I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter Ten – Coincidence

As I ran to Alaska, I had plenty of time to consider the events that had transpired over the past two nights. This universe was vastly different from the one I had just left (I made a mental note to begin numbering universes: My own universe, I would call Universe One, the first place I had visited would be Universe Two, and this place would be Universe Three. It would cut down on confusion later when I mentally sorted things out, and when I one day filled Carlisle in on everything I had seen). In Universe Two, seemingly everyone was happy. Bella and her own Edward were happy and had a daughter, who was also happy with her future mate, Jacob. Charlie was happy with his new girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancée, if Bella was correct in her assumptions, and with having a daughter who was not quite living, but definitely not dead. Here, everything was very different. Jacob Black was likely without a mate, but he seemed to revel in his role as the pack leader and throw all of his energy into that. I was sure that Bella had become a vampire. Jacob seemed to believe the same. In all likelihood, the Cullens would all be happy. If Laurent was still alive, as I assumed he was, Irina would doubtlessly be happy (and alive) as well, and Victoria was gone and would never plague my family again.

Everything seemed to have worked out quite well here too, for everyone except for Charlie. Charlie would be forever haunted by the memories of his beloved daughter's last words to him and tortured by thoughts of the agony he knew she must have endured in her last moments. Now, thanks to me, he blamed himself fully for what took place, whereas before, he had at least been able to pin the blame on Edward. I felt terribly about this; Charlie Swan was a good man in any universe and did not deserve a lifetime of mental anguish. He did not deserve to suffer as I had suffered these past 3 years.

I wondered if I should warn my family about the conversation I'd had with the wolves. If they decided to return to Forks after a few generations, they may find themselves needing to answer for a crime they had not committed. On the other hand, Jacob Black had asked me not to speak to anyone about his words. Did he truly expect Edward Cullen, for he assumed I was the Edward Cullen native to Universe Three, not to share with his own family that the wolves believed the treaty broken? No, I decided, I must warn them of the danger they could be in if they returned to Forks. They should not be blind sighted, particularly if the Quileute legends claimed that Edward Cullen had once spoken to the pack's Alpha. At a minimum, I would need to let my counterpart know what had taken place. He should know, too, that Victoria was gone.

As I began to draw nearer to Tanya's house, I realized that I still had not come up with a plausible reason why Bella would not be with me. Certainly, it was possible that my theory was incorrect, that she was still human, in which case I would not need to explain at all. Therefore, I needed to have an excellent explanation, but not one that I would feel compelled to blather about immediately. Perhaps I could claim that Bella had wanted to run back to Forks to observe her father from afar? I shook my head. No, it would be far too dangerous for Bella to go near Forks now that she had been transformed. Too many people in town knew her and believed her dead. If anyone saw her…

Just then, a strong gust of wind came unexpectedly and blew a large branch into my path. It happened too quickly for even vampire reflexes to react. Although I was wholly unharmed, the branch caught my shirt and ripped a large hole in it. I let out a short string of curses. Now I would be visiting the Denali clan in torn clothing. What Cullen would ever be caught in public like this? Alice would be appalled.

Suddenly, I realized this could be the answer to my predicament. Bella was not with me because I had torn my shirt and needed her to run to the nearest town to buy a new one for me so that I could be presentable enough to meet Alice's approval when I returned home. Even as I thought it, the excuse didn't sound good enough. Although it was true that I would have bought a new shirt before returning home to Alice's wrath if this entire tale I'd woven were true, there as really nothing preventing me from simply going into a town myself with a rip in my shirt.

Unless…

A slow smile spread over my face. I had hunted only hours before and did not really need to feed, but I certainly would need evidence. I leapt upon the first deer I found and tore into its flesh easily, being careful not to actually begin feeding. Even though I was not particularly thirsty, I feared that I would not be able to do what I needed to if I had tasted too much of its blood. The venom paralyzed the deer, and I smeared its blood all over my clothing. Once I was certain I'd splattered myself enough, I decided to go ahead and finish off the deer after all. No one would argue that it would be unwise for me to go into a town covered in blood. Although I was normally a very neat eater, I could simply claim that I'd been sloppy on this occasion because I had fed so quickly, trying to make sure I remained close enough to Maria to track her movements, but far enough that she remained unaware of mine. The story was not so elaborate as to sound deliberately crafted as an excuse to send Bella on an errand.

Chuckling to myself at my own cleverness, I finished the trek to Denali, mentally going over the details one last time. Satisfied that I had covered all of my bases, I approached the house, pausing to listen to the mental voices of those inside. I heard Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar, apparently playing some kind of card game together. Irina was there with Laurent. I guessed that he had decided to remain a vegetarian after the last remaining member of his coven had stopped contacting him. He had nowhere else to go, and did not seem particularly inclined to travel alone. I was unsure about the strength of his bond with Irina, but if they were truly mates, he would be perfectly willing to try for her, even if it would forever be a struggle. Tanya was home too, but she was talking to…

I couldn't decide if this was the best possible luck, or the worst.

Worst, unless you're prepared to explain to me who you are and why you're looking for me, my counterpart answered from inside.

I promise you that I mean no harm to you or to anyone you care for. Will you be able to excuse yourself for a moment to speak with me?

It doesn't seem that we're having any trouble speaking to one another now.

True, but I do prefer to see things with my own eyes.

"Tanya, we appreciate your hospitality, but Bella and I must be heading home now. I promised Esme we wouldn't be gone more than a few days," I heard Edward say.

"Leaving so soon? All right, come back anytime. It's always such a pleasure to see any of you. Tell Carlisle and Esme we expect the whole family to come by soon. Laurent hasn't seen any of them since he first met you!" Tanya was enthusiastic in her reply, but I could read in her thoughts that she was ever so slightly relieved that her company was leaving. She was happy for Edward, of course, but she had a little trouble watching him behave so blissfully with his wife.

Edward picked up on her thoughts too, but did not acknowledge them in any way. "Laurent, thank you for your honesty tonight. Truly, no harm was done at all and there is nothing to apologize for."

"I still feel that what I did amounted to betrayal. If she had still been human at the time…" Laurent shuddered mentally. "For awhile, I didn't feel too badly about what I'd tried to do, but the more time I spent with Irina and her family, the longer I actually managed to stick to this new lifestyle, the more I began to feel a terrible guilt. This was the only way I could make things right."

"Laurent, I don't blame you at all for what you did." The most glorious voice in heaven and Earth spoke up. Bella continued, "You had been with Victoria and James in their coven for so long, and you really had no reason to be loyal to our extended family yet. Besides, as Edward said, no harm was done. I wasn't even in Forks at the time. I'm just glad you managed to get away from the wolves. I would feel so horrible if they'd caught you. Carlisle will be interested to hear of their return, I'm sure."

"Still," Laurent said, and I began to watch him closely through my counterpart's thoughts. His eyes were golden with not a trace of red, and they looked downwardly, full of shame. "To think that I'd spent time with your cousins here, then went on a scouting mission for the most horrible kind of vengeance and returned here, as if it never even happened! If you had been human, I could have destroyed you that very day, or sent Victoria to do the job. And still I would have returned here to Irina, causing a rift in your family with my very presence. My actions were shameful, and nothing I can ever say would be apology enough." In spite of everything, I knew that Laurent's words of apology were genuine, and I realized that my own universe's Laurent probably felt badly for what he'd done to my family. Surprisingly, this did come as a small comfort to me. Perhaps it wouldn't have, if I didn't know that there was now hope of someday finding a Bella of my very own.

So, you're from a different universe? What is this about what Laurent did?

I promise that I will explain everything to you, but I made my own Carlisle a promise that I would not reveal any of this information to anyone outside of the Cullen family.

"Laurent, in time, you will learn to forgive yourself. Bella is here, alive and well. You cannot undo what happened, but you can learn from it." I saw Laurent bow his head slightly at my counterpart's words.

"Bye Edward, bye Bella," Kate called cheerfully, looking up from her game. "Come back soon!" The others echoed similar sentiments, and Edward stepped outside with Bella after they said their farewells to everyone. He muttered something to her, too quietly for me to hear from a distance, but I assumed it was a warning about my presence.

This way, he informed me silently. We'll go back home. Carlisle, that is to say, my own Carlisle, will be a bit put off if I tell him that I met you and didn't bring you with me for him to bombard with questions for a few hours.

I smiled and fell in beside them for the run back to where the Cullen family currently lived. Bella shot several tentative, curious glances in my direction, but said nothing. I had seen an identical vampire Bella only two days ago, but it still took an incredible amount of restraint not to reach out and stroke her cheek. Universe Two's Edward had experienced several months without Bella and so knew some degree of my pain, while this Edward had spent only moments worrying about her fate. He would probably not be as forgiving.

Probably not, he agreed. Do us all a favor and keep your hands to yourself.

It was good, then, that I had spent several days in Universe Two. I would surely have found myself torn to shreds if I'd come to this place first. I decided to drop back a few paces behind and follow as a gesture of good faith. Besides, I liked the sight of Bella running. She was so graceful, so unlike how my own Bella had been, it was mesmerizing and oddly sensual.

I can't really ask you to keep your eyes to yourself, but I would appreciate it if you'd try.

Sorry. I'm beginning to understand why the family gets so annoyed with me for never allowing them a thought to themselves.

Bella and Edward were speaking to one another quietly, and I dropped back a few more paces to try to allow them some privacy. I couldn't help catching occasional snippets of conversation from Edward's thoughts, and they were discussing my presence here. She wanted to know where I'd come from and what I wanted, and he'd told her that I seemed to be from another universe and was looking for her. He reassured her that he would certainly not allow anyone, even himself, to take her away from him.

I would do no such thing. I promised myself that I would not take her away from any version of myself, nor from anyone with whom she'd found happiness. I may spend so long looking for her that I have to give up the search because she cannot possibly be alive anymore, but I must try. I informed him.

We arrived at the Cullens' new home, and I realized that I had not been paying attention at all to where we were going, so enthralled was I with Bella's movements. I would have to try to find out, since it was likely that another group of Cullens in another universe would have moved out of Forks. It would save me a lot of the work I'd done over the past 24 hours if I already knew where their next most likely move would be. Of course, where they would have moved next may be subject to the circumstances surrounding the move. If Bella had been turned so unexpectedly and there had been more time to prepare, they may have chosen somewhere different, but it would still be a better starting point than needing to ask questions of the wolves and try to deceive my extended family.

Carlisle greeted Edward and Bella at the door. "Alice told us you'd be here in a few moments, and she said it seemed like you had some news, but everything turned to static after that." His eyes landed on me a moment later and went wide. "I see," was all he said. Is everything all right?

"Yes," said my counterpart, at the exact same time that I said "No."

Carlisle rubbed his temples. "Come in, all of you, I can see this is going to take some time to straighten out."