A/N: Here's the next chapter. I like it better than the last one (I might even rewrite that one; it doesn't feel right yet), and I hope so will you. I think I'm going to need a beta-reader, though. Reading through my last fan fiction, I discovered about a million mistakes - embarrassing.

So, I hope you enjoy. Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you so much for the reviews I've received so far! They're great.

Again I'm only borrowing the characters from The Twilight Saga; they're property of Stephenie Meyer.

THREAT

BELLA

Wednesday.

I watched as the sun slowly crept over the horizon. My eyes were able to distinguish between a million different colours; while humans would only see the most dominating colours, I saw every single shade in between - colours I had no name for even after all this time.

As the first ray of sunlight darted across the china blue curtains, I retreated into the shadow of the sofa. Mrs Morris who lived in the small cottage across the street got up early, and if she happened to glance in my living-room window and see me sparkle in the sun she'd probably get a heart attack, a fate the kind old woman didn't deserve.

Sometimes I sat by the window all night. I'd come home from work and shower to wash away the stench of decay which clung to my clothes after ten hours in the morgue, then I'd sit down and not move until it was time to leave again. The lights automatically went out at eleven, so Mrs Morris would think that I'd gone to bed. I never went out. On the weekends I drove to Canada to hunt - I didn't dare set foot near Denali - but during the week I never left my house at night.

I had nowhere to go.

The sun painted cheerful patterns on the dark wooden floor. I stared at them without really seeing them, and then suddenly they were gone. I glanced outside; the sky was grey again, the sun a dull patch of light behind the clouds.

Good. I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't go to work. I'd have too much time to think and that was … bad. At night the world was asleep. I could deal with it then, could face the loneliness. During the day when the streets were full of people - friends and family and lovers - I couldn't. It was all too much then.

I preferred being stuck in the basement of the hospital, cutting up dead people.

Mrs Morris pulled back the curtains to glance down the street. She didn't notice me and opened the window to let out her cat. Mrs Morris was my only neighbour. The house I'd bought last year was at the very edge of the city. My backyard led directly into the forest, and from the street you couldn't see it at all unless you knew where to look. The other houses were empty. Nobody wanted to live here. No shops. No doctor's office. Not even a gas station. I ordered the groceries I needed to keep up the human charade online, and Mrs Morris had been extremely happy when I offered to order hers as well. It was a long way into town, and she was old and didn't feel up to the journey very often. On occasion I even drove her to her doctor's office downtown.

She was a lovely old lady, and she didn't ask questions. That's why I liked her so much.

I was very still now as I focused on the world outside. Cars rushing down main street. Mrs Morris's cat scurrying through the bushes, stalking a smaller animal, probably a mouse. Mrs Morris rummaging in her kitchen drawers, preparing breakfast. Even after all this time I found it hard to believe how much my senses had sharpened. Every colour was so bright, so deep. Every sound was so clear, so distinct. Every scent was so rich, so intense.

And yet I'd have given it all up if only I could have been human again.

I sighed. It was already past seven; I had to get to work. I'd have plenty of time to wallow later.

I went upstairs and got dressed. I tried to ignore the unfolded letter on the bed as I pulled a pair of black slacks out of my closet. I'd gotten it yesterday, and I'd already read it so many times that I'd lost count. It was from Jacob. I called him every few months and e-mailed him almost every week to check up on my father, but Sam wasn't too happy about it. Jake didn't consider me a threat. Sam did.

And he'd decided that it was time to put an end to this.

When I was dressed, I gently folded the letter and put it in the box besides the wooden wolves on the dresser. My memories. Jake's letters. Pictures he'd sent me. The few letters Charlie had written.

All my past now.

Grabbing my bag, I headed for the door. I missed Jake so much. I missed him so much. Still. When he left Jake had been there for me. When I'd … changed, he'd been there for me. He'd been my sun, he'd kept the darkness which had threatened to swallow me at bay. And now… I perfectly recalled the few words Jake had scrawled across the yellow notebook page. Bella, Sam says it has to stop. I'm so sorry. Don't call me again. I miss you. Jake.

Who'd keep the darkness away now?

I didn't pay very close attention to traffic as I drove to work. Instead I went over the checklist for the weekend again to distract myself. It didn't really work, of course, not even for a second. Being able to multitask on a grand scale was great most of the time, but it had its drawbacks. Try as he may, a vampire couldn't suppress unpleasant memories. I definitely missed that. And if only I had been strong enough to hold on to my human memories… I hadn't lost them exactly. They were still there, but when I tried to pull them to the surface they were oddly blurry, almost like a dream you knew you'd had but couldn't remember what exactly it had been about. It was annoying, really.

The traffic light turned red, and I quickly stepped on the brakes to avoid running over a pedestrian who'd started crossing before his light turned green. The car squealed in protest, and he glared at me the through the darkly tinted windshield. I glared right back at him. I could have killed him, for crying out loud. Why was everyone so reckless these days?

Impatiently tapping against the steering wheel, I waited for the light to turn green. I was on edge, and I was well aware of the reason why. I was hungry. Crabby. That's what I'd said when he was hungry, when his eyes were black as pitch. I took a quick glance at the rearview mirror and sighed. Well, maybe not pitch black, but close enough.

I hadn't been hunting in almost two weeks. I wanted to test myself. Even after two years of practice I didn't feel very comfortable around humans, so usually I kept myself well-fed to avoid… accidents. But I'd decided it was time to test my limits. I wanted to be prepared. Just in case… Glancing in the mirror again, I decided that I'd reached them. I'd leave tomorrow right after work.

I just had to take care of a few things first. Mrs Morris had asked me to drive her to her doctor's office this afternoon, and after that I'd take her grocery shopping. Then there was an enormous pile of paperwork waiting to be filled out, which I'd do tonight.

Finally the light turned green. I eased down the accelerator, and the car complied. It was fast, the fastest car I'd ever owned. I'd had to send Jake a picture to make him believe I'd bought it.

I'd always thought it was just a guy thing. Some sort of compensation for other… shortcomings. Now I knew better. It was all about speed. The first time I'd run at full speed had been exhilarating. I'd run and run and run and run for hours without ever getting exhausted, without ever having to stop. It was amazing.

So of course I'd bought a fast car.

Recognising the car, the guard smiled at me as I drove into the parking lot. I parked in the underground garage as I always did in case the sun decided to peek out from behind the clouds. My assistant Danielle was just getting out of her battered old VW. She waved at me as I eased the car in the free spot closest to the entrance.

"Morning, Doc," she said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Fine." I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car. "Any plans for the weekend?"

"Sure." She launched into a detailed description of the spa she was going to spend the weekend at as we walked inside and down the hallway. Danielle was a lot like Jessica. It wasn't very difficult to get her going, and I made all the right noises in all the right places. As usually she didn't even notice I wasn't listening. Oddly enough I'd still know what she'd been going on about when I thought about it later. "What about you?" she asked eventually.

We'd reached my office. I unlocked the door and turned on the lights, then dropped my bag by the desk. „Just the usual. I'm going camping." It was the perfect excuse. I'd purchased tons of camping equipment even though I didn't use it - just as I bought food even though I didn't eat it. I wanted to keep things as real as possible.

Danielle made a face. She was a city girl.

She left to get changed, and I shrugged out of the parka I'd donned - I didn't get cold anymore, or hot for that matter, so I didn't really care how many layers I had to put on for show - slipped into my coat and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

I didn't particularly enjoy working here. I didn't know anyone who did. Seeing day after day what human beings were capable of doing to each other was kind of depressing. I'd become a doctor to help people, and while, of course, in a way I still did it wasn't exactly what I'd envisioned my life to be like.

Things were different now, though. I wanted to work with the living again, so I had to practice. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to control myself the way Carlisle was. I wanted to work in the ER again, I really did. It was just… Sometimes it was so very hard to be around people even when they weren't bleeding. I didn't even want to think about what it was like when they were.

Danielle returned, her blonde hair neatly braided now, a styrofoam mug in her left hand. Coffee, judging by the smell. I'd never really enjoyed drinking coffee. Sure, it smelled great. But the taste… Awful. And then my tolerance for caffein had always been embarrassingly low. I inhaled the rich aroma. These days I didn't even like the smell anymore. Human food, any human food, had lost its appeal.

"Have you seen the new doctor yet?" she asked. "He started working today."

Danielle had a boyfriend - a very nice guy who didn't deserve her - but it didn't keep her from flirting, or going out, with other men. Sometimes even though they were married.

"No, I haven't. How come you have? We just got here."

"Well," she blushed, and my body went rigid, "you know Andy from Administration?" Rhetorical question, of course. Who didn't know Andy? He'd married his boyfriend last year and had invited the entire staff. "I did him a favour, and in return he sort of let me take a look at the file." Her blush deepened, and I had to force myself to look away, swallowing back the venom suddenly pooling in my mouth. Would Danielle notice if I held my breath? Did it matter? Why was she suddenly smelling so… appetising? "Anyway, he's drop-dead gorgeous."

"Who?" Fight it, I told myself. Fight it, damn it!

"Well, both actually." She chuckled, oblivious to the danger she suddenly was in. "I'll get you a copy of his picture."

"Yeah," I managed even though I had no idea what she was talking about. My throat was burning; I felt as if I'd just downed a gallon of bleach straight from the bottle. I could handle the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle burn which had been my constant companion for almost two years now. But this… It was so very hard to not just give in, to not just leap across the desk and rip our her throat. The desire to kill her, to drink her blood was so overwhelming.

Was this how he'd always felt when he was around me?

I needed to get out. "Excuse me," I all but hissed using up the rest of the oxygen I'd had left and darted into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Not a trace of her scent in here. Just disinfectant, a smell I didn't much care for most of the time; it made my nose itch. Now I inhaled as much of it as possible to erase even the faintest reminder of Danielle's scent. I'd known her for over a year now, for crying out loud. She'd never made me feel that way before.

Usually you're better fed, I reminded myself.

I'd go hunting tonight, I decided. I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I'd call in sick or something.

"Everything OK in there, Doc?" Danielle asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah," I gasped, "I'm fine. Just give me a minute, will you?" Turning on the faucet and splashing water in my face which didn't do a thing to calm me - probably due to the fact that even though it was ice cold it still felt oddly warm against my skin - I stared at the reflection in the mirror. A face, so beautiful and pale and perfect. The eyes, the hint of dark gold I'd spotted before gone now.

That's not me.

"Sure," Danielle said, uncertain. "I'll go get started then."

"You do that," I muttered, turning off the faucet.

I'd worked with Danielle for over a year now. Five days a week, eight hours a day. If I lost control around her just because she was blushing how could I ever work in the ER again?

Danielle was waiting for me, the first body, hidden underneath a white blanket, already on the table. Hearing the automatic doors open, she turned, a worried frown on her face.

"I shouldn't have skipped breakfast," I said, smiling, then pointed at the body on the table without giving her the chance to answer. "He's first?"

"Um, yeah." She handed me the file, looking over my shoulder as I read it, totally oblivious to the fact she'd just escaped death. If she knew what danger she'd been in, she wouldn't be standing there right now. She'd be running from the room, screaming. Well, not that she'd actually managed to escape…

I swallowed. My throat was so dry.

Get a grip, I told myself and opened the file. At least the ventilation system was up and running; it did make things a little easier.

The body on the table was male. A neighbour had found him and called an ambulance, but he'd already been dead when the EMTs arrived. How and when exactly he'd died was for me to find out. Judging by the smell - the odour of decay was faint but detectable, at least for my nose - he hadn't been dead for more than a day. As for the cause of death… Well, I had to cut him up anyway. If I wrote my report based on what I'd smelled, my boss would have me committed - or, at the very least, fire me. "What else is on the agenda for today?"

"Not much, actually. Some homeless guy who probably froze to death. And then, of course, our murder victim of the week, a young woman found in a dumpster not far from here."

I rolled my eyes. Danielle had absolutely no respect for the dead.

I pulled the blanket off the table, revealing the pale flesh of a man in his mid-fifties who'd quite obviously enjoyed eating, and tossed it neatly on the counter; my new body was a whole lot more coordinated than my human one had ever been.

As my assistant, Danielle did all the preliminary work - all that's left for me was cutting them up. It was difficult, though, more difficult than I'd expected when I applied for the job. The blood of a dead human - especially when he'd been dead for a while - wasn't nearly as appealing as the fresh, hot blood of a living and breathing one, and yet I'd had to go hunting almost every night those first few months of work to keep myself from doing something I'd most definitely regret later. I'd gotten used to it eventually. I'd had to. I'd wanted to. If I didn't practice, I'd never be able to work in the ER again. I'd thought I'd been doing well.

Now I wasn't so sure anymore.

Heart attack. That's what I eventually wrote in his file. He should have paid more attention to what he ate. Ironically enough he'd had a hamburger and French fries for his last meal. The very thing that had killed him. Quite poetic, actually.

He probably wouldn't agree.

"Does he have any family?" I asked.

Danielle took another look at the file I'd put back on the counter, arms raised so she wouldn't accidentally drip gore on it. "Not according to this."

Well, at least nobody would have to suffer because he'd literally eaten himself to death. I swiftly signed the chart, wondering why he didn't have any family. Had he lost someone? Had he chosen to be alone? I couldn't imagine anyone choosing it. I'd have given anything to get my family back. Odd for a vampire, I know. Most of them travelled alone. They didn't crave company the way most humans did; they didn't need anyone else unless the vampire in question happened to be their mate. The Cullens were different that way. They were more… civilised. He'd once told me that Carlisle thought it was because they only fed off animals. Maybe he was right. And maybe that's why I still wanted so badly what almost every human had. A family. People who loved me.

We did the homeless guy next. I watched as Danielle cut away the shabby and dirty clothes and felt sorry for him. Poor guy. Humans were so fragile, so easy to break. The desire to help them, to protect them was so overwhelming sometimes, but there was only so much I could do. As a rule I took the groceries I didn't need - which was quite a lot - with me when I drove to Canada for hunting and gave them to homeless shelters. They were always appreciated, and it was a lot better than throwing them away.

At noon Danielle left to go to lunch, and I went upstairs to get a salad from the cafeteria. Returning to my office, I flushed it down the toilet. Having to go through the motions didn't bother me at all. In fact, sometimes I even enjoyed it. It almost made me feel human.

At half past one Danielle called to tell me she was running late, so I decided to get started on the girl without her. Had she actually been murdered? I'd find out soon enough. She was still in the black body bag when pulled her out of the freezer. I gently put her on the exam table and unzipped the bag.

Half a second later I found myself crouched against the wall, snarling. It took me another half a second to realise what had happened, and when I did my initial confusion almost instantly turned into hatred-fuelled rage.

Yes, the girl had been killed.

I forced my muscles to unlock as I looked down at the girl. According to her file she'd just turned seventeen. Her pale heart-shaped face, framed by curls of dark hair, wasn't what you'd call beautiful, but there was something in there, something which would keep anyone from dismissing her as plain. A gash ran across her throat. The flesh was pale, almost white.

There wasn't a single drop of blood left in her body.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled, just to make sure I wasn't mistaken.

I wasn't.

I knew who'd killed her.

Victoria.