A/N: Hello to a few lovely new readers! I'm so glad you've joined us!

I have worked very very hard on these next few chapters, so I hope you enjoy! Also, I'm taking a poll (of sorts, not very accurately at all xD) Would you guys prefer I did the original Twilight ending before I continue on to New Moon through Edythe's eyes, or would you prefer if I did both the original L&D ending, as well as an alternate/original Twilight ending before I continue on? Let me know in a review or PM!

As of right now, I've got about half the original Life and Death ending drafted out; I'm just waiting on reader opinions.

Anyway, here's the next one, lovelies. Sorry for leaving you with a cliffhanger at the end of the last one ;)

Song of Inspiration: "I Know Places" by Taylor Swift

…

It was immediately clear to me that Joss was far more cunning and malevolent than I'd formerly assumed.

Their passage was whisper light as each of them stepped into the clearing, about ten feet apart from each other. As soon as she stepped through the ferns fringing the field, she fell back, allowing Lauren to take feigned position as the leader of the coven.

I could read that this was a typical defense strategy for Joss—she liked to insure there was no threat before she belied her true colors. It was a deceitful tactic, and my trust for the plain-haired small vampire was immediately nonexistent.

Lightly, they closed their ranks as they approached our group, their thoughts wary and cautious. They weren't sure what to make of such a large grouping—it was very unusual for them to see so many vampires in one coven, having been used to mostly couples and trios.

Carine, intent on keeping the grouping as far from Beau as possible, stepped forward, Jess and El immediately gravitating to her flanks, to meet them. Carine's thoughts were not altogether unfriendly, but she was cautious. She often gave our kind the benefit of the doubt, extended her trust until they proved undeserving.

The eyes, Lauren thought as Carine approached, So strange. Do they not hunt in the conventional way? And why so many? Coherent thought warred in her mind with defensive instinct, but she was self-possessed enough to straighten out of her crouch. Her companions copied her actions, though the redhead, Victor, felt very uncomfortable in doing so.

He was extremely threatened by our family, more than the other two, and his hands curled into distrustful claws at his sides. He was prepared to take defensive action without a second thought, if he saw fit. Curiously, his thoughts flickered with both a territorial and protective trace toward Joss, and the mated nature of their relationship was revealed to me.

Lauren smiled now, in an open and benevolent way, though it was largely a mask. The other part of it was the soothing, friendly atmosphere Jessamine was exuding. Lauren took an easy step toward Carine, thanks to Jess.

"We thought we heard a game," she said. "I'm Lauren, these are Victor and Joss."

"I'm Carine," she replied, keeping her tone amicable, "This is my family, Eleanor and Jessamine, Royal, Earnest and Archie, Edythe and Beau." She identified us in groupings on purpose, so as not to draw attention to anyone in particular.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Lauren inquired. She was easily the most human-like of the three. Unconscious hand-gestures—which were not unconscious at all—seemed to come easier to her. Victor kept his relaxed posture with some amount of effort, constantly fighting the urge to sink back into his crouch. He felt safer in that position, and longed for its familiarity.

"Actually," Carine was saying now, "we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?" Her question came off as casually conversational, but of course, the inquiry was more pointed than mere curiosity.

"We're headed north, in fact," Lauren replied, "but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

This was obvious, that the group had been long-removed from civilization. I would have assumed so just by their savage mannerisms, but it was made apparent, also, by their casual apparel, and lack of footwear. Both of the women's' tresses were tangled through with twigs and leaves, and their skin was dusted over with dirt and crusted-on blood lingered at the corners of their lips. Dry, it looked just like mud, but the scent gave it away. My throat stung dimly, but there were more important things to focus on, now.

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves," Carine said.

"What's your hunting range?" Lauren kept her queries non-assuming, but she was very curious about the color of our eyes. She would have liked to ask her question outright, but she wondered if she would offend.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion," Carine replied, disregarding the assumption. "We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Shock registered in Lauren's mind, and she leaned back on her heels, stunned, but more curious than I would have assumed. The longer I concentrated on her mind, the more I could see that Lauren retained far more humanity than either of the others. She was not only fascinated by our residency, but she was mildly interested in it, as well.

"Permanent?" she repeated. "How do you manage that?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carine suggested. "It's a rather long story." Her invitation caught the nomads by surprise, more by the use of the word home than anything else.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome," Lauren agreed, and smiled genially. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." Her eyes roved over Carine's outfit appreciatively, wondering if she could swipe a few of her things without Carine's notice.

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area," Carine continued on, "We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand."

"Of course. We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway." She laughed, and an image of her latest victim filled her mind. I tensed.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us," Carine invited, "Eleanor and Archie, you can go with Edythe and Beau to get the Jeep."

Get Beau to safety. We'll keep our visitors at the house until we hear from you.

I nodded curtly in response, and was just about to turn away, when the direction of the wind shifted and ruffled Beau's hair. His scent burst into the clearing, carrying on the wind toward the unfamiliar coven, and my muscles locked up in preparation for the ramification.

Ohh! Such sweet, succulent lusciousness! Joss's head whipped around, nostrils flaring as she breathed in Beau's scent and appraised him with rapt, unswerving attentiveness. It was then that I saw her true disposition, the effective pattern her mind fell into, as she lurched into an aggressive attack crouch.

My reaction was entirely based on instinct. I responded to her stature with a defensive position of my own; a vicious snarl ripped up my throat and through my clenched teeth.

"What's this?" Lauren's face was blank with shock.

Joss acted purely on reflex now—she was intent on winning her prize, and she lurched to the left. But of course, I read her movement before it had been made, and was already there to block her.

"He's with us," Carine said to Joss. Her voice was icy and authoritative. It was a command.

The notes of Beau's fragrance drifted onward to Lauren and Victor in the next moment, and they registered it.

Oh! Such a delectable fragrance. Beau was, of course, desirable to Lauren, but Joss's reaction was stronger than either Lauren's or Victor's had been. Neither of them dared to contest her, their true leader. They hung back, recognizing that Joss had staked her claim.

"You brought a snack?" Lauren said, taking a small, unthinking step forward.

I warned her off, snarling viciously. Lauren processed my challenge loud and clear, and retreated immediately.

"I said he's with us."

"But he's human," Lauren protested to Carine. She could not fathom why or how Beau was here with us. Her assumptions were insulting—that we were keeping Beau as some sort of pet. She could see no possibility beyond that, and was stumped by my territorial actions.

I don't understand… She can't be… Why is he… It doesn't…

Her thoughts fractured in a million different places, her distractions copious.

Joss, however, was intently focused on one conquest, and one conquest only. I knew now, what I had recognized in the configuration of her thoughts. Joss was a tracker, and it was quickly becoming apparent that her aspiration grew in direct correlation to my defensive measures.

Abruptly, a part of my consciousness was standing at the end of the second-story hallway with Beau, the day before.

"I often wonder about that moment. If he hadn't revealed what he loved most, would all our stories have changed?"

I had made a grave mistake in defending Beau. Joss didn't like to be challenged, and my interception had made this her most exciting game yet.

"Yes," Carine said now in answer to Lauren's confusion.

Eleanor and Jessamine had formed an unrelenting wall of defense on either side of our mother. Though Carine and Lauren remained somewhat neutral, Jess and El were ready to take a stand. Eleanor was intent on sticking by my side, and was sizing Joss up.

Just a teeny little thing, she sneered, I could snap her in half easily! Eleanor was not intimidated.

Jessamine had her eyes fixed on Victor, the redhead who had kept in the background, but had responded, unconsciously, in a defensive crouch of his own. Jessamine recognized the skittish light in his eyes. He reminded her of many of the newborns she'd both trained and fought during her earliest days as a vampire. Her instincts told her he was a bigger threat than any of us had assumed.

But I could not focus on that, now. My full attentions were on the slim vampire in front of me. We were about the same height, and she didn't appear to be of much more mass than I was. At any rate, I was both faster than she was, and I could predict her moves. I thought she didn't stand a chance.

She recognized this—that she would not get what she wanted tonight. Her ghoulish gaze stayed fixed on Beau as slowly, she backed down, pulling herself with no small amount of effort into an erect position.

She's won this round, she thought viciously, But I will get what I want. No one can stop me once I set my sights on a prize. And this prize… Mmm… She took a moment to inhale the swirling notes of his fragrance. Yes, this is worth a fight, no matter how many rounds I must go to get him. He will be mine. She catalogued his scent in her mind, and suddenly, the entire axis of her universe shifted; her complete being revolved around it. There was nothing but the yearning for Beau's blood in her psyche, and the thought made me see red.

She was not aware I could read her thoughts. She was not aware of the lengths I would go to prevent her advances on my Beau. She greatly underestimated me, and that would be her fatal error.

I vowed, then and there, that I would be the one to tear her maniacal head from her narrow shoulders. I would be the one to destroy her—and as I held her by the hair and she realized there was nowhere else to go, I would make sure she knew how grave a miscalculation she had made. I would look into her crazed, soulless eyes, and I would watch the life drain from them. She would not touch Beau. I would not allow it.

"It appears we have a lot to learn about each other," Lauren said now, her tone placating as she attempted to downplay Joss's feral reaction.

"Indeed," Carine responded.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation. And, of course, we will not harm the human boy. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

The shocked betrayal was clear on Joss's face—I wouldn't have had to read her thoughts to see that the faux-leader's promise would have no foundation. Joss and Victor exchanged a glance, and their thoughts were shockingly in sync. They were determined to see Joss's goal through.

Carine did not see Joss and Victor's duplicity. She measured the sincerity in Lauren's expression, and decided to take her word at its face value. "We'll show you the way. Jess, Royal, Earnest?"

They gathered, blocking Joss's view of Beau, which drove her mad.

Get him out of here, Carine commanded silently, I'll talk to you soon. Good luck.

Be careful, Edythe, Earnest added.

Eleanor did not take her gaze off of Joss as she backed toward Archie, Beau and me. She was not entirely comfortable with leaving Royal alone, but knew that she was needed more here. She would do as she'd been asked.

"Let's move, Beau." I gripped his elbow, pivoted our bodies and half-jogged toward the cover of the trees as quickly as Beau's feet would allow. Eleanor and Archie took up rank behind us, their ears finely tuned for any sound of pursuit. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to turn our back on the enemy, but we had to come off as non-threatening now, for Beau's sake.

She's smart, Edy, Archie warned, his mental tone bleak as we strode across the clearing, Real smart, and she's fast. The fastest in the group.

"I'm faster," I snapped in response to his concerns.

When we were past the ferns, I pulled Beau's arm across my shoulders without breaking stride, and pulled him onto my back. And then we were off. I pushed myself as fast as I could go, trying to channel some of the anguished rage into my pace, but only one thing could quench the fire inside of me now.

This was hell. I was in hell. There was no other way to see it. This torment was worse than the cessation of existence. I could not allow my mind to go to the places my thoughts wanted to pursue, but it went anyway, snaking down dark, demonic lanes—imagining the worst of the worst.

The self-loathing was insurmountable. It was my fault, mine, that Beau was in danger. There would be no stopping Joss's assault—not until she was dead. That, or… But I could not bring myself to think of the alternative.

Among our species, there were many gifts at large. One of the more dangerous ones—for humans and vampires alike—was that of a tracker. I cursed myself relentlessly for not having noticed it earlier. Tracking was more important than usual to Joss—it was more than a mere talent, or skill. Tracking was her passion, her obsession, her entire self-definition. She was nothing outside her skill. Her mate-hood with Victor did not touch the passion of her gift. I had not known, anywhere, of a passion stronger than the bond between two mated vampires, until now.

When we reached the Jeep, I rotated and deposited Beau into the backseat before launching myself behind the wheel.

"Strap him in," I commanded El as I twisted the key in the ignition. Archie was in the passenger seat beside me, and I peeled out, kicking up mud as I swerved around and raced down the winding road.

A constant stream of expletives issued from between my lips. I cursed the tracker in all the ways I knew how. I cursed her to the deepest levels of hell, and then some.

When we reached the main road, I accelerated away from Forks, wild with the need to get Beau to safety. I didn't know where I was headed, or where we would end up, but all I could process was that we had to get away.

I headed South on the 101, and did not look back.

Distance would not separate us from Joss. She would spend the rest of Beau's life tracking him, if we let her get away. She would not mind waiting, not in the least. She would bide her time. It would be easy for her, to find Beau now that she had his trail memorized.

Nothing would stop her. She would not cease until she had her victory, or her body was shredded and burned. I was set on making that happen as soon as vitally possible.

"Where are we going?"

I ignored Beau's question. Partially because I didn't actually know where I was taking him, but mostly because the rage had shut my vocal chords down.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's happening?" His voice turned capricious, shaking with trepidation, and I had to answer him, then.

"We have to get you away from here," I spat, "Far away—now." I was unwilling to explain the details of the situation—that he had become an unwavering, walking target. That the target would not be removed until either she or he was dead.

"What?" he croaked, "But I have to go home."

"You can't go home, Beau." There was no substitute, no choice in the matter, now.

"I don't understand," he said. His voice sounded broken and disconcerted, and for the first time since I'd met him, his bewilderment was not endearing. Instead, it broke my heart. "Edythe? What do you mean?"

"Pull over, Edythe." Archie was irritatingly, remarkably calm.

I could not focus on the images he was attempting to show me. None of it meant anything now. I could trust nothing and no one. The only one sure thing I knew was this: I had to get Beau away from Forks.

I shot him one hard look and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

"Edythe, look at all the different ways this can go." He flipped through the dozens of possibilities for me, but I wasn't watching, not really. "We need to think this through."

I blinked away the percentage of scenarios where Beau wound up dead, either due to distraction on my part, or an unthinking mistake on one of the others'.

"You don't understand!" I wailed, "She's a tracker, Archie! Did you see that? She's a tracker!" How could he not see that stopping now was asinine?

This didn't seem to mean much to Archie, but I felt the tenor of El's mental atmosphere tense.

She cursed in her head.

"Pull over, Edythe," Archie repeated. His voice was steely, determined, but I wasn't listening. I would not let him override me.

"Do it!"

"Archie—listen!" I moaned. "I saw her mind." I had to convince him, I had to make him see that this was the only option. He didn't understand the severity of Joss's mind; he didn't understand her all-consuming dedication to her trade. "Tracking is her passion, her obsession—and she wants him, Archie—him, specifically. She's already begun."

"She doesn't know where—"

I interrupted his unfinished sentence. "How long do you think it will take her to cross Beau's scent in town?" I demanded sharply. "Her plan was already set before the words were out of Lauren's mouth."

"Charlie," Beau gasped, nearly inaudibly, from the backseat. It was like the realization had hit him in the gut. And then louder, shouting, "Charlie! We have to go back. We have to get Charlie!"

I don't care about Charlie! I wanted to shout. He would never forgive me if I spoke those words aloud, but it was true. I didn't care about anyone except Beau now. He was my utmost first priority. Everything else came second. Including his family. Including myself.

I heard his hands fumbling against the harness's buckles, and then El's fingers restrained him.

I've got him, Edy.

"Edythe!" he yelled, "Turn around!"

I had never seen such toilsome anxiety from Beau before now. I knew how much he cared for his father, and his father for him, but I could not take the risk. Nothing else mattered more than getting Beau out of town, now. Nothing.

And then… "He's right."

For the first time, Archie's precognition hit me: Charlie—sprawled on the living room floor in front of the TV, eyes staring blank and wide, throat torn and shredded. The pain of it was so acute that my footing faltered, and the Jeep slowed incrementally. Beau would never forgive me if I were responsible for his father's death.

"Let's just look at our options for a minute," Archie cajoled, knowing he was winning.

The odds were in his favor. As soon as I'd faltered in my resolve, the likelihood of Beau's survival rose several percentages.

Dammit. Dammit!

I stomped on the brake, skidding to a stop on the interstate shoulder.

"There are no options." My voice was pure fire.

"We're not leaving Charlie!" Beau howled in the backseat.

I didn't answer him.

"We have to take him back." Eleanor's voice was quiet, but confident.

"No," I snapped.

"She's no match for us, Edy," she pushed, "She won't be able to touch him." There was not a hint of doubt in her mind. She was imagining it, picturing how effortless a victory it would be.

"She'll wait," I snarled.

"I can wait, too."

I was losing ground, swiftly and surely. "You didn't see!" I cried, "You don't understand! Once she commits to a hunt, she's unshakable. We can't reason with her. We can't scare her off. We'd have to kill her."

"Yes," Eleanor said, unaffected. She had no trouble with this inevitability.

"And the male," I continued, "He's with her. If it turns into a fight, Lauren will side with them, too." I could only assume as much.

"There are enough of us."

"There's another option," Archie murmured, and unbidden, Beau's countenance floated into my mind—a vision of his face, hard as marble, unmovable as steel, thirsty, blood-red eyes glinting savagely.

I twisted in my seat to growl unrestrainedly at my brother. This image was the last thing I wanted to think about right now. No. No way in hell! "There—is—no—other—option!"

It's the only thing that makes sense anymore. It's the clearest image out of everything, Edy. I saw it. You and I both saw it. He would be safe. She wouldn't be able to touch him. You know it. You know this is a feasible option!

"Does anyone want to hear my idea?" Beau broke in, calmer now.

"No."

Archie glared at me. Quit being a stubborn hard ass.

"Listen. You take me back—"

"No!" I barked immediately.

"Yes!" he argued, "You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. She'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Then you can take me any damned place you want."

The plan solidified in Archie's mind as Beau spoke the words. Even I could not deny that it was the best plan yet. The three of us sat in stunned silence. Even without the benefit of mind-reading or psychic-ism, Eleanor could see that the plan was foolproof.

"It's not a bad idea, really," Eleanor said.

"It might work," Archie predicted, "And we can't just leave his father unprotected. You know that, Edythe."

He showed me the image of Beau's lifeless father once more. It was crystal clear, and I flinched. It would destroy Beau if his father died. I knew that.

They all waited for my response.

"It's too dangerous," I decided. I could not wager this on Archie's 'it might work'. "I don't want her within a hundred miles of Beau."

"She's not getting through us," El promised. She could not imagine losing, but I could, and the stakes were just too high to take that risk.

Archie shut his eyes, and I watched the images flicker through, too brief and unfocused for me to see clearly. He was shuffling through all of the possibilities, searching for something in particular. "I don't see her attacking," he finally said, "She's the kind that goes around, not through. She'll wait for us to leave him unprotected."

"It won't take long for her to realize that's not going to happen," I muttered fiercely.

"I have to go home, Edythe," Beau insisted.

I closed my eyes for a long, anguished moment, pushing my fingers into my temples. Their allied opinions were like the crash of cymbals, and it caused me physical pain. I felt raw, like all my skin had been peeled off. I opened my eyes and glared at him.

"Your plan takes too long. We've got no time for the packing charade."

"If I don't give him some kind excuse, he'll make trouble for your family. Maybe call the FBI or something if he thinks you've… I don't know, kidnapped me."

I was shaking my head fervently before he was through. "That doesn't matter." We would deal with that dilemma when it came.

"Yes," he contended, "It does. There's a way to keep everyone safe, and that's what we're going to do."

And suddenly, my resolve lay in shreds at my feet. I was exhausted, and their words were wearing on me. Their plans bested mine, which were still non-existent.

I restarted the ignition, and spun the Jeep around. We accelerated back toward town, burning rubber.

"You're leaving tonight. Whether the tracker sees or not. Tell Charlie whatever you want—as long as it's quick. Pack the first things your hands touch, then get in your truck. I don't care what Charlie says. You have fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep, or I carry you out."

I took Beau's non-response as agreement.

"Eleanor?" he said.

"Oh, sorry," she said, and released his wrists.

"This is how it's going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there, I will walk Beau to the door. Then he has fifteen minutes." I caught his eyes in the rearview, making sure he was aware of the guidelines. "Eleanor, you take the outside of the house. Archie, you get the truck. I'll be inside as long as he is. After he's out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carine."

"No way, I'm with you," Eleanor interjected.

"Think it through, El," I argued, "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you," she insisted.

I sighed, knowing fighting her loyalty was pointless. It was difficult to contest that kind of commitment from someone who loved you as much as my big sister loved me. "If the tracker is there," I continued, refocusing on the strategy, "we keep driving."

Beau may never forgive me if I allowed his father to be killed, but I would sacrifice Chief Swan in a minute if it meant it would save Beau's life. I didn't care if that made me a horrible person. I didn't care if Beau hated me for the rest of his life—at least he would have one.

"We're going to make it there before her," Archie said. He was sure of this. The image in his mind was rock solid—his view from the forest, raised voices and frantic footsteps from inside the house. The tracker was nowhere within eyesight or earshot. "What are we going to do with the Jeep?"

I could see already that this was going to be an argument. "You're driving it home."

"No, I'm not."

I wove some creative slurs and insults around Archie's name.

"We can't all fit in my truck," Beau argued quietly.

I ignored that, wondering why no one would listen to me.

"I think you should let me go alone." I couldn't ignore this insanity.

"Beau, don't be stupid," I snapped. I didn't want to unlock my teeth, for fear that I would honestly and truly lose it.

"Listen, Charlie's not an imbecile. If you're not in town tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious."

"That's irrelevant," I dissented, "We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters."

"Then what about this tracker?" Beau pushed, "She saw how you acted tonight. She's going to think you're with me, wherever you are."

Dammit!

"Edythe, listen to him," Eleanor enthused, impressed. "I think he's right."

"He is," Archie confirmed. He could see the trouble this would cause. You have to let him go. He showed me how the odds weighed in his favor if I stayed. The borders around the images were blurry and shaky—there were too many undecided factors, but even this was better than the outcomes of us staying together. You have to stay.

"I can't do that," I argued.

"Eleanor should stay, too. She definitely got an eyeful of Eleanor," Beau added.

"What?" Eleanor was offended, thinking Beau didn't want her with him, but she misunderstood.

"You'll get a better crack at her if you stay," Archie pacified her.

I was taken aback by Archie's agreement. "You think I should let him go alone?"

"Of course not." And suddenly, the answer was clear. I could see it, how the plan would unfold. I could see how I would have to let Beau go. Every fiber inside me, every cell, rebelled against it. It was a palpable, physical response, an odd sucking vortex of recoil. "Jess and I will take him."

"I can't do that," I repeated, but even as I said the words, I knew the plan would take hold. I could see the logic it presented; I saw how the borders of the image solidified.

Beau piped up. "Hang out here for a week"—my face crumpled at the idea, and he rescinded his words—"a few days. Let Charlie see you, and lead this hunter on a wild-goose chase. Make sure she's completely off the trail. Then come and meet me. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Jessamine and Archie can go home."

I considered that. "Meet you where?"

"Phoenix," he said.

"No," I argued, exasperated, "She'll hear that's where you're going."

"And you'll make it look like that's a trick, obviously," Beau urged. "She'll know that you'll know that she's listening. She'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I am going."

"He's diabolical!" Eleanor crowed laughingly.

"And if that doesn't work?" I quarreled.

"There are several million people in Phoenix."

I would not be so easily placated. "It's not that hard to find a phone book," I pointed out.

"It's called a hotel, Edythe." He said the words like I should have thought of them, that it would have been obvious.

"Edythe, we'll be with him," Archie joined in.

"What are you going to do in Phoenix?" I could only see how well that would work out.

"Stay indoors." Duh.

"I kind of like it," El inserted.

"Shut up, El."

"Look, if we try to take her down while Beau's still around, there's a much better chance that someone will get hurt." She was pretty proud of herself, knowing she was right. "He'll get hurt, or you will, trying to protect him. Now, if we get her alone…" She trailed off, grinning.

We drifted into town limits, and I slowed, giving myself time to think.

There was a lot—too much—in the balance regarding Beau's plan. Whether we were able to carry it out without flaw, whether Joss acted predictably, whether Charlie let Beau go… I didn't like it—any of it. I didn't like leaving Beau vulnerable. I didn't like the thought of being separated from him, most of all. But it was the only plan we had.

"Beau," I said softly. Archie and Eleanor stared out their windows, giving us what passed as privacy in the Cullen house—averted eyes and selective hearing. "If you let anything happen to yourself—anything at all—I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that, Beau?"

I locked eyes with him in the rearview. His irises blazed with fierce determination.

"Ditto, Edythe," he said.

I turned to Archie. "Can Jessamine handle this?" I demanded.

"Give her some credit, Edythe. She's been doing very, very well, all things considered."

"Can you handle this?"

I didn't quite feel comfortable trusting Archie alone with Beau when he disagreed so vehemently on the best course of action regarding his safety.

Archie let loose a fierce snarl. Don't underestimate me. I've got this.

I smiled at him, and then added, "But keep your opinions to yourself."

Sure thing.

…

A/N: And there we are!

As always, please let me know what you thought, and also, let me know how you'd like the ending to go! It's important that I please my readers as well as stay true to canon, so I'd love your input! See you next time! xo