Title: Bonne Foi

Author: Amethyst Jackson

Category: Drama, Romance

Rating: M

Summary: AU. Edward Masen was changed in 1918 and abandoned by his sire. He feeds on human blood, unaware of any other way…until he stumbles across college freshman Bella Swan for a night that will change everything.

Disclaimer: A writer is like a goddess in her universe…but only one writer is making the money off Twilight, and that's Stephenie Meyer. These are her characters, and I'm just having fun with them.

Chapter Twenty-Five

My phone call turned out to be unnecessary. The rest of the Cullens arrived minutes after Alice had.

"The female tricked us," Jasper complained bitterly, frustrated with his failure to see through the ploy. "Victoria and James were moving together for a while, but I think he must have doubled back over their path to get here. We thought we were chasing both of them until Victoria split off and it was only her scent. What happened here?"

Carlisle had already arrived at Bella's side, inspecting her leg. Emmett went to help Alice with the burning, but there was little left to do. The others hovered around uneasily, Rosalie glaring at me, Esme fretting.

"James got away somehow and must have lured Alice into the forest, too," I explained, looking toward Alice for confirmation. "He attacked while Bella and I were alone."

"He led me around in circles, overlapped his path several times to throw me off. He must have known I would be able to see if he made a decision, because I didn't have a single vision until I saw him decide to attack Edward…"

"I finished him off," I concluded, jaw-clenched. "I hurt Bella in the process, though."

"It could have been much worse," Bella chided me. "You saved me from whatever James would have done…which I'm sure would not have been good."

Carlisle smiled ruefully. "It appears to be a clean break – though I'll need an X-ray to be sure – so it should heal well. We'll need to get you to the hospital, Bella, to set this and get a cast on it."

Bella just sighed resignedly. "It's been too long since I've seen the hospital; it was bound to happen soon."

Carlisle laughed and shook his head. "You have the greatest propensity for injury of any human I've ever known."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Bella muttered.

Alice danced over. "We'll finish cleaning up here and see you at home. By the way, Bella, you'll still have the cast on for Thanksgiving, but it'll be off for Christmas."

Bella cringed. "Thanks, I think?"

I lifted Bella carefully in my arms, trying to avoid jostling her leg. "Ready?" Carlisle asked.

"As I'll ever be," I replied. We took off at a run back to Forks. Bella tucked her head into my shoulder, eyes shut tight against the trees we sped past. I laughed. "Are you afraid, Bella?"

"No," but she was lying. Her heartbeat gave her away. "I'm just a little nauseous as it is, and I'm afraid I'll get motion sickness."

"Probably for the best you keep your eyes closed, then," I agreed, amused. We were moving at a moderate speed, for vampires, and it was easy to keep Bella steady in my arms and keep up with Carlisle at the same time.

Carlisle led us straight to the hospital, not bothering to stop at the house for a car. It was practically dead at this hour of the morning, anyway, and though the night receptionist was clearly surprised to see us, Carlisle projected such authority that she didn't ask any questions.

Bella finally opened her eyes, and we went up to the second floor, where the radiology department was located. Carlisle opened the door to an X-ray room and gestured for me to place Bella on the table there.

Oddly enough, Bella seemed as familiar with the routine as Carlisle was. She patiently bore the weight of the protective apron and didn't bat an eye as Carlisle fired up the equipment. It wasn't long before we had an image of Bella's cracked bone. Looking at it made me uncomfortable – it was ridiculous how breakable humans were.

After that, we went to an exam room equipped with the necessary supplies to bind a broken bone. I helped Bella onto the table – she had insisted on hobbling on one foot to the room – and Carlisle retrieved a needle's worth of some medication.

"Morphine," Carlisle explained. "I'll have to set the bone – left as is, it will heal improperly. I could do it without the morphine, but…I think you've been through enough pain over the years."

Bella smiled gratefully at the doctor. "I appreciate that."

"You might lie back," he suggested. "The morphine will make you feel weak."

Bella reclined on the paper-covered vinyl exam table and clutched my hand while Carlisle injected the morphine into a vein in her arm. When he was finished, he went to set up the supplies for the cast while the morphine took effect. The small drop of blood that seeped free from the wound made my throat burn like never before; I clenched my jaw and focused on her serene face until I felt in control.

"Mmm…starting to feel funny," Bella mumbled, closing her eyes.

"Morphine will do that," I chuckled, confident of my restraint. How could I hurt this precious, adorable creature?

"I talk too much when I'm on painkillers," Bella went on, grabbing onto my arm with both hands. "Last time I told Dr. Cullen he had a cute butt."

"She did," Carlisle confirmed, holding back a laugh. "I don't mean to brag, but she's not the only one. Morphine has a way of loosening the tongue."

"So I could get you to spill your deepest, darkest secrets right now, hmm?" I said to Bella, meeting her slightly glazed eyes.

"You participated in most of them," Bella slurred. I fought back a smirk. "But you could probably get a few out of me."

"If you wouldn't mind, Edward, would you roll her pant leg up past the knee? It's going to be in the way."

"Sure," I agreed, bending over Bella's lower body to gingerly roll the leg of her pajama pants up. Bella let out a giggle, and I glanced back at her over my shoulder. "What are you laughing about?"

"Your butt is cuter than Dr. Cullen's," Bella snickered, and then she punctuated the statement by reaching out to pinch it. I raised an eyebrow.

"Bella, you do realize pinching me is completely ineffectual, right?"

"Yeah…but it's still fun," she grinned. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the task at hand. Bella mostly behaved until I finished.

"All right, it sounds like the morphine has taken hold. This will still hurt a bit, but the drug should take the edge off," Carlisle said, coming up to the table. His lips twitched against a smile still, but that might have had something to do with Bella's uncontrollable giggling.

"Will you do me another favor, Edward, and keep Bella's leg steady? Just hold down her thigh."

"Of course," I agreed. Bella giggled more as my hands met her thigh.

"Edward," she whined, slurring my name badly, "Not in front of Dr. Cullen…"

I just shook my head. Crazy, adorable girl.

"All right," Carlisle muttered, grasping her leg at two different points. "On three. One, two, three."

Carlisle's hands jerked ever so slightly, and I heard Bella's bone slide into place with a sickening crunching sound.

"Oww," Bella moaned, grasping at the back of my shirt. I turned and took her hand, unhappy with the pained crease in her forehead.

"The worst is over," Carlisle soothed with his best bedside-manner voice. "Time to put the cast on now."

I held Bella in a sitting position while Carlisle worked on the cast, first wrapping a protective lining around her leg, then beginning with the plaster.

"This isn't exactly my area of expertise, but I think I can manage," Carlisle commented as he worked. "I'd rather not involve another doctor at this point…"

I snorted. "You have much more room for expertise than any human doctor; I'm sure she's in capable hands."

Carlisle smiled, but didn't look up. "I appreciate your confidence in me."

"I suppose it is better not to have to explain how this happened…or to risk word getting back to Charlie," I went on. Bella's head lolled against my shoulder. She had gone from chatty to sleepy in a matter of minutes.

"Eventually, she will have to tell Charlie something," Carlisle commented, "but this does give us more time to come up with a reasonable explanation."

"Is Alice right? Will she have the cast off by Christmas?" I asked, knowing how much Bella would hate wearing it. Not only would it draw unwanted attention to her, but it would also severely hinder her independence. I suspected she would not be cooperative during her convalescence.

"I think it will take five or six weeks," Carlisle said. "We might be able to manage a walking cast a little sooner. If you can convince her, you might have Bella stay with you while the cast is on. She should have reliable care right now…I'm not sure how much time her roommate could devote to helping her."

"Of course. I think she's staying with me whether she likes it or not," I said.

Carlisle chuckled. "As a word of advice from someone who's been in a relationship for a few decades…perhaps try not to smother her with too much attention right now. Some women love to be doted upon…but I suspect Bella is not one of them."

I laughed. "I've learned that the hard way."

Soon, the cast was in place, and I carried Bella out. She wasn't quite conscious enough to manage crutches anyway. We returned to the Cullens' house. Carlisle wanted to check on Bella again before we left, after the morphine wore off, and there was still a great deal to discuss about the night's events. Alice needed to know what James had revealed about her past, and we needed to determine exactly what had gone wrong and how both vampires had evaded tracking. We also needed to decide what to do about Victoria; I highly doubted the death of her mate would go without reaction.

I was truly appalled to owe my existence to such a creature. My only consolation was that her selfish act had brought me to Bella. The consolation prize was better, anyway.

Back inside the house, I took Bella upstairs and tucked her into bed. She stirred as I placed the blankets over her.

"Mmm…Edward?"

I chuckled at her groggy expression as she looked up at me. "You can sleep now. We're back at the Cullens' place."

"Okay," she sighed. "I wanted to tell you something, though…my deep, dark secret," she mumbled.

"What's that, love?" I asked, smoothing her hair back.

"Even if I'd known, that first night, I would have gone with you," she said, her eyes a little clearer, and I knew she was completely serious. "I would have rather died than say no to you."

My dead heart spluttered in my chest. I'd expected her to say something silly, something along the lines of her thinking Jasper, too, had a cute butt, but of course, she would surprise me with a heartfelt admission. Surprising me was what Bella did best.

"I never could have hurt you, precious. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself," I confessed, still aimlessly stroking her hair. She smiled sleepily.

"I think I always knew that."

She said no more, and neither did I. To say anything else would have been superfluous, might have cheapened the moment.

I stayed by her side until her heart settled into the slow, gentle pulse of sleep. When she was fully unconscious, I reluctantly went downstairs to join the others. Daylight was breaking outside, revealing the start of a sunny day. We all glinted in the trace amount of sunlight filtering in.

"How is she?" Esme asked, tucked into Carlisle's side on the loveseat. Emmett sat on the chair next to them, with Rosalie perched on the arm, and Jasper and Alice sat side by side on the couch. I settled into a free chair.

"She seems fine; she's sleeping now," I told them. Nobody commented on our exchange upstairs, but Esme was thinking about it. She thought Bella was brave, risking everything for love. I was slightly more inclined to agree with Rosalie's assessment – she thought Bella was insane and stupidly reckless – but I recognized that I was in no position to complain. Whatever it was about Bella that made her take a chance on me, I had to be grateful for it.

"I'm glad she wasn't too badly hurt," Esme murmured. "It could have been much worse."

I grimaced at the various mental images of what the others construed as 'worse.' While Rosalie's definition of the worst possible outcome, Bella as a vampire, was certainly interesting, I could do without imagining her in any more pain that she already had been.

"It could have been much worse," Jasper voiced. He was frustrated; he didn't like being thwarted by an enemy, and it left him feeling impotent. Alice, beside him, was a guilty mess, convinced she had missed something crucial in her visions.

"It's not your fault," I said to both of them. "James and Victoria scouted us here; they knew about your gift, Alice, and about mine. That's how they evaded us."

Rosalie was scowling, but for once, it didn't seem to be directed at me. She was replaying all of yesterday's conversations in her head, searching for the moments when we gave ourselves away. "That doesn't make sense. They might have figured out Alice's abilities from what we said…but not yours, Edward."

Maybe they've been following you for longer than you realize.

"Shit," I breathed, realizing she was right. If they knew about me and my abilities before yesterday, then they could have controlled the thoughts they allowed me to hear. There was no way of knowing what was true and what was an act.

"What? What's going on?" Emmett asked, impatient. He didn't like being left out of the loop.

"They had to have been following me, before I came to Forks last night. I don't know when, or for how long, but they couldn't have figured out what I could do from last night..."

"Oh," Alice sighed. "Could they have overheard you yesterday, explaining to Bella?"

I felt uncomfortable, realizing Alice had seen everything that transpired between Bella and I before we went to Forks, and even more uncomfortable at the thought that we might have had an additional audience.

"I don't know…I wasn't paying attention to anything outside my apartment. I don't see how, though…it was sunny out…"

"There are ways around that," Alice pointed out. "Heavy clothing wouldn't be too conspicuous this time of year. And you told Bella about me yesterday, too; they could have picked it up then. They must have, or else I should have been able to see them decide to come here."

"Damnit," I cursed. "All right, so James is gone. What's she going to do now?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Alice said ruefully. "I get a flash here and there before she's gone again. She has a talent for evasion, clearly."

"She must, to have escaped us," Jasper grumbled, arms crossed defensively over his chest. "We had her cornered, and all of the sudden, her trail was gone – I've never seen anything like it."

I frowned. "I still don't understand what it is she wants. If it's me she's after, why now? It's been eighty-eight years."

"Perhaps she lost track of you and only recently stumbled across your path again?" Carlisle mused. "Although, now that you've killed her mate, her goals may have changed."

"I'm not certain," I said, considering what little I thought I knew about them. "He seemed so much more possessive of her than she was of him. I'm not sure she would seek revenge, not with so many opponents in her way."

"She might seek to replace him," Jasper said. "And you would be ideal for that, wouldn't you? She did change you, after all."

I shuddered internally at the thought of having any sort of relationship with Victoria. "I'm not sure what I should do now," I admitted, looking around the room at the many concerned eyes staring back at me. "I can't leave Bella alone right now, but…"

"Don't even go there," Alice said, seeing what I was considering. "Just because Victoria might want you doesn't mean Bella will be safe if you're gone. She could very easily use her to get to you. Besides, Bella will be furious if you try to leave her with us."

Esme frowned at me, upset with my train of thought. "Edward, Bella needs you now. The best thing you can do for her now is to help her live as normally as possible. Take her back to school. We will help to protect her – to protect both of you."

A few nods of agreement came with her pronouncement – not from everyone, but it was enough. "Thank you," I murmured, overwhelmed. It was strange, but nice, to have people to whom I could turn in times of trouble. Then again, it was strange to have trouble at all. Nothing ever happened to disrupt my existence until Bella came along…but I could see now why people were willing to take the highs with the lows.

"Jasper and I could go back with you," Alice offered. "We could get a place nearby, keep an eye out on things. I think it would be fun to go back to college."

"If you're happy with that, of course, I won't refuse. I'm not sure I'll be able to devote the kind of attention necessary to this problem while Bella is healing."

"Then it's settled," Alice said happily. "We'll start packing now, and we can go when Bella wakes up this afternoon. Come on, Jasper."

The little sprite dragged Jasper upstairs, where the sound of suitcases being filled could soon be heard. I sat helplessly downstairs with the others, vaguely aware of Bella's heart thumping steadily two floors up.

"Try not to worry yourself to death," Carlisle advised. "Just take care of Bella; that's the most you can do now."

Several hours later, the house was quiet. Bella continued to sleep, and everyone went about their own pursuits. Alice and Jasper had finished packing in lightning speed, and Jasper had gone to hunt before the move. Emmett and Rosalie opted to go with him, and Carlisle left for his shift at the hospital. Esme went to the kitchen to make some food for Bella, since she probably wouldn't be able to cook for herself for a while, and I certainly wouldn't be any help in that department.

I wandered upstairs to talk to Alice. She stood in front of her closet, contemplating its contents as if it held the answers to the meaning of life.

"I'm going to have to do some shopping," she sighed without looking up at me. "All of my winter clothes are last season."

"Right…" I couldn't even tell what half of the items in her closet were, let alone whether they would be considered in fashion.

Alice turned abruptly, wearing a serious expression. "You wanted to tell me something."

"Yes," I confirmed, amused. "Should I even bother saying it, or have you already seen it all?"

Alice grinned. "I can't tell what you're going to say until you choose the words. All you'd decided on before coming up here was, 'There's something I need to tell you.'"

"Ah. Well, it's about James. He revealed to me that he knew you when you were human," I said. Alice waited silently, unmoving, while I explained the role James had to play in her creation, and why she had awoken as a vampire alone and without memories.

I tried to stay out of her thoughts while she processed the new information, but it was hard when they were so similar to my own upon finding out about Victoria.

"I thought I would feel some kind of relief if I ever learned how I was changed," she sighed, her eyes distant. "But now that I know, I'm not satisfied. It's like…"

"There are more questions than answers," I finished for her, understanding perfectly.

She gave me a rueful smile, appreciating the solidarity. "Exactly."

"It's like we're from the same dysfunctional family," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. But her gaze was solemn as she replied.

"We are, Edward…and you're part of this family now, too."

I didn't know what to say to that, but she wasn't waiting for an answer.

"Bella is about to wake up," she announced. "She'll be happier if you're there when she does."

With that, she danced out of the room like the little whirlwind she was. I just shook my head and went upstairs. Clearly, 'family' was going to take some getting used to.

A/N: This isn't my favorite chapter…but I am partial to medicated!Bella.

I'm thrilled to say that Bonne Foi has won a Sparkle Award for Best Edward/Anyone (The Romeo Award...I do love a Shakespeareward). Bonneward's ego expands daily. He's getting to be a real pain in the bum.

I don't do this enough, but I want to say a thank you to all the reviewers – the first-timers and the repeat visitors alike. I'm horrible about replying, but I read every one, I promise!