Sometimes, the writing comes more easily when I jump into a character's head. Welcome to chapter twenty and Edward's point of view.

Chapter 20 New Dynamics

I was terrified for her life and I didn't know what else to do.

So I took her—and I ran. At the moment, I thought the plan was brilliant. No, scratch that--it wasn't even close and I knew it--but I was convinced my plan was her only hope…it was a desperate last ditch attempt at salvation.

Carlisle was doing nothing and I was at the end of my wits watching. I couldn't bear witness to his failure as he himself was lost in indecision. Had I been able to hear exactly what he was contemplating, perhaps I never would have left.

Bella had fallen asleep almost exactly 48 hours after hearing the mysterious voice. She had fought like hell; she was terrified of dreaming, especially after what she had heard.

I, on the other hand, saw this as my opportunity. Because what I had in mind, she would never agree to. Neither would the rest of my family, for that matter.

It ended up being much easier than I'd thought. Bella fell asleep at 4:33pm when everyone but she and I were in Portland. Rose and Emmett were living in the city now, Alice and Jasper were scouting new cars and Carlisle was at the hospital working part-time to keep up the human façade. Esme, it seemed, was checking out paint for the guest room at a specialty decorating shop.

There was no time like the present.

I had been worried about moving Bella, worried she might wake-up. But the worry was in vain, she was out cold.

It didn't matter where we went, I figured, as long as it was away from my family—away from the obvious location. Until now, the Volturi would have had no problem locating Bella…all signs pointed straight at the Cullen residence—or any of the many Cullen residences—it would not have been hard to find us. We were like sitting ducks, with only Bella un-reliable powers to protect her.

But now, perhaps it would be more of a challenge. Alice and Jasper would have their powers back without us there—Alice would be able to see a lot more clearly what was coming. And now, I had to bank on Bella's abilities…otherwise, there was no hope.

As I guided my sleek Volvo east towards Montana, I glanced over at my Bella and sighed quietly. She was still sound asleep, her head resting against the pillow I'd placed between her body and the passenger's side window. She had yet to speak out loud and I hoped desperately that that meant only good things for her dreams. I reached over and placed my hand on her jean-clad leg, wishing I could ignore the sudden buzzing of my cell phone.

I sighed.

I knew it wouldn't be long before Alice was free from Bella's "block", but I had hoped we would have gained much more ground. It had not yet been three hours.

"Alice," I answered sharply.

"Why are you taking her? What's this going to achieve, Edward?" she demanded her small voice furious.

"I don't know, Alice. But what I do know is that sitting in the house, waiting for them to come get her is not working for me anymore. For Bella. I'm taking her somewhere."

"Yeah, I gathered that. You don't know where yet," she stated. Her visions must be shifting—I had yet to make up my mind.

"I don't. And you need to stop looking. The less you know the better."

"You're being ridiculous, Edward. Bella warned me she thought you were going to do something rash. How is this going to help? We need numbers, Edward," her voice rose to a higher pitch and I closed my eyes briefly.

"I'm going to keep her safe until we figure this out. We need a plan, but she needs to be away from the Cullen's. It's where they will look first."

Alice remained silent a moment.

"What does Bella think about your plan?" she asked.

I smiled sheepishly into the phone.

"She doesn't know yet. She's sleeping."

"You kidnapped her? Edward! Bella is going to be so pissed off at you!" her tone changed and she suddenly sounded delighted.

"Don't be looking, Alice. Promise me. I'll call you guys," I said firmly.

"But—"

"No."

"Fine. But I guarantee Carlisle will want to—"

"And he can. We need to talk about a plan. We can't hide her forever," I replied.

"Fine. Be careful, Edward. And tell Bella I love her. Let her hit you a few times for me."

I laughed dryly and hung up, wondering how exactly Bella would react and how much longer I had until I found out. I applied my foot harder to the gas pedal, urging the much too slow Volvo faster. I hated that we had to drive, but I had a feeling a car would come in handy eventually.

We made it to a small town in Montana before I decided it was enough for one day. All I needed now was a generic hotel room. As much as it made sense though, I couldn't bear to check Bella into a crappy motel. I finally found something a little classier—at least a step up from the rundown shacks that literally lined the streets.

Bella was still completely unconscious when I pulled back the blankets of the king size bed and laid her down gently, smoothing back a lock of her hair and wondering what images she was seeing behind her lids at this very moment.

I lay back beside her, my hands tucked under my head and stared silently at the ceiling. Beside me, Bella groaned quietly and turned to her side. I followed suit, staring at her flawless face, aching to protect her yet not knowing how.

"Edward," she murmured her voice soft. I waited.

"We shouldn't be here, Edward," her brow furrowed slightly, a frown turning down the corners of her full lips. I sucked in a breath and waited.

"It doesn't matter where we go," she went on, the crease in her brow deepening. "He'll find us," she added. She was quiet for a moment, the frown disappeared and Edward wondered if she was waking up.

"Carlisle!" she yelled suddenly. And her eyes popped open, her mouth set in a silent 'O'. Her hand shot up to touch her neck.

"Bella! Are you okay? Bella, I'm here," Bella's eyes had darted around the room, frightened, before my voice guided them to my face. She relaxed visibly, but confusion shadowed her features.

"Where are we?" she asked, not taking her eyes from my own. But I was concerned about something else.

"Bella, I'll tell you in a minute…but can you remember…you yelled Carlisle's name right before you woke up. Do you remember why?" I asked one hand on Bella's face, the other searching frantically in my pocket for my cell phone.

Bella paused, running a hand through her thick chestnut hair.

"I was dreaming that we were going for a trip, you and I. And…wait," her eyes searched the room once more, suspiciously. "we really did, didn't we? We're not in Oregon anymore?"

"No, we're in Montana, right now," I replied, hoping the answer would allow her mind to focus back on her dreams.

"But why?"

"Bella, Carlisle. What happened?"

"I don't…I can't remember," she answered slowly, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"In that case, hold on a moment," I dialed Carlisle's cell phone quickly. Carlsile picked it up on the first ring.

"Edward. Is everything okay? Is Bella…?"

"She's fine, we're okay. She just woke up yelling your name. I had to make sure everything was.."

"Everything's normal here, so far. Alice is mad at you, but I'm sure she told you herself. Edward, do you think taking her away from here is best?" he asked it in a way that made me feel so guilty. And wrong.

"I don't know. I just…I had to do something," I responded, feeling stupid. Feeling helpless.

Feeling seventeen.

"It's hard, I know, Edward. Waiting, wondering. But I have…well, I've got a couple ideas. When we found out you took off with Bella, I realized we need to act. Which means, I need us all to make a decision, mainly Bella. We could decide over the phone about our course of action, though I'd prefer to speak to you two face-to-face; it's a very serious decision. You decide what you want to do and then let us know."

"Okay," I replied quickly, my voice strained, getting ready to hang up.

"And Edward? Don't forget about Demetri. I don't know how his power will work in conjunction with Bella's. But be careful. He is a skilled tracker."

"I thought about that. He's never seen inside Bella's head—or mine. I think Bella's' abilities will block any attempts made," I answered, my voice so much more sure than my dead heart.

I better be right. I better fucking be right.

We hung up and I found myself wondering what Carlisle had come up with. First though, I had to speak to a very pissed off looking Bella.

I hit 'end' and turned to face her; her arms crossed and face stony.

"So this was your great idea, Edward? To kidnap me and run?"

"I didn't think…I couldn't just watch you fall apart, Bella. I feel like that's what was happening," I said, my voice pleading with her.

"It is! This is what is supposed to happen to me, Edward!"

"That's ridiculous, Bella. It will only happen if we let it, and we aren't going to let it!"

"How are we going to stop this? It's getting worse every day! And now I'm hearing his voice too, Edward. He's stalking my dreams and now he's invaded my waking hours. I can almost see how they will do this—how they will succeed!" her voice climbed higher as she grew more frantic, "He's going to drive me crazy himself…he's going to turn me into—"

"No, Bella," I interrupted fiercely, grabbing Bella's arms securely in my hands. "No," I was on my knees now, in front of her on the bed, our faces inches apart.

I had no make her understand.

"Has a hybrid ever before had a family that loves her and would do anything to save her from herself? Probably not. Your situation is a new one. It's one that the Volturi has probably never come across. They may be confident right now, but if it comes down to facing the Cullen's, we've got them beat, Bella."I winced slightly at my words, knowing there would be more to it than that. The Volturi possessed some of the most frightening powers in their world. I shuttered slightly, but kept my face firm in front of Bella. She sighed heavily and her body slumped back on the bed, the fight leaving her. I relaxed my grip on her wrists and sat back on my heels.

"What do you think Carlisle has in mind?" she asked dully turning away from me onto her side, probably recalling the words she had heard from my cell phone. I had been wondering that myself. I lay behind her on the bed, my chin on the pillow.

"I'm not sure. I think—I think he's had an idea in his mind for some time. Something he's been struggling with," I thought of the few glimpses of Carlisle's mind I'd had in the past couple weeks. Always indecisive, questioning—caught in an endless internal debate. But about what, I didn't know.

"Do we go back?" she asked quietly, flipping over to look into my eyes. I propped myself up on my elbow and gazed back at her.

"Not yet," I replied, my eyes intent on her face. She nodded, brushing back a tear quickly.

"Bella," I started, reaching for a second tear. With my thumb, ever so gently, I wiped the droplet from her cheek. She shook her head, frustrated and pushed my hand away. She rolled to her back and stared up at the ceiling.

I didn't know how to help her. I wanted so badly to make her feel safe, to feel better. I wanted her to believe my words, like she used to when she was human. But maybe those weren't the words she needed to hear anymore. When Bella was human, I had treated her like a small child, trying to protect her from everything and nothing all at the same time. It had frustrated her when she was alive and now—again-my words were not sufficient. She knew that I would say things just to make her feel better…that I wouldn't divulge all the details because I didn't want her to be frightened.

The kid gloves had to come off and I would have to force myself to get used to the new dynamics. Bella deserved the truth.

"Bella…there's something you need to-"

"Do you realize," she interrupted, turning her face back to mine, a small smile playing on those full red lips, "that we're alone? For the first time in…how long…? We're alone."

I opened my mouth to respond, but in one quick movement, Bella was suddenly on top of me, her knees on either side of my hips, her face, inches from my own.

"Bella," I choked out, my previous intentions completely forgotten as her hands wove their way through my hair. I reached my hand up and cupped her face, closing my eyes as her breath hit my face, calming me immediately.

Her soft lips found their way to my neck and a groan escaped from between my own lips as she kissed and sucked towards my collar bone, pausing for a moment to undo a shirt button, and then continuing her trail of kisses down the top of my chest.

"Bella?" it was supposed to be a question, but it came out as a moan, my hands reaching for her face, her hair…anything to hold onto the waves of desire that were over-taking me.

"Edward," she whispered, her lips suddenly disappearing from my chest. My eyes flew open to find out why…where…but there she was, kissing me passionately, her tongue entwining with my own. My hands found her back, her long hair. Soon, they were lost within the strands that mesmerized me so. Her own hands found my shirt, un-did more buttons impatiently, finally giving up on patience and pulling hard. The last two buttons popped off happily and skittered across the hard-wood floor. As the kiss continued to deepen, Bella's free hand trailed down my chest to the button on my jeans.

I undid a hand from Bella's hair and slowly, hesitantly, trailed my fingers to her breasts, grazing the tops with the tips of my fingers through the thin fabric of her shirt.

I had never touched a woman like that before, clothed or un-clothed. And never, ever Bella.

Unchartered territory? Hell yes.

Her hand had paused at the top of my jeans, as she breathed a low moan into my mouth. She leaned down into my hand, encouraging contact. I cupper her right breast carefully with one hand and allowed the other to travel to the lower hem of her shirt and inside, up, up—further until I reached her bra.

Now what? I smiled into our kiss and Bella pulled back, her eyes wild.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her tone filled with worry.

"I'm…I'm not sure what I'm doing," I admitted, and if I could blush, I would be a bright red. This was about the one area of my hundred-plus years that lacked experience and skill. For the second time in the span of an hour, I felt all seventeen of my human years. It was a strange feeling.

She smiled and I melted. She was everything to me. I wanted this so badly. I wanted to feel as close to her as possible—she was part of who I was now, and I wanted to show her.

"I'm not either. But I want you, Edward. I want to forget everything and just be with you. No worrying about the Victoria, the Volturi or Nathaniel. No worrying about being a hybrid. Or running away. Just us. Me and you, right now…in this moment."

Her words ignited me and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do.

A/N: Ha! Yes, I'm finally letting B and E have some action. And yes, the next chapter will continue this scene, though, just as a forewarning, I'm not going to have it be too lemon-y graphic. We all know you can find that in so many other stories…so go read those for some sexual relief!

We're going to get into Bella's head next chapter. There is a lot going on. And beware—Nathaniel's voice is getting stronger!

Awesomeyou guys!

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