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Nate and Edward ventured into the woods, moving with the supernatural speed that allowed them to elude any prying eyes. The silence was heavy, broken only by the crunch of branches beneath their swift steps. The damp air carried a faint scent of moss and bark, but also an invisible tension that followed every stride.
Edward, who had remained quiet almost the entire way, could no longer hold back. His voice sounded uncertain, edged with doubt:
"Are you sure about what you're doing? Your plan sounds pretty risky…"
He meant to continue, to voice his concerns, but Nate cut him off with a sharp, firm tone:
"Just make sure you do your part, and I'll take care of the rest."
Edward parted his lips as if to argue, but the impulse faded instantly. He stayed silent, resigning himself to the inevitable. His decision was already made: he would help Nate, no matter how dangerous it was. He would do anything to secure his future with Bella and, at the same time, find some way to make up to Nate for having failed him in the past.
The journey felt longer than it really was. Only a few minutes passed before they reached the Cullen house, yet the tension between them stretched each second. They took a different route, avoiding any chance of running into members of the pack who might catch their scent.
Once inside, Edward went straight to his room. He didn't say a word, but the way he left made clear his urgent need to be alone, to sort through the thoughts swarming in his head. Nate lingered in the foyer, debating whether to seek Alice in her studio or give himself a moment's pause. In the end, he chose the latter.
He climbed the stairs at a measured pace and opened the door to Alice's room. The space greeted him with its particular sense of calm. He walked over to the record player, switched it on, and dropped the needle on the first record he found. Classical music filled the room with soft, distant notes, like a veil trying to cover the weight of his thoughts.
As the melodies drifted through the room, Nate began to pace slowly, his eyes roaming over every corner. The absence of a bed was always obvious, a peculiarity compared to human bedrooms. Yet something was different: in one corner stood a small divan. Nate's eyes lit with surprise—he didn't remember it being there before. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he imagined Alice had placed it there as a temporary remedy for the lack of furniture.
He lay down on the divan and closed his eyes. It wasn't physical fatigue that weighed on him, but an emotional weariness that had been building all morning. Moments like this reminded him how much he missed the ability to sleep; sometimes eternity felt far too long, with no escape in immortal stillness.
Time became hazy. It might have been an hour, maybe more, as he lay unmoving, caught in memories and thoughts circling promises, guilt, and the plans ahead. Until suddenly, a weight pulled him out of his reverie.
He instinctively cracked one eye open, and there was Alice, on top of him, her serene smile lighting even the darkest corner of the house.
"For a moment, I would've sworn you were asleep," she said playfully.
Nate returned the smile, lazier this time, and answered softly, tinged with restrained irony:
"If only I could."
Still leaning on him, Alice toyed absentmindedly with the stray strands of hair that fell across Nate's forehead. Her fingers glided gently, as though taming thoughts rather than hair, her calm expression at odds with everything they'd been through.
"So… how did it go at your grandmother's house? Are you alright?" she asked in a tone meant to sound casual, though the brightness in her eyes betrayed her.
Nate watched her for a few silent seconds, grateful for her ability to see what no one else could. To the rest, he was imposing, nearly indestructible; to Alice, he had always been a man with real wounds, not just a figure of strength.
He sighed before answering, letting the truth slip out unadorned.
"The truth is… it was harder than I thought. Standing in front of that urn changed everything. It was like suddenly what I'd tried to deny became inescapable. And still… deep down, part of me hoped I'd come back and find everything just as before. As if nothing had changed, as if it had all been just a nightmare."
Alice stilled her fingers and brushed his cheek tenderly, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"I'm sorry you have to carry all this, Nate. Sometimes I wish we could just leave, the two of us, forget everyone and everything… because if anyone deserves an eternity of peace, it's you."
He smiled faintly, ironic, though the melancholy lingered in his eyes.
"Sounds too good to be true. But problems… they always find a way to reach us, wherever we go."
Alice laughed softly, a sound that lightened the air for a fleeting moment.
"Speaking of problems… did you manage to get along with my brother?"
Nate lowered his gaze, unable to mask his discomfort.
"Not exactly. Seeing him stirs up things I'd rather keep buried. But… I think we reached an understanding. He promised to help me with the treaty."
Alice nodded slowly, understanding, though her words stayed firm.
"I know you can't forgive him just like that… but at least try to give him a chance."
Nate tilted his head in an ambiguous gesture, halfway between agreement and avoidance. Then, as if suddenly remembering, his voice grew more serious.
"Besides, he's not the only problem. The situation with Charlie is worse than we thought. We saw him at my grandmother's house. He was doing maintenance… and Edward thinks he's very close to remembering what happened."
Alice's expression shifted immediately, her lips pressing into a tense line.
"That's more dangerous than the treaty. A human we don't intend to turn… if he learns the truth, the Volturi will see him as a threat. And if they step in… it won't just be him at risk. We'll all have targets on our backs."
The weight of her words lingered in the room, dense as a shadow that refused to lift. There was too much to do, too many moving pieces, and deep down Nate couldn't shake the thought that every minute spent on such subtleties was wasted time. Even so, he stayed with Alice. She, having spent most of the morning working, preferred simply to remain by his side in silence, sharing the space.
The morning slipped by slowly, almost lazily, between stolen kisses and trivial conversations neither of them needed to remember. It was a fleeting reprieve, a fragile parenthesis before reality inevitably caught up to them. And it did the moment the rumble of engines echoed in the distance, shattering the calm like struck glass. The others had returned.
Nate and Alice left the room. No need for agreement; their steps naturally fell in sync down to the foyer. Edward was already there, rigid, arms crossed, still burdened by the uneasy echo of their earlier talk.
The door opened and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper stepped inside. The damp forest air clung to them, carrying the trace of earth and leaves into the house. Alice stepped forward, her anxiety plain on her face.
"Well? Any luck today?"
Rosalie answered first, lips curling with visible frustration.
"We saw some of those dogs, but none matched the one Edward described."
True to his lighthearted tone, Emmett stepped up and clapped Edward firmly on the shoulder.
"What we did see was Bella. She was pretty anxious you didn't show up at school today."
Jasper spoke next, his calm voice contrasting with the weight of his words.
"She was really worried. You should call her before she does something impulsive and ends up coming here."
Edward lowered his gaze and nodded without conviction. His mind was still too tangled in what he'd discussed with Nate to focus on anything else.
Nate, however, listened with the serenity of someone who already anticipated the outcome. There was no disappointment on his face, only resignation, as though he had seen it coming. His eyes met Alice's, and though reluctant, she nodded silently. That was enough.
"Don't worry," Nate said calmly, his voice firm but even. "Sooner or later he'll have to show up. If the pack is constantly watching you, at some point they'll have to rotate the guard."
The Cullens looked at him, nodding without conviction. Weariness and frustration hung heavy; all of them, in one way or another, wished this would be resolved already. With nothing more to add, they began dispersing through the house, each retreating to their own room.
Only Edward remained in the foyer with Nate and Alice. The silence stretched until, with a touch of hesitation, he asked:
"So… will you talk to Carlisle?"
Alice looked at him in surprise. She knew Edward would side with Nate, but hadn't expected him to so clearly acknowledge the scope of the plan.
Nate nodded slowly, his expression unchanged. Edward returned the gesture, though without conviction, and finally left, giving them space.
Alice then looked at Nate, curiosity and caution mingling in her face.
"How much did you tell him?"
Nate's brow furrowed slightly as he measured his words.
"Not much. I kept it intentionally vague. He already suspected some things… he read Carlisle's mind, and I only confirmed the minimum. He knows about the Romanians, about the vampires training… he knows they're coming to Forks. And he knows that if the talks with Jacob fail, I'll use them."
Alice nodded, understanding, though deep down she didn't entirely agree with Nate's plans. Still, her trust in him was absolute. She stepped back a pace without letting go of his hand, and with a gentle tug led him back to the room.
"I'll support you in everything I can… just let's try to resolve this the best way first, please."
Nate nodded silently and let himself be led, as if that simple gesture of hers were enough to ease the tension.
The hours passed with deceptive lightness, as always when they were together. Alice painted on a makeshift easel while Nate, standing by the window, flipped idly through a book without true attention. Time seemed to bend in their favor, granting them a brief reprieve amid the chaos.
Then Nate heard the engine of Carlisle's car approaching, followed by the measured steps of the patriarch alongside Esme's lighter ones. From upstairs, his sharp hearing caught the family's greetings and the brief exchange that followed: routine questions, the inevitable inquiry of whether they had fared any better in their search, and the calm negative reply from both parents.
Nate closed the book and glanced at Alice. No words were needed; a small gesture was enough. She set down her brushes and joined him, the two of them heading downstairs to the study together.
After greetings, Carlisle had withdrawn there, as he often did in recent months: isolating himself among those wooden walls to think, to map plans, to search for solutions that were rarely simple.
Nate knocked softly, and Carlisle immediately invited them in. The doctor greeted them with a tired smile, his features showing both weariness and composure.
"I didn't see Jacob today," he said as soon as they were inside. "The wolf who followed me was huge, black as night. Esme, meanwhile, had a smaller, thinner one… they always stay close."
Nate slowly shook his head, speaking calmly, straight to the point.
"That's not why I came, Carlisle."
The patriarch arched a brow, intrigued.
"Did something happen?"
Nate studied him for a moment, weighing the gravity of what he was about to reveal. Then, moving deliberately, he pulled a plastic bag from the inside pocket of his jacket and placed it on the desk. Opening it, he revealed a neatly folded shirt.
Carlisle's expression tightened just slightly, recognizing instantly the weight that object carried.
"Things are worse than I imagined," Nate continued firmly. "If Riley comes back and Charlie sees him, there'll be no way to make him forget what happened. There'll be no turning back."
The silence in the study thickened, broken only by the faint rustle of plastic against the wood of the desk.
"We need to kill him now," Nate declared. "I'll handle the Quileutes here. You need to go after the tracker—immediately."
Carlisle's gaze grew even more tired, as though the mere mention of Riley drained him further.
"Nate, I can't just leave to look for him… not with my family at risk here. I understand the urgency, but with the matter of the Quileutes, I won't abandon them."
Alice stepped forward, her voice firm yet pleading.
"Dad, Nate's right. We'll be fine here, trust us. Go after the tracker so we can find Riley. If you leave now, you'll be back before the deadline the Quileutes gave us…"
Carlisle pressed his lips together, caught between duty and responsibility. The conflict showed clearly on his face.
Nate watched him steadily, his voice hard beneath its calm.
"All you need to do is bring him here. I don't know how hard it will be to convince him, and the longer we wait, the farther Riley gets. Ignoring where he is isn't smart. What happens if, while we're all busy dealing with the Quileutes, he decides to strike again?"
The silence stretched thick in the room until the door slowly opened. Edward appeared on the threshold. He said nothing at first, his eyes moving over Carlisle, Nate, and Alice, as though measuring the tension in the air. Then he stepped forward calmly, speaking in a serene, almost conciliatory tone:
"We'll be fine, Carlisle. Keep your promise and bring the tracker. We can't let this get any more complicated than it already is."