0.0... where did everybody go? Wow, I guess I really lost a few of you, didn't I? Ah, well don't worry. I plan to get a lot of you back when I redo Breaking Dawn. That's the one everyone's dying to see, isn't it? Anywho... On with the show. And for those of you still around... thanks

Ten: Changing Color

One of the best things about Forks, which Bella admittedly loved over Phoenix, were the leaves in autumn. As she usually only visited in the summer time, she didn't always get the chance to see them. But when she did, she marveled at all the different hues and tints, her eyes bright as she saw each one flit in the wind. Even now, at such an age, Bella enjoyed the simple pleasures of the oranges, reds and yellows that were once so vibrant green. The only trees that remained unchanged were the hills of lush evergreens, most of them surrounding the mountainside where the Cullen estate sat. That afternoon, she stared into her own backyard of trees, watching as a couple of leaves danced along the sparse ground. She remembered a Thanksgiving that she and her mother came up to Forks for. She was young then, and the afternoon before the dinner, she and Jacob had played in the large pile of leaves that her father had raked up in the front yard. Looking back on it now, she couldn't help but smile at the appropriate irony of that day. Her smile left her, however, as a knock came to the door behind her. Turning, she spotted her father poking his head in.

"You ready to go?"

She almost had to remind herself what he was talking about. With a sigh, she stood and put her hands into her pockets. With a nod, they headed downstairs and into her truck. Her father insisted on driving. After warming up the old girl, the truck pulled out and began to drive down the road. Bella miserably put her forehead to the window beside her, her fingers touching the withering upholstery in the door.

After weeks of pleading, Bella finally agreed to go see a councilor. It was nerve wracking, to say the very least. What if she couldn't lie anymore? What if Carlisle found out? What if she unintentionally doomed the entire world with one slip of the tongue? Though the latter of the three was the least likely of outcomes, Bella couldn't help but worry over every possibility. The truck clattered its way down to the hospital, which had its own little rehabilitation center attached to it, and parked near the back. A few doctors said hello to Charlie as they passed, Bella feeling an embarrassment welling within her stomach. What must they think, seeing the chief of police bringing his daughter to rehab? She knew how gossip spread in this little town. The last thing she needed was for people to suspect her of being a druggie. Then again, with everything happening in her life, it might actually work as a good cover.

They turned the corner, down a carpeted hallway towards where a few closed offices were. Bella noticed that one of them was wide open. A man walked out, with wire frame glasses on his nose. He turned his eyes up, smiling. "Chief Swan." He shook Charlie's hand. "Oh? This must be Isabella. Hello, dear."

"Um... Hi." Awkwardly, she shook the man's hand. "You can call me Bella."

"Bella then. My name is Dr. Strass. You probably don't remember, but I was your therapist when your parents divorced. You were very young then, so I doubt you would."

Bella focused a bit more. "Oh...!" She realized then that she did indeed recognize the man. He was a portly fellow, with a harmless face and friendly features. His eyes were a watery gray, his lips tilted up into a non-threatening, wrinkly smile. He was loosing a bit of his hair by then, which was heavily gray, and dressed smartly in a dark jacket and shirt. He stepped out of the way, holding out his hand to the door.

"Why don't we make ourselves comfortable?" Nodding, Bella stepped inside and looked around. There were two chairs facing one another. One had black, shiny leather, and the other was an ultra comfortable arm chair, flaked with pillows and cushions. There was a little zen garden on the bookshelf, and a window that lead out to a couple of maple trees. The orange red leaves caused the light to bounce and mimic that very color. The door behind her shut as Dr. Strass stepped towards his own leather chair, Bella sitting in the comfortable one across from him. Folding one leg over the other, he laced his fingers together. "So then," he started. "Did you have a good day today?"

Bella was taken a bit off guard yet again. "Um... Sure, I guess." She shifted in her chair, her hands on top of one another.

"And how is school going?"

"Fine..."

"Do you like your classes?"

"They're ok... I hate math, but... they're ok otherwise."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Bella opened her mouth, but shut it yet again, her eyes staring down at her knees. How to answer that one? Strass noticed her hesitation, but said nothing about it. Instead, he waited patiently, hands on his lap. After a while, Bella took a breath and answered. "No," she said. A sour expression came to her. "And I don't want one either."

"Oh?" He seemed to take an interest in that. "Why not?"

"It's all too complicated," she muttered, leaning against her chair and putting her hand to her forehead. "I don't want a boyfriend ever again after this... Or at least have one that's normal." She snorted in disgust at the whole situation. "Hell, I might even become a lesbian after I graduate. Just to be on the safe side..." Realizing she was rambling, Bella looked up to see that Strass was still listening politely. Embarrassed at the lesbian comment, she cleared her throat. "Er... sorry."

"Quite all right." He took out a notepad and scribbled something down. Bella's face grew hot. He wasn't writing that down, was he? But Strass didn't say what it was he wrote. "Now then. Why are you swearing off of boyfriends?"

Her heart grew heavy. Ah, if only he knew. But how could she possibly tell him? There was no way. No way in Hell she could tell him, and no way in Hell he'd believe her. So, she decided to just give him the short version. "I'm just... tired of it all, I guess."

"Why?"

This was getting frustrating. She put her head in her hand, groaning a bit to herself. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Tired of what?"

"Everything." As friendly as he was, Dr. Strass's constant prying was making Bella agitated. And quickly, too.

"How about just talking about one thing in particular?"

How about you blow it out your ass? But Bella refrained from voicing her thought. Instead, she jerked her head to the side, glowering at the window beside her. Clearly, she didn't want to go into it further. Finally catching the hint, Strass shifted his wire frame glasses.

"Your father tells me that you experienced the death of a friend recently." Her heart suddenly dropped within her chest at the mention of Mac and she let her eyes lower. "How are you dealing with it?"

"With what?" Blinking, she turned to look at the psychiatrist. "What do you mean, dealing with it?"

"Well, everyone deals with death in different ways. Some people accept it and move on... Others tend to push it away from them and try not thinking about it."

Bella's eyes became cold. "So which one am I?" she asked pointedly.

"That's your judgement, not mine."

Bella folded her arms tightly across her chest. "No, why don't you tell me, Doc? You're the expert here."

Strass gave a meek smile before sighing. "Isabella – "

"It's Bella," she snapped.

"Bella. All I want to do is help you. I don't mean to violate your privacy. You can only tell me what you're comfortable with telling me."

"Oh good. I guess I can shut up now." What did he know anyway? Bella felt insulted, having such a fat idiot set up to analyze her. This was precisely the reason why she didn't want to take therapy; no one in the world could possibly understand her situation, especially not some blinded human. So why bother?After that, Strass tried asking her other questions, but she replied only with short, curt answers, or sometimes not at all. Finally, when the hour was up, Strass stood, Bella not able to get to her feet fast enough.

"Well... we'll try again next week, ok Bella?" She didn't reply. Instead, she strode right out of the office and down the hall, passing her father all together. Charlie stood to ask her how it went, but she didn't even bother looking his way. She just wanted to find a quiet room where she could cool off. Her feet lead her down the hall and around the hospital floor, not even knowing where she was going. She turned a corner sharply only to bump full on into someone standing right in front of her.

"Sorry – " she began to snap. She stopped, abruptly, when she realized who it was she bumped into. Standing before her, in a white doctor's coat, was none other then Carlisle Cullen. Her face drained of color as she stood there, gaping at the man. Carlisle lifted a white blond brow.

"Miss Swan," he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Bella would have answered, but jumped when the sounds of the other physicians caught her attention. "Dr. Cullen!" said one of the attendees. Carlisle turned and went to the patient on hand. Suddenly, a question popped up in Bella's mind: Why was Carlisle even there anyway? He didn't come to the hospital unless there was a specific reason. However, when she saw the patient on the gurney before her, the question quickly evaporated.

A man laid there, marred and covered with all kinds of bites. Though he was incredibly bloody, his face was devoid of the flow, his lips chapped. He was barely breathing, his eyes glossed over horribly. It nearly made Bella wretch at the sight. Turning up to Carlisle fearfully, she watched him put a handkerchief over his nose. Even someone with as much discipline as he needed to take a step back, it seemed. "Get him to the ER and get him cleaned. I'll be in promptly to stitch him." Turning to Bella as the man was rolled away, Carlisle pulled down his cloth. "It seemed as though you were correct, Miss Swan."

Instantly, Bella knew what Carlisle meant. It seemed as though the floor fell beneath her, yet she still remained standing. Her heart thudding in her ears, she only vaguely registered Charlie rush up behind her, his voice echoing in her mind. "There you are! Why did you run out like that? Oh... Dr. Cullen, hello." She looked up to see Carlisle nod and then excuse himself for surgery. Charlie turned to his daughter then, frowning. "Dr. Strass wanted to talk to you about the next appointment..." His voice faded a bit. "Bella?" He touched her shoulder. "Bells, are you ok? Hey..."

"What?" Her wide eyes turned to him, unable to get the image of the nearly dead man from her frontal lobe. Charlie looked at her worriedly before a different doctor went to Charlie, interrupting them.

"Chief Swan? I think you missed the radio call. If you could come this way..." He lead Charlie away from Bella. As they walked, she could catch a few words floating in the air. "It looks like there's a wild animal loose in the woods, sir..." After that, they walked out of sight, and Bella's legs gave way. Thankfully, there was a chair just behind her, letting her fall into it. Hands clammy, she gripped her knees. So, it was true. She wasn't crazy. What she saw that night was very much real.

Victoria had returned.

Dun dun DUN! Anyway... reviews!

~T.