"In The Dark" Contest

Pen Name: AgoodWITCH

Title: Love at First Bite

Summary: Edward is instantly drawn to the new girl, Bella Swan. From their first meeting he is overtaken by a desire for her body as well as her blood. After a week in Denali he returns to Forks and visits the object of his obsession. What happens in her room that night will change both of their lives forever. Rated M for language, lemons and dark themes.

Word Count: 6806

For Rules and Other Submissions, please visit: (D0T)net/u/2003775/

This story was an image in my head for a while, but I didn't know what to do with it until I heard about this contest, now I know exactly what it means and what will come. This will eventually be a multi-chapter story, but until the close of the contest, it will remain a one-shot. Thanks for all of the love and please review, it makes me smile! And don't forget to come back and vote starting November 2nd!

An ocean of thanks to AbbiiCakes, my awesome first round beta, for her love, supportive ideas and novel-sized PM's! Also, Tatiana Ekaterina for listening to my confused ramblings when I was stuck, unraveling my thoughts and generally knowing how my mind works. Finally to Patti996, for polishing this story and making it shine, love ya sis!

I don't own Twilight, but I am responsible for the actions of my Edward and the sleeping habits of my Bella.

EPOV

My family was probably half way to Denali by now, and that's exactly where I wanted them. I wasn't in Denali. I was twenty minutes outside of Forks.

Perfect.

That meant that I had a few hours before anyone would be able to get to me, even if they turned around now.

Alice had been attributing the visions she saw to my old feelings, choosing to believe that because I hadn't actively changed my mind yet, the visions weren't changing either. Jasper's recent troubles with his resolve were occupying her thoughts as well, so hopefully my actions would go unnoticed for a little while.

I knew this was a foolish, irrational line of thought but I clung to it, because it led me closer to Bella Swan. The desire I felt for her was unbelievably strong; the moment that delectable scent hit me everything that Carlisle had built for us was destroyed by the flames of my insatiable hunger.

I wanted her. I needed her. She was made for me.

Her blood was unbearably sweet-smelling – so young, perfect, innocent: the mere memory of the hovering fragrance was sending my inner monster's thirst wild with desire. Venom burned in my mouth, the ache raged in my throat. I would have killed the entire town to taste that sweet nectar.

But something else had happening to me – it was so unfamiliar, so strong, and so final. The man in me desired her body nearly as much as the awoken beast, as I remembered her slinking towards me; her fate edging closer with every step. I had watched how her hair flowed down her back to her perfect ass, the slight bounce of her chest as she walked towards me, her tiny frame and her full lips, which she bit out of fear at my reaction to her. A surge of desire tugged through me as she sat, and I silently wished that her teeth would break the skin of those perfect pink lips of hers so that I could satisfy both the monster and the man in me, as I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth.

I don't know what stopped me. But something did. Maybe it was that I couldn't hear her thoughts: the girl was stubbornly silent.

The hour dragged by painfully, but somehow I squashed that need: fighting the searing thirst as it blazed through my body.

I flew out of school and went straight to Carlisle, and then to Denali, but for a week all I saw and thought about was her. I needed to possess her. She awakened things in me I had never felt and I desperately wanted to start. I envisioned her perfect curves in my mind, unobstructed by clothes as I licked and sucked and kissed and bit—

I had to end that fantasy; otherwise I would have another problem on my hands. I was so ready to see her. I stood outside her window; listening to the eerie silence of the night. In seconds, I was in the tree in Chief Swan's yard looking through the window at Bella in bed. The venom flowed in my mouth as her scent blurred my vision; even through the wall.

As if she knew she was being watched, Bella shifted uncomfortably in her bed and I almost fell out of the tree.

Bella. Slept. Naked.

I watched her through the window overtaken by the horny teenager inside me as I was fully aware of the fact that I was no longer alone. I reached down, trying to readjust myself and my member twitched, not wanting my cold touch, but craving the warmth of the girl who had awakened him.

I leaned forward choosing to take my crime spree from merely being a peeping tom, to full blown breaking and entering. The window was closed but unlocked, so I slid it out of the way and climbed in, resting in the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room. Even though it wasn't open for more than a few seconds, the breeze that had followed me in caused Bella to shiver out of her covers a little more and reveal her fully hardened nipples.

There was silence in the room as my throat scorched at the scent that bombarded me from every angle. Charlie's snores were distant, his thoughts were blurry. A small, more reasonable part of me wondered if he was where she got the talent for blocking her thoughts from me; the only thing that came close to how badly I wanted her blood was how badly I needed to hear her thoughts. For ninety years I had heard the thoughts of everyone around me, but the silence from Bella was yet another draw to her. An irresistible pull that put her life in danger.

A soft moan escaped her lips and I flew out of the chair and was at the foot of her bed before she finished the breath. Every ounce of my resolve was gone and whatever shame or worry that was holding me back was gone: the monster would be satisfied tonight, and so would the man. Bella would be mine.

I pulled the sheets off of Bella, fully exposing her to me and she was beautiful. The reality was much better than the dream: it paled to her soft, warm, alabaster skin.

I slowly hovered over her on the bed, careful not to jostle the mattress, or put any weight on her. My hand traced the curves of her chest without actually touching her until her back arched off the bed and my cold palm came in contact with her soft breast. The heat I had felt radiating off of her was nothing compared to the warmth of touching her. A sudden sizzle ran through me as my hand very gently massaged her breast, earning a delicious moan from Bella's unconscious lips.

My hands continued to caress down her body and she responded to every touch. Her scent intensified and I realized the change was her arousal. God, she was glorious, everything about her pulled me closer.

A slow groan rippled through me before I could stop. If I had a beating heart; it would have stopped.

Bella's eyes fluttered open and a sudden fear enveloped me as I pressed my mouth to hers to silence the scream that I knew was coming. My cold lips mashed against the warmth of hers. Her tiny hands were suddenly in my hair, tugging gently. I assumed she was trying to hurt me, but her strength was nothing compared to mine. Just the hint of my dominance over her awoke a feral growl in me.

Struggling to be gentle as I pressed up against her at every point, I broke from her lips as I felt her breath get shallower. I heard her heartbeat intensify as I let my lips graze from her mouth to her throat. The burn intensified with the proximity to my prize but, fuck me, if I was doing this, I was doing it in style. My lips kissed her pulsing artery and as my teeth cut through her flesh Bella spoke for the first time tonight, "Edward."

Her soft breathy sound was everything. I was overcome by the monster as I sucked the sweetest blood I had ever tasted into my mouth and, for the first time in ninety years, the monster purred in contentment. This was where I was meant to be. Here. With this temptress: her blood flowing into me.

Suddenly, I froze.

She hadn't screamed. When she spoke my name there was no fear in her voice, there was longing, and what sounded like pleasure. As my mind focused on that possibility; my sense of control returned to me. I gasped as I pulled back, licking the wound my teeth had made, sealing it with my venom. The man in me quickly took over as Bella arched off of the bed in agony. My heart, which has been silent since 1918, wrenched at what I had almost done to her, and now that I had stopped, it broke for the life I had condemned her to.

I couldn't leave her here. I quickly ran to her closet and took a duffle bag, throwing in anything and everything I could: clothes, toiletries, any possessions that looked like something Bella might want to keep.

There wasn't much considering she had only been here a week, so I was quickly done and turned my focus to Bella. Grabbing a pair of sweats and a shirt I dressed her and opened the window. I grabbed a piece of paper and copying her scrawling handwriting, I wrote a note to Charlie telling him that she was going back to Phoenix because it was too hard for her to adjust.

Bella could never come back home. A dry sob escaped me as I realized I had stolen that from her, along with her future and her life. I had stolen everything from her. The black hole I was being swallowed in was shattered by Bella's moans of pain. I put the note on the fridge and then threw her duffle and backpack on my shoulders before lifting Bella in my arms and jumping out the window.

Alice would have seen me doing this, so my family had to be on their way back by now.

I was home in minutes and I went straight to my room. I placed Bella on my couch and put her things on the floor. I crumpled to the floor at the foot of the couch. I wanted to cradle her to my chest and whisper soothing promises. Apologies. Anything.

A choke escaped my lips, "Forgive me Bella."

I sat and pulled her distressed form into my arms. Realizing that my phone was off, I switched it on and was immediately answering Carlisle's call.

"Edward, we'll be home in two hours. Jasper will take care of Bella's car before Charlie wakes up, so the plan you set up will work. Alice wants to talk to you, but I have to warn you, Rosalie is on the warpath."

I took in an unnecessary breath as Bella's body continued to writhe in my arms and strangled noises escaped her beautiful lips. "Put Alice on."

In a second Alice was reassuring me. "I can't tell you what her reaction will be, but I know what you're feeling-"

I cut her off, the venom in my voice instead of my mouth for the first time tonight. "Alice you have no idea what I'm feeling right now. I'm the most despicable, evil-"

"I'm not talking about your self-hatred; I mean your feelings for Bella. I know you love her Edward, focus on that, and we'll be home soon."

The line disconnected and I was astonished. Was this love? This desire to take care of her and take away her pain, the longing I felt to see her eyes and hear her voice as I had earlier tonight. Could that be love? And if so, how was I worthy of this creature? The pain I wanted to ease was of my own making, and the love in her voice was a result of my forcing myself on her. I was the worst kind of monster, preying on her in every way imaginable and taking her life from her.

I had once hunted men like the being I now resembled. I disgusted myself. Even if Bella survives this, which I'm almost positive she will, how can I justify what I've done, even if it was out of some sort of distorted love for her?

Would it have been kinder to have killed her, if I love her like I do, than to force her into a life that none of us would have chosen for ourselves?

My phone vibrated again and this time it was a text.

Don't you dare do what you're thinking about, or Rose will be the least of your problems. If you kill my sister I'll never forgive you!

Alice just called Bella her sister? Did that mean Bella would choose to stay? My heart quickly expanded at that thought but contracted at the shrill cry from Bella. I was quickly plunged back into the present. Whatever was coming, Bella needed me. If I could ever deem to be worthy of her, I had better start now.

"Bella, love, I'm so sorry." She had been burning for nearly an hour now, and all that had come from her were these stilted screams and labored breaths, I needed Carlisle there to tell me she would be okay. I needed her to be okay.

"Edward?" Bella spoke for the first time and it was soft, almost as if she were dreaming, but the second time it was something from my nightmares. "EDWARD!"

Her screech was bloodcurdling, and it rocked through me as her flailing got more exaggerated and her eyes fluttered open and I focused on her beautiful eyes, knowing the warm chocolate color would be lost forever soon enough.

"Bella, I'm here. I'm so sorry, it'll go away eventually. I promise you. Just hold on." I pleaded, at least now she was being comforted by me. I doubted she would feel that way when she understood what I had done, but I had to push those thoughts away.

There was only her.

"Ed…Edward…tttallk to me. Keep…talking…" Bella's murmuring faded as she whimpered. The sobs I had been fighting broke out; I didn't know what to say. She wanted to hear my voice, but I had no words. I cried as I held her, and her voice broke through to me again. "Don't cry."

She was trying to comfort me. She was burning alive, and somehow, unbelievably holding in the worst of it, and through it all she was trying to keep me from feeling bad, but all it did was make me feel worse.

I hummed Debussy and Swan Lake and La Boheme to her, unable to talk except for the brief words of apology I offered her. I heard the sound of my family approaching and I let out a deep breath.

Within minutes Carlisle opened my bedroom door.

"Edward, let me see her." I motioned to him as I continued humming to Bella. His hands worked quickly over her and then he sighed. "Did she sustain any injuries before the bite?"

"No. Why, is there something wrong with her?" My mind raced through everything that had happened tonight, trying to remember if there was something I missed.

"Son, it's her silence that had me concerned, and her stillness, but that could simply be how she deals with the burning, the transformation is progressing normally. I only wish I knew how she was staying so calm through it all."

"It's because of me." I said in a broken whisper. "Earlier I was sobbing and she told me not to cry, she's quite literally in hell right now and she's more concerned about me. That's why I've been humming, my voice seems to calm her."

"You're letting her know she's not alone." Alice walked in as she spoke and went to kneel beside me. "You should deal with Rosalie now, that way you can return to Bella. I'll sit with her while you're gone."

I nodded and lifted Bella off of my lap as Alice took her into her arms. "I'll be right back Bella; Alice will take good care of you."

I looked up at my sister with pained eyes. "Talk to her, it helps."

With that, I walked down the stairs and saw the back door open. I walked past my mother, unable to look her in the eye, as I made my way to the river where Rosalie and Emmett were waiting for me. As I approached, Rosalie's head shot up. Her eyes narrowed as she leapt at me; a whirlwind of blonde hair and perfection, knocking me to the ground and hitting my chest repeatedly.

"How could you be so stupid?! I thought the whole point of going away was to keep her safe, and then you come home and do this! You and Royce are the same, both heartless bastards that took what you wanted and let everyone else be damned!"

Emmett's arms wrapped around Rosalie's waist as he pulled her off of me. "Enough."

I didn't move. Her words held me to the ground. The sting hung in the air. Rosalie was right, I was exactly like her human fiancé. I used Bella for what I wanted and left her with a future no one could want. These familiar thoughts flowed through my mind, locking me in my own personal agony until I heard Alice call to me.

Bella needed me.

I ran to my room and it was empty. I quickly spun around and heard Alice fluttering around in her room. I opened the door and Bella was under the blankets with Alice sitting next to her. "She got worse the moment you left, so I thought it might be better to have her on a bed. Jasper's taking care of her car, and when he gets back we'll stay downstairs. The most important thing now is that Bella is taken care of."

Bella was thrashing around and moaning in pain, though the screams had not returned. I walked into the room and climbed onto the bed, pulling Bella close to my chest. I felt her still slightly, as I whispered into her ear. "I should have stayed away, I knew it wasn't safe for you but I was so damn selfish that I didn't care. Bella, I need you to forgive me some day. I don't expect you to do it anytime soon, but believe me, if I could take this back, I would. I would go back to Denali and wait until you moved away to return."

Bella began to cry out wordlessly, just a series of long pained noises that cut me deep: each one gashing silent tears through my heart. "I should let Rosalie rip me to pieces for this."

As I finished that sentence, Bella let out another scream; this one louder and more pronounced. I noticed that the more down on myself I got, or mentioned regretting this, the louder Bella would get, as if she was trying to stop me from thinking that way. Wishful thinking, I know. It didn't help me now so I let it go.

The hours dragged on, and before I knew it, the sun was rising over the trees. It had been seven hours since her transformation had started, and soon the chief would notice her missing. Jasper came home around 8:30, having driven Bella's car to a stretch of deserted highway and pulling over, making it look like she was abducted from her car. I hated that Charlie couldn't have closure, but there wasn't time to find a body double to take Bella's place. We had to leave him with questions that would never be answered, because Charlie could never know what happened to his daughter.

Just then, I heard the thoughts from downstairs.

I'm so worried about Edward, he's beating himself up over this and I hate to see him in so much pain.

Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes, didn't like that I was upset over doing this to Bella. I knew I was her favorite, simply because I had been there with her from the beginning, and she had seen me alone all of this time. She seemed excited that this pull I felt towards Bella meant that I had the potential for love after all, but I didn't want to think about that, not while Bella was burning.

Emmett had taken Rosalie out for an extended hunt to keep her away from me until she began to cool down. That meant they could be gone for a few months if that was seriously what he was waiting for, because Rosalie would not calm down anytime soon.

Alice and Jasper were getting ready for school. The story there would be that Emmett, Rosalie and I were sick, and that we would be out for most of the week. I had already been gone, so no one would be surprised that the others were starting to catch whatever Carlisle had told the school I had come down with. And then, Carlisle was up in his study, pouring over books and trying to find a way to ease any of this for Bella, mainly so that I would relax. But we both knew there was nothing to find, she had 62 hours left in this torture, and I would stay with her through it all.

BPOV

All memory was gone. Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell had all been erased, replaced by fear and pain. I only have brief flashes of the last hour…a dream that seemingly came to life. Edward Cullen, the god who sat next to me in biology before missing school this week out sick with some bug, was in my bedroom, ravaging me. His presence was all around me, growing stronger by the moment, until I moved and felt a touch that seemed too real, but I wouldn't dare open my eyes and ruin the fantasy. Loving the feel of his hand as he caressed my breast before traveling along my ribs to my stomach, I was startled by a groan that was too close and far too real to be a dream. My eyes opened and I felt his lips on mine. Somehow, Edward Cullen was really in my room, kissing me with a passion I had never known. I pulled him towards me as he pressed his clothed body against my bare skin, and I couldn't get close enough to him. His lips broke from mine but only on their way to my neck as he moved to my throat and kissed it. The bliss of the moment was soon overtaken by a crippling pain as I was plunged into darkness. My last action before the darkness took me was to call out to him, though it came out as little more than a whisper.

With that, I was lost, and the pain of it all was indescribable. I was being burned alive, crushed by an enormous weight, and choked all at the same time. It felt like someone was peeling the muscle from my bones. The pain went so deep, and I was unable to tell him how bad it hurt.

In the commotion, I heard Edward's voice, "Forgive me Bella."

What was he apologizing for? This couldn't be his fault. Was this his illness I had caught? Is that why he seemed to feel responsible? Did he blame his weakness and desire to see me for a pain he knew all too well? The idea of him feeling the loss of me as deeply as I felt it for him was a small comfort as I fought against my body. Vague apologies and pleads for forgiveness filled the time, although I could not tell you how long it lasted, time was lost to me in this state. I wanted to ease his pain, and after several attempts my voice returned to me as I spoke his name again.

No sooner than it left my lips did I feel an intense swell of regret as my body reacted to the next burst of pain by screaming his name at the top of my lungs, causing him to hold me closer. My body thrashed and my eyes opened, allowing me to see the agony etched on his face as he tried to calm me. "Bella, I'm here. I'm so sorry. It'll go away eventually, I promise you. Just hold on."

I focused on his velvet voice, rough with worry, as the words sank in. He knew what this was. He promised that it would end. I held on to that as I tried to focus on his voice instead of the pain.

His sobs broke my heart. I didn't want him crying for me. If I was going to be fine, then there was no point in him being upset, and I had to believe that I would be fine, because he had told me so. I had never felt so closely drawn to someone before, but from the first moment I saw him, even through the murderous glare, I wanted him.

"Don't cry," I managed, and after a little while, the sound of his crying was replaced by beautiful music, hummed with all the subtlety of a finely tuned instrument. Although I didn't recognize all of it, Clair de Lune brought back memories of my mother, which took away some of the ache for a while.

The next change brought my attention back from the sound of Edward's music, it was a new voice. I was instantly afraid. The voice was not one that I recognized, and I was terrified of being separated from him. I felt another set of hands fly across my skin, all the while. Edward's electric touch kept me close. I had thought that the current between us was a symptom of this illness, but with this new touch, I was now convinced that it was the indescribable pull between Edward and I that caused the hum that went through my body.

God, I sound like I'm obsessed with him, but I couldn't describe the connection, only that I never wanted it to be broken.

Next, there was a female. Edward seemed to trust her, but the moment his touch was gone, I began to panic. I felt myself lifted from wherever Edward had held me as I traveled upstairs. She was taking me away from him, away from where he would look for me. I thrashed against her, hoping to break free, but the icy touch held me in an iron grip as I was placed on a bed. Suddenly, she was gone and the current pulsed through my body again as his arms held me tight. His voice was soft as he spoke in desperate tones.

"I should have stayed away. I knew it wasn't safe for you, but I was so damn selfish that I didn't care. Bella, I need you to forgive me some day. I don't expect you to do it anytime soon, but believe me, if I could take this back I would. I would go back to Denali and wait until you moved away to return."

NO! He couldn't regret this! He couldn't regret me! He was begging for forgiveness he already had. As long as he stayed with me, I'd be his. Then the next sentence came. "I should let Rosalie rip me to pieces for this."

The depth of his pain and fear and regret broke my heart as I tried to call to him, beg him to stay with me, but no words came out, just screams.I had lost my words,and with it, my ability to communicate with him.

After that, time lost all markers. I heard people come and check on us, but the words were often muffled, like trying to hear people while underwater. The next instance of knowledge came from the shift in the burn. For however long it had been, the burning had not changed. It was constant and unbearable, but I didn't dare to think about it because the moment I did, the screams would escape and Edward would hurt along with me. Now, the burning was easier to deal with, not because it was less intense…maybe I had developed a superhuman threshold for pain while trapped by this illness. If men trapped under cars could find the strength to lift them enough to get out from under them, I could surely handle a ridiculous fever after God only knows how long.

My mind also seemed to come back to me. Some things I remembered more clearly, yet others faded. The music that Edward hummed still held meaning, but I couldn't place it, and I wondered about where I was, but couldn't remember why it didn't seem familiar.

The humming was interrupted by the man's voice who had spent quite a bit of time with us. Edward seemed to trust him, so I did as well. Voices were also clearer, so I was finally able to see if I could make some sense out of this whole thing.

"Edward, we have to talk. It's been two days and she'll be waking soon. We have to make some decisions as a family."

"Then bring them up, I won't leave her alone." I sighed at his words, after what I now knew was almost two days of the equivalent of being a kid in a Charlie Brown cartoon, Edward's words made sense again and more importantly, he still wanted me.

I heard the tiniest shuffling, my only signal that we had been joined by the rest of their family. "Edward," the voice that I assumed was his father spoke, "when she wakes up, you have to convince her to stay, even if it is only until she can be taught to control herself."

"She's not going anywhere." The bell-like voice who watched me the only time Edward had left my side chimed in with a certainty that I appreciated. She seemed to know my choice without knowing me, and her statement calmed Edward.

"She won't hate me?" Edward's voice broke near the end and I moaned slightly, now able to control my voice too, at least momentarily.

"I told you, I don't know what her exact reaction will be, but I can see her with us in Ireland."

"Ireland?" Another female voice questioned. "So we will be forced to leave Forks." There was no question in her voice, but anger dripped from every word.

"Rosalie, the treaty has been broken; we'll have to leave as soon as she is mobile. A few of us will stay behind to get things in order, but we'll use Edward's supposed illness as our out." The voice of reason tried to soothe the angry woman, but I was left confused. What treaty were they talking about…and what did they mean by Edward's supposed illness? How could it be fake if I had caught it?

"What about Charlie?" Yet another female voice spoke, there seemed to be a sadness as she mentioned Charlie and brief muddy images of my father filled my mind, as did my mother. Now I remembered the link to the music…but I could feel it fading, slipping through my mental grasp and I was powerless to stop it.

"It will be too tempting to keep her near Charlie. I think we should plan a brief trip to Denali so Eleazar can see her. Maybe he can get a read on her so we can know what to expect. If Alice's visions are true, she will be a force to be reckoned with."

Their leader was making plans to keep me safe, and to help them understand me. What was happening to me, and why did that seem to be the only thing that didn't concern them? Denali seemed to hold the answers; Edward had gone there when everyone else was lead to believe he was ill.

"She can hear us." A male voice with the slightest hint of a southern accent broke the silence.

"What?" Edward, as well as the leader and the two nice females all said in unison.

"I can sense her confusion. There's understanding of what's being said, but not what it means. And you're right, Alice, her feelings do gravitate towards Edward. Any change in him causes a change in her." I was truly grateful for this man at the moment because he was telling Edward what I wished I could. He was giving him a tiny bit of comfort. "Edward, you have to be strong for Bella, the love between you two will get you both through today."

"Will you help her, Jasper?" Edward's voice pleaded with him.

"As much as I have been, over the last day she's gotten a little bit of comfort from me, but the things that have truly made a difference have been from you." I felt like hugging Jasper, because he understood me so completely and he used that understanding to help Edward, which was more important than helping me. I would survive this, Alice had seen it, but I needed him there when I did.

"Tell her what's happening to her." Yet another voice sounded. How big was this family? My mind quickly flashed to the image of five perfect beings in the cafeteria and the information that their parents had adopted them, so I had now heard from them all. I tried to catalogue the voices as the newest entrant into the conversation continued. "She won't understand it completely, but it'll help when you try later. If she loves you, then it won't matter."

"Emmett, not everyone is as easygoing as you are." Edward said in a clipped tone.

"But Alice said she wasn't leaving…that she would come to Ireland with us-"

Edward shifted me in his arms and his voice got louder as he cut Emmett off. "Alice also said she didn't know how she was going to take this. If we go to Ireland in a week or so then all that means is she's agreed to stay until she can handle her impulses, not that she'll stay forever. I took her life from her. How could she possibly forgive that?"

His words caused me to cringe internally. Even with my new ability to compartmentalize my thoughts, I couldn't wrap my head around his words. He was talking about me being with him. but now he talked about having killed me? How could I be with him if I was dead?

"Edward!" The pain in Jasper's voice was clear, and it stopped all action in the room, even the rise and fall of Edward's chest ceased. "Don't say another word. I can feel her resolve slip, and if you keep talking like this, whatever it is that has allowed her to handle everything up until now will be gone. Soon enough she'll reach the turning point in the transformation, let her keep her peace a little while longer. Who knows when she'll get it back."

"I'm sorry,. love. You don't know how bad I wish I could take this pain away." He paused for a moment. "Can I have some time alone with her?"

The shuffling was short lived as I felt Edward's breath fan across my ear. "Bella, I'm a-"

Before he could finish his sentence my chest rose on its own as the fire in my heart blazed even more furiously than it had since the burning began.

EPOV

Jasper's words cut deep. I was making this harder on her, and I didn't have to be. I was going to make this better, and I would start by being honest with her. "Can I have some time alone with her?" Carlisle nodded and everyone filed out of the room. "Bella, I'm a-"

I was about to tell her about her fate as a vampire when she jerked out of my hands, rising up before the thrashing began again. "CARLISLE!"

Within a second, he was there as I tried to steady her. "It's time. She's coming to the end of her transformation." I looked up to see my entire family lining the wall of Alice's bedroom as Carlisle felt her skin. "She's cooling." Lifting her eyelid, I saw the blood red iris. The warm chocolate her eyes had once been was lost forever. I shook with the disgust of what I had done to her when Carlisle spoke again. "Edward, if you can't control your emotions then I'm going to ask you to leave. Bella needs stability."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I wouldn't desert her now. "I'm fine."

Bella continued to flail in my arms as moans and screams escaped her red lips. Her heart beat rapidly and her eyes fluttered without staying open. "Bella, I'm here. I know it hurts but it'll all be over soon."

"Ed…Edward?" Her voice was pained as she questioned me.

"Yes, love?" I brushed the hair out of her face and stroked her cheek. Our skin matched, and her features had completed their shift. It had been too subtle while it was happening but her body was curvier and her heart-shaped face was slightly narrower. Her beauty had been enhanced by my actions, but it was the things that hadn't changed that entranced me. Her upper lip was too full for the bottom, and her hair, although it had more luster to its texture was still the warm chocolate it had always been.

"It hurts…"

Fuck…I wished that she was nearly done, I couldn't stand the pain in her voice. I could hear the restraint in her voice as the whimper fell from her lips. It probably took every bit of strength to not scream those two words. "I know, but you're doing so well. Just hold on a little while longer."

Her heart sped even faster, and from the look on Carlisle's face, she was nearing her final heartbeat.

I heard the gasp from Alice, only now aware that I had blocked the thoughts around me as I focused on Bella. I didn't know what had caused her to react that way, and before I could ask her to think about the vision, I heard Bella's heart halt. Letting out three broken beats, it finally stilled as did Bella's body.

Bella was a vampire.

As the thought went through my mind, her eyes blinked twice and then opened, focusing on me.