Chapter 15! Wow that's gone by fast...

BPOV

I was horrified. Couldn't anything ever be settled without a battle? Was fighting the answer to everything? I couldn't let myself believe that, but the pain was too overwhelming to do anything about it. I continued to sob uncontrollably while the pain flooded through my body. I knew it wasn't anything like vampire venom in my blood, as I had experienced once before, but that didn't make the pain any easier to handle.

"NO, EDWARD!!" I screamed, my voice strangled. I turned around to look at me, and I could tell from the expresion on his face that he really didn't want to do it either. He must have felt it was necessary, because something about the look in his eyes made me beleive it. It could've just been the undeniable pain making me delusional, but there was no way to resist believing him. Before I could read his expression any more accurately, the pain became too much. I began to lose my vision completely, and then everything went black.

* * * *

When I woke up, I was in a strangely familiar place. Dozens of bushes with little red berries dotting them, tall, lush grass, and a fresh scent in the air. Then I realized it was the place where I nearly lost my life to a vicious vampire. I shuddered.

Memories of what I had just been through began coming back to me, and I racked my brain for anything that might expain the fact I was here. Edward appearing in the door of the warehouse, the feeling of joy suddenly washing through me, for a second wiping out every ounce of pain. The way the pain seemed to get stronger once I remembered my arm, and vision becoming cloudy again.

I looked around. How did I get here? I squinted as the sun appeared from behind a cloud. The way it shone in beams of light reminded me of Edward, when his skin lit up like a thousand sparkling diamonds. Dazzling. A lump rose in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down, but I couldn't prevent the tears from running down my cheeks. I was surprised I had any moretears left to cry, considering the fact that I had practically cried a river when my arm was snapped in two.

Remembering my broken arm, I lifted it up, expecting a surge of pain to come over me again, but nothing happened. My arm was completely healed, and there was no evidence that it had ever been broken in the first place. I examined it carefully, feeling rather confused.

The sun disappeared behind a cloud again, and my little piece of Edward vanished. I desperately hoped he was okay, and that he had taken care of James. Just then, a voice came from behind me, out of nowhere.

"Um...hello," it said.

I wheeled around to see who it was, and gasped.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

Laurent stood looming over me like a great mountain, but his expression was not sinister. His eyes were a chocolate brown, not the dark red they usually were. My natural instinct was to panic.

"Why did you bring me here!? Where's Edward? What did you do to him??" I demanded, my anger overcoming my fear.

"Edward and James are at the warehouse, and Edward told me to bring you here," he said calmly. Why would Edward tell Laurent to bring me to an open meadow, where I was completely vulnerable? And since when has Laurent taken orders from him? Was I missing something?

"But...you don't...you hate him..." I trailed off at the end, lost in confusion.

"Actually, I don't. Edward Cullen and I are very good friends." I gaped at him. Was he completely insane?

"No! No, you're enemies! This doesn't make any sense!" I choked.

"Let me explain. You see, ever since James has started wreaking havoc on everyone, even innocent humans, I realized I didn't want to follow him around anymore. There was no need to be so cruel. When I finally convinced Edward that I no longer wished to follow in James' footsteps, we became good friends. It was a while ago, just before you came to the cottage."

This just wasn't processing in my brain. Ever since I could remember, Edward had hated Laurent with a firey passion, and I never would have expected them to end up being friends. Maybe this whole time it was just a big act. Maybe Edward had wanted to keep it a secret from me so I wouldn't be too overwhelmed. But I would've gotten over it eventually, anyway, so why did he hide it from me? Wasn't it a good thing that now one more vampire hated James?

"He hid it from me this whole time..." I muttered.

"He kept it a secret because he knew you wouldn't believe it. He knew you would only believe it if I told you myself." This was a decent reason, I guessed. I probably wouldn't have believed something I thought was completely impossible, even if it was Edward. I knew he could be over-protective sometimes, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had made a little white lie.

"Wow. This is crazy." I said. I wasn't exactly sure what to say to someone who had just turned from an enemy into someone who...befriended Edward. I couldn't completely trust him yet, however. Everything he had assited James in doing was still making me uneasy.

"But...when you were helping James kidnap me that night...and when you said you just wanted to kill me and get it overwith-"

"It was all an act. A long, complicated act. I'm a good actor aren't I?" He smiled hesitantly, and I smiled back just a little.

"Yes. But you do realize it's going to take a while for me to gain all your trust, don't you? I surprised Edward learned to trust you so quickly." I blushed on the last sentence; I couldn't help but feeling bad about it.

"Yes, I completely understand. But, until then, I want you to know that I will always protect you. James will not touch you when I'm around," he promised. I was taken aback by the seriousness in his tone. He sounded so sure of himself. I never would've thought that after all this time, someone who I thought hated me would vow to protect me. My heart couldn't help warming at his kind words.

"Thanks." I said.

"Don't mention it."

We sat there for a few more minutes in complete silence, listening to the wind in the tall grass, and watching it sway gently in the breeze. I kept thinking of Edward, and couldn't help worrying about him. Sure, he was fast and powerful, but so was James. I finally gave in.

"You have to take me to Edward,' I demanded. Laurent looked surprised, as if he wasn't expecting me to ask something like that. Didn't he realize that Edward was the reason for my existence?

"It's too dangerous, Bella."

"But didn't you say that James wouldn't touch me as long as you were around?"

He considered that for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. I know how much you love him, and I'm not going to stop you from being with him, if that's what you want."

"Thank you, Laurent."

I climbed onto his back, which was sturdy and strong, and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. It felt strange, as if it should've been Edward I was griping onto, not Laurent. But I knew this was the only way to get to him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Always."

He shot off through the thicket of trees which were just to the right of the meadow, and everything became a blur. I hoped Edward was okay, and that James hadn't done anything to him. I shuddered at the thought, and focused on planning out what we would do when we got home. My cheeks flushed at some of the things I came up with, but it brought me joy, and helped me relax. Even if it was only a short while.

So what do ya guys think? Tell me if I've made any mistakes please! I will fix them! Reviews are always appreciated. :]