Author's Note: Hello everyone! Back with another chapter! Thank so much for all the reviews, story alerts, and "favorite story" settings. I love seeing that people enjoy my story. I would appreciate it if you keep up the reviews, they really inspire me to keep going (just no flames, please). I'll try my best to pay attention to any comments or suggestions if you say them kindly. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

It was silent for about 7 seconds. Even the thoughts around me were quiet in blank shock. Then there was an explosion in my head. The thoughts that stood out the most were Rosalie's: What?! What is wrong with you, Edward? You never stop to think about how your actions may affect someone else! Why should we take in some newborn? She's bound to get us into trouble, and we shouldn't have to protect her. We don't owe anything to her.

Then Rosalie started shouting at me aloud, and she spoke exactly what she was thinking. "What is wrong with you, Edward? You never stop to think about how your actions may affect someone else! Why should we take in some newborn? She'd bound to get us into trouble, and we shouldn't have to protect her. We don't owe anything toher." She turned to glare at Bella, who was exposed now that Alice went to stand by Jasper. She shrunk into the sofa, flinching away from Rosalie's livid expression.

"I love her, Rose. I can't turn her away now that I've done this to her. She didn't ask to be a vampire," I said quietly.

"None of us asked to be like this! No one in the right mind would ask to be a vampire! And how could you love her already? You've known her, what, a whole day? Do you even know her last name?" Rosalie screeched.

"Swan," I replied promptly as Emmett put his hand soothingly on Rosalie's shoulder. "Rose, its okay. What do you think is going to happen if we let her stay? Edward will be happy, so where's the harm?" Emmett said.

Rosalie jerked away from his hand roughly. "She could expose us," she hissed.

"There are seven us," Emmett pointed out. "I'm sure we can control her. Besides, we have Jasper," he added slapping Jasper affectionately on the shoulder. As if on cue, a wave of calm swept through the room.

"Don't try to calm me down, Jasper," Rosalie growled. The feeling was quickly gone, and Rosalie took a deep breath. "Fine. Let the newborn stay. Why don't you give her all our money and clothes while you're at it? Just don't expect me to be happy about, or to be nice to her. To me, she'll never be welcome here," she glared at Bella again and added, "So just stay away from me, newborn." With that, she stalked upstairs to her room. Emmett looked at Bella apologetically, then followed Rose upstairs.

"That went well," Alice said. I ignored her sarcastic comment and walked, slower than a human, to Bella. I sat down next to her and slowly took one of her hands in mine, running a thumb over her knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered. Her eyes, previously on her knees, lifted to mine. "I'm sorry for making you like this. I'm sorry for taking away your life, and for Rosalie's attitude towards you. I'm so, so sorry. For everything." I dropped my eyes from hers and hung my head. "I didn't mean to do this to you. It's just…in the enclosed space of the car, your scent was…too much. I couldn't control my instincts."

We were both silent, then she broke it with her musical voice. "Did you mean what you said before?" I looked at her in confusion. She seemed embarrassed, as if she wished she hadn't spoken. If she were a human still, I knew she'd be blushing. "Before Rosalie started…yelling at you. Did you mean that?"

I knew instantly to what she was referring. The part when I said I loved her. I looked deeply into her eyes. "Yes, I did." Again, she looked extremely embarrassed. "But I know you probably hate me…You probably loathe me with all your being. Why wouldn't you? But I don't blame you for that." I shook my head in despair and started to stand up, but she pulled me gently back down.

"I don't hate you," she said. "I know it must have been hard for you. I haven't come in contact with humans since I…since I changed, but I think I can imagine it." She raised her hand to her throat and rubbed it softly, as if imagining the ache I must have felt in my own. "It must have been unbearable…" She trailed off, gazing into space. I waited patiently, know this was the most she'd spoken in all the time I've known her, and I shouldn't ruin it by speaking. After a solid minute of feeling like I was about to burst from not asking what was on her mind, she spoke again. "Anyway, I definitely don't hate you. I would like for us to be friends, if you want to."

I grinned at her, relieved. "That would be great." She gave me a small smile, and then looked up at Alice, who had just skipped to our side.

"Now we must get you out of those clothes. They're completely ruined." I saw in her mind what she planned on dressing her in, a white cotton sundress with a black floral trim on the top and bottom. She led Bella upstairs to her bedroom, where she had stashed a collection of new clothes she had bought for her during the transformation. Jasper watched her disappear upstairs, then went to sit at one of the computers. Carlisle started to read one of his many medical journals, while I drifted towards the piano and began playing Esme's favorite song. I could tell by Carlisle's thoughts he was missing her, and the song brought a tenor of wistfulness and longing to his mind.

I decided to see how Rose was doing, so I tuned into her thoughts upstairs. It seemed Emmett had given up trying to soothe her and was about to come downstairs, while Rosalie was lying on their bed reading a magazine. I turned towards the staircase as he came bounding down and watched as he flopped onto the couch, turning on a baseball game.

"How's Rosalie?" Carlisle asked.

Emmett shrugged. "Stubborn as ever," he responded. We all heard a low growl from upstairs, and Emmett chuckled. "So, Edward, I think Jasper and I-and Rose if she's listening-deserve and explanation. Why, exactly, did you decide to create another vampire?"

I stopped playing, while Jasper and Emmett looked at me attentively. "She was in my biology class. Her scent was…Well, she had the most mouthwatering smell I have ever experienced in a human. I very nearly attacked her in the classroom. Instead I decided to offer her a drive home, and then attack her. But then on the way to the car, Alice showed me a vision of me and Bella together, and I realized that I loved her already. So I decided to just give her the ride and not attack her. That was a poorly thought out plan…the enclosed space of the car just intensified her amazing scent. I lost control and pulled over to attack her. Halfway through, Carlisle and Alice showed up and brought me out of my hunt mode. I was horrified at myself. I loved her so much I changed her instead of having to give her up forever. I know it was selfish and stupid, but I just…I couldn't let her die." Through Alice's mind, I could see Bella listening to me with her mouth open, still as a statue, upstairs. Rosalie seemed to be making a point to ignore me, while Alice, Emmett, and Jasper felt sympathetic.

"Hey, bro, its okay," Emmett said. "We all make mistakes."

Jasper nodded and added quietly, "She's not mad at you, Edward. She's still shocked and confused, but she's not mad."

"I know," I sighed. "She's much more forgiving than I deserve."

"That's not true," Carlisle cut in. "You deserve someone amazing. You deserve to have whoever you want." I shook my head in disagreement but decided not to argue.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

I looked up as Alice and Bella returned from upstairs. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Bella. Her dress was cut just perfectly to hug her soft curves, cinching at her small waist then flaring out slightly to her knees. Her chocolate locks were long and wavy, and a beam of light from the window made them shine slightly. Her skin was transformed into dazzling diamonds for a moment when she passed through it. Her feet wore simple black ballet flats, and she wore no make-up. She was stunning.

Emmett whistled appreciatively in his head, too afraid of angering Rosalie to do it aloud. "You look beautiful," I told Bella. She looked down, embarrassed.

"Tomorrow you can write me a list of what you want me to retrieve from your house, and I'll sneak in and take it for you," Alice said, ignoring her embarrassment. "It would be best for you to not be too close to humans yet."

Bella nodded. "Okay," she said. A moment later, she sucked in a gasp and looked up sharply. "Charlie!" she whispered.

Alice furrowed her brow. "Your dad? He'll be fine. I'll wait until he leaves for work."

Bella shook her head slowly. "I've been missing for…how long? Three days? He's bound to have reported me missing!"

We were all silent, then Carlisle asked, "Is your father the type of person who would call the police after two nights?"

"He's an easygoing person. At first, he probably would think I was out with friends, or maybe left him to return to my mom. But after two nights with no phone calls?" Her voice was beginning to sound shrill. "He's a cop! Of course he'd report it!" She turned towards Emmett quickly. "Turn on the news!" He stared at her for a moment, obviously in shock, until she took a step towards him as if to steal the remote from his clutches. He jumped slightly, shocked by her suddenly fierce behavior. I felt Jasper send calm, soothing feelings to Bella to calm her down. Her tense back relaxed slightly and the tendons in her arms loosened as Emmett changed the channel. We waited through commercials for a couple of minutes, until it switched to the local news anchor, a thin, wiry man with a bushy mustache. He talked about some world news for a bit, then finally got to the part we had been waiting for.

"And in local news, Isabella Swan, seventeen-year-old daughter of Chief of Police, Charlie Swan, was reporting missing last night. She was last seen by her schoolmates, leaving her school with one Edward Cullen. If anyone has any information about her whereabouts, please call…" The man continued on with information, as we sat, still as statues, staring at each other.

Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs. She looked enraged, yet smug. "I told you so."