Fast Fuse

The vultures circle round
They wait above the ground
Oh how dare you
Now it's time to address you
I'm the reason you claim
Shame, stalk my name
See my fist chopping off your reign…

The school year wound up quickly. We were both put on warnings about attendance and I had to complete a day's worth of tests for them to determine if I'd lose my credits for the semester since I'd been gone so long. Not an issue. All credits were issued and Bella's marks even improved, thanks to Jasper's tutoring.

We spent more time at my house than hers due to the tension Phil created. Things had been steadily deteriorating there and Renee had decided to call it quits, once the school year ended. There were discussions about Bella's fate as her mother planned to move to another city to stay with her sister. Bella wanted to finish high school here. She actually didn't care where she went to school. Classes were all the same and it wasn't a social thing for her. As long as we were together, that was all she cared about. And so, discussions ensued between Renee and Esme and Carlisle – she could stay with us and continue school, if that was agreeable for Renee.

She decided they would go to her sister's, have some separation to really think it through and talk it over before making a final decision. Bella went along, knowing that her own decision had already been made. A couple of months with her mother seemed like a reasonable exchange for eternity with me.

I, of course, went to Alaska for the summer with the rest of my family but the hours/days/weeks stretched out painfully for me as I longed to be with my Bella. Separation had not lessened our desire; we were in sync with our commitment to each other. The others missed her as well – it was much easier now that Bella was aware of our secret and so, they had each embraced her as a coven member, even while she was human. The separation was difficult for us all.

The Denali coven opened their home to us, as they always did and informed us we had just missed a random visit by members of the Volturi. So they were doing spot-checks, continuing to keep an eye on us as we lived out our refusal to be like them. It wasn't luck that had us arriving after the visit, it was planned that way by both parties. Alice had seen it, of course. And the Volturi knew that Alice would warn us. It was a game to them. It kept us on guard, which is what they wanted.

"Bella, I need you to be very aware of what's going on around you," I warned her over the phone. "I know you're perceptive; have you noticed anything odd, anyone unusual?"

"No… well my aunt, herself, is unusual," she laughed. "But otherwise, no. I've been keeping to myself anyway. I don't really go out much."

That made me sad and eased my worries at the same time. "You're unhappy."

"I miss you. That's all. I've never looked forward to a new school year so much. Edward…" She hesitated and I wished I could read her mind over the phone. "Hey, can you read my thoughts even when we aren't together?"

I laughed at the irony – it was as if she were reading mine. "No. I was just wishing I could. What is on your mind, Bella?"

"What happens if Renee doesn't let me stay with your family?"

"Then I get my way. We wait until you're older and have more options. Take the time to get what you want from your human life, Bella. I'll still be here."

"You're smirking, aren't you? Argh! I want to see you and that crooked grin. I need to feel your arms around me and hear you sing to me. This is the longest summer ever… I want it to be over."

"Bella, this is why I insist that you make the most out of your time with your family. I will be here, loving you and waiting to love you even more when you join us, but remember what I said about carrying your human feelings into your immortal life. If you're full of unresolved feelings, you'll have that eternally. You, my love, should have an immortal life filled only with serenity and bliss. Find happiness, Bella. And then… then we'll make the change, no matter your age."

"Promise? 'Cause I'm fairly certain I will be ecstatic when we're reunited. That would be the perfect moment, right?" She was only partially teasing. That is what she foolishly wished for.

I had been struggling with the promise I'd made – to let her decide her fate, entirely. I knew she was happiest with me, I believed that in my heart. What neither of us knew, was if she could find even more happiness without me; if she could live a human life and be happy. I decided to go do some scouting, bringing Emmett along, as he and Rosalie had just returned from a 6 week honeymoon. He said he needed to get out and roam. I knew that meant neither of them had seen much of anything or anyone other than each other. Honeymoon sex – the greatest thing in life, according to Em – had finally subsided and he was bored.

"I thought you were letting Bella decide, and she chose to join us," Emmett stated as I rejected another location as a potential hiding spot.

"I did. She did. I'm just preparing in case we need another option. The Volturi lurking around is a worry for me."

He shrugged. "Change her now then. Done. No problems."

I arched an eyebrow at his simplicity. "You don't think Carlisle amassing an even larger coven is a problem for the Volturi?"

"Who gives a shit? We're not sinister. We have no evil designs to take over the world, or grand delusions of overtaking them. We just want to live our never-ending lives, man. That's all. Now that you've found your soul mate, Edward, you'll see what the rest of us have been trying to tell you. Immortality is not all that bad. Change her. And then you and she can visit all these places together, without worrying about hiding. And she won't give a shit if it's rainy or cold all the time. Humans like sun, if you've forgotten. These places you picked out are great for us, shitty for a human."

"Thanks for the encouragement," I quipped with a sarcastic edge. I froze on the spot when a voice invaded my thoughts. Someone nearby knew us, knew our names, and this someone was not in a mood for games.

Alice's text came instantly. 'They've found you. They're there. Don't go to Yukon, as you planned. They'll find you there as well. Avoid the far north, period. Stay away from polar bears.'

"Polar bears?" Emmett spoke what I was thinking. "What the fuck is she on? Alice has mega skills; I believe in her, but sometimes the girl sounds like she's on crack. Why would you move Bella to a region with polar bears?"

Regardless of how insane Alice's predictions seemed, we paid attention. So when we stumbled upon another of our kind while hunting back in Alaska, we were not the least surprised. No polar bears; Demetri was enough.

"Demetri, always a pleasure," Carlisle stepped forward first and extended a hand to be courteous.

He simply nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "Your oldest has been doing a lot of travelling of late. The Volturi would like to know the reason for that."

Carlisle chuckled as I tensed up. They were here because of me. "Ah, Edward has always had a bit of wanderlust in him, you know that. He's back with us now, as you can see."

He nodded an affirmative. "Marcus is very interested in his travels, but alas, he's not well enough to travel himself. He sent Chelsea in his place."

Alice spoke in my head. 'She's like Marcus. Only more dangerous. She sees bonds and can break them as well.'

I merely raised an eyebrow, not even looking in Alice's direction. Chelsea's attention flew to me.

'He's especially close with this dark-haired girl in the coven. He values her slightly more than the others right now. Interesting.'

Good, I thought. If I focus on Alice, that will be the only bond she picks up from me. Keep your thoughts coming, Alice. Let me hear from you. Alice? I glanced over at her. She stared off in the distance, probably seeing something in her mind. Why couldn't I see it? Oh! Oh fuck! Chelsea had cut off our communication. FUCK!

She smiled widely before a cackle erupted from her. "There's another. There is one common bond each of them have with a girl who is not here with them. They're protecting her. Hiding her. They covet her."

Chelsea's report to Demetri brought a smile to his stone face as well. "Very good Chelsea. Marcus will be pleased with you. If you help me find her, you'll be greatly rewarded, I'm sure."

Dammit! Why had I involved Bella so deeply in my coven? She was the only one aside from each other that each of us cared for. It was Bella we were united in coveting. And now I didn't even have Alice to show me if they'd track her.

"Perhaps you'd like to save Aro the trouble of coming out here, himself, and just tell us who this girl is? We'd like to have a little chat."

"You're not getting near her!" I hissed.

Chelsea grinned at me. "She's yours. Ah yes, now that the little gremlin is out of your grasp, it's clear you have the tightest bond with this illusive one."

"Gremlin? Excuse me?" Alice took offense, rightly so. "Look lady, I was about to offer you the advice of your life, but for that crack, you can stay with this goon and get what's coming to you. I hope you enjoy exile. I hope you have a taste for small exotic creatures as well, because you won't be finding any human blood to stuff your fat body with."

Jasper moved in, only when Alice had finished her hate-filled rant. He winked at her as his arm looped over her shoulder. She was instantly calm and pleasant once more. If I wasn't so concerned with Bella, I'd really be interested to see these two go another round.

"Honestly, the girl you're seeing is nowhere near us. Yes, Edward is rather fond of her, as we all are, but you know how this coven works. We won't be taking any lives unnecessarily." Carlisle sounded very convincing. Thank god they hadn't brought along a Volturi member who could detect lies. They weren't so brilliant after all. Unless they did plan to bring Aro out to read my mind. Then we'd all be fucked.

Carlisle insisted I make no attempt to communicate with Bella until after the Volturi party had left the area. Alice was watching them closely, but with her being cut off from me, she couldn't see Bella's fate either. I was miserably stressed for several days before they finally cleared out.

When I finally got to call, I got Renee. "I'm sorry Edward, Bella's not feeling too well. She's asleep now and I don't want to wake her. But I will tell her you called. Take care, sweetie. Talk to you soon."

Maybe this was a blessing. I hadn't been near her for over a month, Demetri would not have her scent to go by, and even if he had some sense of her, if she was home in bed… she was safe. Still, I wanted to hear her voice. And I wanted to be with her, especially if she was ill.

With the retreat of the Volturi, my bond with Alice was re-established. I never realized how much I would miss her voice in my head, but I had. Desperately. She made up for it with a constant barrage of thoughts and visions and apprehensive warnings. A change was coming, but she couldn't see whether it was for better or worse. As frustrating as it was, I was still grateful to be back in tune with her.

I tried several times to reach Bella, without success, until she finally called me. She sounded weak.

"I guess it's some kind of flu. Renee dragged me to the doctor last week. Made him do a pregnancy test and everything."

"Pregnancy test? Bella, I can't…" We had been very active in those weeks we had together before summer break and we weren't using protection. But I couldn't… she couldn't be pregnant! Could she?

"I'm not, by the way. You're right. I guess we can't get pregnant. Got the call today. I'm just sick, is all."

"Honey, I wish I could be with you. Feed you soup, rub your head, sing you to sleep."

"Mmm… me too, Iceman. Me too. Can you at least come visit?"

I filled her in on our recent visitors and told her to be extra cautious. I described Demetri and Chelsea so she'd have an idea of what to look out for.

"Bella, none of us can come to you, you understand that, right? It's not safe. Above all, I want to ensure your safety. Someone is coming to watch you; a friend. He can be trusted. His name is Garrett, but you won't meet him unless it's necessary… hopefully it doesn't come to that. He will be practically invisible, but he'll keep the others from you."

"Edward, I don't like the idea of someone spying on me!"

"Better him than Demetri, Bella! Don't be stubborn!"

"I just wish it was you, that's all. I get it… don't yell at me! I'm sick, remember?"

"Sorry baby. I am. I'm just really on edge. I want this witch hunt to be over. I want them to leave us the fuck alone."

"Change me."

"No."

"I guess I'll be spending a lot of time with Garrett then."

I sighed. "Bella… How are things going there, with your mom?"

"Aside from her and my aunt digging out their knitting books, looking for bootie patterns, pretty good. You know, I think they actually wanted me to be pregnant. I mean, Renee was frantic when the nausea continued over days and the possibility hit her, but she seemed just the slightest bit disappointed when the negative result came in."

"You still feel nauseated?"

"Comes and goes. It's a brutal flu, whatever the hell it is. I'm chilled and feverish all at once. And my muscles ache. Puking is never fun, but it feels like my body's been ripped apart when I heave. It's gross."

"Yeah…" I made a mental note of everything she said, to take to Carlisle. "I hope you feel better soon, Bella. Garrett should be there now. Check your window. See anything?"

"A really quick shadow when I opened my blinds."

I grinned. "Give him a wave. I'll speak with you soon, honey. Get some rest, feel better. I love you."

"It could be just as she says, a brutal flu. There were several out there in the spring, but I haven't seen much of them in recent weeks." Carlisle jotted down her symptoms and dates. "Something to keep an eye on though."

"Carlisle… a human pregnancy test would still show positive, even if it were a vampire child, wouldn't it?"

He set his pen down and leaned forward. "Is this a possibility, son? Have you not been careful about this?"

"I didn't see the need, to be honest. I lack the necessary seminal fluids, right?"

He nodded. "It has been known to happen, however."

I slumped down in my chair. "You tell me this, now?"

He smiled reassuringly. "It would still show positive. The baby would have its mother's blood. She's not pregnant. But let this be a lesson…" He wagged a finger at me and I couldn't help but chuckle my relief. Not pregnant. But still, quite ill for some unknown reason.

I kept in close contact with Garrett. All was clear. Bella seemed to be faring better over the next several days. She had more energy, but kept it for things at home. Her Aunt Tess was refinishing the basement so Renee would have her own apartment down there, and Bella if she decided to finish school there. Bella, according to Garrett, was quite handy with small tools and a whiz with a paint brush. She also appeared to have worked out the body aches… she was moving furniture around without help.

Another week passed and I was tentatively confident that the Volturi had gone back with their report, outcome to be determined, and Bella had recovered for the most part, from her illness. She was still 'iffy around food', as she put it. That struck me as tragic for her, knowing her appetite. I was about to call Garrett back when Bella called me.

"Edward, I don't feel so well. My mom and Aunt Tess went to visit their cousin and her new baby. I'm kinda freaked out."

"What's wrong?" I motioned for Alice to come to me and quickly told her to call Garrett and get me on a flight.

"I ache. So much. It's really bad…" She choked off a sob. I could picture her curled up in a ball, talking to me.

"Sweetie… I'm coming to you. But until I get there, or your mom comes home, Garrett's going to come stay with you, okay?"

"No… I don't even know him. I don't like people being around me when I'm sick. I'll be okay. I just… I wish you were here now." She was crying now and it broke my heart.

When I finally got to her, a plane and slow taxi ride later, she had relented and let Garrett in. He was tending to a high fever with wet cloths. Bella was pale and shivering and burst into tears when she saw me. I ran to her side and covered her forehead with kisses as she clung to me.

"It's okay baby, I'm here. You're burning up! I thought the fever was gone?"

"M-m-me too…"she mumbled through chattering teeth. "It j-just hit. No w-w-warning."

"Should I take you to the hospital? Bella, help me… I don't know what to do for you."

She was crying too hard to speak. Her body curled up, just as I had envisioned, and both of her hands held onto me tightly. Jesus, she had some grip!

"The pain is bad too? Where?"

"Everywhere! My arms and legs the worst. I can't go out. Just stay with me, Edward."

I did as she requested, as if I had a choice. Her grip on me was vice-like. Only when she fell asleep, could I get her off me so I could call Carlisle. "This is worse than we thought," I informed him. "I wish I'd gotten you to come with me. She needs help, and I don't know what to do."

"Get her fever down, but don't let her shiver, that will drive it back up. That means keeping yourself off her, Edward."

"I get it. What else?"

"Once the fever's down, the muscle aches should subside as well. Get her well enough to travel. You're going to bring her to us."

I stared solemnly at her sleeping form as I digested Carlisle's words. He believed it was time. Were we ready for this? Regardless, I had to get her well so I tended to her around the clock, spoon feeding her tiny bites, keeping her drinking, wiping down her fevered sweat. I read to her, sang to her, told her stories from every decade I'd been around for and finally, after one long sleep, when her eyes opened, they were my Bella's eyes; full of love and shimmering happily.

"You're here," she whispered.

"Yes. I've been here for 2 days. You don't remember?"

She looked confused as she tried to sit up. Her head began spinning from the sudden movement and she collapsed against me. "2 days?"

"Honey, I have to tell you something. Do you feel well enough? Can I help you with anything before…"

"What? What's going on? The Volturi? They didn't hurt your family, did they?"

I shook my head. "Bella, Carlisle believes we should get you to our home in Alaska. Immediately."

She smiled with relief. "I get to stay with you? Awesome!"

"The other option... once Carlisle figures out what's wrong with you and we get you well, is to split up and hide."

"No. Absolutely not Edward! We're not splitting up again!" Her finger poked at me and it felt like when Rosalie would jab me. I'd never felt this from Bella. Jesus, she had some anger.

"Not us, baby. I mean, my family. We'll divide up and spread out. It will make the Volturi curious at first, but if we're careful and stay underground, they'll eventually back off, thinking the coven is no more. We're less of a threat to them in pairs."

"Can pairs protect themselves against the Vultures?"

"Volturi..." I corrected her absent-mindedly. "It would be better to have numbers against them, for sure, but this is about protecting you. We will all do whatever we have to do just to keep you safe."

"We'll all be safe if you change me."

"Bella… if you come with me now, and we take that final step, that's it. You can't come back here. You can't see your mom again. Or your aunt. Are you ready to leave them? Are you ready to live a life of lies until they're gone? I wanted you to have more time for this…" I bowed my head and pressed it against hers. "You need to be certain, Bella."

"I am," she whispered. "I can do this. We can do this. I'm ready. When they meet the Cullen coven next, it will be larger and we'll be stronger - all of us, together."

I failed to mention that even if she was a vampire, it wouldn't appease the Volturi. It may even anger them more. What I couldn't stand the thought of, however, was what they would do to Bella, the human. They couldn't have her - my fragile little human. No fucking way. They would not kill her. They would not rape her. They would not... would NOT take my human from me and make her one of them. Those fuckers were not laying a finger on my human Bella. I would fight them until my body erupted in flames. I would turn Bella, myself, or... take her life myself... before I'd let them take her. They were so very right, I did covet this human. And I knew my instincts well enough to know I could be the deadliest fucking vampire they ever met if anyone tried to take her from me.

She was right. It was time to turn up the heat and make our move.

Oh baby I was born
With a fast fuse
I've got not time to love
Just a city to abuse
In the middle of the night
When they come for you
Where you gonna be
What you gonna do…

(Kasabian)