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wooooo! its happening, its happening! the event you've all been waiting for!
lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY! :D this is sort of exciting for me, seeing as i've
had this done for like EVER and you're all finally just getting to see it. wooo.
okay. go read! and leave reviews please! i love everyone that leaves me reviews.
and i must say that i especially like the reviews i've been getting from paleviolet and
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figured i'd mention how much i appreciate it in here. thanks to everyone else, too.
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thanks. now read!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears

"Emmett!?" I shrieked, forgetting completely my need to stay hidden from him, from all of the Cullens. The second the gasped word left my mouth, I regretted it, wishing I could take it back and melt into the corner where he couldn't see me. Maybe if I hadn't spoken his name, he wouldn't have recognized me, though I doubted that. But there was no escaping it now. There was no escaping Edward. He would know. Emmett would have to tell him. I would have to hurt him.

Or I'd just have to stay away from Jacob.

Could I do that to myself? I didn't know. I'd gotten so used to thinking only of being with Jake that it was hard to picture life without him — especially now that I was almost positive he existed. I bit my lip, trying to conjure up some plan to make everyone happy, but I couldn't think of one single thing to do. Deny everything, maybe. Though these people that I so vainly hoped I could lie to were much smarter than I was, and there was no doubt in my mind that not a single one of them would ever believe me.

There was nothing I could do.

"What are you doing in here? And how do you know my name?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing over his perplexed, golden eyes. He looked suspicious as he watched me. Cautious, like he expected me to try to rob him — just like the cashier had that time I'd bought the Poptart, along with every other time I'd gone food shopping since I'd fled Texas. Having those strangers look at me in such a way was understandable. I'd been a total mess, not to mention the look on my face probably was one of desperation, madness, impatience. But I was clean now, normal-looking — sort of. Why was he asking me these questions, looking at me like a trespasser?

My mouth fell open and my blood ran cold, bewilderment taking place on my face. I'd hoped before that he would somehow not recognize me, but I'd never imagined that he really wouldn't. I just didn't want to have to hurt anyone. I'd never thought for even one second that I'd have that option after seeing him, though. But I did, because he had no idea who I was.

How could he not know me?

His words were painful, a kick to the stomach, but I tried hard to conceal the misery that his lack of remembrance stirred in me. I didn't want him to see that he'd insulted me. I needed to work this to my advantage, to play it casual. I had to think of some way I'd have known his name without giving away my true identity. If he didn't recognize me, then maybe he wouldn't tell Edward, and Edward wouldn't have to be hurt by my decision. Unless of course he saw me in Emmett's mind…

Dang it.

"You're one of the Cullens, right?" I asked, trying to cover up my mistake anyway. The entire vampire family was noticeable; there was no way that the people in this town didn't know their name. I hadn't thought it would seem odd that I'd know about his family. I really hadn't. They were a pretty conspicuous bunch, what with their good looks and all, and I didn't think that anyone who saw them wouldn't recognize them or go out of their way to know about them. I'd thought it would seem like an innocent response, not at all suspicious.

But I was wrong, and I was stupid, too.

His face flashed first with surprise, then with suspicion, mistrust, and I realized my mistake. I should have known better than to say that. If my dream was correct, they were living in Denali, not Forks. They were keeping their existence a secret from this town so that no one would have the chance to recognize them, remember them. No one would know them here.

I was stupid. A fool.

My friendly expression faltered as I gazed at his face, a small grimace falling over my mouth. I disengaged from the staring contest we were sharing, not comfortable with the hostile response my appearance was rousing in the big man before me.

"Who are you." He said it like a statement, not a question. I refused to look at him, and he descended the last stair, stepping quickly to stand in front of me. Quickly for a human, but slow for him. He was pretending still. He wasn't sure if I knew what he was yet, but he was watchful, careful. I didn't know whether it was good or bad that he was unsure of how much I knew about him. I supposed it was a good thing, because that meant he still hadn't figured out I was Bella, but a part of me ached for him to remember me still.

I stared at the floor as the game of tug-a-war continued in my stomach. He repeated his question, more forcefully this time, almost a growl, and his cold hand clamped down on my shoulder. He was protecting his family, making sure that I wasn't a threat, that I wouldn't get away from him. I figured this would be the only time he'd be serious, when defending them. I'd never experienced another moment in which he'd not been a smiling, antagonizing bear of a man. Not until today.

I swallowed hard, glancing up at his hard expression. I knew that Emmett would snatch me up and take me to their home, wherever it may be, for further interrogation. It didn't matter whether I answered him or not. It'd be quite a risk for him, though, seeing as there was no car outside the house. I assumed that he must have come here on foot, and not like I'd done in order to get to this place. He'd been running.

Would he really run with me, whether it was to his car, stashed somewhere in hiding, or his house? He wouldn't risk letting me in on his family's secret, would he? Not if he thought that I was a stranger. Right? I had no idea. But one thing I did know was that I didn't have a choice anymore. I had only one option: I had to tell him who I was now. It would hurt me. It would be the end of whatever life I may have had with Jacob. I wouldn't be able to see him ever again — at least not in reality, in consciousness.

Tears rolled silently from my eyes, misery arching my brows.

"Bella Swan." I whispered.

His hand fell from my shoulder immediately and he stepped back, his eyes widening in astonishment. His mouth opened, his topaz irises fixated only on my face as he stood frozen before me. I felt a warm blush spread over the plains of my cheeks, uncomfortable, and I backed into the wall, presenting a teensy, self-conscious smile. For several minutes, he stared at me, his features, as well as his body, completely motionless. I counted nine minutes in my head before his hand finally shot into his pocket.

He moved as though someone had switched a DVD off of pause and into fast-motion. I watched remorsefully as he stuck the phone to his ear, his lips moving rapidly, soundlessly. The conversation didn't last long — maybe half of a second. Then suddenly he was grabbing my hand and pulling me into his chest. My jaw clenched, humiliated by the fact that he probably heard my heart accelerating, angry that I couldn't slow it down.

Despite the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I was kind of happy. Relieved, in a way, that I'd gotten a response from him. The moment I'd said the name, he'd reacted. That meant that he knew who Bella was, at least.

But wait.

What did that mean, if he recognized the name Bella, but not me? What if…was it possible that I wasn't Bella? What if Bella had never died, and was never reincarnated? What if she was happily married to Edward, living somewhere in Antarctica, feeding off of penguins? What if I went there, thinking I was Bella, only to be laughed at by Bella? What would they think? What would they do with me? Would they have to get rid of me, because of the rules of the Volturi? Would they make me one of them, look past my insanity?

What would I do if I found out that, yes, the life that I so longed for did exist…but just that I wasn't a part of it…and never would be?

No. No. I couldn't believe that. I wouldn't. I refused to. It couldn't be possible. How could my dreams, my knowledge of vampires and werewolves, of the Cullens and of Jacob, be explained, then? I couldn't just randomly know these things, could I?

I was Bella, wasn't I?

Emmett's tugging arms pulled me straight out of my unnerving thoughts, dragging me back into the present situation, as well as to the back door, before scooping me up like a rag doll. He didn't speak; he only looked at me, concentrating on his own thoughts, seeming to be contemplating something. Before I could open my mouth to protest, he was running through the woods. The green of the world around me flashed by, a dizzying blur to my tired eyes. I felt lightheaded, sick, as I had the very first time I'd gone running with Edward in the meadow however many years ago. If I'd ever been in the meadow with him at all, that is. If I was even Bella.

I wrapped my arms tightly around Emmett's thick neck, hugging fiercely, not only so that I wouldn't fall, but also as a sort of underhanded reunion. I'd missed my burly big brother. I hoped, as the wind shot through my hair like I'd stuck my head out the window of an airplane, that he considered my death grip to be due only to fear, and not to the fact that I missed him the way that I did. He didn't seem to notice either way, though, and I decided not to think about why that made me so sad.

I sighed as we continued further, realizing what had to happen next. Whether I was prepared for it or not, I was going to have to face Edward. And despite the pain it caused me, knowing that I would have to hurt him to be with Jacob, or hide away from Jacob to be with Edward, instead, I was silently thrilled. I knew that it was wrong, that I shouldn't have been as excited as I secretly was, but I couldn't help myself. After all, I did love him. That had never changed. Not for one moment.

Butterflies flew up from my stomach, tapping along the inner flesh of my lips. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. In just a short matter of time, carried in by the arms of my strong once-brother — maybe — Emmett, I would be with the man I'd almost married, the man I'd begged to change me into a mythical creature, a vampire. In just a little while, I'd be with the man that I'd loved so desperately I was willing to trade my life, my soul (or so he thought) just to spend an eternity with.

Soon, I would be with Edward.