Haunted

by PolkaDotButterfly

Bella can see the dead, but she didn't realise there is more than one kind of dead. The ghosts she sees in Forks not only help her new friends but they help her too. Love, hurt, pain and goodbyes. Got the idea from Ghost Whisperer. *Getting rewritten so some chapters may not make sense*

23. Revelations

Wow! You guys have brought this story up past 300 reviews! I can't thank each of you enough! You amaze me each time!

Before I forget, I just want to say a big thank you to AlleyjandroJacobie who made a brilliant banner for this story (actually two). It's on my page but it's not clear so I have left the link if you ever want to check it out.

Also, thank you two TheTinyDancer! She is brilliant...she helped a lot with the paragraph about Edward's bedroom – thank you so much!

Okay, I will shut up now. Go and read! I own nothing Twilight!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Revelations

When I awoke I felt disorientated. I had never been drunk before, but I imagined this was what it felt like waking up in an unknown place, having no idea what had happened, how you got there and feeling terrible.

I sat up slowly in the unfamiliar bed and looked around the large room.

I inhaled deeply and rubbed my eyes. I was lying in the middle of a large golden bed. The duvet was thick; the sheets were soft cotton, and still had a new smell to them.

The room itself was more interesting than my whole house put together. It had a collection of modern furniture but with vintage thrown in. The bed was in the centre of the room, facing the large window that ran the entire length of the room, letting the natural light flood the room. Around me, shelving units were littered with books, some of them very old looking, as well as a store's worth of CDs and a fancy stereo. A large black leather sofa was in the corner of the room, seemingly pushed aside, possibly to make room for this enormous bed. Another wall was made of glass too, but with French doors in the centre, yet I couldn't see a balcony.

Out of curiosity, I slipped out of the bed and padded over to the large CD collection that was on the opposite side to all of the books on the shelf.

I ran my fingers across the titles, creating a soft noise as I touched each one quickly. I knew they were ordered in a specific way but I couldn't fathom how. They weren't in alphabetical order, as I would have had them. Maybe preference? Or year?

"I have them stacked in order of the year then by preference," said a voice from the door way. I jumped slightly; I hadn't seen him there at all but then I smiled. I had guessed right.

"Complicated," I noted. "You have so many!"

"I have lived many years," Edward said as he stood by me. He looked down at me with worry creased between his eyebrows.

My mother would have said, "Don't frown, you'll get wrinkles", but I guess that doesn't really apply to Edward.

"You should be resting," he went on as he took my hand lightly and guided me back to the large golden bed. I obediently got in and he drew the duvet over me and plumped up the pillows. I sat back and he lay next to me leaning against the headboard.

"I thought you said you didn't sleep," I said, gesturing to the bed.

"I bought this with you in mind," he admitted. I smirked and his eyes flared. "Not in that way," he said hastily. "I just meant...in case you stayed over..."

I tried to hide my giggles; his face was priceless. "Don't worry, I knew what you meant."

"How are you feeling?" He had been dying to ask, I could tell from the minute I saw him.

I half smiled but it was hard. "Fine," I answered honestly, because I felt physically fine, I was just disorientated. "But..." I frowned. "What actually happened?"

"Do you not remember anything?" Edward asked softly, concerned.

I stared at the bottom of the bed while I took a moment to think. Flashes of horrid things plagued my mind and I shuddered. Edward clasped his hand over mine and squeezed very gently.

"Take your time," he whispered.

I looked into his eyes and I instantly felt much better. "I remember bits but it's all blurry. I..." I shook my head. "I had another vision, didn't I?"

Edward's eyes hardened and he nodded once. "Not just a vision, Bella. You re-lived the whole thing...physically and mentally. What you saw in your head– albeit one sided – was actually happening to you physically."

Whatever had happened had made Edward very angry. I closed my eyes and let the images in my mind become clearer.

"I saw a woman..." I began as I tried to put words to the pictures in my head. "Her name was Grace..."

I saw a small clothes store in my mind. The door had been left opened, but there was nobody there. When the backroom light was switched on, it revealed Grace's terrible fate. Bile rose to my throat as the vivid images burned my brain.

Edward squeezed my hand again and I felt calmer instantly. "She was dead...murdered brutally. There was blood everywhere, and her body was..." I closed my eyes. "I...well, the other woman ran to get help but the phone cord was snapped so I ran...she, the woman ran, out into the street to call for help but..." My eyes flew open and my hand went to my mouth as I remembered the cold hand clamped against my mouth as I struggled. ""I have been waiting for years and no human will come and ruin it for me!" he said, and then we were in an alley..."

Edward nodded. "He knew the woman's sister," he said. "Alice told me and I saw it from her mind..."

"That's what I don't get," I said slowly. The whole vision played out in my head with clarity now I was more alert. "He said he knew her sister, she asked if he killed her, he said no. She asked if she was alive and he said no to that as well. He was angry at that, beyond furious. Do you think he loved her sister but somehow she was killed...?"

Edward didn't have answers, but I didn't expect him too. It was like trying to re-tell a plot from a movie to a blind person, you could only tell them what you saw; you couldn't expect them to fill in the blanks for you. I sighed. I was going to have to work this out myself if the woman wasn't going to help me.

"So tell me what happened next?" I said because I still couldn't remember what happened after the vision.

Edward's eyes hardened again and he spoke stiffly. "Alice witnessed the whole thing. She said it was like seeing you being attacked by someone yet they were invisible and for that reason, she couldn't do anything about it. I don't know if you remember but the person that attacked you...the woman...was a vampire..."

"Red eyes," I whispered. "He bit my...her neck..."

"'Bit' isn't the word," Edward growled. "He tore your neck open!" I recoiled slightly at his anger. He quickly relaxed and closed his eyes to compose himself. "I'm sorry, but it's true. Bella, like I said, what happened to her, happened to you. One minute you were pinned against a tree, the next, blood was flooding out of your neck, a gaping wound over your jugular."

I shivered and my hand went automatically to my neck. I noticed for the first time since I awoke that there was gauze over my neck. I winced as I touched it, and finally everything that Edward had been explaining dawned on me fully.

"Everything that happened to her, happened to me," I said faintly. It was finally sinking in now. "That's impossible. How?"

Edward's fingers curled into a fist, his eyes not looking at me but staring straight ahead. "Your gift it seems," he said through gritted teeth, "is expanding even more than we thought it would."

I let that thought process for a minute yet I was still slightly confused. "But Julia said..."

Edward cut me off. "That you wouldn't be in danger," he finished for me. "Well it seems she was wrong...or lying!"

I ran my fingers through my hair and touched my wound again. It was then that I noticed that I had stitches in one of my arms and had cuts down the other, over the old ones that I had gained a few nights previous. At least now I knew where the wounds had come from.

"Yeah, you got cut there too," Edward said his voice steely. "This can't happen again, you almost died!"

"Tell me," I said quickly to distract him, "what happened next?"

"Alice broke into the school and by that time she had called Carlisle and I, but you had lost so much blood already. When Carlisle arrived, he started a blood transfusion straight away but couldn't do anything about the wound until it stopped bleeding. But it never did." Edward shut down; his face looked haunted as he re-lived what had happened.

I squeezed his hand like he did to me. "Go on," I prompted.

"Alice had to leave...the blood was getting to her, but before she could get out of the building, she thought she saw someone in the glass door..." Edward met my eyes sceptically. "She thought she saw Ryan...but she couldn't have, right? It's impossible..."

I opened my mouth several times but wasn't sure what to say. "Um, maybe not entirely impossible but...I don't know. What did she do?" Sometimes people said that they thought they saw someone that was dead...just a quick flash then they were gone. It was possible that Alice had seen Ryan but I could only be sure if Ryan told me himself.

"Whether she saw Ryan or not, I don't know, but he was definitely there. He used a computer to communicate and he told her...how to save you." I could tell he had edited something out but I didn't ask. "He said that the vision wasn't finished so we had to stop trying to save you."

I was thinking fast now. If the vision was still going on and they couldn't save me until it did then that meant...

"I died?" I said quietly. "Again..." I had also died when Henry projected his illness onto me. "How long for?" I wasn't sure why I asked but I was curious. When Edward looked at me I already knew the answer.

"Three minutes," he confirmed. "Like last time."

I wondered what the significance of that was. Why three minutes? "I wasn't really dead," I said suddenly. "Ryan told me before that when I...died...I wasn't really dead."

"You stopped breathing and your heart was not working on its own," Edward said heatedly.

"My spirit was intact; if I had died, it would have parted with my body before I was brought back to life." It seemed I hadn't asked Julia the right questions when she appeared to me. I hoped she would visit me again soon because there were a lot of unanswered questions.

Edward thought so too, as he said, "Regardless, you still died in my eyes and that can't ever happen again. Your gypsy friend said that you wouldn't be in danger but I saw clear as day that you were very much in danger. You lost more than half of your blood, which had to be replaced by donated blood. What if Alice hadn't been there? What if you were on your own? Bella, you need to get this Julia back here and demand answers!"

"I can't just click my fingers and she will appear in front me of," I said heavily. "But I agree," I added.

Edward relaxed fully now he had vented his anger away. He shifted a little closer to me and my body relaxed too. He played with my fingers and we sat in peaceful silence for a while.

"Since your gift is a little unpredictable just now, I think you should try and cross over the spirits as quickly as possible," Edward said his voice even. "Henry and the woman should be the first to go."

I was a little taken aback. "Are you sure?" I asked. "About your brother I mean?"

"He hurt you, too," Edward reminded me.

"It wasn't his fault," I said defensively. I always defended spirits because no one else could understand them like me.

"I know, but he has been around for such a long time and I think it's time he got peace and moved on. It is, after all, my fault he is stuck here in the first place." I detected sadness in his tone but he tried to smile through it.

"I will help him," I said softly. "And you can both say goodbye."

"I would like that." Edward kissed the palm of my hand. "But if you see the woman first, you have to convince her to tell you what she wants or tell her you won't help her at all."

I glanced at Edward. He was only looking out for me but it wouldn't work like that. "She will only get angry and it will happen again and again until I find out what she wants."

"Then I will do whatever it takes to help you help her," Edward said determinedly. He glanced at me with a playful smile. "And by the way, you are never leaving my sight again!" He bent closer and kissed me on the nose and brushed the side of my cheek. He kept his face close to mine.

I tried to remember how to breathe as he held our stare. "I can live with that," I whispered.

Edward smiled and pulled away. "Good."

More memories flashed into my mind but these were my own. I tried to swallow these memories as I didn't want to ruin a peaceful moment. But Edward, being ever so observant as he was, picked up on my hesitant look.

"Tell me what you are thinking," Edward murmured. "Your face is a flicker of emotions but it frustrates me that I can't understand why."

I tried to smooth my face, to free it of everything in order to conceal my thoughts. I would have to work on my reactions from now on.

"What are you thinking?" Edward probed. "Tell me, please?"

"It's not important," I said indifferently. I actually wanted to speak about it but I knew he didn't. He just didn't know it yet.

"I consider everything on your mind important," Edward said coaxingly.

I shrugged. "Fine, on one condition?"

"Anything," Edward said quickly. I tried not to smile as I knew he would regret it.

"You don't change the subject."

Edward looked confused; watching me, trying to work out what was on my mind. "Fair enough. Tell me."

I took a deep breath so I could gather my words. "What I went through must have been very painful to witness," I began slowly so I could choose my words carefully. "And whether I truly died or not, I can't help but think that one day it's going to be for real. It won't be a vision and I won't be brought back to life. And that scares me so much because it will mean never seeing you again. Sure, it's reassuring knowing that I will go into the Light, but I won't ever be at peace because I will know you will never join me there."

I knew this was a sore subject and I knew I wasn't being fair by wording it that way but this had to be talked about because it was a subject that would always be between us.

I watched Edward carefully to see where his thinking was going but his face was beautifully concealed with no emotion. He stared past me, thinking hard, so I waited patiently.

Finally, his eyes rested on me. "I have never been scared throughout my entire vampire existence," he told me without emotion. "However, seeing you lying there, bleeding out on the gurney was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed. When you got sick and your heart stopped beating in the hospital, I felt broken and was scared that I would never see you smile again, but this morning topped that by a large margin."

My heart fluttered in my chest. I could never imagine what it was like and I was glad I would never have to. "Carlisle told me the options you had if the bleeding didn't stop," Edward went on. "He told me that if it came down to it, I would have to turn you there and then."

My eyes widened but I didn't speak.

"Only I couldn't think about it at first. I didn't want that to be an option for you, I just wanted you to be saved and for your heart to still be beating. Then it seemed that it wasn't much of an option anymore anyway because you were...you were so weak and the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"When Ryan got the message across that we had to stop saving you so the vision could finish I wasn't convinced and kept going anyway. Alice, however, believed Ryan, as did Carlisle. Only, we knew we couldn't rely on his word alone, so I asked my father how long I would have, so I could start turning you if your heart should stop beating."

I wasn't expecting that at all but I was kind of glad to hear this part of the story. "Well I am still human, so it all panned out okay."

"Yes, you are still human and your heart still beats," Edward said. "But the point is, I had eventually given in to the fact that I would rather keep you as a vampire than let you die as a human. I have been convincing myself that it is for the best that you should grow up and live a normal life because I don't want you to be like me. But my selfish side won over this morning and I can't argue with myself anymore." He looked intently into my eyes.

My heart swelled but I tried not to smile. "You mean you will turn me?" I had expected to have a battle with Edward about that subject. He had been so sure he wanted to keep me human the night before, but I guess seeing someone almost die – in his eyes – was a sure way to change his mind.

Edward started to look unsure again and I cursed myself for sounding too eager so I tried to amend it. "It's not that I want to throw away my life, it's just that I know I love you and I know I can't ever live without you. It would feel too weird if we stayed together and I grew old." I shuddered at the thought. "So the simple answer is to cut out that concept and be like you."

Edward's face was blank. "You love me?"

I paused for a moment. I had only declared my love for Edward to Alice, but I had always thought it was obvious, even in the short time I had known him.

"Maybe," I said, going shy all of a sudden. "Is it too weird? I mean I haven't known you very long and my mom always said people took a long time to figure out how they really feel about someone, life wasn't a movie and we didn't fall in love just like that." I clicked my fingers. I was rambling but Edward looked happy about something.

He leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. I responded to his gentle touch and it felt good to be so close to him. When he pulled away he whispered, "I love you too. And yes, I will turn you...one day."

My smile slipped away a little. "One day?"

"I won't lie anymore, I do want you to be like me but I still want you to have a bit of a life first."

I frowned. "How long a life?"

"Well, you should finish high school then go to college...Maybe after then."

I let out a puff of air. "I will be so old by then," I protested. "Why don't we just get married, adopt kids and buy a house while we wait!" Sarcasm was always laid on thick when I was miffed.

Edwards smile grew which made me groan. "Now that you mention it that sounds like a better idea!" His eyes were growing in passion. An idea growing behind the golden colour. I began to feel wary.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Getting a house and adopting kids?"

Edward snorted. "No, getting married," he said. "You can finish school, turn eighteen and then we can get married."

"Huh?" He had lost me completely.

"You don't look as pleased as I thought you would be," Edward observed.

"I am just confused, that's all," I said quickly. "One minute we were talking about turning me; the next you seem to be proposing to me?"

"Yes, I suppose it was a proposal. Granted, it wasn't a very good one, but I would love very much for you to marry me." Edward leaned in closely to me, his eyes fixed on mine.

I wasn't sure what to do or say. I was startled. Marriage was never on the cards for me. It didn't work out too well with Renee and Charlie, yet I loved Edward so much and I was ready to be with him forever. Was it silly that I was thinking it was too soon to be married? That I was too young? Maybe all those years with Renee slating her and Charlie's marriage had had more of an effect on me than I'd realised.

"You look like I told you something horrid," Edward said, not so pleased. "Is marrying me such a bad thing?"

I tried to smooth out my face again but failed. "It's not that," I told him. "It's just that my mom always used to play down marriage, saying what a terrible idea it was to rush into it, especially so young."

"So it's a 'no'?" Edward looked wounded.

"No, I mean, it's a... Do we have to do this now?" I was so unprepared for this that I needed more than a minute to think.

Edward's expression darkened and he became rigid. I was instantly alert and felt myself go rigid too, my face flushed. "I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in, I didn't mean to offend- "

Edward placed his finger on my lip and I stopped talking.

Before I realised he'd moved off the bed, he was standing over me. "Will you do something for me if I asked you to?"

Normally I would have said yes but I was too alarmed by his behaviour to agree. "Depends..."

Edward's face got even darker and he glanced out of the window briefly. "Then you are going to get your eyes opened more than ever right now, but I don't want you to be frightened."

He offered me his hand and he helped me out of the bed in one graceful glide. His words echoed in my head, a sense of déjà vu washing over me, but I had no time to wonder where I'd heard them said before; Edward had left my side and had retreated into his closet.

He returned with a dark, zipped hoody and held it out for me. I slipped my arms into the warm fleece inside and zipped it over the pyjama top that I assumed Alice had dressed me in. I was wearing unfamiliar pink checked pyjama pants and by the bed was a pair of ballet style slippers so I slipped them on.

"What did you do to her?" A familiar voice rumbled from outside, loud enough that even I could hear it.

Edward froze and gripped my hand. "Come on," he said quickly and guided me out of the room to the ground floor. The front door was open but he didn't lead me out just yet.

We stood back and with each second I got more anxious.

"I saw him running inside here with her bloody body!" the same voice yelled. "He killed her, you broke the treaty!"

It didn't take long to work out that the 'her' was me. Then I realised who the voice belonged to.

"Jacob?" I whispered and let go of Edward's hand to hurry outside. The rest of the Cullens were lined up in front of the house.

"You are mistaken," Carlisle said calmly. "If you would just let me explain..."

Jacob had spotted me and was frozen in the middle of the lawn. I was about to go to him when I froze also. My eyes darted to the left and right side of Jacob. Enormous creatures were easing their way to Jacob's side, their eyes trained on the Cullens.

My heart did a tiny frightened flip but none of the others seemed worried.

It took me a moment to realise that they were wolves. They were massive, as tall as horses.

"Bella," Jacob said. He was scrutinising me, his eyes flickering all over my body. "You turned her?" His voice was fierce as he glared behind me.

Edward came to stand in front me and hissed, "You have your facts wrong dog!"

A few yelps grumbled from the wolves, the noise vibrating through me. I walked around Edward and before he could stop me, I ran down the porch steps and stood by Alice who was at the end of the line.

"What is the meaning of this Jacob?" I sounded shell shocked.

"I saw him breaking every rule of the road as he tore through the streets. I was coming away from the hospital from seeing your father and...I followed him...I shouldn't have, it was against the treaty but I was curious. Then he pulled you all bloody from the car..." Jacob's dark eyes were confused, but I could see the blazing anger in them too.

"Yes," I agreed. "But he didn't hurt me." I was shocked that he would think such a thing.

"You're still human?"

I laughed, I couldn't help it. "Of course I am." I glanced at the wolves and suddenly things were becoming clearer. I shook my head. "No..." I stared back at Jacob. "You're...they are..." I gulped.

"You can accept what he is but not me?" Jacob raged at me.

Edward stood in front of me and growled in warning. "You have your proof I didn't touch, Bella, now you and the rest of the dogs can clear off!"

Edward's words had offended the wolves and they snarled at us. My insides shook but I tried not to display my fear and edged back into sight. Jacob was not the same person I had known over the years. There was no friendly charm in his tone, and his normally warm eyes were darkened with hatred.

"What Edward means is, maybe it's best that you go, since we have done nothing to break the treaty," Carlisle said quickly.

The largest wolf, a black one, nodded his head once and glared at Jacob. He barked, clearly an order, and the others began to retreat.

"The alpha apologises for Jacob's mistake," Edward told the others, but his eyes never left Jacob who was staring at me.

"Why?" he asked me. "Why are you with him? Is he blackmailing you? You know he's dangerous, right?"

My eyes narrowed. This certainly wasn't the Jacob I knew. He was so hostile, it made me uncomfortable. "It's none of your business, Jake," I snapped. "Thank you for your concern but I know what I am getting myself into. He isn't forcing me to do anything!"

Jacob glared icily at Edward. "What do you want with her? There are plenty of other blood suckers in the world that you could choose, why her, a human? Charlie obviously doesn't have a clue what he has let his daughter become attached to. I almost told him, just so you wouldn't be allowed to see her anymore! It made my stomach turn to find my friend was...with a leech!"

I felt tears in my eyes before I could stop them. His words hurt. They hurt a lot. "I don't know what you have done with the Jacob Black I knew, but until he gets back, I think you should leave."

Jacob's face softened quickly, an apology in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Bells, but you have no idea how much I...despise these...people." He spat the word. "If you knew my side of the story, you might not be so quick to defend them."

I glanced at Edward. "What does he mean?"

"Jacob's story goes back hundreds of years," Edward explained quickly. "It's a long unimportant story." He shot Jacob a look of disgust. "Just leave, mutt, you have upset her enough."

"Fine," Jacob said shortly. "If he lets you, would you come visit me, so I can explain all this properly?" He looked at me as if the others weren't even there.

"I wouldn't count on it," Edward said dismissively. "She isn't going anywhere near you. You can't control yourself!"

"And you can?" Jacob barked. "You can't tell her what she can and can't do. She can make up her own mind. Bella?" He glanced at me again.

"I don't know, Jake, I have a lot going on. Maybe in a few weeks, when all this blows over?" I wanted to know what was going on with my old friend. He had seemed fine just days ago when he visited but he was so different now.

"You don't have to say that because he doesn't want you to see me," Jacob said softly, a hint of his old self in there. "I won't hurt you; I just want to explain all this." He pointed to himself.

"I know," I said. "But I really do have a lot going on."

"Just go, Jacob," Edward demanded roughly. "She has been through a lot today as it is."

Jacob was visibly shaking and Edward stepped in front of me. "Get her away," he demanded to no one on particular.

Alice grabbed my hand and tried to pull me away.

"See, you are controlling everything she does," Jacob said, but his tone was spoiling for a fight.

"Bella is free to do whatever she wants," Edward said. "I just don't want her near you."

"Why's that? I am less likely to harm her than you are. One hug and she could be dead!"

My insides were cold and I knew this wasn't going to end well. I tried to get into view of Jacob but it was hard because the Cullens were blocking me. I let Alice pull me up the porch steps then I tried to shrug out of her grip. I stood by one of the columns and looked out onto the lawn.

"Jake, don't," I pleaded. "Just go home."

"I'm just trying to make you see sense Bella; you can't seriously be in love with one of them?" Jacob glared at the Cullens. He was either stupid or he was very sure that they wouldn't actually hurt him.

Sure enough, it was only Edward who was rising to the bait. "Please, let's all just go inside," I said reasonably, my voice confident as though I faced a standoff like this every day; I was quivering inside.

"Your girlfriend's calling to you, you'd better run inside," Jacob sneered at Edward.

My face fell and rage ran through me. "Jacob Black, what has happened to you? You used to be so friendly and gentle! Now..." I was too appalled to find the words.

"Now he is a fuzzy dog that runs around the forests looking for trouble!" Edward hissed.

Jacob looked like he was about to explode. And that's exactly what he did.

Jacob snarled at Edward viciously, his face filled with hatred and then he charged at Edward with ferocity. One minute he was running towards him, the next, his cut off pants and tank were being torn up as he bounded towards Edward with one quick motion, and when he landed on the ground, his feet had been replaced with paws.

My breath caught in my throat and my hand whipped to my mouth, startled. It was one thing seeing the wolves beside Jacob, and knowing that that was what he was; seeing his transformation happen in front of me was shocking.

Before I had time to react, the rest of the family had rushed to Edward's side.

I was shaking inside and out. I had no idea what would happen.

The large red wolf, Jacob, was snarling about a meter in front of Edward and the others. He seemed to be literally stuck, as if he had been caught on something. His paw was in the air but he didn't move an inch.

"Back away," Carlisle warned the wolf, his voice still calm.

"He can't," Edward said quickly. "Sam has forbidden him to move." As he said the words, six wolves came bounding out of the trees. Their leader, the large black wolf, was by Jacob's side in moments. His beady black eyes were fixed on the Cullens and slowly, Jacob began to move.

Without a glance back at us, Jacob retreated with speed quicker than I thought possible.

To my astonishment and much to my embarrassment, the huge black wolf began to change. It took a few seconds and the air seemed to change for a short moment, but before I could understand what was happening, a human stood in front of the pack. Of course he was naked.

I chewed my lip and tried not to look at him but I was the only one having a reaction. Not even he was embarrassed.

"I am sorry for Jacob's behaviour," he said, his voice deep and soothing. "He is very upset. He is also fairly young, and as you might have learned, his temper gets the better of him and he...lashes out. I apologise."

"Don't worry about it," Carlisle said nodding.

"Like he said, he saw one of you pull Bella out of the car. She was covered in blood. Jake thought the worst. He phased and related to us what he had seen. Of course we could see into his mind and see for ourselves. We acted on instinct. Bella is the daughter of Chief Swan. We did what we thought was right, only Jacob fled ahead before we could get in touch with the elders. He marched on foot; we tried to heed him off but he was too determined and wouldn't turn back." Sam's eyes flickered through the line, then to me on my own shivering on the porch. "I hope you can forgive him Bella. He wasn't thinking straight."

Edward caught my eye but I looked away. "I will give him a few weeks to see if he still wants to be friends with me."

Sam contemplated that for a long moment. Edward stiffened but didn't say anything. Sam turned to Carlisle once more. "You will never hear from us again. I apologise again for my brother's behaviour." He turned his back and walked away and the other wolves followed him. Once he was a good couple of feet away, the man turned back into a wolf.

It was silent until the last of the wolves had disappeared back into the trees. Once they had gone, Edward was by my side wrapping his arms around me.

"That was awesome!" Emmett boomed.

"No it wasn't," Rosalie disagreed. "It will take God knows how long to get their stench off the lawn!"

"Are you okay?" Edward asked softly in my ear.

I looked up at him blankly. I didn't know how I felt. My old friend was a wolf and he hated Edward. Who hated him back equally as much. In truth I hadn't given Jacob much thought since I'd gotten back to Forks, except for when he'd visited on the Monday. But I had been busy. My life had just gotten more complicated.

"I think..." I said slowly, "I want to go back to the hospital. I want to forget this even happened. Back to my normal problems."

"Are you sure? We can talk about it. Are you mad at me?"

Sure, I wasn't happy about him making my decisions but Edward's hate towards Jacob went beyond me. I didn't understand it and at that very moment, I didn't want to know. "You were just looking out for me," I said. "This is too much for me at the moment. I will take ghost issues any day compared to this."

It wasn't everyday you learned a friend wasn't exactly human. It was a lot to process.

-x-

Edward made me eat a large lunch. After the incident outside, I'd realised how late in the day it was; almost time for dinner. Once I had forced down food to make Edward happy, Alice helped me dress. To cover my scars and my neck wound, I wore a long sleeved top with a dark blue scarf around my neck. Since it had rained most of the day, Rosalie gave me a pair of her boots which was rather good of her since she didn't seem to be my biggest fan. I had argued, saying we could stop off at my place, but Alice had already gotten them on my feet before I could finish my pleas.

Once Alice was satisfied with my outfit, Carlisle checked me over once again. He was astonished that I felt fine all things considered.

"You shouldn't have the energy to even walk to the bathroom," Carlisle commented as he took my blood pressure. "Even after the transfusions, you should still be feeling the effects of blood loss...it's amazing how quickly you recovered!"

I shrugged. "I have never felt better," I told him truthfully. "I was a little woozy at first but now I feel great. The wounds aren't even sore." I traced my fingers over my arms where I had been cut from the vision for a second time.

"Well, everything checks out okay. Your BP is perfect and I am sure your blood count will be back to normal too," the doctor said as he labelled the vial of blood he had taken from me. I briefly wondered if the blood had my DNA or the donor's. Things like that were always mind boggling to me. "You are some girl Bella," Carlisle said with a smile. "I have never met another human like you."

I beamed, taking it as a huge compliment. "And I have never met a doctor like you," I told him sincerely. "And I have seen my fair share!"

Once Edward had made sure I was warm enough, we finally set off in the Volvo towards the hospital with a tupperware full of left over's for Charlie. The car ride was silent but I had a lot to think about.

I had been coping just fine with everything but learning something else out of this world was bordering too much. I thought Alice had been joking when she mentioned shape shifters.

It wasn't that I didn't accept Jacob for what he was, because it would be hypocritical if I said otherwise, it was just the way he had acted. He'd looked at Edward as if he was something stuck on the bottom of his shoe. No, in fact he'd looked at Edward much worse than that. I needed to know what Jacob had meant by 'his side of the story' but for now I just needed to take a step back and focus on the here and now problems.

Moving to Forks was turning out to be very complicated indeed. I had been through more than I could ever imagine and the only good thing to come out of it was Edward.

There was still so much to go through. I had to find Julia. I felt that she owed me an explanation because I didn't know what was going to happen the next time I saw a ghost. Was I really dying each time I went through a vision like Edward said, or was Ryan right? Was it really just a vision?

Having visions was one thing but actually re-living it all was another. I detested my gift at times as it was; now it just got more complex. No wonder Edward was angry. We couldn't do anything about it because we didn't know what was going on. Only Julia could tell us and I was sure she wouldn't make an appearance any time soon. And I knew Ryan would avoid me like the plague if he could help it.

Edward was right, my gift was so unpredictable right now but I had to believe what Julia had said in the first place. We just had to let it play out no matter what happened. Although from Edward's point of view that was easier said than done.

Edward parked the Volvo around the back entrance of the hospital since there was still a horde of reporters at the front. Seeing them all standing outside the front entrance made my heart sink.

Edward turned off the ignition and turned to me, curiosity sparked in his golden eyes.

"You have been accused of murder?" he began with a hint of amusement. I cringed internally, pressing my lips together in a hard line. Edward tried to smooth out his face and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt but I heard it from the reporters' heads earlier. What on earth happened?"

I undid my belt and turned so I was facing Edward. I had wondered how long it would take for this story to crop up but thanks to Maria Wells, I would now have to re-tell it. Although it wasn't as bad as Edward made it out to be.

"No, I wasn't accused of murder," I corrected shivering slightly. What a horrible word. Edward was still smirking so I guessed he knew at least half the story already. "It's not funny!" I shook my head trying not to laugh at his reaction. "It was just one of those 'wrong place, wrong time' things. It's kind of a hazard with my gift. I see spirits but at times I see their...um, well, corpses...because they tell me where to find them."

"And you go and find them? Alone?" Edward wasn't so amused now, a hint of anger in his eyes.

"I wasn't alone," I said defensively. "But if I told someone that I knew where a body was then I would definitely get accused of murder!" I took a deep breath. "Sorry, it's just you sound like Charlie. That's pretty much what he said." Anger had not been the word when Charlie had found out what had happened. I thought he was going to lock me in my room until the end of summer.

"What happened?" Edward asked softly, concern replacing his slight anger.

"Two years ago, before my mom was diagnosed, I was in Forks with Charlie," I began as I cast my mind back to the summer I was fifteen. "Normally I spent a week in Forks then dad and I would vacation, but he was busy at work so I spent my time in Port Angeles with Alex. I stayed with him one weekend and we were following up on a spirit that had found me while we were having lunch in a cafe. We were led to the other side of town where there is a cluster of rundown buildings.

"To cut a long story short: we followed a spirit into one of the top apartments and found his body. He had been stabbed in the gut and had bled out all over the floor. The knife was still by his body but he said he couldn't remember anything. I wasn't a coroner but I could tell it had just happened. We were just going to go out and call 911 when the spirit stopped me and told me to get his wallet from his pocket. Me and blood don't mix and I was barely keeping my lunch down as it was but Alex had already gone out without realising I wasn't with him, so I sucked it up and hurried back inside the apartment and tried to fish out his wallet...that's when the police came through the door..."

It was just unfortunate that I happened to be leaning over the body, having managed to get blood on my hands and looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights. In other words, I looked guilty as hell.

"And that's how you were accused of murder?" Edward wasn't following me.

"Well, accused of murder is quite strong, but you have to admit I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I guess I can't blame them for suspecting me," I said. "It turns out someone had already called the police before Alex could and it also turns out that we were in a squat for junkies so my age wasn't a concern. The spirit, TJ Howard, was not much older than me, was from Seattle and had been 'living' there for about six weeks with his so called girlfriend who was of the same age but sold herself for drug money." I wasn't judging but I later found out that it was her that killed TJ.

"How long was it before they let you go? And how does the reporter Maria Wells come into the story?" Edward was back to being slightly amused now he knew the full story.

"I wasn't formally arrested but they took me to the station. Alex tried to protest on my behalf and became quite aggressive when they wouldn't let me go...but his mom is a detective so they knew who he was so he wasn't made to go with us, despite the fact he was there too."

My fingers curled into my palms at the way I had been treated. It was horrible to think that they suspected me of actually killing the person. It hurt to know that I was even considered a suspect because I hadn't so much as jay walked before, never mind take a knife to someone. I was terrified the whole time and the more they questioned me, the more I felt like a criminal.

"Anyway," I went on. "They took me to the station and I gave my details and of course they realised I was the Police Chief of Forks' daughter and I wasn't treated like a suspect much longer but they still had to question me. I wasn't a junkie, clearly, and I hoped that I didn't look like I was there selling my body, so what was I doing there?"

"You didn't tell them about the spirit, TJ?"

I snorted. "Oh I tried to tell them that but they would sooner believe I was a killer, because it was easier to understand. Alex's mom arrived before Charlie and she was shocked to find out what had happened. When she asked us both what we were doing there, we gave her the same story. She wasn't sure she believed us but she knew we wouldn't have gone there unless we really had to. She told the officers that our involvement wasn't important and we were free to leave..."

"But you didn't?" Edward raised his eyebrow.

I shook my head. "I wish we did but TJ was still around and we couldn't just leave him without finding out who did it. Only Charlie was furious and tried to get me home before anything else happened. But I was fifteen and when you tell someone that age not to do something...well, naturally we just do it anyway...and I was no different. I was sick of Charlie trying to stop me help spirits...I understood that he was just worried about me but it was my life and I wanted to help them."

"That's when Maria Wells came in?" Edward guessed.

"Yes," I answered nodding. "She had been hanging around the station because an old case of a missing child had been re-opened. She had overheard Charlie and me arguing and was curious about me. She caught me in the ladies' restroom and told me she would help me do what I needed to do. Alex distracted Charlie and Maria and I left the station in her car. We drove back to the crime scene which was still buzzing with people and I saw TJ again. I got out and Maria followed. I wasn't sure she believed what I could do but I didn't care, I just wanted to help TJ.

"It took him a while and I had to talk him through possible scenarios to jog his memory, but eventually he pieced together what happened before he was killed and led me to his killer. His girlfriend, Aimee Wood, was with a...um, well, she was working when we found her and she seemed quite at ease...not like someone who had just killed their boyfriend during a heated argument a few hours before. Maria called the police and drove me to Alex's house so I wasn't questioned further. Charlie found me there, still furious but relieved I was okay, and we stayed long enough so I could see TJ into The Light and to find out that Aimee was arrested, and it was later proved that it was her that killed TJ."

"They would have found out sooner or later anyway," Edward said. "What about Maria, didn't they wonder why she was the one that found Aimee?"

"Maria is known for doing a bit of digging in relation to stories so the police weren't curious to know why she got there before they did," I said just as Edward's phone buzzed in his pocket.

He fished out his phone and gave it a quick glance. "Alice ran ahead of us and she is saying that Maria is looking for you still. What happened next with Maria? She didn't leave you alone." It wasn't a question.

I shook my head again. "No she did not," I said grimly. "Before we left to go back to Forks, Maria came back to Alex's house to speak to me. At first I thought she just had questions about my gift, which is natural, so I went into her car to talk to her...but she wanted me to work for her..." I sighed deeply. Apart from Edward, she was the first person to believe me so easily about my gift without a lot of questions or proof.

"Work for her?"

"At first I wasn't sure she understood my gift because she didn't really ask about it...which was odd. When I explained what I could do she nodded and told me she understood. She said that she was in town because an old missing person's case had been re-opened...something about new evidence had come to light and she wanted me to help her and the police find the missing boy who she was more than sure was dead."

"But that's not how your gift works," Edward said with a hint of confusion. "What did you tell her?"

"I tried to tell her exactly that, that it was just a coincidence that I had come across a recently, um, deceased person who had been killed but not found yet," I said. "I told her if the boy was dead then it could be that he was gone already but if not, then it's not like I could wander around town until I saw him. If he wanted help then he had to come to me, I couldn't go to him. It just doesn't work like that."

"What did she say?"

"She thought I was being selfish, that I was picking and choosing who I helped and a lot of other untrue things," I said sadly. "I let her have a go at me then explained again that I didn't pick and choose who I helped. I helped everyone that came to me if they wanted help but I wouldn't go around looking for spirits to help, and even though I was sorry that this boy was still missing, dead or alive, I couldn't do anything about it."

"She shouldn't have been so unkind," Edward raged. "She was the selfish one, trying to put you in a position that would make you feel guilty about not helping this boy. You do a brilliant job at helping these lost spirits." He gave me a kind smile. "She watches too much television," he added after a moment.

"I also wondered if she thought I was psychic or something," I said thoughtfully. "But she said she knew it was spirits I saw, not the future."

"I can't say I recall a boy going missing from Port Angeles," Edward said. "How long ago was it? Did anything come of the new evidence?"

Out of guilt I had tried to follow the case but not long after, my mom got sick, so I lost track. I told Edward that and he nodded. "I will see if I get anything out of Maria's head," he said. "That wasn't the last time you saw Miss Wells was it?"

"That winter, just a few months or so after my mom was diagnosed, she tracked me down in Phoenix," I said bitterly. "I wasn't best pleased to see her and she even had the nerve to come to the hospital but I am not a horrid person and I don't bluntly tell people where to go, even if I am mad. So, I heard her out. She wanted me to do something for her again. She had been working on a story in Seattle; this one was going to get her the big promotion she had been wanting for ages.

"There had been three brutal murders in Seattle and she wanted me to fly over and help her to solve them. Of course that wasn't her job, but it was her nature but she had a personal connection to the case. She was naturally curious and she liked to be very hands on when reporting things and that included doing police work of her own. She told me that if there had been spirits left behind and if I went to find them, I could ask them who did it to them, and they could find the person and that would be the end of it. But– "

"You didn't help her," Edward concluded with a satisfied look. "You shouldn't have had to. Bella, she was abusing your gift and I can tell you feel guilty about telling her no – it's written all over your face."

Stupidly, but automatically, I touched my face, as if there was the world "guilty" written there but of course it was ridiculous and I flushed at my idiocy.

"If it had been under any other circumstances I might have flown back to Seattle with Maria just to see the back of her, but my mom had just been put into a drug induced coma so she could fight a severe infection. I thought she was going to die; I was just waiting for her to appear to me in spirit form. I was broken and I wasn't dealing with anyone's death, I was ignoring all spirits no matter who they were or what they wanted, so I wasn't flying anywhere to solve a couple of murders just so Maria could get a promotion!"

Edward leaned over and took my hand. His touch always made me feel safer and my insides relaxed and my painful memories subdued. "You don't have to explain yourself," he said gently. "You don't have to do anything for anyone. She had a nerve asking you when you were dealing with your own pain. She is the one who should feel guilty." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Did she leave after you told her no?"

"Well," I said slowly. "She did leave soon after but she told me I had to come back to Seattle with her or she would tell the rest of the world what I could do...then I would be treated like a freak and everyone would want proof and I would get hounded by people wanting them to look for their dead loved ones..."

"How could she say such a thing?" Edward spat. "And that is the most childish thing I have ever heard a grown woman do! She sounds like a play ground bully!"

"I thought so too," I said. "But then I found out that one of the murdered was a close friend...she threatened me in desperation."

"Did you help her?"

"She wouldn't let me after I'd said I wouldn't leave my mom just now," I said exasperated. "She was furious that I wasn't sympathetic to her loss and told me I was a waste of space and that I could take my gift and..." I shrugged. I could tell Edward got the picture from his furious expression. "Don't be too mad," I said quickly. "She wrote to me a week later and told me that she was sorry, she was just angry because her friend had been killed and she didn't mean what she had said. I didn't write back but I understood how she felt. I was a pretty intolerable person at times when my mom was at her worst, and I took it out on everyone too."

"And now she is here to hound you again," Edward said heavily. "Do you want Alice and me to go and scare her off?" He grinned wickedly, his eyes gleaming.

I was a little startled but I was almost sure he was joking. "I may as well face her," I said glumly. "But I don't know why she wants to see me...or how she knows I am here for that matter. What did you get from her mind?"

"She heard your mom passed and she guessed you were back in Forks," Edward told me. "She has been in Port Angeles working and she was at the police station when the news about the accident came through. She knew that if you were in town, you would be around the accident somehow."

"Then she won't leave until she has a word with me." I was already doing what she probably wanted me to do anyway. I was going to help the spirits, no-one was blackmailing me to do it and no-one was getting personal gain out of it either so I was happy to do it.

I would be civil to Maria but if she started demanding things then I might not be so cooperative, because she had already pushed my buttons. And I was going to make sure that she never found out about my visions; I was especially keen to make sure that she didn't find out about Emily.

As Edward couldn't read my thoughts, I knew he was always watching my body language and facial expressions, so I wasn't surprised when his thoughts seemed to be in-sync with my own. "I will be there with you," he said. "She won't blackmail you again. And we will protect Emily's secret, she won't get her hands on her."

I smiled at Edward. It made me glow inside, knowing that we thought very much alike. I had never had such a close relationship with anyone in my life; not even my mother was that attuned to my way of thinking and we were very close as mother and daughter.

"What was in the TJ's wallet that he wanted you to go back for?" Edward asked as we crossed the smaller parking lot towards the back entrance.

"A letter to his family," I said. "He hadn't spoken to them since he'd run away and moved out to live in Port Angeles. The police handed it on to them."

"Do you think everyone will get their chance to go into The Light?" Edward asked as we reached the door. "Murderers, rapists, child molesters? Do you think they all deserve peace and redemption?"

It was such a heavy and unexpected question that my mind went blank for a few seconds.

"I truly don't have an answer for that," I whispered. "It's not for me to judge. But I like to think that some will get a second chance. Not everyone is as guilty as they appear."

"Will I get a chance in The Light?"

I knew he was going to ask that question so I already had my answer. "Without a doubt," I said confidently, meaning every word.

"You don't know that..."Edward began instantly.

I sighed. I could see Edward was going to argue so I bent on my tip toes and kissed him softly on his cool lips. He smiled in surprise.

"You have the kindest soul I have ever met. You have fought what you are. You are not a monster. You are not evil. You will see The Light. But you are going to live forever...so it's a moot point." I smiled triumphantly and walked into the hospital just as it started to rain again.

Ahh, no cliff hanger again, go me lol! I hope you all enjoyed it. I was worried about people's reaction to how Jacob behaved...Sorry to all you Jake fans if you hated that part...Next chapter is going to be have our first goodbye to one of our ghost friends! I am going to do something that I thought about ages ago but I am not sure how it will come across but I have been hinting at it in the last few chapters... I do have the next chapter done (finally) so reviewers will get a small preview (a tiny one this time since I don't want to give away too much).

If you still have the urge to read more fics, then I have plenty on my page, but also, my beta has a few. I am in the middle of her re-do of A Fine Line. It's all human and I love it! She has great character development. Go and give her some love! If you have a story you want me to read let me know and I will add it to my favourites.

Finally, before I go, I might be slow on updating for a while. As soon as we get our visas back we will be off to Houston soon to look for a house. Hopefully I can get a little writing done here and there but the minute we get back home it's going to be chaos! So I apologise in advance but for now I will write as much as possible.

Reviews make me happy :)

Also, again, I have just got twitter, follow me PolkaDotB