Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight, and no copyright infringement is intended. The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story is owned by Freezegirl8000 (2010).

Credence

'Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.' - Kahlil Gibran

BPOV

No! I thought wildly, despite the ache in my head. The machines surrounding me were beeping at my every move. It scared me. Had I really been in between life and death just a few hours ago? However, what scared me most was the fact that Edward was not here. Something must be wrong. Very wrong.

Reaching to press the where the pain was pulsing inside my head, instead of feeling my long silky waves, I felt my smooth scalp instead. With a horrifying thought, I realized my hair was gone – shaved off.

Within seconds I had forgotten about what I was going to ask Alice. My confusion had erupted into a full scale panic, and I could hear the frantic beeping of the monitoring equipment next to my bed as my heart begin to beat wildly.

"Bella?" Alice asked, her voice uncertain but thick with tears.

A thousand questions were on the tip of my tongue, but somehow my tongue refused to cooperate with me. What was wrong? Why was I having problems speaking?

"A-alice?" I urged her to answer. "W-what happened to my hair? Where's E-edward?"

She lifted her red eyes to mine and sniffed, ignoring the question about my hair. "The Volturi took him. First thing Aro did this morning was to tell Carlisle the supposedly good news. My dad was shocked and terrified for Edward and tried to hunt him down immediately."

My stomach dropped, and I realized that there was something wrong. Why else would Alice go straight into Edward's situation instead of mine? "What d-do you m-mean, he's t-terrified for Edward? I thought Aro w-was a doctor, too, b-but just at another hospital."

Alice shook her head even before I finished. "Bella. All Aro wanted was for Carlisle to work at his place, but since the day he turned the offer down, the Volturi had been planning to do something to lure Carlisle into the trap."

I shook my head, still confused. My head hurt, but I needed to know what happened. I could tell it was important. "W-what trap? A-and w-what's s-so special about Carlisle?"

Alice raised her eyebrows at me.

"Uh…n-no. I didn't mean it that way. He's b-brilliant, but why C-carlisle? W-what does Carlisle have that Aro c-can't ac-acquire?"

"Carlisle's a gifted surgeon. The whole of New York wants him so instead of rejecting every offer, he decided to work in Forks. It's much quieter and less crowded so he knows he'll blend in somehow. Aro knows exactly what to do to get Carlisle to work for him and it seems like he's succeeded already. "

"A-aro w-wants Edward?" I whispered, fear gripping me.

Alice laughed coldly. "Of course, Bella. But he also wants you."

I gasped. "W-what? Why?"

"Silly Bella," Alice said humorlessly. "He doesn't want you for you – he wants your trust fund. He still does."

"B-but he prefers to have Edward anyway," I clarified. "I-I d-didn't know I was related to A-aro."

Alice shook her head. "Aro, strictly speaking, is your blood relative, and he wanted to adopt you, but you're an adult so it doesn't matter anymore. He must've asked Edward about you first, but you know Edward…of course he'll do anything to protect you. He would sacrifice his life for you, Bella. Don't you understand how much you mean to him?"

I nodded. "I-I know I'm something to him. I-I think I make him happy, at least."

"You're his whole world, and that's why he's not here right now."

"I g-got to g-go to h-him," I stuttered out, hoping Alice could understand what I was saying. I couldn't stand this anymore. Knowing that Edward was on the same continent as I was and not being able to hear his voice, or anything, was simply unbearable.

"Um, Bella?" Alice asked, troubled.

I looked up and was shocked to find tears pooling in her eyes again.

"W-what, Alice?" I asked impatiently. "I n-need to find Edward. This is all my fault."

"Bella, don't be ridiculous and even if you want to find him, you won't be able to until, like, a couple of months."

"W-why?" I asked slowly. "A-alice, tell m-me what is w-wrong!"

"It's you, Bella. You suffered a lot during the past few hours. You weren't even supposed to be talking right now. The doctors had to scan your head in order to find out whether or not you had internal bleeding or something. They mentioned that you need to learn how to walk again, and you'll need speech therapy and such to get back to normal."

"And?" I pressed. I couldn't remember a thing. Not one thing.

"I know it's not my place to tell you this but you suffer from AVM," she whispered.

"Oh," I replied blankly.

I had no idea what that was.

But there were three things I was sure of.

First, Aro wanted me beyond all things, including Edward.

Secondly, Edward had tried his best to protect me, and now I wouldn't even get a chance to say 'thank you.'

And third, I had to accept that Edward, the person I loved with every single cell in my body, was gone – just like my hair.

My thoughts were cut short as I surrendered myself into the darkness again, too tired to fight.

I was shrouded in darkness. Where was I? I blinked and looked around to find a plain white room surrounding me. Cold and unwelcoming.

A flash of pain ran through me, and I realized I was at the hospital.

Bit by bit my hearing was starting to work, and I could suddenly hear Alice and Carlisle having a heated discussion outside my room.

"…Alice, I don't think so. You have to understand these things are complicated."

"I know! That's why I'm asking you this. I know nothing about all of this!"

"He took my son! That's what matters right now. I know about Bella, but leave this to me. I'll get him out of this situation. It's not his fault things ended up this way."

I was stunned. Never had I heard Carlisle use that tone with Alice. I started to pick up what had happened yesterday – about the talk with Alice. God, my head hurt. My thoughts were fuzzy, and I was beginning to panic.

"Bella?" Alice asked, walking into the room. "Are you hurting? Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes, hoping to lessen her worries, but even the tiniest movement caused pain. I flinched and remained still.

"J-just…it's j-just r-really s-sore right n-now. My whole face," I replied.

"The doctors are going to come in to check on you in a few minutes. They were astounded that you were already able to talk a little," Alice murmured, her eyes fixated on me.

"O-kay. S-sure. W-what's going on?" I asked. By the look on her face, I was positive she knew I wasn't talking about my illness or whatever it was I had.

Alice hesitated. "I just spoke to Carlisle about a few things. He's going to get Edward out of this situation."

My heart lifted a little.

"I-I h-hope so," I said. I couldn't deal with not knowing where he was; what he was doing right now and whether or not he was thinking about me as I was thinking about him.

We remained silent, lost in our own thoughts.

I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me.

Why me? I thought. Why?

In the December when I was eight, I went out onto the ice on Calawah River, even though Charlie had told me not to.

"Honey, it's cold, but the ice isn't solid enough anyway, love," he'd said. "It won't be for a week or so."

But I was young and excited because of the snow, and I wanted to slide my skates on it. So I did. I ran, I slid, I glided…further and further I went towards the center of the frozen river. However, it was when I was about twenty feet from the shore that I first heard it; a loud, quivering crack, and I knew that the ice was breaking under me. I refused to call out for help as it would embarrass me. I thought I might as well drown. Deciding to push my luck, I slowly turned and slid one of my skates an inch towards the shore. I stood still and was proud of myself that nothing terrible had happened. I thought my father was wrong for once. No creaks. No nothing. 'I felt more confident, sliding one foot and then another toward the river bank when suddenly the ice gave way, plunging me into the frigid water My legs were ice, and I panicked as I pushed through, shaking with fear, taking my skates off and crawling as fast as I could towards the grass. I had dreaded my father scolding at me and I had begun to cry.

As I recalled the events of that day, I realized that's how I felt at the moment – it seemed as if there was no solid ground under my feet and there was nothing for me to grasp onto as I felt myself slipping away.

It was as if the ice was breaking all around me.

The door creaked open slowly, and I saw a doctor looking at me with concern on his face.

"Isabella Swan?" he asked.

I nodded, unsure if my voice would be working or not.

"I'm Dr Dwyer. I'm going to examine how you are and see if you are okay, and then I'll ask you some questions."

I nodded again.

"It was necessary for us to perform microsurgery due to your internal bleeding. Fortunately the AVM was rather small, only three centimeters," the doctor explained.

"W-w…w –" I gulped.

The doctor shook his head at me, giving me a knowing look. "It will take some time for your speech to improve, and it will be necessary for you to participate in speech therapy for the next several months. It's possible you'll experience some difficulty chewing as well."

I was confused. Problems with eating food and speaking? How…how was I supposed to go back to college? How long would it take for me to recover completely? And what about –

"I'm sorry the news isn't better." Dr. Dwyer appeared apologetic. "I understand from your file that you're related to Aro, and Dr Cullen who I presume has already been in to see you."

I shook my head furiously, to let him know I didn't know Aro personally. I hoped he understood. Charlie had never mentioned him but what I did know was that I had some distant relatives living here somewhere. I just didn't know who.

"I'll ask Carlisle and Alice to come back in and see you, then," he said quickly.

"Bella," Carlisle said, walking into the room, followed by a teary-eyed Alice. "Are you hurting?"

I nodded. "Y-yyes."

"Are you sure? I could prescribe you some medicine which could lessen the pain and aching a bit."

I shook my head.

"Don't worry about Edward," Carlisle said with a knowing look in his eye. "I'm going to get it all under control in a few days. Edward's safe – I think that's all the reassurance you need right now."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do…do you want to try to stand up?" Carlisle suddenly looked anxious and nervous. "The doctor said you can try, but if you don't want to, no pressure."

I nodded and sat up on my bed to show I wanted to try.

Alice held onto my arm, and I slowly lifted myself off the bed. Suddenly I had the urge to run out of the horrible, unwelcoming room, but I couldn't because I was still attached to at least six wires.

I panted. This was difficult, and I was confused.

As everything came crashing down around me, my eyes filled with tears.

I couldn't walk. I needed help to walk, to eat, to speak.

What worried me most was that I had just recently gotten my diploma, and I was planning to continue on and study law. But how? How was I going to go to college if I had to relearn the most basic things like walking and feeding myself?

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Bella, I know you're worried. I know you're upset, but getting yourself better is the most important thing now. I'll be happy to contact Princeton for you to help make the appropriate arrangements for postponing your studies."

I nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' to him and turned to Alice as she began to speak.

"What do we do now? I'll ask the doctors to organize your therapy so you'll be better very soon."

She kissed my forehead and followed Carlisle out of the room, allowing me to have some alone time.

But I didn't want to be alone.

I wanted to be surrounded by my friends, not these scary machines, beeping and monitoring my every move, every breath, and every heart beat.

I wanted my health back.

I wished that I had a real family – one with a mother and a father, and perhaps a sibling.

I wished that Edward never had the chance to meet Aro, so that he could be here with me. He could explain what exactly was wrong with me, and I wouldn't be this confused.

But the guilt was eating me alive. If he hadn't known I had this, that this happened to me – if only Alice waited until he was back safe, maybe he wouldn't be where he was right now.

He might be safe. With me.

EPOV

I stood nervously in Aro's office in the hospital, leaning against the clean white wall, watching Aro sort out some files on his desk.

I saw several people's names flash as he sorted them into order, and then I saw it. Isabella Swan.

"What's she got to do with this?" I snarled at Aro. "She's not your patient. She's never been here."

Aro smiled. "That, Edward, is none of your business."

"The hell it isn't," I snapped.

Who the hell did this man think he was? Why did he want Bella? Was she related to him? What the fuck was going on here?

"Get out, Edward. I can see you're going to lose it" he said roughly. "Go to level four and take the clipboard by the side table to check on patients."

"Not until you tell me why you want Isabella Swan," I said defiantly.

Aro walked slowly towards me and took me by the shoulders. "Do what you are told to do. It doesn't have to be that ugly."

I tried to shake him off but he was strong, and he held me still.

"Get off me," I threatened. "Or I'll call the police."

I looked at Aro's hand, horrified that it was around my throat. Removing my hands from the wall, I reached to pull it off, but Aro pushed me against the wall. Hard.

"Aro!"

Aro jumped back as though I had electrocuted him.

"Dad?" I asked incredulously. He was here. My father was here. The only reason he would be here was that Bella was either alive and well, or dead.

I hoped to the heavens that she was alive – that she could pull through whatever she was enduring right now. Pain and agony. Agony and pain.

"Get the fuck away from him!" my father roared. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Never had I heard my father lose it like that. He never swore. Not even when Emmett set fire to the garage a few years ago.

"What will you do?" Aro asked. "I'm only having Edward here to help me. You see, I have a very busy hospital to run, and you refused to help. What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't give two shits," Carlisle insisted. "I don't give a flying fuck about your hospital."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and feeling. I felt anger coursing through my body. For once, I didn't think before doing something.

I ran past my father and grabbed onto Aro's shoulders, roughly pushing him down onto his wooden table.

"Edward!" Carlisle muttered, trying to pull me backwards. "Don't do this, please."

"He needs a taste of own fucking medicine," I muttered between my teeth.

I turned my head over to shrug him off, but the next second I felt pain shoot down my spine as I collided against the floor. The next thing I saw was Carlisle holding Aro back by the throat. I heard Aro spluttering, choking over the shortage of oxygen.

The door slammed open again, and Alec came in holding a penknife in his hand.

I closed my eyes, crawling over and grasped onto the table, using all the strength I had to stand myself up.

"Fuck you, Cullen," Alec sneered.

I shook and a unfamiliar chill shot down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and the vision of Bella in the hospital, broken and scared flashed in my mind as I struggled to stay upright. "Get away from my family," I spoke forcefully.

Alec snarled, and I snuck a glimpse at Carlisle who was still holding Aro, tying his arms together with his tie. I knew it wouldn't work. Carlisle's ties were made of silk – it was smooth and useless when used to bind someone so strong like Aro. Fuck, I was screwed. My life was so screwed up.

We were both cornered.

"Tell me where Isabella is," Alec yelled angrily.

I breathed in deeply; every cell in my body begging me to give in for relief, for the situation to be over, but I knew I couldn't. I would not betray anyone. If the last thing I ever did was to keep Bella safe, I would happily do it.

"I don't know where she is," I muttered quickly, gasping for air. Alec's arm was tight against my throat and it was making me uncomfortable now.

"Liar," he snarled. My answer angered him, and he used his other hand to move the knife an inch from my throat.

I stopped breathing, and my heart was beating faster and harder than ever.

"Edward!" Carlisle yelled in fright. He tried rushing over to me, but Aro got him again before he could reach me.

"Dad," I said as calmly as I could. "I'll be fine."

It was a lie.

I was good at telling lies – to myself, to everyone – to make everything more pleasant and satisfying than it may seem. But I knew I could never lie to Bella. I needed to do whatever I could to get to her. I needed to protect her, to make sure she was safe.

I could see anger and hatred carved in every line in Alec's expression, but I didn't see fear anymore. I only saw Bella. Bella would've known by now that I was in this situation. She would've heard from Alice. I envisioned her face, already pale with stress, and hurt. I had to get to her. No matter what, I thought.

I said nothing. I just stood against the wall, and I almost wished he would just jab the damn knife in my throat. Almost.

Suddenly a searing pain ripped through my throat, and I felt blood trickling down to my chest.

"Alec, please," I begged.

He laughed coldly. "You had your chance. We do not offer second chances. You messed it up. You disobeyed our orders."

I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on, or how much more I could take, but having the vision of Bella behind my eyes, I knew I could never stop hoping to see her again. Somehow everything would work out. It had to. I would find a way out of this fucked up situation. I didn't know how or when, but I would manage it.

I fucking promised her.

I closed my eyes again and felt something hard slam against my head. Or my head slammed against something hard. I was brought back from the blackness which had been creeping into my mind when I heard a gunshot blast from somewhere near me, and I could only pray it wasn't Carlisle that got shot.

I let out a scream and then I slipped back into unconsciousness.

Something cold and wet was pressed on my forehead, and I struggled to open my eyes.

I moaned in pain as I tried feebly to sit up.

"Edward?"

Carlisle's face soon came into view, and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Where's Aro?" I whispered, searching his face for any visible signs of stress. "Where's Alec?"

"I got Alex in the leg – the shot took a lot out of him. He was out for a while I've reported him. Aro fled then."

I nodded and looked around. I wasn't on the hospital floor anymore, but on a bed.

"Sorry I didn't have enough energy to move you somewhere more comfortable," Carlisle said sheepishly. "The nurses were kind enough to lend me this room. No one knew what happened in here thanks to Aro's soundproof office and the fact that it was on highest floor."

"Thank you." It was the first time I had said this to someone other than Bella. "I'm…I-I don't know what to say."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Edward, you're my son. Please don't ever feel otherwise."

"Thank you," I said again, my voice filled with gratitude.

"I called your mother, and she was appalled when I told her what happened. She took a flight out of Forks to come here. She should be here tomorrow at the latest."

I smiled. "I'm sure she didn't take the news very well."

"She didn't. I was so sure she was going to pass out with worry so I told her to sit down on a chair first," he chuckled.

My stomach was in knots, and I knew I had to ask. "How is…how's Bella?"

Carlisle smile slid off his face in an instant, and I froze.

"Don't…do not tell me she's..." I couldn't finish the sentence. I couldn't say that word.

Carlisle sighed. "She suffered a lot from the attack and was immediately given a CAT scan. The scan showed that she had internal bleeding and surgery was preformed almost immediately."

My stomach dropped. "And then?"

"Well…the surgery was successful and luckily the bleed was only 3 cm. Any larger and she could've suffered from major brain damage."

"So…so Bella, does she have it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Carlisle frowned, and I almost felt like he was avoiding the answer on purpose. "Have what?"

I took a deep breath before saying it. "Brain damage."

He looked at me uncomfortably, and I prepared for the worst. "Minimal. She is going to start speech therapy, and she has problems with eating. She has lost a bit of her balance as well."

I gritted my teeth and my vision blurred. What did she do to deserve this?

"What about her…physical appearance?" I asked. "Is there…did anything happen during the attack? Did she fall or something? Hit her head?"

"The surgery was performed immediately, but they had to shave off all her hair. She suffered from minimal bruises and cuts on her face. Luckily Alice was there when it all happened so there wasn't anything serious."

I gulped. God, what was she really going through right now?

"I need to go see her right now," I croaked out.

Carlisle shook his head. "You hurt your back."

"I know. So what? This was probably a hundred times less painful than what Bella went through," I retorted.

"Yeah, true. Just don't let your mother know you were hurt," he winked and smiled.

"Sure, sure," I muttered. "What about my neck then?"

Carlisle grinned. "Tell her you got hurt hunting for food in Africa."

I snorted. "Like that would lessen her worries."

"Don't worry. I guess you can take the train to Princeton, and Alice will meet you at the station."

"Now?" I asked desperately.

"You gotta eat first. I don't want Esme to think you're sick or something."

I rolled my eyes. "Will do."

I got off the hospital bed and went down to the ground floor to call Alice.

"Hey Edward!" Alice's usual chirp was expected.

"Hi. Can you meet me at the train station in…I don't know…half an hour?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks," I sighed. Everything with Alice seemed so simple. I wished it was the same for me.

"Are you okay, Edward? What happened?" Alice asked. "I got so worried."

"I know. Don't worry. I'll explain later."

Alice seemed untroubled by my promise. "Okay. See ya soon, bro."

I waited for Alice to hang up before heading to grab a burger.

The train station was packed, and I was nervous and anxious to see Bella again. I bounced my leg, ignoring the looks I got from nearby passengers.

My nerves started to kick in.

What was I going to say to Bella?

Was she expecting me?

Did she want to see me?

For the first time, I didn't know what to expect with her.

When I saw Alice standing by the parked car I smiled at her, and she grinned back.

So far, so good.

"She really missed you, Edward," Alice said in a low voice, brushing back my hair. "I didn't tell her you were going to come back, but she's still at the hospital. She was so happy when the doctor said that she would be discharged in a couple of days at most with Carlisle here."

"I'm glad she's happy," I said, with a lump in my throat.

"Yeah, and she just had her first therapy session this afternoon. She's…well, I think she'll recover fairly quickly."

"And her hair?" I pressed. I wasn't sure if she was going to start feeling self-conscious around me. I would hate that so much.

Alice rolled her eyes and sighed. "I know. It's been a bit of a problem. I don't know if she's over it but hopefully…"

"Yeah," I said. "Hopefully."

"Alice?" I asked again, just as she turned into the hospital parking lot. "Her memory's okay right?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'll wait for you here. If she's lucky, she may be discharged today."

I sighed with relief. That was good to know. At least she would remember me.

As I stepped onto the third floor where Bella's room currently was, I felt more anxious and nervous than I ever had in my life.

I stopped in my track as soon as I opened the door.

She was lying down, probably asleep. With a hoodie on, she looked so cute. I wanted to lie down next to her, but I knew I couldn't. At least, not until she said so.

I would do anything she wanted me to right now.

"Bella?" I sat on the chair and kissed her forehead gently, part of me hoping she would be awake. I brushed her cheeks with my fingertips, just like I had almost a year ago.

"E-edward?"

I blinked and saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at me.

Bella blinked slowly as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Hey," I said gently. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She didn't say anything and worry was starting to grow in my chest.

"Of course you're not okay," I muttered. "But I'm here now, and I'm not going to leave until you tell me to."

A tear slid down her cheek, and she gave me a small smile. "I-I'm so h-happy to s-see you."

Hey guys. I know it's early so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I should be updating every Friday but it can be a little unpredictable as my betas are from PTB. The next update should be next Friday if not earlier.

Thanks to the people over there especially AnotherJen and Confettirainfall, which gave me TONS of advice and help.

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers.