Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original character s, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

The Major

A/N: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy!

NEWS: If you go to my Wattpad page – where I have also posted most of my stories, including this one – you will see that I have posted PICTURES of a scene from each chapter inside the story with the chapter! So, take a look and tell me what you think! There are even Jasper Romance pics! The user name (penname) is the same as this one so it won't be hard to find. Or you can click on the link on my profile! - Bella'Xo

Previously…
(Bella's POV)

"Now, as captivating as this has all been, what does your ability of 'knowing' have to do with your ending up in Forks?" Edward snarked sarcastically, bringing everyone back on track before anyone had the chance to press Char about herself.

Esme sent a glare at her adoptive son. "That wasn't very nice, Edward." He rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

Peter ignored the mind reader's cynicism, picking right back where he left off in his tale, which wasn't far. "It's important because I 'knew' that Char and had to find Bella. For the first time, a picture popped up in my head, telling me that she would be important and that we had to find her fast.

"We searched the states for months and finally, when we got to Forks, Washington, I knew we were there. We ended up catching up to her in a meadow up in the woods near the peak of a mountain. There was a vampire drinking from her and I knew I had to save her."

"It was Laurent," I interjected, knowing that they would know who he was.

And I was right. Recognition filled each of the Cullen's and the each exchanged a troubled glance.

Chapter 18
(Bella's POV)

"Laurent?" Esme questioned with a troubled glance at her mate. "But, he has become a vegetarian. The Denali's were helping him make the conversion from human over to animals."

Peter snorted, "Some job they must've done."

Carlisle chose to ignore Peter's dig and continued on his mate's line of inquisition as he took Esme's hand in his own and gently patted it with his other hand. "Something must have happened for him to have gone back to Forks in the first place." He shifted his gaze to me. "Did he say anything to you? Any of you?" His eyes ran over Char and Peter.

I bit my lip, my eyes filling with venom and, for once, I was thankful that none of the Cullen's would see me shed a tear because of their choice to discard me from their lives.

"Yes," I admitted, blinking rapidly. "We had a brief confrontation before he tried to…kill me."

Jasper pulled me tighter into his side, sending me his own concoction of emotional reassurance and strength. I smiled up at him and gave him my appreciation.

As I spoke, my mind went back to that day in the meadow and I revealed to the Cullen's exactly what had happened that day that I had lost my human life and became who they see before them…

…Flashback…

The place wasn't nearly so stunning without the sunlight, but it was still very beautiful and serene. It was the wrong season for wildflowers; the ground was thick with tall grass that swayed in the light breeze like ripples across a lake.

It was the same place…but it didn't hold what I had been searching for.

The disappointment was nearly instantaneous as the recognition. I sank down right where I was, kneeling there at the edge of the clearing, beginning to gasp.

What was the point of going any farther? Nothing lingered here. Nothing more than the memories that I could have called back whenever I wanted to, if I was ever willing to endure the corresponding pain – the pain that had me now, had me cold. There was nothing special about this place without him. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd hoped to feel here, but the meadow was empty of atmosphere, empty of everything, just like everywhere else. Just like my nightmares.

My head swirled dizzily.

At least I'd come alone. I felt a rush of thankfulness as I realized that. If I'd discovered the meadow with Jacob…well, there was no way I could have disguised the abyss I was plunging into now. How could I have explained the way I was fracturing into pieces, the way I had to curl into a ball to keep the empty hole from tearing me apart? It was so much better that I didn't have an audience.

And now I wouldn't have to explain to anyone why I was in such a hurry to leave, either. Jacob would have assumed, after going to so much trouble to locate the stupid place, I would want to spend more than a few seconds here. But I was already trying to find the strength to get to my feet again, forcing myself out of the ball so that I could escape. There was too much pain in this empty place to bear – I would crawl away if I had to.

How lucky for me that I was alone!

Alone…

I repeated the word with grim satisfaction as I wrenched myself to my feet despite the pain. At precisely that moment, a figure stepped out from the trees to the north, some thirty paces away.

A dizzying array of emotions shot through me in a second.

This was a surprise; I was far from any trail here, and I didn't expect company.

Then, as my eyes focused on the motionless figure, seeing the utter stillness, the pallid skin, a rush of piercing hope rocked through me. I suppressed it viciously, fighting against the equally sharp lash of agony as my eyes continued to the face beneath the black hair, the face that wasn't the one I wanted to see.

Next was fear; this was not the face I grieved for, but it was close enough for me to know that the man facing me was no stray hiker.

And finally, in the end, recognition.

"Laurent!" I cried in surprised pleasure. It was an irrational response. I probably should have stopped at fear.

Laurent had been one of James's coven when we'd first met. He hadn't been involved with the hunt that followed – the hunt where I was the quarry – but that was only because he was afraid; I was protected by a bigger coven than his own. It would have been different if that wasn't the case – he'd had no compunctions, at the time, against making a meal of me. Of course, he must have changed, because he'd gone to Alaska to live with the other civilized coven there, the other family that refused to drink human blood for ethical reasons. The other family like… but I couldn't let myself think the name.

Yes, fear would have made more sense, but all I felt was an overwhelming satisfaction. The meadow was a magic place again. A darker magic than I'd expected, to be sure, but magic all the same. Here was the connection I'd sought. The proof, however remote, that – somewhere in the same world where I lived – he did exist.

It was impossible how exactly the same Laurent looked. I suppose it was very silly and human to expect some kind of change in the last few months. But there was something…I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Bella?" he asked, looking more astonished than I felt.

"You remember," I smiled. It was ridiculous that I should be so elated because a vampire knew my name.

He grinned. "I didn't expect to see you here." He strolled toward me, his expression bemused.

"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska." I disputed.

He stopped about ten paces away, cocking his head to the side. His face was the most beautiful face I'd seen in what felt like an eternity. I studied his features with a strangely greedy sense of release. Here was someone I didn't have to pretend for – someone who already knew everything I could never say.

"You're right," he agreed. "I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect…When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on."

"Oh." I bit my lip as the name set the raw edges of my wound throbbing. It took me a second to compose myself while Laurent waited with curious eyes. "They did move on," I finally managed to tell him.

"Hmm," he murmured. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?" His eyes were innocent of any intended offense.

I smiled wryly. "Something like that."

"Hmm," he said, thoughtful again.

At that precise moment, I realized why he looked the same – too much the same. After Carlisle told us that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, I'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that I thought of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the…Cullen's – I forced the name out, wincing – had. That all good vampires had.

I took an involuntary step back, and his curious, dark red eyes followed the movement.

"Do they visit often?" he asked, still casual, but his weight shifted toward me.

"Lie," the beautiful velvet voice whispered anxiously from my memory.

I started at the sound of his voice, but it should not have surprised me. Was I not in the worst danger imaginable? The motorcycle was safe as kittens next to this.

I did what the voice said to do.

"Now and again," I tried to make my voice light, relaxed. "The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You know how they get distracted..." I was beginning to babble. I had to work to shut myself up.

"Hmm," he said again. "The house smelled like it had been vacant for a while…"

"You must lie better than that, Bella," the voice urged.

I tried. "I'll have to mention to Carlisle that you stopped by. He'll be sorry they missed your visit." I pretended to deliberate for a second. "But I probably shouldn't mention it to…Edward, I suppose -" I barely managed to say his name, and it twisted my expression on the way out, ruining my bluff "- he has such a temper…well, I'm sure you remember. He's still touchy about the whole James thing." I rolled my eyes and waved one had dismissively, like it was all ancient history, but there was an edge of hysteria to my voice. I wondered if he would recognize what it was.

"Is he really?" Laurent asked pleasantly…skeptically.

I kept my reply short, so that my voice wouldn't betray my panic. "Mm-hmm."

Laurent took a casual step to the side, gazing around at the little meadow. I didn't miss that the step brought him closer to me. In my head, the voice responded with a low snarl.

"So, how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?" My voice was too high.

The question made him pause. "I like Tanya very much," he mused. "And her sister Irina even more… I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But, the restrictions are difficult…I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long." He smiled at me conspiratorially. "Sometimes I cheat."

I couldn't swallow. My foot started to ease back, but I froze when his red eyes flickered down to catch to movement.

"Oh," I said in a faint voice. "I'm sure you're not the only one with that problem."

"Don't move," the voice whispered. I tried to do what he instructed. It was hard; the instinct to take flight was nearly uncontrollable.

"Really?" Laurent seemed interested. "Is that why they left? Someone tried to take a bite out of you?"

"No," I answered honestly. "They are more careful at home more than anything."

"Yes," Laurent agreed. "I am, too."

The step forward he took now was quite deliberate.

"Did Victoria ever find you?" I asked, breathless, desperate to distract him. It was the first question that popped into my head and I regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. Victoria – who had hunted me with James, and then disappeared – was not someone I wanted to think of at this particular moment.

But the question did stop him.

"Yes," he said, hesitating on that step. "I actually came here as a favor to her." He made a face. "She won't be happy about this."

"About what?" I said eagerly, inviting him to continue. He was glaring into the trees, away from me. I took advantage of his diversion, taking a furtive step back.

He looked at me and smiled – the expression made him look like a black-haired angel.

"About me killing you," he answered in a seductive purr.

I staggered back another step. The frantic growling in my head made it hard to hear.

"She wanted to save that part for herself," he went on blithely. "She's sort of…put out with you, Bella."

"Me?" I squeaked.

He shook his head and chuckled. "I know, it seems a little backward to me, too. But James was her mate, and your Edward killed him."

Even here, on the point of death, his name tore against my unhealed wounds like a serrated edge.

Laurent was oblivious to my reaction. "She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edward – fair turnabout, mate for mate. She asked me to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawed – apparently it wouldn't be the revenge she imagined, since you must not mean very much for him if he left you here unprotected."

…End Flashback…

The sound of a loud snarl accompanied with the sound of broken glass snapped my out of my recollection. My gaze snapped up at the same time that Jasper had instinctively jumped to crouch in front of me, growling loudly. I looked over to see Edward standing in the corner, having just ducked the attempted assault with glass shards scattered all around his feet.

I peaked around Jasper's large form and followed the line that the lamp had come from, in the direction where the snarl had previously come from and landed on Emmett.

"This is your fault!" He bellowed at his adopted brother. "If you hadn't have made us leave, none of this would have happened!"

Edward narrowed his eyes at his burly brother. "Do you think I meant for this to occur? Do you think that this makes me happy?"

Emmett went to continue on his rant, "Well, if -"

"Boys!" Esme hissed from her seat on the couch next to her mate. Every eye in the room darted in her direction wide eyed, not accustomed to hearing the soft spoken vampire raise her voice. "Knock it off!" v

Emmett tried to rebuff, "But -"

"No!" She quipped with the shake of her head, cutting him off once again. "As much as everything I've learned about today disturbs me, there is nothing that can be done about the past. If you have something that you want to dispute about with your brother, you will do it after our company leaves. Understood?"

Emmett bowed his head, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," she nodded, content with his reply.

I began to slowly rub Jasper's back, attempting to calm him from his disgruntled state. He was still growling, though much quieter, as he stared down each vampire around us, searching for a potential threat.

Moving forward in my seat on the couch, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my chest to his back as I began to purr softly for him, the vibrations running up and down his spine. He immediately reached around with his left arm and wrapped it around me, keeping my body molded to his as his eyes continued to scan the room.

"I suggest y'all stop starin' at him and start lookin' submissive if you wanna bring the Major outta his protective stance." Peter warned the room.

I glanced over out of my peripheral vision to see that Peter had his mate wrapped within his arms while nuzzling her affectionately. It was his attempt to show the Major that there was no threat that he deemed dangerous, using the ultimate example by allowing Char to remain on his lap.

One by one, starting with Emmett and Rosalie, the Cullen's began to show some form of submissiveness until there was only Edward, himself, remaining. Even Alice had the brains to obey Peter's cautionary advice, even if she did so reluctantly.

"Edward, son, I would heed our new friend's advice." Carlisle insisted in a quiet, calm voice.

Edward, who had been glaring agitatedly at Jasper and I, turned his head to look at his creator. No words were said as he continued to study Carlisle, and I figured that the best way to go about this was to remove my shield from Carlisle as to allow him to hear whatever warning it was that he was trying to convey and keep any violence from occurring.

I could tell when it worked, as Edwards eyes widened slightly and his gaze snapped towards the Major's protective form. An array of emotions flickered in his eyes before he finally dropped to his knees and bared his neck.

Several moments passed in silence before Jasper finally turned and pulled me in his arms, nestling us onto the couch as he breathed in my scent as we continued to purr to comfort the other.

Finally, after another couple of moments passed, Jasper spoke, barely loud enough for the rest of the Cullen's to hear. "Continue on with your story, Darlin'."

I took in a deep breath, watching as each pair of eyes uneasily began to rest on me once again and I was sucked back into my last human memory of the day my old life was taken from me.

…Flashback…

Laurent's words send another blow, another tear through my chest as his weight shifted slightly, and I stumbled another step back.

He frowned, "I suppose she'll be angry, all the same."

"Then why not wait for her?" I choked out.

A mischievous grin rearranged his features. "Well, you've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's mission – I was hunting, I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell…simply mouthwatering."

Laurent looked at me with approval, as if he meant it as a compliment.

"Threaten him," the beautiful delusion ordered, his voice distorted with dread.

"He'll know it was you," I whispered obediently. "You won't get away with this."

"And why not?" Laurent's smile widened. He gazed around the small opening in the trees. "The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your body – you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you, Bella. Just thirst."

"Beg," my hallucination begged.

"Please," I gasped.

Laurent shook his head, his face kind. "Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you."

"Am I?" I mouthed, faltering another step back.

Laurent followed, lithe and graceful.

"Yes," he assured me. "I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella…" he shook his head with a slow movement, almost as if in disgust. "I swear you'd be thanking me for this."

I stared at him I horror.

He sniffed at the breeze that blew threats of my hair in his direction. "Mouthwatering," he repeated, inhaling deeply.

I tensed for the spring, my eyes squinting as I cringed away, and the sound of Edward's furious roar echoed distantly in the back of my head. His name burst through all the walls I'd built to contain it.

Edward, Edward, Edward.

I was going to die. It shouldn't matter if I thought of him now.

Why Edward?

I loved you

Through my narrowed eyes, I watched as Laurent sprang forward before his body barreled into me, knocking me back into a tree where my head hit the bark, bringing about a harsh pain to the back of my skull.

The agonizing pain of his razor sharp teeth was the last thing that I felt before the darkness took over…

…End Flashback…

A/N: So, what did everyone think of the chapter and Bella's version of the story of when she met Laurent? Any thoughts on what will happen next at the Cullen's house? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Review!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter!

To see PICTURES from the story, check it out on my Wattpad page! (Same user name)

To see more, go to my FF page or my Wattpad (my Wattpad stories have pictures posted with each chapter of a scene from that update, so check it out!) page under the same user name: Xo Bella Italiana oX

If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will make exceptions on the characters depending on the plot. I am also accepting other story topics as well! PM me for details!
- Bella'Xo -
Xo Bella Italiana oX