A/N - short and sweet....Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!! I hope I haven't missed responding to anyone...but if I have, please know that I have read every single one!

LolaRosa....thanks for the words of encouragement! ChangedbyEdward - I would be lost without ya bb!

Stephenie owns everything...including the rights to that wonderful little movie that was released FRIDAY that I have been gushing about ever since!!! Run to the theatre if you have not seen it.....although I can't imagine!!! And now onto....

Chapter 12


(Victoria's POV)

I glanced in disgust at the mess around my feet. The meal had been delicious, far too appetizing for me to stop, and now, once again, instead of having a newborn to taunt her with, I was left with nothing more than a drained corpse. Actually, two bodies, although one was of little significance, not being part of the inner circle of Bella Swan.

I grabbed the one called Lauren and tossed the remains into the water. Ocean predators would take care of her remains quickly and she really was of no use to me. Jessica, on the other hand, would at least cause some pain when the human realized that yet another had died because of her.

I lay her remains by the side of the car and stood back to admire my handiwork. I had found the two of them wandering the beach, gossiping, oblivious to everything around them. Jessica had watched in terror as I had made quick work of her companion. She had barely made an attempt to run by the time I sunk my teeth into her jugular.

I'll give her credit, she fought me, but it only sweetened the nectar and all too soon I realized I had drained her tiny frame past the point where I could change her. It was disappointing, but I knew that she would not have been with me long; her incessant chatter would have driven me to the point of taking her life anyway. Still, it would have been fun to see Bella face off with Jessica as a vampire.

The beach was deserted, but I knew there would be a patrol later in the evening and that she would be discovered. It wouldn't be long before news of her demise was common knowledge.

If the wolves didn't find her before that. At the thought of them, my senses went into overdrive and I scanned the bush line framing the beach finding no sign of them. Not surprising though, as I was sure the putrid stench would hit me long before they would reach me.

After taking one final glance at Jessica's limp frame to make sure it was obvious to whomever found her that she had endured great suffering, I moved back down towards the shore. I stared out at the sun, dipping slowly into the water, and found myself longing for what I had lost once again. Closing my eyes, I pictured him in my mind, remembering some of our last moments together. Our relationship had been far from perfect, but I would miss his company for all eternity, and for that, she would pay and pay dearly.

Movement in the bushes to my left brought me out of my reverie and I whirled to face the intruder. His delectable scent reached me long before he came into view and I smiled as the fair-haired boy came stumbling out of the forest. I recognized him immediately as being one of the crowd that she travelled with and felt victory within my grasp.

"Jess, Lauren, ready to go?" he shouted as he moved away from the trees. He stopped when he spotted me and I watched his eyes travel up my body. A cocky smile lit up his face as his eyes met mine. A slight blush warmed his cheeks and I smiled in return as I listened to the blood rush through his veins.

"Hi there." He moved closer to me and stuck his hand out to shake mine. "I'm Mike Newton."

"Well, hi yourself, Mike Newton," I purred as I took his hand in mine. Holding his hand tightly, I watched the varying expressions of lust, intrigue and a little fear cross his face as I moved closer to him, breathing in his mouth-watering aroma. "Did you want to have a little fun, Michael?"

He laughed nervously and glanced around the beach, obviously looking for his friends. With neither girl in his line of sight, his confidence grew a little and he smiled again. "What kind of fun are we talking about?"

I didn't answer, instead I dropped my white fur to the ground, sat, and pulled him down with me as I stretched out luxuriously on the fur. His body responded quickly as he watched my feline moves and with one last glance around the beach, he lowered himself against me, moving his lips to mine. Startled by the chill of my mouth, he moved to pull away, but it was too late as I tightened my grip and devoured him with my deadly kiss. His body bucked against me as he felt the sting of my bite against his neck, but his body soon calmed as he fell under the spell of my embrace.

I drank greedily for a few moments, revelling in the sweet flavour of his essence, but forced myself to pull away in time, sealing the wound with a quick flick of my tongue. I cradled him in my arms, watching as the peaceful look on his face quickly changed to terror and his body began to shake against mine. And then the screaming began.

I gathered him in my arms and took to the tree line, heading deep into the forest, away from the beach and Forks. The miles flew past us as I rushed deeper and deeper into the wild, finally stopping as I found the cave that Laurent, James and I had used when we first came to the area. The screams had never stopped during our exodus, but I had pressed his mouth against my shoulder, muffling the horrendous noise coming from the boy.

I dropped him to the ground and watched helplessly as he thrashed against the cold floor of the cave. I had turned others, of course, but for some unknown reason this one seemed different. I watched in horror as his body convulsed, already bruised and bloody from hitting against the sharp edges of rock that lay scattered on the floor, and instinct took over. Not knowing why, I threw my body on top of his and wrestled to sieze his thrashing limbs. Once I had him in my grasp, I held tightly and pressed my lips against his to silence the screams.

Shadows moved along the walls of the cave as daylight faded to night twice before the screaming and squirming stopped. I left him only once to quickly feed on whatever I could find within hearing distance of the cave. It was not the first time that I had to sustain myself with animal blood, but it was all I could do to swallow the foul-flavoured substitute. Fighting the urge to not purge myself of what I had just ingested, I leaned back against a cedar tree to process everything that had happened since Mike's change had begun. It irritated me that I was so affected by it and I couldn't understand why. Several newborns now walked the earth because of me and although I felt a connection with each of the vampires I had created, none had been able to stir the emotions I was feeling with this one.

I didn't feel remorse, but I longed to be able to ease his pain and this feeling of empathy terrified me. I didn't want to feel for anyone or anything ever again. My thoughts were interrupted as I ran for the cave when I heard the screams begin again. It wouldn't be long.


(Bella's POV)

I stood, frozen in shock, unable to speak. For so long I'd wanted what Carlisle was now offering, but I couldn't bring myself to answer. I felt the room swirl around me and moved to sit on the bed before my feet were able to go out from under me.

Gentle hands moved me further into the center of the bed and I heard hushed whispers echo throughout the room and then silence. A cool hand brushed the hair from my forehead and I turned to find Esme sitting on the bed beside me. Without a word, she pulled me close and I buried my face against her shoulder, finally allowing the dam to break. She murmured to me quietly as she gently rocked, allowing the grief to take hold of me.

I didn't think it possible, but the tears finally stopped and I felt myself drift off, exhaustion taking over my body. I slept dreamlessly, not waking until the first light of dawn snuck into my room. I stretched and sat up slowly, the horrors of the day before returning to my memory full force as my eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness.

"Bella?" Her voice startled me initially, but then soothed as I realized that she had never left my side.

"Esme….thank you." The tears fought their way to the surface again, but I inhaled deeply, restoring a semblance of control. Her cool palm patted against my back as she moved silently to stand.

"You have nothing to thank me for, Bella. I just wish I could take back everything that has happened." She moved around the bed and her hands took mine, pulling me to my feet. "Now, I want you to go and take a long hot shower while I fix you some breakfast. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon…" her voice drifted off as she watched me carefully.

"I need to see Carlisle, Esme."

She nodded, knowing I had made a decision and needed to get it off my chest. "You go ahead and get ready, dear. I'll make sure that he joins us in the kitchen."

I watched her exit the room and sank back down against the bed, hugging myself close, begging the fog that pulled at my sanity to stay in check. Edward had left me and now Charlie was gone too. How many more of my loved ones would I have to lose?

I stood again, shaking off the despair that begged to take hold, and headed for the shower. I only let the tears come again when the hot water flowed against my skin, hoping that they would be the last for awhile. I stood for a long time, just letting the droplets of water wash away the pain until, finally, I felt the temperature of the shower dropping. Not wanting to become a Popsicle, I made my way out, towel-dried my hair, and slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

I followed the voices I heard from the floor below and found Esme, Alice and Carlisle sitting around the dining room table that was crowded with enough food to feed a small pack of boy scouts. I couldn't help but smile as they all glanced at me tentatively. "I'm never going to be able to eat all that…"

"Oh Bella, we just weren't sure what you would want." Alice smiled gently and beckoned for me to sit beside her. She poured a large glass of orange juice and sat it by my plate.

"Where's Jasper?" I caught the quick glance that made its way around the table and dropped the fork I had just picked up. "Oh God, has something else happened?"

"No, Bella. Nothing else has happened." Carlisle moved his chair closer to the table and picked up the coffee cup sitting in front of him. It always amazed me how human he could appear, just by doing simple things like that. At first I had assumed that it was to make me feel more at home and while it was a benefit, I had learned early on that they all liked to do this from time to time, the warm cup of water giving them some comfort and a hint of a memory of what it felt like to be human.

"Jasper left for Forks this morning, and Alice is leaving this afternoon." He set the cup down and looked at me carefully. "We think Edward is heading back this way and felt that someone should be at the house to let him know what has happened." If they noticed my quick intake of breath at the mention of his name, they didn't let on, thankfully.

"I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, Bella." Alice grasped my hand quickly and smiled. I knew what she meant and that it was a small step to mend the damage that had been done to our friendship when they left before. I squeezed her hand, knowing that to her it would be only a tiny change in pressure, but the sparkle in her eyes told me that she understood what I was trying to convey.

She laughed and kissed me quickly on the cheek, dancing away from the table to pack a few things for her trip to Forks. Esme and Carlisle chatted quietly while I ate a little of the massive array of food that had been laid out for my benefit. Finally, sensing that I was done, Esme quickly cleared the table and we moved to the great room to discuss the inevitable.

Carlisle sat in the armchair closest to the sofa I had settled onto, with Esme, my beacon of support, by my side. "Bella, I don't mean to push you, but unfortunately time is really of the essence here. Do you remember what I asked you last night?"

Not trusting my voice to answer I nodded silently and waited for him to continue.

"I know that yesterday's news was very traumatic and I hate the thought of you having to choose under the circumstances, but we need to know how to proceed." He hesitated. "You have to know, Bella, you are a part of this family either way. We will stand by and protect you no matter what choice you make."

I nodded again, fearing a breakdown was imminent.

Understanding my silence, he smiled gently and continued, "Isabella, you know Edward's stance on this. He did not want you to live this existence. My offering this to you may be considered an act of betrayal on his part, although I hope that deep down he would understand why I offered."

"It isn't Edward's decision to make, Carlisle." I finally spoke as I moved away from my seat to stare out into the forest. "It never has been his choice. I know why he felt that way and I am even beginning to understand why he left, but that doesn't mean he was right."

"Even so, Bella, you can understand why I would prefer for your change, if you wish it, to already be underway before he returns."

I turned to face them, my two saviours, wanting them to see my face as I spoke what was in my heart. "The two of you have helped me so much already. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come to the hospital that day, Carlisle, and I never want to know. The choice is an easy one because I can't bear the thought of losing the only sense of family that I've ever known."

In an instant, Esme was at my side, hugging me to her cold frame. "You will never lose us again, Bella – no matter what choice you make."

"I know, Esme, and I love you for that. But in reality, I know how difficult it is for the family to be around me. I know what you all put yourself through to allow me to be a part of your life and I can't allow that to go on. I don't want to."

Carlisle moved to stand with the two of us, his arms enveloping me into a cold embrace. "Are you sure, Bella?"

"Yes, Carlisle, I'm positive." He hugged me close, kissing the top of my head. "Then welcome to the family."

I smiled up at him and felt my eyes blur with tears, knowing I was making the right choice for all involved. Esme gripped my hand lovingly and I moved towards her, but stopped, paralyzed by the excruciating pain at my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." Carlisle whispered as the room faded to black.


End of chapter - please review...or Victoria may come after you!!!!