Disclaimer: All characters and setting familiar to you is property of Stephenie Meyer, and whomever else she is affiliated with. No offense is meant in writing this fic.

AN: Back again! This chapter is a bit longer, but once again it's really just a filler chapter! The good stuff is coming, I promise! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please continue to offer feedback, I love to hear what you have to think!

The rabbit twitched his small pink nose, his black, beady eyes flickering glances in every direction. Carefully, he shuffled towards the leafy bush that had caught his eye. His ears perked and shifted forwards to follow the sound of a small animal, possibly a mouse, skittering through the grass somewhere hidden in the think brush that surrounded the meadow. Still alert for a predator, he quickly craned his neck out and snipped a large leaf from the plant, and quietly crunched it between his bunny teeth. When the pieces were small enough to swallow, he ate them, still looking around for a reason to bolt into the brush. Confident that he was safe enough to grab another leaf, he shifted his weight onto his injured foot.

The pain of the food twinged sharply, and he paused and looked at the offending appendage. Red, thick blood trickled down the length of his foot, filling the air with a coppery sent that make his mouth water and fill with a foul tasting liquid. There was too much liquid, and he was struggling to breath, but he couldn't seem to spit it out. He gagged and reached for his throat. His claws dug into his skin and he tried to breath, but the liquid kept coming, suffocating and drowning him, all at the thought of the sweet, warm blood that was running down his foot onto the lush, green grass.

Bella opened her eyes. Her real eyes this time. She knew this because her lashes were sticky from her tears, and also because her mouth was filled with a suspicious liquid that she was afraid to swallow. The fact that she wasn't breathing wasn't as troubling as it should have been, merely uncomfortable. She opened her mouth, and watched in horror and fascination as the liquid dribbled out of her mouth and onto the off-white carpet. It lay there for a moment, then promptly sizzled and burned a hole straight through onto the cement foundation below, causing Bella's heart to stop in panic. Thankfully, the liquid stopped there, but her heart did not restart.

Curious, Bella raised her right hand and placed it on the left side of her chest, and wondered where the comforting and familiar feeling of her heart beat was. That heart had seen her to hell and back: leaving her mother and coming to Forks, falling in love with Edward, Edward leaving her for several painful months, and then his return near the end of her senior year. But now heart was completely silent, and yet Bella was still alive, and once again breathing. She removed her hand from her chest and leaned back with her hands behind her to prop her up. There was something she was forgetting, a missing piece in this puzzle. Calmly, she contemplated the situation, but her thoughts couldn't seem to get themselves into proper order, and she frowned in frustration.

The sound of someone blinking to her right make her jump to her feet. Edward sat beside her on the carpet, looking up at her with his beautiful eyes. Eyes that were a strange ruby color, a color that sparked something in her memory. Red eyes in the sockets of a man with papery thin skin, watching a group of innocent people file in. Now these eyes were in the eyes of Edward, who was still staring up at her, looking as if he was waiting for her.

Then it clicked.

"Oh." Bella sat back down with a quiet thump. The move was shockingly graceful to her. She, Bella, never landed with a soft thump, always with a loud, echoing bang that was occasionally accompanied by the clatter and smashing of objects she took down with her. It was as though all of the pieces of the puzzle fell perfectly into place, and the last three days came painfully to mind. She shuddered, thinking of the pain her body had went through. Then Edward was by her side, holding her close. She didn't move, just sat there, inhaling his scent. The smell of Edward's breath comforted her, though it was definable. Rather than ----, how she'd always described his scent, she could pick out individual smells, like fresh grass, soap and oddly enough, pepper. Pepper was weird, considering Edward didn't eat, but Bella didn't dwell on it.

They stayed there, just holding each other, for hours. The sun, which had just risen when Bella has first regained consciousness, was sinking lower towards the western horizon when Bella excited her stupor. Bella heard the rest of the family moving around the house, so quietly she was sure there was no way she would have heard them if... if she hadn't been changed. The word 'changed' caused something in her to shift. Resolutely, she leaned her head back off of Edward's shoulder to look him in the eyes. He stared back into her face.

"Hey," she mumbled. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew he'd heard her. He was taking in her face, looking at her like they were strangers. "What's wrong?" She asked, her brow furrowing. Edward smiled back sheepishly, his mouth turning into the crooked grin she loved. If she'd had a heart, Bella was positive it would have been fluttering madly.

"I was just checking. Seeing if you were different." He ran a finger along the side of her face. For the first time, she noticed his skin didn't feel icy against her own. Bella reached out and grabbed Edward's hand with her own. Both were the same temperature.

"And?" She asked, releasing his hand. The idea that becoming a vampire had changed something about was unsettling. What if it was her humanity that Edward loved, and she'd just given it away? Her eyes widened and she stared at him. Edward chuckled quietly.

"No, don't worry about that. I still you love, Bella. Nothing could make that change." Gently, he kissed her forehead. "Becoming a vampire does change certain aspects though. Your eyes, for example, are black rather than brown. That's a vampire trait. And," he lowered his face until their noses were only inches apart. "While you do smell absolutely delicious, I have no desire to kill. It's a nice change."

Bella leaned away and smirked at him. "That is a rather nice change." Grinning, she leaned over and kissed him lightly. His lips, once so cold, felt smooth and sent tingles down her spine. She felt him smile against her mouth. Tentatively, Bella depended the kiss, ready for Edward to pull away. She was extremely surprised when he eagerly kissed her back, his hands gently pressing against the back of her head. Bella's eyes flew open out if surprise. Then it clicked. Edward was a vampire. Bella was a vampire. There was no longer the eminent danger of him pouncing on her and draining her of her blood. Happily, Bella sighed against Edwards lips.

A crash from outside the room, made them break contact. Both Edward and Bella turned their heads towards the sound, at a speed Bella was sure would have been only a blur to her old, human eyes. Edward gripped her arm tightly. Whatever had caused the crash was worrying him, Bella could tell, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. Together, they stood up and quietly walked towards the sound, towards the front door of the house.

Bella could feel the rug beneath her toes in a new, terrifying clarity. Terrifying because it felt as though she was part of the carpet; she felt every fabric move as her weight shifted, sensed the vibrations caused by her movement. The air around her felt too, like a super thin coating. She could feel the molecules shift around her, as delicate as the tip of a feather against her skin. These new sensations thrilled her, but at the same time presented a reminder of her loss of her humanity. Her soul. The thoughts made her shiver, and Edward gripped her arm a little tighter, and gave her a curious look. She looked sheepishly back at him, marveling at his perfect face. Could there ever be someone as perfect and beautiful as Edward? Someone so flawless that it made the breath fly from your body, and removed all thought from your brain? Bella seriously doubted it.

Another crashed made them pick up their pace, and in only tenths of a second, they were standing in the entry way. At the base of the stairs were Alice and Jasper, standing only a breath apart. Esme and Carlisle were beside them. Emmett and Rosalie were still away on their "honeymoon," which really meant that Rosalie refused to be around Bella for longer than she had to be. The atmosphere in the entrance way was tense. Bella followed the gaze of the five other vampires in the room, and was started by the stunning, bloody figure leaning against the door frame.