Chapter 13

Bella's POV

"Edward, where are we?" I asked as I pulled out of our embrace and pushed myself off the ground. Edward followed as we both rose slowly, slow even for a human. We turned, absorbing every detail of our new surroundings. Edward put his arm tightly and protectively around my waist. I suspect that he won't be letting go of me any time soon.

We were in the forest… well a forest. It wasn't Forks anymore, I knew that for sure.

"I don't know," he replied honestly and quietly. His body was stiff. A furrow creased between his eyebrows.

"It's night-time, that's weird," I said unnerved.

"Yes…" he replied simply but in a clearly stressed tone. Then he was silent.

"Edward, are you okay?" I asked in concern.

"Yes…" he repeated and the silence returned. "I'm just making sure that we are safe."

"I don't smell, see or hear anything," I contributed.

"I don't sense anything either," he responded. The furrow between his eyebrows flattened and his whole body relaxed. He turned me around to face him, so I buried my face in his chest.

"We're not going home for a while are we?" I mumbled, subconsciously trying to deny it.

"No, don't say that," he reassured, while rubbing my shoulders. His hand trailed down my arm and he clutched my left hand. He swerved around quickly, pulling me after him.

"Come on, we must find out where we are," he said quickly.

"No Edward, wait… What about Renesmee?" I sobbed.

He stopped and turned around to face me again. A new wave of pain overtaking his face as if he was hit by a truck of emotion. He pulled me to him holding me closer and tighter as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I sure she's safe with our family. Don't worry Bella love, I will get us home. We will find a way," he said as if trying to convince himself as well as me.

"But what if we're stuck here?" I asked. He didn't respond. He was silent. "What if we never see her again?" I said through the countless dry sobs that were consuming my body.

"I won't let that happen. I promise you," he paused. "We will find a way to contact the Doctor. Then the three of us will be back together. I promise. We just have to calm down," he said trying to comfort me as he rubbed circles into my back. It did little to soothe me.

He was clearly as upset as me but he was able to keep himself together better. He broke our stare, leaning away from me. Changing the placement of his eyes from my face to the distance.

"We have not been this far away from her since she was born. I really don't like it. We don't even know where we are… the thought of losing her is… unbearable… I can't-" he confessed.

"Shush, It will be okay," I interrupted him. It was my turn to comfort him. I squeezed his hand in mine, not letting go. I tried to believe my own words with little success. What if we really were stuck here?

I would never see any of my family again. My brothers and sisters, Carlisle or Esme, Charlie, Jacob… Renesmee. My precious child. I thought of the moments this morning, our embrace, holding her in my arms and how now I realise I took those moments for granted. She's already growing up so fast, now I could be missing everything. All her firsts, the moments where she needs a shoulder to cry on, the mother-daughter support and care we would show each other. That's all gone… and it's all my fault.

"I'm so sorry Edward. I'm the reason that we're here. If I hadn't been so stupid-" I began though Edward quickly interrupted me.

"No Bella, stop. If anyone is to blame its me. I was the one who distracted you. I-" this time I interrupted him though now my voice filled with an uneasy sense of frustration.

"No, no, no! Edward it really is all my fault that we're in this mess. I was the one who idiotically left the Tardis. I am the one who-" he interrupted me again though this time he cupped my face in this hands.

"Please Bella listen, do not ever blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. It's those Weeping Angles who are at fault if anything," he began, as he caressed my cheek in a comforting motion as if trying to rub away my invisible tears.

"What's important is that we are together," he stated "Even if we are stuck here - which we will not be - we will always have each other. Together. I will never let you go and that's one promise I know I will be able to keep."

He sighed "Right now, what I think will be best is to find out where… I mean when we are. If we do that we could get a message, somehow to the Doctor. He will come to get us and bring us home like he said he would do if it was possible with Emmett," he paused. "Actually, now that I think about it, it might not be too hard to figure out when we are… I think I even know how we contact the Doctor as well."

"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked confused. He dropped his hands from my face.

"You were not paying much attention when we were in the Tardis were you?" He asked lightly as a slight smirk broke out on his face. Though the new lightness was barely noticeable it quickly dissolved as he returned to the severity and seriousness of the situation.

"The letter for the Doctor and Carlisle, it was from me… it was in my handwriting and I am sure of it. Initially I was shocked, I could not understand why the letter would be from me. But now when I think about it, it's obvious, It's how we contact the Doctor. Carlisle also got the letter in 1917 so that explains to us what year we have landed in." he explained.

"What… but that's-" I stammered incredulously.

"Impossible," he interrupted finishing my sentence. "Yes, that's what I thought but like the Doctor said: Time is complicated."

Both the Doctor and Edward were right, time was complicated, this entire situation was complicated. My expression suddenly changed from one of bewilderment to one of understanding when my brain registered it's new revelation.

"I don't think you noticed this but Carlisle stared at you and I when he first mentioned the letter. He must of made the connection then. Did you hear anything from his thoughts?" I asked.

He sighed again "Sorry about that. The fact that I was quite and pensive those few minutes. Sorry if I worried you. I know what happened must have frightened you, it did me and I should have talked about it or at least said something, but after reading a mind like the Doctor's…" he paused like he was lost for words. "It was astonishing yet disturbing all at the same time. I needed some time to come to terms with that. I never experienced anything quite like it… But you're right Carlisle did think of us. It was us who gave him the letter, he just didn't recognise us because he didn't know us yet."

"Time is complicated," I sighed. Edward chuckled and squeezed my hand.

"Come on, we have to find out where we are," he said as he turned, however this time more gently. I followed side by side with our fingers intertwined. We walked at a human pace.

"So we're in 1917?" I inquired, looking for some sort of confirmation.

"Yes, I guess. If we go by when Carlisle got the letter, but I never got the chance to read it. It smelt unusual though, it was a faint scent but It reminded me of something. I couldn't tell what it was though. It's probably due to its age or something. If you think about it positively though its kind of unbelievable, we have travelled trough time. Although it has brought more pain then joy or adventure," he replied as he looked forward with a straight face in the direction we were headed on our search for our location.

"You're right, it's amazing in a masochistic kind of way I suppose," I agreed. Then something important dawned on me.

"If I do my math you would still a human in this time, won't you?" I asked. Edward froze.

"Ummm yes. I would be 16," he said indifferently and emotionless.

"That must be weird for you, being in your past?" I said meaning it as a question.

"Ummm yes, I suppose" he hesitated. It was unlike him.

I often thought of want it was like for Edward as a human. Growing up in a completely different era, contrasting hugely to my 1990's upbringing. Maybe now I might get a small glimpse into what his time was sort of like.

Edward grew quiet. Not saying a word. We continued walking, still hand in hand though in silence. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't totally content either. Edward seemed to be bothered by something. Was it something I said?

He stayed thinking quietly to himself like when he's overanalysing or aggrieved by a situation. We continued for what I assumed about 20 minutes, then Edward suddenly broke the silence.

"Do you smell that? Human, slightly east," he said calmly.

He was right, I smelt them now and I nodded. He tightened his grip on my hand and we started to run at vampire speed in the direction of the scent.

I wasn't worried about smelling humans, though I hadn't hunted in a while and the scent did make my throat burn a little, I knew both the humans and I were okay. I would easily control myself.

The scent got stronger as we grew closer. I could even hear them clearly now. It sounded like a town or at least something similar. We came to the forest's edge and began to walk quickly but at a human speed. We hid behind a tree, not wanting to expose ourselves just yet. Edward took his hand from mine and placed it around my waist pulling me closer to him. We leaned to the side of the large tree and glanced, carefully, making sure we wouldn't be seen.

I couldn't believe what I saw…