A/N: I hope everyone had a great weekend (or is having). Jesse has found out that the monsters he heard lurked in the woods may not have only been fiction. Edward thinks he is ahead of the Cullen's, but not everything is as it appears. What do they have planned? Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 26 – Fight or Flight

A dark eerie chuckle echoed through the woods. It sounded almost dead as if the Grim Reaper himself were enjoying the spectacle before him, looking down upon the unsuspecting humans whose souls he was about to snatch.

As the ring of death's minion reached the ears of the wolves close to the beach, the bristles on their hair stood on end, their hackles raised, and they were immediately ready to pounce. They couldn't see the interloper, but they knew he was there… waiting and watching them. Some of the wolves, with more sensitive senses of smell, knew the trespasser was somewhere above them… in the trees, in the shadows, or maybe flying through the sky like the old fairy tales say is possible of evil.

Sam knew this was the stranger. In front of him, a shack where Paul was keeping Charlie and Jesse lay in a heap in front of the door where he passed out as soon as he caught sight of the oversized legendary beasts; and if his nose was right, the elder did more than just faint. Above him and hidden, lay the vampire enemy. He knew it wasn't the Cullen's for they didn't dare to break the treaty, but a roaming vampire that didn't know the law of the land… he or she would cross the boarders and soon find themselves knocking at the gates of hell. The Quileute tolerated the Cullen family, they would tolerate no others, especially those that put their tribe at risk. No, above them was the nomadic cold one that had been terrorizing the Pacific Northwest, and if Sam had to guess, he figured the vampire followed the scent of fresh blood looking for a quick meal.

Taking a step forward and digging his paws into the ground, the alpha mentally communicated with his pack, "Jared, take the others and find the leech."

"What about Paul?" The beta questioned.

"He's mine. I can handle him myself. Now go!" Sam growled, baring his teeth, and snapping at his followers. Now was not the time to question orders, and as the leader, he was positive he could handle one stray wolf on his own. He had a lot of questions for his subordinate, and that included just why it was he could fly below radar and Sam couldn't hear his thoughts.

Once he was alone, the sound of his growl became almost deafening; a warning to the man in the cabin. Sam knew he had to tread lightly because there was an innocent man hurt behind the walls, and in Paul's current mental condition, there was no telling what stunt he would pull next. No, the leader had to be careful, and yet, he also had to regain control over a lesser wolf.

"You really think that will taunt me? Will force me to give up?" Paul bellowed from inside the shelter.

The growl intensified and the wolf kicked some sand behind him.

A muffled laugh was the response. It sounded almost sinister and insane. "If you haven't figured it out, parading your feathers like a peacock trying to win a duel doesn't work on me. It may have once, but no more. Now I am in control!"

If the threat of a giant wolf would not work, Sam knew his only choice was to phase and deal with the traitor man to man. Shifting back into a man, he didn't even bother with clothes: there wasn't time, there was no point, and considering he was somewhat in the middle of a fight, it was the right time.

Once in his human form again, he yelled, "Come out here Paul!"

"I don't think so!" Came the hysterical reply.

"Then let Charlie go!"

"No, we need him! You don't understand anything! You want to live peacefully, but you can't do that with those leeches! They are the enemy and they will suck our people dry… just like they did in the past."

"The Cullen's have upheld the treaty until now."

"Are you sure about that? What if they are using the fact that there are strangers preying on the people here to have a little nibble of human blood themselves?"

"It hasn't been them. I have gone to every scene and none of the victims had the scent of a Cullen on them!" Sam was starting to lose his temper and could feel his blood literally boiling. Soon he would lose the tight reign he had on his temper and when that happened, he could not be responsible for the consequences… and this time he might actually not feel guilty. "What does taking Charlie have to do with all of this?"

Another laugh, "He is the bait that will trap them all, and then I will get rid of all the cold ones. I will protect this tribe. I will do whatever needs to be done to make sure we survive. You can bow down to them, but I will no longer accept them!"

"You've lost your fucking mind! You are not protecting our people, you are sentencing them to death! The nomad will take blood where he can and you were the one that brought him on our land. You!" Voice more animal than man now, he breathed deeply in an effort to calm down before he shifted and demolished the shed. He only held back because he did not want the blood of three victims on his hands, but he could not control it much longer.

"Son, I don't know what's going on, but you have to listen to him," Charlie pled. His eyes were in and out of focus and his head felt like it had been hit with a jackhammer, but he was conscious enough to hear the conversation.

Squatting down next to his sacrifice, Paul spat, "I don't think so. You have no clue what he is or what any of us are capable of." The shifter regained his feet and shouted, "I didn't bring any of them here, but I will make sure none of them come on our land again. They all need to die!"

"And Charlie?" Sam cried out on the verge of turning into a wild animal again.

Paul looked down at his hostage and smirked, "Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Little Bella Swan is in tight with the Cullen's and some say she has become a whore for them. With her father here, she will come for him or send her keepers. If she comes herself, they will eventually follow and break the treaty. Sacrifices for the greater good. You just never saw that! His blood will lure the cold ones here and then I will kill them all!"

There was no reaching his subordinate. Paul had completely lost his mind if he thought that plan would work at all. Sam had no other choice. Phasing back into a wolf, he howled and leaped towards the cabin barely missing Jesse's body as his head made contact with the door and forced it off its hinges.

Charlie heard the noise and looked up. His mind must be playing tricks on him because no wolf was really that big. With the pain and pressure in his head increasing, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to succumb to sleep.

Growling, Sam bared his teeth and snapped his powerful jaws towards Paul.

He should have been trapped, he knew that, but there was a reason he had picked this small cabin. Phasing himself, Paul's enormous figure took up most of the room available and using his hind legs, he kicked out the back all… already having loosened the nails there. Now he had room to fight. The shed was just a cage to trap his victims, but it would work for an alpha that was too blind to see the truth as well. Paul would not let a vampire hurt another human being as long as he was around. He couldn't. One of the victims had been a friend from school… from before he moved back with his father. His death had not happened in Forks, but Paul had found out about it and he never wanted to hear that another victim was another friend. He couldn't, and with a little bit of help, he wouldn't ever have to shoulder that worry again.

Flying at his alpha, Paul tried to grab onto his neck, but Sam jumped back and was able to dodge before Paul's teeth made contact. Instead they bit down hard on air.

The alpha knew that if they remained where they were, the two innocent bodies lying unconscious and helpless would suffer and could die. He needed to move, even if it was just a small distance. Taking two steps back and shifting slightly to the right, he would make the other wolf believe he was retreating. At least he hoped that is what Paul believed, and he was also counting on the assumption that if he couldn't hear Paul's thoughts, then maybe Paul couldn't hear his.

Paul took the bait and followed, chasing his superior and believing he managed to scare Sam. It was true that he was at a disadvantage and couldn't hear the other wolf, but that didn't mean he was on the losing end. No, he would win today.

When everything started to happen and the bodies started to multiply, Paul knew it was the work of vampires… they all did. And he also knew that Sam and the others would want to play it safe and not do whatever was necessary to eradicate the problem. To this end, Paul visited one of the elders, convinced him his way was right, and learned how to break the link. This man was one of the last surviving wolves from the Cullen's first trip to Forks; one who did not agree with the treaty in the first place. He learned a lot from him, and he would repay the knowledge handed down to him by terminating all vampires in the area. None would be welcome and he would make sure that all vampires who came north knew to steer clear of Forks and the local reservation.

A few more steps back and the alpha knew the bodies would be safe. Digging his feet once again into the sand, Sam's growl intensified, and if his subordinate could hear him, he would understand the alpha was warning him one last time to back down.

Paul didn't listen and jumped high into the air hoping to land on the other wolf.

Leaping back so that he was not hit, he waited and as soon as Paul's paws hit sand, Sam rammed his side sending him crashing to the ground. The other wolf was only stunned momentarily and just as the alpha bore down on him again to sink his teeth into his neck, Paul got to his feet and tried to bite as well. This continued on for several minutes, and it appeared as if they were participating in some kind of dance.

It wouldn't last forever though and Paul learned quickly why Sam was the alpha of the pack. Studying his opponent, he waited and when Paul leapt towards him, Sam dropped his body slightly and bit his subordinates shoulder. A howl of pain escaped the bitten party and the alpha shifted his bite to the neck and threw Paul to the ground and squeezed. His words, threat, and actions were clear, "Surrender or you will die."

Paul tried to struggle, but he could not break the hold the other wolf had on him. He had a choice to make, but if he surrendered now, who's to say he couldn't break the bond again, he couldn't enact his plan at a later time? No one. What were they going to do, throw him in jail? There wasn't a jail cell that could hold him. As soon as he shifted, he could break free… and he knew no one wanted to deal with an oversized wolf. They would be too afraid. He would surrender now and act later.

Squeezing his jaws a little more, Sam could taste the blood that had started to seep from the wounds his mouth created. Nothing was terminal or even life threatening. If he had really wanted to kill his friend and fellow pack mate, he could have. He knew exactly how much pressure to exert and where to bite. From here he could kill him, however, he would rather not have to do that. A little more force and pressure.

Finally, yelping his surrender, Paul was released. If he was in human form, his hands would have been rubbing his neck where the puncture wounds were. He was hurt both in pride and physically and Sam hardly looked winded. This was not fair and he did not like to lose. He hated losing today, and yet, he also understood that if he didn't concede the fight, he would have lost his life and he was less ready for that twist of fate. Shifting to a human, he lay there on the beach, allowing his wounds to heal and close.

With no more than a passing thought, Sam shifted back into his human form and called Billy. They would need an ambulance for both Charlie and Jesse, however, Paul should be almost fully healed by the time the paramedics arrived.

Cameron ran up to Sam a few minutes later breathing hard, "He got away and crossed over the border. There were to leeches close by and they took after him."

"I want you to take Paul and don't let him out of your sight. I'm going to wait for the paramedics and then go to Billy's house," Sam replied with a nod. It wasn't good news, but it wasn't the end of the world and hopefully, the two vampires would catch the nomad.

Cullen house…

Carlisle returned the handset to its cradle on his desk when he finished the call. Sitting across from him were Bella and Jasper, one looking more anxious than he had ever seen her and he briefly wondered why his son wasn't using his gift on her. That was something to dwell on later, now he had to pass on the news he just received. Allowing a small smile to turn up his lips, he said, "Charlie has been found and is going to the hospital. I'm going to meet the ambulance. Would you like to come with me?"

"YES!" Bella exclaimed and bolted out of her seat. She had been awaiting this news what seemed like an eternity and she needed to see her father again. Needed to know with her own eyes that he was alright.

"Darlin', you need to be careful. James and Edward…" Jasper started to warn her.

Turning on him, she glared, "He's my father. I know that there are crazies out there, but I want to go to him. Please JW? Understand?" Regardless if he approved her request or not, she was going.

Sighing, the southern vampire pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, breathing in her unique scent. He understood and if the situation were reversed, he would be rushing off to the hospital as well, but with James and Edward still hunting her, he didn't feel comfortable allowing her to leave the house. Call it macho pride or whatever, this was Bella and she was his most precious person… his mate.

"Jasper, I will be with her and you are always more than welcome to come as well," Carlisle offered.

A moment of consideration and then Jasper finally agreed, "I'll go. Let me talk to Peter and Charlotte and we will meet you there Carlisle. I want them to watch the house and Alice. I'll protect Bella."

"Alright," the Cullen patriarch said and then walked out of the room.

"I can go with…" Bella was unable to finish that sentence when she caught the murderous glare from her mate.

Shaking his head, he disagreed, "No you can't. You will wait on me and by the time we get to the hospital, Carlisle will have Charlie settled or at least he can begin examining him. You aren't leaving my sight." Pulling her out of the room, he explained the situation to Peter and Charlotte before he turned to Alice, "Let them know if you see anything and call me as well. Stay safe shorty."

"Will do," Alice grinned, albeit it was a bit forced. There was no telling why James was after both her and Bella, and with Edward acting the way he was… she knew they were more than likely going to have to take down a family member; and even though it was necessary, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"I'd take you with us, but I really don't want to draw everyone to a hospital full of people," Jasper announced.

"Yah, that would be bad," Peter concurred.

Esme stepped forward, "I'll go with you."

Nodding, Jasper accepted her offer and the trio left the house. He could feel the nervousness and fear coming from his mate. She was afraid of the situation, afraid of losing her father, afraid of… probably more things than he probably knew at this time. One by one he would battle her fears, and day by day he would anchor her to his side because he knew he would never be able to live without her again.

Elsewhere…

The moment James emerged on their side of the border, Rosalie and Emmett started chasing him. They knew getting him was their primary objective, and this time they prayed they did not lose him. Charlie would have to wait.