.:BPOV:.

It felt like days had passed when I finally opened my eyes. No longer was there the dim light from the cloudy afternoon sky, but a darkness with a faint glow. It gave me just enough light to recognize that I was in a room, a familiar one at that. The smell of blood was faint but noticeable, mixed in with a medicinal scent. I was laying on a cot, I noted; the corner of the room was set up like an infirmary, complete with an x-ray machine, odd instruments, and IV bags. I kept my eyes carefully away from the needle I felt secured in the crevice in my arm.

The memories of my capture were dim. Although they came back to me slowly, they did come back. Most were unclear and hazy... But I knew that the fact that I was alive was unbelievable. The pain wasn't bearable, and I was so sure of death. What had saved me? To survive... To survive still in one piece... It must have been a miracle that did it. It certainly wasn't luck, in any case.

Murmurs interrupted my train of thought. They came from right outside the door.

"There's not much left," someone said. "Most of the fires have burned out now, and what is left is on their side. We will have to thank them again when morning comes and I head over there to check on things." My brain clicked. I suddenly put a name to the voice. It was Carlisle. So, that must be who's study I'm in. I was with the Cullens. I was safe... But how? And for how much longer? I reasoned with myself that it had to be Edward and his family that had saved me - which truly was a miracle. But what had become of my capturer? She wouldn't have been happy...

It was silent out in the hall. Whoever Carlisle was talking to did not respond right away.

"Relax, son," Carlisle continued. His voice was gentle, comforting. "Victoria is no longer a threat, the newborns have been taken care of, and Bella is safe and recovering nicely." His information caught me off guard. Victoria was dead? I pictured the ferocious feline vampire with her blazing, out-of-control hair and vicious gaze, peering sadistically down at my agonized appearance as she afflicted her revenge upon me. My throat let out a dry sob as my memories became sharper.

The door opened abruptly and a quick, soft breeze floated by. Someone was next to me now.

"Bella love, are you alright?" Edward's worried voice asked. I played it in my head a few times, as it's pleasantness covered the memories I did not want to relive. My eyes strained to focus on his smooth shape beside me. It was too dark to make out any features, but I knew his perfect marble brow was creased, and his molten-gold eyes filled with guilt. I desperately wanted to touch him, to prove to the part of my conscience that feared he was merely an illusion.

"Edward..." I mouthed his name as my voice, it seemed, hasn't decided to work just yet.

"Yes, I'm right here, Bella." He touched my hand lightly, stroking my skin with his thumb. My heart fluttered as the proof I needed came, the evidence that erased any ounce of doubt I had that he was here with me still. What did I ever do to still be lucky enough to have him? "You're safe now," he assured, misreading the reason for the increase of my heart rate. I turned my hand around carefully, so our palms touched and I interlocked our fingers.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked. I hadn't noticed he was in the room. Another lamp was turned on and the room lit up, enabling me to see more clearly. Esme was in the room as well; she came over to stand behind Edward. She placed a tender hand on his shoulder and smiled at me, a tinge of sadness and apology visible on her face.

I wondered for a second if my voice box was working yet so I could answer Carlisle. I gave it a shot.

"Good," I said. It came out hoarse, but it was audible at least. But Edward's eyes flashed and his hold tightened around my hand. Neither Edward nor his parents looked convinced that I had answered honestly. In truth, though, I couldn't feel anything; whatever pain killers they issued for me had worked wonders. Still, I was afraid to move in case I woke up the pain I knew was lurking somewhere in my body. To keep them from questioning me further, or insisting that they needed to pamper me now that I was awake, I decided to get answers out of them instead. "What happened?" I asked groggily.

Edward's jaw clenched, his grip tightening - just slightly - around my hand. I waited patiently for a minute, until Edward still hadn't answered.

"What happened to...Victoria?" I asked again, hoping my voice came out stronger and more stern. I nearly winced when Victoria's name came out, however, and Edward hadn't missed it.

His look was fierce, yet still remaining tender, as he stared at me. "Victoria will not hurt you anymore, Bella." It seemed to take all his self-control to stay calm. I heard the enmity in his voice as he spoke her name. Where I spoke her name with fear; he spoke it with hate. Edward continued without pause. "She won't ever be a problem again. And neither will her newborns."

This news stunned me silent for a moment.

The red-eyed monster skulking in my bedroom flashed in my memories. I remembered Victoria mentioning something to him about that, about newborns...but my senses weren't working accurately at the time to understand much of what she was saying. Now, however, I knew instantly that newborns was significant for something more major than just a couple of misfit vampires. It had to do with the ones terrorizing Seattle. Was it merely coincidence? It was a pretty big one... Were they connected with Victoria somehow? Was she the cause of them?

Edward read the confusion on my face and, though reluctant, continued.

"The newborns were the ones we had been worrying about regarding Seattle; Victoria created them all herself. They were all brought to this life for a single purpose." His eyes darkened. "To help her get to you."

My stomach curled as that sank in. It actually made sense. Any army of newborns - though I wasn't sure how many there were - could easily get through the Cullens. At least distract them so Victoria could have her fun. She probably even hoped that they would eliminate my vampire family all together. I shuddered.

"We would never let them touch you, dear," Esme reassured me.

"They are not around anymore anyway," Edward stated darkly. "We took care of them, along with Victoria."

"With the pack's help," Carlisle added.

The pack? La Push? "Jacob?"

Edward nodded. "We were close to the treaty line by the time my siblings caught up with Victoria; I knew she had ran as fast as she could in that general direction to reach her support system of vampires, but the others hadn't know. I joined them as quick as I could - after I knew you were safe, of course. We assumed she wouldn't stay to fight, that she would simply use her pawns to deal with us and she could get away. It almost worked." He clearly did not like that. "But Sam and his pack arrived, blocking her advancement on their land. They chased her back over to us. We finally ended her there, but the newborns that had been attacking were the real problem at that point." My stomach flipped several times as he explained what was going on while I was out cold and, apparently, in Esme's care. They killed Victoria... They battled the newborns... I felt the anxiety for my friends and family clouding my thoughts.

"Is everyone okay?" I struggled to get the words out.

Immediately, I spotted Edward's hesitation and the glance Carlisle and Esme shared. Edward grimaced when he knew it was too late to cover his unwillingness to respond.

"Who is it?" I asked in a whisper.

Edward closed his eyes and sighed. Then he looked at me again and answered, "A newborn got his arms around Leah. Jacob saved her...but with a price." He read the panic in my eyes. "He's fine, Bella," he assured quickly. "He was hurt, certainly, but he is recovering just as you are, and his injuries were no where near the scale yours are. His leg was crushed in a few places, that's all."

'That's all'? Jacob was hurt because of the hate Victoria had for me. He could have been killed; any of them could have been killed! Leah nearly was, until Jacob... Oh no. What had I let happen?

"Bella, breathe please," Edward pleaded, cupping my cheek with his cool hand. The room had suddenly gotten very hot, and I was glad for his icy touch, or I might have passed out. But I wanted to see him, to Jacob. I needed to check for myself that he was all right. As much as I loved Edward I knew he edited things so I wouldn't be frightened, so I wouldn't hurt. Especially in my present condition, he wouldn't want to put any more stress on me. So how do I know the extent of Jacob's damage did not go beyond what Edward was telling me?

Carlisle spoke up then.

"I treated Jacob myself, Bella. Thanks to his interesting werewolf qualities, he will recover in a mere couple of days; a week of rest and he'll be as good as new," he promised.

This made me feel better. A little. I began to relax, at least.

Carlisle smiled at me as Esme stroked my hair; both were very comforting. Sometimes I thought they were more effective than Jasper was at soothing a tense atmosphere.

"Carlisle will be going to check on him tomorrow," Esme told me.

"Yes. It's very fortunate the Quileutes are allowing me to help them." The vampire doctor smiled thoughtfully. Then he glanced back at me. "Although neither of you may be up for visiting, or having visitors, just yet, I'm sure he'll be just fine to speak with you over the phone."

This thought comforted me further. I really wanted to see Jacob, to apologize and to see how he's feeling for myself. But, as I looked down at my bandaged body, I knew Carlisle was right; a phone call would be the only thing either of us would be capable of. The sight of my anxiety dwindling eased the tension in the room considerably. Carlisle and Esme each gave me one more loving smile before silently exiting the room, closing the door behind them. I guessed they wanted to give Edward and I a little privacy.

Edward brushed a loose strand of my hair back behind my ear. His hand hovered on the side of my face, caressing. He smiled gently at me and I could easily see that he was expecting more questions from me. And there were so many questions I wanted to ask. So much confusion I needed cleared up. I had no idea where to start. That's when I remembered Alice.

"Why was Alice unable to see me?"

Edward grimaced. "Apparently Victoria got lucky. One of her first newborns, your kidnapper, had some sort of a...shield which made him immune to Alice." He stared intently into my eyes. "You disappeared completely. Alice was going out of her mind coming up the driveway after dropping you off. At first we assumed that Jacob perhaps had come to see you unannounced."

"At first?"

He frowned. "Well, even if it was Jacob - and I had a horrible feeling it was not - I had to make sure... When we got to your house we immediately smelled Riley."

"The vampire who kidnapped me."

Edward nodded solemnly. "We followed yours and Riley's scent. It was not until after our…phone conversation," his eyes burned with a dark gleam, "that we hit Victoria's vile smell; the only thing worse than werewolves," he muttered.

I cringed in rememberance of that call, and how much pain it must have caused him. It made me physically sick.

"I am sorry, Bella," he continued after a moment. "I'm ashamed to say that I became content in our defenses, in Alice - all of us had. I knew better than to let that happen; when you become copmlacent, things can easily slip by you. Allowing that very thing to occur was inexcusable. Victoria should have never gotten her hands on you, let alone have one of her newborns take you from your own home. None of us anticipated that Victoria was capable of such drastic actions. Another slip up that I knew fully well I should have avoided: underestimating the enemy." He growled quietly in frustration at himself. I wanted to stop him and his guilt, but he went on quickly, fiercely. "I will never forgive myself for letting her hurt you the way she did. I am not even going to ask for you to forgive me - I don't deserve it. Not after..." His struggling face lost it's placid exterior as the corners of his mouth pulled in a tighter frown, his eyebrows furrowed in both anger and sorrow while his eyes flamed with a deep anguish, mixed with the blackest fury.

I waited patiently for him to compose himself.

I could barely hear his voice when he spoke again. "Seeing you like that…twisted and broken." The memory that he was seeing I could easily picture, and I shuddered. I wish he never had to see me like that. He shook his head sadly, his eyes moving to my gauze-wrapped leg and ankles, and the bandages covering nearly my entire body. I vaguely wondered if this is what a mummy felt like...if it could still feel anything... Which it can't, I don't think... I shook my head so my brain would focus again, feeling a bit insane now due to my strange thought process - I'll blame the medicine.

"It's not your fault," I told Edward. The emotion on his face did not budge from remorse, though. I hated his nature to take the blame upon himself for everything that goes wrong. Nobody is perfect; why must he feel he has to be the impossible for everybody, and that one mistake automatically has us disappointed in him?

"That is quite an argument, and easily debatable," he said. But his eyes hardened as he stared at my face. "But, you know, it's not your fault?"

"Well, I am the one with the horrible luck." I rolled my eyes to give it a more joking tone, but he saw through it.

"Bella, since the very beginning none of it has been your fault. There's no denying that trouble tends to find you wherever you are," he smiled fondly, a tad bit tired too, as he shook his head. "But I shouldn't have been so careless. Leaving you unprotected for even a moment was a mistake when your life was on the line. Your luck might me bad- OK, it might be a tad catastrophic," he rephrased when seeing the expression on my face, "but I refuse to let you take any responsibility for this." His golden eyes held mine forcefully, trying to make sure that I understood, that I don't try to take fault for any part of what happened. I sighed, too tired to argue this point right now. But I refused to forget.

When Edward seemed satisfied he relaxed slightly.

With my thoughts no longer on our conversation, the feeling of my healing figure was gradually slipping through the meds. My leg was tired of lying straight. I desperately wanted to bend it, to sit cross-legged, or to shift my body until I was comfortable, but I knew I couldn't, or shouldn't for that matter. For the first time I could really feel how weird my leg had been shaped. The thought made me a little queasy; I hurriedly went back to questioning Edward.

"So...what did you tell Charlie?"

"He doesn't even know your gone...," Edward answered.

"Yet."

He smiled.

"When he wakes up he will find the note on the fridge you left for him." I stared at him, confused. "The note basically explains that Alice kidnapped you again while he was sleeping on the couch, and you will be back tomorrow after school. If he calls here Esme could easily vouch for that. And that should give us enough time to come up with a brilliant Bella moment to explain why you're bandaged from head to foot."

"Right. Should I have fallen from your window? Or perhaps I merely tripped and tumbled down your stairs; that's happened before. Maybe a tiny UFO came crashing from the sky, taking me out in it's landing."

"All very plausible," he agreed, chuckling at my sarcastic tone.

There was a soothing silence that followed his laugh. We stared at each other; I couldn't take my eyes off his face, even if I wanted to. Suddenly he leaned down and his cool lips gently brushed against mine. At his touch, a burst of butterflies were sent fluttering through my body, with a vibe of elation swirling in my head and overtaking any thoughts that had me anxious or guilty. I let myself forget everything but him for a moment. I was extremely grateful to be alive, but I was even more so that I could still feel the unprecedented affection I had for Edward. More, that I still had a chance to be with him for eternity. I had been right: it was a miracle that saved me. Edward was the miracle.

"I love you," I whispered when our lips separated.

That breathtaking lopsided grin I loved so much spread across his face. But, unfortunately, my body was dead tired still, and my grip on consciousness was waning fast. Edward could see that. He kissed my forehead gently, and told me to rest. My mind didn't want to listen, but everything else was annoyingly obedient. As my eyes fluttered closed I continued to fight it. I didn't win, naturally. The last thing I remember before I fell into sleep was Edward's melodic, loving voice as he told me he loved me too.

My dreams were surprisingly pleasant that night - the lingering passion from Edward's words floated in my head like an enchanted mist, creating my dreams accordingly.

When I awoke the following morning, however, there was something immediately strange going on. I might have been groggy and sore, certainly, but I was not hallucinating. I was startled, as well as confused, to find that another hospital gurney was set up beside mine and that Alice was laying in it, bandaged up to very nearly match me.

"Good morning, Bella," she greeted me cheerfully after I speedily rubbed my eyes and turned my head as far as was painless to see her more clearly. "Sleep well?" she asked.

"Alice? What?" My brow puckered as I tried to make sense to the scene next to me, partly wondering if I was still dreaming after all. How in the heck could the white gauze wrapped around her arm actually appear to be blood stained?

Alice frowned at me. "It was terrible, really," she started to explain. Her lower lip stuck out in an exaggerated pout. "I wasn't paying attention to the wet, winding road on our way to school, Bella. And..." Her expression, if possible, became even more sad. "And when that deer suddenly appeared in the street I didn't think, I just acted! I mean, I couldn't just hit it - the poor defenseless thing! I slammed on the break and swerved the car..." She gasped dramatically, her eyes wide and thoroughly convincing for her story. "But I couldn't see the other car coming around the corner until it was too late, and because of the rain I was already hydro-planing at an incredible speed. We screamed so loud, Bella - we did."

As she paused, her wide eyes marinated in very convincing panic, I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. Things were starting to piece together. What else would have caused me to end up like I was? I was awake enough now to understand, yes. And I wasn't so out of it that I would dare question Alice's lack of physical evidence. However, there was a certain problem in her explanation that didn't make sense to me, because it was clear that I had been riding with her.

"What...other car?" I asked in a low voice.

Alice's round eyes widened further, and guilt took over her features. She prolonged her answer for dramatic effect, I assumed. "...Jacob Black's," she finally said. Then her face scrunched in remorse as she wailed, "He was just running errands for his dad out here in Forks - what are the odds? I"m so sorry, Bella! It's all my fault!"

Ah. They were throwing Jacob's injuries in with mine - and Alice's.

"It's so good that the boys had spent one more day camping and were on their way home that morning, passing us right at the accident. They managed to get us out, and we were closer to home so..." She trailed off in thought before she shouted in despair again. "Oh, Charlie's going to hate me! He should hate me; you should hate me! I hate me!"

"Alice, it's not your fault," I sighed, humoring her. I had to admit, if I didn't know what really happened I would have fallen easily for Alice's theatrics. There was something so heartbreaking about her performance. I knew Charlie would fall into her spell instantly. With that, I also knew there was no way for my dad, or anybody, to question this disaster. Only, poor Alice would be stuck in this pretense for a while - which makes me think that she might not be faking those 'tears' of hers after all...

"Don't try to make me feel better, Bella," Alice sniffed.

"Okay." I turned away from her. I smiled when, from the corner of my eyes, I saw her glare at me. But then a thought occurred to me. If I was driving with Alice in her car... "You totaled your Porsche?" I asked her in disbelief.

Alice looked appalled. "Goodness no, Bella! The Volvo."

"Oh."

A door slammed open from downstairs, making me jump.

"The scene of the accident is all taken care of," Emmett boomed.

Suddenly, Edward and Jasper were both in the study.

"Alice!" Jasper ran over to his wife. "Are you all right, darlin'?" And that set off another wave of Alice's theatrics.

"Save it for Charlie," Edward told them with a roll of his eyes. He sat in the chair next to my bedside.

"'Save it for Charlie'? That's like telling an actress to wait until the day of shooting to read her script for the first time. Practice is key," Alice shot back at him matter-of-factly.

Edward smirked at me as he shook his head at his sister. "Well, in any case, we won't have to be worrying about Charlie not believing our story," he said. "Have you heard it?"

"Unfortunately," I mumbled.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, then.

"Better." He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see how much truth was in my words. "A little," I added for his benefit. He sighed and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. I saw his apology rising to his lips and I quickly stopped him. "Don't say 'sorry'!" I demanded. "This is not your fault, Edward."

"Yeah, Edward. It's mine!" Alice said. She took her arm out of her sling and slapped the back of her brother's head. "Haven't you been listening?" Before he could turn around and glower at her, she had her arm placed back in it's cast, and her head was leaned helplessly on the pillow. "I'm crippled," she whimpered with the saddest expression I'd ever seen.

I don't know why, but something about their exchange - Alice's attack, Edward's glare, and Alice's quick mood change - I found incredbily hilarious. Laughter burst from my lips, and I could not stop. It hurt my aching body be laughing this hard... But it was so funny.

"I'm confused," I heard somebody say.

"Why is she laughing?"

"Well, you know what they say: Laughter is the best medicine."

"I'm supposed to be on the same medication as her; does that mean I should giggle uncontrollably for no reason at all?"

"I'd rather you not, Alice."

"But she looks so happy; it looks fun..."

I tried to calm down, and I knew I was turning bright red, but every time I got a semblance of control I'd look at Edward or Alice and the memory that somehow was hysterical to me replayed in my mind, and I found myself giggling again. It didn't help that Alice started laughing in her windchime voice; I figured she was trying to imitate me, but she sounded so much like a giggling chipmunk that it fueled my amusement further. Emmett was eventually driven to come see what was so funny. As was Esme and Carlisle.

The medication I was on was surely helping this lack of self-control with my fits, but a part of me must simply be so relieved that, after all that's been haunting us, we finally have a period to simply be worry-free. Sure, there were the Votluri that were impatiently waiting my change. And there was my change itself that had to be dealt with carefully, especially regarding Charlie, Renee and the wolves... And I had absolutely no idea what I was going to say to Jacob. How would things end with my best friend (not that I wanted things to end at all), and how was he doing? I will never forgive myself for what I've done to him... Yet, Victoria and her newborns were finally gone and done with, and everyone was all right - or would be, at least. That was something worth "laughing-for-no-reason" over. So, I would figure everything else out later, when my head was clearer, when the darker pieces of reality set back in. For now, I just let myself laugh. In result, the confused Cullens were actually enjoying this relaxed moment in our lives too, and they deserved that, if anybody did. It helped a lot, as well, that a beautiful, rare kind of laughter could be heard right beside me; it was Edward's. And I just knew that no matter what happens next in our journey, whether it goes uphill finally or decides to fall once again...I will always have him. Edward will always be right by my side - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

END

Yes, that is the end. It was a small little story that I wrote a long time ago. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you liked this story you'd probably like one of my other ones, called New Moon, Same Sky (I know, dumb title. But I won't change it - the cheesiness has kind of grown on me...). It's set in NM, while the Cullens are gone, and Victoria and her newborns attack Forks. The Volturi intercede, the Cullens hear of something on the news that sends an instant chill of dread over their family, and things get...interesting. I don't usually advertise my other stories, even on my own stories, but since this one was so short I decided I'd throw an option out there for you as it's in the same genre. :]

I appreciate every review! You guys are almost as awesome as cupcakes. Almost. ;P