A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter. I think we way superseded the six that I wanted originally, so here is that chapter that I promised you. Chapter title borrowed from a song that I absolutely love with all of my heart by Train. I recommend listening to it, as I always do.

Twenty

Drops of Jupiter

BELLA

My head was spinning, yet I was not dizzy. I knew I was bleeding profusely, but I felt none of the pain that should have been inevitable. All I felt was the insane sensation that my body was floating on a cloud, slowly breaking in half.

I was reminded of the sinking of the "unsinkable ship", the Titanic. Hadn't they, too, promised the unknowing passengers that they would be safe from harm? Yet the huge mass of iron had failed to stand up to their ridiculous standards. The men, the ship's designers, were hardly at fault for the little mishap, as Edward was hardly to blame for this. This was purely the work of Mike, the iceberg.

And just as Rose Bukater and Jack Dawson refused to let the spark of their undying love die with Jack's freezing body, Edward and I would always have our unusual relationship, whether I died in the hospital room, at Mike's hand, or not.

"Ed-ward," I whimpered pathetically. He was dabbing at my face with a wet rag, the expression on his face unreadable.

"You're all right, Love," was all he offered as an answer, and that was all I would ask for. Painful as the venom was—I assumed that Mike had bitten me sometime during the four or five seconds that Edward had put his guard down—Edward seemed to be taking this much worse than I was.

"I know, Edward," I said, comforting him. "I feel fine." What a lie. The coarse liquid was splashing through my veins rapidly, reaching every corner of my body, tearing through it like a battering ram through a door. It was almost too much for me to bear. But for Edward, I would.

"I love you, Bella," he choked, stroking my face.

"You too."

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EDWARD

Bella writhed, kicking her feet and biting down on her tongue. She was trying not to scream, but it would have been better for her to just get it out. She didn't want to hurt me, when she was the one that had three or four medications running through her body. She had to.

She probably thought that it was venom tearing her body apart. I almost wished it was. Not even the morphine could take away the pain of the drugs Carlisle had injected in order to insure that the venom didn't spread and complete the change. I wouldn't make her a monster like me, and Carlisle wouldn't do anything against my wishes.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide. I half-smiled and kissed her forehead. "Feeling better, sweetheart?" I asked her sweetly.

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "Where is Mike?"

"Carlisle called Emmett and Jasper to… erm… take care of him. They should be about to the clearing by now."

"That isn't very far," she noted. I gulped. She was starting to find new pieces of the puzzle. Pretty soon she'd have me figured out.

"No, it isn't."

"Especially not for a vampire," she continued. Not good.

"No, I guess not."

"So that must mean it hasn't been three days yet." I had to give her credit. She was incredibly smart.

"No, not even close."

"And that means that… that stuff that was burning in me… that wasn't Mike's venom," she concluded. "And I'm not a vampire."

"No," I was reduced to a whisper. She looked disappointed. I cupped her chin and kissed her fragile little lips. She smiled against my cheek. "Why so happy?"

"You do love me," she said simply. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Was she serious?

"Of course I love you, Bella," I resisted the urge to shout. How could she not have known by now that I loved her? I practically held on to her every word. She was the most important part of my life.

"You have to know that's it's almost unbelievable. I still can't imagine that you love me as much as I love you," she mumbled.

I kissed her, chuckling lightly. "I've told you before, and I'll say it again. You've got it backwards, love."

"Edward," Carlisle panted, bursting through the door. He looked out of breath, which wasn't entirely… possible.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sensing his overwhelming concern. He's gone, Edward. "What are you talking about?" My voice wavered and threatened to give away my blistering anger.

"Technically he isn't saying anything," Bella pointed out, laughing at her little joke. I growled. How could she be giggling at a time like this? When she could be in danger of dying. She curled into her pillow, bringing the sheet closer to her body. "I'm sorry, Edward. I was just…"

"It's not your fault, love," I quickly recovered, careful not to offend her.

"It's not okay," she whispered hoarsely.

"What's not okay? Are you hurting, Bella? Can I get you something?" I babbled, almost completely forgetting about Carlisle's news. She snatched her arm away when I reached for her.

"No, I'm not hurting. That's the point. Just because I'm the human, you all treat me like a paperweight. I'm endangering the people I love most of all, the only ones that love me. Why don't you just let me fend for myself?" she fought, her chocolate eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Bella," I mouthed, wracking my brain for words.

"And that's another thing! Any normal person would hate me by now. I've been a jerk! I am everything Mike's told me before. But you won't even yell at me, Edward! You won't even let yourself correct me, or put me in my place, because you're so busy making sure that the human's fragile nerves don't break. What you all can't see is that… I'm already broken. He broke me time after time. He killed me a little more every time he came home and told me that I was his, and that I shouldn't try and meet other people. That he loved me, and he only wanted what was best for me." She was sobbing. Her small, hunched frame shaking violently. I heard the whoosh or Carlisle's lab coat caressing the wall as he left us. We'd discuss Mike's whereabouts later. This was more important now.

"I wanted to be strong for Charlie, Edward," she continued, thrusting her soaked face into my chest. I wrapped my coat around her shoulders. "How pathetic is it that I wanted to be strong for a father that never loved me to begin with? He was the one that said dating Mike would be a good thing. Apparently it would give me respect and other honorable qualities."

My heart ached for her. I wanted more than anything to make her smile right then. She deserved it. "It's not pathetic at all, love. But no one expects you to be as strong as you want to be. He abused you. Even as a human he was… a lot… bigger than you, Bella. There was nothing you could do to stop him while he… he…. And everyone knows it was hard on you."

She nodded against me. I held her tighter. "I couldn't stop him, Edward," she told me softly, her eyes distant, as if she was having flashbacks. "There really wasn't anything for me to do. I tried to get away from him all the time. He could have killed me. I don't know why he didn't, if he hated me so much." I kissed her eyelid gently, smoothing her chestnut bangs away from her round face.

"I love you." It was all I had for her.

A/N: Okay, sorry, short chapter. I'm having some terrible writer's block. I'm open to suggestions. But don't worry, I have an idea for the next chapter…