A/N: Drama and angst alert! ;-)

Thanks as always to my vampire-fast beta Jess (jkane180) for getting this baby back to me quickly! Mwah!

Chapter Ten

~ Grasping Hot Coals ~

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned~Buddha

~Previously~

"Oh, God. Seth, that makes sense because I still can't see Bella's future...and that only happens when she's with one of your kind. Shit!"

"The guys followed the scent out to the road, but they must have transferred to a car because the trail went cold. We have no idea where he's taken her. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you for calling, Seth." I hung up the phone with a heavy heart (so to speak). Turning to Jasper—who already knew something was terribly wrong from the emotions that were flowing off me—I flung myself into his arms. "Oh, Jasper. That was Seth. Damon has Bella, and they've lost the scent. He must have taken her in a car..."

"WHAT? What the fuck are you talking about, Alice? Where the hell is Bella?"

I looked up to see Edward standing in the doorway. Oh...shit.

~*Bella's POV*~

When Damon and I reached the road at the edge of the woods, he had a car waiting for us. He knelt down gently, waiting patiently for me to climb down from his massive back and then trotted into the woods. A few seconds later his embarrassed voice called out to me. "Uh, Bella? I kinda forgot that my clothes are in the car. Do you think you can toss them over here? They're in a duffel in the front seat."

"Um, sure." I opened the passenger door, located the duffel and walked over to the bushes where I'd heard his voice coming from. He raised a hand, and I tossed the bag.

"Hey, thanks! Be right out."

A few minutes later, Damon came out from behind the bushes wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his rippled muscles. It was so strange to see him in this light—looking so normal—we could have been friends hanging out. But I was his victim, and he was my attacker. Even though he wasn't here to hurt me, nothing could change what happened, what our relationship was to each other.

"Bella, thank you. I know this is awkward, and it must be really hard for you to be near me. The wolves will be here soon; we need to get moving." He held open the car door for me—such a polite gesture—the irony of it was not lost on me. When we drove away, Damon hissed in a breath as he looked in the rear view mirror. "Shit...we just made it. There's three of them back there! They would've ripped me to shreds." He shivered.

"So...where are we going?" I asked tentatively.

"Not sure. I saw a state park a ways up the road, we could talk there if you'd like...it's a public place. I don't want to make you any more uncomfortable—I just wanted the chance to explain myself to you even though I know I don't deserve it."

I stared at Damon's profile, but he never looked away from the road. He stared straight ahead, driving carefully, his muscles rippling as he shifted gears. The fact was, Damon could easily snap my neck, rape me, or make me do anything he wanted—but I felt no malice from him—only remorse.

Eventually, we pulled into the state park. There were only two other cars there, and the occupants were nowhere to be seen, but I felt safe enough with Damon. We strolled over to a picnic table and sat opposite each other.

"Bella, thank you for giving me this chance," he began, dropping his head into his hands. "I don't even know where to begin. Well, firstly...how are you? Are you...okay? I know it's a stupid question -" He scrubbed his hands over his face.

"Damon, please. I'm getting better, really. I have people around me that love me, and I have the most wonderful fiancé in the world. I'm being well taken care of."

"If you want me dead, I understand. I-I won't fight it. I just want you to hear what I have to say, and then I'll go quietly. Edward can kill me...or the wolves."

"Damon, I don't want you dead," I said, putting my hand on his. His head snapped up, and he stared at our touching hands. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out at first.

"H-how do you know that? You haven't even heard what I have to say yet!" Damon asked once he was able to speak.

"Because it's not who I am. Besides, there were things you said to me...that day...and they've been rolling around in my mind because they didn't add up. I don't believe you're evil, Damon. I think you're truly sorry for what you did."

His eyes filled with tears, and he didn't even try to wipe them away as they spilled over. "You're amazing, Bella. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I need to tell you this—to get it off my chest. I know I might die because of what I've done, and I don't want to go before I've had a chance to confess all of it."

"Alright, Damon. Tell me."

"Well, I fell in love with Tanya. She made me feel like I was the only man in the world...I hurt someone else who cared for me because of her. I was completely under her spell, and she lied to me—used me as a patsy. One day she was upset because she got an invitation to your wedding. She told me that you were a whore—that you slept around with the vampires and the Quileutes—that a war was about to break out between them over you. She made it seem like you were playing both sides against each other. I asked her if there was anything she could do about it, but she said that Edward would never believe it unless he caught you red-handed. That's how the idea was born.

"You see, I was never planning to-to...rape you..." Damon broke off, his voice cracking. "The plan was for me to appear as Edward and sleep with you while he was gone. Then when he returned, he would smell me all over you and confront you, at which time you would insist he was the only man you had been with. Alice wouldn't have been able to see your future at the time you were with me and would confirm that for him, and he would believe you were a liar. But see, this plan banked on the fact that you were sleeping with Edward. But-but...you were...a virgin. Tanya knew that. She...set me up. She purposely sent me here to take away your innocence.

"When things got started, I was so filled with anger that you were hurting my tribe, the woman I loved and her family that I wasn't thinking clearly. When you kept questioning me, I just lost it and turned back into myself. I was so filled with anger that I didn't pay attention to the signs that were right before me—that you weren't a slut, that you were innocent. I hurt you. Even if you were a slut, I had no right to continue—I never should have agreed to do it in the first place. I-I deserve to die." Damon began to sob.

"No, Damon. You don't deserve to die. You're a victim here, too. No, what you did to me wasn't right. It's never right to take what isn't yours—even if someone usually gives it out to everyone for free. It should always be a woman's choice. But I don't think you're a serial rapist, Damon. You aren't going around hurting women for kicks, are you?" He just shook his head mutely. "I forgive you, Damon," I said softly, touching his hand.

Damon just stared at me, his mouth hanging open as the tears continued streaming down his face. He stood up, holding onto the side of the table for support, and I quickly got up to make sure he was okay. He fell to his knees before me, grabbing me around the waist, and buried his face in my stomach.

"You're a goddess, Bella. I-I don't even know what to say. I certainly don't think I deserve your forgiveness. I hope Edward comes close to deserving your love—I hope he knows how lucky he is."

"He does; believe me." I ran my fingers through his hair, shushing him. I would have expected to be repelled by this man that had violated me, but all I felt for him was pity. He had been lied to and abandoned—left to take on the blame by himself. Instead of running...he'd come to find me and begged to explain himself, even if it meant his own death. I couldn't find it in me to hate him. I had to admire someone who had the courage to fess up to their mistakes.

"I don't deserve your mercy, and I'm not asking for it. I just needed for you to know the truth."

"I do forgive you. There's a favorite quote of mine...'Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die'. I believe it was said by Nelson Mandela. Hatred and anger only hurt the one who holds them within. Hating you would only harm me—not you. Hurting you would not make me heal any faster, Damon."

"Please hurt me, Bella. Kick me, punch me, scream at me. I deserve all of that and more. How can you be so forgiving after what I've done to you—taken from you?" Damon sat back on his knees at my feet, yanking at his own hair. Here he was, pleading with me to punish him.

"Damon, stop, please! I'm not going to do any such thing. Please get up! I rather think you're suffering quite enough all on your own."

A couple came out of the woods, looking over at us strangely before getting in their car to leave. I imagine that we made quite a strange pair with Damon on his knees pleading with me. Maybe they thought we had a lover's quarrel. Speaking of—I remembered Edward. He'd be getting back from his hunting trip about this time, and I should really give him a call. I patted my pocket but found it empty. Where was my cell phone?

"Damon, do you have a cell phone?"

Getting to his feet and brushing off, he looked sheepish. "No. Nobody would want to talk to me anyway."

I looked around, spying a kiosk that held a small ranger station. Maybe there would be a phone there that I could use. "I'll be right back. I really need to let Edward know where I am so he doesn't worry."

"Okay, Bella. I'll wait here for you."

I walked through the glass doors of the building, and air conditioned air rushed out at me. As I entered, there was a hushed, pressurized feeling to the air that I had experienced in similar tourist buildings—the urge to be quiet, the feeling of being in a strange place—and now that I was experiencing it close to home, I realized it wasn't about being far away at all. You could be right near home and feel like a foreigner, like a tourist. Something about that struck me as ironic. I shook my head—I had other concerns right now.

The station seemed to be unmanned; there was a sign up offering brochures and area information, and vending machines in an alcove. I headed toward the vending machines and hit pay dirt—a payphone was tucked into the corner. Slipping some change into the slot, I dialed Edward's cell phone, and it went straight to voice mail. The payphone didn't care about that though...it took my money. I tried again with the same result. I only had enough for one more call, so I tried Alice.

"Hello?" Alice answered immediately, sounding stressed.

"Alice? It's Bella."

"Bella? Where the hell are you? What's going on? Edward is ballistic! Are you in that state park with Damon?" Alice rattled off so fast, I could barely understand her.

"Alice, slow down. Yes, I'm with Damon at the park. How the heck did you know? I thought you couldn't see me when I was with one of them."

"I can't. But you walked away from him to make this call, didn't you? That's when I saw you. Oh, Bella...Edward is on his way there. I'm right behind him, and so is Jasper—but he's so much faster than us—we don't have a chance in hell of catching up to him before he gets there."

"It's okay, Alice. Damon didn't hurt me. Everything is fine," I reassured her.

"No, it's not. Don't you see, Bella? When Seth called to tell us that Damon had taken you off the Res...Edward assumed the worst. He's coming to kill Damon, and he's out of his mind, Bella—I don't think there's any stopping him."

My breath caught in my throat. I looked around the corner of the wall, and I could see Damon waiting for me outside. I couldn't let Edward kill him! "No, he can't. I won't allow it."

"Bella, no! Don't do anything stupid! Do you hear -"

I slammed down the phone and ran for the door just as Damon—who was heading my way—stopped short and turned to look at something in the distance, his body stiffening.

"Damon! No! Edward's on his way here—please, Damon!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, and I know he heard me, but he kept walking away from me. "Damon! He's going to kill you! He thinks you kidnapped me!"

Damon held up a hand, warding me off—warning me to stay where I was. He was about to sacrifice himself to Edward, and that was something that I just couldn't allow.

~*Edward's POV*~

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard Alice talking to Seth. Bella was gone from the Reservation, and they thought Damon took her! What good were those mutts if they couldn't even protect one human on their land?

Pacing back and forth in the front yard, I tore at my hair...I cursed...I screamed...most of all, I blamed myself for leaving Bella alone on the Res. What was Damon going to do to Bella? What did he want? Was he kidnapping her? I kept calling Bella's cell phone, but it rang until it went to voice mail. I called long after I knew it was useless... just to hear her sweet voice. This was far worse than anything I'd experienced in my life so far—with the exception of the time that James had Bella.

"Edward, there are wolves coming in a few minutes," Alice notified me, grabbing my hands in hers. "Edward, please talk to me. We're going to find Bella!"

I rounded on her. "How the hell can you say that, Alice? You don't know that—you can't see her future—or if she even has one, can you? I don't need platitudes right now. I was so stupid to let her go there alone and unprotected." I scrubbed a hand over my face, looking up at the sky.

Bella, my Bella. Hadn't she been through enough already? I told her just this morning when we were lying in bed that I would protect her. She was so fragile and innocent. If anything happened to her, I wouldn't survive it.

"The wolves have arrived," Alice said softly. "Jasper! Can you come out?"

Jasper stepped out onto the porch—and to his credit, didn't even suggest calming me down—he knew I would pummel him. I picked up his thoughts. I'm sorry, Edward. I'll stay here in the background and calm things with the wolves if they get out of hand.

I nodded my understanding as I turned to face the wolves. Seth and Paul appeared at the tree line. Seth was filled with concern for Bella and for me, but Paul was not so sympathetic. He thought he should be hunting down 'the rogue' rather than 'wasting his time here with leeches.' He didn't care one way or the other about Bella because he considered her a traitor. I growled lightly, fighting to keep myself in check.

"Seth, Paul—thank you for coming. Is there any word?" I asked tightly.

Seth spoke up, even though I was pretty sure Paul was ahead of him in rank. "Hey, Edward. So sorry about this. Basically, we saw Bella galloping off down the beach on the back of a horse; the unfamiliar scent of one of our kind was all over the place. We followed them as best we could, but he must have had a car waiting, and we lost the scent. We also found Bella's cell phone in the sand; she must have dropped it."

"Well, that explains why I haven't been able to reach Bella on her cell. Do any of you know Damon? Do you have any idea where he might have taken Bella or why?" I raked a hand through my hair.

"No, Edward; I'm sorry. Believe me, we're pretty steamed over this, too—although I know it can't begin to compare to what you're going through." At least some of us are. I caught Seth's thought as his eyes slid toward Paul.

I just want to hunt down this asshole that made such a mockery of my people. Bella deserves whatever she gets for being such a traitor. Paul's thoughts were not very pleasant, and I growled at him. "What the fuck is your problem, Edward?" Paul snapped, taking a step forward.

"You and your ignorant opinions are my problem, Paul." I glared at him. "Bella did nothing to deserve any of this! You aren't good enough to lick the bottom of her shoes!" I spat, leaning toward him.

Jasper sent a wave of calm over us, and it settled like a thick, damp blanket. Paul was confused by it, but I knew exactly what was happening.

"Wait! Everybody stop!" Alice called out. "I see Bella! Edward, she's trying to find a phone! She keeps mumbling about needing to reach you. I can see Damon out the window of where she is—it's a state park—the one up the highway, I think! She's—oh, no, no, no, no! He's headed toward the building where she is, and she's fading out. Damn!"

I turned to Alice, my eyes wild, and grabbed her by the arms. "What did you see? Was she hurt? He found her in that building? Was he coming for her? Please, Alice, do you think they're still there?" I shook her lightly, desperate for answers. Being able to see what Alice had seen, I knew she couldn't really tell me anything.

"I don't know, Edward. Bella didn't look hurt. Damon was heading for the building she was in, so I lost the vision. You know I can't see her around one of them."

"I have to get there! I have to save her!"

"Edward, calm down and try to think rationally," Alice pled with me. "I know you're upset but you sound like a lunatic right now."

Jasper's thoughts intruded. Alice is right, man. You're on the edge, and you need to reign yourself in. You won't be any good to Bella if you can't hold it together.

"Fuck this!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Instead of worrying about my state of mind—how about we worry about getting Bella back—because without her, I can no longer exist. You want to stand here and figure shit out—go ahead—but I'm going to find Bella, and kill that stupid son of a bitch that dared to lay his hands on her again."

"Edward, no!" Alice yelled out.

I didn't hear the rest of the words or thoughts from those who stood in front of my home—which was now long behind me—as I ran as fast as I could toward the state park. I was like a heat-seeking missile, and I would not be stopped.

~*Tanya's POV*~

My sanctuary, my asylum, was dead ahead. My eyes drank in the beautiful stone walls of the castle—walls that would protect me from the big oaf and his viper of a girlfriend who were hot on my heels. A self-satisfied smirk spread across my face as the huge iron door opened silently on well oiled hinges and closed firmly behind me as I was welcomed with open arms. They would hunt me like an animal, would they? Well, fuck them!

It doesn't take much for things to go straight to hell. One minute you're moving along nicely—with a brilliant plan in place—and the next you find yourself running for your life. I never should have trusted that fucking bird—he just wasn't bright enough to pull off the job. I mean how hard was it to get a woman in the sack if you looked like Edward fucking Cullen? Panties would be dropping everywhere. Even Bella-the-virgin should have been wet and ready for that momentous occasion. Damon fucked it all up somehow and then had the audacity to tell them that he did it for me! There was no Plan B possible. All the time I wasted buttering up that repulsive shape-shifter and putting up with his ridiculous sentimentality! If I could throw up...I would have.

Traveling quietly through the peaceful stone halls of the castle, I was shown to my chambers and informed that I should remain there until summoned. Fine by me. Looking around, I admired the finely appointed room which held all I would need to be comfortable. Even if it had been completely empty it would have held all I needed because it would keep out those who would try to persecute me. None of them—not even Edward—would dare to come after me here. I smirked as I stepped over to the window set into the curved stone wall and looked out at the beautiful countryside. The sun was setting, and hues of pink, gold and orange shot across the sky as deep shadows began to creep over the trees and vegetation below. I climbed onto the window seat, curling my legs beneath me, and thought about how I came to be here.

Many years ago, I fell in love with Edward Cullen. Carlisle brought his newborn to Denali to break him in and teach him the vegetarian lifestyle. The moment I saw Edward, I wanted him. I'm an old vampire—much older than Carlisle—and I had never found anyone that I was seriously interested in, until Edward came. He was breathtakingly beautiful, but underneath all that, his soul was beautiful as well. I took him under my wing, teaching him to hunt, and talked to him about books and music—being as old as I am, I was a font of knowledge for him to soak up.

My vampiric gift is seduction—I'm a succubus—and no man or vampire I set my mind on has ever been able to resist me...until Edward, that is. Edward's mind-reading capabilities ruined any sway my gift might have had over him—he was completely immune—and to top it off, he knew exactly what my thoughts were in regards to him. I made him uncomfortable, and he politely resisted my advances. Despite the fact that I could get any other male I desired, it hurt that Edward didn't want me—it made me feel inadequate and ugly. Seduction lost its shine for me for a while after that, and I never completely recovered from the rejection...as kind as it may have been handled. Edward Cullen was, after all, the quintessential gentleman...he wouldn't dream of hurting someone more than necessary. I think I would have preferred it if he was mean...it might have made things easier for me if I could hate him or cry to my sisters about how he did me wrong. But no, I was always the one who came off looking bad—so I got to be hurt and made to look like a sore sport.

There was one time that I almost had Edward in my clutches. It was when he'd first met Bella, that pesky little human the Cullens were all making such a damned fuss over. Bella was Edward's singer, and when he first got a whiff of her blood, he went crazy. I heard he was absolutely feral, and it took all he had to stop himself from killing her on the spot—too bad Edward had such control—my life would have been so much easier otherwise. He fled straight to Denali, leaving the Cullens behind, and asked to stay with us. The first few days, he brooded in his room and refused to discuss why he was there. One day, I walked past his room to find the door open and the room empty. Elated, I followed his scent out into the woods where I found him sitting on a snow drift in a deeply contemplative state.

"Edward?" I plopped down next to him in the snow. "Are you alright?"

Edward continued to stare straight ahead without blinking. To a human, he would appear to be a statue carved from the finest granite by an artist of the highest magnitude. His beauty struck me yet again, and I felt a pang in my empty chest. "Yes, Tanya, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," he answered absently.

"Why are you here, Edward? Don't get me wrong—I love having you here—but I wonder what happened that would tear you away from Carlisle and the others so abruptly." I cocked my head to the side as I watched him closely. His knees were drawn up against his chest, and his arms were wrapped tight around his legs—he seemed to be trying to hold himself together.

"I can't discuss it, Tanya. Let's just say I'm not as strong as I thought I was—that I almost made a deadly mistake that could cost my family dearly—and I felt that they would probably be better off without me there." Edward hung his head.

"I can't imagine they could ever be better off without you, Edward. Selfishly, I'm glad you're here with us, and I hope you'll stay—I hope you'll discover something you've been missing..." Like me, I wanted to say but didn't. I rubbed light circles on his back with my long fingernails.

Edward remained silent for a few minutes—he seemed to be deliberating something heavily—and then he turned his beautiful face toward me, caressing my cheek with his long fingers. I drew in a startled breath because I wasn't expecting the gesture of affection. "Tanya..." he whispered, bringing his lips slowly to mine. His kiss was gentle and tentative, his lips probing at mine as though making a completely new discovery. It was so innocent and sweet—unlike any kiss I had ever experienced—being so used to men being aggressive and full of desire. But it was also the best kiss I can ever remember.

Slowly, I brought my arms around his neck as we turned to each other, and Edward's hands slipped around my waist, pulling me closer. I'm not sure who made the first move, but our tongues touched—tentatively at first—the intensity growing quickly as Edward lay me back gently on the soft snow with his body hovering over mine. We became all lips, teeth and hands as clothing was discarded—both of us oblivious to the cold around us. My body was singing as Edward touched my naked skin, closing his lips over one of my nipples. I grasped his huge erection in my hand and salivated venom at the thought of closing my mouth over it or having it buried deep inside me. I moaned, scratching my nails along his back.

"Oh, Edward. I've waited so long for this..." I whispered.

Maybe that's where I went wrong—drawing attention to my obsession with him.

Edward stilled, his erection going limp in my hand. "Tanya, you're a beautiful woman...but I-I can't. I can't do this; I'm so very sorry." It felt as though I was being bludgeoned with each word.

"Why not, Edward? Did I do something wrong?" I asked so softly that a human would never have heard me.

"It's not you, Tanya. It wouldn't be fair to you—I see someone else every time I close my eyes, and I have to see that through first. I hope you understand." Edward's eyes were tortured—hell, who could do tortured, brooding vampire better than Edward?—and though my dead heart was aching, I nodded my head, trying my best to hide my hurt feelings from him.

"So...there's someone else?" I asked uncertainly.

"In a manner of speaking. She doesn't even know I exist...but I can't stop thinking of her. She's invaded the very fiber of my being, and even though I've run away, it's changed nothing. I have to go back. I have to face this and find out what's there—for better or worse. Once I 've resolved it—maybe then, Tanya, I would be able to—but right now, I just can't." His eyes were so earnest, so true. Why couldn't Edward be mooning over ME?

"Edward, I can't imagine a woman that has set eyes on you that doesn't know you exist...that wouldn't want to belong to you. I wish you all the best of everything, and I hope you find your answers. I'll be here if you ever want me." I smiled sadly.

But Edward never came back. The woman he saw whenever he closed his eyes? That would be Bella. A human. I saw a picture of her once, and I was appalled at how incredibly plain and ordinary she was—especially next to me. Apparently, Edward loved her and considered her his mate. I figured if I waited long enough he would either tire of her or she would die from old age, and then I could take up where I left off with Edward—at the point before his dick went limp, that is.

Then I got the invitation to their wedding in the mail. A primal scream ripped from my chest after I read it. Kate and Irina rushed in from outside to see what happened. Hugging the invitation to my chest, I burst out the door without a word to either of them, heading back to the same place where I'd sat with Edward the day he kissed me. I sobbed for hours, rocking myself like a child.

It hurt so bad that I didn't know how to process it—but I quickly found a way as my hurt turned to a deep smoldering anger—a plan starting to form in my mind. If Edward were to see that Bella wasn't so perfect, he would dump her and come running back to my waiting arms. She was finite, but I was immortal. She was plain, dull, and I was stunning. There was no comparison, and after he saw through her, he would come to his senses. My mind turned to Damon—the Quileute I'd been fucking for the past few months—he was totally in love with me, and I was pretty sure I could easily manipulate him to do my bidding.

I figured if Bella slept with the imposter Edward and then the real Edward came home and smelled a shape-shifter on her while she was protesting how she had just given the real Edward her virginity—I didn't even think he would stop to wonder about it—he'd just dump her sorry ass. How do you defend against such damning evidence? Then Edward, and his hot body, would be all mine.

You know what they say about the best laid fucking plans and all.

My reverie was interrupted by a light knock at the door. "Come in."

A vampire walked into the room. "Aro will see you now. Please follow me."

~*Damon's POV*~

Time was up. Edward was heading straight for me like a bullet. I was going to die here. The one complication? Bella.

I was walking toward her to see if she'd found a phone when the hackles rose on the back of my neck. I felt him before I heard him—but soon I could hear Edward Cullen yelling as he ran for me—screaming that he was going to tear me limb from limb for touching Bella. I couldn't blame him in the least—if I had a girl like Bella and someone hurt her, I would do much the same. She saw me halt and change direction, and she was yelling for me to stop. Somehow she knew that Edward was coming for me, and she didn't want him to succeed in killing me. It was so much more mercy than I deserved. I held up my hand, warning her to stay in the building, but she wouldn't listen; she just kept on coming.

"Bella, no! Stay there. It's not safe for you out here!" I growled as she rushed through the glass doors. I could hear her heart beating fast in her chest.

"Damon, no! I won't let you sacrifice yourself! Let me help. I can talk to Edward." Bella started to run toward me, and I felt helpless.

"Bella, no! He's coming full speed, and he's not reasonable. I don't know if he'll be able to stop. Just go back inside. Please!"

"No!" Bella's jaw was set.

I ran the other way, trying to get away from her. I saw him then, rushing toward me like a freight train, a primal scream ripping from his chest. Falling to my knees, I held out my arms to let him know I wouldn't fight him.

"I'm right here, Edward!" I yelled out.

"Edward, no!" Bella screamed.

It all happened so fast then.

Edward was coming right at me, and I closed my eyes in preparation.

There was a shuffling of feet and a whoosh of air, and then Bella landed in front of me. The fool had jumped right into the path of an angry vampire! "Bella, no! EDWARD! EDWARD, STOP!" I yelled out, struggling to get up off my knees before Edward arrived.

I stood up and grabbed Bella, trying to push her out of the way, but it was too late.

Edward burst out of the trees as though shot from a canon and slammed into us. I tried to hold onto Bella, but she was knocked from my grasp and went flying through the air. "Bella! Edward, please!"

We landed on the ground with Edward on top of me, pinning me down. His lips were peeled back over his teeth, and he was growling ferociously. As we landed, he realized that Bella had gotten in the way, and his eyes changed immediately.

Before I knew what happened, I was left alone in a heap.

Edward yelled out then—a scream of pain and torment ripping from him. "BELLA! NO! PLEASE, BELLA!"

Lifting myself up to a sitting position, I saw Edward fall to his knees as he picked up Bella's limp body, hugging her to his chest.

~0~

A/N: I have my armor on—fire away! What's your take on Damon now? How about that bitch Tanya?

I've been busy working on a new story. My Darkella entry went from a one shot to a story I'll be continuing...seeing as I'm not busy enough and all. :-0 It's called "I Want It Painted Black" and the first chapter (my initial entry for the one shot contest) is already posted on my profile:

Summary: Bella Swan is dead...Izzy Black is an emancipated bad girl. Edward Cullen is the vampire that threatens to bring it all down in an inner battle between darkness and light.

I'll be continuing it after I finish the chapter of "I Saw You Coming" that I'm currently working on.

Reviewers get TEASED!