Moonlight in Forks

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Frustration

Edward drove around the house to the garage. Emmet and Rosalie were there, Rosalie's perfect legs, recognizable even in sheathed jeans, were sticking out from under the bottom of Emmet's huge Jeep. Emmet was sitting beside her, one hand reached under the Jeep toward her. He was acting as the jack for Rosalie.

As Edward helped Bella carefully out of the car, she thought how ironic it was that Rosalie was such a proficient mechanic. She had a hobby of enhancing cars. In fact, had earned degrees from several universities in electrical engineering. It was at odds with the perfect ice princess image that she liked to portray to the outside world. The fact that she had chosen such a low down and dirty hobby was secretly amusing to Bella. It made her seem a little more human somehow.

Bella noticed Emmet watching her curiously, obviously wondering why Edward was treating her like a porcelain doll again. She quickly tried to hide her injured hand, but it was too late.

"Fall down again, Bella?" Emmet grinned.

Bella gave him a sour look. "So, what if I did?" She snapped. "Its not a big deal-even though Edward is turning it into one." She turned her glare onto Edward instead. "Sue Clearwater has already dealt with it. I don't see why you needed to drag me here to see Carlisle."

Emmet blinked, surprised by her harsh tone. He had never heard her speak like that before, let alone snap at Edward in that way.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rosalie sneered from under the Jeep.

Edward scowled as he led Bella past them before she could say anymore. "Let's get you to Carlisle."

"Will you stop fussing!" Bella grumbled.

"Temper! Temper!" Rosalie's tinkling laughter sounded muffled coming from under the Jeep.

"Come on, Bella." Edward said grimly.

Bella groaned in defeat as he pulled her faster toward the house. Her hand was broken, but there wasn't any serious damage, just a tiny fissure in one knuckle. Sue Clearwater had said she didn't need a cast, and that she would be fine in a brace if she promised to keep it on.

Of course, Carlisle came to the same conclusion as Sue. He knew what Edward was like, though, so to appease his adopted son, he replaced Sue's brace with a more expensive version, fitting it carefully to Bella's hand. Edward worried aloud a few times that Bella was in pain, but with a few more irritated words from her telling him to stop overreacting, he fell silent.

Bella stared at Edward's face while he watched Carlisle fix the brace to her hand. She knew this couldn't go on for much longer. At some point she was going to have to tell the truth, that she had changed her mind, that she no longer saw any kind of future for them together. And she had better do it quickly, before Alice came to him first, telling him her concerns, for surely the little psychic's visions of her impending vampirism must have changed?

Every item of Bella's clothing was strewn across her bed, her drawers and closets were bare. She stared at the empty recesses, willing something suitable to appear. Nothing screamed special occasion.

There wasn't much of a choice. Her khaki skirt lay over the back of the rocking chair, along with a few of her favorite sweatshirts-favorite meaning comfortable.

Bella was still wearing her favorite old sweats, and it was almost time to go. Unless she could find something better, she was going to graduate in them.

"Knock, knock!"

Alice's bell like voice coming out of nowhere startled Bella out of her introspection. Bella scowled as she turned to find the petite psychic standing beside her open window.

"Couldn't you use the door like a normal person?" Bella complained. "I'm so sick and tired of people coming into my room uninvited."

Alice was peeved by Bella's sharp remark. She threw a flat, white box onto the bed, her eyes stormy. "I was just passing." She said in a hurt tone. "I thought you might need something to wear. And judging by this mess, I was right."

Bella looked at the big package lying on top of her unsatisfying wardrobe and grimaced. She hated the fact that Alice was right, and she managed a grudging thank you.

"Admit it." Alice said, cheering up. "I'm a lifesaver."

"You're a lifesaver." Bella muttered.

"Well, it's nice to get things right for a change." Alice admitted plaintively. "You don't know how irritating it is-missing things the way I have been. I feel so useless. So…normal."

"Welcome to my world." Bella still hadn't opened the box. She was reluctant to see what Alice thought of as suitable for graduation. Then it occurred to her just what Alice had said. "What do you mean-missing things?" She demanded.

Alice pouted. "Well, I missed your annoying thief for one-now I just have to figure out…"

"So, you haven't seen anything change?" Bella cut in anxiously.

"Like what?" Alice appeared confused.

"Like my future."

Alice laughed. "Your future? I don't need to monitor that. We all know where your future lies. No, Bella, Edward has me watching so many things all at once-I've had no time to monitor your future as well. That is set in stone."

"I see." Bella remarked, downcast.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Alice asked, completely missing the point. She sighed when Bella didn't immediately move to open the box. She tugged off the top herself, pulled something out and held it up. "Pretty don't you think? I picked blue, because I know it's Edward's favorite on you."

Bella wasn't listening. Her mind was too caught up on what that portended. She always thought it strange that Alice had missed seeing the thief. It seemed her powers weren't so infallible after all. There was so much that didn't make sense about that day. It had been bothering her ever since she had discovered her things missing. There was some important connection she wasn't seeing. It was almost like –

"It's the same." She whispered.

"What is?" Alice demanded petulantly. "You don't have anything like this. You only own one skirt!"

"Oh, forget the clothes, listen!"

"You don't like it?" Alice tapped the side of her head as if it was wonky. "I was so sure you would!"

"Shut up about the damn clothes!" Bella cried impatiently. "Don't you see? It's the same! The one who stole my things, and the new vampires in Seattle. They're together!"

The clothes slipped from Alice's fingers and fell back into the box. She was focused now, her tone equally as sharp as Bella's. "Why do you think that?"

"Remember what Edward said? About using the holes in your vision to keep you from seeing the newborns? And then about the timing being too perfect-how careful the thief was to make no contact, as if he knew you would see that. I think he was using those holes in your vision. And what are the odds that two different people not only know enough about you to do that, but also decided to do it at exactly the same time? No way. Its one person. The same one. The one who is making the army is the one who stole my scent."

Alice didn't like the feeling of being caught out. She had relied on her gift her whole life. To fail so spectacularly like this, to miss the obvious, was painful to her soul. She froze, and was still for so long, that Bella wondered if she had gone into some kind of psychic coma. But after a couple of minutes her eyes refocused on Bella.

"You're right." She said miserably. "Of course, you're right. And when you put it that way…" She looked so forlorn, that Bella almost felt sorry for her…almost.

"Edward had it wrong." Bella continued-secretly thinking, not for the first time. "It was a test to see if it would work. If he could get in and out safely, as long as he didn't do anything you would be watching out for. Like trying to kill me…And he didn't take things to prove he found me. He stole my scent…so that others could find me."

"Oh no." Alice mouthed.

Bella was surprised she didn't feel more fearful as she processed that someone had made an army of vampires-the army that had gruesomely murdered dozens of innocents in Seattle-for the express purpose of destroying her. Instead, she felt a spasm of pride that she had been the one to work it all out. Her-Isabella Swan-human, with no special gifts or qualities, when the whole Cullen clan had failed to connect the dots.

"I have to tell Jacob straight away." She said, making to leave the room.

"The dog?" Alice questioned. "Why?

"Don't use derogatory terms like that about Jake again!" Bella warned, her fists clenching at her sides. "I am sick and tired of the insults."

Alice's eyes widened with hurt at her reaction. But she had no chance to respond as Charlie's fist hammered on the bedroom door.

"Aren't you ready yet? We're gonna be late!" He complained, sounding edgy. Charlie hated occasions about as much as his daughter did. He hated dressing up just as much as Bella. It was surprising how many traits they shared.

"Almost. Give me a minute."

"Alright. But get a move on." Charlie called back.

Bella heard her father clumping down the stairs.

"I better go. Edward is coming. If he hears this…."

"Why is Edward here?" Bella hissed angrily. He wasn't supposed to come to the house. She was riding to the school with Charlie. "This is all I need. He'll go berserk when he finds out. I don't need this, Alice!"

"I'll go before he can read my mind." Alice suddenly disappeared.

Bella felt like hitting something, she was so frustrated. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Edward. Why did he find it so impossible to give her space when she asked for it? Today was about her and Charlie. He wasn't supposed to be a part of it. She hurriedly got dressed, not bothering to do anything with her hair. There wasn't time. It didn't really matter anyway.

Bella didn't look in the mirror, so she didn't know how Alice's sweater and skirt ensemble worked. She didn't really care. She was just frustrated that she wouldn't have time to call Jacob and update him on the latest news. Grabbing the ugly yellow polyester graduation robe, she threw it over her arm and hastened out of her room and down the stairs.

Edward arrived just as Bella reached the bottom step, still clutching her robe. It wasn't enough time for her to pull herself together and force a calm façade. She glared at him as he entered the house, looking remarkably like Charlie, who was wearing the exact same scowl when he laid eyes on his daughter's boyfriend.

"What are you doing here?" Bella demanded as soon as Edward set foot inside.

Edward appeared taken aback that she would speak like that to him in front of her father. He didn't fail to notice the self-satisfied smirk the police chief was now wearing because of it.

"I thought…" He began.

"Thought that you would barge in uninvited?" Charlie finished for him before Bella had a chance to respond. "You are intruding on important father/daughter time. I'm sure your own parents are expecting you. There's the door, young man. Goodbye."

Edward had no chance to protest. Before he knew what was happening, Charlie had ushered him out of the house, and for the second time in as many days, he found the door shut in his face.

A/N-thanks for reading!