We arrived at the warehouse after about 30 minutes; we must've gone a different way from the last time I went there with James. Except during that time, I was filled with terror and fear, and I desperately struggled to stay away from wherever James was taking me. But this time, I actually wanted to go. It was my choice. I had two completely opposite emotions fighting inside me, fear and desire. So far, desire was winning, although fear was not far behind.
I knew I wouldn't be able to help Edward if he was in trouble; my human strength would do absolutely nothing to affect James, but I would try anyway. I wasn't going to let James destroy my Edward without a fight. Of course, Edward's death was not something I was hoping would happen. I needed to have faith in him, believe that he was stronger than James. He had a bigger heart.
As much as I hated to admit it, I feared for Laurent's saftey, too. He had saved me from being killed by James, he had healed my arm, and he had taken me back to Edward. But now that we were here, I wasn't so sure that we should go in anymore. Of course, I had to see if Edward was okay, but what if James did something to Laurent for being a traitor? It would be my fault for leading him to his death.
I didn't say anything, though. It would be childish to bring him all the way and then ask him to turn around again. I didn't unleash my grip around his neck as he slowed to a walking pace and sauntered up to the door. He set me down gently, all feelings of saftey and secuirity gone.
He peeked the door open a crack, and I couldn't help feeling like we were spying.
The first thing I noticed was that Edward was still alive, and didn't seem to be losing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, I thought. He and James were not fighting, as I had expected them to be. James was breathing rather erratically, looking frustrated. He glared at Edward. Edward was looking pleased with himself, and I wondered what he had done to make James this way.
Just then, a gust of wind blew in through the door, blowing my hair in front of my face. Before I could realize what happened, Laurent had closed the door again and hidden me behind a burly oak tree.
"If James smelled your scent in that gust of wind, he probably knows we're here," he whispered. I gulped.
We hid behind the tree for a few more moments, although I was almost positive a simple tree wasn't going to protect me well. James could knock it down with a twitch of finger. When I heard the warehouse door open, Laurent stiffened, and I jumped. This could be it, I thought. Whoever just stepped out of that door was either going to kill me or save me. I desperately hoped it was the second choice.
"You can relax now. It's alright. James is gone." Laurent said, his voice back to normal volume. I almost screamed when Edward appeared right next to me, scaring the life out of me.
"Edward!"
I ran eagerly into his arms, and he embraced me warmly. I took everything in, his fresh scent, his cool arms, his tousled hair, his godly features, his loose shirt. I'd missed it all so much. Laurent sat awkwardly next to us as we passionately kissed, scratching the back of his neck uneasily.
Once Edward released me, he stepped forward to thank him.
"I can't thank you enough for keeping Bella safe. You have no idea how much that means to me, Laurent." Edward said, shaking his hand.
"Don't mention it. I'd do anything to keep innocent humans safe from that savage." They exchanged awkward smiles, obviously not the best of friends yet.
"So, where is James?" I piped up, wanting to make certain he was gone for good. Edward looked at me uneasily, and my heart dropped down into the pit of my stomach. "He's dead, isn't he?"
"Actually, no. He ran, Bella. Once he knew I was beating him, he fled. Far. I don't know where, but I could hear him thinking he wanted to get as far away as possible." I gaped at him. It wasn't like James to just leave like that. He usually made sure there was a winner and a loser.
"Why didn't you follow him?" I demanded.
"I figured he wouldn't be coming back any time soon, and if I followed him, he might try to find you again, and I wouldn't be there to protect you."
"But you're faster than him."
"Maybe, but he's a tracker. He can find anyone, anywhere. His tracking skills are to great for me to comprehend." I tried to think of something else to say, but I just couldn't. Edward outsmarted me, again. There was no point in arguing with him anyway. What's done was done, and if Edward thought it was the right thing to do, then it must've been.
"Well, now that this is all over, I think it's about time we went back home to Forks. Do you agree, Bella?"
"Definitely. I haven't even thought of Charlie once since all this chaos break loose!" Thinking of Charlie again, a lump began to rise in my throat again. I didn't know how many times I had cried today, I'd lost count. It was hard to believe this had all happened in one day. "Charlie..." I whispered.
"You'd better get going, Edward." said Laurent. "She needs her rest." I struggled without much success at keeping my tears from spilling over.
"Where are you going to go?" Edward asked.
"I haven't quite decided yet. I obviously can't go back with James, so I'll have to find somewhere else to live. I don't even have to have a home, I'm quite capable of living in the wild." Edward seemed guilty about this.
"You're welcome to stay somewhere in Washington, if you'd like. I'm sure my family would have to warm up to you quite a bit first, with the excpection of Carlisle."
"Yes, Carlisle is a great man. Never holds grudges."
"Anyway, it's just an offer. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon. Goodbye, and thank you for your kindness."
"Goodbye, Edward. Goodbye, Bella." He gave one last wave before disappearing into the woods.
Edward and I stared after him for a moment.
"Come on, Bella. Let's get back." I nodded in agreement, and he lifted me up in his arms. It felt nice to be back in his strong grip. I realized that most people would be absolutely terrified in a vampire's grip, but I was completely opposite. Being protected by someone who's steady, sturdy, and rock hard kind of made me feel invincible. But once I couldn't feel the concrete limbs anymore, I felt hopelessly vulnerable again.
"Are we leaving tonight?" I asked Edward as he ran through the thicket of tress back to the cottage.
"Your choice, sweetheart."
I decided that we should leave tomorrow morning. I wanted to stay at the cottage at least one more night, as our stay had been very brief. Even though I had endured several terrifying incidents here, it kind of reminded me that I was in a different world than most people. They were stuck in oblivion, having absolutely no idea they could be looking directly at a vampire or a werewolf. It made me feel like I was included in something special. Although my choice to live among the vampires put my life in jeapordy everyday, it was all worth it. Because I had the most perfect, amazing person in my life, and he was mine. It was hard to comprehend, but it was true. I smiled at this thought, and Edward looked down at me suspciously.
"Is something funny?" he asked.
"Actually, very funny. In a weird way."
