A/n: Thank you to , my first reviewer!

And enjoy the second chapter :)


Chapter 2.

With a Stormy Day

The week had ended without other incidents. And so it was weekend again, the most awful time of all. I'd tried to occupy myself with the usual things, homework, housework, cooking. I almost cried again when I answered an e- mail my mom had sent me from a hospital computer. Almost. I wasn't in the mood for another breakdown, even though I was alone. Charlie had had an emergency at work, some backpackers appeared to have gone missing in the area.

But of course, that same feared moment when I had nothing more to do came. It was around noon on Sunday. My mind raced with fearful vivacity to find something, anything before my emotions could come flooding back. I wasn't in the mood for reading, music, or a film. So I did the incredible, I took my raincoat and keys and left the house. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go, but I thought that if I just started to drive, it would be a good start.

I drove to the beach, and down the winding roads along it. I passed the La Push reservation, but didn't want any company, so I continued on for more isolated places. After an hour of this, I began to realize the light had changed. The sun never shone very brightly around here, but it was now even darker than usual. I peeked over the dashboard, up to the massive pack of deep purple clouds above. They seemed to be forming a solid ceiling, slowly pressing down so that the air became almost warm. I felt it as I let my window down. But as nice as it was to feel that lukewarm breath on my face, I was worried about what was happening up there. There was rain coming, which wasn't so bad, but it looked like there was much more than that. I was now at least one and a half hour of driving away from the house. It wasn't very late though. But maybe it was best to give up on my quest for occupation.

I carefully turned my truck around on the narrow winding road, not wanting to plummet to my death over the cliff into the ocean. Or did I? No, no I couldn't do that. It would be most stupid and selfish.

I traced back the same way I'd come, but didn't dare push my truck too far. It was already whining in protest, and I wasn't even going that fast. And soon, droplets of rain began to obscure my windscreen, so I slowed down even more, feeling the road get more slippery already. The tiny drops quickly intensified and in no time, it was falling down by the bucket. That wasn't very unusual in Forks, but when the wind came along to give an extra aggressive side to the downpour, I began to feel a bit alone and scared.

A sudden flash made me jump behind the wheel, my truck swerved slightly. It was soon followed by a deep and unsettling rumble. It sounded like a mountain had collapsed a few miles away. My hands gripped the wheel more tightly and I turned on the radio, hoping it would make me feel less isolated.

Why, oh why, had I had to drive this far? And it would certainly take me much more time to get home. Visibility was practically null and I was now going so slow that I would've gone faster by foot. But there was no way I was getting out of my truck. The rusted steel felt strong and protective around me as the world seemed to be coming to an end outside. The sky had become so dark, the rain was so loud and the wind was howling like a thousand wolves.

The noise was regularly shattered by a new flash and rumble, seemingly coming nearer. I looked suspiciously at the trees, they were swerving and bending, almost reaching the point where their trunks wouldn't hold it anymore, and would snap like mere twigs.

It was too much for me. As soon as I saw a small clearing next to the road, safely away from treacherous trees and the slippery cliffs, I pulled over in the middle of it and curled up in the middle of the seats. Outside it seemed to become even worse. How was that possible? It looked like the hurricanes you saw on the news, or in disaster films.

I became more terrified each second. And many, many seconds came to pass. But still it did not slow, in fact, I felt with horror as the truck began to glide down the slope of the clearing. Water was flowing over it in rivers of mud. The water rose higher and was now powerful enough to take my means of transport and my shelter with it. Inch by inch my Chevy edged towards the road, and after that, a steep fall into the ocean.

I gripped the dashboard with my sweaty hands, I was breathing in gasps. I was powerless and stunned with fear while the storm and thunder continued to rage around me.

A sudden shock against the cab made me jump, but I did not scream. It had felt like a boulder crashing against it. Only it hadn't been a boulder, it was a tree. The thing seemed to have been entirely ripped out of the ground. It was floating along on the newly formed river and was nudging my truck further toward the steep drop.

This is it, I thought, it's over for me. But even though I still felt panicked and terrified, that thought also gave me a sense of relief. I just hoped it would be over quickly.

But then it happened so fast my mind had difficulty grasping the situation. A shadow appeared against the window that faced downhill. The water was less deep on that side as it was running around the truck. The shadow then opened the door. A bolt of lightning helped me see who it was.

The shock and surprise held the instant image of his face in front of my eyes, even though darkness had taken over again. His voice sounded much less melodic and calm than before. It urged me in a panicked, but determined way to take his hand and come out of the cab. But I could not move, I could not understand. How had he gotten here, how had he known, and why was he saving me, again? And how would coming out of the truck help me? We would both drown out there!

"Bella!" His voice had become softer and warmer. He was doing his best to conceal the fear and urgency in it, but I still felt it. "Bella, listen to me. You have to trust me! You'll be safe with me. Please, take my hand and come out!"

My instincts were still telling me that coming out was a very bad idea, but I couldn't not trust him. It was impossible, he was a complete stranger, but I knew his words were true, I just knew it. I crept over the seats and as soon as he could reach me he curled his arm around my waist and easily lifted me out. He cradled my whole body into his chest, bending over to protect me from the beating rain. His clothes were drenched, but I did not care. I gripped his sweater and buried my face in it. The cold hardness beneath his clothes felt somehow warm and soft to me now.

I had no idea how he'd managed to cross the open clearing where the water had almost reached my headlights. Surely we should've been dragged along with the force of the stream. I hadn't dared to look. But I soon felt that we were in the woods again. There was less rain pouring down on us, and when I did open my eyes, it was even darker.

The trees offered some protection from the downpour, but I saw the wind thrashing against them, pulling them, bending them. I soon buried my face in his chest again and clutched at his sweater. He tightened his grip around me in response.

"It's all right." He whispered, the sound somehow reaching my ears over the hellish noise of the raging storm. "I've got you, you're safe."

I then heard a tree trunk crack, and the very sudden movement he made to avoid it told me it had been right in our path.

Moments later, we were suddenly in the dry. The noise was much softer, muffled. I felt his arms loosen around me, and drop me onto something soft. He had to pry my fingers loose from his sweater, and I finally dared to open my eyes again.

I blinked, feeling extremely disoriented. I was sitting on a black leather couch, in a room filled with CD's. There was a big window that I knew had been open, for the thick carpet underneath it was soaking wet. The rain was thrashing against it, obscuring anything outside.

Edward knelt in front of me, but was careful not to touch me. His hair was dripping, as were his clothes. I realized with surprise that I was relatively dry. My hair was a bit damp, and my boots had touched the water as he'd pulled me out of the truck, but other than that…

My breathing was still very irregular and panicked though. Edward told me to calm down, and so I concentrated on my breathing. I then began to wonder how we'd gotten here. This seemed to be his room, but were we so close to the shore? It hadn't taken him that long to get here, and carrying me as extra dead weight. And I hadn't noticed us coming into the house. It was as if we'd entered by his window, which surely wasn't possible, for I could now faintly see that the forest floor was at least two floors down. But I had not exactly been much aware of my surroundings, so maybe I had it wrong…

Edward didn't move an inch, like he was afraid to leave me and get too close to me at the same time. His eyes were locked on me though, and his expression immediately reminded me of how Alex used to look at me. And that set it off again. I began to think about him, to remember him too much. Many little bits of the past flashed in my mind, until I came to the end of the film, the most awful of all memories. There had been a lot of noise too, and rain, and thunder as I desperately tried to find him, screaming his name.

I suddenly realized that the fear I'd felt today wasn't fear of death at all. The circumstances had just been so similar to that last moment; I'd begun to relive the memory. And though I was safe from the storm now, I wasn't safe from the past. It haunted me now more than ever. My breathing suddenly choked as the invisible weight crushed my lungs and heart again, but with so much more force this time that I actually stopped breathing. My body panicked and started to gasp instinctively. There weren't even any tears, it was just sheer terror, as if it was happening again.

I wasn't aware of what Edward was doing, but I suddenly heard him say "Jasper!" Somewhere at the back of my mind I wondered if there was someone else in the room, for it had not been loud enough for the sound to reach beyond these walls. But the urgency had been quite clear in it.

In the end it appeared that someone was in the room, for only a second after Edward had spoken, a sudden flood of calm and numbness filled me and allowed me to breathe, relax, and look up to see that the tall blond member of the Cullen family was smiling at me from across the room.

I was a bit puzzled though, for he was standing in the doorway, seemingly afraid to come closer too, as if they were both scared I would attack them or something. But more importantly, the door was open, and I was certain it had been closed before, and I hadn't heard it open. So he had been outside the room when Edward had called, but how then had he heard? Had he been standing just outside? But even then….

I shook my head. The paranoia seemed to be becoming worse. Why was I being so suspicious about it? I probably just hadn't paid enough attention.

"She needs food." The blond one, whose name was apparently Jasper, said matter-of-factly.

"Can you stay alone with her?" Edward asked, sounding concerned. Jasper's face contorted into a grimace. He looked like he was in pain again, like he did at school. "Alice." Edward then called, just as softly as when he'd called Jasper.

Tiny Alice Cullen seemed to have appeared next to Jasper at the same time Edward had spoken her name. My mind must've slowed down from shock, I thought to myself. It was the only reason I could find as to why everything went so quickly now.

Alice however did not stay at the door. She wore a warm reassuring smile as she came to me. But, unlike Edward, she took place next to me on the couch. Edward shot her an accusing look, to which she was completely oblivious, before turning away and leaving the room.

"She looks out of it, but I feel that she's still alert." Jasper said, addressing Alice, as if telling her to be careful not to swear in front of a child. "Bella, can you hear us?"

Jasper's voice was just as sweet and soothing as his siblings'. How is that possible, I wondered. But I forced my numb mind to concentrate on answering his question, but whereas my head was still intact, my voice wasn't. After the last panic attack, it seemed to have disappeared completely. So I had to nod instead. It was a weak and lifeless nod.

I saw Jasper's brow crease with concern, but Alice on the other hand didn't seem very worried. She busied herself with removing my wet boots and socks. She then took my hand. The physical contact somewhat revived me, made me more lucid. Her cold skin felt cool and refreshing. Despite the awful weather outside, it was getting warm inside the small room.

"Tell me, Bella, what kind of music would you like to hear?" She asked. The question took me somewhat by surprise. It felt so oddly displaced, but reassuringly benign. I didn't know how to answer though. My throat refused to produce a sound.

"She's shying away from her feelings, she won't like sentimental music. She desires meaningless sounds and meaningless lyrics." Jasper answered for me. My head turned to him, a questioning look on my face, I was certain. I just kept being startled by everything. How did they all know? How were they all so fast? How were they all so perfect?

The burst of alarm I felt at his knowledge about my tastes quickly faded to the background, and the same calm and numbness took over again. I was now only vaguely aware of Alice and Jasper's trembling lips. The expression on their faces as they looked at each other made me think they were actually talking to each other. But it seemed like they were talking so quickly and so low that I couldn't even hear or see what they were saying. Was I thinking in slow motion again?

Whatever it was they were doing, they were interrupted as Edward appeared again, carrying a tray into the room. I didn't care what was on it, I only cared for the feeling that had just added itself to the numbing calm: the feeling of safety. He set the tray on a low table next to the couch.

"She just began to feel better." Jasper noted, eyeing Edward, seeming to understand he was the reason. "I think I can leave now. I'll be close though."

Alice gave me another of her heart-warming smiles as she bounced off the couch to follow Jasper into the hallway. As soon as they were out of sight, I began to feel more aware, as if a fog had lifted from my mind. I looked around again, and only now noticed there was music playing. It sounded like instrumental country music. It was innocent enough. I wondered when Alice had put it on.

Edward pulled the low table with the food-tray closer to me and then sat himself where Alice had been, though he left a much bigger gap in between us.

"Bella?" He carefully asked. I turned to look at him, and his eyes seemed to burn as they gazed into mine, as if seeing what I was thinking behind them. "You're safe now." He said. Though it was completely useless, I felt as safe as I could. But I nodded to let him know it. I knew he was looking for words, but after a short inner struggle, he just said: "Eat."

Eating was the very last thing I felt like doing right now, but still I reached out to the tray, not even looking or tasting what I was chewing on. Swallowing the lump of food took me some effort though. What I did not expect, was the effect it had. Feeling the food going through me, it was as if I could feel my throat again, and I was able to find my croaking voice. Though I only found one word to say. "Thanks."

Edward smiled sadly and shook his head, as if it was ridiculous for me to say such thing. I felt a sting at his expression. And for the first time in long, I also felt a shadow of anger poking my insides from somewhere in me. It gave me a little more vivacity and I was able to become more active. I deliberated for a while whether I should ask him how he'd been able to carry me so fast and so far, but I did not want to sound ungrateful. I thought that question could wait a bit. So I tried for something more benign.

"All this yours?" I asked, eyeing the rows upon rows of CD's, occupying the entire opposite wall, and the expensive-looking stereo that was filling the room with the country music set as a soft background.

Edward seemed surprised that I was attempting small talk, but went with it. "Yes, I'm a big fan of music."

I squinted to try to read the titles. But I was only able to recognize a few of the ones I read. "There's so much." I stated the obvious.

"I just added to it over the years. It had quite some time to grow."

"You must've started to collect since your birth!"

Edward looked a bit alarmed, but then a controlled poker face took over. He and Jasper, they just seemed so careful. It annoyed me a bit. I felt left out. At least Alice wasn't like that.

"Bella, we need to talk about earlier." He said earnestly.

I was a bit afraid of starting on that subject, partly because I feared another flash of the past, partly because I was scared Edward would feel attacked by my rude questions, and partly because he would probably think I was paranoid, which I was. But now that he seemed to want to talk about it, I couldn't deny the curiosity that was nagging at my insides. I breathed in deeply, for I felt I'd have to use my voice even more than ever before.

"How did you know I was there, in trouble?" I began.

He smiled a crooked smile, as if enjoying a private joke. There was nothing remotely funny to my question though. It tested my curiosity even more, and I began to blurt out all the things I'd wondered about.

"How did you get through that storm? How did you get in here so fast? And. . . why?"

"Why?" He repeated, most startled by that last question.

"Yes, why? I mean, that's the second time you help me, though I can see no reason at all for it."

"There is so much I have to confess to you." He sighed after a moment of silence. "But I'm afraid it will scare you, or even repulse you." He said.

The mystery just kept deepening with every word he said. I stared at him, puzzled, though I couldn't keep myself from admiring him again.

"Eat a bit more, Bella, and if you want me to bring you back home after I tell you, I'll understand. I won't ever bother you again." I was going to say that he did not bother me at all, but something he'd said made me gasp in horror. "What?" He asked as he unconsciously came closer, his eyes wide with worry. His hand was upraised, as if he was going to touch my shoulder, but he thought better of it and dropped it.

"Charlie!" I said. "He'll be so worried!"

"It's ok. Carlisle already called him. He knows you're safe. I'll bring you back to him as soon as the storm has passed." He said, but something in his tone made me feel like he resented the fact that he'd have to bring me back. Like a child having to give away his favorite toy.

I, myself, was overwhelmed with a desire for the storm to rage on forever. It was so surprisingly strong I forgot to chew. Edward's eyes were worried, again. I smiled reassuringly and resumed chewing. He looked relieved.

"So, as I said, I have to confess. You may have only really met me a few days ago, but I've noticed you the moment you arrived in Forks. I didn't talk to you because you did not seem to enjoy having company. But as time went on, and I noticed that you were very unhappy, I began to worry about you. And I saw you drive away today, and when the storm started, you weren't back yet."

"How did you know where?" I asked, not wanting to comment on the rest he'd said. The side of me that felt so safe with him around was very relieved and happy that he'd apparently always been ready to help me in the last month, but the other side was buzzing in alarm, for we were getting dangerously close. I knew I felt very attracted to him, but it was forbidden, impossible.

At that moment Alice came through the door again, smiling apologetically. "Charlie called again, he's getting impatient, he's on his way over." She explained. Edward nodded in acknowledgement and she left again, in her usual fairy style.

Not yet, was the first thing that crossed my mind. I did not want to go just yet. There was still so much unclear about this situation.

"Bella." His voice pulled my fascinated gaze from the door through which Alice had disappeared. It surprised me to hear pain and frustration in it. "Bella, I know it's unfair of me to ask you this, but, please, tell me what's wrong. Tell me, what is so bad that you can't even speak or smile?"


Hello again, people :) How is this second part to your liking?