Chapter 29 – The Meadow

Disclaimer I do not own Twilight. All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. All songs used in this story belong to the writers, studios, and artists. No copyright infringement intended


BPOV

When my day started, never in my wildest imaging, did I think I would look death in the face again. As Edward said after my second near death experience, "You are a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you." Whether I was looking for trouble or not, it invariably found me.

It all started on a beautiful Saturday morning - beautiful for Forks, WA - no rain, only a slightly overcast sky. Charlie had cleared his schedule to spend time with the kids, so I dropped them off. On my way back home, the sun burst out of the sky, reminding me of the first time Edward had taken me to the meadow. We had not been there since our return to Forks, so I decided to take a quick peek. I told myself I would be home before Edward, who was on patrol – our family, including the Denalis, had been busy looking for the vampires responsible for the crime spree in the area.

I realized that I would get to the meadow faster if I ran, so I abandoned the car and ran the rest of the way. With my enhanced body, I maneuvered through the trees and bush as easily as if I had been running on the beach; my breathing was slow and even, and only the rush of air on my face actually gave away my speed. When I got to the edge of the clearing, I stepped through a low arch made by two vine maples and pushed past the chest-high ferns into the meadow.

It was as beautiful as I remembered it. I breathe deeply of the heady scent of the wildflowers which were growing in abundance. I flung my arms out, threw my head back and twirled around in circles. I immersed myself in the sound of nature around me - the babbling brook to the east, the gentle rustling of the leaves, the birds chirping, and the scurrying of the little critters nearby. Being here, gave me a sense of peace that had been missing since I had heard about the disturbances in Forks. I could almost believe that it had been a bad dream. I wanted to soak up the serenity for a little while before I went back to the real world, so I walked to the middle of the clearing, and stretched out on the fragrant flowers. I thought of some of the special times Edward and I had spent here, like the day Edward revealed himself to me, my eighteenth birthday, and the time Edward set up a tent complete with space heaters, so I wouldn't be cold. I lost track of time as pictures played in my head like a home movie. The memories refreshed me, but it also made me wistful to go back to that time, when we were safe, and monsters were not threatening my family. Suddenly I was snapped me back to the present. I could have sworn I had heard Edward's voice.

"Bella! Get out of there now," the voice ordered.

I sprang up in one motion and scanned the area. How did he find me so quickly?

"Edward," I called out. I looked around, scanning the tree line.

A figure stepped out from the trees to the north. At first my heart sang. Being here was great, but being here with Edward would be much better. As the figure came out of the trees, I realized it was not the face I wanted to see. This place was far from any trails, so I had foolishly thought that Edward and I were the only people who knew about it. As the person walked further into the meadow, I realized that this was no stray hiker, but it was a face I had seen a lot lately.

"Riley!" I cried in surprise. I had seen his face on enough posters, to be able to identify him. Except, he was no longer the human boy his family was searching for. With his pallid skin and red eyes, it was clear that he was a vampire. Was he the newborn wrecking so much havoc? Was he alone?

"Don't move," Edward's voice whispered. I tried to do what he instructed. It was hard; the instinct to take flight was nearly uncontrollable. Then I thought, maybe I could fight him. I wasn't a fragile human anymore. I was much stronger than I used to be. I had not had the opportunity to put my body to the test, but I should be almost as strong as a full vampire.

"No, Bella!" The angry, honey-sweet voice ordered in my ear. Now that I realized that Edward was not here, I knew I was in danger because I only heard his voice or saw his apparition when he thought my life was at risk. I took comfort in the thought that Edward would know I was in danger and would notify the others. There were a small army of vampires and a pack of wolves searching for this boy so if I could keep him distracted, we could put an end to his reign of terror today.

"How do you know me?" He asked puzzled.

"From the posters," I said. I knew I had to be careful, so I kept my eyes on him; I wanted to be prepared for any sudden move he might make.

A mischievous grin rearranged his features. "I'm not supposed to feed during the day, but you do smell…simply mouthwatering." He sniffed at the breeze that blew my scent in his direction. "Mouthwatering," he repeated, inhaling deeply.

"Threaten him," Edward ordered, his voice distorted with dread.

"You won't get away with this." I said obediently. "There are people looking for you."

"I know; I have a hiding place. No one will find me there." That explained why they always lose his scent. It was to our benefit that he had confronted me here. Now he was in the open, and if he caught my scent and followed it, then the others who were looking for him will pick up both our scents and follow us here. If my plan to distract him failed, I could try running in the direction of our house, and we should be able to trap him. I just hope he was not as fast a runner as me and Edward.

"They are more of them now. My husband and his family are back in town, and they will hunt you and tear you to pieces."

"Good girl. Keep stalling," the beautiful velvet voice whispered encouragingly.

I decided to take another tract, if he got desperate, he might decide to kill me and go into hiding. "You don't have to live like this. You could feed on animals."

"Animals," he paused to consider this. "Jane didn't say anything about animals," he muttered.

The voice in my head growled, and I had to mentally keep my feet frozen in place. I stared at Riley in horror. Jane. I had heard all about her and her special power. What was she doing here in Forks with Riley? More importantly, where was she? I must admit, it was a brilliant plan. She had chosen him because he was from Forks and he would know where both the chief and the Cullens lived. People in the area didn't go to the Cullens' house much, but they all knew where they lived, and if Riley had been an outdoor guy, he would also know where all the trails were and some of the spots where the hikers set up their camps.

He had been coming toward me slowly, but he was still about 30 paces away. I looked pointedly at his feet, so he knew I was aware of his movements. I had to keep enough space between us so he couldn't pounce on me.

"Yes, some vampires feed on animals. The animal blood will make you calmer." I said. Then I decided that talking about blood was not the safest subject. "Is Jane your maker? Is she from Forks too?" I asked. Maybe it wasn't the same Jane I was thinking about.

"No, she's not from Forks. I met her on my way home from Seattle. It was a rainy night, and she had car trouble so I gave her a ride. She had never been to Forks before, so she asked me lots of questions about the area and the people who lived here. After she changed me, she told me she needed someone to help her, and she chose me because I was from the area." He sounded pleased that he was chosen for this. This had not been a chance meeting as he thought. She must have picked him in advance and waited for him on the side of the road.

"Good girl. Keep stalling," the beautiful velvet voice whispered encouragingly.

I almost jumped out of my skin when the phone in my pocket started to vibrate. I had forgotten about it, but now I'm grateful Edward had insisted I carry the phone on me at all times. Jasper had brought special phones that could work on a network as walkie-talkies even if we couldn't get a signal to make a call. Another feature on the phones were the voice activated dialing and the tracking app. Thank God for technology, but I was glad the phone was off. I didn't want to spook Riley. Knowing that Edward must have sent me a message to alert me that he was on the way, I felt more confident. I can do this. I can do this. I kept chanting in my mind. I couldn't die yet. What about destiny? Didn't I have to fight the Volturi? Maybe if I keep talking about Jane, that would distract him until Edward showed up.

"What does she want in Forks?" I asked.

He shrugged. She may not have confided her plans to him, but there has to be something he knows.

"Did she tell you who she was visiting in Forks?"

"A friend of her fathers' but she didn't find him." This could be either Carlisle or Charlie. We knew that someone had visited both the Cullen's house and Charlie's. A chill ran down my spine. Before I could ask another question, we both heard a sound coming from the trees behind him. I hoped it was Edward because he would be able to read Riley's mind, but once again I was disappointed.

A massive black shape eased out of the trees and stalked deliberately toward us. It was enormous; as tall as a horse, but thicker, and much more muscular. Now I could see why people thought it was a bear, I'd never imagined that a wolf could be as big as this. What else could be so vast, or so powerfully built? The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder. It padded through the grass a mere ten feet from where we stood. "Don't move an inch," Edward's voice whispered. "Please hurry." I prayed. Deep growls rumbled out of its throat, and I shuddered away from the sounds. It was hard not to be afraid of the monstrous wolf.

"I don't believe it," Riley said. He watched in shock as the wolf stalked closer, followed by the rest of the pack. I wondered what Edward would make of this tableau – his wife, a new born vampire and a pack of wolves. The wolves were closing in. Riley took off. I couldn't let him get away. We may never have another chance to get him before he killed someone else. I sprang into action. I took off and pounced on his back.

"No," Edward screamed.

Even as I realized that the timber of the voice was off I ignored him. Then all hell broke loose. The wolf must have sprung at Riley at the same time I did. The three of us collided, and the force of the impact lifted us off our feet before we crashed to the ground and skid a couple of feet. Pain exploded in my head, and I saw stars. All the air left my body in a loud whooshing sound. I tried to take a deep breath, but I was squished tightly between Riley and the wolf – like a sliver of meat in a sandwich. I was getting light headed. I may have passed out for a while, because next thing I knew, I was laying on the grass and flowers. The pain was excruciating. It even hurt to breathe. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't even scream, so I whimpered.

"Hold on sweetheart. Carlisle will be here soon." Edward whispered as he brushed the hair off my face. He's here I thought. He made it in time. I knew I was hurt badly. I also knew that if my body couldn't heal itself, he would do whatever it took to make me whole again. I opened my eyes and blinked at him. I tried to lift my hand to touch him, but I couldn't. I felt myself slipping into a black hole. I knew the pain would go away if I let the darkness enveloped me, but I had something important to tell him. I tried to form the words. "I...I..."

"I love you too." He said, reading my mind or knowing what I wanted to say.

I smiled. At least I thought I smiled. Then I let the darkness claimed me knowing that he was there to watch over me.


A/N:

I want to thank everyone for following HEA. A few more chapters and we would have a showdown, after which, I'll wrap up the story. This is not going to be as long as LAFS. I know I had put off the battle, but I wanted to explore married life with the lovebirds and changes with the kids before I got into impending doom. Thanks for your patience.

Some of the dialog and details for this chapter are direct quotes from the series. Some were reworked to fit the story.

"You are a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you." Edward Cullen, Twilight, Chapter 8 – Port Angeles

Edward's voice in Bella's head - Twilight - New Moon Chapter 8. ADRENALINE

"When I got to the edge…– into the meadow" - Twilight - New Moon Chapter 10. THE MEADOW