A/n Sorry this should have been finished days ago but Edward has been unhelpful to say the least. This chapter should answer a lot of questions that have been brewing from The TA as to what happened in the forest.

Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all related characters and situations.

Music:

Soul Miners Daughter – Rhapsody

The Wallflowers – Josephine

Orbital – Much Ado About Nothing Left

I spent an hour debating as to whether or not I would wake her. We had a relatively uneventful week from Tuesday until Saturday. She took most of her meals with the Quiluetes, which admittedly irked me. However, they had held their tempers and she returned from every meal unscathed. This is not to say that Jasper, Emmett, and I didn't follow at a distance and watch them at every meal. I still didn't like them but I had to admit that they did care for Bella as much as my family cared for her. They even made the same steps that we had in trying to get her to face what had happened that summer. Rachel's perspective was very enlightening. She figured that if she could pick up her life and move on that Bella should do the same. Rachel was potentially the only one who had lost as much as Bella. Her brother, her fiance, and then what she didn't tell Bella. The stress of that summer had activated the shape shifting gene in Rachel's system. She was now a werewolf, and as Ephraim Black's granddaughter she had taken up Jacobs position as Beta in the pack. This didn't sound like a great sacrifice at first glance but being one of two women in the pack was stressful at best and humiliating at worst.

At six thirty in the morning I finally made the decision to be noble or as noble as I could be given the circumstances. I woke her from a sound sleep so that she wouldn't be late. I stroked her hair and wished that I could sleep and wake up with her in the morning. If I were human I would curl my body into hers and not worry about chilling her delicate skin; I would dream of her. I longed to be the same, to not worry about hurting her.

My waking dream of being with her was interrupted as she excused herself. That was my cue to get breakfast ready. Esme had thoroughly stocked Bella's refrigerator and cabinets and I had begun to cook for her whenever she would let me. On Thursday Carlisle performed a physical on Bella due to Esme's concern over her health. After discussing her lack of an appetite with Carlisle she was much more amicable to Esme and I insisting that she eat regular, healthy, balanced meals. I checked the time and decided to prepare a backpack for her as well. Emmett had donated one from his most recent trip to the sporting goods store. While her sausage was cooking I tucked a first aid kit, the kind that contained everything from medication to moleskin and large pieces of gauze and tape, into the pack.

Cooking, although somewhat disgusting with all of those strange looking and unsavory smelling ingredients that humans seem to love, is actually quite meditative. It can't be rushed. Sausage and eggs take the same amount of time to heat whether cooked by a human or a vampire. The advantage to being a vampire is that I can tend several pans at once. This comes in handy at times. I was able to cook a complete meal including sliced fruit, pack Bella's lunch, and get breakfast onto the table while Bella took care of her morning routine.

She entered as I placed the pack by the door. Bella followed the smell of food to the table and blushed about something as she eyed it. I couldn't resist the urge to brush her cheek and feel the warmth spreading under it. I walked up behind her and caressed her face feeling that familiar warmth on my fingers. My fingers moved down to her neck of their own accord and I eliminated all distance between us by stepping as closely as I could to her body. Her heart beat just a fraction faster and I wanted to draw her body into mine and fuse the two into one being so that I would never be without her.

"I took the liberty of putting together your pack for your little waterfall excursion today. That is provided that you don't want to skip the extreme sports with the dogs and take an impromptu trip to Europe with me instead." I intentionally whispered into her ear causing the knee weakening reaction that I had come to rely on.

"Nice try." Her voice came in a breathy spurt which did little to discourage my plans to convince her to stay.

"I agreed not to complain. Our compromise had nothing to do with whether or not I would try to convince you not to go in other ways." I turned her around using my hands on her waist while I reminded her of our agreement. She still had to make good on her end and speak to Jasper the next day.

I wanted to kiss her anyway; I had wanted to kiss her in bed that morning as she woke up and I trailed my fingers through her silky hair, but as per usual she bolted to the bathroom with her human fear of morning breath. I pulled her to me and kissed her as aggressively as I had on Tuesday when we broke the table. This time, I would avoid the table. She had selected something sturdy but I still didn't want to risk it, especially with a plate of hot food that close to her body. Her heart flew as I pushed my lips into hers. She pressed into me but made a concerted effort not to put her hands anywhere that could lead us into trouble. I slid my fingers into her hair and intertwined them in a few strands. She gasped for air and I moved to her neck feeling her warm pulse just beneath the surface of her smooth skin. Her body relaxed involuntarily and I supported her weight in my arms as I trailed kisses up to her ear.

"Do you want to stay here with me? We could do this all day." I whispered the very tempting thought into her ear. If she would stay, I would do this all day, rules or no rules because she wanted it. I wanted nothing more than to sped my day kissing her.

"Not without breaking the rules we couldn't." She breathed the words out in a small barely audible voice and gave me better access to her neck by tilting her her backwards. She let out a little moan that very nearly crumpled all of my resolve.

"We could perhaps bend them just a bit." I tore my lips away from her neck and my hands twitched as they wanted to pull off the flimsy cotton T-shirt and nylon pans she'd put on for the hike.

"…not…naïve…enough… to… buy … that…" Bella was still moaning but she hadn't agreed to stretching the rules. This stopped my hands from acting, we had agreed on the rules and she had not given me permission to go further.

"Of course you're not." I placed my lips back on hers as I carried her to the couch and laid down with her. I drew together all of my willpower and slowed the kiss to a less passionate level in spite of her apparent pleasure in the activity. Eventually, I broke my lips from hers as I knew that she wasn't going to stay with me. She would regret skipping breakfast before too long. "If you're going to go you need to eat your breakfast."

Bella ate half of her plate of food before placing a hand on her stomach and declaring herself too full to finish. I reminded myself that she had eaten more than an apple and that it had only been a few days. I had no idea how long she had refrained from eating a serious meal before that. She took her food to the kitchen before inspecting her day pack. Upon opening it she smirked at the contents. I wanted to replace that smirk with my lips, the morning had definitely gotten out of hand.

I heard Jasper down the block and checked the time. "Time to go."

"I really don't understand why you can't be civil to each other." Bella grumbled, she still didn't understand the natural enmity between werewolf and vampire.

"We've been over this love, we're natural enemies and they're all young comparatively. I can control myself around them but we have no guarantee that they can do the same around me. It's for your safety." I tried not to kiss her lips. I kissed her forehead and felt my lips drawn down to her nose where I planted another kiss before giving up and kissing her lips gently and softly. I released her and reluctantly made my way to the door. "Are you sure that you want to go?"

"I'm sure. Now go before World War Three erupts in front of my building." She approached me from behind and stood up on her toes to kiss the top of my shoulder. If I was going to leave, I had to do it immediately.

At the end of the block I found Jasper and Emmett in the Jeep. The plan was to engage in some long distance surveillance just to make sure that Bella remained safe. My brothers gave their support grudgingly but agreed to assist. Emmett secretly wanted the chance to continue picking on me, and Alice practically forced Jasper to come along.

I take it seducing her into staying didn't work. Emmett smirked.

More surveillance. Jasper sighed. You are aware that relationships are built on trust, right little brother?

"Let's go before they get here." I jumped into the jeep and Emmett parked down the road at an undetectable distance.

My plan was simple, I would get directions from Quil's mind and find someplace far enough away to watch them from. Bella would be furious if we were discovered but we had already used this plan several times during the week with success. We had gone unnoticed during several meals and our chances of being discovered in the woods were far less.

I attempted to refrain from listening to their conversation and give Bella some privacy but when they turned to talking about the newborn battle I couldn't help but focus on it. I gave Jasper and Emmett a play by play. Her reactions were enlightening. We were almost caught when Quil pulled the car over; he didn't give any thought to the action but Jasper sensed Bella's emotions in time to have Emmett pull over before we came into view.

I don't know if she's going to be ready to forgive herself anytime soon. Jasper sighed. She has a lot of survivors guilt.

Ultimately the car started moving again. We parked down the road and moved quickly to find the waterfall. It was easy to get in place with Bella's typically slow hiking speed. She managed to find every rock and root she could possibly trip on between the car and the waterfall. Emmett found it much too amusing.

Here she goes again! "Ooooh, that one looks like it hurt!"

"Emmett!" I scowled at my brother through the tree branches that surrounded us.

"I gotta hand it to Brady, he catches her nine times out of ten." Emmett had a clear view of the trail from his vantage point.

Calm down Edward. Jasper glanced at me from the next tree over. I thought we'd already established that you have no need to be jealous.

I nodded. Time moved so slowly during the final hour of their hike that it's passage was almost imperceptible. The longer it took, the more agitated I became. Jasper took the opportunity to calm me down several times in order to soothe his own annoyance. Just when I thought that Jasper would tackle me for my lack of patience, Bella emerged from the thick cover of trees into the clearing that held the waterfall. She bounced up and down joyfully and stripped down to her swimsuit before launching up the slick, rocky path to the top. I stood up, she didn't bother to check the depth and she was going to jump. I had to stop her but as I leaned to jump out of the tree one of the dogs jumped into the pool at the base of the waterfall and dove down. Bella was perched on a rock at the top when he surfaced and gave her a "thumbs up" before swimming out of the way.

She closed her eyes for a second, filled her lungs with air, ran a couple of steps and flung herself off the waterfall. If my heart had been beating, it would have stopped. Instead, I stopped breathing and a bubble of anxiety built in my chest. I watched her plummet into the water and her scream of delight reached me moments after her body hit. Panic surged within me while I waited for her head to break the surface. Bella was down for longer than Quil had been. I knew that she was a strong swimmer and that she should have had no problem making it back up quickly unless the dog had misjudged the depth of the pool and she was injured. The dogs made no move to rescue her.

Edward, calm down, give her a second. Jasper's eyes bore into the side of my skull.

"She should be up by now." I gritted my teeth and gripped the trunk of my tree harder.

Bro, it's probably just taking her longer to surface because she has like zero percent body fat. Emmett watched the water as intently as I did. She's more muscular now and muscle doesn't float. Give her a little more time.

A grumbling sound came from my throat but before I could jump down and run to her aid, Bella's head popped into existence several feet from where she jumped in. A huge grin spread across her face and she went to celebrate her jump. She settled on a large rock in the pool with her body out of the water, the day was overcast but she leaned back like she was basking in the sun. Brady conversed with her for a few moments before she pensively ran her fingers through the water flowing next to her. I watched her expression move slowly to sadness and when I thought that she might cry she hopped up from her rock and went to climb the rocky path and jump again.

Her coordination seemed more impaired than usual and several rocks slid out from under her feet and hands as she climbed the path like it was a rock wall. Suddenly, she lost her footing. Bella tumbled down grasping helplessly at rocks as she fell. She was still for a couple of moments when she hit the bottom and then she looked at her arm. I knew the expression she wore all too well. Bella was bleeding and fighting to remain consciousness. The youngest dog ran to her with the first aid kit and Emmett caught my arm before I could leap from the tree.

Hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going? His fingers tightened around my arm; if I jumped, it might get ripped off.

Edward, you packed her an enormous first aid kit, there's no need to expose ourselves over this. Jasper mentally chided.

I growled and settled back into the tree. Bella's arm had begun bleeding profusely; she turned her head away from the bloody mess while Brady tried to staunch the flow. Rachel panicked for a moment and Bella lifted her head to say something. I hated being too far away to read their thoughts.

My phone buzzed but I didn't answer it. The caller didn't leave a voice mail. Jasper's phone rang immediately after mine stopped. Emmett and I both looked at him expectantly.

Alice He explained after glancing at the screen.

"Well hello darlin'. Do you miss me?" Jasper's smile fell. "Yes, right away." He didn't hang up but turned to me with a look of sheer terror. "Edward, Emmett, get to Bella NOW!" He shouted and we jumped from the tree.

"What's going on Jasper!?" Emmett shouted as we began running. He was several strides behind us and I was out pacing both of them rapidly. I was the fastest and Bella was in danger; so, I ran hard and left them behind.

"The nomads Alice has been watching were close to the area but now they've disappeared. They were on course to cross the trail." I heard Jasper's thoughts more than his voice as I pushed further ahead. Bella once again acted as a danger magnet; she pulled it to her yet again. I punched a tree trunk in rage as I ran and it splintered into bits around my fist causing the entire tree to topple to the ground. It was like I was watching that truck come at her again, over and over. In the very least this she had not walked knowingly into this like she had with James but all the same I was still running in a panic to save her. Bella was still in trouble. The woman was always in trouble, fate attempted to crush her at every turn and she was completely oblivious to it. If she had a guardian angel that angel and I were going to have to have a long talk one day about exactly why he let her find so much danger.

Whoa, easy Bella. I heard Brady as he struggled to hold her; she lolled dangerously in his arms. The great clumsy oaf was going to drop her. Her arm had been wrapped in a pressure bandage but I could smell the blood at this distance; I was close to a mile away. The nomads had to be able to smell it, that would explain their change of course.

I urged myself faster, half a mile stood between the wolves and me.

"Smell that?" The voice was Rachel's gentle, husky timbre. Vampire.

"Vampire." Quil confirmed the suspicion I heard from the girl's mind. The two phased simultaneously leaving Brady confused. He nearly dropped Bella again.

What do I do? What do I do? I can't phase with her in my arms!

'If he phases with her in his arms...' I seethed.

"It's me, Edward! There is danger approaching!" I shouted and they heard me at a distance.

You can hear my thoughts leach? Rachel confirmed.

"I can." I dropped my voice as I came close enough. I spoke quietly enough to not disturb Bella; the last thing I needed was for her to lurch again and have a nervous Brady drop her. I stopped just in front of them. Rachel and Quil crouched protectively in front of Brady who held Bella's limp, pale form in his arms.

"Give her to me!" I ordered Brady. Bella's head inclined slightly at the sound of my voice. I had spoken loudly enough for her to hear.

Not gonna happen bloodsucker! Brady's eyes met mine in a defiant stare.

We will not hand her over to you in such a condition. Quil snarled.

"Bella!" I attempted to rouse her again, my panic over her condition seeped into my voice.

"Edward..." She murmured weakly and stirred again.

She heard him. Rachel swiveled her muzzle to look at Quil.

She's barely conscious. Quil responded.

"Brady, giver her to me, she needs medical attention." I looked at the boy and tried to assess what his weaknesses might be and exactly how I was going to get Bella away from him and get away from the nomads as fast as possible. I had to remain calm, the entire situation sat on a knife's point and if Brady phased while holding Bella then there might not even be a hope of changing her.

She bleeds, stay back, we know that you cannot resist her blood. She told Jacob about your little problem with her blood.Rachel growled at me.

"Her blood isn't a problem for me anymore." I had never been in more control of my internal monster than I was at that moment.

How are we to believe you? Quil growled.

"Bella?" I called her again and tried to rouse her. I was beginning to suspect that she had a head injury instead of just passing out from the smell of blood.

"Ed-dward…" She whispered faintly.

"Did she hit her head?" I turned to Brady; he had been closest to her when she fell. My voice came out rough and menacing.

I don't think so. Brady ran through her fall in his head but his mind was so focused on her arm that I had difficulty seeing the rest of the incident. I reached for her.

Her arm is bleeding leach! Quil's thoughts screamed at me.

"Of course I'm aware of the gash on her arm but she's slipping out of consciousness, did she hit her head?" I brought my tone back into line. Keeping the dogs calm had to be my top priority.

She may have, I'm not sure. Brady looked down at Bella.

"Please let me help her. I can get her to Carlisle faster than you can." I begged Brady.

Edward! Edward this is NOT good little bro! We have to move! Emmett's mind screamed at me from the trees.

There are more of you! Quil accused.

"It's Jasper and Emmett." I growled back.

They're coming Edward! Alice says they disappeared! Get Bella and run! Jasper thought as he and Emmett broke onto the trail.

"How long Jasper? Did Alice say anything else?" We were running out of time.

I smell more than just them. Rachel stiffened.

We need Brady. Quil caught the scent of the nomads.

"Quil, make Brady give her to me…" I put my arms out. Quil nodded to Brady and he passed Bella into my arms. Her body was completely limp and didn't feel warm on the side that hadn't been nestled up against Brady's warmth.

What's going on here Cullen? Quil snarled.

"There are four nomadic vampires nearby. They've most likely smelled Bella and will be coming after her." I kissed Bella's forehead.

Why her specifically? Have you put her in danger? Rachel turned her snout towards me and looked directly down her nose.

"No, but Bella's scent is particularly strong and the fact that she's bleeding is like a neon sign flashing her location." They looked puzzled. "Bella smells very good and she is most likely the reason that this coven has changed it's course. We may have to fight them."

"We can't stay here." Jasper nodded towards the path. This position is entirely unsuitable to defend; we're too crowded on the trail. "You need to make a run for it." He turned to me, his eyes were dark with determination.

"If I run they'll just chase me." I reasoned.

"We stayed put with James; Edward, this time we run." Emmett pushed on my shoulder. "Jasper and I are right behind you."

And we're behind them. Quil howled.

"Run Edward!" Jasper shoved me and I flew.

The trees flew past me again as I made my way back towards town. Bella's body curled instinctively into mine as if my presence comforted her. I held her as tightly as I could without causing further damage. I heard them behind us.

Come on Ari... finish scouting and tell us how many there are. A baritone 'voice' sounded, he was impatient.

Ha! Three vampires and one of them is Jasper! A female called back.

She knew Jasper. That did not bode well for us making it out of this situation with all of our limbs. My experience with Jasper's friends other than Peter and Charlotte had proved that they were the worst kind of ruthless killers.

Jasper? Maria's Jasper? He could hear her but they were now close enough that I should be able to hear their voices.

Yes, Maria's Jasper. Adrianna will be excited. The woman responded. The exchange was smooth. Could they have heard our thoughts as well?

"Jasper, they know you." I turned my head over my shoulder. He was close behind me and Emmett wasn't far beyond him.

I'd know that scent anywhere Colin. That is Jasper Whitlock. This Ari definitely knew Jasper.

Me? Jasper's eyebrows pulled in on each other as he pushed his pace to catch up with me.

"Yes, you." We were coming up on a small clearing. "They're also about to catch us."

I think that we can defend from here. You keep Bella safe, keep running and we'll try to hold them up. Get her to Carlisle, Edward. Jasper stopped and held up his arm for Emmett and the wolves to halt as well. I kept going.

Jasper's stopped. Ari announced.

What about the snack? Colin replied.

Still moving with the lanky male; he doesn't look like much. Adrianna can take him out on her own. We have to get her past Jasper though. I wonder why they're running with the human.

I was already running through another grouping of trees as an image of Adrianna came into Ari's mind. If she thought that she could fight me on her own she was sadly mistaken. The only problem was that I had to put Bella down in order to fight. I hoped that Jasper could contain the situation.

Is Mark still trying to head them off?

I quickly made my way out of range of their minds and kept going. Then, I smelled him. A fourth vampire lurked ahead of me.

Mmmm... The snack approaches. I heard his mind and changed course to avoid meeting him. He swiftly caught my change in direction and moved to intercept.

"I know you're alone!" He called. Alone and holding my snack... You have no hope of winning this one. She smells so good; I'm going to enjoy every last drop.

Rage burned within me and I evaded him again. After a few minutes of our game of changing course it became obvious that he had some way of knowing where I was headed. I couldn't get around him; so, I'd have to take my chances in a fight. I nestled Bella in some pine straw on the forest floor behind me. Her body shuddered as I laid her down; I crouched next to her and removed my shirt. She looked so cold and exposed in only her swimsuit. I carefully slipped the shirt over her head and waited for the vampire to appear.

He stopped next to a tree and cocked an eyebrow at me. Interesting... he's not feeding on the human. I wonder why. Is she special? She doesn't look like much, but they never do. "Are you going to feed on her or can I have her?"

"I am not going to feed on her, but you'll have to get through me to get to her." I turned in my crouch shielding Bella from the predator.

"Why would you do that? Saving her for later perhaps? We could share." He took a casual step closer. Or I could just kill you and have her to myself.

"No, she's my mate." I growled protectively.

"She's food." That's really disgusting.

I launched myself at him using the element of surprise. He managed to dodge but not quite far enough to avoid me as I crashed into his side. He grabbed my arm and rolled me onto the forest floor; only to be knocked over as my shoulder connected to his chest. We both scrambled to our feet and began circling.

I heard his intended moves a fraction of a second before he made them. He studied my frame for weaknesses but I kept watch over his mind and evaded his grasp time and time again. The fight was a perfectly choreographed dance and it continued for quite some time. We lunged and dodged in sync with each other, wholly focused on the fight. I admired his concentration, he didn't once allow his thoughts to stray from what he was doing. Neither of us could get a hold on the other one to cause any actual damage. It was a smooth ballet.

His attention suddenly shifted and I had a millisecond of warning to move out of the way before being attacked by a small dark haired female. I had missed her thoughts as she ran though the woods and launched herself at me. They were clearly there but I had somehow been so focused on the fight that I didn't sense danger coming from the other direction.

"I see that you haven't disposed of him yet Mark." She smirked. "Did you save him just for me?" She had a long stretch of exposed skin on her arm that appeared inflamed. She had been scratched by a wolf but escaped, that was a feat. The wolves didn't let go of vampires easily.

"Adrianna, if you want him, he's yours." He smirked at her, thinking about the difficulty he'd had in getting a swipe in. In his mind she was a better fighter but there was something else. I couldn't discern what had happened the last time he had sparred with her.

I positioned myself between them and Bella. They both lunged at me. I avoided the blow that he aimed at my shoulder but stumbled directly into her. It was then that I discovered why Mark couldn't remember what had happened to him. She touched me and the world went black. My mind raced but I couldn't move. Mark lifted Bella, and unnecessarily sniffed her before he took off running.

"Now, you are not going to be able to run after us for some time." A seductive voice murmured in my ear. "You won't be able to move for ten minutes, by then Jasper should catch up with you." She hummed. "I certainly hope that you come after us, we could have so much fun together."

I sat frozen and watched the dark haired vampire slink away into the forest before she ran full tilt to get away. All I could do was wait and worry.