For those of you who have read my previous fanfic, "A Dark Adaptation of New Moon", I present to you the continuation of the story. Thank you for all your feedback. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

Bella's POV:

The last remnant of sleep was slowly seeping away from me, but I refused to open my eyes. I didn't want to. I was desperately trying to cling to the dream I had. I dreamt of Edward – that he came back for me, and not just for visitation – he came for me, to take me with him, beyond this pointless world, beyond death itself. It felt all too real, but then reality began to crawl its way back to into my senses, threatening to disrupt my silent euphoria. It was then that I heard the quiet voices.

"Can you see anything? Anything at all?"

Dead air filled the room, so still, so mute that I thought I had imagined it. Then, an unexpected child-like voice answered back, her words almost singing melodically.

"No. I don't understand why, though. It should have died with her blood. Do you suppose she feels the burn?"

Alice? Could it really be her? Perhaps I was still dreaming after all.

"I pray that neither one of them feels it."

At that point, right then and there, I knew. It was him. It was Edward. Was this part of the dream? I tried to open my eyes but found that I couldn't. I tried to move, even blink, but nothing happened. I didn't know what was going on. I felt panic twisting in my gut. I wanted to break out of my body and scream, let them know that I hear them – but I was completely immobilized. It reminded me of the time I had been in a coma, except that this was different. I was much more aware of my surroundings than I had been when I was comatose. In fact, I was too aware.

I could hear the fire crackling, the leaves rustling in the wind, water dripping from a faucet or pipe and the breathing of three people. Alice, Edward and…

At that moment, at the pivotal moment, it all came back to me. The cottage, Gabriel, our naked bodies, the hot bath water, the razor… and Edward's voice, telling me he had found me. With a force that I had never known, my eyes shot open as I jumped off the bed, landing crouched on the balls of my feet by a corner. I scanned the room wildly, and then I saw him. He stood just behind Alice, with such a poignant expression and absolutely beautiful as ever. My breath caught at the sight of him. I slowly rose and walked over to him, carefully pacing my footsteps in fear that he would disappear if I rushed over to him. I was aware of everything around me, and yet unaware at the same time. The only thing that existed at that moment was him.

I could already pick up his familiar enamoring scent. I tilted my head slightly at his odd expression. He looked at me the way he always had except there was something different in his eyes. He seemed torn between emotions, happy yet broken somehow. His eyes moved to my soaring heart and he frowned for a moment before bringing them back up to mine, his face marked by confusion. I couldn't hold back any longer. I threw myself to him, wrapping my arms around him, holding him tightly. He made a small noise as if I was suffocating him and he pushed me back at bit to look me in the eyes.

"Bella" he breathed as he smoothed away the hair from my face. "You're still human". He marveled at me like he had just discovered the Holy Grail. I didn't understand what he meant by that but neither did I care.

"You're here" I said, my voice sounding foreign to myself.

He didn't say anything. He just continued to stare at me with wonder. I pulled my hands up from under his arms and brought them up to his face. My heart almost stopped when I touched his skin. He wasn't cold as he's always been. His skin felt exactly as mine. It was even soft as mine. I remembered feeling this exact way before, when Gabriel had come to my room and I had fooled myself into thinking it was Edward. I pulled my hands away and began to retract my steps, shaking my head back and forth in pain and horror.

"You're not him…." I said, still not recognizing my own voice. "You're not Edward."

He's brows creased as he looked at me, his lips forming a hard line. Hysteria was making its way to my head as I backed myself to the corner I had landed in.

"Bella, it is him" and I turned to look at Alice, fearing that I had gone mad. I shook my head back and forth quickly. Alice, or whatever it was that I was imagining, walked over to me and stooped right by me, holding my hand. Her hand, too, was not cold. I instinctively pulled away from her, pressing myself into the corner.

Someone walked over and stood behind Alice. I didn't dare look up, afraid of what else I'd see. Instead, it was Alice that looked up, her face twisting in disappointment. She got up and walked away. I hugged my legs against my chest tightly, averting my eyes from the pair of legs in front of me. Just then, I could see the person squat down before me and I turned to look at him. I was staring into the deepest hue of grey that I had ever seen. Gabriel's eyes seemed chrome-like as he looked right into mine.

"Forgive me, my lady. Please forgive me."

My eyes moved back to Edward, then Alice, then back to Gabriel.

"What is this?" I asked.

Gabriel was frowning deeply, mournfully, as Edward stared at him from behind with hate filled eyes.

"Bella, I've lied to you."

Realization was beginning to unfold with his words. I looked back at Edward who was seething in hate.

"What?" I managed to say.

"Please know, Bella, that I love you more than you'll ever understand."

Cold tears began to roll down my face and I suppose I should have noted the oddity of them but I was so stunned, so aghast that I didn't think about it.

"You… lied to me?" I heard myself say. Something about his deception jabbed painfully in my heart. Perhaps it was shame that I felt, for sleeping with him but at the same time, I couldn't deny the fact that I was, indeed, hurt. Despite his menaces and brooding nature, he went above and beyond in keeping me safe, and comfortable when I was most out of place.

"I believed in you" I whispered. His eyes began to water but never left my face.

"I BELIEVED IN YOU!" I yelled and my anger erupted. I pushed him away from me and he flew across the room, his body cracking the brick wall on impact. I pulled my arms back defensively, shocked at what just happened. He looked back at me with mournful eyes as he slowly got back to his feet, blood dripping from his head. He didn't move from where he stood. He just looked continued to stare at me solemnly. I brought my shaking hands in front of me and examined them. It was then I noticed the sound of the stream that breaks through the forest, five miles west of me. I can hear the cardinal's wiry feet, stepping along its nest, high up in the evergreen. I can see every pore on their faces. I can hear Gabriel's hard heartbeat, thudding rapidly in his chest. I can even hear the dust mites in the air.

As if sensing the cracks in my sanity, Alice steps forward and takes hold of my arm.

"Bella, you were changed" she said, definitively. "There was no other choice. You had taken your life. We found you half dead and Edward, well…" she said as she looked at them, "…we all changed you."

My eyes, wide and dazed, turned to Edward, whose face was breaking. My heart beat loudly and faster than I have ever felt it beat, threatening to discredit her story.

"But… my heart…"

"You're half human, Bella. Part vampire and part human" said Alice.

It took me a moment to really grasp what she was telling me. It didn't make any sense at all.

"But, I didn't feel the burn… I didn't…"

"You wouldn't have" interrupted Gabriel. "The baby protected you while your body underwent the transformation."

I stared at him, bewildered. I began to think that I was still in a dream because nothing made sense to me. Although, I remember the bath and the razor, and the blood tainted bathwater, I don't remember anything else. They were talking in tongues that I could not understand.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" I asked, but no one spoke. They just stood there like three statues.

Then, without warning, without needing to wait for a reply, I felt something move inside me. Something nudged me from within my abdomen. I looked down, eyes wide and disbelieving. Another kick made its announcement. I slowly brought my hands to my stomach and at once, even before my hands touch the surface, I felt that all too familiar pull emanating from my stomach. I looked up at Gabriel, already knowing.

"Our son, Bella. Our son shielded you from the burn. "

The minute he spoke, it kicked me. My dream had twisted into a nightmare. I turned to look at Edward, and now I understood why he looked so torn apart. This child I was carrying was not his. I had deceived him.