and so the lion fell in love with the lamb

Unfortunately for Isabella Marie Swan, she was born in the dreary, and not to mention damp, city of Forks, Washington on the thirteenth of September in 1987. Her father, Charlie Swan, and her mother, now Renee Dwyer, were married shortly after high school, and had Bella at a young age. But their blissful happiness with their small family didn't last long. Her mother couldn't stand Forks, anymore. It was far too cold and rained too much for her liking, as she was someone who liked to get out and enjoy life; not be miserable in Forks. The pair of them divorced just half a year later, and Renee whisked Bella off with her to Riverside, California.

Being that she was only six months old at the time, Bella didn't remember her mother's unhappiness as well as she should have but that didn't mean that her mother didn't tell her about it as she grew older. She couldn't feasibly even remember the gloomy town of Forks; sunshine and the beach were all that she knew up until she was five years of age. Her mother would take her to the beach nearly every weekend during the warm months and they would build sand castles together. She doesn't necessarily remember such happy and simple times now, but her mother often reminded her of such things as the years progressed.

Just before her ninth birthday in the year of 1996, Bella was forced to spend exactly one month in Forks with her father every summer between the school years. Charlie had always come to visit her in the past, and to be honest? A part of her had actually been excited to go and see him and her old house for the first time in so long. Until she got there, that is. Bella was instantly plunged into an ocean of misery and couldn't wrap her mind around why it rained all the time and why the sun was never out. This tradition continued up until the year of 2002. Bella was nearly fifteen at this point in time and she was sick of spending a month in such a horrible town every summer, and so she had finally put her foot down on the matter. Charlie would now spend two weeks in California with them, instead. She knew that it would hurt her father at first but he would get over it - he was a strong man, after all.

But during her summers spent in Forks, her father would often take her with him up to La Push so that he could go fishing with Billy Black. The two fathers attempted to push their daughters to become friends with one another, but it always ended up with Rachel and Rebecca playing together since they were twins and a year older than her, and Bella throwing many temper tantrums. After a few of them Bella no longer had to go with Charlie and he soon gave up on trying to make her socialize with kids her own age.

Her mother then took them away from the sunny beaches of California and instead moved them to the dry heat that Phoenix, Arizona provided. It wasn't as pretty as California, by any means, but it was nice enough. It took a little bit of exploring to get used to everything, and soon enough one of her favorite spots to spend time with her mother was at the big eucalyptus tree. She would play with her mom there and would attempt to even climb the tree; but Bella's grace was poor even back then and she always ended up with at least a few cuts and scrapes from attempting such a difficult task. Well, difficult for her, at least.

While this should have been a mildly life-changing event, it was nothing compared to when her mother met Phil Dwyer.

Everything had happened so quickly, and it only took a few months for her mother to fall in love with this man. He was involved in minor league baseball but just couldn't seem to make a name for himself in order to get into the major league. And while he was a nice man? Bella wasn't all too sure that this man was as great as her energetic mother seemed to think that he was. She was so erratic and insane that not even his age seemed to bother her; he was years younger than her! And so when he proposed shortly after, Renee accepted with excitement written all over her face.

Bella had been forced to go dress shopping with her mother, and she had to talk her out of a rather shocking number that she had tried on. It was around this time that Bella began to feel more like the parent in this relationship rather than the other way around; Renee said that she must have been born at the age of thirty-five and she only gets more middle-aged with each passing year. Thanks, mom. The wedding, thankfully, hadn't been eccentric in any way, and Bella only had to endure wearing the bright pink 'Maid of Honor' dress for a few hours before she got to wrangle herself out of the garment and hang it in the way back of her closet. During Renée and Phil's honeymoon, Bella elected to spend this time with Charlie in an attempt to make it up to him for skipping out on their time during the summer together. She was beginning to feel a little bad about that, to be honest.

Once they had returned from their honeymoon, live had returned back to normal. She went to school and didn't fit in and felt sorely pale compared to the rest of the students at her school. Phil had begun to travel quite a bit, though, and was forced to leave Renee and Bella at home while he was away for work. Bella could practically read the sadness all over her mother's face and that was the only pushing that she needed when she decided to go and live with her father a little more permanently, now. It wasn't that she wanted to, but if it would make her mother happy then that was all that mattered to her; Renee was her best friend, after all.

The moment that she told her mom of this plan, though, she instantly regretted it. Her mother had burst out into tears and begged her not to go, but Bella simply insisted that she wanted to stay with her father, even if it was only temporarily. After a quick phone call to Charlie to tell him that she had decided to come and live with him, everything had been settled. Her and her mother pulled together all of their resources in order to pick out a wardrobe that was 'permeable' enough for the weather in Forks, and her mother had bid her a teary-eyed goodbye at the airport. Bella felt a pang of guilt in her stomach and the bile rising up, and she knew that if she didn't get onto that plane now then she never would. She promised to call and write to her and finally boarded the airplane.

It was the seventeenth of January in the year of 2005 when she arrived in Forks, Washington, and while the plane ride hadn't been terrible? The hour in the car with Charlie had been more awkward than anything else that she had ever experience. He revealed to her that he had bought her a truck before she even arrived, more than likely out of his own excitement to have his daughter living with him, and even though this had come as a shock to her? It was definitely a welcome one; at least she'd have some spare money to spend on some clothes that were appropriate for the wet weather that was usually present in Forks.

After crying herself to sleep that first night there, she tossed and turned miserably because of the constant whooshing of the rain. She ended up getting to school a little bit earlier than she had initially planned and had gained herself her very own human golden retriever by the time the day was over. But it was also this day that started the change for the rest of her life. This was the day that she first met Edward Cullen.

His hatred for her had been absolutely terrifying and Bella couldn't figure out what she had done to him already to make him hate her so much so soon. She didn't smell bad, and she hadn't even spoken to him, so how could he despise her so much already? By the end of the Biology class that day, Bella was nearly reduced to tears before Mike Newton approached her and dutifully led her to the gym for P.E. Great. Another place for her to not only injure herself but also other people in the process.

Edward Cullen didn't return to school that week, and by the time Friday had come around she had been pretty confident that he wasn't going to show up. She had been planning on confronting him about his less than friendly first impression, but by the time that Monday came? She lost all of her nerve. Especially when he actually spoke to her in that beautifully musical voice of his.

Edward had finally returned to school and Bella had braced herself for the worst. For him to look as if he wanted to murder her again, but instead of anything violent actually occurring? He took the opportunity to actually speak to her, much to her own personal surprise. She felt tongue tied at first, but soon regained her ability to speak once they started to do the lab. But why was he asking her questions about home? And why was she answering him and telling him all of this? Sure, he had been the first one to actually ask and pick up on the little detail that she was rather unhappy, but did that mean she should go ahead and spill her guts to him? Probably not, but it wasn't as if she had divulged anything too spectacular to him anyways. Not that there was anything spectacular about her in the first place.

After the bell had rung, Bella couldn't prevent herself from staring at him as he made his exit from the Biology classroom. He was so perfect and graceful that it was hard to tear her eyes away from him, but she somehow did so when Mike approached her, rambling on about how difficult the lab was. She had snapped at him in return, only to apologize a few moments later once the pang of guilt hit her. Mike had been a good friend to her thus far, and she had no reason to be rude for him just because he made a comment that she found personally insulting to her level of intelligence. It was still difficult to picture him without a tail, though. Once the hell of gym had passed, Bella had walked to her truck in the misty rain only to spot Edward Cullen watching her from near his Volvo. Bella had made the mistake of turning away and throwing her car into reverse, almost hitting another car in her haste. Her last image of him that day was of him laughing at her expense. Great.

But the next day would only prove to be a complete and utter disaster. Snow. After throwing down a bowl of cereal and sucking up her groans of horror at the condition outside, she drove herself to school with an eagerness that she hadn't ever really felt before and honestly? It was all because of Edward Cullen. She knew that she shouldn't be anxious to see him, especially after he lied about the color of his eyes the previous day, and yet here she was wanting to see him. Driving to school hadn't really been much of a problem, and she only discovered why it hadn't been once she parked her car. Charlie must have gotten up early to put chains on her tires; she wasn't used to being taken care of and the mere thought that Charlie had done this for her rendered her somewhat speechless. And that's when it happened.

Several things were happening all at once, and while her ears were being pierced with a deafening high-pitched sound, she was able to take in everything that was going on. Edward's face stood out to her from a sea of many that were looking in horror, even if he was four cars away. But even more pressing was the fact that a dark blue van was coming right toward where she was standing. Bella had prepared herself for the crunch and for her life to end, but something completely unexpected happened. Something else had hit her from a different direction and knocked her to the ground, pinning her there away from harm. Another crash was heard as Edward pushed the van away from her with his hands, leaving a large dent in the side of the car. He had to pull her legs out of the way as well, and that's when the screaming began but the only voice she could focus on was Edward's. And being Bella, she immediately began to question him about how he got to her so fast. Luckily for him and unluckily for her, they put her on a stretcher and snapped a neck brace around her neck. Poor Charlie looked terrified when he saw her; Bella was more annoyed than anything else - how come Edward didn't have to wear a stupid neck brace? And why did his family look so unhappy with him?

Being at the hospital was even worse. Tyler got to the point where he just would not shut up and Bella had no choice but to pretend to be asleep in hopes that he would stop. Until Edward arrived, that is, with his father in tow shortly after him. After Dr. Cullen advised for her to take some Tylenol for the pain, she forced Edward to talk to her about what happened. But being as stubborn as they both seemed to be? Nothing came out of the conversation except for hostility. After dealing with Charlie's worried glances all night once they returned home from the hospital, Bella elected to go to bed. She was tired of being stared at as if she were going to suddenly explode into a million pieces or something.

And that was the first night that she dreamed of Edward Cullen.

Her dreams of him only continued and it always seemed to be the same thing. He was never within her reach, and she could never see his face. The time following the accident was embarrassing at best. Bella suddenly found herself as the center of attention, something that she definitely didn't want to happen but it seemed to against her will. Perfect. But Bella was really only concerned about Edward and she had tried to talk to him the day after the accident but to no avail. It was obvious that he regretted his decision to save her life, and she couldn't bring herself to understand why. At least Mike was pleased by the obvious disdain between her and her lab partner.

Mike had taken the plunge by asking her to the spring dance even though the girls were supposed to invite the boys. Bella, seeing Edward looking curious out of the corner of her eye, let him down gently by falsely informing him that she would be in Seattle that day. Edward continued to stare at her and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable but not staring back felt like it should be a crime of some sort. He continued to insist that it would be better if the pair of them were not friends, which he had made blatantly obvious thus far. They parted on a rather sour note and she was forced to endure gym. She fell down a lot, of course, but at least her team had enough sense not to pass her the ball. Once school had finally ended, Eric then approached her and asked her to the dance as well, and she had no choice but to also decline him. She really hated dancing and she definitely did not want to go. She had heard Edward's chuckle from nearby, and he proceeded to cut her off while she was trying to get out of school. Tyler honked at her and before she knew it he was at her window and he too asked her to the spring dance; or rather he asked her if she would invite him. Bella's annoyance was obvious in her tone, but apparently that wasn't enough for him since he was already planning on prom. Prom! Bella had to control herself from ramming her truck into his perfect little Volvo; this was all his fault!

Bella had expected Edward to ignore her the next day, and the moment she had dropped her keys once she slipped out of her truck he was beside her. His motives were not to irritate her as she had initially believed them to be, and he unexpectedly asked if she wanted a ride to Seattle. He insisted again that she should stay away from him, but at this point? It was nearly impossible. And lunch that same day proved that. He had chosen to sit at a table away from his family and beckoned her to sit with him - what choice did she have? The conversation between them bewildered her, and yet she was even more drawn to him than she had been before; even if he had laughed at her theories. But boy had he been right to not go to Biology that day.

The class had turned out to be a disaster. It was blood-typing day and just the mere thought of it made her stomach churn and twist uncomfortably. She had to lay her head down on the cool table to keep herself conscious through the distinct ringing that was going on in her ears. Mr. Banner had Mike attempt to take her to the nurse, but once they had gotten around the cafeteria and building four, she pulled away from Mike so that she could sit down and place her cheek against the freezing sidewalk. Edward's voice was the only thing that could seem to permeate her little bubble, and she even tried to tune him out but before she knew it she was being lifted into the air by his arms. Apparently the fact that she fainted at the sight of blood amused him, which only made her agitated with him as he carried her into the nurse's office. But getting back to class wouldn't be that easy, and Edward was hellbent on not letting her drive herself home. He forced her into his car, but the song that was playing in the vehicle was enough to calm her down. Clair de Lune. Well, it looked as though they did have something in common! He continued to ask her questions on the ride home, and she was sorely disappointed to find out that he wouldn't be at school the following day, and she was helpless when he requested that she be careful - what else could she do but agree?

School the next day hadn't been great, but she was past caring. There was really only one thing that she could focus on; aside from the fact that Lauren's voice was incredibly nasal. How come she hadn't noticed that before?

When she got home, Charlie seemed much more excited about her going to La Push than she was. Lauren was obviously determined to make her trip with them absolutely miserable but riding with Mike hadn't been too bad. Besides, it was so simple to make him happy! Bella didn't feel too out of place at the beach since she had been there a few times when she was younger, but Edward's words kept ringing through her ears like a resounding gong; especially when she had fallen and scraped her hands. It wasn't too bad considering it could have been much, much worse.

One of the boys on the reservation had recognized her and approached her since her father had bought his father's truck; his name was Jacob Black, and it only took her a second to remember Rachel and Rebecca, his older twin sisters. It was when one of the older boys stated in such an authoritative tone that the 'Cullens don't come here' did Bella's curiosity peak. She had somehow managed to get Jake away from everyone else and attempted to flirt with him to get some information out of him. It seemed to work though, since he divulged the information that she wanted. It was odd at best, but a part of her knew that it had to be along the lines of the truth. The cold ones.

Once she had returned home she had put on the CD that Phil had given to her to drown out everything else in the world, and she had soon fallen asleep only to be greeted by the nightmare that soon came to her. Edward and Jacob were both there, of course, and she awoke with a start as her CD player fell with a crash onto the floor. After unsuccessfully falling back to sleep, she took a shower and turned on her computer to research the information that Jacob had given to her the night before on her dinosaur dial-up internet connection. There had been so much information and so many different classifications of the common 'vampire' that it was difficult to choose just one to click on. Aggravation soon washed over her and she turned her computer off in annoyance. Due to her need to get outside, she took a walk through the woods in order to clear her head. She had come to the realization that while the Cullens may or may not be vampires, they were definitely something more than just being a human. But she knew that what ever he was? There would be no way that she would ever be able to leave him now. She was already in too deep.

Bella had arrived to school earlier than usual that next day, satisfied that she had made a decision on the matter that had been nagging at the back of her mind for awhile now. Her cheerful day slowly went downhill though, especially once she found that the Cullens were not there. Great. Though she was grateful that Jessica had canceled their plans for that night, but rescheduled to go shopping for dresses the following night. Besides, she wanted to go to the bookstore in Port Angeles. Besides, a girls night would be good for her. While Jessica and Angela decided to take their purchases back to the car and then walk up to the bay, Bella elected to find the bookstore on her own. It was something that she wanted to do by herself. What a huge mistake that ended up being!

She ended up getting lost rather easily, and nearly bumped into a group of men that she assumed to be tourists. They called out to her, but she continued to walk away from them, trying to remember various self-defense techniques that she had learned. That was when she realized that she was not being followed, but herded. While she was busy attempting to work up a scream so that someone might hear her, headlights were suddenly visible and the gleam of the silver Volvo that she so often looked for in the parking lot at school came flying around the corner. It was truly amazing how safe she felt with him, even when he was acting murderous. His tone scared her, admittedly, but she knew she was safe while she was with him, even if he had advised her that he was dangerous time and time again. Even so, he was able to convince her to get something to eat with him at La Bella Italia - it was so hard to refuse him when he wanted something, or when he wanted her to do something. When in her life had she ever been this powerless? Since you met Edward Cullen. He dazzled her so often now that it was hard to distinguish her own thoughts since he had this strange ability to make everything extremely fuzzy for her. How was he able to do that? Did he not realize the effect that he had on people? But at least she had managed to get a few answers out of him over dinner.

His driving on the way home absolutely terrified her though. How fast did he really need to go?! But after a few moments of babbling on about how she had gotten the information about the Cullens in the first place, he finally conceded and allowed her her victory, all the while she was memorizing the way his voice and laugh sounded. The Cullens were vampires. What if he decided that this was too much for him and told her to stay away from him for good? No, she knew that that would be an impossible feat for her.

And then he promised to show her what he looked like in the sunlight. That meant he wanted to see her again, didn't it? It was after he dropped her off at home and promised that he would be in school the following day that she realized three things. Edward was a vampire, he wanted her blood, and she was so in love with him that it was painful to be away from him now.

The next morning when his car showed up in her driveway left her in a daze, and the stares that the pair of them got once they arrived at school together was slightly thrilling and annoying all at the same time. Of course the part where he was spying on her through Jessica's mind to see how she felt about him was a little daunting and irritating at the same time, so she elected to toss in a comment about his psychotic driving skills as well. Too bad he had heard what she had thought in regard to her feelings for him, and he didn't seem too happy about the fact that she thought she liked him more than he liked her.

Aside from the electricity that soared between them during their Biology class together, Bella knew that they couldn't continue to go on this way and that Saturday would be completely pivotal for their relationship. Hiking through the forest had been terrible, but seeing Edward sparkling in the sunlight had been astonishing. He was so beautiful that she found it difficult to tear her eyes away from his flesh. Being at the meadow with Edward had been so intimate and so.. real that she kept thinking that he would disappear at any given moment if she closed her eyes by mistake. From that moment forward Bella knew what she wanted and who she wanted. She would rather die than to stay away from him. And so the lion fell in love with the lamb. It was such a shame that kissing him was such a challenge for both of them.

It was that night that he first showed up in her bedroom and stayed with her. It soon became a pattern, and things between the pair of them were progressing quite nicely. She was so intoxicated by him that even her father noticed the changes in her disposition at times - which was definitely saying something! And while meeting his family had been a little terrifying and incredibly intimidating? It had been a good experience, and listening to him play the piano for her could have quite possibly been one of the best days of her entire life. He played so beautifully that she was jealous and mesmerized at the same time.

Even though Billy intentionally attempted to warn Charlie about her relationship with Bella, that didn't prevent her from introducing him to Charlie as her 'boyfriend.' It was such a dull term compared to how she felt about him, but it was probably the only thing that her father could understand. And of course her father found it so incredibly amusing that she would be playing baseball; she was hoping that she could watch them instead of actually engaging in the activity. It was a shame that that hadn't been the only thing to occur that night, and it was a shame that Alice couldn't have seen it happening in order to prevent it. The confrontation with James really was enough to frighten her, but she was more concerned about the well-being of her father than herself. She knew that she would be safe with Edward, but what about Charlie? She couldn't just leave! And after staging a tearful and hurtful goodbye to her father, the Cullens began to prepare. It hurt her to be separated from Edward while Alice and Jasper ran her away from Forks. She made the stupid mistake of believing James's lies over the telephone and found herself at the ballet studio from her past.

It was then that she realized that James had tricked her into coming here and that he had an ulterior motive. The pain that he had inflicted upon her was worse than she could have ever imagined. The venom had spread through her body like a fire that was out of control and the only thing that she could focus on was the excruciating pain that came with it. This must truly be hell, and all she wanted was one last glimpse of her angel. The pain was too great, though, and she felt herself slipping further and further away from reality, and the pain in her leg and scalp didn't even matter. And then everything disappeared, and before she knew it she could hear Edward's melodic voice ringing in through her ears. She somehow managed to break through the darkness that had taken her in in order to scream that her hand was on fire, and soon his cold lips found her arm and though the pain was intense at first, everything soon began to fade away and her mind was clear.

She awoke in the hospital after Lord only knew how long, and seeing his beautiful face once she opened her eyes was such a relief. After a lot of protesting and hyperventilating the two of them finally came to an agreement. Although talking was proving to be a struggle, she managed to say what she needed to before she fell asleep because of the pain medication that coursed through her body.

Prom though.. that was definitely something she had not been expecting from Edward. Her foot was still in that bulky walking cast, after all! And even through Alice treating her like a Barbie doll, she hadn't cottoned on to what she was being forced to do until it was too late and she was in Edward's car. Bella hated dancing! Why did he seem so intent on torturing her? Much to her dismay, though, the night hadn't turned out to be a total bust. He let her stand on his feet like she was a four year old again, and being near to him for the entire evening had been wonderful; even if Jacob had interrupted them for a period of time, something that Edward was obviously unhappy about. The evening ended with neither of them giving in, and Bella was determined to get her way. And someday, somehow? She would.

Despite how badly she had been wishing that it wouldn't come, her eighteenth birthday did come, even if she had been dreading it for awhile now. She was now officially older than Edward, and they would never be the same age ever again. Edward had explained her his plans for if she had died in that ballet studio, and hearing about the Volturi nearly made her skin crawl. But that wasn't even the worst thing to happen. Out of all the things that could have happened to her and that had happened to her in the past, she just had to get a paper cut. For the first time since knowing the Cullens, Jasper looked crazed when he attempted to attack her, but Edward had positioned himself between them in order to protect her from the harm that would have otherwise been sure to have come. But the pain didn't come from the direction that she had anticipated. A shard of glass had sliced her arm, and Edward had remained in a defensive stance in front of her. Luckily, Carlisle was able to pick out the glass from her arm and stitch up the self-inflicted gash. And after hearing the story of Edward's mother and his own change, Alice had changed her into something of Esme's with much less blood upon it so that Charlie wouldn't be too suspicious. Edward was upset, of course, and immediately took her home shortly after. Even though the tickets to Jacksonville and the new radio for her truck had been great presents? Edward's was even better. Listening to the lullaby he had written in her honor was still just as breathtaking now as it had been when she had first heard it, if not more so now. All of the compositions that he had put onto this CD were beautiful.

Falling asleep in his arms had been perfect, but he had been so short and indifferent with her the following day at school that she had a feeling that something bad was coming. Even when she had taken a picture of him his expression had been blank. And worst of all? He didn't even come to stay with her that night, and the pattern continued. He had agreed to come over after school though, but the fact that he wanted to take a walk worried her. And that was the very moment when her world came to a deafening crash around her. Edward was leaving and there was nothing that she could do to convince him to stay. And when he had told her that he didn't want her anymore? She knew that she was powerless to stop it. Edward Cullen didn't love her and that was all there was to it. Before she knew it he had gone, leaving her completely broken. She was numb from the pain and shock of it all, but she walked aimlessly, not paying attention to where she was going. She only stopped once she had tripped over something, unable to see anything at this point in time. Unaware of how much time had actually passed her by, someone was calling her name and soon that someone found her. He made sense, but even the name 'Charlie' barely registered with her at that moment. She felt so completely empty without Edward that it was so incredibly hard to believe that this was actually happening to her. What happened to staying if it meant her being happy? She certainly wasn't happy now! Once she was carried back to her house by first Sam and then her father, she tuned everyone out as she curled up beneath a blanket upon their couch. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget about all of this.

Even the mere mention of his name now clawed at her insides, causing her to feel even more empty and alone. And worst of all? Every trace of him had been removed from her life. What would she do now?

Months passed and her life was still the same. She walked through life like a zombie most of the time, ignoring her friends and staying in on the weekends. There was simply nothing else for her to do anymore. But time still passed, and she still dragged herself through it day in and day out, even if she didn't really want to. It had even gotten to the point that Charlie wanted to send her home because of it. Apparently he had gotten sick of her 'moping' around, but couldn't he see how much pain she was in? No, of course not. He would never be able to understand. Even if he had hit it on the head when he referred to her as being 'lifeless'. Didn't Charlie know that he was absolutely forbidden to talk about this with her?

In order to make her father as happy as possible, she tried to hang out with Jessica. Jessica hadn't been very receptive at first, and had treated her as if she were some kind of a leper or something. At least Mike was still talking to her, even if it was only because she worked at Newton's Outfitters part-time, now. Once Jessica had come around, they agreed to go and see a zombie movie. Anything to keep her mind off of romance. At least going out would keep Charlie off of her back for awhile, right? But it did her more harm than good. It made her realize that her story with Edward was over. Her happily ever after no longer existed anymore. Spectacular. Of course, after nearly scaring the brains out of Jessica, which really wouldn't be too hard, she felt a little bad. She had been so stupid to follow those guys, after all. But going after them had given her a glorious gift - hearing Edward's voice so clearly in her mind to tell her to not do this, to warn her. But hearing voices in your head was far from normal; but she hadn't felt anything since he left her, and now that she could hear him? She wasn't going to give that back. But the pain afterward? It was still a crippling thing, one that tempted to tear her to shreds from the inside out, and she knew that she would never be able to get out of this hole of despair. It was her permanent residence, now.

Stupidly enough, though, she had retrieved two bikes from the Markses since the one that remembered her offered them to her for free. They didn't work, of course, but she knew exactly who she could take them to - Jacob Black. At least it would keep her busy, right? Although seeing Jacob had come as such a huge shock to her - literally! The boy was a giant now! Seeing him had made her feel something again, though, and after spending so much time with him while they were rebuilding the motorcycles? He soon became her 'ray of light', and her best friend. At least she now had someone that was on her side. The two of them became inseparable, and Charlie couldn't have been more pleased. Although she could have done without contracting the stomach flu.

Bella made the mistake of driving to the house where the Cullens used to live within. It pained her to even look at it, and she had no choice but to turn around and leaving. It made her stomach churn uncomfortably, and she knew that she had to see Jacob again. He was the only person that could make her feel whole again at this point, or at least whole enough to make her momentarily forget about her empty pain. But despite this, Bella continued to thrust herself into dangerous situations, if only just to hear his beautifully melodic voice again in her mind, even if he did sound particularly angry. But she didn't care. She needed him like she needed air to breathe, and since it was obvious that she couldn't have him here with her? She could at least listen to him.

Jacob started to distance himself from her, no longer answering her telephone calls, and he had half of a mind to assume that he had joined a cult or something of that nature. Jacob had mentioned something about Quil and Embry starting to be with Sam more often than they used to, and it continually repeated in her ears. What was going on with the Quileute boys? This had to all be Sam's fault, and there was no other explanation for it. Sam had sucked Jacob into a cult and she was losing him too. How could Sam force her to go through this sort of despair again? She had visited the meadow again, and seeing Laurent there had startled her, but with her father's confirmation? She knew that there hadn't been a confrontation. Not on Laurent's part, anyways. There were attacks going on, could something happen to Jacob? No, probably not, but there was definitely something going on and she was determined to find out. What had caused her best friend to be this way with her?

Seeing Jacob after all that time, though? Caused a shock response to ripple through her; what had happened to his beautiful hair? But there was something else.. his 'sun' like quality had disappeared and had been replaced by a darkness that she didn't recognize. This was not her Jacob. And referring to her Edward and his family as bloodsuckers had crossed the line. As she continued to press Jacob for information, the familiar voice of her 'bloodsucker' came into her mind, urging her not to make Jacob lose his temper. Jake insisted that they no longer be friends, and while it hurt? It wasn't as bad as when Edward had left her. She knew she could survive this again if she had to.

All of Jacob's riddles that night had her completely confused. It was impossible for her to remember those stories that he had told her since she had only focused on one at the time, so how could he expect her to get it when she was so obviously exhausted? After he left that night and her dream started, this one much different from the rest, everything fell into place - Jacob was a wolf, and the Cullens were the natural enemies of them. And it was only shortly after that that she had learned that his pack had killed Laurent. It was a relief, yes, but weren't vampires more dangerous than wolves? But on the other hand? Victoria was still alive, and probably searching for her. There was no other explanation for it.

Seeing Jake phase so quickly in front of her in order to spring at Paul for wanting to attack her caused her to go into a fit of shock. She was used to vampires, but this? This was sort of absurd! Jared and Quil had to take her to Emily's while Jake was out there fighting for his life against Paul, and they didn't even seem worried! Emily was pleasant enough, aside from the 'vampire-girl' comment that she had seen the need to make. Didn't anyone know how badly anything about the Cullens hurt her? No, apparently not. Once Jake had returned to them in one piece, Bella felt instantly at ease. Well, at least he hadn't been ripped to shreds.

On the outside, people started to assume that Bella and Jake were dating, and that really was what it appeared to be. She was aware that Jake would have loved for it to be true, but Bella couldn't bring herself to want the same things. How could she? Despite the fact that she now knew his secret, talking about the Cullens, Edward in particular, was still difficult for her. It wasn't something that she would ever get over.

But there was something else that had piqued her interest - cliff-diving. Jake had promised to take her, but that simply wasn't good enough for her. She had dressed quickly, her motivation was to just hear Edward's voice again to warn her not to do it, to tell her that it was stupid. She needed to hear him again, but Jake hadn't been there when she needed him that morning and she took things into her own hands. Just because Jacob couldn't be there doesn't mean that she shouldn't be able to hear her beloved Edward! She readied herself and smiled once his voice came to her as she approached the edge of the cliff. With one jolt, she flung herself off of the cliff, and she felt more free than she ever had in her entire life. She hadn't been expecting for the currents to be so strong though and to whip her around like a rag doll. Even as Edward's voice urged her to not give up and to keep fighting, she had to. If she left this world then she wouldn't have to feel this pain any longer. The darkness had taken over, but her body was soon retrieved from the water and she awoke to Jacob's voice pleading for her to breathe. It was the next morning before she learned that Harry Clearwater had passed away.

Jacob elected to take her back to her house himself, and she thought for a split second that she could make Jacob happy by being with him, but Edward's voice rang in her ears and she couldn't bring herself to agree. She couldn't be happy with Jacob; only Edward. All too soon, Jacob had caught the scent of a vampire and had started to take her away from her home, until Bella spotted a car that she was positive she knew. It was Carlisle's car. Jake, being as stubborn as he was, got out of the car to leave her alone. Bella quickly slipped into the driver's seat and drove herself back to her home. The moment she had entered her house and finally found a light switch, the beautiful features of Alice greeted her and relief washed through her. Were they back?

She thought it was rather odd that Alice sniffed her once she mentioned that someone had saved her from her watery death, but it all made sense. Alice could smell Jacob's scent on her, the scent of a wolf. Once she had sensed Jacob arriving to speak with Bella, Alice had fled the premises and just before Jacob was about to brush his lips across her own? The phone rang. Jacob ended up answering it, but it was Carlisle and he hung up, much to Bella's disappointment and aggravation. Alice burst in soon after, muttering something about Edward and Bella's heart gave a jerk. She began to yell at Rosalie on the phone once Bella finally came to after fainting from hearing his name, and she instantly knew that something was wrong. Something was so very wrong, and it hadn't been Carlisle on the phone at all - it had been Edward, and Jacob had told him that Charlie was at a funeral. Edward was going to off himself. And Bella knew there was no choice, no other option for her right now. She needed to go to Italy, she had to stop him. How could she sit back and let Edward murder himself because of Rosalie being so daft? After scribbling a note for her father and after Alice had purchased plane tickets, they set off to Volterra, Italy. The goodbye to Jacob had been difficult, but she had to do it. Edward's life depended on it.

The plane ride ended up being much too long for her liking. She couldn't stand sitting in this damn plane any longer! Alice's visions kept changing and each new one made her more anxious. They landed at long last though, and the sun only continued to rise in the sky which meant it was getting closer for Edward to reveal himself as a vampire to everyone in Volterra. People were everywhere though, and Alice told Bella to run - it would be their only chance at saving him. Bella would run until her legs fall off if she had to. Palazzo dei Priori. That's where he would be. Bella didn't pause as she got out of the stolen car; all she could focus on was finding Edward. He was all that mattered now. The clock chimed and Bella screamed out his name, even though she knew that it would be useless. But she couldn't stop. Not ever. He finally came into view, but she knew that he couldn't see him. Just a little further now! She slammed into him so hard that she was sure she would have a concussion later, but Edward didn't seem to understand what was happening at first. As she continued to talk to him, though, realization finally struck him and he pulled the pair of them back into the shadows.

Being brought to the Volturi was the most terrifying experience of her entire life. She remained glued to Edward's side the entire time, but his grip on her was so tight that she wasn't even able to move. Watching Jane torture Edward had been utterly horrible, but her powers were useless on Bella. Why wasn't anything happening to her? Aro's ability had failed, as well, though, so perhaps it wasn't only Edward's mind-reading that was lost on her after all. The only reason they had made it out of there alive was because Edward had agreed to their deal - to change her, or they would kill her if he didn't. On their way out of where they had met, Edward made sure to press Bella's face into his chest as they passed a line of people. People that were going to be dinner.

They weren't permitted to leave until the night fell, and Edward held her in his lap in an attempt to soothe her. At least she could pretend that he wanted her right now, right? And she couldn't have been more relieved when they were finally allowed to depart. Anything to get out of here. Even though she was safe and in Edward's arms during the car and plane rides, she refused to sleep. She didn't want to wake up only to find that he had disappeared again. Her heart wouldn't be able to take that again. Her exhaustion lost, and she won the battle. She didn't miss a moment that she was granted to spend with Edward, and they arrived to Seattle in much less time than it had taken to get to Italy. Once they were in the car with Emmett and Rosalie, Bella finally conceded and closed her eyes as Edward held her against him in the back seat and conversed with Rosalie. The most astonishing thing happened just then, too - Rosalie apologized to not only Edward, but to Bella as well. Had she hit her head on something?

Charlie was in an uproar when Edward carried her up the front steps, but Bella continued to swat him away and instead clung to Edward. The very moment that he laid her in her bed she was out, and didn't wake up again until what felt like weeks later. She felt delusional when Edward's cool hands touched her skin; he couldn't really be here. He didn't want her anymore, and therefore she had to be dead. It only took her a few seconds after her incessant rambling for her to realize that she was being a complete and utter idiot. Edward soon revealed that he had spent most of his time attempting to track down Victoria, but to no avail, and that he had gone to the Volturi to have them kill him because he thought that she was dead and he didn't want to live in a world without her. None of it made any sense compared to what he had told her when he had first left her. He had lied to her? No, he was lying to her about lying to her! But his lips found her own soon enough and that was enough reassurance that she needed - he wasn't going to go anywhere. She was still skeptical that he would leave her in the future, but at least she had him with her. For now. His explanation about how his heart, which was ironic since it no longer had a beat, was empty, Bella couldn't help but find the humor in it. She had felt empty for so long that it was somewhat comforting to know that he had felt similarly. But Edward was hellbent on keeping her human, Volturi or not and Bella would have none of that. She needed to talk to the rest of the Cullens, and that was just what she did. Ultimately Edward had been outvoted when it came to the matter of her being changed, but not without a price - Edward wanted her to at least wait awhile. Besides, Charlie deserved better than that, didn't he?

They had agreed on a one-year limit with the agreement that Bella would marry him. Bella had vehemently rejected that idea; she was only eighteen and there was no way she was ready for that, or ready to deal with Renée's strong opinions on the matter. Things soon returned to normal; Edward resumed his class schedule from before he left, which meant having him with her during every hour of the day, as well as spending lunch with him. But there was still one thing missing - Jacob. He wouldn't return her phone calls or even agree to see her to talk it out. That hadn't even been the worst of it - Jake had ratted her out to her dad about the motorcycles by putting hers in the driveway! Luckily Edward had caught her before she sprung into action to try and beat Jacob with her flailing fists. None of it mattered, though; she had just as good as lost Jacob as her friend. She was now considered to be among his greatest enemy and there wasn't anything that she could do to change that.

Bella had written him a note that she had given to Charlie to give to Billy to give to Jacob, but nothing she said had worked. His reply had been short at best, and it was almost making her a little mad. He couldn't just suck it up and talk to her, now could he? Luckily, Charlie had stuck a jar of spaghetti sauce into the microwave and distracted her from thinking about her estranged best friend, as well as avoiding the terms engagement and fiancée when it came to Edward. Yes, those words would definitely put her father over the edge, so it was a good thing that the murders in Seattle were distracting enough for him, which ended up being a good thing for her since he offered to put her on parole for 'good behavior'. No more house arrest? But of course he had had conditions! She couldn't spend all of her time with Edward, even if she desired to.

Much to her surprise, Bella had been accepted into the University of Alaska. She had thought that she had sent in another application too late, but it was obvious that this one had made it there on time. At least her and Edward would have somewhere to go after graduation so that the change could happen. Then again, Edward had made her apply to nearly every college and university in the country, and saw the need to make her fill out more even after telling him about her acceptance, which he already knew about, of course. Bella didn't really even want to go to college; how could she when she would be a newborn vampire? Even she knew that that was dangerous, and apparently so did Edward. The killings in Seattle had been caused by one which was why he had agreed with Charlie about not letting her go into Seattle. It was much too dangerous for her to go there, especially with how 'good' she smelled. And according to Edward? Going to La Push to visit Jacob was simply out of the question.

After a failed attempt at trying to kiss him without limitations, Edward had tried to convince her to speak with Charlie about going to visit her mother in Florida. He couldn't keep her from seeing her own mother, obviously, but she was positive that the idea of her traveling with Edward would make him nervous. No, there was no way that she could ask Charlie that. And because she refused to do so? Edward took the matter into his own hands and asked him himself. Perfect. There had been quite a bit of yelling between herself and her father before he finally agreed to let her go; she didn't really want to go so soon after being grounded, but the prospect of winning the argument had propelled her to keep going. The result? She would be going to Florida with Edward to see Renée.

The trip to see her mother had been nice, but with how perceptive she was of her daughter's emotions? It made Bella nervous, and she was honestly a tad relieved to get out of Florida. It was evident that Charlie had missed her, but he seemed to be even more excited by the prospect of Jake calling; he had been calling all day, only to ask if she would be in school the following day. Did he want to see her? No - he had shown up to speak with Edward. Victoria had come back for her, and Edward had forced her to go to Florida simply to keep her away from her. Would she never give up until she had finally killed her? So not only was she still being stalked by an insane vampire that was intent on murdering her because the Cullens had taken James from her, but seeing Jake had caused her to feel the familiar tightening in her chest. Edward would be going hunting for the weekend, though. Him leaving still brought on the nightmares, but that was something that she could never tell him. I'll be back so soon you won't have time to miss me. Look after my heart - I've left it with you. She didn't have to work that day, and instead she jumped in her car on an impulsive whim to go and see Jacob down at La Push. After spatting with him about why and how she could love Edward Cullen, she finally left so that she could make it to Angela's house in time, trying to ignore the silver Volvo that ended up following her all the way there. Because of her bad behavior, Edward forced her to stay at his home for the next few hunting trips when he wouldn't be around. Fanfuckingtastic. Through the slumber party with Alice and Rosalie, she ended up learning all about Rosalie's not-so-perfect past and the reason as to why she was so against Bella giving up her mortality. It made sense, at least, but this was still Bella's decision and she knew what she wanted. She had decided long ago that she wanted to be with Edward forever, and this way? She could.

The following day at school, Bella had made a break from Alice and ran to get onto the back of the motorcycle with Jacob. She knew that it was stupid and that she would definitely get into trouble because of this later on, but she needed Jake in her life. He was still her best friend despite everything, and there was no way that she could have a life without him in it. Jake didn't take the news about her transformation very well, though, telling her that she wouldn't be Bella any longer. Bella, having gotten incredibly angry with him, sped off on one of the bikes and went directly to the Cullens house. Surprisingly, Edward wasn't angry about her little jailbreak with Jacob and her trip to La Push, instead he agreed with her. Finally! Granted she had to tell him where and when beforehand, but it was still a relief that he would let her see Jacob.

Alarms sounded when Bella discovered that some of her clothing items were missing, and Edward picked up the scent of an unknown vampire. A vampire had been in her bedroom searching for her while her father had been asleep. Would the madness never end? Knowing it had been Victoria instead of someone that Edward didn't recognize would have been more comforting at this point! They had agreed that the safest place for Bella and Charlie to be would be on the reservation while Edward was trying to find whoever had been in her bedroom before it was too late. Jacob had paid her a visit to get the scent of the intruder, and as soon ad Edward returned Bella discovered that it had not been Alice to take things from her room - it had been the vampire that had been there. It was now obvious that the attacks in Seattle were only getting progressively worse. Edward allowed for her to go and see Jake at the reservation, though, with the condition that he drop her off, she carry a cell phone, and that he pick her up.

Jacob, being the giant idiot that he was, kissed her after telling her that he wanted her to pick him instead of Edward. He had managed to render Bella speechless, but she quickly responded to the kisses that he had forced upon her by thrusting her fist forward and against his jaw. Big mistake. She ended up breaking her hand from the impact, and she obviously had no one else to blame for this except for him.

The new information about the newborn vampires in Seattle was enough to make the Quileutes and the Cullens come to a truce of sorts in order to protect Bella. They took turns patrolling the Swan household, with Edward always at her side during the night. It made Bella anxious to know that so many people were risking their necks just for her life. Was she really all that special that an army of people would want to protect her? Apparently so.

Graduation came upon them sooner than she would have hoped, to be honest, and Bella suggested the idea that Victoria was the one creating the newborn vampires. It was a plausible idea, at best, and it truly did make sense to her. The graduation party didn't turn out to be a total bust, at least. Until the three werewolves showed up to celebrate the occasion with her. But his gift for her was beautiful - her charm bracelet. It was then that the Quileutes agreed that they would fight alongside of the Cullens if it meant keeping Bella alive; she was horrified at the idea. But before the battle? They all needed to train - together. Her fear for Edward's life was too great though, and she pleaded with him to not fight. She couldn't lose him - not again. But before the battle had even a chance of beginning, Bella made a deal with Edward. She would marry him if he agreed to make love to her while she was still human. It was the one human experience that she didn't want to give up, and Edward had resisted her demand at first until she started to plead with him to just let her have this one thing and she would marry him. He agreed to it as long as she would marry him beforehand. It was so.. proper, but she had to take what she could get. Engaged. The word tasted funny even when she thought about it. But there was no denying that Elizabeth Masen's ring was beautiful, and she honestly liked wearing it. Even if Edward getting down on one knee and actually proposing was a little silly, but it was nice all the same. Maybe being engaged wouldn't be so bad after all.

The next day would be the difficult one, though. She had given him back the ring for the time being, of course, but now they had to plan. There was a battle on the horizon. Bella had packed warmly in preparation for the snow that Alice had seen. Snow. And if that wasn't enough? Alice wanted to plan their wedding, and Bella simply had no choice but to let her. Bella helped Edward in laying down her scent for the newborns to follow that would lead them straight to the trap. Jacob carried her all the way to the site where they would be 'camping' at during the entire battle, but the cold was already making her anxious. She really hated the snow and being separated from Edward while Jake carried her, but the crystal heart that he had pinned onto her charm bracelet was comforting at least. And of course Jake had to taunt her the entire way! Stupid werewolf.

It was beyond freezing in the tent. It was so cold that Bella couldn't even speak properly, and Edward had no choice but to bring in Jacob to keep her from freezing to death. She knew that it was upsetting Edward that he couldn't keep her warm like that, but at least she wouldn't freeze to death. The almost-fight between Edward and Jacob had shaken her up quite a bit that talking to Edward about their best nights together was the only thing to keep her from running off after Jacob, but he hadn't been too far and he found out about their engagement. In desperation to keep Jacob alive and out of harm's way, she invited him to kiss her. She knew that it would hurt Edward, but it was the only way to keep her best friend alive. She could feel the passion between them and she knew then that she was in love with him too, but it was nothing compared to how she felt about Edward. It was no wonder that she felt utterly miserable about the entire thing; she was the worst person to ever live, even if she was being 'only human'. Listening to the play-by-play of the battle was infinitely worse, though. It made her cringe to even think of little Alice facing all of them.

The horror of losing someone in the clearing soon passed, because the danger was now where they were. And it wasn't even a pack of newborns - it was Victoria, and it made her stomach churn. Victoria's plan to kill her was painfully obvious, and if she wanted her dead? Then Bella would rather do it herself rather than have Edward hurt in the process, and Seth wasn't doing too well in his fight against Riley either. Edward's dance with Victoria was enough to make everything clear for her, but would she be strong enough? Bella inhaled sharply and it had been enough to distract Victoria from ripping Edward apart. Before she had the chance to spring, Edward deflected her and Seth ripped Riley apart. She made an attempt at fleeing into the forest, but Edward had been too quick for her and he managed to catch her and rip her head off of her body. Together, Seth and Edward burned their remained in order to make sure that they were actually dead before he finally turned to face Bella, and it was obvious that shock was scripted all over her face.

It wasn't the end of it, though - the Volturi were down in the clearing. Apparently the fact that it was only a few members from the guard was supposed to comfort her. Hearing the news that Jacob had been hurt was enough to force her to faint while the Volturi were on their way, but Carlisle reassured her that Jacob was not deceased, but all of the bones in the right side of his body had been broken. Jane saw the need to interrogate everyone when Bella just wanted to leave. She needed to see Jake! Edward and Carlisle's pleading for Bree's life fell short, and they confirmed the date for Bella's change.

At long last Bella made it to La Push to see Jacob to make sure that he was still alive. She knew what she had to do, though. She tried to reassure him the she did love him, but there was no possible way that she could live without Edward. On the car ride home, Bella had to pull over her truck because she couldn't even see the road with how much she was crying. Edward found her and drove her home and held her in her room once they arrived. Always the negative one, Edward began to question her if she had really made the correct choice, but she was positive that she had. There was no way that she could live her life without him in it, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to. And now? They needed to see Alice since she had a wedding to plan.

Alice was thrilled beyond belief, of course, and had apparently already gotten her a dress. She really did think ahead, didn't she? Seeing the dress made her realize that this was so much more real than she had thought it would be, and she just had to make Alice her maid of honor. Who better to fit the bill, right? Alice rushed off to begin the planning with Esme while Edward took her to their meadow. Edward had a different idea of what would make her happy than she did, and even though it was extremely difficult for her, she somehow managed to stop herself from taking things too far with Edward. It was time to tell Charlie, and the ring had been put back into place upon her finger where it would stay for the rest of forever.

He took it better than even she anticipated him to, only accusing them of falling prey to what many teenagers did: pregnancy. Telling Renee proved to be far more difficult, and though her mother was happy for her it was obvious she was worried about her only child making the same mistakes she did. But it was obvious that the love between Bella and Edward was vastly different than what she had experienced in her own youth. The most nerve wracking part for Bella, aside from comprehending the concept of the term 'wife,' of course, was allowing Alice to run wild. She put her in charge for a reason and yet was still nervous when it came time to get ready for the ceremony. The nerves had set in enough to make her legs turn to jelly and she had to cling to her father's arm as if her life depended on it. But it was at the moment when her eyes met Edward's gaze that all of her doubts seemed to fade away. Everything fell into place and centered solely around the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. All of the guests disappeared the moment her hand was placed into his, and though she was one terrified of this very moment, they were finally made husband and wife in August 13th of 2006.

Bella couldn't have been more excited to see Jacob arrive and the chance to dance with her best friend on the happiest night of her life. Once he found out her plans for the honeymoon, though it truly was not any of his business, he started to lose his temper with her enough for the other wolves to drag him away and for Edward to come and shield Bella in the event he lost control completely. Saying goodbye to her parents and her new family proved to be more difficult than she anticipated, especially when it came to her father. She fell in and out of sleep on the plane ride to their mysterious honeymoon destination. No matter how many times she begged and prodded him, he never told her where they would be going.

Isle Esme was stunning and remote, perfect for the two of them. They would be able to go out into the sun without the worry of any humans witnessing her new husband's permanent state. But there was a more pressing topic at hand once they arrived and Bella spent several human moments getting herself ready for it. Their first night together, though Edward insisted this would not be at all possible, turned out to be perfect and the best moment of her entire insignificant life. Everything made sense, and all she could do was feel when he was pressed against her like that. But the next morning marked the span of time in which Edward refused to touch her. After biting through a pillow, breaking the bed, and accidentally bruising her with his strength, there was no way he was coming near her in that way for awhile.

It took some time, but once she seduced her all-too-willing husband again, it seemed perfect again. At least until everything she ate aside from eggs was making her sick, and that was when all hell broke loose. Bella's future disappeared and it was then that they confirmed she was pregnant with her and Edward's child. Rosalie became her unlikely ally when it came down to keeping the baby. Tensions with Edward grew greater, him becoming frustrated that his new bride wouldn't listen to reason but it wasn't about that for her. This child was a product of them and she already loved the 'little nudger' growing inside of her at a rapid rate. Within mere weeks her body had practically deteriorated and she became nothing but skin and bones. Drinking the blood only seemed to help so much, but it was enough to keep the baby from killing her right then and there.

Labor came upon her sooner than they were all ready for and Edward had no choice but to get the baby out as soon as possible in order to save the both of them, but Bella's heart slowed and she was slipping into death by the time his venom penetrated her veins. The morphine caused her to stop writing in pain from the fire consuming her whole on the inside. When she woke a few days later she barely even recognized herself in the mirror. Everything took on a new appearance, giving her a greater appreciation for her surroundings. Edward's beauty became even more painstakingly obvious, and now she could clearly see the marks along Jasper from when he was attacked by newborns. Edward took her out hunting for the first time where she forced herself away from the human hiking up the mountain and instead went after an animal before she could hurt anyone. It wasn't until after she held Renesmee for the first time that she discovered Jake's little secret and nearly ripped his disgusting head off. He had imprinted on her newborn child while she was transforming and had the nerve to nickname her after the Loch Ness Monster.

But there was a more demanding threat. Renesmee was growing very quickly, making everyone in the family worried about how much time they would have left with her. On top of that, Jake had to go and phase in front of Charlie and force Bella into a room with fresh blood just to see him. She managed to control herself quite well, and though she was upset with Jacob's act at first, it turned out to be a good thing. She would have given anything to keep Charlie in her life, and now she was at last able to do just that. She kept him on a need to know basis from there on out for his own safety, but it was when Irina saw Ness from a distance that the real threat came. The Volturi were coming for them on the allegation of Renesmee being an immortal child. They recruited their friends from all over the world as witnesses to attest that their child was born and growing, not bitten and staying a certain age. She was intelligent and gifted, something she inherited from both of her parents.

Eleazar came to the conclusion that Bella was gifted with a mental shield, a defensive power to protect herself from mind attacks that she could project if she learned how to master it. It took a great deal of time and effort but with the help of their cousins, she soon learned how to protect others with her shield instead of just herself. But the emptiness of Alice and Jasper's departure could be felt by everyone. The absence was everywhere, causing Bella to keep her thoughts to herself unless she was alone with her husband and child in their cottage. There was something about the note she left though, why hadn't she used a normal sheet of paper instead of ripping one out of a book? It was meant as a clue for Bella for only her mind could be shielded from Aro's ability. J. Jenks in Seattle.

The visit with the man Alice directed her to sealed their fate in a way. Renesmee and Jacob would live and have a future, but her and Edward probably wouldn't. She pushed her feelings to the side knowing that only the safety of her daughter mattered to her now and that they would be prepared for when the Volturi came. Aro tried to come up with any and every excuse to destroy them, to collect either her or Alice for his Guard, but with Bella's mental shield surrounding them at full capacity there was no way she was going to let any of them, especially Jane, torture someone on their side of the imaginary line drawn. Alice and Jasper arrived back in Forks with a few guests who both confirmed that Renesmee would not be a danger and would live a life of immortality as soon as she hit physical maturity about seven years after her birth. The Volturi was not keen on being outsmarted and denied a chance to kill off the largest coven aside from themselves, but they had no choice but to uphold their guidelines with all of the witnesses present.

With the danger of the Volturi seemingly gone for several years, they managed to live in peace in Forks. Bella even learned how to lower her shield long enough to show Edward all of the memories she held onto that revolved around the two of them, giving him a peek inside of her mind as to how much she loved him. They carried on with their piece of forever, but serenity could never last an eternity.