A/N: Thank you everyone. I really do believe that I have the best readers in the world. I always like to try to show things from Alice's POV periodically because she has an insight no one else does and I think it can really add to the story. You will be meeting Alice's mate in this chapter and I want to thank Catgrl for the suggestion. I was kind of stuck as what to do and she gave me a suggestion I never considered before and decided to go with it. THANK YOU! Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 38 – Plans and Intentions

A new wrench had appeared in their lives and it was one no one wanted. If Bella lost her father, she would be devastated. She had already lost her life and had to become a vampire and had to be whisked away before Edward or James could get her. Sometimes Carlisle wondered if it would have been better if they had never come back to Forks. He had actually considered moving the family to one of their other homes, but Alice had been adamant. Hindsight being what it was, she had known what was coming; however, now that he thought about it Jasper and Edward had wanted to come to Forks as well. Edward probably saw something in Alice's thoughts that made him want to come… possibly Bella's face? For Jasper, Carlisle wasn't sure. In the beginning he had decided he would have nothing to do with Bella Swan, and then he buckled when he was actually around her, but even before they moved he wanted to come to Forks. Was it because although he might not see Bella, it was connected to her? There was no way to know, and honestly it no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered now was insuring Charlie would remain safe and alive.

Was it wrong to sometimes think that life would have been easier without the addition of Bella in their lives? It was true, and yet, even if Bella had not been there James and the others would have still come to Forks and would have still gone on a murderous rampage. And although the wolves would have been here, it had already been proven that they would not have been able to stop the nomads, for if they would have been the better hunter, the human feeders would have been gone soon after they arrived. Which brought up another question… why had James and his coven stayed in the area as long as they had? Most vampires who even skirt the Forks area turn away quickly smelling the strong scent of other vampires in the area. It is easier and far safer to leave than confront another vampire whether part of a coven or an individual. The Cullen's scents were always strong and fresh, and the pack's scent would have been the same, so why had someone like James' tempted fate?

"Carlisle, you need to call. James and Edward don't care about boundaries. They will go where they want when they want. Charlie isn't safe on the reservation," Alice stressed again. She could see her leader sorting through all of the possibilities, and unfortunately they were out of options. If Charlie remained with the tribe, he would be taken.

His resigned sigh echoed through his office. She was right. She was always right, but that didn't mean that the negotiations with the wolves was going to be any easier. Being who they were, they were naturally untrusting of the Cullen's and would probably think taking Charlie into their custody was some sort of ruse. It wasn't a matter of making the call or understanding this needed to happen, it was how to convince the other faction that it needed to happen without delay. The coven of vampires couldn't just storm onto the reservation and take the police chief, and although in this situation it might be tempting to do just that, they needed the wolves on their side. The Cullen's couldn't be battling other vampires and the wolves at the same time, they would lose, and in the end, more human lives may be lost. Unfortunately, he couldn't say treaty be damned. Picking up the phone, he could only hope Sam and Billy would listen to him and actually be diplomatic and do the right thing.

"Alice, are you sure?" He knew she was sure, but he had to ask one more time before he picked up the phone and told the wolves that they were no match for Edward and James. It would be a slap to their egos and they would not exactly like it.

"There's no other way."

The conviction in her voice, the determined set in her jaw, and the unflinching glimmer in her eyes told him all he needed to know. His fingers dialed the number he had been calling more so now than ever before. Butterflies in his stomach told him he was nervous about this transaction even though there was no choice. Would they listen? Would they understand the importance, that there was no other way? Or would they admonish Carlisle for even suggesting something like that? If that happened, then the vampire leader would have no other choice but to say, "To hell with the treaty." They could run farther and faster than the wolves, and they knew how to disappear before anyone picked up their trail. Add that to the fact that the wolves domain only encompassed the Forks area, and Carlisle was sure they could do what they needed to do… never to return because now they would be the enemy.

"What do you want?" The pack leader growled on the other side of the line. This was not a call that he had been expecting and he could not list talking to the Cullen's as a favorite past time of his, so if he came across as a little more surely than necessary, then frankly he didn't care.

"Alice had another vision," Carlisle explained. After all of his years with the Volturi and raising Edward, the attitude he received from the wolf didn't even make him flinch.

"So?"

"James and Edward will take Charlie and kill him. He needs to be moved. The safest place for him is here with us."

"No way. That is not going to happen. The treaty…"

Before Sam could say another word, the vampire interrupted him, "Do you really think they care about the treaty? Edward has left our coven and is an enemy. He is with James now and the last thing they are going to care about or follow is a bunch of rules and boundaries! As it is, they don't think the rules apply to them!"

"So what, you're going to take him like you took Bella and change him to make sure he is protected? Seems like a convenient excuse for getting your fill of blood."

"That is not true and you know it!" Carlisle yelled and hit his desk splitting it in two. It wasn't like him to get so worked up, but this was a matter of life and death and hearing those accusations made him temporarily snap. "There are members of my family who have never tasted the blood of humans, and the ones that have would rather not drink from a human. They would rather treasure human life and drink from animals. For you to accuse us, maybe it is you who is the real threat to Charlie!"

"A threat? We are protecting him!"

"No, you are holding him captive where a vampire who doesn't care about boundaries, treaties, lines, or rules can get to him quickly and easily. Do you really think you would be able to stop James or Edward if they wanted to take Charlie from the reservation? Think about it. Edward can read minds and will know exactly what your pack is thinking and where they were hiding. He is also faster than most other vampires out there. We were informed that James knows how to track, so he will also be able to elude you if necessary by knowing exactly where you are and how long ago you left. You can't stay at the house because other members of the tribe would notice a large wolf or could see you transform, so you would have to stay back in the woods hidden from view; and if you were in the house in human form, by the time you heard even a sound – because your senses are not as sharp in human form – James and Edward would have already taken off with Charlie. If you saw them in the house, before you could transform, they would be gone. They could take him and you wouldn't be able to follow or find them."

Sam scoffed, "Unlike you?" What the other man said made sense, but he wasn't ready to lose to a vampire's logic just yet.

"Yes. We don't have to transform for our senses to be heightened. They always are. We are also faster and can detect anything that comes near with our eyes and ears. Charlie will be safer with us, and if he stays with you, then you are signing his death warrant. Do you really want that on your head?"

"You can't know…"

"We can. Alice saw it."

"A vampire! How do I know you aren't just saying this to get your hands on Charlie?"

"Trust me when I say the last thing I want is to have to worry about protecting one more person, but there is no other choice." The doctor liked Charlie, he really did, however, with James and Edward after Alice and Bella already, one more person under protection detail – and a human one to boot – stretched their numbers pretty thin. Thankfully, Alice was a vampire who could see what was coming and Bella was a vampire now as well. With her newborn strength, she will be an asset to the family and her father.

A moment of silence seemed to stretch for an eternity as Carlisle and Alice held their breaths waiting on the verdict, and then Sam spoke, "Billy won't be happy, but I will agree with you this time. I will meet you at the boundary line. Pick him up there at 5:00 tonight. If anything happens to him, you will be held responsible."

"We understand. Thank you." One major battle had been won, but the war was far from over.

Elsewhere…

Edward had to bide his time. For now, he was going along with everything James told him to do, knowing that when they returned to Forks, he would become the sacrifice the older vampire needed in order to take Bella and Alice away. The advantage was on Edward's side though since he could read his partner's mind. No one would get Bella except him.

Looking around him at the massive amount of bodies littering the ground, Edward had to wonder what he had gotten into. Freedom sounded so alluring when he left his family, and it still did, but at what cost? He was barely able to shut out the screaming in his head as one by one the humans were mauled and killed by him, by James, by others.

James noticed the look of disgust flash briefly across his partner's face and laughed, "Problems?" Wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand before licking it clean, he threw another lifeless body down to the ground. It had been drained dry and no longer held the sustenance the nomad sought. Oh he loved doing whatever he could to horrify the younger vampire, and he found he was so easy to do: raping a victim while feeding whether it be male or female, choking one victim while he fed on another, and even trying to hold Edward down as he molested him. All to torment his so called partner, and he would continue to do it because he was in charge, he was the leader, and he would control everyone around him by any means necessary… even if he had to show his dominance and force someone to his will.

The younger vampire quickly put on his poker face and shook his head, "None at all." To prove his point, he stole one of the bodies from another and bit down, trying to ignore the thoughts screaming in his head. Thoughts about this woman's daughter who would now be left alone, about the man who had just proposed to her which meant she would no longer be a single mother, and about the elderly father with Alzheimer's who might never understand that his daughter is dead before him. His eyes looked up and locked with James' and he knew the other vampire was mocking him, and just to prove his point, he ripped the clothes off of the woman and shoved his prick into her waiting hole forcing another scream from her throat, which sounded weak to everyone who could hear it. Moving in and out, he drained her dry and then filled her up. Edward had passed this test, but he didn't feel victorious.

Smirking, the nomad stated, "We will be returning to Forks soon. Are you ready to kill your coven?"

"They aren't my coven any longer."

"Good answer."

Canada…

Lying in bed, Jasper wanted to forget the world and everything that was happening. He pulled his mate closer, feeling her body rub against his, the same body other vampires were trying to covet. How easy it would be to stay at his cabin in the woods forever, just he and Bella, but he knew it was a pipe dream. His mate would want to return and help in the fight, and until James and Edward were dealt with, they would not be safe… no matter where in the world they were. They had to return.

"What's wrong, JW?" Bella questioned dreamily. They had just finished another round of love making and her body still tingled, and still wanted him. She couldn't get enough of him, couldn't get close enough, wanting to hold him close and tight; however when she squeezed him the day before, she had broken a few ribs, crushed him, and overall hurt him. Kissing him better might have helped, but it didn't heal him. That took a few minutes. So had reattaching the arm she accidentally ripped off when she tried to pull him in the direction she wanted to go on one of their hunting trips instead of the direction he had indicated. She was still learning to control her new found strength.

He kissed the top of her head and then said, "We need to go back soon." He felt the tremor in her body and could feel the slight fear rush through her. Rubbing her naked back, he tried to sooth her without using his gift, knowing she didn't like it being used on her unless absolutely necessary. "Don't worry darlin', you can do this."

"What if I try to attack my dad, a friend, or another person?"

"I'll be there with you and I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve you haven't seen yet," Jasper chuckled and then turned serious, "I believe in you, and if you have problems, I'll help you."

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"No, darlin', we don't."

"When?"

"We'll leave in a couple days."

"Alright," she nodded against his shoulder and then turned to place a kiss over the heart that once beat. "Since we have a couple of days, can we…" Her voice tapered off and she could tell by the spark in her mate's eyes and the lust she felt that he had caught onto her meaning.

Pushing her onto her back, he was inside her heat in less than a minute. Savoring the feeling of her surrounding him, and loving every minute of it. No matter how many times they did this, it was never enough; and he had a feeling it never would be. Her nails gouged his back, her breaths quickened, and he sped up his pace. They would meet the horizon together and climax, both yelling the other's name as they were pushed over the edge.

Back in Forks…

Carlisle arrived the meeting place and found Sam and Charlie waiting for him. The chief looked confused, but got into the dark car without question, at least until he and the doctor were driving away, "I don't understand what's going on."

"It's a long story," the vampire answered.

"So take your time telling me," Charlie snapped. He felt like he was caught in the middle of something and wasn't sure what it was.

Nodding, the doctor agreed, "Let's get you back to the house and then I will explain as much as I can." There were some parts that had to remain a secret, but Charlie deserved to know why he was in danger… sort of.

The chief crossed his arms and stared out the window, "Fine." When did life start feeling so out of control?

Pulling to the front of the house, Carlisle shut off the engine and told the other man, "Come in and I will introduce you to my family, after that, we can talk."

Charlie only nodded his agreement.

As soon as Charlie walked in, Alice flew down the stairs and stopped on the bottom step. Shock and a force she had never felt before slammed into her. Standing before her wearing the same clothes as in her vision, the same background as in her vision, was the man she had been waiting on: her mate.