A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight & Co.

- Chapter 2 is still dark. The next few chapters will be as well.

- Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!

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The Basement

Bella POV

I spent dinner with Charlie in absolute silence, wondering how I would get to the Cullen's. If Alice had been watching me closely, she'd have called by now. I assumed she was doing sporadic checks but focusing mainly on whatever it was that they were hiding. Dammit, I needed to know.

I grumbled as I finished the last of my chicken, rushing to the sink and clearing my plate.

My planning was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Gah! Apparently, I had decided that I would be making a surprise visit to the mansion.

"Hang on, hang on," I grumbled, heading for the foyer. I opened the door and was completely unsurprised and chagrined to see Alice sitting on the step, complete with annoyed glare.

"Bella."

"Hey.,. I'm here. I'm here and I'm not doing anything wrong." This argument was doomed for failure from the beginning. She didn't care that I wasn't doing anything wrong. She cared about what I was going to do.

"Bella. You and I both know that something isn't right here. And now, instead of letting me fix it, I have to be here, babysitting you."

"You don't have to babysit me, Alice! I'm a big girl."

"I saw you... at the house. Dressed in a freakin' BLACK hoodie with the hood pulled up over your head. Are you INSANE? Dressing in black will not camouflage you, little girl."

"Okay, A – I was dressed in my current attire. B – You're not allowed to call me little girl, it's just wrong, considering." I gestured up and down her frame, making my case clear. "and C – if you would just TELL me what is wrong, then I wouldn't feel the need to sneak into your house at all." I crossed my arms and nodded my head for effect.

She sighed. Would it ever really be that easy to get Alice to give in? What she lacked in size she certainly made up for tenacity. "If I tell you, will you promise to stay away?"

I nodded. Whatever.

"There's a vampire staying at the house. We don't know him very well and we think he might be a danger to you if you were to come over." I stared at her, waiting for the rest. "That's it. Whole truth, nothing but the truth, all that bullshit."

"Really?" I said sarcastically. That was so not the truth. What a little liar. I smiled innocently.

"Bella, just go to bed. Wait until morning to hatch this plan, I'm begging you. Please."

I gave in and sighed. It was impossible anyway. I might as well let her deal with whatever she's dealing with and not having to worry about me. Her eyes unfocussed and a smile played on her lips.

"Much better. I should head back to the house. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." She waved, then shouted "Bye Charlie!" She started to walk off, but stopped short and turned... "Oh, and Bella?" I raised my eyebrows, "should your resolve to behave yourself lessen over the evening, don't think I won't see it."

I closed the door after her and sulked up to my room. I kicked the book that was unfortunate enough to be on my path to the bed. I sat down and glared out the window. I felt like a prisoner. In my own home. Like no matter what I did Alice would come stop me. I didn't have any options.

I grabbed my laptop and played a game of hearts. After three cards were thrown I got bored and closed the computer, discarding it to the floor next to me. I chuckled humorlessly and grabbed my old copy of Romeo and Juliet off of my bedside table.

So quickly I didn't even know what hit me, I was running down the stairs. My promise was void as far as I was concerned. She hadn't told me the truth so I was unbound to my end of the deal.

"Going out with Alice, Dad! Be back soon!" I ran out the door before he could say anything to slow me down. I hopped into my truck and peeled out of the driveway, heading toward the Cullen house.

Alice is lying, isn't she? Wasn't she?? She wouldn't have acted so strange if it was something as simple as what she told me.

I thought about all the possibilities while I drove. They weren't telling me something. Something was off, and damned if I would be kept in the dark without a fight.

When I pulled into the driveway, I threw the truck in park and hopped out. They can protect me from this vampire, right? Too late now. I walked briskly toward the porch.

I turned the knob and the door was already open. I pushed my way inside and immediately realized that no one was home. They left a crazed vampire alone? In FORKS? Brilliant. I shook my head at the irresponsibility of my vampire family.

I peeked into the living room. No one was there. I could hear the shower running upstairs. Suddenly my quasi-plan was not so brilliant. I was.. scared. I thought for sure that at any moment a vampire was going to lurch himself onto my back and go for the kill.

"Guys..?" I called softly, ignoring the chill running up my spine.

I walked aimlessly around the house for a few minutes, having no idea why I was here. How would I explain to the Cullen's that I broke in and.. what.. looked around?

I am an idiot.

I turned to walk back out, but as I was leaving, I passed a door. I'd never been in the basement of this house before. I'd never even given it any thought. But I knew this door led to the steps, and suddenly and inexplicably, my curiosity piqued. I'd never had even a little bit of interest in the basement, but in that moment, I felt that door just begging me to open it.

I wonder what they keep down there..

I crept over to the door and gently turned the handle. It was locked? Interesting, indeed. My morbid curiosity once again reared its ugly head. I reached up to the bolted lock and turn it swiftly, again going for the knob. This time, the door slowly crept open.

***

Part of me realized I should be afraid to approach him. He was terrified and he was lethal, and I assumed that that combination was the reason the others had forbid me to come to this house at all. But there he sat, pushed as far into the corner as he could manage, his back to me. His knees were pulled so tightly to his chest that I think he would actually be incapable of breathing even if he had to. My heart lurched.

I could see every curve of his ribs as they curled around his sides. I could make out every single distinct disc of his spine. It was obvious that he was starved. His frame trembled slightly at the sound of my footsteps, slowly descending down the staircase. I couldn't make my feet stop if I wanted to, and I didn't want to. I didn't doubt that, as weak as this vampire was, he could snap me in half before I could blink.

But I stood there, watching his shaking frame with wide eyes, knowing that it was beyond my control now. I needed to reach out to him. He needed me to reach out to him.

I took another step. I could see him attempting to pull his knees closer to his chest. He was naked and frightened and in pain, and I was making it worse. I didn't even know I was capable of such a thing. He continued gripping his legs tightly and shaking, and buried his head in his knees. I couldn't see anything other than his long, lean back, curled desperately and trying to protect his body from me.

Another step and I was on the ground, the last of the stairs behind me. I had no confidence in what I was doing, yet somehow, somewhere, it just felt right. If my last action on this earth was to offer this suffering man solace, then I was okay with that. I would die knowing that I tried to do what I knew was right.

As I took another tentative step toward him, I heard a very low, rumbling growl coming from the corner. It was supposed to be frightening. It was my warning growl, and I knew that. He was trying to convey to me that if I didn't stop, he would end me. His growl broke my heart but only strengthened my resolve.

I inched closer and while the volume of the growl didn't increase, the frequency did. It was now a steady rumble coming from deep inside him. He hadn't yet looked toward me, or even moved his body in any way other than to protect itself. I think that might be why I was so unafraid; he hadn't taken a single offensive move yet. He just continued to try to protect his body from me, and I hoped that somehow he would let me live long enough to show him that I meant him no harm.

After another step toward him, the volume of his growls slightly increased. I was still ten feet from his corner, but I could see him making every effort to wedge himself further into the unrelenting walls. Maybe he was attempting to hide himself in the shadows. I knew if I thought about what he was going through from his point of view I would only start to cry, and that wouldn't help anyone right now.

I scanned my brain for anything I could do to make this easier on him. I immediately dropped to my knees, hoping the thud of my body didn't startle him too badly. I saw his frame jump briefly before returning to the trembling and growling.

"I don't want to hurt you..." I whispered, knowing full well that there was almost no chance he was coherent enough to understand me.

They say with coma patients that sometimes just the sound of a soothing voice helps. I know my whisper was more pained than soothing, but it was far from vicious.

I put my hands on the floor and began crawling slowly toward him. His growling became desperate when I was within a couple yards of him.

"Hey…" I whispered again. "I don't want to hurt you," I felt a silent tear run down my cheek when I realized my efforts were wasted.

In the next few seconds I was probably going to be dead. There was no question. I was way beyond the point of no return, and I was completely at this man's mercy. And he was warning me. Very clearly. To back the hell off.

And of course I couldn't. I was drawn to him. I couldn't back away and leave him here, shaking and naked and hurt, with no hope for any sort of future.

I inched my way toward his corner. His growling was as vicious as a dying dog's could possibly be at this point, but I left the ability to be afraid of him at the bottom of the staircase. His trembling grew and I could see more of him now. His legs were covered in lacerations, similar to his back. His arms looked strong but weak at the same time. They were clearly muscular, but so frail from what I could only guess was the lack of feeding.

His skin was almost translucent, with purple undertones to the white that I had grown to love in vampires. His face was still too buried in his knees for me to look at it, but his hair was very dark and disheveled. I could tell it hadn't been cleaned or cared for in a very long time. My heart broke further and I wanted to kill someone. Really. I knew someone had done this to him; watching him day in and day out as his condition went from perfect to.. this. And I wanted that person dead. I made a promise to myself that I would work it out if given the chance.

Suddenly the door burst open at the top of the staircase. The vampire I was trying to approach growled louder, and I didn't even realize that was possible. His whole frame blanched from the noise, and for a brief second, I was terrified that I had lost everything before I even got to attempt it.

"Do. Not. Move. A. Muscle," Carlisle spoke softly but firmly. I turned my head to look at him anyway.

I could barely hear what was going on over the growling behind me, but I glowered at the door. They would have to pry my cold dead body from this corner if they expected me to leave with them.

"Bella," Alice spoke in a normal volume that I almost didn't catch over the noise coming from my vampire's chest. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Please don't move, Bella. Please. We'll figure this out. No sudden movements."

I turned my head back to the man in the corner of the room. I was only a few feet away from him now, but it seemed like he had forgotten about me. The timbre of his growls had changed when the others entered, and it was unrelenting.

"Guys," I said firmly, without turning to look at them. "If you value my life, I think you should stay where you are."

"Bella... since you clearly have no sense of self-preservation, we need to —" Alice began, but Carlisle interrupted.

"She's right, Alice. Any sudden movements now could startle him, she's too close for us to interfere. Bella, you need to turn around and come back toward us..." he noticed my refusal. "Please, Bella."

I didn't even glance back at him. I stared at my destination with a new purpose. I needed him to return to the scared growling. Or else I was as good as dead.

"You guys should go... You're scaring him more than he needs to be scared. If he hurts me, please don't hurt him. It's not his fault." I whispered, knowing they could hear me and knowing that it didn't matter. I would be dead and no one would protect him.

"Bella! PLEASE! You need to stop this! Bella!!" Alice's voice grew dim in my resolve, to the point that I was able to completely block it, and everything else outside of my little bubble, out.

I slowly inched closer to him until I was within an arms reach. He was furious. He was scared. He was beautiful.

Ever so gently, I reached a tentative hand out. His trembling increased monumentally but he made no move to attack. I wondered who I had to thank for that. It hurt to admit to myself that it was probably the same person who I had to thank for his physical condition.

"Shhh... please calm down," I whispered gently to him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

My hand inched closer to his back. He seemed to be using his back as his shell, the only protection offered against any harm coming his way. I figured it was the best place to make contact. "Shhh…"

My hand was just inches from his skin now, and his whole body was rocking violently. I felt bad for dragging out this awful experience for him, so I decided to act swiftly but with enough calmness as not to startle him more than necessary.

I briefly wondered what the afterlife held for me, if he decided to break my neck with his pinky finger, and a small, sad smile played on my lips. "I wouldn't blame you," I whispered, only to myself.

And with that, my fingers reached his back. I touched him more gingerly than I have ever touched anything before, as if any pressure at all would further break this man who so desperately needed help. He flinched visibly, letting out a small whimper and ragged breath at the same time.

I could feel his muscles constricting in his back, as he attempted to shove himself further into wall. I was crouched in front of him, and inched myself closer again.

I flipped my hand over so the back of my fingers were nearly touching his broken back. I let them graze it gently.

And I was absolutely dumbstruck when his growling eased. "I don't want to hurt you," I whispered into the air, hoping that even though he probably couldn't understand my words, he picked up on my meaning. I let my fingers run across his left shoulder blade lightly and suddenly remembered that I was not alone in the room.

I slowly turned my head back to the staircase. The door was closed now, but I could see Carlisle sitting on the top step, perfectly still, not breathing nor moving. I understood.

I put my focus back on the wreck of a person in front of me and inched myself slightly closer. His growls were no longer furious but weak. They weren't pleading for me to stop, they were just.. pleading. He still trembled deeply but made no move to end my life.

I closed my eyes and took a tentative breath. I let the entire back of my hand graze his back now, increasing the contact of our skin. His muscles loosened slightly but his posture remained rigid, his head still buried in his knees.

Carefully, avoiding the wounds that covered his body, I ran my fingertips across his rib cage. It elicited a whimper but not a growl. I backed off immediately and moved my hands away from his ribs. I let the tips of my fingers trail the length of his spine, starting at the base of his neck. I knew getting too close to his face could be asking for trouble, so I didn't make a move to touch his head yet.

As my fingers moved down each defined bump of his skeleton, a small chill followed. His trembling calmed slightly as his body reacted to my touch.

I idly wondered how long it had been since he had been touched humanely. Too long for me to think about, I decided, before the tears actually started free flowing.

I brought my fingers back up his spine and traced the bones of his shoulder. His head remained buried, but the growling was growing less and less desperate. He was letting me reach out to him.

My fingers traced the back of his neck to his other shoulder, while I brought my other hand to him. I laid it gingerly on the exposed forearm that held his knees to his chest. He cringed but quickly calmed. While my right hand worked its way down his back again, my left traced the veins in his arm.

I closed my eyes, breathing him in, and when I opened them again, he had turned his head so that his cheek was resting on his knee, and I could finally see his face.

***

A/N: I love hearing what people think about this! Hopefully you'll be able to stick with me through the crap that the vamp has to go through. It won't be an easy couple of chapters for him, but he's got Bella to help him through it ;) It's AU so try to keep an open mind. I won't do anything too hokey, I promise. But I'll explain though a/ns when important AU business comes into play.