Another Eclipse

Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use.

Author's Note: This story is a continuation of my other story "New Moon Rewound," which envisions the Twilight Saga as if the original New Moon was only a nightmare.

Chapter 13: Tragedy

It's been over a month since Bella invited Leah over to her house to look for colleges. Not much has happened since then, at least as far as we are concerned. Charlie has gotten through the Super Bowl season and now March madness is upon us.

In Charlie's world, time is measured by sports seasons. March madness will conclude just in time for the opening day of the baseball season. After he is finished rooting for Michigan State, he can turn his a attention to the Mariners. Alice predicts that he will be disappointed by both teams this year.

It is also Spring Break, the anniversary of the dreadful week last year when we were trying to track James who was tracking Bella so that he could kill her. He didn't have any particular reason to track her other than for sport. However, it became the seminal event from which all of our other problems have germinated. It is one anniversary that none of us will be celebrating.

Tonight we spent a pleasant night out doubledating with Angela and Ben. Ben sat suffering through the "chick flick" that the girls wanted to see, impatiently enduring their weepy eyes at the end. I didn't really care much what we saw at the movies. In some ways I prefer the tearjerkers. They give me an excuse to hold Bella a little tighter to comfort her.

"Edward," Bella says to me as she walks into her bedroom after saying good night to Charlie. "I hope that you don't mind that Leah and Seth are coming over tomorrow."

This is a conversation that we have every time that the Clearwaters visit. It surprises me that she even bothers to ask anymore.

"Why should I mind?" I answer with a shrug. "All you need is Jacob and you'll have the whole rez gang. Besides, I really enjoy hanging out with Seth. He's a great kid, so open and honest. I imagine that Jacob was like him before he phased."

"What about Leah?" she asks, already knowing my response.

"She's tolerable," I answer honestly. "Some of her rough edges have softened since she started coming over here. You've definitely been a good influence. She has something to look forward to as a positive step into her future instead of something to regret from the past. But I'm surprised that Jacob isn't using this as an excuse to see you."

"Jacob can't tolerate the smell very well," she smirks. "He doesn't think that the stench is worth the opportunity to see me. I would say that the old crush is definitely old news. And besides, Sam has him running patrols all weekend."

"Sam knows how much time Jacob spends over here in my presence," I reply. "I suppose that he can catch the scent on Jacob's body and in his thoughts. That would bug him and his brothers. And I'm sure that Jacob takes a kind of perverse pleasure in annoying them."

"You mean you know it bugs him and his brothers," she says. "You can see Jacob's thoughts as well as they can. But I really get annoyed sometimes by the way that he sits there suffering in silence and making snarky remarks that Leah and Seth can't understand. Leah is pissed that he comes over with them. She feels like he is either spying on them or guarding them. And of course neither of those explanations makes any sense to her."

"Or both," I agree. "Leah is very intuitive, not to mention suspicious. Seth doesn't mind because Jacob is the older brother he always wanted and he thinks that he can do no wrong. Leah likes him better than she used to, but she also highly values her privacy, not to mention her relationship with you. You're her savior."

"I only did what anyone else would do," she replies modestly.

"No, you didn't and no, you don't," I reply. "There's no one in the tribe who can help her as you do, or even wants to for that matter. And how many whites do you think would even care about the hopes and dreams of a Quileute the way that you do? Considering how nasty she was to you in the beginning, she had no right to expect anything from you. And she knows it."

"Yes, I suppose she does," she says thoughtfully. "I suppose that she likes having someone to confide in who isn't directly connected to the situation. She and Sue are very worried about Harry, but so far they have managed to shield Seth from the worst of it. The changes in diet and exercise have certainly helped Charlie's health to improve, but Harry continues to slide. It's the comparison between the two that increases their anxiety."

"I know," I answer seriously. "But it's no fault of theirs, or even his anymore. He was in worse shape to begin with and he doesn't have a job to go out to everyday to make him feel useful. And he doesn't have access to the same level of care that Charlie does."

"You mean that Billy and the council won't let him put his health into the hands of a white doctor like Gerandy especially if it means being in the same zip code as Carlisle," she sighs. "But that still wouldn't get him out of the house and feeling productive."

"True, but if he could recover some of his former health, perhaps he could do something part-time," I say. "Leah sometimes feels guilty that she may be leaving home just when her parents need her most, but Sue is insistent. If an opportunity comes along for her to study and a build a life off the reservation, she is determined that she will take it. Even Harry has come around."

"I thought as much," she replies. "At least when Charlie and I go over to visit the he doesn't give me the hairy eyeball anymore for helping her apply to college. With any luck, Leah will be hearing from some of her choices in a week or so. I just hope that she gets a good scholarship."

"She will," I assure her. "I never realized how truly poor those families were in La Push until I helped you fill out her FAFSA. And I know that her family is better off financially than most. The only worry is that she will require so much aid that the schools may be reluctant to take her."

"But doesn't her contribution to the diversity profile offset that?" she asks.

"You're finally beginning to understand the game," I reply. "I think that it will. And with any luck, she won't have to take out any loans. She has no concept whatsoever of managing money other than by living hand to mouth. If she was told to take out loans for even ten thousand a year, she would completely freak out. And you won't be around to help her figure it out."

"That's true," she says. "I will have to make sure that someone in town knows about her situation and can step forward to help her."

"So your mind is still made up?" I ask.

"Absolutely," she says. "We aren't going to get into that old argument, are we?"

"No," I say. "I am looking forward to you joining me in this life, if you want to call it that. I just don't want to see you leaving behind any regrets, or feel like you are leaving loose ends."

"Carlisle and I discussed that the other night," she replies. "And there is no way that I will not leave loose ends. But I can do whatever I can to mitigate the effects of my disappearance and death. I just wish that I could achieve some kind resolution with Renee."

"Well, don't give up," I encourage her. "You have a graduation and a wedding coming up. Sometimes life-changing events like that bring families together. And you cannot possibly think that you haven't tried hard enough."

"I know," she sighs and curls up beside me with her head nestled into my shoulder.

Within minutes, she is sound asleep. I heave a sigh of my own and settle in for about eight hours of silent contemplation through the long night. We have reached a point of countdown to the wedding and her transformation. We graduate at the end of May and then the date of the wedding is set for June 20, the date of the summer solstice this year, our own private joke.

I still haven't completely decided on a honeymoon destination. Esme has offered us the use of Isle Esme as a wedding gift, but getting there may be a problem. Following the wedding, which our Denali cousins will attend with Emmett and Rosalie of course, we plan to go back to Alaska with the Denalis and Carlisle while the others stay to close up the Forks house and organize the move.

Despite our great desire that I be the one to change Bella, I definitely want Carlisle to be present. I don't want to run the risk of getting carried away and losing her inadvertently. Eleazer will also be there. Between the two of them, he and Carlisle should be able to hold me if I lose control. I will then also have the support that I need as I watch Bella writhe in pain and scream for me to kill her. But once she wakes up, we will be faced with a new problem. Her thirst will be uncontrollable.

This is where the advantage of being in Denali really kicks in. There will be plenty of game around in the summer and it will be relatively easy to keep her from being exposed to any humans. This is why a honeymoon on Isle Esme will be such a challenge.

There is nothing to hunt to satisfy the thirst of a newborn on the island. And there is no way of getting her there without human involvement. We considered changing her there. That solves the human problem, but not the feeding problem. There are other places in the north where we can easily go and feed and be alone.

But my vision of our time alone includes lots of bright sun, in addition to privacy, where we can fully enjoy our new life and glory in our full vampire beauty. When I told this to Carlisle and Esme, they smiled at me indulgently. They knew that I had picked these ideas up from their memories of their own times there. But when they went, it was no problem for them to take the boat back to the mainland and hunt when they needed to frequently.

As mature vampires, they only needed to hunt every week or two. But a newborn requires feeding everyday. So at present, the idea remains that we will go to Isle Esme and honeymoon there in a year or so after the transformation. The difficulty will be in keeping our eventual destination a secret for so long. We will certainly be able to keep the physical aspect of the honeymoon, but not really the private.

The work on our cottage has begun apace now that the weather has become slightly more temperate. In fact in a month or so, Esme plans to go up to see how things are progressing and begin to work on the interior design. The final product is intended as another surprise for Bella. That and the honeymoon will be the pleasant surprises of our wedding gifts. I am highly uncertain as to how Bella will react to Alice's surprise.

Alice has decided that once Bella is physically transformed, her wardrobe will need a complete transformation as well. Not surprisingly, for the last week she and Esme have been in a standoff about the size of the closet in relation to the rest of the house. If Alice had her way, the closet would be larger than the bedroom and living room combined. Yet this would throw off the entire proportion of the house.

Esme's original designs were based on close consultation with Bella regarding the various space needs. Bella doesn't want a large space to keep clean. Luckily, in Alaska right now, the galley kitchen is in vogue. It will only be for show, as will the dining room, which will be equally small. This leaves room for a comfortable bedroom, living room, and music room. Naturally there will be a bathroom, but it will be no larger than necessary, with the proper array of props as well as necessities.

When Alice saw Esme's final design, which included what I thought was a rather good-sized walk in closet, she immediately rebelled. When Esme (with no small degree of exasperation) explained that the idea was to create a cottage, Alice immediately suggested that she get rid of the kitchen and dining room and use that space for the closet.

After all, how many humans would possibly ever come into our home? Those props and sets would certainly not be needed for show purposes. Since all of Bella's human family and friends would believe that she was dead, there was no reason to keep up any kind of charade for their sake. When Carlisle saw me wince at the final argument, he told Alice to keep quiet and let Esme do the designing.

In the end, Alice may win out anyway. It may be arguable that Alice's "need" for a large closet should in no way be factored into the plans, but Carlisle believes that it is in all of our best interests to keep peace in the family, especially if we wanted to maintain the secret from Bella.

Normally, Bella hates surprises, but once she realized the great pleasure that it would give to everyone else concerned, she graciously agreed to play along with the two most important. She won't know anything about the final design of the house until she sees it, and is completely willing to go along with the secrecy regarding the honeymoon destination.

Other than that, things seemed to be working out on all fronts. Despite our rather disastrous beginning with Dr. Weber, we found a way to convince him that we both were mature enough to marry. And while we still had a couple of sessions with him, I could see in his mind that unless some completely unexpected reason came out, we would be able to go ahead with our June date.

Bella was very cooperative about following through with her own "personal therapy" and "medication" with one of Carlisle's colleagues on the psyche department at the hospital. Since the biggest stressor in her life was Renee, it kept their sessions focused on safe topics. Bella even admitted that it was useful to talk to someone that was a neutral third party.

Originally, the choice of medicine was dicey, as a couple of the doctor's favorites required follow up blood work, which we didn't want because Bella had no intention of taking any mood-altering drugs that she really didn't need. The eventual choice of Lexapro was deemed satisfactory on all sides. Presently, two completely full bottles are tucked away on her nightstand. We have to keep refilling the prescription to keep up the charade.

I suppose that my own regret is that when the college acceptances come in, we will have to make a show of making a choice and then disappear completely. The cover story has been worked out.

After Bella "dies" in a tragic accident shortly after the wedding, I will be too distraught to attend the school where we had looked forward to studying together. There is no one, except the most hardhearted person, who could argue with that logic. Then we will all disappear forever.

Thus, despite the almost daily crises that occurred since we returned to Forks during the first few weeks, things are smoothed out almost to a point of perfection. But that makes me nervous. Anything relating to humans generally does not work out as planned. There are too many variables that can interfere. My greatest fear is that at some point, some new problem will arise and throw our present state of calm into chaos.

When Bella awakens this morning, she is happy and smiling. We will all be going to church together and then I will drive back to her house with her and Charlie. Dr. Weber is pleased to see us there with our parents and thinks how wonderful it is that the two families get along so well. He is pleased to see Charlie's improved state of health and congratulates himself for his part of it.

After a healthy brunch (who would have thought that you could ever have gotten Charlie to enjoy an egg white omelette with whole toast and fruit?) at home, hegoes off to meet his deputy Mark to go fishing, while Bella and I wait for the arrival of the Clearwaters. We notice that their chauffeur is Sue, who doesn't get out of the car, but waves to us as she drives off.

"Hi, Bella! Hi, Edward!" Seth greets us. "Mom doesn't want you to think that she's being rude or anything, but she has to get to work."

"She's hoping that you won't mind giving us a ride home, Bella," adds Leah. "She has a long shift today. Besides, Edward hasn't been to our house yet."

I can see in her mind that Sue wants to be cordial to me because she knows that I have been helping Bella with Leah's application stuff. And I recently began coaching Seth for baseball tryouts. He played pee-wee ball when he was little and wants to tryout for the high school team. Since there is only enough space for one field and one available coach, he has to make the varsity team if he wants to play.

Seth is a willing student and quick learner, but his body is not entirely up to executing the moves that he understand that he needs to make. He is surprisingly strong for such a tall, skinny kid, but he has a long way to go in terms of technique. My own difficulty in playing with him is to hold way back on my own capabilities for throwing and batting.

So Sue has instructed Leah to invite us both to stay for dinner. I'm glad that I have prior knowledge. When I see that they are getting ready to leave, I will call Alice and have her pick me up for a family night. I don't like the idea of disappointing Sue and her good intentions, but there is no way that I can go on the reservation without breaking the treaty. No doubt this explains the smirk on

Harry's face when Sue gave Leah her instructions.

"Have you been burning incense?" Leah asks as we walk into the house. "It smells a little sweet in here."

"Bella burned something on the stove earlier and we had to cover the smell," I say quickly as Bella looks at me sharply.

Through Leah's thoughts, I can see that she is picking up the faint aroma of my scent. Switching over to Seth's mind, I can see that he is smelling it also. This is puzzling. Seth is too young to phase, as he is only presently going through puberty now. But Leah is female. Perhaps it has something to do with their being descendants of the original wolf. One of their legends told of all the sons and grandsons being able to smell vampires, but never mentioned the daughters.

However, in spite of that legend, I know for sure that Billy, Harry, and Old Quil have never smelled us. I originally resolved this dilemma for myself by assuming that it was an ability only inherited by those family members close to Taha Aki in his time, but it was lost to the later generations. Fortunately, my explanation about the burned food is easily accepted, with Leah inwardly smirking at the idea that her klutzy friend Bella couldn't even cook breakfast without incident.

There is no smugness in the tone of her thoughts. Instead there is an affectionate tone, much like that of a parent or older sister would have. Despite Bella's academic superiority, Leah sensed, quite rightly, that her social skills are still lacking. It is a comfort to her to know that Bella do not exceed her in all areas.

Now the two girls decide that they are going to go upstairs and listen to some indie music from one of Bella's new CDs. Seth wants more activity, so he and I go outside to work on his pitching. It was one of the "safer" skills for us to work on since he does all the hard work, while I catch the ball and then very gently (for me) toss it back.

"Gee, that must have been some stick of incense," he comments when we go outside. "I can even smell it out here."

My heart sinks when I perceive what he is able to smell. But I am even more disturbed because I can pick up the faint scent of wolf emanating from him. I can't imagine why this sweet, innocent boy is about to be caught up in the life of the wolf pack. There are already five of us and six of them.

Is it possible that their wolf instincts can know that two of our coven are still on the same side of the continent? If so, can that same instinct also perceive the six Denalis with Emmett and Rosalie? How many more of these Quileute children will be sucked in before we finally abandon Forks? I only hope that when we do, that same wolf instinct and realize it. Otherwise, merely decamping to Alaska will not stop the process.

If this is true then it would mean after Bella is turned there could be fourteen young men and boys trapped in a wolf pack created to defend the tribe against vampires over two thousands miles away. This is definitely a future point of debate for Carlisle, Jasper, and me.

I watch Seth as he winds up for his first pitch and realize that in the last week since we worked together, he has acquired more grace and control than he ever had before. The ball hits my glove with a responding thump and I realize that he has pitched a perfect strike at a speed of at least 100 mph. This is further evidence of my suspicions. The wolves may be large and bulky, but they are by no means clumsy. In fact I have seen that their speed and agility is capable of rivaling a vampire's.

I toss the ball back easily, but a little harder than usual, to Seth. He doesn't even notice the difference. As he continues to hurl strike after strike at ever increasing speeds, he seems to have no concept of the velocity of his pitching. He is equally unaware of the power of my own return throws. We continue like this for a half hour, but he doesn't feel a bit of the weariness or pain that a normal human would after such exertion.

At this point, Bella and Leah come out of the house to watch. Leah has been watching him through Bella's bedroom window. She is astounded by her brother's newly discovered talent.

"Holy crap, Seth!" she exclaims. "You must be throwing at about 200 mph!"

I control myself from replying that her estimate is not far off the target as Seth turns bright red.

"No, I'm not," he says. "That's ridiculous. You just haven't seen that many really good pitchers."

But she shakes her head.

"No way!" she answers defensively. "I may not know pitching, but I do know speed when I see it. For crying out loud! I can hardly see the ball before it hits Cullen's glove. I don't see how anyone will possibly be able to hit it."

Not a human anyway, I think to myself. But he is almost ready to rival Alice in vampire baseball.

"Oh, come on!" he answers rolling his eyes. "If I were pitching that fast, there is no way that Edward could catch it without breaking his hand."

To prove his point, I slip off my glove and hold up my hand. She looks at it hesitantly, as Bella looks on anxiously. Even without reading her thoughts, I know that she is aware of what this means. She had also not missed the comment about the incense earlier. To distract Leah, she suggests that they go inside and watch some stupid reality to show for a few laughs.

Even after they are gone, I find myself listening to her thoughts from outside. She is not paying much attention to the show, although she is laughing in the right spots. Instead she is trying to puzzle out what is going on with her brother. But without any knowledge of the wolves, there is no way that she can figure it out. Meanwhile, Seth is oblivious to his own strength. He thinks that his recent workout schedule has improved his pitching speed.

I can see his mind turning towards batting, but I cannot possibly let that happen in Bella's neighborhood. And even if he hit in the direction of the woods, I doubt that we would ever find the ball again. It would also provide him with irrefutable proof of his own strength. He might not know enough about faking exhaustion after such strenuous exercise, but I do.

"How 'bout we go inside and chill out for a while," I suggest. "This workout is making me tired."

"Well, I'm not so tired," he replies. "But I am starving."

This is another bad sign from my perspective. When we go in, he pops his head on the living room.

"Hey, sis!" he yells over the TV. "I'm making a snack. Do you want anything?"

"Whatever you're having sounds good to me," she replies. "I'm starving too."

But then, Leah is always starving. Like Seth, she has recently grown taller, but no taller than her mother really. When we enter the kitchen, Seth makes for the fridge and pulls out a package of hotdogs. He nonchalantly tosses them in a pot to boil some water, not realizing that an entire package of ten was excessive, even for four people. But I can read in his mind that he and Leah often indulge in such "snacks" at home. Before we return to the living room, he grabs a two-liter bottle of soda and a bag of chips.

"I'm surprised that Bella keeps this stuff around the house where Charlie can get it," he remarks.

"She only lays in a supply when you two come over," I say, replying to his unasked question. "Charlie can be trusted overnight."

"My Dad can't," he says. "We have to hide everything from him. And if he gets really desperate, he finds it. Then Mom gets mad and yells at all of us."

It's no wonder he's not getting any better, I think to myself. I sift through his thoughts and can see that Harry is definitely depressed. Of course, through the filter of Seth's mind, I can't tell by what. But if I have noticed Seth's symptoms, then he certainly has. Such knowledge would make any loving father depressed.

When we get to the living room, I beg off the hot dogs, claiming that I had too much for brunch, but I do "chow down" on some of the chips and soda. Bella, who is a light eater anyway, refuses to partake at all, leaving six hotdogs for Seth and four for Leah. Neither of them seems to be aware of how much they are consuming, but Bella is and looks anxious.

I give her a sharp look to remind her that she isn't supposed to know anything about the possibility that Seth could be the next wolf to phase. Picking up on my unspoken hint, she begins to joke about how they should make a reality show about Forks that would star Jessica and Lauren. Leah knows all about them from her many chats with Bella and throws in a few suggestions of her own.

Things are going along easily when the phone rings. Laughing that it might be Renee, Bella runs to pick it up and returns quickly to hand it to Leah.

"It's Billy," she whispers fearfully.

Leah takes the handset looking completely baffled and says, "Hey Billy! What up?"

"You two need to get home right now, that's what's up," he replies loudly enough for all of us to hear. "Your father needs you."

"We don't have the car," she replies, putting her arm around Seth, who has come over to listen. "Mom took it to work. Bella is supposed to drive us home."

"Then let her drive you home now," he replies. "We don't have time to send someone over to get you."

He hangs up without another word, but Leah doesn't make a move to click the phone off. I deftly take it and turn it off without touching her. Bella has run for her car keys. Suddenly, Seth looks every inch the kid that he is as a tear rolls down his cheek.

"Come on, you two," Bella says quickly. "Edward, you drive. You drive much faster than I do."

"But . . . " I begin.

"Look, if a cop stops us, I'm sure that we'll get a police escort into the La Push," she answers hastily. "Now move it!"

I don't argue with her, but I hope that we can get in and out of the La Push quickly enough that the wolves don't realize that I'm there. In her anxiety for her friends, she has forgotten about the treaty. When we get in the car, Bella sits in the front, while Seth and Leah settle quietly in the back seat. After a few miles, Leah suddenly sits bolt upright.

"Jesus Christ, Edward!" she shrieks. "Are you driving 100 mph?"

"At least," Bella answers sanguinely. "Don't worry, this is slow for him."

Leah is so scared she doesn't answer. Once we are outside of town, I gun it up to 120. She and Seth are both terrified now, but I get them to their front door in seven minutes from Bella's house. Normally it would have taken twenty. The minute they are out of the car and before they can even say thank you, I peel out and race to the border of the reservation. When we are definitely back in Cullen territory, I pull over and take a deep breath.

"Well that is probably the stupidest thing that I've ever done," I finally say to a very confused looking Bella.

"It was obviously an emergency, Edward," she replies. "We had to get them home quickly. I could never have gotten them there so fast."

"I just broke the treaty," I answer flatly.

Silence fills the car as we both contemplate the possibilities.

"Did you hear any thoughts of the wolves?" she finally asks.

"No," I admit. "But Billy saw me. Luckily for us, but unluckily for Harry, he was too busy to consider the ramifications. But I don't think that he'll forget. I have some very bad news for you. Harry was having another angina attack. He wanted the kids home as soon as possible to keep him calm until Sue got home."

"So I suppose that taking him to the hospital was out of the question?" she asks.

"I don't know," I reply. "I only got a glimpse of his thoughts. I didn't dare stay around longer even though I know that I could have gotten Harry to the hospital faster than any ambulance. This baby goes up to 175 without a problem."

We are about to start up again when the ambulance from the reservation goes screaming by, closely followed by an unknown car. I can barely see Leah and Seth in the back seat.

"I guess Leah insisted on the hospital," Bella comments. "I hope that they get him there in time."

"So do I," I answer grimly. "I guess that I'm not the only one being stupid today. But now I'm not sorry that I drove them back. It would have taken you much longer."

"I wonder what will happen about the treaty," she says.

"I can't even guess," I say. "But if things go badly with Harry, I can't imagine that anyone will be thinking about revenge for getting his kids home as quickly as possible."

"Those poor kids," she says. "It's scary to think about how that might be me."

"That could have been you," I correct her. "Charlie has really turned his health around. We had better get back to your house. If he's home, he'll want to know right away."

When we arrive at the house, we see the cruiser in the driveway.

"Hey, Bells!" he says cheerfully. "I got us some more good, healthy fish for you to cook."

"Dad," she says. "I have some bad news."

Charlie's expression instantly changes.

"Where are Seth and Leah?" he asks looking around. "I expected to see them when I got back. I was going to send some fish over to Harry. Did you drive them home already?"

Bella and I exchange a glance and then go and sit down in the living room. Charlie follows us and sits in his own chair, but is looking very tense.

"Billy called a little while ago," she explains. "He said that Harry needed Leah and Seth home right away. Edward drove us because he can drive really fast. I know that it was breaking the law, but there was no time to spare."

"Hang the law," answers Charlie as his mind begins to race through various disastrous scenarios. "How is Harry?"

"The La Push ambulance passed us on our way back to town," she says quietly.

We are all silent for a minute and then Charlie gets up.

"I'm going to the hospital to see what I can do," he says. "Don't worry about dinner for me."

"Dad," she says. "Do you think that I could go and keep Leah company?"

He considers for a minute and then replies.

"That could be a good idea," he says. "Sue says that she's been better since you two have been hanging out. And she's always in a better mood after she's spent time with you."

"Okay," she says. "I'll follow you in a minute."

After he is out the door, she turns to me.

"Do you mind?" she asks.

"Not at all," I say. "I could always go and keep Seth company. Carlisle is on duty today so he could give me a ride home."

"And you can get a read on what Billy is thinking about the treaty," she adds.

"C'mon, Bella," I reply. "I'm not that cynical. I've grown to like Seth a lot. If everyone is focused on Harry, then he could easily get overlooked."

"Easily," she agrees. "That's why I want to be there for Leah."

"Then let's go together and be there for both of them," I suggest.

It doesn't take long for her to agree. I drive us to the hospital quickly, but not as quickly as I did to La Push. When we go in the emergency entrance, we are greeted by a scene of absolute chaos. At least a dozen minds are thinking at such a high speed that I can't get a read from anyone on what is happening.

Charlie and Billy are with Sue. Sam and Emily are close by for support. Leah looks wretchedly miserable until she sees us and rushes over to Bella. Seth follows behind her. Leah allows Bella to put her arms around her and comfort her. I would do the same for Seth, but I don't dare touch him with my icy skin. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to expect it.

We walk over to a line of plastic chairs and the girls sit down. Leah gives herself over to sobbing now that she has Bella for support. I now can get a fix on her mind. Her father is in a very bad way and she is emotionally overcome by the fact that she has to undergo this trauma in the presence of Sam and Emily.

It is enough to make me want to go over to the stinking pooch and punch him in the snout. He seems completely tone deaf to the misery that he is adding to Leah's present situation. I'm glad that Bella insisted on coming. Leah is clinging to her like a lifeline. Seth is standing next to me putting on his best brave, manly face, but I can see that inside he is a scared little boy.

"Dad's in surgery now," he says, trying to sound calmer than he feels. "He had a heart attack from a blockage or something. I didn't understand what the doctor was talking about. Your Dad received us when we came in. He actually yelled at Billy for not getting him here sooner."

At this point his voice chokes up and his hands ball into fists. He is angry. I can see the scene at the house replaying in his mind. He and Leah had walked in and Harry looked as if he was dead already. Without asking permission, Leah called 911. When Billy yelled and asked what she thought that she was doing she told him to go to hell.

"You should have gotten him to the hospital right away," she yelled back in a fury. "You and your stupid, superstitious prejudices! I hope that Dr. Cullen is there. I know that I can count on him to save my father's life!"

Once they arrived at the ER, they called Sue to tell her to meet them there instead of at home. Harry was in bad shape, but Carlisle said that he would do the best he could. Then Billy told him not to touch Harry.

"I don't have a choice," Carlisle replied calmly, "I'm the only doctor here at the moment and he needs treatment right away."

"Over my dead body!" Billy answered grimly.

And then through Seth's memory I saw something that I had only witnessed very rarely before. Carlisle snapped.

"Better yours than his," he said. "If you hate me more than you love him, then you're crazier than I thought. Now get out of my way. Orderly?"

The technician pushed the gurney into one of the rooms. Carlisle followed, slamming the door behind him. As he walked away Billy yelled something about holding him personally accountable if anything happened to Harry.

"Well, I'll hold you personally accountable," hollered Leah. "He should have been here a half hour ago."

At this point, Sue came in and Leah tried to explain what happened. Billy kept interrupting her to complain about the fact that Cullen was treating him. Seth was standing helplessly aside when a nurse came out to say that Dr. Cullen wanted to talk to Sue. Billy tried to follow, but before he could get through the door, the nurse firmly stopped him and told him that the doctor only wanted to talk to a family member.

"Dr. Cullen told Mom that they needed to go into surgery right away," Seth continues, waking up from his reverie. "Mom told him to do whatever he could to save his life. He's assisting the surgeon now. He says that he isn't a heart specialist, so Dr. Gerandy is operating."

"That's very good," I assure him, even though I know that Carlisle is the better surgeon.

However, in this iteration of our existence, Carlisle is not playing a cardiac specialist. If Gerandy had not been in the hospital checking on another patient, there would have been no question about Carlisle operating. This was one of the limitations of playing our roles and creating different cover stories. However, as I survey the minds around me, it looks like it doesn't matter who operates on Harry. All the doctors and nurses who have seen him, including Carlisle, know that it's hopeless. He doesn't stand a chance.

I don't have it in me to offer ridiculously trite platitudes or offer false hope by saying that everything would be all right. Sometimes in life, things will not be all right. I am more concerned with keeping Seth out of the line of fire if another explosion erupts between Leah and Billy. The room is essentially split between two groups. Bella and I are with Seth and Leah, while Billy, Charlie, Sam, and Emily are with Sue.

I can read a very definite presumption of importance in Sam's mind. He is the pack leader and rightful chief of the tribe. It is his place to be with his members if they are going through a family crisis. In his concern for his duty to the tribe, he has forgotten about what his presence could mean for Leah.

Emily knew, but she had hoped that this would be an opportunity to mend fences with Leah. She truly believed that if she could comfort Leah in this terrible time, that Leah would see that she wasn't the monster she thought that she was. But Leah is still too bitter. And since she has Bella as her source of comfort, Emily has nothing to do but stand by Sam. Her mind is torn between her love for her man and her guilt about her cousin.

We are waiting in silence when Jacob hurries in. Despite the fact that he looks like he wants to gag at the sight of me, he comes over to our group and pulls Seth into a big bear hug.

"How's it going bro?" he asks him.

"Dad went into surgery about an hour ago," Seth answers. "We still haven't heard anything."

I can hear the annoyance in Sam's thoughts and the anger in Billy's thoughts because Jacob approached Seth first and not them. But Jacob remains true to his better self. He is primarily concerned with Seth and the pain that he is in. Despite my own recent friendship with the boy, it is nothing compared to the closeness that the two Quileutes have developed over the course of their lives. I heartily approve of Jacob's choice of family friend over tribal politics.

"I'm here for you now," says Jacob, avoiding the same "it will be okay" statement that I did. "Do you want to tell me the story? If you're not up to it, that's okay. I can figure most of it out anyway."

"Then you can figure out that your father kept my father away from the hospital because of his ridiculous prejudice," Leah remarks bitterly, lifting up her head from Bella's shoulder.

"Leah that was uncalled for," Sam calls over, asserting his rights a a tribal leader.

"No, you're the one who's uncalled for," she shoots back. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? Why don't you and Emily go home and bake cookies or something?"

Now Sam is uncomfortable because he knows that Leah doesn't know his true position in the tribe. And because she doesn't know that, she doesn't understand why his relationship with Emily is out of his control. As Bella pats Leah on the back and whispers soothing words, Emily feels even more superfluous and more guilty for adding to Leah's present pain.

She knows very well that Bella is the vampire girl. As Sam's imprint, she knows everything. Unlike Sam, it doesn't sicken her to see them together. She is regretful that she has lost her best friend, but she is caught up in the web of the imprint.

She had tried to escape Sam for Leah's sake, but it had only drawn them closer. When he destroyed her face, ironically enough, he won her heart as she tried to comfort him through his guilt. She truly loves him now and couldn't leave him if she wanted. But I am glad to see that at least she had the decency to feel remorseful about it.

Luckily, Sue is completely unaware of all this drama. Her mind and heart are solely focused on her husband, her life's partner, whose own life is hanging by a thread in the operating room. I search through the minds in the hospital until I find Carlisle's. I can look through his eyes and see that Harry's situation is hopeless. They have been working steadily, but it is no use. There has been too much damage. Dr. Gerandy shakes his head.

"There's nothing that we can do," he says solemnly. "Even if they had gotten him here hours sooner, it would have been useless. This kind of damage happens from years of neglect."

Carlisle nods. The kindest thing to do is to bring the family in to say goodbye before he finally passes. At Carlisle's suggestion, Gerandy leaves to bring in Sue and the kids.

"He won't even know that they are here," one of the nurses comments.

"We can't know that," Carlisle says. "Let's pull the sheet over his chest and make it look a little better. They need to have this moment while he is still breathing."

I can see as Carlisle looks at the readings on the various machines that Harry is only alive because of them. Once they turn them off, he will be gone. I look over and see that Gerandy has arrived in the waiting room and is speaking softly to Sue. Leah jumps up and she and Seth walk over to her when she gestures. Then the three of them follow the doctor out.

"I wonder what that means," Jacob says.

"I'm not sure," I reply softly. "But it can't be good."

Bella stands up and walks over to me so that I can hold her in my arms as she weeps. I look over at Charlie and can see that he is trying to suppress his own tears in vain. He catches my eye and nods.

"I'm glad that she has you to take care of her," he thinks, not realizing that I can hear every word.

I give him a slight nod in return and close my eyes to try and block out the vision in Carlisle's mind of the final scene between Harry and his family.

To my faithful readers: Yes, I know. It has been a very long time. But have a little pity for a teacher in the throes of trying to learn to use the "flip classroom" effectively. I know this is a cliffie, but I have the next three chapters written in my head. I will try not to make you wait too long for them.