A/n: The chapter everyone has been waiting for. ;)

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Any Of The Twilight Series

How did this happen? How could it come to this?

They say that when you know you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. So I shut my eyes and waited. I waited for the flashes of my early childhood with Renee. I waited for the flashes of the years I had lived in the Black household. I waited for the flashes of the dark years I had spent with Charlie. I even waited for the flashes of more recent times, the happiest parts of my life, that involved the Cullens. Strange. How could those times - scarcely starting just weeks ago - already have climbed the list of happiest moments to steal the top spot?

I waited for the hauntings of my past, but I got nothing. What a let down. Really, was I just going to die without even getting to relive the time I had spent on the earth? How unfair. Not only was I to die at 17, but now this, on top of it.

Movies always made death seem exciting. I mean, sure, you always cried when the hero/heroine dies a tragic yet memorable death, but the excitement! Perhaps the person's life ending in a large explosion that makes you gasp aloud. Or a close up as the color drains from his or her face as the light forever lives their eyes. You know? Your blood starts to race from just watching and your heart pounds so loud, you're sure everyone can hear it. A primeval thrill just races threw your veins setting everything on fire.

Why couldn't I have a death like that? At least, that kind of death would offset the dull and traumatic past life I had lived. But no. Well, maybe that death would have been lost on me anyway. I wasn't anything special, why should my end be any different?

But... I still had time. Maybe that was another thing that made this moment seem off. I had resigned myself to death already, but this felt wrong; it wasn't my time yet. My clock was still ticking away until the time the blood clot surrounding my heart valve would cut off the bloodstream completely, killing me. I still had time.

I heard a small thump noise as my head banged against the wall behind me as I backed-up as far as I possibly could. Crap. Now I have cornered myself. Real smart move, Bella.

Slowly, the figure came closer, lurking in the shadows, just a silhouette in my eyes.

Why? Why was he taking so long? I already knew what speeds he was capable of - or at least, I had a vague idea. So why was he dragging it out? Amusement? Or was he actually starting to realize what he was about to do? Did he realize whom he was about to kill? Would that be enough to stop him?

I severally doubted it. He was no longer himself. His instincts had long since taken over.

I knew I should try to run, fruitless, as it would have been. I shouldn't have just sat there. Move! I wanted to scream to my limp legs. He'd catch me, yes, but I didn't want to be one of those horror movie dolts that just sat there as they were murdered. How could my body be so useless at a time like this! My joints were all frozen stiff. I couldn't even be sure if I was blinking. A statue. Now I understood what they meant by deer in the headlights.

Maybe I should try to yell for help then, at the very least, although I knew no one was home. Surely, I would be able to do even that. I opened my mouth. No sound came out. My throat must have stuck together. Useless! But it didn't matter. He still leaped forward and pressed his hand over my mouth, clearly to muffle any sound.

Now, just inches away from my face, I knew the end was near. He was so close. Maybe my scent had flooded his brain by now. Or maybe the smell of my still bleeding tongue was what was driving him crazy now. There was… blood-lust in his eyes. Pitch black. No light. No soul.

He was a predator now. And I was his prey.

Frightened, I yanked at his icy hand, trying to pry it away. Nothing. I dug my nails into the skin. Nothing. I tried to bite his hand that was so tightly clamped over my mouth. Still nothing. Nothing was working! I shook my head from side to side, trying to convey a "No" to him. Trying to make him stop. I knew it would be useless, but I had to try! I couldn't die like this! I wouldn't!

There was no compassion on his face. There was no mercy. There was nothing. There was only a sinister hunger.

I couldn't say what really started to make me start to cry in that instance. Maybe it was just that everything was piling up on me.

I couldn't say I was blindsided by this revelation. I had blinded myself. I didn't want to see that the Cullens weren't human. I knew the signs were there, but I ignored one after another. Ignorance IS bliss. I, of all people, should have known right from the get go that they weren't humans. After all, who besides me had heard the legends of the Quileute tribe, sans the Tribe themselves? It was as if some force out there wanted me to be able to identify the Cullens as what they were, wanted me to know in my mind that they were dangerous.

My heart was another story, however. It wouldn't hear a word against the Cullens. It already knew I loved this family, loved Edward. Me having learned the truth behind their mysterious ways should have been a way to combat my feelings. A way of stopping myself from falling too far in. A way of saving myself from this type of end.

From being drained of blood by a vampire and left for dead.

My tears were warmth on my face. I could only imagine what I must have looked like to him: a frail girl with brown eyes widened in shock, crying a flood as my face paled. But, then again, was he even looking at my face? Maybe he didn't see a face at all. Just a body full of blood. A source of nutrients. Nothing more. I was just a faceless human.

Through my blurred vision, I tired to study his face.

Familiarly pale and beautiful. Narrowed eyes of the deepest onyx. The darkened bags under his eyes were more pronounced now, giving him a tired look. I saw no hint of his familiar smile, nor the slight indent of his dimples. I recognized the face, but not the person. I… didn't know this person who was staring back at me. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

My hands dropped. I wouldn't fight him anymore, not that I was making much headway. The truth was, if he wanted to kill me, he would kill me. That was all there was to it. I turned my face to a side as much as his hand's grip allowed possible. I couldn't stand to see his face this way.

The taste of rust was faint in my mouth. The bleeding was stopping. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Why? Why did he have to have forgotten a textbook and come rushing home? Why couldn't he have just done without it? Why did he have to come home when I was eating breakfast? Why did he have to scare me enough that I bit down on my tongue, drawing blood? Why?

Emmett…

I stomach churned as the foul, hot liquid leaked down my system as I swallowed the blood mixed in with saliva. Ever since I was little, I couldn't stand the smell or taste of blood. It always made me sick. Today was no exception, clearly.

I flinched as his face drew in closer to my exposed neck. Everything seemed to be happening so slowly. Was it in actuality only because I was the victim? Was he really moving very quickly, quicker then usual, with the fresh allure of my blood still in the air? Like in a car crash, I was able to assess every detail in the moment in less then a full second. Then this really was the end.

Of course, since I had already resigned myself to death, the exact opposite was sure to happen. Fate was funny like that.

I had just shut my eyes tight, awaiting for my skin to be ripped away as Billy had described that one night many years ago, when a thunderous growl filled the air. It was as terrifying as it was beautiful. Like that of a wild cat. The air was cut in two by the sound.

In the time it took me to reopen my eyes, Edward was there, crashed through the swinging door of the kitchen, sending splinters flying. Now, everything was speeding up as if in fast motion in comparison to the slow motion I had been living just seconds before. Edward wasted no time, perhaps sensing that there was little to spare. Emmett was removed from over me, sent flying into the air, being slammed into the faraway wall. The thud was sickening. I shielded away, ducking my head. Emmett…

With Edward pinning Emmett against the wall, I was able to assess the scene before me. I tore my eyes away from the two struggling brothers, spotting two more figures. It wasn't just Edward who had appeared. Alice and Rosalie were there too, now rushing to my side.

Could you blame me for flinching away from their touch?

"Oh Bella…" Alice pulled back her outreached hand as if I had burned it.

I said nothing in return. What could I have said? But my silence was just as eloquent as any words could have been. I didn't even have the strength to stare at them with accusing eyes, so I ducked me head, letting the remainder of my tears fall on my t-shirt without a sound. I curled my arms into my body, trying to prevent myself from falling to pieces.

Subconsciously, I picked up the scattered hints I had once ignored, sliding each piece in like a puzzle:

Edward had been hiding something…

No heartbeat…

Beautiful faces…

No bed in Edward's room…

Never in school during sunny days…

A world all their own…

The Cullens never seemed to eat…

Cold to touch...

It all clicked. Of course, in the heat of the situation, I had known instantly what Emmett was. What his whole family had to be. But, now out of danger, I couldn't quite place the word out there. I couldn't clearly see everything for what is was, perhaps still being in shock from what had just happened. The facts I had applied had all vanished. Everything vanished. I didn't know what to think. Well, of course, I knew what to think, but rather, I was frightened to admit it aloud.

The façade was broken. I had seen it all. There was no going back to the way things had once been.

"Clearly," I squeaked, finding my voice, "You all have something to tell me. Or… were you ever planning on telling me that I was living in a houseful of vampires?" Silence. Eyes avoided mine. I nodded my head slightly, receiving my answer. With shaking limbs, I got to my feet. No one tried to stop me as I wobbled out of the room; past where Edward still held Emmett against the wall - I vaguely noticed a large crater in the wall around his body - and shutting the door behind me.

I was numb all over as I calmly made my way up the stairs. Thankfully, I didn't fall to pieces until I was in Alice's attached bathroom with the door locked. It wasn't until then that I realized how weak I felt and how my body ached. I didn't think. I lunged to the toilet, emptying the contents of my stomach.

"Urgh," I groaned, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, flushing away the mess with my other hand.

Generally, when one vomits, you feel… relief. As if a great weight was lifted. But I still felt sick. I clung to the toilet, sobbing. It was so painful. I slid onto the floor. The marble was slightly cooling to my aching form, but still, I was dry heaving. I didn't even have the strength to move. So I stayed there, lying on the tiled floor, curled around the base of the toilet, forcing myself to remember what I had just seen.

The Cullens were Cold Ones. Blood drinkers. Vampires.

How easy it was for me to wrap my mind around this fact! That the ones I had been living with were not even human! Was I sane?

I knew what Edward had been keeping from me now, but what did this knowledge mean? What did I have to do now? I knew I should confront them all, demand to know why they never told me. I snorted. Well, I could actually guess why they had never told me. But I still needed to confront them all about… this.

Or, I could just run far, far away. The cowards way out.

I just… didn't know how to handle this.

There was a battle inside myself, one between my brain and heart. The brain, the organ that knew the Cullens were dangerous. Emmett almost killing me was the proof, as if I needed any. I knew the legend. And even if I didn't, any horror movie could tell you that vampires were deadly. They feed upon blood. And I, as a walking sack of blood, was just not safe in their midst. I should just leave them as soon as I could. That would be the smart thing to do.

But then, my stupid heart, had to speak up. Hadn't I realized long ago that I was hopeless without Edward? I loved him, end of story. He took care of me when I had no one, all of the Cullens had. They were almost like family. I loved them all unconditionally, and nothing could change that.

But…

Did this change anything? Everything?

Fright.

Betrayal.

Confusion.

Anger.

Sadness.

Such was the turmoil inside my body, that I couldn't face them. Not yet. I needed to make my decision first. To stay… or go.

I ignored the knocking on the bathroom door. Go away, I wanted to tell them, Leave me be. But I couldn't find the words. I just sobbed. I cried to myself until I lost consciousness on the cold tile floor.

A/n: Next Chapter will have little to no contact with the Cullens. Was this chapter what you had in mind for how Bella would discover their secret? Quite the rude awakening, if I do say so myself.