Carlisle's worried voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Bella," he prompted. He wanted me to say something, wanted me to reassure them that I was going to be fine in the long run, even if I didn't feel that way right now. He wanted some indication as to what this news would do to me. I supposed it was out of concern for me, but it gave me no comfort. I tried to remain as indifferent as possible, but I could feel that I was on the verge of tears.

Edward's arms tightened around me, as if he were trying to create a barrier between me and this horrible twist of fate.

"I love you," he whispered into my hair.

With those words I broke down. I started shaking violently, uncontrollably. The tears that had threatened to overtake me began to flow freely down my cheeks. I cried without even caring that Edward and his entire family were watching me, observing this pitiful human.

That's not what they're thinking, I told myself silently. They care about me.

Well, they do now, a cold voice in my head whispered.

I sat there, crying in Edwards arms, my world falling apart at the seams.

Carlisle came over to us and put a strong hand on my shoulder, where Edwards hand had been a moment ago.

"I know that now it doesn't seem like it, but actually, your situation is the most desirable one that I have ever seen." He looked at me almost wistfully. "You now have a second chance at life, without being condemned to an eternity of being only half alive." As he said the last part his eyes became overwhelmingly sad. "You got what we all wanted."

Rosalie's head snapped up. "What we still want," she said bitingly.

Esme turned to Rosalie with hard eyes. Alice, who was sitting beside her, put a hand on her arm.

"Stop Rosalie," she said firmly.

Edward gave Rosalie a cold stare. I looked around in confusion. What had Rosalie said that was so wrong? It was understandable that she still wanted to be human. Rosalie had never wanted this life.

"I think that I should go take Bella upstairs," Edward said, helping me up as he stood. He put a sturdy arm around me, allowing me to put most of my weight on him. I let him guide me toward the stairs, no longer caring where I went.

"Wait."

I turned to see Rosalie standing, her face alight with a fury that only a vampire could posses. I broke out in a cold sweat as Edward stiffened. He tightened his grip on me.

"So you're not going to tell her?" She asked in disbelief. I was unsure as to whether she was talking to Edward or the entire Cullen family.

Edward let go of me, and advanced towards her.

"She had been through quite enough Rosalie, surely even you can look past your own selfishness and see that," he said angrily.

Rosalie didn't even blink. Her eyes remained fixed on Edward as she began to address the rest of the Cullens.

"I think that Bella should know," she said confidently. "I think she deserves to know, and if Edward won't tell her, I think Alice should." She gave Alice a smirk. "Please explain your vision to us Alice, because I'm sure Bella would just love to hear about it."

Alice sat, looking as though she were deliberately trying to avoid eye contact with Rosalie.

I realized then what people meant when they said that things could always get worse. Never again would I be optimistic about anything. I suddenly remembered a dance recital that I had been in when I was young, and how I had first tripped on my ballet flats, then grabbed the arm of another innocent dancer, and then proceeded to drag her down so that she kicked the pianist's bench out from under her. Worse was always possible.

I staggered forward, more numb than frightened now. Whatever Alice's vision was, it could not possibly be any more horrendous than the news that I was still human. I just wanted to get it over with.

"Tell me," I said flatly. Edward turned to face me looking as if he were about to protest, but then resignation crossed his face.

Carlisle did speak up. "Bella, this may not be something that you should hear right now," he warned me. "You're under a great deal of stress, and this will only add to it substantially."

"I want to know," I said again, more loudly than before. My hands were shaking.

Carlisle nodded and gestured to Alice, who stood up and turned to me.

I had never more afraid of Alice in my life. It was almost laughable that this pixie like girl with her wild brown hair and eternally kind face could frighten me. In a way I guess all of this was somewhat laughable. I would have to remind myself to laugh later, after I had gotten over the devastation part of it.

Alice took a deep breath, watching me with cautious eyes.

"Bella, I had a vision," she informed me. I nodded at her half heartedly, indicating that I had been made aware of this. She began again. "When Edward's blood mixed with your own, you were not given immortality, but you were given…a unique power."

"And what would that be?" I asked bleakly when she didn't continue after several seconds.

She took one of my hands in both of hers. "If you should so choose, you have the ability to change one of our lives. You could give one of us life. Not the life we live right now, this 'half life' as Carlisle aptly put it, but actual life. Essentially Bella, you can make one of us human again."