I'm re-posting this fic after having removed it during my hiatus. The rest of the chapters I've written thus far will be posted shortly. If you followed my FSOG stories, they're all on wordpress. Simply go to wrenegadewriter dot wordpress dot com and you'll find them. At this time, i don't have plans to post my FSOG fics back on here.

Also, for those of you that are reading, "She is Entirely Other," I used the same idea for that story as for this one, only it's tweaked a bit. So you may notice some similarities. It all came from a novel that I wrote where I got inspiration from the TV Show Kyle XY, so if you watched that show, you'll see some familiar things, as well.

The usual disclaimer applies. SM is the stage, I am merely a player

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Edward PoV

The birthday party was the last straw. For hours I went through the what-ifs. What if Alice had listened when Bella was adamant about not wanting a party? What if she had opened a different gift instead of the one from my parents? Would she have still cut herself? What if I had simply stepped in front of her instead of pushing her backwards and into a pile of glass plates? Why were there glass plates anyway? It wasn't like we needed more than one plate. How could I have done anything differently to prevent this outcome?

There was nothing, because it was inevitable. Whether it happened when it did or in a few weeks or months, it was bound to happen. I always knew there would be something that was unforgettable, something that would drive a wedge between us and send us beyond the point of no return. At first, I thought it would be Bella's insistence on becoming immortal and my refusal to let it happen. Or we would get to an age where she looked more like my mother than my wife and she'd leave me. But no, it was a simple paper-cut that ended my life.

After luring her to the woods and telling her the worst lies I could think of, I kissed her forehead, bade her farewell and ran away from her as fast as my inhuman legs would carry me. Each step was utter agony, but I knew I was making the right decision. After a few moments, I could hear her calling out to me, demanding that I return. Even if she saw through my lies, I couldn't go back. I'd promised her I'd never see her again, and I'd be damned all over again if I didn't keep that promise.

The family had already moved on, most of us splitting apart. Emmett and Rosalie decided to visit the Denali clan in Alaska. Alice and Jasper went off to Australia to spend some time hunting in the Outback. Apparently kangaroos are fun, according to Jasper. I wasn't sure I would ever know what "fun" felt like ever again. Carlisle and Esme wanted to stay behind and wait for me. But as I had no idea of what my destination would be, I told them to go on ahead without me. They went to Ithaca where Esme would be teaching interior design and Carlisle both a practicing doctor and a professor at the university.

Everyone had their distractions. All I had was several months of wonderful memories with the girl that made my world turn. I mourned her loss as if she were truly dead. Though I knew that when the day came that she did die, I would not be far behind her. Sure it's macabre, and makes me sound melodramatic, but I knew the moment that I looked into her chocolate depths, that there would never be another for me. But the fates decided they hated me as they had to curse me with being a vampire, when all I wanted was to be human for her. Give her the life she deserved.

The birthday party merely solidified the idea that I had no business being part of her life. She was simply human though, and as wonderful as it was, it was a detriment to our relationship. Had she somehow already been a vampire when we met, I wouldn't have thought twice about claiming her as my mate. But the fates had left her human and left me with such morality that I couldn't fathom changing her, even though she told me many times that she wanted me forever. I just couldn't believe that she'd choose this life over a real one. One where she could grow old, have children, grand children, living a full loving life with the species she is supposed to be. I was holding her back and it had to end.

I reached a small broken down cabin on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon when I heard my cell phone go off. I glanced at it, seeing Alice's name. She was probably just calling to tell me she'd arrived safely in Australia and that Jasper hadn't eaten any of the passengers on the plane. He hadn't done that in decades, but given his recent lapse in control, I wouldn't have been surprised if he did. Not that I could blame Jasper for what happened. He was feeling not only his own thirst, but everyone else's too, including mine. And we all knew what Bella's blood did to me.

I ignored the call, and wandered inside the cabin. It was in bad need of repairs. Hell, it should probably just have been torn down and built anew. But it would suffice as a perfect hovel to mourn in. I lay down in the center of the room, closing my eyes and let the memory of each day since I met Bella pass through my mind. With my perfect recall, I'd be able to remember every moment for the rest of my existence, and I was determined to never live a day without seeing her face in my mind.

The next day, my phone rang again, and again, and again. Usually Alice stops calling after the fourth attempt, but she was relentless. Seventeen missed calls later, I decided it might actually be something that concerned me, so I answered it. "Seventeen? Seriously Edward?! Were you going for a record or something?" Alice asked as I answered.

"What do you want Alice?" I replied, ignoring her antics.

"It's Bella. She's—"

"Dammit Alice!" I cut her off. "I told you not to look! Why are you already torturing me with this?"

"I didn't look, Edward. It just happened. You know I can't always control what I see. Bella's in danger, Edward. When you—"

"Well her dangers are her own to face now," I replied, interrupting her again. I didn't want to hear about any of this. All it would do is make me want to run back to her arms, and I couldn't have that. "Removing myself from her presence means that whatever befalls her is not due to me or my kind."

"Oh for God's sake, would you let me finish? It's Victoria!" I froze. "Bella went chasing after your stupid ass, and fell. She rolled down a hill for a long time before landing at the bottom, broken arm, legs, ribs and a lot of cuts and bruises. Victoria found her and ran away with her. They're in South America, Edward! Victoria is going to kill her. A mate for a mate, she'll tell Bella."

I heard Alice's words, but I wasn't listening. The moment she said Victoria was behind it, I lost all rational thought. It took me a moment to analyze Alice's words into phrases that made sense. Bella was hurt, she was with that crazy redhead, and they were in South America.

I ended the call and began running. Alice told me they were somewhere in the Amazon, near an old well, but that was all the more she could give me. I ran and ran and ran. Once I came upon the ocean I dove deep, swimming until I reached the coast of Peru. I thanked Alice silently for ensuring I purchased a waterproof case for my phone, and dialed her number. "I can't see anything Edward, I don't know what that means," she said as she answered. "I don't think Bella's dead; it doesn't feel like that, it feels like something is blocking me from seeing her. Please, Edward, you have to find her! Victoria was in Cuzco briefly a couple hours ago. Maybe you can pick up her scent there."

I hung up without responding and made my way to Cuzco. Sure enough, I found Victoria's scent and a human victim inside a church. And if I had to venture a guess, I'd say she had sex with this man before she drained him. She truly was deranged. Who sleeps with a priest inside the church, tears off their unmentionables and then kills them?

I followed her scent, rather easily through the city and into the jungle. The stronger her scent became, the closer I knew I was. I reached the clearing that Alice had described, but neither Victoria nor Bella where anywhere in site. "I'm too late," I cried as I fell to my knees.

Bella PoV

I could tell something was off with Edward ever since my birthday party. I tried to play it off as nothing, because to me it truly was. When I entered into their life, I always prepared for the possibility that my being a clumsy human was going to come back and bite me in the arse. Nearly literally, though I doubted Jasper would have actually bit my backside.

Edward was in my driveway when I arrived home, but his car was in Charlie's spot, which meant he wasn't staying. This bothered me to no end. Then he lured me away from the house and into the woods. He knew how clumsy I was, any tree-root or bump in the ground could easily spell death for me. What was he doing?

Then the words that negated all the others and the ones that tore out my heart. "Goodbye Bella," he whispered, and as I closed my eyes, I felt the wind of his departure across my face. Stunned and wounded by his words, I stood there, frozen for an immeasurable moment.

Wait just a minute. Doesn't want me? Doesn't want me? Doesn't want me? Doesn't love me? Bull shit. I'm calling shenanigans. "Edward!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Get your sparkly ass back here! I have words for you. Edward!" I searched around for any sign of him, but if he was there, he was very good at concealing himself. "Damn stubborn glorious vampire," I muttered to myself as I took off in search of him.

I chased in the direction he turned after kissing my forehead. There was no trace of him. Not that I was an expert tracker or anything, but there was not a broken branch or a torn leaf to be found.

He was gone. He left me in the woods to rot under a lie that he didn't want me anymore. He may have been chaste all the time with his affection, but I could see the desire in his eyes, the carnal beast that was waiting to be unleashed to ravish my body in ways I'd never even dreamt about. He'd told me he loved me countless times. Hell, he practically worshipped the ground I walked on. For some unfathomable reason, he'd picked me.

I ran and ran after him, hoping to catch up, but knowing that I didn't stand a chance. He was too fast, even for a vampire, he was too fast. I was sure he had to be miles away by now. I kept looking up to see if maybe he didn't leave, but was just watching me from high up in the trees. I never saw anything, though. Before long, my clumsiness got the best of me and I tripped over a root, and fell. And I couldn't just fall and hit the ground; no, that was too simple. I had to fall forward down a hill and presumably into a ravine. I felt my body tumbling and tumbling, not bothering to look for anything to stop my fall. I was numb; I didn't care about anything but finding Edward.

He was lost to me, but I had to keep searching. I refused to believe that he stopped loving me. How could he tell me every day for the past several months, multiple times a day, only for him to lie now? I was so stunned by his words when he said them that I couldn't organize a response. But I know he lied. He thought he convinced me, but I knew it was a lie. He was so damned self-righteous and arrogant that he thought I would take him seriously. I knew that once I found him, I'd have Emmett pound him into the ground for me. He'd have a lot of groveling to do before I considered taking him back.

Finally my body hit the bottom of the hill, or rather the bottom of the ravine I tumbled into. Leave it to me to find the most dangerous area to trip and fall. I was sure that I was cut up all over. I got a tiny whiff of the blood and immediately starting breathing through my mouth to hold off the nausea. Assessing my battered body, I deduced that I had cracked or broken some ribs, sprained an ankle, and broken an arm and a leg. Great, that means a body cast. Oddly enough, I couldn't feel any pain though. I lay there, for what seemed like hours, just in silence. The only sounds were my racing heart and my breaths.

"Oh this is just too easy," I heard a ringing soprano voice call out. Her voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. "Here, I thought you were something special to him, and yet he threw you away like yesterday's gossip. Well, still, I'll get my vengeance on him and you." A flash of red hair flew before my eyes and I knew who had found me.

Victoria, I realized. I should have known she'd be upset about the Cullens killing James. I had no idea she'd come for me though. I was practically paralyzed with all my broken bones, and running away would have been futile anyway. So I just laid there and stared into the darkness where her voice came from. In the next instance, there she was, hovering inches from my face, her fiery hair falling into my eyes. And then I was in her arms, being carried. She wasn't as careful with me as Edward always was, branches cutting into my face, and the ride was a lot bumpier than I was used to. The pain of my injuries began to make itself known as I was jostled in her arms.

I kept my mouth shut, screaming internally at the excruciating pain that each stride caused. My ribs rattled against each other, my leg throbbed, and I could feel the blood from my cuts seeping through my clothes. How she was able to resist me, I wasn't sure. When I chanced a look at her, I noticed she wasn't breathing. She must have wanted to carry me somewhere far away, before she ate me. The thought should have terrified me; I should have been begging for my life. But I couldn't find the strength, or the drive to do so.

After what could have been days, she threw me to the ground. I cried out in pain, unintentionally. As my breathing settled, and the pain became bearable, I opened my eyes to look around. Victoria was nowhere in site, but I knew better than to think she was far away. Probably collecting torture devices to use on me before she drained me of blood and left me for the vultures. The sun above was hot on my skin, so I knew we weren't anywhere near Forks.

Looking around me, the vegetation seemed tropical. I was in a clearing that was surrounded by a dense forest. I saw a shadow move across the ground, and looking up, I saw a tropical parrot fly over head, its wings a rainbow of colors. In any other moment, I might be excited to be in what I assumed was South America, but I didn't have it in me to feel anything but agony and defeat.

All too soon, Victoria returned. Empty handed, I noticed. "I had plans to draw this out, Bella. I wanted to take my time killing you, but as it turns out, you did a pretty good job of torturing yourself when you tripped over that root. And I'm sure all the rocky terrain of our trek here was nice and painful for you." Oh great, she'd seen that. Of course my last act on this earth would be one of utter clumsiness. "And all the fresh cuts, Bella, I just can't help myself."

Her mouth was on me, then, licking away at the cuts on my forehead and then along my arms. I noticed that as she licked them, they healed, leaving behind a tiny silver scar. Not unlike the one on my hand from her so-called mate. Venom heals. Huh, I thought. A little late for me to have any real use for that knowledge.

"Here's what's going to happen, Bella," Victoria began as she finished licking my wounds, which was really weird by the way. "I'm going to drain every drop of your blood until you're completely dry. Then I'm going to throw you in that pit over there," she indicated, pointing with her finger. I looked and saw what probably used to be an old well, but time and the elements had eroded it away into just a deep hole. "And set you on fire," she finished, pointing to the cans of gasoline and kerosene that sat nearby. "Your precious Edward burned my mate to ashes, so I'm going to do the same to his."

With that, her mouth was at my wrist, just over where James had bitten me, she sniffed the flesh, rubbed the scar against her cheek in an oddly affectionate manner and then bit in. The pain of my broken bones was gone; in its place was fire. All consuming fire as she drank my life's essence. I watched as her eyes went from a dark burgundy to a vivid crimson with each pull she swallowed. And I swear, before everything went black, She vanished. Was yanked away by something else. My hand dropped to my side, my head lolled, and the next thing I knew was nothing at all.

What do you think happened to Victoria?