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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐓 the call from Carlisle, was she more than happy to start packing up in her hotel. Rosalie showed up not even ten minutes later to help her with her things and to also give her more details of the events that had transpired in the past week and a half.

According to Rosalie, the tracker James had found a way to lure Bella away from Alice and Jasper in Phoenix by tricking her into believing he had her mother and he wouldn't hurt her if she came willingly and alone. Bella had managed to slip past the two vampires when they were preoccupied and get a cab where she met him at her old ballad studio she used to take when she was a kid.

Turns out, James had deceived her, seeing as he did not have her mother and had used some old home video of Bella's mom calling out her name in a frantic manner. Edward had managed to get there in time to stop anything too severe, the others got there a little later because Edward had always been known to be the fastest in the coven. However, James did manage to do some serious damage and had bitten her.

Rosalie explained that Carlisle gave Edward a choice. Either he lets the venom do its job and Bella turns into one of them, just like Alice's vision had predicted. Or, Edward had to suck out the venom to stop the transition. Bridget couldn't believe the relief she felt when Rosalie told her Edward chose the latter, grateful to him for having the common sense to not want to destroy her life. She had a tiny bit of respect for that decision, as did Rosalie.

Now that they were back at the house, Bridget had an delusional notion that everything was okay and they were out of the woods. She even voiced it to Rosalie as they pulled into the garage, but one look from her friend was all she needed to understand. "What are you not telling me?"

Rosalie put the car in park before leaning back. "That woman Victoria, the one Esme and I were protecting Charlie from, she escaped. She is long gone for now. But we killed her mate. It's not over."

"Well..." Bridget trailed off, taking in that particular piece of information and groaned. "Shit."

That is when the overthinking started happening, just like usual. One, in particular, the reason they had sent to that hotel to begin with. "Am I in any danger with this vampire?"

"I'd imagine right now, you are not even a thought in Victoria's mind. We did a pretty decent job disguising your lingering scent so she shouldn't even know about you. Alice is keeping tabs on her movements, but all I know is if it were my mate that was killed, I'd be focusing on those responsible for his death."

In other words, Edward and Bella were the ones screwed and not her. Bridget isn't exactly sure if that is supposed to make her feel better or not.

The only people here were Esme and Rosalie, the others were making the long drive back. The only ones staying in Phoenix were Bella and Edward (obviously) as well as Carlisle. Bella was still in the hospital from the injuries inflicted by James, but Rosalie had confirmed she was perfectly fine and will live. It was hard to miss the bitterness in her tone as she said it.

Esme met the two girls at the door and smiled brightly at Bridget before pulling her into a hug, which Bridget happily accepted. Esme was another one besides Rosalie and Carlisle that she was the closest with, the woman was basically born to be a mother and had taken on the mother role with everyone else quite easily.

"I'm sorry about the hotel, we know you don't like when we do stuff like that, but it was easier to not have you anywhere near the house until we knew it was safe."

Bridget smiled at the woman and shook her head. "I understand, Esme. I appreciated it. Really." And truly did. She knows she can be stubborn when it comes to money, but there are situations Bridget just understands when she should just keep her mouth shut about it.

"I'm glad."

Rosalie then followed Bridget up the stairs towards her bedroom, insisting on carrying her suitcase while the only thing Bridget carried was her violin case. Rosalie put the suitcase on her bed before turning to the blonde. "You might want to go grocery shopping. You were running low on supplies anyway but I doubt that milk is any good now. And I had to throw those peaches away."

Bridget nodded softly and unzipped her suitcase to start separating her clothes from what needs to be washed to the ones that don't. "I might go later today before work."

"I might come with you," Rosalie said, leaning back on the threshold at the door. "I don't really want to be here when the other's get here."

"Not even Emmett?" Bridget smirked, giving her friend a knowing look.

Rosalie narrowed her gold eyes. "If you are implying what I think you are implying, then you read too many smutty books."

Bridget giggled and folded one of her skirts. "I should have never revealed those books to you. You use them against me at every chance you get."

"Well, when you stop teasing me about Emmett, I will stop teasing you about your secret porn books."

Bridget gasps and throws a pillow at the vampire who clearly caught it. "They are not porn books! They actually have very good plots and storyline... with the occasional intimate chapters."

"Uh huh, do those 'Black Lace' books count as good storylines?" Rosalie inquires with an amused grin. Bridget felt her neck and cheeks heat up and she glared hard at the blonde across the room. Five years ago, Rosalie found Bridget reading a book titled Circo Erotica and has never let her live it down since.

"You promised you'd never bring those up."

Rosalie shrugged smuggly. "I agreed not to tell the others about them, not that I would never tease you about them."

Bridget went to throw another pillow but Rosalie just threw the one she had caught previously at the blued eyed girl, which whacked her in the face. Not too hard, but hard enough she stumbled back a bit and gasped as Rosalie broke into a fit of laughter.

Carlisle once told Bridget that Rosalie doesn't laugh with anyone as much as she does with Bridget. He told her that Bridget brought out a side of her that no one else besides Emmett could. Bridget remembers thinking the same, that Rosalie was the only true friend she has let herself care about in a very long time.

Once Rosalie started to settle down, she let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. Bridget noticed the change in demeanor and knew she was thinking hard about something, like she always was, especially lately with the whole mess with Edward and Bella.

"Hey," Bridget called, gaining her attention. "What's wrong?"

"Everything that has happened, all this trouble with James and Victoria... it's all because of her." The disdain in her voice was clear and Bridget did not need to ask who she was talking about to understand. "She is going to get us all killed just because Edward fell for his cantante."

"Is that really Bella's fault though?" Bridget inquired, causing Rosalie to snap her head up in disbelief but the former held up a hand. "I'm not disagreeing with you. On the contrary, actually. You know my feelings towards all of this. But can we really blame just Bella? If anything, Edward should have kept away. He should have ignored her and stopped her questions. It's not Bella's fault for being curious. It's Edward's for indulging in it."

Rosalie took in her words. "I know you are right, but I just can't help but think Bella should have run the minute she learned the truth. This can only end one way, and she is choosing a life of emptiness and frozen in time over her family and an amazing future she could have. I have no respect for someone like that, who would be willing to give up such a precious thing as a mortal life for... this."

Just like always, no one understood her words more than Bridget. She may not be a vampire, but she was still trapped like they were. She was never moving forward. She was frozen at this age. And why had this happened to her? What happened that caused her to stop aging? Bridget is not even sure if seventeen was the correct age she did stop aging, she is just going off based on when her menstrual cycle stopped.

That was the first sign she knew something was wrong, especially when the doctors couldn't explain it because she wasn't pregnant. It just... stopped. That is when she started to think that the accident might be the cause, but still, she couldn't be a hundred percent certain. All she remembers from the accident was the crash and then waking up in the hospital. Everything in between faded to black.

"I agree," Bridget said. She has done a very good job at avoiding Bella as much as possible so the only experience she has with the girl is the time she had approached her at school and Bridget basically told her to mind her business and stop prying. The Swan girl definitely does not listen to reason well. "I would give anything for the life she wants to throw away."

Rosalie hummed in agreement before telling the girl to let her know when she wanted to go to the store and left her to her own thoughts. Bridget continued to put the clothes away, heading into her closet and hanging them up neatly, when her eyes trailed down to the old trunk that used to belong to her grandmother before it was passed down to her before she died. It wasn't too big and the trunk itself wasn't worth much, but all the things inside... her entire world was inside this truck.

Without understanding what came over her, Bridget pulled out the truck, basically having to drag it to the middle of the floor and laid it down gently. She kneeled down, running a hand over the glossy wood before entering the combination and hitting the button, letting the clasps fling open and she opened the trunk to reveal everything she held dear to her heart.

She pulled out the silver-plate vanity set, which consisted of a hand-held mirror, a hairbrush and a comb. It was a full matching set with a beautiful design on the outside. It belonged to her mother, gifted to her by her father. It is the only thing from the woman who gave birth to her that she owns, the only thing her father didn't care much about to part with. Bridget never used it, but she would always admire it. Bridget had never met her mother, but she heard wonderful stories about her that made her miss the woman.

She set the box down and picked up the bundle of letters, all addressed to her, tied together with a thin white ribbon. She ran her fingers over the name on the top, not really knowing what to think when she saw his name. Gabriel. A love that never was. Bridget made the mistake of letting her guard down with him. She thought she could trust him. He only proved the reasons why she can never trust anyone again.

Why she kept his letters, she isn't sure. Maybe because they are filled with sweet nothings and a reminder of a time in her life where she thought maybe love was possible for her. It doesn't matter now. That was over thirty years ago. The heartache of the rejection had long since passed.

She places the letters besides the vanity set then pulls out the small tin box that held the only pictures to exist of her. She didn't have a whole lot from when she was a child and after discovering her ageless curse, Alex had thought it best that she'd avoid any kind of photography. There was only one picture she truly cared about, the one she cherished with her heart. And it was on the top as soon as she opened the tin, just where she left it the last time she admired it.

Alex was so young in this picture. So was Bridget, seeing as it was her seventeenth birthday. Alex was thirty-two years old in this picture, and Bridget remembers how happy they were. How peaceful everything was. Alex looked so happy, standing next to the two most important women in his world. His little sister who he swore the moment he held her in his arms for the first time that he will protect until his dying breath, and his wife who he swore in front of God to love and cherish and protect until death do them part.

Alex kept that promise. He loved his wife until cancer took her away from him. It was the worst time in Alex's life. It was the first time Bridget had the chance to be there for him like he was always there for her. Bridget loved her sister-in-law so much, she had not taken her death well either. But Bridget couldn't focus on her own grief. Alex lost the love of his life. Bridget was there for him through everything.

It was the only comforting thought now that he was gone. At least he is with his true love again.

Bridget simply kissed the picture before putting it back and placing the tin box to the side, the next thing she saw caused her body to stiffen, just like it always does whenever she sees the stunning fabric of the dress that she is pretty sure caused everything to go wrong in her life, if her theories about the accident are to be correct.

Bridget pulled the dress from the box and beheld it before her, still as perfect as it was in 1933. And after everything, she never even got the chance to wear it.

✿

December 20th, 1933

𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑺 𝑯𝑨𝑺 𝑨𝑳𝑾𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑬𝑵 the most joyous holiday for young seventeen year old Bridget Mae Flores. It was the only time of the year where she was actually excited to return to the dreary estate she calls home, only because it was decorated like a winter wonderland.

Granted, the reason behind the elaborate decorations is because her father is known for throwing the most festive and elegant Christmas Eve ball in all of Illinois. William Flores is a greedy, self-righteous man whose only care in the world was making a profit. Being the State Senate of Illinois tends to get into a person's head and before that he was and still is the owner of a multimillion dollar company. He is the most powerful man in the state, and he never lets anyone forget it.

The Christmas Eve ball was just another way to gain favor for the next election. Bridget had never really cared about anything like that. She loved the Christmas ball for one reason and one reason only- the gowns.

For as long as she could remember, she has worn a gown more exquisite then the year previous and she was the talk of the ball. She never cared if anyone noticed her, but dressing up and dancing with a few who asked, it was like she was a princess in a castle. She absolutely loved that feeling.

Her father never cared much for her grand entrances, but like usual, he never bothered to talk to her long enough to express that feeling. It had taken a very long time before Bridget Flores came to the conclusion that she will never be enough in her father's eyes and though the sting of that reality put an ache in her chest, she has learned to live with it without the love from her father.

Bridget had eagerly left school at the end of the day to make the hour-long drive to the boutique in Minooka, where her dress was being specially made and was told to return in two weeks time, which was today. The gown was extraordinary and definitely more perfect than the dress she wore last year, but in truth, she thinks this every year.

Alex had wanted to go with her, not liking the idea of her driving there herself, but seeing as their father was trying to drill him into becoming the next William Flores where he would be taking over the company, Alex had been instructed to head straight to the office for a meeting. Alex still hasn't found the courage to tell their father that he has no intention of taking over the company and instead, wants to open his own bakery with his high school sweetheart, Libby who he had married five years earlier.

Despite Alex being married, he has made sure not to make Bridget feel like he has abandoned her. Bridget loved Libby as much as she loved Alex so Bridget spent most of her time with the two as much as she possibly can without feeling like she was intruding, though neither of them ever gave the impression she was. Libby had always been very understanding with their relationship, seeing as Alex had basically raised Bridget since he was fifteen years old. Libby admitted it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

The dress was already paid for and the moment she put it on at the shop, she couldn't believe it. Bridget almost cried at the beauty of it and hugged Madam Petit tightly in excitement. She found herself at the boutique shop for several hours, so long that by the time she left, night had fallen and the snow storm that was predicted had already started.

The roads were very slippery, hardly anyone was out in this weather. Bridget had a feeling she should have found some hotel to hold out in until the storm passed but knew if she did not get home tonight, she was going to hear about it from her father, mainly because she is supposed to be home in the morning for the family photoshoot. If it was up to her father, they'd take it without her, but because they are used for their Christmas card, people will wonder where she is and it was not proper in the eyes of political society.

So Bridget kept both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, her headlights shining through the dark. Driving back was a lot easier since the roads were empty. She was just fifteen minutes outside of Chicago and soon she was getting off at the next exit. Thunder cracked overhead that caused the blonde to jump in her seat. The storm was getting worse and the snow wasn't helping her see clearly.

"Almost home. Almost home." Bridget repeated to herself as reassurance, becoming anxious as the storm picked up. She knew the snow was going to mix with thunderstorms but she didn't expect the amount of lightning that lit up the dark sky.

She recognized the road she was on, she was about to cross the Milliard Bridge and from there it was only a five minute drive to the estate. She felt herself sigh in relief, not realizing how tense she had been until this particular revelation. But just when was about to turn onto the bridge, a deer jumped in front of her car so fast, Bridget only acted on pure instinct by slamming on her brakes and turning her wheel.

The vehicle did not cooperate as it slid on the black ice, the car swerving in a large circle before it went crashing through the edge of the wooden rail. Bridget let out a deafening gasp as her body flailed from the impact, her head slamming against some hard and metal as the car crashed into the frigid water, causing Bridget to go into an what she would later learn after many researching to be an anoxic reflex, that had left her unconscious and stop her breathing which soon, stopped her heart from beating another beat.

At 9:53pm on December 20th, 1933, Bridget Mae Flores had died.

For only six minutes, that is.

At 9:59pm, a bolt of lightning struck the vehicle just before it fully submerged into the water, sending jolts throughout the metantical vehicle, which also defibrillated Bridget Mae Flores' heart, causing the seventeen year old to open her eyes and lift herself until she emerged from the water, drawing her first breath in six minutes.

Frantic, the blonde immediately swam through the opened window just before it went under completely and then swam to the surface and dragged her cold, freezing body until she was completely out. She was numb and breathless as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, rain and snow making it hard to do so, not entirely sure what happened, nothing in her mind was registering.

Bridget Mae Flores was thankfully found by another driver who had seen the destruction on the bridge and went to investigate, finding the soaking wet girl shivering on the ledge of the lake. Bridget didn't object to his help when he drove her to the hospital, and was not exactly in the right headspace. She had awoken in the hospital a day later with no memory of what happened other than seeing the deer and driving through the bridge, everything else was blocked out.

Bridget Mae Flores was unaware at the time and is still unsure to this day, that this is the effect that changed her life forever.

______________________________

Sorry, no Paul this chapter, but that's the end of part one! I can't believe how well this story is coming together, and I can't wait for New Moon to start Bridget and Paul's journey! It's going to be so epic!

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I certainly did!