Disclaimer: All rights go to Stephenie Meyer.
(A/N) ALSO: This story is written by Athey, not myself. My own work comes later, I will make a note when the time comes. Until further notice, this is Athey's story with minor additions from me, I am just continuing it WITH her permission. Link on my profile.
Premise:
It's near the end of Breaking Dawn and the Volturi Confrontation does NOT end peacefully. They attack and Bella and Edward both die. So how come it's Bella's first day in Forks, all over again? BxE, AU Lemons & Fluff
BPOV
It was Tuesday, January 18th and it was my first day of school in Forks, Washington. It was only a week into the second semester, but I was still coming in mid-year. A transfer student into a tiny little school, in a tiny little town where everyone knew each other and grew up together.
I was born here, just like almost all of the other kids in this town. Thing about me is that I'd escaped the rainy gray eternal overcast of Forks when I was only 6 months old, when my mom took off with me for sunshine and freedom.
My father had stayed behind; solely responsible for looking after my ailing grandparents, and unwilling to follow my impulsive and hair-brained mother into the wild blue yonder.
My mother, Renee, was afraid of being trapped in this tiny gray oblivion, and once she realized my dad, Charlie, was unwilling to leave, she left without him. He never really got over it even after nearly seventeen years. He never really got over her.
My only exposure to Forks, since my mother's speedy escape from the place 17 years ago, had been brief summer visits that had ended several years ago when I finally put my foot down and insisted that Charlie and I spend our summers somewhere less gloomy and wet.
So why the hell was I here now? Why was I enduring this god-awful place of my own free will, and for an extended period of time? Because my crazy, hair-brained, and impulsive mother has finally found someone who makes her happy and staying with me was preventing her from being with him.
She had married a man named Phil, and in order for her to be happy, I was willing to endure a little extended one-on-one time with Charlie and this God awful town.
So here I was, my first day of school; the center of attention, in a new place that I'd never set foot in before, and constantly bombarded with the most bizarre and intense feeling of déjà vu I've ever experienced in my life.
The morning felt familiar. Driving my 'new' old truck to school felt familiar, even though I'd never actually driven the thing before. The place where I parked felt familiar. I knew the woman behind the desk in the office, Mrs. Cope. I knew where my classes were, and I recognized a bunch of the students who greeted me in passing.
It was the weirdest and most inexplicable thing I'd ever experienced and it was seriously weirding me out.
Throughout the entire day, I kept trying to shake it off. Explain it away somehow, or just pretend I was imagining the whole thing, but then it came time for lunch.
I was dragged to the cafeteria by a girl named Jessica. She was a little taller than I was, with wavy brown hair and too-good looks. She was rather outgoing and had been one of the few people with enough guts to just come up to me in my morning classes and just start yammering on about nothing. She was in two of my classes so far, Trig and Spanish, and she seemed to expect me to sit with her and her friends at lunch, and I had no reason to refuse.
I made my way through the line, acquiring food and following Jess to an already rather full table of other students.
I recognized several of them from previous classes as well as from my weird déjà vu but the names weren't coming to me.
Nothing was specific. I didn't specifically remember these people, or places, but they were insanely familiar. Like I'd been here in a dream. Or a lot of dreams, and I'd completely forgotten about it until now.
And then they walked in.
The group of them didn't specifically spark anything in me, aside from the same crazy familiarity I'd been feeling all day, but he was another matter. I saw him and it was like an explosion went off in my brain. It felt like a hurricane of images flew though my mind in a fraction of a second, and then flew right back out again. The only thing that stayed behind was Edward.
That was his name. Edward. And I knew him. I knew I did.
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EPOV
Purgatory... no wait, this is high school. Same thing, I suppose.
It was a day like any other. Or at least it started that way. My family and I sat at the same table in the Forks High cafeteria that we sat at every day we were forced to be here. We isolated ourselves from the rest of the student body. We were only here to keep up appearances and to try and avoid excessive suspicion. We certainly weren't here for an education. And we had absolutely no desire to socialize with the human children surrounding us.
I sat in the loud crowded room, trying to ignore the unrelenting influx of uninvited thoughts that endlessly bombarded my mind. I ignored my siblings' thoughts out of regard for their privacy as best I could. As for the human children, I tried to ignore their thoughts because their adolescent hormone-driven dribble was literally mind-numbing.
There was one mental thought, that no matter how hard I tried, my mind never let me ignore. My own name. Even just hearing it thought was enough to catch my attention. It was no different than hearing someone across the room shout it out at the top of their lungs.
My head whipped around towards the origin of the mental call and my eyes slipped from the person who 'spoke' the thought, to the person sitting next to her.
Deep brown doe-shaped orbs stared back at me with a look of shock and bewilderment. For a moment my mind went about things normally. I recognized the original thought came from Jessica Stanley. A rather shallow girl who'd spent a great deal of time earlier in the year fantasizing about me until she finally got a clue and let me be.
I realized the girl next to her must be the new girl that the whole school was in a tizzy about. After a moment, I realized I wasn't hearing a single thought from her. I also realized that she was insanely familiar, and not just because I'd seen the mental image of her in the minds of the student body all morning long. There was something... else.
But the split second passed and my mind was suddenly reeling with the overwhelming feeling of familiarity. I openly stared at her, while she openly stared at me; our equally bewildered eyes locked on each other from across the room.
I didn't know why, I didn't know how, but I knew that I knew this girl. Her name was Bella Swan and she hated the cold and the wet. She liked the color brown because it reminded her of her home in Arizona. And she smelled of freesia and strawberry shampoo.
I blinked and shook my head, confused by the thoughts in my own mind. It made no sense at all. I was just as sure that I'd never met the girl before, as I was sure that I had. The intensity of the familiarity of her was overwhelming and beyond confusing.
My mind flew back to the fact that I still hadn't heard a single thought from her. Jessica seemed to be talking to her again, but she was still staring at me with the same overwhelmed and confused expression that I was sure was also gracing my own features.
I spent the remainder of the lunch hour listening to the conversation the strange silent girl had with Jessica Stanley, and trying unsuccessfully to hear Bella's thoughts. The aching feeling in my chest that I knew her only intensified as time passed. When it was finally time to leave, I packed up made my way out of the cafeteria with considerable reluctance, her face still in my mind.
I reached my destination on auto pilot. I sat down at my assigned lab table in Mr. Banner's Biology class and let my bag fall open across the top of the desk, the books within it spilling across the space.
The action was standard for me. I didn't share this table with anyone. I was the only one in the class who didn't have a lab partner and I preferred it that way. But for some reason this action sparked something within me. The strongest and strangest sensation of déjà vu I'd ever experienced, even stronger than I'd felt in the cafeteria.
The image of the books splaying out across the table was beyond familiar. I knew I'd seen it before. This precise thing had happened to me before. But what was stranger was that I knew what was coming next.
The new girl, Bella Swan, would be in this class. She would sit next to me, so I would have to collect my things and open the other side of the desk for her.
And she would smell beyond tantalizing and it would take every last ounce of strength I possessed to control my thirst while she was there.
My mind was reeling. Both from the bizarre familiarity and the intense certainty I had that these events were about to occur, but also because of what I knew was coming. I knew that this girl's blood was going to be beyond tempting. I knew I hadn't hunted in nearly two weeks. I knew that if things progressed as today was supposed to, that I would run away from her. But somehow I also knew that today would not progress as it was supposed to.
As much as I knew that these events were supposed to take place, I also knew that I could handle it this time.
This time? What?
And then she was there as if on cue from my internal ramblings. She walked in with Angela Webber, who quickly walked to her assigned desk and took her seat. My head whipped around and our eyes met. Hers were wide and they darted from me to the fan Mr. Banner had blowing in the side of the room and back to mine. They were filled with worry, and I knew that she knew too.
I took in a deep breath and held it. She still only stood in the doorway and her scent hadn't traveled to me yet. I knew this was the safest option. And as long as I was at least semi-prepared when I was finally assaulted by the scent, perhaps it would be okay. I nodded very gently in an attempt to let her know it was okay to move.
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BPOV
He knew too! Whatever this was, he was feeling it too, I was sure of it. But what exactly was it that I knew? I wasn't even sure. But I knew that something big was going to happen when he... when he smelled me.
What sense does that make?
He was beautiful. Beyond description, and I felt insanely drawn to him in a way I couldn't even put into words. It was like a part of me had known him for years. The more time passed, the stronger it felt. The more I... remembered.
I walked to the front of the classroom cautiously after his nod. He was holding his breath, so when I passed by the fan, it didn't do anything to him. I handed my slip to the teacher so he could sign it, and received my class textbook. The teacher told me where to sit, but I already knew.
Tentatively, I took my seat next to Edward. He was staring at me, his mouth closed, and his eyes boring into my own with intensity.
His eyes were overwhelming and beautiful. They were a very dark honey amber color, but somehow I knew that the moment he caught my scent they would turn to pure black.
How can a person's eyes change color? That doesn't make sense...people's eyes don't change color.
No... human eyes don't change color. But he's not…
I gasped at my sudden memory. His face darted my way, his eyes wide with unspoken questions and confusion at my quiet outburst. Without speaking his eyes searched mine for answers and I could see frustration in them.
I should say something...
But what? What if you're just going completely insane? You think he's getting this too, but maybe it's all just in your imagination? You say one word about this to him and he'll think you're completely mental!
Yeah, especially if you accuse him of being a vampire. You'll really give him a great first impression with that.
But I'm not imagining this! I know I'm not! I know him!
Suddenly, he cleared his voice and looked me in the eyes. "Hello." He said, barely moving at all. He still hadn't breathed, I could tell. I wondered how long he could actually go without breathing...
He doesn't need to breathe at all, but he will if he's going to speak to you.
How the hell do I know that?
"Um, h–hello" I stuttered in response.
He paused and his eyes were distant for a moment, as if he was searching for what to say.
"Bella..." He said in a hesitant voice. A look of surprise crossed his face and his eyes darted to his hands for a moment. "Bella." He said again, but just to himself this time. The word coming from his mouth was so insanely familiar. It felt... right.
"Edward." I replied, without even meaning to, and suddenly I knew exactly what he had felt. Hearing the word come out of my own mouth, out loud for the first time shocked me and brought about another hurricane of images and emotions.
"...Edward." I said, my voice coming out breathy, surprised by the intense feelings that were overwhelming me as I sat there.
His eyes came back up to meet mine and he stared at me intently for a moment in silence before he finally opened his mouth to speak again.
"I'm going to take a breath soon... I don't know if that's a good idea or not..." He said in a low cautious voice.
Part of my mind was screaming I knew it! But another part of me had never even questioned it, and that part answered.
"You won't hurt me Edward. I know you won't. I trust you." The words just came out without even thinking them. But I knew what I said was true.
His face was conflicted. He was just as confused and overwhelmed by all of this as I was.
Hesitantly, I saw him slowly breathe in through his mouth and I witnessed as his whole body stiffened and flinched. His muscles constricted and his jaw locked. His hands tightly gripped the edges of the desk and I could see the flimsy material crunch a little beneath them. He glanced briefly at me, his eyes black as night, then away.
My heart broke to see him suffering and I wondered why he hadn't just held his breath the entire class period to avoid this.
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EPOV
I knew I would need to talk to her more. I had to speak with her about this, and even more than that I knew that I needed to be near her. There was no way I could ever be near her or speak to her for anything longer than a few simple sentences if I was always holding my breath around her. I needed to become accustomed to her scent, and I somehow knew that I would. It would just take a little time and some endurance, but it would happen.
We wouldn't get much time during class to speak, but I hoped that afterwards we would. I'd spend the class period acclimating to the burn as best as I could and hope that it would be enough.
Slowly, I took a breath in through my mouth. I knew it would still be difficult, but not quite as bad as if I took it in through my nose.
At first it was just as horrible as I remembered it would be... wait, what? Remembered?
But that was what it was... it was like I remembered this day. This girl. This burning. This scent.
It was tantalizing. Indescribably delicious and taunting beyond words. It was the sweetest most appetizing blood I'd ever smelled, but it wasn't the first time I'd smelled it. It was a familiar smell. One I knew better than any other. It was her smell, and somehow I knew that I had smelled this sweet fragrance a thousand times before and grown a tolerance to the burn. I'd done it before, and I knew I would do it again.
The monster within me tried to rage, but I kept it at bay. I knew how to deal with this. I'd mastered this, and I would master it again.
Class began and neither of us spoke. Our eyes frequently met and a silent knowing passed between us. Every few minutes I'd take in another shallow breath through my mouth and every time she noticed. Every time her eyes filled with sorrow because she knew I was suffering. I wondered if she knew why.
How much did she know? How much did she understand about what was happening?
"Is the burn lessening?" Bella said from beside me. Her voice was barely audible, but she knew I would hear. She knew quite a bit about me for someone I've never met. Without turning towards her, I nodded gently, in hopes of reassuring her. The anguish on her features proved that she wasn't convinced.
The class was nearly over and I had even chanced a few breaths through my nose. I was acclimating to this even quicker than I'd hoped and that knowledge was a relief. I didn't want to have to run from her. I wanted... no, I needed to be near her. The longer I sat there the stronger the pull felt. My chest felt both empty and full for her. Empty because I wasn't yet truly close to her, but full because of the strange growing feelings of the pull.
More details about her came to me as the class period passed. She liked to read. She liked classics and romance. She loved Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights. She was selfless and put her own needs and desires far below those of others, especially people she cared about. She'd be miserable if it meant her friends or family being happy.
She hated celebrating her birthday. She hated receiving gifts. She had the most hideous old red truck.
I actually chuckled when the memory of her truck surfaced in my mind. It was insanely loud and wouldn't even go over 50mph, making the thing insanely frustrating for me to ride in. I could reach a destination faster if I carried the damn thing.
Memory...
I remembered how this day was supposed to have gone. The class would end and I would dart out of the room, much faster than I should, and go hide and sulk in my car for an hour, trying to calm down.
I would have spent the entire class period using every ounce of strength I possessed to keep myself from slaughtering the entire class of children, just to get to her sweet tantalizing nectar. After plotting my kill course, the knowledge of how close I came to massacring a room of innocent children would drive me to run away. I'd visit Carlisle one last time before leaving to Denali.
But it didn't end there, as it should... I'd come back. I'd come back to her. I couldn't yet remember the details... But I knew it was true.
The class ended and the other students quickly fled. I shoved my things into my bag and stood up. Her eyes grew wide and fearful as she attempted to reach for me and stopped herself in mid-motion.
"You aren't going to run away are you? Don't go to Alaska, I know you won't hur–" She said quickly, but I put my hand up to stop her.
She remembers too. This isn't just me. She feels it all too.
"I'm not going anywhere Bella, but I need to speak with you. We need to get out of here and talk about this. Figure out what this is. Is that okay?"
Her face instantly shifted from fear and worry to excitement and relief. She nodded and quickly grabbed her back and stood up with me.
"As long as there are no dark alleyways, I will be okay." She laughed lightly. I knew she was referring to another memory of a conversation we'd once had about this day, but I pushed it aside.
I led her down the hall and into an empty computer lab that I knew didn't have a class in it this period. No one would be coming in here and we could have some privacy. I opened the door for her, she entered quickly and I followed, closing the door behind us.
I turned to face her and we just stared at each other for a moment.
"Edward..." she breathed my name and hearing it come from her sweet lips was heaven. It sent a jolt straight through me.
"Bella..." I responded, just as dazed.
And like an explosion, it hit me. Without even thinking, I reached out and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her small body and nuzzling my head into her luscious brown mane.
Her tiny arms wrapped around mine instantly in return and she dug her hands into my hair.
"Oh Bella... I missed you." The words left my mouth before I could even register them. They almost made no sense. Rationally, they still didn't. How could I miss her? I hadn't known her before this day. But somehow, my... heart knew it was true. I did know her, and even though I hadn't been aware of it until the moment our eyes met in the cafeteria, I had missed her.
"Edward! I missed you too. Oh god, I missed you too." She cried into my shoulder, pulling me even tighter and clutching to me as if her life depended on it.
The soft warmth of her body was heaven. Her lovely scent, while ravaging my throat, was soothing my mind.
I pulled back from her just long enough to look into her deep brown orbs and instantly be pulled back in. I kissed her on the lips and I knew this feeling. She tangled her hands in my hair and deepened it, moaning into my partially open mouth. I knew it was reckless. I knew I shouldn't do it, but I couldn't stop it even if I'd wanted to. I did keep enough sense to keep her tongue out of my mouth, but I still had to taste her. I'd missed this taste. Oh god, I'd missed her.
Finally we pulled back and she whimpered at the lost connection. I chuckled. This was familiar.
I finally gained enough mental clarity to form a question.
"Bella... I... do you...what...?" Okay, maybe I hadn't gained enough mental clarity to form a question...
She laughed and ran her fingers through my hair and the feeling of her gentle caress was heaven.
"What is this?" She asked, her eyes confused, but still sparkling with... with love.
"I have no idea." I said.
"I know you." She stated her eyes distant, like she was looking at something far away.
"I know you too. I... I remember things... things about us. Things that haven't happened."
"Me too! I... I know what you are. I remember um... a van. You saved me…no, wait, you will save me –"
"Tyler's van. Ice... I push you out of the way– "I began, the memories flooding back now.
"Before that you were gone though. You left and went to Alaska... you won't leave this time – right?"
I chuckled. "I told you already, I'm not going anywhere. Originally I left because I was too overwhelmed by your scent. I lost control of myself –"
"That didn't seem to happen this time. Why did you breathe in my smell if you knew it was going to hurt?" She questioned, obviously confused by this action.
"I knew I needed to get accustomed to it. I figured I could use the class hour to adjust."
"Ohh..." She said, her mouth forming a small O shape and she thought this through. "You... Oh! You kissed me, was that okay? I… Oh! I'm sorry! What I did must have been so hard for you!"
I laughed. "I'm fine Bella. I'm handling this much better this time around."
"Is this... I mean, are we, like, repeating this or something? I know I've done this day before. I mean, it started out familiar, but by lunch I knew everything that was coming. I remember this day... I remember tomorrow. I remember next week! How is that possible?"
"I think I remember a lot further than that." I responded, thoughtfully.
"Me too... just not detailed... not yet. The more we're together, the clearer things get." She said before growing quiet and thoughtful for a moment. "Edward... you aren't going to ignore me for three weeks after Tyler's van crash, again, are you?" She looked at me, her eyes narrow and accusing.
I burst out laughing. "Bella love, do you honestly think I'm going to let the stupid crash even happen this time? You're not going to be anywhere near that part of the parking lot next Tuesday, and that's final. Besides, I seem to recall avoiding you in an attempt to protect you from me and my secret... I'm guessing you already remember what that is... right?" My voice weakened at the end, pulling into a question.
"You mean about being a vampire?" She asked with an entirely straight face and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes... about being a vampire."
"Oh yeah... I remember... I... I'm not sure I remember yet how I found out though... I don't remember you telling me or even any... oh! The meadow. I remember the meadow."
"Port Angeles..." I said under my breath, the memory of it crashing into my mind suddenly.
"Oh! But wait... I knew before that. I... oh screw it. I'll figure it out later." She said as her brow furrowed in concentration. "This is giving me a headache."
"Really?" I asked my hand going up to the side of her head and brushing my fingers gently through her hair before resting my hand on the side of her head carefully. "Is it really hurting?" I asked with genuine concern in my voice.
Her eyes softened and she smiled warmly at me. "No, I'm fine. It's just overwhelming. It's so much to take in all at once. It keeps coming at me in waves and sometimes I just don't know what to do with all the information. This morning it was like, the biggest thing I had to worry about today was getting lost on the way to my classes, or totally embarrassing myself in front of the other students, and suddenly I'm remembering the love of my life –" She caught herself and her face flushed almost instantly.
I grinned widely. "I remember that blush." I said, smiling at her. I pulled her close again, feeling the extra warmth of her flushed face against my chest and breathing in the scent of her hair. "Oh Bella, my love." I trailed off, lightly kissing the top of her head.
She hummed in pleasure and it sent vibrations through my chest. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too."