Black Nebula

Homecoming

As much as I wanted to collapse, I knew there wasn't any need. I wasted enough time as it was the last three weeks. I should have never left, but there was no way I could have stayed though. And even though I knew that, I was still mad at myself to be completely involved in my new life that I forgot about the ultimate threat that made me this way.

My eyes must have screamed panic, because Edward whisked me out the door and into his Volvo. I slipped my cellphone out of my pocket, as he started to drive. I started dialing the number to Charlie's but nobody picked up on his end, and Edward's phone was ringing as well.

"Alice." He listened as she told him about her vision.

"Victoria keeps changing her mind on the best way to get to Charlie. But there is something blocking my vision as to why. It's like there is something keeping her away from him, but I can't tell what."

"What does she mean, she can't tell what?" I asked. I knew her visions were subjective to when a decision was made. But clearly Victoria had one thing on her mind, and that was getting to Charlie. "Can you see Charlie?"

"No, he's vanished. I can't see him at all. This has never happened before, I don't know why I can't see him." I could tell she sounded upset that she wasn't able to help. I'm sure she didn't like that she was essentially blind right now. I didn't like that she couldn't see Charlie either. "We're all coming back to Forks with you."

There was no arguing with Alice. I was sure that Carlisle made arrangements with the hospital to be away, and Esme and Jasper would follow their mate wherever they went. I wasn't sure if Rose and Emmett would be joining them also. Edward knew there was no use in arguing with her also, so he simply closed his phone.

We drove towards the city limits in silence, but as soon as we put some distance between us and Portland, Edward couldn't take it anymore.

"Bella, if you don't mind, could you start at the beginning?"

I shook my head as a signal that I didn't really want to talk about it. "At the beginning, you left. Remember?" I looked out the window now because I didn't want to look at him. Just thinking about the darkest period of my life, I wanted to cry, but there were no tears that could fall down my face. "You left, and took everything I had of you, my pictures, the CD you made me. You took my very heart from me and I was nothing. It was like when you stopped existing in my life, I stopped existing also. I was a moving shell, and the only thing I had to prove to myself that you were real, and that you weren't a dream, was the meadow. So I spent some time, sometimes with Jacob, trying to find my way back. That day I found the meadow, and thank God, it was when Jacob wasn't with me, because Laurent planned on killing me. Edward I was so scared. It was just me and Laurent in the meadow, and he talked of how Victoria came to him in Denali and asked for a favor to bring me to her. He decided I smelled too delicious, and was going to kill me. But these wolves came out of the woods just as he bit into me. Laurent ran and they all ran after him. I crawled, despite the burning and found a log that I crawled into. Two days later, I grabbed some stuff from Charlie's and drove to Denali. I found Alice and Jasper there waiting for me. They, well really Alice, set everything up so that I'd be settled here. And you know the rest."

At that moment, my phone rang, and I saw Charlie's number come up on the I.D. "Bella, are you o.k.?"

"I'm fine dad. I was wondering about you? Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I spend most of my time with Billy at the reservation. He insists that I go fishing with him just about every day. It's the weirdest thing. And I swear Jacob and some of the La Push boys are following me around when I'm not on the res."

"That's good, dad. Listen, I have to go, but I will call again. Okay?" I was glad that he was okay, and even more grateful that he was able to spend most of his time with Billy. I remembered how Jacob healed me once Edward was gone, Billy was doing the same thing for Charlie.