Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m surprised that they left you here all alone,” Came the drawl, so out of the blue Bella thought she imagined it. But with how it broke her out of the daydream instead of pulling her deeper, she froze.

The familiar inhuman cadence causing something inside her to throb angrily.

“With how the angsty one seemed to be so enamored with you, I would have assumed they’d take you with them once they decided to leave town.”

Arms wrapped tightly around her middle as if it were the only thing holding her together, Bella lifted her head and stared.

There standing a few paces away was Laurent, catlike and curious, skin gleaming and gaze-

Golden.

Edward

Don't think, don't think, don't think.

“Your eyes.” She breathed, gaping up at his beautiful face framed by long locs of hair and an air of danger. “They’re uh, different.”

Laurent smiled, looking amused and Bella wanted to kick herself but settled for scrambling up off the ground so she wasn’t simply wide eyed and open mouthed in front of him like an idiot. If she could interact with Rosalie without embarrassing herself then surely she could do this.

Get it together Swan.

“They are.” He nodded, graciously. “Though I can assure you, it hasn’t been the ah, easiest transition.”

The strangled laugh she let out was a testament to her frayed nerves as of late and she was thankful when the grating sound went ignored.

Small mercies.

Focusing outward, Bella watched him for a moment, feeling so close to that indescribable feeling Edward and his family managed to invoke without fail every time she had been around them and she ached.

“You shouldn’t be speaking to him.” The mirage of her lost love muttered and Bella twitched. “It's not safe.”

She ignored him, neck stiff and she saw his ghostly form move on the edges of her vision.

“Bella, please.” He begged, insistent.

She took a step forward.

“So what are you doing here?” She asked, a forbidden sort of excitement brewing in her veins at a piece of the Cullen’s world being here - in Forks - with her. Even after Edward tried so very hard to cut her out of it.

Absolutely unreal.

“Did-” She started, words catching on the knives in her throat and she coughed a bit to clear it. “were you sent?”

Laurent hummed but offered no definitive answer and Bella shut her eyes, jaw working slowly.

Stupid. She chastised, angry at her herself and everyone else. Don’t ask about them.

“No.” He answered her finally - ever so gracious, head cocked. “But I suppose they’ll be pleased that I’ve dropped by regardless.”

Laurent paused, giving her a once over before he clicked his tongue - the noise somehow as elegant as the rest of him. Them.

“Or perhaps not.” He sighed, hand waving through the air, brow furrowed and she blinked. “The point of my visit was to serve as a warning - for them and most definitely for you, considering the methods I’ve known Victoria to take.”

Bella’s whole being stilled, doe brown eyes locked onto two sunspots and she dug her fingernails into her palms.

Dont think dont think dont think don-

She startled, jumping slightly when Laurent let loose a noise of what she assumed was frustration and when she looked up again, he was a few inches away.

Bella was proud when she didn’t flinch.

“They’ve left you here,” He said, not at all malicious - a simple observation - but it cut her all the same. “foolhardy, considering all that you know and could possibly tell.”

Her spine went ramrod.

“Careful.” Edward’s spectre warned and she bristled.

“Never!” She protested vehemently, expression twisting painfully. “I would never endan-”

“The Volturi,” He cut in smoothly and she bled, deeply. “doesn't deal in chance or on the word of a young human girl.”

Something caught in her throat and she wanted nothing more than to spit venom but while that one defensive thing in Bella riled itself at the vampire’s words - another part pulled itself to attention, like a bloodhound.

Laurent noticed.

“Ah, so you have been told of them.” He surmised, amusedly. Wickedly. “Then you also know the risks - and so do the Cullens.”

He gave a lazy smile, and she felt - off. Irritated.

“Do you have something to say?” She couldn’t help but scowl out, chin lifting and if possible, that stupid little delighted smile on his face grew by yards.

“Perhaps I’ve misjudged their affection,” He drawled and she almost swallowed her tongue. “Considering we all saw Victoria’s little vendetta coming from kilometers away, I have to ask myself what exactly they were thinking.”

Bella cut her eyes at him, dark and firm.

“They wouldn’t have left if they knew.” She said and Laurent looked at her. She lifted her chin defiantly. “They wouldn’t have.”

A beat.

And then Bella decided her point had been made.

“Is she coming for me?” The girl asked, voice surprisingly steady despite how very not that she felt and she took strength in it. She had to. “Is Victoria going to hurt my dad?”

He shook his head.

“She’s goal oriented, that one,” Laurent said, long legs carrying him in a half circle around Bella and she twisted herself to follow him, to keep him in her line of sight. “She won’t put him in the line of fire until you make it necessary, be grateful that she is different from James in the ways that truly count.”

It was a release of a burden, sharp, abrupt, and she tried not to struggle with it.

“Thank god.” She breathed, fists trembling and Bella let out a shaky breath. Vision dotting black with relief as her heart drummed in her chest and when she came back to herself, Laurent was staring.

“…What?” Bella spoke, feeling off kilter at the scrutiny and the immortal shook his head.

“You have no sense of self preservation - no survival instinct.” He admonished and Bella felt a spike of that prior irritation flow through her, strong as ever and her eyes narrowed venomously.

told that.

“Well I lasted this long didn’t I?” Bella snapped, arms crossing over her chest. “Only - oops sorry! I actually won't because the Cullens are gone and some vampire with a goddamn revenge boner has something to say! And news flash buddy, it won't be kind fucking words!”

Teeth gritted and expression set in a snarl, astonished tawny eyes met hers and Bella blanched in realization.

Her heart stuttered -

Oh fuck she couldn’t help but think -

A pause and then -

Laughter.

Incredulous gaze catching onto the doubled over immortal, Bella stomped her foot, scowl upon her face.

She didn’t care, he was getting on her nerves!

“I’m serious!” She insisted, face burning as she pushed a strand of hair behind a red tipped ear. “Laure - Hey!”

“I apologize, I apologize!” He soothed placatingly, gloved hand coming up to wipe away an imaginary tear and Bella resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at her. “It's just that, your outburst, it reminds me of someone.”

Bella bit her lip. Curious - always.

“Who?”

A shift of light - and suddenly the world looked different.

A hand was offered and Bella stared, dying inside briefly - in the same way she did when Edward left her, in this very meadow, and her next breath shook.

“Come with me, petit oiseau, to Alaska.” He offered, smirking. “And I can see that she is introduced and that you are safe.”

Their eyes met.

“Consider it the righting of an unintentional wrong.”

A pause, loaded.

She was the first to break.

“I cant.” Bella blurted, feeling more lost than usual at the abrupt fall back into the world Edward had kicked her out of.

She was panicking.

“My dad is here,” She insisted, frantic. Body jittering and her fingers shaking. She curled them into fists. “I can’t just go somewhere!”

Laurent sighed.

“It would not be forever,” He soothed, all silk and Bella bristled. “I assure you-”

“And I said no!” She cut off with a hiss, hands thrown up. “What is with you vampires and not listening to me the first time I say something! Is it some kind of deficiency? A chemical imbalance?”

She looked skyward, searching the clouds for patience that had long since left her.

“We are not going to Alaska.” She stressed firmly, glare firmed in preparation to show just how not going they were but when she looked at him she noticed he was - off.

Tense. Staring behind her with his head tilted all catlike, like something that had its attention caught and Bella felt chilled.

"Is it her?" She asked, afraid to look, afraid to know but the glistening immortal stood frozen.

Until suddenly, he wasn't.

Gasping, Bella clung to whatever she could for balance, tugging harshly on collar of Laurent's jacket from her new perch in his arms but he took no notice, intense stare still looked on the tree line in front of him.

And now consequently, in front of her.

But as Bella's cautious eyes trailed the wood, there wasn't a speck of gleaming red hair in sight.

Her brow furrowed.

"What's going on?" She pressed, anxious. Shaken. "Laurent!"

Bella hit his chest and felt her hand suffer for it but it got her what she wanted.

An answer.

"Something approaches." The vampire hissed, hackles raised and Bella flinched at the violence there. Something both familiar and shockingly different than she was used to. "A heavy foot fall, there's too many to fight alone."

A breathe and suddenly they were deep in the forest, leaving Bella feeling like her heart was in her throat.

Bastard.

"We must hurry." He murmured, body tensing into a crouch and she panicked.

"No!" She shouted. "No! Not Alaska, home! Take me to Charlie!"

Laurent hissed, looking down to glower at her before he jerked, head swivelling to look behind him and that's when she heard it.

Growls. Snarls. Faint for now but growing ever so louder and fear flooded her system like a toxin.

"We will be followed!" He growled. "Our scents linger here!"

"Then take me farther than that - to Seattle! Oregon! Colorado for all I care!" She cried, feeling herself become hysterical. "Just not goddamn Alaska! I can't leave Charlie again!"

He snarled, leaping into the air and they hit the ground with a thud, her body shuddering with the force.

"Then I will take us as far as I need to lose them." He bit out, brow furrowed in irritation and Bella sagged with relief. "Hold on."

This time, she braced herself - but that didn't stop her stomach from dropping straight to the ground.

The wind whistled sharply in her ears, drowning out the rapid fire pounding of her heart she could feel deep in her chest and the breeze on her skin felt almost violent. Savage in the way it bit and scrapped at her entire frame.

Bella craved it.

She wasn't sure how long they ran for, only that when they stopped, standing still made her head light and her body ache. The girl huffed in a gulp of air, dark orbs rolling in their sockets as she collapsed on the cool grass with trembling knees. Pressing her face against the cool grass, Bella groaned, feeling sick and sore in a weird not quite nauseous way that left her reeling.

"It will pass." Laurent's amused voice called out and she curled in on herself with a muffled curse. "The pressure from the air creates the pain and the speed causes the feathery feeling in your pretty little head."

She fervently told him to shut up - to which he laughed - but true to Laurent's word, with time she started to feel better and soon after that she found the will to push herself upright.

Bella glared bayfully at him and his smug little smirk.

"When I ran with Edward it never felt like that!" She accused, ignoring the pang that through her at the memories. "Not once!"

"I’m sure with how invested he was in you, the boy took care to moderate himself." He shrugged and she scowled. "Necessity breeds sacrifice."

"It’s requires."

"I know what I said.” He said, ever smiling and she pinned him with a look before huffing and pointedly glancing away and then around.

There wasn’t a lot of green - or sun - but there was a house and of course, it had glass walls.

Typical.

“Where are we?” She asked, brow furrowed and Laurent drifted closer.

“Colorado.” He answered, sunspot eyes locking onto her frame. “It was one of your suggested states.”

“It was.” She breathed, the adrenaline in her body finally fizzling out and Bella slumped, just a bit before her spine went ramrod and she was up and scrambling to stick her fingers in her pockets.

“My phone!” She mourned, feeling stupid all over again. “I left it in my car - fuck Charlie’s gonna kill me!”

Laurent chuckled, warm like champagne and she rounded on him, hair a windswept mess and eyes murderous.

He put up his hands, surrendering before she could even start up and Bella found herself deflating, a bit pissed that he gave in so easily.

She huffed.

“You haven’t been gone long enough to warrant an investigation.” Laurent soothed and the young girl gave a startled laugh.

“Trust me, right now - any amount of time without contact is a warning bell.” Bella said ruefully, mind flashing back to screaming nightmares and silent despondency. “I need a phone. Please.”

And for a moment the immortal stared and Bella stared back before the moment was broken by a chuckle.

Laurent’s.

“As you wish petit oiseau,” He smiled and Bella yelped loudly when she suddenly found herself inside of a house. Swaying slightly at the vertigo that washed through her body, the girl could feel herself blanch seconds later leading her to dry heave.

“Stop doing that!” Bella gasped angrily as the vampire dis and reappeared with a slim phone in hand.

“Here.” Laurent offered, tone pleasant and she felt bad for snapping at him. “Try not to pass out while on the call, silly little thing.”

And with that he blinked away, leaving Bella with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes.

She took her please back.

Huffing she started dialing Charlie’s number - only realizing she had no idea what to say when it began to ring because she had no idea what her father was thinking.

Was he worried? Had someone reported her truck on the Cullens property?

No - no one went up there but her. She was sure of it.

Fingers sliding into the back pocket of her jeans, Bella nearly bit at her lip a bit too hard when she heard her dad speak. Nervously she laved the throbbing flesh with her tongue, eyeing the spot where Laurent vanished.

“Hello?” Came the familiar rumble. “Chief Swan.”

“Hey dad,” Bella greeted, letting her arm fall and her fingers fidget against her thigh. “I’m calling to let you know I’ll be home in few hours, I’m just picking up something to cook with the rice tonight - I’m thinking steak.”

The sound of papers shifting.

“Aw Bells,” His voice warbled, tiny through the speaker but the tentative smile was evident. “Sounds great honey, I’ll be home later tonight around eight - nine-ish. We can watch the game? Or a movie?”

She hummed, the sound content. A small smile curving her lips.

“The game sounds great dad.” Bella agreed. “I’ll see you then?”

“Sure thing Bells.” More shuffling. “See you tonight kiddo - bye.”

“Bye.”

The line clicked and Bella stared down at the phone for several long seconds before she let out a bone weary sigh, eyes sliding shut.

“No problems?” Laurent’s chipper voice sounded from behind her and she screamed.

“What is wrong with you?” She hissed, annoyed that he managed to get under her skin so effortlessly - it was almost a talent.

“Many, many things Miss. Swan,” He said airly. “And none of them are likely to change, most find it charming even.”

She nearly rolled her eyes in disgust.

“...I’m sure.” Bella begrudgingly agreed, seeing how eager he seemed for a snappy response and felt justified when the immortal all but pouted when she let the dig go. “So...is this your house?”

Dark eyes took in the room, for the first time since speeding into the building and sourly, Bella noted, interior design seemed to be a passion for all vampires.

Everything looked sleek and new - expensive.

“Are all of you just loaded?” She blurted, wide eyes taking in the gigantic glass ceiling that acted as the roof and Laurent laughed.

It was beautiful, like always.

“Usually.” He shrugged, smirk in place. “Though some of us prefer to live archaically - absolutely disgusting.”

“And you dont?” She asked impulsively, thinking of his nomad status and Laurent smirked.  

"I am a creature of comfort." He admitted airly. “Much like your Cullens.”

She tensed, body freezing at the mention - which the immortal seemed to be waiting for, if the sharp look in his gleaming eyes was anything to go by.

“This wasn’t mutual.” He said and though those words were vague - elusive, they somehow managed to peg the entire situation perfectly.

In three stupid words.

Bella could feel tears biting at her waterline and hated herself for it.

“Take me home.” She whispered, stare tumbling to floor and she prepared herself to argue.

That didn’t happen.

“As you wish.” Came his equally quiet response and he moved towards a hallway.

After a few seconds Bella followed him.

Silence dogged their footsteps as they left the house behind, stepping out onto the grass and she stared up into the dusking sky.

“It’ll be dark by the time we get back.” She guessed, looking over to Laurent and the vampire nodded.

Bella blinked and found herself back in his arms, the feeling becoming familiar and the braced herself seconds before Laurent launched himself forward - speeding through over the land without a thought.

The wind whistled sharply once again.

But not as sharply as before.

“There is no rush” He told her, voice cutting through the roar like a beacon - drawing her attention to him and Bella managed to look up in question, meeting gold. “We’ll get there in due time.”

They both heard the promise there.

She nodded, settling herself against his chest as she watched the landscape whip by - but not as harshly as before - and somehow, Bella found herself lulled to sleep.

▪▪▪

She woke to being upright and Bella flinched violently.

“We’re at the edge of the Cullens property.” Laurent’s hushed tones said to her. “You will have to walk through alone - I will be here tomorrow to discuss our plans for Victoria.”

Blearly eyes trailed to him and she nodded once, firmly, to show him she heard.

That she knew he wasn't leaving her.

Not like him.

“Bella please.”

She jerked herself up right, rubbing at her face frantically before she huffed harshly. Slapping her thighs to make her more awake.

Adrenaline, as always, surged and she shivered.

“I”ll see you later.” She croaked, throat dry and with an incline of his head, Laurent vanished.

Bella refused to stare at the spot.

Hurrying quickly, the girl was a bit uneasy at darkness but her learned familiarness with the grounds let her navigate everything mostly with ease - only clipped ankles to slow her down.

By the time she reached her truck she was breathing hard and red cheeked, stubbornly looking down as she fished her keys out of her jacket pocket. With a twist of her wrist, the door opened and Bella clamored inside, locking it behind her with a slam and the nervous ball of anxiety that had been sitting in her stomach since Laurent jetted off, eased.

Biting her lips she wanted to relax into the leather of her seats but the memory of snarls had her cranking up and all but peeling out of the driveway.

She tried not to glance into the surrounding wood as she drove, foot itching to speed but Bella knew better than to draw the attention of the things from earlier.

After all, she was almost sure they hadn’t seen them. If they had Laurent would have sped them to the pole regardless of her protests.

She released a breath and pulled into a mom&pop butcher shop, picking up steak like Charlie was now expecting and hurried home.

Bella cut off the ignition once she was in her driveway, hauling herself out of her truck to her door where she fumbled with her keys, dropping them and it was when she bent down that she heard it.

The sound of twigs snapping.

She froze, fingers hovering over the metal ring on the stone below her and with a swallow, Bella picked it up, sliding her key in the lock and stepping quickly into the house.

It hardly felt safe enough.

Chapter Text

Bella awoke with the sun beaming angrily into one half of her room.

Body frozen and covered in sweat, the breath locked deep in her throat loosened after a moment and finally Bella could move . She almost hurt herself with how she launched herself up and away - practically vaulting from her bed in panic.

The dream of red hair and hungry eyes dogged her hurried steps to the bathroom.

The water rushing from the tap was loud in the quiet of what she could only assume was daybreak but her panicked gasps shattered the peaceful serene perfectly. The trembling noises seemed even louder as she struggled to suppress them, her face going red and her chest heaving with well practiced restraint.

Don't wake up Charlie. Don't wake up Charlie.

She'd done that enough for two lifetimes anyways, all those nights spent screaming.

Bella swallowed, the faint burn of embarrassment tasting bitter going down but well, there was nothing to do about it now besides make sure it didn't happen again.

For everyone's peace of mind.

She sighed, closing her eyes for only a second before the images of dream Victoria started dancing across the black of her lids and Bella resigned herself to staring at her sorry reflection in the mirror.

She looked tired . Skin pallid, bags forming under her eyes and there was no doubt her unexpected run in with Laurent didn't help.

"I'll be here tomorrow to discuss our plans for Victoria."

At least - not in the looks department.

He promised he wasn't going to leave and she had no reason to think otherwise.

She also had no reason to believe him either . Edward loved her and he still left. ( Vampires were fickle)

"Bells, school in forty-five!" Her father shouted, breaking his daughter from her internal reverie and said girl groaned low in her throat. Sinking down to her knees, Bella pressed her forehead against the cold granite of the sink and despaired .

She couldn't go directly to Laurent, she had to go to goddamn class first.

If she were a vampire she wouldn't have to worry about her education considering she'd have all the time in the world for it.

If she were a vampire Edward wouldn't have left her considering she wouldn't be something as weak as human.

"Getting ready!" Bella answered, forcing the words out before her throat closed up entirely.

She sucked in a breath, harsh and whistling as she forced herself up from the floor, hands going for the toothbrush and tube of crest resting in their holders.

Wiping her mouth clean Bella turned on her heel and went back into her bedroom, where the wash of daylight clung to her painted walls and she didn't feel like she was suffocating.

Almost.

Bella shook her head, fingers running through waves until they caught on tangles and she grunted, yanking through the knots until her scalp smarted and she rubbed at the tender skin with a frown.

"A brush would have also worked." She grumbled, moving towards her dresser pulling out a pair of jeans and shirt - blue and black respectively - and Bella tossed them onto her bed, stripping down.

Eight hours.

She only had to survive eight hours until Laurent.

Bella could do that, she'd been making it through the day with less to look forward to until Jake -

Her heart stuttered. Thumping erratically in her chest, painful like.

Jake.

And she still didn't know what to do - about him and Sam and the newfound distance that hurt .

...Fuck.

Sitting down on the edge on her bed with her face buried in her hands was a great way to start the day. Very productive Bella .

She rubbed at her temples, mind roiling and released the air squirming in her lungs slowly.

Victoria right now was the bigger issue - no matter how worried she was about him (no matter how listless she was again without him here) and Bella wouldn't bring her focus down on anyone in the rez. She had already put Charlie on the immortal's radar and she'd never be forgiving herself for that one already.

So he could keep on ignoring her. It was fine.

It would be fine, she'd make sure of it.

Maybe.

Probably.

Hopefully.

She groaned pitifully, rubbing hard at the soft of her eyes until they ached before standing - blue jeans pulled neatly over her legs soon after and she snapped the button closed with a slight push of her thumb.

Bella moved towards the hallway, black shirt dragged over her head with a messy tug as she narrowly avoided colliding with the doorframe and down the stairs.

"Two left feet." Came Charlie's chuckle as she finally righted herself and Bella shot her dad a look, part amused and mostly annoyed.

"Got it from you." She said, moving further into the room on shaky 'I almost fell' legs and towards the kitchen. "So I wouldn't be so quick to make fun."

There was a plate of jam covered toast waiting for here with a single sunny side up egg and Bella's lips twitched a smile as she slid the protein onto the bread and took a bite.

"Thanks dad." She said, after swallowing, moving towards the door - hand reaching down as she passed the table to swing her book bag over a thin shoulder, its thud reassuring. "You're heading to the station soon right?"

"Sure am, Bells." He smiled, brown eyes beaming at her and she nodded, grabbing a jacket from the rack with her breakfast free hand.

"Tell everyone I said hi then." She smiled as she pulled the door open. "I'll see you later tonight, me and Angela are gonna hang out after school."

Liar Liar.

"See you!" Came Charlie's reply as she exited the house with a twist of her key in the lock and Bella slowly let out a breath.

Moving towards her truck, she pulled it open and slid inside - and soon she was off.

Truck humming silently around her Bella let the drive come second nature.

And suddenly a thought bloomed.

She could skip her school day.

Doe colored eyes slid to the left where the turn up for the Cullens’ would eventually appear and she hummed.

She could call in sick, no one would try to confirm with Charlie or question her, all things considered and she could go straight to Laurent.

“ Please Bella ” Edward’s phantom begged from the passenger seat and her grip tightened painfully on the steering wheel. “ Be reasonable, he’s dangerous. ”

“Skipping school it is.” She murmured, staring hard through the windshield as she jerked the wheel to the side, taking the familiar turn effortlessly. “I’ll call out once I get there.”

Laurent had a cell she could use. If he let her hold it last time, he will again.

Hopefully.