As I drove home, I wasn't paying much attention to the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. I was thinking about the flood of information Jacob had shared with me, trying to sort it out, to force it all to make sense. Despite the overload, I felt lighter. Seeing Jacob smile, having all the secrets thrashed out… it didn't make things perfect, but it made them better. I was right to have gone. Jacob needed me. And obviously, I thought as I squinted into the glare, there was no danger.

It came out of nowhere. One minute there was nothing but bright highway in my rearview mirror. The next minute, the sun was glinting off a silver Volvo right on my tail.

"Aw, crap," I whimpered.

The Volvo followed inches behind me. I kept my eyes on the road ahead.

I considered pulling over. But I was too much of a coward to face him right away. I'd been counting on some prep time… and having Charlie nearby as a buffer. At least that would force him to keep his voice down.

Chicken through and through, I drove straight to Angela's without once meeting the gaze I could feel burning a hole in my mirror.

He followed me until I pulled to the curb in front of the Webers' house. He didn't stop, and I didn't look up as he passed. I didn't want to see the expression on his face. I ran up the short concrete walk to Angela's door as soon as he was out of sight.

"Hey, Bella!" he said, surprised.

Ben answered the door before I could finish knocking, like he'd been standing right behind it.

"Hi, Ben. Er, is Angela here?" I wondered if Angela had forgotten our plans, and cringed at the thought of going home early.

Ben peered around me as we both heard the sound of a car on the road; the sound didn't scare me -- this engine stuttered to a stop, followed by the loud pop of a backfire. Nothing like the purr of the Volvo. This must be the visitor Ben had been waiting for.

"Sure," Ben said just as Angela called, "Bella!" and appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Austin's here," Ben said as Angela reached his side.

A horn honked on the street.

He threw his arm around Angela's neck and pulled her face down to his height so that he could kiss her enthusiastically. After a second of this, Austin honked again.

"I'll see you later," Ben promised. "Miss you already."

"'Bye, Ang! Love you!" Ben shouted as he dashed past me.

"Happy to be of service." I was feeling a bit less panicked, able to breathe a little more evenly. It felt so ordinary here. Angela's easy human dramas were oddly reassuring. It was nice to know that life was normal somewhere.

I followed Angela up the stairs to her room. She kicked toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually quiet.

Angela swayed, her face slightly pink, then recovered herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. Then she turned to me and grinned ruefully. "Thank you for doing this, Bella," she said. "From the bottom of my heart. Not only are you saving my hands from permanent injury, you also just spared me two long hours of a plot-less, badly dubbed martial arts film." She sighed in relief.

"I don't mind at all," I said, and then I walked into Angela's room and saw the stacks of waiting envelopes.

"Where's your family?"

"My parents took the twins to a birthday party in Port Angeles. I can't believe you're really going to help me with this. Ben's pretending he has tendonitis." She made a face.

My pen dug into the envelope I was working on. "Emmet's home for the weekend. They're supposed to be hiking."

"I wish. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Angela divided a pile in half and put her mother's address book between us on her desk. For a while we concentrated, and there was just the sound of our pens scratching quietly across the paper.

"What's Edward doing tonight?" she asked after a few minutes.

I shrugged.

"I thought you were exaggerating," I admitted.

"You say that like you're not sure."

"Oh!" I gasped. Angela turned to look at me, apologies in her eyes. I could see why she'd been putting this off, and why Ben had weaseled out.

"You're lucky Edward has his brothers for all the hiking and camping. I don't know what I'd do if Ben didn't have Austin for the guy stuff."

"Yeah, the outdoors thing is not really for me. And there's no way I'd ever be able to keep up."

Angela laughed. "I prefer the indoors myself."

"Put me to work. I've got all day."

She focused on her pile for a minute. I wrote out four more addresses. There was never any pressure to fill a pause with meaningless chatter around Angela. Like Charlie, she was comfortable with silence.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a low voice now. "You seem… anxious."

I was about to say thanks, but no thanks. After all, there were just too many secrets I was bound to keep. I really couldn't discuss my problems with someone human. That was against the rules.

And yet, with a strange, sudden intensity, that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to talk to a normal human girlfriend. I wanted to moan a little bit, like any other teenage girl. I wanted my problems to be that simple. It would also be nice to have someone outside the whole vampire-werewolf mess to put things in perspective. Someone unbiased.

She was probably lying to make me feel better.

But, like Charlie, she was also too observant sometimes.

"Not really."

I smiled sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?"

"No," I said. "You're right. I am anxious. It's… it's Edward."

"You don't have to talk about it unless you want to," she assured me. "I'll listen if you think it will help."

"I'll mind my own business," Angela promised, smiling down at the address she was working on.

"That's hard to imagine," she said. "What's he mad about?"

"No, not jealous…" I should have kept my mouth shut. There was no way to explain this right. But I wanted to keep talking anyway. I hadn't realized I was so starved for human conversation. "Edward thinks Jacob is… a bad influence, I guess. Sort of… dangerous. You know how much trouble I got in a few months back… It's all ridiculous, though."

I frowned. "Jacob knows how I feel. I've told him everything."

I sighed. "Do you remember Jacob Black?"

I was surprised to see Angela shaking her head.

"Ah," she said.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"He's jealous."

It was so easy to talk to Angela. When she asked a question like that, I could tell that she wasn't just morbidly curious or looking for gossip, like Jessica would have been. She cared that I was upset.

"For you, maybe. But for Jacob…"

"What?" I asked.

"Bella, I've seen how Jacob Black looks at you. I'd bet the real problem is jealousy."

"Oh, he's mad at me."

"Edward's only human, Bella. He's going to react like any other boy."

"It's not like that with Jacob."

"You and Jacob are pretty close, aren't you?"

I stared down, concentrating on the clumsy scrawl of my handwriting. For a second I was distracted by the thought of Angela and Ben at the University of Washington. They would be off to Seattle in just a few months. Would it be safe then? Would the wild young vampire menace have moved elsewhere? Would there be a new place by then, some other city flinching from horror-movie headlines?

Then she changed the subject. Angela wasn't one to pry, and she seemed to sense I wouldn't -- couldn't -- say any more.

She patted my hand. "He'll get over it."

I grimaced. I didn't have a response to that.

She grinned. "Probably."

"Like family," I agreed.

"I hope so. Jake's going through kind of a tough time. He needs me."

"And Edward doesn't like him… That must be hard. I wonder how Ben would handle that?" she mused.

"Does Ben know where he's staying yet?"

"I got my dorm assignment yesterday. The farthest building from campus, naturally."

I half-smiled. "Probably just like any other boy."

"The closest dorm to campus. He's got all the luck. How about you? Did you decide where you're going?"

I laughed a little, still staring at the envelope. "Yeah. Forks has really changed my perspective on life."

Would those new headlines be my fault?

I tried to shake it off and answered her question a beat late. "Alaska, I think. The university there in Juneau."

I could hear the surprise in her voice. "Alaska? Oh. Really? I mean, that's great. I just figured you'd go somewhere… warmer."

"And Edward?"

A swell of quiet sadness crashed over me; maybe it was a mistake to get closer to Angela now. But wouldn't it be sadder still to miss out on these last chances? I shook off the unhappy thoughts, so that I could answer her teasingly. "If I can type again after this." I nodded toward the stack of envelopes I'd done.

She grinned back. "Of course not." And then she sighed. "It's so far. You won't be able to come home very often. I'll miss you. Will you e-mail me?"

Though his name set butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I looked up and grinned at her. "Alaska's not too cold for Edward, either."

We laughed, and it was easy then to chat cheerfully about classes and majors while we finished the rest -- all I had to do was not think about it. Anyway, there were more urgent things to worry about today.

I flexed my fingers. "I think I'll recover the full use of it… someday."

I helped her put the stamps on, too. I was afraid to leave.

The door banged downstairs, and we both looked up.

I got up and stretched.

I tried to smile, but my lips trembled. "I guess that's my cue to leave."

"You don't have to go. Though he's probably going to describe the movie for me… in detail."

"Come in, Ben," Angela said.

There was a light knock on the bedroom door.

"I had a good time, actually. We should do something like this again. It was nice to have some girl time."

"Hey, Bella! You survived," Ben greeted me quickly before going to take my place by Angela. He eyed our work. "Nice job. Too bad there's nothing left to do, I would have…" He let the thought trail off, and then restarted excitedly. "Ang, I can't believe you missed this one! It was awesome. There was this final fight sequence -- the choreography was unbelievable! This one guy -- well, you're going to have to see it to know what I'm talking about --"

"Definitely."

"How's your hand?" she asked.

"Ang?" Ben called.

"Thanks for helping me."

"Charlie will be wondering where I am anyway."

She sighed. "See you."

"So, how was your day?"

"Yep. We got all her announcements addressed."

There wasn't enough surprise in his face. Billy had already talked to him.

"Hey, Dad."

"How's Jacob?" Charlie asked, attempting to sound indifferent.

"Bella?" Charlie called when I opened the front door.

"That's nice." Charlie smiled a wide smile. He was strangely focused, considering that there was a game on. "I'm glad you spent some time with your friends today."

I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car.

"Good," I said, just as casual.

"Good," I said. Might as well tell him everything -- he'd hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would make him happy. "They didn't need me at work, so I went down to La Push."

I found him in the living room, in front of the TV.

"See you at school," I said with a nervous laugh.

His car was not in front of the house, either, though that meant little.

"You get over to the Webers'?"

Angela rolled her eyes at me.

"Er… so, I'm still alive," I began.

A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn't change.

"No harm done," I insisted with a shrug.

I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his lunch. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew I couldn't delay this forever.

If I survive, I thought to myself.

"Me, too."

His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change.

I shut my bedroom door carefully before I turned to face my room.

"Hi," I finally said.

Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across from me, in the shadow beside the open window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me wordlessly.

I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn't come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak.

"See you later," Charlie called after me.

"I'm going to go study," I announced glumly as I headed up the stairs.

"Don't you start," I snapped. "You made the treaty -- you stick to it."

"Enough!" I cut him off. "There's nothing to worry about. Jacob isn't dangerous."

"You can't!" I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn't hear, but I wanted to shout the words. "Edward, they'd use any excuse for a fight. They'd love that. You can't ever break the rules!"

"Bella," he whispered. "Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?"

He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.

"Maybe they aren't the only ones who would enjoy a fight."

"Bella." He rolled his eyes. "You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous."

"I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you."

I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night.

"If he'd hurt you --"

He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us.

I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn't move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was.

He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist. "Anxious is a bit of an understatement," he murmured. "It was a very long day."

"When Alice saw you disappear, I came back," he explained.

"But I didn't," he broke in. "And you can't expect me to let you --"

"I'm sorry I made you anxious," I muttered.

I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval.

"You weren't supposed to know about it," I reminded him. "I thought you'd be hunting longer."

"You shouldn't have done that. Now you'll have to go away again." My frown intensified.

"I can wait."

"That's ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn't see me with Jacob, but you should have known --"

"I understand when you have to leave, even if I don't like it --"

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Because there isn't going to be a next time."

"That's not the same. I'm not risking my life."

"I'm not negotiating this, Bella."

"Neither am I."

"This won't happen again."

The words popped out thoughtlessly. "Is this really just about my safety?"

"Oh, yes, I can," I interrupted him. "That's exactly what I expect --"

"Werewolves constitute a risk."

His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back.

"That's right! Because you're not going to overreact next time."

"Neither am I."

"You aren't…" Angela's theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. "I mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?"

He raised one eyebrow. "Do I?"

I frowned suspiciously. "Or… is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are-always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled --"

"Be serious."

"I disagree."

"Easily -- there's nothing remotely humorous about this."

He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes.

"Switzerland," I repeated again for emphasis.

The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt.

"Okay," I sighed. "I believe that. But I want you to know something -- when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I'm out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are… well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence. I don't care who's a werewolf and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too."

His eyes blazed. "This is only about you. All I care is that you're safe."

He frowned at me, and then sighed. "Bella…" he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"What now?"

"Well… don't be offended, but you smell like a dog," he told me.

And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now.

Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem.

So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didn't recognize was shaking the frame when the bass played.

We'd come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didn't feel guilty calling Jake -- during my brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window -- to let him know I'd be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn't sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke my truck again, then I'd have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland -- just like me.

"Hey, Alice," I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. "Where's your brother?"

She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave higher than the melody, weaving through it with a complicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my question as she concentrated on the music.

I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just background. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same second.

"All the boys went, and we're having a slumber party!" she announced in a trilling, singsong voice.

"A slumber party?" I repeated, the suspicion finally settling in.

"Aren't you excited?" she crowed.

"Sorry," Alice said, not sounding in the least bit penitent. "He paid me off."

"How?" I hissed through my teeth.

I met her animated gaze for a long second.

She shrugged. "They left early."

She laughed and nodded. "Till Saturday. Esme cleared it with Charlie; you're staying with me two nights, and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow."

"What's going on?" I asked, starting to feel uneasy. "Where is Edward?"

I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding together.

"The Porsche. It's exactly like the one I stole in Italy." She sighed happily. "I'm not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to L. A. -- I bet I could have you back by midnight."

"Oh." I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he left early, that meant he'd be back sooner, I reminded myself.

"You're kidnapping me, aren't you?"

I took a deep breath. "I think I'll pass," I sighed, repressing a shudder.

Alice made a face.

We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked over the cars. Emmett's big jeep was there, with a shiny canary yellow Porsche between it and Rosalie's red convertible.

Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her hand along the length of her bribe. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"Pretty over-the-top," I grumbled, incredulous. "He gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?"

She nodded.

"Not really." She sniffed. "You don't seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I can't see them. Edward has no way to know if you're safe. You shouldn't be so reckless."

A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in horror. "It's for every time he's gone, isn't it?"

I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She danced along next to me, still unrepentant.

"Alice, don't you think this is just a little bit controlling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?"

"How late do you want to stay up?" she asked when my toenails were glistening a bloody red. Her enthusiasm remained untouched by my mood.

Alice laughed. "I'll give you a pedicure and everything," she promised.

My voice turned acidic. "Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior."

It wasn't so bad, except for the fact that I was being held against my will. Esme brought Italian food -- the good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles -- and Alice was prepared with my favorite movies. Even Rosalie was there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the pedicure, and I wondered if she was working from a list -- maybe something she'd compiled from watching bad sitcoms.

She pouted.

"I don't want to stay up. We have school in the morning."

"Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?" I measured the couch with my eyes. It was a little short. "Can't you just keep me under surveillance at my house?"

"What kind of a slumber party would that be?" Alice shook her head in exasperation. "You're sleeping in Edward's room."

I dialed Jacob's number, hoping he wasn't out running with his friends tonight. Luck was with me -- Jacob was the one to answer. "Hello?"

I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was probably thick enough that the floor wouldn't be half bad either.

"Am I allowed to use your phone?"

She grinned. "Already taken care of."

"Okay, okay," she said, flitting from the room. She was back in half a second, cell phone in hand. "He didn't specifically prohibit this…" she murmured to herself as she handed it to me.

"I wasn't going to call Charlie." I frowned. "Apparently, I have some plans to cancel."

"Hi, Bella," Jacob said, suddenly cautious. "What's up?"

"Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?"

"Hey, Jake, it's me." Alice watched me with expressionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went to sit between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa.

"Alice!" I whined loudly. "C'mon!"

"Charlie knows where you are."

"Oh." She deliberated. "I'm not sure about that."

"I wish. I'm not at Charlie's," I said sourly. "I'm kind of being held prisoner."

A chill slid down my spine, but I answered in a light and teasing voice. "Tempting. I have been tortured -- Alice painted my toenails."

"Nothing good. I can't come over Saturday after all."

"I'm only laughing because you're close," I told him. "But he's going to be here Saturday, so it doesn't matter."

"I don't think that's funny."

It was silent for a minute. "Stupid bloodsucker," he finally muttered. "I thought he was leaving. Can't you have a life when he's gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?"

"No." I didn't let myself get irritated with him. I wasn't that far from being as angry as he was. "He left early."

"Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then," he said with sudden enthusiasm. "It's not that late. Or I'll come up to Charlie's."

I laughed.

He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. "We'll come and get you," he promised in a flat voice, slipping automatically into a plural.

"Will he be feeding there in Forks, then?" Jacob asked cuttingly.

"I'm serious."

He growled again.

I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting hand. "I'm done."

"I know it's silly, but their hearts are in the right place."

The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There was no greeting.

"Don't be. They're just trying to keep me safe."

"See you around."

"Not completely." I sighed. "'Night, Jake."

"Are you sure they'll let you?" he asked in a scathing tone.

"I'll leave a message."

"Sorry about Saturday," I apologized. "I've got to hit the sack" -- the couch, I corrected mentally -- "but I'll call you again soon."

"Their hearts." he scoffed.

Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the number.

"You are in trouble," I said slowly, emphasizing each word. "Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home."

"I'm going to sleep now," I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along.

She grinned. "This hostage stuff is fun."

"I don't think he'll have his phone on him," she said.

Edward's room was at the farthest end of the third floor hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge house had been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong door?

"I'm just going to show you where your things are," she said innocently.

"Alice," I sighed. "I'm not going to sneak out. You would know if I was planning to, and you'd catch me if I tried."

Alice giggled.

It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls; the frame was black, made of intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side.

It was the same room, I realized quickly; the furniture had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs -- to make room for the colossal bed that now dominated the central space.

The southern wall of glass reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad.

"You didn't really think he would make you sleep on the couch, did you?"

"What the hell is all this?" I spluttered.

I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed.

"What, Alice?" I hissed. I was on the defensive, imagining her amusement when she saw my makeshift bed.

"I'll give you some privacy," Alice laughed. "See you in the morning."

After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I grabbed a puffy feather pillow off the huge bed and dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being silly, but I didn't care. Porsches as bribes and king-sized beds in houses where nobody slept -- it was beyond irritating. I flipped off the lights and curled up on the sofa, wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep.

In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, doubling the room. The light of the moon brightened the clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the diffused glow highlighting the tops of the trees, and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the silver light, waiting for my eyes to get heavy.

There was a light knock on the door.

"It's me," Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect face. "Can I come in?"