Hey guys! I'm terribly sorry that this chapter took so damn long to get out. I've had a busy couple of weeks with a graduation, birthdays, and a severe case of writer's block. I had to go back and change things in this chapter many times, and I'm finally at a place where I can be happy with it.

Thank you to all of my readers and those who gave me some awesome reviews, I truly appreciate it. I guess you guys like my villain huh? I'm still taking guesses for the identity, so feel free to take a crack at it…

Remember, I don't own these characters, and if you don't know who does, what rock do you live under?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you chapter 14!

The Light in His Eyes

Chapter 14: Tribal Origins and a Car Crash

EPOV

As I escaped the wrath of Charlie Swan by climbing out of Bella's bedroom window, I replayed what had transpired between us in the past hour or so.

Gazing at Bella's earnest eyes I contemplated what she was telling me, what her plans would entail. I was surprised that Bella more about the supernatural than I had originally thought. Quileute legends were actually a topic that I was slightly familiar with, having learned about them from Carlisle myself. He had shown me through his memories the night he discovered that our kind weren't the only things that went bump in the night…

Apparently, Carlisle had done some traveling in the Northern corner of the United States during the time he had spent alone, before he found me in my sickly state.

As he wandered the forests in Canada and the United States back in the late 1890's, he stumbled upon the territory of the local Native American tribe, and caused quite a stir.

He had been hunting, searching for some small relief from the fire that had become steadily more painful as the days past his last feeding progressed. He was scouting the surrounding areas for a place for himself to settle down as well; almost unheard of at that time, because of the low profile we vampires had to keep in hopes of escaping public notice. However Carlisle was already set in his way about his lifestyle, he knew what he wanted in his infinite life, and the abstinence when it came to human blood would be paramount to him accomplishing this.

As the trees rushed past him, he finally caught the scent of some deer and made a beeline for them. As he got closer to his goal, he also noticed another less appealing scent, something that actually slowed his pursuit.

His gait slowed even further, resembling the pace of a human; his senses were on high alert. He had never encountered such a scent, and the curiosity was too much to ignore. He ducked down, the instinct to hide from a potential threat working over time. He stalked forward, the unpleasant smell seeming to increase in intensity as he came closer.

What he was met with was unquestionably something that even he, a vampire, had never considered to be a possibility before. A tribe of Native Americans were amongst the foliage, hiding themselves within the color palate of the surrounding trees, using dyes and their quiet, yet their efforts were wasted on Carlisle, he could still see them. What struck him as odd though; was the fact that they were traveling with very large wolves, and they didn't seem intimidated at all by them. In fact, it was as if they were working together in their hunt, completely cooperative and not hostile in the least.

Cautiously, one of the wolves raised its head, its nose in the air, scenting a change in the air. The human leader looked around as he took in the wolves actions, and glanced at some of his companions. To Carlisle's astonishment, the wolves seemed to understand the leader's wishes and stepped forward, protecting their human counterparts, their hunt momentarily forgotten.

The leader spoke aloud.

"Come forth stranger, we know you are out there. Show yourself before we flush you out; that would not end well for you." He stood tall, asserting his authority; showing that his tolerance would be very subjective.

Carlisle was reluctant to step into the clear, but he had little choice; he was pacifist when it came to violence, not to mention, they already knew exactly where he was.

Slowly, so as not to startle them into action, he made his way to meet the leader in the center of the clearing.

The wolves were obviously wary of Carlisle; the growls resonated through his memories and echoed in my mind.

Finally the two men were face to face; earth brown eyes met ice blue and they regarded each other for quite some time. Carlisle broke the silence.

With an expression of confidence, he held his hands in front of him in a gesture of peace. "Greetings, my name is Carlisle Cullen, and I'm grateful for this peaceful exchange. I'm honored to meet you and your people." Really, he was at a loss for words, he had never encountered something like this.

Their leader gave his men and the wolves a cursory glance before speaking again. "Greetings to you as well, I am Chief Ephraim Black and we are warriors of the Quileute tribe. You do not seem to be of this world my friend. You do not move like us and there seems to be a predatory air about you, yet you look like a man." He looked confused, yet his stance never wavered, maintaining an image of strength for his warriors to emulate.

Astounded by his bluntness, Carlisle had blurted out, "You seem to be supernatural as well my friend."

After a few tense moments, both Carlisle and Ephraim's stances relaxed. Curiosity got the best of Carlisle once more, and he gathered his courage to address the pink elephant in the surrounding trees. "I know your warriors are wary of me, as they should be based on instinct alone, yet I promise you that I pose no threat to your people. As you have already deduced I am not what you would consider an ordinary man. I became something considered to be a nightmare in this present time when my father led a crusade against the many demons plaguing the minds and streets of the people in my hometown a number of years ago.

"My father wasn't a holy man in the sense that he was a priest. His father had been, but my father's passion in life was more artistic than anything; he was an architect. Although he wasn't as involved in religion as his father had been, he was just very devout to his faith, and instilled that loyalty in me; making sure I upheld the ideals of our beliefs. Everything in life had a religious context and I was taught lessons daily. Many of them about the righteousness of man and our solemn duty to protect those around us from the terrors placed upon the earth by the Devil himself.

"Well, one night, our faith was truly tested. Gossip among the townspeople was that there was something lurking in the shadows at night. Some of the local beggars that had walked the streets in search of scraps had gone missing, leaving no traces whatsoever. Many believed that a demon had made his way to our town and was feasting on the souls of the poor and the hungry.

"Our town took several precautions curfews were set up, even for men. No one could travel alone. Yet the disappearances started to become more renown as victims of higher social standing started climbing in numbers as well.

"On that night, word got out that there was a sighting. That by itself was shocking, but there was one more detail: the demon had taken the form of a man.

"The church of my town had ordered that every able man of our faith would prove his worth by hunting down the monster and destroying it.

"Of course, my father had persuaded me to accompany him in the mob that had formed, and I couldn't refuse, lest I dishonor him in the eyes of our community. So we set out with our rudimentary weapons of guns, knives and lanterns. I learned that those objects would really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

"My father and I were split up when they divided into different groups. He was taken to another part of town, and I was led towards the nearby woods. I kept glancing back, watching the lights of the town grow fainter and fainter as I walked through the weeds and undergrowth.

"Quite honestly, I didn't think I would be one of the unlucky few that would find the monster, but my group did. I guess that was how the demon had evaded notice for so long. After what was probably about half an hour, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

"Turning quickly, I saw him. He couldn't be more than twenty-five years of age, and yet his eyes held the knowledge and experience of someone much older. He was standing still, which I found odd, because I assumed he would want to escape the wrath of whoever found him. Suddenly, a noise that I would never forget pierced through the nighttime silence. It was a growl. That was when I was sure I had come face to face with a devil.

"The next thing I knew, he was gone, and there was something cool pressed against my throat. I didn't even have time to fight back; there was nothing I could do. Two searing hot points broke through my skin and I began to scream. I felt a suction on my neck, and after what felt like an eternity, I heard someone crashing through the trees. There was a scuffle, but then the sounds receded into the distance, leaving me alone. By now my senses were dulled so badly, that the only thing that I could discern besides a burning pain was my ever slowing heartbeat.

"I suffered forever and a day before my heartbeat stopped altogether. I had kept quiet, becoming introverted in my shocked state. I awoke to a thirst burning in my throat. It was so unbearable, and water that collected in the hollows in the ground that had developed from the last rain wouldn't satisfy that I think I went mad for quite some time. I wandered around the woods, disoriented and frightened for days, questioning why no one had come to find me. Finally I snapped after hearing a rhythmic thump and without thought I pounced on the source. When I came back to myself, I realized that I was covered in blood, and my throat didn't burn as intensely as before.

"I couldn't believe it at first, but after hours of trying to reason with the logic that I had learned in my previous life, I resigned myself into thinking that I had become what my father and I had feared most: a demonic creature.

"At that revelation, I decided then and there that I wouldn't be what my family had always feared, I would be better than that, I would retain whatever remained of my humanity and live above my instincts.

"I later learned that I had been deemed another victim of the monster that had terrorized my town, and that they believed that I was a lost soul. And unfortunately for my town, the monster stayed a bit longer, before disappearing into the mist before the weather turned warm and the sun shined more brightly again. My family had mourned me and I was forgotten to the sands of time.

"To make this tedious story a little shorter, suffice to say that I have been traveling around the world, gaining experience and control, and cementing my philosophy of preserving human life, despite the obvious obstacles I have had to face." After his declaration, Carlisle refocused on Ephraim's gaze. He was very still, with a contemplating expression on his face.

At first Carlisle felt self-conscious for once since his change as the Native American's eyes bore into his. Finally, when Carlisle was sufficiently uncomfortable, he was graced with the answers to his questions about this particular tribe.

"A Cold One… I never thought I would see the day that our ancestors' stories of our creation would have actual confirmation…" At this the Chief, shook his head and sank down to the ground, his warriors following suit, yet the wolves maintained their stances, only adjusting their positions so they would be closer to the men. As a sign of respect, Carlisle felt that he should equalize himself with these people, so he dropped from his semi-defensive crouch to sit in a patch of grass in the mud.

"You seem to sense that we are not considered normal by human standards as well. We were not born regular men. As warriors of our tribe, and through our lineages, we were entrusted with our people's safety. During the time when boys become men, some of the children became more aggravated and irritable. They soon started developing a higher body temperature, refusing to wear some of our more traditional garments, saying the heat would be unbearable.

"Then one day, one off our top warriors, Sam Uley became angry, and soon in his place was standing a wolf. It was huge, much larger than a full grown man, and it would not leave when we tried to shoo it away. Eventually, it made its way over to one of our young women that had been courted by Sam, and laid at her feet. Although we feared for her safety, she said that she did not fear the beast. It was a couple of hours later when the wolf disappeared, and Sam was with her.

"We had the ability to change our forms, just as our ancestors insisted we could. Soon more of our boys and even in one instance a girl started to transform into wolves. We knew we couldn't fear our own people, so they were welcomed with open arms of course. Another astonishing thing was that the warriors capable of changing their forms also seemed to stop aging. Years have gone by since we have discovered these abilities and as you can see we all look fairly young.

"What always puzzled me is why these changes occurred in the first place. Unfortunately for one of our families, we found our rather quickly. One day, one of our elders was out by himself, reconnecting with nature after being cooped up for so long during the winter months. It was a Cold One, a being that fed on blood as you do Carlisle. The only difference between him and you is that you refused to take a life and he did without hesitation.

"It was during his memorial that I realized that the transformations coincided with the appearance of the Cold One. Well, our warriors wouldn't stand for his loss without some retribution, so they set out to rid the world of that devil.

"With their enhanced senses, they were able to take down the Cold One within a couple of days, tracking and ripping him to shreds. We didn't know the other attributes of his nature so we disposed of the body through fire, and went back to our daily lives…

The chief went on to acquaint Carlisle with their customs, their homes, and more of their stories. I remember when he told me about the strange shape shifters when I was still confined indoors away from the general population as I got my bloodlust in check.

Bella's faith in the Quileutes wasn't unfounded, but it still disturbed me to some extent that she knew so much of the world beyond the human norm, it couldn't be good to be that knowledgeable about such things. However, I agreed to her reasoning because I thought the tribe could protect her from anything this nomadic coven might potentially throw our way.

Thinking about the rest of our visit, if I could blush, I probably would have. I didn't mean to be so forward; I just couldn't help myself. Kissing Bella always brought on a rush of euphoria that couldn't be compared to the pleasures I had when I was still human.

I knew the game we were playing was dangerous, mostly for me. Charlie was only a couple yards away from Bella's bedroom, but I just couldn't find it in me to care at that point. She was so scared and was seeking reassurance from me; I could deny her nothing.

However, when I got closer to her, her scent was overwhelming me, the slight tinge of fear rousing my protective instincts, and the thought of losing her in any way, shape, or form was too devastating to think about, so I just let nature (if there was anything natural about me) take its course and I covered her with my body on her bed.

I couldn't close enough, even though our mouths were virtually melded together, but I wanted to. Finally, some tension was released when my fangs dropped, but her moans of encouragement threw me over the edge.

I practically begged her for her permission to mark her porcelain skin, and by some miracle she agreed. I kissed up and down her throat and found the pulsing beat underneath her skin. I couldn't contain my excitement, plunging my teeth into her.

For the first time, in my second existence, I tasted human blood. Well, I can't really call it human blood, as Bella was my angel, my better half, the one thing that I never even hoped to dream about (if I was capable of doing so).

I took a few pulls off of Bella, but released her from my love bite and sealed the two small puncture wounds with a few drops of venom carefully.

Just thinking about giving Bella a love bite had me anxious to give her another, but I had to control myself, to keep the pretense for Charlie that I was the upmost respectable person dating his daughter. I quickly made my way to Tanya's house.

Of course she was there, freshly showered, her shampoo's scent permeating throughout the bottom floor of the house.

Knowing she could probably scent Bella on me already, I trudged forward for the interrogation that was sure to follow as soon as I set foot in the living room.

Glancing away from the television, Tanya readjusted her position on the couch to face the loveseat. Taking her actions as an indication of where to sit I complied reluctantly. Surprisingly, I couldn't hear anything from Tanya's mind. It was actually a bit unnerving, since I had only encountered this type of mental isolation from my family, and Bella. Apparently, Tanya had learned the art of evading my gift.

Great, here it comes. I sighed and looked at Tanya expectantly.

Grinning almost to the point of looking like a maniacal cartoon villain, the opening question began my humiliation.

"So you smell like you got to know Bella a little bit better, at least a little more intimately than me…" She wiggled her eyebrows, but she was so excited that she didn't keep her speed in check and they seemed to cause them to look a blond, fuzzy, smoke painted onto her pale forehead.

I groaned and decided to give her the abridged version of the night's events, trying to omit anything that could be used as ammunition at a later time.

Fed up with my evasiveness, Tanya started to pout. "You're not being fair; I want to know all of the gory details!"

Just as I was about to answer her in the most sarcastic way possible, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and was at a loss for words.

Alice.

She never called me unless there was something that she felt was important and at a time like this I wasn't the most optimistic person I could be.

I flipped the phone open and placed it near my ear.

"Edward, I've sent you a passport and extra sunscreen, you must get to Bella's mother. The package should arrive in a couple of minutes, I had Jenks deliver them."

Confusion swept over me. We had to go to Florida? "Why do we need to go to Florida Alice?" I was pacing at this point, my anxiety getting the best of me. Tanya had stood up and gotten closer, trying to calm me down, but the sense of foreboding was just too much, I couldn't quiet my overactive imagination; it was racing away into different scenarios that wouldn't be pretty.

"Edward," Tanya whispered, trying to get my attention, but it was fruitless.

"All I know is Edward that I have to get you to Florida, I can't get any clear pictures when I try to see you on the path you're on now, the only time I can see you and Bella in one piece is if you're on the way to Florida. You couldn't be out in the sunlight for too long, but I think you could make it work…" Her voice trailed off with indecision and expectancy.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, and closed my eyes, trying to sift through the thoughts racing through my head.

What does this mean? The Quileutes can't protect us? What about Bella's mother? She won't like me with her daughter at all…

Sighing, I replied, "Alright Alice, we'll do this your way… I can't risk Bella…" I glanced over at Tanya and her eyes were wide with anxiety.

"Please just do this Edward… I know this will work." Alice was talking to me earnestly, trying to keep me level-headed.

There was a knock on the door, so I said my goodbye to Alice and went to the door. A man dressed in a thermal jacket with the hood pulled up and jeans met my eyes. He quickly thrust a box into my hands and took off to a worn down sedan and drove off.

I opened the box and pulled out the passport and sunscreen. Pocketing them quickly, I turned to Tanya.

"Edward, what on Earth-"

I took her by the shoulders and quickly cut her off. "Tanya, you have to promise me, take care of the Chief, Bella and I can't stay here. My sister said we weren't safe. I'm going to Florida, just please, take care of Charlie, Bella would never forgive me for endangering her father, and she can't stay with him."

Tanya hissed, and her pupils dilated, her defensive instincts kicking in, but I could tell that she was still rational. I shook her one more time. "Tanya!"

Her eyes focused back on me and nodded curtly.

I nodded in return and turned quickly and headed out the door. Foregoing any vehicle, I ran towards Bella's house.

In what felt like no time at all, I was at the front door, pressing the doorbell button relentlessly. I didn't give a damn if I broke it at this point; my first and only priority was Bella.

The door swung open to reveal a flustered and angry Charlie with an almost desperate-looking Bella. Her eyes were wide and slightly puffy, like she had been crying earlier. My heart sank at the sight, but I had to push those feelings away, I had to remain focused.

"What the Hell do you want Edward?" The Chief was clearly not too happy to see me.

"Chief I-"

"Charlie stop it! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Bella was clearly ready to fight her father for me, and in some way I was flattered and appalled all the same, but we didn't have time for this.

"Bella, we can't do this right now. Go get your passport!" At the word passport, the ire left both of their faces, being replaced with confusion.

"What? Edward what's going on?" Bella rushed to my side, her gaze boring into my eyes, as if trying to get the answer telepathically.

"Bella you're not safe here, we have to get to Florida, my sister said there wasn't another alternative."

"Now just a second Edward, you're not taking my daughter away from here…"

I turned to Charlie and looked him dead in the eye. "Chief Swan, I know that I have caused you and Bella a lot of grief and trouble, but I can't just sit back and leave her here defenseless." I tried to convey how desperate I was to keep his daughter safe.

His thoughts were almost incoherent. I can't trust him, look what he has brought into our lives. But he is so shaken up, if he's this worried, there may be some warrant to his precautions… But he could just be saying that because he wants some alone time with Bella… Lord help me…

He kept his gaze trained on mine for the longest time, and I could see him warring with himself. After an eternity he gave a small nod of his head, and spoke aloud, "I'm trusting you with the most important thing in my life. I never thought I could do that. Don't make me regret it." He turned to Bella, and said, "I'll just tell your school you have the flu… they won't question me. And I know that you're old enough to make your own decision Bells… Besides, your mother has been badgering me to get you to talk to her. I know she could keep you safe." Bella merely rolled her eyes. I knew her relationship with her mother hadn't been the best… He continued, "Well I was going to see Jacob and Billy later, but now I don't know what to do now, I was so looking forward to the Vitamin R and deep fried fish…"I knew he was trying to lighten the situation, but his humor fell flat.

I glanced at Bella and shot my gaze towards the stares and she nodded, though her eyes still held a little apprehension. She quickly dashed up the stairs and came back to the front door after a few minutes. She practically threw the passport at me, which I promptly put in my pocket with my passport and sun block. She then put her hands on her hips, obviously waiting for an explanation.

I sighed. Bella was strong willed; and I knew she wouldn't rush to her mother without a good explanation. Sighing one more time, I trudged on, "My sister Alice, you remember her right?" She nodded and gestured for me to continue. "Well, she called me as soon as I got back to Tanya's. She rarely calls me unless she thinks that some foresight will be helpful in a situation, and she thought now would be a good time.

"She doesn't think that we are safe here, and for some reason, her visions have been sketchy when it comes to the both of us…" I trailed off as Bella blushed and I looked at her questioningly.

She shrugged. "It's just a little odd thinking that someone's watching me…" She started singing the jingle from a car insurance commercial that I would like to forget, but it made me smile none the less. Bella always did something different from what I expected.

The gravity of the situation fell upon us again, and I reached behind the front door to snatch her keys from the key ring, locked the door, and started to tow her towards her truck. She resisted a little, and I looked back at her. "What about clothes and other things?"

I shook my head at her. "I'm sorry Bella, there is no time; we need to get into the air soon. Alice didn't specify how long we could stay here safely, so I'd rather be on a plane sooner than later."

I held the keys up and she snatched them out of my hand sighing, but getting into her truck. With a thunderous start, we were on our way towards the airport. We took the 101 around the Olympic National Park because Bella wanted to see the cool, green covered land one last time before going to Florida.

While we were passing the Eld Inlet, a couple miles away from Olympia and the connection to the 5 freeway, a movement on the right side of the windshield caught my eye. Suddenly I heard a mental voice that I had hoped that I would never hear again.

Riley.

The only thing that was coherent enough to understand was one recurring sentence.

Do what she says and she'll reward you. Do what she says and she'll reward you. Do what she says and she'll reward you…..

Before I could make sense of anything, there was a jolt to the side of the truck and the world turned sideways.

"Edward!" I turned in my seat, unbuckled Bella and drew her into my arms, kicking out the passenger side window. Using my speed to my advantage, I pushed off of the cushion and propelled us onto the street before the truck tumbled into the ice-covered water.

I scanned around myself quickly, listening for any other attack, yet I heard none. Apparently Riley didn't stick around to see us off; he was too preoccupied with returning to her whoever she was.

Willing my fangs to retract I glanced down at Bella. Her heart was hammering so hard I thought she was going to go into cardiac arrest. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and I momentarily thought I could fall into them they were so huge.

I scanned over the rest of her body. Once I was satisfied she wasn't hurt, I asked her anxiously, "Bella, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

She didn't respond. I shook her as gently as I could, trying to contain my fear. I asked her again, "Bella?"

Finally, she came around. "Edward?" She was gasping for air, but I couldn't stop myself from relaxing at the sound of her voice. She licked her lips, "How much longer until we get to the airport?" Her voice was a little shaky, probably from the adrenaline rush.

I looked toward the road and found a posted estimation for the next town distance, and made a guess of my own. I took a quick breath before answering, "It's quite a ways Bella, but if we run, it won't take too long…" I didn't want to impose on her, I could get us a rental car, but I didn't want to leave a paper trail, just in case the Volturi came back, unconvinced we were dead.

She mulled it over, before clutching herself to me tighter. She gave a little shiver when she tucked her head under my chin, but that was all the encouragement I needed. I stood up with her in my arms and started to run on the shoulder of the road.

As the miles flew behind us as my feet pounded against the ground, I pondered what would meet us in Florida.

Well I guess it's only fair that I meet her other parent… Still I couldn't stop the shudder from running up my spine.

This is not going to be a piece of cake, that's for sure.

Aw poor Edward! I would really freak out about meeting someone's parents, especially if I knew that they weren't going to like me… That would suck majorly.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the little time travel portion of this chapter, and that it filled in some gaps for you. Did you like getting some Carlisle action (and not in a dirty way)?

Oh and I hope this was enough information about how Edward felt about that love bite, he's a passionate one, isn't he?

Anyway, I think I'm going to turn in now, considering it's almost two in the morning, so please leave a review, they're almost as much fun as reading the actual chapter! Thanks a bunch!

-gg