***As with all my chapters, I own nothing. Sorry it took so long to update, I got pretty sick and it's hard to write when you can't see straight. Hope you guys enjoy!:)***

Chapter 5 (BPOV)

The Questions

I don't know how long I looked into Edward's eyes, it could have been days for all I knew, but looking into his eyes again brought back so many memories.

Images started to flood my mind, feelings and emotions started to take control.

I thought of the first time I saw him and rest of his family at school. I thought of the day he saved me from the van, our first kiss, and our meadow.

I remembered my lullaby, and watching him play it for the first time. I remembered the night he stayed, the day he took me to meet his family, and the baseball game.

I allowed my self to have hope, and for a few moments I let my guard down. I let myself drown in the memories that I had made with him and his family.

Every good memory, every moment of happiness that him and his family had brought into my life passed through my mind and I knew that if I was ever going to learn to love and trust again, that those memories were my first step.

Finally, after I had finished reliving all those memories I forced myself to break away from Edward's gaze. If I didn't look away, I knew other memories would resurface and those memories, those feeling and emotions, they would only bring me pain and for the first in so long, I felt whole again, safe, I never wanted to leave this moment.

"Bella, that was beautiful!" Carlisle said.

The expression on his face was love. I search his mind for some explanation to his comment, but all I saw where memories of him and Esme flowing through him.

"It truly was Bella, my dear, you know you have brought happiness to us as well." Esme spoke those words, but still I was confused why.

"Thank you." Was all I could say, I must have been so lost in Edward that I missed something, but before I could ask Alice spoke.

"You don't realize what just happened do you, Bella?"

"No, I'm afraid, I am a little confused." I said, but looked at everyone, they all shared the same softened expression.

Even Jasper had moved from his place behind me and stood behind Alice now.

"We all saw your memories Bella, felt what you were feeling at the time you had them, it was like we were there with you." Edward said, his velvet voice sounded relived almost.

"All of you, not just Edward?" I asked, I was almost embarrassed.

Some of those memories were very intimate to me and if I could have blushed I would have been crimson for sure.

"Yes, all of them. How did you do that?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. I didn't know I could, I haven't been around people very much since my change, I have no explanation for what happened." I said

"Well Bella, it would seem that you are very talented, even more so than you knew. Don't worry we have time to sort all of it out, and we will help you learn your new found talent, but for now I have a few questions, if you still feel up to answering them." Carlisle said

"Of course Carlisle, what would you like to know." I told him, and I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

"Well, to start, why don't you tell us what has happened after we left Forks. That may answer many of our questions." Carlisle said.

I was unsure where to begin, what I should tell them and what I shouldn't. Just then Alice reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

"I've seen some of what happened to you after we left, I know this will be hard Bella, but they need to know and you need to tell someone what happened, I promise you will feel better once you have. I am here for you Bella, you are no alone." Alice said in her mind.

I nodded and thought to myself that I could do this, I held Alice's hand, never letting go,I took a deep breath, looked about the room and began to tell my story.

"For the first two months after you had gone life was very uneventful, but then after that life took quite a turn for me." I said.

I had to take a moment and steady myself, I looked down at mine and Alice's hand and then she gave my hand a small squeeze and I continued.

She was right I needed to do this.

"Two months after you left, my father died. He had a heart attack in the middle of the night, and I woke to find him the next morning. I buried him and decided to remain in Forks despite my mothers best effort to get me to come home with her. "

I said all of this to them, but my eyes never left mine and Alice's hands, I was afraid that if I looked at them that I would not be able to continue. I also tried not to hear their thoughts, and luckily enough it was working, if I was gonna do this it was now or never.

"Four months after my father died, I got a phone call from Phil saying that my mother had be killed in a car wreck. I buried my mother and again I returned to Forks. Not many people came around to see me anymore after that had happened. The only people that did were some long time friends of the family, Jacob and Billy Black."

I must have sounded so cold and detached about what had happened to my parents, but I couldn't afford to get emotional, if I did I would never make it through this.

I knew what part of the story was coming next and I was scared, really scared. I had never told anyone of how I was changed before, and I didn't even allow myself to remember it.

It was a terrifying experience and I knew I would have to tell them, but I didn't know if I could.

"I'm here Bella, it is okay. You can do this." Alice said silently again, and squeezed my hand.

I took a deep breath and began.

"Two weeks after I returned from my mothers funeral Victoria and Laurent made themselves known to me." I said to them.

My hands were shaking, and I was fighting with myself to not remember. I just had to say what had happened, I didn't have to relive it, but my emotions were getting the best of me and Jasper had to step in.

"Bella, don't be frightened, you are safe here." Jasper said this and sent me a wave of calm and strength, but it had the opposite effect.

It relaxed me enough that I began to remember the events of those terrible days....

Flashback....

I was in the living of my dad's home. I was standing there looking a the mantle of pictures of him and I in years past.

I was worse now than I had ever been. I longed for death and one solitaire promise was all that keep me here.

I stood there and thought of nothing, felt nothing except the wish that I could join my parents, that somehow fate would step in and release me from this hell.

"Well, well feeling sorry for ourselves are we human?" the man said, I would have known that voice anywhere.

I should have been scared that someone was in my home uninvited and also that the man was a vampire, Laurent to be precise, but I didn't care, I didn't care about anything anymore.

"All alone, no family, no friends, poor, poor human. Maybe we should keep her company, what do you think Laurent?" the women said, it was Victoria speaking this time.

Still I didn't turn around to look at them, their presents had no effect on me. All they could do was kill me, and secretly I wished they would.

Everyone I loved was dead or gone. If they were really going to hurt me, then leaving me alive was the worst they could do.

"Agreed, lets go for a walk shall we human, we have some business with you." Laurent said very matter of fact.

"I'll get my jacket." I said and turned towards them.

I looked at them, and I knew I should have been frightened and should beg for my life but the life I had known was gone and I was ready for whatever may come.

"Brave human, this will be interesting." Victoria said, she almost looked disappointed.

I know they wanted me to be afraid, but I wasn't capable of fear or any feelings, plus I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

I grabbed my coat and walked towards the door, taking one last look at my fathers home and thought to myself "it will all be over soon".

"After you." I said with out emotion to them.

I followed them to the tree line outside the house, once we were in the cover of the trees Laurent walked up to me and took my coat from my hands.

As he held out my coat for me to put on, he spoke. "Here now put this on, we can't have you getting sick. We need you to answer a few questions for us."

I put the coat on, and he reached out his hand for me to take.

It was the first time in over six months that I had felt the icy comfort of a vampire, and had I been capable of feeling anything, I think that even under such terrifying circumstances, I would have felt a little at ease with the familiarity of his skin.

I took his hand without a second of hesitation, I knew the sooner we got this over with the better, I longed for peace and they could give that to me.

As I took his hand he threw me over his back and began to run.

I should have enjoyed this, some of my fondest memories of Edward involved him running with me securely on his back, but I felt nothing, once again I longed for the end.

I don't know how long we ran, my best guess would have been an hour maybe before we stopped.

"Here we are, this should do just fine." Victoria stated, apparently happy with the clearing we came upon.

It was a small clearing, it was empty aside from the grass on the ground and the large bolder near the center. I looked it over very carefully, because I knew this is where I would take my last breath.

"Well, human where are the Cullens, Edward especially?" Victoria asked.

She seemed sure of her ability to intimidate me, so much so that I almost laughed.

Next to my experience with James and all that had happened to me in the last six months Victoria was nothing.

"Gone." I simply stated.

"Yes, I know that, but where to human. You were important to Edward, his mate, I would hate to kill you and him not be here to watch you die, so again I will ask, where are the Cullens?" she said.

She was still trying to frighten me, to scare the information out of me, to watch me beg for my life, she was going to be very disappointed.

"Gone Victoria, their gone." I stated with no emotion and without fear.

She must have realized that she was not scaring me so she decided a little violence would loosen my tongue.

She walked up to me and looked me straight in the eyes, she lifted her hand very slowly and placed it on the side of my face, stroking my hair and cheek very gently.

"You will tell me where the Cullens are human, or you will suffer. Last chance before this gets ugly, where are the Cullens?" She said and I could tell she was getting impatient.

"Gone." I simply stated, again without fear, never breaking eye contact with her.

She growled and pulled back her hand and then hit me. I blacked out for a few moments and when I can too Laurent was sitting beside me, leaning next to the bolder I had landed on.

"If you kill her Victoria, we wont get our answers, she is fragile, you must be careful." Laurent stated, and looked as though he was bored with this game he and Victoria were playing.

I sat up, my head was pounding and I think my shoulder was out of place, but I said nothing and showed no sign of pain.

I stood up and looked at Victoria, ready for whatever her and Laurent would do next.

"I will kill you human, eventually I will find your Edward, with or without your help. You can either tell me where he is and I will make your death a quick and easy one or you can keep resisting and I will make you suffer then I will kill you, it is your choice." Victoria said.

She was aggravated, by my demeanor I guessed but I thought that best, the more aggravated she was the more likely she would lose control and this would end that much quicker.

"They are gone Victoria, and you are mistaken about Edward's affections for me. If you think that killing me, will in some way upset Edward, you a wrong, and wasting my time." I said this to her wishing that it would upset her enough to just get it over with.

She ran her white fingers through her hair and looked at me with more anger than she had through this entire ordeal.

She clinched her hands into fists and I think she was trying to calm herself, I wished she wouldn't, I wished she would just kill me already.

At that moment she sprang, I didn't see her do it, I just felt her grab the back of my head and fist my hair into her hands. The next thing I knew I was thrown into a tree on the far side of the clearing and I felt some of my ribs break.

As I hit the ground the air was knocked out of me and I laid on my back trying to calm my breathing.

After a few moments my breathing returned to normal and I stood up to face Laurent and Victoria.

Their eyes were bright red and surprised. I don't know if they assumed I would have died from Victoria's out burst or not, but either way I knew Victoria's would only tolerate so much more before she would snap.

I looked her in the eyes and began to walk toward her. Once I was with in arms length of her I stopped and waited for her to speak.

She crouched like she was going to spring again and began to circle me, Laurent backed away and sat on the bolder in the middle of the clearing, watching both me and Victoria.

"Where are the Cullens, human? You owe them no loyalty, and they have shown you none. They left you here defenseless, and now you suffer because of their disloyalty. ANSWER ME! Where are the Cullens? Where is your beloved Edward?"

She was angry now and I wondered just how far I could push her.

"You speak of loyalty Victoria yet you know none. Do you think that what you are doing now, James would have done for you? What you are doing now isn't out of loyalty, it's out of vengeance and your own selfishness and I feel sorry for you! The Cullens are gone and even if I knew where they were I would die before I told you."

By the time I had finished speaking she was standing right in front of me, so close that I could feel her breath on my face.

She was really angry now and I was sure this was it, the end. I didn't move I just starred at her back showing no emotion, no fear.

Surely she knew by now that I would not give into her and that she should just kill me and get it over with, but Victoria was far from finished.

Again she moved so fast that I didn't know what happened until it was over. I assumed she punched me, for lack of a better word.

One minute I was standing looking at her and the next I was face down on the ground.

When I could, I sat up and my mouth was full of blood and I realized she had knocked some of my teeth out. I was in pain from head to toe, but still I wasn't about to give her any satisfaction.

I knew she had been holding back, if she had actually hit me with all her strength I would have been dead long ago.

So I stood up and spit out the blood and teeth from my mouth.

I could tell a new battle raged with in Victoria and Laurent now. There was blood and a lot of it, my nose was bleeding as well and soon they would lose control one way or another.

It was hard to stand, I was in so much pain but I wouldn't give in. My vision was kind of blurry now and I wasn't sure if I keep this up much longer.

I looked her in the eyes once again and waited.

"Victoria, maybe the human is telling the truth. Maybe she doesn't know where the Cullens are, we should consider that." Laurent spoke and I could tell the smell of my blood was getting to him.

"She knows, and she will tell me or she will die!" Victoria hissed.

"Where are they human!" She hissed at me and for the first time I was growing impatient with her.

"I am growing very tired of this Victoria. For a vampire you don't hear very well. I told you they are gone. Do you really think that you are a match of any of them. You should have seen how they ripped apart James, and believe me he was ten time the vampire you are. I was terrified of him, and I have actually had to hold back laughing at you." This time I spoke with a smile.

I really pissed her off this time. She growled and lunged at me. I'm not sure what all she did to me or what exactly happened, she moved to fast but I remember the pain.

First, I think some of my hair was ripped out and one of my arms was broken. I saw Laurent lung down at me with Victoria as well and then I felt them both bite into me. Victoria bit my neck and Laurent my wrist.

The pain was to much to bear and blackness was starting to take me over.

I knew I didn't have much longer a minute maybe less, and then all of the sudden Victoria and Laurent were gone, ripped off me, and then blackness.

I woke up days later still in the same clearing. My vision, sense of smell, strength and reflexes had all changed.

I knew immediately what had happened, I was a vampire now.

I sat up, blood stained and my cloths were ripped and dirty. I couldn't imagine how this happened. I was sure they would kill me, how had I survived.

"Bella, don't move or we will kill you!" the familiar husky voice said.

I didn't move but turned my gaze to the direction of the voice.

"Jacob?" I said, shocked.

"Yes." he said coldly.

I noticed he was standing far away from me on the other end of the clearing and looked as if he was shaking, like he was cold.

I didn't move, he knew what I was and if I hurt Jacob I would never forgive myself, he was the only friend in this world I had left, but why was he so angry.

"Jacob what's wrong, what happened?" I said concerned.

I knew Jacob and his friends were werewolves, so I knew he and I were free to speak honestly with each other, but for the first time since I had arrived in Forks he didn't look like he wanted to talk to me.

I realized then that our friendship must not have been strong enough to endure something like what had happened to me.

"We were to late tracking you and the two bloodsuckers down, by the time we got here you had been bitten by those leaches. We killed the male, but his mate got away. They didn't have time to finish you off so instead you have become one of them." He spoke with a little sadness in his voice, but mostly disgust.

" The female, Victoria, she got away?" I asked

"Yes, but we will continue to search for her. She will probably come back here to look for you and when she does we will be ready, she wont get away from us again." he said.

"Did any of your pack get hurt Jacob?" I asked and I prayed he would say no.

"No, the only person hurt was you. Bella, you are not welcome in Forks anymore. We know that vampires are very dangerous when they are first turned and although we should allow you to live here under the same treaty as the rest of the Cullens, we can't. We have no idea what you are capable of or how dangerous you really are. We have brought a change of cloths for you from you fathers and your wallet. Once you are changed we will escort you out of Washington. If you ever come back here alone or uncontrolled we will be forced to kill you." He said.

I was shocked but I understood completely why Jacob had to say this. He was right I was dangerous and alone, Forks was the last place I should be, I didn't belong here anymore, I didn't belong anywhere.

"What about my fathers house and all mine and my fathers belongings?" I asked him.

"I told my father what has happened, we will pack up all your things and store them for you. We will board up the house and keep it safe for you until you can come back." Jacob said, and his tone had become even more cold.

"Thank you Jacob, I appreciate all that you have done for me. I won't give you any trouble, I'll just go." I said.

End of Flashback.....

As the memory of those terrible days ended, I took a deep breath and went to speak but before I could Emmett spoke.

"I'm going to kill Victoria Bella, I promise you she will pay for what she has done to you little sis!"

He was angry, shaking and I almost pitied Victoria if Emmett ever got his hands on her.

I looked around the room and the expressions on everyones faces told me that once again they saw my memories.

That is not how I wanted them to know of my change. I didn't want vengeance for what had been done to me, I would kill Victoria one day but only because I knew she was a danger to the only family I had left.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I said and this time I looked to Esme.

Her face was sad and pained. She held tightly to Carlisle and he to her.

"Bella, you were so brave. None of us are deserving of the loyalty you showed us that day. Victoria was right about that, and you gave your life to protect my family, to protect us all, we owe you a great debt for that." Carlisle stated.

"You all have saved my life more times and in more ways than I can count. None of you owe me anything. None of you!" I said this and looked directly at Edward.

He was blaming himself for what had happened to me. He thought that if he had been there he could have stopped Victoria and Laurent that I would have never had to suffer.

He couldn't believe that I would have given my life to protect him when he had left me the way he did.

"Bella I... I never.... I don't...", Edward couldn't decide what he wanted to say but the meaning was clear.

"Edward, I always have and always will love you. Please do not blame yourself, none of this was your fault." I told him with as much love as I could put into my voice.

I took my other hand and reached up and placed it on his cheek. The spark that was there between us so many years ago and no faded and I knew that I still loved him just as I had before.

He laid his head into my hand and looked into my eyes and then he spoke.

"I should have been there for you, it should have been me to change you, I'm so sorry my love."

There was so much sadness in his voice, I wanted so much to comfort him but I didn't know how.

I could tell through his thoughts that only time could heal his wounds and remove his guilt.

So if that is what he needed that is what I would give him, time, all eternity if that was what it took.

"You were there for me Edward, you were in my thoughts and in my heart. If it hadn't have been for you and for the promise I made you that day, I wouldn't be here now."

As I said those words to him I realized just how true they were. If it hadn't have been for Edward and his promise I would not have survived losing my mother and father.

Thanks to Edward I lived long enough to be here and having him back in my life was all that mattered now.

I loved my parents and I will always miss them, but the Bella they knew and loved was gone and now I was a part of the Cullens and this is where I belonged.

"So what happened after you left Forks?" Roslie asked, breaking me from my trance.

This would be the part of the story where Emmett would make fun of me and I would have to admit that learning to be a vampire was not as easy as I thought it would be.....

*** I hope you guys enjoyed, let me know what you think! :) I'll update quicker next time*****