Phase
Restraint

"Don't let me down; don't let me down.
Don't let me down; don't let me down.
I'm in love for the first time, don't you know it's gonna last.
It's a love that lasts forever; it's a love that has no past."
"Don't Let Me Down" The Beatles

Edward's acute ears must have heard it. How could they not? The sound of the love of his life crowing his name helplessly, as if she were being murdered, or attacked. At least, that was what I hoped. One of the brothers held me tight in his arms and began to run with me, at a slower pace than Joseph had taken me however many hours earlier.

Out of nowhere, I felt my captor's hard lips against mine, parting as I felt his hot breath against my mouth. I writhed against his hold on me, panic now shooting up to the red area in my head.

"Bella!" Edward shouted back, and he sounded alarmingly close. My captor swore loudly as he pulled away. His free hand fiddled with the buttons on my blouse, and I screeched again. "Carlisle!" Came Edward's voice again, and unnecessary breaths came easier into my lungs when he was around.

In the dim moonlight, I was suddenly aware that Asher was the one carrying me and murmuring various phrases in Russian. He lowered his lips to mine again, and reached for my shirt once more, and I struggled and struggled against his vice grip.

And then something exploded into the long field we were running away from—a silhouetted figure letting out a wicked snarl of hatred. Edward. Everything went vertical as Asher suddenly fell out from underneath me. A sigh of relief whooshed out from between Edward's teeth when he caught me and he placed me behind him, standing protectively in front of me.

Without hesitating, I wrapped my arms around his waist and stuck my face into his back, inhaling his scent. "Edward," I exhaled, feeling as if I would fall over.

"I love you," he turned and told me quickly his face a massacre of hatred and agony, but he then pivoted and faced Asher.

"Well, well, well," Asher chuckled, shaking his head as he looked from Edward to me. "Precious."

Carlisle appeared on my left, and Esme beside him. In moments, Emmett was directly behind Edward, right in front of me, holding his brother's arms like his life depended on it. Jasper was standing in front of them by inches. Alice took my right hand and Rosalie brought up the rear.

Asher's expression changed drastically.

"If you make another offensive move against our family in any way, shape, or form, I can safely say that you will regret it." Carlisle said, though I could tell by his clenched fists that he was anything but. His voice was level, but I could hear the slight tremble of anger beneath it. "We mean you no harm, but you've attempted to kidnap Bella from us. We are not afraid to fight, but we do not wish to."

Asher's top lip curled away from his teeth, and he backed away from us, turning his back and fleeing.

There was a howl from Edward and he took off after him, a race that Asher was bound to lose.

"Emmett!" Carlisle yelled, and Jasper and Emmett went to leap on top of Edward—I put up a force field and Edward ran headlong into it, stopping and looking forward, perplexed. Emmett and Jasper seized the opportunity to jump him then.

Alice cringed. "Good call, Carlisle… if he'd killed him, the future was not too bright." She looked at me with worry.

I ignored her. "Edward!" I cried, and shoved Jasper and Emmett out of the way to put my face in Edward's view. "Calm down, Edward. I'm all right… I'm alive, nothing's wrong." His beautiful face was twisted up in anger, and it frightened me. "Please, Edward… calm down, please, please."

The moment my tone changed to begging, Edward's anger seemed to have flushed away and he was sitting up, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "Bella," he breathed, and I sighed and settled farther into his embrace.

"Yes?" I mumbled pleasantly, not lifting my head up from his chest.

"What…" he trailed off quietly and sucked in a deep breath. "What did they do to you?"

The torture in his voice was so thick that it felt like molasses in my hair, seeping from his parted lips. His grip around me was deathly, like he'd never let me go again.

"Nothing," I whispered back, keeping my tone as honest as I could.

"Dammit, Bella!" Edward growled in my ear. Normally, he would've pulled me back at an arm's length, but he was still quivering, holding me tight to his chest without any evidence that he was going to let me go.

"Nothing," I repeated, louder this time. "He kissed me," I spat, and then literally followed up on the action. "He tried to unbutton my shirt."

I looked down, buttoned the three buttons he'd managed to undo, and looked back up. "But that was it," I clarified. "I spent most of my time in a dusty shack. It was small… maybe the size of my bedroom back at home."

I felt myself cringe at the word 'home.'

"And?" Edward questioned, signifying for me to continue. He pulled me away now, obviously quite hesitant, but he studied my face with admiration.

"It was just me and that Joseph character… the one who got away with me. He could mimic any ability around him, which was how he was invisible to get away with me. I managed to start perfecting my ability… as you saw earlier," I grinned. "That's what you ran into a few minutes ago."

A funny expression crossed his face then… one I didn't recognize.

Jasper let loose a quite audible gasp, staring intently at Edward. Alice was practically welded to him, fitting perfectly into his side. "Edward Cullen actually feels… envy?"

Emmett gasped, too, staring from Jasper to Edward to me.

"Of… me?" I asked, shocked.

Edward's face went blank. "No," he defended childishly.

"Oh, you so do!" Emmett interrupted, laughing. "You're soooo jealous of Bel—"

"Nice reunion and all," Esme put in quietly, smiling at her complete family, "but should we get out of here? What if he comes back with that coven of his—"

"Certainly," Carlisle piped up. "Let's run, and find a safer place. Possibly back to Maine, as we did so long ago?"

Edward and Alice nodded, so I agreed.

That was when I realized how ravenously thirsty I was.

"Edward?" I asked, my voice strained, and I suddenly realized how weak I felt.

"Bella?" His voice was worried immediately. "You lied to me," he accused. "He did do something to you—I can tell, but you insist upon keeping it from me—"

"I'm thirsty," I gasped out, and looked through the clearing eagerly.

Instantly, he grabbed my hand and dragged me through the woods. "Edward, wait." I tugged on his hand sharply and he turned around. "I can smell their blood like you can smell a human's. And I need… to learn how to hunt on my own."

The look on his face alerted me that if he could blanch, he would've. "Bella, I don't know—"

"Edward, I'm a vampire now." I sounded the word out obviously, hoping he'd catch my point. "No animal in this forest is going to be able to hurt me. I'm thirsty, I was just held hostage for a good day or something. I'll hunt, and then we'll leave. You can even supervise if you'd like."

He grinned at my teasing voice. "Fine."

Smiling in satisfaction, I twirled, my hair fanning out behind me, and kicked up my heel as I stalked into the dark forest.

I hunted quickly but thoroughly, and Emmett told me he was very proud of the instincts that I seemed to have been reborn with. It was an odd compliment, but I took it all in stride. I wasn't exactly the most normal—…person that you could encounter.

The run was long and easy—I understood now what Edward meant about danger not being a factor. Comfort was also in the fact that even if I did run into a tree, I would plow over it unharmed.

I had enough time to worry about the possibility of vampires getting splinters and then we were there, already in Maine, staring at endless forests blanketed with a thin white layer of snow, which I noticed now was still falling from the sky.

My nose wrinkled up. "Snow?"

Though I'd never liked the snow before, I now almost respected it—it was crystalline, cold, and individual from all the others… just like Edward.

As I noticed this, my eyes flashed up to Edward, who was wearing his "I-wish-I-could-read-your-mind-right-about-now" pouty face. I looked down, hiding a blush that would never return, and his finger found my chin.

"That blush," he murmured, studying my face with his gorgeous topaz eyes. "There's nothing quite like it, is there?"

"Was," I muttered back, sad now. "There was nothing like it."

"Well, you still react as if it were there," he teased. "I'd say that's as good as anything."

Then, something cold and mushy came in contact with my head; sounding like a missile as it came soaring in my direction.

Edward had enough time to growl, bend over to pick up a small pile of snow, and stand up, and then another snowball from Emmett smashed into the side of his face.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Jasper shouted, and I ducked for cover.

Yay! Angsty angst over… for now.

I've started another chapter fic; it's just a short story though. It's about Charlie, and how jealous he is of Bella and Edward's relationship, and how he falls in love with a new chick in Forks. Ooo la laaaa.

Ummm... what else. OH! This song by the Beatles is one of my all-time faves, probably second to A Day in the Life and Eleanor Rigby. :D

Reviews, please! (:

OH -- AND WHO ELSE IS HATING TANYA'S GUTS CAUSE OF THE QUOTE OF THE DAY!? "Ah, Edward, I've missed you" or WHATEVER. She's a FUCKING MANEATER, THAT'S WHAT SHE IS.

Rawr.