*DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Twilight Saga and it's characters. This is purely artistic fiction drawn in inspiration from Stephanie Meyers words.

*WARNING: This chapter contains disturbing imagery, reader discretion is advised.

*This chapter features two pov changes.

*In this fic, all vampires possess venom—not just male vampires. There'll be no misogyny in this story.

*Please see notes at end of Ch for more clarification.

BELLA POV

"You've decided, huh?" Jasper sighed.

"Yes." My voice was forthright and straight as an arrow.

Surely, dying in the place of those I love would be a good way to go. The best part was that I wouldn't really die. I'd become the best version of myself. The frail and clumsy me, the parts that were less than satisfactory in my eyes, would be swallowed up. I hoped Jacob would understand. True love would find a way—if it was real, even in the supernatural world, then it wouldn't separate us. He wouldn't have to stay a werewolf after I changed, I would be able to protect both of us.

"If that's what you want, Bella." Alice winced, hiding her face in Jasper's shirt momentarily. A loud clatter startled everyone in the room. Edward had come back down the stairs and thrown several breakable items onto the landing. Pieces of pottery and metal were strewn about.

"No!" He shouted, glaring directly at me. "I won't allow it."

"Edward, you have no leverage over me anymore. I can make my own decisions."

"I can see that." He spat bitterly, pointing down at my ring finger. I turned away from him and faced Emmett.

"Can I count on you to turn me if no one else will?" I knew he would support my cause if I didn't have any other avenues.

"I can't promise to be gentle, but I'll do my best." He shrugged. The bluntness of his comment sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't picture him as rough, more so a gentle giant.

"Bella." Alice was in front of me suddenly. "Walk with me." Her icy hands grabbed my shoulders and maneuvered me toward the kitchen. Her grip was cutting into my skin a tiny bit, but I ignored it.

"What is it?" I huffed.

"You realize that while our family is under the pressure of dealing with the Volturi," her eyes narrowed, "we now have the added stress of turning you, too." Alice's tiny face was matted with ferocity. "Why do you want to die so badly?!"

I flinched. "It's not that I want to die. I want to live, Alice."

"Being a vampire isn't all roses and daisies, Bella." Her brows furrowed, her anger melding into regret. "You'll kill people. People you know, maybe those you love."

"Are you speaking from experience?" I said flippantly. She stared at me, her bright, honey-hued eyes filling with emotion.

"Yes." There was a seriousness shown in her expression that I'd never seen before.

"Oh..." I realized she was trying to reveal the darker parts of vampirism to me, and subsequently be vulnerable with me. Her intention was probably to scare me away from my decision. She didn't understand that Edward had tried to do that for her. He loved me but tried and failed to kill me because of his thirst for my blood. I was no stranger to the risks and complications. I wasn't deterred.

"Have you made peace with that genuine, dangerous possibility? That you might hurt or kill your friends and family?" She urged, her hands clasped mine. Her cold, alabaster skin soothed me. She was more gentle this time.

"Y-yes. I know it means I won't get to say goodbye to Charlie." I swallowed uneasily.

"For yours and his safety, you can't let him know we exist," Alice muttered.

"If it's for the best—maybe a clean break with Charlie will be better." It hurt to consider abandoning him since Renee had done the same thing. It was a reality I'd live with if I didn't want him to get hurt. To him, he would think the worst...

"Be sure, there is no turning back once you're bitten... none of us have the restraint Carlisle has." She was making sure there was no room for indecision. "We won't be able to suck the venom back out."

"I'm prepared to make a lot of sacrifices for this family—my family," I replied calmly. She hugged me to her tightly. Her spiky chestnut-colored hair tickled my cheek.

"Starting now?" Alice pulled away, her fierce, golden eyes boring into mine.

"For the last time, Alice. Yes, I'm ready when you are." I nodded with conviction. My thoughts still ran to Jacob. Would I get to say goodbye? I might have to give up on that optimistic notion. Wait. Sam's pack... What about the treaty? Where would we go?

"I'll tell the others. Is there a specific place you'd want to be? To make it more comfortable?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter where. What about the treaty?" I was more worried about Sam's pack trying to kill all of them after my change. Jacob would more than likely lead the charge. "Will they try to come after us?"

"We'll have to leave Forks. Even if you choose to be turned, if my understanding is correct, it violates their 'terms and conditions'." Alice was briefly lost in thought. "You'll become another one of those missing cases. Lots of people go missing around here... I'll be right back."

Alice was gone, and my hair whipped around my face with the wind tunnel her fast movement provided. I overheard a few heated words exchanged between both her and Edward. When she returned, we headed toward the second floor of the house, ascending the steps slowly.

"What did you say to him to get him to leave?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Bold of you to assume I left." Edward glowered from the hallway, hovering in front of the doorway to his room.

"You won't want to stay," I warned him.

"I'm not the type who listens to reason. Neither are you." He scoffed. Alice draped her arm around my shoulders and shot daggers at him with her eyes. We reached the end of the longest hallway and turned into one of the rooms I'd never set foot in.

"This is it." Alice patted the bed in the guest room. "I won't stay with you after... I don't want to do any more than bite you." She whispered, "that's bad enough."

The room was immaculate. All the linens on the bed in the center were crisply pressed and tucked into the space between the frame and mattress. It looked pristine. Four white walls, unpadded to my dismay, to stare at and slip slowly into madness with.

"Are you going to lose yourself the moment you smell my blood?" I eyed Edward suspiciously.

"Try not to judge me based on the only time I lost control. I saved your life two other times, not without difficulty, might I add." He grimaced, propping himself against the door.

"I'm sorry that I'm an inconvenience. You'll be rid of that once I'm turned." I coolly responded. "That will sever the only thing tying me to you—my blood. You should be happy."

"Give me more credit than that, it's not your blood that I love." He said softly, "it may have attracted me to you at first but your selflessness, your heart... That is what sealed our fate."

"Edward, shut up." Alice rolled her eyes and recalibrated to focus on me. "Emmett and Jasper are out looking for Jacob. They're trying to convince him to come back."

"If he's smart, he's long gone by now..." I whispered, laying down on the bed. Alice sat down beside me and nervously fidgeted. She reached for my hand and I squeezed it.

"That's asking a lot. He's not the brightest bulb out of the bunch," Edward rolled his eyes, "Alice, you should bite her calf. It's one of the least sensitive parts of the body." Edward suggested.

"Thanks for the input, boy genius. Let me ask the person involved first." Alice shook her head and locked eyes with me.

"Forearm, please. My good one." I tapped my right arm.

"Alright, I can do that." Alice hesitated, feeling both sets of eyes staring intently at her. "Can everyone please stop watching, though? It's hard enough knowing I have to do this to you."

Edward averted his gaze. I tightly shut my eyes, preparing myself for the unbearable pain that would soon envelop me. Alice delicately wrapped her icy fingers around my wrist and raised my arm to her frigid lips. My heart sped up in anticipation of the bite. Soon enough, I'd be in a living hell. The worst part was that I had no idea for how long. Hours? Days? The seconds ticked on and my skin was hot with adrenaline. Anxiety bloomed inside the back of my mind. Alice did her best to ease it, sensing the unspoken tension that was building in my muscles. All scrambled thoughts calmed. She was comforting me by lacing her free hand through my hair. It resonated with me as a motherly action, something Renee did when I was a very young child.

"Try to relax. It'll be better that way." She whispered. I inhaled and exhaled slowly a few times, settling for a minute amount.

A visceral sensation tore through me as she bit down on my forearm, her razor-sharp teeth easily stabbing into my flesh. The bite itself wasn't awful, but the venom that flowed into me seconds later was indescribable. Literal fire coursed through my veins. Alice did not stop but held me down as she bit into my arm four more times. I was confused, and a frantic scream bubbled up in my throat. Had she lost control? Please—not Alice—she was my safe space.

"Bella, l-listen to me," she sputtered, "the more venom, the quicker the change." Alice croaked, "I hope we're right about this." If she could cry, her face would have been wet with tears. I heard it in her high-pitched voice. She disappeared from the room and I tried not to combust.

The pain... searing, white fiery flames were burning me alive. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. The world around me was melting under a curtain of fresh perdition. I had zero control over my writing body. All of my limbs moved of their own accord, thrashing around from the scalding grip of venom. My hands cramped from clenching into fists, and at some point, I felt bile rising in my throat. I hardly acknowledged the cues I was receiving to throw up. No, I didn't want to—I wanted to keep the food that we had in the restaurant down. My last meal as a human was symbolic in a small way.

I choked, rolling onto my side to prevent getting sick on myself. The waves of torment were spreading further up my arm, slowly working into my shoulder and chest. Had it been minutes, hours? I forgot Edward was standing at the door. His topaz eyes met mine. They were so undeniably beautiful, stern, and yet full of surprising anguish. I guess a tiny part of me still appreciated his presence in the end, knowing I wouldn't be alone in this desolate sea of misery, cut off from everyone I loved. I wished Jacob was here with me, but I was untroubled with this option. Seeing me like this would break him, and I didn't want to hurt him any more than I already did. My hands were trembling now, uncontrollably shaking under the all-consuming blaze inside.

The near-constant struggle between wanting to die and pass out was insufferable. My eyes were hazy from the multitude of tears that freely fell from them. I was pleading, screaming, begging for the unbiased, sweet kiss of death. Edward's face was closer now in my frenzied stupor. His cool skin on mine was enough to elicit a terse groan of relief from me. His palm was on my forehead, his other hand held one of mine. It was hard to know which, I was barely holding on at all.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Bella. I wish I could help." His voice was muffled.

My mind wasn't processing correctly. I mustered what semblance of leftover will I had to respond, but my voice did not come no matter how hard I tried. Another violent surge of pain shattered my resolution and I could only gasp for air. My lungs were being strangled; all the air inside was evaporating. I was being roasted alive from the inside out. His algid face was gone from my line of sight. I fought to keep my sanity. Time and space dispersed; my thoughts were scarce, and no words formed, only demented, singular pictures instead of sight. My heartbeat was uneven and weak. I understood that cardiac arrest was imminently approaching. With every pump of blood in, my heart toiled to manage just one more measly beat. I couldn't breathe. I was suffocating—there was nothing in the end. I had no way of knowing how long it had been. My only company was true, unyielding torture. As my eyes closed for the last time, a blurred flurry of movement occurred. My mind was slow to respond. All neurotransmitters in my brain were fried from continuously receiving signals from the venom invading my body. A familiar sound graced my ears while I was fading from existence.

"Bella! Bella no, open your eyes, stay with me!" The voice was gravelly and low with panic. They were crying. Who was speaking?

The last bit of air rushed out of my chest. I didn't form so much as a syllable. Whoever was trying to talk to me was too late. My humanity was gone—no more brainwave activity, meaning zero consciousness. A complete and swift release from reality. My heart gave out. Death was peaceful, infinitely placid. Somewhere in the void, they spoke again.

"Please, baby," A man's baritone voice, desperate and pitiful with sorrow. "Don't leave me—open your eyes! Say something. I d-didn't even get to s-say goodbye." He was sobbing, each word more labored than the one before it. One last stab of clarity through the darkness; I knew this man, I knew him.

Something plucked my soul and essence from my body, perhaps the grim reaper itself. I floated up into the air, silently observing my frozen, lifeless figure. I tried to reach out toward my contorted face, but nothing happened. I was this non-corporeal figment of imagination, mindless, subhuman, devoid... on an entirely separate plane from whence I came. Was this what an out-of-body experience was like? No angel waited to save me, nor any demon quick to drag me to hell. I pieced together the details, discerning this new turn of events. Purgatory.

I could hear crying—another person was hunched over the corpse on the bed. The towering height, broad shoulders, dark hair, and those abysmal, sable-hued eyes...

Jacob.

"Jake!" I cried, my voice mute.

He did not respond, his tears soaked the material of the shirt on my real body. All I could do was watch him from beyond the pale, ashen curtain of limbo. I wanted so much to speak to him—to comfort him.

Time was an illusion; liquescent, interminable. Jake was in the corner of the room now, staring off into space. My physical body was just as statuesque and quiet, cleaner and swathed in different clothing—crystalline, carved from exquisite diamonds. Suddenly, I felt a culling. Wherever I was lost to, it was time to return. I was being brought back to this tangible world. Falling further and faster down into the angelic, stone sculpture before me.

Rebirth, renewal... a second chance to get it right.

Perfection incarnate; the butterfly spreading her gossamer wings and taking flight for the first time.

JACOB POV

I was seeing red, wrapped up in how much it hurt to hear her say those words. It didn't matter where I was going, anywhere was better than here. Bella wouldn't listen to me. There was no way to convince her. She didn't understand what she was doing, and nothing I said would change her mind. I was running impossibly fast through the woods, far away from the Cullen's. My four legs were a driving force, unable to stop. There was movement out of the corner of my eyes yet I didn't quit sprinting. Something landed in front of me and I skidded to a halt only to avoid a collision.

"Jacob—dude, you gotta come back to the house." Emmett's voice rang out. I snarled and turned to face away. I didn't care what any of the bloodsuckers would say. Jasper appeared on his left, materializing in the night.

"Alice is gonna change Bella," Jasper called to me. "I don't think you ought to be out here for that."

'Change Bella'... those words processed slower than the rest of the sentence. Now? I whimpered. It felt like the wind was knocked out of my stomach.

"Yeah, man, she needs you." Emmett boomed, waving his hands in the air.

They were right. I set aside my anger and resentment. She needed someone... she needed me. Bella was dying before I even had time to think. I fought so hard for her. No, I refused to come to terms with that statement. I whipped around and went even faster in my pursuit back to the house. When I reached the steps, my wolf form ripped away, and I smashed through the front door straight into Edward. He was sitting on the landing of the stairs, staring blankly at the wall.

"Get out of my way." I hissed, trying to rush past him.

"You don't want to see that." He croaked, a remorseful look plastered on his face. He wasn't trying to stop me, but rather caution me.

"I... don't care. I have to see her." I protested.

He stepped aside, and I expertly bounded up the flight of stairs, skipping multiple on the way. The sound that graced my ears was sickening. I heard the faint, sparse beating of Bella's heart and her ragged breathing. It led me to a room in the back of the house with her sprawled over a bed. There were tiny splotches of blood all over the comforter and her clothes from the multiple bite wounds on her arm. She was unusually still. The mere sight of her was enough to cause me to fall to my knees. The memory of her on the forest floor hadn't prepared me for how she looked at this moment. This was much worse, branding a grisly image into the back of my mindforever. She was inches away from death now; her heart lost its' fight and beat no more. No.

"Bella! Bella no, open your eyes, stay with me!" I whispered, wrapping her in my arms. She was cold. The tears were instantaneous, welling in my eyes. They spilled over the contours of my cheeks and were swallowed by her dark hair. Her chest weakly heaved up once, an arduous gasp of air escaping her. It was something out of a horror movie—the breathy gurgle that rose through her throat frightened me to my core. It signaled her death...

"Please, baby," I wept, "don't leave me—open your eyes, say something!" My hands were shaking. I was powerless to stop it. "I d-didn't even get to s-say goodbye..." Her eyes opened for the last time. They looked for me and then drifted up to the ceiling. The pupils were empty, fixed, and heavily dilated. She was as pale as the white comforter underneath her. Not hearing the steady sound of her heartbeat broke something inside me. She was gone. There was nothing in her body anymore. No consciousness, no soul... no breath of life.

She was dead.

"BELLA, NO!" I screamed with everything inside me. This was my worst nightmare.

Hours passed, and I cried until there was nothing left. I wouldn't leave her side. Morning crept through the window, and as quickly as it came, the light disappeared once again under cover of darkness. The never-ending cycle of day and night. Her body was stiff, changing as I watched over her. The more it transformed, the more I felt a nauseous, deep hatred toward every noticeable difference. Her dark brown hair lightened slightly, and each curl became more defined, fanning out around her colorless face. I closed her eyes earlier. I couldn't cope with their lifeless stare. She did not stir. Instead, her body became heavier as time went on. Whatever composite material vampires were made of, she was somewhere in between. Bella was losing her scent. It was being replaced by the overly flowery chemical smell all vampires had. I didn't know what to expect. I loved her—but not this thing, this perversion of the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I think somewhere between the second and third day, Alice brought me food and clothes. She advised me that the transformation might finish soon and I involuntarily flinched at her words. It was only her in the house now. The rest of the Cullen's were somewhere else. I didn't care. The thought of Bella as a vampire disgusted me. It went against everything I stood for, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically. Maybe some part, buried far down inside me, could still love her. No, probably not... She chose this. Bella actively told me I wasn't worth staying human for. Vampires were abominations of nature—a creature that wasn't capable of human feelings or instincts, strictly designed to kill. The unnatural top of the food chain by skewed standards. Sam had posted his lackeys outside the house because this imbalance voided the treaty. Leah unintentionally saw everything through our telepathy. It spread to Seth and so on. Despite questioning my shared outrage, I wanted to protect her. I was in a state of inner turmoil.

Another day melted away, and I had taken up residence in the corner of the room she was in. Alice had come in several times to check on her. She cleaned the blood away from Bella's stark, nonexistent wounds and changed her clothes because of the condition she was in. During her death, she had foamed at the mouth, and her front was coated in a mixture of bile and stomach acid. I didn't mind the smell. I knew she suffered. That bothered me more than anything. The prospect that she had endured so much all alone... She was strong, but not that strong. I half expected her not to wake up, like some sort of failed science experiment. I went through the grieving process, neatly tucking all of my love for her inside me. I was ready to let her go when she moved. Just a little hand twitch.

I leaned over her, staring into the face that was Bella's, but obviously not at the same time. Her countenance was soft, chiseled perfection, like a cherubic sculpture directly from old Greece. No blemish on her pale skin, or flush of color in her full cheeks, nor the faint freckles I loved. She was painfully beautiful; I hated every single centimeter of her impeccable features. This monster had replaced my Bella. Fiery anger flooded my conscience. I didn't want to be cursed with the image of her. My thoughts were erratic. I debated tearing this marble, evil twin apart. For my sanity, Bella's dignity, and my unbridled hatred of vampires. No, I couldn't.

Her eyes snapped open and darted around the room until they locked with mine. My world deviated on its steady axis, culminating in a steep precipice which I hadn't foreseen. Everything changed in one singular instant... my life would never be the same. From the moment those cherry-red orbs bore into mine, an unspoken veil was lifted. I found myself falling into those bewitching, crimson pools, both awestruck and held captive. I struggled to cope as waves of conflicting ecstasy strangled my feeling of loss. The sentiment I had for the old Bella was obliterated, superseded by a stronger, more intense adoration for this sparkling evolution of her. My human Bella was dead, but the one in her place was as much mine as the old, if not abundantly more. This woman, this paragon of heaven, in all of its glittering resplendence, was what bound me to this Earth. I was born to love this florescent version of Bella. Her perfect voice rang in my ears, a mere shadow of the sound it had once been. The ethereal wind chimes I associated her voice with were softer, sweeter, and much more entrancing now.

A wolf had never imprinted on a vampire.

"Jacob?" she whispered, reaching up to touch my face.

"B-Bella?" I stuttered, more tears welling in my eyes. I was overwhelmed by so many emotions. Her hand touched my cheek, contouring to it, and the frozen temperature of her skin was like a breath of fresh air. Unbridled anodyne to my swallowed grief.

"You're here? You don't... h-hate me?" She asked, her sculpted face crinkled with emotion.

"No, I don't hate you." I mouthed. A singular tear fell onto her cheek and it shined as a prism did when brought to sunlight. "It's c-complicated."

"I don't understand." She sat up too fast and her head crashed into mine. The pain was unimportant. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know how to control it yet."

"The moment you opened your eyes," I paused, "when you looked at me..." The words wouldn't come.

Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces clicked into place. 'A great tragedy': the death of Bella was traumatic. I had never felt that way before. My heart was broken and sewn back together again.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She murmured, peering at me. "Do I smell?" Bella grimaced.

"Nothing's wrong—everything's perfect." I wanted to kiss her but hesitated. How much did she thirst for human blood? It didn't matter. If she wanted it, I would let her. There was nothing that would get in the way.

"But you hate vampires." Bella winced, covering her face with her hands.

"I think it's different now." I sighed, pulling her into my arms. Our bodies were complete opposites, her ice to my fire. It was pleasant, and I craved more.

"Different how?" She murmured, pushing away from me. "Don't get so close, my throat..."

"Are you hungry?" I asked, turning toward the door, "Alic—"

"Present." Alice materialized before us. She was oddly happy, but so was I.

"My throat is burning, I need..." Bella winced, backing away from me even more. The absence was rough on me already.

"I know what you need, but there's a problem," she raised the shades and pointed outside. "Sam's pack is out there, meaning we can't hunt. We'll be lucky if we escape unscathed."

"He won't have a problem with it anymore," I stated, holding Bella's cold hand in mine.

"What? Why?" Alice narrowed her eyes at me. "Something's off about you. You seem different."

"I imprinted." Every syllable happily bounced off my tongue.

"Jacob—you what?" Bella squeaked, staring at me incredulously.

"I imprinted the moment you looked into my eyes." I rubbed her hard skin with my thumb.

"But that's... that's impossible—" She shook her head and the way her hair shifted wafted a different layer of her scent toward me. It was delicate, flawless, and saccharine; warm vanilla mixed with lavender and blackberries.

"Trust me, I know how it sounds," I replied. "I'll talk to Sam. You need to hunt." I knew the Cullen's didn't eat humans, so I wasn't super worried.

"I'm confused," Bella arched her eyebrows, "I thought you hated vampires because of what we eat. That you'd hate—you'd hate me."

"Hated, as in past tense. Besides, you won't be drinking human blood. The Cullen's hunt animals." I smoothed down a strand of her hair, savoring the pleasant sensation touching it provided me.

"This is so bizarre." Alice muttered, "I guess it takes care of the werewolf issue."

"I'll be back." I pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead, and she recoiled.

"I can hear your heartbeat in your neck..." She hugged her legs to her chest.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Bells." I was hurting her—I rushed through the door to the room and down the stairs. When I stepped outside, Sam's wolf form greeted me and openly snarled. I had to phase to explain.

"Sam, wait—" I cautioned, and he growled in return. He lunged toward the house and I phased instantly. We smashed into each other and tumbled along the bushes. Leah, who was nearby, came forward and howled. Sam paused and separated from me, pacing along the trees that lined the property to the Cullen's.

You what!?

She was resentful. It was difficult to understand the situation. None of their opinions mattered to me, not anymore—only Bella's.

I don't know, it just happened. I can't explain it.

A chain reaction occurred. Every wolf phased back, starting with Sam. One heated, prolonged conversation later, and they bitterly understood. It was one of our tribe's most sacred laws. Imprinting was more substantial than the treaty our ancestors created, it outweighed any implied hatred toward vampires. The others may not be happy about my true mate being one, but they would respect it. I pondered what new wonders our changed relationship would hold. It would result in an adjustment period.

While the packs were talking, I warned them about the Volturi and requested their help. Thinking about anyone threatening that which I held most dear made me furious. I wouldn't allow anyone so much as to look at Bella the wrong way. We needed to prepare. It was only a matter of time before they would be here. There was another problem, on a lesser level, that would arise later. It wasn't as imperative as the Volturi threat, but we needed to think of an excuse regarding Charlie. There was no way I could lie to him, and I wasn't sure how strong Bella's vampire restraint was. We were facing yet another barrage of strife; I needed to be strong, much stronger than I had ever been in my life. Bella was durable now, and remotely immortal, but there was a small voice in the back of my mind that was worried about this new enemy. They weren't naive like the others we faced. These might have existed on this planet for thousands of years; a miracle was needed.

I promised to survive this... for us, and our future wedding. Some of the details would be different, but watching her walk down that aisle was my new goal. I'd fight these unknown vamps, whose powers might try to break me, and wouldn't give up. No price was steep enough.

Bella was my mate, no force—supernatural or non—would dare separate us again.

**First, yes, I changed the fact only male vampires carry venom. It made for ease of storytelling, personally. Plus, I couldn't picture anyone changing Bella beside Alice.

**Second, regarding Jacob's imprint—I have ALWAYS viewed Bella as his true imprint, but never saw a proper time to introduce it (like SMeyer started to write Jacob organically and backtracked). When I started this fic, I planned on turning Bella as a plot device when Eddi-boy bit her in Bloodmoon but changed it to elongate the story and add chemistry/friction. Jake x vampBells is my personal ship and less problematic than cannon Breaking Dawn.

**With all that being said, please understand this is fiction based on Twilight that is of MY creation. I hope you enjoy it regardless, and if not, there are lots of beautiful fanfics out there that are different! :D

**I know I promised to be faster but inexplicable events in my personal life have prevented me from writing as fast as I'd prefer. The next chapter will be bumpy but then I'm predicting Ch 18 will be smooth sailing. ~"I'll meet you at the altar." 3