"What are our options, then?"

Mom's voice floated up the stairs as I began to descend toward the kitchen. Her question made me pause, subconsciously holding my breath as I eavesdropped.

"In order for Chloe to be enrolled at Forks High School, her parents have to sign these forms," Charlie responded. "She's still technically a minor according to the state of Michigan and Washington and has to finish high school. If she isn't enrolled and isn't a dropout, her parents could be in serious trouble with the law. So could you, for having her here."

"I'll call her mom again. Maybe this time she'll pick up."

There was a pause, charging the atmosphere with a sense of anticipation. I quietly made my way to the hallway, concealing myself with the wall separating me from the kitchen.

"Margaret? Hey, it's Julie. Yes, Chloe's okay. Whoa, slow down, you're breaking up." The panic in Mom's voice was enough to make me step forward, earning a raised eyebrow from Charlie. "Take a deep breath, Maggie. There you go. Okay, now what about Chloe being in trouble?"

Mom listened for a few moments, her eyes locked with mine. I held my breath, hoping my instinct was wrong. The moment Mom gasped and shocked surprise flashed across her face, I knew it wasn't.

"Crap." I mumbled under my breath, pulling my cell phone out of my pocket and searching for Jacob's name. Hitting send, I turned away from Mom and Charlie, feverishly wishing for him to answer.

"Autumn."

"I was right."

"Be there in five. Make sure she's with you."

With a click, Jacob was gone. Ice crawling through my veins, I faced Mom who was finishing her own conversation.

"We'll see you this weekend. Take care of yourself, Maggie. I love you. Alright, bye."

"We're going back," I stated, grasping the countertop in front of me.

"We have to," Mom said gently. "Jacob's on his way."

"Yeah." I stopped myself from continuing, glancing at Charlie. "We, uh... had plans to hang out with Chloe today. Show her around and stuff."

"Okay, Leaf." A fake, happy smile flashed across her face. "You kids stay safe and have fun."

As casually as I could, I turned and walked out of the kitchen. Out of sight from Mom and Charlie, I ran upstairs to the guest bedroom where Chloe was sitting at the bay window, reading a book.

"Chloe," I fumbled, my voice cracking as I tried to figure out how to break the news to her.

"What is it, Autumn?" Chloe put her book down as she took in my expression.

"I, uh... Jacob's on his way to get us. To hang out, show you around Forks and La Push," I said loudly, holding up a hand to silence her as I glanced down the hallway before stepping into her room and shutting the door. "I need you to get ready, Jacob's almost here. We... we need to go to the Cullens."

"What's wrong?"

I could see the panic in her eyes, even as Chloe tried to pretend she was cool. Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze.

"Reed's after both of us."

The air was charged with a distraught atmosphere as soon as the words registered with Chloe. Her body stiffened, her knuckles turning pale as she dug her nails into her palms; a telltale sign of her fear. In a blink of an eye, I was sitting next to her, gently tugging her hands open.

"It'll be okay, Peaches," I murmured. "I'll protect you. Jacob and the Cullens will protect us. And we'll find that scumbag before he hurts either of us again."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm just worried about Casey."

"Casey?" I wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion.

"That's my daughter's name." Chloe gave me a weak smile. "We haven't had a chance to talk about her yet. It's been a hectic week."

"I'm sorry," I squeezed her hand. "I should've asked. I just didn't know... you showed up without her. I didn't want to bring it up if you had lost her, and I would've felt even more horrible for making you sad."

"I understand. I would've done the same thing."

"So, Casey huh?"

"Yeah. Casey Annette Marshall. Dad calls her 'Marshmallow' because she's pale like I was when I was born." Chloe reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet, flipping it open to the photo album. "That was taken a few months ago when we visited my aunt in the Bahamas."

I stared at the photo Chloe was pointing at, the image of a smiling baby girl dressed in a pink bathing suit at the beach. Chloe was sitting with her, just barely in the water, a genuine smile on her face.

"She's beautiful."

"She saved my life. In more ways than one. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"I can this weekend." I smiled at Chloe's confusion. "We have to go get your parents' signatures in order to enroll you at Forks High so you can finish high school."

"That makes sense. Is your mom coming?"

"Yeah. I think she's buying our tickets right now and arranging everything. She misses your mom."

"Mom misses her too. Having Casey around helps keep her mind off of things, ya know? I think if they didn't have her, Mom would've kicked your dad's butt all the way to China and back." We giggled at the mental image.

"That would've been funny to see." I shook my head amusingly. "You know, if you hadn't slept with Reed, it might've been me who ended up pregnant. I probably wouldn't have handled it as well as you did."

"Really?"

"Yeah... to be honest, when Reed broke up with me because I was moving due to the divorce, I was kind of relieved. But dealing with my parents splitting up on top of having a kid? I don't think I could've... it was a very bad time for me. And probably full of regret later in life."

"Do you regret it?" Chloe looked at me. "Not being the one who got pregnant?"

"Yes and no..." I said carefully, pausing to find my wording. "Yes because then I'd know if I could have a baby of my own. It would've been at least one good thing in my life, coming from the divorce and moving. It would've been good for Mom, too, having a grandchild. But no, I don't regret it because deep down, I know I wasn't ready for the responsibility of having a baby. I wasn't ready to sleep with someone. I'm still not ready for parenthood. And I'm okay with my decision to wait because that's my decision. I wish that you had the same choice to make it your decision, instead of having someone make it for you."

"Casey is my good thing. I wouldn't trade her for the world. And one day, you'll have your own little bundle of joy. You'll experience the feeling too."

Chloe linked her arm through mine and I rested my head against her shoulder, a wave of understanding and acceptance passing over us.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Jacob said, standing in the doorway. His eyes were full of curiosity as he watched us carefully.

"We were just waiting for you," Chloe beamed, drawing attention away from our conversation. "I'll be downstairs when you're ready."

Jacob moved out of the way to let Chloe pass, his eyes never leaving my face. Heat covered my cheeks as I tore my gaze away, biting my bottom lip.

"So, kids are a possibility one day?" Jacob asked, his tone playful to match his smile.

"You weren't meant to hear that."

"Come on, Leaf. You don't have to be embarrassed about that."

I glanced in his direction, catching a smirk. The flames in my cheeks burned hotter and I was sure my face would melt under the fire.

"One day, I want kids too. Just so you know." Jacob shrugged at my gaping expression and disappeared, his footsteps growing distant as he descended the staircase. "You coming?"

A smile crept onto my face and I jogged after him, stopping briefly to grab my purse. Charlie and Mom were still in the kitchen when I entered, talking to Chloe about our upcoming weekend trip. Jacob was leaning against the counter, eating one of the brownies Mom had baked earlier in the morning.

"You better not eat all the brownies again, Jacob Black!" I playfully scolded him. "Those aren't just for you, you know."

"I can't help that your mom is an amazing baker." He protested, shoving the last bite into his mouth. "Are you girls ready to go?"

"I just need to grab my water bottle," I said, turning to Chloe.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"We'll see you later, Mom." I shut the fridge and kissed her cheek. "Do you need me to get anything from the store?"

"No, I have to stop by the bakery so I'll go on my way home."

With a goodbye to Charlie, Chloe and I followed Jacob outside and climbed into his car. Silence kept us quiet as Jacob weaved through the streets, making it to the Cullens in good time. This time, Alice was waiting for us on the porch.

"Autumn!" She called out. "Thank goodness you guys are okay."

"Wait, did you have a vision?" I asked her as I reached the top step. She nodded.

"I'll explain afterward. Everyone's waiting in the living room."

"How did they know..." Chloe trailed off.

"Edward heard Autumn," Alice said over her shoulder. "His ability can span over the couple miles between our house and Autumn's if he concentrates hard enough. Or if the other person is mentally 'screaming.'"

Jacob and Chloe shot a questioning look at me.

"He must've heard my panic attack. When Mom was on the phone, right before I called Jacob."

"I did." Edward met us outside the living room, a teacup in his hands. He offered it to me with a sheepish grin. "It's lemon tea with honey. Your mom says it calms you down better than chamomile."

"Thank you." I accepted the cup and followed him to the rest of the family.

"So, Autumn, what's going on?" Carlisle asked once we were seated.

"Chloe's mom confirmed this morning that Reed is in fact targeting Chloe and me." I said with a slightly shaky breath. "He's somewhere near Forks."

"Which means he could be working with someone now," Edward spoke. "Or he could be the mysterious stranger who was in Bella's room last night."

"Wait, someone was in your room?" I gasped, turning to Bella who nodded.

"While Charlie was home."

"Which is why she's going to Florida this weekend," Edward added. "Her tickets from her birthday are about to expire, and this gives her a chance to see her mom before graduation."

"Yeah, thanks for telling Charlie about that." Bella rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed with Edward. He gave her a small smile and a kiss on her forehead in return.

"That works," Jacob said to himself before realizing he spoke out loud. "Autumn and Chloe are going to Michigan this weekend."

"We need Chloe's parents to sign some documents stating she's going to stay with us and finish her senior year at Forks," I explained.

"To avoid truancy," Carlisle replied understandingly. "Jacob's right, that does work. We can work out patrols with the pack and see if we can find these mysterious stalkers."

"I'll bring Sam by later," Jacob nodded in agreement.

"Alice, you said you had a vision?" I faced her, changing the subject. She nodded.

"It was a hazy glimpse, but you were in a car accident. Another car ran you guys off the road into the trees. I didn't see the other driver's face, but the car... it looked exactly like the one that nearly ran you over a couple of months ago, Autumn."

*****

The sky was gray and gloomy, darkening with each passing minute as the air temperature dropped. The sounds of rumbling thunder echoed in the distance, and I shivered involuntarily as I made my way down the sidewalk to where Mom's car was parked outside of the school. I was grateful for the early leave from English; the monotone voice of the substitute was enough to make even the smartest kid of the senior class fall asleep at her desk. Chloe was already sitting in the passenger seat, her face covered in patches of flour. I grinned as I hopped into the back and pulled a package of wet wipes from my backpack, handing them to her.

"You might want to wash the flour off before we get to the airport."

Chloe blushed and mumbled a "thank you" before flipping the visor down to look at her face. Mom met my gaze through the rearview mirror.

"There's food in your carry-on, in case you're hungry. I know you didn't get to have lunch yet."

"I'm starving," I sighed dramatically, throwing my arm across my face before catching Chloe's glance; the shared look between us was enough to send us into a fit of giggles. Mom shook her head as she focused on the road ahead of us, heading for the highway towards Seattle.

"Why are we going to the airport in Seattle again?" Chloe asked as she double-checked her face for flour.

"I have a delivery to make to one of the corporate companies," Mom answered her as she set the cruise control. "The company's owner and a few of his colleagues were in town a few months ago and stopped in for directions. One bite of the sugar cookie pies we had experimented with, and they were hooked. Ordered a few dozen cupcakes and mini pies for an annual charity ball."

"Way to go, Mom," I said, impressed as I noticed the boxes in the back. "Who made the order?"

"Oh, I forget the name," Mom sighed distractedly. "I talked to the secretary, I think. Andrea? That sounds about right."

"Well, whoever it is, I hope their guests like the desserts."

As soon as the word desserts slipped from my tongue, my stomach rumbled loud enough to cause Mom and Chloe both to snicker. I grinned sheepishly and reached for my carry-on, grabbing one of the wrapped sandwiches.

"I told you she'd get hungry on the way there," Mom chuckled, glancing at Chloe. I swallowed the bite in my mouth and raised an eyebrow at my best friend.

"You should've known better than to bet against Mom, Peaches."

"Just eat your sandwich before the wolves hear your rumbling stomach," Chloe teased.

"Which ones?" I fired back jokingly, sticking my tongue out at her. Chloe shook her head and pulled a book out of her bag.

"I might as well get some reading done since it's a 3-hour car ride." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Honestly, who assigns reading homework to someone who doesn't attend school anymore?"

"Mrs. Matthews." I laughed at Chloe's bewildered expression. "She did the same thing to me when I moved to Forks. Mom called the school and lit into them after the third email."

"I wouldn't say I 'lit into them' but they did get an earful. That woman was an idiot anyway," Mom shrugged. "Nobody liked her when I was in high school either."

Chloe and I snickered in response. As Chloe flipped to her marked page, I decided to slip my earbuds in and listen to the playlist Jacob made on my mp3 player. Leaning my head against the cool window, my eyes fluttered shut as the world around me dissolved into soft piano music.

"Autumn... run!"

I stumbled through the dark woods, Chloe's panicked voice bouncing between the trees. My eyes scanned the area for her as I tried to get away from the unknown stalking behind us. Heavy footsteps deliberately echoed through the air, the predator ensuring the fear pounding in my veins reached a breaking point.

"Autumn... run... it's coming!"

This time, I heard Jacob's voice calling out ahead of me, urgent but steady. Running as fast as I could, I broke through the treeline into a clearing just as a loud growl pierced the air; I yelped as my ankle twisted and I fell with a thud, narrowly missing a sharp rock.

Glancing upward from the ground as I gasped for breath, I could see wolves slowly slinking towards the trees I just crashed through. Time seemed to slow down as one by one, the wolves launched themselves into the dark, growls and snarls reaching my ears as they chased after the unknown predator.

Standing in the clearing where the wolves once occupied was a woman with long hair blowing in the cool wind, her white dress flowing behind her as she stared at me. The moment our eyes met across the space, her voice echoed in my head, crystal clear as if she was standing beside me.

"Learn... to... control... Autumn..."

Autumn... Autumn... Autumn...

"Autumn, wake up!"

Chloe gave my shoulder a more firm shake and I stirred back into reality. Blinking in confusion, I sat up and realized we were sitting in a parking garage.

"Did you have a nice nap?" She handed me a water bottle and I quickly took a gulp, the cold water soothing my parched throat.

"You could say it was weird," I looked around. "Where are we?"

"Your mom's dropping off the desserts." She studied my face. "Are you sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I did... I think I just saw my ancestor, Guiliana, in my dream."

"What?" Chloe gasped, her eyes glued to mine. "What happened?"

I recalled the dark dream to her and even she was stumped by Guiliana's cryptic message.

"You definitely should bring it up to your mom. Or Jacob," Chloe added. "Maybe they know what it means."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Chloe turned her attention behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to see Mom exit the elevator. She shook hands with one of the men who exited after her, smiles on both their faces. After saying goodbye, Mom headed for the car as the man turned to who I assumed was his bodyguard and they disappeared into a black SUV.

"You girls ready for the airport?" Mom beamed as she pulled out onto the street.

"You mean, are we ready to shove our way through a busy crowd of people who like to stand in the way of other people? Sure, we're ready." I rolled my eyes, laughing.

"Is it really that bad?" Chloe asked Mom, who shook her head.

"It can get busy, but no. Don't listen to Autumn."

Twenty minutes later, we made it through security and baggage claim, Chloe's eyes almost bulging out of her head as she took in the crowds around us. I nearly chuckled from her lack of airport experience being obvious; instead, I grabbed her hand and led her to the lobby area where Mom was already grabbing seats for our wait. Guiding Chloe into a chair, I shot Mom a smirk.

"Not as bad, huh? She's about to freak out."

"Haha," Mom shooed me away as she knelt in front of Chloe. "It'll be okay, Peaches. In your nose, out your mouth. Steady yourself. That's it, you're doing great."

After a couple of minutes, Chloe's breathing slowed and her pulse was back to normal. I handed her a chocolate bar out of my carry-on.

"Feel better?"

Chloe nodded, silently taking the candy. A small smile tugged at her lips as she glanced behind us.

"Jacob," she mumbled. Spinning around, I met Jacob's gaze as he walked toward us, a grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" My voice rose to a squeal as I threw my arms around his neck, surprised to see him.

"I came to make sure you got a goodbye before you left," he murmured against my forehead.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know. But it also gives me a chance to update you before you go, and an excuse to be cheesy and kiss you before you get on a plane." He teased in a low voice, making sure Chloe or Mom didn't hear him.

"Update me on what?"

"Carlisle thinks we should have a patrol around Seattle this weekend, while you and Bella are away. Just to see if we can find anything about your anonymous stalker, the stranger in Bella's room, or even Victoria. We know she's still out there..." his voice trailed off, causing me to glance up and see his eyes darken.

"What's bothering you, Jake?"