Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Flying solo folks.

Thank you to my reviewers.

Chapter 59

Don't tell him was Alice's advice to me.

The first thing I did when Taylor left for class was call Alice. She'd been a little confused at first when I began to fire off questions about the Volturi. Were the Volturi making plans to check up on me? When was the last time she'd had a vision about them?

When she finally got me to calm down, I explained to her–without going into a lot of details–that the nature of my relationship with Taylor had changed and I wanted to tell him the truth about the Cullens and the Volturi. I'd planned to leave the werewolves out of the story as much as possible. As far as I knew, the draken had no beef with werewolves, so there was no need to divulge their existence.

After learning about my intentions Alice went eerily silent. Don't tell him, was the first thing out of her mouth. Everything hinged on what I said to him. If I said the wrong thing, our relationship would be over. She couldn't understand why I needed to come clean now, and I couldn't tell her about Taylor and Liz's connection to the Volturi. Somehow it felt wrong to tell Alice about the things Taylor had confided in me about his family.

We went back and forth with each other, me adamantly sticking by my decision to be truthful with Taylor, Alice insisting that there was no need to. At least, not right this instant. It was only after I pressed for a reason that she finally revealed that there was a power struggle going on between Caius and another Volturi member. Checking up on me was definitely not on their list of priorities, and would not be for quite some time. Alice went on to say that if they ever did show interest, they would surely contact Carlisle first.

She'd confessed that Edward had learned some things about the draken from Liz's thoughts the last time we visited them. Since then, Edward and Carlisle had been doing research to try and find out more about the draken. All of their digging had turned up very little results so far. A few myths here and there, but nothing solid to go on. I briefly considered sharing what Taylor had told me about the draken, only to decide against it in the end. I couldn't betray Taylor's confidence, not even to the Cullens.

Alice was upset that she was unable to dissuade me from telling Taylor. Still, before hanging up, she assured me that she'd be checking in, just in case I needed her to come to Hanover. Alice didn't say it but I knew she meant to be there, in case I needed someone to pick me up off the floor when Taylor left me.

Hours passed as I sat on the edge of my bed locked in misery. It wasn't fair. Why did it have to be the Volturi? What did I do to deserve this? I left Forks to get away from the supernatural and start over, only to have my past come back to haunt me. I could hardly believe it. The Volturi were the ones that turned Marianna's daughter and terrorized the draken for centuries. Don't ask me how I knew, but I was willing to bet that Aro was the first vampire to make contact with the Drogoa tribe. Just remembering the way those creepy red eyes studied me as though I was some kind of science experiment, was enough to make me shudder. Being creepy and stalkerish completely fit his M.O.

Over the course of the day, the dull ache in my head had morphed into an intense pain that made coherent thought difficult. In the midst of my crisis, I was also dealing with a terrible migraine. As if I didn't have enough to deal with? How much worse could my day get?

Despite Alice's warnings and the pain in my head, I tried to reassure myself that it would be okay. If Taylor really loved me like he said he did, he'd understand. Right? We could survive this. Alice was wrong. She didn't know Taylor like I did.

Still, deep inside, I couldn't help but worry that Taylor would think that I was a Volturi pet sent to entrap him. The thought of him hating me was unbearable.

I threw a glance at the clock. Taylor would be home any minute now.

Minutes later, I heard Taylor enter the apartment and felt my stomach knot with anxiety.

"Hey, you didn't answer any of my texts today–" Taylor rounded the corner and halted in the doorway. His eyes traveled over me, taking in my blotchy skin and eyes red rimmed from crying.

My mouth struggled to form the words that would destroy everything I spent three years building. Why did crappy things always happen to me? Why couldn't I have been a normal girl?

"I have something to tell you–about me–about my past," I said after releasing a shaky breath.

"Your past?" Confusion drew a crease in his brow as he moved toward me.

"Yes. It's about some people I used to be involved with." I knew that I was stalling.

"I know what this is about." Taylor frowned, looking disappointed.

"You do?" I stood up and had to blink away my dizziness.

"This is about what I said this morning. I told you some scary things about my family and now you're freaking out." His voice had a sad timbre to it.

"What–No… well not exactly."

His mouth twisted sardonically. "Not exactly? You look like you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown."

"Do you remember when I told you that I had secrets I could never talk about?" I asked, while doing my best to ignore the queasy feeling in my stomach.

"Are you talking about that discussion we had about your friend's secret." Nodding intensified the throbbing in my head. "Then I don't want to know."

This wasn't what I expected at all. "What do you mean you don't want to know?"

"I mean it. Whatever this secret is, I'd rather not know." His face hardened with determination. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

I tried again. "You don't understand–"

"No, I understand perfectly. Someone trusted you with their secrets, and now you feel like you have to share it with me because I told you some weird stuff about my family." He stepped closer. "I don't want you to feel as if you have to betray your friend." He smiled and his next words hammered his point home. "After all, how can I trust you to keep my secret while forcing you to tell me someone else's?"

I stared at Taylor incredulously. In his mind telling the Cullens secret would mean that I couldn't be trusted to keep his. He didn't want me to betray my friends, not even for him. What was I supposed to do now?

Taylor picked up on my confusion.

"Isabella, we have something special and rare." His eyes blazed with intensity as he grabbed me, trapping my face between both palms. Something passed between us then; something profound and unspoken. "We're happy. Can we just keep it that way for a while please?" His dark brows pulled together to form a silent plea and my resolve crumbled.

A hand flew to cover my mouth as a wave of nausea hit me hard. Without another word, I spun on my heels, and ran from the room with Taylor hot on my trail.

I managed to stumble over to the toilet just in time to empty the contents of my stomach. Chills racked my body and my stomach clenched painfully with every heave. A moment later, Taylor's hands were on my back offering comfort and embarrassment rippled through me.

God how many times would Taylor have to see me hunched over the toilet bowl while I retched my guts out?

"Taylor, don't. It's gross." I moan pitifully. The grip on my shoulders became insistent when I attempted to shrug it off.

"Don't be ridiculous." He gathered my hair, holding it away from my face so I didn't get any vomit in it.

When I was sure that I had nothing left to throw up, I ended up clinging to the bowl with my cheek pressed against cold porcelain. I was vaguely aware that Taylor had left the bathroom, but couldn't summon up the strength to care. My main concern was keeping my eyes closed to make the throbbing pain go away.

However, I was mildly surprised when Taylor returned and carefully helped me back on my feet. He scooped me up in his arms after I rinsed my mouth out, and carried me back to my bedroom. The drapes had been drawn, leaving the room considerably darker than when I'd left it.

He gently lowered me on the bed and left, only to return with a cool cloth to place on my forehead. Having dealt with my migraines before, he knew it was one of the few things that provided me with any comfort.

I kept my eyes closed as Taylor moved onto the bed.

"I think you're making a mistake," I whispered.

"I'll make you a deal. If I ever change my mind, I'll let you know. Okay?" Taylor spoke softly.

Still, I couldn't let it go. Taylor had no idea what he was risking by being involved with me. "But–"

"I don't give a damn about your past or the people you used to know, Isabella. You are the most important person in my world. I believe… we can make this work, but only if we let nothing and no one come between us. Let the past stay in the past." The fierce emotion in his voice made my eyes sting with fresh tears.

Underneath all the pain, I was already coming up with a contingency plan. I would trust Alice to keep monitoring the Volturi situation. But the minute I found out they were turning their attention toward me, I'd leave. Disappear. Even though it would break my heart to leave Taylor and my friends, I'd do it in a heartbeat to keep them safe. My motives for staying with them were purely selfish, of that I had no illusions. I refused to endanger them anymore than I was already doing. The day the Volturi decided to come looking for me, I'd make sure they found me alone.

Later I received a text from Alice, telling me that I'd made the right decision.

Annoyingly enough, Liz and Ryan agreed with Taylor when I went to them, saying that they also didn't care to hear anything about my past. I couldn't decide if they were heartwarmingly loyal or ridiculously naïve. Zach remained oddly quiet throughout the conversation and when asked, said that he had nothing to say. I couldn't figure out who he was more upset with; me, our friends or the Cullens.

Days passed, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't move pass my guilt over keeping these secrets from my friends. I waited until the Liz was napping, and the boys were out to call someone for advice. Someone who would be able to understand the difficult position I was in.

"Hey, Sue."

"Bella, is everything okay?" Sue asked, sounding concerned.

I was a little nervous as I'd only spoken to Sue briefly when I would call to talk to my dad. We never really had a deep conversation before. "Yes… No. I just need to talk to you about something. I'd like your advice."

"Oh… Oh God. Heaven help that poor boy when Charlie gets his hands on him," Sue murmured worriedly as if she was talking to herself.

"Get his hands on… What are you talking about?" I asked but Sue barely heard me.

"How far along are you?" There was a slight tremor in her voice.

My jaw dropped and the phone almost fell out of my hands. "What? That's–I'm not pregnant."

I thought I heard Sue sigh Oh thank God under her breath. "What's going on then? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Not really." I paused, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. "Leah told me that the council elders voting against telling dad about the wolves. I was wondering… because there's this guy and he means… and I'm having trouble keeping these secrets from him. I was wondering–"

"How I handle keeping secrets from your father?" Sue filled in.

"Well, yeah."

"I'll admit that it isn't easy. Knowing the things that I know and not being able to share them with your father is… difficult. But I do my best not to let my secrets interfere with our relationship." Hearing the confidence in Sue's voice filled me with envy.

"But how can you have a relationship built on a lie?" The moment those words were out of my mouth, I wanted to suck them back in. I'd called Sue for advice, not to insult her relationship with my dad.

Thankfully, my thoughtless words hadn't offended Sue. The smile in her voice was easily detectable over the phone. "My relationship isn't built on a lie, Bella. It's build on mutual love, trust and understanding. Yes, my secrets are a part of me, but it doesn't define who I am or who I am with Charlie."

I still wasn't convinced that secrets were healthy for relationships. "Yeah but–"

"Okay, look at it this way. Does knowing about vampires and werewolves make things easier for you? Can you honestly say that knowing would make things easier for Taylor?"

Sue had me there. If anything, knowing had made my life a hell of a lot harder than it had to be. Of late I'd found myself wishing I could return to my pre-supernatural ignorance. Looking back, life seemed so much simpler then. No hearts to break, no wars to start and no life or death choices. It was almost enough to make me wish I'd never moved to Forks to begin with. Though when faced with the thought of never knowing Edward or meeting Jacob again, I couldn't quite bring myself to regret leaving Phoenix.

"You're right. Taylor's better off not knowing." Especially since he'd made it clear that he'd rather not know about anything that could threaten our happiness. At least not right now.

Sue sighed, sounding a little sad and somehow I knew that she was thinking about Harry. "You know, Bella. Happiness, real happiness doesn't come along often. Sometimes you have to take it wherever you can find it. Don't let your past determine the rest of your life."

She was right. If there was one thing I'd learned from the whole Jacob saga was that happiness was fleeting. Why was I so eager to sabotage the good thing I had with Taylor when I knew, all too well, how quickly it could all be taken from me? I was so convinced that things wouldn't work out, I was looking for reasons to end it.

"Thanks, Sue." It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Thanks for what?"

"For helping me put things in perspective."

We said our goodbyes and I hung up, feeling a whole lot better than I had in days. Just as I set the phone down, Taylor and Ryan entered the apartment, carrying takeout from that new Chinese restaurant we'd been dying to try. Zach followed carrying beer. The scent of food lured a half starved Liz out of her room.

Taylor barely had time to move the takeout bags out of the way before I threw my arms around him.

In the background, Liz went aw, Ryan grumbled about getting the hose and Taylor asked, "Is everything all right?"

A soft smile lit my face as I smiled up at him. "Everything is perfect."

The light behind my closed lids told me that it was morning, but I was reluctant to wake up. Instead, I burrowed deeper into the covers in search of warmth and the firm body that should've been next to mine. Encountering nothing but an empty space left me to assume that Taylor had already gotten up. It was far too early for me to wonder where he'd gone, so I ended my musings with the intent to go right back to sleep.

The covers at my feet rustled and then there was a presence hovering over my feet. Still feigning sleep, I bit back a smile as a damp breath heated my legs. Warm lips danced a trail up my thighs, teeth tugging briefly at my shorts before moving onward. Questing fingers nudged my tank top higher, and then a nose grazed the curve of my lower belly. I giggled softly at the ticklish sensation of feathery kisses being placed on my navel. The tickling stopped and a cool object drifted across my flesh. A moment later, the rich timbre of Taylor's voice filled the tranquil silence of the room.

Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
all about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl you want so much
it makes you sorry.
Still, you don't regret a single day.
Ah girl! Girl...

With a budding smile, I threw back the covers and met Taylor's mischievous gaze. He crawled over me with a playfulness that had been missing from our relationship of late.

"I have a present for you."

"You do?"

"Hold out your hand." Taylor said and being intrigued, I did so without hesitation.

Taylor opened his fist, allowing a gold heart-shaped locket to slip from his grasp. He dropped it into my palm and I turned it over with my fingers, admiring the beautiful floral design. My face warmed when I came across our initials, engraved on the smooth back.

The longer I stared, the more familiar the locket began to appear. I dredged up a memory from last year of a similar locket in the window of an antique shop. Taylor and I were walking down the street on our way to meet up with the others at a pizzeria when it caught my eye. I'd never been the type of girl to go all goo-goo eyes over a piece of jewelry, though something about it drew me. I just had to have it. But as we were already late, I decided to leave with the intention of coming back and buying it later. I'd been disappointed when I returned to the shop only to discover that I was too late. Someone else had already purchased it.

My gaze switched from the locket to Taylor, who'd been silently reading the emotion flitting across my face.

My voice was curiously uneven when I asked, "Is this the same locket from that antique shop?"

"Yes."A wry smile touched his mouth.

"But–Wait, you've had it all this time?" I was flabbergasted.

"Open it." There was a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

I slipped my fingernail into the seam, and wiggled until the locket popped open. The right frame held a tiny picture of us together.

"With you, I've learned that timing is everything. I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you." His lips quirked in a half-smile and my heart fluttered.

That would mean Taylor had the locket around the time that I was still dating Dillon. Back when I was so determined not to ruin our friendship by dating him. Jeez, what a moron I was.

When I walked away from Jacob and Edward, I did so thinking that I was leaving behind my only chance at happiness. I never expected to care or have anyone care about me like that again.

His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth. I watched him, peering back at me with a hint of adoration softening his eyes.

He's been waiting all this time.

Taylor loved me with a depth of feeling that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. And I was suddenly struck by an all too familiar emotion. It was something I'd been trying to ignore for some time now.

I loved him too.

Although that love was just as strong as the feelings I had for Jacob and Edward, it was different. Each of them went about claiming my heart using different methods. Edward dazzled his way in, Jacob fought and clawed his way and Taylor waited patiently until I was ready to let him in. My relationship with Taylor had started off as friendship and had naturally blossomed into more. Without any threats, ultimatums or lives hanging in the balance.

To my absolute embarrassment, my throat tightened painfully and tears began to sting my eyes. I clenched my eyes shut in a pathetic attempt to stem the hot tears brimming there. I was about to turn into a blubbering idiot right in front of him.

"Hey," Taylor murmured softly. "What's wrong?"

Not yet.

I was overwhelmed and not ready to talk about what I was feeling.

Opening my eyes, I reached up, grasped him by the nape of his neck and crushed my mouth to his. At first, Taylor stiffened in reluctance, knowing that I was attempting to distract him. And then he came to life in my arms, warm mouth opening beneath mine, his weight pressing me into the mattress. With a sense of urgency, I buried my fingers in his hair, feeling his hand begin to tug at my shorts.

Someone picked that precise moment to start pounding on the bedroom door. When the racket went unanswered the pounding became insistent.

"Hey! Why am I sensing sexy feelings?" Liz shouted through the door.

We ignored her because I'd adopted the recent habit of locking my door whenever Taylor slept over. So imagine our surprise when the bedroom door opened and Liz came barreling into the room.

"I thought you locked the door." Taylor groaned and buried his face in my neck, breathing heavily.

"Crap. I forgot to lock it when I went into the kitchen for a glass of water last night."

Liz prodded Taylor in the back with her foot. "Hey, get off her."

"Go away, Liz."

"Forget it. You had her last night. It's my turn now." This made my eyebrows fly up into my hairline and Liz colored. "Okay. So did not mean it like that. Did you forget we're supposed to go jogging this morning?"

"We were sort of in the middle of something." I sighed.

"Then it's a good thing I had my feelers out." Damn her and her feelers.

"Liz, do I have to make Taylor show you his ass again to get you to leave?" I threatened and felt Taylor's lips curve into a smile.

"If I so much as see one ass cheek, there will be hell to pay," Liz warned with a menacing scowl.

I released an irritated breath and nudged at Taylor shoulders. He withdrew hesitantly, fixing me with a stare that said he knew I'd been trying to distract him earlier.

The crisp morning air surrounded us as we jogged, sneakers pounding along the trail. My eyes were firmly glued to the dirt path in front of us. I wasn't admiring nature, no. I was on the lookout for anything that could cause me to fall or stumble. With the return of my previously forgotten clumsiness, I also had to give up my dance class. Though, my increased workload would've forced me to quit the classes for a while anyway. Our junior year was turning out to be the busiest one yet and senior year was shaping up to be even tougher.

There were very few people out jogging on this trail, since we left the car. That had a lot to do with our earlier than usual start. Based on Liz's complaints, I slowed us down every time I stopped to say hi to somebody we knew, or my apparent inability to pass a stroller without looking in. Without any distractions, we'd be able to maintain a good pace while she cracked the whip and extended our run to three torturous miles.

"So… what's going on with you and my brother?" Liz slanted me a questioning look.

"A few weeks ago, Taylor told me he loved me and I freaked out and he hasn't said it since."

"He finally got up the courage to tell you, huh?" Liz grinned. "I'm glad. He's been sitting on his feelings for a long time."

"Long time? Just how long are we talking here?" Couldn't have been for more than a couple of months or so.

Liz shot me a strange look. "Izzy, please tell me you've noticed that my brother has been in love with you since the day you two met." At my shocked expression, Liz exclaimed, "Oh my God! How could you not know?"

"Because I live my life under a rock, that's why!" My outburst drew the curious gazes of a couple jogging in the opposite direction. My following words were considerably softer. "I knew that he loved me–like family–but I didn't know he love loved me."

"Okay, so he finally said the words. What happened afterward?"

"Not much really. I… sort of freaked and ran out on him." I was still more than a little embarrassed about my reaction.

"God what did Edward and Jacob do to you?" Liz slid me a sidelong glance filled with concern and a touch of pity.

"It's not what they did to me; it's what I end up doing to myself. It's classic Bella. I fall in love and get all clingy and pathetic. I made my entire life about Edward and I was prepared to do the exact same thing with Jacob. I just… I don't want to be like that."

My entire identity was wrapped up in being with Edward forever. So much so, that I was on the verge of a mental breakdown when he left me.

"Then don't." Strands of long, brown hair slipped from her ponytail and she brushed them away from her face.

"That's easier said than done. This morning he gave me this beautiful locket that I've been wanting for months. Now I'm all strung out on him and… oh, I just hate this." I felt like stamping my feet in frustration.

Was it possible to fall in love and not be consumed by it?

"You're not the same boy crazy teenager and my brother is not Jacob or Edward. Just let yourself be happy, Izzy, and I promise you things will work out in the end." She seemed so sure about how things would turn out for Taylor and me that I was beginning to believe her.

My relationship with Taylor was certainly different to anything I'd had before. While I knew now that I was head over heels in love with him, I was now wise enough to realize that I still existed outside of our relationship. Taylor wasn't my air and I didn't need him to shine sunny rays down on me.

Liz didn't stop when I paused to catch my breath, choosing instead to jog in one spot like a maniac.

"Wow, you're really chasing that endorphin fix, huh?"

"I have to get my good feelings from somewhere. Ryan's all whiny and depressed all the time." Liz pushed out her bottom lip in an adorable pout.

"You broke the guy's penis, Liz. It'll take a while to come back from trauma like that." I puffed, wondering where my sudden wave of fatigue had come from. It was too early in the morning for me to be so tired.

"I know I should be more patient, but it's just so hard." Liz was the one whining now.

"It's your own fault you're in the mess to begin with, little miss hot-crotch." She'd get no sympathy from me. I'd asked Angela if she'd heard about daggering and not only was she aware of it, she sent me a video of people doing the dance that daggering had originated from. If Liz and Ryan had been doing anything remotely similar to what I saw in that video then they were both nuts.

"You don't understand, Izzy. Draken are sexual creatures." Seeing my astonished expression, Liz pressed with rolled eyes. "Haven't you noticed the way my brother's always in your panties?"

Now that she mentioned it, Taylor and I did have a lot of sex. I'd attributed it to our youth, and our relationship still being in the honeymoon period. "I have noticed but I thought he was just being, you know… a guy."

"Well that and you're reaping the benefits of the monk life my brother was living since we moved here," she quipped with mirth dancing in her eyes before sobering. "My guardian craves the sex, and it has as hard a time dealing with celibacy as I do."

"It? Don't you mean she?" I figured that Liz had a girl guardian and Taylor had a boy.

Liz shook her head. "No, it doesn't work that way. Guardians aren't male or female."

I absorbed that new piece of information in silence until a disturbing thought occurred to me. Ordinarily, I would have been too embarrassed to inquire about Liz's sex life, but shame died a horrible death when she dragged Taylor off me this morning. "Does your guardian ever surface during sex?"

"Well, yeah. All the time," Liz admitted with a secretive smile that faltered when she noted my frown. "What?"

"Taylor said his guardian has been surfacing to look at me. I'm wondering if it sees me when we're having sex."

"Probably." Liz laughed when my face flushed red.

Liz might have thought it was funny, but I found the invasion of privacy disconcerting. Taylor's demon was a peeping tom, and he didn't say anything because he didn't want to creep me out.

Liz regarded my troubled look with a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "Try not to let it bother you. Maybe his guardian just likes to watch."

A reluctant smile tugged at my lips when Liz giggled. Despite my initial mortification, I wasn't the least bit deterred by Taylor's perverted guardian. Loving Taylor also meant learning to accept his strange qualities. In the grand scheme of things, a little inappropriate spying didn't seem like such a big thing.

Liz heaved a sigh. "By the way, you're right about Ryan. I'll try to be more understanding, but I'll need your help getting my endorphin fix."

One eyebrow rose in challenge. "And just how am I supposed to help you?"

Liz slowed her pace until she was behind me, before slapping me hard on my butt. "Move your ass, bitch."

She sped off with a playful squeal, leaving me to chase after her in pursuit of retribution.

Watching Taylor read his book, I fell into a state of warm contentment. My eyes wandered over his toned form, admiring his beautiful eyes, inviting mouth, a strong jaw line that was emphasized by rugged stubble. I resisted the urge to crawl over to him, bury my face in his neck and inhale the clean, intoxicating scent of his shower gel. Good God, the man was sexy.

All day I'd been trying to figure out a way to tell Taylor how I felt about him only to chicken out in the end. It didn't help that my friends were acting like fools. Ryan and Zach kept giving me sly looks, and Liz couldn't stop grinning like a Cheshire cat. From the way they were acting, you would swear that Taylor and I were getting hitched or something.

A lazy smile played on his face when he glanced up and caught me staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing." I quickly hid my gaze behind my book.

It wasn't long before I was peeking over the top of my book again.

"Okay, why are you staring at me?" This time there was a spark of humor in his eyes.

"I was just trying to imagine what you'll look like in thirty years. So far, I pictured you with reading glasses, a touch of gray in your hair and a soft middle." I leaned across and tickled his stomach.

"Excuse me. Why does my stomach have to be soft?" He laughingly caught my hand.

He crawled over and kissed me soundly. I was breathless when he pulled away and groaned, "Oh God."

"Hey, don't start without me," I teased.

"We can't let ourselves get sidetracked. We still have an hour of studying left." Damn him and his study ethic.

Taylor climbed out of bed, taking his books over to the desk. I stared at his strong back as he rummaged around in a bag for his notebook. Just then I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but knowing that he'd waited so long to hear me say the words, I wanted to do something special.

I was suddenly struck with the shyness of a teenage girl when I crawled off the bed.

"I was thinking we could catch a movie later." I tucked some strands of hair behind my ear, feeling my cheeks warm. "And then afterward we could have some dinner and talk… about us."

When I finally stopped staring at my feet, Taylor hadn't moved from his position by the desk. In fact, he appeared to be frozen to the spot, staring off into space.

"Taylor, did you hear what I just said?" I asked and received no response.

There was something off in the stillness of his body. What's wrong with him?

"Taylor." I moved closer until I was standing behind him.

Hesitantly, I reached out to touch his arm. But before my fingers made contact, Taylor spun around and snatched my wrist.

His hardened face was the same, and yet it was almost unrecognizable. The feral eyes were back and currently darting across my face with a predatory alertness. I knew with certainty that Taylor's guardian had surfaced and was looking at me.

Almost instantly, my heart rate accelerated and my fear spiked. It took me a couple attempts to speak. "T-Taylor?"

The grip on my wrist tightened painfully, his fangs lengthened dangerously before my widening eyes.

I swallowed around my rising hysteria and did something a bit reckless. I decided to talk to it. "Um… hello." Understandably there was a tremor in my voice.

Taylor's face paled, eyes widening in horror as he shoved me away from him so hard that I almost fell. "Don't talk to it. Don't encourage it!"

"Taylor, wait!" I called after him as he stormed out of my bedroom.

"I know you wanted to go out later, but I can't be around people right now." He wouldn't even slow his long strides. I caught up with him in the living room when he stopped to talk to Zach. Zach, who'd been lounging on the couch, watching TV, shot up when he noticed Taylor's fangs. "Sleep here tonight. I'm having one of those nights," Taylor disclosed tersely and Zach nodded with obvious unease etched into his face.

Seeing Zach's reaction, Taylor's expression became guarded and he wordlessly left the apartment.

The door closed and I whirled on Zach. "Do you always have to act like that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like he's so terrifying. He feels bad enough about being a draken without you making him feel worse," I snapped angrily.

Zach frowned at me. "That's not fair, Izzy. You know I can't deal when he has fangs." He continued in a lowered voice. "Not everyone's as cool with the supernatural as you are."

He was right, I wasn't being fair. It was perfectly normal to be nervous around the supernatural. I was the real weirdo here. Even worse, I was taking out my anger on Zach.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just…" I sighed, feeling my anger ebb away.

"What?" Zach's hazel eyes shone with curiosity.

"Nothing," I said and went back to my room.

Helplessness and worry caused me to pace.

Having one of those nights.

That was what Taylor would say when he was experiencing a power surge. The following day he'd turn up tightlipped, pretending that everything was fine. Pretending that he hadn't spent the previous night, battling a supernatural being for control of his body. Looking back at years gone by, Taylor had always pulled his disappearing act. Not surprisingly, I realized that those were also the times that Zach would conveniently be too tired to journey back to his own apartment.

After a while I was finally able to identify what was bothering me. Tonight was supposed to be a perfect night, our night. I was tormented by the suspicion that Taylor still believed I was too skittish to handle an encounter with his demon. Liz swore that his guardian wasn't an evil monster and I was beginning to believe her. Earlier, when the demon had surfaced, all it did was stare at me. It didn't go for my neck, growl or anything like that. Taylor was the one that freaked out when I tried to talk to it.

Maybe he never pressured me to find out what my feelings were for him because he believed himself to be a freakish monster. Maybe he didn't really believe anyone could love someone like him. More than anything, it was that thought that made my heart ache.

My pacing came to a halt as I came to a decision without realizing it. As soon as the coast was clear, I planned to slip out of my room and head for Taylor's apartment.

Whether or not Taylor wanted to admit it, his guardian was a part of him. If he was ever going to have any peace, then he would need to learn to accept it. The progress made tonight could be the first steps toward helping Taylor do just that. If I could spend the entire night with him, then Taylor would be convinced that his guardian was not homicidal and that I'd truly accepted him.

Thankfully, Liz had dragged a very reluctant Ryan to a showing down at the museum, so I didn't have to worry about sneaking pass them. However, I had to wait about an hour for Zach to fall asleep, before I was able to make my escape. The noise from the TV was enough to cloak the sound of my exit.

My heart began to pound as I quietly let myself into the darkened apartment. Nothing prepared me for what was about to happen next.

There were pained sounds coming from Taylor's room.

I pushed the door open to find Taylor on his hands and knees. The black t-shirt he was wearing earlier laid discarded in pieces on the floor. My breath froze in my chest as the sound of wet pops echoed across the room. The bones in his back and arms snapped in preparation to reshape themselves. He was locked in the middle of a transformation and resisting it with all his might. His head jerked up when I called out to him softly. His body stiffened, eyes widening in horror when he registered that I was in the room with him.

"NO!" He screamed in a voice that didn't quite sound human.

Taylor threw out his hand and a wave of telekinesis knocked me off my feet, sending me flying out of his room. Air rushed from my lungs as I landed painfully on my back. Gasping for breath, I blinked my eyes open and found myself sprawled on the floor of Zach's room. The muscles in my back protested and my head throbbed as I struggled to sit up.

Taylor was still in his room, crouched on the carpet. Strong tremors began to wrack his body once more, and he issued a low, menacing growl that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. He was rapidly losing the battle against his guardian and it was all my fault. His guardian had seen me, and being so close to the surface now, Taylor couldn't keep it contained anymore.

What did I do?

I swallowed hard, fighting my rising panic as he lifted his hand again. My fear increased tenfold as I closed my eyes, expecting to feel pain that didn't come.

With the last of his fading sanity, Taylor used his power to shut Zach's door in a futile effort to keep me safe from him.

A frightening screech resonated throughout the apartment and then everything went silent. I felt my blood run cold. My legs shook with fear as I stood knowing, without the shadow of a doubt, that Taylor's guardian was free.

The silence was broken by the sound of sharp claws, scratching against the wooden surface of the door. It was trying to get in.

Terror warred with self preservation, but it was common sense that won out in the end.

I have to hide.

Frantically, I searched for a hiding place before bolting for the closet. It was then, cowering in Zach's closet with the hairy spider that he'd been trying to kill for weeks, that the stupidity of my plan hit me.

I could've told Taylor I loved him in a letter. Hell, I could've done it over the phone or via email. But no, being the idiot that I was, I just had to go for the whole grand gesture thing. People will carve died of stupidity on my tombstone. Idiot!

My self-flagellation came to an abrupt halt when Zach's door opened with an ominous creak. The frantic hammering of my heart had me gasping for breath, on the verge of hysteria. My heart jumped when a shadow passed in front of the door, and I covered my mouth to keep from screaming.

For a second, I allowed myself to think that I was safe. He wouldn't be able to find me.

That sad little illusion was shattered when the closet door was suddenly ripped off its hinges and I was confronted by the large, shadowy figure of Taylor's demon. Shock and the raw power of the creature's fury rendered me speechless.

Shit.

Clawed hands grabbed me by the hair, and viciously hauled me out of my safe haven. My throat closed up with fear as I struggled, blindly clawing at the iron grip that refused to loosen. In the end, all I could do was hold on as the creature dragged me across the hall by my hair, without giving me a chance to regain my footing.

The door slammed shut behind us, and in that instant I knew that I was going to die.

And I was going to die horribly.

A/N: Only one chapter left, folks. I'm so excited to return to Forks.

The song Taylor sang for Bella is call Girl by Jim Sturgess (Originally Beatles)

Back to the Story: So Bella tried to tell Taylor and he wouldn't listen. I'm not sure what to say about that.

Was Alice right to tell Bella not to tell Taylor?

Bella's health is getting worse.

What do you think about Bella calling Sue for advice and Sue thinking she was preggers.

Liz pulled Taylor off Bella. Nobody gets in the way of her endorphin rush.

How do you feel about Taylor's gift and Bella realizing her true feelings for him?

Was Bella's decision to sneak into Taylor's room smart?

Will Bella get out of this one?

What do you think will happen next?

A/N: Review and receive your teasers people!