Dragging myself into my fanfic sites screaming crying and throwing up. I got a degree. I moved home. I got married. I got a new job. I wrote ten thousand words of fanfic in a week. Maybe I'll be ready for Nano this year.

Yes, I said "ten thousand words of fanfic." That's right. Tenebrity is done. I've written through the climax and all I have to do is wrap up the ends in a neat little bow. Then I will move on to Crescent and Penumbra. Look, I was like, seventeen when I named them and sketched out the plots. I'm fond of them. Hopefully I'll finish the whole series before I turn fifty.

If you're still with me, I love you. If you're a new reader, welcome. I also love you.

Enormous shoutout to my beloved Morgan goldengirlschildhood, who beta'd this. I am very sorry for what I'm about to put her through.

The air was chilly around me. I shivered and curled deeper into Edward's chest. Goosebumps prickled under the flannel I was wearing.

When I opened my eyes, the sun had slipped behind the trees. "Did I doze off?" My voice sounded dreamy and faraway. I reached for Edward. He shifted closer and my fingers traced over the triangle of skin his shirt exposed at the collar. Chest—collarbone—throat. He shuddered.

"A little." His voice was less guarded than usual. He sounded… light. I closed my eyes again and smiled. "It's twilight. I should get you home."

I couldn't believe we had spent so long in the meadow. But… "I don't want this to end."

"Hmm," he said, and I heard his smile. I pressed the side of my face closer to him and then I could feel it, too. He brushed a kiss against my temple... another against my ear.

I hummed back, a little warm spot unfurling inside my stomach.

"Everything ends." If he had said the words with his usual seriousness, they would have hurt to hear. But his voice was full of laughter. "But…" he paused, and I felt his forehead crease against my hair. "I'll come home with you, if that's what you'd like."

"Yes!" I bit down on the s, trying not to sound quite as eager as I felt. I thrummed with energy at the thought. Edward… in my bedroom… again. It felt daring. Like anything could be possible.

"Then it's settled."

Before I knew what was happening, Edward was on his feet and I was halfway upright. Laughing breathlessly at the surprise, I tumbled back into his arms. "Edward!"

"Let's get you somewhere warm," he said, looking down at me. "You're shivering."

I had stopped noticing the cold, but it swept over me again when he mentioned it. My teeth were almost chattering. His arms protected me from the air, but they didn't add any warmth. Still, I nestled gratefully into them. The thrill of his touch was worth any chill.

He turned in my arms. With one quick movement, my legs were around his waist. I laughed at his efficiency and closed my eyes before he lurched into motion.

The journey through the forest felt faster this time. With my eyes closed, it was hard to tell. I stretched out my other senses, trying to understand the world around me.

It smelled… green.

I knew green wasn't a scent, but I didn't have any other way to describe it. It was wet. Fresh. Clean, but earthy at the same time. Sharp. "What's that smell?"

"Evergreens. Ferns. Earth. Petrichor."

"I like it," I confessed. "I didn't, at first, but now… it smells… good."

I couldn't hear it, but I felt him sigh against my chest. "Not as good as you do."

I buried my nose into the nape of his neck to hide a smile. "Thanks? What do I smell like?"

"Heavenly." Before I could respond, he continued, "Are you up for a detour? There's something I think you'd like."

"Sure." The meadow had been perfect. I felt certain that anything he showed me would be wonderful.

A few seconds later, he stopped. I started to slide off, but his grip stopped me. "Hush," he said, so quietly that I could barely hear him. "Look through those trees."

I craned to see around his head. A gentle breeze touched my face, ruffling his hair against my cheek. "Where?"

As my lips brushed against his ear, he shuddered. "Wait." He shifted his weight to the left. When he unwrapped one hand from around my leg, I didn't slip. "There," he whispered, pointing. I followed the line of his finger to where—

A deer stood between two trees. Its ears flicked back and forth. It was so small that at first I thought it must have been a baby, but then I saw a tiny, spotted fawn standing behind it. It wobbled back and forth, unsteady on its spindly legs.

"Oh!" I breathed. "It's beautiful."

The mother lowered her head and began to graze. I couldn't tear my eyes away. Her fawn folded itself to the ground and curled up. Even though I knew where it was, I could still barely see it against the mottled forest floor.

"Thank you," I whispered. A stray lock of hair blew into my face and I brushed it away. The deer's head shot up and she stared straight in our direction for an instant before disappearing into the forest behind her.

"Oh! Did I scare her?" I was a little crestfallen.

Edward didn't respond. A second belatedly, I realized that he had gone completely stiff.

"Edward?" I couldn't tell what was wrong. Couldn't see his face.

"Hold on tight," he hissed. I had never heard that tone in his voice before. A trickle of fear ran down my back.

We hurtled into motion.

My head snapped back.

The wind whipped past my face.

It was nothing like our previous journey through the forest. I finally understood what Edward meant when he had said he was fast. The trees blurred together around us. My teeth rattled. I was holding on so hard that my fingers hurt, and I was still afraid of falling off.

"What's wrong?" I could barely unclench my jaw enough to ask. A tree brushed by, so close that my shoulder brushed against it. Branches whipped past my cheeks. I buried myself into Edward, wishing I could cover my face.

He said something through his teeth. I couldn't understand it. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

My ears were full of the wind. "I don't understand!" My heart was pounding. My mouth was bone dry. "What's happeni—"

The end of my sentence turned into a shriek as—suddenly—we were in the air. Without slowing down, Edward had gathered himself up and launched into a tremendous leap.

Freefall.

WHAM.

Something slammed against us from the side. It was gone just as quickly.

"He's a telepath, you halfwit," someone bellowed from somewhere behind us.

I opened my eyes, and immediately wished I hadn't. The ground was rocketing toward us at a terrifying speed. I screamed.

"I've got you," Edward shouted. He had gone loose in my arms.

Charlie's words floated through the back of my head. You should always try to relax if you get into a car accident. Freezing up will hurt. I couldn't relax a single muscle.

It felt like we were in the air for an eternity. I had enough time to see blurs of movement through the forest below us.

Only vampires could move that fast, I realized. My stomach knotted. Suddenly I understood why Edward's voice was so strained. He's… scared.

Thud.

We hit the ground. It was less of an impact than I expected, until I saw the trench that Edward's landing had carved into the side of the hill. My teeth hurt. My eyes swam.

Edward let go of my legs. He was half-crouched in front of me. In front of him, two—no—three figures melted out of the forest. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"Let go, Bella," Edward said quietly. "If you see an opening… run. Up the hill. The house isn't far." He paused. "Don't look back."

I wanted to see his face. But I pried my fingers out of his shirt and staggered back. My knees wobbled.

I probably should have been afraid, but I felt strangely calm. Almost numb. It was like the time someone had stolen Renee's wallet and cleaned out her accounts. I had called every building along the street where it had happened, the police, then the banks. And finally Charlie.

He was upset that he was my last call, I remembered. I don't know if I've ever heard him swear since.

You're in shock, that responsible part of my mind said. You're coping. Poorly. Breathe deeply. In. Out. Again.

Edward stood five feet in front of me. He was balanced lightly on the balls of his feet, shoulder-width apart. He looked almost relaxed—knees loose, shoulders slumped, hands hanging by his sides. It didn't seem like he was even looking at any of his opponents.

They stood in a rough half-circle around him. None of them were close enough for him to touch.

"Not so brave now, without your brothers?" The voice was familiar, but hard to place. I sneaked a look at the speaker. Then came a sense of horrible recognition. It was him. The lone vampire who had attacked me in Port Angeles.

It felt like I had been hit by lightning. Adrenaline flooded through me. I wanted—needed—to do something. Run, scream, fight—anything.

Edward did nothing. He still looked like he was hardly paying attention.

"It doesn't have to be like this," a soft voice added. It was familiar too. It was hard to tear my eyes away from him, but when I did, I recognized her from the hardware store.

She didn't seem surprised to see me. For that matter, none of them did. All three were wary, their eyes darting between Edward and me. But there was no surprise at seeing a vampire and a human so close together. At seeing a vampire protecting a human.

"He's a telepath…" The words rang in my head again. They knew him. Did he know them? Had he covered for them? Was that why he looked so relaxed? But then—why had he run? Why was he telling me to run?

Edward didn't reply to her, either. He flexed the fingers on one hand.

As if that had been some kind of signal, the third vampire—the stranger—flashed into motion.

I didn't see how it happened, but just an instant later he was staggering back. Edward had barely moved.

My attacker slid into the opening left by the stranger's retreat. Edward darted under his guard faster than thought and grabbed him by the throat, then threw him backwards.

They straightened up and eyed him. Then both moved at the same time. Two figures closed on Edward and I gasped.

He was beautiful. I didn't know anything about fighting, but I could tell that he was good at it. He never hesitated, never overextended, never failed to block or duck. It looked more like a dance than a fight for his life.

But his opponents were good, too. They forced him back a step, then another.

The woman was still off to the side, watching. Waiting. For what?

There was a snarl. Edward had kicked the stranger's legs out from under him. He forced my attacker back with one hand and kicked again. I heard something crunch.

The woman flashed into motion.

"Run!" Edward shouted.

I whirled and ran. Behind me, something hit the ground. I didn't look back.