Chapter 10

Bella POV:

When the sun came up, I watched as some of the light poured into the cave and shone on parts of my skin; making it glow with diamonds. The wonderful phenomenon gave the walls of the cave a slight luminosity. If I were my old self, I would think that this was totally cool, but now it just made me mad. This made it so that I'd have to be extra cautious while walking around this island in case there was some human civilization. Not that they could come up behind me and surprise me anyways; their scent would give them away to me.

I got up from my position and put my dress on, and putting the headband in my hair only so that it'd keeping my annoying bangs out of my face. They always got in my eyes so I couldn't see. I peered over into the spring and cringed at how disarranged my hair looked, yet I saw no flaws on my face. Of course, my vampiric features shone brightly, now fully in the sun. I sighed and looked up into the sun.

What was I supposed to do now? Just sit around and wait for James to come find me? Like a coward with no willpower? No, I was not going to do that. I wasn't going to wait for him to corner me and then do who knows what. I wasn't some weak helpless human anymore. I was just as strong as James, minus his minions. I had to go find him first. Take him by surprise; he wouldn't even smell me coming over the scent of all the newborns surrounding him. Maybe I could find a way to separate them.

I turned directions to head for the beach, but then stopped myself midway. Where was I going to go? I didn't even know where I was now, how was I going to find my way back to the U.S.? I could end up in Antarctica or even Russia. How did I even know where James was?

Suddenly in mid-thought, I smelled another scent coming closer. I got ready for attack and stayed in the confines of the jungle to jump the intruder by surprise. I knew it was a vampire-so that singled out my fear of running into a human-and the scent was very familiar but I was too confused to identify it. Was it James coming by himself? Had he ditched his army and come to look for me by himself? How'd he find me so fast? What would he do with me if I lost? I turned my back and leaned against a big tree; relying on my senses to notify me when he was close.

I heard when the vampire got out of the water and started walking on the sand. His footsteps were soft, and I wouldn't have been able to hear them if I was a human, but I heard them padding on the ground, and pausing every couple of minutes. The approach almost seemed wary. After what seemed like ten minutes, the footsteps started to come closer to me. I braced myself for attack, flexing my steel muscles. When the footsteps came right next to the tree I was hiding behind, I jumped out and tackled the intruder and started my attack, not wanting to look at his face. I started clawing at his face and punching him not really knowing how to kill a vampire properly; I just knew that to keep them dead I had to set them on fire. Next I tried to grab at his arms when suddenly I lost control of the battle and I was being turned onto the ground. I was still struggling to get back in control, while all at the same time preparing myself for the pain that I knew would come. I was pinned down like a helpless bird being forced down by a cat. I tried to break my arms free but he was restraining them, and then it wounded like my name was being called in a voice I wasn't expecting. It wasn't James', it was Edward's.

"Bella, Bella! Stop! I'm not going to hurt you! Bella!" That's when it registered through my mind and I stopped abruptly. I stared at his eyes for a second before I started tearlessly sobbing.

"I-I'm so sorry!" I cried out, feeling horrible that I was trying to attack him of all people. I could never hurt Edward. He rolled to the side and sat up, taking me with him so that I was sitting in his lap.

"It's ok, I guess. But… umm…I have to ask something." He said after a couple of minutes. I had calmed down a bit, and I started to feel a little awkward sitting like this. But he didn't seem to mind, so I pushed it away.

"How'd you find me?" I asked first. He was the one who I had questions for-that needed answers.

"I saw the vision through Alice's eyes and followed your scent here awhile later. Though I lost it about five times in the ocean. Why were you attacking me? Did you think I was him?" I nodded and rolled onto the ground so I could lie on my stomach. I crossed my arms on the ground and laid my head where my wrists met. Though I was facing the jungle while he was, in a sitting position leaning back on his hands with his ankles crossed, facing the ocean.

"So why did you come?" I asked after a few moments had passed. I rolled onto to my side and propped my head up with my left arm so that I could face him. He turned towards me and gave me an unreadable look. "If you're not going to answer, can I at least see what you're thinking?"

"I came because I knew you were in danger." He said, obviously avoiding my question.

"Why did you even care? You barely even know me." Yet it feels like I've known you my whole life, I wanted to say, but I knew I couldn't. His expression didn't change, making me want to touch him even more to see what he was thinking. It feels like you're the only one who has kept me alive.

"Because I feel like I need to protect you, and keep you safe."

"Like a father?" I spit out too quickly. I sprung up to my feet and looked down at him, "Is that why you came here? To 'protect' me? I've been alone this long, I don't need protection!" I stalked off into the woods. I was feeling emotions of rage and anger at him, but then I couldn't really understand why I was so mad at the same time. But that didn't falter my rage any less. Though, before I knew it he was right by my side.

"Bella, that's not what I meant. I wasn't supposed to say it like that. Come on, stop walking. What were you expecting me to say?" I stopped at his last words and he walked in front of me and gripped my shoulders looking down into my eyes.

"I don't know," I said with a sigh, "but not that. I wasn't looking for that." I still couldn't figure out why I was so angered. I started walking the other way again, but he stepped in front of me again regaining his grip on my shoulders.

"Then what were you looking for? This is hard on me, not being able to read you! You're the only person in the last one hundred years that has made me like this! I don't know what you're looking for me to say, I don't want to sound like a father. But I don't know how to explain why I came after you. The truth is, I don't even know why I came. It felt like I just had to." I was about to turn away again, but his words got to me this time. I couldn't resist it anymore, and I didn't care if he read my true thoughts. I had to know what he was thinking.

I pressed my finger to his forehead before he could protest and we both grew still in shock:

I don't know what this is that I'm feeling. I've barely met her, but yet I feel so close to her and want to move our relationship further yet I know she doesn't feel the same way. I don't know why I came after her, but it was like I didn't have a choice anyways. My heart chose it for me before I could even stop to think about it. I just want her to be happy, no mater what it takes. And the anger I'd felt at James after seeing that vision hadn't been anything I'd ever felt before. If only she could possibly understand the intensity of my emotions for her…then what? What would happen then? Why did I want her to understand me so badly?

There was no way that I could possibly feel that strongly about a person so quickly. It was nothing I'd ever felt for a woman before, just looking at her beautiful face wasn't enough for me. This urge to get closer to her is too much. But what was going on through her mind?

Then I forced myself to pull away and we both stumbled a bit. I realized a second later that all those thoughts were what he was thinking before I had touched him. We stared into each other's eyes, and I recognized the longing in his. Could he see it in mine? What had he read from my mind? A minute passed before I finally broke the distance in between us in a flash. When our lips touched it was like a shock of magic. I lifted my hands into his hair, and he wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled my body closer to his. His kisses were wonderful blissfulness, and I had never imagined I could feel like this about someone in so little time. It just felt… right. After about a minute I pulled away abruptly and took a step back and looked into his smoldering eyes again.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that it was-" He started to say but I interrupted him.

"Well first, I was the one who started it. And second, I pulled away because I had to make sure this was real and not just a dream." I said lamely, knowing that I might as well tell him the truth. There was no use in lying anymore.

"And how does that tell you if it's real?" He asked curious. I took another step forward so that our lips were almost brushing against each other.

"Because you would've dissolved into thin air once I pulled away." I leaned in for another kiss, and he bent his neck down lower to meet my lips. This kiss was softer, but I could still feel the intensity of it. I wanted more, but knew I couldn't push it right away. This time he pulled away after a while.

"Well, it's good to know that this isn't a dream." He said. I smiled, and pecked his lips lightly before grabbing his hand and walking away towards my cave. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." We walked in silence, side by side, until I finally broke the silence. "What now? What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't gotten that far yet. I still haven't got past this part; why I feel so strongly about you. The kisses just made the feeling intensify even more."

"I've never even came close to feeling this before. Yes, I've kissed and had relationships with guys before, but nothing has ever compared to this." I looked up and saw a grin spread across his face.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. At least I dazzle you as much you do to me." I playfully nudged him and laughed. We must've been walking really slow or something because I didn't remember the cave being that far away. "I guess we should continue as you planned." He stopped abruptly and knelt down on one knee.

"You're kidding! We can't get married!"

"You sounded like you wanted to in the vision."

"Edward! We've kissed once! And I'm not denying that it was wonderful because believe me it was, but let's find some sanity in this scene. Vampire marriage or not, it's still the real deal with certificates and everything. We've barely just met, and you want to rush into a marriage? I don't want to have one big fight and get a divorce like all of the celebrities." He got up as quickly as he had stopped and continued walking on with my hand still in his.

"Ok, but someday you are going to marry me." He looked at me and gave me a crooked grin. I laughed and smiled at him again. I was surprised at how well he took my rejection, and shook it off like it was nothing. Though, deep inside I was so grateful because if he had showed any signs of sadness or disappointment, then I would have felt so horrible about my outburst.

"I promise. Although, next time you propose, I expect to see a ring." I said jokingly. After a couple of more steps, the cave and spring came into view.

"So is this where you stayed for the night?" I nodded and he pulled me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his back and rested my head on his chest. "We have to go back eventually."

"Do you know why I really left?"

"Because you were scared of him finding you, right? But still, I don't think that's the reason. Mostly because you were so intent on murdering me when I first came. Why didn't you think to look at me before you started to attack? If you had seen me, you wouldn't have attacked," He said rapidly as he started to run his hand through my hair, trying to untangle it somewhat. It didn't hurt to pull the knots out like it would as a human.

"Because I knew if I saw his face, I would hesitate and not want to hurt him. I If didn't look into his eyes though, then I would be able to kill him for threatening you and your family."

"Couldn't you smell that my scent was different than his?"

"I was thinking too much about other things that I couldn't remember his scent or anyone else's. I knew I had scented it before-therefore telling me it wasn't a stranger-but I couldn't quite identify where I had smelled it before."

"Why did you come here?" He asked after taking in what I had said for a couple of seconds.

"Because I was scared that he would find me with you guys and would take me himself and then order his army to kill you and your family."

"So you ran because you were scared for my family and not yourself?" When I nodded he lifted my head up so that our eyes met. "You amaze me even more every second."

"Before you came, I was actually planning on going and finding him instead of running away for the rest of my life. I felt like a coward just staying here. But then my sanity came back and I realized that I had no idea where I actually was and I paused trying to think of a plan. That's when I caught a whiff of your scent."

"Well actually, I don't know where we are either. I lost track of direction with I trying so hard to track your scent. And let me tell you, that was not very easy to do."

"So there's little chance of him following me?" I asked; hope filling me from head to toe.

"Well he's never going to hurt you as long as you're with me, but unfortunately he's an expert in tracking. It's his obsession," Edward said sadly.

"So how do we stop him and his army?" I questioned.

"That is a good question. I'll have to figure this out with Carlisle," He said, already starting to form a plan in his head.

"Will they still accept me after I ran away?" I asked precariously. He looked down at me like I was crazy.

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?" I smiled and then he took off for the shore, towing me along.

A/N Hope you liked it, please review!