BPOV

I walked out to the upstairs hallway with Jacob, leaning on the railing and waving goodbye again as he held the front door open for Billy.

Charlie waited only until the door was shut. "Well, that was a nice idea, Bells. You and Jake have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was great. Hey, I think I'm gonna catch up on some email now. I'll get the dishes later, okay?"

"No, I got it," he said cheerfully.

"Thanks!"

I went back into my room, where Edward was just climbing back in the window. He was wrinkling his nose again as his face cleared the frame.

I rushed over, expecting him to take me in his arms, but he recoiled just slightly when I reached him. He recovered quickly and bent his face down to mine, but I couldn't hold back the giggle that interrupted his kiss.

"Fish last night, and stroganoff tonight. Is there any dinner that doesn't offend your sense of smell?"

He didn't answer, pulling me back in to finish the kiss. He wasn't as gentle as usual, and it caught me off guard. When he finally ended it, I was so dizzy he had to keep both hands on my shoulders to keep me upright.

"So," I began when I could speak again, "how did it go?"

"It was very enlightening."

"Well, I want to hear everything – after I take a shower. I want to smell nice for you." Before he could protest, I danced away from him, grabbing my shower stuff and pile of pajamas.

As I stood with the hot water pounding the back of my head, I wondered what Edward had learned tonight. It was nice to feel like I had actually done something to help for once, instead of just being rescued and carried around everywhere. It was sad, though, to think of the treaty and the history surrounding it. To my human perspective, the vampires and werewolves had a lot of similarities. Why did they have to be enemies?

Of course, tonight hadn't been all work. I had had a great time with Jacob, too – I had forgotten how relaxing it was to be around him. It was as easy as breathing. And it had been especially nice to have a conversation in my room at normal volume, not having to worry about Charlie finding out. It felt normal. It was a shame that Edward couldn't come with us to First Beach this weekend. I felt a pang of envy again for Angela, who didn't know how nice it was to be normal, and not to have to keep your cover story straight all the time. But then, I had Edward- and everything else in the world lined up behind that fact.

I turned up the burned side of my face–now almost healed—and for the first time in a week, enjoyed the feeling of the water as it washed away the makeup. After a couple more days, I shouldn't need it anymore. I couldn't wait to leave this week behind me. I really did feel bad for Edward- he had been cooped up in my room (or just outside it) for most of the week. It would be nice to spend time together with his family tomorrow.

When I reentered my bedroom, I found Edward stretched out on my bed, with his face buried in my pillow and the window still wide open. As soon as I closed the door behind me, he disappeared into thin air, reappeared behind me, and gently took the towel off of my head. He rubbed his face in my wet hair, sighing contentedly.

His face was cold on my shoulder, and he let his cheek linger for a moment on my fading burn.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," I reassured him.

"It still hurts me," he whispered, and I frowned. I thought we were past this.

"So," I said cheerfully. "I tried to get Billy mad again. Did it work?"

Edward tensed, and pulled his face away. "Yes, I learned quite a bit. For starters, the pack has three members right now–just like before. I saw their faces, but only learned one name. Sam Uley. But the big news is that Billy seems to think that my family is responsible for the fact that tribal members are phasing at all."

"What? How is that your fault?"

"Do you remember what I said about the scent this morning? When we first came back in 2003, Carlisle and I were very thorough. We spent several nights searching along the treaty line, expecting a challenge, or at least the scent of patrolling wolves. There was nothing. Still, we waited, assuming we would be contacted by the tribe. The leader of the pack, the Alpha, traditionally has a position on the tribal council, and when we received no warning, no contact of any kind… we finally relaxed, and assumed that the line had died out."

I sank down onto the bed, mesmerized as I listened. Even though he was telling the story of events that happened only two years ago, the depth and rhythm in his voice lent a fairy-tale flavor to the tale. It was so easy to forget how old Edward was, sometimes- but at times like this, I felt like a child listening to her favorite story-telling great uncle.

"You see, when we were here before–back in the thirties—I wasn't able to spend much time around the elders. After the treaty was ratified by both sides, we agreed that we wouldn't meet again, unless there was a problem. I gathered what I could from their minds, but I only ever had bits and pieces of the story. And I couldn't ask them to clarify, to think the right things. We didn't want to let them to know about my ability, of course. We still don't," he added, looking at me meaningfully, and I nodded.

"You can imagine our surprise when we found the fresh scent last night. Tonight, Billy was thinking about the pack beginning to phase last year... although the Alpha may have been phasing for longer than that. At least his theory explains why there was no scent in the beginning."

"But if they've been phasing for that long, why did you just discover the scent last night?"

"Like I said, we stopped checking. We didn't expect a wolf pack to form after we moved back."

"So, what made you check again?"

"I'll get to that part later."

"Okay. Anything else from Billy?"

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly. "He's not happy that Charlie is lifting the restraining order. He wants to drop more hints about us, but he won't do it without the approval of the other council members. He's planning to talk about it with them."

"You mean he wants to tell Charlie the truth?"

"He would never do that. It would raise too many questions, and he doesn't want to risk the pack's existence being made public. I don't think many of the Quileutes know anything about it, other than the old legends."

"The secret council meetings?"

He nodded. "Billy has mixed feelings about the pack existing in the first place. He is grateful for the protection they offer, but he feels sorry for the men themselves. Their burden is heavy, and they seem to feel our presence warrants constant patrolling. As if we would break the treaty," he said angrily. "Billy is pushing it. He has no business giving Charlie hints about us, and Jacob certainly had no business telling you about the legends."

"That was different. He didn't know what he was talking about," I said defensively.

"It didn't matter, did it? It was easy for you to learn the truth after he pointed you in the right direction."

"I suppose. Although by that point I knew there was something."

He sat down on the bed next to me, reaching up and gently tracing my hairline. "That's because you have the type of mind that won't let things go."

"And Charlie doesn't?"

"Alice still hasn't seen a problem. And I need to talk to Carlisle about this, but I think we need to contact the elders. Billy shouldn't be allowed to bend the treaty whenever he feels like it."

"Wouldn't that just stir things up? You contacting them?"

"Well, we're not going to sit idly by while they endanger our position," he said coldly. For just the briefest moment, the fierceness in his eyes was frightening.

"But what would Carlisle say if he did call Billy? That his telepathic son noticed some new threats while he was hiding in my bedroom tonight during dinner?"

Edward scowled. "We'll think of something."

"You wouldn't… fight them, would you?"

"We don't want to. If there was truly a problem, if hostilities truly escalated, I'm positive that Carlisle would simply choose to move away."

"Oh, well… that's good. Anything else? Anything useful from Jacob?"

"Not exactly. We've learned something else, though. The reason Alice saw you disappear yesterday was that she can't see the werewolves. It must be some sort of defensive mechanism, or something about their transmutation. The entire reservation is a blank spot for her visions. As soon as you and Charlie started driving home last night, your futures reappeared again."

"Oh! So there's nothing wrong with Alice?"

"No. She's not happy about it, though. Bella…" He was concentrating on my hands, which he held on the bed between us. "Now that we know that there are werewolves in La Push, I would appreciate a certain favor… something you could help us with."

"Anything."

"Promise?"

"Of course." Why was he stalling?

"I want you to stay away from the reservation."

I frowned. "I thought you wanted me to do something helpful."

"It would be immensely helpful to me."

"I don't understand. You don't want me to go to First Beach this weekend? How does that help you?"

"Bella, I want you to avoid the reservation indefinitely."

My cheeks grew hot. Why did I always end up in the middle of these things? Why could they just get along with each other? "Listen, just because you're prejudiced against werewolves, doesn't mean I have to be."

"This isn't about prejudice–it's about your safety."

"Edward, I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Weren't you listening last night? They're dangerous."

"I'm not their enemy," I said stubbornly.

"Bella, anyone near the werewolves is in constant danger, even their own families. Their phasing is largely ruled by their emotions, and they often can't control when it happens. Sometimes the people near them get hurt. Or worse. And you, especially – not only are you a magnet for trouble, but you have vampire scent all over you. That's the sort of thing that makes them angry, and anger is the emotion most likely to cause a sudden transmutation."

"So tell me who the werewolves are, and I'll avoid those three people."

He closed his eyes, and spoke patiently, as though to a child. "It's not that simple, Bella."

"Why not?"

He looked down at our hands again, tracing the lines on my palm. "There's something else I'd like you to do."

"I haven't agreed to the first one yet!"

He looked back up to me, his eyes hard. "I wasn't asking for your agreement, exactly."

"Good, because I'm not agreeing. What's the other one?"

"I want you to stay away from Jacob."

This was going too far. "And why is that?" I asked hotly.

Edward suddenly looked uncomfortable… unsure. This just made me angrier. Was he just making up rules for the fun of it now?

"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be around him."

All at once, everything became clear. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

His lips twitched up just the tiniest bit. "I wouldn't say jealous, per se."

"What, then?"

"Protective. Concerned."

"Jealous."

"It's as good an excuse as any. You can tell him I'm a possessive jerk, if you like. He already thinks that anyway. Just stay away from him, please. As a favor to me."

"You'll have to give me a better reason than that."

He stared at my hands again for a moment, his jaw clenching and unclenching in quick succession. He seemed to arrive at some decision, and his eyes flew back up to mine. "He's not human, Bella."

I tried to jerk my hands away, but he was suddenly holding them with a stony grip. "What did you just say?"

"I said Jacob Black isn't human."

"Well, he's certainly not a werewolf! He doesn't even know that they exist!" My head was spinning with the conversation Jacob and I had just had. Laughing at the legends, and making up eerie wolf rituals that went on behind closed doors.

"I wasn't sure until tonight. I smelled the scent on you last night—that's why we checked the treaty line again. At first we thought he had picked up the scent from someone else, but when he was here tonight, the scent was quite obvious. Billy suspects, but he's not sure yet. And this room reeks of werewolf," he added distastefully.

"Jacob is not a werewolf," I repeated stupidly.

"He hasn't phased yet, but it's coming. Listen, Bella… I wasn't exactly supposed to tell you about Jacob. It's imperative that he doesn't find out from you."

"Wait. Are you trying to tell me that he's turning into a werewolf, and he doesn't know it?"

"That's precisely what I'm telling you. Now do you understand why I don't want you near him?"

"No."

"Please, try to understand," he said, using the annoying patient voice again. "Werewolves are most dangerous when they're new. It takes time to learn to control the phasing. Most of the mistakes are made in the beginning. In fact, the only thing more dangerous than a young werewolf is one who hasn't phased yet."

"As in, it could happen at any moment?"

"I can't be sure, but I think it's going to happen sometime in the next few months. I don't believe his body is ready just yet to begin phasing, but it can be triggered prematurely… especially in the presence of strong emotions."

"Okay, so if he gets mad about something, I'll give him some space. Problem solved. Any other special requests?"

His face was expressionless, carved from stone. "They weren't requests, Bella."

"So this is what, a supernatural restraining order?"

He cocked his head. "That's an interesting analogy. Yes, I suppose that's right."

My face was getting hot again. "In case you haven't been around the past week, I don't like people telling me who I can and can't associate with."

"He's a monster."

I snorted. "Well, there's a pot calling the kettle black." I instantly wished I could take the words back. He inched as if I'd slapped him. "No, that's not what I meant at all. You know I don't think of you that way. But one mythical creature saying the other one is too dangerous? Don't you think that's a little hypocritical?" I wrenched my hands out of his, and this time, he allowed it.

"This is a completely different situation."

"Different, how?" I demanded. "Different than the danger I was in the first day you and I met?"

He swallowed, and I noticed now that his eyes had slowly been darkening throughout the conversation. "It's getting late," he said quietly. "We can talk about this tomorrow."

"Fine," I fumed as he pressed my shoulders down to my pillow, and drew the covers up over me. "But just so we're clear, I've had enough restraining orders."

"Perhaps that wasn't the best analogy," he said flatly as he turned out the light. He stretched out beside me, running his fingers through my hair in silence for a while. "Bella, please, try to imagine what it's like for me. I almost lost you three months ago, and yesterday I was afraid I would lose you again. Now I find out that you're living mere miles away from a werewolf pack. And that you've been sitting right next to him…" he shuddered. "If he were to phase while you were that close, well… can't you see why I'm a little anxious?"

"I suppose so," I admitted. "But I don't see why that means I'm can't still be his friend. Or why I can't go on the reservation. All we need to do is find out the other names, and I'll be careful."

He chuckled. "Bella Swan says she'll be careful. Now why doesn't that make me feel better?"

"Because you're overprotective."

Edward sat up on his elbow and glared at me in the dimness. "He's not just dangerous, he's volatile."

"Edward, you've met him one time. How well could you possibly know him?"

"Three times. And I know enough."

"Hmph. I still think you're jealous."

"Whatever works."

"I'm going to sleep," I grumbled, and I yanked the covers closer, rolling away from him. He just sighed and began humming my lullaby.

I stared at the far wall for a while he sang. It was rare for me to stay awake with him here, and all I could think about was Jacob. He was so carefree, so young, and it seemed unfair that his fate was already decided. Would he want this? When would someone tell him what was happening to him? Were there full moons involved? What would it be like to transform? Would it hurt? I shuddered involuntarily.

"Are you all right?" Edward whispered.

"This stinks," I growled.

"You can smell it?"

I rolled back over, flopping my arms down beside me. "No, I mean this stinks for Jacob. What if he doesn't want to be a werewolf? Does he get to opt out?"

"I don't think it works that way."

"Well, that's not fair."

"These things usually aren't. Rest, Bella. I'll be gone in the morning. Carlisle and I need to talk."

I nodded against my pillow. He began singing quietly, and soon the darkness was swirling around me.

I was in a forest, and on my right side were the Cullens, all of them except Edward crouched with bared teeth. He was still singing my lullaby as he stood like a marble statue in the moonlight, oblivious to his family's peril. On my left, there was an advancing pack of wolves. I held my arms up, my hands outstretched to keep them apart, but they wouldn't listen. They all crashed together around me, roars and howls in my ears, and I was trampled. As I fell, I could hear Edward's song ringing through the trees, drowning out the sound of the battle.

A/N: Next chapter will be in Charlie's point of view!