Twilight Fan Fiction / Highlander - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Love Eternal ❯ Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

 

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! She should be running not arranging to meet them! Hadn't they hurt her enough for even an immortal lifetime? They would only meet her to determine what she was and if she was a threat. They'd made it perfectly clear they didn't care about her when they'd left Forks. She must be a glutton for pain. She'd worked so hard to move on from what the Cullen's and then Jacob had done to her and yet here she was asking for more hurt.

 

When Edward had left her it had almost destroyed her, it had been Jacob who had picked up the shattered pieces and held them together for a short time and then he'd turned her away too. After that running had seemed her only option, running from the pain, from the memories. And now she was going to see him? To see the boy who had ripped her heart out? A hundred years later and she still hadn't dated once. Richie had tried at first but they were better suited as siblings and she had been too much of a mess back then for anything else. She loved Richie, would die to protect him, but she wasn't in love with him and he knew it. He'd been so excited that she finally felt ready to be out on her own. Could she really run back there so soon? She knew Richie would welcome her back with open arms but she couldn't rely on him for everything.

 

So what she do? Run and hope they didn't track her scent back to the others or stay and face the consequences? The old Bella would have run but she was an immortal and over a hundred years old. She refused to run. She would face the vampires she once considered family and she would lock her heart away so they could never hurt her again.

 

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Jasper paced the room, not even paying any attention to a worried Alice. After Bella had left he'd messaged everyone had gone straight home. Now they were only waiting for Carlisle to get back from the hospital. He was constantly forcing himself to go over one of his favourite books to keep Edward from seeing what had happened. The last thing they needed was Edward running off alone to find her.

 

Jasper finally stopped pacing as the front door opened and Carlisle entered, hanging his coat up and going to his wife's side to give her a gentle kiss. He then turned to his children and focused on Jasper.

 

“What happened Jasper?” Carlisle asked gently. Jasper took an unneeded breath and then began to speak.

 

“I was in my civil war class when a scent hit me, a very familiar scent. It belonged to a young woman and she took a seat on the opposite side of the theatre. She turned to talk to someone and saw me. I was too shocked to do anything until she said my name and then left. I followed her of campus and into an alley...it's Bella. She's not one of us but she looks no older than the last time I saw her. I asked her what she was and she said to meet her in the park near campus tonight, all of us.” Jasper finished and Alice gasped.

 

“I didn't see this. Why didn't I see this?” Jasper pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her. He looked over to Edward as he was hit by a wave of grief, longing and hope. Edward's face was frozen blank but you couldn't fool an empath.

 

“How?” Edward whispered.

 

“I don't know.” Jasper answered.

 

“Are you sure it wasn't just someone who looks like her?” Emmett asked even though he knew it couldn't be.

 

“No. Her scent was exactly the same and as soon as she saw me she whispered Jasper. She looks a bit different, her hairs almost as short as Alice's now but it was Bella. I looked up the class enrolment though and she `s going by Betha Dawson now.” Jasper told them.

 

“So we're going right? I can't believe she's alive!” Alice had perked back up making Jasper smile at her.

 

“What if it's some sort of trap?” Rosalie pointed out harshly.

“She can't be human and still be alive.”

 

“I'm going.” Edward stated and then left for his room.

 

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Edward stared sightlessly at the picture in his hand. It had been taken the night of the prom. Bella had still been in her cast but had been stunning none the less. He should never have left her. When she'd vanished without a trace he'd thrown himself into the search and then her truck had been found. Wrecked in a ditch off the highway and with blood in the cabin yet there had been no sign of Bella. He knew the others had begun to believe she was probably dead then and Alice had never had another vision of her but he had clung to the belief that she was alive, somewhere. He was going to the park tonight and he was going to make things right. What did it matter if she wasn't human anymore? Neither was he.

 

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Bella leant against her bike, hands fiddling with her helmet as she waited for the appointed time. Yes she was a good half hour early but she had learnt that being early for possibly life threatening or at least altering events was usually a good thing. She tensed as the park went silent, eyes searching the dark and then she saw him. She swallowed hard and her hands stilled as he glided out from the dark towards he.

 

Edward still looked exactly like the boy that had ripped her apart so long ago but there was something different about him. His eyes were the normal butterscotch so she wasn't worried he'd gone back to eating humans but something was definitely different about her first and only real love.

 

“Bella?” he called softly, hesitantly and she nodded.

 

“Hello Edward.” She answered and suddenly he was in front of her, pulling her into his arms with what sounded like a dry sob.

 

“I thought I'd lost you forever. Alice had a vision but when I got back to Forks you were gone and then they found your truck...” He was practically babbling and holding her tight enough that she'd have bruises for a few minutes. She pushed at his chest and he reluctantly moved back, his eyes locked on her.

 

“Why would you go back? You left me, you said...”

 

“I know and I'm so sorry Bella. I lied to you in the woods. I thought it was best but it wasn't. Please forgive me.” She backed away, frowning in confusion. A lie?

 

“Edward.” A calm voice called and her eyes locked on Carlisle's form as he emerged from the darkness. She swallowed down a choked sob of pain at the sight of the man she once considered a second father. Part of her wanted to run to him, beg him to still love her like a daughter and another wanted to scream at him for abandoning her. She did neither.

 

“Hello Carlisle.” She kept her voice steady and firm as the vampire slowly approached while studying her.

 

“Bella?” He asked. What was it with them and asking that? Surely her scent was still the same? Or had the Quickening changed it? She managed to smile at him.

 

“It's been a while.”

 

“One hundred years and yet...” He trailed off but she didn't finish his sentence, waiting for the others to show up.

 

“Bella!” An excited shout came and then she was being almost crushed by the pixie like vampire.

“I'm so sorry. I've missed you so much!” Alice babbled as she held on tightly.

 

“Alice...air!” Bella gasped and Alice immediately loosened her grip.

 

“Oops. Sorry.” Alice smiled at her and Bella couldn't help smiling back slightly even as Jasper moved forward to reclaim his wife with a small nod of greeting for her.

 

“Hey Bella.” A grinning Emmett emerged and grabbed her up in a bear hug that threatened to crack several ribs. What was it with them and trying to squish her? And why did they all seem so happy to see her? At least Rosalie looked as bitchy as she'd ever been towards her.

 

“Bella.” A soft voice called and Esme was suddenly in front of her. This time she couldn't hold the sob in as cold arms wrapped her in a gentle hug. Bella gripped Esme back as hard as she could, trying to hide the tremors even though she knew Esme could feel them.

“Oh Bella.” Esme whispered sorrowfully.

“What did we do to you?” Bella pulled back and Esme let her.

 

“At the time it would have been kinder if you'd simply killed me.” Bella answered flatly and Esme raised a hand to her mouth in horror.

“You broke me. Charlie and Renee even talked about having me committed to a psych ward for a while.” She continued ignoring Alice's cry of protest.

“Ja....Jacob Black put me back together, he was my own personal sun and then...and then it happened again so I left.” She moved back to lean against her bike, not sure she'd be able to remain standing on her own and deliberately looking at anyone but Edward.

 

“I saw and we looked for you but all that was found was your truck and blood.” Alice told her and Bella nodded. How much to tell? She sighed and then pulled out a knife.

 

“Have you all eaten recently?” She asked and they nodded so she sliced the blade across her palm and then held it up.

 

“BELLA!” Alice and Edward yelled but she shook her head.

 

“Watch.” She ordered and they did so, staring in shock as sparks of blue lightning spread across the wound. Bella wiped her hand off to reveal unmarked skin.

 

TBC...