A/N: R&R if you so desire.
I do not own Twilight, I just play with the characters.
BELLA
Those eyes enchant me. I can't look away. Jen pulls my arm to shake me out of my state. She then drags me up to possibly the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. He seriously puts even vamps to shame. Even those witches that use all of their magic to make themselves beautiful can't hold a candle to this guy. I have never been so glad to not have Edward around in my life. I don't even know if I will be able to make a sound when I open my mouth.
"Hello, Jen and Bella," he greets us by name. How does he even know our names?
"You have us at a disadvantage as you know our names, but we do not know yours," Jen comments.
"I am sorry for my lack of manners then. I am Grim. The oracle told me you might need my assistance, though she said you might not be expecting me," Grim informs us. Grim was the leader of the slayers at the time that they slaughtered each other. Was this what Mary Beth meant? No, Jen said that there were survivors. Color me confused. But I guess understanding isn't a requirement at this stage in the game.
"I see. She neglected to tell us about you. However she probably has her own reasoning for that. What kind of assistance?" Jen switches into planning mode like always.
"She did not tell me, just that you would be here on this date and at this time. So I arrived here early and waited. I am loyal to the oracle, so I will stay with you until such a time as you return to your own time period," Grim says that with determination. I guess if he has the time to kill, then he is not in charge yet. Weird, my sense of time is off I guess.
"That story does not take place until I was almost ten" Jen must have sensed my confusion.
"But…" I start. Grim looks between us curiously.
"Around this time is when the power structure changes," she is being cryptic so that we do not influence Grim.
"I see," I answer my friend.
"Well, we are looking for two witches. They are teenagers. The girl is from the most powerful magical family. The boy is from the next most powerful magical family," Jen turns her attention to Grim.
"I know the two that you look for. They have been destined for each other," he informs us.
"What does that mean?" I can't help but let my curiosity leak out.
"It means that it has been decided that they will one day wed. Their meeting and courtship period will be carefully planned out so that they will have no idea that they are being guided. The destining of a pair is extremely hard to do, and therefore a very rare occurrence. Research has to be done in order to discover it. The problem lies in the fact that if the couple ever finds out about the destining, the pair and their families will grow a great hatred of each other. The result is good for us. My grandparents' parents will never say a word to anyone about the destining for fear of destroying what little power witches hold still. The earliest date they will seek is the date of the meeting," Jen explains.
"Then how does he know about it?" I ask, still confused.
"Slayers see the truth by looking at you. I saw their parents planning. You still have time for their meeting has not yet happened. It is set for tomorrow, just after dawn," Grim tells us.
"Is there somewhere we can lay low for awhile?" I ask our apparent guide.
"Of course, I set a place up the very day the oracle paid me a visit," he leads us in the direction of our place to stay. Does he look a little different when he talks about Mary Beth? I might just have love on the brain though. I miss Edward. Grim's looks are still exceptional, but I love Edward. This must be how Edward feels about Rose.
We walk for a ways in silence. Jen seems to be holding something back. I will have to ask her about it when we get a moment alone. Grim seems to be looking forward to something. There is a cave ahead that has to be our temporary home. The approach is going to be challenging as the mouth of the cave lies about halfway up a cliff face. He has got to be kidding.
"What's the matter Bella, not in shape enough to handle a little bit of a challenge?" Jen teases me. Grim starts to smile, but then holds it in.
"I'm not concerned at all," I announce to their great amusement.
"Are you not a witch?" Grim asks with a smirk. Stupid slayer and his grasp of the obvious thing that I forgot…
"You are both so funny," I roll my eyes.
True to their calculations, we make an easy job of the climb. Magic really is amazing. The cave is very well stocked, actually. There are provisions. He even outfitted the place with a sleeping area that is plush with sleeping bags and pillows. There is a pit for cooking. We don't need any wood because we are trained. Actually, we could have set up the place ourselves with no trouble. Grim wanted to be helpful and we appreciate it. The place is still pretty well set up though.
"If you don't mind, I have one thing to do tonight. As much as I would like to stay with you both, if we want to avoid suspicion I need to try and keep my regular routine," Grim apologizes without needing to.
"Absolutely, we will be fine. See you in the early hours of morning then?" Jen says.
"I shall be here," he assures us and then heads towards the opening.
"Wait," Jen shouts. He turns and looks at her. She conjures a stemmed rose made of durable glass. Its bloom is a deep purple and its stem was clear. Grim's face clears and a huge grin takes over his expression.
"Thank you. I have been looking for something special and this is absolutely perfect," Grim envelopes Jen in a fierce hug. He then delicately takes the rose and heads off into the dark.
"What's the deal with Grim?" I ask my friend.
"What do you mean?" she deflects.
"I know you know something," I insist.
"I might," she hedges.
"Come on, please tell me," I wheedle.
"All right, I do know something. But it's not really my place to say anything," Jen ends the conversation. She sure can be annoying sometimes.