A/N:

This is essentially just a continuation of last chapter, so unfortunately the tone of the chapter is generally the same. There are some important tidbits laced throughout it, though. So hopefully it's alright by you.

I want to mention real quick how AMAZINGLY happy I am with the people who reviewed, favorited, read, clicked. I loved reading what you had to say!

And uhh.. here: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Face

Bella POV

I stared at his face for several minutes without moving a muscle, just taking him in.

The first things I took notice of were his eyes. The room was fairly unlit and he was still obscured by the shadows, but, as I was only a couple of feet from him, I was able to make out the details. His eyes were pitch black and devoid of any emotion apart from the obvious fear. His gaze bore into mine, but nothing about his body language indicated that he was seeing me. He stared blankly, almost as if he were looking through me and not at me.

After several seconds of staring mindlessly, they slowly closed. He sat there facing me, his head unmoving from its resting spot on his knee. I could've easily mistaken him for dead if I didn't know better.

His face was sunken and hollow. I smiled, thinking of what he would look like after he fed, wondering how long we could possibly keep him waiting. I felt a surge of anger toward every last Cullen for locking him down here like this, as if he was some animal that needed kept away from civilization. Then I briefly considered that this was indeed what they considered him to be, and struggled to fight back the fresh swell of tears that were blurring my vision. It wasn't even a little bit fair. Why had they not fed him yet?

What was once his violent trembling had reduced itself to a slight shiver over the past hour. His growling had completely subsided and he seemed as peaceful as possible in the moment. He still wasn't breathing save for the occasional deep inhale, presumably to pick up the scents around him. My fingers continued to graze his back, my other hand stroking up and down his forearm. The muscles there seemed to relax around his knees a little, but his body was still curled around itself tightly.

My gaze slowly moved from his eyes to take in the rest of his face. His lips were almost the same chalky white as the skin around them. They, like everything else about his appearance, were empty. They were tense and closed, set in a natural frown. I wanted to touch them. I wanted, more than anything, to see him smile in that moment.

His cheekbones were especially defined with the lack of nourishment and the hollows just below them were the same color as the skin around his eyes; dark shadows emphasizing the emptiness of his face.

My hand took on a mind of its own and I found my fingers trailing slowly up his forearm. When they reached his bicep, he flinched, the skin there unused to my touch. His eyes darted open and once again bore into mine. I pulled back a little but didn't cease contact altogether.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered for the thousandth time, using my eyes now to help convey the message.

My hand continued along its path up his bicep at a painfully slow pace. When I reached his shoulder I stopped, contemplating my next move. I could let the chips fall where they may, and move to touch his face, possibly getting myself eaten in the process; or I could slow down and withdraw, as my luck had already run pretty far for the night.

He didn't seem too upset by my touch anymore, but was it worth it to risk my life? One more glance into his pained eyes and I immediately decided that it was. I brought the back of my hand to his neck, slowly preparing him for what was to come.

He inhaled sharply, his muscles automatically recoiling at my touch, a low growl radiating from his chest.

I kept my fingers still for several seconds, letting him get used to the feeling.

I turned my head briefly to see if Carlisle was still there. He was, but we both knew it was futile. If the vampire decided to kill me, there was nothing that Carlisle would be able to do. He looked pained, sitting on the top step, watching us with worried eyes. I give him a faint smile, knowing he'd be able to see it despite the lack of light in the room.

This was one of those moments that I wondered if the Cullens regretted my friendship with them. I shook my head to myself and returned to the task at hand.

I brought my focus back to the vampire before me. I felt my eyes close briefly and let my fingers travel up to his jaw line. He tensed but didn't recoil. When I opened them again, I found his burning into mine with a newfound intensity. I hadn't, up until that point, been sure of whether or not he was capable of focusing on me; but in the moment, I felt sure that he was looking right into my soul. I felt my eyebrows knitting together, wondering what he was searching for. Could he even see me? I'd have to ask Carlisle later. If I was granted with a later, that is.

I traced my fingers across his jaw slowly, holding his gaze the entire time. My other hand found the small of his back and I kept it there, hoping it would offer him some small degree of comfort.

As my fingers finally found his cheek, his eyes closed again. He took in a sharp, ragged breath and held it, his jaw tense under my touch. He was growling softly again, but it no longer made me afraid. I knew if he wanted to hurt me he'd have already done so, and as long as I kept myself in check, I figured it was entirely possible that he would let me live.

I caressed his sunken cheek for several seconds before moving to his forehead. His hair was caked in filth and god knows what else, and I swiftly brushed it from his face, softly rubbing the skin there for a minute.

As I reached over to stroke his hair, I felt the muscles in my back strain. I had been crouching on my toes for somewhere around an hour, I guessed, and my body was finally beginning to tell me that it was too much. With one more graze of my hand, I decided to move from my crouching position into sitting.

My change in position startled him and he gasped and flinched, but didn't move to attack. I leaned my back against the wall next to his knees. I could see his toes, his calves and his knees, his hands tucked securely around them. I moved to touch his leg and a fierce growl erupted from his chest as he pulled them closer.

I couldn't see his face anymore but I could guess that it was buried again.

I switched tactics, not wanting to frighten him further. I noticed on his wrist was a thin white band, sort of like you see at a hospital. I reached for it. As soon as my skin made contact with his he cringed again, but his muscles quickly relaxed. I felt the urge to pry his fingers from his legs, to let him stretch his muscles a little, but I decided against it. If I knew anything, it was that these things would have to be done at his pace.

I laid my hand on his, rubbing his arm just above the bracelet. I slipped a finger underneath it and felt a tremor go through his body. It wasn't tight, but it wasn't loose enough to slip off. I leaned in to look at it, wondering if it would give me his name. It didn't, just a series of numbers and a barcode.

Where did you come from?

I sighed and let my fingers caress the skin underneath the wristband. He was too strong for me to actually have any effect when I tried to loosen his grip a little, and he was unwilling to meet my efforts halfway. So we stayed there, me gently rubbing his hand and wrist, him sitting perfectly still.

***

After what seemed like hours, I heard the door open. I looked up to see Esme standing in the doorway at the top of the steps, her eyes filled with both consternation and relief.

The light shining through the doorway briefly stung my eyes, but I forgot all about it when the vampire began the low growling once more. He had done this when I entered, as well as when Alice and Carlisle had entered, so it didn't surprise nor scare me when Esme received the same treatment. What did worry me, however, was what happened next.

Carlisle stood quickly and turned to leave the basement while Esme began walking down the stairs.

What? No! Please stop.. please, please stop! My mind shouted at her, hoping she would receive the message before it was too late. It's not as if she could read my thoughts; I could only hope that the fear in my eyes was as visible as that of my internal monologue.

Was she crazy? She had to have known this kind of thing would get me killed, didn't she?

My vampire's growling grew aggressive and, for the first time that evening, I put some pressure on his hand. I wanted to convey to him that no one was going to hurt him and that I would do everything in my power to protect him, no matter what. I guess we both knew that I didn't actually hold any power in this company.

Suddenly, so quickly I didn't know what was happening, he shifted. He curled himself into a crouch, the first hostile position he had held all evening. His trembling back was now facing me, so low to the ground that he was almost sitting. His growling turned into a snarl and Esme froze.

I slowly put my hand on him and he flinched violently before regaining what little control he had. He turned his head slowly toward me, and for the first time, I saw emotion in his black eyes. Confusion, regret, longing, fear, pain, frustration. Pain. Beautiful. I had the irrational urge to reach out and stroke his face, but held back. He wasn't acting submissive as he had been. This was the vampire. Ready to kill Esme if she continued on her path.

I rubbed my hands up his back and his eyes closed briefly, his growling calming slightly.

"Bella," Esme said as softly as possible, but loud enough for me to hear her. "Carlisle wants to get a look at him. He needs to calm down a bit before we can even think about approaching him, though." She gestured to the blanket she was carrying.

"Leave it on the steps?" Would a blanket offer him any comfort at all? I guess it couldn't hurt. Maybe it'd even make him feel a little bit more secure.

She set the blanket at her feet and retreated back up the staircase. "I can't..." she whispered. "I can't leave you alone down here, Bella."

I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored her as she sat at the top step, much like Carlisle had.

"I'll be right back," I whispered, and slowly pulled my hands away from him. His eyes were still closed, but he returned to his earlier position, sitting in the corner with his back to us.

I briefly wondered if this was a trick to get me away from him. Once I was out of his reach there'd be nothing stopping them from grabbing me and forcing me upstairs. I frowned, knowing that this was a very real possibility. Could this be the last time I would ever see him? I would have to make sure that wasn't the case.

I looked at the vampire then back to Esme, trying to figure out what to do. Esme of all people wouldn't force me away from him, would she? She was too compassionate for that. She knew as well as I did that he could've hurt me by now but didn't, right?

I sighed and moved to get the blanket off of the steps. Fixing my gaze on Esme the entire time, I made it within an arms reach. I stretched my body to grab it, determined not to let her interfere. She smiled and shook her head, silently telling me she wasn't going to stop this.

I took the blanket and began walking back toward the corner. I wondered if we would be back at square one with the growling and the fear. I prayed to any god that might be listening that we wouldn't.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I turned to see Jasper at the top of the staircase, prepared to help me at the first sign of trouble. He still had that pained look in his eye that I saw in the car, and I wondered if it was because of the emotions coming from my vampire. I felt my nerves slipping further and further into calmness with each step, though, and the vampire didn't make another sound.

Thank you, Jasper.

It wasn't until I was within a yard or two of him that the rumbling began, but it was quiet and reserved, seemingly pure instinct.

I approached him more quickly than the last time, and within a minute I was at his back. I reached out slowly to touch him and his growling increased, so I made my movements more hesitant. He was still afraid of me but I was more confident this time. Between Jasper helping me and having already gone through this once, I felt more prepared for his reactions.

When my hand contacted his back he flinched, but by this point I expected it. His growling quickly calmed. I gingerly laid the cover over his shaking shoulders and sat in front of him, as I had earlier. He moved his hand to clutch the end of the blanket that was hanging limply off of his shoulders and I smiled warmly. Progress. I looked back to Jasper and Esme who were both staring wide-eyed at this display.

I began rubbing his fingers again, a little less reserved than I had been. The blanket seemed to help with the trembling, but I wasn't naïve enough to believe that he felt anywhere near secure. So I just sat with him, rubbing his hands and willing him to calm down.

**

Carlisle POV

When Esme came to take over for me my first instinct was to feel relief. It had been hell, sitting there, watching Bella so carelessly risk her life and not being able to do anything about it. I couldn't leave her down there by herself out of principle, but I might as well have. In truth, if any of us had attempted to forcibly remove her from the basement that would've sealed her fate. I don't imagine she'd have met a pretty end.

And, although we asked her to move away from him, naturally she refused. She was as prepared as Bella ever is to give her life for him, and that was one of the most unsettling parts about this whole thing. I had no idea why she was being so ridiculous and careless, but I had learned over the past year that looking for motivation behind Bella's actions was futile. She didn't think the same way other humans did. Normally we, as a family, found it endearing and occasionally humorous, but this situation was anything but light. Her antics were quite possibly going to get her killed and I wasn't sure how the family would make it through such a disastrous outcome.

When Esme had walked in and the vampire began growling again, I felt a brief flash of panic. Was this it? I'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop for over two hours and had little confidence in the events unraveling before my eyes. I felt certain that, at any given point, the vampire would lose whatever control he was using to keep Bella alive.

"I'll stay down here for a bit," she spoke so softly that only the two of us could hear.

"Are you sure? Esme --"

"Yes, it'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to her." She smiled, as if she had any control over the situation. We both knew otherwise.

I gave a weak smile in response and stood, hoping that as soon as Esme was settled down the vampire would relax some.

I joined the others in the living room. I glanced around at the surrounding faces, noticing varying degrees of pensiveness mixed with worry displayed on each. I stared out the window for a few brief seconds before we heard it. It was unmistakable; the vampire was turning aggressive. We could hear the change in tone and volume of his growls. I immediately turned to head back toward the basement when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll go," Jasper whispered. Of course it made sense for him to go, but the closer he was to the vampire, the more painful the situation became for him. We tried to keep him as far away as possible but still close enough to step in if he needed to.

Jasper walked out of the room and seconds later we heard the growling calm. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"What's going to happen?" I turned to Alice.

She looked at me grimly and whispered, "I don't know."

"His future is changing?"

"Pretty regularly," she said, panic creeping into her voice. "I... I can't get a good look at him at all... Anytime I get a glimpse of what's to happen, it gets cut short and changes. I can only see minutes ahead of time, and even then it's not completely clear."

"Okay, it's okay. What about Bella?" Bella had become our utmost concern since we got back that evening and found her creeping down the stairs. We had left with Jasper, just went a mile or so out so that he could have a break from the emotional whirlpool that was our houseguest. We left Emmett and Rosalie at the house to keep an eye on things, but apparently they had decided it was an appropriate time for... whatever it is they decided to do.

They didn't even notice Bella had come in by the time we got back. If not for Alice's vision of Bella opening the basement door, we might not have returned for hours.

"That's not the most unsettling part of this whole thing…" Alice broke me from my reverie. "Since she apparently has no plans of leaving his side until... I don't know, something happens to force her to... I can't get a clear read on her, either."

"Well, I, for one, don't understand it," Emmett cut in. Jasper had returned now, looking ready to attack Emmett for his thoughtless commentary. Apparently the aggression from downstairs was taking its toll. "Why is Bella being so... Bella with this guy, anyway? Someone's got a crush?"

"I don't think any of us necessarily understand it, Emmett," Alice answered, sounding drained.

"What's there to understand?" I asked. "It's Bella we're talking about." I smiled fondly. While this situation was dire, it was still nice to see the... humanity... some humans still possessed.

Alice scowled. "Yes, it's BELLA we're talking about. Downstairs. With the vampire. Ready to become his first meal in god knows how long and we're sitting up here having a picnic."

"Alice," I said, moving over to her and putting my hand on her shoulder. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure she stays safe. Hopefully soon she'll be ready to at least... I don't know... use the bathroom or something, then we can try to talk some sense into her."

"I don't know. I don't know. We just need to figure things out, the sooner the better. If anything happens to her, Carlisle…"

"Okay, you're right. I think he's alright to be around her for now. So long as no one comes remotely near him, he seemed to be okay..." I explained.

"As soon as Esme opened the door, though..." Jasper added, shaking his head. Yes, it was all too risky for comfort... but we were at an impasse. There weren't a lot of options and the ball was entirely in Bella's court.

"Right. Any movement at all seems to startle him. In any case, I'd like to at least assess his injuries within the next few hours. And at some point he'll need to feed. We can't have Bella around for either of those things..."

"I can't see Esme. I can't see you. I can't see Jasper." Alice began rambling from the corner. "I'm broke. I'm broke, Jasper. Something is broke."

"But you can see me," Emmett said happily.

"Yes, I can see you, Emmett. And Rose…"

"It'll be alright, Al. Once things get a little more settled hopefully things will clear up." Jasper tried to console her, but it was useless. Her visions were worthless for the moment and she hadn't had to deal with that since she was changed.

"You should call Bella's father... it's almost 11..." Rose spoke for the first time of the night. And she was right, the last thing we needed was Chief Swan breaking down the door just in time to watch his only daughter be consumed by a blood thirsty vampire.

"You're right. I'll be back," she said as she made her way outside, towing Jasper with her. I was grateful for that, Jasper was having an incredibly hard time, and every moment it was growing harder. We'd have to figure out something to do, and quickly.

When they returned an hour later we began discussing the very real issues we were about to face. My knowledge on the effects of such a long period of starvation was limited, but the fact that his injuries were not healing on their own spoke significantly. Hell, the fact that he even had injuries was enough to nullify every bit of knowledge I had on vampire physiology.

I figured that the best way to help him would, no matter what, start with examining him. He was weak and I knew he wouldn't take well to being looked at, but if one of us could get a secure hold on him hopefully he would settle down some. I didn't relish the thought of holding him down while I looked over his broken body, but I couldn't see another way.

It would have to be Jasper, though. Jasper was going to be our greatest ally in this whole mess of a situation.

"Jasper," I began, his head snapped up and he searched my eyes. "I want to try to approach him in a bit. I'll need your help."

We spoke for the next few hours about how exactly to calm him down enough for me to look at him.

**

Bella POV

Eventually I must have drifted to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was awoken by a fierce snarling.

**

A/N:

Next chapter I'll be able to move forward some. Like I said, I could've just made one big long 'chapter two', but I split it up.

I had this chapter written with some excessive hokeyness and.. since I was so giddy with feedback.. I decided to practice self control and rework some of the garb out of it!

Review if you liked it, review if you didn't :) I'd like to know how you all are feeling about this.