Hello Readers! This is coming to you with some sad news--I don't expect to post on Tuesday. I am totally not even close to finishing the mess with James, so you will probably not see another chapter from me till Friday. Sorry, but I've got to do this right. Thank you to my reviewers and esp. to BB. Hope you enjoy this,

Raca

Chapter 28: White Knight

I faded in and out of consciousness for the next eight hours, willing, if possible, to sleep away the time. It was late afternoon when Addy woke me. "Bella," she said softly, nudging my arm. "Bella, wake up. It is time for your watch."

I broke out of my groggy sleep and stretched my stiff body. Will watched from the corner as I reluctantly pulled myself to a sitting position. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," I replied dryly. Addy forced a smile and handed me a bottle of water. I finished the contents with several deep gulps. "I'll be on the roof if you need me."

I jumped to the roof to find a folding lawn chair carefully straddling the peak of the cottage roof. Taking in its rather precarious stance, I opted to stand. Throwing energy down several threads, I projected miles out into the distance. An old Cadillac was paying entrance to McDowell Park; a man in a wife beater was watering his lawn; a group of kids ran after an ice cream truck, waving money in the air. Nothing out of the ordinary … just a normal spring day in Phoenix. I continued to watch through the threads, searching for anything that might mean an on coming attack, the quiet and sheer ordinariness of everything making me uneasy.

After a half hour of watching Phoenix carry out afternoon activities, I was completely bored, but still strangely anxious. I listened below to the soft snore of Will and the quiet hum of Addy. I glanced down to see Addy mindlessly twirling her hair while reading a magazine. She's always so relaxed. I wish I could be as carefree as Addy; she encounters every obstacle with grace and ease. Sighing deeply I returned to my job. We're going to be fine. Edward wouldn't let anything happen. I will be fine.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the chair next to me was suddenly filled. Addy had jumped through the blanket to sit next to me. "Sorry," she said, realizing she'd startled me. "I thought you'd like some company."

I tried to give her my best smile and returned to my look out. "Nothing very exciting happening in Phoenix today," I told her.

"Nope," Addy said, pulling her knees to her chest. "Did anything exciting ever really happen here?"

"We did."

Addy giggled at my comment, "Yes, and I'm amazed quiet little Forks hasn't exploded from all the amazing creatures that exist there. It's a mythical overload."

A true smile cracked my dry lips, "Poor, innocent town of Forks … Those people are blissfully unaware of the danger they live in. What with vegetarian vampires and adolescent witches running around."

"Vegetarian?" Addy questioned.

I giggled. "Yeah, that's what the Cullens call themselves. They consider their diet to be vegetarian since they only feed on animals."

Addy nodded in understanding and then looked at me hopefully, "You know, I have tons of questions about them that have never gotten answered. Mind filling me in?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess so. But I'm really not an expert."

"Whatever," Addy said, shaking her head. "You're closer than either of us."

"What are your questions?" I asked, not wanting this conversation to lag on.

"So how did the Cullen family come about?"

I relaxed my body into the threads of the blanket, sinking down to Addy's level but never removing my eyes from my watch. "Well. I don't know a lot of details. Carlisle is the oldest. He was changed in the 1640's in London. Edward said he was actually on a sort of witch-hunt when his mob came across a vampire. He led the chase and was bitten. I guess Carlisle was very upset with his… transformation, terrified of what he had become."

"How did he get changed?" Addy interrupted me. "I mean, how do you become a vampire."

"Edward wouldn't give me much information on that. He said that they produce a kind venom and when someone is bitten, the venom enters the body. If it's allowed to spread then the person changes into a vampire." I sighed and turned to Addy, "From what I could tell of Edward's hesitance and body language, the process seems to be very painful… It was definitely something he didn't want to talk about. But you're getting me off topic."

"Right, sorry. So Carlisle was changed and upset, please continue."

"Yes, he tried to destroy himself, believing he was a monster. But he couldn't … He couldn't find a way to kill himself."

Addy gasped softly, "Then how are they going to kill James?"

"Edward said they'd have to rip him apart and burn the pieces … I guess that's the only way to kill a vampire."

"I don't think we possess that kind of power," Addy admitted softly, "They so strong, we wouldn't be able to do that."

"No, probably not," I sighed again and pushed more energy down the threads, bringing Phoenix's evening activities to my eyes.

"So what did Carlisle finally do?"

"Well, he secluded himself and tried to starve to death. Eventually he became so disoriented with hunger he mindlessly attacked a deer and fed off of it. That's when he realized he could feed off animals instead of people. He regained his strength and traveled, living in Italy for a while with some other vampires. Eventually he grew tired of their lifestyle and moved to America. He began practicing medicine, using his finely attuned senses to help people rather than kill them."

"He really is a beautiful and compassionate person," Addy said softly.

"Yes, very much so," I smiled at the truth of the statement. Carlisle is the most compassionate being I've ever met. "Carlisle was living in Chicago when he met Edward. Edward was dying of Spanish Influenza. Carlisle had been treating him and his parents. Edward's parents died of the fever and he was going to follow them soon. But for some reason, Carlisle decided to save his life."

"Do you think he was just lonely?" Addy asked.

"I don't know. Either that or he was very sad that he couldn't do anything else to save Edward's life. Whatever the reason, Carlisle changed Edward and the two of them lived together. Not long after Edward, Carlisle found Esme. She had fallen off a cliff and was brought to the hospital with the expectations that she'd never live. Carlisle changed her too and they fell in love."

"What about Rosalie?"

I froze as vivid pictures of Rosalie's horrific last hours of life flashed before my eyes. My heart was overcome with the memory of her helplessness and shame. "He changed her too," I whispered.

Addy looked at me curiously, obviously noticing my change in posture, but thankfully she didn't push the subject. "And Emmett and Alice and Jasper? Did Carlisle just make the entire family?"

"No. Rosalie stumbled across Emmett. He was about to become a bear's meal when she rescued him and brought him to Carlisle. Carlisle did change him, but Alice and Jasper were changed by other vampires." I rubbed my hands against my arms; the warm desert air began to chill as the sun dipped below the horizon. "They don't know who changed Alice… She doesn't remember any parts of her human life. And Jasper, well, I really don't know his history, but I understand that they found each other and then met the Cullens."

"Are there really lots of other vampires out there?" Addy asked with wide eyes.

I shook my head slowly. "Probably more than we realize… They seem to be very good at existing without drawing attention to the public eye."

Addy nodded and we fell silent. The wind blew softly, sending small shivers down both our backs. Addy disappeared for a moment and reappeared holding out a jacket. "Here. You'll want this." I took the jacket and threw it over my shoulders. Immediately I was overcome by a warm, familiar smell. Plunging my nose into the fabric I inhaled deeply.

"Is this…"

I started, but Addy interrupted. "He said you'd probably like having it. Geeze Bella, you really do have it bad."

I smiled and inhaled again, saturating my mind with Edward's heavenly scent. "You have no idea."

"How are you going to manage this?" Addy held up her hands defensively, "Don't get me wrong, I am so rooting for you to finally find someone special. But he's a vampire… Aren't you a little worried that someday he just might get a little too hungry?"

"No, I'm not worried about that in the least." I nestled down in the jacket further. "Edward would never hurt me, or any human for that matter. I'm more worried about what's going to happen when he gets bored with me."

"What?"

My voice dropped to a whisper as tears welled up in my eyes, "How will I recover when he realizes I'm not interesting anymore?"

Addy laughed and took my shoulders in her hands, squaring her body in front of mine. "Silly, blind Bella. You don't see that he's way past 'interested'? Hello?" She softly tapped on my forehead. "Earth to Bella, Edward is so in love with you!"

I snorted, "Yeah right."

"Yes, I am right," Addy shook me softly and then stared deeply in my eyes. "Why would he do all this protective crap and send you 1,680 miles away if he didn't have feelings for you? He's somewhere around Forks hunting down James to keep you safe. To keep you alive for him."

"Edward would try to save any human's life … So would Carlisle or Esme or Alice."

"Sure, but not to this extent."

I shook my head and freed my shoulders, "He doesn't love me. I know he doesn't."

"And how do you know that?" Addy snorted softly, "Did you ever ask? Cause it's obvious you can't read his body language or interrupt his actions."

My head dropped. I hid my tears behind Edward's jacket. "I told him I loved him and he didn't say anything … He just stood there … He doesn't love me."

"You told him…" Addy's voice dropped off and came back with a new intensity. "What? When? Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I thought we were friends! How could you keep such a thing from me?"

"I didn't actually speak it, I thought it to him just as we left." I hugged myself in his jacket, taking in the richness of his scent and punishing myself with the knowledge that my little thought had probably scared him off for good. Maybe he'll just leave me out in this desert to die.

"And what chance did he have to say or think it back?" Addy looked at me with unconvinced eyes. "Just give him a few days to clear up this James mess and he'll be down here in an instant. Your pale white knight back to sweep you off your feet, again."

I sat silently, knowing that I'd never win over Addy and still unconvinced of Edward's emotions towards me. My heart yearned to believe Addy. It hoped with all of its might that Edward did love me. That somehow, he could love me. But my mind knew otherwise. I was a simple, plain human and when the excitement of my power wore off, I'd be unable to stop Edward from leaving. I could try to make him stay, but I knew I didn't possess that kind of power. And I could never see him disappointed like that. When he's done with whatever relationship he choose to give me, I'll simply have to let him leave, seeing him unhappy would break my heart again.

Addy yawned deeply as I spoke to her. "You better get some rest. Will's shift is next, but then it will be your turn."

She nodded and disappeared off the roof. I heard quiet movements below me as Addy settled into her sleeping bag.

The rest of my watch passed slowly. I watched as Phoenix faded into the darkness of night and stayed awake under the soft glow of artificial light. I extended my shift by a few hours, unwilling to wake Will from his peaceful slumber. It was close to midnight when my eyes began to feel heavy. The images I pulled from the threads blurred and became incoherent to my exhausted mind. Shocking myself with a power surge, I startled awake. I better wake Will. He wouldn't be happy if he found me asleep at the post.

Jumping down into the cottage I knelt next to Will and gently shook his shoulders. "William, wake up." He mumbled in his sleep and rolled over. I shook him a little harder. "Come on Will, wake up." After a rather violent shake, Will leapt to his feet.

"What? Huh?" He stared at me with wide eyes and yawned deeply, "My turn to watch?"

"Yes." Collapsing on my makeshift bed, I fell asleep almost immediately.

An eerie fog crept around my feet, enveloping my body in its grey haze. My mind was alert and frantic as I searched my surroundings. Nothing—there isn't anything here! Mindlessly my feet beat against the ground. I knew I had to find it. Someone was depending on me. But what was I looking for?

And then a cry pierced the silence. "Bella, Bella?" It was my mom. Her voice was ragged and worried. "Bella, where are you?"

"Mom!" I cried out, throwing my hands out to find her. Groping the fog I ran blind. "Mom! Are you here? Mom! Where are you?"

A deep laugh floated across the waves of fog. I turned to find myself peering into two dark red eyes. "Hello Bella," James said.

"NO!" I cried, throwing myself off the floor. Will and Addy were already at my side. Addy wrapped me in a deep hug as Will looked at me worried.

"Shhh, it was just a dream Bella," Addy tried to soothe me. "Nothing has happened. It was only a dream."

I shook her off and ran my hands through my knotted hair. "James is going to find me … He's going to get my Mom!"

Tears ran silently down my cheeks. Furiously I wiped them away. I will not let that happen. No one is going to get hurt because of me! I pushed past the twins, wanting to get out of this suffocating room when something caught my eye. Twisting to look at the ceiling, I saw my nightmare. Carved beautifully and perfectly into the wooden ceiling was James. My eyes followed the picture down the ceiling to the wall where there was a landscape of a valley and mountain range. Instantly I recognized those bluffs, they were the hills behind the shack—the cliffs on the other side of the hill I was currently standing on.

Will's arms wrapped around my small frame, he pulled me close against his warm body. "No one is going to touch you." His breath was warm against my skin. Its heat was oddly unnerving. I shrugged Will's embrace off.

"My dreams say otherwise. Look!" I said, pointing to the ceiling and wall. "James is coming… He's coming to the desert… He's going to find me!"

"The red-eyed gods." Addy whispered. "Do you think he could be the red-eye god?"

"Does it really matter?" I spat. "He's going to kidnap my mother!"

My mind was spinning out of control. I've endangered the Cullens, Charlie, the twins and now my mother. Anyone who's ever meant anything to me is now in danger. "Give me the cell phone," I demanded Addy. She fumbled in her pockets briefly before pulling out the phone. I flipped it open and dialed Mom's number, the house in Phoenix. It went straight to voice mail.

"Mom. It's Bella. Please, don't come home to Phoenix… Stay where you are… and call me. Call me as soon as you get this … and I'll explain," I shakily repeated Addy's cell number twice before I begged, "Mom, please. Please try to be safe."

Closing the phone my tears returned and I was overcome in defeat. There's nothing I can do to prevent this.

"Maybe—maybe we can call the Cullens. Check to see how they are doing with… with the hunt," Addy's voice was a whisper. Her face was sympathetic and worried.

"No," Will said firmly, pulling the phone out of my hand. "No. Edward specifically said not to call him. What if we called right as they are closing in? The ring could tip James off and send him running. We could really screw it all up if we call at the wrong moment. They will contact us."

"But—If Bella is seeing that James is going to escape anyway," Addy pleaded, "Then what harm could contacting them cause? We need them here if James is on his way."

"And what if our call is the thing that sends James this way?" Will asked, unconvinced. "Unless Bella has an exact time frame or knows how he's coming here, I am not letting you call."

The twins looked at me expectantly. Demanding with their eyes more information about James' oncoming attack. I shook my head in defeat. "I don't know when he's coming. It was so foggy—I couldn't see anything that was more than a foot away."

"Then how do you know he's coming here?" Will asked, crossing his arms.

"I drew it," I said pointing to the wall carving.

"Did you actually see that he had your mom?" It was obvious Will was not convinced of the urgency of our situation.

"No," I whispered. "But she was calling for me. She was calling and then James appeared."

"It's okay Bella," Addy said, pulling me into another hug. "We can work together. We are strong together. We won't let anything happen to Renee. Don't worry."

You don't understand! How could you relate? Completely frustrated at how helpless the situation was I jumped out of Addy's arms to the roof. "I'll take my shift now," I told them through the thin shingles between us. The twins didn't reply. They understood I wanted to be alone. The cottage was deathly quiet. I threw large amounts of power down the threads to project over the hills towards the shack. I will not let you hurt anyone James… I will do everything within my power to keep my loved ones safe.

The twins left me alone for the next eight hours. I told them I'd watch until I was tired and they let me. As my minds started to weary from the constant thread manipulation I grew even more frustrated. How am I going to protect anyone if my mind is so weak! My stomach growled loudly in hunger as Addy appeared at my side.

"You need to eat if you're going to keep your strength up," Addy handed me a sandwich, a drink and bag of chips. I took them reluctantly and nearly inhaled the food. "I'm sorry Bella. Really, I wish I could be more help."

I nodded and forced a weak smile to try and soothe Addy. I really wasn't mad at her. I wasn't even angry with Will. It is my fault everyone is in this situation—I just couldn't leave Edward alone. I had to be selfish and require contact with him. I am a selfish monster.

"I wonder if Alice has seen any of your dream," Addy said, thinking aloud. "Wouldn't you think she'd call if she saw something bad?"

"Alice's visions are dependent on people's decisions, James probably hasn't figured out where we are yet or hasn't decided that's he's coming here. Or maybe Alice doesn't recognize the area — Would you be able to identify these hills if we hadn't spent so much time at the shack?"

"So she won't know until he knows?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"That could be too late," Addy whispered. She watched as my faced hardened and then added something to try to soften it again. "Well, if Alice doesn't know James is coming, that means we still have time. Do you think we could practice — exercise our power to prepare?"

"How would we kill James?" I asked turning to her. "We'd have to rip him into pieces. Vampire skin is impenetrable except by one thing — vampire teeth. Sure we could slap him with surges, attempt to tie him down in threads or even fly away to try and escape —but we can't kill him."

"So you're just going to sit here and wait!" Addy's eyes were furious. "Just give up and lay down saying 'Here James, kill me, I'm an easy target.' Bella— how can you talk like this?"

"If it keeps everyone else safe…" I turned my face from her, "I will do anything to keep you safe."

A power surge hit me from below and Will jumped to the roof. Picking me up by my shoulders he snarled, "You will do nothing of the sort. We are in this willingly. We will fight and whatever fate has in store for us, we will embrace it together."

The three of us jumped as the phone rang in Will's pocket. Will placed me on my feet and pulled the phone out, flipped it open and brought it to his ear.

"Give me good news," he told whoever was on the other end. Will's face remained hard but his eyes grew weary as he listened silently to the speaker on the phone. Eventually he spoke again. "I understand. We'll be there."

He closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. Addy and I stared with wide eyes, praying it wasn't what we feared. Will cleared his throat and spoke in a rough whisper, "Edward is on his way. He's on the first flight that lands after sun down."

My heart leapt at the thought of returning to Edward. But Will's face was still hard and his eyes were agonized. I realized what the problem was. "They didn't get James, did they?"

"No." Will's voice was barely above a whisper, "He's disappeared, left no trail. Edward is coming here to take you away — far away."

"And has Alice seen anything?" Addy asked.

"James hasn't made up his mind yet … the scenes keep changing. She's not confident of where he's going or if he's even figured out we're in Phoenix. Edward is coming as a precaution."

I slumped down in the folding chair. Edward is coming. He can keep me safe. "Go get some rest Bella," Will told me, "We're leaving at 7:30 to pick Edward up at the airport, Addy and I will trade off watching until then."

Nodding I jumped down to my sleeping bag and curled up to rest my weary mind. My white knight really will keep me safe.

Even though you won't hear from me for a week--let me hear from you! Please review! I love to hear what you have to say!