Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.

All plotlines, characterizations, and details in Eternally Intertwined 2.0: Blood Ties belong to the author: Bronzehyperion. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without the author's authorization. ©2011 Bronzehyperion. All rights reserved worldwide.

This is the sequel to Eternally Intertwined. I advise you to read/skim through it before you read this because otherwise most won't make sense.

CHAPTER THREE: VAMPIRES WITHOUT BORDERS

EPOV

"Vampire?"

You heard me, leech.

I sighed, annoyed with Sam's demeanor. He and his puppy clique came here with a big testosterone fanfare to find Jacob and tell him about the trespassing on their land, ready to accuse a Cullen.

But he knew perfectly well that it hadn't been a member of my family because the scent they'd caught was unfamiliar and even Sam, who hated my family with a fiery passion, was well aware we had never broken the treaty before and wouldn't start now. The irony that he was standing on Cullen land at the moment wasn't lost on either of us, although he'd never admit how awkward it was. I could tell he was embarrassed by standing on our front porch, having to fetch Jacob here and brief him on what they'd detected.

To make himself feel a little better, he had to push my buttons, coming here with his intimidating attitude, hoping it might cause a little rumble. All because it would be more natural to fight your mortal enemy instead of having an - almost - polite conversation.

I looked at Jacob, who was scowling at his pack members and I wondered if this was a test of loyalty for Sam. His mind didn't give away as much but it wasn't hard to imagine that he had issues with the fact Jacob had sort of befriended the enemy. Well, more than befriended actually though the status of Jacob's relationship with Angela was unclear to the pack. I knew Jacob kept it that way deliberately because they were already giving him a hard enough time for imprinting on Angela in the first place. He didn't dare speak about her in their presence because he knew they resented him for imprinting on a vampire of all...beings.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, knowing damn well they'd refuse.

"No," Sam said, while his two comrades snorted simultaneously.

Like we'd ever step inside the door. You can't be trusted to keep your fangs to yourself, Embry thought.

I shrugged, not giving a damn if they wanted to or not. If they trusted me or not. That was not what this was about anyway.

"Suit yourself."

"Trespasser," Jacob pressed, tapping his foot anxiously. "Vampire trespasser? Did they cross the border?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "We didn't check. We just came to inform you."

"You think one of us crossed the border," I deadpanned, in no mood to beat around the bush.

Sam narrowed his eyes, his jaw taut. He didn't say a word. Embry spoke up instead. "A vampire on Quileute land. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who it was."

He sounded smug but I was barely impressed. "It wasn't one of us. We know the rules of the treaty. Sam knows that it wasn't one of us. You're just here to make a big scene, flash a little teeth; demand Jacob's loyalty."

"You most broke the treaty once," Sam muttered and I could see in his mind that he referred to a time when I had basically kidnapped Bella from the hospital to show her the border of the treaty in hopes to explain to her why things between Jacob and I had been so tense at that time and why she had gotten hurt in the process.

"I never crossed the border," I stated firmly. "So if this is a visit to remind me and my family of the rules, you're wasting your time. Of course, if this is to gauge Jacob's reaction to the news, hoping to have him doubt us and create a breach in the fragile level of trust we have build...well, it's up to Jacob to determine success there."

"I know it wasn't you," Jacob muttered. "And I think we shouldn't forget there's still a rogue vampire out there."

I was surprisingly thankful Jacob acknowledged that he knew it hadn't been a Cullen. It showed he at least trusted us on some level.

"Could've been him," I agreed. "Garrett."

Garrett. The vampire who had worked for Kate and had taken Angela from the masquerade ball before Kate had managed to change her. Jacob's mind showed the desire to rip this vamp to shreds for what he had done to Angela.

"Rogue vampire?" Sam wondered, surprised.

"Yes," I affirmed, also surprised Jacob had not shared this news with his pack. I knew that when in wolf form they were able to read each other's minds so it must have taken huge effort on Jacob's part to keep that information to himself.

"You knew about this?" He asked Jacob, though it sounded more like an accusation.

"I told you about the gang of vampires," Jacob scoffed. "Garrett was one of them."

Alright, so it would seem he had shared some information. But not the most crucial part. The reason behind it was simple. He didn't want the pack to look for a rogue. He wanted to be the one to find Garrett at some point and deal with him. It showed Jacob's straight to the point, almost simplistic character; he hadn't thought of a plan, he hadn't thought to inform his pack about the specifics; he'd simply been hoping to get his revenge at some point by killing Garrett when he'd had the chance.

"And he got away," Sam said harshly. "Now it seems we have another problem."

"Another problem?" Jacob asked. "What else is there?"

I could see it playing out in Sam's mind. How they had picked up on the unfamiliar but threatening scent, instantly realizing it had to a vampire. There was no question. It just wasn't the vampire we assumed it to be.

"The scent we caught was of a female vampire. If that Garrett is still out there too, then we have two vampires on the loose."

"Female vampires smell different. I suppose with their advanced level of smell the wolves pick up on it too."

I was sitting in Carlisle's office where he, Esme and I discussed the pack's visit. Jasper and Alice were hunting with Angela. While she did very well, she got anxious easily, which resulted in an increased level of thirst. The hunting was a necessity so that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable.

Bella was asleep in my room because her dad had allowed her to sleep over because of the party. Now that she was eighteen he had given a bit of leeway when it came to curfews and sleepovers but he was still cautious and had set some rules.

Well just one. No public displays of affection when he was around. It wasn't as easy to follow as it seemed but to keep the Chief happy I always kept an appropriate distance whenever he was around.

Stubborn as she was, Bella had refused to go to bed at first but then her eyes had started drooping and I had carried her up.

''What does this mean?" Esme asked and her face was etched with worry.

"It means we have a problem," I sighed.

"Another rogue vampire on the loose," Carlisle explained. "This is getting out of hand. Garrett might be around and now we have a female vampire out there as well."

"We need to patrol the area," I suggested. "See if we can find a trail. If anything it might give us a clue if Garrett is still around and if maybe he is connected to this trespasser. I can't imagine he would lurk about for months and there haven't been any suspicious deaths that would indicate a vampire has been feeding here, but better safe than sorry."

"Are we certain it's not Angela?" Esme wondered. "I mean maybe they picked up an old trail. She crossed the border before."

"The trail was fresh and we haven't left Angela alone since she's been here," I explained.

Esme nodded in acceptance. "That's true."

"Alice has called Emmett and Rosalie back. They'll be here tomorrow," Carlisle said. "I want to find this rogue as soon as possible. This is really very unfortunate."

"Jacob said he would talk to his pack about checking out the area," I shared. "We need permission to cross the border."

Carlisle nodded. "The last thing we need is breaking the treaty and start a war with the wolves."

"I am pretty sure Jacob is trying to explain the necessity of a truce as best as he can. I just hope he manages to convince them soon because I feel we're wasting time here."

"Well,'' Carlisle said, as he opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a thick manila file holder."Perhaps we can discuss something else in the mean time. You know that in the past few months I have been trying to figure out what happened with Mark Daggett and his daughter, seeing as they'd seemed to have vanished right after Sapphire Daggett was admitted to the hospital. So I contacted Jenks."

Our family had worked with a private investigator named J. Jenks for years. He was human and aware we were different. He also didn't care because he harbored a gratitude that had lasted for centuries after Jasper had saved his great grandfather during the Civil War. This had gone from Jenks' grandfather, to his father and now Jenks himself helped us with paperwork, fake ID's etc and now Carlisle had hired him to look into the whereabouts of Mark Daggett and his daughter.

"And?"

"And Daggett used his credit card at a car rental service right before Sapphire was taken from the hospital. A little later but on the same day there was also a transaction at Sea-Tac."

"So he left the country?"

"It's possible. Unfortunately, Jenks wasn't able to find out where he went but he is looking into that and will get back to me as soon as possible."

"We need to know where he went and even better; where he's now. Sapphire was pretty badly injured, it makes no sense he was being reckless by taking her away from medical care," I said.

"Perhaps he had a doctor elsewhere," Esme weighed in. "Maybe someone he trusted better than the local doctors."

"I suppose that's an option," Carlisle agreed. "However, Edward has a good point. It does seem very callous to allow an injured young woman to travel"

"Hmm...that could be in our advantage," I mused.

"Why?"

"If he left the country right after he took Sapphire from the hospital then maybe he didn't take a commercial flight. Perhaps he chartered a private jet. Whatever he did, Sapphire needed medical attention and that kind of thing stands out at an airport."

Carlisle smiled approvingly. "And Jenks is good. If Daggett got spotted leaving the country, he'll find out where he went."

Bella was no longer asleep when I went to my room to check on her. This didn't surprise me in the least. Bella was too stubborn for her own good and would even forego the necessity of sleep, when she wanted to be a part of things.

"And?" she demanded.

"And you should be asleep," I scoffed. "Do you ever listen?"

Bella rolled her eyes as if to say "Please, you know me."

"I woke up in a cold and empty bed," she pouted.

"Never mind, it was a rhetorical question," I teased. "And even if I'd been there, the bed would have been cold."

My body temperature was obviously something that literally stood or lay between us. Bella always had to be wrapped up like she was in a cocoon because my cool skin would give her chills whenever she wasn't protected by a blanket or some kind of fabric. Only surrounded by cascading warm water or in the literal heat of passion it wasn't a problem to be skin on skin.

Sometimes my cool skin came in handy but it always remained tricky to touch for a long time without some sort of heat emanating from one of us to make it comfortable. During summer she had been sick with a cold and high fever and I could only hold her when she was sweating with fever. Of course, moments later she would be chattering her teeth and shaking her body because she'd be freezing. It had been a combined effect of warm water bottles and my cool skin that had finally broken her fever.

Seeing her that sick and not being able to touch her had been hell. It had definitely put a "check" in the pro "Bella as a Vampire" column.

"So," Bella pushed. "What's going on?"

"We need to find this rogue vampire," I told her as I moved to lie next to her on the bed that now covered a part of my room.

"Garrett?"

"No. According to the pack it would appear it's a female vampire."

Bella seemed to take some time processing that information. I guessed the possibility of two rogue vampires was a lot scarier to a human than it was to us vampires. And considering the fact we were in fact worried, I could only imagine how Bella felt; probably terrified.

"It's alright," I tried to sooth her when she remained quiet. "You know I would never let anything happen to you."

Bella let out one harsh laugh as she shuddered.

"Are you cold?'' I asked and I started to secure the soft golden bed spray around her before she answered. "I could lie on the covers, if I'm freezing you?"

Bella rolled her eyes and snuggled closer to me for emphasis. "Not cold,'' she said."I...I'm just worried."

"Like I said, I will protect you."

"I'm not worried for myself. I faced a bunch of rogue vampires before, remember?"

Oh, I remembered. It was impossible to forget. Stubborn Bella had insisted on playing the hero by trying to crack the mystery of the Daggett family all by herself. Instead she had been taken by Sapphire's vampire mother and almost got devoured by her too, if I hadn't saved her in time.

"Then what is it?''

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Bella sighed as she moved to lay her head on my chest.

I chuckled softly at the irony that the fragile human feared for the strong vampire. Only Bella would use that logic.

"I'll be fine," I murmured as I pressed soft kisses into her hair.

"Are you going to La Push?" Bella wondered.

"Yes, if Jacob can convince the pack that we need to cross the border and it won't break the treaty, then yes. We need to find more clues."

"Any idea what this could be? Maybe Garrett changed someone?" Bella opted.

"That's a possibility. Though I can't imagine why he would stay in the area."

"It's been months," Bella agreed. "You'd think he'd be gone by now, especially since it's an uneven divide. He's alone and there are not only enough vampires to take him but also a wolf pack. He's seen both."

"If that's the case then turning someone might actually make sense," I mused.

"If he did, so you think there will be more?"

I sighed, knowing that was a possibility, uncertain how to answer Bella without scaring her.

"Bella, it's late; please close your eyes and try and get some more sleep."

"So, that's a yes then."

"It's an "I don't know. Now...please, for me. I don't want you to lose sleep over this."

"Too late," Bella muttered as she turned around, sighing deeply in frustration.

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not," she said as she sought my arm to pull my chest against her back. "Just worried. You'll be careful right? No brave reckless vampire behavior?"

"I'll try."

"Do more than try; promise me," Bella demanded, her voice fainter because she was finally succumbing to sleep

"I promise," I murmured against the dark, knowing well enough that keeping that promise wouldn't be that easy.

"Love you," Bella mumbled incoherently.

"I love you too."

Rosalie and Emmett returned home early morning before the sun was even up and after settling in; they instantly dived into brainstorming about our latest problem.

Emmett believed kicking some ass would suffice, while Rosalie openly wondered if it was time for us to move.

"This is getting out of control," she said. "We're getting too conspicuous. I think it's time to move on. Maybe we could go to Alaska for a while."

"It's not that bad," Alice countered. "We need to make sure we find this vampire that's on the loose and find out if Garrett is still around as well. We can take both," she added with confidence.

"And what if more show up?" Rosalie pointed out. "After everything that has happened, it's not unreasonable to assume that the area attracts the supernatural. And we can't risk the exposure. If this Garrett is around and he is responsible for this new vampire, we could be facing more than just two rogue vamps."

"I have to agree with Rose," Jasper weighed in. "Well to an extent. Word travels fast, we know this. This could mean that Garrett might have talked to another coven, telling them about us. Or maybe the rogue vampire that trespassed on Quileute land went there because Garrett told her about the wolves. He has seen and fought Jacob. Maybe he was bragging."

"Now, If that's the case, not only do we risk exposure, like Rose pointed out but we also risk more vampires visiting," he added.

"You think they'd come here in some sort of territory display?" Carlisle wondered. "Trying to challenge us? Or perhaps it's like a pilgrimage; seeing another supernatural force in real life."

"Like wanting a looksy at the big bad wolves?'' Emmett asked. "'Cause most never saw one. Like spotting Loch Ness."

"Uh, yes, something like that," Carlisle nodded.

"The female vampire roamed around on Quileute land out of curiosity?" I said. "I doubt that."

"Agreed," Jasper explained. "I think it's a bit more basic; primal."

"Meaning?" Bella asked. I could tell she was eager to throw herself into the conversation to feel she was a part of this, knowing that after graduation she would be a real part of these discussions. An immortal part.

"Revenge," Jasper said. "Like Carlisle said; maybe they want to challenge us. Maybe she was just scouting the area."

Revenge? It made sense he wanted that, since we had killed the coven he'd belonged to. That also made him more vicious and dangerous. Revenge was a primal goal; no compromises, just going for the kill.

"Is Jacob in danger?" Angela spoke up. "He's the only wolf Garrett saw and he fought him. Maybe Garrett only wants to kill him."

That was an angle Jasper hadn't thought of and I could tell he appreciated the possibility that Angela had presented.

"Revenge on the wolves, instead of us. That's interesting."

Angela didn't agree with him, it only made her worry more.

"So Garrett might be creating some back up vampires to get revenge?" Emmett said, trying to make sense of it all while also hoping he'd get to fight. "On either us or the wolves."

Jasper shrugged. "We're just speculating here. First we need to check out the scene; find this rogue vampire. Once we've done that we can determine if it's got anything to do with Garrett and if it's a direct danger to us or the wolves."

"Or both," I pointed out.

Later in the day, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett went to patrol around the border without actually crossing it, hoping to pick up the scent on our side as well.

Alice forced Angela and Bella to go to Seattle on a shopping trip. Both had protested but Alice being Alice had been relentless. Even Angela's possible exposure couldn't stop her. A beret on Angela's head, ray bans to cover her eyes, the fact she had never been in Seattle before so possible recognition would be limited and my sister's reassurance she didn't see anything bad happening, was enough to convince Carlisle to let them go.

I stayed behind with Esme, because Carlisle had just left for a rotation shift at the hospital. I could tell she was bouncing to talk to me and one sheepish smile that told her I could pick what bothered her from her thoughts, gave her enough encouragement to share.

"I had a call from Carmen the other day. She and Irina have just gotten back from Paris. She told me that the last time she heard from Eleazar and Tanya they were in Moscow after spending some time in Italy."

It was the most bizarre of stories. Like a vampire soap opera, Eleazar had left his century long mate Carmen for Tanya who had been looking for a mate for just as many centuries. She had tried to seduce me multiple times but I had always turned her down because there was simply nothing there. No common interests, no sexual or emotional connection. Just a black void. Tanya wasn't who she pretended to be; she often cheated with her diet - like us the Denali's didn't hunt humans either, although Irina and Tanya had been known to nip a little blood in their sexual succubae acts with human men, and now she had destroyed a solid partnership between Eleazar and Carmen.

And Eleazar, true to strangely human fashion had followed his rock hard cock when Tanya had suggested they leave "dreary" Denali, Alaska and travel "Romantic Europe" for a bit. Carmen, who loved Denali and their life there, had been heartbroken, as far as one without a beating heart could be.

"I guess Rosalie and Emmett didn't visit for nothing then, at least they spent so time with Carmen and Irina. I wonder what will happen now that they're divided. They were obviously much more solid as a coven of four."

"Carmen is worried about Tanya. Said she'd been acting erratic long before she dragged Eleazar away. She's worried Tanya will try and convince Eleazar to change their diet."

This was worrying. It had always been a comfort to know there was one coven similar to us in the surrounding area. Spread all over the world there were more covens that lived on a strict animal blood diet but most lived too far away in case of an emergency.

And if Garrett was creating a new coven and it would boil down to a fight, getting help from allies would be necessary. It certainly didn't help if two of them would either be absent or playing for the other side.

"If Tanya turns rogue and convinces Eleazar to do the same, there's no telling what she'll be capable of. She can be quite vindictive."

Maybe she is the one who crossed the border, Esme mused.

"Is there any chance she's the female vampire?" she asked aloud, knowing I could see the question posed in her head.

"If so, one of the others will catch the scent. Still, I doubt she would stay on the Quileute side of the border though. She would come here."

"I suppose you're right," Esme agreed but she didn't seem reassured.

"Have you told Carlisle about your worries?" I asked. "I mean, I think the chance is very small but he should know just the same."

"He knows Carmen called but I didn't share this particular worry."

I moved closer to my mother to give her a hug, which she welcomed eagerly. "I think this vampire soap opera is the least of our problems. Tanya and Eleazar are probably living it up in Europe. Let's hope at least he will come to his senses."

"It's such a shame, isn't it? You'd think that vows would mean something to both Tanya and Eleazar. Marriage is sacred whether you're immortal or not."

I nodded in agreement but I also knew that those particular vows meant very little to Tanya.

"Speaking of marriage..." Esme said, her golden eyes burning with excitement, "Alice said you are planning to propose to Bella."

I frowned at the information because it was incorrect. Well, actually it was probably correct if Alice had visions about it but Esme made it seem like I was ready to pop the question at any moment and Alice was simply using her normal busy-body attitude to get something done.

"That's...well...I am thinking about it," I admitted.

"Oh, Edward!" Esme cheered. "That's such wonderful news."

"Hold up," I said, trying to temper her enthusiasm. "Nothing's set in stone. I mean, Bella and I have plenty to figure out before she becomes immortal and with everything that's going on right now, I haven't even had the chance to put things in perspective, so Alice - as usual - is getting ahead of everything."

But Esme's happiness could not be tamed. "You want to, don't you?"

I couldn't help but smile as I envisioned a Bella in gauzy white. "I do."

It was nearing twilight when everyone arrived back the house. The girls returned from their shopping trip in Seattle first; Alice had once again outdone herself and it surprised me how she had managed to stuff the dozens of bags into the trunk of the Mini Cooper she had purchased over the summer.

Bella looked tired and only carried two bags, while Angela seemed energized and happy. I guess the experience of going out and acting human had been a priceless one for her. Alice was loud and cheery, squeaking at the opportunity to have a fashion show.

"Save me," Bella begged as she launched herself in my arms. "Your sister is insane."

"I am not," Alice countered from the kitchen. "I'm just extravert and bubbly."

"Well, you're also immortal and don't have the discomfort of blisters on your feet!" Bella yelled, which earned her a round of loud chuckles from Alice.

"Do your feet hurt?" I murmured to which Bella nodded, her lips in a pout.

"Sit on the sofa; I'll take care of them."

A few moments later Bella was stretched on the cream colored sofa, her feet resting in my lap while I rubbed them gently and put ointment on them.

"Mmm," Bella sighed contently as she closed her eyes in relaxation.

"Is it good?"

"Very good. You are very good with your hands."

"I know," I boasted. "And with my fingers too," I added as I lifted one foot and traced her toes with my finger.

"That tickles," Bella giggled.

"I also know a few tricks with my mouth," I said huskily, starting to press soft kisses on Bella's foot which made her moan softly.

"If this is your version of a foot rub after a long day, I am going to go shopping more often," she murmured.

"I'll happily oblige anytime," I whispered before sucking Bella's cute pinky toe in my mouth.

"Holy..." Bella hissed incoherently.

"While toes aren't often an erogenous zone, it seems you have a bit of a foot fetish, Miss. Swan."

Thank you Google.

"I do when you do that," Bella mumbled, while I went back to gently caressing her foot, rewarded by more moans and a heartbeat that was increasing. I could even smell a faint hint of arousal, which started to get me worked up as well.

I was about to suggest going upstairs when Emmett came bursting through the door, followed by Jasper and Rosalie.

"Oh, foot porn," he cheered, causing Bella to bolt up in embarrassment. "Nice boner Edward," he added and I instantly grabbed a pillow to hide the bulge.

"Gross," Rosalie muttered. I gave her a skeptical look because I - unfortunately - knew aplenty about her sex life with Emmett.

Esme and Angela came in through the kitchen, both unaware of what the others had walked into.

"And? Did you find anything?"

"Well," Jasper said, "There is a trail on our side of the border too but the scent seems masked. It's definitely female and since the scent isn't lingering on our side, it would seem the vampire only passed through. I would have to know if the scent is stronger on Quileute land to determine where she might have headed."

"How long do you think the scent has been there?" I asked.

"Few days, maybe a week. I don't think this one came with the purpose of staying."

"A nomad passing through?" Esme said and I sensed her relief when she realized that would make unlikely it had been Tanya.

"Could be. The scent was strong enough to catch but it wasn't familiar to me. It could also be a vampire scouting the area, if we consider the Garrett/ revenge scenario. "

"You say the scent was faint?" I said.

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

"What are you thinking?'" Jasper wondered.

""Newborns are always hard to detect. It hasn't rained since last week. So the scent shouldn't be masked by natural elements."

"But it was masked," Jasper mused, smiling a little because he enjoyed a bit of detective work.

"Possibly by fresh venom and swimming in blood," I said.

"Hello, some people need back story," Rosalie said, eye rolling.

"Well, this is why we need to check the trail on Quileute side," Jasper said, before explaining. "You see, newborns have a scent you don't pick up on that easily. The venom masks it and usually the everyday hunt does too. We can't be sure if this scent is masked because it's a newborn though, but it's possible."

"Jacob better hurry then," Esme said. "Before the scent disappears entirely."

"Yes," Jasper agreed. "The sooner we can get on Quileute land, the better."

We shared the findings with Carlisle when he got home and he agreed that it was crucial to check how strong the scent of this vampire was on the other side of the border. We were still fuzzy on the possible motive; a vampire passing through was an option but Alice would have had a vision of that, which she hadn't. This was the most confusing thing. Normally, Alice would have no trouble knowing when a vampire would pass through. It didn't happen often but the times it had she had seen it before it happen. This time, nothing. I knew it bothered her and that the shopping spree had been her way to deal with feeling powerless. At least she still had her otherworldly fashion sense.

We were discussing our findings when Carlisle's cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation.

"It's Jenks" Alice announced before Carlisle could pick up. "And he has interesting news."

At least her power still worked in some ways.

I could see the conversation playing in her head but it was a bit fuzzy because this vision was only about the call and not about the answers he'd provide. Carlisle's mind however would fill in the blanks easily.

"Mr. Jenks," he greeted the caller, which had all of us sitting up straight in anticipation.

"What's going on?" Bella wondered as she looked at me curiously. "Is this Jenks person important?"

"He's a private investigator," I explained. "He's looking into the Daggett's whereabouts."

"Oh," Bella said, sitting upright as well.

Before Carlisle hung up to inform the others I had already seen what Jenks had told him.

He had found out where Daggett had gone. And then some.

"Damnit," I hissed, startling Bella.

""Sorry,'' I muttered when I notice her wide eyes.

"What is it?" She asked.

I looked at Carlisle who gave me a nod to proceed.

"Jenks managed to check Daggett's credit card which showed that he rented a car and bought plane tickets when Sapphire was moved from the hospital"

"He took her out of the country? But wasn't she really ill?"

I nodded. "She was very weak. But he didn't move her out of the country."

"No?"

"No, the plane tickets were a ruse maybe because he expected someone - perhaps us - to follow. Daggett drove Sapphire to Seattle but he didn't leave Seattle by plane despite being tickets at Sea Tac."

"They're in Seattle?"

"He might be, but she isn't."

"Huh?"

"I'll second that huh," Emmett grumbled. "Please just cut to the chase."

"Ten days after they arrived in Seattle, a small private jet with medical equipment did leave Sea Tac but the trip was unrelated to the purchased tickets."

"And..."

"The medical equipment consisted mostly out of transfusion bags."

"Blood?"

"Human blood," I said grimly.

"Where did they go?"

"Italy..."

"Still not getting the big shock," Rosalie muttered. "Sapphire was injured and she had lost some blood. Her doctors were probably worried she might need it during the flight."

Carlisle shook his head, speaking up. "She had transfusions at the hospital and that was ten days prior. Her blood loss wasn't severe enough to need additional transfusions later on. But even if she did need them, that's not the most interesting part."

"What is?" Esme asked.

"The private jet she traveled with belonged to Aro Volturi."

Just an FYI: in my story, Kate is not part of the Denali Clan. And well...she's dead.

The whole "newborns are harder to trace" is my creative freedom. I have said it before; S-Meyer created Edward's super sperm, I'll have this.; ;)

Thanks for all your patience and the support! Reviews are not necessary but always welcome :)

This is unbeta'd. If someone is a grammar wizard and wouldn't mind helping me out with making these chapters spelling-error free, by all means PM me.

Have a great week!