A Potter Secret

Victoria's Entrance

Alice's eyes are glazed over, intently watching something in her mind. The woods are all mist and shadows. The Cullen's are spread out, still as statutes, waiting for Alice, ready to spring. "You sure this is where you saw her?" Jasper asks.

"She's almost here."

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A pair of female feet in boots run through the rainy wet mud. But they falter, slowing to a stop. Victoria. She inhales- Something smells wrong. She abruptly bolts in another direction.

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Alice looks left. "On your left." Emmett explodes to his left, Rosalie right behind him. Jasper and Carlisle go wide, looking to cut Victoria off, Esme and Alice following up the rear. Victoria races through the trees, tense but not afraid. Escaping is what she's good at. She reaches a ravine- she doesn't break stride, just leaps across it. Carlisle pulls up short, yelling to Emmett and Rosalie, "Wait. She's in their territory."

"She'll get away," Rosalie argues.

Jasper replies, "No she won't."

Other side of the ravine three giant wolves leap onto the scene and take up the chase after Victoria. The leader is black, enormous. A parallel chase ensues, the wolves and the Cullens keeping to their sides of the ravine, which we realize is the line that demarcates the territories, Victoria leaps back over. "All ours now," Emmett smirks. The Cullens close in. Emmett grabs hold of her shoulders and hair. They roll head over heels- Victoria uses the momentum to her advantage and flings Emmett off and over her into a tree. She takes the split second he's down to leap back over to wolf-land and keeps running.

"Emmett don't!" Esme shouts. But Emmett, seeing red, flies over the ravine-the second his feet hit the other side. A wolf turns to face him. There's a moment of standoff. It would be simple enough for Emmett to defuse the situation by jumping back, but that's not his style. Paul growls with bravado. That just makes Emmett smile.

Victoria runs to a safe distance away. She slowly looks back, surprised to see what is happening. She studies the conflict with curiosity. Paul and Emmett charge each other. Bam! They roll in dozens yards in the dirt.

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Edward pulls his Volvo into a parking spot. Bella's in the passenger seat, sadness in her face. Edward strokes her cheek, comforting her. "Did you regret going?" Edward asks.

"No. It was really great to see my mom. Just really hard saying goodbye," Bella replies, trying to play the part.

"It doesn't have to be goodbye."

"Is that why you ask me to go? You thought I was gonna change my mind."

He offers a gentle smile. "I'm always hoping for that."

He abruptly looks up; stiffens. Hearing something. "What?" Bella asks.

"If I asked you to stay in the car, would you?" Edward gets out of the car after a moment. She looks at him, concerned, then pulls open her door. "Of course not."

Bella and Edward emerge from the Volvo to see Jacob climb off his motorcycle and stride toward them. He wears a tight black t-shirt, grease stained jeans. No jacket in the cold. His hard expression causes other students to give him a wide berth. He looks almost dangerous. But Bella is delighted. "Jake!" Edward subtly, protectively pulls Bella back. Students watch from a distance, out of earshot.

"Hey," Jacob starts. "Charlie said you left town."

"Yeah. To visit my Mom, why?" Bella replies.