Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I just play in the sandbox sometimes.

AN: Ok, first off I'm very sorry. I know it's been weeks since I've posted in this story. First off I had terrible writers block, I actually rewrote this chapter at least four times and I'm still not sure that I'm happy with it. Secondly I had some life issues to deal with and those didn't help with my writing. Thirdly I had the flu, so that set me back a while as well. I imagine it will take me a while to get Chapter Twenty-Six out as well but from there is should be smooth sailing as far as weekly updates are concerned. I know I've promised other stories on my page but I want to concentrate on this one a little more before I start on any others. Thanks for sticking with me ~ Hannah

Chapter Twenty-Five – It Started with Baseball

"You're going to play baseball?"

"Yeah the Cullen's invited me."

"Really, you? Baseball?"

"I'm not you Bella. I'm not clumsy as hell and bad with any hand eye coordination!"

"I'm sorry it just doesn't seem like something you'd want to do."

"Look they invited me alright. It's important to them and whether I end up playing the game or just sitting on the side lines and watching them play I'll be having fun."

"Well I think it's good that they invited you. Won't it be fun to see how Vampires play baseball?" said their Dad.

"See, Dad likes the idea."

"Dad just loves baseball."

"If all you're going to do is complain then why don't you go spend some time with Adrian."

"I thought you were angry we hadn't spent much time together?"

"I was but now your moaning is annoying me."

I dodged Bella's arm as she tried to whack me with it. She was just a little too slow and I a little too fast but I enjoyed the moment she almost fell flat on her face.

I did miss my sister terrible but I knew we were now the twins that faced the world alone. We were different, we'd evolved, made friends and relationships. We'd still be close but we weren't joined at the hip anymore. I needed to move forward, I'd mourned the loss of that and was now ready to start in the new chapter of my life. Perhaps I was being over dramatic.

Edward met me outside my house not in his usual car but in a massive jeep. I raised my eyebrow at him quizzically but he just smiled and got me to get in the car. I could see Dad eying me from the kitchen window but luckily he didn't come out. He just chuckled some, sent me a wink and then disappeared. I presumed he was going fishing or something but I was happy in the knowledge that Dad liked Edward. I'd heard horror stories of parents not liking the other halves of their children and had at one point worried about what Dad would think of Edward.

Storm clouds had gathered in the sky as we drove but it was still warm out. Edward assured me that I'd know why they needed to storm shortly but it was becoming very clear that I would not be playing baseball with the others.

Esme hugged me when I arrived while the others, especially Emmett glared at me with a sulky pout.

"What's going on?"

"They cheat," said Esme.

"No, you think we cheat," said Edward.

Esme turned to look at me, "they cheat."

I giggled.

"It's time," said Alice.

Rose whacked the bat first and I realised why they needed the thunder. I'd never heard anything so loud and worried about the abuse my poor ears were getting. If I went deaf from this experience, I would so be suing the Cullen's. I hadn't realised how competitive Rose and Edward were, Edward was faster here and Rose was out but she didn't go quietly. It was a competition between them and a sport where they could be themselves without fear of exposure. It was fantastic to watch them though, it was like seeing film special effects except she was seeing the effects unedited.

"Stop!" said Alice. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear them. I didn't think they were interested but then they changed their mind. They're travelling so quickly and they're almost here."

"Who are here?" I asked.

Edward was by my side in a second, in fact the whole family was crowding around me.

"Others."

"Others?"

"Yes others but not like us others."

I was confused, the Cullen's were all poised to attack but I couldn't understand why until I heard the faint rustle of forest foliage being crushed underfoot and then they emerged. There were three of them and I saw their feet first, they were bare. Their clothes were threadbare but it was their eyes I noticed. Red. Blood red. The penny fell. THAT sort of other then.

"This belongs to you?" said the dark skinned man. "Can for a few more players?"

"Thank you," said Carlisle, "the more the merrier."

"I'm Laurent. This is Victoria and James."

Even though Laurent was acting as head of the group I could tell he wasn't. It was just the way James was glaring at him, a subtle shake of the head here, a shift of the eyes there. I didn't know about the rest of the Cullen's but I knew what I was seeing. James was the clear leader of the group which made me wonder why he wasn't acting as it.

"I see you bought a snack."

It all happened so quickly. One second everything was fine and the next all the vampires on the field were growling and Edward was whisking me away before I had a chance to draw breath. I didn't understand what was happening because no one had given me a second to explain the situation. Emotional vampires were not something I'd really dealt with and I didn't know how to handle whatever was going through Edward's head. He was manic that was clear, he gripped the steering wheel of the jeep so hard I wondered how it hadn't cracked. There was a thump outside which made me jump till I realised both Emmett and Jasper had joined us.

"Slow down."

"No."

"Edward, tell me what's going on."

"Not now."

"Yes now."

"No, I have to get you as far away as possible. It's not safe here anymore. I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have been more careful, bringing you out into the open like that was the worst possible thing I could have done."

"Someone tell me what is going on right now!"

"He's a tracker, James. I saw it in his mind. He tracks like an obsessed hound. He's never going to stop hunting you."

"Edward we're a strong clan, we can out fight them," said Emmett.

"No, I'm not taking any chances."

"Edward, please—"

"No, he'll go to your house first. We have to lead him away."

"If you think for a minute that I'm letting you take me away without telling anyone then you've got another thing coming. My Dad is in my house, so is Bella. I am not leaving them behind."

"We are not discussing this."

"Yes. We. Are. You don't want to go to my house fine! I know somewhere we can go but I am texting my Dad right now to meet us there as well as Bella. This isn't some dumb movie where I sacrifice myself to stop the bad guy. Emmett is right, your family is capable of dealing with this and even if they weren't there are others who can help."

"What? Humans and a witch?"

"Not humans."

"What?"

"No, I'm not saying another thing till we get there."

Shoving the directions into Emmett's hand, he made him direct an irate Edward while I sulked in the passenger seat. She couldn't believe that Edward was just going to try and take her away without informing her family. That was like the most stupid plan I'd ever heard. If he thought, I would sacrifice myself to end the hunt he had another thing coming. Did he not know how foolish that could have been or how it could have gone wrong in a blink of an eye? I didn't want to be involved in a plan that had so many loose ends because that was just stupid.

We came to a screeching halt outside their destination. I assumed that Emmett had forwarded the directions to the others because I didn't think they'd be able to tail the other vampires for long if they didn't want to be found.

"Where are we?"

"Adrian's house."

"The human, why?"

I huffed at Edward's attitude. I wasn't going to pander to his needs. I knew he was agitated about everything but he needed to calm down.

I didn't have time to explain everything to irate vampires. My understanding of the situation was that things were serious and quick action was what was needed not slow explanations. Edward was clearly very tense, angry and panicked and the rest of his family were similarly effected by what was happening. I'll admit I was pretty scared by the turn of events. It seemed that this hunter James was someone to be weary of and the fact that he was after me didn't exactly fill me with confidence. I refused however, to run and hide. In my mind hiding only hurt those around you and I'd prefer to meet the problem head on and solve it.

"What's going on? We saw the car speeding down here, has something happened?"

Adrian had appeared outside of his house with Bella in tow.

Bella rushed to my side, I suppose it was twin intuition – i.e. she knew something was up.

I hugged her, squeezing the life out of her. She was my lifeline.

"I'm sorry, I really am," said Edward.

"What happened?" repeated Adrian.

"We were playing baseball and some nomad vampires appeared. One, he's a hunter. He's hunting me." I said.

"Vampires," said Adrian. "Human drinkers?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well then."

"Please say you can help Adrian because otherwise Edward's plan is to ship me off out of Forks without so much as a goodbye to the people I love and I don't want to hide while danger is looming."

"I can help. We'll need Angela though."

"I'll ring her," said Bella.

"Not to be rude," said Edward, rudely. "But what help can you give?"

"My name is Adrian Crowthorne and I'm an immortal fey. Technically I'm a Prince but that's not really that important now. I'm sure you've heard the rumours of strife in the fey world, that it partly the reason I'm masquerading in the human world. We all have appearances to keep. I can help in this fight."

"How?" asked Edward.

"I'm more interested how you managed hiding being a fey from Alice," said Jasper.

"I can make it look like Ella is alone in the woods, like she's sacrificing herself when really she'll be safely here."

"That doesn't sound like much."

"With Angela here I can hone in on Ella completely and make the apparition more real. The hunter won't know the difference until it's too late."

"That still doesn't explain how you'll stop James."

"You think just because you live with humans and you drink animal blood that I didn't take precautions when I moved here? Bella and her family mean a lot to me and I have traps set up all over to ward off a many number of creatures. All I need is to project Ella onto of a trap and the rest will take care of itself."

I could tell that Edward looked sceptical about Adrian's plan. As plans went I thought it was pretty nifty. I didn't realise he'd made plans or traps set in case anything happened. That was smart of him.

Slamming of car doors signalled the return of the other Cullen's and not so surprisingly Dad.

"We should go inside," said Adrian. "It's not safe out here at the moment."

Once we were all safely inside, I began to observe those around me. Bella still hadn't let go of my hand for which I was incredibly grateful and Dad was sitting on my other side looking very pale and worried but otherwise he had a very determined glint in his eye. The Cullen's were dotted around the room with various expressions on their faces but it was Edward's face that I was looking at. He looked pained, like I t physically hurt him to be within visible distance of me and not be able to lock me out of harms reach. I knew he was blaming himself for how things had turned out which was stupid. He couldn't control everything that happened to me and life was dangerous. He couldn't protect me from everything.

However, Edward was probably the most paranoid and panicked person I had ever met, so I guess I can't really blame him for the way he was acting. He'd been this way for over a hundred years and wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Are you ok with this?" whispered Bella.

I nodded, "I'm literally the most scared I've ever been but I have everyone I care about around me. This plan is the best we've got. I don't want to spend my life running in fear or give anyone a chance to hold something over me."

"When did you get so strong?"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. It was always in me Bella; I could just never access it."

"I'm so proud of you."

It was an odd time for Bella to be sentimental. I couldn't understand what I'd done to make her so suddenly proud of me till I looked at her face and realised just how worried she was. Her eyes were alight with emotions I'd barely seen on her face before, worry, fear and anger. She was using words to distract herself from the real possibilities of what might happen.

"I'm proud of you too Bells."

She squeezed my hand in comfort. It was bizarre to be on the receiving side of so much love and comfort. I don't want to sound like I'm having a pity party but until we moved in with Dad, this part of human life was alien to me. Well that's not strictly true but it's safe to say that the way Renee treated me had a large impact on me growing up. What I mean to say is that I never thought I'd be in this situation. Not the 'being hunted by a crazy vampire' part but the having so many friends and being loved part.

It was new and exciting but equally scary and frightening. If I had been pushed into whatever idea Edward had, I could definitely see my actions leading me into throwing myself into the firing line rather than waiting for backup or waiting for others to get hurt.

That thought frightened me. I loved my family, my friends and Edward but I didn't ever want to give it up. What happened when the next threat came knocking? Would I sacrifice myself then? Would Edward lock me up before I got the chance? It wasn't really something I was looking forward to finding out and perhaps I should really concentrate on the matter at hand and not at hypothetical situations that hadn't happened.

Instead I concentrated on looking around the room of people and I mean really looking not the half-hearted attempt I'd tried before. Rose, Jasper and Alice were involved in a very serious conversation with Adrian. I supposed that Alice was trying to predict the outcome while Jasper was no doubt discussing fighting techniques should things not go to plan. I knew Rose would want to be involved in any discussions about what was to happen because we'd developed a strong bond and I knew she'd want to feel like she was helping. Esme and Carlisle had involved Dad in a conversation. He still hadn't left my side but his grip on my shoulder had considerably lessened. I guessed there were certain words that parents could use to comfort one another and I was grateful that Dad had this comfort.

When the doorbell rang it was Emmett that got up to answer it and in walked Angela and her Mum. It stood to reason that her Mum would be wherever she was but I was uncertain as to whether Dad knew about Angela and her Mum being witches or not. If he didn't then he was about to find out. I couldn't quite remember if they'd had that conversation or not.

Angela hurried over to Adrian and they began talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying but whatever it was, was being said in harsh, quick tones. The only two missing from the group was Tyler and Ben but it would have been selfish to involve them when their presence wasn't needed. I wasn't being cruel I just didn't want to involve more people than necessary.

Edward was still sitting alone. He was like a forgotten toy amongst all the movement of others. He looked pained and I longed to go over and help him but I couldn't quite make my legs work. If we didn't have Edward on our side, then what was the point of all of this? I didn't want to cause more pain than necessary to Edward but yet I didn't want to follow his plan either.

"Is there somewhere I can talk to Edward semi-privately?" I asked Bella. Of course I couldn't talk to him completely privately in a house full of vampires but I could try.

She nodded, "you could take him upstairs. The first on the left is where Adrian's staying. He wouldn't mind if you used his room."

Willing my legs to work I stood up – abet shakily – and walked towards Edward. It felt like everyone had stopped to watch my movements but at the same time I knew everyone was involved in what they were doing. I hoped that something happened soon because I didn't know how long James could be kept hunting the forests before he realised I wasn't there.

I gripped Edward's hand in one of my own and pulled him from the sofa. He came willingly – because I wouldn't have been able to pull him up if he hadn't wanted to come – and we walked the short distance upstairs and into Adrian's room.

"Are you alright Edward?" I asked.

He looked at me and I suddenly felt very small and afraid. He stalked towards me and I found myself retreating till my back hit the wall and I realised I had nowhere left to run. Edward moved until he was but a hairbreadth away from my face and he placed his hands on either side of my head. I didn't move, mesmerised as I was by our close proximity and I didn't know what was going to happen next.

"Am. I. Alright?" he asked as he punctuated each word. "I've essentially put you in terrible danger. Well, you've been in danger since we met but I stupidly forgot I was a vampire while you were a mere human. We're all sitting around like ducks without water all the while there is a mad vampire on the loose with a hunger for your blood. We could have been miles away by now and you could have been safe while we hunted and killed these nomad vampires that had threatened you but no, we are sitting in Adrian's house. An immortal fey which you clearly knew about and didn't say anything. Do you know nothing of the relationship between vampires and fey? Of course you don't. You don't know anything and now I have to suffer the possibility that I might lose you and I don't think I can cope with that."

He'd been shouting, his words perfectly pronounced, punctured my heart with each step. On one hand I felt disappointed that I had hurt and angered the one person I loved but on the other hand I felt angry at him. How dare he say that we were sitting ducks and that as a human I knew nothing. I knew he was feeling guilty but that didn't excuse his behaviour. I wasn't going to be submissive in this relationship, if I didn't agree with something he said then I was going to tell him. As far as I could tell, Edward was angry because I hadn't agreed to his plan to flee and he was annoyed that I hadn't told him Adrian was an immortal fey.

"Don't you dare treat me this way Edward. Yes, you're a vampire and I'm a human but that has nothing to do with your anger. You're just upset that I didn't agree to flee when you wanted. You're angry that I haven't blindly followed your commands and that I'm thinking for myself. You're right that I don't know of the relationship between immortal fey and vampires but I didn't tell you about Adrian because it wasn't my secret to tell and he asked me not too. You aren't the only important person in my life Edward, and I wouldn't leave my family even if you begged me. We are doing things my way, we're going to use the spell Adrian and Angela create to fool the vampires hunting me. If and only if it doesn't work then we can think of doing it your way."

He glared at me, fuming. I didn't like it when Edward was angry and I liked it even less when he was angry at me.

"If you're still alive that is…"

I pushed at his chest but it made little difference because he didn't move.

"Get out of my way Edward. I don't need your pessimistic attitude right now."

"It's not pessimistic, it's realistic. I have more experience dealing with vampires, hell our entire family does but you put your faith in an immortal fey."

"Trust me."

"How can I trust you when I might lose you?"

"It's called love Edward. I love you and that makes me trust you."

He sighed, "I love you but I don't trust what you're doing."

There was a knock at the door and Alice appeared.

"Sorry to interrupt but it's time," she said.

Edward glared at me some more before he finally let his arms fall and allowed me to move past him. I didn't know what was going to happen between us now. I guess I would just have to make sure I survived this and then I could work on the issues with Edward. I wouldn't have thought he'd react this way about this but clearly I was wrong.

When I returned downstairs everyone seemed a little happier for which I was relieved. We needed a little happiness. I promptly ignored the looks of sympathy the Cullen's were giving me in favour of the matter at hand.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Lie down here and relax. You're going to feel sleepy anyway. If you find yourself in the forest don't be alarmed, you aren't really there. You might be able to hear what is happening around you though."

I nodded and lay down on the sofa. I closed my eyes to help the process and listened while Adrian and Angela chanted above me. I felt something wet hit my forehead and tried not to flinch away from it. Slowly I felt myself entering a state of relaxation and I welcomed the darkness that greeted me. I knew I was safe in the place that I was and as I blinked and found myself in a forest clearing I knew that I was still safe. I wasn't really there.

I looked down and saw the trap laid for the vampires. I felt a slither of fear race down my back for it was obvious to me that the section of forest floor below me was false. The leaves were a dead giveaway and I deduced that when someone walked on them they'd fall to their deaths into a pit below. It was so obvious to me that I didn't think it would work on James for surely he'd see what lay in wait for him.

The forest was peaceful, relaxing even. I moved my arms about and saw a pale sheen of glitter. I hoped that was something only I could see, perhaps an after effect of the spell.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here…"

I looked out to see James walked out of the forest with Victoria in tow. How I hadn't heard them coming was beyond me. Wait, vampires can move silently – stupid.

"They left you out here all alone? That just doesn't seem right."

I panicked and thought of my family fighting for their lives. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"I g-got lost. They told me to r-run. I was running but I lost sight of the o-others. Please don't d-do this."

I tried not to look too triumphant when I saw the look of belief run across James and Victoria's faces. I wondered if everyone at Adrian's were hearing my words of if they were only heard in this clearing.

"I had planned on chasing you for days. I must say I am a little disappointed to have caught you so quickly. I had so much planned for you. A little play if you will. Your vampire made it all so exciting when he took a stand before you. I thought I had met my match when your scent touched my nose."

"Pity that you're just a pathetic human. If you'd been something else this could have been dragged out for days," said Victoria.

"No matter for I'm sure your blood will be a sweet victory regardless. Don't run now, we'll only catch you."

"Or better yet do run, it'll be fun," added Victoria.

"You could just let me go?"

"I think not."

Even though I knew I was safe, when the two vampires charged at me I felt fearful that they would actually manage to kill me.

The moment their feet touched the obviously changed bit of forest floor they did indeed fall into an impossibly deep pit that was complete with jagged spikes. I heard their howls of pain but couldn't help but think that they could just climb out of the pit because surely being stabbed by spikes wasn't a sure fire way of killing a vampire. I wasn't particularly down on how you did kill a vampire but as I was thinking of it a ring of fire ignited from the edges of the pit and moved inwards and downwards at the same time. I really did hear the howls then and smell what I assumed was melting vampire flesh. I didn't even want to know how Adrian had rigged this up in the middle of the forest. It spoke of serious commitment and too much time on his hands. The fire went on for a while but the howls silenced rather quickly. I assumed that meant that James and Victoria had finally died. I also assumed that Adrian would know how to kill a vampire and that the job had been completed. What I didn't assume or expect was who walked out of the forest next.

I heard clapping first before Laurent appeared with a sinister smile upon his face.

"Well this certainly is a turn of events. I never thought James or Victoria would be beaten at their own game and by a human no less. How did you do it?"

"It's none of your concern how I did it but you better back off before it happens to you." I said.

I still felt scared, I didn't know how long this spell lasted but hoped it would pull me out soon.

"I must admit I'm a little annoyed you killed off my followers."

Wait, what? Laurent was the leader?

"Ahh yes, I see you're surprised. James wasn't the leader of this little group though he did have a commanding presence. I'll have to find other followers now which is a tad annoying."

"Don't come any closer," I said.

"Oh don't worry little Ella. I know you aren't really here. I have no hope of hurting you now. Just know you'll be seeing me soon Ella, it appears we have a score to settle."

He turned and ran into the forest. He was gone in the blink of an eye and I remained motionless until the spell called me back but moments later.

"Did it work?" asked Adrian.

"James and Victoria are dead. Laurent is still alive. He said he was the leader of the group and he knew I wasn't really in the clearing. He said he'd be seeing me soon…apparently we have a score to settle."