(disclaimer- i am not stephenie meyer. i'd never be so lucky.)

BREAKING DAWN IS HERE!
i bet that most of you went to borders at midnight, am i right?!
i wish i could have gone, but unfortunately i couldn't get a ride.
so im stuck here waiting for my copy to be sent through the mail.
and i'll have to wait for about a week. its killing me. seriously.
i know that most of you aren't going to be reading this because
you're probably all reading breaking dawn, but seeing as I can't read
that yet, and have nothing better to do, i'm updating anyway.
because im bored. so heres another chapter.
have fun reading breaking dawn!

Beauty

"Let go!" Emmett complained, shaking free of my clad iron grip. We'd been standing still for a couple of minutes now, and I supposed he was getting aggravated by my lack of movement. I gasped, letting my fingers disconnect, and plummeted toward the green grass. His fingers caught me before I could hit the ground, leaving bruises along my arms, perfectly contoured shapes of indigo fingers. Placing my feet on the moss below, he released me, leaving only one cold hand to the small of my back — an action that was almost protective, but more so wary.

I kept my eyes on my feet as we pushed through the brush, making sure that I wouldn't trip over the camouflaged rocks and twigs, until suddenly, we stepped through a small clearing and into an open field.

My eyes grew wide, my stomach flipping like an acrobat, as they took in the scene.

We were at his house — Edward's house, the Cullen's house.

Were they living here, then? Was it perhaps not so stupid of me to have said what I'd said before? Did the people here know their name? If it'd been ninety years or less since I'd passed — if I was Bella at all — wouldn't they have needed to be in hiding, to go to Denali, just in case someone's grandchild recognized them from a picture, a story that was passed along? Surely the kids from our school would have told their offspring of the beautiful, untouchable family that attended school with them, the graduation party that had left every one of them in awe.

Had more time passed than I'd known?

I shook my head, taking in the oversized yard, the melodic hum of water scurrying somewhere deep beneath the cover of jade. Emmett kept his eyes on me as we hurried across the lawn to the enormous white home, his expression guarded. I couldn't fathom the look in his eyes when they swept over me, but it made me nervous, afraid, and, at the same time, it made me miss him even more. He nodded toward the door as I paused on the porch, reluctant to continue. When I didn't respond, the hand on my back hardened, pushing me forward now rather than guiding me. I flinched, but continued further without choice.

The door opened before we reached it, the person on the other side regarding me doubtfully.

"This is Bella?"

My eyes widened and my stomach dropped, my feet planting themselves hard against the wooden floor. Quicker than a human should have been capable of, I wrenched myself away from the girl, clinging to Emmett's side, burying my face into his chest. His icy hands caught my back, protective again, his expression shocked. I squeezed my eyes shut as he looked back and forth between Tanya and me, puzzled.

My body was shaking, my teeth slamming together repeatedly, audibly. I clutched at Emmett's strong torso with every ounce of strength I could find, flinching when his fingers gently tugged me away from him.

"No! No, please!" I begged, hugging him once more. He allowed it this time, wrapping his arms around me and holding me there. I watched with terrified eyes as he looked at the strawberry blonde, his expression hard. He regarded her with distrust, suspicion. I knew that it was probably stupid to have been so afraid of this woman, seeing as more likely than not, I'd never met her before, but it pleased me to see that Emmett was, confusedly, determined to protect me from her.

"Why is she responding to you like that?" He asked her. His voice was stiff, frigid, his eyes penetrating hers with such intense suspicion, reproach, that she stepped back, her mouth opening in shock. Her beautiful features turned sour, incredulous, as he firmly repeated his question. She shook her head in disbelief at the accusing tone he used.

"How the hell should I know?" She hissed, looking back to me, her nose wrinkled in distaste. She snorted. "Hard to believe that he wanted that over me." She cackled derisively at her own criticism, seeming even more satisfied with herself when I turned to glare. Her smile widened as I cringed back into Emmett's arctic side. His arms tightened.

"I'm not sure if it's her yet." He murmured. Tanya's eyes became less critical at his words, observing me now with interest, speculation. I froze in my could-be-brother's arms, my heart feeling more like a ticking time-bomb than an internal organ. I couldn't grasp the meaning of what he'd said. He wasn't sure yet? What did that mean?

If he wasn't sure if I was Bella or not…did that mean that there wasn't another Bella out there? It had to mean that, didn't it? Because he would know that I wasn't Bella if she was still alive and kicking. Right?

Maybe Bella did exist, but she'd gone off somewhere with Edward, and Emmett thought that she had come back to tell them that something had happened. That I was the Bella who'd run off somewhere with Edward, and that I was here to tell them that something had gone wrong…something that had left Edward unable to come and tell them himself. Or maybe Bella had gone and married Jacob and hadn't spoken or seen the Cullens in years, and Emmett thought I was her, only he was unsure because it was unlike her to want to see them. Maybe. Or maybe she just really was dead, and he didn't know if I was her reincarnated form or not. But why would he doubt me, then?

Confusion marked my brow as I stared at him, going over all of the possibilities. There were too many what-ifs, too many maybes. I wanted answers. I wanted the truth.

Emmett's arms tightened further around my waist as he lifted me up off of the ground, cradling me like a small child. He carried me into the home, ignoring me as I tried to claw my way away from him, away from Tanya. Then, completely at ease here, he settled himself on the couch, leaving me sprawled out across his lap, hugging his neck for security. He sighed as Tanya came to sit on the chair opposite us, Irina appearing out of no where to stand just behind her.

I freaked out.

A low, pathetic growl escaped my mouth at the sight of Irina, and my arms departed from Emmett's cool skin, flying out in front of me, the animal taking over, stretching into my muscles and tendons, causing me to act without thinking. Maybe I was insane, but I was going to attack her. She killed him. She killed Jacob!

I launched myself at her face, glaring madly.

Cold fetters clamped down on my wrists, catching me mid-lurch, and my bones collided sharply in my skin as I came to a halt. I could see the astonishment plastered on the faces of both sisters, hear the startled gasp that came from behind me, but I couldn't help but try still to reach her. I knew it was irrational. I just couldn't keep the vision of her fingertips crushing through the bone of Jacob's chest from my crazed eyes. I wanted to avenge him, the death of my lover. It hadn't happened. Not really. I knew that they'd never attacked us, that she'd never killed Jacob, that Tanya had never tortured me in the meadow. I knew it because, if it had happened, they would have been dead. Edward would have killed them. I just couldn't control myself. I couldn't help but hate her, want her dead.

Emmett shook me, bringing my face closer to his, staring at me, shouting words that I couldn't hear through all of the lunatic hatred gripping my mind. Every inch of my skin trembled, itching to get to her, to rip her to shreds. I hated her. I wished she could leak blood if I cut her, some kind of evidence of her pain. Damn them both. I would kill them.

"She killed who?" He demanded again. This time his words were clear, and they somehow dulled my rage. I stopped clawing, melting against him again, exhausted with my emotional overload, and shook my head. Had I said that aloud? I hadn't meant to. I hadn't even heard the words leave my mouth. I'd been too consumed with the monster inside of me to realize what I was doing.

I stared at his arm as he lifted my chin with his fingers, trying to get me to answer. I was humiliated with my own behavior, completely horrified with myself. I knew she'd never done a thing to harm my Jacob, that neither of them had ever hurt us. Why couldn't I separate my dreams from reality now? I had managed to find truth, managed to find reality in my life of fantasy. Why couldn't I tell them apart? Why couldn't I stop the hatred from pouring out of my brown eyes as I looked at her face? What was wrong with me? I was completely irrational.

"Hey, you!" Emmett called to me, refusing to call me by the name I'd claimed was mine. He was waiting for an answer, but I wasn't going to give him one. I was too embarrassed by myself to admit it. I wanted to go home to Jacob, to curl into his warm arms and cry, tell him every miserable minute of what had happened to me. I knew he'd understand. I knew he'd love me. Why did Emmett have to do this to me? Why?

Emmett sighed.

"Where was he when you called him?" He asked Tanya, his voice thick with irritation, impatience. I watched carefully as both of their eyes scanned the clock on the wall. Her lips pursed before she answered him.

"Canada." She replied. The tone she used was cautious, wary. I knew that she was uncomfortable with me sitting here, in what was apparently her home for the time being. I knew that neither of them knew what to think of me, of the psychotic girl Emmett had brought to their house. I knew that I should have felt apologetic for my ridiculous reactions, but I didn't. I didn't feel sorry at all.

"He shouldn't be too long, then." Emmett mumbled.

"No. He was running, too, so not too long at all. Maybe ten minutes more." Tanya seemed discontented with what she was saying, almost resentful. I couldn't really understand the motive behind her emotions, but I had an idea.

I assumed that they were talking about Edward—that he would be here in ten minutes. I imagined that she would be thinking that he was coming here for me, not for her. Maybe that angered her—the fact that I truly was just a human, a pathetic one at that, and that somehow I'd managed to steal his heart when she couldn't. The fact that he didn't love her, want her, but he loved and wanted me…that might have been what made her glare when she looked at me.

Because Edward loved me.

My heartbeat kicked up to an uneven, quicker pace, while I pictured him sitting beside me on the couch. Part of me wanted him to be here, for him to see me and hug me and whisper to me how hard it'd been without me, but I didn't want that part of me to exist. I wanted only to want Jacob. I couldn't settle for just wanting Jacob more. I wanted him to be the only one I wanted. I hated that he couldn't be. I hated that I'd always want Edward, too. I truly despised the fact.

I sat waiting, leaning against Emmett's cold chest as he hummed himself a little tune, swaying slightly with the beat of it. Irina had pulled up a chair next to her sister, and was staring glumly at the floor, looking bored. Her facial expressions changed frequently, flickering from confusion to boredom to irritation. Tanya sat straight in her wooden chair, her hands folded on her lap, staring at me.

Her eyes were not red as they had been in my dream, but they were gold, butterscotch. She was gorgeous, equal to Rosalie, even, but not quite surpassing her. Her orange hair flowed prettily over her petite shoulders, her porcelain head cocked slightly to the side as she watched me intently. Her lips were a light pink, perfectly shaped, full. Her cheekbones were high and prominent, lovely. Everything about her was striking.

Her golden irises never left mine, even as her head turned to the right, reacting to the inaudible noises coming from behind the door.

Irina and Emmett, too, turned to face the door as my heart stopped beating, my breath reaching hyperventilation. I started to shake in Emmett's arms, tears stupidly filling my eyes in anxiety. I pulled close into Emmett's chest as I slowly inched my face higher to see the door above his left shoulder. And then, the very second that my eyes located the door, it swung open.

And there he was. Beautiful.

It was too much beauty for one person to be able to have, too much beauty for my eyes to behold. I couldn't bear to look at him, but I couldn't seem to look away. Instantly, his dark eyes met with mine, his face hopeful and exposed. His eyebrows curved above his eyes, expressing his deepening pain, and his jaw muscles pulsed as he clenched his teeth. His nostrils widened, his eyes reacting similarly, and for a split second, he wore the mask of a predator. Quickly, his features returned to their human form, warming. He took one step forward, exaggerating the movement, and ducked his head closer to his chest.

"Bella?"

(author's note: EDWARD CULLENN!! its about time, isn't it? oh and dont worry, jake lovers. he'll be in here soon enough.
i love him too much to keep him out of the story for long, and so does Anna. so don't give up thinking it'll be all BxE.
no one knows if it will turn out BxE or JxB. and im not telling. :D mwahah. okay. sorry. im done. bye.)