I listened intently for the simple brush of ferns against ones legs, or even the sound of subtle footsteps, to announce the arrival of the remainder of my family, but all that could be heard, or perceived was the whisper of an undetectable wind and the impatient tapping of my sister, Alice, as her frustration became physical.

I shot her a look of irritation, as her thoughts portrayed her agitation with no remorse - my family members were all aching for the upcoming battle for some insane reason. I understandably didn't share their enthusiasm.

I couldn't understand how they could risk their mate's safety just for pleasure even though it was necessary to save Esme. They were all blessed enough to have met their second half, while I, stuck on the other hand of this fateful game, didn't have that same luxury, having not met her yet. If I ever met her, then I would protect her with my life, although the chances of me finding her now were limited. If I couldn't find the right woman for me in an agonizingly lonesome century, then my chances were evidently doomed. It didn't really benefit my outlook on life - my family encouraged me to live a little more, as my dejected moods perturbed their blissful ones.

The only comfort I had now, or ever, were them and my music - which I sometimes loved to combine by composing songs for all of them. I longed for the day when I could compose one for my beloved, but knew that, that time would never arrive. The only people that I could protect at the moment were my family, and so far, I had fulfilled that duty perfectly. Today, however, was going to be difficult, as it was my fault that we were all here and that all of us, especially Esme, were in danger.

It wasn't Alice who convinced Esme to visit her old birthplace on her anniversary. It wasn't Jasper who insisted that Esme go alone with Carlisle to show him the place that she had been brought up in. It wasn't Emmett who hadn't recognized Charles Evenson, when he had turned up at our door, and then told him all about Esme's life in the past ninety years when he inquired about it, it wasn't Rosalie who gave Charles the directions to where Esme and Carlisle were staying so that he could easily locate them and it definitely wasn't Esme who put herself in danger - although she could protect herself, it wasn't enough in this case. It was all me and I wouldn't let anyone else shoulder the blame when they didn't deserve it. I was totally at fault and despite everyone's protests, they knew that it was true.

Somehow Charles had been transformed into a vampire a couple of decades back and had formed a crazy infatuation for Esme, and wouldn't let her escape without an endless fight. Charles had gone to the extreme now and had formed an army to finish us all off, so that he could have Esme as his own whether, she complied or not. So, here we all were, preparing to fight back, in order to maintain the safety which we used to have. I still couldn't shake off the feeling of dread which weakened my very core as I thought about the fight and its dangers.

"You ready to face those newborns?" Emmett asked me conversationally.

"Yeah," I lied smoothly. Lying came to me naturally, as it should after one hundred and nine years of acting on it when necessary, and Emmett wouldn't notice the difference in any case.

"Well good, because I hear the others coming," Emmett informed me with a grin, as I instantly swept the forest in search for them - I could hear their thoughts before I could see their enthused faces, but their words alone were enough.

"The newborns have nearly arrived," Carlisle told us, once we were in sight of each other. I nodded, knowing this information before he had even informed me of it.

"Don't forget my training. With more of them and less of us, we have a great disadvantage," Jasper murmured.

"Ha, this will be easy." Emmett snorted, and I knew that nothing could dissipate his mood. Not even a gruesome battle with lives lost.

Unless one of us died, that is.

"Watch it guys, I can hear the newborns!" I exclaimed, dropping into a crouch instinctively. They all followed suit and began considering possible strategies in their heads, so that they were as prepared as possible. I, however, searched for the newborns in the incessant gloom of the forest, and tore forward when they entered my peripheral vision. They all looked delighted to slash and tear us apart, so guillotining the first one's head off with no mercy took no toll on my conscience. I dodged skilfully, as some of the others attempted to decapitate me. I eyed a female in the corner of the shadows who was out of anyone's view but mine, and I believed that the reason for her strange non-conflict was due to the fact that she were coming up with a tactic to kill us, or all her other plans had failed. However, when I ran over to kill her and end her plans before they could be formed, the figure slid to the murky ground and sunk her face in her hands as if she were surrendering - I feared the dominant emotion on her innocent face.

I hesitated, stunned by her absolute beauty, as she finally looked up. Her striking eyes appraised me with outstanding shock, and began to sob despondently, her body wracking with them as if she had completely given up on everything. I was so touched with pity by her sobs and peculiarly innocent expression, that I forgot all about the battle, all about my family, all about who this girl was really supposed to be - the enemy.

I focused just on her.

I couldn't seem to keep my eyes off her long, dark, luxuriant, brown hair, her startlingly deep crimson eyes as they stared impenetrably into mine, her perfectly proportioned and trembling lips, her frightened and curled up figure and I couldn't stop listening to the heartbreaking echoes of her sobs as they consumed my every thought.

I tried to read her thoughts to see if there were more than the obvious reasons for her sorrow, but I couldn't even hear a whisper. For some unknown reason to me, her thoughts were silent, causing me to become even more intrigued by her than I already was. There was no way that I could kill her now. I would first die before laying one hand against her. I couldn't understand why I was so instantly protective of her, but I just knew that I had to be.

The answer would be revealed later, and for now that was enough.

"Please don't kill me. I didn't want to be here, I didn't want to fight. I don't want to die, especially at your hand, I don't want to die," she chanted, rocking back and forth against the accommodating tree and making no move to attack me.

"You don't have to," I told her softly, to my surprise and hers. "If you don't want to fight then I won't kill you. I don't want to kill you."

"You don't? Why? We…we tried to kill your family," she said incredulously, her sobs thankfully decreasing as she discovered that my intention was not to end her life.

"I don't know," I answered her with utter frustration, but softened my expression, when I saw that she appeared frightened, thinking I was going to turn on her.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I can't." And it was true; I couldn't hurt this woman who was comparable to an angel. It would be murder, a great sin if I did so.

"I won't hurt you either. I never wanted to fight," she whimpered.

"It's all right, I know you won't," I consoled her, holding out my hand in offering. She stared at it for a minute before accepting it, with a chance of a smile coming on. As she took it, I felt an electric current pulse through us and we both gasped quietly. With that one touch I knew why nothing mattered to me anymore. It was like the werewolves legend of imprinting but more potent. Not only had I felt something from this girl the second that I saw her but now that I had touched her the world had shifted and suddenly I would do anything for her, everything for her. I didn't even know her name yet I would die for her. Willingly and almost gladly in fact it seemed. I grasped her hand tighter with this revelation and stared into her eyes like they were my only salvation. She stared back desperately, as if she had experienced the same revelation.

If she broke eye contact, then I would suddenly disappear.

"What is your name?" I asked her politely, trying to not let my curiosity portray my adoration.

"Isabella, but everyone calls me Bella. Or everyone I did know, used to," she amended. What a fitting name for her, a better one could not have been chosen. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I knew that her attraction for me would never change regardless of how many times I looked at her or was in her presence.

"I'm Edward." I smiled at her warmly.

"Edward," she murmured in awe, a small smile slowly forming on her anxious face.

"You don't have to be a part of this anymore. You can come with me; you don't have to be with Charles anymore. You're safe now. You're safe now," I soothed her, rubbing circles into her tense hand, which promptly relaxed, as if my touch were an antidote to all her fear.

"You…you were supposed to be my enemy but I feel safer with you then I ever have with anyone else…it's not supposed to be that way but I can't help feeling like this," she confessed, clutching my hand more tightly.

"You should feel safe. I won't let my family hurt you, I won't let Charles hurt you and I won't hurt you. I would never hurt you," I promised; and then without warning she collapsed into my arms, sobbing into my shoulder desolately. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her waist, as she dry-sobbed, and I was pleased to find the notion natural, as if I were meant to do this. Even just holding her or being in her presence seemed natural.

I'm sorry…You were supposed to kill me and your family will….I'm sorry…I'm sorry," she gasped repeatedly before wrapping her arms around my body in an iron hold, as if she were staking her claim on me.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault that you got involved in all of this." I rubbed her back consolingly to discontinue her sobs. There were no more words between us, just a profound connection which could neither be penetrated nor weakened.

Edward, I heard Alice call out to me from a few meters away. What are you doing over there in the shadows? We've killed them all but Charles escaped while we killed his army. We'll deal with him later... I made no movement and continued to hold Bella in my arms as she released all her sorrows. It felt right.

Edward, she repeated and then made her way over to us when I didn't respond. For once in an eternity I saw Alice as a threat and swept Bella behind me, a snarl escaping my lips as she advanced on us. Bella whimpered quietly behind me and I took a protective stance in front of her so that she would feel at ease and I could protect her if necessary.

Edward, watch out. There's one behind you! Alice thought urgently, pointing at Bella and causing me to snarl in response.

"You can't hurt her. I won't let you!" I said fiercely. Alice's eyes glazed over in surprise and she unexpectedly gasped, before bouncing up and down with enthusiasm at a vision that she had seen. I relaxed my stance, having read her mind and realizing that her intentions weren't sinister. I abruptly froze in shock as I watched a variety of visions flit across her mind, and watched intently as one became rock solid.

Bella was walking down an aisle bordered with flora at Twilight, wearing an intricately designed white wedding gown, her eyes a glistening topaz and a smile of pure exultation on her face with mine a mirror image of hers.

The vision ended and I looked at Alice with undisguised astonishment in my eyes.

"It's a bit early," I muttered, when she said nothing, as if I was irritated by the vision, but on the inside I was soaring. No matter how early it was, I had found my other half. I had found the one that was destined for me, the one that would make me laugh, the one that would cause me intense joy, the one that I would love for eternity and the one that would reciprocate that love.

I had found her, my Bella.

"Hi, I'm Alice," Alice introduced herself to Bella, who visibly flinched at her close proximity.

"Alice won't hurt you," I assured her with an encouraging smile. She looked from my face to Alice's, and then back again, before stepping without a word into my slightly outstretched arms, hiding her face in my chest.

I don't think she'll trust anyone for a while, Alice thought sadly, wanting to be her close confidant already.

"What about me then?" I questioned. She seemed to trust me, in fact she seemed to more than trust me, but I couldn't think about that right now. Not when I could be wrong. Despite the vision Alice had, she may not feel something for me. The thought made me feel empty inside and I quickly dismissed it before it could take over.

You're different. You're her mate, her salvation. You saved her from a life that she hated living and if it weren't for you then she would have died.

Shuddering at the thought, I wrapped my arms tightly around her, and buried my face into her lavish hair. Her scent, like her beauty, was one of the most alluring things that I had ever known. She smelt like freesia and strawberries, a scent that I could spend all day inhaling, were I so inclined.

Aww, you guys are so cute together.

"Edward. Alice," I heard Carlisle say urgently, from somewhere close by. For once in my long lifetime I felt genuine fear, as I saw Alice freeze with trepidation, as a vision entered our minds. The fear wasn't for me though - it was for Bella.

"It's the Volturi," she whispered."They're coming."