AN: Beta'd by lisa89, thanks again.


Flight of the Phoenix

Chapter Three – Another


I listened in on the conversations between the pilot and co-pilot. A freak storm had appeared without a warning, shorting out their electrical systems.

For some reason, their backup system was not starting up. They were flying blind and had no idea if they were going deeper into the storm or away.

"Bella, it's alright. I'm going to go take a look at their electrical backup system to see what the problem is. I'll be right back."

I looked at her, and even in the dark I could tell that she was terrified. I placed my hand on her cheek. "I'll be right back. Put your seatbelt back on." I saw her nod and heard the sound of the belt click.

"Hurry back," she whispered, her hands clenched together, a light tremble in her body.

"I will," I promised, caressing her cheek a moment longer.

I got up from my seat and quickly made it to a floor panel in economy class. I went into a cave-like room filled with electrical equipment. My eyes quickly adjusted, and I found the panel that controlled the backup system. I mentally thanked myself for taking an interest in flying and studying all the specs and mechanics of this type of plane, along with many others.

Strange… it's supposed to be a stand-alone unit. It should not have been affected by the storm. It was not running because someone turned it off.

I thought to myself, why would someone do that? I turned on the system, and it started booting up quickly. I listened in to everyone sitting in first class, to keep a watchful eye on Bella. Then I heard a mind that hadn't been there before.

Fool. He fell for it. Now she's mine. A familiar tone of thoughts stood out from the rest of the humans.

Damn it! I thought to myself.

Another vampire was here and worst of all… was James! With Bella's scent he'd planned this, why?

I made sure that the lights would stay off when the rest of the system kicked in. I flew out of the room, ignoring the screams erupting around me. I made it to first class, and Bella was not in her seat.

I cursed under my breath for being so damn blind. I should have detected his presence earlier. Bella's scent had overpowered his, putting us in this situation. I followed her scent, made sweeter as it mingled with another of my kind. Not like me, but like most of my kind, a human-blood drinker. He was a merciless hunter that enjoyed playing games. Bella was his enticing prey or was she something else. Bait?

I followed the scent along the aisle. I stepped out into another section of the plane, where people were talking amongst themselves. They were scared.

Where did he come from?

Was that man trying to hurt the poor girl?

Where was he taking her?

She looked so scared!

I looked through the thoughts, Bella's image coming into my mind. She had tears rolling down her cheeks but wasn't screaming. James's arm was clutched across her shoulders and around her delicate neck as he dragged her off without resistance.

I followed the scent that led into the lower level of the plane. The cargo area was filled with various sizes of suitcases and boxes. I made my way around slowly, not wanting to give away my position. I listened for the mind of the vampire I knew had taken Bella.

"Why me?"

I could hear her timid whisper deeper within the cargo area.

"I know Edward and his family. You see, within his precious little family is the one and only victim that has ever escaped me. I was surprised that they didn't figure out that I knew her," he gloated, his body hovering over Bella's.

"I couldn't take my eyes off her while I played baseball with his family that night. They have Alice, so it's only fair that I get to have you. Alice and Edward seem to be quite fond of you. She even watched over you, along with her mate, while you were at home.

"I don't understand how creatures like me can become so fond of a human. Just like the old one that cared so deeply for Alice. He took her from the mental institution. Once he freed her, he made her safe, and I couldn't touch her. I wonder now if Edward would've made you safe."

I climbed onto a box overhead and jumped off onto James. I quickly flung him into a large pile of boxes and suitcases. I turned to face Bella to give her a warning.

"Run! Bella, run!" I roared. I saw her get up and try to make her way through the mazes of boxes. I was right behind her until I saw in James's mind that he was about to launch himself towards me. I dodged his advance, struck him across his chest, and he flew into another pile of luggage. James got up and, instead of coming after me, he looked at Bella, who was running around a corner of towering boxes.

James grabbed a large box and threw it towards Bella. I managed to destroy the box before it reached her. But in my haste to save her, he sent another box hurling toward her. I didn't have time to stop the box.

The box whirled out of my reach toward a stack of boxes on top, and I watched them topple over on Bella. Her scream pierced the darkness and my dead heart. I growled and threw myself on James.

He pinned me against the exterior wall of the plane. "You're faster than the rest of your family, Edward, but not the strongest," James said and laughed.

"I'm strong enough to kill you." I took both of my fists and hit him square in his chest. He flew against the cargo door, causing it to buckle. In mere seconds, the door couldn't take the pressure. It tore off its track and hinge, sending boxes, luggage and a very aggravated James out the gaping hole.

James managed to smirk before he was sucked out. I knew then that I'd see him again.

I struggled against the loss of pressure to get to Bella. I found another door that closed and re-pressurized the section. I manually closed it, and the area started to settle.

I quickly ran to where I'd last seen Bella and flung box after box. There was no way a human as small and fragile as Bella would have survived this much weight. I frantically looked for her body. There was nothing.

"Under here, Edward. Please help!" I heard Bella's muffled cry. "I'm under the red canoe." I scanned the area and spotted a small red canoe upside down, just to my right. I took off the boxes weighing down the canoe. I flipped the canoe over. Bella squirmed out and tried to crawl away from me, holding her wrist.

"Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. Let me make sure you're okay," I said confused, not understanding why she was suddenly afraid of me. I took a breath and then I understood – she was bleeding.

If I'd thought her scent was overwhelming before it was nothing compared to it spilled across her pale flesh. With every ounce of determination and strength I had, I managed to take in a ragged breath to speak.

"Bella, get up now, keep your eyes locked on mine and back away slowly," I spit out through gritted teeth.

My body was rigid and my fists were clenched. I was resisting the beast within me. The only thing that was stopping me was her eyes. The monster that I was, was reflected within them.

Bella nodded, her eyes locked with my own. She slowly lifted herself up, still holding her wrist. She took a step backward as I took a step forward.

Her heart was beating frantically, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. It was dark in the luggage compartment, and it was going to be difficult for her to make her way out without falling. If she did, it would break our eye contact and my resolve to spare her life.

Bella took more tentative steps backwards as I continued to stalk forward. After an agonizing amount of time, she finally reached the hatch that would lead her to the passengers' section of the plane. The whole time she kept her eyes on mine as she climbed a few rungs of the ladder to the upper level. I took another breath through my mouth.

"Get that cleaned up. I'll be up soon." My teeth clenched tightly as I swallowed the venom down my rough, dry throat. Bella nodded and lifted herself out to the upper level.

I closed the hatch behind her and breathed deeply. After several moments I let myself listen to the thoughts of those above me.

"The backup system is up again, but the lights are still out," the co-pilot indicated to the pilot.

"Tell the crew to get out the emergency flashlights and medical kits just in case anyone was injured."

"I don't think this had to do with the storm. Some passengers said that they saw a man take a woman through economy class by force just after the lights went out. Marjorie said that two of her passengers in first class are missing, and Megan said that she has one missing from her section."

"Economy class has the hatch that leads to the cargo area. Maybe those couple of minutes of decompression and the missing passengers are related. Tell Marjorie to get the Marshall that's on board to help look for the girl without causing a panic."

"Are communications still out?" I saw in the co-pilot's head that the pilot nodded. A phone buzzed nearby. The co-pilot answered.

"Marjorie, I was about to call you."

"The girl that was missing just showed up. She's been injured. Susan is helping her."

"Do what you can for her. Find out what happened and where the other missing passengers are. Have the Marshall help you. Also, have the others get the emergency kits and flashlights. There may be others that may have gotten hurt when we lost control for a while."

"Is everything alright, Michael? Are we going to have to land?"

"Communications are down, and we're still thirty minutes away from an airport that can accommodate us. We're going to try to make it there. They may not be able to hear us, but they should be able to see us."

I let my mind wander, trying to find the one helping Bella. I "heard" a voice trying to soothe someone that was sobbing quietly.

"Shh… everything is fine, dear. The bleeding has already stopped. Did that man hurt you? The one sitting with you?"

"No! He's the one that saved me. Ugh! The smell of the blood is making me sick."

I saw the thoughts of Susan, the one attending to Bella, showing Bella clutching her stomach. I laughed to myself. She got sick at the sight of blood! For one that claimed her clumsiness as a disability, you would think she was used to the sight of her own blood.

Susan finished wrapping Bella's wounded wrist. Bella pointed at the gauze that was covered in blood and clamped her hand over her mouth. Susan understood and took everything and left to get rid the offending blood.

Marjorie, the flight attendant that had spoken with Bella before, came to talk to her, along with a man with dark hair, tan skin, and a grey suit. He introduced himself, and I used his thoughts to listen in on the conversation.

"Miss, my name is David Cortez. I need to know what happened to you and to the other two passengers that are missing." Bella nodded as I heard her heart starting to beat faster.

"My friend that was sitting with me, Edward, had to use the bathroom before the lights went out. A few moments after the lights went out, someone grabbed me, covered my mouth and pulled me from my seat and started to drag me down the aisle. I tried to get away from him. I had no idea who he was. He just kept laughing at my attempts to free myself from his grip. He was so strong."

Bella visibly shuddered, reliving the memory.

"A few minutes later, he shoved me down a hole in the floor. I tried to run once he let me go, but he was on me too fast. Next thing I knew, he was hovering over me in the darkest depths of the cargo area. There were boxes and luggage everywhere. Then Edward leapt on top of him from somewhere above. He told me to run as he tried to fight the other man. I tried to run, but it was so dark. I heard them thrash around behind me. Then all of a sudden, luggage and boxes started moving. I managed to get a look of a large box that had shifted enough to cause a high stack of cargo to move. The stack started to buckle, and it was going to come down on me. I braced my for the impact, but a canoe landed upside down on top of me first, and it took the impact." Bella stopped to take a few deep breaths.

"What happened after that? David asked, his eyes struggling to see Bella in the dark.

"After a minute, I felt like something was causing all the air to leave the room. I couldn't breathe and I even felt myself moving further into the cargo area. Then suddenly the air around me stopped moving, and it was quiet again. I umm… managed to get out from under the canoe and some luggage, and I saw that a door or wall had closed off the back section of the cargo area. I couldn't find my friend or that man. It was too dark. So, I made my way back up here to get help."

"Sorry about your friend. Most likely he closed the door manually and didn't make it through before it closed."

David Cortez tried to touch Bella on her shoulder, but she pulled away, trembling.

"Did that man manage to hurt you?" David asked, noticing that Bella looked terrified.

Bella shook her head and whimpered. "I cut my arm on something in the cargo area."

The plane lurched suddenly, sending Bella off her seat and onto the floor. David helped her up and buckled her seatbelt. As Bella's hands clutched on her armrests as the plane continued to rock with turbulence.

"I have to find out what's going on. Keep your seatbelt on." David walked off to the cockpit, followed by Susan and Marjorie.

I was about to let my mind drift to the cockpit when I noticed David look back at Bella, tears falling from her eyes. She whispered, "Edward, come back."

That was all it took for me to ascend to the upper deck. I moved swiftly through the darkness, unseen by the frightened people in their seats.

I slowed down to a walk and warily approached Bella. She looked frightened, her hands still clutching the armrests. The ache to touch and comfort her was overwhelming. I reached out my hand, and with just my fingertip I touched her cheek, wiping a tear away.

"Edward," she whispered and smiled at me. She placed her hand over my own, holding it there. I sat beside her, our eyes locked and in our own little bubble, as chaos erupted around us. Flight attendants scrambled to get passengers in their seats, while others prayed in whispers.

"What's going to happen, Edward?" she whispered into the darkness. I listened in on the conversations in the cockpit.

"They are going to attempt an emergency landing. The cargo door that snapped off must have damaged something, and they are having trouble controlling the plane." I whispered so that our conversation could not be heard by others.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Bella mumbled, tears starting to fall from her eyes again.

"You won't. Alice said that she saw a plane crash in Chicago that killed all one hundred eight passengers and crew members."

"The crash isn't going to kill you, is it?" Bella asked quietly.

"No, and I won't let it kill you either," I said, wiping more tears from her soft cheek.

Bella looked at my expression with questioning eyes. "When we get close enough to the ground, we'll jump to safety."

She shook her head. "No. If you put another hole in this plane, you and I will be the cause. I can't live with that, Edward. If this is the way it's supposed to be, who am I to fight it?"

The plane was starting to descend, and the pilots were struggling to control the plane.

I growled. "I am not about to sit here and let you die, Bella. I will take you by force if I have to." She shook her head, and her eyes narrowed with a fierce intensity.

The Marshall, Susan and Marjorie came into the cabin and started to check the passengers. Susan grabbed a radio.

"Please assume crash position, buckle your seatbelt and put your head between your knees. We are attempting an emergency landing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Once we land, try to make it to the main exit, where we will extend a way for you to get down safely."

The plane suddenly lurched to the right, causing Susan and the Marshall to tumble across the cabin.

I grabbed Bella's hand. She screamed at me to let her go.

"Damn it, Bella, don't be difficult."

She pulled her hand away and put her head between her knees as the plane was making the final descent. I did the only thing I could think of. I wrapped my entire body over Bella's as the plane impacted to the ground.

An empty seat came loose and hit me square between my shoulder blades, which could've killed Bella instantly. She whimpered within my cage-like prison around her body.

I wondered if I was hurting her, holding her so strongly. I didn't let her up as another piece of debris fell over my head. I watched in horror as Susan, Marjorie and the Marshall were being tossed around the cabin. They didn't get to their seats in time.

The plane finally screeched to a halt. I looked around me and didn't see anything else that would hit Bella, and I released her from my prison. She didn't move. Her entire frame was shaking. I ran my hand through her hair, all the while I heard the screams erupting all around me and in my mind.

"Bella, are you alright?" I asked as she picked up her head. Her brown eyes bored into mine and nodded. She stiffened.

"We have to help everybody!" Bella unbuckled her seat belt and jumped up. Her hands went to my chest, sending another jolt of heat through my body as she push me away. I stumbled away from her, not from her strength, but from the shock of her touch.

She went to an older gentleman and checked on him. "He's breathing and conscious. Check on everyone else and see if they've opened the door yet. Hurry, Edward!" she screamed at me.

I wasn't sure how long I stared at her. She was in complete control of her fear and of the situation. Her fierce determination to help everyone could be seen as she gracefully checked on the others.

She was selfless. The adrenaline pumped through her blood, but not from fear. I shook myself free from my thoughts and checked on some of the people in the first-class cabin. For the most part, everybody was still alive.

The Marshall and the two flight attendants were unconscious, and all suffered from broken ribs, bones and concussions. I listened in on the mind of another flight attendant in economy, and she had already opened the door and was helping people get down an inflatable slide to the bottom.

There were no signs of emergency vehicles yet, but I could hear them in the distance.

"Bella, they have the door open. I need to help the Marshall, Susan, Marjorie, and the pilots. Get out now!" Bella nodded as she helped the older man and his wife up and guided them out. The rest of the passengers followed Bella out to safety.

I was lucky that the flight crew I was saving were all unconscious, or else I'd have to do this at human speed. I turned quickly and grabbed the Marshall and jumped from a hole on the side of the plane and placed him gently on the ground near other victims. I ran back to the plane and grabbed Susan and Marjorie and took them to people that were looking after the Marshall. I ran back to the plane and made sure there was no one left in first class.

I ran to the cock pit and ripped the buckled door off, when I realized that both pilots were unconscious. I grabbed on to one of the men and jumped out one of the front windows. I ran back for the other pilot and brought him to some flight attendants as emergency vehicles started to arrive.

I recognized the flight attendant that had opened the door. "Miss, have you seen my friend? She was wearing a white tank top and blue shorts with long dark hair."

"Yes, she was helping those in economy class. I had to help with the injured. I'm sure she made it off the plane." She trembled, wrapping the Marshall's bleeding arm. The scent should have alarmed me, but it didn't. Next to Bella's scent, it was nothing – it paled in comparison.

I nodded and scanned the area. It was total chaos. I scanned the faces of everyone. There was no sign of Bella.

I searched the minds of those all around me. Nothing… I stiffened as the smell of something burning came into my senses. The plane was on fire. The plane was going to blow up. Firefighters were warning everyone to move farther back. I realized then that Bella must still be on the plane.

I ran back to the plane at inhuman speed, making sure to stay out of sight of onlookers. I checked the back cabin and there she was, under a few pieces of debris, unconscious. I threw off all the debris. Without a second thought, I picked her up bridal style and jumped high through a hole on top of the plane.

I brought Bella away from any other distractions as the plane exploded and burst into flames. We barely made to safety on time. I looked at Bella's injuries. No bleeding, just a few scratches.

Bruises were already blossoming all over her body. I placed my hands on her ribs, a few broken. I put my head on her chest – her heart was barely beating. I checked her head and felt a hairline fracture, maybe two.

Damn it. I had no idea what to do. Two instincts were raging within me. The one to take my fill of her blood, reminding she was already dying. The other, the human part of me, wanted to save her – by any means necessary.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. Alice. "Edward, you have to do it, or she may die!" she screamed in my ear.

"I won't, Alice. I won't condemn her to our way of life!"

"Edward, I keep seeing her as one of us. So, just do it or she may die," Alice gasped, pleading.

"I don't think I can stop, even if I try. Alice, I don't think I can do this."

"At least you can try." I let the phone fall. I pulled Bella onto my lap and held her close. I brushed stray strands of hair from her beautiful face and traced my finger over her lips.

I brought my lips to hers and whispered, "Please forgive me." I pressed my lips to hers, but a jolt of electricity that I'd felt before coursed through my body and hers. Bella gasped for breath, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Bella?" I gasped as my eyes met with hers.

"Edward," Bella whispered, barely audible. Her hand came to rest on my cheek as she smiled. "Ow! What's wrong with me?"

"Where do I start? You have bruises starting to form everywhere, a few broken ribs, cracked skull, and most likely a concussion." I glared at her. "I thought I told you to get off the plane, Bella. You almost gave me a heart attack, and that is not an easy thing to do." I addressed her sternly.

"Sorry. I uhh… was trying to help everybody," Bella mumbled. I shook my head in disbelief. "Wait… did you kiss me?" Bella cocked her head and touched her lips with her hand that she, moved from my cheek.

"I… uhh…" I struggled for words. Her eyes were seeking truths I was not able to come to terms with yet.

"Were you going to bite me because you couldn't resist, or to save me?" Bella asked sheepishly.

"To save you," I mumbled, unable to take my eyes off hers.

"Why would you want to save me, Edward? Why were you willing to let all those people die to save me?" Bella's eyes started to droop, and her breathing was slowing again.

"I… I don't know." I lifted her in my arms and looked away from her penetrating gaze. Bella whimpered and groaned as her body moved.

"Edward, I'm sleepy. Can I go to sleep?" Bella wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder.

"No, not yet, my Bella. I'll get you the help you need."


AN: Please review.