Bella's Point of View

I was relieved to finally get out of this hospital gown. I was transported to a different room, one with a full bathroom. I got to take a shit in peace and shower. I felt like a different person. Edward brought me a fresh pair of street clothes. I had to admit, it wasn't something I'd normally wear. It was a light pastel blue A-line, long sleeve tunic top and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. The clothing fit perfectly.

I decided, in semblance of my new life, I would need a new haircut. I cut my hair, just above my shoulders. I couldn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. I almost looked like a normal person. Someone that hasn't been through what I've been there. I wasn't sure if I liked what I saw.

But the smile on Edward's face when he saw me, was enough motivation to embrace the changes. Rene left, a crying mess, probably thirty minutes ago. Edward lingered in my doorway. I was mentally preparing myself for this journey. But I could tell something was bothering him.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, walking casually from my bathroom over to the bed. I grabbed Katie's keychain off the bed and tucked it in my back pocket. I wouldn't leave that behind.

He glanced at me, exhaling. "You have one more visitor. I think you should see, before we leave." He paused, turning to look down the hallway. "She's on her way up right now."

I frowned slightly. "Who else would come to see me?"

"She wouldn't give her name. Just that she was a friend of yours."

My heart squeezed in my chest. Was it Katie? Did she end up surviving the gunfire? Did she escape at the last second? "Let her in."

He nodded, but the look of concern stayed on his face. He moved to open the door to my room, letting my visitor enter after hearing a rapid pounding on the door. But it wasn't Katie. It was the last person I wanted to see. Sheena walked in, dressed head to toe in leather and lace. A smell followed her. A mixture of cigarettes, alcohol and sewage. God, is that how I smelled before I got here.

Next to Edward, she looked even more short. Even with her ridiculously high heels. She adjusted her iconic blonde wig at the top of her head, turning a seductive look in Edward's direction. "Could you give us a minute, handsome? It won't take long… then for the right price, you can have my attention all day." She winked at him.

Edward didn't pay her any attention, he just watched me. "I'll be right outside the door."

No. Please don't leave me alone here with her. I desperately wanted to get out of here. I looked to the window, contemplating jumping. Anything to get away. This was the woman that had my best friend murdered in cold blood. What did she want from me?

Sheena pouted, watching as Edward left the room. As soon as it was just the two of us, she folded her arms across her chest. "What the fuck do you think you are doing? Dressed like some kind of… nerd. That outfit isn't flattering at all."

"Edward bought me these clothes… I didn't have anything else." I spoke quietly, avoiding her harsh gaze.

"I need that money from the Central City gig," She held her hand out pointedly.

Quickly I went to my purse, grabbing all the money I managed to hold onto after the shootout. I made about one hundred dollars. She didn't hesitate, walking over to snatch all of it out of her hands. "Since you were late with this payment, I'm ninety percent." But she only tossed me a five-dollar bill.

I took it without question and put it back in my purse. I knew better than to argue with her. Speaking against her was a death sentence. Just look at what happened to Katie. I was scared of Sheena. I always was. But even more so now.

She smiled brightly as she neatly folded the money and shoved it in her bra. "I've missed you, Bell. When will you be coming back to work? I'd like to promote you. You will make a fantastic addition to my dancers."

I swallowed hard, turning my eyes to the ground. "I can't do it anymore, Sheena. I'm being sent away for treatment."

"What?" She snapped, moving to grab my face. She forced me to look her in the eye. "Did you just tell me no?" Anger flashed in her dark eyes.

I flinched. "I have to, if not I'm going to die. I have HIV. I need to go for treatment."

She rolled her eyes, not seeming bothered at all. "Are you kidding, who doesn't have it? It's just part of life. Stop being an idiot and get back to work."

"You know I'll be grateful for everything you have done for me. Really. I had nothing. You gave me a chance to survive the streets. But I have to get this treatment. I want to live."

She roughly dug her nails into my face. There was pain but she didn't break the skin. "I don't think you understand. You belong to me. You still have a debt to be owed. I'm not letting you go, until you have paid your way out." Her voice was menacing. "I'd hate to see something happen to you, like what happened to Katie."

I gasped, feeling my lip tremble. Panic struck me. I backed out of her hands, starting to hyperventilate. "No, please… How much do I owe? I'll get it to you before I leave. I promise."

"Three thousand and I'll let you walk. But I'm warning you right now. I'd leave town after paying me off, you're dead. I can guarantee it. The gang feels you have betrayed them. You slept with members of the Pixis. I wouldn't be surprised if they hunted you down." She smirked slightly. "Without my protection, you would be dead right now."

My legs shook, I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to calm myself down. My head was aching. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I just wanted to get high. I wanted to numb myself completely.

But suddenly the door to my room opened, revealing Edward. He looked furious. He stalked over to Sheena and roughly handed her a wad of cash. She didn't seem afraid of his hostility. She began counting the money, eyeing between the two of us.

"You're paying off her debt, I take it?" Sheena narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, now leave. And don't get back into communication with Bella again." He spat, before going over to me.

He wrapped his arms around me, holding my close. I clutched myself to him, tears spilling over my cheeks. I looked over his shoulder, to where Sheena stood. She watched us with hate-filled eyes. She didn't want to lose me. I knew she was exaggerating my debt; it would have been her way of keeping me in her pocket. She didn't expect me to ever be able to pay it off. I could only imagine what she had planned to get back at me.

There was no turning back now. I'd have to leave Phoenix completely. I wouldn't be safe here. I could never return. My life here truly was over.

"I know who you really are Bella. Don't let yourself be fooled by this pretty face. He will use you. You'll see. There are no good men in this world. You'll be begging to come home to me. And don't worry. I'll welcome you back with open arms." She replied coldly, before turning and walking out of my room.

I was still shaking as she left. I closed my eyes, focusing on Edward's hands rubbing my back. We stood there for a while, until I could catch my breath. "I-I'm sorry about her, I'll pay you back, I promise." I whispered quietly.

He looked down at me with worry. "I don't want money from you. I just want you to promise to avoid ever putting yourself into a position like this again. I want you to be safe." Lightly he wiped the tears from my face. "Put her out of your mind. She doesn't matter anymore."

I nodded as I pulled myself from him. "I just got so excited. I thought it was going to be Katie that walked in that door. I know it's impossible. She couldn't have survived."

He frowned, pulling his arms behind his back. "Tell me about her."

I sniffed, letting myself sit down on the bed. "Since the day we met, we have been together. Always. She had a similar situation at home. Her parents split. Her mom left her, moved out of the country. Her father is an alcoholic. She got pregnant, so her father kicked her out." I paused, a smile coming to my face. "I was there when her son was born. He is celebrating his first birthday at the end of the week"

"Where is her child?" Edward asked gently.

"With Katie's father," I groaned, resting my head in my hands. "That kid is going to have a really hard life. Katie had big plans. She only wanted to work the streets for a while, we were going to put our money together and rent an apartment. She would take her son away with her, to live with us." My heart ached.

Edward sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Perhaps, we should take him along with us."

My eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? We can't do that, can we? I mean… she did make me the kid's godmother… if anything was to happen to him. Hell… she put my name on the birth certificate."

"Then you have every right to take the baby with you. I'll make the arrangements." He said taking his phone out.

"Wait," I protested, moving his phone down from his ear. "I can't take care of a baby. I don't know the first thing about it. I'd make an awful mother. I can't do it."

Edward smiled softly. "I don't agree, but if you allow… I have a couple in mind, that would love to have a child. They would offer him a wonderful life. I promise."

I chewed my bottom lip. "Alright, but I want to meet them first."

This would be what Katie would want. She wouldn't want her father keeping her son. She knew this wasn't the life she wanted for her son. I trusted Edward and his judgment. But I wanted to make sure I could still see the boy. I would always be his auntie Bella. This would be the last thing I could do for Katie. I just wish… she was alive. I wished for it more than anything. If Edward would have found the both of us, maybe we both could have jumped into this new life together.

Edward was on the phone for a while, chatting with someone. He had a bag packed for me, it had new clothes, shoes, everything you could ever need. We made our way out of the hospital, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. Everyone we passed stared. I kept my head lowered. I was embarrassed. I acted like a real bitch when I first got here. I'm sure I really stressed out some of the nurses.

I hadn't realized that it was already nighttime until we made it out to the parking lot. A black SUV was waiting for us. Edward placed my luggage in the trunk, while I went around to the passenger seat. I hesitantly looked around, before getting in. The seats were all leather. It was luxurious. I carefully put my seatbelt on, keeping my eyes in the rearview mirror. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for gang members to show up and kill me.

Anxiety was a monster. I twitched, rubbing my arm roughly. The slight pain calmed me down a little. It focused me. I continued to rub my arm, using my fingernails to dig into my skin a bit more.

Suddenly a cold hand covered mine. I jumped in surprise to see Edward watching me. "Please don't hurt yourself. It's going to be okay."

I nodded, withdrawing my hand. "Sorry,"

"Don't apologize. I know this is all a lot to take in." He looked down at my arm, taking note of a trace amount of blood. He recoiled, moving away from me and turning his back. He stood rigidly.

"Are you okay?"

"Just give me a minute please," He replied in a hard tone.

I watched him quietly. He wasn't acting right. There was something going on. One glance at the blood and he was falling apart. Maybe he had issues with the sight of blood. I didn't blame him. I've seen a lot of blood getting spilt. Over nothing.

I put my mouth over the shallow cut, licking the blood away, before covering it with my hand. "Look, it's okay. The blood is gone."

He glanced over to me, but the expression on his face made me freeze. He looked furious. I shrank back in the seat. What did I do? Did he realize that I wasn't worth it? Have I already failed at this? I was so tired of crying, but tears started. I couldn't help it. I had nothing to numb my emotions. I felt everything. I couldn't cope.

Edward came back into the car, closing the door hard before him, before reaching into the glovebox. He retrieved a Band-Aid. With a tight grasp, he took my arm and covered the wound with the Band-Aid. "It's alright," It sounded like he was telling himself that more so than me. "You have your challenges. And I have mine. We are more alike than you think."

I raised a brow, pulling my arm away once he was finished. "Is that so, what's your drug of choice?"

He chuckled without humor, his eyes dark. For some reason, the color of his eyes seemed to change. I don't know if my imagination was playing tricks on me. Or if all the drugs I was on had made me hallucinate that he had topaz eyes. Right now, his eyes were almost black.

"Blood," He admitted quietly.

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. "You're addicted to drinking blood?"

He didn't reply, he still seemed to be getting a handle on himself.

Edward drinks blood… Like a vampire. Weird. But who am I to judge him? I can't imagine enjoying something like that. But everyone has their own issues.

"Do you want to drink my blood?" I wondered, glancing over to him as he began driving down the road.

His hands squeezed the wheel. "Yes,"

For some reason, I took that as a compliment. It didn't bother me. In fact, it was kind of hot. I wondered what other fetish he had. Edward was an interesting man. I felt comfortable around him. Even more so, knowing that he wasn't perfect. He had problems. What normal person, with a neat and tidy life, drinks blood. And is obsessed with doing so? His story must be just as messed up as mine.

"If I didn't have HIV, I'd offer you a sip." I shrugged my shoulders.

He flinched, glancing over to me with a frown. "Don't say things like that."

"Why, it's the truth?"

"How would you feel, if I offered you some heroin?"

Oh. Point taken.

I looked away from him, instantly feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was cruel. Your situation is different from mine." His tone softened.

"Do you want to explain that?"

"It's hard to say it in a way for people to understand, Carlisle is better at explaining it." He sighed. Finally, he seemed to return to normal. His body relaxed. "But it's something you need to know, because it will affect you, in the near future."

I waited patiently, nodding for him to continue.

"Well, the first thing I need you to understand is that I'm not… human." He commented.

My first reaction was to laugh. But the serious look on his face ended my amusement early. He barely looked at the road. He just watched me.

"You really want me to believe that don't you?"

"It's the truth," He said quietly.

"Alright, then if you aren't human, what are you?"

He was quiet again; his expression gave nothing away to what he was feeling. I wasn't sure if he was going to answer. But after some brief silence, he finally answered. "A vampire."

Again, I had the urge to laugh. It was the craziest thing I've ever heard. Edward really thought it was a vampire. He must be mentally unstable. It explained a lot. This was why he was so quick to help a piece of shit like me. We both were a bit unstable. I could accept that. If he wanted to believe in something like that, he had the right to do so. I'd play along.

"Alright, you're a vampire. So, what's wrong with that?" I answered.

He looked at me incredulously. "I'm a monster. I've killed people before. Doesn't that bother you?"

"You've killed people before? For their blood." I had to admit, the thought was unsettling. But I've met murders on the streets. I've learned that there are two different kinds. The ones that have no remorse. Those are the monsters. The ones you don't want anywhere near. And there are the ones that regret their actions. It had been an accident, or they had been intoxicated. They just simply lost their temper. I didn't know if it made up for them taking human life. But those people weren't monsters. They had their own stories. Abused childhoods, addictions, substance abuse, mental disabilities.

Don't get me wrong, it's still wrong. There is no excuse for it. But I had a deeper understanding of the kind of people who were murderers. I wasn't pleased with the fact that Edward was one of those people. But I wouldn't judge him. I owed him my life. No matter what he has done, I would never disregard him.

He nodded. "Yes, and it's something I deeply regret. There is no way to atone for my actions. My family and I have adopted a different way to live. We only drink the blood of animals."

Sounds like a pretty dysfunctional family. I found it hard to believe the doctor took part in this as well. He seemed so… normal. Does that mean his whole family were murderers as well? And I would be going home with them? I'd be trusting Edward to place Katie's son with a good couple. I wasn't sure about that. I was losing faith in this situation. I didn't truly know him that well. Maybe I put myself into a worse situation.

I looked nervously out the window; my shoulders were tense. I felt sweat drip down the back of my neck. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Bringing me with you?"

Pain clouded his eyes for a moment, before a mask of acceptance covered his face. "It's sensible to be afraid. But if you are worried about your safety, you have nothing to worry about. I would never hurt you. My family wouldn't either. We just want to help you."

"I believe you; I really do. And I'm not afraid. But it sounds like you all have your own issues that you're working through. Adding me to the mix might not help."

He frowned slightly. "You aren't taking it seriously are you, when I say, I'm a vampire."

I held my hands up innocently. "I believe that you think you are a vampire, there is nothing wrong with that. I get it."

Suddenly Edward pulled over, stopping at the side of the road. There was no one in sight. My heart was racing. What was he going to do to me? I must have really upset him. He opened his car door and stepped out of it. I anxiously watched him as he strolled over to a desert willow tree.

With little effort he ripped a huge limb from it and tossed it into the thick grove, with impossible strength. I couldn't even see where the limb landed. I felt my jaw drop. Then he went running up the side of the tree until he reached the top. The speed in which he ran up that tree, it was like a blur. And in a flash, he jumped back down, several feet to the ground. Not a scratch on him. As he approached the car again, he gave me a hard look.

"Is that enough to convince you?"

I nodded, at a complete loss for words.

He was a vampire. A real vampire. Not just some lunatic. He meant what he said. He killed people, to drink their blood. It was in his nature. It was who he was. Looking at it from an animalistic view, bears will kill humans for food as well. Not because they are evil, or bad creatures, but because it fills a need they have. And something drives him to do it. I could see the struggle on his face, when I was bleeding. He was holding himself back from acting on his urges to drink my blood. It was some form of addiction. Like a human needing air to survive. Edward needed blood. He was like me.

I let out a breath of relief. I could trust him. He was a recovering addict as well. "What a relief," I muttered to myself.

Edward heard me, frowning deeply at me. "What do you mean? I'd expect you to be more afraid." He got back into the car and closed the door behind him. He watched me closely with a look of concentration. Frustration entered his eyes. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"You're not a monster, you're an addict. That is something I can understand. Yes, you are addicted to something different than me, but we are one in the same. Human or not."

"I don't understand," He admitted.

"Tell me, without drinking blood, will you die?"

Edward shook his head slowly. "No, but our capabilities would diminish to almost nothing. I can't say personally how that would feel. But I've heard it's painful."

"But you have a strong urge to have it. You feel the need for it. Above anything else. More than breathing. It takes priority over it all?"

Realization hit him. "I see what you mean. I guess you're right. In a way, it is an addiction. It's something I'll always want but can never have. Not really. Animal blood is enough to keep me strong, but it never will satisfy my real wants."

"I understand completely. I feel the same way… although, the drugs don't help me stay strong. It's killing me. As much as I hate to admit it… I'm not as strong as you. I've been wanting to use, since I've left the hospital. That's all I can think about. The medicine they gave me, to help with the withdrawal, is beginning to lose its effects. So, I may get a little crabby. I'd like to apologize ahead of time. I may really get on your nerves."

Edward gently took my hand, offering me a smile. "It's alright, I get irritable if I go too long without hunting as well. Let's get back on the road." He suggested.

We began back to the road, at first in complete silence. I was glad that he told me everything. I still struggled to wrap my head around vampires existing. But it was true. They sounded very misunderstood. There were a lot of myths surrounding their kind. After talking with Edward, I felt more confident that he and his family really could help me. If they could go against their nature and abstain from human blood, they must have a lot of self-control. That was something I needed to learn.

"So, do you sleep in coffins?" I asked casually.

Edward snorted. "No, I don't sleep at all."

"You don't sleep? That must suck. You can never turn it off. Never escape that constant nagging feeling of wanting blood. A lot of the time, I've wished I could stay asleep forever. As long as I slept, I didn't have those urges."

He turned to me, a reflective look on his face. "What must that be like?"

"Be honest, what is the plan with me? Is this treatment going to turn me into a vampire as well?"

"If it's something you are willing to do," He replied with a sad look. "But it's completely up to you. It's an option. It wouldn't happen right away. Just whenever you are ready. But until then, you will receive HIV medication and detox."

I nodded with a small smile. That could potentially be really cool. All I wanted was to live. And my guess was vampires live for a really long time. It would open so many possibilities for me. It wouldn't correct my problems with addiction. I would just become addicted to blood. But Edward would be there to help me suppress those feelings.

This would be my shot at a better life. But in the back of my mind, I was scared. Would I be able to do this? Would I end up killing innocent people if I couldn't get a handle on myself?

A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you all think of this story so far? It's been a lot of fun to write. Review, Favorite, Alert. Anything is appreciated.

S/N: Please give my other story a read. It's a Bella X Emmett story, called Dancing In Thorns. It's basically a 'What would twilight be like, if instead of Bella falling for Edward, she fell for Emmett'. Spurred on by a one-night stand when she first arrived at Forks. Thanks again for reading!