Chapter 6：The Encounter

Nearly three weeks later. Winter had set in. Snow was falling as I sat under a stone bridge next to a creek. The sound of the cold water calm and soothing. The street lamp the only light cascading from the bridge down to my little rock. I missed Alora. I missed Edward. I had made sure I was towns and villages away from them. Maybe, if I was far enough I would forget her hands reaching for me. Her small voice always calling me Ma. Her bright eyes knowing that I was there. Knowing that I was going to feed her. Bath her. Take care of her. Getting dinner ready for when Edward got home. The smile on his face as he looked at me. His dimple showing every time we played with Alora. His scent so clear still after three weeks from leaving.

The sudden snow ball to my head bringing me back to the cold out door present of my life. I wiped my head and stood looking around to see who did it. A small boy maybe ten years old stood on the bridge, ready for another attack. I pointed at him shaking my fingers.

"Punk, don't mess with me!" I yelled at him.

"What are you going to do, rat!" And yet another snow ball was thrown at me.

"I wont use snow balls. I'll use metal!" I dodged the next one then got pissed. I ran up the slope as he ran into town. The snow was covering his tracks so fast I couldn't even locate him anymore. The area white, cold and dead. No sound what so ever. "Stupid kid." I exclaimed and turned standing in the middle of the road. Not that any one was crazy enough to use vehicles or carriages in the snow.

I stopped dead in my tracks. On the edge of the bridge was a man dressed in a long black cloak, his face hidden from view with the hood. He stood a good six foot plus but it was hard to tell who it was or what he was doing for that matter. I went to move closer when he lifted his head. His hands in front of him as the wind blew the hoody off. I gasped as the realization hit. The black platinum streaked hair flowing out of the neat hold it was once in. The blue green eyes looking straight at me, the grin plain to see even through the snow.

"No, no not you." I exclaimed to myself as he moved towards me. I turned and ran. I heard his booted feet ran after me along with his malicious laugh. Cant let him catch me. Cant let him. He was fast even faster then what I was. He reached for me when I dodged, twirled around and sweep kicked him. I heard him curse as he fell to the snowy ground. I ran and went down an ally way. Not knowing that it was a dead end. "No, this isn't possible." I heard him approaching the dark ally. I hid behind a big green snow covered trash bin. I heard him chuckle as he walked down the ally.

"Sweetheart, come on. Don't hide." His voice was as smooth and teasing as it was long time ago. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline running faster through my system as it had ever been. "Why hide when you know this was going to happen. Don't you want to see your parents." I moved closer to the exit carefully following the wall so that he couldn't see me. "I will arrange that for you. There is no one or anything stopping this." I flinched as he had started throwing the trash bins away from the wall. I moved from the wall into plain sight. He turned. The cloak moving with the wind along with his body movements. He went to walk towards me when using my powers I had picked up the trash bin in mid air and threw it at him. It took him so off guard that he slipped on the patch of ice under him as he dodged the attack cursing yet again. I ran back out to the white falling snow and under the bridge before he could see where I went. I breathed in ruffly. My breath becoming little clouds of smoke as I breathed. I looked up at the bridge and saw no one. I turned to go deeper under the bridge when he had jumped from the top of the bridge to behind me. I gasped, went to turn when I was suddenly slammed to the wet cold snow white ground, a massive body over me and as I opened my eyes he had a sharp blade swung from his sleeve, bent down to place it in my body… then… suddenly stopped. I looked up at his green blue eyes. His long black platinum hair falling around him as wet as my hair now. He scanned my face then down the curves of my body then back up again. I breathed heavier waiting for him to do his goal. The blade went back into the sleeve as he stared down at me. "No, cant be." His voice was husky, almost low like Edwards once was. "I've seen you every night as I sleep." I shook my head.

"Are you going to kill me or what?" I breathed. He laughed.

"Never in a million years would the girl I've been dreaming about taking as my own wife would be the missing Virgoain." I gasped at that not knowing what to expect. He suddenly stood, taking me along with him. His hand grasped my wrist as he pulled me towards him. "As long as I can wing you into what I want you to be, my life will be a lot easier… and pleasant."

"What makes you think I'd let you."

"Your alone in this world, sweetheart. The only one left. Don't deny what you could find just as pleasant." I kneed him in the lions as he let me go. I brought the water up to wash him down the small creak as cold as it was I didn't expect him to return as it flowed to the rocky river the ice making it even harder to get out of. I fell to my hands and knees breathing heavily sitting there in the cold for a moment to regain composure. I got up after a few moments and ran up the slope again. I went to cross the road when a black sports car came sliding past. I jumped back, watched it as it braked, skidded to a halt, and was placed in park. Couldn't be Lord Seymour. No way!

The door flew open and the familiar frame came from the seat. The crying infant in the back loud to hear as he closed the door. He was dressed in his long black trench making him even more attractive then I remembered. He wore black boots, jeans and a sweater. The trench was opened to reveal the turtle neck dark blue sweater under neath. Seeing him, the fight I just encountered, lack of sleep, food and water came crashing down on my scenes. I leaned against the light pole for support. My heart aching as I watched him approach.

"Jaq!" He exclaimed as he stopped a few feet from me. "Thank God your alright."

"Of course I'm alright." He sighed running his hand through the untidy hair. "What- What are you doing out in weather like this, in that car with the baby?"

"Looking for you." He sounded just as desperate as that sentence allowed. I stared at him as he looked at me. His once luminous eyes were dark and concerned. "Hillary didn't agree with it." He went to walk towards me when I backed up standing on the edge of the road. "She admitted to going along with it for her father. When Alora wouldn't sleep, eat, and cried she quit. Walked out as soon as I came home. She hasn't stopped crying since you left. Since… I let you go."

"I'm sure there is enough wife friendly women you can find."

"Its not that. She was crying for you."

"I can't come back."

"Why?!" He exclaimed. He even looked tired as if he was up for the past three weeks.

"I'm…" 'not going to have my heart broken over again when you bring in another woman.' It almost slipped out of my mouth but I held it back. I sighed that time. Seymour was after me. He knew what I looked like. If I went with him. It would put them both at risk but I couldn't just let Alora cry her little head off for me forever. "Are you still wife hunting?"

"Yes." I folded my arms over my cold middle and looked around.

"I'll come back."

"Jaq…"

"But… I'm not going to carry on the way we were." He stopped coming towards me to do God knows what as I looked up at him. "Once you get home, settled and eat, you will take over. I will slowly unattached her to me and make sure that when I leave next she will be ready." His eyes went from the bright green to the disappointed midnight. "I cant sit by and watch you bring in these wives to be and see them come and go. You got another year. She'll be two and a half. She'll understand better why I have to leave and she gets a new mom."

"Jaq… I cant agree with that."

"Then you better get back in that car and drive home."

"You don't want to spend time with me then."

"I'll spend all my time with Alora. Caring for her. Getting her ready to be placed unto someone else. Or attach you to her better so she wont miss me as much. Wont wonder where I am and will forget me."

"Maybe not fully. But… she'll adapt better."

"OK I"ll agree for now." I nodded. "Come on. Get out of the cold before you catch one." His voice was husky again. He walked to his side of the car as I walked to the passenger. Alora looked at the both of us, confused and tear stained face looked at me.

"Ma home." She exclaimed. I reached back and ran my fingers along her cheek. Her face was red from tears. She looked as if she had lost weight. I felt Edward Shift in his seat to be turned towards me. I felt his hand at my back rubbing it something he had never done before. I reached down seeing the diaper bag and handed her a bottle.

"Yes for now, Ma will come home." She took the bottle and drank hungrily. As I turned back around the hand that was on my back trailed around to my shoulder lightly sending electric waves through my entire system. When I looked up at him we were only inches apart from each other.

"Jaq, I'm sorry to put you both through this."

"It… doesn't matter as long as we get home." Home. It rang a nice bell but deep down I knew it will never be my home. My belonging anymore. I was just there. Someone to watch over the baby until further notice. He turned in his seat, revved the engine and took off. Alora fell asleep easily in the back seat. The weather seemed to be getting worse.