Beyond Recognition

Hey guys! Those of you who are familiar with this story know that this chapter is NOT written by me, I wrote my own first chapter for this... but Word Nazi's is just phenomenal, you know? Anyways, if you don't know who Word Nazi is, check her stuff out! They're pretty darn amazing! I've taken this story over from Word Nazi because she doesn't want to write it anymore, the first three chapters are all hers, Kk? I DID NOT write them!

Okay, so, I don't own Twilight--that'd be Stephenie Meyer. I don't own the first three chapters of this--well, I do now, but Word Nazi wrote them. From chapter four on, though, I'll be writing everything else, so, tootles for now, folks! Buh-bye, see you next chapter! (Oh yeah, that's the only disclaimer for the whole story, btw.)

Chapter One

Deal With What You've Got

EPOV

As I walked into the room, I immediately wished I hadn't. I wanted to be with Bella, of course I did, but to see her like this… I couldn't believe this was my Bella. Laying there on one the cold beds of Forks local hospital, burned beyond recognition. Her scent was fried, and I could hear her blood rushing through her veins trying in a sad attempt to keep her alive, and when Renee arrived, even that wouldn't be enough.

Charlie and Renee had decided to have their daughter taken off life support--even if she did regain consciousness, she would be in terrible pain. Even I could agree with that. A machine was breathing for her, and every hour that passed was costing Charlie and Renee a fortune.

I had three hours to think this through, and if there was enough traffic (Which I doubted there would be.) maybe four. The plane from Florida, to Texas, to Arizona, to California, and finally to Washington would be landing shortly. Renee wanted to see her daughter one last time, no matter how little she looked like herself, before she let her go for forever.

Alice had had to get Jasper as far from me as possible as to prevent him from going to the Volturi or La Push himself, acting on my emotions. With Alice no longer in reach, I had no idea of what was heading my way… maybe that was for the better? …No, definitely not. I needed to know what was going on, when I was going to lose the reason for my existence.

I closed the distance between my love and I, kneeled down by her side, and rested my hand upon hers, her skin, now crisp and black, was colder then ever, warmer then me, but colder than she should be.

Edward, you need to leave, Charlie's heading upstairs now, I don't know how he would react if he saw you with Bella right now. Would you come join me in my office? Carlisle's thoughts barged right into my head, but I was done with rebelling, and this scene was too sad to bear. I walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I quickly walked down the hall, turned right, down that hall, and left into Carlisle's office.

"There's two choices here Edward. One, the human choice, you can let her die." I gritted my teeth. He was staring at papers as he quickly scribbled things across them and stacked them into another pile; staring at anything other than me. "Or, the second choice, you can change her. We all know what your reaction would be to the first, and you know that would break Esme in two. She's already lost one son, Edward; she doesn't need to lose another, not in her lifetime." Had I been human, my jaw would probably have been broken with the pressure I was applying to it now.

"I'm not damning her to this life!" I shouted as one of Carlisle's fellow doctors walked in. "Doctor Cullen, they need you in Sawyer Roth's room to make a final analysis on if he may return home tonight." Carlisle nodded and told her that he'd be there in a minute, she eyed me oddly wow, I've never seen Edward in a bad mood before… but he's still gorgeous, too bad I'm married, the same with Carlisle... I glared at the floor; Bella was the only person I wanted to hear that from, selfish as I am.

"Edward, I'll just be a minute, stay here if you like or go home." Carlisle walked out of the room, his white coat shifting slightly side-to-side. I left the office immediately behind him; there was no way I could stay here, not while Bella was burned beyond recognition

When I hit the main doors of the hospital, I ran faster then I ever had before to the remains of Bella's house. Even a human would have been able to smell the smoke, local firefighters and police (excluding Charlie's unit who were all down at the hospital with him.) were still investigating the area. It was finally raining again, though it had been perfectly sunny after raining the night before, which had, "luckily" kept the fire from spreading into the trees, but the sunlight had made it so I could not be out in broad daylight, and, by the time Carlisle received the call, the entire house had burned to the earth.

The firefighters said the fire looked pretty much to be intentional, and I was intent on finding the intentional arsonist. Moving quickly so the humans could no longer see me, I searched the scene, trying to find any evidence I could that would lead me to this vile perpetrator. I knew my attempt was in vain, and that there was no way I would find evidence of who had done this, but… Bella, once so lively and tripping over everything, now hardly clinging to the little life that remained in her fragile human body…

And I knew what she wanted.

She wanted to be cursed to this life, to rot with me forever from the inside out; she wanted to have no life after this; she wanted to be with me for forever and eternity. She wanted exactly what I could give her… the only thing I could give her at this point.

If only my power was to turn back time instead of one way telepathy. I would go back to her first day in Forks and plead for Carlisle to have us leave… or better yet, so I never became a vampire, so that I had never became sick and neither had either my parents. So I would have joined the army and died in war, not here in this position as the love of my existence would die soon and then be buried six feet beneath the ground.

In order to give Bella what she wanted, to "save" her life, I'd have to damn her myself. The exact thing I wished would never be done to Bella was the only thing that could keep her from spending the rest of eternity in a coffin beneath the ground.

My feet carried me swiftly back to the Carlisle's office back at the hospital. "Yes, he's here now." Yeah, I know. Want me to come back to help? The words processed quickly through his mind, so quickly that I almost didn't catch them. "No, it's alright, but thank you Alice." He set the office phone back on the receiver and looked back over at me.

"So, I take it you've decided?" It was more a statement than a question, but I nodded anyways.

When? Alice can see the place, but we don't have specifics on the time. "Well then, let me help you out, it's nearly 6:30 now." I stormed out of the room… I couldn't… I just couldn't deal with Carlisle now; he was too precise about everything and anything he did. I didn't want to even be in this position right now… what had Bella done to deserve this?

Before I knew it, I was facing Charlie in Bella's hospital room. His face was tearstained, and he couldn't think of even one bad thought when he saw me. Charlie had finally broken, I had always wished Charlie wouldn't think hateful things about me… but now I felt sort of… lonely.

He shoved past and out of the room without a thought or word about or towards me.

Bella looked even more lifeless then before… especially with the three lively police officers next to her bed whispering about how tragic this was as they thought of the past summers when they had seen Bella out on fishing trips (not enjoying them) looking nothing like this burnt woman that lay before them.

"Excuse me gentlemen, I need to make a final analysis on Ms. Swan here, so if you could leave the room…" Carlisle's voice came from behind me. Now's the only time Edward. The three men had left the room now, saying to each other that they ought to go find Charlie.

"No Carlisle, not yet." I snarled. "Renee needs to see her, just one last time." But now's the only time. "No it's not!" My voice rose, higher and higher after each word. He lifted his hands in front of him, and walked out of the room.

I sat down next to Bella… this couldn't be happening. I wished that this could be a dream, but I knew that was impossible—vampires couldn't sleep, let alone dream.

I walked over to the door and locked it. Even the life support was struggling to keep Bella alive… Carlisle was right… now was the only time. I bent over her, repeating 'now or never, now or never…' in my head, knowing that if I didn't, I'd back out.

I bit down on her throat, her skin crunching beneath my teeth. Her blood filled my mouth; it was like a barbequed treat, the finest liquid I had tasted in my lifetime… I tore myself away, she still lay there…lifeless.