Chapter 7: I Loved You Once

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

Victoria calmly sauntered into the cabin. James halted his amorous activity with Bella, leaning back against the couch cushion, and swung his head around. "What the hell do you want, Victoria? And this better be good."

Swallowing the gall that was rising in her throat, she answered sweetly, "I came to apologize. My outburst was unwarranted." How was that was a big word? "Can't we hold a truce?"

James scoffed, "That all depends ..."

Oh, crap, he wasn't buying it. "On what?"

"On whether you're being sincere or not."

She extended her arms out, pleading with him. "How can you stand there and say that? You've got to believe me. I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow."

He narrowed his eyes. "You can imagine why I might be a little skeptical."

"Alright, I guess I deserved that, but I promise I'll be good from now on." She flew back out to the porch, and returned with a cardboard box, and a small beverage container. "Look, I've even brought a vegetarian pizza and a carton of milk for Bella."

Bella stood and took the peace offering from the vampire's hands. "Thank you, Victoria."

Victoria forced a smile at the girl, even though she'd rather rip her head off. "You're very welcome, Bella. And I'm so sorry for yelling at you like that. It won't ever happen again." In fact you can bet your life on it.

She left the room, and went into the kitchen, returning with a plate and a napkin.

Still not convinced, and with his eyebrows raised a couple of inches, James asked, "What brought this on?"

"I was worried about losing you, and then I thought, I'd rather share you than be without you forever."

"Good plan, baby. I didn't realize you had it in ya."

A week passed, and Victoria was on her best behavior. In the meantime, James was getting ravenous. It'd been so long since he had a meal. Victoria urged him to go feed. "You should get out and hunt. Don't worry about Bella. I'll watch her."

James needed no further encouragement. He kissed both of his lady loves goodbye, and zipped out the door.

As soon as Victoria was certain that James was out of reach, she patted the sofa beside her and beckoned to Bella. "Come over here and sit by me, Bella. We need to talk."

The gullible miss gingerly sat next to Victoria. "Gosh, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, you're aware that James and I go back a long ways—and I mean, a loooong ways—almost a couple centuries in fact. So you can understand why I was so jealous of you. I hated that you were such a home wrecker."

She could see the gears turning in Bella's head, as the girl replied, "And now …?"

"And now, I don't have to concern myself with it, because I'm allowing you to leave … free as a bird."

"Leave?"

"Yes. James belongs to me. You're just a temporary distraction; a shiny, new toy. He doesn't really love you like he loves me. He's playing with you. Look, you have a life outside these walls. I'm asking you nicely to leave James. It's only fair, given our history together."

"No, I won't do it. I love James, and I could never leave him."

Victoria fluttered her eyelashes. "Pretty please?"

With a scowl on her face, Bella fired back, "I said no. It's not fair. I don't care how long you two were a couple. He's in love with me now."

Huffing loudly, Victoria laid out her cards. "You know, I could snap your scrawny little neck right now. It would be so easy. My problem would be solved in an instant."

Bella smiled, smugly. "But you won't, because James will know what you did, and he'll throw you out on your ear."

"That's what you think, idiot. He'll never find out, since you'll be six feet under." Victoria put on a falsetto voice and screeched, Oh, James, I tried to stop her, but she was determined to go home."

Bella redistributed her weight on the sofa, and folded her arms across her chest in a display of defiance. "Ha, James is a tracker. You better believe he'll know. Anyway, this conversation is over. I'm not going to budge a single centimeter."

"You leave me no choice then." She pounced on the helpless girl, her teeth mere inches from Bella's throat, but before she could break the skin, the door burst open, and James sailed through, ripping his mate away from her.

He spit out, "I knew it was too good to be true. A tiger can't change its stripes. You're still the green-eyed monster you always were. What did you think this would accomplish?"

Pointing an accusing finger at James, Victoria explained, "I was doing it for us. You're a blind, fool. She's turned you into a weakling, a lovesick weakling. You wouldn't get rid of her, so I had to take matters into my own hands."

James shoved her away from him. "I want you out of here."

"You don't mean that."

"Wanna bet?"

She hissed between clenched teeth, "Bella's a human, a little, mousy human, for god's sake. And you're going to chuck it all—for her? Two centuries, James; two centuries!"

His jaw was set. "Two centuries too long. I don't want to see your face ever again."

Victoria spun around in a flash, her eyes firing darts at his new love. "You did this, you stupid little bitch."

She lunged at Bella again, and James, anticipating her move, batted her out of the way. Victoria clawed at him, and a titanic struggle erupted. Bella watched in terror as the tempest raged. It was like a tornado in a teacup. They whirled in a dizzying dance of flailing arms and bared teeth. The sound alone was horrifying.

James had the upper hand, and finally slammed the red-haired vixen against the wall, pinning her there. "It's over between us, Vicki, and I mean over. It's been a long time coming. Now, either go quietly, or I'll end you … permanently."

"James," she whined.

"I mean it—get out now!"

The defeated vampire licked her bottom lip, and tossing her curls, brayed, "Sorry you feel that way. But I hope you know Cole will more than welcome me."

"More power to him. So long, Vicki. See yourself out."

She gave Bella a death glare, and then with head held high, waltzed through the door.

Bella looked at James, as he sidled up to her once more. "Sorry you had to witness that, babydoll." His arms about her shoulders, he whispered comforting words in her ear. "She'll never hurt you again. I promise you."

She was just so numb, still in shock over her near demise at Victoria's hand. She breathed deeply, and snuggled into his strong embrace, her eyes closed tightly. Her heart rate slowly returned to normal, and she finally spoke. "I feel sorry for her."

"Sorry for Victoria? Why?"

"I can see why she's so in love with you, because I can't imagine my life without you either."

"You won't ever be without me, baby."

Bella sat upright. "But I'll grow old, and you won't want me anymore."

"That will not happen on my watch. I'll change you as soon as you turn twenty. How's that sound?"

Her eyes brightened. "Would you?"

"You betcha."

She nestled back into his chest. "Thank you. I can't believe I was afraid of you at first. You're not bad after all. Good looking too. I sometimes wonder what you see in me, though."

"I guess it's that little girl quality. Your innocence intrigues me."

With a shrug, Bella replied, "Oh, I'm not that innocent."

"Have you murdered anybody?"

"Well, no …"

"Stolen anything?"

"No."

"Lied?"

"All the time. See, I told you. I had to hide the fact that I ran with vampires, and the Quileute—"

James stopped her in mid-sentence, covering her mouth with his. She pushed at him, playfully.

Smiling, James offered, "Like I said, innocence. I rest my case."

Bella returned the smile. Not so innocent in what I'm thinking now, Mister.

"Wait, Edward, wait!" Alice suddenly stood, stock-still, her eyes with that familiar far-away appearance. Then, after a moment, her head tipped up, her eyes now zeroed in on Edward's face. "I saw her. I saw Bella." The tiny pixie pointed off into the distance. "She's nearby in a house just over that hill, by the old granite quarry. We must've missed it last week when we were in the area, because of the thick fog surrounding it that day."

Edward yelled, "Let's go!"

They raced toward the cabin, and when it loomed into view, Jasper and Alice let Edward go the rest of the way by himself.

"I reckon it best if you go it alone, Edward. We'll wait here. If you need us, just give a holler."

Alice nodded. "I agree."

Edward was about to knock on the door, when it suddenly swung open. "Ah … the vegetarian. Cullen, is it? Come on in. I wondered how long it would take you to find us. Granted, I obliterated the trail pretty well if I do say so myself—and I do." He chuckled.

As he stepped inside, his face became a mask of stone. Edward blurted, "Where is she?"

James canted his head, nonchalantly. "Oh, you must mean, Bella?"

"Don't play games with me, James. I want to see her."

"Now, now, is that any way to address an acquaintance?"

"Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time … I said, where is she?"

James gestured, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "She's in the kitchen, washing up the breakfast dishes. I told her I'd do them, but you know how stubborn she can be."

The sound of Bella's voice wafted into the room. "Who is that at the door, James?"

"An old friend … a very old friend."

When she walked into the living room, her mouth gaped at the sight. "Edward, what are you doing here?"

Edward's eyes lit up in her presence. "I've come to take you home."

"I am home. I'm comfortable here. Just go on back to Forks; I don't need any rescuing."

"Not without you, Love."

"Don't call me that."

He couldn't believe the irritation he noted in her tone of voice.

"You don't know what you're saying.

He took a few steps toward her. "I love you, Bella, now and forever. Have you forgotten that? We were meant to be together for eternity."

Bella's face softened somewhat, and she remarked, "I appreciate the effort you made to find me."

She wrapped one arm around James' waist. "But as you can see. I'm happier than I've ever been before, and James is the cause of it."

His forehead wrinkled in unbelief. "Are you saying you don't love me?"

"I loved you once, but not anymore."

"Hear that, Cullen," he said with a smirk, "She's in love with me now. So beat it back to Forks." He kissed the top of her head, and Edward nearly plummeted to the floor.

This was incredible. Edward listened intently to the thoughts in James' head. God's teeth, the nomad was actually enamored of his Bella. How could this have happened?

Interrupting Edward's eavesdropping, she added, "I never mean to hurt you, Edward, but the truth is, you were my past, and James is my future. I no longer belong to you. You need to understand that."

Edward felt emptiness filling his soul. "Bella … Love …"

"Don't make this any more difficult for me. I have nothing more to say to you. Please leave."

"Bella …"

"Don't—please don't. Just save your breath." She looked up at her new love. "See him to the door, James."

"My pleasure."

James gestured at the exit to the broken-hearted vampire. "Well, Cullen, I guess you'll not be darkening our door anytime soon, eh?"

Bewildered, Edward walked out of the cabin, and out of her life.