Chapter 21: Timeslides

A/N: I own nothing. Characters are all Stephenie Meyers' creations. Please take the time to leave some words if you really loved it or really hated it!

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I clutched Edward's hand tightly as we walked to the threshold of his back door. I found that worrying about meeting his family again, as the new me, brought back another memory.

"And you're worried, not because you're headed to meet a house full of vampires, but becaue you think those vampires won't approve of you, correct?"

"That's right." The human part of me answered. The vampire part of me, watching this scene from outside laughed at the memory. I followed myself outside as Edward walked me to my truck. I was lost in the rich scent that flowed from my human self. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply of the smell. I was starting to see how Edward could appreciate the scent despite the flames. It was almost as if it reached into my mind and danced around inside. I was so lost in my analysis, I didn't notice the truck roar to life and leave until after it had happened.

The shift back to reality was more like a thud. I opened my eyes to find myself clutching Edward's arm tightly.

"How? What?" I squeezed out, beyond coherency.

Edward was staring at me just as astonished. "You stayed behind? How?"

"Carlisle," I said. I needed to apply his logic and reasoning to the situation.

Edward nodded and pulled me through the door. His whole family was there and they all wore looks ranging from astonishment to awe. The only one who didn't look surprised was Alice; she just looked smug. My face fell a little when I saw Jacob wasn't there. Surely he hadn't left already had he?

"He's packing up, he is leaving soon, but he won't go without saying goodbye," Edward whispered in my ear.

"I thought you couldn't hear me unless I was, well, you know?"

He laughed. "I can't, but I know you. You're feelings are printed so clearly on your face." He stroked my cheek as if to demonstrate.

I closed my eyes to the feeling that sank through my bones, oblivious to his family. So much for being satiated for now. Edward chuckled and Jasper groaned.

"Sorry," I said to Jasper, fully aware again of everyone's eyes staring at me. "Hi?" I offered weakly.

Alice threw herself at me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Look at you, dear sister!" She spun me around and smiled. "But I knew you'd be magnificent. I've known it for years." She shot Edward a dark look.

I wondered exactly what she meant by the being magnificent part, I was so used to seeing the human me in my flashbacks and I still hadn't seen myself properly. The only thing I had seen were glimpses of me in the flashbacks I had while walking back to the house, and I was too inundated with the emotions and watching Edward that I hadn't paid any attention to myself. Thinking about those flashbacks made me shift into one again, but as before, Edward's naked form in front of me was too tempting and I just couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

Jasper growled at me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's all just so..."

"Overwhelming," Edward answered for me.

"I know, Bella," Jasper sighed. "I've just never met a newborn with a sex drive like yours."

I knew in my human days I would have been burning bright red. Jasper covered the few steps between us and rested his hands lightly on my shoulders. I felt calm washing over me with his touch. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you, it's just hard absorbing that much lust." He shot Alice a quick glance that said to me he would find a useful outlet for it soon enough. He walked over to her and sat, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.

"I have to say, Bella..." Emmett said, "You are smokin'!" He ran over quickly and scooped me up into a bear hug. Both Rosalie and Edward gave him a short growl. I couldn't help giggling. It felt good being told I was beautiful by the people I always thought were the epitome of beauty. I mean Edward told me all the time, but that was different – he was blinded by his love.

Rosalie turned to me. "You are beautiful but I can't believe this jackass hasn't shown you a mirror yet." She slapped Edward's chest.

I burst out laughing. Had I ever been so happy?

I noticed Esme and Carlisle sitting back, watching the scene with looks of mild amusement. Esme met my eyes and I saw my joy reflected absolutely in hers. Whether she was happy that Edward had finally been matched up with someone his equal, or whether it was because I had joined the family properly now I couldn't tell. Maybe it was some combination of the two. I recognised the jolt in my middle immediately and anticipated the flashback.

I was sitting next to Edward on a piano bench. I instantly recognised the rise and fall of the notes of my lullaby being released from the keys under the instruction of Edward's graceful fingers. The vampire part of me moved closer to watch as his fingers danced. I realised I was getting better at handling my human scent, it still burned my throat but I could be a little closer now without the desire to sink my teeth into my own neck. "Esme and Carlisle...?" My human self asked.

"Are happy to see me happy. Actually, Esme wouldn't care if you had a third eye and webbed feet. All this time she's been worried about me, afraid there was something missing from my essential makeup, that I was too young when Carlisle changed me...She's ecstatic. Every time I touch you, she just about chokes with satisfaction.

I grinned at Esme as I shifted back again.

"Carlisle," I said. His eyes moved from Edward back to me and he smiled warmly. "Edward and I would like to talk to you."

"No," Alice demanded. "Not yet anyway. I want you to see yourself first."

I looked at Edward, entreating him to rescue me. He just shrugged. I narrowed my eyes at him and he chuckled. I felt Alice tugging at my arm, I thought about ignoring her for a while because she wasn't having much success moving me, but eventually I submitted and let her drag me to the guest bathroom. I figured I may as well get it over with, although I would much prefer to find out more about my flashbacks then my looks.

At least...until I saw the mirror. Then I became captivated by the silken-haired beauty in front of me. I turned my head from left to right and she copied, her long brown hair shifting softly with her movement, bouncy and full of life in a way mine never was.

My eyes were the first thing to really draw my attention. The whites of my eyes were just that – dazzling white, no tiny red veins running the surface, and certainly not the angry red blotches I had seen in them once before. The red irises whirled and were a little frightening, but they were also beautiful. I stared closer and could see, as I had in Edward's eyes, the give and take each of the tiny muscles moving to allow me to adjust my focus across such a wide range. I wondered vaguely how long it would be before my eyes were the golden-brown of Edward's...my family. My family – I liked the sound of that.

I continued the examination of my face, although it was still a little bit odd that something so glorious was my face. I was used to being plain. Every small imperfection in my skin and bone structure had been straightened and refined, all traces of my injuries wiped clean. All of the small details that made me me were still there, except now rather than being distracting they added to the overall effect.

The outfit Alice had laid out for me enhanced my natural figure and accentuated my curves. I ran my hands over my stomach. It was perfectly flat. The muscles in my arms were well defined with no layer of fat to insulate them. The skin rested directly over the muscles so that it danced as they twitched, which they often did as they were permanently tensed and ready for action. The movements were so small and swift it would be impossible for anyone with eyesight less clear than a vampire's to notice, but I watched enthralled.

I was only upset that the mirror provided me with a less than clear vision of myself. I could see every imperfection in the glass and my eyes would often focus on those rather than what I wanted to see. Eventually I felt so frustrated I deliberately called up the memory of coming into this room a few minutes ago.

I watched myself as I entered the room. A look of anticipation was written across my face. I circled around myself a couple of times, studying my features in greater depth.

Edward looked amused when I shifted back. "What was that about?"

I glanced at him, unwilling to share.

"Bella?" He stared into my eyes. If I had thought his power to make me spill my secrets by looking at me from under his eyelashes would stop once I was a vampire, I was sorely mistaken.

"I wanted to see myself properly – without all the scratches and imperfections of that." I gestured towards the mirror.

Edward laughed loudly. "Okay. Let's go talk to Carlisle now."

Alice looked like she was going to object but Edward shot her a look and she remained silent.

Edward wrapped his hand around mine and we walked back to the living room. I wasn't even halfway back when I heard a steady thumping of a heartbeat and a smell assaulted my senses. It was vaguely familiar even though I had never experienced it first-hand. I realised I had smelt it in one of my flashbacks. Mangy and wet smelling, like damp earth, deep and rich, and utterly disgusting.

I felt the heat radiating from the room before I saw him. "Jacob," I said to him quietly, nodding my hello, terrified what he might think of me. After everything he'd done for me, I wasn't ready to let go of him as my best friend just yet.

He did a double-take when he saw me. "Wowser, Bells!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Wowser is a complement I'm assuming?"

He laughed. "I guess. It's just you've changed so much considering what you looked like the last time I saw you."

I focused on what he meant. I pushed myself into the flashback.

I was standing in the hallway. The smell of rich flowing human blood was making it hard to concentrate on what I was seeing. I was so close to losing control. My human self fell against Jacob. I was ashen-faced, bloodied and broken – my chest hammered as I tried to get enough air to talk. I managed to squeeze out one word, "Edward."

"Oh, my god Bella! He shot you?"

I pulled back from my dual viewpoint, disconnecting the part of me that was experiencing this as a human. I was a vampire now, I didn't need to feel pain like that ever again. I watched helplessly and I saw myself fall limp in Jacob's arms. He picked me up and placed me on the couch. I heard Cain utter a low moan from the corner and my heart broke for him. But before I could concentrate on that, I saw Jacob run to my phone. He dialled the number of my saviour.

I was surprised I could hear the voice on the other end of the line with crystal clarity. Edward's voice sounded confused. "Bella?"

"Edward, get here. Now."

"Jacob – what is it?" Edward's voice sounded like it was dead – he knew we wouldn't be calling him in school if it wasn't important. And he realised the significance of Jacob calling rather than me.

"It's Bella," Jacob confirmed.

There was a click as Edward hung up the phone. He didn't need to know what was wrong, just that something was. Jacob dialled another number.

"This is Carlisle Cullen."

"Carlisle, it's Jacob. Bella's been hurt. I've called Edward but please can you come too?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." The phone clicked again.

Jacob hung up the phone and walked back over to the couch. He knelt next to it, watching the life draining from my face. My breathing was shallow. "Bella, you have to stay with me."

I saw myself struggle to take a breath and then another. I nodded.

Jacob clasped my hand. I saw myself give his a gentle squeeze before I smiled serenely. Death was seconds away.

The front door flew open and Edward stormed in a look of panic on his face. He had already detected the scent of my flowing human blood. When he saw me on the couch a look of absolute loss passed across his features. If I lived a thousand years, a million, I never wanted to see such a look again. It was horrifying. I tried to soothe him but again found I was as insubstantial as a breeze.

His eyes hardened and he threw himself onto me, biting me repeatedly. Frantically working over my body. His teeth tore at my neck, my elbows, my wrists. Each time he bit, he would run his tongue over the wound, trying to force as much venom as possible into my system. His eyes were set in determination to save me but I could also tell how much he enjoyed the taste of my blood in his mouth. He licked the wound where the bullet had opened a hole in my chest, drinking in just a little blood first. I could see the battle raging. He had control over the monster within him-just-but the monster was fighting back, stronger now that it had the taste of my fresh blood to taunt Edward with. He pressed his lips to mine and begged my forgiveness. Jacob stood back, mortified by the sight in front of him but unwilling to stop it if it meant I would be saved, he knew I was dead anyway if it didn't work.

My heartbeat was weakening. I was slipping away despite the venom, my heart not strong enough to maintain its rhythm. Edward started CPR to massage my heart and keep it pumping until the venom healed it enough to start pumping on its own.

Once my heart had found a steady beat, Edward grabbed my hand and braced himself for the screaming. Carlisle came through the front door just as Cain started to stir again. A groan of pain escaped from Cain's lips. A look of murderous rage crossed Edward's features and he launched himself in the direction of the sound. Carlisle jumped in front of him, blocking his way. Edward tried to find a way past him. I could tell Carlisle was telling Edward something with his thoughts but Edward was tuning him out.

"Go to, Bella." Carlisle finally spoke out loud. "She needs you now."

Edward crumpled to the floor. "I don't think it worked Carlisle. She's..." His head snapped back towards my figure lying motionless and silent on the couch with a look of shock on his features. He crawled back over to me. A wide smile crept across his features and I released the breath I didn't realise I had been holding. Carlisle pulled out a phone and called for two ambulances while Edward was distracted.

I sat next to Edward while he clutched my hand. His eyes had a far-away look in them. I knew he was seeing what I had seen, us in the meadow the day we declared our love. He sat silently next to me while the ambulances pulled up. Two ambulance officers stabilized Cain and took him away. The others came over to me. Carlisle was pretending to work over me so the ambulance officers did little but wait with a stretcher. Edward refused to let go of my hand as they wheeled me into the ambulance. Jacob rode in the back of the ambulance with both of us. Carlisle continued to pretend to work over me but turned to Edward, "Good job, son. You've done everything I could have, and more. I think you've done enough to save her."

I shifted back to present. Jacob was staring at me with his mouth wide open. I waited for him to speak, cocking my head slightly to the side in confusion.

"What was that?" he asked uncertainly.

I looked around to find out if anyone was going to tell me what he meant. No one did. What had happened in my absence? It occurred to me that that was the longest memory I had encountered since being alone with Edward. I grew frustrated at the silence so I called back the memory of what had just happened. The small tug in my middle indicated my success.

I was looking at myself, only now there weren't two view points. I hadn't disconnected one of them, it just didn't exist. My body looked...empty. My eyes were vague and unfocused and I was staring off into the distance. Like Alice when she had a vision of the future except I had never seen Alice blank out for this long.

I shifted back again. Then I laughed. "Is that seriously what I look like?"

Edward joined my laughter. "I guess so, I've never really paid much attention. I haven't wanted to miss one second of opportunity to get inside that head of yours."

"What's happening?" Jacob asked.

"I, we, think she's talented," Edward answered for me.

"Like your freaky mind-reading?"

"Actually, a bit more like Alice's visions. They're the closest I've seen to what Bella encounters, but Bella's are just so much more vivid."

"What do you mean, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, remember the flashback she had when she was human, the first time I could hear her? I told you then it was so much more real than any other person's thoughts I had ever experienced?"

Carlisle nodded. "And?"

I had been hoping to have this conversation in private but the looks of absolute fascination on my sibling's faces made me want to share this with them. After all, whatever my visions were, whether a talent or a vivid memory, it would affect all of them in some way.

"I can control what I see to a certain degree," I said. Edward squeezed my hand in support.

"Can you explain that more?" Carlisle voice was laced with curiosity, but there was a clinical detachment there too. He wasn't interested because he thought a new talent had been added to his family, he would have been just as happy if I had displayed no talent. He was intrigued purely because it was new information.

"When I go back into these flashbacks, I can see it as I experienced it at the time. But I also see it as a witness. If I choose too, I can view it only as a witness, cutting off the way I saw it at the time. I can move around in the visions and in one a little earlier I...left me behind." My voice trailed off a little when I admitted that, knowing it made me sound crazy.

"But it's more than that. Just before when Jacob spoke about what she looked like the last time he saw her she had a vision of herself after she was shot. She could smell the blood in the air. Not the way she would have as a human, but with her vampire senses. It made her thirsty and she almost lost control." Edward looked...proud?

"Can you affect anything physically?"

I shook my head. There was a moment of silence as Carlisle reflected on the information we had given.

"Yes, everything. Things her mind at the time couldn't have detected," Edward declared.

A few seconds later. "That's what I thought."

I looked at him quizzically.

"Carlisle was just wondering if it was more than a simple vision. See, when Alice gets her visions she can see what's happening and hear what's said, sometimes, but never the smells and details that you see. He agrees with my guess that somehow your consciousness actually slips back in time."

"But how?" I asked, it made sense but I just couldn't comprehend it.

"How do I read minds?" He responded.

Why was that familiar? I felt the tug.

I immediately pulled back from the two viewpoints to watch the scene. I found it hurt my head to stay inside my human self for long now, the eyesight was too fuzzy for my liking and the scent too strong. My human self and Edward were wrapped in each other's arms on my small bed in Forks. I heard myself asking him a question. "Why can you read minds - why only you? And Alice, seeing into the future...why does that happen?"

I saw Edward shrug. I was surprised that my eyesight was no worse here in the dark than it had been in the middle of the bright forest. "We don't really know," Edward answered. "Carlisle has a theory...he believes we all bring something of our strongest human traits with us into the next life, where they are intensified – like our minds, our senses. He thinks I must have already been very sensitive to the thoughts of those around me. And that Alice had some precognition, wherever she was."

Edward laughed. "Why ask a question if you answer it yourself?"

I laughed too, ignoring the looks on my family's faces – they were used to Edward having private conversations, but never with me. I almost felt bad that I enjoyed the feeling of having a little secret just between us. No-one else would ever know exactly what my visions were like.

"How did she answer her own question?" Jacob asked.

"With a freaky vision," Edward said, winking at me.

"Can you call the memories to you? Or do they just come unbidden?" Carlisle asked.

"Both. But once I feel the shift I can't stop it."

"Shift?"

"That's what it feels like. It's a kind of tug in my middle."

"So you can tell exactly when it's going to happen?" Carlisle's clinical curiosity was back.

"Yeah, both by the way I feel, and by Edward's reaction. He can sense my mind about a second before I shift."

"I think the two of you should experiment with these visions a little more, like we did with Alice." He looked over to Edward who nodded that he understood, but he had a slightly wicked smile on his face too. Obviously he planned to experiment a little differently than he had with Alice, and I was willing to submit myself to any of his experiments. Like the little one on not needing to breath he had performed earlier. I felt the excitement growing in me at the thought, it would be so easy to call the memory to me now and relive it again, but I wondered how his family would react to us attacking each other after the memory had played out.

I heard a low soft growl and Jasper stood and grabbed Alice's hand. He turned to me quickly. "Bella, welcome to the family. Umm, Alice and I just need to check on something...upstairs." They were out of the room in a flash and I heard Alice giggling the whole way up the staircase.

Carlisle stood. "Jacob, it's probably time to take you to the airport. I hope you don't mind if Esme and I drive you down? It's not a great idea for Bella to be in public places just yet and I don't think Edward is willing to leave her side just yet."

"No probs, Doc." He walked a bit closer, eyeing me off. "You're not going to attack me if I give you a hug goodbye?"

"I won't, but I can't say what Edward will do," I joked. I held my breath while we hugged though, just to be on the safe side.

"I'll really miss you, Bells," he said as he pulled away, a tear in his eye.

"Hey – this isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again. You'll always be welcome in our house."

Edward nodded. "Definitely, maybe you can even bring Sam and Emily next time, I know Bella misses them too."

Clever way to invite Harriett along, I thought.

"Sure, sure," Jacob said, but he didn't sound convinced.

Edward gave him a quick embrace and Jacob gave me another quick peck on the cheek before following Carlisle and Esme out to the car.

Edward sighed and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to the couch. I hadn't noticed Emmett and Rosalie sneak away but they were nowhere to be seen. Edward sat down on the couch and pulled me next to him before swinging my legs around so they lay over his. He ran his hand absently up and down my thigh.

"We're going to be moving in another few weeks," he said. "We just need to wait the appropriate length of time for news of your death to circulate fully and then we'll quietly withdraw from the town because it holds too many memories of you."

"Where are we going?"

"The depends... if you can stay in control, we'll head to another small town and maybe all enrol in high school, although you may have to pose as a senior with Emmett, Rose and Jazz, I don't know how well you'll pass as a junior. We'll have to trial that though, if you get too many strange looks you may need to go into college."

"And if I can't control myself?"

"Well, then everyone else will move onto another town and you and I will go into the wilderness somewhere where there is less temptation."

"And for the next two weeks I assume you'll be going to school?" I couldn't help the pout that played on my lips. That meant two weeks stuck in the house on my own. I couldn't be seen in public, it was too risky.

"I'm afraid so. Starting tomorrow."

I was glad to see he looked upset about this fact too.

"Well, I guess we'll have to make the most of our time together right now then won't we?" I pulled up the memory I had been thinking of before and felt him harden instantly under my legs. We followed Jasper and Alice's lead, running up to Edward's, our, bedroom giggling the whole way.

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A/N – Yes the TV show I was talking about was... Red Dwarf. Which is seriously one of the best British comedies ever. I own all 8 series and am just waiting for new special to come out on region 4.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm still debating whether to stop soon & start on a sequel or just continue on here. If I stop and go for a sequel I will be finishing this in a chapter or two (because the events that I see taking place in the sequel happen very soon after this).

I hope everyone has a great new year! This will be the last post in 2009 for me (I have an hour and a half left before it is 2010 and I know I'm not going to get another chapter done in that time).

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, keep them coming. I really want to hit 200 before I end this if I'm not going to continue it here :)