I hope you guys like it. Sorry it takes so long to get an update from me now but pregnancy has taken it's toll! I hope to update a lot sooner this time because I have no husband this week but we'll see. Thanks again to Heartbroken1 and JillCUllen for their help.

Chapter 9 : Reassurances

When we got back to the house, to say Edward was upset … would have been an understatement. I knew he blamed himself for putting me in danger again. He kissed me hard and then put me down softly on the couch. He glanced back at me one more time before he flung the door open and took off running. I yelled his name but I knew he was already gone and wouldn't listen to reason anyway.

I quickly explained what had happened to the family and asked Jasper and Emmett to please go after him. Alice was upset with herself for not seeing it, I think Rosalie was still feigning disinterest in anything concerning me and Carlisle and Esme, were, of course, worried about Edward. I could only stare blankly at the wall wondering if all my pain over the last few days was for nothing. Everything would be for nothing if I were to lose him.

In my rational mind I knew that he was probably fine. He is after all practically indestructible, but my mind just wouldn't let me stop thinking about the possibilities. What life is like without him was too fresh on my mind and I knew I wouldn't ever survive a permanent separation.

Alice looked as though she were wracked with guilt and there was no Jasper to help relieve it so I tried to comfort her. "Alice, it's not fair for us to assume that you can see everything. I don't blame you at all, so don't blame yourself."

She gave me a weak smile back. "Thanks, but I still can't believe that I could possibly miss something this important."

The wheels were turning in my head. I knew there was no way Alice had missed this either. Somehow Victoria had figured out a way around her visions. Then it dawned on me and his name spilled out of my mouth, "It's Laurent!"

The whole family stared at me with curiosity. "I think Laurent is helping Victoria again. Tanya's family must have explained enough to him that he knows how Alice's visions work."

Carlisle just nodded, "That's probably it. I'll try to talk to Tanya and the others and hear their take on the situation."

He quickly left the room to call. I looked down at the floor and wondered how this was all going to work out. Esme came behind me and began to rub circles on my back, attempting to calm me. "Bella dear, it's okay the boys will be right back. We'll take care of everything, it's fine, you'll see."

The front door suddenly opened and Emmett and Jasper sauntered into the room. Emmett must have noticed the panicked look on my face because before I could form a coherent sentence, he was reassuring me, "Edward's fine. He's just angry. We told him to come back in when he's calm."

Jasper too, was trying to assure me that everything was fine with both his words and his gift. I was barely listening to them as they explained that her trail ended at the road. They figured that she must have had a car waiting, knowing that they would track her scent.

I couldn't take it anymore, I ran outside to find Edward angry or not, I needed to see him. I needed to talk to him and be close to him. I needed him to know this wasn't his fault.

I didn't have to read his mind to know he would blame himself, and I was not about to let Victoria ruin this for me. Tomorrow was going to be my wedding day -- crazy stalking vampire or not. I listened and took a deep breath, trying to see if I could smell him. My breath caught as I realized he was very close and I attempted to quietly approach him.

I saw him on the ground, leaning on a tree, with his face buried in his hands. My dead heart ached. I couldn't stand to see him suffer like this. For the first time, I tried intentionally to use my gift. I willed him to feel no guilt over this. I loved this man and I didn't want to lose him. I was beginning to realize that I would not lose him over stupid vengeful vampires either. I was beginning to worry that his view of himself was what would always hold us back. He refused to allow himself to be happy or even that someone like him deserved to even be happy. His face turned up to look at me. He must have heard and felt me.

He put his arms out for me and I ran to him, crashing into his embrace. My lips found his, and I tried to persuade him with my body and my gift that I loved him. There would be no one else for me and he had to see this by now. His job now was to make me happy because there was no one else on this planet that would ever be able to do it.

I stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes. "I need you. Please don't go down this path anymore. I deserve you, all of you and you deserve me and we are getting married tomorrow."

He finally smiled weakly back. "I will never deserve you Isabella, but I will spend eternity trying to."

What does one say to that? The only thing I could come up with was, "Thank you." I pressed his lips against mine again and again as I breathed in his scent. My body once again molded into his and I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him. It still seemed strange to have his boundaries suddenly gone and it made it so much harder to pull away.

"Let's go back to our family and help Alice finish everything for tomorrow."

I held out my hand to help him up but instead he pulled me back down to him wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

"Bella, I don't want to let go of you. I'm not sure what to do anymore. You make me feel so ….human. Between not wanting to let you out of my arms so that I can protect you from any danger, and my seventeen year old raging hormones that you have now brought out in me, I can't even think straight."

I laughed. "Come on, I'll have to be strong for the both of us right now. I can't sit here alone with you any longer though without ripping your shirt off again."

He chuckled and gave me a beautiful, mischievous smile. "I'd enjoy that immensely."

"I know that's why we are going inside my beautiful soon to be husband."

As we looked towards the house, I noticed my best friend and future sister standing in the doorway with her arms folded and a worried expression on her face.

I turned to Edward, "What's wrong, what did she see?"

He laughed, "Nothing, she's just worried about getting everything done and having everything be perfect. She hates to admit it but she needs some help."

I was glad that was it. I didn't think I could take much more today. However, when we walked inside and were greeted by everyone, Carlisle asked us to take our seats and I quickly realized that I wasn't done for the day.

We needed to talk about everything that had happened and what the Denali coven had told him, but I wasn't looking forward to it. I was tired of just being the cause of more problems for this family….my family. I hoped this time I would actually be able to do something to take care of myself. I wasn't going to react to Victoria like a scared little girl again. I wasn't that Bella anymore... I wasn't even human anymore. It was going to be awhile before I would be able to wrap my mind around the reality of this new existence.

As I was taking everything from today in, we walked inside to take our places. We sat on the couch next to the rest of the family and I cringed at the idea of any harm coming to anyone in my family. Carlisle looked back at us, "I talked to Tanya. It seems that Laurent and Irina are now involved, which makes our situation a little more precarious. Tanya will talk to them and see if she can find out anything but if he really is in deep with Victoria, Irina is not going to let us hurt Laurent."

As Carlisle finished Edward was squeezing me tighter and he had practically pulled me into his lap. "Edward, it's fine everything will be fine."

He looked back at me skeptically but remained silent as he placed a tender kiss on my forehead. I then turned to Alice and noticed her blank stare. She was having a vision.

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