Temporal Tide

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

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Chapter 20

Bella

The sound of fracturing glass woke me.

I sat up immediately and found myself lying in a luxuriously canopied bed with a chocolate brown duvet and mahogany sheets. The faded scent of raspberries and almonds enveloped me as I turned to look around, and I knew immediately where I was.

I was back in Fairbanks, lying in Tanya's bed, thousands of miles away from Forks.

A crunch of boots on glass resounded from the bottom floor and I could hear a voice complain in an aggravated French accent about glass in his hair. I recognize the voice.

It would be hard to forget such a menacing tone, especially when it meant death was staring at you from across a baseball field. Laurent was in the house.

A swell of panic overcame me as I realized several things in quick succession. First, Laurent had broken into the Denali house. Second, Laurent was a bad guy who killed children. Third, Laurent was the former coven mate of Victoria. Fourth, Laurent was obviously talking to someone else, and now that I concentrated, I could hear two sets of footsteps. Last but not least, I was very much alone.

My eyes darted around the room as I tried to stay very still and not make a sound. If I acted quickly, I might be able to make a stealthy escape before they even realized I was here. My thoughts turned immediately to the windows.

Hope was short lived however, as I recalled with a sinking heart, that every pane of the electric smart glass Tanya had installed in her room was on an automated swivel. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, the panes could rotate 90 degrees to let in a breeze, and had enough space for a vampire too lazy to use the stairs to jump through. The issue, was that these swivels were noisy. They were quiet by human standards, but a vampire would hear it at the same level as a garage door opening.

Dismissing a window escape, my next thought was to hide.

It didn't take me more than a moment to discard that idea as well. Even if Tanya hadn't opted for an open room concept, even a cursory investigation of the 3rd floor would reveal my scent.

I still hadn't replaced my cell, and the only house phone was inconveniently downstairs in the living room.

In other words, I was in trouble.

As far as I knew, everyone was still in Forks. I had no backup, and even if I could contact them, a rescue party was hours away at least. That was more than enough time for Laurent & his buddy to rip me apart and dispose of my body.

I was, quite literally, on my own.

Carefully, quietly, I swung my legs off of the bed and gingerly put my feet on the wood below. I was frantically wracking my brain, trying to remember the places the boards squeaked. Standing up, I gingerly walked to the door.

If I was going to stand a chance, I would have to take at least one of them by surprise. I didn't have a useful offensive gift like Kate, so I had to blitz them before they knew to put their guard up.

I could hear the two of them going through the rooms on the ground floor. Occasionally I'd hear tearing sounds, like someone was rending fabric.

Creeping down the hallway to the railing of the 3rd story landing, I decide that dropping down on the first one to walk into the open area near the stairs is my best option. Hopefully my weight would drive them to the floor and give me the moment I needed to get my arms around their neck.

Stealthily lifting myself onto the railing, I crouched, poised to pounce on my hopefully unsuspecting adversary.

The landing in the Denali house was circular, with the staircase spiraling in a wide arch from the first floor to the third. It left an empty area in the middle where anyone on an upper floor could lean over and see who was climbing the stairs. It was a decent place for an ambush because the floor blocked your view from looking up until you were already in the process of ascending.

I saw a flash of movement on the stairs and immediately vaulted off. The muscled blonde vampire at the foot of the steps didn't even get the opportunity to look up before I plowed him face first into the floor with my feet. The entirety of my weight hit him between the shoulder blades, and I could hear his skin and clavicle crack from the force of the blow.

Gritting my teeth, I reached down to dig my fingers into his neck, when a sudden and revolting feeling slammed into me. Before I was consciously aware of what I was doing, I'd instinctively leapt away from him into the living room; hissing like a cat. My skin crawled, and I had to fight the urge to flee.

The muscle-bound oaf groaned in the human sized crater I'd made in the Denali's floor, but it was the dark-skinned Frenchman who sauntered in from the kitchen opposite from me that held my attention. Barefoot, with torn jeans and a lace up yoga shirt, Laurent tapped his lips with a grin.

"Isn't this a surprise." Laurent spoke, voice tinged with amused anticipation. "Bella Swan. Such a pleasure to see you again. Vampirism suits you ma Cherie; you really are quite a vision." His smile widened, exposing his gleaming teeth. I suppressed a shudder.

At this point, the other vampire managed to stumble to his feet and turned to face me. Curly blonde hair, red eyes, wearing drawstring pants and a green long-sleeved Henley; I came face to face with a vampire I'd met once before.

We stared at each other in surprise.

I should have realized who it was earlier. That power of revulsion was hard to forget. I'd hoped Fred had fled Seattle long ago, so this was not my ideal circumstance for a reunion.

"I'm disappointed to see you didn't take my advice." I spoke softly, letting the emotion color my tone.

Fred averted his eyes from me with an expression that might have been shame. From the corner of my eye, I could see Laurent looking between the two of us suspiciously.

Wrenching my gaze away from the newborn to Laurent, I bared my teeth in anger.

"You're not supposed to be here Laurent. Irina said she made it very clear that you weren't welcome anymore." Clenching my fists, I shifted into a loose ready stance, I wanted to be prepared to act at a moment's notice.

"Ah yes, how is Irina? I do miss the time we spent together. She is such a delectable woman." he paused on delectable, seeming to savor the word in his mouth. I felt sick just hearing it.

"She's great actually, better than ever. Hasn't missed you in the slightest. Turns out murdering children is a deal-breaker, go figure." I taunted, lifting my chin defiantly. Laurent's eyes grew darker, his expression became decidedly less friendly. Fred seemed to be eyeing us both, but his gaze strayed to Laurent uncertainly.

"Now Bella, it's not nice to tell lies." His eyes darted to Fred, then back to me. "No one was supposed to be here while we poked around. Victoria said you were all battened down in Forks. She'll be so happy when I bring her your dismembered body. Really, its probably better this way. No need to involve the Denali's further. Happy endings all around."

He paused, his lips curling into a malicious sneer. I slowly backed up, Laurent following me into the living room as I came to stand beside the fireplace.

"Well, not for you of course. Once Victoria puts you back together, you'll be in for a world of pain, but that's to be expected. I'll mail Edward your ashes once she's finished with you. It's only polite."

"Then she'll be disappointed to know, that jerk couldn't care less. Haven't seen him in over a year. Maybe you can tell her that, and leave me out of it entirely."

Laurent laughed. A cruel sound that tapered off into a chuckle.

"That might be true, but it doesn't matter. She's on the warpath. Anyone and everyone responsible for James death is in her cross hairs and you, you are just the last hunt her mate never got to finish. Your death will be her homage to him."

With a snarl, I pulled a chunk of brick free from the mantle and lunged forward, hurling it at Laurent's head. The brick shattered against his brow, blinding him for a brief second. It was all I needed to deck him across the face. The blow drove him into the floor, shattering the wood and concrete below it. Before I could bring my heel down on Laurent's neck, he rolled free and sprang to his feet.

Roaring in fury, Laurent advanced on me, tackling me at the waist and slamming me down. As he reared back to deliver his fist to my face, I lashed out with the heel of my palm, striking him in the cheek with a deafening crash. A spiderweb of cracks fissured across his face as he was knocked back, through the broken window, and into the surrounding forest.

My eyes flickered to my second opponent, expecting Fred to jump into the fight. However, he simply watched, his eyes darted between me and the forest as he pressed his hand against his broken collar. A slight twitch of his head was all the warning I got as Laurent dashed out of the trees and launched himself at me.

Side stepping the lunge, I turned with his momentum and tried to slip my arm around his neck as he passed. However, he seemed to realize what I was trying to do mid-maneuver, and used one of his legs to push off the ground, rocketing upward and nearly headbutting me in the process.

Hissing in frustration, I was just able to snag his ankle before he tore through the ceiling, and slammed him face-first into the broken concrete.

Immediately pouncing on him, I was able to maneuver Laurent into an arm bar. I pulled back on his wrist, intending to rip his arm off, but before I could finish the move, he turned his head and sank his teeth into the flesh of my thigh. Surprised, I cried out in pain as he tore a chunk of my flesh out and spat it across the room.

Unused to such intense pain, I lost my grip and he flip me into a headlock.

I immediately panicked as the pressure of his arms around my neck began to increase. I didn't want my last moments to be his breath on my ear, the triumphant rumble of his chest. My skin begin to buckle as I struggled to break his hold.

I wondered if this was how I was going to die.

Thankfully I didn't have to wonder for long, because two muscular arms wrapped around Laurent's throat.

The pressure around my neck stopped immediately, and I rolled away from Laurent as his hands scrabbled at Fred's chokehold, desperate to find purchase.

His legs started to come up, to leverage against the floor. Seeing this, I twisted over, wrapping my arms around Laurent's thighs and pinning them to the ground with the full weight of my body.

Thrashing in earnest now, Laurent's expression a rictus of fear, Fred and I made eye contact.

With a flex of his arms and a loud crack, Fred separated Laurent's head from his body.

Laurent slumped, still twitching, as he hit the ground. Recoiling slightly, I pushed myself away from the cadaver. Clutching my throat, I coughed slightly, wincing as the fractures on my neck slowly began to close.

I turned my face to Fred, who was hunched over and still clutching Laurent's sightless head against his ribs.

We looked at each other.

"Why?" I croaked.

My vocal cords had obviously taken some damage.

Fred shrugged, looked at Laurent's head for a moment before unceremoniously dropping it.

"I like you better. You seem more trustworthy." He bluntly stated.

I huffed. A smile twitched along my mouth until I found myself laughing in sheer relief. Fred stared at me silently, but his eyes were warm.

Grimacing, I sat up, using one hand to cover the hole in my leg. Even now it was leaking venom.

"You didn't happen to see where that piece of my leg went did you?" I wasn't looking forward to having to reattach it, and walking on this leg right now was definitely not appealing.

Fred nodded, and pried it out of where it had embedded itself in the brick fireplace.

A little perturbed at how hard Laurent had managed to spit it, I kind of wanted to wash it first.

Would it be weird if I did that? Would it be weird if I asked Fred to do that?

With a sigh, I took the chunk of my leg back and wiped it off as well as I could with my tunic. Which I only remembered, mid-cleaning, came from a peasant hovel in 1000 AD. Great.

"Fred," I asked, raising my hand so he could clasp my arm. "Will you help me up please?"

He nodded and pulled me up with ease. I wobbled a little, hissing in pain, and he placed his hand on my hip to help steady me.

In that moment, objectively, my day went from bad to worse.

In that moment, Edward Cullen stepped through the shattered remains of the Denali window frame.

For a vampire, beauty was second nature. It exuded from our every pore. Our voice, our scent, our appearance was all meant to entice. Edward however, looked – unwell.

His cheeks were sallow and gaunt, highlighting the dark circles under his eyes. Although he was wearing the same expensive high-end clothes he always did, the way they hung haphazardly on his frame gave the illusion of frailty. Edward was hunched forward slightly, like he was retreating into himself; add to the fact that his hair was a matted mess, and it didn't take more than a glance to know that Edward was a bit of a wreak.

All three of us froze.

Edward's eyes tracked the trail of destruction we'd caused around the Denali house with a sort of blank surprise, before they settled on Fred and I. Gazing upon my face, he seemed at first confused, before recognition stole across his features.

"Bella." He breathed.

A whisper, a reverent benediction.

"Wonderful." I muttered under my breath, trying to suppress the faint echo of heartbreak seeing Edward had brought back to the surface. Leaning against Fred, I pressed the chunk of my leg back into my thigh. Shuddering at the squirming sensation, I observed the flesh begin to fuse back together.

Looking back up, Edwards face was a picture of horror, the reality of my condition having just begun to dawn on him.

"What are you doing here Edward?" I sighed, really wishing I didn't have to face this complication right now.

Hearing the reluctance in my voice, Edwards face dropped, and his expression twisted with sorrow before he looked upon Laurent's body.

"I was tracking Laurent." He indicated with a gesture. "I was hoping to scan his thoughts for clues on Victoria's whereabouts." His eyes drifted to Fred. "Alice called me, told me to run as fast as I could to Denali. Said it was a matter of life and death. She didn't tell me you would be here." His voice echoed with a hint of accusation. "You were never supposed to be a vampire Bella. Anyone who cared about you never would have turned you." Edward was clearly directing that last comment at my companion.

I stared at him blankly.

Did he think that Fred was the one who turned me? That I'd thrown myself at the first vampire I could find? I could feel my anger growing at the insinuation, and clenched my fist to keep from lashing out.

Was he not aware of what had been happening in Seattle? Of what had happened to Charlie, and the Quileute's? I had asked Alice and Jasper not to tell the other Cullen's anything, but for some reason I hadn't expected them to have kept everything secret.

I thought they might have told the Cullen's about Victoria and the damage she's done down on the reservation at least. Then again, Alice might have seen them getting involved much sooner if she had, so perhaps this was her way of respecting my wishes.

"Fred hasn't harmed me Edward, which is more than I can say for Victoria." I stated in a flat tone. "She was the one who turned me after all." Edwards brow furrowed and his mouth turned down into an agonized grimace.

"I'm so sorry Bella. If I'd known you were her target, I would have protected you."

Fred shifted beside me, clearly feeling awkward about being in the middle of this painful reunion.

"Do you want me to give you two a minute?" He muttered to me, making hesitant eye contact.

"No!" I exclaimed, at the same moment Edward forcefully said "Yes".

Edward shot me a hurt look, clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

Ignoring Edward, I turned to Fred and squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm thankful for the consideration, but we don't have time to mess around. Will you help me separate the rest of him?" I asked, nodding my head to Laurent's prone form.

I didn't really like the idea of doing this, everything about this whole situation still felt very numb and surreal. This emotional disconnect was probably going to come back to bite me in the ass later, but for now I was thankful. There was only so much I could mentally deal with right now.

Looking down at Laurent's body, I tried to think analytically about the whole thing. I would try to pretend that I was just ripping apart a statue. Not something that used to be, and technically still was, a person.

At least it lacked the blood and viscera of a human corpse.

I immediately cut off that line of thought. I couldn't let myself think about that.

"Bella, what is going on? What happened to you? Who is this? Why are you wearing that?" Edwards intense gaze switched back and forth between the two of us, but his eyes seemed to narrow as he looked at Fred. For his part Fred just stared placidly back, seemingly unimpressed.

"I should think it fairly obvious what happened here Edward. Victoria sent her lackey here to gather intel on the Denali's. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I was here as well. Laurent and I fought, Fred here came to my aid, and we ripped his head off. Then you showed up."

I began to motion Fred toward the body but Edward growled and stepped forward aggressively, obviously not used to being brushed off. Instantly, probably instinctively, Fred began to project that perception of revolt. With a hiss, I stepped back, trying not to get a full blast of his ability.

Edward however, didn't get more than a second to realize what has happening before he was scrambling out of the house, dry heaving. Fred pulled back on his gift the moment it became clear Edward was going to keep his distance.

"A little warning next time Fred?" I asked with a grimace.

"Sorry." He mumbled, looking away.

"Bella!" Came Edwards plaintive call. "Please, I just want to know what's going on!"

"He's not going to leave, is he?" I grumbled, making eye contact with Fred. He raised his eyebrow skeptically. "Fine."

Hobbling outside, I took a seat on the Denali's stone stoop, rubbing my thigh absently. Even now, I could feel that chunk of my leg slowly re-bonding to the rest of my leg and it felt extremely unpleasant. Eventually it would leave nothing but an oval shaped scar.

Edward rushed forward, all gentlemanly concern, but my growl of warning made him come up short.

"Just ask what you want to ask Edward. I'm tired, and I've had a long and traumatizing day."

His face collapsed into a pained expression.

"Please Bella. What has happened? Why are you a vampire? What are you doing at the Denali house?"

"I'm a vampire because when you abandoned me, you left me at the mercy of Victoria. You didn't give me a way to contact any of you. Your phones were disconnected, your email addresses deactivated, you didn't even leave a forwarding address. Well, as anyone with half a brain could guess, she came back for revenge."

Edwards face was a picture of horror, but the more I looked at his stupidly surprised face, the angrier I got.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. If I'd known - I only ever wanted to protect you. I knew she might try to get revenge, but I didn't think she would go after you. I was the one who was behind her mate's death after all." He reached out to me, hesitant and pleading, but my glare kept him at bay. "I just wanted you to live a human life, free of the dangers and death of vampirism. No words can express my regret. I damned your soul with my carelessness."

I huffed, annoyed with his presumption.

"You didn't damn me Edward. Not everyone prescribes to your beliefs on heaven and hell. The simple fact is, you made a decision for the both of us that wasn't yours to make, and I suffered the consequences." Edward seemed to shrink in on himself at that proclamation, and I could already see him starting to spiral into his own self-loathing. Pausing, I looked away; discomforted by the effect my words were having on him, even if they were true.

"All of you were gone." I continued, quieter and less accusing. "I did my best to figure things out on my own, but then Victoria went after Charlie." Edwards head snapped up, an unspoken question on the tip of his tongue, but he looked too afraid to ask. "Charlie is alive," His shoulders relaxed. "but Victoria put him in the hospital. He nearly died Edward."

Lifting his chin, Edward somberly made eye contact.

"I acted foolishly; I see that now. I never should have left you. Despite my best intentions, you became a vampire," His eyes softened, and he leaned forward, although I could tell he restrained himself at the last moment. "-and what a vampire you have become. You were always beautiful Bella, but you've become more resplendent then even I thought possible."

Pursing my lips, I looked down at my hands as I kneaded them together. I didn't know how to feel about Edwards praise, so I discounted it for now.

"Well, I realized I needed help. I didn't have the skills to face Victoria on my own. I remembered what you said about having cousins in Denali. So, I ran all the way to Alaska to seek them out. They took me in, made me apart of their coven. They're helping me track down Victoria with the help of the Quileute's. She's created a newborn army in Seattle."

Edward was staring off into the distance as he digested the news, fists gripped tight.

"Alice should have seen this. Why didn't she warn us? We would have come to your aid sooner." He muttered in a stiff growl; eyes dark in his pale face.

"I asked her not to." I blurted, pretending not to see the look of shock that flashed across his expression. "Alice came back along with Jasper. She's with the Denalis down in Forks. I didn't want to involve your family. After all, you made it abundantly clear that you want nothing to do with me." I couldn't help that small dig, even knowing it probably wasn't true.

Edwards stance gentled; his eyes drank in my features with a sad sort of longing. It made me uncomfortable to see.

"I should have never made you believe that. I see that now. I'll help you dispatch Victoria, and I'll spend the rest of eternity making it up to you. I swear." Edwards eyes and voice were fervent, but I felt nothing but a sinking weight in my gut.

Shaking my head, I carefully got to my feet, feeling more secure now that my leg had healed.

"I won't keep you from offering your help, but don't expect things to go back to the way they were between us. Perhaps one day we can be friends, but right now I hardly want to look at you."

Edward grudgingly nodded, but his eyes remained determined. I could already tell this would be a problem down the road, but it was one I didn't want to have to deal with right now.

Turning back to the house, I walked in just in time to see Fred rip off Laurent's arm with a deafening crack. Cringing slightly at the noise, I strode over and helped detach the rest of his limbs as Edward watched from the doorway.

Tossing the last one into a pile, well away from the torso, I noticed Fred wincing as he rubbed at his shoulder. Immediately on alert, I beelined over to him. Touching his arm, I cocked my head and looked from his shoulder to his face and back again before silently waiting for permission to examine him. After he gave a small nod, I gently tugged, and he helpfully presented his back to me.

Lifting his shirt, and ignoring Edwards strangled sound of protest, I examined the web of cracks that spiraled out from his upper back and across his neck and shoulders. I felt a brief stab of guilt, remembering I'd bulldozed him into the ground with my feet, but then recalled he deserved it for breaking into the house.

"Here, let me get you something for that Fred." I mumbled, dropping the cloth.

He shot me a curious glance and pulled down his shirt as I made my way into the kitchen.

Pushing a button hidden under the kitchen sink, several of the tiles on the floor in the pantry popped up. Irina and Carmen had previously shown me the hidden compartment where they kept emergency stores of blood.

It was a precaution they took in case any nosy humans, the police, or thieves went poking around the house while they were away. At the time it had seemed excessively paranoid. Now it felt more prudent than paranoid. I only wish I hadn't come to this enlightenment the way that I had.

Pulling a blood bag out of the concealed fridge, I closed the hatch and walked it back over to Fred, who took it with the same surprised amazement I did the first time I'd seen it.

"Here, this should help with your injury. Its human, cloned. You don't have to worry if anyone died for this. My coven mate told me it tastes a little off because of the anticoagulants they add, but otherwise its exactly the same."

Fred held the fragile plastic pack in his hand and contemplated it silently.

"Thank you. I still can't control my instincts while I'm feeding, so I'll drink this when I'm alone." He looked up at me, smiling ever so slightly. "What about you?"

"I'll go hunting in a little bit. I need to change and make a phone call first." I sighed, plucking at my 11th century dress. Turning my head, I reluctantly looked back at Edward, who I don't think took his eyes off of me for a second.

"Will you keep a lookout while I go back upstairs?" I wasn't eager to ask him for favors, but I couldn't deny his mind-reading made him ideal for the job. Edward straightened and ran his hand through his hair, tousling it in the way that used to make my heart race. His answering smile was slight and melancholy.

"I'll keep watch for you Bella. I won't fail you again."

Choosing to take his words at face value, I headed upstairs and slipped into Tanya's room. It still faintly smelled like her. Now that I wasn't in immediate danger, I allowed the stress to roll off me the further in I went.

Kicking off my shoes, I let my toes dig into the soft fur rugs as I padded across the room toward Tanya's closet. Quietly sliding open the door, I discovered rack upon rack of beautifully designed and obviously expensive clothes. One of the walls was dedicated solely to shoes and accessories, with purses and jewelry artfully displayed in cases.

The only other person I'd ever seen with a closet this large was Alice, and that was saying something.

For the most part I was unfamiliar with modern fashion, and would have been more comfortable in my own clothes, but alas they were all in Forks right now. I was certain Tanya wouldn't mind if I borrowed something.

Running my fingers across the fabric, I perused the racks until I came upon a dress that caught my eye. It was a satin dress, forest green and wonderfully smooth. It descended down to the calves in a maxi fashion, with a v cut neckline that was just low enough to tantalize.

Stroking my hands down the material, I remembered how good Tanya looked in green, and wondered when she'd bought this dress. How many times had she worn it? Did it look as good as I imagined?

I felt a sudden sharp pang of yearning just thinking about how much I wished she were here. Even now I could recall with perfect clarity the soft press of her body against my back and the soothing brush of her lips against my face and mouth.

Tanya's raspberry almond scent still lingered on the fabric, and I felt myself exhale tremulously as I pressed the cool satin to my cheek.

Pushing the cloth off my shoulders, I let the musty 11th century dress fall to a heap on the floor as I slid the green dress over my head. Walking over to Tanya's floor length mirror, I contemplated my reflection as I smoothed out the wrinkles.

I looked breathtaking.

Somehow the dress fit me perfectly, accentuating my already supernatural beauty. The green made the hints of red in my dark brown hair more noticeable.

It still felt weird to look into a mirror and see a stranger looking back at me. There were parts of my old self I could still see if I really looked, but I couldn't quite shake a slight sense of dysphoria.

There was nothing unpleasing about my appearance, but the uneasy sensation lingered. I hoped it would fade soon.

Unlike when I first awakened as a vampire, my reflection no longer invoked in me a devastating impression of loss. I was no longer alone. No longer tortured, blood crazed, and feeling like my life was spiraling beyond my control.

It was still crazy, violent, and scary at times; but I had a place I belonged now. I had the Denali's. I had a family. Most of all, I had Tanya.

Taking a deep breath to fortify my nerves, I hardened my resolve. I wouldn't this happiness slip through my fingers.

After all, I had a future to fight for.

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A/N: Hey guys! Was this a crazy chapter or what? I hope you enjoyed it. Please yell at me about what you enjoyed most, or parts that you especially liked. Remember: feedback nourishes my writer soul.