ATTENTION ALL READERS:

THIS CHAPTER IS BY FAR THE LONGEST SO FAR. I TRIED MY BEST TO FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE, AND MADE IT, UH, LENGTHLIER. PLEASE, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO READ IT IN ONE SITTING, OR IT WILL EAT AWAY AT YOUR SOUL(at least, that's what all of my friends implied when they got to read "what I wrote so far.")!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is related to the Twilight Series, including the Twilight Series itself. This isn't going to be a very funny message (like they usually are), because my brain is fried from writing the chapter. *Crap. Why did I tell them that? That's not THEIR problem. Is it…? Wow… I never thought about that before….. Maybe it IS their problem….. AH-HAH!!!!!! I've got it!!!!!* Readers, I hereby blame all of YOU for my current state of brain-fried-ness. That's right, IT'S YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!! What do you have to say for yourself? Hmmmmm?! I'm WAITING for your answer! Ah-hem… Ah-hem…! AH-FRIKKEN-HEM!!!!!!!!! GAAAH!!!!!!! You know what, I give up. Just read the chapter, okay? Hello? I said "READ THE CHAPTER!!" So READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I don't know why I bother to entertain you people. You're so… what's the word…? Oh! You're all so EVIL!!!!!!!!!! First, you cause my brain to fry, THEN you don't do what I say when I TELL YOU TO READ THE CHAPTER!!!!!!! And, guess what? YOU'RE STILL NOT READING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am very angry right now……..!!

Emmett Cullen: Its okay, Victoria… Find your happy place…!

Me: But, they… And, I… Then, you… Wait… YOU!!!!!! How the CRAP did you get here?!?!?! You…! You're…! AAAAAAA!!!! *screams in delight and passes out*

Emmett: Uh… Hello…? Victoria…? You, uh, okay…? *there are PEOPLE in here?!?!* Oh! Uh, hey, guys…! Why don't you just, uh, read the chapter, and I'll, um… take care of, uh, this… Mm'kay? Yeah, uh… Bye…!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I woke up feeling strangely calm and happy. Oh my god… I thought as I remembered the previous night. Jasper… That was JASPER!!!! I couldn't believe it. If… If Jasper was here… Did… Did he come…? Is that why I slept so well last night…?

It was at that exact moment that I remembered the nightmare.

…flashback…

Everything was alright. Jacob and I were riding our motorcycles on the usual trail. We had just reached the clearing when I saw a giant lump of black fur on the ground. Jake and I slowed simultaneously, without speaking.

"Sam…" I heard him mumble.

He jumped off his bike without braking, not caring that it spun out of control. He ran to the wolf's unmoving body faster than he had ever run before. I watched as he fell to his knees next to the corpse.

"Jake?" I called after him. I stopped my bike and rested it on a tree. I walked over to him, prepared to comfort him at all costs, not wanting him to be upset.

"Jake…?" I murmured as I placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!!" he screamed as he whirled around and knocked my hand away. I jumped back, startled by his sudden anger. "This is YOUR fault!!" I was shocked. He was blaming me…?!

"How is this my fault?!"

"You know who did this? That stupid parasite woman! If you had never gotten together with that damn bloodsucker, this never would have happened!!"

"Jake…!"

"No. Don't you talk to me. Sam is dead, and you might as well have killed him!!"

"Jacob Black!!"

"I said NO, Bella!"

He started to shake. His tremors grew so violent that he collapsed onto his side. His body was so deformed from the shaking that he looked like he was crippled.

Then I heard it.

There was rustling in the brush behind me, and a chorus of sad whines. I spun around in time to see the rest of the pack emerging from the forest, surrounding me. Only Embry was in his human form, a forlorn look in his eyes.

None of them seemed to notice Jacob, even as he convulsed at my feet. Their eyes were all locked on me, and Paul snarled viciously. Soon after, they all joined in.

"What did you do to us, Bella?" Embry asked, all sadness replaced by rage. "Why do we deserve this? What did we ever do to you?!" There was an explosion of light and fabric as Embry morphed.

I was outnumbered, they were angry, and I was going to die. I couldn't think of anything else until I saw the flash of bright, flame-red hair.

Victoria appeared out of nowhere, and then she was circling us. I tried to warn the pack, but my cries were lost among the sounds of sheer fury that erupted from the throat of each werewolf. She stalked, like a cat, around the wolves. I tried to scream to them, but my voice had vanished altogether.

No…! I thought. Don't hurt them!!

I couldn't move. My muscles wouldn't listen to what my brain was telling them to do. I tried to run, but my legs were frozen. I tried to point at her, make them see her, but my arms wouldn't part with my sides.

She stopped behind Jared, and eyed him fiercely. I blinked, and she was on Jared's back, gripping his head in her thin yet powerful hands. I knew what was going to happen, but nothing could prepare me for what Victoria did.

All I could do was stare; my eyes just wouldn't shut.

The snarls were suddenly nothing compared to the deafening crack of Jared's neck.

I screamed in horror, but only Victoria seemed to hear me. She smiled wickedly, thirst burning in her eyes. The pack continued to snarl, completely unaware that they had just lost Jared. In less than a second, she was behind Paul, ready to pounce. "Paul," I tried to yell. "Paul, she's behind you!!" He couldn't hear me.

Then, he appeared. Seemingly out of nowhere, there he was. Edward, my Edward, was less than six inches from my face.

"Edward…! You came back!" I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Bella, Love, of course I did." He smiled my favorite crooked smile. "You didn't think that I could resist you any longer, did you?" that confused me. He wasn't speaking to me in a loving way; he was speaking with acid and confidence.

"Resist me…?"

His grin just grew wider and more angelic. It kept growing until I thought his mouth would tear in two. Then it wasn't a grin anymore. His lips stretched over his teeth in a scowl dripping with hunger and impatience.

Then I saw his eyes. Their irises were black with rings of deep red around the edges, the color of freshly fallen blood. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. He wasn't a monster. He was Edward. He couldn't be a monster. He always told me that the reason he didn't feed on humans was because he didn't want to ne a monster.

I couldn't help but feel more bitter and sullen than fearful. I knew that I should have been afraid, but I wasn't. Not of him, anyway. He was still my Edward, we still had a history, and I still loved him.

"You didn't come to protect me, did you?" There was undeniable despair in my words; I could hear it.

He chuckled, the scowl still in place. "Silly, human Bella… I am a vampire…! We don't protect humans!!" There was a dark, twisted sound of humor in his tone. "No… we don't protect them. We kill them." All traces of amusement dissolved as he said the last part.

"But, Edward… You're not a monster! I know you!! You wouldn't ever hurt me… You loved me…!" I was trying to talk my way out of danger, and without much luck. His face remained hard as he shook his head slowly back and forth.

"Ah, but that is where you are incorrect, Bella. I'm not a monster; I'm simply embracing my true nature. As for loving you, I was confused then. I didn't quite understand how mistaken I was in trying to spare the lives of humans. You are all such pointless, incompetent creatures. You mean nothing."

I looked deep into his eyes, the eyes that I no longer knew, and found no evidence of conflict or a lie. There was no love there, only hunger and rage. There wasn't any confusion in him; he knew exactly what he was doing, and it seemed like he wanted to kill me.

"Would killing me make you happy, Edward?" that appeared to have caught him off guard. There was a flash of an unsettled expression on his face, but he composed himself quickly. "Would it? Because, if it would, go ahead and do it. You've changed, and I have no reason to be alive any longer. You're not the Edward that I fell in love with, and I want him back. But, I can see that he is gone, and perhaps the only way to find him is in death. If you feel that you must kill me, I give you permission." I tried to keep my composure in tact, but my voice broke a few times, and tears blurred my vision.

"I… I'm not sure how to answer that…" he appeared stunned, but I knew what his answer would be.

"Do it, Edward, I want you to."

His face went blank, but he sauntered closer and lowered his head to my neck. I tilted my chin up to make it easier for him, surprised at myself for doing so. Was I really that willing to die…?

A sudden, feline growl came from across the field. Edward lifted his head and whirled around so quickly that he was just a blur in my eyes.

Victoria had released her grip on Paul, seeming to have witnessed our entire conversation. "The girl is mine," she hissed. "I deserve her…!"

"You are mistaken, Victoria. You see, in killing Bella, you are not getting revenge on anyone. I no longer have feelings for Bella; in fact, I plan on killing her myself. Her blood has always been more appealing to me than any other. She belongs to me; she always has."

I couldn't believe it. He thinks that I belong to him…?! I thought about arguing, but figured that I would be better off if I kept my mouth shut.

Victoria let loose a feral hiss and leaped off the back of the still-oblivious werewolf.

"Trust me, Victoria. You do not want to argue with me about this. Isabella is mine."

She stood across from him, her crimson eyes fixed on his face, her brilliant hair blowing wildly around her oddly-feline face.

Then I was falling.

I was on the ground, and everything was suddenly uncomfortably hot and shaking violently. It felt like there was an iron bar holding me to the ground. I couldn't escape it, and it, too, was hot. I tried to twist my head around to see what it really was, and not without difficulty. It was an arm. A russet-colored, muscular, seemingly-angry arm.

"Jacob? What are you doing?! Why didn't you run away? You could get hurt!" He wasn't paying any attention to me. He was still convulsing, but he had gained some control; enough to focus on the vampires in the clearing.

"They're both wrong," he muttered to himself. "She's mine."

"You're all unbelievable…!" I mumbled under my breath.

"Excuse me…?" Edward turned his head to the side to look at us. When he saw me in Jacob's arms, a low growl built up in his chest.

I looked at the ground below me, but I was shaking so much because of Jacob that I my eyes couldn't focus. "You heard me," I whispered coldly. I knew that I was in trouble now. I basically just signed my own death certificate.

When I finally looked up to meet his eyes, he was glaring murderously at me. I tried to look away, but failed. These new eyes of his were just as hypnotizing as his last, in a scary, haunting way.

"You. Belong. To. Me." He said through clenched teeth. Then his face softened a bit, his jaw relaxed, and he became confident. "If you do not believe me, I will prove to you that nobody else can have you." I stared at him, awestruck and confused.

A fierce growl ripped through his teeth, and he turned on Victoria. It took a few mere seconds for her feline shriek to drown out all other sounds in the meadow, and the sound of shredding metal made me grind my teeth together. The fire appeared, and the murky smoke rose into the sky, filling the air with the smell of too-sweet incense. For a moment, brilliantly red hair laid just outside the fire, not yet engulfed by the flames. But, it caught fire before I could look away, and burned quickly.

The monster turned and stalked towards where Jacob was holding me down, shielding me. "Jake," I whispered to him. "Jake! Let me go, get the pack, and run! Go! Now!!" he, again, acted as though he couldn't hear me. "Jacob," I said a bit louder. "Listen to me!!"He looked over at me, his face strained. "Jake, you need to run! I'll be okay, I promise."

"I'm not letting him have you. You're mine, and I have to protect you." I was getting really tired of belonging to everyone.

"Listen to me. I'm not his, I'm not yours, I'm not anybodies. I belong to myself, and I can take care of myself!"

He just shook his head, his black eyes angry. "I will not let him hurt you, Bella! I nee-"

He was gone. I was lying on the ground by myself, searching the grass for Jacob. I saw a pair of shoes by where Jacob's bike stopped and fell, and I followed their body up to their face. It was Edward. Edward and Jacob.

Edward had his hand around Jacob's throat, lifting him off the ground, and Jacob was hanging, limp, in the air. His russet-colored skin turned an awful purple color, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Edward had an evil smirk on his face, laughing at Jake's pain.

"Jake…? Jake…! Jacob!! Edward! Edward, stop it!! You can have me, I don't care. Just, please, for God's sake, let him go!!!!"

Without speaking, Edward released his grip on Jake's neck, the smirk gone, a furious glint in his murderous eyes. Jacob fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. I got up and ran to him, not caring that Edward was eying me intently.

"Jake?! Jacob!" I sank down on my knees at his side, and awkwardly wrapped my arms around him. I rolled back into a cross-legged position, and rested his head on my lap, brushing his shaggy black hair out of his face. "Oh, Jake…! Are you alright?" he was shaking again, worse than before. "Jake? Jacob, calm down. Jake…? Jacob!!"

Right there, in my arms, Jacob morphed. I was caught in the explosion, and it felt as if I was being blown to pieces.

I had never experienced so much pain before in my life. It was like being ripped to shreds on the surface of the sun. When the light faded, I was on my back, looking at the sky. I could smell the blood, and I felt sick to my stomach. I closed my eyes, but opened them quickly when I saw Emily's face behind my lids.

There was so much pain. It was everywhere. My entire torso was searing, and it felt like my legs were disconnected from the rest of my body. I was in agony.

A low whine sounded in my ear, but I couldn't turn my head to see where it came from. I knew that it was Jacob, but I wasn't sure if it was in response to my injuries, of if Edward was hurting him.

"…Edward," I managed to croak out. "Edward… please… Don't… Don't hurt him…"

"I can't even think about him now" he whispered hungrily. "Not while I can smell that…!"

I knew that he was referring to my blood, and I didn't care. I would welcome death with open arms if it meant escaping the excruciating pain. I had to close my eyes; they wouldn't stay open any longer.

Jacob growled angrily. "No," I whispered painfully."Jake… It's okay… Go home… Take the… the pack and… and go. I'll… I'll be okay… I promise." He licked my face, and I tried not to flinch at how much it stung. "Go, Jake…! I-I love you… Thank you… for taking… care of… of me… You… protected me, and… now… now it's my turn. I'll… I'll be… alright. Now… go…!"

I felt a burst of heat beside me, and then a warm hand on my forehead. There was a hot, frantic breath on my cheek, and Jacob whispered, "I'm so sorry, Bella…!" I could tell, by the way his words were heavy and quavering, that he was crying. "I let you down; I broke my promise, I hurt you. And, Bella, I can not, will not leave you. I've waited so long to hear you say that you love me, and I need you, Bells. I can't lose you…!" He sounded so heartbroken and sorrowful. He was so disgusted with himself for hurting me, and he really did need me. But I needed him to be safe. This was no time to be selfish. I knew that I was going to die, there was no doubting that. I didn't want him to die beside me. He had his whole life ahead of him, and I wouldn't take that away from him.

"Jake… I-" Edward unleashed an appetent hiss from somewhere on my other side. "Hurry, Jake… before he… hurts you… too."

"I can't just-"

"Go, Jake…!" I said as loudly and with as much force as I possibly could without my lungs crumpling. He seemed to get the message, because he took his hand away.

"I love you, Bells. More than you could ever possibly imagine." His breath was close to my lips, and I opened my eyes to his face, right above mine, and so close. His eyes searched mine, pleading. He was torn; behind the streaks his tears created, I could see it on his face. He leaned closer, but hesitated, conflicted.

"Go ahead… Do it… It's… okay." He smiled an excruciatingly sad smile, and kissed me. I tried to kiss him back, but it was hard. I was so weak and broken. I could barely move my lips. He was trying to be gentle, but I could feel how much he was struggling not to display all of his affection.

It wasn't anything like kissing Edward. Well, the old Edward; my Edward. There was so much passion in this one kiss, though it was so gentle. Somehow, though, it was different. All of the passion came from him, not me. There was no electricity, no adrenaline. I tried to love him, to need him, the way that he loved and needed me, but failed. This was also a sad kiss; a goodbye kiss. I was never going to see Jacob again, and we both knew it. There was no way that Edward would be able to stop himself now. Not while I was lying in shreds in a pool of my own blood. All hope of convincing him to leave me alive had vanished. Edward was a thirsty monster, my blood was irresistible to him, and it was everywhere. The vampire frenzy would soon begin, and Jacob would be without me for the rest of his life. I loved him, and he was the only thing that was worth protecting.

When he broke off for air, I kept my face close to his and said, "Jake… You… you have to… to go. Always remember… that… that I love you… okay…?"

"Okay. I love you too, Bella. I will never forget…!" We were both crying now. Silently, the tears rolled down our faces as we stared into each others eyes.

"Go, Jake… Tell Charlie… that… that I'm sorry… That I… love him… and goodbye."

"Alright. I'll miss you, Bella. I love you. Goodbye."

"Bye… Jake." He leaned down and kissed me one more time, with more passion. It hurt, but I didn't care. I was in so much pain already, so what was a little bit more going to do? It would all be over soon anyway, so I wanted to let him finally show his love. He stood up, looked at me one last time, and frowned. His last memory of me was going to be horrible. How would he feel when he thought of me now? The horrible picture of my shredded body lying in a pool of blood would haunt him forever. The fact that it was his doing would haunt him even more.

"Jake…?"

His lower lip was quivering, and he bit down on it hard. "Yeah, Bella?"

"Don't… don't remember me… like… like this… Okay…? Promise me."

"I don't know if I can do that, but I'll try. I promise, Bells."

"Good… I love you."

"Love you too." And, with that, he was gone. I closed my eyes again, waiting for Edward to kill me and take the pain away. My face was soaked with a mixture of blood and tears, and my eyes burned under their lids. To make matters worse, all I could see was Jacob. His expression when he looked me over one last time was Sam's exact face when he looked at Emily's scars. But Jacob couldn't ever make up for it. He couldn't love me to the point where I no longer cared about it. He couldn't do everything in his power to ensure that I forgave him, even if he never forgave himself. And he couldn't ever know that he was already forgiven.

I tried to listen for signs of Edward's approach, but I didn't hear anything. The pack was evidently gone, because the snarling stopped. There were no footsteps, no birds, no wind. There was nothing; just me, the grass below me, and the pain. All I could hear was the sounds of my short, weak breaths. Where was he? What was he waiting for?

I could still smell the blood, and I felt as though I was going to faint. If I pass out, will it be over more quickly? Will I feel anything? Then there was something mixed with the rust-and-salt smell of my blood. Sweet, pure, and beautiful.

"…Bella…?"

I slowly opened my eyes.

He was sitting next to me, gazing at me, his eyes boring into mine. He looked… concerned. Not just concerned, but genuinely worried and afraid. What's going on with him…? What is he doing?

He leaned down over my shredded body. Here it comes… I squeezed my eyes shut, expectant and dismal.

I waited for the pierce; the needle-like prick of his teeth breaking my skin. At least, that's what it would have felt like compared to what I had just gone through. Instead, I felt a hand. His marble-hard, ice cold hand on my cheek, the other stroking my hair.

My eyes flew open, confused by his gentle touch. I began to gasp and wheeze, panicked by the thought of prolonging this. His mouth was at my ear as he whispered, "Shh, Love. It's just me. I'm here. Oh, Bella… How I've missed you…! It's all okay, my love. Don't worry; I'll stay the night."

What's going on…? Why is he doing this…? If he was trying to make me suffer more, it was working. On top of all of the external pain, my heart suddenly shredded on its own.

"…Edward…?"

His head raised, his reddish-brown hair brushing my cheek. He gazed into my eyes with more love than I ever imagined possible. I don't understand… Wasn't he going to kill me? What's gotten into him?

As I stared back into his eyes, they changed. The menacing crimson melted away. It was replaced by the most beautiful liquid-gold color that I've ever seen. It was so warm, warmer than I remembered. I didn't understand anything anymore. He was going to kill me; I could see it in his eyes. My blood was so tempting to him, and it was still pouring out of my body. Why was he all of a sudden so loving? Why did he care again?

I didn't know, but I didn't care. Whether it the cause was Edward or my injuries, I was still going to die. I could feel myself growing weaker with each passing second, each breath shorter and more painful than the last. My vision started getting hazy around the edges, and I knew that my time was limited.

"Edward…I-" He put his finger to my lips, making me stop midsentence.

"That's it, Bella. Breathe… Just breathe……"

I did as I was told. There was so much more that I wanted to say to him; so much more that I wanted to do. I wanted to scream at him for leaving, tell him that I hated him for what he did, but that I forgave him, and still loved him. I wanted to slap him-though I would just end up hurting myself-and than pull him to me and kiss him. But I couldn't; I couldn't even move.

When he pulled his finger away, I tried my luck at talking again. "Edward… please… please stay… with me…"

"I cannot, my love. As much as I wish that I could, I refuse to endanger you."

"But… I've missed you… so much… You can't… you can't leave me… again… Please… Don't… Don't go…"

"Bella, Love, I know that you must have missed me; I missed you as well. I can guarantee that I've missed you more than you could possibly imagine, but I simple cannot stay. Every moment that I spend with you is a threat to your very life. I refuse to let anyone harm you."

"And I… I refuse… to let… anyone… separate us. I… I love you… too much… to let… you… go…"

"Oh my dear Bella…" He trailed off into deep thought. A few moments later, he squared his shoulders and said "I see now that my leaving caused you this pain. I love you so, my Bella. I shall stay. We can overcome any obstacles thrown in our path. My family and I will take care of you; we can protect you, and we will. I love you…!"

I felt a small, weak smile appear on my face. "I… I love… you… too…" I breathed.

He kissed me than, his marble lips surprisingly soft on mine. It was by far the best thing I've ever felt. Better than Jacob's kiss, better than any kiss we'd ever shared. There was so much sheer electricity flowing through me, and it felt wonderful. A weight had been lifted, and the pain began to fade. I could feel my legs again, and my torso felt whole. I couldn't smell the blood anymore, and my nausea was just a distant memory.

I tried to rise to a sitting position to get closer to him; I succeeded, but not without much difficulty. When he realized that I was in a better condition, he didn't hold back quite as much.

He broke off suddenly, and rose to his feet, leaving me on the ground, gasping for air.

"Edward…?"

He walked to where the lifeless wolf bodies of Sam and Jared were laying.

"This is my fault, isn't it?"

"No! No, of course not…! It was Victoria's fault. She killed them, not you."

"But if I hadn't left…" He trailed off and stood motionless. I sat there, watching his still figure, for what seemed like hours. When he did move, I almost missed it. Had I blinked, I wouldn't have seen his quick move to Sam. He crouched down next to the wolf, mumbling something so fast that I couldn't understand him.

He was suddenly at Jared's side, and the same thing occurred. When he stood and came to meet me, I asked him what he was doing.

"Just watch them," was his answer. He helped me to my feet and kept my hand in his. I turned my head towards them before my eyes left Edward's face. When my gaze shifted, the giant piles of fur moved.

"Wh-what…?! Oh… Oh my God…!"

The wolves rode to their feet, and their necks snapped back into place. The sound was rather repulsive, and I cringed. They looked at each other, at Edward, and then at me. Jared trotted over, licked my cheek, and I giggled with joy. Sam was slower to join us. When he did, he winked and nudged my shoulder with his nose.

Jared whined, and I knew why. "He's alright. I sent him and the rest of the pack away when things got too… risky, I guess you could say. Go on home. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to see you." They nodded at Edward, winked at me, and turned to disappear into the forest toward town.

Edward grabbed me and pulled me into a huge hug, and lifted me onto his back. I laughed in delight as he ran through the woods. He took me to our meadow, and we laid there for what I wished could be forever.

...end flashback…

"My God… He was here…!"