It wasn't the peaceful place she remembered at all. There was pain here. Why had she sought this place? This was a physical manifestation of the hole threatening to rip her to shreds. It was too much.

All the ones she had been surviving for were not enough. She couldn't live for anyone else anymore. Not her father. It only hurt him more to see her this way. A zombie who would never be a real girl again. She couldn't keep hurting him.

Not even for her Jacob. Her best friend. What he wanted... What he needed... she just couldn't be. There was no heart in her left to give him. Of course, the eternal spring of hope that was her sweet Jacob would never give up trying to make her happy again. She would never be happy again. She had to stop hurting him. She had to just stop.

But how? Probably some accident. She had always been a life-threatening accident waiting to happen. It was really only a matter of time. Something dangerous was bound to happen sooner or later and this time... no one would be here to save her.

She was good for no one. Not really. Continuing to exist only hurt. She wanted to stop hurting. So much pain. Ever since he bored of her. So much pain.

Having wandered aimlessly while deciding her fate, she finally collapsed on the cold, damp grass near the middle of the clearing. It was another gray, overcast, miserable, typical Forks day.

The cruel irony was if only she had never known them, her life would have been okay. Not interesting. Not happy, but survivable. Just being friends with Jessica would have been better in the long run.

A normal life. That's what he wanted for her. Why couldn't he understand that the one event precluding that possibility was meeting him. There was no going back. There was no un-knowing.

She took a deep breath and looked around the meadow from her prone position on the wet ground. It was a dead place. Quiet. Like no life could exist within this circle of trees. Gone were the beautiful flowers and the gentle buzz of life she remembered from that one perfect afternoon, shared with a shining creature who stole her heart before eventually destroying her very soul. Ironic that he believed turning her would destroy her soul—it only took losing him.

She was startled from her morose ramblings by movement to her left. She propped up on her elbows and turned to see a nightmare in her dead meadow. It was appropriate really. A place so filled with death should include one of his kind—one who would probably be her welcome death.

"Bella," he trilled in that beautiful French accent. "Why are you here, lying alone on the damp ground?"

She shrugged noncommittally. What answer did she owe him? He stared at her and waited for a response. Damn vampires and their patience. Fine. If he wanted her to speak, she would tell the truth with her last breaths. "I was waiting for you."

"Were you expecting me, my dear?" He chuckled at her, probably thinking her mad for speaking to him that way.

"Yes. I came here to be done. I knew I needed to stop. I knew this would be the place. It was only a matter of time until death found me. And here you are."

"You want to die? You are a very peculiar human. First, spending time with vampires, now... that's it, isn't it? Did they abandon you, ma petite?"

His sneer cut her to the bone. She didn't even know it was possible to hurt more. Why was he tormenting her? Why not just kill her? He was obviously thinking about it. His ruby eyes glistened at her like she was a juicy steak prepared just the way he preferred.

Frustrated, she decided this was taking too long. She pushed herself up off the cold ground and moved towards him. Stopping just in front of him, she moved her hair to one side and bared her neck.

"There's no point to this banter. You shouldn't play with your food, Laurent. Now. Please... end this."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. It was not a tear of fear or sadness, but one of pure relief. The pain would end soon.

"How could I refuse such a precious gift?" He lifted his hands to run them gently up and down her arms. "Victoria will be so angry... oh and my dearest Irina. I pray she will forgive me one day. After all, you want this. I am doing you a kindness, ending your suffering."

She rolled her eyes and looked up into his, gone onyx with hunger. Her patience was gone. She snapped. "If you've managed to talk yourself into it now, do you mind?" She stretched her neck out further and hoped he'd get this over with. Worthless, dramatic vampires! Too much drama. Too little action.

The impetuous little brat. He'd never met anyone in all his years so eager to die. In truth, it did not matter. As soon as he stepped into this meadow and smelled her, he knew. She would not leave this place alive.

He could not care less about Victoria's petty agenda in that moment, as he slid his hands over Bella's tiny shoulders and drew her nearer. Pulling her as close as possible, he leaned over her exquisite pale throat and blew out a breath against her skin. He waited for the increase in heart rate that always accompanied the fear of his bite but it never came. He felt only a sigh of relief as his lips touched her pulse point.

She really did want this. No. She needed it. A release. He prayed to his sire that Irina would forgive this. He was becoming so fond of that peculiar, vegetarian succubus. In fact, just thinking of those golden love-filled eyes gave him pause, but as he took a small breath, the intoxicating scent of the delicate human in his arms overwhelmed any further thought.

His teeth pierced the delicate silk and the honeyed life-force filled his mouth. To say she was exquisite would be a gross understatement. His eyes rolled back as he drank from her greedily. He barely took notice of her half-hearted struggle as his venom burned the life from her.

Lost to the most amazing sensations of his existence, he almost missed the movement to his left. Survival instinct alone distracted him from his meal as he turned and crouched to defend himself and his prey.

When his eyes focused on the threat, he thought his heart would break. He had no idea he was capable of this level of emotional pain. He'd never before actually cared deeply enough about anything in all the years since his dear sire gifted him with this existence. But when those golden eyes looked into his with disappointment and betrayal, he knew that he loved this woman. He would do whatever it took to make this right because this crazy, animal-eating succubus was his raison d'être.

Shame filled him but before he could speak to defend himself, she fled. He had to explain. This wasn't as bad as it appeared to be. With no other thought but begging for her forgiveness, he raced off after her.

Bella welcomed death's embrace. Sweet release would soon be hers. No more pain after this small bit more. But this pain was neither small nor slight. The initial bite had not been too bad. She was, after all, the most accident prone human still alive. She had experienced much worse.

What she had underestimated was the venom. Either time had dulled her memory of James' venom or Laurent's was much much worse. She was burning up from the inside out. Fire swept through her veins as her blood flowed from her body. There was nothing but pain and fire.

Why was this taking so long? How much blood could she possibly contain? The burn had been her companion for what felt like days. When would this suffering end?

Finally, after what seemed liked years, she was distracted by her own heartbeat. It was accelerating. Was this it? Had her beautiful respite come at last? But then, she heard the most terrifying sound of all. Her heart stopped. Death, she was prepared for. An end to her existence was what she craved. Why was she experiencing not having a heartbeat? Why could she feel the wet ground beneath her? She could feel rain drops hitting her body. What was happening?

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around. The meadow? Had she fallen asleep and dreamt of Laurent?

After staring at it for a moment she realized she could see a vein of a leaf at the top of a giant tree on the other side of the meadow. NO! She shot up so quickly she startled myself. She frantically looked at her surroundings, trying to convince herself it wasn't true. She could not be...

Suddenly, she remembered Laurent again. Where could he be? Using all the heightened senses she had now been cursed with, she searched for the monster who did this to her.

After only a fraction of a second, she knew three things with absolute certainty. First, she was a newborn vampire. Second, she was completely and utterly alone. And third, if she did not get as far away as possible, her blood lust would force her to do something she would regret for the rest of eternity.

Where on this earth could she run to avoid them? She took a deep breath, trying to think. Then it hit her. She no longer needed to breathe. She took off towards the Pacific in a blur of speed and was surprised to find herself, only a moment later, at the bottom of the ocean floor.