Three Days

The tale of Bella's three-day change

Day One

I married him. It was all he asked of me, so I did. I am now Mrs. Isabella Cullen. I had legally given him my heart when he knew he already had it. It was only love alone that I did it, and love alone that now would make eternity ours.

I took off the white wedding dress and hung it back on its hanger on the door. I took off all my under things. Slowly, one by one, I took them all off. He followed my lead, and I watched as more and more of his glorious marble skin was reviled.

"On the bed?" he asked, he was still reluctant and still upset with the path I had chose for myself.

"On the bed." I agreed, and remembering the beauty of the gold bedding. I added another condition. "Promise me not to spill too much on the sheets."

"I promise I won't," he said seriously.

"Then enjoy," I smiled and lay down, pulling my hair away and exposing the main vein in my throat. He planted a trail of kisses across both collarbones and from the hallow between them and up to just below my jaw line.

A pause. Two sharp points of pain, just points for a bit. It was wishful thinking, I know, but if that was the worst of it, nothing would be so bad. At the end of three days it would just be a minor annoyance.

But two points of pain were only the beginning. Fire laced from those to points moving through my veins till every tiny capillary was a searing wire below my flesh. Fire in every little pore of my skin. Hot. Pain. I didn't scream as Roselie said she had. The pain was well worthy of screaming. I could understand why she had spent the majority of thee-days screaming. But I didn't scream. I hurt too much to scream.

He could tell, I know. He pulled back, no reluctance then.

Day Two

The pain isn't the kind of thing you can just get use to or begin to tolerate. It's worse than I could ever imagine. I didn't know if anyone an imagine such. Fire throbbed and roared on in my veins. I lay still for a whole night, not moving for fear of more pain.

In the morning, Edward dressed and left me for a short time. Though I could be no judge of time or anything for the condition I was in.

He came back and held me in his arms for most of the day. I still wore nothing and it may have been a good thing. Edward was as cold as ever, but it did nothing for the fire that consumed me.

I started shaking I think at some point. I don't think it did anything for my pain, but at least I was doing something then.

He murmured things to me. I don't know what he said. I thought I heard pain in his voice in his voice, or regret but I couldn't tell. I was a little preoccupied with pain.

Shaking distracted by me but it didn't last. Soon I stopped shaking and the pain I had trying to ignore returned at top-notch level. I felt Edward's fingers brush across my cheeks before I realized I was crying. He started to rock with me, and I could make out two things. He was alternating between humming my lullaby and whispering things to me.

Every so often I was able to block out enough pain to discern a few words from his mumbling. "So sorry…Bells…I didn't…it'll all be…I promise…soon…I'll take you…I love…pull through…you have…love you…so sorry…" When it got repetitive started to feel my ears throb with the fire so bad I could not hear anything anymore.

The last thing I remember hearing was "Bella, I love you." And it was the only full sentence I caught.

Day Three

Edward changed at nightfall again, and he dressed me gingerly. Wearing clothing was a distraction, and distractions were good. But the distraction of clothing only lasted until he left again.

Alice came in and sat with me. Her cool hands smoothed my hair back from my head and the finger-combed it lightly. She said things but my ears were still blazing so badly I couldn't hear her. My eyes were burning until I was crying and my vision blurred painfully. Every nerve felt like it had it's own single let match. Parts of me started to grow numb and I knew it was because those parts of me were dead.

That's when I realized it. All the pain was due to my body dying. I was crying to rid my tear duts of liquid. I realized that the pounding was slowing and my heart ached painfully slowed and stopped. I hadn't taken a breath all day and my lungs had stopped searing when they stopped working to collect oxygen for my dying body.

My toes and fingertips numbed first. They were dead. And very very slowly the numbed sensation moved up my feet and hands.

I saw Roselie sneak a peek at me and disappear again, she would be silent towards me for a while. Emmett looked helpless before he left to find Roselie. Jasper collected Alice, I could see his unease and tension.

I didn't know when Edward returned but he was rocking my when Esme and Carlisle visited. Carlisle said something that sounded like 'not long now' and Esme hugged me quickly and returned me to Edward.

My arms, legs, and head were numb and the numbness spread through my torso at increasing sped.

I saw the sun set and as the silver of the moon rose I was rid of all my pain. The first thing I saw as a newborn vampire was Edward's relieved face.

"I'm thirsty," I whispered.

"I know," he smiled. "Let's go hunting."

Alright, I did it!! I've been saying I would do it, and I did it…this is all for my Rozzy-dearest. It's her birthday today, so everyone be sure to go tell her happy birthday!!! Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Roz!!! (October 11th, if you needed to know.)