Chapter 34: Reunited

"Sorry I didn't contact you earlier. But looks like I got you out of there just in time."

"Where are you taking me? Eloise and Eric…?"

Dan sighed. "We left them a voicemail. They knew something was up when they took you in."

"You haven't answered my first question yet. Where are you taking me?"

"Bella, I've been in touch with your dad."

No one even seemed to be breathing in the car.

"M-my dad?"

To be honest Bella hadn't ever thought much about her parents. After all they had given her up.

"Your dad, Charlie Swan, has agreed to let you stay with him until we can find some way of holding Freeman. We're taking you there now. We have your things in the trunk." The girl asked. "I'm Gabrielle, Dan's girlfriend."

"N-nice to meet you."

Dan smiled apologetically at Bella through the review mirror. "I'm so sorry about how this is all playing out. We just don't want you getting hurt."

"Yeah I understand." Bella nervously twirled a piece of her hair around her finger.

They drove for what seemed like hours with Gabrielle chatting in a friendly manner about pointless things.

Finally, Dan looked around. "We're almost there. Gabrielle blindfold her again."

As Bella's world went black she felt a twinge of annoyance. "Why do I have to be blindfolded?"

"You can't know where you are just yet. We don't want you to accidently let it slip where you are."

"Of course you'll figure it out eventually." Gabrielle laughed. "It's kind of hard not to. But the director told us to blindfold you when we first enter town. Standard procedure."

"Fine." Bella huffed.

The car jolted to a halt. "We're here."

Bella found herself face to face with a small, old house. A gruff looking man was standing on the porch wincing like he was enduring physical pain. Dan pressed his hand against Bella's back and steered her to the house. Gabrielle followed carrying Bella's bag.

"Chief Swan?" Dan called.

Chief? Bella thought, then she realized the man- her dad- was wearing a police uniform. She bit her lip a little as she stepped onto the first step of her dad's house.

"That's me." Charlie Swan answered in a husky voice. It almost sounded as though he'd been crying. His eyes fell on Bella and his face paled a little. "Hello Bella. Nice to…see you again." He coughed awkwardly into his hand.

"You too." Bella kicked her foot back and forth a bit.

"I have to get going Bells. I wish I could say 'call me if you need anything', but that would put you in danger." Dan held out his hand and Bella shook it, but Dan pulled her in for a hug. "You were always like a little sister to me. I'll make you safe again. Just pretend to be a normal teenager. Blend in. I cannot stress that enough. Do NOT get involved with anything weird or suspicious or anything."

"I promise I'll blend perfectly." She looked into his eyes. "And thank you Dan. For everything. You too Gabrielle. Be careful okay?"

"Okay Bella."

Then they were gone leaving Bella alone with her father.

Edward Cullen raced through the forest, his feet hardly touching the ground. It was like running on wind. He leaped with the grace of a lion and landed on his pray, a large deer. He sunk his teeth into its neck feeling the warm blood flow into his mouth and down his burning throat.

He had only been a vampire for less than a year, but he was already preying exclusively on animals. The thought of drinking the blood of a human had passed long ago. He could now attend school with his siblings.

"Edward!"

Edward stood up, leaving the drained deer's carcass.

"Yeah?" He answered.

Emmett appeared in the trees. "Time for school."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Fantastic."

"Hey, it'll be interesting, we got a new student." He waggled his eyebrows. "It's always nice to have new blood in town."

Edward sighed and the two ran back to the house to get their things ready for school.

Bella pulled on some clothes and took the stairs two at a time. Charlie had already left for work and for that Bella was glad. The previous night had been beyond awkward. She ate a quick bowl of cereal, brushed her teeth and ran to the ancient truck Charlie had bought her off a friend of his. Not that she wasn't grateful for the truck or anything, but she felt it had been more of a bribe to get her to not hate him.

The drive to the school was short.

"Forks High." She murmured to herself. "Forks, Forks, Forks…" Why does that sound familiar? Shrugging off the suspicion that the town of Forks meant anything to her she parked and went to find a secretary who would tell her what to do.

The day went by fairly easily. She figured Dan would be pleased with how well she was blending. She had even made a friend, a talkative girl named Jessica. She sat with Jessica and Jessica's friends. They ate and laughed and she answered their questions with fake answers creating a whole new background for herself.

That's when they appeared.

A group of kids around her age group entered the cafeteria and sat down at a corner table that faced Bella's. Finally the last boy walked in. He was gorgeous with pale white skin, warm golden eyes, and unique bronze colored hair. He turned and stared at her and Bella's heart stopped.

She knew that face.

Edward jumped up and walked over to her in a dreamlike state. Bella's heart pounded furiously. Who was this imposter? Her Edward had green eyes.

Then she remembered her drawing 'Edward As A Vampire'. She remembered how the Cullens had looked when they came to take him away.

Bella knew what he was now. What they all were. She had had this dream.

Edward stopped about a foot away and his face contorted in pain. Bella wanted to reach out to him, to say something. She couldn't though. Her mouth had gone dry and head was dizzy. Everyone seemed to be watching the two of them, but Bella didn't care. All she cared about was that she loved this boy right here.

"Bella?" The name was like music as it exited his lips.

"Y-yeah."

Edward's eyes were horrified; the pained look on his face grew more prominent. He seemed to take an involuntary step forward, then he turned and fled the cafeteria. Bella ran after him. When she bounded out the front door her legs came to a halt. Edward was leaning against a tree.

"Edward?" She sobbed. Her chest felt like it was about to explode with love and excitement and shock and pain. "Edward please talk to me!" She begged and the tears came.

Edward slowly walked over to her. He stopped two feet away. "Bella, you have to go back inside."

She shook her head letting the tears flow freely down her face. "I'm not leaving until you give me an explanation."

"Bella." Edward's jaw clenched and she saw hunger beyond the panic in his face. "Bella. Please, please leave. If you don't I'll hurt you."

Bella kept her feet planted firmly on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere."

Edward laughed humorlessly. "My darling Bella, stubborn as ever."

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"I thought you were dead."

The wind blew through the trees and played with Bella's hair.

Edward's breath cut short and in the blink of an eye he had grabbed her and was flying through the school grounds to the forest. Once they were deep inside it he flung her against a tree and moaned in agony.

"Edward what…?" Bella gasped. He brushed his lips against her throat trying to decide whether or not to bite.

Edward's mind was crazed. He had felt a brief moment of intense joy when he first laid eyes on her then he became tempted. Her blood was too much for him to handle.

But could he kill her?

Could he really take the life of his first and only true love?

He breathed on her neck fighting the fierce desire to bite. Now a new desire was burning inside him. They stood there by the tree, their bodies pressed close together. He moved his lips from her throat to her lips and kissed her, holding back so he wouldn't crush her.

Bella kissed him back harder than she ever had in the past. Edward reached out, pushed her back to the tree and stepped back. He cocked his head to one side and smiled.

"You're more beautiful than ever." He mused.

"Edward…"

"Shhh…" Edward put a frigid finger to Bella's mouth. "I love you." He took the finger off and Bella sputtered, "I love you, too."

"Good." Edward's face lit up then within seconds darkened. "Since I love you I should warn you it's dangerous to be around me. I-I want to kill." His conflicted expression gave Bella the courage to speak her mind.

"It's okay. I already know."

"What?"

"You're a vampire. All the Cullens are."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "How did you figure that out?"

"I had a dream…"

"Say no more." Edward remembered it, too. He had seen the drawing Bella had made of him in vampire form the night he met the Cullens. "Even though you know we still can't see each other. I love you, I never stopped loving you, but it's not fair to put you in danger for my own selfish reasons."

"Can't you try to control it?" Bella stretched her hand toward him. Edward saw she was trying to be brave, but he detected the pleading in her words. She didn't want to let him go again.

"I'll try." He promised. "But we need to take things slowly."

"What do you want?"

"Honestly? The human left in me would love to kiss you with everything I have in me."

"But we can't?"

"No." Edward sighed wistfully. "We can't. Not yet anyway."

"What if…what if I were a vampire?"

"NO!" At the hurt look on Bella's face Edward quickly said, "I can't change you. I-I can't take your life away like that. I love you the way you are."

"Kiss me." Bella's lower lip trembled. "Please."

Edward swept a strand piece of hair from her face and gently moved his lips against hers. For one moment he felt almost human again.