FROM THE AUTHOR'S CORNER: My, how things do change.

Always, when I am creating a fanfic, I stray from the original outline. Maybe it isn't like that for some authors, but it has been that way for me every time. I've decided to post some of the actual outline notes, just so you can see for yourself how stories have the power to take on a life of their own and change midway through.

…

CH. 11

When Bella gets home from the dance (which was an absolute train wreck!), she overhears Charlie on the phone with Billy.

She finds out that Jake's been hurt and she calls Edward to find out if Carlisle would be willing to help.

It is on the Reservation w/Carlisle (only he of all the Cullens is allowed on the lands; having Edward there would be too much a distraction from the plot, etc.) that must is revealed to Bella about the Wolves (but not the Vampires).

The Wolves have a disorder where they'll all die if they can't find a cure to prevent them from becoming Wolves from then on. (Hopefully, the audience will start to wonder if Bella's blood would have anything to do with that cure, since it turned Edward's hands mortal).

Bella doesn't know it (yet), but her blood can cure them all (even though they'll never be able to turn into Wolves again), but in order for the magic to work, she has to be willing to die for this cause.

…

CH. 12

Violet calls Bella to come over, and brings over a photo album. She accidentally leaves it at Bella's house after they talk about Bella's capability to save the Wolves. Her Grandmother kind of reveals the situation: "Your blood has been spilt on this land in the presence of something, and if the Tribe does nothing about it then they must pay a price.

At night, Edward goes through the album. On the first page, there is a picutre of Bella and a half-faded picture of himself. One of the names has faded half way and written under the photo is writing that says: "… and Edward."

He looks through the rest of the photos, then revisits the fist page only to find his own name half faded and Bella's picture almost entirely gone too.

…

CH. 13

Edward drives Bella to the school the next day to look at her truck with her. He wishes that they could both go back in time, meet one another, and fall in love.

Bella knows that the time they have together is running out; she can feel it. She wonders of maybe she sould just give her life up to save the Wolves, and she knows that in some dimension, some how, she's already lived a fulfilling, happy life. Maybe Fate wasn't intending to give her a second time to fall in love – maybe this time it was all about the business of saving lives.

Edward holds Bella's hand, and she perceives it as a human hand because of the changes that its undergone from her blood; then she pushes herself very close to him only to realize that his heart isn't beating at all, and she begins to cry. She doesn't tell him that she now believes the legends of the Cold Ones, but she does decide to save the Wolves because Violet said that as long as his heart is beating that there would be hope for them, and it's not beating.

She rationalizes that the Wolves weakness/disease is her fault and she wants to remedy everything. She knows that even though it was Edward who touched her blood, he is faultless. She does scorn Jessica in her thoughts, though, for pushing her into those glasses in the first place.

…

CH. 14

Edward doesn't understand why Bella is crying. He thinks it's because she knows that something is wrong with Jacob.

Edward drops Bella off at home after assessing the damage on the truck, and she decides that there is no point in waiting to heal the Wolves.

At the same time, Edward musters up the courage to reveal that he loves her, to which Bella only cries harder. She says that she loves him too.

Edward asks if he can take her out again, maybe tomorrow night. Bella agrees, knowing that she won't be alive by tomorrow night. [Here is the angsty part, for sure]

She goes up to her room and writes Edward a letter before leaving for the Reservation.

She tells Billy, Sam, Jake, and several other boys who can now morph into Wolves and who have become sick because of it about what she can do to save them. She admits that she'll have to sacrifice her own life, to which Jake objects.

Jake: "It's our job to protect the lives of every person. It would be against our way to let you die for us, seeing as how it's all supposed to be the other way around."

Bella: "I'm not asking your permission. Besides, you're all too weak to stop me anyway."

Jake: "Our duty…"

Bella: "Your duty, your contract, doesn't leave room for accidents. Edward didn't mean to touch my blood!"

Jake: "That doesn't matter! It is what it is."

Bella: "Yeah? Well, this is what it is, too."

Bella knows that all she has to do is let herself bleed to death on the Quileute's land.

She hears the waves of the ocean and she feels them calling to her, and then she hears it whisper her true name:

Ocean: Scarlett… return home.

She knows this means death for her.

She pulls out a knife and walks into the water, and then slits her wrists long-ways so that she has no choice but to bleed out.

Edward runs to her, sensing she'd done something awful (He'd read the letter on her desk; also, his mortality was beginning to spread through his body and he thought he'd momentarily felt his heart beating in a panicked way as he sensed something was wrong). He no longer cared about the terms of the Wolve's Treaty, and he knew they were weak and he's turning mortal anyway and it's not like mortals are subject to that contract (only Vampires, and he's convinced he's not one anymore since his hands have changed [possibly other changes too]), so he stepped onto their land.

Edward: "Why did you do this," moans desperately. The hurt in his eyes is painful for Bella to see.

He hears the Water calling Bella's true name, and then he remembers.

Edward: "Scarlett, Scarlett…"

He picks up the knife and stabs himself through his heart, and it starts beating rapidly after the knife pierces it…

…

See how stories can change? I've written stories where the entire ending was absolutely different than intended, but so it is. In this case, things were just sped up for the sake of dramatics.

Anyway, that was a glimpse into how things don't always turn out exactly as planned.

-Stephanie