/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter Two

Edward strode through the woods back home, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He was angry that Alice had called him home, angry that she had interrupted something that could have been more. Part of him knew that this was for the best, but he could still feel the heat of Bella's lips against his skin and the hot waves of desire rolling through him, unable to stop. And it was driving him crazy.

Reaching his house, Edward noticed that Alice and the others were standing on the front porch, waiting for him to join them. A feeling of unease swept over him. Something truly must have happened if they were all waiting for him outside.

"You have arrived, finally," Rosalie said, a hint of impatience and frustration lacing her voice. Edward never seemed to be in her good graces when something was going on and wasn't available at the drop of a dime.

"I am sorry that I have duties other than to the family," Edward growled.

"Now, enough of all of that," Esme scolded. "Now isn't the time or place to start arguing. Please leave you're differences aside. We need to sort out an emergency that has cropped up."

Edward sighed and walked up the steps to stand with his family. Ever since Rosalie had lied to him about Bella's situation with the cliff several months ago in the fall, he had found himself unable to trust her, bringing an unpleasant tension between him, Rosalie, and even Emmett. It even permeated throughout the house, making the other vampires restless and nervous. That was never a good combination.

"So what is the emergency?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

"It's about the wolves," Carlisle answered. "They have made a kill. And it wasn't on their property, and certainly not for their protection."

Edward felt a growl rise within his throat. "This is preposterous! We made a pact and they said it would be honored!"

"I know it," Carlisle sighed. "Don't I know it well?"

"Who was the person murdered?" Jasper asked. Apparently Carlisle had waited until Edward was home before he went into all the fine details, Edward thought. Such a family man, Carlisle was, trying to make everything as normal and human as possible so they could have a sense of normalcy.

Carlisle sighed. "A young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen at the most. She was the daughter of one of the doctors I work with at the hospital. She had wandered off into the woods near the Black's home on the reservation. She was found by a hiker and immediately sent for emergency medical care. But as you all know, it was already too late. She was too mangled and lost too much blood to be saved."

A silence fell among them all, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Edward clenched his hands angrily. This should never have happened. He felt bad for the girl and her family, but Edward couldn't help but think of Bella. She had spent many hours alone with those…things. She also liked spending time alone walking through the woods. This could've been her dead body, and what would this coming back for her come to? Nothing.

He would've wanted revenge of course. And then he would've found some way to die. A life alone without Bella wasn't worth immortality. Humans always tried to find ways to live longer and talked of immortality as if it would be a gift. It wasn't a gift, it was a curse. A curse for blood and to watch those you came to love slowly die at the hands of Time. Edward would never wish this existence upon anybody, no matter who the person was.

Alice finally broke the silence. "Carlisle, have you found out who the perpetuator was?"

"I went to see Billy this evening. He insists that the pack never even touched her," Carlisle exclaimed.

Jasper slammed his hand against the porch railing. "I don't believe it. How could it not be them? It was on their property! And there is only one pack in this area and it is Black's. The nearest pack is thousands of miles away."

"We should go over there now and rip their throats out," Emmett stated.

"We are too small a group to fight the pack," Esme said. "We all know why they are here in the first place and a small family of vampires isn't going to destroy them easily."

Everybody's eyes turned towards Carlisle. Carlisle opened his arms in gesture, as if in question.

"Well, Cullens, we have ourselves a dilemma. And what are we to do?"

--

His lips hovered over hers, their heat pulsating into her. It was a sharp contrast between his and Edward's. But it still made a shiver run up Bella's spine. How could she choose between the two of them?

Jacob kissed her lips gently, allowing himself to linger over her, making Bella shiver again and press against him, craving more. His body responded so easily to hers, and everything seemed to move into place when they were together.

Pulling his lips away, he whispered, "You're fate is intertwined with mine."

Bella looked at him, confused. "Jacob? What, what do you mean?"

But Jacob was no longer in front of her. Instead, she was facing a two hundred pound snarling flesh, jaws, and claws. And he was coming right for her. And Bella knew she would die.

Gasping, Bella shot up in bed, soaked in sweat. Feeling her heart pounding hard against her chest, she forced herself to calm down. It was just a dream. Jacob wasn't here, and even if he was, he would never hurt her. He promised.

Glancing over at the clock beside her bed, Bella groaned in disbelief. It was five o'clock in the morning. That meant that Charlie had left for work a half hour ago. And she herself didn't have to get up for another two hours.

Bella sighed and decided to get up, anyway. She wouldn't have been able to get back to sleep anyway, not after that nightmare. And even if she did go back to sleep, there was no telling what other dreams would slip into her consciousness.

Dressed, she headed downstairs and into the kitchen, deciding to treat herself with pancakes. They seemed somehow sweet and tantalizing to soothe her nerves right then. An hour later, she had finished eating and headed upstairs to finish getting ready.

Finally done with her chores and unable to find anymore excuses to just sit and do nothing, Bella went back downstairs and flopped down onto the couch, thinking about her dream. Your fate is intertwined with mine he had said in her dream. What was that supposed to mean?

Bella shook her head in disbelief. "It's just a dream, Bells, get over it. No one is about to come and get you."

"Unless, of course, you should think of me, my dearest Bella, because I don't think you could ever get away from me, even if you tried," a cool, smooth voice said.

Bella's head snapped up at the voice, and squealed in delight when she saw Edward leaning casually and unconcerned in the front door. Leaping up, she rushed over to Edward and threw her arms around him, giving him a full, passionate kiss on the lips. Edward sighed happily, kissing her back before finally pulling away from her, his arms still wrapped around Bella's waist tenderly.

"I hope you were not too distraught while I was away, my dearest," Edward said, smiling.

Bella hesitated. Dare she tell him what she had been dreaming while he was away? Don't tell him, a small voice whispered in her subconscious. He would only become jealous by your tolerance of the others, and that he almost lost you, once.

Edward looked at Bella curiously. "Are you quite alright?"

Bella forced a grin onto her face, hoping against hope that it didn't look like a fake. "Yes, I am quite alright. Just upset that I didn't get to have a night with my one and only."

Edward didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything, with which Bella inwardly sighed with relief. She didn't want Edward to have anymore excuses to hate Jacob Black with. Her one and only best friend.

Edward nuzzled his face into the nape of Bella's neck. "I am sorry that I had to leave you, Bella. I had promised never to do that without your permission, and yet I did it anyway. But I had no other choice. My family needed me."

"And what was all the big hype about?" Bella asked.

Edward stiffened and pulled away, unable to look into Bella's eyes. Bella wondered what was wrong and she tried to pull Edward into a hug, but he wouldn't have it, sidestepping her clutches.

"Edward?" Bella asked, confused. "What's wrong? It's not as if I'm going to tell anybody."

Edward shook his head. "It's nothing, Bella. I don't want to worry you with anything. And anyways, it's a family matter, only between us Cullens. I was told to keep it secret."

It's seems as if I'm not the only with secrets, Bella thought, as if mine were such a huge one.

"Let's say we take a drive around town, shall we?" Edward finally said, tugging gently at Bella's hand, his eyes pleading her to not push the matter any further. "We have about another hour to kill before we have to go to school. Let's make good use of it."

Bella sighed and nodded. There was only one way to keep a vampire happy, and that was to do whatever he wanted to do. But whether everybody else agreed with it or not, well, that was up to discussion.

--

Author's Note: Chapter Two for everyone. I made this chapter longer for everyone, as I felt guilty for the extreme shortness of the first chapter.

Thank you much for those who reviewed, I much appreciate it, and I'll try and update as soon as I can. In the meantime, don't forget to review!