Two in one week? Why yes, yes it is. Just me celebrating surviving a Five Seconds of Summer and One Direction concert this week. Lucky you. =)

The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: Mist

Main Character: Bella
Rating: M
Word Count: 1,380

In the middle of the night the silence was broken by the powerful purr of a sports car engine. A young woman drove like a bat out of hell through the twists and turns of an old logging road outside Forks, Washington. The car was expensive and the suspension was finely crafted for roads such as the German Autobahn, not rutted out gravel. And it was his.

And she didn't give a damn about the damage she was causing. Not one bit.

She floored the accelerator as she cut the corner for another turn, smiling to herself as the vehicle groaned and popped in protest. She didn't even react to the back end fishtailing other than to down shift and punch the accelerator.

Somewhere deep inside, she wanted to hurt him as deeply as he had hurt her and since his cars were his beloveds, abusing this one was only fitting.

Screeching to a stop at the edge of a cliff, she turned off the ignition and pounded the steering wheel in anger, imagining it was his face. The glow of the dashboard lights caught on her engagement ring and she tore it off her hand and tossed it into the passenger seat.

It would make a great contribution to a women's shelter.

Her phone dinged with an incoming text.

I'm sorry.

"Oh, hell no."

I'm an ass.

"You're joking."

Forgive me.

She snorted at the mere idea.

If you'd only given it up, this wouldn't have happened.

She reread the message, unable to believe that he had typed that, much less believed it.

Then her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen and dismissed the call. Talking to him would not be a good idea right now.

It began to ring again.

Suddenly the car's interior felt way too small and she imagined she could smell his aftershave. He always wore way too much and it was stifling her. She had to get out. With a shriek of frustration, she ripped off her seatbelt and threw open the door before stumbling out into the darkness.

She ran, her boots slipping on the damp rocks. She caught herself only to stumble again, looking like a drunk deer, all legs and arms. She had no set destination. Her mind was a tumultuous mess and nothing made sense. She just wanted to get away from everything that reminded her of him.

She stopped at the edge of the woods, a fine mist starting to fall from the sky.

"Great," she muttered, folding her arms around herself to ward off the chill and the damp. In her rush, she had not even thought to grab a jacket.

Bella Swan, ex-fiancée of Jacob Black, stared down at the twinkling lights of Forks, her vision blurring as her eyes filled with tears. She hastily wiped her eyes. He wasn't worth her tears but in her anger and hurt, she found she could not stop them from flowing.

The sound of breaking wood caught her attention and she spun around to see a dark figure leaning causally against a tree a few feet away. He carelessly spun a broken stick in his fingers before tossing it aside.

"Hello," he said softly, not moving. "What brings you up here on a night like this?"

Bella knew she should be terrified but something familiar about the voice soothed her. Even so, she took a single step backward towards the car.

"Bella?" The man turned and just enough light filtered through the trees and the mist to allow her to make out a few features.

"Edward? What are you doing here? You told me you couldn't be at the party because you were on a call in Port Angeles."

Without thinking, she gravitated toward her co-worker.

"Big Mutt called me looking for you."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, remembering the nickname Edward had given her fiancé … her EX-fiancé after Jacob had all but pissed on her leg at a holiday party to stake his claim on her when she introduced them. She had never understood the animosity between the two.

"That had to be an interesting conversation."

"Oh, you have no idea."

Bella began to shiver. Edward quickly pulled off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her.

"I can't take…"

"I'm fine. I've got a sweater on. You've been trying to steal that for months."

It was true. She had sworn Edward owned the most perfect leather jacket in the world and during one staff meeting had declared it would be hers. Expecting it to be warm, she was shocked to find the leather cool to the touch as she wrapped it around herself.

"So Jacob sent you looking for me."

"No."

Edward paused to listen to the sounds around them, of what had once been mist now changing over to falling rain, an animal somewhere in the distance snuffling around, and to the breeze blowing through the branches of the trees.

"He warned me not to find you. To stay away from you."

"What? Why? He has no say on who I'm with. Not after…" Her voice trailed off as the image of Jacob and Leah in his father's study came back.

Bella paled and for a moment felt physically sick. Edward caught her arm to steady her.

"Are you ok?"

She knew he only meant physically, not emotionally. Bella nodded silently before resting her head on his chest and sighed as she felt his arms hesitantly wrap around her.

"I can call Alice to come get you."

"No." She shook her head. "I love your sister but I just don't have the energy to deal with her right now."

Bella felt Edward's hand hesitantly come up to stroke her head. She leaned into the touch, a small sound of contentment bubbling up her throat.

"He was cheating on me. With Leah. I caught them."

She felt Edward nod.

"I'm so angry. I … I don't know what I want to do. Part of me wants to cry and part of me wants to yell and part of me is just so fucking happy I caught him before the wedding."

A few tears slipped down her cheek and she scrubbed them away.

"Whatever you decide, you let me know. I'll help you any way I can, Bella."

She nodded and sniffed and straightened up, tugging the coat tighter around herself. Edward stepped back, waiting for her to make the next move.

After a moment Bella sighed and looked around, expecting to see Edward's silver Volvo but saw no other vehicle than Jacob's.

"How'd you get up here?"

"I ran."

"You ran? But it's miles from your parents' home and…"

Her voice trailed off.

"I'm a fast runner," Edward finally said.

Bella studied him for a moment and decided her mind had had enough puzzles for the night and merely nodded. She looked over at Jacob's car and for a moment pictured it racing over the edge of the cliff, exploding in a fireball of epic proportions. A smile graced her lips, causing Edward to look at her inquisitorially.

"Oh, I was just imagining pushing Jacob's car over the cliff."

Edward laughed and the sound made Bella's smile grow even if it was still just a small one.

"I can arrange for that to happen."

She stared at him in silence for a second and then ran to the car and grabbed her purse, phone, and the engagement ring. Edward frowned when he saw the ring.

"I'm going to donate it to a battered women's shelter," she explained, shoving it into her bag. "You can really wreck it?"

"If that's what you'd like."

She nodded furiously, making Edward smile even broader. He walked up to the back of the car and paused, turning toward Bella.

"Any last words?"

"Fuck you, Jacob Black."

"That'll work."

The official police report read that Jacob Black's vehicle had been stolen from his family's estate and after a joy ride up and down the back roads of Clallum County, the perpetrators had decided to destroy any potential evidence and pushed it off a cliff where it was smashed to bits on the rocks below. Insurance was expected to pay for a replacement—not that Bella Swan cared one bit.

Just a little Jacob bashing. =)

Thank you for your reviews, I treasure each and every one. I am working on replies today so as long as you're not a guest, I'll be getting in touch!

On a side note, Beyond Evermore is up for the top 10 finished fics for September on twifanfictionrecs dot com /2014/10/01/vote-for-your-top-ten-completed-fics-september-2014/

There's some pretty stiff competition but you can vote every 24 hours through the end of October. I'd love a vote or two! Just remove the word *dot* and replace it with one.