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Senior Twilighted Beta: Twilightzoner (Thank you!)

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Previously:

"She's done for now," Emmett said as he lifted Rosalie from his lap.

"Don't be rude Emmett," Esme said.

I shook my head. "It's fine, Esme. Emmett's been waiting patiently." Emmett walked out of the room and I followed him. We ended up in a large garage. It was no surprise that the largest car belonged to him. We got in the car and pulled out of the long driveway at an alarming speed. After fifteen minutes of breaking the speed limit, Emmett finally pulled over on a dirt road. He took the keys out of the ignition and turned towards me with a grim expression.

"I just have one question for you, Bella. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Chapter 7: New Acquaintances

I blinked at Emmett in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Emmett's fist clenched at his side. "You didn't think she would tell me what you said? You think I would sit back and be okay with how you talked to her?"

"Emmett, I've already apologized to Rosalie, but I will apologize to you as well. What I said to Rosalie was horrid. I apologize for bringing pain to your mate."

He ran his large hand through his curly black hair and jumped out of the truck. Less than a second later, he opened my door and stood directly in front of me with an anguished expression.

"You made her cry." He turned and walked to a fallen tree and sat down on its trunk. "I've only seen her cry once. It was a few weeks after I was turned, and we came across a human scent. Carlisle and Edward tried to hold me down while I cried out from the fire in my throat. She cried, because of my pain. She begged me to forgive her for bringing me into this life."

He stopped and leapt up swiftly and began to stalk off deeper into the woods. It seemed as if the trees bowed away from him and his anger. After a moment, I followed his scent and found him sitting on top of a huge tree, on one of its branches.

He didn't look at me as I climbed the tree in a millisecond and sat on a branch near his. "It's my job to protect her. To protect my family," he whispered.

My eyes widened as I took in his defeated posture. "You do! How could you doubt that, Emmett?"

He finally looked at me. "Sure I can protect them physically. But what about emotionally? I can't stand to see them in pain…" He paused. "To see you in pain."

"What do I have to do with anything?"

"You're my family too." He gave me a small smile as his dimples started to show.

I shook my head. "No."

"Bella, I-"

"No, Emmett!" I snapped. I jumped off the tree and landed, gently, on the balls of my feet. Emmett followed suit and appeared in front of me, towering over my small frame.

"You know I've always seen you as my sister." He looked down at me and waited for me to say something.

My mind immediately batted his words away. "How could you say that? How could you see me as a sister and still leave?"

His eyes tightened. "Edward said-" He stopped when he saw my pain at Edward's name. "We all thought we were doing what was best. We almost lost you the day of your birthday party. If leaving would ensure your safety, then so be it."

Childishly, I wanted to cover my ears so I could no longer hear him. Instead I took another approach and began stomping towards the direction of his truck.

Emmett grabbed my wrists and spun me around so I was facing him. In my agitated state, my shield flexed and sent him flying into a tree, breaking it on impact.

"Whoa," Emmett said as he dusted himself off. "That was awesome!"

I chuckled at his boyish charm before launching into my apology. "Sorry about that, Emmett. I was upset...and then you grabbed me. Sorry."

Emmett shrugged his massive shoulders and looked at me with a wicked grin. "I can't wait till I get a chance to wrestle you."

I looked at him and smiled, seeing the buoyant Emmett break out of his previous grim shell. "You think you can beat me?" I challenged.

He crouched down and grinned at me. "Oh, I know I can beat you, kid. With or without whatever the hell that was," he said, gesturing towards the tree I sent him crashing into.

"Kid?" I growled playfully as I mirrored his crouch. Just as we moved towards each other, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. With a sigh, he straightened up, grabbing the phone.

"It's Alice," he said with an eye roll.

I could hear Alice's voice as clear as if she were standing beside me. "Emmett! Could you bring Bella back now? Edward's becoming a bit frantic, to say the least. She left her phone here, so he can't get in touch with her."

"Sure thing, we're on our way back now." He hung up the phone, and we began walking back to truck in silence. Once we were in the truck and driving back to the mansion, I finally spoke.

"Emmett?"

"Mmm?" He was busy flipping through channels on the radio.

"Couldn't Alice have just told Edward I was fine? Why didn't she just look for us?"

Emmett's gaze snapped to my face for an uncomfortable moment before he looked straight at the road. "You should ask Alice about that."

When we arrived in the garage, Emmett shut off the ignition and was opening my door for me. I was about to compliment his manners when he reached up and ruffled my hair. My outburst was cut short as he threw me on his back and jogged in the house.

"Emmett! You put me down!" I tried to sound serious but I couldn't stop the giggles that were coming from my mouth. When we came into the family room, Emmett put me down gently and went to Rosalie's side.

Edward walked towards me with a glowing smile. "I've missed that sound," he murmured.

I couldn't form a coherent thought as I took in his honeyed scent. "What sound?" I finally sputtered.

"Your laughter." Edward's gaze held me to my spot. Our moment was shattered when Rosalie started talking.

"I hoped you behaved yourself," she said as she looked up at Emmett.

"When have I not?" Emmett asked innocently. He tugged on her hair affectionately and then looked over at me with a wink. "Bella, it's my fault your story got interrupted before. We're all ready to hear more if you're up for it."

"Sure," I chuckled while I sat down in a plush seat. "Let's see how far I get this time."

XXXXXXXXXX

Sheets of rain poured down the windows of my truck, obscuring my view of the bookstore across the street. Once I squinted, I could make out the closed sign dangling from the knob of the door. What exactly was I doing here? I tempted fate once before when I met the Cullens and here I was again walking into a situation with an unknown outcome. Maybe I really did lack self-preservation.

Suddenly I felt it—the pull.

Stronger than ever this time, I had to actually close my eyes. The feeling was almost unbearable. It was as if I would physically rip apart if I didn't find my other half. My head swam as I fought to catch my breath.

A sharp rap at my window quickly seized my attention. Standing outside of my truck was the male that I once felt drawn to that worked in the bookstore. He was even more beautiful than I remembered. His eyes were pained as his voice boomed over the rain.

"Open your door."

I hesitated, even though I knew he could easily rip the door down if he wanted. The pain seemed to lessen as he stepped closer, but he still wasn't close enough. With a sigh, I opened the door. He was immediately standing in front of me, offering me the shelter of his large umbrella. He offered his hand to assist me out of my truck. As soon as our hands met, I felt overwhelming relief. The pain was gone, like it never existed. I closed my eyes in bliss and stood still as I held his hand.

"Why have you returned?" His deep voice caressed me as he looked down at me. I noted that his pained expression had disappeared and was replaced by the same relief that must be evident in my expression. He took a deep breath and his nostrils flared slightly as he took in my scent. At my silence he continued talking.

"Please," he murmured, "tell me why you are here. Where you forced? Did you have to come?"

"I needed to find out why I feel this way." I nodded to our clasped hands in explanation.

He looked frustrated and closed his eyes for a minute, all while he remained frozen to the spot. Once he opened his eyes that blazed with determination.

"She knows you're here. Come." And with that, he closed the truck door behind me and started to guide me across the street. I pulled on his arm and he stopped and looked down at me.

"I don't even know your name," I said. He regarded me for a tense moment before he finally spoke.

"My name is Basil."

I watched him for a moment as I branded his name into my head. After a moment, I felt I was being rude by gaping at him, and I quickly murmured an introduction.

"I'm Bella." My voice was diminished as I got lost in his amber gaze. I ran my eyes over his strong jaw all the way to his furrowed brow. His raven hair hung loosely around his shoulders and swayed gently with the cold gust of wind. Once I stopped staring at him, I noticed that we were standing directly in front of the closed book store. I waited for him to open the door, but instead he guided us to the left where there was a staircase leading up.

"Where are we going?" I asked warily.

"I live in the apartment above the bookstore." I felt a prickle of panic run down my spine at the thought of going into this apartment with a man that I did not know. I knew that it wasn't a safe thing to do, but when I thought about the unbearable pain I felt moments, earlier I knew leaving wasn't an option.

He opened the door to reveal his apartment, and I gasped at the unexpected beauty of it. It was a loft apartment with beautiful hardwood floors. It was one big open space filled with sleek furniture that was arranged meticulously. There was no television but everything was arranged for a social visit. The couches and chairs almost formed a circle. But what caught and held my attention was Ava. She was sitting on a black leather chair with an unreadable expression. I expected some sort of greeting from her, but she gazed over my head at Basil.

"Where is he?" Her tone was sharp with a cold fury that I would never want directed at me. Basil seemed unaffected and simply shrugged his large shoulders.

"I am not my brother's keeper," he said simply. I watched in fascination as amusement seemed to flash in his eyes before his stoic mask returned.

"Careful, Basil." Her voice held an authority that couldn't be disputed and Basil's shoulders dropped slightly.

"I don't know where he is. I told him that his presence was mandatory."

"He knows I don't tolerate such insolence." Her gaze finally landed on me. She no longer wore the dark shades so I could see her eyes from a distance. They were orbs of midnight, glittering with knowledge.

"Ah, Isabella, so nice of you to come."

I averted my eyes from her commanding stare before I answered. "How could I not? I need answers."

"Basil, offer her a place to sit. Her blood is rushing towards her feet."

"Please, have a seat," Basil murmured. I sat down on the soft leather couch while Basil sat at my immediate right. I looked at my close proximity to Basil and narrowed my eyes.

"What is this feeling? Are you responsible?" I demanded as I looked at Ava. I shuddered as her lips pulled back over her teeth and a soft snarl erupted. Basil put a protective arm over my chest as he glared at Ava. His features were tight as if he strained to remain seated.

"Ava." Her name left his lips as a growl.

Her attention snapped to Basil's face, and she calmed considerably. "You'll have to forgive me," she said stiffly. "I'm not used to anyone making inquiries of me."

I remained silent as my heartbeat slowed to a normal pace. Her words floated through my mind, and I found myself aggravated that she would be so difficult about answering simple questions. I was led to believe that I would receive some answers if I came to Port Angeles.

"Why did you make me come here if you won't answer my questions?" The words left my mouth before I could think about the consequences.

Ava's eyes became black slits as her voice froze over. "Let's get one thing correct before we continue. I did not make you do anything. You came here of your own volition. I won't have you implying otherwise. Are we clear?"

I ignored the dizzying fear in my chest and calmly nodded my head to Ava. I wasn't going to back down from my questions but I clearly had to think of another way to ask.

"You knew my name." It wasn't a question and she looked irritated that I still fished for information, rather than cowering in a corner as a normal human would.

"You are quite fascinating," she stated in a somewhat awed voice. "It's not usual for a human to associate so…closely with a coven of vampires."

Emotion sparked from deep within me as I started to tremble. "You know the Cullens?"

"Not all of them." Her voice remained infuriatingly neutral. Basil, however, stiffened at her response and shifted closer to me.

Ava seemed oblivious to my distress and continued talking. "I had to come see for myself. And you have proven to be very interesting so far. You know what we are, and yet you willingly came here. So you are either incredibly brave or incredibly unintelligent."

I felt the depressing weight of pain settle on my chest and I fought to hold my composure. "How do you know them? The Cullens?"

She gazed at me impassively for a moment before saying anything. "I see you are a stubborn individual. I heard you mated with the mind-reader. Did that cause a rift between the two of you? The fact that he could hear your every thought?"

I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears from overflowing onto my cheeks. "He couldn't hear me," I bit out. "My mind was silent to him."

Ava's mask of calm was briefly interrupted by a flicker of her brow but she swiftly cleared her face again. "Immune to his gift? No wonder you held the attention of the coven."

While I didn't suspect Ava delivered her words maliciously, they still sliced through me. I could no longer hold back the sob in the back of my throat. Hearing my distress, Basil immediately started to growl.

"You're upsetting her. Enough."

Ava didn't acknowledge him as watched me curiously. "You are upset? Why? They let you live. That's more generous than any coven I've come across. Surely your feelings for the boy have started to fade by now."

I glared at her as I furiously wiped the tears from my face. "I don't care that they let me live. I can't live without him. My feelings for him will never leave and there's nothing he can do about it. I will love him until I take my last breath!"

"Such passion." Her words where barely audible. "You seem to have noble qualities. I wonder what you could have done to anger the nomads I have encountered."

"I…what?"

"Earlier, you questioned me about the missing hikers," she said matter-of-factly.

Bile rose to my throat as I considered the possibility of innocent people dying because of me. "What do I have to do with the missing hikers? Who's responsible for this?"

"I did not ask for their names and they didn't tell me. The male was olive skinned with a French accent and the woman had scarlet hair."

"Victoria and Laurent," I gasped out.

"Why would they spend so much time on a human?"

"It was my fault that her mate was killed." I quickly explained to her how James tracked me and ultimately ended up being killed by Edward's brother. As I told her the story, she seemed to become more engrossed by second.

"The Cullens actually killed to protect you?"

I nodded my head. "They all have good hearts."

"But it doesn't make sense. Why would they leave you here alone, unprotected?"

"It's not their job to protect me," I said softly, "I don't want to be a burden to them." Ava didn't seem to listen to me. I could almost see her mind working as she tried to understand.

"Why did the mind-reader leave you human? If he would have changed you, you could take care of yourself."

"He said that he never wanted me to become what he is. He saw himself as a monster. I could never convince him otherwise." Ava opened her mouth to talk, but soon closed it as she heard more words spewing from my lips. "When he left me, I finally understood his true reason for not changing me. He didn't want me. Why would he change me if he didn't want me by his side for eternity?"

"He didn't want you?" Ava stopped and shook her head incredulously. "You obviously don't see things clearly. Your lack of self-esteem seems to be your downfall."

Before I could respond, her eyes cut to Basil. "I would talk to Isabella alone now."

"Not likely," Basil said in a clipped voice.

"You misunderstand, Basil, I'm not asking your permission." Ava frowned and continued to eye him with controlled anger. "Don't you have a phone call to make?"

Basil sighed. "I tried his cellular before she arrived." He nodded his head towards me. "He obviously doesn't want to talk now or he would have answered."

"Try. Again."

He finally turned to face me and I found myself lost in his dark gaze. "I won't be far." Before I could even blink he was gone, and I was left with the uncomfortable pull. I looked at the door longingly before I turned back to Ava.

"What do you want from me?"

"It's not a question of what I want from you, Isabella. It would just be more…prudent."

"What would be more prudent?" I asked.

"For you to become an immortal."

Excerpt from Chapter 8: My Alice

"You watched?"

"Bella, you have to understand. I had to watch and make sure you were okay."

"You know what Edward said to me in the woods and you watched me fall apart after he left?"

"Bella! Please." Alice pleaded, but I would not listen.

"You saw me look for him for hours? You saw me crying and pleading for him to come back? You saw me get so exhausted that I collapsed onto the cold forest floor?"

Chapter End Notes:

Sorry for the delay with posting on this site!

So, I was nervous to post this chapter. One, because it's been a while since my last posting and two, because it involves new characters.

I apologize for the long wait between updates. I won't bore you all with the details of my life, but please understand that I have not neglected the story. I have a break coming up so I should be able to focus on this story for a while. I'm excited about that!

I felt guilty for the delay so I hope you all enjoyed the excerpt from chapter 8.

As always, I'd love to know what you think:)