A/N: Sorry about the lack of updating, I honestly forgot about this story for a couple days. Between school and everything else it just drifted out of my head.... Thank you to all my reviewers, and if you didn't review last chapter please review this one. I understand if you weren't talking to me at the time for leaving you with such a terrible cliff-hanger.
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Edward:
What I saw in Victoria's mind was almost enough to make me lose control of myself and let loose on every human nearby. I instantly realized that that reaction would benefit no one, least of all Bella, would benefit from this however, and took off towards the beach that I saw in her mind. (This wasn't very difficult since there was only one beach in Port Angeles.) I drove the distance at 220 miles-per-hour, all the while berating myself for letting her go alone. What was I thinking? I knew she was a magnet for danger, and yet I had let her wander around a dangerous city by herself with no protection of any kind. I might as well have hand-delivered her to Victoria for all the help I had been.
As I approached the beach, and was within three minutes of arriving, I made a vow to myself- Bella would get out alive, regardless of the cost to me. I would take down Victoria if I did so with my last breath-figuratively. I got to the beach but they were still far down. I could see the scene clearly, but they were at least half a mile down the beach. I took off running, still now knowing if I could make it in time to save my love.
Bella:
It was too late for me to take any action by the time I realized that the stone-cold hands on my shoulders were not those of Edward, surprising me by showing up early. I turned my head a fraction of an inch and saw the insane, grinning face of Victoria clearly in my peripherals. She smiled wickedly at me, still not saying a word, but clearly reveling in my fear. I tried to show her nothing, and to put on an air of bravado, as if Edward was going to show up at any moment and save me. I knew that wasn't the case however, and that since we weren't supposed to meet for another half hour, it would be at least another ten minutes before he came looking for me, and by then he would be way too late unless Victoria liked to play with her "food."
"So Bella," she addressed me in a voice that could only belong to a vampire, such as herself. It was evil, make no mistake, yet in some way seductive. "We meet again. I really would rather kill Edward, you know, so at least it's fair game, but 'a mate for a mate', so I guess it has to be you. I heard you were quite the tough thing however, so maybe it will make you a bit more interesting."
I glared at her, not knowing what else I could do. I was so far out of my league. At least the last time I got attacked here I had been about to fight members of my own species, who actually have weaknesses. The only thing that would pose a threat to Victoria was if I could in some way dismember her and burn the pieces, or mentally come into contact with Edward. This, I thought, was one of the few times where having a mind that was on a 'different frequency' was a crippling disadvantage. Then I remembered something. Edward would naturally be in better tune with Victoria knowing she posed a-serious- threat to me. So, he would pick up her thoughts even if he wasn't searching for me, and then be able to know where I was and rescue me. I quickly did some mental calculations and realized that it would take him less than five minutes to reach me, so I only had to survive for that long.
I decided to keep her talking, "Well," I said, desperately trying to think of where to go with this, "I guess that is fair, not that I'm all that eager to die or anything. I would want to come after you if you killed Edward, so I guess it's a good thing you decided to kill me, otherwise you could start some kind of war. Then again, Edward will come after you, you know."
"That terrible excuse for a vampire couldn't find me if he tried. Besides, after a while he'll forget about you. You have to understand that to those who have lived for centuries and will live forever, a few years is nothing. You'll fade quickly from his memory and he'll find some other good-smelling thing to be his arm candy. I guess he is a vampire after all then isn't he. If he really were 'vegetarian' do they call it? He would be completely immune to your scent."
I simmered internally at her implication that I was nothing but a material item that could easily be replaced. "Well," I said, speaking honestly, "I'm sure when you do kill me Edward will move on, and I'd want nothing less, but we have something real."
She scoffed. "He can only have something 'real' as you put it, with someone of his own kind. Possibly when you're out of the way he'll consider me as his mate."
"I suppose it's possible," I said, inwardly knowing that there was no chance of that, "I wish you all the luck in the world." I said that, and at the end of my sentence realized she was not going to leave me any more time for small talk. I looked around, still unable to see Edward in the distance. I knew my chances of outrunning even a human was less than zero, and a vampire was impossible. If I tried to swim I'd be beaten before I swam ten feet because of the necessity of air and my lack of speed. I couldn't knock her over, considering she was-essentially- made of stone. So, I decided the best thing I could do would be to make myself as invulnerable as possible, and wait it out, hoping I survive. I threw both hands up, protecting my face and neck, and stood as far back as possible from the evil vampire.
"Well, I suppose it's time we begin." Then she snarled and sprang. I found myself thrown backwards on the sand, long before I had enough time to brace up. My right wrist felt like it had been crushed under a several hundred pound weight, which technically it had. I didn't yell though, forcing myself to keep my breathing and heart rate down so as to appear less appealing to Victoria. She then brought her nose and mouth down to my left wrist, as if to bite. She didn't tear my delicate skin with her sharp teeth as I feared however. She instead just took one of her razor-like fingernails to my skin, tearing it instantly, though not on a vein. She clearly was an expert in torture. I smelled before I felt the blood gushing out of my hand and Victoria instantly developed a devilish grin on her face. Sheoo leaned over, lapping the blood from the side of my shattered wrist without getting any venom in my wound. She clearly didn't want to kill me yet, and I figured that would be to my advantage.
I watched her as she cut me several more times in various places, although the slice in my leg was decidedly deep. Each time I would wince but not scream, knowing it would further provoke her. I simply lay there, letting her do what she would, counting the seconds until Edward arrived. I stared down the beach, waiting for the speck that would be Edward when he first arrived, all the while berating myself for walking so far down the beach. What seemed like hours later, but what could only have been minutes I eventually spotted my love. He ran towards me at what would be impossible speed.
Edward lunged at Victoria, knocking her down. When she sprang up again there was an impression several feet deep in the sand. They wrestled in an intense power-struggle for several minutes before Victoria broke free. She ran away, outrunning Edward, though he gave chase. He returned to me, a grave expression on his face. He looked me over quickly, clearly not breathing. "Bella, what happened?"
I burst into tears, the incident clearly catching up with me, "Edward, she snuck up on me, I thought it was you, then she just attacked and I knew you'd hear her thoughts so I just tried to stay alive, then she started trying to torture me but there was nothing I could do." He picked me up and held me in his arms, soothing me as I cried.
"It's going to be ok Bella, I'll have Emmet and Jazz go out tonight and hunt her. She can't have gotten far. We'll get her and make sure she can never hurt you again. Now where did she hurt you?"
"Nowhere. I'm fine really. I should probably go get cleaned up."
He shook his head at me. "Bella, you're bleeding, and I don't think that's all that happened."
"I'll be ok, I've had worse from my own two feet," I said, not altogether sure it was true that time, but I said it nonetheless to ease his worry.
"We should get you to Carlisle. C'mon I'll take you home." I said nothing, and he ran me to his car, and drove me home at some very high speed. We ran in the door, and Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Emmet were already waiting by the door. Rosalie was nowhere to be found. I guess that's what happens when you live with a fortune-teller. Carlisle had his medical kit with him and told Edward to set me down on his bed, which he did. He gave me a quick once-over, then began patching up my multiple cuts. I was covered in gauze even before he got to my wrist. He took one look at it before realizing that it was broken and telling Emmet to go get his plaster. He returned quickly and Carlisle continued treating me. Edward held my hand through it all, and when I screamed he lay down on the bed next to me, and took me in his arms.
Eventually I went numb, and so only realized he was done when he said so. Carlisle took one look at me and said, "Can you try to stand up now Bella?"
I looked at him confusedly and did as he asked, only to fall over into Edward's arms. "That's what I thought," he said gravely, "that leg slash cut through your tendon. I don't think you'll be able to walk for a while. I think we have some crutches in my medical cabinet. You'll have to use those for a while."
I rolled my eyes. "But- I'm completely uncoordinated." Emmet scoffed and nodded, which was slightly difficult since he was rolling on the floor in hysterics."
Edward looked at me, having the good grace not to laugh. "I won't let you fall." And I knew it was true.
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A/N: There might possibly be more, I'm not entirely sure. If you have any ideas or opinions please review. I'm leaning towards another chapter... but I'm not sure.