Hey yall, I'm sorry it took so long. I've been really swamped with midterms and such. O well, I wanted to get this out to yall as quick as possible with the small amount of time i have. I'm sorry if its a little rushed, but at least it gets the story out there so you know what happens. /

Enjoy!!!

Ch.7

VPOV

This plan of mine was turning out quite well. I didn't want to remember how I had almost settled for torturing Bella to death; this new scheme would inflict much more anguish upon dear Edward. And Bella was falling right into my fingers, it was all too easy.

My skills in deception had won her confidence and what was even better was that she didn't remember a thing. I wouldn't have to spend wasted days convincing her against Edward and that my demeanor towards her before was all a misunderstanding. Like I said, it was too easy; every bogus memory I fed Bella about her past was absorbed like a dried out sponge.

I didn't know if she had already killed humans or hunted at all, but now that I forced her to kill at least one she was no longer the innocent Bella that Edward cherished. Her eyes were no longer stained red just because she was a new born; she had another human's blood sustaining her life-force. Plus the hate that I intended to plant inside her would complete her transformation. Once she knew what Edward had really done to her she would hate him forever, of course I would add a few more twists. So, when we finally encountered Edward he would see Bella, glorious in her evil beauty, and he would be powerless to stop her.

In the shadows I would watch her rip his heart into smithereens when she failed to believe the truth Edward would desperately try to convey to his angel. And keeping her promise she made me, Bella would destroy Edward leaving him powerless to defend himself. I knew him all too well; he would never lay a finger on Bella in self defense. But before we set his limbs a blaze I would reveal myself to him. Edward would know that all along I had deceived and turned Bella against him, and that she had believed me over him. In his writhing pain he would be forced to witness my disposal of his treacherous angel, I would have no more need to keep Bella alive. This plan was so beautiful, causing massive amounts of affliction with little to no work on my part.

Snickering slightly I prepared to set the rest of my gears in motion. It was time for faze two: more brainwashing of this foolish vampire beside me. She sat motionless and silent, her attention far off in her mind.

"Hey Bella?" I waited patiently for her to return to our world at the present.

"Yes?" came her delayed, but attentive response.

"Would you help me with one thing?" I paused wanting her full attention. "Will you help me kill Edward to avenge James's death?" To maximize the effect I faked a visage of despair. Her eyes broke the contact she had with mine, an internal war must have been occurring. However, I was sure she would say yes, Bella had no reason not to. Let the games begin!

EPOV

We had almost caught up to Bella, but her trail suddenly disappeared after a few miles. A snarl reverberated through me when I whiffed the scent of the vampire accompanying her. What could Victoria want with my sweet angel? Surely Bella would recognize her, unless Bella was her prisoner. Before I could make any decisions my own thoughts were drowned out by those of my family.

"Edward, I lost her trail and I smell that bitch with her!" Emmett informed with a snarl to match my own.

Jasper was contemplative of our predicament while Esme and Carlisle kept searching in a one mile radius of our location.

"I really wish she would just stop with all this drama and join us. I couldn't get her to leave when she was human and now that she is one of us she runs away. I don't know if I can stand another minute of Edwards self-pitying mood swings." Rosalie stood leaning against a tree frowning at Emmett then throwing me a sideways glance, realizing I had heard her.

I would have jumped Rosalie right there if it wasn't for Alice's vision. "Edward, it's Bella!" A camp ground with three families around it could be seen through the Pines. The following moment Victoria was draining the two older men followed by Bella. Her sharp teeth sucked greedily at the woman's tender skin. I also noticed her eyes were no longer a dull ruby, but a bright and rejuvenated crimson. My poor Bella, I couldn't force myself to watch anymore. So that was what Victoria was up to, she was going to turn Bella into a reflection of herself, a monster. I wasn't about to let that happen.

Gaining tabs on my family, they all looked intently for my command. Those butterscotch eyes peered loyally at me.

"Edward, we're here to support you no matter what you decide to do next." Carlisle stepped from the woods with Esme not far behind. "We picked up a trail headed towards the mountains." Carlisle's voice implied that he was leaving something out. "We also smelt blood, lots of it." He bowed his head regretfully not wanting to be the barer of bad news.

Nodding slightly, trying to mask my forlorn mood, I motioned my family on. We all knew what had to be done; we'd have to finish off Victoria and save Bella. Even if it meant that Bella had to be forced with brute strength, I'd have her back with me. Dear Bella, I swear to save you from that conniving Victoria and I promise to help you remember your past. We'll be together soon my Bella.

BPOV

Vicky and I twiddled around aimlessly through the woods making small talk.

"So what does a vampire do when it isn't hunting?" As playful as my question was I truly wished for an explanation. Maybe there was something else we enjoyed doing that I failed to discover.

"Well, most of our time is spent planning or tracking our next victims. I can't really think of anything else we would do. Should there be?" Vicky's answer revealed her inattentive mood. My companion seemed to be concentrating on something very important.

We ambled on, with no real direction, while Vicky mentally planned our next move. These moments of silence gave me time to reflect on everything I had learned recently. Despite everything I had learned about Edward I wanted to believe that I meant something to him. I believed that I was more than just a snack or form of amusement to him. All my memories never seemed to add up right with Vicky's stories, but she would never lie. Maybe I just hadn't been hearing her correctly and Edward did care about me.

I wanted to ask Vicky, but I couldn't figure out the right words to do the job. I was feeling something much more than compassion or friendliness towards Edward, and I'm wondering if he felt the same way. There had to be a word to describe what I felt. No matter what Vicky or my memories told me of Edward's horrible nature I still yearned to lay by his side and stroke those auburn locks from his face. I longed to gaze into his butterscotch eyes while touching our noses together. Even more, I wanted to lean in and kiss this irresistible vampire; I wanted it so bad that I could literally feel it if I closed my eyes.

Closing my eyes to imagine how it would feel, my memory attempted to aid me in my awkward struggle. I stood on a porch with Edward, wrapped tightly in his arms. Like in my fantasies we gazed into each others faces before moving closer to kiss. However, unlike in my imagination, this kiss was urgent, passionate as if it was the last time we would ever see each other. He pulled away, whispering "I love you." That was it, that was the word I needed to ask Vicky about.

Returning to reality, my lips still burned from the icy encounter. Vicky continued to stroll in a daze beside me. I didn't see any harm in breaking her trance though, what could she be thinking so hard about?

"Vicky, I have another question." The words stumbled hesitantly from my mouth.

She turned her head lazily in my direction. "What is it Bella?"

"Did Edward love me?" Instantly I regretted it as her face turned into that of a raged beast.

"Do you not remember what I told you about him?" She screamed frustrated. "Is it necessary for me to have to add to the hurt he caused you and me? Do I need to refresh your broken memory some more?" Her expression had shifted more towards exasperation, leaving me less intimidated.

"What do you mean? Were you keeping something from me?" If there was a pulse in my dead body it would be leading me dangerously close to a heart attack.

"I didn't want to tell you this, because you've been through so much already. But, if you still think Edward is good then you must know. Bella, he tricked you into thinking that he loved you. That is how he got you to follow them willingly. The sad part is that you truly believed that he was the man for you. You were completely in love with him and he only used this love to attempt at destroying you. Whatever you feel now is probably just leftovers from this sick deception."

My gut twisted sickeningly; does that mean that none of my memories were real? Were they all memories of a false reality he had created for me? If that was so then I didn't know who to believe. My soul loved Edward, but according to Vicky he did not return the feeling. My heart didn't believe what she said, but wouldn't I feel that way even if she was correct? Edward had either done a good job at tricking me or Vicky was up to no good. Once again I reminded myself that Vicky was here helping me now while I had no clue what Edward intended to do to me. Vicky had to be right.

As I accepted the reality of what Vicky had revealed, my chest threatened to break open. Desperately I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my arms across the gaping hole. I felt as if the deep hole in my chest was creating a vortex, attempting to suck me into its dark abyss. Edward didn't love me, where was this pain coming from? Visions of a trail entrance flitted across my shut eyes. Edward and I stood about a yard apart while he muttered quietly to the figure that resembled my human life. What ever he was saying seemed to be tearing me apart as I was now. His eyes seemed to detach slightly as he leaned in closer to me.

"Goodbye Bella. Take care of yourself." His whisper broke what ever bound me to this life. Agony surrounded my whole being as only leaves remained before me. How could Edward leave me? This memory didn't seem to fit Victoria's story, but none the less he had killed me. Edward why did you break me like this? My head rummaged for a suitable word to describe the agony flowing freely inside my body. At the present no words could amount to what I felt.

Not completely recovered from my fit, I peered up at Vicky, ashamed she had to see my little emotional breakdown. Just as I expected, Vicky stood nearby still deep in thought.

"Are you done yet? We have to keep moving." Her voice was unsentimental and detached. Those blood stained eyes practically dragged me to my feet with their cold, deathly glare. "Alright, I've been concentrating on our means of assault, in other words how we are going to get Edward away from everyone else. We'll have to get close enough and from the right direction so that he can smell you. I'll be waiting a mile or so away so that he doesn't' smell me."

"Why can't he smell you?" I questioned half confused half suspicious.

"Because if he smells two people than he might feel too intimidated to come alone. Plus you said that he is hunting you, so he will have a reason to pursue your smell." Vicky responded, perfectly confident of her answer.

"So when will we begin this little adventure?" I asked with false enthusiasm. I really didn't feel up to killing more creatures, even if it was technically dead. All I wanted was to find some place secluded, forget my human miseries, and get on with the life I have now. But, I already promised my loyalty to Vicky and after I fulfilled her will I planned to leave Vicky. She didn't seem quite right in the head and I my trust in her was waning.

"Now, I picked up Edward's trail a few hours ago and he seems to have lost ours. So follow me and I'll set us up." Once again her eyes glazed over in concentration absorbing the sounds and smells around her.

Our pace quickened to a light jog, for a vampire. The forest was a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees again as we returned southwards.

"So what exactly do I do once he is chasing me?" I wondered, not wanting to mess up her perfect design.

"Well you'll finish him off, silly. Just go for his limbs with your teeth, but avoid his at all costs." Vicky's mood had lightened, but her topic left me drained and out of nerves. I had to kill him on my own? But he was an experienced vampire and I was new to this life style and body. How could I possibly win this battle?

Our limbs propelled us in silence while I our minds went over the proposed plan. We must be getting close because a faint sweetness lingered in the air. What amazed me even more was the dim light encircling Vicky. It was nothing like our skin in the sun, more resembling the tip of a dying flame. Once I reached out curiously to touch the flame, but as my fingers got closer the flame began to crawl up my arm, pulling it from Vicky.

"What are you doing?" Her worried voice lashed out at me as I crashed into her motionless body. Lying on the ground while gazing at her form before me I couldn't believe my eyes. The flame was gone, had I been imagining it all along.

"I'm sorry, I thought I saw something."

Her glare penetrated any courage remaining in me. Pausing for effect she finally believed her point made and dramatically turned back in the direction we were heading. "It's not far off, in fact you should go on from here or else Edward will smell me." Once again I could see the dim flame burst to life around her. It occurred right before she commented on Edward. What was this entity that danced around her?

"Bella! Are you listening?" Vicky was impatient at my inattentiveness.

Pulling my eyes from her glow, I gave her a quick nod. After righting myself from the earth, my dreary limbs propelled me a few yards ahead of Vicky.

"That's it, just keep walking till Edward finds you," her eyes were flooded with greed and anticipation. Hungry for revenge, but why didn't she want to carry it out. Was I her bate?

Come to think of it, I really didn't want to do this anyways. I didn't care what she thought; I couldn't go through with her grotesque plot. I can see how one could explain a logical case for killing humans, but how could you go about killing off your own kind? And even now, I didn't think I could kill Edward, so he would end up killing me instead. I wasn't ready to die yet; even though at this moment I could feel the plummeting feeling of hunger crawling forth, I wanted to make some good of this life.

Standing alone, but still close enough to hear Vicky, I was aware of everything around me. The chill of the wind bit at my numb, unfeeling skin, before continuing on its journey to aware Edward of my presence. Leaves struggled stubbornly on their branches creating an orchestra of soft rustling surrounding me. I guess I would have to tell Vicky, oh bother.

"Hey Vicky," all it took was a soft whisper.

"Ya Bella? What's wrong?" The agitated voice sounded behind me.

"I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm sorry, it's just I…" the sentence was cut short by Vicky's quick snap.

"Why? What are you talking about?" She revealed her position while baring her teeth menacingly, the flames still encircled her.

"Vicky, I think I still love him, even though I have no clue why." I knew this to be the reason for everything. I could feel it deep down inside; the pain was my love for Edward, never to be diminished. How sad, I loved a man but could not explain why or even remember much of how I loved him.

I returned from my reverie to find an irate Vicky standing only yards from me. She hissed menacingly in my direction before voicing one last thing to me, "well it seems that you're just as stubborn as you always were, I'll just have to go through with my original scheme." The flames called wildly to me, I felt like they were whispering my name as they writhed around her limbs. My hand compulsively reached out, drawing the embers towards me. As the energy streamed from her body to mine, a frightened gleam rippled across her demeanor. Now the flames danced playfully along my forearms, but I had little time to understand what had just occurred.

"You bitch what did you do to me?" Vicky roared before slamming her marble body into mine.

She was inches from my neck when I reflexively smashed her a safe distance away with my knuckles. Long nails proceeded in slashing violently around my face, always being blocked at the last moment. I didn't know how much longer I would last, she was so fast. Concentrating on protecting my front, I was caught off guard when she came from behind. I could feel her hands wresting gently but firmly on my shoulders as her teeth grazed my neck teasingly.

This was it; I would die, knowing nothing but confusion and fear. My eye lids lowered, ready for my imminent death.

"No, Bella!" A masculine snarl ascended on our scene. Vicky and I were both knocked to the dirt, but she was taken aback by the furious vampire that had saved me. I knew who he was as his auburn hair blurred faintly with his speed. Cracking and crunching came from within the tight mass of vampires. However I could make out Edward by the faint flame that now glided across his skin. Since when did he have one of these too? I looked down at my own hands still containing Vicky's aura.

From behind me came the soft shuffling of six other vampires, intent to aid their brother. However help was clearly not needed as Edward ripped Vicky clean in half. The males all went on anyways and the four of them continued in shredding my late companion. Was I next?

I could feel myself convulsing wide-eyed in horror. The whole scenario was over in a matter of seconds along with Vicky's flames that had lingered on my arms. Now I was the center of attention with seven pairs of topaz eyes fixed on my trembling form.

I truly hoped they weren't here to kill me; however I couldn't be sure by the look that the blonde female was giving me. Her cold stare invaded the personal space bubble I was attempting to create.

Raising my head to view the coven around me, the first thing I noticed was the same sort of energy surrounding three of them. One was around Edward, the other encircling a tiny female, and the third lingering lazily on a slim blond male. I wanted to continue studying the rest of the family, but the aura from the blond male seemed to be attracting me. My crimson eyes stared helplessly into his concerned face.

"Bella, are you okay?" It was Edward, I wanted to call out to him and run into his arms, but I was being consumed by the male vampire's aura. My eyes couldn't break away as a wave of serenity drenched me head to toe. At that moment the flames surrounding him reached out towards me as if they were supplying the calm flowing through me. What was his doing to me? My eyes opened even wider as I held my hand protectively in front of me while screaming, "what are you doing?! Stop!"

The embers bounced excitedly from his frame to mine, ending the flood of emotion. Able to move again, I rose to my feet and searched awkwardly through the sea of faces surrounding me.

"Carlisle! I can't feel her emotions or influence them. It's like she…like she stole it from me." The male whispered, troubled to the father figure.

I turned worriedly to Edward who was not looking at me. Was I wrong, were they not my friend? Why was no one talking to me, it was like they were all talking in some silent form of communication. I guess it couldn't hurt to admit my weakness for him, maybe he would comfort me, I could only hope for that at least.

"Edward," my whisper came out crackled from my dry throat. Raising my arm out for him, I was caught off guard by the following event. Both the flames dancing around him and the small female were drawn like magnets to my fingertips. They twisted wildly around my arms and up my shoulders, sending me shrieking and rolling on the ground. "Please someone help me! The fire," I could feel no pain but the visual aided a memory that tore through my bones. As I sat limp against a cave wall, it felt like flames were drying up my veins and consuming me.

Two firm arms embraced me tightly and his breathe warmed my hair. Edward muttered passionately of how much he missed me and how sorry he was, rubbing his hand across my back. His relaxing strokes comforted my heaving body, releasing the excited embers back to their owners. I finally felt at home with him and never wanted to leave him again. Words could not describe the joy I felt for him.

"Bella, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, I'm so sorry I ever left…" Edward rambled pitifully.

"Hush, I love you." My finger rested gently on his vibrating lips as I comforted his apologies. He gazed back appreciatively and our lips connected in a passionate kiss. Our kiss was even better than my memories, his warm body crushed against mine.

"Edward I hate to destroy your reunion, but they're here." Informed a fretful Carlisle.

I'll work on Ch.8 as fast as i can ) ...tips are greatly appreciated. (Hint: it's the Volturi that are coming)

- 3- Daidallein