This is just a series of one-shots. Feel free to use them as prompts just give me some credit and PM me so I can read them. I'll randomly be posting other scenarios.
Edward's POV
"I'm so happy I could cry." Bella whispered to me and I grinned back at her. We were laying in a fort of sheets on our wedding bed, holding hands with our noses just barely touching.
"You're insane, but I love you for it." I kissed her and her face lit up with a blush. "You do understand that you're about to be engulfed in the worst pain there is in this world?"
"Of course I know that." Bella's voice was weak and she looked away from me. "I just want to be like you, to be your equal and most of all to have an eternity by your side." Her voice cracked. "I just love you so much."
"I know, I love you too. Are you absolutely sure about this Bella? It's going to be a living hell for you and while you're still coherent you're going to beg me to kill you, to make the burning stop. There is no way around it. The change is like that for everyone." I said pleadingly. This was her last chance to save her soul…
"Edward I know what it feels like." Her delicate fingers brushed against the bite scar that that tracker gave her in my moment of absence. "I'm doing this for us. I can't dream of my life without you, even an afterlife without you. It wouldn't be heaven without you, so I'll just have to stay on this world with you, even if it means going through the fires of hell." I kissed her again, unable to form any response that would show just how much I loved her.
"Fine, but please just one more night of humanity. Let me watch you sleep, just once more." I begged her.
"Just one more night." Bella agreed and snuggled against me, tucking her head under my chin. She fell asleep quickly, with a smile on her face. She'd thank me someday for making her take this last escape into the dream world.
I was dreading the coming of the sun, the signal of the end of Bella's humanity, the end of her soul, but I couldn't live without her. All too quickly the sun chased away the moon and she stirred in my arms.
"Edward?" She said sleepily.
"Yes, Love?"
"I'm ready."
"Don't you want to have one last breakfast, perhaps chocolate chip pancakes?" I offered halfheartedly.
"No," she leaned up and kissed me softly, "I believe and trust you Edward. Everything is going to be alright." She sounded so confident that I almost believed her.
"Alright, let me call Carlisle so he can help me, just in case." She nodded mutely and I sat up to grab my phone. She slipped out of the sheets to use the bathroom.
"How is the married life treating you?" Carlisle asked me with a laugh once he picked up his phone.
"It's wonderful." I just couldn't get over how perfect Bella is for me. "But Bella is ready for the change and I'm about as ready as I'll ever be for it."
"When did you hunt last?" He asked, his tone suddenly serious.
"Last night, less than nine hours ago."
"Alright, I'll be over there in thirty minutes. Go get a quick buck, just to be sure you're full to the brim." Carlisle said before hanging up.
"Bella, I'm going to get in a hunt to be on the safe side. Carlisle will be here in half an hour." I said loudly.
"Mkay." She mumbled as she brushed her teeth. I shook my head at the absurdity of the situation. She was about to go through hell and she was worried about her oral hygiene.
The hunt didn't distract me from my troubles like it usually did and it ended way too soon. By the time I got back Carlisle was already there and Bella was scrapping the rest of her breakfast into the trashcan.
"I'm sorry I'm going to put you through this pain." I whispered to her as I engulfed her in a hug. She nuzzled against me.
"I'm sorry you have to watch me go through it. You can't beat yourself up about this." I sighed and let her go. We walked to the bedroom hand in hand, Carlisle following behind us silently.
Bella nodded to me as she laid down and I took a deep breath before biting her in all the right places. Her blood was ecstasy, but didn't compare to my need to keep her alive. With more effort than I'd ever admit I stopped drinking and started pushing my venom into her. Her screams started almost immediately, ripping my heart from my chest. I pulled away once the last bite was sealed.
"You did perfectly, son." Carlisle said as he patted me on the shoulder. I couldn't respond. My eyes were glued on Bella's thrashing form. I tried to hold her, to comfort her, but she kept flailing, her limbs hitting me and causing her even more pain. I ended up just sitting in a chair by the bed. Carlisle sat in a chair next to me. He was reading a book, seemingly completely undisturbed by her screams, but his thoughts gave away his distress.
Two hours in she started begging for the mercy of death. My fingers twitched, feeling the need to release her from her pain. Carlisle gave me a look, sensing my intentions. I shifted uncomfortably.
"Do you need to leave?" He asked kindly, yet with authority. I shook my head no. "I think of her as a daughter, Edward. You made it through this and she will to, so don't even think of trying to send her to the afterlife." I sighed, he really knew me too well.
Time was just passing so slowly… It had only just reached the first twelve hour mark when one of Carlisle's thoughts caught my attention.
Strange… it shouldn't.
"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately panicked.
"I'm sure it's nothing." He said dismissively.
"Dad-"
"There's no need to worry. Everything is fine. The change is different for everyone, but the results of immortality are always the same." Carlisle turned a page in his book, effectively ending the conversation.
I couldn't stay still, so I resorted to shaking my leg and twiddling my thumbs as Bella went through the worst pain imaginable.
Another hour passed and Carlisle suddenly stood and grabbed Bella's hand.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my gut clenching in apprehension.
"Her scent hasn't changed at all and she's running a fever." He said in a monotone.
"Didn't Emmett have a fever when he was going through the change?"
"His temperature was already high when Rosalie brought him to me. His body temperature went down below normal human standards within two hours of the change."
"Do you think I didn't give her enough venom?" I was starting to panic and my eyes kept darting between a very composed Carlisle and a screaming Bella.
"No, she has had more than enough venom. I had much less and made it through the change."
"Then what the hell is going on!"
"I'm unsure. The venom might just need to take a little extra time to properly take effect. All we can do is wait and see. I don't think giving her anymore venom would help. Her DNA has probably already bonded to it, so any new venom would be seen as foreign and just give her a scar and slow the whole process down." I couldn't stand how calm he was. Between Bella's screams and Carlisle's vague thoughts I felt like I was going insane. Another hour ticked by.
Bella's voice was hoarse and she was long past words.
"Is she supposed to be making that noise?" I asked.
"Her breathing does seem a bit labored." He lightly probed her neck, just above where I bit her. "Her lymph nodes are a bit swollen, but I don't think that is causing it. Temperature hasn't changed, heart is beating at an accelerated rate, which is to be expected, sweating, flushed." He sniffed her. "Smells human. Hmm…" Carlisle sat down next to me again.
"Well what should we do!?" I started pacing, fear engulfing me.
"Sit down, Edward. I'm trying to think and you flitting about the room isn't helping." His voice was calm, but his thoughts were racing.
"I shouldn't have done this to her! I shouldn't have allowed her to talk me into this sin!" I kept up my chaotic walk.
"Sit down, Edward!" Carlisle shouted at me and I completely froze. In all my years he had never shouted. If he was panicking then…
I complied and sat next to him, my eyes trained on Bella.
"What should we do?" I whispered. He didn't respond immediately.
"I don't know. I've read all the texts the Volturi had on the change and none of them mentioned anything like this happening before." He sighed. "We just have to wait and see what happens." Carlisle said analytically. I stood up, knocking over my chair.
"Wait and see! Wait and see!" I shouted at him and he didn't move from his relaxed position in the chair. He remained silent as I fumed. "What kind of fucked up plan is that Carlisle?" His black eyes met mine.
"It's the only plan we have." The realization of what he said sunk in and I felt desperation and anguish settle in my heart. I sat down on the bed beside Bella, completely dejected.
"Can't- can't you call the Volturi. They might have found new information since you last visited." I was looking for any tendril of hope.
"I already called them right after your wedding and they sent me all their new findings."
"Dad we have to do something!"
"We don't even know if there is something wrong or if the change just takes longer for her. For all we know everything is proceeding perfectly and we're just panicking for no reason. We just have to wait."
Two more hours passed and Bella's twisting and turning had stopped. The sheets were wet with her sweat. Each breath sounded strangled. Her temperature was higher. Carlisle estimated that she was at 104 degrees. Her heart rate was steady and at a resting pace. She was unconscious.
The rest of the family had joined us. Alice was struggling to find anything solid in the future. She kept seeing images of Bella wheezing in the bed, nothing more.
By the second day her breathing was slow yet still labored. She hardly moved, only twisting randomly and gripping the sheets tightly.
Just as the sun was setting her eyes cracked open, just barely.
"Water, please, water." Her voice was raspy and strained. Esme ran to the kitchen and filled a glass. I helped Bella sit up and held the glass for her. She drank it quickly and immediately passed out again. Esme and Rose started weeping Carlisle made them leave. Alice was too caught up trying to see the future to notice the present.
"She's dehydrated. I'll go make an IV for her." Carlisle said. He already had the supplies from one of his kits just for Bella. The needle easy penetrated her still human skin.
Another day passed. Her breathing was becoming less strained and her temperature was going down.
At the end of the fourth day Bella looked like she was just sleeping.
Slowly her eyes opened.
"Is it over?" She asked. Her words were just a weak whisper. None of us knew what to say. I looked to Carlisle, begging him to help.
"We had some complications. The venom, it just-" He was at a loss for words and Bella looked confused. I went to her side and cradled her hand.
"I'm sorry Love, we tried, but you're still human." I said as soothingly as I could. She narrowed her eyes and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The venom it just, it just didn't work. We don't know why." I wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. She pulled her hand away from me and covered her face, hiding the tears that started pouring out. "Give us a minute, everyone." I said and they left the room. I picked up Bella and set her in my lap. She curled up and rested her face against my chest. I could feel the tears seep through my shirt as she cried. I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
We sat like that for two hours, her crying and me trying to comfort. She fell into a fitful sleep and I tucked her in. Carlisle was waiting for me outside in the hallway.
"Please tell me you know how to fix this." I said desperately.
"I have a theory on why it didn't work, but I don't want to say anything till I'm sure." He sighed and his thoughts didn't give away any information. "After she is recovered from… this I want to try to change her again, but using Jasper's or Alice's venom instead."
"Do you think that will help?"
"I'm praying to the Lord that it does." Carlisle looked at the closed door sadly. "You should go for a hunt. I know this has been hard on you. I'll look after her." I nodded, the weight of the situation suddenly hitting me. I felt completely exhausted.
It took a week for Bella to recover and gain back the five pounds she lost. I spent it whispering calming words to her and she spent it dejectedly looking everywhere but at me.
Alice was the next one to try and change Bella. She gave her twice as much venom as I had. It only took two days for Bella to wake back up, still human. She cried in my arms all night and into the morning. That time she only lost two pounds and her fever never went above 102 degrees.
After that Carlisle called the Volturi, but they were unsure of what to do and what was wrong with Bella.
The next night I walked in on her praying, an act I had never seen her do before. She was desperate, I was desperate. The idea of having her for all eternity had just really taken hold in the beginning of her first change. I'd accepted it, accepted the possibility of her killing someone on accident, of her hating me for letting her become a monster, all the consequences of the change… and now an eternity with her seems out of reach.
Carlisle said that Jasper was our last hope. I didn't know why and Carlisle wouldn't explain to me his reasoning. His thoughts didn't give anything away. It was the first time I ever hated his surplus of control.
Jasper had changed many humans when he was down South, but that was when he was fully sated with human blood. As such Carlisle stole a few packets of human blood from the hospital.
Bella cried when she saw his red eyes, sad that because of her he knew the taste of human blood again. Jasper told her to not worry about it, that he wanted to do this for all of us.
I was so scared when he bit into her, scared that he would lose control, that I'd lose control, or worst of all, that his venom wouldn't change her.
He struggled much less than I had to when he pulled away from Bella. I went to her side immediately, praying silently that this time it would work.
Bella didn't scream and she was semi-conscious the whole time. She had a fever of 102 degrees and was mumbling my name. Three hours in she fell into a deep slumber, hardly even moving. Two hours later her fever broke.
I wept silently beside her. Now we would never have our eternity. I'd lose her then there would be nothing left for me on this world. The rest of the family was devastated. None of us knew what to do.
"It didn't work." Bella's emotionless voice startled me out of my depressing thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Love."
Carlisle ushered us into his study. The grim look on his face didn't help the pain I felt in my heart or help slow Bella's tears.
"Please tell me you know how we can fix this, Carlisle." I begged him.
"It's James…" Carlisle seemed to be struggling for words.
"What do you mean?" Bella asked while gripping my hand tightly.
"Some of his venom and possibly some of Edward's must have been still in you. That small amount acted the same way a flu shot would. It gave your immune system just enough to learn how to fight it without getting too sick, or in this case changing. You had a fever after he bit you and you were in the hospital, but I just accounted that to the stress of the situation." Carlisle sighed and Bella held her hand over her mouth, holding back a cry of anguish. "When Edward bit you your body recognized the 'invaders' and knew how to properly fight against them, effectively stopping the change. I thought that maybe if we tried someone else's venom, someone who I hadn't sired, that your body wouldn't be used to it and your immune system wouldn't know how to fight it, but I was wrong."
"There has to be a solution, a way for me to change! What if we did a transfusion, take away all my blood and just replace it with venom wouldn't that work!?" Bella asked desperately. Carlisle shook his head no and Bella stood up, heading back to our room. I nodded at Carlisle and followed her. Halfway there she turned around to face me. I could see the fury and hopelessness plainly on her face. "Why didn't you just let me change when we were in the studio!? Why didn't you just let it happen?" Before I could respond she ran to our room and slammed the door. I tried to take a calming breath, but it didn't help. Silently I went into our room. Bella was curled up on the bed crying. I sat beside her and pulled her into my arms. She gripped onto me tightly as she sobbed.
All I could do was try and sooth her and hold back my own sobs.
Scenario One: Inoculation
Feel free to take this idea fellow writers and create your own stories from it.
Whatcha think?