Hi! Yes, it's me... I know it's been a really long time since the last time I updated and I'm sorry for that but I was very busy with my finals... since middle of December up to middle of February I was locked at home surrounded by papers and books, studying, which left me no time at all to write. I didn't do fantastically well but I passed all my 1st semester subjects with somewhat decent marks which is more than I can say for some of my friends. Now, I've started the 2nd semester and I found some time to write. Here's chapter 21 and I'll try to get the others out as soon as I can. Also, there aren't a lot of chapters left I'm planning on one, possibly two more and an Epilogue.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, your support is incredibly important to me!

A special thanks for Adri1577, for being an amazing beta and correcting all my mistakes, making these chapters more readable ;D You are great!

Disclaimer; Stephenie Meyer owns The Twilight Saga and it's characters.

Chapter 21

A week later…

Bella's POV

I had been curled on the couch, against Edward's side, with his arm around my shoulders for over two hours, which you could say was a record for the amount of time we had been able to be together during the past week. Every time we'd find a break in my chaotic appointment schedule, something else would come up before an hour was up… it was disheartening. During the day, I was engaged in several meetings with clients, contractors, HR department, designers and I don't know who else more, each one longer than the last; and during the night, I would receive a full report from Henry, and we would discuss the best course of action, based on the information he'd have for me and start coming up with a plan to catch this guy.

Edward would often come up to my office and sit on the couch reading a book or just looking at me as I worked, and I appreciated it a lot; his presence soothed me and helped me deal with more difficult clients. Not to mention that the time he was in my office was time that he was free from Tanya's claws.

So, the fact that we had managed to actually sit on the couch and watch a couple of movies together without having a phone call interrupting us was amazing. I would have preferred that Tanya wasn't on the other couch, openly glaring at me and clearing her throat or huffing every single time Edward and I kissed or got closer to each other. Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Kate and Carmen had all taken a turn on trying to get her away from the living room, so that Edward and I would have some peace but it had all been in vain. We would have moved somewhere else, but we weren't about to let her see how much she bothered us, also I was enjoying the feeling of having a normal, quiet evening with him, even if Tanya was playing the third wheel. I was being patient, having had a lot of 'training' during the past few years, but Edward was ready to jump off the couch and forcefully remove Tanya from the room.

Suddenly, Edward pulled me to his lap, so that I was straddling him and attacked my mouth. Tanya immediately started huffing, puffing and clearing her throat, usually that would make Edward stop and glare at her… but not that time.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I whispered in his ear, as he ravaged my neck.

"Making her leave! If she's bothered, she should leave…" he whispered back.

"Eddie?"

"What can I do for you, Tanya? I'm rather busy right now!"

"I thought we could do something else, together." She said with a fake smile.

"I'm sure you've noticed that Bella and I are rather engaged in our current activity. But you should go ask your sisters or ours. I'm sure they'll be very happy to do whatever you want to." Edward suggested.

"Arrgggg!" She hissed as she got up and stormed out of the room. Edward grinned lazily and pulled me against his chest.

"I thought she would never leave. We should have done that sooner."

"We? I didn't do a thing! You were the one who attacked me to drive her out of the room! I, Mr. Cullen, was used for your advantage!" I said with a serious face.

He gave me a crooked grin, "I think you enjoyed being taken advantage of very much, Miss Swan. Maybe I should do it, again…" His voice was throaty and seductive, soft as satin and heavy with unnamed promises. He had been using that tone a lot in the past few days to lure me out of my study or at least take a break. Needless to say, that every time he did it, I was at his beck and call and I loved it!

Even with all the work I'd been having, which was bound to only get worse on the next few days, I had never felt more alive. I wanted to spend more time with Edward, but since that was becoming more difficult, we enjoyed every single minute we had together.

"Maybe you should, Mr. Cullen… I'd like to see what else you've got for me…" I murmured.

"Damn, Bella! When I think I can't love you more, you prove me wrong." I was about to say that I loved him when we were rudely interrupted.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Bella, but Catherine won't stop calling. I figured it must be important." Ian said as he handed me my PDA. And just like that my afternoon with Edward came to an end.

"Yes, Catherine?" I answered a bit annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Bella! But we got some problems with the Richard's house, and Mr. Smith is calling from Africa to update you on the hospitals we're financing." This year had been extremely good for the company: we were able to finance more hospitals, schools and houses in places where they were needed, and the number of projects we had going on had doubled since last year; unfortunately, with that came a lot more work.

"Sure. Just let me get to the study and we'll deal with that." I hung up and kissed Edward before I climbed the stairs and locked myself in my study.

Two weeks later

I was so tired of not having free time. In the past two weeks I hadn't had more than half an hour a day alone with Edward. I was frustrated; Edward was frustrated, and Tanya was infuriatingly happy.

Ian had been wonderful, taking over the Cullens training and only needing my help sometimes. Edward and Jasper were doing very well; Emmett still depended too much on his strength; Rosalie had proved to be excellent, extremely graceful and agile. Esme and Carlisle weren't very keen on the activities but learned and trained as all the others; they understood it was important to their safety and complied with my request. Alice was always chirpy and excited, but Ian had yet to beat her… her gift just couldn't be avoided. Carmen, Kate and Eleazar had also joined the training, and Ian found Kate's gift incredible and fought with her whenever he got the chance. Tanya was always there cheering for Edward and it tore at my heart because I should be the one doing that.

I had been even more jumpy since I got a call from a very perturbed Henry a week ago. Only Ian knew about that call and what it entailed.

Flashback

"Bella! We've got problems!"

"What kind of problems, Henry? I've had a bad enough day, already!"

"He kidnapped another family, after I tried to catch him."

"YOU WHAT?"

"He was going to kidnap them, so I acted, but he got the best of me and did it anyway! I can't believe I let him go!" He sighed angrily.

"What I can't believe is that you actually disregarded my orders! I had told you not to try anything! I just wanted you to keep an eye on him. You could have ruined all of our chances to catch him! Do you realize he could have killed you?"

"He didn't kill me. I just got some scratches. I know I've disobeyed you, Bella, but I thought I could take him down; he was alone and distracted… I didn't think Bella! But there's something worse."

"Worse?"

"He moved. He's not in Italy anymore…" His reluctance to tell me more left me on edge.

"Where the hell is that psycho, Henry? Just tell me you know where he is!" I asked fearfully.

"Montana. He's in Montana, Bella. Ash and William followed him and are keeping an eye on him, but he's too close to you. You have to go back home to Canada or come to Italy. You can't remain there, unprotected. Either that or you allow William and Ash to join you."

"NO! None of you is allowed to enter Washington! I'll stay right where I am and you will too. We'll have to wait and see what happens. I'm not going to leave the Cullens here and you… don't you even think about pulling another stunt like that. You're not allowed to leave Italy. I'll communicate that to Aro so don't even try to get out of it."

"Fine, Bella, be as stubborn as you want! But I don't care what you say! If Ash and Will tell me that the psycho is in Washington, I'm going there whether you want it or not! And if I were you, I'd tell your little friends, the Cullens, to be careful. We don't want them to get caught and be used as a bargaining chip. That's the last thing we need! I'll call you again when we have developments."

End of Flashback

I decided not to tell the Cullens; there was no reason to worry them when these news could mean nothing. Ian agreed that there wasn't enough reason to share this, for now. Nobody was in immediate danger, if we stayed near the house. There would be problems when someone needed to hunt, but I'd deal with that when it was necessary.

Also because of this, I'd chosen not to ask Catherine to come down to help me. Ian had been torn between having her come here where he could protect her or let her stay with my brothers. Eventually, both of us agreed that we'd let her stay where she was and see what happened in the mean time.

Ian became more insistent in the trainings, and I got more nervous as the days passed. I kept expecting the guy to appear on the tree line or just burst through the door… it was stupid, I knew but I couldn't help it… Every couple of minutes I would get up from my desk and look out the window to make sure everything was okay; especially when everybody was outside, training or hanging out. But this meant I wasn't being as efficient in my work as I should, and I had absolutely no free time. It was overwhelming, and I was so freaking tired.

Just the day before, I freaked out when I thought I saw something move near the trees in the back garden; thanks to Ian, neither the Cullens nor the Denalis noticed.

I wanted to make time to be with my family, to talk with Kate, to be alone with Edward, but I just couldn't… well at least not too much. Per day I spent about an hour interacting: half an hour with Edward and the rest with everybody else. But even during that hour I did very little: I didn't talk much, I was often distracted, and I just wished I could sleep and escape my problems for a little bit…

"Love?" Edward called from the door, startling me.

"Oh! I didn't hear you coming…" I said.

"Yeah, you have been really distracted lately. What's going on? I know there is something, so don't you dare tell me that everything is fine."

"It's nothing you have to worry about… just problems with the company; I've had a lot on my mind."

"Is it really just that?" He looked at me but didn't pressure me to know more. "I was thinking we could go for a walk…"

"Edward…" I was about to say that I couldn't when he stopped me.

"We've been cooped up inside this house since you got here! Let's go for a walk, let's do something alone, really alone! Please!" He didn't just crave alone time with me, he needed it and so did I. I was really uneasy about going out with him but if that psycho moved, Will and Ash would tell me… so I agreed.

We were in the meadow in record time, but I couldn't relax. I was becoming paranoid, I knew, but the sense of insecurity was tearing me down. It was irrational and all shades of crazy, but it was how I felt, and until I knew that psycho vamp was dead or at least back in Italy, I wouldn't be able to let my guard down and unwind. All of this, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Edward.

"What's going on, Bella? You've been on edge the whole week. You don't talk to anyone but Ian, the time you spend with me and the rest of the family is diminishing by the day and… I don't know. It's like you're slipping out of my grasp, and there's nothing I can do about it. What is going on, Bella?" The sincerity in his eyes almost made me cave. I wanted to tell him what was happening so much… I didn't want to keep anything from him, but I also didn't want him to worry… he was already dealing with so much.

"Everything is fine, Edward, really. I've just been very stressed; I never had so much work and so little will. I know this is being hard on you, that you want to be with me, and I seem to have no time for you but… it's just for now, I swear. I'm sorry I'm not saving you from Tanya's claws or spending all my time with you, as I should…"

"Stop, Bella! You warned me about how crazy it would be, and I know you are spending all the time you can with me and everybody else, I just wished you'd be a little more active and… you during that time. You barely talk, and I can see you're not even paying attention to what's happening around you; I just want to make sure you're really okay, because, in all honesty, you don't seem like it."

"I'm fine, Edward. Just tired…" I sighed.

"Come on, then. Let's enjoy this little bit of time we have and have you rest a little." He sat on the grass and pulled me to his lap.

Felling his body around mine made me calm down, I knew he was with me and we were both safe… It was a selfish thought, but as long as Edward was safe, I could deal with just about everything.

"I want to know, Bella." I stiffened on his lap, and he turned me around, so that we were facing each other.

"What do you want to know, Edward?"

"You know..." Yes, I knew. He had brought the topic up more than a few times since I was back, and the conversation never ended in a happy tone. It was like he was with my past.

"Edward… let's not do this now…" I begged.

"Then when are we going to do it, Bella? Why are you so reluctant about telling me what happened during the time you were with the Volturi? Nothing will change the way I see you, or how much I love you!"

"Then why are you so obsessed with knowing what happened?"

"Because I want to know what happened to you! I want to know everything about you! I want to understand you. I want to know about your life with your brothers, everything you went through, and everything that happened while you were in Italy. I'm ready! What is so awful that you don't want to tell me! What are you hiding from me? What is it that you don't want me to know?"

"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything, Edward. Is that what you think? What are you waiting for me to say? That I had an affair, or that I was unfaithful to you during the years we were apart? Is that what you want to know? "

"I don't know… it's just Tanya…"

"Tanya? Tanya? Since when do you listen to what she says? Since when do you let her fill your mind with doubts? Do you trust her more than you trust me? Because if that's the case, feel free to marry her instead of me! Is this to show me how much you believe in our relationship? Because if what it takes to bring us down are a few words from that bitch, then I don't know what I'm still doing around here!" I yelled! He staggered behind as if I had hit him but soon recovered, and his eyes showed all the fury he was about to unleash.

"Yeah? What about you? Why are you so adamant about keeping the location of the house you share with your brothers a secret? You think I haven't noticed how you react every time I ask about it? Are you going to deny that you don't tell me so that if things don't work out between us, you can go back and go on with your life as before? It's not Tanya that's ruining us, it's you, with all your secrets and the things you can't tell me because I'm not ready! Shouldn't I be the one deciding that?" His words sent my brain into a spiral of despair, and I no longer controlled myself. He had no idea what this was doing to me, to us and, honestly, neither did I.

"You don't know what you're asking of me, Edward! And no, I'm not the one ruining everything because we wouldn't even be having this conversation if that stupid bitch hadn't been trying to come between us, and you weren't the fool that was letting her!" This fight was already going too far… I had never been more out of control than I was right then. We both were… For one second my brain regained control of my mouth and I used it to stop us from sinking even deeper. "I'm going back to the house, now, before we say things we can't take back… before one of us does what Tanya has been trying to do since she got here."

After that I just turned around and ran back to the house as fast as I could, desperate to find something to keep my brain occupied. It was amazing how things could spiral down so fast with just a few bitter words. I felt guilty and ashamed. I was a coward, and I was falling. The worst thing was that I was dragging every single person who loved me with me. I couldn't find the moment when I had become like this… I was hiding things from Edward, from my family; I was disrespecting my friends and hurting their feelings… Maybe those fist years at the Volturi really had changed me. I had been wrong for the last seventy years… I had made myself believe that I was still the same person that I was before I was changed; I convinced myself that I could still be that person… After all, I couldn't. I wasn't.

I felt sick to the core… there was no other way to describe it. I had fought so hard to keep myself above the water that I didn't realize it wasn't water… I wanted everybody else to perceive me as a good person; I wanted to be perfect, and I was the most imperfect of all beings. I wanted to be good and do the right things, but what if what I was doing wasn't the right thing?

I was so lost among my perturbed thoughts and haunting epiphanies I hadn't realize I was crossing the living room where everybody was hanging out, and heading straight to the stairs.

"Bella! What happened?"

"Where's Edward?"

Everybody was asking me questions that I didn't want to answer. I felt bad, just by standing next to these good people… I wanted to leave and hide. Maybe if I locked myself in a cave in the middle of somewhere I'd…

I wasn't going to stop, but a hand grabbed a hold of my arm and wouldn't let go. I wanted to escape, but I was trapped… I was always trapped, either by someone or my feelings, or my obligations… I was always trapped!

"Bella, look at me!" It was a strong voice, firm, rich and soft… so soft... I didn't deserve to hear it.

Ian's POV

She was completely out of control… There was only one time I had seen her like this, and it wasn't something I'd wish to revisit, not to mention that she needed to have her head in the right place, for what was coming.

"Bella, look at me!" Her eyes met mine, but she was far away… so incredibly out of reach. "You're not well, Bella. What's happening? Where is Edward?"

"I'm… I'm an awful, awful person… I don't deserve what I have… I'm not feeling very good, Ian… I feel sick, I'm wrong, I'm always, always wrong… I'm not good, I tried, but I'm not… I've killed, I've hurt, I've lied… I'm not good, I can't pretend…"

"What are you talking about, Bella? You are good… you are not perfect, no one is, but you are good. You are not pretending anything… you're not going to go back to this, are you, Bella? You have things to worry about… you have to get your work done, and then we'll have to fly to Italy and kick some ass, so that you can come back and be happy because you deserve it." She needed to occupy herself with something… hopefully she would get better.

I could see in her eyes that she was on a brink, so close to falling to the bad side, an uncontrollable side, far away. It was worse than her trips to comatose land and mentally trying. For now she needed constant, so I took her to her study, leaving the stunned Cullens behind us and focusing solely on her. She was going to bounce back, I knew it; she just needed peace.

As soon as she was comfortably sat behind her desk and had started numbly working, I went back to the living room.

"Whatever you do, don't disturb Bella. She's not well! I have no idea what Edward said to her, but whatever it was, it sent her to a very dark place… She just needs some peace and normalcy… She's going through a lot, and she needs to be left alone. So, unless she tries to leave or hurt herself, leave her to her business. I know it's a lot to ask, but she's very unsteady right now, and she won't be okay unless you do it." They understood, and I went up and sat in front of Bella's study door.

Bella's POV

I heard Ian, but the thoughts just wouldn't stop. I was completely and utterly crazy, but I couldn't pull myself from it. I dove into work and only stopped three times in a twelve hour span. One time when Edward arrived home, and I heard him yell at Tanya… I wasn't sure of what they said, though; and the two times Edward had come up to talk to me. Ian didn't let him and I was thankful for that.

After twelve hours of work, I stopped and lighted up the fire. I was feeling cold… it was an absurdity, I knew, but still… if I were human, I'd think it was death… I sat in front of the fire. It felt amazing… the colors were beautiful, and the heat was… indescribable. I knew that fire could affect vampires, it burned us… I wondered if it hurt…

A loud noise coming from downstairs startled me, and I jumped away from the fire, missing the warmth immediately. Someone had pretty much destroyed the door from what I heard; for a moment I thought it was that psycho vamp, but then I remembered William had called just a while ago to tell me that everything was normal, and that the psycho was still in Montana. I decided to ignore the commotion and went back to work… It was good to be busy… It kept the crazy thoughts at bay…

Kurt's POV

That little bastard! I was going to have his head! The things he said to her… Did he really let that Tanya bitch convince him that Bella may have had an affair with someone while she was with the Volturi, and that was why she wouldn't tell him about her time in Italy? What kind of idiot was he? I still couldn't believe I had let Bella convince me he was good for her… I had to be getting loony…

I burst through the door, not caring one bit that it was left completely shattered… Edward would pay for it… He broke my sister's heart, I broke his door… it still didn't seem very fair to me but… I'd get even when I got my hands on him…

Before I could get to him, Ian was in front of me "Are you going to let me through, Ian?" I questioned daring him to say no.

"Usually, you know, I would. Right now, I think your sister would prefer if I told her you had come to visit her rather than to get a chunk out of Edward. She's not okay, Kurt…" Damn him, for being so reasonable… bringing Bella into the middle of this conversation was a low blow. "She's in her study, upstairs." I frowned confused. "Esme put it together for her, so that she could work more peacefully." He quickly explained. I was thankful to Esme for doing that for my sister, so I smiled at her to show her how much I appreciated her thoughtfulness.

"I'll see what I can do…" I headed up the stairs, taking the steps two at the time, in a hurry to get to Bella.

Even though I wanted to wipe Edward off the surface of the earth, my sister was more important. I was so afraid for her. I had listened to her thoughts, and I honestly thought she was insane. I wasn't sure if vampires could get crazy, but Bella had been darn close.

I quickly found the door to her office and opened it without knocking, like I always did. The moment I saw her, I felt the anger boiling inside of me again. That wasn't the Bella I had left in Forks three weeks before. And no one would convince me that that was just from work and the problems in Italy. I had seen my sister really stressed and worn out, and I could say with all certainty that the girl seating in that office wasn't just that.

She was miserable and unhappy, just like I had feared. Edward would never be good for her; he didn't know how to test her boundaries, and he certainly didn't know how to leave something buried. Bella's first years with the Volturi was something that not even me, Luke and David had heard about: not from Bella and neither from Scott. They did let us in on some details from the last four years she had belonged to the Volturi ranks, but even that information was censored and little. And what concerns the life of our family until a few days ago, that was none of Edward's concern; if Bella wanted to share, she would.

"Bella." I said carefully.

"There was no need to break the door, Kurt!" She said without taking her eyes from the blueprints she was going over. Bella had never talked to me without looking at me, and her voice had never been so despondent.

"What the hell is he doing to you, sister? I heard the thoughts about not being a good person and not doing the right thing and everything else. By the way, I won't let you lock yourself in a cave; you're not going to get rid of me so easily!" I tried to joke. She didn't even smile. "Damn, Bella! Everybody makes mistakes, but you haven't made as many as you think you did."

"You don't know, Kurt! I've done so many bad things, and I've never really paid for any of them."

"Is this about your time with the Volturi? Bella, you had no other choice! Either you did what they said, or people you loved were going to pay for it!"

"What about now, the present? In case you haven't noticed, I'm preparing a plan to kill a vampire." She said bitterly.

"Yeah, a vampire that's threatening human lives and vampires too. Someone who had absolutely no conscience and takes pleasure in other's pain and suffering! Call me what you want, but he deserves to die, he brought that to himself."

"Kurt…" She sighed.

"No, Bella! I refuse to let you sit here, thinking the most hateful things about yourself. Do you realize how crazy your thoughts sounded? You are wonderful! And I think you've been in here for too long, for today. Let's sit outside for a bit." She refused to get up and stop working, so I just grabbed her out of her chair and ran her outside.

I sat on the grass and placed her between my legs, with her back to my chest and just held her. My little sister was so fragile and broken… I just wanted to shield her from everything. Eventually, her tense body relaxed, and she melted against me.

"How long are you staying?"

"I have to go back in a few hours. I've decided to go to College again, and I have a ton of paperwork to take care of, but I had to come because I worry about you, and I wanted to make sure you weren't going to do anything stupid."

"You just wanted a reason to get your hands on Edward, admit it… You were waiting for this, weren't you? Be honest!" I was always honest with Bella.

"I was. I really didn't want it to happen because I'd rather be wrong about Edward than see you suffering like this, but I knew that sooner or later he would push you about your past and it would become an issue. The fact that Tanya was here and is dying to break you two only made things worse."

"I'm glad you came. I've missed you."

"We've missed you too, Bella. So much, you can't imagine. That place seems a lot bigger without you in it. Won't you even give me a smile?"

"I don't have all that many reasons to smile, Kurt." She whispered somberly.

"I know things are difficult, not only with all the work but also about your other problem that should be in Italy…" She stiffened

"How do you know about that?"

"I overheard Scott talking to Ash, on the phone. I can't believe you've chosen to stay here, unprotected, when that psycho is so close." I said lowering my voice even more, so that absolutely no one at the house heard me.

"I don't want to discuss that." She said curtly.

"Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky,
You'll get by...

If you smile
With your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you'll just...
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying.
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you'll just..." I sang.

"I didn't know you knew that song… But I love when you sing to me." And finally I was rewarded with a tiny smile, barely there, but enough for me.

"Hear that, jackass? She likes when I sing to her!" I yelled to the house, hoping that Edward would realize it was for him. Bella's body shook lightly against mine, as she laughed silently.

A week later…

Edward's POV

A week had passed since I argued with Bella, and it was torture. I had tried to talk to her more than once, but she would always run from me. During the first three days, she locked herself in the study and only let Ian in, which was fine by me because I was still angry and wasn't looking forward to the next fight. But after the rage subsided, I missed her. On the fourth day she went to sit outside, looking at the sky; I reached for her, and she just turned her back on me and went back to her study. Alice had been watching us and came to talk to me.

Flashback

"What am I going to do, Alice? She doesn't even let me get near her."

"You shouldn't have pushed her! You are such a fool!"

"I just want to know what happened, Alice. We both changed over the past few years, and I want to know her. I know she did things she didn't want; I know she used her power on us and that it affected her negatively, but I don't know how much; she won't tell me where her house is, which makes me think she doesn't trust we're going to hold our own… Am I asking for too much? She just won't tell me a thing! How does she know I'm not ready?"

"I understand your reasons and your fears, and I do think she should tell you at least something, but are wrong too, Edward. Have you thought that maybe she's not ready to talk about those things? Maybe it's too painful. It's unfair of you to demand her to revive all those things. You should have gone slower, but no, you let Tanya plant her seeds of doubt and went to confront Bella right away, without even thinking about how to approach the subject. You just kept pressing and pressing…"

"Not knowing makes me insecure. It makes me feel like I can lose her…"

"Give her space, Edward. We have all noticed how jumpy and agitated she's been and it's getting worse. I have no idea about what's going to happen, but she seems like a ticking bomb, just waiting for the final straw to let it all out. Don't push her too far."

End flashback

On the fifth day Bella sat with Kate and Eleazar for a few minutes in the living room, talking about her powers and about the changes she had implemented on the Volturi. I watched her from afar and longed for her. I missed her touch, her voice, feeling her body next to mine… I thought I didn't have much time with her before, and now I almost didn't see her at all. It's was even worse knowing that she had some time, and she didn't want to spend it with me.

The day before, I had made the mistake of trying to force her to talk to me only to be rewarded with a cold 'Let me go!' I could feel her slipping away, and the more distant we became, the happier Tanya was. With Bella mad at me, she was convinced she had succeeded in breaking us apart and was all over me. With Bella locked in her office for the biggest part of the day, I was left to fend for myself.

Ian had been getting a little tougher with me during the trainings, and I knew it was his way to get back at me. Tanya had the awful habit of throwing herself into my arms at the end of every training, praising me and trying to sweeten me. Once, as I tried to pry her off me, I felt like I was being watched, so I looked up to see Bella at the window of her study looking down at us. I doubled my efforts to get Tanya off my arms, but she only held tighter.

I knew that if I didn't do something, I was going to lose Bella, but I had no idea of what to do.

That night Ian was locked with Bella in her study for over five hours. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but their voices were worried and grave. I wondered what was happening.

Surprisingly, the day after, I found Bella in the living room, talking to Alice and Esme. She didn't acknowledge my presence, but I saw her shift under my gaze. She seemed unhealthy and tired: big purple bags under her dark eyes, unlike the usual bright green I had become used to; shoulders slumped, disheveled hair… She wasn't okay and not only physically. Her eyes were filled with barely concealed worry and fear, and she looked ready to jump out of her skin. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to what Esme and my sister were saying, but that had never stopped them before. They were just happy that Bella was with us.

As always, Tanya arrived right after I did and perched herself on my lap. I quickly shoved her aside. "Damn, Tanya! How many times will I have to say to you not to do that?" I hissed.

"Oh, Edward, please! What's wrong with it? You and Bella are mad at each other, right? When are you going to see that I'm the right person for you?" By that time everyone but Ian was already in the room. I couldn't believe her! Bella was right next to us, I had no idea what Tanya was doing…

"Tanya, please, stop that! I love Bella; I'm never going to be with you! I thought I had made that clear."

"Please, Edward! I can't see what's so special about her! She's not pretty; she spends her days locked up in that study; you don't know a thing about what she's been doing in the past few years; she seems to be surrounded by men who worship the ground she walks on… She's worked for the Volturi, for God's sake! You love ME, Edward! I know you do. We can be really happy together." She grabbed my hair and kissed me. It felt so wrong, so different from when I kissed Bella. She was pulling on my hair too much, and her nails scrapped against my scalp hurting me, and her lips weren't as soft and plum as Bella's; her smell and her taste was completely wrong, and I couldn't seem to get her off me fast enough.

Before I could push her away, she was already being taken off me and thrown across the room by Bella. I expected Bella to leave it at that, but then I noticed the change in her eyes: they were completely black, and her face was utterly devoid of emotion; only her eyes showed her rage… I had never seen this side of Bella.

Tanya had barely gotten up when Bella slapped her twice, grabbed her by her blond hair and held her by the neck, thrusting her against the nearest wall and holding her there. Tanya's feet balanced in the air as she tried to kick Bella and set herself free. "I warned you, I told you not to mess with me, bitch, but you did it anyway, and you chose the worst moment to do it!" Her voice was empty and cold, as if she was a machine.

I saw Bella's hands tightening around Tanya's throat. At first we were all too shocked to do anything, but then Esme, Carmen and Irina started shouting for me to do something. I tried to step closer to Bella, but Ian's hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Don't, Edward! She's really unstable right now, and she would never forgive herself if something happened to you! Let me deal with this!" I wanted to shove his hand and go to my Bella, but the truth was that I was scared. This Bella seemed to be capable of anything…

"Bella, it's Ian. I'm going to get closer to you, ok?" She didn't react at all. He carefully walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder, which only made her grab Tanya's neck with even more fervor. "I've wanted to do what you're doing ever since I got here, but I can't let you do this, Bella. I'd do it for you, but it would all come down to the same result. You'd feel guilty about this for your whole life and so, I can't let you do it."

He placed his other arm around her waist, and I felt jealousy building up within my chest. I tried to focus, telling myself that he was trying to help Bella and Tanya, but I couldn't bring myself to care about Tanya at all. She had brought this to herself. She knew Bella was nervous, and she still provoked her.

Then Ian proceeded to bring his lips to Bella's hear and whisper in his intense voice. "I'm going to get you to the door, and then I want you to run as far and as fast as you can. I'll follow you right after, ok?" Jasper sensed my jealousy and got a hold of me to stop me from ruining everything. I was practically seeing red! Bella was my fiancée, and I hadn't been able to even look at her for more than ten minutes each day, and there he was all wrapped around her.

Suddenly, Ian got a hold of Bella's arms, yanked them from Tanya's neck and ran Bella to the door. As soon as she was out, she started to run, and Tanya lay on the ground where she had been unceremoniously dropped, gasping for air, that she obviously didn't need..

I was ready to go after Bella when Ian stopped me, yet again. "What now?" I asked furiously.

"Stay here, Edward! I've told you she's not well, and you still have issues to solve. She's really unhinged, and she needs time to calm down. I'll come and get you when she's better. Don't worry; I'll take good care of her." And with that he took off after my Bella.

I should be the one running after her! Tanya was going to pay for this! How dare she do this to Bella?

"I don't want to see you again, Tanya. You've done everything you could to ruin my relationship with Bella, but we're stronger than that. I love HER! I could never love you so just GIVE UP!" I screamed. I was so tired of her! I just wanted Bella, my sweet and dear Bella.

So... tell me what you think! I'll be waiting for your reviews... Remember, good or bad I want to know... I can't get better if no one tells me what I'm doing wrong, right? :D

I tried to make this chapter longer to try and make up for all the time I took to update... I hope you've liked it and I can say that even though there aren't many chapters left, there is still a lot to happen...

Thank you so much for not giving up on me! I love you all! ;D

HUgs

Mariana AKA Brown-eyedCullenGirl