Hey, guys. Nice to be back. Thank you for all your beautiful reviews. Please keep them coming. Just a warning that this is not beta-ed, so I apologize for all errors. Now, I would prepare for a drama filled chapter. Enjoy! See you at the bottom.

Twilight is not mine.

Chapter 4: Desperate Times

I was frantically typing on my laptop while speaking to the real estate agent on the phone which was tightly clenched between my shoulder and ear. For the past two days, we had been swiftly arranging for our move to Deer Isle, Maine. Carlisle and I had come to the decision that moving to a city close to the ocean would be best for Bella, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so when this incompetent real estate agent.

"Mr. Shaw, you told me that you had received the paperwork as well as the payment for the house." I tried not to growl at the poor fool. I was in a foul mood.

My inbox chimed as I received the email from the hospital Carlisle had applied to. He was being asked to start immediately. Thank God that had gone through smoothly.

"Of course, Mr. Cullen! I did indeed, and I sent my secretary to speak with the owners and handle the exchange. I'm still waiting to hear from her," he sputtered.

"Mr. Shaw, are you not the one who should be handling this 'exchange'? My family is planning to move into that house within the next two days. If you have no information regarding whether or not the house will be ready for us, then I would very much like to speak with this secretary of yours." I quickly typed a response to the hospital.

I had already sent the transfer papers to Maine Maritime College, along with a hefty donation, and was expecting to hear from them today. I was checking the status on the furniture we had just shipped and almost crushed the phone with my shoulder at Shaw's response.

"I apologize, Mr. Cullen. I'm not used to handling such large amounts of money all at once. Julie seemed far more comfortable-"

"Mr. Shaw, I am afraid I'm going to have to hang up the phone right now. Something else is requiring my attention at the moment. I'll be expecting your call no later than this evening about the status of the house, and I would like to speak to your secretary since you seem to be so uncomfortable. Have a nice day," I spoke through clenched teeth before ending the call.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and the growl I had been suppressing escaped from my throat. Surely it was impossible for vampires to get headaches?

"Edward."

My head shot up at the sound of my mate's voice. She had been sleeping on the leather couch on the other side of my room. The bed in the guest room was far more comfortable, but Bella preferred to be with me, and though we always carried her back to the guest room, my love seemed to have a gift for quietly crawling around the house without any of us noticing. Multiple times I had entered my room and was surprised to have found her curled up in the same spot on the sofa. Eventually I had just given in and left some pillows and blankets for her to wrap up in. I didn't want her to overexert herself, and I also rather enjoyed having her close to me as well. Just the sound of her breathing while I worked had been incredible calming.

I was immediately at her side, smoothing the curls away from her sweet face. She nuzzled against my hand and gazed up at me with drowsy, ocean blue eyes. Her cheeks were losing the rosy color I adored so much, and her skin was becoming increasingly paler. Her eyes had dark bruises underneath, her lips were chapping, her breathing was heavy, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

Over the past few days Bella had become increasingly weaker. Carlisle and Emmett had attempted to get her to walk using traditional physical therapy methods, but whatever techniques they had attempted to execute were rendered useless because Bella barely had the strength to even sit up now.

We had tried to get her to eat as well. Esme had tried a variety of recipes, including purely liquid based foods, but Bella's body refused all of it. Fruits and vitamin shakes didn't work. Bella just vomited them up and cried every time. I had begged the girls to stop after Bella had gotten sick for the sixth time. The only thing her body seemed to accept was water, but water wasn't nutritional.

"Is everything alright? Why are you growling?" Bella asked, reaching up to trace the dark bruises under my eyes. I felt the familiar serenity that my mate offered me. My nerves seemed to instantly calm whenever Bella touched me, and the feeling was even more powerful than Jasper's gift.

I had been on edge lately, as was the rest of my family. Emmett, who always expressed himself quite clearly, was not pleased.

Stupid, fucking wolves. I should rip them all apart and throw them in a fire. See how they like it.

Add in the stress of Bella's worsening condition, and the threat of the wolves attacking at any moment, and it took all I had not to destroy poor Esme's furniture.

"I'm sorry I woke you, love. I was just a bit annoyed with someone. It's nothing to worry about. How are you feeling?" Frustration was not nearly enough to describe just how I felt. I rested my head on Bella's stomach and allowed her to comb her fingers through my hair.

"I'm alright." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I'm sorry for worrying you and your family. I don't know what's wrong with me. This has never happened before."

"We'll figure it out, love, and we'll fix it." I kissed the cloth covering her shrinking stomach. Though she never ate, Bella had had a lovely figure when I had first seen her. I had nearly bit off my tongue when I saw that she had been naked from the waist up. The sight of her naked with legs after her change had almost made me fall to my knees.

Now she looked sickly and thin, and it ruined me to no end that I couldn't help her. I allowed the sound of her heartbeat to comfort me for a few precious moments.

Edward, would you please come to my office for a moment? I promise to be quick.

I let out a long sigh. Leaving Bella was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I reluctantly rose to my feet.

"Carlisle is calling for me, love." Bella nodded in understanding. I leaned down to kiss her forehead and waited for Esme and my sisters to make their way up the stairs.

They knocked at the door before stepping in. Esme had a glass of water in her hand, and Rose and Alice had body wash and towels.

"We'll take care of her, dear. Don't worry; go to your father." Esme patted my shoulder. My sisters chased me out the room, and I went to speak with Carlisle.

I knocked on the heavy, wooden door of his study.

"Come in."

I entered to see my father leaning against his desk. "Anything?" I asked somewhat hopeful.

"No." He shook his head sorrowfully. "I can't find any physical reason why her body would be acting like this other than malnutrition, but she doesn't eat. We've tried fruit, shakes, even pills, and her body refuses all of it. The only thing she can hold is water, and she's only getting thinner and paler. She's also struggling to breath. She's incredibly weak." He paused for a moment.

Edward, she needs the ocean. For whatever reason, that's what has been keeping her alive and healthy these past few decades. Getting her into the water is the only thing that I can assume will fix whatever is wrong with her body.

"But we'll be surrounded by water when we reach Maine. Two more days, Carlisle; that's all we need," I entreated him.

"We don't know how long she'll hold out, son. Her condition is worsening exponentially. Two days or two hours? It's unpredictable right now. The way it seems is that her having legs is either incredibly unnatural for her, or it's a state that she's only to use sparingly and temporarily." He paused before taking a deep breath. "Being out of the water is destroying her, Edward, and her body reacting unpredictably. With the way things are right now, I'm not even sure she'll survive until the move. We have to-"

He was cut off by a pained cry. A shrill scream tore through the house, and before I knew it, seven vampires were crammed into my bathroom gazing down at my mate who was naked and writhing in the tub.

"Bella! Bella, love, what's wrong?" I asked, frantically trying to calm her. She grabbed my hand and held on tight; biting her lip to hold back sobs and wails of pain.

"Esme, what happened?" Carlisle asked my distraught mother.

"I don't know. We were helping her bathe, and then she gasped and screamed-" Esme was trembling.

"Carlisle," I interrupted sharply. "Her legs!"

Bella's legs were merging into a tail, and just before the skin could revert to scales, they would tear apart again. I watched in horror as skin and scales peeled off her legs and a deep violet liquid came pouring out of her wounds, mixing with the bath water.

"Edward, make it stop! Please! It hurts," Bella shrieked wriggling and twisting in the tub. Her shoulder banged against it, and I could tell that she was going to bruises all over her body.

I lifted her from the tub, and Alice helped me to wrap her in a towel. Violet blood slid down her shifting legs as we carried her to my leather couch.

"Edward, hold her down and try to get her to relax. I'm going to examine her legs," Carlisle instructed me.

"Bella," I whispered to her try to push some calm in my voice. Jasper sent a wave of it over the both of us as I brushed her wet hair away from her grief-stricken face.

"Look at me, Darling. It's alright. I have you." I kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her nose and cheeks.

"Edward," she whimpered in response. Her bottom lip also had purple blood on it from her biting it. Tears were streaming down her ashen face. It felt like someone was crushing my cold heart in my chest.

"Relax, love. Just relax. I know it hurts, angel, but we'll fix, okay. We'll figure it out; just please calm down. Take deep breaths with me," I urged her. I breathed with her, in and out, until she calmed down a little.

For the next hellish hour, her body shuddered sporadically, as if she was having seizures. When these attacks struck, her legs and tail continued to battle, turning into a purple, bloody mess, and I breathed with her as the pain wracked her small frame. Carlisle had given her some anesthesia, but it was slow to take effect. In the meantime, there was nothing Carlisle or anyone could do.

In between the episodes, we spoke when she could.

"I'm sorry for getting blood all over everything," Bella panted as she gripped my hand. "I know Esme doesn't like messes. Please tell her I'm sorry."

"Bella, don't worry about that. I'm sure Esme will understand. You don't need to apologize for anything." I kissed her cheek.

"I don't mind dying. For so long I looked forward to being with you, and I'm so grateful for what time I had. I don't mind at all, but I wish it was quick and painless, so that it wouldn't cause problems for anyone," she whimpered.

"Isabella," I couldn't control the sharpness in my voice, "Don't you ever say anything like that again. What would I do if you died? Imagine how you would feel if I died? After eighty years of being alone, you're happy and in love, and then I died?"

I watched horrified as tears streamed down my mate's face.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean-" I cut her off.

"No, baby, no." I kissed her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound like that. That was cruel of me, but, angel, please understand that I wouldn't be able to survive if you died. If you died, I would too. I would have no reason to keep going."

"I am sorry, Edward. That was a dumb thing for me to say," she apologized.

"Yes it was, and you'll make up for it by not dying and staying with me, alright?" She smiled and nodded, and then she grimaced.

"I think it's coming again, Edward," she whimpered. I held her as her body writhed and breathed with her when she wasn't screaming. I burned with her as pain wracked her body before she finally calmed once again. At last, Bella had finally lost consciousness, and the shifting stopped.

I carried her to the guest room, and Esme and my sisters cleaned off the blood and dressed her. Carlisle and I bandaged her wounds before carefully tucking her into the bed. I knelt on the ground next to her and held her tiny hand in both of mine, and I prayed to every divinity that she would be alright.

"We have to get her to La Push, Edward. She won't last much longer like this," Carlisle said, staring down at his new daughter with mournful eyes.

She was so brave today.

I chuckled humorlessly.

"She apologized for making a mess in the bathroom and on the sofa," I muttered disbelievingly, running my fingers through my hair. Only my Bella would apologize for bleeding during a seizure.

"I heard," he responded, crossing his arms. It was silent for a few moments except for the sounds of Bella's breathing and fluttering heart. Bella would occasionally whisper my name in her sleep, and I cringed when she coughed or winced. Even in sleep, she was in pain.

"She's dying, Carlisle," I choked. My breathing hitched, and my eyes burned with tears that would never shed. "I finally found my mate after all these years, and she's everything I've ever hoped for and so much more, and she's dying. She's dying right in front of me, and I can't do a damn thing about it because of those God forsaken wolves."

My father listened to me vent and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as I cried the only way my body would allow.

"We need to speak to the wolves, Edward. She's been there for years. We don't know for sure if it's only the sea water that she needs or the La Push waters specifically," he explained.

Talking to the wolves was far from what I had in mind. I wanted to kill them all for endangering family and making my mate suffer. Bella had been a quiet observer of the pack for all these years, never causing any harm or panic. She had even told me that she had saved some of the Quileutes when they had been drowning, yet she was the one suffering the most from their pompous actions and ways of thinking.

"I'll be back soon, my love. I'm going to take care of you. You'll be fine; I promise," I vowed, before leaning over to kiss her clammy forehead. I hastened out of the room, followed by Carlisle.

"Edward, where are you going?" He asked cautiously, though I could see from his thoughts that he already had some idea.

"I'm going to fix this," I answered vaguely as I raced down the stairs.

"Son, don't be rash," he advised me, placing a halting hand on my shoulder. I spun around angrily.

"So what should I be? Patient? You just said two days or two hours, Carlisle. If there was ever a time to be rash, it's now," I contested, not bothering to keep the growl out of my voice. I detested being disrespectful to the man who was practically my father, but I didn't have it in me be courteous.

"If you go recklessly barging into Quileute territory, the wolves will destroy you without bothering to listen to your words. Then what? Bella would have absolutely no chance of survival without you by her side, Edward. You are mated. Your life is no longer yours alone. You share it with another; please be conscious of that," my father urged me, and I felt my shoulders slump as the wind left my sails. He was right as always, but that make the situation any simpler.

"Then what do I do, Carlisle? What can I do? Because I'm at a loss right now, and I can't just sit around doing nothing while my mate's life in hanging in the balance!" I felt half mad with desperation. The world couldn't be so cruel as to tear her away from me when I had only just found her.

There was so much I wanted to do with her, share with her. I wanted to marry her and make love to her. I wanted to take her all around the world and show her just how vast it really was. I wanted to kiss her under the mistletoe on Christmas, at midnight on New Year's, and give her flowers on Valentines. I wanted so much, perhaps too much for my unworthy soul, but love had made me even more selfish. I wanted my Bella, and I would not and could not lose her. I would sooner throw myself in a fire.

"I do agree that we are crunched for time, son. Believe me; I understand the severity of the situation, and I have every intention of trying to correct it. Jasper. Emmett," he called for my brothers who were there in a heartbeat.

"I'm assuming we're going to finally do something about those dogs." Emmett smirked. Jasper nodded in agreement. If only.

"We're not going to fight them. Bella has been living peacefully with them for all these years. She is an innocent victim in all of this. I'm sure the wolves would be civil long enough for us to help her," Carlisle spoke calmly; trying to counter the anxiety we were all feeling.

"Bella has actually saved a few of the wolves from drowning. They are indebted to her," I added. If the wolves were even half human, they would save Bella. They couldn't refuse her when they owed her their lives.

"They are also irrational. They call themselves protectors and feel they are doing the right thing, but they're so callous that it's pathetic. They'll never let us into their territory for any reason. What's to stop them from simply taking Bella to the beach themselves and without ever returning her?" Jasper rationalized.

"I am," I growled furiously. "She's my mate. If I have to kill the whole lot of them to make her well again, I will, though I would prefer to make this as peaceful as possible. Bella doesn't need to be surrounded by any more chaos." I allowed myself to calm down a bit. Isabella had the power to awaken the emotions I had kept smothered for so long.

"She's in pretty bad shape right now. Would she be alright if we brought her with us?" Emmett asked Carlisle.

"I honestly am not sure exactly what she can handle right now, Emmett. I have never dealt with a case like this before. I can make guesses and predictions, but I have no idea how accurate they truly are. We can only hope and have faith that Bella is strong enough to pull through this," Carlisle said gravely. "For now, we'll simply go and speak with the Quileutes without Bella. Depending on their response, will decide what to do from there."

I was far from comfortable playing this ordeal by the ear when Bella's condition was so delicate, but I really didn't have much choice. Thus, we made our way to the treaty line where Emmett proceeded to stick his fingers in his mouth and whistle for the mutts. Carlisle chastened him, but Jasper and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sam!" Carlisle called out, his voice spreading throughout the clearing. "We need to speak with you urgently. It concerns the life of an innocent."

One by one the wolves skulked out from the mass of trees. There were seven horse-sized wolves. A few of them looked a bit awkward, almost gangly in their wolf forms. They were probably newly changed.

What do you want, bloodsucker?

The black wolf's thoughts invaded my mind, along with his followers'. The pack's minds were linked together, and listening to one mind was almost the same as listening to all of them. I conveyed the message to Carlisle with some editing.

"We need to talk to you about an innocent girl that has been caught in the middle of this confusion. Her life in hanging by a thread," Carlisle began. "Could I possibly speak to you in your human form?" He addressed Sam. The pack growled in response.

I don't trust you. Your mind reader can hear me. Again I spoke for Sam.

"Very well." Carlisle cleared his throat. "There really is no way to word this, so I will simply ask. Have you ever seen a young woman swimming in your waters? I believe she has actually saved some of you from drowning at some points in time."

What the hell is he talking about?

We should just kill them right now. They're only here to mess with us.

Sam! Sam, I know what he's talking about! Memories of crashing waves, blue eyes, and brown hair flashed in my mind.

My eyes snapped to the small, sandy-colored wolf that stood almost at the very back of the pack.

"You are Seth?" I asked, already knowing the answer. The wolf startled at me speaking to him directly before nodding hesitantly.

"She has told me about you. She saved you and someone named Jacob. Is he among you?" I asked, scanning the minds of all the wolves.

I'm here, bloodsucker. I know who you're talking about. What do you want with her?

"Edward, what's going on?" Jasper asked me urgently. He could feel edginess of the wolves.

"She is my mate. I found her after you chased me into the ocean," I began to explain.

Yeah, after you murdered a human! Growls erupted from the pack.

"I did not kill anyone. A nomad killed that girl. I had been trying to save her when you attacked me. I did not break the treaty," I defended myself, "but that girl that saved you both, she is my mate, and she's dying. We're not sure if it's the waters of La Push specifically or if it's just sea water in general, but she needs it to sustain herself."

"We would try another beach further down the coast, but yours is the closest, and we don't know how her body will react to traveling in such a state. She's having seizures and internal bleeding. We just want to cross over long enough to save-" Carlisle was cut off by a vicious growl from a grey wolf.

The hell you're not! Sam, you can't let them come into our territory!

"We don't want to harm anyone! As soon as we're sure she's healthy again, we'll leave; La Push and Forks," I explained.

Give her to us then. We'll take care of her. Jacob suggested snidely. She'll be safer in our hands anyway.

Now it was my turn to growl. Some of the other pack members murmured in agreement.

"Edward, what's going?" Jasper asked urgently, noticing the stand-off between the russet wolf and me.

"They want us to give her to them, so they can take her to the beach," I explained to my family.

"Sam, please understand that Bella has become a part of our family. Please do not force us to part with her when she's in such a delicate condition, Edward especially," Carlisle entreated.

"We do see Bella as a sister. If anything happens to her, we want to be there to witness it and react to it firsthand. Also, Bella might go into distress is she is taken from Edward," Jasper attempted to persuade them.

The wolves grumbled amongst themselves. Some were alright with Bella coming over while others continued allow hatred for our kind to cloud their judgment.

They can't be trusted.

That girl is dying, right? Shouldn't we just let them bring her?

What if it's a trick?

Are their mates like our imprints? Does the girl want to stay with them?

They did say they'll leave right after, and we'll be watching them the whole time.

"Alright, listen, mutts," Emmett spoke up. Jasper and Carlisle looked at him, shocked. The wolves growled at the name.

"Emmett!" Carlisle chided him.

"Bells is like a sister to us, and she's in trouble. Vamp and wolf aside, she's innocent in this whole stupid enemy thing. Frankly, we don't even care enough about you guys to qualify as enemies, so calm down. We just want to bring the girl over, let her have a spa day, and bring her back. Then we're out of here for good. We don't care how many watch dogs you sic on us; we only want her better, and arguing about whether or not we're trustworthy is just wasting time," Emmett spoke. I was shocked by how collected he seemed, but a peek into his thoughts actually revealed that he was two seconds away from beating the wolves with a tree.

There was a moment of silence before Sam shifted into his human form. The pack watched on in fear and curiosity, and I was able to relax my shoulders for the first time that night. Sam met my eyes with his compassionate ones.

"I'm willing to put aside any arguments for the sake of this girl who has apparently been living peacefully in our waters and has saved some of our boys. We will be watching and surrounding you the entire time you are here, and none of you are to cross the treaty line without our permission and supervision, and once the girl is healthy again, you leave. Immediately." Sam then turned to address his pack.

"If any of you have a problem, get over it," he said before turning to Carlisle. "Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it. Thank you, Sam," Carlisle replied sincerely.

"I'm doing it for the girl's sake. You can bring her here at dawn. I need to go speak with the elders. Move out!" He phased and ran off, his pack quick at his heels.

A few moments after they had left, I fell to my knees.

"Edward! Son, are you alright?" Carlisle asked concerned.

"They said yes, Carlisle," I responded in disbelief. "She's going to be alright."

"Damn straight! My little sister can't die before I've had the chance to play video games with her." Emmett crossed him arms and nodded his head seriously.

"I was surprised by your speech there, buddy. You should join the debate team next time we're in high school," Jasper jested.

"Har, har, har. Oh, Jazzy, you're such a hoot," Emmett mimicked some feminine gesture before tackling Jazz. I was too relieved to care about their idiocy.

"Alright then, we should probably head-" Carlisle's sentence was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Hello," he answered.

"Carlisle, whatever you're doing with the wolves needs to be wrapped up. We need you to get here, now." Rose's voice sounded urgently through the phone.

"What's wrong, Rosalie? Did something happen to Bella?" Carlisle asked. My chest tightened at the thought. No. No, no, no.

I took off without bothering to listen to the rest of the call.

"Edward!" My brothers called after me, but I didn't care. I ran like a man possessed and practically tore the door down when I entered the house. I followed the sound of voices to the guest room that Bella had been staying in.

Esme, Alice, and Rose all sat anxiously around Bella who was lying under the covers. She was panting and her eyes were barely open. She looked tired, but her appearance hadn't changed much from when I last saw her.

The room was illuminated by a lamp on the nightstand, and Bella's hair was brushed over one shoulder. I could see her shoulders; she was wearing flannel pajamas instead of a night dress. She must have been cold.

"Edward." Esme rose seeing me enter the room and came over and took my hand. She pulled me over to Bella.

"Where are the others? Are they still with the wolves?" Rose asked me.

"No, we finished. I just got here before them," I explained. She nodded in understanding. She knew I was the fastest.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked them as I kneeled down next to Bella. Her half closed eyes blinked slowly, but she didn't really seem to register my presence. I wasn't sure whether or not she was conscious.

Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper came into the room before I had finished the question.

"Yes, Esme, what happened?" Carlisle repeated my question as he approached Bella, scrutinizing her appearance.

She doesn't look very different. He noticed in relief.

"She's been slipping in an out of conscious. She was asleep most of while you were gone, but when she had woken up once she said that she couldn't feel her legs. We tried to get her to move them, but…" Alice trailed off.

"We don't know if it's because she's too tired or weak, but we also suspect that she might be, um." Rose also had trouble finishing. Her flitted to Alice's seeking help, but I didn't need to hear the rest. They were all thinking it.

"You think she's paralyzed?" I asked horrified.

"From the waist down, yes," Esme answered, fiddling with her hands.

Oh my God.

No way. Paralysis isn't reversible, is it? Can water fix this?

What the hell! We were only gone a few hours.

This happening too fast. Her body is shutting down at a rate that can't be tracked. How much longer does she have?

The room was filled with a painful silence and distressed thoughts that only I could hear. Time continued to flow, but none of us knew how fast or how slow. I sat on the ground, my head clutched in my hands. I was too scared to ask Carlisle if it was reversible. He himself didn't know, but asking the question out loud made it all too real.

"At sunrise," I whispered after who knows how long. We only had to hold out until dawn, and then we would bring her to the water. She would alright then. She would healthy and whole again.

"What?" Rose asked.

"The wolves agreed to allow us into La Push at dawn. We can bring her to the water. Our only worries now is that she'll be safe on the trip over there and that all of this will be remedied. We'll be in Maine the day after tomorrow. We'll be surrounded by seawater there. She'll be fine," Carlisle explained to them.

Movement caught my eyes, and I watched as Bella's eyes fluttered, and she reached a tiny, white hand out towards me. I took it gently in mine and kissed it.

"Edward, you're there, right? It's dark." Bella's voice was weak and raspy, but that wasn't the problem. I sat there frozen because her eyes, beautiful and blue as always, were open and looking right at me.

"Carlisle," I whispered horrified. She was blind!

Esme gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Alice was completely still, and Emmett ran out the door. The sound of trees being uprooted and rocks breaking echoed throughout the area.

"If she really is paralyzed, and her vision is gone, it could mean that her nervous system is beginning to shut down. If this keeps up, she could go brain dead," Carlisle choked out the words as if they were poison in his mouth.

"How long until then?" Rose demanded.

"I don't know. Her condition is too erratic to guess." Carlisle shook his head helplessly.

"Alice, what time is it?" I asked. My voice didn't sound right, but I didn't care. My world was lying in this bed, and it was crumbling right in front me.

"It's three in the morning. The sun should be up in another three hours," she said. Damn it! We didn't have three hours.

"Edward." My whipped around at the sound of my mate's voice. It sounded a bit stronger than it had just a while ago.

"Yes, love?" I answered.

Her hand left mine and trailed up to the side of my face. I covered her hand with mine. It felt so soft and weak and cold.

"I can see the color of your eyes if I do this," she whispered, squinting her eyes. "I can't see your face, though. I'm sorry." It broke my heart to hear her say that. I knew how she felt. I knew she thought this was all her fault. I know she thought that she was a huge nuisance to our family because that's just the way she was.

"No. No, angel. Don't apologize. It's alright. We're going to make you better, alright? We're taking to La Push in the morning, and we're going to make you better. This isn't your fault, baby. Not at all; I didn't take care of you," I said, contrite.

"Edward, it's not your fault. You didn't know. I didn't even know that leaving the water would do this to me," she responded, lips trembling and eyes glassy with tears. "I troubled your family. I made you all worry. I heard Esme crying when she thought I was sleeping."

"Don't think that, angel. I love you, and my family loves you, and we just want you to get better. After you're healthy again, we're moving. We're getting away from the wolves, and we'll go somewhere really close to the sea." I kissed both of her eyes. I couldn't bear to see her cry right now. It would break me. Whatever strength I had been able to muster would be stolen away if I was forced to watch helpless and my mate cried.

So instead, I her told about the house the Maine. I told about how annoying the real estate agent was. I told her about our house being right near the water and secluded from everyone. I told her about college, and Esme would be tutoring Bella while we are gone.

Then I started telling her stories about how we had moved from place to place and the stupid things we had done. I babbled about absolute nonsense, occasionally kissing her tiny hand. A weight eased off my chest as she smiled at my anecdotes. The others had left us some time ago, but I hadn't paying attention to when. I just focused on my mate. I continued to talk to Bella until she went back to sleep.

Is she asleep? Emmett peeked his head in the doorway. I nodded my head, and he came in the room.

I really feel like breaking something.

"You didn't get that out of your system earlier?" I asked, referring to his battle with the forest. I kept my voice too low for Bella to possibly hear.

Nah. I need at least a small town to destroy. I'm telling you, Ed, I just want to go Hulk on the world right now. I'm sure you feel the same way.

I chuckled and shook my head slightly before answering, "No, I'm not mad anymore. I just want the sun to hurry up, so we can get her to the water. I've never felt so terrified in my entire existence, Em."

Yeah, I know what you mean. I assume you're going to carry her.

I nodded. There was no question. Emmett nodded in understanding.

You just couldn't make it easy on us, could you Ed? You couldn't go for a simple vampire girl. You had to choose the mermaid. I smiled reluctantly. He was right.

"You seemed to have taken a real liking to her," I noted.

We all have. Even Rose is in love with her. She's freaking adorable. She also been waiting eighty years for your sorry ass, so if you hurt her… Emmett motioned slitting his throat. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide that I was pleased. She really had enchanted all of us.

Esme and Alice came in later with a glass of water for Bella.

"Mr. Shaw called while you guys were gone by the way. Everything has been finalized for the house. We just have to sign the documents when we arrive tomorrow. They jet is being prepared," Alice notified me.

"That man irritates me to no end," I complained.

"Yeah, a bit of weasel, isn't he? He also has an unpleasantly shrill voice," Alice commented.

"I think he's just nervous around Cullens," I said. This got a laugh out of Emmett.

"Who isn't?" He asked. It was a decent question.

"I'm going to braid her hair, so it doesn't stick to her or get in her face when you're moving. Excuse me, Bells. I'm sorry for waking you," Alice apologized as she brushed all of Bella's hair over to one side and began to braid.

"Bella, we brought you some water." Esme bent over to bring the glass to Bella's lips, but there was no response, not to Alice no Esme.

"She's not waking up," Emmett said, slightly alarmed.

"Bella, wake up, angel. Esme brought you some water. Wake up, love." I tried to wake her, as did Alice, Em, and Esme, but she was not responding. I shook her body as gently as possible, but nothing happened.

"I don't understand. Her heart is beating, and she's breathing," Esme remarked.

"It's like she's in a coma," I said, awestruck. Could this get any worse? How had this happened? When did this happen?

"Alice?" I asked, not even needing to say my question.

"The sun should be up in less than an hour. Maybe another forty-five minutes." She answered immediately; her voice sounded strained. She was pacing. "I don't understand; she's was awake just two hours ago. She was talking and moving. How did this happen?"

"We need to take her now. The wolves will just have to understand. She's slipping away without us even realizing it, and at this rate, who knows if she has another forty-five minutes." I gently lifted my mate from the bed and carried her down the stairs, careful not to jostle her.

"You're going now?" Carlisle asked, having heard us upstairs.

"We can't wait any longer, Carlisle. She's fading fast," Emmett answered from behind me. Carlisle analyzed Bella's nonresponsive form as I cradled her securely to my chest.

"She practically fell into a coma, and none of us noticed. She could die any minute, and we wouldn't see it coming. We need to get her in the water, now," I urged desperately. I could feel as if it were my own life slowly being drawn from my body. Bella didn't have much time left, and I was not going to exist without her.

"Alright, let's go," Carlisle agreed.

We all raced out of the house and towards the boundary line. Even with Bella in my arms, I still managed to run faster than the rest of my family. It was probably because Bella's body temperature dropped every few seconds.

"Sam! Sam!" I called out as we approached the border, as did the rest of my family. Two wolves were waiting for us as the clearing, but neither of them was Sam.

You're early, bloodsuckers. Sam said dawn.

"We don't have time. She's dying now," I warned them. A huge part of me was saying to just ignore them and run through, but the sensible part knew that wouldn't go over too well.

Let them go, Jared. We can escort them.

But, Jake –

But nothing; she's dying. There's nothing to talk about. If Sam has a problem, he can take it up with me. Follow me, leeches. And hurry up! If any of you fall out of my sight, you're all dead.

I took off after that, not bothering to follow him, but I did stay where he could see me. I was vaguely aware of my family and other wolves behind me, but that was all drowned out by the sound of Bella's stuttering heartbeat.

No! No, no, no. I silently urged Bella to fight.

Stay with me, angel. Please. Hang on; we're almost there. I ran like I'd never run before, no longer bothering to stay close to Jacob.

Hey!

They didn't matter. I could make out the rocky beach ahead and the stones Bella had once shown me. My feet felt as if they no longer touched the ground. I clutched Bella tightly in my arms and launched myself through the trees and onto the wet rocks. The water was calm as if it had been awaiting Bella's return.

I knelt down at the very edge and decided to strip Bella of her pajamas since they would probably be a hindrance when her tail came out. Her breathing was light, but her heart was still beating. I took off my shoes and shirt before slipping into the water, and tugging her with me. I then submerged us in the salty waves and prayed.

I don't know how long we stayed underwater as nothing happened. I could see my family above us, staring into the water. My chest felt tight and uncomfortable when since I wasn't breathing, and little air bubbles escaped Bella's partly opened lips. I kissed them and clutched her to me. Her body felt heavy, even to me, but I wasn't sure if the weight was real. I thought her heartbeat had actually stalled a few times, but then it would start back up again. Still, nothing happened.

Edward, you guys have been down there for nearly two hours. What's going?

Two hours. It felt like days. My mate was practically lifeless in my arms; her flittering heart was the only thing tying us both to this world. I could hear my mother crying.

Is she dead?

No, she wasn't. Her heart was beating. Her heartbeat was the only reason the world was still spinning. I would stay down here the rest of eternity if it meant her heart would keep beating. I would spend all of my existence holding her like this, and I would be content with it.

I was conscious. I could move and think and feel. She was alive. Her heart was beating, and her soul was resting quietly within her frail body. Together we were one living being; she the spiritual, I the physical. All the pain I felt holding her under the water was more excruciating than anything I had ever felt. The fear that her heart would stop was like a tangible fist crushing my body. I felt more alive than I ever had, and I would be grateful to hold her like this forever. I just wanted her heart to keep beating. If she remained alive, I wouldn't want for anything else.

All the years of being alone, of loathing myself, of hating my existence; none of them could hold a candle to how much sadness, pain, and fear I felt when I thought about Bella dying at any moment. Her soul could just be torn from my arms.

Please, stay with me. I'll stay down here with you forever; just please stay with me.

I pleaded with her; I pleaded with God; I pleaded with the fates. I once again kissed her nonresponsive lips and held her tight as the sea rocked around us. Cradling us in cocoon that seemed to block out the currents. Time stood still in our little sphere. I never should have taken Bella from the water. I should have stayed here with her, so now, I repented. I blocked everything out.

There was nothing: no thoughts, no water, nothing. The only thing that existed was Bella in my arms and our fluttering heart.

I love you.

This broke my heart to write, but it must be done. Please review and tell me what you think!

XOXO,

~Amy