Let the games begin... Don't own Twilight. AN at the end.

13. Reemerge

Edward

"Bella?"

My mind was reeling.

She cocked her head to the side and looked at me in confusion.

"Bella...how? I thought...I...how is this possible?" Was all I could manage.

I started toward her.

She stepped back and hissed.

I stopped and held my hands up.

"It's me, Edward." I patted my chest hoping she'd recognize me.

She frowned.

"You don't remember me?" I asked.

"Hold on…" she held up her hands now, "I think you have me confused with someone else," she said. "My name is Ashley, and I know who you are."

"Ashley?" It was my turn to be confused. She was the spitting image of Bella. The only difference was her hair. It was shorter, a little lighter, and had red and pink streaks in the front of it.

"Yeah, Ashley. Ashley Swanson."

I shook my head. Swanson? That couldn't be a coincidence could it. I moved closer with my hands still raised and sniffed the air around her.

"What are you doing? Are you smelling me?" She raised her arm and sniffed her armpit. "Do I stink or something?"

I could still smell the blood in her body. She was a newborn, and she wasn't Bella. She looked like her, but she definitely didn't smell like her. Her blood, what was left of it, didn't tempt me at all.

"You're a newborn?"

"A what?"

"A freshly made vampire. How long ago were you changed?" I asked.

"About nine months ago, I guess."

"Who is your sire? And where are they?"

"My sire?"

"The one who changed you," I prompted.

Whoever he was, he hadn't taught her shit, which was dangerous.

Her mind flickered and I tried to see through the junk in there.

"I…I don't know. I killed him… I think."

"What do you mean, you think? Either you killed him or you didn't."

"I killed someone, but I don't think he was the one who made me, made me."

"What?" I looked at her.

She was talking in riddles.

"He was a human. And as far as I know, they can't make vamps."

"Wait…a human changed you?" I asked taken aback.

"Yes."

"That's impossible. Someone must have bitten and left you. The human just found you…"

"I wasn't bitten," she argued showing me her neck and extremities. "I was given an injection of something. It made my insides burn. Like someone had poured liquid fire in my veins. When it finally stopped, this…" she gestured with her hands, "…this is what I'd become." She sighed.

"Are you sure? Because what you are saying just isn't poss..."

"Of course I'm sure. And I wasn't the only one. There were others."

A human making vampires? Impossible. This girl was clearly insane. Where would a human get vampire venom?

"Where are you from?" I asked trying a different route with her.

"Toronto."

"Your family?"

"Don't have one." She fidgeted. "I came up in foster care but ran away when I was fourteen. Got tired of my foster dad trying to fuck me."

My eyes widened when the images assaulted my brain. This girl had been through hell. But she was a fighter.

"You've been through a lot." I looked at her.

She shrugged. "So I didn't have a pretty life. Who does? Everyone's got some issues, right?" She looked away.

"If you say so." I watched her fidget, it was like she had some kind of nervous condition. It was weird and abnormal for a vamp. "Tell me, how is it that you remember so much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, usually after the change your memories of your human life fade away. They become more like dreams. But you seem to recall yours with great clarity.

"Where I've come from, my memories were all I had. I played them like movies in my head. The good ones anyway. They kept me from going insane. The bad ones, unfortunately, just kinda stuck," she said staring off into the distance.

"Where were you?" I asked confused.

"The darkness." She answered sadly. "It's where they kept us."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I only saw the doctor. And that was only after I killed him."

"So you're saying that someone changed you against your will and held you captive?"

"Yes, it's why I'm here. Why I came looking for you. You're on the vampire council, right? The ones who makes the laws for vamps."

"I am." I confirmed.

"Well I've heard that you all don't like humans to know about you. And someone is talking and giving away all your dirty little secrets."

"Yes, it would seem so, wouldn't it?" I sighed.

If what she was saying were true, why hadn't the Council heard anything about it.

"This man, this human, you said that you killed him?"

She nodded.

"It was an accident. I swear it. I was just so hungry. They didn't feed us enough. They experimented on us and..."

"Ashley, I need you to focus. How did you get out?"

"The lab was attacked or something and some of us managed to get free. We attacked the staff. But not all of them were human. We were weak and we were losing the fight and... I left them. I gave up and I left them." She said softly. "I had to get out of there. I ducked into an office and found the Doc hiding under the desk. I felt it was only fair that he be the one to give his blood and help me escape since he'd done this to me. I only meant to drink enough to make myself stronger. I didn't mean to kill him, but I once I started, I couldn't stop."

"His staff, the vampire portion, what happened to them?"

"We managed to kill a few, but most of them got away."

"And the other vamps?"

"Recaptured I think."

I ran my hand through my hair. "Well thank you for coming forward, Ashley. I will speak with the Council and a full investigation will be conducted."

If true, this was problem. A big fucking problem. How had this happened under our noses? I needed to call an emergency meeting with the council as soon as possible.

I took out my cell and started to leave. My head was swimming with this new information. But before I had a chance to do anything more...

"Wait!" She shouted unnecessarily. "That's it?"

"Yes, that's it. We'll take it from here."

"But I can help."

She grabbed my arm, and I looked down at her hand. She removed it.

"Thanks, but no thanks. We can handle it from here."

"But I could show you where I was kept. You can search the place. Maybe find out where the other sites are."

"Other sites?"

"Yes, I heard them talking often and they mentioned other sites. Maybe that's where they took the others."

"Listen, just tell me where to start and stay out of the way. It's better that…"

"Please, don't send me away." She begged and I looked into her eyes.

Big mistake, because all I saw was Bella. Vulnerable and fragile Bella who always needed me. A part of me wanted to grab, protect, and never let her out of my sight again. The other part of me heard warning bells sounding off like sirens.

"There are people after me..." she whispered.

I looked at her. Really looked at her. She had a small freckle on her lower lip and one near her eyebrow. Her nose was slightly bent to the left and her eyes had just a little bit of a downward slant to them. She wasn't Bella, but a part of me wanted her to be, and for that reason alone I should've kept walking.

But I didn't.

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. The council doesn't offer protection," I said.

"I know. That's why I've come here. Come to you and your family. I heard you could help. That you would protect me."

"And who told you this?" I interrupted.

"Other vamps that I've come across. I've been jumping from group to group, learning what I could about being like this. They'd let me tag along until they found out someone was after me. The last group I crashed with told me you and the other Cullen's are the baddest motherfuckers out here. They said no one fucks with you, but that you were the good guys and would help me."

"Is that what they said?" I rolled my eyes. "Well did they also tell you that we have a constant target on our back. If you stayed here, you'd be found for sure. This is the first place they'd look knowing you couldn't go to the council. I'm sorry but…"

"But they said…" she interrupted.

"They were wrong. I'm telling you that we can not hide you. We are the most widely known family in our world."

"But for that same reason no one messes with you. I mean you're the freaking Cullen's."

This girl had been seriously misinformed and her hero worship was eerily misplaced.

"Look, Ashley, you and the others would do better hiding on your own until we found the ones responsible."

She looked away, hiding her face from me but not her thoughts. She was scared.

"The others…the others are all dead! Ripped apart, and burned! I'm the last one. And if you don't help me, I'll be next."

She covered her eyes.

"I thought you said they were taken to the other sites?"

"I know. I thought if you thought that the others were alive you'd want to find them and you'd need my help to do that."

"So you lied..." I scolded.

"I don't know who else to turn to. Who I can trust. I'm tired of running. I've been running and fighting my whole fucking life."

I watched the Bella look alike breakdown before me and it tore at my heart.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. I was going to regret this. I just knew it.

"Fuck… Come on." I held my hand out.

She looked up.

"My family will be here tomorrow. I'll discuss this with them. Then I'll call the council and set up a meeting. I'll see if they'll offer you any protection until this is over."

"Really? You'll help me?"

"I'll do what I said. That's all I can say right now."

She grabbed my hand and I pulled her up. She fell into me and I caught her around the waist.

Hell, she was even clumsy like Bella and she was already a vamp.

"Thank you."

I stood her up straight and let her go quickly.

"Sure."

0~~~~~~~~~~~0

I went over and over in my head where I should take her. I'd gone around the city twice. I couldn't take her home. She was a newborn and she wasn't a vegetarian.

Then it hit me.

Sidney's house. It was secluded and no one knew who owned it. It was under an alias PJ had made up.

I turned down the dark, dirt road.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Some place safe. You can stay there until I speak with my family and the Council to see what we're going to do with you."

"But this isn't the way to your place."

I looked at her.

"You're not going to my place."

She looked out the window and I thought she looked disappointed.

"Who's Bella?" she asked changing the subject.

"My wife."

"Oh… She's really beautiful."

"Who?" I looked at her.

"Your wife. She's got a nice rack too."

"Excuse me!" I took my foot off the gas and the car slowed down.

"It was a compliment."

"How do you know what she… Wait a minute! That was you in the trees?" The scent was now familiar.

"Guilty."

"What the hell? You scared Skye to death!"

"Who's Skye?" she asked confused.

"My wife."

"I thought you said her name was Bella." She frowned.

"I didn't say her name was Bella."

"Umm, yeah you did." She looked at me like I was crazy.

Hell, I did.

"What I meant was Bella was my wife. Skye is my wife."

She raised a brow.

"Bella was my first wife. But she's gone...dead."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's just, back there in the woods…you just kept saying her name."

"I…I know. I thought you… Let's just say you favor her, a lot, and that I was mistaken," I said shaking my head.

"I do?" She smiled. "Is that a good thing? I mean, was she pretty?"

"She was. And the resemblance between you two is uncanny and a little unnerving if I do say so myself. You have to be related somehow."

"Well I don't know about that, but Bella was one lucky chick if you looked at her the way you looked at me when you called me by her name."

I swallowed hard and turned to focused intensely on the road. The air in the car suddenly became thick. I couldn't even imagine how I must've looked to her at that moment. Crazy probably.

"Why were you hiding in my trees?" I asked.

"I told you. I need your help. But I needed to see if anyone had been around your property watching you."

"You mean other than you?"

"Yeah, someone other than me. I wanted to make sure I wasn't followed." She looked me dead in the eyes. "As I was leaving, you arrived at the pool…in nothing but a towel. I was curious." Her eyes raked over my body like I was sitting naked in front of her.

She'd seen me naked.

This was getting more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Then your wife joined you, and you two started making love. I know I shouldn't have watched, but I couldn't not watch. You two are really hot together. I can see why you love each other so much." She smirked trying not to look at my crotch.

I was so not having this conversation with her. As a matter of fact, the least amount of communication we had, the better I decided. I stopped the car grateful.

"We're here."

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

I walked her to the door and opened it. She stepped inside. Skye and Indie had renovated the place since we'd been here and everything inside was brand new. PJ briefly considered renting the place out but changed his mind after Skye complained. She didn't want anyone in Sid's house. She really was going to kill me for bringing a stranger here.

Ashley looked around and smiled. She was thinking that she'd never lived in a house this nice. I had to survey the house then. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just a normal sized bi-level. But it was more than she'd ever had apparently.

"There are a few bedrooms upstairs, you know, if you want to lie down and watch TV or something. The bathroom is up there too. The shower's brand new. It's never been used." I looked her up and down. "Skye may have left some clothes here. They may be a little big on you, but they're clean and in one piece."

"This is a nice place."

"Thanks, I'll let my wife and sister in law know you approve." I pointed at the land line. "There's the phone. Call me if you need something. If not I'll call you when I know something."

I gave her my cell number.

"And no hunting around here. You'll have to go to a neighboring state. If you can't do that, you should leave now. I can't have you causing problems for my family or my wife's family."

"I understand. I was actually thinking of trying your way of feeding."

"You want to be a vegetarian?" I asked.

"I would like to try it. It would make my life a whole lot easier, I tell you that. I make no promises though."

I nodded.

"We'll go hunting tomorrow then."

She smiled.

"Okay. And Edward…thank you. For everything."

"Sure."

I gave her a head nod and left.

I got in my car and drove back up the dark, dirt road. When I got to the end I slammed my head on the steering wheel, careful not to break it. What the hell was I doing? I should've sent that girl packing. Not only would she bring trouble to my door, but Skye was going to have a fit when she found out. It was not going to help that she is the spitting image of my ex either. I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath before pulling onto the main road.

I had a bad feeling about this. But what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave her out there, all alone. Could I?

As I drove home I thought about how I was going to explain this shit to Skye. Then I thought that maybe I should just wait until I had more information.

"Yeah, that's what I'll would do." I said to no one. I'll wait until I spoke with my family and the council then I'd tell Skye. No need to cause any unnecessary ripples.

0~~~~~~~~~~~0

The house was unusually quiet when I pulled up. I got out, grabbed the groceries, and slowly made my way inside. I was glad it was winter because the food didn't spoil while sitting in the trunk. I opened the door and no kids came running. No one was fighting, and the TV was off. I knew instantly that the kids must be with Skye's family. I put the groceries away and went into the foyer.

The house phone began to ring. I went to the living room and grabbed the earpiece.

"Masen."

"Edward, what are you doing? Are you crazy?"

I groaned.

"What did you see?"

"Just that you've decided to hide her at Sid's house. And I'm telling you that's a bad idea. You need to send her to someone else."

"Who? Hell, I don't trust half the council myself."

"I don't know. I just don't see this going well."

"I thought you hadn't seen anything," I said.

"I don't need my gift to know that you don't bring a strange, reckless teenager with vamps chasing her and who looks like your ex wife into your life and hide her in your brother in laws house. You finally have everything that you ever wanted. Don't mess this up."

"What was I supposed to do? She needs my help. And this information would've been more helpful about an hour ago," I whispered and spoke quickly, hoping Skye didn't hear or couldn't understand what I was saying.

"I called you. You didn't answer."

I tried to check my cell but it wouldn't come on. The battery pack was cracked.

"Shit, my cell is busted." I threw it on the couch before sitting down.

"Edward, you need to tell Skye. Then you need to figure out where you're going to send the girl."

"I wasn't going to bring it up until I knew what we were going to do with her. Can you tell me how that will go?"

"No one knows about her so no decisions have be made either way. But you need to tell your wife. You better not let her find out on her own that you got a Bella look alike stashed at Sid's."

"Ughhh…Look, I need to go." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Edward…"

"Fuck, I know."

"Tell her!"

"Bye, Alice."

I hung up and started up the stairs. If vamps could get headaches I'd have a fucking migraine right now.

"Skye?" I called out as I walked up.

She didn't answer, but I knew she was here. I could hear her heart beating it's rapid staccato.

When I got to the bedroom she clapped her hands twice and the light's went out.

"What the hell?" I looked around. Did we have a short or something?

I heard Skye giggling. She clapped three times and music began to play. Prince's, 'Darling Nikki', floated out the speakers.

My attentions focused quickly on her when she stepped out the bathroom in a shiny, black, patent leather cat suit and matching stiletto boots.

Alice, and her suggestions, flew out of my head instantly.

Her hair was in a high ponytail and she had on spiked, silver earrings that dangled to her shoulders. She looked like sex on two legs and that damn cat suit looked like she'd poured it on.

She danced and swiveled her hips to me, moving slow and oh so sexy. I licked my lips and followed her with my eyes.

Once she reached me she smiled. Then she shoved me onto the chaise and straddled my lap with her back to me.

I groaned.

The entire, and I do mean, the entire back of the suit was cut into strips.

Where the hell did she find this shit?

"Fuck, Angel…"

I stuck my fingers through the holes and pinched her ass.

She leaned back into my chest. Her hair covered my face. It smelled like lavender.

"Do you like?" she asked as she ground her fat bottom on my cock.

"Hell yes, I like! I fucking love." I told her as I licked up the back of her neck. I couldn't help it.

She turned around and faced me as the music broke into the heavy guitar and drum break. She rocked out, gyrating and throwing her hair around. It was fucking sexy as hell. Then she did the splits on my lap and flipped backward off of me.

My eyes widened.

"Damn, when did you learn that!" I asked.

She smiled and stood up."Don't you worry about that. Just know that it's all for you."

She kissed my nose.

"Hmm, baby, it looks like you had a hard day. Let me fix that," she said as the music changed to, 'When the Doves Cry'.

Hard day? That was putting it mildly. I didn't want to think about my day however. All I wanted to do was watch my sexy wife shake her ass for me, then fuck the shit out of her.

I gripped her hips and pulled her to me. She sat on my lap and kissed my lips hungrily. I grabbed her ponytail and kissed her just as hard. She unbuttoned my shirt and slipped it off my shoulders quickly. The next thing I knew, her mouth was on my chest, sucking and licking my nipples while her hands were removing my pants.

"Baby… That feels so good…" I moaned sweeping her hair off my chest so I could see her face.

She looked up at me and smiled.

I stroked the side of her face as she moved down my stomach to my cock. She cupped balls and I hissed.

"So beautiful." She kissed my tip.

I was like steel in her tiny hand.

"Thank you, Angel."

"And so damn hot…" she moaned before spreading my legs and sucking one of my balls into her mouth.

Hot?

'You two are really hot together', her words rang in my head and her face popped in my mind. Then Alice's warning screamed to me, 'Tell her... Don't let her find out on her own.'

Was she right? Was I asking for trouble by taking this girl in? And how pissed was Skye going to be when she found out what I'd done and hadn't told her? Too many questions and not enough answers began to fill my head.

Skye stopped sucking and sat back.

"Umm… Edward?"

I looked down at her and she was staring at my cock in surprise. It was soft and slowly shrinking in her hand.

"Fuck, baby, I'm sorry." I apologized and threw my head back.

"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

I sat up.

"What? No of course not. I just got a lot of shit on my mind." I caressed the underside of her chin.

"You want to talk about it?"

No, I wanted to say. I want my blow job. And I want to bend you over this chaise so I can watch your ass quiver as I pound you. But I knew I wouldn't be any good until I got this Ashley thing off my chest. I felt like I was hiding something from her and it was seriously fucking with my head. Both of them apparently.

"Yes, we need to talk." I lifted her off her knees.

She stood up and I envied the way the patent leather stretched over her feminine folds. It outlined her pussy perfectly. I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth, and my cock.

"Well, that didn't take long." She noted, watching me come back to life.

"I know, so you're going to have to put on a robe or something. I can't concentrate when your in that," I said seriously adjusting myself.

She chuckled.

"Uh…okayyy…"

She went to the closet and put on her robe.

When she came back I took her by the hand and pulled her into my lap. I wasn't sure how to start this conversation so I just started talking.

"When I was leaving the grocery store tonight I ran into the female vampire that's been following me."

She sat up and looked into my face.

"You did? Why didn't you say something when you got here?"

"Well it kind of slipped my mind. I lost all train of thought when I saw you in this damn outfit." I pulled at the robe so I could look down it.

She snatched the fabric from my hand.

"Focus Edward, tell me what happened."

"Right… I was putting the groceries in the trunk when I caught a movement on the roof of the store. I knew it wasn't human because of the speed; and I figured it was her because I wasn't hearing anything."

Skye and I had already discussed the fact that the girl could obviously block us.

"So I went after her. I was almost on her when I got snagged in a fucking trap she had set up."

I was still pissed that I let myself get caught.

"Oh god, Edward. You could've been hurt."

"Perhaps, but I'm okay, and it won't happen again."

"Well I'm just glad you're okay. You have to be more careful."

"I know baby, and I will."

"So you apparently got out." She prompted.

"I did."

"Did she run again? Did you at least get a good look at her?" she asked.

I cleared my throat.

"I did. And I did more than get a look at her. I spoke with her."

"You did? What did she say? Why has she been following you and spying on us."

"Someone is after her. She needs our help." I ran quickly and briefly through the conversation I had with the girl.

"Poor thing, but do you really think we should get involved in this. I mean we already have a target on our backs and this is really and issue for the Council, not us."

"Love, dad and I are both on the Council."

"True, but protecting other vamps is not apart of your job. Besides, things have been so peaceful lately. Call me selfish, but I want to keep it that way. I don't want to get involved in anyone's drama." She sighed and looked at me. "I mean whoever is after this girl, has to be very bad news. They're kidnapping humans and experimenting on them."

"I agree, but…"

"Edward, I don't want you to get involved. I have a really bad feeling about this. Tell her to call the Council. Let them handle it and her."

"Well, I kind of told her that I'd talk to them and get back to her."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I don't know. I feel sorry for her. And it's not going to hurt anything if I make a call." I tried to explain.

"Fine, call them. Tell them her story and that she needs someone to protect her. Someone other than us," she said.

"I will. I'll tell them." I honestly didn't think they'd give a shit, but I'd tell them.

"I don't wish any ill on her. You know that." She shifted on my lap. "So I'm sorry if I seem uncaring, but we have our own family to think about now."

"I know, mon amour, and you have every right to want to protect them." I hugged her.

"Right, so we're not going to stress over this. She's probably gone anyway. You did say she was a runaway, right?"

"She is, but I don't think she's going to run away this time." I sat up and Skye watched me carefully.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, she's really afraid. And she has no where else to go so..."

"What did you do?"

"I… I may have told her she could stay at Sid's until I heard something back from the council."

"You what?" She shot up.

"Skye, she had no where to go." I stood up too.

"She's a strange vampire! And a newborn to boot!" She paced.

"I know and I've told her that if she can't follow our rules then she has to leave."

She stopped and looked at me.

"Trust me..." I stroked her face.

''I do, but something isn't right. I'm telling you that I have a bad feeling..."

"Then let me help with that." I said as I slipped off her robe.

"I don't think this is going to help." She smiled.

"Let's find out, shall we?"

She looked up at me and I cupped her chin before kissing her soft and strong.

When the kiss broke she moaned my name.

I shook my head and took her by the hand. I lifted it and she spun gracefully, giving me a complete view. I lifted her quickly and flit us both to the bed.

And after I literally peeled the cat suit off of her, I made slow, sweet love to her.

0~~~~~~~~~~~0

AN: Ooo Wee, What's going on? What are the Cullens gonna think when they find out about Ashley? Stay tuned... LOL... Smooches...LRC.