I know I've been continuously writing in Edward's POV, but trust me, I will go back to Bella's at the right time. I was having issues with the fact that New Moon ended in March and Eclipse happened in June, so I was trying to find a way to fill in the gap of those months, and I thought what's better than to jump into Edward's POV? I will jump around maybe a bit more into other POV's. But, hang in tight.

I am not Stephenie Meyer, all rights to Twilight saga are to her.

Chapter 35: The Leap

I ran through the woods in the brisk night air. I had no way of knowing where Bella was besides that she was on the reservation at night. At night of all times, Bella. I decided to climb to the treetops, leaping from the outstretched limbs until I found the most secure one on one of the tallest trees. It outstretched over the others which had left gaps open for visibility towards the forest floor. I could see the dim lights from across the forest that reached towards the reservation. I could not see her, for the trees had blocked the path, and it was too far away.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I grunted in annoyance at this. Never had I had so many phone calls in the past months than I had this week. I opened the phone and noticed I saw Alice's name on the caller ID. I answered.

"Edward! I'm glad you answered. I've seen her!"
"Seen who Alice, kind of busy right now."
"Victoria, she has not jumped her decision yet, but right now her decision has landed in Seattle. What are you doing in a tree, Edward?"

"Seattle, hmm. I'll have to check it out. And I'm trying to find Bella. She went back to the reservation, and it's late, and all the wolf pups are out in the forest. She's not safe."

"I can see Bella, Edward, so they must not be coming near her anytime soon. She's going to be—" Alice's words broke off. I assumed she was having another vision, "Bella, oh my word. Edward, she's going to end up aimlessly walking through the woods at night. She doesn't find anyone though."

"So, she's safe, well, safe from them at least?"

"Yes, I don't see anyone approaching her anytime soon."

"Good to know, let me make a decision as well." I paused. I decided in my mind to leave this tree in a few minutes, to go looking for her in the Quileute territory.

"No, that went blank, Edward. I suppose you had run into the wolves. Make a different decision," Alice said.

I decided to not go into their territory or pass the treaty line. Instead I decided to continue jumping from each tree limb that hovered near the treaty line.

"A little blurry, so the wolves must have come near you, but your decision does not go blank."

"Alice, do you see me finding Bella."

"Not exactly, Edward. She hasn't made a decision that would lead her to you, not just yet. Right now, her decisions are all over the place, finding her in different areas of the woods. She does not go blank though, so neither of these decisions lead to them. And to be honest, she's not in the woods yet."

"Well, where the hell is she, Alice?!" I said, yelling into the receiver.

"I can only see the future, Ed— Edward! Move, move! RUN!" She chanted into the phone. I did not hesitate at her command. I held the phone against my ear as I leaped to different trees, shaking the branches underneath each kick from the other. I kept going, leaping down the perimeter line.

"Edward, your future is coming up blank, make a new decision! Fast!"

"Alice, they are allowed to cross over when we are not here if there is an emergency. They do not know I am here; I do not know where to go!" I hissed into the phone, continuing to leap. I could hear massive paws clambering against the forest floor about three hundred yards away.

"Make a decision to go back to the house, hurry!" She said. I continued to leap, digging my nails into the trunk of the tree as I pushed from each one. I closed my eyes, pausing for a moment, making the decision in my head to head towards the window paned house.

"Yes, go there!" She gasped. I opened my eyes and leapt forward in the direction of the house. Continuing through the trees. There was a large gap between one tree and another, so I bent down, and eyed it. I put the phone in my back pocket, leaving Alice on the line. I imagined myself soaring across the air, making it to the tree. I huffed and proceeded with what I had imagined. I leaped, extending my arms forward and my legs straight out behind myself. As I leaped, I could hear the thoughts of the pack in my head. When I made contact with the branch, I grabbed onto it with my hands, swinging myself to the next tree, with my legs swinging underneath me like a trapeze artist in a circuit.

Where is it?! A younger thought had said

I don't know you, dingbat. I can smell it though. A much more abrasive thought came through. It seemed it was multiple wolves, and I haven't a clue how to decipher between them.

Does it smell familiar?

A little bit. Kind of like the one I smelled outside of her house the other night, but this one is much, much fresher. This thought was more familiar, the thought of Jacob Black.

The one outside of her house? So, it's back?

Or it never left! Go find it and rip it to shreds.

I continued to leap, getting closer to my old Forks home. The clambering of the paws on the forest floor grew softer as they seemed to be farther away, but the voices were much clearer as I had become attuned to recognizing them.

I don't smell it anywhere. It must be in the trees.

Then point your nose up, dumbass. A female voice said.

Wow, nice one.

That's enough of that, we don't need more than two of you guys to find it. The rest of you, go now back to your perimeter. This deeper voice hinted to me that this was Sam. It seemed to be making commands as an alpha.

Sam, I can't track it anymore. It's farther out in their territory.

Then we will wait it out.

They aren't even here in Forks anymore. We can go over there.

I do not care, Jacob. It's not our land, and we are already crossing one hundred yards over it. Turn back. Sam said.

Goddamnit, Sam. Whatever, this is why we never catch them.

Then maybe you should've taken alpha when you had the opportunity to, Jacob. Another male voice had said.

Alpha—Jacob was to be an alpha? I suppose that would make sense, considering he's the bloodline of the alpha Ephriam Black. Interesting that Jacob would not take it.

And be in charge of you idiots? No, thanks. Jacob replied. I could hear the laughter in the thoughts from the younger boy that was a part of the pack. His thoughts seemed joyful, and very kind.

The voices started to grow silent as they headed back over towards their side of the land. I put the phone back to my ear, hearing Alice shouting at me in panic.

"Edward? Edward! Are you— okay, everything is fine now… I can see you again. Please, do not go back out right now. If you make that decision, you go blank again."

"Bella is out there walking around the woods at night alone, and you do not want me to go find her?"

"Of course I do, Edward. But if you get hurt, you won't be able to find her. Do not go back out there right now."

"Alice, what if she gets hurt."

"She's fine right now, please Edward. Listen to me," She said. I paused holding my grip onto the doorway, fighting the urge to head back out, to protect her. "Good, stay there. Edward, Jasper and I are going to come home to you."

"NO!" I yelled at the receiver, "I do not need you two coming here and ruining my cover!"

"Well that is just too bad. Milan is going great right now, and it does not need me at the moment. We will see you in a few days, Edward."

"Alice, I swear to fucking hell if you step foot in—" The line went dead. Alice actually hung up on me. I decided to call again, but it kept going to her voicemail. I am sure she is enjoying this, me calling her, and her being the one to hang up this time. What the hell did Alice need to come here for, anyhow? This was not like her, to go behind my back. Actually, it very much too was just like her, but not Jasper. Jasper would head to my warnings, unless Alice used herself to persuade him. While Alice would always be my favorite sister, she was a pain in my ass.

If Alice comes here, she definitely would go and talk to Bella against my wishes. She would ruin this plan for me. I did not want Bella to know I was here; that was the last thing I needed. If Bella knew I was here, she most likely would tell me to leave, and at the moment, I do not know if I could hear that. I do not know If I could leave that dark hole again. The dark hole still gapes in my chest even now, but at least it can be filled with being near her and having a purpose to be here for her.

I waited, holding on to that door frame, holding me back from going back to her in the woods. Not just yet, I had to tell myself. I needed to wait. Alice would call me if it was not the right time to go yet… But I just could not wait.

I let go of the door frame, and darted through the woods. The cellphone in my back pocket vibrated continuously as I continued to ascend past the trees, over the river, and through the woods. I could hear their minds again from across the treaty line. I kept to my side, keeping my distance from the sound of their paws. I decided to launch myself back into a tree, digging my nails into the trunk; breaking pieces of bark as I rushed up the shaft. I grabbed onto a tree branch, and swung myself across just as I did before. I kept my nose out, tracking any scent of strawberry that I could find. Strawberry was the key scent to look for when it came to Bella, otherwise, the floral scent of her blood was a close second. As soon as the paws that clambered in the brambles began to fade away, I leaped back down to the forest floor.

I now started running on foot, keeping a good hundred yards from the treaty line in case it did not cause any triggers of my scent or sound nearby. The vibration from my phone ceased in my back pocket. I suppose I now was safe, or at least clear for now.

As I kept running, a scent dragged me to a halt. I grabbed onto the trunk of a tree, slamming myself against it. I looked around, panicking. Where could Bella have gone, where is she? She smells so close, but how could she have possibly been this close? How did she make her way through these woods in such darkness through these trees and broken limbs that scattered the forest floor?

I searched more, following the scent. It was getting closer towards the direction of the treaty line, but it seemed closer, as if she was on the Cullen's side of the line. I felt relief in a way that she was not on the other side, but again, worry for how she came so far. As I walked closer to it, the light of the moon beamed down onto a boulder. And there she was, in her grey sweater that was partially torn. She was laying there on top of the large rock, with her eyes shut closed. She was trying to rest I suppose. Of course, she was tired. It was late, and she had walked a couple of miles through the woods with no clear passageway.

I stepped nearer to her. I wanted to console her on that boulder, to sweep her away and take her home. I wanted her curled up in my arms as I ran through these trees. I wanted to take her to her bedroom where the strawberry scent was caked onto the fibers of her pillow. I wanted to be there with her.

As I edged nearer, the smell of a doe lingered by closely. It was behind a large trunk of a pine, fast asleep as its head lay curled into its own body. I looked back over at Bella. I could see her body twitch, and her head moving. I halted in my tracks—pausing. Her eyes fluttered open. I started to back away in slow bursts, behind each tree every minute that had passed. I wanted to keep my view of her in range, so I did not drift too far with each step I had taken backwards. She kept her head up looking around in the direction of my movements, but the moonlight was not shining in this tree line that I occupied. It was imperative that I keep myself out of her sight; I did not want her to know I was here.

I could hear a small tune coming from her direction. The comforting vibrations danced through the mist, coming from one source; my Bella. She was humming the familiar tune that I had hummed before many times. The tune I would hum to her while she lay arrested to my side, asleep in my arms. She was humming her lullaby. But why, why would she hum the lullaby I had composed for her? Had I not tortured her enough that she could not get the song out of her head? Sweet Bella. I felt myself compelled to her, drawn to her even more so as the vibrations from her throat danced between the trees. I leaned forward, creeping ever so slightly. As the leaves crumpled beneath my weight, she stopped humming, and I too halted.

She looked over into my direction, "Edward?" She lifted herself up more on the boulder, leaning towards my direction. "Edward… please stop hiding," she said, as a tear fell down her cheek.

How could she have known I was here? How could she have known it was me lurking in the woods. What do I do? Do I come out? Do I go to her, and heed to my body's desire to sweep her off that boulder into my arms?

"I know you've been watching me. I've felt it. Please come out." The pain in her voice was clear. I was causing her pain. Even when I was not in her view, or sight, I still caused her pain. I did not move from my position. I stood in stone, not a twitch in my fingers. And she had felt my presence, or had she seen me? I've noticed her glances that went towards my direction in the meadow, but there should not have been a possible way for her to notice me, not with human eyes, at least.

Bella leaned downwards away from the boulder; her fingers feeling around on the forest floor. As her fingers grazed a small rock, she picked it up, holding it tightly in her palm. Bella then reached her arm backwards, and through it towards the shadow, close to my direction, but it left no impact at me; instead the rock landed right next to the doe. The young doe's head perked up as she quickly got to her feet and ran off. The birds as well had flown from their branches where they had slept quietly before. I still did not move.

Bella sighed, and leaned back down onto the rock and stared up at the sky. She twiddled her fingers, seeming like she was waiting for me to appear as if the doe and the birds were not the reason for the rustling. As if she still had known it was me. Time had passed, and her breathing began to grow slower, along with her heart rate until she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

I waited until the small snores escaped from her throat and until her arm fell lame away from her body. She was now asleep, deeply. I walked over to her, keeping my feet away from any possible bramble that would cause rustling. As I got nearer, the small trickles of rain had started to come down, landing on her sweater and causing it to become damp. I decided not to hesitate anymore. I darted over to her and perched myself onto the boulder. I sat behind her head, hovering my body over hers to block the rain from hitting her face any longer. I leaned my hand towards her face and ran my finger over the almost dried tear that was left on her cheek. Bella, for what were these tears for? There were no words I could possibly say for the wretched guilt I had felt for doing what I had done to her, and there was no possible path I could take to erase the past. The damage was done, and I inflicted pain on the human that brought a reason for my existence. I had left Forks; I had left her so she would no longer feel pain or danger, but even that choice caused her pain—pain that I alone had inflicted onto her.

As the hours had passed, rain continued to trickle over the trees and drop onto the boulder causing a small puddle to form in the indentations of it. Her clothes were becoming damper, but not her face. For I wished I could bring her home, where she could be warm underneath her comforter, and comfortable with her body laid onto her mattress—but I could not. Taking her home would cause her stress for the unknown occurrence. Lifting her into my arms would cause her to awaken, and I did not want to risk the possibility of her knowing my presence was near. So, I had continued to sit here, keeping her face dry.

The hour had now passed midnight, and the trickles of the small rain drops now began to grow, and it was no longer a light sprinkle, it was now rain. I leaned down, placing my ear against her ticking heart, listening to its rhythm while she slept. Bella's body began to twitch, and her teeth began to chatter. What could I do now? I cannot keep her warm, not with my temperature. I could see her eyes moving under her eyelids as she was beginning to wake up. I had to leave this spot, I had to leave her before she woke. I then ejected myself from the boulder, darting into the shadows of the trees.

Bella opened her eyes, looking around and then wiped her face as the rain now had made connection to her cheeks. She lifted herself up into a sitting position on the boulder. A look of panic came across her face as she looked around in the darkness. It was late, much too late, and past the usual time that she would be home. As the look of worry showed in the ridges between her eyebrows, I wanted to go to her, to help her get out of these woods safely. To help her get home.

Bella looked around some more, continuing to wipe the drizzle of rain that beaded in her hair and fell onto her face. Her hands started touching random objects as she was feeling around, for it was a dark night, and the moon was not shining as bright through the mist and clouds as it had before. Bella started to shift her weight around on the boulder, and then commenced to climb down. She pushed herself off the rock, landing onto her knees on the ground.

"SHIT!" She exclaimed as the smell of her blood fueled the air. Not too much, but enough to have noticeably been a graze.

I leaned forward, wanting to go to her, to help her. She had hurt herself, and I could not protect her from that. She then stood up, holding her arms against her chest to bare herself from the cold rain that soaked through her clothes. She then proceeded to walk away from the boulder, opposite from my direction, pushing a few tree branches away that were in the way of her view. She hurt herself and then got right back up? How glorious she was, such a tough fighter. She was always in a small was self-preserving when it came to get her way. Her walking away irked me a little. If she went back to the reservation, I would no longer be able to look after her.

Please, Bella do not leave. You must stay here. It is dangerous for her to be walking around. Of course, she could not know that I could keep an eye on her till morning if she decided to stay here, but she would be safe.

Her reaction became startled as she froze into place. She looked around. I did not hear anything that could have forced this reaction on her, besides the sounds of the leaves crumbling under her feet. After a few seconds had passed, and she looked around, she then proceeded to walk forward. She kept going, and I inched forward more, watching her.

"No, you left, you're not here. I can manage this on my own," She said. But to who? Who was she speaking to? Had Bella now become a telepathic human? Listening to thoughts around her? And if that was true, was she speaking of me? Am I the one she says who had left her? Bella was right in a strange way, she could manage this on her own, but the fight against myself in my mind kept telling me she needed to be protected, to be safe.

"You promised to love me," she said sniffling through her nose. I could see her skin becoming paler, with a light tint of blue as the blood in her veins wanted to pulse through her skin to warm her body up. As she inched forwards through the brush, she had now crossed back into the tribe's territory, where I could not pass over, where I could not protect her.

Where is she? Feet began to clamber in the woods from afar, about 400 yards away.

I don't know, dingbat. Billy said she went looking for you though!

I leaped into the trees, climbing up the bark into the tops of it, gripping down onto a branch and swinging my feet upon it, steadying myself. I sighed in relief. Relief that Bella's presence in these woods were known, that someone was coming to save her, to get her away from here and back home while I could not.

Their feet came closer, as I could hear them running perpendicular to her direction, running along the perimeter line.

We have to find her! She's been gone for hours!

She might have gone home, Jacob.

No, she has not. Charlie has called Billy; we will continue looking for her. Sam said.

Leave it to Bella to put herself in danger again, needing a werewolf to save her. Boohoo.

Shut up, Leah!

She's probably thrown herself off a cliff. So sad and still crying over that bloodsucker

NO! SHE'S NOT! She's with me! Jacob yelled, huffing.

Yeah, until you imprint on another girl and leave her. Then she'll have her chance to go looking for her dead family again.

A pair of feet then slid off the course they were headed in. Darting away.

Leah, that's eno— Sam said, but was interrupted by a loud crash that commenced from two wolves colliding into each other. Jacob was on top of Leah and her wolf form began to thrash around, trying to kick Jacob's wolf form away from her. Jacob was snapping his jaws into her shoulder, and she was snapping at his ears as his head was tucked into her arm.

Both of you! That's enough! Jacob, go back onto the course. Go find Bella! Sam ordered.

Small chuckles erupted from the rest of the pack, and a loud grunt from another one. I could hear the paws headed back this way along the perimeter line.

Bella… Bella, where are you? Stupid, Leah.

I'm just saying, Jacob. It has happened before. Imprinting is more powerful than a regular relationship.

Jacob's mind shifted to the thought of him and Bella spending everyday together, hiding on the reservation, away from other people. He had imagined her huddled on the beach with him, until more children were born on the reservation. He then imagined him and Bella packing their bags and leaving to a new town with a much lesser population. Jacob imagined himself building Bella a house and raising a family in that home.

The thoughts then formed in Leah's head of what the 'imprinting' did to her and Sam's relationship. I was able to put pieces together of what the idea of the imprint was, and how it united a wolf to his potential mate, forever. For it was not necessarily a sexual love connection, but a deeper bond. A bond that forms between the two, and the wolf who then experiences protectiveness over that one person. Being there for them, forever. I could see Sam in Leah's mind when he broke up with her. Her confusion of her not understanding why, for their relationship seemed immense to her. And then her mind going over how Sam then formed a relationship with her cousin, Emily. Leah never understood why, not until she became a wolf. Sam had imprinted on Emily and had then left Leah so he could head the bond between him and Emily that was much too immense to ignore.

Jacob hissed at Leah for bringing up the potential imprint that awaits him, and Sam's thoughts grew more sorrowful.

Would that happen to Jacob? And did that mean Jacob did not imprint on Bella for they were not destined to be together. Surely, she was not, for she was too good for Jacob. She was too good for this world. No one, not a single being could be good enough for Bella.

As I heard the rustling and clambering of feet come closer in this direction, veering off towards Bella, I leaped to the next tree, and so on.

I found her! I found her! Oh Bella...

Good, Jacob. We will keep patrolling. Take her back to the reservation, immediately.

Bella's heart rate began to rise, and I could hear the blood pumping faster from her heart and into the rest of her body through the aorta. She was scared, and I could not save her. I knew what was coming for her, and I had to hold back my urge to sweep her into the trees away from the forest floor from where they trample, but I could not do that to her. I had to ensure a trust that they could responsibly take care of her and take her home back to Charlie. But, if I found any hint of treachery and danger from them onto her, then I will fight. I will fight and protect her.

I could hear Bella screaming now. I was looking through the thoughts around me from the wolf pack, and could see Jacob looking at her, running to her while Bella crippled herself onto the forest floor screaming.

What the hell is she doing?!

Jacob then phased back into his human form.

"Bella? BELLA!?" he exclaimed at her. Jacob's thoughts were pure when he thought of her, and the worry filled his mind. I could hear his mind, looking through his thoughts as he looked at her. He had wrapped his arms around her body as she thrashed around. He was trying to warm her up with his body heat against her damp clothing

Damnit, Bella. She's freezing. Stop. Resisting. Damnit!

Bella threw her arm around her and hit him against his shoulder. The sound of her bone clabbering at his shoulder was audible, but not too brutal to have broken her arm. A loud cry and scream jolted from her vocal cords.

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"

"God damnit, Bella, are you okay? Look at me! Bella, look at me!"

She had hurt herself all on her own even around him. Poor Bella, I would have immediately run to the hospital to help her. Carried her in my arms, but that was not a part of the plan. My plan was to make sure the wolves or any other being would not inflict pain on her, but I could not help if she had hurt herself inflicting pain on them. If she was in the woods with anyone else, another vampire or another threat, I could run in, and save her. But while she was with the wolves who we have a treaty with, I could not. I had not alerted them of my arrival in Forks, and in a way, they could possibly find a reason to kill me.

"Jacob? Wha- what are you doing here?" Bella had said with a hoarse voice.

"Real question is, what are you doing here, loca?"

"Fuck, Fuck, Jacob, STOP!" She yelped at him.

"We should get you to the hospital, Bells..."

Damnit, her fingers are freezing…

"You're freezing and wet, Bells."

"It rained," She replied coldly to him. I couldn't help but snicker at her tone towards him. Bella was always the subtle one.

"You know, you'd warm up faster if you took that sweater off." I scoffed at his response as his mind went towards himself ripping her clothes from her, embracing her drenched body against him, as he cupped his hands under her buttocks and her bosoms enveloped against his chest. He then imagined himself with a heroic backdrop with wind flowing through his hair as he held her close to him. And her eyes peered up at him in relief and gratefulness. How disgusting, but not surprising in the mind of an adolescent boy. "Survival 101," he replied again.

I could hear more paws clambering this way down the perimeter. I was thankful for the rain that was pouring down in the night, washing away my scent from the forest floor, away from the boulder that was not on their territory, and from her clothing as well. I had to leave though, to get away before I decided to take any more risks of being near where they could possibly find me. They had every right to be on our territory while we were gone, and for that I was uneasy, but Sam did not seem to want to cross either way. I was glad of that, at least for my own sake.

As I left, leaping back through the trees in the direct opposite way from the clambering paws in the woods, I felt a sadness.

Jacob Black was able to hold her, to sweep her off her feet when she was in danger, and I could not. I could not do these things because I am hiding away. I knew my purpose of being here, and this was the plan. But now the plan seems less fulfilling. If I could not allow her to know of my presence here, then how could I possibly keep her safe? I still could not trust the wolves to protect her, especially not the young Jacob Black, but what should I do now?

Alice and Jasper were on there way back to Forks and as much as I knew that I would not like her plan for coming here, I was amused by the idea of not being alone here. I had spent a long time of being alone, being away from Bella. The feeling of being alone then was much more deafening compared to now, but since I had felt more hope and more relief of being near Bella, the loneliness lingered in my chest. It was uncomfortable. Having Alice and Jasper here may be a quick escape from the loneliness caving into my chest. But did I deserve to be stripped from the pain?

I decided to head back into town, back to Bella's house and wait for her return.