The exclamation broke the heavy silence that lasted only a few moments, and Bella stared at Irina in shock. The blonde's eyes were back to that dark near-black shade that they had reached during their fight near Alaska, and they were locked on Bella.

"You weren't good for him?!" Irina shouted. "After everything you went through with James and then Laurent." She spat out his name like a curse. "And he had the audacity to say that you weren't good for him? That bastard nearly got you killed a hundred times over and you still stood by him. What the hell." From there her words switched to a language that Bella couldn't recognize apart from the fact that it sounded a bit like Russian, or maybe German.

Kate rushed over to her sister, rubbing her back and whispering in a soft tone in that same language. The rest of the coven looked a bit shocked at their coven mate's outburst, though many of them had those same dark eyes.

"You'll have to forgive Irina, dear." Carmen spoke, once again shifting attention to her. "She's had a bit of a rough time lately. As have you, from what you've told us." She shook her head with a small sigh. "We all have, honestly."

"If you don't mind, we can continue this discussion tomorrow?" Tanya asked Bella, and Bella could hear that some of the harshness that usually came from the authoritative words had faded as she addressed her softly. "We can't really sleep, but some rest would be appreciated."

"Of course." Bella nodded, turning to the door before hesitating. She bit her lip for a moment before walking over to Irina and giving her a hug. It was a bit awkward given the blonde's sitting position, but she could tell the gesture was appreciated by the gentle squeeze she received in turn. Then she headed out the door.

OOOOOO

The sun was just starting to set when Bella returned home, and she arrived at the same time that Charlie's police cruiser pulled up in the driveway. When Charlie stepped out of his low riding car onto the gravel driveway, he could see the dragging feet and low shoulders that Bella didn't even attempt to hide.

She may have been a sleepless creature of the night, but she was tired.

Neither said anything as they settled down in the bottom floor, Charlie watching from his position leaning against the wall as Bella cooked him some dinner. It smelled exactly like it used to, despite what the Cullens had said it didn't smell like trash or anything, it just didn't hold any of the appeal it had when she had been human.

After sitting down at the table with Charlie chowing down on some Spaghetti across from her, she eventually started to talk.

She talked about this girl that she'd seen, not giving names, and how she'd left her alone with a dangerous brother. Not even Charlie knew about the whole time-travel thing yet, and Bella didn't know if she should tell him. It wasn't that she felt like she needed to keep this a secret from him because he wouldn't accept it, or anything like that. It was more a worry of what might happen, should Edward come back.

Bella might be able to shield her own thoughts from him, but she couldn't shield her father's, and she didn't know if she'd be able to protect him from the level of controlling that Edward would no doubt bring into everything. He always had to get the final say, and he didn't get a say in this.

So, Bella was vague about nearly everything, not giving specific names or dates, not that she knew anywhere close to the exact date except that it was a long time ago if Carlisle's tales of Aro were to be believed.

After she finished explaining, Bella could tell that Charlie was in cop mode already, ready to go find this girl and protect her from Aro, and Bella had to placate him, lest he ask a question that Bella couldn't answer. Finally, he seemed to let it go, grabbing his now-empty dish from the table and squeezing Bella's shoulder as he walked by.

With that off her chest, to some extent at least, Bella made her way up to her room.

She made it to the stair that was the second to the top before her vision tilted again. Bella couldn't even bring herself to be really surprised by it this time, and she let herself fall into the feeling.

OOOOOO

Salt in her nose again.

She hadn't expected this.

Bella jolted up from her position, once again laying on those cliffs by the water. Could it have actually worked? Could she have forced herself to travel back to Didyme in time to save her from her brother?

Before even a millisecond had passed, Bella was in a dead sprint toward the cabin.

The trees were blurry even to her enhanced vision as she winded through them, clipping her shoulder on one and nearly taking the whole tree down in her haste. She didn't know exactly what she was going to do. She was up against the current leader of the vampire world, after all. Or the future leader. Whatever. She didn't have a lot of time to think. The light ahead of her that signaled the end of the tree line caught her eye, and she put on a burst of speed, racing toward it before—

White.

No! No, please, not yet. Please! I need more time, just—

Bella slowly raised her arm, gently grasping the cloth over her face and pulling it away. In front of her was the cabin, but all around the back of the yard there were strings hung from tree to tree holding different pieces of cloth slung over them to dry. Well. That was embarrassing.

A shaky breath escaped her as the tension dissolved for just a moment, followed by a self-deprecating chuckle. She ran a hand through her hair as she stalked forward, before, once again, her motion was suddenly halted.

A gentle humming sound to her right drifted through the air, settling lightly on her ears, and Bella's eyes drop closed for a moment, almost against her will, as the soft sound makes her shoulders drop with a calm she hadn't felt just moments before. She opened her eyes once more, turning from the cabin to follow the source of that beautiful tune. She passed through a row of hanging cloth, pushing the lightly swaying fabric up a bit for her to pass underneath, and the sight that greeted her stole her unnecessary breath.

Wild brown curls framed a matured face. Cheekbones high and lips so rosy that Bella got stuck there for a moment before dragging her eyes away. Slender hands smoothed out the white fabric in front of her before settling on hips that were hugged by the draping fabric that was twisted around her body, cinched in some places and tied off by a belt that was hidden by a layer of white that just barely shielded it from view, but a faint glint of gold peeked out for a moment, shining in the light.

Bella had never been particularly religious, but if heaven was real, it was missing an angel.

A subtle smile graced Didyme's face, as per usual, and Bella felt herself drawn toward it. She had only managed two slow steps before striking blue eyes turned her direction. A look of disbelieving recognition took over her face, and Didyme's smile grew for a second, before her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she gazed at Bella.

A slight crease formed in Bella's brow as she took in her friend's shocked state, before she turned her eyes down and looked at her own hands.

They were sparkling in the sunlight. She hadn't even noticed the sunny day in her rush to find Didyme.

She returned her gaze in front of her sheepishly, only to find Didyme still struck still. Bella bit at her lip worriedly before she took a hesitant step forward, hoping to snap her out of it. When Didyme didn't react, she cautiously approach the woman, keeping her eyes locked with her own red ones all the while.

When she finally stood in front of her, Bella tilted her head to the side as she observed Didyme's expression, hoping for some sign that her friend was okay. A moment of silence passed before, slowly, a shaking hand made its way up, hesitating just before Bella's face, as if she was scared to touch her.

Well, that wouldn't do. Bella wouldn't be able to stand it if Didyme was afraid of her. She raised her own hand, gently resting it on top of Didyme's and guiding it that final distance to rest on her face. The warmth of it made her eyes flutter shut, and she let out a sigh before nuzzling into that warmth a bit. A small gasp forced her to reopen her eyes once more.

Those blue eyes were glistening, whether it be from tears of a reflection of Bella's own skin, she didn't know, but she felt an intense need to reassure her friend.

"Didyme." Bella whispered, her tone calming.

"Bell?" Didyme responded, her eyes finally blinking. The grown woman who had once been her very teenage friend looked completely awed by her, and Bella didn't know how to push past the effect her strange skin had on her. She needn't have worried, however, because just as she thought that she had her arms full with a crying woman.

Didyme latched onto the back of her neck with one hand and fisted the fabric of her shirt on her back with the other. Bella quickly wrapped her own arms around the woman, rubbing her back and whispering reassurances in her ear as the shoulder of her shirt grew wet with shed tears. After rocking for a moment, trying not to use too much force so as not to take Didyme's feet out from under her, she pulled back. It was definitely tears in Didyme's eyes this time, and the woman let out a small huff of a laugh, gazing up at Bella. Bella granted her a crooked smile in return.

"Did you miss me?" Bella's smile only stretched further when Didyme playfully slapped at her arm.

"More than you could know." Didyme responded. The cocky smile on Bella's face grew softer at that, and she looked at her friend fondly, reaching up and tucking a stray hair behind her ear, her fingertips lightly grazing her skin. A shiver went through Didyme, and Bella's concern returned. It was a sunny day, but she couldn't really feel temperature much anymore and she didn't know if it was cold or not. She grabbed Didyme's hand, dragging her behind her as she led her friend into the cabin and out of the cold.

This was really Bella's first time inside the cabin, and it had changed a bit. There was a small pile of furs in the far corner, and the strong smell of Didyme that emanated from them confirmed that it was her bed, and it made Bella want to curl up in them and smother herself in that soothing scent.

She had started toward it before a small chuckle behind her stopped her, and she turned to Didyme, offering her a sheepish smile. She was still getting used to the low impulse control that came with her newborn status. Her friend offered her a smile in return, before her face took on a serious expression.

"Bell," Didyme seemed to hesitate for a moment before steeling herself and continuing, "Where have you been? You disappeared right before my eyes, and you never returned?" She asked the question softly, not accusing, but a slight hint of sadness peaked through, and that's what stopped the lie on Bella's tongue.

She had been ready to say something about being a ghost or a wraith, whichever Didyme seemed to believe she was. She could have easily explained her strange condition on her being a restless spirit, and her friend would have believed her, but something stopped her.

She didn't want to lie.

She wanted to come clean to Didyme and explain everything that was going on with her. She wanted to tell her about the ridiculous past couple of months and the abandonment that started this. She wanted to share her pain with this personification of sunshine and feel the comfort she provided, but she knew there was a limit. She couldn't very well tell her that she was from the future and that she knew her brother through her vampire friends who told her of the cruelty he was capable of. She wanted to tell the truth, but maybe an edited version of the truth was required. Maybe if Didyme believed her, she could start on the path toward protecting her from her brother. If she could believe that she was from the future, she could believe in the future she had known. She could believe that Bella just wanted her safe.

Baby steps.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story…"

OOOOOO

The conversation went about as well as could be expected. Didyme didn't seem to fully understand some of what she said, but she believed her when she said she was from the future. She had seen her appear and disappear right before her eyes, so that probably made it a bit easier to believe.

Bella explained how she had no control of it. She went wherever her ability pleased, dragged along by its whims. She told Didyme how she had tried to come back immediately, stressing more that she wanted to see her than she was trying to come back to save her from her brother.

That was another thing. Her brother.

Bella inquired about Aro's absence in the cabin, used to at the very least smelling the lingering scent he left behind, but that trace was gone now. Didyme's face went stony for a moment, her eyes growing dark before she turned a smile on Bella, explaining that her brother had been offered work with a strange man who promised him power. Bella knew this was probably his maker, as the man in the picture hadn't been too old, and Didyme's matured age showed that enough time had passed to put him in the right age limit. She refrained from asking, despite her intense curiosity about the man, when she saw the strain on Didyme's face and the fake smile she flashed her that looked almost like a warning.

Bella found herself answering many questions in the days that followed as she familiarized herself with the ins and outs of Didyme's life in that small cabin. In the morning, they would talk a walk down the path to the cliffs while Didyme asked her about her life, what she was, what her parents were like, what she was interested in. Half of the questions were a bit harder to answer, and when Didyme noticed that Bella would pull away of grow silent during those questions about what she was and such, she would turn the questions to more frivolous things, answering them in turn.

This was how she learned that Didyme's favorite color was gold. Her favorite food was venison stew. She loved sunrises more than sunsets, but she found them both to be beautiful in their own ways.

In the afternoon, when the sun shone directly overhead, more suitors than ever before would make the trek from the village to Didyme's little cabin, and Bella would hide under the furs stifling her giggles as Didyme would try to send them away as politely as possible. Once or twice she would laugh a little too loud, and Didyme would have to cover with a cough, sending away the man before turning back to her and giving her a scolding look before she broke and started laughing with her.

The evenings were comprised of Bella learning how different cooking could be in the time compared to modern times. She was forced to learn new herbs and plants. They didn't have much besides a very small amount of salt that Didyme would use sparingly. Mostly, though, Didyme would use a dagger-looking cooking knife to cut up vegetables for some kind of stew that made up the majority of her meals.

It was during one of these evenings that Bella learned the extent of her control.

It was the fifth night since she had arrived and started to slowly share little bits of information, just enough to show Didyme she was telling the truth while also urging her not to trust her brother. Didyme was cutting the root from a vegetable she'd just pulled from her garden when the sharp blade of the dagger sliced into her finger, and a bead of blood quickly welled to the surface.

Bella was transfixed. The small drop of red stained those slender fingers, and Didyme rushed over to Bella who was, coincidentally, sitting right next to the pile of rags that made up her dirty clothes. Didyme reached for one, bringing the fabric up to her finger, but she never reached it due to the vice-like grip that stopped her. Bella didn't even seem to notice her own actions as she stared at that drop, watching it slowly travel down her finger as she uncurled from her sitting position, standing tall over Didyme with pitch black eyes.

She slowly stalked forward, and Didyme matched her step for step until her progress was halted by the wall. Bella never glanced up to see wide blue eyes as she leaned her head down, bringing her nose right over the finger and sniffed, her mouth filling with venom at the mouthwatering scent.

It had been over a week since she had fed, and she was a newborn. They weren't meant to go without for that long.

Just was the red bead reached the end of her finger, collecting and about to fall, Bella ducked down, her tongue out to catch it. The taste made her eyes roll back as they fluttered shut, and Bella knew she had to have more. She raised back up to the finger and dragged her tongue along it, catching every last drop before wrapping her lips around it. The labored breathing coming from above her barely registered to her mind as focused on that delicious taste as she was.

She sucked gently for a moment, drawing more of that flavor out, before a sound caught her attention. A thundering heart beat drew her away from the finger and she looked up at the source. She rested her ear against the chest of her prey, listening to that beat, and it increased even further as she followed it up to the side of a bared neck.

She could hear that beat just beneath the skin there, pulsing faster than she had ever heard it, and she brought her mouth to the source of it, dragging her bottom lip over the racing pulse before her tongue flicked out, tasting salt and skin and just a hint of something else.

The action caused the beat to go faster, and she pressed her face into the neck, purring in delight, the sound vibrating down the throat and into the chest of her prey, and its legs wobbled below it before collapsing entirely, and the throat was now out of reach as her prey slid along the wall to the ground, and looked up at her with incredibly dark blue eyes.

Blue eyes.

Didyme.

Bella froze, the breath in her lungs halting as she stopped breathing, staring down at her friend's wide eyes. She could smell her blood. She could smell her fear. She could smell another scent, increasingly strong and just as appealing as her blood, but Bella couldn't identify it because she was too focused on the other scent.

Fear.

Didyme was afraid of her.

Bella had almost...

Bella ran.

OOOOOO

"Did you miss me?"

See! I promise I haven't abandoned you! I finally found some free time after midterms and all of my essays, so I finished the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any comments, please leave reviews!