After Your Heart Stops Beating OneShot Contest
Story Title: Two Seconds too Late by Lavender Sunset
Penname: Lavender Sunset
Summary:
AFTER YOUR HEART STOPPS BEATING CONTEST ENTRY: Two seconds too late, Jacob witnesses Bella being bitten by Laurent. He takes care of her through the agony of the transition, but will he still love her once her heart stops beating?
Word Count: 2894
I pumped all four legs as hard as I could, faster than the other three wolves that were on Sam's flanks. The dire need to save Bella pushed my strength and speed to limits I'd never known I had.
The leech met my sharp glare as he sank his teeth into Bella's neck. She screamed and I pushed myself even harder, finally reaching them, but two seconds too late.
I ripped the bloodsucker away from her by his torso and flung him across the clearing. Jared and Paul were there like wide receivers, waiting to catch the fucker and get down to business.
My attention turned to Bella. She was screaming, her body convulsing around on the ground in an unnatural way as she stared up at me with wide eyes. I phased to human and didn't spare the time to put my pants on. Bella's eyes went wider as she realized that I'd just transformed from a wolf to a human.
"I'll explain later, let me look," I rasped, moving my face nearer to her bite mark. Even though I was repulsed at being so near it, I stood strong for Bella.
"Jacob, make it stop! Please! You have to…suck out…the v—venom." Bella's voice was strangled, breaking off as she struggled to speak through screams.
My mouth immediately moved to her wound, but Sam jerked me back just as I was about to close my lips around it. "The venom will kill you!" he said, Alpha tone sending a chill down my spine.
"Then so be it!" I retorted, shrugging out of his grasp and fighting to get back to her neck. I didn't know much about the process of becoming a vampire, but it was pretty evident that it was going to happen if I didn't get the venom out of Bella's bloodstream. An image flashed through my mind: that double crescent scar on her forearm. Fuck, this has happened to her before.
"S—Stop! Sam, stop him!" Bella yelled as her quivering limbs tried to push me away. Sam wrapped his arms around my upper body, locking my elbows beneath his biceps. "I won't let you k—kill yourself, Jacob! I need you!"
She needed me. Me.
I calmed down, just a little. "Bella, you'll turn into one of them," I said pleadingly.
Tears streamed from her eyes. She gritted her teeth and took a couple of shallow breaths. "I'd rather change than…h—have your d—death…on my conscious. I'd r—rather die."
She'd rather die. If she had any idea what her words were doing to my heart…one half soared at the thought of how important I was to her, the other half crumbled as I realized that there was only one option.
Bella would become a vampire.
My head fell against her heaving chest and I sobbed. I'd failed her…and myself.
My brothers left us alone for a moment while they came up with a plan. I could hear their voices but tried not to listen to their words. My attention was focused on Bella.
I held her trembling hand. "Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked urgently, meeting her intense stare.
She nodded; a jerky movement. "Yes. Promise me s—something."
"Okay." Anything.
"Don't leave me."
"I won't, I promise," I swore. Never. Even if you're a vampire. Those were thoughts I never in a million years thought I'd have.
Just then, her hand jerked from my gentle grasp. Bella clutched at her chest tightly, as if having a heart attack. Her back arched off the ground and a piercing scream filled the forest. I brought my head down to her chest and sniffed.
The venom had reached her heart.
In a blurred series of events, Bella and I were transported by Embry and Sam to a decrepit house that was buried deep in the forest, so far from civilization that only the animals would hear her intense shrieks of agony. I hated that this was our only option – a musty place with no utilities.
Jared arrived a little while after we did, bringing our basic necessities: a blow-up mattress, blankets, pillows, bottled water, clothes, some canned goods, and other essentials. He was in and out pretty quick. Couldn't say I blamed him. If it weren't my Bella lying there, crying out to God for the pain to stop, I'd probably bolt, too.
As fast as I could, I set the bed up and moved her whimpering, shaking body from the dank-smelling, filthy sofa. Once she was in place, I motioned to sit beside her, but she didn't remove her arms from around my neck.
"Hold me," she whimpered. The pain in her voice put a lump in my throat, made me want to reassemble the fucking leech and rip him apart again…and again…and again.
I lay down and arranged myself beside her. She scooted closer to me, moaning in pain as she did. Her soft hair cascaded over my arm, her face nuzzled against my chest. Who knew you could be in heaven and hell simultaneously?
I'd wanted to hold Bella like this for a long time, but I'd give up ever having the opportunity if it meant she never had to experience this agony. I'd do anything to make it stop, including taking the pain myself. If she would have let me, I would have killed myself for her in that clearing, sucking the venom out of her vein to save her beating heart.
But apparently my life meant something to her, which warmed my soul in ways I'd never experienced.
I wanted so badly to touch her, but I was afraid it would hurt. "Bella? Would it hurt if I…touched you?" God, please say no.
She shook her head. "Keep talking," she whimpered.
I lightly ran my fingers over her arms, hoping to comfort her. "Is this okay?"
She nodded again. "Only h—hurts on the inside."
She had asked me to keep talking, but I wasn't sure what to say. My mind was being tugged in so many different directions, it was impossible to think of anything appropriate. Feeling like a nancy, I began to sing quietly; Quileute prayer hymns, most of which I didn't remember a lot of the words to, but Bella wouldn't know the difference.
The singing didn't seem to help, as her body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, holding in her screams of anguish.
"Do you want me to stop?" I whispered, afraid one wrong move would fire up the screaming again.
"No. Sing," she moaned painfully.
I sang and caressed her arms, her hair, her face, her back. Anywhere I could reach that wasn't completely inappropriate, I showed gentle affection. If it weren't for the shaking or the occasional whimper, I'd have thought she was sleeping.
With her as comfortable as she could get, I finally thought about all the things I'd pushed aside in order to focus on Bella. One problem jutted out beyond the rest – would I still love her as a vampire?
So long as she wanted me, I'd stay with her. She'd need me while she adapted to being a vampire. Not to mention, I couldn't imagine ever abandoning her with no friends or family to turn to. Charlie was out of the question; at least until we established that she wasn't a hazard to him. So I was it, all she had to turn to.
But…would I love her? As I watched her tight features twist in anguish, my heart split in half, then quarters, and fissured until all that was left was a pile of crumbles lying in the cavity where my heart once was. Yes, I loved her. Very much.
And I always would…even after her heart stopped beating.
My oversized fingers skimmed across her cheekbone, over her tight eyes. They relaxed a little, so I kept doing it for a while. On their own accord, my fingers moved down the side of her nose, and before I realized it, my thumb was trailing across Bella's lips. They were so soft and warm.
As her trembling lips parted against my touch, her eyes opened to meet mine. She stared for a long moment before whispering, "Kiss me."
It was a selfish thing to do; a sort of reckless abandon. But this was probably the only opportunity I'd ever get. After her change, she'd undoubtedly find me disgusting, even if I still loved her despite what she would be.
I came forward slowly, palming her cheek in one hand, her neck in the other. When our mouths were no more than an inch apart, my conscious decided to cut in.
"You sure?" I asked hoarsely.
She nodded; a jerky movement.
Before she could change her mind, I closed the gap. I was sure to be gentle, pressing the lightest of kisses to her perfect lips. Her body sagged, as if my kisses were helping to alleviate some of the scorching pain she was experiencing.
I braced myself on my forearm and moved so that the back of her head was resting against the pillow comfortably. I kissed her lips one last time before moving to her cheek. Slowly and lightly, I kissed from her cheek to her neck, savoring her scent – the scent that would soon be replaced by one of my enemy.
Her shaky hands found purchase in my short hair, keeping me close. "Are you g—going to h—hate me?" she asked.
I wrapped my free arm around her back and pulled her body against mine. "Never, I swear. I could never hate you."
Her heart sped a little, bringing about an onslaught of pain even worse than what she'd already been enduring. For the hundredth time, I wished there was something – anything – I could do to help her. But all I could provide was the comfort of being here with her.
There was no more kissing that night. The pain kept her screaming and writhing as I held her. But at least I'd had that one kiss – my first, and possibly my last for a very long time. If Bella wouldn't have me, it would take years to get over her enough to even consider kissing another.
On the third day, Embry and Sam came to check on us, waking me from one of the very few naps I'd managed to fall into. By that time, her voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper, even when she was screaming.
"How much longer, you think?" Embry asked, looking to Sam and then me.
I shrugged hopelessly. "I thought it'd be over by now."
"Too bad there's no Dummies book for this shit," Embry mumbled, looking down at Bella where she rested in my lap. Her shudders calmed just a little bit then. "Holy shit, look at her."
I glanced down and noticed what Embry had. I was stunned beyond all comprehension. I had noticed little changes here and there over the course of the last few days, but something huge happened as I'd slept earlier.
Her skin had paled considerably, though it still felt warm. Her hair had this new shine to it. The skin I'd spent the last three days caressing was smoother now, like that of a baby. Then her heartbeat slowed, nearly stopped.
"You guys should wait a couple of miles away. I don't know what's going to happen when the change is complete," I said nervously.
The pair stepped out of the dilapidated house.
"Bella, tell me what's happening."
But she didn't respond. Her body was limp in my arms; her heartbeat was so faint, barely detectible. Was she dying?
I shook her gently. "Bella! Bella, wake up. Please!"
Nothing.
Oh, God. This can't be good. She's not going to make it. I swallowed against a huge lump in my throat, tears prickling my eyes.
"Say something." My voice shook, exposing the raw emotion I felt.
When she didn't answer, I was convinced that she was knocking on death's door.
"Bella, I love you. Please come back to me." I clutched her lifeless body against my chest, burying my nose in her hair, pressing my lips to her face. Shamelessly, I sobbed.
"I love you," I whispered into her hair.
And then something crazy started to happen. Her weak heart positively thundered, faster than humanly possible, until it was practically a vibration.
And then it stopped entirely. Her body temperature plummeted as I held her against me. She shifted, pulling her head off my pectoral – its resting place for the last several hours.
"Oh, thank God you're alive." I crushed her back to my chest, squeezing her hard body to mine. Then it registered: she was a vampire.
I inhaled deeply, but didn't register anything unpleasant. There was a tingle in my nose, but Bella didn't reek. Not to me, at least. My hand ran up and down her arm. It was cold and hard, but still soft.
"Jacob?" a tinkling sound came from her lips.
I moved so that I could see her face, but she buried it against my chest.
"Don't look at me. Not yet." The new tenor of her voice would take some getting used to. Not that it was unpleasant; the exact opposite, actually.
"But Bella—"
"Do you feel differently now…now that I'm a—"
"No, I promise. I still…feel the same." I was hesitant to say I love you, not knowing if the feeling was mutual.
"Close your eyes," she instructed gently.
"Okay, they're closed."
She got up from my lap. Her small, cold hands lifted mine. She brought them to her face. I traced the lines of her delicate features for a minute. The fact that she was cold and hard didn't change a thing.
She was still my Bella.
She leaned into my touch and let out a soft sigh. The cool, sweet smelling air brushed across my skin; another reminder of what she no longer was.
"I heard you…when you said that you loved me," Bella said quietly. "Open your eyes."
Slowly, I peeled back my lids. I prepared myself for the shock I knew I'd feel once I looked at her face. Her body still looked the same from this angle. My gaze went up and I noticed her collarbone and neck, they had changed a little, a graceful sweep. With a hard swallow, I looked at her face.
The red irises were expected. But the beauty…the absolute perfection… it was dumbfounding. I couldn't do anything but gawk.
Her eyes closed, a sad expression crossed her features. She must've taken my silence the wrong way. "Can you love me now? Your red-eyed enemy?"
Without hesitation, I pulled her back to my lap and absolutely assaulted her lips with mine. The taste of her was heavenly.
"I love you," I said hoarsely, barely breaking away from the kiss.
With a quick movement, she had me lying on top of her on the inflatable mattress.
"Show me. Show me that you still love me, that you're attracted to me, even though I'm a vampire," she said evenly. Her lustful look got me hard.
What was she asking for, exactly? I couldn't take her here, in this disgusting, sorry excuse for a house. Bella deserved so much better than that. So I'd start slow…
"How's this for proof?" I asked, pressing my erection against her thigh.
She mewled and pulled my mouth to hers; kissing me with a passion I'd only fantasized about. Her legs shifted, cradling my body between them. She pressed her core against me.
"I need more," she moaned, grinding against me.
I'd wanted Bella for so long. Holding back my urge to nail her right here, right now, was getting harder with each passing second. I palmed her breast, pinching and rolling the tight bud in my fingertips. Her back arched as she gasped, weakening my resolve even more.
"I love you," I said against her mouth.
The thick, heady scent of her arousal clouded my thoughts. Why wasn't I inside her again? Oh, right. Because we were in a filthy shack.
"Take me then. Please, Jacob," she breathed.
Fuck. Hearing her say my name like that made it pretty damn impossible to refuse.
"Not here. I can't have our first time here," I said huskily, though the idea was sounding more and more appealing; especially when I felt her hand creep beneath the waistband of my sweats.
My hips bucked forwarded, my cock meeting her center roughly, eliciting a moan from those sexy lips. My fantasies were coming true right before my eyes, yet I was trying to refuse it all.
Bella froze when she heard leaves rustling in the distance. I straightened myself out and let my senses travel out. It was Sam and Embry, and they were approaching fast.
She crouched, poised for attack.
"No, Bella. It's just Sam and Embry," I said calmly, rubbing my hands up and down her arms.
She loosened up and stood beside me as the pair approached in human form. I wrapped my arm around her waist and squeezed her closer.
Leaning down to her ear, I murmured, "I love you," and placed a small kiss on her cheek.
She met my admiring gaze and smiled softly. "Yeah?"
"Always."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! To check out the contest, visit the ff dot n website and put fwdslash ~afteryourheartstopsbeating at the end. Or just check my favorite authors on my profile.