CHAPTER THREE

Running through rose thorns, I saw the scoreboard

And ran for my life

~ Taylor Swift, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

Edward Cullen

"We'll be at the house," Carlisle said, holding his hand out for Esme. She and Rosalie left Bella's side, neither giving her more than a wave and avoiding contact with her. "You'll show Edward the way, Bella?"

Her eyes widened, darting between Carlisle and I. The fear behind them, even as she gave Carlisle a small nod, had my motionless heart clench.

She prefers verbal communication, Carlisle told me. Her mind gets… crowded.

I gave him a miniscule nod, watching the small flinch of Bella's brows as she listened to Carlisle speak to me. I waited until they were out of earshot, then waited a few more seconds when I saw her eyes glaze over.

Visions.

"The first one… it was you."

My head cocked to the side. I took a few steps closer to her. I couldn't stand the few yards between us. I stopped about an arms length away, folding my legs underneath me and sitting in the plush grass across from her.

"Your first vision?"

"Yes," she said softly. Her fingers tugged at the hem of her dress in her lap. "It was right when I was… waking up? I don't know if that's the right term. But it was so real. I thought it was real. I asked for you right when I woke up."

"What was it?"

A hint of a smile pulled her lips up to the right. "This."

I watched her take a deep, unnecessary breath. It was jagged and unnatural and I realized she was trying to practice, appear more human. My eyes fell to the hem of her dress where her fingers had been tugging at the material. It wasn't just a remaining anxious, human habit. She was carefully pulling at the strands. Testing her strength.

"After the change. After burning for so long, I figured I was dead. Then I ended up here, in a beautiful meadow. The pain was gone and you were there and I felt unquestionably safe. All I got was your name before it ended. I woke up and…"

A knot of guilt settled in my stomach. I had been in Volterra at the time, doing what I could to keep her safe, but I still wished I had been there when she woke. It was a disconcerting moment. "And realized you had become a vampire," I breathed out.

It was a memory we were all haunted by. Waking up and realizing you had no heartbeat, no breath.

"The vampire thing is still… a lot. But everything else… I'm so sorry about your hand. I didn't mean to I just–I can't control it. Any of it. The first time it happened I shocked Esme. Esme. I had just woken up and everything was so loud and there were so many voices. I was scared and she grabbed my hand and I saw everything and it just happened. I didn't mean to."

"I'm sure she understands, Bella. Esme would never hold it against you."

Her face shattered. "Carlisle does. He tries to hide it, but he doesn't like Esme close to me. I don't blame him. None of them like their mate near me."

Hearing the word mate come out of her mouth had me tense. Did she know–

"I know."

My lips flinched with a smile. That would take some getting used to. Someone else in my head. I was used to controlling my thoughts around Aro, but it had been easy to leave Volterra and those habits behind.

"I'm sorry. I know it's intrusive. Sometimes I have a hard time…" Her eyes glazed over for a fraction of a second. "Focusing. On what's in my head and what's not."

"I've been invading peoples thoughts for nearly a hundred years. I'm the last person you need to apologize to."

"And because… you're my mate."

My eyes drifted closed. I took a deep inhale of the soft floral scent of the meadow, the crisp air coming off of the lake a few miles away and the deep woodsy aroma of the surrounding trees. I immediately committed the scent of Bella, of my mate, to my memory; she was saturated in the florals of the meadow, but there was a sweetness to her that mixed perfectly with the wildflowers, like jasmine.

I was thoroughly enjoying the moment; the one I had been waiting ninety years for. Bella's heart-broken apology snapped me out of it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking.

My eyes popped open, met with Bella's heartbroken amber gaze. "What… what could you possibly have to apologize for?"

"I ruined your life before I was even born, Edward."

My name out of her lips again had my body reacting in ways it never had before. Ways that were far from appropriate for the current conversation.

"You didn't ruin my life. You gave me something to live for."

"You were there for ninety years," she whispered, tormented.

"And I would do it all over again if I had to."

You know I would, I told her silently, holding my palm out for her if she needed a reminder.

Bella shook her head, let it hang defeated between her shoulders.

I didn't want to overwhelm her. But I also wasn't going to let her think for one moment that I regretted my decision. That she had ruined my life. I was already dead, for one.

Bella let out a quiet, soft giggle.

"I've been waiting nearly a century to hear that sound," I told her quietly, honestly. "It was worth every second of the wait."

She didn't look convinced, but she at least looked less devastated. Within the span of one of my predetermined human blinks Bella was on her feet.

"You probably want to catch up with Carlisle," she said quickly. Her words too fast for a human to understand. She started off down the hill before I could answer.

I followed, enjoying the freedom of the short run until Bella slowed to a human walk a quarter of a mile away from a large, luxurious log cabin. I watched as she nearly unconsciously angled herself to walk by my side and quickly thought better of it, keeping a good six feet between us.

I froze when she stopped before we could make it to the house. She was tense, her hands in fists at her side and her jaw clenched.

"What is it?"

"I don't usually–"

"Hi, Bella!" Alice chirped from the deck. She was there for a moment before she appeared beside us. "Are you coming in?"

Bella's voice was monotone and sharp. She didn't glance in Alice's direction. "No."

My eyes darted between the two women until the group inside started to venture out. I watched Bella's fists clenched tighter the larger the crowd got. She backed up a few paces. I angled myself between her and the group of eleven suddenly surrounding us.

You're safe, I told her. Repeated it and hoped it got through the other voices I knew were now invading her mind.

"We have a lot to catch up on," Carlisle said with a gentle smile. "Shall we go in?"

I saw the scene play out in Alice's mind a fraction of a second before the thought crossed Tanya's mind and set off the whole thing.

It's too bad he's mated. I'd love to give him a ride.

Tanya had barely formed the thought before a near deafening growl sounded from behind me. She was thrown back by an invisible force, pressed up against the side of the house with enough strength for wooden shavings to start falling to the ground.

I turned on instinct, my hand reaching up to cup Bella's cheek. My thumb brushed against her lower lip until the snarl disappeared from her face.

I heard Tanya land on the ground with a grunt and watched the horror slowly seep into Bella's face. We spoke at the same time.

"It's okay–"

"I'm sorry," she gasped, turning and disappearing back through the hills.

Carlisle's hand was on my shoulder before I could take a step to follow. "Bella will need a few minutes to… calm herself. Then she'll hunt. It might be best if you stay here."

"I can't be the only one who thought about it," Tanya grumbled, brushing some lingering grass and dirt off of her cream sweater.

"About what?" Jasper questioned.

Tanya's eyes fell to me, looking me up and down to get her point across.

"Well, I sure as hell didn't," Emmett boomed, an easy going smile curving his lips until a dimple appeared to the right. No offense, brother. Last thing I want is to anger the tiny grenade.

Brother I thought to myself. I hadn't even formally met him and Emmett already considered me part of the family.

That was the biggest difference in Volterra. It was a large gathering of vampires, all of us living, or inhabiting, the same general area for decades. But it wasn't a family. No one cared about the other. There was plenty of turnover that most didn't care one way or another about. I sure as hell didn't.

Because I already had a family. Carlisle and Esme and the small unit we had for ten years before I rebelled.

I could see from the newest Cullen's minds that Carlisle and Esme were the parental figures of the coven. It had never been that way for me; biologically I was probably a year older than Carlisle if his calculations were correct and he had been twenty-three when he was turned.

Carlisle, Esme, and I, we had all been equals. A trio simply doing our best with the cards we had been given.

I would gladly take on the role of being a Cullen sibling, though. They didn't think twice about accepting me, and I wouldn't think twice about accepting them.

"I'll take grenade duty," Emmett said with a smirk. "As long as you promise a wrestling match. I'm sure the Volturi taught you a trick or two."

The Volturi were incredibly well trained. Everyone was, myself included. We didn't need constant training like a human, but it was useful to know all of the best ways to incapacitate a rogue vampire or the best ways to handle a volatile newborn.

"Grenade duty?" I asked.

Emmett chuckled. "Bella's a little grenade, no? You just never know when the pin has been pulled."

"We like to keep someone close to her, just in case," Carlisle clarified.

"On it," Emmett said with a nod. "I'll collect that match later. Preferably when Bella isn't around. Don't want to end up like Tanya," he chuckled, running off after Bella before Tanya could react to his comment.

I had to fight against the instinct to watch over Bella myself. Now that she was real, no longer just a vision I held onto, it felt wrong to so much as let her out of my sight.

She might need the reprieve from me, though. I was ready to sweep her up in my arms and never let her go, but she had only just been turned. Had so many new feelings and emotions and powers pulling her in every direction.

I looked at the face of my sire, of the family that had been waiting for me for ninety years, and followed them inside the house.

It was a lovely place, cold but lavish. The family room was three stories high with a large windowed back wall to enjoy the view. There was enough seating from the couches to the rocking chairs by the window to comfortably accommodate twenty. Unlike the few places I had lived with Carlisle, the Denali's seemingly didn't try to make their home appear too human. It felt more like a staged home than one currently housing eleven individuals.

I took a spot by the window, fruitlessly choosing the spot with the quickest exit in case Bella needed me.

"What powers has she shown?" I asked hesitantly. The power I'd seen from her already was more than any one vampire had ever had. It was as remarkable as it was worrying.

Carlisle perched himself on the arm of the chair where Esme sat. "She has visions like Alice. Both tactile telepathy like Aro and telepathy from a range like you. She's exhibited control over the four elements as well as emotions like Jasper. She has Kate's electric touch, as you felt. She's an incredibly powerful shield–mentally and physically. Alice can barely see her, Eleazar can't get a read on her, Kate can't harm her, and I'm assuming you cannot read her either."

I shook my head.

"That's all we know of for now. There's more, I'm sure of it. She doesn't like testing herself, though. Doesn't trust herself. I'm nearly certain she caused a hell of a thunderstorm a few weeks ago."

A vampire with a single special skill was a rarity in itself. Bella… it was no wonder she was so skittish, so scared of herself. I had a difficult time adjusting to my own telepathy, being able to sort through the excess thoughts.

"How has she adjusted?"

Her skittishness, while understandable, was odd for a vampire. Especially a newborn. She showed no signs of bloodlust to me and if Carlisle trusted her to go hunting on her own at three months…

"She seems fine," Carlisle said, continuing before I could interrupt. "She seems fine every time we see her. Her emotional manipulation is much stronger than Jasper's. It takes hours to wear off. She doesn't even seem to be doing it on purpose. No matter who it is that goes to check on her, they come back believing she has adjusted wonderfully. That she's happy and adapting well to her new life."

"We know she's struggling," Alice said sadly. "But after that first day she hasn't trusted any of us to let us really know how she feels."

"Show me," I demanded.

The memory played in every Cullen mind. I had a vantage point from every angle to analyze Bella, minutes, maybe an hour after waking up as a vampire. Her eyes were a bright, bloody red and she was obviously having trouble getting used to her speed and strength, even just sitting on a sofa.

"Edward," she said, almost frantically. "Edward Cullen. You all must know him."

Everyone frowned at her.

"How do you know Edward, Bella?" Carlisle asked gently.

"I don't know!" she cried, eyes frantically darting around the room. "He was here. I saw him! I talked to him!"

"You saw him?" Alice questioned, concern furrowing her delicate brow.

"Yes! We spoke in a meadow. He was here."

"Edward lives in Italy, sweetheart," Esme said softly.

Bella's eyes lit up with excitement, turning her head too fast toward Esme. "But, you know him? Italy? Where?"

"Bella," Carlisle said firmly, kneeling on the ground in front of her. I watched him start to reach for her, but pull away before he made contact. This must have been after she shocked Esme. "Edward is in Italy to protect you. There are vampires there who would harm you. Use you for your power."

Her face shattered. "But I…I spoke to him. He…" Tears would have been streaming down her face were she human.

"You had a vision," Alice told her. "I've had the same one. You and Edward were in a meadow, right?"

Bella let out a whimper, covering her ears with her hands and curling in on herself. "I don't understand," she cried quietly to herself. Over and over.

Carlisle and Alice exchanged a look and a nod.

"Bella," Alice said softly. "I've had that same vision, the one of you and Edward meeting in a meadow. I showed it to him in 1931. But because…because we could both feel how powerful you were, Edward made the decision to join the Volturi. They're sort of a… ruling family of vampires. They keep the peace among our kind, but they also covet powerful vampires. They would not be kind to you if they ever discovered your existence. So Edward joined to try and keep that from ever happening."

Realization dawned on Bella's face as she picked it up and turned toward Alice. "You…you saw me in 1931?"

Alice frowned slightly, probably confused at how quickly Bella's thoughts changed from me to her. "Yes."

"So you knew me? The whole time you knew what would happen?"

"I didn't know all of the details. I only knew you would end up one of us. I wanted to protect you, your power."

"I thought… I thought you were my friend," Bella whispered sadly.

Alice's eyes widened. "I was—am."

Bella wasn't convinced. No one could truthfully tell her Alice would have befriended her as a human without the knowledge Bella would one day be a vampire, either.

The change in her demeanor was obvious. She had lost any trust in the vampires surrounding her.

"I need to find Edward Cullen," she said eventually. "He's… important. I need to find him." She shook her head, her eyes hardening as she took in the vampires surrounding her.

And she ran.

She got out of the house and a mile through the woods before Jasper caught up with her.

Bella had the power, but she didn't know how to use any of it. Didn't know how to fight. Jasper took her down quickly, and Emmett made it in time to help hold her down.

"Bella," Carlisle said, coming to kneel beside where she struggled against Emmett and Jasper's holds. "We're not going to hurt you and we're not going to use you for your power. We want to help you, protect you."

It was obvious Bella didn't believe a word he said.

"She doesn't trust us," Alice said sadly. "I know she's confused and scared. The visions alone are frightening enough to get used to. Every day I try to talk to her, we all do, but she just sits in the meadow and waits for you."

The pain was gone and you were there and I felt unquestionably safe, she had told me.

"Christ," I snapped out, leaving before anyone could stop me. The sun had set long ago, the cool breeze of a storm rolling in. I wondered how accurate Carlisle's theory that Bella had some kind of control over the weather was.

Not that it was important at the moment. No, all I could think about was the memory of those petrified red eyes frantically searching for me, begging for me. So similar to the terrified amber ones I had seen earlier today.

She had spent the last three months waiting in that meadow for me because she felt safe in that vision and it was all she could trust.

Becoming a vampire was disorienting and confusing enough when you had a sire walking you through it all. I couldn't imagine how fucking terrifying it would be to burn for three months and wake up surrounded by nearly a dozen predators, none of which you felt had earned your trust. All of which had made it blatantly clear they knew you were a powerful weapon to be coveted.

I wasn't surprised that her trail led me to the meadow. She was hunched over herself in the middle of the bed of wildflowers, the colorful petals dimmed in the evening fog.

"Bella," I sighed, falling to my knees before her. I brushed my palm against her cheek, gently lifting her face from where it was buried in her arms as she hugged her knees to her chest. "You are safe, Bella."

Her face crumpled in my palm. Tearless sobs tearing from her chest as she fell into me. "I didn't know what to do," she cried.

The clouds opened up above us, heavy raindrops pelting into the ground, soaking through both of our clothing immediately.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to her. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

After being surrounded by death for so long, it was easy to become desensitized to it. Life and death were so interchangeable for our kind. But Bella…she died. Six months ago she was a normal living, breathing high school student worried about graduation and college and had probably been happy to find a friend in Alice and the Cullens. Then she spent three months in hell and woke up surrounded by creatures her body naturally saw as a threat.

She was scared and she was lonely and she was mourning the loss of the only life she had ever known.

She was eighteen. And Carlisle would have refused to let her call her parents. Taken her to the middle of nowhere, and told her all of the horror stories she used to laugh off were true. And she was now one of them.

Her body had somehow naturally reacted to the situation, calming everyone around her and convincing them she was fine. Getting them to leave her alone because she was constantly on edge, always scared.

"I didn't—" she gasped. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"I know, love. It's okay. You're okay."

Her body finally gave in, all of her tension leaving as she collapsed fully into me. I wrapped my arms securely around her, pulling her into my lap and holding her as close as possible.

"No matter what," I whispered to her, my voice quiet against the heavy rain but not too quiet for her. "No matter what, you have me, Bella. Whether your power disappears tomorrow or it continues to grow for decades. I will love you and I will protect you until the end of my existence."

With a bright flash of lightning and deep snap of thunder, the mental shield that kept me out of her mind crumbled and I saw it all. Her excitement when she moved to the little town of Forks, Washington to live with her father and her happiness when she made a family of friends on her first day.

Whether she knew what I was seeing or not, I wasn't sure. But we sat in the meadow for hours, rain pouring down around us while she showed me everything she could remember from her human life and everything that had happened since she turned.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this one. And a sincere thank you to everyone reading this. I say it on twitter about every other day, but I appreciate each and every person who has taken the time to read and/or review anything I've written. Sincerely. Thank you.

I'll see you next time!