Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight; it is the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Italics for thoughts (Edward can hear it if he's present)

Stages of forms

Tiger: first form (actual tiger)

Tigris: second form (were-tiger, like werewolves, larger than actual animal)

Taiga: third form (cat ears, tail, more tiger musculature, fur, full canines, paws)

Tigam: fourth form (half and half, humanoid form, light fur, tail, nearly full canines, paws)

Tegamen: fifth form (mostly humanoid, no fur, stripes marking the skin and claws and longer canines)

Higar: sixth form (human but with cat senses and scent, regeneration and able streak mind)

Human: seventh form (completely human)

Chapter 6

Road Rash

"She's really quite lucky Daniel that the concussion wasn't worse." Said the calm a collected voice of doctor Carlisle Cullen as I slowly opened my eyes and glanced about me. The left side of my body felt raw and sore but it was the ringing in my ears that bothered me most.

"Bella? How are you feeling love?" Daniel asked as he picked up my hand and kissed my palm. Something was really wrong with me if that was his greeting. I pushed myself up only to have Carlisle push me back down. I didn't resist as the room danced at my movements.

"Okay, staying lying down." I answered and commented, Daniel smirked and shook his head some of his worries lifted by my behaviour. I smiled at him and looked at Carlisle, "So what's the damage?" I asked and Daniel glared at me and I rolled my eyes in response.

"You have road rash and some major abrasions on the left side of your body. But the biggest concern is the concussion you sustained. You will be spending tonight and possibly tomorrow night in the hospital to make sure there's no permanent damage." He stated in a friendly but professional voice. I nodded and regretted it and the room swam.

"Okay, so definitely not doing that again." I said squeezing Daniel's hand and pushing the off balanced feeling. "Did the bike survive?" I asked and Daniel nodded smirk firmly in place now. "Sweet."

"It needs a bit of repair and a new paint job but its fine, Bella. What colour or did you want it silver again?" Daniel asked as he sat down and Dr. Cullen moved to the door.

"Blue." I said it was my favourite colour after all.

"Get some rest Bella." Carlisle stated before leaving the room.

Daniel kissed my forehead and picked up a book. I closed my eyes and let myself drift, I'm glad a quick recovery is possible. I guess no skirts for a while though as I doubt the road rash would scar me even if it would a normal human. Well it hadn't last time and that was worse than this accident though I had been able to shift.

****

I felt a sharp pinch and my eyes snapped open grabbing the offender my grip firm. I sat up and opened my eyes to find a very startled Carlisle staring at me in the now dark hospital room. Immediately I knew that I had moved too fast and was too strong and that he knew I wasn't precisely human now. Releasing his hand I blinked a couple of times and crossed my legs to make sitting up right easier.

"Oh, you startled me." I said lamely as I tried to come up with something believable. He didn't know I knew about him so he would expect me to feel the need to lie. That meant I could lie badly with only a few repercussions. Blushing I refused to make eye contact with him and fiddled with the bed sheets. "Where's Daniel?" I asked feeling flustered and exposed.

"I sent him home five hours ago to get some sleep and cleaned up before you woke. I'm sorry to have startled you." He said softly still holding a needle of some sort. If I think he's human I wouldn't know I had exposed myself. I relaxed and looked more closely at the odd looking needle in his hands.

"What's that?" I asked truly curious as to what the purpose of that thing was.

"It's a new IV. I was going to replace yours while you slept. As your current one seems to be backtracking." He said holding up the hand I had captured. I blushed and he quickly finished replacement that I had interrupted. Carlisle sat down in the chair by my bedside and seemed to be looking for the words to begin a conversation that I didn't want to have.

"So I can go home tomorrow?" I asked hoping to put him off of the conversation he obviously wanted to have. After two days here you would think I wouldn't reaction so strongly to a small amount of pain. They had changed my IV when I was sleeping and I didn't stir. But I had been having a wicked dream about Renee and me fighting for clan dominance. I had been about to die when Carlisle pulled out the needle, nothing like a really bad dream to make you inhumanly jumpy.

"Yes, I'll sign the release papers in the morning." He said but I could tell that he wasn't going to let me play human. "Bella you reacted quiet quickly when I removed your IV." He said building to his question but I had to stop him in a way that would end these direct questions.

"Please." I whispered looking down at my hands, "Please don't ask me that." I said putting pain, fear and sadness into my voice. I was playing on his compassion praying that he would wish not to harm me even in the smallest way.

Carlisle didn't move for a long time after I pulled my knees to my chest and waited. This was low making him think that I'm some sort of victim but it was better than trying to lie to him. I wanted to be friends with them not potential enemies. It meant more to me then I had realised that I had friends that chose to interact with me as Bella not as my mother's daughter.

"I will not ask." Carlisle sighed and I looked at him trying to see the truth of his words. "What do you know of me, Bella?" he asked in its place. I was a threat to his family if I knew too much but I couldn't make myself lie to this man.

"I know." I said looking into his eyes telling him everything and nothing. "You and your family are kind and have chosen to be good." My words sealed my knowledge in his mind but he also knew I would not harm them with intention. I looked at him as he smiled and relaxed partly.

"What an odd standoff." He commented and I giggled nodding. I couldn't tell him without hurting him and I suppose the same could be said in relation to me.

"It is. But it is one that is best for all. I am of no harm to you and you to me... well to me now." I said contemplating my words knowing I sounded like a hesitant human in the presence of a vampire that had promised not to bite. "Now if only the wolves were this easy." I commented and his eyes shot to my face.

"You know of them?" he asked and I nodded tilting my head questioning just how well he knew them. "We have a treaty." He commented and I nodded, it was an odd idea to have a treaty with wolves. They seem too foolish and fleeting to require such an arrangement. "You seem to know much."

"They are why we came." I said including Daniel in this. "They are of interest, apparently." I said rolling my eyes, interest no possible war but not interesting. They merely occupied thought because no wolves are worthy of trust.

"You are following orders?" he asked obviously wanting to ask me what would be interested in wolves that stayed in one area. I nodded and stretched out on the bed.

"As I must." I said not entirely happy, "I really wish I hadn't of volunteered not that it mattered really she would have kicked me down here anyway. And it would have harmed the family to have its members unwilling to act in protection of the whole." I said giving him enough information to know it's more than just me and Daniel and that there are enough of us that we are safe.

"Thank you for telling me this." Carlisle said and I nodded, I didn't want them worrying that me and Daniel might be at risk from the wolves or from them. He stood and bade me good night as he left the room. I just hope that Renee will agree with my decision to inform him of our presence even if I didn't tell them what we are.

****

"I understand that I had no authority to tell him!" I screeched into the phone, not the best course of action but we had been talking about my lack of authority to tell them anything for the last six days. It was only today that Renee had chosen to actually call instead of making others tell me. I barely listened to her as she yelled at me, they were the same words as Kari or Mark or even Daniel.

I had given myself too much standing when I told Carlisle part of the truth. I knew this would be the result but the man had to have an answer this way he knew little and yet wouldn't push as hard for answers. Slumping down to the floor of the flat I leaned against the wall.

"It is impossible for you to completely even the simplest tasks! I am ashamed to consider you streak!" Renátka said her words biting me and I felt tears run down my face. My mother knew how to hurt me; she always had though this was the first time that she had used them so blatantly stated her opinion of me. I knew that nothing I could say would ease the pain I felt and so said nothing and cried in silence.

I felt a familiar prick as I felt eyes settle on me. Refusing to turn and look I pushed myself up off the floor. Carlisle had told his family what I had told him so whoever it was would know that this was because of them. I would not bring their family into my mistake, even if it was merely pitying me. At school I tried to hide the conflict between me and Daniel. He wasn't pleased with my actions to say the least.

It's hard to pretend everything's normal when he barely looked or spoke to me. At lunch he refused to sit with me and so left the room before I could join him. I haven't been into the cafeteria since; it was hard enough to see him sitting next to me only to know that he might as easily not even be on the same continent. I couldn't even force myself to smile and talk to Alice. She had tried to cheer me up but nothing would work even Rose and Edward tried but I would merely nod and go back to my sulking.

"Give me Daniel! I will speak to you no longer!" she shouted and I didn't even have to call for Daniel. He appeared and took the phone from me, it was the most contact we had had in these horrible days since I told him the truth of what I had done.

"I am here Renátka, what is it that I can do for you?" he asked and it was hard to bare him speak without hatred and condemnation. I went down to the store and sat at the desk trying desperately to stop crying. Laying my head down on the desk I tried to control my ragged breathing.

The bell rang and my head shot up, I had nearly fallen asleep at the desk. I forced a smile on my face and greeted her.

"Hi Esme! Its nice to see you again." I said putting as much emotion into the words but they sounded hollow even to my own ears. "Is there something I can help you pick out?" I asked coming around the desk. Her eyes told me that it was clear that I was in pain.

"You don't look well dear." She said as she palmed my cheek, I stood still willing myself more control over my emotions. I would not cling to her and cry, it would only make things worse.

"What?! Is that not extreme!?" Daniel's voice rang out into the store as he shouted. I turned and stared at the stair case. She has come to action, and it was something that even Daniel wouldn't do.

"No, please no." I whispered as crumpled to the floor. She was going to kill me or exile me. I stared unseeing trying to make out the conversation I had been only to happy to ignore.

"It is the best course of action Daniel. We need to decide if her actions were truly treason. I need your opinion until a decision is reached." Her voice cold and hard, she was going to order him to leave if it was necessary.

"Bella?" Esme's voice brought my attention back to her and the store. I looked at her. "Are you alright dear?" she asked and I nodded picking myself up.

"Sorry. I think my mother is telling him we have to go home, well to her." I said that made sense right? She was going to leave me in this post while they judged me, alone. It would be exile, without trial and I knew that the trial would last indefinitely. Brushing the tears away I calmed, maybe it was for the best that she kills me now. I would not survive on my own here, no cat could. After all there are no solitary Tigers, not since the first wars had a Tiger been able to stand isolation. It was the only way to prevent constant war, we are all bound together.

"Are you sure?" she asks not believing me in the slightest. I nodded once again and smoothed out my dirty clothing, I hadn't changed since I had been making prints last night.

"Yeah. I just hope she doesn't overreact." I said sheepishly and looked at Esme embarrassed and fighting for control over my fear. "So what can I help you with today Esme?" I asked again and she looked me in the eye but let it go.

"Well I was wondering if you had anymore photos from the new Water collection." Esme said as her eyes flicked to the doorway that I had been staring at.

"Yeah I do, let me see where I put them. Sorry I have been working on my own stuff." I said as I entered the dark room and went to hunt for pictures that I had been working on a few weeks ago. I found a few but none of them were very good they were leftovers from what I had handed over to my agent.

"Oh these are lovely!" Esme commented as I turned to show her the few we had from the Water collection. They were from around Forks, quite a few from around the reservation.

"Yeah I was interested in La Push and well I guess even an amateur can take a nice photo if they take enough." I said it was a beautiful picture of the old dead tree that had become drift wood that rested on the beach as the tide went out.

"Its lovely, and I like quite a few of these so your better than you believe." She said pointing out to a few more of them. I smiled and nodded. "I think I would like to buy some of these if there for sale?"

"Sure but your not allowed to over pay for my carp!" I said and she looked at me oddly, "It's funnier to say carp." I responded shrugging it was a joke that Kari... I stopped that thought and collected the ones she had pointed out and took them over to the till. "They haven't been priced so there free?" I questioned but she looked at me like that was not going to happen. "Fine... fine. How about...?"

"I think about $500 each so how about a compromise of $100 each?" she said and my jaw hit the counter when she said $500 so I agreed to the lesser quickly. It was still way too much but at least these weren't marked up as insanely as my other stuff.

"So that brings your total to... $743.67." I said really taxes should make things even numbers not random ones like it does. "Would you...?" I started as Daniel came down stairs and wrapped his arms around me. I felt like I could faint, she had chosen to order him to return without me. He was going to leave me here alone, she would make him. My throat tightened and I clinged to him forgetting that Esme was right there.

"I'm sorry." He breathed and I felt the tears begin again. I was going to be trapped here alone.

I came back to reality when Daniel tightened his grip and lifted his head to look outward.

"Get out." He said his voice tight and angry, as though he had failed me. I had failed him and everyone else that was why it hurt so badly.

"Daniel." I said pulling out of his grip. "None of this she her fault." My voice cracked and I'm sure I look a mess but I smiled at her and finished ringing up her purchase. "There you go." I said as Daniel wrapped his arms around me once more though his eyes still lingered on Esme. She looked horribly sad and left quickly. I wanted to apologies but my voice was gone and tears were beginning to spill from my eyes once more.

"It is hard not to hate her. If she and her family were not here there would never have been a need for us." He said as he pulled me into his arms and carried me upstairs. I nodded, if they weren't here the wolves wouldn't be here and most importantly I couldn't have told them anything.

"It is my fault, I couldn't lie to him though technically he knows nothing still." I said as he placed me on the bed and joined me. I stared out the window and tried to calm but it wouldn't work. "When do you leave?" I asked my voice cracking horribly. He didn't answer right away and it only after I turned to look at him that I realised he too was crying.

"I leave on Tuesday." He said and I hugged him to me. It was Sunday, tomorrow would be the last time I would see him. I tried to memorize his face, capture every detail of his face.

****

"You should go to school Bella." He said not meaning his words in the slightest as he held me to his chest. I shook my head and clung to him trying to make it impossible for him to let go. He laughed but there was too much pain in it for it to be happy.

We stayed there wrapped in each others arms not talking just taking comfort from the other. Daniel realised that the trial would be longer than the need for the position here and that I would be alone while holding it. Renátka had decided that I should stay and hold the post so that no others were exposed.

I agreed with the reason she gave but knew it was not why I had to stay here. I could challenge her authority over me if I returned, she would keep me away for as long as she could making it seem as though she were fighting for her daughter even though the evidence made me partially guilty of treason.

The day passed far too quickly for me and soon the sun began to rise on the last day I could find the will to live.