Temporal Tide

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor any of its characters or franchises.

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Chapter 14

Bella

As we step out of the house, Tanya leads me over to her white Lamborghini. I've never been in a car with doors that open up instead of out, and its an awkward experience for me. When I finally manage to close the door (ever so gently) I turn to look at Tatyana who was watching me struggle with a smirk.

"Ready?" She asked, revving the engine playfully. With a dead pan expression, and never breaking eye contact, I reached over and buckled myself in.

Tanya started laughing unreservedly as she put the car in drive.

"I'm not that bad Isabella." She said with a wink. "Well, not unless you want me to be."

"Are we still talking about driving?" I asked wryly, but I would have been blushing if it was still possible.

"You tell me." She replied, slanting me a sultry look as she bit her bottom lip.

My skin began to tingle under the heat of her gaze, and it took all my willpower not to stare at her lips.

"Tanya," I admonished her in a strangled voice. "Please don't do that, you're going to make me cause a car accident." The plastic ceiling handle was already starting to groan under the force of my grip as I resisted the urge to lean across the divide.

Sighing almost regretfully, Tatyana shot me a fond smile.

"Worth a try." She teased, before shifting her Lamborghini into higher gear. She reached over to entwine our fingers before we lapsed into a comfortable silence. I took this rare moment of peace to reacquaint myself with her features. My thoughts turned to the past.

Tatyana caught me staring at her and quirked her eyebrow questioningly. I hesitated to ask, but part of me still burned to know what happened to her in the years after I faded from Baron Szendrey's manor.

"Did, um, did things get better for you in Szendreys manor? Before Sasha?"

Tanya's face shuttered briefly, before she seemed to remember who she was talking to and let her face relax slightly.

"It," she paused, "It didn't get worse. You get used to things, learn to tolerate them until they become just a minor annoyance. The Baron married a few years after I was brought into his home. It helped relieve the burden, but his wife was young. Younger than me, and nervous; but she seemed taken with him, so maybe it was easier for her." Tatyana trailed off slightly.

I felt anger and grief settle in my stomach like an iron ball. It took everything in me to keep a passive expression.

"At any rate, I think she eventually came to view me as something like an older sister, so when the Baron passed from a sweating sickness two years later, she relied on me heavily to keep the household running.

If she hadn't been pregnant with the Barons child, I have no doubt one of his male relatives would have taken the household and turned us into the streets. That is, if they didn't try to wed us themselves.

Sasha appeared not long after the child was born, a male heir. She made her offer, and I never looked back."

Although her expression seemed blasé, I could hear a faint tone of remembered pain in her voice. Bringing our interlaced hands up to my lips, I gently kissed her knuckles and pressed them against my cheek. It was a small gesture, but I hoped it conveyed the comfort that I knew words would be inadequate to express.

Judging by the way her golden eyes seemed to brighten, I think I was at least partially successful.

"It's ok Mari. It was a long time ago. I've had many centuries to come to terms with it." Tanya murmured, caressing my cheek with her thumb as I continued to hold her hand.

"That doesn't mean you should have had to." I replied, bringing our hands back down to the center console as I tucked some of my hair back in thought.

"No, but life often isn't fair. We've both experienced our share of that I think." Voice gentle as she peered over the dash. "Looks like we're here."

I felt the car start to decelerate and eventually come to a stop as Tanya pulled into the parking lot of what appeared to be a very large pharmacy in Port Angeles.

"You, unfortunately, will have to wait in the car." Tanya said turning to me. "This place caters to Labs and Physicians only, due to the restricted nature of some of the medications and devices stored here. They'll let me in due to the Lab I own in Anchorage; but you don't have the proper identification." She remarked while pulling a badge out of her purse and clipping it to her blouse.

"Wait, what? You own a lab?"

Tanya laughed, a melodious sound that warmed my heart.

"Of course Mari, where did you think our emergency blood supply came from?"

I admit, I hadn't even spared it a thought.

"It's a fully funded operation specializing in developing a way to mass produce clone blood and cure rare blood diseases. All entirely above board of course." The way Tatyana was talking about it made her eyes shine, and I felt another swell of affection. "So, stay here, and I'll be right back."

"I'll wait for you." I vowed, more solemnly than originally intended.

Tanya paused, her hand on the handle, before she turned and gazed at me with quiet yearning.

"Do you promise?" The whisper was soft, but earnest.

Recognizing the weight of the moment, I reached out and lightly caressed Tanya's cheek.

"I promise." I murmured back, feeling the resolve solidify in my chest.

For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of tears; but she lowered her head and turned to place a reverent kiss on the palm of my hand.

"I'll be right back." She breathed, placing one last kiss on my fingers before exiting the car.

For several long minutes, I closed my eyes and let myself absorb the significance of what had just happened. Tatyana's raspberry almond scent hung heavy in the air, and I inhaled deeply to help ingrain the moment more deeply into my memory.

Perhaps I shouldn't have done that. Perhaps I wasn't thinking rationally. Perhaps…

But no. It was done. That feeling of surety had not altered.

Focusing through the car into the building in front of me, I could hear Tanya charming her way around the Pharmacy. The clerks were practically tripping over themselves to help her. One of them was being a little too persistent in his attention though. His heart was racing, blood pumping through his veins at a mile a minute. I could feel my eyes darken and my mouth begin to fill with venom just listening to it.

Tatyana was making her way out of the building, having put in an order for delivery, but the clerk was insisting on walking her out. I think he was hoping to ask her out in the parking lot. I decided that Tanya was being far too polite. I'd make it clear that he should get lost.

Sliding out of the Lamborghini, I leaned gently against the hood and crossed my arms as I faced the door. Running a hand through my hair, I ruffled it slightly to fully take advantage of what I liked to call the 'intimidating vampiric beauty' effect.

It was a technique I'd seen Rosalie and the Denali's put into action more than once, and it was very effective once done correctly. Actually; looking back on my high school days, that was probably the only way for Rosalie to get through her classes without constant bombardment by entranced humans.

I felt guilt well up in me for not realizing it sooner.

Turning my attention back to the matter at hand, I felt my annoyance ramp up a notch as I realized the clerk was delaying Tanya in the lobby with bogus excuses about missing paperwork.

I was about to head inside to nip this problem in the bud when I heard a curious clicking sound. It happened multiple times, some in quick succession. It sounded so familiar, like the flipping of a light switch or…

I paused.

The shutter of a camera.

Whipping my head around, I scanned the area, looking for the source of the clicking. Eventually, I noticed it coming from an old, beat up Toyota about fifty feet away in the parking lot across the street. An older man, portly and balding, sat behind the wheel. He was holding one of those high-tech canon cameras with the giant lens.

As I focused in on him, he took three more pictures, and they were all pointed directly at me. I narrowed my eyes, and the click of the camera stopped. I could hear his heart begin to pound as he stared at me through the lens.

"What the fuck..." He muttered, nearly fumbling his expensive camera in his haste to put it down. "Fuck this shit."

He turned the ignition, staring at me nervously through the dash as his car awkwardly turned over.

It felt eerily like one of those horror movies where the victims kept trying to start the car while the killer advanced on them. Except this time apparently, I was the killer instead of the dummy on the chopping block.

I didn't move from my place beside the car, but I didn't take my eyes off him. His window was down, he was sweating heavily. It wouldn't be hard to track him.

"Tanya," I spoke as calmly as possible, but there was still a slight growl to my voice. "Come outside please."

With a roar, his engine finally jumped to life, and he floored it out onto the road. Tires squealed gratingly across the asphalt as he pulled away, but it took no effort to catch a glimpse of his license plate as he did.

The car turned a corner and disappeared just as Tatyana emerged from the pharmacy.

"Mari, are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Someone was watching me. Taking pictures. As soon as he realized I'd noticed him, he took off. I have a bad feeling about it Tanya. I think we should follow him."

Her eyes darted over me, double checking that I was unharmed.

"Which way did he go?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with a dangerous light. I couldn't suppress the shiver I felt seeing it, and I grumpily thought an expression that menacing had no right being so ridiculously attractive.

I nodded my head in the direction his car had taken off in.

"He was parked across the street. We might be able to track him if we start from there."

"After you." Tanya swept her arm magnanimously toward the car, and I slipped into the passenger seat. Putting the car into reverse, Tanya peeled out of the parking lot and quickly made her way over to the lot I'd indicated.

"Think you can catch the scent?" Tanya's hands were tense upon the wheel.

I rolled down the window and stuck my head out.

I could smell asphalt, rubber, deodorant, and - I breathed deeply; a very faint whiff of musky body odor.

"Got him." I muttered, flashing Tanya a quick smile.

"Good girl!" She cooed, ruffling my hair. Batting away her hand, I scowled and narrowed my eyes at her.

"What am I, a dog?" I huffed indignantly, although I couldn't keep myself from smiling slightly.

"Don't worry Bella," Tatyana purred. "I'll be sure to give you a treat when we get home."

The husky lilt at the end of her voice made me lose concentration on the scent, forcing us to turn the car around once or twice, until I picked it up again. Tanya's knowing look didn't help matters.

Eventually we tracked his car down to a coffee shop on the other side of town. Once I spotted his vehicle, I nodded for Tanya to park her car behind the fashion boutique across the street. The creeper was sitting at a table beside the floor to length windows, sipping a cup of coffee as he spoke into a phone.

"I followed them like you asked." He grumbled, slurping noisily at his drink. "I mean, they're gorgeous, I can see why you'd want photos; but there's just something so damn unnerving about them..." He paused and seemed to shudder slightly. "Anyway, I expect my payment in full. I already emailed you what I got."

A smooth and menacing voice drifted over the phone. A voice I was very familiar with.

"These are acceptable. I'll need you to continue surveillance. I want to know where they are at all times." Victoria's voice sent a sharp spike of fear through me, and I couldn't help but hold my breath.

Tanya sent me a worried look, her fingers curling around my arm as she gazed back at the coffeeshop.

"Were you followed?"

The man snorted into his cup, taking another giant swig before drawling back.

"Naa, I think they spotted me for a bit there, but I lost them."

There was a long pause on Victoria's end.

"Fool. You don't realize you're already dead. You will not be receiving your payment. No point now."

I heard a sharp click and a dial tone.

The guy stared at his phone in disbelief before slamming his phone on the table and cursing up a storm. Swiping up his things, he barged out of the café, bee-lining for his car.

"Goddamn bitch thinks she can mess with me? I'll show her a thing or two." He growled as he started the car.

"Shall we follow him?" I asked Tatyana, glancing at her quickly.

Sighing, she nodded and quietly started the engine.

"Unfortunately. If he's had us under surveillance, there is no telling how much he knows. We need to find anything he has and destroy it. The Volturi are not forgiving." Tanya's eyes were hard as she weaved her way through Port Angeles traffic; following the investigator at a distance. It was difficult because Tanya's car was very eye-catching, but somehow, she managed.

I peered at her from the corner of my eye. Tatyana's eyes were narrowed, her lips pursed with concentration. I'd never seen her quite so focused. I was nervous about what it meant.

After ten minutes of twists and turns, our target eventually pulled into the parking lot of a Sheraton. Tanya pulled to the side of the road just past the building as we turned to watch him take his things into the building. It was a large, fairly luxurious building, about nine or ten stories. Each outer room had a balcony and with my vampire senses I could, unfortunately, see and hear what most of them were being used for.

I jerked my head back to look over at Tanya, my eyes coal black, who just stared at me with an infuriating smirk.

"Shut up." I muttered, pushing her face away with my palm. Her dulcet laughter filled the car before she grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward across the center console. Halfway in her lap, Tanya's fingers slipped into my hair as she leaned forward, nuzzling my cheek with her nose.

"Bella." She murmured into my skin, brushing her lips against the side of my mouth.

I melted.

My chest ached with warmth and yearning as she placed several lingering kisses all over my face.

"Mari. Relax. I am with you. I won't let anything happen. I know it feels overwhelming, but you can do this."

Hiding my face against her shoulder, I let her stroke my hair and neck as I swallowed the venom welling in my mouth.

After a few moments had passed, I pulled away, feeling calmer than before.

"Alright, lets go inside." I breathed, rolling my shoulders as I prepared myself. Squeezing my hand, we shared a look before exiting the car.

Tanya slipped her arm around my waist as we walked through the automatic doors. I could smell hundred of scents, thick pheromones clogging the air despite the overlying aroma of chemical cleaners. I had to swallow several times as we strode up the front desk. Tatyana's thumb stroked my hip reassuringly.

I hadn't been in close contact with a human other than the Quileute's (they hardly counted, smelling the way they do) for a little over a week, and it was striking to have to deal with this bloodlust again.

The man behind the counter smiled pleasantly, although I could hear his heart stutter and begin to pound, a common reaction to the beauty of a vampire.

"Good Afternoon Ladies, what can we do for you here at the Sheridan?"

Tanya flashed her most dazzling smile, as she pulled a black card out of her purse. The man blushed; all his blood rushed instantly to his face.

I clenched my jaw.

Tanya continued as if nothing was wrong, although I could feel her fingers flex slightly on my waist.

"I would like to rent the Penthouse for my fiancé and I. We're here to celebrate our engagement." She purred, pulling me more firmly into her side.

Playing along, I leaned into her, doing my best to smile; although it might have looked more like a pained grimace.

"O-Of course madam, I'll book that for you right away." He stumbled, taking Tanya's payment as his eyes flicked between the two of us.

Tanya seemed to ignore him as she carded her fingers through my hair. The pleasant sensation was just distracting enough to keep my focus off the pulsing vein in his neck.

After taking our information and handing over two electronic keycards, we made our way over to the elevators. When we got inside, Tanya pushed the button for every floor so we could check each one for our quarry's pheromones.

"We need to make this fast Tanya." I said through grit teeth. "I'm not sure how long I can stand being here." The higher we ascended in the elevator the stronger the scent of musk, sex, & booze got. Tatyana's arm around my shoulder helped ground me, but the flames building in my throat where agonizing.

"Just hold on Mari. Once we reach our hotel room, you can get some air on the balcony." Tanya consoled me, placing a kiss against my temple.

On the sixth floor we finally caught a whiff of him, and followed it past his room. Room 604. After scoping the layout, Tanya took my hand and began to lead me back to the elevator.

"Are we not going to break in?" I asked, puzzled. She winked before pressing the button for the penthouse, the room she'd rented for the evening.

"Of course we are, we just aren't going to do it from inside the building. These locks are electronic, in order to get in we would have to hack it, or break the door. Since I don't have anything capable of hacking it, we'd have to break it, and that's not something we want to do with all those cameras in the halls.

I blinked.

I'd been so focused on keeping my cool, that I hadn't even noticed all the security cameras.

"So, then what's the plan?"

"The plan," she started, enfolding me in a hug from behind. "Is to climb down from the penthouse balcony. Most people don't bother locking their balcony doors. Even if they do, its not electronically locked or alarmed, so it will attract much less notice." Tatyana's breath felt warm against my ear, and I couldn't help the shiver of arousal I felt being so close to her.

"That-That's pretty clever." I stuttered as she began nuzzling my neck, laughing softly at my reaction. Lacing our hands together, she nipped and nibbled at my throat until we came to our floor with a quiet 'ding'.

The doors opened, and Tanya led me out of the elevator. She was doing a great job distracting me from all the scents and heartbeats, but at this point that might not be a good thing. My mind was starting to take on a fuzzy edge. It was getting difficult to focus on anything but the way Tatyana's hair fell against her shoulder, the subtle sway of her hips, and the delicate curve of her lips.

I hardly noticed walking through the door to the Penthouse, although it was hard to ignore once you were inside. It was lavishly decorated with white marble and gleaming copper accents. Its size was probably 3 times a normal room, and included a king-sized bed, a lit aquarium, giant flat screen, and a built in jacuzzi. The sheer opulence had my jaw hanging open.

Tanya on the other hand, besides a cursory glance, completely ignored her decadent surroundings to bee line to the balcony. I however, having spent the larger part of my year camping in a forest, lingered a little.

I think Tanya could tell I was a bit reluctant to leave when she caught me caressing one of the silk robes hanging on the bathroom door. With a laugh, she sauntered back into the room, her fingers trailing over the back of the nearby couch as she invaded my space. One hand settled on my hip as the other tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"Do you like nice things Mari?" She whispered, leaning forward to place a soft kiss against my jaw. "Anything you could possibly desire, I can give you." Her voice was a silken murmur as she kissed my lips. The kiss was full and supple as Tanya pulled me in.

I couldn't help the small sigh of pleasure that escaped me as I wrapped my arms around her neck. I'd never felt this consumed by a kiss before.

After several long moments, Tatyana pulled back with a hum of satisfaction, leaving me breathless and panting as she leaned her forehead against mine.

"You ready to go Bella?" she asked, her lips twitching with a smile.

I exhaled loudly.

"Not even slightly; but let's go."

With a joyful laugh, Tanya untangled herself from my side and glided back over to the balcony. Reluctantly I followed, only to witness Tanya hop up onto the railing with uncanny grace.

"Coming?" She asked, quirking her eyebrow at me.

"Yessss." I droll, peering over the balcony ledge. Gosh that was high. I almost got vertigo just thinking about what I was going to have to do shortly.

Sure, I was a vampire now, but its hard to overcome thousands of years of monkey brain evolution that tells the human brain 'High places bad'.

"Come on, you'll be perfectly safe. I promise." Tanya's smile was just reassuring enough as I stepped up beside her. After a few moments of examining the outer wall, Tatyana made a clicking noise with her tongue and pointed out a balcony 3 floors down and 4 ledges over.

"There it is. This should be simple enough." Cocking her head to the side, she seemed to be listening hard. "Well, good news, he's currently in the shower. We should be able to grab his gear without detection if we're fast. Bad news, he's currently masturbating in said shower. Based on my experience with men, he probably won't last more than a few minutes, so we should be quick about it."

Resisting the impulse to gag at the mental image she'd just painted me, I was really not looking forward to this.

Looking over her shoulder at me, Tanya gave me a wink.

"If you're feeling unsure about it, I can always go alone." She crooned with false reassurance. I could tell she would tease me endlessly if I chickened out. I had a feeling this was Kates influence.

Narrowing my eyes, I made a running leap off the balcony.

My stomach plummeted as I found myself out in open air, but then something amazing happened. My instincts seemed to take over, and my muscles bunched and twisted, controlling my arc with hairline precision.

It felt as easy and simple as breathing.

With child like ease, I snagged the rail and used my momentum to flip up onto the balcony in a move that would make an Olympic gymnast feel envy.

Tanya touched down beside me a moment later, a happy twinkle in her eye.

"In we go." She whispered, sliding open the glass balcony.

The room was much smaller, just a single with a bathroom. The sound of the shower running let us know that the spy was still…indisposed. However, that wasn't what was noteworthy about this room.

Nearly every inch of every surface in the hotel room was covered in maps, pictures, cameras & surveillance equipment. I felt myself go still as I recognized pictures of everyone entering and exiting the Cullen abode. A laptop open on the desk showed a folder with dozens of grainy video files from hidden cameras in the trees.

Whoever this guy was, it was clear he'd been surveilling us for a few days at least.

One of the maps caught my eye, and I walked over to inspect it. The map in question an enlarged topographical map of Washington, with little red dots marked at places around the Cullen manner and La Push.

I felt my heart sink, but the feeling of overwhelming dread didn't really start until Tatyana clicked on the most recent video file.

On it, we witnessed Charlotte and Peter drag an unconscious man around the side of the house.

I watched Tanya assess the room with a stony expression.

Closing the laptop, she seemed to search the apartment until she found the investigators suitcase. Dumping all of his clothes on the floor, she handed it to me.

"Mari, I need you to fill this with everything in this room. Leave absolutely nothing behind."

With a nod I began with the laptop before starting in on the pictures and maps. I was almost half way through when I realized Tanya wasn't helping me.

In fact, she was pulling off her clothes, and folding them neatly on the bed.

"Tanya what are you doing?" I hissed, glancing nervously at the bathroom door. I was trying very hard not to get distracted by this unintentional strip tease, but thankfully she stopped at her undergarments.

Her black, lacy, undergarments.

Blinking, I almost missed her next words.

"He knows too much Mari." Tanya's voice and expression were eerily calm as she began padding over to the bathroom.

Instinctively, I grasped her wrist before she'd gone more than a few feet.

"Tanya, we can just take all of his things. No one will believe him if he says anything. Please, we don't have to do this." I pleaded quietly, urging her with my eyes to agree.

The ice thawed from her expression, and Tanya's eyes softened as she tenderly cupped my face. Stroking my cheeks, she reverently kissed my forehead.

"Go wait in the other room Bella."

On the verge of tears, I watched Tanya silently slip into the other room.

I heard a muffled exclamation of surprise.

The sound of shower rings ripping. A brief scuffle.

A sharp crack, and silence.

There was nothing but the drum of the shower.

Unable to stop myself, I step forward, peering with dread through the open door.

The water was pouring down on Tanya, soaking her hair as she grimaces sadly at the naked corpse on the tile. His head was bent at a disturbing angle.

I heard a familiar ringing in my ears as I faded to white.

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A/N: *Cue dramatic music* If you guys enjoyed this chapter please leave a comment about what you enjoyed the most. Much appreciated!