You know how depressed people are always like, "Life is pain, pain is existence, and existence is life, pain, life, pain…" Well, I can tell you now, life sucks, literally. And unlike most creatures in this world I don't have the option to end it just like that. There are a million ways an average ordinary wonderful human can die, but only a few ways I can die and none of them are easy. You see, I'm not exactly normal. I'm a vampire, a cold one to be exact. I know drowning isn't one of the ways I can die, since we don't need air, vampires I mean, but water provides some sort of numbing sensory deprivation calming feeling for me. Ever since my family and I moved to Australia I spend most of my time just sitting underwater, swimming a little sometimes. It never provides true enjoyment, but it allows me to turn my mind off so to speak, not entirely, not like sleeping as a human could, but like I said, sensory deprivation. It was a never ending battle to keep myself together since I'd left my star, my angel, my Bella. She was, is everything to me, and I left her, left her to protect her. You see, my being what I am only put her in harm, and she deserves a normal safe life more than anyone else I know. They say that sometimes if you love someone it means learning to let them go, so I let my Bella go. I can still see the agonized look on her face to this day when I told her I was leaving, that I didn't love her, but I knew she would get over me. She was too perfect, too beautiful, too smart not to make her own way in the world without me by her side. It's been nearly 2 years since I left. She would be 21 now, 4 years older than me, but about 90 years younger than me. Life as a vampire was so complicated sometimes. I often wished the Spanish flu had just killed me, but then I remembered that I would never have met Bella at all if it had, and that thought made all the pain I was feeling now worth it. Right now I'm sitting on the bottom of the ocean. It's dark, even a little dark for me. I can only just make out the shapes of the fish and seaweed and things, but then I'm not trying very hard. Mostly I'm just trying not to fly apart at the seams, for the sake of my family. At first I sulked in my room all day but now I prefer the ocean, especially since I'm not distracted by my family's worried and annoying thoughts all the time. I felt bad about how I made them feel, but honestly, most of the time I just didn't care. Bella would be upset with me for that. I sighed. Then I saw something that startled me a bit. It was a silvery flash through the seaweed, scales like a fish but much larger, a tail of some sort. I didn't see the front half of the creature. Curiosity that I hadn't felt in a while took over me and I swum slowly towards it not interested enough to force myself to move faster. As I neared it still trying to make out the rest of it through the murk it seemed to jerk away from me, detecting my presence. Faster than I thought possible of a creature other than a vampire it bolted away, up towards the surface. I followed quickly, not using perhaps all my speed but still going faster than a normal human could. I caught a glimpse of the creature at a distance and if I didn't know any better I would say it was a mermaid, but that of course would be impossible. Picking up the pace so I was actually trying to go my usual speed I sped after it, or her, or whatever. But it was too fast, eve for me. What would be too fast for me? I caught a glimpse of silvery hair that obscured what must be a face, for now I had convince myself a mermaid was the only option, before it really kicked its speed into overdrive and I was left in its dust, or bubbles in this case. If vampires and werewolves existed I supposed mermaids might be able to exist as well. I was just surprised we'd never heard of them before, aside from in human fairytales. Sighing dejectedly I settled back down into my muddy nook on the ocean floor.

…

Alice and Jasper were dragging me along on some stupid school marina trip. My school attendance record had been less than pristine at this new school, but I still showed up enough to have the highest grades in the class, not that it mattered much. Alice insisted that the trip might cheer me up, and Jasper was for anything that would lighten my mood. I guess I should feel badly about how I was making Jasper feel what with my emotions and all. But still, a field trip to see some dolphins hardly seemed like the way to go about things. If anything I'd end up jumping in their tank and killing one out of thirst since I hadn't had anything to drink in days. My eyes were black and I had deep bruises under my eyes. My family was really starting to worry. Fortunately the day was cloudy so there was no chance for a sun sparkle incident. I was good, I guess. Alice and Jasper had run off to look in the gift shop, Jasper rather unhappily being pulled along by his overenthusiastic mate. I stayed behind slowly wandering around the crowded walkways. Suddenly, through the crowd I say a head turn in my direction and stopped still, frozen to the spot. Her eyes locked with mine and she froze as well. No, how could this be? Why would she be here? It can't be! But it was. Her chocolate brown eyes looked back sadly at me; hurt the dominant expression on her face. Her silky brown hair flowed over her delicate shoulders like a waterfall of lilac and freesia. One silver streak highlighted the left side of her face. That was new. It suited her. My Bella. She was standing right there, a hundred feet away from me, staring shocked back at me. This was no illusion, no hallucination. It was her, no doubt about it. Then the crowd seemed to surge together, obscuring her from my vision. I struggled to push past them, careful to not hurt anyone or go too fast, although perhaps not as careful as I should have been. But when the crowd parted once more she was nowhere to be seen. My sweet perfect Bella was here, and I had lost her once more.

…

All the resolve I had had to stay away from her melted. I had to find her, to hold her, to hear her perfect voice once more. Completely forgetting about Alice and Jasper I took off, desperate to find Bella. But for all my efforts it came to naught. Sadly I went home to my family.

…

It was a full moon tonight. I looked up at it as we walked across the beach towards the forest. My family and I were going hunting. We usually came to one of these small uninhabited islands at night when we wanted to hunt. This one was called Mako I think. Bella was still the only thing really on my mind. Alice had of course told the rest of my family all about me seeing her before I had even gotten home. They were all so excited and worried.

We were nearing a clearing, with some great boulders and a rushing stream. It was beautiful here, but none of it impressed me. We all looked up when at a noise coming from the woods to our left, a snapped twig. Then a girl came out, not looking at us but walking out across one of the boulders by the stream.

"Bella!" Alice gasped taking a step towards her.

She whirled around at the sound of her name and let out a gasp as she saw us. Being typical clumsy Bella she off course tripped. I was still in slow mo, so I didn't react quickly enough. She fell backwards and instead of landing on the hard rocks she disappeared from our sight all together. We all faced towards where we last saw her and gaped down a long dark tube that opened into the rocks.

Not thinking twice I jumped in quickly followed by the others. When we reached the bottom Bella wasn't there.

The stone was carved out by what seemed many years of ocean waves. The walls were wet and the roof dripped. We walked along the tunnel into an opening. Bella was standing there, over a small round pool, looking back at us in the tunnel entrance.

"Hello," she said nervously, fidgeting with the front of her shirt.

"Bella…" I breathed, and moved a half step towards her, not wanting to frighten her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Are you su…"

"Yes."

I looked carefully at her. She was looking at our feet, not making eye contact.

"We missed you Bella, my daughter." Esme sighed.

"I missed you guys too." And with that Alice ran over to her at super speed and engulfed her in a tight hug. The others followed suit, all crowding around, even Rosalie who really had missed Bella.

I walked over uncertainly. I reached out one cautious hand and ran the silvery highlight through my fingers. She seemed to freeze at my touch. I backed up at this, not wanting to hurt her again. I really didn't know where to start.

Then, Emmett did it; he really did it this time, that idiot.

He laughed at Bella, leaned down towards the pool, stuck one massive hand in and splashed her along with the rest of the family. Alice and Rosalie were outraged, one because of the one of a kind dress she was wearing and the other because her husband was being an idiot.

Bella just looked shocked, and then horrified. I didn't understand her expression.

"What. Did. You. Do?" She sputtered.

We all looked at her confused.

"It's only water, Bella." Carlisle tried to soother her, but she looked terrified, of us? No, that wasn't quite it. But then what?

I got my answer soon enough.

About thirty seconds passed and then something remarkable happened.

Bella's whole body seemed to start to shimmer a bit. We all stepped back. It was like she was turning into water. I was terrified.

What was happening to my Bella?

She looked up directly into my eyes and said, "Please, don't be…" but she was cut off as her entire body turned into pure water and then back into a more solid form. But it wasn't her we saw then, but someone completely different.

She had all silvery hair, bright golden eyes, perhaps even brighter than ours, and a…tail. Yes, she definitely had a silvery tail. Could it be…? No. No way was she… But could she be… It was the only logical explanation. It was Bella I had seen out in the ocean the other day. Bella.

Then with an annoyed grunt she toppled backwards into the pool. I rushed forwards to the edge to help her up, but she seemed much more at ease in the water.

"So," She mumbled, "I guess you know now."

"Bella, you're a mermaid!" Alice squeaked.

"That would be a yes."

"That is so cooool!" She positively squealed.

Bella looked surprised.

"But why didn't you tell me? How did this happen?"

"It's kind of a long story, but after I moved here, I was kind of changed into this." She saw our confused and upset faces and quickly continued. "It was an accident. I fell into the moon pool on a full moon and the next day I was, well, a mermaid. But really, it's fine guys. Seriously. I'm totally fine. No need to worry and all, but you should probably go now, because it is a full moon which means, um, it's best that you're not here."

We all just gaped at her stupidly. I was about to say something that I hoped sounded clever or at least not like a totally dork, when a strange sucking sound filled the cavern.

Bella looked around nervously. Then, before anyone could do much of anything a huge tentacle like thing exploded from the pool right next to where Bella was floating.

We all scattered, getting out of the way of that, thing. But Bella, she was right there next to it, with nowhere to go. I couldn't just let her be hurt. As if some water could hurt me. I rushed forwards again and then I was hit.

It slapped be hard. In the face too. I went flying back against the cold stone wall. Blinking I looked at my surprised and scared family and then at Bella. She looked neither weak nor afraid. Her eyes were hard, cold, fearless. She held up her right hand and pointed it at the creature.

It turned and flew at her. I tried to stand up but couldn't, slumping down against the wall and watching with horror. But the creature stopped just before it hit her, seemingly blocked by an invisible barrier. Bella stared right at it with intense hatred. Then she spoke in a hard, commanding voice.

"You, you who are the bane of my people. You dare to attack me at this sacred time. The time of the full moon is upon us. It is a time for celebration and remembrance and yet you come here and attack me! You are made of water from the depths of the deepest trenches. You do not frighten me. You are nothing to me. I control water. I am the very essence of water." With that she clenched her fist and the tentacle like thing seemed to quiver.

Then she released her grip and it seemed to explode, a rush of water flying upwards and disappearing, the waters around her calming back to a crystalline smooth pool.

She looked up at with sadness and… love.

Jasper felt it too.

Hope sparked in my chest. Here was a beautiful, strong, fearless Bella. She was a mermaid. A magical creature of such beauty compared to myself. And she still felt love towards us after everything.

I walked up to the side of the pool and leaned town, put my face near the water.

She swam over to me so we could look directly in each other's eyes.

She still looked sad, worried about something.

I couldn't take it any longer. I whispered softly, "I love you, my Bella."

Her eyes seemed to light up. She smiled softly, worry melting off her face. She reached one delicate soft hand up and caressed my face.

I shivered at her touch, the warmth it brought to me.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about then."

(A/N This is the first in a series of one shot crossovers I'm going to do with Bella, mostly with being a total BAMF, or at least being slightly more awesome than she normally is portrayed as being. So if you have any suggestions or requests let me know. And let me know what you think of my first little story. Pleas review! It means a lot to me! Oh, and I totally don't own Twilight or H20 in case you were wondering.)