Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(175)

At the thought of what this could do to her I automatically slowed down. I didn't want her to die, but I could protect her from him... but I couldn't protect her from the agony, the grief that she would have to suffer if her father was killed. It would be torture to see her in such pain or worse, if she finally took the blame off herself and realized it was entirely my fault and refused to let me comfort her.

Alice could almost see my brain hard at work. "Let's just look at our options for a minute," she said coaxingly, knowing that I was deep in thought about our options.

The Jeep slowed as I took my foot off the accelerator slowly and the speedometer showed the Jeep slowing down to ninety miles an hour.

In Alice's vision James would give Victoria the first kill - Charlie. Victoria was his mate and they were extremely vicious together, feeding off of each other's ruthlessness. She would display Charlie's dead body to try and coax us back - and it would work! I slammed the brakes while pulling into the shoulder. I felt horribly powerless. The car behind me screeched to a halt too and honked their horn. I saw Bella slam back into the seat and I was instantly nervous I had done something to hurt her but she looked unscathed.

I turned to look at Alice. "There are no options," I howled.

To bring her back when that monster was hunting her - I just couldn't bare it if something were to happen. My brain was in limbo.

"I'm not leaving Charlie!" Bella yelled louder than I had ever heard but I ignored her.

"We have to take her back," Emmett said quietly.

"No," I said with authority.

"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her," Emmett promised.

"He'll wait," I explained.

We'll beat him at his own game then! "I can wait, too." Emmett said while grinning widely.

"You didn't see - you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakeable. We'd have to kill him." I shouted.

And this is a problem because? "That's an option," he replied unperturbed.

I was becoming angrier because I knew I was going to lose this argument. "And the female. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too."

Three against seven? Please! "There are enough of us."

"There's another option," Alice replied quietly.

She saw what Bella was planning in her head and the only way she saw this plan was if it was a possibility. This made me angrier than before. "There - is - no - other - option!" I shouted.

I could see the shock on Bella and Emmett's face in the mirror. I turned to look at Alice. She has a good plan and you know it! Alice barked in her head.

I continued to stare at her with deepest dislike.

If she doesn't convince James that she is no longer in Forks than he will let Victoria kill Charlie. You can't let that happen. What would Carlisle say?

I continued to glare at her and her logic.

"Does anyone want to hear my plan?" Bella asked.

"No," I growled because I already knew her plan and disagreed with it.

I've had enough of this! Alice glared at me so menacingly I almost thought she was going to burn holes through me.

"Listen," Bella pleaded desperately. "You take me back."

"No," I cut in.

I turned to look at her and now she was glaring at me. "You take me back," she continued anyway. "I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want."

Wow! I like her style. She fights dirty! Emmett looked surprised.

Just let her do this, Edward. Alice continued to glare at me.

"It's not a bad idea, really." Emmett allowed.

"It might work - and we simply can't leave her father unprotected. You know that," Alice replied in a I told you so tone.

Everyone's eyes were on me. I took in a deep breath. "It's too dangerous - I don't want him within a hundred miles of her."

"Edward, he's not getting through us," Emmett said confidently.

I wish I were as confident as he was. I looked at Alice because she started flitting through the future again. Ah, yes, the future is getting clearer. I see... "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave her alone."

"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen," Emmett said.

"I demand that you take me home." Bella said firmly.

My brain was swelling with the onslaught of information - the past events, the present and the future. Bringing my fingers to my temples and squeezing my eyes shut while trying to dispel all thoughts was useless but I tried anyway.

"Please," Bella whispered a cry.

I knew I had to do what was best for Bella all around, not what was just best for me. I decided a compromise would be the best I could deal with.

"You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep." I conceded.