Disclaimer: I dont own any of the origional twilight characters or themes, though i wish i did. I do own a poster of Edward Cullen and one of the Joker from "The Dark Night".
Enjoy the reading, and please review.
Lexi POV
Beeeeep Beeeeep Beeeeep Beeeeeep I threw my arm across the bed towards my side table to turn off my alarm and clipped my already sore wrist on the wrought iron bed fame. "SHIT! Oh my LORD that hurt!"
"Alexia! How many times have a warned you not to cuss!" Bradley, my "father" called out. He was being relatively polite, with just a hint of sterness, the proper amount for a dad. His latest "girlfriend" must still be here. Maybe it was the blonde today. Maybe it was a new one. Who knows. She would probably be gone by the time i left for school anyway.
Ugh. First day of school. At least your getting out of the house for 6 hours, then you can go to the beach with the pack for an hour before making Bradley's dinner i reminded myself. I got out of my bed and grabbed my undies, socks and bra, my dark blue skinnies with white stitching, a green skivvy and my black hoodie with a monster on it. I looked out the window before running to the bathroom to have a shower. It was cloudy as usual, but it didnt look like it would be raining at all today. Good, i thought to myself No chance of having to come back here straight after school. When mum left, everything changed. NO! i will not think of that now. School. The pack. Jarrod. Dinner. Sleep.
I quickly toweled myself off, got dressed and tried to fix my hair. It was straight, long and a liver chestnut colour. Not red, but not brown either. I left it out to cover the marks on my neck, grabbed my Champion school bag and ran out to my old 4wd parked infront of the house.
Bradley walked out the front door with a tall, leggy brunette wearing a short dress, if you could call it that, with 6 inch heels. Hmm, he has a new one. He turned towards me and smiled, it wasnt a happy smile, or even a nice smile, it was cruel and taunting. "have a good day sweetheart. See you tonight. Promise." He smiled wider, then turned and laughed, walking over to his BMW with the brunette in tow. I shivered, jumped into my car, plugged in my ipod and started the engine. "Opinions wont keep you warm at night" by Kisschasey blared from my speakers, and as i sang the lyrics, yesterday and this mornings events washed away.
I drove through town, towards Jacobs house to pick him and Seth up. Just as i pulled up out the front of the red brick house Jacob lived in an extremely tall, extremely muscular, russet skinned man ran out the front door. Within 10 seconds flat, Jared was pulling me out of the front seat and into a bone crushing hug. Man he is FAST!
"Oh my GOD LEXI! You could have called! We have been worried sick! We didnt know if you would be okay! We stopped by every night before and after patrol to make sure you were alright. Well as alright as you can be." He was spinning me around in circles still in his arms, and if it didnt hurt so much, i would have been smiling and laughing from it. "Jared.. ow.." He let go suddenly, and i would have fallen on my ass if he hadnt put an arm around my waist to keep me steady. He winced and looked at me, his face showing pain and sorrow. "Lex, im so sorry i-" "Its fine Jay" I cut him off. "Its not as bad as it usually is" I lied. Not as bad. It was worse.
Jarrod glared at me, and for a second i felt afraid. Dont be stupid, he would never hurt you. its jared. Jared is safe. the pack is safe. "Dont you lie to me Alexia-Anne Marie! i happen to be the wolf that has been stopping by your window everynight and i see you covered in your own blood, while that FILTH hits and kicks you and spits on you and-"
"Jared, your acting like Paul! Calm down. Im fine. Im always fine. Please?" He was shaking and had a muderous look, and even though i knew it wasnt directed at me, it still scared me to see him like that.
"I will not stand by while he touches you like that lexi. The only reason we havnt done anything is because you insist that its safer this way. For you! We wont wait much longer. We hate it Lex. I hate it." His eyes filled with tears and, embarrassed, he turned away. I pulled him closer to me and hugged him feircly, forgetting all my cuts, breaks and bruises, forgetting the pain and just comforting Jared. My Jared. No, not mine. Just a friend. He doesnt like you like that. He is practically your brother. They all are. Cut it out.
Seth ran out of the house, effectively cutting off my internal scolding and Jared let go of me. "Little Lexi! Hey!" He ran towards me and hugged me, more gently than Jared. "You coming over this afternoon? We could hang out.. have fun... again?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and i giggled, knowing he was only mucking around. Jared glared and snarled at Seth and hurried away, shaking. "Whats his problem?" i asked, confused and a little hurt that he hadnt said goodbye.
Seth looked over at Jared frowning, then turned his head toward me."Being stupid. He didnt get that it was a joke." He shook his head and sighed. "Dumb ass" He muttered before walking towards the back door of my car and getting in. "oh." i paused awkwardly, wondering why Jared had had such a strange reaction to what Seth had said. "Jake not coming today?" I asked.
Seth nodded his head, rummaging through his bag for something. "yeah, yeah he is. He was just stopping by at the Cullens to ask Carlisle something. Ah found it!" He pulled out an envelope with For Lexi written on it. He handed it to me. "here, this was from Emily, her and Sam left on their honeymoon a few days ago, they were really sad about you missing their wedding, so they asked me to give you this, and this" He handed me a small white box. I lifted the lid carefully to pek inside. Tears welled up in my eyes and before i could blink them away, they were streaming down my face. Worried at my reaction, Seth jumped up and hugged me then tried to wipe away the tears, only to have them replaced. "Lex, dont cry, whats is it? what did i say?" I whimpered in pain as my breathing picked up, putting pressure on my probably broken ribs.
I grabbed at my chest and wrapped my arms around it. Big mistake. I cried out as my hand grabbed at my damaged wrist, the one he had grabbed and swung me into the doorframe with.
Sudenly i was snatched out of Seth's arms by Jared and pushed behind him. He was growling feircely and his expresion even had Seth cringing away from him. "What did you DO!" He roared, making both me and Seth flinch. He turned towards me, eyes ablaze with anger. I cowered back and his expression changed from showing anger, to sadness, to being ashamed and settled on fear. "Lex, im sorry, i didnt mean to scare you, you were crying and you were in pain and i thought seth.. and i wouldnt hurt you.. im so so so sorry" He rambled on. I straightened up, feeling stupid and embarrassed at my fear. "Its fine. It wasnt Seth's fault. Emily.. she saved me some wedding cake, and i got upset that i couldnt go and im sorry for being stupid and scared. you didnt.. i wasnt.. im sorry" I hung my head, looking at my feet and wishing the ground would swallow me whole when a hot finger went under my chin, lifting it up so i could look Jared in the eye.
"Its NOT your fault. I overreacted." He looked over towards Seth, who was shaking his head and trying not to laugh. "Sorry Seth, kinda lost it there." Seth chuckled once or twice. "Dude, when it comes to Lexi you act more and more like Paul. Im sorta used to it now. I get it." Jared nodded then turned to me. "do you forgive me Lex?" I smiled "of course i do Jay." He smiled my favorite smile, the one that lit up his whole face and pulled me closer to his body. He wrapped his arms around my waist and i wrapped mine around his and we just stood there.
Someone behind us cleared their throat and i whirled around, causing a sharp pain to course through my chest. I dropped to the ground from the force of it, gasping for air.
"Jared, get her in the car, we need to get her to hospital" Jacob ran over and got into the drivers seat. Jarod picked me up bridal style and got into the back seat with me, while Seth got into the passenger seat.
I began coughing and as i took my hand away from my mouth i saw red tinged saliva on it. I felt the blood drain from my face as i looked up at Jared. "Well, thats not good" Jarod looked down at my hand as i started coughing again, thins time the coughs wracking my body, making my chest hurt enev more. Tears sprang to my eyes and as i removed my hand away from my face again i saw blood covering it.
Jared eyes went wide in shock and his face contorted in pain. "JACOB GO!" he screamed. His tears mixed with mine as i felt myself slipping into darkness.
"baby, please. Please dont leave! Please dont go! I love you! so so much! Dont you see that? You cant leave me!" Everything felt cold. Jareds broken voice and sobs were muffled as they reached my ears. I heard someone speak, but i couldnt understand anything anymore. I felt my heart beat slowing. "I love you to Jay. Always" I whispered.
Then, everything left and i couldnt feel anymore.
Seths POV
She started to cough, wet hard coughs. I looked behind to see if she was okay when i saw her looking at her hand. Her face was pale white. I looked at her hand and saw a pinkish colour smeared over it. She looked up at Jared, love and adoration he was to blind to see plastered on her face. "Well, thats not good" she mumbled. Jared looked down at her hand, no doubt smelling the hint of blood, but thinking it was coming from a cut. She began coughing again, harder this time, making me wince they sounded so painful. She moved her hand from her face to wipe her mouth and both Jared and I saw the blood covering it. His mouth and eyes popped open and his face contorted in a mixture of shock and pain. Not Lexi! Please! She doesnt deserve this! I prayed silently. Ill kill Brad. Ill do it myself. I began shaking, but as soon as i realised it wouldnt help Lex if i furploded into a giant wolf in her 4WD the tremors stopped.
"JACOB GO!" Jared screamed. I could hear the pain of losing his imprint in his voice, so Jake must have been able to aswell. He turned around and saw lexi and the blood. His looked like he had been winded. We all loved Lexi like a little sister. Well except Jared, who had been "protecting" her from his love, saying she didnt need another monster loving her. We all tried to explain that he wasnt a monster, not the same way as Brad. We all knew he would never hurt Lexi like that, but he wouldnt believe us, not even when we tried to tell him she loved him.
I turned back to Jared and Lexi and saw that he was crying. Hell, im pretty sure we would all be crying if our imprint was coughing up blood. I was almost crying and she wasnt even my imprint.
"baby, please. Please dont leave! Please dont go! I love you! so so much! Dont you see that? You cant leave me!" I heard him say between sobs. I had the odd urge to laugh and say "finally" Shock. My brain supplied the reason for my odd reaction. Jarods pain was like a white hot branding iron being shoved into my heart. He was my pack brother. His pain is our pain as ours is his. He would lose his imprint. We would lose our sister. either way, the pain was unbearable. Tears flooded my eyes and i saw Jake wipe his eyes in my periferal vision. NO! we WONT lose her! I refuse to lose her!
"Jake, take her to Carlisle" he nodded and in the back ground i heard the most heartbreaking think i had ever heard in my life. "I love you too Jay. Always" she whispered. Then nothing. Her heart had stopped. She was gone.
Jarod howled in pain. His sobs shaking the car. He threw the door open and jumped out of the moving car. He dropped to the ground and screamed. Im not that easily scared, but this was terifying. My pack brother had lost it. His screams were almost animalistic. Everything went silent as he phased. He let out a howl then took off into the surrounding woods. Paul would know what to do. I had to get lexi's heart beating. I began cpr as Jacob drove and as he floored it up the long driveway Edward and Carlisle flew into the car. One second they were nowhere to be seem, the next they were there.
"everything will be okay Seth, we'll fix her" Edward was normally so calm, so relaxed but his voice was jumpy, strained. Carlisle began to remove her from the seat and as soon as he had her in his arms he dissapeard. "Ill go after Jared. I can hear his thoughts so he isnt far. I suggest you phase and help, but be careful, he isnt thinking straight." I nodded as Jake pulled the car to the side of the drive and got out. Edward gave me the basic area that Jared was in and we set off to find him before he could do something stupid.
...
Chapter 2
Lexi's POV
Everything is black.. why is everything black? Wheres Jared? Memories started flashing around my head. "I love you! so so much!" Jared said he loves me? Jared loves me! Cue mental happy dance! But.. im dead now?
"No child, not dead. It's not your time my love." A woman's voice floated through the thick blackness. A blinding white light flashed forward. A beautiful woman with my Hazel Green eyes and Auburn hair stepped out of the light. "Mom?" i whispered
. "It hurts to talk sweety, just think, i dont need to hear your voice to know what you want to say." I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her tightly, never wanting to let go. I didnt realize i was crying until i began to shake. She stroked my hair as i calmed myself down.
Why are you here mum? Where are we? I dont want to die. I couldn't think of what i wanted to say most, so i thought both questions at once.
"I am here because it wasnt my time when i left you either. I am here to make sure you dont make the same mistake that i did"
I.. I dont understand
"I came here when i died too. A young woman tried to talk me out of leaving you, of making her mistake, but she couldnt make me change my mind. I wasnt going to stay behind and have to endure that anymore. I was selfish and stupid in thinking he wouldnt go after you next, but all i could think of was freedom. Even if it meant death. I have regretted my desision all my life. Or afterlife if you wish to call it seeing as im not actually alive." she mused.
oh. so your meant to.. to talk me out of dying? I dont want to die. I dont want to leave Jared! Oh god, Jared!
"Yes, he is quite devoted. And very handsom too i must say." I laughed and she smiled. Her white teeth and rosey cheeks were eluminated my the white light streaming from behind her. She was much more beautiful in hapiness than i had ever seen her in my life. "You love him, as he loves you. You should go back."
How?
"If you decide to live on, all you have to do is wake up. Let yourself feel and think. Breathe."
And if i dont?
"If you dont, if you want to leave the earth and everyone on it behind, you follow me to the door and we move on."
Is there really a god? Or an afterlife? I suppose there would have to be if your still here? Mum laughed.
"There is only what you believe there to be. Should you belive in god, you would walk through the door and be taken into gods arms as his child. If you belive in re-incarnation you shall be reborn into the life form of your choice. If you believe in Zues, as you used to, I suppose you will be taken into his household and treated as one of his own."
What if you believe in nothing? i had to ask. Personally i believed in re-incarnation, but i was still curious. She laughed at my inner thoughts. It was a tinkley laugh, one i had never heard before. It was real and not acted.
"Then you will sleep and be in peace my child."
Wake up...wake up...wake up... I started to panic. Mum! I cant wake up! i dont know how!
"Be calm. Breathe.. Feel... Let yourself be conscious of your surroundings."
Mum? I love you. I dont want to leave you but... i want to live. I cant leave him. She knew that by "him" i meant Jared, and smiled.
"As i love you. I will always be with you. Always love you. Always be watching. Live sweety, we will see eachother again, hopefully many many years down the road." And with that she turned around and walked away into the light. The light faded and i was left in blackness again.
Calm. Feel. Conscious. Alive. Breathe... Breathe... Breathe.
"Breathe! Breathe DAMN IT!" Suddenly all i knew was pain. So much pain i wished i had chosen death and blackness. Sobs were coming from somewhere across the room. The table was hard and cold beneath me. Wait.. table? room? Where am I? A burning sensation was running through my chest and i was filled with a sudden panic. I gasped and dragged in as much air as i could.
"Oh, thank god. Good Girl Lexi, good girl." Carlisle? When did he get here? I tried to open my mouth but it wouldn't work. I tried to move my fingers but the remained still. I started to panic. What if i took too long to choose life or death? What if im damaged? No! i dont want this. I wasnt choosing this! i chose LIFE! to LIVE!
"Be calm my child. All will be well." My mothers voice floated through my mind filling me with relief and joy. It would all be okay. "Rest." The voice faded and i was calm. I lay there taking in my surroundings through sounds and feeling.
I was lying on a cold hard table, I could hear my heart beats on a monitor, a steady beeping. I could hear someone crying. "She'll be okay Jared. I'll tape her ribs and put a cast on her arm after she has come out from surgery." I heard footsteps and ragged breathing. "Surgery? Why?" Seth? Seth is here! But Why isn't Jared speaking?
"She has a punctured lung and internal bleeding, but she will be alright. I will look after her. I promise." Carlisle walked away from my bed towards the wall with ragged breathing. Something hot touched my forehead and minty breathe washed over my face. "It'll be okay Lex, Doc will fix you up. You wont leave us again will you?" Seth sighed, touched his lips to my forehead again and then walked away. "Why? Why...did you..kiss her?" Jared's voice was harsh and raw. The words broke in strange places and it sounded thick, like he had been crying non stop for hours. It sounded painful for him to talk.
"Jay, she is like my little sister -" "Dont call me Jay! No-one calls me Jay, only her." He roared. I would have cringed back had i been able to move a damn inch then I would have told him it was all okay, but my stupid mouth wouldn't co-operate. "You cant call me Jay" His voice broke and something large hit the ground with a loud thud. Seth's footsteps ran towards the noise and with an internal jolt i realized Jared had collapsed onto the ground and was whimpering. "Hey, hey, its alright. She will be alright. Its okay" Seth tried to sooth him. Jared began to say something but i didnt hear.
My insides were burning. Everything was on fire, my insides felt like they were being pulled this way and that and my head felt like it was about to explode. The foggy un-awareness left and my body was unshackled and set free. I wreathed and shook, my back arched upwards towards the ceiling and i screamed so loud im pretty sure all of Forks would have heard it. My eyes flew open and i saw three sets of eyes looking at me in shock. I continued to thrash about on the table until with a loud crack the heart monitor fell and dragged me with it. I hit the floor on my face and was momentarily thrown into blindness. The pulling was getting so painful it felt like my insides were being ripped out of my body. I rolled over and saw that no one was moving. They were all still and looked like they were carved out of stone. I gasped the only word i could manage in a small breathy voice. "Help"
My voice seemed to have shocked them out of their frozen stillness and they all jumped at me in seconds. "Jared, pick her up gently and take her to the prepped room" Jared ran over and picked me up. I was still thrashing around but i managed to see his face once or twice. It was lined, his eyes, clouded with pain, were red and puffy. A particularly painful stab made its way through my chest and i screamed again before vomiting blood. Jared let out a sob and sped up, while Seth swore repeatedly.
"Seth get Jasper, dont let him come in, but tell him to send calm, no pain, relaxation, anything to her." Seth ran out in front of us and disappeared. No more than ten seconds later i was being put on a new table and everything was calm. Jasper worked fast. I couldn't feel anything but happiness and relief. I looked up at Jared and grimaced. "Im sorry" I said as sudden blackness took over.
Awh Damn! I'm dead again! Laughter erupted in my head, loud and beautiful. "No, this is just the waiting room. You'll be awake when Carlisle is finished. Get some sleep" And for the second time that day i did what my mum told me to do and fell asleep.
...
"Edward?" Jared's voice broke out into the many thoughts running rampant in my brain. Carlisle internally cataloging the injuries caused by whatever hurt Alexia, Alice, flipping through panicked memories of Jacob and Seth's faces as Carlisle carried Alexia to the room set up for all things medical that they kept prepared for emergencies, Jasper, wishing there was something he could do other than try to keep everyone unnaturally calm, Esme, unintelligible thoughts filled with grief and mourning, praying Alexia would be okay, Seth, terrified yet strangely calm and affectionate, trusting Carlisle with Alexia's life, even though he felt like his heart was breaking from her screams of pain.
I pulled myself into awareness, trying not to focus on Jared's chaotic thoughts. "Is there something you need Jared?" Without looking into his mind to find the reasoning behind him talking to me, I was caught completely by surprise and confused as to what he would want from me.
" I need you.. to look into her mind... tell me what she is thinking? Please?" He sounded broken and exhausted. "Why?" I asked.
"I need to know. If she is okay" It sounded as though it was hard for him to talk. Cautiously i opened my block and reached for his mind. Almost immediately my mind was assaulted with his voice screaming. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HER I LOVE HER. SHE KNOWS ABOUT US. I NEVER TOLD HER. ITS ALL MY FAULT. I BETRAYED HER. I KILLED HER.
Thoughts flashed into his mind, all tinged with regret and other emotions. Images, overlapping each other. All were of Alexia.
Swimming at the beach, bruises standing out against her bare pale skin, extending all up her body before being hidden by her bikini top and board shorts. Anger.
Laughing, watching movies with her head curled into Jared's chest.
Contentment.
Smiling up at him, her 17th birthday cake sitting in front of her. "Thank you Jared. Did you make this?" He nodded. She smiled and hugged him tightly. Love.
Sleeping half on the sofa, half on Seth, her face resting on his chest, her arm wrapping tightly around his waist, his arms wrapped gently around her body, while he snored loudly. A slight smile curling her perfect lips up.
Jealousy.
Laying on grass in a sun filled field, he watched her silently. She sighed in contentment. Her mouth was moving and he heard wisps of her voice. He glanced around, wondering who she was talking to before he realized she was talking to herself. He inched forward slowly, trying to hear what she was saying. His paws made no sound on the soft grass. He stopped ten meters from her, hidden in the dark shadows cast by the surrounding tree's.
"Its so beautiful here." She paused and moved her arms around her head, gently grazing her fingers along the tips of the swaying grass. "I suppose he will kill me one day. I wonder if it will hurt" She mused. Anger built inside him. How could she talk so calmly of her death. Did she not realize how much it would hurt him, for her to leave him? A soft whimper caught in his throat and she lifted her head, tilting it to the side. After a few seconds she dropped her head.
"I suppose I'll miss this. Miss him too. Of course I'll miss him, not that he would know. Just some stupid crush right?" Then she sighed and pulled herself up, tucking her arms around the backs of her knees as she curled into herself. "Well, im not dead yet. Make the most of it. Maybe ill visit him... oh, he will probably be on patrol. I guess I'll just go back home." She got to her feet and stretched then seemed to jump as she took in the setting sun. She glanced at her watch.
"Shit!" She squealed and started to jog over to the fence. "Oh, Crap. Shit, crap crap crap! Im so dead." She turned her head towards the sun once more and slowed. Coming to a stop, she shrugged. "Well, if it happens tonight, i want to be buried here." Then she laughed quietly and ran towards her car.
I was a little more than confused. Why would such a young girl be talking about her death? Who would kill her one day?
Again i was sucked into one of Jared's memories, this one drowned in anger, pain, resentment and heartbreak.
She ran out of her car and towards the house. Taking a deep breath she seemed to center herself as she opened the door. A hand flicked out and grabbed her wrist. Her house was far enough away from anyone else that her scream of terror and the view of what was happening would not be known to anyone.
He threw her into the wall, slamming her wrist into the door frame and bending it much to far back. She cried out in pain. "Your LATE!" He screamed at her.
"I'm sorry. The traffic... Im sorry" She gasped out. He lunged for her and she ducked and moved backwards, towards the lounge. "Your going to fight back huh?" He threw his head back and laughed. Silent tears ran down Jared's muzzle. He flinched as Bradley grabbed Lexi's hair and slammed her to the ground. "What are you going to do?" He roared.
"Im sorry. Please im sorry!" He pulled her back up so she was standing, slightly turned away from him, his fist still pulling a bunch of her hair. Pain shot through Jared's chest as he sat helpless, watching through the big window in her lounge room. Bradley punched her in the stomach and she doubled over. Jared flinched as the tears poured relentlessly down both their faces.
Bradley moved towards her hunched frame and swung his leg out. The force of the kick threw Lexi backwards and she landed on her back, her head hitting the tiles with a loud Smack. Her eyes rolled back into her head and Jared let out a tiny howl of pain. Again Bradley moved forwards, like a hunter stalking its prey. When he reached her sprawled body he raised his boot clad foot and looked down at his daughter. "Im so glad I bought these new steel capped boots. They have steel on the toes, and on the heels. Handy huh?" He taunted.
"Please... help.. someone help me please." She whispered. Jared hung his head in shame, knowing his Alpha would not let him interfere, no matter how horrible it was. "No-ones going to help you sweetheart. No-one cares. Your worthless. Pathetic. Useless. I should have killed you like your pitiful mother." He said though his teeth.
"She beat you. She wasnt the pathetic one. You are." It was obvious she was in pain, and yet she taunted him. With a new pain shooting through his chest he realized why she was fighting back with these words. She knew she was going to die, and she wasnt going to leave without at least saying something.
"You really shouldn't have said that" He said with an evil grin. He threw his foot down, his boot covering her entire chest, with all the strength he could, smashing her bones.
"JARED!" She screamed, a heartbreaking, bloodcurdling scream. "ENOUGH" He roared, and, leaning over her face he spat. Then, with nothing left to say as she lay there broken, he began kicking every inch of her, causing her to scream and plead.
He aimed a particularly hard kick at her side and as she tried ineffectively, to stop his attack she used the last of her strength to lift her head and scream. "DADDY!" He stopped, looking down at her and blinked, then, for good measure, he pulled back his foot and let it snap back out, connecting with her face, causing it to snap backwards with a loud Crack!, before walking out of the house, leaving her lying, unconscious in a pool of her own blood.
My Fault. All my fault. Jared's internal voice whispered.
I pulled out of his memories with difficulty. "When?" I asked, not at all surprised at the fact i was whispering, or that my voice was slightly broken.
Jared looked up at me, confused. "When was that memory from? How long ago?" He shook his head. "Maybe a week." I stared, surprised.
"She is your IMPRINT! How could you all just leave her there! Why didnt you bring her to us then, instead of waiting for her to nearly die from internal injuries!" I realised I was yelling when Esme flitted into the room. Jared barely noticed as he hung his head in shame and a soft sob broke free of his lips. "She wouldn't let us. She said it was better if we just left it." He lifted his head and his eyes locked with mine as he pleaded for me to understand. "He would have killed her if he thought we knew something. He would have killed her then." I nodded as he dropped to the ground sobbing loudly.
"Okay, ill look into her thoughts. Ill find what she is thinking." He stopped sobbing, and, after a few deep breaths looked towards me. "Thank you. Thank you Edward" He got up and walked towards the door. I looked towards Esme, her face was scrunched up and i knew if she could she would be crying. She reached her arms out towards me and i gratefully walked towards her and hugged her to me.
"Edward, we need to help her." I nodded. "Sam wants to adopt her, but her father is an issue, he wont like, nor will he let, us help her." She sighed and looked into my eyes. "Edward, we need to stop him. I would never ask this of you if i didnt think it necessary. Please. Stop him." At first i was confused, but suddenly i understood. "You want me to..?" She lowered her face and looked to the ground. "Take Emmett and Jasper." She whispered.
As i walked down the hall towards Jared and his Alexia, I thought about Bradley. Why would he do this? How could he treat his daughter like that? Rage built up inside me as i heard the steady Beeping of the heart monitor. Bradley Sheppard must be stopped.
...
Lexi's POV
A bright light was shining through the window of a dark room. "Mum?" I whispered.
"Ha! That would suck. Being your mum I mean. Ha! Naw, dont tell me you dont remember me!" The boy walked towards me. He had bright green eyes with flecks of brown in them and scraggly blond hair that half covered his left eye. He flicked his hair out of his face and looked at me expectantly.
"Oh come on! How can you not remember me! We were like BFF's in prep school!" (a/n, sorry, i dont know what years 6-8 is called in America)
"I don't know what you mean"
He groaned and leaned forwards scrutinizing my face. "You are Lexi, right? Lexi Ann Marie Sheppard?" I laughed. "Yeah, that's me."
"You really don't remember me?" He asked, sounding hurt. Suddenly somehow I knew who he was.
"Tim. Tim Lanes. Timmy? Laney?" I gasped.
"HA! You remember me! All of my nicknames too! I honestly don't know how you could forget me. I mean look at me" He flexed his muscles and spun around, parading up and down the room. Laughing I walked over and hugged him. He smelt just like I remembered; A mixture of men's deodorant and new ball smell. I let go and looked him up and down. He was definitely older than the last time I saw him, just before I moved to Forks. He looked my age now.
"Hows Basketball? Is your team winning?" Suddenly his smile faded and he looked down. "I don't play anymore."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didnt know. Why did you stop writing to me?" I asked, mock anger filling my voice.
"Does Bradley still hit you?" He changed the subject. Tim was the only person that knew about Bradley hurting me other than the Pack. I nodded and so did he. "So that's why your here then?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion, much like a dog and he laughed.
"Here?" I asked. "Yeah, in the so called waiting room. I was sent to keep you company by Amelia. She said something about surgery. Is it because of him?" His expression was darker and I remembered seeing the look on Jared's face when he was angry.
"Yeah, nothing major. Just some bones and stuff busted up I guess." I shrugged my shoulders.
He shook his head and smiled. The smile didnt reach his eyes and he gave up after only achieving a weak grimace. "You always try to down play it so no-one worries. Your in Surgery because of him. Dont you understand that?"
"Of course I do. Im not stupid!" I snapped back. Then something inside my head clicked and the thought left me gasping for air as i staggered back a few steps "My mum, she sent you?" He nodded and looked down, his eyes sad. He understood what I had pieced together.
"But... NO!... No, you can't be dead! What happened?" I was sobbing. My best friend couldn't be dead. He walked over and put his arm over my shoulders and hugged me to his chest. "shhh" He whispered.
"It's okay. It happened about 6 months after you left. Bradley found out I knew, I dont know how, and he knew I knew about him beating your mum to death. He followed me home after school one day and ran me over." My knee's gave way and I fell to the ground in heaving sobs.
"No.. no...no..no.." He sat down and pulled me into his lap.
"Shhhh. Honey, it's okay. I didn't feel a thing. And your mum was there to greet me and I am so happy now that I have seen you. It's all okay, really I'm fine with it. I made loads of friends" He grinned and I wiped my nose on my sleeve.
"It's not fair. I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!" I felt, more than saw, him shake his head fiercely. "Its NOT your fault! God, It's Bradley. It's all him, not you!" Composing myself I looked up at him. He smiled and changed the subject.
We sat there, just talking, remembering the old days when we could run around the back yard and climb our favorite tree, for what could have been hours. Tim suddenly looked up at the clock on the wall and then looked down at me. "It's time for you to go back to your friends now."
"Why now? I dont want to go. There's so much we haven't talked about!" I began crying again but Tim picked me up gently by my shoulders and hugged me. "Hey, I'll see you again. Someday, when we are both old and wrinkly you'll come see me and we can talk more then, kay? I love you, Lexi Girl. Always have, always will. I'll be waiting for you, no worries." I sniffed and nodded.
"Alright, well I gotta go. Tell your boyfriend I'll come down from the sky and kick his butt if he ever lays a hand on you." As he chuckled I heard a distant growl. "Ha! That's my cue to go" As he started walking away a thought crossed my mind.
"WAIT!" I called. He stopped and turned around, looking at me expectantly.
"Is.. I mean.. is.. is this real, or has it just been happening in my head?" He threw his head back and laughed.
"Of course it's happening inside your head, honey, but why should that make it any less real?" I smiled and watched as he walked out the door, watched the walls starting to dull as the room began to fade.
...
Seth's POV
Sitting across the room from her bed I heard her moan. I turned to face the bed she was lying in and saw her move her hand to her face to rub her eyes. I walked over quickly, before she noticed all the wires hanging out of her arm and pulled one of them. "Here, I'll do that for you" I said, gently grabbing her arm and laying it on the bed. Her smile was infectious and I felt my cheeks pull up automatically.
"Seth!" She whisper yelled. "Yeah, that's me. Why you smiling like that at me? Wouldn't wanna make Jared jealous now, would we." Her smile grew and she started to laugh but yelped when the movement hurt her. "sorry, I should've warned you about that." Poor girl, she is so battered. Covered in bruises and plaster. Christ! she doesn't deserve this.
"Warned me about what? Moving?" She asked sarcastically, pulling my out of my thoughts. "Ha, yeah, something like that" She smiled and leaned back a bit, closing her eyes and drawing deep breaths. "I'll go get Carlisle for you" She nodded. "Seth?" She whispered. I turned around to see her motioning for me to come back. As I walked back she lifted her arms out for a hug. Hugging her gently, I felt her soft lips, a little bit dry, kiss the inside of my shoulder. I tightened my hold slightly, not too tight as to hurt her, but tight enough that she felt it. She sniffed, and pulled back, whiping tears off her cheeks. "Love you Bro." She whispered. "You too Lex."
I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me and noticed Jasper sitting on the ground next to the door. He was grimacing and looked like he was in agony. "Hey, you alright?" I asked, worried. He looked up at me, surprised. He was so out of it I must have sneaked up on him.
"She.. Hurts" He gasped. "I'll - I'll go get Carlisle." He shook his head, clearing it and then suddenly stood up. "No, No. Im fine. She caught me off guard. Its fine now. She is calm." I nodded.
I was glad everyone seemed to care about her so much, Jasper had been sending her waves of calm non-stop and Esme had been checking in on her every ten minutes or so.
Alice had a vampire size headache from trying to look into for future. She had scared us for a few minutes while Lexi was out of it. According to Edward, she had a vision of Lexi's funeral, but then it all changed as if Lexi didnt know whether she wanted to die. But after a few minutes of that everything in Alice's vision changed and Lexi was going to be fine.
Carlisle was doing everything he could for her, performing surgery, plastering her bad arm and taping her ribs, then bandaging her up and watching over her while she was recovering.
Emmett went out to the store and bought practically the whole store of flowers and "Get Well Soon" balloons, put the flowers in vases around the room and the balloons next to her bed, while Rosalie bought her around 50 teddies and a whole new wardrobe of clothes. Bella went to her's and Edward's cottage and brought back a whole stack of books.
Esme walked around the corner and came over to me. "Have you seen Edward, dear?" She seemed worried. "Um.. He came by the ask Jasper to ge somewhere with him but Jasper refused to leave Lexi so he asked Jared instead and they left with Emmett a few hours ago. I dont know where they went, sorry." She smiled. "No, that's fine. Thank-You" And with that, she walked away.
I turned around, still confused and went to find Carlisle to tell him Lexi was awake when there was a huge Bang and the front door flew open. Emmett charged into the room, covered in blood and rushed past me. Edward walked in behind him. He wasnt covered in blood but he looked extremely angry.
"Whats going on?" I asked him. He looked up at me and smiled. "Emmett got a little angry about something. Im sure he has gone to tell Rose so he can get it off his chest. Have you seen Esme?" "Err.. Yeah, she was just looking for you.. She went to the kitchen I think.. Where's Jared?" He shook his head. "He's taking a shower at Sam and Emily's then he is coming back here. He want's to see Lexi. Is she awake?" I nodded and his eyes brightened in excitement. "Good! That's excellent! Jared will be happy. Can you tell Esme that I did what she asked?" Confused, I just nodded again. Edward, Whats going on? I asked in my mind.
"Nothing, everything's fine now Seth. Everything is excellent." Smiling he walked out the front door. "If anyone wants me, im in the meadow with Bella." He called over his shoulder.
Esme flitted down the stairs at vampire speed. "Their home!" She breathed, sort of excited but also upset. "Yeah, Edward told me to tell you that he did what you told him to do. Gah, that was a mouthful. Kinda cryptic too." I mused. Esme laughed and hugged me, catching me off guard. "Thank you Seth." Then she disappeared again, probably to go see Lexi.
Confused and tired, I sat down on the couch and fell asleep.
...
Lexi POV.
..Ow!
Why does almost dying have to hurt so much? Seriously. Edward chuckled as he read my thoughts, and Carlisle paused, glancing at Edward curiously as he re bandaged my arm.
"That will do, and you should be able to get out of bed in a few days" He smiled, as if telling me I had to wait longer to get out of the darn bed was a good thing. I sighed.
"Thanks Carlisle." I muttered. His eyebrows scrunched together and he peered at me over his notes. "Lexi, I er..wanted to talk to you about something, if thats okay?"
Confused, I nodded. What could Carlisle want to talk to me about? And why was he suddenly nervous. Jasper walked silently through the room and stood next to me, almost protectively. He reached his hand out to grab mine. His cool touch was a shock, but not as much as his action.
"It's okay, Lexi. I think you will like the news." I nodded at Jasper, his soothing voice already making my heart rate calm.
Carlisle nodded his thanks to Jasper and began talking. "Well, Edward, Emmett, Edward and Paul went to see Bradley a few hours ago and-" I cut him off.
"WHAT! NO! Why the hell did they go there! They could have been hurt! They could have gotten into trouble! Carlisle he's going to be so mad at me already!" Jasper's hand tightened slightly as I was suddenly shouting. Esme flitted into the room, her eyes angry.
"whats going on here! Carlisle, why are you making her shout!" Her voice, usually soft and sweet, was sharp.
Carlisle dipped his head. "I was about to ask her..." Esme's eyes lit up and she smiled, suddenly calm again. "Oh" was all she said, and sat at the end of my bed comfortably.
"Im sorry Lexi, but they did what they needed to do. They are all fine, and you will be in absolutely no trouble anymore." Confused I tilted my head to the side. He smiled. "Lexi, your father has been taken to the police station and arrested. He will spend the night in a cell before he is sent to Seattle High Security Prison while waiting for his trial." He paused, cautious, before continuing in a slightly hesitant voice.
"We were all wondering, my family especially, if you would like us to adopt you." I gasped and he hurried on, talking much faster than before. " I understand if you would rather not, and im sure we can help you find a lovely place to stay if you would rather just move out and live in your own home, we can pay for anything you need, and we will always be there to help you, we just thought you might like the support of a family who love you very much and-"
"Woah, Carlisle!" I cut him off again "That would be.. so.. Amazing!" I whispered. "You really want me? To be your daughter?" I asked softly. Looking up I saw Esme, a huge smile on her beautiful face, Carlisle, joy lighting his eyes, Edward, smiling with humor and Jasper, smiling softly with adoring eyes as he looked back at me.
"Of course we want you, Lexi. Your such an amazing young girl, and you take things so well and well.. we all loved you the first day we met you." Esme whispered back.
Jasper gave my hand a slight squeeze and Edward nodded emphatically. "What about the others, Rose and Emmett?" I asked. "They would absolutely love you to live with us" A soft voice said from the doorway. Emmett and Rose walked in to join the others around my bed. "Your already like a sister to us all. We wouldnt have it any other way" Rosalie told me. I turned to Emmett,. "Do you mind if i live with you guys?" I asked him.
Emmett suddenly appeared at my side, in a movement to fast for my eyes to see, and leaned down, kissed my forehead quickly and flashed back to Rosalie's side. "Of course I do little sister." I smiled, tears in my eyes.
"Thank you.. all of you.. so much." I choked out. They all smiled and Carlisle nodded. "I have already done the paper work, all we need is your signature"
He produced a pen and a sheet of important looking paper from his pocket and lay it down next to me. I held my breath as i signed my name. I was ready for a new life. A happier life, with my new family, and all my friends from the Pack.
As if to prove how great my life could be, Jared rushed into the room and stopped dead when he saw me. My breath caught. He was so beautiful. He smiled and ran forward, and before i could so much as say "hi" his lips crashed down on mine and a feeling of warmth spread through my whole body.
...
Lexi POV
The days began to blur together as i recovered. Jared and the rest were in and out often, completing Patrols and then coming for visits. Jasper stayed with me the majority of the time, to keep me company. Emmett came around every now and then to entertain me and Rosalie would come help me out of my clothes and wash, then dress me again and would sit and brush my hair and talk with me about anything and everything.
Alice rarely visited, though she braved the headaches every now and then to make sure I was okay, and to apologize for not spending time with me, assuring me that it was only because of the wolves, not because she didnt like me. Each time, she would bring me something she thought i would like, a piece of jewelry, and book, a beautiful dress she had seen while she was out shopping.. then as soon as Jared or Seth came over she would leave again with a sad smile and a quiet goodbye.
Jacob came once, while I was unconscious, but not again after that. Nessie said it was because of the trauma. He saw me collapse, saw the blood, and it reminded him too much of Bella. She said he would come around. I doubted it.
Bella's visits were my favorite, second only to Jared's or Seth's. She would sit with me and read my favorite books, laugh with me at the funny parts and cry with me in the sad. I knew her tears were not the same as mine, made of venom rather than salty water, but it meant the same. She was like a sister, as Jasper and Emmett were like my older brothers. I had a family. And I was happy.
Often when Jasper was with me, he would simply watch with cautious eyes as I did my normal things. When it came time for Carlisle to help me with Physio, he helped keep the pain away, holding my hands and encouraging me. It was nice. When Jared would come over, he glared slightly, before looking towards me as if for reassurance. When I smiled and nodded, he would smile, kiss me on the forhead and leave, maing sure to leave the door open on his way out as a not so subtle reminder.
Edward stopped by when he could, but he was busy going to night sessions at Dartmouth. He was studying Law, said it was a new found passion.
One day, I was feeling so much better, and was left alone as everyone went to hunt. Sometimes the fact that I was living with 8 Vampires and a half Vampire caught up to me, and I was shocked that I was taking it so well, most of the time though, I was fine with it.
I decided to get up and stretch my legs, since I was feeling so good, when Leah popped her head through the door. "Leah?" I whispered, not sure if it was really her
"Hey Lexi!" She screamed, running towards me. Carefully, she hugged me. She stepped away and wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, I was so worried, and mum wouldn't let me come see you and Seth told me what happened and Jacob felt really bad all the time we hung out and OH LEXI!" She blubbered, throwing her arms around me at the end and sobbing. I hugged her back.
"It's so good to see you Lee" I whispered. She laughed wetly, sniffed and straightened up. "Ah, Okay, no more tears. Here I got these for you" She held out a huge bunch of flowers, a mixture of 12 yellow roses, 3 calla lilies, 12 blue iris' a red carnation and a single huge daisy.
"Awww! Thank you Leah, They're gorgeous!" I smiled. She smiled back.
"The yellow roses mean undying friendship, for me and you, White Calla Lilies mean innocence, purity and sweetness, they were to symbolize you, the blue iris' are for hope, the red carnation is for love, my love for you, and the last one I had to ask for some help with, i wasnt sure what i should get to symbolize myself, so i asked Jared and he said to get the giant daisy 'cause it means loyal love." She said, smiling with glistening eyes.
I sniffed, blinking back tears at her beautiful gesture. "Thank you Leah, it means a lot to me. Its perfect" I whispered. She smiled and hugged me gently. "Your my best friend Lex, you deserve happiness. I'll always love you, so will Jared and the rest of the pack. Be happy." She straightened up and wiggled her eyebrows.
"we've gone all sappy! Lets get down to business before the boys come back and see out tears" She laughed. We both sighed at the same time before Leah rustled around for something in her bag.
"I also brought these" She giggled, pulling out her Ipod and speakers. I squealed again and she laughed loudly and connected them to the plug. "I figured, while its just us, we can listen to it as loud as we want without bothering the super sensitive hearing of the resident Vamps" She smiled and turned it on, flipping through the music.
We sat and talked for hours, listening to the music and catching up.
A familiar tune came on and we both screamed laughing and jumping up and down. Leah got to her feet and pulled me up with her. "A dance, my lady?" She bowed and put her hand out for me.
Laughing, I curtsied. "If you insist, good sir" And put my hand in hers just as the song began. Jumping up and down, we Began to scream-sing the lyrics..
Jared POV.
I was walking down the hallway to see Lexi before my patrol break ended when I heard her and Leah talking.
"A dance, my lady?" Leah said in a mock guy voice. I heard Lexi giggle and a smile spread across my face. She was doing so much better lately, her recovery was fast and she was smiling much more than i had ever seen.
"If you insist, good sir" she said in an English accent. I heard them jumping around before the screaming started.
I rushed upstairs to make sure nothing was wrong. As i stood in the open doorway, i tried not to laugh so they wouldn't notice me. "Jacob, Come here!" I whispered, loud enough for him to hear me, but not the girls. I had convinced Jacob to come visit Lexi for the second time since he had helped get her here. He was reluctant at first, saying it was too painful and he couldnt bear seeing Lexi, who was like a little sister to the pack brothers, in so much pain, but once I told him how much she missed him and how much she talked about him, he came round to the idea and decided to come for a visit with me today.
Jacob ran towards me and stopped dead when he saw Leah and Lex. Laughing silently we both watched.
The two girls were crumping and shaking their backsides, half singing, half screaming the words the the song.
"Ya'll gonna make me lose my mind" Lexi sang, shaking her butt. Leah moved to her face and sang "up in here, Up in here"
"Ya'll gonna make me go all out" Lexi moved against Leah to dirty dance, grinding. "Up in here, Up in here" Leah screamed, doing the same to Lexi.
"Ya'll gonna make me act a fool!" Lexi swayed her hips and Leah reached out to put her hands on Lexi's hips. "Up in here, Up in Here" they shouted together, dropping to the ground at the same time, before swinging their hips up in time with the music to get back up.
"Ya'll gonna make me lose my cool, Up in here Up in here" they sang together, before the music changed and the stood up, laughing hysterically.
Jacob looked at me, his face bright red and shifted his pants. I did the same.
"I have died and gone to heaven" A voice behind us made us jump. Leah screamed, her face horrified. "How long have you three been there!" she shouted, her voice shaky. "The whole time" Seth answered, laughing. Jacob and I stayed where we were, frozen. Lexi's face was bright red, but a tiny smile was tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Seth, your such a guy" she giggles and he walked forward to hug her tightly.
A pang of jealousy tugged at my stomach. Seth had explained many times that his relationship with Lexi wasnt like mine and hers. It was simply that he loved her completely, with all his heart in a best friend kind of way, and that she felt the same, he was a best friend that could keep her safe and happy always. Their bond was unbreakable and as much as I wished it otherwise, I knew that no one else, including me, would ever have that kind of bond with her. I knew that there was nothing romantic between them but that didnt mean that it didnt upset me, knowing that he got to touch her like that, that he held some part of her heart that no one else could ever touch, not even me.
Seeing the tears filling Leah's eyes, Jacob rushed over to her, enveloping her in his huge arms. "Its okay baby. Why dont you dance with me like that?" He asked, sounding more than a little upset. Leah smiled and wiggled her hips slightly and Jacobs breath caught. "Okay, leaving now. Bye" Leah giggled as he pulled her from the room. Lexi rolled her eyes and Seth pretended to gag. "Bye LeeLee! I Love You!" Lexi called after her.
The room was silent, awkward. Seth took a step towards Lexi, and away from me before speaking. "That was HOT Lex! You should teach me." Seth laughed, but shot me a quick glance, telling me he was joking. I growled lowly anyway. "I'll catch ya later, Kay?" He asked, ducking down to kiss her forehead and then waving as he walked away. "I'll take you shift tonight Jared" He told me, smiling. I smiled back and nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Kid." I muttered as he shut the door.
"Im glad your better" I told her, but she grimaced. "Yeah, me too, but no more dancing for a while" she laughed. "That kinda hurt" she walked over to the bed and lay down on top of the covers. "Wanna lie down with me?" she asked, embarrassed as she patted the mattress next to her. I smiled.
"Sure" Gently, I lay next to her, close enough to feel her but not touching. She snuggled closer, making herself more comfortable and wrapped her arms around my waist. I shifted closer to wrap my arms around her tiny body. "Perfect" she sighed "perfect" I agreed, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. "I love you, Jay" She whispered. I was about to say it back to her when she let out a tiny snore and her grip relaxed a little.
"Perfect" I said again before falling asleep.