Chapter Eleven
The Chase
Grace Cullen-Swan

Our lives settled into an odd routine instantly as the Cullens returned to school and work and I remained home with Elizabeth.

In the morning, I would wake everyone up and get them dressed and fed before getting them out of the door for work and school. I'd spend the morning doing housework and playing with Elizabeth before packing lunches for Charlie and Carlisle around eleven. By noon, I'd have Carlisle's lunch dropped off at his office and be on my way to Charlie's. After making my rounds, I'd go back home for Elizabeth's nap time and my laundry hour. After her nap, I'd get her dressed and ready before taking her over to the Cullen house just in time for the kids to get home from school. Edward and the others would get their fill of her just in time for me to go back home and fix dinner before Edward would come to visit Bella. At ten, Edward would leave and everyone would go to bed...with me keeping a careful ear out to eavesdrop on Bella in case Edward risked his neck by coming back.

Bella proved to be very responsible during her grounding as she and Edward made sure that she was always home on time and that he never stayed a moment past his allotted time. Saturday's they were allowed between noon and four to be together how they saw fit, as long as they didn't cross Charlie's first base rule. So, most of the time Edward took Bella to their meadow to sit and talk while Charlie went fishing, usually leaving me home with Elizabeth to care after.

One Saturday however, Charlie had chosen to stay home due to a sudden spree of 'bear attacks' in the small forest towns surrounding Seattle.

"Definitely not bear attacks." I told him, trying to get a fussy Elizabeth to settle down in her high chair so I could attempt to feed her. "We've been monitoring the situation in Seattle for almost a year now, well, since a little while before you and I became a thing actually." I explained.

"Situation? So what? This is vampires at play?" He asked worriedly, setting the newspaper announcing the bear attacks down on the table.

"Yes, Carlisle and I believe so." I nodded. "It started fairly small, but it's growing to new levels. Anymore press action regarding it and we'll have to get involved." I sighed, hating to resort to violence.

"You don't think the Volturi will come, do you?" He asked. "If they go to Seattle they might come here. They'll see that Bella and I are both still human. They might be lenient about Bella, since they just found out about her, but we promised them I'd be changed by now."

"I know." I smiled softly at him, trying to get him to relax some. "I don't think this is widespread enough to catch their attention just yet. Besides, I doubt Aro would think to come check on your status. He and his brothers might come just to pay visit to Carlisle and I, but we can easily keep you and Bella hidden out of sight from them." I assured him. "Nothing to worry about." I kissed him gently, causing Elizabeth to laugh and squeal.

"What's gotten into her lately?" Charlie chuckled, ruffling her copper curls fondly as she played with the newspaper. "Has she gotten better about using her gift with you?"

"I don't know." I sighed, watching her shake the paper as she fussed at me. "She keeps showing me flashes of strange images. I can't quite put them together enough to figure out what she wants." I frowned, trying to keep her from tearing the paper to shreds. "It's mostly colors and voices and strange zoomed in pieces of a picture."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it." He soothed me. "It'll get easier as she gets older. Kid is only four months old."

"But she's a genius well ahead of a four month olds development! She can sit up and understand everything we say and do. She's gifted for crying out loud and I still can't manage to understand her! I feel like such a bad mom." I shook my head.

"I think every mom feels like a bad mom in the beginning. It's hard to understand babies, even gifted ones, so just take some deep breaths and remember that she'll forgive you for not understanding every little thing." Charlie hushed me, pulling me into his comforting arms.

"How did I get so lucky to have been blessed with you?" I giggled to myself. "I love you." I swore to him.

"I love you." He returned the sentiment, kissing me deeply.

Elizabeth squealed again, effectively gaining Charlie and I's attention, and she practically threw the paper at me.

"What is it?!" I asked her frustratedly. "Please, Elizabeth, try to tell me in a way I'll understand." I begged her, holding out my hand to her.

She clutched my wrist tightly and my vision spiraled in the now very familiar way it does when she invades my eyesight.

Bright red hair, curious, sinister red eyes, fear, my voice calling from upstairs, relief, the catlike woman disappearing as I glided down the stairs, safety.

"Victoria?!" I cried out and Elizabeth laughed, telling me she was happy I had finally understood. "Do you think Victoria, the woman you showed me, is behind this?" I asked her, showing her the paper.

She nodded her head vigorously.

"Victoria? As in the mate of the vampire who tried to kill Bella?" Charlie asked, a new kind of fear showing in his dark eyes.

"Yes, apparently she came inside the house shortly before the Cullens returned. Elizabeth showed me her coming in and looming over her. I think she was about to hurt her before Victoria heard me start to come downstairs. I never even noticed a different scent in the house." I worried.

"Why would she have come inside with you here?" Charlie asked, picking Elizabeth up out of her high chair and holding her close to him.

"She must've been scouting the house out to see if the Cullens were still protecting Bella." I guessed and Elizabeth chirped.

"Guess Elizabeth thinks so too." Charlie muttered.

"I'm home! Four o'clock sharp!" Bella announced, coming into the kitchen. "Did I miss the meeting of the minds?" She asked, reaching out to play with Elizabeth's hand for just a moment before going to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Kind of." Charlie nodded. "Go get in Grace's car, we're going to the Cullen house."

"I thought I wasn't allowed." Bella frowned confusingly. "What's going on?" She asked, sensing our worry.

"We'll tell you with the rest of the Cullens." I told her. "Let's go."

The moment we entered the house, Carlisle was at my side.

"Grace, what's wrong?" He asked, sensing my quiet worry no doubt.

"Let's get everyone into the living room." I told him and the family quickly convened.

The television was on the local news station, reporting a breaking report that gang violence might be attributed to the recent attacks going on within Seattle's city limits.

"That's actually what we came to talk about." I motioned to the screen. "We have a new theory on the attacks."

"Really? What do you think it is?" Jasper asked.

"Not me, really, but Elizabeth." I explained, passing her to Carlisle so she could show him.

"Victoria?" He questioned Elizabeth and myself. "She was in your house?" He panicked.

"Apparently." I sighed.

"I told you she was after me!" Bella gasped. "You thought I was just delusional from pregnancy. I knew I saw Laurent."

"I'm so sorry for not believing you, Bella." I apologized, hugging her tightly. "I wish I had taken a little more caution."

"It's okay." She assured me. "So what do we do about the Seattle killings? If she's really behind this, what do we do?"

"I feel like I would've seen it if Victoria was behind it all. I've been watching her like a hawk and haven't received any visions linking her with the attacks." Alice disclosed.

"She's using a cover then." Jasper nodded firmly. "She's created someone that she's using to orchestrate the whole thing. This sounds exactly like the newborn armies."

"Newborn armies?" Charlie asked.

"Jazz got a different upbringing than the rest of us." Emmett piped up. "He started off down South where vampires have been fighting for territory for centuries. The newborn armies are made up of new vampires, since that's our strongest most disposable stage."

"So what need does Victoria have for a newborn army? There's no territory fights up North. We have the Olympic Peninsula." Esme asked.

"Me." Bella paled. "She let us all know very plainly that she would get revenge for Edward killing James."

"But she said she was going to come after me, not you." Edward shook his head.

"Yeah, but when Laurent cornered me in the meadow he told me her plan. She wants to hurt you like you hurt her. It's not enough to kill you, she wants you to suffer losing me. Now that she knows about Elizabeth as well, there's no telling who all she wants dead now." Bella explained, biting at her bottom lip worriedly.

"She's not going to get close enough to hurt you or Elizabeth." I swore to Bella.

"Maybe this is a good time to use the airline ticket you got for your birthday?" Esme offered. "Go see your mother and make amends before graduation. Get your mind off of all of this while we handle the problem here."

"That sounds like a great idea." Charlie agreed.

"Yeah, as long as you use the companion ticket?" She asked Edward.

"Wait, there's two tickets?" He asked. "Great, that makes me super happy." He spoke sarcastically.

The following Friday, after dropping Edward and Bella off at the airport and leaving Elizabeth with Sue at the reservation, Charlie and I arrived at the Cullen house to start making plans. The moment we stepped inside however, Charlie's cellphone rang.

"It's the station." He excused himself, stepping back outside onto the porch.

"Sister." Carlisle greeted me with a careful hug.

"Brother." I returned his hug awkwardly.

We were getting on better terms, but things still tended to feel forced and awkward at times. Charlie was still very upset with all of them, but Bella seemed to be getting over a majority of her issues, and so I was stuck in a weird sort of limbo between them.

"I've got to go." Charlie stuck his head back into the door. "I've got a missing kid from Seattle's parents wanting to talk to me at the station." He frowned. "I'll see you later." He kissed me goodbye before going back out to the car.

"Well then, everyone's waiting in the dining room." Carlisle motioned for me to follow him and we quickly joined the family.

"I saw her." Alice announced the moment we entered the room. "She's running south towards the boundary line."

"Let's go then, everyone." Carlisle urged the room and we all followed Alice.

"Wait, stop here." She directed, and we all stopped to listen closely. "This is where I saw her."

"Are you sure, Alice?" Jasper asked her, not doubting her visions but the location accuracy.

"Yes, just wait." She ordered, effectively freezing us all into place. "To your left!" She cried out after a short few moments of silence.

A flash of red curls caught my attention and I took off after Victoria, flanked by Emmett and Jasper. I suddenly wished I hadn't let Edward go with Bella, he could've easily caught up to her if he were here.

Jasper threw himself up into a tree and launched himself at her, barely missing her midair as he toppled to the ground.

"She's going to get away!" Esme cried out.

"No! She's not!" Emmett called back, suddenly wrapping an arm around my waist and slingshotting me far ahead of Victoria.

I hit the ground, rolled, and quickly corrected my footing as I got back on my feet. I steeled myself as she approached and quickly countered Victoria as she went to run. Grabbing her by the neck tightly, I went to try to knock her off of her feet, but I misjudged her catlike moves. She quickly swept her leg under mine and threw me roughly to the ground.

"Mom!" Emmett cried out, throwing Victoria off of me right before she could take my head off.

"Get her!" I choked out, still adjusting to the force of her blow, and he took off through the trees after her as Carlisle reached me.

"Sister!" He sighed in relief, helping me sit up. "Are you alright?" He asked as my ears picked up on Emmett's scream of frustration.

"We lost her." I coughed, feeling a wave of quiet panic wash through my body.

"Yes, sounds like it." Carlisle frowned, hearing my brute of a son picking a fight with a shapeshifter. "Here, let me help you up. We need to stop them." He sighed, practically carrying me through the woods to the treaty line.

"Emmett, stop!" I ordered him. "Paul, Embry, this was all a mistake. We were after Victoria. We weren't trying to trespass." The wolves both backed off then and disappeared off into the woods.

A loan howl from the Alpha alerted us to the fact that they had lost her as well.

Losing my temper, I couldn't help but scream out as I punched the tree closest to me.

"Grace, calm down." Carlisle caught my hands in his. "We'll stop her."

"My girls." I shook my head, panic and tears threatening to overwhelm me.

"Are perfectly safe and will stay that way." Esme stepped in to comfort me. "Let's get home and get cleaned up. Then Carlisle and I will take you to the reservation so you can get Elizabeth before we go to the station to tell Charlie. Does that sound okay?" She cooed, wrapping me in her arms so she and Carlisle could help me to the house.