SON OF A BATCH OF COOKIES.

I cannot believe it has been this long.

Before you get mad at me, even though you have every right to, let me explain. I am in no way making an excuse for not updating in FOREVER, but I would just like to let you know what happened. You see, I write everything in a notebook before typing it in Word, this way I can proofread and make improvements as I type. I went on vacation a while ago, and I had written at least five chapters while I was away. Once I returned… I couldn't find my notebook. I had already fallen in love with what I had written, but I tried to type it again from memory… It just wasn't the same. A few days ago, though, my mother sent me into her room to look for something, and there, on her bookcase, I spotted the rusted spiral that only my over-loved 'Letter From Edward' notebook has.

I practically peed myself.

So, here I am, FINALLY updating. I hope you don't hate me!

Disclaimer:

Me: *cracks door open, peers around dusty, untidy room* Emmett…? Emmett, are you in here?

*no reply*

Me: Emmett…? Hello…? 'I knew it. I was away for too long… I hope he's alright.' Emmett, it's me…

*floorboards creak near one of the many piles of random items, there is a soft groaning sound*

Me: Emmett, is that you?

*objects begin to shift, things fall to the floor*

Me: …Emmett?

*a low, pained sigh emanates from the stirring lump*

Voice: *tired, in pain* Vi… Victoria…? Is… is that you…?

*Emmett slowly rises from the mess, turns to face Victoria*

Me: *smiles softly* It's me, Emmett. I missed you…!

Emmett: I… I thought I would never see you again…! Where did you go…? *He shakes something off his leg and makes his way to the doorway where Victoria is standing*

Me: I lost my notebook, Emmett.

Emmett: *gasps, suddenly full of energy* You WHAT?

Me: I lost it, and I couldn't find it for a long time, no matter where I looked. But it's okay now, because I found it, and I'm finally back in our little dimension. Though… you didn't keep it as nicely as I thought you would.

Emmett: Yeah… it got kind of difficult after a while. And I wouldn't be talking, missy. You lost the notebook.

Me: Well… technically speaking, my mom had it.

Emmett: …Why?

Me: I don't know. But she did.

Emmett: Well you have it back now, and we're finally together again! *wraps arms around Victoria in the greatest bear hug of the century, kisses her forehead* I missed you.

Me: *tries to regain oxygen* I missed you too. *smiles* I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried you'd get into major trouble.

Emmett: Heh heh… *blushes* Um, about that… *scratches head nervously*

Me: Oh no. What did you do…?

Emmett: Nothing…!

Me: Don't lie to me, Emmett.

Emmett. *turns to you* Victoria doesn't own the Twilight series or anything related to it. Now, please enjoy chapter eleven of A Letter From Edward!

Me: That's my line! You can't take my line!

*bickering continues, but fades out as you enter the world of the story*

…..

*Bella's POV*

"Embry," Jacob said as he stood. "What's going on?"

"No time to explain," he huffed. "We have to go. Now."

Jake looked back at me, his face full of sorrow and… something else.

Regret?

"Bella, I—"

"Its okay, Jake. Go. This sounds serious." Embry nodded in agreement. "Meet you back at the house later?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Embry. Again.

"Maybe," he said, his voice grave.

I didn't like that. If he was going to be in danger…

"Embry, can't you just tell me what's going on?

"I… I don't think I can, Bella. This is for the pack to deal with. I'm sorry." He grabbed Jake's wrist. "C'mon, man. We really gotta fly."

Jacob sighed. "Okay, okay. Bella, I'll… I'll see you later, alright?

"Sure, Jake. Just… please be safe."

"Always," he said with a sarcastic smirk.

The two bays walked out the door and sprinted toward the woods. I heard a wolf howling somewhere in the distance, and I prayed that everything was going to be okay.

*Jacob's POV*

Embry led me to the woods, and I let him take point as we phased.

My head was a mess.

Okay, so it wasn't actually just my head, but still.

This is bad; this is really bad…

What does this mean?

This can't be happening.

What do they want?

I felt my face twist from the pain in my head the noise was causing.

Guys! Quiet down, I thought. You're giving me a migraine.

They were quiet for all of about three seconds before they started up again, louder than before.

Guys…! I was screaming in my mind. Yo! Guys! Nobody responded. All I could hear was the sound of multiple voices shouting at once, like being in a crowded school cafeteria, or a room full of people where everyone was trying to talk to someone on the other side.

A deep, throaty growl of frustration escaped through my teeth. Could somebody at least tell me what's going on? I looked at Embry.

He met my eyes almost shyly. Um, he thought. You'll find out soon. He looked away and was suddenly extremely focused on reaching the rest of the pack.

Quiet down. I could barely hear Sam's voice over the others.

I said quiet down…! He was a bit louder, but no one else seemed to hear him.

Silence! I flinched, and everyone fell silent. Nobody could ignore Sam when he used the Alpha voice against us. Thank you, he said. Now then, Jacob, when you and Embry arrive, I will explain exactly what's going on. Until then, I want quiet so I can concentrate.

His voice faded and his thoughts became a blur. He was thinking about so much at once that I gave up trying to follow his train of thought.

Embry and I ran in silence, and I could see through the pack's eyes that everyone was pacing around nervously, save for Sam.

I huffed out a sigh as we broke through the trees into the clearing where the pack met up. Quil trotted over to greet us, but nobody else seemed to notice. Sam sat with his back to us, the rest of the pack pacing around him with their noses to the ground.

Quil whined, bringing my attention back to him. Don't you smell it? His nose went up in the air and he winced at whatever was in the oxygen that filled his nostrils. It's awful. I don't… I don't even know how else to describe it.

Embry and I both took a big whiff, only to be met with a stench that made me feel like there was bleach in my brain. I recoiled and whined while rubbing my nose with my giant paw, and I knew Embry was doing the same.

You know what that is, don't you?

I looked up into the silvery face of Paul's wolf incarnation.

No, I though back. I don't, but I—

He growled under his breath. They're back. They… They came back…! I just wanna—

Paul! It was Jared who was the next to lope over. Just calm down. Let him talk. He looked at me. What were you gonna say, kid?

I sighed. Again. Well, I was with Bella this morning. Quil's face seemed to twitch up; the wolf equivalent of raising an eyebrow. Long story, don't say a word. Anyways, when I saw her, she smelled just like this. Only not as strong.

Paul snarled. She knows! She's seen them, and she didn't tell us! After I started to not hate her… This is how she thanks me? Ugh!

He stormed off and resumed pacing, grumbling quietly to himself. Jared rolled his eyes. Just ignore him, okay? He's stressed.

But… What does Bella know? What isn't she telling us?

Um… I'm not at liberty to discuss that quite yet. His tail twitched nervously. You'll have to wait until Sam—

Jacob.

Sam's voice was harsh and rough.

Sam, Jared said. Are you sure we should tell him? I mean…

Yes, Jared. He has to know. There was a fire in his eyes. His breathing was short and strained, and the anger that consumed his every thought was plain on his face. Jacob, I need you to react as calmly as possible to what I'm about to tell you. Every member of the pack had crowded around us, and now they all took a cautious step back, away from me, and Sam tensed.

Sam? What's going on…?

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs until they threatened to burst, held it, and exhaled in a rush.

The Cullens have returned.

*Bella's POV*

I stood in the diner, looking out the still-open door at the woods Jake and Embry disappeared into, willing him to come back alive. Eileen stepped up behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright, darlin'. Don't you worry." It took me until right then to hear a slight southern twang in her voice. Was I going deaf now? I sighed. "I hope you're right. Wait… You know…?

"'Bout what? Jakey? Of course! I was one of the first people to know."

"He told you? Like, he just came right out and said it?" Jealousy flared up in my gut, and heat began to creep up my neck. I knew it was ridiculous even then, but… Why hadn't he told me?

"Well… That's a bit complicated." She paused for a moment. "Hey, you know what?r" She turned me around so I was facing her and rested her hands on both my shoulders. "Why don't you and I sit and chat? This could take a while."

"O-kay…"

She led me to a booth in the back corner and went to get coffee after I was seated. When she returned, she placed a mug in front of me and sat on the other side of the table so we could speak face to face.

"So," she began as she poured milk into her own coffee. "As you probably already figured out, I'm not exactly from 'round these parts."

I nodded and she passed me the little metal milk pitcher. "Where are you from? Originally, I mean."

"Well, I'm from Louisiana; a small village on the Chitimacha Reservation. Now, I reckon by the way your face turned sourer than Mama's fresh squeezed lemonade when I brought up Jakey's little… condidtion… that you're a-wonderin' why he told me and you had to figure it out on your own. Well, you see… How do I say this… I'm kind of like Jake and his… pack."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, only to gasp again in shock. "You're a… a werewolf?"

"Oh goodness, no! Honey, nothing like it! Could you even imagine? No. Nothing of the sort." I gave a little nod and took a sip from the mug. "I'm a werepanther."

She said it so calmly and with such a blunt tone… You'd think she told people what she was almost every day! I slammed the mug to the table and almost choked on the coffee, it was so shocking. "I'm sorry. You're a… a what?"

"A werepanther. I can change into a mountain lion."

"Oh… okay, then." I said, picking up a spoon and casually stirring the hot drink in front of me.

"Gee," she sat back in her seat. "You took that surprisingly well."

"Yeah, I'm kind of used to this sort of stuff now," I said, lifting the spoon to wipe it off with my napkin.

"Oh? Oh! You're the vamp's girl…!"

The spoon fell from my hand and clattered on the table. "Uh…" The words were stuck in my throat, along with my breath. The blood drained from my face, and I could already feel the tears forming. I clenched my teeth, trying to hide my desperate gasps for air.

"Oh my," Eileen said as she said and stepped over to me. "Oh my goodness…! Sweetheart, are you alright?" She patted and rubbed my back gently, trying to help me breathe again. "Darling, do… Do you need me to get you a doctor?"

Get it together, Bella! People are staring… You need to get over this sometime, so why not now?

I shook my head in response to Eileen's question.

"Well, at least let me get you some water."

I tried as best as I could to calm myself down, even in the hole in my chest had just been violently ripped open wider than it already was. "I'm" I managed to choke out. "I'm… okay."

"But-" I waved her off and she sat back down, her eyes never leaving the hand that had clamped itself down over my heart.

When I regained control of my breathing, I tried to apologize. "I'm so sorry about that, Eileen." My voice sounded partially strangled, and I cursed myself for that. I needed to sound more composed. "It just… took me by surprise that you knew, and, well… I try not to think about him too much. You just… caught me off guard."

"Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry. Jacob told me about a friend of his who was with a… well, you know. Anyway, he didn't want to give me a name, and I didn't put two and two together until just now. When I realized it was you, the thought just… slipped out. I didn't even think 'bout how painful it would be for you. Are… are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. It used to happen to me at least four times every day. Sure, it hurts, but…" My thoughts returned to the letter, the dream, and his smell on my blanket. "It's not so bad anymore. I'm used to it. It's like… if you're somebody with a lot of medical problems, you have to go in for blood work and tests and surgeries all the time, right?" She nodded. " Well, after a while, you learn to not really feel it anymore. It's kind of like that, I guess."

Her face was thoughtful. "I see your point. Would you like more coffee?"

"No thanks, I'm still working on mine. So you're really a werepanther?"

She nodded slowly, as if she was regretting her decision to tell me about her supernatural side. "Yeah… But, you ain't gonna tell no one, right? I mean…"

"Oh, of course not! I would never even dream of doing something like that. I was… just trying to make small talk, I guess," I said with and embarrassed smile.

The tension in her posture eased as I spoke. "Ain't it funny how 'small talk' is so different with people who know… things? I always get a kick outta people who say things like 'some weather we're having.' It's such a relief not having to hide the supernatural for a while."

I smiled. I knew exactly what she meant. Getting sucked into the superhuman world had changed my life so much… conversations that I took part in weren't usually about things like the weather. "You can say that again."

We sat in silence for a few moments, and then she glanced at the door. "So, when do you think Jake'll be back?"

She looked back at me and I met her eyes, concern plain on both of our faces. " I don't know, but…" I sighed. "I hope everything's alright."