Disclaimer thing: All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer, I don't own Twilight.

AN: All right, here we go. This will be my first attempt at a story in years, ahha. The only other story I still know where it is was a complete failure, I just completely forgot about it and wasn't writing very well lmao. This story is going to be mostly AU, but there will be tie-ins to the original plot of the Twilight saga. This was actually inspired by a dream I had. I'm not sure if there will be vampires or not yet. I'd like to work them in, but for now assume it's AH since the plot is largely unexplored right now. I'd also love a beta if anyone is willing to pick me up! :)

Chapter 1: Bella's POV

It was that time of year again, where the talented and the hopeful displayed and presented their ideas and contributions to the advancement of technology in society. The host this year was the local shopping center, a winding and weaving building of perfect window shopping.

I found my way through the crowd to one of the smaller stores on a corner, its center racks gutted and moved aside to make way for the hundred or so chairs packed into the long, dark room. I hovered in the doorway for a moment, trying to determine if this was a presentation I wanted to listen to or not.

Most of the people were crammed towards the front, nearly leaning out of their chairs as a portly man with some sort of chin scruff lead his powerpoint enthusiastically. I would have heard what he was rambling on about had I not completely zoned everything out as my vision tunneled on her.

It was as if everything slowed down as her presence impacted me. I couldn't believe it. Sure, there were plenty of others there I recognized, from one class or the other, but it had been years since I had seen her, years since we chose not to talk about the ties we once shared. She was radiant, her large blue eyes fixated on the display before her. Her still shapely legs crossed in black slacks, she sat almost like a statue near the back window of the store, staring through the aisle before her. Her arms, clothed in a familiar blue sweater, were folded in her lap as she leaned forward unconsciously.

My shock and awe was short-lived, however, as the portly man's rambling picked up in tone and caught my ears.

"And for whom should we sacrifice our time if They won't support us? Who are we to them? I know the answer: nobody. We are nothing but pawns in their governmental scheme to suppress us all and control our happiness. That is why I decided to construct the C4 Bombs you see in the back of the store..."

Gasps sounded and heads whipped around as the man gestured to the area right behind her row. There, on the floor, laid four pink canisters and a large case of butane. It was then that I moved into the room, stepping towards her instinctively. The portly man came up behind me and the other stragglers who walked forward in shock at that moment, closing the doors and brusquely directing us to stand behind some arbitrary lines, now in the aisle she had been gazing down.

"None of you will be leaving this room until I say so," he stated confidently, almost laughing, as a low murmur picked up among the room's occupants. I turned and stared at him in shock-who was he to do this? What was his affiliation? How had this gotten approved by the Board? "Those of you who are eager to learn more may stay, but know that at the end of my presentation anyone left will have sworn their allegiance to me and will go down with this pathetic prison of a showcase."

At this, I whipped around, searching for her eyes as people flooded the lines we were held behind. She was still seated, looking around at the people who had chosen not to rise. A quick survey revealed that many of them were from our classes. She wasn't going to rise, I realized, a jolt of fear piercing my heart. She would never leave the other students behind.

As she surveyed the people who were either crazy or shocked enough to stay seated, her eyes drifted over the aisle and locked with mine. I inhaled sharply as recognition dawned over her features. I felt the fear and devotion run through my eyes before I could reign in the terror that had my blood thundering through my veins. She was choosing to risk death to save them despite no longer having any affiliation with them and knowing it was their choice to join the man's psychotic quest. I knew she would never abandon them-she was too good-hearted.

I moved to take a step towards her, but it was at that moment that the man released the room to leave as they pleased and the crowd rushed forward. I pushed against them, my eyes flashing between her and the bombs mere feet away from where she sat determinedly. My hands began to stretch out towards her, and I saw fear creep into her eyes as she recognized what I was going to do. She seemed to press herself into the chair she was sitting in, unwilling to consider leaving the twenty or less people still seated and staring at the man patiently.

The chaos died down and I finally broke free of the struggling people, rushing my way over to her chair and taking her hand in mine.

"Please," I implored desperately, nearly whispering with the force of the emotion pulsing through my heart and mind. She said nothing yet continued to stare into my eyes with a plea for understanding. I shook my head. "We've got to get you out of here."

After a moment, I saw her old vulnerability to my will break her resolve. She rose, her hand still grasping mine, and let me lead her out of the room and into the chaotic hallway. The doors shut behind us, and she jolted back towards the room.

"Let's go, it's their choice." I tried to reason with her as I slowly pulled her away from the soon-to-be bomb site. In a glass mall, no less, I thought to myself as we exited the building onto the pale beige streets covered in concrete and dust. Once we were a short distance away, heading towards the parking lot, she stopped and turned me around to face her.

"I can't," she said, "I have to go back in there for them." I couldn't control the disappointment that ran through my features.

"I can't lose you again," I murmured, nearly too quiet for her to hear. Sadness and recognition in turmoil with protection and devotion in her eyes, she lowered her gaze momentarily. I could see her piecing together a way to still help protect the people around us while staying with me as her desire slowly won over her self-sacrificing nature. She nodded gently and followed me to my car.

I drove us south, away from the chaos and back to the safety of the southern portion of the state. I had become so lost in thought that I didn't realize how quickly the drive passed. Would she even come to stay with me, especially since I had changed so much? I was no longer the naive young thing that fawned over her. My thoughts were interrupted as she stepped out of the car and into the sunlight spotted field.

She stretched slowly atop a rock, raising her arms above her head. I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her midsection, breaking our physical barrier for the first time. There was a live band somewhere in town, and their music echoed into the field quietly. She swayed to the song, my face resting against her stomach gently.

After a moment, I raised my head to look at her. Our eyes locked, her blue orbs shining with nostalgia and gratitude. She stepped down from the rock and wrapped her arms around me in return. Maintaining eye contact, she leaned and rested her forehead against mine. We breathed together quietly for a minute, growing accustomed to the closeness we had never shared in our physical bodies.

She broke our eye contact to glance down at my lips briefly. My breath caught and my heart skipped as I watched her eyes glance at me once again and drift to my lips more definitively. My lips parted in quiet surprise as I searched her eyes. She leaned in slowly, and I tilted my head to accommodate her.

Our lips locked firmly, euphoria and years of release rising from deep within my stomach to fill out and soar through my chest. I exhaled deeply, my arms rising from her waist to her back to pull her closer. Our lips molded together, equally pliant and imploring, meeting gently over and over again.

AN: Well, there it is. Let me know what you think, and feel free to give me suggestions for plot points since this story is really in the very early stages of plot development! (Especially ideas on how to incorporate vamps...that's going to take some thought, if they ever make it in.) Reviews keep writers writing!