A/N: Twilight is the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. Any & all Twilight characters used in this chapter and any that follow do NOT belong to me, but to one, Stephenie Meyer.

PSA: Independent thinking lie ahead. Readers beware.

Rated M for language, future chapters, and for the citrus sitting on my counter waiting to be used. What better way to quench your thirst in the south, than with a nice tall cold glass of sweet sweet lemonade!

Psst...I do not have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. If you want to be my beta (I'm begging here!) PM me! Oh, and REVIEW!

Walking Through the Flames

Edward appeared, motionlessly, a few feet to my right. Behind me, I heard the sound of waves crashing the shoreline. This couldn't be right; I blinked several times trying to make sense of it all. When I turned back to look at Edward, I realized this was not the forest behind my home. No, I was someplace different, the beach. Edward walked closer to me, reaching for my hand. He tugged at my arm, pulling me away from the soothing waves, but I didn't want to go with him. The ocean seemed to be calling me. I pulled away from Edward and started down a path towards the sound of the waves.

"Bella, please don't go. Come back to me. Please don't leave," Edward pleaded.

Turning back toward him, I saw it. An orange fire danced in and out of the trees several yards behind Edward. The flickering mesmerized me, putting me in a trance. Suddenly the blaze grew closer. Accompanying the orange flames, were a pair of deep ruby eyes and a set of snow white teeth. Victoria. I opened my mouth to scream to Edward, but nothing came out. He stood still, smiling. Even in danger he was beautiful. Before I could move my feet to run to him, Victoria closed the distance between them. In one smooth motion, her bared teeth sank through the marble skin on his neck as she tore him limb from limb. Frozen, I could only watch in horror.

I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming loudly. This dream was nothing like those I'd had before. The image of Edward's torn body was etched in my brain. Afraid to close my eyes, I got out of bed and turned on my computer. I needed something to keep me awake. I was terrified to go back to sleep right now. Experiencing the dream again isn't something to which I looked forward.

My ancient computer slowly came to life. It took a few more minutes for my internet to find a decent dial-up connection. I was definitely going to have to talk to Charlie about a new computer and high speed internet. Christmas was fast approaching; maybe I would ask for it then. My mind was contemplating the up coming holidays, when all of a sudden it hit me. An epiphany! The tub, the dream; it was all me letting go—letting go of Edward. I could do this. I was okay. He didn't want me, but I was okay. I'd survived this long, so I could continue to survive. I snickered aloud.

"I'm okay," I said aloud, chuckling. "I'm okay!" I said a little louder. That felt good. "I'm going to be okay!" I nearly screamed. Okay, maybe screaming wasn't the best option, because then I heard the sound of Charlie's feet darted up the stairs.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he said, snatching my bedroom door open. I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck.

"I'm okay, Dad. I'm really going to be okay." I said laughing.

Charlie pushed me back at arms length. The look on his face was somewhat comical—a mix between confusion and pure joy. Just then, the corners of his mouth lifted into a grin. He pulled me close to him and hugged me tight. "Bells, I'm so glad you're okay," he said relieved.

At that point, the floodgates opened, and tears flowed from my tired eyes. "Dad, I'm so sorry for what I put you through. You deserved so much—''

"Bella. Just stop. We don't have to talk about any of that. I'm just so glad that you're back. You're really okay, aren't you?" Charlie couldn't believe it either.

Drying my eyes, I said, "Thanks, Dad. Thank you so much for everything. I know it's late, but do you think maybe tomorrow we could talk? I'd like to know what I missed the last couple of weeks."

He answered warily, "Yeah…sure. We can talk, but there's more to cover than just a couple of weeks."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Um, Bells, today is the 20th—of November. It's been two months."

"Two months? Two months! I can't believe it. Why didn't you slap me out of it or something? I've missed the past two months! My friends—I bet I don't have friends anymore." I hung my head ashamed that I'd been wrapped in myself for so long.

"Actually, you have a couple of people who've checked on you regularly," Charlie said, the smile on his face widening.

"Really? Who?" I racked my brain, wondering who might still have hope for me after this long. Whoever they were, I was thankful that someone didn't give up on me.

"Mike Newton's called every couple weeks, and Jacob's called every Tuesday like clockwork." The smile on Charlie's face now stretched from ear to ear.

"Jacob? Jacob Black? Why was he calling? I don't really know him. Only through you and Billy being friends, you know." It didn't surprise me that Mike had checked on me, but Jacob's calling confused me. I didn't know him very well. I'd spent a couple of summers down at La Push with him and his sisters while Charlie and his dad, Billy, fished, but that had been so many years ago. Plus, if I remember correctly, Jacob was a few years younger than me.

"He was part of the search party the night I couldn't find you. Did you know his friend, Sam Uley, was the one who finally found you in the woods?" Charlie chose his words carefully. He didn't want to reignite any fires that had been put out tonight. "Okay, enough for tonight. Get to bed and we'll talk about everything tomorrow." Charlie kissed my cheek and bid me goodnight.

I was too anxious to sleep. What happened tonight? Whatever it was, I was thankful. I walked back into my room, past the bed, and to the computer that now awaited me. I logged on-line, and was greeted by "You've got mail." Four emails from Renee—I would answer those later—one from my friend Jessica, two from Mike, and several pieces of "junk" mail covered my screen. Not sure what to say to Mike, I shot Jessica a quick message; something generic and ended the message with "I'll see you Monday at school". I hoped they would still let me sit at their table.

Had I been sitting with them? I concentrated, trying to remember everything from the past two months. School was a blur. No, I didn't sit with my friends anymore. I'd been sitting at the table where Edward and I first had lunch. I shook my head in disbelief.

Pull it together, Bella. You're better than this. Renee would be—probably is—very ashamed that you let someone have this kind of pull over you.

But, as much as I loved this newfound high, I knew Edward wasn't just anyone. He had been so much more. He had been everything I wanted. But he didn't want me. I would just have to live with that. Examining everything that had been revealed tonight, I knew the hole was still within my heart. The only thing that changed was the burn. It seemed though I had walked through the flames. Now, I just had to concentrate on staying on this side of them. No turning back now. I was determined to be me, or at least the Bella everyone here knew. It was time for a change. Tomorrow was the start of a new day, a new look on life, a new Bella. I was picking up the pieces. I was strong.

I yawned and stretched. Blinking my eyes, I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before I would be asleep. There was no fighting it anymore; too many sleepless nights were finally catching up with me. I climbed into bed and snuggled under the cover. The green glow from the alarm clocked shone 11:56, almost midnight. Morning would come too soon for my tired body. I drifted peacefully to sleep.

The smell of something burning woke me the next morning. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my robe and hurried down the stairs, trying to locate the fire. In the kitchen I found Charlie and a clump of black crispy bacon—the source of the burning. I laughed aloud as I pulled my robe tightly around me. Eggs were perfectly scrambled in a plate on the table, along with bread, toasted to golden perfection.

"Morning Dad. What happened in here?" I asking, grinning.

"I'm not sure. It just cooked too fast," Charlie said sheepishly.

I spotted his problem right away. Turning the heat from high to medium-low, I said, "You just had the eye too hot. Not that big of a problem."

"It wouldn't be a big problem if I hadn't burned all the bacon," Charlie said. "I really wanted some, too."

I pushed the plate of burnt bacon his way and laughed, "Eat what you want, Dad. It's all yours."

Laughing along with me, Charlie dumped the bacon in the trash, then joined me at the table. Conversation was light as we ate. I didn't realize how hungry I was, until Charlie commented on my second heaping helping. "Whoa, kid. Slow down. There's plenty more."

"Sorry Dad. It's so good," I said shoveling in another mouthful.

After breakfast, I ran upstairs, and quickly dressed. By the time I made it back down, Charlie was already washing the dishes. "Dad, I would have gotten those. You don't have to cook or clean for me."

"I don't mind," he said. I didn't deserve Charlie. He had been so patient with me; anyone else would have given up weeks ago.

I grabbed a clean towel and dried the dishes Charlie was rinsing. As I was putting away the last dish, the phone rang. Charlie answered, "Hello?"

"Actually, much better. I don't know. Last night." I knew Charlie was talking about me, but to whom?

"I'll ask her. Hold on," Charlie said, turning to me. "Jacob wants to know if you're up for company."

"Uh, yeah. That would be great." I didn't know what to say. He'd been calling every week to check on me. How could I turn him down.

"Hey, Jacob," Charlie started.

"Wait, Dad," I interrupted. "How does he feel about me going there? I've been in this house way too long."

Handing the phone to me, Charlie smiled. "Here, ya'll work it out." I took the phone and Charlie left the room; I assume he was giving me some unneeded privacy.

"Hey, Jacob," I said, answering the phone.

"Hey, Bella. Did Charlie tell you I've been checking on you?" Jacob was enthusiastic.

"He did. I appreciated that. He also said you wanted to visit," I answered.

"Well, only if you're up to it. He said you seemed to feel better."

"Actually, I wondered if you'd mind me coming there. I've been in this house so long, I really would like to get out." I needed a break from the monotony of these four walls.

"Yeah!" he almost screamed. "When can you come?"

"As long as it's okay with Charlie, I can come now. Give me about twenty minutes." To my surprise, I was excited to go.

"Okay, see you soon." Jacob hung up the phone before I could respond.

"Hey, Dad," I called as I walked to the living room. Charlie looked at me over the top of today's newspaper. "Do you mind if I go to La Push and hang out with Jacob for a while?"

"Go on. Get out of here. Have fun." Charlie said, almost as thrilled as Jacob seemed to be.

"Thanks Dad." I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.

Outside, the sun shone brightly. It was fairly warm for November, but I didn't complain. I hopped into the cab of my truck, and turned the key. She came to life with a loud roar, and I was on my way to La Push. It felt so good to be outside in the warm sun. I used to hate days like this, because it kept the Cullen's indoors. Anything that took Edward away from me was loathsome. The thought of Edward pained my heart. I knew he would never return. While it became easier to pull my life together, my heart still ached for him. The love I felt for him still burned as hot as it did the day I fell for him. Edward couldn't be replaced. I wouldn't replace him. I would live as happily and fulfilled as possible, but I knew without him, my heart would always be incomplete.