Author's Note: Alright, I posted this b/c my friend's a bitch and wanted me to...so, here it is. The POV switches a lot, and, the first letter should tell you who's (IE: EPOV, Edward's POV). This is pretty bad, and I'd say its a one shot, but I can't quite let the 'scence' go, but I don't know where to take it either. Suggestions are welcome.
Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight, this is what it would (probably) look like; so be thankful that I don't.
Enjoy! Don't butcher it plz!
BPOV
I left Charlie's, trying to pinpoint my anger and exactly who it was directed at. Edward, of course; Alice, no doubt her frustration helped feed this fire; Esme and Carlisle were only peacekeepers; while Jasper was probably just dealing with the emotional stress; Rose and Em were either undecided or non-compliant. So, Edward and Alice.
The Chevy's engine thundered down the road, the rain hitting the windshield like always and it, oddly, calmed me. I guess that I can understand, even admire the idea of this ridiculous plan; but still, that doesn't change the fact that it's ridiculous.
The familiar twists and turns of the long drive stretch endlessly it seems, stalling my anger and pissing me off even more. Alice is standing on the porch, looking sad and repentant but I know she isn't. As soon as I get out, she'll be reasoning this whole ordeal away and it will just make me that much more determined to work against their plan. Or I'll crumble to her will. It's undecided right now.
"Bella, I know you're angry, but—" "But what Alice? You're doing this to protect me? You're doing this to keep me from getting hurt from what you perceive as an enemy? Well, it's Jake. He won't hurt me." I vented, taking a deep breath as Edward comes cautiously outside, pausing in the door before stepping onto the porch.
"Bells, it's not that simple. I know you trust him, and I've seen in his mind that he has no intention of hurting you; but he is a werewolf. I can't change that, and I'm sorry that you need him like you do, but it's just…too big a risk. Please, try to work with us on this."
I grumbled incoherently until Alice's face scrunched up. "Bella, why is the rest of your day disappearing?"
Within seconds, the entire family (minus Esme, who I assumed was running errands) was outside. "Um, Alice, I don't know. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
She still looked unconvinced and Jasper was nervous, glancing around and tapping his fingers like a typist against his thighs. "Alright, Alice, what exactly do you see?" Carlisle, always the calm in the storm asks.
"Nothing, like…well, sorry Bells, but like when the wolves are around. It's blank." Emmett smiled, while Rose stalked off and started grabbing tools and muttered about stupid people, no, stupid vampires.
Well, at least she wasn't mad at me. "Bella, were you planning on going anywhere that might—" "No! I just…A drive. I thought that maybe a drive would help." I interrupt.
"Where? Is there any particular place that might intersect with the wolves' patrols?" I shrug, "I don't know, can we just end this? I mean, c'mon, I know you guy worry; but you can't just forbid me to go somewhere or prevent me from seeing someone."
Edward, still on the porch, took the steps down carefully, slowly. "Bella, please give me your keys." I froze, Emmett's smile faded, Jasper stood stock still and Alice rubbed her temples like she had a migraine. Even Rose got quieter.
"Why don't you trust me on this?" I asked, feeling like Atlas minus the weight of the world. "Love, its not that I—"
"Forget it." I say, getting back in the truck and starting it. In the same second, Emmett was behind the rear fender and I knew he'd stop any move I made backwards.
"Bella, you can't just leave. Talk about it." Edwards pleads reasonably. "No, because this isn't even a reasonable or unbiased discussion. And tell Emmett to move." I answer, revving the engine.
"Let her go." Alice says quietly, suddenly and breaking the tension, a little at least. Emmett froze, and Edward did a double take; going from me in the truck to Alice leaning against the porch banister and back again.
"What?" He asks, scanning her mind while Emmett stepped to the side. "Thanks Em." I mutter as I back up before turning the truck so I'm facing the way I came.
I make it a few miles before the endless ringing of my phone breaks through the annoyance, anger, frustration, admiration, and guilt. I know it's, a lot of emotions; which is why it takes me so damn long to answer the call.
Charlie. Well, I can talk to him peacefully enough right? "Dad, what's up? I'm a little…stressed right now." I say, picking up the phone and slowing down. "Come home. Now. I don't care where you are, or what your excuse is, but you need to come home now. Understand?"
"Char—Dad, what's wrong?" He hangs up and I speed the truck to the max, wondering if Renee's hurt or if there's a problem that Police Chief Swan needs to handle and a million other things run through my mind at the same time.
So, when I park the truck behind the cruiser and walk forward with vigilance and see the bike Jake built in front of Dad's car, I can guess what the problem is. "Bella!" He shouts, standing in the doorway. Jacob's not far behind him, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his face observant and entertained while seeming more mature and less mature all at the same time.
The bike had a gloss to it that it didn't have before, a bow tided haphazardly to the handlebar holding a key to the bars with duck tape. Only a guy would it that way: A pretty bow with a key and duck tape. I couldn't help but smirk. That is, until Charlie spoke.
"In. This. House. Now." Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive. "Um, dad, what exactly did Jake tell you about the bike?" I ask, stalling and trying to find a foot to stand on.
"Enough. Isabel, get in here now. I won't ask again." It took about two seconds for me to chew over the decision: go inside, get yelled at by Charlie and then, when I'm released from that hell; get into a fight with Edward because Jacob was there. Or, or get on the bike and just feel the wind on my face for a few minutes, hours, days; whatever, just to get away from the stress.
"Isabel Marie Swan, you had better not—" The catch of the engine stopped his speech, and I looked at him standing angrily on the steps and I shrugged, mouthing the words: I can't hear you.
Then I sped off down the road.
In retrospect, that probably wasn't a very well-thought-out decision. Nor was it, again, a very wise choice based solely on common sense. Despite both those themes bouncing around my head as the rain turned from a soft mist to deadly bullets that stung and seared as they hit my exposed skin; I kept going.
Even as my teeth chattered and everything got a little blurry (from tears or rain, I couldn't tell), and as the roads became more and more deserted, even for Forks, I kept going. Again, pretty stupid looking back.
The bridge. A small, logging bridge I think; large metal-grates compromising the floor of it with A-frames on either side and rusted to the core. I slowed the bike down, knowing that it wasn't exactly biker friendly. My phone probably had a million messages on it, Edward, Alice, Charlie, Jake, hell; Renee might even be calling me by now.
Alas, I'd left it in the truck. As I thought about what turns I'd made and the basic geography I knew of the Forks area, the road I was on lead into the mountains. So, seeing the bridge meant that I was at one of the rivers that traversed the side of said mountains. Four out of five bridges, there were only five, lead you to civilization faster than the way you came.
I don't know how I knew, but I knew. Like a word from a language class you took years ago just comes when you hear it spoken, I knew that the bridge was my best bet.
So, I gunned it. The bike took to the grating surprisingly well, and I guess it just looked scary. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bright color in the orange/red family. I figured it was rust, or a tag on a tree, or a plastic bag; I thought it was a lot of things.
None of them were right, I found, as Victoria suddenly planted herself in front of the bike and grabbed the handlebars with ease, stopping the speeding bike.
"Bella, you really should listen to those vamps, they know more than you think." And then the world seemed to crumble, everything changing with the one hand that slapped roughly across my face and sent my shivering body across the wide bridge and into one of the A frames.
"Do you know how much it hurts for a vampire to die? I assume not, dearest child, but you will."
APOV
Edward played the piano at intervals, stopping to call Bella every few bars. Emmett had suggested that he stop, to which Edward answered with a snarl. Jasper was trying to keep the house in balance, not necessarily control it, but just…balance it out. My little karma man.
I was laying on the couch, my legs dangling over the armrest and my head grazing Esme's thigh. Edward stood, pacing at lightning speed from the piano area to the living room and back, all in a second.
"Alice could you—" "Yes." I answered, sitting up and scanning for Bella's future. Again. Only this time, there wasn't that annoying, infuriating, haze and instability cause by those mutts; there was a flash of orange.
Edward! I screamed mentally. His body froze mid step, his foot a few inches from the ground. He mouthed the word 'no' before sprinting outside; the rest of the family following suit.
"What is it?" Jazz asks, settling next to me as we ran the closest to Edward.
"What else? Victoria." I answered. Edward seemed to get something from the name, his feet speeding up even more. "What's he feeling?" I ask Jasper, wondering what would be going through Jazz's mind, were the situation reversed.
He smirked, knowing why I was curious. "Nothing but determination babe, but I'm predicting some anger. Especially if he finds her hurt."
EPOV
I ran to my love, ignoring Alice and Jasper behind m. She was back. Of course she was.
The world blurred around me, and I hyperventilated. I didn't need air, but I needed something. Bella. I need Bella.
BPOV
She stalked over to me, easy and lithe. Her face twisted up in to a smile, a growl slipping instinctively through her teeth. "James was everything to me. Now your little Edward will know how that feels." Her hands gripped me by the throat, pulling me up and shoving me against the metal beam.
It was James all over again, and just like last time I knew it was my fault. My fault I'd die. My fault Charlie and Renee would get hurt. Edward would be hurt. The Cullens'. Jacob. It was all my fault.
I felt her grip tighten around my neck, constricting and cutting off my air.
EPOV
I could her thoughts, and my legs moved even faster. My Bella wheezed one last breathe before her head fell forward on her chest. Victoria smiled thinking of torture while simultaneously feeling pain for her loss.
Alice screamed at me mentally, showing me the blackness we were racing again. "Wolves," she thought angrily. "I can't tell you if she'll be okay Edward, because I can't see."
I growled, telling Alice that I'd understood. Victoria was still thinking of ways to torture my Bella, things I knew I would do to her one day, as the wolves' races through the forest towards the bridge. The bridge was undetermined territory.
If we got there first, they would respect that, just as we would have to respect it if they get there first. "Carlisle," I whisper, speeding towards her. What do you need, son? He answers mentally, and even he's angry. Carlisle, angry.
That in itself means that Bella won't only fight with me when this is all over and done with, but everyone. "The wolves; if we beat them there they'll back off; but we have to do the same if they're first." I mutter.
Then we'd better not lose. Emmett thinks. I'm sure we can negotiate. Carlisle thinks, half hoping half desperate.
The wolves, beasts that they are, are snarling and howling. Victoria hears them, but not us. Maybe we can use that to our advantage, we're almost there and the wolves are close as well.
I see the plan forming in the red devils head: She'll throw Bella off the bridge, where the rocks and current will kill her, and then said current will deposit her in out backyard. Thankfully, Victoria's too distracted by the encroaching wolves to worry about watching her back.
"The wolves are distracting her; we wait until they come into view and then go get Bella." I whisper to my family, crouching lower as we slink down the incline towards the bridge.
"Wait for it," I say, knowing the wolves will be there in milliseconds thanks to Jacob's loud mental voice. "Now." I say, sprinting forward as the wolves come into view.
"Company?" Victoria says, throwing Bella over her shoulder like a rag doll. Jacob snarls wildly at this, distracting the devil even more as my family and I come closer.
Paul sniffs the air, and then zeros in on us. Dammit! Emmett thinks. I look at Jacob, trying to convey that we'll leave, as soon as we have Bella and the redhead's gone. His big wolf head drops and then raises, a nod. Sam looks to Jake quickly, before nodding as well.
Amazing, Carlisle thinks, considering all the repercussions of the small treaty we've just formed. It all goes down the shitter, as Emmett conically thinks when Victoria turns.
"I'm afraid that this is a party I'm going to have to miss." She says, glancing between the pack and my family as she walks backward. "I do have one regret," She starts. "I never did get to torture her." With that, she leaps backwards, into the churning, blackish water. Taking my…everything with her.
BPOV
The water was like a brick, concrete. Cold, very cold, concrete though. It went straight through what I thought was 'cold', even being sprayed by snow on Jake's bike couldn't equal this. Being squished between Edward and Alice without a blanket was nothing compared to this.
Cold though, is better than warm. Warm puts you to sleep, cold keeps you up shivering; one of the many reasons I didn't get as much sleep when Edward was around. This cold woke me up, just as much as it numbed my fingers and toes.
I felt my neck fighting me, sore from Victoria's grip, as I swam…up, I guess. It's hard to tell the way the water crashes in my ears and churns around me like some demented carnival ride.
At the very least, I wanted to break the surface. Just to look around, to see who's where and how much time I have left. Before my head could surface, I felt something colder than the water, something as hard as granite; pulling me towards them.
"Carlisle!" He yells, pulling me away from the water.
EPOV
She was swimming, but the current threw her body twelve different directions every second; making it impossible to get anywhere despite her efforts. Emmett and Jasper had that bitch on the shore, making sure she didn't go anywhere by simple ripping off her legs. I love my brothers.
I grab her arm, pulling her with me to the surface. She's conscious, thankfully, but disoriented. "Carlisle!" I yell, tearing him from his negotiations with the uncooperative wolves, mainly Jacob.
A damn must've broken loose upriver, the current's getting stronger, and making even me work to fight it. "Emmett, Rose run home and blankets; she's hypothermic." He says before he even examines Bella.
I watch as Jacob's wolf form darts off into the woods, and I tune him out once I catch onto his train of thought…he's phasing. "Bella? Can you hear me?" I ask, switching to a bridal style of carrying her in the shallow water.
"Yes." She stutters, curling up in my arms. "I'm cold." She mutters, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "The others are bringing blankets, they'll be here soon. Does anything else hurt?"
She tries to shrug, but it doesn't work the way her body's shivering. "I can't really feel it if it does." It looks like she's struggling to speak. "She got away, the wolves didn't want us to cross over to catch her and they don't have enough…err, people to secure both us and the redhead." Jasper says, Alice rubbing her forehead next to him.
More good news, I think. "Carlisle, when will—" "Soon, stay calm, you know they're running as fast as they can." He says, interrupting. "Well, Em maybe." Bella stutters.
I have to smirk. "Hey! Leach!" I softly put Bella on the ground, standing in front of her as Alice comes over, mentally preparing to comfort her friend. Jasper stands on my side, thinking tactically, and Carlisle on my other, thinking of ways to keep peace.
"Jacob, this isn't exactly an appropriate time." I say, struggling with the words, I want to tell him to go to hell. "Too bad, what happened? Paul nearly attacked the blonde one upriver. You know better than to cross this bridge, its out territory." Rose hisses, and I wonder how long it will take to get here if she can already hear the conversations.
"Bella went for a ridge, obviously, and Victoria got to her. Hey mutt, if this is your territory and you're all about protecting human life, why didn't you protect her?" I snarl, crouching.
Peace Edward, don't fight him. Think of Bella. Carlisle thinks, turning to look me in the eye. I sigh, straightening. I watch the dog as he tries to control his shaking, Sam coming down from the woods, with Seth and Quil, who haven't phased.
"Jake, calm down or get out. The Cullens didn't attack and we certainly won't attack them, that is, as long as the treaty is in tack." Sam says, coming forward until he's standing next to Jacob, who's more under control. Quil and Seth hang back, saying with their actions that they're there if a fight breaks out but not necessary wanting it either.
"Why would you let her ride the motorcycle? This is your fault as much as it is mine. She would've come to her senses if she was in the truck, but she probably thought you'd yell at her for catching a cold on the bike." Jake says accusingly.
"They're here." I say, looking over the mutt's head to see Emmett and Rose with fresh clothes and blankets for Bella. The wolves turn and growl, but Sam hushes them with a quick word.
