ONE: Paul's POV
"Goodbye, I love you." I hear Bella say as she bends her knees to spring off the cliff to end her life.
Catch her! Jake screams in my mind, seeing what I see.
I'm trying, you moron. I snarl back as I push my legs faster. I feel the burn in my legs as I over exert them.
"No!" I yell, phasing back to my human form on the fly while tugging my shorts into place. I see Bella whirl at my shout.
I take advantage of her startled mindset and swiftly wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the cliff. I sit her on the ground and walk towards the woods to phase back to tell Jake she's safe and ask what to do next when she stops me.
"What the f-" I cut her off, whirling and standing right in front of her. Her face hardens and her body grows stiff as she stands. She's angry, I can tell.
I think of Jake and realize I should try to be nice so he doesn't try to kill me.
"Are you okay?" I blurt out before I can think.
She pauses before answering, taking an angry step towards me before beginning to yell. "NO!" she looks up at me angrily. "No! I'm not okay! My second family abandoned me, my parents are ridiculously concerned, my best friend can no longer talk to me because of you!" she angrily jabs me in the chest. "And my parents are about to either hospitalize me permanently, or throw me into a loony bin!"
I get lost halfway through her rant because that's when I finally see her. Her eyes are sparkling with…tears? From the anger maybe? Her upper lip is slightly out of balance with her bottom, she has a short, petite body, curvy in all the right places. Skinny though, too skinny, I notice. Hasn't she been eating lately?'
I look back at her face again, she's still yelling at me. Her swimming chocolate brown eyes stare at me, filled with anger and hate. Ouch, I wince slightly. She can't hate me. She won't, I decide mentally. Her hair is pulled into a sloppy ponytail. It's cute, sexy really, the way the wind played with it.
"Are you even listening to me? You ask me a question and then totally ignore me and stare off! What the h-" she yells as I cut off her swear once again.
"I'm sorry. Yes, I was listening, okay? The parents are worried; the Cullen's left you, and Jakes ignoring you. I got it." I recite back to her before she starts sobbing and collapses.
I catch her quickly and pull her into my arms into an embrace. I feel her tears falling down my torso and realize how much pain I'm in just because she is.
"Shhh, its all okay. It'll be okay, I promise." I rub soothing circles on her back.
"I'm sorry." I hear her mumble. "I don't even know you and you're comforting me. What is happening to me?" she asks herself more than me really.
"It's okay, I-" the breeze picks up again and I growl, catching the leech's scent.
"What-?" she looks up at me, frightened.
Her question gets cut off by me tugging her behind me. "Stay there," I warn her. "And don't move. I will protect you. You will be safe. I promise." She looks at me in bewilderment but I merely plant myself – in human form – in front of the girl I love as her protector.
The redhead steps through the trees and Bella gasps. "Victoria?" she asks, unsure. So she knows the redheaded leech. Well this complicates things, how can I kill her now if she's her friend?
"Ooh look, an extra snack," the leech sneers at me. I hear Bella stumble back a step before regaining the fragile amount of balance she had.
"So, wolf boy, going to try to save her from me? You won't be able to. You see, the way I see it," she glances at Bella, "its mate for a mate. Edward killed James, so I kill you." I growled, I hear Bella gasp for air and stumble again. Good, so she wasn't friends with the redhead. This made things easier.
I lunge for the vamp and she screeches as I tear off her whole arm. She snarls. "Don't like to hear his name, do you human?" she sneers. "Edward will know it was me. Then I'll be able to kill him too. And the pixie," she sneers as Bella steps back again. I'd have to pay attention to her or she'd –
I hear Bella's scream and a splash of a body hitting the water.
– fall.
"God dammit!" I growl as the redhead tries to leap off the cliff towards Bella.
"No. You. DON'T!" I growl as I twist, ripping off her head, throwing it to the ground, disgusted. I dismantle the remaining parts before lighting her on fire and leaping after Bella into the icy hurricane water.
"Fuck, where are you?" I shiver, searching frantically for her.
I listen as I hear bubbles from below me. Fuck, I realize she's underwater, as in, she's drowning.
"No!" I yell as I dive below, trying to see through the salt water. She can't die! I just met her! My love, my soul mate…my imprint.
"Bella!" I gasp as I see her limp form sway in the water from the force of the waves above.
I grab her arm and swim towards the surface. I was running low on air.
My head breaks to the surface, as does hers. I pull her into my arms and swim towards shore. I walk swiftly onto first beach and lay her down, beginning CPR.
"Breathe, dammit," I demand two or three minutes later. She coughs one, twice, three times before sitting up, looking to her right, and throwing up the water she'd inhaled and/or swallowed.
"What's happening?" she asks spotting me. "YOU!" she yells. "Why? Why did you save me? I'm supposed to be dead!" I flinch as she yells at me like this.
"Bella," I say softly. "But why would you want to be dead? What about Jacob?" I ask.
"I…it…it's none of your business." She says stubbornly. I hear a demanding howl from the woods.
"Dammit," I mutter. "Do me a favor?" I ask Bella. She just looks at me. "Stay here, don't go anywhere, and I'll be right back." I promise. She shrugs and I go to the woods to phase.
What? I demand, my thoughts still on Bella.
Paul- Sam begins, freezing as he sees my mind.
Congrats man Embry thinks. It's about time.
I grin tightly. Yeah, but what about Jake?
What about me? Jake asks, phasing into our conversation.
Harry Clearwater's just had a heart attack, Sam tells us.
Ooh…jeez, is he okay? Jake asks.
He…he didn't make it. Sam dips his head.
Ooh no… I say. Harry was like the father I didn't have. He taught me everything I know.
I know, Paul, I know. Embry tells me. Me too, man.
Ooh shit, I remember Bella. Gotta go. I'll stop by Sams in a bit. I phase quickly, pulling my shorts on as I run to find an empty beach.
"Dammit," I growl, ready to follow her by scent when I see her sitting on a log over to my left.
"You okay?" I ask as I walk over to her.
"Again, no, should I continue as to why?" she snaps.
"No, sorry," I say. "Do you want to go home?"
"Yes please," she says.
"Okay, well how about I run you home and bring your truck by later."
"Why don't you just bring me to my truck so I can drive?" she challenges.
"Because, my way would be faster. I have to go to Sam's anyways." I tell her as she stands. I don't tell her that I just want more time with her and that I want to make sure that she is safe.
"Why?"
"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack."
"Ooh my god, is he okay?" I can see in her eyes that she's worried about Charlie.
"He didn't make it," I look down sadly.
"Ooh no…" I hear the tears in her voice.
"Ready?" I hold my arms out, silently asking to carry her.
Bella shrugs and nods, allowing me to grab her up into my arms. This felt right, I liked the feeling of her in my arms, like I'd been made this way, just to hold her.
I started running at a normal human paced run when she snorted. "You know you can run at your full speed if you want. Trust me, I've gone much faster." She spoke of that bloodsucker without actually mentioning him. Smart.
I shrugged. "Okay," and I begin to run at my speed. Five minutes later and we still had another about two to go when I decided to sprint, making it there in one instead.
"I'll bring your truck by later," I placed her down on her porch. "Don't worry, Charlie won't be back anytime soon. I'll bring it by after I stop by Sams."
"Okay," she says again going towards the house. "And…thanks," she smiles slightly.
"Wait," I grab her hand.
"What?" she spins to face me.
"There's a leech in there. I have to get you back to La Push," I feel the growl building in my chest.
"No," she gasps, looking around. "It's Emmett! He won't hurt me." Bella struggled against my grasp. "Paul, let go," she demanded, twisting her wrist.
I don't let go, unsure of what to do. "Paul," she seethes. "Let go." My eyes widen in surprise at her ferocity. My hand slackens just slightly, but when I realize what's happened, it's too late, she's already through the door.