A/N - Thanks to everyone for the kind words about the last chapter - your feedback was wonderful and has really helped direct me in the upcoming showdown between Carlisle and Edward...I promise to not make you wait too long for that one!!

Thanks to the Queen of all Betas, ChangedbyEdward, for getting this back to me in record time...big love to you bb!

As always, Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. Now on to Chapter 14.......


(Edward's POV)

The drive from Seattle to Forks gave me a bit of time to prepare myself to face Bella. There were so many things I needed to say to her, so many wrongs to make right. It had been six months and I knew that it was going to take something more than "Hi honey, I'm home," to fix the mess I had created when I left her that day. I considered going directly to her house, but then realized I was still not ready to face her. I wasn't ready to see my family either. I drove on in a blind haze, unsure of where I would end up, yet I wasn't surprised when I found myself stopped at the edge of the road, a familiar path barely cut out in the distance. Our meadow. I would find the answers I needed there. I swept through the trees, anxious to reach our special place. I closed my eyes and envisioned her there with me.

"What are you doing here, leech?"

I recognized the voice instantly and turned to face him head on. I had known someone was following me for awhile, but so many thoughts seemed to be bouncing around in his head, I had not been able to pinpoint my assailant's identity until he was almost beside me.

"What are you doing here, Jacob? I have no quarrel with you."

"Like hell you don't, bloodsucker!" I sensed his fury building and a tremor that seemed to come from deep within. All at once it became apparent to me why I had been so confused.

"You're a werewolf," I stated quietly as I moved closer to him, hands in the air so he would know I was asking for a truce. He was my enemy, I had no doubt. But he was also one of Bella's closest friends and I would not fight him. Not for his sake, but for hers. "Jacob, calm down. We don't need to do this."

"I should rip you to pieces," he snarled as he paced away, moving towards the bush line. "Why are you here?"

I hesitated. I knew that with one wrong word from me he could become angry and shift at any moment, and I wasn't at all sure I felt up to battling an overeager ball of fleas. Something had him rattled – I just couldn't put my finger on what exactly had him so tense, other than his strong dislike for me. His mind was working overtime as he considered his options and played several scenarios over all at once – it was difficult to keep all his thoughts straight as well as monitor his every move.

"You haven't answered my question, Cullen. What the hell are you doing here?" I heard his question and a silent one form in his mind, "I wonder if he knows about Charlie?" which instantly had me on alert.

"What about Charlie, Jacob?" I took a step towards him slowly. "What happened?"

He stared at me for a moment, his black eyes silently warning me to tread carefully. "Get out of my head!"

He was trembling and I knew that if I pushed him much further for information – I would have a dogfight on my hands. "Jacob, what has happened to Charlie? Is Bella alright?"

"Don't even speak her name, you filthy parasite." His voice turned to a growl as his body shifted into its animal form and the large brown wolf lunged for my jugular. I lunged to the left and caught hold of a large branch hanging from an oak. Snapping it, I tossed it at the crazed dog and flipped up onto a higher branch, hoping to avoid the unwanted fight. I couldn't kill him, but I would have to defend myself if I had any hope of finding out what had happened to Bella's father.

"Stop it now! Both of you!" The command forced both of us to back off as we both watched Alice and Jasper emerge from the tree line, approaching us cautiously.

Jasper sent waves of calm throughout the meadow and Jacob immediately quieted. I dropped to the ground and found myself enveloped in a hug from my sister. I had missed them both terribly and it was wonderful to see them. Jacob whined and ran back into the trees, emerging shortly afterwards, dressed only in a ragged pair of cut-offs.

As happy as I was to see the two of them, I wondered how they had come to find the two of us in the meadow and why they were both working so hard to keep me out of their thoughts. Jasper was creating civil war battle re-enactments in his head and Alice appeared to be running through a list of potential designers for the next fashion show in Paris.

My attention reverted to Jacob, who was still standing at the edge of the tree line, watching the three of us with pure hatred scorching from his eyes. I knew it was his instinct to want us dead, but I also knew that we had done nothing to break the treaty, which meant he really had no right to be in our territory.

"What are you doing here, Edward? Why didn't you come to the house?" Alice asked as she watched Jacob from the corner of her eye.

"I needed to come here first. I need to see Bella and this seemed the ideal place to figure out what to say that could possibly make her want to forgive me." At the mention of Bella's name I heard a deep growl rumble from deep within Jacob's throat and turned to speak to him, just catching a slight glance between Alice and Jasper. Once again, to no avail, I attempted to read their thoughts but ended up with nothing.

"If you go anywhere near Bella, I will personally rip your throat out." He moved towards the trees again. "I'm not staying here while you three re-hash the good times. I have better things to do with my time. Stay away from the treaty line if you know what's good for you."

He turned, disappeared into the bush, and phased back into the wolf form almost at once. I watched to make sure he wasn't coming back and then faced my two siblings. "Okay, what the hell is going on? Why are there werewolves in Forks again? And what happened to Bella's father?"

"Edward, we have a lot to discuss. I think it would be best if you came back to the house with us." Jasper's quiet tone did nothing to calm me as I knew that something wasn't right. Knowing I wasn't going to get any answers from them here, standing in the meadow, I nodded silently and motioned for them to lead the way.


(Alice's POV)

The return to the house was eerily silent. Jasper and I each did our best to keep our minds blank until we had Edward in a better environment to fill him in on everything that had transpired

I glanced back to look at him as we climbed the steps to the house. He looked the same, no surprise there, but I could sense his distress. He had been fighting with the choice of coming home for months and I knew that he still questioned whether he had made the right decision.

His mind had changed so many times in the past few days that I had to stop looking for him. Once he was headed on the plane here, things seemed to calm and I had assumed he was on his way to the house. I can't even describe the terror I felt when he disappeared from my vision altogether, but now, after finding him in the meadow with that stinking mongrel, things were beginning to make sense. Their presence seemed to block my visions somehow. It explains why I didn't see Carlisle's visitor that first night so long ago, and why I didn't see Charlie until it was too late.

When I came upon the two of them in the meadow, it terrified me that everything was black, but now at least I had some answers. Not that it changed anything that had happened. I knew that what Jasper and I had to tell Edward was going to devastate him and I hated the pain we were about to cause. But in a way, he had it coming to him. Perhaps if he hadn't made the wrong choices to begin with, none of us would be in the mess we were in now.

I watched Edward pace around the living room, a caged lion checking his parameter. Jasper had disappeared outside with a phone, most likely to check in with Carlisle on Bella's condition. I wandered the room, straightening things here and there, hoping he wouldn't be long.

"Alice." Edward had dropped into a chair and I could feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. "Alice, what's going on? And how long are you going to run through Paris designer names?"

I sighed and dropped down beside him. At that moment, Jasper re-entered the house and nodded to me quietly. I lowered my head, gathering my thoughts and turned to face my brother and started to talk. I told him quickly about the first few months after he left -where we had all gone and how we had tried to move on. He stiffened as I spoke of Bella and the condition that Carlisle had found her in and before he had a chance to argue, Jasper broke in.

"Edward, I would advise you to listen to everything Alice has to say before you say anything."

I knew it was the last thing he wanted to do, but he complied with Jasper's request and I continued my tale. I told him of Bella's improvement and how relieved we all were that she had recovered. Then I told him about Victoria and what she had done to Charlie. His head dropped to his hands and I knew that if he were able to weep, the floor would have been covered with his tears.

"It's my fault, Alice. She'll never forgive me." His shoulders slumped as the guilt from everything I had told him weighed heavily on him. I rested my head against his shoulder, hoping my closeness would offer some comfort.

In an instant he was on his feet and by the door, but Jasper had hold of him, stopping him from bolting before we had the opportunity to finish what we had to say. "Edward, there's more."

"You'll have to fill me in later. I need to get to Bella! She isn't safe."

"Edward, she is safe. She's with Carlisle and Esme and they are looking after her." I held back for a moment, silently begging Jasper to somehow ease what I had to tell him next.

I knew in a moment that I would not have to say the words. Jasper had let Edward read his thoughts, sparing me being the one to tell him the truth. In a flash, Jasper was sprawling beside me in shock and Edward was gone. I listened as my rental tore out the driveway and I moved towards Jasper.

"Alice, call Carlisle……now!"


End of Chapter - reviews may calm Edward down...but it isn't likely :O)