Hold your breath, Nessie told herself, just DON'T BREATHE.
The running water stoped to run as the rancid water drained around the girl's feet.
She got out of the tub, and went to the toilet, propping her leg up. Blood poured from three deep nicks along it, and on the other leg, there were two deep cuts as well.
The smell started to get to Nessie's head, and suddenly, her lips are on her knee, and she is sweating.
Someone's hand is in between her tongue and the blood. An earthy, mixed-smell hand, that husky woodland smell that curdled with human blood to create Nessie's favorite fragrance.
Jake.
He pulls her head against his chest and locks her neck parallel to it. His other hand grabs paper towels and somehow gets them on her knee, stopping that blood.
Nessie is almost breathing normally again with Jacob's help before the door crashes open, with Edward, Emmett, Bella and Carlisle inches behind Jasper, eyes crazy with bloodlust.
Nessie screams.
Emmett and Edward pounce on Jasper, Edward shutting his jaw forcefully, and Emmett locking Jasper's arms behind his back. Alice danced up, and with her teeth grinding together, she pinches Jasper's nose shut with a force that makes Nessie quake.
Bella is then next to her daughter, her ice-cold hand over Jacob's on Nessie's neck, and Nessie cries. She had almost drank her own blood. Carlisle, reassuring Jasper in a calm doctor/father voice, takes Edward's post as Edward fluently glides over to Nessie's encampment. Rosalie is not far behind.
Nessie cries and shrieks and screams and cries and sobs and is reassured. Edward calmly cleans up the blood with damp paper towels while Bella and Jacob reassure Nessie.
Rosalie's voice suddenly cuts through the tension that is suddenly in the air. "Get your damn hands off of her, mutt," she snarls.
Jacob's hand sweats and Nessie shrieks in protest as he is pulled away from her. He manages to get back to the same position, never letting go of Nessie's hand and face.
Edward growls, real, laced with menace, staring at his sister. Bella's face is exactly the same, except for holding her breath, her nostrils flare.
"I said," Rosalie growls, "Get away from her!"
"NO!" Nessie shrieks as Rosalie yands Jacob away and she falls. Edward's hand caught her an inch below the floor as he eases his daughter up into a new position, sitting on the toilet with her legs out in front of her.
Jacob had not uttered a single word the whole time, but now,
"Let go of me, leech, I SAID LET GO!"
"Rosalie-" Edward warned.
"ROSE!" Emmett bellowed.
"Rose," stated Bella. "For me, please." The woman's voice was flat.
"Yes, blondie, for her," Jacob said.
"Blondie. BLONDIE?? Aki, Jake, you've gotten soft!" Nessie joked then screamed as her father cleaned her cuts.
Jasper and his entourage had long gone downstairs, but they all knew the vampires were listening.
"You're seven, Ness," Jacob said.
"Don't. And anyway, you're forgetting who my uncle is!" Nessie responded in their bantering flirt talk. Nessie was biting her lip to keep from crying along with deep breaths. Despite her best efforts, a tear trickled down her face.
Jacob's face went blank as he struggled against Rosalie.
Bella got up and freed him. In a second, Jacob was where Nessie was, and she was in his lap, with his strong arms around her, kissing the top of her head and whispering to her.
Rosalie looked at them, and left.
Nessie closed her eyes as another tear trickled down her face.
Jacob shared a look with Edward and Bella. Bella closed her eyes as vampire sobs racked her chest. In a fetal position, she leant against Jacob and Nessie's legs.