A/N: Hello faithful readers and all newcomers! Here is the long awaited Chapter 23: Bella's Change! Just be warned, those of you expecting a warm and tender reunion between Bella and Emmett. Curious? Read on!

x's and o's, hugs and kisses! Thanks for reading!

-A

-Bella-

I was standing on a cliff.

Why was I on a cliff?

I frowned, trying to identify my surroundings. This didn't look like any place I'd ever been in Forks, and the cliffs at La Push weren't nearly this narrow. I took a few steps back, just as a precaution. Even the atmosphere was different. The sky was a bright orangey-yellow, and when I looked down all I could see was a thick bank of clouds. I turned to see what was behind me, but found myself surrounded by fog.

"What the heck is this place? Where am I?" I thought out loud. A warm breeze caressed my cheek and ruffled my hair. I closed my eyes, confused. Why would the air be so warm up here? Doesn't it get colder as you increase in altitude? What is going on?

"Bella…" a voice whispered from behind me.

"Who's there?" I asked, afraid to open my eyes. My body tensed and I braced myself for an attack. Chances were that if I didn't know where I was, then I wouldn't know who was speaking to me.

"Look at me, Bella," the voice commanded.

"Why should I?" I squeezed my eyes shut. "How do I know you're not going to kill me?"

The voice chuckled softly.

"Always so stubborn. Just open your eyes, Bella Marie. I'm not going to kill you."

"How do you know that name?" I demanded. Nobody called me that name. Not any more. Not since…

"That was always my nickname for you."

I slowly opened one eye, and then the other. I squinted at the person before me, rubbed my eyes, then opened them again.

"Isaac?"

"In the flesh," he opened his arms and spun around casually, "So to speak."

I had to be dreaming. There before me stood my dead brother. He was clad in the same white t-shirt and dirty blue jeans he had been wearing the day he left my life. Fortunately for my weak stomach, he wasn't riddled with bullet holes and covered in gore. He looked exactly the way I remembered him: blue eyes shiny and bright, mousy brown hair cut close to his head and that annoying little dimple in his chin.

"But you're dead," I stammered.

"Don't need to remind me," he grinned.

"She took you from me," I sniffled.

"I know," he responded. "I'm sorry. It never should have happened that way. It broke my heart to watch you suffering, knowing that I couldn't help you."

"You were watching me?" I wiped away the tears that had started to fall.

"Every day. I never really left you Bella. I've always been there," he smiled again. "And now I'm here. We're together again. "

" But how are you here?" I shook my head. "More importantly, where exactly is here? Where are we?"

"In between," he answered cryptically. "That's how I'm here. We're in the middle, Bells. Or rather, you're in the middle. I've already crossed over."

"In the middle?" I pursed my lips. "Ike, you're not making any sense."

"Don't you remember?" he cocked his head to the side and folded his arms across his chest. My blank stare must have been answer enough, because he sighed. "You really don't know how you got here, do you? Come on." He held out his hand and I bit my lip. "I'm not going to hurt you! Just take my hand. I want to show you something."

I closed the distance between us and slid my hand into his. His grasp was firm, but his hand was ice cold. He smiled reassuringly and waved his hand through the fog. A small clearing opened up and a scene unfolded before me.

… It was the Cullen's massive front yard. I was walking away from a despondent Edward, and I was crying. He dropped a flaming lighter into the engine block of his car. After a few seconds, the car ignited. I watched helplessly as the fire consumed him, and felt new tears spring to my eyes as he screamed in agony. The car then burst into flames, and an explosion ripped through it like a piece of card board. Shrapnel flew everywhere. Suddenly Emmett was shouting my name and diving for me. I must not have heard him. A piece of the frame came rocketing through the air and slammed into the back of my head. My body was thrown to the ground….

Isaac waved his hand again and fog rolled back in, enveloping Emmett as he cradled me to his chest and sprinted for the house.

"Wait!" I called, releasing Ike's hand and reaching out for him. "Em, wait! I'm right here!"

"He can't hear you, Bells," my brother shook his head. "It's only a memory. Your last waking one to be exact."

"So I'm dead?" I cried.

"No," he answered. "Just in a coma."

"Will I wake up? Or am I stuck in this middle of nowhere forever?" I turned to face him. "And don't give me any of that cryptic bullshit Isaac Adam Swan. I hate that crap and you know it."

"You won't wake up," he responded solemnly.

"Ah, shit," I grumbled. "So I'm going to be a vegetable, then. I'd rather be dead."

"Don't say that!" Isaac snapped, his eyes fierce.

"Why not?" I spat back at him. "It's easier, isn't it? Than living in constant pain, knowing that the most vital part of you is gone, and there's nothing you can do to get it back!"

"There is nothing easy about this!" he yelled. "I don't like being here! I don't enjoy just standing by and watching my family. I hate not being able to talk to, laugh with, or just be in the same room with any of you. Christ, Bella. Death is not easy, and it sure as hell ain't painless!"

"But-"

"No! Being dead sucks, and you don't want this!" he cut me off. "But you…you're not going to die."

"You just said that I'm not going to wake up," I reminded him.

"Not as a human, you won't." he smirked.

"I warned you about that cryptic shit," I scowled. "Get to the point."

"He's going to save you."

"What? Who?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I love you to death, really, but sometimes you can be so thick," he laughed. "Use your head.

He's going to save you, Bells, and you know who I'm talking about. I'll tell you though, it's going to hurt. A lot. You'll feel, at times, like giving up. But you can't. You have to pull through." Isaac's voice began to echo and the fog started to roll in around his feet.

"Why will it hurt? Who's going to save me?" I shouted as the fog crept up around his waist. He chuckled again.

"Use your head, Bells," he smiled. "Just remember, don't give in to the pain. You can do this."

"Isaac wait! Don't leave!" I shouted, powerless to stop the fog that now blurred the outline of his face. He pressed his fingers to his lips, then waved.

"Love you, Bella Marie," his voice faded, and he turned and disappeared in the mist. I reached out for him, but my hand met only with the thick, empty, air.

I suddenly felt very, very warm. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of my face and I swiped at it. Damn it. I hate sweating. I looked around for the source of the heat, but was met only with the soupy, misty air. I inhaled, and it felt like trying to breathe under water. My lungs instantly started to burn and I coughed violently. I wrapped my arms around my torso, trying to stop the spasms so I could try to catch my breath.

Why the hell was it so hot? I staggered blindly through the fog, searching for an end to this stifling heat. I began choking again and dropped to my knees. I clawed at my throat, which had also started to burn. God damn it, what was happening? I swung my head from side to side, frantically seeking the source so I could put it out and take a deep breath. My eyes began to water and I realized I was no longer surrounded by fog, but a thick mass of black smoke. Frightened, I stumbled ahead and met with the edge of the cliff. I looked down and cried out in horror. A raging inferno blazed below me.

"Don't give up," my brother's voice whispered in my ear. I gasped futilely.

"Isaac!" I croaked

I tried to scramble backwards and found myself stonewalled. It was as if the smoke had taken on a life of it's own and was pushing me toward the edge. I pushed back to no avail; the cliff began to crumble on it's own and I went into another fit of coughing as I tried to cry.

"It hurts, Isaac! Please don't make me do this!" I wheezed, smoke and ash filling my throat and flooding my already scalded lungs.

"Fight, Bella," he ordered. "Do this. For me."

I felt his cool lips press against my cheek, and managed one last strangled cry as the cliff disappeared and I tumbled into the fire.

-Emmett-

Bella screamed again, her back arching off the couch. We were nearing the end of the third day since I had bitten her, ending her human life and bringing her into one of immortality. I never realized how much pain one man could feel until I had to sit by and watch her writhe in agony, knowing it was my fault that she was there in the first place. She flopped back down, her head lolling to the side. Her face was twisted in suffering, and she moaned. I swept her disheveled hair from her face and left my hand on her cheek. She was burning under my touch.

"How much longer, Alice?" I asked, turning my face away as another spasm wracked her fragile body. Alice sat at Carlisle's desk, drumming her fingers idly on the dark wood. She flicked a nearby splinter from the smooth surface and sighed.

"She's almost there, Em," she answered. "For some reason, she's fighting the change. There's a lot of turmoil in her head. She can feel that she's turning, but she doesn't understand why, so she's fighting it. She's fighting to stay alive."

"But why? Why wouldn't she want to be with me?" I felt like a nagging child, but I needed to know.

"It's not about you," Alice explained. "Think about it for a second - would you honestly want to suffer through that much pain? Wouldn't you want to stop it?"

"Of course, but-"

"Well, my theory is that that is what Bella is trying to do. She thinks that if she fights this change, the pain will stop."

"Is there anything we can do?" I heard her heart thrum frantically as it threw in a last ditch effort to flush the venom out. Her brow furrowed and she whimpered.

"Afraid not," Alice shook her head. "Her body is on the verge of giving up. She should be back with us in a matter of minutes."

"Minutes?" I felt panic creep up into my throat. "I…I don't think I'm ready. What if she doesn't remember me? What if she remembers everything? What if she hates me?"

"Em…." Alice stood. I was too busy wringing my hands, muttering to myself to hear her. "Emmett!" she shouted, slamming her hands on the desk. It creaked and splintered under the force. I snapped my eyes up to her.

"What?"

"It's done," she inclined her head toward the couch.

I turned my head slowly, bracing myself for the worst. Instead I found the exact opposite. Her eyes were still closed , and she appeared to be sleeping. One hand rested on her abdomen, the other at her side. She looked comfortable. Completely at ease. But her chest no longer rose and fell, and her heart no longer beat. Gone was the rosy glow to her cheeks. No longer would she blush when embarrassed, or cry when upset. The frail, fragile Bella we had all grow to love was gone, replaced by the beautiful, indestructible creature who lay before me. I swallowed hard and prepared to speak.

"I heard that," she said.

I couldn't respond. Her voice was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. She opened her eyes, and instead of the warm, inviting brown I was met with the most brilliant shade of crimson. She cocked her head and looked at me quizzically.

"Why did I hear that?" she frowned.

"Hear what, love?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

"Everything!" she exclaimed. "I heard your nervous swallow. I hear the hum of the electricity from the lights. I can hear something scurrying through the wall, and I can hear Alice's excitement."

I spared a quick glance over at Alice, who was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. She grinned exuberantly. I turned my eyes back to Bella, who was now sitting up and inspecting the tubes and wires still attached to her. Her mouth formed a firm line as she tugged at the IV still in her hand. It slid out with ease and the tiny mark left instantly healed itself. She gasped, then, as if to test a theory, she tore the surgical tape off with one swift movement. She stared, awestruck, as the angry red marks on the back of her hand evaporated. She looked back up at me, dumbfounded.

"What…" she paused, gazing briefly at her hand then back up at me. "…is going on?"

"It's kind of complicated-" I stopped short when she shot up off the couch and ran straight for me, her red eyes now filled with unbridled anger. She threw her arms into my chest and I flew across the room, crashing into the bookshelf. I pulled myself up slowly, brushing aside the sawdust and splinters. Carlisle was going to need a new office by the end of the week. Bella now stood in the middle of the room, a beautiful vision of rage and fury. She seethed, her nervous eyes darting from me, to Alice, then back to me.

"No!" she shouted so loud a window pane shattered. She snapped her head in the direction of the sound, then instantly turned back to me. She pointed at the window. "Why did that happen? Why was I able to hurl you across the room? Why didn't it hurt when I pulled that needle from my hand? And don't give me that 'it's complicated' bull shit! What happened to me?"

"Bella, you need to calm down," Jasper's voice suddenly sounded from the door. I turned to see him standing in the door frame, one hand on either side of the molding. She rounded on him, sneering.

"Why?" she spat. "Why should I calm down? Am I going to explode? Am I going to spontaneously combust? What?"

"No," he replied evenly. "But you could kill someone. You are very, very strong right now, Bella, and very volatile."

"No shit, Sherlock!" she growled.

"And that's why you have to harness your emotions. If you let your anger take over, you'll never fully understand what you are," he continued, unfazed by her outburst. "Or how to control yourself."

"Fine," she muttered. " I'm calm. And cut it out with that good vibrations juju crap. I don't need your help." She waved him off and folded her arms across her chest.

Jasper chuckled and strolled into the room, closing the door behind him. He slid an arm around Alice's shoulders and kissed her lightly on top of the head. He glanced over at me and nodded reassuringly. I returned the gesture, trusting him completely to handle the situation.

"Do you remember what happened? Do you know why you're here?" he began.

I watched as Bella's expression melted from one of annoyance to one of utter confusion. She furrowed her brow as she struggled to recall the events that led her here. She frowned, looking down at the floor as if it would magically give her the answer she was seeking. She slowly raised her head, looking from Alice, to Jasper, and then, finally, she met my eyes.

"Edward," she whispered, holding my gaze. "I…I left him. For you."

Her eyes widened as suddenly everything became clear. She was remembering. Everything.

"He tried to hurt Charlie," she murmured. "And I wouldn't forgive him. How could I? He was going to kill the only real family I had left."

"No one expected you to, darlin'" Jasper said sadly. "Do you remember more?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes. He begged me to forgive him. But I refused, and he ran. Then… then Alice had a vision." She turned to Alice, who was now relaxed and contained under Jasper's arm. She sighed. "We…we didn't save him, did we?"

"I'm sorry," Alice looked down at her feet.

"We couldn't," I blurted out. "He had already made up his mind."

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't hear me," she shook her head. "That's all I remember. Everything is blurry after that. It's like I'm looking through a fog…"

She trailed off and turned her still wide eyes back to me.

"A fog…Isaac…" she muttered incoherently.

"Your brother?" I frowned. "Bella, he's-"

"He was with me. In a fog." she cut me off. "He said 'he's going to save you, Bells ..it's going to hurt.' I didn't get it until now. It was you, wasn't it?"

"You took a nasty blow to the head when the car exploded," I explained. "And when you landed, a piece of your rib pierced your heart. You were going to die."

"But you didn't give me that choice, did you? To live or to die?" she hissed, baring her teeth.

"I didn't want this!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. "My God, Bella, I never wanted this life for you! But your father, he didn't leave me with any options. He didn't want to see you suffer!"

"I wanted a life Emmett!" she cried. "I wanted to get married! Have kids! Grow old!"

"You weren't going to make it," I stated. "You weren't going to wake up."

"How do you know?" her eyes blazed with hurt and confusion, and my heart broke.

"The injuries were too severe. Carlisle said there was no chance," I sighed. "You would have bled out if we removed the bone fragment. I would have lost you. I just…I can't be in a world where you don't exist."

She hugged her arms around her torso and folded in on herself. Her face contorted with emotion as she wept, tearless sobs wracking her tiny frame. I ignored Jasper's warning glare and closed the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to pull her to me. I couldn't bear to see her like this. She pushed me away and I staggered back, fighting to maintain my balance.

"Don't. Just…just don't touch me," her voice was dangerously low.

"Love, I -"

"I have to go," she searched frantically for an exit. "I have to get out of here. I can't - I can't be here anymore."

Before any of us could move to stop her, Bella took off like a shot and catapulted herself through the picture window. Shards of glass blew outward and landed harmlessly on the ground below. I flew to the wreckage and looked down. She remained crouched, having landed expertly on her feet. She took a deep breath, gathering the scent of the night, before turning her head and looking up at me. The betrayal in her eyes was more than I could take. She held my gaze for a second longer, then sprinted across the expansive back yard and into the trees.

"She hates me," I growled and punched out the remainder of a pane. "She fucking hates me! I told you she'd hate me!"

"She doesn't hate you," Jasper sighed. "She's just hurt and confused. You need to go after her."

"Go," Alice didn't wait for me to respond. "Now."

"But-"

"Go, Emmett!" she shouted.

I didn't bother to ask twice. I jumped out of the window and took off after her.