Edward and the man beside him had instinctively jumped back from her. She wasn't sure why they were scared, but she was too. Something had changed within her. She felt wrong somehow. She had just been in a car wreck for fuck's sake. She shouldn't be able to sit up like she was now. She should be hooked up to IVs, have her limbs in casts, or if she were going to be honest with herself, she should be dead. She remembered Tyler's van crashing into her. She remembered the weight of it, the cold steel pressing against her ribcage, her head succumbing to gravity's pull and coming down hard on the side of the vehicle, mercifully taking her conciousness away.

Everything after was fuzzy, except for a blinding surge of pain that had coursed through her a few moments before. She had assumed that must have been what death felt like, and in her last moments, she had even imagined that she had gotten to say goodbye to her father. However, here she was, in a— hospital? It was a stark white room, smelling strongly of disinfectant and something indescribable. It was a smell that made her stomach lurch, and she felt a pang of hunger. Bella cleared her throat, bringing her attention to a scorching rising up her gullet and resting on her tongue. Her hand went reflexively to the spot, and she was surprised by a stillness there. It clicked suddenly that her heartbeat had hushed, taking with it the gentle cadence of breathing, of living. Her head snapped up, and she asked her question again.

"What did you DO to me?"

No one spoke. Bella's question hung in the air like the fine mist that usually covered Forks. Edward extended his arms in front of himself, stepping slowly towards Bella, who was eyeing him like a wary street dog. He kept his gaze locked on hers, unblinking and unfaltering. A leaden pit of unease grew heavier and heavier in his gut the closer he drew to her. His senses were at their strongest, Darwinism at work, and yet— he barely recognized the girl in front of him. Her scent was draining away, and he saw images in his mind of her cherry-colored blood being overtaken by an obsidian fluid that burned everything it came into contact with. It sent a pang of regret through him, and he stopped moving. A pale beam of sunlight drifted in from a distant window, bathing him in a cream-tinted brilliance. Bella tilted her head, studying him. She still looked so small, so helpless. He almost laughed out loud at that thought, thinking how that misconception could be someone else's fatal mistake.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't sure what to say to her. Should he tell her that they'd stolen her life away? That she'd live forever fighting the darkest temptations? That is, if she decided to live the way they did. He was suddenly fearful. This girl who was unknowingly stealing his heart away had the potential to hurt him and his family. She could ruin everything they had built here in Forks. As he studied her, he imagined the type of feral being that she could become. She didn't know it yet, but she had the power within her to burn cities to the ground, to start a holy war. He did not want that life for her. The question was, how did he help her make the right choice? How would she trust him after what he'd done? He realized then that she was still waiting for an answer to her inquiry. Oh god, he thought, where do I start, Bella?

"He saved your life."

Carlisle's voice rose above the overwhelming chaos inside of Edward's head. He turned around and blinked at his adoptive father. He was not entirely sure that was the best approach to the situation, but at least he was actually able to speak. Edward's throat had gone dry, as if he needed to feed. Carlisle put his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and shrugged slightly.

"I'm not sure how much you remember, Bella. The change affects everyone differently. I do know that the venom taking hold of you will be the brightest memory right now, as it is quite akin to being burned alive. I know I speak for Edward when I say that we are incredibly sorry for any and all pain or trauma that you have gone through at our hands, but we all believed that you deserved a second chance."

Bella laughed dryly at that, voice hoarse and mirthless. The sound of it shocked some part of her. She had never felt farther away from her own body; her mind. She recalled a horror movie she had watched late one night with Charlie, called Invasion of the Body Snatchers. She had thought it to be comical and cheesy then; but as she thought of it now, she was filled with fear at losing control over herself because of some outside, alien force. A shiver ran through her. She looked up, ignoring Edward's form to focus on the older man.

"A second chance?"

The man smiled then, which filled Bella's stomach with a nauesating rage. He stepped confidently to Edward's side. He rubbed his chin, seeming to be mulling something over. Edward shot him a piercing look and shook his head slightly, but the older man took no heed. He straightened his shoulders and knelt by her side.

"Bella, I'm sure that you've grown up with your parents telling you tales of various things that supposedly go bump in the night. The things of nightmares; meant to keep children safely in their beds after curfew. This is going to sound outlandish, believe me, but there are pieces of those tales that are based entirely in truth. Edward and I— well, the whole Cullen family are what you would call vampires. However, we are different from Dracula or Nosferatu in just about every way but especially in that we do not partake in the consumption of human blood. It is possible for our kind to quench our thirst on animals alone, just as humans do for meat. I hope you'll join us in this, Bella, but as you are your own person, I cannot force you. There are covens other than ours who don't practice our brand of vegetarianism."

Bella's brows knitted together in confusion. It was all too much too fast, and she didn't understand a word that he was saying. It was infuriating. Vegetarianism? Coven? Vampires? Was this a dream? Maybe she was in a coma and having a very realistic nightmare. That had to be it. She took in the two men before her. They were beautiful; eerily so. She had always been drawn to Edward; his pale skin and unnerving golden brown eyes, but it was like she had been looking at him through eyes clouded by cataracts and had just gotten them removed. He glowed. She could almost swear that his skin was glistening. The platinum haired man next to her was just as radiant, and he was looking at her with a long-suffering look in his eyes. She couldn't stop her curiosity.

"Who are you?"

The man stood up again, brushing his hair back and smiling once more.

"I'm so sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Carlisle Cullen. I'm the patriarch of our coven. That sounds so pretentious, but really, I have no idea how else to explain it. I could say I'm Edward's father, but that's only half true. I could say that I'm his sire, which is completely true, yet not the whole story. We will have time to discuss everything to you, Bella. This transition is going to be lengthy, but we'll be there for you every step of the way."

"Why?"

Bella's soft query was heartbreaking in its simplicity. There were so many questions that branched off of it, like long spindles of lightning shooting across the sky. Why me? Why not death? Why you? Carlisle braced himself to answer, but Edward was shaking his head, seemingly saying, not now. Edward knew if he put all of his cards on the table, he had a chance of losing Bella right here, before they'd had a real chance to start. So he chose the easiest answer.

"I feel really guilty about how I treated you on your first day. I know that it's not easy being the new kid; I've had to do it more times than I can count now. The attention, the obsession- it's overwhelming. I have it a little easier because I can read people's thoughts, so I can ignore the ones who may mean me harm, but you don't have that luxury. To think that I made such a terrible impression and caused you so much self-doubt made me sick. Then I found out who your father is. He's always been good to my family. In truth, he would be our greatest ally should something go wrong here. He's a good man, Bella. I've heard him thinking about you before you ever moved here; your mother too. Your absence has weighed heavily on him. I saw you hanging on to life by a single thread, and I imagined my own mother. I remembered being struck down by the Spanish influenza, and while my mother was battling the same thing, she was unconcerned with herself. She barely had the strength to lift her own head, but she begged for my life to anyone who would hear her. Carlisle made her last moments bearable, as she knew I would be taken care of. I wanted to share the same courtesy with your father."

Bella searched his eyes, looking for some tell that he wasn't giving her the truth. She was beginning to feel more and more uneasy.

"This isn't a nightmare, is it?"

Edward laughed in spite of himself. It wasn't funny, exactly, but he could remember feeling the same way when he came to after the change. He had been convinced that either he was dreaming, or he was stuck in some sort of limbo, and he couldn't figure out how to escape.

"Oh, it's a nightmare, all right. The only trouble is that you're wide awake."

Bella watched as his eyes crinkled, obviously terribly impressed with his own joke. She felt a pang in her chest, as if someone had grabbed her immoble heart and squeezed it. She wanted to laugh, to smile, but there was a war being fought within her. She should be angry, shouldn't she? She never asked for their help. They never asked her consent. She knew that their intentions were good, but how could they decide this for her? She was seventeen. She barely knew how to walk without tripping, or to breathe without choking on her own saliva. How was she going to make it through a multitude of lifetimes this way?

A crashing sounded from the back of the room. The door on the back wall swung open, and it toppled a cart of medical supplies. The noise was deafening to Bella's new predatory hearing. She clasped her hands over her ears and put her head between her knees. Edward glanced behind him to see Charlie Swan standing in the doorway; looking worse for wear. Carlisle was at his side in an instant, anger flashing in his usually patient eyes.

"I told you to LEAVE."

Charlie pushed away from Carlisle, panting. He caught sight of Bella, bent in a sort of fetal position on the bed in the back of the room, and his eyes welled up with tears. He had believed he would never see her again; but here she was, in one piece. If her shirt hadn't been drenched in blood, you would never really know that anything had happened to her. She looked up at him suddenly, her chesnut locks cascading down her shoulders. She looked perfect. Mesmerizing. Her eyes— they were all wrong. Instead of her usual chocolate brown gaze, there were two droplets of scarlet staring back at him. He felt his heart quickening in his chest. What had he allowed them to do?

"I know what you said, Dr. Cullen, but I did some thinking in the car, and what I came up with was this: She's my daughter. I can't very well let her go with you to do god knows what and join your cult, coven, whatever. I sincerely appreciate everything you've done, but I just want my daughter back."

Bella's body was straight and still as a board. The smell of her father was overwhelming. She could make out his favorite beer, a frozen dinner, his shampoo. All these comforting, familiar smells were covering up something sweet. Something she had never detected off of a person before. It made the burning in her throat feel as though somone had tried to put out the fire with gasoline. She needed to be closer. If she were closer, the burning would stop. The thought had barely occurred to her before the room turned to chaos. She realized she was no longer in that hospital bed, but all the way across the space and on top of her father. She had tackled him to the ground in an instant, and was smelling his neck, teeth bared.

Edward and Carlisle flew into action, grabbing Bella on both sides and tried to pull her away. Her newborn strength hindered the attempt, keeping her locked in place. She brougt her teeth down, not biting, but testing the motion. Charlie was crying under her. She caught the salty, earthy smell of it, and stopped. What was she doing? How had she lost control so completely? She gave in to Edward and Carlisle's hands, and she returned to her spot near the bed. Edward followed, locking his arms around his shoulders. She clutched the side of the bed with one hand, afraid she would take off again without her mind's consent. Her body was an animal, living off of instinct and bloodlust. It could not be trusted. She looked back towards her father, whom Carlisle was now helping to his feet. His hands shook as he straightened his clothes and wiped his face with the back of his hand. His eyes were swimming with tears, and he tried to take a step forward to her, but Carlisle firmly gripped his arm.

"If this scene has taught you anything, Mr. Swan, let it be that it's a miracle your daughter didn't rip your throat out. I asked you to leave, not because my family is intent on taking your daughter away from you, but because she could have killed you in one fell swoop before you would even have had time to scream, and before she would have had time to think twice. She will never come back from her first kill, especially if that kill is her father. She is incredibly vulnerable right now, Charlie. Go. Home."

Charlie ripped his arm out of Carlisle's hand, rubbing the spot on his neck where Bella had traced her fangs down the skin. He looked at his daughter in earnest then, and did not recognize her. She was some sort of beast that was wearing Bella's face. Edward was holding her in his arms, and though she was not struggling, her pupils were wide as a deer's caught in headlights. He turned and left without another word. Bella released her grip on the bed, and saw an indention from her hand in the metal. She looked up at Edward, who had not let her go. She wanted to make a demand, but it came out as a desperate plea.

"Help me."

Edward dropped his arms, taking her hands in his. He pushed back an errant string of hair out of her face and behind her ear. He was consumed by a need to kiss her, but he pushed it back. This was neither the time nor the place for this. They needed to get her home. Well, it wouldn't be home to her just yet, but it would be better than this unfeeling and traumatic environment where she was surrounded by gore that came from her own body and new, horrific memories that would begin to shape her new life. He imagined that everyone else had made it back by now, with Alice surely filling Esme in on the day's events. He had no idea what would be waiting for them at home. Would they be happy? Angry? They'll accept her, he thought. They have to. He gave Bella a small, lopsided grin.

"Follow me."

And with that, they were running, hands clasped. Edward knew Carlisle wasn't following, not yet. There would be cleaning up that had to be done, people that would need to be lied to. He looked at Bella for a moment, and her head was lifted in what looked like glee. God, how he wished he could looked inside her mind, just for a second. He wanted to know if he had done the right thing. He wanted to know that it wasn't just selfishness that prompted him to change her. He wanted to know if she felt the same way he did. They reached the house, a glass fortress masked by a dense thicket of trees.

Alice was on the porch, a Cheshire grin frozen on her petite face. She raised her arms, bringing their attention to a bright yellow sign hanging across the doorframe; something that cheerleaders might make for a school pep rally. The letters were neat, colorful, and embellished with puff paint. Alice had drawn Bella below them, giving a thumbs up. Edward rolled his eyes at his sister, mouthing, What the fuck? She merely nodded towards Bella, who Edward turned to see taking in the sights before her. He watch her mouth turn upwards as she made out the phrase.

WELCOME HOME!