Thank you to Project Team Beta & my amazing beta's for this chapter: .x, Remylebeauishot


Still cradling her in my arms, I closed my eyes and strained to hear the faint sound of her heart.

There was nothing.

The most beautiful sound in the world was too weak, even for my flawless ears. I took small comfort from the shallow breaths that grazed my neck. I inhaled deeply. Her scent, which used to call to me like a siren song, now held a bitter, metallic note. It distorted the usually sweet fragrance that was uniquely Bella.

My Bella.

~ Chapter 3: Questions ~

Another hour passed – maybe two – before Carlisle returned with Jasper in tow, a solemn expression on both their faces.

"Alice?" I asked. My eyes followed my distraught brother as he crossed my room.

"No change," he muttered. He wouldn't look at me, but his mind gave him away. He was barely holding it together – as was I.

Silently, they went to work cleaning my room, bringing order to the chaos. I didn't move to help them, but they didn't expect me to. I couldn't bear the thought of letting Bella go, even for a second. I idly wondered how Jasper was able to leave Alice's side, but as I searched his mind, I found the answer. Even in unconsciousness, Alice's fear had grown exponentially stronger over the last few hours. Combined with the terror Jasper was experiencing himself, the weight of both emotions was enough to break even the strongest man.

I found my sister's mind. Jasper had moved her to their bedroom. The visions that floated through her mind were the same but not quite as blurred as they had been a few hours ago.

"It's a little clearer - Alice's dream," I clarified, hoping to bring him some comfort.

"Her emotions are getting stronger too," Jasper added. I noticed then that he was visibly shaking.

Carlisle examined the splintered windows, his thoughts momentarily distracted on having the house repaired as quickly as possible. "I was able to confirm the same compound was injected into both of them, though Alice's dose was five-times stronger."

Jasper gave voice to my thoughts. "Who would do this? Who could do this?"

"I don't know. This compound…" Carlisle shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it. When we finish here, I'm going to take the samples I've collected to the hospital. Their equipment is much more advanced than what I have."

"The Volutri?" I asked, returning to the topic at hand.

"I don't think so," Jasper said. "They have no reason to come after us. They don't know about Bella, or that Bella knows the truth about who we are. Besides, Alice would have seen that, and they wouldn't have left Bella alive."

I winced and closed my eyes. Barely alive.

Sorry, Jasper thought.

"Victoria or Laurent?" I growled between clenched teeth.

"They're nomads, Edward," Carlisle said as he placed a handful of CDs back on the shelf. "This is an advanced bio-chemical compound, given in the proper proportions to subdue an impervious vampire and a human. I doubt either of them have the brains or the resources to develop something like this."

Everyone fell silent again, contemplating the "who" and "why" of this puzzle. What did they gain from this? All they succeeded in doing was hurting an innocent, human girl. Alice would recover, Carlisle was sure of it. The damage to our home was trivial. But Bella might never…

I couldn't finish the thought, and Jasper glanced at me when the agony of that thought stabbed at what was left of my heart. I shifted Bella's limp body in my arms, pulling her minutely closer as I buried my face in her hair and breathed her in. "Please," I whispered.

Carlisle and Jasper left moments later. My room was back in order again, only the shattered windows stood as a reminder of what had happened here.

What did happen here? What did they do? Wake up. Tell me. Who did this to you? Please.

My father and brother returned, carrying the bed frame and mattress from the guestroom. They assembled the queen-size bed in the center of my room, covering it in white sheets and heavy blankets.

Give her to me, Edward.

My mother's voice was a surprise, and I turned my head to see her standing in the doorway. Esme wasn't due back from Alaska for another week. Of course, it was ridiculous for me to think she'd stay away when her family was in crisis.

Esme walked slowly into the room and knelt down beside me. She didn't look at me, her eyes stayed fixed on Bella's ashen face. Repeating Carlisle's movements, she brushed her hand over Bella's head, combing her fingers through her long, brown hair. If she had the ability, I knew Esme's face would be awash with tears.

"Oh sweetheart," she murmured. I knew she wasn't talking to me.

Give her to me, Edward. Your father needs to clean her cuts, and I think she'd be more comfortable after a bath and some fresh clothes. I'll bring her right back to you, I promise.

Esme looked up and studied my eyes for a moment. Her worry for me was evident in her expression and in her thoughts.

Edward, you should take a moment, let your emotions run their course. Catch your breath. You need to get out of this room, out of this house, and pull yourself together. You're falling apart in front of my eyes, and Bella needs you to be strong for her. She can't do this alone. Do you understand?

"Yes," I whispered. Although the thought of letting Bella go was abhorrent, even for her to get the medical attention I knew she needed, I learned some years ago that my mother often understood what I needed better than I did.

Esme stood, and I did the same. She held her arms open, and I shifted Bella into them like I was passing off a helpless infant. When she was safely in my mother's arms, I placed a kiss on her temple and filled my lungs with her beautiful scent once more. I prayed those things would give me the strength to endure the next several minutes until I had her back in my arms. Esme walked slowly out of the room, Carlisle following close behind, taking my reason for existing with them.

I heeded my mother's advice and sprinted from the house and into the woods. The storm above pelted my body with rain as furious winds whipped through the trees. The air was warm and thick with moisture; the forest around me illuminated momentarily by cracks of lighting.

Though my speed could have catapulted me deep into the forest, I did not go far. I was only a mile from the house when I collapsed, the weight of my emotions crushing me to the dirt.

She was going to die.

My love.

My life.

She was slipping through my fingers. Her heart was barely pumping enough to keep her alive, and Carlisle was certain the chemical in her bloodstream was the cause. Whatever this drug was that had invaded her body, it was determined – designed – to kill her.

And it was going to kill me, too.

That errant thought hit me like a wrecking ball. This was about me. Someone was out to hurt me - destroy me - and Bella was going to pay the ultimate price.

I thought I'd lost her once when that sadistic animal, James, lured her to the dance studio. James had injured her terribly that night. He broke her leg and covered her body with cuts and bruises, but she had healed quickly. All that stood as a reminder of that horrible night was the crescent-shaped scar on her wrist.

But this – this was monumentally different.

Who would do this to me? Why? Who had I offended so deeply they found reason to destroy my life – destroy it utterly and completely?

I chuckled darkly to myself. I was such a fool. I'd brought this on myself. I could have saved her. I could have prevented this from happening. I could have made her eternal and invincible, if I had changed her as she'd begged me to do so often. I was getting exactly what I said I wanted – her living out her life as a human – but how could I have known the end of that life would come so soon?

She was going to die.

We'd had so little time together. It was the blink of an eye for an immortal like me. I'd waited so long to find her. She was my heart. She was my soul. She was my life. She was everything. And she was being taken from me.

She was going to die.


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