Chapter 1

"You'll never see us again; it will be as though we never existed." He stated easily even as my mind rushed to comprehend what it would mean for my unofficial family of vampires to disappear from my life and how badly it would hurt. Like they had never existed? Could he possibly know how he and the impact of his family has changed my life for the better?

His cold lips pressed into my hair one last time as tears began rolling down my cheeks and my breath began speeding up. This is his goodbye? Telling me it won't work out between us, that he doesn't love me in the middle of the woods? Tears continued rolling down my cheeks as I realized I knew it would come to this from the beginning; it had always been too good to be true. Our circles were just too different, he was too perfect and I was too plain.

Yet even though I know I can't have him, I want him. Until this point he made me feel wanted, he brought me into his family, even with all of the dangers and the rules of nature it was breaking by us simply being around each other for what I thought was mutual enjoyment.

He then turns away from me and disappears into the shadows. It's so sudden that it takes me a few seconds before I start moving forward stumbling over the undergrowth even as I push forward in the direction he ran off in, calling out his name. Rain was now dropping heavily onto my head and shoulders as the leaves above me had reached their limit of holding the water droplets they had already caught.

Not even caring about my direction or how wet and dirty my clothes were becoming, I continue forward, my voice slowly becoming hoarse from my pleas for him to come back, to give a mere whisper of his direction, to run back and apologize for agreeing to play such a mean prank on me at Emmet's urging...to come kill me as I should have been killed any number of times last year... I sink to the ground, my calls and pleas slowly decreasing in volume as I give myself over to my tears, weariness and despair.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days may have passed without me knowing, but my mind and awareness was called back to the present by something... Movement; not a large amount but enough that I slowly wake up a small amount. My clothes are soaked as bad as they would be if I had jumped into a pool with them on. The chill of the water and air didn't affect my skin in a shocking way since my skin had already reached the same temperature having been wrapped in the cold and wet clothing for so long.

The movement that had awoken me however came from two warm arms that slipped under me and lifted me from the ground. My body instinctively snuggled closer as the warmth began spreading through my clothes and into my mostly frozen limbs. My eyes flutter partially open as sleep tries to reclaim me once more, the warmth beginning to make me comfortable and relax some at the inherent safety it seemed to offer. I fight back the feeling of sleep as best as I can and, through my barely parted eyes, I see a mop of dark and wild hair that partially covered a pair of stunning eyes that almost shine out into the darkness. I try to open my mouth to say something, but I only manage to take a breath before my eyes close once more and sleep reclaims me.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"It will be as though we never existed…"

"Farewell Bella."

The shadowed figure turns and runs away, I give chase and while I am able to keep up, I can't gain any ground. Deep darkness surrounds me on every side and only the shimmer of light from his body allows me to see him still before me. Suddenly he stops and turns to face me, eyes alight with red tinted malice as he looked me over, a twisted smile marring his beautiful face.

"You were never good enough for me. You could never exist in my world. I don't want you."

Air comes ripping through my throat as I rocket forward, sitting up from my bed. After a half second I gain control over myself and cut off the scream that had so quickly destroyed the silence that had been lingering in my room. Two pair of footsteps pound up the stairs and I hear as my door hits the wall hard from being opened harshly but not caught before it swung all the way open.

"Bella!" My dad's face comes into focus as he gets closer to my bed and my eyes clear from the dream. He sits on the bed and touches my cheek softly after pushing some of my hair out of the way. He looks intently into my eyes, searching for anything that might explain what was going on. After a moment he quickly draws his hand away with a hesitant look, he had never been one for showing much emotion. The hand moved to my shoulder and rested there gently.

"It's just a nightmare, Bells. Glad to see you've gotten some of your color back. You looked like a corp... Like you...I...I thought..." Never before seen, by me at least, tears formed in his eyes and I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around him and coughed uncomfortably. I wasn't one for much emotion either, especially after...this.

"I-" I cough to clear my throat after my failed attempt at speaking, "I'm fine, dad." My voice sounds hollow even to me as I say it. If I didn't feel so numb, I might be upset with Edward at killing me more effectively than James could have with his venom.

I look over Charlie's shoulder from where my head was resting and try to place a name with the face of the person I saw standing near the door. I had been in Forks for a year now and could at least recognize any of the faces I saw, but not this person. Surely Charlie wouldn't let some stranger into our house... unless he was the one that found me, but the young man standing before me didn't have dark, wild hair or deep green eyes like the person that found me…or was that just a dream?

The young man stiffened slightly and gave me a forced smile. It was the kind of response...he would have after hearing something from his siblings he didn't like and didn't want me to know about. The kinds of things Alice would usually tell me about afterwards anyways.

I continued looking at him and didn't notice Charlie beginning to get uncomfortable at the continued hug. He pulled away after a few more moments and caught me looking at the other occupant standing near the door.

"Bella, this is Harry. He had been going for a walk to stretch his legs after a long drive from Denver and found you. We were searching for you about the same time and he heard our shouts and carried you to where we were. By the way, what the heck do you think you were doing so far out into the woods. Didn't I tell you to stay out of them? Multiple times?"

Pain and tears filled my eyes as I looked at the sheets and comforter on my bed as my thoughts went back, again, to the reason I was out there. Charlie wrapped a soothing arm around my shoulders and apologized, "You had me worried, Bells. None of your friends had seen you, I couldn't get a hold of the Cullen's and then I was told from the Hospital that they had left town and it was a couple hours after dusk. We were out there searching for an hour before Harry showed up. He said you were passed out on the ground. Bells, what happened?" He said half frantically as he probably began reliving his fears during the search part of the way through talking. I looked at him, feeling numb even more than when I had first showed up and I saw Charlie visibly flinch at the look on my face, I saw it slightly mirrored in his irises and I could see a blank, almost dead look on my face.

Harry shifted in my peripheral and he coughed slightly, "Chief Swan? It is probably best if we let her get some more sleep. Let her body start building back up its strength. Being cold that long will probably mess with her immune system; she needs to get her rest and energy back up so that this doesn't last longer than it needs to." Harry said softly. His hand seemed to twitch slightly and I felt the wave of sleepiness wash over me again. He moved forward and held out a teacup I hadn't seen when he came in.

"I've found drinking hot tea before I sleep sometimes keeps me from dreaming when I need to get a full night of rest." He said as the cup of tea was now in my reach. Tiredly, I reach up and take the warm cup from him and take a few sips. It was sweetened just right and the tea wasn't too strong. My eyes continued to droop more and more, I feel him take the cup from me as Charlie helps me lie back on the bed and then he pulls the covers up to my shoulders. Charlie smoothed out the sheets and then leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly before patting my shoulder and standing back up.

My eyes close fully and I fight for a few more moments to keep from sleep. I hear the two move towards my door and just before I fully go to sleep I hear Harry's voice state softly, "Sleep well, Bella."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The next time I woke the sky was just beginning to lighten outside my partially drawn curtains. The first thing I realized as I sat up was I did not have any dreams during my sleep, none that I could remember at least. I was very relieved and felt relaxed...until the memories rolled around and the numbness came rushing back. I looked around my room and saw my dad slumped over, snoring lightly, in the chair he would always sit in during visits. I let out a heavy sigh and started to move my blankets off of me to get out of bed until I heard a soft knock on my door.

"Come in." I said softy so as not to wake my dad. The door opened slowly and Harry stepped into the room with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"I must say, it is very strange being in a stranger's house for a couple days straight when I've only known them for the couple days I've been in the house." He joked quietly, "Your dad told me to make myself at home, one again, really weird feeling, so I made some more tea. Thought you might like some?" He said while holding out another cup with warm tea steaming slightly in it. I reach out and take the offered cup from him. He then motioned to a portion of my bed near my feet, "May I?" He asks and, after receiving my nod, he eases himself onto the bed silently, looking out the uncovered part of window.

The silence that developed between us is surprisingly comfortable even though we know nothing about each other. My eyes trail around the room before fixing on my father. It looked like there were bags under his eyes and that sleeping position couldn't be good on his neck.

Seemingly knowing my thoughts, Harry speaks up, "He hasn't left the room for anything other than to use the restroom. That was one of the main reasons I took him up on his offer to stay. The other was he tried to make dinner the first night and whether it was because he was distracted or he's just that bad at cooking, I didn't prefer to have him end up needing a trip to the hospital because of some poorly cooked food." A slight smile creeps across my face; thinking about my dad's cooking...abilities, or disabilities maybe. Disastrous is one of the nicer descriptions for it.

I started to speak and while my throat is scratchy and rough, the tea helped to where I was understandable, "He's always been dreadful at cooking according to mom. Even back before my parents got married, and from what I saw the first week and a half back with him, getting divorced didn't help him get any better." I said wryly. "I love him to death though, bad cooking or not."

Harry gave me a soft smile, "He seems like a great man from the times I have gotten to speak with him. He has been so worried about you, especially when you didn't wake up the first day after we brought you back home. He called in a nurse from the hospital and calmed down some when she told him your vitals were normal and that you most likely just needed some sleep to recuperate and as I said, he hasn't left the room for more than a few minutes."

I gasp softly, "How long have I been sleeping?" I ask in concern, Charlie, while he didn't show it outwardly very often, could be a very caring person and I knew he worked extra hard to take care of me.

"Just a couple days. Two and a half technically since we brought you back Friday evening, so it's a 'Happy Monday Morning' to you." He said with a sarcastic and blatant false cheeriness to his voice, "Not sure about you, but I always used to dread Monday mornings, especially when I woke up this early."

I groan, "If I pretend that I'm still sleeping, would you rat me out or let my dad think I hadn't woken up yet so I don't have to go to school today?" I ask him.

He chuckles lightly, "How about we tell him that you have woken up so he won't still be worried about you as much and ask if he'll let you take the day off? You would like that a little better anyways, wouldn't you Chief Swan?" Harry asked as he turned to look at Charlie who caught my eye as he started moving around while waking up slowly. His eyes snapped open as Harry finished the question and he locked onto my face. Concern and relief washed over his features as he hopped up from the chair.

"Bella!" He exclaimed as he made his way over. His eyes flicking to Harry for a moment, "I've told you, Harry, call me Charlie." Charlie got to the side of my bed and gave me a hug, "Glad to see you're finally awake Bells." He said with a slightly strained smile on his face. He was tired and it was showing clearly in his eyes and on his face.

There was a silence between the three of us before Harry began moving towards the door, "Charlie, how about you come lock the door behind me and you and Bella take the day off? You need to catch up on your rest, Bella here needs to adjust to being among the living again and I have to go take care of the last pieces of enrolment for school before it starts and then find a house around here to live in after school ends."

I allow my eyes to flash over to him as he stressed the word 'living' but decided to brush it off as he continued on without much pause or consideration.

"You and Bella are cool and all, but I can only couch surf so much while riding the dream waves, not that I'm not appreciative of the hospitality, but all the same. A good bed beats most couches six times out of ten, though I have found some really nice couches before." He said with a smirk.

I tilt my head in confusion while Charlie laughs softly and shakes his head, "Only if you will come back sometimes to cook. Bells is a great cook, but you have a different way of cooking that is interesting, I bet you and Bells could have some fun inventing some dishes in the kitchen." Charlie stands and moves towards the door, following Harry out of the room.

"Get lots of rest Bella, I'll make you some more tea later this evening, it should help you sleep a little easier and keep the nightmares at bay. I had some nightmares myself that is usually helped against and I really appreciated getting a full night's rest. Hope it helped the last couple nights. Good meeting you even though it was under less than ideal circumstances." Harry said as he made his way down the stairs. I looked over at the clock and saw it was nearing 7:30am. I rolled out of bed and walked over to the window, peaking out of the mostly drawn curtains, I saw Harry and Charlie firmly shook hands before Harry turned and walked towards a nice but inconspicuous car parked outside the driveway. Just as Harry was about to get in his car he looked up at my bedroom window, right at me, and winked before climbing in his car and driving away.

The following day passed rather slowly I received a call from Jessica shortly after three asking where I was all day before she launched into talking about the 'gorgeous new guy' that I had missed out on meeting. Harry had apparently been invited to sit with the group I normally sat with when I wasn't with...them... Probably should have warned him about that group. Angela and Ben were really nice, two of my favourite people; Jessica could be decent when she wasn't being jealous or shallow. Lauren was nothing but jealous and petty it seemed, while the boys were just plain annoying most of the time.

My mind drifted back to what I remembered seeing when I woke for a few seconds while I was being carried back from the woods. Whoever it was had a chaotic mop of hair that got into their deep green eyes, but Harry was the one Charlie was saying had brought me in, but Harry didn't meet that description at all, he had short, styled, brown hair with light blue eyes beaming out from his face. He just didn't match what I remembered seeing. Maybe I had been dreaming after all…

I had stayed in my bed for a couple hours before getting up and around the house around 10. I did some cleaning and laundry before stopping for a bit to make up some food for lunch. Not really feeling like cleaning up any more, I settled in on the couch with one of the new fiction books I had picked up on my last trip to Port Angeles. It was here that Jessica's phone call had found me and then, a few minutes after I got off the phone with her, a knock on the door surprised me. I sighed, marking my place and standing up after setting my book down. When I reached the door, I found Harry standing outside the door. A small smile crawled onto my face as I unlocked the door and opened it; I would have to see what he thought about some of my first friends at Forks that he had just met today.

"Good afternoon, looks like you stayed pretty busy today. This house looks much cleaner. Your dad up yet?" Harry asked. I shook my head while replying, "He's slept straight through as far as I know and trust me, if he had woken up yet, I would know. He's missed breakfast and lunch." I said, it was a little worrying, but if he had been up as much as I thought he was to watch over me, it would make sense.

"He'll probably be up soon so you won't have to worry about him too much more. He'll probably need to try to go back to sleep a little while after dinner though so his sleep schedule doesn't get messed up too bad. I brought a box of my tea over for you. Half of them are the kind I gave you a couple nights ago, the other half are the kind I gave you this morning. I would suggest you don't mix those two up if you don't want your sleep schedule messed up also so I have them marked 'Day' and 'Night'. Have your dad try some of the 'Night' tea tonight before you go to sleep. There are some ingredients in the night-time one that will help you sleep better, and no, there are no drugs in it before you or your dad ask." He handed the split box of tea over to me with a small smirk on his face.

I motion for him to come in while I turn towards the kitchen, "So how was your first day at Forks High, Harry?" I ask as I move to put away the new tea.

"Interesting. It is very different from my previous schools." He said with another infuriating smirk that makes you feel like you are missing out on an inside joke. It was enough to give me the idea that there was more to what he was saying, but not enough to really call him on it so I nodded in response and turned to give him a mischievous smile, "Any girls catch your eye?"

Harry's knowing smirk widened considerably as he replied, "Nope. I have a hard time finding anyone of interest that is the right age." He said, still seeming to hint at something but I don't have the context to understand.

"Ahh, so are you an older or younger kind of guy then?" I asked. Either would easy to give him a hard time about.

"Oh, no, I prefer them to be my age. I just haven't found anyone of interest that is my age yet." He clarified and I gave a small pout, "You're no fun." I said before deciding to continue on with where I had been trying to go from the beginning of this topic, "The reason I ask is because I got a call about you today. Not even five minutes after school let out. Apparently you made an impression." I said with a sing-song voice at the end mockingly while I started washing the few dishes I hadn't caught in my cleaning earlier.

Harry moved and grabbed a towel to dry off the dishes I had washed and I caught a glimpse of a grimace out d the corner of my eye, "A Miss Stanley, I presume? I thought I had escaped most of the students' attention since most of the day's talk was of how you and the students from the Cullen family were gone on a day that wasn't sunny." I nearly dropped the plate that I was about to hand to Harry when he brought up my...that family... Thankfully Harry was able to catch it with some impressive reflexes, not that I really noticed...

"Bella, you alright?" Harry asked though I barely heard the question.

I hadn't forgotten, but the day seemed to mostly push it to the side of my mind to where I was able to continue on like normal. Him bringing it back up however brought the memories and pain to the front of my mind and the numbness settled back in. I nod absentmindedly and turn from the sink, water still running, my mind shutting down, trying to dull the emotional pain and heartache. The coldness from the night and rain seems to settle back in over my body, the coldness of his eyes flashing through my mind.

Then warmth begins to spread through my arm as Harry lightly places a hand on it in a comforting way. The feeling of cold and numbness flees, but the pain is still there, though it doesn't seem debilitating like it had a few seconds ago. There was hope still, and even though he didn't know the whole story, Harry had been there for me since the whole thing started, I wasn't alone...

Harry gave my arm a light squeeze and then stepped towards the front door, "Tell your dad hi for me and make sure he gets some of that tea. I'll see you at school tomorrow." And with that he was gone from the house. I watch as he walks over to his car. Part of me was thankful he left so quickly while another part was just hurting. I appreciated him being here, but I didn't want to cry in front of him. Tears began slipping down my cheeks though it wasn't as bad as it has been before. I clench my fists as I turn away from the window and feel a piece of paper crinkle as I do.

I open my hand to find a small piece of notebook paper that had been torn off roughly. The words, 'You're strong, and you are going to come through this, no matter the pain and darkness you feel now. If there's anything you need, give me a call.' A number was written just below the message and then signed with an HP. I looked back out the window towards where he usually parked but the car was already gone. My eyes closed and I squeezed the piece of paper tighter. Many people might think the note was cheesy, but it was exactly what I needed right at this time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next few weeks passed quickly at times but slowly the rest of the time. Having Harry around helped some since it was a reminder that he was there, but even that wasn't much help sometimes. When I was alone, Harry was making sure to keep me stocked with the tea, though he said he was almost out and it would be a while before he could get more so I started drinking it less often. The biggest shift was the nightmares that began making occasional appearances now. I felt sorry for Charlie; he would always be in there to wake me up from it, shaking me awake and bringing in a bath towel to wipe away the sweat that was soaking my forehead, comforting me as I woke, trying to discern the dream from real life.

Jake called a couple times and he and his dad visited ever so often. We would talk and it seemed like Jacob had gained a little more courage and, unfortunately, forwardness since…the Cullens left. There was a visual cuteness to him, he was definitely rippling with muscles now and the long hair was attractive, but there was still a very large, childish side to him. His actions grew annoying by the end of their visit and I was always relieved to see him go. Perhaps if I had been hurting, I would have appreciated the attention he was giving, but I had some relief during the nights because of the amazing tea Harry had been supplying and…he made it hurt less when he was around. Just knowing that he was around and cared about what was going on.

There were a couple times where I would meet him outside the cafeteria, not wanting to go in and be around all the people and he would smile lightly at me, held up a finger and grabbed some food for us before coming back out to join me for lunch. He got me on a level that I didn't really expect and had never experienced before. Sure, Edward could read most people's minds, but not mine. The treatment that Harry was giving me was closer to what I would have expected if Edward could have read my mind. It wasn't done in a weird way though; he just seemed to understand what I was dealing with and was able to make very good guesses at what I was wanting.

Mike, Jess, Angela, Ben, and Eric were mostly welcoming, more so on the parts of Jess and Angela. It was usually nice being back around then, Lauren was being a bitch, as usual, but I enjoyed talking with Angela and Ben again. Harry being around helped me be drawn out of my shell.

Two weeks after I ran out of tea, Harry came over after school and asked me to go on a walk with him. I had gotten to know him a little better with him being around nearly two and a half months now and saw him as a great older brother figure…slightly. I had talked with him some about what was going on, but what can I really tell him? 'Hey Harry, I was dating a vampire for about a year and then he led me into the woods to break up with me and then left town with his family shortly after. By the way a different vampire bit me last year to spite my ex. He had to drink the venom out of my blood so I wouldn't turn into a vampire like him while his family ripped the other vampire apart and burned him. I fell in love, he left and now I'm broken hearted.' …Yeah that will go over great. Something told me though that this walk would be different from the ones we usually went on though.

Harry glanced around for a couple seconds before turning to me, "Alright Bella, I had hoped things would have gotten better by the time you ran out of the tea I made you but your dad talked with me yesterday. Haven't you talked with anyone about what is going on?" He asked gently. My heart stopped for a few seconds in fear.

"Uhhhh..." Was all I managed to getting out at first and Harry's serious mood broke for a few seconds as he chuckled.

"I don't need to know specifics Bella. But..." He took a deep breath and hesitated for a few moments, before continuing, "Listen, after I turned 11, I stopped going to school like most kids and got a quick introduction to a world that...didn't seem possible. A little while later I started traveling all over and during those travels I saw many different...beings, if you catch my drift. I won't ask questions, I won't tell any secrets, and I won't be caught off guard. I will promise you however; the Cullen family's status as vampires is the least shocking thing I have ever run across."

I could feel the surprise and worry on my face about their secret being out. Harry must have seen it since he chuckled and motioned for me to pause and calm down as he continued speaking.

"I knew the first time I met you what they were, seeing as how he was right next to you one moment and then a blur leaving the next. I had been in the woods during that whole time after all even though I wasn't close enough to hear what was being said. I had been hoping though that you would have someone else who was in the know so that you could talk to them, or were working on a feasible story to tell one of your friends at school and let some of this out. You haven't though, and Charlie is worried about you because of it."

I open my mouth to dispute the fact that I was having a tough time because I haven't talked about it, but he holds up his hand to stop me. "You have no outlet for the pain, by internalizing it rather than talking about it, you leave the only release point as your dreams. The tea that I made for you, yes I made it, had a few ingredients to keep you from dreaming, but extended and continued use of it will cause an addiction to it to where you can't sleep without it. It is also not healthy to never have dreams. When you didn't stop having nightmares, I knew it was because you hadn't talked to anyone about it yet. So," He motioned around himself and I found the two of us at a small house that I hadn't noticed before, "Why don't you come in, have a sit down and we'll talk through this. The hard part on the explaining side of, 'my ex is a vampire' has already been dealt with, so now it's just wading through...everything else..." he said the last bit with a soft huff and made his way to the door.

I followed him inside and he directed me to a couch before moving off to the kitchen/dining room that opened up into where I was sitting. A few moments later he came back with a cup of tea, I look at it dubiously and he chuckles at my expression, "No special additives, I swear on my life." A soft glow lit up the room in the corner of my vision near where he was at and I look around. Harry coughs lightly and says, "I think a car just drove past, reflected some sunlight in." I nod and take a sip of the tea, it definitely tasted different, but it was still very good.

We sat in silence for a few moments while I gathered my thoughts. My mind wondered at just who he was, he knew things most people didn't...but I couldn't focus on that right now, I was on the verge of exploding from the need to talk to someone openly about, well, everything…

A/N:

Hey all. Unwrittenlegacy has very kindly allowed me to adopt his master of death series that sends Harry Potter too many different realities. I decided to start out with this one, and may post some of his original chapters before branching out and continuing. A question for you: do you guys want this story to be something like Harry/Alice or Harry/Alice/Bella as a possibility? Or some other pairing? I'm always open to suggestions, but those two options are what I am considering for right now. I am also working on another Harry/Alice story that is taking place in a cross of the HP and Twilight universes although that is still in the works.

Please review and let me know your thoughts.