Yeah, Lindsey, MINE. Grawr. XD And the sequel to DSLM will be up soon.

Chapter Three

I knew that I wouldn't be able to get away with two nights of a dreamless sleep.

It was that dream again. Rain was falling and Jacob was walking soundlessly beside me, though beneath myfeet the ground crunched like dry gravel. But he wasn't my Jacob; he was the new, bitter, graceful Jacob. The smooth suppleness of his walk reminded me of someone else, and, as I watched, his features began to change. The russet color of his skin leached away, leaving his face pale white like bone. His eyes turned gold, and then crimson, and the back to gold again. His shorn hair twisted in the breeze, turning bronze where the wind touched it. And his face became so beautiful that it shattered my heart. I reached for him, but he took a step away, raising his hands like a shield. And then Edward vanished.

I wasn't sure, when I woke up in the dark, if I'd just begun crying, or if my tears had run while I slept, and simply continued now. I stared at my dark ceiling. I could feel that it was the middle of the night--I was still half asleep, maybe more then half. I closed my eyes wearily and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

That's when I heard the noise that had woken me in the first place. My doorknob jiggled, like someone was trying to get in.

My eyes flew wide open with fright, though I was so exhausted and muddled that I was not yet positive weither I was awake of asleep.

The doorknob jiggled again.

Confused and clumsy with sleep, I stumbled out of my bed, and to the door, blinking lingering tears from my eyes on the way.

And then a familiar, velvety voice called from the other side of the door.

"Bella, open the door," it said.

I opened the door, and there stood Carlisle. He looked worried.

"Carlisle?" I asked groggily.

"You were crying, and you were talking in your sleep," he said.

I wiped my eyes. "I had a bad dream. Come in. You don't need to stand in the hallway."

He walked in, looking pensive.

"What did I say in my sleep?" I asked him, sitting on my bed.

"You kept whimpering, and calling out for Jacob and my son. You sounded very upset. And then you started to cry, and..." he trailed off. His golden eyes were the one thing that I could see the most. They were smoldering.

"And you came up here to check on me. Thank you." I got up and hugged him. It was a very sweet gesture, but somehow it felt...right...in Carlisle's arms, and that scared me a little.

I felt something press to the top of my head--his lips?

"Bella, can I tell you something?" I looked up at Carlisle. His eyes looked wary.

"You can tell me anything."

"It...broke my heart when I heard you crying." He sounded like he was admitting a weakness. It reminded me of an old memory. One that I'd rather not think about anymore. "I wanted nothing more than to make you stop crying."

My heart inflated some, and it surprised me. I was happy that Carlisle felt that way. It was slightly strange. I just lay my head on his chest again.

"You need to sleep, Bella." Carlisle unwrapped his arms from around me. I nodded, agreeing.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" I asked shyly.

"Of course." Carlisle sat in the rocking chair.

I crawled back into bed, and lay my head down. I fell asleep quickly.

The dream continued where it had left off. With shaky legs, ignoring the fact that my action was useless, I followed him into the forest. The evidence of his path had disappeared instantly. There were no footprints, the leaves were still again as the breeze stopped, but I walked forward without thinking. I could not do anything else. I had to keep moving. If I stopped looking for him, it was over.

Love, life, meaning...over.

I walked and walked. Time made no sense as I pushed slowly though the thick undergrowth. It was hours passing, but also only seconds. Maybe it felt like time had frozen because the forest looked the same no matter how far I went. I started to worry that I was traveling in a circle, a very small circle at that, but I kept going. I stumbled often, and, as it grew darker, I fell often, too.

Finally, I tripped over something--it was black now, I had no idea what caught my foot--and stayed down. I rolled onto my side, so that I could breathe, and curled up on the wet bracken.

As I lay there, I had a feeling that more time was passing than I realized. I couldn't remember how long it had been since nightfall. Was it always so dark here at night? Surely, as a rule, some little bit of moonlight would filter down through the clouds, through the chinks in the canopy of trees, and find the ground.

Not tonight. Tonight the sky was utterly black. Perhaps there was no moon tonight--a lunar eclipse, a new moon.

A new moon. I shivered, though I wasn't cold.

I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs.

I almost expected Charlie to come check on me this time. This wasn't my usual screaming. I buried my head in my pillow and tried to muffle the hysterics that my screams were building into.

I screamed even harder when I cold hand touched my cheek.

"Bella, calm down. It's just me."

The bed dipped under Carlisle's weight as he sat down next to me.

I grabbed is shirt and buried my face into his chest as I sobbed. He rubbed my back soothingly, trying to calm me down.

After an hour of sobbing, I had finally began to calm down.

I had the feeling that had brought on so many tears was the memory that I had tried so hard to block off. My gate had broken open, and the worst memory I had had come back, and reduced me to a sobbing pile on Carlisle's lap.

"Bella, what happened?" he asked softly, still rubbing my back.

"It was...the memory when...he left me. I'm trying to...get over him. It's hard," I sniffed.

"Oh. I see. Do you want me to stay?" Carlisle asked me.

"Yes. Could you lay with me?"

"If that's what you really want."

I lay back down, and scooted over so that he could lay down next to me. Soon his face was right in front of mine.

I placed my head on his chest, and put my hand over his side. He wrapped his arms around me and held me to him. He kissed my hair.

I fell asleep quickly, but not before I heard something that faintly sounded like, "I love you, Bella."

OOOHHHH! OMG! Did she imagine it, or...what? Mwhahahaha.

I promise the sequel will be up soooooon. I just have a lot going on.

Review, my happy people! And you can have a CULLEN-HALE HUG! From ANY Cullen MAN! WOHOO!