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Chapter 2

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Bella sighed; She hated rough days. Lauren had done everything in her power to get a reaction out of Bella in school now that she was without her 'perfect friends' and even Jessica seemed to have jumped on the 'I hate Bella Swan' band wagon. Her only friends these days seemed to be Angela, Ben and Eric.

It was a hard pill to swallow, even if she knew it was supposed to happen. She threw herself into her studies, even her work at Newton's, which pleased Mr. and Mrs. Newton greatly. They told her time and again that she was one of their best workers- case in point Mrs. Newton's retreating figure. Bella always smiled and thanked them, but, at the moment, as she stood behind the register, it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She sighed and looked at the nearly clear sky outside of the Newton's store and thought about the meadow she and the Cullen children would often times go to sit in on sunny days before they moved. She shook her head… sparkling vampires- how wrong the books had it.

"Something on your mind?"

Bella smiled at Mike. He'd popped up just when she needed a friend to talk to. "Maybe. I've been thinking about the Cullen kids again. I haven't heard anything from them in a while. It's like they dropped everyone here when they moved. It sucks."

Mike smiled. "Yeah, it sucks when friends move away and don't talk to you again. There's a lot of that happening to you these days though, huh." He mused.

"Meaning?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh… uh… Angela told me about Jacob. I know he was a good friend of yours, wasn't he? Has he started talking to you again?"

Bella shook her head and frowned. "No… he's got a lot on his plate. I still talk to his dad when I go fishing with him but Jake and I don't run in the same circles anymore."

Mike frowned at the sad look on her face. "I'm sorry. That's not cool. Maybe I should give him a piece of my mind! What do you say Arizona?"

Bella giggled. "Somehow I doubt you'd be able to do much to him. He's grown into his muscles since the last time you saw him."

"Pfft! I can take him!" Mike grinned.

"Whatever, get back to work, Newton!" She teased.

Mike smirked. "You too, Swan."

He was just happy he'd cheered her up at all. He hated seeing his friends upset. It hurt doubly that he harbored a small crush on her. He didn't like seeing her frown the way she did recently.

The doorbell chiming overhead alerted the two teens to someone entering the store. They both called out a greeting and made themselves presentable as two men made their way to the counter. They told Bella and Mike they wanted to get brand new camping gear.

"We're going bear hunting. We want to get up close photos of them for a local magazine back home." One of them told Bella with a grin.

"So, you're photographers?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, we run the nature and outdoors section of our magazine." The other one said handing them a card.

Bella ignored the first man's eyes, pretending to be unaware that he stood appraising her. She glanced to Mike to see him frowning at them both before leading them over to the two-person tents. It wasn't too long before they came back with a four-person tent- plenty of extra leg room- two sleeping bags, a complete set of camping cook ware, hiking boots- both pairs waterproof- and a bag of kindling. Bella shook her head and told them they forgot the rain gear, pointing them to the section they'd need.

Mike only chuckled. Bigger sales meant more money. Go Bella for sale suggestion.

This time, the younger of the two stayed at the counter. "So… you a native of Forks, or do you hail from Port Angeles?"

Was he serious? Bella closed her eyes and tried not to sigh out loud, not wanting to be rude. "I'm from Forks." She said with an easy and all together fake but professional smile.

"So, you've seen the bears then? They must be big. We've heard some stories… they're supposedly man eaters."

Bella nodded. "I've heard the stories. I don't think they're that big though. If they are, well, I don't think they'll mess with you."

The man arched his eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Well why not? I think you're cute enough you'd get away from them, but me… I'm betting I'd be a goner."

Bella again shook her head, barely refraining from the eye roll she felt coming. "Because, while they're predators, bears only kill to survive- just like any other predator. They attack to defend themselves, their young or their territory and only kill to eat. As long as you respect them, respect their homes and their families, you'll be fine." She shrugged.

"Hey, AJ, we've got ourselves a bear expert!" He teased, calling back to his partner.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I never claimed to be an expert. It's common sense." She said while ringing up their purchases.

"I have to agree. There have been sightings, sure, but no attacks." Mike said, showing his quiet support.

The men shrugged. "We'll see. Thanks for this stuff. It'll be put to good use."

"Have a good day!" Bella chimed just before they walked out of the door.

"I don't think I've ever met two more egotistical or idiotic men." Mike said with a sigh.

Bella shrugged. "I have. I'm sure I have." She said thinking of all of her friends fit the description- egotistical at least. The only face she could come up with was Paul Lahote, and he was neither friend nor foe at this point and time.

"Hey, so… do you have plans this weekend?" Mike wondered.

"I thought about asking Angela to go hiking with me. Matter of fact… I need a compass and a map… there's a meadow I want to try and find. You should come with us." Bella muttered.

Mike grinned, told her he'd tag along and produced those along with a pair of hiking boots and a hat. Bug spray on a key chain was the next thing placed on the pile for her. When she reached in her wallet to pull the money out to pay he told her he had it covered.

"What? Mike-"

"Don't worry about it Bella. I got it. Store credit is awesome." He snickered.

She eyed him. "There's something wrong with this stuff wasn't there?"

"Maybe… I'm kidding. They sat in the back so long they weren't put out in time for the sales. I may or may not have changed the prices yet so they'll still ring up at sale price, but the sales are over now." He said with a smirk and a small shrug of his shoulders.

Bella shook her head at him. "You're so going to get caught one of these days." She grinned. "But thank you. I appreciate it."

"Hey, the way I see it, I'll own the store one day. If I can help a few friends out along the way… well... Why not?" Mike gave her a shrug and went about cleaning the shelves.

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Bella had little to complain about- other than the text from Mike to say he had to bail on their hike- by the time she woke up on Saturday morning. Voices floated to her from the stairway and her natural curiosity got the better of her as she roused herself from her bed. She dressed in a pair of old jeans and a long-sleeved tee before making her way down the stairs.

Billy and Harry were there to greet her when she walked into the kitchen. She nodded then gave her dad a gentle shove out of the way before he burned the eggs he wanted scrambled. It took her no time at all to whip up some pancakes for the three men staring at her and the stove. She had to giggle when she dished out their food and returned to make her own plate.

"So... Bella, what do you plan to do on this rare sunny day today?" Harry asked with a small grin.

"Angela, Mike and I talked about going hiking today. It's a good day for it." She said with a one shoulder shrug. She nearly missed the worried looks thrown her way by the three.

"Are you sure that's wise Bella? They've seen a lot of bears lately." Billy hedged.

"Yeah, I know, but I think we'll be ok. We're staying on the main trails. And we've gone hiking in the area before today. There's a strong signal for our phones, not to mention we'll all be within screaming distance of the ranger towers." She told them. Logic told her why at least two of them were so hesitant; they had a huge secret to keep.

"Well… when you put it that way… but wouldn't you be safer here… out of the trees?" Charlie tried.

"Dad… don't worry. I'll be fine." She promised.

She called Angela while her dad listened, 'just checking to see if they were all still going,' though she had her back to him while she washed dishes at the kitchen sink. She grinned when Angela picked up that this was the first time Charlie Swan had heard about it, and said she'd go with her. She told her she'd be ready and at her door in an hour's time. Bella hung up and skipped up the steps to get ready.

In the end, the three realized she wouldn't be swayed and told her to be safe. They watched her leave, her bag packed with her gear- a map, compass, whistle, bug spray, water bottles, snacks and a hat- and told her to call if she needed anything. She waved them off, left to meet Angela and raced for the hiking trails. It took her next to no time to find the trail she needed and they set out in search of what she had coined the Cullen's Haven.

Two hours into her hike and Bella sat herself on a fallen log, watching the clouds start to roll in. A bottle of water sat in her hands and she sighed in frustration. She knew she had to be getting close- her sense of direction couldn't be that far off- but for the life of her, she hadn't found the meadow yet. Angela smiled and rested beside her, her own water bottle in her hands.

"So, are we there yet, if I can ask?"

Bella sighed. "I thought so. I mean, I used to come with the Cullen's all the time and it never seemed this far into the forest. It's like it disappeared when they did. I know that sounds stupid, but wow… I'm so frustrated right now." She never told Angela of course that she was carried either by Alice or Emmett and it took only a matter of minutes to reach.

Angela smiled. "We'll get there. Let's take a look at the map again and then we can keep going, ok? We'll be fine."

The hairs on the back of her neck rose then, giving Bella pause; It felt like someone was watching them. She chanced a look around her, and frowned when she didn't see anything. She prayed it was only the wolves on patrol. It would do no one any good to come across something else now. If she was on her own, it'd be one thing, but she'd brought an innocent life with her. She'd have a heavy heart knowing she was the reason Angela had died. Her 'other life' kept running over and over in her mind. If she went by that, it was too early to have encountered Laurent yet. But… she'd caused various ripples in this life already... she didn't know what else would happen different now.

"You ready to go again?" Angela asked bringing her out of her thoughts.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I know we're on the right path, I just wish we'd get there already!" She huffed.

Angela laughed. "Steady is the turtle who won the race." She quipped.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. Don't give up and don't rush." She huffed.

It took the girls another twenty minutes before they stepped foot into a clearing of dead brush and decaying trees. Bella frowned. She recognized the trunks of those trees- the tribal carvings from Emmett and Rosalie and the hearts made by Jasper for Alice. This was the meadow.

"It looks like winter killed everything." Angela said breaking her friend from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I wish you could have seen this place last summer. It was so gorgeous." Bella said with a sigh. She grinned when Angela sat beside her, both of them enjoying the sun on their faces.

"I bet. There's new grass growing though, look." Angela said pointing to the new shoots of grass and flowers fighting to reach through the dead brush.

"I see it. I wish summer would get here so I could show this place off some more." Bella sighed.

"We'll just have to come back then." Angela grinned.

A twig snapping had their attention drawn to the left. Bella sucked in a breath and moved in front of Angela. "No." She murmured under her breath.

"So, it's true… they did leave you here…"

Bella sighed. Those words hurt to hear- even if they had said goodbye- they still lost contact with her.

"Bella, who is that?" Angela asked.

"He's a friend of the Cullen's'… Angela… can you do me a favor?" She asked standing, her eyes never leaving Laurent's.

"Sure… of course." Angela followed her direction, her own eyes taking in the cat like way the man in front of them moved. It sent a shiver of fear to the base of her spine.

"I need you to go back to my truck. Take the extra map and compass. I'll be right behind you. Laurent and I just need to have a talk first... Ok?" Bella hoped she could hear the urgency in her voice.

Angela must have sensed that they were in danger. She watched Laurent's even-tempered face change into a Cheshire cat grin before her back turned and she started running. She needed to get help, and she needed help now.

Laurent watched Angela leave before his attention was turned back to Bella. "So noble of you to let her leave. It's a shame though, mon chere."

Bella swallowed. "Why is that, Laurent?" She shifted her weight and took a step back.

Laurent's head tilted, the predator waking in him as she took another step backwards. "Because, sweet Isabella, it's your time to die... and after you, she follows."

Bella paused, her heart beating wild in her ribcage. "How do you figure I'll die at all?"

"James had a mate, sweet Isabella. She watched the Cullen's save you. She watched them tear James limb from limb as his venom was drawn from your veins." Laurent said.

Her vision blurred and before she could gasp, Bella was in the arms of the vampire before her. "I don't… I didn't ask… they saved me on their own!"

"Shh… Shh… hush now, mon chere. Hush now. I'll make this quick. I promise you this. You'll not suffer the pain that Victoria has planned for you." He told her, his nose skimming along her jaw.

Bella shivered. Her instincts told her to fight. She tried squirming away and was rewarded with Laurent's growl of annoyance and his arms binding themselves tight around her wringing a whimper from her lips. She shivered again as tears formed in her eyes. She wasn't ready to die.

A growl in the trees drew Laurent's attention from his meal. His eyes scanned them before looking down at Bella again when he found nothing. He ran his finger down her cheek- a caress meant for a lover in another lifetime. He hushed her quiet sob and ended her protest as he stared into her eyes. The power of the thrall started taking her and the wolves that watched grew enraged when they saw it. They knew what it was, and none of them liked it one little bit.

Bella felt herself growing limp in the arms of her captor. Her mind hazed over as thoughts of escape left her. She stared into his red eyes, helpless to leave his gaze. Her blood raced through her body, her heart beating strong, dancing for Laurent. It called to him and she had no strength to stop it.

"Shh... my sweet Isabella... it's nearly finished. One kiss... one bite... then no pain… just bliss as the very breath you have in your lungs leaves you." He inhaled along her skin. "Delicious." He purred.

Venom pooled in his mouth. Just before he could bite through her delicate flesh to taste the flavor of her sweet blood, another growl sounded. As a unit, five wolves emerged from the tree line. Their lupine forms shimmered in the sun, giving Laurent pause in his disbelief. Bella was lain on the ground, his eyes never leaving the wolves in front of him.

The ebony wolf in front, the silver and brown furred wolves to the side, even the molted gray wolf and the gorgeous rust colored wolf to the rear points- all of them watched him stoically. They wanted Bella clear of danger. Laurent stood in a stupor all his own as he backed away from them. When he was far enough away, his instincts to run triggered their instincts to chase. Only one wolf was left behind- the dark gray furred one. He'd been tasked with staying with Bella until she woke.

The wolves wasted no time in dispatching Laurent. It was no hard task- he'd been weak from not feeding. As a unit, they turned back to the clearing where Bella Swan still lay unmoving. The wolves shifted to their human forms and watched on with both worry and curiosity.

"You do realize if she sees us here, she's going to wonder where the hell we came from, right?" Jared mused.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Paul, Jared, go back to her truck, make sure her friend got back ok. Embry, Jake… go find a ranger. Tell them there's been an attack in the area and the man ran into the trees. I'll take her back."

"But Sam-"

"Go, Jacob!"

Jacob growled and stalked off after Embry when Sam leveled a glare his way. Sam only shook his head at the willful pup; he'd been a handful since day one. When they were gone, Sam sighed. "Billy was right- you are trouble." He leaned down and picked her up careful not to agitate the bruises already forming around her sides.

By the time they reached the truck, Paul had left Jared hugging a tearful Angela to him. The rangers had just pulled up with Embry and Jacob in tow when Bella started to stir. Charlie got called in as a courtesy since Bella was his daughter and Sam told them all that Bella had been knocked out by her would be attacker.

Charlie thanked Sam for coming to Bella's aide and he asked Jacob to drive Bella's truck home while Bella and Angela were piled into the back of his patrol car. Bella told Charlie that she'd seen Laurent once or twice talking to Carlisle, but she never would have guessed he'd try to attack her like that. She told him he'd asked her where they'd gone and he claimed to have business of a delicate nature to discuss with them.

At the end of the day, Bella was glad that she had kept her knowledge of what happened to herself. Laurent was long gone by now, turned to ashes by the pack. Bella herself however, would use the day's events as a shoe in to talk to Billy. Come morning, she'd be dressed and heading to the Blacks' house for the first time in over a month or two. She had a few things that needed to be said and she'd make the elders listen come what may.