Disclaimer: Twilight related = Stephenie Meyer, Lost in Austen related = Guy Andrews. The amateur writer that links it all together = Me.

A/N: Like I said, here's the next chapter. Things I starting to speed up a little from now on. Forgive me for my grammar and disjointed thoughts. Hope you enjoy it.

Return to Meyer

13. Revenge

By the time Edward had pulled up out front Charlie's house, I was exhausted. It was bordering on late, the moon shining brightly above our heads evidence enough of that. I sat up slowly, squinting as the rays entered the car. Beside me the car door opened, letting in a wave of fresh, cool air. I slid out, lowering my feet to the ground gently. Edward, a hand on the small of my back, guided me to the front door and then slowly up the stairs to avoid tired stumbling.

The lamp on the bedside table flickered on as the bedroom door closed to avoid allowing the light to spill out into the darkened hall. Edward's shape came into view in front of me.

"Get some sleep, I'll be back here in the morning." He said quietly before pressing his lips softly to my forehead.

"Can't you stay?" I muttered.

Lifting my chin up ever so slightly, a pair of darkened eyes looked into mine. "You know I want to, but no."

"Why…" I began before taking another look at his eyes. "Oh. Okay." I said, a trace of disappointment in my voice.

"I'll be out hunting, if you need me, call Alice." His fingers slowly caressed my cheek. "Sweet dreams," he whispered, a light smile playing on the ends of his lips. I nodded and he was gone.

Slipping into my pyjamas, I moved towards the bed, eager for my head to hit the pillow and then I heard it. RING.

You have got to be kidding me. Glancing at the alarm clock I scowled. 1 am. Who the hell calls at such a late hour? Again the ringing noise sounded from downstairs along with a loud snore from up the corridor. Damn. Wishing I could just ignore it but also knowing that it had to be pretty important for someone to call in the middle of the night, I sighed before trudging back downstairs to pick up the receiver.

"Hello," I mumbled into the phone.

"Ashley!" Jacob's relieved voice sounded over the line, waking me up ever so slightly.

"Oh Jake, it's you." A scoffing noise hit my ears as I imagined how those words must have sounded. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering who it was I'd have to murder for calling so late when I got up tomorrow." See, even when tired I can tease. "So what's up?" I yawned loudly.

Awkward silence. "Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you." He answered finally.

I groaned. "As flattered as I am that you called just to hear my voice, couldn't you have waited a couple of hours?"

"No." Firm.

Exhaling, I gripped the phone tighter against my ear. "Okay. Look Jacob, I'm not dead or lying in a ditch somewhere. You can relax. Nobody is making an attempt on my life just now. So you can go patrol or whatever it is you should be doing instead of talking to me."

Okay, that sounded really bad.

"Wait, I didn't mean that either. Jake, I've been sitting a car for quite a few hours and I'm both physically and emotionally exhausted. Unless you want to sit here and take absolute crap from me that I'm going to hate myself for saying tomorrow, I suggest you come see me in the morning. After I've had apple juice, that is." I explained quickly, hoping he'd get the gist.

"Alright. Just checking you're okay. Did the bloodsuckers get that problem sorted out? If not, we're more than happy to go and take care of–"

I cut him off, "Yes, it's all taken care of. No need to go and rip anyone to shreds. Down boy."

Was that a sigh of disappointment I heard?

"When did…" he started again before my frustrated groan cut him off. "Oh right, tomorrow. Yeah, okay."

My head snapped up straight at the sound of a small thud. It was low and almost inaudible but it was there. "Ash?" Jacob said, suddenly worried.

I ignored him, my eyes straining in the dark to find the source of my alarm. "Ashley, what's going on?" Jacob continued to try and regain my attention. Again I ignored him. I took a few steps forward and paused, listening. My heart raced beneath my chest, every limb paused, waiting. Something was wrong. It may have sounded paranoid but it was true. I knew it.

Out of nowhere, a hand clasped my throat and a muffled cry burst through my lips. The phone hit the floor with a crash, leaving Jacob uttering his continuous cries of "Ash? Ashley!" to an empty room.

** **** **

The trees raced past in a blur as the new bruises on my shoulder and neck began to form. Déjà vu hit me like a steam train.

"Haven't we done this before?" I uttered suddenly wide awake to the redheaded vampire carrying me. Victoria answered my question with an animalistic snarl, her lip pulling back over her teeth in a way that sent shivers down my spine and warned me to lose the attitude fast.

"They'll just find you again Victoria. You can't hide." I tried the threat option. Alice would know, she would have seen Victoria taking me. Suddenly a chill ran through my entire body. Victoria had kidnapped me from Charlie's house. While I was on the phone. Talking to Jacob. A werewolf that clouded Alice's visions.

Oh no.

But she would see her carrying me. She had to. If she didn't….I didn't want to think about how bad this was going to be for me. Laurent's words echoed inside my head "If I could kill you now I would, if not only as an act of mercy. If you knew what Victoria had planned for you, you would give yourself to me freely. Do not underestimate her, she will be back for you."

I just hadn't listened. Now all I could do was one, hope that the Cullens found me soon or two, pray that Laurent had exaggeratingly imagined what Victoria would do to me when she caught up with me again. Then again, there was always option three and four: Panic and Beg.

Trees continued to rush by, rays of light breaking through gaps in between leaves every so often. I stifled a cry as Victoria's hands gripped me harder and harder. If she didn't let up a little soon, she would break something and even worse, I doubt she'd care if she did.

"Where are we going?" I asked pointlessly, knowing she wouldn't answer me. "You have to pick the right scenery to torture and kill me, do you?" Wait, what are you doing? She wants to string things out, let her. LET HER!

To my surprise, she chose to react to this comment. "Oh, I'm not going to kill you." She said smugly.

Now I was confused. "What do you mean?" I blurted out.

"You'll see," she said with a laugh.

God, I really don't like the sound of that. If she wasn't, who was? Laurent? Some random vampire newborn army?

"I thought bad guys liked to discuss the brilliance of their plans, isn't that like a literature stereotype? Bragging?" I thought aloud.

"Hmm…" she replied, thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. You won't be alive much longer anyway." She paused, a wicked smile spreading across her lips. "Where is your Edward tonight?"

A second wave of confusion hit me as I struggled to understand the question's relevance. I thought she was supposed to be explaining things to me not gaining info. "Hunting," I answered bluntly.

She nodded as her grin widened. "Animals, yes?"

I nodded. "What else?"

"Why don't we go pay dear Edward a visit? What do you think?" This was the moment the realisation occurred. No, she wouldn't. She couldn't.

If I had to draw a conclusion from this, it would be the worst possible scenario I could create under any circumstances. More so than Victoria torturing and killing me, more than James trapping me in my tae-kwon-do hall, more than Laurent offering to kill me as an act of mercy.

A look of horror twisted my features as I watched her every emotion play out across her face. Victoria beamed, knowing that I had reached the conclusion she had desired.

She was going to take me to wherever it was Edward and his family were hunting tonight. She would place me within tracking distance. And then…she would leave me to die. To be murdered by the one person I love more than anything else in the world. And not only would she kill me, she would destroy him.

"No," I whispered.

She nodded. "No," I repeated, louder and more frantic. "No, no, no. You can't. He won't. You…" Words burst out one after the other in meaningless and clipped sentences. I felt like screaming. She couldn't, she wouldn't. It's not possible. It doesn't happen like this.

She could. She would. And things have changed.

"Better say your goodbyes little human because according to my senses, we're here." She announced viciously, dropping out of her run. With a sneer of anger she pulled me off her and threw me into the air.

I moaned in pain as I hit a nearby tree with a thud. My glazed eyes looked across the stones and moss to find her, watching me, relishing the moment. "Please, don't do this. Please." I begged. I couldn't let this happen. No. No. No.

"It's already done." She said. "Say hello to Edward for me."

And she was gone.

I raced to my feet, spinning around in a frenzy of anxiety, fear and paranoia. Oh god. Oh god. What am I going to do? I have to move, have to keep moving, I thought as I tried to return rational thought to my brain. What do I do? What…

Taking off I tried to manoeuvre myself over the stones and tree branches in my way. As far as I could tell I was only bruised. No blood. That was a good thing. No blood. I would be okay. I just have to….

Tree, stone, stone, tree. It was the only level my brain could work at, taking in my surroundings to the best of my ability. I tried to avoid thinking about my friends in the vicinity who could find me at any moment and kill me. What would my parents think if I never came home? What would they do? Would Jacob find out?

So many thoughts, so little time.

If I could just stop. Just have a little more time. And that's when it happened. The worst possible thing I could have done. I tripped.

Crying out, I felt myself fall into the dirt, narrowly missing a face first fall into a large stone. If only my leg had been so lucky. Rolling over in the soil, I pulled my feet up and gazed down at my skin.

There, I watched as the smallest trickle of blood dripped slowly down my leg.

A/N: Okay, so there you guys go. Getting there. Hopefully this was enough tension for you. I'll get on the next chap ASAP. As for now, remember to review and let me know your thoughts on the recent developments. :)

Next Time on Return to Meyer: All she needs is time. It's a race against nature and supernatural creatures with super speed. Stuck in the forests of Forks, surrounded by a coven of hungry vampires and acting as pretty much a homing beacon with the fresh cut on her leg, what will Ashley do when it seems like there just isn't any time left?

Next Time.