PHASE ONE – BECOMING A VAMPIRE

CHAPTER 2

THE CONFUSING COMPLICATIONS

"All my years to this moment

All my roads to this wall.
All my words to this silence
All my pride to this fall."

- Songs of Sapphique, Catherine Fisher -

A/N: Thank you all again for the reviews. LIke me, most of you want Bella to enact revenge and I hope you continue to read on her journey towards that...

-FLASHBACK-

"I hope he gets your hair" I murmured absentmindedly while my hand continued to rub my stomach.

Edward finally looked up from the newspaper and his wide honeyed eyes blazed as he frowned. "Who?" he asked and when I pated my stomach, he soured. "Oh" he mumbled with a sullen disgust as he went back to reading the paper, which he had been doing for the past two hours.

"Edward…?" I called, wanting to try and ease the tension that we'd been carrying for the past few days. He continued to pull away and I feared the distance that lengthened between us. "Edward?" I repeated but this time, I stood from the bed and sat beside him on the chaise. "Talk to me" I pleaded, seeking out his hand and lacing my fingers through his.

After a few seconds passed, he sighed and threw the newspaper to the side. He then looked down to our linked hands and I followed his line of sight to the ring on my finger. Edward finally looked up to me for the first time in a while and met my eyes, revealing the twisting agony that had been eating up at him. "You're making a mistake" he breathed. "This could kill you and I don't want to lose you" he brought up our linked fingers and squeezed his eyes shut when kissing our joined hands. "We don't need a child" he added. "If you can even call it that" he scoffed and I frowned at his disdain.

I brought my other hand up to the side of his cheek. "When we got married, we decided to be partners" I whispered and waited until he peeked up at me. "…equals..." I added but he continued to shake his head in denial. "You have to trust me" I pleaded.

"Bella…" he began again but I reached up to place a finger to his lips.

"Trust me…" I repeated and locked gazes with him, trying to see if I was getting through to him. "And love me…" I continued and he finally wavered.

"I will always love you"

I smiled and reached up to peck at his lips. "As I love you"

-FLASHBACK-

Such a foolish girl blinded by the stupidity of love.

No – not love.

Just the idea of love.

I could not love that man – no, boy.

Each memory that had transpired, weaved into me and him and how I always ended up declaring my love for him. Subconsciously, I knew that I had done it to have his assurance that he would stay but now I hated myself. I hated that girl that he made me.

A stupid, foolish girl.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

The rich English accent reminded me of a world of Rochester and Mr. Darcy and I turned to look at the man who may have inspired my favourite protagonists.

"Wouldn't know where to start" I replied meekly.

He took a seat next to me by the fountain, which wasn't on at the moment so his expensive suit was safe. "Doubts?" he suggested and there was an almost hopeful gleam in his coffee brown eyes.

"About what?" I frowned.

He crossed his ankles in front of himself and straightened out his jacket. "What you're planning to do" he added and I knew he was waiting to gauge a response. He was obviously disapproving on what I planned to do but not to be rude, but he wasn't concerned. This was my life, which he knew nothing about. "Confucius said, before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." He recited what I already knew but I bit down my lip and tried to collect my thoughts into something more polite.

"You don't know what they did" I gritted through clenched teeth and kept my hardened gaze forwards.

Elijah leaned in slightly and whispered, "You keep rubbing your stomach and your eyes they're sad - mournful" he observed and I wondered as to whether he had been watching me. "You're grieving" he noted and I knew he was piecing it together. "They took your child" he breathed.

My eyes fluttered to a close as I felt the tears sting my eyes. "Vampires are monsters" I seethed and memories of waking up alone and reading the stupid letter returned.

"Well the Volt-"

"Not the Volturi" I intercepted.

From my peripheral vision, I caught him shake his head as he argued. "It doesn't matter. Whoever hurt you shouldn't destroy you more by taking your soul away"

"They already took it!" I snapped and jumped off, not able to handle being next to him. "This is all I have" I cried out with the burning rage.

I wanted to be angry. I needed it.

"Everything alright love?" I spun around to face the man who would make it happen for me. His hands were locked behind his back as he darted between me and his brother. There was that twinkle in his amused gaze as he suppressed a smirk.

"Perfectly fine" Elijah replied tautly and fluidly swept past me.

With his disappearance, Klaus closed in towards me. "Forgive my brother" he smiled and stopped a foot away from me. "As someone who has lived with him for over a thousand years, believe me when I say I understand" he smiled and I tried to return it but failed. "His morals can be a nuisance" he added with a nudge to my side.

"He means well" I reasoned, not wanting to create a wedge between the two brothers.

"If you say so" he replied and I narrowed my eyes at his disdained tone. "Dinner is served if you would like to come through" he informed me and then bent his arm as he offered it to me.

Slipping mine through his, I allowed him to lead me back up the garden and towards the house. "You have a beautiful home" I complimented when looking towards the never-ending stretch of land that was supposed to be the back garden.

"I should hope so, seeing as my family found Mystic Falls" he informed me with a smugness underlying his words. When I offered no reply, he drew out a brief silence before turning back to me and asking. "Was my brother right?" he wondered with furrowed eyebrows. "These vampires you were residing with…"

"Yes" I curtly relied, hoping that we could drop the subject and just have a simple dinner. I had tried to rush the process of him biting my neck and sending me off but he prolonged it. He had disappeared for the afternoon and said that we would 'attend to matters' when he returned.

When we pushed through the double doors, he led me through the dining room. I'd had the pleasure of having a tour of the house but seeing the grandeur of the room still felt surreal. It was like the life I Had read in the classics had manifested in the old paintings, crackling flames in the fireplace, the crystal chandeliers and brightly lit candles scattering the room.

He walked around the table and stopped behind one of the chairs at the head of the table. "Tonight we will be having a chicken risotto and for dessert…" he reached into his pocket and produced the small crystal vial of blood.

My mouth was suddenly dry and the anticipation left a pit in my stomach. "Is that…?"

"Secret to your success?" he guessed and nodded in confirmation and I watched closely as he placed the vial onto the middle of the table.

Before I could question him further, women dressed in tight clothing swept into the room and began to set the table. I watched in silence as they lined up the forks and knives while others laid out the different dishes and sides.

Christine…the one Klaus had asked me to kill smiled at me and I frowned, wondering if their insanity rivalled mine.

When they trailed out of the room, I shook my head and turned back to Klaus. "You have some interesting friends" I mused and looked up to him but he seemed to be in his own world.

"I could say the same thing, love" he countered and I frowned, bewildered by the seriousness in his words.

"What?"

My explanation forced its way through as the door was flung open. "Stay here" he warned but as he made his way towards the sound, the intruder made himself known at the doorway.

"Bella" he gasped in both relief and surprise.

"Jacob" I returned and before I could make sense of all the questions running through my mind, I caught his the tremors were dangerously strengthening when racking over his looming form. His eyes flashed to a frightening spark as he lunged for Klaus, only to be flung to the side. "Jacob". This time it fell as a stunned gasp as animalistic eyes now locked onto mine.

I intercepted his path directed towards Klaus and blocked them from each other. "Can you leave us alone for a second, please?" I pleaded and smiled in gratitude when he wordlessly left the room. His easy defeat made me fairly certain that he would listen in anyway.

"What the hell are you doing here Bella? Are you completely out of your mind?" Jacob roughly gripped my shoulders and gave a vehement shake. "And all you left was a measly letter?" he admonished and the rage continued to brim.

"I need them"

"Cold Ones are one thing but Walkers?" he exclaimed, not hearing a word I was saying.

I shook my shoulders away from him and stepped back. "You need to go back" I murmured and diverted my gaze because I knew now that I couldn't trust anyone – not even my best friend.

"Bella" he tried to step towards me but I stepped back again.

"I thought that you would be celebrating" I sneered. "You wanted anything close to a Cold One gone" I reminded him and ignored how he shook his head. "You and Sam and your whole pack was going to come and attack. Edward told me" I countered one of the memories that had been replayed. "You were all working together weren't you?" I guessed, not caring if I sounded paranoid.

"Bella, I knew nothing of the plan! I'm as shocked as you are" he gasped. "What Edward did was messed up. The way he dealt with things…" he trailed off and bowed his head down with an almost convincing remorseful expression.

"It doesn't matter now because he'll get what's coming to him" I breathed with a small smirk threatening to break through. "They all will" I added breathlessly.

"What?"

"I'm going after them" I confirmed what he had probably been trying to deny.

Another step was taken as he curled his fists to his side. "You want to get yourself killed?" he demanded in an enraged snarl.

"There's a reason why I came here" I revealed, ready to let him now but also ready to remain strong and not let him try to steer me away. "I was going to let the Volturi do it but these 'Walkers' as you call them will make things easier" I smiled weakly and fell down onto one of the dining chairs as I twirled the butter knife in my hand. Fantasies of how my revenge would pan out began to overwhelm any memories. "They won't even see me coming"

"What are you talking about?" he crossed his arms and eyed me cautiously.

Letting the knife clutter to the table, I cast my steely glare onto him. "I'm tired of people thinking they can walk over me because I'm human" I stood up and confidently walked over to him.

"Bella, you're not thinking straight" he argued and reached out to grab my arm. "I'm taking you home where we ca-"

"No!" I panicked when he tried to force me again but I ducked. This time, I knew I could waste no time so I rushed to where the 'dessert' was hidden behind the centrepiece. "The secret to my success" I repeated Klaus' words and then my blurred sight locked onto his fearful coffee brown eyes. "I will get my revenge" I promised, not just him but myself too.

Before he could protest or even stop me, I downed the entire thing. Sweet and tangy liquid fizzed on my tongue as it languidly slid down my throat, leaving a hot trail behind.

However, my eager smile fell as I felt the heat rise and a temperature take its toll. Suddenly I was feverish and felt the sweat clam my body as I gasped out, trying to draw in the cool air but my scorched lungs begged to be quenched.

Only my mouth had dried up as the harsh breaths rasped, creating waves of nausea to now crash onto me as I reeled. The dizziness seemed to heighten and I felt my knees buckle as I continued to choke.

Before I could give in and allow myself to hit the ground, I felt one cool hand wrap around my form, cradling me and I kept my eyes shut when leaning into the crook of the neck. Another had slipped up to my left arm as a thumb grazed over the crescent shaped scar.

"Damn it"

A/N: Oh no, Bella's had some kind of reaction to the blood. What next?

Thoughts on Jacob's arrival? The flashback? Elijah's warning? Klaus' ease?