Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any songs used

AN: Italics are thoughts that Edward listens to. And also song lyrics.

Chapter Nine: Protector Reunited

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"Death is the starlit strip between the companionship of yesterday and the reunion of tomorrow"

Mark Twain

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EPOV (Edward)

"Alice are you ready yet? You do realise Bella only asked for a blanket right?" Alice came walking out of her room holding a big bag filled with blankets and pillows and all kinds of other things I'm sure I didn't even want to think about. "I know she did, I just thought that maybe we could make this a bit more memorable. After all, we might be there for a while." She had a funny look on her face again and I raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't ask Edward. You'll see soon enough." She smiled at me. "Did you see something again?" I asked with a hopeful smile on my face. "It came on its own and changed about ten times. It was never constant." She said with a frown. I knew what she meant without having to explain it. There were too many people involved for her to predict it accurately. Any one of them could change their mind about something and change the outcome.

We made our way out to the meadow behind the school. It was filled with flowers and picnic tables and looked like something out of a movie. Alice started setting up the blankets, five it total. As she did them I heard what they were meant for. One for me and Jasper, one for Edward and Bella, one for Susan and Jack, one for Mark and one for Emmett. "What makes you think that Bella will be sitting with me?" I asked. I was really hoping she would be right about that though. She laughed a tinkling laugh. Just wait and see my brother. That part was written in stone. I couldn't help but smile at her.

Susan and Jack arrived along with Mark and Jasper. He was over at Jack's earlier, they were good friends and I loved seeing my family so happy. I felt Mark glare at me when I saw Bella approaching. She looked so beautiful. She was wearing a dark pair of skinny jeans with a black shirt that hugged her figure perfectly and fell in just the right places. Her hair was still black with the pink and her eyes were still hazel but she looked absolutely beautiful.

I stood up from the blanket I was sitting on and she walked over to me looking shy. She stopped in front of me and gave me a smile. "You look absolutely beautiful my Bella." I told her in honesty and her smile grew a little. "Thank you, Edward." She leaned over quickly and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. When her lips left my skin, my hand reached up to the spot where her lips were. It still tingled. She let out the most adorable giggle and fell gracefully onto the blanket. I sat down beside her and she moved in between my legs and leaned her back against my chest. She let out a content sigh. "This is nice." She said and started sketching Alice and Jasper sitting the same way we were. I could tell she really wanted to talk to Alice but that she was still scared. Maybe she thought that Alice saw everything she was going through and just did nothing about it. Whatever it was that was stopping her, I knew it wouldn't last much longer.

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I sat there in between Edward's legs leaning my head on his chest as I drew my pixie sister and cowboy brother. All I wanted to do was talk to her but I couldn't. A part of me, a very small part, felt like Alice was responsible for everything that has happened since they left. I mean obviously she would have seen what was going to happen to me and she just didn't care enough to try and stop it. Then another part of me, the bigger part would argue that if Alice did see all that, that she would have done something to help me. It told me she loved me and I loved her. But no matter how much I wanted to believe the bigger, more believable part of me, I just couldn't ignore that small possibility.

Edward tensed behind me and I finally heard Jack. "Someone is coming. I can feel him. He's getting really close now." Jasper spoke up then. "He's nervous, he doesn't know what he's walking into. There are four extra vampires he wasn't expecting and he doesn't know if you are friendly or not." Edward nodded. "You're right Jasper, he also smells Bella, like we did. He just doesn't know what to make about it. He's confused and hurting." I frowned at his words. My protector was hurting because of me. All I want to do is make him feel better.

Emmet broke through the trees and looked upon us all. He instantly got angry when he looked at Edward and me and I couldn't help but feel that he wasn't happy to see me. Edward gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze and got up. "It's not what you think Em. I promise you, there has never been anyone but Bella." Emmett seemed to get even angrier and finally spoke up in a voice filled with venom. "I'm not blind Edward. How could you? She hasn't even been gone for that long!"

He was defending me, the dead me. He didn't recognise me when he saw me in Edward's arms now and thought he moved on. "It's not like that Em, believe me. Take a closer look at her, trust me." Edward was begging him to see reason but Emmett was standing strong in his believes. "I don't need to, I saw enough Edward, I'm leaving." He started turning around and I sprung to my feet.

"Emmie-Bear, look at me." He froze in place but didn't turn around when he heard me. "Don't ever call me that again. Only one person calls me that." I sighed and called out again. "Emmie-Bear, look at me, please! Just look at me." I took a few feet forward but stopped a distance away. He slowly turned around and looked like he was fighting with himself about it. "I said, never call me that!" He spat the words with venom at me and I cringed away from him. "Please, just look. Susan, help me." Susan dropped her power for two seconds and revealed the real me to everyone before changing me back again to the black and pink haired singer, her sister.

Emmett looked shocked and then he looked pained. "It's me Emmie-Bear. It's Bella." I said the words as soothingly and calmly as I could. "Bells?" He asked and his eyes were looking into mine. "Yes, Emmie-Bear, it's me." I started walking closer to him and before I knew what was happening I was being crushed into a big chest by two very strong arms hugging me to him. He started sobbing loudly onto my head and we crashed to the ground on our knees. "Shhhh... Emmy... Shhhh... I'm here..." I rubbed soothing circles into his big back as he rocked us slightly back and forth. "Bells... How? I heard you scream and by the time I got there your truck was on fire and I couldn't pull you out. If I touched the fire I would have burned with you..." he sobbed and I heard a collective gasp from our audience. I forgot that most of the people here didn't know what really happened and that Emmett was there to see some of it.

"I wasn't in the truck Em..." He pulled away from me looking into my eyes and moved a piece of hair out my face. "How? What happened Bells?" I looked into his pained eyes and I knew I had to tell him now. Audience or no audience. "She got me Emmy. I did scream but not because of a car crash. She bit me right before Jake and the pack could reach us. Two of them faked the accident while the rest took off after her. Jake ran me into the mountains, away from any people and he stayed there with me until I woke up again." Emmett was shacking under me. "I'll kill her, I swear to God Bells, I'll kill her, if it's the last thing I do." I cupped his cheek in my hand and moved his face to stare into his eyes. "You don't need to, the wolves got her..." Emmett nodded and buried his head in my hair as he pulled me closer to him for another hug. "I'm so sorry Bells, I never wanted to leave you." He started sobbing loudly again and it broke my dead heart.

"Shhhh... Emmy, it's alright. You didn't leave me. I know that now. I only realised it yesterday but you were always there by me. You never truly left me." I started sobbing long painful sobs as I remembered everyone leaving and I heard Emmett's sobs grow louder too. He started rocking us back and forth holding on to me like he was scared that I would disappear and I was doing the same thing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward moving closer to us, his hand outstretched. He looked pained, no doubt hearing all of Emmett's thoughts.

A slow growl started building in Emmett's chest as Edward got closer and he pulled me impossibly closer to him. If I was still human it would have broken several of my ribs. Edward hesitated but took another step forward and Emmett answered with a louder growl. "Stay away from her!" He hissed and cradled me in his strong arms. Both of us had stopped sobbing for now and I was shocked by the force of his words to his brother. "Em... it's me. I'm not going to hurt her."

Emmett let out another loud growl and I saw the anger in his eyes. "I said stay away from her! It's your entire fault! If it wasn't for you we would all still be happy in Forks and Bella would still be alive. She wouldn't have gone through all the pain you put her through!" Emmett's words were lased with venom and it felt like my heart was breaking all over again, this time for the loss of my big brother. For the pain I had caused him when he thought I was dead. I clung onto his shirt and clawed my way closer to him while new sobs overtook my body.

Edward fell to his knees and I could hear him sobbing too. I had no doubt that Emmett was showing him some of the things he had witnessed when they all left me. Alice went over to Edward and started trying to calm him down. "Shhhh Edward. Everything will be alright... calm down..." Emmett started laughing loudly and sounded on the verge of hysterics. "And where were you Pixie? Why didn't you come and help Bella? Where were you when she was walking in dark streets in Port Angeles? Where were you when she started learning how to ride a motorbike and nearly died crashing every time? Where were you when Laurent tried to kill her in the meadow? Where were you when she started hanging out with teenage werewolves? Where were you when she jumped off a cliff? Where were you when Victoria came back!" He was screaming at them all now and I heard Alice break down into long painful sobs next to Edward and Jasper.

"Stop it Em!" I yelled at him and I could feel everyone staring at me. "Just stop it..." I said softer and hugged him close to me as he calmed down. "Just stop it..." I said again as sobs took my body. It was painful to remember all the memories he was bringing back and it was even more painful hearing my old family's sobs of pain behind me. He started rocking us back and forth again, kissing the top of my head every so often as everyone slowly started calming down. Eventually all the sobs quieted down and most of the people were holding on to one another. Trying to comfort the person next to them.

Jack was holding Susan in his arms; she was overcome by all our sadness and more than likely my pain. Mark was sitting on his blanket staring out at the peaceful lake, he looked angry, no doubt because he now knew more about the pain I went through. Jasper was holding on to Alice who was rocking back and forth with one of Edward's hands in hers. And my angel was sitting broken on the floor, staring at me and Emmett with dark dead eyes. My heart pulled to him but I didn't move. Here in Emmett's arms I felt save for the first time in more than a year and a half and I wasn't ready for that to stop yet.

"I'm sorry..." Alice looked up at me and Emmett and her eyes were dark with her pain. "I'm so sorry... I should have seen something but I didn't. Edward told me to stop looking into your future and I knew he would know if I cheated so I never did... I got the vision of your truck burning the day of the incident and we arrived a day late to save you. I'm so sorry Bella. I never knew... if I did I would have gone back... after we thought you were dead I stopped using my ability and I still haven't used it again. I am sorrier than you will ever know..." I turned my head more towards Alice and pulled myself from Emmett's arms until I was on my knees next to him. She looked so sad, in so much pain and she really did still care for me. She didn't want to leave me either.

I opened my arms and she leaped into them hugging me close and I hugged her back. She started sobbing again and I rocked her slowly against me. "Shhhh Ali, I forgive you Shhhh..." Emmett reached towards us with one of his big hands and put it on Alice. "I'm sorry Pixie... I didn't know... I'm so sorry. I jumped to conclusions." She looked up at her brother and left my arms to go and hug him too. They held onto each other and I couldn't help the little smile that spread onto my lips. "My big brother and sister finally made up." I stated and Emmett took me back into his arms for another bone crunching hug. "And my baby sister is still here, I love you Bells..." I smiled into his shoulder. "I love you too Emmie-Bear... you too little pixie." Alice beamed at me.

I heard another sob and looked around to see it was coming from Edward. He was looking out to the lake now clutching onto his side like he was in a lot of pain and I instantly recognised the move. He was clutching onto the hole in his chest, trying to keep from falling apart. I started moving towards him on my knees when I heard Emmett growl again. "It's okay Em... I'll be alright." I gave him a small smile and continued my path to Edward.

When I reached him I pulled his hands from around his chest and legs and made my way onto his lap, trying to hold him as best I could. The electricity between us hit me with full force. "Shhhh Edward... Shhhh... Please calm down... talk to me?" I begged and he let out a shaky breath and flung his arms around me holding me close. My whole body felt on fire as waves of electricity flowed between us. "I'm so sorry Bella. I kept them away from you... I took them away from you... I never wanted to hurt you like this... I didn't want to hurt them... I just wanted you to be happy and save. And I knew I couldn't do that..." his words cut through me as I finally understood why he left. He left because he thought he was too dangerous and that it was dangerous for me to be around him. He really did still love me; he was just trying to protect me.

I started laughing at him. "You know, you can be really stupid sometimes." He looked down into my eyes and raised an eyebrow at me. "How so?" I laughed again. "I was only happy and safe when you were with me." I said it as a statement and that is what it was, because that was the truth. He held me tighter and we stayed like that for a while.

Once I was sure Edward was alright I went over to the blanket Jasper was sitting on and I knelt in front of him. He looked up at me with big sad eyes and I knew he blamed himself for everything that happened. I took his face in my hands and looked straight in his eyes when I spoke. "Stop blaming yourself Jasper. I don't blame you, no one here does. I have never blamed you for any of this." He gave me a small smile and I dropped his face and gave him a big hug. He let out a big sigh and I held him tighter to me. Bringing all the love I felt for him and his family forward so he could feel it. "You really don't blame me do you?" he asked and I knew it worked. "Never have, not for a second. It was never your fault. So stop blaming yourself." He pulled me back to look at my face and he gave me a loving smile. "Thank you Bella. You don't know how this has been torturing me." I gave him a big smile back and another hug before I pecked him on the cheek and got to my feet again. Looking around at all the people I love.

Emmett was giving me a big smile and he patted the spot next to him on the blanket Alice had put out for him. I smiled back at him and went to sit down so I could face him, my secret protector for so long... he took my hand in his and rubbed soothing circles into it. "I can't believe you're really here Bells... I thought I lost you. I tried to help you that day but the stupid red head led me onto a false trail. I turned around when you screamed and once again I was too late... I was always too late..." I shook my head at him. "You're not too late Emmett, I'm right here. And I'm safe. With a lot of thanks to you." I gave him a big smile.

"I know it was you talking to me... the night in Port Angeles, the motorbikes, and the cliff, everything... I just don't understand how... why could no one else hear you?" he looked down at me and shook his head. "I'm not sure... I never said the words aloud. But yet you could hear me, and on the cliff I could hear you too. You were talking back in your head then weren't you?" I looked back at him and nodded. "Yes, I did..." he gave me an angry look then. "You wanted me to be human, so watch me?!" he threw my words from the cliff back at me and I cringed. "I'm sorry Em, I thought I was going crazy. I never wanted to kill myself like you thought. I was just so mad at you in that moment, at Edward, that I wanted to show him what he did and I jumped."

Everyone gasped and I turned around to look at them. "It's not what you think, I promise. I was cliff diving, all the kids down in La Push do it for fun. I just didn't notice how ruff the water below was and Jake had to pull be out of the water. It was stupid and reckless but it was also what I needed to do to survive back then." I looked at Edward and he nodded in understanding. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding and looked back at Emmett.

"Tell me about what happened after... please Bells..." I sighed, it really wasn't a story I liked going into detail about, but for my protector I would. "Well lets see. Hmmm... Victoria attacked me when I was on my way home from La Push, saying the whole cliché a mate for a mate thing and that she was surprised to see I still had a secret protector there in Forks, you Em. She told me how she led you away on a false path and how you wouldn't be able to stop her now. She lunged at me and bit me once before Jake and his pack could pull her off me. That's when I screamed. I screamed from the sudden pain and burning in my neck and Jake morphed back into his human form then. He inspected my neck and knew what was happening even before I did. I heard him yelling orders to the rest of the pack to destroy my truck and make it look like an accident and to go after Victoria. He had a quick argument with Sam then that I couldn't hear and then he picked me up and carried me deep into the mountains."

Emmett looked down into my eyes. "I'm sorry I fell for it. I should have known it was a false trail." I smiled up at him. "Don't worry about it, you're already forgiven." He gave me a smile and nodded. "What happened next?" I turned my head around to face Edward who was staring into my eyes, curiosity burning in his. I continued my story.

"I lay there burning in a cave for three days as Jake took care of me. I didn't scream again no matter how much it hurt. I couldn't do that to him. He was only sixteen and was just as scared as I was. He would constantly run and get me ice and cold water to cool my burning skin and would tell me stories to calm my mind. He was my personal sun in the darkness that was my existence the six months before and especially so in those three painful days. On the third day as my heart was slowing down he said he had to leave but would be back in a few minutes. My heart stopped as I heard him come to the entrance of the cave and he let out an ear splitting yelp of pain. He was in his wolf form then." I smiled at the memories; they weren't bad to think of after all.

"I opened my eyes then and sat up looking at the big russet wolf standing in front of me with a dozen red roses in his mouth. He walked closer to me and as he did turned into his human form. And he got a big grin on his face when he said 'On a hot summers night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?' I smiled at him and we had this really cute little poem that we said to each other before he took me hunting for the first time." I smiled even bigger at that memory.

"When did you meet your new family?" Alice suddenly asked and this time I turned to look at her as I spoke. "I was hunting one day in the forest near the cave with Jake about a month after I was turned when I caught the smell of some really sweet blood and started chasing after it. I knew it wasn't a deer but I didn't know what kind of animal it was either. Jake ran directly behind me then and I looked at him. He never did that, he always ran a few feet behind me when I hunted and he yelled the one word I didn't want to hear, human." Alice gasped and I laughed.

"I stopped dead in my tracks, held my breath and ran into the opposite direction. Until I hit into a slightly lumpy rock." I laughed again and so did Alice. "Hey! I don't think I'm a slightly lumpy rock." Mark suddenly said and everyone started laughing when they realised I had meant that I ran into Mark. "Well I guess you aren't, but you still fell down like one." I laughed and so did he. "I remember, you collided with me with such force that we both fell to the ground."

"I walked over there then, wondering what Mark was breaking this time, only to find him lying on the ground with a very ashamed looking Izzy straddling him. Their faces almost touching." Susan laughed and I cringed before laughing. "I was gonna give them some privacy until I heard the wolf coming closer. As he broke through the trees he transformed back into a human running towards her looking very worried and trying to make sure she was alright. We both knew she was with the wolf then and that he didn't mean us any harm." Susan laughed again. And Mark spoke up again. "He told us about her bolting from the humans so fast that he couldn't keep up with her and apologised saying she was still young and learning." He laughed and I frowned at him. "We immediately offered her a place in our family if she wanted it and even said she could keep her dog. He refused to let her go with us at first and insisted that we not go too far away so he could still come and keep an eye on her. And the rest I guess as they say is history. Izzy and I got close and she became part of our family. We then moved here and everything changed." Mark got a sour look on his face and turned to look at the lake again. My heart broke for what felt like the millionth time today when I saw the pain in his eyes.

I got off from next to Emmett and walked over to Mark. "You don't need to come and sit with me Izzy, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself..." my eyes softened even more and I sat down next to him and worked my way under his arm until he held me. The familiar tingle spread through my body and I relaxed even more. "I know you can Mark, but I'm just a little girl, and I need to be held." I smiled up at him and his eyes turned liquid caramel as he smiled down at me. "I'll always hold you my Izzy, you know that. I'll always protect you." He leaned down and gave me a small kiss on the forehead that caused a spark between us and I smiled feeling very happy in that moment.

"Wait, so the two of you are together? I thought..." Emmett was looking at the two of us and then to Edward and he looked confused. Before I could answer him, Mark spoke up. "We used to be... Izzy called it off a few days ago and I told her to go and find out what she wants, who she wants... that I'll be right here waiting for her if she decides it's me after all." Mark's eyes went from extreme pain to anger and then to extreme love as he spoke while looking me straight in the eyes. I felt the tingling intensify as he held me closer to him and I leaned my head into his neck and shoulder.

There was no denying the fact that I did love Mark, but there was also no denying the fact that I loved Edward. I couldn't help but wonder if there is more than one mate out there for everyone. In case something happened to the one, that there is a backup or something. So you never have to be alone...

I saw Jasper looking intensely at me and Mark and I knew that he could feel the emotions coming off of us. He opened his mouth to say something then stopped. He kept looking and did the same thing again. He did it another time and I finally had enough. "Just say it Jasper, you're driving me crazy." He looked at me apologetically and shook his head. Edward let out a big sigh and spoke up in a broken whisper. "He can feel the intensity of your feelings for one another and is wondering if it is possible that you might have two mates. One for when you were human and met me and one for after you got turned and met Mark..." Mark pulled me closer to him and I could feel him smiling next to me, clearly happy about how strong our bond is. My eyes met Edward's and they looked as broken as his voice sounded.

"That's not possible, is it?" I asked in a small voice and he looked up at me again. "I don't know. I've never heard of another vampire falling in love with a human before... I just, don't know..." he sounded so sad, so broken that it broke me as well. His pain was my pain and I let out a soft sob. "What's wrong Izzy?" Mark was rubbing soothing circles into my side trying to calm me down and I let out another soft sob. "Izzy, talk to me, what's wrong?" my hands started shaking and I got up and looked around at all the vampires sitting in the little meadow. My old family and my new family. My old mate and my new mate? I heard a pain filled sob and realised it was coming from me. I was shaking and stumbling, turning in a slow circle to look around.

"I... I need to go. I can't be here right now. Mark, please give me my keys?" I looked at him and he was frowning while he pulled them out of his pocket. "You can't keep running away Izzy, sooner or later you have to make up your mind." I looked at him started shaking even more while shaking my head at him. "I'm not... not running away." I said and realised that I probably didn't sound very convincing. "Yes you are Izzy, you keep running away. You're always running away. You're always running from something or someone, for once I would just like to see you running towards something. Anything." He was pleading at me with his eyes and as he said the last word he looked over at Edward who was standing with his one hand slightly in front of him.

"I'm not running away..." I said again, louder this time. I was getting angry now. "Stop lying Izzy, we all know you are." Mark was staring me in the eyes and I couldn't keep myself together for much longer. I looked around at everyone again and they were all looking at me. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my keys out his hand and said, "I'm not running, I have to go see someone. Now." And with that I ran as fast as I could to my bike.

It was just me and the highway again but this time I had a destination. Forks Washington, or rather La Push reservation and Jake.

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AN: So what do you guys think? Please leave me a review with your thoughts. What do you think is gonna happen next?