Bella exits her bathroom in a warm, swirling mist, her towel wrapped neatly around her hair as she fiddles with the strings of her pajama bottoms. School today had been hard. Jessica was her usual catty self and Mike was making puppy eyes at her from across the cafeteria, which of course made Jessica act even more... Jessica.

She hums tunelessly as she hops onto her bed, grabbing a book as she does so and settling deep into her covers. Her aching muscles begin to loosen and relax as she tucks her blankets around her. Sighing softly, she closes her eyes and appreciates the liquid comfort of a steamy shower and soft bedsheets. This is nice…

"Bella."

She lets out a choked scream and simultaneously throws the book she'd been holding and falling from the bed with a soft thump.

Edward retrieves the fallen book from the floor, thinly veiled amusement glittering in his eyes as he watches her prostrate form.

"Edward, you've got to stop doing that," she mutters into the carpet exhaustedly, pausing to yawn widely. That was the second time this week alone.

"I called for you many times," he says as he takes a seat on her bed, looking down at her as she slowly picks herself up. "You must have dozed off."

Bella sighs frustratedly, taking the time to look over her shoulder and give him a sour look. She's tired, dammit, and she doesn't have the patience to deal with this right now.

"What's so important that you need to scare me half to death, then?"

"Can't I come see you for the sake of it?"

"Edward."

He sighs and gestures for her to join him on the bed. His head is lowered, his eyes distant. He seems… off, somehow.

With a fair amount of hesitance, she complies, tucking her feet below her and nervously chewing on her lip. As an afterthought, she grabs her pillow and hugs it to her chest.

"What's wrong?" she asks softly, all previous vestiges of sleep evaporated in the face of Edward's odd graveness. Come to think of it, he'd acted peculiarly yesterday as well. Ever since he'd gotten back from that hunting trip the day previous, he'd been… distant. Distracted. Has she done something wrong? Is he mad at her? He'd only stayed a few minutes to let her know he was back and then he was off again, vanishing into the night.

"I simply came to tell you that… you are not to come to the house under any circumstance. Do you understand?"

"Edward, I-"

"Do you understand?"

There is no reasoning with her boyfriend when he is like this, domineering and forceful, so she nods slowly albeit dubiously. "And Emmett and Alice? How will I see them if-"

"You'll see them at school. That should be enough."

Her anger surges again but she tamps it down. He's obviously worried about something.

"What is this about?"

"It's…" he rubs his arm and shrugs feebly, "hard to explain."

Well, that sure helped.

His eyes grow distant as he continues to rub his arm.

"I'm sure I can understand," she declares. "We have all night."

"Bella," he sighs exasperatedly.

"Edward," she says in the same voice.

He shakes his head and continues to rub his arm.

"What is wrong?" she demands, reaching out and grabbing his arm. He tenses below her touch, readying to jerk away, but she tightens her hold, glaring sternly.

When he finally stills, she peels back the long sleeve of his shirt and gasps, slapping a hand to her mouth.

"What happened?" she whispers, taking in the sight of mangled flesh knitted roughly together in the vague shape of teeth. "Who bit you?"

"It's nothing-"

"Edward," she growls, releasing him when he pulls away. "I know you think you can protect me from anything. I know you'd do anything for me. But that goes both ways, you know? To know that someone hurt you and not even know who did it…" she shakes her head. "This is a relationship. Things are a two-way street around here."

He's quiet for a moment, clearly debating the best course of action. Finally, he drops his head.

"It was a feral. Got his hands on me before I could stop him."

"A feral?"

"A vampire who's lost their humanity. We were tracking him because Alice," here he shakes his head and makes a disgusted face, "Alice had another one of her visions." He says it with such distaste that even Bella feels discomfort.

"During the hunting trip," she realizes, nodding understandingly and waiting patiently for him to continue.

"She said he was destined for something great."

"And that is?"

He bares his teeth and shrugs viciously. "That's the thing- she won't tell me, won't tell any of us. I can't even find it in her mind. She just keeps repeating that he's here for something greater."

"And he's at the house," she surmises. "Is he dangerous?"

He nods, wraps his arm around her and drags her close to his side like a child reaching for a teddy bear. "Some of the things I've seen in his mind…" he shivers against her. "It's utterly foul. He'd drain you as soon as look at you."

She frowns. Why would Alice keep such a dangerous vampire around? Her visions have been wrong before. Why would she put such faith in the feral?

"What's his opinion on the matter?"

"He doesn't have one. Feral, remember? No lucid thoughts beyond basic stuff; hunger, boredom. Things like that. He's no better than a person in a coma."

"How awful," she whispers. "That poor man, trapped in his own mind. What could have happened to him?" Do vampires get PTSD? Shellshock? It would make sense- eternal creatures exposed to all manner of evil, of course they'd not come away unscathed.

"Don't feel sorry for him, Bella. He's killed many… hundreds, even. If he has a soul, it is as dark as night."

She nods for appearance's sake, but she can't help herself in pitying him. That is a fate worse than death, to live without living. And for eternity, for that matter.

"I'll come tomorrow night," he murmurs, "I've got to get back now. The Denali coven is here, helping us to keep him subdued. They'll need my help."

"Be safe," she mutters, smiling tiredly as he bends to kiss her cheek.

Before he departs, he turns and points at her. "No coming to the house. Understood?"

Her earlier annoyance rises and before she gets angry and starts an argument, she turns her back to him as she settles into her bed.

A soft chuckle sounds and then he's gone, a gentle 'Goodnight, Bella,' echoing in the sudden silence.

Updates won't be this often forever, but for now this damned story won't leave me alone. ;) Next chapter is big... a meeting, perhaps?