A/N: This is an AU story. There *is* some borrowed dialogue from Twilight and Midnight Sun in here somewhere. My story parallels B/E's romance. Please read the full disclaimer on chapter one.

Warning: POV changes will occur.

Disclaimer: The Twilight Series belongs to Stephanie Meyer. Mitts off Leia.

***********************************************************

Chapter Thirteen

"He didn't yell at you, did he?" Bella asked this timidly as I helped her out of the shower. She was finally home, in Forks, after two weeks in the hospital in Phoenix. She still had a long recovery ahead of her, but she was in good spirits. Alice and I were taking turns with her home care. I tilted my head to check on Charlie. He was in the kitchen making Bella a sandwich. I grinned. Sandwiches were safe, Bella had said, for Charlie. Anything else wasn't so certain. I scooped Bella up in my arms and walked her across the hall. Bella didn't protest, so I knew the shower had taken all her energy. I tucked her into bed before I addressed her question.

"Did who yell at me about what?" I was pretty sure I knew who she meant and about exactly what, but I didn't want to answer her question, really, so I hedged.

"Edward, about you going to my house to check on my mom without telling them. I know that's what you were doing." Bella's voice was tired, but she was regarding me with an intense gaze that heralded the start of a long heartfelt talk. I sighed.

"Pretty much everyone has yelled at me about it. Even Esme." I winced, remembering my mother's frantic yelling. It had faded quickly into comforting murmurs into my hair when she hugged me, but there had been yelling. Carlisle hadn't really yelled, but there had been a tense conversation in his office over the whole affair. In the end, though, he had told me how proud he was of how I'd handled the situation…other than the not telling them first part. I had provided a precious distraction, a cushion of seconds that had kept Bella alive.

The rest of the yelling, well, Emmett had been mad that I had started the fight without him, Jasper was livid because Bella had slipped past him and was mad at me for it, and Rosalie had yelled at me for risking my life for 'that stupid girl'. I had taken my brothers' yelling, but Rosalie I had slapped. That had shaken her up a little, I think. She hadn't talked to me since, but she seemed less angry this week. Edward still wasn't talking to me, either. I thought he was more hurt than angry. I knew he would talk to me when he was able to do so without exploding.

"I'm sorry. I had to go." She was apologizing to me and I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"I know you did. I would have done the same thing. However, I know now that I should have told Alice the minute she walked back into the room. We would have come up with something to save your mom without putting you in so much danger." I said this now, but I knew that no one could have come up with a plan that didn't include using Bella's as bait and Edward would never have allowed that. Ever.

"You really heard him on the phone? Can all of you do that?" Ah, good, changing subject.

"No, just me. Seems the whole lose one sense and the rest upgrade to compensate bit works on vampires as well as humans. I can hear and smell about three times better than anyone in the family." I said this with a shrug. That hadn't helped me in Phoenix, so it seemed like such a useless thing.

"But you can see through other people's eyes, too, so you got a bonus skill." Bella smiled at the thought and I chuckled.

"I guess you could call it that. I'm glad of it. Means I can go to school with the rest of the family." I sighed softly. Charlie was on the way up with the sandwich.

"Your dad's bringing you lunch," I said this with a gentle smile. I helped Bella sit up. Charlie shouldered into the room with a breakfast tray. There was even a bright yellow daffodil in a vase that was teetering precariously beside the napkin wrapped sandwich and chips. The daffodil came from a bouquet of spring flowers, a get well delivery from a group of Bella's friends. I was pleasantly surprised by Charlie's thoughtfulness and when I looked at Bella's face through his eyes, I saw the look of tender love on her face. I sensed that Charlie wanted to talk with Bella so I excused myself. I leaned up to whisper in Charlie's ear on my way out, careful not to touch him with my cold skin.

"You're awesome." Charlie froze and I felt a blush rise in his cheeks as I caught the vase before it could tumble to the floor. I grinned and set it on Bella's bedside table before I left the room.

It was six o'clock when Carlisle stopped by to check on Bella and to pick me up. Alice and Edward would be over at seven. Alice would stay overnight and Edward would be leaving at nine thirty. Charlie was being difficult about Edward, putting all the blame for Bella's leaving Forks at his feet despite Bella's protests. So, Edward had enforced visiting hours. Not that he didn't sneak into Bella's bedroom almost every night anyway. Not tonight or tomorrow, though. He and I were going hunting this weekend. It would be the first time we'd been alone together since before Phoenix.

I was in my room, tying on a pair of hiking books when I heard the Volvo. I sighed softly, centered myself and began to recite the Hobbit in my head, complete with illustrations and a swelling orchestral score. It was my latest method of keeping my thoughts from wandering in Edward's presence. Eat your heart out, Peter Jackson, I thought wryly as I perched on the back of my couch facing my open window, waiting.

Edward didn't say anything when he came into my room. I sensed him there, hovering beside the couch. Probably listening to the screenplay in my head. I couldn't help a wry smile, since it was Edward that had introduced me to the Hobbit and it was his voice that I heard in my head, my narrator. When he finally stepped forward and touched my hand, I sprang through the window and to the ground. By the time I got to the garage, he was already in the car. We were going to Goat Rocks tonight. I slid in and leaned back, preparing myself for a silent ride with Bilbo and Sting keeping me company.

I was singing along under my breath with the dwarves about cracked plates when I felt Edward's finger tracing a line down my upper arm. I grimaced. I had forgotten to put on my long sleeve shirt before leaving the house. Darn hobbit. One of the few things that would scar a vampire was another vampire's teeth and nails. James had given me a few scratches and one bite. Bella and I considered our bite marks, which were in almost the exact same spot on our arms, as a kind of morbid friendship mark. It was one of the scratches, now pretty much healed, that Edward was tracing.

"Why did you go alone?" Ah, was this the question he needed answered most? It was the simplest one, and yet the hardest, to answer. I gave him part of the answer.

"I was hoping to save Bella's mother." I paused. "I didn't think he would be waiting for Bella at the house, thought I could approach the studio without him noticing, figure out where Renee was and go in from an angle he wouldn't expect..."

"But why alone, Leia." There was an edge of desperation in his voice. He really didn't have any idea of my motivations. I realized then just how well I hide my innermost thoughts from him. My surprise allowed him to catch the edges of his answer in my thoughts.

"You didn't think Bella would get away from Jasper and Alice." His voice was incredulous. I snorted softly.

"No, not really. I always intended to call from the house and let you know the situation, after I had an idea of what the whole situation was. So you could make plans. I underestimated James, I underestimated Bella and I overestimated myself." I had come to grips with all this already, but the bitterness still crept into my voice.

"But what happened if you couldn't get Renee out?" I shrugged and turned my face away from him. I knew he wouldn't like the answer to that question so I hedged. I don't know. The dwarves started singing again in my head to cover that lie. I heard Edward gritting his teeth. He did that a lot lately around me. He was quiet, though, until the car stopped in the driveway of an abandoned ranger station. I moved to get out of the car but he caught my wrist and I knew he wasn't going to let it go. It was time for our talk and we were going to sit here until he was satisfied.

"You didn't go into that situation without a plan, Leia. I know you aren't that stupid." His voice was rough with emotion and I shook my head stubbornly.

"Maybe I am that stupid. It's not like I could plan it all out before I gave Alice the slip, anyway. She would have seen everything." I felt panic bubbling up when I took a peek through his eyes. He was staring into the mirror, knowing the exact moment I was going to look. His dark gaze burned me from the inside out, drew out the answer he wanted. He dropped my wrist and disappeared from the car. He was at my door instantly, jerking me out of my seat. He flung me onto his back and I clung as he raced through the park. I laid my face against the back of his neck.

All I had to do was stall him until you got there. I knew I could convince him I was a better hostage than Renee. But I told you, I underestimated him, overestimated me. Some plan. I was no match for him and it almost got Bella killed.

"He could have ripped you to shreds." Edward's voice was low, vibrating through his chest.

Better me than Renee or Bella. Not that it mattered anyway. He just swatted me out of the way and made mince meat of her. If you hadn't gotten there when you did…. My mind-voice was full of remorse. Edward came to an abrupt stop and peeled me off his back. I reached up hesitantly to touch his face. Oh, he was mad.

"Don't you dare try to make me the hero in all this, Leia Cullen. We all made our mistakes, even Bella. The blame has to be spread evenly here, the praise to. We all had our parts to play and thankfully we came out of it without losing anyone. No loss would have been acceptable, Leia." His face softened as his anger drained away, leaving only pain. I stroked his cheek.

"Whether you like it or not, Edward Cullen, you've always been a hero to me. I love you, brother mine." I expected him to demur or groan or yell at me for that statement, but to my surprise, he let it go and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"And I love you, Leia Cullen. My life would be so much darker without your light in it."

And the talk was over.

"Let's hunt. Find me something that'll fight back, would you?" I felt Edward's mouth lift into a crooked smile under my hands and I ranged my senses eagerly, determined to find him the biggest, meanest mountain lion in the park.