CHAPTER 1

A little sincerity is a dangerous thing and a great deal of it is absolutely

Fatal

Oscar Wilde

A hand reached out of the shadows and wrapped itself around her mouth.

Ssh, the person whispered, don't move; don't cry out, it warned.

She stood there, tears running down her face as she heard gun shot after another resounding in the streets.

One minute she was in the shadows, the next she was being pulled through the trees of the forest, to the river that divided the town.

His hand grasped hers angrily and she couldn't see his face, shadowed from the trees and dark sky. Even though his face was shadowed, his eyes glinted unfathomably, and the way he held his body as they ran reminded her of someone she had met two years ago, when her father had given her up to foster care.

They skidded to a halt when they reached the river bank, and she was able to turn round and glance at his face, but before she could have glanced at him, his hand was covering her face again, and no matter how much she squirmed and wriggled, his hold would not loosen from her body, and the fear of being physically hurt was gnawing at her insides, telling her to stop him… whoever he was.

She gasped as her feet were swept from under her and the hand over he face shifted lightly so she could see the sky but not her kidnappers face.

She heard water slosh and rocks grinding together, and then she heard the closeness of falling water.

Was he going to leave her in the water? Abandon her where she couldn't fight her way away?

Bella twisted her head and bit hard on one of the kidnapper's fingers, drawing blood. The kidnapper merely grunted and tightened his grip.

She opened her mouth and screamed, loud enough to scare an owl in a nearby tree and send it flying off into the night, its hoot-hoot slowly ebbing away as the owl disappeared into the cloak of darkness.

Finally, the sound of water stopped and she heard the thump of feet on the ground, ringing hollowly in her ears. Bella closed her eyes and wished herself to wake up, to forget everything that had been happening and to return to her former home, sink into the soft mattress of her bed and sleep.

The man shifted her lightly and lay her down on the ground. As soon as she was down, she sprung to her feet and whirled around to face the man who had taken her away. He was standing behind her, still covered, and kept safely away from the midnight darkness, but even the reassurance that he was in the dark and as far away from her as possible did not help the quivering in her voice.

"Who are you?" she enquired, her voice shaking and cracking at the end.

The man chuckled and the velvet voice replied, "Ah, I am surprised you do not remember me, Belle. Am I in your shit list then?" she remembered the voice, but could not fit it to a face. She scanned her mind for images of the old Fork she knew, and of the people she knew but it was useless.

She had promised herself that those terrible years in Forks would be cancelled from her mind, and she had not broken that promise. The only thing she remembered of Forks was the battered sign that said Forks High School.

"Who are you?" she repeated, taking a step back, her knees hitting something hard, and she would have fallen if her hand hadn't flown out and grabbed the white stone banister.

Banister… steps… porch… door. It was a house. In a forest.

Was it the house in the forest? The one that she had forgotten? The one she had wanted to forget?

It couldn't be. They had left town, hadn't they? That was why she came back.

"Same old Bella, I see." The man chuckled again, and something from his voice snapped her back to reality.

"Edward? I thought you were gone!" she shouted, her voice cracking on 'gone'. She slumped onto the steps and hid her face behind her hands, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And I thought you were dead." His voice was soft now, and he stepped out of the shadows, one hand extended toward her, wanting to touch her, take away the pain, and make it all better. He wanted that badly, but could he make the first step without stumbling?

"Why did you take me here?" she sobbed, her nails digging into her scalp, preferring the physical pain to the emotional one. The physical pain was easier to handle while the emotional pain was wild and out of control.

"I want you to be safe, Bella. Those streets aren't the streets that were once a long time ago. You can't walk down them as safely as you wish you could. With every step you take, you must watch your back." Edward explained, taking another step forward and lowering his hand so it could rest lightly on the end of the banister.

"Take me home, Edward. Now." She ordered, standing up and wiping fiercely at her face.

"No, Bella. It isn't safe. I'll take you back in the morning." He answered, wrapping his strong hand around her arm and dragging her to the door. He slid the metal key into the lock and the huge door swung open with a groan.

A light flashed on in what she remembered was the living room and Esme Cullen hurled herself at her son, wrapping her small arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder.

"Oh, Edward! How could you do this to me? How could you just walk out in the dead of night when the town people are trying to kill each other? How could you?" she wailed.

Bella took a step back and tried to make a run for the door, but Edward shot his arm out and the grip on her arm was back, dragging her back into his view.

Edward cupped her mothers face in his strong hands and kissed each tear stained cheek twice before whispering, "Sorry, Esme, but I was in town, and Bella was in trouble so…"

Esme let go of her son and gasped as her eyes landed on the girl she had always thought of as her daughter, and had then lost thanks to a stupid mistake her thoughtless son had committed.

"Isabella?" she whispered, her arms aching to open wide and hug her, but the look of utter loathing she was giving her son made Esme think twice about her actions.

Edward stared at Bella and willed himself to speak, hoping to be able to say something when they were alone.

Esme chattered quietly to her son as they went into the living room. The great house was silent, and the wind lashed at the windows, the wooden frames creaking ominously. Esme offered them both something to eat and drink but they both denied.

Bella waited for the inevitable, waited for Edward to disappear with a click of her fingers, she watched Esme walk down the corridor and up the stairs to her room, where her devoted husband lay asleep after an exhausted day of work. Bella expected Esme to disappear in a flash of white light, but she didn't. Instead, she heard the door of their room creak open and then clacks close.

Sighing, Edward took her arm again and led her up the stairs to his room, opening the door and pushing her lightly on the back so she stumbled inside.

He ran a hand across the wall for the switch and light flashed on, temporarily blinding them both.

"Take me home, Edward. Please." She added as an afterthought.

Edward closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He slumped onto the bed, dragging Bella with him so she was lying on top of him, struggling wildly in his arm lock.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she hissed, digging her nails into his shoulders and pushing at him.

Edward chuckled and rolled over so she was pinned under him, his breath hot on her neck. His finger wasn't bleeding any more and Bella hadn't done any damage, only a scratch if he had to be honest.

He opened her leather jacket, throwing it on the floor and kissed her collarbone, feeling her shiver slightly beneath him. He proceeded to kiss her neck and run the tip of his nose along her jaw.

Bella shivered lightly and lay absolutely still under his body, waiting for him to say something, anything.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, turning her head away from him, away from those penetrating green eyes.

"I love you, Bella. All these years, I haven't lived peacefully for one day. Wherever I went, whatever I did, reminded me of you. I love you Bella, and I had been stupid not to have understood it before that stupid mistake." He whispered, finally trapping her lips with his.

"Why hadn't you said anything to me that day I asked? I hated you Edward, for what you did, and I still do. No matter how much you kiss me, I still hate you." She growled when he pulled away.

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal" was all he whispered before kissing her again, and this time, she didn't pull away as soon as she could.

A/N: sorry if you found this chapter not very revealing, but I promise the next one would be better! The more reviews I get the more I write, so that means quick updates!!

devilslawyer123

p.s I WILL STILL UPDATE 'ANGEL'!