Into the Woods

By: Everleigh Allen

Chapter 28

You know, bleeding isn't really my thing." Bella said nervously. She was watching the Cullen coven circle around her and if there was a time to be afraid, it was now.

Alice, smiling wickedly with her creepy, sharp, straight teeth and shining eyes, was watching Bella carefully.

Or calculatingly.

"Just a little bit of blood will do," Carlisle said, stepping closer; his eyes black and beseeching.

"Yes, but blood is usually best if kept inside the body, though. As a doctor you should agree."

"True," grinned the devilishly handsome doctor, "But as a vampire, I must… disagree." He licked his lips.

Bella frowned, becoming visibly stressed. She moved backward, only to hit a hard wall.

Except the wall was Edward.

"I've got you. I promise I won't let anything happen to you." Edward whispered in her ear and then his arms dropped from around her. Then he was gone, no longer behind her.

Bella relaxed for a second, until she heard an evil snort from Rosalie and a menacing chuckle from Jasper. Esme licked her lips, minutely, but all were coming toward her.

"This isn't funny." Bella said with a shaky voice, her hand up as if to try to stop their advancement. "You're starting to freak me out, you know… Stop looking at me like I'm something to eat!"

Jasper chuckled again. His lithe body moving a step further than the others as if he was going to be first to attack. "But you are somethin' ta eat, darlin'." Jasper drawled and then snapped his chops.

"No… no I'm not! You can't!"

"We can…" Rosalie sneered.

"We will…" Esme said. Her lip curling as her once golden eyes flashed to black.

"You'll get indigestion!"

There was a chuckle, probably Emmett and Bella gasped as she felt a cold tickle against the vain in her wrist.

"Run, Bella." Edward whispered. He was in front of her with the others, eyes like black obsidian, glinting with hunger, knowing full well he was making her their prey.

Bella turned, her hair flared behind her and she ran, knowing she was no match for the vampire's super speed or their strength, but she at least had to try to get away.

She held her breath, her feet carrying her through the forest, over fallen leaves, brush, and branches.

Fear and anger fueled her. Her body dumbly tripping as her heart pupped wildly.

How stupid she was for trusting the vampires!

How stupid she was for falling for their charms, even letting one take her intimately.

I thought he loved me, she thought with a sob, pulling herself upward with the help of a branch, letting the words tainting her mind and filling her eyes with tears.

"I thought you loved me!" She cried out, her insides churning her face.

There was a growl, hissing, and a pained scream behind her, but she ignored it and kept moving forward deeper into the woods.

It was then she noticed none of the vampires were following her.

That she was alone.

For some reason, that was even worse than being pursued by vampires.

"Hello?" Bella turned toward the way she was running, seeing only trees and a slight movement with them.

This was not acceptable.

"I am so pissed off!" She screamed. "You all were supposed to be my friends! My boyfriend! How could you betray me?" She sobbed out, buckling over.

Movement through the trees caught her eye and her breath hitched.

"Who's there?"

Edward walked through the trees like an angry vengeful God.

He never looked so sexy stalking forward.

"Bella," his voice was gruff and strained, "Stay very still until I can calm down."

"You wanted to eat me! You were in on this whole thing."

"I wasn't," He bit out.

"Mind reader… hello? You knew their plan!"

Edward seethed with lip curling loveliness, "Their plan was to take you out here, scare you a little, replicating that night with Jake. They were expecting you to fall, bleed a little and maybe disappear. Alice didn't see you running off, upset. She didn't see you crying and going so deep in the forest!" He yelled. "You're miles and miles away, Bella! There's no possible way, it's only been a minute, at most."

"No possible way for what?"

"You fucking ran off, through the trees and then these little orbs of light danced around you and then I swear- we watched you just disappear! They had to hold me back from going after you, Bella!"

"I- I don't understand. That's not what happened at all."

"Then what happened? Because we all have been searching for you! It wasn't until you said those god-awful words that I could get a location on you!" Edward said, intensely, willing Bella to understand. He took a deep breath in and breathed out. "I do love you, Bella. So much. I never meant for any of this to happen." Edward moved forward tentatively watching Bella's reactions. When she didn't move away from him, he took her in his arms and held her close, unwilling to let her go, ever again.

"I love you, Bella. I've never been so worried, so upset. I can't live in a world that you don't exist." If Edward could cry it was right then because he was totally going through all the motions with the exception of falling tears.

Bella just held him tightly right back. She believed him and yet was so amazingly pissed at the other vampires.

Finally when he started to move away she asked into his chest, "So your plan was to scare me and I would fall and bleed.."

Edward huffed, seeing the idiocy of the plan. It was reckless and immature. "Not the most well-thought out plan… please forgive me."

"You I will forgive, yes, because I am a forgiving soul and I heard you… with them. But I don't forgive them and I don't want to be around them right now, especially Jasper and Rosalie… and Alice. The way she freaks me out, really messes with my head. " Bella was squeezed him a little tighter when she said she forgave him. "Don't make- this needing forgiveness – a constant thing, either. I hold grudges, or at least I will start to."

Edward laughed, his body jostling hers so much that she had to pull away from him. That and she was starting to shiver with either shock and the cold of the woods.

"I promise I will try not to do anything that may require me to be forgiven."

"Thank you and I will, you know, promise that to you, too."

"Thank you," Edward sighed. He couldn't, wouldn't imagine an existence without Bella.

He looked at her, seeing her dark eyes rimmed in red. They really upset his fragile human mate. He internally vowed that he would be more adamant when it came to her well-being and his family.

Edward reluctantly released Bella and wiped a wayward tear from her light, iridescent cheek. She was beautifully flushed with blood, fear, and anxiety.

"So, I suppose the notion a fear based reaction to illicit the desired response was not ideal and created new phenomena to happen, making the enigma that is Bella Swan, all the more curious."

"Whatever," Bella puffed out, "and no, it was not the best idea, like I previously indicated by my fear based advancement into the woods and impromptu lesson in fight or flight by my un-dead, bloodsucking demon- boyfriend and his family from beyond the grave!"

Edward laughed, shaking his head. "Maybe we should go back to my house and hypothesize possibilities to experiment. Just the two of us." Edward's voice was so soothing or Bella was so exhausted that she allowed him to pick her up and carry her through the woods.

"Yeah we could do that, or sleep. Sleep sounds much more complimentary to my mentality." she yawned, "But you get to call my dad and tell him where I'll be, being bulletproof and all." Bella settled into his arms and drifted off to sleep.

Edward loved watching Bella sleep in his bed.

Her light breaths were calm now. A vast improvement from when he first brought her to his home.

Someday, hopefully, it would be their home.

He looked around, seeing the possibilities of photographs of their life together adorning the bare walls. He saw graduation their diplomas and college pictures. He saw them as a happy, laughing couple standing in line at the Louvre, or at the Grand Canyon, or the standing at the Statue of Liberty.

He saw them have a life together.

He wanted them to have a life together.

But she would lose so much having a relationship with him.

There would be no cheeky, messy face pictures of a toddler or two. There would be no dog lying over her feet warming her toes.

There would be no wine tastings, or sharing deserts, or even wedding cakes, without him choking it down and purging it back up again.

There would be no growing old with wrinkly faces, full of love.

No grandchildren.

They would have to be enough for each other.

Would he be enough for her?

Or would she be enough for him, forever?

He had to believe so.

There was no other choice.

So, as she lay on his pillow, breathing in his scent, dreaming of their life and love, he had to believe there was a reason she was finally brought back to him.

There had to be a reason that she was so gifted, stealing his or Alice's gift with a touch of the hand, yet had the ability to block him, too.

But what was with the paradoxes in the woods?

Edward knew that the area had at least two mythical creatures living right under the noses of the Forks residents. He wondered if there could be something or some things else.

He frowned, the sudden thought disturbing to him but it made sense.

Unnerving.

But what if there wasn't anything out there and it was all Bella?

Did Renee do something to his Bella within the 17 years that she had skipped from town to town? Did Renee alter her in some way?

Was she into some kind of odd religious practices or was it simpler than that?

He really couldn't know for a few more days, when Renee was planning to come to Forks for the summer solstice.

That irritated Edward.

If he had his way he would keep Bella far away from her mother.

He didn't trust her.

But maybe that was because he was holding a grudge against the woman.

Could he ever get passed what that confused, hormonal teenager was doing in a moment of desperation?

Could he forgive her and could she in turn forgive him for impeding on their moment of non-clarity.

He also wondered if she would remember him.

What if she did?

Would she try to take Bella from him again?

Edward felt his temper flare.

He wouldn't allow that to happen again!

He couldn't.

Bella was his. She gave herself to him and he felt that that meant something.

"I didn't think vampires could get wrinkles between the brows, but you've managed it."

"Hi, how did you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess. Hard to sleep with you huffing and puffing over top of me as your eyes are boring holes in my soul."

"Sorry, I was worrying."

"Well, stop it!" Bella huffed, turning over onto her back on the bed. "There's nothing we can do about anything right now so why worry?"

Edward shook his head. "You have a resilience for life that's either profound or ignorant."

"It's probably both as needed." Bella rolled her eyes. "Talk to me. What has you so worried?"

Edward frowned, gathering his words carefully. "I am worried about your mother's visit. I have reservations about coming face to face with her again."

"Well, there's only one way to overcome the worry." Bella got up, crossed the room and started sorting through her purse.

"What would that be?"

Bella stood up and showed Edward her phone. "Call."

"It's late."

"Don't start. The woman is a night owl. She's probably watching an infomercial and chatting up the sales lady."

"She does that?"

"Yeah, on the regular." Bella shrugged. "She's bored a lot. She likes to talk and they want to make a sale. It's win win."

Edward shook his head. He wondered absentmindedly what would happen if Renee and Alice were ever to meet.

Then there was a chime on his phone so he picked it up and read the text with a huff.

Everything looks good! Make the call ~Al

Bella was already dialing the number, eyeing Edward with amusement but a bit of worry.

The phone rang and rang until there was a grunt, "Fucking hell," and then a wary "Hello."

"Hey mom," Bella held the phone away from her ear as Renee gave an excited wallop.

"Baby, how are you? Why are you calling so late?" There was a large gasp, "Is something the matter?"

"No. I am fine. Everything's fine. Calm yourself. I was just calling to talk to you about your trip and about Edward. He's nervous to meet you."

Edward rolled his eyes with a grunt. He folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you calling me this late to hide from Charlie, Bella?" She whispered unnecessarily. "Are you pregnant? Because we talked about this; I'm too young. I would have to be Aunt Renee or something."

"Nope. Not pregnant." Bella sighed and watched Edward's face blanch. Her mother wore on her. "Are you sure you want to come to Forks?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, I guess I have to. There are things I need to tell you before you find out other ways."

"Like what?"

"Like stuff not to be said over the phone!"

"When did you start becoming paranoid?" Bella laughed. She loved teasing her mother.

"Since always." Renee's sarcasm came out like a viper bite. "You're staying out of the woods, right? You said you would."

Bella frowned. She didn't want to lie to her mother, but she didn't want her mother to go nuclear either.

"I don't see your issue with the woods, mom."

There. The non-answer answer.

"I don't know how I can be more clear, Bella."

"What is it in the woods that you're so afraid of!" Bella's exasperation was starting to show. She paced over Edward's thick carpet with one hand on the phone the other clutching a handful of hair.

There was an aggravated scream that went through the phone and Bella moved the phone away from her face again.

"Don't you sass me, Bella! I have seen the things in the woods there! Horse sized wolves for one! Crazy strong cold ones, for another… but the worst Bella- the worst things can't be seen… some are unseen."

"Which are what? Just say it, out loud."

"Saying it acknowledges their presence." Renee sobbed quietly.

Bella exhaled a breath and shut her eyes tight, composing herself. "I need to know."

"I know!" Renee cried. "You're one of them. I didn't know what to do! You were playing with them, laughing and when I looked up, you were there. I thought they were just shadows from the trees…. I thought they were just lightning bugs!"

"There aren't lightning bugs this far out." Bella said calmly, bracing herself by looking at a distraught Edward. He wasn't helping her resolve so she looked away. "Just tell me."

But the few seconds of silence allowed Renee to regroup and think about what she was saying.

"Some things can't be said, baby. Some things have to be seen."

"Mom, but you just said they are unseen-"

"I'll be there in a couple days, love you."

Then there was a click and Renee was gone.

Bella looked at Edward but he looked just as dumbfounded as she did.

"Well, that wasn't helpful at all."

Edward agreed with a curt nod. His eyes drifted over Bella and then out into the woods.

.

A/N: So… there ya go. More later.