phew! I just played a set of songs at Bonn's open mic (check at myspace/openmic-bonn or ), translated quite a bit of my first original novel into German and had some fun reading other excellent fanfics. Not to mention my second week back at work.

twilight still doesn't belong to me, but a keyboard with very moody keys does (a week ago 'I' wasn't working, now it's 'a' and 'm'). So if you can't read some words, just dd missing letters… ;-)

hve fun reading and reviewing!

54

Bella's diary

Luckily Renee had been friends with Marguerite, the owner of the ballet studio, and the two of them had often left keys with each other, so that I could actually get into the building, which did not only house the studio but also Marguerite's small flat. Even more luckily, she was not at home – explaining my business would have been somewhat problematic.

I was not comfortable entering her private space, and I also needed Jasper to find me, hopefully, so I slipped into the studio and hid in one of the small dressing rooms. After half an hour the doubts started to set in: Had I done the right thing? Had I overlooked something and my captors would find me again? Was Jasper even really looking for me still or had he become wise to Laurent's plan and stopped tracking us?

After that blissful short time of no worries at my old home, panic set in again, and I thought that one would not need to be a vampire to be able to hear my heart beating loud enough to find me in my hiding place.

Sure enough, after a while I heard Laurent's voice ringing out cross the expanse of the big empty room with the mirrors and the bar. "Hello Cher', come out to ply with us! You don't think you can really hide from us, no?"

Damn! How had they found me?

"She's hiding over there", Victoria's scoffing voice came next.

While I was still thinking frantically of a way out, they had made it to the dressing room, and Victoria pulled me upright brutally and dragged me back to the big room. I drew a sharp breath at my wrist being pulled that way, surely she had caused some injury.

"You didn't think we would let you get away? It was so easy finding your home address, it was on the library card in your wallet. Humans are stupid generally, but you certainly top it all." Her tinkling little girl voice was full of spite, and she shoved me over to Laurent. "Here, change of plan: I want you to hurt her, slowly, with some luck Jasper will get here in time to find her dying. Start!"

I'm sure all colour left my face, and had Laurent not been grabbing me, I would have fallen down. I had seen what he had done to Jasper and to the other vampire in the clearing. Besides, whatever he did to me would hurt worse. "Please…"

"Oh well," Victoria cried out, rolling her eyes at her companion. She pulled me back to her and drew me close. "If you're not up to it, I certainly am. Now, what do you say we start with a bit of tossing you around?" She hissed at me from behind my shoulder. I held my breath. She would throw me about like a ball, which with all the mirrors and glass round was not a good prospect for my future. At least I assumed, it would not last long once I started bleeding.

I felt her tightening her grip and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping for the best, that is, and the first blow to kill me or render me unconscious. Because of that I did not understand when she was pulled off me the next second and I could feel someone carefully holding me up. Irritated, I opened my eyes just in time to see Jasper ripping off her head and tossing it across the room. It landed in a corner and with all the mirrors we were left with the eerie sight of several bodiless Victorias staring at us in horror. I turned away and saw that Peter and Rosalie had Laurent pinned down between them. Charlotte was still propping me upright, or I would have collapsed. Jasper quickly looked over my body, checking for injuries. When he found none, he closed his eyes and gave me a quick kiss, but stepped away again fast. "Get her out of here and don't let her out of your sight!" he commanded.

"No, Jasper, please stay with me", I protested at once, but Charlotte simply lifted me to carry me out into the hall.

I squirmed against her, trying to turn to my lover. When I saw him next, he was giving off a vicious snarl that made my skin creep with fear, and I saw him eyeing Laurent with a hatred I had never before seen on anyone. It was clear he wanted to fight him to the death.

"No! Please, Jasper, just get out, don't fight! He will hurt you!" I was still screaming and writhing after the door had long been closed behind us, hitting out against the strong cold arms holding me.

Finally another pair of arms pinned me down successfully. "Bella, can you please calm down?" Peter's voice, completely exasperated.

"No, Jasper is in there with that monster. I know he wants to hurt him, but Laurent will cause him pain again and I…"

Sounds of screams as I had never heard before could be heard through the door, and my knees almost gave in. "No!" I struggled against my restraints again.

Peter sighed. "Bella, Laurent has hurt Jasper several times, Jasper will kill him."

"He doesn't have to, I'm fine…" Another scream. I shuddered.

"Yes, he does", Peter explained patiently. "I know you probably know Jasper as the nice friendly boy, but he is not human, he is a vampire and Laurent hurt his mate. He needs to kill Laurent now, or he will feel bad. You don't need to worry about the Major; he has not lost a fight yet."

"If there was a risk of him getting hurt, we would be in there with him", Charlotte added and gently stroked my hair.

I slowly began to relax marginally, and for the first time took in who had come to my rescue. "Rosalie?" My friend was curled on the opposite wall, clearly as unhappy with the growling and snarling as I was. Little Seth Clearwater had his legs drawn up to his chest and his hands over his ears. "Seth? What are you doing here?"

Rosalie smiled and wrapped an arm around the boy. "He led us to you, he's a real hero!"

"That was nothing", Seth said at once, blushing furiously.

"Where is Emmett?" I worried. Had he gotten hurt in the fight? Please, don't let him be hurt!

"He'll catch up with us soon", Rosalie said.

"OK, are you calmer now?" Peter asked, letting go of my arms.

I nodded.

"Good, because I need you to tell the Major what happened, or he will take my head off when he smells me on you."

"He would never do that", I shook my head at him, and his winking showed that he had just been teasing as well. I think I will get along with Peter and Charlotte.

The screaming was finally getting quieter, and I was counting the seconds before I could see Jasper again, when someone opened the front door.

A black-haired woman led the way; four enormous men were following her. From her pallor and her beauty I deduced she was another vampire as were her companions. Peter and Charlotte almost shrank back into the walls when they saw her. When she reached where we were sitting at the top of the stairs, she started sniffing Rosalie and me before telling her escorts to get a hold of me and not to let me go.

"What is going on?" I asked, not understanding this new development.

She looked at me with an expression of pure hatred. "I've finally found Jasper again, and you're going to help me keep him." Then she entered the hall where Jasper was.

The tall vampire she had left with me kept a close hold on me, and I could tell he was not breathing.

Peter and Charlotte looked frustrated and out of their depths, and when I turned a questioning look on them, Charlotte mouthed "Maria".

I swallowed. So she had found him again. I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that this would turn out to be a bad dream.