Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…
A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! This is a big chapter so I won't say much! :-D
Special thanks as always to my beta eternally_addicted. Love ya!
What was left
When that fire was gone
I thought it felt right
But that right was wrong
All caught up in the eye of the storm
And trying to figure out
What it's like moving on
And I don't even know
What kind of things I said
My mouth kept moving
And my mind went dead
Picking up the pieces
Now where to begin
The hardest part of ending
Is starting again
-Linkin Park, "Waiting For the End"
Chapter 13: Waiting For the End
BPOV
"Make it stop! Please!"
"Bella…shhhhhh…it'll be over soon!"
I screamed again, my blood feeling like acid burning through my veins.
"MURATO! Make it stop! PLEASE!"
"Bella...it's the change…"
I whimpered, a cool hand gripping mine and offering a brief feeling of comfort. The feeling didn't last long and I screamed again, the burning almost seeming more intense.
"Is it always like this, Carlisle?"
He must've nodded because I didn't hear him respond. My throat felt raw as I screamed and screamed, wishing to die and wishing to see Murato again. My brain was finally catching up to what Carlisle had said: it's the change. It was happening…I was becoming a vampire. Caccio must have been defeated, and I was cheating death. But where was Murato?
"MURATO!" I screamed, "MURATO!"
"It's going to be over soon, Bella," Esme said softly, but I grimaced and my blood burned hotter at the sad tone in her voice.
A female voice I didn't recognize spoke then. "Carlisle, isn't there anything you can give her? Would morphine help?"
"The venom would burn through it in a matter of minutes, Rosalie."
"Can't we do something?" The one named Rosalie asked again.
"She has two more days."
Two more days? I let out a ragged agonized cry, my body arching off the soft bed that I was lying on.
"Murato…I want Murato…" I cried.
"I know, Bella…I know…" Carlisle whispered.
The burning seemed to flare up, and the pain was so intense that I passed out into blackness. Where was my Murato? Was he alive? Was he changed as well?
Please, Murato…I can't do this without you…
I whimpered, doing my best to keep from screaming. My throat was raw and what I now understood was venom was burning every inch of my body. The last time I had felt pain like this was when Belle and Robert perished in the fire that took their lives.
"Murato…" I cried softly, my voice full of the anguish I was feeling physically and emotionally.
"You're doing well, Bella."
"Carlisle…"
"Shhhhhh…what can I do for you Bella? I have nothing for the pain unfortunately."
I could only cry out in response, the sounds coming from my mouth more like that of a wounded animal.
"Shall I tell you what I remember? Of Marie and Anthony?"
I think I managed a nod, but I couldn't be sure.
"Anthony was in love with you from the moment he met you. He and I were close, and though he rarely confided in me when it came to his feelings, it was obvious that he was in love with you."
"The way you two seemed to dance around each other," Carlisle sighed, "It was endearing and amusing. You two were so young, and I recall more than a few times as I proctored Anthony's studies, his eyes following your body as you moved around the room, cleaning or bringing us refreshments. His cheeks turned so red when I called him out on his staring once."
Carlisle sighed and he rubbed my hand gently, his cool touch a little warmer than it had been earlier.
"One of my strongest human memories, and one of the times I remember being the happiest was the day that I married you and Anthony. It was one of the few times I didn't question my religious upbringing, and felt that I was using it to do something truly good in the world. It was also the day that I truly believed in true love, and a love that powerful existing. It gave me hope for the future…though I wouldn't find Esme until over two hundred years later."
Carlisle chuckled softly before he continued.
"Your relationship with Anthony gave me hope that I would find a love like that for myself some day. I remember the look in Anthony's eyes…it was like he had seen an angel, and an angel you were. Angela had created a true masterpiece with your dress…the soft, flowing material…you looked divine. And the way you looked at Anthony…the love between you two was palpable. I'll never forget it."
"As I performed the marriage, the two of you didn't take your eyes off each other for a single second," Carlisle paused and chuckled, "I think you barely even acknowledged I was there save for when I asked for you to say your vows and said you could seal your marriage with a kiss."
Carlisle sighed and squeezed my hand as I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming out.
"It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen, Bella. Save for maybe my own to Esme," he chuckled.
"Murato…Murato…" I whimpered repeatedly.
Carlisle never answered me, and through the pain, a sense of nervousness began to creep up my spine.
"How much longer do you think she has left?"
"Won't be too much longer now. The pain is going to get worse though."
"I remember that."
I let out a tiny whimper, letting Carlisle and Emmett know that I could hear them.
"Can she hear me?" Emmett asked.
"Em…" I managed to whisper out, without screaming in agony.
"I'll sit with her, Carlisle. You go spend some time with Esme."
"You don't want to spend time with Rosalie?"
"Nah…she's busy getting the cars ready."
I tried to open my eyes, but the pain only intensified when I did so, and I couldn't stop the scream that left my mouth. Apparently I wouldn't be able to see him, but I could feel Emmett's large frame taking a seat next to wherever the soft mattress I was lying on was.
"What are you doing, B?" Emmett seemed to chuckle.
"I wanna…I wanna see…"
"No can do, Bella-boo. The moisture that lubricates your human eyes is being replaced by venom. You won't be seeing daylight for a little while longer."
"It hurts…" I almost whined.
Emmett's tone softened considerably.
"I know, Bella. I can call you Bella right? Or would you rather I call you Cigna?"
"Either…one…" I gasped, a blistering pain worse than what I was already feeling beginning to grow in the tips of my toes and fingers.
"I think I'll stick with Bella. I can get more creative with your nicknames. The only ones I came up with for Cigna were 'Cig Cig' and "Na na", and one makes you sound like a drug while the other makes you sound like that female pop star. Neither of which are good enough for you."
"Good…enough?" I panted out, trying to get a handle on the pain. I realized we must be somewhere secluded, considering how much I was screaming.
"Let me tell you something Bonne Bell, you are one of the bravest women I think I will ever meet in my existence."
When I tried to speak, it only came out as a whimper instead.
"Shhhh…you listen and I'll talk. You'll find I'm quite good at that," Emmett chuckled. "Well, not quite as good as Alice, but I'm sure you know all about that."
I let out a quiet whine that I think was supposed to be a laugh.
"As I was saying Bella Donna, your story…what you've been through for love? There is no chick in this world or in any other that loves as fiercely or fights as hard for love as you do. You're so brave, Bells. You have never given up no matter what the odds were against you."
I felt Emmett pat the top of my head, and I had a feeling that was going to happen in the future too.
"Don't give up okay, Bellsy? Not too much longer now."
"Murato…Mur-"
I didn't get to finish as a scream tore through my throat, feeling like someone was starting to pour acid down my throat, only it was moving at the speed of something gelatinous and I felt it singeing every inch of my throat. I felt like I was choking and my back arched off the bed. I could feel Emmett's large hands holding me down.
"This is the worst of it, Bella. It'll all be over soon."
The pain was paralyzing and I couldn't even scream anymore. I prayed and prayed for the blackness to take me again.
Why will no one tell me where Murato is? Please…please…
Let me die if he is not with me…
"Her change is almost complete."
"Look at her…she looks stunning."
"I should get Emmett in case I need help handling her."
"I hope she likes the clothes Alice picked out for her."
I swallowed, my throat feeling raw, but the burning wasn't as intense as it had once been. I was surprised when I was able to form some words.
"Alice picked me clothes?"
I heard a loud gasp from Esme. "What was that, Bella?"
"My clothes…" I broke off, whimpering as the pain seemed to seep towards the center of my body. My chest felt like it was heaving and my heart was hammering so fast I was certain it was going to burst out of my chest.
"You…hope…I…like…my….clo- AHHHHHHHH!"
I screamed, and my body lurched off the mattress. Pain seeped into my chest, all of it centering around my rapidly beating heart. I was breathing heavily, but it felt like my lungs weren't taking any of the oxygen in. The screams tore through my throat in a continuous stream.
"Alice said this is it," I vaguely heard Carlisle say.
I felt like I was choking on the air around me, my heartbeat erratic, and I tried to grab at my neck, but found that my arms felt numb and their movements weren't like my own. Suddenly I felt my heart seize in my chest and a croaking gasp left my mouth. I swam in darkness as the world around me faded and my heart lay still in my chest.
Murato…I love you…
It was dark.
So, so very dark.
Somewhere, I could hear someone watching a baseball game and calling the pitches. It sounded like the announcer said, "the Mariners" and "Ichiro." There must've been a television in the room. The room. The change.
My eyes sprang open, but I had to clench them shut again. All I had seen was blinding white, and it felt like my senses were being bombarded.
"She's awake."
"Carlisle?" I called out, having heard his voice.
"Bella, Bella are you awake?"
I could smell him now, as well as three other scents I didn't recognize. The unfamiliarity put me on edge, and ignoring the blinding whiteness, I sprang to my feet, immediately into a defensive crouch. My eyes darted around the room, my body's movements having startled me further. Everything was startlingly different. It was like the world had snapped into focus and everything was a million times clearer. I couldn't help but stare at Carlisle's face. It was the only thing I seemed to recognize in the room, yet even he looked different. I focused hard on his face…his cheekbones seeming sharper, the color of his eyes and blonde of his hair more intense…his pale skin…I gasped, my observation of Carlisle spurring on my examination of myself.
My mind raced as I realized I didn't need the air that I had taken into my lungs when I had gasped. It worked. I lifted my hands in front of my eyes and stared. My skin was smooth as granite, almost as if the pores were gone, and my skin was paler than it had been when I was human. I turned my hands over, curling and releasing my fingers in awe. Everything was different yet the same.
"She's completely entranced by her hands. Typical newborn."
"Don't act like I can't hear you, Emmett!" I snapped. I swallowed nervously when a sudden burn flared in my throat again. My hands clutched at my neck. No…no…the change is supposed to be done!
"Poor thing…she must be starving."
"She better not think about attacking Emmett."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" I snarled, the burn in my throat intensifying and my body almost vibrating. I felt out of control and overwhelmed.
My head snapped towards the door when Emmett stepped through, followed by Esme and a blonde woman I could only assume was Rosalie.
"Careful," Carlisle whispered. "She's in shock."
"Am I changed?" I asked, eying the vampires who had just come in through the door.
"I wish she knew we aren't going to hurt her."
"Esme, I know you won't hurt me!" I frowned.
Her eyes widened in shock. How could she even say that to me? Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie all started to talk at the same time and it was hurting my head.
"STOP! You all need to talk one at a time!"
It was like I hadn't even spoken. Their voices all sounded again and I couldn't even focus on one of them. Suddenly, I felt like I was dreaming, but I was wide awake. I could see everything, but the memory wasn't mine. My hands were fumbling, trying to do…something to a body covered in blood. I gasped, and flew backwards, my back colliding with a wall. I saw his face. The green eyes that I loved were closed, blood covering his skin…but I would know those lips anywhere…the lips that looked cold and lifeless.
"NO!" I screamed, clutching at my hair.
"Bella-" Carlisle started, but I didn't let him finish.
"NO! Why…how…Murato…I saw him…"
"Bella, what are you talking about?"
"I saw it! Like, like I was there!" I wailed. They were all still talking at once and I wished that they would all shut up and let Carlisle do the talking. "My hands were fumbling with his clothes, and his body and face were covered in blood."
Rosalie gasped and my eyes shot to hers.
"She can see our thoughts. She's a mind reader."
"What?" I cried, "I'm no mind reader!"
"Bella…" Rosalie said slowly, "I didn't say that out loud."
"No…" I growled, backing further into the corner of the room, "I…no…that didn't happen…I…where's Murato? Where's Edward?"
"Oh dear…"
"Don't think, Esme!" I roared. "Tell me where he is!"
My eyes snapped to Emmett, whose mind was apparently chanting, "Don't think about it, don't think about it," over and over again. Rosalie had begun to recite Pi and Esme was now naming colors in Spanish. I crumbled to my knees when it was Carlisle's thoughts that hit me.
Murato lying bloody on the ground.
Alice biting his wrist.
Murato's pale, unmoving body covered in blood.
My body as I writhed and screamed in pain, calling and whimpering for Murato.
Carlisle speaking with Esme, asking her, "how should we tell her?"
"NO!" I howled. My heart no longer beat in my chest, but it felt like it was shattering. It couldn't be…rage began to flood into my system.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM?" I roared, my vision going red as my anger took over. "YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID WE WOULD SAVE HIM! ALICE PROMISED ME!"
"Bella, Cigna…." Carlisle tried, taking a step forward.
"How could you condemn me to this life without him!" I snarled.
My instincts seemed to take over and I ran straight through the glass window to my right. I was briefly surprised when I found myself falling, but I landed on my feet, and as soon as they touched the earth below me, I ran. I could hear all of their voices and couldn't distinguish what was said out loud and what wasn't. I heard the faint ringing of a phone, but it only forced my legs to move faster. I didn't want them to catch up to me.
They didn't save him. My Murato was gone. A tearless sob tore from my throat as I ran through the trees, my body not feeling the least bit tired. Regardless, I came to a stop in a clearing and fell to my knees. I had no idea where I was now, or how far I had run. I wanted to observe my surroundings with my new vampire senses, and examine the way my body moved…but the only thing I felt, was the heavy ache in my chest. I slammed my first into the ground when I realized that my sobs came with no tears. I wanted the tears…I wanted to purge myself of this feeling.
"WHY?" I screamed. It seemed like the only good question to ask at the moment. My throat burned with what I was sure was thirst, but the all consuming pain in my chest burned more.
"Murato…" I whimpered. "I can't do this by myself. I can't…"
I flopped down my back in the grass, my chest heaving with the unnecessary breaths, but providing the foundation for the sobs that left my throat. Had it all been for nothing? This life mattered little to me if Murato was not here. My brain began to try and retrace my last moments as a human. Had Caccio killed Murato? Had Victoria? I closed my eyes and tried to remember what had happened.
Laurent. The wall. My bones shattered. Murato, Victoria screeching…Caccio coming towards me. Carlisle above me…his teeth sinking into my flesh.
"Do it, Carlisle."
Alice…Alice said to make me this way. How could she? She could condemn me to this life without Edward?
Wait…Alice…her hands fumbling, Edward's blood on her clothes…her teeth sinking into his flesh…it was her fault! She killed Murato!
Jasper and Carlisle telling her to stop…
I sat up in the field immediately. It was all Alice's fault…she bit Murato even when Jasper, her mate, had told her to stop. She can see the future, yet she told Carlisle to change me anyway.
She could never see Edward's future.
I gasped as the ache in my heart flared. Edward's future was never a part of her visions. All she had seen was blackness when she tried to look for him. She couldn't see him because he was dead! A sob tore from my throat. Murato was…dead. I lay back down, curling myself into a ball. I thought the Cullens were my friends. Alice had told me we were going to be the best of friends. What friend would kill the man that her friend loves? What people would promise to save Edward and me, and then not follow through on saving us both? I hugged my knees to my chest, mourning the fact that my tears no longer fell, and I could never shed them again for Murato.
My thoughts raced as I mourned for Murato. Was Caccio dead? If he was still alive I would have to beat him in finding Murato when he is reborn. Another thought clenched at my heart…if Murato was reborn, I would have to wait until he was at least the same age as I was when I was changed. I couldn't change him as soon as I found him, and I couldn't change him if he didn't remember. Another tearless sob and scream left my lips, as I realized that now, even though I was immortal, I would still have to fight for Murato. I would have to keep him from Caccio, and then I would have to fight to get Murato to remember who he was.
The fire in my throat flared and I was aware of yet another thing I now had against me. I was a vampire now, and whoever Murato was reborn as would be human. A human being made up of flesh…and blood. I lay back down in the field, curling myself up into a tiny ball. Just thinking about the memories I had seen and Rosalie's and Carlisle's…thoughts, my throat burned and I wanted nothing more than to drink every single drop of blood on the ground. Venom pooled in my mouth and I growled when I remembered Alice's teeth sinking into Murato's flesh and her drinking his blood. If only memories and images made me crave his blood so badly, how would I ever be able to face him in his next human form? Part of me wanted to go back to the Cullens to learn their ways of control around so much blood…but the other part of me growled. Not all of them had that control.
Time meant very little to me now, but I knew that on the other side of the clouds, the sun had to be setting soon. I lay there curled around myself just thinking and replaying the images through my head. My throat still burned, but the images of Murato's lifeless body kept me from moving. I replayed the images over and over again in my head, always coming to the same conclusions.
Carlisle's voice shouting above my screams.
Stop. No. Alice.
Jasper's cries from somewhere in the room.
Alice. Don't do it. Stop. No.
Murato's choked cries as teeth sink into his skin.
Alice. No.
Alice's tiny body crouched over his form. Black eyes. Crimson red around her lips.
Jasper and Carlisle telling her to stop.
Stop. Stop. STOP.
Murato's body, lifeless and unmoving. My green eyes…lost to me again.
Alice bit him. Alice was certain. Alice did this. Alice. ALICE.
My mind screamed with revenge, but then I remembered…Alice could see the future. I growled, angry that she couldn't see Murato's, but surely now that I had run away from the Cullens, they would have her looking for my decisions. I would have to plan carefully. Find ways to keep the pixie out of my head and plans. Victoria was a shield…but Alice still saw the decoy vision that lured the male Cullens away from the house when Laurent and Caccio had taken me. Was it possible that I could do the same? I could think of multiple possibilities, keep her guessing as to what my true plan was…and then, when all was perfect, I could decide on my decoy plan, but act upon another.
Wait…had she just seen me decide to do that?
I growled and slammed my first into the ground. Throughout the years, not once did I ever feel like I was this out of control. Not once had despair ever wrecked me so badly. Murato and I had both always been human, but now…Caccio's curse still lingered and while I had cheated a mortal death, Murato had not.
"Was the curse not enough to keep us apart? You had to add in the fact that I will now crave his blood?" I shouted to the heavens.
I had always thought Murato and I were meant to be together, but now…now instead of Caccio, it could very well be me who kills him. My throat clenches as a tearless sob leaves me lips and sounds so loud in the middle of the forest. I would never be able to live with myself if I killed Murato. A thought hit me and my mind began to rave frantically, making sure I had all the steps of my change correct. What if it had been Caccio's intention to have me changed? To add a new element of torture to this curse he placed upon us so long ago? What if he wanted me to experience the eternal pain of craving Murato's blood forever?
I screamed and ran at vampire speed at a large fir tree. The need for a way to release all of the pent up rage and emotions I was feeling took over every sense of my body. The loud crack of the wood splintering was thunderous and echoed throughout the woods. The rage just seemed to build within me when my chest heaved with breaths that I didn't even need. I didn't want to be surrounded by lush greenery and pretty flowers in a meadow. The sight of the flowers made my dormant heart almost throb, almost beat again. However now it was nothing. Nothing but solid lump forever wedged in my chest. I fell to my knees. We were supposed to end up together this time.
"Her emotions are all over the place. Typical newborn."
My head snapped up and my eyes quickly circled the meadow. I couldn't see him yet…but Jasper was nearby, and he wasn't alone. I could hear the crunch of the earth beneath her shoes. I growled softly. The footsteps were light and hardly made a sound. It was Alice.
"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?"
I only snarled in response, not knowing whether or not I was answering her thoughts or her voice. Jasper growled in return, but I heard Alice whisper his name softly.
"Stay here, Jasper. Bella and I need to talk, woman to woman."
"I won't be far," I heard Jasper say. "I'll be watching."
It sounded like a warning, and I was sure he thought it purely for my benefit. Carlisle must've told them about my apparent ability. I didn't know what to make of it…but maybe, just maybe, I could use it to my advantage against the psychic. Her footsteps became louder and soon I saw Alice step into the meadow on the opposite side of me. I immediately jumped up into a crouch. Alice's soft sigh was loud and clear to my new vampire ears.
"Bella…can we…" Alice paused, "Bella, there's some things I need to tell you."
"What?" I spat, "How you promised me everything was going to be okay? How you promised me, that even though you couldn't see Edward's future that we'd still be together? How you told me we'd be best friends?"
Alice cringed when I shouted the last part at her.
"What kind of best friend kills the man that her supposed best friend loves more than anything?"
I started to move closer to her, ignoring the growls I heard coming from Jasper somewhere in the distance.
"What kind of best friend drinks the blood, and enjoys the taste, when she is supposed to be saving a life?"
"Bella, you'll learn that we can hardly resist the-"
"Carlisle can do it!" I snarled. "Carlisle didn't drain my blood and relish in its taste! I heard him, Alice! He told you to stop! To wait! To not do it!"
The fact that she remained standing calm and unaggressive only made me more angry.
"Jasper even told you not to do it! You disobeyed your own mate!"
Alice remained silent but nodded in agreement with my accusations. I let out a vicious snarl, not recognizing the sound.
"You killed him, Alice! You drained him of his blood! You took too much! You didn't save him!"
"I know, Bella." I realized Alice's mouth didn't move and it was her thoughts that I just heard. I hissed in anger.
"So you admit to killing him? To taking him away from me again?"
"I do," Alice thought, "There's no one else to blame for what happened to Edward but me."
"You…" I growled, "You of all people…you and Jasper. You both knew, said you understood my pain, how agonizing this must be for me…to be born again and again, never knowing if I'll find Murato before my twenty-second birthday, having to live with the memories of how I have loved him for almost six hundred years, and haven't been with him in over a hundred and fifty…you said you felt my pain, you knew it, you understood…"
I paused and clenched my fists.
"LIES!" I roared. "If you had any idea of how much I have suffered, you would've saved Murato!"
My head snapped to the left. There were more footsteps approaching from that direction. I growled…it must be Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie. Another single pair was approaching from the right. Jasper. He might have been Belle's friend when we were both human, but right now, I knew he would defend his mate at all costs…and that made my old friend my new enemy.
"It's all your fault!" I roared and charged at her.
I knew I was moving faster than a human being, yet my vision seemed like it as in slow motion. I heard Jasper's roar of anger in response to my attacking his mate. I saw Alice say the word, "don't" out loud before she smiled and closed her eyes. She looked so calm and peaceful, like she was about to welcome the destruction I was about to bring upon her. I let out one last snarl as I reached my arm back to strike that smile right off her face.
APOV
"I saw, Carlisle. Let her go."
"Are you sure, Alice?" He asked, his voice unsteady on the other end of the line.
I closed my eyes and saw her in the meadow not far from our home.
"Positive. She needs to calm down a bit before we tell her everything."
"She's already completely overwhelmed and probably grieving now."
"Yes," I nodded, "let's not add to it. I'll call you when I see something more."
"All right…Where's Jasper?"
"Hunting of course. Not far from where I am."
"He would know best how to handle her, Alice. Maybe you should let him approach her. Not only with his background and power, but he shares a past with Belle."
I shook my head. "I think it's going to have to be me, Carlisle. I'm not exactly sure why yet…but I just have that…feeling."
"Just be careful. Call us when you need us to come help you."
"Will do," I chirped.
I hung up and tucked my phone back in my pocket. Crouching on a pile of boulders, I waited, watching Bella's moves and trying to get a handle on her thought process. My eyes closed as I made the decision to go confront her myself. I sighed as I opened my eyes slowly. She was definitely a newborn. Her emotions would be going everywhere and they would so easily be tipped from one to the other. I wasn't sure what would happen when we finally would come face to face, but I knew it had to be done. I had promised her over and over, that I would save her and Edward and I knew what she had to be thinking.
I don't know how long had passed. My mate was off displaying his hunting skills to the forest and Bella was curled into a tiny ball on the grass. Her decision and her mind were flickering and changing so quickly that it was hard to get a hold on one thing. I gasped when one decision came through loud and clear. She blamed me. She had decided that everything was my fault.
"Jasper? Jasper, can you hear me?"
"Darlin'? What's going on?"
"How far are you from me and the meadow?"
"A little less than a mile from you, even closer to the meadow I'd guess."
"I need you stay there. It's time," I said.
"Alice, Darlin'…"
"You know what it will do to her, Jasper. You know how…volatile her emotions are right now. We can't overwhelm her."
I began my journey to the meadow, walking at a human pace. The meadow was in view of me now, and I saw Bella crumbled on the ground on the opposite side from where I was. She growled and sprang up into a crouch. She knew Jasper and I were near.
"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" I asked in my head.
She snarled in response and I was amazed. She really could hear our thoughts. Jasper growled on instinct, sensing a threat to his mate. I knew he was close, but I didn't want him in Bella's line of sight. She might feel even more threatened than she already no doubt did.
"Stay here, Jasper. Bella and I need to talk, woman to woman," I said softly, but knew Bella could hear me. I wasn't in sight yet, but I could see her, and she was definitely on alert, her eyes swinging wildly around the meadow.
"I won't be far," Jasper said with a growl. I couldn't see him, but I could feel him. There must've been some amount of anger rolling off of Bella…because I certainly felt it coming from Jasper.
I walked slowly towards the meadow, carefully thinking about my decisions and watching how things would play out in my mind. When I stepped into the meadow, Bella snarled and was crouched low defensively. She was…well, she was stunning. I knew she hadn't even had a chance to see how the change had affected her, but even for a vampire, she was gorgeous. I had no doubt Rosalie was going to be a little intimidated when we finally all got to talk. I sighed, knowing what I had to do.
"Bella…can we…" I paused, "Bella, there's some things I need to tell you."
She immediately unloaded on me, snarling and vicious with her words. I cringed when she spat out the words, "best friends" like they disgusted her. I honestly couldn't blame her. I technically was the reason that she was so upset. I saw it all begin to play out in my mind. The calmer I remained, the more angry she would get. She was so angry she didn't hear Jasper make the phone call to Carlisle. Jasper was worried about my safety and wanted Carlisle and the others there now. There was no way Bella would get past seven of us. I continued my acceptance of all of her accusations. This was the way it had to happen in order for us all to move on.
"LIES!" Bella screamed. "If you had any idea of how much I have suffered, you would've saved Murato!"
I watched as Bella's head snapped to the left and then to the right. She heard the others coming. She growled and bared her teeth.
"It's all your fault!"
As she ran at me, I saw it all play out in my mind. I whispered, "don't" when Jasper started racing towards us, knowing he would do anything to keep Bella from harming me. I closed my eyes and smiled. It was all working out.
A loud clap thundered in the air and I opened my eyes to see Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie skidding to a stop on the outer edge of the meadow to my right.
"Alice!" Jasper shouted, but halted at my side, confused to see me standing there.
"When will you guys ever learn, that you're not supposed to bet against me," I smiled smugly.
"Should we…stop them?" Jasper asked, completely baffled.
I smiled. "No…let them go. Consider this a fight that will lead to some amazing…making up for lost time sex."
Jasper chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "If you say so, Darlin'. I didn't believe Carlisle yesterday…but she really is amazing."
"She is…to have made it this far without ever giving up…She's probably the most amazing woman we'll ever meet."
Our family watched as the two vampires moved so quickly they barely registered whom they were fighting against. One angry because she was being kept from her goal of hurting me, while the other was fighting because he thought his maker was being attacked. Bella let out an angry snarl as she was slammed face first into a tree. She was so tiny compared to him.
"Who are you?" He snarled.
"Get off of me!" Bella roared and the pair went flying back.
They went flying back into the grass, clashing together like boulders, flipping and turning and grabbing at each other.
"Ten thousand on Bella," Emmett called from across the meadow.
"You're wrong," Jasper said, watching the fight carefully.
"You're both wrong…" I whispered with a smile.
There were two loud roars and the ground shook as Bella slammed him to the ground, pinning his body by sitting on his chest and pinning his arms and legs down with hers.
"Told you!" Emmett shouted.
"Wait for it…" I smiled.
"NO!" Bella screamed as her body went flying backwards.
Her back slammed into a tree, making a thunderous cracking sound through the woods. The panic was evident on her face as her eyes darted around the meadow, taking in the faces of our family, and that of the man on the ground.
"No, no, no…" Bella shook her head, and if she was human I was sure she would have been crying.
"Jasper," I said quietly, "Calm her down."
"Stop it!" Bella cried, her voice hysterical, "Stop it, Jasper!"
Bella was shaking so violently, and it seemed like Jasper's powers were having no affect on her. She still looked terrified and shocked.
"Don't hurt her," came a quiet, but confused voice.
"He's not," I said walking towards the middle of the meadow where the other newborn had jumped up to his feet and now stood. I placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Jasper's trying to calm her down."
Of course, Jasper was calming all of us down, but that was beside the point.
"Bella?" I asked.
"What are you doing to me? He…you said…you said…" Bella stammered, her red eyes wide and frightened.
"You're a newborn, Bella," I said slowly, "Every emotion you feel is multiplied by a thousand now. There's a lot that we need to tell you."
I paused as Bella just stared silently in awe at the man standing next to me. I couldn't help but smile.
"Obviously, Bella…you know, Murato."
Bella's hand covered her mouth and she let out a dry sob. "How? I…I thought…"
"I know, Bella," Carlisle said, approaching slowly. "And I'm sorry. There's a lot to explain…and there's a lot we couldn't tell you until we knew Edward had survived the change."
"I…I…" Bella stammered.
"Jasper, calm her down, man…" Emmett muttered.
Rosalie smacked him on the head. "Leave him alone."
"Bella," I started, "Do you think we can talk? Will you let us explain everything that happened?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but Edward spoke before she could. My eyes went wide, not having seen this happening.
"Bella?" He asked quietly, his voice soft and timid.
Bella let out a sob, covering her mouth and closing her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. To everyone else, it looked like Bella was overcome with joy…but I knew better. Murato never called her Bella.
"Bella," He asked again, his red eyes looking at her curiously, "Do I know you?"
Well? Yes? No? Okay…I'm going to have to plead that you not be angry with me. Edward's alive! That should make you all happy right? Maybe?
Which brings me to my other reason for begging that you not be mad. I'm going to be traveling like mad until June 15th. I will try to write by hand here and there, but I won't have another chapter out until then. It totally bums me out, but hey, Edward and Bella are both vamps now…that can only lead to good things right? Right. :-D
And thank you in advance for anyone who voted for "Remember Me" in the Sunflower Awards. I appreciate it a lot. Maybe we won one. :-) Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? Update after June 15th!