31. The Van

BPOV

I awoke early Tuesday morning, surprising Edward. Well, he had been aware of me preparing to wake, but he was surprised it was at 6am. I had been having a dream about snow and Tyler's van. I remembered the van accident had been when Edward revealed himself for the first time, in the process of saving me.

"Has it been snowing?" I wondered. Edward smiled at me.

"Yes, it has," he murmured in amusement. "I know you don't like the cold and the wet, but snow can be such fun for vampires. You must know how much I love you that I am here with you instead of playing in it with my siblings."

"You could have left."

"Oh, silly Bella. Don't you know that when I am holding you in my arms, there is no place I would rather be?"

I smiled, touched by his romantic drivel. I pulled his head down to mine, and we kissed passionately. I moaned into his mouth and ran my tongue over his bottom lip. His lips parted, and his cool, sweet breath washed over me, intoxicating me. His cold tongue slipped into my mouth, dancing with mine. He pulled my lower body closer to him, so our chests were touching, without the blanket in-between us. The coldness of his skin through his shirt and through my thin pajamas was enough to cause a reaction. He groaned, and I knew he could feel the pebbles brushing against his marble torso. Abruptly, he pulled away, gasping for breath.

"If I don't stop now, I won't be able to stop at all."

"So don't stop," I encouraged, trying to pull him closer to me again. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Now is not the time for this."

I pouted, but he simply swooped in to plant a quick kiss on my lips, before climbing out of bed. I still had an extra 45 minutes to kill before my usual time to rise and shine. I knew how I wanted to fill that time, but apparently by gorgeous vampire boyfriend wasn't going to comply. I sighed and remembered my dream. I guess we could spend the time talking at least.

"Edward, do you remember from the first book what happened on this day?"

He frowned. "Yes, you almost got squished by Tyler's van, but I saved you, revealing my inhuman abilities in the process. But don't worry. It's not going to happen. You're not driving your truck. You'll be riding with me instead, so everything is already changed."

"But Edward, nothing has changed for Tyler. We know he is going to crash his van in the parking lot. It would be irresponsible of us to allow that to happen."

Edward gave me a stern glance. "It is not our place to play God with other people's lives."

"What? We already have! Not only have we changed things for ourselves, but we've changed things for everyone around us. The wolves, your siblings, even Angela and Ben. What is this really about?"

"Well, how much should we tempt fate, interfere in the way things are supposed to be?"

"You've heard of the butterfly effect haven't you? That if you went back in time thousands of years and killed a single butterfly, that change could massively affect how the world works today, right? So, we have already made massive changes. We're talking a herd of elephants, not just a butterfly. With all the things we've already done, to refuse to prevent injury to someone we know just because is awfully hypocritical. Does this have anything to do with the fact that it brought me to his attention, and he thought he was taking me to prom? Are you jealous?"

He wouldn't meet my eyes, so I knew that it was true. "How petty, Edward. I mean, get real. Don't worry, I'll make the call for you."

He brought his eyes up to mine and grabbed my hand. "What call?"

I rolled my eyes. "The call to Tyler to warn him to take it slowly this morning when coming into the parking lot."

"How are you going to explain that you are suddenly calling him out of the blue to warn him about speeding on the ice?"

Hmmm. Good point. "I'll think of something. I don't want to talk about Tyler any more. I'm going to go take a shower now."

"I didn't want to talk about him at all," he muttered.

"Whatever. Why don't you get a life? Take a chill pill."

Edward smirked. "I already took a chill pill, in case you haven't felt my body temperature lately. That's the reason I need to get a life. Since I don't have one, I'm borrowing yours. What are we going to do once you're changed? Then neither one of us will have a life."

I couldn't help chuckling at his goofy humor, which brought a grin to his face. No doubt it fed his ego too. Edward finally let go of my hand, and I gathered my clothes for the day. I went to the shower and started brainstorming about what to say to Tyler without sounding completely insane. I was enjoying the feeling of the hot water spraying down on my back, when I heard a loud banging on the door.

"Don't use all the hot water, Bells. I still need to use the shower too, so wrap it up, please," Charlie yelled through the door.

Ugh. How embarrassing. I quickly turned off the water, hoping there was enough hot water left for his shower. Usually my father hops into the shower before I do. I wondered what time it was and how long I had been in there. I toweled off and dressed rapidly, fumbling a lot with my increased pace. I grabbed my brush, deciding to use the mirror in my room instead so the bathroom would be available. I dashed into the hallway, almost knocking Charlie over. I hadn't expected him to be waiting there. I must have really been pushing the time for him as he looked stressed.

"Sorry," I gasped. "I lost track of time."

He grunted and headed straight into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. That's one of the disadvantages of living in an old house with only one bathroom. I like the more modern houses with one bathroom per bedroom. Some of the larger ones even had more bathrooms than bedrooms. How crazy is that? The Cullens were smart enough to design their house with enough bathrooms for each bedroom, plus a guest bathroom on the first floor. It was quite amusing, seeing as how they didn't use the toilet, but they did all enjoy showers and baths. I hadn't seen for sure, but I was willing to bet that all the bathrooms for the couples included massive soaker whirlpool tubs built to accommodate more than one person at a time.

I slipped back into my bedroom and was shocked by the time on my alarm clock. I had been in there way longer than usual. In fact, I was going to have to rush a bit to get ready on time. Poor Charlie only got a five minute shower. I heard him curse as the water turned icy. Oops. If I got up early again, I would find some other way to spend my time. It wasn't fair to him.

Edward took the brush out of my hands and began to calmly brush my hair. I loved the way his fingers felt against my head as he held me in place. He would periodically run his fingers through my hair. I didn't have time to blow dry it this morning. I would have to let it dry naturally. Hopefully, it wouldn't freeze outside. I didn't think it would really be cold enough to freeze my wet hair, but coming from Phoenix, I didn't have any prior experience from which to draw.

"We can't leave your hair wet like this. I don't want you to catch pneumonia."

"Edward, you've been through medical school twice now. You know very well that is an old wives tale. Pneumonia is caused by germs, not wet hair." Really, he could be so ridiculous some times.

"Esme is an old wife," he chided, "and she certainly seems to know what she's talking about."

"Why? Did she tell you that you would catch pneumonia if you went outside with wet hair?"

"No, but my human mother did," he responded quietly. I sighed. There wasn't any argument I could give now. I certainly wasn't going to tell him that his cherished human mother didn't know what she was talking about, even if it was true. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my pony tail, then squeezed with his vampire strength. When he removed the towel a few seconds later, the towel was soaking wet, and my hair felt nearly dry to the touch.

"Handy," I muttered, impressed. "You're much faster than a blow dryer. Reason 213 for keeping you around."

"Reason 213? What are the other 212?" he asked with a grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased. "But I'll never tell."

He gave me a sad look, then tried the pouting and puppy dog eyes. My breath caught, and I almost gave in, but then I remembered what he had told me the other day.

"Sorry, Edward, but Alice already uses that expression on me, and she has really quite mastered it, so you're going to have to try a lot harder if you want me to get rid of my inhibitions," I snickered, gleefully.

He growled at my response. Then he tried to dazzle me. I was prepared for it this time, so I purposely kept my gaze on his nose instead of falling into his compelling eyes. He put his finger under my chin, trying to get me to lift my gaze to his. My stomach growled just then. Saved by the growl. He gave up trying and let me go downstairs to grab some breakfast, while he jumped out the window to get his car. I grabbed a Pop Tart, not even bothering to toast it. It wasn't flavorful or nutritious, but it was edible and fast.

I grabbed the phone book, amused once again by how thin it was. Compared to the ones in Phoenix, this one was merely a magazine. I did appreciate the fact that there was only one listing for Crowley, so I didn't have to waste time trying to figure out which one was correct. I dialed the number and waited impatiently for someone to answer.

"Hello?"

"May I please speak to Tyler?"

"This is Tyler. Who is this?"

"This is Bella Swan. Listen…"

"Bella? The new girl?"

"Um, yeah, that's me. Listen, it's really important that you take it easy coming to school today, particularly when you're coming into the parking lot."

"You called me to tell me to be careful of the ice? Are you worried about me or something?" I heard a bit of interest in his voice. Great. Just what I didn't want.

"I just noticed your tires looked a little bald yesterday. I was going to say something to you about it later, but when I realized the roads were so icy, I was concerned that the van would slip and slide, and someone might get hurt."

"So you were worried about me. That's so sweet." No, no, no! This wasn't the way I wanted it to go.

"Oh, well, don't read anything into it, Tyler. Edward and I are together. Period. End of story. I called a few other people I thought might have trouble too, so I'm concerned about everybody, not just you."

"Uh huh, fine, right. No problem, Bella. I'll see you later, okay?"

I sighed, resigned. "Fine." I hung up, not wanting to hear any more bull crap from him.

I heard Edward knocking on my door, then letting himself inside. Charlie had already left, and it was past time for me to leave too. That phone call had put me behind schedule. Well, really the shower had put me behind schedule, but the phone call only made it worse. Edward was going to have to drive like a lunatic to get us to school on time. I knew he would never crash the car, but what about everybody else on the road?

TylerPOV

Wow, that phone call was odd. I hadn't really thought about the new girl, especially since she went for Cullen right from day one. But she had just called me. Me! I know she said she had called others too, but somehow I sensed she was lying when she said that. I knew she had been dating Edward Cullen. She said the two of them were together. He had probably come to her house to pick her up before school. Everyone knew they always rode together. She was probably trying to tell me that he was there with her, and she couldn't speak of her feelings for me when he was listening. Cullen was kind of creepy. The poor girl was probably intimidated by him. She was probably afraid to ditch him so she could date me, but I would protect her. I was sure I could take him. Just as long as his brothers stayed out of the fight. She really was quite pretty, now that I thought about it. I should take her to prom. We'd look really great together in our prom pictures. Then there was always what happened after the dancing was finished. The tradition of spending a little private time with your date for the evening. I was really looking forward to it. There was a reason the parents always got nervous the night of prom. Who was I to buck tradition?

Holy moly! Look at the time! Between the phone call and my subsequent daydreams of Bella, I was seriously running late. Forget being careful! I was going to need to speed. I just hoped Chief Swan didn't catch me. I wanted to make a good impression on him for when I started dating his daughter.

EPOV

I was holding Bella's hand, our fingers intertwined, as I drove to school. I was having fun speeding so quickly over the ice, but I knew Bella was terrified, so I tried not to express my enjoyment too openly. I knew she could sense it though. So little time together and yet she already knew me so well. I brought her hand up to my mouth and began pressing soft kisses on the back of it. I was murmuring soothing words to her, hoping she would relax and keep her eyes off the speedometer. Unfortunately, her eyes had been glued to it since we left the driveway. She was completely unaware of her surroundings, not even noticing how pretty everything looked covered over with a white blanket. So clean and pure, glistening and sparkling like diamonds.

My phone buzzed, startling Bella, whose gaze jumped to my pocket. I sighed and dug it out. Seeing Alice's number on the caller ID, I reluctantly answered it. Not wanting to let go of Bella's hand, I chose to steer with my knees. Thankfully, Bella was too focused on the phone to realize what I was doing.

"Yes, Alice?" I answered, a bit of irritation in my voice. This had better be important. It was interrupting my Bella time.

"Bella! Tyler! Van!" she yelled anxiously.

"Relax, we've got that under control. She called him this morning and warned him to drive carefully," I grumbled quickly.

"Edward!" she screamed loudly.

Suddenly, someone else's thoughts shouted loudly in my head. Oh, SSSHHHIIIIIITTTT! Huh? I turned in the direction of the thoughts were coming from, just in time to lock eyes with Tyler Crowley as his van plowed into the passenger side door.

TylerPOV

I sped down the road, desperately trying to avoid being tardy. I turned down the next road and accelerated quickly. This road included one long hill coming to the bottom, ending in a stop sign. I hated that someone had put a stop sign there. It ruined almost all my fun. My favorite thing to do was to accelerate toward the hill, then coast down, gaining another 10mph, and finally slam on the brakes at the bottom, skidding to a stop at the corner. I had it down to an art, knowing just when to hit the brakes to bring me to a final halt just in front of the sign. It was bad for the car, but good for morale. That's probably why my tires are bald—too much burning rubber. I chuckled to myself. It was so worth it.

I was going even faster than usual this morning, desperate to make up for lost time. My brain was on autopilot. I wasn't really thinking about anything, just staring mindlessly at the road in front of me. I was up to 55mph by the time I hit the bottom of the hill. I tried to slam on the brakes, but the wheels slipped. Then the brakes locked and I began to slide, not losing any speed or momentum. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a silver car rapidly approaching the intersection. That car was on the main road and would have right-of-way. At some point my brain realized we were going to crash, and my mind screamed, "Oh, SSSHHHIIIIIITTTT!"

The driver of the car turned to look at me, our gazes locking, just seconds before impact. He had time for his facial expression to register horror, and I recognized Edward Cullen. The force of the crash spun both vehicles around the intersection, jerking my eyes away from him as my head slammed forward. Right before I blacked out, I had time for two thoughts. The first was immensely grateful I was wearing my seatbelt. The second was the recognition that the passenger beside Cullen was none other than the beautiful Bella Swan.

EPOV

Sheer horror overtook me as I realized even vampire reflexes would be too slow to prevent the impending crash. I flicked my gaze to Bella's and watched her comprehend my horror. Before she or I could respond to it, the van smashed into my Volvo with incredible force. I heard the bending and tearing of metal, reminiscent of the sound of dismembering a vampire. I saw the side impact air bag inflate as if in slow motion and saw it hit Bella and deflate. I saw the corresponding backlash as her body fell back toward the door, her head smashing through the shattered window. Though it was safety glass, somehow it still managed to gash her forehead.

Head wounds typically look worse than they really are, because they tend to bleed like crazy. Sure enough, the warm red blood started pouring out of the gash, dripping down the side of her face. The scent of her freshly spilled blood in the close confines of my car instantly overwhelmed me. I felt the growl rumble up inside of me, and I was thirstier than I had ever been in my existence. I was pure vampire now. This glorious elixir of life was MINE, all mine, made especially for me. The sweet, salty scent sang to me, called to me, begged me to drink, to savor. I knew I would never taste or smell anything finer than the delectable wine dribbling out in front of me.

I heard something shouting, "EDWARD, NOOO!" I looked down at the silver object in my hand. How dare it tell me no? And who was Edward anyway? I crushed it easily to powder, and the noise disappeared, leaving me in blissful silence. Not wanting to be interrupted, I spared a glance for my surroundings. There was another prey, also bleeding nearby, slumped over a steering wheel. It was not moving, though it was still breathing. It was not a threat. It could wait.

I grabbed my prey's head in my hands, careful not to crush it. I didn't want to waste a single drop of my delicious dinner. My prey was still and unmoving. Good. It wouldn't feel anything then as I drained its life to fuel my own. Ever so delicately, I stuck out my tongue, touching the trail of blood where it ended on its jawline.

At the first taste of the blood on my tongue, my taste buds exploded. My vision dimmed, and I saw flashes of light behind my eyes. I was in heaven. Pure bliss. Sweet euphoria. It was the most incredible taste I had ever experienced, a hundred times better than any other blood, better than I ever could have imagined. I licked up the side of its face, following the trail of blood up to the wound. The blood coated my tongue, causing mini-shocks throughout my system, like mini-orgasms. There is no way I would rush through this experience. I wanted to stay connected to this feeling forever. I never wanted to stop drinking.

Ever so softly, I brought my lips around the gash, caressing the flesh around it. Gently, gently I sucked in a small mouthful, allowing it to coat the inside of my mouth. The fire in the back of my throat was a raging inferno, but the moment this incredible drink hit my throat, it was as cool as the rest of me. The sheer satisfaction and contentment I felt when that one small swallow hit my stomach was more powerful than I had ever felt before. Yes, this was heaven. This was where I belonged. I suckled gently at the wound moaning with pleasure as the mouthwatering elixir flowed sweetly down my throat.

Suddenly, I heard an answering moan from my prey. I pulled back to assess the situation. Was it still alive then? I peered into deep, dark, chocolate eyes. Those eyes triggered a sense of alarm. Something was wrong. I pulled back a little further, staring intensely at the prey. There was pain in those limitless eyes, and that bothered me. How odd. I did not like for my prey to suffer. Had I not snapped its neck like I usually do? Something else struck me. This prey had no thoughts. It was alive and stirring, but I could hear nothing in its head. The non-animal prey always had thoughts, thoughts of fear, of guilt, of regret, of prayer. Always thoughts. Why did this…human…have no thoughts?

"Edward," the human whispered weakly. I frowned. The human did have thoughts then. Yet I still couldn't hear them. And I had heard that voice before. Speaking that name. My name. I was Edward. The human I couldn't hear was…who? I frowned even deeper in concentration and confusion. Alarm bells were ringing up and down my body. This was important. I could sense it. There was great danger here. Something that could cost me my entire existence. But what?

I looked at the human's whole face. It, no, she bit her lip. Instantly, her name came to me. Bella. This was Bella. BELLA! My MATE! I was drinking from my MATE! I was killing her! My bloodlust disappeared as my brain recognized that my love, my life was injured, maybe dying. If anything happened to her it would be the end of my existence. I would follow her into oblivion as quickly as possible. I rapidly took in the scene, noting Tyler was still unconscious. I was glad he hadn't witnessed any of my disgusting behavior. I reached for my phone to call 911, and saw the pile of dust that was all that remained of it.

I remembered Alice had been on the other end of the line when I lost it. She had tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. I hoped she had called the ambulance for me. I owed her one. I removed Bella's seatbelt, and gathered her to my chest. Her eyes had closed again, but I could still hear her heartbeat.

How much had I drunk? How could I have done that to her?

I heard sirens in the distance, police, fire, and ambulance. Alice had called then. I carefully extracted Bella from the mangled seat, pulling her out the driver's side door and up into my arms. I stood there, cradling her against my chest, waiting for the ambulance to arrive to take us to Carlisle.

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Weeeellll I had to do that... :\ Like it? :) Its a big twist from the original.... VOMMENT!

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