FIVE

{UNKNOWN POV}

The scent and the sound of her racing pulse wasn't what drew him at first. No, if he had to give a reason why he singled her out, that would be the overwhelming desire to protect her. A reminder of an old love, one he'd been forced to leave behind hundreds of years ago. And a promise he made to that old love.

Someday, they would meet again. Someday, they would be reunited.

He took a deep breath and smirked to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He wasn't a man who broke promises, even promises that were over hundreds of years old. He didn't intend to start now.

He would have her. He would be reunited with his love. Nothing else would do.

The man took a long pause, watching the brunette as she and a few friends ran full tilt through a meadow of purple flowers. After he'd focused, he had three distinct ideas as to which disguise she would respond fastest to.

He took the first form. That of her father, a local police officer.

And when she darted in his direction, he stepped out of the treeline. Revealing himself to her.

{ BELLA / ALICE; EDEN / PAUL}

Alice rushed into her bedroom, grabbing a pen and one of Eden's sketch pads. Drawing out what she'd just seen happen in her latest vision. Bella eyed the picture as it began to form, tensing all over when Alice finished and shoved the sketchpad towards her.

"Yeah, Eden's down in the forest. They've been out all day playing hide and seek with paintball guns all afternoon. Wait… Who's the man watching? Because that can't be Charlie, he's gone to work. Didn't you guys tell me about vampires using a glamour to lure victims? That's how they've been catching people to turn them? Oh no. This isn't good, not at all… I've gotta do something."

"It's not Charlie. And you're right, that's exactly what's happening here. But when he confronts Eden, Eden won't realize it's not him until it's too late. You don't want to know the rest. We just need to get to her now. Right now. If I'm seeing this, Bells, it means we still have time to stop it."

Bella nodded, grabbing the keys to the house. Alice caught up to her just as she stepped into the meadow that Eden and her friends deemed a base earlier when the game started.

"Cooper, have you seen my sister?" Bella approached the lanky brunette male who was currently serving as seeker.

"Yeah. She's hiding with Tobin and Marley. Why?"

"Call a timeout, Coop."

"Eden said…"

Bella glared. "I said call a timeout. Make everyone come out. I need to talk to my sister."

The words died on her lips as she heard her sister's shrill scream echo through the forest. Bella raced towards the sound and to her surprise, she wasn't the only one. Paul passed her up, phased into his wolf form. Lunging through the treeline. Taking down Charlie's doppleganger without batting a lash and Eden stood frozen in place, screaming for help.

The glamour wore off of the vampire and before Paul could get a good solid grip on the vampire, it was gone. Leaving Eden to sink down and sit with her back against a giant boulder while she tried to catch her breath and let her heart climb down out of her throat.

"I thought it was Dad." Eden managed to breathe out the words.

"I know, Edie. I know. C'mon inside now, okay? I think for the time being, it's a better idea if you stick close to me." Bella sank down to sit next to her younger sister. Letting her breath return to normal and hoping that her heart would stop beating like it was about to leave her chest.

Paul was phased to human form now. Standing nearby, quiet. Just trying to process what just happened. Trying to get his anger and the rage he felt at the leech having the audacity to get so fucking close to Eden, to his imprint…

,, but you're supposed to be fighting this. It's better if you fight this." the thought surfaced but Paul was too angry, too worried about her to give it time to latch on. If Sam hadn't forced him to do an extra patrol today as punishment for losing his temper earlier…

"Do you see what your thing with these fuckin things is causing, leech-lover? Or do you just not give one flying fuck, hm?" Paul towered over Bella in anger, arms folded over his chest as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"These vampires have nothing to do with the Cullens, Paul. And this is not your business, remember? What are you even doing here anyway, you're the one who told me to keep her the fuck away…"

Paul's eyes settled on his imprint. Just long enough that the slightest hurt look in big brown eyes had him feeling as if what he'd said to Bella that day when she and Eden saw everything might well have been a big mistake. ,,And possibly, the thought surfaced only to be shoved out again, something I definitely didn't mean."

"What the hell are you doing here if I annoy you so much anyway, hm? Why bother saving me?" Eden's hand came to rest on her hip and she paced the clearing as soon as she stood. When the two of them started to argue again loudly, Eden rolled her eyes and stormed away from them both. Shaking her head at the whole thing because frankly, the mood swings of Paul Lahote were enough to give her whiplash.

"I need to go talk to my sister. If you want her kept away, Lahote, maybe do yourself a favor and stop fucking finding her, yeah?"

"If I hadn't gotten to her just now, Bella Swan, we both know what the hell would've happened. And we both know you're the real danger." Paul gave her a dismissive eye-roll and stormed away.

Angry with the entire situation. But most of all, angriest at himself because lately, it was getting blurrier, the lines were getting harder to avoid crossing. But caving in was something he was at least fifty percent sure wasn't going to end well at all for him.

,, but then Eden looked at you like what Bella blurted out, her fucking big mouth… Eden seemed like that really hurt her just now… What if you were wrong?" the thought surfaced, prompting Paul to stop just outside of the treaty line and punch a tree with all his might.0

[ post script ] You guys have me all warm and fuzzy over here. First of all, thank you? Like you don't know how much all your kind words mean to me, you really don't. I can't even begin to express it either. Just know I'm giving you all my love. And hugs, so many hugs.

As far as this chapter, listen.. we all know that everything in Eclipse was completely centered around Bella. Given that I've given her a sister here, it makes sense that the shit about to occur would touch Eden in some form. This chapter is kind of me, involving Eden in a way that Paul really has to stop and think about just how hard he wants to fight this imprint bond. Also, Idk that used some of the actual legends surrounding vampires in her writing. Given that I happen to be somewhat intrigued by them (moreso by werewolves, but hey, the vampires are neat too) I'll be doing that here. This chapter is a little lead in to the whole confrontation between the pack/Cullens and the newborn army that Victoria creates.

I hope you guys enjoy this.