich, coming from you," Rose's voice was all venom now. "And those times were completely platonic. Jasper and I are just friends."

Jacob looked at her incredulously. "Are you fu – why can't you just admit it? Go ahead, tell it to me straight. You're attracted to him!"

That finally broke Rosalie's composure, and her voice was loud and clear when she shouted "Fine! I like him, okay? I've always liked him, even in high school. There. Are you happy now?!"

It was exactly what Jacob had expected to hear, but her words still hurt stung. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "No, I'm not happy, Rose. I'm not happy that we're falling apart like this. But…even though you've wounded me like this, I still love you. I still want us."

Jacob made a move to embrace her, but Rose stepped away. Her voice was hard as stone when she spoke next. "I don't think this is working anymore."

Her words made Jacob freeze. "What?"

"I don't – you're not helping anymore, Jake," Rosalie told him. "You're being so paranoid, and it's driving me up the wall. I need space. I need a break."

"You can't do this," Jacob shook his head furiously.

"I can, and I want to," Rose said. "You're right. I did speak to Stefan when I went to Forks. He called me last week to set up a meeting – one where you specifically told me not to invite you to. You know why? Because he thinks you're holding me back, and now I can see why."

"Holding you back? You need me! How are you going to go through with your plans now?"

"I'll think of something ," Rosalie answered. "But it's over now, Jake. We're through."

…

Edward was just about to clean one of his tables when Jane suddenly pulled him to a hidden corner behind the counter. Edward was too surprised to react immediately, but as soon as they stopped moving, he questioned her.

"Jane? What the hell?"

"Shh," Jane obnoxiously placed a finger on his lips. "Hush up for a minute, Jazzy. You see that woman there?"

"What?" Edward pushed her finger away. "Jane, I have to –"

"No, seriously. Look at that lady!"

Edward sighed but craned his neck to check out what his coworker was talking about. "I don't see anyone suspicious. And there are about fifteen women in the café right now."

"The blonde one. Can't miss her – the hair primping, red lipstick, short skirt…her look is practically screaming hoochie mama."

Edward's lips quirked into a small smile at the description, but as soon as he saw who Jane was referring to, his smile dropped and his lips set into a hard line.

"Well? Did you see her?" Jane prompted.

"Yeah, I saw her," Edward said. He didn't know why Jane was pointing Rosalie out, but he knew it couldn't be for a good reason.

"That's the lady I was telling you about, man!" Jane threw her hands up for emphasis. "The stalker chick."

"The – what?"

"Oh my – haven't you been paying attention when I was telling you this morning?"

"Uh…no, not really…"

"Men," Jane grumbled. "You seriously have the attention spans of gnats. Just last night, Felix and I got in an argument about –"

"Jane," Edward interrupted. "Look, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention before, but…the blonde woman. What did she do?"

"She's a stalker, dude!" Jane whisper-yelled. "She's been coming here every single day since…hell I can't even remember when to ask for you. She stopped coming for a couple of days, but now she's back."

"Sh-she asks for me?"

"Yeah. Carmen and I cover for you as much as we can, but then she just keeps asking questions about you. It's freaky, man!"

"What kind of questions has she been asking?"

"Basic stuff, I guess. I don't mean biodata-basic, but just…basic. Y'know, when did you start working here, what time your breaks are, that sorta thing."

"Did you tell her anything?"

"Of course not! I could tell right away that she isn't exactly a good seed, so I just told her I don't know. Carmen really doesn't know though, so she didn't have to lie."

Edward took a deep breath. "Well…thanks, Jane."

"No problem," Jane patted his chest. "You're a good guy, Jazzy. Don't let that hoochie mama sink her claws into you, 'kay?"

She trotted away to resume her waitress duties, though Edward continued to stand where he was, totally dazed. What did Rosalie want with him? Hasn't his disinterest in her been obvious enough?

Edward groaned quietly as his hands flew to his hair. He didn't know how to handle everything right now. There was his inability to contact Scheduler and the burden of knowing her past, the pressure of finding two more tears, his plans of preventing the fall of his family's company, and now Rosalie's apparent fascination with him.

That couldn't mean that she knows about his predicament, could it?

Everything was just a mess.

"What are You going to throw at me next, the apocalypse?" Edward glared at the ceiling. "Can't you just give me a break for once?"

"Jasper?"

Edward whirled around at the sound of Charlotte's voice. "Hey. What are you staring at there?"

Crap. "Uh, nothing. Just thought I saw a huge spider or something," Edward lied convincingly. "Probably just a crack."

Charlotte chuckled. "Arachnophobia issues, huh? Well, that's another thing you have in common with Bella. To this day, she still calls Peter up in her apartment to kill a spider."

Edward didn't have arachnophobia, but he smiled and nodded anyway. "Yeah, they can be pretty freaky sometimes. I guess I better get back to work, though…"

"Alright," Charlotte replied. "If you need help with anything, just holler."

Edward nodded again before setting out to the dining area. He was thankful when he saw that Rosalie's table was now empty.

…

"Dammit, Scheduler," Edward paced the length of his hospital suite, phone in hand. He had already called her six times, but Scheduler was just not picking up. He couldn't even leave any voicemails for her.

"That's it, I give up," he collapsed on the sofa. "I guess she'll call back when she'll call –"

Edward's sentence was cut off when an agitated Esme entered the room, followed by a doctor pushing a wheelchair. His eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he saw Carlisle sitting in it.

"Dad?" he asked. "Are you sick or something?" No one answered of course, so Edward had no choice but to watch his father being assisted onto a bed a couple of nurses wheeled into the room.

"Dr. Laurent," Esme's fingers twisted together nervously as she spoke. "Please, I can't take the suspense anymore. Did you find anything?"

"Find any what? Mom, what's going on?" Edward was standing by Esme's side now.

Dr. Laurent sighed. "I'm afraid so, Mrs. Cullen."

Esme whimpered, reaching for Carlisle's hand.

Before Edward could open his mouth again, the doctor satisfied his unspoken question.

"We found two tumors in Mr. Cullen's brain, and we're going to need surgery to take them out."

Esme started to cry while Carlisle could do nothing else but hold his wife tightly when she turned to embrace him. Edward, on the other hand, just stood there in shock.

I think I'd rather take the apocalypse.