A/N SM owns all of these characters! I am not SM – obviously!
Sorry for the delay DH has been feeling like FanFic has taken over my life so... I had to give him a couple of days to placate him... not that I think it helped....
"She cut me off!" I stared exasperated at Bella's back as she shot into the parking lot just centimeters away from my front bumper. Emmett had the nerve to roll down the window and cheer her on!
So, is this going to happen everyday? I could see Rosalie looking at her nails obviously bored through the rear view mirror.
Hey, is this foreplay for you or something? Emmett was back on his dirty train of thought again.
I shot into the parking space next to her and got out of the car fuming. Could she not see the danger she was putting herself in? Was she going to make protecting her from harm even harder now? What exactly did she think that she was doing? I had admitted to liking the motorcycle but that was when she drove it sensibly and didn't take absolutely ridiculous risks on it. This was just over the top even for her. The love of my life was courting death like he was a long lost lover, and I knew from experience that death wanted her too. I had no intention of letting death anywhere near her, but she was not helping.
I felt an unnatural sense of peace and calm come over me and released my fists from their clenched position at my sides. RELAX, Jasper thought forcibly at me. You look kind of scary at the moment, even to me. Imagine how you must look to her!
It was then that I noticed her bite her lip and close her eyes for a fraction of a second longer than would be normal. She was awaiting my wrath. I took Jasper's suggestion and pulled my emotional state together on my own.
"Sorry?" Bella had rather gingerly removed her helmet and was eying me cautiously. I took a step forward in a nonthreatening stance and she shoved her jacket into a bag before I collected them.
"Are you ready to go have breakfast?" I couldn't control my tone of voice as well as I could my body language. Bella flinched away from me. I felt a pang of guilt and vowed not to discuss this until I had calmed down further.
"Let's go." She let out a sigh as I started to lead her to the dining hall. She followed behind me, absolutely refusing to walk by my side no matter how much I slowed my pace. She didn't want to talk about this but it was going to happen. I would wait as long as I needed to but we were definitely going to be discussing her penchant for reckless behavior. I could not loose her again and she needed to hear that.
I took the liberty of filling up her tray in the lunch line. She needed to eat something other than an apple and the daily energy drink in the morning was going to have to go as well. I didn't necessarily get her healthy food though. She needed to put some weight back on and so high calorie food was on the menu. I just wished that I could find some healthier options in that category in the dining hall. Bella looked at the plate warily as I filled it but didn't outwardly protest. That was a good thing. We were most likely going to be arguing soon enough and starting it in the line with some many people around would not have been a good idea. I paid for the food and found us a table out of the way and away from prying ears. We sat in silence for a few minutes as she picked at her food and I pretended to eat. I hid my food in a napkin when I thought that no one was looking. Eventually, I decided that I had waited long enough.
"Do you think that perhaps you could make an effort to not tempt fate by behaving recklessly for at least one day?" I tried to keep it light but failed miserably.
"No – and don't touch my bike." she stared at me defiantly. This was not going to be easy.
"You do realize that you are killing me here." I gripped the table and felt it strain under my fingers.
"I think we both know that's impossible." She was actually smiling about this! What was this to her some sort of competition?
A buzzing coming from her pocket interrupted our conversation. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen, her face fell and she groaned. Bella hesitated before opening the phone to answer.
"Who is it?" I asked, all of my anger forgotten because of the look on her face. She was upset.
"Quil." She let out a heavy sigh before flipping the phone open and addressing him by name rather unenthusiastically. I was immediately frustrated at my inability to hear her conversation, her mind was silent and the earpiece had been turned down too low.
"School's good" she nodded unconsciously. "Thanks, I'm doing well." Listening to one side of this conversation was maddening. I couldn't fathom how humans did this. "Aren't you up a bit early in the morning?"
My phone suddenly buzzed. Great, I thought. It was Alice. All I needed was a complication thrown at me by my lovely sister.
"Yes Alice?" I answered, trying to keep my voice low enough to keep Bella from having to strain to hear her phone call while I attempted to listen in on her end of it.
"Edward, Bella just disappeared again." She was frantic, panicking more than the first time that Bella had vanished from her visions.
"What do you mean you're on the East coast?" I heard Bella's shocked voice and I looked into her eyes. Someone was here and she was about to vanish, to die, and I didn't know what to do about it. "You're what?!" Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in an expression of sheer horror.
"Edward, I said she's gone!" Alice's panic echoed Bella's.
"She's right here Alice, and I have no intention of letting anything happen to her." I attempted to reassure my sister.
"Edward, she's going to walk down to the parking lot and then she's just gone!" Alice was shouting.
"I will not let her go, she'll be safe, I promise you, she will be safe." I reiterated hanging up the phone. "Bella?" I tried to get her attention; she seemed dazed like someone had just slapped her.
"You're on campus?" She squeaked. It finally clicked in my head, Quil Ateara was on campus, and if he was here then he would most certainly know that we were... She paused, listening to him before she ordered him, "It's not what you think. I will be right down Quil Ateara, do not move and do not phase." She was out of her seat in a flash and my hand caught hers.
"You can't go down there." I had to stop her. This could not happen, not the way Alice saw it.
"I have to go down there. Otherwise he's going to follow my scent here." Bella seemed perfectly reasonable except for the fact that she was asking me to essentially stand by and watch her walk to her death.
"That was Alice and your future disappears when you get to the parking lot. She doesn't know what that means but there's a possibility that you die if you go down there." I gripped her wrist now.
"If he comes here and sees and smells you it might put everyone else at risk. You could be exposed." Outwardly the argument made sense. I was going to have to trust her since she was correct, we had a greater risk of exposure here with more witnesses, that and a confined werewolf was more dangerous.
"I'm coming with you." I grabbed our things and moved without releasing her.
"Don't you think that that might be a bad idea?" I stopped my progress out of the dining hall and waited for her explanation. "Edward, let me break this to them slowly. If you go sauntering down there with me they might assume I'm in trouble and attack." They might not have to attack to cause damage.
"Your future disappeared! I'm not letting you go alone!" I yelled at her and it felt terrible. "I'm sorry" I released her arm and tried to keep my fingers from pinching the bridge of my nose again. "I've already lost you once and I can't do that again Bella. I can't. This time I will run to Italy if I have to but I will not live without you again." The thought of being without her was too much for me to bear. She couldn't walk away from me, straight into her death like this.
"Fine, but you stay back and you let me talk to them alone. The treaty is still in effect but not if you get into a fight, and they can be a little volatile." Volatile was an understatement when used to refer to wolves. They could phase without thought and severely injure anyone remotely close to them.
She left me absolutely no choice and my fury returned. I funneled it into a determination to keep her safe. My phone buzzed again but I could not answer my sister's frantic call. It was up to me to try and prevent whatever terrible fate we were currently walking into and I had to do it from the other side of the parking lot. These were odds that I did not like. My dead heart cried out as I released her hand at the edge of the lot. My existence would end if she died. Emmett and Jasper appeared beside me, Emmett moved to follow Bella into the lot.
What the hell is she doing? Alice said she disappeared. I pulled Emmett back. What are you doing Edward?
"She trusts them." I responded as I mentally restrained every inch of my body from launching myself after her.
Edward, you KNOW what they are! Emmett was not overestimating the danger involved. Bella was throwing herself head first into another life threatening situation like it was nothing. This was commonplace for her. I looked up just as she started to run to them.
What is that smell? It's just like that undercurrent of something from Bella's room the night we...
"Werewolf." I cut Jasper off, whispering too low for any ears but ours.
WEREWOLVES!!! Jasper's mind shrieked in horror.
"You heard me." I folded my arms and watched Bella throw herself at the female. The two males did not phase but shimmered lightly and moved to take a fighting stance.
Bloodsucker, she had better not be harmed. The big one stared at me. He must have known who I was because he knew that I could read his thoughts. A fleeting image of Bella at eighteen curled up on the forest floor went through his mind. She was pale and lifeless, completely unresponsive.
"Have you been hurt?" He didn't look at Bella as he addressed her. You will die if you've harmed her in any way.
Alice flitted up to my side. Edward, I can't see her future! Do something! Alice was still panicking. Rosalie came up behind her with several unamused thoughts concerning Bella's lack of consideration as well as her lack of self-preservation instincts.
"The two males are itching for a fight. The larger one has threatened my life if she's 'harmed'." I relayed. My family stood tense, ready for a fight if one should come. I watched Bella carefully for any sign of duress. She shook her head at the large one, Quil, the thoughts of the other two informed me of his name.
"It's not what it looks like Quil. Please don't jump to conclusions until we've had a chance to speak." Bella removed her arms from the woman and hugged Quil. He barely circled his arms around her before releasing her and tensing.
"I smell him on you." His tone with her was hard and I didn't appreciate it one iota. "What have you done?" The last was to both Bella and myself. He had envisioned that I had somehow forced myself on her. I unconsciously sunk into a crouch as he started to quake into a transformation. Bella was swiftly backing away from him and as I moved Emmett pulled an arm around my chest.
"She's too close Edward." He pulled me back.
"Quil, control yourself." Bella's voice was cool and calm.
"He's going to phase next to her, do you hear her trying to calm him down?" I spat through gritted teeth.
"Bella can handle herself Edward. If she's going to put herself in these situations she should know how to get herself out. It's not the first time she's dealt with wolves after all." Rosalie chided while thinking of Bella kissing one of the dogs and I shot her a death glare.
"Edward, you can do nothing to help this situation. They will just goad you into a fight if you go out there." Jasper warned.
"There is the treaty to consider. It hasn't been broken, there are five of them and only two of you." Bella's voice continued calmly and smoothly like she was used to talking one of these insane creatures down.
"I'll go, I can help her." Jasper made a move toward the four of them in the parking lot with Emmett on his heels until Alice put a hand on Jasper's shoulder. Both men stopped.
"She's signaling for you to stay here." Alice squeaked pointing at Bella's raised hand to keep us away. Bella reached that hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Quil, I will not tolerate any fighting today. Must I call Sam?" She held up the phone to them and the large one stopped shaking abruptly. "Are you prepared to be rational now?" Bella had indeed done it on her own. I was simultaneously relieved and furious with her for doing it.
"Bells, why are they here? Is this why you haven't come back to LaPush in three years?" The female accused Bella, imagining that we had been together all this time.
"The female is Jacob Black's sister, Rachel." I informed the others. "She thinks that Bella has been with us and is betraying Jacob." Apparently her fiancé Paul had died defending Bella as well. Rachel's mind filled with images of Paul and Jacob as they had been brought to her, and then of Bella split from shoulder to hip by a ragged gash, bleeding heavily the cut was deep enough to identify major organs. I winced at the site. It was harder to look at than to hear about.
Bella had explained our situation during my distraction. She was looking shamefully at her feet.
"Why can't they just leave you alone? Haven't they done enough damage!?" The young one appeared agitated, Jasper agreed with me. If she wasn't careful, Bella would have to talk another one down.
"Listen up, before everyone gets angry here. I have already been over that with Edward. They came back for me while we were in the woods that summer and found the mess in my house. They have been living under the assumption that I was dead for the past three years." Bella was going about this in the most dangerous way possible, she had begun to raise her voice. "They've been grieving for me."
"They're not safe. You know what they are. One of them could loose control and kill you at any time. Is that what you want? Do you want to die?" Rachel tried to calm Bella and touched her lovingly on the shoulder.
"I'm not going to die. There's no reason to worry about me." I smirked at Bella's remark. Of course none of us should ever worry about Bella! She only seemed to find her way into the most hostile situations imaginable all the time and lived in need of constant rescue from supernatural forces. No, we shouldn't worry about her ever.
Things seem to be going well, you should calm down. Jasper raised an eyebrow at me.
"There is no way that we're letting you stay here!" Quil's fists clenched in rage again and he imagined tearing me limb from limb.
"Letting me?" Bella began yelling again. "Last I checked I didn't need your permission for anything Quil Ateara!" It really didn't take much other than inferring that someone else had any say in her life to make her furious these days.
I was surprised to notice that her anger didn't fuel theirs. Even the young one seemed to settle down as Bella's temper rose. I gathered from their thoughts that they rarely heard her raise her voice to anyone other than Jacob Black and then only when she was trying to keep him from doing something phenomenally stupid but then it was likely to turn exceedingly violent. They were concerned about what she might do, there was a vague recollection in all three of their minds of Bella wielding a crowbar at a small black car, totaling it. I wrote that off as an overactive imagination because the knowledge didn't seem first hand, it was an anecdote passed from someone else that had likely been embellished.
Did she just yell at a bunch of werewolves? Emmett's mind was reeling trying to keep up with the conversation across the lot. I gotta hand it to her the girl has guts.
Perhaps Bella Swan has some redeeming qualities... Rosalie mused.
"I know that you don't like them. I know that you're angry but you do not get to tell me what to do. Sam doesn't even get to tell me what to do anymore. In case you forget, I'm not a member of the pack; I'm not even an official member of the tribe or hasn't Leah reminded you of that lately? Do you remember her insistence on me being abandoned after that day?"
"Don't bring Leah into this." Quil warned her. I could see through his mind that Bella's eyes narrowed.
Bella touched another sore spot. Leah, a female werewolf had resented the need to protect Bella from what she was positive was a situation that she had brought on herself by being involved with me. She had been 'warned' although I had no recollection of Bella telling me about a warning to stay away. Leah felt, much like Bella had, that they should just trade her for the safety of everyone else involved. She fought under Sam's order to protect the girl but resented it, she resented her brother's death while guarding her and after the battle was over she fought to have Bella evicted from the reservation and disowned by the tribe as she was no longer engaged to the boy who rightfully should have been both pack leader and chief. It was a lot to absorb but all three minds seem to work in unison. It was very odd to listen to, I wondered what they would sound like connected in wolf form.
"Listen, the Cullens don't like you, you don't like them but as far as I'm concerned this is ridiculous!" Bella went back to shouting. "Quite frankly, I don't care who's who. You are all my friends and seeing all of you, makes me happy." She was backing up in search of a quick retreat.
"We may need to go get her." I murmured.
"No, she's misreading the situation, he's in control. She's in no immediate danger." Jasper tested the emotional climate out by the cars.
"I still love Edward. I miss Jacob, it kills me that he's gone but I've been dead inside for four years Quil! I haven't been living! So, I don't care what you think about it I am going to take my life and scrape up what little happiness I can from it." I felt both hopeful and guilty as Bella said those words. She admitted to loving me, even though I had broken her so badly.
"They're vampires, Bella." Quil's voice was quiet as he attempted to talk some sense into her.
"And you're werewolves. I'm aware of everyone's allegiances here; you don't need to remind me. However, I am not betraying anyone. All I'm asking is that everyone stick to the treaty and let me live my life how I want to. As far as the treaty and the war that it's held off are concerned, I'm Switzerland." Bella continued to rant.
"Switzerland?" The young one was obviously confused by her reference.
"Yes, I'm a neutral country, as is my apartment, as is this town. No one is breaking any treaty here today. Now, if you can behave in a civil fashion you are welcome to stay. If not, I'm going to ask you to leave because if a fight breaks out and anyone dies it will kill me. There have already been enough deaths on my account. Do you understand?" Bella explained very slowly. She wanted us to get this message too.
"Fine." Quil leveled his gaze over Bella's head at me. We will keep the treaty if you will leach. If you bite her it's over, the war begins.
"How long are you in town?" Bella shifted her attention from Quil to Rachel and tried to change her tone from anger without luck.
"We were going to stay for a week... thought it'd be nice if you had a visit from family since you're so far from everyone-" Bella's hand went up to stop her.
"If you still want to stay that's great. I have to go lead a discussion group. Call me when he calms down and we'll see about doing something." Bella turned back toward us without saying goodbye to them. Emmett, Jasper, and Rose made their way to their respective classes. She didn't walk directly past us and I assumed that part of her anger was directed at us as well. Without effort Alice and I fell into step beside her a few feet up the path she chose to take to class. We had lost what little time I had to switch to a different section.
"So, you're going to go do something with them?" I tried to keep the disdain for the dogs out of my voice. She was going to continue endangering herself.
"Did you catch the entire conversation?" She stopped mid-stride folding her arms and leveling her chocolate eyes at me. Those eyes were as hard as I had ever seen them. I had not intended to incite this level of anger from her.
"Yes." My answer was drawn out. I had heard her but she needed to be reasonable about this. It seemed that we were back to the same argument we had at breakfast.
"Switzerland!" She screamed turning heads across campus before she continued to walk. "No one gets to tell Switzerland what to do. I will hang out with whomever I want, whenever I want; you are not going to stop me and neither are they." She was livid.
I was livid. I fell back into step behind her attempting to control myself and not make the situation any worse than it already happened to be.
I have answers. Alice broke the deafening silence, "I think I've figured out why you disappeared."
"Okay, why?" Bella huffed, she wanted to hear but not at that moment.
"I can't see them. I guess it transfers over to you when you're with them and that's why I haven't been able to find you for three and a half years. That's when you started spending time with them isn't it?" Alice had put the pieces together; I was impressed by her progress.
"Sounds about right." Bella acknowledged Alice's words but was still angry about our earlier blow up.
I trailed slightly behind them to class and placed her things on a small table at the front of the classroom. She didn't speak to me or even so much as acknowledge the fact that I put her things down. This was very unlike Bella. I made my way to the back of the small classroom, as far from her as I could get. If she wanted space, I would give her as much as I possibly could. The other students filed in slowly, she appeared irritated and eventually called the class to order without everyone in their seats. She took role, omitting my name, but I noticed that she made two checks in her book as she called Alice.
Bella seated herself backwards on top of a desk that she had pulled to the front of the room and started the discussion. It became readily apparent that the shy eighteen year old that I had loved had blossomed into a highly intelligent woman. All of my frustration and arrogance evaporated for the moment. I could only watch her. She had mastered her subject area with precision and dedication that showed as she led the class. I sat completely mesmerized by her and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face watching her enjoy teaching. She was absolutely amazing. Bella dazzled me without the benefit of being a vampire.